fair warning: there are switching of POV during this chapter and in Yugyeom's POV the pronouns for Snow/Jinyoung switch around. This is because Yugyeom knows Snow as Jinyoung and even for him it is confusing to decide on pronouns but anyways i hope it doesn't confuse you. just know that Snow and Jinyoung are the same person.

Can I be the only hope for you?

(because you’re the only hope for me)

Mark paces. It was pitch black outside now that night has fallen. The snow from where he had been pacing in front of the cottage was slowly melting away. The only light illuminating his path from one side to the other was the same light that illuminated the inside of house. In other words, Mark was pacing in the dark with his fingers almost falling off from the cold but his was so focused on his thoughts that there was no way anyone could persuade him into the warmth.

Pretty sure at some point of the day Jackson had attempted just that but was pushed (rather harshly) away.

Mark doesn’t know why he was so worked up. He doesn’t know why he was so worried. Maybe his guilty conscious was making him worried that it was his fault. He had rejected Snow White just before leaving for work that day. He didn’t let her down easy but rather ran away from her like a coward he was. He was foolish and the voice inside his head kept telling him it was his fault she had ran away. It was his fault that Snow White was somewhere out there either running from the queen or already caught by her.

In which case, she would have been dead by morning.

Mark gulped at the thought, stopping dead in his tracks. He could see the outline of his boots on where he had trampled over the snow. It was ironic how he was so worked up over her when he had almost without a second thought rejected her and wanted to run away from her like the plague just this morning. Now all he wanted was for her to appear.

Everything about Snow White made him feel weird. It was like he was pulled to her but that attraction felt so wrong in his bones. It was probably due to the fact that every part of his interaction with Snow White gave the eerie feel of his days spent with a certain someone he was trying so hard to forget.

Jinyoung

Mark kicked an innocent bucket causing it to crash loudly onto the ground. It was so frustrating. Everything he did he was reminded of Jinyoung. Everything since the day Jinyoung had left him with a short apology, his thoughts would always wonder to that man. It drove him insane. All he wanted was to forget the pain in his heart of the way things had ended. All he wanted was to forget the look Jinyoung had sent him before being taken back to the castle where he truly belongs. All he wanted to do was to forget how much he was truly smitten by that wondrous encounter.

But even as he worried of Snow White his mind was trailing to the never ending thought of Jinyoung in his head.

“Are you okay?”

Mark tilted his head up to see Youngjae standing at the door with a large blanket in his hand. He had a concerned expression on his face as he looked down at Mark who had somehow manage to end up kneeling in the snow. His knees numb by the cold dampness.

Mark nodded in reply to Youngjae, getting up to his feet, raising an arm in silent protest when Youngjae tried to help him. He could stand on his own. His mind was a mess but his physical body could still function. Mark carelessly positions the bucket he had kicked to make himself a seat. He places it close to the wall so he could lean on the icy walls of the cottage. Youngjae hands him the blanket, looking at Mark cautiously as he wrapped it around his shivering body.

“Are you waiting for her to come back?” Youngjae asked, leaning against the door frame. The warmth of the fireplace in the house seeping through the open door and Mark felt some relief from it. He was colder than he thought he was.

“Are you scared she isn’t going to be back?” Youngjae prodded when Mark didn’t reply.

Mark looked at his brother with a blank expression. He was thinking of an answer but was coming up short. He doesn’t know himself what he was doing soaking himself in snow in the unforgiving winter night. Maybe he was waiting; maybe he was punishing himself for feeling this way. One may never know.

“Is it because you love her, hyung?” Youngjae asked, turning his face to look at his brother. His tone making it almost like he was making a statement rather than asking a question. It made Mark let an inaudible gasp escape him.

“You do, don’t you?”

Mark could only look at Youngjae with an empty expression because he wasn’t sure. Maybe he did love Snow White that’s why he felt slightly lifted when Snow White had allowed him to stay in her company in the lonely nights when he couldn’t sleep. Maybe he did love Snow White and her never ending stories about the beautiful stars at night. Maybe he did love her because when he was with Snow, it felt like he was with Jinyoung. Maybe he did love Snow but it was all for the wrong reasons.

A loud crack of branches breaking echoed between the silences of the two of them. Their heads immediately snapping to the direction of the sound, Mark rose to his feet. The rustling of leafs made the both of them stare at the moving spot in the dark forest.

