"You were saying?"Saint smirks.Baron scowls.
I glower back at him."Let Arpad finish him off, you ass.Sit this one out, will you?"
"No," he snaps.
"Yes," I insist, "you don’t have to fight every battle that comes your way."
We scowl at each other and Saint throws up his hands."You two… Why the hell do you always end up locking horns?"He stares at me, "You got this?Because much as I like to hang out with you two idiots… Not."He grimaces."I’d better head out and see how things are out there."
Without waiting for a reply, he pivots and heads out of the cordoned off space.Baron and I glower at each other.
"The fuck is wrong with you?"I lean forward on the balls of my feet."You could have gotten seriously injured, thanks to that stupid pride of yours."
"Yeah," he mutters, "but I can’t back down from a challenge, you know that."
"Is that why you’re still taking part in your extreme sports?"
"Among other things."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"I frown
"Nothing."He mumbles.Footsteps sound, then Weston walks in.He places the first-aid kit on the floor next to Baron, pulls out what he needs, and proceeds to clean the wound on his lip.
Baron grimaces."Shit, that hurts."
"Good."Weston scowls at him."That was a stupid move, insisting on being in the ring with a man almost twice your size."
"It’s good practice," he mutters.
"Practice?"I tilt my head, "For what?"
Before Baron can respond, Weston applies butterfly bandages to the wound on his lip.Baron closes his eyes, leans back in the stool.Weston takes care of the cut on his cheekbone, then bends to examine Baron’s ankle."It’s not broken," Weston murmurs, "but you need to keep it elevated for a few days, keep the weight off."
Baron doesn’t reply.
Weston straightens, turns to me."You guys okay?"
Neither of us speak.
Weston packs up his first aid kit, then straightens, "You know, the only way to clear whatever grudge it is the two of you have with each other is to talk about it."
Baron snorts.
I raise a shoulder.If only it were that easy.The stuff that Baron and I went through...No kid should ever have to experience anything like that.No adult either.But we did.And now we are are… Fuck, if everything isn’t a bloody disaster.
Weston scowls at each of us."If I leave, you won’t attack each other or something, will you?"
"Don’t worry, Mom," Baron drawls, "your wards are not going to kill themselves when they are not on your watch."
Weston chuckles, "If you want me to leave so you guys can have a tete-a-tete, then you only needed to tell me."
"Just get out of here, will ya?"I mutter.
Weston snatches up the first kit and marches out, leaving the two of us in silence.Neither of us breaks it.For a beat, another.
Finally, Baron, pops open one swollen eyelid, "You’re really doing it, aren’t you?"he demands."You’re joining the bloody seminary."
"I am," I say in an even tone.
