Maurin leaves his gardener parents home in agoraphobia hoping the kingdom of arachnaphobias grounds have kinder terms.
Maurin sneaks into the castle grounds past a maze. It is nearing dusk,he finds a small window coated in vines and examines it.
Hands reaching out, he held tightly to the vines. He pulled himself up,encasing the vines twist with his grasp. Gripping the windows edge,he potruded. Scuffed shoes greeting musky tile in a seemingly vacant bedroom.
The fog is thick and low,freezing his skin despite his hot face, the mans vision is spotty and slowly adjusts to the rooms faint light.
Panels tapping ahead of him, gaze as if hunting for the King's figure.
Unbeknownst to him,his presence awoke Arachs prince,
"So whats your reason?" He asked playfully, his buttery tone rather relaxed for the circumstances.
"I come from the kingdom of Agoraphobia,my parents are the king's gardeners. i dont want their lowly treatment," maurin analyzed his face and attitude more. "you dont look like the king." Maurin notices now the sweat sticking to him,along with his heavy breath.
"Dont want to look like one either,why are you sneaking in through a window instead of formerly meeting with the king? You seem more like an assassin than some runaway"
"Your guards all have at least 4 weapons on them, each"
"Your guards dont have swords on them?"
Maurin countered his comment "dont have guards,now where is the king,i need to talk to him."
The prince scowled at him before questioning him farther "you think their all mighty and caring?" He stated,confused "the king and queen are rotted down to their teeth,they dont give a damn about their people,they make fun of them. They are more scum then the homeless.What makes you think their going to care for you hm?" He sneered.
"Just tell me where they are,please."
The not so noble man laughed at him, before holding his face,meeting his eyes "if the king and queen caught,or so much as saw you,theyd have you beaheaded on display for the whole kingdom,"
Maurin went silent,thinking of what to do.where to go.who to find.
The prince noticed this and pouted "its not personal,they just hate anyone small in their eyes,even me." Once he said this,he thought before asking maurin "you really have nothing huh?" He smiled at him pitifully,his eyes decieving.
Maurin answered this with an even tone "no."
The pointy eared man sighed and messed with his pant legs fabric "hey, if i kept you here,safe, you wont be beheaded? Just don't try to explore or hunt down his majesty right? That can't be that hard for you,"
"Why do you want me to stay here?" He watched the prince,trying to figure out what his motive was. His eyes told him nothing.
The prince scowled again,almost whiny "Im bored,the maids aren't fun to bother either,as long as you dont try to murder me i don't care what you do. Company wouldn't be so bad for you would it? Your not mean."
Out of curiousity he asks the prince why hes never out on royal errands. Aurett blurts out that he doesnt care about being a prince and would much rather do what he wants at others expense.
After 2 nights of maurin sleeping on the floor and keeping his belongings for his eyes only,aurett asks of them. He is told that one book is his journal,containing herbal and astronomical information in its pages.
A few more nights have passed. One particularly, the pointy eared prince,wakes up late,for a milk bath. When he climbs out of his silken sheets he spots maurins book.it is sprawled out on the floor by his arm.
There is a drawing of Aurett,smudged yet detailed,swimming with beauty. Aurett smiled at the picture and goes on his way. Later returning to bed.
Every so often aurett will ask of his favorite flowers. Maurin tells [DIALOGUE] him of one,foxgloves,a vibrant deadly purple plant. The prince giggles with sly bubbles through his voice. He asks when he plans to poison him with them.
Slowly,maurin becomes more comfortable with the royal. They talk of books,leaves growth,and of pink frogs the size of cows roaming neptune. One morning,the fog thin,maurin asks him for snacks. Hesitantly,aurett sneaks the two of them out. They walk down a lengthly hallway that is small and gray.
The only seemingly lively thing is aurett,his bright eyes reflected against the dull panelled walls. The more he watched the prince the more he noticed. His calm posture,the way he walked,seemingly comfortable with himself.
They reach the kitchen,it is dimly lit with no more than a counter,fridge and microwave.
The pink haired one questioned if they had his favorite.blackberries. they did not. Instead aurett fished out a box of pineberries,and smiled,ear to pointed ear.
They were one of his preferred choices.he liked others but pineberries were best by far. He offered the pale fruit to maurin,he looked at him confused, followed by a sigh
The prince pouted pressing the berries into maurins mouth, maurin flinched before eating them. "These are good,thank you." He admitted to aurett,before he was fed more.
