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Things had been incredibly stressful for Prince Keith as of late. There were multiple meetings scheduled everyday with barely enough time to eat lunch, let alone have anytime to himself.
After the tragic death of his parents, Keith was expected to take over practically all of their duties on his own, being an only child. He had not yet been crowned as king yet, but that didn’t mean he was going to ignore his family’s responsibilities.
And that meant no time to spend with the one he loved.
But it was that time of the year again, when snow fell and mistletoe was hung and you cuddled next to the fireplace with your loved ones. It was the evening of Christmas Eve, and Keith finally got a break from all of the hard work and had taken the opportunity to seek out a certain someone.
The most incredible person he had ever met, serious yet silly at all the right times, and never failed to cheer him up when he was stressed or upset. Intelligent, fearless, and handsome… On top of all that, he was a fierce fighter and protector, his royal guard.
He had saved Keith more times than he could count, from assassins to overworking himself.
Being a royal, it was a bit taboo to even think about being in a relationship with his personal guard. But Keith saw him as more than that and he would let nobody get in between him and his favorite guard with those beautiful blue eyes.
The two of them didn’t exactly get along at first. They have always had varying differences in their opinions, but they somehow were very much alike as well. The same sense of humor the same love of trying new things, and surprisingly similar dreams for their futures.
Lance, the man in question happened to be standing at his side this very moment while he finished up the last of his documents in his office for the day. Keith hung up some mistletoe above the door earlier that day, and was going to point it out to Lance as they headed out that evening, hoping he would then realize Keith’s feelings for him. It was actually the idea of his childhood friend, Shiro. Keith knew it was cheesy, but he also knew that was exactly the kind of thing he loved.
He was a bit worried about how he would react, but he had started calling him ‘Keith’ rather than ‘prince’. It had to mean something, right?
He had written his last signature and was ready to call it a day when there was a knock at the door. Lance strided over to answer for him, letting the messenger inside. “My king, there has been an emergency request for your presence.”
Keith had to restrain himself from letting out a disappointed sigh. “What is the issue?”
“It seems that there is yet another thief problem.”
“Again?” Keith asked in surprise, standing up to get his coat and shoes on.
“Yes. I apologize, as tomorrow is an important holiday, but this is serious and must be taken care of immediately.”
Keith shook his head, “This is not your fault. The two of you can leave for the day, I’ll take care of-” Before Keith could finish his sentence, Lance stepped forward and interrupted him.
“There is no way I am going to allow you to head off into town by yourself, especially not when the weather has been so erratic recently. I will escort you and I will not take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“It’s Christmas Eve and there’s no telling when we’ll be back. You have family to return to-”
“That may be true, but I’m more worried about you at the moment. Honestly, a holiday party can wait.”
By the time Keith arrived in town with Lance, there wasn’t much they could do about the already stolen goods from family-owned businesses. They held a small meeting of what precautions they could add to help with the stealing going on lately. By the time that was over, it was already just past midnight and the weather was growing increasingly concerning.
Just halfway there, a strong gust of wind knocked the both of them off their feet and face-first into the deep snow. Keith let out an irritated grunt as he stood up and brushed the snow from his clothes. The candle Keith was carrying for light and some warmth was now lost in the sheets of white somewhere, the only remaining source of light being the moon and stars.
“Over there.” he heard Lance suddenly say. He turned his head to where he was pointing, a small cabin not too far off in the distance. “Maybe we could stay there for the night.” he suggested.
Keith agreed, and they trudged over to it. It was dark inside, and they attempted knocking on the door while calling out for anyone to answer. After several minutes of no answer, Lance turned the door handle and pushed it open, making his way into the cabin. As Keith followed, it felt inappropriate to break into someone’s home when he was running the kingdom now, but they would have frozen to death out in the storm without shelter for much longer.
The place didn’t seem abandoned, since it wasn’t dirty and there were no sounds of mice running about. It was small, the whole place being one big room with a bed, kitchen area, and some chairs next to the fireplace. Very few items were inside besides the furniture, and Keith guessed it must be some sort of vacation home.
“Look, there’s firewood in the corner!” Lance exclaimed with a relieved smile, the worried crease in his brow beginning to disappear. Keith never liked it when Lance looked upset.
Keith pulled a matchbox out of his coat pocket and lit the candle sitting on the kitchen table. He brought it over to the fireplace to set it on the ground and aided Lance in staking wood under the chimney. He lit the fire when they were finished, and they both sat down as close to the fire as safely possible.
Keith’s internal excuse for sitting so close to him was for warmth.
“I’m sorry.” Keith broke the comfortable silence after a few minutes. “I know you wanted badly to see your family tonight, but it looks like the earliest we’ll be getting out of here isn’t until tomorrow morning.”
Lance frowned at him. “Keith, this is not your fault. Besides, I am more than willing to spend my Christmas Eve in a cramped little cabin, as long as it’s with you.”
Keith looked to him, shocked at his words. But then again, maybe he was only being too hopeful. “What do you mean?” he asked dumbly.
Lance scoffed. “You know exactly what I mean, Keith. In fact, I’m aware of that little mistletoe stunt you were planning.”
“How did you know about that?” Keith asked, surprised.
Lance leaned forward, placing his hand on top of Keith’s. “ Honestly, I overheard your plan when you were talking with Shiro about it. I was truly disappointed when the messenger arrived and delivered the news of those thieves, though. I was looking forward to that kiss.” he explained with an exaggerated pout at the end.
Keith grinned, leaning forward until their noses were almost touching. “Well… there’s no need to be disappointed. After all, it is just the two of us here.”
“But there’s no mistletoe around.” Lance pointed out, teasingly.
Keith whispered one last thing before closing the distance between them.
“Does it really matter?”