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The large marble room was elegant, and a sign of high class. The grand room was decorated in dresses and officials from neighboring kingdoms, and far away empires, and commoners who wanted to be part of the affair. The ballroom smelled of wine and mingling perfumes. Large colorful dresses danced across the room, trying to steal away attention.
Attention from the Prince. He had finally turned eighteen and was of age to find a brethoth. And so here he was, looking on at the colorful array of ballroom dresses and shining marble.
It seemed boring.
He stood in the front greeting esteemed women from around the lands, kissing hands and exchanging introductions. Nothing seemed to catch his eyes as he greeted them. The night grew long as all the guests arrived.
"Please tell me you have your eyes on at least one of the lovely ladies." His father, King Mori, questioned.
Dazai shot him a glare. "This is pointless." He sighed. He walked into the crowd, hoping to find a noble to speak with, about really anything at this point. He paced though the crowd, bowing and excusing himself. He grabbed a flute of wine and shot it down.
"Hey careful, you're supposed to taste it." Said a voice not far from him.
He whipped his head to the voice in protest. He stopped himself. Large blue eyes peered from under red bangs. Her hair was pulled to the side and she wore an elegant red dress that framed her body instead of poofing out. Exquisite.
"I suppose you're correct." He peeled his eyes away. " But alcohol is alcohol." He said with a shrug.
A giggle went past the maidens lips as she looked into the sea of spinning people. "How noble of you dear Prince."
He chuckled and continued to speak to the stranger. "So what's your name?"
"Chuuya, Chuuya Nakahara." The woman said as she set down her now empty glass, with what seemed like a hint of regret on her lips.
"What a lovely name. Dazai, Dazai Osamu." He spoke.
"Thank you." The ginger maiden said as she took a quiet sip from another flute.
He looked over, eyeing her figure. "You from around here?" he asked and turned back to the crowd.
She smiled softly, with something hidden behind it. "You could say that."
He looked at her with a hitch eyebrow, questioning the answer, but to no avail. Eventually laughing at the question, moving on.
"What brings you here?" He asked.
She looked at him, "What's with the questions? This is a party, your party, lighten up." She set down the glass, walking away from him.
"Wait miss- damn. " She was gone, out of sights, maybe in the crowd, maybe in a corridor, hiding away from the bright ballroom.
---
Chuuya was out. He roamed through the forest, hiding away in the bushes. He ran away. He was running away. He traveled to the next kingdom over, searching for a place to hide. His parents were insane. Trying to sell him away as a prostitute. He
grabbed a few belongings and a dress from his mother's wardrobe, hoping to pawn it for some new money, and ran away, hoping to find a new life.
Once he arrived at his destination, he took on a job. He cleaned and cooked in a brothel house and occasionally dealt with male customers. It had a decent pay and he kept a living. He put back money, holding to pay his family back for raising him, for paying them back after running away.
So when the rumor of a party to celebrate the prince's eighteenth birthday rolled around, he began to think, maybe he would find his mother there. That night, he rummaged through his belongings, unsurprisingly, the only nice clothes he owned was the dress from his mother's closet.
He tried it on. The red dress fit surprisingly well. He went into the brothel house, finding a few of the girls ready to go soon. He pleaded with them to help him. To disguise him so he may too arrive.
After applying light makeup and combing through his hair, they marveled at their work. He looked nicer than some of the girls working there. They set off to the castle. Once they arrived, they split up, all going their own ways. Chuuya looked for his mother, soon finding out that she would not come to such a thing. It was stupid idea really. So now he suffered through the side looks of the noble party-goers. He sighed, finding his way to the flutes of wine. He shot one down and worked on another.
He looked up to see a mess of brown hair, and a quickly emptied shot glass. So he stuck up a conversation, realizing he was talking to the Prince, and soon excusing himself. He quickly slid away, turning down a dark hall. He rested against the cool marble. He had not found his mother so he decided, leaving soon would be a good option. He definitely didn't want the Prince of all people to find out about his disguise. He rubbed his chest, feeling the flat surface under the red silk. Maybe the jig was up already.
He took a deep breath and exhaled. Looking back at the bright entrance of the hallway, he walked forward.
"Hello. " Came from a voice and then a figure. Dark and tall, crammed by the glow of the party. An unrecognized figure.
Chuuya jumped, and then looked on both sides, only one figure, good. "Excuse me." He said walking on a far side, trying his best to ignore the unknown person.
"Sorry if I surprised you, I was hoping we could continue our conversation from earlier." He took a step back, revealing his identity. Chuuya let out a breath he didn't know was in his chest.
He breathed out "Oh, I'm sorry, I must be leaving. Sorry to disappoint you."
"Of course not. I'm sure you could never disappoint me." He spoke out as Chuuya approached. "You're quite lovely."
He felt a small flush on his cheeks as he turned to the man. "I think you may be wrong." He walked away, ignoring the taller male.
He looked around the room, no sight of the pretty ginger. He glances down the halls, hoping to see her again. Soon, he found the right one. He got a chance to speak with her yet again.
