NHL Fairy Tales - Beauty & Beast Act II

[russiantorque]

Title : Beauty & Beast
Author : Russian Torque
Team/Pairing : Washington Capitals - Ovechkin/Semin
Words : ~4,600

Overall Rating/Warning : PG-13 - Suggestive material


Days melted into a week and Sasha hadn’t seen the Beast again. He didn’t particularly mind, but he was beginning to question his sanity after spending so long speaking only to the strangely animated inhabitants of the castle.

He’d learned a lot. From Mr. Boudreau he heard the story of the Beast- the young, exotic Prince who’d suffered a curse at the hands of a supremely creepy gypsy. As a result, everyone in the castle was transformed. Nicklas had been kind enough to fill in some of the blanks, such as the gypsy’s and Prince’s appearances. Sasha was left with the impression that the Prince may or may not be the last surviving caveman and that the gypsy may have been the same one from his father’s story.

Then again, he may not have been.

But neither of them had revealed how to break the curse, so Sasha put it out of his mind and concentrated on how to escape. It seemed like every time he got close to the front doors, the Beast would appear around the corner and he would be forced to fall back.

After a while, the idea of escaping became something absolutely impossible, so Sasha began focusing his energies on exploring the castle instead.

Mr. Boudreau had set him up in a neat bedroom in one of the better preserved wings and Sasha nearly had a heart attack within seconds of entering.

The chest of drawers talked. And made him clothing on the spot. It was more than a little terrifying, but Sasha became fast acquainted with the chest named David and he was nice enough to keep his drawers closed whenever Sasha was changing.

In this way, Sasha had been able to preserve his true identity, or so he thought.

It was on a particularly stormy and chilly evening that Michal, whom Sasha had taken to calling Neuvy, came hopping into his room bearing a note from the Beast.

It turned out to be an invitation for dinner penned in a God awful scrawl. Sasha assumed it was due to the Beast’s tremendous paws or hands or whatever he called them and tried not to judge.

“You should give him a try, Sasha,” Neuvy said cheerfully, “He isn’t that bad once you get to know him.”

Sasha sniffed nonchalantly and read over it a couple more times. His food was nearly always cold by the time it got up to his room and having dinner in the actual dining hall would be worth the warmth. And maybe Neuvy was right- the Beast may prove to not be so beastly after all.

“Fine,” he sighed, “Tell him I’ll be down soon.”

Neuvy positively beamed at the response and he turned to hop back out of the room as fast as his little ceramic body could take him.

Sasha had spent hours pondering what Mr. Boudreau and Semyon looked like pre-transformation, but the only conclusion he’d come to is that both of them were most likely severely obnoxious.

He turned his attentions to the chest of drawers, “David, will you make me something to wear?”

The drawer yawned himself awake and a few startling jolts and rattles later, he expelled a lovely evening gown out on the bed.

“Good luck,” was all the chest mumbled before drifting back off to sleep.

Sasha changed easily, keeping his back to the chest just in case. He’d been tempted on a few occasions to just walk around dressed in the clothing of his proper gender, but it was difficult to know how the Beast would react if he saw him.

It was better this way- to just keep up the facade.

The gown fit perfectly, even if it was a bit tight around the chest. Sasha struggled to fit a pair of socks into the bosom area and after a while he gave up on trying to fit two in each side and settled for one.

Spinning around in front of the mirror, he realized that David had not only gotten his size perfect, but he’d also managed to somehow make up for the fact that Sasha was a man. The dress clung to his waist and hips in such a way that made him look like he was actually curvy and it billowed out into a bell just as hips turned to thigh.

He looked stunningly gorgeous, if the low whistle from David was any indication.

Sasha scowled, but it was only to hide a pleased smile.

By then, Sasha knew the castle well enough to make it down to the dining hall efficiently, though he slowed down when he was close just to make it seem like he took his time. He poked his head around the corner to get a glimpse of what to expect.

The Beast had undergone some kind of makeover, probably at the hands of Semyon and Nicklas, and was dressed up in a waistcoat, jacket, and trousers. More surprisingly, his mane looked like it may actually be combed.

