Edward pursed his mouth as he gradually became aware of his surroundings, stuck in between the unconscious impulse of either moving towards or away from the heat source clinging onto him. At first, he thought that Thomas had somehow ended up in the guest bedroom again, but his little brother would only cling onto him during the hotter seasons of the year, and while the little one's body temperature was warmer than his, the youngest was much cooler than whatever -or whoever- was attached to his side.

Eventually, he opened his eyes, blinking in a dazed manner when he saw a river of red locks pressed against tanned skin. The familiar earthy scent from the body in front of him was soured by the smell of alcohol, causing his nose to crinkle, and Edward gave himself a moment to gather himself before remembering last night's events. He then took a deep breath and sighed, maybe a bit too comfortable laying near his best friend.

He barely even drank half a glass of wine during Felix Bergmann's impromptu celebration for their upcoming graduation from the academy, so he shouldn't be so slow to rise in an unfamiliar place. As expected of the son of one of the wealthiest noble families in the country, the hotel room is luxurious and full of extravagance. Being one of the most expensive hotels in the city, Hotel de Luxe mostly catered to the whims of the rich and powerful. Their rooms were rather limited for a hotel, but their event halls were always full and busy.

Since Felix was the one footing the bill, not only did he rent one of these dazzling event halls for the whole night, but he also reserved several rooms for those who wanted to... 'rendezvous,' as Edward remembered were his exact words.

Edward pretended he didn't understand the underlying meaning, just as he also pretended that he didn't see Felix, the heir to his family's fortune, enter one of these rooms with Duke Aurelius Bergmann's, his father's, mistress.

Only the Goddess knew why Felix brought her during their so-called graduation party. Frankly, Edward had the hindsight not to ask. He also didn't want to know why one of the noble ladies, a Viscount's daughter whom he wasn't familiar with, entered that same room and never came out. He was going to pretend he was blind and deaf to it. It was better for his integrity.

He also hoped that Katherine would never find out what he had witnessed. She would be so giddy with the information that her eyes would curve up in a way that was known to give nightmares and frights.

Edward wasn't sure what had happened between Katherine and Felix, but his usually mild-tempered sister had loathed him to the point that her face would always make an unsightly expression whenever they happened to be in the same room. On the other hand, Felix would ignore her obvious animosity and use their unintended, chance-upon meeting to flirt with 'Lady Katty'. While he would be lavishing the 'Noblest Lady of all Ladies' with compliments and romantic gestures, his sister would accost him with remarks full of thorns and sandpaper. The conversation would be full of smiles but each with different meanings.

It was hard to consider whether the Bergmann Heir was just ignorant or brave. In the end, Edward just hoped his sister could restrain her anger enough to not murder his classmate in the shadows.

Regardless, if Xander and Felix hadn't dragged him to join along with their classmates to this 'much needed' party, Edward would have been happy spending the night in his study back in Rosetta Manor.

Ah, speaking of his best friend...

After basking in the other's warmth longer than what was appropriate, Edward rose into a sitting position, momentarily ignoring the arm lain across his waist underneath the blankets, and when he tried to move the appendage away from his body, it only curled tighter near his lower back.

With an exasperated expression, he looked down at his best friend, whose handsome face was partly buried in the soft pillows with his long bright-red hair spread across his bare shoulders and onto the sheets like threads of silk. For some reason, Xander was without a shirt, and Edward would have thought the other had taken off his pants as well if he didn't see the waistline of his trousers beneath the comforters that only covered his lower half.

Edward wasn't bothered by his best friend's undressed state and flicked the other's forehead harshly without hesitation, causing the Prince next to him to groan in protest. Instead of releasing him though, Xander only reinforced his grip with a strength that would probably leave faint imprints on his hips.

The blond made a helpless sigh, both out of fondness and irritation, before placing a cool hand on his friend's heated shoulder. He shook it firmly while calling out in a soft but sleep-rough voice, "Your Highness. Wake up, your highness."

There was a pause as Xander made an unwilling face before every single muscle on his body stiffened into stone. Edward was surprised by the reaction but didn't think much of it as he continued to persuade his friend back into the waking world. "Your Highness, I do have some previous engagements that I cannot miss today, so if Your Highness could just let me go..."

Immediately, Xander's crimson eyes snapped open, at first staring at the bottom end of Edward's white rumpled shirt before lifting his gaze to his best friend's hovering face.

The corner of Edward's sleep-soft eyes were red from its previous slumber and his skin seemed smoother than usual. More than just a few buttons from his wrinkled dress shirt were unbuttoned, and Xander's mouth felt dry when he saw the other's elegant collarbone and the slight, barely-seen curve of his chest. Everything about his best friend was soft, including his ungelled hair and the subtle peek of skin. He was almost enticed to pinch any pale layer he could see if only to watch it bloom pink under his fingers.

Xander then became increasingly aware of the arm, his arm, clinging onto his best friend, and their close proximity to each other made the baffled prince dizzy. Because of his attachment to the other's waist, their legs ended up touching and the red-haired young man almost released a dying sound when he realized that Edward's legs were bare.

Then Edward painfully dug his knuckles onto the side of Xander's head, oblivious and unaware of the heated gaze from his best friend's smoldering crimson eyes.

"Your Highness! Do not fall back asleep!" the blond young man said in an exasperated tone, his ice-cold eyes narrowing in irritation. "I have a meeting to attend in the next hour and Her Highness, your mother, is expecting you in the training fields in two hours."

"...Edward," he called out hoarsely, his voice huskier from sleep, fighting the urge to bring his best friend closer. "...Why are you... why are we...in the same bed?" Half-naked, basically embracing each other with almost every display of skin rubbing together as if... as if...

Not noticing the Prince's inner turmoil, Edward raised a disapproving eyebrow. "Obviously, Your Highness drank too much if he could not remember last night's events," the eldest son of the Rosettas chastised as Xander's heart leaped into his throat.

L-Last night's events? He tried to remember what had happened during and after the party, but the time following his bold attempt to down several glasses of wine and a few shots of pure liquor was blank. There might be flashes of colorful gowns, the wobbly visions of the event hall's beautiful tiles, ice-blue eyes shining in the dark of the night as an elegant figure was curtained by a blanket of red...

