The Prince and the Pea, or Bedtime for the CPSG by Derora (derora@erols.com) January 1998 Warning:  While this is very much a classic fairy tale, it has been enhanced with descriptions of romance and sex between two men. If the notion of consenting male adults being in love and having sex disturbs you, or if you are underage, then just be on your way.  And if it doesn't disturb you, please read on. Disclaimer:  Paramount is God.  Bend over, grab your ankles, and worship loudly.  (Seriously, no infringement of copyright is intended.) Do not post or use this piece of original fiction on your personal FTP or web site without my permission. Personal Notes:  Thanks to Margaret, Debra, and the CPSG ListBabies for the inspiration, and Stef for the stellar beta-reading. Feedback welcome at derora@erols.com. Summary:  A retelling of "The Princess and the Pea" with Tom Paris and Chakotay in the starring roles.  Will they live happily ever after? *** Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a beautiful but lonely prince.  Prince Chakotay, for that was his name, longed to marry and share his life with someone special. His father the King and his mother the Queen were also anxious for Prince Chakotay to marry, but they would only accept a real prince into their family. So Prince Chakotay traveled the galaxies looking for a real prince to make his own.  He visited many worlds in his luxurious ship, accompanied by his squire, Harry.  They asked about real princes wherever they went, and met a great many. But none were quite right.  Some were too tall, some were too short.  Some were too old, and some were too young.  And Prince Chakotay was never sure which were real princes, and which were just saying that they were real. Worst of all, none of the princes stirred his heart. And so Prince Chakotay headed home after many years, saddened that he could not find a true love.  "What am I to do, Harry?" he asked of his squire.  "I am so lonely without a prince of my own to love.  And my mother the Queen will be so unhappy to see that I am still alone." "I am sorry, your Highness," answered Harry the squire.  "I will keep sending messages to all the known galaxies, looking for a prince for you.  Surely we will find someone soon." "I know you will try, Harry.  I just wish..." *** In Prince Chakotay's kingdom, the mood in the palace was somber.  The Prince was sad and very lonely, his mother the Queen was most distressed, his father the King was outraged at the lack of real princes, and Harry the squire was very unhappy that he was not a real prince who could make his beloved master happy. Then one night a terrible storm came to the kingdom.  There was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents all around the palace.  The King and the Queen and the Prince huddled by the fire, trying to keep warm.  Suddenly, there was a knock at the palace door, and the King went to answer it.  There at the door was a very wet and very cold man. He was so wet that water poured off his golden hair and clothes.  He was so wet that the rain ran down into the toes of his shoes and came out again at the heels. "Your Majesty, my name is Prince Tom. My ship has broken down and I cannot repair it until the rain stops.  Could you offer shelter for the night to a weary traveler?" "Come in, my son, and sit near the fire. Prince Tom, you say?   Are you a real prince?" "Yes, I am," answered Prince Tom.  "I am a long way from my kingdom and traveling alone." As they neared the fire, Prince Tom bowed before the Queen and started to bow to the man next to her, when he froze in surprise.  Before him was the most handsome of princes -- a tall, strong man with deep brown eyes and a compelling tattoo on his forehead.  Prince Tom was struck speechless, for he did not know what to say to such a beautiful man. And to his joy, the beautiful prince before him seemed to have the same reaction. "Prince Tom," said the King, "may I present my wife the Queen and my son, Prince Chakotay." "You are indeed a real prince?" asked the Queen. "Yes, your Majesty," he answered, keeping his eyes on Prince Chakotay. The Queen was not convinced that Tom was a real prince, but she held her tongue.   "Come," said the Queen.  "You need a warm bath and some dry clothes, then you can spend the night with us."   *** Prince Tom followed Harry the squire up the curved stairs of the palace and down the hall to a large bath.  There was another fire glowing in the corner, and a large tub with steaming water waiting for him.  He stood still as Harry the squire removed his clothes for him. As each piece of wet clothing was peeled off, the squire used his own hands to warm Prince Tom's chilly skin. When Prince Tom stood naked in front of him, Harry the squire took his hand and helped him into the deep tub.  Prince Tom sunk into it with a grateful sigh, and closed his eyes, for he was very tired after his long journey.  His eyes did not open as Harry the squire began to wash his lean body with a soft sponge.  He only moaned softly with pleasure as the sponge caressed his neck, his arms and his chest. There was a brief pause, then that magical sponge moved to his back, stroking in small, slow circles.  Prince Tom's soft moans came more frequently as the sponge massaged his shoulders, his upper back, his lower back, and then moved softly against his buttocks.  When Prince Tom still did not open his eyes, the hand holding the sponge moved gently into the cleft between his soft cheeks, cleansing and pleasuring at the same time. Prince Tom squirmed a bit, but made no move to escape the sponge or open his eyes. Encouraged by this, his attendant shifted slightly, and began to wash Prince Tom's feet with a strong, soothing motion. The sponge then moved slowly up Prince Tom's legs and between his thighs, to softly caress his manhood.  Only then did Prince Tom open his eyes, to find that it was Prince Chakotay who now held the sponge, not Harry the squire. "Your Highness," he breathed.  "I did not know it was you." "Is this all right, little one?  