Oh, He Just Went For It, Huh?

The final day of Val’s surprise visit was rather uneventful. The other cats that lingered around the area kept pestering me, so I finally decided to say “screw this!” and take shelter on Val’s shoulders. They can’t force me to be friendly with these cats, especially not the orange cat who just keeps staring at us. Ugh, remind me not to follow Val around again when there’s other cats around. I did not think I wouldn’t enjoy being around other cats.

In all, though, the final day of our trip flew by quickly. There wasn’t much more for Val to do, but he kept making excuses to stay, like triple-checking inventory and the like. You could kind of tell he doesn’t get to travel for himself often, especially not to be with someone he considers a friend.

Val sits down on the same bench near the river, letting out a sigh of relief to be off his feet. He gazes out, taking in the nature around, smiling softly.

”I’m glad I came.” He mutters so only I can hear. “Everyone thought an impulsive trip like this wouldn’t be worthwhile. Actually, now I think I should take more impulsive trips. What do you think, Princess? Want to take a trip and travel around to nowhere in particular?”

I give him my best enthusiastic meow. Honestly, I couldn’t agree more! Let my boy travel to his heart’s content! He’s young, let him do it before he has to inherit his father’s duties. Heck, I’ll fight for him to be able to do it MYSELF if I have to! Somehow! As a cat! Claws can be pretty persuasive, I hear! He chuckles, reaching up with his hand to scratch behind my ears.

”Oh, there you are!” Leo calls out, causing both of us to turn our heads to look behind us. Leo waves as he approaches. He stops once he reaches the bench, but doesn’t take a seat beside Val. “Do… you have everything that you need?”

“Oh… yeah, I can’t actually think of anything else to do, haha.” Val rubs the back of his neck. “I’m just waiting for my aides to tell me everything is set and we’ll head out soon after.”

”I see. Well, I still can’t thank you enough for all the help.”

”Of course, it’s the least I can do! I’ll keep doing what I can to help support you and your family.” Val smiles up at Leo, looking back towards the river. “I hope… it helps. Oh, I’ll send you more details about deliveries and when workers can stop by when everything is set. Is that alright?”

”Yeah, that’s all good! Don’t worry, your help is more than what we were ever expecting.” Leo returns Val’s smile, his hand lightly bumping Val’s shoulder.

”Then, I’m glad.”

After a beat of silence, Leo finally walks around and takes a seat to Val’s right, his gaze mirroring Val’s. I stare at the boy, who seems to be thinking deeply about something. He takes a breath, before his face steels.

”I’m really happy we ended up meeting.” Leo says, making Val look over towards the other boy. “It’s probably the best thing to have happened to me, you know.”

Val flinches, blinking a few times as his face turns red and redder. “I’m… really flattered, Leo.” He responds. “It’s been a long time since I was able to make a friend, so I’m really glad we met too.”

“Right.” Leo nods, smile thinning as he stares into the distance. “I…”

”Your Highness.”

I nearly leap out of my skin, not expecting to hear one of Val’s aide’s voices. Everyone turns to the man, who bows when addressing Val.

”The car is ready, we may depart whenever you are ready.”

”I… see. Thank you, I will be there shortly.”

The man nods, walking back the way he came. Val stares after for a second, before sighing and standing from his seat.

”Sorry, Leo. I guess it’s time to leave.” Val doesn’t sound super thrilled, and Leo looks even less enthusiastic somehow. “I will see you back at the palace next week?”

”Ah, uhm. Yes. I will be back next week.” He says. Val smiles and turns to leave, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. I wanted to hear what Leo was about to say! I look back at the boy who’s staring after, and give him a meow. It was meant as a goodbye, but it seems to have snapped Leo out of whatever daze he was stuck in. His gaze meets mine for a brief second before he stands and runs to catch up to Val, snatching a hand and causing Val to spin back around in surprise. His eyes widen when he realizes he’s been stopped.

”Leo—“

”I like you.” He says resolutely. “A lot, Prince Val. I mean, how could I not…? There’s so much you’ve done for me… you’re kind and generous, and you listen even when I ramble too much. I just… realized I really like you when you showed up here out of the blue. P-Please don’t feel pressured to return any of these feelings, I am happy as your friend. I just felt like my heart was gonna explode if I didn’t say anything before you left.”

Leo’s grip on Val’s hand loosened, fingers slowly slipping away only to linger at the tips. He refuses to meet Val’s eyes, who is staring in shock at the other boy. I swear I can hear Val’s heart pounding in his chest, his hazel eyes shining with conflicting emotions he likely hasn’t had to face so blatantly before. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, words evading him, before he can finally gather himself. His hand makes its way back to Leo, giving it a firm squeeze.

”I… I’ll consider your feelings!” Val says, words a bit shaky, but determination written across his face. “It would be inconsiderate not to. Will you wait for an answer…?”

Finally, Leo meets Val’s eyes, his own baby blue eyes shining with hope as he returns Val’s gaze. A smile so small touches Leo’s lips, a slight laugh escaping.

”Of course, Prince Val.” He says. “I will wait, no matter what your answer may be.”

Their hands fall away from each other, Val nods and begins walking back, glancing over his shoulder once again to see Leo watching him leave. When he’s far enough away to be out of earshot, he looks away and lets out a shaky breath.

”P-Princess… That was nerve-wracking…” He mutters. “I’ve never felt that way when someone confessed to me… You don’t think he heard my heart pounding, do you? Gosh, I wasn’t even that nervous when Janice confessed. This was so different. I’m not sure what I should do…”

On a whim, I paw at his face, mewing and squirming on his shoulder as I do. It makes him chuckle a bit as he moves to try and keep me balanced. If I could talk to him, I would tell him to give it some time and revisit his feelings when he’s calmer. That he doesn’t have to immediately respond. He seems to understand this to some extent already, since he asked for some time already. Sometimes, he needs to be reaffirmed that he’s doing what’s right for him. But alas… I am merely a cat.

But, this bodes well for my Prince’s love life! So far, I think Leo is the one I approve of the most. He’s a sweet kid, and now it’s obvious how much he adores Val. Though, I’m not counting Yancy out just yet. What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall when she asks him to go to the book fair with her and see their date…!

I hope it comes faster, I need to hear those juicy details!!