Bedtime Story

“Ville,” Bam moaned. Ville sighed in the bathroom.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“I don’t feel good.” The skater said pitifully.

“I told you that eating three pounds of gummy worms is a bad idea.” The Finn smirked as he measured out the Pepto-Bismol in the little plastic cup that came with it.

“But I won the dare!”

“Yeah. You’re lying in the bed, whining and moaning and in pain and puking. Ryan Dunn is skipping along, going out tonight drinking, which you certainly won’t be doing. Yeah, you sure won, didn’t you?” Ville rolled his eyes as he appeared in the room.

“I got the money.”

“Twenty bucks. You got twenty dollars and you have to miss out on going out tonight. And I have to stay with you.” He handed the American the pink liquid. He downed it and made a face.

“Ew, now you’re trying to poison me, aren’t you?” he pulled a pillow over his face. Ville pulled it off and lay down next to his boyfriend. He felt the man curl up to him, whimpering pitifully about how much his belly ached.

“You’re lucky you didn’t go into diabetic shock or something.”

“Make me feel better.” Bam demanded. Ville stared.

“What do you want me to do? Dance naked?” he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He did NOT want the sick one to take him up on it. Bam shook his head though, and Ville took in a sigh of relief.

“I want you to tell me a story.”

“But you know all the stories, Bam-Bam.”

“So make one up for me.” He said it as though he was asking for a glass of orange juice or something.

“Oh,” he sighed. He knew when he was being suckered into something. The skater looked at him with wide, sad blue eyes.
“Fine, I’ll make you up a story.”

“Yay!”

“Once upon a time,” Ville began, his arm around Bam’s shoulders. “There was a prince. This prince had money, friends, and a loving family. He had everything he could ever wish for, including many beautiful young maidens. He even did whatever he wanted, no matter how it made anyone else feel. He was a stubborn prince.” Bam had the grace to blush at this part.
“Even though he had all these things, the prince was not happy.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No,” Ville shook his head. “He was very unhappy. The prince’s life seemed empty. And though he tried to fill his life with drinking, and laughing, and games, he couldn’t. It was still empty.”

“That’s sad,” Bam frowned. “This is a really bad story.”

“You haven’t let me finish.” He smiled at his boyfriend, kissed him on the forehead. “This prince was also a very impatient person. Anyway, this prince finally figured out what it was that he was missing in his life.
He found out because one day, a humble minstrel appeared at his castle door. The prince, always glad to meet a stranger, was the first one there.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Please, your highness. I am but a simple minstrel. I will play you any song you wish, if you give me something to eat.” The minstrel begged. The prince thought this over.
“You may stay as long as you please, and I will feed you, but you may only stay as long as you have songs to sing to me.”
“Very well, your highness.” And as simple as that the minstrel came to live in the castle with the prince.
He sang one song a day, and in return, earned his meals. Of course, one cannot sit in silence all day, and so the prince and the minstrel began to talk together. And, by and by, the prince began to include the minstrel in the games that he played with all the other members of his court.
The prince thought the minstrel the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He requested that the musician play the daily song as he lay down to sleep, sitting by his bedside. His plaintive voice and sad melodies always put the prince to sleep. Likewise, the minstrel found himself falling in love with the prince, though he could never say anything. His wonderful eyes and daring ways quickly won his over.
But of course, a minstrel and a prince could never be together.” Here Ville made his voice very sad.

“Couldn’t they?” Bam was clutching the front of his shirt.

“You simply must learn to listen and see, Bam.” His fingers tangled in the skater’s hair. Already he’d forgotten about his tummy ache, but whether that was from the medicine or the story, he didn’t know.
“The seasons passed them by. Their feelings grew, but neither one of them said anything. Finally, one night as the young prince was lying in his bed; the minstrel looked down on him and sighed.
“I’m afraid I must be leaving in the morning, your highness.”
“Why?” the prince demanded, sitting up.
“Because I only have one more song to sing, your highness. And I must sing it to you tonight.”
“All right,” he felt his heart aching, but the prince agreed. That was the agreement, after all.
And so the minstrel began to sing.” Here Ville stopped and cleared his throat. Bam’s eyes were closed, but he was not sleeping. The Finnish man waited a second anyway.

“Keep going,” Bam demanded sleepily.

“Just one look in your eyes, one look and I’m crying. ‘Cause you’re so beautiful. Just one kiss and I’m alive, one kiss and I’m ready to die. ‘Cause you’re so beautiful. Just one touch and I’m on fire. One touch and I’m crying, ‘cause you’re so beautiful. Just one smile and I’m wild, one smile and I’m ready to die. ‘Cause you’re so beautiful.
Oh, and you’re so beautiful. My darling. Oh you’re so beautiful. You’re so beautiful, oh my baby. You’re so beautiful. And you’re so beautiful. Oh my darling, oh my baby. And you’re so beautiful.” Ville sang.
“The minstrel sang this simple song to the prince. When his eyes drifted shut, he stood. He hesitated at the bedside for a moment, but, knowing that he would never see the object of his desire again, he decided to be brave. He bent and kissed the prince.
Just as he went to walk away, the prince sat up. The minstrel froze; frightened that he might killed for his audacity. Instead, the prince opened his arms wide.
“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered.
“I won’t,” the minstrel answered. And he went and laid in the princes arms. And there he stayed every
night, for the rest of their lives.”

“That’s a nice story.” Bam yawned. He snuggled deeper into Ville’s chest. “What do you think they did for the rest of their lives?”

“That’s quite another story.” Ville chuckled. Bam was asleep in minutes. He kissed the sleeping lips gently.
“Sleep well, my prince.”