The Mushroom Prince // DNF

8/Picnic

Shortly after Lilyana left the room, there was a knock at the door, and Clay entered the room with a small smile on his face. George gave him a smile back, but it felt somewhat forced on his end. He had a lot on his mind, most of his focus being on the fact that he would have to see Rue the following day.

Clay entered the room slowly, his eyes drifting over to the spot on the bed beside George. He looked as though he wanted to sit next to him, but thought better of it and sat down in an empty chair instead.

There was silence for a moment before Clay finally spoke, "so, you really don't get along with the King, do you?"

George scoffed, almost laughing in response as he said, "no, I really don't. We haven't gotten along in quite a while. Not since..."

His voice trailed off, his eyes dropping down to the floor. Not since his mother was alive, was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't seem to get the words out. It was too painful for him to relive memories of the person his father used to be, someone he would never be again.

Clay nodded, understanding what George was trying to say without having to hear the words.

Clay kept his eyes on George, looking as though he was contemplating his words before quietly saying, "I didn't realize you were getting married soon."

George exhaled at the words and responded, "that makes two of us. But according to my father, I can't be a king without a queen."

"You don't seem very happy about it."

George looked up, his eyes meeting Clay's as he said, "that's because I'm not happy about it. She's nice enough, the Princess, but I have no interest in marrying her."

Clay nodded in response, his eyes still on George as the two settled back into silence. George was grateful when Clay didn't push the topic further, he wasn't exactly sure how to explain why he had no interest in marrying her.

Clay broke the silence again, pushing himself up from his chair as he smiled at George and said, "I'll be right back. I think I have an idea."

George's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched the blonde retreat from the room, only to return with his hands behind his back.

He stood in front of George, a big smile on his face as he said, "you want to see what I have?"

George nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the blonde's hands appear, a bottle of wine in one and a basket of food in the other.

He looked up at Clay questioningly, a smile forming on his face as the blonde spoke, "I thought that instead of lessons, we could go to the clearing and have a picnic instead. Maybe it'll help get your mind off of everything."

George's smile grew, his body warming as he hummed happily in agreement. It sounded like the perfect way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

He pushed off from the bed, grabbing his journal and pencils and dropping them into his pocket before following Clay out of the room.

~

George was now seated in the grass, his legs stretched out in front of him as he ate a slice of apple. His journal was open in his lap, a half finished sketch on the page.

Clay was across from him, leaning up against a tree with his eyes closed, a content smile on his face.

George looked down at the page, pencil in hand, before looking back up at Clay. The blonde opened one eye to look at George as he asked, "are you almost done?"

George laughed, pressing his pencil back to the paper as he responded, "not yet, just be patient."

Clay closed his eyes again, letting out a sigh as he settled back against the tree.

George let the pencil move across the paper, his eyes flickering back and forth between his drawing and Clay. He wanted to perfectly capture the way the sunlight was casting over his face, making the freckles on his nose more visible than usual. The gentle curve of his smile, the long lashes that framed his eyes, and the messy blonde waves that fell against his forehead.

He finally pulled the pencil away from the paper, satisfied with how the drawing had turned out as he said, "okay, it's finished."

Clay's eyes opened, an expectant smile on his face as he reached out a hand. George handed the journal over, watching nervously as the blonde's eyes scanned over the page.

"Wow, you're really talented, George. This looks just like me, better actually," Clay said, his eyes still focused on the drawing.

George felt himself smile as he answered, "oh, I don't know about that, Clay."

Clay's eyes lifted to meet George's, a playful smile on his face as he said, "wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

George's face flushed in embarrassment as he tried to recover from the statement by saying, "what? N-nothing. I just meant that you're, well..."

Clay closed the journal, placing it down as he shifted himself closer to George and said in a low voice, "George, are you trying to say you think I'm handsome?"

George rolled his eyes in response as he playfully pushed Clay's shoulder and mumbled, "shut up, Clay."

Clay laughed in response, his eyes still fixed on George.

As silence settled over the two, George watched as Clay slowly lifted a hand, gently moving it through the brunette's hair.

"You just had some grass in your hair," Clay said, his voice quiet and soft as his hand fell away. George only nodded in response, his heart beating hard in his chest.

After a moment, George pulled his gaze away, feeling overwhelmed by the closeness as he said, "how about more wine?"

Clay nodded in response, moving away from George as he grabbed the bottle and poured them both another glass.

~

George didn't return to his room until it was nearly night time, the sun just dipping below the horizon as he pulled open the wooden door.

He moved around his room, lighting a few candles that cast a dim light as Clay closed the door behind him.

When he was done, he turned to face Clay, who was still standing by the closed door, as he said, "thank you for today, it was a good distraction."

Clay nodded in response, a soft smile on his face. He didn't speak, but he moved across the room, closing the distance between the two.

George could feel his heart beating hard against his ribs as he looked up at Clay, their bodies only inches apart.

Clay's voice was low and quiet when he spoke, "I could distract you for a little while longer, if you wanted."

George swallowed hard, trying to keep his gaze settled on Clay as he answered, "what did you have in mind?"

One of Clay's hands moved to George's face, resting there as his thumb gently stroked the brunette's cheek while he said, "something I wanted to do earlier, but it didn't seem like the right time."

George wasn't sure if the burst of confidence he was feeling was because of the wine, but he decided to let the words come out before he could overthink the situation.

"Well, seems like the perfect time right now."

Clay gave him a small grin before pulling George in, their lips pressing together softly for a moment. George's eyes fluttered closed as he melted into the kiss, his hands moving to Clay's shoulders as the blonde moved both hands to George's waist.

Before the kiss could grow too heated, Clay pulled back, looking down at George as he asked, "are you sure this is okay, George? I don't want to overstep."

George smiled up at him as he answered, "it's more than okay. This is a much better distraction."

Clay smiled down at him before leaning back in and connecting their lips, the kiss immediately growing more intense and needy.

George wasn't sure in the moment if it was the smartest idea, but he was content for now to give himself over completely to his desires.