Undorn: The Middle

Part Three

Part Three

Bones, The Region of Orrosta

Location: The Mess Hall

His breakfast with Orgon had long since finished, but Bones remained at their picnic table, pretending to read the News, all the while sliding his stare not-so-coyly around the mess hall following Beo.

Almost 20 minutes had gone by before Bones saw a moment to strike. Beo was departing his latest group of resistors, waving them off with a few final words and heading toward the kitchens, likely for his own breakfast. Bones didn't bother more than one measly fold of the News before he yanked himself out from behind the table and beelined for Biondi.

"Beo!" His target hadn't seen Bones coming, as he was clearly distracted, walking by the entrance to the kitchens and toward the far side of the dining area. Bones picked up his pace. "Hey! Beo!"

Biondi stopped his powerful stride but just slightly, looking utterly shocked when he turned to see his boyfriend. "Oh, hey. Listen, don't really have much time to talk right now—"

"Just a sec?" Beo hadn't even bothered to slow his walk. He licked his lips, eyes darting in the direction he had been heading, then stopped. He took a deep breath in and crossed his arms over his chest like this one sec was all too much for him to handle. "Wow," Bones stepped back. "Never mind I guess."

Beo's grip on his upper arm was the only thing that kept Bones in place. "Hey," his voice was quiet. "Don't do that. Of course I want to talk to you. I just –" he turned to look back at the mess hall. "I have at least 5 more people I'm supposed to get to this morning, and that doesn't include their family and friends and the breakfast hour is almost over and—"

"Go," Bones told him, nodding. "Just come to bed tonight, please. With me. Preferably before 3 a.m.?"

Beo managed a smile. "Course. See you then."

Minutes after he left, Bones could still feel Beo's touch on his arm. He took a second, closed his eyes, and imagined he was still there. Here.

__

Curling around the hallway back to the dorms, Bones ran smack into Maxin.

"Jesus!"

The smaller boy had squealed. "Sorry! SO sorry!" As soon as he realized it was Bones' chest his head had hit, he smiled. "Oh thank god. Man, you have a taught chest."

Bones snorted. "Don't have anything to do these days besides workout." Ever since Beo was nominated King of the Resistance, it was like all Bones had done to get him there had vanished. He had hardly heard a peep from Catherine and was never invited to any of Beos' briefings. Neither was anyone else besides his mother, but still. Bones felt he had a right. "Headed there now, actually."

Maxin grimaced. "Yikes." Within seconds, his face lit back up in its usual usually sunny disposition. "Well, have fun!"

"Hey," Bones put a hand on his chest. Maxin eyed it. "You're soft. You ever work out?"

"Work out? Of course not. I wouldn't know—I wouldn't have the slightest idea."

Bones wasn't kidding. The kid was like chocolate pudding. He couldn't defend himself from a tomcat. "Come on," Bones nodded toward the direction of the basement. Maxin's bottom lip fell from the top. "You think you're joining our resistance without knowing how to defend yourself? Yeah. Think again."

They had spent almost an hour in the gym attempting to spar, weight lift, and perform various knife techniques when Bones started to reach peak frustration. The kid hadn't managed to land one punch on his opponent (he could dodge them all day, though), gripped Bones' knife backward, and could hardly pick up 10 pounds of weight in each hand. His little project, Bones hated to admit, was going to shit.

"Whose is that?" Maxin asked, pointing to an old archery bow in a pile of forgotten tools and weaponry. He wiped the back of his hand on his forehead, smearing dirt across it.

"Not sure. Never used one myself."

Maxin bent over, drawing closer to it. "Careful." Despite the warning, Maxin picked it up with what could only be described as elegance. He placed it gently on his shoulder and closed one eye.

He didn't move an inch when he asked Bones, "Arrow?"

"Uh, um," Bones scrambled around in the pile desperately looking for one. He hadn't seen Maxin look that comfortable with any weapon—even his own fists—since the two stepped down here. 

Finally, Bones found one. The tip was rusted and dull, but it was an arrow.

It took the two of them some maneuvering, but the bow was loaded. Maxin breathed out deeply. His eye was trained on one of the targets across the room pinned to the wall. Bones had frustratingly thrown a knife deep into the center of the one next to it moments before.

And as swiftly as Max picked it up, he shot it. And his shot was dead on.

__

Bones fought the urge to check his watch again. It was definitely past 1:30 now. Maybe 2. He hadn't seen Beo since that morning in the mess hall. When he had promised to come home to him.

Bones snorted to himself. This was karma, wasn't it?

Suddenly the door cracked open and in slid Beo. He was carrying a flashlight and his hair was sticking up in places it didn't usually, which meant he had been particularly aggrevated or tired. Bones could practically see him, leaning over Catherine's desk, his head in his hands, eyes slammed shut.

"Hi," Bones whispered, watching as Beo held the flashlight between his teeth to take off his belt. Biondi glanced over, smiling tiredly through the plastic. When he was down to his boxers and a t-shirt, he turned off the flashlight and climbed in next to Bones. "Hi," Beo whispered, placing a long slow kiss on his lips.

Bones melted. He pulled away, burying his face in Beo's neck and wrapping his arms around him. He placed a hand on Beo's chest to feel him breathing. Being so close after so long (3 days maybe, but it felt like a year) made Bones' entire body shiver. He placed his lips to Beo's neck and let his hand drift lower on his abdomen. "Hey Beo?" he mumbled against his skin, hoping to get a rise out of him. He wanted Beo to tell him everything he missed about the boy sleeping next to him. He wanted Beo to beg Bones to love him, to touch him. To know him.

But nothing.

Bones pushed himself up to look Beo in the eyes.

And when he did, the King of the Resistance was fast asleep.