Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

as seasons pass, so do people. Some migrate with the geese, some remain where they are. Some stay because they want too,

and some stay because they have no other choice.

Midori had been awake for awhile now, having originally being greeted by the blinding sunlight of the morning hours. It seemed brighter than usual, and maybe that was a good thing, but unfortunately his eyes were still healing from it. The soft melodies of the birds could be heard softly from just outside the window, small chirps and hums creating soothing tunes. Midori loved the birds, and often fed them small seeds or bread crumbs from his window, but recently,

they had stopped coming.

Maybe they sensed his anguish, his tattered state, and thought it best to leave him be.

Whatever the reason, he was glad to hear their voices, a wave of relaxation suddenly washing over him.

Until a very loud snore almost scared him to death. Because somehow, he forgot that he wasn't alone, and perhaps that's the very reason the birds returned.

Midori quietly shifts around for a moment, laying back down on his side. The pillow under his head is soft, just like the hands of the boy next to him, as Midori carefully interlocked their fingers. 

Tetora slept like a rock.

His snores weren't soft, they were loud, and frankly quite annoying. If he let another one out, Midori might just slap him across the face. He wouldn't actually do that though, because he loves Tetora too much to hurt him. So as awful as it is, he sits through it, patiently waiting for the other boy to wake up next to him. The sunlight seemed to soften all of his features, making him look even more beautiful than he already was. He knows Tetora prefers more "manly" terms, so he'd never say that too his face,

but he would to his heart.

He loved Tetora.

He shouldn't,

he isn't allowed to,

but he does. Unfortunately, this stupid guy with black, red streaked hair, amber eyes, never ending energy, a passion for strength, and the soul of a tiger had fully captivated him. Nobody had ever entered Midori's life like Tetora had, and nobody had ever made an impact like he had. Tetora left thorns around his heart, and roses in his stomach. 

It hurt, but he couldn't get enough of it.

It hurt,

because this can't last forever. 

Tetora snores again.

.

.

.

an ode to the stars,

if they'll hear my pleas. 

A poem to the moon,

a heart for the sea.

For late September, the heat was surprisingly unbearable. Tetora understands that as a knight he is required to wear this, but really, they should atleast have some sort of summer uniform. All he does for these people, and they don't even let him wear short sleeves! This is absurd! Evil! Unruly! 

Tetora crossed his arms over his chest, rolling over onto his side. The grass was still warm, even if they were under a shaded tree. His eyes remained closed, fearing that upon opening them he'd be greeted with even more blazing, or possibly blinding heat. The only good thing about his current situation was that he atleast had company, and that even if the shade was minimal, it provided him with small comfort. Though, whatever sort of peace of mind he was struggling to find was rudely interrupted by the soft but ear-aching voice of the "younger" prince sat next to him, who had been loudly sipping on something similar to lemonade for the past 5 minutes. Awful.

"Tetora-kun,"

Shinobu placed his drink down onto the grass, then began crawling towards the knight.

"I'm hungry. Could we find something to eat…?"

Tetora didn't bother opening his eyes, he only grunted.

"We can go home after! Please…!"

And suddenly he was back on his feet, ready to face the day once again, with small strands of grass stuck in his hair, which he wouldn't have noticed if Shinobu never asked why he "added green into his hair too". He didn't, because it was grass. He didn't, because he doesn't really like the colour green. Red is his colour, that's why it's in his hair.

He only tolerates the colour for Midori,

for his lover.

Tetora had always been one of the youngest knights here. He was roughly the same age as both the princes, which was probably the only reason they were really able to grow as close as they are. As he gradually befriended Midori, he befriended Shinobu along with him. As annoying as he could be though, Shinobu felt like his brother aswell sometimes. He enjoyed hanging out with them. Just the three of them, alone, outside playing in the sun. They were all around 17 years old, but it made them all feel like children once again. Throwing clumps of grass and dirt at eachothers faces, pushing eachother onto the soft ground below, booming laughter and brightly lit smiles. It was one of the many things in life that Tetora came to enjoy, and recently he'd begun to cherish these memories even more than before. Perhaps it was due to the fact that there was this.. fear in the back of his mind, a fear of being split up because of his duties,

or perhaps it was just because they simply brought more colour into his frankly dull and sometimes boring life.

