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It’s stupid early, the sun barely even lighting the town they’re currently stopped in. Nott can’t remember the name of it, or the name of the tavern they have stopped in for the night- but it doesn’t matter. They’re only here for the night.
Nott had spent the night with the girls, another one of Jesters improvised sleep overs. And Nott honestly couldn’t complain. The sleepover nights were usually some of the weirdest fun the little goblin ever got to have.
Plus one time Beau punched Jester so hard that Jesters tooth flew out and Jester had to mend it back in.
That was pretty awesome.
However, this particular early morning, Nott had woken up to realize she had left her cloak in her room with Caleb. And seeing as that Jester wanted to find freshly made pastries, which meant going out at the asscrack of dawn- Nott needed her cloak.
“We’re going to pop in and pop out. Caleb sleeps pretty deep… Sometimes?” Nott says stopped in front of their door, peering up at Jester who gives a shrug. Nott gives her own shrug before turning the handle.
The first thing Nott notices is the clothes all over the floor. Caleb’s pants are scrunched up by the force of the door swinging open. His shirt is hanging half out the partially opened window and Nott can only see one boot at a quick glance. His jacket is nowhere in sight.
There was also a pair of pants, she did immediately recognized as not Caleb’s .
The second thing Nott notices is the wizard himself. Stretched out over the bed, chest face down in a couple of the pillows. His back was… covered in marks. Hickeys, and bite marks and… scratches?
His hair is a mess, red curls splayed all over the place, mostly covering his turned away face. But the gentle snoring confirms, that the door gently popping open did nothing to stir him. That last night was one of the nights Caleb got to rest soundly.
When Nott finally turns Jester has the same wide eyes and slightly opened mouth. The blue tiefling blinks owlishly a few times before a smile starts to curve over her face. Fangs popping out as her eyes began to gleam, and Nott knew this was either going to go incredibly well or they may end up in jail.
… It did not take long for Jester to convey the idea of them hiding in the room to wait for whoever to come back. Whoever it was would need their pants, sooner or later.
Nott and Jester had both wedged themselves in the corner, crouching behind the small dresser. Hopefully whoever it was would come back soon, Jester couldn’t crouch forever.
It did not take long for the door to swing open again. And footsteps gently padded across the floor, carefully avoiding the collection of clothes splattering the floor.
=
“My love?” Mollymauk kept his voice soft and low as he sat on the edge of the bed. He gently runs a hand through Caleb’s hair, brushing it out of the wizards face. The man in question groans lowly. Molly pauses long enough to slide the long coat off, and let it hit the floor easily enough. What could he say, he loves being a clothes thief- even if only for a moment.
“Come back to bed.” Is all Caleb says, voice raspy and still turned into the pillow. Molly laughs lightly.
“It is early. Fjord isn’t awake yet, but he will be soon.” Molly's voice is gently and fond. Hand still working easily through the strands of red hair.
“One day, one day you will stay. All day. Just you, and me-” Caleb lets out a long yawn, “And a bed.”
Mollymauk laughs, tipping his head back laughing- this time proper and light.
“I’m going to ruin my bed- make it look nice and slept in, then head down for breakfast. I will see you there?” Molly asks once his laughter subsides, smile still present however.
Caleb lets out another groan, “ Ja. Later though. You forget I am human, Mollymauk. I need time to recover from you.”
Molly opens his mouth to reply, but a shifting in the corner catches his eye and he finds himself staring into a very familiar set of yellow eyes.
Molly swallows, glancing back down at Caleb’s face. Still relaxed and eyes closed. And Molly glances back up to the corner, now seeing the also familiar blue skin of his friend. He widens his eyes in what he knows conveys his anger, and clenches his jaw as he glares from them to the door.
“I am going now, my love.” Mollymauk says, once Jester and Nott are on the move. And the tiefling gently places a kiss on the dozing man's forehead. Holding it for a long second. And when he sits back up he is glad to see the two girls have moved silently towards the door.
Molly quickly redresses himself, giving Caleb another quick kiss in his hair.
The girls be damned this was the only time he got to kiss his wizard.
However before Mollymauk can fully open the door and step out, the sleepy wizard is shifting in the bed and sitting up, half awake and bleary eyed.
Luckily , in the seconds before Caleb is sitting up the two girls are quick enough to pull themselves into the cover created by the now opened door. They both freeze, waiting to see if they were quick enough. Chests heaving in twin panic.
“Have I done something?” Caleb’s voice is soft, not like Molly's had been- a different soft. A sad kind of softness. It makes both Jester and Nott frown, glancing at each other in worry.
Caleb clearly hadn’t seen them, but something had changed him from sleepy and happy to… sad and awake.
The girls hear Molly quickly move from the door and go back towards the bed,
“Why do you ask such a silly question, Mr. Caleb.”
“Because… Because in all these months you never leave in the morning without… Without…” Caleb trails off, and the girls can hear the hum from Molly a moment later.
“How could i possibly forget.” There’s the sound of a kiss, soft and quick, “I love you.” A pause, “Get some rest my love.”
