Date: Set Post Book 1, demon is long gone

Canon: Non-Canon, includes a noncanon character

Notes: This was an anniversary gift for my two amazing friends Rainyjoi2009 and Quiet_shadow_248 !

Arlo was added as a noncanon character, brother to High King Indigo and Prince to Ethiria, Ambassador to Viidakko and secretly dating Rei Rain of Viidakko >:D

Enjoy!

~~~

The boat rocked against the dock, sailors chattering and captain shouting as they moored the ship and started unloading crates and imports.

The most important person on board, ruler of Viidakko, took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh salty air and the smell of the city, baking bread and spices and nature all colliding together.

Stepping off board, they wobbled a bit as they adjusted to being on solid ground instead of the swaying of the ship. Tail swishing behind him, he steadied themself and continued walking, waving to a few starstruck children gaping at them. They'd probably never seen a feline hybrid before, they weren't common in Ethiria.

There was a small entourage of guards waiting at the end of the marina, probably waiting for them to escort him to the castle. Rain laughed to themself. They'd be waiting a while.

Turning the opposite way, they easily slid into the crowds, melting into the sea of people despite his black fur and feline traits making them stand out.

~~~

"What do you mean, they never arrived?" He demanded, throwing his hands up in the air.

The guard shifted, not-so-subtly glancing around for an escape route. "We checked the entire ship, the sailors said they had been there, but they just vanished, I swear, sir."

Arlo growled, glaring at the soldier. The guard swallowed nervously, praying half-desperately to the gods for safety.

"Never arrived, did I?" A soft voice inquired from behind him, laughter evident in their tone.

The guard sighed in relief as Arlo spun around, anger melting away to pure joy. "Quiet!"

The lovers embraced as the guard made an escape, closing the door behind them to give the two some privacy.

"I got so worried, are you okay?" Arlo asked, pulling back to check them over for injuries. Rain smiled, twining his fingers with Arlo's.

"I'm perfectly okay, I just decided to play around with your soldiers a bit," they replied, tail swishing proudly behind him.

"Digo's soldiers, not mine," Arlo commented, shaking his head. "Anyways, I have a bit of a surprise for you, so, uh, if you wanna...?" He waved vaguely towards the outside with a hand, giving Rain a hopeful smile. They gave him a fond look.

"Of course, let's go!" They followed their boyfriend out as he led them down halls and stairs out of the castle and into Celeste's bustling streets.

It didn't take long to reach the outskirts of the city, houses and roads fading into forest and nature. Confusion rippled slightly as they continued deeper into the forest, away from the rest of the world.

"And what might we be doing here?" Rain asked curiously as Arlo tugged him through a small path in the thick trees.

Arlo snickered. "You'll seeeeeeee~"

Alright then-

A few more minutes later, Arlo stopped, turning around to face Rain as they paused, tail swishing behind them. He tilted his head up at him, ears half perked.

"Close your eyes," Arlo said, grin fading into more of a nervous smile, fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he waited for their response.

They blinked, slowly. "Okay?" Rain let their eyes slide shut, feeling Arlo's hand slide out of his to their elbow, guiding them forward slowly.

It was another minute or so before they stopped again, feeling soft grass under their feet and smelling something warm and decidedly food, as well as hearing the burbling of water running.

"Open eyes time?" Rain blinked his eyes open at their boyfriend's words, taking in the sight.

He was in a clearing, bright, springy grass covering the ground. Trees made a natural wall all around, and a small creek bubbled away on the far side.

The sun shone on the ground, illuminating a red and white checked cloth spread on the ground, a basket overfilled with food sitting atop it and pillows scattered around. A picnic.

"Oh my," Rain said, taking in the view. Arlo fiddled with his shirt, watching Rain for their reaction.

"Do you like it?" He asked, and was surprised as Rain spun around, grabbing Arlo in a hug.

Their soft fur tickled his bare arms where his shirt sleeves ended, tail brushing against his leg. He leaned down to hug them back, hearing their whisper a few inches from his ear as they said, "I love it."

He smiled at Rain as they pulled back from the hug, fond look in their eyes as they looked back at him.

Arlo led his partner over to the blanket, the two settling side by side with a lovely view of the creek a bit away.

"So what's all that in the basket?" Rain asked, pulling it closer to them and poking around inside. He pulled out a raw fish, raising an eyebrow at the barely concealed laughter on Arlo's face.

"I see how it is," they commented, delicately putting the fish aside and giving him a faux look of disappointment. "Just a cat, hm?"

"Wait, no-" Arlo protested, Rain unable to hide their amusement at the dismayed look on his boyfriend's face. Realizing they were playing with him, he snickered too, burying his face in his hands. "How are you so you," he complained lightheartedly.

Laughing, they continued to dig through the basket, pulling out sandwiches and a bottle of lemonade, fresh baked cookies and slices of roast meat, all kinds of treats both sweet and savory. "Wow, this is a lot of variety."

Arlo grinned. "I wanted to make sure you liked everything I brought!"

Rain smiled at him, leaning over to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "This is amazing, I love it so much!"

He blushed, smiling back at them and returning the kiss. "I love you, Quiet."

"I love you, AJ."

~~~

The sun was long set when they snuck back into the castle, hoping to avoid being seen.

Arlo's hair was disheveled and his shirt was on backwards, and Rain's fur was matted with grass and damp.

The two jumped as a light suddenly shined on them, Indigo's Cheshire cat grin dimly visible behind the beam of light. "Have fun on your date, you twooooo?"

"Digo, nO-" Arlo protested, throwing the nearest object he had on hand (which happened to be the basket from the picnic) at his brother.

Indigo shrieked as the basket hit star head on, making the light from the lamp he was holding stagger as they almost dropped it. "Okay, okay, I'm going! I just wanted to congratulate you on your relationship, sheesh," star muttered, backing away even faster with their hands raised in surrender as Rain gave them a skeptical look.

He vanished around the corner with stars grin still on their face, and Rain turned around to look at Arlo, who was staring at the corner Digo had disappeared behind.

"How did he find out?" Arlo said, confused dismay in his voice. "I made sure there was no way he could- did he ask a god or something??"

Rain shook their head, a laugh escaping them. "Let's just go to bed and interrogate Digo tomorrow, how about that?"

Arlo nodded agreement, still staring down the hall as if his gaze could burn through the walls into his brother. Rain tugged them away towards their guest bedroom in the Ethirian castle.

A lovely date, all in all.