Chapter Text
Dmitri stalked the familiar path of the kingdom, the cobble weaving through trimmed hedges that acted as an outline to the well-kempt garden. His gaze was downcast towards the amethyst necklace that dangled from his tanned neck, falling before his blue royal attire in a complementary fashion. The young prince seemed thoughtful when he lightly took ahold of the pendant; the way it was expertly carved into that of a forget-me-not had him thinking. His thumb lightly trailed over the center of the artificial flower, where a singular red heart made of ruby resided.
Prince Galeforce had given him this necklace without much explanation. This flower- this pendant- had been important to the other prince. And yet, despite the importance and value, Hubert had given Dmitri the ornament of jewelry. Prince Petrov didn’t know why, nor understand the importance of the beautiful necklace. However, from the scene he recalled that rainy, gloomy day, it almost seemed to hurt Hubert when giving it away.
The way the prince was knelt before a grave, sobbing in a mess of his own despair had caused Dmitri to act against his own accord. He had hugged Hubert and wrapped his cloak around him to protect him from the cold. Yet, the remembrance of the other prince so broken on his knees caused Dmitri’s heart to twist in his chest into ways unimaginable.
Hubert had given him so much. He had saved Dmitri’s life and had gotten a scar out of it in the process, and not to mention the ornament that Dmitri now had in his possession. He still didn’t know what to feel about either scenarios. Subconsciously, he lifted a hand faintly to his abdomen where a deep scar resided, protected by his clothing that hugged his body. They had both received a scar from that encounter, and even though Dmitri’s wound had nearly killed him, Hubert’s wound had been more devastating.
“He shouldn’t have gotten it.” Dmitri groveled to himself, his teeth gritting in response to the boiling anger that arose in his chest. The sound was deep and gruff, etched with vengeful tendencies. If he ever met the person that did that to his Hubert, they won’t survive to see tomorrow.
After a few brief moments, Dmitri perked from sudden realization from his own thought process. He blinked rapidly and shook his head. His Hubert? Did he really just think that? What was he even thinking? He wanted Hubert, that much was clear even though he wanted to deny it desperately. He wanted to be held by Hubert’s strong arms, unmarked and untouched by toxicity. He hated himself for that. He hated it. He hated it. He shouldn’t want anyone! Let alone another man. His parents wouldn’t like that. They wouldn’t...
Dmitri shook his head again, allowing his mahogany hair sweep over the side of his forehead and over his right eye in the slightest. He rid himself of his thoughts despite the words that bit at his mindset, the voices etched with a venom that was undeniable.
He tried to focus on another topic but it always went back to Hubert. It was always Hubert. What Hubert wanted, who Hubert was, what troubled Hubert, and what made Hubert happy. Dmitri was always so focused on Prince Galeforce he never thought about his own affairs. His hand delicately trailed over his long sleeve that covered the cowardly scars along his wrists, decorating his skin in thin pink threads of ruined flesh. His brows furrowed thoughtfully towards each intricate scar along his flesh that he so deliberately hid. Hubert wouldn’t like them.
Back to Hubert once again. Dmitri didn’t know how it always ended up like that. His heart pounded each time he thought about the man- his smile a prison for Dmtiri’s brain, captivated in its beauty and grace.
Prince Petrov fidgeted with the pendant, a habit he took into doing since he had received the gift. The forget-me-not resemblance of the amulet caused him to realize the symbolism behind such delicate artificial petals, snapping him out of his trance to some degree.
There had been forget-me-nots by the grave Hubert had been grieving at, beneath that weeping willow tree.
Dmitri loudly cursed to himself. He didn’t know how to comfort Hubert for the life of him! That man was grieving the loss of a loved one and all Dmitri had been able to do was hug him and offer his cape. He was such an idiot, yet Hubert somehow felt better afterwards. Dmitri wondered if it had really been enough for Hubert, to be held by Dmitri’s muscular arms during his fit of sorrow. Dmitri didn’t know the answer to such a thought, but the words of Prince Galeforce echoed within his subconscious memories.
“I have to move on.”
Was this really what he meant? To move on? When Dmitri tried to piece together the fallen shards of such a broken story, all he could come up with was that the one buried had given Hubert the necklace before their passing. He didn’t know how the person died or the relationship they had with Hubert. All he knew was that Hubert cared about them a lot- whoever they used to be.
