↫─∰─↬

Shoes clacked and echoed across the stone-tiled floor of the indoor training area. The vaulted pine-wood roof made it easy for the sounds to bounce. The ribbon-adorned rope that parted the two sides of the court swayed with each return of the esteuf - a small, hand-sewn fabric ball. It was a popular game amongst the nobility, so the viewing area was crowded. Rhae led Kaisan by the hand through the crowd of spectators towards an empty spot. He pulled the shorter male down next to him, squeezing them both tight against each other. 

"When my father was younger, he enjoyed playing Paume himself. He and my maternal grandfather would always work out their disagreements this way," Kai commented, his eyes watching the court unfocused as the two teams of two used their beaters to bounce the esteuf into the opposite court, shouting known terms with each successful hit. 

"Cross-over!" yelled the game commissioner, and the teams switched sides. 

"I was never one for the sport. I've played before, and I had to learn the rules according to my father, but I've never cared enough to play again," Rhae replied, watching Kaisan from the corner of his eye as he faced the court. 

"To impress the gallery!" shouted one of the players in joy, patting one of the opposing team members on the back as they switched sides. The crowd clapped in agreement. Both Kai and Rhae joined in, though they had missed the supposedly impressive move the man must have pulled. 

"I wish I had a choice just to walk away from it. But with those two idiots always competing, my siblings and I, even my cousins, were forced to participate in a recurring family tournament. Attendance was mandatory. It was probably due to all these sports they enjoyed that I have got such an active sporting life, with as much muscle as I have built," Kai continued. 

"Hmm," Rhae nodded with a proud smile, closing his eyes to re-immerse himself in every memory he had collected so far of his lover's well-toned form. 

"Wipe that perverse smile off your face." Kaisan stared at him in horror, his hand darting out and smacking Rhae on the thigh before he could even think. Rhae caught his hand and held it, keeping the same smile on his face, but it only made his dimples pop. 

"I am allowed to share in your pride." Rhae leaned in and whispered, blowing against Kai's ear before sitting back straight. Kai's entire neck glowed red as he pursed his lips, choosing to ignore Rhae, and watched the game. 

"I was a little bit looking forward to participating and working out my frustrations. But after the early morning torture that you put me through, I don't have the leg strength to pull off a single set," Kaisan sighed in exasperation, once in a while tugging his hand as a test to see if he could even free it from Rhae's grasp. Rhae tilted his head with a smile as if asking, 'What is this cute action?' while holding firm.

"We have to conserve our energy for tonight's masquerade ball. Did you forget?" 

"I'm used to attending enough of these festivities that they bore me more than tire me out. With my stamina level, no matter how many rounds you force me to dance, I won't tire." 

"I wasn't referring to the dancing," Rhae chuckled, tossing Kaisan a smile. Kai used his other hand to slap Rhae's hand that held him trapped.

"I believe I just asked you not to act out such perverse things," Kaisan said, his eyes widening as he whipped his head toward Rhae. The taller man just gave a reassuring smile and gently patted their hands, turning his focus back to the game. "I will be returning to my own room to change for tonight."

"Are you going to hide from me behind a mask just to avoid dancing?" Rhae laughed, the sound lost in the crowd's cheering with a set point.

"Maybe. You claim to love me. Let's see you find me," Kaisan laughed in response. His eyes squeezed shut, and his shoulders shook, making him appear younger than he already was. Rhae was once again enchanted into silence. 

"Not even a hint of what you'll be wearing?"

"You won't be able to recognize me by my hair colour, either," Kaisan proudly said, crossing his arms as he looked at Rhae. 

"That means when I recognize you, you're not allowed to run away or hide. The game's over, and we get to dance."

"Deal," Kaisan agreed, and they continued to enjoy a few more matches.

