The Prince and the Pauper (10/24)
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!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Keito woke to sunlight hitting his face. He blinked, the sudden brightness blinding him momentarily. Then, he tried to move his arm, and found that he couldn't. He looked down, and got a face full of brown hair. Oh. He had spent the night in bed with Daiki. The older boy was curled up, hands loosely grabbing the front of Keito's pajama top. He looked peaceful, his smooth skin stark against the forest green sheets, a small smile on his lips. Keito placed a feathery kiss on his boyfriends forehead and carefully pulled his shirt out of Daiki's little fingers, slipping his legs out of the bed and placing his feet on the floor, standing up. He walked the span of the room to the door, quietly slipping out. Yawning and stretching he padded down to the kitchen, the silky cuffs of Hikaru's pajamas flapping against his ankles as he walked. The first thing he saw as he entered the room was Mrs. Nakajima working over a steaming pot. He knocked gently on the doorframe, and she looked up, smiling when she saw him.
"Good morning Keito! How're you?" She asked, putting the lid back on the pot and turning off the heat.
"I'm good, thanks." Keito said, sitting down in one of the barstools. She smiled.
"Can I count on you today? I need some helpers with the menu for the ball tonight, and I'd love it if you were one of them." Keito nodded.
"Of course."
"Great! We're going to work in the other kitchen, by the ballrooms. Just meet me there later, okay?"
"Okay...um, Mrs. Nakajima, do you think I could bring Daiki breakfast?" At Keito's question she sent him a knowing look.
"Sure honey." She agreed, and a few minutes later Keito was climbing the stairs, a tray in his hands. When he reached Daiki's bedroom he opened the door quietly, but he nearly dropped the tray when he heard a muffled shout of "Get the heck out of my room!" And a thump from down the hallway. He steadied the tray, and disregarded the yell, pushing open the door to see Daiki sitting up, blinking wearily at him. His big eyes were glossy with sleep, and he looked adorable and confused. Keito found himself melting inside. God he was perfect.
"Good morning....Dai-chan." He said gently, trying out the nickname for the first time. Daiki just rubbed his eyes, and Keito pulled up Daiki's desk chair, sitting right by the bed, placing the plate in Daiki's lap. The older boy just stared at it blearily.
"I got you breakfast." He said, taking the chopsticks from the tray and picking up a piece of eggs, putting the food to Daiki's lips. Daiki stared at him for a moment before parting his lips, taking the eggs and chewing, blinking a few times, each time his eyes becoming more alert. After a few minutes of quiet eating Daiki said
"Good morning, handsome." Keito blushed and smiled. Daiki continued.
"How did you sleep?" The prince asked. Keito put some more food to his lips.
"Really well. Your bed is very comfortable...and you...kept me warm." At his words Daiki grinned, his eyes scrunching up really tiny. He swallowed, just as there was a shout from the hallway.
"Good morning Dai-chan!” Chinen's voice floated through the door.
"Good morning~" Daiki called back, and his door swung open, a whole crowd of people making their way into the room. Keito looked around, counting and taking in faces. There were eight of them. Four were Daiki's brothers, the other four Keito had never seen before, but judging from their clothes and the way they held themselves he assumed that they were the princes from the Northern Kingdom. Nervousness washed through him, and he pursed his lips, not wanting to look at the ground.
"Oh, you're awake." Prince Yamada was pouting at Daiki, disappointment ringing in his voice.
“No need to sound so excited. What are you guys doing anyways?” Daiki looked confused and slightly annoyed at the interruption into their little world.
“Waking everybody up!” Prince Chinen announced cheerily, turning to one of the boys Keito didn't recognize and asking
“Well, I think that you guys started it all by yourself, right?” His question was met with nods of affirmation, and Hikaru turned to a feminine looking older boy, saying
“You guys do know that we’ll be getting you back soon, right? Like… Tomorrow morning, maybe~?” Keito immediately noticed that Hikaru wasn't wearing a shirt, and he looked down at the one he was wearing, feeling a little guilty. The feminine boy protested.
“But we have a party tonight. We’ll be up till like midnight, and-” He was cut off by Prince Inoo, who said
“You were on the road all day yesterday and seem fine.” His words were met with silence, and the skinny prince grinned. The smile dropped off of his face however, when a female voice was heard.
“There you guys are!” Princess Ayaki peeked her head in, and Keito averted his gaze, not looking at the girl.
“There’s still tons of stuff to do! C’mon!” She sounded annoyed and rather stressed. No one really seemed to care. Hikaru glanced at a tall, thin boy standing next to him, his eyes starry and affectionate for a moment, and Keito realized that the tall boy must be Yabu Kota, the son of the northern king's head advisor.
