"You know I want you. It's not a secret I try to hide. I know you want me. So don't keep saying our hands are tied."
~The Greatest Showman, 'Rewrite The Stars'

~~~

*Tutor's POV*

The heels of my shoes click as I walk down the hallway, my eyes sweeping over the paintings with boredom.

This is my least favorite part of my routine. Studying all the historical works of art within the castle. Father thinks I need to be familiar with the fine arts in order to successfully rule a kingdom, which I think is ridiculous.

It's not that I don't enjoy the paintings. In fact, I find them quite beautiful. I just don't enjoy being forced to study them. I'd much rather study them because I want to, not because I have to.

Unfortunately, as the prince, what I want never really seems to matter much.

That's why this is my least favorite part of the day. It feels like a constant reminder that my actions are not my own; everything I do is dictated by what my father and the court deems best.

That... and having to walk around the entire castle puts me at risk of running into him.

I hate him. I hate him for so many reasons, it's pretty ridiculous.

I hate him for always treating me like I'm a nuisance.
I hate him for looking away whenever I glance his way.
I hate that he seems to hate me.
I hate that, no matter what I do, it seems that I'll never catch his eye.

And most of all... I hate that I want to catch his eye. I hate that I haven't been able to get my mind off of him since the moment we met all those years ago.

I just... I fucking hate that I can't have him. And it all makes me hate him for it.

"Having fun, little prince?"

Speak of the devil.

I turn around, coming face to face with Fighter. My eyes twitch with the need to slowly rake over his body, taking my time to appreciate the way his sweat makes his white shirt cling to his sculpted torso. Clearly, he's been working hard today, which is evident from the sweat glistening on his fair skin, making his muscular arms shimmer under the light.

I force myself to keep my eyes on his face, although that's not much better. The sharp definitions of his features make my tongue tingle with the desire to trace over the curves of his jawline before nipping at his ear. Everything about him screams 'sex', especially the way his dark eyes pierce mine.

Fuck, I hate him.

"Don't call me that," I say flatly, keeping my voice void of emotion. I can't let him now how much he affects me, whether it be angering me or.... something else.

"What should I call you then?" He feigns innocence, taking a step closer to me. I stay rooted in my spot, refusing to be the one that backs down.

"You should call me by my title. Prince Tutor. It's what's expected of every servant," I remind him, emphasizing the last word in an attempt to rile him up.

Instead, Fighter's smile widens as he takes another step towards me. "I specifically remember you telling me not to call you that, isn't that right?"

"We were children," I deadpan. "Things are different now."

Fighter looks me up and down as he takes another step forward, now only a few inches away from me. "Yes, I can see some things are very different now," he teases, staring at me so intensely that I can feel a blush rising to my cheeks. "But some things don't change. You're still the pristine little prince you were when we met, aren't you, Tor?"

"D-Don't call me that!" I bristle, mentally kicking myself for stuttering. "That's not my name!"

"Why shouldn't I?" He asks, leaning in to brush his lips against my ear. "You react so adorably whenever I call you it, I just can't help myself."

Fuck this. Two can play at this game.

I place a hand lightly on his chest, feeling him stiffen beneath my touch. I smirk to myself, satisfied that I'm not the only one who gets flustered by our interactions.

"And why do you care to see me act adorably?" I question, raising an eyebrow. I slide my hand upwards, using my fingers to tilt his chin up slightly. "Is it possible... that you like me?"

Fighter doesn't move. He falls completely still, his dark eyes burning into mine.

I smile at him, leaning in until our lips are a breath apart. "Hm? Do you like me, Fight?" I purr the nickname, pushing him further.

Fighter steps away, pushing my hand off of him. His typical cold mask falls over his face, covering any signs that he was doing the teasing only moments ago.

"Stay away from me, little prince," Fighter warns, pushing past me and disappearing down the hall.

Add that to the list of why I hate him.

He always does this! He starts teasing me, trying to rile me up, but as soon as I return the favor, he shuts down and pushes me away.

The thing that confuses me the most is that I can never tell if he actually likes me, or if he just likes fucking with my head.

I assume by the way he reacts to my simple touches that he's at least attracted to me. So why does he always push me away?

Maybe he's scared of having feelings for another guy...?

Is it... because I'm the prince? Does our difference in status bother him? It doesn't bother me, although... it probably would bother the courts.

Actually, now that I think about it, I've never discussed with my father or the courts if I'll be expected to marry a woman, or if I may choose who I marry. I've never even talked about my sexuality with my father before.

That has to be it. He has to be pushing me away because he thinks we can't really be together.

Either that, or he just genuinely hates me.

Ugh. My head hurts.

Whether he likes me or hates me, it doesn't change the fact that he's always been an asshole, and he'll probably always be an asshole.

"Prince Tutor!"

I'm snapped out of my daze when I hear Tee, my advisor, calling my name. The short, round man jogs over to me, his glasses falling to the end of his nose.

"Prince Tutor, you're late for your next lesson," Tee says breathlessly.

I curse mentally, since I'm not allowed to curse out loud. The courts believe it's best that I maintain a 'pure' image as to not attract unwanted media attention. I hate it, but they're right. The media likes to latch onto every little thing and twist it into a scandal.

"My apologies, Tee," I say politely. "I was busy studying the art."

Tee frowns, checking his watch. "You've gone half an hour past your scheduled timeframe for studying the artwork. Did something hold you up?"

Yes. A pompous asshole that does nothing but make me want to kiss him and punch him at the same time.

"I simply lost track of time," I lie smoothly, forcing a smile on my face.

I follow Tee down the hall to my study chambers, trying and failing to push out all thoughts of Fighter from my head.

~~~

I am living for this dynamic

I re-watched "Why R U" so many times to try and nail down the way their interactions evolve over time. I'm so excited for this story akfjsnfosjf

Chapters will get longer as the story progresses!

Comment and vote!
-Gumbie