–– the commoner prince

“No, go ahead.” Olena shrugged, casting her eyes back out to the view ahead of her. While she herself had never smoked, other people smoking around her had never really bothered her. “A bit of stress-relief, I assume?” She asked, glancing sideways at the man who had joined her.

He nodded his thanks, resuming the steady rhythm of breathing that smoking brought him. “Yes, and it is very much needed.” Edward replied, looking out onto the Greek horizon. “I’m assuming that’s why you’re out here too?”

The boy met Edward’s gaze finally as he had looked rather surprised as he admitted everything he had just told him. His lips parted slightly as he studied Edward rather carefully. Why was the Prince of England into him of all people? Artem was a nobody. Nobody cared about Artem and he was sure about that at this point. But here Edward was; telling him that he had cared about him. 

Artem swallowed nervously as he stared down at his shaky hands and slowly lifted his hand on top of the table and let his fingers interlace with Edward’s ever so gently. “I don’t think we can be just acquaintances, after everything that happened. I don’t want to be just acquaintances with you.” He said barely muttering the last part as he glanced around to see if anyone had noticed their hands and he had awkwardly pulled his hand away and let his hands rest down on his lap and let his head drop down to his hands so that he could avoid Edward’s gaze.

“I want to be with you even after… Everything. You were my first kiss.” He said finally and swallowed nervously as he stood up, throwing away the rest of his koulouria in the trash can no longer in the mood for it. “But I understand if you don’t want to be with me.” He said nearly whispering the last part so that way one around them; but them could hear what they are saying. 

At the brush of Artem’s fingertips, Edward tensed, fighting the urge to jerk his hand away and risk insulting the other boy. Their were eyes all around them, it would only take one short glance over to start the rumor mill going. And now was not a good time for them to be getting in trouble. The look in Artem’s eyes was intense and he was having trouble not looking away from it.

He was never good with... feelings. Especially when they came with so much baggage.

When he got his hand back, he placed it gingerly in his lap to avoid the shock of it happening again. “Artie-” he began, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. Edward stood and hovered near him as he threw away the food. “We’re getting married. Do you really think it would be a good idea to... do something like that? I could get in a shitload of trouble and I mean... obviously so could you.” Because it wasn’t like Russia was known for their strides in LGBT rights.

“Listen, I like you, I really do. I liked... doing things with you, hanging out and whatever. But just because I was your first kiss doesn’t mean I’ll be your last.” Edward sighed, avoiding Artie’s gaze. “And anyway just two minutes ago you were yelling at me to leave you alone. The last time I saw you, you completely rejected me. I just... don’t think it would be a good idea.”

continued from here 

@edwardwindsor

“ Now, now. “ His assistant sighed, tugging at the sleeves of Phillip’s pressed button down shirt. “ See to it that you don’t dirty this one up too, alright?? Can’t have your brothers making you look bad in comparison. “ The prince pouted at the male like a child being scolded. Most of the royals were wandering around the ballroom with their arms linked with their fiances. —-  normally, Edward would be the first person Phil would think to call in a situation like this. ( being of a romantic nature and all. ) But ever since word got back to him about the engagement… Well frankly, he was afraid to see him in the flesh. He wasn’t ready to see the disappointed look on his face when thinking about or discussing their future together. Their whole relationship was ‘fake’ and now– Edward was loosing the chance to fall in love with someone for real.

The brunette pushed those thoughts away, eyes falling away from his ‘date’. The male payed him no mind, their attention toward the crowd. Everyone was so dolled up in expensive gowns and suits, sipping bubbly and wine from crystal glasses. Phillip was meant to be having fun with them too. Behaving like a proper prince for once in his life. 

But instead he was tucked away in a corner, debating on whether or not he’d been there long enough to dash and bail out for the night.

The male beside him let out a chuckle, collecting Phil’s attention once more. “ Well look who it is. “ Without thinking, he followed the other’s gaze—- only to meet that of Edward’s. His smile was just as awkward as his friend’s, the expression forced and seemingly out of place. He wasn’t in the mood to put on an act. Brown eyes flicked toward his assistant for an excuse to escape but the man was suddenly nowhere to be found.

“ Damn him. “ He grumbled, “ pulling a Houdini. “

He took a deep breath, lips parted as though to say hello, but before either of them could even utter a syllable a woman cut them off. fuck. He’d barely moved an inch and— and— he swore that plant mess wasn’t there just a moment ago. Surely he would have noticed it if it had been.

“ I-I, “ It was like he suddenly couldn’t speak proper English, gaze flicking between the woman and Edward as if one of them could somehow keep him from looking like a fool. It wasn’t that he minded kissing his best friend, they’d done it a million times before, but given the new circumstances it hardly felt appropriate. 

Then everything happened so quickly; —- Edward grabbing him. His lips capturing the other’s. It took his heart a second to begin beating again ( never mind, slowing to a normal pace ), his eyes falling shut. He found himself easily falling into a kiss that felt like home; familiar and warm. With the boy he loved who would never feel the same sans a camera crew. The butterflies turned to sickly worms and he felt himself breaking away, eyes immediately averting to the floor.

