I've never written anything actually romantic before, so this is a first. I hope you like it :3

Jazz, 14 years old, visits his best friend Crescendo, 16 years old, in Baroque at least two or three times a month. These two were a peculiar pair; their social statuses have great gaps in between, a commoner and a prince.

How did these two meet, you ask?

They met each other when Jazz sneaked into a royal party in Baroque Castle when he was just seven years old. At the same party, Crescendo sneaked out while he was out of the line of sight of his body guard. They ran into each other and both were equally surprised.

For Jazz, it was the first time he saw the prince of Baroque face to face. For Crescendo, it was his first time to see another kid like him. The first to talk was Crescendo, and the words he said were;

"Can I… play with you?"

They immediately hit it off on their first day. Ever since, they were secretly meeting just so they can play with each other. Eventually, their friendship became known to the whole castle. Surprisingly, the King and the Queen are the last ones who knew of it.

When these two were together, it's like they're living in their own secret world. Nothing beyond their vicinity mattered to them. Just as long as they have each other, they never really needed anything else.

Jazz's family are only staying in Baroque temporarily, but he always promised Crescendo that he'll always visit him. That promise was fulfilled.

Right now, the two of them are in Baroque Castle's back garden, just sitting side by side on one of the garden's benches. Jazz never really liked the garden because of its dead looking flowers, but he liked it because when you're just sitting there, you feel a tide of serenity wash over you.

"Jazz, have you ever been kissed before?" asked the blond boy to his dark haired friend.

"What kind of question is that, Crescendo?"

"I've never been kissed before."

"Really? Then that makes the both of us."

Crescendo stared at Jazz in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

Jazz nodded.

"Hmph. I assumed that back in Forte, you had a bunch of girls wanting to date you." said Crescendo.

"Hahaha, that assumption was correct." joked Jazz. The prince didn't laugh. "I never really went out with any of them, though." he added.

"Hey Jazz…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… want to try to kiss me?"

Jazz nearly choked on his own saliva. He stared at Crescendo who was looking at the opposite direction. The prince's cheeks were flushed, admitting to himself that that was an embarrassing question.

"W-why would you want to spoil your first kiss with me?" asked Jazz nervously.

"I don't think that in the future, our bond of friendship won't be just as strong." answered Crescendo in a sullen tone. "Our countries blatantly don't have good relations with one another, always lingering on the edge of war. If this continues, our borders might not let anyone pass through and we might not see each other again. I've been told that you'll never forget your first kiss, so I want to share it with you. Even if we are separated in the future, I have 'proof' that we were together."

This time, Crescendo looked at Jazz, who was staring back at him with an astonished expression.

"Don't you want to?" asked Crescendo, pouting. Jazz laughed at his reaction.

"No, I do want to."

"Really?"

"I don't see why not."

The prince smiled at his friend's affirmation.

"Well… how do we do this?"

"Easy, we'll just lean."

"We'll both lean, okay?"

"Yep."

Slowly, they both leaned into each other until their lips met. They weren't nervous. It wasn't awkward. It felt natural. Crescendo moaned a little when Jazz's chapped lips pressed harder against his soft ones. They moved their lips against one another, making the kiss a bit more sensual, but they never went beyond that. They pulled away.

They opened their eyes, not realizing they were closed in the first place, and stared into each other's eyes.

"How was it?" asked Jazz.

"It hurt, your lips were so rough." answered Crescendo touching his lips.

"Oh… so you didn't like it." Jazz started licking his lips in an attempt to moisten them. "How about another one? I'm all for it!"

"Augh… Wait, Jazz! Stop it!" complained Crescendo when Jazz tried pulling him closer by grabbing his collar while the other trying his best to keep Jazz's face from his. They grappled each other for a while and they ended up falling off the bench and onto the snow. Jazz was on top Crescendo, pinning his hands on either sides of his head. While they were falling, Jazz took the opportunity to collide his lips with Crescendo's.

They stayed in that position for a while, before Jazz withdrew from the kiss.

"You know Crescendo, your kiss just won't do." said Jazz looking down at Crescendo with a warm expression. "Because I know that I'll always be by your side.

"I hope you will." replied Crescendo hesitantly, wearing a smile. But Jazz knew better, he can see right through Crescendo. He knew that he wasn't really smiling. Crescendo was… actually depressed, and Jazz didn't know why.

"Jazz, get off of me, the ground is cold." said Crescendo when he noticed that Jazz had no intention of getting off. Jazz stood up, taking Crescendo up with him. They had not uttered a word to each other when they came back in the castle.

Jazz came back to his home in Forte the day after, and he still didn't quite understand why Crescendo wore a sad smile. Only until three years later, he came to understand.

Being a prince, Crescendo has become preoccupied with duties. And whenever Jazz comes over, he almost had no time for him. Because of this, Jazz came less frequently in Baroque. They're only form of communication now is sending letters to each other. Jazz wasn't satisfied with just this, he wanted to see Crescendo again.

Since Jazz now spent most of his time in Forte, he started fooling around with girls. He really got into dating, and became a known Casanova in his town.

When Jazz received his latest letter from Crescendo, he felt a colossal tide of anguish wash over him.

"I'm engaged."

It was hard for Jazz to read the whole letter. Crescendo's fiancée is Princess Serenade, the princess of Forte. He cursed, not understanding why he's so upset. He also read in the letter that Crescendo wasn't so sure about the engagement, the princess is just thirteen, but everyone keeps telling him that she'll eventually become an adult. That wasn't the factor that's upsetting him, though. What unsettles him are the chances of them falling in love. They can't have a stable marriage without love.