And once Caleb is tucked back under the blanket, facing away once again, Molly swings the door forcefully- ushering the two girls out without a word.
Molly doesn’t say anything immediately when the door closes softly. He simply stares, face carefully blank- staring at Nott and after a moment he speaks,
“If you tell anyone, you will regret it for a long time.” He’s glaring again, and Nott can’t help but bite back.
“Oh why’s that? You afraid? Only going to love him in secret ?” It’s not fair and Nott knows it, but she says it anyways. The anger leaving quickly when she sees the blank look on Molly's face again. He blinks once, carefully staring her down without somehow conveying any emotion.
“I do not give a damn who knows and who doesn’t. He does. He has spent months and months worrying about how to tell you. He is terrified and honestly it’s justified. You mean well but you can and do hurt him.” And he turns on his heel, disappearing into his room quickly and quietly.
Leaving Nott and Jester standing in the hallway, for the first time in their travels- with nothing to say into the silence.
=
“How are you, winzig ? The sleepover go well?” Caleb asks, sliding into the open seat next to Nott easily and carefully. He takes a small piece of bacon off her plate and begins to munch easily.
Nott wonders how she missed it. Didn’t notice for months and months , apparently. But now it seems impossible to miss. Caleb is lighter, obviously happier. His posture is relaxed and he just seems so... so different.
“It… It was fine.” She sees how Caleb slightly cocks his head in worry, but before he can reply she’s throwing herself into the argument Beau is having with Fjord about smiling to strangers.
=
Nott avoids Caleb for two days before he finally seems to have enough and one afternoon picks her up and walks away from the group.
They should have left this rotten town sooner. Avoiding Caleb was easier on her own horse
“Caleb Widogast! Put me down!” Nott screams, beating her tiny fists against his back. She’s staring at her friends but no one goes to make a move to rescue her, Molly stares blankly and Beau just smiles and waves coyly.
Eventually, Caleb stops at the cart and places her down. Standing right in front of her, arms crossed and eyebrow furrowed in worry. His eyes stay focused on her, and she can see the bags now. The nights she went to sleep with Jester clearly meant he wasn’t getting any rest.
“What did I do?”
“You… You didn’t do anything.” Nott says looking around the cart, fiddling with her bandages absentmindedly.
“I have known you for a long time now, Nott. And you have never ignored me the way you are now.” His accent is thicker than normal and when Nott risks a glance she can see the tears beginning to form. Panic swells in her chest, she was supposed to be avoiding making him upset. Fuck.
“Oh please don’t cry!” She moves forward without thought, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as well as she can. The cart puts them on almost the same level, but not quiet.
“You didn’t do anything… I just… I…” She stops and eventually pulls back. And glances at the bottom of the cart again, “Please don’t be mad.”
“Why would I be mad? Just tell me what happened.” His voice is soft again, not like how she heard with Molly but the way he only is with her. Soft and understanding and willing to wait for her to be able to explain.
It’s a long silence before Nott speaks, unsure of how to start. In this time Caleb sat in the cart next to her, the fear of her bolting away clearly long gone. He swings his legs loosely, trying to appear calm- it makes Nott smile for a brief moment.
Caleb always did work extra hard for her to feel safe.
“Jester wanted pastries. After our sleepover- that morning actually. So we got super early and… And we were going to leave but I realized I forgot my cloak in your room.” Nott feels Caleb tense next to her, “And when we walked in you were asleep. And there were… Clothes everywhere and…” She coughs and looks at the space around them.
“And your back was very uh… visible?”
“Nott what did you do?” His voice isn’t angry, more so just stressed and now anxious. Nott moves to actually sit, letting her legs swing off the edge of the cart. Pressed against him, like many a trip before.
“Jester and I wanted to see who it was so… So we hid.”
He breathes out a quick short breath.
“And we waited and eventually…”
“Eventually Mollymauk came.” His voice is a whisper, deep and raspy and he twists his hands together tightly.
Nott nods, quicker this time, “And at first I was angry. I was angry you didn’t tell me and that he was using you but then…” Her voice shifts, losing the energy, “But then...”
Caleb waits a moment before asking, “Then what?”
Nott scoots a little closer and wraps her arms around Caleb’s middle, leaning against him in a way she knew only she could. He’s warm, his jacket smells of dirt but also lavender now, and he is very clearly shaking.
“But then I saw he wasn’t using you. He was soft and gentle and quiet frankly a little gross.” She cheers internally at the little laugh Caleb gives, “He was sweet to you. And I admit I was, and still kinda am, you didn’t tell me but then when he was trying to sneak us out- you got so sad at him not saying I love you and I guess. I stopped being mad mostly. I was just… confused I guess.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me? Why make me fret?”
Nott sighs, “Molly told us in the hallway to say nothing. That… that you had spent months and months worrying over how to tell me. That you were scared.”
Caleb nods and sighs.
“Are you still angry at me?” His voice is a whisper again, and it makes Nott burrow closer.
“Kind of? Only a little, I think. Nothing a nice new bauble can’t fix.” Another laugh from the wizard. And after a moment he shifts to wrap an arm around her, letting his hand come to wrap around her side easily. Protectively.
