Chapter Text
The dirt-paved road leading up to Mithrun’s small cottage was muddy with the onslaught of rain pouring down from the dreary grey sky, splashing onto Kabru’s boots as he bolted the short distance from the castle to Mithrun’s home. He and Mithrun had plans to meet for dinner after work, as they did several days a week. Mithrun had picked up cooking as a new hobby in recent months, noting that Kabru’s terrible cooking skills in the dungeon spoke volumes about how Kabru fed himself outside of the castle, and decided that one of them needed to learn how to cook properly. After that, having Kabru over for dinner had become a regular occurrence, spending their evenings together discussing how to better improve Mithrun’s cooking, letting Kabru vent about his busy days at the castle as the Prime Minister’s assistant and the King’s most trusted advisor, and coming up with new things to try as part of Mithrun’s ongoing search for new desires.
But tonight, Kabru’s last meeting had run late, and he was feeling guilty about making Mithrun wait. And now it felt like the weather was punishing him, too.
The warm glow of candlelight and the comforting smell of dinner greeted Kabru as he made it to Mithrun’s door. The door opened on Kabru’s third hurried knock, revealing Mithrun wearing a pair of overly large oven mitts and a handmade apron with walking mushroom patterns sewn into it, and an oversized kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder. Despite his thoroughly soaked and freezing state, Kabru couldn’t help but smile. On one of their weekend trips to the marketplace, he had caught Mithrun stalled at a clothing merchant’s stand, staring at this particular apron longer than usual, so Kabru had returned later in the week to purchase it for his birthday last month. Mithrun had worn it for every dinner he made for Kabru since. Despite Kabru's distaste for monsters, the benign-looking little walking mushrooms reminded him of their first meeting, which felt so long ago now.
“Kabru, don’t just stand there, come inside and dry off.”
Kabru blinked. He had been lost in thought while still standing on the cold porch. He mumbled an apology as he gingerly made his way in, grimacing at the muddy footprints he was trekking onto the clean floors of the foyer. Once he had hung his soaked navy-blue coat on the coat rack and taken off his shoes, he stilled by the door and took a deep breath. The rich, spicy scent of lamb curry hung in the air, welcoming and warm. It smelled like home.
Mithrun grabbed Kabru’s wrist and led him towards the warmth of the fireplace. Taking the kitchen towel from his shoulder, he reached up and wiped the water from Kabru’s face, noting dryly, “You didn’t need to come in a thunderstorm. We could have postponed.”
Kabru smiled. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day, Captain. Besides, who would've helped you get to sleep tonight if I didn't come?”
Mithrun scoffed lightly. “It's been two years, I can manage some nights on my own. Take off your clothes. I'll fetch your spare night clothes.”
Turning on his heels, Mithrun marched off to his bedroom, leaving Kabru standing awkwardly in the middle of his small, cozy living room dripping onto the rug. Kabru flushed slightly as he stripped down to his smallclothes and hung his wet clothes on the wooden chairs that stood by the fireplace. There was no reason to be embarrassed—he and Mithrun had both undressed in front of each other plenty of times in the Dungeon—but he felt indecently exposed, standing in the middle of Mithrun's home nearly naked and shriveled with cold.
Mithrun returned with a tallman-sized cotton tunic and loose-fitting pants. He found Kabru thoroughly chilled and shivering, huddled on the couch wrapped in the blanket that he normally slept in when he stayed the night at Mithrun's.
Since Laios had taken the crown and taken Kabru with him to the castle as his advisor, Kabru had moved from the tavern basement into his own room at the castle. But he had continued to make it a point to visit Mithrun as often as he could, most days of the week if he could manage it, before bedtime to help him sleep. On the surface, Mithrun had been doing better establishing a routine for himself, but his sleep was never quite as good as it was after one of Kabru's massages. On several occasions, Mithrun had woken up the next morning to find Kabru collapsed on his couch, apparently having been too exhausted after his long day at work and staying up late to help Mithrun to sleep to make it back to the castle. After that, he had instructed Kabru to bring a set of sleeping clothes and something to wear in court to keep at Mithrun's house, in case he needed to stay the night again. He had ended up needing those spare clothes more than once, and he was grateful for them now.
Mithrun let Kabru change into the clean, dry clothes as he went into the kitchen to prepare them each a plate of lamb curry and a cup of steaming hot tea. As he ladled the curry over rice, he heard Kabru come up behind him, close enough to feel his breath tickling the back of his neck. Mithrun felt Kabru loosen the blue ribbon tying back his messily gathered hair, combing his fingers gently through the soft silver locks and brushing back the stray strands from his face before re-tying the ribbon for him.
“I’ve seen you almost eat your hair by accident before, Captain. That’s better.”
Kabru helped Mithrun carry the plates to the table, a vase with beautiful blue azaleas decorating the center. Pattadol must have visited earlier. She liked to leave Mithrun with flowers each time she came by, insisting they brightened up the home.
“I do have something important to discuss with you today.”
Straight to the point, as always. Kabru had grown so very fond of that. His days now were full of political maneuvering, choosing his words carefully and dissecting the meaning in other people’s words. It was thrilling. He knew the dance well and excelled at it, but when he went home, dropping the masks with someone he trusted to have no such pretenses felt like a relief.
“What is it?”
