"Noll, please?" Gene begged. "I covered your maths lesson!"
Noll continued to read his book in the busy school canteen.
"That was payback for me taking your French lesson last week," Noll replied.
"Please!" Gene got down on both knees and dramatically clasped his hands together.
"Gene, stop it; you're making a scene," Noll scolded, still not looking up from his book.
"Then agree to do my rehearsal after school today," Gene said. "I'll take two of your lessons!" he added in desperation.
Noll sighed deeply and held a hand out. Gene shoved the script towards his brother and jumped to his feet.
"What scenes?"
"Four and five are the only ones you're in," Gene told him. "I've annotated them so you can repeat what I've done previously."
Noll rolled his eyes and opened the dog-eared script to scan the contents.
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"Yeah, you'll be working with the understudy today," Gene said, a grin playing about his lips. "Mai Taniyama? I'm sure you know her don't you?"
Noll did know her. Mai Taniyama was a girl that was in the debating club. A club Noll was only part of because of two reasons: one, it kept his mother happy that he was part of a society, and two, because he could just turn up and destroy the opposition without much effort. That is, except for Mai Taniyama, who would always stand against him regardless of the topic and occasionally even made a good point. Not that she ever won.
"Why isn't the lead going to be there?"
"Masako is busy," Gene stated.
"Why don't you have an understudy?"
"You're my understudy."
"I never agreed to that," Noll scowled, finally looking up at his brother.
"I didn't expect to need an understudy," Gene shrugged. "I better get going; I have a lesson to get to!" He turned and began to walk away. "Oh and Noll? The play is a musical!" Gene shouted over his shoulder and then sprinted from the canteen.
Noll scowled, put his book in his bag and opened up the script to scenes four and five. Thankfully, he did not have many lines in the required scenes and no songs bar the group ensemble pieces.
Noll spent his free period after lunch going through his lines before heading to a psychology lesson. After his final lesson, Noll made his way to Gene's locker, where he picked up the tie Gene had been wearing that day. He swapped it for his own and headed towards the Drama Department where he found the rest of the cast assembling in the Drama Studio.
Sighing, Noll hitched Gene's smile on his face and entered the room.
"Gene!" Mai rushed over to him. "Did Masako tell you she couldn't come today?"
"Yeah, she mentioned it," Noll replied.
"So you'll have to practice with me today, I'm sorry."
"Don't be, you'll do great I'm sure!" Yeah, that was something Gene would say. Before Noll could say any more, Miss Mori entered the Drama Studio.
"Oh wonderful, is everyone here?"
"Please Miss, Masako couldn't come," Mai put her had up as she spoke.
"That's fine," Miss Mori replied. "Actually, if she isn't here, we could go over the duet if we have time as you haven't practiced it yet…"
Noll hastily flipped through the rest of the scenes to find said duet and mentally groaned. Why did Gene have to have such a stupid hobby?
"Come on Gene," Mai said, indicating that they should sit at the back while the others performed.
"Huh?"
"Miss Mori said they were starting at the beginning, you're not on until scene four right?"
"Oh yeah, sorry, I wasn't listening." Noll mentally scolded himself for getting caught up in his own thoughts. He joined Mai at the back of the studio and sat with his back against the wall. Noticing some of the other students had taken their ties off and had loosened a few buttons, he copied the gesture.
"Did you have a good day today?" Mai asked him quietly.
"Yeah, was alright," Noll said with Gene's smile still plastered on his face. "You?"
"Yeah, it was good," Mai replied. "Chemistry was fun! Well, it shouldn't have been, but Keiko and I managed to blow up a few test tubes…"
Noll laughed as he knew Gene would. Why had he agreed to this? Practicing the damn play was one thing but what on earth was he supposed to talk Mai about?
"I heard my brother beat you in the debate again on Monday?" Noll posed; it was the only subject he felt confident talking about with this girl. Mai rolled her eyes.
"You realise he only wins because the girls vote for him right?" Mai said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "It's stupid. They only like him because he's got that dark and brooding thing going on. Oh and because he's handsome…" Mai added as an afterthought.
"You think I'm handsome?" Noll asked, then quickly covered up his mistake. "You know, we have the same face and all."
"Of course you are, but you're not pig-headed about it like he is. Naru uses his looks to get what he wants, you are actually nice to people."
"Naru?"
"Oh damn," Mai giggled nervously. "Please don't tell him, its short for narcissist. It's what Keiko, Michiru and I call him…" She looked away in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, I won't tell," Noll said kindly in his best impersonation of Gene's friendly manner.
"I don't really think he's that narcissistic!" Mai gushed. "I just said it once and it kind of stuck you know?"
Mai looked back up at the performance area and watched the rehearsal for a few minutes.
