First Kiss

"How is Elizabeth?"

"Shut up!"

Conrad only smiled at his little brother's attempt at a fierce response. "Have you kissed her yet?"

The large green eyes grew even larger.

"She's cute," Conrad continued.

"Then you kiss her!"

"You don't know how, do you?"

"Of course I do! I've kissed lots of people."

"Mother doesn't count."

Wolfram just folded his arms across his chest and pouted his lips. "That doesn't mean I don't know how," he offered lamely.

"Mmmhmm."

"I do so know! I'll prove it!"

The older boy looked amused. "How will you do that?"

The blond prince thought about it, stuck in a trap made by his own faulty logic. "I will just kiss you unless you are scared." The boy looked smug, confident that Conrad would refuse and then he would win.

"I'm not scared," the brunet said kindly as he moved closer. "Go ahead."

"Oh…well, don't think I won't!"

"I know you will."

"Well, it will be a little different on you because you are a boy, so that's the only reason that it might be different and stuff if it is, but it won't be…" He nodded a little, glad that he had given himself a fool-proof out.

Conrad smiled more. In fact, you might even have called it a smirk. "Don't worry, I've kissed another boy before."

"WHO!?" asked the demanding young man.

"It wouldn't be polite to tell."

"Was it that Yozak kid that you talk about visiting?" Wolfram was frowning. He did not enjoy Conrad's trips with Dan Hiri. They were…irresponsible. Conrad should be home. Mother and Gwendal miss him too much when he is gone.

"Weren't you about to prove something to me?"

"Oh, right…well, lean down. You are too tall."

"I see." Conrad bent slightly at the waist so his face was level with Wolfram's. "Is that better then?" His eyes sparkled a little in the early afternoon light.

Wolfram could only nod as he scooted himself closer. He kept his eyes open as he moved very close. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because it is weird that you are looking at me."

"If you closed yours then you wouldn't know I was looking at you."

"I can't close mine!" he said with exasperation.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm doing the kissing!"

It was with great effort that Conrad refrained from laughing at that point. "I see. In that case, I'll close them." And he did.

Wolfram looked his brother over, suspecting that he'd open his eyes again at any moment, but so far, so good. He noticed something he hadn't really ever thought about before. Conrad looked…nice. Very nice. He really shouldn't have been surprised that he'd kissed someone else before, but it still disappointed him even though he wasn't sure why.

"Okay, get ready. I'm going to kiss you now."

"I'm ready." His voice was calm and patient the way it always was with him.

The youngest prince leaned in again, this time his eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips up against the other boy's. He was a little off center and once they had landed he had no idea what to do, so he made a little sound he had heard his mother make one time with his father. "Mmm…"

Once again Conrad found himself resisting the urge to laugh, but he also found it very sweet. He centered their mouths, gently brushing their lips together. He silently coaxed Wolfram to do the same.

The younger brother's hand fell upon Conrad's chest, and tightened on his jacket. His heart beat a little faster as he tried to follow his brother's lead the same way he always had in his studies and his training.

Wolfram felt a tongue slide against his bottom lip, so he parted his mouth. It felt strangely natural as he moved closer to the warm body. This time Conrad made the sound Wolfram had mimicked before, but instead of more kissing, he pulled back.

The brothers stared at each other for a moment before Conrad spoke softly. "I guess you were right."

"I was?" he asked, having no idea what he was talking about. "I mean, of course I was."

"I think Elizabeth will like that."

"Elizabeth?"

Conrad smiled warmly. "The little blonde girl who follows you around whenever she visits."

Green eyes narrowed. "I know who she is!" he snapped.

"That will make kissing her easy."

"What makes you think I want to kiss her?"

"No? Then who do you want to kiss?"

Little fists formed balls at his side and he looked at his brother with defiant eyes. "Nobody!" he spat out before he turned on his heel and stalked away. But that wasn't exactly true.