Kings and Butterflies

by Lina Langley

  Simon still wouldn’t look at the camera, his voice quiet when he spoke. “It's been okay.”

  “Just okay?”

  “Don't tell my chef, but I think you might be better.”

  “Wait, are you saying that I'm better than a royal cook?”

  “I'm saying that it was very strange that The Butterfly Inn had the best brunch food I've ever had in my life. Trust me, I've been out to brunch a lot.”

  “That wasn’t even brunch, it was breakfast.”

  Simon nodded, finally looking back at Dallas. “Which makes the fact that it’s brunch competition so much more outstanding.”

  Dallas stared at him. “When I'm there, I'll cook for you.”

  Simon looked into the camera, his eyes wide. “Will you?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Of course I will.”

  “Send me the details, Dallas,” Simon said with a sigh. “I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”

  “Yeah,” Dallas said. “Okay.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Planes were awful. He had heard it before, from a variety of his friends, but he had never been on a plane and it turned out that he hated it just as much as they had. Flights were the worst. Airports were the worst. Before he had to get on the plane, he'd have to go past security, take off his shoes, take off his belt, have someone pat him down, it was awful.

  He was finally on the plane, which he had been assured by several people was going to be an easier experience than being in the airport itself, but Dallas didn’t think that it was. The plane itself was fine, and he was in first class so the seats were wide and comfortable and he had a mimosa in his hand practically the moment that he sat down, which was all courtesy of Simon's family.

  Still, the flight wasn’t very good, and every time that something went slightly wrong, Dallas was reminded that he was in a tin can in the sky, completely at the mercy of the elements around him. He knew that was the case when he was on solid ground too, but at least then he was able to catch himself if he fell, something that he knew he wasn’t able to do if anything at all went wrong on the plane. The flight was nearly seven hours long and there was a lot of turbulence, too, which made Dallas feel like he couldn't sleep.

  Part of the reason this was so hard for him was probably that he was so nervous. He had never been outside the country, and he didn’t think that the first time he would be outside the country would be by himself. The fact that he was doing this just to go meet some guy that he really didn't know that well, was scary. His friends had mostly tried to talk him out of it, but Dallas wasn’t budging. He hadn't told anyone who Simon really was yet, all that he said was that he was a guest who had stayed at the inn for a few days and that he was famous, which technically wasn't a lie. He wanted to tell his friends the truth, but Dallas wasn't ready to say anything about Simon to anyone.

  It was still hard for Dallas to believe. All of it was; Simon being a prince, Simon being interested in him, Simon asking him to go over to his kingdom and meet his family. Simon, Leopold Simon Edward Sebastian de Montmarte, Prince of Maitje, trying to see if things worked between him and Dallas, owner of The Butterfly Inn.

  Even if nothing came of it, Dallas knew that he would have a good story to tell. He hoped that it was more than a story, he hoped that Simon wouldn't change his mind the moment that he saw him again.

  His anxiety was kicking things up a notch ever since he had gotten on the plane and he only calmed down slightly when the pilot announced that they would be descending in thirty minutes. He didn’t want to be on a plane anymore, he wanted to be in Simon’s arms, under him, on top of him, around him. It felt wrong not to be near him and business distracted him from it, but planes, well, it turned out that planes didn’t distract him from it at all.

  Simon had told Dallas that someone would be waiting for him at the airport. Not Simon himself because he didn't wait for people--he said it as if it was the funniest joke ever--but a driver, someone in a suit.

  He would drive him to the Palace, where Dallas would stay for the two weeks that he was supposed to stay.

  There was an itinerary, Simon told him, but they didn't have to follow it, it was mostly for his father's peace of mind. Fuck, his father the fucking king of Maitje.

  He wasn't even sure how he was going to address them. He had half-jokingly asked Simon if he should take etiquette classes or something. Simon had thought it was hilarious, he had laughed until there were tears streaming down his cheeks. When he’d seen that Dallas was afraid, his expression had immediately changed.

