F O R T Y-E I G H T

After a few weeks went by, Iris's hand was fully healed, even though it was already feeling fine a few days after the incident. He confronted his dad and Arlo agreed to let him train, so he started early on a Monday morning. They finished around noon.

Iris took a quick shower and him and Kai relaxed in his room. They talked while lounging on Iris's bed.

Their conversation drifted here and there but they chatted about one thing for a long time and it seemed to keep their attention on edge. Iris thought about how revolutionary it would be if there was a weapon that could kill a vampire with one swipe. Kai thought more on the chaotic side than revolutionary.

"Think about the greed humans–even vampires–would be overcome with," Kai explained, and eventually Iris agreed with him.

The topic faded and they laid in silence.

Their relationship was vaguely built off of silence. And a lot of it. It became clear to Kai that Iris didn't necessarily like to be alone, regardless of how much he said he did, Iris just didn't have the voice to admit it. They sprouted in comfortable silence because most of the time that's all they had to offer. Kai wasn't too good at communicating, he never knew what to say-but Iris seemed to think differently. Though his eyes wandered around, Iris's attention was always focused on what Kai had to say, and Kai always listened to Iris in return.

But Iris never talked about anything personal to Kai, it was always dumb complaints or random thoughts.

"Hey, do you-" Iris was in the middle of asking another question when his bedroom door opened suddenly, followed by Arlo's voice. Iris and Kai sat up from the bed and looked at him with blank faces.

They were laying in opposite directions, Iris was facing the door and Kai was facing the window, their bodies were scooted to the edges so their legs hung off the bed and as they laid, their heads were beside each other. Kai turned his body so his knee was on the bed and he facing the King.

Arlo's expression stalled for a second before he smiled at them. "My apologies for disturbing your conversation, but uh, Iris.." Arlo tapped his wrist while looking at his son, "the meeting."

"Oh yeah." Iris closed his eyes and groaned. "Do I have to go?"

"Yes."

Iris crossed his arms and glared at the floor. "But Amilea is going to be there." Iris shivered thinking about calling her mother or mom, or even Queen. She wasn't any of those in his eyes.

Arlo sighed and copied Iris by crossing his own arms over his chest. "You will barely have to interact with her. It won't be so bad."

"I'd rather not be in the same room as her." Iris shook his head, not faltering his displeasure.

"Well, you don't have a choice. Sorry."

Iris rolled his eyes. "You're not," He muttered. He stood up while pulling his coat with him and tugged it back on.

Arlo moved aside as Iris slipped past him and he sighed. Arlo told Kai what to do during the meeting, and with a nod, all three of them walked to his office. The usual were there, all fifteen seats were filled up and Iris was the last to sit down, right next to his mother. She smiled at him, cherry red lips curling with emptiness, and Iris ignored her. It took a lot to keep his back rigid and eyes pensive; curling his fingers in his palms helped mildly. He pressed them against his thighs and proceeded to nod like a robot, listen like he cared, and try not to let his eyes meander back to Kai, who stood by the door.

After the hour and a half meeting was over, all the guests met in the dining room, recollecting their thoughts and sharing the ones that never got put into words. Arlo was talking with one of the generals while the other guests formed a circle and chatted themselves. Iris was hovering next to his dad and the general because he somehow ended up in their conversation. He was one sentence away from escaping when a heavily perfumed body stood next to him. Iris looked to his right to see a wicked red smile. Amilea loved her makeup.

"I hope you don't mind me joining you." She brushed her bangs to the side and clinked her rings against her wine glass.

Iris fought back the urge to roll his eyes, and unfortunately he was pulled back into their conversation. He sighed and bit back an even stronger urge to glare at his mother, who leaned against the bar they stood by and eyed the general, who shamelessly did it back. They thought they were being subtle, maybe they were and Iris was just too used to seeing that look in her eyes. He felt uncomfortable, uneasy, and suddenly he felt like his lungs were shrinking. The discomfort, the anger, it made his blood rage in his ears, silencing another topic orbiting around his existence.

"Oh, yes, he definitely is."

Iris flinched when an arm snaked around his shoulder and his head snapped to the side. He stared down at his mother who squeezed his shoulder, her nails digging into him, and she smiled at him with a look he couldn't read, but it wasn't near kind. Her lips moved but he didn't hear what words escaped them as he jerked away from her, bumping a stool as he did.

A smirk flashed on her lips before they curled down and she laid a hand over her chest. "Dear, are you okay?" Her voice was laced in fake concern, in mockery.

Iris shook his head slightly and scoffed in her face. "I really despise you," He muttered under his breath and turned away from them, from the actual worry his dad wore, and marched out of the room.

