Title: Prince in Disguise

Prompt: Imagine (10/50)

Rating: G

It was a cool autumn night as Kit and Nita sat out on the large bench swing that adorned the Rodriguez's porch. The wind blew softly, messing up her hair and caused her to shiver slightly in her sweatshirt.

Kit felt this and gently wrapped an arm around her, tucking the wayward strands behind her ear. She sighed contentedly, and he smiled, neither wanting to break the amiable silence that had settled around them like the blanket they shared.

Nita buried her head deeper into his shoulder, it was much more tense than usual for the easy going man. She looked up at him, still embedded in the folds of his hoodie.

"Something's bothering you."

He looked down at her and stared at her curiously, her cheeks reddened by the slight chill.

"Really now? Do tell."

"Kit."

"What? I'm just curious about what's bothering me since you seem so informed."

"All the more reason for you to share."

Their eyes met and narrowed, trying to get the other to break in the battle of wits that had locked them. The street lights blinked on in the ever darkening night.

Kit sighed, and Nita smiled. She looked up at him expectantly as she poked a finger through the cloud his breath had made in the night.

"You always were a pansy."

Kit didn't bother to retaliate, which was what made Nita really look up. He was sitting still, a feat she though impossible for the excitable boyish man in front of her.

And he was quiet. Kit was never quiet. Kit's voice was as constant as the One he worked for. And it wasn't there.

Nita felt her heart pump icy blood throughout her.

Was he okay?

"What is it?" she asked, suddenly awake and full of adrenaline.

He ran a hand through his thick dark hair, a nervous jester, and looked down at Nita. She sat up.

"Well," she prompted him, knowing he could take forever and get nothing said if left to his own thoughts. That wouldn't be good for anyone.

He bit on his lip, and she waited, ready to prompt him if need be. The leaves were blowing across the porch, getting caught in the fringe of the blanket, but that was unimportant. What was important was Kit, who had never managed to stay quiet, who was never at a loss for how to speak his mind. She had never met a guy who was more comfortable with himself than Kit, who if he didn't speak his mind it was only because he didn't know how to put it in the right words. And that was where sound effects were used to get the general gist along.

This was rather unprecedented.

He gave up on chewing a whole through his lip, took a deep breath and leaned back against the swing. It rocked slightly.

"I mean," he said, not quite meeting her eyes. Kit always met her eyes. Unless he was staring at her boobs, she had his full attention.

Nita put her hands on the side of his head and turned it towards her, he smiled slightly.

"Thanks," he whispered.

She hadn't known Kit knew how to whisper.

He cleared his throat, "I mean, when you were little, and you'd play pretend and dress up, and I'm a Pirate, you'd imagine what you life would be like twenty years from then right?"

She nodded, noticing his hand was trembling slightly. The minions of the Lord of Darkness couldn't make him bat an eye lid, but him discussing whatever the heck he was trying to discuss had him terrified.

Somebody had their priorities in order.

She grasped his darker hand in hers and held it still, though this seemed to make him more agitated.

"Kit Rodriguez, you had better not be telling me you're gay."

"No," he waved a hand at her, irritated. "With you here I don't see how any guy could be."

He said it as if were merely commenting distractedly that yes, the sky was in fact blue, where have you been?

It was the things like that she loved about him, he said things so nonchalant, just as they came to mind. He could be completely romantic without even realizing it, he took it for common fact. He said 'you're gorgeous' in the same tone as he said 'no Momma, I didn't do the dishes.'

"Well, thank you Kit."

"For what?" he asked, distracted. He was still trying to put his thoughts together, and had apparently succeeded somewhat, for he spoke again.

"And I mean," he turned to her again, his dark eyes seeming to bore a hole in her the gaze was so intense, so…

Lost.

She stared back steadily, matching them glance for glance just as they matched cadence in a spell, tempo when they walked.

"When you were little, and you played pretend, did you ever imagine this," he said, gesturing to the general vicinity. "Did you ever think, 'Wow, I'm not going to marry some rich good looking guy, I'm going to marry some random kid I meet by a tree and see how it goes. You know, just for kicks?'"

