Nathan wakes up with a start, nearly disconnecting himself from the tubes attached to his body.

After gasping for air, he manages to steady himself. Sitting upright in his bed, he scans his surroundings before noticing a person lying on a sofa.

“Nathan? You awake?” the person asks, stirring from his sleep.

He slowly gets up and stretches before facing Nathan.

“Jordan?!”

“Oh, uh… hi.” Jordan greets, rubbing his neck.

“What are you doing in the Astral plane?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“This can’t be real...”

“This is definitely real, Nathan,” Jordan assures, smiling. He makes his way towards him and hands him a cup of water.

“You okay?”

“I… I think so.”

Jordan sighs, relieved. “Good, I came here as soon as Domani told me what happened.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Uh... about two days now.”

“Does that mean I missed the Astonishers’ show?”

“You’ve been in a coma for the last two days and that’s what you’re worried about?” asks Jordan, laughing. “Yeah, you missed it. It was really good, your friends invited me.”

“Wait, wait, wait… what are you doing here? I thought you never wanted to see me again.”

“What? I never said that! I was just shocked when you told me you uh…”

“That I liked you?”

“Oh, so you weren’t that drunk after all…”

Finishing his water, Nathan hands the cup back to Jordan.

“Want another one?”

“Uh… sure. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Jordan says, before walking to the other side of the room to retrieve two water bottles.

Meanwhile, Nathan tries to process what he’s currently experiencing. This can’t be a dream, right?

A few moments pass before Jordan returns, handing him one of the water bottles.

“So… uh… where are the others?” Nathan asks, trying to steer their conversation elsewhere.

“They’re at Domani's estate getting ready for the coronation tomorrow.”

“Still sounds weird hearing that he has an estate... wait, it’s tomorrow?!”

“Don’t worry, all the stuff you need is here at the hospital and since you’re awake now, they’ll probably discharge you later today.”

“Hey, Jordan?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being here.”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do after ignoring you for a whole year.”

“Wait what? When?”

“Oh, you don’t remember, do you? Ninth and tenth grade, IIHL?”

“You went to IIHL?! It seems like you’re surprising me a lot today…”

“We were in the same biology and language class together. Rumor has it you had a crush on me since ninth grade…”

“That was you?!”

“Why are you so surprised, geez… I don’t even look that different.”

“Yeah, you do! Here, let me show you a picture…” Instinctively, he tries to grab his phone from his pocket only to realize that he’s not wearing his own clothes.

“Oh, your phone’s on the table over there,” Jordan says, pointing his head towards it.

“Thanks again.” Nathan scoots nearer to the table and unlocks his phone.

“Oh holy Astrals, sixteen missed calls and several hundred unread messages…”

Jordan laughs before taking a swig of water and collapsing on the sofa.

Upon hearing his voice, Nathan looks up, “This is so embarrassing...”

"What? Rediscovering your crush from high school?"

“Uh…” After momentarily blushing, Nathan clears his throat and answers, “Yeah...”

“You been sleeping here since I was taken to the hospital?”

“Yeah… your friends all said they were busy- oh.”

“Of course they did…”

Nathan sighs before taking a good look at Jordan. He clearly looks disheveled, probably from worrying. His hair is messier than usual (aka slightly ruffled) and yet he still looks… alluring.

“Uh… Nathan? Hellooooo?”

“Huh? Oh! Uh…” He looks away, hiding his blush from Jordan. Whoops, busted. "Uh... what did you say?"

“I said do your friends know I'm the Jordan from IIHL?”

"I uh... I'm not actually sure..."

"How did you not recognize me?"

"You went by a different name, didn't you? 'Florian' was it?"

Jordan chuckles, "Yeah, it's an altered version of my middle name."

"Why the name change?"

"I went by my middle name when I was younger. My parents said that 'Florus' sounded weird so they claimed it was Florian."

"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense..."

"Still surprised?"

"I mean... I thought I finally got over you in eleventh grade and here you are..."

Jordan gets off the sofa and walks over to Nathan, "Think we can still be friends?"

Nathan smiles, "Of course."

----------------------------

After having lunch with Jordan in his hospital room, Nathan is finally discharged from Queen's Hospital in Altissia.

“Phew, finally,” Nathan says, walking out of the hospital. It's late in the evening when he finally steps onto the streets of Altissia.

“So… where to next?” Jordan asks.

“Oh, Jordan! I totally forgot you were here, heh…”

“How can you forget this handsome face?” Jordan teases, trying to put on his “sexiest” face. Whatever that means...

Nathan blushes (he's a literal blushfest, sorry not sorry), “Don't say that!”

“Sorry!” he apologizes, not looking earnest at all.

As he makes his scenic walk with Jordan by his side, Nathan takes note of the large number of people staring at him.

“Why are all those people staring at us?” Nathan asks as they walk past a cobblestone bridge.