Sasha announced his arrival with a small cough and the Beast just about jumped from his fur.

“You’re late!” the Beast growled, but a none-too-gentle shove from Nicklas set him straight, “I mean- Sit down. Please.”

Sasha held back the urge to turn around and head straight back to his room, but only because the dinner set out looked absolutely delicious.

In the center of the table was a skewered pig- roasted to absolute perfection on a bed of onions and carrots and peppered with herbs. A plate of spiced potatoes sat nearby, and a large leafy salad with what looked like slices of orange and almonds. Hot, steaming rolls were piled up in a basket along with a dish of bread pudding. There was a game turkey and bottles of wine and grilled corn and so many other succulent treats.

The mere smell made Sasha swoon as if he took a few steps forward.

The Beast pulled out a chair and Sasha tried not to scowl when he pushed it back in too fast, jarring him almost into the table. He said a quick prayer in his head because he wasn’t sure if the Beast would be upset by it and reached forward for a roll and salad.

And across the table, the Beast reached straight into the pig, took a huge hunk of its haunch between his massive paws, and began to scarf it down.

A potato fell off Sasha’s fork as he watched in disgust, but he wasn’t really surprised.

It was going to be a long dinner.

X x X x X
Gino downed his pint of mead in one long draught, slamming the glass on the bar with a grimace.

“No way,” he grumbled to Jordan, “I not believe it.”

Jordan rolled his eyes, “I swear, she’s a guy. I have proof.”

“Bad proof,” Gino argued, “Both live in house, both need clothes. Sasha is a woman, Alex is man. No question.”

In the seat next to him, Jordan leaned back with a sigh. There really was no getting through to this big lummox.

“Fine. Believe what you want,” he finally said, “They’re the same person.”

“You thought so too?”

Jordan and Gino both turned to see Kris approaching them, a serious expression on his face.

“Old Fedorov seems to think his beloved kid has been taken by some sort of beast,” Kris continued, taking a seat by Gino, “Serves him right for trying to trick us.”

No one expected Gino to slam down his fist in a fury, pure violence in his eyes.

“Not true, Tanger,” he snarled, “If Sasha in trouble, then we rescue.”

The other two men exchanged knowing glances. Discouraging Gino was impossible in every sense of the word.

“Let’s go talk to the old man then,” Jordan suggested, wobbling a little as he stood from his bar stool. He’d figured it’d be easier to tell Gino about Sasha, or Alex, with some alcohol in his system, but he’d gone a bit overboard and ended up toppling straight to the floor.

Kris snorted in laughter, “Nah, man. You can stay right there. I’ll go with the boss.”

The two goonies were out the door and out of sight as soon as Kris was able to mobilize Gino and Jordan was left there on the floor. And the longer he lay there staring at the ceiling, the slower time seemed to move until without even realizing it, he drifted off to sleep.

Night fell and the bartender eventually worked his way to the customer side of the bar to nudge Jordan awake. His response was a rough grunt as the blond rolled over on his side and ignored him. The bartender’s shoulders fell with a sigh.

“I’ll get him out of your hair,” a soft voice drew the man’s attention to the entrance, “He knows me.”

“You’re Skinner’s son, aren’t you?” the bar man asked, “Jeff, isn’t it? You shouldn’t be spending time with Malkin and his group. Get you into trouble.”

Jeff let the warning roll off his back and he crouched down over Jordan. A few well calculated prods and pokes got the older man to open his eyes and Jeff smiled.

“Teach me to skate.”

The question was so unexpected that Jordan burst into laughter, still drunk.

“You’re too little. Sorry.”

Jeff’s brow furrowed in indignation, “Sasha let me use her- I mean his- skates a few times. And I’m not little.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Jordan grumbled, dragging himself to his feet and using Jeff to hoist himself up. The kid sagged startlingly under his weight, but didn’t fall over.

Still leaning on Jeff, Jordan tossed a few bills on the bar and tipped his head in thanks to the bartender before heading out, dragging the kid along with him.

“You shouldn’t be in a bar,” he said as they made their way down the lane, “Aren’t there rules against that sort of thing?”

