T W E N T Y-S E V E N

Sage crossed her arms with the elemnet of discipline in her eyes, which aimed directly at the two boys.

Their hopes that she wouldn't find out shriveled away when she appeared bursting into Iris's room. It wasn't Lilly's fault, she played a good ignorant person, but she couldn't stop Sage from sneaking past her and invading the prince's room.

"I cannot believe you two.." She muttered in a low voice, making them shrink where they sat. They both rested on the floor with their backs against Iris's bed. Since Sage had caught them in the middle of their conversation, she forced them to stay put on the bed; eventually they had just slipped down and sat on the carpet.

"In my defense, nothing bad happened," Iris bravely came clean first. He had not yet realized Sage had no authority over him, yet here he was questioning himself in her presence.

"Luckily. Have you any idea what could've happened if Kai-"

"No. Because I knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. You underestimate his control, Sage."

Kai glanced at Iris before looking back to his hands laying in his lap.

The female guard sighed and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Fine. But are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Iris refrain from touching the bandage on his neck, covering up his wound. "It doesn't hurt."

Sage sighed again. "I'm not going to ask specifically what happened, whether he gave in or you made him, I don't care. What's important now is the aftereffects. How in the hell are you going to hide that from your parents!?" She yelled, pointing at his neck.

Iris sat up straight when she began raising her voice. "I know it seems grave but it's not as bad of a situation as you think. I'll just wear clothes that hide my neck."

"In these summer days, wearing clothing like that is like asking to burn. And what if your parents do find out, prince, what then?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge if we get to it."

"Not if. When," Sage adverted her eyes to Kai, but continued to speak to the prince, "you know this will get out. And I pray that you know how to handle it as you claim you can."

Without giving Iris the chance to defend himself or Kai, Sage turned sharply on her heels and marched out of the room. Then the clock's ticking invaded his quarters. Until one spoke up.

"Well, though her voice was hostile, she didn't seem that angry.." Iris muttered almost cautiously.

Kai scoffed but with no emotions "No, no she's furious."

"Oh."

Kai dropped whatever smile he had when the bandage on Iris's neck caught his eyes. He sighed quietly, sadly, before resting his head on his shoulder.

Iris widened his eyes and about flinched away out of suprise. Kai hadn't stop feeling guilty, and he probably never would. But throughout their conversation, Iris gently nugged him in the direction of forgiving himself, and he did. He forgave himself for what he did but couldn't let go of the remorse.

"If something does happen, and I've been convicted..don't try to blame yourself, too. Everything is on me."

Iris pulled his eyebrows down and inched back, forcing Kai's head to lift off his shoulder.

"How can you even say that? I promised nothing would happen to you and I do not intend to have that vow broken," He cupped the vampire's face when he attempted to look away, "and if anything I am more guilty than you. I encouraged your actions."

"And I couldn't resist." Kai grabbed onto Iris's wrist, pulling his hands down, depriving his face from the warmth they gave. "When I should have."

"No. I forced you into a corner you couldn't escape even with all your will power," When Kai looked down, ashame written across his handsome features, Iris felt like his heart was glass. A jewel that was chipping every second he saw such an expression wear the vampire. "You're scared."

Without a word, or a glance, Kai indicated that he was right as he buried his face into Iris's neck-opposite of the one with the bandage, and wrapped his arms around his waist. He embraced him hard enough to convey the emotions he wished he didn't have.

Or didn't feel.

††

With his heavy curtains pulled back, the yellowish, white light of the young sun came pouring into Iris's room. With his window directly facing its rise, the light emitted traveled far enough to fill every inch of the room.

From inside his bathroom, Iris sucked in a breath as he touched the puncture wounds on his neck.

"Ew.." He sighed. It sent shivers down his spine just seeing two random holes in his neck.

"Ew?"

The prince blinked at his reflection before turning his head to see Kai leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He didn't even heard the door open.

Iris leaned off the counter, making Kai eye his shirtless torso. "It looks weird," He admitted, "do these wounds not get, I don't know, infected? Do they ever bleed again? Or are they just..there?"

