As Kai watched his teammates' jaws drop and Karen scramble for a response, he suddenly started wondering if this was such a good idea after. He and Zane had come up with their own little plan for potentially being able to stay together and allow Zane to perform his royal responsibilities, but he maybe should've talked it over with the others before agreeing to go through with it. Welp, too late now.
"You- You what?" Nya blinked, and Kai felt a pang of guilt.
"Yeah, I'm staying here," He smiled awkwardly, and glanced around the room.
Zane was looking at Karen, the two having a silent conversation with their eyes until Karen broke his gaze, and turned to the others.
"Alright, the rest of you, come with me, I'll bring you to the gates."
"It's alright, Karen, I'll see them out," Zane smiled softly, but his grip tightened around Kai's fingers as he spoke. She nodded, and left the room, off to go check on whatever portion of the guard that needed attending to. As soon as the door shut, everyone resumed their staring at the couple.
"So, uh, what the hell?" Cole asked, eyebrows furrowing. "So you go from not wanting to step foot in the castle to living here? Did you ever think that maybe we need you as a ninja and that you can't just run off?"
"Hey, relax, we figured this out."
"Of course Zane would convince you to stay here, he can't leave!" Nya gestured to their joined hands.
"You know that you don't have to, right? We can bust you out if you need us to," Jay offered, and the prince let go of his grip to cross his arms, eyes growing sharp.
"For the record, Nya, I can leave whenever I want to. And as for you, Jay, I would appreciate you to not talk about me as if I am not present, as we were both equally involved in this discussion. I am more than willing to explain our reasonings calmly, but I will not tolerate being accused of whisking Kai away against his will. Do you really think so lowly of me as to think that I would sacrifice Kai's wellbeing for my personal gain?"
The crew blinked, not sure how to react. Nya bit back a response, still seething at the idea of her brother being forced into the monarchy in any way.
"My apologies, Zane," Sensei interjected. "So, as it seems as though we are being asked to leave soon, would you two mind explaining how you came to this conclusion?"
"Of course, Sensei," Kai exhaled, glad that the focal point was turned off of royalty. "So, uh, Zane, you want to start us off?"
"It would be my pleasure," The prince relaxed, but only enough to put the others at ease. He was still rather annoyed at the crew, but showing his displeasure would only escalate the sitation. "It shouldn't take long, as Karen will get suspicious otherwise."
The others exchanged glances, but sat still and listened intently as Zane retold their plan.
After the crew had been escorted out with a few hugs between the siblings, Kai and Zane were alone in the palace. Zane still looked aggravated, gaze cold as he looked around the throne room from the entrance.
"You alright?" Kai asked softly, looking at his boyfriend, who sighed deeply.
"I didn't think that me becoming royalty once more would turn them against me so quickly," Zane admitted quietly, as though it was taboo to do so. "It is as if they see my title before they see me as a human."
"Yeah, I'm not sure why they freaked out on you so hard," The Fire Ninja frowned, not liking how their goodbyes had been so sour. "But part of it is because they were scared, I think. They just know how much I hate your lifestyle, no offense."
Zane laughed alongside Kai, a bit of lightheartedness returning to his eyes.
"None taken. I can understand their hesitance, but I still resent that they assumed I was forcing you against your will. Do I really appear as the sort of person who would be so cruel?"
"No, not at all," Kai assured, pressing a quick kiss to Zane's forehead. "I don't know why they did that."
"At least we're confused together," Zane mused, raising an eyebrow at some onlooking servants, who flushed and turned away. The two stood in silence for a moment, neither sure how to continue.
"So, um," Kai teetered on his toes, looking around. "I haven't really seen too much of the palace. Mind giving me the grand tour?"
"Sure," Zane smiled, and started off on his trek, the duo first traversing the halls surrounding the throne room. Zane showed Kai the main dining hall, the courtyard, the private dining hall for the royal family, the bathrooms, the guard quarters, the servant quarters, and the kitchens before the Fire Ninja's head began to swim.
"Could we go someplace quiet for a bit? This place is huge and kinda loud," Kai rubbed his temples, a headache beginning to form, and Zane tugged him in the opposite direction.
"Well, I was going to save this room for last, but I suppose we could say hello now."
"Hello to who?"
"You will see," Zane smiled, and soon the pair arrived at a set of doors, which Zane opened hurriedly, waving in greetings as soon as he entered. "Mrs. Glamore! I have someone I would like you to meet."
The librarian looked up, a little startled by the sudden appearance, and was a little confused by the scene in front of her.
"Good afternoon, I'm Mrs. Glamore, the palace librarian. And who might you be?"
"I'm Kai," He glanced at his partner, who nodded. "Zane's soulmate. Nice to meet you."
"It is nice to finally meet you in person," She exclaimed, putting a ruler in her book as a temporary mark. "Zane has told me so much about you. Please, do come sit."
"He has, huh?" The Fire Ninja sat down in a chair near the desk, and Zane sat down in his usual one, shoulders dropping into a casual posture around the librarian.
"Actually, Zane, would you be a dear and go fetch me my copy of Firestone: Ancient Evils by Nora Winfield? It should be in the nonfiction section," She asked sweetly, and Zane jumped up again, waving goodbye to Kai as he left to go search for the book.
She smiled to herself, and leaned in closer.
"No such book exists, really. I made it up. Anyway, Kai," Mrs. Glamore suddenly became more serious, resting both her hands crossed over each other on her desk. "I really do want to talk to you about Zane."
"What about him?" Kai mumbled back, glancing to his sides as a precaution.
"He told you about everything that happened between him and his parents, correct?"
"I think I know most of it, but I don't know what counts as everything here."
"Did he at least tell you about that day you came to the palace, Kai?"