  “No,” Simon had said. “You be you. I’ll deal with my father.”

  Now they were finally landing and Dallas felt a little sick to his stomach. He looked outside the window of the plane as they started their descent.

  Maitje was beautiful. It was gorgeous down there, all lush and dark greens, punctuated with beautiful beaches with crystalline water that looked like it could reflect anything, even the plane. Unlike the beaches at home, he could still see the sand from up there. He hadn't been able to see any sand when they had taken off because there had been so many people on the beach in San Leandre. It was nothing like that here, everything looked idyllic, covered by a barely there mist that gave the entire thing a fairy tale touch.

  Dallas wondered why he never heard of this place. It was beautiful, it was a kind of place that he thought everyone would flock to. He would ask Simon about it when he saw him, something which was quickly approaching.

  Compared to the airport at home, this one was tiny. It took him no time to go through immigration, though he assumed that had something to do with the fact that Simon had spoken to these people beforehand. They waved him through the moment they saw his passport, and then they had his luggage ready for him. He hadn’t brought much, Simon had said that he only needed a few essentials since they could provide everything else, but there were a few things that he had wanted to pack. Having his own luggage made him feel anchored. He didn’t like the idea that everything that he would be doing in Maitje was related to Simon, though intellectually, he knew that it was. It was only two weeks, though, and they had been talking for months.

  Even though he barely had any time, as Dallas looked around, he could see that the airport was very small, maybe the size of a big house. It was beautiful, each wall decorated with mural art, a couple of expensive and intimate-looking restaurants lining the walls. He didn't have any time to look around and check out the restaurants, because somebody was collecting him almost instantly, asking him how his trip was, telling him that they could stop for food if he was hungry, changing the temperature settings in the car to make sure that he was comfortable, referring to him as Mr. Strong. It was weird, it was taking a while for Dallas to catch up with it.

  The drive didn’t take long. Dallas offhandedly mentioned that he was tired and the driver stopped talking completely, which made him feel bad, but the driver didn’t seem to care. Or maybe it was just that he couldn’t see his face. After they stopped a couple of times, outside some gates, they were finally there.

  The driver opened the door for him, and he stepped out to see a palace that took his breath away. He had seen palaces before, he had seen them in movies, and he thought he knew what to expect. He wasn't expecting this. In front of him was the most stunning garden he had ever seen in his life. Dallas had never known much about plants, but there was a huge variety of them in front of him, and he was feeling a little dizzy.

  The entrance to the palace looked like a maze, punctuated with sweet-smelling purple and white flowers—maybe lilies, though Dallas wasn’t sure.

  “Mr. Strong, I will walk you to the door.”

  Dallas nodded, setting his gaze on the driver. He had almost forgotten that he was there.

  He let the driver walk him to the door, stopping in front of to look up at the palace, which towered over him. It might have been beautiful from far away, but from up close, it was as imposing as it was beautiful.

  The double doors were huge,
probably four or five times Dallas’ size. The driver knocked on the door, quickly, quietly. Dallas looked at the intricate carvings on the wood, ignoring the increasingly chilly air whistling past him, getting on his skin.

  For a second, Dallas was concerned that nobody would come. But the doors opened in front of him after a little while, and they were let into the palace by an invisible person.

  Of course, the moment he stepped inside, he could see a butler. Or what he assumed was a butler anyway, because he wasn't sure what a butler would wear nowadays. The only reference that he had were dated movies. The man that had opened the door was wearing a smart suit, he looked to be about fifty years old, and he was smiling at Dallas like they were old friends. “Mr. Strong. We've been expecting you.”

  Dallas nodded, unsure what to say to that. He wasn’t sure that it was a compliment but it seemed wrong to let it slide as if it was nothing. “Yes, thanks.”

  The butler smiled. “Would you like me to take you to your quarters?”

