Title: Royal Romance
Rating: PG?
Warning: Shounen-ai.
A/N: I know the idea of a play of Sleeping Beauty is the lamest, most overdone idea in the world. XD; Don't have to tell me.
Royal Romance
"The student council president will have the task of arranging this year's school play." The teacher seemed to avoid Ayame's eyes as she said this; it was impossible to deviate from school policy, even if the student council was in the hands of a madman. She had checked, and it was forbidden by school policy.
Hatori knew he would suffer immensely, and stared at the teacher in silent protest. The teacher gave him a sympathetic look.
---
"But Tori-san! Why can't we do Beauty and the Beast? I would make such a wonderful Beauty, don't you think? Nobody has ever seen anything like me before- I will rise above and beyond all other Beauties, up and up into the stars until I will be the moon itself!"
Shigure chuckled. "Ayame, that does not even make sense… You're such a romanticist. Why would you want to be compared to a big round rock?"
"The moon is made of cheese, like people in France eat. They're so sophisticated." Ayame sounded delighted at the idea of a whole country of people just like him. "I'm sure I would fit right in!"
Hatori wished he could be anywhere else on the world. "The moon is made of uranium, thorium, potassium, and a lot of other things, Aya," he muttered, before reaching for the pack of cigarettes Shigure had stolen from him. Ayame frowned at his friends for a few seconds before the smile returned on his face.
"Fine, spoilsport. You know, 'Tori-san, you would make a great Beast! All grumpy and having no sense of humour and all. People really are frightened of your grand presence, you know."
Shigure grinned as he understood the tone of Ayame's voice, inevitably leading to their usual mantra. "And you know they shouldn't be scared of you, Haa-san, because you're a seahorse!" The two friends ended their singsong tone, and grinned at each other as the familiar thumbs-up movement was made.
Hatori groaned, trying to focus on the calm that was produced by the nicotine entering his lungs. He realised all the nicotine in the world couldn't make him ignore Ayame, but as it was his one option that wasn't too damaging, the best he could do was try. "I'm not going to play the Beast," he said, before inhaling the bitter smoke.
Ayame pouted. "But why, 'Tori-san! We'd make such a cute couple! You know, you as the grumpy, yet surprisingly caring and nurturing beast, and I would be there to console you, like we did at that time in the desert, when you were out of water and I generously offered you my last few drops!"
Shigure grinned. "Ayame, as much as I hate to point out the obvious, we live nowhere near deserts."
Hatori sighed. "Stop making up stories to make yourself look slightly redeeming." At Ayame's wounded gaze, he turned away, staring out of the window and hoping Ayame's short attention span would make him forget that he actually had to produce a play.
---
The chance to be in the spotlight proved to be too alluring for even the man with the shortest attention span of the school. Ayame had schemed with Shigure, reluctantly tossing the Beauty and the Beast theme, until they'd decided upon Sleeping Beauty.
Upon Hatori's question about whether Ayame would play the Prince, both cousins had stared at him, predatory glimmer in their eyes.
Hatori wondered when he'd turned from Beast to Prince, but decided it was probably best not to complain. In the school, Ayame's word was rule; the boy abused his power as school council terribly.
After he saw the list of actors and noticed the princess would be Ayame, it was already too late to complain.
---
Hatori was sure Ayame purposely hid in the crafts rooms to hide from him making a fuss about being the prince. Sure, Ayame claimed to work on the costumes, but Ayame was like a sewing machine, pumping out costumes almost faster than he could make them up.
When he finally found Ayame slaving over a sparkly blue dress which would be more suitable for a three year old girl, he decided not to ask. Ayame shook his head and smiled as he continued sewing the garments together. He could tell what Hatori was thinking; the man was so predictable. He liked that; it made him reliable, something Ayame rather needed in his hectic life.
"You know, Tori-san… I am only the princess because I don't want you to transform on stage."
Hatori sighed as he sat down next to Ayame, staring at the glittery dress in slight disgust as some glitter fell on his lap. "But if you'd just picked a girl, she wouldn't have had to hug me. It's simply a one-sided kiss."
Ayame waved a finger in front of Hatori's face, smiling brightly at him. "Ah, but Tori-san is so sexy, the girls will not be able to control themselves! Atleast when I will hug you, you won't transform!"
"Who knows, maybe that dress will confuse the dragon," Hatori replied.
Ayame blinked for a few seconds, still not completely used to the slightly morose sense of humour Hatori had attained over the years. "But 'Tori-san… you're a seahorse," he replied logically, tilting his head in honest confusion.
Hatori sighed as he hurried out of the classroom.
---
Ayame looked slightly paler than usual, and Hatori looked vaguely nauseous. Shigure grinned at his friends, waving at them from behind the coulisses. "You'll do great, and if you don't… well, I'm there to tell you the words." Shigure rather liked the idea of having his own puppet show at his disposal.
