[00r9] Kyuhyun and the Princess

words: 4800
rate: PG

At the age of twenty-one, a man should be allowed to make his own decisions. A man should be able to choose what he can do, where he can go and, certainly, who he should marry. Apparently, that wasn’t the case when the man in question was Prince Kyuhyun of the Suju Kingdom.

As such, he was standing in the throne room before his parents, eyes narrowed and arms crossed defiantly over his chest. Ever since his twenty-first birthday, his parents had been throwing girl after girl at him in an attempt to seduce him to marry and inherit the throne. And, ever since his twenty first birthday, he had scowled, glared and ran girl after girl out of the palace. Neither him nor his parents were amused with one another’s antics.

“Do not scowl at me and your mother, Kyuhyun,” His father, King Kangin stated gruffly from his throne atop the dais.

Kyuhyun’s glare grew darker and his lips twisted even more.

“And why are you dressed like a peasant?” His mother, Queen Eeteuk cried in distress as she blew the short strands of her hair from her eyes;

“I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt,” Kyuhyun defended, “You’re not throwing any girls at me today so I don’t have to dress up.”

“You should always look the part of a prince!” Queen Eeteuk exclaimed shrilly. She sat back in her thrown and sighed heavily, “Sometimes I wish you were more like your older brother, always dressing formally even when in the palace.”

Kyuhyun blinked, his eyes widening and his lips slightly parting before he countered, “SUNGMIN WEARS PINK DRESSES EVERYWHERE!”

“Your point?” Queen Eeteuk inquired,

“HOW IS THAT PROPER WHEN HE’S A DAMN PRINCE, TOO!?” Kyuhyun demanded,

“I said he dressed formally, not properly,” Queen Eeteuk replied simply with a small shrug of her shoulders,

“Do not yell at your mother,” King Kangin warned, his voice low and silky,

“You’re both mad,” Kyuhyun hissed through his teeth,

“We’re not angry at you,” Queen Eeteuk blinked, suddenly worried she came off as too rough to her son,

King Kangin patted her hand, “He meant the other kind of ‘mad’, Dear.”

“Cur-ray-zee!” Kyuhyun muttered. He inhaled slowly, deeply to keep his exasperated snarkiness under control before he asked evenly, “Why did you summon me to the throne room?”

“Oh, right!” Queen Eeteuk beamed at him, “We’ve realized what we were doing wrong with all those girls we presented to you,’

“You threw them at me. Literally, or do you not recall the bruise on my back from the time I stumbled against a pillar?” Kyuhyun asked in an annoyed tone,

“None of those girls were princesses!” Queen Eeteuk continued as if her son hadn’t interrupted. She clasped both of her gloved hands against her heart, her almond-shaped eyes gaining a glazed quality that always told Kyuhyun one of two things: 1) His mother was daydreaming or 2) His mother was on some kind of “natural” medicine. He was pretty sure it was the latter most of the time and of the smoking variety, but this time, he knew it was the former.

“So… now you’re going to throw princesses at me? I don’t think royalty appreciate being tossed around a room,” Kyuhyun stated dryly.

“Don’t be insolent,” his father instructed,

“I wasn’t, I was stating an honest fact,” Kyuhyun replied,

“Your tone was insolent,” his father accused,

“No, my tone was dry,” Kyuhyun countered,

“Perhaps some water would help,” Queen Eeteuk said, looking towards one of the palace footmen,

King Kangin rolled his eyes as he patted his wife’s hand, “No, Dear, not that kind of ‘dry’.”

Kyuhyun shared a knowing look with his father before he said, “So how are you going to ensure every girl you throw at me – and I hope this time it is figuratively and not literally – is a princess? There are many kingdoms and if Mother is going to oversee this we cannot be sure she can tell a princess from a pauper.”

“I can tell who is a princess!” Queen Eeteuk defended, looking at her husband for support,

King Kangin slanted her a look, “Wasn’t it just yesterday I found you talking to a statue because you thought it was a person?”

“They just make them so life-like nowadays,” Queen Eeteuk murmured, her expression forlorn,

The King stared at her a moment before looking back at his son, “A princess had delicate sensitivities, so, we’ll ask her to spend the night at the palace.”

