The large castle already felt unsettlingly quiet before Fancy Pants had even managed to step hoof past the drawbridge into the garden. Perhaps it was Shining Armor’s oppressing silence that never seemed to let up, or it could have been the pounding headache that still lingered in his mind. However, when his eyes fell upon the garden full of critters, he could only remember walking with Blueblood, exchanging small talk that no sane pony should remember. Yet he could recall every word.
Normally the white stallion felt a bit happier about the prospect of seeing Prince Blueblood. He couldn’t help but frown when he remembered the context of his visit. The ride here in the royal carriage had been quiet as well. There had been no more than a few seconds of awkward small talk that had been extinguished before even a spark had begun.
The air was chilly, noon passed by as Celestia’s sun began to set. The clouds were gathering, though he wasn’t positive if it meant rain or not.
“Blue might…” Shining started to speak, his words trailing off quickly as they stepped up into the castle doorway. “I mean, he might not want to see you. When his father used to yell at him, he locked himself up and wouldn’t let Cadence or me see him.”
“I’d still like to try,” Fancy Pants tried his best to remain adamant.
Shining Armor kept looking to him and then away, a hoof constantly raising to run through his mane each time they paused to turn a corner. The guards occasionally broke their stoic demeanor to greet their captain cheerfully, though he did little more than nod to each of them.
Fancy Pants let himself look to the windows that revealed even more of the garden. There was a garden of rose bushes in a line. The stallion briefly wondered if this was where he had first met Blueblood some odd weeks ago. He thought it strange that so much could bloom from a little tear in fabric.
When they approached a set of stairs, they began to climb. The pink tiled floor was covered in a rich red carpet, giving the place a sense of a much brighter atmosphere than the feeling in his chest. Fancy wondered if Blueblood would even want to see him when he found himself glancing to Shining Armor’s lips.
Shining broke the silence when they went up a few sets of stairs. “It’s just a little further this way.” Fancy Pants suddenly felt much older when he realized his breathing had increased much more than the captain’s. “I really hope Cadence managed to get him to at least open his door…”
“She’s talking to Blueblood right now?” Fancy Pants questioned.
“Hopefully.” Shining tried to smile when he looked at Fancy Pants. It looked forced. “We talked together about it after Blueblood threw me out. We thought it might be best if I went to find you and she tried to talk to him so he wouldn’t be a total wreck when you came.”
Shining Armor paused briefly in his walk. Fancy Pants did so as well, looking at the captain as Shining let out a rough sigh.
“I wish that it was the two of us who could calm him down.” Shining grumbled as he bit into his cheek. “I wanted so bad for things to not change so much, but he can’t even talk to me without freaking out. I don’t know if I’m just a bad friend or if we drifted apart because everything came crashing down so fast… Honestly, I don’t know which one I prefer.”
“He still cares about you.” Fancy Pants felt the need to assure the other. He contemplated briefly putting his hoof on the other’s shoulder, but decided against it at the last moment.
“Blue…” Shining bit harder at his cheek. “Let’s go.”
Thankfully, the rest of the walk was short. It took no more than a three-minute trot through the quiet hallways before Blueblood stopped at the door. Shining knocked gently, staring down at his hooves as he did so. He took in a deep breath, planting a hoof over his forehead as he squeezed at it.
The door cracked open. A single lavender eye appeared before the face of Princess Cadence slipped out of the door. Her slender body managed to slide out without exposing much of the bedroom. She looked from her husband to Fancy Pants, a polite smile on her face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fancy Pants,” she said, taking his hoof in her own. Her smile faltered a bit, though it never felt insincere to the stallion. “Blueblood talked a little about you, but I tried not to pry.”
Fancy Pants wasn’t sure if he should bow or not. The exchange with royalty was a bit more personal than expected, her demeanor a tad less regal. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess.”
“He let you talk to him?” Shining Armor interrupted with a hopeful tone, a bit of a spark in his eye. “Is Blue alright?”
