“You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” as sung by Toby Keith

I got a funny feeling
The moment that your lips touched mine
Something shot right through me
My heart skipped a beat in time
There’s a different feel about you tonight
It’s got me thinking lots of crazy things
I even think I saw a flash of light
It felt like electricity

You shouldn’t kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that
‘Cause I’ll just close my eyes
And I won’t know where I’m at
And we’ll get lost on this dance floor
Spinning around
and around and around and around

They’re all watching us now
They think we’re falling in love
They’d never believe we’re just friends
When you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do baby
Kiss me again

Everybody swears we make the perfect pair
But dancing is as far as it goes
You never move me
Quite the way you move me tonight
I just wanted you to know

I just wanted you to know

You shouldn’t kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that
‘Cause I’ll just close my eyes
And I won’t know where I’m at
And we’ll get lost on this dance floor
Spinning around
And around and around and around

They’re all watching us now
They think we’re falling in love
They’d never believe we’re just friends
When you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do baby kiss me again
Kiss me again

Okay, now here is the resulting fanfic. I hope you enjoy it.

“Why do I have to be the princess?” Mitsuru grumbled for the fifth time since the beginning of rehearsals.

“I told you Mitsuru. It was random.” Tochizawa explained.

“You just got lucky.” Shinobu said coolly, smiling a little as he looked at Mitsuru. Mitsuru frowned again. At least someone was enjoying this. Why did Shinobu get to be the prince? That would be much easier. Why did Mitsuru always end up with the strangest parts? He would have to talk to Tochizawa about it next time. He laughed bitterly. As if he would ever agree to do this again.

“Okay, guys, everybody take your places. We’re doing the ending scene now. Mitsuru lie down over there and Shinobu wait just off stage. You know what to do, right?”

They nodded and took their places.

“Okay, action!” Tochizawa shouted.

Mitsuru closed his eyes and lay there waiting for Shinobu. This was so stupid. He hardly had any lines in this part. Why didn’t they just get a dummy or something? He didn’t actually need to be there. He frowned. What was taking Shinobu so long? He just wanted to get this over with.

“Oh, fair princess, let me wake you with a kiss.” Shinobu leaned towards Mitsuru and pressed his lips softly against his friends.

Mitsuru opened his eyes wide. What was that? They weren’t actually supposed to kiss were they? He blinked several times. He didn’t know what to do. What was Shinobu thinking? He tried to hide the blush that crept up his cheeks and continued with the play.

“Oh, my prince. You’ve finally come.” Mitsuru said shakily. He hoped that no one noticed. Why had Shinobu kissed him? He shook his head. It didn’t mean anything. There’s no way that it meant anything. Shinobu was just playing the part. That had to be it, but Mitsuru could have sworn that Tochizawa had said there would be no kissing. It was a boys’ school after all! Mitsuru frowned again. Then why did he want Shinobu to kiss him again? He glared at the prince standing next to him. Why did Shinobu always do this to him? He was never exactly sure how he felt about his roommate. He knew they were good friends, but sometimes he felt like maybe it was something more than that. The kiss certainly hadn’t helped the situation. Now Mitsuru was sure that he wanted more than simple friendship, but there was no way of knowing what Shinobu wanted. Mitsuru had been trying to convince himself that it could never happen when Tochizawa put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Mitsuru. The scene’s over. You can go now.”

Mitsuru looked up suddenly. Shinobu was gone and everyone was leaving. When had that happened?

“You did great Mitsuru. Wow it almost looked like Shinobu actually kissed you.” Tochizawa shook his head and Mitsuru tried to pay attention. So no one had noticed. That was good, right? He wouldn’t want anyone to think he liked the kiss, right? He was having trouble convincing himself of that. “Mitsuru, is everything alright?”

