Laslow stepped quietly through the hallways of the new Castle Krakenburg. Following the resolution of the war and once he had been officially coronated, Xander elected to have the original castle destroyed in an attempt to subdue the bad memories that came with it. Unlike its predecessor, the new castle was brightly decorated thanks largely to Camilla's hand.
The man now traversing this building was one of two personal retainers to King Xander. However, what even Xander did not know was that his real name wasn't Laslow - it was Inigo, and he was from another world, alongside his companions Odin and Selena (real names Owain and Severa), the retainers of Prince Leo and Princess Camilla, respectively. They were hired by Anankos himself to defend his child and, though that task had been fulfilled, they remained in Nohr. It was Inigo's suggestion - the tale he wove was that their lieges would want their help in rebuilding the kingdom. But this was merely an excuse to keep Owain and Severa from dragging him back, if only for a short while. The truth was that Inigo had fallen in love.
This love was, of course, forbidden - otherwise Inigo would have already pursued it, as he was known for - and he couldn't bear to think of what might happen if anyone found out. The only thought scarier was the thought of being separated from his love by the gap between worlds.
Who was this love, you ask? The answer is simple: the man who had called Laslow to his quarters minutes prior, and the reason Laslow was walking the halls this late at night.
Laslow knocked on the door cautiously. "Lord Xander? I was told you asked for me." There was a brief silence, then...
"Of course. Come on in."
The Ylissean boy was quite anxious as he walked into his master's room. Not only was the sexual tension nigh unbearable, but his liege also had particularly strict rules for his retainers; rules which Laslow was now notorious for breaking. Although he couldn't precisely pinpoint which rule he had broken this time, he was sure that had to be the case; the only question was, what would his punishment be? "Have I done something wrong?" he asked, forcing a confident grin as he took a look at his liege. During the war, Xander could rarely be spotted without his signature armor, but now that the war was over, he was almost constantly in casual wear. Though his armor added to his intimidating figure, he hardly needed the assistance as he stood well over six feet tall and had an attractive, muscular build. He currently wore a loose-fitting white button-up shirt with the top three buttons undone, leaving much of his pale chest visible, and tight-fitting pants tucked into his boots, accentuating his... Laslow chose to end the train of thought there.
Xander smiled but shook his head. "Of course not." Relief washed over the retainer. "I merely... would like to request a favor."
Laslow blushed. "A favor? Of what sort, milord? I would be honored to assist you in any way."
"I'm sure you're aware that the ball celebrating the end of the war is to be held at Castle Krakenburg this weekend, yes?" Xander asked. Laslow's heart sunk. He suddenly had an idea of where this was going.
"Of course." Despite his nervousness, Laslow couldn't help but notice Xander was quickly becoming flustered, a rare sight on the confident prince, though the appearance of a gently blush gracing the object of his affections' face was enough to force the Ylissean boy to crack another smile.
"Well... I am expected to lead the first waltz of the night," Xander explained. "Unfortunately... I have never danced."
"Is that so?" Laslow questioned, playing dumb to what he was nearly positive Xander would be asking. "I would think the crown prince of Nohr would have such classical training."
Xander smiled again, though he was still blushing. "Yes, well... With the state of things in Nohr, celebrations were few and far between. The few tutors I was supplied with taught me very little out of fearing they would somehow upset someone and end up the next in a long list of casualties. The little I learned I have long since forgotten."
Laslow braced himself for the next sentence.
"But... Corrin mentioned to me that you are quite the talented dancer."
The deep red on his face was hard to hide, though Laslow did his best. "I wouldn't say that. But I do, errr... have some training from my mother. She was much more talented than I."
"Could you show me a few steps?" Xander asked. "Just enough to get through one dance."
How could he say no? No, seriously, he needed some ideas. "I-If you insist... A waltz, you say?"
He took a deep breath, shook off as much fear of embarrassment as he could, and stepped closer to Xander. "Let's start with position. I will be the... errr... woman." He scowled at how quickly his blush returned. "Place your right hand on my left shoulder blade."