They made him happy. 

Shinobu pulled on his sleeve, which in turn pulled him out of his own head. 

"Tetora-kun, look!"

And the sight suddenly reminded him he hasn't eaten at all yet today, and could actually really go for literally anything right now. Shinobu had his pointer finger raised, directed towards a decently crowded stand that seemed to be full of desserts as far as the eye could see. 

The warm smell of freshly baked pastries,

the sweet scent of icing on a slice of cake.

Tetora could resist it.

He was probably drooling.

"Shinobu-kun, you have the eyes of a genius!" 

He loudly proclaimed, grabbing the other's hand and bolting towards the stall as if they'd have to wait in the line. They didn't, though, because as soon as one recognized Shinobu's deep purple and pale yellow streaked hair, the majority of them had simply stepped out of the way without a second thought. It was unfair in Tetora's mind, seeing all these perfectly normal people shift out of line just because some guy wearing purple showed up. Of course, in reality it made perfect sense, he just feels guilty, and he knows Shinobu does too even if neither of them bother to comment on it.

The two of them leave, both holding a bag full of treats that'll for sure give them stomach aches in a couple of hours.

Breads such as croissants and chocolate rolls,

Pastries such as small slices of a variety of pies, and scones.

If Tetora wasn't there, Shinobu would've accidently bought the whole place out. 

They don't waste much time in trying to return back home. It's close to noon, and if they make it, perhaps they could convince Midori to join in on their feast.

Tetora smiles, and Shinobu laughs.

They skip over fields of dandelions, their seeds fluttering into the wind, 

sent on a journey to find their home.

Like a dandelion, Tetora could light up a room with his personality and colour.

Unlike a dandelion, though,

Tetora had found his home.

.

.

.

as the sun sinks into the ocean, and as the moon slowly rises in it's place,

may your worries fall along side it, 

and your wishes rise with the stars.

He doesn't know what time it is,

all he knows is that it's late. Late enough that all the birds that normally never shut up have gone quiet to rest, that the normally lit candles had been put out about half an hour ago with soft blows. Late enough that Most if the Knights had switched out, and gone to bed,

Late enough that Tetora should've been one of them.

Sometimes though, sleeping can be difficult whenever your mind begins to wander, even if it's over the silliest thoughts a man could come up with. 

Sometimes you can't sleep because your best friend, your lover, your prince is gone.

Gone with no explanation. No note is left behind, no words exchanged with another, his own brother doesn't even know of his disappearance because he's sleeping. It's funny, actually, because if anyone knew it should've been Tetora. Midori always told him when he was leaving, most of the time even bringing Tetora along with him. Not this time though. 

He felt sick for the first time in who knows how long. His stomach turned, his heartbeat quickened, and his head pounded like It was being repeatedly hit with a hammer. Everything felt so off, everything felt so wrong. He'd walked around this stupidly large castle atleast 10 times now, every new loop bringing him nothing but the increasing feeling of dread slowly building in the pit of his stomach. 

For all he knew, Midori left for good.

Maybe he got lost in the dark and wouldn't return.

Maybe he left on purpose.

Maybe he wasn't even alive anymore because for fucks sake, what's Tetora even supposed to assume?

For someone so positive, he's finding it extremely difficult to "think on the bright side". Sweat drips down his forehead, the palms of his hands feel like they've been dipped in a river. He's closing in on his 11th lap around these eerily familiar hallways, 

hoping that somewhere,

somehow,

He'll be back. 

That he'll peak his head out from around the corner, that all of this worrying, searching, and pacing was all for nothing, because he didn't care if his time was wasted, if his efforts were in vain,

he just wants too,

no,

needs to see Midori's face again.

As he once again passes by the door to Midori's room, he feels a piece of his heart break off and shatter into small shards like a broken glass. They stab at the insides of his chest and ribs, it felt as if he'd drank poison. 

