Neo didn't really look like he was trying all that hard to wriggle into his life again, with his back turned and arms sharply crossed over one another. He allowed his thoughts to lapse into thoughts about the ceremony and what the leaders of Elisther would want to do in order to set up. All of the details had been meticulously planned in order to make everything seem like it had been made by a grieving husband as apposed to a new king, then hopefully make the shift in the second half of the event. It was a lot to ask from himself considering he was neither of those things, but he had done much worse.
Minutes passed in defeaning silence as Neo stood in his silence and thoughts, the rain not letting up even for a second. This storm seemed determined to stay, and as long as the drops were like bullets, they may be there for a while.
"How rude of them, to invite someone to an event and not be there when guests arrived" Rohan's second in command eventually broke the long silence, looking at the doors with what could only be disapproval at the lack of punctuality of whomever was supposed to open up.
"Either that or they fear a little rain" the king replied, not moving his gaze. The remark was supposed to be semi sarcastic, maybe even jokingly, but coming from him it was dead pan and serious, with just a hint of sarcasm.
Neo rolled his eyes from where he stood, squinting his eyes tight. He could have sworn he could see a figure walking towards them as the nobles behind him wondered openly about customs and weather.
"I imagine it is some Godly custom. Perhaps it is a myth or a legend that prevents them from walking in rain, especially storms this bad." Neo's tone of voice was annoyed and sharp, as if suggesting that the nobles educate themselves without actually vocally suggesting it. "You know these are temples dedicated to the Gods? They're beautiful, but perhaps the keepers of these buildings are more concerned about something else other than us." He turned back on the pair, his icy eyes gleaming with that same luster that is seen on TV and newspapers. He oozed power after his embarrassment, as though trying to erase such memories from them.
The two stopped to look at him as he spoke, not in a mocking way, but rather cold and distant like he had intruded in their conversation with something that was relatively important but they just didnt care all that much about Gods and whatever customs. Rohan was familiar with this belief that rain was the way gods expressed their need of peace, but he just wasnt raised that way and it had pretty much escaped his mind altogether. Unless a god came from the heaven to expressly stop him, he didnt care about rain or whatever else.
"And what that might be?" Rohan questioned, partially unimpressed but also feeling a slight tremor deep within when he met those eyes. Those damn eyes, so expressive and alive, capable to convey so much emotion with just one glance. It also reminded the king of the very reason he initially had a fling with this man
"I'm not quite sure," Neo admitted, despite his eyes still being narrowed and digging into Rohan's, meeting them evenly even from a couple feet down. His eyes showed nothing, no drop of emotion gleamed in them except for that striking confidence and the way he held himself. Perhaps a sparkle of what looked like amusement would appear, but the moment Rohan looked closer, it would be gone. It was as if Neo was trying to actively tease him, like he did during their brief relationship.
"I think someone is coming up on us, though," Neo said into their staring contest, pulling his eyes away to point to a dark figure approaching. They had a similar style shield, but instead it seemed to be made of pure force, like the wind itself was pushing rain back up. As they came to view, it was an individual wearing long robes of dark blue, and holding a flashlight aloft to find their way.
Rohan had to admit, although he would have never shown it on his face, that he was intrigued by Neo's confidence, that oozed from every single pore on his body. He wanted to hate the way those eyes teased him, but he found he couldnt, and that baffled and annoyed him. Thank god for the hood of his cloak obscuring his face.
Thankfully the eye contact was broken soon, allowing the king to look behind them as well to assess the new person coming over to them. Well, at the very least they werent stuck here anymore, although Rohan would have secretly wanted to let Neo chill a bit more - no amount of confidence and pretending could hide the fact the other was freezing his butt off, a thing Rohan smirked to himself about internally.
The Elementalist approached them, the shield melting around them as if they had possessed Rohan himself to do it. It remained open, however, and let in a few droplets of rain as the person surveyed them.
They wore those long blue cloaks that were embroidered with soft white and teal, with gold strokes up near the top of their collar. They also had long vines (or so it seemed) growing down and along their arms, poking out from their sleeves at the watching royalty. Occasionally they seemed to move on their own like snakes.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," spoke an usually soft voice from under the hood that wasn't wet at all. "One of the Gods is angry. We had a brief panic when the Temple of Leiden collapsed in on itself, hence the delay. We deeply apologize for our further blunders."
