Neo had waited until night had fully fallen to go searching for him. Raemith said he had seen him in his office, but when Neo knocked, there was no answer - and the door had swung open a bit. Apparently it hadn't been closed all the way. When he entered, Christopher was nowhere in sight, and the only thing that seemed even remotely out of place was the open window across from him behind the desk.
ㅤㅤNeo walked around the desk to poke his head out the window, glancing down at the grassy garden below. The perfect overview of the hedge maze, where all the roses had been shifted from red to white with magick. He searched the grounds with his eyes, but he didn't see Christopher anywhere. The prince could have easily made his way out with no harm done, but he didn't spot him.
ㅤㅤ"Do you need something?"
ㅤㅤThe voice came from above Neo, and he quickly looked up to see who it was. There, another story above, was Christopher sitting on the lip of the building. Neo frowned, wondering what he was doing for a moment, and about to ask. Then he saw the wine bottle in his hand as he took a slug from it, downing at least a tenth of the bottle with a few gulps.
ㅤㅤNeo grimaced. "What are you doing up there?"
ㅤㅤ"Contemplating." He said simply.
ㅤㅤNeo looked at the ground below again. There was a flash of a memory - the time the shapeshifter had pinned him to one of the outside walls and dropped him from two stories high into the garden below. He grimaced, blinking his way back to the present, and looked up at Christopher before around the outside walls. Then, he started to climb out the window.
ㅤㅤ"What are you doing?" Christopher snapped.
ㅤㅤNeo ignored him, continuing to find his footing on the edge of the stonework and planting his fingers into the creases of the wall. He glanced around for another holding, and upon finding one, readjusted his position to a higher point. He heard Christopher scoff and take another drink, but Neo stayed focused on the task at hand. He continued up the side of the building, only looking down when he needed to, and was soon enough only a few feet away from the top.
ㅤㅤThen he slipped.
ㅤㅤA small surprised yelp came from him as he felt his foot free fall into the air, then the other, and his fingers weren't strong enough to hold up his whole bodyweight on such small ledges. Despite his best efforts, he was soon about to plummet - before he felt a surface appear beneath his feet, and he instinctively stumbled into the wall to keep from falling backwards.
ㅤㅤNeo looked down, seeing beneath him a placement of textured ice that had saved him from a painful landing. He peered up at Christopher, raising an eyebrow, and the prince ignored him - as if he didn't just rescue him. Neo scoffed, grinning a bit as he continued his climb, coming to the top finally and pulling himself up onto the edge and huffing.
ㅤㅤChristopher still didn't look at him, even after Neo sat down next to him with a few feet of distance. His legs dangled over the edge, hands gripping the ledge, fearless in the face of death below... even if he had almost fallen just moments ago. The thought of dying wasn't what scared him before, though. It was the thought of losing what he had just gained.
ㅤㅤNeo glanced at Christopher from the corner of his eye. He was sitting on the prince's left, which meant Neo knew he could only see one of his eyes - his black and grey matte one. It made him almost want to get up and circle around Christopher, sit on the other side, so Neo could feel more human to the bastard prince. Yet, he stayed where he was. He still didn't know why he made that choice.
ㅤㅤ"I talked to Liene," Neo said.
ㅤㅤChristopher grimaced and took another swig. "And?" The prince asked.
ㅤㅤ"Well..." He took in a bit of breath. "I, uh... apologised. A lot. About everything. Figured it was only right." He hesitated.
ㅤㅤ"And?" The prince pushed, apparently knowing there was more.
ㅤㅤNeo bit his lower lip. "And... she kissed me."
ㅤㅤChristopher's mouth seemed to twitch in an almost smile. He took another drink of his wine, downing a lot of it this time, and Neo wondered if the prince was trying to make Neo writhe uncomfortably in his cold and possessive aura. Neo felt like he had to say more, but as he opened his mouth, his voice died in a slight sigh. There was nothing else to say.
ㅤㅤ"Is that so?" Christopher finally said with a cocked brow.
ㅤㅤNeo put his hands up in mock surrender. "I swear it was her-"
ㅤㅤ"I don't doubt it." The prince scoffed, this time actually smiling. "Just don't expect me to call you your majesty."
ㅤㅤHe flushed at the thought. "I- what? We're not-
I-"
ㅤㅤChristopher finally burst into laughter. His cackle became so loud that even a bird in a tree flew away. In fact, it was warm, and it immediately began to warm the area. In a strange, cold way, though - like a soothe over aching muscles. Neo put his hands down, staring at Christopher, but he couldn't help but burst into laughter as well. Seeing the prince like this was surreal. Like it was impossible to see him happy... but here he was, laughing.
ㅤㅤ"I don't think you understand, Neo." Christopher mused. "Royalty don't date. You're either forced into a marriage you don't want or get a one in a million chance to flounce away with the one you truly love. And since you're not a royal looking to marry..." He took a drink of the wine suggestively.
ㅤㅤNeo felt his face heat up again. "We only kissed - how do you know that we're going to get married? I can't even imagine that... not after tonight and the illusion of what everyone saw."
ㅤㅤThe prince shook his head. "That's been taken care of. A memory spell by yours truly, to alter their minds - just a simple swap to switch you and the shapeshifter's places, and some dialogue changes. No cameras to prove otherwise... they weren't allowed in there."
ㅤㅤThe bodyguard blinked, mouth hanging open. "So... I'm not going to get sent back to prison?"
ㅤㅤChristopher only laughed again, handing the wine to him with soft eyes. "Liene wouldn't allow it, and neither would I."
ㅤㅤNeo glanced from the proffered wine and to the prince, finally smiling with a small laugh and taking it. He downed a bit, even though he knew he wouldn't get drunk. It was only the decent thing to do. After handing Christopher back the bottle, they continued to sit and chat - nothing even important came up in their conversations. Just small talk that made the once cold night air comforting.
ㅤㅤMaybe it was because Christopher was drunk, but Neo had never felt better in the company of him.