Jeff scowled, “I’m eighteen. You’re the one who needs to quit drinking.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you to respect your elders?” came Jordan’s response and he dug his knuckles into Jeff’s head, making him cringe, “This is my place, so scram.”

Jeff wormed his way out of Jordan’s grip easily enough and scampered away a few paces- far enough to stick his tongue at him out without fear of retaliation before disappearing.

As he bumbled his way up to his front steps, Jordan wondered how he managed to deal with the kid for so long without murdering him. But he thought it with a smile.

On the other side of town, Gino and Kris had just finished interviewing the Inventor. The question of gender hadn’t come up, but several questions about the Beast, his castle, and Alex had. Old Fedorov had been positively mystified by the mention of Sasha’s so-called cousin and as a result, Gino had worked himself into a minor fit.

“Does not know his own family,” he spat, marching away from the house and back towards the bar, “And my Sasha live with that man.”

Kris held back the intense desire to say something inflammatory and bit his tongue instead. These things had a way of working themselves out in the end, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to be around when it did.

X x X x X
In the coldest part of winter, the giant pond in the castle garden froze over. Most of the garden was run down and unkempt, but that didn’t matter as much as the ice. Sasha had even found a pair of old fashioned skates in a deserted storage room a few floors up.

Unfortunately, the Beast still didn’t trust him enough to let him out of the castle. Even though they’d been spending more time together and Sasha was almost beginning to like his captor, the Beast remained firm on that one rule.

It was with a sigh of disappointment and longing that Sasha found himself on the veranda of the ballroom overlooking the garden. He could probably climb down to the ground using the overgrown vines all over the place, but it would be next to impossible in a dress and he still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of revealing himself.

So he simply leaned over the railing, wondering if God would forgive himself for simply jumping and mourning in self-pity.

“Why don’t you tell him why you want to go outside?” Mr. Boudreau clanked his way out onto the balcony, “He may not look it, but he used to be pretty good at that sort of thing in his human days.”

Sasha raised an eyebrow.

“You really think he’d listen to me?” he asked, a spark of hope finding it’s way into his heart.

The teapot nodded, “Of course. He is very fond of you, after all.”

The sentiment was a slight surprise, but not an unwelcome one and Sasha found it warmed him somewhat.

“Where is he now?” he asked, pulling himself together. The teapot smiled.

“He should be in his chambers.”

The teapot sent Sasha off on his way with a smile and hopped over to the edge of the balcony. He could have sworn he’d seen a figure moving around down there.

“Must have been a trick of the light,” he told himself, going back into the castle without a second glance.

Sasha took a few seconds to primp himself up in a hall mirror before crossing the main foyer to the opposite wing of the castle. He’d only been over to the Beast’s set of rooms twice, but he remembered the way well enough.

Alas, halfway across the hall, a dark, lumpy figure scurrying about in the shadows distracted him.

He watched, completely still for a few seconds just to see if he’d imagined it and he wasn’t disappointed. Within moments, the same dark figure was scuttling further into the castle.

“Hey!” he yelled, making the figure jump, “Who are you?”

The figure looked to the right and left desperately before reserving itself to remaining exposed and waiting for Sasha to catch up.

And once he had, it spoke in a familiarly eerie voice.

“I remember you, child,” it hissed, “Cursed, you are.”

It pulled back its hood to reveal slicked black hair, dark eyes- a handsome young man.

Sasha’s brow furrowed, “How do you know me?”

The man, obviously some sort of gypsy or beggar, laughed.

“We first met when you were a babe,” he said, “And the Beast now suffers my curse as well. Only one way to break them both, but tricky, tricky way it will be.”

Sasha was utterly confused. Was this person slinking around the castle admitting to having cursed them both?

“I don’t understand,” he pleaded, “How do I break the curse?”

The gypsy laughed, “That you must discover on your own. Until later, Inventor’s son.”

In a puff of smoke and coughing, the gypsy disappeared and Sasha was left alone. The experience left him so shaken that he went straight to his room, foregoing the Beast’s chambers in lieu of rest.

