Violets and Chrysanthemums

Chapter 4

Kaminari didn't know what came over him when he pulled Hito's head onto his lap, but he did not regret it. As he let Hito sleep, Kaminari picked a few of the violets within his reach and began to weave a flower crown. Then two, then three.

He did so for a while before he decided to wake Hito up. Not without staring at him for a couple of minutes of course. Kaminari knew that might've been a bit weird but he truly couldn't bring himself to care. Hito just seemed so peaceful, and it was magical to watch. How someone so tense and uptight could ever possibly look this calm.

 As if waking a wild animal, Kaminari slowly poked Hito's shoulder. Which did nothing to stir the poet. "Hito," Kaminari whispered. "It's time to get up."  Again nothing. So Kaminari starts to shake the poet and repeat such phrases until Hito finally starts to wake up. 

-<>-

 Shinsou must admit that waking up on the blonde's lap was as lovely as it was astonishing. Before he could even comprehend the words coming out of his mouth he said, "Morning darling."

 Pikachu blushed, "You know it's really hard to wake you up once you've fallen into such a deep sleep. I feel as though I should have just let you sleep the rest of the night." he smiled picking a stray leaf from Shinsou's hair. 

 Shinsou sat up from Pikachu's lap, I'll be it begrudgingly and scanned his surroundings. Finding nothing new aside from a few flower crowns lying on the ground. He turned back to the blonde with bleary eyes. "Where did those come from?" he pointed to the violet flower crowns lying on the blanket beside him.

 Pikachu shrugged, "I was bored. What can I say."

Shinsou laughed, which he found himself doing a lot more, and picked one up off the ground. Looking at it closer, the crown was weaved in a complex manner that looked like it would take hours to do. At least to someone who'd never made one before. "How long did it take you to make this?" Shinsou asked slightly in awe. "These are beautiful."

The blonde smiled, "Not very long. I've been making them since I was little so I've learned how to weave them very efficiently. I could teach you if you'd like." His smile portrays every bit of eagerness in the statement. 

Shinsou couldn't help but smile again, "I'd quite love that actually."

Pikachu grinned from ear to ear, clearly excited for this flower crown lesson. "Alright then, one moment. Just wait here." Shinsou couldn't even ask why before Pikachu took off in the direction of the chrysanthemums.

 After a few minutes, he came running back with an arm full of the yellow flowers. "I figure you'd like a crown of your favorite flowers rather than mine." 

 With that Pikachu started his explanation of the flower crown-making process, and Shinsou hung onto every one of his words. Following the blonde's instructions like his life depended on it.

 Once they were done with their flower crowns the sun was on the rise once more and the two had to say their goodbyes. So they did, and as his thief left, Shinsou gathered the few violet flower crowns Pikachu had left and brought them into the castle. He brought them into his room and arranged them on his dresser placing the chrysanthemum one in the center. He couldn't seem to stop smiling at them and their sentimental beauty.

...

 The next night, the thief came again and talked with the prince, then the next night. And the night after that. The thief says he does it because he still hasn't gotten his apple, but Shinsou knew the blonde enjoyed their talks just as much as he did.

 Along the way, Shinsou felt himself slowly falling for this boy, and with the wedding in the very near future, he knew he had to cut things off sooner than he'd like to. He just didn't know how. He could say that he wasn't needed anymore at the castle and needed to return home. Though that would just be continuing the trail of lies. Maybe he should just tell the truth. He cared too much about the blonde to continue lying to him. He wanted to tell him the truth once and for all. Even if it broke his heart.

-<>-

 Not far away, Kaminari was having the very same dilemma. Though in his case he was more focused on how best to keep Hito from hating him.  The way he saw it was that if he told Hito that he was a prince and was to be married in two days then Hito would hate him. Or if he just spent this last night with him and left, then Hito would see the wedding and find out anyway. So if Hito's going to hate him anyway, why not just tell the truth. The most he could do was break the news lightly. If that word could even be used to describe their situation.

 Once night fell once again Kaminari snuck out for what he'd decided to be the last time. As he walked he put everything he had into keeping the tears from falling from his eyes. Then once he made it to the fields he couldn't hold any of it back anymore.

 -<>-

 Shinsou felt a movement behind him as he sat in by the fields and turned to find Pikachu approaching, but something was wrong. He was crying. Shinso ran over to him without a second thought, "Hey, hey it's okay. What happened." He cupped Pikachu's face with his hands and started to wipe the tears away.

 "I-i'm so so-orry." He choked. "This- this is the last time I can come to see you."

 Shinsou frowned. He knew this was coming, he just thought he'd have to be the one to break the news. He could do nothing but wrap his arms around the blonde and hold on while he still could. He didn't even think to ask why the blonde couldn't see him anymore. "It's okay." Shinsou felt his thief's arms return the embrace. He was holding on so tight Shinsou felt as though he could barely breathe.

 Pikachu sniffled and pulled back to meet Shinsou's eyes. "No, no it's not. Nothing about it is okay. H-hito... I think I love you. And I just- I can't..." he could barely get any words out through his sobs. 

 Shinsou stared at him, he could barely comprehend what the blonde had said. He said he loved him. No one had ever said that to him outside of family, so hearing it out of Pikachu's mouth was as enchanting as it was painful. "I love you too."

 The blonde held on tighter and huffed a laugh, "You don't even know my name. How could you love a nameless thief?"

 "The same way you can love a nameless poet." Shinsou ran his fingers through the boy's blonde hair. 

  Pikachu shot him a confused look, "What?"

  "Listen, tonight was going to be our last night for me as well. You just sort of beat me to it I guess. But that's beside the point. I lied to you about who I really was, I need to tell you before..."

 "Prince Shinsou! Where are you, sir?" A guard was headed towards the fields. Shinsou pulled Pikachu behind one of the gardening sheds as quickly as he could. "You need to go." He whispered, as much as it hurt to say so. "If they're looking for the prince then they're going to search every nook and cranny. They will find us." 

 -<>-

Kaminari was panicked. But he didn't want to leave Hito, if that's even his name, so early. He was confused and so stricken with premature grief that he could barely bring himself to speak. "No, please. It's too soon, what if we just wait them out. I have too much to say." He pleas as if Hito has control over this mishap. 

 Hito shook his head, "You and I both know you can't risk that." A tear slipped from his eye and so Kaminari wiped it away. "I love you," Hito whispered, "I need you to remember that."

  Kaminari paused, "I would never," he squeezed Hito's hand as the poet quickly leaned forward and kissed his thief like it was the end of the world, because to him, it was. Kaminari didn't want him to pull away but Hito had to, and with him, he took Kaminari's heart. He motioned for Kaminari to run as he himself ran towards the guard. So Kaminari took off toward his exit and didn't look back. 

I know this chapter ran super quick but I didn't want to write out every night that the two spent together, I felt like that would just get boring so I sped it up. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.