Claiming the ice Prince

by Espen Arcadia

  Siku chuckled faintly, nuzzling against Aputi’s chin. “You were perfect.”

  “I might have left a mark.”

  Siku could feel Aputi cringe, but shook his head in response, kissing the man gently. Everything had been perfect, and he gripped Aputi with a little extra squeeze to make his point. It seemed to have its intended effect, as he felt the last bit of tension in Aputi fade away.

  Haphazardly throwing an arm across Aputi’s chest, Siku nestled his face into the crook of the alpha’s shoulder. Held, he felt more secure and satiated than ever before in his life. As he drifted along the gentle currents into sleep, Siku wished it would never have to end.

  And he dreamed, of a fairy tale ending.

  Aputi

  Wincing, Aputi curled away from the light blazing down into his face. His motion was stopped by a solid object beside him. With a grunt, Aputi glanced down, blinking when he realized the object was Siku. At some point during the night, Aputi had ended up on his back, with Siku curling up against him. The man had wrapped a thin arm around Aputi’s waist, burying his face to hide from the bright light.

  Aputi smiled, running his fingers gently through Siku’s pale hair. He settled back down on the pillow, smelling the both of them mingling in the fabric. It marked the first time Aputi could remember having slept more than a few hours at a time, and he’d never felt so rested. It was also the first time he’d let anyone stay the night in his bed. As he gazed down at the sleeping innocence of Siku’s face, however, he felt no regrets.

  Siku held his breath, then let it out in a low groan as he shifted restlessly. Aputi watched Siku slowly drift up to the waking world with a frown inching its way across his brow. Chuckling, Aputi drew the blanket over the top of the man, letting him wake without having to face the sun in the process.

  Siku’s bleary eyes peeked out from beneath the blanket. “What time is it?”

  “Considering the sun is high enough to beat down on us, I’m going to say it’s pretty late,” Aputi said.

  Siku grunted. “I don’t want to wake up.”

  “Just want to lay in bed all day?”

  It was then he felt a small hand shift over his thigh, cupping his crotch and stroking the now hardening shaft of his cock. Siku’s sleepy smirk was tantalizing, and Aputi laughed, gripping Siku’s hair and giving it a tug for good measure.

  “I see you’re that kind of morning person,” Aputi said.

  Siku slipped up from the folds of the blanket to give him a deep kiss, savoring it. Aputi let out a sigh of contentment, wrapping his hands around Siku and holding him close. Siku’s body was warm, and Aputi could smell his own scent on the omega’s skin. It was just as tantalizing as the sight of the proud and reserved man holding nothing back as he begged for more from Aputi.

  “It was certainly something I would want to revisit,” Siku whispered against his lips.

  “Told you I was good.”

  “And so modest too.”

  Aputi tightened his grip on Siku, rolling so he lay beneath Aputi instead. Siku gave a low chuckle, wiggling so that he fit within the confines of Aputi’s body comfortably.

  “You were beyond compare,” Aputi told him, stroking his hair.

  Siku’s cheeky smile disappeared, giving way to something a lot more heartfelt. His lip trembled and he pulled Aputi down into a firm hug with a soft whimper.

  Aputi blinked. “I’m sorry.”

  Siku shook his head. “No, don’t be. I’ve just…this is the first time I’ve ever been with someone who wanted just me. Not my name, not my title or anything else, just me.”

  Aputi nuzzled into Siku’s neck. “Their loss if you ask me.”

  “And the worst part is that you don’t even know all the rest. I’ve been keeping this secret from you, all while you show me your life.”

  Aputi pulled back, frowning down at Siku. “That’s not fair.”

  “How so?”

  “You can’t say it like I didn’t know what I was getting into from the start. I don’t have to know exactly where you came from, or what your past is. Everything I’ve seen of you has been genuine, it’s who you really are.”

  Siku gave him a watery smile. “It’s still lying.”

