Disclaimer: All characters and settings in the below piece of fiction belongs to George RR Martin, and I am in no way profiting off of this

Warning: None

Authors Note: Thank you for all of those who have read, and a special thanks to those who reviewed! Both are very appreciated, and your support is very welcome.

There was something wrong with him. Something that was bothering him and whatever it was had put Renly in a foul mood.

Yes, he attempted to hide it behind smiles and kind words, coupled with the usual humorous comment, but Loras knew something was troubling him. Along with the mirthful displays came tense shoulders, furrowed brows and a heavy frown when he thought no one was looking. Such expressions were becoming more and more frequent, and Loras was getting worried. After knowing his Lord for two years, he had begun to notice the subtle shifts in his behaviour, but never once commented. It wasn't his place; he was there to squire, not to pry into Renly's business, no matter how much it bothered him.

But today was different. Today Renly looked more tense than usual, the smiles more forced and the conversations stilted and awkward. No one seemed to notice, of course, and they left their discussions with their Lord happy and laughing, while Renly was left looking melancholy.

"My lord?"

Renly's attention flicked up to Loras briefly, his attention leaving the scrolls in front of him in an instant. Immediately he put on the mask and smiled brightly as Loras walked further into the room. "Loras, how nice of you to visit me! If you give me a moment I can walk you to your room—I am almost done signing these documents."

Frowning, Loras agreed despite wanting to talk to him right away and went to go and sit across from him at his desk, hands locked together on his lap while the sun set off in the distance. Twiddling his thumbs, he listened to the scratching of a quill against parchment and watched the flicker of the candle light dance across the intricately carved desk. Minutes passed in which nothing was said before Loras sighed.

"Are you alright?"

Looking up quickly, Loras raised a brow and gave Renly a quizzical look from overtop the ink well. "I am fine, Renly, why do you ask?"

"You sighed… I was curious. How was practice today?" Their eyes locked and Loras was about to broach the subject of Renly's increasingly downtrodden mood, but the moment was broken when Renly went back to his work, attention once again returning to the quill and parchment.

"It was good," he began, deciding he'd ask after. "I'm getting better with the lance and I knocked a few boys of their mounts today." That, at least, brought a genuine smile to Renly's lips as he continued to scribble across the sheets. If Lordship took this much paperwork, Loras was glad he was furthest in line to inherit Highgarden. "I've also been practicing more with the morning star—I've been getting more control with it and have been working up the proper muscles to wield it… The orange rose bloomed today as well."

"That's good." His voice was distinctly distant, and Loras couldn't help but roll his eyes. Why continue speaking when the person you were talking to wasn't even going to pay you the proper respect and listen? Granted, he had a tendency to tune Renly out on occasion. One thing was for certain; Renly liked the sound of his own voice.

"I might be with child, as well. I just thought you should know. I fell for the wrong boy and he buggered me in more than one way."

"Don't say buggered, Loras—you're only thirteen."

"I'm old enough to say 'buggered'… and you're not even curious who impregnated me?"

A sigh. And a smile. "Perhaps…"

"Well I won't tell you until you put down that quill of yours and look at me."

Another sigh. "I'm almost done—give me a few more moments and you can explain to me how you became pregnant."

Groaning, Loras rolled his head back and stared at the ceiling, before standing up to wander about the room, hands linked behind him as he inspected the small collection of books resting beside Renly's bed. Running his fingers along the spines, he picked one of them up and flipped through the sheets before landing on a drawing. The page was bright and colourful, the edges of it lined with twisting vines and bright gold, while in the center there were two… people? Frowning, he turned the book around, trying to figure out what was going on. There were hands, and… two men were lying—oh.

"Loras?"

Slamming the book closed, Loras cringed slightly as the binding cracked, but tossed the book back in its respective place before turning around to look at Renly. "Yes?"

"I'm done," he said as he stood up from his desk. Running a hand through his hair, he flashed him a weary smile before stepping out from behind the desk to look over Loras' shoulder. "What were you looking at?"

"Nothing," Loras replied quickly, a blush appearing on his cheeks. "I was just admiring your collection of books."

