Chapter Text
Lea ran as fast as he could up the main road to the palace. He could hear the king’s regiment behind him, baying steeds coming up the stone road around a hundred yards back. Luckily, they were at a slow trot, meaning he would get to the palace first to greet them along with the rest of the guard, the queen, and Riku.
He reached the end of the main road and entered the Royal Court, and at the end of the long stretch of road he could see the royal guard lined up along the road to greet the king in their traditional white and gold armor and red capes. At the entrance of the royal palace, the queen and prince stood underneath the awning so they would not get wet from the light rainfall. Lea stopped in front of the royal family and took a knee for them, bowing his head in respect.
“Where have you been?” the queen questioned him in slight annoyance, cocking a brow at him. Both she and Riku were dressed in their royal garments, the queen in her typical white, gray, and silver leather armor, cape draped down her back. Riku was wearing a long white and gold jacket with a red cape draping off one shoulder over a dark red vest, gray-brown dress pants and black boots. They also wore their own respective crowns: the queen with her gold tiara with dark red rubies, and Riku with a silver circlet with bright blue sapphires. “The king will arrive any second and you are not even dressed to greet him.” She didn’t sound angry, per se, just disappointed.
“My apologies, my Queen,” Lea said, head still bowed as he worked to get his breath and heart in order. “I was working in the city and lost track of time. I didn’t realize that the king was returning already.”
“Well, he is back a day early,” Riku said to his mother, who nodded in agreement. They barely had enough time to dress up as best as they could, both needing help from several servants to get as presentable as they were right now.
“True,” she sighed, rubbing her temple tenderly. “Oh well. Just go stand with Riku.”
Lea nodded as he stood up and took his place right behind Riku, glad to be out of the rain so that he could use the edge of his scarf to wipe off the rain and sweat on his brow, trying to look slightly more presentable. He could hear a snicker not far away and glared at his brother. Reno was dressed in his custom lieutenant armor consisting of black pants and shirt, a long white and red jacket, and white gold armor plating on his chest, shoulders, and shins, the one on his chest baring the royal crest.
Lea was ready to give him a rude gesture, but he froze, along with his brother when they heard an “ ahem ” from next to Reno. The lieutenant-commander, a scary woman who only went by ‘Lightning,’ gave them both an intense glare that screamed at them to shut up and look sharp. She was only a year older than Lea, but she already held a position that nearly rivaled his own from all she’s done for the kingdom and the royal family, and for the work she’s done back in her home country. She wore her own custom white gold-plated armor that protected her chest, legs, arms and shoulders while revealing some skin on her thighs and upper arms, and a skirt of white feathers trailed behind her. With her graceful armor and intimidating personality, it was no wonder she was given the title “the Knight of Valhalla.”
Everyone stood at attention when a horn sounded, and just down the road several knights entered the Royal Court and approached the palace, all being led by a man clad in white on the back of a large steed. They all came in on the backs of bayards, great horse-like steeds standing at over 6 feet at the withers with long curved horns, deadly fangs and sharp clawed feet. The bayards came to a slow walk upon reaching the palace with the king’s steed stopping right at the steps. The king dismounted his steed Hengroen, a stable hand taking the reins, while the king approached his wife and son with a serious look, not at all bothered by the light rainfall that left his hair and clothes damp.
King Ravus Nox Fleuret was a serious and a bit of an intimidating king based on appearance alone. His platinum blonde hair that Riku inherited exactly was slicked back and hung down past his chin, giving him a slight widows peak, framing his sharp features nicely. He wore a long white jacket with black trimming and silver clasps, thick black leather belts holding it closed at the waist, and he had on dark gray pants underneath and black knee-high leather boots with dark metal shin guards. On his waist was a long silver blade with a wing design along the handle and clock like emblem at the base, a gift given to him from the king of Lucis when Riku was born. He reached the top of the steps and stopped just feet away from them. Aranea and Riku both bowed their heads to him while Lea, Reno, Lightning, and Emma who stood near the queen all took a knee for him, heads down in respect.
“Welcome home, my King,” they all said in union, the king nodding his head to them all. When Aranea looked up she was smiling, as was Ravus. Soon they were in each other’s arms, kissing each other lovingly on the lips. Riku made a retching sound behind them, which he quickly stopped with a giggle when Lea stood up and smacked the prince across the head, trying to be serious but holding back a smile as well. Ravus pulled back and gave the two boys an amused look, especially Lea’s attire.