Once again, he was snapped out of his thought process, his brain unable to settle on one topic for long. He lifted his gaze from the pendant that resided along his manus towards the sound of soft singing- a sound he gladly got used to. The sound of his little pretty bird.
There it was again. That possession. That constant want to capture that voice as his own. Not in a literal sense- he never sang for anyone and wouldn’t want to take away that lovely voice- but he wanted the person who sang the sweet song for himself. He wanted to be imprisoned within each lyrical phrase, captivated by each word and drawn into the lips that dared to sing with such beauty and grace.
Dmitri knew the song that he was singing. As the prince drew closer and closer, the words became clearer, echoing within Dmitri’s mind as he took in each lyric. Each beautifully strung syllable and drawn out phrase. The way the lyrics rolled off Hubert’s tongue drew Dmitri in and he halted by the edge of the garden. The royal garden became their common meetup spot nowadays.
Dmitri stared at the second prince resting on the edge of the fountain, the water as blue as Hubert’s eyes. He was enraptured by the blue glimmer in his fellow prince’s optics, unable to stop himself from watching the prince sing.
“I know that song...” Dmitri found himself mumbling, unsure if Hubert even heard him. To his surprise, Hubert perked towards the realization he was standing just a mere few feet away.
“Dmitri!” Hubert greeted with glee, his grin causing any doubt a Dmitri had to be erased in an instant. That didn’t stop him from staring at Hubert’s scar that ran from just below his eyelid and down his cheek. A painful memory.
“Prince Galeforce.” Dmitri greeted formally, deciding to sit on the edge of the stone that made up the fountain. He remained a short distance away from Hubert to not bother him.
“You can just call me Hubert, Prince Petrov.” Hubert smirked, offering Dmitri a playful and light punch to the shoulder. Dmitri, caught off-guard, perked but awkwardly smirked at him. He rubbed his arm.
“That isn’t formal.” Dmitri interjected with a minor shrug of his shoulders, his epaulettes shifting from the movement.
“We don’t have to be formal.” Hubert protested, offering a warm smile to a Dmitri. Dmitri’s heart fluttered as a response.
Dmitri didn’t say anything. He merely shifted awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. He lowered his gaze to the necklace he wore, only to feel more awkward from the fact he was wearing Hubert’s necklace.
Hubert, deciding to ease the tension, spoke up. “You said you knew the song I was singing?” He questioned curiously, cerulean eyes full of wonder and curiosity.
“I did.” Prince Petrov responded evenly, his voice level.
“Do you know the lyrics?” Prince Galeforce coaxed gently.
“I... do. Why?” Dmitri asked upon lifting his gaze to Hubert, his mahogany eyes meeting Hubert’s enchanting blue stare.
“I want you to sing with me.” Hubert abruptly admitted, his face lighting up in the slightest upon mentioning it.
“Pardon?” Dmitri blinked rapidly, his dumbfounded stare fixated upon Hubert’s soft expression.
“I want you to sing with me.” Hubert repeated, his smile growing. It was so full of life- of light that Dmitri never wanted to fade. He didn’t want his candle, his prized candle’s flame, to flicker out and die on him. Hubert deserved the best life had to offer.
“I... can’t sing.” Dmitri responded quietly, his tone full of anxious nerves. He shuddered slightly at just imagining him singing with Hubert. Hubert was such a splendid singer, each lyric holding so much emotion and power that Dmitri felt insignificant towards.
“Sure you can!“ Prince Galeforce replied, flashing that all-too familiar smile again. “Everyone can sing. I’m not here to judge. Nobody is around. It’ll just be us.”
Dmitri pondered the offer, ignoring his heart beating profusely in his chest. He gritted his teeth slightly and fidgeted with the necklace around his neck, his thumb brushing along the beads that were intertwined with the chain. “...Fine.” He finally murmured, his eyes of brown lifting towards Hubert reluctantly. “Only for you.”
Hubert’s expression beamed drastically and almost immediately, his grin broadening. He shifted along the stone of the fountain as he prepared himself, Dmitri doing the same and mimicking Prince Galeforce. They both straightened their posture.
“I’ll start off.” Hubert announced. His cerulean eyes flickered towards Dmitri’s nod of approval and acknowledgement. He cleared his throat.
