Faceclaim (ONC 2022, Completed, Shortlisted)

16: Prince Ramon?

"I just... got caught up in something," Daniel explained to his skeptical agent, just as he walked through the sliding door of the airport with his rolling bag.

"Well, you better get uncaught right away, Danny!" Vanessa yelled at him all the way from London. Daniel imagined he would have heard her all to the way to Amsterdam even if he wasn't currently on the phone with her. "You missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime by not showing up yesterday. But lucky for you, I'm both charming and smart." Those things were both definitely true. Vanessa was a force of nature who could talk her way out of any situation. "I told the director that you had a family emergency and had the meeting moved to this afternoon."

So, it appeared he still had a shot. He hadn't blown his whole career yet. "I'll be there," he assured her, as reality was starting to get caught up with him. Dreams of strawberries and bunnies were replaced by purple tights and flashing lights.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Vanessa sighed. "But if you're not here today, you better not show up ever again. I'm fed up with your shenanigans."

It was true that Daniel had put her through a lot, showing up wasted at networking parties and blowing off casting calls just because he felt like sleeping in. "I'm sorry," he tried. "I won't... I won't do that again. I'll be better. I promise."

"I'll see you later, Danny." Vanessa ended the call abruptly.

Daniel sighed. Everything felt so rushed all of a sudden. He hadn't had time to think properly and now he already had a laundry list of things to do. Demands and appointments that required his presence.

He needed some time to process what the hell had happened to him, but no such time seemed to be available for him.

Right now, he needed to find a plane ticket. Could one even buy such a thing at the airport anymore? Or would he have to buy it online despite actually already being by the check-in counter? Without a clear plan, he walked up to the counter for one of the major airlines, hoping he could find someone who would assist him.

"I need a flight to London," Daniel told the clerk while crouching down to find his passport and credit card in his bag. "As soon as possible. Can you help me with that?"

"Of course," the hospitable clerk replied. "Can I just ask you something first..." there was a brief pause as the clerk seemed to ponder something. "Are you Daniel Shephard?"

Daniel looked up to meet blue eyes hidden by dark curls. The man looked so familiar like he already knew the handsome adonis before him. "Prince Ramon?" he stuttered.

The man smiled. An infectious crooked smile that revealed perfect white teeth. "Well my name is Ramon," he said and pointed at his name tag. "But I'm quite sure I'm not a prince. Although my father used to joke that he was Spanish royalty."

"Of course..." Daniel mumbled, torn between confusion and attraction. "Of course, you're not a prince. I just... confused you with someone else." He flashed a smile toward Ramon. "I'm Daniel by the way. Daniel Shephard."

"I know," Ramon replied. "I saw you in Blood Diaries. You were awesome in that show." A slight blush rose over tan cheeks. "And kind of hot."

Daniel smiled. Ramon smiled. The world around them stood still.

Then Daniel's eyes fell on a furry creature next to Ramon on the counter. "What is that?" he asked, recognizing the animal. "Why do you have a toy capybara?"

"Oh, that's just a promo thing from the airline," Ramon explained and gave the stuffed toy a playful nudge. "I guess they have a special deal on trips to South America."

Daniel nodded, eyeing the capybara cautiously. Although the creature was quite adorable, so it was hard to see it as a threat. "My niece would like it," he stuttered. "It's her birthday today." Once again, his head was filled with moors and bobbing braids. He remembered what actually meant something. "Do you have trips to Edinburgh too?" he asked Ramon. "I think I need to go home first."

"Of course," Ramon replied, hospitable and smiling as ever. Perhaps he smiled like that to all customers. But somehow, the smile felt especially reserved for Daniel. "We have flights to both Edinburgh and London leaving in a few hours. So which one do you want?"

Daniel hesitated. He remembered Vanessa yelling at him. He needed to be there to sign the contract. But he also needed to be there to watch the bunnies with Willa.

"I know what you need to do," Ramon said as Daniel waffled. He'd heard that line before, but this time it didn't sound menacing.

Daniel looked over, confused. The smile on Ramon's lips was as mesmerizing as ever.

"You need to run if you want to get on this flight," Ramon told him and handed him a ticket. "And take this guy with you." After quickly scribbling something on a notepad, Ramon gave Daniel the plush capybara. "For your niece," the handsome man explained. "As a birthday present."

Daniel took the ticket, realizing it went to exactly the place he needed to go. He gave Ramon a grateful smile. Fate seemed to have made his decision for him. And it was the right decision.

With a capybara under his arm and a goofy smile on his lips, Daniel ran toward his gate. It wasn't until he sat down in his plane seat that he inspected the furry creature further.

Lodged under the animal's vest--because this capybara wore a vest with the airline's logo--he found a folded note.

"Prince Ramon," it read, followed by a string of numbers. "Call me."

Author's Note: Yeah, I couldn't help but sneak some romance in here :)