His hands relaxed and his mouth parted so that he wouldn’t be smashing their faces together. It had been a while since they’d had any sort of excuse to do this –– they’d “broken up” for the second time ages ago –– but there was something tugging within him bringing on a feeling of... what had to be nostalgia. When they pulled apart, Edward pointedly stepped away from the conniving plant, shoving his hands nervously into the pockets of his slacks. 

💏 Our muses meet under the mistletoe

The ballroom was packed with people from all over the world partaking in some generous hotel-sponsored Christmas cheer, waiters maneuvered their ways gracefully through the crowd with platters piled high with hors d’oeuvres and flutes of champagne while Edward hovered awkwardly in the corner. The Queen had managed to persuade him with little bargaining to come down from his room and make nice with the dignitaries she wanted him to become friendly with, but he’d already hit his quota for small talk for the evening. As a platter full of small glasses of sangria blurred past, he reached out to swiftly steal one from the delicate arrangement. 

It had been a few hours since the announcement of his new engagement and he still had yet to confront Phillip about it. He didn’t know if he was waiting for Phil to make the first move or if the whole thing was just too awkward to approach at the moment. Edward downed his glass of sangria and handed it off to another passing waiter, bracing himself to go back out into the fray of ‘oh, how lovely to see you again’s and ‘yes, Greece is marvelous this time of year’s. As he stepped out into the bundles of people, he noticed a figure standing on the far side of the room. A certain head of instantly recognizable dark curls, as that was just his luck. Edward nearly turned to resume finding the next politician he needed to greet, but of course he somehow managed to catch the other’s gaze from across the room.

He plastered on a –– definitely not nervous or uncomfortable –– smile and sauntered towards the archway, hands casually in his pockets. Just as he was about to say ‘I’m glad I’m not the only one who was dragged down into this nightmare’, a woman nearby gasped excitedly, pointing up above them. “The mistletoe! We’ve finally caught two people beneath the mistletoe!”

Olena was standing on one of the many balconies of the building, looking out into the horizon. Greece really was a very beautiful country, and it was just as she remembered it from her childhood. She hadn’t yet met her betrothed, but was already dreading it. Marriage had never been a serious part of her plan. Then again, she also never really had a plan. Nevertheless, she was certain that marriage and children were not things she wanted out of life, at least not just yet. Olena was so consumed in her thoughts that she hardly heard someone walking onto the balcony behind her, only turning when they were a few feet away, giving them a soft smile. “Haloo.”

He’d come out for a quick smoke. It was a habit he’d dropped a while ago but came back to at the announcement of the Summit and the reemergence of anxiety that bubbled in the pit of his stomach. The royal family had had some trouble finding Edward his match, starting first with the son of an Eastern European family and then settling on a more obvious alliance in the form of his friend and technical ex from Canada. He was glad that he was no longer being shipped off to a total stranger but… it was weird. He was in dire need of a cigarette.

Hadassah’s head snapped up as the man on stage closed his speech, grinning deftly. He left the stage before yet another hopeless diplomat took the stage, fumbling with her notecards. 

“When is this stupid thing going to end?” Hadassah mumbled, eyes trained on Edward. “I mean, how many politicians do we have to listen to before one finally makes a semi-decent point.”

She twirled her fork in the pate covering her ornate plate. “Canada, huh? That’s a big adjustment,” Hadassah took a sip of her champagne. “Hope you don’t freeze your ass off.”

“I haven’t even been paying attention, to be honest. These things are always a bore.” His gaze flicked away from the speaker dismissively and back to her. “I’m not really sure why they thought I might want to attend this, it isn’t like I have any expertise in... greenhouse gas emissions? Is that what this is about?”

“good morning,” alannah whispered as she lifted the coffee mug to her lips. back home in ireland, she had always gotten up early enough to watch the sunrise, but this was the first time she would wake up early enough in greece. she smiled at the other, patting the chair next to her. “i’m not used to having company this early. why are you up?”

Edward startled, he didn’t realize that she’d noticed him lingering in the doorframe of the little porch area that looked out on the Greek horizon. He’d come here to clear his mind after a night of restlessness, a cup of strong English tea in hand, but had paused when he noticed Alannah sitting in one of the porch chairs. He knew her. They were friends almost. They’d gone to brunch together and explored the British countryside among a group of other important English and Irish young adults, at least. But looking at her now, he just saw Artem’s betrothed. Not that that should mean anything to him, he and Artie weren’t even really friends anymore. But it was strange, nonetheless. 

Slowly he approached and settled into the chair beside her, “Morning,” he practically whispered, “I couldn’t sleep. I figured I might as well enjoy the sunrise, instead of staring at the hotel ceiling.”

“If you’re going to be boring, you can sit somewhere else,” Natasha plainly stated in a raspy voice as the smoke escape pass her lips. “I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.” The small smirk on her pale face was the dead giveaway that she was only teasing the other person.

“Oh, I’m boring, am I?” Edward replied, amusement trailing his voice. “You’re the one hogging everything.” He reached over to try and pull the bong away from her. It wasn’t his favorite way to smoke, he preferred the neat easiness of a rolled joint. There was way less preparation and skill involved and you didn’t have to bother with the constant cleaning of the glass opening before each hit. “I thought you brought me here so we could share, Tassa.”