Kai raised an eyebrow at his curiousness. "Um, no, no, and I guess?"

"Well you're the vampire. You should know about these things."

"Knowing specifically what happens to our victims' bite marks are not involved in our concern. I know it takes a few weeks for them to fade away."

"So, they don't leave scars?"

"No."

Iris sighed in relief. "That's good." He glanced back at his reflection before turning off the light and moving past Kai to exit the bathroom.

As he walked to his closet, Kai followed him like a duck. "Are you not going to recover it?"

Iris drew back his clothes, making an opening before he started searching for something certain.

"No. I'm basically trapped inside the mansion because my dad ordered so, and since I have little work to do I might as well stay huddled in my room.." He turned around with a shirt thrown over his arm, "So what's the point in wearing something uncomfortable if it's just us?"

Iris shut his closet door before walking over to his bed. And Kai proceeded to follow, which didn't go unnoticed because he's been doing this all day. Iris paused from setting his shirt down to shoot the vampire a curious look.

"Okay, what?"

"What?"

"Why are you trying to stay so close to me? If anything I figured you'd attempt to do the opposite."

Kai inhaled heavily while he sat down on the bed. "Am I being annoying?"

"Not necessarily."

He sighed again, "My first instincts were to distant myself from you. But then I realized that would probably not be the best decision and you might get upset by it. So I thought staying near you more would be better, but, I'm just making things weird...why are relationships so hard?"

Upon listening, Iris had widened his eyes and parted his lips with shock. He didn't know if it was Kai's efforts that swelled his heart or if it was the claim of a relationship. He practically threw his shirt away and sat down next to him.

"Are we, um," He cleared his throat, "are we..dating?"

Kai gazed at him, "Have we not been already?"

True, they never discussed their labels; if they were in a relationship stronger than that of friends or past the line of professional partners. They confessed to each other but that was about it.

"I-I guess so. I didn't realize."

"Well," Kai chuckled, "I don't think we can kiss so passionately and stay just friends."

Iris joined him with a laugh. "Okay, true." But when he leaned forward just an inch, Kai showed his hesitation. "And..we can still be like that, right?"

"Yes, it's just.."

Iris smiled gently and leaned away. "If it's so urgent you'd say it without a pause-no matter how hurtful it could sound." He said while picking up his shirt. When he stood, his wrist was captured.

"Is it okay to act the same? Is what I'm worried about."

"You think I'd be nervous about it, because of what happened?" The vampire nodded and Iris chuckled again, "Kai, nothing you do can alter my feelings in a negative way. You can still treat me the same."

Welcoming the sudden dash of confidence, Iris grabbed Kai's hands and placed them on his waist, tingling as he felt his cold fingers touch his skin.

"I want you to treat me the same."

Kai stared at Iris's chest before glancing up, cursing at himself for letting even the tinest bit of red crawl onto his cheeks. He stood up suddenly and engulfed the prince's lips with his own.

But despite kissing him like he used to, it was a farewell type kiss; one you show the pause he was setting in their affection.

He pulled away and placed a finger on Iris's lips. "Okay, but it might take me a little longer to do that."

Iris frowned against his index finger. That was going to be complex for the prince, because just the smallest kiss Kai bestowed him turned his mind into mush and made his heart beat wildly. Even a touch or one of his famous smirks does wonders to him.

When Kai backed up it took Iris a few seconds to flinch out of a sudden daze and run in front of him.

"Wait. One more."

Kai arched an eyebrow and Iris pouted innocently; guilt tripping the vampire without opening his mouth.

"I wasn't ready the first time."

Kai rolled his eyes but his body was already leaning forwards.

Iris wasn't the only one who was going to roughly suffer from the pause in their affection. Kai felt like he was living in paradise, in vampire heaven when he did anything loving with Iris. He made him a hundred percent vulnerable, which meant he had no walls to block off emotions. He was in it just as deep as Iris.

From every glance to every kiss, they both loved it. But for Iris especially, he couldn't wait until they got to a point where a chaste kiss just wasn't enough.