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How many fake smiles would he be able to put on his face before someone noticed he didn’t want to be there?
Shiro’s record was around 45 or so, he thought. Princess Allura had hidden a giggle when an old woman had decided to follow him and try to convince him to meet her beautiful and definitely single niece at the last ball.
It had been his breaking point. No one was strong enough to endure that.
He was doing better this time, though.
The music was lovely. The alcoholic drinks, sweet and not so strong. Keith had only sent a glare to Prince’s Lance way instead of fist-fighting him on the middle of the dance floor.
Better than a birthday present, really.
Still, when four boring hours passed, Shiro was desperate for a break. His jaw ached from all that smiling–and it was really past his bedtime but he wasn’t going to admit that–, he needed some alone time.
He located Keith easily enough. The young prince was sitting next to one of the Holt siblings, a tiny altean prodigy that had the same mischief as him. Relieved that he seemed to be doing well, he started to walk to one the balconies.
The air was freezing yet his heated skin appreciated it, royal clothes were not only uncomfortable but too damn hot too.
Shiro suddenly wished he had brought some of those “cigarrettes” he had found on his last trip to the space mall.
“Hiding? Scandalous. Outrageous, even”
The unexpected voice startled him. He almost jumped off the ledge before his mind recognized the voice. Immediately, he hid his face in his hands and groaned.
“Adam, don’t do that.” He reprimanded him, too aware of his quickly heating cheeks. “I thought I had managed to bother some King.”
Adam hummed and took a step closer. He occupied the free space next to Shiro, arms crossed, enjoying the view.
“Wouldn’t that have been funny? Your lovely personality tainted forever.” Shiro rolled his eyes. “Imagine the headlines, Takashi Shirogane, Galran diplomat or big-sized toddler?”
He punched the altean on the shoulder.
Adam gasped. “And violent too? Careful, you are following every galra stereotype, I’m gonna start forgetting you’re a halfblood.” He mocked him.
Those words pronounced by any other person would sound vicious, hateful. Adam was not like that, though, even if he had tried to break one of Shiro’s fangs when they were kids.
In Shiro’s defense, he hadn’t been raised in altean customs, he didn’t know it was offensive to ask Adam why he was going white like his grandmother’s fur.
Besides, he was certain there was no way Adam could forget about his altean blood, not with how bright Shiro’s marks shone everytime Adam was close to him.
So Shiro didn’t answer anything, and Adam didn’t demand him to either. In a comfortable silence, Shiro was content to watch him. Adam’s freckles, his tired eyebags, chapped lips. Did he get new earrings? Purple looked nice on him.
“Prince Keith’s birthday is next month, his coming of age.” Adam whispered after a while.
“Oh,” Shiro nodded, “you are right, event of the year. It seems like yesterday he was still chasing his own tail.”
Adam tried his hardest to muffle his laugh, probably too used to keep his manners that he forgot he didn’t have to pretend with Shiro.
Maybe they had been away from each other for too long.
“You need to come.” Shiro found himself saying. Adam’s brows furrowed, his head slowly turned to look Shiro in the eye, and Shiro’s mark turned a rosy pink, like a teenager.
Adam was deep in thought for a few seconds. “Are you asking me on a date?”
What.
“No? Well, if you want- I mean, it would be nice to catch up?” Good save.
Adam smirked. “Alright, I’m pretty sure I’m expected to attend, though. You know, politics.” He took a step back, already making his way back inside. “But you can pick me up, if you want.”
Shiro licked his lips. “I do.”
“Great.” Shiro followed him, keeping his distance. Sometimes Adam eyed him like a predator.
If that made sense.
“Are you gonna dance with me or do I have to find someone that doesn’t have two left feet?”
Anything Adam wanted.
Thankfully, the party was the same as it was when Shiro left: Boring. No one had seemed to notice his–their actually–disappereance. If something had changed was the increased amount of alcoholic drinks guests were holding, most of them were giggling, definitely tipsy.
Shiro smiled inwardly. Well, better if they were not paying attention.
He let himself be led by Adam to the dancefloor, familiar with his game. In two blinks of an eye, Adam’s hands were already on his waist, holding him close. Shiro was not brave enough to look at him.
So he opened his mouth and started talking. About Keith’s lessons, the feline animal that he had started feeding everyday and maybe adopted in secret, Kolivan’s stern training sessions. Adam listened, offering quiet hums in response.
The song ended with a last twirl. Adam caught him easily before he tripped, clumsy as ever, and how was Shiro supposed to react when he was watching him with the most affectionate–and amused, it was fun seeing the always composed Shiro so flustered–expression on his face.
Just one move, a step closer, that’s the only thing Shiro would need to do to break the distance between them.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath.
And jumped in fear when a scream broke the peace.
Candlelights fell, every laugh and giggle stopped, people stumbled. Kolivan found prince Keith in the dark in a matter of seconds.
Then, chaos.
Someone grabbed Shiro’s hand and forced him to run and hide. He would have resisted if he hadn’t recognized Adam’s touch and still, he had been half-tempted to ask what the hell he was doing. Shiro was not a coward.
He went with him, opened his mouth to protest and closed it when his companion locked them up in a closet.
The sudden proximity made Shiro snap out of it. He grabbed the door handle but was stopped from doing anything by a firm hand on his wrist.
Shiro frowned. “We need to go, they might need help.”
Adam’s breath was strained. He didn’t argue, or said that Shiro was wrong. “I need you safe.”
He blinked, out of words just like that.
“Please.” Adam begged. So Shiro nodded and kept silent.
The closet was too small for two men of their size. They couldn’t have been there for more than a couple of minutes yet it felt like torture. Shiro’s face was too close to the altean’s chest. Adam’s arms had him caged against the wall.
Shiro had never felt hotter in
a place before.
Gulping in fear, he closed his eyes. This was going to be a long night, wasn’t it?