“Did I interrupt your free time, Lea?” the king asked the redhead knight, indicating his casual outfit.
“No, my King,” Lea said with a bowed head, cheeks slightly red as Riku snickered. “Your sudden arrival was just unexpected.”
“Yes, the voyage was a quick one,” the king said with a nod. “Sorry for the surprise. Now, let us all sit down for dinner. I want to know how everyone was while I was away.”
===
Later, the dining room of the royal family was much livelier than it usually was. Over the past few weeks, Riku and Aranea would eat quietly or dinner would end early after they would have an argument, but with the king there they were able to hold interesting conversations. While the royal family ate their dinner, Lea stood by Riku, Emma by Aranea, and Ravus’ aid Tsung by the king.
While they were eating Ravus, had some servants bring in the gifts he had brought from Tenebrae. For Aranea, he had a small tray of sylleblossom buds for her to plant in the garden, and for Riku he gave him an elegant silver and blue dagger that had the Tenebrae crest imprinted on the blade with glittering blue and green jewels embedded into the hilt. He even had a gift for Lea as thanks for a year of service and protection for Riku in the form of an elegant dark red tunic lined with silver and gold thread, creating designs that looked like flames. Lea was beyond thankful to the king, and no one paid any mind how Riku ogled him when his guard held the tunic up to his chest to see what it looked like.
However, the dinner was not guaranteed to end as perfectly as it started. They had finished their main dish of their Italian full course meal and were being served small plates of panna cotta* when it was brought up.
“Have you received any responses from the princesses?” the king asked his wife as he had a sip of his coffee. Riku froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth, and Lea gave him a worried side-glance. Ravus ignored him for the time being while Aranea nodded.
“The princess of Radiant Garden will be arriving within two days, along with the princess and prince of Twilight,” she said as she took a scoop of her dessert. “I have yet to receive a response from any of the Disney kingdoms, but they are further away.”
“Let’s give them a few more days before sending another message,” Ravus said to Tsung, who nodded as he pulled out a pad and took some notes. They continued to eat their desserts, but Riku just stared at his plate, pushing the fruit garnish around with an annoyed look. After a moment, Ravus turned to look at Riku. “Is there a problem?”
“What’s with the sudden announcement of the princesses?” Riku asked his father, finally taking a bite of his dessert. “Usually you talk to me about it first. Not just drop it on me like how mother did.” Aranea gave a small nod in agreement as she drank her coffee, feeling bad now at the way she told him just days ago. Ravus gave a small sigh.
“I apologize for the sudden decision,” he said. “But it’s almost completely out of my hands. I received word that the princesses of Ireland and Corona both turned 18 recently and are now eligible to marry, however the princess of Agrabah has also become engaged. Your grandmother and parliament both encouraged me to make the decision.”
“More like forced your hand,” Riku grumbled under his breath as he ate some of his fruit, propping his head on his hand on the table. At least he would get to see his friend Merida again, who he knew was just as interested in marriage as he was for entirely different reasons. Rapunzel of Corona was a bit of an enigma, having lived in isolation nearly her entire life. Something about magic healing hair or something. Jasmine of Agrabah was a nice girl, but according to the princess he wasn’t her type, which he could care less.
“I know you have no interest in marrying for whatever reason,” Ravus said with a sad smile. “But you must know that your grandmother just wants to have great grandchildren before she dies—”
“No, the nobility just wants to prove they still have control over you by making me marry,” Riku said angrily. The room went deathly silent except for the scrapping of Riku’s spoon on his plate.
“Riku…” Aranea said with an annoyed growl, ready to start another argument with her son, but was stopped when Ravus placed a hand on her own, calming her down quickly. He was one of few people who was unaffected by Riku’s temper tantrums, the other being Lea.
“I understand that you’re upset,” the king said as he looked to his son calmly. “But my hands are tied. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“Yes, there is!” Riku protested as he gave his father a pleading look. “Just stick to traditions and let me choose when I’m ready. I won’t officially be forced to marry until I’m 21 anyway, but it was always tradition to have the prince or princess start to look for a fiancé when they were an adult at 18. I still have at least a few more months!”
