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A deep sigh leaves Lukey’s chest, while he is fixing his palm-green – official colour of Kingdom of Verdescuro – bow tie with trembling hands.
There's ceremonial music playing around him, and people, servants, walking around, preparing for the right moment to open the doors in front of him. Lukey swallows nervously. The man in a very official looking uniform – Lukey thinks his name is Edwin, he’s been trying to remember everyone’s names, but his head is so full of bubbling thoughts right now, it's proven to be quite difficult – nods at him, signalling his exit, and Lukey breaths in like it's his last gulp of air.
The song hits the right note. The doors open. Lukey takes his first shaky step in.
There are hundreds people staring at him. Lukey doesn't see anyone else but Pangi.
•*•~•*•
A few months prior
Lukey is standing in the room in front of a mirror, that was given to him, fixing his palm-green tie to look just right, while Pangi is pacing behind him like a madman.
“What if I fuck up, Lukey? What if I say something to some government official and they think I am being rude, and now Verdescuro is at war because of me?” he rants, his breathing is heavy, and Lukey brushes his hair for the last time before turning around to stop Pangi from psyching himself out completely. “Oh god, I am not even an official heir yet, and I am already going to destroy these people’s future”.
“Pangi”, he calls to gain his attention, his voice is solid and calm.
Pangi snaps his eyes to Lukey on an instinct, like it's only natural, even though his mind is clearly still somewhere in the tornado that is going on through his head. Lukey holds back a pleased smile.
“It is going to be fine”, he tells him, walking up closer and putting one of his hands on Pangi’s shoulder in hopes to ground him a bit. “I know those may seem like empty words, but I mean it”.
“But how do you know that?” Pangi exclaims, his hand goes into his hair, messing it up, and Lukey can only watch how hours of royal stylist’s work go to waste in one gesture. He likes it better this way. “I have no idea how to talk to all those people. I was not raised for that. What if they hate me?”
Lukey outright snorts at that, getting a death glare in response.
“Sorry, it's just funny that you think someone can actually hate you”, Lukey shakes his head, his hand sliding a bit lower from Pangi’s shoulder to his upper arm, squeezing it softly. “I think you underestimate just how much of a lovable dork you are. Them not liking you is the least of my concerns”.
“Then what are your concerns?” Pangi asks challengingly, but a faint blush on the other’s face doesn't pass Lukey.
“That maybe they will like you too much”, he jokes with a bright smile. “Can't have your ego growing even bigger than it is now”.
“Oh, shut up”, Pangi rolls his eyes, but there is a smile that escapes him, and Lukey counts it as a win.
Part of Lukey wants to tease him. Pretend that he is leaving or even go for what feels forbidden – a cheeky ‘make me’. But it's not the time. Not today.
Instead,
“You will do just fine”, he tells him softly, both of his hands are now on Pangi’s forearms, Lukey’s trying to show how much he is willing to support him through everything – which, and he means it, everything. “And at the end of the day, you will have me by your side. I will not let you start any wars you don't want to go through”.
Pangi stares him in the eyes silently for good ten seconds before he chuckles and shakes his head.
“Wild, isn't it?” he says, much calmer than before, and frees himself from Lukey’s hold only to take his hands instead and bring them closer to himself, right to his chest. “I do not feel like a prince at all”.
“Unexpected”, Lukey agrees easily, not looking away from Pangi’s brown hazel eyes. “But I think nobody would be able to predict that one day a group of royal guards will show up at their apartment in Brighton to tell them that they are actually a long lost prince of a small island kingdom. So that's not really on you to feel like it's not real”.
Lukey had the honour to witness this whole story from the very beginning, due to the nature of him and Pangi being roommates.
One day they were just a couple of friends, trying to make it in the world, the next – Pangi suddenly became a royal, and Lukey…
“We need to go, your highness. Her majesty is expecting you”, one of the royal guards says. “The car is waiting”.
“Yeah, yeah”, Pangi mumbles, still completely lost and confused. He looks at Lukey in panic and asks: “Are you ready?”
“Mr. Osborn is not required to accompany you on your journey, your highness”, the guard intervenes.
“Yeah, Pangi, I think it might be the best…” Lukey speaks up, but Pangi interrupts him with genuine indignation on his face.
“I am not going fucking anywhere without him”, he tells the guard with a passion, even Lukey is taken aback. Then Pangi looks at him again, and his voice goes much softer, begging: “Please, I don't want to do it without you. I can't do it without you. I need your help”.
How could Lukey say no to that?
Pangi laces their fingers together, and presses the interlocked hands to his chest.
