Archive of Our Own ^beta

Leona disliked many things, but he probably disliked his brother"s phone calls more than anything in this world. Call it the age gap between them or whatever you want, but he"d never really known how to interact with Farena. Everyone always made sure they were put against each other like polar opposites when they were younger, and as they grew older, they actually went in different directions. Their ideologies were so dissimilar they couldn"t even discuss the state of their country without screaming and insulting each other, although it had been a while since they last tried to have one of those chats. Leona wasn"t sure who gave up on those conversations first, probably he did. Farena was the king after all, he could do as he pleased and his little brother"s opinion didn"t matter. They had limited their exchanges to mere small talk for quite some time by now. They might be brothers but, at the end of the day, they were strangers. That"s why Leona didn"t like it when Farena called, it was either brotherly-required small talk or bad news.

He"d actually been ignoring the calls for a couple of days, firm in the belief that Farena would eventually grow tired and stop trying to get in touch with him as usual. It was always like this, nothing new under the sun. Yet, Farena didn"t stop. Instead, he sent Leona a text message telling him to please call him back because there was an important issue they should discuss. And, well, Leona had read the message, so now he guessed he ought to comply. Otherwise, Farena would call again, he had the feeling he would be relentless this time. It was better if he simply dealt with it as soon as possible and then moved on. Again, nothing new under the sun.

"What the hell do you want?" said Leona the very same moment he heard Farena answer the phone. "And make it quick, I"m busy."

"Hello to you too, dear brother." The king"s voice was deep and calm, like always. It was as if nothing could disturb him. There was a time when Leona wished he could be that way.

"Speak or I"m hanging up."

Farena laughed. "Okay, okay, straight to business then. I want you to come to the summer solstice festival next week."

"Is this the famous important matter we needed to discuss?" He didn"t know why he"d expected some seriousness from his brother, that man wouldn"t be able to discern an important issue even if it slapped him in the face.

"Listen, I know you don"t want to come but Cheka insisted a lot. He really wants you here this time, and he wants you to bring that blonde friend of yours along."

"What? What blonde friend? I don"t have any friends."

"The one who came with you that other time for the competition, the pretty one."

Oh, he meant Vil. Leona brought Vil and some other classmates to Sunset Savannah for the Catch the Tail tournament, of course Farena knew about it. What he still didn"t get was why Cheka wanted Vil to come along for the summer solstice festival. Who could understand the thinking flow of that little head of his? Leona sure couldn"t.

"Leona?"

"What?"

Farena sighed in relief. "You were so quiet I thought you"d hung up."

"Yeah, well, I was trying to understand why your son would want Vil to go."

"Vil! That"s it! That"s the name! I couldn"t remember it, it has some exotic vibe, doesn"t it?" And this idiot was, indeed, a king. Their country was doomed. "Anyway, I don"t know either, since my son –your nephew– says it"s a secret and won"t share it with papa."

"In that case, I"m not going." Not that he would go if he knew the reason.

"You know, Kifaji told me you and that kid got along really well. He said you two had the kind of chemistry only very close friends have." Leona wasn"t sure that the constant bickering and getting on each other"s nerves was any of that but sure, let the man dream. "I wonder how he would react to some embarrassing stories of your childhood."

Leona raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to fucking blackmail me?"

"Oh, I"m not trying, I am blackmailing you. Was I too subtle?"

Leona scoffed. His brother was such an idiot. "Look, I don"t have time for this."

"Please, I know you do." Another snort from Leona. "I must admit I was very shocked when I found out you and that kid, Vil, were friends. My wife is a huge fan of his, she even follows him on Magicam. Did I ever tell you that?"

Son of a...

"No, you did not."

"I"m sure he"ll appreciate some stories from your childhood, Kifaji and I know quite a bunch. Maybe we can even send him old pictures of you, what do you think? DMs are very easy to send."

"Huh? Good luck trying to get an influencer with over five million followers read a fan DM."

"He has that many? Impressive!" Leona swore he could hear the bastard smile. "But, you see, my wife"s account is verified. I"m sure he"ll pay attention to a verified account messaging him privately."

"What? Why?"

"Well, I"m a king and she"s my queen, it"s just logical that her account is verified. Why do you ask? Is yours not verified?"

Now that he thought about it... "I don"t know, probably not."

"Hum... That"s weird, I"ll tell someone to solve that. Anyway, you"re coming, right?"

Did he have a choice now? "I guess so."

"Great! Cheka will be delighted. Don"t forget to tell your friend, we"ll be expecting both of you."

"Okay, sure, you win this round." Leona sighed in defeat. "But there will be no childhood stories and no showing of photo albums, am I clear?"

"An acceptable condition. I"ll see you next week then, brother. Goodbye."

"Fuck off, Farena," said Leona before hanging up.

Well, this was quite a situation to be in. He really shouldn"t have left his bed this morning.

***

Finding Vil so he could tell him about the invitation to Sunset Savannah was proving to be particularly challenging. Since they were in different classes and clubs, they really didn"t see each other most of the time; and he couldn"t just phone him because then Vil would mock him for not daring to ask him in person. His damn luck, why had it to be Vil among all people? Sure, Leona respected Vil at many levels, but they weren"t exactly friends, they were... To be fairly honest, Leona had no idea how to describe their relationship, they were less than friends but more than acquaintances. It was weird, they got along in their own strange way, but it worked just fine –at least, it worked for Leona.

He wouldn"t lie, he didn"t know how a personal invitation for a cultural festivity fitted into the nature of their "friendship". This wasn"t like that other time with the Catch the Tail tournament. Back then, Leona simply needed Vil"s strength to prevent something annoying from happening. This time, however, it was Leona"s own family asking him to join them in the annual celebration of summer. Vil would surely think it was suspicious and decline, and Leona knew he"d never hear the end of it if he didn"t take Vil with him. Thus, whether he liked the idea or not, his only choice was to convince the blonde to accept the invitation.

In the end, he came to the conclusion that asking Epel would be the best strategy to find Vil. Apparently, the queen of Pomefiore had been overworking himself quite a bit lately and hadn"t been around the campus more time than necessary, some urgent modelling jobs or something like that. Epel was grateful for the temporary peace and quiet in the dorm, but he seemed to be kind of worried about Vil. Well, Leona thought, that"s how that guy was, a workaholic who didn"t know when to stop, and one day that would end up killing him. Lucky him, the lion knew exactly how to help him.

So that same evening after classes and club activities, Leona found himself in Pomefiore. It was so different from Savanaclaw, so cold and royal-like. It reminded him of the palace, and he hated the palace. But since it appeared he wouldn"t find Vil unless he came here, it was the only thing he could do really. At least he could have some fun with the intimidated looks the Pomefiore first years gave him and their terrified stutter when he talked to them. His own first years had no respect for him whatsoever –it was Ruggie"s fault, he constantly questioned his authority in front of everyone even though he always complied–, so it was nice to finally have people trembling in fear at the sight of him. Until, of course, a certain someone came to ruin his fun.

"Roi du leon, I"d be very grateful if you stopped scaring my fellow dorm mates."

Here he was, the weirdo, the hunter, the terror of beastfolks. Also known as Rook.

"I"m not scaring anyone, I"m just looking for your queen."

Rook"s face twisted in surprise. "Is that so? Quite unexpected."

"Where is he?"

"Bon, he"s in his room but he just came back, he"s tired. Can"t you wait until tomorrow?"

"No, show me to his room."

Rook sighed. "Please, don"t annoy him, he"s been very stressed lately."

Leona rolled his eyes. "I won"t, I just have something to tell him and then I"ll let him be."

"Merci."

They walked to Vil"s room in complete silence. Leona didn"t remember seeing Rook this quiet ever before, he might be very worried about his friend"s state not to even try to make small talk with the lion. Like this, Rook almost seemed normal, nothing like the weirdo that used to stalk him throughout the campus with an indecipherable look in his eyes. Yet, it felt wrong, so wrong, this guy beside him didn"t feel like the Rook he knew at all, and it was pissing him off.

"This is his room," informed the hunter in front of a big door as he knocked. "Vil, may I go in?"

"The door is open," said a voice from the other side. Vil sounded exhausted, and also looked the part. When they opened the door, Leona saw the guy was still in his street clothes, he hadn"t even taken off his makeup yet. "Is anything wrong, Rook?"

"You have a visitor." Rook pointed towards Leona.

"Huh? What are you doing here?"

Leona rolled his eyes and snorted. "Trust me, I"d rather be anywhere else. But the thing is that my family –my nephew, actually– is inviting you to join us for the summer solstice festival next week."

"Me? Why?"

Leona shrugged. "My nephew liked you."

"Well, thank you for the invitation but I"m too busy. I hope you have a great time with your family, though."

"No, you don"t understand..."

"Vil, you must go!" interrupted Rook with clear excitement. "The summer solstice festival is beautiful, you have to attend. It"s one of the most sacred days in Sunset Savannah, being invited as a foreigner is a great honour, especially if the royal family is the one doing it."