“I know, and I very much would love to stick to our traditions,” Ravus said as he took another sip of coffee. “But parliament has urged that you marry – or at least pick a bride – sooner rather than later. At least until the assassins have been detained. And quite frankly, I agree with them.”
“But—” Riku tried to protest again, but the look his father gave him silenced him.
“Riku, you are the crowned prince of Scala ad Caelum. The only crowned prince. Your mother cannot bear any more children, so the future of the city and her people rests on your shoulders. Now, you can either enjoy the rest of dinner with your family, or you can turn in for the night.”
Riku just stared at his father with a mix of anger and hurt. He hated when his father brought up the fact that he was an only child and his mother couldn’t bare him any brothers or sisters. She had gone through multiple devastating miscarriages before he was born, and even then he nearly died in the womb due to complications. The healers had saved him by forcing a premature birth at the cost of his mother becoming sterile.
Everyone remained silent for several minutes, Lea still giving Riku a worried look while the king and queen continued to eat their desserts.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” Riku grumbled as he dropped his spoon onto the table, stood up and left the dining room. He didn’t storm off like he usually did when he was upset, but it was obvious from his slumped figure that he was not happy. As he walked out, Lea bowed to the king and queen with a soft apology before grabbing their gifts and following the prince to his room.
Ravus let out a long sigh as he ran a hand down his face, Aranea giving him a sad frown. “Why do I feel like the bad guy, dear?” he asked his wife.
“Now you know how I felt when I told him that the princesses were coming to the city again,” she responded with no flare of sass like she usually did. They both felt equally bad about the situation as they both knew that Riku wasn’t interested in marriage. Or at least marrying a princess.
“Maybe I should pass a law that allows the crowned prince or princess to marry whoever they want?” Ravus said with a small smile. “The sultan of Agrabah did that when he learned his daughter was in love with a peasant.”
“But he doesn’t have a strict parliament to veto the law, and his royal vizier was imprisoned after attempting a coup,” Aranea commented with an annoyed sigh as she sipped her drink. “You could just disband the parliament, maybe assign new members.”
“What? And risk retaliation from the current members and their families? Maybe them demanding a new king because I’m ‘unfit’ or ‘biased?’” Ravus said with a slight roll of his eyes. “Most of the nobility have lived in the city long before I became king. I do not want to risk possible mutiny like the War of Departure…”
===
Later that night…
In Riku’s bedroom, the prince was lying face down on his bed, hugging one of his pillows as he silently moped. He had changed out of his royal attire and left it strewn across the floor for one of the maids to pick up, now wearing more comfortable clothes consisting of a sleeveless light-gray shirt with skull designs along the bottom and dark gray sweatpants that ended halfway down his calves. Lea sat quietly at the foot of the bed, watching the prince who stayed silent as a maid came in delivering a tray of tea and sweet cakes – most likely a peace offering from his parents – and collected his clothes from the floor. The room stayed relatively silent for a while before Lea sighed with frustration and checked on the tea placed on the prince’s desk, the water having gone cold.
“You can’t just keep moping in bed all night,” Lea said as he looked over the different teas and accent ingredients to choose from. He saw a few he recognized and gave a small smile. He went to work putting a drink together for the prince, who had ignored him and was still face down on his bed. After putting all the ingredients into the pot, Lea placed a hand on it and the water inside quickly began to boil. Soon the room was filled with the scent of cinnamon and peppermint. Riku turned slightly to look at Lea as his guard poured some tea into a cup. He then brought the tea and a small plate with a tiny cake snack on it to the prince, holding them out to him with a smile. Eventually Riku sat up in the bed, back to the headboard and most of his pillows. He took the cup and took in a breath before taking a small sip, sighing with content at the flavors.
Lea had made him fireball tea, the redhead’s favorite that quickly became Riku’s favorite as well after he had been offered it when he was sick a while back. He could taste the strong taste of the black, cinnamon, and peppermint tea, but his sinuses were struck with the scent of peppercorn, ginger, and cardamom. It had a slight spicy kick, but he noticed that Lea had mellowed it down by adding a small amount of honey and milk. A smile crept onto his face as he took another small sip of the tea, making Lea give a small sigh of relief now that the prince was happier. The redhead placed the small cake plate onto the night stand near Riku and turned to leave but was stopped when Riku grabbed his vest.
