Chapter Text
Loras awoke from his nightmare.
All he felt on his bare skin was a chill, no pain, as if he hadn't been burned by a barrel of hot oil on Dragonstone. He gasped, sweat sliding off his skin. He opened his eyes, but it was hard to see in the darkness. He'd had a nightmare ...... maybe, but everything in the dream seemed all too real.
The sheets creased in his hands.
"If you don't mind, dear Loras, I'm trying to sleep already," Renly's muffled voice rang out, he was obviously fast asleep, "I have to pick up my good brother and his family tomorrow ...... and Ned Stark too."
Renly.
Loras's heart seemed to be tugged tighter as Renly's warm flesh was pressed against his. Loras held his breath, "Renly?" He asked hesitantly. His eyes gradually adjusted to the dark room. He lowered his head.
Renly slowly opened his eyes, "What?" His eyes opened, his bright blue eyes still smiling even though they were dull from sleep.
"You know I love you, right?" Loras whispered, his eyes starting to get sore.
"I know. My Knight of the Flowers." Renly let out a soft chuckle and propped himself up from the bed.
"Can I come with you?" Loras asked.
"To meet Ned Stark?" Renly raised one eyebrow, "I wouldn't suggest that. If I had any choice, I wouldn't want to go either - you know, Joffrey and Cersei will be there too. I'm not sure they'd make you very happy."
"I'm just trying to protect you." Loras said in annoyance.
"I know, love. " He placed a soft kiss on Loras' lips, "But it doesn't matter, Barristan Selmy will be with me as well." He yawned.
"Barristan Selmy is an old man." Loras said bitterly. He tasted himself on Renly's lips. He'd almost forgotten how much he liked it.
Renly shrugged, "Old maybe, but still able to fight-" he surged Loras into his arms. His embrace was as solid as Loras remembered. Loras wanted nothing more than to bury his head into his shoulder, as he did. Renly smelled good, with a light rose scent. "Good night." Renly whispered as he kissed his ear.
The sun shone through the curtains and onto his face. The summer light was warm - just like it always was. Loras couldn't quite remember the winter before this long summer; he'd been too young then. But for sure, it wouldn't be as warm and cozy as this. Loras jumped out of bed, his skin neither festering nor aching. All of that hadn't happened, except - it occurred to him - that Jon Arryn had just died.
He'd woken up early in the morning with Renly nowhere to be found, only a note left for him at the foot of his bed that read, "Pray for me - because meeting with the Lannister bitch." Loras could just imagine Renly's furrowed brow as he wrote that. Sometimes Renly could be incredibly rude, but Loras loved him even more for that.
Loras found himself laughing out loud. Nothing had happened yet, King Robert was still alive, Ned Stark hadn't come to King's Landing yet. There was no clash of the Five Kings, and Renly wouldn't have wanted the Iron Throne, and his skin was bare as if it were milk-not that he was obsessed with his appearance, just that if Renly had seen what he looked like after he'd been splashed with hot oil, it would have been very, very sad.
And Renly's heart ache would hurt him even more than his own injuries did to him.
Whether that memory was a nightmare, a foreshadowing, or something else, Loras had resolved to take it as a warning. It was all too real, and the way to verify if it was right ...... Loras looked at the note Renly had left. Eddard Stark would bring his daughters to King's Landing, he recalled Tyrion Lannister's Stark wife. He had never seen the Stark girls before this, and if Lady Sansa Stark looked exactly like Tirion's wife, then the dream must be real. Had the Seven Gods continued to favor him after all the sins he'd commit with Renly?
Loras would rather not think about that..