Kai turned his head towards the door when it slammed and he studied the King, Queen, and the general. His attention was focused on the conversation the other's were having instead of Iris, so when he noticed his disappearance he immediately leaned off the wall and walked over to the door.

"No one dismissed you."

Kai froze at Amilea's low tone and instead of staring at her with confusion, he looked at the King; hoping, wishing, he'd defend him.

When Amilea started turning her body, Arlo put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Go ahead," He told Kai, and nodded at him.

Kai didn't spare a glance at the Queen as he continued leaving the room. Amilea's voice raised as he was in the hall and he hurried away, not wanting a headache to grow from her tone.

It didn't take him long to find Iris pacing on the walkway outside, right in front of the four feet tall wall. He stopped, sighed, and leaned on it with his palms. Kai waited for a second before walking out from the shadows.

"I don't know what happened but that was a bit pointless. Walking out like that."

Iris frowned and glanced over his shoulder at Kai. "Nothing is ever really pointless. It's perspective that makes one think so," He said and looked back ahead.

"Okay, as a vampire who is pretty experienced with anger I can confirm that storming out like that was pretty pointless."

Iris shook his head but stayed silent for a moment. "You don't understand," He sighed. "I can't despise her enough. She's a poor mother, a maker of affairs, a cheater–and that's not even the worst part. My dad knows. He's always known, and he claims he still loves her." He scoffed and shook his head again. "Anyways, if criticizing me was your only objective for finding me, you're excused." Iris dropped his gaze to the grass feet bellow him, wishing he could jump over the wall and not break his limps like the vampires could.

Kai looked up towards the sky, contemplating, hearing the King's suggestion he made a long time ago play through his head like an annoying but catchy folk song. He sighed and uncrossed his arms.

"Have you.." Kai stood next to Iris, making the prince narrow his eyes at him. Kai cleared his throat, "Have you ever, like, considered talking about it to someone? Someone professional?"

Iris stared at him like he was crazy, he even took a single step away from him. "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because–well, it helps."

Iris shook his head and looked back towards the gardens, except a conflicted expression wore his face. He frowned, pulling his eyebrows down, and glanced at Kai.

"Does it?"

"Does it what?"

"Does it help?" Iris sighed.

Kai's own features softened and he lowered his gaze. "I heard it does. I believe it will," He said.

Iris watched him before crossing his arms and huffing, he said, "Well, I don't like talking to strangers." And he said it with promise.

Kai smiled. "You talked to me."

"You're different."

"How so?"

Iris made an impatient expression. "You just are. I don't want to talk to anyone."

With shivers, the breeze blew passed and silenced them. Kai then noticed how cold it was, but he wasn't shuddering like Iris was. Kai wanted to tell him they should go inside, out of the cold, but something else came to mind.

The way the two talked to each other felt distant. When Iris talked to Kai, the vampire never quite felt like Iris was talking to him, if that even made a lick of sense. And that started to bug him.

"You can talk to me." Kai blurted out.

The tension on Iris's face faded into surprise, then to something almost amused.

"You're my personal bodyguard, not my personal therapist."

"I'll still listen. Yes, I'm not good with–with this type of stuff, but I'll try–I'll learn." When Iris still had uncertainly written across his face, Kai ran a hand through his cold hair and sighed. "Look, I'm not your babysitter, I'm a guard, and as your guard I'm supposed to protect you from harm." Kai looked into Iris's eyes before glancing down. He lifted a hand and lightly tapped the spot over Iris's heart.

"What you keep in here is even more harmful than here." He points at Iris's head. "Someone once told me thoughts are dangerous, they're like a sharp pointed sword, but your emotions are the one that uses that sword; for protection, or as a weapon. I'll listen to you, Iris, and you can perceive me as your guard, as a stranger, or...something else."

The wind blew again, and gratefully it was the perfect excuse for the blush forming on Iris's face. He quickly looked away, heart fluttering, fingers tingling, and happiness roaring. Iris cleared his throat and squeezed his hands behind his back.

"Thank you," He said. The wind carried his voice like a hum; a thankful, happy tone. Before Kai could say anything back, Iris stood up straight and cleared his throat once more. "Lets go in now." He walked passed Kai while holding his face in his hands, his skin cold despite his blush.

Kai smiled and followed him.

But stopped within a few steps and looked towards the gardens when a rustling sound caught his ears. It was faint, and it could have been the wind, but the atmosphere changed. He narrowed his eyes but Iris's voice stopped him from searching the area.

His nerves were on edge but he continued to smile at the prince.

**

The original quote is, "Thoughts are dangerous, they're like a loaded gun. However, your emotions are the ones that pull the trigger; and it's either for protection, or for a weapon." Buuuut there are no guns in their time period, so I improvised :)

-Niky