  “And I’m still lying and cheating to make a living, but you found a way to make that okay in your head, and even made me feel better about it. So, why can’t you do the same for this?” Aputi asked.

  “Maybe because I can feel myself falling for you.”

  Aputi’s next protest stuttered out of his lips and fell into silence as he stared at Siku. For a moment, he just stared, trying to understand what Siku had said. Then it hit him, and he sat back, blinking at Siku.

  “What?”

  Siku chuckled, sitting up as well. “I know. It’s fast isn’t it?”

  Aputi shook his head. “I mean, you didn’t say you were, only that you were on your way.”

  Siku nodded. “It’s true. Which is why hiding things from you no longer feels acceptable. When I told you how I felt it was acceptable how you make your living, I meant it because you’re being honest with yourself, and doing it as honestly as possible. But this? My secret? It’s not something that feels like I’m being honest with myself.”

  He was still reeling that someone, especially someone as special and genuine as Siku, could ever even think they were falling for him. Aputi’s head rang with Siku’s words, a tight warmth burrowing deeper in his chest.

  Then the direction the conversation was going hit Aputi, and he reached out to take Siku’s hands in his, squeezing.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Aputi insisted.

  Siku smiled sadly, reaching up to brush Aputi’s jaw slowly. “I’m the crown prince. I ran away from the castle shortly before you found me.”

  Aputi closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh of resignation. He had so badly wanted Siku to keep the secret to himself. The moment Siku’s identity was out in the open, it meant everything they’d shared was officially marked with a time limit.

  Siku let out a slow breath. “You knew.”

  “Suspected,” Aputi corrected.

  “How?”

  Aputi let out a soft laugh. “Your complete ignorance of the outside world? No one but someone locked away in a castle would know so little as you. And there’s been guards all over, royal guards Siku, and they didn’t start showing up until after you did.”

  Siku’s eyes widened. “You saw them?”

  “Which time? At the theatre where you freaked out when you saw them, or at the bar?”

  “They were at the bar?”

  Aputi gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, they were waving around a painting to whoever they could find. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I can put things together if you give me the chance.”

  Siku looked down. “You never said anything.”

  “I didn’t know for sure, so why would I? I only had a suspicion. And you wanted to keep your secret, so why would I push you to reveal it?”

  Siku snorted. “This whole time, you knew, and you didn’t say a word because you were…respecting my privacy?”

  Aputi smirked. “Something tells me as the crown prince, you don’t exactly get a lot in the way of privacy. You said it yourself, where you come from, everyone’s business is talked about. I bet yours is even worse.”

  Siku squinted up at him. “And the nickname?”

  Aputi laughed. “I didn’t start suspecting who you were until after the theatre. And I gave you that name before that, so, just me being cheeky.”

  Siku’s face tightened. “And I’m engaged to be married.”

  “Oh? And who’s the lucky lord or lady?” Aputi asked mildly.

  “Duke Qinu,” Siku answered.

  Aputi forced his smile to reach his eyes as he stroked Siku. “And a lucky man is he, to have you by his side.”

  “You don’t seem very bothered by this.”

  Aputi kept the smile on his face, even as his heart sank. No, he was really and truly both
ered by Siku’s reveal. Aputi had suspected Siku’s true identity, but he’d hoped it wasn’t true. A runaway noble would mean potential trouble, but the heir to the throne? No, there was nothing left for them but what little time they could spend enjoying one another’s company. Siku would have to leave, going back to take the throne, marrying some noble to carry on his bloodline.

  “Why should it bother me? Are you a different person than before? Did you suddenly stop being the Siku I met on the street being tricked by a wily asshole? The same one who just admitted that he could very well be falling for me?” Aputi asked.

  Siku’s smile was shy. “I just thought it would be right to be completely honest. Well, and I thought maybe it might soften the blow of what I was about to reveal.”

  “Well, you managed to surprise me with that news at least.”

