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Chaol and Dorian had only ment to go for a short walk in the royal gardens but had somehow ended up in the mountains around the palace trying to get to a clearing for a midnight picnic, “this isn’t going to work,” said Chaol as a wheel got stuck in another tree root
“Not with this” Dorian agreed looking at the wheelchair. “You could carry me?” Dorian considered for a moment before he reached down and scooped him up into his muscular arms, Chaol wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and hoped that he wouldn’t get dropped. “I was joking you know” he said as he played with the young kings hair “I rather liked the idea” Chaol relaxed slightly and let his head rest on Dorians shoulder.
They walked like this for 15 minutes, until they finally reached a small forest glade on top of the hill “happy birthday Chaol” the clearing had bunting on some of the trees and a picnic blanket with candles where a cake sat under a glass dome.
The city clock chimed 12:00 just as they stepped in meaning that the young lord’s birthday had officially begun “it’s perfect Dorian, thank you” the king only smiled and walked over to the blanket. He sat down and carefully put Chaol down on the blanket leaning against him to stay upright. It was quite a small picnic but it felt like a feast to the couple as they ate, Dorian had gotten the cook to make chocolate strawberries and chocolate coated marshmallows and a cake he had paid attention to what his boyfriend likes so when he planed this it would be perfect but it wasn’t exactly as planned because Dorian hadn’t expected to be king or for the love of his life to be so seriously injured, but at least his disapproving father or the demon that was inside him wasn’t casting a shadow over this day even if Chaol was hurt and may never recover he wasn’t vain enough to leave him, if anything he respected and loved him even more for how well he seemed to be coping.
Chaol felt differently though, he felt like he wasn’t good enough for Dorian anymore especially on those nights when he seemed to notice the looks of pity on people’s faces and it seemed to hard to keep up the act of being strong, those were the nights he was kept awake by self doubt and the tears that leaked out his eyes silently and dripped onto his pillow, but he wasn’t going to let that feeling ruin tonight because for one of the first times since Sorscha died he felt truly happy and wanted it to stay that way.
Once they had finished the food they laid down on the blanket, Dorian had his arms around Chaols shoulders while the lord played with his hair “why?” Chaol asked into the silent night “are you still with me”
“Because I love you” he knew it was true but he couldn’t stop the next question from slipping out “do you pity me? Is that why your still with me because you can’t bare to break a poor cripples heart?” Dorian didn’t look hurt only confused as he answered “of course not Chaol I love you, it doesn’t matter weather or not you can walk, not to me” and added as a second thought “what made you think that?” The lord looked down refusing to answer until the king, Dorian, his lover reached out a hand and gently lifted his head until they were looking at each other and a tear came out the corner of Chaol’s eye “ I overheard two new guards talking in a hallway about you and me, how I was useless and broken and how you were to scared to leave me because of it” Dorian was angry after hearing that for two reasons 1) those idiots had no right to talk about him and his love like that 2) his poor Chaol had already been though so much shit these past few weeks he shouldn’t have to hear stuff like that, no matter how untrue it was it clearly still hurt.
Maybe that was why he did what he did next or it was possibly what he’d been meaning to do for a while but he leaned down and brought Chaols lips closer to his in a soft, tender kiss “I love you completely, don’t ever let anyone make you think otherwise” Chaol just nodded before going in for another kiss, they went on for a long time the kisses becoming let gentle before they pulled away breathing heavily and lay in each other’s arms. They would have gone further but since they were in the middle of the forest they decided to wait for another night.
Eventually they both fell asleep on the blanket, Chaol was lulled asleep first by his boyfriends soft murmured words in his ear and the repeated motion of his hands stroking his hair, Dorian was unconscious minutes later and both slept curled in each other arms all night until they were awoken at dawn by the sun and the birds chirping there song to honour the new day that was emerging, Chaols birthday that they had both decided to spend in a way that they would never forget. They looked at the sunrise and Dorian kissed Chaol again as the light created a halo around there heads, a perfect moment just for them.