Chapter Text
“You ready, Akito?”
Akito nodded back at An, as he finished tying his shoelaces.
Akito, An and Kohane were outlaws in the Nocturne kingdom. The kingdom strictly forbid the use of magic due to traditional views, and the royal family’s continued belief that magic was impractical, but the trio contrasted that credence. Akito had the ability to control fire, An was able to control air, and Kohane recently discovered her talent for earth magic. Akito had low expectations for the newbie, but An had faith in her.
Their goal was to spread the understanding that magic isn’t as malicious as the royal family made it out to be. Since the trio was poor, and were denied jobs due to their low-level status in the kingdom, they had one source of income— burglary. They were Robin-Hoods in a sense; they stole from the rich to give back to the minority of magic users in the Nocturne kingdom.
The three had planned to sneak into the royal party for a month now, going as far as to forge their fake names into the guestbook and find nice clothes to blend in with everyone. Akito wore a simple, navy-blue vest with white pants and a pair of worn-down black boots (that were unfit for the occasion, but An and Kohane didn’t have the heart to tell him). An wore a sleeveless, long, lavender dress with white gloves that reached her elbows, her hair neatly packed into a high ponytail. Kohane wore a pink, wavy dress, with clear long sleeves and white ruffles at the bottom. Her hair was kept into long pigtails.
They had no form of transportation, so they walked to the castle that night. After some time waiting in line behind other guests, anxiety kicked in as they were asked for their names.
“Aki Shime.” Akito said, putting on his polite facade. “Annie Shira.” An said after Akito, giving a small bow to the entrance-person. “Erm…” Kohane’s shoulders tensed up, the anxiety getting to her. “You need to speak up, Koko.” Akito gave Kohane a small nudge, out of encouragement, and at the same time, irritation. In reality, Akito was just as nervous as Kohane was, despite this not being his first time committing thievery. “R-Right! I’m sorry, I’m Koko… Azu. Koko Azu.”
And they successfully entered the party. The three found themselves in an ornate ballroom, live with classical music, chatter, and long tables of food. They stood in awe for a moment, their pupils darting around at all of the ornate decorations placed with care. An was the one to get the others back into focus with a small ahem. Kohane and Akito snapped back into reality, looking at An.
“Remember the plan, you guys; Akito, make sure the guards don’t catch sight of us. Kohane and I will find that hidden underground vault using the map of the palace we got. Kohane, you use your earth magic to crack open the vault. Remember, be subtle, and minimize the use of our magic as much as possible to the public.” Akito and Kohane gave acknowledging nods.
The girls walked together, eventually fading from Akito’s sight. The orange-haired boy gazed around, taking slow steps as he observed the scenery. The floor was white tile, and the ceiling was arched. Elegant chandeliers hung from the top. The tables were rectangular with silky white cloth draping over them, with a wide array of meals and small desserts, a free-for-all buffet for the partygoers. There were round tables with cushioned chairs as well, where visitors chatted while eating. But what really sparked Akito’s attention was the stage, where the music was coming from.
Akito noticed guards of a higher ranking near the stage, so he decided to walk by and get a closer look. Upon approaching, he saw the elderly king watching the performance, sitting at a round table with the queen as he focused on the performance. His expression was stone cold, but something about his demeanor showed that he was enjoying himself. Akito let out a tch at the sight of the king. He would’ve continued to think about how much he hated the king of the Nocturne kingdom, if his thoughts hadn’t been interrupted by a roar of clapping. Akito turned his attention to the stage; his green eyes widened as the crowd hushed, and the next performer began to play.
Akito’s eyes fixated on the performer, standing completely still. The performer was a teenager around Akito’s age, but the way he played the piano was far beyond his years. The boy wore an elegant dark coat, and a white long sleeved shirt with a ruffly, white neck cuff. He had grey pants, and wore a pair of black dress boots. Akito slightly walked forward towards the thrust stage, entranced by the way the boy’s fingers danced on the keys. When Akito looked away from his fingers, he felt shocked at the sorrowful expression upon the boy’s face. His grey eyes looked frustrated, and his eyebrows furrowed. Maybe I’m overthinking it. He’s probably just very focused is all. Akito thought to himself.
