PeaceMaker

"Huh?" Axel blinked, realizing what he was doing to Dominic and immediately loosening his grip on his hand, "s-sorry your highness."

Axel quickly lifted off Dominic, hiding his trembling hands as he stepped far away from Dominic.

"Geez…" Dominic murmured, his wrist twitching from the immense pain Axel's grip had caused him, "you must love scaring me huh? I said for you to share your ideas and be comfortable with me but not to forget my title and where you stand. Geez…" that actually scared me for a moment there."

'Yeah…' Axel thought to himself, staring down at his hands, 'I'm scaring myself too.. But honestly, what was that?'

"On the bright side, the more I open my eyes, the more I'll be able to get my body used to the pain and start moving around more," Dominic chuckled.

"Hopefully…" Axel murmured.

"Are you overthinking again? What are you worried about this time?" Dominic sighed, you did nothing wrong so what are you worried about?"

'What am I worried about? I did nothing? Are you blind? I had almost no control back there and could have done something to the soon-to-be king that would literally get me and my family 6 feet under,' Axel trembled, 'am I crazy? Falling that deep into someone's eyes is not normal for me and neither is it for someone who I will be serving with my life on the time every second. I've gone crazy.'

"Axel? Seriously, pay attention to what I say and actually make me feel like I'm a prince," Dominic pouted.

'How am I supposed to focus when all I see are those bright eyes of yours?' Axel thought to himself. "Yes, your highness, not sure validation by me paying attention is something you need. You can always make me listen," Axel shrugged.

"I hate forcing people to do anything. I'd rather have them show their true intentions even if it might hurt me," Dominic smiled, "abuse is never the way to go, especially when it comes to directing people under me. I'd prefer to be seen as the stern but understanding king than the tyrant king."

Axel looked down at Dominic, his eyebrows furrowing with more frustration. 'This is going to be hard… even his words are starting to get to me in a way that they shouldn't,' Axel sighed, yanking his hair out of his ponytail in one smooth movement and then furiously scratching his head quietly. 'What in the world are those eyes even?! They are so beautiful and unlike any other person, I've looked at. So bewitching too… who knew what would have happened if his voice didn't get through my brainwashed head? There's definitely something wrong with me.'

"Define tyrant," Axel replied, trying his best to keep the conversation going so his pauses between wouldn't be noticed. "You can be a strict king and implement rules that keep the kingdom in check without being a tyrant."

"Hmm…" Dominic mumbled questionably.

"Not to be a preacher or come off as commanding or giving advice to a superior," Axel began.

"Please just say what you want to say, I already know all of that," Dominic sighed.

"Fine… geez. No need to be so mean, your highness," Axel huffed, "I was just concerned about my life if Litian or Feline walked in here and saw me giving advice, to their prince I might end up being buried."

"Haha, I promise that won't happen," Dominic reassured

"Ok then, as I was saying… there are going to be times where you need to force some people, where you need to lay your feet down and just. Stop them. And it's going to involve something like forcing and you're going to need to be able to do it to be a good king at that point," Axel explained, "you're not always going to be able to sit upon that throne and have your days rolling ahead of you on a path of flowers. There are going to be harsh moments and you're going to need to be able to put that 'nice king' personality down and step up to the game because no ones going to be able to wait for you to catch up to the pain they need to be pulled out of. They will leave you behind if they need to cuz that's the funny part of patriarchy, the king can always be knocked down. They just never thought about it enough to execute it. Don't be that king that they do it too."

Dominic laid in contemplation, fully listening to the words of advice Axel gave. And it surprised him that he even wanted to listen to words of advice but it was more surprising of how true it was. He wouldn't always be the smiling kind king and going to have to step up his game sometimes. And when that happened, he had to realize that, it wasn't about being harsh but just being able to put his foot down to control the situation when it matters the most.

That moment seemed like an unfathomable situation that was bound to happen, but Dominic couldn't even imagine how to react to it before. 'This was definitely something I needed to take note of, and Axel was definitely someone I needed to keep by my side,' Dominic thought to himself.

"Sometimes I wonder how I got in contact with someone as broad-minded as you," Dominic grinned, "but I'm definitely going to take advantage of it and keep you by my side. And if that involves me forcing you, then I'm going to chain you down while I'm at it."

"Ah…" Axel muttered, slowly pulling his head away from Dominic and hanging them low. A slow reluctant smile formed on his face, "it would be an honor, your highness."

'Don't get whatever emotions I have right now up,' Axel thought to himself, 'those eyes are enough for me now, but when I start listening to them… I'm not going to be able to look away.'