“He’s…” Cadence frowned, looking between the two stallions. “Distant. I had a nurse look at his leg, but he hasn’t talked much since then. I didn’t want to push him too hard.”
“I knew I saw blood…” Shining Armor mumbled. Fancy Pants was sure that if the prince wasn’t already, he would soon taste blood in his mouth from how tightly his teeth clenched over his cheek.
“I apologize that we require you to get right down to business so quickly,” Cadence said to the older unicorn, her eyes glancing to the doorway. “But if you came all this way on such short notice, I believe you care about Blueblood. I wish we could talk a bit more, but I believe Blueblood should be our priority right now. I didn’t tell him you were coming. I thought it might be best to try not to make him stress over it. Shining and I will give you two some privacy. We can check up on your two later if he doesn’t… well, if he wants to see you.”
“R-Right.” Fancy Pants suddenly felt his chest clench up a bit. The thought hit him once more that Blueblood might not want to see him. He gave a look to Cadence and Shining Armor. Cadence was still smiling politely to him, but Shining Armor stared hard at the large double doors.
“Blue’s waiting for you.” Shining Armor’s gaze shifted to Fancy Pants. “Please don’t let him down.”
Fancy Pants nodded to the captain, turning slowly to the doorway. He could see out of the corner of his eye Cadence dragging Shining along by the hoof away from the room when he turned the knob with his magic.
It suddenly occurred to the stallion that he had never actually entered Prince Blueblood’s bedroom before. Every time he had imagined such a thing, it had been under much better circumstances than the one at hoof. When the tile had shifted from a bright pink to a dark purple right under his hooves and kept going on and on, he realized the room was massive.
He closed the door behind him gently, trying his best to be quiet as his eyes scanned around the room. The bed was massive, possibly bigger than a king size. The blankets were ruffled and messy, as if the prince had been tossing and turning all night long.
Fancy Pants looked straight ahead to the balcony when he had managed to make his way to the bed. He could see him, Blueblood sitting there gazing up at the cloudy sky. What little sunlight there was in the sky hit his body, giving it a sense that it was glowing. Fancy Pants took silent steps forward, unable to look away from the prince. It was perhaps the first time he had seen Blueblood without any sort of dress clothing. The muscles in the prince’s body were outlined clearly when he took in a breath. The fur on his chest which was usually exposed looked much softer and fluffier than the rest of his body.
The unicorn could feel his chest beat when he stared at Blueblood. He couldn’t determine if worry or excitement was flowing through him at seeing Blueblood. Either way, he realized he was holding his breath.
“Was it a guard, Cadence?” Blueblood’s eyes turned towards Fancy Pants. The two seemed to stay like that for a while, gazing into each other’s eyes. It must have taken the prince several moments to fully register the unicorn in front of him. He blinked when he looked at Fancy Pants, his eyes widening and the muscles in his body tensing up.
“F-Fancy Pants!” His voice was shrill, yet Fancy Pants couldn’t tear his eyes away from Blueblood’s well-toned body and fluffed up chest. He hadn’t expected his heart to beat so loudly that the whole castle must have heard it just by seeing a stallion in casual attire. Blueblood had jumped to his hooves, and that seemed to only show off more of his chest. “How did… why are… You can’t be here!”
“I apologize for coming in so unexpectedly.” Fancy Pants struggled to find his voice, but he did take a step forward towards the prince. He wanted desperately for his heart to settle down.
Blueblood was fidgeting every few moments, his hind pressing up against the balcony railing. He seemed to want to back up but couldn’t find the room, eyes cast away from Fancy Pants.
“Please… Fancy…” Blueblood’s words sounded hoarse to Fancy Pant’s ears. He could tell right away that the prince was struggling to keep his eyes from watering. The voice of the other was hoarse, as if he had been crying for hours.