"I..." Kai thought for a moment, remembering the bruise barely covered by the ice wielder's shirt. "No, he didn't actually tell me."
"His parents abused him severely right before that," She grimaced, thinking back to the prince crying into her shoulder with bruised ribs. "They called him slurs, and I tended to his wounds afterwards, which included many bruises both internal and external."
"Why are you telling me this?" Kai asked quietly, aware of their limited time as he could hear the faint sounds of Zane sorting through the books in the back.
"You are dealing with a scenario no one could have thought of, Kai. Zane is deeply affected by his parents' actions, whether he admits it or not. I am worried that him being coronated will make him return to his shell once more and cause him to act more like them. Karen orchestrated the killing of the king and queen because she hated how they ruled. What stops her from going the same to Zane?"
"We've talked about this a bit," The Fire Ninja jerked his head in his boyfriend's general direction, pretending like the thought of Zane meeting the same fate as his mom and dad didn't terrify him to no end. "We're waiting until after coronation to talk about what to do with her. We're wary too."
"I'm glad you're thinking ahead as well," She nodded idly, "Thank you, Kai."
"For what?"
"For giving him some light. Mentally, he has never been quite stable. There have times where he has come into the library for the sole purpose of hiding under my desk to cry, panic, or otherwise just be protected. He needed something to look forward to, and I believe that you staying in the palace will be that light."
"I hope so," Kai shifted in his seat. "I kinda left behind the rest of the crew to try and pull this stunt. This better work."
Before she could ask what he was talking about, Zane came back with a dejected look on his face, and she suddenly felt bad for her wild goose chase.
"My apologies, Mrs. Glamore," He began solemnly, sinking into his chair. "I could not locate the book. I am sorry that I could not be of help."
"No, Zane, it's perfectly fine," She reassured as Kai scooted over to wrap an arm around his boyfriend, who didn't look convinced. "I must have left it in my room, I will fetch it later. Thank you for trying."
The prince didn't respond, merely giving a small shrug and staring at the desk. Mrs. Glamore bit her lip, knowing the thought process the teen was experiencing from years of comforting him when he would hide under her desk to feel safe. Even the littlest "failures" were enough to get to him sometimes. She cursed herself for not thinking her strategy through as he stared at her desk, refusing to make eye contact with the other two.
"Hey, buddy?" Kai asked lowly, resting his forehead on the side of Zane's temple. "You doing alright?"
Zane looked at him, and then Mrs. Glamore, and pressed his head into Kai's shoulder with a shake of his head.
"Stress?" Mrs. Glamore asked gently, and Zane nodded instead, Kai moving to stand.
"Right, let's go back to your room, we can calm down there," The Fire Ninja brought his boyfriend with him, the prince not resisting but also not happy about moving either. "It's been a pleasure, Mrs. Glamore. I'll see you sometime later."
"I will see you boys later," She smiled sadly, and watched solemnly as the two left, the pang of guilt in her gut refusing to fade as the library doors shut softly behind them.
Zane led Kai to his room with quiet footsteps, the two not speaking until the door clicked shut. Kai glanced at the clock. It was far into the afternoon, the two having missed lunch in favor of their walk. Kai shuffled around in the drawers until he found Zane's pajama shirts, grabbing the first one he saw before sliding it shut, turning to his boyfriend with the fabric in his hands.
"Alright, you should probably just change shirts, so you're more comfortable."
Zane glanced away, hands clasped behind his back stiffly. Kai sighed minutely, and walked over to his boyfriend, standing only a few inches away before reaching up to unbutton Zane's top. When he gave no indication of resisting, Kai continued undressing, having put the silk shirt on the bed to free both of his hands.
And of course, at that exact moment, Karen decided to enter with Kai's hands on Zane's torso, the prince's shirt halfway off. She went to speak, and then looked between the two.
"Wait, Karen-"
"Uh, I'm gonna go," She coughed, cheeks flushed, and exited as quickly as she entered. Zane sighed silently, shedding the rest of his shirt and crawling into bed, not even bothering to put the other one on. Kai scrambled under the sheets too, pointedly not looking at the scars littering his boyfriend's chest. He reached out and pulled his boyfriend close, holding him as his breathing evened out, cool blue eyes trained on his own.
"What's bothering you so much?" The Fire Ninja asked, and Zane blinked slowly.
"Everything. You leaving the Bounty for me, Karen, eventually getting coronated, taking the place of my parents..." Zane trailed off, his bare skin cool against Kai's burning touch. Kai pressed a kiss to the prince's neck, and Zane shuddered into the contact.
"I'm sorry," Kai mumbled. "We'll get through it. That's why I'm here."
"Thank you," Zane nuzzled his face into Kai's still clothed chest, and Kai debated whether or not to say the next words that popped into his head. He took a deep breath, and tightened his arms around Zane just a tad more.
"I love you."
Silence greeted him for the first few seconds, until he pulled away to see Zane's eyes watering with emotion, lips gently parted. God, Kai could kiss him until the world ended, but that's not what this situation called for. He assumed Zane's eyes were teary with happiness, but Zane's next vocalization only seemed to hurt him more.
"W- What?"
"I love you, Zane," Kai shuffled into the covers more so he was eye-level with Zane, who seemed to still be in disbelief. "'M not lying. You're one of the most selfless, most kind people I've ever met. Why wouldn't I?"
Well that did it. Zane fully sobbed into Kai's chest, broken affections being spoken between the hiccups, the stress and worry from the last days flooding out as he cried himself to sleep, passing out in Kai's arms as his sobs died out to sniffles, and then nothing. Kai stroked Zane's back until he fell asleep too, not worrying about getting up for dinner later in the evening.