Fortunately, Edward was gracious enough not to let his best friend keep guessing in the dark and deadpanned, "Your Highness decided to indulge Lord Bergmann and drank a whole bottle of Kristall Vodka. It was not appropriate, nor ideal, to send you home so late at night in such a state, so it seemed suitable to take up one of Luxe's suites that Lord Bergmann had offered. I did not wish to bother my family and the servants so late either, so I stayed in the room next to yours."

Xander stared wide-eyed at his best friend as the blond-haired young man recounted last night's circumstance, his memory failing to collaborate with the other's account of his eccentric adventures during the party. "...But I'm here..." he said in a small, pitiful voice, none of which invoked any sympathy from Edward judging by the impassive expression he received.

"Yes. Because as I was preparing for bed, you suddenly barged into my room and took my bed before I could lead you out."

Xander. "......." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"A-And?"

"And what?" Edward questioned with a skeptical tone. "And you wouldn't move no matter how many times I tried to budge you. It was past midnight and I had no patience to drag His Highness back to his quarters. The bed was big enough for several grown men so I took a side."

...Yet somehow... they still ended up in this position.

Xander wanted to beat up his past self for falling into Felix's trap. Kristall Vodka was notorious for its high alcohol content and was the favorite of the Dwarves of Mount Edelstein, but a sip or two wouldn't make him drunk. His constitution as a fire elemental wouldn't even let him get tipsy in the first place, since his mother had trained him early in age to burn out alcohol, poison, and the likes using his magic.

Unless... of course... it was that limited edition Kristall Vodka that was entirely banned from distribution within the kingdom. 'Eis' Kristall Vodka could be considered an entirely different drink even if the distillation method was the same. That was because, unlike regular Kristall Vodka, Eis Kristall used the melted snow remnants tainted by high-quality magic crystals as its base. The additional ingredient created a highly addictive and strong drink, enough to topple even the hardiest of Dwarves. And the Crown Prince, apparently.

Xander wasn't the only one that drank from that bottle though... Hopefully, no one died of alcohol poisoning. That would have been a terrible way to go out when everyone had recently just graduated from the academy...

Hesitantly, the prince opened his mouth once more. "I... didn't do anything else embarrassing... Did I?"

A sliver of amusement passed Edward's expression and his lips quivered noticeably. The other's expression was usually as cold as the element he wielded so to see such open emotions... A conflicting combination of both delight and dread passed through Xander's stomach.

"Well... I'm afraid you've sung one of your mother's more explicit shanties. The ones about nymphs and flowers..."

Xander: ".........." He knew exactly which one Edward meant. It was the one that his mother's old wet nurse, his foster grandmother, forbade anyone from singing under the promise of death due to how scandalous the lyrics were. Somehow, his face both paled and flushed at the same time.

"And as expected of the Crown Prince," the blond young man started teasing, his ice-colored eyes sparkling like crystals against the rising sun. "All of our classmates followed His Highness' lead and formed a choir in front of the--"

"Edward, please--" Xander pleaded while burying his reddening face in the pillow. The color matched well with his hair and somehow, it made the Rosetta Heir want to bully his friend even further.

"Everyone was inebriated so of course there wasn't a single soul that could sing the right notes or the right lyrics--"

"Edward--"

"--Much less say anything coherent, but His Highness was kind enough to make sure to emphasize every single note and lyric for his classmates--"

"Ed--"

"--And a lot of them were having a difficult time saying 'bosom' correctly for some reason, so His Highness had repeatedly and exaggeratedly pronounced 'bosom' several times--"

Edward had forgotten about the arm around his waist and was taken by surprise when Xander flipped him around to the other side of the bed. The mattress was soft and springy so there was no pain being tossed around like a sack of flour. But Xander didn't stop there and as soon as Edward was forced onto his back, a pillow was thrown onto his face and a weight appeared on his stomach.

The half-naked and flushing Crown Prince pressed on the pillow on top of the snickering blond. "Edward Rosetta, I swear--"

Light laughter spilled from underneath the pillow and Xander could only imagine his best friend's cold expression melting into something precious and bright. In the first place, he didn't seriously want to suffocate the other so the pillow was only pressed lightly on top of Edward's face.

Really. It was foul play how Edward could look so cute while reciting all of his embarrassing drunk moments.

While contemplating on whether he should let the other off or let his best friend struggle even longer, a pair of ice-cold hands attacked his exposed stomach, catching him off guard and forcing him to jump back away from them. Edward took this opportunity to buck the heavier young man off his abdomen and then used the offending pillow like a weapon. Reflexively, Xander dodged the cushion as if it was a spiked mace but that just gave the blond the chance to tackle the prince off the bed onto the floor.

Fortunately, the mattress was close to the ground. The fall wasn't too rough and the rug underneath cushioned most of the combined weight of two highly active young men. Xander blinked his scarlet eyes once, his heart rapidly beating due to the sudden burst of adrenaline, and once his vision stopped quaking, his heartbeat sped for a much different reason.

Sitting smugly on top of his stomach, Edward's smiling face was like clear, pure ice sparkling in the light, like seeing snow glistening under the sun: exquisite and beautiful. Not even the faint evil glint in the blond's light-blue eyes could snap Xander out of his stupor-- but the cold-as-isazormr-balls hands forced onto his neck could.

Goosebumps rose as a chill spread from those hands to the rest of his body and his fire element reacted to the magic invasion by increasing his body temperature.

"Cry Ariadne," Edward demanded rather haughtily, using the Goddess' name to basically tell the red-haired prince to plead for salvation. Xander was momentarily immersed in nostalgia-- they hadn't rough-housed since they were ten years old and skinny-limbed boys who barely knew how to hold a sword. Of course, that didn't mean he would surrender and give his best friend what he wanted.

Countering Edward's magic with his own, he bared his grin and declared, "Never!"

Narrowing his eyes, Edward started moving his hands down, keeping in contact with Xander's skin, and the prince immediately figured out where the blond was aiming for.

Xander's own hands were unhindered and it was easy for him to reach up, grab the other's wrists, and press down the other's hands before they could attack his exposed and sensitive armpits. Being extremely ticklish was a weakness that only his parents and Edward knew of and it would be all over for him if his childhood friend decided to use that to his advantage.

Mercifully, Xander was physically stronger than Edward and as they grew older, the difference in their physique grew more obvious. While the Crown Prince continued developing his physical prowess through his mother (and her constant survival trips to dangerous locations), the Rosetta heir had been spending more time indoors either studying, working, or preparing for his apprenticeship under his father's governmental department. The separate lifestyles were displayed in how their bodies developed.

