Empire 《Mikayuu/YuuMika》

⥈ Chapter Sixteen ⥈

The prince stood still, the paralyzing shock of the news his mother gave him still not fully embedded in his brain.

"My wife?" he asked, quietly.

"Yes, my dear. She's going to make you a lovely wife."

She smiled delicately at him, and he returned it in politeness.

"That's wonderful," Mikaela said, feigning a pleased disposition. "When is it going to take place?"

"The first of May. Your birthday, Mikaela."

He felt his heart sink into his stomach. If there was any other new information his mother would give, he felt it would fall through his feet and into the floor.

He nodded, anyway, keeping his pretense. He didn't want to anger her like the last time he had an outburst, in front of a kind stranger, no less.

He excused himself to change his clothing to something more appropriate for esteemed guests, but the moment he closed the door behind him, he sunk to the floor and buried his hands in his hair.

Marriage was inevitable. He knew it was to occur, but he did not think it to be so soon.

He always put Yuuichirou in the position as his bride, even though he knew it would be someone else. The thought of it not being Yuuichirou was disappointing and heartbreaking, so he deluded himself into some naively-conjured fantasy where he would marry the one he loved and live happily ever after like in the storybooks he read as a child.

But storybooks were just that. Storybooks. And his life was as miserable as it was when it first begun.

He was afraid to know how Yuuichirou would react. Would he be devastated by the news? Would he leave, run away to some far off land where he would meet a woman and fall in love? Or would he accept it as fact, and remain? Mikaela was not sure which one was worse. Not seeing Yuuichirou again was one thing he never wanted to experience, but the air being strange while they were in the same room, or Yuuichirou treating him different and pretending they never were in love was another.

He inhaled deeply to calm himself and stood, preparing to change his clothes and join their guests for dinner. There, he would assume the identity he always did: the perfect prince, who wanted to get married and rule the kingdom.

The thought of it made him queasy, but it was necessary.

Despite the million thoughts buzzing through his brain like pesky gnats, the one that was truly emphasized was how he was going to tell his lover. Yuuichirou needed to know, no matter how terrified Mikaela was of the outcome.

Maybe they could run away, like they always joked about.

He knew it to be impossible, but it was an appealing thought. To go somewhere where no one knew his name or visage. He could claim to be whoever he wanted. He could be a person, rather than a pretty face on a tapestry. And Yuuichirou would come with him. They could spend an eternity making daisy chains by a river and gazing into each other's eyes.

Mikaela snapped back into reality once he heard his mother's voice and her loud footsteps echoing up the stairwell. He scrambled to get dressed and rushed out the door, pretending he never had qualms in the first place.

Pretending was a game at which Mikaela was well-practiced. It was a game that was involved everywhere in real life, and he had become very skilled in it.

The hard part was distinguishing what was pretend from what was real.

---⥈---

Yuuichirou noticed a caprice in the prince, although it was subtle. He knew Mikaela almost as well as he knew himself, and he knew something was wrong. He did not seem as vibrant or vivacious as usual. Those were subtle, too, but they were subtler than they were before. He was just stoic, smiles were rare, even when Yuuichirou kissed him and whispered sweet nothings in his ear. He was desperate to know what was going wrong in Mikaela's world, and he hoped to God it wasn't him.

Mikaela and he made it back to Shibuya, and Yuuichirou sat on the mossy rock, which was much smaller than he remembered.

Mikaela fretted, biting his lip occasionally and looking like he were to say something, but not an utterance was made.

Yuuichirou patted the spot on the rock beside him and Mikaela sat, casting a forced smile at him. Yuuichirou reached for his hand.

"What's on your mind, love?"

Mikaela closed his eyes, emphasizing his long, blond lashes, and held Yuuichirou's hand before looking over at him with placid blue eyes. "I need to tell you something."

"Something important?"

He nodded slightly, his light, fluffy curls shifting along with his movements. "Yes."

Even as distraught as he looked, Yuuichirou thought, he still was as radiant as the sun.

"What is it?"

Mikaela worried his lower lip between his teeth, and Yuuichirou was tempted to kiss him so he'd stop. But, he didn't. He sat there and looked at Mikaela expectantly. 

"I knew this was going to happen." Mikaela stood from the rock, and began to pace. "I knew it was, yet I was... I deluded myself into thinking we could be together, and everything would be okay."

Yuuichirou stood and placed his hands on Mikaela's shoulders. He didn't like where Mikaela's words were leading. 

"We are okay. We can be together--"

"Not the way I want to be with you, Yuu. I..." He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, as if he was expelling his anxiety, and all his problems would float down the river and disappear.

"Mika, what happened?"

"My mother is arranging my wedding, Yuu. I can't... I can't marry her. I want to marry you."

In any other occasion, Yuuichirou would be overjoyed to hear those words from the prince's mouth. Mikaela, however, was fighting tears, and, for once, Yuuichirou didn't know how to comfort him. 

"Mika, as long as we love each other, we can be together. Okay?"

"Can't we run away together? To somewhere far away where no one knows our faces?"

"We can't. You know we can't, Mika." 

"It's so difficult, Yuu."

"It has to be. The world made it this way. But, we're strong enough to fight it. Aren't we, Mika?"

Mikaela stopped, gazing down at the river. 

"I love you, Mika."

Mikaela looked back up at his emerald eyes, and he had the urge to smile. Yuuichirou always drew that out of him, no matter what predicament they were facing. 

"I love you, Mika, and nothing this world can throw at us can waver my love for you."

Mikaela smiled, a tear falling down his cheek. Yuuichirou immediately reached for it, wiping it away with his thumb. He smiled when he felt Mikaela lean into his touch. 

"Yuu-chan--" Mikaela paused and threw his arms around his lover. "I love you too, Yuu-chan." 

They stood there in the place they met, in each other's embrace. Then, they wished the world would stop around them so they could dwell in their shared warmth and love, hidden away from the world's cruelty. Shibuya would protect them from harm, a kingdom of their own.