The Prince and the Pauper (3/24)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Ariokamoto
Rating: PG-15
Genre:Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything.
Summary: Keito was a common citizen of the South Kingdom until the night his family's house burns down. Without anywhere to stay, they end up moving into the servant's section of the royal castle. There, along with his best friend Yuto, Keito meets the five royal princes...and catches Prince Daiki's eye. This is a spinoff of The Prince's Princess, by my sister ai_ai_gasa2 . It's basically a retelling of the story from Keito's perspective. I would encourage you to read that fic first if you haven't. You can find the prologue for that fic here. Please, enjoy!
A/N: So, the italicized words when Keito is speaking are supposed to indicate when he is speaking in English...yeah.
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2
Needless to say, Keito didn't get much sleep that night. All of the 'what if...'s ran through his mind in a continuous stream, his rational side dismissing them with logic as each new worry presented itself. He didn't fall asleep until late into the night, and he woke before the sun, quickly bathing and changing into new clothes. Today he wore a white cotton tunic with silver stitching around the collar and black pants, light and comfortable for a day’s work. He tied his long hair up in its ribbon and padded down the hall, taking two right turns and ending up at the diner area where he had come to expect to eat his meals. Mrs. Nakajima and Yuto were sitting up, sipping some tea and eating bowls of rice with eggs. When Keito walked in they greeted him warmly, Mrs. Nakajima getting him his own breakfast like theirs. He sat next to Yuto, and his friend had barely glanced at his face before his eyes lit up, and he said
"What happened? What's the exciting news?" Not bothering to wonder if his face really was that readable, Keito told Yuto about his strange encounter with the prince the night before. By then end of his tale Yuto was holding in an excited squeal, his eyes big and excited.
"So, do you know when he's coming, or-?" He was interrupted by a knock on the wall, and their heads whipped around to see the prince himself standing just inside the doorway.
"Your Majesty! Good morning! Have you eaten? Let me get you something! What would you like?" Mrs. Nakajima was already making her way behind the bar, slipping an apron on as she walked.
"I'll have the same as those two, thanks!" Within moments Prince Daiki was sitting on the other side of Keito, rice and eggs steaming in front of him.
"Good morning." The prince's low voice sent a trickle of nervousness down Keito's throat.
"G-good, good morning."
"How are you this morning?" How was he this morning? Aside from the miniature heart attack he was currently going through?
"Fine." Keito bit into his bottom lip.
"How...how are you, your majesty?" Prince Daiki's cheeks were stuffed with rice, and he looked like a hamster for a moment, before he finished his bite and said with a sunshiny smile
"I'm wonderful this morning. Oh! And, Okamoto-kun, call me Daiki, okay?" Keito felt his eyes widen. There was no way he would address the prince so casually. They finished their meal in silence, and when the prince was done he looked over at Keito expectantly.
"Ready when you are, Okamoto-kun. What do we do now?" Oh dear...
"Um..." He searched the prince's face. He seemed serious. Okay then...
"I'll go see if my mom needs any help." They both stood at the same time, and Keito fell in step behind Prince Daiki, Yuto giving him a good luck wave as he walked out. They were only a few steps down the hall when the prince stopped, glancing back at Keito with a wide smile that made Keito want to smile back, loosening the knot of nervousness in his stomach.
"I don't know where your mother is, Okamoto-kun." Keito mentally whacked himself.
"Um, here...this way..." He took the lead, and within seconds they were outside his mother's workroom. He peaked his head just inside the door, and she looked up from where she was looking over bolts of fabric, a smile on her face.
"Good morning, Keito."
"Good morning, do you want any help?" Her grin widened.
"Sure, come on in." When Prince Daiki filled in behind him, a grin on his face she suddenly grew uneasy.
"Good morning m'lady." She stood and bowed politely.
"Good morning, your majesty." She sent Keito a surprised look.
"Prince Daiki is helping me today." She was obviously about to protest.
"I asked Okamoto-kun to let me accompany him today. Please, put me to work. What are we doing?"
"The new fabrics for the royal family's formal clothes just came in. I've been working on designs for the outfits, and so if you two want to take a look you could pick which fabrics you think would work best for which outfits. How's that sound?"
"That sounds great! This'll be fun～" Prince Daiki declared, his eyes excitedly wandering over the bolts of fabric, and Keito was amazed by his enthusiasm, quietly retrieving the designs for the clothing as his mother got to work on the skirt of an elegant dress. He and the prince stood around the table, eyeing the cloth, taking in all of the different colors and textures.
"So, whose do you want to pick first?" Keito asked, flipping through his mothers designs. The prince watched as he did so, eventually putting his hand out, pointing a finger at an outfit.
"This one. Who is it for?" Keito caught the name in the top right corner of the page.
"Prince Hikaru." The heir to the throne, Prince Hikaru's attire was slightly more elaborate than his brothers, the embroidery just a hair more detailed.
"What color scheme do you think, Okamoto-kun?" Prince Daiki was stroking a fake beard, one eyebrow up in a silly manner. Keito took in the outfit, and examined the cloth on the table, scrutinizing it.
"What about this bright ice blue one, for the base color?" He suggested tentatively, pointing to one of the bolts. Prince Daiki's eyes lit up.
"Yes! Oh, and we could use the white silk for the accent pieces on the sleeves and for the pants! Oh, and what do you want to use for this dangly-rope-thingy?" He pointed to a decorative woven length of fabric draped across the chest of the costume.
"Gold?" He suggested, and Keito nodded, but then his eye caught on a patterned silk buried underneath a couple of other colors, and he dragged it out, immediately taking to it. It was white silk, with prints of autumn leaves in a bold red thicker in some places, and more sparse in others trailing down it.
