PeaceMaker

Dominic stared at Boris' broad back for a moment before drawing a smile on his face and continuing into the room. 

"Yup. Sorry about that, Kalmin's talk grew a little bit longer than expected, haha," He chuckled. 

Boris stood silent for a moment as he listened to Dominic's footsteps. He could hear them walk to the clothing hanger at the corner of the room. 

"I'm so happy everything went as smoothly as it did," Dominic grinned, "I thought it would be a huge mess. People arguing-" Boris heard the light shuffle of Dominic's tailcoat being placed on the hanger, "people refuting it even when the results came out and blatant pointing fingers and such. Even though some of that did happen, I'm glad they were mature enough to accept it as it was."

Dominic continued his way to his desk, his steps slowing down as he tried his best to delay reaching his seat. A futile attempt as he was too nervous to even try to walk slower. He reached his desk and stood behind it peering out the same windows that Boris was looking out of. "A nice nighttime view, isn't it?" he asked. 

Boris ignored his comment. "Why did you do that?" he asked. 

Dominic chuckled. "Why did I do what?"

"Don't act dumb. Why would you do that?" Boris pressed, his voice growing harsher. 

"Because I trust you," Dominic replied immediately. 

Boris turned to him, his face being seen for the first time since Dominic's stepped into the room.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" Boris yelled, his voice loud and strong. 

"Watch the volume Boris," Dominic replied as he turned around, walking around the desk on his way to the sofa in the room. He didn't know if he could face this standing.

Boris' teeth ground against each other as he stomped over to Dominic, his hand grabbing Dominic's wrist and yanking it, turning Dominic to him. "NO. You listen to me, Dominic."

Dominic shuddered, his hand throbbing from Boris' hold. They locked eyes and Dominic flinched, Boris' eyes gleaming with such anger, confusion, and frustration that he had never seen before. 

"What is it?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. 

"What is it? WHAT IS THIS?! YOUR STAND-IN?! HAVE YOU FINALLY LOST YOUR MIND?" Boris growled, his eyes flaring in anger as his grip tightened on Dominic's hand. 

"How I wish I did. I picked you for a reason! You're qualified for the position, one of the smartest scrap I have ever- no, I will ever meet! I trust you more than most of the people in this palace. I can't see my position going to someone else but you," Dominic snapped back, his tone growing more certain. 

Boris stared at him in bewilderment. "Have you forgotten? The person who hated you the most from the moment they met you, the person who looked at you with disgust in their eyes and threatened to kill themselves simply to avoid being taken captive in this palace. THE PERSON THAT REGARDS THIS PLACE AS A CAGE! AS HELL?! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN SAY YOU TRUST ME?!"

"ARE YOU THE SAME PERSON?!" Dominic yelled, his voice sounding over Boris'.

Boris stared at him in frustration and perplexion. "What?"

"ARE YOU THE SAME PERSON AS BEFORE?! Everything you said about the way you saw me was in past tense. You don't hate me anymore, you don't feel disgusted or do you want to kill yourself simply to avoid me," Dominic muttered, his voice wavering slightly, "You've changed. You're someone I can trust now and someone I will trust."

Boris stared at him for a moment. His eyes softening for a second before it dimmed. "Ha..." Boris chuckled, his grip loosening on Dominic's hand. "You're crazy." He turned around and started to walk towards the door. 

"Boris? Where are you going?" Dominic called out, following Boris immediately. 

"I've changed right?" Boris muttered with a mocking tone, the smile on his face twisted in a distressed manner. "Arrange a carriage. Take me back."

Dominic paused, his entire body freezing at Boris' words. "What?"

Boris' head swiveled to him at an alarming speed. "I SAID TAKE ME BACK!" he yelled, his words hitting Dominic like a hammer. "You've lost your mind. You've taken a scrap. A SLAVE TO TAKE YOUR POSITION IN BATTLE! While you're out there holding a heavy sword and swinging it around at enemies, do you really think this kingdom will last under my hands?! DO YOU THINK I WILL BE LISTENED TO AS MUCH AS YOU IMAGINE! It's time to wake up from your wild dreams of equality. I'm the reason why you've lost your mind thinking that we've found common ground. Take me back and try to get me back again. Then you'll see the difference's in our worlds."

