Figure I'll double task this :p
Written as a reponse to a meme, and for one of my submissions to the challenge.
It's really bad ^^;;; Hineas and Ephraim are both really ooc, because I found it REALLY hard to write them, having seen so little of either of them in a 'casual' situation. Plus, there's always the fact that, while I read Japanese, I don't read Japanese especially WELL, so things are ... off.
Anyways.
Hineas/Ephraim
Inferiority Complex
The pleasant scent of a spring juniper breeze slipped past his nose. A trickle of sweat ran down his back. He breathed deeply and steadily. His entire being was focused, as he squinted carefully. He would not fail. A bird chirped. Everything else was silent.
The string sung. The arrow was loosed. It sailed with driven force through the air, and hit the target square in the center.
Hineas smirked proudly.
He set the end of his longbow against the ground, turning around and regarding the other man standing near him. "Well," he said smartly, casually leaning against the strong yew bow. "That was certainly a decent shot."
Ephraim shrugged. "It was all right."
"All right?" Hineas snorted. He lifted the bow and crossed practice yard, pulling off his black arm guard as he went. "That was beyond all right. That was fairly near perfect."
"Hn."
Hineas turned, not liking the tone of Ephraim's voice.
The other prince hefted a javelin from a nearby stand. "What do you bet I can split your arrow?" he asked casually.
Hineas felt his mouth twist into a sneer. Just you try it ... "You can't," he forced himself to flippantly reply.
Ephraim raised an eyebrow. "Care to put your money where your mouth is?"
Torn for a moment, Hineas finally shrugged, and walked back to the Lunes Prince's side. "No reason for me not to make a bit of extra spending money ..." he smirked once again, but it was more forced this time. A muscle in his cheeks twitched and Ephraim watched him with thinly concealed amusement.
"50 gold, then?"
"50?!"
"Hineas, we're royalty. 50 gold is nothing, mn? Come on, now, I'll probably not be able to hit it, anyways."
Hineas jutted his chin forward. "All right. 50, then."
"Good." Ephraim grinned, and, in one smooth motion, turned, threw, and nailed the Frelian Prince's arrow straight down the center.
The muscle twitched again.
"Well ... what do you know. I hit the arrow ..." Ephraim shrugged.
"So you did." Hineas smiled tightly, turning and marching back across the practice yard. As if I had a moment's doubt you would. Damn you ...
"Hey, Hineas, hold up."
"You enjoy it, don't you." Hineas spat, his anger internally snapping. His feet never missed a step.
"Enjoy what?"
"... this." The Frelian Prince replied. "Splitting my arrows to make me look insignificant. Stealing my women to make me look un-masculine. Stepping in my spotlight to make me look ..." he stopped and whirled. "To make me look ..." he shook his head and turned back around. "Forget it. I'll ask Father about getting your money for you, I don't have it right now."
"Hineas --"
"Don't talk to me right now, I'm not in the mood."
"Hineas --"
"I'm serious, Ephraim. I don't want to see your face right now. Bugger off."
"HINEAS!"
Ephraim grabbed his arm and jerked him around. They bumped into each other hard, and Hineas found himself staring straight into Ephraim's eyes, feeling his breath on his lips, and the other prince's toned body against his own.
His heart fluttered.
And at that, his stomach turned.
He wrenched his arm away. "... I meant it." he muttered. Ephraim looked as confused as he felt, and for a moment, he honestly wanted to examine these feelings ... he forcibly shoved the feeling off. Nothing good could come of it.
"Hey ... listen ... I'm sorry I split your arrow." Ephraim sighed, seeming to half mean the apology. "I was just having fun."
"It wasn't funny." Hineas replied, turning his back on his friend, and walking as far away from him as he could. Him, and the confused feelings he felt when they had stood so close.
Written as a reponse to a meme, and for one of my submissions to the challenge.
It's really bad ^^;;; Hineas and Ephraim are both really ooc, because I found it REALLY hard to write them, having seen so little of either of them in a 'casual' situation. Plus, there's always the fact that, while I read Japanese, I don't read Japanese especially WELL, so things are ... off.
Anyways.
Hineas/Ephraim
Inferiority Complex
The pleasant scent of a spring juniper breeze slipped past his nose. A trickle of sweat ran down his back. He breathed deeply and steadily. His entire being was focused, as he squinted carefully. He would not fail. A bird chirped. Everything else was silent.
The string sung. The arrow was loosed. It sailed with driven force through the air, and hit the target square in the center.
Hineas smirked proudly.
He set the end of his longbow against the ground, turning around and regarding the other man standing near him. "Well," he said smartly, casually leaning against the strong yew bow. "That was certainly a decent shot."
Ephraim shrugged. "It was all right."
"All right?" Hineas snorted. He lifted the bow and crossed practice yard, pulling off his black arm guard as he went. "That was beyond all right. That was fairly near perfect."
"Hn."
Hineas turned, not liking the tone of Ephraim's voice.
The other prince hefted a javelin from a nearby stand. "What do you bet I can split your arrow?" he asked casually.
Hineas felt his mouth twist into a sneer. Just you try it ... "You can't," he forced himself to flippantly reply.
Ephraim raised an eyebrow. "Care to put your money where your mouth is?"
Torn for a moment, Hineas finally shrugged, and walked back to the Lunes Prince's side. "No reason for me not to make a bit of extra spending money ..." he smirked once again, but it was more forced this time. A muscle in his cheeks twitched and Ephraim watched him with thinly concealed amusement.
"50 gold, then?"
"50?!"
"Hineas, we're royalty. 50 gold is nothing, mn? Come on, now, I'll probably not be able to hit it, anyways."
Hineas jutted his chin forward. "All right. 50, then."
"Good." Ephraim grinned, and, in one smooth motion, turned, threw, and nailed the Frelian Prince's arrow straight down the center.
The muscle twitched again.
"Well ... what do you know. I hit the arrow ..." Ephraim shrugged.
"So you did." Hineas smiled tightly, turning and marching back across the practice yard. As if I had a moment's doubt you would. Damn you ...
"Hey, Hineas, hold up."
"You enjoy it, don't you." Hineas spat, his anger internally snapping. His feet never missed a step.
"Enjoy what?"
"... this." The Frelian Prince replied. "Splitting my arrows to make me look insignificant. Stealing my women to make me look un-masculine. Stepping in my spotlight to make me look ..." he stopped and whirled. "To make me look ..." he shook his head and turned back around. "Forget it. I'll ask Father about getting your money for you, I don't have it right now."
"Hineas --"
"Don't talk to me right now, I'm not in the mood."
"Hineas --"
"I'm serious, Ephraim. I don't want to see your face right now. Bugger off."
"HINEAS!"
Ephraim grabbed his arm and jerked him around. They bumped into each other hard, and Hineas found himself staring straight into Ephraim's eyes, feeling his breath on his lips, and the other prince's toned body against his own.
His heart fluttered.
And at that, his stomach turned.
He wrenched his arm away. "... I meant it." he muttered. Ephraim looked as confused as he felt, and for a moment, he honestly wanted to examine these feelings ... he forcibly shoved the feeling off. Nothing good could come of it.
"Hey ... listen ... I'm sorry I split your arrow." Ephraim sighed, seeming to half mean the apology. "I was just having fun."
"It wasn't funny." Hineas replied, turning his back on his friend, and walking as far away from him as he could. Him, and the confused feelings he felt when they had stood so close.