A/N: I've decided to upload all my fics into a single account. eye of the beholder until let the walls break down were originally only uploaded to my AO3 account, callingthequits. Then I went back to my roots and thought, "Hey, why not post it on Fanfiction too?" so here I am.
"You just feel so," the other man stopped for a pause, possibly trying to think of what to say.
Tony smiled quietly to himself, before saying, "Trapped?"
The other man (Tony really needs to know his name) stopped, then stared at him slack-jawed, his blonde hair covering his eyes for a bit. Shame, his eyes were a really pretty shade of blue. He choked out, "But you - you live in the palace! I mean, not to be rude, or anything. But that's better than staying here, where you starve, and have no friends, are virtually alone, and-"
"Are free?" He asked him. Tony stood up and looked out the window, heaving a small sigh for effect. "You know, living in the palace isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, any little girl out there will tell you that all she wants to be is the pretty princess with the prince and the kingdom and the gold, but..."
When he looked back, the other man (seriously, what is this guy's name?) looked a bit sheepish. It's a bit adorable, and whoa Tony what are you thinking. "Um," he said, laughing a bit, "I guess I never thought to see of it that way. I, uh, guess that means you're trapped too? Not, not to mean it in a bad way." Trailing off, he looked a bit awkward and even...apologetic? What?
And Tony stared at him, a little bit in disbelief and a slight tinge of wonder, before letting himself smile. Huh. He forgot what it felt like to smile. "I guess," he whispered, "it's okay for your basic needs in life. But other than that?" He gave a sardonic smirk which makes the other man in front of him cringe, "It's a pretty good substitute for a prison."
It's silent for a moment, then the other man laughs. Actually laughs, as if he just said something funny. Tony stared at him blankly, although his heart might have stopped for a moment, and that's not supposed to happen. He probably has to go to a healer or something. This is probably a very serious medical condition and he needs to get checked, now.
Ignoring his mental panic, he raised his eyebrow at him and asked, "What?"
And the other man grinned, and Tony is distracted for a moment, and said, "Nothing, I just thought it probably would be, considering it's a palace. My name is-"
Of course, that's when the palace guards barge in.
Allah damn it all.