(epic i just wasn't sure if there'd be other fae in the room giving will the side-eye alksdf;)
"Will it kill me?" The words practically tumble out of his mouth as Will picks up a spatula to poke at the quite pleasant looking dish of savory meats and eggs. He's still holding the soft gray teacup filled with lavender tea.
(kdhfkgjbhd no lol)
Kaz blinked at him. "No." he replied slowly. "Why would I poison my own food, my darling Martyr?" his tone was vaguely…almost patronizing, a little mocking as he replied to Will's question. As if to accentuate his words, he took a bite of his food, blinking slowly at Will.
Will's nose wrinkles at Kaz's tone. "You're going to kill me eventually," he bites, slowly cutting himself a piece of the dish with the spatula. "Why not do it immediately? Get it over and done with." His eyes briefly flicker down to the knife in Kaz's belt as he serves himself. "Seems like the most logical thing to do." He sets his cup down, a little more forcefully than necessary, and grips a fork in his hand. The utensil hovers over the food. Almost hesitant to dig into it.
Kaz sighed. "I have only ever killed you when you have made plans to kill me. I can't let you end our cycle. You know that." the smile that followed his words was almost paternal, like a parent reminding a child of something that they had said a million times. "I don't want to kill you right away. I've missed you." even now he meant it, those crimson eyes steady as he looked at Will.
"Maybe I'm sick of this cycle," Will huffs, angling his eyes straight at his plate as to not meet Kazimir's. "Maybe I'm tired of being reincarnated and watch terrors unfold all by your hand. Tired of hurting all the time because I can't help but love the monster you are." He rubs his palm to his eye. "I'm so exhausted." He lets out a choking laugh, thought here's no humor behind it. "Why am I destined to die? Why is fate so cruel to me?"
Kaz frowned a little, and did his best to be composed, but he couldn't help the small scoff that escaped him at Will's final statement. Cruel? The Martyr was the only one of them that usually got at least a decent childhood and adolescence. In all Kazimir's lifetimes, he could only remember a scant few times he had ever had loving parents, and typically if he did, they left him or died or worse. He shook his head a little bit.
Will grates his teeth together and finally musters the courage to shove a forkful of whatever savory dish he had selected. Honestly, the taste isn't bad but it's spoiled by Will's mindset and company. The Snake. The Fae King. Kazimir. Whatever other titles he'd been bestowed over his lifetime. The man who's going to kill him. Part of Will just wants the man to get it over with. To just strike him in the heart right then and there with the dagger in his belt. But that only leads to another cycle, another life cut short when he's too young. Has Will ever lived past thirty? He can't remember a time.
The only way to end the agonizing cycle is if Will succeeds in slaughtering the Snake. His knuckles go white as he clenches his fist. Maybe… Just maybe this time Will can break the cycle.
Kaz kept eating his own breakfast, letting the silence grow and fill the room. He wished that it didn't have to be this way. That their cycles didn't always end with death. But it did. It had to. And it would keep going like that until Will was successful in killing Kaz before Kaz could kill him. And Kaz knew that that would happen eventually. But he would keep that day as far away as possible.
The silence falls upon them in tune with a weight in Will's stomach. He takes a deep breath. The weight is in his chest now. His back feels prickly. "I'm sorry," he mutters, just barely beneath his breath as he absently pokes at the food in front of him. There's a vice around his heart. "I didn't mean to lash out." His eyes sting.
Kaz sighed faintly. "It's fine. This is new to you again, and you haven't adjusted yet." he replied, gaze moving to Will after a long, silent moment. "I am not angry with you." for now. But then, Will was one of the few people that didn't stoke his anger quickly. The only one, really.
Will's jaw tightens, but he otherwise doesn't say anything. He nods, dropping his fork to reach for his mug of tea. It's hot on his tongue, not quite scalding. Will wishes it burns just a little more. His breath shakes as he inhales the wafts of steam. He stares wide-eyed into the pale liquid in the mug, afraid that tears will fall if he blinks. His hands are shaking. His green eyes flick to the exit. He itches to run. "Alright," he whispers.
Kaz kept eating his food, sighing very softly. He eventually finished, and leaned back in his seat, gaze moving over to Will again and watching him. He didn't speak, though, just thinking and considering what to do.
Will could feel Kaz's eyes on his figure. It causes pinpricks to roll up Will's spine as he resists the urge to turn towards the other man. He's still slightly shaking. The silence is heavy. Usually Will would love the quiet, but there's tension in the air and Will feels like he's drowning in it. He softly clears his throat and begins to slowly eat again. This time, the taste is much better.
Kaz eventually looked away again, gaze flickering up to the ceiling. He ran his hands through his pale hair, the soft locks running through his fingers and catching faintly on the rings that glittered on them. The shoulders of that damned shirt fell just a little with the movement, though he didn't seem to care.
Will had only finished three quarters of his serving, but he feels satisfied regardless. He's never been a heavy eater. The plate clatters as he pushes it away from him. "What are you going to do now?" He asks, blowing the steam away on his tea and taking a sip. His hands had stopped shaking, the tight feeling in his chest easing away with every breath.
Kaz looked at him again, blinking a little as he considered the question. "I suppose I must claim you as a concubine and introduce you to my wife." he spoke the words reluctantly, but in a matter-of-fact tone. He didn't seem to care that that entire sentence would be absolutely shocking to Will.
Will, as expected, chokes on his tea. Wheezing, he heavily sets his cup on the table and brings the other hand to cover his mouth. "What?!" He shouts though coughs and sputters. "Your wife?" He turns to Kaz, eyes slightly red from his near death experience.
Kaz blinked at him calmly. "Yes. My wife." he replied, stretching a little bit and then taking a sip from his coffee. "I married her a number of years ago." he shrugged his shoulders, not fazed by Will's shock and anger at this news.
Clearing his throat one last time, Will reaches for one of the pristine cloth napkins. He wipes at his mouth and nose. His nose stings. Harsh emerald eyes stare into Kaz. "So I'm assuming you just got impatient waiting for me?" He sneers, tossing the crumpled napkin onto his plate. "A wife?" He hisses again, this time under his breath.
"I married her for the alliance and power, not because I was tired ot waiting." he shook his head. "Really, William, I would have expected you to understand that much, at the very least." he sighed softly, grimacing just a little bit.
It's a small relief, though Will doesn't show it. He sighs, throat still itchy from choking on the tea. "Fine then, let's get this over with." He stands, scooting his chair out behind him and using the table to help him stand up straight. His back still hurts, there's a dull ache in his ankles. "Take me to your wife, Kazimir." He keeps his tone bored and indifferent.
Kaz stood as well, pushing his seat out and offering his arm to Will. "She is likely awake by now. She typically takes breakfast in her chambers, so she may still be there." he and his wife did not share a bedroom. While they had had their conjugal visits, neither much cared for the other in that way.
With a sigh, Will lends Kaz his arm and allows the other man to lead him out of the dining area. His ankle pops. He grimaces. Hopefully this wife of Kazimir's isn't too far. "How do you think she'll take me?" He asks, tone barely a grumble.
Kaz shrugged. "She does not mind if I choose to have concubines. You shall be no exception." he replied as he led Will along, their arms locked together. He took Will out into the hall, and down along it.
Will's nose scrunches at the statement. "Concubine." The word drips from his tongue. "Humorous how I'm the concubine here when we've been together for eons at this point, isn't it?" It's not really a question. The hall, like the rest of the ones Will had seen, is beautifully decorated.