How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 68: Chapter 68

A certain dragon was one foot in the library before being whisked away by a brown-haired student, mischief written all over his face. Noah allowed his body to be dragged, with some struggle, around the corridor as he gazed at Niklas dismissively.
"Try to look enthusiastic, please? You'll wound my feelings."
"What do you need, Niklas?"
Niklas huffed loudly, exaggerating offense for a few moments before he grinned. "Fine, fine. I heard it's your precious day of birth Noah, congrats! What're we doing to celebrate?"
The words swooped over Noah's mind that were more focused on the books tucked into his arms. He gave one long blink and frowned. "Birthday? Mine?"
Niklas nodded, as if he expected it. "Well, Holly's sources are rarely wrong. I'm pretty sure she's even snuck into the office to find some of her information, but it's better not knowing. Anyway, what do you want? A flower, some books? A handsome self-loathing fool wrapped in a bow?"
A cold gaze pierced Niklas, and the man laughed. "I wouldn't make jokes if it wasn't clear. Nobody likes being paired with somebody they don't actually like. That's awkward. What you feel, however—"
"Is not to be spoken of."
"....." A lopsided smile tugged the corner of Niklas' lips as he allowed silence to roll between them, waving at a passing cluster of students before the hallway grew silent again. "What happened yesterday, Noah, do you want to talk about it?"
"...I made a mistake. That was my immaturity."
"It's not a matter of being immature or mature. You can't just blame everything on yourself. Issues rise because of two people, not one."
Noah said nothing in response, well aware that Niklas spoke the truth. But despite his confidence, there was a disdain for all the things that made him, Noah Bellamy, the son of the dragons.
Uncontrolled, violent, frightening—all these adjectives he didn't want associated to his existence.
Niklas sighed. "Listen, I get it Noah. I get that you're waiting for the right moment too, that you're being excessively cautious. But what happens when time doesn't allow you to wait? When you can only regret what you haven't done?"
He waited, then clapped his hands together loudly, an echo bouncing down the hallway. "Anyway! Happy birthday Noah! What's the plan?"
The change of subject made whatever answer that Noah had intended to say disappear.
He shuffled through his thick stack of papers and books, confirming the date on an assignment slip. It'd slipped his mind, although he never put any importance to it to begin with. It was only another day lived, and a few hundred made it another year lived.
There wasn't any importance in celebrating.
Of course, his little sister was the opposite and insisted on gems and gold, or random trinkets that could be found in the forest and river. It was her life, and she insisted it to be celebrated grandly.
Who was Noah to refuse?
He wondered how that little dragon fared back in their home, and that he missed her, but had no desire to return.
Then, another thought slipped into his mind.
If Niklas knew, then did Kaden as well?
Niklas read Noah's expression easily and wriggled his eyebrows obscenely. "The all-knowing me has heard rumours of a frightening, pink-haired man creating some mysterious concoction in the culinary room. What do you say about investigating that?"
Noah's ears perked, an eager dragon that showed a sign of happiness. Niklas snickered. "You're not going to mask your expression?"
"Why would I have to pretend to not be interested in something I look forward to?"
"Well, naturally you don't have to, but usually you look..."
"That would only mean nothing has excited me as much."
"He~h." Niklas fanned his face, giving a slow round of applause. "I almost swooned. Which means Kaden would definitely swoon."
The words fell on deaf ears, an eagerness hurrying Noah's movements as he turned to the culinary room. That was the most likely place for a student to do any extra baking—they were allowed to if they asked permission.
Niklas bellowed with laughter far behind, making sure the entire school could hear his amusement.
Then, a man strode past him without sparing a glance and Niklas' delighted cerulean eyes dimmed. He didn't call out to the prince, even when he stumbled slightly, fiercely glaring ahead.
Realizing something, Niklas swerved to stare down the hallway Reed had come—in the direction Noah left.
Down that path, it would be very easy to walk by the culinary rooms—they were by the main hall. An encounter between the two was likely.
He took a step in the direction before stopping himself.
If Noah was there, then Niklas didn't need to check in. Noah was never meant to play such a prominent role, but his influence had been greater than anybody could have imagined, for that fool.
Niklas sighed, turning on his heel to the opposite direction.
Down the hallway, a dragon made his way down the hallway, his hurried steps slowing as if he hadn't rushed over. None of the lights in the classrooms flickered, not a beat of life to illuminate the darkness.
Niklas had been certain, and although he liked tricks and flattery, he wouldn't lie about that.
That meant there was a certain fool sitting in the dark.
"....." Noah combed back his hair with a shake of his head, closing his eyes to sharpen his hearing.
To the familiar sound of a fool's breathing, a song he listened to every evening.
He began walking again, with purpose. Stopping in front of a door, he tapped lightly on the wooden front before carefully creaking it open.
As expected, it was near impossible to see anything. A faint meow greeted his appearance.
