Hugo was in his apartment again. His wonderful, clean, heated apartment with electricity and the internet. He sighed in relief as he put the golden key still in his hand back in his pocket and set the golden chest on a side table before collapsing on the old couch he'd grabbed from Savers for twenty-five dollars.
Realizing that all his research—including his laptop, smashed phone, notes and everything else besides the small notebook he still had in his pocket—was stuck in the past surrounded by angry villagers, he let out another sigh. Well, at least he still had his own eye-witness account to rely on. Literal thousands of words of field research had been lost just now, but hey, a hot prince called him a gift from heaven, so that was something.
Allowing his eyes to close, he thought of that same dashing prince and couldn't help but grin. That is, until he swore he could hear the young man's voice coming from inside his apartment.
"Where am I? I demand an explanation at once!"
Eyes shooting open, Hugo sat up, staring at the short, sickly man standing in the middle of his living room in a haughty, prim pose. "P-Prince Varian?" He rubbed his eyes and blinked.
"Correct." He drew the decorated sword from his hip and pointed it at Hugo's throat. "I do not know what fresh hell you have brought me to," he looked around in distress as he spoke, "but I demand your miracle cure immediately."
"My what?"
"The cure to my ailment! The one you said I did not have access to in my time period or whatever it was. Hand it over. Now."
He blinked down at the sword tip, then back up at the prince. "Sure, we can head over to the Insticare down the street and get you some drugs. You can put the sword down now. I won't hurt you."
"I doubt that, not with the magic you struck that man with."
"Huh? Listen, I'm a decent dude... well, decent enough. I don't want to see you die either. I'll get you your cure."
"No trickery."
"You have my word. Just, put down the sword already. I'm not very useful to you dead."
Varian eyed him, then lowered the weapon. "Where are we anyway, fair one?"
"The name's Hugo, and I don't know how to tell you this, but this is the future for you. Nearly five hundred years after your time. You jumped forward with me when you touched the light from the chest."
He scoffed. "Do you take me for a fool?"
"It's the truth."
"I am no gull. We cannot be in the future."
"No? Just look around. Bet you've never seen a car before, or a T.V., or electricity or—"
"Holy trinity," the prince muttered, his eyes flicking to something behind Hugo's head. He left to walk behind the couch. "What manner of oddity is this?"
Hugo turned, seeing the short man approach his seven-dollar green lava lamp. He stifled a chuckle when Varian lifted a finger to it, then drew his hand back due to the heat.
"That's what you're impressed by?" He stood from the couch, walking over to him.
"We are in the future?" Turning to him, the prince searched his eyes with so much distress, Hugo couldn't help but stare. "How can that be? I mean, I saw your odd golden box, but I find no explanation for any of this."
"Yeah, I don't really get it myself. Some kind of old magic relic or something. Don't worry. I can take you back to your time and nothing back home will have changed for you since leaving."
"I-I see. Please, bring me to the sitting area where I can take some air and regain my bearings."
Varian held out his arm, and seeing him wobble slightly, Hugo quickly took it and led him to the couch where he sat. "You know, we should probably get you to the clinic before it closes if you want your cure tonight."
"Yes. That. I am a bit at a loss for words at the moment." He fanned himself with his hand. "We are really in the future? Well, that is a rhetorical question. I can see with my own eyes that things are odd here, but oh dear, what an excitement my heart is having. What are those odd sounds banging inside the walls and why are the lights so achingly bright? Mercy above." He had a hand over his heart, his lungs heaving as he closed his eyes.
"Woah, woah, you're okay." Hugo was kneeling in front of him now, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's just the AC and my apartment's electricity. It'll be alright. This will all take some time to get used to. Just breathe..."
Varian did as he was told, his chest filling with air. He held it there for a moment then exhaled slowly. "Heavens..."
"That's it. Deep breaths."
Blue eyes opened and found his green ones. "What calamity... How do you stand it? The weight of it all?"
"You get used to it. Don't worry. I also panicked when I first jumped through time."
He searched his face. "I still do not trust you but... thank you for your compassion."
Hugo considered the soft features and softer expression then spotted the sweat on his brow and the abnormally pale complexion. "We should get going. You're really not looking great."
