Eren stirred in his position as the chirping of the birds disturbed his peaceful sleep. He wanted to shout at them to fuck off, to let him enjoy the rest he hasn't been able to get in weeks. When he realized they weren't going to go away he finally blinked his eyes open and a small smile climbed on his face when he saw his love still fast asleep.
He watched as Mizuki's bare chest slowly rose and fell with each breath he took as his lips puffed out adorably. One of his arms was covering his eyes while the other was spread out with Eren's head laid on it. Eren raised his hand and slowly trailed his finger on Mizuki's abdomen and trailed it upwards towards his chest.
He felt a grin pull to his lips when Mizuki groaned and then Eren pinched Mizuki's nipple causing him to shriek and jump up.
Eren burst out laughing when he saw Mizuki's panicked but still very much asleep face wildly looking around while holding his hands to his chest protectively.
"Sweetheart?" He murmured in confusion as Eren continued to uncontrollably giggle.
"Good-ah good morning." Eren said as he slowly caught his breath.
"Did-did you just pinch my nipple?" Mizuki asked in astonishment and Eren nodded with a guilty smile as he pulled Mizuki back to lay down next to him.
"Sorry." He said but the smile on his face clearly showed that he wasn't sorry at all.
Mizuki grumbled under his breath and then buried his face in Eren's chest while completely laying on him, meaning all of his weight was now being supported by the smaller boy.
Eren grunted lowly but despite how heavy his prince was he still wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him closer.
He was comfortable and content but only until Mizuki started slyly pulling his shirt up. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Mizuki mumbled, distractedly. He continued to push the shirt up until it was tucked under Eren's chin.
Eren furrowed his eyebrows but let Mizuki do whatever the hell he was doing. But then, Mizuki bit his nipple.
Eren gasped in shock as his hands came to clutch Mizuki's head. "Mizuki!"
"Revenge." Mizuki chuckled and Eren was about to whack his head but then Mizuki kissed the same spot he bit and Eren's actions and words died along with any dignity he had left since he was clearly letting Mizuki continue with his shenanigans.
He closed his eyes and bit his lip to conceal any embarrassing sounds that were surely going to leave his mouth but it seemed Mizuki knew him all too well as he pushed himself to support himself on his elbows and then he lent his forehead on Eren and freed his lip with his fingers.
"You know, I like hearing you, sweetheart." Mizuki murmured as he softly kissed his jaw.
"You're embarrassing." Eren mumbled.
"You love it."
"I don't."
"You do."
"Don't."
"Do."
"Do I?"
"You don't."
"I win." Eren exclaimed with a bright grin and Mizuki huffed as he let himself drop again and Eren groaned. "You're a heavy cow."
"You wound me, sweetheart."
"You love it." Eren threw back the same words to Mizuki.
"I do, and I love you." He said and Eren's heart fluttered at the words as a dark blush coated his freckles cheeks.
He sighed as Mizuki nuzzled his neck and he comfortingly stroked his hair.
"Hey, sweetheart?" Mizuki murmured after a moment of silence between the two. "Yes?"
"How did your conversation with Marcella go, yesterday?" Mizuki asked. "I know you didn't want to talk about it last night but I think we have to now."
"It went...okay." Eren said after a moment of pondering.
"After the fight, she was locked up in her bedroom and when I went to see if she would open the door she did. She was a mess. Her room was pretty much destroyed but the worst thing was when I walked in she bowed at me and was embarrassed of the way she reacted.
I feel..I feel so bad for her, Mizuki. She lost her son and her husband who she was in love with but she couldn't forget the first thing she ever learned when she was young from being a girl in our country and that was that they were to be respectful to the men at all times. It's just- it's just so fucked up." Eren could feel the anger clawing at him the more he talked and he had to take a deep breath before continuing. Mizuki kept listening quietly and nuzzling his neck and pressing gentle kisses here and there as comfort.
"I told her it was okay for her to be angry at me. I told her she had every right to hate me and then she broke down. She told me she wanted to hate me but she couldn't do it because she understood why I did it. She said she knew that Augustus was a horrible person and so was Aslan. She said that she never wanted Aslan to turn out the way he did but he never seemed to go to her.