Before they separated into different life paths, being young boys of similar age, they were similar in height, weight, and build, and while that made Xander rather wistful, it would be a lie to say that he didn't prefer their current states.

His childhood friend couldn't even be considered close to skinny but Xander's hands had always been larger than most, and it had fascinated him to no end how easily he could completely trap the other's wrists in a single grip.

Seeing how Xander wouldn't allow him to move his arms, Edward briefly pouted and increased the chill on his hands to the point that if it was anyone but a fire mage like the Crown Prince was being attacked like this, they would have long been frostbitten. Since the blond's touch had stalled near his pecs, though it wouldn't be as bad as getting nipped in the armpits, Xander still yelped at the rising crispness.

"Plead Ariadne!"

"No!"

Just as Xander was planning to flip their position and wrestle his childhood friend into the ground as if they were still lanky seven years old kids, a loud creak interrupted their horseplay.

Both of them automatically snapped their heads towards the bedroom entrance and froze when they made eye contact with a mouth-gaping and wide-eyed Felix. He only poked his nosy head into the room but did not expect to witness such a scandalous scene. And what a scene it was: the Ice Prince of Astria was straddling a half-naked Crown Prince in, what looked to be, only his shirt. Not to mention that Edward had his hands placed on Xander's chest in a seemingly inappropriate manner.

Slowly, as an awkward silence hung in the air, Felix's gaping mouth shifted into a shit-eating grin. "Pardon my intrusion!" the Bergmann heir suddenly announced in an obnoxiously loud voice as if he wanted to tell the entire hotel that something interesting was happening inside of their room. There was something about his expression that seemed suggestive and incriminating but before anyone could get another word in, he ducked out and slammed the door shut.

A sense of mortification blanketed the atmosphere and Xander's mind had completely turned blank once he was aware of the steady weight placed much too near his lap. Somehow, amongst their struggle, Edward had shifted down his body as they were playing around.

The shock loosened his grip on his childhood friend's wrists and once Edward was free, Xander suddenly found his face ambushed by the pillow that fell with them. The Rosetta heir didn't even pull back his strength when he threw the pillow onto the prince's face and Xander was too stunned to even mind the pain from his nose. Soon after, the weight on his lower abdomen disappeared and he heard light footsteps hurrying away from the bed.

Dragging the pillow off his face, Xander barely caught a glimpse of Edward's short hair before he was blocked by a door. He didn't really have a good look at the room, being drunk and all, but each bedroom should have its own bathroom and that was probably where the other had disappeared to.

Like a simpleton, Xander just laid there with his feet still perched on the bed, slowly absorbing the events that took place. He took a deep breath, grabbed the offending cushion with a grip that could potentially rip it apart, and continued the job Edward didn't have the guts to finish by suffocating his flushing face underneath it. If his internal screams could be voiced out, they wouldn't sound human.

Before he could run out of breath and actually die from suffocation (if the mortification didn't choke the life out of him first) another creak alerted him to the bedroom entrance once again. Reluctantly, he pulled the pillow away to glare at the unwanted guest because there was only one person in the kingdom that was brazen enough to enter their room without knocking.

Felix's grinning face was a rather unwelcomed sight and if Edward wasn't in another room, the Ice Prince would freeze their old friend ten times over. Once they made reluctant eye contact, the Bergmann Heir's handsome grin grew bigger and somehow suggestively vulgar. He wiggled his eyebrows a few times toward the Crown Prince, before making a rather tasteless hand gesture that caused Xander to heat up in both mortification and anger.

With the pillow in his hand, he threw it at a speed comparable to a bullet and felt very little guilt watching as his classmate flew out of the room with a shout of pain. Regardless of his messy position, it was easy as breathing for Xander to twist his body and jump up onto his feet. Though it wasn't long ago since he had woken, his mother would often ambush him on his training days so his body was long conditioned to move freely even if it was just seconds since his eyes had opened.

He approached the bedroom entrance while stretching his arms and his shoulder muscles, his footsteps light but powerful and unhurried. Without acknowledging the groaning human mess that landed on the sofa across the way, Xander stepped out silently and closed the bedroom door. It was Edward's room in the first place so he shouldn't have intruded as long as he did. Or intruded in the first place, really....

An aggravated sigh passed his lips as he raked some of his long hair back with his fingers. He would have to brush it once he made it back to the palace. Unfortunately, Edward seemed to have other arrangements that took priority and would not be able to help him with his hair, and if he asked his mother, she would definitely tell him to tie it back as if it was some cheap wet rag.

"Sooo.... Did you guys finally do it?" Despite taking the full brunt of the Crown Prince's indignation via bullet-pillow, in the face of juicy gossip, Felix recovered like a phoenix from its ashes. His leering expression was full of eagerness and though Xander generally hated disappointing people, he really didn't want to meet whatever expectations the other had for him.

"Do what," he asked in a tone that was as dry as the Zafarian desert during drought season. He crossed his arms in a chastising pose that looked mildly threatening if only because of how much it emphasized his broad shoulders and his large biceps.

But to Felix, who was aware of the Crown Prince's puppy-like personality, being scolded by Xander was the same thing as being scolded by his nagging mother.

"You know!"

"I know...?"

"Come on, Xan." Jumping off the couch, Felix shuffled next to his red-haired friend and elbowed him twice on the side. "We're friends here. No need to feel shy or secretive~"

"I-- I honestly have no clue what you're talking about."

Felix huffed as if offended by the Crown Prince's 'coyness'. "I'm talking about the 'tango in the sheets'?" Seeing the other's blank and uncomprehending expression, he further clarified, "Getting into funny business? Waltz of the orchids? The hanky panky? Performing a nymph's dance? Kissing the flower buds? Mating dance? Humping hip to hip?"

The more Felix talked, the more blunt and shameless the collection of euphemisms became, and Xander was frankly appalled by how many ways the common language could describe sexual intercourse...

Wait.

Finally registering what his classmate was implying, his face turned as red as his hair and something from the other end of the room probably caught on fire.

"Getting lai--"

With a grip that he would usually use for catching the maul of a large magical beast, Xander grabbed Felix's lower face and dragged him away from Edward's bedroom door.

"We didn't--" the prince first sputtered and hissed, "We haven't-- For the love of Ariadne, I haven't even kissed--"

"What?!" Felix squawked as if he should have been the offended one. "You had sex but you never even kissed Eddy?!"