"Of course not. I'm sure you could never disappoint me." He said, watching the strides of the woman. "You're quite lovely."
"I think you may be wrong." She yet again walked away, ignoring the Prince. He chased after her, grabbing her arm , forcing her to turn to him.
"Um...could we talk some more?" He said releasing her arm.
Her eyes seemed wide as she looked at him, worried and fearful. He apologized. "...fine." She spoke up to answer the question.
"Ok, follow me." He said, holding her wrist lightly as he led her through the crowd. He opened up a door, taking her with him, and carefully shutting it behind him. "We should be fine here." He said, pressing his back to the door.
"What...what do you mean?" Th e ginger asked with concern.
He looked at her puzzled, confused at the appearance of fear yet again. "Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you. " As he said that, she let out a breath, and loosened her shoulders.
She walked around, deciding to sit on a small couch-like seat. He walked over to her, "mind if I sit with you?" He asked, pointing at the open space beside her. She nodded and he sat.
"What did you want to speak about?" She asked with a soft voice.
---
Chuuya walked away, ignoring the Prince. As he quickly walked, he felt a hand wrap around his arm. He almost trembled at the touch, whipping his head around to see the one person he was ignoring. His majesty, the ever bugging Prince. And despite the annoyance, he was fearful, scared that he may call him out on his little performance.
The Prince quickly let go, apologizing. "Could we talk some more?" He asked carefully.
He threw the thought around in his head, worried about the outcome of each. "...fine"
Chuuya followed as the brunette dragged him through the crowd, his hand a guide. Soon they went into a side room. Chuuya walked in before the Prince. He closed the door behind them, " We should be fine here."
Immediately, Chuuya's mind thought the worse. He tenses up, his fight or flight soon appearing. "What...what do you mean." His voice was horse as he looked at the Prince, fear circulating his body.
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." The Prince said, his voice something of Chuuya's worry. He exhaled and looked around the candle-lite room. He walked over to a bench seat. He carefully sat down, his shoes killing him at this point, considering they were the wrong size and they weren't his shoes.
He turned to the padding of shoes as the Prince walked over. "Mind if I sit with you?"
Chuuya nodded, and the Prince plopped on the cushioned seat. "What did you want to speak about?" The ginger asked.
"You." A single word from the prince's lips. Chuuya was stunned, froze. For a minute. He processed the answer and felt a warm scorch on his face.
"Excuse me?" He asked, sure that he misheard.
The Prince looked away, a light pink dancing on his cheeks. Chuuya took a moment, just looking at the taller male. He noticed the way the candle lights seemed to face in his chocolate eyes. The prince seemed quite attractive, Chuuya was sure he would have no trouble finding a beautiful, loving bride. He saw how his hair would move a little with every movement, and how his body seemed to be covered with bandages, maybe from battle scars, or were they self-inflicted? Chuuya found himself wondering about whatever mysteries surrounded the heir to the throne.
"Sorry, that may have seemed forward." He looked back at Chuuya. He giggled, dropping the subject all together. "You have a really nice laugh." Chuuya paused at the statement.
"Thank you, but I'm sure it's not that great." He said, retreating back to formal speaking.
Dazai leaned in closer. "I can assure you, it's one of the best things I've ever heard." He put a hand up to cup the ginger's cheek.
Chuuya's eyes widened in realization. He pushed the royal away. " I'm sorry." He scooted a little away, putting some distance between them.
"No I'm sorry, I just-" he apologized to the ginger, reaching for his shoulder in reassurance. The smaller flinched harshly at the touch. The Prince quickly pulled back. "Are...are you ok? You seem scared. I'm sorry that I touched you, but are you hurt or something?" There was a level of concern on the brunette's words.
"No, no I'm fine. Just a bit tired. I should be getting home soon." Chuuya said, carefully standing up. The Prince shot up beside him. "Thank you for tonight, it was nice."
He tried to take a step, and lost his balance. He fell back, right into the prince's arms. He looked up to see a worried face. He gave him an awkward smile as he balanced himself out again. "I can take you home if you want, or at the very least, see you off. It's getting late, and it's quite dangerous out."
"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. I'm sure you have duties to attend to as the Prince after all, like finding a bride, instead of speaking to me." he said, swiping the Prince away.
---
"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. I'm sure you have duties to attend to as the Prince after all, like finding a bride, instead of speaking to me. " The ginger lady said.
Something clicked in his brain as he heard the words. "No, I may have already found someone." He said holding her hands.
"What..." She said in confusion from the action
He let go of one hand and bringing it up to her cheek, he closed any space between them and found his lips and the woman's. She unsurprisingly froze up. Soon she gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down, deepening the kiss. He licked over her bottom lip, and she let him in, he explored the new space and danced with her. Soon he pulled away, letting them both breath.
The Prince pulled away, they both had heavy breaths as they looked at one another.
"...no...no" he tried streadying his heart and mind, looking away at anything but the man in front of him. He felt a finger under his chin, lifting his face to meet the others' gaze.