“Sit with me?”
That wasn’t an order. It was a request.
Lea gave him a smile and climbed into the bed with him after removing his shoes and vest, sitting right next to Riku as he rested his head on his shoulder, finishing his tea. Once he was done, Lea moved the cup to the night stand, but after that they remained silent. It lasted for a few moments until Riku looked up at Lea and suddenly pulled off his scarf, revealing his bruised neck underneath. The redhead gave the prince a sidelong look as he leaned in and lightly kissed Lea’s neck, making the older man chuckle softly when the silver bangs tickled his skin slightly.
“Sorry… I went a bit overboard this morning,” he said softly as he pressed his face into Lea’s shoulder. Lea cocked an eyebrow at that since Riku almost never apologized for any of the hickies he had given him in the past, and in fact was usually the one to bring them up in front of others to tease him and to spite his parents. Maybe what the king said earlier struck a nerve and now the prince was starting to feel guilty for his behavior, and that was bleeding in to their earlier “activities.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Lea said with a small smile as he patted Riku on his head. “It’s not like I didn’t enjoy it. And besides, you’re the prince, so—”
“That shouldn’t be an excuse,” Riku grumbled as he pulled Lea down, forcing him to lay down parallel to the bed along with him, turning so that they were looking directly at each other. From here, Lea could see that Riku was upset in a way he rarely saw, lips in a sad pout and brow furrowed. “Next time if I start to go too far, stop me. Please.”
“Whatever you say, Your Highness,” Lea said as he kissed Riku on the forehead before pulling him into a hug, the prince hugging him back tightly, sniffling slightly. Lea just hoped that Riku wouldn’t start crying: he had only ever seen Riku cry back when he had a terrible fever and even then seeing him in such distress broke his heart.
Then Riku pulled back with a confused look before gripping Lea’s shirt and giving it another sniff.
“Sorry, does it smell bad?” Lea asked him with a chuckle. “I’ll go change into something cleaner and more comfortable.” He pulled out of Riku’s hold, giving him another peck on the lips before leaving the prince’s room to go change in his own, the silver haired teen watching him go in amused confusion.
“Why did his shirt smell like camellias?”
===
The next day…
A beeping sound echoed through the room at around dawn, waking Lea and stirring Riku from his sleep with a groggy groan. Lea had changed into a white tank top and thin black sweatpants last night after taking a quick shower, then rejoined Riku in his room who had started reading one of his comics while waiting for the older man. They didn’t do anything sexual – a first for the prince after having an argument with his parents – and instead just kissed and cuddled for a bit before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
That was also how they both woke up that morning with Lea’s spikes now loose and hanging down in front of his eyes and Riku’s short hair a crazy mess. He glared at Lea when he saw his lover picking up his gummiphone from the nightstand and turning off the alarm, seeing that it was 6:30 in the morning.
“Why did you set it for so early?” Riku grumbled as he pulled Lea back against him and pressed his face against his chest. “Breakfast isn’t until 8. Go back to sleep.”
“Sorry, but I’ve got stuff to do,” Lea said with a sigh as he pulled himself out of Riku’s grasp, making the prince groan in frustration. “Remember about the thing I’ve been keeping secret from you?” When Lea mentioned that, Riku blinked up at him in recognition as he indeed remembered that. “Well, since the princesses will be arriving tomorrow and I was given a deadline by your mother, today is my last free day in the city for a while. I need to make proper preparations in the city, which means I need to get up early. At least for today.”
Riku didn’t like that Lea was going to be apart from him for another day but accepted the excuse. And like he said, it was only for today. By tomorrow, he would be all his again.
“Fine,” he mumbled as he gripped Lea’s shirt, pulling him down and kissing him on the lips before collapsing onto his nest of pillows again. “Be safe…” And within a few minutes, the prince was asleep again. Lea couldn’t blame him since it did take him awhile to fall asleep last night. That, and the tea he gave the prince had a pretty high amount of caffeine in it.
