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It had been three days ever since Yuu discovered the person Lee has nicknamed as their “foundling” on the shores of Almeda. The foundling had nothing when Yuu found him, not a scrap of clothing or even a voice. The doctor and his assistant, Ezekiel and Challe, surmised that the poor thing must have been in a horrible shipwreck, perhaps the same one that knocked Yuu off of their ship and into the merciless waves of the sea, and has been in a state of shock ever since.
So Yuu has made it their little mission to get him adjusted to his new life in Almeda until he can recover.
This man has been able to understand English, Yuu could tell from the way he pay heed, even nodding simple yes’s and no’s to their questions. But he wrote in a language completely alien to everyone in the palace. Even Ezekiel couldn’t recognize it, not even the script, and Yuu considered him as a geniuses among geniuses. Truly their foundling was a puzzle.
A puzzle that they were determined to solve.
He was not able to even walk at first. Yuu would hold their foundling by his arms, coaching him on what leg to bring forward. He fell over a multitude of times, and Yuu found themselves to be his landing cushion. They always considered themselves to be of hearty constitution, but the weight of a man who was a head taller than them and much… bigger than them in general proved to challenge that. Yuu noticed that his knees still had a speck or two of purple and brown. Nevertheless, their foundling has been able to walk without assistance today, something Yuu was overjoyed by, even hugging him (much to his behest).
His origins were a complete mystery. Ezekiel and Yuu have been trying to quiz him on whatever memories he could recall, but to no answer. The doctor took out some sketches of other nations that surrounded their sea, and the foundling took far more time in admiring the drawings compared to answering the barrage of questions Yuu gave him. The question of his family however brought about a murky look in his eyes. Like a sea covered in fog. Yuu decided to lighten up in their interrogations with that.
Maybe it was the mystery that surrounded him, but Yuu couldn’t stop looking at him whenever they were in the same room as him. They blamed his eyes for that. They were a bright cerulean, much like the forget-me-nots Yuu used to collect for the vase in their room. The foundling carried himself with a clear pride, even when he was bed-bound. But his eyes were like a tell, like how Lee’s smile became much more of a wince of muscle whenever he drew a bad card in their rounds of games. They just carried so much to them. Like the depths of the sea, the same ones Yuu nearly succumbed to just a week ago. Yuu found themself unable to maintain eye contact with him.
While his pride has been a clear obstacle in Yuu’s attempts of recovery, he didn’t lack a heart. Yuu had a habit of tripping over the rug that covered Ezekiel’s office, they blamed that it was far too thick to be something on the floor of a man who can’t even walk. Although it was only them who stumbled over the way the corners buckled near the entrance. They were bringing up the usual platter to their foundling. They were occupied on the memory of how he took up a fork and ran it down his long, red locks. They especially were occupied on how red his face, the shade combatting his hair even, became when Lee cackled at the sight and Yuu’s confoundment. The shock must have been bad.
They were so caught up in the memory, and especially in trying to stifle their giggle that their feet got wound up in the rug and fell over onto their face, feeling how the air rushed out of their chest, a loud “Ow!” was all they could let out upon the impact.
“Not again…” they muttered, rubbing the sore spot on their fore head. Lee always chopped Yuu on the head with the side of his hand whenever he told them to pay heed to their surroundings, their eyes were always attentive to the littlest details. They scrambled to get onto their knees, seeing how the specially prepared food was now all over the floor. Their eyes followed the “crime scene” of (thankfully un-shattered) plates and bowls to their foundling, whose shock was far… greater than what Yuu would have expected. They were still strangers.
Red creeped into their face, just now realizing the mess they just made, “I’m so sorry! Lemme clean this all up,” oh, how they feared the inevitable walk back to the kitchen and telling the staff they made another spill. Just how did they make it into being palace staff?
The foundling, although finding his legs finally, still stumbled out of his bed towards them. Quickly he knelt down to their level and with even quicker hands he brushed Yuu's bangs to the side.
