Chapter Text
If Reth ever had the chance to go back in time, he was pretty sure the little boy he had been would’ve never been able to guess his current and awkward situation. Had he made different choices, he possibly could’ve avoided working as a cook in a small-town village where he was shunned for not following his Path. However, the questionable side hustle would’ve stayed, and there was no way around it. So here he was, meddling in things bigger than him, smuggling items he knew nothing about in food he would never eat and marked like cattle so they could fetch him should he ever forget who had given his sister the gift of time.
The people he met on these errands were those he kept at a distance and who remained shrouded in mystery. Except for the moment of the delivery, he didn’t know them. They were nothing more than strangers, their identities as fleeting as the wind. An odd face he’d see at the tavern on a rainy night and that he’d never name. They came, they left, they never acknowledged him, he never acknowledged them. A crafted and fleeting transaction. After all, a pariah from a small-town village wasn’t a valuable connection. Reth hadn’t accounted for the fact that some of them would appreciate getting close to him for peculiar reasons beyond his understanding.
On this nightmarish day, Zeki had tasked him with delivering a cake to Tamala in Bahari Bay, choosing to ignore Reth’s rule to avoid transactions close to the village.
“Sorry to bother,” he announced as he knocked on Tamala’s door.
Tamala’s house was a fairytale reenactment of Brother Grimm’s imagination. It was covered in vines brought alive by the light glaring through the colourful stained glass with a flowery entrance hiding a snake's jaw. Every step closer would freeze the skin and shake the bones. Reth just wanted to leave. The door creaked open, the sound a harbinger of the unknown, the only heat left in Reth’s body screaming when it did.
“Yes?”
Reth didn’t dislike Tamala. She was a beautiful woman with a sharp tongue and quick wit that cut deeper than Reth had grown accustomed to. While few in the village were delighted to converse with Reth, he rarely received words that left scars. Tamala, on the other hand, had no such restraint.
“Oh, it’s you,” she purred, using her door to hold herself up. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You ordered a cake,” Reth said simply as he held the box for her to take.
Tamala was well-supplied in gossip and hidden facts. She showed no surprise when she saw Reth at her doorstep. Neither did she need to ask why the young boy had found his way here. A gift from Zeki, perhaps, to deliver such a good-looking boy at her door on a grey afternoon. Reth, however, had no intention of staying there longer than necessary.
With the whisper of a thank you, she slid her hands over his and took her cake before offering: “A bite with some tea?”
The tension in Reth’s jaw had nothing to do with the tomato he’d forgotten on the storeroom floor on the way here.
“No, ma’am,” Reth politely declined. “My sister’s waiting.”
“I won’t insist then,” Tamala said with a poisonous smile. “But make sure you come back, pretty boy.”
An acrid taste of bile filled Reth’s mouth as he heard his words from Tamala’s mouth. He couldn’t help but wonder if Hassian’s stomach had ever churned so harshly as his when he heard those words. Reth’s harmless flirting might not have been as harmless as he thought. Especially coming from someone like him. Not wanting to extend his stay, he bowed nicely to Tamala and took off.
Evergreen trees covered the pathways to the Ancient Aqueduct. Reth fell back into memories, jumping from one shadow to another, his feet carrying his smile and giggling voice. Bahari Bay was a lovely place Reth remembered fondly through his sister’s laugh. A little bit further, the Ancient Aqueduct came into view, the sun squeezing between the marble walls. He stepped through and found a piece of home on the other side. The familiar smell of a nearby house where hot hounds were cooked by the dozen and emotions were bottled. Najuma waved as he passed by, Reth barely recognizing her with all the soot on her face. He offered a few kind words to her and her dad, not staying long enough to make an impression or for his coming and goings to be remembered.
Despite Reth's desire to quickly return to the inn, he was captivated by a figure by the pond. He came to a stop, a soft smile forming on his lips as he watched Hassian attempting to clean the town’s beloved plumehound. Tau, however, was more interested in catching fish in the mud, much to Hassian's frustration. After a stream of swear words, Hassian eventually gave in and joined Tau to play in the mud. Reth wished to join them, but he had to prepare food for the inn. As he was about to continue on his way, Hassian noticed him and shyly waved with his mud-covered hand. Reth quickly waved back before resuming his task.
Unlike Tamala, Hassian had a subtle charm. It was in the shyness of his actions, the hardness of his speech, and the aggressiveness of his stance. It wasn’t striking. It just existed between strangers and friends. It was a mesmerizing secret that grabbed Reth’s attention and poked its nose with every “pretty boy” he delivered. For just a second, Reth cherished the thought that maybe, just maybe, his “pretty boy” wasn’t the same as Tamala’s, that somehow, Hassian would wait for his, seated at the Inn with only the plumehound for company. But Reth knew better. Were it not for the fact that he was the only one providing the hunter with food, Hassian would barely give him the time of day. He’d made that clear a few times before.
As he returned to the Inn and into his storeroom, Reth whispered to the empty room: “I’m home.” The lack of a bed was a cruel reminder of his situation.
---
Amongst the pots and pans of the Inn’s kitchen that barely breathed between the kegs and the cooking implements, Reth had crafted a place of solace. The small alcove at the far back was perfect for hiding from the mass or what was said, and especially what wasn’t. On the more challenging days, he remembered how many bricks he could count from his crouched position. He remembered the seven different colours that made up the wall. He remembered the spider he’d once called friend.
Today was a day when the alcove called. Kenyatta and lover boy had decided to flaunt their happiness while proclaiming that “no, they weren’t dating” if anyone asked. After proposing her help to Reth, Tish sat with Jel and talked his ear off. Ashura had reminded Reth of everything he hadn’t done yet. Eshe had passed by, complaining once more about Reth’s hom*ogenous palate. He was seconds away from recounting the bricks of the alcove when his favourite customer arrived.