Lea left the prince’s room as quietly as he could and made his way to his own room, which was just two rooms down the hall from Riku’s. The king had wanted Lea to stay as close to the prince as possible after becoming his kingsguard, so he had given him his own room close to Riku’s that wasn’t nearly as big as the prince’s but was able to accommodate the guard just fine. All that was in the room – which was pretty much the same color scheme as Riku’s minus the blue and green curtains and furniture – was a double bed with red sheets, a bathroom with a shower and bathtub with a small walk-in closet connected to it, a small cream leather couch, and wooden desk with a chair. There were also windows along one of the walls, but he had no balcony, which was fine with him. It pretty much reminded an average person of a large master bedroom seen in a normal house, but to the royal family he was living in one of the many guest bedrooms they kept in the palace.
He entered his bathroom where he washed his face to help him wake up, brushed his teeth and hair – applying hair spray and gel where it was needed to hold his spikes – then started going through his wardrobe deciding on what to wear. He had checked the weather on his phone and saw that it was projected to be bright, sunny, and pretty warm today since it was reaching the later parts of summer, and thus the hotter parts of it. At least they didn’t get 100-degree summers like parts of Disney and Eos did. Most of his wardrobe consisted of black and leather, which would turn into sweat suits within an hour when it reached noon – even with his ability to control his body temperature, if it was too warm he would still sweat – so it took him a bit to look for something better suited to the weather. He eventually found something acceptable in the form of a lightweight white and red sleeveless hoodie that managed to cover up his mostly recovered bruises, tan ankle cuff joggers, and dark red, black, and white high-top sneakers. He also made sure to wear his black gloves to block his fire magic.
Now that he was ready to head out, Lea checked the time again and saw that it was just a little after 7 am. That store he wanted to get to before meeting up with Sora would open at 7:30, it would take him about 15-20 minutes to get there by walking once he left the Royal Court, and he had wanted to take Sora out to breakfast as an apology for ending their time together early yesterday, so they were meeting at eight. He grabbed his wallet and kingsguard crest before rushing out of his room.
===
Down in the Commons…
Sora walked along one of the larger roads of the third level towards the meeting point he was to meet Lea at, tapping his walking stick in front of him so he didn’t walk into anything or anyone. Luckily because he was cleaned up again thanks to his sisters, no one who was out at that time called out to him or treated him badly like they would with anyone from the slums. Instead they got out of the way, so they wouldn’t collide or even apologized to him if they accidently bumped into him.
Today he was wearing all Shiki’s clothes, consisting of a dark blue tank top that was short enough to expose some of his stomach under the short-sleeved denim jacket from the day before, blue denim shorts that came to just above his knees, and his old black sneakers. His sisters had wanted him to wear nicer shoes since his didn’t quite match with his outfit, but he came up with some random excuse that they were more comfortable to walk around in before rushing out of the slums, not wanting them to know that today was to be his first day of magic training. However, before he could leave the house Aerith had managed to spritz him with another one of her perfumes that she received as a gift from a client that smelled of lilacs. The brunette didn’t know why his older sister wanted him to wear ladies’ perfume so much. Why not cologne like Cloud or Leon he had asked her, but Aerith had refused to let him wear cologne, stating that it wouldn’t “match with him.” That, and his brothers didn’t feel like sharing.
Sora noticed that it was starting to get quieter as he kept walking, either less people were in the area or he had wandered off to a more secluded location on accident. He tried slipping off his blindfold to see where he was at, only to hiss in annoyance when the bright light of the sun blinded him. He hated bright sunny days ever since he went blind. Even so, he missed seeing the sky.
“Sora!”
The teen looked around when he heard Lea calling out his name, wondering where he was. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, then a familiar gloved hand slipped into his own, making him smile.
“Sorry I’m late, Lea,” Sora said with a smile, missing Lea shake his head with a chuckle.
“You were on time. I got here a bit early.” Sora cocked his head in confusion as Lea took his hand and started to guide him away. “Let’s go get breakfast. I need to talk to you about something.”
===
They decided to have breakfast at the same bistro they had lunch at a few days back, eating their food at a small outdoor table that was heavily shaded by a large tree. Lea got a small bowl of scrambled eggs with salmon with a side of buttered toast and fruit, and Sora got cinnamon French toast garnished with strawberries and bananas and a small blueberry muffin on the side, both meals coming with a cup of orange juice. Lea waited until they were both halfway through their meals before he started talking.
