My first fanfiction. Written as my Secret Valentine's present for NEKO NO GIN from the Sound Horizon international forums. It's an AU fanfic with LeontiusElef as the main pairing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sound Horizon.

Valentine's day was slowly approaching at Horizon's High School and like every single year the theater club was busy working on a play they would present on the evening of the couples day. This year, the club advisor choose Cinderella as their play.

"I still can't believe we're playing a Disney piece this year!" I complained while putting my book in my bag. It was the end of the classes which means I had to head to the theater club.

"Can you stop complaining already, Leon? I'm tired of hearing you saying the exact same thing every single day!" My best friend Elef answered visibly annoyed as well. "And the play is only in one week so you don't have much to suffer anymore!" He said, trying to brighten my mood.

"You're lucky, Leon, you get to play the prince, you won't have to dress as a girl!" Orion cheerfully said behind me.

"I don't even know why you didn't complain when Kusobaba assigned you to a female role! If I were you I would have killed the old hag!" I turned my head toward Orion, I couldn't understand why he wasn't agry to play one of the two step sisters.

"It's not that bad! It's funny to play and everyone said I would look great with a dress and a bit of make up!" Orion beamed at me. It's true that he had such feminine traits that with a dress and some make up, even I was sure that he could be mistaken for a girl.

"… Oh no! Not this!" I lowered my head and puffed.

"What happened again?" Elef was getting more and more upset at each of my comments.

"I completely forgot! We're playing with our costumes today! Argh I don't want to go!" I gestured dramatically.

"I can't wait to see my costume!" Orion's eyes were gleaming. I swear this guy is not normal, I would totally freak out if I had to wear a dress.

"Ah yes, Misia told me about that. Yesterday evening she was finishing the costumes so they would be ready today." Elef already had finished packing his things and was waiting for us.

"But wasn't the whole fashion club involved with it? Why did Misia have to finish the costumes?" Orion asked intrigued.

"I'm not sure because Misia didn't speak much about it. I only know that they were behind schedule and, in the end, it was Misia and Hiver who got most of the work done at the last minute." Elef answered.

I looked at my watch and saw that it we were getting late for the theater club. I finished packing my things the quicker I could and headed to the door.

"We should go, see you tomorrow Elef!" I waved at my friend before leaving the class.

"See you tomorrow, Leon, Orion!" Elef said waving back at us.

"I can't wait to see everyone in their costumes!" Said Orion as we were walking toward the club.

"I'm not sure about that. I'm sure Alexandra will be beautiful as Cinderella but I don't want to see Von Lodowing sensei with her costume. She already creeps me out when we play without the costumes so I don't dare to imagine…" I felt goose bumps as I tried to think about it.

"We're supposed to call her Therese!" He corrected me, but I still wasn't used to the idea of calling teachers by their first names even in the theater club. "I admit, I didn't like it much when Kusobaba told us that we would be getting two teachers as actors but Therese is totally awesome as the step mother and Zvolinski sensei makes a great king!"

"Totally awesome? She's scary as hell! I agree that those two are a great addition to the play even if that makes two lead roles that the other club members couldn't have." Orion nodded as I stated this. We weren't many people inside the club but I could understand that most of them were disappointed they couldn't get lead roles.

We arrived at the club but instead of finding the usual cheerful atmosphere of people rehearsing or getting prepared, everyone was around Kusobaba arguing about something. We went closer to the commotion to see what it was about. Everyone was speaking at the same time so it was very hard to understand anything. We headed for the group and I asked Idoko. "What is this about?"

"Leontius, Orion! You're here at last! You see, we have a problem. Alexandra has just been taken to the hospital and no one knows what happened but it seems like she won't be here for a few days and maybe she won't be able to do the play next week." She said with worry.

"Really? But she's the lead role? Isn't there any chances she can make it?" I asked hurriedly. The situation was really bad.

"That's what Kusobaba is trying to figure out but right now but she's probably thinking about a possible replacement." Idoko lowered her head trying not to think about the possibility that they should cancel the play.

"Is it even possible to replace a lead role at one week from the play?" Orion asked.

"I'm not sure… It's not like anyone from the club can do the role anyways. We all have our parts to do already…" Idoko was really worried about the situation.

At this moment I heard the door from the club open and I turned my head to see who entered. Misia was here along with Hiver and his two dolls Violette and Hortense, with several bags. These were probably our costumes.

"Great! Thank you for bringing the costumes!" Kusobaba hurried to them, visibly happy. "At least something good happened today."

"Did something happen?" Misia looked at the room and noticed that something was wrong.

"Yes, Alexandra is in the hospital and I don't even know if she'll be there for the final representation. I really want to replace her but I have no idea who to take. She will have only one week to learn the role and I'm afraid that you may have to do another costume." Kusobaba answered.