"Yeah, that and... I can take you to the elephant graveyard," added Leona with a mischievous smile. "If I remember it correctly, you enjoyed me taking you to areas reserved for the royal family, didn"t you? I"m sure it will help you relieve some of that stress."

Vil pressed his lips together. He was wearing red lipstick, it suited him, it made his lips look extremely kissable. "You..."

"Stress is the enemy of beauty, isn"t it? I wonder what your fans would think if they ever realised you"re not following the beauty tips you preach on your own Magicam," carried on Leona. It was a similar strategy to the one his own brother used to blackmail him but, as the proverb goes, the apple doesn"t fall far from the tree. "You"d be regarded as one of those influencers that give fake advice to get money and become famous."

Vil"s eyes burned with fury. His eyes were so beautiful, they shone like jewels. Leona didn"t understand the appeal of jewels until he saw these eyes for the first time. "You bastard..."

"So, unless you want to fall out of glory, I think coming along is your best option," concluded Leona. "Just a whole weekend of relaxing hot springs and celebrating nature. Does it sound so terrible?"

"No but..." Vil scoffed. "Can you guarantee you"ll take me to the elephant graveyard?"

"Of course, you have my word as a prince."

"Okay, it"s not like your word means much to me but it"s okay. I"ll trust you this time. I"ll go with you."

"Good, I"ll text you the details. Now get some rest, princess, you look like shit."

Vil sighed with annoyance as Leona left the room. He was too tired to deal with that asshole. But, an idiot as he was, Vil had to admit he was right, his beauty would resent if he carried on this way. He"d overestimated his own stamina and now was paying the consequences for his naiveté. One would guess he"d be wiser after so many years in the industry, but it wasn"t easy to negotiate with his anxiety and insecurities –the moment the thought that he wasn"t working hard enough on his career appeared in his mind was when it all went down the hill. Maybe, just maybe, he needed a weekend away from school and his routine.

"Stop overthinking." Rook"s voice.

"I"m okay." Vil put on the kind of smile he used for the cameras, the fake one. "Is it really that big of a deal that festival?"

Rook smiled, his real and charming, unlike Vil"s."It is. Everyone gets dressed and gathers around a waterfall at midnight to dance and sing for a good summer. You"ll love it."

"Aren"t you coming?"

"Bon, I normally would but... I already have tickets for a meet and greet with Roi du neige and..." Oh no, he didn"t want to hear that name, not right now.

"Of course you are," muttered Vil under his breath. "Please, don"t say more. Have fun."

"You too. And, I beg you, relax."

"I"ll try." Vil laughed quietly. "I just wonder why they invited me. Lilia, Kalim, Yuu and Grim were there as well that other time."

"Maybe they mistook you for Roi du leon"s partner and want to officially welcome you to the family!"

"That"s a good joke there. Can you imagine? Me? Marrying Leona? Not even in a million years!"

Both friends burst into laughter. Vil marrying into Leona"s family did sound like a bad joke. Leona was a prince after all and Vil, well, Vil was just what the people wanted him to be at the moment. Right now, however, with no people around to judge him, he was just Vil.

***

The next days passed quietly with no unwanted extra troubles, so they managed to arrive at Sunset Savannah as planned. The previous time, they had all gone in their uniforms since they would be changing into their combat garments soon, but the situation was slightly different this time, so Leona made sure to talk Vil out of wearing his uniform. With summer here, the weather would be way hotter, and Leona would rather avoid having another heatstroke situation. Just like Jack, Vil grew up in a very cold place, it was fair to assume he wasn"t used to high temperatures.

Vil actually followed his advice and appeared in light-coloured baggy clothes, a hat to protect himself from the sun and sunglasses. Leona had been so ready for an argument because Vil hadn"t listened to him as a show of his pride and foolishness that he didn"t really know how to react. The clothes suited him. This was probably his first time seeing the model in such light colours and they looked amazing on him. Also, his nape was showing and, I mean, Leona was still a man, one couldn"t blame him for looking. The only thing bothering him was the fact that Vil decided to show up in high heels, but he didn"t mention it, Vil would regret his shoe choice later in the day anyway.

As expected, it was hot in Sunset Savannah, but the hotel they"d be staying the night was close enough to go on foot. Sure Vil could stand a fifteen-minute walk in those heels. There were other hotels in the area, but Leona preferred to book a couple of rooms in the hotel from the other time. It wasn"t only the best in the city, but he remembered the blonde mentioning he liked it, so why not? It wasn"t like money was an issue, he"d be sending the invoice to the palace after all. If Farena so badly wanted him here, then he"d be the one paying. They could"ve stayed at the palace, of course, but Leona didn"t fancy the idea. He had way too many unpleasant memories from that place and avoided it as much as possible, he didn"t need Vil prying into his life or worse, hearing what servants and courtiers said about him.

"I thought we"d be staying at the palace since it was your family who invited us," said Vil once they had checked in. Because he couldn"t pass on the chance of voicing Leona"s inner reflections.

"You wouldn"t like the palace," explained Leona plainly, "it"s full of snakes that would try to bite those pretty ankles of yours."

"Well, that is a very rude thing to say about the roof you were raised under." That voice. Oh no. It couldn"t be. But when the lion turned around, he realised it could be, Kifaji was here. Again.

"What are you doing here, old man?" asked Leona brusquely.

"I was waiting for you, of course, what else? I noticed something was not right when his majesty told me you would be staying at the palace, so I decided to check this hotel first before your arrival but... it seems you arrived an hour earlier."

"More or less, yeah." And Leona was totally lying to Kifaji"s face. He guessed something like this might happen and told Farena a different time of arrival on purpose. By his side, Vil seemed to have connected the dots, but he wasn"t saying anything, blessed be the Seven.

Kifaji, however, simply sighed at the explanation and gave up. They had already checked in, cancelling their reservation would only cause unnecessary trouble for this establishment"s workers and he knew it. "Well, at least you will come to the party, right?"

Oh fuck.

"What party?" questioned Vil.

Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. He had completely forgotten about it.

"His majesty will be holding a small celebration for you and prince Leona this afternoon before the festival. He is quite excited, I must say."

"That sounds wonderful. Leona did not mention anything about it."

Kifaji lifted an eyebrow. "Did he not?"

Leona shook his head. "It must"ve slipped my mind." Yeah, Kifaji wasn"t buying it.

"Then, you are lucky I came here or you would have missed it." The old man smiled and Leona didn"t like the look of that smug grin, especially when he turned to face Vil. "Since you got here early, may I suggest doing some sightseeing? I might be mistaken, but I believe you did not see the theatre."

Vil smiled, to Leona"s disgrace. "I did not, but I would love to see it if it"s okay."

"Of course! You are our very special guest after all, it is the least that we can do for you."

"Thank you."

Vil looked extremely happy. Was the prospect of visiting an old theatre that exciting? Or maybe it was the type of stuff actors usually liked. To be honest, he had no idea what Vil liked or did for fun, their relationship wasn"t that deep and it wasn"t like Vil knew what Leona did in his free time apart from sleeping either. In fact, he would rather be taking a nap right now instead of strolling around the city under the sun like a tourist, but he knew Kifaji was mad, which meant arguing would lead nowhere. Giving up and dealing with it would be less annoying this time. Hopefully, they"ll get rid of him after the party at the palace, because he wouldn"t accompany them to the elephant graveyard, right? Right?!

"Leona, are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, sure, right behind you, princess."

The model rolled his eyes but, otherwise, said nothing in response. He seemed to be having a good time chatting with Kifaji as they walked through the capital and the old man pointed out relevant landmarks. Leona didn"t intervene, although he noticed Vil glancing at him as if he was inviting Leona to join the conversation on several occasions, Kifaji too. But Leona didn"t feel like opening his mouth. Everything around them was harmonious, he didn"t want to disturb that peace, and he knew he would if he spoke up because that"s what he always did. Even those who said they were glad he was around didn"t really mean it, they were probably aware of how unnerving he could be yet didn"t want to risk offending a prince –or maybe expected retribution of some kind. That"s how it was, had always been and would always be for him.

At least, this day would eventually come to an end and soon Vil would forget this trip ever happened, one less annoying thing on Leona"s list. In a matter of weeks, their third year would be over and they would never see each other again except for, maybe, the graduation ceremony. After that, never again, their weird relationship would end and none of them would have any memories of the other –good memories, that is. Because, let"s be honest, dealing with Vil was exhausting. He always pretended to care about Leona"s opinion and treated him like an equal despite their disparate statuses, calling him out when necessary but also pointing out his qualities at the same time, as if Leona... mattered. Even Vil"s mean remarks didn"t sound nearly as mean as the ones he was already used to hearing, they sounded strangely nice. Vil noticed both his flaws and his virtues, it was seriously exasperating, because he knew none of it was real, it was just an act, or wasn"t Vil an actor after all? Their relationship, whatever the nature of it was, wasn"t real, couldn"t be.

