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Cale Henituse was a cat. No one can possibly convince Alver otherwise. Not with how much of a menace he is. Not with how much he likes to roll around the bed or even lay down on his couch. Cale Henituse is a cat. A very smart and terrifying one.
He was affectionate to selective people. And for him, to some degree. He would visit whenever and do whatever he wanted. He was a walking headache. He was the type of cat that would leave you dead animals in front of your bedroom door and at first, your reaction would be horrified but then you realized that it's how he conveys his affection to you. But instead of dropping small animals in front of you, Cale would drop bombs whether it was in a figurative sense or not. He would casually drop a bomb in the middle of a conversation or blow up an entire island. You can never tell with him. He might be a little gremlin and Alver couldn't help but want to keep him by his side.
So now, he’s writing a guide to possibly “tame” Cale Henituse. A clever and insane teenager that showed up one day and decided to create a shitshow wherever he went.
Step 1: Put him to work.
Alver knew that Cale Henituse likes money so he wanted to exploit this. He made a plan while consulting with his aunt. He made sure to do a background check on Cale before meeting up with him. The reports were almost describing a different person but that was probably since Cale behaved himself in front of royalty so as to not be the target of their ire.
Lost his biological mother at the age of 8 years old.
Alver could sympathize with this as he too lost his own mother at a young age. He could only feel vexation towards his father for not attending her funeral. He was the person that Alver despised the most but nevertheless, he was his father and Alver is still his child. There was no way he would stoop low and kill his father, No- he needed the king to clean up his mess before Alver took the throne and possibly find out the truth of his mother’s mysterious death.
Deruth Henituse took in a second wife one year after the late countess’ death.
Ah, a stepmother. Another thing that Alver could relate with. Although, unlike the current queen who did everything in her power to get rid of Alver, there were no reports of Cale’s stepmother treating him badly, which was a good thing.
Quit studies.
Started drinking at the age of 15 and became ‘trash’ from then on.
This…
Honestly, Alver didn’t know what to make of this one. No reasons were stated, not even speculations. Only the bold letters of ‘started drinking at 15 then became trash’. A trashy person would not have acted the way Cale did when they first met at the banquet. That person was far from trash. He had this intelligent look in his eye, it was impossible to describe him as a trashy drunkard.
It was strange, the reports seem to be correct but it felt like nothing was adding up. Like someone else was occupying Cale Henituse’s body. Alver shook his head, it’s impossible. There were never any cases that could provide evidence to this claim.
He decided to just forget about it and continue with his plan. They were meeting up today. Cale told him that he had a gift for him over their last call. He said that with a very big grin, it made the hair on Alver’s arms stand. Something in his gut is telling him that meeting Cale would be a headache-inducing one.
“Your highness, I have a gift for you.” Without even waiting for a response, Cale placed a small bottle on the table between them. Alver was curious as to what was inside the bottle but made no move to take it. For all he knew, it could be poison and therefore didn’t want to take any risks.
“It’s dark mana.” There was no warning, only a short pause before dropping the bomb. The information made Alver whip his head to look at Cale. His heart dropped. The redhead somehow knew his deepest secret. He’s gonna exploit it.
“Cale Henituse--!” Alver, for the first time, threw away his facade of being all sunshine and smiles and raised his voice at the man sitting in front of him. The mask he carefully built up over the years was torn apart from him in a matter of minutes.
Cale was unbothered by the crown prince’s reaction, he continued as if he were talking about the weather. “It’s high-grade dark mana I got from the forbidden forest.” Alver wanted to laugh. It was ridiculous, this whole situation. He truly underestimated Cale Henituse.
“And this is for…?” If Cale knew then why didn’t he sell the information to those who wanted to get rid of him? The nobles that were a part of the other princes’ factions. Supposing this classified knowledge is revealed, his reputation would be besmirched. He would be kicked out and maybe even sentenced to death.
This was a first for Alver, not knowing what to do. He felt completely defeated . He was fearful of what Cale’s answer might be. He waited in nerve-wracking silence. Alver was sweating as he waited for Cale's reply.
“Shouldn't you know?” For the Rowoon kingdom to get stronger. This part was left unsaid but the sentiment was present.
“I see," Alver let out a breath of relief. It was different from what he had thought. Alver didn't try to say anything after that, he couldn't. Not when he was busy with his thoughts.