“Two birds on a wire.
One tries to fly away,
And the other watches him close from that wire.”
Dmitri hesitated when Hubert glanced in his direction. He swallowed thickly.
“He says he wants to as well...”
“Good!” Hubert praised him in the middle of their singing, subtly shifting closer to the other prince. He continued their soft serenade, unbothered by Dmitri’s clearly out-of-tune voice.
“But he is a liar.”
Hubert stared at Dmitri, his gaze captivating and capturing Dmitri within their tender stare. Hubert knew the meaning behind this song. He was uncertain if Dmitri did, but deep inside, he hoped Dmitri did. Softly, Hubert continued to sing, coaxing Dmitri to join in at certain times.
“I’ll believe it all.
There’s nothing I won’t understand.”
Dmitri quietly sang, his voice cracking from his nerves and anxiety that rose within his voice. He was no singer like Hubert, and yet here he was.
“I’ll believe it all.
I won’t let go of your hand.”
As if going with the lyrics, Hubert was by Dmitri’s side right then and there. His hand gently took the other prince’s into his own, his fingers intertwining with Dmitri’s. His face was gently flushed from the small but impactful action, clearly having caught a Dmitri off-guard. He chuckled faintly towards Dmitri’s dumbfounded and blushing expression.
“Two birds on a wire.
One says ‘c’mon’ and the other says...”
Dmitri stared in silence for a moment and glanced away, unable to focus with Hubert so close to him. The man felt warm.
“‘I’m tired.’”
Dmitri finished the lyrical phrase, quietly realizing how similar the lyrics were to him. He rubbed at his eye faintly with a single thumb.
Hubert gently lifted a hand to Dmitri’s chin, his thumb delicately trailing over the small scruffs of hair growing at Dmitri’s there.
“The sky is overcast and I’m sorry.”
Hubert inched closer.
“One more of one less,
Nobody’s worried.”
Hubert beckoned for Dmitri to turn his head to face him. Although reluctant, he complied, fixating his gaze upon the prince who was dangerously too close.
“I’ll believe it all.
There’s nothing I won’t understand.
I’ll believe it all,
I won’t let go of your hand.”
Hubert leaned so close that Dmitri could feel the warm breath wafting from his lips, the thick smell of coffee blatantly clear. Hubert could also smell the faint whiff of alcohol emitting from Dmitri but overall seemed unbothered.
“Two birds of- feather.. a feather..
Say that they’re always- stay together. Gonna stay together.
But ones never going to let go of-of wire.. that wire.
He says that he will...”
Dmitri stammered, his entire body shuddering while his face flushed a bright crimson. He was hardly able to focus as his head swam with panicking thoughts that ran rampant within his mindset. He knew he shouldn’t stutter- he was a prince, after all! But with Hubert so close to him, touching his chin and holding his hand, it was distracting. He would be lying if he said he hated it.
“But he’s just a liar.”
Hubert chimed, his voice a soft angelic croon compared to Dmitri’s stuttering mess. Dmitri swallowed thickly again. They have been in this position for a long while, just staring into each others’ gazes.
“Two birds on a-a wire,
One tries.. fly away.. and- other..
Watches him close! From that wire.
He says he wants to as well.. but he is- liar.
Trying to maintain a steady tone was incredibly difficult. Hubert inched even closer, causing Dmitri’s heart to rapidly beat against his chest in a state of panic. He tried to glance away from Prince Galeforce’s face but Hubert’s tender hand still had him by his chin, his thumb that ran over his skin sending shivers throughout Dmitri’s overheating body.
“Two birds on a wire,
One tries to fly away and the other...”
Hubert finished the song, leaving it on a soft note that caused Dmitri’s ears to want more of his voice. However, when Dmitri closed his eyes in his attempts at blocking out the new distraction, his entire body abruptly stiffened. Hubert’s lips met his own so suddenly that Prince Petrov didn’t have any time to react.
The kiss was brief, but it sent Dmitri into a blushing fit. Hubert quickly pulled away from the kiss, even though Dmitri had kissed back, his cerulean eyes widened frantically.
“I am so sorry!” Hubert abruptly cried, scooting back drastically. The warmth in Dmitri’s hand quickly faded when Hubert’s hand wasn’t in his, warming it with their shared body heat. Dmitri was disappointed but clearly stunned to silence, his eyes fluttering open in bewilderment. “I don’t know what came over me! I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to- that. To do that. Oh gods...”
