#valse

And then you're off. I've been working hard on engineering scenarios where you could bully Casey into learning Italian, and this would be a great excuse because he'd HAVE to. So it's bad because he rejects it out of weird English supremacy reasons and bad because he's still super homesick and bad because he HATES making a fool of himself and speaking a language you're not fluent in is really really scary... Casey would just deal terribly with this scenario on so many levels, just massive anxiety at the concept of any public appearance. Doesn't like what Vale's doing, doesn't like how he's being made into a performer, feels TRAPPED and doesn't want this to be his life now, thinks he's going to fail...

And Vale is really just supposed to make this kid look presentable, some cute photos, dress him up for events, but he ends up being unofficially drafted to talk this kid off the ledge... And he's GOOD at it, he's so much friendlier than anyone else in the entourage Casey's met, he doesn't act like Casey is beneath him or common or not worthy of this position or anything... He's willing to engage Casey in conversation about Serious Art, he's willing to help Casey out with his Italian without making fun of him, he can calm Casey down and make him LAUGH, he can convince him this royal thing isn't going to ruin his life. And Casey shows Vale his art (as ever he's a little prodigy) and Vale goes... damn kid this is pretty good actually.... and that sort of positive feedback means so so much to Casey. And Casey develops the world's worst puppy crush on him. Vale doesn't quite clock how bad it is because, well, people just love him, that's how it is. And he's done his bit, gotten a flush new gig, and then he leaves.....................................................

Which, from Vale's POV, of course HE wants to do something else, he wants to keep moving and have fun. But from Casey's POV, this is one of the worst moments in his LIFE. He NEEDS Vale and he's also sort of.... okay so Valentino was LYING when he said my life wasn't over because HE got out the moment he could okay okay!!! Okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also probably Vale was lying about Casey's art probably it all SUCKS... So he tries very hard to harden his broken little heart and he's just looking out for HIMSELF now and he'll get a perfect grade in being a prince even if it KILLS him.... And Vale thinks he's conducted himself in a professional way here, like he's learned not to get too close to a client since (put nebulously alluded to sad Sete backstory here) but unfortunately didn't account for Casey imprinting on him like a baby duck. And maybe should have stayed in touch or something!! Rather than just... leaving when something better came his way........ But oh well too late now!!

Then we get a substantial time jump of at least half a decade, which also helps get the age gap in a less skeevy place. (Casey an October child so you can have him be 17-18 in sixth form, eighteen for basically the whole second year, but still let's... not have anything romantic at this stage, from Vale's end anyway.) Vale feels a bit weird and guilty for a couple of years about not checking in with Casey, but it's also long enough for him to move on, he has a cute little America arc where he's just very removed from the European scene for ages and is basically just travelling from gig to gig with Uccio. Casey - a man who has repeatedly demonstrated that he can and will hold on to even relatively minor grudges for half a decade plus - is extremely not over it. He has figured out this royal thing and does a good job at it more or less but he's MISERABLE. Anxiety hellhole every day. His health issues also extremely not fun when they flare up and he has to excuse himself from royal duties for months and everyone thinks he's making it up. And it doesn't quite make sense but he still sort of blames Vale for how terrible everything is because Vale gave him hope and then walked away!! Vale made him think it might be fine and now he's gone :((

Anyway then their paths have to cross again, Vale gets another gig with these royals and goes :)) sure :) wonder how Casey's doing! And Casey's sort of weird to him but it takes basically like three dumb jokes from Vale for Casey to fold and crack a smile. Vale has slightly weird feelings about how serious and sad Casey seems now, but he does his job... Okay so here we should have a silly bit where Casey like... deliberately fucks with the clothes at some Big Event to make Vale look bad or something... Which is obviously dumb and self-destructive because Casey is the one wearing them but he doesn't CARE as long as it makes Vale look silly. And Vale buys that it's just dumb misfortune once but then obviously very quickly realises what Casey's doing and is ?? very confused. Why would Casey DO that to himself. Surly Casey refuses to engage and Vale (might come across as a clown but takes his work VERY seriously) is basically engaged in this increasingly passive aggressive war with Casey who's fucking up his hard work...

So yeah, Vale had been commissioned to dress Casey up and then he just keeps running into him idk man... Anyway this wasn't even psychosexual for ages, Vale's too confused/annoyed and Casey's too sullen. But they get there eventually... Casey still unfortunately extremely in love and Vale gets to this weird place where he's a bit obsessed with the only person in his life who is ready to constantly give him shit. And Vale had been stuck seeing Casey as a stubborn kid for ages but then Casey just keeps biting back and keeps challenging him and is willing to get into it with Vale like nobody else is and eventually Vale just goes... huh. Okay fine I'm into this. (First time Casey physically shoves Vale it is OVER for Vale.) They start a secret relationship that makes Casey very nervous since he's supposed to be married off soon... And he's also terrified that this is all just a game to Vale. And Vale treats it in his mind as a temporary thing because SURELY Casey will get married to someone worthy of his station... But Vale helps him live a little, get out of the golden prison and have some FUN and gets him back into the art Casey has been so determinedly rejecting... Vale hanging about pulling Casey into closets when he's supposed to be sweet talking the rich and famous, abducting Casey on his bike for countryside rides, letting Casey live that rebel life... He's happy playing the bad boy who Casey always wanted to want him, Casey wants to be swept off his feet he wants to be loved for who he is NOT for being a royal and Vale really does like him so so much. It's nice they're having fun it's GOOD -

So then Vale needs to try to leave Casey a second time. They're in a sort of mutually destructive spiral of abandonment issues because Vale in spite of himself actually has fallen a little bit in love and he decides to blow up the relationship before it can blow up on him. And Casey already has a million issues around nobody valuing him as a person or really SEEING him so this one could really be the last dagger blow... But luckily! Luckily his one saving grace is that he's the one person who actually has a track record of holding his own against Vale in an argument. Turns out, if you successfully trap Vale in a conversation he can't get out of, you can actually verbally beat him into submission! Nobody else has ever tried this one simple trick! Idk I always like when these two resolve plot problems by just arguing a lot, feels true to type, I give Casey a decent shot of getting through to Vale. Casey final girl the one who wins by being willing to bully Vale my BELOVED. Doesn't exactly SOLVE everything since Vale can't stand being stuck and Casey's not happy in this life either, but Vale is pushed to a place where he does actually want to make it work...