#robobe

             “    i’ve    lost    my    mind?    maybe,    maybe,    maybe.    maybe    I’m    just    really    drunk.    ”

even in summer,   gansey’s face bears the wound of winter’s welp...      it is buried in the lines that crease upon his forehead,    a worry that has always seemed older than himself   :       it is the way his frown cuts into his face,     the wheel of the car pressing towards his open palms   [   blue rests in the backseat,   her jacket bundled up like a makeshift pillow...    ahead of them,   there is nothing but endless road cutting jagged shapes out of the grass   ].     HENRY SPEAKS LOWLY,   A WHISPER OF A VOICE   --   gansey realises the words are meant just for him.         ‘       yeah,       ’        gansey swallows around whatever sugar - lump had formed in his throat,   far too sweet against this weeping tongue.       ‘         that’s the blue effect,  really.       ’

For a moment his breath catches in his throat and Gansey can only stare blankly at his own hand, before his eyes dart back to Henry’s. Of course he understands the meaning, a gesture of devotion between prince and king that’s very much appreciated. It seems that the other boy has made a habit of surprising him and Gansey finds that he doesn’t mind at all. Perhaps that’s just part of H.enry C.heng’s charm. Almost unintentionally his head comes to rest on his hands, fingers touching his lips as if the kiss still lingers there. “I thought we were long past pleasantries.” Oh they both know it’s been much more than that. 

He takes a long moment to consider these words. “That sounds like a rather daring approach to me.” Certainly not the approach a Gansey would choose, where politeness has always been wielded as a weapon. But perhaps it’s still not a bad advice, even if the concept feels a bit foreign to him. “I’ll admit I haven’t expected you to suggest that, Henry.” The hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. There’s still a lot Gansey doesn’t know, a lot to discover about H.enry C.heng and he’s looking forward to every new detail. This is only the beginning. After living with the prospect of his death for so long it’ll need some time for that realization to sink in.