Ontop of that, his lungs felt like they'd finally given up on him, his breathing quickly becoming slow and as something inside of him was practically begging him to grab onto the door handle and push it open with every bit of energy left inside of him.

And he did, he did open the door.

And the room was dark, the window was wide open. The dark green curtains that normally concealed it blew wildly in the night's breeze. 

The room was cold,

cold and empty. 

It made his skin crawl. It felt so disgustingly wrong to see it so empty. The lively plushies on Midori's bed looked as if they had their souls sucked out of them, each and every one of them somehow appearing more dulled in colour than Tetora remembered them being. 

Every step further he took towards that window,

towards that desk,

towards the wilted flowers that had become completely unrecognizable due to their browning,

He felt like someone was throwing knives into his back.

But the piece of paper and messily inked stains drew him in. 

He couldn't stop,

but looking back on it,

he wishes he did.

Amongst all the chaos inside of the castle, Tetora somehow managed to make all of it so much worse inside of his own mind. He gently picked up the paper that had been carelessly left on the desk, fearing it might blow out into the night sky and become another beautifully glowing star. 

As soon as his fingertips made contact with it they stung,

stung in the same way they did when he picked roses, 

only this time they were never healed by a lovers touch, as the thorns only dug deeper into his skin. 

The title was simple. It needed no explaining, as the bolded cursive letters spelled everything out for him.

"Marriage arrangement between Prince Takamine Midori-"

He couldn't find it in himself to read the girl's name. The first two words were more than enough to bring him to the verge of throwing up. He tossed the paper onto the ground, and fell to his knees along with it. 

Morning glories wrapped themselves around his heart, squeezing it until it broke. Orchids bloomed in his stomach, tickling the back of his throat as they threatened to spill out onto the paper below him.

In the distance,

through barely audible screams,

the Prince returns,

and Tetora won't be there to greet him.

Chapter Text

Your tenderness pricks my skin and makes me bleed,

your melodic voice soothes my worries.

You cured me of my woes,

only to shove a knife down my throat.

The silence was deafening. The tension between them couldn't have been cut through, even with the strongest and sharpest sword known to man. The small droplets of water dripped from his hair, onto the bandages that laced his hands. His eyes no longer filled of any colour, now devoid of all life that once lingered inside them. Midori looked more like a lifeless corpse than he did a Prince, like his crown had been shattered completely before he even had a chance to wear it. The cloak he wore didn't belong to him, the deep red clashing with the blue of his own jacket. The golden accents always complimented it well, but it was never meant for him.

Tetora sits across from him in the same room, dawning the same dull and expressionless face as the boy he once called lover. 

They'd been sitting there for no more than 10 minutes, the room only lit by the barely visible flame of a candle in the corner on top of a nightstand. No other lights were lit, and neither of them wanted to light any.

Whether it was because neither of them really wanted to get up in the moment, or neither of them could even bare the thought of looking at the others face, nobody really knew. 

They were content to sit in the darkness,

content to forget each others faces for the rest of eternity.

it feels like years before one of them finally speaks up, Tetora deciding something desperately needs to be said. Maybe the silence was just starting to drive him mad.

"When were you going to tell me..?"

his voice was almost a whisper.

"..did.. you just plan to keep it a secret until the day off..?"

Midori didn't want to respond.

He didn't want to respond, because both of them already knew the answer to that question.

Neither of them wanted to admit it.

"I…"

he began, and if you listened closely, you could hear his heart breaking.

"Tetora-kun… how the hell was I supposed to explain that to you..?"

"There was never a good time t-"

"so you weren't going to tell me."

While Midori's heart slowly ripped itself into pieces, Tetora's stabbed itself ten times over. The unfortunate truth that nobody ever wants to hear, but they both know it needs to be said, it needs to be revealed.

despite that, he still protested, even if there was no point to it.

".. I.. I didn't say t-"

"Why..? why wouldn't you tell me? For God's sake, Midori, I thought we had something going on between us ..? don't I Deserve to know..?"