Xander tentatively reached out. "Like this?"
"Right. Now I put my hand here..." Laslow had to reach close to the end of his arm length to place his hand on Xander's shoulder. "And we lock our other hands like this..." Laslow gently guided Xander's hand before placing his hand on top. They were now unbearably close together.
"What next?" Xander asked quietly, looking into Laslow's eyes.
"Uh... you have to..." Laslow cleared his throat, hoping it would knock a few dirty thoughts out, too. "Keep your right arm firm. I'm going to lean back... you have to support my weight."
Xander's eyes went wide. "Uh, alright."
"Are you ready?" Laslow asked, praying to all the gods he knew from the worlds he had traversed that he wouldn't hit the floor. Xander tentatively nodded, cueing Laslow to let himself fall back. Fortunately, Xander's strong arm caught him.
"How's that?" Xander asked.
"P-Perfect," Laslow answered, flustered. "This is the position for a proper waltz. Now the steps. Step forward with your right foot..."
Xander took a step towards Laslow, Laslow following out of his way. "Use your right hand to guide me. Now with your left foot, step to the side..."
They danced awkwardly in a square for a bit, Laslow giving tips and Xander blushing and apologizing every time he stepped on his smaller partner's foot. Laslow worked through the pain, though he mentally noted that he might want to see Elise to make sure no bones were broken. Once Xander seemed to have it down, Laslow introduced a rhythm.
"Now, move on one," Laslow explained. "On two and three, gently lift each foot." Xander nodded, not quite understanding, but observing Laslow's demonstration closely until he did. "And this time, when you step to the side, angle the step so that we move in a circle. It's more elegant."
They practiced this for awhile, the taller man guiding the shorter in small circles as the latter counted out the rhythm. Compared to their squares, there were much fewer squashed toes. Laslow soon found himself completely wrapped up in the dance, lost in his partner's eyes and strong, muscular hands...
"What next?" Xander asked, ripping Laslow from his fantasy. Laslow cleared his throat again. "Let's try something more complicated. This time, when we get to the third measure, use your left hand to spin me..."
They spent hours perfecting the technique, eventually adding music. The longer the night went on, the more infatuated Laslow became with his handsome king and his occasionally clumsy but often graceful movements.
"Perfection, milord," Laslow said once they made it through the song one last time. "I do believe you're ready."
"Wait," Xander interrupted. "There's one more thing I want to try. How do I... dip you?"
Laslow tensed up. "Erm... I've never actually tried that before. I think I can show you... as long as you promise you won't drop me."
Xander grinned. "I'll never drop you."
A blush graced the retainer's face for the millionth time that night as he began the lesson. A few test runs proved Xander could keep his word, so Laslow started the music back up.
The men moved perfectly in sync, their eyes caught in a hopeless gaze as they danced in circles. Towards the end of the song, Xander spun Laslow out and dipped him, leaning to keep their faces close. However, instead of standing back up and returning to the beat as Laslow expected, Xander froze. Their eyes were still locked together, Laslow searching for a sign of what was about to happen before becoming flustered and turning away. To his surprise, the king's free hand reached his chin and guided it back to look at him. And before Laslow could have a second thought, his lips were caught against Xander's in a long held-back kiss. The music played behind them as Xander cradled his retainer, his companion, his best friend and true love; and Laslow melted into his liege's arms.
As the music faded away, Xander's lips left Laslow, leaving him feeling colder and more alone than ever before. Once Laslow was standing straight, Xander cleared his throat and stepped back. "There is... one more question I wanted to ask you," the king said, his face pink.
"Yes, milord?" Laslow replied, still in a bit of a daze.
"Would you be my date to the dance?"
"I would be honored."
Laslow's cold loneliness was quickly replaced as a second kiss sealed the deal, this one heated and passionate as years of holding back their love for one another was released in a frenzy, buttons scattering and closely followed by their corresponding fabric...