Silence enveloped the room, nothing more was said between the two. One was enjoying the sweet tea and the other was recalling when he’d fucked up for Cale to know such a hidden secret. Did he have a disloyal servant?
"I heard that the late queen was an average person, but people have thought she was part southerner because of her dark skin. I just put all the pieces together and came to a conclusion that you are a Dark Elf"
While it was no secret that the beautiful blond hair and blue eyes looked great on Alver, tan skin and a set of brown hair and eyes are probably even better on him.
"I'm actually here to propose a deal with you. Of course, this gift is not for free." There it is. The moment Alver's eyes widened. He knew that Cale wanted something in exchange for keeping quiet, he could only hope that it wasn't anything unreasonable.
"Hahaha-haha" Alver couldn't help but laugh at this man's audacity. One bomb after another, giving Alver several scares. It was amazing how Cale could keep such a straight face after all this time.
The room turned chilly.
"I was planning to put you to work but I shouldn't have invited you to come." Cale did not say anything as the prince stared at the bottle. Not even a coup d'œil at his direction.
After a moment, Alver addressed Cale. "And you'll keep your mouth shut?" The redhead nodded in affirmation. "Not for free?"
"Of course," he couldn't hide the growing smile on his face. The fact that Cale came to him first made his face warm, it meant that he wanted to have a deal with him . The failure prince. The forgotten one.
Although it was tense at first, this situation wasn't as bad as he thought, it was rather a welcomed outcome. But Alver still had a question in mind. Even with the rumour of his mother being a southerner, there was no way to connect his lineage to the Dark Elves so how? Was he really not one of us?
As if he could read Alver’s mind, Cale interjected and said, "I'm fully human. I'd die if I were to drink that." He pointed at the bottle.
"Plus, isn't it good that you have it?"
"Of course, it is. It'll make me stronger. It's clean and there are no traces of poison." To say that Alver was satisfied with the product was an understatement. He was more than satisfied, he was absolutely giddy with the prospect of getting stronger.
"That’s good. It's a precious item after all. Since it's a dragon's dead mana," Alver's brain just melted, he really couldn't keep up with Cale Henituse.
"What…?" He couldn't hide his shock. Alver could see that Cale was smiling that very irritating smile of his. The same smile he had when he asked for money as a reward during the Plaza Terror Incident.
Just like that, the first step of his plan failed but there was always step two.
Step 2: Earn his trust
Trust is a fragile thing. It is something that takes years to earn but only seconds to break. It is similar to keeping a promise. It's easy to say the promise but very hard to keep it.
In the eyes of Cale Henituse, Alver was someone who would be a great ruler but he was also a person who you shouldn't trust, it's not because he is untrustworthy, he's the type to use the "bond" you have and have you do his bidding without even realizing it. But it's for the prosperity of the kingdom instead of for personal gain. In short, he was a scammer through and through.
They were similar, Cale and Alver. Soon enough, they would need to trust each other in the most ridiculous way.
It was supposed to be a peaceful outing. One that Alver proposed to Cale with no malicious intent. So how did they get here with Alver trying to pull Cale up from the edge of the cliff? No one really knows, Cale is always unlucky.
Alver's hands were starting to sweat. It was definitely because of the heat. Not because of Cale - no, never.
He had invited the young noble for a walk, claiming that he had a place he wanted to visit. Although doubtful, Cale had agreed to go with him because Alver was quite adamant about it.
So there they were, walking side by side only a meter away from each other. Just peacefully trekking along the path, no one tried to initiate a conversation, not wanting to break the comfortable silence.
They were both engrossed in enjoying the tranquillity that they didn't hear the rustling of the bush.
And when they did, it was too late. A titan beetle - or a Titanus giganteu , if you want to be scientific - flew at them. It was huge, about 6.5 inches in length. They were filled with aghast disgust as they ran away from it. Though unfortunately for them, the beetle decided to follow along, making them run toward the cliff without meaning to.
Their sights were focused on the beetle that was closing in. Cale truly lived up to his name as an 'unlucky bastard' because he ran too forward and got thrown off of the cliff. Alver had fast enough reflexes that he managed to catch Cale before he went too far down. With their attention elsewhere, the titan beetle lost interest and flew away.