If one was looking at him, which no one was (or so he assumed), they'd notice a smirk poking at Neo's lips at the news of collapse. It was pretty rude, but as the Elementalist finished, Neo fluffed himself out.
"That's what you get when you live in such a wild area, I suppose. And it is no issue. I didn't expect the storm to be this bad, but my advisories failed to let me know that it was hurricane season over this way."
The Elementalist nodded along understandingly, moving to unlock the doors with a small, silver key that disappeared after he unlocked them. "Well, no worries now. You are welcome to come in and set up as you wanted before, King Whembrooke." The Elementalist bowed deeply to the royalty.
While Neo smirked, Rohan frowned under the dark of his hood upon hearing about the temple. Surely he and his people weren't ones too big on religion but a temple collapsing in on itself, especially without any physical defects of the building. And Leiden of all gods… It made him wonder what exactly was going on and why - well, he would have to do some digging on his own later on.
His gaze moved from the newly arrived Elementalist to Neo, who didn't at all seem concerned with the situation, which was… odd so to speak. So quick to dismiss it.
But those thoughts had to be paused for later, as now the Elementalist opened the doors, welcoming them in. He did not hurry to enter, allowing Neo to enjoy his moment of pride or whatever; he wasnt one to enjoy such trivial matters. All he did was simply hop off his favorite elk, giving it a loving pat on its nose for being a patient good boy.
Neo bent down through the hole in the shield, thanking the Elementalist and politely bowing back, disappearing into the gently lit room of the building.
"I will keep your elk safe and dry throughout the course of everything, sir," The Elementalist spoke, stepping forward with his robes of blue swaying around his ankles. "And also close by in case this building gives out as well." He set a careful hand onto the flank of the animal, gently grabbing its reigns as he got ready to move it. "Of course, your elk as well, my lady." He gave a slight nod to his advisory. "King Whembrooke should have everything ready shortly, then the proceedings can begin. Please, make yourself at home and get warm, refreshments are already sitting out and you may take the seats with your names on them."
Well at least that got him out of their hair for a short time, which was honestly a relief at this point. It was impressive how much this man could change depending on the situation alone, given just a short while ago he'd been humble and very polite, before turning confident and smug like a switch was flipped the second he was no longer wet.
Rohan passed the reigns of his elk to the man, and so did his second in command, patting the animal one more time as if to tell it to behave while he was away.
"Thank you for the hospitality." he said to the man, before walking towards the building himself, followed closely by the woman as he walked up the flight of stairs to reach the door. Entering the room, he finally removed the hood of his cloak, revealing the near deathly pale skin and the silk white hair. It had been a while since he and Neo had broken up, and in this time he'd allowed his hair to grow past his shoulders for traditional reasons, and also due to its unnatural coloring. It was very rare for a Roshthan to be born albino, but when it did happen, it was regarded as a sign from the gods themselves, making the person a chosen of the Moon and Snow - one of the reasons he'd been elected as king in his country.
Purple cold eyes wandered around the room, assessing the setup and layout.
The Elementalist bowed his thanks as he accepted the reigns and gently pulled the elk away, that weird shield still hovering above them to protect the animals from getting too wet from the onslaught of heavy raindrops.
Neo hadn't seemed too interested in hanging out with his ex-boyfriend, nor catch up in any way except some eye contact. Neo wouldn't admit it even if he were at gunpoint, but he couldn't bring himself to face a man he missed a little too much. Especially when this say was for him, during a time of supposed pain but triumph in getting through it. The only way Neo wanted to exchange words with Rohan was if it was his condolences, and at this point the king was convinced he wouldn't get such a thing.
So he busied himself by walking over to the most back part of the area, where a few shaken up individuals were standing holding things. Their words weren't audible to Rohan, but they seemed to be apologizing profusely.
Neo waved them off and walked with them out of a pair of double doors, ducking away from sight.
The entire room was painted a silver tone that seemed to gleam even in the faint lights of the storm, and a candle was lit on almost every wall, filling the room but also giving an iridescent sheen to it all. Large banners that were grey and red in color with a pair of dark eyes sat in the middle of everything, reminding everyone that saw it that this was a temple of a God.