Misia thought about it for a few seconds and she had an idea. She told it to Kusobaba low enough so no one but her would hear. She was beaming. Hiver also heard it and I could see a faint smile on his face. This was really bad! Hiver never ever smiled! I couldn't hear them and I really wanted to know what they said between them!

Kusobaba spoke up so everyone could hear. "It seems our problem is solved! Now all of you get changed in your costume!"

Idoko spoke up "What did you decide then?" Glad to see I'm not the only one intrigued by this.

"Ohohohoho, you'll see tomorrow!" She said with eyes full of mischief. This was definitely not good!

Everyone's costumes looked great, Orion really looked like a girl with his dress and wig, weirdly Idoko really looked like Orion's sister. I swear the old hag had a gift to find roles that would suit people to the perfection. Therese was more frightening than ever and Zvolinsky really looked like an old king. I even have to admit that my costume looked great on me. I looked like I really was a prince. Who know maybe I was one in a previous life! Unfortunately, my princess was missing and I didn't want to think about what kind of twisted plan went into Misia and Kusobaba's heads.

The next day was rather boring, Elef didn't come to school and as much as I like to hang out with Orion, it's not the same without my best friend. I was looking forward to going to the theater club to finally discover who would be my Cinderella. I was still a bit afraid but the excitement was taking over. Okay maybe I shouldn't have been that excited because I almost had a heart attack when I saw who would be playing my princess.

"What the…" I tried very hard to compose myself at the scene before me. Elef was in the middle of the stage with a blonde wig and a beautiful white dress rehearsing the ball scene. Seeing that I wasn't bulging, Kusobaba came next to me and whispered in my ear.

"Like what you see? This princess is all yours…" I could hear the mischief coming from her voice.

"Wait, why Elef?..." I had regained my composure but I was still staring at the stage.

"It was Misia's idea, she said he was really good at acting and she was sure he could learn the role in a few days. Plus, he looks feminine enough to make a perfect girl… Don't you think?" I could see a full smirk on her face. "With a bit of makeup…" She was teasing me and I knew it. I didn't want to grab the bait.

"It's fine with me, as long as we manage to do the play…" I took my bag and went to the changing rooms to get ready for rehearsal. The prince outfit wasn't complicated to put and I was grateful of Misia. When I came back to the stage Elef was taking a little break from playing. Time to have fun!

I came behind him discretely so he wouldn't hear me coming. "So my lovely lady, I never saw you here, where are you from?" I tried to act as chivalrous as I can but it was really hard not to laugh but failing. It's not every day that you see your best friend dressed as a Disney princess, but I have to admit he looked beautiful.

"Oh shut up Leon! If not for me, you could say goodbye to the final show in one week." Elef answered in a neutral tone. He didn't seem bothered much but it didn't stop me from keeping my act.

"True, true, I'm looking forward to playing with you, my beautiful lady." I took his hand and placed a kiss on it. Elef was visibly embarrassed and I went to a seat laughing my ass off. I could hear a fait "Moron…" coming from behind me but I didn't took notice of it. Nothing was better in this word than riling up Elef.

We tried to do the full play several times and Elef was really good for someone who had only practiced for one day. The only scene that was slightly embarrassing was the ball scene. I never danced with a guy so it was really weird for me. To make the play more realistic, I also had to look at my princess lovingly and I really had a hard time concentrating and not laughing each time I looked at Elef in the eyes. Elef didn't seem to have any problem playing his part though.

At the end of the session Elef was lying on the floor, looking at the cellar, cursing. "Damn, I'm dead!"

I sat next to him and asked. "How long have you been practicing?" I supposed he's been at it all day considering he didn't go to class.

"I started yesterday evening when Misia told me about it but today I practiced all day." His voice sounded very tired and I could understand why.

"I have to admit, you were great for someone who've only been practicing for one day. You'll definitely be ready for next week performance." I wanted to comfort him a bit.

He laughed softly. "That's exactly what Kusobaba told me earlier." He sat up and looked at me.

"Do you want to go grab a bite? I'm starving." Elef asked before looking at his attire. He sighed at the idea he had to change before that. "And I'm not wearing makeup yet…" He added, visibly dreading the final day where he would have to add makeup to his already annoying dress and wig.

I bowed "But of course my lovely lady, no man could ignore a request by such a lovely princess like yourself, it would be my honor!" I was smirking but this time I managed not to laugh. Elef's face was priceless. I could see his cheeks turning pink at my statement. It was so cute!

