ITS 2AM WILL EDIT IN THE MORNING
gomen
Leon smoothed out his shirt, trying to ignore the crumped cheap cotton and the speck of dust that caught on his shoulder before he got up of bed.
He tiptoed as well as he could against the creak of the oak wood floor that he now stayed in, and went into the bathroom, grabbing his red flannel alongside the way. Wrapping it around his shoulders to protect himself from the cold, he closed the door behind him with his bare foot.
Gingerly pressing his hands against the thin slab of porcelain that had been laid against the slightly cracked mirror and the sink, he applied a little pressure, sighing in relief as no shocks of pain segued into his lashes and no clench of agony seized his wrists like it had when they had first moved in.
"The prince was right," he said to himself, turning on the tap and rinsing out his hands quickly before gently patting them dry instead of smothering them with the towel like he always used to do. "They are healing well enough."
Just then, a loud rustling of the sheets alerted Leon to something outside of the bathroom, and he quickly opened the door, taking care to let his flannel fall in front of his hands before he held onto the doorknob and padded outside.
"Emil?" he asked, squinting into the weak rays of the lilac dawn that was illuminating the lower Spades palace. "Emil, is there anything wrong?"
"Nnh," his fiancée complained, pulling more of the blanket over him. "Cold."
"It's almost Christmas," Leon coaxed, sliding onto the bed and stroking the huddled shape underneath the blankets. "I would be totally concerned if it wasn't cold. Are you up for it today, or will I have to ask?"
"Back doesn't hurt, just cold," he responded sleepily, wrapping arms around Leon's waist. "S'too cold for you getting up so early, Leon."
"I wish I could cuddle, love," he said tenderly, rubbing the small of his back in a comforting, circular movement. "I'll feed Puffin, wash up then be back, all right? I can get breakfast if you want-"
"Too much work for your hands!" Emil protested, violet eyes bleary. "I'll feed Puffin m'self. Get some food before you go back t'work."
"You mumble when you've just woken up," Leon cooed. "Emil is cute!"
He let out a huff of laughter, pulling himself up by his hands and pressing a kiss to the shell of Leon's ear, tugging his warmth a little closer.
"You need a break too," he said. "Don't think 'm haven't seen you work yourself to the bone – like Prince Alfred said, those hands need to heal, and you can't continue to wear those plastic gloves all the time."
"Yes, yes," he said, but his eyes grew a little distant as they used to when he wasn't paying attention.
A pang of guilt shot through Emil's heart. They were both young, only eighteen, and here Leon was trying his best to support the two of them. Sure, they had been saved from a much worse fate by Prince Alfred, but since the cold had settled in, Leon declined to wear his ring any more since he was being called again and again to wash dishes in freezing water instead of simply cleaning, since no one else wanted to do it.
He still wasn't sure how Alfred had done it. First, he had placed them into the kitchens and working facilities at the bottom of the palace, essentially guaranteeing their legal existence. Next, he had created a support chain of some sorts – people that he trusted with safeguarding their lives. Sometimes it was Anna, Arthur's maid, or one of the ex-Chosen's maids coming to give updates or assign them work. On good days, Matthias came over, where he simply lavished them with attention. Emil grumped and Leon was cheerful, but he secretly loved them.
However on a spectacular day, not even a month after the whipping, Lukas showed up, wielding a bottle of his house brandy. It had been a good six months since he had went back to his adopted mother's bar, and he almost burst into tears at the sight of Lukas reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red satchel bag, holding two tiny promise rings with rubies melded onto them, a family heirloom.
Things had only gotten better from then on. His back had healed better, medicines from the prince himself being delivered to their small room every day. Especially in the sweltering heat of the summer, they were allowed rotating fans, which were a luxury since most rooms required them to open windows to get some wind at night since air conditioners were reserved for the higher and richer.
Leon took it in stride; as soon as his torn hands were able he pinned back those silky bangs of his behind his ears and rolled up his sleeves, working twice as hard on days where Emil's back screamed and brought handfuls of ice wrapped in handkerchiefs, nursing him back to health unrepentantly even when he was having trouble getting used to being away from the luxuries of being an Elite, and asking around the maids for the news of his friends.
So it was a jolt of fear that ran down Emil's spine when the small door leading to their cramped room was knocked on twice. Leon tucked his bangs, having lost some gloss ever since his diet had gone from having the best cuts of a chicken to having the stringy top parts amongst other things, dusted off his knees and opened the door.
A young maid, dark hair loose behind her, was waiting at the door, plate tucked in between her arm as she stood outside the door.
"Hello miss, how may I help you?" he asked, leaning a little lower. The other boy noticed him slip the sleeve of Emil's sweater to cover his hand as he reached for the doorknob.
