Lucien sat down on a stone bench in the gardens, putting his head in his hands and wishing desperately he could be anyone else, because then he could marry the only person he had ever wanted to marry.
It's not in the Cards (O/O)
He stared up at the night sky, crying quietly to himself. He knew it was a stupid idea. He knew that it would end up with Lucien saying no… He knew and he did it anyways. He supposed it was a bit of a wake up call. He chugged more of the wine, before staring at the ring for a moment. So carefully and lovingly crafted… so much time and dedication. He gave a pained cry into his sleeve before throwing it. He didn't know where it landed.
Lucien closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head a little. Why did it have to be like this for them?
Aki leans against his masters grave, gazing up at the stars. It wasn't fair. He loved Lucien deeply, but they could never be official in the eyes of the kingdom. He shuts his eyes, the wine in his system making him drowsy.
Lucien didn't know where Aki had gone, and didn't know if he should follow or not. He didn't move from the bench, trying to think about what to do.
Aki slowly drifted in and out of sleep, using his arm as a head rest as he slept on the grass next to his masters grave.
Lucien let out a faint breath, closing his eyes tightly.
Aki didn't know how long he had passed out for, all he knew was that his legs were numb and he was cold. He slowly sits up. It was still dark… but he wasn't sure how late… or early? It was.
Lucien had looked for him, but hadn't been able to find him. He…to be honest, he thought maybe Aki had just left him.
Aki slowly stood, wobbling a little bit and taking a deep breath. He stared up at the castle, his eyes watering a little. He brushed them away before glancing at his masters grave. He used his magic to find the ring and placed it in his pocket. He looked like a mess, his robes crumpled, his eyes puffy from crying, his body ached from the weird position he slept in. He wandered the halls of the castle quietly, no noise coming from him. He made it to his room and slowly crawled into the bed he hadn't slept in for ages… he had always slept in Lucien's room. But his heart ached too much right now.
Lucien was in his own room, but he wasn't sleeping. He sat awake, poring through the lawbooks that he had taken from the royal library, trying to find a solution to this mess, short of abdication. He didn't want to abandon his country, and he didn't want to push the burden onto René.
Aki, even though he was curled up comfortably, couldn't sleep. All he could do was stare sadly at the ring that sat on his bedside table. He sighed deeply and turned away from it, his ears flattening across his head as he tried his hardest to sleep.
He paged through book after book, unable to bring himself to go to sleep. He desperately needed to find a way to fix this mess.
Aki finally pulled himself out of bed and out of his room. His master had always taken walks whenever he couldn't sleep, so Aki figured, it might help for him to do the same. He found himself in front of Lucien's door and he hesitated before knocking.
Lucien answered the door after a few seconds, blinking at Aki. "Oh. I…I thought you left." He said, reaching out to pull Aki into a desperate hug.
Aki fell into his arms and shook his head. "I fell asleep…" He murmured quietly. "At my masters grave…" He nuzzles into Lucien's shoulder. Yes… yes this felt right.
He nodded slightly, pressing his face to Aki's hair. "I didn't think to look there, I'm sorry." he said quietly, holding Aki close.
Aki shrugged. "It's a distance from the castle…" He murmured softly, curling closer into Lucien. "Why are you still up? It's nearly four in the morning." He whispered into Lucien's shoulder.
"I was…I was looking at the legalities. About us. Marriage." he replied softly.
He paused at that. "You know that… you have to produce an heir… marry a woman." He whispered. "Did you find anything?" He asked quietly, a little hope flittering in his words.
"I don't know." he rubbed his forehead tiredly. "It's all in this legal shit."
Aki nods slowly. "Why don't you take a break?" He asks gently. "Get some sleep… I'll rest with you if that helps? You won't be able to find anything if you're tired."
"I…okay." he said softly, yawning tiredly.
He gently guides the other to his bed, smiling softly. Once he made sure that Lucien was tucked in, Aki slid in bed next to him, curling into Lucien's chest.
Lucien wrapped his arms around Aki, holding him close.
Aki smiled and kissed his cheek gently. "We'll figure this out… together." He murmured softly, his hand running through Lucien's hair.
"We will." he whispered back. "We will."
"Like we always do…" He whispers, leaning into Lucien's shoulder. "I love you so much, my darling prince."
He smiled slightly. "I love you too."
Aki kissed his forehead before slowly dozing off.