Patton and the Pea

Patton has worked for Prince Roman's family for years. For some reason, his chipper and energetic personality made everyone else nervous; they found it cute coming from him as a child, but found it unsettling when he became an adult. The one opening that he was able to get even though he was chipper and energetic was the opening for being a personal servant to the royal family. He used to only speak when spoken to and do certain tasks for the King, Queen, and Princes; it made him upset on the inside that he couldn't willingly socialize with them, but he was glad to have a job that provided an income and food in his stomach, especially since he was an orphan growing up.

Prince Roman made sure to provide company for the young servant under the guise of Patton doing certain tasks for him. When the King and Queen passed away and Prince Remus ran off never to be heard from again, Prince Roman made it evident that he cared a lot for the servant; he socialized with Patton, complimented him when he could see pain buried in his irises, and even moved Patton to a much bigger room than the one initially provided for him. There was an issue, though: Patton's new room was a guest room that used to be meant for if Roman ever brought a woman home and had a huge stack of mattresses. Roman paid to make it easier for Patton to get to the top mattress, but Patton was worried that asking about the reasoning behind it would be taken as a sign of ungratefulness. As a result, he held his tongue every night when he went to bed on the top mattress and even held his tongue when he found himself unable to get a good night's sleep due to a lump he could feel. He couldn't check under the mattress he was on without the risk of falling off, so he just went along with it.

Over time, Roman had grown an... attachment to Patton. He wanted to make sure Patton was well taken care of and knew that he would be willing to listen to anything Patton would ramble about. Roman had his suspicions that he wouldn't have a princess by his side, but the more time be spent with Patton, the more certain he was that he wanted to be with a prince instead. What initially started as Prince Roman acting out of the kindness of his heart and curiosity of the young man turned into him becoming addicted to Patton's jokes that he could come up with when asked to cheer someone up, his smile, his cute freckles, his voice, just Patton overall. He didn't know if Patton felt the same way, but he just wanted to see him happy.

One day, Prince Roman was walking by after taking care of some responsibilities and noticed Patton cleaning the windowsills at a slower pace than usual. He gently placed a hand on Patton's shoulder and the latter jumped slightly before turning to face the Prince.

"Oh, Prince Roman, did I miss a spot?" he asked.

"No, you're doing magnificently. However, you look exhausted. Care to accompany me in some tea?" Roman asked in the sweet voice that made Patton shiver.

"Of course. Shall I make the tea?"

"No, it's okay, Pat. It's supposed to be a break for you. I'll make the tea."

Roman walked Patton to the living space before disappearing to the kitchen. Patton hadn't felt comfortable while doing nothing in a long time, so it was an odd experience for him. Eventually, Roman brought out two cups of tea; he set one by an empty chair and gave the other one to Patton.

"Two sugars to make it as sweet as you wish for the world and a splash of cream for mooo-re appreciation," Roman recited.

Patton looked up in surprise.

"You... heard how I like tea?" Patton asked.

"Of course. If you're involved, I have no reason to not pay attention," Roman answered.

Patton quietly sipped his tea and the silence inflated Roman with concern. Patton glanced at the Prince and set down his cup.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's just... I want to know what's wrong so I can see how to solve the problem."

"Why me, sire? You can reach out to anyone else in the same economic status, yet you seem to care so much for me."

"Because I do care for you. As you can tell, I have the freedom to express it more."

Roman took a sip of his tea and kneeled next to Patton.

"I know you might not feel the same about me, but you're the most important person in my life and I can't bear to be without you. You deserve the world and, even if I can't be the one to provide it, I want you to be happy."

Patton looked into Roman's eyes to see if he was testing him, but all he could find is sincerity coated in brown. He was at a loss for words and thought. As a result, the next thing he knew, his lips were on the lips of the Prince. He had always wished to be called Roman's, but he usually dismissed those thoughts by claiming Roman deserved better. By the time the two pulled away, Patton registered that he was in Roman's arms.

"I, uh, I'd been feeling a poking sensation from the bed for several months," Patton nervously explained.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to seem ungrateful."

Patton started to look down, but Roman quickly pushed his chin back up.

Roman led Patton to the bedroom and dug his way under the bottom mattress. Patton was confused until Roman came out with a pea.

"Long before they passed away, my parents set up this bed as a test to see if I brought anyone home suited for my hand. According to them, those that had royal blood had delicate enough skin to feel a pea under so many mattresses," Roman explained.

They both looked at the pea before looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Do you think, maybe... I belonged to a royal family before I was orphaned?" Patton asked.

Roman tossed the pea aside and dipped Patton, much to the latter's surprise.

"Royal blood or the blood of a commoner, you're prince-worthy to me," Roman declared before they shared another kiss.

They both slept in Roman's bed that night and Patton felt that being able to call himself Roman's was a dream come true.