Meanwhile, Mr. Boudreau was calling together all the castle hands. The entire group of them, with the exception of the nearly immobile David, all gathered in the ballroom at his summons.

There were things to be discussed- the most pertinent being the breaking of the spell upon them.

“Do you think he’ll do it?” Nicklas asked, the flames of his candles flickering wildly, “I’d give anything just to have fingers again...”

Semyon grunted in disdain, “Hopeless case. Better off find gypsy and apologize.”

It was then that Mr. Boudreau revealed his discovery- the gypsy was already in the castle.

“I saw him wandering about,” the teapot told them animatedly, “I wasn’t sure at first, but then I saw him with Sasha. The time must be coming up.”

A small thrill of celebration ran through the group. Even Semyon managed to show superficial excitement until Nicklas started making passes on the feather duster in front of him.

“Let’s keep it together,” the teapot brought them all back on topic, “We have to plan this perfectly-”

They gathered in a tight circle and began their scheming, their words unheard by the rest of the castle...

X x X x X
“And all we need to do is get them to fall in love?” Semyon asked skeptically, “But they’re both men?”

“So? Look at that fop of a feather duster,” Mr. Boudreau shot back, “Never did much for the castle even when he was human.”

The group had moved their meeting up to Sasha’s room when they were sure he was out so they could have an assembly with David, the Dresser. After explaining their plan to him, the chest of drawers had chuckled rather disturbingly and they couldn’t help but wonder of years of being stuck in one room had finally gone to his oaken brain.

But within a few minutes, David opened up his doors and revealed to them the most stunning dress they’d ever seen. It began as a deep purple, fading into a lilac and spiraling into magenta from the base up. Wispy enough to create the effect of rolling waves and just fitting enough to accent all the right places.

The Beast would never be able to resist this temptation- man or not. Though thus far, he’d been completely receptive to the idea of Sasha being a man.

“Exact fit guaranteed,” he bragged, “I’ve seen him naked enough times to know it.”

If Semyon had had a nose, it would have wrinkled in disturbed disgust.

“It’s fantastic, Davey,” Mathieu, the feather duster, exclaimed, “He’ll love it.”

Now that the dress was made, they simply needed to create a situation in which Sasha would wear it. And, of course, the Beast would be drawn into the ploy as well.

They found Sasha easily enough, wandering about the library with a stack of book balanced on his head. It was ‘for balance’ he’d said.

And then, getting him into the dress was an even more effortless. Mr. Boudreau had already gone ahead and unlocked the doors out to the garden so that Sasha could just go straight out.

It was getting the Beast out of his tower that was proving to be difficult.

For this reason, Nicklas was assigned the task of convincing the Beast to go out to the garden. He’d been at it for the better part of a half hour before he made any progress.

“Fresh air does you good,” the candelabra coaxed him, “And it is nice out. Look out the window at least.”

The Beast growled low in his chest, but wandered over to the window and peered out just to get rid of the candlesticks. His furrowed brow softened immediately when he saw Sasha wandering about the gardens, book in hand and a pair of ice skates slung over his forearm.

“Get me my skates!” the Beast ordered gruffly, “I go outside.”

For the first time in all his years at the castle, Nicklas could feel the sweetness of victory as sharp as the flames burning at the ends of his candle arms. If all went well between the shy lovebirds, the curse would be broken before nightfall and he’d be halfway to town with the lovely feather duster.

X x X x X
When the gypsies arrived in town, everyone was in the streets looking to buy their wares from far away cities. It was a rare treat to have outsiders in the village.

At that time, a particularly greasy looking gypsy slithered his way over to the Inventor’s home and very daintily knocked on the front door.

Old Fedorov opened the door and almost immediately began questioning the gypsy, “Where is Sasha? What have you done with my son?” Fedorov’s fists curled in the gypsy’s raggedy clothing as he shook the man, “You said nothing about him being taken!”

After the initial shock of being assaulted, the gypsy managed to worm his way out of the Inventor’s grip and jump away a few paces.

“I came here to tell you- your Sasha will return soon,” he coughed a little then, glaring up at Fedorov between hacks, “I am thinking... some of the village kids are going to rescue.”

