Timothy watched the snowfall, trying not to think about his duty. He was a spy for the Kingdom of El, having lied his way into the royal court of the Kingdom of Storms. Into this friendship. It hurt to look next to him, at the one who had so fully laid claim to his heart, standing by him in the balcony. A noble. His enemy, oblivious to his true identity.

"Tired of the party too?" he asked with a guilty conscience and a practiced smile. How easily he hid the truth now. "Great minds think alike."

He hated this. Hated that he had to lie, hated that he was duty-bound to betray his heart at a moment's notice. Hated this senseless rivalry between El and Storms, this prejudice against magic users that his home kingdom had. He'd spent long enough in Storms to know that the mages here weren't demons; they were good people, every bit as human as anyone else. He hated that the Bat-Prince's crusade against magic users meant he could never fully realize this love.

"It's a beautiful night," he murmured, trying to keep his mind away from the thoughts that plagued it. He turned to his friend, and couldn't help a smile. "Even more beautiful now."

A pause. What had he just done?

"I-I mean, because the, the snow, the—" It was useless. All his wits had left him in a flash, leaving him a mess of jumbled words and flimsy excuses. "My apologies. Please forget I said anything."