Damnit, Cale! Why are you so unlucky? Alver cursed at Cale in his head. His palms were sweaty, not making them the ideal thing to grasp onto right now. His arms strained at the weight, trying his best to pull up Cale’s body. Eyes darting around to find something - anything - to help support Cale's weight.
"Cale, do you trust me?" As soon as he had asked that question, Cale had this hesitant look on his face. Alver is trustworthy in some aspects but not to the point wherein he’ll trust him with his life. If it was up to Cale - no, Kim Roksoo - he wouldn't have ever wanted anything to do with him.
"Yes…?" The question mark at the end hurt Alver's pride a little but it doesn't seem that Cale actually believes that he'll drop him. Not with how he keeps looking at Alver's flexing muscles. Shamelessly ogling at the uncovered skin.
"I need you to let go, I have a plan."
"Hyung-nim, I don't think that's the smartest thing to do right now," Cale's eyes shake at the extortionate suggestion. He couldn't do that even if he fully trusted Alver.
All Alver did was smile at Cale, scammy and fake, before letting go. Cale's eyes widened at the gesture, a scream left his throat. "Ahhh-!" His eyes shut in reflex as he plummeted down, waiting for the painful feeling of landing on the ground with a splat. He knew it wouldn't kill him, his healing ancient power was probably trying to already heal him.
Then his descent stopped.
Something was holding him up by his waist. He carefully peeled his eyes open to find that mana - dead mana, was the thing that caught him mid-fall.
Once Cale was pulled up and dragged to a safe distance away from the edge, he laughed. A sound that was so carefree and genuine that Alver had to double-take at the sight.
Cale with his eyes turning into crescents, mouth agape and his unique laughter spilling from his lips. The sun was caressing the pale skin, the heat making it slightly red. His expensive clothes were covered in grime and dirt.
It was a magnificent sight. Something that Alver will keep in his memories forever. The sound made him want to laugh too, it was contagious, more boyish than he could imagine.
They both left that cliff, bantering like they usually do. But Alver couldn't get the image of Cale laughing out of his mind. The warmth in his chest grew as he continued to picture the scene. Thinking about Cale and his genuine smile.
Alver was so occupied with his thoughts about Cale that he didn’t notice the pillar he was going to walk into.
Smack-
Along with the pain of running into the pillar, he realized something else that should absolutely be kept a secret.
Alver knew - as he smashed face first into a wall - that he was in love.
Step 3: Give affection.
Cats give affection once they feel love for their owner - or if their instincts tell them to coddle up to a human for food and shelter. And that's probably what happened to Cale, giving affection once he felt love coming from that person.
Cale was not dense in the matter of the heart, despite what people say. He doesn't care enough to actually make a move to either reject or accept the obvious display of affection. But lately, he found himself wanting to reciprocate the cordial actions.
Some people like being reassured of their good characteristics when they're down in the dumps. And Alver was one of those people.
He had a bad day. The current queen was being bold lately, sending in assassins to his bedroom at godawful hours, not giving him the time to rest.
He is so close to teleporting to Cale's villa and sleeping there. He was going crazy from being so cautious that he couldn't even close his eyes for a few seconds without feeling like someone was about to commit an act of treason.
It was late at night when Cale opted for a visit.
The teleportation shines brightly against the dimly lit room of the prince’s study. Light illuminates against the darkness of the light, alerting the assassin of the presence of another person in the room.
Stealthily, the mask-covered individual peered into the room. Only to freeze in shock when cold reddish-brown eyes met his. Those emotionless dead eyes staring right into his soul, a chill went down his spine as he scrambled to retreat for the night.
Once the intruder was gone, Cale could finally release the tension in his muscles. Hmm, I need to visit Alver more. Nodding his head at his thoughts. This was perhaps the reason why Alver has been looking worse for wear lately.
"Hyung-nim," Cale’s voice stopped Alver from going on a rampant tangent about how he shouldn't visit someone else's - especially a prince's - room at night and that he could have been mistaken as a trespasser if he were to get caught.
The small interruption made Alver look at him with an unwavering gaze, heavy and intense. "Have you been sleeping at all lately? You look like shit," Cale let out a small smile, trying to show that Alver's stare didn't bother him.
