How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Noah wasn't in the dormitory when Kaden returned, late at night, past curfew. His notice of absence gave him a pass, though the grouchy woman shot him a look of suspicion that softened at the little boy following closely behind.
Arlo peeked beside Kaden, a broad and cheery smile blooming on his thin face, waving.
Well aware of his innocent charms, thought Kaden with a chuckle to himself, watching the boy win over the otherwise lukewarm dorm watcher.
He returned Arlo to the room he resided in, near Kaden's own. Reed wanted to keep them in separate rooms, ultimately, not wanting any source of happiness or rest near Kaden.
That brother of his knew deeply of Kaden's insomnia—how could he not, when the fault was his? From the Room where no light could reach, where Kaden spent countless nights clawing at the door in hopes of seeing anybody or anything.
When he was younger, he didn't fear the ghosts that creaked along the old castle floors. He feared the humans that delighted in his suffering.
Kaden swallowed harshly, slipping into his own room quietly, which proved pointless since there was a lack of the dragon's presence inside. Empty, as the sheets were neatly folded with careful and precise turns, cold from absence.
Kaden felt a tinge of reluctance, lying down on his own bed after changing his clothes. The night in Corpus had been sleepless, intervals of half-hour moments of rest before he woke in cold sweat, wide-eyed and terrified.
At one point, Arlo had woken and flipped over sleepily. "Are you having a nightmare, Kaden?"
"No, I'm just thinking of some things. Go back to sleep, Arlo. I'll fall asleep soon."
The boy didn't hide the suspicion clouding his warm gaze, but said nothing further. After all, the child knew when and when not to press another person. Although he doubted Kaden would fly into a rage of anger like his father did, Arlo didn't want to risk bothering the man.
He closed his eyes, remaining faced towards Kaden as if watching for any demons that crept out from the shadows. Kaden had smiled at that.
The night back in the Academy followed the same routine, of restless turning in the bed that was too warm, then too cold. He felt exposed without a blanket, then uncomfortable with one. Shadows roamed across his vision in the image of a person that wasn't there.
The final time he woke, throwing his blankets in a frenzy as his green eyes snapped wide, somebody was sitting by his side, a warm and gloved hand held within his own.
Kaden heaved, coughing as dizziness blurred past his mind, and turned sideways.
Noah rubbed soothing circles into Kaden's hands, raising his dark gaze as he asked quietly, "Nightmares?"
Kaden blinked several times, shaking his head weakly before moving to pull his hand away—only to realize that it was his own disobedient hand that clung to the dragon, not the other way.
Mentally, he scolded his hand and looked back at Noah, who watched him deeply. The morning light cast a soft hue over the dragon's back.
Almost like a halo—though a halo of moonlight suited Noah better.
"It's not a nightmare." affirmed Noah, allowing Kaden to pull away, though his gloved hand remained open, as if mourning the loss of warmth. "Then what keeps you up at night? What makes you thrash and wake every hour?"
Kaden laughed wryly. "I hardly think that's any of your business, dearest Bellamy. Though I am quite flattered that you're so curious about me."
"I'm not looking for an argument, Chauvet."
"No? Who would guess when you enjoy talking back to me so much?"
"Kaden."
The use of his name spoken so sternly, in a way that wrapped around the letters as if it were something precious, startled the sinner.
He couldn't help but smile. "Noah."
The dragon sighed irritably. "Can you be serious?"
"I'm always serious about you."
"Kaden." said Noah again, furrowing his eyebrows.
Kaden hugged a pillow and tiredly replied, "Noah."
"What game is this?"
"Game? I'm injecting all my love in your precious name, Bellamy. How could you think otherwise?"
Noah sighed again, understanding that there was no going back to the previous conversation. He stared, debating whether to smother the other with a pillow, reluctantly deciding against it.
Kaden watched the dragon turn away, his throat dry. And he really wasn't sure why he suddenly asked, "Can you teach me how to cook something, again?"
Noah froze, frowning. "Teach you how to cook?"
"Yes, unless you want me to survive on fried rice every day for the rest of my dreadful life. Imagine that, any lover I have in the future would be forced to eat fried rice day after day, and it would entirely be your fault."
Noah scrunched up his eyebrows, debating. Right, he supposed that he wouldn't want to suffer eating Kaden's poor attempt at fried rice every day.
"What do you want to make?"
"I think there's a baking lesson coming up in our culinary, right? A free-for-all dessert creation, in other words, whatever sweet you desire, so long as it's as sweet as me?"
