The Flame and the Dragon

The Kiss

Kai sighed lightly as he waited for his breakfast. Both he and Cole were sat in a small dining room with a few portraits and objects dotted around. In the center of the room, there was a beautiful breakfast table with Kai at one end and Cole at the other, with Jay and Echo between them. Kai was served breakfast first. It was a steaming hot bowl of porridge with slices of fruit sprinkled on top. As he began to eat the tasty food, he looked at Cole, gobbling up his food with no table manners whatsoever.

Kai turned away and tried to ignore it, but Nelson came to the rescue.

He nudged the spoon with his little finger, and Cole reached out for it. Kai looked at him in wonder and confusion as he tried to eat with the spoon, but he had little success. Nelson and Jay laughed, but Echo shot them an admonishing look. Finally, Kai put down his spoon and lifted his bowl as if in a toast. Cole looked at the compromise and did the same. They both began to sip their breakfast out of their bowls. They stared into each other's eyes as they sipped their breakfast and silently placed the bowls back on the table.

The prince and the brunette stared at each other before they finally had the sense to break eye contact.

"That was awkward," Cole muttered, but Kai still heard it.

"Well I certainly won't do it again, I think I'd rather deal with another one of Morro's wedding schemes than go through that again." He joked lightly. At the word, wedding, and a foreign name the room spun towards him.

"Be pardon?" Echo asked as he, Nelson, and Jay were all looking at Kai with confused eyes with a hint of fear. Kai closed his eyes and grumbled to himself, forgetting everyone in the room. He had been away from home too long.

"Who's Morro?" Cole asked and Kai's eyes snapped open at the firm anger in his voice. His narrowed eyes matched the expression along with something else Kai found curious. It was clear possessiveness. If he wasn't stuck in such a position, Kai would've smiled and teased him for it, but he knew better. Besides, he and Cole promised to be honest with each other. Kai was distracted by a tug on his sleeve. Nelson, who returned to his creature form, fidgeted nervously.

"Is Morro your lady?" He asked quietly. After a short spasm, Kai was positive his heart had stopped.

"Of course not!" He exploded without thinking then mentally kicked himself when Nelson and the others jumped back. He gave them a small smile in apology for the misunderstanding. Hearing a possessive and impatient growl behind him, Kai sighed and turned his body to the right. The look on Cole's face demanded he explain this. "He's a childhood friend of mine, or at least he used to be." He added. He looked Cole in the eye and kept his face neutral, wanting to see Cole's reaction before doing or saying anything he might regret later on.

A wave of jealousy Cole only now just realized was bubbling inside him suddenly relaxed.

His stomach flopped in an emotional puddle of happiness, anger, guilt, relief, possessiveness, and sheer stupidity. It took all his will to keep himself from visibly scolding himself for his arrogance. Hadn't he and Kai agreed to be honest with the other? Who was he to act so possessive of a teen who technically wasn't even his? The realization sent a painful jolt through his gut, but he wasn't naïve enough to admit to something he knew wasn't his decision to make.

Again he kicked himself.

Of course, this Morro person was probably a friend of his. Time had blended for so long, he almost forgot Kai wasn't originally from the castle. He forgot Kai had a home, a family, and a possible relationship Cole had dragged him from. But Cole was sure Kai would have told him if he had that.

"What happened to Morro?" Jay suddenly asked before Cole could stop him. Kai said nothing for a moment before he glared daggers at the now-empty bowl as if it was Morro. Upon seeing Kai's distressed look, Cole reached over the table and took Kai's tanned hand into his scaly ones.