Rafael shifted in his seat, fingers brushing the rim of his teacup. He could feel the chemistry rising between them like a quiet warm hum in the air. Dangerous in a subtle way, he wasn't trained to resist.
Which meant he needed to ruin it immediately with honesty, before he accidentally developed hope.
He cleared his throat. "If we're… doing this, I should be upfront."
Augustus looked at him with that calm, focused attention that made Rafael feel both seen and slightly flustered. "I'd appreciate that."
Rafael took a breath. "My life is chaotic. I work under Gabriel, the imperial consort, and that alone is basically a full-contact sport. One day I'm filtering diplomatic correspondence, the next I'm guarding baby gifts from exploding. My schedule rarely behaves. My coworkers don't behave. And I don't always behave."
Augustus's smile turned a shade warmer. "I don't mind chaos."
Rafael pressed on before that smile shattered his remaining brain cells. "I say this because… I don't want you thinking I'm someone with free evenings and peaceful habits. I don't have predictable hours. I don't have emotional balance. And I…"
His voice dipped.
"…I don't want to disappoint someone by pretending I do."
Augustus studied him quietly for a moment, and Rafael braced for a polite withdrawal, a soft rejection, a gentle 'let's remain acquaintances.'
Instead, Augustus's expression softened with something that felt suspiciously like affection.
"Rafael," he said, voice low, "I'm not a free man myself; I understand how demanding it is for people that work in the palace."
Rafael took another sip of tea, still gathering the pieces of his composure. Augustus watched him patiently, legs crossed, hands folded, the picture of calm confidence. It was… unsettling how easy he made this look.
Rafael cleared his throat. "All right. If we're doing this…" he gestured vaguely between them, "then I think we should be practical."
Rafael settled deeper into the sofa, steadying himself before he blurted out something ill-timed. "Practical," he repeated, half to himself. "As in… we should set expectations before anything gets complicated."
Augustus's brow rose slightly, amused. "All right. Go on."
Rafael drummed his fingers once against his knee, then committed. "If we decide to… explore this, we need to be realistic. You're busy. I'm busy. My work is unpredictable. And palace life doesn't really allow for… normal dating."
"I'm not seeking normal," Augustus said. "Normal is boring."
That shouldn't have made Rafael's stomach flip, but it did.
"So," Rafael continued, trying to sound composed, "we should discuss what trying looks like. Am I allowed to disappear for two days because Gabriel decided diplomacy is optional? Are we checking in every night? Every week? Or… do we just see each other when the Empire stops exploding long enough for me to breathe?"
Augustus hummed thoughtfully. "I can adapt to your schedule. I'd prefer consistency over frequency. Even small moments matter as long as they're genuine."
Rafael blinked. That sounded dangerously reasonable.
"And," Augustus added, "I don't expect instant romance. We can take this in stages."
"Stages," Rafael echoed. "Like…?"
"Stage one," Augustus said, holding up a finger, "we get to know each other. No pressure or obligation… unless our families are demanding it."
Rafael snorted softly at that, unable to help himself. "Delphine doesn't demand, she arranges reality around her will."
"Exactly," Augustus said, amused. "Which is why stage one is ours, not hers."
That… felt grounding. Rafael nodded for him to continue.
"Stage two," Augustus went on, "is evaluation. Honest, mutual evaluation. Not what our parents want, not what society whispers, or what the gossip columns assume. Just two adults deciding if this is something they want to deepen."
Rafael let out a slow breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Honesty. I can do that."
Augustus's gaze warmed. "And stage three… only if both of us choose it."
Rafael shifted again, trying to keep his expression neutral. "You… don't find this exhausting? Talking logistics? Expectations? It's not very romantic."
Augustus smiled, slow and warm. "I find clarity attractive."
Rafael's brain short-circuited for half a second.
Augustus leaned in just a little, elbows resting lightly on his knees. "I like knowing what someone needs and being told how to meet them halfway. And I like that you're not pretending to be easy."
Rafael blinked, cheeks warming. "I'm… definitely not easy."
"I noticed." Augustus's voice dipped, low and amused. "And I don't mind."
Rafael looked away before he combusted on the spot.
He regrouped with a sip of tea and cleared his throat. "All right. Then… stage one. We get to know each other. Slowly."
Augustus's smile softened into something that made Rafael's pulse trip. "What do you like to do, Rafael?" He raised his hands in mock defense. "I need something to work for the next date and I would very much prefer to hear it from you, not Delphine."
Rafael blinked at him, startled by how gently the question landed. Most alphas who sat across from him wanted strategy, outcomes, and marriage talk wrapped in etiquette. Augustus wanted… his preferences.
That was somehow worse. More intimate.
Rafael cleared his throat, feeling heat creep up his neck. "I… don't have very interesting hobbies."
"I'll be the judge of that," Augustus said, amused.
Rafael hesitated, staring at his hands like they might supply better answers. "I like being alone. Comfortable. Gabriel calls me an introvert, and, well, he's not wrong. I like history, strategy, and arts." His voice dipped. "Nothing exciting."
Augustus's brows lifted, not mockingly, but with real interest. "Those are more interesting than you think."
Rafael blinked. "…Really?"
"Of course." Augustus leaned back slightly, still watching him with that soft, attentive calm that made Rafael's stomach do strange things. "Tell me more. What kind of history?"
Rafael exhaled, relieved he wasn't being ridiculed. "Political and military. Mostly the former imperial dynasties. I like old correspondence archives too. Gabriel teases me because I treat them like bedtime stories."
Augustus hummed, amused. "That sounds like discipline, not dullness."
Rafael shrugged. "Or a sign that my social life is nonexistent."
"I prefer to think it means you enjoy substance over noise." Augustus's tone warmed. "And strategy?"
"Problem-solving," Rafael admitted. "Patterns, decision, and how people moved pieces on a board centuries ago… and how those choices still echo today."
"That," Augustus murmured, "is fascinating."
Rafael's face warmed again. "It's… just something I enjoy."
"And arts?"
Rafael glanced toward the window, like the sunlight might save him from melting. "I like things that took effort and remain in our world after centuries."
Augustus's eyes softened in a way that made Rafael want to hide behind his teacup. "So you appreciate permanence. "
"You make it sound poetic," Rafael muttered.
"It is poetic," Augustus said lightly. "Or maybe you are."
Rafael choked on absolutely nothing.
Augustus smiled again, warm and devastating. "What else do you like?"
Rafael fidgeted with his teacup. "Um… quiet rooms. Comfortable chairs. People who don't talk at me."
"That last one explains your coworkers."
Rafael huffed a laugh. "Yes. They are… a lot… But how about you?"