Notes: this originally started as a challenge fic for June last year, oops? The challenge was an 'aliens made me do it!' fic, and this is how my mind ran with it.
Summary: When Kai-stern slips up at a royal event, he accidently drags Tetheus into a situation neither wish to be in.
Mistake, Unexpected: chapter one.
He really should have known better. It was the type of mistake that anyone could have made really, but it was the type of mistake that Kai-stern was especially supposed to know how to avoid making. Hundreds of years of diplomatic work had meant that he knew how to read complete strangers at a glance, and it was incredibly rare for him to not know the integrate social graces of most cultures.
And he, of all people, really should have known better.
The wedding between the high priestess of Hartia and the region's crown prince was a highbrow affair, the guests coming from far and distant lands. Ruwalk had been left in charge of the castle so that Lykouleon and Raseleane could attend, and while this was the sort of thing that Kai-stern went to on a fairly regular basis anyway, even Tetheus and Alfeegi had been included on the invitation list. Neither particularly wanted to go, but the Hartians were a very sensitive race where even the tiniest hint of a slight could have far reaching consequences. Kai-stern had been in charge of debriefing them both, and he had calmly gone through the long list of non-acceptable behaviour and how to react when (one almost always did) a situation arose.
It hadn't been either Tetheus or Alfeegi who had messed up in the end but Kai-stern himself. It had been a stupid slip, one that he hadn't even realised he'd made until much later in the evening. If Alfeegi had been on time like he always was, then Kai-stern was certain that everything would have gone completely smoothly - it wouldn't have even been possible for Kai-stern to slip up in the first place. However, Alfeegi had been pounced upon the moment he'd entered the castle by a like-minded Hartian with stars in his eyes. Talking numbers and finance even before he introduced himself, the Hartian had ended up dragging Alfeegi off for a tour of the castle and his office, although Kai-stern had a feeling that Alfeegi had not minded nearly as much as he pretended to. They'd agreed to meet up with Alfeegi later at dinner, but Alfeegi had been late.
As it was, one of the royal advisors had met just the four of them at the door to the grand dining hall.
"Lord Lykouleon," the advisor dipped low in greeting before continuing on. "And this is your partner for the evening?"
"Yes. This is my wife, Raseleane." The couple exchanged a sweet smile.
"And you are being accompanied also this evening, Officer Kai-stern?" He'd been to Hartia on several occasions before, and was more familiar with all of the royal advisors than Lykouleon himself was.
"Yes, this is Tetheus. Black Officer of Draqueen." They were ushered in and seated altogether, a spare seat left for the absent Alfeegi. Kai-stern hadn't even noticed when the advisor had whispered something to his aid as they began the pre-wedding feast.
And it had been a stupid, stupid mistake. It was only when they were shown their rooms that it dawned on Kai-stern that his words might not have been interpreted in the spirit he'd intended them to be.
"Kai-stern," Tetheus' voice was deadly quiet, his form even more rigid than usual. "Why do you think the Hartians would put us in the same room?"
"Perhaps they weren't quite as prepared as they thought for so many guests?" Kai-stern offered optimistically, smiling in a way that hopefully appeared both confident and clueless.
"And I suppose they happen to be suffering from a bed shortage as well." Tetheus was far from convinced, his eyes on the large, double bed that took up an unseemly large portion of the room. "Perhaps you could go clear this up and get us a room – or at least a bed – each?" It was not a suggestion, but without offending the Hartians? Not a chance. Tetheus seemed to read the look that flashed across Kai-stern's face perfectly, as he simply narrowed his eyes dangerously in Kai-stern's direction as he sat down on the edge of the bed, pushing the issue no further.
"At least the bed is big enough for the both of us," Kai-stern said brightly, desperately trying to find something positive to cling to.
Tetheus glared at him.
Kai-stern slept on the floor.
The next morning brought breakfast and their first day playing at being a happy couple. The others knew what was going on, although Kai-stern had no idea exactly how they found out. Lykouleon and Raseleane were both openly sympathetic, but only a fool would have believed that Alfeegi felt the same way. Tetheus had come to the conclusion the previous night that the best way to deal with this would be to simply spend as much time apart as possible, giving the impression that they were merely too busy to spend any time together. Kai-stern had agreed, not only because it was a decent enough plan as far as plans went, but because Tetheus had that look on his face that practically dared Kai-stern to disagree with him only if he no longer valued his own life.