“HE HAS TO MARRY HER FIRST!” Queen Eeteuk cried, staring at her husband with wide, bewildered eyes,

King Kangin barely suppressed the urge to smack his own forehead with his hand in exasperation. From the corner of his eye, he could see his son valiantly stifling his laughter. With measured tones, he explained patiently, “She will be sleeping in a different room than Kyuhyun; a different wing even.”

Assured that his wife was mollified, he looked at Kyuhyun and silently told him to not laugh; they could do so after the Queen was no longer present; “Beneath her mattress we’ll place something and, if she is a princess, she’ll be able to feel something is uncomfortable with the mattress.”

“This sounds suspiciously like a story from childhood,” Kyuhyun said, raising a single brow,

“No, no, do not be silly. I came up with this on my own,” King Kangin insisted, waving a hand in the air; “That is my decree and so, it shall be. You may leave us be.”

“I see you’ve been practicing your poetry again, Father,” Kyuhyun smirked and, before the King could yell at him, he turned and ran out of the throne room.

…

“What do you think they’ll put underneath the mattress?”

Kyuhyun looked up from his book to his brother. They were out in the back lawn of the palace. He sat against the trunk of a tree, a book in his lap as he enjoyed the cool shade on that summer day. His brother, Prince Sungmin, stood a few feet away with bow in hand, a quiver of arrows strapped to his back as he practiced his archery, a target set a few meters away. Kyuhyun always ignored the fact that his brother was wearing a pink – pastel rose, he was always corrected by Sungmin – gown. He had asked him once when his brother began wearing dresses why he did and Sungmin had merely replied “They don’t make princes’ clothes in pink”. Kyuhyun had never inquired again since.

“Knowing Mother, she’ll probably be ridiculous and shove a shoe beneath the mattress,” Kyuhyun stated,

“Or, she’ll be completely off the mark and put something flat like a bill,” Sungmin added with a slight shake of his head, “I worry about Mother sometimes.”

Kyuhyun raised a brow, allowed his eyes to travel down his brother’s dress and back up to his face, “I understand the feeling, I assure you.” Kyuhyun sighed, leaning his head back against the tree and closing his eyes, “I wish they’d just stop this. They haven’t bothered you about marrying and you’re already twenty-three!”

Sungmin smiled at him before turning towards the target, “You should learn to be brilliant like me!”

Kyuhyun sighed again, “I just hope they give me a grace period before they start sending for princesses.”

“I don’t think they’ll start tonight, I have a guest coming over,” Sungmin said,

“Who?”

“Zhou Mi. He’s visiting the kingdom again so I told him to stay at the palace,” Sungmin answered as he shot an arrow. When Kyuhyun was silent, Sungmin paused and looked over his shoulder, “You still have a crush on him, don’t you?”

Kyuhyun scowled at his brother, “Of course I don’t, I haven’t seen him in years. Besides, you heard what I said, I’m to marry a princess.”

Sungmin smiled before turning back towards his target and aiming another arrow, “Oh, you’ll get your princess… You’ve forgotten what Zhou Mi’s like.”

Kyuhyun blinked at him a moment, confused by his words. However, Sungmin said nothing more.

…

Later that day, Kyuhyun was walking aimlessly around the palace. He was constantly dodging his father – half-paranoid that he’d get another lecture about marrying – who was dodging his mother who was searching the palace for objects that fit beneath a mattress. At one point, Kyuhyun had hidden behind a pillar when his mother walked by carrying a spear from one of the palace’s suits of armour. For a brief moment, he felt bad for the princess who slept with that under her mattress. Then, he thought of sleeping on the mattress himself and decided to not go down that masochistic and dark path of thinking.

He was walking down one of the many hallways on the main floor when he heard a shriek unlike anything he had ever heard before. The yell – no, it really was a shriek, it couldn’t be called or described as anything else; it was too shrill – echoed off the palace’s stone walls and stone pillars and stone statues and other stone-accessories the palace possessed.

Without realizing it, Kyuhyun was running down the hall in the direction the shriek came from. He reached the palace’s entrance hall (a title he thought a little uncreative for the open area where hall met entrance; why couldn’t it have a better name? Like, latrine. Yes, whoever came up with that word was creative when thinking of the place where one… emptied their bowels.) There in the entrance hall was his brother as a tall foreigner hugged him tightly.

