~
(Same night)
The third prince left his room quietly. It was the middle of the night. The air was still, heavy. He walked to the middle of the road and raised his hand.
Two men emerged from the shadows. They bowed immediately.
"Prince."
"We have someone to take care of. Let's go."
He didn't wait for a response. He simply started walking, heading toward the mountainside.
They reached the foot of the mountain where a small hut stood alone. Smoke curled out from a corner of the roof, thin but visible in the dark. Someone was home.
The Prince walked in as if he owned the place.
A voice came from inside, startled. "Who is it?"
The man stepped out from what seemed to be the kitchen area, holding his aiding stick tightly. The moment his eyes landed on the third prince, he froze.
His heart seemed to jump into his throat.
Then immediately, he fell to the ground.
"I did as you told me. I left. I've been living like a rat ever since."
The Third Prince looked at him scornfully.
He made a small gesture with his fingers. One of the men began searching the small house without a word. The other remained at the door.
The guard dragged a stool forward.
The Prince sat down slowly.
"That," he said calmly, "is exactly the problem."
He leaned forward and poked the man's head lightly.
"If you had truly lived like a rat... why am I standing in front of you right now? Why was it so easy to find you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" The man rubbed his hands together frantically. Tears poured from his eyes without stopping. His body shook violently.
"I told you to disappear." The Prince's voice was low. Controlled. "So why are you still here? Did I make a mistake by letting you live? Hm?"
The man began hitting his head against the ground repeatedly.
"N-no. I'm... I'm grateful. Thank you. Thank you for letting me live. I'll disappear again. I'll leave. Right now. Just-"
He raised his head and glanced at the men behind the Prince. He swallowed hard before turning back.
"Just don't kill me. Please. I'll disappear again."
The Prince clicked his tongue.
"Pathetic."
He leaned back slightly.
"Hey! Listen carefully. Your prince is here."
The man's eyes widened instantly. Hope flickered across his tear-stained face.
"Charles, Charles..." the third prince mused softly. "You really care about your prince, don't you? He was your best friend too."
"W-what is the prince doing here?" Charles asked, confused and afraid.
The third prince sighed and folded his arms.
"Looking for you, obviously. Listen carefully. If I had found you on my own, I would have had your head cut off already. But since the prince knows you're here, it would be... suspicious... if he arrived tomorrow and discovered something unfortunate had happened to you."
Charles swallowed.
"So this is what you're going to do."
"Yes. Yes. I'll do anything. Whatever you say," Charles answered immediately.
"The prince will be here tomorrow. He'll ask questions. And you should know better than to tell the truth. Hm?"
"He-here? Of course. I-I wouldn't dare say the truth."
The Prince suddenly clapped his hands together, smiling faintly.
"Good. I'm glad we understand each other."
He stood.
"Sleep well, Charles."
Then he walked out of the hut, his men following silently behind him.
Charles remained on the floor long after they left.
Only then did he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
And only then did he feel the warmth between his legs.
He had pissed himself.
.
.
Dada did not need to open his eyes.
He was wide awake.
It was probably around three in the morning.
Earlier that night, Idowu had insisted on taking the floor while Dada slept on the bed. After a brief and unsuccessful argument, Dada had given in.
Just a few minutes past midnight, he had noticed Idowu slip out of the room quietly.
At first, Dada assumed he had gone out to relieve himself.
But minutes passed.
At first, he sensed his presence lingering around the building but after some minutes, He couldn't sense his presence anymore.
That was when he understood.
He hadn't gone out for something simple.
He had gone somewhere.
Dada considered trailing him. It would have been easy. Following someone unnoticed was second nature to him. He could have traced every step without being detected.
But for reasons he could not quite explain, he didn't.
He would find out eventually.
Still... he was curious.
He opened his eyes briefly and glanced at the empty spot on the floor where Idowu had been lying.
"What are you up to?" he murmured softly.
Moments later, he heard movement outside.
He shut his eyes immediately.
The door opened carefully.
Idowu walked in as quietly as he could and closed it behind him. He moved toward his spot on the floor.
"The floor is cold," Dada said calmly. "You should come here."
Idowu flinched.
"Wha-what?"
"The floor is cold by now. Join me."
"You... you know how long I was gone?"
It was subtle, but Dada noticed him take a small step back.
Dada forced his voice to sound sleepy.
"Hm? Didn't you just go out to take a piss?" He faked a tired yawn and turned to face the wall, leaving space on the bed. "I'm sleeping now. Don't stay on the floor."
He went quiet.
He pretended to sleep.
But he was very awake.
He heard Idowu hesitate.
A pause.
Then movement.
The mattress dipped slightly as Idowu climbed onto the bed.
Neither of them spoke.
Idowu assumed Dada was already asleep.
Dada was not.
He knew from the beginning that Idowu was hiding something. The moment he claimed to have a master, Dada had been suspicious.
He didn't understand how the other princes hadn't seen it. Why they hadn't figured it out.
Or maybe they had.?
Maybe they were pretending.??
No, they haven't figured it out. His plan, was nearly perfect.
Just now, he was certain Idowu was up to something.
And he would find out what it was.
He was almost certain it had something to do with Charles.
His instincts were rarely wrong.
Sometimes, Dada wondered if all three princes were fools.
.
.
MORNING.
Dada did not open his eyes, but he could tell it was daylight.
Before beginning his day, he decided to take a slow breath.
But the breath was heavier than usual.
As if something was resting on his chest.
His eyes opened slowly.
Dark-brown hair filled his vision.
Soft. Slightly ruffled.
The sunlight streamed through the window and rested gently on it, making it glow faintly.
It was beautiful.
Dada wondered if he had ever seen hair that beautiful before.
He tightened his left hand unconsciously.
And felt something warm.
Soft.
Skin.
His thoughts stopped.
Idowu was lying on his chest.
And his own arm was wrapped around Idowu's waist.
Dada swallowed.
What is this?
What kind of position is this?
He had never slept this close to someone before.
This wasn't just close.
They were cuddling.
Their legs were tangled together.
For the first time in his life, Dada's brain went completely blank.
He swallowed again.
He could feel every single breath Idowu took against his chest.
He decided he would shift carefully.
Just slightly.
But at that moment, Idowu mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled closer-deepening the contact.
Dada inhaled sharply.
He thought about it for a second.
Then concluded it would be better to stay still.
After all... Idowu had barely slept that night- after he had left to do God knows what.
Idowu shifted again, his leg moving and tangling even further with Dada's.
The movement caused Dada's grip on his waist to tighten unconsciously.
And yes, he did not let go.
He also did not question why.
Because he knew he would not get an answer.
He closed his eyes again.
And sighed softly.
"Why is a man's waist this small?" he wondered silently.