“Well, is there anything else you need to know? Anything else you are curious about?” Caleb’s voice is steady again, it’s his usual tone. But Nott knows what he’s doing and it’s no little thing. Nothing she will take for granted. Caleb is letting her in. Letting her know all these secrets he’s kept. He’s giving her total and full trust to know whatever she wants to know about this. Anything is on the table for her right now, and it makes her heart swell. He's come so far.
“How long?” She sees Caleb smile at the question and clearly remembers.
“I guess...since the night we met the Gentleman.”
Nott gasps and sits up immediately, staring at him with wide eyes.
“That was like! A year ago!”
“ Ja. ” Caleb has a small, coy smile starting to form and it makes Nott widen her eyes.
“Well, what… How…?” She stops short on every question, her mind already reeling.
“Walking from the tavern he was clearly shaken, so in a moment of bravery- or madness, possibly I suppose- I grabbed his hand.”
“And!?” Nott is now staring with even wider eyes, she looks a little too much like Jester for Caleb's liking but he goes on anyways. Smirking at her eagerness.
“And then the next night we talked. And I realized how much I truly enjoy him. He is very smart, despite his attempts to not let anyone know it.” Caleb has a small smile, one Nott knows very well. It’s the same smile Caleb gave her when she brought him the scrolls. The night of the tower and the break-ins. True admiration and pride.
“We didn’t really start… Dating? I guess. Until a month or so after that. But the night in Hupperduke was when I knew.”
Nott kneels next to him, eyes still wide- most of it excitement from all this new information.
"Knew what!"
“That I loved him. And it would only ever be him.”
=
Everyone is sitting in the tavern downstairs of the inn when the two of them finally return. Caleb takes the chair open next to Molly, already enjoying the growing argument of something between Beau and Jester.
Molly feels himself startle out of his daydream when he feels a tiny hand press against the back of his. Nott is sitting the other chair, that was once occupied by Yasha. And she is staring with clearly a lot of worry.
“Can we talk?” Molly nods easily enough and allows her to lead him to a table over in the corner. No one seems to notice their temporary departure other than Caleb, who only gives them a questioning glance before deciding that the budding fight was much better to occupy on.
“I told him. About the thing... The incident.” Is the first thing Nott says, unscrewing the lid of her flask, “And he told me a bunch of stuff. About you two.”
Molly watches as she takes a long swig, “And now… I'm not going to threaten you or anything. You've clearly been taking great care of him. He's so happy, and I don't know how I didn't notice...But...I... I just… I need you to not hate me, okay? We don’t have to be best friends or anything but…” She sniffles slightly,
“If you’re that important to him then you’re going to be that important to me too, so I need you to not hate me okay? Because I never, never , want to make him choose. And I never would. I wouldn’t do that to him, but I am selfish and never want to have to say goodbye so I just need you to not hate me. I need us to get along. He needs us too. I want to be able to trust you Mollymauk.”
And at the end of her small speech, she looks up and just sees Mollymauks smile. Not the one so commonly found after teasing the living daylights out of whatever poor person he’s found, or the wicked one that comes from riling Beau up.
This is a smile of soft edges and no malice.
“Nott the Brave, I could never hate you.” He takes her flask and takes a sip for himself, “The second I knew I wanted Caleb- I knew it wasn’t just him. You two are a package deal. A team, a combo. It was never an either or scenario for me.”
“ Oh .”
“Yes, oh.” Molly laughs low, once again with no malice, “And I would never want to be in any scenario where Caleb has to choose like that. I would never let it happen, and I give you my word on that.”
“You lie though.” Nott says, taking her flask back. She means to say it as a joke but it comes out just a touch to soft for it to play as such. Molly puts a hand over hers, temporarily stopping the flask being risen. His eyes are set,
“I do not give out my word often, Nott. And I do not waste it for lies.”
Nott nods and gives a pleased grin when her flask is no longer being prevented from being drunk.
The two of them sit at their table for a while. Catching brief moments of the fight Jester and Beau have started, flashes of the conversation. But for the most part they sit silently, in each others company before eventually Nott snorts a laugh.
“He’s making moon eyes at your back.” She takes another swig, “How the fuck did I never notice this.”
Molly's tail flicks in what is clearly a pleased motion, but does not turn around. Nott kicks him under the table as well as she can.
“Go kiss him.” She fiddles with the lid of the flask, “He told me today the only reason you two aren’t insufferable all the time was because of me. And now ‘me’ knows so…” She makes a vague shoo-ing motion.
Mollymauk nods, smiling once again.
“That, my dear, is an excellent idea.” And Molly carefully and easily slides through the small crowd back to their table. Where the fight over… bubblegum? Is apparently still in full force. It makes Mollymauk snort his own low laugh, he certainly did find quiet a group to join it seems. And good Gods does he love them.
“Hello, my love.” Molly says, easily reclaiming his spot next to Caleb with ease and a quick kiss. It takes a moment for him to notice the room is monumentally quieter until Beau’s voice breaks back through it,
“Excuse me? What the fuck ?”