An Impressive Hobby

The eldest of the Borgia brothers, was going about his business as usual, he had gotten up early, had his daily amount of tea, finished all of his classes, and had finally just now finished all of his homework and any assignments given to him by his father. It was now early evening and with nothing else to do other than pour out a nice glass of red and read, or go for a walk, Cesare decided on the latter, feeling the need for some well deserved fresh air. He gathered his keys and coat and left his room, breathing in a long sigh.

It had been a good few days now since his younger brother had last barged in, the peace was welcomed though it was unusual for Juan to go this long without deciding he wanted to anger or simply gain a rise out of Cesare. Humming to himself quietly, the eldest Borgia child thought nothing of it. Perhaps the other man was finally leaving him alone in favour of spending the time with that Auditore friend of his. This made it much easier for him to get through his daily routine, that said a small part of him hope the younger man wasn't getting into anything shifty.

After a long time of tossing different ideas and plans through his head, Cesare realised he had been walking the length of the campus and had some how made it over to the performing arts section. Shrugging slightly, he carried on through into the halls, hoping to find his way back through to the main part of campus, though he wasn't exactly sure how to get back round from this area. Perhaps he could ask someone, though there didn't seem many people around. He spotted a big door toward the end of the hall, hoping it was the way out he approached and opened it slowly, only to realise it appeared to be the theatre, it was dark besides the lights they used for the stage. Walking in slowly and quietly, he hoped there might be a teacher in here, then he could be pointed out of the area.

As he walked further in through what seemed to be part of back stage, he heard voices approaching, he picked up his pace, opening a door to a smaller room which seemed to be used as a small classroom and dressing room. He spotted a small group of people, dressed in costumes.

However, the person he saw standing among them was what shocked him the most. There stood, clad in full costume, was Juan.

For what had started as a stoned joke several weeks back, Juan had really found himself in the thick of it. It had all started when he and Federico had gotten utterly wasted one night, and thought it would be a brilliant idea to break into the backstage of the student theatre to play dress up.

It HAD been a brilliant idea at first. The pink frock seemed to fit his slim frame rather perfectly, which had had the two of them in stitches, but it was the bonnet that really set it all off. As Juan was adding a few final touches to 'Juanita', they had apparently been too loud, because that was when Mrs. Grimsby, the drama teacher, burst in screaming her head off. Appropriately named, the woman may have only just been touching five foot, but she was menacing. However, Juan, unlike most sane humans didn't back down or apologise, he simply fluttered his eyelashes before asking if she had any chicken fillets. This had somehow taken the edge off the bollocking they were getting, but how it had reached the point that he was acting in her latest stage play as the brother of prince Albert, he had no clue. He chose to believe it was his wit and charm.

Tonight was the first dress rehearsal and Juan felt like a mummy in all the layers, it was uncomfortable and he felt like an idiot. Which was saying something considering his usual antics. Brushing himself down, he caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror; his hair had been carefully brushed back into a tidy ponytail, his facial hair neatly trimmed and his suit fitted like a well made glove.

"Well, don't you scrub up!" A familiar voice called out, as Mrs. Grimsby approached him, grabbing at his collar to straighten him up a bit.

"I think I prefer the dress, it felt freer." He grinned. "More air to the nether-regions and all that." As the weeks had passed, Juan had actually come to respect the woman, she had proven to be a lot of fun and pretty damn open-minded.

"That's because you didn't put the bustle on." With a smile, she patted him proudly on the back as someone caught her eye. A young man, with dark hair seemed to be eying her pilfered student up. Without much thought, she drew Juan's attention to him, before turning to assist the other actors and actresses, figuring the guest was a friend of Juan's.

Spinning on his heel, the young Borgia expected to see Federico, but was caught off guard by the man in front of him as he stared in surprise, not able to come up with something witty as fast as he would like. "Cesare? What are you---?" Briefly looking down at himself and then back to his older brother, he let out a small laugh. "This is NOT as wholesome and respectable as it looks, I swear."

Tugging his jacket at the front, he stood proudly, a charming smile curling at his lips. "So, what do you think?"

The eldest Borgia stood stock still with shock, he wasn't sure whether to burst into hysterical laughter or run first. In truth, he couldn't really react, he was left completely speechless. Never had he seen Juan look so different, the man had always avoided this kind of clothing to his best ability. So why was he here? He was clearly a part of this production, but why? Perhaps he had lost a bet with that blasted Auditore. They were both as bad as each other.

He took in his brother's appearance properly now. It would be a great lie to say the man didn't look incredibly handsome. He wore a white shirt and waist coast and a black long coat, along with black breeches. He did indeed scrub up well, he looked stunning, and Cesare was finding it difficult taking his eyes off of the younger Borgia, which probably was starting to come across as slightly creepy. Clearing his throat he turned his gaze away from Juan, looking around the room now.

At Juan's next words he shuffled awkwardly, a crooked smile pulling at his lips slightly. "What am I doing here? Well I was having a pleasant stroll. More the question is what exactly you are up to?"

Willing himself to stay composed, Cesare folded his arms over. "You look....different, that is certain."

It didn't take long to notice Cesare's eyes lingering over his body, but on this rare occasion, Juan wasn't entirely sure how to take it. Was is simply out of surprise, or did his older brother like what he saw? Maybe a bit of both, which only increased the younger Borgia's playful grin.

"A pleasant stroll into the backstage of the theatre?.." Briefly he tried to figure out who could have possibly told Cesare, but the train of thought was soon cut off by his own answer. "Long story short, I owed Mrs Grimsby in damages against a lovely pink frock, and her Prince Ernest actor and understudy seem to have come down with a terrible bout of  car crash." Though Juan looked every bit the gentleman, his quirky mannerisms and speech were ever present, along with his lack of shame.

"You should see Mrs Grimsby when she's angry. Hard to refuse." He laughed in a poorly veiled attempt to hide his admiration for the woman. Of course, this didn't really explain why she'd chosen him to play such a role, but Juan wasn't even entirely sure about it himself. Though, the character seemed to be reasonably appropriate for him.

"Only 'different', dear brother?.. Not even remotely handsome or 'princely'?" With a small twirl, the younger Borgia showed off just how well the suit fitted him. "Ernst August Karl Johann Leopold Alexander Eduard... " Spoken in a near perfect German accent, Juan smirked before executing a regal bow. "Or more simply; prince Albert's brother." The enjoyment Juan was getting from this was evident from the laughter and smiles; although he was usually a very easy going person, this was different.