Fedorov’s gaze narrowed, “Will they be successful?”

The gypsy only grinned.

From the bushes conveniently placed at the side of the house, Gino dug his elbow into Jordan’s side, “You see? We go rescue. Is sign from God that we go now and save.”

Jordan’s lip curled in disbelief.

“Gino- Sasha is a man. Fedorov just said it himself.”

The lummox of a man shook his head, “Just mistake. Everyone know Fedorov a little crazy. Like Tanger, yeah?”

“But-”

“No but. You go find Tanger, I go get shotgun, and we all go rescue my Sasha.”

Jordan couldn’t argue, not with Gino. So he shrugged and went off on his way.

Letang wasn’t at the bar or at his home, but he did run into the Skinner’s son for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few days.

“Where’ya going?” Jeff asked, falling in step next to Jordan, “Are you going to the castle? Isn’t that like trespassing?”

“Christ, kid,” Jordan stopped dead in his tracks, “What gives? Are you following me or something? I swear to God, I’ll beat your ass if you are.”

Jeff’s eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously, “No- I swear, I just...”

It was Jordan’s laughter that cut him off as the blond was unable to keep his face trained into a grimace. His arm swung out around Jeff’s shoulders and he reeled him into a half-hug.

“I’m just playing with you,” he chuckled, “You know where Tanger is?”

Jeff tried to keep the blush from his cheeks as he fit himself a little closer to Jordan, almost like they were together.

“He’s down at the pond. I’ll go down with you.”

X x X x X
“Sasha, you dance with me?” the Beast asked shyly, extending his furry paw to the lovely maiden. In truth, the meddlesome teapot had revealed to him Sasha’s secret- his true identity. But it was nothing the Beast hadn’t already known. After all, with the transformation into a monster came a rather monstrous sense of smell and Sasha definitely didn’t give off the same scent as your typical run of the mill girl.

Sasha chewed his lips for a second before throwing caution to the wind and slipping his hand in the Beast’s paw.

It was a little awkward at first on the ice and it was obvious that the Beast hadn’t skated in a very, very long time. But he got the knack for it again pretty quick and soon they were skating in slow circles around the pond. Every now and then, the Beast would lead Sasha into a spin, twirling him gently before pulling him back close.

“I- Is- Am- Sorry is not such good dance. Has been long time,” the Beast stuttered, “But you so lovely, could not resist.”

Sasha smiled, gazing up at the Beast’s tender eyes and for a moment, he could almost see a handsome face hidden far beneath the fur and fangs-

A movement out of the corner of his eye narrowed his gaze and he looked out to the bushes cautiously. The Beast growling only served to substantiate Sasha’s greatest fears.

Gino, Jordan, Letang, and Jeff, one of the village children, emerged from the shadows, the lummox leader of them with a snide grin on his face.

“Sasha! I come to rescue!” he announced gallantly. Jeff rolled his eyes and Jordan snorted. “I kill ugly monster for you and you come back, be wife finally. Yes?”

Something in Sasha snapped. Maybe dressing like a woman for so long finally got to him, maybe his corset was just on too tight. Or maybe Gino had finally just gone a little too far. Most likely, it was the way the Beast bristled next to him, almost as if he’d been defeated.

“You don’t need slay me, take Sasha. Deserves to be with one who can love.”

Those words coming from the Beast pushed him that last little bit he needed to go.

“Dammit Gino!” Sasha yelled, starting to go red in the face, “I’m not going to be your wife because I’m not even a woman!”

Gino blanched. But Sasha wasn’t done yet- the lovely maiden-man then proceeded to tear at the delicate threads holding his lovely dress together until it was in shreds from the waist up.

“Do I look like a woman to you? Go home!”

“I-” For the first time in his life, Gino was speechless. “What?”

Sasha spun around to face the Beast, “I’m so sorry I lied to you, I wanted you to like me so much but-”

“I still love you,” the Beast cut him off, “I was knowing, long time, you not a girl. But I love anyway.”

