Moral Support

[Zander Brogthamon]

The conversations Zander had with other soldiers would make pirates blush. They were rowdy, unashamed, and unfiltered around each other. Though they normally had enough sense to watch their mouth around regular company. "Open is a word for it." Zander scoffed with a shake of his head. Of course he couldn't say much. He was the same way. Still, it didn't mean it made him any less uncomfortable.

When they reached the tree Zander was glad Pearce didn't release his hand as he didn't want to let him go at the moment. "I can spar with them in a minute." Not caring if the others saw, almost hoping they did, he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Pearces neck. "I want to make sure you're okay first." He murmured with a soft smile.

"Don't pay any mind to Darragh." Zander huffed as he motioned back to the larger man. "He's just an ass."

[Pearce Lockheed]

In the right setting, Pearce could be too. But but not like this.

He was surprised by the hug but he carefully settled his arms around Zander's waist. Zander wanted to send a message. And Pearce sort of did too. The noble was hardly the possessive sort, but he did believe in honoring one romantic interest at a time. And if Zander didn't like being bothered by the other guys, he would make make sure he wasn't. Or at least try to. "I'm f-fine," he said with a nervous smile, but it was more or less his usual nervous.

The noble didn't look at the man Zander mentioned but he could only assume he meant the handsy and mouthy one. "That doesn't make it better, Zander." He grimaced. If the guy was an ass, then he imagined Darragh had been an ass to Zander more than once...it wasn't reassuring. But Pearce didn't say more. "Go on. Kick his ass," he said, forcing a grin.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander didn't particularly want to leave Pearce there. However, he did have an itch to put the the big man in his place. There was also the fact that he did have a job to do. With a sigh the redhead reluctantly pulled away from the nobleman but night before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Watch me kick his ass." He teased with a grin.

Darragh was a very large, loud, and intimidating man. He liked having his way and was willing to take down others to get it. In a lot of ways he reminded Zander of his father. Maybe that was what subconsciously drew the boy to him in the first place, familiarity. But he wasn't a weak child anymore.

Strength wise Zander didn't stand a chance against Darragh. The man easily had a hundred pounds on him and was a power hitter, but the redhead was quicker and more agile. "Grab a sword." A predatory grin spread across Darraghs face as Zander made his way towards the rack. Though Harver took to sparing with the other man to the side he kept a close, cautious eye on the boy. While the redhead wanted to use more than a wooden practice sword the last thing he wanted was Pearce passing out from seeing blood.

He and Darragh took positions near the center of the yard and stood across from each other. For a moment they simply stared at each other as a sort of unsettling calm settled over Zanders normally bright features. When Darragh lunged towards him Zander stepped back quickly as the mock blades collided. The redhead turned his to push Darraghs hand back and slammed his sword hard against his ribcage causing Darragh to hiss and step back. "You leave yourself open and you're dead." The normal playful and sarcastic tone of his voice was gone and replaced by a flat cold one. There was something that took over Zander when he really let himself get into a fight. Even something as simple as a spar with another soldier.

His movements were quick and fluid as he ducked under a swing from the other mans sword only to slam his own into Darraghs ribcage again.

[Pearce Lockheed]

Despite evidence to the contrary, Pearce was a capable person. Even if he didn't always feel that way, he could hold his own. Usually with a lot more preparation of course. And honestly, it seemed even Zander was a taken aback by his fellows' forwardness. He gave the boy another reassuring smile, this one a bit more confident. He might never have seen Zander fight, but he knew the man was good.

This kiss he almost expected and while he blushed...he was almost comfortable with it. It was still strange to him to be so open. And there was a point to argue for public decency. Comfortable kissing the boy or not, excessive public affection was not proper. He seated himself on the bench under the tree, focused almost entirely on the red head.

Darragh was everything that Pearce was not. Well, he supposed they were almost the same height. But the similarities ended there. While Pearce hadn't used a blade in a while, he did practice sometimes. Never against anyone. He'd denounced fighting again, but he certainly found it a good way to work out sometimes. It wasn't something he talked about though. Skilled fighter or not, he hardly mentioned his abilities or the mission he had been on to save the queen.

Pearce found himself smiling as Zander dipped and dodge the other man's wooden blade only to get his own quick hits in. He had good aim too.

Zander's tone was unsettling, to say the least. He couldn't tear his eyes away, watching the men move. Especially their feet.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander wasn't a power hitter by any means. While he wasn't weak he was never one for brute force. From an early age he'd found there would always be someone bigger and stronger than him. However, he was quick and kept a constant movement. If he couldn't knock someone down he could overwhelm them with blows. Darragh managed to land a few very good hits. At one point the man slammed the butt of his mock sword into the redheads chest hard enough to audibly knock the wind out of him for a moment. Still he didn't stop moving.

