[Ficlet] Princes and Dragons
Happy National Day! Or Fireworks Day. Or Public Holiday.
Just a random ficlet that I had to get out of my head.
Title: Princes and Dragons
Pairings/Characters: Arthur and child!Kiku (NOT SHOTA, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT SHOTA.)
Rating: G
Warnings: Fluff, lots of fluff.
Summary: Arthur reads a bedtime story.
"...slayed the dragon with one great slash of his enchanted sword. Chopping the dragon's head off, the prince presented it to the king and as promised, took the princess's hand in marriage and they lived happily ever after. The end."
His role of teller of bedtime stories done for the night, Arthur made to close the large book when a small hand suddenly pressed down on the last page. Arthur looked down in surprise at the little boy next to him.
"What's the matter, Kiku?"
The boy bit his lip and pressed his hand down harder onto the page, as if forcing his will through the paper. He mumbled something, too soft for Arthur to hear properly.
"Kiku." The stern tone made the owner of that name look up. "What have I said about mumbling?"
Kiku's head bowed in shame.
"To make myself heard clearly at all times," he said softly, his cheeks burning with embarressment at the rebuke. "I'm sorry, Arthur-san."
"As long as you remember that. Now, let's try that again. What was it you were saying earlier?"
Kiku took a deep breath and turned dark, bright eyes upwards to him.
"Where may I find a dragon, Arthur-san?"
The sudden question threw Arthur for a complete loop, and there was nothing he could do but gawk openly at the little boy propped up on pillows next to him. Realizing his discomposure, he hurriedly recovered and coughed to buy himself more time.
"Why do you want to know?"
The child's hands tightened on the pages of the book between them. His head sank down again as if to mumble, but the memory of Arthur's earlier abolishment stayed true and he stopped. Raising his head again, he swallowed hard and replied.
"If...if I fight and slay a dragon, and bring you his head, will I be able to stay here?"
For the second time that evening Arthur's brain was thrown into a loop-the-loop. Upon returning to his senses, Arthur was about to ask Kiku what on earth he was talking about when he looked into Kiku's bright, frightened eyes and paused. The memory of a rainy day passed softly into his mind, of those same eyes peering up at him, and a hot little hand slipping into and hesitantly holding onto his larger one as they walked down the stairs of the orphanage together.
"We found him alone in an apartment, Mr Kirkland. It would seem that his family... abandoned him, upped and left just like that. We don't know how he managed to survive the past month alone, but he did."
Gently removing the boy's hand from the book, Arthur closed it and slipped an arm around Kiku's shoulders.
"I'll tell you what. Let's look for your dragon, and when we do find it, we'll slay it. Together."
Kiku's face twisted slightly in confusion.
"But that isn't how it works," he protested. "I-I want to be your prince, Arthur-san!"
Arthur stifled a chuckle. Lifting the boy out of bed, he pushed aside the book and settled Kiku on his lap, arms large and warm and secure around him.
"You're already my prince, my lad," he said affectionately. "Listen, you don't have to slay any dragons to stay here because this is where you belong. I promise I'll never leave you, that you'll never be alone again. And if any dragons come along, I will be right there by your side, holding your hand, and we'll slay them together, no matter how many of them there are."
Tears dropped silently onto Arthur's sleeve, and he tightened his arms around Kiku.
"And we'll live happily ever after?" Kiku hiccuped, rubbing his eyes in a vain effort to staunch the tears flowing down his cheeks.
Arthur smiled and replied with ease as his son turned around and buried his head into his chest, little hands clutching his shirt as he cried silently.
"Forever and ever, until death do us part."
Just a random ficlet that I had to get out of my head.
Title: Princes and Dragons
Pairings/Characters: Arthur and child!Kiku (NOT SHOTA, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT SHOTA.)
Rating: G
Warnings: Fluff, lots of fluff.
Summary: Arthur reads a bedtime story.
"...slayed the dragon with one great slash of his enchanted sword. Chopping the dragon's head off, the prince presented it to the king and as promised, took the princess's hand in marriage and they lived happily ever after. The end."
His role of teller of bedtime stories done for the night, Arthur made to close the large book when a small hand suddenly pressed down on the last page. Arthur looked down in surprise at the little boy next to him.
"What's the matter, Kiku?"
The boy bit his lip and pressed his hand down harder onto the page, as if forcing his will through the paper. He mumbled something, too soft for Arthur to hear properly.
"Kiku." The stern tone made the owner of that name look up. "What have I said about mumbling?"
Kiku's head bowed in shame.
"To make myself heard clearly at all times," he said softly, his cheeks burning with embarressment at the rebuke. "I'm sorry, Arthur-san."
"As long as you remember that. Now, let's try that again. What was it you were saying earlier?"
Kiku took a deep breath and turned dark, bright eyes upwards to him.
"Where may I find a dragon, Arthur-san?"
The sudden question threw Arthur for a complete loop, and there was nothing he could do but gawk openly at the little boy propped up on pillows next to him. Realizing his discomposure, he hurriedly recovered and coughed to buy himself more time.
"Why do you want to know?"
The child's hands tightened on the pages of the book between them. His head sank down again as if to mumble, but the memory of Arthur's earlier abolishment stayed true and he stopped. Raising his head again, he swallowed hard and replied.
"If...if I fight and slay a dragon, and bring you his head, will I be able to stay here?"
For the second time that evening Arthur's brain was thrown into a loop-the-loop. Upon returning to his senses, Arthur was about to ask Kiku what on earth he was talking about when he looked into Kiku's bright, frightened eyes and paused. The memory of a rainy day passed softly into his mind, of those same eyes peering up at him, and a hot little hand slipping into and hesitantly holding onto his larger one as they walked down the stairs of the orphanage together.
"We found him alone in an apartment, Mr Kirkland. It would seem that his family... abandoned him, upped and left just like that. We don't know how he managed to survive the past month alone, but he did."
Gently removing the boy's hand from the book, Arthur closed it and slipped an arm around Kiku's shoulders.
"I'll tell you what. Let's look for your dragon, and when we do find it, we'll slay it. Together."
Kiku's face twisted slightly in confusion.
"But that isn't how it works," he protested. "I-I want to be your prince, Arthur-san!"
Arthur stifled a chuckle. Lifting the boy out of bed, he pushed aside the book and settled Kiku on his lap, arms large and warm and secure around him.
"You're already my prince, my lad," he said affectionately. "Listen, you don't have to slay any dragons to stay here because this is where you belong. I promise I'll never leave you, that you'll never be alone again. And if any dragons come along, I will be right there by your side, holding your hand, and we'll slay them together, no matter how many of them there are."
Tears dropped silently onto Arthur's sleeve, and he tightened his arms around Kiku.
"And we'll live happily ever after?" Kiku hiccuped, rubbing his eyes in a vain effort to staunch the tears flowing down his cheeks.
Arthur smiled and replied with ease as his son turned around and buried his head into his chest, little hands clutching his shirt as he cried silently.
"Forever and ever, until death do us part."