World's Apart

e i g h t e e n | k a r a

I'm shaken by his words.

"What?"

"I made it for you. It's customary for the bride to have a ring when they marry. I made this in front of you because I want to make sure it fits."

"Mon-El, you didn't have to do this," I don't know what else to say.

"Yes, I do." He nods. "Here, try it on. I'm glad it's dark so you can't see the details. You'll have to wait for the ceremony," he finishes. I feel him slide the ring perfectly onto my finger. "What do you know, it fits."

"Yeah, it does." I smile. "Nobody has ever done something like this for me, Mon-El. It's very sweet. Thank you."

He takes the ring off and pulls a small pouch out of his pocket, dropping the ring into it and putting it away.

"I don't think we're staying the night, so I'll show you around a little more before we have to leave. Our parents will want time to organize the wedding ceremony," Mon-El says as he guides me out of the tunnel.

"Yeah. And obviously, they're going to make it big. Bringing two planets who have been at war all these years, they'll have to make a statement."

"I can tell by your voice, you're not looking forward to it."

"No, no I'm not. I don't like attention. And after this, everyone, and I mean everyone is going to have their eyes on me," I frown.

"That's true," he nods.

"How do you deal with it? The attention, I mean. Being the Prince, I'm sure you're noticed almost anywhere you go."

"No, I'm not. Most people just think of me as an average citizen. My mother kept me locked in the house and my room most of the time. So when it came time for gatherings, people wouldn't recognize me in the crowd. Especially with the bruises I had. If they knew that I was their Prince and had bruises all over me, they'd start to question my parents."

"I'm so happy you're going to be away from it all after we marry. You won't have to deal with your mother once you settle in on Krypton."

"Your mother has shown more affection towards me than my own mother, I'm looking forward to not seeing this monstrosity again," he says while gesturing to the landscape around us.

"I can't believe this is your home."

"Was my home," he corrects, making me smile. I've never smiled this much around anyone, except Kal-El, of course. It's to easy to talk to him. He told me himself that he's never opened up about his past to anyone. Why me?

And what would my parents say if I told them I was falling for the Prince?