Gideon could last a while, but just like Edgar and Cass, cumming did take a lot out of him. It was a good thing, since it took out his vigor to go again and bother Cass and Edgar. His lesson ended there, and after cleaning up and getting dressed for bed, the three of them were too exhausted to get up to anything else.

They had an early night in, which Cass was sure that they all deserved.

Cass could tell that Gideon wasn’t quite sure where he should lie down, or if he should lie down, but it was Edgar that wasn’t going to take anything from him. He yanked the bigger man down, forcing him to wrap his arm around Edgar from behind, slammed his ass back into Gideon’s groin, and then reached for Cass as well. Edgar and Cass lay face to face, arms intertwined, while Gideon was shocked, flushed, and tucked completely against Edgar.

Cass and Edgar fell asleep easily, Gideon? He took a bit longer.

~

When Cass woke up in the morning, got dressed, and started getting ready for the day, he realised that Gideon wasn’t in bed. Cass worried that maybe he had left the bed at some point in the middle of the night, so he went looking for him to make sure that he was okay. Edgar was fine to keep resting in bed, and Cass made sure to tuck him in so that he was nice and warm.

Sam watched on as Cass did so, and followed after him as he went to find Gideon.

Gideon was almost predictable in where he was. He was out in the back yard, shirtless, going through the motions of swordplay that truly felt like it belonged in the movies, but Cass knew were very real, and very practical. He was sweating, pouring down his face, chest and arms. Cass came to a halt, watching him as he kept going through the motions.

Cass also noticed that he wasn’t the only one watching. A few of the fairies staying in the mansion were also watching. Cass was worried for a moment that they were watching him with ill intention, his body getting ready to go and chase them off when Gideon caught sight of Cass.

His expression lit up and he paused his workout, breathing heavily as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. He waved at Cass, walking over with the sword pointing downwards, a clear sign of lack of aggression.

"Good morning, Cass! I’m sorry I didn’t wake you up as I was leaving, but I usually get up early to get my routine workout in." Gideon said, offering a warm, affectionate smile. It was a rather startling change, but Cass wasn’t upset. Seeing him like this was like seeing a giant, ginger dog coming towards him, his tail wagging.

"That’s okay, Gideon. I was just coming to check on you and see if you had a good rest last night." Cass told him, his shoulders relaxing. He crossed his arms, leaning against a pillar nearby. Gideon’s face flushed, his smile growing a little flustered, awkward, before he let out a soft laugh. He came to a halt before Cass and Sam, glancing at Sam shyly before turning his gaze back to Cass.

"I had one of the best rests of my adult life." Gideon admitted, a little embarrassed. He was being shy, almost like a new bride, and that only made Cass feel a little embarrassed as well. Cass was sure his face was flushed as well as he stood across from the giant, blushing knight.

"Oh. Well, that’s good. I’m glad that you had a good rest. I slept well too." Cass told him and Gideon nodded, still shy. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Um, Cass? I realised that I don’t think I really thanked you for yesterday. Thank you for your help and coming to rescue me. I thought that I would be able to do it on my own but I..." Gideon’s face dropped and he looked embarrassed. Cass reached out, grabbing onto Gideon’s arm. His flesh was warm and damp under his hand and gave it a tender squeeze.

"It’s okay, Gideon. You don’t have to thank me for that. Honestly, if I had a similar attachment that you do to your family I think I would have had a hard time as well. You don’t need to thank me for coming to your aid. You would do the same for me now, wouldn’t you?" Cass asked back to him and Gideon nodded vigorously.

"Absolutely. I would do so in a heartbeat." Gideon told him seriously. Cass felt a soft smile touch his lips. He gave a soft breath, nodding slowly as he gave Gideon’s bicep another squeeze. Damn, he was firm. Like Lucian. Cass hadn’t been able to get his fill of him yesterday, hadn’t been able to truly touch Gideon.

He was trying to wean him into this, get him slowly used to lying in bed with Edgar and Cass. He didn’t want to come across as a creep right off the bat. He had to take his time, not freak him out. Cass knew what it was like to be overwhelmed by the others. Lucian had done that to him. Cass would not repeat what others had done to him on others.

Gideon smiled at Cass, his gaze turning towards where Cass was holding him.

"Did you just wake up? Have you had breakfast yet?" Gideon asked and Cass nodded.

"I haven’t had breakfast yet. Did you eat before you started your routine?" Cass asked and Gideon gave a soft laugh.

