AN: Revised Chapter 8/23/16
So this chapter was more of 'taking parts out' and combining drabbles into fuller chapters.
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"So I had been thinking for days about what show we're doing next," Mia continued to talk after gathering her friends in her dorm room. "But it's paid off and we should be practicing this week!"
May had her elbow on the armrest and her cheek against her closed hand. "You still haven't told us what that production will be."
With a dramatic twisting of her arm, Mia proclaimed, "Zorro!"
"What?!"
"Aw yeah, swashbuckling!"
May's head came off of her fist as she thought about it. "Aren't there scenes that are a little too dark and inappropriate for a family stage?"
Mia wagged a finger. "That's because you're thinking of the 1998 movie version with Antonio Banderas."
The scriptwriter ran over to her desk and came back with her glasses on and several pages of notebook paper. "The actual creation of the character 'Zorro' came from a pulp fiction writer in 1919. The writer was pretty inconsistent with the story line, having a villain die in one book and then the next one he was still alive," Mia looked up from her notes, "So I really don't see any problems with us creating another adventure that draws from the world of 'Zorro.' We just have to look into needing to pay any royalties for borrowing any portions for our show."
Ken sat up as a thought occurred. "I haven't seen any of the movies or series, but is there even a female lead in them?"
Mia smiled. "I'm glad you brought that up!" The papers rustled as she looked it up. "There have been love interests in the books and other media." She grinned very widely. "But I'm thinking of something along the lines of Catherine Zeta Jones' character 'Elena' from The Mask of Zorro."
May snorted. "You just want to have that sexy swordplay scene in there."
"No!" Mia indignantly responded—though the speed and volume of it made May think that she had guessed correctly—"That female character will make a pretty and strong leading role to play alongside Zorro!"
"You mean 'feisty'," May wiry intoned. She sat back and crossed her legs. "I think Sora and Leon are going to really enjoy this production."
Ken turned very red upon hearing that.
"So wait," Rosetta said with some confusion, "if Zorro's a swordsman, then most of the show will be swordplay then?"
"Not necessarily. Zorro's a clever character that uses his wits more than force. Besides, if we can do a Dracula on ice and an Arabian Nights on a flaming, rocking boat, why can't we have a Zorro show with some fencing in there?"
"Good point."
"I call dibs on being the gag swordswoman!" Anna cheered.
Over in the practice room, Sora held the scrip open as Leon looked on with her.
Leon as Zorro?
She's seen the poster before, but not the movie. Her head turned a little and from the corner of her eye, she mentally put on the black outfit of Zorro on his figure. The black domino mask mentally appeared on him, covering half of his face. His grey eyes showed through the holes of the mask, mysterious and gleaming with mischief…and currently staring back at her.
She turned forward with a rosy color on her cheeks.
He'd make an attractive Zorro at the very least.
His chin rested on her shoulder. "Do you know how to fence?"
"N-Not really."
The swordplay from the Arabian Nights show wasn't anything formal. It had been pretty messy, but it was exhilarating sword fighting.
He smirked then and his eyes crinkled a little in amusement. She stiffened as his arms went around her waist.
"It looks like there will be private lessons."
She squeaked as he murmured those words into her ear. He rumbled out a chuckle and then nipped her cheek.
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Sora nervously smoothed her black pencil skirt over as she sat on the Boss's couch.
Leon was next to her with his arm along the back of the couch and the picture of cool calmness. She spied his pose from the corner of her eye as the interviewer took a sip from his cup.
How does he do it?
She can't get the hang of private interviews. The informal ones she had an easier time speaking freely and with confidence, but when she had to dress up and speak eloquently… Since they've been partners, she often left the hard questions for Leon to answer. She's all over questions about the stage or anything about the show itself; however, she was tight lipped when it came to them wanting her to critique some new acrobat's performance or anything "political" within the circus and performing world.
As long as he's a cool cucumber, I'll be the locked up box.
The interviewer leaned over and turned the recorder on. "So what's the newest production coming?"
Sora leaned forward, Leon leaned back.
"Our scriptwriter, Mia Guillem, has come up with an adventure based off of the world of Zorro."
The man noted something down with a smile. "Well now, a swashbuckling show! I like that." He looked up at her and said, "I recall some years back that you and Layla Hamilton had co-starred in Arabian Nights. I applaud your performance; I've rarely seen a new performer maneuver on a moving tightrope as energetically as you did."
Sora laughed it off. "We had put a lot of hours into training for that." She looked over at Leon to see if he wanted to say something and then over back at the interviewer when Leon stayed quiet, "As we do for all of our shows."
"Of course," he nodded, "with that said, is there any special training either of you are undertaking for this production?"
"Fencing lessons," Leon said. "The whole cast is learning the basics, however, the leading characters and villain have more in depth training for phenomenal fight scenes."
The interviewer grinned. "I'll be looking forward to that." Then, his eyes drifted over to look at Sora's hands folded on her lap. "If you don't mind me asking, there have been numerous postings and comments on the Kaleido Stage fan sites regarding a rumor…" He cleared his throat and then continued, "Is there an engagement between you two, the leads of the stage?"
