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[closed - Spencer - April 24]
Apr. 23rd, 2015 08:53 pmThe entire party would be unbearable, Joel thinks, if not for the knowledge that as soon as he's able to slip away, he's going to be meeting Spencer in the library. If isn't that the party itself is terrible, just that Joel has never been particularly good at them and nothing has changed, not in his entire life.
He's thirty years old as of today and his mother has made certain that nearly the entire kingdom knows it. The party is a bright, cheerful affair with plenty of eat and even more to drink, decorations draping the palace and making the entire place sparkle. It's beautiful and everyone is happy and Joel, with less than a week to go until the ball, is as happy as any of them because he's been making plans. There's a part of him that still feels incredibly guilty given what Caden has offered to do, taking a bride in his place so that he and his wife will take over the throne when it becomes necessary, but Joel is beginning to think it might not be the only solution.
That Spencer, if he's willing, may just be able to be the one ruling by Joel's side when the day comes.
He hasn't spoken plainly to his parents about it and they've still invited about a dozen princesses to his party tonight, but in their defence, the invitations had been sent out a month ago, long before Joel even knew Spencer existed. When he's with his mother, though, when he speaks about Spencer, she smiles knowingly and pats his hand sweetly and asks what sorts of flowers he thinks he might like when he gets married. She doesn't ask if he's settled on one of the princesses, she doesn't press for details, she just looks at him and it's like she knows. This is the best case scenario, that Joel can be with Spencer and still fulfill his duties to his parents, and he doesn't want to get his hopes up too high, just in case there's nothing to be done and he must pass his responsibilities along to Caden, but he feels good.
He feels truly happy.
When it seems like he might finally have an opportunity to slip away, his mother catches him by the wrist. "Don't go too far," she says to him before she presses a kiss to his cheek. "There are to be fireworks still and I have a feeling Spencer won't want to miss them."
She's been doing that, too. Going out of her way to find things she thinks Spencer might like. For tonight she'd gone to one of their personal tailors and had them create a jacket and tie for Spencer that are both comfortable and are just the right shade of dark blue to bring out his eyes. He looks wonderful and Joel finds himself distracted by the thought of him as he smiles at his mother and nods.
And then he's wandering carefully down the hall, smiling at guests, greeting them when they greet him, but all the while headed straight for the library. Straight for the man he's been waiting all night to see. This is the only birthday present he wants and he pushes open one of the heavy doors of the library, then slips inside and shuts it carefully behind him.
"Spencer?" he calls, his voice low. The room is large and empty, just barely lit by a few oil lamps here and there. It's Joel's favourite place in the entire palace and he can't imagine a better place to spend his birthday with the man who's quickly become his favourite person.
He's thirty years old as of today and his mother has made certain that nearly the entire kingdom knows it. The party is a bright, cheerful affair with plenty of eat and even more to drink, decorations draping the palace and making the entire place sparkle. It's beautiful and everyone is happy and Joel, with less than a week to go until the ball, is as happy as any of them because he's been making plans. There's a part of him that still feels incredibly guilty given what Caden has offered to do, taking a bride in his place so that he and his wife will take over the throne when it becomes necessary, but Joel is beginning to think it might not be the only solution.
That Spencer, if he's willing, may just be able to be the one ruling by Joel's side when the day comes.
He hasn't spoken plainly to his parents about it and they've still invited about a dozen princesses to his party tonight, but in their defence, the invitations had been sent out a month ago, long before Joel even knew Spencer existed. When he's with his mother, though, when he speaks about Spencer, she smiles knowingly and pats his hand sweetly and asks what sorts of flowers he thinks he might like when he gets married. She doesn't ask if he's settled on one of the princesses, she doesn't press for details, she just looks at him and it's like she knows. This is the best case scenario, that Joel can be with Spencer and still fulfill his duties to his parents, and he doesn't want to get his hopes up too high, just in case there's nothing to be done and he must pass his responsibilities along to Caden, but he feels good.
He feels truly happy.
When it seems like he might finally have an opportunity to slip away, his mother catches him by the wrist. "Don't go too far," she says to him before she presses a kiss to his cheek. "There are to be fireworks still and I have a feeling Spencer won't want to miss them."
She's been doing that, too. Going out of her way to find things she thinks Spencer might like. For tonight she'd gone to one of their personal tailors and had them create a jacket and tie for Spencer that are both comfortable and are just the right shade of dark blue to bring out his eyes. He looks wonderful and Joel finds himself distracted by the thought of him as he smiles at his mother and nods.
And then he's wandering carefully down the hall, smiling at guests, greeting them when they greet him, but all the while headed straight for the library. Straight for the man he's been waiting all night to see. This is the only birthday present he wants and he pushes open one of the heavy doors of the library, then slips inside and shuts it carefully behind him.
"Spencer?" he calls, his voice low. The room is large and empty, just barely lit by a few oil lamps here and there. It's Joel's favourite place in the entire palace and he can't imagine a better place to spend his birthday with the man who's quickly become his favourite person.
