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Falling asleep a second time was much harder. Abel had so many things on his mind concerning what Kirin had said that he found himself just keeping his eyes closed. He knew that people didn't just kiss each other... unless they were drunk. He hadn't smelled any alcohol on the lawman, though, which meant that he was definitely not under its influence. After living beneath his father's roof his entire life, Abel was quite adept at sniffing out the mind-altering drink on one's person.

As they continued to ride throughout the day, Abel did his best to keep his ruse going. He was exhausted, but he instead focused his attention on the sounds that met his ears. Birds were the main source besides the horse's constant clopping of its hooves. As warmth took over shade and the sound of the birds quieted, Abel knew that they had finally left the forest and were likely only a few minutes from Kirin's orchard. He opened his eyes when he felt the horse's hooves change beat against the firm land between lines of large apple trees.

Shifting his weight, Abel winced as he felt pins and needles stab at his reawakening rump. Perhaps pretending to be asleep has not been the best idea. He didn't have much time to dwell on that fact, however, because they were soon coming to a stop outside of Kirin's barn. His stable boy hurried out to meet them, grasping the horse's reins so that Kirin could dismount then catch Abel as he tried to do the same. But Abel fell as he tried to move his numb legs.

"Are you okay, Abel?" Kirin asked as he held him on his feet, pressed firmly against his chest for leverage. Abel didn't want to be fussed over any further and forced his legs to accept his weight. Once he was released, he stumbled once, twice, then finally gained steady footing in the tamped grass.

"I think I am okay."

The lawman didn't seem as convinced as Abel tried to sound in his reassurance, but he eventually just shrugged and nodded for the boy to take his horse away. Abel turned and began heading for the house at that moment, wanting to get at least a few steps ahead of Kirin. Thankfully, the man allowed him the small freedom until they were forced to stand side by side on the porch. Kirin knocked, but he obviously hadn't needed to.

"My boy!"

Lady Lelynn had the door swinging open before Kirin finished his third tap against the wood. Abel was grabbed and dragged inside, shocked that the little old woman was capable of making him move so abruptly.

"Tis about time you brought him back, ya pigeon," she grumbled to Kirin as she led Abel by the elbow to the small dining room table. He quickly took a seat, afraid what the woman might do if he tried to flee. Besides, atop the table was incentive enough for him to remain where he was. For Kirin had not been jesting when he told him that the woman would literally cook all he had.

If he does have any food left that is not on the table, it is likely only the apples remaining on their branches outside.

He had hoped not to be offered food until his two day stay was over and he was returned to the cage, but the smell alone made his mouth salivate. As he stared at the food, Kirin gave a frustrated sigh and dropped into the chair beside him. Or at least he tried to. Lady Lelynn was there and yanked it out from beneath him, sending the poor lawman to the floor, hard.

"My lady, while I know you can bribe your way out of anything I can possibly do to you, I would appreciate it if you not demean me in my own home. You cooked more than enough food, if not all of it, so I will take my fill at my table," Kirin growled as he got himself up. Then, with a frustrated grunt, he stalked around the table and sat down. While Kirin started to fill the empty plate sitting before him with a wide variety of steaming meats, sliced fruit, vegetables, and even a pudding tart, Lady Lelynn smirked and pushed the chair she'd removed from beneath him back to its spot. She then took a seat right beside Abel and, without bothering to ask, grabbed the plate set before him and heaped large amounts of meat and vegetables atop it. When she finally set it back down in front of him and offered a fork, Abel knew that his wanted fast would not happen. When he finally took the utensil and ate, Lady Lelynn turned her beady brown eyes to Kirin.

"You are free to eat what you wish. I just did not want to have to pull your lips from my prodigy again."

Abel flushed, but after stealing a peek up at Kirin, he noticed that the lawman's cheeks were tinged quite the color as well.

Grinning to himself, he finished swallowing the delicious piece of potato in his mouth and mumbled, "He has already kissed me five more times."

"F-four!" Kirin sputtered, pounding his chest a few times as he tried to swallow down a morsel of food that he was choking on.

The look on Lady Lelynn's face could have struck down the lawman if he had been paying her any mind. Instead, Kirin was highly focused on the squash on his plate once he managed to get his breathing back under control.

"You conniving varmint!" the old woman hissed before turning to Abel and squeezing his shoulder with a hand that appeared frail but held more bite than a feral dog. "Did he do anything else to you, sweetheart?"

