PeaceMaker

There was silence as the two had sat, eyes locked on each other. Once again, tension festered in the air, wrapping them like a blanket. Boris laid silently as he refelt the tension from that day, his mind drifting to sleep.

'Aren't you going to sleep, Dominic?'

'Are you?'

'I still have a few more documents to complete for Kalmin,'

'Then I won't sleep. I'll wait for you to finish,' Dominic smiled. 

'You can't. There's going to be sparring practice for you later today. It's already 12 when you are supposed to be asleep at 10.'

'Then you take responsibility for it,' Dominic shrugged, 'If you refuse to sleep, then I won't sleep and therefore it will be your fault if I'm not well-rested.'

A smile had passed on Boris' face at that comment, which he quickly wiped away a second later to replace with a frown 'Aren't you quite the irresponsible prince, Dominic.'

'I learned from the best,' Dominic teased. 

They shared a few seconds of laughter.

'Boris,' Dominic called out, to which Boris looked up from his papers.

'Yes?'

'What time is it?'

'Hmmm…' Boris mumbled as he turned to the grandfather clock. 'It's 2 minutes past 12, why? Finally decided to sleep?'

'No. It's time for you to wake up,' Dominic replied with a smile, a gleam of sadness passing through his emerald gaze. 

'What?'

'Boris,' Dominic muttered, 'Boris, Boris, Bo-'

"-ris," a voice called out to him, "helloooo~ Boris? Sir Boris? Rise and shine. It's already morning dumdum."

Fractions of light flowed into his eyes as Boris slowly opened his eyes to a dark-chocolate blob that stood over him.

"Is this where you sleep at night?" the blob asked, their face turning away from Boris to surveil the room, "quite a fancy place but doesn't seem like the right place to be sleeping."

Boris opened his eyes fully and gazed up into the ceiling, then turned his head to look at the person that stood over him. "Adia. Good morning."

"Morning to you too, sleepyhead," she chuckled as she watched Boris sit up on the couch, "weren't you supposed to send someone for me this morning?"

"Ah… sorry about that. It looks like you got here ok though…" Boris yawned, stretching as he stood up from his seat. 

"Yea, thanks to that guy Kalmin. Turns out you have really bad time habits in the morning. He already knew and brought someone to pick me up," Adia nodded, "did you sleep late again?" She walked towards Boris and raised her hands to his face, squishing his cheeks together as she examined his face. "You have bags under your eyes."

"I always do,"

"Don't you have a place to sleep at night? Like your own room? You look like you haven't slept on a bed in weeks," Adia commented, "I thought I told you to sleep immediately? You never listen, do you?"

Boris chuckled lightly as he rested his head in her hands, leaning forward. "Sorry about that…"

"Ugh don't lean on me, you're heavy," Adia groaned, pushing his face back. Boris chuckled as he stood up straight and stared at Adia for a moment. She let out a long sigh and stretched out her arms. "Come here, you idiot." 

Boris smiled weakly as he walked forward into her arms. 

"It's good that you have enough to eat though. You weigh as much as a bear would," Adia chuckled, patting his back. "But seriously though, do you not have a room?"

"Are you calling me fat?" Boris asked through slurred speech.

"I'm calling you well-fed," Adia scoffed, "did you just avoid my question about your room again?"

"Sighhh you're already nagging so much in the morning," Boris groaned, pulling away from Adia, "did you shower already? I still need to."

"Your room?"

"I have a room motherrrr," Boris teased as he ruffled his hair. 

"Then why don't you use it?" Adia asked, punching him in the shoulder, "ow, I swear you're made of bricks." 

Boris paused at Adia's question, turning around and meeting her questioning gaze. He shrugs, "I'm not sure. It's not as convenient here though. The couch is not bad and as soon as I wake up, I get to start working on any papers I have to do."

"Without taking a bath or eating well or anything?" Adia asked, "I mean I would understand if we were still on the streets. Then we didn't have a steady means of food to get, and even much less a place to bathe and get ready and stuff. But now you're here, where you can literally get anything you want, yet you don't use it?"

"...I guess I'm too caught up in my patterns," Boris shrugged. 

Adia groaned and hit him on the head. "It's been a year, how are you still caught up in patterns, dumbass?"

"I'm stubborn," Boris shrugged, "what happened to language?"

"Yea, I can tell, and it's just me and you, I don't see any other people ready to scrutinize the way I speak," Adia huffed. 

"Looks like I'm not the only stubborn one here," Boris chortled. 

"But you are the only one that stinks," Adia shut back, "go take a bath."

"Sigh, yes, yes, mother," Boris nodded his head, "what will you be doing in the meantime?"

"Staying behind in this room and waiting for you," Adia replied. 

"Sounds like a good idea," Boris smiled, "make sure not to roam the palace please."

Adia smirked, sitting down on the couch, "Are you trying to prevent me from exploring or trying to encourage me?"

"Well unless you want to get lost," Boris shrugged, "or worse start being seen as a mole because it would look like you're trying to creep around, then go ahead and try it. Won't be my fault if you get beheaded though."

"You're mean,"

"I'm realistic,"

Adia rolled her eyes as she began to stretch on the couch. She moved her legs to lay on the couch and just as she was about to rest her head on the armrest, Boris put his hand right under her head, holding it up.

"What are you doing?" Adia huffed in annoyance, "you're hurting my neck!"

"Maybe don't sleep on this couch," Boris chuckled lightly as he pushed her head up, pulling up her body with it. "It is for his highness afterall."

Adia sat up and looked up at Boris with piercing eyes, "Excuse me? Were you or were you not just sleeping on this? I didn't know I had to be a certain rank to lay on a couch."

"Well, you are in the prince's office. Everything here is exquisite, everything here is made just for him to be used by him,"

"Are you saying I'm not exquisite enough?" Adia asked, making a hair flip motion, "why sir I am certainly offended by such harsh, brash words."

Boris rolled his eyes and chuckled, "yes madam you are of the highest honor in this kingdom," Boris chuckled, walking behind the couch and leaning over her body. "But just not as high as the Prince himself." He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her up the couch. 

"Ouch," Adia pouted, "for both your grip and removing me. You aren't the prince either so you don't have the right to sleep on this."

"I am the prince's right-hand man and currently, his temporary to hold his place in the kingdom," Boris shrugged, putting on an air of arrogance, "looks like I am worthy of sleeping on thy exquisite couch."

"You bragger," Adia huffed, "you say you're worthy but you're stinking up the whole couch."

"Ok clean freak I'll go shower," Boris sighed as he walked out from behind the couch and stood in front of her, "I'll be back in a few minutes so stay put until then. Kalmin will probably be coming in about 10 minutes so he'll keep you company. Hopefully…"

Adis grinned and started pushing Boris out of the room, "Yes, yes father I will protect myself and wait patiently for your return." To that Boris smiled.

He stood in front of the door and looked back. "Don't touch anything.." He knew she will.