It was one of those days again.

Nagisa had risen early from his partner's arms, stretching as he watched the sun come up over the horizon. It painted the sand dunes in a pretty hue of amber; one of his favorite colors.

The morning air was already starting to grow warm, a pleasant breeze passing over his bare skin. His hands were resting on the cool stone of the windowsill. Children were running barefoot down the winding streets.

As he prepared to turn away to get dressed, he felt a pair of soft hands take ahold of his hips gently. "Good morning, ya helo…" whispered a voice, his words pouring over Nagisa like soothing water.

"Good morning," he smiled back, leaning back to press gently against the other. He was always surprised at how smooth the other's skin was - it was slightly warm to the touch.

After giving the blonde a gentle kiss on the back of his neck, Rei murmured, "What? No nickname for me this morning..?"

Nagisa giggled, moving away slightly before turning to face him. "Nah," he joked. "I think you already know how much you mean to me without those silly names Rei."

Now both of them were giggling, the blue-haired man moving aside so that Nagisa could gather his clothes on the floor. "The prince requested me tonight," the blonde muttered, slipping on his harem pants, and then the sheer overlay.

"Ah," Rei muttered, going to grab a brush to untangle the dancer's hair. "I see. Can't stay away from him long can you?"

Nagisa shook his head, sighing dismally as he slipped on the top part of his bedlah. "Not really. I'm lucky enough that he even lets me go home for some of the nights. I have to do as he wishes Rei, whether we like it or not."

"Well… Just be safe okay? I'll come and watch your street performance later this morning." The blonde smiled as he put on his jewelry, and stole his other accessories off the vanity.

"Sure thing Rei," he chuckled, skipping out the door. His partner sighed before crawling back to bed.

Later that morning, just as Rei promised, he showed up to Nagisa's normal performance spot and hid in the shadows. He leaned on one of the houses, away from the sun and the prince's eyes.

The dancer twirled through the street with such grace and beauty, his eyes closed as he soaked up the sunlight and smiled into the clear blue sky.

He smelled like sweat and lotus flowers, his toned stomach glistening slightly as he continued to dance. His bare feet scuffed the sandy ground, and the second his eyes opened, he looked at his special guest.

Rei knew it wasn't him of course. Nagisa's gorgeous coral eyes made contact with the dark scarlet ones of the prince. He took a step towards the prince, then back, then forward again.

The crowd seemed to laugh a little at knowing that the prince was there just to watch him. The famous dancer.

As the blonde danced closer and closer, Rei felt his body tensing up. He wanted to run out there, grab Nagisa and tell him it was wrong. But he couldn't.

Nagisa slowly wrapped his arms around the prince's neck, arching against him as his sheer veil billowed in the gentle wind.

As the prince smiled - the smile he always gave the dancer before whisking him away - Rei left.

He always went to his partner's performances, but he always left early because he couldn't stand it. The way people looked at him and treated him; the way he had to act in front of everyone.

"I can't stand it anymore," he whispered, quickly making his way back home for another lonely afternoon.

Author's Note:

A few things to clear up! For starters, a 'bedlah' is an outfit that a belly dancer wears, consisting of a top piece (bra or vest) and a bottom piece (pants, skirts, sheers, etc).

'Ya helo' means 'my beautiful' in Arabic.

The veil that Nagisa was holding is also another thing that belly dancers and normal dancers use. They usually come in silk, but can be sheer at times.