#sorry that title is actually foul I apologise deeply for my actions an-

[jareicanon]

mommy issues

[starlalalala]

Sword-point Diplomacy

Pairing: Geovin

Prompt:  “If you even THINK about touching him/her/them, I’ll kill you"

Tags/Warnings: Minecraft AU, Kings AU, Creeper!Gavin, offscreen violence, non-graphic depictions of minor injuries, Ryan as Sir-Not-Appearing-in-This-Fic

Summary: Geoff narrowly avoids an international incident while travelling through the outskirts of Ryan’s kingdom.

Thank you @love-geofffree for the prompt!

“If you even think about touching him, I’ll kill you,” Geoff hissed. The knight in front of him laughed.

“You’re not in your own kingdom anymore, Your Majesty,” he said. The knight was tall, broad-shouldered, his armour bearing the mark of one of the noble houses of Ryan’s kingdom. He stood before the gate set into the ring wall of the outpost, carried himself like a third born son with something to prove. “And we don’t tolerate aberrations here.”

“Aber- he’s with the royal party! You want to start a war, asshole?” 

The knight shifted uncomfortably. He obviously had an idea of how this would go, and Geoff was going off-script. Even the relatively small search party Geoff had brought with him outnumbered the soldiers at the outpost, and regardless of the outpost’s defenses, if the rest of Geoff’s people joined in it would be a slaughter.

Geoff didn’t want it to end that way.

Yet.

But if these bastards tried to keep Gavin here-

“You wouldn’t anyway, actually, because your King is smarter than you. I doubt he’ll be impressed with this. I can only imagine the shame it might bring your house,” Geoff continued, hand steady on the hilt of his sword. If Geoff focused on what had been done, not on what might have happened in the eight fucking hours in between, he could summon enough fury to hide his fear. 

“I did my duty. I captured a creature marauding through the forest... Your Majesty,” The knight’s words were strong. His voice was not. Geoff knew he had him.

“You kidnapped a member of my court who had strayed too far from the party. If he has been harmed, you will pay.” Geoff’s tone was certain. Angry, but not sadistic. A simple statement of fact. “You will, of course, be punished regardless. But cooperate now and you may keep your life, if not your title.” When the knight made no move, he continued. “If you make me wait, I’ll take him back regardless, and you won’t be around to defend your actions to your King.”

The knight had enough restraint not to flinch backwards at the words, even as he leaned away and his men whispered amongst themselves at their post atop the wall. So many forgot that Geoff had fought for his throne, and fought to keep it. He let them. He had no desire to go down in history as a warlord, or a cruel man, or allow his battles to be the best of his accomplishments.

For Gavin, though, he would play the part.

The knight ordered the gates to be opened, and Geoff strode past without a word, Dan a respectful three steps behind. At this point, the knight knew better than to question him.

The small courtyard in the center of the outpost showed obvious signs of a struggle. Heavy armoured footsteps had sunken into the dirt, and lighter, smaller ones in between -about halfway to the tower, those light footsteps became heavy drag marks. Geoff’s grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. The remaining soldiers scurried out of his way.

The marks led to a door at the base of the central building of the outpost. Tower was too generous a word. It was three storeys tall, round, standard stonework with small slits for archers. Someone -a smith by the looks of her- opened the door ahead of him, bowing deeply as she did. 

The door did not lead into the tower proper, but onto old stone steps that disappeared into the earth. Dan accompanied him down as the remainder of is guard spread throughout the courtyard, keeping an eye on the knight and his men.

The basement smelled foul, the damp of the nearby forest having nowhere to escape. Only two torches lit up the area, one on either side of the long room. Towards the back was a simple cell, with iron bars unevenly spaced to separate it from the rest of the basement. Dungeon was not the right word, but it came close. Hay was stacked in a makeshift bed, wilting in the humid dark. 

“Stay here,” Geoff ordered, and something shifted in the dark of the cell. He knew Dan wanted to protest, but Geoff needed to see him first, needed to know what they’d done to him.

A low hiss emanated from the figure, a sound that triggered a deep, instinctual fear in Geoff that only the very real fear of Gavin’s injuries could push away. The hiss petered out into a whimper when the form tried to shift into a crouch, and Geoff winced in sympathy.

“It’s just me, buddy,” Geoff soothed, approaching slowly with his hands in the air. The figure stiffened, then relaxed, and Geoff closed the distance.

“Geoffrey?” Gavin whispered, and his voice sounded wrecked. 

In the dim light it was difficult to make out Gavin’s features, but his top lip was split with dried blood dribbled down his chin. His left eye was swollen shut with a dark bruise, and his right darted from place to place, never settling on Geoff for long. His eyes glowed an unnatural green in the darkness. He hissed again when Geoff brushed his hand over the bruise, but in pain, not fear. Geoff moved his hands to Gavin’s shoulders instead. Gavin’s eyes finally met his.

“Hey, c’mon, can you stand?” Geoff tried. Gavin shook his head, and Geoff’s grip on his shoulders tightened. He and Ryan were going to have words once they arrived at his court. Even if those words were an explanation of why one of his subjects had been killed. By the gods, if Geoff’s kingdom wasn’t depending on his behaviour...

