beetho royal auuuuuu

WC: 2.2k

Etho  propped his head up with his elbow, sighing as he watched more carriages arrive. His window was open, despite the current blizzard outside. The ice king didn't mind; after all, he was the king of a literal tundra. Could be the reason he was so used to the snow.

He watched lady after lady come out of the carriages and walk into the castle entrance far below. He'd met countless suitors, countless girls who came to "impress" him, but it never worked. He never liked any of them. And it wasn't because he was mean, or because he was picky, it was...another reason. You see, he didn't feel the same way about...other genders..that he did about...boys. He didn't...romantically...y'know...

See, this is why I never try to verbally explain this to anyone.

He was supposed to marry a lady, a lady high up on the social ladder. But how was he supposed to do that when he didn't even like girls in that way? Etho sighed again and stepped back from the window, just in time to hear a knock at the door.

"Yes?" he asked, straightening himself up to stand regally. The person at the door opened it, and Etho relaxed his stance as he saw who it was. It was False.

He'd met False like he'd met all the other ladies in his life; forcibly, as one of the many suitors he'd been introduced to over the years. When they'd gotten a moment alone after the whirlwind of speeches and a party after they met, False had admitted that she aromantic, and had no interest in marrying Etho. Etho was...relieved, to say the least. He'd admitted to being gay to her, and a friendship had blossomed from there. She was also the first regal lady Etho had seen that always carries a sword around with her.

"Hey, False!" Etho greeted, and False smiled. "Hello there, Etho," she said, resting against the wall. "How are you doing? Are you totally stoked for the party?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, and Etho smiled. "You bet," he replied, his tone not far off from False's. "Seems colder than normal here," she joked, lifting an eyebrow. Etho rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny," he snorted. "Any luck at your kingdom?" False asked, and Etho sighed and shook his head. "Nope. Girl after girl after girl. It's like straight is the only sexuality," he grumbled. False nodded, wrinkling her nose. "You gotta love royal tradition," she sighed sarcastically. "Yup," Etho replied, kicking at the floor.

She stepped away from the wall, stretching. "Anyways, I came up here to tell you that it's time to come down now," she said, and Etho groaned. False snickered. "I never knew someone could perfectly reflect my mood in one noise," she laughed, and Etho chuckled. "Well, ta-da," he joked. "If I have to go." False smiled. "We can make it through together," she offered, and Etho nodded. "Please. I'm going to need the moral support." False laughed, and together, they headed downstairs.

The dining hall was where the party was being held, where the ice-encased walls stretched so high above your head that it almost seemed like clouds should be drifting in the rafters. It was chilly in the room, which made sense, as the room was made of ice. And of course, it was full of girls and guards and the whole royal lot. Etho sighed, stood as straight as he could (despite being gay), and prepared to suffer through multiple hours of awkward conversations.

The party was hazy to Etho; all of the parties he went to seemed the same. Boring, monotonous, awkward, the lot. But something he remembered very vividly was when he laid eyes on him. All the sounds had faded to nothing as he saw the stranger from across the room. He'd remembered hearing of this person from False; he did fit her description perfectly. But False didn't mention how...perfect he looked.

It was Beef, the king of another kingdom that was commonly known for its farming and livestock. He had sparkling, ocean-blue eyes and chocolate-brown hair and beard, and he had on a white suit with a tie that matched his eyes. Etho felt his face heat up slightly, and he was glad he always wore a mask in that moment. He looked around nervously, but the only person who had seemed to notice what had happened was False, who gave him a huge, knowing grin. Etho became even more flustered and looked away, his heart beating a million miles an hour.

Shh, no. I can't love him, it's against tradition, it's against the law, it's against the rules of the kingdom...

Etho snuck a glance up at Beef again, who was laughing at something one of the guards had said.

Stupid tradition.

Etho's eyes went wide as Beef spotted Etho. The other king seemed to know who Etho was, as he waved to him. Etho blushed and waved back, to which Beef smiled warmly.

Well, crap. I'm in love. And I haven't even said anything to him.

The party could have lasted another minute or another two hours; Etho didn't know. All he could think about was the king on the other side of the room. He was so out of it that one of his servants even asked him if he felt okay, to which he responded quickly that he was.

As everyone was cleaning up, Etho spotted False beckoning to him out of the corner of his eye. He sighed and walked over to her, and she corralled him away from everyone else.

"You are so in love," she giggled, and Etho blushed. "Shush! No I'm not!" he protested, although they both knew he totally was. "I don't even know him," Etho continued. "I haven't talked to him at all!" False rolled her eyes, smiling. "Just listen to me, okay? I've seen too many people be stupidly oblivious to each other and fail to talk. Now go to talk to him, and who knows, maybe your alliance will grow stronger." She winked, and Etho felt his face go hot. "Okay, fine, jeez," he said, eyes flitting around nervously. "Now come on, we don't wanna be missing for too long." False snickered and walked back into the hall.

Mostly everyone was leaving, including False's parents, who were calling her over to the door. "Gotta go!" she said to Etho, waving. "Go get him," she added, lowering her voice. She gestured to where Beef was standing at the opposite end of the hall. He almost looked like he was waiting for someone. Etho blushed and False snickered, slipping away before Etho could protest.

He tensed as Beef waved to him. Etho waved back, starting to walk over to the other king. "Hello, King Etho!" Beef greeted. His voice was cheerful. "Hello, King Beef," Etho responded, trying to keep the blush off his face. "And please, call me Etho." Beef smiled. "Only if you call me Beef," he responded, and Etho chuckled. "As you wish."