"Do you hear yourself? The words you call yourself? How you're so BENT on making yourself known as the slave and me as some high master. Aren't those the same words you hate being called by the nobles? The same words you hate being identified with and the same segregation you hate in this kingdom. WHY ARE YOU TRYING SO HARD TO FIT IN THOSE MOLDS!" Dominic cried out, his voice growing harsher and desperate. "I'm giving you a chance to break the stereotypes. I'm giving you the chance to say that you can be more than what the nobles identify yourself with but when that time comes, you decide to relabel yourself again and blame me for your labels. You do like it? Do you like being known as a scrap? A rat on the streets?"

"There's nothing wrong with being realistic," Boris retorted with a firm tone. "There is something wrong with being whimsical."

Dominic flinched as he maintained eye contact with Boris, a heavy thud sounding off in his chest and his lips pressing into a thin line. He looked away from Boris as he walked back to his desk, his chest feeling constricted and hand balled up into a fist with desperation. His eyes glowed with fear.

"Send me out tomorrow," Boris muttered, turning away from Dominic.

"No."

"What?!" Boris snapped, his head turning back to Dominic.

"I'm banning you from leaving the palace," Dominic muttered, his hand trembling as they ran across the sides of his desk before he sat down in his chair. He looked up at Boris with certain eyes. With a hint of fear. "Locking you in these walls while you prepare to take my place as a substitute."

Boris stared at him blankly, unable to comprehend the words Dominic had said. 

"Since you want to be a cage so much, why don't I make this place one?" Dominic chuckled, his eyes a frightening vivid green and lips quivering slightly in overwrought. 

Boris flinched, shivers running up his spine immediately from Dominic's gaze and words. "You wouldn't."

"Would you like to try?" Dominic retorted. 

Boris shuddered, panic flashing in his golden beams. "Why would you do that? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE ME?! This place is filled with more deserving people! Even Kalmin, he's a hundred times better as a leader than I could ever be, or Grayson, filled with experience, or Anatinez, filled with intelligence. WHY PICK A PEASANT IN A PALACE FILLED WITH NOBLES?!"

"BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER YOU FOR ME! THERE ISN'T ANY OTHER PEASANT IN THESE WALLS OR ANY OTHER BORIS THAT I KNOW! THERE ISN't another you," Dominic snapped, his voice cracking as it screamed, his eyes tearing up. "There are soo many other nobles in the palace that I can pick from. That's the problem! There isn't another person who has gotten a near even taste of being a noble and being a peasant, there isn't another person who has helped me more than you and isn't another person who would dare to look at me the way you do."

Boris froze in a state of anger and frustration, words of rage of his tongue slowly melting away. 

"Smartness and high titles. I couldn't care less about those. A smart person who isn't loyal would run this place down to hell and high titles can interest one into taking advantage of power. And it isn't even a problem of intelligence, you're smart, your test proved that in many ways and you're probably better than me in sparring even when I practiced for half of my life. On top of that, you have an experience that I could never experience and knowledge I could never fathom about the kingdom. There's not one person in my life that's like you," Dominic spat, his lips quivering. "I'm not going to let go of the one unique achievement and connection I have made by myself in my life."

"Ha... So you're going to force it down other's throats?" Boris argued back, a mocking laugh leaving his lips. He turned to Dominic, his steps slowly walking towards his desk. "You're going to make them have to listen to me when they don't want to? Don't you think that the moment you leave, they are all going to call quits and overrun this place? And what about me? Do you think I'm still going to be patiently waiting when you leave and come back? What if all of these fronts I have put up are fake? What if I planned the demise of this place from the moment I decided to stay in this hell?"

"You underestimate the palace too much," Dominic smirked, his eyes gleaming with slight hurt, "do you think this is a playground? That as soon as I leave you're going to have full power? Just as much power as you have when I leave, the people in the palace have to make sure you're well kept under chains. It's just as much like a cage even when I leave, in fact even more. You'll be under more eyes, be flooded with so much work that it'll be impossible for you to even think outside of work and the people in the palace and kingdom? If they were going to run us over, they would have done it immediately after my father died. Their chances have reduced significantly."

Boris stared at Dominic, his shadow slightly over Dominic's figure as they looked into each other's eyes. In those mesmerizing green eyes, there was not a drop of fear towards Boris' intimidating gaze of his harsh words, instead, it was fear of abandonment. Fear that he would turn around and walk out those doors and never return. It was unnerving, perplexing, and beyond his comprehension. 