Yuu held their breath, eyes wide open as their foundling's hands (which they have now noticed were far larger than their own) cupped their face, trying to see the area where they hit their head. His hands were of a near frigid cold, one that almost traveled into the core of their being. His thumb brushed over the spot and Yuu couldn't hold back their shiver. Their foundling froze, examining Yuu further, "Sir, I'm fine, really! You really shouldn't be out--"
They turned their face up, now finally making eye contact with their foundling's.
That striking blue was near overwhelming. It almost as if they were drowning, the air out of their lungs once again. His eyes carried such worry over them, so much concern. If they didn't know any better, they would think that their foundling knew them. That Yuu recognized this touch. Like, like the one they felt that day. The day after the storm. But that's impossible.
Just who was this man?
And just like that, the foundling pulled away from them. His eyes were near incredulous.
When the cold of his hands receded, like the tide, Yuu snapped awake from their "spell". And just what happened between the two finally settled in, Yuu's jaw slacked, "I'm, I'm so sorry! It's not that bad, really."
Yuu made a quick effort in cleaning up their mess, with the man assisting them as well. They hurried out of his chambers, but they could still feel their foundling’s gaze on their back. Thankfully the doctor laughed it off and said that he would be the one to deliver the foundling’s meal tonight. Yes, Yuu could finally have some time of calmness. Away from the violent waves.
An hour passed before they were requested to tend to the palace’s gardens that were just outside its walls. Yuu made quick snips at any stray branches while Lee whistled a small tune doing, well, nothing. They surmised that his date couldn’t make it and he had to sulk.
“How’s your little foundling?” Yuu almost made a snip at his hair with their scissors.
“Hey, come on! Everyone here has been asking about them, and we’ve all seen how much you hang around him.”
Yuu’s angered face was the equivalent to a small, pampered dog’s tantrum. When one stood as tall as Lee, there were very little people who could genuinely scare him. Yuu was at the bottom of that list, “S-So?!”
“You’re the only one he lets manhandle him.”
“Manhandle..?”
“I saw how you had to teach to him walk.”
Yuu snipped off the rose flower from Lee’s hand, “Ah, you’re too innocent to know what—“
“I know what manhandling is! I hang around you!” And they have certainly heard that many complaints that Lee’s previous “games” had about the man. Charming, he may be, but aside from a nice smile… Well, Lee is lucky.
Lee grimaced. Maybe he really was a bad influence on Yuu, “Still, everyone’s asking about him. Even the doctor,” the only man in the palace Lee seemed to hold true respect for, “doesn’t know what’s going on with him.”
“Isn’t it just shock?” Yuu paused their work.
“I’ve seen people in shock.” Too many times in Lee’s book, “I don’t think this is just shock. He’s aware.”
Yuu frowned, “Is that so…”
The man rested his chin in his palm, “You’re the only person I’ve seen to look so disappointed that something isn’t shock.”
“I don’t like that we don’t know anything about him.” Not his language, the reason why he washed ashore, why he can’t speak whatsoever. Not even his name.
Lee gave pause, “Maybe he wants to keep it that way. He basically has a fresh start here. I’d take it.”
“Probably to escape your scorned lovers,” Yuu huffed.
“Ouch, now that just burns.”
“As if.”
The two came to a quiet. Yuu snipped off a few more branches, “There’s just,” a pause followed, “there’s something about him.” Something that escaped Yuu’s grasp no matter how much they tried to reach for it. They hated the thought that their foundling was trying to keep that distance between them.
“Aww, you’re worried.”
Yuu couldn’t retort against that. Their foundling seemed to almost haunt their mind, no matter what they did. Or even how far they were from him.
“Something about him reminds me of that day. It’s not like I remember much either.” Yes, that’s right. A violent storm struck the ship Yuu and Lee were on, despite all weather reports predicting that it would be a peaceful day. Yuu was the only one who couldn’t make it onto their lifeboats and fell into the turbulence of the waves, along with the grand ship. Despite it all, Lee found them passed out on the shores of Almeda with hardly a scratch.