Finally Zander managed to sweep his leg under Darragh and knock him hard to the ground. With a loud thud the larger man grunted but didn't have time to move before the redhead pressed the pointed end of the wooden sword to his throat. "I win." He stated simply as his stone face twisted into a smug grin.

Zander took tossed the sword to the side as he heard a proud whistle from Harver. As his attention turned to Pearce with a bright smile Darragh grabbed him by the ankle and quickly yanked him to the ground. He managed to catch himself just before his head hit the ground only to have his arm twisted roughly behind his back. The boy let out a yelp that was a mixture of surprise and pain as Darragh pinned him to the ground. "Sore loser!"

"You know how this goes, kid." As Darragh spoke he grabbed a fistful of the deep red hair. Zanders eyes widened as a crack of thunder rumbled low through the sky. Before Harver could run over the boy twisted and slammed the elbow of his free arm back hard to connect with Darraghs nose. The man covered his face and leaned back giving Zander enough room to quickly squirm free and jump to his feet. Before he could lunge at Darragh Harver stepped between them and placed his hand on Zanders shoulder. "You know better than to grab my hair!" Small droplets of rain began hitting the ground as Harver did his best to push Zander away.

"Take a lap, Red." Harver instructed calmly causing Zander to snarl and quickly turn away from them as he dragged his fingers roughly through his hair.

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pearce couldn't help but be a little proud, watching Zander handle himself in the fight. He was talented and knew how to carry himself well. The pair went back and forth, but it was clear that Darragh struggled to overwhelm the smaller man and struggled even more to keep up. He smiled slightly as Zander put the guy on the ground with a leg sweep and leveled his practice sword at him. It was funny, seeing that smirk directed at other people.

He saw Darragh pick himself and move after Zander, but before he could say anything, he'd pinned Zander to the ground. Pearce stood and took a few indignant steps forward before his nerves and the yelling got the better of him. This was supposed to be professional training and he didn't want to get in the way. And then he heard the sound of Darragh's nose crunching and he flinched.

For the moment, he ignored the clouds and rain drops that he was more or less certain where caused by his boyfriend and instead focused on the young man himself. He closed the distance between himself and Zander and moved to put a hand on his shoulder. The comment about his hair threw him off a little considering Zander liked it when he touched his hair, but he supposed that could be a personal thing. He wasn't so worried about that right now. "Are you alright? You won rather handily," he said, trying to smile with the last sentence. He wouldn't get in the way of the man and a run, if that was what he wanted and since Harver did seem to be in charge.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander was so beyond angry. His hands trembled as he grit his teeth to contain himself. As he felt Pearces hand on his shoulder he jumped and shook his head. "I-I..." He took a breath and chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to calm himself. With another deep, shakey breath he shook his head and ran past him without saying anything.

"Take jackass to the nurse. Make sure his nose isn't broken." As Darragh was helped up Harver rubbed his temples in annoyance before turning his attention to Pearce with an apologetic smile. He knew all too well how Darragh and Zanders arguments could turn out. "He just needs to run off some steam."

For a while Zander did simply run, full sprint, around the training yard. When that wasn't working as well as he wanted he did three cart wheels, dropped into a set of push ups. Did he look ridiculous? A little bit. Did he particularly care? Not entirely. As he slowly began calming down the light rain came to a stop leaving the redhead panting as he crouched on the ground.

[Pearce Lockheed]

The nobleman had never seen Zander angry. He wasn't really sure about what to do to help besides give the guy the space he clearly needed. He turned, watching Zander as he pushed passed. Pearce glanced back at Harver as he spoken and then pointedly away on the off chance there was blood. He nodded silently to the man and returned to the bench and the cover the tree provided from the rain.

Concerned eyes watched the young man. He seemed okay physically at least. Pearce certainly couldn't do a cartwheel on a good day, let alone three. He wondered if it was similar or related to Zander's night terrors.

Maybe later he would talk to Harver about this. If he could pull together the confidence. And...well he'd never do that without talking to Zander first. It was mostly a helpless thought reaction to be unable to do anything.

At least it was personally distracting to watch Zander work out. Thougb now he felt a little guilty, enjoying watching the young man while he was clearly upset. Pearce continued to watch him amd some of the other soldiers, expression concerned, and would offer a small hopeful smile if Zander looked at him. He decided to respect his space this time.

[Zander Brogthamon]

More soldiers were making their way to the yard and turned their tired eyes to Zander with concern. It wasn't something he gave much focus to as he raked his hands through his hair and over his face. Once he stood up again he shook his hands and stretched his arms over his head before running back to Pearce. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that." The boy didn't exactly make it a habit to get angry around other people. While he may not have been known to have the best temper he did try to keep it reigned in.

There wasn't much time for him to have a proper conversation as he already had other soldiers calling for him to work out with them. "We can talk more soon." With a deep breath he turned again and ran back to finish up his training with the other soldiers.

