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The castle loomed like a jagged beast in the night. Its towers rose against the black sky, windows dimly glowing with the flicker of torches. A soft mist rolled across the stone ground, but Jimmy didn’t mind. This was the land he knew like the back of his hand—the labyrinthine halls, the secret passages, the hidden ways out. The place he had once called home, though it was better left forgotten now.
He wasn’t here to reclaim what was his.
He was here to help .
Helping Scott, Gem, Fwhip, and Oli break into the heart of the castle where Joel, one of their informants—and unknown to the group, Jimmy’s sister’s secret boyfriend—was held. He didn’t dare tell them who he was. Not yet. Not when they needed him, even though he had left it all behind. And besides, the runaway prince had no intention of being anything but the guide, the map, the shadow leading them through corridors where whispers could so easily turn into screams.
Jimmy stayed behind as the others ventured ahead, and Scott, who was always the one to stay close, stuck by him, though the tension in the air between them wasn’t lost on anyone. The young Outlaw could feel the weight of his gaze, too. Scott always had a way of being in just the right space, a little too close, a little too soft with his words.
“Nice to know I’m not alone,” Jimmy said, trying to mask the heavy feeling in his chest as Scott leaned against the stone wall beside him. The air between them crackled with something more than just silence.
Scott grinned, that ever-present playful smile dancing on his lips. “Not a problem. We’re in this together. You know, I’m not a fan of high places, but this place...?” He glanced at the tower rising above them, and the wind ruffled his hair, sending it into wild waves. “Feels like it’s full of secrets . Like the kind of place that’ll swallow you whole if you’re not careful.”
Jimmy chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re not wrong.”
Scott’s eyes lingered on him, the cool mist forming around them, swirling like the ice that Jimmy had seen him conjure before. “You know, you’ve got this weird energy about you. Like you’re always two steps ahead of everyone.”
“I don’t have much choice, do I?” Jimmy replied, his voice low, eyes scanning the path ahead. “It’s not just about survival here. It’s about staying hidden.”
“You’re doing a good job at that,” Scott remarked, leaning closer, his breath momentarily visible in the cold. “But, just so you know… I trust you. Even if you’re still keeping a lot to yourself.”
A pause stretched between them, heavy with meaning neither could say outright.
Then, footsteps. Low voices. The guard patrol.
“Time to move,” Jimmy murmured, grabbing Scott’s arm and pulling him back against the wall. The Outlaw held his ground, but there was something about the moment that made the air feel a little thicker, more intimate. Jimmy was painfully aware of the closeness, but before he could think too much about it, Scott did the unexpected.
He raised his hand and with a flick of his wrist, ice magic swirled around them, enveloping their figures in a thick, icy mist that obscured their faces and bodies from the passing guards.
Scott’s voice cut through the fog. “Scar and Grian. Rhata’s advisor and the prince. Do I look convincing?”
Jimmy, blinking through the mist, gave a half-smile. “You always look convincing, don’t you?”
His face was hidden beneath the icy haze, but the smirk he heard in Scott’s voice made his heart skip. “You look fine, don’t worry. But we need to stay still . They’re coming closer.”
The two guards walked past, unaware of the two figures now standing in the mist beside the wall. Jimmy held his breath, staying perfectly still as they passed— Scar and Grian , two faces that had never been seen here before. It worked. They slipped by undetected.
As soon as the guards were out of earshot, the mist cleared. The two of them were alone again, pressed against the cold stone wall of the castle’s hidden passageway. Jimmy’s heart was racing, his chest tight, but Scott’s expression was unreadable—his hand still resting at his side as if nothing happened.
But that moment—when the mist had surrounded them—was like the universe had paused for just a second. In the darkness, with nothing but ice and fog, it felt like they were on the edge of something else. Something neither of them could define.
For a breath, it was only the two of them. So close.
“Thanks,” Jimmy whispered, his voice rough, though it was clear that the words weren’t just for the disguise.
Scott shrugged nonchalantly, but the warmth of his gaze didn’t lie. “No problem. Just doing my part. But let’s get moving. We’ve got a castle to infiltrate.”
But they didn’t move. Not immediately.
There was a shift in the air, a quiet pulse in their surroundings. It almost felt like the world was holding its breath—waiting for something to break.
Then, their faces were inches apart.
And there it was, the tension that neither could deny. The same tension that had been there all night, that had followed them through the secret tunnels, through the conversations, and now into the silence of the castle’s deepest recesses.
Jimmy stared at Scott, and Scott stared back.
And for just a moment, they almost did it.
They almost kissed.
But before the moment could become anything more, a loud knock echoed down the corridor, followed by Gem’s voice calling out. “Hey, we’ve got the info. It’s time.”
With a deep breath, Jimmy pulled away, shaking his head with a soft laugh. “Talk about bad timing.”
Scott let out a quiet, almost disappointed sigh, his hand slipping from the stone wall. “Yeah. Bad timing.”
They quickly regrouped with the rest of the team, and as they set their plans in motion, Jimmy knew that whatever might happen next, it wouldn’t be the last time their paths crossed like this.
And maybe, just maybe, it would be a little more than just disguises and illusions.