And after what felt like an eternity of walking pointlessly under the unbearable sun, Kifaji announced it was time for them to go to the palace. Leona really didn"t want to go, seeing his family made him feel more miserable than usual. He could only hope everyone, particularly Cheka, was so focused on Vil"s presence that paid no attention to Leona. Sure, his brother would insist on chatting with him for a while, but they wouldn"t probably go beyond cheap small talk. How are classes going? Do you still practice magift? Any plans for your internship next year? That"s the way their conversation would go. Not like Farena actually cared about Leona, no one did. Well, that wasn"t fair, Kifaji probably did care, but Leona didn"t make it easy for him, and he had no plans to change that in the near future.

To nobody"s surprise, the "small party" wasn"t small at all. A lot of courtiers and palace workers were congregated in the interior gardens around dozens of tables filled with light beverages, chatting, laughing, and some even dancing in a not-very-sober kind of way. For the Seven"s sake, the sun was still up there, wait until midnight to get drunk at the festival. This was precisely the type of excessive behaviour he despised. These people only cared about having fun and getting drunk or laid as much as possible, and whether some people in this country had no access to clean water or couldn"t pay rent was of no interest to them. The mere sight of these imbeciles deeply disgusted him to the point of making him nauseous. Vil must"ve realised something was wrong with him, since the moment Kifaji left them to inform Farena of their arrival, he moved closer and looked at him with some weird thing in his eyes. Could it be... worry?

"You"ve been acting strange all day, are you feeling okay?"

Leona shrugged and looked away, he couldn"t bear the way those eyes scrutinised him, he didn"t want them to see what he had inside. "I"m fine."

"I don"t think you are, but it"s alright if you don"t want to talk about it."

"Oh my, does Vil Schoenheit care about me?"

"I actually do. You would"ve noticed by now if you weren"t an asshole."

What? "Well, don"t fret, princess, nothing"s wrong with me. I just don"t like my family, not like you didn"t know that."

Vil opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out of it as Kifaji returned with Farena and, sadly, Cheka. The moment the little kid saw Leona, he sprinted to him and clung to his leg. "Unca! I"m so happy you"re here!"

Farena laughed at his brother"s annoyed face. "Hello there, Leona. And hello to you as well, I imagine you must be Vil. I am Farena, Leona"s older brother, nice to meet you."

The blonde bowed politely because of course he did. "It is my pleasure, your majesty, thank you for inviting me here today."

"No need to be formal, my brother"s friends are also my friends. Besides, my wife is a huge fan of yours, she would probably slay me if she found out I am having her favourite actor calling me in honorifics."

Vil chuckled. "I would be delighted to meet her."

"She should be here soon, her shoes broke and she had to go back inside to find a new pair that matched her outfit. Anyway, Kifaji told me he gave you a tour of the city, I hope you liked it."

"It was lovely, this place is beautiful, I think I love it now even more than I did the first time." Vil"s words were nice but Leona knew that smile, it was fake.

"Brother, why don"t you leave him breathe and, since you"re at it, take this thing with you?" said Leona before Farena could carry on with a new topic of conversation.

"Leona, that is not a thing, that is my son, your nephew, remember?"

"I try to forget him but he shows up in my nightmares, so it"s not easy, but I"m working on it."

Farena rolled his eyes and smiled in defeat. "Have you met my son, Vil?"

"I have, he is adorable."

"He really is, right? Leona doesn"t understand how cute and precious kids are at this stage. He was very cute as a little kid too, you know? He would..."

"Oi, Farena," quickly interrupted him Leona, "I think that lord over there is searching for you."

"Oh?" Farena turned around and exclaimed. "Oh! You are right! We agreed to discuss some business today. I should better leave you. Kifaji, may I trust Cheka to you?"

"Of course, your majesty."

And just as he came, he left. The only problem was, Cheka was still here and with Kifaji hanging around as well, there might be no easy way to get rid of him.

"Unca, can we play?" asked the child without moving an inch from his uncle"s leg.

"No."

"Why not? Are you tired?"

"Yes, I"m tired because I"m old. Go play with someone your age."

Vil chuckled. "You"re not an old man, you"re only twenty. Don"t try to fool the poor kid."

That seemed to catch Cheka"s attention. The boy"s eyes lightened the instant he realised it was Vil in front of him, he even set free the brunette"s limb to approach the model. Yet, Leona felt a shiver in his back. Something wasn"t right about this, he felt it, something was going to happen and he wasn"t going to like it.

"Well, hello, little bean," said Vil with a radiant smile after noticing Cheka"s eyes on him, he even crouched to be closer in height to the kid. "We met when I came with your uncle for the Catch the Tail tournament, do you remember me?"

Cheka nodded assertively. "Yes! Mama watches your films all the time."

Vil chuckled again and, fuck it, he had no right to have such a beautiful laugh, it was making Leona nervous. "I will have to thank your mother for her continuous support. Although... I heard you were the one who invited me today, is that true?"

"It is, I really wanted you to come."

"That means a lot to me. It made me really happy when Leona told me the invitation came from you." Liar, he had no interest in coming along, the lion had to blackmail him with a private visit to the hot springs. But Vil was an actor and Cheka a kid, so of course the lie worked.

"Eeh? Happier than if unca had done it?"

"Just between you and me, I don"t like your uncle that much. I like you better."

"I don"t believe you."

"Why?"

"Because you"re unca"s bride!"

That Vil was WHAT?

Leona was fucking killing this child.

"Where the hell did you get that stupid idea from?" growled Leona, but Cheka wasn"t intimidated in the slightest.

"Because he was wearing the brides" colour that time!"

Leona had no idea what he was talking about. Vil wore yellow, since when was yellow bridal?!

"Oh, I may know the root of this misunderstanding," said Kifaji. "One of the prince"s attendees got married recently and she wore a golden traditional gown."

"Golden and yellow are different colours!" And how did Leona know that? He didn"t. They both looked the same to him, but Kifaji didn"t need to know that piece of information and neither did Cheka.

The old man sighed. "Indeed they are, but he is a little kid. You made this kind of mistake all the time when you were his age."

"Well, there is no need to fight over such a trivial matter," tried Vil to calm them down, probably solely to prevent Cheka from getting anxious. "I am sorry, bean, I fear I won"t be marrying Leona."

Cheka"s bright smile suddenly dropped into a wry face. "Why?! Is it because you don"t like us?"

"No, no, of course not. I think you are all wonderful, and I will always be grateful for how nice you"ve been to me."

"Then why? Is it because unca doesn"t like us then?"

Oh fuck, he was fighting back his tears.

"Don"t say that, your uncle loves you very much and..."

But it was useless, Cheka was already crying and going to Kifaji for comfort. Vil decided to stand and stay by Leona"s side as the child cried his heart out, but the whole situation appeared to be bothering him. He probably wasn"t used to a brat rejecting him, being as popular as he was. Unlike Leona, Vil seemed like he didn"t know what experiencing the dislike of others felt like. There was no reason for him to know it, he was perfect and lovely, made to be adored by every soul on earth.

"It"s not your fault," spoke Leona. "It"s his for deciding all that without asking for confirmation."

Vil sighed. "Do you even have feelings? He"s not crying because he found out I"m not your boyfriend, he"s crying because he thinks you don"t like him."

"I mean, it"s the truth."

"I don"t care. Be a proper adult and tell your nephew that you love him."

Leona scoffed. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Do you really want to break that kid"s heart out of what? Spite? He"s just a kid, whatever problem you have, it"s not his fault." The lion clicked his tongue. "I thought you were better than this but, in the end, I guess you"re exactly the kind of person everyone believes you to be."

There was no need for Vil to say more, he understood what he meant. What everyone believed him to be, he knew what that implied. Leona had grown used to being called an insensitive bastard, a useless piece of trash, unworthy of love, even that he was incapable of loving. It had never bothered him, those people didn"t know him and didn"t want to know him, so their words didn"t wound him –they used to, but he was way too used to hearing them by now anyway. But getting that same treatment from Vil hurt. That guy had insulted and disrespected him quite a few times throughout these years, yet, this was the first time his distaste felt genuine. Vil saw what type of person Leona really was and he was disgusted. How could he not, finding out Leona refused to show any affection for his own nephew?

But he didn"t like him, he would never be able to like him. The spite and the frustration in his heart were too loud in both his mind and his heart. Before Cheka was born, he"d still had a chance to take Farena"s place and change this country. However, he lost that chance the day Cheka was born. It wasn"t the kid"s fault, yet, the mere sight of him reminded Leona of the future he"d lost. Leona could"ve achieved great things, earned the court"s respect, shown he wasn"t the monster everybody thought he was. And Cheka"s birth took that from him. No one would ever look at him again, not even to badmouth him. He simply wasn"t important anymore, fated to be ignored by every single person as if he"d never existed in the first place. So how? How could he love the one that stole his bright future from him? He wasn"t a saint, he was just a man.