“Thank you. For doing this for me”.
'Anything for you’ – is what Lukey wants to say, but he can't push the words out of his heart. Instead he just hopes that Pangi can read it on his face.
There is a knock on the door, and soon they are whisked away to the party.
•*•~•*•
The night does go pretty well.
Pangi gets officially introduced as a heir to Verdescuro’s throne, successfully says a speech that he insisted to Lukey he doesn't remember a word of, and then gets polite cheers from the crowd.
Lukey gets to watch it all from the sidelines. Catching curious glances from the guests, but ignoring all of them in favour of soaking in Pangi’s every word and move.
As soon as they move from a more official part to the actual mingling part of the dinner party, Pangi is by his side. He gets introduced to everyone as a close friend and a confident of the young prince, and most of the guests accept it with only barely shown skepticism. Lukey doesn't care. He just enjoys watching Pangi fall into the conversations with ease, that Pangi himself didn't think he had. He is a bit awkward, but his smile is disarming, and he is trying his best to be polite and attentive, so Lukey can see how in the heads of all those politicians and high status people Pangi gets a tick of tentative approval.
He supports the conversations when necessary, and in exchange gets to enjoy Pangi’s grateful glances.
It is very late in the evening when they get separated for the first time.
Pangi’s grandmother wanted to talk to him privately, and Lukey convinced him to go, promising to stay right where he is, so Pangi could join him immediately afterwards.
So it's not a surprise when he immediately gets cornered by people hungry for gossip.
For the most part, Lukey holds himself just fine. He polishes his answers about himself, his familiarity with Pangi and politely talks around the questions on his future involvement with the Verdescuro’s government.
“How long have you and his highness been in courtship?” he is asked by a middle-aged lady who seems to be much less weighted by the need to be proper than most of the guests. “If you don't mind me asking, of course”.
Lukey doesn't have even a second to process the question, when she continues.
“I just wanted to say, that it's actually really pleasant to see a future monarch so open with his affection towards his partner. Verdescuro has always been a very progressive country, and we pride ourselves on it”, she continues with a bright smile and a twinkle in her eyes, like she is barely restraining herself from asking about every single detail about Lukey and Pangi’s perceived romance.
However, Lukey is saved from needing to answer by the bell. Or maybe doomed, because the lady looks like she is one misstep away from giggling like a child, when Lukey feels a familiar warm hand settle on his waist and gets tugged into a half-embrace.
“Excuse me, madame, can I steal Lucas from you?” Pangi’s voice is close to his ear, and Lukey just sighs, because he knows exactly how it looks from the outside.
“Of course, your highness, don't let me disrupt your evening”, the woman says and politely nods at them, before leaving to talk to someone else.
“Let's get out of here”, Pangi whispers to him, and Lukey doesn't protest to being led away from the room to the balcony. How cliché.
It is empty as well, and Lukey has been feeling like he is a part of a movie this whole time, but never as intensely as now.
Pangi walks up to the perilla, that are nice and wide, reminding of greek style columns. Pangi gets up on one of them in a quick movement and settles in. Lukey decides to follow.
“They think we are ‘courting’”, he informs Pangi, filling his voice with a warm chuckle. “I’ve been told it is really nice to have a gay king. Paraphrased, of course”.
Lukey expects Pangi to laugh and do his usual ‘I am straight!’ denial bit, but instead Pangi looks at him like he sees him for the first time.
“That's it”, he breaths out, his eyes going wide with an idea that can't be anything good for Lukey’s poor heart.
“What do you mean?” he asks carefully, worried.
Pangi stares at him, and his lips stretch in the widest smile.
“That's it! We should get married!”
“W-what?” Lukey almost chokes on air and in a coughing fit almost falls from the perilla back on the balcony but manages to stable himself.
“Dude, you are such a hamster, get down from there. I don't want you to die during my proposal”, Pangi tells him in a completely normal voice, jumping down himself and tugging Lukey to the floor as well.
“No, wait, don't be so nonchalant about that. What the fuck do you mean?”
“I mean”, Pangi’s voice gets pointed, like he is exasperated to explain something obvious, “that we should get married. It makes sense”.
“What sense?” Lukey barely holds himself from yelling in desperation into Pangi’s handsome face. “What sense does us getting married makes?”
“See, I was thinking!” Pangi answers brightly, and Lukey matters ‘oh no’. “Obviously you are going to be ruling Verdescuro with me”, Lukey thinks he might cry, “but my grandmother said that I can't just have you be a co-ruler like that without a proper title. And I thought she meant I need to appoint you to be an advisor or something, but now I get it! We should get married, that way you will also be a king!”