Mitsuru blinked and stared at Tochizawa. He felt the blush creeping up his cheeks again and laughed nervously. “Yeah. Everything’s fine. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t forget. We’ll shoot the real thing tomorrow.” Great. He had to go through this once more. He wasn’t sure he could handle it again. What had he felt when Shinobu kissed him? There was something there. It was just barely a kiss, but it had meant something, hadn’t it? Mitsuru had certainly felt something. His heart was still beating a little faster because of it. He never thought he would actually get to kiss Shinobu. Sure he had thought about it once or twice before, but he always brushed it off as a simple infatuation. It couldn’t possibly be anything more than that. After all, Shinobu was very good looking and he didn’t have a girlfriend so there was always the possibility. No not Shinobu. He was too cool and in control. Mitsuru would know if he had any feelings for him. Shinobu couldn’t hide it that well, could he? Mitsuru let out a deep breath and headed off to dinner.

Shinobu looked up at his roommate while they ate. Mitsuru hadn’t said anything since he sat down. Shinobu tried to convince himself that he didn’t care, but he was nervous. He was afraid that he couldn’t take back what he had done and that it would somehow ruin their friendship. He didn’t really know why he had kissed Mitsuru. It had just seemed like the perfect opportunity. He knew that none of the other students would expect it and that they would probably just think they had almost kissed. They would never suspect that their lips had actually touched. Shinobu glanced at his friend again. He had wanted to kiss him so many times, but he was afraid of what would happen. He was never really sure what Mitsuru thought about him. Sometimes Shinobu would catch him looking at him out of the corner of his eye and he thought he saw something there, but other times he couldn’t tell. The kiss had certainly affected Shinobu. He had felt something there – a spark or something ridiculous like that. It couldn’t be that simple. If Mitsuru felt anything for Shinobu he was certainly hiding it well. He shook his head and laughed quietly. At this rate neither of them would ever find out for sure.

“What’s so funny?” Shun asked curiously.

Shinobu looked up guiltily. He hadn’t meant to laugh out loud. “Oh. Nothing. Just something I was thinking about.”

Mitsuru frowned and put down his chopsticks. He was sure that Shinobu was laughing at him. It must have been a joke. Shinobu would never kiss him intentionally. He sighed and left the table.

Shinobu stared after him with concern. He was starting to wonder if this was all a mistake. Maybe he should talk to him about it. Maybe it wasn’t too late to take it all back. He could say it was a joke or an accident. He got caught up in the role and it had just happened. Somehow Shinobu doubted that Mitsuru would believe him.

Back in their room, Shinobu decided to confront Mitsuru about it.

“Mitsuru? Is everything alright?” Shinobu said nervously. His friend put down the pencil he had been chewing on. Shinobu knew he only chewed on pencils when he was upset about something. Mitsuru frowned. Now he would have to explain himself. What was he supposed to say? He wanted to get angry, but there was something in Shinobu’s eyes that kept him from doing so. He saw an uneasiness there that was so unlike Shinobu. Maybe there was more to this than he thought.

“I don’t know, Shinobu. You tell me.” Mitsuru looked up at him sincerely.

Shinobu looked down at his hands. He was afraid of this. He didn’t know what to say. Any excuses that he had come up with earlier escaped him at the moment. “I… ummm… Mitsuru I’m sorry.” Shinobu turned his head away, but he didn’t get up.

Mitsuru started to say something, but he didn’t know what to say. He had not expected that. Shinobu was apologizing? What for? Mitsuru felt strangely disappointed. So it had been a mistake. He knew he should feel relieved, but somehow he had expected something else. He couldn’t help asking himself why Shinobu seemed so upset by this. Maybe there was something more.

“Shinobu,” Mitsuru put a hand on his friends shoulder and frowned when Shinobu flinched. “I… ummm… don’t worry about it.” Mitsuru tried to smile as Shinobu turned to look at him. Shinobu’s eyes glistened slightly. Were those tears? Mitsuru wasn’t sure what was going on. He didn’t know what to do. Without thinking he wrapped his arms around Shinobu and held him close. He was surprised as sobs escaped Shinobu’s lips. They were quiet and it all only lasted a few minutes. In the end, they were both just as confused as when it had all started. Shinobu didn’t want to look at Mitsuru. He was afraid of what he would see there. He didn’t want pity.

They didn’t say much to each other for the rest of the evening. There was nothing left to say.