Yet, Vil"s disappointed look was too painful to bear. He didn"t really understand why but he hated the idea of having Vil, among all people, despise him. Sure, the blonde usually remarked how annoying Leona was, but he never left his side. This time, though, Leona feared Vil might leave for real, and it hurt. He didn"t care about Cheka"s feelings, it was a shitty thing to say but it"s how it was, but, apparently, he did care about Vil. At least, he cared enough to lie to his nephew and pretend he actually liked him.

"Oi, Cheka," called him Leona, crouched near him, "I don"t dislike you, okay?"

The child sniffled against Kifaji"s leg. "Really?"

"Really." Leona patted Cheka"s messy hair. "How can I not love you? You"re my nephew." Not like loving your family was anyone"s duty, but Cheka didn"t need to know that yet. And Vil seemed satisfied, so that was all that mattered right now. It seemed he"d managed to dodge this bullet, who knew how many more he"d have to dodge before the festival finished. For now, he"d have to be content with Cheka dirtying Kifaji"s pants with his snot and not his.

***

Fortunately, the rest of the party went mostly uneventful. Cheka"s friends arrived, so he went to play with them and probably forgot about the incident completely. Farena"s wife finally got to meet Vil and almost cried, Leona even feared she would try to use his T-shirt to blow her nose. Lucky him, Vil managed to calm her down and took a picture together for her Magicam. Leona remembered Vil saying he didn"t take selfies with people outside the industry because they normally wanted to use his image to gain likes and followers, but he seemed to make an exception with her under the condition that she waited a few days to post it so he wouldn"t get any stalkers. The fact that Vil had to worry about that kind of stuff freaked out Leona. He was only eighteen and already had to be very mindful of the type of content he posted online because people would try to track his location all the time, it was fucked up. To be honest, the more Leona learnt about Vil"s job, the less he understood the appeal of it. But both his sister-in-law and Vil looked happy, so it wasn"t his place to open his mouth and ruin their fun. He"d surely ruin someone"s fun later today anyway.

Leona insisted on leaving the celebration early since he"d told Vil he would take him to the elephant graveyard and intended to keep his word. He had planned on taking his car from the palace from the beginning, so he wasn"t mad about having wasted any time. All his family members got what they wanted from Vil, and Vil appeared to enjoy not being the centre of attention. Many guests looked at him, of course, he was something worth looking at, even Leona could see that, but the royal family was the main interest, like always. Frankly, the lion couldn"t wait to get away from the hustle and bustle of the palace and arrive at the elephant graveyard. It was such a peaceful place, he"d liked it since he was a kid and this time, without Lilia and Kalim getting excited over literally everything, maybe he"d have a chance to quietly relax. Although for the time being, it was enough with Vil enjoying the trip.

"I still can"t believe you know how to drive," said Vil, his gaze looking away from the window and straight to Leona. "And you"re good at it, that"s what pisses me off the most."

Leona smirked. "Want me to teach you?"

Vil simply humphed. "Even if I had a license, I wouldn"t have many chances to make good use of it. When I"m in school, the principal allows me to use the mirror; and the rest of the year, my manager drives me everywhere."

"Wouldn"t you like to be, I don"t know, more independent?"

"It"s a question of practicality. I might have several jobs for a day, each of them in a different studio and asking for many different visions. Some days I"m so exhausted at the end of the day that I can barely walk to the car. This has to do with safety."

"You know, if I thought the way you do, I wouldn"t be driving you to the hot springs right now."

The model lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, how many princes that can drive do you know?"

Vil chuckled. "I admit I don"t know many princes."

"I"ll tell you then, none. My brother doesn"t know how to drive, he has drivers. Wealthy people like Kalim don"t know either, they don"t need to. And as long as they keep that mindset, they"ll never know this feeling. Their miss, truly."

"You really love driving, don"t you?"

"What can I say? I love cars," answered Leona, a big smile on his face –a real smile. Vil"s eyes opened wide before he turned his face back to the window. "Am I spoiling the view?"

"No," responded the blonde fast. "How did you learn? To drive, I mean. I can"t imagine you going to class and passing an exam."

"That"s because I didn"t, the old man taught me."

"Do you mean Kifaji?"

"Yeah, he taught me when I was sixteen and, when I was eighteen, I proved to an examiner that I knew what I was doing and he gave me my license. It wasn"t the typical procedure but the license is perfectly valid regardless."

This time, it was Vil who smiled, and he looked beautiful. The sun was low, right behind him, lighting on his back like a halo. He looked like an angel, maybe even a god. Leona didn"t believe in any gods but perhaps he should become religious now, because until this moment he hadn"t believed that something as mundane as a smile would ever take his breath away either, and here he was, gasping for air at the sight of Vil"s smile. "You always so fondly of Kifaji."

Brain, please, work, don"t keep quiet and say something. Vil wasn"t dumb, he"d notice. "That"s not true."

"Of course it is. Don"t try to fool me, I"m an actor."

Leona shrugged. "Okay. Sure. Whatever."

Vil laughed once again, that sweet sound the last thing any of them opened their mouths for until they reached their destination. It was so weird how they didn"t feel they had to fill the silence with some unnecessary chatting. Leona had never actually thought about it because he was used to uncomfortable silences, but silence with Vil had never given the impression of being forced, it felt as natural as breathing. For once in his life, Leona could claim he liked someone else"s company. But it was a strange thing to realise, therefore, he decided he wouldn"t think about that ever again. Just like Vil"s latest smile, he had to pretend it never happened.

The elephant graveyard was exactly the same as always. Leona didn"t remember ever seeing it change. Yet, he knew it had, before he was born. Long ago, the elephant graveyard was where outcasts lived, a dangerous place full of people who"d been rejected by society. Now, though, it was one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world and all those people worked there, being part of the reason why it became so successful. For him, it was the purest example of technology helping this country"s citizens improve their way of life, since they only found the hot springs thanks to the use of advanced technological tools in the first place. The mere existence of such a place proved that they could still progress so much more without damaging the environment around them. Everybody could see it, but his brother kept rejecting his ideas one after the other, claiming the hot springs would"ve appeared sooner or later without their input. It was frustrating.

At least, he enjoyed the graveyard. Everything about the place felt like it belonged in there, as if he belonged in there as well. He always loved coming here with Kifaji as a kid, it was fun, the food was great and the workers treated him nicely (and let him eat as much candy as he wanted if his caretaker wasn"t looking). As he grew older, he came less, but every time he showed up his face around here felt just as special as all those times as a brat. Besides, since the royal family didn"t really come that often, the private area reserved for them was usually empty except for Leona, which was another pro for the hot springs. When he took Vil and the others, it had been empty but they couldn"t relax much since Lilia, Kalim and Grim were a bit too excited and made quite a ruckus. This time, though, it was only Vil and Leona, so they soaked into the warm water in the utmost of silences. Far from the hustle and bustle that were the palace and the entire city today, the lion finally felt at peace.

"Family is to be treasured, you know?" said Vil a few minutes after they both got into the water. "If you keep treating Cheka like that, you"ll regret it someday."

So much for the peace. "You only say that because you get along with your old man."

"I do, that"s why I know I"d be very lonely if we were on bad terms. And don"t call him an old man, he"s not that old."

Leona scoffed with annoyance. "With all due respect, Vil, you have no idea. You just met my family, you don"t know if your standards apply to them."

"Then tell me. Do you even talk about your problems to anyone?"

He did not, why would he? Kifaji had been his only company for most of his life, and he wasn"t the person one would go to complain about the royal family, prince or no prince. Sure, he now had Ruggie, but Ruggie didn"t care about Leona –at least, not as much as to be curious about the lion"s life, he was merely interested in what Leona"s position could bring him. Thus, who should he tell his worries? The lizard? No fucking way. The school therapist? If only they had one. No, there was no one Leona could resort to, so he was left with bottling up everything and eventually, I don"t know, overblot out of stress and frustration.

In that sense, he kind of envied Vil. His life was stressful and probably filled with anxiety-inducing events, yet he had Rook to rely on when his burdens were too heavy to shoulder on his own. It wasn"t like he wanted to befriend Rook, that guy was a weirdo and Leona was grateful he left for Pomefiore on his first year and stopped invading his personal space both in class and the dorm, but he wondered what having such a deep connection with someone would feel like. Leona had never had a person he could really call his friend, someone he knew he could trust to help him with his deepest sorrows. His skepticism told him no friendship lasted forever and your friends would end up stabbing you on your back, but maybe he"d have a different opinion had he had friends as a kid. If he had, maybe the feelings he held for Vil wouldn"t be so scary.

"You wouldn"t understand."

Vil sighed. "Don"t play the misunderstood emo kid shit with me, Kingscholar, or I swear I"ll punch you."

"You wouldn"t punch the second prince in his own country."

"Try me, asshole."

