Seeing is Believing (42 page)

"I can pay—"

"I have no want of money," Temke refuted immediately, and Leon wilted. He hadn't known—"Finish your strawberry, Leon. Do not waste my fruits so."

"But—" Leon began, and Temke reached out, letting the sword stand on its own, and snagged the hand Leon held the strawberry in and brought it to his own mouth, nipping the fruit off near the stem. He managed to lick the tips of Leon's fingers quite thoroughly in the process, and Leon flushed again, wondering what Temke
really
wanted from him.

Temke licked his lips free of the remnants of the strawberry's juice and Leon tried not to watch his tongue as it moved, but failed miserably.

"Have you nothing to offer besides your money?" Temke demanded, letting go of Leon's hand.

"What do you want?" Leon asked, wide-eyed, and a slow smirk curved over Temke's lips.

"I want you." Temke reached out and traced his fingers along Leon's jaw. "Pretty little strawberry thief."

"I'm not a thief," Leon protested, letting Temke's fingers play with a bit of his hair. It was odd, but he wasn't complaining.

"Do you protest the terms of repayment?" Temke asked quietly, and Leon shrugged, flushing.

"I … don't," Leon mumbled, flushing as Temke grinned.

"Good," Temke declared, tugging him close and kissing him softly. Leon kissed back tentatively, wondering how he'd managed to go from being at sword point to being kissed in the strawberry patch, but then Temke was kissing him again—and that was
not
soft, but Temke tasted of strawberries and he kissed hard enough that Leon toppled over backwards, yet somehow managed to not squish any strawberry bushes, though the strawberries really did pale in comparison to Temke.

*~*~*

Leon crept into the woods behind the castle carefully, sneaking quick looks back at the formidable stone structure. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and he was half-afraid that at any moment he was going to be caught and dragged, kicking and screaming, back to the castle.

It was only a fluke they were back at the summer castle. The snow crunched softly underfoot, and Leon fought a shiver—he was wearing the summer outfit he'd worn the first time he'd run into Temke, and it had grown even shorter. The boots he wore didn't quite cover the stretch of skin that showed, and he'd thought it warmer and had left his expensive, warm jacket inside.

Temke had no reason to be there, Leon knew—he knew it but, he couldn't help himself. The strawberry bushes would be dead, frozen with snow and cold and without a single berry, but he had to go see. He had to find Temke and explain—it hadn't been his choice to leave so abruptly.

His mother had deduced that he had a lover, and since there were no suitable princesses in the area, it had to be a commoner. She wouldn't hear of it and dragged Leon back to the capital and the stuffy palace there without a day's notice. Leon hadn't even had time to find out who Temke really was.

Trudging through the winter-dead forest, Leon shivered and decided he'd make do with a simple, quick look tonight and come back out tomorrow, before they left again—they were only here because of the snowstorm. This had been the closest place, by an odd coincidence, and Leon was planning to take full advantage of it. If nothing else, he could leave Temke a note, explaining.

Approaching the strawberry clearing slowly, Leon pushed through the trees with labored movements. He didn't want the summer haven killed off by winter's touch. Ducking his head under a low-hanging branch, Leon froze, staring wide-eyed at the bright green strawberry bushes, laden with thick red fruits.

"How?" Leon whispered, wide-eyed as he took another step, into the clearing. There was a faint dusting of snow around, but the plants didn't seem to be any the worse for it.

"You're a fool, highness." Temke's voice told him, and Leon whirled, startled. Temke was even more beautiful than he remembered, but his bright green eyes were cold and hard as he stared at Leon from a mere foot away. The sword was lazily hanging from his hand, and he didn't look too pleased to see Leon.

"I'm sorry," Leon blurted out, ducking his head. "I didn't want to leave, and I wanted to tell you but I never got a chance and—and—I'm sorry."

"Highness—"

"Call me Leon," Leon corrected quickly. "I'm just … Leon."