Beef gestured to the back door, which led outside into the courtyard. "Want to talk out there?" he asked. "I'd like to build up more of a resilience to the cold." Etho laughed. "Sure," he responded, following Beef outside.

The blizzard that had been raging earlier had died down into a light snowfall, delicate flakes spiralling from the sky. The pine trees in the courtyard were weighed down with snow, boughs drooping. "It's pretty out here," Beef said, catching a snowflake in his hand and watching as it melted. "It's pretty if you like seeing the colour white all day," Etho commented drily, and Beef chuckled. "My kingdom is mainly green, so it's nice seeing a change of scenery," he said, sitting down on the stairs. Etho nodded. "Makes sense."

There was silence for a moment, before Beef spoke up. "I know this isn't my place to ask, but I am curious," he said thoughtfully. Etho tensed, already nervous. "I saw you in there with False," Beef continued. "Is she your..." He blushed slightly, and Etho caught onto what he was saying. "Oh, no no no," he blathered, his face heating up. "No, we're just friends." Beef nodded. "Ah. I see. Sorry for asking," he apologized, looking slightly guilty. "No, it's okay," Etho said, again glad that he was wearing a mask. "I get asked that a lot. We don't like each other that way." Beef nodded again. "I understand completely," he said, looking up at the dark sky. "I have a friend back in my kingdom named Cleo, and we always get asked if we're together." Etho turned to look at Beef, who almost looked angry. "That's very annoying," Etho said, "and I know from experience."

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Beef exclaimed suddenly, and Etho blinked at him. "When I hang out with my friend Doc, we don't get asked if we're together! Why is straight just the default sexuality?!" He stopped, his face slightly red. He turned to look at Etho, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "I- I'm sorry, I just-" Beef stammered, flustered. Etho shook his head. "No, I totally agree," he said quietly. "I've felt that way my whole life." Beef's eyes widened slightly. "I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one," he said, a small smile donning on his face. His happy expression was short-lived as he continued, though. "Truth is, I've been struggling with my sexuality for as long as I can remember," he admitted, his voice low. "I- I mean I'm not straight, that's for sure."

Etho's heart fluttered slightly with hope, but he stayed quiet and nodded instead.

Beef sighed and leaned back on his hands, looking up at the stars. "You could give me a thousand years, and I'd never be able to figure out who I love."

It was meant to just be a thought, something Etho should have kept to himself. But it slipped past his lips anyways. "I only need a second." The words were said; they were quiet, but Beef heard them. The other king blushed, blinking at Etho, who immediately panicked. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that- I shouldn't have said that-" he stammered, the red on his face rivaling that of a strawberry. "I- I'm gay, but no one knows except False, and it's always just female suitors because they assume I'm straight but I'm not, and it hurts to keep it a secret, because I shouldn't have to, I shouldn't have to be scared to tell someone-" Etho cut himself short, his face burning with embarrassment. "...-and I've just told you everything, haven't I?"

Beef laughed breathlessly. "Y-Yeah, you did..." he chuckled, his face still red. Etho nodded slowly, looking down at his lap. The courtyard became so silent that it wouldn't be surprising to hear the snow landing on the ground.

"Y'know, I'm starting to think I don't need a thousand years to figure out who I love anymore," Beef said quietly, looking over at Etho with a shy smile. Etho just about melted, his mismatched eyes going wide as he stared into Beef's ocean blue ones. "What-..." Etho couldn't think of anything to say. His thoughts abandoned him, just when he really needed them. He felt Beef's hand slip into his, and his heart leapt. "I-...you..." Etho shut his mouth before he could embarrass himself any further. Beef chuckled and smiled at Etho, who snorted lightly and smiled back. Etho's eyes widened as Beef's other hand slid up to the ice king's mask. "...May I?" he asked softly, and Etho nodded, feeling numb. Beef gently pulled the mask down, until Etho's face was revealed. Etho almost thought that Beef blushed even more.

"You're...you're perfect," Beef whispered, squeezing Etho's hand. Etho looked down and pulled the mask off his face. "I-I'm really not," he chuckled, trying to keep the underlayer of sadness out of his voice. Beef's smile fell, and he put a hand on Etho's shoulder. Etho flinched at the contact. "You are, Etho," Beef insisted softly. When Etho looked up again, Beef had leaned in more, his hand moving up to Etho's neck. Etho blushed, his eyes widening in surprise.

And then Beef's lips were on his, and there was no better feeling.

He melted instantly and gently took Beef's other hand. He swore he could hear it for a moment; the voice in his head, screaming about law and tradition, but he didn't care. The sound of beating hearts and the feel of Beef's hand in his was more than enough to overpower that annoying voice. I'm going to love who I want. No one's gonna stop me.

After a moment that felt too short, but in reality, was quite a while, they broke apart. Etho could feel the stupidest, most lovesick smile creeping up on his face. Normally, he'd be embarrassed by that, but Beef had on a similar expression.

"Yeah, I think I may have figured out my sexuality," Beef chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. Etho laughed. "Just maybe," he said, smiling. They both looked out at the courtyard, not knowing what else to say. Etho blushed as he felt Beef lean against him. "Who needs a thousand years," he murmured to himself. "I've found love and I'm not letting go." Beef smiled shyly up at him. "Me neither," he whispered.

Neither of them thought about the future.

Neither of them thought about how they'd tell their kingdoms.

Neither of them thought about all of the rules and traditions.

All they thought about was each other.

AJSIEJIED

my lovely little gays /pos

remember to drink your water and that'll be all from me!