How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

The evening of the Fairy Festival had come sooner than Kaden expected, and he'd still yet to make a decision.
Niklas, admittedly, had invited him several times throughout the day, to which he rejected the request every time. Skye too seemed to seek him out, noticed by Kaden who went into hiding every time he caught a glimpse of golden hair.
Peeking beside a standing cupboard, Kaden watched as Skye looked around the first-year classrooms, evidently searching for a specific somebody.
That somebody in question, probably himself.
"What are you doing?" Noah stood beside him, glancing sideways at the man hiding in the corner like a mouse or a sneaking fox. The latter description was more fitting.
Kaden blinked. "If it isn't obvious, I'm hiding."
"From?"
"A persistent badger. A clingy dog. Whatever you'd like to call him."
Noah glanced up, quickly zeroing down on the out of place, shining youth who kept looking back and forth. He'd heard of that man, a year younger than he, yet already in the second year.
The third prince, Skye Chauvet.
And arguably, in Noah's discerning opinion, the most fearful of the three.
Reed, as one might know, was the one Noah despised the most. The eldest who discriminated against other species, seeing himself as most superior under the guise of a sweet smile.
One couldn't miss the trace of disgust, of arrogance when he looked down on those that weren't human, or even those that were, yet came from a lower standing.
Then there was the second, Kaden, a fool who liked messing around under the mask of somebody cruel and viscous. A bothersome person that Noah went out of the way to speak to, occasionally. He was still figuring that man out.
Finally, the youngest of the three, Skye.
A genius. Not a single person wouldn't know of him, famed for his intellect. Only, the naiveness that covered every speaking word didn't match his intellect, and there existed nothing worse than an ignorant genius.
"Anyway, crouch down."
"Excuse me?"
Kaden grabbed Noah's sleeve before yanking him down harshly with a surprising amount of strength.
Noah's eyes widened as he was pulled, forced to crouch behind the cupboard with the other. Kaden raised a finger to his lips, still peering around the corner to wait.
"....." A sigh, and Noah willingly lowered his body to participate in this 'stalking' activity. "How long will you wait?"
"As long as it takes."
"You have too much time on your hands."
"And you don't?" Kaden glanced over, raising an eyebrow in challenge. "Do you have any plans?"
"If I did?"
"With what friends?"
Really, it was a rather mean thing to point out, but it couldn't be helped. Noah wasn't the slightest bit unpopular, being a rare member of the dragon species and all, but he locked himself away, face stuck in the pages of a book.
To begin with, Noah didn't even seem to care in the slightest, displaying an indifference to his classmates who wanted to speak to him.
Noah narrowed his friends. "And am I obligated to spend my leisure with you?"
"No, you're not." Kaden waved his hand dismissively. "Go on. Goodbye."
The dragon, having not expected such a blunt way of being shooed away, felt a little unwanted and firmly planted his feet on the floor. Kaden glanced back, confused.
"Aren't you leaving?"
"No."
Kaden looked at him suspiciously, squinting those annoying, cautious green eyes that Noah found, unlike the rumours of a cursed, unnerving colour, had an translucent emerald hue that could only be found in the purest gems.
Something like that, anyway. Noah cleared his throat.
"I've decided I don't want you here. Go away." said Kaden, highly suspecting the other's intentions. Although he wanted to mess around with Noah, it wasn't a good time.
Suddenly, a warm hand clamped over his mouth, pulling him yank roughly. Too startled to react, his body fell back as Noah moved forward to glance around the corner.
"Close." breathed Noah, watching the blonde haired man frown, and turn away only a meter ahead.
Instinctively, Kaden felt his blood run cold and his expression turned pale at the sudden touch, shuddering with psychological fear. Noah was distracted with keeping an eye on Skye as he released his hand.
As soon as the skin contact left, Kaden's erratic heart slowed to a normal pace.
Kaden felt Noah's body press up against his back, a muscular and well-toned figure that had been honed through training. It was actually pretty nice—admirable. Kaden had the urge to reach out.
"......" He stopped himself before his thoughts could stray any further.
However, the brief thoughts distracted him from the earlier burst of fear, and he couldn't help but push himself to follow with the strange thinking, in order to chase away the chill in his bones.
