By the next day, they had a battle plan, the money to fund it, and Cass could practically feel his grandfather fuming from the next plot over. Cass didn’t know why the man thought that he was going to turn to Duke Ridgewood, himself, or the King. Maybe he didn’t know how much money Cass personally had, but he should have suspected it.
After all, if there was one thing that Cassian learned how to do on his knee, it was make fucking money. That, and a heavy dose of self-loathing, but neither Cass nor Cassian needed help with that.
Lucian spent most of the day in the air, coming back later in the evening when Gideon was also getting back after taking the money that Cass offered/threatened him with so that he could fully secure and send off the soldiers that he needed. When Gideon came back, he was letting Cass know that the soldiers were on their way to the region, they knew to look for the temple’s priests, and to stay away from the water.
They would get orders from them tomorrow, but for the moment they were to patrol the area, keep civilians and priests safe, and everyone away from the dungeon. It was great, and Cass praised Gideon for his work. In front of Lucian and Edgar.
Edgar didn’t seem to mind. He had been helping Cass with the magic planning, food packing, and organising who would carry what in their space time magical bags. It was nice to have him and Sam helping since Cass could focus on the little planning details with Mr. Collins.
Lucian, grumpy because Gideon got praised before him, pouted until Cass thanked him for the work that he did, and asked for the map that he had made for him. Lucian huffed and crossed his arms, pouting like a child as he stayed put.
"I didn’t make a map. I mapped out the location for the Priests, waited for them to arrive, and also mapped out where you should mold the ground downwards as well. Made it very clear, and made it very clear that the Priests need to stay away as well. And I delivered the letter." Cass stared at the pouting man, then turned his gaze to Gideon.
Then he wanted to kick himself.
Right. He had promised to get Lucian clothes, and while that was actively happening, going out and picking up a sword was a lot easier than getting custom-made clothes. Plus, in a way, that sword had been custom-made for Gideon since he was a Ridgewood. In a rather strange way, the man, no, the dragon had every right to be upset and pouty.
In his mind, Gideon had gotten rewards that Lucian deserved, and upsetting as it was, Cass realised that Lucian was delaying his escape to shed because of this dungeon. Cass had no idea what that would do to his emotions or his mentality, but Cass knew he wasn’t quite himself when he delayed his heat.
Frowning that he hadn’t even considered this, Cass slowly stood up, pushing himself out from behind his desk. Sam paused, Edgar paused, and Lucian froze as Cass stood, adjusted his clothes, and made his way towards the dragon and Gideon. Both men were standing next to each other, Gideon rigid like a soldier about to get a scolding and Lucian, watching Cass, his arms still crossed.
Cass came to a stop before him, noticing that the man’s eyes were a little brighter in colour, a little more yellowish compared to the orange shade that they normally were. Did that have to do with the fact that he had been transforming into his dragon self back to back? Cass didn’t know.
That lack of knowledge made Cass want to frown. It made him uncomfortable, and Cass continued to scan Lucian. He had those tight leather pants on again, and Cass only realised that they didn’t show off everything that Lucian was packing down below because, well, they were kind of a part of him. It was like he wasn’t wearing clothes at all, just weaving his scales into a different kind of armor.
Cass felt his face warm thinking of it that way, but it was also fascinating to him. It was...so interesting.
"Cass?" Lucian asked after a moment of Cass just staring at him, frowning, and not saying a damn thing with his mouth. Lucian could just feel that Cass’ emotions were complicated, but he couldn’t tell what, exactly, he was feeling.
Cass raised his eyes back up to Lucian’s, then slowly nodded as if he had decided on something. Then he slowly opened his arms.
"Will this do?" Cass asked quietly. Lucian stared at him blankly.
"Will what do?" Lucian asked, glancing down at Cass, his open arms, and the way that his brows furrowed slightly.
"You don’t want a hug as a reward?" Cass asked and watched as Lucian’s expression blew wide open. The pouting disappeared, replaced with a look of wonder and confusion.
"A...hug? Is that what you’re offering as a reward?" Lucian asked and Cass felt embarrassment flare.
"If you don’t want it, you don’t have to say it like that." Cass snapped, already dropping his arms. What the hell was he thinking? In a room of so many people? Of course the damn dragon wouldn’t want a hug, he’d want something shiny like what Gid-
"No. I want my reward." Lucian darted forward, catching Cass’ arms as he was dropping them and throwing them around Lucian’s neck. Lucian’s arms scooped up under Cass’, wrapping around him from behind. He would have picked Cass up if Cass didn’t make a warning noise in the back of his throat.
Instead, he bent, holding Cass, burying his face into Cass’ throat, inhaling deeply as Cass gave him a squeeze back. It was warm, it was strange, and it was intimate in a way that kissing had never felt to Cass before. Cass realised, with alarm and a blush deep enough to make him feel like he was doing something quite naughty in front of everyone, that he hadn’t hugged anyone here before.