Heedless of his injuries, Gavin scrambled closer, both hands tangling in Geoff’s vest. One leg dragged uselessly behind him, and Geoff caught sight of dried blood crusted over Gavin’s bright green clothes. He tried to hold Gavin, but the other man just wouldn’t stop moving, trying to bury his head in Geoff’s shoulder and press them as close together as he could.

“Gavin -Gav, stop,” Geoff ordered, trying to keep his voice low and controlled. “You’re going to hurt yourself, buddy, stay still.”

And Gavin froze. His stillness wasn’t complete -he was still trembling, his grip on Geoff held by fear alone. Gavin’s breathing shook his whole frame, deep, heaving breaths that forced Geoff to put aside his fury for the moment.

“I’m gonna pick you up now, alright? Just keep holding on, it’ll be okay...” Geoff talked Gavin through the whole painful process, shifting Gavin’s body so he could get a good grip under his legs and back, shushing him and apologising when his injuries were jostled. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but it seemed that Gavin had bruises everywhere, and every other movement prompted a whimper. None of the few cuts Geoff could see seemed deep, and none were still bleeding, though a few briefly reopened when Geoff stretched them. 

Overall, it wasn’t too bad. Gavin’s leg seemed to have taken the brunt of it, a few patches of scales scraped thing, a few missing completely. These injuries were nowhere near the worst either of them had had, and Geoff knew as soon as Gavin got over the shock he’d be back to his usual self and complaining about not being able to use his leg. 

Knowing that didn’t stop Geoff’s arms from shaking as he tried to keep his breathing even. That wasn’t what Gavin needed right now. 

He allowed Gavin a moment to catch his breath. Once his breathing had slowed and his head rested on Geoff’s chest, Geoff stood, carefully, trying to keep Gavin’s body as still as possible.

Dan looked on from the doorway, naked concern on his face. He reached for Gavin when Geoff approached, but to hell with appearances, Geoff wasn’t letting Gavin go until he could put him in a warm bed with a healer nearby.

Unfortunately, holding Gavin meant he couldn’t storm upstairs as he wished to. 

Gavin was quiet in his arms, face hidden and breathing evening out, and so Geoff dropped the calm act. He wasn’t entirely sure what the others saw when he emerged into the light again. The knight stood in the center of the courtyard, and whatever he’d been about to say to control the situation died on his tongue when he met Geoff’s eyes. The rest of his men had kept themselves well out of sight, as had most of the workers, but some craftsmen remained to watch the scene.

It was the sight of the workers that decided Geoff. His anger wasn’t worth their safety.

“I am taking my leave. Your King will hear about this,” was all Geoff said. Anymore and he risked starting a fight, and he didn’t want to shake Gavin awake.

The knight nodded, and got out of his way. 

Gavin was, thankfully, unconscious for most of the journey home. Pain and fear had kept him awake through most of his captivity. They moved supplies from the small cart they’d brought with them, distributing them between saddlebags now that speed was no longer an issue, and Gavin curled up in as many blankets as they had. He was almost entirely hidden underneath them, keeping his skin and scales safe from the sun. Geoff rode beside the cart as they returned to the main caravan. 

“I’m sorry,” Gavin said, much later. His wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, and his leg was stretched out in the bed in front of him as he leaned against Geoff’s chest. The carriage was small, but comfortable enough to fit both of them, and Gavin would be riding in it for the next few days at least.

“For what?” Geoff had wrapped his arms around Gavin’s slim frame and hid his face in the patch of scales on his shoulder. They were both exhausted. Gavin needed more rest to truly recover, and Geoff had been in a constant state of anxiety since Gavin had failed to return.

“Shouldn’t have wandered off,” Gavin mumbled, and Geoff held him tighter. 

“It’s not your fault, alright? They had- they had no right to grab you like that, they shouldn’t have-” Geoff wanted to look Gavin in the eye, but he didn’t want to move him. “I’m sorry for taking so long. If I’d realised you were missing sooner...”

“You couldn’t have known-” Gavin began.

“And you couldn’t have known there’d be a bunch of assholes in the woods, right? It’s not your fault. I don’t want you thinking that it is. Just focus on getting better, alright?” Geoff felt Gavin’s sigh more than he heard it. Geoff grinned and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek, and Gavin squaked indignantly, wriggling in Geoff’s grip but completely unable to escape thanks to his injured leg. 

“Urgh, that’s disgusting!” Gavin whined, and Geoff laughed. The tension had disappeared. Gavin settled himself again, leaning back against Geoff, his warmth soaking through the bandages. Geoff placed another kiss on his cheek, gentler this time.

“Get some rest, idiot,” Geoff said, and Gavin nodded, his head falling on Geoff’s shoulder. Safe again, he drifted off to sleep easily. Geoff wouldn’t be too far behind, but he wanted to stay awake, just a bit longer. Just to reassure himself that Gavin was here.