"We didn't--!" He took a deep breath and tried to suppress the rising heat of his magic. "We-- I didn't kiss. Or had sex with anyone."

A silence befell between the two and Felix stared up at his old friend with a twinge of skepticism and disbelief.

"You both were in the same room." Both referring to Xander and Edward.

"Yes."

"You slept in the same room."

"Yes."

"You slept in the same bed."

"Yes."

There was something unhinged in Felix's gaze. "Then why the Goddess are you two not fucking?"

Xander was speechless for a moment before his expression scrunched up into a grimace. "Please don't use 'the Goddess' and 'fucking' in the same sentence."

"You're not my mother, I-- I can't believe this." Felix groaned as if Xander had punched him in the stomach rather than just told him the truth. "There was a good atmosphere! And alcohol--"

"I also think we need to discuss where you acquired that bottle of Eis Kristall Vodka from."

"--And I gave you both a private room to stay in!"

"I was under the impression that we were in a two-bedroom suite."

"And both of you slept in the same bed."

Xander began to look more exasperated as the minutes went by. "Just because we happened to be in the same bed does not mean something sexual had to happen, Felix."

The Bergmann heir expressed his doubtfulness by a raise of his manicured eyebrow. "Right. Uh-huh. Both of you just happened to be half-naked and you're telling me nothing happened?"

"Why should something happen-- You know that I wasn't clear-minded enough to care about my half-dressed state and I'm sure Edward found it uncomfortable to wear his formal clothes to sleep."

Felix raised his eyes to the ceiling as if praying to some saint to put him out of his misery. "Look," he wrapped an arm around the prince's broad shoulders, ignoring the rather wary glances shot in his direction. "Now I'm sure that Eddy only gets off on large political conferences and paperwork but both you and me? We're hot-blooded young men--"

"I'm not sure I like where this is going," Xander grumbled as he forced the other's arm off his shoulder.

"--and everyone knows you've been thirsting after Edward since training camp--"

"What--" Xander choked. "Th-Thirsting?!"

"Yeah I mean, say if Eddy comes out only in a shirt and sits in your lap. Are you telling me you wouldn't react--"

Once again, Xander stopped his classmate from explaining further by covering his big mouth with a heavy hand. "Felix--!" the prince hissed between grinding teeth, "I swear to the Goddess--" He then noticed his classmate's eyes lingering down towards a certain part of his anatomy.

"Umph," was the noise of intrigue that the Bergmann heir made behind the prince's hand. "'Alk 'bou 'ig re-ak-shin, 'uh?" ("Talking about big reaction, huh?")

Xander whipped his hand back as if he had touched an open fire (not that it would harm him in reality, considering his elemental affinity), his tanned and fire-proofed skin colored to the same redness of a second-degree burn. The Crown Prince looked as if he wanted to combust on the spot but instead of setting Felix on fire as he probably deserved, he swirled around and stiffly marched towards his supposed bedroom.

Seeing that his friend was trying to escape, Felix, the absolute bastard, followed not unlike how a wood sprite would follow the scent of blood.

"Ahahaha, there's no shame in being healthy!" the young man insincerely sympathized with a leering grin that stretched from each side of his face. If it wasn't for Felix's attractive features and handsome disposition, it would have looked unseeming on anyone else. "We're all guys here! It's normal to get an erection when thinking about your lover--"

Felix barely dodged getting his nose smashed in when Xander entered his room and slammed the door shut without caring if he hit his classmate along the way. Simultaneously, the other bedroom door opened, presenting a fully dressed Edward with his hair styled back to its usual proper state. From the neck down, not a sliver of skin could be seen as per his usual attire nowadays.

The Rosetta heir adjusted his collar briefly before zeroing his cold eyes toward the Bergmann heir. Instantly, the room temperature dropped by several degrees.

"Felix." No one could have mistaken the threat in Edward's voice. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't turn you into an ice cube and shove your frozen body into the Adrastus Forest?"

Unlike Xander's threats, which were half-hearted at most and made in the heat of the moment, Edward was definitely serious about tossing him into one of Astria's most dangerous and untamed territories. He probably had everything about his demise planned out as well, starting from the transportation of his frozen body to a condolence letter about his death scheduled to be sent to his family.

But Felix was both shameless and fearless because his one response to the Ice Prince's threat was a wicked grin and a single word, "Kinky~."

The Bergmann heir ran away before his classmate could lob a fistful of ice in his direction, exiting out the suite with a rather forlorn sigh.

So this is the treatment he gets trying to get those pinning idiots to confess their love for each other? All he asks is to be free of Xander's smitten simpering and Edward's obvious and biased adoration. Is that too much to ask? He just wants his eyes to stop suffering.

Getting that Eis Kristall Vodka was not easy, okay? It costs more than just a pretty penny and now he owes his older brother an IOU. No one more than him knows how terrible it is to owe his brother anything. He has no choice because there isn't another alcoholic beverage readily available that can affect Xander's stupidly high tolerance. Giving the whipped idiot some liquid courage and a private room shouldn't be a bad plan but how was he supposed to stop that all-muscle-and-no-sense prince when he downs the whole bottle on his own?

Ugh, he thought he was home free when he saw Xander and Edward enter the same suite and barred everyone else from entering but--

They just????

Went to sleep???

Ahh, those dense idiots! He should've just taken Lady Katty's suggestion and just shove those nincompoops into a small closet!

Once Felix disappeared from sight, Edward also sighed, mostly out of irritation. With a shake of his head, his ice-blue eyes turned towards the closed door of Xander's bedroom.

The suite was completely quiet in the absence of Felix's foolhardiness, and Edward's footsteps seemed too loud as he made his way toward the closed door. There wasn't a single sound that could be heard on the other side and he wondered if it was because the insulation was good or because Xander went into the bathroom since he didn't have the chance before.

He knocked three times before calling out, "Your Highness, I must be leaving now!"

"O-Of course!" The reply was surprisingly quick, causing Edward to blink in bafflement. "I--I apologize for all the trouble I have caused last night and this morning. Please do not be late to your appointment on my behalf."

"Your Highness..." Edward's voice softened and his cold eyes warmed into a spring blue color. "There is no need for Your Highness to apologize. Your Highness was unaware of his actions."