"I do not look great?" His eyes somehow filled with more anxiety than before. "Maker, do you find me unsightly?"
"What, no! You look stunning." Varian gave a silent sigh of relief, and Hugo cleared his throat slightly. "You're just sick, but if we leave now, we can get you into the clinic so you can start feeling better."
"Yes, I do think that would be best. If I think much longer on the implications of where I am, I believe I may go mad." He shook his head slightly. "What is this cure? Is it painful? Please tell me it is not more leeches..."
"No. No leeches. You'll need to be diagnosed by a doctor, so I can't say for sure the treatment, but I know for a fact: No. Leeches."
He hummed in relief. "That is good to hear. Make haste then. Pull around the carriage and I'll be off to my remedy soon enough and then we can go our separate ways."
"Yeah, let me grab my keys and I'll pull up the 'carriage' for you, Your Highness."
"Do not tarry, and do not double cross me for I am a formidable foe." He pointed a warning finger at him.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just... don't touch anything while I'm gone, okay? In fact, for your health, why don't you just lie down."
"I may do just that."
Grabbing the keys off the hook by the door, he quickly left through the front door, but not before glancing back and seeing Varian laying on his back on the couch while fanning himself again.
Exhaling, Hugo walked out of the ground floor apartments to the parking lot. His beat-up old clunker of a car was clear on the other side, and the freezing outdoors wasn't helping anything.
On this cold walk, everything was really beginning to set in. A 16th century prince was in his apartment, and he was about to take him out in public where the man would probably lose his fucking mind. Not to mention, after the doctor's visit, he'd then have to deal with the prince until he could return him to his time period, which wouldn't be for three months when the golden chest recharged.
"Fuck," he exhaled. "I'm no babysitter, and certainly not a royal one at that."
He had so much work to do, and losing his research meant he had months to catch up on. Paying rent by the end of the month was something he'd have to consider as well, and housing a second person wouldn't help things—
A second person? He released a cruel laugh. No, no, no. As if he'd be housing that rich snob. Getting to his car, he turned the key to unlock the door, then paused for a moment.
The anguished face and soft expressions floated to mind, giving him pause. Hugo was all this prince had out here in the modern world. No one else knew where and when he was from, and throwing him out... he'd never make it on his own. Giving a loud exhale, Hugo got inside the car and turned on the ignition.
"I'm gonna regret this."
***
Pulling up in the no park lane right in front of his apartment, Hugo left the car running as he got out. Coming back inside his place, he blinked when he realized the couch was empty.
"Prince Varian?"
Looking around, he couldn't find him and decided to move to his bedroom. He gave a silent sigh of relief when he found the man standing very gracefully in front of some frames hanging on Hugo's wall. He eyed the pictures curiously, a clever look in his eyes.
"You are an educated man," Varian said softly, not turning to look at him. "You earned these degrees, did you not?"
"That's right." He came to stand by him. "I worked my ass off for that masters, and one day I'll have my PhD in human societies and cultures. The hope is that someone will buy my thesis, but of course, that never happens, and it's not like I can exactly say that all my citations are directly from the source when my research is from five centuries ago."
Varian hummed in acknowledgment. "So... if I have this correct, you travel in time for research?" The question was very calm considering how absurd it was.
"Yeah. I know this all must be overwhelming for you. You weren't supposed to follow me back to my time."
"It was my choice to make. Let us hope I do not regret it." He shot him a look with his nose in the air. "Using time travel simply for research is irresponsible at best, you know. Are you not concerned what this will do to mankind?"
"Irresponsible? I'm not the one who stuck my hand in a strange light seconds after watching some stranger do it. Aren't you also a bit irresponsible, Your Highness?"
He clicked his tongue at that. "My matter is life or death. You think I made this decision lightly?"
"Lightly and within a split second, yes."
"Enough." He folded his arms and Hugo had to admit the grumpy face he was making was kind of adorable. "Are you sure you know what you are doing with all this? I want to ensure that my safety requirements are met."
