Scribbles and Drabbles

Notebook Drabble 7

"Disowned," Sen noted.

"Sen," Keiji shook his head. "Not that simple, and you know it."

"It is. Now if you're finished inspecting my new marks, could you let me go? I need to go find somewhere to rest tonight, and if I don't hurry, the cheap places will be gone." A bubble of bravery bubbled inside of Sen and he tried to pull from Keiji. Keiji let him, but only so Beck could catch him and yank him close himself. Sen growled but was unsurprised as Kenji yanked him around so Keiji could inspect the damage. "I'm not a guard anymore, you don't have the right to do this," Sen complained.

"Not a guard but listed. You're still mine," Keiji said offhand, and so lightly Sen wasn't sure how to breathe for a moment. Arguing would be stupid. Only. It wasn't that simple.

"I'm not on the list. I'm a freeman." The list was not a great thing but would have afforded him some protection. Someone being on the list acknowledged them as a warrior. They would still bound by the same rules as a warrior, the limits on actions on freedoms, but they could also carry a weapon. Also meant being ordered to do something was more limited. Listed warriors were partnered with loyal men and only expected to follow orders from them, not all the swords in general. It did mean Keiji couldn't claim him as a rival now.

Both Keiji and Beck paused. "You're not listed?" Keiji checked, still boxing Sen in. Beck shifted, tapping the side of his head and was calling dispatch. Sen flushed and nodded, reaching up and offered his palm. His identification chip had the details. Keiji took it and activated the pulse. Kenji frowned, his brows furrowed deeply as he read the data in the chip. "There must be a mistake."

"What is there to mistake? The Emperor wanted me gone so he disowned me and removed me from the registry," Sen shrugged. "I'm free." There was no happiness in the word; it wasn't a good thing.

"Your uncle may not have acknowledged you as bloodkin, but he had always acknowledged you as a warrior," Keiji scolded, clearly not approving of Sen's bitter tone about the whole thing. "Beck?" Keiji's arms folded around Sen again, this time holding him in a hug. Sen screwed up his face but leaned into it, resolve to be free of Keiji crumbling with the man being protective.

"Percy is going to check it out. It would explain why we have been struggling to find him," Beck noted.

"Come on, Sen. I won't abandon you," Keiji promised, the words burrowing their way into Sen's chest and hurting. That was what the Emperor that done, by both disowning him and not putting him on the list. The whole point of the list was to acknowledge the skills of fallen warriors and give them protection from those who would harm them for being on the wrong side of a battle.

Could he trust Keiji? He always had been able to in the past/

"It's fine," Sen murmured, one last time but was painfully aware that his voice was weak.

"It's not," both Beck and Keiji declared, Keiji giving his subordinate a look. Beck shrugged, Sen feeling it in the boxed hug. A hand pressed on Sen's face, and he lifted his head from Keiji's leather-clad shoulder. "You are mine, list or not. I look after what is mine," he promised gently. 

"You know this, or you wouldn't look like a lost puppy."

Sen flushed again and tried to escape again, but Keiji just laughed and kissed him on the lips. A proper deep kiss that seared into Sen's bones and chased away any of the lingering worries about how Keiji felt about him. Hands clutched at his face and Beck was a steady weight behind him.

"It's a good thing to like your master, puppy," Keiji teased, pressing a kiss to Sen's cheek before pulling back.

"Not a puppy," Sen protested, trying to knee Keiji somewhere personal but Keiji only dodged out the way laughing. Beck let go of Sen and watched with an amused grin as the two wrestled. Keiji happy to brawl with Sen to keep him happy. It ended with Keiji stradling Sen's hips and leaning down kissing Sen vigorously. Sen bit his lip in embarrassment as a wanting sound escaped him as Keiji pulled away, Keiji looking at him knowingly.

"Feel better?"

"You're a bastard,"

"So are you," Keiji winked. "It's much more fun this way," he noted, pulling Sen up and slapping his shoulder. "Now, be a good puppy, and come home. I want to get Dren to look you over before I report your state to your uncle."