"Ah, Prince Alfred apparently seeks your counsel," she said, placing her plate in front of her in a placating gesture. "He also tells you to bring your partner with you."
"P-Pardon?"
And with that, Emil's tranquil; cuddle – less, stress free morning was ruined.
So instead of the faded, scratchy shirt that he usually wore when scrambling around after the horse combs or vice versa, Leon found himself wearing the one remotely white shirt he'd asked Steven to help him iron instead of hauling out those loaves from the oven on Friday evening, his hand linked with Emil's as they both walked up the secret staircase together.
"I wonder why they didn't send a maid to fetch us or anything," Leon wondered out loud.
"Has something happened at the palace?" the other boy asked, sounding a little plaintive as he took in Leon's expression, stitched with worry.
"What's wrong?"
"Before I…last saw him," he began hesitantly, and Emil could feel the squeeze of fabric and his heat against his hand tighten. "Arthur wasn't having a good time with Prince Alfred at all. I was just, like, wondering if it's because he's going home today."
"He shouldn't be," Emil echoed, looking off a little. "You told me before that Alfred really does feel for him, yeah?"
"Yes, I did, but who knows what's happened since then. The maids only mentioned something about a Trials, whatever those are…but they don't tell us anything except if they're the maids of their individual Elite. And Anna hasn't visited for quite a while, especially since the Trials," he fretted.
"Look, it shouldn't be as bad as that, dear." he said, trying to change the topic. "I'll go feed Puffin later today…"
"But what if the reason Anna hasn't been visiting for a while is because Arthur's been eliminated?"
"Honestly, my father would have told us if there's been an issue with him and Alfred," Emil continued to reason. "They've known each other since practically birth…"
"Arthur loves him," he said. "I know it. But the prince has been nothing but generous and caring. Up until recently, the one thing I was worrying about was when their marriage would be, and whether Alfred was a good enough husband, but now, it's a matter of if…"
Emil fell silent for a moment, and there were only the clack of their severe black shoes against the marble of the floor until he gathered up the resolute to speak again.
"Leon," he said slowly. "You have to have faith in them. Without having faith, there won't be a love there. You trusted me, all the way back in October, and you still trust me, right?"
He got a nod, a slight perking up of lips.
"And no matter how much you tease me about my horrid fashion sense – that little I'll admit – I'll be here for you. I promised, that night in the library. You have to believe that they will for each other, too."
He let out a small chuckle, the sound resonating throughout the quiet stairwell.
"Thank you," he whispered. "That's totally what I needed. See, you do know how I get. Even though your fashion sense I cannot fix, there's something. That's why you shouldn't feel guilty."
Way to change the subject, Emil blanched, but darn. He is right, with the whole bunch of thinking I was doing this morning before Alfred called us…
"Just…with you working your socks off while your scars have just healed just isn't fair to you while I sleep in, as well as do less work than you. Simply relieving you of your fears isn't enough, I want to provide for you as well…"
"We don't need to worry about that now," he countered. "It's just that I want to know that you're more than enough for me. Don't need to worry, like, about me leaving you, all right? Besides, it's not like things don't change."
"Not everything changes like we did."
"Some things change," Leon said, squeezing his hand, but didn't bring it up again until they got out of the staircase to Alfred's room.
"Leon!" Arthur cried as soon as the two of them exited the hallway and met the light streaming through Alfred's vast windows.
"Arthur," Leon said excitedly, throwing his arms around his friend. "It's been so long!"
"Have you been well? You've been healing up so well – ah!" Arthur said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Is that an engagement ring?"
"Yes, it is," Leon said, his expression changing to one of pure bliss. "We only got engaged very recently, but it's a totally wonderful feeling."
Meanwhile as the two boys were catching up, Alfred got up from his blue armchair situated in the corner, and placed a firm hand on Emil's shoulder, making him jump a little.
"Your Highness," he said quickly, trying his best to regain his cool composure. He resorted to doing a little bow and subconsciously waiting for a twinge from his back, which never came. "It is such a wonderful surprise to be called, Leon and I are-"
"Hey, Emil," he said with the same cheerful expression, albeit a little diluted compared to before. "There's no need for that talk. How are you, Leon?"
"Doing as well as I can, Your Highness," Leon replied, his arm already slung around an ecstatic Arthur's shoulder. "I hope that both you and Arthur are doing well?"
"Yeah, about that…" Alfred replied, his eyes softening as they met Arthur's gaze. "Arthur, sugar, do you mind stepping out for a moment? There's something private I want to discuss with Emil and Leon both…"
Arthur's green eyes faltered for a moment, but he nodded, bringing Leon back to his fiancée.
"I'll see you at dinner, I presume?" he spoke, and Alfred nodded, his gaze intense with an emotion Arthur couldn't describe as he knelt a little and pressed a tender kiss to his hand.