Leona chuckled. Most people believed Vil was an ice-cold queen that showed no emotion, but, in reality, he was as much of a short-tempered bastard as the brunette. That"s why they got along so well and so badly at the same time, he guessed. They pretended to be calm and collected all the time but let their fists do the talking more often than not. Some other day, he might"ve played along and tested how long Vil could hold back without trying to actually hit him, but not today. He was overthinking and having some ugly intrusive thoughts –sadly, something that happened frequently when he met his family– and he was starting to consider pleasing Vil and opening up about what was inside his head, which was utterly horrifying.

"If you don"t say anything in the next thirty seconds, I"ll punch you for real," threatened the model.

"Okay, princess, no need to get heated, unless you"re particularly interested in things getting heated while we"re both alone and naked."

Vil was flustered, exactly the outcome Leona had been looking for. He may be miserable right now, but he still was an asshole and loved putting Vil into uncomfortable situations. It was fun, and the guy"s irritated reaction was always worth it. Yeah, he was the worst. If Vil actually punched him, he"d definitely deserve it.

"It was a joke, don"t make that face, or do you think I"ll try to take advantage of you?"

The blonde laughed bitterly. "Just try and I"ll break your wrist."

"I don"t doubt it. You"re a relentless queen after all, your first years are terrified of you."

"They exaggerate. Epel exaggerates." Vil turned around and crossed his arms on the hot springs" edge, his head resting on top of them. Like that, with his hair clinging to his face and the rest of his body all wet and shiny, the model resembled a nymph. He was otherworldly. "So what? Will you tell me why you hate your family so much?"

He didn"t know why he was fighting the urge to tell Vil when part of him clearly wanted to be honest for once in his life. This was a first for him, he had never trusted anyone, yet, he wanted to trust Vil for some reason. And, maybe, just maybe, it wasn"t a terrible idea. Actors were all tricksters that charmed people only to stab them on their backs, but Vil didn"t look like the type of person who"d do that to Leona. Why he was so sure he didn"t know, one could call it... instinct, the instinct that someone as breathtaking as Vil would never hold ill intentions.

"There"s something only royalty can understand, and it"s that being the crown prince and being the second prince is way different. For you, I"m just a prince, but for the people in the palace, I"m the scary spare. Well, I used to be that, since Cheka"s birth, I"m simply unneeded."

"I don"t think your brother sees you as a spare."

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn"t, I don"t know but it doesn"t really matter." Leona shrugged. "He"s the king and I"m not, that"s all that matters. And even if my ideas to improve this outdated kingdom are better than his because I actually do give a damn about our people, he won"t listen to me. Because he"s the king and I"m not, and the king has the final say. I could scream and no one would listen to me, not even my own family. They all think I"m wrong or that I oppose Farena out of envy. That"s all I am for them, the jealous younger brother, even to my parents."

That"s it, he"d done it, he"d poured his heart out. And no, it didn"t feel particularly good. In fact, he already regretted ever opening his fucking mouth.

"I actually get that," muttered Vil. "No one enjoys being everybody"s second choice."

"Yeah, but you wouldn"t know anything about that, huh? Actor, model, influencer... You"re the epitome of success."

Vil buried his face deeper into his arms "I"m not that sure about that."

"Is this related to your overworking lately?" asked Leona, getting a defeated sigh from the blonde. "The weirdo told me."

"Of course he did, Rook can"t keep his mouth shut. But, well, I suppose it is related." Vil raised his head and looked straight into the lion"s eyes. "It doesn"t matter how fast you run because there"s always someone else out there who"s running faster than you are. So you decide to run even faster although you"re already at your limit and can barely breathe. And you just keep pushing and pushing, hoping it will be enough, but it never is, and you"re so tired. Have you ever felt that way?"

"Yeah. I stopped running."

"I can"t stop. If I stop, my career will be over." Vil shook his head and put on a sad smile. "Here"s the difference between you and me, Leona. It doesn"t matter whether you"re first, second or third prince, no one can take your title away from you. But me? I can lose everything I"ve worked so hard for in just a second. Because you"re prince Leona Kingscholar, while I"m simply Vil, a good-looking guy that happens to be good at acting."

"And is it really worth it? Why do you keep working for an industry that will kick you out the moment you stop being profitable?" Well, that was the basis of capitalism.

"Because I love my job. I love the way it makes me feel, how it connects me to my dad even when we"re away from each other, and all the smiles I can be the cause of. But first and foremost, I love the stage. And I know it can take everything from me, but as long as it can extol me, I won"t leave."

Leona snorted. "That"s on you. You"ll end up regretting it."

As a response, Vil chuckled sweetly. "Maybe. Will you catch me when I can"t continue running anymore? Because your nephew seemed excited with the idea."

This was definitely a twist in the conversation Leona hadn"t expected, but it was an appreciated change of tone. "What? Do you actually find the idea of being my bride pleasing?"

"I don"t know. Maybe I do. It doesn"t sound that bad, being a prince"s spouse."

The lion smirked as he approached Vil. They were so close now their bodies were almost brushing. "You did like Cheka"s idea, huh? I"m sure you even imagined yourself in a golden gown walking to the altar."

Vil rolled his eyes, but his smile stayed in place. "You wish. He"s such a cute kid, were you that cute when you were his age?"

"Care to guess?"

Leona"s hand moved up. A wet finger caressed Vil"s moisturised cheek. It was so soft, and his purplish eyes were so sparkly, giving the lion a strange –almost shy– look he"d never imagined in Vil. He wanted to fill those eyes with tears and, at the same time, he wished to cherish them and take care of them so they would never cry again. His thoughts were all over the place, what was that he wanted? Vil"s tears? Vil"s smile? Or something else completely? He couldn"t tell.

Right now, though, those half-opened lips were screaming his name, and they were loud.

"Leona?" The way those lips moved when they pronounced his name. He"d never noticed how nice those lips made his name sound, so nice he wanted to shut them up. "Are you okay?" No, he wasn"t, he was going mad. He"d probably go mad if he kissed those lips. "Hey, are you listening to me?" He"d definitely go mad if he didn"t.

"I am."

That was all he said before leaning over Vil, his hands still too unsure to touch him, unaware of whether they were even allowed to do so when Vil"s skin was fair and bright, like a rare jewel that mustn"t be touched by untrained hands. He probably wasn"t worth touching that skin.

Vil"s lower lip was shaking. He looked down, then at the lion, then down again. Before Leona"s mouth could brush against his, he stepped back. Leona tried to grab his waist, desperate for deeper contact, but Vil didn"t let his untrained hands touch him. Leona definitely wasn"t worth touching his skin.

"I-I think I"ll leave first. I"m a bit tired, it"s been a long day and I should probably rest before the festival. My feet are a bit sore and maybe a nap might be a good idea. I"ll wait for you outside." Vil"s words were rushed, and Leona couldn"t tell if he was breathing in-between sentences or not. He only knew that, before he could respond, Vil was already gone.

What the fuck had just happened? Did he fuck it up?

***

They didn"t talk much on their way back to the hotel. Vil complained about his feet hurting and didn"t put the shoes back on. Leona didn"t manage to bite his tongue and told him it was to be expected, but Vil simply said it had been a while since wearing heels for a long time had caused him any injuries, so he"d thought he"d be alright. After that, they both kept quiet until they arrived at the hotel and went to their respective rooms. The clothes they"d be wearing for the festival had already been sent to their rooms, so they didn"t have to worry about them and were free to rest for a couple of hours until they had to go to the place where the festival would be held at midnight. It was a bit far, but since Leona had parked the car outside the hotel, they shouldn"t take long to get there. He could cross out everything related to the festival from his list of things to worry about. Now he could finally focus on taking a nap and pretending that whatever had happened in the hot springs hadn"t actually happened. Surely he could do that, sleeping was his speciality after all.

Except for the fact that, for once in his life, he couldn"t fall asleep. He didn"t understand why he"d tried to do that at the elephant graveyard, it"s just that Vil looked so pretty and fragile and open. Leona couldn"t stop himself from wanting Vil. This was a side of the model he"d never seen, he seemed like a completely different person. Did anyone know that side of him? Probably Rook did. And that pissed Leona off, because he wanted to know that secret Vil who looked at the lion with wanting sparkly eyes –what did they want? Leona couldn"t know, maybe the same thing Leona had been searching for all along. He wished to see that Vil one again, understand why he looked so small and weak when the Vil the brunette was acquainted with was neither of those things.

Yet, the fear of touching him was real. Leona had been so scared of touching Vil"s pristine skin. Would he break if Leona embraced him? Or worse, would Leona be shattered in pieces were he to touch Vil? Would Vil manage to hold Leona as he broke? Because heavens knew Leona wouldn"t, not for Vil and not for him. Life hadn"t been gentle to him, and by the time he came to that realisation, he was too broken to even bother to collect the pieces he"d been losing on the way here. Maybe it was the same for Vil, maybe life had kicked him again and again until he stopped giving a fuck. Perhaps they weren"t that different and that"s why Leona felt so drawn to him, two broken souls. It"s what legends and fairy tales usually taught to little kids, love could fix you. But it couldn"t, and Leona knew it, Vil probably did too. If two broken souls kissed, they wouldn"t be magically fixed, they would merely hurt each other because they didn"t know how to love.