Jordan gives a mock bow, “They’re all staring at you, Your Excellency,” he explains.

“Wha- Ohhhh. Right, I’m the Governor-General now…”

“Phew, I thought you forgot.”

As they arrive at the Leville, Nathan receives more stares from various guests, most of them being dignitaries.

As the entrance is opened, a well-dressed host greets them, “Your Excellency! We are very pleased to see that you are doing well. Welcome to the Leville in Altissia, let me show you to your suite.”

“Uh… thank you.” Nathan replies, clearly not used to this much attention.

He and Jordan are escorted to a suite with a perfect view of the palace. As the host turns to leave, a knock interrupts them.

“I wonder who that is,” Jordan says, smirking. The host hurriedly rushes to the door and opens it to reveal…

“Surprise!” Rhea shouts, bringing in a myriad of suitcases and boxes. Vincent and Domani follow her into the room bringing even more, along with several attendants who spread the articles around the suite.

“What’s all this?” Nathan asks, putting his hand on a sofa to try and steady himself.

“Not even a ‘hi guys!’, Nathan? That’s harsh,” Vincent points out, bringing a gift box as he makes his way towards Nathan.

Nathan snickers before he thanks them all and approaches Vincent, “What’s inside the box?”

“A gift from His Majesty himself! I think it’ll look good on you, Your Excellency,” Vincent says, trying to bow before falling headfirst onto the floor.

Nathan bursts out laughing before helping Vincent back up, “It’s not funny!”

He continues laughing before sitting down on an armchair to try and control himself. “Fine, it was sort of funny,” Vincent admits, before laughing as well.

As the sun sets over the magnificent Celluna Cascades, Nathan and his group of friends (now including Jordan) finish unpacking their suitcases and gifts (for Nathan) from various foreign dignitaries.

“Are you ready for your first official appearance tomorrow, Your Excellency?” Domani asks, concerned about how Nathan would appear in front of hundreds of pretentious dignitaries.

“Okay, guys, I have an announcement to make!” Nathan yells, gathering everyone’s attention. “From this point forward, please call me Nathan! Not this ‘Your Excellency’ crap!”

“What about at formal events, uh… Nathan?” Jordan asks, genuinely curious.

“Excluding formal events,” Nathan corrects, before sitting back down and turning towards Domani.

“In regards to your question, Your Highness, I… honestly don’t think I’m ready.”

“A wise answer, Nathaniel,” Domani leans down to pick up a set of earpieces before handing one to Nathan, “Which is precisely why you will wear one of these.”

“This will allow me to hear every conversation you have and-” he produces a pair of sleek glasses from the same box, “-this will also allow me to see what you are seeing. I will try to help you to the best of my ability out of everyone’s sight. However, I am expected to give a brief speech later in the evening so I will not be able to help you then. Well, go on then, put them on!”

Obeying him, Nathan puts the earpiece around his ear and adjusts it. He then proceeds to put on the glasses, which (interestingly) bears Galahd’s coat of arms.

“Well, they both look good on you. I would expect no less. Now are you ready?”

“I think I am.”

“No, Nathan. You are ready.”

----------------------------

Knock. Knock. “Nathaniel? The gondola’s arriving in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Dom!”

“Of course, Your Excellency.”

Smoothing down the last creases on the tailor-made suit given to him by King Regis, Nathan takes a deep breath before unlocking his bathroom door and stepping out.

The first thing he hears is someone wolf-whistling.

“You. Look. Amazing!” Rhea shouts, unable to contain her approval.

“Was that you who whistled?”

“Nope, it was your boyfriend over there!” She reveals, pointing towards Jordan who’s still staring at him.

They both quickly look away as Nathan meets his eyes. Domani interrupts them by clearing his throat. “Lady and gentlemen, we have a schedule to stick to!”

“Yes, sir!” Vincent replies, imitating a salute.

Shaking his head, Domani is the first to head towards the suite's main door. “Before I forget, Your Excellency, it may be a good idea to have Jordan by your side.”

“What? Why?”

“To generate some… intrigue… keep the people guessing who he really is to you.”

“A great idea, Do- Your Highness!” Rhea agrees as she follows Domani to the door.

“This is totally a plot to get me to go out with Jordan isn’t it?”

“Whattttttt? We have no idea what you’re talking about!” Vincent insists, giving an exaggerated wink to Rhea and Domani.

The three of them exit the suite, leaving Nathan and Jordan alone.

“Sorry about my friends, they’re-”

“Let’s do it.”

“Wh- what?”

“I’ll do it, Your Excellency.”

Nathan blushes before correcting him, “It’s just Nathan, Jordan.”

“Are you ready to go, Nathan?” Jordan asks, hesitantly holding out his hand.

Nathan grasps it and stands up, “I’m always ready.”