Part two, the second night:
Robbie was rather relived that he had actually managed to make it back to his home in one peace, he had been sure the hero would catch him. Just as he pulled closed the hatch to his home in a swirl of silver glitter the villain had returned to his normal self. Quietly he let himself into his home, he crossed the main room, with a happy sigh he fell back into the big orange chair, instantly the grey eyes closed and he fell asleep dreaming of the blue eyed town hero.
When dawn came Robbie woke slowly, at first the villain wasn't sure whether the night before had actually happened or not, he blinked a few times and then noticed something lying on the floor near the entrance way to his home. The raven haired nab's heart leapt in his cheat, his mouth went dry, nervously he walked over to it and crouched down. Lying carelessly discarded on the floor was his black domino mask from the night before. His hands were shaking slightly as Robbie gently lifted it from the floor, a slow smile lit his face, this was obviously his version of Cinderella's slipper and he was glad of such a memento of his wonderful time with Sportacus.
The villain sighed once again, he had to wait the rest of today before the second ball came round, since he wasn't intending to cause trouble for the day, the grey eyed man decided to go out and get some cakes and then settle down to watch something on the telly.
Quietly he slipped out of his home, undisturbed the villain strolled to the bakery he made a substantial purchase to keep him going for the day and then began to return home. As Robbie rounded a corner on the way back home the tall man came to a halt, not far ahead of him the town hero was sitting on a bench staring at his shoes, the usually cheerful and energetic blond looked completely sapped of his usual bounce and utterly dejected.
Quickly the villain backed round the corner, he wondered frantically if his appearance last night was somehow responsible for this reaction in the hero, Robbie closed his grey eyes and prayed he wasn't. When the tall man opened his eyes a few moments later he found himself looking at one of Lazy towns many apple trees, the villain reached up plucked an apple from its branches and stepped back round the corner. Sportacus was still sitting there in exactly the same place as before quietly Robbie walked over to him and sat down onto the bench next to the hero. "Hey Sporta-elf, it's my job to mope around not yours!"
The blond jumped and turned with surprise to face the other man beside him, Robbie lifted his dark brows in a questioning motion and the hero blushed slightly. "Sorry I was miles away." Sportacus said softly.
The athletic man was surprised to see a genuine expression of concern on the other man's face. "Clearly you were. Are you alright?" The taller man asked him gently.
"I . . . well to be honest I'm really not sure . . . I feel really odd today."
"Here!" The villain said forcefully handing the apple to Sportacus.
Amazed the hero looked down at the apple and then to the man who had given it to him. "Thanks Robbie."
"Well one good deed every so often isn't going to hurt me and despite the fact I might dislike you most of the time, when you look this pathetic even I can't help but want to be nice to you." The dark haired man said rolling his eyes skyward.
The hero laughed slightly, Robbie hated helping most people but him especially. As he looked away from the other mans grey eyes the blond found himself feeling grateful for the other mans presence right now. Last night's experience had left his feelings somersaulting over themselves until he was in confused knots. Slowly Sportacus looked back to Robbie, who was still watching him with concern. "Have you ever been in love Robbie?" The hero asked him suddenly.
The villain blushed slowly, he looked away from the hero and let out a sigh so deep and heartfelt the hero felt touched by it. "Yes, yes I have, I've been in love with the same person for a long time now." Robbie admitted very softly.
"What's it like? Love I mean."
"It's a strange feeling that makes you feel many different things all at once you can feel happy, sad and possessive in one moment and then something else completely the next. You'll find that you miss them when they are not there, you will want to be with that person all the time and trust me it hurts if they don't want you in return."
"The one you loved didn't want you?" The hero asked him softly turning once more to look at the slender man next to him.
As the grey eyes met his, the pain in them almost knocked the hero back. "No the one I love doesn't want me, but I guess that's my own fault partly for being the villain I am and also because I never told this person how I felt and I never can."
"Why not try telling this person? You won't know unless you say something."
