Title: Ruby Eyes

Author: Maiden of Mystery

Fandom: Princess Princess

Format: One-shot

Genre: Romance

Coupling(s): Tooru/Mikoto

Rating: PG

Summary: Tooru knew he had made the right decision to stay at Fujimori instead of transfer to his old school. But he had his decision made well before he announced it, thanks to someone else. As day turns to night, Tooru has yet to thank him.
Warning: spoilers for the last episode, shounen-ai, slash, BL, etc…

A/N: Yeah, I know I should be working on OMH right now. But writer's block is evil and I need to break free. So I'm just writing a few one shots before moving onto OMH again. Major hiatus with that...sorry!

&there aren't too many Princess Princess fics out there. So why not add some? Even though this isn't the preferred pairing, you know I like to think outside of the box unlike everyone else. (At least for the most part...)

Disclaimer: Don't waste time with lawsuits. I don't own Princess Princess.

-

"Everyone! I'm staying here! I'm not going anywhere!"

Hearing Tooru Kouno announce those words made the boys of Fujimori High School ecstatic. They all cheered, knowing that their wonderful Princess Tooru was there to stay. They were all devastated upon hearing the horrible news that he was going to transfer, so hearing the blue haired boy claim that he was not leaving anymore was an extremely nice breath of fresh air for everyone, from the students, to the student council, to Natashou, to Akira, and to Yuujirou and Mikoto, the other two princesses.

In the end, Tooru knew that he had made the right decision to stay at Fujimori instead of transfer to his old school like his uncle wanted. He was certain it was the right decision as he looked into the eyes of the unnamed students who stood below the rooftop, begging him to stay. As much as he wanted to rebuild the damage he had with his family, he knew he would be letting everyone down by leaving, and he wasn't about to do that.

However, Tooru had made his decision to stay well before the boys came out to persuade him not to leave. They had just made him absolutely sure that his decision was the right one. It was someone else. And by the time they let out for the day, Tooru needed to thank him.

From the first day he saw him jumping from a treetop, all dolled up in princess clothes, Tooru had been attracted to the Western Princess, Mikoto Yutaka. Even though the other boy was not exactly the comforting type that he was usually drawn to, there was something about the red haired princess that Tooru was drawn to. Once he became a princess, he stayed by Mikoto's side, helping him, giving him advice, and of course occasionally taunting him alongside Yuujirou. He did all that, trying to figure out what about him he was drawn to. Sadly, Tooru never figured it out until he made his decision earlier.

"Don't leave, Kouno. The three of us are princesses. If Shihoudani and Kouno aren't there to lead poor indecisive me…"

That line echoed in Tooru's head for hours after he left the rooftop. It wasn't just what Mikoto said that made the blue haired teen's decision easier for him. It was the way the line was presented. Mikoto was looking up at Tooru, his ruby eyes shimmering, trying to persuade him to turn down the transfer option. That's when it hit him. Tooru was attracted to Mikoto's eyes the most.

Of course, he thought Mikoto was attractive overall. He was a princess after all; he had no choice but to be beautiful. But Tooru thought it was Mikoto's eyes that brought out the most beauty in him. Surely, everyone agreed with him. How could anyone not be attracted to those red eyes that shimmered and shined like rubies? It was when his eyes shimmered that Tooru was most attracted to the Western Princess. In fact, when they were on the rooftop of the school, Mikoto pleading him to stay, the blue-haired boy could've easily pulled him into a kiss, or at least an embrace. Of course, he couldn't do that, thanks to Yuujirou and Akira walking in.

It was never admitted to him, but ever since they shared that kiss in front of Sayaka, Tooru had this assumption in the back of his mind that Yuujirou had feelings for him that were stronger than those of a best friend. Unfortunately for the blond boy, Tooru's feelings for him did not exceed those of friendship. However, he kept that information away from the other Eastern Princess, in fear of breaking his heart.

With a sigh, Tooru placed the phone back on the receiver. He had just finished his phone call to his uncle, alerting them of his refusal to transfer. His uncle was disappointed, but understanding in his nephew's decision as they ended the conversation. The blue haired teen walked away from the phone, Mikoto on his mind. Despite Akira and Yuujirou being his best friends, it was Mikoto who was the main reason behind his decision. Knowing that, Tooru needed to thank him. He made his way back to the P-Room dorms, and more specifically, to Mikoto's room. Once there, he tapped lightly yet loudly on the door, awaiting a response.

"Who is it?" came a voice from inside.

"It's Tooru."

Within seconds, the door opened, revealing the red haired boy, clad in a white t-shirt and a pair of boxers. "Kouno?" Mikoto was almost surprised that Tooru was there, but before he could ask for a reason, the blue haired princess had already let himself in.

"You don't mind if I stay in here for a bit, do you?" Tooru asked, smiling. Mikoto shook his head, closing the door behind him. He walked back his bed as Tooru looked around. On his desk, there were pictures of Mikoto and his girlfriend Megumi, the Yutaka family, as well as ones of the four boys, which included himself, Mikoto, Yuujirou, and Akira.

"So, what's up?"

Tooru's attention went straight to Mikoto as he tried to find words to answer. "Not much," he replied. "I just got off the phone with my uncle. I told him that I wasn't going to transfer back to my old school." As he walked over to the bed where the red head sat, Mikoto stood up.

