Abruptly, Yuri woke. His eyes jolting open. The bright suns rays were glaring down at him, like needles piercing his eyeballs causing him to close his eyes and try again. This time he opened his eyes slower and the harshness of the light wasn't as painful. "Ugh. I can't feel anything." He moaned, speaking to no one in particular- not that he knew anyone was around.

It surprised him when someone answered.

"Try not to move, you've lost enough blood as it is."

Slowly moving his heavy throbbing head to the left, Yuri saw a platinum haired young man with a huge smile on his face, sitting on the ground beside him.

"Ugh who are you ag-gaaahhh!!" Yuri's face crumpled and he hissed in pain as he tried to move his leg. His normal reaction would be run around screaming- but then he remembered what the man had just said to him about keeping still. So through gritted teeth, Yuri was able to bear the pain.

There was a ten centimetre slice right into the centre of his left calf, small droplets of scarlet blood were dripping down from the torn skin. Just by looking at it- you could see fragments of rock which had been lodged in there.

"Ah shit. Wait a moment." Without hesitation, the stranger gripped the right sleeve on his shirt and ripped a piece off. He carefully lifted Yuri's leg up then tightly wound the piece of shirt around it- using it as a rope to stop the bleeding. "It's the best I can do for now. Sorry."

Still not sure what was happening, Yuri simply nodded- a perplexed expression finally settling on his dirt ridden face.

Who was this guy? Why was he helping Yuri? Where was he?!
Those were just a few of the almost never ending amount of questions filling Yuri's mind.

And then it clicked. He remembered the last image he saw a couple hours back before blacking out. Those blue mesmerising eyes. The mysterious pools of freezing ice.

The same pair which were staring right him.

"Y-you saved me." Yuri choked out, shifting slightly on the grass to face the man beside him. "Your eyes are...beautiful. I-- thank you for helping me." He didn't know what to say. Now that he was completely conscious- he had an amazing view of the blue eyed man in front of him.

His face was slowly turning a light pink from the sudden compliments Yuri was giving him.
Pushing his hair back, running the strands through his fingers, he laughed. "I'm Victor--incase you were wondering." He extended his hand which Yuri shook.

"Yuri."

"Well Yuri, I'll bring my horse round and help you up. One second." Victor said standing up then disappearing into a bush within some trees.

Why was he helping this man? He was just a peasant. Like all the millions in this country. Many of which who were dying at this moment. So why help this young man? Out of pity?
No. It was because Victor couldn't just leave him....but also because there was something else he felt when he looked at Yuri. It was urging him on to help him. So he did.

•

While Victor was gone, Yuri took some time to look at his surroundings.
He was sat in a small grassy and circular clearing in the trees, with the sun shining brightly through the canopy of leaves above him. If he closed his eyes, he could hear a water source nearby as well as the wildlife thriving in the open.

The sounds of nature were soon drowned out by the clopping of hooves.

"Do you need help getting on?" Victor called from the charcoal black horse.

The dark haired boy shook his head as he stood then weakly limped over to the horse where Victor hoisted him up behind him.

"Hold on, she likes to go fast." Referring to the horse, Yuri instinctively wrapped his arms around Victor's waist as they rode off.

They finally cleared the forest and were in the open. Grassy fields that stretched for miles and the now faint line of the tops of poorly built village houses were in the distance behind them.

"Victor, why did you help me- I should have just been left. I'm a peasant. Same as the rest."
There was a hint of knowing sadness in Yuri's voice as Victor felt the grip Yuri had around his waist loosen a bit.

Victor watched as the sun sank lower - losing to the the horizon. The brightness of day was slowly draining- giving over to the dark of night, crickets had started chirping and the ominous colors of dusk finally started to subdue to the fading light. Blades of dry grass swayed, creating their own individual dances- their shadows now twice as long as themselves.
The scattered pieces of green shrubbery almost looked black- silhouetted.

"Because I wanted to."

All was quiet again, the hooves of the horse quietly thumping at a steady pace on the ground below.

"I will help you, Yuri. Just trust me."

•

The reaction of Victor's mother, after seeing Yuri, almost broke the sound barrier.

For Yuri, the shock of seeing Victor's home- and finding out he was a prince- was all too much for him. But to add to that, there was also an elegant looking lady- not so elegantly throwing repulsive curses at Yuri. Her face quickly turning purple with rage.

"How could my own son do this! A peasant Victor, A PEASANT. And to think!!! I honestly thought you were responsible. CLEARLY I was wrong. I- I just...fix his wounds then he's out."

Almost choking on her words her fury more then evident- it surprised Yuri when she walked away completely calm. It sent chills down the males spine.

'Scary' Yuri thought as Victor walked through the grand sparkling hallways lined with paintings of previous monarchs, to where their private doctor was.

In his mind Victor's had a list of priorities. Yuri being first- then apologising to his mother second.

•

"Its really deep so he will need stitches for this cut." The doctor said as Victor put a now unconscious Yuri down. He had passed out again just a few seconds before they got to the doctor.

"I'll wait outside and will be back when he's okay." Victor called as he closed the door behind him and went back into the corridors of the castle. He let out a huge sigh- glad that Yuri was in safe hands.

