Raoul’s Big Day

Ryan and Sandy’s apartment

	Ayre rolled over and ran his fingers through Ryan’s stark 
white hair.  He was so beautiful when he was sleeping.  Ryan had 
followed through with his promise, much to Ayre’s surprise.  He 
had been happy just doing Ryan a favor and leaving it at that; 
the deal he’d proposed was just a joke.  The fact that Ryan’s 
personal code forbade him from going back on his word was an 
unexpected bonus, as was the fact that Ryan started things last 
night.
	Maybe he would be up to replaying the event, Ayre thought.  
If he poured on just the right charms, and...who was he kidding?  
Ryan only did what he did because he saw it as his duty.  Ayre 
could get him to do what he wanted him to, but that kind of one-
sided enjoyment Ayre found lacking something.  Ayre knew from 
experience that if the other person didn’t get some sort of 
satisfaction, pleasure, or service, the experience was hollow to 
him.  Ryan would be getting nothing in exchange.
	Ayre decided to just enjoy lying there with Ryan for as long 
as he could.  He put his arm across Ryan’s chest and gazed at his 
face, admiring it, for what seemed like hours, until dawn cast a 
golden glow across him.  Ryan’s eyes slowly opened and he 
groaned.  His gaze focused on Ayre’s hand across his chest and he 
rolled his eyes.
	“You know I am not enjoying this, right?” Ryan said.
	“I know, I know,” Ayre said.  “You’re just so beautiful.  
I’ve been watching you sleep for the last three hours.”
	“I need to shower,” Ryan said gruffly.
	If he was going to be like that, Ayre didn’t feel he had to 
be so sweet any more.  “Need help?” he asked with a wicked grin.
	Ryan replied by going into his bathroom and slamming the 
door.  The water began running a moment later.  Ayre knew the 
scenario well: Ryan was disgusted with himself because he enjoyed 
what had happened, even if only on a physical level.  Ayre would 
have to talk with Ryan later and make him understand that his 
reactions were normal, that the act itself had certain pleasures 
that transcended preference and defied desire.
	He decided to give Ryan the space and time he needed to cool 
down.  He picked his clothes off of the floor and put them back 
on.  Grabbing his coat, he left the apartment peacefully and 
headed home.
	Of all the families he could think of, his was the most 
bizarre.  His mother and father were both highly attractive, and 
his brothers were all gorgeous.  Three of them were strong and 
well built, like Ryan, the type of guys Ayre was attracted to the 
most.  His other four brothers were all smaller and weaker, 
pretty boys, like he was himself.  What Ayre found strangest, 
though, was that each of his brothers were not only attracted to 
males, but to males of the opposite type as themselves.  His 
parents were actually happy about all of this, to the point that 
they seemed to expect it out of them.  Another oddity was that, 
out of all of them, Ayre’s genius-level intelligence was the 
lowest in the family, which would have worried him if he weren’t 
the youngest.
	Ayre walked into the house and hung his coat in the closet, 
the smell of burning toast wafting out from the kitchen.  His 
mother was cooking breakfast; burnt toast was the most edible 
thing she knew how to make.
	“Where’s dad?” Ayre asked as he walked in, knowing that his 
mother in the kitchen meant his absence.
	“He had to go to work early,” she replied.  “The king has 
hired him to help find Prince Ryan.”
	“They know if he’s alive or not?”
	“No, but if he is, your father can find him.”
	“They say the Prince is Senshi Saggitarius,” Ayre said.
	“He probably is, but the King refuses to extend his hand to 
the Prince, and forbids anyone else from doing the same.  He 
wants to take his son back on his own terms, not Prince Ryan’s, 
and that means hiring your father to hunt him down.”
	“I don’t mean to disrespect our King, but he’s being a 
stubborn fool,” Ryan said.
	“Not at all,” Ayre’s mother replied.  “As the King, he has to 
remain in control of the situation unless it is absolutely 
impossible to stand his ground.”
	“I guess you’re right, mom.”
	“I know.  I always am, but it does feel good to hear you say 
it, sweetie.”
	Ayre laughed as he went upstairs to his room.  For most of 
his life, he had shared the room with three of his brothers, 
while the other four had their own room.  Now, however, only him 
and the two brothers closest to his age still lived at home, and 
the oldest of the three was preparing to move into his own 
apartment soon as well.  The room Ayre was in was his alone, 
while his two brothers were in the other room.  They had lived in 
the same room for so long, they didn’t want to switch things 
around, which was fine with Ayre.