"No," Nita admitted bluntly, but smiled at his as his expression turned to sorrowful defeat. "I believe there were significantly more castles and a distinct abundance of pink ponies."

"Nita, I'mserious." He pleaded, pleaded her to understand what he was trying to say.

Kit never pleaded.

And it looked as if he had his entire being put into the effort of making her comprehend. As if her comprehension was all that mattered at this moment in Time.

"As am I."

He leaned his head back in frustration, moaned, and stared at her again. "You don't get it. You don't get it!" He cried, and he put his head in his hands.

Kit never gave up.

Ever.

Nita felt her heart breaking with every uncharacteristic move, she wanted to hold him, hug him and tell him it was okay. The only time she'd ever seen him this broken was when his abuela died.

He'd loved her.

"Kit…"

"What if we're not meant to get married, eh?" his accent becoming more and more rich the more agitated he became, a thick blend of Spanish and New York all twisted into one. Deep and comforting. Utterly unique.

"Why would you say that?" Nita asked calmly, trying to let him get all of his fears out, so to keep them from troubling him in the future. Like putting on bug spray to prevent the bite.

"I mean, honestly, when you were a little chica messing with your toys, did you really imagine being with a guy who couldn't say the word Uranus without giggling?"

"No." she answered strongly, grasping his hand tightly.

"Did you imagine a handsome prince, or a guy who lived in one of the poorest districts in town trying to pay through college?"

"Prince." She answered simply.

"And did you imagine some glorious fantasy man coming and sweeping you off your feet and riding off into the sunset, or the little Hispanic friend who couldn't even make you brownies for Christmas?"

"Both."

"What?" he spluttered, brown eyes shining in the street light as it pushed away the dark.

"Both," Nita smiled, still toying with his hand, "I imagined a prince, yes. I imagined a ride into the sunset yes. But I also imagined that the prince would be caring, none of that arrogance that plagued most of them. He'd be funny, and kind, and possibly a tad immature. He wouldn't be the best at everything, but he'd be the greatest friend I could ever have, and he'd suck at baking."

Kit shrank into the swings cushion, toying with a lightning bug that had landed there.

"…Really?"

She smiled and nodded. "I always imagined my best friend as my prince. You may not have had a horse to sweep me off my feet with, but you had a distinct charm. And a horsey back ride down Central Avenue in the middle of the night on your back was even better. You may not have been able to be royalty like I imagined, but you are the epitome of loyalty, which was more than I could imagine. Kit, I'm not going to lie, those brownies were awful, but you spending all day on those just for me was the most amazing thing I have ever seen." Nita grinned, not believing that they were even having this conversation. "If I couldn't have you there would be nothing better I could possibly imagine than having you back."

Kit smiled sheepishly, rather ashamed of his outburst, "…I am pretty amazing, huh?'

She laughed and threw her arms around him and he hugged her back, stroking his fingers through her hair, exactly how she liked it.

"I love you."

"More than a handsome prince?"

"Much."

He laughed and sat back, taking a deep breath of the crisp air and blowing it out in different shapes, just like he'd done since they were young.

"But I can't say I ever imagined what our children would look like," Nita smiled, once again tucked into his strong, relaxed, shoulder. Kit was trying to spell his name.

"Little Irish-Hispanic-Nita-Kit hybrids? I don't really think we can imagine it."

"We'll just see when it happens."

"How ever soon that'll be."

Nita laughed slightly, then yawned, pulling the blanket closer around her. Kit tucked it underneath her, surrendering his side for the good of his soon to be wife. An incoherent mumble later and she was out like a light, snoozing on his shoulder.

Kit rested his head atop of hers. Only a few minutes…he'd carry her in, in a few minutes…

That was how his mamma found them the next morning in the early pink light, curled up together, their hands still entwined and a slightly substandard but beautiful ring glinting on Nita's finger.