For the longest time, Alver stayed quiet. His eyes trained on Cale the whole time and Cale was the opposite of relaxed, he felt like Alver was gonna jump at him and feasibly strangle him.
"Pft-" he couldn't, Cale's stiff face was too cute. "I've only been able to take short naps here and there. You've seen what I put up with in the evening." He gestured toward the window, where the previous assassin was before he left.
Cale was appalled by Alver’s unhealthy sleep schedule. Short naps? How long are those, like 20 minutes? He couldn’t imagine how Alver could keep up with his work if that were the case. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “C’mon, Hyung-nim, let’s get you to bed,” Cale grabbed onto Alver’s sleeve, gently guiding the obviously tired man to the bed.
Too enervated and worn-out to fight his dongsaeng, Alver lets Cale usher him to bed, fluffing up his pillow and tucking him in. He was flabbergasted when Cale softly kissed his forehead before joining him on his other side.
“Wha- you- Why are you joining me too?” He sat up, unsuccessfully stopping Cale from getting into bed with him. Alver was affrighted, he had just realized his feelings for the younger man and joining him in bed before courting is… scandalous. He had a whole plan to get Cale to fall in love with him, they were going too fast!
“Hyung, I went here with only one teleportation scroll. Just send me back in the morning.” The man in question lazily says as he relaxed on the soft mattress. He was already in a comfortable position, there’s no way he’d move now. Plus, it would take too much energy to do so either.
Alver sputters, sitting up to stare incredulously at the resting form of his closest ally. “You can’t just join me--! I could have prepared a room for you.” He shoves at Cale’s shoulder, eliciting a muffled noise of complaint.
“Just sleep and stop talking so much.” Exasperated at Alver’s behaviour, Cale decided to pull him down against his chest. Hugging him closely to his chest, the prince quieted down his protests and accepted fate. This is nice. Alver sighed as he drifted off to sleep, surrounded by Cale’s warmth.
Step 4: Pick him up
This step was self-explanatory much like the previous ones. Since Cale is adverse toward physical affection at times, Alver could only try to pick him up once. If and only if he’s in a good mood. So he settled on the next best thing, pick-up lines.
He was able to persuade Cale into accepting his invitation. Although, it left him with two golden plaques shorter. He dressed in his best outfit, picked by his aunt. She had heard about Alver’s little outing with Cale from Chester, that snitch. And she made it a point to have Alver dress up in different outfits until he found the “perfect” one, claiming that it would make Cale unable to take his eyes off him.
As he waited for Cale to arrive at their meeting spot, he went over the pick-up lines he thought of in his head. They were all meant to express his love for the red-haired man. He spent the night before, working on them and he could only hope that Cale was able to get figure out the message.
“Hyung.” The velvety voice of the man he was thinking of came from his right. Footsteps got louder as his ‘date’ arrived. Alver smiled at Cale’s approaching figure, he raised his hand to wave. “Hey, dongsaeng.”
Alver could feel the nerves getting to him. He felt his hands tremble from restlessness. What did Cale think of his appearance? Did he look bad? He made sure to come in his true form so that when he finally confessed, Cale would know that he truly meant it. That his feelings were genuine, and not the sugary fake nonsense he spouts out to the nobles.
They were both wearing commoners' attire but Cale had his priest disguise on so as to not have people ruin their time together.
“Let’s walk around for a bit, I’m not that hungry yet.”This is it. Alver’s gonna execute his plan while they take a stroll together. Cale nodded and followed him to wherever he was headed.
Intuitively, he knew that he was walking a bit too fast compared to Cale’s leisure pace.
No one said anything for a while, soaking up the view of the townspeople frolicking around, their smiles wide and visible.
Alver was proud to be a contributor to their happiness. I did that. No- we did that. He glanced at the man walking a few metres behind him. He feels his heart swell up in joy as he continued to survey the area.
“Cale,” the man in question looked at him, confused at the sudden call out. “The moment I saw you, my whole world fell apart.” It was true, Alver’s world used to be so monotone and when he met Cale, he felt more alive than before. It was tiring, having to clean up after the young noble. But at the same time, he was excited for the future. Their possible future together.
Cale felt puzzled, was Alver insulting him or complimenting him? He brushed these thoughts away and said, “My world already fell apart before I met you.” It was both a jab and an accolade depending on how Alver interprets it. But to be safe, he added, “You fixed my shattering world and made it anew.”
