***

Unlike him, Milo didn’t live in a high building. His family had a house built close to others similar in design. Sebastian had to reconsider what he had so far thought of Milo being a commoner. His home was considerably larger and had more rooms. The yard was extremely small, but at least his family had one. It was far from being anything like a mansion, but it spoke of a level of wealth Sebastian’s current family didn’t own.

Therefore, Milo had to be at least part of the nobility, although it appeared that people in this world didn’t care about using royal titles and such. Except for Tani telling him that she was a princess, which, by association, made him a prince, as well, and the mother a queen, he hadn’t heard anyone mentioning anything about their titles.

The arrangement of the interior was different, as well. The light filtered through the tall windows created a sensation of space which Sebastian enjoyed. He noticed a bowl of fruits on a large table, and, without thinking, he grabbed one of an elongated shape.

“Help yourself,” Milo said. “My mom leaves plenty of those around. It’s her credo that I should eat bananas every day, to keep up with the physical effort.”

Sebastian smelled the fruit. He broke it in half and examined the inside, which was made from a soft pulp. That meant that it had to be peeled, which he did quickly. He took a delicate bite. It had a creamy pleasant taste. “Bananas are good,” he said shortly.

“So,” Milo said, leaning against the wall and watching him intently, “do you want to eat first or watch me shower?”

Sebastian looked at the fruit in his hand. Bananas were quite filling. Food could wait. “I’ll watch you shower,” he said with finality.

“All right,” Milo replied and bit his bottom lip. And then, he blushed. “My folks are gone until Sunday,” he added.

Sebastian had a mind to ask him whether they were out on a quest but reminded himself to keep his thoughts for himself instead of arousing more suspicion. Apparently, it was enough to be capable of solving a math equation, and people threw him in detention.

“Which means,” Milo added in a soft voice as he moved closer, “that we have the house all to ourselves.”

There was a subtle change in their interaction, Sebastian noticed. A knot formed at the base of his throat, making it impossible to swallow. What if Milo was the one bewitching him? What if his weakness had finally caught up with him, and it was the end for him?

If that was, he thought, as his eyes rose to meet Milo’s emerald gaze, then he was doomed because he couldn’t move, trapped as he was in that tender yet bold stare.

He remained silent as Milo brought his hands up to touch his face. “I still can’t believe I gathered the courage to tell you how I feel. I mean, you’re always so oblivious… It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head gently.

What was that strange sensation like myriads of ants under his skin? No, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t unpleasant, just hard to bear. Sebastian caught Milo’s wrists to stop that gentle, unbearable caress.

“You were saying something about a shower,” he said in an unnatural, hoarse voice.

Milo chuckled, and even that simple sound sent eddies of warmth throughout his body, throwing him out of balance. But just as he was about to spread out his arms to steady himself, Milo caught him and pulled him into a gentle kiss.

He couldn’t make sense of any of it. What sort of curse made him wish it would be possible to get out of himself and wrap around the young man in front of him with everything he had?

As Prince Sebastian, the Protector of Ifigia, he had never known fear. He had known duty, and for it, he had always walked forward. People praised him for his bravery, feared him for his ruthlessness, and believed that nothing and no one ever would be capable of bringing him down.

Yet, now, a new feeling was taking root inside his soul, and it was foreign and hot like an iron held in the fire, branding his heart.

Milo’s lips were soft and needy, so Sebastian found it only natural to open his mouth and welcome them as his eyelids fluttered shut.

Milo withdrew and chuckled nervously.

“Why are you laughing?” Sebastian asked.

“You’ll think I’m a bit nuts.”

Nuts? Sebastian said nothing.

“It’s not like I don’t want us to do, you know,” Milo continued. “But I didn’t really think about it before. I mean, I wanted us to become boyfriends and kiss, but… I wasn’t thinking so far ahead. I thought we would take things slowly --”

What was with all the talking? Sebastian grabbed Milo by the front of his shirt and pressed their mouths together hard.

“You’re so hot,” Milo whispered. “I’m not sure I know what to do. How come I’ve never known you’re like this?”

This young man was considerably larger in height and size, and yet he acted so timidly at times. As endearing as he was like that, Sebastian felt that none of them had control over the situation, which meant that Milo was merely a tool in the hands of a more powerful being in the unfortunate case that he was part of the curse.

He took Milo’s hand. “Where is your bathroom?” he asked, in the same ragged, unsteady voice that betrayed the storm inside his heart.

“Upstairs,” Milo replied and let himself dragged along without opposing.

***

Kai felt as if he had just had three energy drinks. He was going to face a dragon by himself – well, Pepin was there, but his weapon of choice was a feather duster – and he didn’t feel one smidge of fear. Too bad Milo wasn’t there; they would have a blast together.

The wind brushed his hair back as he rode the stallion Pepin had suggested as capable of taking them the fastest to where they needed to be. The servant rode behind him and had his arms wrapped around Kai’s waist, holding him tightly. He had stubbornly refused to ride on a different horse, claiming that it would only slow them down.