"Does he really only win because of his looks?" Noll asked, genuinely curious. He had thought he had won due to his evident skills in debating.
"Huh? In debates?" Mai asked and Noll nodded. "Well, he does put up good points, but it's all decided in an anonymous vote at the end and it sort of becomes a popularity contest. Yasuhara – do you know him? He's in upper sixth? – said that I should have won a few times but didn't. I'll beat him one day though."
"You sound confident," Noll commented, refraining from scoffing. As if little Mai would ever beat him.
"Well, eventually, all those girls that vote for him will realise they deserve better than some boy that has no manners." Mai suddenly slapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry; I'm being so rude about your brother!"
"It's alright, he's a bit of an idiot anyway," Noll forced a soft laugh.
"He's not an idiot! You should know better than anyone how hard he works!" Mai protested. "It's just all the girls have romanticised the idea of him in their heads. I feel kind of sorry for him really. If he ever became interested in one of them and they got together, the girl would be disappointed that he wasn't what they have pictured him to be."
Noll was slightly taken back by this deep insight.
"So what do you think Noll is really?"
"Promise you won't tell?" Mai asked earnestly.
"Promise," Noll smiled again.
"I think he hides behind his intelligence," Mai confessed. "Because he's lonely. I mean, he has you, but he doesn't really have anyone else does he? I think he had to grow up too quickly and thus has lost a bit of faith in humanity. But because of that, he's really kind. Not kind like you are, but…" Mai seemed to struggle for words. "Like my friend John, who's in Oliver's psychology class, said that when some of the football team were beating on him a bit the other day because well, John is tiny, Oliver just walked up and intervened. Not to start a fight or anything, but just pulled John out of the scene entirely to talk about the homework or something." Mai sighed. "I'm not sure if he meant it like that, but yeah…" she finished lamely.
Noll was entirely speechless. How had this girl, who was a year younger than him, seen through him so easily? He could remember the event in question; John Brown was a short boy who was nice to everyone. He knew some of the football team picked on him because he was short and catholic, not that he ever rubbed it in anyone's face. Noll had seen how to save him from the bullying and so had done it without a second thought. Not because he was particular friends with John, they had only worked together a few times, but perhaps because the bullies reminded him of some of the kids that picked on him and Gene at the orphanage.
"Well," he said, unsure of how to continue.
"Are you going to laugh at me and tell me it's all wrong?"
"It's not wrong," Noll said. "I'm just shocked."
"Why?"
"Most people don't see that," he replied truthfully.
"Eugene! You're on!" Miss Mori called. "Why aren't you paying attention?"
"Sorry!" Noll jumped up, ran over to the stage and immersed himself into the current scene. He wanted to talk more with Mai, he obviously underestimated the girl. But when he had finished his scenes, she was up and so he had no chance.
He watched her perform and thought back to the countless debates he had had with her. She had always become so riled up in debates that she often lost the thread of her point. She ardently chose the side of justice and passionately defended her beliefs. He had always viewed her ideas as naively hopeful, but hadn't everything she had just said proved that she seemed incapable of seeing the bad in people? She was her own brand of kindness that picked out the best in everyone.
"Alright, I think we'll call it a night for most of you!" Miss Mori said cheerfully a while later. "Mai and Eugene, if you could remain behind, I want to go over your scene."
Noll watched as the others left and he muttered goodbyes to those that waved at him.
"I think we'll just go over the song and the few lines after it," Miss Mori said as she fiddled with the CD player. "Why won't this damn thing work?"
Noll and Mai took to the stage and waited. Noll ran over the lines in his head and cursed Gene again for making him do this.
"I'm going to find Mr Takigawa for a replacement; can you two practice without music while I'm gone?"
"Sure," Mai said and they watched Miss Mori leave. "Thank goodness for that, I need the lyrics."
Noll laughed as Mai picked up her script.
"Do you just want to sing or do you want to act it too?" he asked.
"Um, mainly focus on the singing but with the rough movements of the scene?" Mai proposed and Noll nodded his agreement. "Well, you start," she said awkwardly.
Noll picked up his own copy of the song sheets and glanced down at it.
"I can show you the world," he sang and felt very self-conscious of his voice. He wasn't a bad singer, he could hold a tune, but he couldn't help but feel like Gene would have done a much better job. "Shining, shimmering, splendid!" he continued.
Gene had scribbled notes on this part too, so he followed the instructions and gestured as appropriate while he continued to sing.
When Mai finally came in, he was astounded how clear her voice was.
"A whole new world," she sang, higher than he could ever hope to reach. "A dazzling place I never knew!"
As the song went on, Noll became slightly more comfortable and projected himself better. He fancied he was no worse an actor than Gene so he could make up for his voice with the rest and hope Mai would not notice.
"A thrilling chase!"
