Nagisa never saw anything like this. Half the palace is at the windows, looking up to the sky and to the horizon with their heads sticking out, as murmurs of awe and surprise spread in the air. From the cloudy sky above, white grains float to the ground covering the sand with a cold white veil.

None of them have ever been covered up so heavily as the seasons changed, but everybody on the street now seems a lump of fabric and so many citizens disappeared from the marketplace as soon as their shopping was done, to coop themselves up in their homes. In the last few weeks, as the cold swept through the city, there have been less voices around the palace, less yelling from the market, and all of a sudden less counters were set up outside of the city’s shops.

“This is so weird,” Nagisa comments, leaning with his nose pointing up to the sky, and rubs his arms as the guard with him follows the flakes’ descent with his eyes. “What is it?”

Rei knows what it is - having followed the merchants’ caravans in the past brought him to all sorts of places. Even places where snow is an every day occurrence and heat would be the surprising thing to wake up to. But here, in the desert of Iwatobi, nobody ever saw snow. In reality it seems to be quite concerning, but none of the people who always lived here could understand the complex workings of climate. And Nagisa would probably not understand anyway.

“It’s the angels. They are sprinkling a piece of heaven down on us,” he says, pointing to the sky.

Nagisa hums, certainly knowing that is not a good or truthful explanation, but the corners of his lips tilt anyway as his eyes grow wide to take it all in.

“That is so nice of them.”

Rei looks down at him, and nibbles for a moment down on his lip.

“Sometimes nice things do happen.”

Nagisa glances over, with a small sigh.

“Yes. Sometimes.”

Rei presses his lips together for a few seconds, and then leans his hand on Nagisa’s, gentle in his tough.

“And you see, nobody could have expected this. In this region, snow is something nobody ever saw. But it’s still falling even though there is no reason for it to.”

He pauses, looking at Nagisa again with a focused, expectant look.

Lately, his prince grew so quiet. Little by little, he took to retreating into his room more often than ever, with the doors closed and only silence in the room with him.

Before, he would spend a lot of time humoring delegates and visiting the city, taking part in nearly every event and nurturing friendships with the sultanates. But since the proposal, Rei could not help but glimpse a growing sour mood in his prince.

“I guess,” Nagisa says, soft, while his gaze lowers and his body retreats back in the room, adding nothing else. It was so unusual in the beginning, but as of late it became a habit. It makes Rei’s forehead crease and a somber shadow veils his eyes as usual. Nobody else seemed to notice, or if they did they are pretending not to. Maybe they simply grew accustomed to the change and only Rei seems to remember the light Nagisa shone with just a few months ago.

Maybe they liked his chipper attitude, his bright smile, even his pranks and the trouble he would create. Rei surely loved all of that. But neither Rei nor them could change the reality of things. Only Nagisa and the Sultan could, but they won’t, and Rei did try telling Nagisa to refuse, but the argument never lasted long enough. After all, it’s the prince’s responsibility to accept a proposal from a royal family, eventually, and honor the promises he makes.

And it makes sense. Even more, Rei found himself agreeing when they discussed it other times.

But on the other hand, Nagisa is someone he grew fond of very fast, falling hard, and to think he’s miserable for reasons such as these does make his job a lot more difficult than it needs to be.

“What I’m saying is, good things could come from your marriage, Your Majesty, even though you don’t think they will. Princess Matsuoka is very beautiful and kind, they say. You might come to like her in the end,” he says, rubbing a thumb on the back of the prince’s hands.

“But I want you by my side, nobody else,” Nagisa replies, looking at the flakes falling softly outside. “And with snow comes the cold. This is not a consolation for me.”

Rei sighs, turning quiet before taking Nagisa’s hand and bringing it to his lips.

“I know. If I could change the laws for you, I would.”

Nagisa hums, finally looking at Rei.

“Will you stay by my side after the wedding?” He asks, cupping his hand around Rei’s cheek and sliding it down so it rests against his neck. His skin is so cold he pulls the guard inside, where it’s warmer.

Under a dimmer light, Rei nods before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Nagisa’s, while wrapping his arms around his waist.  