Victor decided to find his mom, but when he couldn't find her, he decided to speak to his father instead.

To most peoples surprise, talking to his dad wasn't something he did very often. When Victor was younger, he was always busy with studies- and being perfect- as his mother put it. He never had time to be with his family and spend time with them.

He finds his father sitting in the banquet room. He was the only one sitting on one side of an extremely long oak table- a bunch of papers in front of him.

"Father..." Victor breathed out before taking a seat beside him. "I'm sorry. For earlier."

His dad simply nodded then looked at Victor and smiled. "It's okay. I understand why you are angry about all this marriage business- and what you did for that boy was good of you. I'm proud." His voice was manly- and definitely sounded like a leader, someone who people would listen to out of respect, not because of their status in society.

Sighing again for the thousandth time in a few hours, Victor was about to stand up and go check on Yuri- but his father stopped him.
"But once your mother says something- she will stick by it. You will have to find a partner. And soon."

The platinum haired male froze. His breathing suddenly becoming dangerously low- yet his heart rate was ecstatic. The thumping was overwhelming his eardrums.
"I-"

"In two weeks there is a ball. Find a partner - anyone you want, within reason- to present then and all matters regarding arranged marriages will be forgotten about." His father was completely serious.

Making quick, important decisions wasn't something Victor did often so in the spur of the moment- with a large slightly forced gulp- Victor agreed. It was this, or some woman he wouldn't like.

It was getting later and later. After Victor nodded to his father, saying goodbye, he went to check up on Yuri.

'Two weeks. I have two weeks to do this....'

It was as if his whole body had slammed the brakes on. He almost fell from the sudden force of stopping so suddenly.

Like a deer in the headlights of a vehicle in the early hours of a dark morning- Victor's eyes went wide.

He didn't love anyone.

•

It had been a whole week since Yuri had been brought back to the palace castle.
A whole week of thinking time for Victor- yet it almost seemed as if he had done everything but think about it.

For some strange reason, whenever Victor even thought back to a week ago- his mind would always wonder to Yuri.

His mother had suggested that she call all the eligible maidens in the kingdom to come forward so that Victor could pick one, but Victor simply shook his head saying doing that would feel cruel.

For the most of the first week, Yuri had been asleep. Every few hours or so, he would wake up and Victor would check up on him.
It was weird- but every time Yuri saw Victor, he seemed to get more and more beautiful. When he saw the blue eyed male, he wound always pretended to be asleep- his face too flushed to face him.

Both of them hadn't had a proper conversation with each other since that time in the woods when they first properly met.

It was now five days till the ball. Yuri could now stand up properly and put weight on his leg, even walk.
Victor on the other hand, still hadn't had any luck with finding anyone.

The past two days, Victor and Yuri had gotten the chance to talk more and get to know each other. Although they were admittedly complete opposites lifestyle wise, they got on surprisingly well with each other.
Victor would always laugh when Yuri said something funny, then Yuri would start blushing due to Victor's beauty when laughing.

•

Three days later and the ball was to be in two days time.

Victor had finally made up his mind.

With only one goal in mind, he quickly walked down the long fancy hallways to where he knew Yuri would be.

His cheeks flushed from rushing, he pulled open the door to Yuri's room and almost bumped into him. Only inches away from each other, their noses were practically touching.
Victor flipped his hair to the side and presented a closed eye smile as he whispered softly to Yuri.

"Come with me."

Surprised, the red faced Yuri blinked couple times and tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"To the ball....be with me."

Nothing was needed to be said, Victor already knew Yuri's answer.
Victor got closer to Yuri, slowly pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. His embrace was warm, and his strong arms around Yuri's frail body made the dark haired male feel safe. The world melted away for the both of them and Yuri tightly squeezed Victor back- not wanting the warm moment to end.

•

The lights were low and the orchestra was quietly playing in the background. Guests were scattered all around- none *thankfully for them* really paying attention to Victor and Yuri's terrible dancing.

The classical waltz like music spun around them, lifting away the gravity as if it were a feather in a cool autumn breeze.
Yuri couldn't begin to count the amount of times he had slipped and crushed Victor's feet under his own, yet they still managed to smile brightly, completely engrossed in each other's presence.

"I'm glad I met you, Victor."

The lighter haired male watched as Yuri spun under him, chucking lightly to himself when Yuri's face would twist in concentration as he tried to get his feet back into the correct position again.
The music finally reached its end, the finally note echoing like an entire symphony on its own.
The pair were left on their own. That final conclusion just ahead of them, the echoing music still lingering in the warm air. The chattering of other guests was now lost in the silence, filled only by that final note.
"Thank you." Victor said low and huskily.
"For what?" Yuri replied, his voice barely a whisper.
"For being you. I love you." His voice almost wavered, exhilarated by all the tension. That music note still staying clear.
Slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never achieve their lips fell onto each others.

------

Aiiishhhh was that too long??? 2000 words oh ma lawdyy.

Okaaayy thatsss all

-I_Drugged_Yo_Cereal

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*this hasn't been edited sooo sorry if there are mistakes.*