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"Prince, I-"
"Minghao, what are you thinking?!" Prince Seokmin yelps just like he's been doing for the last ten minutes, and Minghao sighs. "You can't be doing this, you- don't you understand how wrong this is?"
"Please let me-"
"I can't marry a knight!"
The problem here is that Seokmin has got everything completely wrong. Minghao was just on his way to town after cavalry training, mindlessly throwing a ball of yarn that Jeonghan (the royal seamster who Minghao loves to help out when he has the time) gave him up and down while he walked, when he threw it too high without thinking and launched it over the side of the wall into the royal garden. Minghao wasn't sure if Jeonghan would want the yarn back or not so he didn't think twice to climb over the thick stone wall and silently apologise to the few flowers he trampled with his (moderately graceful) landing.
He kept his eyes peeled for the yarn but he must've thrown it further than he thought because he couldn't seem to find it anywhere. He was crouching down as he maneouvred carefully through the garden, and got slightly distracted by a beautiful blooming cluster of gardenia augustas, white flowers whose fragrance is the strongest at night, and he leaned down to get a closer smell when his family ring slipped off his finger. It has been feeling a bit annoyingly big lately.
Then just when Minghao got down to pick it up, doors of the balcony just above him were flung open, a loud heavy sigh coming from someone Minghao knows all too well. And when the prince looked over the edge, that's when he saw Minghao on one knee on the ground, a ring in his hands with its blue jewel easily illuminated by the moonlight bouncing off of it. Thus, before Minghao could even say a word or get up, Seokmin started freaking out.
"I mean, yes, we know about your background already since you're a knight," Seokmin starts saying. "And my dad abolished the 'royalty marries royalty' law. And you're very nice to me. And you fight so good. And you're my favourite knight but you can't tell anyone that because I'm not allowed to have favourites. And you're always so sweet to me whenever you think I'm in a bad mood. How do you always know when I'm in a bad mood?"
"You're easy to read, prince."
Minghao unfortunately can't ever do much when Seokmin's upset, though. Outside training and duties, Seokmin has to stay within castle grounds at all times so Minghao can't whisk him away to a fun night on the town or even to a simple hour at his favourite places, like the grassy hillside that's the best place to watch the sunset from or his primary school's playground. So instead, Minghao tries his best to say a personal goodbye before leaving the castle, or if he can stay for longer, he'll hang out with Seokmin in this very garden and they'll talk about flowers and dreams they have. Seokmin has an adorable habit of kissing a rose petal every time he makes promises or wishes for the future, and Minghao tries to tuck whole roses behind Seokmin's ear when he's not looking (he gets caught every time - it's worth it).
"Oh," Seokmin says softly, cheeks blotching pink. "I do get that a lot...ah...what was I talking about again?"
"Why you can't marry me," Minghao says, amused. Though he does feel the smallest pang in his chest when he says those words. He needs to clear this up fast but Seokmin's already speaking again.
"Yes!" Seokmin nods his head rapidly. "I can't, Minghao! This is so unprofessional, who raised you?!"
"My parents. You have met them."
Seokmin scratches his cheek. "Oh, yeah. They're so lovely. I totally get how you grew up so well..."
Then Seokmin points at Minghao accusingly, yelling, "BUT NOT RIGHT NOW! Right now, you're being a BAD SON!"
Minghao clutches his heart. "Ouch."
"Serves you right!" Seokmin harks in triumph, not picking up on Minghao's sarcasm at all. "No-one's parents want their kid marrying a prince! Wait...wait, that came out wrong...I mean, no-one's parents want their kid proposing to a prince only to get horribly rejected even if the prince doesn't really want to reject them but it's not about what the prince wants, okay?!"
Minghao blinks, mind going blank for the first time tonight. "What?"
"You don't want to marry me, Minghao," Seokmin insists. "You deserve someone strong and kind and pretty and better at swordfighting than me."
Minghao doesn't like where this is going. "You're all of those things. You're great at swordfighting."
"Because I have to work really really hard! And because you taught me all those cool techniques from your hometown's style of swordplay!" Seokmin drops his head into his hands. "Just trust me, Minghao, you don't want this-"
"Anyone," Minghao interrupts him loud and firm, making Seokmin look at him again with teary eyes, "would be lucky to marry you. You're wonderful. In so many ways. I can't remember smiling so much before I met you. You bring spirit and joy to our entire guard and it's a big part of the reason why our morale is so high. You do work so hard for every single thing you do and it inspires us all that much more. The town is enamoured with you too, they always tell me so, they wish you could visit more."
