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Forbidden was not a word that the knight would like to have in his vocabulary, much less be the reason why that word was being used. Something in his mind kept him there, despite the fact he knew that his friendship with the soon-to-be king was not accepted and probably wouldn’t be. The only reason why this was kept secret enough was because the prince was smart enough to escape at times that even his most trusted person, would be gone for the time being.
Most of that time consisted of hanging out around midnight, in the dead of the night.
And today was no exception, as Jougo ran happily towards a path of flowers, laughing to his heart’s content as he exclaimed for his knight, his protector, to join him in the fun. Mamoru never had heart to decline any of his offers, so he steadily ran up to him, choosing to allow the prince to tackle him happily, making them both fall, his body shielding the frail prince from the fall and the flowers shielding his from the harsh ground.
“Mamo!” A gentle but worried voice filled his ears, a melody he loved hearing, but oh, how he blamed himself from finding such joy in it. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” gentle honey met the white and gold mask that covered his eyes and yet failed to conceal his lips which had turned into a gentle smile.
“Of course not, prince.” He spoke calmly, hoping his voice would be enough to calm the slightly younger prince, who responded with a gentle hum of his own as Jougo carefully sat up next to his protector, enjoying the sight of the stars and the sounds of the night. Nothing but gentle darkness enveloping them, something the prince knew he had to get accustomed to. Mamoru’s response was to simply sit up as well, taking in the same sight that was making the prince’s eyes shimmer underneath the moonlight, focusing on every small star he could count.
“Mamoru” the softer voice brought him back to reality, turning to look at the two-toned brunette who was still staring at the stars, eyes focused on every little sparkle he could find, trying to find the brightest star in the sky. “Which star do you think you came from?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh. “the prince had suddenly become aware of how his question, while innocent, could have troubled the knight beside him. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to gather his thoughts into a cohesive sentence that the blond could properly understand. “Well,” he began, shifting in his spot as he wrapped his red cape around him. “You suddenly appeared one night, in a flash… so I thought…” He trailed off; His gaze now focused on the gem knight beside him. “That maybe you fell from a star.”
It would be an understatement to say that Mamoru simply blushed at the idea of himself coming from something so magical as a star, thankfully, his mask and the darkness of the night concealed his red cheeks, but nothing could shield him from the quick pace his heart took upon hearing such a proposal… Had the prince genuinely thought him so special as if to come from a celestial body? Just like that?
“Well… That I’m not sure of,” he admitted calmly, concealed emerald and sapphire looking into the prince’s honey gaze, who seemed puzzled as he couldn’t properly read the knight’s expression. “But perhaps… that could be a possibility.” He couldn’t deny it, he himself had no idea where he had come from. After all, he did show up in the kingdom, unaware of who he was or where he was. Coming from a star, while a stretch didn’t seem completely impossible.
“I’d like to believe so.” Admitted the prince, his own cheeks turning a shade of crimson, which the golden clad knight noticed, ‘it must be due to the outlandish nature of his thoughts’, he told himself, this wasn’t because of him, it couldn’t be.
Silence filled the air again, only the gentle whispers of the spring breeze could be heard as petals and little white puffs of dandelions flew across the air, lifting both of their capes off and making them swing in the wind. Jougo closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle embrace of the wind as it caressed his cheeks and his hair, a sight that took Mamoru’s breath away. This was so unfair, why, why was he cursed with such affections towards a prince, someone who’d never see him that way.
“The night you appeared,” Mamoru blinked as the prince began his sentence, his eyes now opened and looking over at his protector who sat there unmoving. “I made a wish upon a star, a falling one.” His voice was quiet, gentle… afraid, as if confessing this would somehow ruin everything, destroy whatever little calmness he managed to acclaim. “I wished for a sign, something, someone to come help me.”
“Help you?” the blond asked carefully, shifting slightly closer to the prince, who almost jumped at the sound of his protector’s gentle and caring tone. “Is there something troubling you, my prince?”
“You could say so” carefully, gentle and afraid, the prince took the older one’s hands, his own shaking as he worried, worried that his wish would disappear. That Mamoru; His savior, would be gone if he confessed his wish. He heard many times over, if one speaks up, it’ll be gone, but he had to. He wished to. “I wished… for someone to save me from my future as king, as the supreme king.”
Another breeze passed by as petals flew, dancing between them and their hair swayed with the gentle caress of air. The gem’s protector let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Something about the way the night made the prince’s skin shine, his gentle expression, the hope and fear, yet love in those eyes was too much for him to bear. His pink lips slightly open, pouting as he hoped for his wish to stay. Oh, how he wished he could kiss him right there and then, how he wished he was more than just a simple knight.
“Jougo…” He whispered breathless, unsure of how to respond. The blond rarely called the prince by his name, but this time, this time it was different, and he couldn’t respond any other way. The confession had felt like it had been too much, and nothing was more of an appropriate answer. “I promise, I’ll keep you safe and while I can’t keep that future from you,” Jougo frowned, he was aware, aware that if Mamoru did anything of the sort, he’d be labelled a traitor. “I’ll protect you, for the rest of my days. I won’t let the darkness take you, my prince.”
Before Jougo could respond, his protector took one of the hands he had been holding and gently pressed his lips to the prince’s hand, in a promise. A promise that made the prince’s heart flutter and his stomach turn a million times over. Oh, how he wished he could run away with his knight, stay with him forever, forget everything, just the two of them… but his love was forbidden, and he knew, he always knew.
“Mamoru…” the prince’s melodious voice reached the blond, who in turn looked into his eyes, “Will I ever… see your face?” A gentle question, one that revealed the fragile nature of his prince’s heart. One that always made his heart ache.
For he knew, the day he let the mask off his face, his feelings for the prince would be too much to bear, to hide.
“Perhaps one day, my prince.”