Unpredicted by them footsteps were heard,one close after the other,closer.closer.
Aurett rushed to the kitchens side door and shoved maurin out. Pulling him down the hall back to the bedrooms safety.
"What was that about?"
Aurett hushed him as he shut the door.
"That was the cook,shes pissy and mean,she doesnt like me but my parents pay her well"
Maurin looked down,noticing the plate in auretts hands filled with heart shaped macarons.
Aurett caught on and grinned,feeding one to him .
Frustration furrowed his eyebrows before catering to Aurett,giving him one in return.
The prince's face turned into a puzzle as he ate. His face dancing with rouge.
"Its a good colour on you." Maurin remarked,his joke was met with a push to his chest. He backed away,tongue sticking out.
Maurin wasn't met with another sneaky smile,instead,the nobles face was faintly bitter and embarrassed. Nonetheless he shook it off and went back to his spot on the floor, searching for his place in his book.
Not long after Aurett flopped onto the bed. Body stretched with a heavy sigh.
A few minutes passed before he clicked his tongue. As he rolled onto his stomach,his eyes fixed on the other.
"You wanna take a milk bath?" He asked with mischevious tone.
"Im alright." He muttered,glued to the loosely binded book.
The shorter one paused before walking past Maurin "you wanna take one with me?" He laughed.
Flustered he shook his head no,not looking up from the book.
Aurett kept quiet,but took his place next to him,glancing at the pages.
"Astronomy hm?" He scanned the words for a while before silently eyeing maurins face.
"Your eyes are strong."
"What?" Maurin answered,rattled by him.
Aurett thought, and he spoke again "their kind of like burning fire,or a meteor in your face"
Maurin nudged him with the book to stop him. The man grinned and spoke once more.
"Is that so bad,hm?its better than saying their demonic,right?"
He nodded while he read "yeah,your right demonic is worse,but most of what you say is mean or sounds cocky."
"Its better id rather be cocky then whatever my lavish parents make of themselves."
The book shut with a small Thwap and he met Auretts eyes with wonder. "Why are they so untolerable?"
Until this point he'd only learned prickly comments about them. The prince seemed to shrink in his skin,brittle and mad.
"My mother despises me,she berates me and torments my father. The king isnt mean,he just doesnt comprehend certain things. He sets me up on "meetings" with royal women for Arach's sake."
He listened intently,waiting for his highnesses next words, "meetings?" The man scrunches his nose.
Aurett glared,which lacked much anger towards him. "They want me to marry another wealth. Probably think it'd make me more of a prince. All those women are repulsive on the inside,you should see their attitudes." He snarked.
Maurin stared at him with concern and a drop of smugness.
"Their attitudes huh."
There it is,another smile,this one had more teeth.
"Shut up Maur,my attitudes fun,those ladies only want men as tools. Make me this,kiss me like that. Dont do that! stupid, men are obsolete anyway."
"Maur," he thought to himself as he listened to the others comments. A bit lost in his head.
"Why for a second would i want to marry that type of girl,or even kiss them that way, plegh."
He pushed out his tongue like he was nauseas. It made Maurin laugh,which in turn made Aurett content.
Maurin brought himself back up in stature,as did the prince.
He stowed his book away,as he did so Aurett rose before planting himself under the covers of his bed.
"Night." He heard from the floor,he followed with a "mh" before silence fell onto them for the night.
Early the next morning Maurin woke to the sound of Aurett,murmered by his sleepy trance. He was at the door,his curled and whispy hair short and tangled from sleeping.
The door closed and aurett passed him a glance as he groaned. "Hi" he smiled down at him with a better-than-him look on his face.
"When'd you get up?" Maur slurred sitting up,watching aurett sit on the edge of his bed. Toying with a big plate,softly nested in the messed up blankets.
"An hour or so ago." His fingers pressed deeper into the mattress as he stretched his legs. "You hungry?"
Before he could offer maurin's weight shook auretts part of the bed. Maurin went for the plate,he took two,intricately woven croissants,they were cut in half.
He ate slow,the sweetly fruit jam stained maurins lips more with each bite. Aurett made himself more comfortable next to him. He leaned closer taking the buttered pieces from the royal dish.
The shorter of the two spoke up as he chewed. "You only wear like four things.you plan on staying for a while,do you want more of my comfier clothing?"