Even so, Akito wanted to reach his hand out to him. Despite not knowing him at all, he wanted to rid him of all troubles. He felt… protective. Akito couldn’t help but slowly lift a trembling hand, reaching for him at a distance. Then, the music stopped. Akito froze at the loud uproar from those watching.
The boy got up from his seat, and bowed at the audience. He paused for a moment to see Akito, staring at him amongst the boisterous crowd with a dazed expression. After a short pause, he gave Akito a warm, genuine smile before engaging with the audience again. Akito could feel his heart sink at his smile, a blush falling over him.
The teenage boy left the stage and went into the audience, thanking people for their compliments. Akito didn’t think twice, finding the right chance to approach him when the nobles stopped giving their comments about the performance to him. Akito cleared his throat, putting on a brave face as he approached the performer.
“Good evening,” The boy turned his attention to Akito, a surprised look on his face when he saw Akito’s smiling face. “Ah!- Good evening.” The boy gave Akito the same heart-melting smile. Akito’s face reddened a bit as he felt his soul encounter the warmth of the piano player’s smile. “Your performance was… breath-taking, to say the least,” Akito said through a small chuckle. “what is your name?”
“My name is Toya. I’m glad you enjoyed my performance,” Toya flatly replied with a bow. Akito frowned a little. Toya’s tone felt too polite to be natural. “Toya…” Akito inquired, “do you truly enjoy playing the piano?” Toya’s eyes widened, taken aback. Akito feared that he made a false assumption at first, but he was proven wrong as the boy’s eyebrows downturned. Toya didn’t say a word, his light grey pupils shifting to the side.
“Hey,” Akito softly held Toya’s cold hand. “would you like to dance with me?” Toya looked back up at Akito with interest in the offer, but his face went back to melancholy as he gently pulled away from Akito’s hold. “My father… he’s around here, and he wouldn’t want to see me dance with another boy.”
“Ah, I see…” Akito looked to the side, feeling a little embarrassed. Toya also looked away, a somber expression of thoughtfulness falling over him. After the short moment of awkwardness, Toya’s face lit up. A small smile formed on the boy’s face as he quickly grasped Akito’s hand and started heading left. Akito trusted Toya wasn’t doing anything shady, but he couldn’t help but feel startled by the suddenness of it all. “Toya, where are we going?” Toya looked back at Akito, an even bigger smile on his face than there was before. Akito could feel his heart race at Toya’s adorable smile.
“There’s a smaller ballroom next to this one that isn’t being used. It’s dark, but the moonlight will be enough. Plus, we’ll still be able to hear the music from there.” Toya explained excitedly. Akito gave a joking smirk.
“Seriously, what the hell do ya need another ballroom for, with this one being so huge? Make some space for us commoners.” As soon as Akito uttered the remark, he felt regret. “Us commoners”?! Your cover is blown, ya fucking idiot. Luckily, Toya didn’t comprehend Akito’s use of “us” enough to find out the thief’s secret. “Perhaps we should. It wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Toya replied with a small laugh. Akito could feel his heart drop even more as Toya’s giggle reached his ears.
After passing through the main ballroom and some hallways, Toya opened a door that led to a ballroom that was similar to the main one, except lengthier, and with multiple huge windows on the sides. Toya’s presumption was right, as the moon shone through the glass windows and onto the tile floor, light refracting around the ballroom. Akito stood for a moment, looking around the moonlight ballroom. To him, it was even more charming than the one he had first entered. Toya gave Akito a light nudge. When Akito turned to him, Toya was holding a hand out. He looked beautiful in the moonlight as the sounds of piano and violin echoed in the background. Akito took his hand, pulling in closer to him. Toya lay his other hand on Akito’s back, and they began to dance.