The dark haired man shook his head and asked the athletic man a question of his own. "Why did you want to know about love Sportacus?"
"Because I think I might have fallen in love with someone." The hero admitted softly looking down at his boots shyly.
"Oh I see, well I'm glad to hear it, who is this person?" The villain said softly.
"You see Robbie that's just it I don't know I've only met him once."
"Wow only the once, he really must have made quiet the impression on you."
"Yeah he did."
"Well I would say your best bet would be to see him again, and then see what you feel." Robbie said as he got up slowly from the bench and stretched. "Well I'm off villainy to plot for after the balls and all that."
Sportacus rolled his eyes in what could only be described as an affectionate way and watched the villain saunter off casually. The hero would never thought he would see the day when he and Robbie managed a conversation like this or that he would ever feel grateful that the villain had been there to talk to in the first place.
The slender man spent the rest of the day hiding in his layer, when the day was finally gone and the evening had stolen in the villain's fairy godmother appeared to Robbie to him again. "Well this will be your second night looking forward to it?"
The villain smiled at her widely. "Yes I am actually."
"Well it's time to change you for the night!" The fairy godmother gently waved her wand and the grey eyed man glowed briefly.
When the tall man looked down he was in the same outfit as the night before however this time the suite was not black but a deep blue and the silvers were a glorious gold. The pin in his deep blue cravat was this time a golden sun, the domino mask was also blue and gold. His hair was now once again long but this time it was braided back each side of his head then into one thicker braid at the back of his head. Smiling softly at the transformation Robbie looked across at his fairy godmother. "I can't get over how different I look dressed this way."
"I'm glad you like it, now go and enjoy!"
"Thank you and I will."
Robbie quickly made his way to the ball for the second night this time his entrance was not so noticed as the first night which meant he could slip in more quietly this time. It was Trixie who was the first to realize that the dark haired man had arrived at the ball. This night the young woman was dressed in a simple but beautiful cream gown, she sailed over to where the tall gentleman stood and smiled up at him. "I am glad to see that you have come to the ball tonight also."
"I could not resist returning for the second night. May I say that you look very lovely tonight."
"And in return I must say that you look very, very handsome again tonight."
"Why thank you Miss Trixie."
Wondering if his gentleman had arrived Sportacus dressed, as he always did in his hero's uniform looked up from his conversation with Stingy and Ziggy. Instantly he noticed that the tall man from the night before had was now present at the ball and his conversation ground to a complete halt. It was Ziggy who first noticed how silent the blond man had become. "Are you alright Sportacus?" The younger man asked surprised.
The hero shook himself slightly, breaking the reverie he had been in. "Yes I am fine. I have just seen someone that I should talk to that is all." The blond man said forcing a smile onto his lips.
"Oh well, you should go then!" Ziggy said with a smile of his own.
With a grateful nod the energetic hero walked away from the two young men towards his intended destination. As he came to where the tall man was talking to Trixie he felt the green eyed monster rear its head and quickly interrupted their conversation. "Good evening." The hero said quietly to them both.
Both Trixie and the gentleman gave a startled lurch, they quickly turned towards him, the pair smiled at the hero, then the young lady curtsied and the dark haired man bowed. "Good evening Sportacus." The elegantly clad gentleman said softly to the hero.
"You will excuse me gentlemen, I should go and talk to Stephanie." Smiling to herself Trixie left the two men alone and went to find her friend.
Sportacus was very grateful for the young woman leaving them alone together and addressed his taller companion. "I am very happy to see you again sir but I still don't know your name."
"I..." The man began before the sentence petered out and he looked away from the penetrating blue eyed gaze of the other man.
"Please just a name, that is all I am asking of you." The hero begged unashamedly.
Slowly the grey eyes came back to rest on Sportacus and he let out a breath before speaking. "Richard, please call me Richard." The villain said softly giving the hero his long dead father's name and his middle name.
The hero smiled up at him. "Richard, see giving me a name wasn't so hard was it?"
"No, that is true it was not hard."