And that was the end of the story. Even if he wanted, he couldn"t, it wasn"t worth the risk. That"s it, now time to sleep over his problems like he always did.

Or maybe he could keep punishing himself with a sleepless evening for what he almost did. Yeah, he was mad at Vil for backing down, but he was even madder at himself for even trying to do so. He should know better by now, he should know nobody who was aware of the kind of person he really was would ever want him. Looks, money and titles worked on people only interested in status and appearances, but they were useless when you wished for a true connection. Of course Vil had refused to kiss him, he knew Leona too well, he knew he was worthless and, as the blonde frequently said, a waste of looks.

Vil was too good for him. He had friends, a career, dreams nobody would shatter. And what did Leona have? A title that would bind him to a future he hadn"t asked for, a future of raising his voice just to be ignored by everyone again and again. Forever. That was all that Leona had. He was destined to be pushed into the background and witness how everybody else"s voices were heard over his and suggested solutions to inexistent problems which would only hurt the common people. What could he offer when this was all he would ever have? If he had been in Vil"s position, he would"ve done the same.

Fuck, Vil was so right to be mad at Leona. And if he wasn"t, he definitely should be. Surely he found the mere thought of kissing or being touched by the lion disgusting, knowing the kind of man Leona was. For Vil, their flirting was just a joke, one of their many passive-aggressive exchanges with some unresolved sexual tension they both decided it was best to pretend wasn"t there –or, at least, this is how Leona interpreted basically all their conversations. But, this time, it hadn"t been a joke for Leona. Maybe at first, but it quickly turned serious for him. And now he"d ruined it, just like he ruined everything he touched.

It was dust. Everything he touched, everything he loved, it all turned into dust. No matter how badly he longed for something –or someone–, he would never have it because his fate was covered in dust and sand. Leona"s destiny was in the desert, Vil"s was among the stars. It was just impossible. Leona wasn"t the King of Beasts, he couldn"t change the status quo, he was too weak, too small, too... himself. Even if he tried, nothing would change. He would still be the person he currently was, the unlovable beast nobody wanted nearby, the useless man whose voice no one was willing to hear, the worthless prince that didn"t care about anything. That was him, Leona Kingscholar, mad at the world yet too kind to pursue love when it was right in front of him, a man destined to loneliness.

Whatever. He knew it would come to this, there was no point in crying over it now. No, he wasn"t really crying, it was a metaphor.

Before he knew what he was doing, he went to the balcony. It was already dark outside and the stars were bright around the moon. He"d tried to convince himself that those shiny lights weren"t the kings from ancient times that looked over them from the sky many times, but he found himself clinging to that old belief once more and naively begging them for guidance. Anything would work, a sign, a word, a gentle breeze. Just... anything. He felt lost, he didn"t know where to go anymore. This feeling in his chest, he didn"t like it, he wanted it gone. Sure the kings from the legends would know what to do and how to get rid of that unpleasant feeling. Sure they would know. And they would send Leona a sign. They would show him the way. Because he was lost and couldn"t see the path he was supposed to follow due to the sandstorm blinding his eyes. Maybe they would hear his scream for help. Maybe, someone would hear him this time and finally send help.

***

Normally, wearing cute clothes would cheer Vil up but, this time, it wasn"t happening. The traditional outfit for the summer solstice festival was very beautiful and colourful, yet it didn"t make Vil feel any better. Truth be told, he had lied about needing a nap, he simply wanted to create some physical distance between Leona and him. He hadn"t expected Leona would ever try to do such a thing and, well, he kind of panicked. It still was so difficult to believe it had almost happened. He"d had a crush on the lion since he first saw him at his first entrance ceremony at Night Raven College, and his feelings had only grown as time passed.

But the moment at the hot springs had felt more like a joke than a serious love confession. Vil knew this type of men, they toyed with you and then they"d pretend it never happened. He used to think Leona was a good man and wouldn"t behave that way, but he might"ve been wrong all along. If only he could call Rook, but he"d be tired after the meet and greet and Vil didn"t want to bother him, so it was just Vil and his existential crisis until it was time for him to change clothes. A fun evening indeed, the best he could recall.

When he met Leona again, both dressed for the occasion, Vil hoped they could feign nothing happened at the hot springs. Well, dreams were free. They were both tense and the silence between them had become uncomfortable and awkward. Vil usually took some time to check Leona"s body, but he didn"t even feel like doing it now, looking at him felt too weird. To be honest, he hadn"t meant to back down. It"s just that he was surprised, confused and... disappointed. Other guys had made that same move towards him in very similar contexts, and Leona"s words and tone had been way too playful to be true. Vil was simply trying to protect himself, and he knew that, sometimes, that implied getting hurt in the process.

Had the circumstances been different, Vil would"ve thrown his arms around Leona"s neck without hesitation, why wouldn"t he? He spent a huge amount of time criticising the brunette, but that didn"t mean he didn"t respect his good qualities. Not only was Leona ridiculously handsome with no effort, he also was a great leader, incredibly charismatic and very smart. Okay, he was a cocky asshole that always knew how to take advantage of the situation, but even that side of him held some weird appeal Vil couldn"t really understand. In fact, there were a lot of reasons why Vil would want to kiss Leona –he"d made a list instead of sleeping. He was simply sad the real Leona and the Leona who lived rent-free in his mind were not the same individual. It was to be expected, but it was sad nonetheless.

Even in the car, they were quiet, each lost in his own inner thoughts. Vil wondered what Leona must be thinking about, he didn"t look particularly well and it was making Vil worry. It didn"t matter if the lion was a playboy or a straight-up asshole that wanted to use Vil to satisfy his lust, Vil cared about him and couldn"t bear the idea of Leona feeling bad, especially if Vil himself was at fault. Yeah, he might deserve it for trying to toy with the blonde, but Vil still liked him!

However, words failed. He had always been good with words –one of the many secrets behind his mildly successful acting career–, yet, he didn"t know what to say right now. It was all so new and confusing, he had no idea whether he should be mad or understanding. And when he realised no words would be coming out of his mouth, he decided to give up and just stare at the scenery until they reached their destination, purposefully ignoring Leona"s sporadic glances at him.

But it seemed that Leona had other plans. "No comments about how good I am at driving this time? No longer impressed?"

Vil looked back at Leona in surprise. If Leona was trying to get things back to normal, maybe he should cooperate and be assertive, so he sighed and smiled. "Are you really fishing for compliments? You"re incorrigible, but I guess I can"t deny it, your driving is impressive."

Leona smirked. "I knew it. I"m totally manager material."

"Manager? You? Of whom?"

"Yours, of course." Leona laughed loudly. "I"d drive you on time to every single job, and I could even threaten a bunch of bigwigs to get you more main roles."

The model chuckled, it was such a ridiculous idea. "I admit it would be nice to have a manager that understands I"m sick of playing the bad guy. It would be a welcome change." He"d be blacklisted in no time, though.

"You don"t like your current manager?"

"Oh, no, it"s not that. She"s very nice and wants the best for me, but we argue a lot because she doesn"t understand why I refuse to play any more villains. She thinks those roles suit me, which, well, it"s true, but I don"t like it."

"Being the villain isn"t that bad when you get used to it, but I get why it might make you uneasy."

Vil raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yeah, royalty tends to demonise the secondborn quite a lot, it"s like a journalistic tactic to make sure everyone loves the crown prince."

"Wow, that"s..."

"Fucked up. It"s alright, you can say it. It"s not like journalists don"t do the same to you."

The blonde scoffed. He hadn"t expected Leona, of all people, to share his bad press. "I can"t deny that. Don"t you ever get tired of it?"

"I do but I learnt to ignore it. I can"t make it go away but I won"t let it define me, I am who I am and I no longer care about other people"s opinions of me."

"That"s... very mature."

"I don"t think so but thanks."

Vil found himself smiling while gazing at Leona, the brunette"s eyes focused on the road. He couldn"t believe this was the same man that had tried to take advantage of him at the hot springs. It felt unreal, and for a second, Vil wondered if, maybe, he had misunderstood Leona"s intentions. This was the Leona he knew, the nice guy with a facade of indifference, and he didn"t resemble the kind of man that would try to do something like that. Yes, Vil had to have misinterpreted his intentions, that had to be it. Yet, when he was opening his mouth to speak, the lights of the festival distracted him. They were almost there.

"That"s where the festival is held, the waterfall," informed the lion.

"Aren"t we running away like the other time?" asked Vil, remembering how fast Leona ran to the car after the Catch the Tail tournament.

"If I do that again, my brother will have my head chopped off and, I don"t know about you, but I like my head where it is now."

Vil laughed softly. "I probably should"ve asked earlier but what"s the festival about?"

"Oh, nothing serious. We just sing and dance around the waterfall to celebrate the arrival of summer. It used to have a religious meaning, but now it"s simply an excuse to get drunk and have fun."