Kyuhyun’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized the face, realized who it was. Actually, his heart didn’t skip a beat because that would suggest some kind of cardiac condition and he refused to think morbidly while his life was tragic enough having his parents decide his wife. No, his heart sped up as if the beats were running a marathon. Yes, that was a better description for the change in heart rate because marathons could lead to winning and, after the meeting that morning with his parents, winning in something was something he needed. So, as his heart ran a marathon, he felt slightly better after the day’s previous events.

“Zhou Mi,” Kyuhyun greeted warmly as he slowly approached them.

He almost regretted giving notice to his presence for the foreigner straightened, looked his way and managed to launch himself across a space no smaller than ten feet and wrap his arms around Kyuhyun. Every lanky and flailing bit of Zhou Mi was pressed against Kyuhyun as he embraced the younger man firmly,

“Kyuhyun! I haven’t seen you in so long!” Zhou Mi exclaimed, his voice escalading to tones that could only be described as only-dogs-can-hear or perhaps even silly-little-girls-hyped-up-on-sugar. When Zhou Mi finally released Kyuhyun, the young prince looked up at the man’s face and could only describe Zhou Mi’s high-pitch as the latter of those descriptions.

Glancing at Sungmin who joined them, he suddenly realized his brother’s description and could only say that it was apt.

“How have you been?” Zhou Mi asked excitedly, “The last time I saw you, you were so small!”

“That’s because I was six and you probably were never shorter than five-foot,” Kyuhyun said dryly.

Zhou Mi laughed, his tone warm and sweet like thick honey, “Oh, Kyuhyun, you’re still as adorable as I remember.”

Kyuhyun fought the blush rising up his neck to his face and glanced away; he knew he wasn’t becoming feverish. Sungmin watched his brother with amused, fox-like eyes. “Zhou Mi, are you hungry? We could go to the kitchens.”

“Oh, no, no. I actually just want to rest for a bit, the journey here was rough as always,” Zhou Mi sighed, “I should have taken the carriage and not just the horse.”

“It would help if you actually rode on the horse and not just walked beside it,” Sungmin stated matter-of-factly,

“But it’s just so high and I’d probably fall off anyway,” Zhou Mi replied, his lower lip slightly protruding out in a small pout.

Kyuhyun’s heart skipped a beat and, this time, he could only describe it as such. It was like when he was six and Zhou Mi was visiting the palace; his heart would just stop functioning properly. Kyuhyun shook his head to gather his wits. He turned to Zhou Mi, “I can show you to a guest room.”

“Can you?” Zhou Mi asked happily as he went and retrieved his suitcase by the door,

“Yes, can you?” Sungmin asked quietly, shooting his little brother a teasing look, “You’re not going to attack him, overcome by your passionate feelings?”

“Shut up,” Kyuhyun hissed back,

“You’re blushing,” Sungmin said smugly,

“I am!?” Kyuhyun’s eyes widened and suddenly turned and ran.

Sungmin gestured after him to Zhou Mi and the foreigner followed the young prince, calling out, “Wait for me Kyuhyun! You cheated! You never said anything about a race!”

…

That evening after dinner, Kyuhyun slammed his bedroom door close. He threw the red sash he wore to the ground, practically ripped off the buttons on his white jacket and tossed it behind him as he stalked through his room. He had hoped for too much. He had hoped that the day couldn’t get worse after his meeting with his parents. He had hoped his day had gotten better after Zhou Mi reappeared in his life. Little did he know fate hated him and wanted to make life as difficult as possible.

“Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun barely suppressed a growl as he stared up at the ceiling and silently yelled, “Really? Really? Now?” He breathed heavily before talking evenly without turning around, “Yes, Zhou Mi?”

“I think your parents are worried about you after you stormed out after dinner,” Zhou Mi said simply, casually walking into the room and just pausing a few feet away from the younger man,

“Yes, well, they should have worried about me before deciding to pick who I should marry,” Kyuhyun said acidly. “They can’t make my decisions for me, without consulting me and still be concerned for me. They can’t have it both ways. Either they don’t give a damn and choose my wife, or they care and let me live my life.” Kyuhyun scowled, “Damn it, I’m starting to rhyme like Father.”

“Kyuhyun, they do care about you. That’s why they’re picking your wife,” Zhou Mi insisted tentatively. He slowly reached out and placed a hand on the Prince’s shoulder; “They want what’s best for you and they do believe they’re doing that by choosing your wife. Whoever you marry will be a princess of the Suju Kingdom, as the King and Queen, they truly believe they know who will be best for you.”