Dmitri watched with astonishment at how Hubert was trembling, tears clearly threatening to leak out of the corners of his beautiful eyes. The way Hubert was trembling reminded Prince Petrov of how he looked on that day by the grave- a sobbing mess as though he had made the worst mistake of his life.
Dmitri was still at a loss of words, the lingering taste of Hubert’s warmth left an impression on Dmitri’s lips. He swallowed roughly and stared unblinkingly at Hubert. He knew he should speak, but he couldn’t! How could he, after something like that?
Hubert quickly stood up from the stone of the fountain and brushed himself off. “I-I should go.“ He stammered slightly- something Dmitri was not used to. Before Hubert knew it, the warmth of Dmitri’s hand enclosed around his hand, beckoning him to stay.
Hubert tensed up quietly but relaxed when he turned to face Dmitri, about to question what the meaning of the gesture was. To his surprise, Dmitri tugged Prince Galeforce closer to him so that when Hubert was close enough, he was able to stand to imprison Hubert in another kiss. This kiss was not brief whatsoever, their lips intermingling with one another desperately, as though they were afraid their partner in song would leave and the duet would be no more.
Hubert’s hands searched Dmitri’s back, slipping beneath his royal attire to feel the warmth of his scarred skin. His fingers lingered upon each and every scar, sending shudders down Dmitri’s body but he didn’t pull away. Hubert’s head was tilted to the left and towards the hand he used the most for his day-to-day tasks, his left hand now focusing on Dmitri’s body pressed against his own.
Hubert couldn’t help but let the tears from the corners of his eyes fall from his eyes and down his cheeks. He finally pulled away after the lengthy kiss, the faint taste of alcohol lingering on his lips when he opened his cerulean eyes towards the man that dared to kiss him back.
Dmitri’s face was a bright vermillion color that Hubert admired. The other prince’s hands gently cupped Hubert’s face and Hubert allowed Dmitri to wipe away his tears with his thumbs, trailing over the scar along his cheek in a silent apology.
“I love.. you too.” Dmitri finally whispered to break the silence. Together, they settled on the edge of the fountain with the least amount of light trickling down upon the stone surface. They stayed there, in silence, the only sound being the running water of the fountain.
“I didn’t.. think..” Hubert’s voice trailed off as more tears ran like tiny rivers down his cheeks. Dmitri made it his mission to wipe them away.
“I didn’t think you- did. Either.” Dmitri’s murmured softly, his sentence breaking into small fragments as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He inched closer and engulfed Hubert in a hug, in which Hubert returned the favor and allowed Dmitri to snuggle his face into his chest.
They were two song birds in love- one who had been afraid to let go of the wire, the wire being the denial of something so obvious. Dmitri knew he had loved Hubert but didn’t want to admit it, but after that kiss, it had awakened Dmitri beyond what he thought was possible. They were held together be a string, the string intertwining them together for however long they dared to cuddle with one another.
“How could I not love you?” Hubert managed to whisper in a near squeak. He rested his chin on the top of Dmitri’s head, unbothered by the brown strands that tickled his skin.
“I know... I’m so great.” Dmitri chuckled faintly. He didn’t know how much he believed that now. He had cowardly scars decorating his arms and his back, but Hubert wanted him as much as he wanted Hubert. Hubert cared not for the scars along his skin even if Dmitri hated them. God, he loved this man.
“Yes you are.” Hubert laughed softly, sniffling in the slightest due to his previous crying.
They went silent again, merely sinking into each other’s embraces. Hubert had his eyes closed, holding Dmitri close and pressed his nose against Prince Petrov’s head of brown hair. He inhaled his scent, a mixture of roasted walnuts and a faint whiff of alcohol, and welcomed the peculiar smells. His hands gently ran down Dmitri’s back, gracing Dmitri’s scars with his soft touches. He knew not of how they originated but he knew well that he was going to shower them with his kisses. His kisses would mimic the night sky decorated in stars, each kiss a twinkling light in the dark that was bound to hide Dmitri’s external scars with their celestial grace.
Neither of them realized, or remembered, when they had fallen asleep, intertwined in each other’s arms like a string connected their hearts into one.