“Pangi”, Lukey gets his voice to sound as gentle and stable as he can manage.
“Lukey?”
“I mean this in the nicest way possible: did you lose your bloody mind?”
Pangi huffs, offended.
“No, my mind is actually very normal and clear right now. I know exactly what I want, and it's you to marry me. Will you marry me?”
Lukey wants to shake him violently. Or kiss him. Or both. He resorts to asking in a shaky voice:
“Why? Why do you want that? Do you understand that one day you will fall in love and want a proper family, a wife, kids, and it will be a complete clusterfuck?” he is trying to reason with Pangi, who only looks even more determined, his eyes sparkling like he is a madman, and his lips are pressed tight in a stubborn line.
“Lukey, I meant it when I said I don't want to do all of this without you”, he tells him, like it's obvious. Like Lukey should've known better all along. Like years of painful pining friendship were not accompanied by ‘I am straight’ tune. “I do not want to rule a country without you being next to me. I told that to my grandmother as well, and I told her that if you are not with me, I am going to pass down my title to one of my cousins. A wife and kids sound nice, but just not nearly as nice as having you there with me”.
Lukey is crying, and he knows it. Pangi smiles at him gently and draws him into a tender hug. Lukey practically claws into him, shell shocked.
“Will you marry me?”
Lukey should say ‘no’. Despite the popular opinion, he is actually really good at telling Pangi ‘no’, when he is doing something dumb. And this is so so dumb, Pangi will find a beautiful princess, fall in love and regret ever proposing to Lukey.
But he can't find it in himself to care right now. He doesn't want to say ‘no’.
“You are a dork”, he breaths out into Pangi’s shoulder. “Yes, I will marry you”.
Pangi cheers, and suddenly Lukey is lifted up with a surprising strength and span around. He can't help but giggle happily.
“We need to tell my grandma”, Pangi is excited, and he immediately starts dragging Lukey back inside. “Oh god, I hope she will not mind, because I don't want to argue today”.
•*•~•*•
Back to the present
There are hundreds people staring at him. Lukey doesn't see anyone else but Pangi.
It is a weird feeling. Everything around him blurs like vignette outskirts, and the only clear thing in his field of vision is Pangi in front of the altar.
He looks magnificent. Pangi is dressed a bit more traditionally than Lukey, whose suit is very modern. Pangi, meanwhile, has a proper royal coat on him in a palm-green colour (which suits him so much, like he was born to wear it, and Lukey’s mouth feel so dry from the sheer desire that splashes over him), there is an actual caper on his shoulders and a bloody gold crown with emeralds and diamonds shining under the natural lighting of the ceremonial room.
Pangi looks at him with a smile, and Lukey’s heart is ready to escape his chest.
He doesn't know how he makes the distance to the altar, he doesn’t hear what the officiant is saying, what the literal Queen is saying, his world gets ridiculously small with Pangi and only Pangi in it.
Lukey gets snap out of it when Pangi speaks up.
“I think if anyone heard the story of my life, they would rightfully assume that everything changed the day I found out that I am a heir to an island country somewhere so far away from my home country. And that is true”, Pangi starts. He is speaking loudly, clearly, his every word jumps across the completely silent room. However each and every cadence, syllable, sound end up right in Lukey’s chest and nowhere else. “However I disagree. Nothing can compare to how my life changed when I met you. I didn't get it for the longest time, but you are singlehandedly the most important part of the universe to me”, Pangi’s voice gets quieter, and in half-whisper, that only Lukey and maybe a few people close enough to them could hear, he says: “I love you and I like you, you know?”
Lukey nods. His lips hurt from smiling and he absentmindedly can feel warm wetness on his cheeks. He doesn't care. Pangi’s eyes are watering as well.
It's his turn now.
“I am good with words, and you know it”, Lukey starts, his voice trembling, but from the complete and utter happiness he is experiencing right now. “But you keep making me speechless. It's like your sheer existence overfills me with so many thoughts and feelings that sometimes I can't squeeze any of them into words. Pangi, you are the brightest, most lovable person I have ever met. And being by your side is an honour that I am going to carry no matter where the life will bring us. I am always going to be there for you”, Pangi wipes his eyes with his hand quickly, and Lukey’s heart flatter in a pleased ‘I make him feel appreciated’. He reaches out his hands, and Pangi’s palms are in his the next second. “I love you and I like you. Always”.
The officiant starts speaking again, Lukey doesn't hear a word, other than replying a very eager ‘I do’ when his name is said.
And then Pangi leans in and kisses him.
It's everything Lukey has ever dreamed of.