a Lout and a Prince

Part 7

Damn.

It's hard moving through unfamiliar terrain when injured. But the alternative wasn't ideal either and even if his vision was spinning, Cale wasn't really the sort of person who gave up easily.

His arm was limp at his side and the blood seeping from his self-imposed injury hadn't let up for awhile now.

He might have bit off more than he could chew.

Unfortunately, Cale Henituse had a nasty habit of biting harder in circumstances like that.

He could hear the pursuers but they were still going in the wrong direction from the sound of it. Cale sighed and slumped against a tree.

He'd need to find his way out of this alive. It'd be really dumb if he died this way.

...wouldn't it just be fitting? He snorted to himself, wincing in pain as he did so.

A shadow overcast the moon and Cale looked up, ready to fight off yet another stupid fucker who dared to look down on Henituse.

"...I found you..." The tall man was sweaty and breathless, looking down at Cale with a mixture of concern and relief. He didn't look familiar. Dark brown hair and chestnut skin, a handsome face, and a cloak that he was wrapping around Cale to warm him up.

How long had he been shivering?

Cale smirked to himself, closing his eyes. "Isn't this just suitable for trash?"

Maybe he just didn't care because his savior didn't seem real. It was far more likely to be a near death hallucination.

"What is?" The man inquired, pulling a potion from the folds of his clothes and easing Cale to swallow it.

Cale shrugged. "Died in the wilderness running away from two-bit loser kidnappers that I only got caught by because of a fucking crush of all things." He laughed bitterly and felt his injuries begin to mend under the potion.

The man was silent for a moment, gathering him up in his arms and beginning off in the direction he came from. "You're not going to die." He said finally.

Cale laughed bitterly, closing his eyes as the exhaustion well and truly set in. "Says the guy currently kidnapping me from the kidnappers."

"...that's commonly referred to as a rescue, I'll have you know."

"Rescuers normally identify themselves." Cale pointed out. "You're suspicious as hell."

"...I have my reasons." He adjusted his hold on Cale and increased the pace. Cale didn't care, he was halfway unconscious. "What happened to you anyway? Did they do this to you?" His voice sounded tight with anger.

Cale chuckled. "Nah. Those bitches didn't believe I'd do it."

There was a certain amount of hesitance in his voice as he asked. "...do what?"

"Slit my throat."

"..." there was a longer silence full of so much judgment that it almost woke Cale from his half-nap. "...why...?!"

Cale's shoulders slumped in what could have been an attempted shrug but his tattered body couldn't manage much better, even with the assistance of the potion. "They were holding me hostage so I held myself hostage." He chuckled to himself as if delighting at the memory of their shocked expressions. "Fuckers insulted my family."

"...you're driving me insane."

"You don't have to kidnap me if I bother you." Cale chuckled drunkenly. Maybe with all the adrenaline fading the sleeping potion was finally having some effect. Although the effect was less sleep and more like drunken delirium. "Just leave me anywhere to die. That's where trash belongs~" His last syllables bounced cheerfully and he hiccuped.

The arms holding him securely tightened at his words. "You're not trash."

Cale actually let out a laugh, like his rescuer had made a hilarious inside joke. "Is that a challenge? 'Cause I can get trashier." He cracked open an eye, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and pulling his head down. "Heeey, you're kinda cute, ya know. You look like what's-his-face." Cale giggled, deciding that the only appropriate response to this realization was to bite his chin.

Not in a sexy or flirty way. He just bit him.

His rescuer flinched, attempting to jerk his head away. "Why...?!"

"What's-his-face is annoying!" Cale explained, nuzzling up to the man's neck and breathing in deeply. "I hate his stupid perfect face. It's dumb. I wanna bite it."

"...friend of yours?" He asked, the sound of resignation deep in his voice.

"Naaahhhh, he wouldn't be caught dead with trash like me." Cale bit him again, this time it was more of a playful nip on the neck and was significantly less painful. "He's all busy being perfect or whatever. He's hot though. Really, distractingly hot. Bitch is the whole reason I got fucked over to begin with."

"...I'm going to have to sincerely request that you stop biting me." The long-suffering strain in his rescuer's voice would have filled Cale with some remorse if his brain had the capacity for anything but drunken rambling. "Regardless of your issues with 'whats-his-face'."

"What if I don't?" Cale challenged, nipping at him again and nearly getting himself dropped. Cale felt the sudden jolting and guffawed, tugging on his savior's hair. "You're a funny guy. And you're cuter than what's-his-face."

"...I'm a bit concerned that you'd say that to anyone in your current state."

"Nah, I have the best tolerance, ya know? Never been drunk in my life. It's really funny 'cause everyone thinks I'm a drunk but I did that on purpose." Cale narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, pulling his rescuers hair to force him to look him in the eye. "That was a secret!" He lectured. "Don't tell anyone!"

Warm brown eyes blinked owlishly at Cale and nodded mutely. "I won't tell anyone." He assured.

Cale settled back down with a satisfied smile, impulsively kissing his cheek in thanks before settling in against his chest again.

"...please don't kiss me either." The man requested, sounding like he'd aged a few centuries in the short time they'd spent together.

"I never kissed you." Cale said, easily forgetting that he had. "The only person I wanna kiss is whats-his-face."

"Ah, that person. You said you had a crush on him?"

"Yup. It's stupid though. 'Cause he's some fucking stupid ass prince or someshit, I ain't got time for that."

The trek through the woods stopped momentarily. A cool breeze washed over them as the man stood frozen in place.

Cale didn't really care much. It was easier to fall asleep now that his bed wasn't moving.

"I should really bite that motherfucker..." He mumbled happily, falling into a deep dreamless sleep.