"Don't you worry. I've traveled back in time several times now and there's never been any issues." Varian searched his face skeptically and Hugo added, "That I know of." He cleared his throat, continuing. "Maybe I am being careless and stupid, but for me, it's all worth it to see how people lived back then." He let out a soft exhale. "What I'd give to spend more days in your time, Prince Varian. The research I could do. The stories I could tell. Just being able to sit there and people watch... Fuck, what a rush." Realizing he'd been talking a while, he glanced over at the prince in embarrassment.
"You are a peculiar one," he commented, looking him up and down. "You could be rewriting history or making irrecoverable changes to time, but it's all for your research?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Hm, I suppose we know who the true gull is..."
"Hey!"
To his surprise, a cute smile spread over his face as the prince giggled. "Your face... How endearing. In all seriousness, I think your passion for research is admirable."
Hugo was caught off guard. "You do?"
Varian continued to smile at him in amusement, biting back the mirth to return to something more proper. "Where did you acquire the strange golden box anyway?"
"Found it in my adoptive mother's basement. No idea where the hell she got it from. I was poking around one day and found it."
"I will be able to return back to my time, will I not?"
"Yeah, though, you'll have to wait three months for the chest to recharge. It has a cool off period."
"Three months?"
"Yes, but you'll return to the exact time you left. It'll be like it never happened."
"Fascinating. Three months is not so long. I was not terribly occupied anyway."
"You weren't? I'd think princes would have lots to do."
"Oh, we usually do, but I am the youngest of my siblings and therefore have no claim to any title or land."
"What do you do all day then?"
"I research. I read. I am often found studying."
He perked up at that. "Well, there's plenty for you to study in this era, let me tell you. You won't be bored with all the research available at your fingertips."
He gave a kind smile. "That is a comforting proposition."
Hugo considered the face. Maybe it was because he'd just spent several months in a filthy medieval town where your average person looked like they'd been hit by a poop truck, and the standard of cleanliness would never pass any modern-day health code, but Hugo found the sickly prince extremely beautiful.
"The carriage is running," he said quickly, realizing it'd been several seconds since either had spoken, "so why don't we head out before you keel over, yeah?"
"Yes, I am ready to leave. Escort me."
"Of course, Your Highness."
After locking the front door, Hugo turned and made to walk, but nearly crashed into the prince who'd stopped in his tracks.
Varian stared around wide eyed at everything, clearly having the cultural shock of the millennia. "Wh-where are we? Where are the trees? What are those and those and those and that—"
"Hey," Hugo put a comforting hand on his arm, "let's get you to the doctor before you get too overexcited. This way."
The prince mutely followed. Hugo opened the back door for him, assuming this spot would feel the most like a carriage with him being the footman at the head. He felt so bad after seeing the prince look so unsure of everything that he felt he simply couldn't not be accommodating to him.
Varian stared at the vehicle. "What... is this?"
"It's your automated carriage, Your Highness. Don't worry. It's perfectly safe."
"I see." He tentatively sat down inside, and Hugo closed the door.
Getting in the front seat, Hugo put the car into drive, but kept his foot on the brake pedal. "So, don't be surprised when we start moving, okay?"
"Why would I be?" Some of his confidence had returned. "You said yourself it is an automated carriage and what sort of carriage does not move?"
"Fair point." Hugo lifted his foot off and they began driving away.
Varian gasped at the sudden movement. "Mercy above," Hugo heard him utter under his breath and couldn't help but laugh to himself.
The sun had set already, and all the city lights were twinkling. There was silence as they drove, and glancing at the rearview mirror, Hugo became briefly distracted by the wide blue eyes staring out at everything. He nearly wrecked when he realized there were tears there.
"Are you doing alright, Prince Varian?"
The royal quickly wiped his eyes and gave a tight swallow. "I find myself overwhelmed, Hugo. How much further?"
"A few miles."
"Then I am to wait a while longer."
"Oh, no, it'll only be two or three minutes. It's very close to my apartment. We'll be there soon, don't worry."
"I will try."
Soon, they were pulling into the parking lot, and Hugo was getting out of the car and opening Varian's door.
The prince cautiously stepped out and stared at the building with weary eyes. "I hope this choice was worth it."