Tetora cut him off.

Tetora didn't care.

"You do, but there was no point in telling you, tetora-kun."

Midori interlocked his bandaged hands, the small red stains on white now completely dry. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. 

"There's no point."

And that was it. 

Because there was no point. Even if Midori handed his parents the sun and the moon, the stars and the galaxy, 

they can't stop it. Because Midori is a Prince,

and Princes marry princesses. They don't marry other Princes, they don't marry Knights, they don't marry anything other than Princesses.

He wanted to cry. 

Midori has cried Infront of Tetora more times than he could count. Tetora has seen the side of Midori he hates, the most vulnerable side of himself that he has to offer. Tetora has seen Midori at his highest, and at his lowest.

He never minded it.

He never minded it because he loved him. 

Because if Tetora asked for the stars,

Midori would give him the galaxy.

But for now, he'd hold his tears. For now, he'd cover his head in his hands, and hang it in shame, because Princes aren't supposed to cry.

"Tetora-kun, we can't do anything about this. You know that. We both know that. We both knew I was doomed to be put into some.. stupid marriage eventually.."

A dagger stabbed through his chest, an arrow shot through his head. The pain is unbearable, and my love for you will kill us both.

"it was only a matter of time."

.

.

.

The hand over his eyes was soft,

the palm on his shoulder was warm. 

His heart beats out of his chest,

and he smiles.

"Stop moving, Tetora-kun..!"

Just the other boy's voice was enough to squeeze his heart into pieces. It was softer than the softest melody,

warmer than the blazing heat on his back. 

"I'm not!"

Midori's hand was placed over his eyes. Darkness engulfed him, but it was comforting. He wasn't entirely sure where they were, or where they were going. Tetora couldn't see anything, he could only feel the blades of grass brushing against his ankles. The breeze of early spring brushed against his cheeks, and Midori's fingertips felt like flower petals.

Blind, deaf, even limbless,

Tetora would let Midori guide him to the ends of the earth.

They both laughed together, Midori's hands fell back at his side, and Tetora's vision returns.

The sight before him looks like a painting. Something out of a fairytale, unable to be described with words. Tetora felt his heart skip a beat. 

He wasn't sure if it was because of the scenery,

or because of his Prince. 

"Um… I come here. A lot." 

Midori coughed through the silence, taking a few small steps forward while carefully avoiding the small colourful buds below him.

"Nobody else has found this place… so I decided to keep it to myself. And.. now you, I guess." 

He smiled softly, offering his hand out, begging Tetora to grab hold of it.

"Y'know, it's really pretty. You shouldn't keep it to yourself!"

his gloves hand fell into Midori's palms. For some reason, Tetora was extremely bothered by the light piece of fabric separating the skin of their hands. 

Despite that though, it was still a thrilling experience, and his poor heart could barely even handle it. He found himself squeezing onto Midori's hand tighter, as if letting go would be the death of him.

and it would.

Midori squeezed back, his face lightly dusted with what Tetora could only assume was blush, but he ignored it because why on God's green earth would this downright unfathomably gorgeous man ever blush because of Tetora. 

He blushed too though, but it was much more painfully noticable and impossible to hide under the hand that covered his face.

The prince didn't seem to bother to acknowledge it, turning to face the opposite direction as he led Tetora forwards.

Walking into the unknown,

my hand embraced with yours,

our hearts dancing to a melody yet to be discovered,

your declaration of love yet to be recovered.

kiss me.

.

.

.

"You don't know that."

"You don't know that we can't stop this!"

"Don't be an idiot."

"I'm a prince, I have to marry a princess! You know this! That's how it works!"

"Why? because you never bothered to get out of it? Maybe you're the actual Idiot, Midori-kun, you're the one who's already given up!"

"Given up..? I didn't give up, I just came to terms with my life because there's no going around it! Are you even listening to me, to what I'm saying?"

"Tetora-kun, no matter what I do I'm not getting out of this! We both knew that we can't just.. be together forever-"

"We can't because clearly, you just don't care."

"What..?"

