『once upon a time...』

UPON TURNING EIGHTEEN, yuriko was sent many letters and gifts begging for her hand in marriage. obviously she had getō and gojō burn them, only occasionally keeping a few for a good laugh.

"I heard the first prince from the zen'in kingdom proposed with a thousand roses and a necklace made of pink pearls", chimon stated, moving his pawn forwards, as yuriko chose to attack with her bishop.

     "he did. I plucked the rose petals and indulged in a sweet smelling rose bath", the eighteen year-old honestly replied.

     "he's not your cup of tea?", her father chuckled, threatening yuriko's king with his knight.

     gojō and getō were silently observing the chess game, as yuriko pondered her next move.

     "he's far from it. if he thinks some roses and pearls would be enough to chain me down as his wife, he's dead wrong".

     chimon lightly chuckled before strongly coughing, to which he had soothed the throaty itch with some oolong tea.

     the dark-haired girl's gaze flickered towards the teacup with great curiosity.

     "why do you still drink that tea?", she asked, watching as her father dispatched his rook.

     "it's good", he simply answered.

     "is it not bitter?", yuriko questioned, taking away her father's queen, as he was down an important piece.

     "no", chimon smiled, "not at all".

     gojō and getō couldn't help but wonder if there was a double meaning behind the father-daughter interaction.

     amongst the public eye, the japana family seemed like the perfect household. however, every ménage had their own secrets.

     "I see..."

     "yuriko, you're sidetracked again", chimon teased, cornering the girl's king, as she now had no way to protect it.

"apologies, father. it was over presumptuous of me to think that I would win upon taking away your queen".

"you should keep focus on the main goal, yuriko. don't let a little sacrifice cloud your sight".

the eighteen year-old nodded, as chimon started coughing again, dismissing his eldest daughter.

"ah, summon your mother for me, won't you, sweetheart?"

yuriko flashed the king an understanding smile, as she mumbled an, "of course, dear father", and left.

♚

today was a special day. well, at least for getō and gojō.

yuriko made sure to shower the two fairies with as much attention and gifts as she could provide, for today was their eighteenth birthday — the anniversary of when the princess had saved them from poverty.

"princess, can you help me with my shirt? the buttons are too difficult~", gojō whined, as the male's white button up was loosely open for the woman to witness his defined abdomen.

     "goodness, you're eighteen and you're still struggling with this?", yuriko teased, her nimble fingers working quickly to button up gojō's shirt, as the male simply smiled.

     upon reaching the start of adulthood, getō and gojō were now taller than yuriko by at least a whole foot. it made the dark-haired woman sigh, as she couldn't believe how fast they've grown.

"you know he's just saying that so that you could take care of him", getō stated, leaning against the back of the couch, as his shirt was unbuttoned as well.

"speaking of which, I'd like your assistance as well, princess".

yuriko softly chuckled, as she complied anyways. anything for her boys on their special day.

"anyways, what's the plan for today?", gojō asked, sauntering over to the other two, as he loomed over the princess, who was busy smoothing out getō's black button up.

"we will enjoy a lovely breakfast together. then we shall shop around the town square and everything you two like will be on me", yuriko answered.

"we'll have a quick lunch before getting a portrait painted for you two. I wish to remember my two handsome boys before they grow any older", the twenty-one year-old smiled, tucking a strand of getō's hair behind his ear.

"and then we'll dine with atsuko, aratani, and their fairies".

"what about after dinner?", getō questioned, as gojō was curious about it as well.

"that's for me to know and for you two to find out", the first princess slyly answered, before ushering her two fairies out the door and into the dining hall.

upon being served their favorite strawberry jam biscuits and tea, gojō raised a brow at the sight change in taste.

     "something wrong?", yuriko asked, sipping her jasmine tea, as gojō had spoke with his mouth full.

     "these biscuits are sweeter than usual", he commented.

     "really? mine are actually less sweet than usual", getō chimed in.

