Vamp Guards ✔️

F O R T Y-T H R E E

While indeed both Iris and Kai grew within the past months and year, it fascinated Kai the most seeing-watching-the prince of Vridora bloom into something great.

However, while their relationship did become tolerable, it didn't change dramatically. They still bickered and had their disagreements, but it was usually over small, insignificant things. Idiotic reasons, really. Kai still kept his distance like Iris wanted, only helped when needed, gave advice when needed.

And Iris did the same.

Iris's seventeenth birthday was nearing and this time Arlo was going to respect his son's wishes and have a light party, nothing too outgoing, nothing enough to get him overwhelmed.

"You don't like big crowds?" Kai asked Iris as they were talking about the party the King had in mind. They were out in one of the gardens sitting on a bench in the shade. Kai got used to the prince's tendencies of dropping what he was doing just to get a few minutes of downtime.

Iris shrugged his shoulders, which had grown broader. "Not really. It's more of the attention I don't fancy." His voice had gotten deeper, too, still not as deep as Kai's.

"A lot of attention, or intimating attention?"

"What's the difference?" When Iris glanced at Kai, his senses spiked when he watched him lean in until their shoulders touched. Surprised by the sudden movement, Iris couldn't take his eyes away from Kai's penetrating blue ones, their color darkened to navy right in front of Iris's sight.

"What..what are you doing?" Iris swallowed a lump in his throat when Kai narrowed his eyes, practically staring into his soul. Kai said nothing. He was so close, so dominating, Iris felt almost scared to lean away. Or maybe he was too captivated to.

Then all of a sudden the vampire hummed and backed away. "Intimidating attention it is." He concluded and went back to staring at a bird in a tree.

"...What?"

This had become common between the two males. Unintentional teasing, staring, things that were supposedly odd in their type of professional relationship are things that they found themselves doing.

Kai was oblivious to Iris's emotions, so when he did these things he didn't realize how much it was actually affecting Iris and his mentality. Of course, over the time they've been together the prince has learned to not expect anything from his personal body guard.

"You asked what the difference was, apparently you freak out with intimidating attention on you."

Iris sighed quietly and looked down at his feet. "Oh." He quickly shook away the slight disappointment he had and stood up. "We should go now. I still have a lot of work to do."

Kai nodded and stood up too. He was still a few inches taller than Iris, and he gained more muscle as well. Iris was still just a little behind from being compared to him.

They walked out of the garden they were in before heading up to the mansion. Autumn came quicker this year, leaves crunched under their feet and trees shivered away the last of their wrinkled and rusted colored leaves. It was still warm through. Nights and early morning were the chilliest.

When they got inside they headed straight for Iris's room. Over the period they've been together Kai has also gotten used to sitting in silence, which they usually did when Iris was working on something. Kai was always the one to try to start a conversation.

"I only have five more papers to read through and sign, so, after I'm done my dad agreed to let you go hang out with the first class guards for the rest of the day."