1

He wakes up to the feeling of the warm sun caressing his face yet his dream had been cold and sharp like the edge of a serrated knife digging into him. Nitia lays there for a few moments, eyes staring at a ceiling he still isn’t used to seeing after over two years of staying there. 

After that dream, everything around him suddenly became so…unfamiliar. The softness of the blankets and pillows, the warmth surrounding him, the lack of pain. All things he should’ve felt comfortable with but it just….doesn’t feel right. Even so, there are some things that just never change. The sunlight, the chirping birds, the ache he feels on his shoulder blades, and the way his legs don't listen to him. 

Nitia blinks and finally manages to sit up in his bed. He clutches the cool pillows into his chest some more, the sensation calming him down and temporarily distracting him. This is his pillow. His very comfortable and very used pillow that he hugs every night. He’d been offered other options before but this pillow couldn’t be replaced.

“Nitia,”

A knock on the door and a gentle voice just behind it. 

Nitia freezes for a moment, his mind going into fight or flight mode like it always does when he faces something he doesn’t expect. He breathes. Slowly, steadily. He makes sure he’s calm just like how he was taught. He often forgets but a very important person taught him how to breathe properly and he doesn’t want it to go to waste knowing how difficult of a student he was. Nitia picks up a small bell from the nightstand. After a few seconds of thinking about it, he swings the bell gently, the small sound echoing through the room softly. A signal to his visitor that he could come in.

“Nitia, thank you.” 

The person who steps inside is a young man not much older than Nitia. Shoulder-length blonde hair tied hastily in a short ponytail, bright blue eyes under round glasses, fancy clothes with delicate decorations, and a gentle smile that Nitia likes.

“How did you sleep? The young man asks, not moving an inch from his spot. Not until the younger man on the bed gives him the go-ahead.

Nitia fiddles with the sheet over his knees. The man is Crown Prince Hector Dodonia who shall someday inherit the prosperous land of Dodonia. To the public, he was a withdrawn prince with a more introverted personality. To Nitia…

He nods with a small smile. In response, Prince Hector lets out a subtle relieved breath before smiling back at Nitia, one that Nitia finds calming and soothing.

When they first met, Nitia hadn’t imagined that the prince’s presence would be a healing balm for his broken soul. The prince is kind, gentle, careful, and polite. He’d never broken any boundaries Nitia set even the ones he didn’t outright say. Like right now, not approaching him without his permission is something Nitia values. Only when Nitia holds out his hand does the Prince take a few extra steps closer, kneeling next to the bed to keep his shadow from overlapping with Nitia’s figure and so they could be at eye level.

“Shall we go?”

After a year of doing this routine, the prince has never once assumed Nitia’s answer even though they were always the same. Nitia gazes at him for a moment, seeing the prince’s emotions through his eyes. So honest, so warm. Something Nitia had never experienced in his dreadful life. The devil in his shoulder is whispering about how this would never last forever. Hector is a crown prince and Nitia is…Nitia. A flawed and filthy existence that doesn’t deserve pure happiness. Yet Nitia nods anyway, allowing the prince’s kindness to envelop him like a warm blanket.

The prince moves slowly, and carefully. He keeps his eyes on Nitia’s and doesn’t allow his hands to disappear from the younger man’s sight, keeping them out in the open. When the prince’s hands brushed against Nitia’s skin, he couldn’t help but jump away from the touch. At the reaction, Hector stops his movements immediately and only continues when Nitia gives him the go-ahead. Despite that, Nitia couldn’t help but feel…proud. In the beginning, he’d scream, struggle, and cry when he experienced such a touch now he can say that it calms him down more than anything.

Hector slips his arm below Nitia’s knees and waist. He doesn’t do anything else other than gauge Nitia’s reaction for the first few seconds. When it’s certain that Nitia was calm, Hector once again smiles at him. “I’m going to lift you up now, okay?”

Hector had never once felt someone trusting him in such a way. 

His beautiful little flower with a broken stem. His beautiful innocent Nitia, who deserved the world after so much had been stolen from him.

Hector had never loved anyone more.

That is why he’s careful. Extremely careful. He touches his beloved with a gentleness that no one else can see. With thought and care, more than he’d ever put into anything. Because his Nitia deserved all the good things in the world and he would make sure of that.

He observes Nitia, being carried in his arms. Soft dark hair and gentle blue eyes. Skittish, nervous, timid but at the same time strong, brave and so precious. The way the younger man wraps his arms around Hector’s neck makes the prince blush a little. So cute.

He carries Nitia over to the dining room and carefully sets him down in his usual seat. On the table, there’s an assortment of breakfast menus like toast, fruit, and some meat. The best and healthiest meal for Nitia to slowly heal and feel better.

The younger man looks shyly happy over the meal being served to him. A person who deserves the world yet he’s so happy just looking at a simple meal almost everyone eats daily. One day, when Nitia could walk on his own, he would be able to enjoy the finest things life could offer without feeling like he's undeserving of it. Hector would make sure of that.

“Nitia,” Hector leans over just a little bit, enjoying the sight of his beloved’s puffed cheek as he chews on a piece of fruit. “Your favorite flowers have bloomed today.”

He is, as expected, extremely happy over the news which in turn causes Hector to grin with pride. All that work to make sure everyone takes care of the garden properly has paid off if Nitia is smiling like this.

“Are you happy? We can take a look this afternoon if you want?”

Nitia nods excitedly, cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkling so brightly that it makes Hector’s heart clench in his chest. So precious, so cute, so lovely. He would protect it with his life. His Nitia, who makes him so happy that it almost feels like a dream.