"I want to," Seokmin sniffles. "But Dad's too scared something will happen to me before I get crowned..."
"Tell him I will protect you with my life," Minghao persists, and Seokmin's eyes widen. "Just as I always have. And this isn't simply an excuse for you to visit my house because it's not like my parents have been dying to see you again."
Seokmin laughs a little, using his sleeve to wipe at his tears. "Y-Your parents are dying to see me again?"
Minghao nods, wishing more than anything that he could be on that balcony wiping away those tears for him. "They think you're delightful. So do I. So does everyone. Whoever gets your hand will be so fortunate, prince, don't try to steer them away like this because I assure you that you deserve to be loved so dearly."
"Oh my God. Oh my God." Seokmin claps his hands over his mouth, and Minghao notes that they seem to be trembling a little. "Minghao, I thought you were proposing for the riches and the title but are- are you actually in love with me?"
Minghao stares up at him in disbelief. "You thought I would propose for the riches and the title?"
"No, of course I didn't!" Seokmin cries, arms flailing about again in his distress. "You're way too noble to do something like that and you're also the most beautiful soul ever who probably really cherishes true love but maybe you've just been acting that way all this time to get into my good books and my heart and that would crush me if it were true but- goddamnit, you're cruel, Xu Minghao."
Minghao really wants to fixate on Seokmin's addition of 'my heart' but he's not sure if this is the time. "...I'm honoured you see me that way. I can promise you that it's not an act."
"Oh really? Then kiss a rose petal and promise me for real."
Minghao almost laughs, God, Seokmin's deliriously sweet. "Alright, prince."
He looks around and once he pinpoints where some roses are, he walks forward to get to them. Though he pauses when Seokmin suddenly yells in fear, "Ah, Minghao! Where'd you go, I can't see you!"
"You can't?" That gives Minghao an impulsive idea. He finds a rose and gently eases away one of its petals, whispering a soft apology to it as he does, and he tucks it into his pocket before he straightens up to assess the obstacle in front of him. The obstacle being figuring out a way to get up to the balcony because Seokmin is panicking and Minghao's urge to protect him is hitting hard even now - all he wants is to hold him close and explain what's going on. Even if Seokmin's confusing him a little bit, too.
He grabs onto the lowest ridge he can see in the wall and lifts himself up using it, trying to be as quiet as possible so Seokmin won't realise what he's doing. It manages to work - Minghao's scaled enough trees and fences in his life time, and Seokmin's still peeking over the edge of the balcony worriedly looking for Minghao when Minghao manages to throw himself over, landing on his feet and probably looking very cool (he slightly wishes Seokmin was able to see that). Seokmin seizes up at the sound, and then he's whirling around to stare at Minghao, pointing at him and screaming, "FELON!"
Minghao blinks. "What?"
"I'm sorry," Seokmin immediately apologises, looking both terrified and sincerely ashamed of himself. "That's what I've done in every dream I've had of someone surprising me on the balcony..."
"Why are you having dreams about-"
"How did you get up here?"
"It wasn't hard, I can teach you."
"No! I'm so scared of heights, do you know it took me weeks to be able to look over this edge and not run away right after?"
"I'm really proud of you, then."
Seokmin flushes, smiling for one of the first times tonight (which is a crime because Lee Seokmin is very much made to smile). "Thank you."
Minghao chooses this moment to close in. Seokmin goes back on alert when he sees Minghao moving towards him, backing up until his back's against the edge of the balcony but that has him turning rigid, pure panic flashing past his eyes. So Minghao's quick to sweep forward and wrap an arm around him, leading him away. "You're okay."
"I-I..." Seokmin holds onto Minghao's arms, looking up, and his eyes soften at something he must see in Minghao's face. "Yeah."
"Prince," Minghao says carefully, using his free hand to hold up his ring. "Please look at this and tell me what it is."
Seokmin looks wary but he does as Minghao says, leaning close to inspect it. Then he's blinking. "Xu...sapphire...that's your family ring."