Fancy Pants blinked, mild confusion settling over him. It was almost hard to notice Prince Blueblood’s ruffled coat and messy mane, let alone his red eyes. It was honestly the first time he had noticed all of those little details. His eyes fell upon Blueblood’s bandaged leg.
“Are you alright?” Were the first words to fall from Fancy Pants’ mouth. “You aren’t hurt badly, are you? What happened?”
Blueblood looked to his friend with mild confusion before he gripped at his bandaged arm. He shook his head slowly in response. Fancy’s sigh of relief must have sounded like thunder, for Blueblood shut his eyes firmly.
“I did something foolish.” The prince grumbled under his breath. “You don’t want to look at me right now. I look awful. I didn’t bathe or groom or anything today.”
“I didn’t even notice… Truly I didn’t,” Fancy Pants chuckled. He knew his cheeks must have been aflush by now if they hadn’t been long before. “Can I join you?”
“I…” Blueblood seemed to want to deny him, but something kept him from refusing. He looked away, seating himself down. Fancy Pants took a few hesitant steps forward, and when Blueblood had not spoken the older unicorn seated himself next to Blueblood. He left a few feet between them, not wanting to upset the stallion with his own selfish desires.
“You can’t be here.” Blueblood repeated himself. He clenched a hoof over his chest, refusing to look at the other. Fancy Pants found himself frowning when he realized Blueblood’s body was trembling.
Fancy Pants reached out a hesitant hoof, thankful that Blueblood did nothing more than shut his eyes when he rested it on the other’s shoulder. A cold breeze suddenly blew on the two, and Fancy Pants could feel his eyes widen.
“You’re cold… here, take this,” Fancy Pants mumbled. Blueblood glanced to him, confusion in his eyes when Fancy Pants began to take off his jacket slowly. As it slipped off of his body only his dress shirt and black bow-tie remained. He put the coat over Blueblood’s shoulders, thankful that the prince didn’t argue against him. “There. Just how long have you been sitting out here?”
“A while,” Blueblood said under his breath. He pulled on the jacket tightly as if it were a blanket. “Your cologne still smells the same… You’re right, I like it now.”
For a brief moment he noticed the tiniest hints of a smile on Blueblood’s lips. Their eyes briefly met once more, Blueblood averting his gaze quickly. The smile vanished, and he quickly looked to the floor of the balcony.
“Shining Armor came to get me. I… I was worried about you.” Fancy Pants tried to keep his voice gentle. He wanted to run his hoof down Blueblood’s mane and feel his blonde locks of hair. Something told him the prince wouldn’t appreciate a touch like that right now. “You look a bit worse for wear… I suppose we’re both in that boat. My head is still pounding from last night.”
“Are you okay?” Blueblood asked suddenly, his sight firing to Fancy Pants. “I mean, I left so fast. I didn’t know if I could do anything… Fleur knew everything to do and I just stood around being useless.”
“I’m glad you were there.” Fancy Pants smiled. He was glad to see Blueblood loosen his muscles a bit. “I can’t begin to think what trouble I would have gotten into if your carriage wasn’t there. It’s my fault for being such an awful lightweight.”
“Fleur was so kind to you,” Blueblood mumbled under his breath. “She had her hooves all over you like it was natural… and she didn’t look embarrassed at all about it. I mean, I heard rumors that you two were an item, but the way you always treated me made me think…”
Blueblood grew silent. The prince seemed to be blushing as he bit on his lip. His eyes looked like they were watering up again, perhaps out of embarrassment, so he shut them.
“Fleur is my model.” Fancy Pants assured. He reached out his hoof to grasp Blueblood’s own. He held it tightly, bringing it to his chest. “Nothing else. Believe me, I wouldn’t date her without making it well known.”
Blueblood didn’t respond to that, perhaps in thought over the topic. Whatever had happened earlier, he still seemed shaken up over it. “Do you remember when I told you the story of the prince with two lovers?”
