FicWad

Ryan smiled again, content for the moment. With a plop, he was laying on his bed, arms under head, leg over leg. All in all, a very unrefined pose. The fluffy sheets bellow him engulfed him in an asylum.

No worries. No troubles. No sodomy laws. No annoying future wives. Just a proud looking Davey standing to the side. Sunny skies. A stable boy grinning at him. A handless man playing piano.

"Wait-Wha?" Ryan stood up suddenly, the loud knocking disrupting his dreams of peace.
"...Your majesty, her royalty, Lady Marie Eclair has requested to enter," a humble voice from the outside the door said, surprised at the prince's informal response.
The boy blinked, uncomprehendingly. And soon enough, the information set in.
"Damn."

"Oh, Uh..." Ryan stalled as he tried desperately to remember the excuse Davey had bailed him out with. Going with the most common household excuse, Ryan stuffed himself inside his sleep-unprepared bed. The covers were tucked in, drawn tight, and suffocating his lungs as he tried to breathe. Fortunately, this was the perfect adjustment he needed to his voice.

"Come in.." He breathed out raspily.
The maid opened the door and stood to the side, an extravagant display piece entering the room.
"...Sir Ryan...?" her voice was new to Ryan. Qualities, not so. Constrained, breathy, it was nothing new in the royal court.
"Yes, Lady Marie? What has...drawn you to my room? As you can see.. I'm not feeling at top shape," he whispered out in what may have seemed like coughing intervals when in reality they were mere gasps for air.
"Oh, dear! How can this be so?!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the side of the bed, fabric billowing behind her, "Darling! What happened? Did you catch a draft while paper working?!" her eyes glistening like fake gemstones.
And that's when Ryan realized something. He screwed up.
"Damn."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, Ahaha... yes! Of course... Of course, I am not feeling well! The air in this room! It's filthy! It was too in Sir Davey's room! That's why I retreated here to find some escape, but alas! Luck has smote me so!" Ryan closed his eyes, leaning back into the pillow in fake angst.
"That's dreadful!!" his soon to be wed shouted with breath. "Servant!" she snapped earning a surprised meep from the girl at the door. "Go get us some clean air. You should be ashamed for neglecting your duties of supplying air! People could die from that, you know!"

Ryan looked at his fiancé in astonishment.
"Gracious." She turned her head towards the prince after watching the maid walk out. "Your servants are so horrid." Ryan winced at the title.
"So neglectful of duties....and the things they say! Why, I was just strolling by and I heard the nastiest rumors about you! The nerve!" she wept out, putting on a facade of surprise of man's cruelty.



Ryan froze. "Rumors?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Yes!" the lady nodded vigorously. "They were saying you had slept with that dirty little stable boy! As if you would do something so vile and disgusting.."

Ryan's heart had stopped. No no no. This couldn't be happening. What if someone heard about these rumors? What if the monarchs found out? "Please my lady, I feel a bit ill, if you would excuse me?" he asked, keeping his voice as calm as he could.

Surprised, she nodded her pretty, empty little head and walked out the door. The panic filling Ryan's body had been replaced by numbness. There was nothing to do but wait and see if this rumor grew and spread or was squashed down as impossible. All he knew was he couldn't stay in this room any longer. It stunk of the princess's perfume. Ryan lifted the window and crawled out. He dropped to the ground with ninja-like agility. He took the back route to the stables; now would not be a good time for people to see him heading there. Not that he cared, all he knew was he was sad and seeing Brendon would cheer him up. Suddenly he stopped; what if Brendon had heard the rumors? What if he wanted nothing to do with Ryan now? He continued walking, internally struggling with his need to talk to Brendon and his fear of Brendon hating him. Ryan decided on a compromise; he would watch Brendon without him knowing. Silently, Ryan slipped through the door of the stable and hid behind a haystack. Brendon walked by, busy with his usual work. Ryan followed him at a safe distance, hiding behind anything he could find. Brendon was feeding the horses when he laughed and called out, "I know you're there Ryan; you may as well come out you know."

Shocked, Ryan stepped out from his hiding place. "How did you know I was there?"

Brendon laughed again. "Dearest Ryan, I suggest you give up your dream of being a spy right now." Ryan looked down, blushing. "Aw, Ry, it's okay, I love you even if you are louder than a herd of elephants."

He wrapped his arms around the red-faced boy, smiling. "I guess you haven't heard the rumors then?" Ryan asked as Brendon got back to work.

"What rumors?" Brendon asked casually, shoveling something that looked quite unpleasant out of a stall.

"The rumors about.. us." Brendon gave him a quizzical look.

"Davey yelled at me earlier because he saw you leaving my room. I thought he was the only one who saw.. but I guess some servants did.. and they assumed.. Princess Marie came in saying the servants said I did something disgusting.." Ryan trailed off as Brendon put is shovel down.

"Do you think it's disgusting, Ryan?"

Ryan looked up sharply. "What?" "Do you think it would be disgusting if something had gone on between us?"

Ryan hesitated before saying, "No, I don't. I have no problem with men loving men. It's just there are laws.. and Davey made me promise.."

Brendon walked over to the prince and placed a hand on his cheek. “I like you Ryan."

"I.. I like you too Brendon," Ryan managed to stutter out.

Gently, Brendon pressed his lips to Ryan's. After a moment, Ryan returned the kiss, parting his lips to make way for Brendon's tongue. Ryan moaned as Brendon pulled away from him. Looking at the beautiful boy in front of him, Ryan felt a sharp pang of despair. He looked away; he couldn’t bear to see what he could never have. Brendon placed his hands on Ryan's face and looked into his sad eyes uncertainly. “I upset you.. I'm sorry Ryan, I shouldn't have-" Ryan silenced him with a kiss. "I'm not mad Brendon.. I'm just.. You just made everything a lot more complicated, you know." Ryan mock glared at the stable boy. Brendon laughed. "I try," he replied with a smile.