projectroxas | (no subject)

[ he's not entirely certain if the day's gone by fast or slow; feels quick in certain moments, slow in others. when distracted by the preparations, there are not enough hours left in the day. when left alone to his thoughts, the seconds felt to be like weeks. ridiculous; he knows it's ridiculous, a mere trick of the mind. but it's not often he feels anxiety to this level. confidence is his default, the baseline, & a deviance from this is leaving him -- agitated. irate. quick to snap. it's to his luck that alicia & riku are the main sources of company during the day. the two understood, surely.

& it is the former that is standing faithfully by annabelle's door when the designated time arrives. his steps are rigid, calculated, thoughts so entirely elsewhere that when he makes the mindless (routine) motion of entering annabelle's room, he runs into the arm of alicia instead. makes him bounce back a few steps, a frown twisting his lips & the skin between his eyebrows creasing. what the hell, woman?

a short banter later, alicia is fixing robert's appearance -- the unkempt nature of the prince would most definitely raise the worry of the princess, would it not? do try to keep yourself presentable. then a softer smile, a roundabout manner of encouragement later:

a knock at the door. ]

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I know. This is why you will make a fine ruler in the future.

[ presses a kiss to the top of annabelle's head. hesitates, then decides to settle with a simple: ]

Thank you.

[ with some reluctance he lifts his head slowly, though does not pull away from robert. just looks him in the eye, a little sadly. ]

Will you not tell me why you are leaving this time?

[ gives their connected hands a small squeeze. ]

That would ruin the surprise.

A surprise that absolutely must take you away from me?

[ quiet sigh. ]

. . . Yes.

... [ closes his eyes and bows his head, lightly resting against him again. ]

Then I shall wait.

[ draws him in as close as possible. ]

And I will return to you. Without a sliver of doubt.

[ is unable to stop himself from smiling at the reassurance. ]

I have faith that you will stay true to your word.

As you should. You should never doubt your prince, Annabelle.

Then I shall be wise to remember this.

[ smiles into his hair. ]

It would please me if you would do as such.

Anything for my prince.

[ nods wordlessly & buries his face into the blonde locks, eyes half-closed. breathes in & out, basking in the company of his sibling in peace, willing himself not to tense or grow nervous again when he feels the time to leave approaching. forces himself to relax & enjoy the moment for what it's worth, knowing it would be a long time before he would be able to again. sometime into the silence, he speaks, words hardly above a whisper. ]

I love you.

[ is immediately warmed by the words spoken, hands gently moving to hold on tightly to his companion. after his own bout of silence he pulls away, though only enough so that he could see his face. slides his hands upward to press his palms against robert's cheeks, leaning in to brush his lips against his lightly, the touch too soft and ghost-like that it almost seems as if he is merely hovering and nothing more.

inhales shakily, unable to stop himself from silently crying. ignores it in favor of a verbal reply. ]

And I, you, Robert.

[ eyes widen momentarily at the contact, but what his expression crumbles in response to are the tears. draws him in close again to press his lips against a corner of an eye, catching some of the tears as a consequence. then holds his brother close again, just like that, trying to memorize annabelle's warmth. the muscles of his shoulders are tight & tense despite his wish to relax again.

a moment, two moments later, he hears the barest murmur of knocks against the door. three times, spaced precisely as he'd planned with riku earlier that day. pretends to be deaf to it for a second longer, but duty eventually forces him to draw apart from annabelle. leaves his hands on his brother's shoulders, a weak smile twisting at his lips. ]

It is time. But this. . . is but a temporary goodbye, Annabelle.

I know... but I--

[ can't help but feel as if something is amiss. allows those words to remain hidden in the back of his mind, instead closing his eyes to regain some semblance of composure. ]

[ when he feels ready enough he opens them, offering a smile to his brother. uses his hands to fuss over him; pushes back a stray hair here and there, straightens his clothing, brushes off invisible dust-- the little things to keep stalling. has enough grace to leave it after another touch upon his cheek, removing the contact entirely. eyes do not waver, taking robert in as much as possible. ]

I will miss you. [ tilts his head and brushes his cheek against one of robert's hands on his shoulder. ] Be safe. Return to me soon.

[ does not speak, simply inclining his head as a way of response. the time it takes for him to full remove his hands is long, but when he manages, he takes a step back to gaze at annabelle, not even daring to breathe too loudly. then, without a further word, he turns toward the door & walks, each step heavier than the next until he's within reach of the knob. opens the door as quietly as possible & does not speak to either alicia or riku standing outside.

with the door clicking closed behind him, he walks through the darkened hallway, listening to the echo of his footsteps, knowing full-well that riku would follow shortly. in his mind are only two, conjoined thoughts: of success & a swift return to, not this kingdom, but the one he had been forced to leave behind. ]

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