"Chauvet." said Noah.
"Present." A hoarse and quiet response replied, followed by a cough to clear his throat. "You're everywhere, it seems. I can't escape you, Bellamy."
"Is that a horror?"
"I'm debating between horror and delight."
"I'd prefer the latter."
There was a breathy laugh. "I assumed so. I don't take you as somebody who wants to be feared, after all. Where's the joy in that?"
Kaden slumped against the counter, stroking the soft fur of Jest, who pressed up against his chest with a purr of satisfaction.
The cake had long been eaten, evidence disposed of.
His stomach still ached, a burn that he wondered if it came from the sweetness or his mind. Either way, he wouldn't allow it to reflect on his expression. And yet, Noah took another step, crouching down before Kaden.
Kaden made out the shadows of his head turning slightly, peering around the room as if he recognized something.
Before his ridiculous acts were exposed, Kaden hurried to grasp Noah's attention. He found, surprisingly, it wasn't a difficult thing to do.
"I was told that it's your special day, Bellamy. Although it's nearly over now." His stomach rolled again as he grimaced. The dragon regarded him for a second and turned. Kaden hurriedly asked, "What are you doing?"
"Turning the lights on."
"That's really unnecessary. I have your charms memorized even without light to illuminate you further." Kaden rambled, a touch of panic woven into his words. "Really, Bellamy. And, well—"
"Understood. I won't turn them on."
Noah crouched back down as his eyes adjusted bit by bit, and it only took a brief recognition to read the flicker of pain masked behind Kaden's skin. The dragon felt a twitch of annoyance spark in his mind, sharply drawing his breath in.
"Do you have a gift for me?" he asked instead.
Kaden coughed into his hand. "What— now, Bellamy, don't tell me shamelessness is another thing you've learned from me?"
"You don't?"
A huff of laugh escaped Kaden. He hadn't expected Noah to blatantly ask for a gift with his personality. He coughed again as another brief laugh twisted out of him, and sighed, a faint smile appearing.
He tilted his head. "Had I known earlier, I would've prepared the grandest gift you could imagine. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time.
"Then, can I request a gift?"
"You really aren't hesitating at all, are you? Go on, Bellamy, I'll grant you whatever it is."
Several thoughts passed by Noah's quiet mind and the one he chose was simple. "This weekend. I'm aware of your commitments to Arlo, but spare me one day."
Kaden frowned. "One day? You're asking for my time?"
"A minute of your life is a gift only you can give me."
"You're being sappy, dragon dearest." laughed Kaden, amused at the stoic expression that contrasted the wistful words. "And an entire day is hardly a minute."
"If you only have a minute to give, then I'll take it."
The soft amusement of Kaden's pattered in Noah's listening ears, and the dragon drew closer, extremely solemn. "If you have even only a milisecond, it will be a gift that I would be honoured to recieve—"
"Stop, stop—" Kaden coughed again, a breath of laughter escaping him. "Please, at least have some expression. The contrast is too vivid otherwise."
The speech that was so unlike Noah's character combined with a face that was even more straight-faced than usual somehow brought a rush of euphoric amusement in Kaden.
In the darkness, neither could see each other's expression, making every vibration of sound all the more present. The slant of the dragon's mouth curved slightly, as if predicting that his words would amuse the fool.
The earlier gloom that had smothered the room when Noah entered had dispersed, a clean gust of air blowing through the hanging misery.
And a smile suited Kaden much more than a frown.
If it took making a fool of himself or uttering sappy words that were more painful than charming, then he wouldn't hesitate to do it. If it only took silly acts to make a fool smile, then Noah would even wear a red nose and join a travelling circus.
Perhaps that thought itself was ridiculous, but it was the ridiculous, unexplainable thoughts that made emotions as interesting as they were.
The sharp corners of the dragon's gaze softened a dozen levels. "We have an agreement, then."
"I suppose we do, Bellamy. I'm obliged to, after all."
"It's merely an obligation?"
It almost sounded like there was some offense in Noah's inquiry, and Kaden raised his eyebrows. "No," He stole Noah's earlier words. "It's my honour to recieve a mere second of your time."
In return, a faint smile graced the dragon's lips.
He reached out a hand, palm flat and waiting, helping Kaden stand up.
"Let's go back?"
Kaden hesitated for a second, the painful groan of his stomach making his eyebrows scrunch. Then, he looked away slightly and accepted the hand.
He was pulled to his feet, the lingering warmth transferred between two gloved hands. It must've been a delirium from the evening that he felt Noah's fingers tighten slightly before releasing their grip.
And maybe it was the quiet stagnation that encouraged him to speak. Maybe it was because the other party was Noah.
"You know, Bellamy. I have a lot of scars—none I wear as a badge of honour, but they are there, and I live with them."
Noah hummed softly to reveal his listening.
"Are you... are you curious about any of them?"
