//. ARCHIVED. * ROSE COLOURED BOY.

he’s tense, perhaps a little too tense for what had caused it -- but it’s not as though he’s feeling it intentionally. staring into space had been a skill of albert’s since he was a little boy. it was either that or he was running riot, there was no in between. when he hears footsteps he’s quick to sit up straight; it was nurture that had caused him to respond to sounds in such a manner. ever much the regal royal. when he notices it’s his sister, shoulders drop; calmness taking hold. “you know...if i have to listen to one more of these people disrespecting our home -- or england in general, i might have to actually become a serial killer.” he snorts, turning to face her, fingers rubbing at his temple. / @ofwindsor

“why are you giving away all our secrets?” albert will retort just as seriously, brow furrowing; before he looks around, acting as though he hopes they’re alone. “you’re not going to have to make you disappear are you?” he asks, before looking back at her. “because i’d really hate have to do that...again.” 

“You know what..full offence. This palace is one of many, we weren’t going to house you all up in our best one, were we? Like you’d ever appreciate it. There’s this thing called if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Not sure you’ve heard of it, or if it’s just an English thing...Seems that way.” 

he actually rolls his eyes when he calls him his friend, and in any other situation he’d be happy to hear that word escape xavier’s lips. however, right now, it felt like a strategy, trying to shut him up. nobody liked being friend-zoned by the person they loved and albert windsor was no exception. he’d get over it, he’d have to -- then again...he’d tried getting over it for the past few years or so and if anything his feelings for xavier had just been growing and blossoming ever since. what happens next he doesn’t anticipate. eyes widen and frantically search his expression to make sure he’s actually hearing him correctly. he’s not losing his mind. it’s everything, more than he could have ever dreamed of -- more than he had ever dreamed of. for years he’d imagined what it would be like to hear those words escape xavier’s lips, but nothing could have prepared him for the way his heart soared when they actually did. tears continue to sting his hues, fall down his cheeks but he ignores them for the time being. he’s sure his heart is on the brink of exploding, or...maybe it already had done but he was all too worked up by what the other male was saying to him. as soon as he feels his hands on his cheeks, he immediately relaxes a little bit. lashes flutter as his eyes come to a gentle close and he grips at the side of the other prince’s shirt, not wanting to let go. “okay,” he chokes out; his voice all the more gravelly because of how much he’d used it. “let’s go.” grabbing onto his hand, he wills himself to calm down a little bit; wills his eyes to reopen, still slightly scared that he’ll wake up to find this was all a dream. it takes him a moment or two to actually find the vehicle they were supposed to get into, but soon enough he’s climbing in. almost losing his balance in the process; head resting against the window. 

“when they do get bored, other’s take their place. it’s been that way since the dawn of time or -- dawn of royalty at least.” he’d often caught himself having the same thoughts. to him, it was home so it was important -- but it wasn’t awe-inspiring. however he did his best to understand their motivations. a part of him had come to predict that as soon as those crowds of people stopped taking an interest in royalty and palaces, they were doomed to fail. “it’s not that bad of a palace.” he catches himself defending it, before rolling his eyes at his own passion for his country and for his...palaces. “i guess...to them it’s a different world. they probably think up how they think it is for us and that makes them happy...who are we to deprive them of that, really?” brows raise at her question, nose scrunching as he finds himself curious to discover what she has planned. “hm. yes. make this day a special one for them, one...they’ll never forget.” he snorts, arms crossing against his chest. 

as he’s tapped on the shoulder he immediately spins on his heel, surprised to actually recognise the person stood before him. “rhiannon,” he greets warmly, a gentle smile rests on his features for a moment until she asks her question. “hm, you know what i think i did. i think i saw him in the library, maybe he’s trying to catch up on some light reading.” he teased, snorting before realising how far from funny he was...halting so suddenly. “sorry, that was...awful. how long ago since you saw paddy last?” 

seeing his friend, he didn’t try and stop himself from approaching, despite how engrossed in his book he seemed to be. “long time no see,” he started with -- snorting when he realised that no real attention had been grasped from the other boy. arms cross against his chest and he cocks a brow in a bid to look somewhat intimidating. which was difficult for albert windsor to pull off, truth be told. “i said long time no see, can’t believe you’re not only avoiding me but ignoring me too.” he presses his lips together in a subtle pout, shaking his head as he looks up at the ceiling. “i’m not used to this sort of rejection, artie. least of all from you.” 

He doesn’t know if he harbours any right to question the pill taking, so he chooses -- for now not to. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to...know that you have a country to rule once this is all over and done with.” He cocks a brow, he hadn’t thought much about that part of it. Being so far down in line in his own country, he’d never really considered it a genuine issue. Now he was marrying someone with actual authority, it was rather daunting. Even if he was genuinely excited about who he was marrying, now. “It is...” He furrows a brow, unsure as to how the entire being married to his sister thing is going to work, considering everything. “Are you excited to get married, Teddy?” He’ll ask then, cocking a brow. 

“alright, you’re right. i’m absolutely beautiful -- don’t tell anyone i said that, though. my entire deal is self deprecation.” he teases, before holding his hand across his heart. “damn it. we’d make such a good couple, it’s a shame. oh well, i suppose brother-in-laws will suffice.” he teases, his smile brighter now. “yeah, i’m...fine -- always, right? just a bit of a weirdo, as always.”

“she didn’t.” he’s quick to cut her off. “i don’t want to alarm you, but it’s a little bit -- uh...obvious? every time you argue with someone, he fights to the death for you. you can feel the passion behind it. even thought it’s...in the chat.” he’ll explain with a gentle smile. it wasn’t as though he considered it a bad thing, quite the contrary in fact. it was cute, having someone defend her like that. it’s all an older brother could want for his little sister. he cocks a brow at that. “teddy does, but you don’t?” he’ll ask curiously. he’d always been a little nosy, despite his best efforts. a lot of the time he got away with it; with being sneaky and quiet. always the observer, he did his best to understand what was going on around him. recently, he’d been rather distracted, though. he felt a little more out the loop than usual. he gulps thickly, he’s sure she can hear it. eyes widen and yes, it’s a lot to ask for -- but in reality he knows he can do it. he can already feel an anxiety brewing unlike anything he’s known before, but he’ll work on making this as straightforward for victoria as possible. “okay. i can do that. i’ll do that.” he assures her boldly, then. his beam brightening once again. “can’t believe i’m going to miss my own sister’s wedding.” he shakes his head, before rubbing at his temple. “...but if it’s what needs to happen for you to be happy, i guess...i’ll get over it.” 

“yeah, it was pretty weird at first. i hid out in my room for the first week or so, but -- then i got the fear of missing out and my anxiety bloomed anyway.” he snorts, despite the sadness of said statement. the summit was hardly ideal for a young prince or princess with anxiety, or -- any number of ailments, but he found himself being forced into conversation and he was being pulled out of his shell in a way he never thought he’d be able to. he beams at the other prince’s remarks. “i bet i’d love it in austria, it’s such a beautiful.” he hums quietly, arms crossing against his chest. “do you miss home?”