Better Left Unsaid

22

"Before I end the lesson for today, I have an important announcement." Heine spoke ever so stoically. An obvious hint of confidence and pride was evident, though.

"Announcement?" All four princes curiously echoed.

"In two days, there will not be the lessons I had initially planned. It was in order from his majesty to instead round you all up for a picnic that afternoon."

"Thank god!" Leo sighed in relief, grinning happily.

"Why a sudden picnic?" Bruno asked. Investigative as ever.

"Is it strange that a father with so little time is willing to see his sons? More so when it's not an official event?"

"Fair point." Bruno practically glowed at the frankly smart ass remark Heine made.

"You are all now dismissed." Heine bowed and dashed straight for the door. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Am I crazy or did I see Heine grinning when he turned around?" Licht said first.

"No, I saw it too." Bruno affirmed. Kai nodded alongside his brother.

"He was?" Leo questioned with the utmost curiosity. "That's strange."

"I mean, at least we know the picnic won't mean punishment." Licht joked. "Remember the last he tricked us all into a lesson?"

The others began to discuss the various methods of trickery Heine would use. Leo simply got lost in the space of his mind. This whole situation seeming more like a math equation, While not very good at math, or small details, he could still look at the grand picture.

All evidence pointed to one conclusion. It was clear as day. On the tip of his tongue. It all lead back to Heine and father. It couldn't be that they just had a past. There was more to it.

Even though it's little time, they still get to hold one another. What a strange thing to remember. He remembered the moment when Heine said it clear as day but it related to that one story about the earth and the sky. Heine sounded genuine when he had said it. Like it was from a distant memory of his own. It was sincere but also had something else to it.

Could it have to do with the past he and father had together? They only knew each other for a short amount of time. Father would even sneak out for a limited time. Could it be related to the present day, though? In a way, the story of the Earth and the sky related to their lives. Heine, the Earth, grounded and in place. Father, the sky, going where he was needed. Both so far away from each other until Father comes home. Until father creates an outstretched arm in the form of rain. The rain does not mean sadness, it means temporary joy. Time to hold one another before the sky went off to fulfill it's duties of the day and night.

That's far too romantic, isn't it? They're old friends, after all. Then again there was no way of truly knowing where they stood. There was rare evidence of their relationship dynamic considering they rarely see each other during the day. Bruno did mention that Heine often visited father at night. Not for very long, though.

Suddenly, it all clicked in Leo's head all at once.

Wait a damn second....

"Earth to Leo!" Licht practically screamed in Leo's ear jerking him back to reality.

"Don't do that!" Leo retaliated and harshly pushed his brother away. Licht fell back onto the couch with a laugh.

"It's not my fault you wouldn't answer for the past five minutes."

"Whatever." Leo stood up. "I'm hungry." Not entirely a lie, truly. He could grab a tart but afterwards he absolutely needed to talk to Heine.

"No wonder!" Licht laughed again. "The idiot was too busy thinking about food."

"You're one to talk." Bruno cut in.

~

Work was always a breath of fresh air. Licht could tell it was for Heine too. A quiet and uninterrupted place to be. It was had become such a routine that Licht often forgot he was even there until it was time to leave. This time was a little different considering Leo had come this time. Strangely enough, he didn't feel scheming eyes casting judgment upon him like he expected. No, Leo was very deep in conversation with Heine. Far too much to even notice Licht running around all over the place.

Licht tried time and time again to catch what was being discussed at the booth they sat in. Unfortunately, it was rush hour for the cafe and he couldn't even make it to the area they were in without having to concentrate on customers. Occasionally, he did catch tidbits. They were basically nonsense. Just words or sentence fragments. The most notable thing, however, was Heine wore the softest smile the entire time. Something that could make anyone's heart melt like wax because it was so radiant.

Like a child in front of candy store, Licht wanted to know what was in store.

With a sigh, he wiped his sweaty hands on his apron. The influx of customers seemed to finally be slowing down.

"So, why exactly are you asking me all these questions?" Licht heard Heine's voice behind him. He hadn't even realized how close he ended up to their booth. Knowing this he slowed his progress on cleaning the table just to listen in a bit more.

"Because I wanted to be sure if I wanted to ask you my final question." Leo said with confidence.

"And what's that?"

"It's about you and father."

"Oh?"

"You two, you're–" The bell of the front door rang loud. Instinctively, Licht sprouted up and treated them. "–aren't you?" He turned back around and quickly grabbed the pile of dishes that sat on the table he had been cleaning. He rushed to the kitchen so they could get washed. Accidentally, he slammed them down into the sink.

Shit! He missed the whole sentence! Now it was going to bother him all day!

With a sigh, he went back out to tend to the customers. He'll have to ask Leo about it later.

He glanced in Heine and Leo's direction, their demeanor changed. It was a lot more playful than before. How odd.