Jane looked distraught. “Oh, I see,” she whispered, not sure what to do. “So you guys want me to help you find a way to form a marriage alliance between our kingdoms without that happening?”
Nick nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” And like fifty times more impossible now that I heard Jane say it, he added mentally.
Cas nodded as well, running his fingers through Nix's fur. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to happen… he wouldn't kill me, anyways. I'm the only heir. Nick seems pretty against the idea, though."
“Of course I’m against it!” Nick sputtered, throwing his hands up before putting his hand over his eyes for a moment and sighing. “I just don’t want you to have to suffer any more than already have…” he whispered.
“Okay, well, I can try to help,” Jane offered.
"Do you have any ideas?" Cas asked Jane tentatively. "Thanks for the help, by the way."
She nodded, lips pressed together in thought. “Of course. Hmmm…do you have any other relatives that you know of?”
Cas shook his head. "My mom ran off, so I've no clue who she is. All grandparents and stuff I know of are dead, but I can't say for my mom's relatives since I've never met them."
“If there’s any way to get in touch with one of them, that could make things easier,” Jane muttered. “Or maybe if we got the king or queen of another country on our side…”
"I dunno if another country would be able to help us, and I have no clue how to track down anyone on my mother's side."
“I can put out feelers, like become friends with some of the other princesses, though I feel like I’m doing an okay job of that already,” Jane said, almost to herself. “And if any of their kingdoms seem promising, I’ll let you both know.”
"How would they be able to help, though?" Cas asked. "Convincing my father to do things is far easier said than done."
“Well, there are other ways,” Jane said breezily.
“Like…?” Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Um…I’ll figure it out.” This didn’t surprise Nick, who knew that Jane worked best in the middle of the night or while she was doing something important. Basically, every time but when it was convenient.
"Alright… I'm sure there are search parties out for me, so we'll have to figure out something before I'm found."
“Okay…so that means we need to think of something quickly then,” Jane said.
“Wow nice job Sherlock,” Nick muttered sarcastically. Jane rolled her eyes.
“Let’s see you come up with a better plan,” retorted Jane smugly. She sighed, and both of them went back to being serious.
Cas watched the two interact curiously. Was this what it was like to have a sibling? He'd always been an only child, so he had no idea.
“Sorry, Nick was being an idiot, as usual,” Jane said, shooting a look before returning to Cas. “So maybe we could do something gradual and build it up to our advantage?”
"Maybe… whatever you think would work best." Cas shrugged, returning to petting Nix.
Jane nodded. “Okay, I’ll come up with a plan tonight,” she said, thinking.
"Thanks again." Cas dipped his head politely. "It means a lot, really."
Jane nodded. “Of course, anything for my brother’s…boyfriend?” She looked at the two of them, unsure. Nick blushed.
Cas blushed as well, though it was far more noticeable on him. He glanced over at Nick. "Uh… yeah, I guess so."
Jane grinned, completely oblivious to the boys’ reactions. “Great! I was wondering how much longer Nick would be single!” Nick blushed deeper and rolled his eyes.
“Shut up Jane…”
Cas hid his very red face in his hands, embarrassed. "This is gonna be a huge scandal if it gets out to the public, s-so we need to be really careful…"
Jane nodded. “Yeah, I know…” Nick couldn’t help smiling at Cas’s blush. Cute…
Cas glanced over at Nick from between his fingers and blushed harder. "Fuuuuuck…" He whined. "I am so unbelievably gay, I swear…"
Nick giggled, still blushing and smiling. “Me too,” he muttered, slipping his fingers into Cas’s.