crossed over (alver x og cale)

Part 15

'Oh. He's thought up a new tactic. How cute.'

Cale was lounging in his increasingly luxurious jail cell as he watched Alberu approach, the determined set of his shoulders making it clearly apparent that he'd thought up a new way to get answers from Cale.

Progress was slow in the chasing down assassins business. There were apparently some suspects but the Cale Henituse has been kidnapped, presumed dead business was sort of clogging up the investigation. Especially since one of the primary suspects was a man who Cale had dragged to his room just a day before his disappearance.

They weren't wrong about the culprit. They were just conflating two separate crimes.

Cale thought it was all morbidly funny. He didn't enjoy worrying people but he'd always been an ends justify the means sort of guy.

Alberu entered the cell, which was new, and took a seat across from Cale.

Cale didn't bother to sit up, laying on his side and quirking an eyebrow at the prince disrespectfully.

He just really enjoyed how easy it was to ruffle Alberu's feathers in this world. Alberu wasn't a prideful enough person to want or need constant respect from strangers but he'd been raised as a prince so he'd come to expect at least some form of decorum.

"I'd like to hear about your fiance."

Cale laughed, loudly and boisterously, right in Alberu's face, slapping his hand against the pillow as though he'd just heard the funniest shit ever.

It wasn't actually that funny but Cale was definitely amused.

Alberu had accurately pinpointed a potential source for Cale's information, quite literally the source, and a clear weakness that Cale possessed and so he had made the logical decision to target it. That alone would have been pretty amusing to Cale but that wasn't why he laughed.

Alberu felt bad about it.

There was no other logical reason that he would forego his glib tongue and manipulative tactics for getting answers to instead ask Cale in such a blunt and forthright way that gave Cale every opportunity in the world to tell him to fuck off.

Alberu felt guilty about asking about the fiance for fear of hurting Cale's delicate feelings on the matter. It was almost as funny as the awkward way he was trying to hide his interest in Cale.

Alberu wasn't bad at hiding his attraction but Cale knew Alberu.

Cale was about seventy to eighty percent sure that he could seduce fantasy Alberu right now if he really wanted to. He'd been with Alberu for long enough to notice the interest no matter how Alberu tried to hide it. It was the way that Alberu would avert his gaze at awkward moments or the tiniest hint of pink at the tips of his ears. The dead giveaway was when Alberu tapped his finger against knee before crossing his legs.

Alberu was laughably transparent.

Still, Cale had absolutely no intention to indulge himself with the fantasy version of his fiance.

It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, Cale was definitely frustrated in more ways than one, but every time he seriously considered it he was left feeling... off.

Ultimately this was Alberu but it wasn't his Alberu and the thought made him far too bitter to feel horny.

Cale wiped a mirthful tear and looked at the frowning prince with a mischievous smile.

Well, what was the harm in teasing him a little?

"What's so funny?" Alberu asked, keeping his voice neutral.