At first, he had been overly conscious of having the servant’s arms wrapped around him like that, but now he couldn’t deny that it was pleasant to feel someone so close. Pepin was the kind of guy that anyone would like. He was pretty, dutiful, honest, and determined. Much like Milo.

Ever since he had been transported to the kingdom of Ifigia, he hadn’t thought much about the real-life that he had left behind through no fault of his own. Well, he wasn’t entirely blameless since he had wished to disappear the moment Milo had confessed.

That brought more tangled thoughts to his mind. Could it be that Milo had felt like that about him for a long time? Since when? And where had he been while that happened? And if he was here, could it be that the prince had been transferred into his body? He had no answers, and all the anime series with people getting plunged into worlds different than theirs hadn’t involved body swaps.

Maybe he was making history. Yeah, he smiled. His story was unlike any other, and he wouldn’t google that to check, especially since he couldn’t as there was no internet in Ifigia.

The kingdom Prince Sebastian ruled over was a beautiful place. So far, they had traveled through large fields of cultivated lands and forests with lush greenery, rolling hills, and gentle rock formations. The night was falling, coloring the skies in tones of orange at the horizon.

“What do you know of dragons’ habits, Pepin?”

“What do you want to know?” Pepin replied with a question of his own.

“Like, do they sleep at night, or are they nocturnal? I bet they are nocturnal.”

“They enjoy dark places,” Pepin explained. “But villagers living close to the caves have reported attacks both during the night and day.”

“Hmm, maybe we’ll have to wake up the dragon, but it’s all for a good cause. Yet, is it more than one?”

“They are quite solitary creatures,” Pepin said. “I doubt we will find more than one.”

“All right. For my first time, I think it would be better to go against only one.”

“Your first time?”

“My first time going with you into battle,” Kai said promptly. “It’s not like I take you along all the time, right?”

Pepin wrapped his arms tightly around him. “You never take me with you. Sometimes I think you’re overprotective.”

“I don’t understand why. You seem like a guy who can hold his own,” Kai offered.

“I know,” Pepin replied, somewhat excited by those words. “Hey, do you think you can finally give me a sword?”

Hmm, he was starting to smell a trap. So Prince Sebastian didn’t let his manservant get anywhere near danger, which could mean one of two things. Either he was, as Pepin said, overprotective, or two, he thought his servant couldn’t hold a sword, to begin with.

“Let’s not rush,” Kai said. He had to learn about Prince Sebastian and his habits on the go, and it didn’t serve to change everything in a single day. “We’ll see about that.”

“I’m glad it’s not a ‘no’,” Pepin said happily.

“Can’t you tell that I’m only trying to protect you?” Kai asked, now more cautious than before.

“I’m not as puny as you think I am. And I’m capable of more than just drawing a bath and picking your outfit.”

“And cooking the most amazing food I’ve ever tasted,” Kai reminded him.

“True,” Pepin said proudly. “Still, you treat me like I’m some weakling. I’m sure that’s the only reason why you haven’t taken me to your bed until now.”

“Yeah, totally,” Kai said and sighed in pity for his own self and the predicament he was in due to Prince Sebastian’s taste for beautiful men.

“You see? I knew it! You like Conrad because he’s strong and a master swordsman.”

“I don’t like Conrad,” Kai denied. “I just don’t want him to die, well, because --” he stopped, not knowing exactly what kind of argument would be enough to convince Pepin he wasn’t into his captive-prince-slash-sex-slave-slash-royal concubine.

“Because?” Pepin insisted.

“Because it would make me sad,” Kai opted for the truth, as he saw it with sudden clarity.

Pepin remained quiet for a while. “People say you’re cold,” he began in a soft voice. “They say that it’s good that you have a strong sense of duty or else we would all be doomed. That everyone could die around you, and you wouldn’t shed a tear. Only fight until the bitter end.”

“Wow, no wonder no one has any lost love for me,” Kai said with a slight grunt. There was nothing he could compare with the feel of the wind in his face while riding on the back of that magnificent animal. He decided on the spot that horses were his favorite animals, starting now.

“That’s not true. I love you,” Pepin said simply.

“Oh, that’s, um, I mean, that’s… Thank you, Pepin,” Kai eventually managed to get the words out of his mouth.

“It’s all right. I don’t expect to hear the words back.” Much to his surprise, Pepin didn’t sound sad as he spoke.

That was one more thing to admire about the royal servant. He didn’t expect anything in return, and Kai felt guilty. There were so many things he should have been thankful for, like his mother’s love, Milo’s friendship, and even Tani’s sisterly nagging. Instead, he had glided through it all for the last couple of years, like he didn’t care where the ship of his life chose to sail.

But now, things were different. Now, he had a purpose, a goal. He had to make a dragon cry so that he could save the man dying in his chambers because he had chosen to put himself between a poisoned blade and Prince Sebastian, a guy who, so far, seemed quite the badass, but one without that much of a heart.

The wind brought a faint scent of sulfur. They must be getting close if his experience with video games had taught him anything.

TBC