. . .

It was all over a lot faster than he thought it'd be. 

The bandages on his hands loosened themselves, quietly falling to the floor. Roses surrounded him, petals covered the wooden floor below his feet. Dark red, 

stained with blood.

The thorns stuck in his hands hurt, 

but in reality it was Tetora's absence that made it worse.

It hadn't been more than a few minutes since the dark haired knight slammed the door, demanding they must never speak again. Severing the ties of their love, cutting the red string of fate that was always neatly tied around their fingers. 

Midori fell to the floor and laid down amongst the strewn about petals and carelessly tossed buds, tears rolling down his cheeks that dropped off the roses like a fresh spring's rain. His throat was dry, and his face hurt from screaming to himself. 

it wasn't his fault,

he never chose to be put in this situation,

why couldn't Tetora realize that?

Sometimes he actually found some of Tetora's unfortunate lack of knowledge about certain things useful, helpful, relaxing even. This wasn't relaxing. This wasn't helpful. This was Midori laying on his bedroom floor and clawing at his tear soaked face, trying to find some sort of comfort inside of his own sorrows. 

You wrapped my bloody wounds with care, you kissed them with love. 

You filled the air with words I'd never forget,

and you left me to bleed out.

.

.

.

There's always two sides to a story, but sometimes one part of the page has been so horribly smothered you can barely read what it's trying to say. 

The words melt together, and the meaning is washed away as the paper is torn apart into pure nothingness.

Tetora has his head in his knees,

and Shinobu's hand on his shoulder.

His eyes almost match the red in his hair, and his face makes it look like he'd been beaten a decent amount of times before being thrown down a well. 

That's what Shinobu told him. And he was probably right.

It took Tetora less than a second to slam the door in Midori's face,

and in the blink of an eye he'd sunk to the floor, resting his head on the back of it as soft sobs slowly began bouncing off the castle's walls. Everything felt so painfully empty and despite the hundreds of people who shared this building with him, only one bothered to even sit down next to him. He never said anything, because he didn't need to. He never raised his head, because he didn't have too. 

Shinobu wasn't well versed in the world of comfort, but he'd been by Midori's side hundreds of times, and wasn't afraid to be there for another. He continued to quietly and gently pat Tetora's shoulder, listening to the muttered words that came from both the knight, and the Prince just behind the door. He knew what was happening before anyone even told him. He knew because Midori spent hours freaking out in his room at midnight for weeks on end because "I can't tell him, Shinobu,

I can't lose him like that."

And frankly, it broke his heart.

The corners of his mouth tugged his lips into a smile laced with uncertainty,

but his eyes shone with hope.

His hand slowly made its way down to Tetora's back, drawing small circles on it.

"Hey, Tetora-kun,"

he whispered.

"Tomorrow, you guys will make up."

Tetora could barely hear him.

"You're both stupid sometimes, but you realize you mean the world to each other, right?"

Tetora felt like he was just punched in the gut.

"It'll be okay."

And he cried harder,

matching the beat of muffled sobs with the Prince,

the Prince he loved so dearly.

And tomorrow, they'd embrace each other again.

tomorrow, they'd cry in each other's arms.

Midori punched his pillows, and Tetora's fist lightly hit the floor.

Their heads both lean on the wooden door, now more like a piece of paper lazily held up by two pencils. Midori slides his fingertips under the door and one of them is still red, one of them accidently slides a petal through with it.

Tetora shifts himself around ever so slightly, his entire body aching from the pain sitting in this awful position had put him in. He slides the lone petal towards him,

and allows his fingertips to touch Midori's.

Neither of them need to say it to know the other is sorry,

Neither of them need to hug each other to remind the other that they're needed.

As if tulips fall from the sky, their yellow colours mixing with that of the Myositis planted in the field that initially brought them together,

they're painted in the colours of summer,

they close their eyes and smile.

Chapter Text

White is a colour of purity. Innocence reflected in the softness of its tones and the gentleness of its bearers. 

White lilies are soft. Their petals leave gentle kisses on your skin upon touching them.

