Chapter 120: The Final Breath

We have five minutes until we go on stage.

It is just us in the hallway.

The noise of the press room is a dull roar through the doors.

Fuji takes my hand. His hand is warm. Steady.

Mine is sweating. Gross.

"Hey," he says softly.

I look up.

"If this goes wrong," he says, "I lose everything. My title. My inheritance. My home."

"I know."

"I am terrified," he admits. The Ice Prince is gone. It is just Fuji.

"Me too."

He smiles.

"Good. We fight better when we are scared."

He leans in. He kisses me.

It is not a forehead kiss. It is not CPR.

It is a real, desperate, 'we-might-die-in-five-minutes' kiss.

It is... nice.

Really nice.

Toujo pops his head around the corner.

"GUYS! SAVE IT FOR THE HONEYMOON! YOU'RE ON!"

We break apart. We are both bright red.

"I am going to murder him," I whisper.

"Later," Fuji says, grabbing my hand tighter. "First... we have a King to dethrone."

He opens the door.

The flashbulbs are blinding.

It is showtime.