“Of course.” Fancy Pants nodded his head. He watched Blueblood open his eyes, the hoof that was in Fancy’s grasp tightening its grip.
“I’m such a fool.” Blueblood’s voice was nearly a whimper. The prince stared out into the kingdom, using a hoof to hide his face from Fancy Pants. “The prince wasn’t selfish. He was a fool. He couldn’t decide if his feelings were in the past or in the present. He dug his grave by his own actions and was just an idiot through and through.”
Fancy Pants could hear Blueblood attempt to hold his breath and conceal whatever emotions he was experiencing.
“I kissed Shining.” Blueblood ripped his hoof from Fancy Pants’ grasp and planted it over his eye. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought that maybe if I did he would understand and it would fix everything… I thought it might be like how I always imagined it would be.”
“It’s…” Fancy Pants couldn't help but feel that same cold ice from before return in his chest. His head pounded and stomach turned, but he managed to keep himself quiet. Fancy Pants had to tighten the muscles in his legs, reminding himself again and again that he had no right to be upset. “It’s okay that you kissed Shining Armor. You’ve always had feelings for him, if I recall.”
“But I didn’t!” Blueblood’s voice was on edge. “I didn’t feel anything for him! It didn’t make me happy or make anything he was yelling at me go away. The whole time I just thought of… somepony else… I thought how much I wanted it to be them. And now everything is worse…”
Fancy Pants’ heart came back to life with a single beat.
“I’ve never felt magic that strong before.” Blueblood’s voice was quiet as he put a hoof to the tip of his horn. “I don’t even know where any of it came from.”
“Magic?” Fancy Pants tilted his head.
“When he… I just wanted him gone more than anything,” Blueblood tightened his hooves on the end of Fancy Pants’ jacket. “I didn’t even think about it. Before I knew it there was glass everywhere and Shining was on the ground.”
“Well,” Fancy Pants put a hoof to his chin. “Depending on how clear my own head is, or how strong my drive is, magic is always dependant on my emotional state… Did you hurt yourself terribly in the glass?” Fancy Pants let his eyes fall onto Blueblood’s foreleg once more.
“I can’t even tell you to go away,” Blueblood whimpered again, his tears spilling over for the first time. “I’m no better than that prince in the story who I hated for so long. I just… I want you here more than anything. You shouldn’t be here after I did something so foolish. It was so disgusting… I can still taste it.”
“I’m glad I’m here.” Fancy Pants leaned over, resting one hoof on the other’s cheek. He used his other foreleg to grab Blueblood’s hoof again. Blueblood looked away from him, the guilt seeping into his skin the more Fancy was kind to him. “You shouldn’t be so upset over kissing a stallion when I… I think about kissing you almost every day since I've met you."
Those were the words that made Blueblood look to Fancy Pants. He opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, yet he couldn’t find the answer. His mouth hung agape for quite a while before he managed to close it.
“You mean that you?” Blueblood struggled to ask without his words shaking.
“I know we have a bit of an age gap.” Fancy Pants chuckled nervously. He had finally gained the attention from Blueblood he so desperately wanted. He could feel his cheeks flush. “Twelve years is a long time, I know. Shining is probably much more attractive than I’ve been in quite some time. I don’t want you to accept my feelings because of pity, but truly I… I care about you.”
“I…” Blueblood’s chest tightened as he clamped a hoof over it. His lips moved but no words came out. His breath grew heavy. He closed his eyes tighter than Fancy Pants thought possible. He struggled with the words that wouldn’t seem to flow. Fancy Pants grabbed his hoof and pulled it from his chest, grasping it tightly in his own. Blueblood’s eyes looked as though they were watering again as he put his free hoof over his mouth.
“Blueblood, wait, please don’t get upse-”
Blueblood freed his hoof from Fancy Pants’ grasp and settled them both on either side of the older’s face. His hooves were soft and tender, but their eyes met for just a moment, the world growing very quiet for that single moment. He leaned in to press his lips against Fancy Pants’ own, yet their noses met and lips didn’t. Fancy Pants blinked his eyes, Blueblood pulling away several inches.