Abel wasn't sure why, but he felt his own cheeks heat further at her question, even though he shook his head in response. "No, of course not." He hurried to stuff more food into his mouth, not wanting to continue the awkward conversation.

Of course Kirin would not do anything else to me. There is nothing else to do. I am a boy!

There was silence for several minutes as everyone digested what was said. Lady Lelynn's fork scratched against her plate gruffly while Kirin's barely made a sound. It seemed like he was hesitant to spur on any further talk of what had happened. As the time passed, Abel felt his head begin to bob as he continued to fill his stomach. By the time the conversation started up again, he had his head rested on the table, his right cheek pressing against the wood as he dozed in and out of consciousness.

"Is he asleep?" Came Kirin's hesitant question, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course he is. Can you not see? By god, how a man like you ever came to be the law is beyond me," Lady Lelynn retorted with a snip. Abel felt his mind fade out for a certain time before he heard their voices again.

"We need to leave now."

Kirin's voice...

"Like hell you do. Actually, yes, you do. Get goin'. I am sure you have got plenty on your plate to do."

Kirin heaved a frustrated sigh, and the sound of his boots moving around the table sounded as if they were getting closer and closer to where Abel rested.

"You best not take him! You said he slept during your ride, but judging from the look of his tired eyes and the way he is nearly snoring, he needs a far better bed than the back of a horse! And you are lucky he told me that a kiss is the only thing you took from him, too. The way he came waddling inside earlier, I swear I nearly thought to remove your boys with a pair of sheering clippers!"

There was a stifled and pained sound before he felt his body being lifted into strong, firm arms.

"We have two days, Madam. There is no time to stop and rest."

The woman cackled then. "Oh, there is plenty of time, Sir Squire. You have given the magistrate your portion of the reward for bringing the boy in, and if I add a small bit to it, he will, I'm sure, gladly tack on a day or three."

Exasperated, Kirin responded. "And if he decides that his coffers are plenty full for the moment?"

"Oh hush. That tub of a man is greedier than the king himself. Now get that boy upstairs and tucked into a proper bed. He deserves a real night's sleep before he is toted off tomorrow by an unchivalrous lawman."

Abel could tell by the tenseness in Kirin's body that he had a retort for her, but wisely bit his tongue on the words. When he began moving, he feared that he was going to be carried back outside for another long ride, but when he felt and heard them begin to move upstairs, he couldn't help but sigh with relief.

Oops.

"You little devil. You are awake," Kirin said with a light chuckle to his voice. Having not heard Lady Lelynn's footsteps behind them, Abel nuzzled his head a bit closer against Kirin's firm chest.

"A little..."

"You are a little awake? There is no a little awake. It is awake or asleep."

Grinning, Abel yawned, then mumbled, "Why did you kiss me in the cage?"

That got a grumble out of Kirin, effectively ending the previous discussion. There was quiet for another moment before he was carefully set down on something soft and unbelievably comfortable. Unable to control himself, Abel rolled about, getting into the perfect comfy position before settling, his head resting on a fluffed, crisp pillow.

"Getting comfortable in another man's bed, hm?"

He felt a slight hint of panic well up in his gut, but the need for sleep and the soft mattress and sheets beneath him made the worry dissipate quickly. "You are a gentlemen," Abel finally mumbled against the pillow as he felt Kirin gently remove his shoes from his feet.

"Oh?"

Abel just gave a quiet grunt, already feeling the pull of sleep trying to bring him back to its dark depths.

"What if I am not so gentlemanly?"

Feeling the mattress depress beside him, Abel forced his eyes to crack open. It was fairly dark in the room, the only light coming from the moon hovering outside. It was enough, though, to allow him to see Kirin staring down at him. When a hand gently pressed against his cheek, Abel closed his eyes, only opening them again when Kirin's thumb began to trace his lower lip.

"I do not know what to do with myself right now, Abel."

Forcing himself to sit up, Abel eyed the lawman sleepily. He was too tired to comprehend what Kirin said besides the plain definition. "Why is that, sir?" he rasped out before yawning. When he opened his eyes again after the gesture, he was only slightly surprised to feel the man's soft lips against his own. If Kirin had kissed him gently instead of getting into the action of it, Abel would have likely been able to warn him. As it was, he was left to gasp when Lady Lelynn's firm cane came down on the back of Kirin's head. The man immediately pulled away, wincing as he began rubbing at his new minor injury.

"If you are so desperate for affection, Mr. Lawman, might I suggest a brothel? There are plenty a short ride from here in town," said the baroness with a dull tone.

