the flowers in my hand(the crown on your head)

one

Roman was a firm believer in the power flowers held. They were simple things, really, but the way they could be arranged in a bouquet to say things varying from : 'I love you' or 'I hate your guts' or 'I'm going to be late, I'm sorry' had fascinated Roman since he was a child. That was probably the reason why he applied for an apprenticeship in gardening.

If his mother could've seen him now, she probably would have given Roman that heart warming smile, ruffled his hair and told him : "I'm so proud of you, rosebud. you really are one of a kind.". She would've been so proud of him for managing to get employed at the palace, he was sure.

He hummed quietly to himself, as he gently placed the daffodils in holes in the ground he had already made. He was glad he was wearing gloves now. Last time he forgot them, he couldn't take off the stains on his skin for weeks. Remus had simply laughed at him when he complained, before leaving the house for the third time that week, to see some mysterious person.

Roman smiled, as he inspected every flower thoroughly, making sure it was in perfect shape before he stuck it in royal grounds. He twirled one stem after the other, checking for any imperfections, careful not to add any of his own.

"Hello"

Roman's heart nearly jumped out of his chest at the sudden greeting. A short noise of surprise passed his lips, as he stumbled to his feet, brushing off any prominent dirt of his apron. He whipped his head up, nearly choking at the man that stood in front him.

He had dark hair (Roman couldn't tell if it was brown or black), the very tips of his fringe a rich purple. A cape of the same colour hung over his shoulder, so loosely Roman thought it would fall at the slightest of movements. The rest of his clothes were varying shades of black, purple and grey, a dagger sheathed by his hip. Roman couldn't describe him as nothing less than beautiful, when he took his whole image in. From what he could tell, his eyes were a light colour, but the hair over his forehead prevented him of seeing it clearly. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, but he wasn't smiling. Roman's eyes travelled to his head, where a crown stood perched on the top of it.

A crown.

"Your Higness." Roman bowed hurriedly, the moment he realized. Well, there goes his shot at flirting with him. He was a prince, dammit.

"There's no need for that." he said, his hand up in a stopping motion. His voice was just as mesmerizing as the rest of him, smooth and melodic, Roman could easily compare it to a ballad.

"I- what-?" Roman's confusion was clearly displayed on his face at the prince's gesture. He blinked a couple of times, making sure he heard his words right. The prince gave a small breathless laugh, nodding to confirm he hadn't just imagined it. Now he was smiling.

"It's okay." he smiled, clasping his hands together, in a sort of awkward manner. Roman shifted up, balancing himself on the garden wall. "I'm not his royal highness here. Virgil is just fine." He added a 'please' at Roman's confused face.

"I- Okay?" Roman finally managed to say.

"Do you have a name?" Virgil asked calmly, moving his weight from one leg to the other, his head slightly tilted.

"I'm Roman." he said, extending his hand, as the usual greeting, but nearly immediately pulled it back when he remembered who he was talking to.

"Nice to meet you Roman."

"...You too, Virgil." Roman said hesitantly. His heart fluttered at the smile that graced Virgil's lips at the sound of his name. He moved his hair from his lower forehead, leaving Roman a full view of his eyes. They were light grey, maybe leaning towards blue, smudges of black makeup under them. It looked pretty untidy, as if he had slept with eyeliner and it destroyed itself. Virgil still managed to pull it off, though.

Virgil had probably seen him look at him, so he cleared his throat, moving his fringe, yet again in front of those beautiful eyes.

"I'm sorry, I know it looks weird I just slept with it and-" he started rambling, but Roman cut him off quickly, realizing he probably looked rude.

"No, no, no, that wasn't my intention at all, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable!"

Virgil fell silent, rubbing the back of his neck, looking at the ground. Roman bit the inside of his cheek.

"I think it looks nice."

Virgil whipped his head up, staring at him, eyes wide, full of disbelief.

"You really think so?" he whispered.

Roman nodded : "It gives you a pretty edgy vibe, but if that's what you're looking for, then that's fine. It looks really good, though. Brings out your eyes." he whispered the last part. Virgil smiled for the third time that day, and Roman could swear he'd never seen such a beautiful one.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Roman's eyes darted between the ground and Virgil, not wanting to be rude, but he still needed to get back to work. The prince probably saw it and said :

"Oh, you need to get back to work..."

Roman nodded sheepishly, the words not coming out of his mouth.

"I'll leave you be then. I don't want to get in the way." he sighed, turning around to leave.

Roman decided to do something impulsive, and ask him to stay. It was terribly stupid of him, of course. He would've regretted it, if Virgil hadn't turned around, a small genuine smile on his face.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise."

Roman turned and crouched down, going back to planting the flowers along the path. Only this time, a very attractive prince was crouched down next to him, so close, he could move an inch and their shoulders would graze.

"What flowers are those?" Virgil asked, taking one from the pile Roman had put aside.

"These? They're daffodils." Roman took one into his fingers, bringing it into the sun. He smiled as he watched the way the sunlight enveloped its petals. "They're a personal favorite of mine."

Roman turned his head to see Virgil's reaction, only to be greeted by an adorable look of wonder on the prince's face, as he waited for him to continue. He felt his heart soar at the sight. "It symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. They can be orange and white shades, like this one, but they're yellow most of the time."

"These are the flowers named after Narcissus, right?" Virgil asked. Roman nodded, smiling brightly. Virgil breathed out, almost relieved.

"Good, I didn't want to make a fool out of myself..." his voice became quieter by each word and Roman never realized how close their faces were until he could feel his hot breath against his skin. They almost simultaneously pulled apart, Roman clearing his throat, while Virgil rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I- um, I should go. The castle's calling and all that." Virgil choked out, his voice strained. Roman nodded in approval, far too quickly for it not to be suspicious.

"Okay." he whispered. Roman got up quicker than he did, so he offered Virgil a hand. He hesitantly took it, their gloved palms hovering around each other for a few seconds. The prince heaved himself up, looking anywhere but Roman's face.

"Thank you for...everything, I guess." Virgil shrugged, a one sided smile on his face.

"It was no problem. I mean it."

Virgil quickly turned around, nearly sprinting out of sight. Roman sighed, not managing to hide his smile. He turned to the flowers.

Maybe this could be the start of something