Painting the Roses Blue (wonderland au)

Chapter 9

A small smile graced his lips staring up at the older man with complete and absolute love in his eyes. Those black eyes were half-lidded, and though no pupils or iris were visible, the emotions that filled them to the brim. The strong hands that cupped his hollowed cheeks squished gently as the man laughed, light and happy. His hair was matted and messed up, and his ears were pressed flat against his head, although he wasn't feeling any fear or shame. A light pink had dusted his cheeks- well, really, every part of his face- the few freckles he did have darkened by the sudden blood rush.

Murdoc grinned back to the man in his arms, biting his bottom lip to keep from saying things he would regret. He had already let this go on too far, he didn't want to be driven deeper into the quicksand of the relationship that he built with his own two hands. His hands. Those hands that held the bunny gently, so close and yet, so far to those lips. He could feel their heads swimming, high from the dopamine being released from their brains. The King leaned in, slowly pressing his thin lips to the chapped ones of the bunny. As soon as they kissed, Murdoc automatically knew, this was the best high of his life. No matter the amount or quality of the drugs he consumed, nothing would ever compare to the feeling of Stuart moving against Murdoc. His head practically shook with the amount of happiness that rang in between his temples, especially so when Stuart's hands started traveling up his chest, before turning back down to-

Murdoc sat up instantly, panting from the adrenaline let out due to his hyper realistic dream. He ran a clammy hand down the side of his face, inhaling and exhaling deeply for a few moments to slow his hear tback back to that of a normal one. His shirt was sticking to his torso, and his pajama bottoms were feeling a little too tight for his liking. He blinked the crust out of his eyes, staring down at the bed ahead of him. Where was he again? His bed, in his bedroom, in the castle, safe. Although, he wasn't supposed to be asleep in here, he was staying in the guest room- or, rather, Stuart's room.Oh fuck, Stuart! He instantly turned his head, his neck popping with such a swift movement, staring at the other lump in his bed.

Stuart was curled up under the Egpytian silk sheets, his thin chest heaving up and down in a steady rhythm. The little bunny's face had a sleepy smile as he dreamt, probably of carrots and roses and shit, as Murdoc mused. A green-tinted hand pushed away the bangs on the unconscious ma, gently brushing the fingers through said blue hair. Murdoc, as much as he hated to admit it, could feel his blackened heart pounding to life after years of neglect. He sighed shakily, laying back next to Staurt. Stuart instantly wrapped his arms around Murdoc's torso, as if he had been doing that every night for years. It was comforting, in a way, but the comfort brought another, definitely sadder, discomfort to the king. He didn't want to go through this again. He had a specific cycle he figured out based solely off the three relationships he previously had- happiness, comfort, angst, and then a beheading. That was how they all ended up.

"Murdoc..?" A small, sleepy voice snapped him out of his morbid thoughts, forcing the man to turn his head to the body wrapped around his torso. He held back from correcting Stuart on how to address him, it wasn't all that important to mention right now.

"Yes, Faceache?" The nickname would have stung significantly more if the bunny had not been three-quarters asleep, but in his half-conscious state, Stuart only partially opened his eyes and flashed Murdoc a tired smile. That smile made Murdoc feel an invisible tug at his heart, somehow cracking away at the charred exterior he once thought of as a real heart.

"G'd mornin'," The bunny fully grinned, the gaps in his teeth visible. His eyes closed once more as he cuddled closer into Murdoc's chest. He was incredibly warm, like a space heater, and he wanted to take as much advantage of this tender moment as humanly possible. Murdoc's stomach did flips.

"Morning." Was the gruff reply that came from the king. He didn't dare speak any more, as this whole ordeal terrified him. There were two ways to go about this early morning interaction. He could, on one hand, be an insensitive asshole and completely brush Stuart off like he was nothing. On the other hand, he could say fuck it and hug the bunny close to his chest, inhaling that sweet scent of butterscotch that wafted into his nose. He couldn't choose the latter, no matter how much he wanted to, but he couldn't just throw Stuart away. He was still recovering.

"You're so comfy," Stuart mumbled, voice muffled by the silk on Murdoc's sleepshirt. Murdoc couldn't do this. He had to get out of this.

He sat up, accidentally knocking Stuart back onto the sheets. The little yelp that the bunny gave at the sudden movement almost made Murdoc stop. Almost. He got out of the bed, glaring down at Stuart. "I am going. It's already late in the morning, I have to sit on my throne. You have clothes in your own room, the one across the hall. Do not bug me. Breakfast will be brought to you. Can ya understand that, dullard?" The smaller gulped before quickly nodding, staring up at the other. "Good. Good day." With that, Murdoc turned on his heel and left to the hall, finding a maid and ordering her to help dress him. It was lucky that he had a separate room for wardrobes and changing.

Stuart flinched as the door slammed behind the other man. What did he do wrong? Was he just too annoying? That was probably it, Stuart was annoying, it made the most sense. No matter, the man decided, those few moments he spent with Murdoc were enough to last years to come, provided that he not ever see the other again.

Murdoc, once dressed, sat angrily in his throne, gripping his staff in his left hand. His left leg was crossed over the right, he was glaring daggers into the two guards at the front of the hall. He wasn't mad at the guards, no, he was mad at himself, he was simply taking it out on someone else. It was a bad habit, yes, but he felt it was better than bottling his negative emotions up. However, he didn't mind bottling up the positive emotions. Those were easy to bottle up, especially since he didn't have many positive emotions to begin with. His legs switched, and he leaned his cheek on his right hand. "You!" He pointed at the left guard with the end of his staff. "Find me Russel!" The guard quickly nodded, running off into the large hall to find his superior.

As he was waiting for his friend, a member of the town entered through the double doors, staring up at his king.

"You may address me," Murdoc sat up, staring through the citizen. He waited for the man to speak, a small smile tugging at his face for the second time that day. Though, this time was not for a lovely man sleeping in his own bed, it was for the fear that was evident in the civilian's stature. His legs were shaking, and he played with his hands, refusing to make direct eye contact at Murdoc. He felt like a true king.

"Well- Well some of the townspeople- and- and I- we've been seeing some newcomers- and they aren't doing any harm- but they- they've been acting a little weird. They also don't live within kingdom grounds, and- and we're worried they might be spies from the White Kingdom," He stuttered out, wiping his sweaty hands off on his pants. Murdoc smirked, chuckling darkly. He leaned forward, studying the peasant under him.

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

The man's face fell, and his hands came back up to entangle his fingers together, his nerves returning in full force. "Well, we were wondering if you- if you could investigate it. If- If not, that's okay too! They've just been a little suspiscious, and we don't know what to d-"

"Silence!" The King's voice boomed through the empty hall, the townsperson instantly shutting his mouth. "I will look into the situation. Describe them, and then you shall leave."

"We- Well one was very tall, and his skin was green, like yours, your Highness, except more sickly. He had some darkened glasses and a hat. And the other, she was shorter. Brown skin, blonde hair, and- and some ears like a rabbit's. She even had a tail too, just like a bunny." Murdoc's brows raised. Another bunny? His immediate thought was that Paula had sent one of Stuart's kind to retrieve him. It was a shame, really, how confident she was that she was going to get him back. Murdoc would only return Stuart if he and all the people in the kingdom were dead. Stuart was his, he would always be his.

"That's enough. Leave." The man nodded and bowed, before practically running out of the throne room. As he made his way through the doors, the man Murdoc had originally wanted walking back in as soon as the former left.

Russel entered the throne room, his stark white eyes staring up at Murdoc. He was wearing simple clothes, having taken his uniform off hours ago. He crossed his arms and raised his brows up at the king. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk."