Chapter Text
The sky shone with the colors of magenta and violet, intermingling with each other like partners in a ballet. Amber coloration stretched a thin line across the horizon of the evening sky, mixing itself with its partner Pink. The four colors, each partners to each other, created the late evening, the cool breeze a result from the time of day.
Prince Petrov strode along the stone pathways, each step as lengthy and steady as the last. His mahogany hair was tousled by the chilling breeze that struck his muscular and lanky form. His cape snapped behind him majestically, the blue gradience of his cape shimmered from the brisk pace of his strides. His cravat of ocean-blue was situated between his epaulettes, the frills along the outer rims of the shoulder wear continuing to sway back and forth from his pace. Dark blue swirls decorated the fabric of his epaulettes, dotted splotches of the same color adding extra detail to the expertly sewn fabric that was his royal attire.
Dmitri’s cape continued to sway behind him, falling just at the back of his knees. Each time his cape swished, the dragon emblem appeared as though it were flying, the alluring sapphire wings complementing the gradience of shades.
The prince fixed his cravat so that it was situated more directly over the golden buttons that held his azure clothing together.
He smiled faintly to himself as he peered over to his left shoulder, where a small chocolate-colored dragon resided, the color of the tiny creature a few shades lighter than the prince’s hair. A lighter milk chocolate coloration stretched across Ivan’s underbelly and down the bottom of his tail to his tip, also decorating the leathery but small wings of the creature. He was batting lightly at the cravat Dmitri wore, his tiny paw tipped with milk chocolate also pressing against the red and gold emblem sewn into the clothing at Prince Petrov’s left pectoral.
“Do you like it?” The prince asked, his tone soft towards the dragon. He had four beasts- Igor, Isadora, Ivan, Ivana. He loved them dearly, for they understood him and were there with him through thick and thin. “I just had it made for me.”
The tiny creature warbled in response, the sound quiet and innocent to mark the age of the tiny whelpling. He flapped his brown wings in joyful bliss, his tiny paw trying its best to appear threatening to the in animated object that was Prince Petrov’s neckwear.
Dmitri made his way to the familiar garden that the kingdom possessed, shared by his parents and Prince Galeforce’s parents. They were both in line for the throne if anything were to happen, and even though Hubert seemed so carefree about it all, Dmitri was stressed about it. His muscles would tense every time his parents mentioned lessons in proper mannerisms.
He stood at the base of the fountain at the center of the garden, protected by perfectly trimmed hedges that spiraled in a maze speckled with flowers of many kinds. The flowers were strewn effortlessly over the grounds, each color of the rainbow present and much more, the scene truly breathtaking.
Dmitri stares into the magenta water of the fountain that reflected the late evening sky that was starting to be speckled by silver stars that created linings along the already magnificent view. He sighed softly to himself and only smiled to himself when Ivan lightly nuzzled the side of his cheek, snapping himself out of his thought process.
He had nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t be alone. He had Prince Galeforce at his side and, together, they would rule the kingdom in their parents’ stead.
“I’m amazing.” Dmitri found himself saying, swallowing down his despondency and stressful negativity so that his boastful pride could show. “I have nothing to worry about. Nothing bad ever happens to the Petrovs!”
Ivan warbled in response, the sound small and insignificant compared to the other dragons of Dmitri’s as they were in their adolescent years.
Dmitri inclined his head faintly in his pride. His hand lifted to the peach fuzz growing around his lips and along his chin, the small strands of hair barely noticeable unless one were to move close to his face. Of course, the prince wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.
Only one person was allowed to have that privilege.
Prince Petrov’s cheeks lightly flushed but he swallowed down that emotion upon noticing it in his imperfect reflection in the fountain. No. He wasn’t allowed to show such a sign- such a vulnerable sign. His heart fluttered and he swallowed roughly again, his deep brown eyes tightly closing to deny his flustered appearance. He didn’t know why he felt such a way, let alone for someone so specific, but he knew he mustn’t let it show.
Instead of Ivan snapping him out of his toxic mentality, the sweet sound of singing, a croon as it were. It was soft and beautiful, each lyric sung in such a manner that it captivated the young prince in its trance.
“Would it be a sin?
If I can’t help falling in love with you.“
Dmitri, entranced by the singing beauty that was the soft masculine voice, made his way towards the crooning angel. His steps were silent against the grass once he stepped off of the path, the grass a perfect shade of green and seemed t have been tended to recently. It was newly mowed and trimmed, the blades of grass outlining the hedges in their protective embrace.
“Like a river flows,
Surely to the sea...”
Prince Petrov peeked out from behind a tree dotted with red apples grown to perfection. His eyes of sepia trailed towards the masculine figure sitting with his back pressed against the trunk of the tree. His clothing was not as extravagant and pronounced as his own clothing. The black and red coloration of the other prince’s clothing complemented each other from the red armbands to his darker crimson boots. His sword was in its red sheath, propped against the side of the tree peacefully, the blue sapphire at its hilt reflecting endless arrays of captivating magenta from the sky.
“ Darling, so it goes,
Some things are meant to be.”
The man was singing the sweet melody that rang in Dmitri’s ears like a beautiful little bird. It was soothing, each lyric ringing off of Prince Galeforce’s tongue with such grace that it stunned Dmitri to silence. Ivan was perched on the young prince’s shoulder, silenced by the singing as though also captivated in its charm.
“Take my hand,
Take my whole life too.“
Hubert Galeforce, a man Dmitri found endearing but would never admit to it, sat there at the base of the tree situated between two large roots. The roots curled around him and stretched across the ground like snakes, acting as minor protection from the chill in the air. He was holding up a tiny gray-colored griffin, the size of Treble about the same as Ivan but a bit bigger. His gray feathers were ruffled slightly and his yellow beak clicked together.
“For I can’t help,
Falling in love with you.”
The way Hubert swayed Treble side to side in the air like a father to a child, his hands lightly propping the griffin up beneath his front legs, was sweet to witness. No more lyrics spilled out of the young prince’s mouth, now reduced to humming as the man rested Treble on his lap.
Ivan cooed towards the familiar faces of Treble and Hubert, quickly hopping off of Dmitri’s shoulder with a soft thud against the ground. He stumbled forward at first from the drop and allowed his tiny paws to carry him across the grass.
“Ivan!” Dmitri whispered frantically, feeling his heart lurch from Ivan’s abrupt bolt towards the human and beast duo. “Come back!”
Ivan didn’t listen. The chocolate-colored dragon stumbled over the roots and climbed onto Hubert’s lap, perking towards the prince’s laughter when Treble was abruptly pushed aside onto his other knee.
“Oh! Hello there, Ivan. Is Dmitri around?” The second prince asked with amusement flickering in his sapphire-blue eyes. He watched as Ivan batted at the pendant created by rich amethysts in the form of a flower with many petals, a center ruby chiseled into a heart at its core.
Dmitri, rather hesitantly, stepped out from behind the tree with a small, unconfident step. He was normally so confident and stylish in his own regards and in his own mindset, but whenever he was even remotely close to Hubert, he felt small and insignificant. He always fixed his dark brown hair to settle any uneven strands to look presentable and his hands tidied up his cravat that had a red gemstone at its center that complemented the blue. When he finally stepped out, Hubert greeted him with a friendly and charming smile in such a heartwarming expression that made Dmitri’s heart flutter.
“There you are! What were you doing behind there?” Hubert laughed, the sound soft and not at all forced. When Dmitri walked closer, the other prince scooted slightly to the side to give Dmitri more room beside him. When Prince Petrov seemed unsure of what to do, Prince Galeforce patted beside him against the cool grass. Ivan and Treble were perched on Hubert’s knees, Treble on his left and Ivan on his right. The dragon was still messing with the pendant dangling from the prince’s neck.
Dmitri hesitated for a moment before settling beside the other prince. He fixed his cape so he wasn’t sitting on it, allowing it to sprawl out behind him as he leaned against the tree. He watched Hubert lightly scratch Ivan beneath the chin, only to laugh when Treble got jealous and wanted scratches too. Of course, he used his other hand to scratch Treble beneath his furry chin.
“Your... singing was beautiful.” Dmitri found himself quietly sputtering, trying his best not to stutter. He spoke slow, knowing that stuttering as a higher up in the hierarchy was frowned upon.
“Oh, you heard that?” Hubert asked with incredulity. He blinked his eyes towards the other prince, imprisoning him in his sapphire-colored gaze. “You... thought it was beautiful?“
“As beautiful as the person that sang the song.” Dmitri quietly whispered under his breath, stunning Hubert into silence.
The two princes sat there beneath the apple tree in utter silence, but it was not that awkward silence people dreaded. It was a comforting silence, a soft sense of understanding of truth and beauty in whatever moment they were sharing.
“Nobody’s ever told me that before.” Hubert finally said after a moment, his eyes softening towards the two creatures sprawled out over his lap in delicate slumber. “It felt nice...”
“More people should tell you that.” Dmitri managed to say, daring to scoot closer. He moved close enough so that their shoulders barely touched, their arms pressed gently against each other. It sent chills up Prince Petrov’s spine like little tiny feet that crawled up his skin.
“I think you’re beautiful, too.” Hubert finally murmured, the voice of his as delicate as his singing voice when he was singing, presumably, a love song.
Dmitri’s cheeks flushed and his heart felt as though it leapt out of his chest from the simple comment. He lightly tugged at the corner of his blue cloak and watched as Hubert subtly shivered from the cold in the air. He wasn’t able to speak to Prince Galeforce due to the comment catching him by surprise. Instead, he just gently unclipped his cape from around himself, detaching it from his shirt to gently wrap it around Hubert instead like a blanket. When Hubert appeared mildly surprised but not against the gesture, Dmitri mustered up a smile.
Hubert pulled the cloak close to him and took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring in the slightest. The material was soft, as was the gradience in blues that made up the fabric, and it smelled like Dmitri. It smelled faintly of alcohol, not enough to be pungent or make Hubert hate the smell, but enough to remind him of Dmitri and the warmth the man probably would have to offer.
Hubert glanced towards Prince Petrov, his blue eyes softening towards his muscular frame that no longer possessed the cape. He was faintly shivering but tried to hide it and not make it known, but when Hubert gently took his hand into his own with his fingers intertwining with his, Dmitri perked. Hubert pulled him closer and smiled when the other prince didn’t pull away despite his eyes widening in both realization and fear.
Before Dmitri knew it, Hubert had wrapped the cape around them both so that the chill of the air couldn’t get to them. The wind couldn’t surpass their body heat mixing together and the cape acting as an insulator to preserve such a precious substance.
At that moment, with Dmitri’s cheeks flushing a deep crimson, he knew he loved this man, and he couldn’t help it.