"Stop that already!" He turned his back on me and went to change. I did the same thing and waited for him. We decided to head out to the fast food the closest to high school. We made small talk while eating but we didn't speak about the play. It wasn't a bad thing though because Elef have been playing for a whole day and I didn't want to pressure him more than people already did.

The weekend was coming and I knew we would be rehearsing all Saturday. Normally, we wouldn't be able to have the theater room on weekends but exceptionally they gave us permission since the play was on Tuesday. At the end of the day, all of us were so tired we could barely stand on our feet but we were all ready for the final play. I was about to head home when I saw Elef who managed to change lying on the floor with his bad next to him. He had his eyes closed and he looked like an angel. I almost wanted to kiss him.

Instead, I poked him on the cheek. "Hey Cinderella, you're still alive?"

I could hear a faint grunt "Shut up, I'm too tired to move." He turned to face me. "It one of those times where I wished teleportation would exist." He tried to get up but seeing it was hard for him, I landed him a hand.

"Leon, can I stay at your place this evening? It's much closer than mine and at least I know I'll be able to reach it!" He asked slightly embarrassed.

"You're that tired? I don't mind but I'm not carrying you bride style there."

"I wouldn't mind." Elef whispered very softly and I wasn't sure I heard correctly but I was also getting tired so maybe my mind was playing me tricks.

"Let's go!" Elef said in a normal tone and we left school together to walk to my place. My parents weren't here this evening so we had the house for ourselves. When we arrived Elef crashed in my bed and refused to move. My bed was big enough for two so we always slept together when he came to sleep.

"Don't you want to eat something before you go to sleep?"

"I don't care… too tired…" Elef mumbled. I could tell he was already falling asleep. I sat next to him and looked at his face. He was asleep in less than a minute. This week must have been hard on him considering he had to learn a lead role in a few days and he was supposed to handle school as well. He probably spent nights working on the play but it paid off because there were three days left before the final performance and he was ready. I was a bit hungry so decided to go find something to eat before going to sleep as well.

When I woke up the next day, it was almost midday. The first thing, I noticed is that my arm hurt a lot and that I could feel heat coming from my chest. It took me a few minutes before understanding the situation I was in. I could see white hair next to me with pink tresses. I remembered that Elef came to sleep at home after our rehearsal and this exact same person was sleeping against my chest, crushing my arm in the process. I tried to move slowly to get his weight out of my arm without waking him up. After a few tries, I managed to do it but Elef unconsciously shifted closer to me. Now not only his head was resting on my chest but all his body was really close. I could have woken him up but, it was comfortable so I decided I wanted to stay like this a little longer. I just put my arm on his shoulder and went back to sleep.

When I woke up for the second time, the first thing I saw was blue eyes staring straight at me.

"Good morning Cinderella, did you sleep well, in the arms of your beloved?" I was smirking, not at all bothered by our current position. The same couldn't be said from Elef. His face was getting red and he moved away from me. He tried to change the subject not wanting to speak about it.

"What time is it?" He asked, regaining his composure and trying very hard to forget about what happened. I didn't push it farther because I didn't want things to become awkward between us.

"Let's see…" I looked at my watch "16h30. Seriously? It's that late? I looked several times at the watch to see if it wasn't an illusion. We must have been very tired last evening. Hopefully, today was Sunday and we didn't have any homework. Elef was as surprised as me.

"I can't believe I slept all day. I wanted to practice a bit more for the play." He said visibly disappointed.

"Don't worry about that" I told him "You're ready, it's not a big deal if you don't practice today. At least you got some rest!" I smiled at him trying to reassure him.

"If you think so…" He didn't seem too convinced. "I'm going to take a shower and I'll head home."

I nodded and I practiced a bit after he left.

The two next days went really fast. All I could think about was the play. We rehearsed for the last time on Monday evening with Kusobaba telling us everything we should be careful about. When the final day came all of us were ready.

There was only twenty minutes remaining before the play and I was stressing out. Orion was so excited that he couldn't stay in place and had to go to the curtain to look at the people taking their seats in the audience.

"Oh, oh look at this! There's so many people!" He was getting excited and it only managed to stress me even more. Idoko followed his example and went to look behind the curtain.

"Woah, you're right, it's the first time I play in front of so many people, I wonder where my father is." He scouted the audience in hopes of finding him but without any luck.

I was almost shaking of fear when I felt two hands rubbing my shoulders and a low voice whispering in my hear.

"You seem tense, my dear prince, is something bothering you?"

I jumped at the words and turned around. I stared at the sight in front of me. I was used to seeing Elef was in his usual Cinderella attire but I wasn't used to seeing him with makeup and he was more beautiful than any girl I ever saw in my life. I could feel heat coming from my cheeks.