Your kisses haunt me in the form of earth's blossoms,

Your love taunts me through the words of a summer breeze.

please, come home.

come home to me.

They hadn't really talked. It had been about a week, and in that short amount of time snow had somehow creeped up on them, covering the castle in its own winter slumber, despite it just being the first few weeks of October. When he was a child, he was told that as his feelings changed, the seasons would along with it.

It's as if his sadness had been what caused the white lillies to wilt under his touch, the orchids to crumble in his presence, and the snow to trap them all inside to share the loneliness that had forever brewed inside of him.

It only grew more with the empty presence at his sides.

Midori was missing his other half,

missing him quite badly.

Neither of them had properly apologized, if anything it seemed like they were too scared to actually see each other face to face, as if merely looking at the other's eyes would shoot arrows through their skulls. He wasn't so sure what caused him to feel this way about someone he loved, but Midori knew for a fact that despite it.. he'd give up anything to be by his side once again. To be by Tetora's side once again. 

But that was stupid, and Midori was nothing more than a stupid prince, who had fallen for a stupid knight he knew from the beginning he couldn't have.

Midori sat in the snow, his knees curled up to his chest, hugging himself tightly as he fought to stay warm in the freezing weather that winter brought along with it. He sat out in the cold with one of the thinnest cloaks he owned, continued to let his body freeze, 

knowing the warmth was only mere feet away. The warmth of the castle's insides, the warmth of the many fireplaces throughout the building.

But none of them compared to Tetora's warmth. The warmth of his eyes coloured like the sun, his hands as soft as a feather,

his smile, brighter than the brightest star in the sky.

A single tear rolls down his cheeks, and suddenly he's hugging himself much tighter than before, his nails digging into his sleeves. Midori doesn't know why he's so sad. He doesn't know why he's crying. If he already knew this was bound to happen,

why did it hurt so much?

He wanted to rip his hair out,

punch himself in the gut,

hit his head on the wall behind him.

The snow had driven him mad, 

mad for a man he couldn't have.

. . .

"Midori.. kun..?"

And suddenly he was back on earth. The voice made his ears ring and his heart skip a beat, his eyes widened at a sight they had yet to see, and his grip loosened. His entire body suddenly relaxed against the brick wall behind him, as if all his worries had been taken off of his shoulders and completely disregarded, tossed into a void. 

But as comforting as it was, he can't allow himself to fully relax at the sound of the others words. He was a fragile statue placed onto an unstable shelf, and any wrong move would cost him his life.

"Tetora-kun…"

He teeters on the edge,

"Go away."

And he falls off, heading straight for the floor below.

the glass shatters along with his heart,

he can't see Tetora's eyes, but he knows they're dull.

He didn't mean to do it, didn't mean to say it,

he's just scared,

terrified, even.

Terrified of losing Tetora again.

"Ahh… sorry, Prince, ill-"

"No! no. No, Tetora-kun.."

Despite his shivering body and shaky legs, Midori pushes himself up to his feet in seconds, using the wall for support even if simply touching it feels like it'll give him frostbite. His eyes meet Tetora's, and even though it's basically winter Midori can see small beads of sweat dripping down Tetora's face. 

They stare at each other in silence.

Tetora's holding a cloak, a deep red one that matches his hair and his uniform. He's shocked, he looks confused, and Midori is somehow breathless. And then, Midori comes to realize Tetora is just as scared as he is, both of them acting like the other is some sort of wild animal ready to pounce. 

Midori slides back down to his knees, the snow once again welcoming him into its soft, yet freezing embrace, and his voice is shaky as he finally speaks. 

"Tetora-kun… please, stay.."

each word is quieter than the last, and Tetora slowly walks towards him, meeting him on the bed of white below their feet.

And Tetora doesn't respond with words, not yet at least. He holds out the cloak, almost shoving it in Midori's face. 

His eyes shine like the fire inside his home,

and suddenly Midori isn't so cold anymore.

He hums quietly.

"Of course, Midori-kun. I'd be happy to."

He smiles. 

