“Gods, that is so much better than dirt."
“I’m glad that it suits,” Fawn said. “So long as the dungeon isn’t in use, you two are welcome to come down any time."
Arlon stared at the mat, not sure how to feel. Fawn had surprised him many times, but not like this. So many of the gifts she had given him had been a necessity. But this was a gift given just because it would make them happy.
“Thank you,” he said, the words rough with emotions he didn’t know how to sort through.
Fawn beamed and leaned up to press a kiss to his lips. “You’re welcome,a’marra.”
“You can watch or join, if you have any interest, Grandmaster. I’m happy to teach anyone,” Garrett called, and Arlon quickly turned away to wipe his eyes.
Fawn chuckled and said, “No, that’s alright. I don’t want to intrude.” She pressed one more kiss to Arlon’s cheek before she headed for the stairs. “I hope you enjoy it.”
Arlon watched her go, his heart tied into a knot, but Garrett snapped him out of it as he slapped a hand against the mat again. The crack echoed off the walls, bringing Arlon crashing back into himself.
“Well, c’mon then,” Garrett crowed, his smile bright. “Let’s break it in.”
9
From that day on, the dungeon replaced the evocation yard as their usual meeting spot. As summer arrived in earnest, the room remained blessedly cool. Not to mention, the privacy allowed Arlon to spar without the looming thought that someone might be watching his many,manyfailures.
But slowly, gradually, Garrett's lessons started to pay off.
Improvement came in fits and spurts. Arlon would catch Garrett off guard, squirm out of his hold. He even got close to pinning him a couple of times before the other man inevitably,infuriatinglymanaged to turn the tables.
“How thefuckdo you do that?” Arlon panted after Garrett released him from an arm lock.
“I told you, you have to feel out your opponent,” Garrett said as he popped back to his feet. He stretched his arms in front of him as he cast a toothy grin down at Arlon. “I can feel where you distribute your weight. Can feel when you’re getting tired. When your grip loosens.”
Arlon groaned and rolled to sit, stroking a hand through hissweat-soaked hair. “Doesn’t explain how you manage to get me on my back.”
Garrett offered him a hand up, chuckling. “That’s just timing.”
Arlon took it and let himself be pulled to his feet. “When do you learn that?”
Garrett just winked before he squared off again. “You keep losing until you find out.”
When Arlon asked to increase the duration of their sparring sessions, Garrett was happy to agree. Arlon told himself that it was his drive to get better, but some small part of him recognized the true reason. The more time he spent with Garrett, the less time he could spend with Fawn.
If the Grandmaster noticed that Arlon had stopped taking his meals with her, chose to read in the library or outside rather than in her office, found reasons to leave soon after their casting lessons concluded, she hadn’t said anything. Ever since he’d been granted his freedom, Arlon had clung to her like a fungus, so he couldn’t help but wonder if Fawn was a little relieved by his absence now.
But the distance wasn’t easy to maintain. Fawn was like a current he couldn’t seem to escape. He craved the safety of her office, her room, but so many past experiences told him that he couldn’t trust that feeling. He’d gotten too comfortable, too close.
He loved her, but that could never last. Creating distance now would only help when the invisible force connecting them finally snapped.
But without the safety of Fawn, he was forced out into the Crux, and lingering in the common areas made him feel like a mouse waiting to be snatched by an owl. The looks were ever present, but talk of how he’d treated Magda a few weeks agomust have spread. No one approached him, though that didn’t stop him from constantly looking over his shoulder, tensing whenever someone made eye contact before they quickly, inevitably moved on.
The dungeon soon became the only place he could avoid the attention. So maybe that was why it came as such a shock when Bridgette followed Garrett down the stairs to the dungeon one morning. Arlon must have been bad at hiding his surprise, because Garrett’s smile faded.
“Bridgette was curious to see where we’ve been practicing, so I thought she could watch today,” Garrett said. “I’m sorry, I should have asked first.”
“If you’re not alright with it, I can go,” Bridgette said before she stood up on her toes to press a kiss against her husband’s cheek. “Have fun.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Arlon said quickly. “You just surprised me is all.”
Bridgette hummed, amusement quirking the corner of her lips. “Turnabout’s fair play, then.”
Arlon couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how he’d scared the shit out of her when he’d burst from his room a few weeks ago. “You should stay.”