"Tori-san… if you don't want to play my prince, you can let your understudy do it. I won't mind, honest." Ayame's voice sounded croaked. He stepped closer to the Dragon, smiling up at him. "I'm not afraid of the audience, but if Hatori will hate me for this, I'd rather not do it at all."
Hatori placed a hand on Ayame's head, awkwardly patting the silky hair underneath his fingers. "It's fine, Aya. Don't beat yourself up over it." Hatori disliked the feel of having to protect Ayame, if this is where it got him. Ayame knew it, and took advantage of it shamelessly. When he noticed Ayame's bright smile, he supposed it didn't matter much. It was only a stupid play, after all.
"Let's go." Ayame pranced behind him so cheerfully that it made Hatori wonder whether anything Ayame said was ever sincere.
--
Shigure grinned as he whispered the next words for Hatori to repeat, words he knew would horrify Hatori beyond belief, though it was written in the script. Hatori had been adamant about leaving out this part of the play. "And then, the prince kissed the princess, and waited for her awakening."
Hatori stood there, one eyebrow raised at Shigure standing next to the curtains, who was pointing wildly into Ayame's direction with a smirk on his face. He turned to the audience, which was waiting tensely for the kiss to come. Most of the parents half-dreaded the moment, knowing Ayame from the stories of their children. There was no telling what would happen, and Hatori half-hoped, half-suspected their God to come in and stop the insanity.
God, he wanted a cigarette right now. He took a deep breath, and heard Ayame's pleasured gasp in reply, which made up his mind for him.
"And then, the Prince decided that he'd rather have some peace and quiet, and leave sleeping princes…ses lie." Though he was careful to let his voice be as composed as usual, inside he felt a little hesitant to break Ayame's moment to shine. Who knows how long Ayame would hold it over his head?
Ayame didn't miss a beat as he leapt from his bed, running up to his prince and let himself fall against Hatori's longer frame, forcing Hatori's head still with both hands as he locked their lips together.
There was some mild cheering from behind the coulisses, and had Hatori been less distracted he would've recognised Shigure's loud bark of a laugh. The audience was too stunned to speak, and blinked at the by-now passionate, albeit one sided, kiss.
Hatori had nearly resigned to the fact that no matter how hard he tried to pull away from the kiss, Ayame wouldn't let him, but before he could close his eyes Ayame pulled away, grinning at the audience. "The princess decided that if the prince would not bestow his supple lips unto her own, she would have to come and get it herself! So the moral of this story is; take life into your own hands, and create a sparkling life for yourself so that you do not become entirely uninteresting! Now bai-bai!"
The audience was completely silent as Ayame dragged the firmly resisting boy behind the coulisses and leaned over with the intent of another kiss of royal romance. Hatori, this time with no intention of getting caught off-guard, pushed the other man away from him. "Ayame. That's enough."
Despite the whining sound coming from Ayame, Hatori wouldn't budge. Ayame stared at the slightly tousled boy for a moment before erupting in loud laughter.
"You know, you have no style when it comes to kissing. It lacks any and all passion which will bring your partner into higher planes of love! We should have played Beauty and the Beast after all! Your breath certainly tastes like it, with those disgusting nicotine sticks you insist on smoking!"
Hatori tried to ignore his cousin as best as he could as he stepped outside, determined on smoking one of his much-deserved nicotine sticks, if only to get the taste of Ayame from his mouth.
When he looked around to check whether Ayame wasn't following him, he found his two cousins talking amiably, Ayame's face slightly flushed as he gushed, undoubtedly over the success of the play.
Slowly, the audience left, giving Hatori either a thumbs-up or a sympathetic glance as they exited the school building, and relative peace came back to the school grounds.
"So, Haa-san? How was it?"
Hatori turned around only when Shigure stole the cigarette from his hands and took a drag himself.
Hatori had to smile when his cousin coughed. "How was what?"
"Kissing Aya, of course," quipped Shigure.
Wait a minute… Shigure wouldn't care either way. Hatori grabbed for his cigarette, then decided against it as he remembered what Shigure had had for lunch. "…Aya made you ask me, didn't he?"
Shigure just smiled, waiting patiently for a response.
"It was… weird. And awkward. People were watching us."
Shigure grinned. "You prude."
Ayame popped his head inbetween his cousins, putting an arm around each of them. "Tori-san, people will always watch when you kiss! It's called kissing in public! Everybody does it!" He paused for a bit, turning an astonished face to his solemn cousin. "Are you saying you, the hot and serious person which is secretly every girl's dream, have never been kissed before?"
Ayame was only all too willing to allow his cousin to get used to kissing, but Hatori stopped the man before he could get in close range again, quickly standing up out of Ayame's grabbing range. "Let's just go home."
"Tori! Are you offering a royal slumber party?" Ayame seemed completely unfazed by Hatori's disinterest.
"No. We've spent enough time together for one day."
"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Hatori was surprised to find a blush tinting Ayame's cheeks, but nodded all the same, trying to ignore the implications of Ayame's blush.
"Sure. Good night, Aya."