"Your majesty? What if instead of the white we use this for the pants? And then the 'dangly-thingy' could be red to match? And these could be the blue," he gestured to the design on the slacks "to pull it all together?"
"Bi-complimentary colors, huh?" Prince Daiki laid the fabrics next to each other. "I like it." The prince said with a grin, fingers dancing over Keito's arm fleetingly, in a friendly manner. Keito's senses heightened, and he felt every brush of skin warm against his own.
They continued in this manner with the other princes outfits, setting aside fabrics once they had assigned them so as to not use them twice. The prince was very open to what Keito thought about something, whether Keito wanted to share his opinion or not, often asking questions, making him talk. They continued until lunch, finishing up the last touches on Prince Inoo's pants just as Mrs. Nakajima announced that the meal was ready. Prince Daiki's stomach growled in anticipation, and he grabbed Keito by the forearm, pulling him to the diner area with anticipation. Usually Keito would eat with Yuto, but today the prince got his full attention, talking enthusiastically between large bites of sandwich, his grin radiating sunshine as he watched Keito eat. At some point during the meal he suddenly said
"You're not calling me Daiki." Keito pursed his lips nervously, glancing down at his plate, and the prince furrowed his brows slightly.
"Why not? I asked you to, Okamoto-kun."
"I can't. It's not polite...besides...you're still calling me Okamoto-kun, so..." Keito's voice was low and nervous, waiting for Prince Daiki's response. After a moment the prince smiled mischievously.
"So then if I call you Keito will you call me Daiki?" Why is he so insistent?! Keito felt a nervous tension in his stomach, but he nodded, not really liking the solution. When the prince's grin grew into an expression of overpowering joy however, it made it a bit better.
"Yosh, Keito! What d'you usually do after lunch?" Prince-no. Just Daiki. Daiki asked, finishing his last bite of sandwich and dusting the crumbs from his fingertips. Keito took a sip of tea and looked around the room, as if the answer to that question were written on the walls.
"Um...mother doesn't need any more help, and Mrs. Nakajima isn't busy, so...usually I read, I guess." Keito knew that wouldn't be helpful, reading wasn't really something two people could do together, but it was the truth. He usually read, or hung out with Yuto.
"What do you read, Keito?" The prince asked, and Keito stood up.
"I don't remember what it's called...do you want to see? It's on my nightstand." He offered. The prince nodded and stood too, following Keito back to his bedroom.
"Shakespeare." Keito said, reading the one word on the cover of the book as he picked it up, placing it in the prince's hands. Daiki held the large volume carefully, his little hands opening the large book and flitting through the gilded pages with interest.
"You can read this?" The prince asked, looking up at Keito with surprise. Keito nodded, pursing his lips together nervously.
"What language is it in?"
"English. I learned from a traveler that stayed with us for a while a couple of winters ago."
Daiki's eyes wandered the page, and he sat down on the floor, setting the book down on the stones, hunched over the pages curiously. Keito sat down facing him, his back against the bed frame.
"Is it a story?"
"It's a book of plays. There's four in there, I'm in the middle of the second one right now..." Daiki's head raised from the book, his hands gently picking it up off of the floor and placing it in Keito's lap.
"Could you read me some? Please?" Keito blinked, surprised, before picking the book up, and looking to see what he'd be reading.
"This is said by some girl named Juliet." He told Daiki, before starting at the top of the page.
"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself."
When Keito finished Juliet's lines he stopped, looking up at Daiki nervously. The prince's mouth was open slightly, a crimson wash creeping over his face. Keito pursed his lips, not knowing how to react.
"Um....wow. That's amazing....I..." Daiki looked up into Keito's eyes.
"What is this story about?"
"Two people that meet at a party and fall in love, despite the fact that their parents hate each other. The next day they go and get married, and that's as far as I've gotten. I think it's a tragedy though." Daiki's eyes widened.
"Married after two days? They love each other that much?" His expression changed from one of surprise to contemplation in a matter of moments.
"I guess I might be able to see where they're coming from." The prince decided, nodding to himself. Keito just watched him, slightly confused. This last sentence caught him off guard.
"Did you fall in love fast, Pr-Daiki?" Daiki looked up from the pages of the book, eyes warm, as if just thinking about this person made him happy.
"Yes, I think so." Slightly uncomfortable with the look in the Prince's eyes, Keito let his gaze land on the book, his hand reaching out to close it. Daiki put his own hand out, stopping him.
"Can you read me more?" Keito found himself nodding, and he pushed the book foreword on the floor, switching his position so that he was on his stomach, elbows propping himself up. He flipped to the beginning of the story and had only read a few of the lines when the short prince, who had been sitting still, began to shift, until he was laying next to Keito on the floor, his head resting on his hands, eyes studying Keito's face. Keito pretended not to notice, determinedly keeping his eyes on the text in front of him, and in this manner the time passed, until there was a soft knock on the door, and Prince Yamada poked his head in, there to retrieve his brother. With a farewell and a hand on Keito's cheek the older boy left, and Keito felt his skin tingle where the prince's hand had touched it.
That night a maid interrupted his toothbrushing with a note. Keito nodded in thanks, and took his hand from the handle of his toothbrush to accept it, fingers flicking the folded paper open. It read:
Thank you for letting me be with you today. If I don't get to see you again before I go, I just want you to know that you're amazing, and I'll miss you.
-Daiki
A warmth spread from his chest through his limbs, and Keito felt his face break out in a grin. Then, he choked on his toothpaste.
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