"Leon." A familiar smirk curved Temke's lips and he stared at Leon thoughtfully. "Do you want to go away with your mother tomorrow?"

"What?" Leon blinked rapidly. "No—I want—how are the strawberries like that?"

"Magic," Temke replied slowly, carefully sheathing his sword. "I would keep you, Leon, if you would permit it."

"Keep me?" Leon repeated dumbly. "What do you mean, keep me?"

"Never let you go," Temke repeated solemnly, bright green eyes warm and amused as he stepped close, barely an inch away from Leon. Leon sighed softly, wishing he could—

"Your mother has another son." Temke still didn't reach for him, and Leon took a chance and carefully touched Temke's face, running his fingers along Temke's cheek. It was warm to the touch, so he wasn't a ghost, at least.

"She does," Leon agreed. "How can you keep the strawberries like that?"

"Magic," Temke repeated, smiling slowly. "Would you come away with me, Leon?"

"I think—yes," Leon agreed, because he didn't want to leave here, ever. Temke smiled brilliantly, ducking his head to kiss Leon sweetly. He still tasted of strawberries, and Leon threaded his hands into Temke's hair and returned the kiss in kind, slowly re-exploring Temke's taste and mouth. Temke drew him closer, an arm wrapping around Leon's waist, and he pulled Leon flush against him.

"Then you are mine, Leon. I will not let you go," Temke murmured, and moved to taste the skin along Leon's jaw. Leon nodded, because he didn't want to let Temke go either. Maybe it was odd, this infatuation over the past summer's strawberries, but Leon had spent the last six months in agony over leaving Temke and he wasn't going to let go now that he had him back.

*~*~*

"Where are we?" Leon asked, staring wide-eyed at the forest canopy above them. When he'd gone to sleep, it had been bitter winter, except for in the strawberry patch, and now the trees were different and bright with leaves.

"My home," Temke replied, running a teasing hand down the bare length of Leon's side. Leon shivered at the touch, reminded that they were outside still and both without clothes.

"But where?" Leon repeated, distracted by watching Temke's face, inches from his own.

"It's a pocket in your world," Temke replied, his hand slipping lower. Leon shifted towards the hand, wondering what that meant. Temke's deft fingers stroked along his hip, dipping inward. Leon caught his breath, not blinking as Temke caught his gaze with an intent look that made Leon believe that they were going to end up recreating their reunion on the soft forest floor instead of in the strawberry patch, which they'd done last night.

"I don't know—aaah." Leon cut off as Temke's fingers found and teased at his cock. "Tem-"

"You don't know what?" Temke purred, kissing him lingeringly, and Leon decided he could find answers later and let Temke roll him onto his back and kiss him, pressing him into the soft forest floor.

*~*~*

"I don't get it." Leon let Temke lead him forward, through the trees. "What does it mean?"

"It's another place, accessible through a … portal of sorts, in your world. This is another world." Temke replied easily, his hand warm and strong, wrapped around Leon's.

"Do you have a house?" Leon asked, wondering what Temke's house would look like.

"I have the forest," Temke said, pulling Leon forward through familiar looking trees. "You have the forest, now."

"We're going to live in a forest?" Leon asked, skeptical, blinking rapidly as Temke pulled him into a clearing filled with strawberry plants. It looked identical to the one behind the summer castle, and Leon frowned, turning curiously to Temke. "What?"

"You're in tune here." Temke smiled, looking all the more beautiful for it. Leon flushed a little as Temke let him go. "This strawberry patch overlaps a little with your world, but not everyone can see it. I knew the moment you picked the first strawberry, and every strawberry after that."

"So no one else can find it or will see it in bloom in the middle of winter?" Leon guessed.

"If they do, then we will know because no one can see the berries and not eat them," Temke explained, touching his hand to Leon's back lightly as he led him into the bushes. The plants seemed to bend out of the way as they stepped, and Leon watched avidly as he missed crushing the them step after step.