"Oh, my books. I don't have much time to read, but occasionally I'll flip through one of my favourite adventures and let myself get caught up in the story."

"Yes, I imagine you do…"

"So, who do I have to find and demand they wed you before you give birth to a bastard child?" Putting his hands on his hips, Renly quirked a brow and put on his best serious expression, seemingly intent on going along with Loras' desperate attempt to get him to at least pay attention.

"It was… Are you alright?"

"I don't know any person by that name." Loras found it hard not to roll his eyes and smack him.

"Stop being so difficult—just answer the question."

Frowning, Renly looked Loras up and down before throwing his hands up in the air. Walking over to his bed, he sat down at the foot of it and tilted his head to the side, eyes half closed as he calmly answered. "I'm perfectly fine, Loras, just a little tired today. I did not sleep well last night."

"If you're going to use that excuse you'd had better say you haven't been sleeping well for the last week," Loras said, "you have bags under your eyes and I've seen you staring at walls for longer than acceptable. You're usually not this… distant."

"You've been watching me?"

Blushing, Loras looked away from Renly and clenched his fists. "I haven't been watching you… I've just noticed things. For instance, the other day you stared out the window for five minutes before you'd speak to me. I let you have your break, but I had to say something before you even noticed me. And two days ago you almost yelled at one of the serving girls when she dropped a bucket of water. You also look terrible."

The last part made Renly glare, but at least it was an emotion passed feigned serenity. "You have been watching me."

"That is not the point, Renly."

"Well what is the point, then? Clearly something is bothering you, so just tell me what it is so we can bloody move on." The tightness in his voice and the clenching of his jaw made Loras pause for a moment, whatever he was going to say lost as his Lord began to show an emotion other than polite courtesy and smug satisfaction. He actually looked close to yelling, and while most people would try to prevent such an outburst, Loras began to push.

"The point is: you're being a cock."

"I'm—what?" The look on Renly's face could only be described as dumbfounded.

"You're being a cock and a prick—you're treating everyone as if they are your play thing and hide your feelings behind snide remarks and passive-aggressive quips." Crossing his arms over his chest, Loras pushed his bottom jaw forward and glared down at Renly, daring him to deny it.

"You shouldn't be saying these things to your Lord."

"Since when did that matter?" Loras asked as Renly stood up and practically towered over him despite the now minimal height difference. "You always tell people to speak to you frankly, but I guess that's only if it involves stroking your massive ego and telling you everything you want to hear."

"You're pushing it, Loras."

"Pushing what? Pushing away that calm exterior? W-Well good—this needs to be said and you need to stop being such a stuck up, arse licking prick."

For a moment Loras thought Renly was going to hit him, and wondered if this was really such a good idea. But then Renly moved away from him, fingers running through his hair as he laughed. But there was no joy behind it—no mirth or merriment—it was bitter. "That's really something coming from you, Loras—the boy who thinks he's better than everyone and goes through life with his nose in the air and not a damn bit of respect for his fellow man. The boy who strings all the girls along and plays with their feelings because it's just a 'game'," Turning around, Renly glared at Loras as his voice rose in levels, his temper finally showing through, "you tell me all of these things like I don't already know it myself; as if I don't know that I'm hiding my weaknesses and anger behind a smiling façade. But I do know—I know it all too well." Striding forward, he got up close to Loras, eyes wild as he bore down on him. Loras, for his part, stood his ground, arms straight at his sides as he let Renly vent. This was what he had hoped would happen, but that didn't mean he wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"I keep it all bottled up because I can't tell anyone, Loras—I can't inform anyone or share my feelings because I've never been allowed to. No one cares, don't you see? I've always hid behind smiles and wit because it was all I had—it was all I was good for. I'm a puppet; a pretty, trussed up little puppet my brother likes to use against Stannis and the rest of the bloody kingdom, and I have no choice but to obey. Nothing I do matters and rather than yell and rant and scream about it like some petulant little child I bloody well deal with it. I make my remarks, I laugh at the world, and I move on because that is all I can do and all I am good for. No one cared when I was a child if I cried and no one cares now!"

The room was left in silence after that, the only sound that of the waves crashing against the shore down below, masking Renly's heavy, distressed breathing.