A strange sort of light filled the castle gardens and the gypsy emerged from the shadows, casting off his raggedly rags with a flourish. The light became absolutely blinding- with the gypsy and the beast right in the center of it all.

And suddenly, it vanished, and in the place of the Beast stood a raggedly handsome young man, his hair just as messy as his fur had been and powerful hands and limbs just as big. Sasha croaked in surprise. Even the gap between his otherwise perfect teeth was beautiful.

“You- You’re-”

The gypsy flung his arms about the man’s neck. “Now you see, Alex, all you had to do was go on one simple date with me, but you chose to be cursed instead.”

The Beast, Alex, growled and evaded a wet kiss on his cheek with a grimace.

And now, all eyes were on Sasha. But of everyone gathered there, the only one that mattered to him was his Prince.

“I knew,” Alex said, “I knew you are actually man.” His arms wrapped around Sasha’s waist and he pulled him close. “And I not care. Will you stay with me in castle? Be my Queen?”

Sasha nodded, swinging his arms around his Prince’s neck and wrenching him down for a soul-searing kiss---

X x X x X
“Wait- Stop-” Sydney Crosby’s lip curled in disgusted horror, “Jesus Christ, Ovechkin, how the fuck did you come up with this shit?”

Ovechkin laughed heartily, taking another swig of the nearly empty bottle of vodka and passing it to Sasha Semin who was sporting a look similar to Crosby’s and the rest of the players in the room.

“And why the hell is Skinner in there?” Jordan demanded, “He isn’t even here.”

“Is all in good fun, yeah?” Ovechkin snickered, “Storytelling is nearly lost art, so I decide to bring back.”

Sasha managed to down a good gulp of the vodka before Jordan Staal snatched it out of his hand to provide for his own self-medication. Alex conveniently ignored his Russian teammate's garbled complaints of, "Why am I the girl?" because some questions were better left unanswered.

Almost the entire cast of Ovechkin’s severely twisted story all sat around the Russian’s living room, most of them intoxicated just to make the entire situation easier to handle. Alex had invited them all over after a game on Capitals home ice.

And, of course, the entire hoard had ended up either on one of the several couches or on the floor, most with vodka in hand as the ridiculous Russian began his story.

“I know Seven Dwarves and Sleeping Beauty too,” he continued with a silly grin, “We can do another-”

“No,” Crosby cut him off and the entire room echoed a sigh of relief. That is, until he finished his sentence, “No, that’s quite all right. I’ve got this one.”

Scattered groans mixed in with light laughter as Sid snatched the bottle back from Jordan and drank down the last bit. He took a deep breath.

“Once upon a time...”

X x X x X
What happened after....

When Gino and his gang returned to the village, the Skinners son laid a wet sloppy one on Jordan, right in front of Gino, who passed out from the shock. Kris Letang took the big lumbering fool home while Jeff and Jordan skated around the pond until sunset.

All of the Beast’s servants turned back human. No one wanted to be around when the the Feather duster reverted back into the more than slightly ridiculous Mathieu Perreault just because they’d heard enough of what Nicklas was planning to do to him for years.

Needless to say, they ran away together and now live in their own castle in Sweden. Mathieu still does all the housework, and usually he’s naked. The others don't visit them very often.

Semyon Varlamov remained to be the main Castle Butler. He has yet to find love, but Neuvy the teacup is growing up nicely and may one day be a potential love interest.

Mr. Boudreau decided to stay as well. His presence is a little less than tolerable, so the King and Queen tend to keep him locked in the dungeon, and not in a good way. He tends to complain to Steckel the most, who decided to stay in case Sasha ever gets the very silly urge to dress up like a woman again.

The gypsy ran away to the village to be with his new awkward crush, Kris Letang. Kris isn't dumb enough to turn him down like Alex, but that doesn't stop him from keeping the greasy gypsy at arms length. The gypsy assumes he's just playing hard to get and no one has the heart to correct him.

Sasha's father went on to have a spectacularly disastrous business. Last anyone heard of him, the man had blown up his own house.

As for Alex and Sasha? They lived happily ever after, just like they do in the best Fairy Tales.