“… Do you think he saved you?”
“There’s no way that he could.” Even the life boats struggled in making it to shore. Lee told them stories of how the lifeboats toppled over in the barrages of ocean water, the sailors had to hold onto the wood for dear life. No man could swim after them in those waves.
Still, they couldn’t believe that the ocean was so gracious to them that it just carried them to the shore.
All Yuu could remember of the morning after the storm was that *voice*.
Their brain was so foggy, near delirious, but that voice was as clear as the springs in their mind. Even now. It was a song, they couldn’t understand it’s lyrics but it really was beautiful. But just who was singing that song? No one goes to those shores so early. Lee didn’t see anyone else when he found them, not even a footprint. They’ve tried convincing themselves that it was just a false memory. A dream even.
"Look, I don't know how you were able to survive but just be glad that you did. Sometimes life just works out that way," he paused, "Maybe your foundling is just a part of that." *A part of life's mysteries.*
"Stop calling him that anyways," Yuu muttered.
"Yours?"
Yuu's face became an iron-hot shade of pink. And oh how Lee was delighted, "Is our little Yuu--"
"Stop it already!" They were feeding fresh pine into Lee's stirring flames, but their pride cared not for patience.
"D'aww, you're finally growing--" Yuu's palms covered Lee's mouth, with them having to stand at their toes to even reach him.
"I told you to cut it out already! People can probably," Yuu stopped whatever they were spouting, looking away from Lee. To their foundling who was now at Ezekiel's balcony. Ah, the bushes Yuu was supposed to be tending to were right outside his office, Yuu just now remembered that. Maybe they did swallow that much sea water last week.
His bright red locks were now illuminated to a soft gold by the bright lamps that surrounded the palace. Yet his eyes were even brighter now, they were oceans during the golden hour. The foundling braced his hands on the railing to get a closer look at… whatever the two were doing. But his eyes were transfixed on Yuu alone.
Lee muffled snark under Yuu’s palms and they pulled back immediately, “Well if it isn’t the man of the hour.”
The redhead furrowed his brows at Lee, “I see you’re walking now. Guess Yuu’s been working your ass off,” the crease between his brows quickly became nearly a glare.
Lee always had a… way with words. Yuu has become half-convinced that the man was a sadist. Or even a masochist. Or dear god, perhaps both. And just what was he trying to pull now? “Lee, stop it already!”
They turned back to the balcony, “I’m so sorry about him, he probably drank a few too many.”
“I just drank a few sips from my flask, thank you very much.”
“Lee!”
The foundling just stared at the two, less tense now. Still apprehensive of the much taller man however. And how his hand snaked its way to Yuu’s back.
“I-I’m really sorry about all the noise, by the way. We, well I was supposed to be trimming the bushes around here,” they grabbed a stray rose on the cobblestone and brought it into the foundling’s line of sight, “See?”
There it was again. That same sparkle in his eyes. His tell. As if his world was becoming so much bigger by the mere sight. Yuu felt their chest get so much lighter.
Then they remembered just where they were. That Lee was right next to them. And how dark it was getting. Their composure immediately broke.
"It's getting really late, isn't it?!"
"Quite," Yuu bit back the urge to bat Lee on the shoulder.
"I'm really sorry about disturbing you so late, Sir," Yuu grabbed their scissors and the branches they cut down into their bucket, deciding that it was too dark (and distracting) to be trimming at this hour. Especially when their company was so unhelpful, "Good night! I'll come over next morning!" They waved with their free arm.
Although their foundling lacked a voice to speak, he still gave pause before giving a curt nod. With a small glance towards them again, he walked back into his chambers. A small motion that managed to capture Yuu.
Oh, how they hoped to learn more about their little foundling.