"A wondrous place!"
"For you and me!" they concluded together. The two teenagers were now face to face and breathing heavily from the long note. Mai blushed and Noll coughed pointedly as he moved away. He glanced down at the script and noticed what Gene's notes said: kiss.
Noll didn't even question it as he knew Gene would have no qualms about kissing a girl. He turned back to Mai and pressed his lips to hers. He peeked a look and was satisfied to see her blush had deepened. Then they broke apart.
"You're not Gene, are you?" she asked. Noll staggered back a little.
"What? Of course I am," he laughed Gene's laugh nervously.
"You're not," Mai repeated. "Gene doesn't sing that low and Gene wouldn't have had to check the script to know he had to kiss the lead female at this part." Well of course Gene would remember that bit, Noll scowled.
"Damn," Noll muttered.
"Why are you here?"
"He asked me to cover for him," Noll admitted, letting his face fall back into his usual expression. "In return for him covering two of my lessons."
"You two do that?"
"All the time."
"That is not even fair," Mai complained.
"Are you going to tell Miss Mori?"
"Not if you keep rehearsing with me," Mai said. "Just the song!" she added hastily. Noll rolled his eyes.
"Fine," he said as he stood up. "From the top?"
Mai scrambled to her feet and nodded.
And so they sang the song again without the music, repeating the movements they had used before. About halfway through, Noll threw the script to the side and pulled Mai's out of her hand. He knew she was clutching to it like it was a lifeline and she needed to stop.
The finished on the long note and this time, Noll didn't even hesitate in kissing Mai. It just seemed right and she did not protest. He figured if he was going to do this practicing thing, he was going to do it properly. That is, until a very familiar voice interrupted them.
"You know, I don't remember the kiss being that long, do you Masako?" It was Gene. Noll broke the kiss and looked around at two familiar figures standing in the doorway.
"No, I think it somewhat ruins the innocence of the scene, don't you?" Masako replied with an annoying smirk.
"We were just practicing!" Mai said earnestly.
"Of course you were," Gene said sceptically with a massive grin plastered all over his smug face. Noll scowled, picked up the script and headed for his bag. Once he had retrieved it, he threw the script at his twin.
"What are you doing here?" Noll demanded.
"Seeing how the rehearsal was going!" Gene replied innocently.
"I thought you were busy," Noll said in a dangerously low voice.
"We were," Masako interrupted. Mai had joined them. "We were spying on you both, it was adorable!"
"Besides, you seemed to be enjoying yourself!"
Noll refrained from punching his brother.
"You mean you set this up?" Mai asked, frowning.
"Why?" Noll asked, his tone was deadly.
"Oh come off it," Masako said. "Mai, you've fancied Oliver for ages." Mai went scarlet.
"And you won't shut up about 'that girl from the debating club'," Gene added to his brother, he was still grinning.
"Come on Mai," Noll said, taking Mai's hand and dragging her out of the studio. "Let's leave these prats to their damned rehearsal."
Gene and Masako watched them go.
"They are both idiots, huh?" he said to Masako, who nodded, smiling.
Meanwhile, Noll was still dragging Mai from the building. They passed Miss Mori, who had a new CD player, but did not stop to explain.
Only when they were in front of the school did Noll stop and turn to face Mai.
"Is it true?"
"Is what true?" Mai asked, looking flustered.
"Do you fancy me?" Noll left his face characteristically blank. Mai nodded and looked away. "And how does that make you any different to any of the other girls who fawn after me?"
"I explained what I thought of you earlier," Mai huffed. "I never expected anything to come of it!" She made to turn away, but Noll stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Let me go."
Noll moved his hand at once and Mai pivoted on her heel. He watched her walk away. Had he really spoken that much about Mai? He couldn't recall mentioning her that much, but it had evidently been enough for Gene to have taken note.
And she had seen through his exterior, hadn't she?
Damn. Noll cursed his brother for knowing him better than he knew himself before swallowing his own pride.
"Mai?" he called out and she stopped.
"What?"
"Do you like tea?"
"Why?" she asked as she turned to face him.
"Well we need to get our own back on my prat of a twin and his scheming companion," Noll said plainly. "We may as well be well hydrated."
Mai smiled and laughed.
"Okay," she said, returning to his side. "What do you have in mind?"
"Well he forced me to sing, so it has to be something humiliating," Noll surmised, and then he decided to try something. "And if you want to practice the latter part of that scene again, I'm not opposed to it."
He watched Mai's face out of the corner of his eye and smirked in pleasure as she blushed again. The effect was quite adorable. Perhaps this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.
Author's note: Well this is the fluffiest 2923 words I have ever written and if this does not qualify for AmyNChan's challenge of 'write a fluffy oneshot' I don't know what does. So yeah.
Please review!