“What?! We can’t do my training today?!” Sora gasped in depressed shock, almost dropping his muffin. Lea gave him a sad sigh before he continued.
“I was only given a short amount of free time out of the palace, and today is my last day before I have to remain in the palace,” he told the teen who continued to frown. “Believe me, I would love to hang out with you more, Sora, but my role in the palace is pretty important. Remember?” Sora nodded, remembering that he was a kingsguard. “Also, with the king back and the princesses arriving tomorrow, I have to resume my duties. Maybe in a few days I’ll be free again, then we can hang out and then I can start your training, but it might be a few weeks. I can’t even stay out for as long as we usually would since I’m needed at the palace.” Sora’s frown seemed to get bigger at that and he slumped in his chair a bit, eating slowly. Even though he was sad he couldn’t do his training today, what was worse was the idea that he won’t get to see Lea for a while.
“But listen, maybe I can make it up to you in a small way,” Lea added with a smile, making Sora cock a brow in confusion.
===
After they had breakfast, Lea took Sora’s hand and guided him along the level until they reached a secluded area under a large tree, hardly anyone around as it was so quiet except for the occasionally bird chirp. Lea told Sora to sit down on a bench and wait for him to return, and so he did, patiently counting the seconds in his head. After about five minutes, Lea returned, the brunette sensing the man taking a seat on the bench next to him.
“Here,” he said as he slipped something into Sora’s hand. The boy didn’t know what it was since he had his blindfold on, so he set his walking stick off to the side and removed the blindfold to see what Lea gave him.
It was a stick of sea salt ice cream.
“Thought you might want one,” Lea said with a smile as he watched Sora lick the salty sweet ice cream with a bright smile. The boy nodded happily, until he noticed that Lea didn’t have one for himself.
“What about you?” he asked him curiously. Lea just shrugged at that, which made Sora frown again. So, he held up the ice cream to Lea. “Want some?” Lea couldn’t help but chuckle as he leaned down and took a small bite from the ice cream, making Sora smile before he went back to eating it. Lea watched Sora eat the ice cream for a moment before he turned to look down at a small box he pulled out of his pocket, fiddling with the string that kept the lid on.
“What’s that?”
Lea looked up when he saw Sora looking down at the box he was holding, nearly done with his ice cream.
“Finish your snack first and I’ll tell you,” Lea said with a smirk. Now intrigued, Sora quickly ate the rest of the ice cream, giving a full body shudder when he got a slight brain freeze from eating it too fast. Lea chuckled when he saw that, making the teen pout at him. “Good work,” Lea snickered at him. “Guess I should tell you now then.”
“So, what is it?” Sora asked in excitement. He stared as the box was placed in his hand, Lea taking the ice cream stick in exchange.
“It’s a gift for you. An apology for not being able to train today.”
Sora felt his heart swell up slightly as he slowly opened the box, removing the string and then the lid. When he looked inside, he gave a small gasp at the gift.
On a silver chain was the silver crown charm he saw at the accessory shop the day before. He thought he had been careful to not show too much interest in the gift when Lea caught him staring, not wanting to come off as asking for it or even begging. But he couldn’t help but be drawn to the charm out of everything that had been on display at the time.
“I-I can’t accept this,” Sora said with a stutter, handing the gift back to Lea. The redhead could see that Sora’s hand was shaking slightly, so he took it in his own, helping him calm down slightly. However, instead of taking the gift back he pulled out the necklace, undoing the clasp, and slipped behind Sora’s head to put it back together, letting the charm hang around his neck.
“I want you to have it,” Lea said with a soft smile, patting Sora on the head. “No matter how much you try to return it I won’t take it back. And while I want you to keep it, if you need to sell it to support your family I won’t mind—” But before he could finish, Sora threw his arms around Lea, hugging him tightly as he buried his face into the other’s chest.
“I-I’ll never sell it!” Sora gasped, sniffling hard into Lea’s chest. The redhead could feel his shirt slowly grow damp from Sora’s tears. “I’ll t-treasure it forever and ever!” Lea returned the hug as he continued to pat the boy on his head, soothing him calmly and slowly, letting the boy cry into his chest. Eventually Sora pulled back and looked up at Lea, cheeks and eyes red and tears running down his face. “B-but why? Why are you s-so nice to me?”
