Yay! First Kings fanfic! Might add more to this later on, tell me what you think!
There was a picture. It seemed like such an innocent thing. A single moment in time that was already done and over with. Michelle hadn't meant to find it; it had just been sitting there on her father's desk. She had gone to ask him about general health costs or something. It didn't matter, he hadn't been in. She had wandered around the room, waiting. She looked at the great leather chair fondly. How many times had she played in that chair as a child? She went over and sat in it, trying to reclaim that sense of belonging and intense curiosity. She placed her arms on the sun-warmed leather and breathed deep. But something caught her eye. A startling color on the desk that didn't even bother to blend in with the whites and browns and blacks that littered the top.
Michelle leaned over and gently tugged at the picture. It took her a moment to realize what the picture was of.
"Jack," she whispered, her breath leaving her chest. It was one of those pictures that you can get in a photo booth, the one where it's actually more than one picture. The first one held just Jack, glowering at the camera. He was in his uniform and there was a little dirt on his nose. The second showed another man with him, golden-haired and pointing at the camera while turned towards her brother. The third revealed the other man gently kissing Jack's knuckles. Jack looked at him so fondly and lovingly, it was actually quite startling to Michelle. The fourth shot, though, was of Jack gripping the other boy's face and kissing him full on the mouth.
It took a moment. Michelle leaned back in the chair scrutinized the Jack in the photos, comparing them to the Jack she knew. It made sense, none of the women in his life besides her, Thomasina, and the Queen were constant. He'd never had a steady girlfriend and to Michelle's trained eye had never really seemed to enjoy their company. It made sense. The look in Jack's eyes when he looked at this other man, though, showed a comprehension and surrender to love that Michelle smiled.
"Puppy, what are you doing in here?" The Princess's head shot up as she tucked the photo strip into her pocket. Her father was standing there, she didn't know how long he had been there. She stood and took a step away from the chair. The smile that she slid on was a little shaky and Michelle hoped her father didn't notice.
"I was just wondering if the health care reform I suggested had made it into your inbox." The King nodded and she moved towards the door.
"I hadn't gotten a chance to look at it yet," he absentmindedly called to her back as he took a seat in the chair his daughter had so recently vacated. Michelle threw another smile over her shoulder as he settled in. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure you're busy." Without another word the Princess fled from the room.
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The light played off the soft curtains that floated gently in the breeze coming from the open windows. Jack lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. It was sunset and he gazed distractedly at the reds and oranges that danced above him. He felt like crying, to be honest. Everything that had ever been really important was gone. Well, not gone, just out of reach. Stupid war.
"It'll be alright, Jack."
Jack bolted up, head spinning around. A flash of gold caught his eyes and he almost twisted his neck turning towards it. The gold was only his curtain. Knees pulled up into his chest and he tucked himself into the smallest ball he could manage.
A knock rang out on his door. He uncurled himself and tried to make himself look presentable. "Come in," he shouted through the door as he stood at the end of his bed. A brown head poked in before the rest of his sister slid through the door. Michelle had a way of taking everything about Jack in that somewhat unnerved him. It was as if with one look she knew all of his secrets.
"What do you want, Michelle?" He asked before turning to the window. He really wanted her to just leave, but he couldn't order her to. She wouldn't listen anyways. He heard a crinkle of paper before something colorful was put on the windowsill in front of him. He looked down and froze.
"Where did you get this?" his voice was low and dangerous, trying to mask his utter fear and despair. His heart quivered in his chest and he couldn't stop looking away. He should, but he couldn't.
"You don't want to know." was Michelle's quiet response. She gripped his arm and turned him towards her.
"Jack?" she called as he sank onto his bed, all color gone from his face. She knelt in front of her brother and took his hands in hers. His chin trembled as he fought to keep from crying. Men didn't cry, princes didn't cry.
"P-please don't ha-hate me," he stuttered. Michelle stood up and gently touched his face.
"Of course not. You're my little brother. I can't hate you." She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and he sighed with relief.
"I just d-don't know if I c-c-could lose you t-too." Michelle frowned.
"Jack, who'd you lose?"
"David."