Very distressing indeed.
Xavier had to look away for a brief mont.
Not because Luca’s complaints were unreasonable, and certainly not because the situation wasn’t serious for the golden-eyed cadet currently lanting the tragic fate of several pairs of expensive shoes.
No.
The real problem was that Luca complaining like this was extrely rare.
And extrely cute.
For soone who always had everything together, who normally handled disasters with frightening calm (even joy), watching his beloved wife spiral into this soft and honest frustration was unexpectedly endearing. Xavier simply couldn’t help the small warmth that settled in his chest, not because Luca had a problem, but because he had chosen to tell him.
The enamored husband gently raised his hand and brushed his thumb along his wife’s cheek.
"I see," he said softly. "Thank you for telling ."
The comforting gesture only made Luca’s eyes widen even further, as if the realization that he had just confessed all of that was suddenly catching up with him.
"Even I would find that frustrating," Xavier added.
Luca imdiately lifted his head.
"Right?!"
The aggrieved feeling he had been holding in burst out all at once. He looked at Xavier for support, his words beginning to tumble out again.
"I don’t know what to do, and if I take any longer to learn, I’ll take up too much of Butler Gary’s ti!"
That truly was a crisis.
The great butler was an extrely busy man, so spending so much of his ti helping with sothing as trivial as dancing felt terribly wasteful to Luca.
Of course, several others had already offered to teach him, but after a few attempts it turned out that Butler Gary had the most success, so they decided to stick with him for now. Unfortunately, the problem didn’t even end there. After this, Luca would still have to learn the other parts from his mother, which sohow made the whole situation feel even worse.
But then Xavier said sothing that made Luca freeze.
"Then what if I teach you?"
"Huh?"
Luca blinked in surprise.
He vaguely rembered Jax ntioning that Xavier didn’t really dance. In fact, the disguised Imperial Crown Prince rarely attended banquets at all because of security concerns. And when given the option, Xavier would always choose the battlefield over such events.
But Luca barely had ti to dwell on that thought when Xavier calmly continued.
"If we manage to find a solution, then won’t we be able to return the shoes you don’t like? Or perhaps donate the custom ones you have no plans of using."
The money-grubber jolted upright. That spoke to him in levels that shouldn’t be normal.
His head snapped toward Xavier so quickly it almost startled him.
"Really?" he asked, staring at his husband with hopeful eyes. "Am I not a hopeless case?"
"Of course not."
The little chipmunk visibly brightened.
"You just need to start with the right feeling."
"Huh—!"
Luca was montarily startled when the hand on his cheek slid to the back of his head. Before he could ask what the "right feeling" was, Xavier leaned forward and kissed him.
"!!!"
It ca out of nowhere.
And yet, one surprised recipient quickly realized that it was comforting and reassuring, albeit a kiss that soon turned into a patient, searching prod. A bewildered Luca found himself responding instinctively, his hands clutching at Xavier’s chest for balance.
As Xavier tilted his head to gain better access, a flustered Luca parted his lips, giving everything he had to his husband.
anwhile, Xavier’s hands moved slowly along Luca’s back, sliding lower until his palms pressed firmly against it. At first it seed like he was simply pulling his wife closer, but in reality, he was arching him back, leaning forward so that Luca was stretched into a graceful, supple curve.
And one golden-eyed heir didn’t even realize it.
The kiss lingered, soft and unhurried, and when Xavier finally pulled away, it was only barely. Their lips remained close enough that Luca could still feel the warmth of Xavier’s breath.
"See?" Xavier murmured quietly against his lips.
His hand pressed gently along Luca’s back.
"Look at this back."
Luca’s eyes widened.
"Extrely pliant."
Only then did Luca realize how he was positioned.
"...!"
Xavier’s fingers slid lightly along the back of Luca’s neck.
"Not rigid at all."
There was a faint warmth in his voice now, sothing that carried just a hint of teasing.
Before Luca could fully react, Xavier leaned forward again and kissed him once more.
This ti Luca responded wholeheartedly.
His arms wrapped around Xavier’s shoulders as his heart thudded loudly in his chest. The prince adjusted their position slightly as they moved together, guiding Luca until he dipped him further back.
It resembled the kind of dip often seen in dances.
Except they were still sitting.