“Do we have to do it?” Hikaru protested. “I mean, helping out is fun sometimes, but-” Princess Ayaki wasn't in the mood to put up with much of anything it seemed, and she snapped at her brother.
“Well, at least begin looking presentable. And eat breakfast.” Prince Yamada fell into a mocking bow, and said
“Yes your highness.” The princess huffed and turned on her heel, strutting off. Prince Inoo turned to Hikaru, eyes raking over his bare chest.
“Hikaru, I think that roughly translates to: Go put a shirt on.” The oldest brother's words were cast aside however, when Yabu announced
“I think he looks just fine without a shirt on.” Keito blushed at the obvious flirting, and the mass of royalty burst into giggles. Then, someone's stomach growled, and Prince Yamada announced
"To the kitchen!" He turned to Daiki, and asked
"You coming?" Daiki started to decline, but Keito caught his eye.
"You should go, I have to go help in the kitchen anyway." Daiki pouted a bit, but nodded, slipping out of bed. He joined the pack of royalty, and Keito watched them all leave, slipping away and taking a back route to his bedroom, changing into his own clothes before heading past the main kitchen on his way to the ballroom kitchen. As he passed he peeked his head in, unnoticed by everyone. Yuto was serving them all, an apron tied around his tiny little waist. Prince Yamada was talking with him enthusiastically, and Yuto laughed at something the prince had said, causing the shorter boy to smile. It looked like Yuto's crush was headed in a good direction. Keito felt a little glow of triumph rising in his chest at the thought, and he flashed Yuto a thumbs up, despite his friends obliviousness. The rest of the boys were all talking and joking, Prince Chinen was playing with a northerner's hair, the other boy blushing a bit and halfheartedly batting his hands away. Cute. Remembering suddenly what he was supposed to be doing, Keito moved on, through the halls to the elaborate section of the castle that all parties and events were held in. He soon found the kitchen, and when he pushed open the door he was met with a large group of the castle's servants under the order of Mrs. Nakajima. Within moments he was whisked into the fray, and the hours passed in a flurry of homemade icing and fruit tarts, and before he knew it Mrs. Nakajima was wiping the smeared icing off of his cheek with a finger, a weary smile on her face.
"Alright Keito...now we need some backup waiters for the party, so here's your uniform-" She placed an outfit in his hands "-so go get changed, and then we'll get you a tray." He nodded, taking the pile of clothing back to his room, laying the outfit out on the bed, examining it. It consisted of a pair of black slacks, a long sleeved white button down, a black silk vest, and a silk aquamarine blue bow tie. He slipped the clothes on, pulling the tie straight as he looked over his reflection in the mirror. Everything fit perfectly. He headed back to the ballroom, and as he approached the sounds of conversation and music floated on the air. He found the kitchen doors, pushing his way in. The room was full of other castle servants dressed in matching uniforms all loading large round silver trays with the appetizers and beverages they had made throughout the day. In the bustle Mrs. Nakajima spotted him, waving him over.
"Keito! Great, you can take...the strawberry tarts. Here's a tray," she pulled one off of a stack. "and the tarts are over there." She handed him the tray and gestured to racks of little plates full of the treats. He took the tray, filling it up and carefully balancing it on one hand, using the other to push open the doors, and he let himself into the ballroom. It was amazing. The room was circular, the ceiling a large dome covered in murals of angels, stars, and magic. Hanging throughout were elaborate crystal chandeliers that refracted their soft light, glittering and glistening onto the people below. On either side of the room were beautiful staircases that led up to large second story balconies. The floor was made of a stunning white marble, and all around the edges of the room were circular tables, the center of the floor left open for dancing, and at he far end live music was playing. All around, people in opulent clothing chatted, greetings being exchanged and pleasantries passed around. All of these people were the nobles the the princess had invited. Keito bit his lip, letting out an internal whimper. He didn't want to have to go up to these people and interrupt their conversations and bother them. He let out a deep breath, and walked up to a man standing alone.
"Would you care for a strawberry tart, sir?" He asked, offering the tray. To his relief the man took one, and in the same manner he continued on to the next person, offering the tray in the same manner, and so it continued. For almost an hour he bobbed through the people before spotted a familiar face. Prince Hikaru was talking to a group of middle-aged dukes and duchesses, obviously entertaining them with jokes and funny stories. Keito didn't go over to them, but just seeing the prince gave him some comfort, knowing that there was a friend in the room; Yuto was in charge of taking care of the main kitchen tonight, so he wasn't there. He had just given away his last tart, tucking his tray under his arm when he turned around and found himself face to face with Daiki. He froze.
Next