“I… I wanted too…” Blueblood’s tears seemed to look a bit more genuine this time, his cheeks bright pink. “I-I’m sorry… I screwed up…”
“Wanted to do, this?” Fancy Pants quickly attempted to savor the moment.
Fancy Pants’ legs wrapped themselves around Blueblood’s body. He pulled the prince close to him, his crush’s fluffy chest pressing up against his dress shirt. When he leaned in, cocking his head just enough so their noses wouldn’t collide, he felt Blueblood’s muscles relax. The other’s lips were softer than he had ever imagined, so warm and gentle. Blueblood pushed a bit too hard, perhaps unsure if he was doing the actions correctly. That only made Fancy Pants hold him tighter.
Blueblood’s legs clung to Fancy with strength he did not know the younger possessed. It felt as though Blueblood wanted to melt into him when his body ceased being so tense. His muscles relaxed and he pushed himself up against Fancy, a few tufts of hair brushing against the older unicorn’s chest. His heart pounded like a hammer smashing up against Fancy’s chest. His lips pressed back up when Fancy Pants attempted to pull himself away, pressing back down once more on the older’s lips. He pulled away slowly, savoring every last moment. They nuzzled their noses together briefly, craving the smell of each other.
Fancy Pants pulled back a bit, staring into Blueblood’s eyes. The world seemed very quiet aside from Blueblood’s breathing and his own heart. Blueblood’s body wasn’t tense in the slightest, in fact it was possibly more relaxed than Fancy had ever felt him.
“Are you sure?” Blueblood mumbled, their lips less than an inch apart. “Am I… Am I good enough?”
“Little late for that, Sweetheart.” Fancy Pants chuckled. He ran his hooves through the other’s mane. “Please don’t talk like that, you’re fantastic.”
When Blueblood properly parted lips, Fancy Pants found his neck craning forward to savor the final few seconds. When their eyes met, Blueblood’s face grew even redder than before. Fancy Pants let his legs lower just a touch, holding his hooves on Blueblood’s sides.
“Is your leg alright?” Fancy questioned when he ran his hoof up and down the bandaged foreleg. “That was a bit spontaneous for you.”
“I’m fine.” Blueblood chuckled. “There were more things important to focus on.”
“Oh, like the weather? Yes, it does look rather dreary. Perhaps we should head inside.” Fancy tried to keep a straight face, but when a hoof jabbed itself into his side he began to laugh. He squeezed his hold on Blueblood, only wanting to be closer.
“Cadence told me one time...” Blueblood’s face held a small smile. It was a soft smile that lit up Fancy Pants’s heart. “That your second kiss is always better than your first.”
“How about your third?” Fancy Pants said, his grin feeling rather wicked as he grabbed at Blueblood’s chin with his hoof.
“Sh-She never… talked about the third…” Blueblood chuckled, though nerves were beginning to paint themselves on his fur. “But I don’t think that…did you like it at all?”
“Prince Blueblood,” Fancy Pants tried his best to sound the least bit formal over his bubbly words. He ran his hooves up and down Blueblood’s sides slowly. “Now that you’ve given me just one, I intend to make you spoil me rotten.”
This time it was Fancy who kissed first, their lips falling back into place. Blueblood managed to knock the other’s monocle right off his face when Fancy Pants opened his lips. Blueblood did the same, though a bit more slowly. Fancy let his tongue into the other’s mouth gently, not wanting to be so forceful as he tasted the other’s mouth. He let himself lead the kiss, sensing Blueblood’s nerves kick in when the muscles on his sides tensed up. They parted briefly only for air every few moments as Blueblood pushed up against Fancy Pants. Fancy Pants could swear he heard a tiny moan. It was messy, mostly from Blueblood’s end, yet somehow Fancy Pants only craved more each passing second.