"Re-Regardless," Xander stammered, sounding rather guilty and the Rosetta heir could only imagine the drooping ears and tail that he could sometimes see on the prince. The image made him smile, if only briefly. "I will not hold you back and let you be on your way. I need to start looking somewhat presentable before I see my mother."

"Oh, do you need any help--"

"No!" The rejection seemed to startle both of them since the door between them shook. "I mean--!" Xander quickly amended, "I want to take a shower before I leave the hotel and to wash off the alcohol smell and, you know, with my long hair, it takes an hour to get through it and I know you have a lot more important things to do than wait around for my shower to finish--"

As the prince continued to babble, Edward could only reply with an 'I see' in a baffled tone.

Eventually, Xander stopped rambling (making excuses) and silence once again befell between them.

"... I understand. Then I will take my leave first, Your Highness," Edward stated with a hand on his chest and a slight bow towards the direction of His Royal Highness. He momentarily fidgeted with his briefcase before turning around but once he took a step towards the exit—

"I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner?"

Edward paused mid-step, briefly recalling the dinner plans they had previously made in honor of their graduation from the academy. It was something the Rosetta heir had proposed before Felix's impromptu invitation and he wasn't sure if the idea was still on the table after tonight.

Their graduation wasn't something that Edward wanted to make a big deal of in the first place and he had dealt with enough dull platitudes during the ceremony and the after-dinner the day before yesterday but... He wouldn't have minded a private celebration with the people he loved.

Today, Katherine set aside time in her 'busy schedule' to take him to a tailor shop for men in the afternoon; apparently, she wanted to gift him with several new suits. And later on, Thomas said that he would make him (or have his servants make him) a white chocolate cake and serve it after tonight's dinner with both of his older siblings. They both knew he wasn't interested in something big or lavish and kept their congratulations personal and small.

After last night's merriment, Edward thought that would be the last they would have seen each other for a while. After all, Xander's responsibilities as the Crown Prince did not stop after graduating from the academy. Instead, now that he wouldn't be distracted by academic assignments, his workload probably tripled the minute he accepted his diploma.

But in the end, Xander still made time for the two of them to celebrate together.

The Ice Prince's frozen facial features unintentionally melted into a minuscule but tender smile. "Of course."

--------------

Xander listened carefully as he could hear Edward leaving the suite after his response and let out the breath he was holding in both relief and aggrievance. He leaned his back against the bedroom door and rubbed his face with a rough hand.

In truth, while he was disinclined to distract Edward from his work, Xander was shameless enough to excuse their recent graduation as a chance for a day off. With the right amount of pleading and puppy-dog eyes exposed to his best friend, the Rosetta heir would have folded to his wishes like a wet piece of paper.

Of course, he was well aware of his Edward's plans with his siblings and didn't intend on keeping the blond to himself for the whole day (Lady Katherine would definitely see to his demise if so), but just spending the entire morning with just the two of them would be just...

His thoughts were purely focused on spending more time physically together; if Edward didn't accept Felix's party invitation, Xander wouldn't have bothered making an appearance himself. In fact, their original dinner reservation was planned for last night but once the Bergmann heir strong-armed the two of them into his soiree, the prince only took it as another chance to be near his beloved.

He swore his thoughts and intentions were innocent-- he hadn't even kissed Edward on the lips. How could he dare think of his dear one that way? But the Crown Prince, disregarding his radiant reputation amongst the nobility and his people as the 'Rising Sun' of the nation, was also a young man and a very healthy one at that.

At the time, he failed to realize the intimate nature of their rough-housing. It wasn't that he was slow or particularly dense but nowadays, their meetings were rarely private and Edward insisted that they should maintain a certain amount of physical space in between their figures. Therefore, the euphoria of being able to touch his beloved would dominate all other sensations in his body, including arousal. However, over time, the ecstasy would die down, and just thinking about how physically close they were, how their skins were pressed together, how he had once pinned the other beneath him, and how Edward was nearly sitting on his lap with his round cheeks just inches from his manhood...

It would be stranger if he didn't have a reaction. Especially when his beloved was involved. Especially when Felix blatantly made up such a scenario for him to imagine.

Taking a glance at the rather obvious bulge between his legs, Xander didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

There was no conceivable way he would go outside the hotel room like this, much less to his mother. His mother would be entirely unsympathetic to his plight. In fact, she would use this embarrassment to hang over his head for years.

He wasn't entirely honest when he told Edward that he was planning on taking a shower but it seemed that he didn't have a choice in the matter, not if he didn't want to calm down his big problem.

--------------

As soon as Edward entered the carriage, he pulled the curtains to cover the windows and sat stiffly on the cushioned seats. He stared blankly in front of him, his fingers curled on his lap before he suddenly twitched.

There was a loud thud and the carriage shook, causing the coachman, Mr. Chester, to startle. "Master Edward?!"

Unfortunately, Edward was not in a state where he could speak. Hunched over with his face in his hands, the inside of the coach began to frost in contrast with his red, steaming ears.

He wasn't entirely honest when he told Xander he had an early morning appointment-- in fact, it was just an excuse to escape from being in the same room as his best friend. It took all of his composure and self-control to appear cool-headed and relaxed but--

Edward also wasn't entirely honest about what happened the night before either. Yes, Xander did get drunk with the blame entirely on Felix's head. And Edward did carry the nearly out-cold prince to his own bedroom before taking the next room over. But when Xander barged into his room without so much as a knock, his best friend didn't simply just take his bed. And rather than barging in, Edward was so tired from the night's events that he didn't even notice when the other had slipped into the room.

After suffering through non-stop chattering and his classmate's drunken nonsense, he was immensely relieved to be alone in his own room. For about thirty minutes, he basked in the silence before reporting to his father and Xander's parents in concern about their overnight stay at the Luxe. Other than seeing his siblings, Edward originally did not have any plans for the next day so he wasn't needed back at Rosetta Manor. In the meanwhile, the Queen graciously decided that in celebration of her son's first hangover, they would give their child a day off from training and his duties.

Overall, he was looking forward to sleeping in for once-- which wasn't a thought that he would have normally admitted to but it seemed that his younger brother's habits were rubbing off on him.

It was too late in the night to send some poor servant for some sleepwear, and it wasn't like he was expecting visitors so it was enough to sleep in his shirt and underwear. But just as he was about to enter Luxe's ridiculously large bed, someone hugged him from behind. It was only because he recognized the red strands past his shoulders and Xander's heated scent that he hadn't battered the intruder with a blast of ice.