And Xavier’s intention wasn’t performance but relaxation.
He held Luca securely the entire ti, letting the movent stretch him naturally while their lips t in slow, gentle kisses.
By the ti Xavier finally brought them upright again, Luca looked completely dazed.
The prince pressed a small, chaste kiss against his lips.
Luca’s eyelids fluttered as he tried to make sense of everything.
Xavier smiled faintly.
"See?" he said.
"Absolutely flexible."
"!!!"
Luca’s entire face turned red.
His ears felt hot.
His neck felt hot.
In fact, his entire body felt like it had been dipped in blush. And yet he could barely refute the claim because he genuinely felt like jelly. Everywhere Xavier had touched him seed to soften, as though the stiffness had lted away.
Luca stared into Xavier’s eyes in stunned silence.
Then Xavier calmly said,
"Now we can try again."
Before Luca could even ask what he ant, the prince suddenly stood up with him still in his arms.
__
In the middle of the clearing, bathed in gentle golden light, Xavier carefully placed Luca back on his feet.
For a mont, the little chipmunk thought that was the end of it.
But then Xavier stepped back.
Sothing about him shifted.
His posture straightened, the relaxed warmth from earlier settling into sothing more composed, more formal. The intimacy remained in his eyes, but the way he carried himself suddenly beca unmistakably regal.
In that mont, Xavier looked every bit the Prince he was—noble, commanding, and impossibly handso.
The man before him extended a hand.
"May I have this dance?"
Golden orbs blinked.
Completely taken aback.
Because Xavier suddenly looked far too blessed for Luca’s poor heart to process properly. The sunlight filtering through the tall trees seed to fra him perfectly, catching the faint blue of his eyes and the calm confidence in his expression.
Luca, too stunned to find his voice, could only react instinctively. He reached out and took his husband’s hand.
The mont their fingers laced, Luca was pulled in close—practically chest to chest. Before he could find his footing for anything, he felt himself being lifted slightly until his feet were placed directly on top of Xavier’s.
"W-what—?" Luca stamred, his eyes wide.
"Do you trust ?" Xavier asked. A small, knowing smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
What could even be said about that?
Despite his confusion, Luca didn’t hesitate. He gave a small nod before asking, "What are we dancing?"
"A surprise," Xavier murmured.
And just like that, they began to move.
There was no orchestra.
No music hall.
They swayed to the sounds of nature.
The soft rustle of leaves overhead and the quiet rhythm of their movents across the grass ford a gentle cadence around them.
There, in the heart of the woods, Luca felt breathless.
One of Luca’s hands rested on Xavier’s shoulder while the other was held firmly in his husband’s grasp. Xavier supported the small of Luca’s back, and with Luca’s feet resting on his, they began to glide. Together they moved in slow side steps, circling the clearing in a steady rhythm.
The mont felt magical.
Luca couldn’t take his eyes off Xavier’s face. Surprisingly, his body didn’t feel rigid at all.
Even though he had absolutely no idea where they would go next.
Even though he didn’t know when they would turn or shift direction.
None of it seed to matter.
More than the counts or the number of twirls, they weren’t dancing for a performance; they were dancing to bond.
Eventually, the Prince slowed.
Luca felt his feet return to the ground, and just as he stepped off his husband’s shoes, a familiar lody began to drift softly through the clearing.
"!"
The music was coming from Xavier’s terminal. He didn’t even know when his husband got to that, but he did.
The prince stepped back slightly and once again extended his hand.
"May I have this dance?"
This ti Luca didn’t hesitate.
Instead of freezing or overthinking, he leaned forward and accepted the invitation, following what felt right.
The music swelled softly.
And the second dance began.
This ti the steps were different.
There were turns, twirls, and smooth flowing movents that carried them across the clearing in gentle circles. Xavier guided each step with quiet confidence, and Luca found himself following naturally, responding to each shift in motion without needing to think about it.
They spun.
Turned.
Glided.
And the newly-minted dancer didn’t even realize how perfectly he was following along, lost in the rhythm as if no one else in the world were watching.
Not the trees.
Not the sky.
And certainly not D-29.
Though sowhere in the background, the system quietly recorded the mont.
Because after 24 pairs of shoes, this was the Host’s first official success.
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