If he wanted to touch a nice body, then he might as well touch himself! His muscles were no joke, considering the brutal training he'd been put through—
That wasn't the point.
How could he be thinking such odd thoughts about somebody destined to banish him one day?
But of course, honesty was a policy not learned by Kaden, yet he blurted instinctively, "You have a nice body."
Noah froze, glancing down slightly. Though there height difference wasn't huge, Kaden had bent down slightly when pulled back. "...are you mad?"
"No, I'm honest."
"Didn't you say you didn't want me to lie?"
"....." The dragon couldn't refute that, lest the fool use it as an excuse to continue lying in the future. He blinked his black eyes slowly, and Kaden smiled innocently.
As innocent as a smile could twist on those lips. Which, honestly, wasn't very innocent. If Noah didn't count the rare occasions when Kaden smiled naturally, without knowing himself what kind of expression he made.
"You're insufferable."
Kaden blinked, two of the same voices overlapping in his head.
He frowned, taking a step back as Noah held onto his shoulders in confusion. "Kaden?"
But a old memory lapsed in his brain, playing over all other sounds. That was right. Noah had called him that, before. With much more bite to his tone that seeped with vivid despise.
The dragon, much like in this life, had once attempted to figure out who Kaden Chauvet truly was. Beyond the title of the royal family's dog, underneath all the murders. An investigating sort, curious in his icy exterior.
And because much as that man lacked a smile or any interest in socializing, he was truly kind. Noah was the sort who believed in every person until he couldn't any longer.
"Kaden Chauvet." He'd said slowly, while Kaden stood over the corpse of a woman who'd betrayed Reed, the stench of blood coating the air in its weight. "Do you intend to continue killing?"
Kaden had laughed, wildly, frantically as the wind tossed his pink hair chaotically, painting the scene of a madman. "What do you think, dragon boy?"
"...Kaden."
He'd thrown his head up, furrowed eyebrows contrasting the twisted smile painted on pale skin. All he remembered at that moment was how badly he wanted to scrub his skin raw, peel it off and wash away any blood that touched it.
"Kaden." Noah had repeated again, staring solemnly at the other with those oblivion-dyed eyes. His face remained impassive, like a judge ready to serve a final sentencing.
Kaden had shouted, throwing his arms into the air. "What? Come to tell me that I deserve redemption, that it's not too late? Don't be delusional, Noah Bellamy!"
Noah shook his head, gritting his teeth tightly as he closed his eyes.
"Kaden."
"Spit it out!"
The dragon's voice was a mere whisper. "You're crying."
Kaden had flinched so hard, as if he'd gotten slapped. With shaking hands, he'd raised his arms to his face, feeling a wetness on his cheeks.
But what did it matter? Blood or tears, he couldn't tell the difference anymore, when it washed together to drown him. He lifted his head arrogantly, barking out a laugh as he allowed the tears to flow freely.
"Kaden Chauvet." said Noah slowly, carefully in a low lull of promise, almost gentle as he took a step forward. "I do not want to kill you."
"Don't you dare pity me, Bellamy."
"If it was merely pity, I wouldn't waste my time. I'm not the hero you see me as, Kaden. And you are not the villain you play."
"You—"
"And we are not so much enemies, as we are friends."
Kaden had stared at him in disbelief. "What sort of nonsense are you speaking now,?"
Noah, yet to experience the torture in the basement of the royal family, had thoughts and feelings Kaden couldn't understand. For what reason did this constantly frowning man, desire to save him?
"And if not friends, we were classmates, only recently."
"Classmates end up on different paths." The sinner shook his head, waving without a care. "We were never going to end up in the same world."
"...is that what you believe?"
Kaden hadn't replied to that question, allowing it to simmer in the air until even after Noah's capture. Instead, he'd said, "If I told you to run away, that the royal family had intentions for you that would be more terrible than death, would you?"
"I will not run away. If that's their will, then somebody will suffer in my stead if I escape. I intend to face things face on."
"I as well... am facing things head on. Even if we end up on opposite sides, Bellamy."