The older unicorn began to giggle as he pulled his tongue back into his own mouth. He could feel Blueblood’s smile push against his own. It was better than he had ever imagined.
When they parted, Fancy Pants found his lips pressing up against Blueblood’s wet cheek. He tried his best to go slow despite the pounding in his chest demanding more. Blueblood wrapped his forelegs around Fancy Pants with a tiny giggle. He kissed that area quite a few times until he felt his back begin to feel damp.
It was a struggle to pull away. When the third drop hit his ear, he managed to look up to the sky.
“Pity. We should head inside,” Fancy Pants chuckled, the rain beginning to dampen his dress shirt. “As much as we would both enjoy it, I don’t think getting soaking wet is very good for our health.”
Blueblood nodded slowly, though he seemed hesitant on release himself from Fancy Pants’ hold.
Fancy stoop up slowly, using his hoof to help Blueblood to his. He pulled Blueblood inside before he shut the door to the balcony. The rain quickly began to fall and splatter on their previous seat.
“You kissed me. It was so… messy and touchy.”
“You didn’t enjoy it?” Fancy Pants asked. Hesitation was in his tone as he looked out the window. He could see Blueblood’s reflection wander away out of sight.
“I never said that.” Blueblood’s mumbled.
Fancy Pants glanced to Blueblood, who had moved over to his bed. The prince currently had both hooves clamped over his cheeks to giggle at his own words. He covered his smile a few times and even pressed on it, but it refused to leave his face. In fact, it looked like he was struggling to contain his happiness by the way he kept squirming.
“I’d be happy to do it again,” Fancy pants chuckled as he walked over. He put his hooves on Blueblood’s sides once more before pressing a hoof up against the prince’s chest.
“I want to bury my face in there.” Fancy Pants stated.
“Uh… I uh… okay…” Blueblood’s chest was tense at the touch of the unicorn.
It was softer than he could have dreamed of. It took all his effort not to start kissing the prince all over again starting from the chest, the pounding of his new lover’s heart pressing up against his nose. He never wanted to leave.
“Do you… like it?” Blueblood questioned. He squirmed a bit when Fancy Pants giggled, and the older unicorn wasn’t positive if it was because it tickled or because it felt strange.
“I love it,” Fancy Pants affirmed. “And I love you, Sweetheart.”
“Okay!” Blueblood nearly shouted in a shrill voice, his heart giving a very loud pound.
Fancy Pants had mumbled the words, though he knew that Blueblood had already tightened his body. His own smile faltered briefly as he looked up and into Blueblood’s cyan eyes. The prince seemed to be struggling to speak, his mouth opening and closing before he rested his hooves in Fancy Pants’ mane.
“Okay… I… I uh…” Blueblood closed his eyes.
“You don’t have to listen to an old man’s silly mumblings.” Fancy Pants laughed, crawling up onto the best next to Blueblood. “I just… it felt right to say it. I fear I’ve become a bit of a hopeless romantic around you. One kiss and I can’t even hold my tongue.”
He felt Blueblood embrace him, pulling him on top of the prince as they lay on the bed together. He knew that Blueblood wouldn’t be able to reply given the words he had already let spill, but just that embrace made him feel warm throughout his entire body. Blueblood was hiding his face in Fancy Pant’s mane, his grip tight as his body curled up slightly.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” Blueblood asked. The prince was running his hooves over Fancy Pants’ mane, burying his face deep into it. “It’s been a very long day… I don’t want you to leave me. We can do whatever you want... Please let me be selfish tonight.”
The castle suddenly didn’t feel nearly as empty and dull as it had before. Fancy crawled up Blueblood’s body those last few inches to press his muzzle against Blueblood’s lips yet again. When he managed to pry himself from those lips, he was smiling like a fool once more. “Of course I'll stay with you, Sweetheart.”