Their feet lightly tapped the tile beneath them, in sync with the muffled instruments that backed them. Akito and Toya’s eyes locked, their eyes shining bright with the joy of the moment. Akito smiled, knowing that the boy with the sad face he saw on stage was no more. He loved the way the moonlight shone on his dancing partner. The full moon tracing Toya’s elegant face. The dark blue skies of the night complimented the lighter side of his hair, his silver eyes, his pale skin… Akito admired the way he dance. His footsteps resembled those of a ballet dancer, minus the tiptoes, of course. Toya’s steps were slow, yet kept in time with the music and with Akito’s more straightfoward patterns. Despite their differences, Akito and Toya undeniably complimented each other. The two continued to waltz down the hall, their shadows dancing gracefully with a genuine closeness that didn’t take long to form. They had barely talked, but they felt close to each other. When their eyes met, a connection had instantly formed. The two of them knew this as they danced with the night.
Akito lost his focus to the feelings stirring inside of him, losing his footing and slipping from losing balance. Toya acted quick, pushing Akito towards him with the hand he placed behind his back and pulling him in with his other hand to prevent Akito from falling. Instead of an awkward fall, an awkward pause fell over them as their noses touched, their lips merely centimeters away. Akito and Toya gazed at each other, their faces reddened at the implications of this situation.
“A-Ah! I’m very sorry!” Toya exclaimed, pulling away his face a bit, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Akito kept gazing up at Toya, in a love-filled haze. “Toya… is it okay if I…” Akito paused mid-sentence. Were you seriously about to ask if you could kiss him? You’ve already gone far off track of your original goal! Plus, you’re a thief, and this guy’s clearly a noble. You’re
no good for him. As these thoughts raced through Akito’s mind, Toya interrupted with a simple “Yes”.
“E-eh? What?!” Akito stammered, fidgeting a little in Toya’s hold.
“I think you were about to ask if you could kiss me, unless if I’ve misinterpreted someone’s intentions again…” Toya’s normally monotone voice shattered as he spoke. Akito felt Toya’s hands tremble from nervousness.
Toya opened his mouth to elaborate even further, but he was brought to a hush by Akito calmly placing his hand on Toya’s cheek. Akito had never felt this way about anyone before. He felt that Toya belonged to him, despite their meeting only lasting minutes. He wanted to protect his gentle smile, his caring eyes, his soft voice, his elegant frame… everything about him was pleasant. Meeting Toya was like the last puzzle piece, making Akito feel complete and whole. He felt that this dream-like night was the happiest time of his 16 years of life. “Y’know…” Akito started. “You have pretty strong arms to be holding me like this for this long.”
“Ah.. my bad,” Toya pulled Akito back up. Akito used the hand on Toya’s cheek to gently tuck in some of Toya’s hair behind his ear. The pair remained close, blushes still remaining on their faces. Akito decided to take initiative, touching Toya’s forehead with his. “You’re… beautiful.” Akito confessed with a husky voice. Toya’s heart was heavy, feeling Akito’s breath and the confession escape his lips made him tremble from anxiety and excitement all the more. He didn’t know the name of this man, but he made Toya feel different. Toya didn’t know how to describe him, all he knew was that he makes him feel warmth on his face, and a twisty feeling in his stomach. Toya wished he could express his feelings outside of physical symptoms, but he simply couldn’t formulate the words.
Toya let out a sigh. “Father… forgive me,” he whispered to himself. He began to align his face with Akito’s, their lips just about to touch, until he heard the ballroom door creak open. Toya immediately jolted away from Akito, staring in the direction of the entrance. It was one of the palace’s servants, with a worried look on her face.
“Prince Toya! There you are!”
Wait. Akito thought. Prince?! Ohh boy, you are in deep shit!
“Ma’am, what is it?” Toya inquired the maid.
“Your majesty, we are evacuating all partygoers for their safety— we have just been informed of a robbery of the palace’s private vault, even worse, by magic users!”
Oh, great. Akito thought grumpily. Now I gotta help those lovebirds.