  “At least there’s something that can surprise you.”

  Aputi brought Siku’s hands up to his lips, kissing them gently. He breathed deep, telling himself he would have to savor every last moment with Siku. One day, it would all be a memory he would look back on, and hopefully smile. While he had Siku however, he would keep his mind focused on the present, soaking up everything.

  Aputi smirked. “So, tell me something. I didn’t question it last night because I was a little too worked up to think with my big head. But uh, how exactly was there no risk of me accidentally getting you pregnant? If an omega is turned on enough, they can go into heat and then boom, baby.”

  “They do teach us about how sex works in the castle Aputi,” Siku said dryly.

  “Right, which I get, since you already admitted to having sex and I haven’t heard anything about kids,” Aputi said.

  Siku laughed. “One plus to being a prince is that I have quite a plethora of options available to me. Despite my gilded cage, no one has yet attempted to keep me from following my own urges. Rather than run the risk of a frisky prince becoming pregnant out of marriage, or relying upon protections that may not work, they have medicine. It suppresses the heat in omegas, and thus they are no longer fertile. It lasts for about a month, and I took my latest dose a couple of days before I decided to leave.”

  “Why is that something that hasn’t been made readily available?”

  Siku winced. “I asked the same thing and it essentially boils down to how costly it is. It’s made its way into the noble caste, but I can’t imagine it would be frequently used by the less fortunate.”

  “You mean the poor.”

  “And sadly, some people see that as a good thing.”

  Aputi snorted. “Because the more the rich and powerful have, the better they can feel about their position. Yeah, I know how it goes.”

  Siku lay his head in Aputi’s lap, nuzzling his thigh. “A pity really. That they should elevate themselves so far in their own minds, above all the rest. They miss out on the opportunities to know people such as yourself. There’s a whole world of people waiting for them, but they would sooner lock themselves away in their estates, pretending they are better.”

  Aputi stroked his hair. “Is this where you tell me you’ve discovered a whole new world, one better than the one you came from?”

  Siku peered up at him with narrowed eyes. “You mock me, but you aren’t wrong either. I ran away from the castle because…well, I was tired of having my life dictated for me. No one gave me a choice in anything I did, save for a few freedoms that were essentially granted to me. I wanted to see the world where I wouldn’t be bound by the laws of my blood. I never expected to walk into a world of people who, despite all their struggles, still faced each day with hope for the future. You all chart your own futures, even against seemingly impossible odds.”

  “It’s a sweet thought, but I would hardly call what I do a noble tale.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You do what you do to take care of your mother because your father died, correct?”

  Aputi squinted down at him. “And you acted as if I was the perceptive one.”

  “As I said before, you learn a lot about reading people when you’re so busy minding the various vipers and backstabbers at court.”

  “Well, except for lowlife conmen, those are apparently beyond your abilities.”

  Siku slapped his bare stomach lightly. “After that, and everything you’ve shown me, I can assure you I won’t be so easily fooled in the future.”

  His mother’s voice carried up the stairs. “Aputi? Is that you upstairs?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Well, when you and your guest are decent, come down, I’m cooking breakfast.”

  Siku huffed. “You made it sound as if she wouldn’t know we were here.”

  “While she was under the effects of her nighttime medicine, yeah. But let me tell you what, she’s got sharp ears, especially when I have someone over.”

  Siku grinned. “Is that personal experience I’m hearing.”

  “Let’s just say I get away with a lot more now than I ever did when I was younger.”

  In some ways, his precocious and somewhat wild ways as a teen had inevitably led to his desire to study the law, just as his study had inevitably helped in his criminal undertakings. Even at a young age, Aputi had a great deal of interest in learning the boundaries placed around him, only to try and then skirt them in as clever a way as possible.

  For those who didn’t know him, they saw only a charming young boy with a smile and a lighthearted joke ready. Aputi couldn’t count the number of times he talked his way out of a situation as a boy, one that should have landed him in trouble. It was an altogether different story if his mother caught wind of it, however.

