Meet Me in the Garden (DSAF royal AU)

Chapter 7.5 - Intermission

Hi hi everyone !!

I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, as well as the feeling of pure dread that the last sentence was intended to give!

On a more serious note, I thought that I should properly warn you guys about the content that's going to be featured in the last four, maybe five or so chapters of the fic.

From chapter eight onward, there will be frequent depictions of the following:

- Ch1ld abuse

- Homophobia

- Slurs

- Ableism

- Violence

- Torture, specifically revolving around extremities and teeth

I care for my readers, and I don't want anybody to read anything triggering.

Please remember to take care of yourself, and perhaps wait until the final chapter / epilogue is released to continue reading if any of the above content upsets you.

- witchzforest

[mini, non-canon chapter 7.5 as compensation for the pain! light mentions of homophobia, not very extreme though!]

"Hey, Dave, could I braid your hair?"

The question was met with a confused look from the prince.

It had been a warm spring afternoon, and Prince Dave had spent it in a sunny spot with his lover, Jack Kennedy, who just so happened to be the castle gardener.

"I mean, sure," Dave began to untie the black bow that had kept his hair in his usual small ponytail. "But what brought this on?"

"Ah, nothing in particular," Jack commented, grabbing the bow and putting it into the little basket he'd brought. "Maybe you'd wanna try another hairstyle someday?"

Dave shrugged, bringing his hands behind his neck to flip his shoulder length, mauve hair. The less heterosexual part of Jack's brain went insane.

Jack reached into the basket and pulled out a small brush, one he'd stolen— borrowed and cleaned from Henry's wardrobe just for today. It's just a brush, who cares?

Grabbing hold of a good amount of Dave's hair, Jack marveled at how soft it was, in direct contrast to the tousled curls he was used to brushing every morning. He ran a thumb over the locks a few times, before he noticed Dave looking over his shoulder at him.

Immediately flustered, Jack ceased his stroking and reached out for two more equally sized sections, made increasingly difficult by the soft laughter coming from the prince.

Crossing one section of hair over the other, Jack began to hum a little tune, knowing how it helped Dave become less tense when he was being touched in any way. At first, his disdain for physical contact made Jack a little upset. He wanted to be close to his boyfriend, and the way he was used to was through physical affection. Over time, however, Jack accepted it as one of the things that made Dave who he was. Even better, Dave seemed to be warming up to the idea of contact, albeit only with Jack.

Dave closed his eyes and smiled, content with the current situation. In spite of the multiple precautions he had to take in order to ensure both of their safety, particularly from one not so open minded king, he always felt so safe with Jack. Now was no exception.

Once the braid was secured with the same bow Dave wore every day, Jack scooted back and admired his work. He'd done this plenty of times before with Dee, and it had paid off generously.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Dave, honey, could you give me a few minutes?" Jack said, getting up and brushing himself off. "I need to fetch a few things."

Dave nodded, adjusting his sitting position to be more comfortable. Jack gave him a thumbs up, before running in the direction of the main garden.

About five minutes had passed when Jack returned, hands full with delicately plucked flowers of all colors.

"What're ya gonna do with those?" Dave cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy, something that never failed to make Jack's heart soar.

"You'll see." Jack sat back down behind Dave, setting the flowers down onto the grass carefully.

Once more, Jack gently took hold of Dave's braid, and picked a small, pink, spotted flower from the bunch on the ground. After some contemplation, Jack pinned it near the bottom of the braid.

The process continued until there were no more flowers at Jack's side, and Dave's hair was beginning to look like a garden of it's own. Jack reached into the basket and pulled out a mirror, handing it to the prince so he could look at the braid for himself.

"This is..." Dave looked like he was at a loss for words, just staring into his reflection intensely. "... I don't know what to say, it's so..."

Jack chuckled, getting closer to his boyfriend and wrapping an arm around Dave's.

"You wanna know what these mean?"

"These are going to be so damn cheesy..." Dave rolled his eyes, grinning. "Shoot em at me."

"Well, for starters, the peruvian lily represents happiness," Jack began, tapping at the small dotted flower at the bottom of the braid. "White ericas for protection, morning glories for affection, and red chrysanthemums for 'I love you'."

Dave stared at Jack for a few seconds, making Jack worry that he'd come on too strong, before suddenly tackling him to the ground in a tight hug.

"God, you're so cliche...!" Dave laughed, grabbing Jack's face and peppering it with kisses, making the gardener join in the laughing fit.

"Is that an 'I love you too'?"

"What do you think it is, darling?" Dave breathed, rolling off of Jack, but staying close to him.

The two sat, trying to regain their breath, looking up into the bright blue sky. They wished that things could stay like this forever, but as luck would have it, they couldn't.

After a few minutes, Dave curled up next to Jack and nuzzled into his neck.

"I'm so glad I have you."

Jack smiled, trying to fight the urge to stroke Dave's hair, as it would probably mess with the flowers more than Dave's tackle already had.

"Me too, rosebud."