“They should at least ask then!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, spinning around to face Zhou Mi; “They should ask me what I think is best; who I think is best for me!”

“Is there someone then?” Zhou Mi inquired hesitantly, his voice low, warm and, Kyuhyun thought, a little sad; “Is there someone you want to marry? Who you want by your side?”

Kyuhyun looked up at Zhou Mi, his dark eyes locking with the other’s. He momentarily got lost in them, pulled in and realized he didn’t want to break the contact. He remembered it happening fifteen years ago when he had been attracted to the point that he followed Zhou Mi and Sungmin around the palace for weeks, months.

“Yes,” he answered before he could stop himself.

“I… see,” Zhou Mi said, his gaze dropping.

Kyuhyun’s gaze dropped as well, but they landed on Zhou Mi’s hand, the one that had been on his shoulder just moments ago. Those long, slender but strong fingers had curved around his shoulder, warming his skin and radiating heat to the rest of his body as his heart began to race again. He remembered when they were younger and those same fingers held his hand, never leaving him behind even when Sungmin got annoyed having his little brother tag along.

He realized then that his answer hadn’t been impulsive, it had been reaction, instinct. He had known even at the tender age of six that he wanted to stay by Zhou Mi’s side, wanted to never be left by him. He had known why his skin flushed, why his heart went crazy and he had been a child! How had he forgotten? Over the years, with the absence of the other man, how could he have forgotten it all?

He took a step closer to Zhou Mi, his gaze fixed on the face that was still downcast. All he had to do was reach out and pull him into an embrace. All he had to do was take another step, tilt up his face and his lips would be perfectly place beneath Zhou Mi’s. All he had to do –

“Well, I’ll see you in the morning,” Zhou Mi looked up at him brightly and walked back towards the door. “Night, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi called as he left, the door closing firmly behind him.

Kyuhyun let out a frustrated growl as he stared up at the ceiling again, “Really? You couldn’t even let me have one kiss? I’m twenty-one and I couldn’t even have my first kiss?”

The door opened again, Zhou Mi’s head popped in, “Are you okay? I heard yelling.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened and he knew he was blushing for a completely different reason now, “Um… I… was checking the acoustics of my room.”

“I thought I heard the words ‘first kiss’,” Zhou Mi blinked confusedly,

“D-Don’t be silly. W-Why would I say those words?” Kyuhyun laughed nervously,

Zhou Mi’s face scrunched up in thought before he nodded decisively, “You’re right. Besides, it’s been years since your first kiss.”

Kyuhyun stared at Zhou Mi, startled. However, before he could begin to even think about questioning that statement, the foreigner smiled, said goodnight and left once more.

…

“SUNGMIN! YOU’RE WEARING PANTS!?”

Sungmin sighed heavily, leaning against one of his bed’s posts as he stared at his brother who had just burst into his room, “Yes, I rather like not being in the nude around other people. And can you knock next time? I could have actually been in the nude!”

“You would’ve locked your door if that was the case,” Kyuhyun waved away his affronted words, “But seriously, why are you wearing pants?”

“I think you have selective hearing. I said I don’t like being naked around other people,” Sungmin said as he walked around the room clad in nothing but black slacks.

“I heard that but… you… dresses…” Kyuhyun looked at him confusedly, “I think I actually got accustomed to seeing you in dresses.”

Sungmin grinned, “You didn’t think all I had underneath were my boxers, did you? Naturally, I wore pants underneath.”

“You did?”

“I do not appreciate drafts,” Sungmin said solemnly,

“Then… why do you wear dresses?” Kyuhyun asked before adding quickly, “And don’t give me that pink excuse again!”

“Really, Kyuhyun, have you not realized it after two years?” Sungmin asked slowly as he paused by his desk, leaned his hips against the edge and folded his arms, “What happened two years ago?”

“I don’t know; that’s a very vague question!” Kyuhyun stated,

“I turned twenty-one,” Sungmin said,

“So?”

Sungmin sighed, “What happened when you turned twenty-one?”

“I… had a party?” Kyuhyun offered,

Sungmin stared at him before saying exasperatedly, “Mother and Father started picking out girls for you!”

Kyuhyun blinked, “So?”

“Oh my…” Sungmin breathed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, his tone was even, his words slow and precise, “When I turned twenty-one, they began to do the same thing with me. So, I began to wear dresses to scare girls away and to confuse our parents about my ability to marry a girl.”