"You burn more when you haven’t eaten. At least, that’s what I was taught. Start your first set of your routine while you’re fasting and then you’ll feel it more." Gideon told him. Cass, who didn’t know enough about physical strength or working out, couldn’t say if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Cass just nodded.

"Well, as long as you aren’t hurting yourself. How much longer do you have before you can eat?" Cass asked and Gideon grinned brightly.

"Not much longer. Do you...want to wait a little bit longer for me? We can then eat together?" Gideon asked carefully. His cheeks were warm, his eyes bright and Cass couldn’t say no. He wasn’t terribly hungry. He had a feeling that had to do with the fact that he’d had his fill the previous night.

"I can wait." Cass told him and Gideon lit up. Gideon then gestured to a bench that Cass hadn’t noticed before. Gideon grabbed Cass’ hand carefully, tenderly, and led him to the bench. He even wiped off the bench for both Sam and Cass to sit down. He was beaming, happy that Cass was watching him.

He stayed a moment longer, watching Cass with a soft, green gaze before he returned back to the center of the clearing, going through his steps with more enthusiasm. Sam, who sat next to Cass let out a soft sigh.

"He’s treating you like a princess." Sam muttered quietly. Cass flinched.

"What?" Cass asked, turning his head towards Sam who was watching Gideon with a serious expression.

"I’ve been reading. Well, Byron and I have been reading. Trying to help him grasp the writing and reading of this world." Sam spoke quickly, his face warm as that wasn’t his point. "Anyway, we’ve been reading about knights, and priests. We’ve been trying to understand the men around you better." Sam said. Cass was touched that he was doing research for him.

"Oh? I had books like that in the other manor?" Cass asked and Sam gave him a small smile.

"You didn’t have them in the main library, but you did in your personal one. Byron was interested in your magical books, but I’m not capable of reading those as well." Sam admitted, a little flustered. "A-Anyway, as I was saying, he’s treating you like a princess. I have no doubt that Lord Ridgewood has read the same books that I’ve been reading. He’s escorting you places, cleaning off benches. I’m sure if he had a cloth he would have put it down for you to sit on." Sam told him.

Cass stared at Sam, wondering why he was telling him this? He wasn’t upset that Sam was telling him this information, but Cass didn’t think it was all that strange for Gideon to do so. He was a knight. A holy knight. He’d been told he was supposed to protect the royal family all his life, then became the husband of said royal family and then everything had been turned upside down.

Cass didn’t really mind that Gideon was treating him that way. It wasn’t intrusive, at least not yet. Clearing off a bench was nothing in the grand scheme of things, and it was a nice gesture. Cass just thought of him as an eager, happy person. Gideon had completely transformed from the serious, severe man that Cass had known into a jovial beast. Cass only saw that as a good change.

"Is it so wrong that he is?" Cass asked and Sam frowned.

"Well, no, my lord. I just...wouldn’t you rather be treated as a prince?" He asked and Cass gave a soft laugh.

"I think, Sam, that he is treating me that way. He didn’t treat Fiona this way, did he?" Cass asked, turning to look at Sam. He knew that the man was observant, knew that he would know the truth. Sam frowned, his brows drawn together as he tried to recall his memories.

Cass kept his gaze forward, watching Gideon as he moved. He could tell that Gideon kept glancing at him, checking to see if he was watching. It was...pretty cute of him if Cass was honest. A bit like a child showing off for their parents.

"Ah. My apologies." Sam muttered, flushing. "I think I was just getting worried. I just didn’t want him to disrespect you." Sam told him, looking very apologetic. Cass chuckled. He reached out, patting Sam’s shoulder gently.

"I understand, Sam. You’ve always looked out for me, even when I wasn’t aware of it myself. I appreciate you looking into this for me, so why don’t you write a report for me about priests and knights? That way I can look it over myself and see what actually relates to both Edgar and Gideon for myself?" Cass asked, sliding his gaze to Sam. Sam flushed, swallowed, and nodded.

"Sorry for overstepping, my Lord." Sam whispered and Cass laughed.

"It’s alright, Sam. I clearly overstepped yesterday with you and Byron, so think of this as the equal exchange. It’s clear we both care for each other a lot, we’re just a little awkward about how we express it." Cass told him. Sam sat in silence for a moment before he nodded. He gave a soft exhale, turning to watch Gideon with Cass.

"You’re...a very kind lord." Sam told him quietly. Cass smiled, staring at Gideon.

"Well, I’m glad that you think that way." Cass told him. He was sure that there were others who did not think the same way.