He had barely hugged his sister, for fuck’s sake.
Any hug that Cass had had before usually was on the shorter side, so as Lucian kept this hug going, Cass wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. He shifted on his feet nervously, not quite sure what to do as Lucian’s breath fanned on Cass’ neck. The hair on Cass’ body stood on end, his heart pounding so loud he knew that both Edgar and Lucian could hear it.
"Lucian, that’s enough." Cass finally muttered. "I do need to get back to work if we’re leaving tomorrow." Lucian let out a terrible noise, but it was a short sound and didn’t linger in the air. Cass winced.
"This is the first time you’ve offered me this, and you want it to end so soon?" Lucian was pissed, but it didn’t feel like it was directed towards Cass. "This damn dungeon. It’s taking everything from me." Lucian growled and Cass gave a soft laugh.
"What else is it taking from you? As far as I am aware, casualties are low for this one." Cass reminded him, but Lucian grumbled.
"It’s eating into my remaining time with you before I need to leave." Lucian grumbled and Cass found it hard to be mad at the dragon anymore.
"We’ll be together in the dungeon." Cass reminded him and Lucian grumbled more.
"Yeah, but not the way that I want to be together in the dungeon. You won’t allow it." Cass felt his face warm. What the fuck was he thinking about doing in a dungeon?
"That didn’t stop you before." Gideon muttered and Cass snapped his head in his direction. Cass felt his heart drop to his feet as he caught the colour riding on Gideon’s cheeks. Cass gasped, Edgar gasped, and Lucian began to rumble in warning.
"Y-Y-You-" Cass couldn’t even get the words out as Gideon’s green gaze darted to him, then away quickly. Cass thought that the ground would have dropped out from underneath him if Lucian hadn’t been holding him up at that moment. Gideon let out a soft sigh, looking uncomfortable as he shifted on his feet.
"It wasn’t like you were being particularly quiet. It was a good thing that I was closer to your tent than the girls." Gideon said. "I don’t think Fiona would have let you live it down. I remained quiet about it till now because it didn’t play into anything. I wasn’t about to use that against you when I thought you were an evil demon. Laying with other men isn’t against the teachings of the temple, like I told you." Gideon muttered and Cass wanted the ground to swallow him up.
"You didn’t say a damn thing about it." Edgar muttered. "Gideon! You should have told me that when you came back!" Edgar hissed, glancing at the two other men in the room listening in on them. Sam didn’t even bat an eye. At this point, the man had already seen Cass in compromising positions far worse than what he got up to with the men in that tent. Mr. Collins, however, was red in the face, but still working. A testament to the people that Cass kept around him.
Gideon glanced at Edgar and his face turned a darker shade of pink.
"What was I supposed to say, Edgar? That I heard what you were doing with Lord Blackburn and that I got, ugh, jealous? That’s it? I don’t want to sound that pathetic, ever. My jealousy and my feelings were mine alone, and I know that I am still alone in them now." Gideon said and Cass momentarily forgot his own embarrassment, tapping Lucian’s shoulder.
"Turn us, I need to see Edgar’s expression. Now." Cass ordered quietly. Lucian did as he was told, and Cass was delighted to see that Edgar’s expression was open, wide with shock and his face was now a shade of pink that made Cass want to take a photo of him and capture it forever.
They were really about to have it out here, in front of everyone? Well, Edgar was really a man after his heart, wasn’t he? He truly knew how to feed Cass well.
"Jealousy? You were jealous over what Cass, Lucy and I were up to in the tent? Gideon, if you hadn’t betrayed us, you could have joined, do you understand that?" Edgar’s face was warm as he said it. Gideon’s gaze slid to Cass and Lucian for a second before it snapped back to Edgar.
"I thought Lucian was keeping the both of you for himself, so why would I think that? Plus, I thought you only saw me as a friend. I also did not realise you would lay with other men." Gideon countered and Edgar made a hand gesture as if he wanted to strangle Gideon.
"I offered to do sexual things with you in the past, Gideon!" Edgar shouted and Gideon gave a soft, self-pitying laugh.
"I thought you had noticed my feelings and were taking pity on me." Gideon said and Edgar, unable to take it anymore, stomped over to the man, taking him by the collar. His handsome face was twisted with anger and rage, but there was something else there. Gideon let the other man do so, and Cass thought that was rather polite of him. He could have deflected, but he didn’t.
"How damn dense can you be? Do I have to smash it into you before you get it? I’ve liked you too, you damn fool! Since we were kids! It was never out of friendship, or pity that I offered those things to you! You-You damn idiot knight!" Cass gasped as Edgar leaned in, planting a kiss on Gideon’s surprised lips.
Mr. Collins gasped, and the fanboy in Cass threw up a fist in support.
He was so glad he got to witness this. He did wonder what this was going to do for the dungeon crawl, though.