  Dallas looked at him as he choked on a chuckle. This kind of talk was so old timey, he didn't think it was real before. But now that this man was addressing him like that, he realized that he was serious about it.

  Dallas had assumed that he would be staying with Simon. He had thought that he would be staying in Simon's room, that he would be sharing a bed with Simon. That he would be talking to him through the night, that they would be able to do everything that they had wanted to do for so long, but now this man was telling him that they had different—what had he called them--quarters? The old-timey language might have been funny, but the moment that Dallas started to understand what he was saying, he started to dislike it.

  He wasn’t sure what he could say to this man, though. He started to nod, wondering what he was supposed to do, when a sound coming from the stairs caught his attention.

  He turned slightly, just to see what the sound was, when he saw Simon racing down the stairs. He hadn’t even managed to form a sentence when Simon threw his arms around him, practically tackling him to the floor. Simon was taller and stronger than him and it took Dallas a considerable amount of effort to make sure that he stayed upright.

  “Leave us,” Simon said.

  The butler looked at him, his eyebrows raised.

  “He was going to show me my quarters or…”

  “Nonsense,” Simon replied. “You’re staying with me. Though you do have your own private room when you’re here and I’m not.”

  “What? When would that happen?”

  Simon giggled in response. “Are you hungry? How was your flight?”

  He was focusing entirely on Simon, on his face, the way he smelled. Simon slung his arm around his shoulder as he talked and Dallas barely noticed that Simon’s staff was moving away from them.

  “It was… long,” Dallas replied. “Are planes always like that?”

  “They’re never fun.”

  “I’m just glad I’m here,” Dallas said.

  Simon took a deep breath, then he pressed his forehead against Dallas’, which made his heart leap in his chest. Everything about this felt surreal, being in this palace, getting chauffeured around, having doors opened for him. Having Simon’s arms around him, feeling his breath on his skin, that felt natural, it felt right. They could have been in a crumbling tent in the middle of nowhere and it would have felt right. Dallas was sure of that.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, too,” Simon finally replied. “I can give you a tour of the palace later. No one’s here. Did you sleep on the plane?”

  Dallas shook his head. “No. And I didn’t have a shower either.”

  “I’ll have them bring your stuff up to my room. In the meantime, feel free to use my bathroom, wear any of my clothes.”

  “I think your clothes might be a bit big on me.”

  “Then don’t wear any clothes.”

  Dallas smiled.

  ***

  “It’s just, it’s so perfect,” Dallas said, his eyes almost full of tears. Simon sat on the bed, smirking and watching him. “Things shouldn’t be allowed to be this perfect.”

  “It’s just a robe, Dallas,” Simon replied, cocking his head.

  “It’s not just a robe! Feel this. It’s so soft.”

  Simon chuckled, leaning up to touch Dallas, rubbing his arm up and down. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s a soft robe. I’ve worn it before.”

  Dallas smiled. “It’s the greatest.”

  “Once you’re done freaking out over the robe, you should feel my sheets.”

  Dallas smirked. “I want to, I’m just…”

  “What?”

  Dallas looked away from him. “You’re going to think that I’m stupid.”

  “I would never think that you’re stupid.”

  Dallas smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Simon. Their legs were touching, just a little bit, enough to drive Dallas crazy. Dallas looked down at his own lap. He was naked under the robe after taking the longest, nicest shower of his life. He was tired, but not too tired for this. He needed this, he needed this more he had ever needed anything in his life.

  “Hey,” Simon said, putting his hand on Dallas’ shoulder. “I would never think that you’re stupid. I promise.”

  “I’m just afraid that we’re not going to, uh, mesh.”

  “You’re afraid that when we have sex, it’s not going to blow your mind?”

  Dallas smiled, his cheeks red. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “It doesn’t have to be amazing the first time, y’know. We can build up to it.”

  “I know.”

  “But it will be,” he said. “I can feel it.”

  Dallas shook his head. “What if it’s not?”