“Pattadol came to see me today. She brought me news from the Canaries’ Headquarters in the Northern Central Continent. Now that the Demon’s presence has not been detected for some time, the Queen has decided it is time to unseal the dungeon in Utaya. If there is no sign of the Demon, we will properly destroy the dungeon and ensure there are no monsters left. Utaya could be rebuilt after that.”
Kabru was stunned. He had never once thought his former village would ever be added back on the map, only remembered as being the site of the last Demon-related tragedy in history. He certainly hadn’t thought that the Elven Queen would have any reason to send the Canaries back to a dungeon that had been sealed for the last seventeen years. There must be plans to strengthen elven influence on the continent through rebuilding Utaya.
His thoughts stilled for a moment when he caught on to one thing Mithrun had said.
“We?”
Mithrun nodded. “I elected to join the group assigned to the investigation. A ship leaves for Utaya in the next two days. I’ve instructed Pattadol and the others in my squad to stay here in Melini with you, to protect the capital while I’m gone. I will return as soon as I can.”
Kabru’s heart dropped. He understood why Mithrun had a desire to go. It was the same reason he had elected to stay in Melini after the events of the Dungeon—he wanted to look for signs of the Demon’s return. And if the Canaries wanted to unseal the dungeon where the Demon last reached the surface before the near-catastrophe that occurred on the Island, it would only be natural that Mithrun wanted to be there.
“Take me with you.”
The words left Kabru’s mouth before he fully realized what he was saying. Why did he say it? The pain and loneliness that came with his memories of Utaya had softened somewhat after Melini became his second home, but the dread that fills him now at the thought of returning to his first homeland was fresh. He had never wanted to return to his hometown after all this time, scared of what the memories would trigger. But he owed it to his mother. He owed it to her memory to see her resting place one more time, and to play a part in rebuilding Utaya. With Mithrun at his side now, he may finally be strong enough to face it.
Mithrun was silent for some time, studying Kabru’s face with a stoic expression. “Are you sure you wish to come?”
Kabru’s grip tightened around his spoon, curry left forgotten. “Yes. I’ll let the court know tomorrow.”
Kabru woke with a panicked gasp in the middle of the night, the crashing thunder outside jolting him from his nightmare. He sat up on Mithrun’s couch, trying to calm his breathing while his pulse pounded in his ears. The storm had worsened after dinner, so Mithrun had insisted that Kabru stay the night after his nighttime massage. He had lain awake long after the embers of the fire in the fireplace had died out, eventually falling asleep to the intrusive memories of Utaya. The sound of thunder clapping overhead and the wind howling outside had made its way into his dreams, blending into the roars and screams of the monsters pouring out of the dungeon as he dreamt of the day Utaya fell.
He groaned as he leaned forward, knees tucked up and fingers pressing into the bridge of his nose. If he were in his own room at the castle, he would have grabbed a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass or two to help him get back to sleep. If he and Mithrun were leaving Melini in two days, he would have too much to do tomorrow. He couldn’t afford to go without sleep the rest of the night. But Mithrun didn’t keep alcohol in his home, citing it as one of his vices in the past.
Grabbing his blanket from the couch, Kabru padded softly down the hall to Mithrun’s bedroom. Mithrun always left the door open when Kabru was staying over, so Kabru made no noise as he came up to Mithrun’s sleeping form, gazing at his vulnerable face with fondness. He could feel his nerves already calming as he sat down on the floor by Mithrun’s bed. Leaning his back against the bedframe, he closed his eyes and listened to the elf’s steady breathing, synchronizing it with his own.
With a deep sigh, Kabru laid down on the ground next to Mithrun’s bed, pulling the blanket around him tightly.
“Kabru, what are you doing?”
Kabru bolted upright for the second time that night, startled by the low murmur of Mithrun’s voice above him. Mithrun’s tousled head appeared, one dark eye sleepily peering at him. A moment passed as Kabru awkwardly tried to think of an explanation as to why he was curled up on Mithrun’s floor like a scared child, before he heard Mithrun shifting in the bed.
“Come up here.”
A little confused, Kabru pushed himself up and sat down on the edge of Mithrun’s bed. “I’m sorry I woke you, Captain,” he said quietly, tucking Mithrun’s blankets back around his shoulders. “I’ll massage you back to sleep before I head back to the couch.”
Mithrun shook his head and lifted the edge of the blanket closest to Kabru. His voice was clear despite the lidded, bleary look in his eye.
“Stay. Sleep here. I assume you couldn't sleep because you were thinking about Utaya?”
Kabru couldn’t help the weary smile that crept onto his face. The captain had always been more observant than he let on. Or maybe he wasn't as good at hiding things when it came to Mithrun as he was with other people.
Sliding under the blanket next to Mithrun, he felt the tension seep from his muscles as the warmth from Mithrun's body enveloped him. Something about the situation felt so familiar. Kabru’s mind drifted back to the time when they were trapped in the Dungeon together. Even if he had never fallen asleep next to Mithrun like this back then, knowing the formidable elf was nearby as he slept had been a comfort. The pull of sleep now came faster than expected. His eyelids drooped as the heavy fog of sleep settled over him, and he wasn't sure if he had actually heard the next words or if he had dreamt them.
“I will make sure you are safe this time.”