Was part of him trying to show off? Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. Maybe he wanted Pearce to look at him. Certainly more than he'd ever wanted anyone else to. Every so often he'd look back at Pearce with a small smile trying to push back the unpleasantness of what had happened before.

[Pearce Lockheed]

"N-no need to be sorry," he said reassuringly, blushing a little. He felt awkward, seeing as Zander was only apologizing because he was here when he didn't need to be. "Things happen," he said gently. Pearce nodded. Later was fine. He wasn't going anywhere. And Zander had a job to do.

He wanted badly to reach out and give the young man a hug but he was in a hurry and Pearce was already nervous on that front.

If Zander wanted to show off, Pearce thought he deserved to. He was quite handsome to look out, athletic, and more than attractive. A lot of the other men were too, but though his attention drifted a little it always came back to the redhead. He returned Zander's smiles and did his best to keep still and contain himself. He didn't feel particularly anxious, considering he was quite enjoying the show.

He kept thinking about the comment about Zander's hair. Maybe he really didn't like it and was just being nice? He might stop touching his hair, but he certainly wouldn't stop looking at his boyfriend.

[Zander Brogthamon]

After some time the other men were calling for a small break. Just to cool down and drink some water. Zander wasn't tired himself but it did give him time to talk more with Pearce. He jogged back over to the tree with Harver as the mans wife made her way to the field. When she caught site of the redhead she leaned in for a hug only for him to pull back. "I'd hug you, lovely, but I'm all sweaty." The woman rolled her eyes playfully with a smile and shook her head.

"I promise you smell better than this one." She teasted as Harver wrapped his arms around her waist. Zander chuckled before turning his attention to Pearce. He wanted to take the mans hand but he was uncertain just how much public affection he could put up with. "Glad to see you're still here, handsome." He purred with a grin that made the womans eyes widened a bit.

"Oh, are you a...new friend of Reds?"

[Pearce Lockheed]

He leaned forward on the bench, elbows on his knees, chin in one hand, watching the soldiers. He glanced up toward Zander and smiled as he approached. Sweaty or not, he was still more than attractive.

At the woman's arrival, he stood and shifted over slightly so he wasn't taking up the whole bench and it was just polite to do introductions standing and to let the woman sit first and all that. It was cute hearing Zander call the woman (who was clearly the wife of another soldier) by a pet name like that. She at least seemed tolerant of the young man's playfulness. Zander was more endearing than annoying, after all.

Pearce's eyes widened as well at the term of endearment directed at him. And the tone that Zander used. Was the boy trying to tease him? To test him? To see if he could get the nobleman to explain how he wasn't just a friend? Pearce sorely wanted to but it was stressful. So much so that he couldn't speak to answer either of them, glancing from Zander to the woman and then back a little frantically. He felt hot. His mouth dry, and everything was spinning. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but couldn't put together any coherent ideas, let alone the words to convey them.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Of course Zander never wanted to cause...too much stress for Pearce. Of course watching him become flustered and red was too fun to miss up. He'd always make sure to make up for it though.

"He's my boyfriend actually." The redhead elaborated with a grin. At the correction the womans face lit up with a bright smile as she clapped excitedly. "Oh! It's so nice to meet you!" She exclaimed as Harver attempted to stop her from bouncing in her excitement.

"You'd think one of our own sons just settled down." He stated with a chuckle. Zander laughed as well before he turned his attention to Pearce. "Are you still glad you came to watch me train?" He teased the noble with a chuckle. Seeing that he was so flustered the redhead took it upon himself to introduce him. "Mrs. Harver this is Pearce Lockheed. Pearce this is Mrs. Haver, she usually likes bringing us baked things during practice."

[Pearce Lockheed]

And then Zander said it out loud.

Part of him heard the woman's reaction and was relieved. Part of him wasn't sure he was ready to just be announcing that word publicly. Not to mention that even without the potential bias, declaring he had a significant other wasn't something the man had done before. It was new territory and he wasn't so energetic and fast paced as Zander was. Even in a perfect world, Pearce struggled to ease into a relationship publicly.

He blinked and tried to get a handle on himself. He was sweating and light headed and things were still spinning. "N-n-nice to meet you, Lady Harver," he heard himself say distantly.

And then Pearce fainted.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander wouldn't be as open about the relationship if he was unsure how someone would react to the information. The Harvers and most of the other soldiers he knew were safe. They were like a family to him and had been since he joined the forces. Not to mention his previous activities with some of the other men.

Honestly he didn't think the teasing would cause such a reaction from Pearce. Still as he watched the noble tip over he reacted on instinct and quickly reached out to catch him before he hit the ground. "Is he alright?!" Mrs Harver called in worry. The redhead sighed and bit his lip. "I'm...sure he'll be fine. He just gets a little faint sometimes."

After that he excused himself as he carried Pearce to the infirmary to lie down. At least quiet little secluded spot in a cot would be better to wake up in than anywhere else in the training yard.