  “Then we’ll try again,” Simon said. “And again and again and again.”

  Dallas looked at Simon, cocking his head, his heart beating in his chest. “You scare me sometimes.”

  “I hope you mean that in a good way.”

  “I mean that in the best of ways,” Dallas replied. He looked down at Simon’s lips, at the ridges on them, at his slightly thinner upper lip, and pressed his own lips against Simon’s. It was a soft kiss at first, their lips barely touching, but the moment that they did, Dallas felt a surge of electricity through his body, a tingle down his spine so intense that it felt like it went down to the very tips of his fingers.

  Simon pressed his face against Dallas’ own, putting his soft hands on Dallas’ cheeks, kissing him faster, deeper, his tongue making its way into Dallas’ mouth as both of their breathing quickened.

  Simon moved away from him for a second, looking at his face. “You’re so beautiful,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long.”

  Dallas let out a deep sigh. “You taste so good. Like candy.”

  “Do you want to taste the rest of me?”

  “Yes,” Dallas said instantly. “I want to taste all of you.”

  Simon groaned as Dallas planted soft kisses down the line of his jaw, down his neck, moving down to kiss the nape of his neck. Simon moaned and threw his head back as Dallas nibbled on his skin, which tasted like salt.

  “Can you take off your shirt?”

  “Have you earned that?”

  “You might kill me.”

  “If you take off your robe, I might take off my shirt.”

  “But I’m naked under my robe. It’s not fair.”

  “You could just kiss over my clothes.”

  Dallas groaned, but he could feel his erection growing. He was already hard, so hard it was almost unbearable, but hearing Simon talk to him like that was making him harder.

  “Fuck, fine,” Dallas said. He grabbed the belt that was holding his robe together and he tugged at it to undo it. He didn't make any moves to undress himself, he was sure that was going to happen the moment they started kissing again. Simon looked him up and down, clearly satisfied. He licked his lips as he looked at Dallas’ face, letting go of him, letting his hands fall to his sides. Dal
las’ gaze went to his pants. Simon was wearing jeans, so if he had an erection, Dallas couldn't really see it. Still, from the way he was looking at him, Dallas could tell that he was enjoying himself.

  Simon took off his shirt and Dallas took a moment to drink in the sight of his torso. He was so beautiful, all muscles and lines, his skin soft and supple, his chest covered with soft dark hair.

  “You can kiss me now.”

  Dallas nodded, sitting behind him. He kissed Simon again, this time lingering on his shoulder, making him shudder every time that his lips grazed him slightly, moving his hand up and down the nape of his neck at the same time as he did. He was behind him and to the side, but soon he moved so that he was in front of him once more.

  He kissed down the front of his chest, stopping on his nipples, taking the time to kiss them, nibble him, play with them until Simon was writhing under him, his hips moving of their own accord.

  He wanted to pleasure him, he wanted to make him happy, and he knew that he was doing it by doing this. The fact that Simon was allowing him to kiss him, that he was allowing Dallas’ lips to be on his skin, it was turning him on more than he had imagined. He shouldn't have felt like he was ready to come from kissing another guy's chest. That's exactly how he felt, every time that Simon moved under his touch. Every time that Simon moaned, every time that he exhaled heavily, every time that he could hear anything that he had caused Simon to do, Dallas was almost sure that he was going to come. It was only for a split second, but it was still so much, he had to stop doing what he was doing.

  He moved his lips away from Simon who groaned.

  “Don’t stop.”

  “Simon.”

  “Don’t. Did I say you could stop?”

  “You keep talking like that and I’m going to…” Dallas looked away from him, his cheeks red.

  Simon lifted himself up off the bed slightly, looking right into Dallas’ eyes. “You’re going to what?”

  Dallas licked his lips. “I’m going to come.”

  “Why didn’t you want to tell me that?”

  “Because I’m not a boy” Dallas replied, his mouth dry. “I should be able to contain myself.”