“Tau, you adorable thing you!” he shouted excessively loudly to remove himself from Eshe’s line of sight.
The plumehound was happy to see him, a jump or two as a greeting when Reth offered some food.
“That’s a nice greeting!” added Sifuu’s loud voice. “We’ll take a seat, ok?” She punctuated her sentence with what she considered a pat on Reth’s back.
“That looked painful,” Hassian chuckled as he followed his mother.
Reth repeated the breath Sifuu had vaporized with that impact. Tonight, Reth would sleep on his side.
With Eshe out of the way, Reth was left to feed his patrons. Kenyatta ordered the same drink for the sixth time while Naï’o kept fiddling with the dumplings Reth had brought him an hour ago. On the floor of the Inn, Reth worked in order and practiced what little memory he had. Between the back-and-forth calls and his dishes cooking in the back, he made time for Sifuu and Hassian.
“And what can I bring you?” Reth asked as he gave Tau a treat.
“It’ll be ale and steak for me!” Sifuu roared.
Reth choked on the usual nickname when he turned to collect Hassian’s order. “And you?” he said.
The hunter noticed the missing nickname and its loss left him cold and confused. Hassian briefly wondered if he’d done anything to warrant the change but quickly associated the miss with forgetfulness, not knowing Reth had purposefully avoided using it.
“Just some dumplings and maybe a bone for Tau if you have any,” he spoke quietly.
“Will do!”
The place settled into its familiar buzz. Sounds of sizzling meat, clinking cutlery, and hushed conversation carried him through monotonous tasks. He’d have enjoyed his evening if Zeki hadn’t a love for the dramatic. Unknown to him, Zeki had arranged a meeting in the Inn with none other than Tamala. When she made her entrance with all the extravagance of a queen, Reth sighed and wondered how much the cartel would charge to make him disappear. Too much was the only possible answer. When she stopped behind him, Reth clenched his teeth.
“Hello there, pretty boy,” she said as she glided a hand over and around his shoulder. Her smile grew when she saw who was at the table next to him. “Two for the price of one. Haven’t seen you around lately.”
Reth stiffened when Sifuu’s usual smile disappeared.
“I’ve been avoiding you.” Hassian didn’t even look up, his attention still on Tau as he chewed Reth’s treats.
“So cold.” The hand she kept over Reth’s shoulder made its way to Hassian’s chin. The hunter was forced to look up, the fingers under his chin commanding him to look at her. Hassian was unamused, and even Reth could tell he was boiling inside. “After everything, this is what I get?”
Hassian batted her hand away without ceremony and removed his face from her grasp. His eyes lingered on Reth’s, now piecing together why he hadn’t used the usual nickname.
“After everything, you get nothing.”
Even with those words, Tamala’s smile didn’t dim. Her love for chaos was a terrifying ally.
When she left the table, Reth could finally breathe. Sifuu’s hand unclenched, and while Hassian controlled what he showed, a buzzing rage grew under his skin. It grew from hatred, from memories he couldn’t smother, from protection, but especially from jealousy. He was robbed of a chance to speak when Reth excused himself and returned to his kitchen. Hassian watched him leave, his body language sending mixed signals that Hassian couldn’t read. While his hands were clenching the side of his apron and pockets, he still smiled and offered everyone to call upon him if they needed anything.
A few minutes passed, and Hassian noticed Reth hadn’t set foot outside of his kitchen, leaving the counter unattended. The hunter excused himself from his table and approached the counter to look for Reth. It wasn’t in his nature to leave the counter for so long, and it was making Hassian worry. He stood by the kitchen arch and looked inside, not seeing Reth anywhere.
“Reth?” he asked, his voice dampened by the clutter.
“In here,” was the only answer he received.
The sound came from further in. Hassian stepped inside, careful not to hit anything in his way. He discovered that the cook was occupying a Reth-sized alcove at the far end of the kitchen.
“Hey,” Reth said, his hands wrapping around his ankles. He had a sheepish smile, embarrassed anyone would ever catch him in this position. But this was Hassian, the one man who would never speak of anyone’s secrets. Not even his own, seemingly.
“She called you pretty boy,” Hassian said, using the wall as leverage. His frame covered whatever light Reth received in his little corner of the world. “Mind telling me why?”
“I…” Reth started saying, only for his breath to catch when he looked up. Hassian was slightly bent over, his hair falling forward and no longer hiding his eye. They were inquiring, the usual harshness hidden beneath the worry. With the sun shining around him, Reth could offer him a new nickname: handsome. “I had business with her this morning,” he said quickly, his smile rapidly covering whatever was there before.
“Where you coming back from her place when I saw you this morning?” Hassian slipped further into the alcove.
“Yes?” Reth took a chance, not knowing how to decipher Hassian’s expression.
“I’m leaving,” Hassian said simply.
“Ah!” Reth reached out, but he wasn’t fast enough. By the time he was on his feet, Hassian had left the kitchen and was already gathering his quiver and bow to leave the Inn. Sifuu gave him some attitude, but he paid her no heed. Even Reth’s call fell on deaf ears.
That evening, the hunter would be lost navigating emotions he’d never met before while the cook lost his taste to curiosities and happiness. One spent his evening covering up the noise with his pounding heart doing runs through the forest, while the other filled his stomach with food from the Grimalkins. Neither would ever speak of it. Hassian would lose his nickname, and Reth would lose his comfort outside the alcove. There was no winning man in this battle. They would quickly discover that the enemy they were fighting was none other than themselves.