“I’m not really sure myself,” Lea said now that he thought about it. He didn’t know why he was treating Sora so nicely other than the fact that he was a sweet kid who deserved to be treated well. At first, it might have been out of pity since he was just a blind orphaned boy with nothing to eat. But after that first day? “I guess I just felt like it…”
That was when Lea realized that Sora’s face was getting closer to his own, like he was about to kiss him. He sucked in a breath of shock, his cheeks turning red, arms growing warm. Sora noticed the sudden warmth and blinked in confusion, only to realize what he was doing. He pulled back just as suddenly as he had made his first move, his own cheeks dark red from embarrassment.
“I’m sorry!” the teen nearly shouted in shock as he jumped up from the bench and turned to run away, until he was suddenly face down on the ground with a cry of pain. Lea rushed to his side and helped him up. He saw that one of Sora’s sneakers’ shoelaces had come undone and that he must have stepped on it, causing him to fall.
“Are you okay?” Lea asked him in worry, turning Sora to face him and look him over for any serious injuries. Thankfully he saw no blood on the boy, just some scrapes on his hands, knees and elbows. What he did notice was that Sora refused to look him in the eye, face still red and tears starting to build up. “Do you hurt anywhere?” Lea asked him, wondering if he was hurt someplace not visible. Sora shook his head no, but still refused to look up at him. He must be so embarrassed at what he had done.
“I-I don’t know why I did that…” Sora mumbled softly, but still loud enough for Lea to hear him. The teen didn’t know why he wanted to kiss the other man. He had a crush on “R” for goodness sake! But he also liked Lea. Was it the same kind of like that he had for “R?” What was his like for “R” then? Platonic? Romantic? It was all so confusing, and it just frustrated the boy even more.
“I should probably apologize, too, then,” Lea said, rubbing the back of his neck after he helped Sora stand up. “While I appreciate your feelings, I… already have someone…”
Sora felt his heart constrict in pain from hearing that. Of course, someone as amazing as Lea already had someone he liked, that was no shock. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt hearing him say as much. Even then, it’s not like the kingsguard would want to date a slum rat like him—
“Stop that.”
Sora looked up in shock when Lea gripped his shoulders tightly, gaining his attention with a serious look.
“You were degrading yourself again,” Lea stated, making Sora blush again for a different reason. “You may not have been vocal about it, but I can tell from your expression you were thinking it. It’s the same you always have when talking bad about yourself. So, stop thinking that way.” He then pulled back and nervously scratched at his chin, blushing lightly. “And besides, it’s not like I wouldn’t have fallen for you at a different time under different circumstances…”
“O-oh…”
Now they both just stood there, looking at their feet in embarrassment. They must have stood there for some time as after a while Lea could hear the clock tower in the distance chime that it was now noon. Pretty soon, the streets would be full of working adults out to lunch.
“Let me take you home,” Lea said as he took Sora’s hand, only to quickly pull away with a soft “sorry,” worried that the teenager would feel awkward holding his hand now. Sora seemed to hesitate for a moment before he reached out and took Lea’s hand in his own again. The redhead looked down at their joined hands with a small smile, which also made Sora smile in return.
===
Lea guided Sora to one of the few entrances into the slums on the second level of the Commons, their hands joined the entire way there. This entrance wasn’t like the usual manhole entrances that Sora’s siblings often took, but an actual doorway leading to a narrow flight of stairs hidden away in a dark alley near one of the tanneries, the air thick with the smell of old garbage, limewater, and sulfur. When they reached the door, Sora looked up at Lea with a small smile.
“Thank you for today,” Sora said softly, placing a hand over his gift, which was now hidden under his shirt. He didn’t want anyone in the slums to see the necklace and try and steal it before he got home.
“Sorry about canceling your training again,” Lea said, patting Sora on the head, making the teen blush slightly. “Maybe one day I can properly train you, or better yet, introduce you to a proper teacher.” Sora stiffened slightly at the idea of meeting another light user: would they judge him for being a slum rat, or force him to pay for their services, or report him—
“Stop. Berating. Yourself,” Lea said with a frown, pinching Sora’s cheeks to draw him out of that thought process again, making the boy squeak. The redhead chuckled as he watched Sora’s expression soften up a bit, then dropped his hands to the boy’s shoulders. “And I want to apologize again about earlier. Even though I cannot return your feelings, I want us to stay as friends, as long as you are okay with it.”