And the plan worked perfectly well, at least for the first few hours. Then, one of the officials pulled Kai-stern aside, quietly asking him if the Hartians were keeping him from his partner, as no one had seen them together since morning. It was said with such earnestness that Kai-stern had no choice but to force a grin and say that he was, in fact, currently right in the process of tracking down his erratic lover.
He found Tetheus in the courtyard, engaged in a quiet conversation with some of the Hartian guards. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the other man, placed an almost apologetic kiss against his cheek, and then turned his attention towards the guards, easily joining the conversation. Tetheus played along perfectly - only Kai-stern noticed his sudden tension - and the rumours of a lover's quarrel practically evaporated.
It was something that was somehow particularly ironic, considering the moment they were alone the two 'lovers' did exactly that.
"You have an explanation, I suppose?" The words were spoken quietly, but the anger behind them was far from subtle.
"I had no choice." And Kai-stern had made the original mistake, but Tetheus wasn't making this any bloody easier. "Unless you enjoy having the entire palace talking openly about your disastrous love life."
"A love life that doesn't actually exist."
Kai-stern understood that Tetheus was a deeply private person, and he hated the fact that he'd dragged the officer into this mess with him. But there were only so many times he could apologise, and he couldn't keep trying to make things right when it simply wasn't possible to do so.
"It does now." Calm eyes held just a hint of their own anger. "You know as well as I do how shaky our relations with the Hartians are, if they discovered that we weren't in a relationship it could destroy years of hard work." It would have been bad enough if the Hartians had found out that they weren't a couple back when this whole mess started, but to be caught attempting to fool the Hartians into believing they were one was an even worse prospect. "It's only for four days. All I'm asking is that you attempt to make our 'relationship' believable."
"Believable." Tetheus echoed the word unemotionally, his eyes flickering to the two Hartians who had just entered the corridor. Kai-stern barely had a moment to follow Tetheus' gaze before he found himself pushed against the cold stone wall. One strong hand strayed possessively to his hip, while the other pressed firmly against Kai-stern's shoulder, keeping him in place.
"Demons," Tetheus spoke, his tone low and holding just a hint of husk, "don't make a habit out of kissing people on the cheek." The kiss that followed was rough and intense, and Kai-stern found himself so completely lost in the sudden taste and feel of the other man that it was several, long moments before he realised that instinct had kicked in and he was kissing Tetheus back.
"I'll have to remember that," Kai-stern said with mock seriousness when the kiss ended, and it was easy to forget just for a moment that this was all a charade. "So, we are agreed?" Even as he spoke the words, his hands still lingered on Tetheus shoulders. It was almost impossible to comprehend how insanely attractive Tetheus was at that moment, pressed ridiculously close against Ka-stern, his intense eyes focussed solely on his own.
Especially considering that Tetheus was, well, Tetheus. It wasn't that he wasn't certainly an attractive man, but Kai-stern had known that more by default it seemed as opposed to ever really having properly looked at him.
"As long as you think you can be believable in your role." And Kai-stern was damn near positive that a smirk flickered briefly across Tetheus' lips before fading quickly away.
"That shouldn't be too difficult."
"If you're worried about rumours spreading again, being late for dinner probably won't help." It wasn't Tetheus who replied, and Kai-stern chuckled lightly as he slipped under Tetheus' arm and turned to Lykouleon, smiling warmly. His Lordship looked decidedly amused - as did Raseleane, but poor Alfeegi appeared rather dumbstruck. In fact, Alfeegi might have stopped breathing all together.
"Tetheus and I were just sorting out some of the terms of our arrangement," he replied easily, his grin only widening as Alfeegi did then breathe, a rasped, shocked breath that echoed through the corridors. "It will all be for naught if we're not convincing enough to fool people."
"There is a difference between being convincing and practically having sex in public!" Alfeegi burst in, causing Lykouleon to dip his head to hide his amusement and Raseleane to swallow back a giggle.
"If that is what members of the Dragon Clan consider to be sex, then it seems it would most definitely be best to stick with demons." Kai-stern's 'innocent' remark only served to infuriate Alfeegi further, and instead of replying – Kai-stern highly doubted he actually had a comeback – Alfeegi stormed down the corridor, huffing and stomping as he went.
Fighting back laughter, the two 'couples' followed after him.