Seokmin suddenly looks like he's going to burst into tears. "You were going to give me your family ring?! You love me that much- Minghao, you can't!"
Goodness. "No, Seokmin. There is no ring other than this one, and no proposal. It slipped off my finger while I was looking for something that I dropped in your garden, and you caught me at a bad, easily-misunderstood moment."
It takes a minute for Seokmin to process that. First he just stares at Minghao blankly, then he furrows his eyebrows, then he stares long and hard at the ring, and then...a fierce blush, an ear-piercing gasp, and a whole stream of word vomit. Just like Minghao expected.
"I'm so stupid," Seokmin wails, hiding his face in Minghao's shoulder and Minghao pats his back soothingly. "How did I- I can't believe- and you didn't even stop me, I'm so- I knew you'd never want to marry me, I knew it was too good to be true! I mean, no, I knew it wasn't real enough to be true! Yeah, you wouldn't do that! And now everything's right with the world again and we can go back to our professional relationship of prince and knight just like what's always worked and..." Seokmin's breath hitches, the brightness in his eyes that's almost always there fading. "...and you don't love me."
Now that's the most wrong thing Seokmin's said tonight. Context or not, whether he knew the true meaning behind it or not, Minghao has loved his prince for a long time. Long before tonight.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Minghao says, a bit dizzy, "but you keep seeming to say things that imply that you're in love with me. And as someone who was never planning to propose in the first place, you're sure opening my eyes up to the opportunity."
Seokmin freezes, before he's snapping his head up to look at Minghao with big eyes. "You- You do want to propose to me?"
"Well, I think that I just realised moments ago that my admiration for you runs deeper than my loyalty to you as my prince, so I'm not sure if I can go that far. But I do think I'll want to one day."
He feels Seokmin melt in his arms. "Can...can you call me your prince again...?"
"My prince." Minghao draws in closer, sees the way Seokmin's eyes flash wide when he does, hands gripping Minghao's arms tighter like a lifeline. "My prince."
"My knight," Seokmin whispers back, and Minghao almost trips over nothing. It was so easy calling Seokmin his, but hearing that? Minghao doesn't think his heart's ever beat so fast in his life, not even in the thrum of battle.
"I promise," Minghao assures him, "if we're to do this, I will want this. I'll be happy. And I'll do anything in my power to make you happy, too."
"You don't have a rose petal," Seokmin murmurs even as more tears are filling his eyes by the second. "How do I know your promise is real?"
Minghao reaches into his pocket and takes out the rose petal that he can clearly see now thanks to the light of Seokmin's room is a full pink. Minghao presses a gentle kiss to it, then he rests the side he kissed against Seokmin's lips. "Because I promise that, too."
Minghao doesn't understand this rose petal thing but he doesn't need to if it's part of Seokmin's praxis. He adores the thought of incorporating flowers, nature's smiles, into something that runs as deep and powerful as unbreakable promises anyway - but now as Seokmin's eyes gleam at him, the prince gently pushes aside the petal so it flutters to the ground next to them and his hands drift up to perch safely on Minghao's shoulders, pulling him into a real kiss that stops time. It's a little terrifying, how Minghao can feel and think of nothing but Seokmin, but knights live to face fears for their princes. Minghao can overcome anything if Seokmin's involved; if Seokmin wants him to.
And it's scary, but it's definitely right. It's definitely everything Minghao never knew he wanted as he takes all of Seokmin in, lets his hands curve over Seokmin's waist like he's only ever allowed himself to do when teaching Seokmin martial arts stances, sees lovelorn pink bloom behind his eyelids as colourful and warm as the rose's shade.
"You kiss better than the rose petal does," Minghao tells him right after, breathless and light-headed. Seokmin laughs too loud for this time of night but Minghao would rather die than tell him to be quiet, not when happiness is such a beautiful look on him.
Minghao does slip his family ring onto Seokmin's finger and it fits him much better than it fits Minghao. Maybe Minghao will get another one made for himself, and maybe he really will give Seokmin this ring one day. But he doesn't need to worry about that now. For now, Seokmin kisses him into morning, sweet and eager and so loving that Minghao can't believe Seokmin's been able to hide it from him for so long, and Minghao hopes Seokmin knows. Hopes he feels how much Minghao longs to show him love in return.
He'll have to buy Jeonghan the best quality replacement yarn he can find in thanks.