[BOYXBOY] Dragon Prince Steals My Heart In Another World?!

Deep Talk With the Dragon Prince?!

Not once had Andrew ever gone hiking, but he had always known that he didn't want to. The bugs, the sun, the overall exertion of his leg muscles that would cry just from making a trip to the store sometimes.

He didn't care for it in the slightest, so when he found Elias and was told they would be heading out into the woods on foot, he threw a little bit of a fit.

"I can't have you carrying me the entire way, but I also don't want to walk all the way to wherever it is you said we're going. Do you guys not have horses, or something? I've never ridden one before, but if it means I don't have to walk, then I'm willing to learn." Andrew leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. The cold water had helped his hand quite a bit, but it was still stiff and ached more than stung, so he didn't mind tucking it against his chest.

"I could carry you the whole way if you would prefer that. Or, if you're more comfortable with it, we can always fly," Elias laughed. "But I understand that might not be ideal either. How about I carry you whenever you're tired, and you can walk at whatever pace you'd like? I'll match it, and we can take plenty of breaks, too."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Sure, fine, whatever. If this is the only way to get me home, then I'll make it work. I did already run through the forest once, I guess walking through it won't be so bad." He got off the wall and pointed a finger at Elias. "But if I want to be carried, you're picking me up."

Elias snorted and gently grabbed Andrew's hand. "You know, it's sort of rare for someone to boss me around. It's new to me. But I think you're pretty good at it."

All the fight left Andrew's body, and his arm went limp in Elias' grasp. "Uh, w-well, it's just because you could be making this easier and you're not. I have a pretty strong feeling that we're going to walk out past the city limits of this place, back into civilization, then you're going to pretend like you're sending me back to 'my own world' when really I'll just have the ability to call a cab. If you'd just tell me the truth, then I wouldn't have to be so bossy."

Another laugh came from Elias, and he tugged Andrew closer. "We've been over this, I don't want us both to end up repeating ourselves, Andrew. For now, just keep trusting me, okay? I've enjoyed your company a lot, and it will pain me to send you home before we can get to know each other better, but I'm doing what I can to make you happy."

"I don't either, and I... I can see that. You're uh, you're doing fine." Andrew took his hand back and stepped away. "So, when are we going on this trip?" He couldn't bring himself to look back at Elias because what he said had started to make his head spin.

Elias was enjoying his company? No one had told him that before. Or made as much of an effort to keep him happy. Surely it had to be because he was playing up his part as a prince. A good prince of the people would be super friendly, just like he had seen in movies and cartoons his entire life. Andrew looked down at the bandages on his hand again. They were still damp, though they had dried a lot since he came back inside. None of them had come loose or were so tight that they hurt his hand. A chivalrous prince would know how to do that, too, so he doubted he had done any of it especially for him.

"Tomorrow, if that's alright? And if the rain is done by then. I know you said it would be nice to stay here for a few days to take a break from work, but I can also tell that you'd like to get home as quickly as possible." Elias sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The horns on his head didn't budge at all, though the ponytail in the back did, and he had to stop to fix it while he spoke. "However... Andrew, I must admit, this little adventure we're going on might only yield some answers. This is the mages' best guess at where we'll find answers, and that's because you came from the forest. They think there might be a place where the veil between our worlds is thinner, and if we can find it, then we may be able to reactivate it. But, if we can't, then we'll have to come back and think of something else."