She said she felt like the worst mother but there was nothing she could ever do. It was always my dad's word against hers. Aslan looked up to our father as if he was god himself. To Aslan, my dad was everything he ever wanted to be. She told me that Aslan barely talked to her.
It was as if she wasn't even his mother." Eren said and Mizuki whispered a 'wow' under his breath.
"I asked her about um- about my mom." Eren whispered and Mizuki raised his head to look at Eren with wide eyes.
"You did?" He asked softly and Eren nodded.
"Want to tell me about it?" Mizuki gently prodded and Eren gave another nod that had Mizuki give him a proud smile and a peck on the forehead.
"I asked her why she would see my dad knowing he was married and had a child and then she explained how they met. They knew each other since they were both young and they were always supposed to get married. Her family is rich and has always been in connection to the Royal members of the country so it was natural of them to be betrothed.
But then he met my mom. She actually wasn't born here. She lived outside of both our region but somehow her family moved here which was a terrible idea and no one knows why they did it. But my dad fell for my mom. She was beautiful and she was new and she was different. She didn't grow up here so her personality was something 'refreshing' to him. It was only three months after my mom came here that my dad proposed to her.
Marcella told me she was hurt but she was able to move past it unlike her family and the rest of the country. They despised my mother. My mom was new and there was still so much truth hidden from her. She knew nothing about how messed up everything was and before she could discover anything my dad lured her into the marriage.
But I guess with time his interest in her died. He started to get tired of her. Said she was too much to handle and he tried to force her into being a docile wife and a queen who didn't dare to question her king's decision. But when my mom started noticing all the things that were going wrong in the country she tried to suggest some changes to my dad but he kept getting angry and shutting her out.
My mom was obviously hurt. The man who once treated her as a goddess was now being terrible with her. She was confused but then she got pregnant and she was happy-ecstatic. She thought my dad would be happy and their relationship would start to heal but it only got worse. He started ignoring her and with the pregnancy and her emotions all over the place my mom started losing the shine she once had." Eren's throat closed up the more he talked and he had to stop before he did something mortifying like bursting in tears.
"Are you okay?" Mizuki asked worriedly.
"I'm okay-I just need a minute." Eren croaked out and Mizuki gave him a small nod as he pressed a kiss on his cheek.
"You're okay." He whispered. "I'm here, sweetheart." Eren smiled at the words and after a deep breath, he continued to talk.
"You already know that she went through the pregnancy alone. During that time my dad started seeing Marcella again. He kept seeing her and at first she was hesitant but she couldn't refuse him. She was always thought to never say no to the men in the country and especially not the king. So she let him pursue her and she let him cheat on his wife. And then she became pregnant around the same time my mom gave birth to me. By the time my mom came home with me from giving birth Augustus had already arranged a sector of the castle for Marcella and him.
He had shunned my mom and I away. My mom lost herself completely after that. The only thing that kept her going was me but seeing her husband dote on a woman the way he should have doted on her ruined her. And then the people of the country were celebrating Marcella and Augustus and showed no remorse to my mom. Most of them hated her because of where she was from.
After four year-she- she gave up."
"Eren..." Mizuki whispered when he saw the tears fill Eren's eyes.
"Sorry." Eren said as he wiped his face hurriedly.
"Baby." Mizuki murmured as he pushed Eren's hands away to wipe his tears away himself. "Don't say sorry."
"You don't have to continue if you don't want to." He added quietly but Eren shook his head and after taking a deep breath he continued.
"At the time, Aslan and I were close. We played together and sometimes Marcella watched over us. She told me my mom was positive that if she were no longer with us that I would have been taken care of. Marcella told me that if she knew what would have happened then she would never have left. She truly believed I would have been okay.
But after her death my dad started losing it and he threw me aside. He became harsh to Marcella and only treated Aslan okay. And the rest is well the rest." Eren said and Mizuki slowly processed all of this information.
"God, that's a lot." He breathed out and Eren nodded.
"Are you okay?" Mizuki asked.
"I think so. Talking with her felt like closure. I know I would have never gotten anything out of Aslan or my father but she was never actually horrible to me. She just couldn't stop it and that's not really her fault, I guess." Eren answered and Mizuki hummed in agreement.