Sora's hand twitched.
She had announced their engagement informally at the Halloween event, but they had yet to formally announce it. After talking with Kalos, they told him that he could allow the interviewer a question or two regarding their engagement. Before private interviews occur, the interviewers were required to submit a copy of their questions to Kalos.
In the past, some interviews simply were out to dig up some dirt on the stage and performers in the guise of a professional Q and A. Kalos didn't want to waste time with those kinds of interviews. Such is the life of public figures. She generally didn't mind the fans, but sometimes she didn't understand the hype over wanting to know every aspect of their lives.
She swallowed and shifted her hands so the left sat on top of the right. "Yes, we are."
"Oh," he said and then he straightened his papers on his lap, "So, when's the big day?"
Her cheeks tinted a little and she turned to Leon for that. She sat back and he leaned forward a little.
"With our preparations underway, it is set for early spring."
The man blinked at that response. In a bit of a hurry, are we? His eye slid over to Sora as Leon's hand stroked her shoulder. Lucky dog…
After the interview was over, Sora sighed and sprawled herself on her dorm couch.
"That was exhausting!" She lightly bemoaned as she carelessly kicked her heels off of her feet.
Her fiancé came over as he amusedly watched her freed toes wiggling in the air. He lifted her legs up, quirking a brow at the bright blue painted on her toenails and then sat down on the couch, her legs now across his lap.
"Don't get too comfortable," he started as he felt the smoothness of her calves, "we have several places to go today."
She lifted her arm from over her eyes. "Oo, did you call the bakery back with our cake option?"
"Yes." Withholding a smirk, he asked, "the second choice, correct?"
She sat up at that. "Please tell me you're joking." When she saw him slowly blink at her, she lightly frowned at him. "That was my least favorite one. You even said it tasted like they blended a bunch of sugar cubes and made the cake out of that!" She tugged at his sleeve. "You need to call them again before they have us set for that one!"
He let out a small smile at her fretting. Upon seeing it, she grabbed a couch pillow and hit him with it.
"Oh, you trickster!" She got in another hit as she pouted. "I should have known!"
He chuckled as he easily grabbed the pillow from her hands, tossed it away from the couch and then pounced on her. She eeped as he grabbed her hands in a firm, but gentle hold and began tickling her neck with his nose. She giggled as she squirmed beneath him, only trying to free her hands once before she simply threaded their fingers and faced his attacks.
"You told them option four?" she asked as his tickling changed into love bites.
He lightly sucked along her pulse, receiving a mewl in response for the action. He hummed against her neck, placing a kiss over the area he just attacked.
"Yes."
"With the drop icing that looks like—"
"Lacing," he finished, "Three tiered with three different flavors on each level." He kissed her lips, tasting a new chapstick flavor. Some sort of berry, if I'm not mistaken. "You come in all sorts of flavors," he teasingly murmured, "I'd rather have you."
She flushed a little.
"With some dark chocolate and whipped cream," he teased as he placed short kisses on her lips, "I think you will make a very tasty cake."
Her face was burning at his implication. He's getting bolder as the days go by. She was finding it harder to come up with a comeback. He nipped her lip and then sat up.
"We need to see the florist."
She blinked at the change but took his proffered hand. "We really don't need that many flowers; it's just close friends and family."
"No," he agreed, "but it's necessary for the hall and, of course, your bouquet."
"Don't forget the flower for your tux," she added.
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Sora tugged at the white glove of her fencing outfit.
The strange helmet with the face mesh was peculiar to her, but Leon had insisted on them having all parts of the outfit for safety reasons. The door to the practice room opened with Leon striding in with his helmet under his arm and looking dashing in his fencing outfit.
She was so glad for her helmet at the moment; she could feel her face heating up.
"You don't need the helmet on yet," he said with some amusement. "I need to teach you a few moves before we actually have a match."
Drat.
She hesitated for a few seconds, hoping that the blush on her face had cooled even just a little bit. Her red hair tumbled out from the helmet, bringing out an appreciative hmm from Leon.
"For starters," he finally said after taking his time to look her over, which did nothing to cool the flush of her face, "a match begins with 'en guard,' 'prêt,' and then 'allez.' These are verbal warnings to take a defensive position, get ready, and then go, allez marking the actual start of the action of the match."
He slipped the foil from his side and held it in his right hand.
"This is a basic starting pose," his weight shifted and his knees bent. The long piece of metal shone as he made some swiping motion with the foil. "Alright, go ahead and get into position."
Sora blinked and then quickly bent her legs, holding her foil up with her right hand.
Leon stepped over and circled her, checking her pose. "Hm."
What does 'hm' mean? She did not get the chance to ask for he came up behind her and pressed against her. She squeaked as he bent his knees with her, adjusting the width of her feet's stance and then flushed a little when his hand came along her left thigh, pushing down on it so she'd put more weight on it.