Noah regarded him and nodded honestly. "If you want to, I'll listen. And if you don't, then I'll wait."
It was a response that implied curiosity, but a patience to wait until Kaden wanted to talk. And the man felt, strangely as they crossed the emptied hallways, that he did.
He wanted to talk about the scars he could only whisper to the night, the scars that had once been bloody gashes of broken skin, marks given by people that in another life, he might've trusted.
But there were too many, and he wasn't ready to relive everything. Pain could only remain numb when trapped in the past and if brought back to the present, the seal suppressing them would expose old terrors.
He tugged at his glove, licking his chapped lips. "I told you they were punishments." He started slowly.
A flicker of anger burned briefly in the black stare, but it was smothered as soon as it came. "Yes."
"There's a long one, across my shoulder blades."
The memories of a pale back, the sharp curves of bone underneath skin, and the slopes that drew the lines of his waist. The numerous cuts, the faded marks.
Noah continued walking, not a change in his expression.
"I remember."
He couldn't forget.
Now, there was likely a healing scar from his own sword that pierced the man's skin during their duel. A mark of Noah's that would be lasting, but it didn't make him pleased.
They turned, the shadows of silence following behind at their feet. The afternoon had eased into evening, and the glow of the curved moon hung in the skies outside. Kaden sighed, shuffling as he walked. Talking about things he'd been silent about for a lifetime, however short, was foreign.
An object lodged in his throat. A sphere containing all his miserable memories that suffocated him the more time passed.
"I made a mistake. The knowledge of my birth is no secret—lower than a commoner. I dug through the remains of commoners' lunches, chewed on bones for the taste of meat." He inhaled, recalling his youth.
It was something that no riches or luxuries could make him forget. Though he hardly had those either.
"There was a girl, a child that was barely skin and bones. She stole food from a stall, a chunk of dry bread that wouldn't have sold, anyway. But that doesn't matter—theft of something unwanted is still theft."
He'd almost forgotten the encounter; the little girl from the back alleys that he'd gotten to know.
As much as two starving kids could know each other, at least.
"It would've been her food for a week. But it was a clumsy act, and they'd seen her. There, in the trudges of society, there is no such thing as kindness. The girl became easy prey with food, and I stole it from her." Kaden smiled wryly. "I told myself later that she would've been caught had I not taken the food and fled from the stall owner, taking the blame."
"It's wistful thinking, trying to justify your own actions. I realized that she was noticed that there would likely be a chase. But I was hungry, and the only thing I wanted was food."
Noah's voice was soft. It always was when smothered by the night. "You saved her."
Kaden laughed sharply. "I saved myself. When I was snatching the bread, the stall owner had caught up to us both. There was a fight, and we were brats with nothing but our pointless persistence in surviving. We were tired from fighting each other—we were both beaten."
"I collided against the side of the street, and it was my poor luck that a pile of bottles had been dumped. The sharpest shard glided across my back. I shouted, startling the seller, and then grabbed the tossed bread before dashing. He chased after me, but I was faster."
"...and the girl?"
"Since I'd taken off with the bread, she was left lying on the ground. Only an idiot would lie around for long, waiting for another beating. In the future, I ran into her several times."
"While stealing food?"
"While stealing food." Kaden affirmed, stretching his arms out. "She learned from me, how to be faster, when the right timing was. For a little while, every time I turned around, she would be watching with bright eyes, fixated on my every move."
"Learning from you."
The corner of Kaden's lips tugged. "I believe so. We weren't friends, and I continued to steal her food if she showed any openings."
A hint of mirth slipped into the dragon's tone. "A bully, even in your youth."
"Do you mean to imply I'm still a bully now?"
Noah glanced sideways and continued walking ahead, gaining a little speed. He heard a fluster of steps behind him increasing as Kaden complained, "Bellamy. As the honourable dragon as you are, shouldn't you confess to your evil thoughts?"
"Evil?" mused the dragon. "I believe I'm not the bully, am I?"
"I think your current actions say otherwise."
"How so?"
"You're causing me great distress and hurt," prattled the man as he caught up, turning down the hallway toward their room. "With your slanderous lies."
Noah hummed, stopping at their door. "Chauvet?"
"...?" Kaden looked over, confused.
"Tell me about another one of them. Please."
Kaden opened his mouth and closed it again. It was a door in his chest being gently eased opened, the ancient locks that had rusted being carefully nudged. Noah, who only asked after being told, but there was no expectation in his gaze.
If Kaden rejected him, Noah wouldn't think anything of it.
He would only wait longer.
"Happy birthday, Noah Bellamy." he said quietly, smiling. He twisted the door open into the room that belonged to two. Gesturing to the inside with a fake bow, he continued. "As a special gift, I'll tell you another little story about myself."
Noah exhaled, a sigh slipping past him as he walked inside. There was helplessness in his voice, and a note of endearment to the other party. "I'd want nothing else."