"I see." nodded Noah curtly. "Then, something with dark chocolate?"
Kaden, unaware of the different chocolates, nodded foolishly, not aware of how ridiculous his small nod seemed to Noah. The dragon stared and decided to proceed with using the bitter dark chocolate in response to Kaden's sweetness comment.
The sinner was simply dreaming of chocolate cakes, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate pudding...
However, that would have to wait until their culinary class. They walked half-way to their morning classes before running into Niklas, huffing as always from whatever mysterious task he was at.
"Hello! Have you... wonderful friends... missed me?" grinned the man brightly. "A weekend without you is not a weekend worth having!"
Kaden raised his eyebrows. To think that he purposely provoked Noah with flirtatious words of nonsense, but that ridiculous way of speaking seemed to be Niklas' everyday life, how he fitted and slotted perfectly into any group.
"Ignoring me? I see, I've become the third wheel in this relationship, haven't I?" mourned Niklas sorrowfully.
Kaden gave a short laugh. "If you'd like to think so, feel free. I was taught not to steal dreams away from children."
"Are you referring to me as a child? Young and free and innocent?"
"Annoying, spoiled and noisy."
"Don't lie, I know you like taking care of children." announced Niklas with a wag of his finger, purposely irritating Kaden. "After all, look how you take care of Arlo."
And the bright man's words weren't wrong—Kaden rather liked children, how they could wander free in their innocence and not worry about most life matters. How they were yet to be corrupted by life, and could still believe in a future.
They were silly, sometimes smarter than one would expect, sometimes foolish and clumsy. But they'd always smiled at Kaden, always looked at him as if he weren't a cursed sinner, but another human.
"Would you like to be a teacher one day, Kaden?" wondered Niklas suddenly. "I think it'd suit you."
Kaden shook his head. "I don't want to be a teacher. I don't think I'd be able to tolerate much noise every day, all day."
"Then what do want to become?"
There seemed a hint of underlying curiosity, a sort that seemed expectant and waiting behind Niklas' casual stance. While Kaden didn't notice it—he wouldn't profile or be careful of a friend that he trusted—Noah narrowed his eyes.
The man fell at a loss, hearing the question. What did he want to be? Well... he never quite considered that far into the future, simply because he never had one to begin with. Chained to Reed until death, death that would likely come sooner than later.
But if he had the opportunity, however slight, what would he be?
He supposed, becoming happy would be a good goal. A simple one. Not one that was expected or easily achieved, but nothing too unrealistic to say aloud. And Niklas didn't specify what answer he wanted to hear—whether it was a future job, feeling or position.
"Nothing grand. I just want to be ha—"
"Career." interrupted Noah, with a glint of possession in his deep voice. "What career do you want?"
Niklas glanced over, seeming to study Noah's set and solemn gaze, and muttered an unheard 'I see' to himself, before nodding. While he wasn't sure of the reasons behind Noah's interruptions, he didn't change Noah's words. "Yeah, what career would you like?"
A career? That was even harder to answer, with so many possibilities, and near none available to him. Realistically, with his skill-set, becoming an assassin or adventurer seemed to be the wisest. Most jobs in the underground suited him.
Of course, admitting that aloud would only earn looks of suspicion and judgment. Even if Kaden trusted his momentary friends, that didn't mean their smiles wouldn't easily twist into frowns.
Well, he supposed Noah's would remain as it was—in a permanent scowl.
"I haven't decided yet," decided Kaden finally. "We have many years, and I need to research more."
Those graduating from the Academy had a wider scope of career opportunities. Those on the outside assumed it was through connections and high levels of successful studies, but Kaden now knew that it was due to their identities as Blessed of Watchers.
Their unique abilities required them to not only be monitored, but also allowed them into jobs of higher secrecy or necessities.
"I'd like to be an informant," said Niklas, loud and proud. "How cool does that sound—discovering secrets, making deals, organizing meetings. In both the world of nobles and the world of crooks. Standing in between."
Kaden was surprised that Niklas admitted to being interesting in the underground. "That would suit you rather well."
"Ah, I see you've finally understood my intellect and charms—"
"No, because you're needlessly persistent and reckless."
A good informant couldn't shy away from dangerous situations, and had to be one clingy and desperate bastard to truly discover the escaping secrets that didn't want to be heard. Perfect for Niklas, honestly.
Niklas childishly stuck out his tongue, rambling about how Kaden's lack of affection was actually a shy way of professing his love—or whatever nonsense it was that Kaden tuned out.