Dinner was an elaborate affair, just as the previous evening had been. There were less people this time and more politics, and while the festive atmosphere remained, it became obvious that this marriage had far less to do with love than the bards were currently spinning into their tales. Alfeegi appeared a little aghast by it all but managed to keep quiet at Lykouleon's side, while Kai-stern was far more used to relationships that were based on money, power, or security than any actual romantic feelings in general.
And it was a sign that he had been doing this job for far too long.
Tetheus was the perfect dining partner, knowing almost by instinct that Kai-stern wasn't merely wining and dining. There were some days when a diplomatic mission met its success or failure solely at the dinner table, and tongues loosened just slightly by wine could often be far more telling than hours of counsel. Mainly keeping silent, Tetheus still managed to occasionally interject into conversations at precisely the right moments, making him less a somewhat attractive accessory and more a partner in crime.
Kai-stern, who had a general hatred for anything that meant interacting with politicians, could not remember diplomacy ever being quite this enjoyable.
There was always going to be a stage when he was approached by someone; a corner to be whisked away to for a quiet chat; a politician who needed a private word. It would be far too dangerous for anyone to approach Lykouleon – falling foul of him could only be disastrous – but Kai-stern was a risk worth taking, if only because he would be easier to kill. Tetheus' eyes narrowed slightly when the third youngest prince asked Kai-stern exactly that, wondering if he would mind a private chat out on one of the far balconies. The prince's eyes drifted briefly to Tetheus, and while the attempt at subtlety was applaudable, that did not change the fact that it was obvious to anyone who might have been ears dropping on the softly spoken conversation that Tetheus was not invited.
Tetheus' eyes narrowed further.
"I'll be there in a couple of minutes," Kai-stern said with a smile, before turning to Tetheus. The demon's gaze stayed on the prince as he made his way out to the balcony, and it was only when he was gone from sight that Tetheus met Kai-stern's gaze, one eyebrow slightly arched. "He's young," Kai-stern offered, a hint of humour in his voice. "I'll be able to talk him out of whatever silly scheme he's come up with to overthrow his brother."
"You do this often."
"You mean put down revolutions and preventing civil wars while looking dashing in an expensive suit?" Kai-stern's smile slowly morphed into a grin. "All the time."
"Impressive, and here I thought you only came to this kind of thing for the free wine." Tetheus' replied dryly.
"That as well." It was the kind of unabashed honesty that got him into so much trouble with Alfeegi, but it didn't appear to bother Tetheus at all. Instead, Kai-stern had the distinct impression that the only reason that Tetheus chose to take a sip of his wine at tat exact moment was to mask a smile.
"Don't be too long with your prince; people might start to believe you're having an affair with him." It was the closest Tetheus ever came to expressing out right concern, and Kai-stern was a little touched, even if he hardly required Tetheus' worry. Looked over princes who wanted to take control of their kingdom were a dime a dozen.
"We wouldn't want that," Kai-stern agreed lightly, however, playing along even though Tetheus surely saw through his words. "I don't plan on being long, either way."
"Then I will see you soon." A short nod, a slight straightening of his back. Kai-stern had the feeling he'd just been dismissed.
His smirk was the only warning Tetheus had before Kai-stern slowly wrapped his arms around Tetheus' waist and drew him close, placing a feather light kiss against his lips. Where Tetheus' kiss earlier had been raw and pure heat, this was instead a quiet, personal promise. If Tetheus looked just the tiniest bit dazed when Kai-stern pulled back, then it was really only fair.
"Humans," he whispered softly and with just a touch of smugness, one hand slowly trailing down behind Tetheus' right ear, "don't make a habit out of simply saying goodbye."
"I'll have to remember that."
With a grin and a backwards wave, Kai-stern was off; ready to face his far-too-young prince and the three guards he planned to overthrow the castle with. The plot turned out to be even more ridiculous than Kai-stern had been expecting, and it was easy to convince the poor fool that while having a huge amount of power, wealth and prestige might be difficult, it was far more pleasurable than being hanged for treason.
It took longer than he expected even though the process itself was deceptively simple, and by the time they had finished most of the guests had retreated back to their rooms – Tetheus included. Kai-stern wasn't all that looking forward to sleeping on the floor again, but he found when he returned to his room that Tetheus was reluctantly willing to share the bed, just as long as Kai-stern kept on his half.
"It wouldn't be all that convincing if someone stumbled over you when they came to get us for breakfast," was Tetheus' only response.
Kai-stern was hardly one to argue with logic such as that.