“Of course. Where else would I go? My job will still be protecting you. It always was, wasn’t it?”

Nagisa shakes his head, lowering his gaze.

“No. I mean… will we still be lovers?”

“It really depends on you. You know you changed my heart, and now you are in it forever.”

Nagisa nods, and closes his eyes while leaning his forehead against Rei’s shoulder, with another sigh.

They have been together since before Nagisa became a man, and the guard Rei was only a couple of years older the first time he was assigned, during his training, to guarding the palace. Rei has been looking over Nagisa since then, and his ascent within the ranks was so fast it seemed unstoppable. And when he rose to the rank of personal guard of the prince, that is when it all changed.

Nagisa remembers following Rei’s accomplishments and noticing his ability with the sword and later with coordinating the other guards, so much that he seemed to have received a calling for it. He remembers feeling the admiration grow in his chest together with the other guards’; he also remembers his father, the Sultan, praising his ambition every time he could.

He remembers about Rei pledging to look over and protect him no matter the cost of it, and seeing a determined light flare in his eyes. Rei looked so elegant at all times, even when he did not need to be, and his manner of speaking also seemed odd and a bit outdated, but Nagisa found that interesting, if not charming and somewhat endearing. And found himself wanting to have him by his side even when that was not Rei’s duty, by sitting next to him on the off hours and talking for long hours in the evening, for many days. And Rei seemed to be naturally amusing to Nagisa, he heard the prince laugh so much it became a familiar, habitual sound. One he would always welcome with a gleeful smile, one he would not show often to anyone. It became their smile.

It happened so fast, the falling, Rei for a while thought Nagisa had magic in his words and looks, otherwise there was no explanation for how fast his chest would begin thumping upon seeing him.

But then the charm seemed to become a quiet fizz, leaving in its wake an old warmth and a wish to keep it alive, but not a wild desire or an irresistible need to touch and kiss. Their smile was enough.

“I want you to be with me when I meet her,” Nagisa says a few minutes later, while changing into more comfortable clothes for bed. In these moments, Rei used to step outside, but now it seems there is no discomfort in watching each other undress.

“I will be with you, then,” Rei responds, with a soft little smile.

“I want you to be with me at all times.”

“Then I will.”

Nagisa sighs, looking outside again - the snow is still falling, the city still mostly silent.

“Thank you,” he continues, and finally smiles a little in spite of the bitter taste on his tongue.

“It will be my pleasure, Your Majesty,” Rei says, low, bowing his head before looking back at Nagisa and lingering on him.

A long silence stretches between them, but finally Nagisa cracks it again with a hesitating little voice.

“Will you sleep with me tonight?”

Rei blinks, taken aback by the request, and looks around in confusion.

“Some company would help me,” Nagisa insists, and sits on his bed with his eyes downturned. Clearly, there is still a lot he needs from Rei.

So the guard hums, sitting next to him, and grabs his hand again before kissing him once more.

“Alright.”

“Hold me tight,” Nagisa continues, lying down on the bed, and Rei immediately follows. From the dais, their eyes can still spot the snow and Rei’s arms wraps around his prince’s shoulders. He needs his warmth.

“Yes.”

Nagisa hesitates, before burying his face against Rei’s neck.

“I love you.”

A long pauses stretches in between them, while Rei’s fingers run through Nagisa’s peculiar blond curls.

“I feel the same applies to my affection for you, my prince.”

After a few moments, Nagisa laughs and holds onto Rei, while his heart thrums wildly in his chest.

“So you love me too?”

Rei presses his lips together, and luckily the light is dying out for there is no way he would allow anyone to spot the pink on his cheeks.

“That is correct.”

Nagisa sighs, with his smile dying out at the same thoughts from before, the same worries that have been plaguing him for a while now. He throws the falling snow another glance. Anything could happen, even what he would expect the least. But that, he realizes, is not much of a consolation after all. He holds on tight, pressing his lips on Rei’s cheek, and the cracks in his heart leave him crying silently, while Rei’s arms wrap tighter around him.

He looks out to the falling snow. It’s so cold.