He doesn't realize he was still crying until his tears are wiped away by Tetora's thumb, his hand gently cupping Midori's cheek. It was a weird feeling,

but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's go inside though… it's freezing out here!"

Tetora takes his hand back, Midori slides on the cloak that had previously been handed to him.

He nods, and follows closely behind as his knight leads him back towards the castle's entrance, the front doors, the fireplaces inside.

He can feel the warmth already,

but maybe that's just Tetora's hand in his own.

His knight in shining armour.

.

.

.

It's stupid to say things like "home is where the heart is". It's cheesy, and Tetora would never let himself get caught saying something dumb like that, and if he was, he'd ask to be publicly executed right then and there.

But when he walks into one of the many large and empty rooms, only occupied by a fireplace and scattered pieces of furniture, two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands and Midori sitting there on the floor wrapped up in a blanket,

It really did feel like home. 

Midori melted his heart,

and tied knots in his stomach.

his smile made flowers bloom,

and butterflies flutter in Tetora's chest.

he wouldn't trade this for the world,

even if he was almost the reason it was lost.

Tetora slowly sits back down on the floor, placing one of the two mugs on his side and sliding one over to Midori. He tugs on the blanket that Midori had let himself become engulfed in, reluctantly allowing Tetora to join him. 

Hot chocolate was never something Tetora ever got to enjoy when he was younger. It was one of those odd luxuries only those with wealth got to enjoy, despite how easy and simple it was to actually make. It was times like these where even though he was just a knight, he took moments to be genuinely grateful for things like these that he was privileged to be given the opportunity to enjoy. 

And in turn, he always made sure to make Midori's a special way.

It was always extra sweet, and in Tetora's opinion, disgusting,

but his Prince loved it,

and he couldn't say no to his breathtaking smile.

"Hey, Tetora-kun…"

Midori leans his head on Tetora's shoulder, brown hair lightly tickles his neck.

"You.. know that I'm sorry right…?"

not just for today,

but for everything.

Tetora smiles.

He places his mug down on the floor, and raises a hand up to rest on Midori's shoulder, pressing them both closer together.

"Yeah. I know, don't worry myositis-"

"WHAT?!"

Midori drops his mug on the floor instead of placing it down, and they're both pretty sure it's been spilt everywhere. The blanket has flown off of him, and his face is almost as red as Tetora's shirt. His voice was croaky, and he couldn't even look Tetora in the eyes, instead just staring at the bridge of his nose.

He giggled.

"Don't like that..? Sorry, I saw it in one of your books, thought it was cute~" 

Myositis. Small, light blue flowers with five petals each. They're commonly found around the castle grounds, and if Midori never left one of his many flora and fauna books open in his desk, Tetora would've never learned their names. They always bloom in the spring, and last until summer. 

Tetora always gives them to him on his birthday.

Forget me nots, a symbol of love greater than that of roses. While the deep reds and sharp thorns are a largely known symbol of romance around the globe, he's sick of seeing them. They hurt his hands to pick, and their colours are blinding. Red never suited his Prince, but blue did.

Blue like the clear, shimmering rivers just outside of the castle grounds.

Blue like the afternoon sky, the sun shining down on them both with it's comforting light.

Blue like the moon,

blue like Midori.

He covers his face, burying it in his hands.

"Shut up Tetora-kun. I hate you."

But Tetora knows he's lying, because he can see the corners of Midori's lips turned upward in a gentle smile. 

Tetora would do anything to keep that smile safe.

"Mhm… sure you do, Midori-kun…"

He hums, rustles the Prince's brown hair, and despite the fact anyone could walk in on them at any moment,

Tetora places a kiss atop his head.

You are my Sunshine,

my morning song.

The birds sing beautiful melodies of your name,

begging you to grace earth with your touch.

Your hands are soft as they caress my face,

and your lips are chapped as they meet mine.

Your freckled face matches the milky way,

your eyes are the brightest stars in the night sky.

Lotus flowers bloom beneath us as we embrace under the moonlight,

and you remind me that our love is eternal.