He finished his food before replying "i will manage" his still jam stained mouth spoke. So direct.
The prince huffed dissatisfied and tramped to his rather big closet,flicking through the rack. Pulling out one stylish cropped hoodie,then a sweater after the other.
"You can have my sweatpants too." The prince refused to admit it but it made him worried,had he not had more at home? He had better parents,he was a training royal gardener,did they not get pay?
Maurin only came with one small bag,torn. He was coated in sweat,angry. Covered in vine leaves and residue,from my stupid lavish window.
He felt somewhat spoiled,again,material wise. Maybe that was why he burned to spoil maurin with so many foods.
tap. His shoulder felt warmer,maurin forced himself into the mountain of fancy clothes aurett had thrown to the ground for him.
"Any more?" He asked and let go.
Aurett smiled sourly and walked off. "Pick whatever you want if it fits you okay?"
"M'kay." Aurett went to his bathroom to fix himself. Maurin stood still,looked to him holding more clothes "thank you." He pressed
Aurett picked his favorite engraved brush,he felt more warm then before,inside.
The prince brushed and combed his hair gently,before giving up and making it better with his hands and finger tips.
For a while,he sat there. On his pristine floor,pretentious. Mad. I want to give him more,he thought. Aurett isnt good with emotions, he doesnt know what he wants,but he knows what he doesnt want. once again this had bothered him, once again,he brushed it off.
As swiftly as he fled,he came. Slipping through the door and back into maurins view. Maurin spoke.
"I found some i like"
Aurett peered at the floor, seeing he had picked enough attire to hold him off. Then,when he looked up,he saw maurin again.
Draped in one of the looser polyester sweaters. one of his.
The royals face burned hot again,this time it was not from frustration,rather,it was uneasy, humbled? No,uneasy. However that was not what he displayed. "Its a good look on you" he teased, picking at maurins old words.
"Thank you." Maurin plead.
He sat for some time,reading his book,next to his pile of new clothing. Aurett spent this chunk of time rearranging his things. The sky aged with the day, and its meticulous cycles of moons.
Some time has passed and he chooses to bug maurin again,
"Mmh,whats the book about?" He murmered,the interest and need to pester him massive on his face.
"Its just astronomy" maurin shifted his body,backing into the bedframe gently. Tilting the book outwards for the other to marvel at.
"You like big words huh?" Aurett peeked at the book.
"Not really" he admitted as he read further. His fingers pushed a clump of thin pages together, looking for something different.
As he did,the books spine tore,its story dissipating onto the floor in piles.
"No!"
That book was old,aurett thought to himself as he watched him try to reassamble the pages orders.
"Is it okay?" This comment earned him a deserved,nasty glare. "Im sorry."
He sat on maurins right and stacked the paper neatly,trying to reassure him fraily. Pages were taken from his hands,a hint of grattitude with it.
Quickly,aurett stood up and took himself to the door.
"What are you doing?" He was asked,nor,told,in a anxious manner.
"I remembered something the king asked me to do."
With that he was gone,down the hall,a left,a right, followed by a short right.
Soon he was through the heavy door,scanning the walls.dust and old tales made the air thick.
Aurett fingered through each shelf,scratching his brain for the title. there. "Astronomy: Astrometry,the Planets,Asteroids,Moons and More" he let out a pitched huff of satisfaction before quickly leaving. He took care to shut the door quietly.
Aurett paced down the hall, but then he stopped,eyeing the potted flower that was nestled by the wall. He smiled at it,the petaled fellow smiled back. The prince pet the petals softly,it hissed with joy. Baring its teeth at him,which glimmered in the lights that dangled from the cieling.
This made them both happy,it had been a while since he fed this particular Flowered Fang some well deserved affection.
He ached to spend more time with the plant,but for once he knew he had something more important to attend to.
"Your fast." Maurin said as aurett reentered the room.
The royal cleared his throat with a rough edge before revealing the book to him. "This is for you."
Maurin held it, grazing the cover with his thumb. He looked up at aurett,flushed with wonder,then thankfulness. "You did this for me..?"
that had stuck with aurett more then he expected. "Of course,i know how much you love the book.and i wanted to make you happy,its okay right?"
Maurin wrapped himself around auretts midwaist,tightly pressing him close. His lips mumbled a giving yes.
Slowly,he hugged Maurin,thin hands resting on his back.