“Oh!” Kyuhyun said in realization. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, “Why didn’t you ever say anything!?”

“I thought you figured it out,” Sungmin said, shaking his head at his brother,

“I mean, why didn’t you ever give me a dress or two!?” Kyuhyun demanded, “I’ve been here suffering and all it takes is to wear a dress!”

“Once again, I thought you figured it out yourself,” Sungmin said patiently.

“So… you don’t like wearing dresses?”

“Definitely do not.”

“And you don’t do it because princes’ clothes don’t come in pink?”

“Double negatives are confusing, but correct.”

“And you’re straight.”

“Yes, unlike you,” Sungmin countered. “And don’t start denying it because I knew it years ago after I witnessed your first kiss.”

“What first kiss? How come you and Zhou Mi remember this and I don’t?” Kyuhyun questioned,

“Really? It happened years ago. Zhou Mi was leaving and you didn’t want him to go,” Sungmin said, “You said you didn’t want him to go, but he had to leave to go to school.”

“How does that lead to my first kiss?” Kyuhyun asked,

“You kissed him then. You said that now that you gave him a kiss, Zhou Mi would have to come back to give you a kiss back,” Sungmin explained, “I happened to be in the vicinity and realized your orientation then.”

“What!? You’re wrong, I’m… oh, who am I kidding!?” Kyuhyun cried as he flung himself facedown onto Sungmin’s bed, “I’m in love with Zhou Mi, every flailing inch of him!”

“That’s a lot of flailing inches,” Sungmin nodded as he walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge, “And I knew that without your heartfelt confession, but I appreciate your confidence in me.”

Kyuhyun sighed heavily as he turned his head to look at his brother, “Sungmin, I don’t want to marry some girl or princess… I just want to be with Zhou Mi.”

“A redundant statement after what I just said, but I shall reply with the customary response anyway,” Sungmin said before relaying, “I know, Kyuhyun. Shall we set it up so you can be with him?”

“That’s possible!?” Kyuhyun exclaimed, scrambling into a sitting position, “But… but how? Mother and Father have to approve!”

“Well, I suppose I can sacrifice myself and tell them I’m straight and not the cross-dresser they believe me to be,” Sungmin sighed in mock-drama; “Once they realized their heir is actually willing to marry a female and sire more heirs to the throne, I’m sure they’ll ease up on you and you’ll be free to marry who you want.”

“It cannot be that simple. Not with Father and certainly not with Mother,” Kyuhyun reminded,

Sungmin raised a hand to silence his brother, “Leave that to me, little brother. After tomorrow, you will be forever indebted to me.”

“I’d rather marry someone Mother and Father pick than be indebted to you,” Kyuhyun scowled,

“Really?” Sungmin looked at him, a peculiar light in his fox-like eyes,

“Ugh, no… I want to be with Zhou Mi,” he sighed resignedly,

“So, you agree?” Sungmin inquired lightly,

“Yes, yes… After tomorrow, I’ll be indebted to you –”

“Forever,” Sungmin chimed,

“Forever,” Kyuhyun bit out.

When he left his brother’s room, Sungmin’s smile was a little too self-congratulatory and smug for his liking. But, if his plan worked, then perhaps he wouldn’t mind being indebted to his older brother. Forever.

…

The following morning at the breakfast table, the Royal Family ate in silence. A little after they began to eat, Zhou Mi walked into the room. His hair was perfectly groomed, his clothes perfectly pressed and yet, he looked ready to fall over. He was paler than usual and he had dark circles around his eyes. He practically fell into his chair – although that would happen normally, anyway – and practically clutched his coffee cup with adoration.

“Zhou Mi, is everything alright?” King Kangin inquired, concerned for the young man.

“Yes, Sire,” Zhou Mi insisted after taking a deep, long swig of his coffee, “Just had a difficult time sleeping.”

“Was your room not to your liking? We can move you to a different guest room,” Queen Eeteuk insisted,

“No, no, it’s a lovely room,” Zhou Mi insisted, “I think I just wasn’t used to the mattress. I kept tossing and turning. It felt like there was something underneath it or something.”

Queen Eeteuk’s eyes widened, “There was something under your mattress!?”

“I’m sure there wasn’t. Why would anyone put something under my mattress?” Zhou Mi said with a shrug of his shoulders,

“You know, I think I forgot my shoes in your room last night,” Sungmin said, “After we finished talking.”