“Of course, I want us to stay friends!” Sora said quickly, looking up at Lea with an almost regretful expression. “I should be sorry for what I did earlier. It’s my fault it got so awkward before.” He then leaned forward and gave Lea a hug, the taller man wrapping his arms around him in return. “I just don’t want you to hate me or think less of me for what I did…”
“I could never hate you, Sora,” Lea said softly with a smile. When he looked down at Sora’s soft brown spikes, he almost wanted to kiss them to reassure the boy that everything was okay. He had to hold back the urge until they eventually parted from each other. “See you again someday?”
“I’ll be waiting under the tree,” Sora said with a smile brighter than the sun, before turning and walking down into the darkness of the slums.
===
Later at the palace…
Riku groaned as he collapsed onto one of the couches in his sitting room, raising his feet into the air so the maid could remove his boots. The prince had been excused from taking any lessons today but instead had to work with his parents in preparation of the princesses arriving the next day, from getting fitted for new outfits to picking out tableware for when they join the royal family for dinners. While the chef prepared for dinner that night, Riku was given some free time for himself, which was where they were now. Lea sat down on the other couch silently, mind still wandering from what happened between him and Sora earlier that day.
“Geez! What does it matter if a princess would want to drink their water from glass or crystal cups?” Riku griped as he pulled off his suit jacket and threw it over the back of the couch, the maid rushing to grab it so it could be washed. “And the napkins? How is there a difference between egg shell and ivory, or pearl and cotton? They all look like the same goddamn color!” When he didn’t get a response from his guard, he turned his head and looked at Lea, who seemed to be staring off at nothing in particular. Was he even paying attention? “Maybe I’ll just wear rainbow clothes when we greet them tomorrow,” Riku said in a serious tone, making the maid giggle softly in the background but he ignored her. Lea just seemed to nod in agreement, not paying attention at all. This annoyed the prince, so he grabbed one of the pillows from the couch and threw it at Lea, hitting him in the side of the head with perfect accuracy.
“What? What??” Lea shouted in shock when he was hit with the pillow, looking around in confusion. The maid giggled again, but instantly went silent when Riku waved her away, at which she bowed and left the room. Once she was gone, Riku rose from the couch and stood in front of Lea, who still looked confused. “What’s going on?”
“So, you weren’t paying attention then,” Riku said as he leaned towards the redhead, placing his hands on the back of the couch so he was over Lea. “What’s so important that you weren’t paying attention to me?”
“Nothing, just a long day,” Lea said rather quickly, feeling guilty about not paying attention to the prince but also too afraid to admit right away that he was too preoccupied to pay attention. Riku noticed this and glared at his guard as he climbed onto his lap, knees on either side of him, trapping him on the couch. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?” Riku then grabbed the collar of Lea’s shirt, pulled it up and sniffed at it. “Does it stink again? Sorry, it was a bit hot out so I might have sweated a bit—”
“Lilacs.”
“Huh?” Lea looked up at the prince in confusion as he pulled back from his shirt with a glare.
“Today you smell like lilacs. Yesterday it was camellias.”
“Well, there are a few gardens in the Grand Quarter and on the upper levels,” Lea said, thinking back on where he had walked around yesterday and today that could have resulted in the scents attaching to his clothes. “Maybe the pollens attached to me while I—”
“I asked some of the maids about it earlier,” Riku said, interrupting the redhead as his hands moved to grip Lea’s arms tightly enough to make him wince in pain. “They told me about a popular line of perfumes that smell like flowers that are all the rage among the women in the city right now. One of them was camellias, and another just so happens to be lilacs…”
Lea flinched at that as several things came to mind. One of them being the perfumes as an explanation as to why Sora had smelled like a garden the last few times he had seen him. The other being that unless Lea told Riku why he had women’s perfume on his clothes…
“Lea...”
The kingsguard felt a cold sweat form on his forehead and a chill run down his spine as tendrils of darkness wrapped around him, the prince’s eyes turning amber.
“Are you cheating on me?”