Cassian stomped through the golden and ornate halls of the castle, anger and annoyance pooling into his belly, but he kept the charming and kind look on his face, saying good morning to the servants as they passed by. He felt a stirring of old grief; his father, King Castor the Grand, had died a year ago from a magical curse. The event had shaken the kingdom but Queen Andromeda, his mother, took his place but she had wanted to relax and live her life and hoped her son would take the lead and bring his kingdom prosperity. That was no problem for Cassian, he was born to be the next king and he had been preparing for it all his life, no the problem was...

He shivered slightly, as if disgusted by the fact. Finding a bride, sharing a bed with her, and popping out heirs for himself. He had no hate towards women but he couldn’t imagine laying with any of them, he had tried to kiss a nobleman’s daughter one day behind some stairs to experiment when he was 15 and learned almost immediately that he had felt uncomfortable and not in his own skin. Yet, despite his reservations, the survival of kingdoms always seemed to require sacrifices and he was always prepared to kneel to the well-being of his people. But gods... trying to act like the flirty gazes of bedazzled daughters caught his eye or having to meet with countless girls for potential... he couldn’t help but be annoyed.

As he walked into the sparring field and wrenched his sword from his scabbard, the familiar weight in his palm, he relaxed slightly. He then saw you, his childhood best friend, the man he wished he could confess his true feelings towards, sparring with a wooden dummy, sweat on your brow and mouth tight in concentration.

Cassian felt his heart flutter at the scene, looking everywhere all at once, the sight of your body could never get old, no matter how many times he’s seen it in passing. An actual genuine smile broke through his polite facade and an idea formed in his brain. You moved gracefully to strike the wooden dummy again, but instead of meeting the wood, it met Cassian’s own sword, a small ring piercing the air as Cassian gave a teasing look.

“You blasted cur!” He playfully insulted “You were about to strike my dear friend here!” He pat the wooden dummy’s head fondly “He’s very handsome, wouldn’t want you marring his face.”

Cassian struck back as you laughed and quipped back. They both started to spar as they always loved to do, laughing, insulting, and flirting with wild abandon.

“You fight like my old grandmother!” You shouted, his eyes and face twisted in a feral grin as the fight got intense. Gods, he was all he could see and think of, he practically could breath him in too.

“I’ve fought your legendary grandmother! That’s a compliment! Especially since she’s as dastardly as you!” Cassian shouted back, starting to win the fight but getting distracted by your body and it completely stopped his heart at times.

At last when Cassian was about to gain victory over you, his opponent had swept his leg with your own making the prince tumble gracelessly to the grass on his back, you then pinned Cassian with his boot to the princes chest and lightly tapped the edge of the sword against Prince Cassian’s chin, making him look at your smug face.

Cassian was bewildered at what he felt within his own body, a feeling he never got close to feeling with kissing that noble girl or flirting with any women. It was a feeling that could topple glorious kingdoms and dynasties. Thoughts curling around his mind like addictive smoke... or something more elegant, like fireflies in the dark duty driven recesses of his very own mind.

Can you kiss me in quiet alcoves? Can you wrestle me again on the bed, but when you pin me down, can you not move away? Can you love me more than a friend should? Can you seriously not think of all the times you’ve seen my body when I can’t stop thinking about yours? Can you bend me over my bed and conquer the crown prince? Can you make my whine about how much I want you to know my true feelings about you? Can you make due to the possibility that there can be two kings instead of one? Can you marry me instead?

He dare not say them aloud, but he had been close to, the words had almost formed on his lips and the long romantic love he has felt for his friend all this time at the tip of his tongue.