"I'll see ya there," he murmured, and Leon noticed a slight red tinge on Arthur's cheeks as he let his fingertips linger against the prince's before he closed the door.
"Right, well, I can see your point about not having to worry about them," Leon remarked as Alfred turned back to them.
"Wait, did you mean you were talking about us before you came here?" Alfred spluttered, turning flustered in a millisecond.
"Well, to be fair we still don't get why you needed Arthur to go…" Emil trailed off, sounding embarrassed. He supposed that he'd have to forget his composed façade for now, because it was clearly not working…
"It's okay," Leon said, smiling at his cuteness. "It's pretty obvious to me that the prince wants to propose to my best friend,"
Alfred blushed immediately, looking away before nodding down at the floor.
Emil suddenly felt a lot less self conscious, and wrapped his arm around Leon's waist, pulling him a little closer. He caught sight of his ring shining on his finger and couldn't help but smile a little.
So he would be right after all.
"I…I'm not very sure how to do it exactly," Alfred said ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I don't want to disappoint him. I also don't want anything that'll make him scared, or something too much, and nothing with a goat since something happened with my great grandfather when it was his turn…"
"A goat?" Leon spluttered - sounding horrified. "You are totally not telling me about that. Fates, I don't want to think about that!"
"So what you're saying," Emil said, "Is that you want us to help with proposing to Arthur?"
"Yeah, that's about it. Sorry if I distressed you, Leon, it's just that I wanted to make it perfect. Uh, have you heard anything about how Matthias got engaged?"
"He always whined about how my mother figure – er, Lukas – not telling him what sort of jewel he wanted on his ring," Emil mused, recalling back to the stories that his father would tell about his other father (but of course, he couldn't say that to the prince). "But he told me when Matthias wasn't home that he loved the ring, but he would love it regardless."
"Why?"
"Because it was Matthias that gave it to him," Emil said. "It didn't really matter what he did. Lukas also really liked the sailboat that they had gone on when he proposed, but I think that the person meant a lot more."
"…" Alfred seemed to be in deep thought, now fiddling with his tie, but Emil could tell how fond he was of his father by the way he grinned and his eyes relaxed. "Hey, Matthias never really told me much about that, but that's really sweet."
"I think we could tell you how we got engaged, if that's all right," Leon said, meeting Emil's eyes. "You okay with me telling him?"
"Just don't insist I was cute," he protested, but hid a smile anyway.
"Right, so starting from that I totally knew Emil was the cutest person from that moment," he laughed. "But no, it wasn't anything large or anything. But it was so cold, and the two of us were just discreetly walking around grounds. And I was shivering, since I wasn't used to the cold…"
"I'm never going to hear the end of this…"
"And he asked me whether he, and a marriage could keep me warm for the rest of time. And then I just ploughed him into the snow."
"He…he means it," Emil amended, trying his best to hide his blush. "Nearly soaked my sweater as well…but he was worth it."
"How am I gonna top that?" Alfred groaned, but he could see a tint in his eyes that he used to see in himself.
The nights where the times he spent with Leon in his arms were still forbidden. Nights after a shift where he'd catch himself with that jealous tinge after catching a sight of Leon with the prince. Nights dreaming of Leon looking back at him with something more than a friendly smile on his face…
"Just show Arthur you love him," Emil said. "I think that's all you really need."
"Don't hold back either," Leon said, his tone a little more serious. "If you don't, like, give all of yourself in that proposal, then it's not nearly as meaningful."
"What did he say?"
"Like, nothing really that important," Leon said, but his beam contradicted what he was saying. "But he said a lot of sweet stuff."
"I hope that doesn't mean sweets," Arthur said, but Leon could tell how his eyes softened and he looked shy.
"I know how you adore him so," he said, reaching out to touch his hand. "Thank the Fates you've stopped holding back."
"At least he seems to be fine with it so far," Arthur said. "I hope he doesn't get upset with me any time soon…"
"From what I can tell, he definitely feels the opposite."
"But…" Arthur said hesitantly, "Did he tell you what he feels for me – exactly?"
"Well," Leon said, his tone evasively. I mean, I can't spill now. For all Prince Alfred's done, I can't ruin his proposal. And Arthur…well, I still want to make him surprised.
Also, I also can't boast that I knew at his wedding. Drat.
"Not exactly, but I know he totally loves you. Emil and I do," he said reassuringly.
Arthur nodded, still deep in thought by the way his hands fiddled in his lap.
"It's getting late, isn't it? Prince Alfred said nine as the latest," Leon trailed off, looking against the window.
"Hm? Ah, yes," Arthur jolted, jumping to his feet. "Just let me snag my jacket and we'll be on our way."
Very soon, Leon reminded himself. Very, very soon.