They turned to the listening dragon at the same time. "And you, Noah?" said Niklas, eager warm eyes glistening with curiosity. "What would you want to be?"
Noah was slightly taken aback, never considering that the conversation might spin towards him.
As for what he wanted to do—he'd never thought about it. Humans feared his kind, and rather than pretending to be human, he would likely return to his family. Living in their city of jewels and golden, stored away in the deep caves like a buried treasure.
The Dragon's Treasure. The home of their kind. The land of the dragons was named that, because of how it hid away from prying eyes, never chanced upon by adventures or common folk alike.
A career was limited there, where the basic instinct was to discover delightful wonders and then store it in your house, displayed to the current generation and the next. Dragons were mingled with adventurers, working alone.
A life of solitude and independence.
Of course, his parents had never asked him about such dreams because they didn't care to know. Because asking was considered strange.
He felt a familial love to them, naturally, as he did to his dear siblings who remained inside the Dragon's Treasure. He'd never quite fit in, silent and brooding as he was, seeming to tick off all stereotypes.
A tilt of the head revealed his thinking as he muttered distantly, "An author?"
Kaden looked over with surprise, then considered it. "I thought so. Nothing would suit you more—except being a chef perhaps, you're pretty decent at cooking."
"Decent." echoed Noah, with an accusatory glare.
"Well, I'm inevitably better." said Kaden confidentially, though he knew that he wasn't. But really, couldn't it be called a talent that he chopped the vegetables with no bloodshed, sliced the onions without tears?
Niklas listened eagerly and as if a light bulb had flickered on, his eyes lit up. "Then what about opening a cafe of sorts? A library cafe—I'm sure it'd be popular."
Noah seemed to consider it, before changing the subject. "To decide our futures when we've yet to pass the first year is unrealistic. Things change. Dreams change."
People change too, he thought vaguely as he wondered where they would stand at graduation, what paths they would embark on. Three years was both long and short; long enough to flip things upside down, but short enough to pass with a blink of the eye.
The dragon cast his deep gaze over to Kaden, who'd been whisked into another conversation of their futures by Niklas.
He wondered what would be of their relationship by then.
He wondered if Kaden would've opened up, to Niklas at least, or if he'd remain behind his tightly built walls, curled up and miserable.
And he wondered if that fool would find some happiness by then.
Kaden's head swiveled around, peering at Noah with pursed lips. "You've insulted me in your mind, haven't you? Thinking of me, always?"
Another of his ridiculous flirting games. "Always." answered Noah flatly, watching as Kaden blinked twice in slight fluster at being answered in such a way.
Always so eager to tease, but unprepared to have it returned.
Niklas covered his eyes with wide-spread fingers, whistling. "I'm not third-wheeling something, am I? Even if I am, do proceed."
Noah and Kaden both stared at him.
Of course, the true and genuine master of speaking ridiculous words, was none other than Niklas himself.
Then, a set of light footsteps approached them, tapping Niklas on the back. Kaden saw her first, the polite and calm smile from Nicola, the student president. She nodded in greeting, but spoke with some urgency.
"Niklas. Can you spare me a moment of your time?"
"Oh dear, I'm popular today, aren't I?" laughed Niklas casually. "Kidding, of course. What can I do for you, Miss President?"
"Privately, please." Nicola smiled at Kaden. "I apologize, Kaden, Noah. There are some matters that I must discuss with him privately, not that I don't have faith in your ability to keep secrets—"
"There's no need to explain," said Kaden, bending his chin in polite acknowledgment. He was always polite around that woman, Noah realized. "Go, Niklas. We'll see you later."
The man turned around to continue to their classes as Niklas called out a fleeting farewell. However, as soon as Kaden turned, the smile evaporated from Niklas' face as he turned to speak with Nicola in hushed whispers.
Noah stood in the center of the separating friends, narrowing his eyes, sharpening his ears.
"...the Shadows... planning something... accelerating consequences..." Nicola's soft and gentle voice was hard to make out, even in her harsher anxiety.
Niklas' voice was clearer, but of no help. "Let's continue somewhere more private, Nicola. Don't worry, I have everything under control. Trust m; the brilliant me, alright?"
He squeezed her tense shoulders in support, and the woman's stress smoothened slightly. Then, noticing something, he tilted his chin back to meet Noah's firm and steady gaze.
Hesitation flashed in his expression, before he smiled that easygoing smile of his, and waved loosely.