"Would you care to dance with me Richard?"
"Yes I would like that." Together the two men went out onto the floor, as they danced together Sportacus drew the taller man close and whispered into his ear softly. "You where all I could have dreamed of in my first love and I hope that at some point you can tell me who you really are because I am quite sure Richard is not your real name."
Gulping the taller man spoke to the shorter. "If you knew who I truly was, you would find yourself very disappointed my hero."
"Strange as this might sound I think you are wrong."
Robbie looked down at him for a few moments before he spoke again. "Who knows the answer to that? Let's just enjoy our time together."
"Yes lets, because I know that you're using magic."
"How can you tell?" The villain asked both with curiosity and concern.
"Well firstly the running away at midnight, that was the biggest clue, so to was the fact you dropped items when you were running away from me."
"Ah I see."
"You do know I will chase you again and I will keep looking for you until I find you my dream." The hero told the other man with determination.
Robbie gulped slightly and then flushed. "You should let me go after all dreams must go eventually."
"No I refuse to let you go, not now I have seen you. I am determined to make sure that I never lose you again."
"Sportacus..."
He began but the hero cut him off quickly. "Don't argue with me! It is my decision weather to chase you or not!" Robbie stared down at him wide eyed and the hero carried on talking to him. "I love you."
"But you do not know me!" The villain exclaimed.
"Yes, I do know you, that is just it I know I already know you somehow and it is driving me crazy."
Robbie realised that once again they their dance had ended up bringing them out in the private garden of the town hall as the dance ended the two men moved apart. The hero turned towards the masked man and let his blue eyes rove over him. "You truly are handsome." He said softly, slowly he came closer to the black haired man. Gently the blond put his arms round the taller man and held Robbie close to him. "Please don't run from me or hide from me any more love?"
"Because magic I have to you know that." Slowly the hero looked up into Roberts grey eyes, he sighed gently and put his head onto the chest of the other man. The hero could hear the other man's heart beating slowly but surely in his chest and it gave him comfort that despite what Richard said he was most defiantly real.
"I'm not ever going to give you up." Sportacus said to him finally.
"Believe me I know you well enough to know that."
"Then why just not surrender to me now?"
"Because I don't want to I can be with you while the magic lasts and not without it."
"You will be with me even when the magic is long gone." Sportacus said to him gently, he carefully took one of the dark haired man's long fingered hands in his and laid it on his chest over his heart. "You'll be right here."
The taller man let out a deep sigh. "Why do you have to make all of this so hard on me?"
"I want you to stay with me always so how can I make this anything less than difficult for you?"
"You want me? But that is just desire..."
"No not just desire, I love you so much!"
"Sportacus...I love you too I have for the longest time." The other man confessed softly.
"Then please, just stay, please!"
Richard sighed again. "You'd hate me and then I wouldn't be able to ever see you again."
Tired of this argument, the hero pulled away from the chest of the other man, quickly the blonde man lent up he kissed the other man tenderly. With a soft whimper the gentleman leant into the kiss, he moved closer to the hero and put both arms round Sportacus. The smaller man responded by putting both hands onto the waist of the dark haired man holding it tightly. Slowly they drew apart, carefully braking the kiss, grey eyes and blue met the two men looked at each other for the longest of moments just enjoying being with each other.
Before anything else could be said or done the villain quickly noticed the time, he turned away hastily, pulled away from the other mans grasp and fled the garden running back into the ballroom. The hero noticed this, quickly he speed after the feeling man, as if by magic anybody in their way hastily moved out of it. As the hero went after the masked man he was once again amazed by the speed of the other man. "Please wait!"
As the chase came out of the town hall and the hero drew closer to him Robbie loosened the cravat he dropped the pin, Sportacus leant down picking up the gold pin as he ran. As the villain heard him getting closer once again, Robbie untied the cravat and also let that fall to the floor. Sportacus stopped, he knelt down, stopping to pick the cravat up and when he looked up the other man had once again vanished into the night as he had done before.