"I asked her about the coronation." Eren added and Mizuki asked him how that went.
"She agreed to be part of it. I asked her if she wanted a funeral and she said she would appreciate it so we're going to hold a funeral for them before the coronation. The funeral will be in the next couple of days and at the end of next week my coronation will happen." Eren said.
"I wish I could be there." Mizuki said, referring to the coronation and Eren frowned at the reminder.
"Do you..really have to go?" Eren mumbled and Mizuki tensed as he rolled off of Eren and instead laid down next to him and rested his hand on his chin.
"Don't cry, hm?" He said and Eren huffed. "I'm not going to cry!"
"Good." Mizuki said as he stroked his freckles. "Because if you do I don't think I'd be able to leave this time."
"Maybe I should cry." Eren muttered and Mizuki laughed softly.
"None of that, baby." Mizuki chastised. "I'll find you again, I swear."
"I know you will." Eren sighed. "But..I'll miss you."
Mizuki grinned widely as his heart flipped at the words and he squished Eren's cheeks together. "Aww, sweetheart. I'll miss you too. Every minute without you feels like torture."
"You're such a sap." Eren rolled his eyes but there was a ghost of a smile on his face.
"E-"
Mizuki never got to finish his sentence as Eren's stomach grumbled loudly. They both looked at each with wide eyes before they started laughing loudly.
-
After Eren's stomach clearly stated that they had stayed in bed for way too long, both Mizuki and Eren got out of bed and after freshening up Eren sneaked Mizuki and Emilio to get some food.
After they ate, Eren took them out to town before they had to leave. They visited the marketplace and the various things that Yarisha had to offer. Mizuki would be lying if he said he wasn't even a bit mesmerized. As miserable as Yarisha was, it was still a beautiful country.
Eren couldn't help but feel proud at the way people were respecting him as he walked around. No one dared to give him a side glare. Of course he could feel the negative emotions of some people but they didn't dare to show it to him.
Eren bought them food and let them explore the country a bit more before it was time for them to leave. He could feel his mood dampening but he tried his best to keep it up.
He accompanied them to the same side of the border where they came from. Mizuki patiently waited until there was no one around them before he reached down and grasped Eren's hand in his.
Eren smiled at the action and squeezed his hand tightly. Emilio, who was walking behind them, felt a sad smile tilt to his lips too.
Observing them all day he could clearly see how in love they were and he found this whole situation very unfair.
When they were getting closer and closer Eren wished he could have stalled the same way Mizuki had stalled when they were in the middle ground. But unfortunately both men he was with clearly knew the way.
He could feel his heart squeezing painfully with each step he took and he started walking slower and slower. Mizuki could tell but he didn't point it out and instead kept his pace slow as well.
But eventually, they reached the border and it was time to say goodbye.
"It was nice seeing you again, Eren." Emilio said. "Congratulations again, and I hope to see you again soon. Good luck."
"Thank you Emilio." Eren replied. "For your words and again for coming with Mizuki."
"It's my duty." Emilio bowed his head and then he took a few steps and crossed the border, leaving the couple to themselves as he went to look for the horses they had left.
A/N: idk where the horses were :( pls ignore this plot hole skskks but the horses are fine!!
"Sweetheart." Mizuki called out and Eren raised his head to meet Mizuki's eyes.
"I'll find you, okay?" Mizuki said as he grabbed both of his hands.
"When?" Eren asked.
"I'm not sure but I know I will. It might take some time, you'll be busy with the coronation and I have to focus on my country as well but I will find you." Mizuki promised.
"I will miss you." Eren mumbled as he took a step closer and let his head fall on Mizuki's chest.
"I'll miss you more, baby." Mizuki said as he hugged his sweetheart.
"I love you." Eren murmured and Mizuki felt his heart fill happiness.
"And I love you." Mizuki replied.
"If you don't hurry to come and find me I'll come myself." Eren warned and Mizuki's chest shook with the laughter he let out at the words.
Hello!
Thought?
I'm sorry for the wait!! A lot happened in this chapter and I'm like damn. :3
-till next time! <3