Rather than a hug, Xander seemed to be trying to use his entire body to engulf him and Edward was flustered by the sudden heat and pressure. He then noticed the other's half-dress state, Xander's bare arms wrapped around his shoulders and chest, and began to squirm.

"Your-- Your Highness!" Edward sputtered as he twisted around in his best friend's embrace. Xander's response was felt against the skin of his neck, causing his body to twitch, but impossible to interpret otherwise.

His Highness must still be drunk-- he wouldn't be so clingy otherwise. In fact, while Edward was attempting to escape from the headaches called his classmates, Xander had practically glued them to the hip and wouldn't let go of him for the whole evening. Every time he tried to wriggle away, the prince would immediately attack him with his large and teary eyes until the blond gave up.

Edward was practically weary by the end of the night, and it took the rest of his energy to wrangle the singing prince into a free suite.

Honestly, where did His Highness get his vigor from... It was two hours past midnight and yet he still had the energy to run around.

His patience at this point was pretty much at its end and Edward seriously considered committing treason by knocking out the empire's Crown Prince with his fists.

But suddenly, Xander tripped over nothing, and being trapped in the other's clutches, Edward could only squawk as they crashed on top of the bed. With an indignant 'hmmp' since he landed face-first into the covers, he began to struggle against the dead weight on his back. Though he wanted to curse, he was mainly focused on escaping the prince's Kraken-limbs.

With Edward's strength alone, they rolled on the bed a few times but Xander seemed determined to squeeze the air out of his lungs and wouldn't let go no matter how many times they tossed and turned. Somewhere along the way, Edward managed to wiggle around until they were face to face--

Then something soft and chapped and hot touched his lips. Edward could taste someone's breath in his mouth. He jerked back but that only caused him to sink further into the mattress and Xander--

Edward kicked the seat in front of him with a devastating force, causing Mr. Chester to once again call out in concern. It was a wonder how there wasn't a hole in the carriage yet.

Xander followed him down, incidentally putting more force in the kiss and Edward had stopped breathing by then. The air seemed to still as the other's body heat seeped underneath his skin. Even though his limbs were now free, he couldn't use them to push Xander away.

The sound of his heartbeat drowned out the little gasp he made when the other's lips finally moved and once Xander pulled away, all he could see was crimson. His long hair curtained around the two of them as if to close them off from the rest of the world and reflected in those scarlet eyes was Edward's flushed and dazed expression.

Xander blinked slowly before lowering his head to caress his lips against Edward's once more. It was a brief stroke before the prince moved to the corner of his mouth. Then his cheek. Sliding to the corner of his eye. His eyelid. Edward could barely register the grip on his waist, distracted by the heat traveling down his neck.

He felt as if his body was pulled tight by a string, his head dizzy with too many sensations, and when he wanted to curl away, he found that impossible with the way Xander had placed himself in between his legs.

His mouth fell open but he could not recall what sort of sounds he made as Xander mouthed his neck. He trembled underneath the wandering hands that pulled their bodies closer and just when the other's lips reached beneath his ear--

Edward kicked the poor carriage seat once more before spitting, "Mr. Charles, to Wisteria manor!" Considering how terrible and dark the eldest Rosetta sounded, the coachman had the tact not to ask any questions and with a whip of the reins, they finally moved forward.

At the time, Edward was much too distracted to notice Xander's slowing movements and before he knew it, the prince dropped his entire mass on top of him and promptly fell asleep. While being crushed under the larger man's dead weight and listening to the other's soft snores, he once again considered regicide. Surely His and Her Majesty would understand his actions and wouldn't accuse him of treason even if that meant the empire was without an heir.

Edward wasn't sure how he fell asleep considering his too-warm and agitated condition, but he was resolved to bury the events deep into his subconscious in order to avoid the morning awkwardness. And it worked for a short while-- until he was completely alone in his carriage.

Though his face was bleeding red and scorching hot, frost began to climb up from his feet. It had been years since he lost control of his magic but he couldn't bring himself to care for the mess Mr. Chester would have to clean up later. Or he could just send the cleaning bill to the palace and let Xander deal with the questions and consequences.

That idiot-- He shouldn't be disappointed that Xander didn't remember anything from last night. His Highness was drunk in the first place, so he was not proud of taking advantage of his inebriated state at all. It would have been better if he just knocked the other out cold the minute he started misbehaving.

How will I face him tomorrow night? was the distressing thought that popped up in his panicking state.

Well, first, he should probably consider how to hide last night's events from Katherine first. Her ability to read his thoughts by expression only, regardless of his facial paralysis, was frightening. He did not look forward to the inevitable interrogation once she found out (and she would, either through Felix or through her own detective work). For now, let's try to stall that talk for as long as possible.

There were still a few hours left until their appointment. Visiting Thomas had always been a peaceful affair and his little brother, unlike their sister, was not nosy enough to ask questions about his flustered state other than an 'are you okay'. After an hour or two in the little one's tranquil presence, he should be calm enough to confront Katherine for their afternoon plans.

...-------...

Omake 1:

It was a rare day in Astria if Tanaka was awake before lunch. Nowadays, since he was given special permission from the academy to only attend classes for exams, he barely bothered even leaving his bedroom, much less his bed.

But today, they were supposed to be celebrating Edward's graduation from Evadne Academy. Of course, in consideration of Tanaka's daily schedule, his part of the celebration would only happen in the evening during dinner, but the transmigrator was determined to wake up at noon and help prepare his brother's special white chocolate cake.

One could only imagine the lazy young man's bafflement as he was woken up, dressed, and carried out into the gardens by Amir at around 9 o'clock in the morning. The sun seemed especially bright as it peeked through the nimble branches and the wisteria flowers blooming in the trees. But considering the early spring season, though the days were warmer, they were not warm enough to warrant Edward's vigorously blushing complexion.

The flush was very obvious against the eldest's pale skin, and instead of his customary half-sugar and one-part cream earl grey concoction, Edward was worryingly drinking his tea straight black.

Did Brother Xander finally make his move? was Tanaka's very accurate assessment as he stared at his brother with half-lidded eyes while taking a long sip of his glass of milk. ...What did the Prince do to make Brother Edward like this...?

