8

Argo took a deep breath as he heard footsteps approaching him. Before he could look up, two arms went around his neck and pressed him against the wall, keeping him in place. It wasn't a very friendly position. For the next few minutes, they stayed like that until Argo regained some of his composure. Then Argo finally moved a little, so that he was able to turn his head and face his attacker. Once he'd looked into his opponent's eyes, he realised just who it was.

"Oh my god!" Exclaimed Argo, shocked, but also relieved, at the same time.

Gid'on was looking directly at him, a frown on his face.

"What is it? You're awfully cheerful, considering..." Started Gid'on, stopping when he saw Gid'on's smile slip for a moment.

"I know. My brother is really mean, sometimes" Answered Gid'on before he continued "but I'm not dead. And he hasn't hurt me once."

"That's good to hear," Said Gid'on before he continued speaking "so what do you want from me?" He asked, crossing his arms in front of himself as he tried to seem indifferent towards Gid'on's presence.

You don't think it's weird for me to come here everyday to watch you sleeping peacefully?" Interrupted Gid'on sarcastically.

Gid'on looked at Gid'on in confusion before replying "I guess not"

"Then why would you think I would be mad at the fact that you're alive and breathing? How long exactly have you been awake for? I didn't notice at all" Sighed Gid'on as he rolled his eyes at him.

"Not long"

"Then explain your behavior earlier, why did you attack me?" Asked Gid'on curiously, curious how his friend's mind worked.

"Because I don't care about my safety, or what anyone thinks about me" Smiled Gid'on smugly.

"So I assume you're happy to see me. You seem happy that I'm alive and breathing, and even happier than before when I started working in your company, am I right?" Asked Gid'on sarcastically, making his friend laugh.

"I'm glad that you're alive and breathing, that is true, although I don't understand where that happiness comes from. All I know is that I'm angry and upset at you for getting injured. Not satisfied enough. And I'm sorry I attacked you. If you want me to apologize,I will. I'll make it up to you somehow." Smiled Gid'on in an attempt to pacify the young man.

"You already apologized. So you can stop apologizing now. I'm happy to see you too. Even if it might be under these circumstances". Said Gid'on as he smiled and put his arm round his friend.

"But..." Said Gid'on after a short pause.

"But what?" Questioned Gid'on worriedly.

"What about the others?" Asked Gid'on quietly, hoping that they weren't in trouble.

"There are others?" Asked Gid'on.

"Well, yeah, of course. You should ask me what kind of people work in our organisation. They must be worried sick about you, right? Especially that kid of yours..." Gid'on stopped himself before he could say that.

The conversation between Gid'on and his best friend ended when Argo returned.

After Argo entered the meeting room, he sat at his usual seat and waited for them to start, but he kept hearing loud and heavy breathing coming from behind him, which made him uncomfortable. He couldn't help wondering if one of his men had fallen ill. However, he dismissed the idea, remembering that his men were always perfectly healthy when he was away.

Alright, enough chatting. We have things to do, so go on and start explaining." Announced Argo.

"Yes, my lord!" Said Gid'on enthusiastically. After everyone had finished answering the question asked by Argo, they began to discuss their next mission.

The whole meeting lasted over ten minutes and while Argo usually enjoyed his meetings with his men, this one was way longer than normal, due to all the information that was being discussed.

As soon as the meeting was over, Argo hurried out of the room to join his husband and son, leaving the rest of the men to discuss their next plans, before heading home to sleep. He hoped everything else could wait till morning, when both of his sons were sleeping.

He quickly joined the rest of the family in the dining room to eat breakfast, but he barely managed to get a single bite down before he excused himself and headed back to bed to try to rest for a couple of hours until dinner. He was still thinking about their latest meeting, trying to piece everything together. It almost felt as if there was a story behind everything that had happened in their meeting, yet Argo could not come up with a single clue about it. At that point, his thoughts were interrupted when a knock sounded on his door.

"Come in."