Yet when he stayed in those eyes, he wanted to listen to them. He wanted to stay. 

"Still..." Boris muttered, his eyes gleaming harshly as they peered into Dominic's. "In the slightest chance that there is a coup planned by the kingdom or one planned by me, what will you do?"

"There won't be one," Dominic retorted, his eyes glowing with unmovable confidence. "In case of a coup planned by the commoners of nobles, you will take care of it swiftly and govern the kingdom properly. But there will be no coup planned by you."

"How are you so certain of that?" Boris pressed, his body lowering and figure leaning over the desk, closer to Dominic. 

Dominic stared at Boris calmly, a smile forming on his face. "Because I believe in you. I know you will wait and I know you will rule to the best of your abilities. I trust you."

They stayed for a moment in silence, each of each other's eyes locked on each other in silence. Golden rays searching for the slightest hint of hesitancy and emerald shining back with confidence.

Boris pulled away from Dominic, his hand running through his hair as a sigh shakenly left his lips. "Wow... you're crazy. A complete psycho."

Dominic chortled, his laugh slowly stopping as he looked up at Boris again. "So... are you leaving?"

Boris sighed, his golden eyes peering down at Dominic, his gaze fixing on the emotion on Dominic's face. 'Despite this all... the only thing he's so worried about, is the fact that I'd want to leave...' He thought to himself. He rubbed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, his eyes peering down at Dominic again. His emerald eyes looked up at him in desperation. 'Gosh, he's so persistent...' 

"No..." Boris replied shakenly, a sigh of surrender left his lips, "I won't leave the palace."

Dominic peered at him for a moment, his words taking a moment to reach his words. 

Boris watched as the words slowly reached his mind. Slowly, those dim emerald eyes brightened up and a smile appeared on his face, a tear running down his smooth face.

"Oh thank god..." Dominic muttered, his body quivering as it bent over limply, like it had released something that it was holding deep inside him. "I was so scared..." his head laid on his table, tightly shut as another tear rolled over his nose and onto the long lashes of his other eye. Blonde locks laid disorderly over his face and the table as Dominic took deep breaths. 

"Scared that the only candidate you had picked would decide to pack up and leave?" Boris asked, laughing with a light chuckle as his eyes stared at Dominic. 

"No," Dominic replied, his eyes opening and immediately locking with Boris. "I was scared you'd leave me."

THUD 

Boris flinched, his eyes staying locked on Dominic's for a moment, his heart tightening for a second. It wasn't in frustration, neither was it in anger. It felt... different. 'There it is again...' Boris thought to himself as he stared at Dominic, his head slowly tipping to the side as his eyes sunk deeper into green waves. 'These little things... these little seconds where I feel so off-guard... so taken, so... intoxicated by those eyes... those moments that make me feel anxious after or even worse, expectant. It's scary... the longer I stay in his gaze what will happen? If he was closer what would I do...'

His hand twitched. 

'It's scary.'

Dominic peered at Boris, his lips twitching for a moment as they maintained eye contact. 'What's this...?' he thought to himself. Gold. All he could see was gold. 'Why can't I look away? Why do I keep being so fixed on him...' His thoughts were stopped halfway and his lips opened immediately. 

"Come here," Dominic muttered, his words seeping into Boris' head slowly. 

Boris stared at him with a glazed gaze. "What?"

Dominic's head lifted off the table, his eyes still locked on Boris'. "Come here."

Boris flinched, a shudder running down his back, and almost instinctively, quicker than he wished he had, he moved towards Dominic. Like a sailor drifting towards the call of a siren, he was drawn in by his green eyes. 

Boris walked around the desk and stood directly in front of Dominic, his eyes looking down at Dominic. 

Slowly Dominic stood up from his chair, his eyes remaining locked on Boris' eyes. 

"What is it?" Boris asked, his chest tightening up again as he peered down at Dominic. His eyes couldn't focus as they took in all of his features, his mind blanking the longer he stood before Dominic. 

A shuffle of papers snapped him out of his trance and he noticed pieces of papers in Dominic's hand which he lifted up until it was placed parallel to his head. 

Boris' eyes snapped to the sheets of papers and back to Dominic. "What is this?"

Dominic cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as they fixed tighter on Boris. He leaned in closer, taking a step towards Boris. "No.... who are you?"