When the Universe Began [A Blackmadhi Fantasy AU]

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Simon..." Nahyuta's face flushed at his proposal... I suppose it... couldn't hurt to... try, "...yes... I'd like to try." Simon smiled, grabbing him into his arms in a tight hug.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning." He pressed a kiss to his lips before leaving the room. Nahyuta could feel his face burn hotter as he raised a hand to his lips, pressing his fingers against them. Simon... wasn't a bad kisser...

~~~

Simon woke Nahyuta in the same way he had the morning before, by pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Good morning Nahyuta. Get dressed quickly, there's somewhere I want to take you."

"Where exactly is this 'somewhere'?" Simon smirked before poking Nahyuta's nose with his finger.

"Silly Nahyuta, can't you tell when something's a secret?" Of course he was going to be like that. Simon always was, he didn't know what he expected.

~~~

He dragged Nahyuta through the city to an old theater that seemed almost as rundown on the outside as the -former- Sahdmadhi Law Offices. Simon's fingers were gently intertwined with his own and it felt good. He'd missed the feeling, it had been so long since the last time he'd held his hand.

"Simon what are we doing here?" Nahyuta asked him, having a similar reaction the first time that he saw the -former- Sahdmadhi Law Offices. He didn't answer, just smirking again and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

After they watched the strange show -which was actually quite funny- Simon dragged him backstage to the dressing rooms. He pounded on the door in his usual fashion. Simon didn't know the meaning of discretion, did he? A young man -the one who'd been performing- with dark brown eyes and a hair colour that Nahyuta could only describe as some shade of mauve answered the door, smiling when he saw Simon.

"Hey Geiru! Look who finally turned up!" he shouted farther into the dressing before turning back to Simon and wapping him across the chest with a fan, "silly Simey! You should have given us a call when you got out! It's not as hard as it would seem, we're always just a pigeon away! But, of course... we are still pissed that you got yourself put in prison. Stupid Simon, leaving us all alone," This man's personality seemed to shift on the drop of a coin, "now you just gotta tell us who that lilac-haired beauty is. We're so curious... do you lilike him?"

"That pun fell very short... I'm pretty sure that one went right over Simey's head anyway." a woman's voice said from the dressing room.

"Simey has no sense of humour."

"I'm not laughing because it was a terrible pun... anyways..." Simon's face flushed and he squeezed my hand, "...this is... my boyfriend." Nahyuta flinched, hoping his -friends?- whatever they were wouldn't get mad.

"Oh Simey! Congrats!" Uendo -he was pretty sure that's what his name was- pressed a hand to his cheek and smiled nicely at Simon.

"Oh finally! It's been years and years of waiting... and now our Simey's finally got a boyfriend!" the woman exclaimed, sounding almost relieved.

"This calls for a celebration Geiru! A Simon-bration!"

"Why do your jokes always fall flat when you're not on stage?"

"Rude... Patches' jokes are perfectly delightful."

"Of course you would say that Kisegawa. You've always been fond of Simon."

"Geiru! Stop talking to them, you know it only goads them on! I'm the frontman in this three man show."

"Two men and a woman."

"Geiru!"

"Simon... how in the world do you know these people?" Nahyuta asked Simon, tugging gently on his sleeve to get his attention. He sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"Sadly, they are my friends." He sighed again, clearly he wasn't all that fond of them. He seemed much closer to Klavier.

"I'm Uendo Toneido and this is my working partner Geiru." Uendo gestured to a woman with pink hair who waved hello while glancing at her reflection in the mirror. She ran over to the door after she finished admiring herself, leaning against Uendo's shoulder.

"Right, I'm Nahyuta Sahdmadhi," Nahyuta left his full name out of this, with people like this, he could just be himself. Just Nahyuta, not the fancy prince that he always had to be. How many years had it been since the last time he'd been treated like a person instead of someone to worship? Too long to remember, "it's a pleasure to meet you. How long exactly have you known Simon?"

"How long has it been now Geiru?" Uendo asked, turning to the pink-haired woman.

"Oh geez, don't ask me. You've got the better memory, but if I had to guess, it's probably been about twenty years." That long? That means they would've had to know Simon when he was a kid, he was only twenty-nine.

"What was he like as a kid?!" Nahyuta exclaimed, overly excited. He couldn't stop himself and he was sure Simon was going to get back at him for this. If he wanted to know the same things about Nahyuta, he could just ask his oldest friend -his brother- Apollo. Apollo could tell him things that Nahyuta never wanted anyone else to know, things that were too embarrassing to speak of.

"Ugh... he's always been such a grump. Glad there's someone like you who's able to put up with him." Geiru said, leaning back against the door frame and wapping Simon's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Be nice Geiru... or else. I bet we could auction off the corpse if we had to kill her! Wouldn't that be morbid?!" Uendo said, whacking Geiru with his fan before quickly switching to a very terrible joke. Simon laughed, covering it with a cough.

""You're awful Uendo! I hate you!" Geiru shouted, smacking the man over the head.

"I don't know... that one was almost funny." Simon said, still laughing.

"See? Simon appreciates me Geiru." Uendo said, storking Simon's cheek gently.

"Please, we all know that Simon's sense of humour is awful and morbid."

"It's better than yours. At least he knows a good pun when he hears one."

"Simon wouldn't know a good pun if it hit him with a carriage."

"Still... he's better off than you Geiru."

"I need to leave..." Simon muttered, grabbing Nahyuta's hand and pulling him away.

"Come back to poppy in anytime!" Uendo shouted after them as Nahyuta heard the sound of him being whacked in the head again. What weirdos.

~~~

Simon took Nahyuta to the tavern, as they always did. It felt a little different this time, almost like they were like Apollo and Klavier.

"You two gonna get married now?" Klavier asked jokingly as they sat down. Simon's face flushed with anger as he punched him gently in the arm.

"You know? I've changed my mind, let's go back to the palace. It's getting late." He grabbed Nahyuta's hand again, pulling him back to the palace. Make up your mind Simon!

~~~

"Simon, won't you stay for the night?" Nahyuta asked Simon as he dropped him off at his room.

"No, Nahyuta. That would be improper of me."

"Simon... please. I'd feel safer if you were at my side." Stupid excuse, he just wanted to sleep in the same bed as him.

"I could sleep in the chair." he said, gesturing to my desk chair. No, he couldn't. He'd hurt his back!

"No! You can't!"

"Fine... I'll sleep in your bed." Thank you Simon. For obliging Nahyuta's one small request, he knew he'd never turn him down.