Distractions

[ravery]

Julius bit the inside of his lip and returned his guest\'s smile as politely as he could. He was a little uncomfortable with the way the other man was studying him, as he wasn\'t especially used to such scrutiny. It reminded him of the way his father used to look at him when he came home from his trips, as if trying to determine whether or not the other nations had rubbed off on him and turned him strange. It wasn\'t a particularly nice feeling, but then again, he supposed the other man was simply trying to judge whether or not he was worth trying to help.

“I have tried disciplinary measures before,” he admitted, his stomach doing a small, guilty twist at the memory of the incident with the problem horse. “But I think you might be right about positive reinforcement. If anything, it will at least give him incentive to listen once and a while.”

Julius frowned slightly as his guest\'s smile turned a little sombre. He wondered why this man had taken such an interest in Dee, and why he\'d gone to such effort to advise Julius in how to handle the boy. Given Dee\'s behaviour before, he doubted his squire and this man had had a relationship, but, well, that was the thing, it seemed. He wasn\'t really sure of anything when it came to Dee these days.

Listening to the other man quietly, he settled his hands in his lap to keep them still. “He seems very much aware of the impact that his behaviour could have on his own well-being, as well as that of the people around him. He just doesn\'t seem to care about it. I\'ve tried to let him know that people here do worry about him, but honestly, that just seems to fuel it.” He gave a small smile. “And have you ever had any success in getting a child to accept that they\'re a child?”

Settling back in his seat, he blinked at the other man\'s question, before nodding slightly. “Oh. Yes. I\'m quite alright, thank you.”

It seemed a little rude to mention his headache, and so he didn\'t. He didn\'t want to make the other man feel unwelcome, especially when he had taken time out of his day to come and speak to him. However, the question of why Mr Chaput had even bothered at all was starting to bother Julius, and after a pause, he frowned slightly, tilting his head. “If you don\'t mind me asking, sir, why... have you taken such an interest in my squire?”

[DoTheLimbo]

Robin nodded, glad that the other understood the disciplinary measure approach. He had hoped that a knight, of all professions, would know how discipline works. But then again, Robin supposed it was a tad hard for some to translate discipline to children. Many people eased up on children because they seem weak. While it is important to be careful with children, they must still understand the world before they get themselves into any more trouble.

He listened to Julius carefully. Robin was sure that Dee did care deep down, but was just too stubborn to show people. Perhaps it stemmed to his family. Robin was aware noble families often were disconnected and broken, where the only way to get attention was from acting out and being stubborn. Dee needed to reprogram his thoughts to where he gets satisfaction from healthy relationships instead of ones fueled by immature stubbornness.

Robin glanced at Julius’s smile, wondering if it was happy or sarcastic. The next question however took his focus. His fingers tapped against his thigh as his thoughts ran. He nodded slowly, but allowed Julius to answer the question first. Robin was a tad worried that he was draining Julius’s energy. If the knight had more important things to do, Robin would feel bad for taking away his time. At the question, a flash of relief appeared on his face.

“Of course. I am an instructor for boys who go into sports thinking they can do what men can do. And if I have learned anything, it is that each boy is different in how he finally accepts the truth that he will have to wait till he grows up to say… javelin duel.” Robin tilted his head to the side as he answered the previous question Julius had asked. It was true, many boys wanted to javelin duel when he instructs them. It is simply not possible for boys under twenty to be in a real to-death javelin duel. Many boys acted stubborn, such as Blake or Dee, to get their way. Robin often had to teach these boys in a way that would show them that they were wrong and unfortunately it usually had to do with physical pain or humiliation. Both of which led to emotional pain until it broke down the stubbornness to surrender to humility.

He glanced over at Julius, watching the other frown. Robin hadn’t expected the next question. His lips pouted just a tad before he hummed softly in thought. Bringing a hand up, he began to twirl a strand of hair again, “Well,” He began, “I suppose, there are many reasons.” Robin replied, wondering if he should stop there. But Julius, as Dee’s mentor deserved more details, “First of all, he is involved with Blake who is practically my ‘squire’ in theory. Blake is already starting to show that he wants to go on a bad pathway. I hope that Dee will be able to keep him on the right path. But I suppose in order for that to happen, Dee has to be there as well.” He chuckled softly at this, there was something ironic about the situation between Dee and Blake, Robin just couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “And then, I am also naturally a rather helpful person. And all young boys are my children to me. I interact with them daily, I teach them everything I know, I make sure they are taken care of and that they will grow up well.” Robin nodded. The last thing he wanted to say, he debated on whether or not actually saying it. His hesitation was obvious in his expression and face before he finally decided on it. If Julius was going to listen to him, Robin figured the least he could do was be completely honest with the knight. “And Dee reminds me a little bit of myself when I was his age. I just want to make sure there is someone there for him, like there was for me.” Robin smiled at Julius in a sweet manner.

~~o0o0o0o0o~~

Blake continued to kiss Dee. His tongue rolling and darting against Dee’s. He gasped lightly, breaking the kiss for a second to get air before pressing their lips back together. Blake kept his eyes open, his gaze flicking down to watch Dee’s hands twitch and rip at his clothing. He could tell the other was getting very close to losing.

The boy smiled behind the kiss. He reached out suddenly, his hand going to rest gently on Dee’s crotch. His fingers stroked the cloth there. He broke the kiss yet again. “Oops.“ He said in a playful tone, “I guess I just lost.” Blake grinned. It was obvious that he had lost on purpose.

The red-head brought his other hand to rest on Dee’s chest. He moved to nibble at Dee’s ear before whispering, “I’m yours now.” Blake’s hands rubbed with a bit more pressure. It was easy to forgive Dee now, his body yearning for the other and overriding any sort of emotional grudges he was holding.