This was the first time Loras felt like he actually saw Renly. Not his Lord or the youngest Baratheon. Not a man who could get him where he needed to go, and certainly not a 'pretty, trussed up little puppet'. No, for the first time since Loras had come to Storm's End, he saw Renly. Behind the name and the reputation lay a boy who had never had friends or known true companionship—a boy who lived in his own imagination and hid behind his quick wit in order to protect himself from a world he understood better than Loras ever would. Renly was just a man, nothing more or less. But he was a man that Loras was coming to care for deeply.

Standing in the middle of the room, calm hazel eyes stared into desperate blue, the two of them not saying or doing anything until Loras, very steadily, opened his mouth to speak. "I care."

The tension in Renly's shoulders and face seemed to recede as soon as Loras spoke, as if his voice had snapped him from the self- loathing world he had entered and brought him back to reality. Nothing was said for some time, but the tension had gone as quickly as it had come, and all that was left was two boys standing in a room, their pride and their public appearances brushed aside in favour of honest truth and acceptance.

"Thank you," Renly finally said, his voice incredibly soft. Smiling he reached out and cupped Loras' cheek, a tender expression on his face. For a moment Loras forgot to breath and all he could do was stand as Renly's impossibly hot palm cupped his jaw, the contact sending little sparks throughout his body. Finally breaking eye contact, he looked down at the floor, his heart beating in his chest.

"You're welcome."

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and was about to move out of Renly's way before a kiss was applied to his forehead. Gentle and sweet and innocent. "No, really… thank you, Loras." Finally pulling away, Renly went to sit on the edge of his bed once more, fingers clasped together as he leaned forward. A nervous laugh escaped his lips, followed by a groan. "I should not have yelled at you, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize—I wanted you to yell. My older brother Willas would always do that. He'd push me until I finally exploded, I suppose. I felt better after," he explained, the burning of his cheeks refusing to recede. He could still feel Renly's lips on his skin…

"Your brother sounds like a good man. I think I would like to meet him sometime. Perhaps when I visit Highgarden?"

"Perhaps." Sitting down on the bed beside Renly, Loras looked down at the stone floor and willed his heart to calm down. It was just the nerves from what had happened, nothing more. It was normal to feel exhilarated after such a confrontation, and the kiss on the forehead?-that was just display of friendship. Coughing, he tugged at a curl. "I really did mean that I care, Renly. If you need someone to speak to, I'm here."

"I know you are," Renly replied, his attention still resting forward. "Next time I feel… overwhelmed, I'll be sure to accost you with things that don't matter and feel sorry for my privileged lifestyle."

Frowning, Loras studied Renly's profile, upset that he thought his troubles were of little consequence. Perhaps they weren't if one wanted to study all the issues in Westeros, but that wasn't what was being examined. "Don't say that. You're a good man, Renly, and you are allowed your weaknesses just like anyone else. Just because you're a lord doesn't mean you have to be perfect all the time," Looking down at his hands, he fiddled with a loose piece of string before speaking again, "I admire you, and I… dislike seeing you upset."

Running a hand over his face, Renly seemed to ponder what Loras had said, eyes closed and mouth tight. A shaky sigh was heard before he lifted his head and once again stared out the window. "You know, when they said I'd be having my own squire, I never thought that meant I'd be getting a friend." Renly's voice was so soft Loras thought he was hearing things, but when he looked at Renly he was met with a hesitant, appreciative smile.

Not knowing what to say or do, Loras returned the smile before speaking. "My sister would ask me to braid her hair when she was upset—did you want me to braid your hair?"

The laugh that came forth from Renly was worth the strange offer. Throwing his head back, he fell on to his mattress, eyes shut as he giggled. Loras simply sat, a little bemused as Renly had his fit.

"Y-You're so queer sometimes," Renly managed to get out, the laughter having subsided. Running a finger under his eyes, he whipped away what few tears that had succeeded in escaping.

"I am not queer, I'm… unique."

"Unique is just a nice way of saying queer, Loras."

Glaring, he stared at the wall and tried to calm himself before speaking, jaw clenched. "Do you want your hair braided or not?"

"… Yes."