“Come on, Mitsuru. It’s time to go. We don’t want to be late for the filming.” Shun pulled on Mitsuru’s sleeve persistently. “Besides, you have to get into that dress.” Shun couldn’t help but laugh at that. He was trying to cheer Mitsuru up. He seemed kind of down ever since yesterday. He didn’t know what had happened. He hoped it was nothing serious.

“I’m coming, Shun. Just a minute.” Mitsuru shook his head. He guessed it was time to get this over with. At least this was the final filming. He wouldn’t have to do this again.

“What’s with you today Mitsuru? Last time you complained the whole time we put the makeup and the dress on you. Are you enjoying it this time?”

Mitsuru glared at them. “Very funny.” He wasn’t in the mood to argue.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” Tochizawa said as he came back stage to greet the actors.

“I think Mitsuru is nervous.” They gestured towards him. He was staring at his hands again and he seemed lost in thought.

“Oh?” Tochizawa patted Mitsuru on the back and laughed when Mitsuru glared at him. “Don’t worry, Mitsuru. You’ll do fine.”

Mitsuru let out a deep breath and he nodded. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Tochizawa nodded. “Alright. Let’s get the first scene ready.”

The play was almost over. Shinobu watched from just off stage. The prince didn’t have much of a role in this play. All he had to do was come in near the end and say a few words about defeating the evil witch and then there was the ending scene. That scene was what he was having trouble with. He didn’t know why. It seemed so simple. All he had to do was walk over to the princess and kiss her. That should be easy. The problem was that the princess was Mitsuru and he wasn’t sure he could handle being that close to Mitsuru again. The first time had been okay. It was unexpected and it was easy to brush off, but this time was different. Neither friend had said much since the night before, but there was a tension between them now. Shinobu wasn’t exactly sure what it meant and he was afraid to find out. It would be difficult to be that close to Mitsuru and not kiss him, but they had agreed not to do it this time. It was an unspoken agreement, but Shinobu was pretty sure that neither one of them wanted to face that again. That first kiss had brought up too many unanswered questions and hidden feelings. At least it had done that for him and he knew that it had affected Mitsuru in some way. They didn’t need to go through that again. He was lost in thought when he looked out on stage and saw that it was almost time for him to go on. He could do this. It was just a play. It would be over soon.

Mitsuru watched Shinobu from off stage. He was doing a good job. The ending scene was coming soon. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

“Okay. This is the final scene. Places everyone. Action!”

Mitsuru lay there with his eyes closed. He waited for Shinobu’s lines. It would all be over soon.

“Oh, fair princess,” Shinobu paused. He looked off stage and saw Tochizawa gesturing with his hands for him to continue. He took a deep breath. Here goes. “Let me wake you with a kiss.”

Shinobu leaned towards Mitsuru and stopped just short of an actual kiss. Mitsuru opened his eyes. He was relieved, but also a little disappointed. He couldn’t really explain it. He tried not to let it show as he said his last lines.

“Oh, my prince. You’ve finally come.” Mitsuru said.

“And, cut.” Tochizawa said.

Thank goodness it was over. Mitsuru looked up at Shinobu. He looked relieved also. Now things could continue as normal and they wouldn’t have to worry about this anymore.

“Hey, do you think we could do that scene one more time? I wasn’t really convinced.”

Mitsuru’s eyes widened. Again? Why?

Shinobu looked nervous too. He clasped his hands in front of him carefully. He hoped that no one could tell.

“I have a favor to ask. Do you think that you two could actually kiss?”

“What!?” Shinobu said.

Mitsuru wasn’t sure he could say anything. His throat had suddenly gone dry. Not again. He couldn’t go through this again.

“Well, it’s just that the scene would be so much more realistic if you two actually kissed. It wouldn’t have to be anything too romantic. Just a quick kiss. It’s really no big deal.”

Mitsuru looked around at all of the other students in the room. He closed his eyes. He hoped he could make it through this alive. All of those eyes and Shinobu’s lips on his. Oh no. Not again. He didn’t want to do this again. This time there would be no denying it. Everyone would know. Everyone would see him blush and then they would know. Shinobu would know and there would be no way to take it back this time.