Alver’s face heated up at Cale’s unintentional response to his pick-up line. This is a good start, he might be confused not but he’ll get what I mean soon enough. He was filled with this exuberant energy at the reply.
“What's a nice guy like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?” This line was painful to say and it didn’t make him feel better when his voice cracked in the middle. Cale chuckled, but otherwise showed no intention of providing an answer.
Alver could only hit his head for saying such an unprincely phrase. His face flushed more when he heard Cale’s quiet chuckle. That served as a boost of confidence to him.
And so, Alver continued, “You're single. I'm single. I feel like this is a problem we can solve together.”
“You don't cross my mind — you live in it.”
And finally the last line, his heart was beating rapidly.
“You may fall from the sky, you may fall from a tree, but the best way to fall... is in love with me.” It was the closest thing he could say without outright confessing. Alver’s eyes watched the joyous expression on Cale’s face get wiped off and in its place is a blank stare,
Did he mess up? His face was unreadable. Alver could feel his heart sink and Cale hasn’t said a word.
I shouldn’t have done that- if I had only waited a bit more… No, he doesn’t feel anything for me. Alver, you have to fix this. You can’t lose him as a friend. I’ve gotten too attached and now I can’t get enough of you. Alver takes in a trembling breath. He rolls his shoulders back, blinking back tears forming from sadness. He was about to take it back when-
“Hyung.”
Alver flinched, not expecting Cale to talk. He felt soft hands grab his calloused ones. “How can I fall harder for you than I already have?”
Step 5: Words of affirmation.
Words of affirmation are locutions of love, gratitude, and respect for another person. These are said in a positive manner, often used to edify someone when they’re down.
It was no secret that Cale has a bit of a sadistic streak. He takes pleasure from seeing people frustrated by him. Though, his actions are fueled by petty reasoning.
This time, Alver was a victim of his schemes.
Cale couldn’t help himself from teasing Alver. He immediately regretted doing so when he caught tears forming in Alver’s eyes. Seeing Alver look so dejected and hurt, made him want to bare his soul to the other.
He gently grasped both of Alver’s hands, making the other male look at him. “How can I fall harder for you than I already have?”
“I- What?” Alver was speechless. He thought that he messed up and ruined their friendship - their bond. But luckily, Cale was able to placate the rising demons in him.
“I love you, Alver Crossman.” The words were whispered, soft and sincere. Cale decided to outright confess to the dumbfounded prince.
“I have always loved you, ever since you bumped into a pillar-” They both chuckled at the memory of the uncharacteristic display of Alver being unfocused. “I was waiting for you to gain the courage to confess just in case I was reading between the lines wrongly. And when you did, I couldn’t help but want to tease you. It was adorable, how you tried not to let your nervousness show. But when I saw that you were about to cry, I couldn’t keep up my indifferent facade.” Cale softly smiled at Alver, their hands intertwined with each other.
"Cale…" Alver was too speechless at the admission. He was flattered, yes, but his brain couldn't process the fact that the Cale Henituse was in love with him.
That he loved and was loved back.
It was all too overwhelming for Alver. The tears just fell on their own. Cale pulled him into a hug, pressing his face against his neck. The tears stain his white shirt as the prince sobs.
"I love you… I love you… I love you…"
In a quiet voice, Alver repeats the words like a mantra to the soft skin of Cale's neck. The words he bore deep within his soul, buried down each time it bubbles in his throat, threatening to be voiced out.
Cale could do nothing but place a comforting hand on Alver’s back, making soothing motions to pacify the onslaught of tears.
"There, there. I love you too."
The sun was setting but neither cared enough to move apart. They stayed in that position for a bit more until Alver’s sobbing reduced to sniffles.
Although his nose was red and eyes still watery, he could feel his stomach softly rumbling in hunger. "Thank you. I feel a bit famished, do you have a place you want to try?" He held out his hand, subtly asking Cale to hold hands until the restaurant.
Placing his hand on the opened palm, he was led back into town. "Yeah, I've been meaning to try out-"
Alver could finally call this outing a date now. Although, he couldn't say that he successfully tamed the cat he was chasing after. It was more like the cat tamed him. But he couldn't care less when he got a boyfriend out of it.