     "hah? your tastebuds must be broken. they're definitely sweeter than the ones we usually have", the white-haired boy argued.

     "no they're not! would you quit trying to get me to cave in to your nasty sweets", getō huffed.

"NASTY?! EXCUSE ME?? sorry I'm not into tasteless biscuits like you!", gojō mocked.

yuriko watched with amusement, as she wondered how long it'd take them to realize that they were both correct.

"I handmade them", she suddenly spoke up.

"I personally adjusted the sugar levels to suit you two's tastes".

gojō and getō glanced at each other before letting out a soft, "oh".

the two then proceeded to silently eat, as they ravished in the thought of their princess personally making their breakfast.

"told you mine was sweeter", gojō mumbled.

"shut up", getō harshly retaliated, before finishing his plate of carbs and jokingly kicking his best friend's leg under the table.

alas, the trio had headed out for the day to shop for whatever they desired.

"yuko, do these pants make my ass look good?", gojō loudly questioned, causing a few people to glance over at the male.

     "satoru, can you shut the fuck up before we get kicked out of another store please?", getō grumbled, putting on a fake smile, as his grip on gojō's shoulder tightened.

     "relax, suguru. there's plenty of other shops for satoru to get us kicked out of", yuriko joked.

     "but to answer your question, yes. you should get it if you like it".

     "but do you like it", gojō grinned, strutting towards the dark-haired princess, as she couldn't help but snort.

     "satoru, stop it", she wheezed, watching the white-haired fairy flutter his iridescent wings with pride. gojō had then turned his back towards the woman and draped a matching jacket across his shoulder, showcasing his fitted ass in those pants.

     getō facepalmed, as he allowed a few chuckles to escape his lips as well.

     "my goodness, satoru! save it for when we get back to the palace please", yuriko begged, wiping a tear away, as she had to take a moment to catch her breath.

     "yes yes~ anything for you, princess", the white-haired fairy quietly obeyed.

     after spending a fortune on new clothes and books, the three took a break by attending a petite restaurant nearby.

"ah, I'm so full~", gojō sighed, as yuriko left a hefty tip on the table before leading the two towards a painting lounge.

"ah, you must be miss yuko! are these two the art subjects for today?", a senior man greeted.

     "yes sir. it's their eighteenth birthday today, and I'd like to have a portrait of them painted as a memory for the future", yuriko briefly explained.

     "happy birthday to you two! well come on in. take a seat and I'll try to get through it as quickly as possible. let me know whenever you wish for a break", the artist stated, as he already had his tools prepared.

     "are you not going to join in on the picture, yuko?", getō noticed.

     "it's you two's day today. I don't want to—"

     "nonsense! you sit here", gojō demanded, pulling the woman down onto a chair that was slightly tilted towards the right, as getō kneeled before their princess.

     gojō had then leaned forward from behind the chair, comfortably draping his arms around yuriko's shoulders.

     "look up, princess — for this is a moment to be remembered", getō whispered, gently grasping one of yuriko's hands, as he held it up to his lips.

     a charming smile was displayed upon the woman's face, as the artist attempted to capture their beauty all in one frame.

"this is perhaps the most ethereal painting I've done in my entire lifetime".

♚

after hours of painting and minimal breaks in between, yuriko paid double the amount, for she was very satisfied with the artist's work.

and upon returning back to the palace, she immediately instructed a servant to go retrieve the painting a few days later — for it needed to dry.

"took you guys long enough!", aratani huffed, as itadori and kugisaki (the third princess's fairies) had only nodded in agreement.

"apologies. we were held up by something", yuriko brushed off, taking a seat, as getō and gojō filed in.

"it's quite alright. we all just got here anyways", atsuko informed, to which okkotsu and inumaki (the second princess's fairies) had bowed in respect to the first princess.

     "good good. now, let's get started on dinner, shall we?"

     AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love them sm,,

     also, I hope you all don't mind these boring introductory chapters. I'm trying my best to display the relationship btwn getō, gojō, & yuriko <3