Distance Between Us | Peterick AU

10

Continuing forward, the prince began to get disappointed when he didn't notice anyone by it. The self-hatred thoughts began, telling himself that he didn't make it in time and Pete must have left. Discouraged, he was about to turn away when he noticed a skinny figure tossing pebbles into the rippling water.

"Pete!" He called out. The body turned around at the sound and smiled when he saw Patrick. The prince picked up the pace and threw his arms around his partner when they finally collided. He had no plans on letting go anytime soon.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized into Pete's chest. The older man simply chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. I would wait all night for you."

"Good, because I almost did not- didn't make it because of Earl."

Pete laughed again. "What happened this time?"

"He caught me trying to sneak out the window," Patrick started, realizing how silly he sounded as he told the story. "I hid your note awfully so he knew about it the entire day. I tried to get out of his attention but he ended up taking me here anyway."

That time Pete didn't laugh. He looked surprisingly down at Patrick. "He brought you here? How the hell did that happen?"

Patrick told the whole ordeal from start to finish, and by the end, Pete was smiling again. He tightened his grip around Patrick before letting go and pulling him down to take a seat on one of the large roots coming from the tree. Patrick refused to let go and continued to wrap himself around Pete.

"I brought you something," Patrick remembered, pulling the paper out of his coat pocket. It was still folded up when he handed it to Pete, who was thoroughly confused.

Nevertheless, the other man opened it and Patrick waited for the look of surprise that appeared on his face not long after. "Patrick," he whispered. "Is this-"

Patrick nodded before he could finish the sentence and smiled. He looked over at what he had written and watched Pete read it in amazement.

"This is wonderful Patrick, thank you." He leaned over and kissed the prince sweetly, pulling away to look at the writing again. "I think I need to leave you more letters now."

Patrick laughed just on the side of too loud. "How do you even have time to come all the way to the castle, sneak up on our property, and go all the way back anyway?"

"I'm pretty fast," Pete smiled back. "Plus I don't sleep much and that gives me something to do at night."

The prince peered worryingly, hoping that he was careful with what he did. Pete caught onto the look and his smile faded. ". . .What's wrong?"

Patrick brought himself out of his concerns at the question directed towards him. Instead of immediately responding, he cupped his boyfriend's jaw with one hand to pull him forward and kiss him. Pete looked even more worried when they broke apart.

"Patrick?"

"Sorry, I. . .I'm just concerned about you, that is all.

Pete smiled softly and stroked the prince's cheek. "You don't need to worry about me Patrick. I promise I'll be okay."

Patrick smiled back, reaching up and taking the tan hand into his. The two fell silent, only the faint sound of the wind through the trees keeping them company.

"Are you okay?" Pete's nervous look had returned.

Patrick sighed deeply, knowing full and well that Pete had known him long enough to see that something wasn't right. He shifted onto Pete's lap with no warning, wrapping his pale arms around the other man's neck and pushing his face into the clothed shoulder in front of him. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist to help keep him balanced.

"There's just so much happening right now," Patrick started. "The whole problem with the war, my parents wanting me to get married, my parents wanting my sister to get married, all of the commotion in the castle. . .it's all weighing out to be too much."

Pete scooted back so he was lying against the truck of the tree with Patrick curled up in his lap. "Your parents want you to get married?"

The prince nodded. "If I had a choice, it would be you," he mumbled. Pete chuckled and kissed his forehead.

"I don't think your parents would be very happy if you brought home a boy and told them you wanted to marry him."

Pete nudged Patrick up to face him. The ginger did not look pleased.

"Hey," Pete started. "I'm sure whoever you end up marrying will be very happy to be with you and you two will run an amazing kingdom."

"The girl that my parents like hates me," Patrick deadpanned. ". . .And I hate her too so it is mutual."

"Then try to get to keep looking for other girls that you would get along with."

"I don't want any other girls, Pete!" Patrick exploded. "I just want you!"

Pete looked up at the boy on his lap with sorrow. He rubbed his hands up and down on Patrick's waist, slipping them under the hem of his shirt. "I'm sorry baby, it just doesn't work like that."

Patrick put his head back down on Pete's shoulder. "That's dumb."

Pete silently agreed.

-

Twenty minutes and a short nap for Patrick later, the soft sound of horse hooves on packed dirt beginning to echo through the trees. Pete shook Patrick awake carefully and helped him on his feet before he was even fully registering all of the sudden movement.

"Whoa, Pete-"

"Your ride is here," he whispered, cutting him off. "You better go."

As Pete began to guide him in the direction of the sound of the carriage, Patrick stopped him. "Wait, wait, when will I see you again?"

Pete chuckled. "You seem to ask that every time."

"Well I don't want to go another few weeks without you again."

Pete sighed, reaching up to tug on Patrick's shirt collar to straighten it out. "Isn't your family having some public thing to find a husband for your sister? Where anyone can come to watch or participate?"

Patrick's face fell. "You can't participate. I cannot date my sister's husband."

Pete laughed loudly. "I didn't mean I was going to participate, I meant I was going to come and watch and maybe we could meet up after."

"Oh," Patrick smiled, embarrassed. "That could work."

The carriage seemed to have stopped on the edge of the forest and both boys looked towards it in the distance, then back at each other. Pete suddenly couldn't remember what he was about to say.

"I have to go," Patrick said sadly. It took a moment to process, but Pete nodded and they both moved in for one last kiss. It was much shorter than either of them fancied, but it had seemed to become their goodbye ritual.

Patrick looked breathless and glowing as they pulled away, and he stared longingly into Pete's eyes. His heart rate picked up rapidly, but it couldn't stop the words that came tumbling out of his mouth.

"I love you, Pete."

It was another sentence that took the older man a moment to run over in his head, and when he locked eyes with the beautiful prince in front of him, there were no doubts in his head or his heart.

"I love you too."

They pulled together for a quick, rough kiss before Patrick had to take off for the tree line where he promised Earl he would be. The fluttering feeling in his stomach didn't fade for the rest of the night.