"It sounds rather informal."

"It is, most celebrations here are very informal. One year a duke and a shepherd engaged in a drinking competition, it was quite a sight."

"I think it"s wonderful."

"Yeah, well, those friendships only last until the festival ends. When it"s over, everyone goes back to their business and collectively decides to ignore there are better uses for this waterfall than partying once a year."

"Like building some system to take water from here to poorer areas?"

"Exactly. But everyone refuses because the waterfall has a religious or symbolic meaning or whatever bullshit they come up with. We aren"t even a religious country anymore, my brother"s an atheist!"

Vil shrugged. "Changing people"s views is difficult, but will you give up just because they said no?"

Leona parked the car and looked straight up at Vil, his green eyes confused but his lips turned up in a cocky smile.

"You are something, Vil Schoenheit."

Vil lifted an eyebrow. What the hell did that mean?

However, before he could question Leona about what he was trying to say, a scream interrupted the conversation. "Unca Leona!"

"Why does he always find me?" muttered the lion under his breath.

Cheka, and Farena behind him, approached the couple as they exited the car. They were both dressed in colourful clothes, just like everyone else, and camouflaged perfectly within the crowd, although Farena"s majestic aura was difficult to hide.

"I am glad you both came," said the king as a way of greeting Vil and Leona. "Kifaji told me you didn"t go to the competition"s after-party, so I feared you might not come."

"You blackmailed me into coming, remember?" Farena simply laughed. "Don"t fucking laugh, you bastard."

"Unca!" Cheka, clinging to Leona"s leg like dear life, was trying to catch his uncle"s attention. "Will you dance with me?"

"No, go play with your friends."

"Oi, Cheka," called him his father. "You were the one that invited Vil, why don"t you ask him instead? I will keep Leona company meanwhile to make sure he doesn"t run away."

"Okay!" The kid moved away from his uncle and got closer to the model. "Will you dance with me even if you aren"t unca"s bride?"

Aw, that child was so cute, it was impossible to tell him no. Vil didn"t really feel like dancing much tonight because his feet still hurt a bit, but he didn"t want to disappoint Cheka or make him sad. Besides, it was just a dance with a little kid, it couldn"t be that bad. Once he was done, he"d go back to Leona and they"d spend the rest of the celebration relaxing over a cocktail or some canapés.

"Of course, little bean, I would love to dance with you, on the condition that you will teach me the moves since I do not know them."

"I will!" Cheka took Vil"s hand and smiled. "Come! It"s super easy!"

Vil let Cheka guide him to where other people were dancing and listened to the boy as he explained the moves. As he"d claimed, it was a pretty simple dance, so Vil quickly memorised everything and was ready to join Cheka. The sight of him crying had been truly heartbreaking, so he was glad the kid was smiling this brightly now. Vil knew he hadn"t caused those tears, but he wanted to make it up for him regardless. It was sad really, how hard Cheka tried to be close to Leona and didn"t give up no matter how many rejections he got.

"Tell me, do you like your uncle?"

"I do! I love unca Leona!"

"Why?"

"Because he"s so cool! He"s even cooler than papa. And papa agrees, he also thinks unca is very cool, he told me, but it"s a secret."

The blonde chuckled at the childish answer. His way to look at Leona was pure and lacked any malice, he only saw his good side, and that side seemed to be cool. Well, Vil couldn"t deny it exactly, he also believed Leona knew how to be cool, when he wasn"t lazing around.

"Do you like unca too?"

"Well, I don"t dislike him."

"That means you don"t like him the same way papa likes mama?"

And that, little bean, was a tricky question. Sure, Vil didn"t hate Leona, but were his feelings for him just a teenage crush or did they hold the potential to turn into love? He had no idea, and it wasn"t like he could trust such a young kid with his dilemma. In the end, a vague answer would probably be the best, as he didn"t feel like lying was the way to go. Cheka may be a child, but he deserved honesty as well.

"I don"t know," Vil decided to respond.

"Why?"

"Because I don"t think he likes me the way I like him."

"I think unca likes you, like, really likes you. He looks at you all the time, he"s even looking at you right now!"

He was?

"That"s how papa looks at mama."

Oh, holy fuck, he was!

For how long had Leona looked at Vil like that? How many days, months and years had Vil not noticed those sparkly emeralds on him, begging for his sole attention? How blind had he been?

***

Staying behind with Farena while his companion had fun without him hadn"t been part of Leona"s plans. He didn"t want to be anywhere near his brother, now or ever really. But he knew Farena wouldn"t let him sneak out, so his only choice was to wait by his side until Vil came back from indulging Cheka.

"I know you don"t like coming home, but I"m glad you did." Leona glanced at his brother, he was smiling. It wasn"t like his usual smile, it was somehow... brighter, and more honest. It had been a long time since he last saw such a smile on his face. "Cheka was very excited about today. Thank you."

Leona snorted. "You blackmailed me."

But Farena simply chuckled in response. "Come on, you know I wouldn"t have done that."

The younger sibling lifted an eyebrow. "Do I?"

"Of course! You"re my cute little brother after all."

Leona grimaced. "Don"t say that again, it gave me the chills."

"You used to be so cute as a kid, always following me around the palace. When did it change?" Leona shrugged. They both knew everything changed the day the younger lion got his unique magic, but bringing it up here and now was of poor taste. "Are things going well at school?"

"Yeah, not bad."

"Good. Is it fun?"

"What?"

"School. Is it fun?"

"I mean, it"s not as boring as being locked inside the palace at all times."

"I see. I"m sure you"re enjoying your student life to the fullest. I was really surprised when Kifaji told me you"d be bringing friends to the Catch the Tail tournament, you know? I wish I could"ve gone."

"Those weren"t my friends."

"Isn"t Vil your friend?"

"He"s..." What was Vil to him again? Taking into consideration what happened at the elephant graveyard, probably nothing. "Just a classmate."

"You two seem close."

"Well, we"re not." Farena chuckled. "What? If you have something to say, just say it already."

"Oh, my dear brother, you have no idea how you look at him, have you?"

"Huh?"

"I never thought I"d see that sparkle in your eyes, until today. You look at Vil like he"s your entire world. I know it, because that"s how I look at my wife too."

Leona snorted with annoyance. "You"re delusional. Are you perhaps dying?"

"Why do you insist on denying your feelings?" Farena sighed in defeat. "You"re always thinking about our people, about how to make their lives better and easier. But what about you? Other people"s happiness is important, sure, but what"s the point of making everyone happy if the cost is your own happiness? I don"t think it"s fair for you."

"Please, don"t lecture me, Farena."

"Oh, I"m just getting started. You know? I always found your feedback very useful, because you"re the only one that won"t kiss my arse. If you think I made a bad decision or that I was mistaken, you will say it and, most importantly, you will back it down with evidence. I appreciate your constant criticism –even if we end up arguing– since you see things I can"t see from the throne. That"s why I know you will do a great job in your internship."

"How do you..."

"I"m the king of this country, did you forget?" Farena blinked, and Leona rolled his eyes. He had expected his brother to find out, but not yet, how did he do it? "Maybe once your internship is done, you will be prepared to join the royal council."

Excuse me, to join the what again?

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Well, you have ideas, haven"t you? I can"t listen to you and go against the nobles just because you"re my brother, prince or no prince. However, members of the council do have a voice that must be heard no matter what, and their opinions are as important as mine, this is the way we rule and protect our precious country."

It sounded almost too good to be real. A voice. Farena was promising him a voice.

"Although, I have a condition. Well, two, actually."

He knew it. It was too good to be possible.

"First, I want you to be my eyes and my ears; see the people I can"t see, hear the voices I can"t hear. And second, remember that you"re not, and never will be, the king."

Leona closed his eyes halfway, wondering what that last bit meant. Of course he wasn"t the king, Farena was, and Cheka would be next. Was this a warning or simply a reminder of his position at court? Because he didn"t need one, he knew how insignificant his existence was.

"Don"t give me that look, you"re scaring me. I"m not threatening you, I"m just telling you something you don"t seem to be aware of. Being the king comes with baggage. A king exists for one reason and one reason only: to protect his people. I don"t live for myself, my wife or even my son; I live for my people. But you"re not me, you can live for yourself, so don"t waste your life for the sake of others. Be true to yourself, Leona, and don"t lose sight of what"s right in front of you, or you might regret it. I want you to be happy, brother, I really do, because no matter how many times we"ll argue and insult each other, you will always be my cute little brother, and I love you."

What he had right in front of him. Did he mean Vil? Technically, Vil was right in front of him, dancing with his nephew a few metres away. He looked beautiful. Vil always looked beautiful but, for some reason, he seemed even more stunning tonight. His hair was braided and decorated with leaves and flowers, and even though his moves were a bit sloppy due to his feet being hurt, he appeared extremely gracious to Leona. He liked this sight; Vil in his country, wearing his traditional festive garments, dancing to his folk music. It wasn"t a fancy party and there was no crown on that blonde head of his, but he had never resembled a queen more than now. This was the Vil the lion loved, the queen he yearned for. Leona didn"t want a fake grin and expensive clothes, for him, this was enough, just his queen having fun and curving his lips in a genuine smile. This strangely simple happiness, this was all Leona wanted right now.