Tables of refreshments, including a large variety of drinks and snack foods sat in the darker corners, as though intending to be out of the way. On the other end, near the brighter areas, there was a small stage set up with a light pink banner, and a couple of speakers, as well as a DJ setting up their booth in the silence of the room.
Seeing the DJ in the back made Rohan sigh a little, hoping whatever his playlist was it wouldnt be obnouxiously noisy. He didnt have too many intentions to hang out with Neo either, not that he didnt like him anymore but for fear this smooth piece of a man would somehow manage to reignite something within him - which he kind of hated the idea of, since it gave him the vibe of being lured into something.
Therefore he chose to ignore whatever else he was doing, putting away his furred cloaks and chatting low with his second in command about some minor things
It was a few minutes later as nobles of all shapes and colors came in, most a big group of Irina Demons, as well as a few soft-spoken Elisther Elementalists who braved the storm in order to make the event.
As everyone settled down and came in, mingling amongst each other as friendly, bubbly friends, Isla nobles shaking hands with the same Demons Neo joker about earlier, and many people walking off to sit down together in order to wait and catch up.
They didn't have to wait long for Neo to reappear, who called for everyone to settle down comfortably and get ready. Once everyone was settled in, Neo started to give a eulogy.
His husband's funeral was almost a couple years ago now, and he's been buried long before then. Neo touched on this point, but not in an upset, mourning husband way, but in a "I'm stronger than ever" way, and this loss isn't catastrophic on his country. His entire speech was like this, his dialect careful and lofty, with strong choice of word in order to push his agenda of confidence and strength.
He ended with a slow bow to the hanging banner of the God's temple they were in, before announcing the beginning of the celebration of life. Nobles and kings stood upon the gesture, and Neo walked off to the refreshments table as thumping dance party music started playing.
As the Nobles arrived, Rohan kept quietly to himself, just nodding his head politely whenever someone greeted him, keeping words short and very concise, not wanting to entertain much of a conversation. When Neo showed up again, he and his second in command had found their way on their assigned places. Despite seeming bored, Rohan actually listened with a little bit of interest, pleasantly surprised his eulogy wasnt something too mushy and soft, and was instead the speech of a king determined to face off against the future - it was another side of Neo that he had fallen for back in the day. He could respect a man that didnt bother with sentimental stuff for too long
The warm feeling Neo's voice gave ended once the thumping music began, bringing Rohan back to his senses and making him move away from the speakers, and to the farther corners of the room, deciding to pass by the refreshment table as he did so
Neo had grabbed a small cup of earthy looking wine and a small pastry after his speech, his heart thudding in his ears as he zoned out to think. He had been nervous for this speech for a long time, making sure it was prepared and formal, with enough energy to get watching eyes off of him and his people. As he chewed on the pastry a bit away from where people were mingling, he managed to look up at the flash of movement and meet Rohan's reddish eyes. His own eyes cleared as they met, his heart giving an uncomfortable lurch that he had no control over. Perhaps this whole meeting was a mistake, Neo could help but think as they locked eyes.
Neo didn't plan on talking to Rohan again, but here he was seemingly purposefully stepping in the way of everything, being in the right place at the right time, and always catching Neo's attention. So because of that, he gave a slight nod, didn't break the eye-contact but rather took a bite of his pastry to calm his fluttering heart.
Although he had initially seen the direction Neo was headed, he didnt expect to meet him next to the table, munching on pastries. Guess Fate really was hellbent on them running into each other all night. Sigh, how bothersome.
He almost acted surprised when their eyes met, Rohan wondering if he had been there on purpose to surprise him, but in the end brushed it off in the favor of finding something to drink off the table and appear busy. At least the food and drinks were good in this place.
Neo moved out of the way so Rohan could get better reach on some snacks, stepping back as he drained his cup of the wine. Neo was still starving, so he stood off to the side, waiting for Rohan to walk away as he chewed on his red pastry. He glanced away to a wall as he stood with one of his hands in his pockets after throwing away his cup, fidgeting with his fingers.
It wasn't long after he had finished his snack and moved back over, aiming for another pastry. They were really quite good. He didn't realize this would stretch across Rohan. Neo was bigger than he realized most of the time and accidentally came across as rude. But as their shoulders brushed and their arms crossed above the table, Neo did not apologize, but rather went to grab his pastry.