"Lean back on that leg," he murmured in her ear.
She did as instructed.
His arms came up along hers, moving her left arm more back above the left leg and bending the right arm along the side of her body.
"Good," he said with a brush of his lips against her cheek.
He suddenly straightened up and looked at her form again. She felt the loss of his body heat. Appreciative grey roamed along her pose, seeing the female fighter that she will become.
"Very good."
She felt her stomach squirm upon hearing his tone of voice.
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In Leon's apartment, Sora looked at the swatches.
The lilac's nice, but so is the soft, pale blue.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the hand twirling a lock of her hair.
"You can help," she wiry said as his fingers went up her neck, "instead of distracting me."
She felt little thrills as he moved her hair aside and placed light kisses along her throat. In their practices, she was calling him out on the illegal physical touching 'corps-a-corps' move more often. Not that that stops him. He just gets sneakier with the touches during their matches.
"You seem to be doing fine," he murmured.
She shivered as his lips moved against her skin.
His hands lightly brushed her sides, making her release a shaky breath. He loved how responsive she was to his touch. It made him want to cause more. His hands moved along her stomach, pressing her back to his chest. His eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of holding her without it being a part of a scene.
With the way practice was going, the show was due in the early summer.
A spring wedding seems doable.
He'd rather not get married during the performing season where the schedule was not flexible with the hours since they were preplanned. Then, there was the possibility of added show times if the performance was popular. It would be the next winter at the earliest. He didn't know about Sora, but he wasn't keen on the idea of getting married after the shows.
Her hands went over his. His eyes stared at their left hands, seeing their engagement rings. Her thumb rubbed over the smooth silver band on his finger as she thought.
"Are we going too fast?" she voiced out.
"Do you feel that we are?"
"…No," she mused, "You've been at the stage for almost four years." Her face tilted up to his. "During that time, we've been learning about each other even if we weren't partners in the beginning."
"Or regularly spoke to one another," he teased.
She attempted to nip his nose. "A certain someone was being a grouch."
"May?"
"You, Mr. Lone Wolf!" she laughed as his fingers tickled her sides. "It took forever to get you to come to the cast parties!"
He would come to the mandatory VIP meet and greets, but for any little cast hosted get-togethers he had declined the invites. After one decline too many, May had enough of his avoidance and delegated herself along with Sora to be the ones to invite him before he left for his place.
He remembered the first time they approached him in his dressing room. May had been in her no-nonsense-mood with her hands on her hips and Sora had been a little shy to be there…
"Why did you finally come?" he heard Sora ask.
He released her, allowing her to turn around and talk to him face to face. He didn't need the time to think about why; he recalled it readily enough especially since he had been thinking about it.
May had been pushing for him to come, saying that he was a scaredy-cat or some nonsense like that. The back of his fingers brushed the side of Sora's face as he remembered being pleasantly surprised upon seeing the flower in her hair. Her gaze had been on his shoulder as May talked, but sometime during it she had ventured to look up.
"Will you come for a little bit?" she asked while a hand shyly twirled a lock of her hair. "You don't have to stay the whole time."
She did not know that he was secretly infatuated with her; he had not known that she had developed a crush on him during their time as partners.
His forehead rested on hers. "I came because you asked."
Brown eyes blinked and her cheeks colored as the revelation sunk in. Well, that would explain why he started coming more often. She wondered if that was why May made her the official inviter for Leon after that time. May must have caught on before I did.
Her cheeks reddened even more. "Did I frustrate you a lot?"
He arched a brow. "In regards to what?"
Her hands fiddled with his hair. "Just in general the whole…" she floundered for words, "getting my attention in the manner you wanted."
"What manner was that?"
"You know," her eyes averted from his when she saw them lidded, "…romantically."
"Define romantically."
Her gaze came back up to see the half smirk on his lips. She glared at him which made him chuckle. "You enjoy my embarrassment too much!"
"Your flustered state," he corrected with a purr.
She pouted. "For that, I'm choosing pink, which means your tie has to be the same color in order to go with the theme!"
He arched a brow at the declaration. "Is that so?"
"Yes," she crossed her arms decidedly.
Five minutes later, she found herself against the wall of his living room.
Her hands were tangled in his hair as she mewled, the sound hard to hear as his mouth stayed over hers, coaxing her to fall under the power of his kiss. Her eyes were fluttering closed as she loosened her lips for him.
He broke the kiss suddenly, making her let out a soft gasp.
He stayed close as they caught their breaths.
"You'll look stupid in pink," she breathed out. Honestly, she had already voted against that color but she had been curious what he would do if she was insistent on it.
"I can pull off anything," he rumbled out.
"Cocky," she quipped.
He gripped her chin, tilting her head up for him to capture her bottom lip. "You like me this way."
She gave him an impish smile; he leaned down and returned to kissing her senseless.
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AN: Getting bolder with each other. ;P I wanted to keep this together since it's kind of passing time sort of stuff.