But Tanaka was very much a novice when it came to the subject of relationships and romance. He could not guess what the Prince of Smiles did to make the 'Ice Prince' so flustered to the point he was unable to adjust his expressions before arriving to Wisteria Estate.

Sweeping his gaze on Edward's red face once more, Tanaka allowed his brother a moment to adjust his feelings, taking a 'silent support' approach to the matter. In the back of his mind, the sleepy transmigrator also lit a small candle for Xander.

While Edward was definitely flustered and dazed by something, from time to time, Tanaka could perceive the uncontrollable and violent turbulence of his brother's elemental magic.

Yup, Brother Xander's near future seemed to be full of difficulties.

...-------...

Omake 2:

The King of Astria couldn't help but find his son's blank expression rather funny, but quickly adjusted his own expression to hide his laughter. Both he and his wife did not expect Xander to be back so soon-- they had watched the two boys, his only child and Kyron's eldest son, spun circles around each other since they were still below the height of his hips, and both he and Maria knew that their son was very clingy with his time with young Edward.

But their son, in clothes that he would usually wear for training, his hair tied back, and a shade darker due to dampness, walked into the pavilion where the couple was having breakfast and asked his mother for today's training schedule.

The King and Queen exchanged glances before the feared 'Brimstone Dragon' burst into snorts.

There was a speechless silence from Xander's end while Charles gave his son a reassuring smile. "Come and sit down Xander. Mrs. Merlot's strawberry and rosemary scones will all be eaten by your mother if you don't grab one for yourself."

Maria was failing at controlling her chortles while the husband waved a maid to set a plate for their bewildered son. With a confused expression, Xander tentatively sat down next to his parents and stayed still as the maid worked around the Prince to set up his dining wares. Once she respectively stepped back with a bowed head, Charles used a small pair of tongs to grab a scone for their grown-up child.

"...Father?" Xander was growing more and more concerned with how hard his mother was laughing but after a couple of coughs, Maria immediately recovered with a grin that often forebodes disastrous things for the kingdom. Or really, mostly to Xander's dignity.

"So since you came home so early--"

"What? Early?" Question marks sprouted from above the Prince's head.

"--were you so bad in bed that you couldn't even coax Eddie for some morning sweetness?"

Charles nearly flung the scone he had grabbed over his shoulder while Xander seemed to be choking on his spit. As if half expecting such a scene, the maid that had previously arranged their plates caught the scone on a different plate before it fell from the King's tongs and placed a glass of cool water next to the Crown Prince.

With a calm face, she placed the plate down and stepped back. When attending the Royal Family's meal, many of the palace servants were trained to either dodge or catch flying food. Some of them even have better reflexes than the elite knights in the royal army.

"Mo-Mother!" Xander nearly squeaked while Charles shot an indulgent but helpless expression towards his wife.

While he was curious how his son had spent his time with Edward last night, he was hoping his wife would be a bit more... delicate with her questioning.

Clearing his throat, Charles began admonishing his wife, "Maria--"

"Granted, our kid's a virgin so I don't imagine their first time being good. But certainly Eddie wouldn't fault our son for that!" Xander's mouth was gaping very much like a fish and the King started to blush slightly at the Queen's crudeness. "Our son only has eyes for Eddie since they were nothing but small kiddies barely above my waist so there's no one he would be willing to practice on other than Eddie! And his hand could only do so much--"

"MO-THER," Xander hissed while giving frantic glances toward the attending maids and butlers, who tactfully kept their heads low and their gazes elsewhere. "Mother, what are you-- Have you and Felix been--" The Crown Prince rubbed a hand down his face in exasperation, his complexion the same color as his hair. "Me and Eddie-- Me and Edward! We. Didn't. We didn't do anything of that sort."

Maria's grin hadn't faltered though she did nod her head as if she understood Xander's plight. "I see, you're both taking it slow. Well, you both are late bloomers, which is understandable considering Eddie's upbringing; Ky's an upright tight arse let me tell you, me and your father were trying for children way before Ky had his first time--"

"Maria," Charles coughed out with reddening cheeks. "Kyron is a couple of decades younger than us."

"Really? Then he should act like it. Henry is more energetic than that cranky old arse."

"Mother..." Not wanting to further explore their country's prime minister's sex life, Xander quickly decided to change the topic. "I haven't even kissed Edward--"

"What?!" The Queen of Astria gasped, her eyes wide with her jaw dropping open. "Even though you had sex with dear Eddie, the both of you haven't kissed?!"

Xander: "....." Why did this all sound familiar? Surely his mother and Felix didn't have time between now and yesterday night to gossip about his love life.

"I've never taught my son to be such a philanderer!"

To be fair, she taught him swordsmanship, archery, hand-to-hand combat, magic combat, horseback riding, parkour, war tactics, war and politics, psychological warfare, and basic navigation, but how to start a relationship? Honestly, his mother would be the last person he would ask for advice on that matter.

"My dear, I think what Xander means is--" Charles took a glance at his pitiful son, who had long decided to hide his mortification into his hands. "He and Edward are not together yet."

There was a long silence afterward and while servants moved forward to move away any fragile dishware or anything sharp from the table, the Queen stared daggers towards her one and only child for three full minutes before exploding.

"What in the blazing hot pits of Ariadne's armpits do you mean they're not together?!"

"Maria, your language--"

"Charles, I think I would know when my son is in a relationship--"

"Mother, please don't misunderstand. Edward and I are not in a relationship-- I mean, we're not in that kind of relationship!" Xander looked very much exasperated by the turn of events. What's with his friends and family thinking he and Edward are an item? If that were the case, would he bother showing up to train with his mother in the first place?

"You--" The Queen of Astria looked ready to reach over and choke the Crown Prince with her bare hands. "Then-then-then, what about all that lovey-dovey-ness on the night of your rite of adulthood?!"

"Lovey-dovey what?"

Seeing the clueless and blank look in her son's eyes, Maria immediately despaired.

"What do you mean what--I-- I saw you two sneaking out and-- Look, if I had the chance to have Charles all for myself, I would've pounced on him regardless of the time and place!"

Charles didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his wife's shamelessness but was somehow flattered all the same. They were a very old couple at this point, and while they were both high-tiered magicians, the gap between their magical capabilities was large. There had been some past studies where a person's tier corresponded with their lifespan. While they were only one tier and a few years of age apart, his beloved still looked as if she was in her late twenties while he had steadily begun to turn into his forties. His hair had not grayed yet, but the wrinkles around his eyes and forehead left him slightly insecure.

