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How adorable. Roy huffed, wondering if the black suit could hide any daggers or tasers. He met Leo’s eyes and bobbed his head toward the staircase. With his hand deep in his pocket, he fumbled with the little switchblade he’d received in place of medals. They’d even engraved the date on the handle. 28th Svar 10748. The day Pyraxis won, and Roy lost.
As they ascended the narrow staircase, Maeve winked at Roy. Only then had he realised how close their bodies were, thighs brushing with each step. Once Leo caught up, Roy tapped the key card against the reader. A green glow pulsed through the door frame.
The lock barely clicked behind them when Leo wrapped his arms around Cal. A duffel bag slipped from his shoulder and fell on the carpet with a dull thud.
Roy gripped the knife, then forced his fingers to relax around the handle. Just a hug, he reminded himself, pressing his back against the door. Just a desperate, one-sided hug, judging from the way Cal’s arms swayed.
“I’m so sorry,” Leo mumbled, his face half-buried in Cal’s temple.
“Let. Go,” Cal seethed, squirming, the heels of his palms pushing against Leo’s shoulders.
“You know, I could just wait outside…” Roy pointed at the hall with his thumb, but the former royal couple didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, they glared at each other, and if it weren’t for the gravitas of the situation, Roy would have snorted. Like two tomcats, puffed up, all yowls and no strike.
“Is this the thanks I get for saving you?” Leo said, his voice low. He pinched a blue strand between his fingers. Before he could tuck it behind Cal’s ear, his hand got swatted away with a cracking slap.
“Saving me? Well yes, I suppose I should bend my knee and thank you eternally for giving me a fucking sabotaged ship, huh?”
“What?”
“Oh, for Aether’s sake, don’t play dumb with me.” Cal’s cheeks flushed bright red; his bottom lip trembled. “Half of the emergency dashboard was welded shut. I barely managed to release the parachute.”
“Wha—I thought you faked the emergency signal,” Leo stuttered, backing away until his calves bumped into the king-size bed. “Darling, you have to believe—”
“Don’t call me that.” Cal straightened. An icy storm passed over his features. “Where are my parents?”
Leo blinked. “You know where they are. Waiting for the trial.”
Shifting on the spot, Roy wished he’d left them some privacy. He hadn’t given Cal’s parents much thought; in fact, he’d presumed them dead in a violent coup.
“Then why did you come here?!”
Leo’s breath hitched. “Did you think I’d bring them?”
Instead of a response, Cal glared.
“Darl—Cal. I can’t just set them free.” Leo reached for Cal’s hand, which immediately slipped from his grip like an eel. “I brought you some of your clothes, and some for Addy and Uros. And cash. Imperial tokens.”
Cal pressed his lips thin until they formed an almost white line.
“I can’t help you further,” Leo whispered. “My bank account is now monitored. I’m here just on the pretence of confirming your death.”
In the silence that followed, Roy could hear his own heart racing. Cal stood with his fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. A distended vein pulsed on his temple.
“What exactly am I supposed to do, then?”
“Stay low,” Leo said. “Until things calm down. If you bring an army, they will execute the royals.”
“And you wouldn’t stop them.”
“I’m not a tyrant!” Leo yelped, squeezing Cal’s forearm. “I don’t make the decisions, Cal. If the people’s committee outvotes me, there’s nothing I can do.”
After a pause, Cal spoke, each syllable unspooling from his mouth. “You know, there won’t be a day I won’t curse the whirlwinds for crossing our paths.”
“I know you see a traitor in me. Maybe one day… you’ll see there could have been a bloodbath and a lot of heads on spikes, had someone else been elected.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Cal seethed. “Go. Leave. You don’t want to explain to your comrades how a dead prince punched you, do you?”
Leo’s chest inflated, as if he had more to say. Under Cal’s relentless stare, he surrendered. “I’m sorry, Cal. Truly sorry. Just stay safe, will you?”