"If you get hungry, eat a strawberry and it will sustain you." Temke knelt suddenly, picking a plump berry and taking a bite. He smiled at Leon slowly, and Leon smiled back, amused as Temke stood and held the berry to his lips. Taking the next bite slowly, Leon licked his lips and caught a bit of the juice as it ran down his chin onto a finger.

Temke caught his hand before he could wipe it off on his pants and licked it clean swiftly, giving Leon a lingering look before he started walking again.

"There is one more thing, Leon," Temke  and Leon flushed at the tone because it promised that Temke had plans after the 'one more thing.' Leon followed easily, doing his best to skirt the plants so that they didn't have to expend too much energy getting out of his way.

"Here. This tree—" Temke tapped on a lone birch with a wide trunk and an obscure symbol carved into it. "To return to your world, touch the symbol and then return to the strawberry patch. The tree is also in your world, though the symbol looks like scarring there."

"Okay," Leon accepted, letting Temke draw him closer.

"Take me with you when you want to go back?" Temke asked quietly, and Leon smiled slowly.

"Always," Leon promised, laughing a little as Temke's hands slipped under his shirt and Temke's lips found his once more. They were hot and demanding as Temke stole his breath and tumbled him to the forest floor again, and Leon had the inane thought that maybe they'd be doing this in every 'room' of Temke's—their, now—house.

*~*~*

Issac scowled at the ground, scuffing along slowly. He had a
guard
trailing him of all things, at their
summer
home. It was all that brat Leon's fault for going and disappearing, though mother had thrown an absolute fit and insisted he'd run off with some lover of his. Only all the village girls were still accounted for, and the village boys too.

So, after recovering from her rage, mother had gone with her baby being kidnapped. And now, the first time in two years she'd deigned to come back here, he got to be followed around by a guard. Obstinately, Issac trod into the forest as they approached it, instead of walking along the edge like he'd planned to. Maybe a little mud and a few scratches would make the guardsman leave him behind.

"Prince Issac—" the guard protested, but Issac ignored him, shoving through the trees rapidly until he managed to stumble into a clearing. There were strawberries everywhere, ripe and juicy and Issac paused—why didn't the kitchen staff know about this? He liked strawberries.

"Prince
Issac
." The guard sounded more frustrated as he followed, probably getting tangled in the trees more than Issac—Issac was skinnier and shorter and probably a lot more dexterous than the bumbling guard.

Issac didn't bother to reply, debating the possibilities of them being poisonous berries that only
looked
like strawberries. Maybe Leon had found them and had some that day—except it had been winter, and they would've been dead. Picking his way across the clearing, Issac paused, catching sight of something through the trees.

The guard seemed to catch on that Issac wasn't going to pay any mind to him, and was resolutely following him across the patch of strawberries and into the woods beyond. Issac slipped through the trees slowly, watching the patch of white that he could see through a few gaps in the forest's dense trees.

"Leon?" Issac questioned, wide-eyed as he ducked between the last few trees to find Leon, looking none the worse for wear as he leaned against a birch tree. Leon jerked his head up, startled, and Issac stared.

"Issac?" Leon frowned, then hit his hand against his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Go home, Issac—"

"Prince Leon?" The guard had caught up, and seemed as completely thrown as Issac was.

"Leon, what happened? Where have you been?" Issac demanded, taking a step closer. Leon shook his head rapidly,

"It doesn't matter. You didn't see me." Leon turned to the birch tree and pressed a hand against the rough bark. Issac watched in confusion as Leon started walking swiftly back the way they'd come, towards the strawberry patch.

"Leon!" Issac snapped, annoyed at being brushed off as his brother pushed through the trees with an ease that spoke of practice. "Where have you
been
?"

Leon didn't answer, and Issac followed, jogging through the trees quickly. Leon didn't pay him any mind, and Issac caught up to him as Leon reached the edge of the strawberry-filled clearing.

"Leon!" Issac grabbed Leon's arm, jerking his brother to a stop. "What are you doing? Why did you go away?
Where
did you go?"