If you do not want me here, I will go and send Harry back in." "No, your Highness," said Prince Tom, grasping Prince Chakotay's hand. The hand that held the sponge.  "Stay.  It would please me greatly." Prince Chakotay smiled -- his first real smile in many months. "Ah, you are so beautiful, little one.  I am pleased that you have come here to my kingdom.  I would gladly spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy." He leaned forward, and placed a soft, sweet kiss on Prince Tom's lips.  Prince Tom raised a wet arm to the back of the Prince's neck to hold him there, and the kiss deepened and lengthened.  Prince Tom's other hand pressed Prince Chakotay's hand and the sponge harder against his now swollen manhood.  Understanding all too well what Prince Tom needed, the handsome Prince Chakotay began to move the sponge again, this time in a slow, firm motion against that most beautiful and sensitive part of Prince Tom.  And Prince Chakotay did not stop kissing and stroking Prince Tom until the beautiful young prince cried out into his mouth and shuddered against his hand in grateful release. *** Meanwhile, the Queen was supervising the preparation of the bedroom for Prince Tom.  She removed all the bedding that the servants had carefully prepared, and placed a pea on the mattress.  The Queen then placed twenty mattresses on top of the pea, and twenty feather beds on top of the mattresses.  The bed was so high that she had a servant bring a ladder so that Prince Tom could get into bed. *** Prince Chakotay smiled softly at the exhausted young prince who lay against the back of the tub.  "Come, little one.  It is late and you should be abed."  He held out his hand, and helped Prince Tom out of the tub.  He took up a soft towel and gently patted Prince Tom dry, supporting him with his own strong body. Prince Chakotay then led the tired young prince into the bedroom, dressed him in warm pajamas, and helped him up the ladder and into bed. As Prince Chakotay prepared to go back down the ladder, Prince Tom reached out to gently hold his wrist.  "Please do not leave.  I would keep you near me, if you wish." "Ah, I truly do wish, little one," answered Prince Chakotay.  "But you need to sleep." "I will sleep better with you beside me," Prince Tom entreated. Verily, Prince Chakotay could not resist the plea in those blue eyes, nor the invitation in that voice.  He smiled warmly in acceptance, and slowly removed his clothing and tossed it to the floor. Settling down on the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds, he took Prince Tom in his arms and held him close. "My pretty one, do you know what you do to me?" "Exactly what you do to me," answered Prince Tom, his blue eyes darkening as he trailed his fingertips down Prince Chakotay's cheek. "Are you tired?" "Not that tired."  Prince Tom moved his hand to stroke the handsome Prince's throat, and leaned in to kiss his tattoo, then his eyelids, then his sculpted lips. Prince Chakotay helped the beautiful prince off with his pajamas, then lay him down gently on the bed.  As he pulled Prince Tom closer, however, he was shocked to hear him gasp in pain. "What is it, little one?" "There is something very hard in my bed!" "That might be me," Prince Chakotay chuckled. "Well, then there may be two very hard things in my bed.  But one of them hurts." Prince Tom squirmed a bit, then settled into Prince Chakotay's arms again with a sigh.  "Oh, and here is the other one!" he cried happily.  He pressed himself into that lovely rigid flesh, and rubbed his own growing hardness into Prince Chakotay's with a soft moan. Every once in a while, Prince Tom would rub against an unpleasant bump in his bed, but that only caused him to move closer to Prince Chakotay, and then he was happy again.  The two beautiful princes held each other close, moving faster and moaning louder until their tension peaked and released, hot and wet between them.   Prince Chakotay laid his pretty young prince down on the pillow, kissing him good night and settling in beside him. And as he did, he also felt a painful lump in the bed.  "I feel something hard, too," he said. "I do not think it is me," answered Prince Tom with a smile.  "At least, not yet." Prince Chakotay snuggled against Prince Tom.  "Well, little one, I trust you will let me know when you have a problem with which I can help you."  And with that, the two handsome princes kissed again and fell asleep. *** All through the night, the princes were bothered by hard things.   One of them would move a bit in bed, and a hard bump under the mattress would cause him to awaken and move closer to the other prince.  And there, he would encounter yet another hard thing.  It then took quite a long while to alleviate that situation before the princes could settle down once again and try to sleep.  And before you know it, their problems started all over again! *** In the morning, Prince Tom rose early, very tired but very happy. He left Prince Chakotay to sleep a bit longer, and climbed down the ladder from his high bed.  After he washed and dressed, he went down the curved stairs to greet the King and the Queen. "Good morning, Prince Tom," said the Queen.  "Did you sleep well?  Was the bed comfortable?" "It was a lovely, soft bed," replied Prince Tom politely.  "It was so soft, however, that I could feel something hard under the mattresses.  I fear I am black and blue all over this morning." The Queen smiled delightedly at this news, for she knew that only a real prince would be able to feel a pea under twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds.  Only a real prince had skin that tender. "Oh my son," she said to Prince Chakotay, who had just entered the room, "Prince Tom is indeed a real prince, and we would gladly welcome him into our family." Both princes smiled happily, and reached to hold the other close.  Soon there was a grand wedding in the kingdom, and all the King's loyal subjects rejoiced that their beloved Prince Chakotay had such a beautiful prince to love. And they lived happily ever after. The End