For a moment, their eyes met, but Chuuya turned away quickly, a flushed red involving his already warm cheeks. He shut his eyes, closing them tightly, seeing white. "Please...look at me." He could feel the prince's eyes on him, he fought the urge to look into his amber eyes. He soon felt the warmth of the latter's hands on his arm as he ignored him. He jolted at the touch before settling back down to his current state.
Due to his stubbornness, Chuuya stood for ten minutes under the prince's gaze, all while he said soft words and pleaded to the smaller. Soon he opened up, having his body under control. He met with his eyes, and a heavy breath left the other's lips.
Chuuya saw his gaze, a warm happiness, mixed with satisfaction dawned on him. It was a nice thing to see. Chuuya looked away before looking back, searching his eyes for a lie. "You have to find someone else.". He could no longer hold the intent stare of the taller, wrapping his arms around his own body and tensing his shoulders.
Hands left his arms, he shivered at the loss of warmth, and looked at the others questioning eyes. The brunette looked away. "I understand. I...I am truly sorry for my actions tonight. I will refrain from courting you." He paused, settling with a fake smile. "I wish you the best " Chuuya stared at the prince as he bowed. Something about the display didn't sit right with the ginger. The Prince stood straight again, raising a hand behind his head. "I wouldn't be surprised if you hated me now." He said with a straining fake smile and laugh.
"No!" Chuuya blurted out at the taller, reaching out with shaking hands. "No, I don't hate you. Besides I'm saying no to you because of me, trust me it's not you."
Dazai's eyes seemed shocked, a small smile rose to his lips, a genuine one. "Ah, the old 'it's not you, it's me' rejections, isn't that usually a lie though?" Dazai asked playfully, eyes wandering back to the ginger.
"No, it's true, it really is me." The brunette's eyes asked a silent ' how's he peered at the shorter, cocking his head to the side. He scoffed and took the taller hand.
He placed his hand over his chest. "Wow you're real flat, but I don't see what this has to do with anything?" He questioned looking from the males chest to his eyes.
A tch was heard in the room. "No...that's not it." Dazai paused, looking puzzled.
Chuuya took off a shoulder strap, exposing more of his collarbone, and sliding it down his arm partly, he did the same with the other side, still partially covering his chest. He took out a handkerchief, and wiped off the light makeup, he peered back up at the wide-eyed Prince. He sighed, lowering the dress, revealing his chest, and partial abs.
"Don't you understand, I'm a man." He looked up, ready for the look of disgust, for the curses and slurs, and even the beating that may go with this. He wasn't ready for the reaction he got though.
The Prince was looking away, blushing madly at the sight. His hand covered his mouth and nose. His eyes were wide, and his hand trembled. "Even...even as a guy, you're so...so incredibly b-beautiful." His voice was shaky as he spoke.
" Eh" he said, mainly in surprise. "Wait...wait so you're not angry that you've been trying to court a guy for the last four minutes?!" He almost yelled "Or..Or, that I've been lying to you this entire time!" His hands danced in the air with his words, trying to express the disbelief in his voice.
"Well...I do find it odd that you're dressed as a girl, but I really can't think correctly right now, so please give me a moment."
---
They stood in the silence, both pondering their own thoughts and actions of the night. Chuuya glanced at the taller, seeing as he refused to look back. He sighed, and lifted the dress back over his shoulders. "I'm sorry...for, ya know, lying to you about this?" He gestured towards his body. "But I hope you understand that I had no other option really." He fumbled with his fingers, looking at the brunette.
"Can...can I still court you?" the taller asked, too scared to turn to the smaller.
Chuuya was a bit taken aback. A warm feeling found its way into his chest. He silently dismissed it, bringing his thoughts back to reality. "...no."
"Why chuuya~?" He whined out, slumping on the re-read.
Chuuya jolted, before relaxing and bringing his hand up to brush though the other's wavy hair. "Think realistically here. I'm a man, you're a man, and you the heir to the throne. There is no way that something like...this, could work out." His hands stopped for a moment, before resuming the action. "Life isn't some fairy tale." He looked to the side.
"Ah, God why does this have to be so hard." He asked, not to anyone in particular. He wrapped his arms around the smaller waist. "What if you just continued to pretend, or maybe we could just be open and deal with the consequences."
He thought it over for a moment. They stood in the silence, wavering candlelight as they looked away from each other.
"Let's run away together." It was a calm suggestion, like it was such an easy task.
"What, no! You can't run away, you're the Prince!" Chuuya moved his hands around, practically yelling at the thought.
"I can. I don't want this kingdom, I don't...I can't rule these people." He said , pleaded, to the shorter man. "I want to be with you." He looked away grasping the smaller hands.
"Who will rule this place when your gone?" He asked, concerned growing as he mulled over the suggestion.
"Elise, my sister, she is already so much better suited for something like this. She can make this place great again." He said, staring into blue orbs.
Chuuya thought for a moment, looking back and forth between the Prince, wiping to throw his life away for a red head runaway. It seemed like some stupid love story that would get them both killed.
And despite that he still said " yes".