You Know, I Would Fall for You, But for You I Will Also Stand

As the last curtain fell and the audience erupted into applause, Shion knew it was time. He got out of his seat and – briefly nodding to his applauding mother’s questioning face – disappeared from the balcony.

---

Shion’s hands were sweaty and his heart raced. This was it.

He could hear the auditorium of the big theater thunder with applause.
Far louder to him seemed his own heartbeat in his ears, as the extras, one by one, came filing backstage.

A young woman with headset and a clipboard in her arms, smiled at him.
Stepping close to the stage exit she used one hand to draw back the curtain a little, looking at the main cast on the stage. Shion stepped closer to follow her gaze to the bowing troupe. The clapping of the audience seemed to blend with the blood rushing in his ears.

Shion watched the actors paralyzed, not realizing that the young director stopped watching her excellent main cast for one moment and eyed him with fondness, amazement and even a little excitement.

The actors ended their last joint bow and started to lightly jog to the two stage exits. One after another, all of the main actors exited the stage.

All, but one.

With a look that the man could easily read as enormously anxious, Shion met the eyes of the exiting king, slain in the last act but smiling satisfied and happy as he passed him. And then there was only one person on the stage and the audience erupted into renewed, fervent plaudit.

It was the queen, who had survived all machinations and had emerged victorious from the deceptive onslaught on her kingdom, loosing both her husband and son but securing – with wit and with sword – the integrity and peace of her realm.

The crowd was booming in ovation.

Shion was transfixed by the radiantly smiling and bowing person as countless flowers flew onto the stage – a pretty old-fashioned habit the residents of former No. 6 had taken to after the reintroduction of the dramatic arts and the erection of their monumental theater.

“Are you ready!?” The young woman, covering her mouthpiece, asked.
He nodded to her and swallowed, his hand clasping the little object in his pocket tighter.

She used her arm to hold open the curtain and signaled to him: this was his go!

“Stay on the stage!” was the last thing Shion heard the woman direct her female lead over her headset as he took a deep breath stepped on the boards.

---

A sudden spotlight flashed on to illuminate his stride and the lightning of the center stage changed into slightly warmer hues. The audience instantly hushed.

Shion couldn’t see them, couldn’t see the stage. He could only see the person at its illuminated center.

Clad in a rich royal blue gown and a steely chest armor, the queen’s long black hair was flowing openly down her back, bound only by a small braid and a regal hairpiece: The queen of his heart, the love of his life.

And then, with a graceful and slow motion, the actor turned and beheld him; Shion’s heart beat almost out of his chest.

The look of utter shock and surprise to see him on the stage was rather well masked from the audience but Shion could see it, fleeting through the lead actors grey eyes. Shion tried to muster a smile, affirming that everything was alright – although he himself thought it quite possible that he’d faint any second, looking at his lover like this.

Shion crossed the last distance between them in the spotlight and came to a halt directly in front of Nezumi on the center stage. He felt more nervous than he had in his entire life.

Nezumi’s silver eyes were searching his questioningly. What the fuck is going on? What are you doing here?
Shion smiled bashfully but honestly.

He understood that he was standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people. He was aware that they knew and loved Nezumi and he grasped all too well that probably most of them also knew him – his work on the Reconstruction Committee and his efforts of the past years to rebuild the city meant that he – perforce and much to his dismay – had become a person of public interest.

But wasn’t this the whole point of it? To stand in front of all these people now.
To Shion this at other times meant nothing; but he had a reason for it to mean a lot.

Shion smiled at Nezumi – just one more second – and then slowly, never letting go of Nezumi’s eyes, dropped to his knee.

Nezumi’s eyes looked at him secretly frantic. Shion, what the fuck? What do you think you’re doing?!

Shion gazed up at Nezumi steadily: He was beautiful.

And although Shion was probably shaking, he knew that this was right.

Nezumi’s mind was racing as he gazed down into wide, crimson eyes.
Shion just smiled at him with his gentle, loving smile.

Nezumi opened his mouth to say something but Shion preempted this with one gesture of his hand and a nervous but certain smile.

Shion drew in one long breath to steady himself and then he spoke:

“You are my queen. And you are my king.
Without you I would not live. Without you I would not know.
There is no way I would ever want to hide that.
There is no one I wouldn’t have that know.”

Nezumi stared at him in disbelieve. Underneath the surface he was wildly agitated, this was testing his acting skills in the extreme. Are you out of your mind?! Stop it! Shion?! What are you saying?!
His lithe fingers tried to grab his collar and to raise him up or stop him, somehow stop these words from coming out of his mouth. But Shion only placed his palm over Nezumi’s hand gently and carried on.

“I love you.”

He continued confidently.

“More than life itself.”

A tear formed at the edge of Shion’s eyes, otherwise gleaming with sincerity.

“You know, I would fall for you, but for you I will also stand.

I was always yours. And I always will.
And I ask you
– from now and forever on –
Will you be mine?”

Nezumi lost himself in Shion’s words, the adoration in his eyes, the gently touch of his hand, in all of the man kneeling before him.

The whole theater seemed to hold its breath.

With his free hand Shion produced a small box from his jacket and, flipping it open, offered Nezumi an argent ring. The band was slim and delicate, rough yet beautifully wrought. He had intended the pale silver to compliment Nezumi’s eyes. And it did.

It was that same rough beauty that stormed through Nezumi’s eyes right now.

Yes! Nezumi grabbed Shion’s hand. “Yes!” he almost breathed and pulled Shion up, capturing him in a passionate kiss.
His other hand came up to clasp Shion’s face as he kissed him, replying to everything the other had just said.

Initial parts of the overwhelmed audience broke out into applause. Others, still trying to figure out what they had just witnessed, joined gradually until almost the whole auditorium had risen in standing ovations.

When Shion broke from their kiss, tears of joy were streaming down his face.

He smiled as Nezumi brushed away the tears on his cheek with a thumb and he leaned into his touch.

Then, remembering the ring, he kissed the heel of Nezumi’s hand and took his hand into his own.

Nezumi looked at him in a way that only he saw.

Tears still streaming from his eyes, Shion brought the ring up and slid the silver band on Nezumi’s finger – the ornament on his pale, slender fingers was beautiful. As were the moved silver eyes and the smile forming on Nezumi’s lips in response to his.

Nezumi heard the audience cheer and cast a glace at the crowd standing in the dark ranks and balconies. Shion intertwined the fingers of their hands and turned to the ovating crowd. And he beamed, beamed more than any spotlight ever could, as he raised their joined hands up high. He felt like the happiest and proudest man alive.