"Well, if you're done, I might as well make a phone call," Mikoto told him, obviously referring to Megumi. "Sorry I have to leave you when you just got here, Kouno," he apologized as he made his way back to the door, passing Tooru. However, a hand grasping his arm prevented the Western Princess from moving any further. Unsure about what exactly was going on, Mikoto turned to face the blue haired boy. "K-Kouno?"

"Let's leave Megumi-san alone tonight, Mikoto," Tooru said with a smile. As Mikoto stuttered to respond, Tooru led them back to the bottom bunk of the bed, sitting both of them down. He released the other boy's arm, turning him so that their eyes could meet. He then placed a hand on Mikoto's cheek, cupping it lightly before he felt another hand on his.

"What was that all about?" Mikoto asked him, confused as ever about what Tooru was doing.

Tooru kept smiling. "I just wanted to say thanks for earlier," he responded, sliding his hand from the red head's cheek to the nape of his neck, and then to his collarbone.

Mikoto tilted his head. "Thanks for what? I didn't do anything special today."

The blue haired boy chuckled. "Of course you did. You convinced me to stay here."

"Yeah, but so did everyone else…" Mikoto continued, blushing as Tooru's hand moved into his hair, running his fingers through the reddish locks. "…right?"

"True, true…" In a matter of seconds, Tooru wrapped his other arm around Mikoto's waist, gently pulling the smaller boy into his lap, causing him to yelp and jump a little. "But I can't let Yuujirou have all the fun he can have with you, can I now, Mikoto?"

As Tooru's smile turned a little more into a smirk, Mikoto's blush turned a lot redder. He put his hands on the blue haired boy's shoulders as he was soon straddled on his fellow princess' lap to maintain balance. Of course, those actions just made the red head's blush deepen even more to the point where his face had more red in it than his hair did.

"Kouno! What are you-" before he could continue, Mikoto was cut off by Tooru's lips advancing onto his own. As Tooru wrapped his arms tighter around Mikoto's body, the blue haired boy observed the emotions going through the other boy's eyes. First he was shocked, then later he became content, and eventually, he became somewhat comfortable. The kiss went on, and slowly, despite knowing he was in a relationship already, Mikoto melted into it, closing his eyes in the process.

However, once that happened, Tooru broke the kiss for a few seconds. "Don't close your eyes," he told the other before continuing where they left off. Obeying, Mikoto reopened his eyes, subconsciously kissing the Eastern Princess back.

They kept going for a while, Tooru losing himself in Mikoto's ruby-like eyes as Mikoto stared back into Tooru's blue orbs. Neither boy let go of the other. Mikoto had his arms wrapped around Tooru's neck, running his fingers through the blue hair as the other did to him not so long ago. Tooru had both his arms around Mikoto's waist instead of just one, allowing his hands to roam the areas on his back. After a while, feeling the blue haired boy's soft lips exploring his own made Mikoto learn not to regret letting Tooru take him away from calling Megumi.

Eventually, Tooru had to break the kiss once again, this time, much to their dismay, for good. With his arms still around the other boy, he rolled on top of Mikoto, causing both of them to lay down on the bed. Tooru moved his arms so that they now wrapped around Mikoto's neck instead of his waist and smiled at the ruby eyed boy. He placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, getting lost in those eyes again.

"Kouno…" Mikoto started to say in a weak voice.

"C'mon, Mikoto," Tooru interrupted, laughing a little bit. "We've known each other long enough. Don't you think you should start calling me 'Tooru' now?"

Eyes still shimmering, Mikoto looked back up at Tooru, another blush forming on his cheeks. "Tooru…" he restarted. After a few seconds, he wrapped his arms around Tooru's torso, and smiled at him, chuckling a bit. "If you came here to thank me, then just say it already."

It was Tooru's turn to blush, but he laughed it away. "Right. I forgot." The blue haired boy laid his head gently onto the pillow beneath Mikoto's head. "Thank you, Mikoto."

With that, Tooru ended up falling asleep on top of Mikoto, their arms wrapped around each other. In the end, Tooru knew he had made the right decision to stay at Fujimori. Because at his old school, he wouldn't be able to lose himself in those ruby eyes again.

-

A/N: As I said, not the preferred pairing. But honestly, I think Tooru and Mikoto are a lot cuter together than Tooru and Yuujirou are. In fact, Yuujirou and Mikoto are a lot cuter than Tooru and Yuujirou are. As are Tooru and Akira. However, TooMiko is OTP. As much as I love YuuMiko and TooAki, I have not written a fic on my OTP in a long time, if not, ever. So yeah.

All summer, I've had an idea for a multi-chapter YuuMiko fic entitled Never Too Late. But I'm having problems starting it, especially after watching episode 10. Because that episode gave me a (somewhat) het couple to support. (I know this anime is hella gay, but admit it, Mikoto/Megumi is one adorable canon couple.) But there is a shortage of Princess Princess fics, so even if you're one of those hardcore YuuToo fans, you might wanna look forward to it.

Oh yeah, I might sound like I'm kind of bashing Yuujirou/Tooru, but I really am a YuuToo fan. I just think it's overused and other couples are better. Just my opinion.