Gazing at his still youthful wife with dotting eyes, he banished the visions of a far future where he would have to leave her behind for death's embrace (though knowing Maria, she would sooner cut down any entity that would try to take him, her possessiveness equal to the nickname feared by her enemies).

With hands just as callused as hers, he stopped her from accidentally destroying the table with practiced ease by holding her flailing hands. The Queen did seem less likely to destroy the entire pavilion now that her strength was superficially subdued, but even her husband could not distract her attention from her son.

"I had my grandchildren's names picked out!"

"Mother, please--"

"And your wedding colors were already given to the planners!"

"Mother, for the love of the Goddess--"

"And we're supposed to use that ugly old Windsor engagement ring for the proposal!"

"Oh yes, I was wondering if it would be better to customize a new ring using the crystal heart you and Xander bought back from the gem golem of Adrastus' dungeon three months ago."

"Oh, the ice blue one? That's brilliant Charles!"

"Mother, Father--" Recognizing the signs of his parents teaming up against him, Xander was halfway tempted to ask his foster grandmother, an earth mage, to make the ground swallow him whole. "I don't even know if Edward likes me that way."

Once again, Maria stared at her son with despairing eyes before dramatically draping herself all over her husband's lap. "Charles, why is your son so dense?! How could you raise such a dim-witted son?!"

So when Xander is being thick-headed, he's my son?

Charles was more amused than offended by his wife's statement. After all, the mother and son pair shared the same obtuseness.

In their youth, before they became involved with the tragic events of his Uncle Dominus' schemes and war, Maria was actively courting Charles and declared herself as one of his suitors. Though she was bold and particularly shameless, very different from the noble ladies in the capital, she somehow never believed that the target of her affections would love her back. As if Charles would be blind to her sincerities. As if she wasn't the brightest thing he had ever come upon, to the point where the sun and the stars dim in comparison.

With a chuckle, he brushed the back of her beautiful and striking red hair in a gesture of appeasement. Her hair was cut short, displaying her long neck. Among the aristocratic women in the capital, the length would be considered scandalous and unseemly, but during wartime, if she wasn't sparring or practicing her magic, she would be out in the field fighting in a useless war. The soldiers and magicians were always forced to the brink of exhaustion and Maria, who unintentionally became the hope and pride for the people of Astria, was not the exception.

Used as a dancing monkey for the nobles, wasting away the kingdom's resources on pointless strife and their own greed, and a pack mule to carry their whims for expansion and domination, when would she have time to worry about her own needs? Much less her hair, there were times she hadn't bathed for weeks. Cutting it short was an easy decision for her, and that habit stuck even after the war was over.

"Now now, Maria," Charles coaxed while their son rolled his eyes upwards as if to plead the Goddess for mercy. "They're still young. Let's not rush them."

The Queen scoffed against her husband's stomach before shooting up from his lap. "Yeah, but we're not getting any younger, Charles! I want my grandbabies!"

They both knew that she didn't really care for grandchildren yet. Watching these two children dance around each other for years, her patience had reached its end, and she was just throwing a fit.

Xander massaged his temple and closed his eyes for a few seconds, gathering up the patience he thankfully inherited from his father. "Even if... mother, we're both men."

Maria raised an eyebrow in response. "And?"

"... Neither of us can birth children."

"Are you saying you won't give me grandchildren?"

"Please explain to me first how these grandchildren will come into existence."

Knowing that his wife would have said something outrageous and would probably frighten their son halfway to death, Charles finally decided to give his heir some mercy and change the topic of their conversation. "Your mother and I were expecting you home much later. Did young Edward have early plans today?"

"Ah, Edward has some engagements he can't miss this morning." Recognizing his father's helping hand, he eagerly latched onto the new topic with obvious desperation. Then his thoughts paused for a minute. "Later? What happened to morning training?"

"Your mother and I gave you the morning off," Charles explained with a gentle smile while his wife's expression mirrored their son's confusion. "Did young Edward not tell you? He was supposed to pass it on to you when you woke up ."

"I... He did not." Xander furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered Edward mentioning his morning training with his mother but did not recall anything about having the morning off.

"Huh. Did Eddie forget to tell you?" His mother asked the question that circled his head, and they both tilted their heads in contemplation. Well, Edward did seem to be in a rush to make it to his morning appointment. Maybe because of the morning's eventfulness, the reminder slipped his mind?

Witnessing the twin movements of his wife and son, Charles hid his smile by sipping a cup of his bergamot tea.

Were they talking about the same Edward, who could memorize a month's worth of schedules to the very exact minute? Their Edward, who had the habit of timing his meetings and appointments by the second?

Charles paused to look at his wife and son once more before taking another sip. Both Maria and Xander were hardy drinkers and the amount of time his wife actually got drunk could be counted on one hand. The first time he encountered Maria in such a state, he was surprised by how quiet... and sticky she was. Of course, he would never take advantage of her inebriated condition (not to mention she still had the strength to carry him over her shoulder when he tried escaping), but if Xander was the same kind of drunken person as his mother...

Well, maybe the two children would get together sooner rather than later?

...-------...

Yoho's Lazy Life Encylopedia:

Isazormr: A species of drake that can grow to the size of a horse. They're only found in the far north, usually in the mountains near magic crystal deposits and often in small herds. Due to the unique shape of their feet, they're capable of scaling ice and running across banks of snow.

Author's Note:

|･ω･'*)ッ

Hi Everyone~ Long time, no see? Hehehe....

Well, I don't have much of an excuse. Other than the path of life taking me to unexpected places. ╮(╯▽╰)╭ I'm still debating whether they're good places or not.

Honestly, I'm not sure how many people are still reading this old piece of fiction. I won't even be surprised if a bunch of my old readers finally moved on to better things (or better stories lol), but I'm still very fond of these characters and this story.

Editor-chan has been really busy between her new job and her family so it took her a while to look over my writing, but there's a certain kind of happiness hearing her enjoy how the characters were written (she was giggling about Edward teasing Xander) and looking back at some of the comments made by you guys always remind me how much I love this story.

I should really stop making any promises because I'm terrible at updating and all of you know that, but I haven't given up on this story yet. Editor-chan and I will try to get chapter 20 up and running as soon as possible >.<. In the meantime, please enjoy these Extras and the rewritten chapters that I will hopefully post up soon.