↫─∰─↬

Rhae adjusted his midnight-blue tailored cotton-silk three-piece tuxedo suit with a nervous sigh. His hand ran under the ivory silk shawl lapel to straighten its edges. His cotton shawl-lapel, two-button vest was a much lighter midnight blue, contrasting with his ivory silk pleated high-collar dress shirt. His tight, straight sleeves were set well against his black five-finger half-gloves, which matched his black dress shoes. A silver pocket watch hung from the vest pocket, its chain wrapped around the bottom button. 

After a final check, he entered the main building where the masquerade was being held. His shoes clacked on the halfway tile as he approached the ballroom doors, kept open for guests to come and go. He passed the knights guarding the doorway and stepped onto the crowded dance floor, his hand patting his face to check that his panther mask, adorned with night stars, was still secure. Feeling confident, he started his search. 

Kaisan had given him only one clue: his hair wouldn't be what gave him away. So, he either changed his hair colour, wore a wig, cut his hair, or wore some obscure hat. Rhae chuckled at the thought, then shook his head. There was no way his Kai would wear a hat. He was too confident in his own looks and wouldn't allow something to diminish them. As he was momentarily lost in thought, Rhae felt a gaze on him. Typically, he wouldn't be surprised by how well his suit fit his form and the beautiful design he adorned. But these eyes felt familiar, and he'd felt that gaze every day this week.

As he tried to look around discreetly and quickly, he noticed a face that whipped away to avoid being seen. All he could see through the crowd was that it was a man with long, smooth black hair tied neatly into a low ponytail. With a smirk, he approached the shorter man, at least to check out his outfit. As he approached, his smile broadened. He knew that shape from head to toe, having held it dozens of times and memorized every curve.

Finally, he was close enough to take in the young man's entire outfit and had to hold back a laugh. Even if he disguised his hair, he couldn't change his soft, more feminine evening outfits. A white wool two-piece suit hugged his body and contrasted with his dark hair, with gold embroidery, a soft pink ribbon corseting the back, and a large bow at the center of his waist. His eyes stood out against the dark strands draped over the pink-and-white bunny mask. He took several steps forward confidently and wrapped his arms around his target's waist.

"Found you," he whispered through the black hair, though a few pink strands remained untamed behind his ears on closer inspection. Kaisan snapped his head toward him, flabbergasted that he'd been spotted at lightning speed. Rhae chuckled. The look in his eyes matched his rabbit mask, like prey caught by its predator. 

"H-how?!" Kaisan explained loudly, turning in Rhae's arms. "No, wait. You've got the wrong person…"

"Nice try. It's a good thing you're not the firstborn and that you were born as pretty as you are." Rhae shook his head, questioning his lover's intelligence. Kai's mouth gaped open and closed a few times silently before spinning to face away and attempting to break free after being insulted. 

"Let go. So rude and shameless," Kaisan clicked his tongue. Rhae buried his head in Kai's neck and shook his head.

"You promised not to run away or hide. It's time for our dance," he said, smiling, his breath causing goosebumps on Kai's skin. "There's a penalty for trying to break our deal."

"... Go easy on me. Tomorrow is the hunting tournament," Kaisan sighed, finally giving up. Rhae dropped his arms as his little black-haired fairy got into position for an endless amount of dancing. "Be sure to fetch me snacks all night."

"Always, my love. I'll feed you a great many things for eternity," Rhae replied, laughing heartily as he took Kai into his arms and began their first of many turns for the night.

1. Jeu de Paume is a ball-and-court game, also known as racquetless tennis, now known as 'real tennis.' Before modern tennis, people played it indoors without racquets, using their hands (similar to volleyball). Eventually, gloves replaced bare hands, then paddle-like bats (beaters), and finally racquets. Real Tennis (court tennis in the USA) is also known as the sport of kings. It is different from lawn tennis, which is played outdoors. Played 1v1 or 2v2. An outdoor version called Villains existed, with no net, and was played with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 players.

2. Please see the Wikipedia form for Jeu de Paume for an extensive list of expressions from the game and what they meant (e.g., to impress the gallery; falling at the right time; he who goes hunting…)