the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

forbidden

this is kind of weird but i got inspired by this show that we were watching about king henry the viii and his six wives oops

his fifth wife catherine howard was only like fifteen when she married him and she had an affair with some dude

also this takes place in the fifteen hundreds but i don't know how to talk like that and it's not entirely historically accurate but hey it's fanfiction

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trigger warning: mentions of rape and abuse

Mitch gathered his skirts and rushed from his chambers, risking a fearful glance behind himself. His heart was pounding in his chest in time with his footsteps, and his heels clicked on the stone floor of the castle, the torches in their holders casting ominous shadows on the walls. He was afraid; if he was found, he would be killed.

Mitch slipped into the empty bedroom that he knew no one went into and tried to catch his breath, smoothing out his dress. Suddenly, he felt hands on his hips, and he quickly turned around with eyes wide with fright. However, he breathed out a sigh of relief and allowed himself to lean into the knight. "You scared me," he whispered, nuzzling his face into his neck. "I thought you were him." Scott wrapped his arms around Mitch's waist and kissed the spot behind his ear. "No, Your Majesty. It's just me, I assure you," he murmured, and Mitch sighed again, his hands almost shaking in relief. "Please do not call me that, my lord. We are equals."

"Then you should not call me 'my lord'."

Mitch managed a weak smile, and he clutched onto the fabric of Scott's tunic. "I missed you," he whispered, pressing himself against his secret lover's sturdy chest. Scott held him close, taking his familiar scent of roses. "I missed you too, my love."

They stood there in each other's arms for a while. Scott could feel Mitch's racing heart, hear the way his breathing hitched at the slightest sound from the halls. He knew how much they were risking to be together. Mitch was the queen, his husband the king of the kingdom of England. If they were found, they would both be executed. Still, Scott hated being apart from him too long. He knew how the king treated him; he hit him, and he forced himself between Mitch's legs. Sometimes, he would see Mitch crying quietly in his bedchambers as the king slept beside him. It broke his heart.

When Mitch's breathing hitched and his shaking body pressed even closer to Scott for the fifth time, the blond couldn't take it anymore. "Run away with me." Mitch glanced up at him, fear in his chocolate depths. "Wh-What? S-Scott, you know I'm queen, th-they'll find us—"

"Shh. It'll be okay, angel, I promise. They won't find us. We can run away to the New World, they won't find us there. Please? I can't stand to see him hurting you anymore."

"I don't want to risk them hurting you..."

"Oh, sweetheart..." Scott sighed and hugged him close, massaging the back of his neck. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, darling. I'll coordinate it all, I'll get us a spot on the next ship over, I'll get us disguises, everything. Please. I want to be with you freely, and I don't want him to hurt you anymore. He rapes you, angel." Mitch sniffled and closed his eyes, hiding his face in his neck. "I have to consent," he whispered. "He'll kill me if I don't." Scott held him closer, wrapping his free arm around Mitch's waist and holding him against his chest. "That's what I hate. I hate that you have no choice."

Mitch closed his eyes against the tears forming in his eyes and wrapped his arms around Scott's shoulders, burying his face in the fabric of his tunic. "Please make me forget, Scott. Make me forget about him. I want to completely surround myself in you and feel your touch on my skin instead of his..." His voice broke on the last word, but he swallowed his tears and stepped even closer to him. "Make love to me."

+++

Mitch allowed himself to curl into Scott, his breathing shaking with tears. Scott wrapped his arms around him and lovingly stroked his hair, brushing the tears off his cheeks. "Why are you crying, angel?" His voice was soft and hardly a whisper, lest anyone hear and investigate — they would find the queen and a knight tangled in bed together, the queen's gown and the knight's tunic discarded carelessly on the cold stone floor. "I love you so much," Mitch whispered, burying his face in Scott's neck. "I want to be with you. I don't want- I don't want to go back to him."

"I can get us out of here, my love," Scott whispered back, letting his hand trail up Mitch's bare body and rest on his upper back. "I'll try to get us a spot on the next ship over to the New World, but if that doesn't work out, we can go to France, or- or Germany, or something. We'll be safe." Mitch pressed closer to him, savoring the feeling of Scott's warm skin against his. "You promise?" he asked barely audibly, draping his leg over Scott's and his arm over his waist. Scott kissed his hair and ran his fingers through his hair. "I promise."

Mitch let out a shaky sigh and nodded, finally allowing his muscles to relax. "Okay. Thank you so much. I love you."

"I love you more."

+++

It was a few months later when Mitch sneaked off to see Scott again. He was only wearing a robe, as his husband had raped him again and he didn't want to risk getting dressed and waking him, and he rushed through the halls of the castle so no one would see him in his indecent state. He was secretly afraid that if someone saw him, they would force themselves in between his legs too. The only person he wanted in between his legs was Scott.

When he arrived at their usual meeting place, he played with his fingers anxiously as he waited for his secret lover. He pulled his silk robe tighter around himself every time a noise sounded from outside, his heart pounding in his chest.

The door opened, and once again, Mitch whirled around, already composing excuses for why he wasn't in the king's bedchambers. However, once again, he let out a relieved sigh and collapsed against Scott's chest. Scott wrapped his arms around him instantly, kissing his hair. "I got us passage to the New World, my love," he whispered, tracing patterns into his lower back. "We leave tomorrow. We can stay in an inn tonight, no one will recognize you in normal clothes, and then we'll get on the ship and you'll be free of him forever." Mitch felt tears forming in his eyes again, but he swallowed him and wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him firmly. Scott melted against him and kissed back, slipping his hand into Mitch's robe to rest on his lower back. "I love you," he murmured against his lips, and Mitch pulled away to meet his eyes, lovingly caressing his cheek. "I love you more."

They quickly changed into the peasant clothes Scott had gotten them, and they slipped out of the bedroom. They rushed through the halls of the castle hand in hand, keeping their heads down so no one would recognize the queen. Luckily, they made it out of the castle without incident, and Scott hailed a carriage to take them to the inn by the docks. Mitch kept his face hidden in Scott's jacket, acting like he was scared of the dark, and the driver didn't question them as long as they paid the fare.

Scott helped Mitch out of the carriage and gave the driver the money, then laced their fingers together as they went inside the inn. He got them a room, and Mitch didn't relax until they were safely inside it. "How long do you think we have before he notices I'm gone?" he asked in a whisper, pressing himself against Scott's chest. Scott rubbed his back comfortingly, kissing his ear. "He won't notice until morning, angel. And even when he does notice, he'll probably assume you're in the library or something. I don't think an alarm will be set off until tomorrow night, at the earliest, and we'll be long gone by then."

"What if- What if you die on the way? We'll be on that ship for so long, I- I've heard many have died..."

"I won't die, my love. We'll both make it to the New World, and we'll live happily ever after. I swear it." Scott pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "It'll be okay." Mitch blinked up at him with tearful eyes, but he nodded slowly and leaned against him, listening to his heartbeat. "I love you."

"I love you too, angel."