"From your reaction, it would seem like I make a decent Cinderella… But I have to admit, you don't look too bad yourself." The last words were whispered in my hear so no one would hear that. I blushed even harder. Kusobaba forced me to wear a bit of makeup too, so people could see my face better from the audience, or that's what she said.

"St-stop this, what has gotten into you?" I stammered not trying to think that I started this little game.

"Payback for all the times you made fun of me." He smirked and I was about to say something when Therese told us that we had to get ready because the show would start very soon.

The play went great, Orion and Idoko were perfect as the two step sisters, Therese was frightening as hell as the step mother, Zvolinsky was maybe overacting his king role but it was for the best, the others dressed in animals were doing a great job considering that the costumes must be really heavy and Cinderella was just stunning! At least, we could see the result of months of rehearsing. The only part which changed slightly from usual was the ending and it was all Elef's fault.

At the end, the prince and Cinderella are supposed to kiss. Like in any other play, we were supposed to emulate a kiss so the public would think that the two people were kissing when in fact they aren't.

Except Elef had other plans, Leontius played his part like they always do but at the moment where Elef was supposed to do the same thing, Leontius felt something moist in his lips and it took him a few seconds to register that his best friend was kissing him. He tried to act normal, like nothing out of the ordinary happened but he could hear his heart beating loudly in his chest. He noticed that Elef had done this in an angle that no one would be able to know if it was a real kiss or not. Leontius managed to regain his composure quite fast so one would realize what really happened.

At the end, all the actors came to the stage once more to bow before the audience. The curtain was drawn back but the crowd was still applauding.

"Listen to the crowd!" Orion said happily "It's the first time I hear then doing so much noise after one of our play!"

"I have to admit, all of you did a great job!" Kusobaba was delighted at the success of her club. She turned her head toward us "but I noticed that you two changed slightly the kissing part. You should have told me about it! The way you did it was even more realistic than what I planned!" She was grinning but she didn't seem to have noticed what really happened. My heart calmed down at the realization.

Even Therese came to congratulate us. "You two really did a great job! The alchemy between you two was even better than with Alexandra." She tapped slightly on my shoulder while smiling warmly at both of us. Elef's face brightened at her statement. I didn't have the time to think about it earlier but she was probably right. Now that everyone has gone to change I wanted to have a conversation with Elef about what happened but I didn't think it was the right moment for it, instead I tried to think of an excuse to spend more time this him this evening.

"I'm hungry, after changing. Do you want to grab a bite with me?" I asked Elef who was ready to go change.

He seemed embarrassed at my question "Hum, you know it's Valentine's Day…"

"Yeah and?" I asked understanding very well what he meant but dodging the silent question. It was Valentine's Day evening and people would think we are a couple for going out to eat together.

"Never mind, that's a great idea, I'm getting hungry too!" Elef answered maybe a bit too fast for a normal conversation. I was kinda glad, he didn't mind to go out with me on Valentine's evening even if he seemed embarrassed.

I waited for Elef for a while since he had to take more time to remove all the makeup Kusobaba had put on him. When he finally got out, looking a lot more like his normal self, I asked him.

"So where are we going?"

Apparently the question surprised him. "What we're not going to our usual fast food?"

I pretended to be hurt by his statement. "But it's Valentine's day, are you sure you don't want to eat at a fancier place?" I pouted.

"Whatever…" He didn't seem convinced but we headed to the commercial center because we knew a lot of restaurants were around this place. We walked in silence before Elef suddenly asked me.

"Why didn't you punch me?"

I didn't understand what he meant "What? Why was I supposed to punch you?" He stopped and lowered his head, not wanting to look at me.

"The kiss…" I had almost forgotten about that even if it was the reason I asked Elef to go eat with me. I tried to make the conversation as direct as possible. I didn't want him to believe anything that wasn't true.

"Ah that! I would have punched you if the others realized that it was a real kiss but since they didn't…" I said nonchalantly, it's not like the kiss have been bad or anything. I had enjoyed it a lot in fact.

"But why… We're both guys and you're my best friend and…" Elef was trying to find all the reasons I would have to punch him and never talk to him again but I wasn't having any of that. I crushed my lips on his and I took him in my arms. He returned the kiss and we stayed in each other's arms for a few minutes.

"But, but…" Elef was stammering, still dumbfounded about the whole situation. I hugged him even tighter. I wanted to speak but Elef beat me to it.

"I love you Leon." It was weird to hear that coming from the mouth of my best friend but I felt the same.

"Stupid, I love you too." Elef was beaming and my cheeks felt hot. After that, we resumed our walk, hand in hand, still heading for a place to eat. Before Elef came to play Cinderella, he had been complaining day after day about his prince role but maybe it wasn't that bad. After all, he did find his princess.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated! :D