	He opened his closet and removed his tuxedo, wrapped in 
plastic to keep it fresh and clean.  The tuxedo itself was nice: 
a rich black with smooth, sleek lines.  The cummerbund and bow 
tie were, however, atrocious.  To match the bridesmaids’ dresses, 
the tuxedo’s accessories had to be a gaudy royal blue with a 
violet and orange pattern on the trim.  He was sure the 
bridesmaids would want to burn their dresses after the wedding 
was over - he would certainly be returning the bow tie and 
cummerbund.  The rest of the tuxedo, however, he would buy; it 
looked good on him.
	Ayre’s mind turned back to Ryan.  Would he remain civil to 
Ayre at Raoul’s wedding today?  It probably wasn’t wise of him to 
accept Ryan’s repayment the night before the wedding, but there 
was nothing he could do about it now.  What happened would be up 
to Ryan, and Ayre had a feeling that something was going to 
happen today during the wedding.  Way in the back of his mind, a 
small voice was saying that Ryan wouldn’t be the cause, though 
consciously he was positive that Ryan’s anger at himself would 
cause him to strike out.
	There was no reason for him to be upset, though.  He had been 
wonderful last night.  Ayre had already known that Ryan’s touch 
had a special quality to it, something electric that made his 
whole body come alive.  The night was better than anything he had 
ever experienced before, soothing and stimulating at the same 
time.  Ayre was surprised that he could even keep up with Ryan’s 
intense energy, where usually, he was the one wearing the other 
person out.  It was so intense that, at one point, he could swear 
the lights had been dimming and flickering.  Ayre had gone into 
the apartment thinking he would picture Senshi Saggitarius, but 
his idol never had a chance to enter his mind while he was with 
Ryan.  Now he wasn’t sure which one he wanted more.

***

Ryan and Sandy’s apartment

	“Ryan, I’m home,” Sandy called, entering the apartment.  “Did 
you miss me?”
	Ryan stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around 
his waist and went to give Sandy a large, welcoming hug.  
“Welcome back, Sandy,” he said.
	“I know a lot of people who would be jealous to see an almost 
naked stud come to hug me when I come home,” Sandy chuckled, 
“especially Ayre.”
	“Funny,” Ryan said turning away.
	Ignoring Ryan’s sudden turn of mood, Sandy asked, “how did 
you and Raoul get along?”
	“Ask Ayre,” Ryan said, “he was the one that worked.  Scott 
called me the morning you left and asked me to help him with 
something important.”
	“So you got Ayre to help you with Raoul while you and Scott 
went off and did your own thing,” Sandy summarized with a hint of 
anger creeping into her voice.  “Well, was it worth it?”
	“We are almost completely out of debt now,” Ryan said.  Along 
with the friendship gift King Cornus had given him, he also gave 
each one of them a small sack of jewels to help them out when 
they got back.  All of them, even Spider, had tried to refuse the 
gift, but the King would have none of it.  He had told them that 
what he was giving them was merely a grain of sand in the desert 
of his treasure.  “Just don’t ask how.”
	“You got Ayre to do you a favor,” Sandy said with a grin.  “I 
think I can guess part of what happened.”
	“Please don’t follow that train of thought,” Ryan said 
quietly.  Sandy laughed.
	“I wish I could have seen that.  I bet it was hot.”
	“Drop it.”
	“He is so experienced.  Could you keep up?”
	“Cut it out, Sandy.”
	“I bet it was great,” Sandy said, “probably the best you’ve 
ever had.”
	Ryan stormed into his room and slammed the door.
	Through his door, Sandy said, “just don’t ruin Raoul’s 
wedding today.  Remember, this isn’t Ayre’s fault if you agreed 
to it.  If you go after him, I will go after you.”
	“I know,” Ryan snapped.  “This is my doing.  Just stop 
bringing it up!”
	“All right,” Sandy said.  “Do you need the bathroom?  I need 
to get ready.”
	“Go ahead.  I have already showered...thoroughly.”
	“What do you plan on wearing?”
	“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” Ryan said opening the door.  
“I went shopping when I returned.”  He led her to her room and 
opened her closet door.  Inside was an exquisite dress: silver 
with a rosy sheen.