“You forgot your shoes?” Zhou Mi asked confusedly,

“Yes, under your mattress,” Sungmin nodded his head as he buttered a piece of toast,

“Under my mattress?” Zhou Mi blinked, even more confused than before, “Why would you do that?”

“Why were you in his room last night?” King Kangin asked, alarmed,

Sungmin rolled his eyes; perhaps he shouldn’t have worn a dress that morning, “We were talking and I was helping you and Mother.”

“How was being in his room helping us?” King Kangin demanded, growing seriously worried about his eldest son,

“Because you two were working so hard to find Kyuhyun a bride. So, I found you a princess for him!” Sungmin beamed happily at his parents,

King Kangin blinked, “You… Princess…” He looked at Zhou Mi, “Him?”

“You said a princess has delicate sensitivities,” Kyuhyun reminded innocently, “And Zhou Mi didn’t sleep properly with the shoes underneath his mattress.”

“But… they’re shoes… of course he’d feel them!” King Kangin exclaimed,

“You said a princess would feel something underneath her mattress,” Kyuhyun said matter-of-factly,

“I… I…” King Kangin stammered,

“I didn’t know Zhou Mi was a princess!” Queen Eeteuk cried, “And all this time we’ve just been calling you Zhou Mi! I apologize!”

“No, Dear!” King Kangin exclaimed as Kyuhyun and Sungmin shared a knowing look.

“Oh, but it’s been proven he’s a princess,” Queen Eeteuk argued. She looked at Kyuhyun, “What about Zhou Mi, Kyuhyun? You could marry and he’d be your princess?”

Kyuhyun looked at Zhou Mi who sat beside Sungmin, directly across from him at the dining table. He stared directly into the other’s surprised eyes, his own expression calm, serene as he steadily, confidently said, “I would like that very much. I’ve been in love with Zhou Mi since I was six.”

“What!?” King Kangin cried as Queen Eeteuk exclaimed, “How romantic!”

Kyuhyun got up from his chair and walked around the table to Zhou Mi’s side. He took the older man’s hand in his and knelt down on one knee beside him. “Zhou Mi, will you marry me? Will you stay by my side forever and be my princess?”

“Is… is it really okay?” Zhou Mi asked, his eyes glued on Kyuhyun’s face as he was distantly aware of the King exclaiming, “No!”

Kyuhyun looked around Zhou Mi to Sungmin. The older prince blinked before realizing the silent plea. He turned in his chair to the King, “Oh, Father, I should mention that I’m straight and perfectly willing to marry a princess and have babies.”

“But Zhou Mi is a princess,” Queen Eeteuk said, blinking confusedly at his words.

Sungmin and the King shared a look before the King sighed heavily, “Fine, Kyuhyun can marry Zhou Mi.”

“What’s the problem? Zhou Mi’s a princess! He passed your test!” Queen Eeteuk reminded. King Kangin merely patted her hand in affection.

Kyuhyun cleared his throat, drawing Zhou Mi’s attention back to him, “You… still haven’t answered.”

Zhou Mi blinked at Kyuhyun, his cheeks a bright red as he said, “When we talked last night and you said you found someone…”

“I meant you and you would’ve known that if you hadn’t left my room so quickly,” Kyuhyun said with a slight smile, “And you didn’t even give me back my kiss.”

“Zhou Mi was in Kyuhyun’s room? Not until they’re married!” Queen Eeteuk cried. At that point, King Kangin could do no more than take his wife’s hand and pat it as they watched the scene before them.

“I said that I’ve loved you since I was six,” Kyuhyun reminded lightly, “Why else do you think I never left you alone?”

“I… I thought it was because you were indulging me,” Zhou Mi murmured, “Because… because I loved you then, too.”

“Loved?”

“Still do,” Zhou Mi admitted as a smile tugged at his lips,

“Is… that a yes?”

For answer, Zhou Mi jumped at him with flailing limbs, shrieking, embracing him and knocking them both to the ground, kissing him soundly despite Sungmin, the King and Queen and an assortment of footmen being around. Of course, he was probably just falling out of his chair and Kyuhyun (and his lips) broke his fall, but that wasn’t romantic enough, so Kyuhyun continued to think otherwise.

Apparently at the age of twenty-one, fairytales could happen.


The End.

And, yes, they did live happily ever after.