Heavy is the Head

Chapter 5

It's been a minute, hasn't it :/
This chapter was pretty difficult to write, I had to do countless rewrites, but it's finally made it to where I needed it to go. If you've stuck with me until now, I really appreciate it :)

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Somehow they end up there for hours. It must be around noon when Pete awakens to Ae shifting beneath him. Somehow he'd ended up laying on the ground with his head in Ae's lap.

How un-princely of him.

When he becomes conscious of it, Pete immediately scrambles to get up, but Ae catches the back of his head to slow him down.

"Whoa there, take it easy."

"Sorry," Pete says instinctively.

"Don't worry about it," Ae replies easily. "You must be hungry."

Pete's stomach answers before he can. Ae chuckles and releases Pete's head to pull a handkerchief out of his pocket. He unwraps it to reveal a bread roll, which he breaks in half to offer one side to Pete. He takes it and starts nibbling at it, watching as Ae finishes his own in five swift bites.

"How long was I asleep for?" he asks.

"Probably two or three hours," Ae says through a mouthful of food.

"Oh no," Pete winces. "You could have woken me up."

"It was a welcome break."

"Still... I'm sorry. Are you going to miss your training? Sorry, you should-"

"Don't apologize," Ae says, swallowing his last bite. Pete is too enthralled watchin the movement of his Adam's apple to notice that Ae's brought his hand up to his head until he feels his fingers in his hair. He freezes as if any sudden movement could make Ae run away like a scared animal. But Ae doesn't even notice. He just casually combs his fingers, fixing up Pete's fringe like it was something he did every day.

Pete suddenly becomes conscious of how he must look having just woken up. His hair is probably matted to his face, and his skin imprinted with angry red lines from being pressed against Ae's clothes.

At least if his face is already red, Ae cant see how hard he's blushing.

"I think both of us could probably do with the break," Ae lets his hand drop from Pete's face to rest lightly on one of Pete's crisscrossed knees. The casual affection is nearly enough to bring him to tears again. People just don't touch him, and the burning relief he feels when Ae does makes him feel unhinged.

Ae gives his knee a gentle squeeze.

"Rough morning?"

Pete nods, swallowing the last bit of his roll.

"What was it, work? Family?

Pete hesitates.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, Peach."

But Pete really does. Wants to spill his whole truth right here and now. All of the ugliness, angstiness, and messiness that is his life. He wants Ae to know him and accept him anyway. But the moment Ae really knows who he is- is the moment this ends, so he chooses his words carefully.

"Why do you want to be a knight?"

The change in subject throws Ae for a moment, but, ever so gracious, he lets it pass.

"It's kind of a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Please?"

Ae smiles softly and shifts around to make himself comfortable against the tree, positioning himself so he's shoulder to shoulder with a cross legged, straight backed Pete.