To outsiders, this display of avoidance must have appeared comical, but for the two of them it was just two light bulbs under pressure. Rohan didnt exactly mind Neo moving away, he simply reached over the table and picked some food that enticed him, calmly minding his own business and checking out what else was on the table like Neo wasnt standing right there a few feet from him, furiously sizing down a wall and fidgeting.
He was silently enjoying the snacks when Neo came back and stretched over him, half surprising him in the act, enough that their arms bumped into one another, knocking Neo's pastry out of his hand.
"I thought kings weren't the type to starve" Rohan commented, raising a brow
Neo huffed softly when he dropped the pastry, and at the question, tossing his head at it as he plucked up the pastry he dropped again.
"I still have a stomach, Rohan," Neo responded gruffly, pulling back on the pastry to get out of there as soon as possible. Well, not without a detour of ramming his hand into Rohan's face. Not enough to hurt him, but it definitely felt intentional as Neo pulled back. "Ah, I'm so sorry." Neo's tone of voice was anything but apologetic. His eyes glinted over his hand as he chewed on his snack, hiding his smirk from his ex-lover. Neo remembered certain details about their love life a few years ago, one of which being a more promiscuous memory that included a hard slap and a reaction out of Rohan.
The slap left Rohan stunned for a few seconds, like his thought process had suddenly halted, before his gaze moved towards the munching Neo with a look that was between confusion and "oh you did not just do that". It wasnt the first time he'd been slapped by Neo but back then their encounter ended drastically different - on one side he was annoyed by the bratty behaviour of the other, on the other he was internally abstaining from something he didnt want to do in public.
"Still bad at aiming your arms i see" he composed himself, struggling to not show any emotion tied to what his internal self was thinking about.
Neo's gaze flicked up and met Rohan's stunned eyes, shoving his pastry into his mouth, chewing on it and swiping his hands together to scatter the crumbs off of his fingers, careful not to get any on his white suit.
"I sometimes forget. I'm sure you understand." His icy eyes met Rohan's evenly, his smirk still slapped right on his thin, pink lips. "I hope you enjoy the snacks," Neo cooed softly, stepping off away from the other, breaking their shoulder's connections. "They're a bit crumbly, though, so be careful with your formal wear. Wearing white was such a mistake, yeah?" He rose his eyebrows, grinning. He rose his hand to rub off a few crumbs from his cheeks and chin, making sure nothing remained, even licking his lips a little with Rohan's full attention on him.
That smirk was starting to annoy Rohan a little bit, seeing as he didnt seem in the least bit apologetic, but rather mocking him with his cocky attitude. This smug little bastard was tempting his nerves, knowing full well where this was going to end.
"You should have known white wasnt a good idea, either that or perhaps you could be more careful in the way you eat" Rohan growled slowly, not yet mad but somewhat annoyed, like an animal letting out warning sounds for a possible opponent to be weary and back off. Oh if only he could wipe that smug grin off his face, make him plead for mercy, to be able to read it in his eyes as he-
No.
Rohan raised the cup to his lips, taking a sip of the cool liquid as he glared at Neo through squinted eyelids. Not tonight.
That irritating smirk still remained on his lips, even after the warning Rohan was clearly giving him to back off. Neo was pretty confident the other king wasn't going to do anything… To hurt him. What Rohan would do was completely up in the air, and curiosity was tickling the back of Neo's brain.
"I don't wear white all that often. I was mostly upset about the rain and soaking me through. If not for you, then everyone would have been able to see everything." He batted his eyelashes a few times, clearly having fun with Rohan's emotions at this point. "I'm sure you wouldn't want that. It'd be pretty embarrassing for me too. So thanks for that." That was about the only thing that sounded sincere, despite his smirk still prominent on his face, as if daring Rohan to do something about it. Telling him yes tonight.
"And you honestly think i would have minded people staring at your body while soaked? At the very least you would have looked a little more humble up on that stage. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you were to pull off some weird skit of yours while wet, we both know you like attention, especially on that godly body of yours" Rohan snarled quietly, keeping his voice as low as he could, not wanting to attract attention on to the both of them. He really should have left this annoying little rat freeze his ass off under his shield, damned be his weakened heart for aiding this demon of a man and not letting him make a fool of himself in front of an entire crowd.