	“It is beautiful,” Sandy gasped.
	“I had it tailored to fit just like the dress you had picked 
out to wear today.”
	Sandy’s arms flew around Ryan’s neck.  “I take back 
everything bad I have ever said about you.  You are the best 
friend I have ever had.”
	“That explains a lot,” Ryan said, grinning.
	“Where I am from,” Sandy said, resting her forehead on Ryan’s 
shoulder, “friendship is not a popular term.  If someone does 
something for you, they are either closely related or they want 
something in return.”
	“Well,” Ryan said, “I am not sure if the favor is for you or 
for Scott.”
	Sandy playfully hit Ryan in the arm.  “Brat,” she said.  “Ok, 
enough playing around.  We both have to go get ready.”
	Sandy went into the bathroom as Ryan returned to his room.  
He took one look at the bed and last night flooded into his mind 
again.  Despite what Sandy had said, it hadn’t been that 
satisfying to him.  He had done most, if not all, of the work.  
Of course, he had been using his power, so he probably 
overwhelmed the poor guy.  What was he thinking?  Poor Ayre?  He 
thought not.  Ayre had gotten what he wanted and more - more than 
he even knew.
	Ryan tried to picture the look on Ayre’s face if he had told 
him he was Senshi Saggitarius.  Ryan’s mouth slowly broke into a 
smile as he imagined it and soon found himself chuckling.  He 
took the sheets off of his bed and threw them in the hamper as he 
laughed.  Maybe this wasn’t such a big deal after all.
	Ryan remade his bad with clean sheets and began to get ready.  
He channeled some of his power into his electric razor and shaved 
clean.  He slipped on a pair of boxers and began to don his 
tuxedo.  If there was one thing that being a prince had prepared 
him for, it was a formal occasion.  He put on the tux as if it 
were second nature, and it fit perfectly, like a second skin.  He 
had been fit for clothing so much, he knew what cuts were most 
comfortable for him.  When he was dressed, he snapped back to 
consciousness, somewhat amazed that his old life was still so 
well ingrained into him.
	He went to the mirror to straighten everything out.  His bow 
tie and cummerbund were the same silver as Sandy’s dress, but 
with a violet sheen to match Kelli’s dress.  The bow tie was also 
somewhat more pointed and angled than a typical one.  It looked 
sharper and younger on him when combined with his broad shoulders 
and well-angled body.
	He heard Sandy’s door shut and decided to do something about 
his hair.  He entered the bathroom and looked into the mirror.  
His white hair was getting long and unruly.
	“Hey Sandy,” he called.  “Do you mind if I use your magic 
hair styling thing?”
	“Hand it to me,” she said, reaching a bare arm through door, 
opened a just wide enough for it.  “I have to adjust it, or 
you’ll look like a woman in a tux.”  She handed it back to him 
and said, “just push the red button by the right ear when you get 
it on your head.  It will do the rest.  I set it to a style I 
think would look really good on you.”
	Ryan set the device on his head and pushed the button, 
feeling a strange tingle pulse through his skull.  He removed the 
styler and was duly impressed by what he saw in the mirror.  His 
hair was clean, shiny, and perfectly cut on the sides and back so 
that the longer hair on top fell lightly behind his ears.  In 
front, some of his hair came forward to brush his eyebrows.
	“How is it?” Sandy said from behind her closed door.
	“It’s great,” he replied enthusiastically.
	“Excellent, give the styler to me now.”  Ryan complied and 
then went back to his preparation.
	In a few minutes, Sandy’s door opened.  Ryan turned to see a 
vision of absolute beauty standing before him.  Her long flowing 
white hair was now woven into a gently upsweeping style that 
showed off her smooth neckline and shoulders.  She had a choker 
of the same material as the dress.
	“You...you look wonderful,” Sandy stammered.
	“Me?” Ryan gasped.  “You are the one who looks like an 
angel.”  
	He stepped toward her and held his white-gloved hand out for 
hers.  He took her hand to his lips and gently kissed it, then 
leaned in and kissed her on the lips.  Her arms found their way 
around his neck once again and soon their kiss was joined by a 
passionate embrace.
	There was a knock on the door.  Ryan and Sandy slowly backed 
off and their eyes locked in mutual amazement.
	“That will be Scott,” Sandy said quietly.