  Aputi took hold of Siku’s chin, bringing his head up and kissing him softly. Siku smiled into the kiss, and Aputi’s tightened chest eased.

  “Let’s go have some breakfast, and then, maybe I can show you a little more of the world out there?” Aputi asked carefully.

  Siku grabbed up his clothes. “Another bar or show?”

  “I was thinking something a little more…romantic. There’s an ice garden nearby, and I hear that’s the place to go if you’re wanting to take someone you care about with you,” Aputi said slowly.

  Siku emerged from the pile of clothes he’d put on. His smile flickered as his hand fell over his chest, the hint of a frown forming on his brow.

  “What?” Aputi asked.

  Siku gave him a brilliant smile. “Nothing. I would love to go wherever you’ll take me Aputi.”

  So long as Aputi could keep the smile on Siku’s face, he’d consider his time well spent. He would take Siku wherever he wanted to go, holding him close and enjoying his presence for as long as possible.

  Holding on to that smile, Aputi got out of bed, ready to show Siku all the best he had to offer.

  Siku

  Siku let out a deep sigh. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

  The ‘garden’ was, in fact, a building which had been carefully constructed with its aesthetic in mind. Every inch of the building was covered in snow, some hardpacked such as the walls, while others were soft downy piles laid upon the floor. The walls had been carefully treated so that a soft, glistening frost spread over the entire surface. Small crystals had been buried at a precise depth in the floor, creating an obvious and beautiful path for patrons to walk down.

  Aputi looked around. “You know, I’ve never been here before.”

  “I’ve never even heard of it, let alone seen it. This is absolutely breathtaking, I must know the architect and the artists they chose for the pieces,” Siku breathed.

  Sculptures lay all over the building, set up to be seen in just the right amount of light depending upon the piece. Some were based on animals, one an enormous statue of polar bears hunting on an ice cap, while another showed porpoises diving in and out of crystalline waves. Some bore a resemblance to flowers and plants Siku had seen in the collection of books in the castle.

  Siku blinked, remembering the pile of books on the desk in Aputi’s room. Books were expensiv
e things, with even those who lived in the castle treating them as priceless as the canvas paintings.

  “It just crossed my mind but, wherever did you get such a collection of books? There must have been over a dozen books on the desk, and perhaps more on the shelf,” Siku asked.

  Aputi chuckled. “Never seen books before? I would have thought you’d have plenty.”

  “Yes, but even so, they’re considered quite rare.”

  Aputi wrinkled his nose. “They’re essentially the same books I read while I was at the academy. I managed to get my hands on some of them, including the more advanced texts.”

  “You’ve kept up on your studies?”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s kind of a lost cause all things considered, but I can’t help myself.”

  Siku shook his head. “You misunderstand, I find that wonderful. My tutors would have loved someone like you in my place. I couldn’t be bothered to study unless I was forced to. Meanwhile you keep your knowledge and studies up to date for the time when you can revisit them.”

  “I think the chances of me being able to go back are slim at this point, and by the time I could, the information will probably be out of date,” Aputi said with a shrug.

  Siku frowned, but kept his mouth shut. A promise to help Aputi once Siku returned to the palace almost escaped his lips. The thought brought a fresh wave of sorrow over Siku, and he busied himself looking over another statue.

  He’d known from the moment he left the castle, he would one day have to return. The entirety of his destiny lay there, and for all his protests about having no choice, Siku knew it was his responsibility to rule one day. In fact, his time among the common people had strengthened his resolve to rule, and hopefully, rule a little better than those who had come before him.

  The world outside the castle walls was so much different than he’d expected, both bad and good. He wasn’t sure what he could do about the troubling slums and their desperate situation. First things first, he would need to resume his studies into finance, and see if there was a solution there. As for those at the top, who abused their position and power, Siku rather thought that was an easy solution.