Shinobu shook his head. He couldn’t go through that again. He couldn’t take that again. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to handle it. It was hard enough the first time. They were able to just pass it off as a simple mistake, but now there would be no way to deny it. He wouldn’t be able to look in Mitsuru’s eyes after that and people would start to wonder about him. He wasn’t sure he could hide his attraction to his roommate this time. It was hard enough during the fake kiss, but now Tochizawa was asking them to actually touch lips.

“Come on. The quicker we get it over with the sooner you can forget about it.” Tochizawa said matter-of-factly. He had no idea what he was asking for.

Mitsuru looked up at Shinobu. They nodded to each other. They could do it. Just this one more time and then forget about it. They would have to forget about it. All these people would be staring at them. They would have to act like nothing had happened.

“Alright, take it from the top. Action!”

Mitsuru lay back down and closed his eyes. His heart was beating very fast. Time seemed to stand still as he waited for Shinobu to approach.

Shinobu walked over to the princess slowly. He only had one line. He repeated it over and over in his head, as he got closer. He just had to say the line and then do it. Then Mitsuru had a line and he could get out of there. It should be simple. No one would suspect. He leaned over closer to Mitsuru and felt his cheeks start to burn. Despite the awful makeup and that pink dress, he was really beautiful. Shinobu wondered if Mitsuru knew what he did to him. He saw Mitsuru’s eyelashes flutter slightly and he drew in a sharp breath. This was going to be harder than he thought. Why did it seem like everything was moving in slow motion. Why did it feel like his whole life had been leading up to this point?

“Oh, fair princess, let me wake you with a kiss.” Shinobu was careful to say it clearly and not let his emotions through. He did not want to have to do this again. Shinobu bent over the princess and pressed his lips against Mitsuru’s.

Mitsuru squeezed his eyes tighter as he felt Shinobu’s lips on his. They were so warm. As Shinobu moved away and Mitsuru opened his eyes he could still feel the slight moisture on them. He could hardly breathe as he looked up into Shinobu’s eyes. It all felt so right. This was the way it was supposed to be. He sat up slowly and didn’t take his eyes off of his roommate.

“Oh, my prince. You’ve finally come.” Mitsuru said the line slowly and let the meaning sink in. It had the right effect. Shinobu was blushing just a little. Now they just waited for Tochizawa to end the scene.

Mitsuru felt his heart beating quickly in his chest. His hands shook a little as he leaned closer to Shinobu. The rest of the room seemed to blend into the background as he ran his hand over Shinobu’s cheek. Their eyes glistened as they stared at each other. They weren’t sure if the scene was over. They weren’t sure if they cared. Mitsuru leaned closer and wrapped his arms around Shinobu. Then they kissed. They each seemed to melt into each other as the weight of the moment became clear. The kiss was much longer this time and they didn’t seem to notice anything going on around them. Shinobu moved his lips over his roommate’s and let his tongue run over the edge of Mitsuru’s bottom lip. Mitsuru leaned closer and opened his mouth a little to deepen the kiss. Their eyes were closed as they explored each other. They didn’t hear anything, but each other’s breathing.

“Cut! Guys, I said cut!” Tochizawa insisted.

“I don’t think they’re listening anymore.” Hasukawa said cautiously.

“Let’s just leave them alone.” Shun said.

One by one, the students left. Mitsuru and Shinobu continued to kiss only occasionally breaking away to catch their breaths. There was a franticness to the kisses. They had so much time to make up for. So many feelings that had never been given voice and now there was nothing to hold them back. A lifetime didn’t seem like enough time. When they finally stopped, they just sat there and stared at each other for a few seconds before either of them said anything. Mitsuru suddenly realized that he was still wearing the dress and he laughed. Shinobu laughed too as the tension of the situation melted away. Shinobu helped Mitsuru down from the platform. Their hands shook slightly. Mitsuru leaned against Shinobu as they left the stage. They had so much to talk about, but right now they didn’t need words.

~owari~