Noah had knitted his eyebrows together, seeming to want to say something but unable to before his hands hung limp as his side, and he stepped back.
"I see."
"Mn. Therefore," Suddenly, the leisure and crazy smile didn't seem so easy to put on anymore. "See you next time, dearest dragon."
Noah shook his head, watching the disappearing back of the other with a reluctant sigh. However, they were not close enough to interfere any further—a clear boundary had been set. "You're insufferable, Kaden Chauvet."
Kaden snapped out of the memory when Noah shook his body, lowering them both to the ground as Kaden blinked in confusion.
When the graze of a hand touched the gap between his gloves and the top of his sleeve, he flinched back against the wall.
Noah let go immediately, raising his hands high in surrender where Kaden could see them. However, the dragon's gaze darkened in suspicion, though he said nothing about it.
"Chauvet. Are you alright?"
"I'm..." A choked swallow, and Kaden nodded lightly. He didn't understand the Noah in this life either, why that man kept remaining by his side. "I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Really."
Kaden coughed and allowed a sly smile to grace his lips, making Noah's expression worsen. "Though I am thankful that you care so deeply for me."
"...enough." Noah glanced at his hands, recalling Kaden's reaction and said tentatively, "Did I hurt you?"
Kaden remembered the scene as well, and shook his head. "I... am not the most fond of being touched. It's just skin contact that I dislike, it was an accident. It's fine."
"Is that so? I'll be cautious to not touch you without your permission."
Not that there should be a situation where he'd agree to being touched, or one where Noah would have to ask to begin with, but Kaden felt slightly relieved.
Not a trace of pressure in Noah's voice, only calm understanding with no probing questions.
He preferred that.
Having somebody understand his boundaries, not push him too far. Ready to wait patiently, and treated him not as if he was strange.
He then realized what sort of position they were in, with him leaning against a wall after almost collapsing, and Noah straddling his hips.
Although the man had raised himself onto his knees after Kaden flinched, it was still a perilous and rather inappropriate position. He jerked his head to look for any other students, but the hallway was rather empty considering the time.
Skye too, had left after failing to seek him out.
Kaden sighed, ready to push the other off. It wasn't embarrassing if nobody else was watching, and anyway, he'd said confessions—albeit fake and melodramatic—that were more embarrassing.
"Alright, thank you but—"
Just as he moved forward, the door beside the pair swung open loudly.
Forest eyes swept over them, before widening into large saucers, his mouth opening to form a 'O'. Niklas whistled, and Kaden cursed.
Niklas whistled again.
"Wow, scandalous~ the infamous, and much disliked villain having a secret meeting with the heroic, handsome dragon's kin..." The man raised his voice excitedly, purposely putting on an act. "The girls would go wild! The boys too, of course. Me, specifically."
"Niklas," said Kaden slowly, as Noah moved out of the way to stand up. "Do you have a death wish?"
"I definitely do not. But you seem to have a boyfriend wish—"
"Niklas."
"Yes?"
A ghost of a smile fell over Kaden's lips, curled up in a frightening promise of murder as his pale eyes curved dangerously. He pulled at the ends of his gloves, tilting his head. "Shall we have a talk?"
Niklas shuddered and grinned cheerfully. "No, I don't think we should."
"But, you know where I'll be tonight if you decide to come!" he added as an afterthought, a hop to his step. "Also I heard there have been a spike in monsters at night! Do be careful, my very important friend!"
Before Kaden could say anything else, the other had turned on his heels and sprinted down the hallways, soon disappearing out of sight at a record speed.
Of course, he didn't plan to chase after that supposedly academic student who'd been out of breath from chasing him previously.
"A boyfriend wish?" wondered Noah, as Kaden painfully turned to glance at him.
He stretched out his arms. "Of course, what other boyfriend would I desire but you, Bellamy?"
Noah stared at his open arms, then at the hallway Niklas had disappeared into. He then thought about the flush that barely tinged Kaden's cheeks.
Thinking that, he glanced coolly over at Kaden and said solemnly, "I apologize, I don't feel the same way."
And then, without Kaden saying anything in response, he turned to walk away calmly. Leaving Kaden alone, dumbfounded and feeling slightly abused.