Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 53 - Tranquil Touches

Sorry for the slow update, and sorry if there's spelling errors etc, I uploaded this in a rush because I promised my discord server I'd update and of course, I forgot! So please feel free to point out any grammatical errors because I'll fix them in the morning! <3

- Sian

The next day, Sage stared from the window with a wandering gaze. He wanted another adventure, another chance to leave his comfort zone. But the snow had frozen his plans. Through the night, another foot of snow had fallen. Venturing to the town was a firm no from Taro. "You can go into the gardens though," he had said, and Sage had done just that, until his feet numbed, and his fingers turned red, and his nose was cold and runny.

Sage sipped his hot tea. He was warm and dry and had spent enough time in the snow that day, though he was bored. Taro was doing his job and sewing some buttons and mending a hole in Sage's jumper, but there was nothing stopping Sage from disturbing him . . . and he had to return his teacup to the kitchens which was conveniently next to the room Taro would be in.

On his way, Sage passed two female guards who stood close and giggled with one another. Last night, Sage had seen one kiss the other's cheek in an endearing way. He had gone to bed that night with a warmth in the pit of his stomach and a confidence that ensured sweet dreams.

When they saw him, they quickly bowed and while their eyes still pointed to the floor, mumbled, "Your Royal Highness."

"Hello," Sage greeted them. He wanted to stop so badly and muster a conversation. He wanted to ask if they were friends or something more. He wanted to ask what kind of plant they were, and if they were one of the rose bushes that he spotted around the cottage sometimes. He wanted to ask how long they had worked for his family and whether they were from a long line of family members who had helped to protect the Greenthenors. But Sage's nerves got the better of him and he continued to walk down the hallway.

Taro was sitting on a wooden stool in a small cold room in the servant's quarters. A dim yellow lamp brightened the back of the room. He faced the window as Sage approached the door. He watched Taro thread a few stitches into his jumper, then paused to stare at the snowy hills. His quiet and calm demeaner pulled Sage to him as if he were a shell in rough waters, and Taro was the beach's golden sand.

Sage snuck around the table and gently touched his shoulder. He jumped, almost threading the needle into his thumb. Taro snapped his head up and his large, alarmed eyes softened. "Sagerian," he said with a surprised smile.

Sage's heart flipped. He leant against the windowsill with a smile of his own. "I'm bored," he admitted.

"I'm almost done, and then I can entertain you." Taro's smile soon morphed into a smirk, and Sage's heart flipped again.

"How?"

"Oh, I can think of a few things."

Sage tried to keep his thoughts innocent, though it was hard when Taro's eyes flicked him up and down, and his smirk was accompanied by a flirtatious twinkle to his pretty green eyes. "Like what?" he dared to ask, wondering how honest Taro would be.

He finished fixing the hole in Sage's jumper and slowly rose from the stool. Taro was close, so close that Sage felt his warmth against his arm. He trapped Sage to the windowsill by resting his hands on either side of the windowsill. Sage glanced to the open door. At any moment, a maid or a servant or the cook or a guard could walk past.

Taro followed his anxious gaze and quickly stared behind them. He turned back just as fast to bury his lips into Sage's neck. He kissed him deeply. Sage wrapped arms around him and melted into the kiss. The cottage was small enough for them to pass a guard everywhere they walked, and he had been so ill that they hadn't had much time to be close. He had ached for affection, more so now after tiptoeing around one another.