"You assume too much about me, you could literally drown in a lake and i'd let that happen if i wanted to. You're just so pitiful looking when you're not at an advantage" Rohan continued, slightly baring his teeth at him like he was a wolf ready to bite
Neo bared his teeth and laughed in his face, as if Rohan had just told a really funny joke about economics. It was false and empty, and clearly just a poke at Rohan's ever aggravated side.
"Godly body of mine, Rohan? Are you even hearing yourself right now?" He kept laughing, his laugh actually getting more genuine as he thought about it. Rohan couldn't even insult him without making it clear that his bleeding heart still wasn't stitched up. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one to push me into that lake," Neo said after a few moments, his voice dropping to match Rohan's volume as he continued to grin and smirk. "I bet you liked that, looking at me like that. I'm honestly surprised you didn't let me freeze. You wouldn't have minded looking at my chest as I spoke either." He stepped closer so they were only a foot or so apart, not to intimidate, but as if to keep this conversation as quiet as possible. "You also always liked messing up my hair. I'm sure it was so satisfying to see me like that after years of not seeing each other whatsoever."
Rohan internally cursed himself at the slip up, the only emotion making it to his face being a corner of his lip twitching ever so slightly, like he was about to pull a grimace but was holding back.
"I actually would push you, just know that" he growled again, munching on a pastry he grabbed to calm himself. Neo's words annoyed him thoroughly, mostly because he was indeed partially right. Yes, he would have loved to see him all wet on that stage, that strong chest made more evident by the wet fabric, like it had been underneath that shield. But he would have definitely perished before he admitted it.
"Consider it a momentary weakness and nothing more" he commented, busying himself with some food. It had definitely been satisfying to see him with his hair all floofed up, it was always so soft looking
Neo's eyes gleamed with triumph as he watched the other step away from his intimidation, now giving Neo the upper hand to keep bothering him. "Why don't you then, Rohan? What's going to happen? We both know this is more than a kingly quarrel." He grabbed Rohan's unused arm in a daring move, pulling him to meet his eyes again. "We haven't dared talk to each other, yet why do you keep that little part of you that still cares about me? It's more than a 'momentary weakness' and neither of us are stupid enough to ignore it. I saw how you were looking at me. I'm one of the strongest Mind Readers alive right now. You can't hide anything from me." He dug his icy eyes into Rohan's reddish purple ones, forcing him to keep the contact and the conversation going, determined to push the other to his limit.
The reason he hadnt done it yet was that he would have definitely broken the table next to them, sending drinks and food everywhere and also get the attention of pretty much the entire hall.
"You're really pushing your luck here Neo, im warning you. Mind your words, or else that tongue of yours might cause you some big trouble" he warned one more time, closing his eyes to a mere squint, as if he was at a hair's length away from slapping him or something. God he would have loved to do that to him. "You're not innocent either, i can read it on your face you still miss me just as much, dont play saint"
Neo pulled him closer as the music behind them got louder. The party was really ramping up now as people enjoyed each other's company, cheering and laughing. "You clearly want this tongue to do more than mind my words," Neo said slowly, pulling Rohan even closer so his lips were brushing his ear. "I know everything. I know you miss me just as much as I miss you. I'm not trying to hide it like you, though. I'm not playing any kind of saint; I play everything but saint. You should know that." His whisper was still extremely audible over the loud music, and Neo himself had completely tuned out the rest of the party, completely focused on Rohan and his angry body. Neo knew for sure that Rohan was loving this on the inside, resisting the urge to play into those biting thoughts that had plagued his pretty head.
The noise of the party and the people's loud chattering vanished from Rohan's mind the second those words brushed against his ear along with Neo's warm breath. That's it, he couldnt take it anymore, this literal devil was taunting him mercilessly, coiling its tail as he did, burning his gaze with those icy blue eyes.
Next thing Neo knew, he was being slammed against the floor next to the refreshment table, with his hands pinned down against the hard cold stone and Rohan's body above him, breathing heavily.
"I said. Mind. Your. Words." he growled, his breath condensing in the air around him as he accentuated the words one by one, each with killer intent.