And then, Vil looked back at him, taking his breath away. The same feeling of the elephant graveyard. His fast heartbeat. The music echoing in his ears. His hands getting sweaty. The trembling of his lower lip. Vil. It was Vil. Vil was right in front of him. And he was letting him go when he should be clinging to his hand, just because he was scared of the moment in the hot springs repeating itself. He didn"t want Vil to run away from him anymore, the mere thought of it happening made his chest feel heavy, it was almost unbearable. No air was coming in. No air was coming out. And Vil was right there, a few metres away from him, out of his reach.

But, suddenly, Farena slapped his back and Leona"s lungs filled with air. Leona scowled at him, Farena answering with a confident smile. "It"s not like you to be afraid, little bro."

Was it not? Leona couldn"t remember a time when he wasn"t afraid, of failure, of rejection, of himself. He"d always been scared, something constantly preventing him from moving forward. He didn"t want to fail, but since he couldn"t fail unless he tried, he decided to stop trying. He hated the idea of being rejected, but, for that to happen, he would need to let people get closer to him, and he would not allow that. He didn"t wish to hurt others with his power, so he made up his mind not to desire anyone, that way he wouldn"t hurt a single soul he cared for. His powers brought destruction, destruction brought rejection, rejection meant failure. That"s what he"d always believed, he was taught that was the absolute truth, and he"d never had any motives to doubt it. He couldn"t make things right and he couldn"t love, for who could ever learn to love a beast?

Leona didn"t want to get hurt anymore, he was scared and tired. His entire life had been about finding a way to prevent himself from getting hurt, and he"d been doing fine so far. He had a shield. But look at Vil, so pretty, and his eyes on Leona. Those eyes, those lovely sparkly eyes. They were purple. Vil would probably say they"re some fancy shade of purple Leona didn"t know, but they were purple, like the sky right before darkness engulfed everything. He used to love that time of day because the palace grew quiet, servants and courtiers taking their whispering to their rooms with them. It was peaceful. Vil"s eyes were peaceful too. They never judged Leona or looked at him with true distaste, they were always honest, pure and honest eyes. More often than not, Leona would pursue those eyes, a simple glance bringing him peace for the rest of the day. And those days their paths didn"t cross, he"d be more sensitive than usual. For the Seven, he loved Vil"s eyes. And his smile. And his smell. He probably was in fucking love with Vil.

And nothing was more terrifying than that.

"You know," spoke Farena, "even if he says no, school is almost finished anyway."

Oh.

Oh, that was true.

Maybe, for once, his brother was right. Maybe it didn"t really matter because their time together would be over soon, so Leona wouldn"t be able to hurt him –or get hurt. He"d used the very same reasoning before but, somehow, he"d forgotten about it.

"Besides, you already have the "no", what"s so scary?"

He hated this. Leona was supposed to be the one who made good decisions while Farena made mistakes and agreed to terrible plans like the terrible king he was. When did their roles change?

"Shut up."

Farena chuckled. "Don"t be shy, Leona. Just raise your voice and tell him already, can"t you see he"s waiting for you? Think of it as if I said something dumb and you were to yell at me. Easy!"

Leona growled. "The last thing I want is to think about you when I"m with him. Did I get all the brain?"

"Maybe you did, but I got all the bravery." The king winked at him and slapped his back once again. "Come on, go! He"ll say yes, I feel it in my gut."

Gosh, he was unnerving. But, sadly, he was right. Vil was, among all people, the last person Leona should be frightened of hurting, he was way too strong. And Vil wouldn"t hurt the lion in return, his heart was too kind for his own good, that"s why he protected it with a shield, just like Leona. This time, he would raise his voice loud enough for Vil to hear, he wasn"t letting Vil run away like before. There was nothing to lose, because those beautiful eyes were calling him, they wanted him. The blonde wouldn"t go anywhere, he wouldn"t try to escape again. And if he did try, Leona wouldn"t let him. They had to face each other, there was no place for chickening out now.

Thus, he walked towards Vil and Cheka.

"Move," said Leona as he pushed his nephew aside, "it"s my turn now."

"Eeeh? But the song isn"t over yet," sulked the kid.

"I don"t care, I"m dancing with Vil now."

"Will you dance with me next, unca?"

"Nope. Look, your dad"s asking for you, go."

"Don"t want to."

"He"ll get mad if you don"t comply."

Cheka smiled triumphantly. "Dad never gets mad."

"Well, maybe, but I do." Leona smirked, enjoying his superiority over a literal child. "And so does Kifaji."

Blood drained out of Cheka"s face. "I"ll go. Bye, unca! Bye, auntie!"

With Cheka gone, Leona turned to face Vil. To his surprise, the model was laughing softly. "He"s such a sweet kid. He even called me auntie, much better than your students talking to me as if I were a mafia boss."

"You like him? He"s all yours." Leona rolled his eyes, but used this rare moment of Vil"s lower guard to circle his waist and pull him closer. He did it, he touched him, and Vil wasn"t breaking. Leona truly believed Vil might break if he touched him, but it sounded so absurd now he realised nothing would happen. Their chests were almost brushing, he wonder if Vil would be able to hear his heartbeat. It was embarrassing. "Are you having fun?"

"I am. I like the vibe, it"s very soothing. I don"t think I"ve ever seen so many happy people together."

"Yeah, well, that"s because of the alcohol."

"Maybe." Vil put his arms around Leona"s neck, effectively pressing their bodies closer. Leona didn"t break either. "I didn"t expect you to ask me to dance."

"Technically, I didn"t ask."

"That"s true." Vil"s smile suddenly took a melancholic tone. "I owe you an apology. Before, at the hot springs, I..."

The lion groaned. "No, stop, you did nothing wrong. I shouldn"t have done that without a warning."

"You..." Vil lowered his voice. "What do you exactly want from me, Leona?"

And if he needed a trigger, that was it.

He grabbed Vil"s arm and took him to an empty area close to the waterfall. The rest of the party was still nearby, but they wouldn"t listen to them here and, most importantly, Leona"s family wouldn"t see what he was going to do. And so, the moment he dropped the blonde"s arm, no longer afraid of breaking the blonde if his hands touched his fair skin, he caught his waist again and kissed him. Vil was clearly startled at first, but it didn"t take long for him to kiss Leona back. Could this be his first kiss? He wasn"t terrible but he was obviously inexperienced. It was adorable. Vil was freaking adorable. Leona did hope it was the model"s first kiss, he wanted to keep it to himself forever.

Far too soon, they had to break their kiss. Vil opened his mouth to talk, probably to say something about them being in public or to ask about feelings, but Leona didn"t want to hear any of that right now. He wanted to keep kissing, so he did. Vil"s lips were quickly trapped by Leona"s once again, his feet backing down due to the suddenness of the move and... there was a stone behind him. Vil stumbled, taking Leona with him, and they both splashed into the water.

It may be summer, but sinking into cold water wasn"t precisely welcome, or recommended. At least, no one was paying them any attention, everyone was either too drunk or having too much fun to stop and look at them –everyone except Leona"s family and Kifaji, that is, who Leona could see laughing at them from afar.

"Are you planning to stay there forever?" inquired Vil, already on solid ground. Well, that was fast, Leona was just barely catching his breath after the fall.

"What? You"re the one constantly nagging me to shower more often."

Vil laughed. "Do you want me to bring you some soap?" Leona laughed too. "Come on, take my hand, let"s get you out of there."

The brunette grinned. He had an idea, a wicked idea. When taking Vil"s hand, he pulled on him. With another splash, the blonde went back to the water as Leona sat down on the ground, enjoying the touch of dry grass against his skin. It was quite the sight, the globally famous model, actor and influencer Vil Schoenheit with messy hair and soaking wet, only his makeup untouched –was this the so-called "waterproof" stuff?

However, to be fair, Leona wouldn"t have minded if his makeup had run, Vil would"ve still looked good nonetheless. In fact, he might be prettier like this than in his usual princely-like garments back in school. This uninhibited and dishevelled Vil that laughed cheerfully and paid no mind to other people"s looks on him, he loved this Vil. If perfection was possible, then, this side of Vil was perfect, the most perfect of them all, and Leona loved him.

"Have I ever told you," spoke Vil while setting next to Leona, "that my homeland is beautiful in winter?"

Fuck, he loved him, he loved him so much.

"Is it?"

Vil nodded. "There"s a festival too, we drink hot cocoa."

Leona smiled. Not a grin, not a smirk, a genuine smile born out of pure happiness. And, instead of giving Vil a verbal response, he kissed him again.

For once, the entire world felt in perfect harmony. How could it not, when he was kissing those heavenly lips?