Abel flushed in the dim lighting.

Surely he has no intention of treating me like a prostitute.

"And do not go telling me that you were not going to take advantage. Was that your sixth kiss, now?"

Kirin ground his teeth together as he scooted back to the edge of the bed, still rubbing at the back of his head where her cane had caught him by surprise. "No. Fifth. Blasted woman."

"Well, I will not have you sneaking about kissing the poor boy as he tries to sleep. Get yourself to another room."

Glaring, Kirin stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. Likely doing so only to keep him from doing something stupid.

"Listen, Madam. This is my house, and he is my prisoner. I accept that I have overstepped my boundaries on multiple occasions and will cease to do so from here on, but I will not leave him alone and chance another escape."

Abel felt his heart twinge at the lawman's words. He looked down at the soft blankets and eventually just laid back down, facing away from the arguers. Their continued words quickly became muffled as he let sleep take over his mind. He had no idea what Kirin wanted in concern with his random kisses, but right then, he just did not care. The chance to sleep in a good bed was an offer he refused to waste.

He had intended to get a night of restful, dreamless sleep, but of course, life had other plans for him. It felt like he had been asleep for only a few minutes when he began to dream. The familiar scent of bird feces stung his nose and the call of its depositors echoed in his head as an invisible breeze played against his face. His hair stirred, and the cage swung on a particularly strong gust. The pinch of a bird beak forced him to jerk his arm away from the bars. However, another took over, nipping his hair and pulling, hard. He swatted at it, but something suddenly restrained his hand, allowing the bird to continue trying to dissect strands of hair from his scalp. A third bird came in for a bite at his big toe, forcing him to kick while at the same time trying to free himself from the imaginary restraint on his arm.

"Abel!"

Jerking his eyes open, Abel gasped and tried to pull away from whatever was holding him. Instead of breaking free, he was pinned down to the bed with both of his wrists forced above his head.

"Calm down, Abel. You are not in the cage. There are no birds," Kirin whispered hurriedly as he fought against Abel's continuous struggles. It was hard to fight the haze of his dream, though. It refused to vanish from his mind, and the shadow pain continued to pinch at his skin, raising Abel's panic. He fought for all he was worth until moist lips fell against his own and a firm, heavy body forced his torso and legs to still.

After another moment, his hands were freed. Unable to help himself, Abel wrapped them around Kirin's neck as the kiss ended and he buried his face in the man's warm neck. He was shivering from the aftereffects of the dream and was glad that Kirin tugged him up and into his arms for a tight hug after shifting his body off of him.

"I have got you. You are okay, Abel. Nothing will hurt you here."

He knew that Kirin would not hurt him, but that didn't mean that he would not be returned to the cage. While he was in it, he had not been worried. His course had been clear. Now, he had a slim chance of possible freedom, which was highly unlikely to occur. The much more possible outcome was that he would return to his swinging prison to be starved and pecked until nothing more remained on his bones. His shivering grew stronger, enticing Kirin to tighten his arms around him.

"Please calm down. Please."

The whispers against his ear sounded stressed, but also almost like begging. Abel forced himself to slowly relax, pushing away the images that tried to play across his eyes over and over. When he had finally stopped his shivering, Kirin loosened his arms, allowing Abel to lean back enough to look into the man's eyes.

"I am sorry, Abel," Kirin whispered, obviously still shaken from the outburst, himself. The logical response from Abel would be to say that he was okay, but he was not a liar. Instead of speaking right away, Abel leaned back in, accepting the hug that came with the gesture. Kirin carefully wrapped him up in the large blanket he had been using. And, Abel noticed, Kirin had been sleeping atop the blanket that had been placed over him after he'd fallen asleep during the argument.

Lady Lelynn probably made him get another blanket.

"Do you think that you could sleep awhile longer, Abel? Or would you like to get an early breakfast and leave soon?"

The decision required no thought. "I would like to go as soon as possible."

He sounded tired, and considering that it didn't seem too early in the morning, he likely would be dragging for most of the ride. At least I am okay... for the moment. It was little reassurance, but when he was released from Kirin's arms and slid to the edge of the bed, he decided to focus on it anyway. He was free of the cage, and he had back what little life he had made for himself so far. Smiling, Abel got himself up and stretched, his arms reaching over his head as he gave a quiet groan of appreciation.

When he relaxed again he noticed Kirin hurrying out of the room, shaking his head as he mumbled under his breath, "Perhaps stopping at a brothel is a good idea."