the prince and the peasant | skephalo | DISCONTINUED

sneaking out

~Darryl's POV~

It was a calming sleep, one of the best I've had. The feeling of drifting off under the blankets of Zak comforted me. I felt a little guilty leaving him to rest on the floor. When I woke up, I didn't wake up to the usual scene of sunshine and bright blue skies. The sky was foggy, puddles flooded the ground, and it looked as if it were still evening.

Zak and I had a schedule. Sneak out somehow, stop by at my house to tell my parents where I had been all night, and spend the rest of our day at school.

It was 6 when Zak finally awoke. I had been awake for the past 30 or so minutes just letting myself have time to think and regain enough energy for the day. I knew Zak was awake when his snoring stopped and a long groan sounded the room instead.

I peaked my head down, stretching down to look down at the floor where Zak was slept. His eyes met mine. We stared in silence until Zak spoke up. "Morning," he said, his mellow tone keeping my mind to ease.

"Good morning," I croak back. I earn a smile from Zak, of course I smile back. He pulls blankets off of him and stands, folding the blankets to a neat formation. I climb out of bed too, grabbing my glasses to unfold and push on. I watch as he makes his bed. I try my best to help, arranging pillows and straightening things on his night stand but I still feel like I'm not doing enough.

Once Zak is pleased with how his bed is made, he starts to exit the room. "Be right back! I'll get us clothes," his voice raises but it doesn't yell. It's still just as gentle.

The door shuts as I nod to no one. I sit still on the edge of the newly made bed, hearing soft drips of water from outside. It felt like a movie. Falling for the prince and sleeping in his bed. I still needed a confirmation on my feelings for Zak. I'd have to ask Vincent about how he felt when he had feelings for someone. It was awkward but needed.

A knock sounds through Zak's bedroom door. "Your majesty?" A voice calls out. The voice was familiar to the voice last night. The voice that has asked if I had left or not. I was sure it was one of the staff, specifically one of the assistants, that had worked for the royal family.

A small "mmph..!" falls out of my mouth as I quietly try to hide. I look around and settle on hiding under Zak's desk. A heavy sigh drags on from the other side of the door. I hold a hand over my mouth, forcing myself to keep quiet. The door is shoved open, I watch my surroundings. The only thing that blocks me from being seen is a chair. Of course if you were looking from a distance or squating down to see what was under the desk, you would see me. All I could do was hope and pray that wouldn't happen.

"Your majesty," the voice calls out again, this time more firmly. Footsteps are heard from the hall. They were Zak's. "Back!" He sings until he stops himself. "Oh. Hello. I was just getting clothes."

The dialogue between the two grab my focus. I try not to listen, it'd be easier to keep quiet when I wasn't focused on anything. The conversation stretches on. "Alright," is the first thing that grabs my attention. Clinks come. I guessed Zak had got some food. After, the voice leaves. The sound of silence rings through the room.

"You can come out now," I hear Zak coo. I push the chair out, giving me some space to free myself. I crawl out from under the area. I meet Zak's face. He's holding a bundle of clothes that looked to be uniforms. Two pairs, one for me one for him. He tosses a pair of pants, a tie, a blazer, and a shirt to me. A plate of breakfast food sat on his bed.

"Hm."

"What?"

"My uniforms aren't this fancy, Skeppy," I say, returning the original nickname I gave him. It felt right using it at that time. Almost natural.

I toss the tie and blazer to his bed, leaving Zak to tilt his head slightly. "Mmph," Zak nods. "I'll go change in the closet room. You can change here," he says, grabbing the tie and blazer and exiting the room again.

I hurry to change. It would be awkward if Zak were to walk in while I was still unclothed. I get into clothes in record time. Now all that I was left to do was wait again. I blink back at the dirtied clothes that I had slept in. Immediately, the door swings open and Zak is prepared for school. I turn my head a notice a slight expression of disappointment on his face.

Tossing me a baggy gray sweater, he pulls his backpack over his shoulder and leaves the door wide open, walking out. Quickly, I bundle into the sweater and  grab the flowers and my backpack. I rush out of the room to the follow.

"Wait!" I call out, still strapping my backpack around my shoulder.

"Shh," as soon I catch up, Zak turns his face to mine, pointing his finger facing upwards against my mouth, shushing me.

A small noise exits my mouth. Zak takes his arm and loops it around mine. "I'm going to sneak you out. Somehow," he whispers.

"What?! Do you not have a plan?" I whisper-shout.

"Shush! I'll think of something. I'll sneak you out of the window and you'll have to walk yourself to school. Don't get seen by the guards, I recommend going straight from where the window faces so no staff can catch you. We'll have to be fast."

A small huff leaves my mouth as Zak pulls me to follow him down the stairs. He walks cautiously, turning both left and right before walking down a step as if he were crossing a road. The castle seemed mostly empty. I've been at the castle for a total of three times but I still wasn't used to the fancy decor and the royal design. It was different to the usual farm scene I've known since I was a tween.

Zak movements were only on his tiptoes, a habit I decided was best to copy. He led me down a smaller, unknown hall I didn't recognize. The lightning was slightly more twitchy and even the carpet was a little rugged. Watching my surroundings instead of focusing on my walking, I accidentally bump into Zak. I breathe out a small, jumpy exhale which causes Zak to act up as we continue to walk. I hear his tongue click against the roof of his mouth. Steadily, he turns a knob of an unseen room.

The room is dark, something I feel wouldn't be in the royal palace. It seemed to be a craft area. A place of work for someone. Walls teemed with shelfs of books. They was even a mop sitting in a bucket of chemical water. In the midst of it all was a work bench, a dangling light bulb flickered just above. Shattered pieces of glass seemed to have been sitting on the bench for a while now. Webs started to grow. Finally, the last detail of the room was a small, child-sized window.

"I can't walk you to school. The guards are probably waiting for me, I'll pick you up though. And then we can talk to your parents after school and hang out at the graveyard."

I nod, facing the window, doubting that I'll be able to leave. "I don't think I'll be able to fit," I say, worried. (Note: in the window istg pls)

"Hmm," Zak hums, walking to the window while undoing the locks and pulling it open. He inspects the space, pulling his hand through. "I'm sure you will. Just limbo through."

Pulling my backpack higher on my shoulder, I let out a heavy sigh, climbing onto the window sill and squaring under the pulled up panes. I squeeze myself to the other side of the window. The air is cool, cooler than it was in the inside. I see Zak's smile as he waves an innocent hand. I smile too, my face getting only slightly hotter.

"I'll see you later!"

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Thank you for reading part 20 :)

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Words: 1446