	“Yes.  I should be on my way to get Kelli by now,” Ryan 
replied absently.
	They walked into the living room together and Ryan opened the 
door.  Scott was wearing a relatively nice tuxedo in the basic 
style, which nearly fit his tall and skinny frame.
	“I apologize for running out so soon after you arrive,” Ryan 
said, “but I am late picking up Kelli.”
	“No problem,” Scott said.  “See you later.”
	Ryan left quickly and escorted Kelli to the chapel.  He 
wasn’t sure what she was wearing; his mind was occupied with what 
had happened with Sandy.  Raoul’s wedding came and went without 
Ryan noticing much.  When it was over, he took Sandy aside.
	“You didn’t attack, did you?” he asked.
	“Oh yeah, this is Friday, isn’t it?  I guess I should send 
something small and light on the destruction to the reception.  
Thank you for reminding me,” she said, finally looking into his 
eyes.
	“Anything,” was the only word he could get out.
	There was a long silence, which was finally broken by Kelli, 
who had come to drag Ryan to her car so they could drive to the 
reception.  On his way, he looked back to see Sandy staring at 
him.  Their eyes were locked until Ryan and Kelli drove off.
	Kelli talked the whole ride, but Ryan had no idea what she 
was saying.  The music was already playing in the hall when they 
arrived, and Ryan took Kelli out to the dance floor to kill some 
time before Sandy arrived.  Couples filed in two by two and soon 
the dance floor was full.
	“Boo-K!” came a raspy female voice that cut down to the bone.  
A Bot floated from the ceiling looking like a corpse in a wedding 
gown.  Sandy had a Bot for every occasion it seemed.  Couples ran 
screaming from the dance floor, but the doors slammed and locked.  
Ryan purposefully became separated from Kelli in the chaos and 
stole himself away to the coat check room.  Scott was there ahead 
of him, pretending that the door was locked.
	“You ready,” he asked Ryan.  Ryan nodded and Scott quickly 
opened the door a crack to let Ryan in, shutting it immediately 
after him.  Ryan waited just in case someone had seen Scott open 
the door and wanted to barge in, but there was no one.
	Ryan raised his ring to the air.  “Saggitarius Power, Make 
Up,” he said, transforming into the Stellar Senshi.
	“Whoa!”  Ayre stepped out from behind some coats  and came 
face to face with Senshi Saggitarius.  “I never thought....”
	“This stays in here,” Senshi Saggitarius commanded.
	“Not a problem,” Ayre said.  “You have better things to worry 
about right now, though.”
	“See you in a few,” Saggitarius said.  He opened the door and 
walked into the melee.  People were still running everywhere 
trying to find a way out, and Bot Boo-K was picking them off one 
by one.  It was gliding across the floor and reaching its decayed 
hand out, which leeched the energy from whomever it touched.
	Senshi Saggitarius stepped out onto the dance floor and a 
spotlight illuminated him.  The room went completely still.  “A 
wedding is a solemn and joyous event full of love.  These people 
are here to have a good time and celebrate that love, but they 
can’t because of you.  You prey on these innocent people and try 
to ruin their fun, but I won’t let you.  I am Senshi Saggitarius, 
defender of life and master of electricity, and for the stars 
above, I will vanquish you.”
	Boo-K responded by flying full speed at the Stellar Senshi, 
arms forward to catch and drain him.  Saggitarius leapt high into 
the air and over the Bot’s head.  He spun quickly, aimed, and 
with a dramatic “Saggitarius Lightning Arrow!” he turned the Bot 
into a pile of twinkling dust.  The doors immediately unlatched 
and the spectators cheered.  He headed outside and Scott 
followed.
	“It’s clear,” Scott said and Saggitarius transformed back 
into Ryan.  Soon Ayre found them.
	“Ayre, Scott.  Scott, Ayre,” Ryan introduced.  “And don’t 
worry, he knows,” he said to both of them.
	“You were great,” Ayre said.
	“That was an easy one,” Ryan said.  “But thank you anyway.  
You are not going to worship Senshi Saggitarius any more now.”
	“I worshipped you both equally for different things,” Ayre 
said.  “Now that you’re the same person, it’ll be twice as bad.”
	Scott laughed.  “It’s good to be loved,” he mused.
	Ryan crossed his arms, frowning and gave an annoyed sigh.

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