Jazz cursed again, Crescendo is serious about this. Well, he couldn't blame him, he's just doing his duty as a prince. Still, he can't shake off that awful feeling.

Without really thinking it through, he went to Baroque. He didn't bring anything with him. He went straight through the guards, who didn't bother going after him. He was already a familiar face.

Jazz knew the castle's halls like the back of his hand. It didn't take him long to find Crescendo's room. And just when he reaches for the door knob, somebody already opened the door from the other side. It was Crescendo.

"Jazz!" exclaimed the prince in pleasant surprise. "It's been so long since you've come to Baroque! What brought you here so suddenly?"

"Crescendo…" It's been so long since Jazz saw his friend in person. The sight of him nearly brought him to tears.

Crescendo's eyes widened when Jazz suddenly threw his arms around him.

"Jazz…"

Crescendo brought Jazz into his room and let him sit on his bed. He watched the black haired boy, who had his head down with his elbows on his knees. Neither one of them uttered a word, both of them enveloped in silence.

"Crescendo, do you remember our first kiss?" asked Jazz, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Our first kiss? Of course I do."

"I remember you making a sad expression after I kissed you. I was too much of a child to understand why, but now I do." Jazz lifted his head to look at Crescendo. "What you said before was right. Our bond of friendship is just not as strong as before. Even though we… kissed, I don't think that's just enough."

"I'm sorry, Jazz."

"What for?"

"I'm the reason why we're growing apart. I've been so busy these days, I never had the time for both of us."

"I wouldn't blame you. After all, you are a king in the making."

"Thank you for understanding, Jazz." With the mood lightening up, Crescendo decided to move to a lighter topic. "Anyway Jazz, why did you suddenly come to Baroque?"

"Do I need a reason to visit you?" replied Jazz with a smile.

"Haha, of course not. But… why now of all times?"

Jazz hesitated to answer.

"It's about your letter."

"O-oh… About my engagement?"

"Since when were you engaged?"

"About a week ago."

"How long have you known her?"

"For… a week." Crescendo sighed. "Jazz, I know it's odd to be engaged to someone you just met, but what can I do? What can we do? For us royalty, love is nothing but a frivolity. What matters is that the prince of Baroque is to be married to a princess of a strong nation."

"And who's that? Princess Serenade, the princess of Forte? You do know how much our countries hate each other. How can you expect a stable marriage with that?" said Jazz, with a subtle hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Actually, my parents and Serenade's parents arranged this marriage to put Baroque and Forte at ease with each other."

"The Lord and Lady of Forte?" said Jazz, astonished that the leaders of his country committed such an action with the opposing country. Though, he was still skeptic. "Don't you think that will only result to false peace?"

"Why are you so worked up about this anyway?"

"Because, Crescendo!" said Jazz raising his voice. He gripped his knees, trying to calm himself down. "Because… The thought of you belonging to someone else kind of… No. The thought of you belonging to someone else really hurts me."

Crescendo merely stared at him in bewilderment.

"W-what?" stuttered the prince.

"I just couldn't stand it! I can't stand the thought of you belonging to someone else but me! I know it's stupid and weird but…!" Jazz didn't continue his sentence, he didn't want to make Crescendo uncomfortable.

He didn't expect a pair of arms pull him into a hug.

"Crescendo?"

"You know Jazz, I feel exactly the same way."

Jazz looked up when Crescendo pulled away, only to see him looking down at him with an affectionate expression. Crescendo leaned down to place a kiss on Jazz's lips, who enthusiastically kissed him back.

"You know…" started Crescendo as he pulls away. "Your letters about your many girlfriends greatly aggravated me."

"Well how about I make up for it?" said Jazz before he grabs the prince's shoulders and pulls him underneath himself. "I'll give you a thorough compensation."

Crescendo stared at Jazz unsurely before looking at the door.

"Lock the door."

"You got really good at kissing now." commented Crescendo as he puts a dress shirt on.

"Does it annoy you that I got all that experience from other people?" teased Jazz as he crawls under the blankets.

"I'm not the jealous type."

"Oh really? You looked pretty annoyed when you told me about those letters of mine."

"Don't get me started."

"Hey Crescendo…"

"Waagh!"

Jazz suddenly pulled Crescendo on top of him.

"You never got better at kissing. Still sloppy as ever."

"Be quiet." Crescendo laid his head on Jazz's chest. He didn't realize that lying like this with someone feels really pleasant.

"Goodnight." whispered Jazz as he places a gentle kiss on top of Crescendo's head, who was already asleep.

Jazz sighed. Even though he just had the night of his life, he's still afraid. He's afraid of everything going back to normal after this. It took him years to admit his feelings and Crescendo's feelings. He didn't want a one night stand and wake up alone on the bed the next morning. He just won't allow everything to go back to the way it was. Hell no.

Jazz clutched Crescendo tighter, as if doing so would prevent him from going away.

"Wake up sleepy head."

Jazz woke up to that voice. He groggily opened his heavy eyelids, and the person he saw was a blond prince lying on top of his chest staring right at him.

"You never left…" said Jazz with evident relief in his voice.

"I know you better than anyone, Jazz. I know you don't want things going back to normal after yesterday." replied Crescendo, shifting his position to kiss Jazz's chin.

Jazz laughed, and got up to kiss Crescendo deeply. This guy really is his best friend.

R&R please.