“Who is there?” Mark experimentally shouts, his hand blindly grabbing a weapon (crowbar) at the things to his right. He holds it up in defence as Youngjae hides behind him. He could hear the ruckus of Bambam and Jackson finding their way to the front door. Its open wide enough for the whole household to hear that trouble has come.

Mark could feel his heart pounding in his chest when he stares at the moving branches that was barely lit. The grip he has on the crowbar was iron tight making his palm sweat but he holds it high in front of him anyway. He doesn’t usually draw a menacing look but from the sounds of footsteps and the amount of rustling he knew it wasn’t forest animals. It was humans and more than one of them.

It feels like a decade before a silhouette of someone appears. They are panting as if exhaustion has taken over.

“Who’s there?” Mark barks. “Show yourself”

Slowly, they walk into the light. There was a tall, lanky man with boyish features standing next to a slightly shorter man who was clad in black leather armor. His hands were wrapped around a body, holding it up close to his chest, the weight obviously taking a toll on his energy as he panted.

“Jaebum,” he panted, looking at the taller guy as if waiting for him to speak.

“I’m Yugyeom” the taller one says, he steps forward closer to Mark. Mark could hear Youngjae coming closer to him whether in preparation to fight along or to hide behind him, he wasn’t sure. He could hear the footsteps of Bambam and Jackson coming to a stop close to them. They were all here now.

“WHY ARE YOU HERE?” Mark screamed when he feels him gets a little too close for comfort. Yugyeom doesn’t even flinch. He does, however, stop in his tracks and the frown on his face grows deeper into his chubby cheeks. He looked straight into Mark’s eyes and Mark immediately felt guilty and exposed for his obvious unnecessary shouting.

“Ji- Snow White” He stuttered moving aside, his hands visibly shaking as he motions to Jaebum, showing them the girl he was holding. Mark’s heart pounds loudly in his ears when the muted noise of Jackson wailing towards the girl in the man’s clutches.

He registers that Yugyeom had said Snow White and made a gesture for the limp body in the other man’s arms. He registers that Youngjae who was hiding behind him was now crowding the stranger along with Bambam following the hysterical Jackson. He registers Jackson’s cloak around the body that was still in this man’s arms but he remained frozen in his spot, crowbar slowly descending as he watched them rush the stranger in so they were out of the cold.

Mark opens and closes his mouth at the tall man in front of him, trying to comprehend the situation, trying to find the right questions to ask. But then Yugyeom looked at him, with an expression like he knew what Mark was thinking and his lips drawn into a straight line.

“She’s not dead,” he mumbled, slowly stepping towards the front door. “Yet”

-o0o-

Yugyeom was shaking. He has been shaking since the moment he had seen Snow White on the ground iin the queen's chambers. He was shaking from the moment he had seen Jinyoung on the ground. He tries to blame it on the winter night that fell upon them as they walked to the cottage but now that they were in the cottage, warmth surging to redden his ears, he was still shaking.

Maybe it was the sight of Jinyoung lying on the small dining table, with a peaceful smile on his face. Maybe it was the way he could hear the brothers and Jaebum talking in their minds and all of them think she is dead. Maybe because the sorrow everyone felt towards Snow White in this condition multiplied because he could hear them thinking. And maybe he was shaking because if Jinyoung was dead, it was his fault.

He was the one who turned him into Snow White making him the queen’s number 1 target. He was the one who let Jinyoung learn his magic capabilities building some sort of confidence for the other to take down the queen. He was the one who had planted him in Mark’s house, despite knowing full well, Mark would never accept her. He only knew Jinyoung. So he knew there was a possibility that this would all turn into a big mess and yet he had proceeded with it.

It was his entire fault. And he wasn’t the only one who thought it was their fault. He could hear Mark echo his words in his brain. He thinks it’s his fault for rejecting Snow White for Jinyoung.

Oh, if only you knew.

Mark stood painfully stiff as Jaebum recounted what had happened in the castle.

 “The queen was visibly sick and I knew if I wanted to kill her, now was the time to strike. But when I reached the chambers the guard wasn’t there. I knew something was wrong. I could hear loud banging and crashing in the queen’s chambers. I took a peak and saw her there. She had the queen held in tree vines, choking her. She had the vines in her command. She had magic”

Yugyeom could hear the collective gasp of everyone as the statement leaves Jaebum’s mouth. He tries to tune them out so he could focus on Mark’s thoughts. It was the only thing that could save Jinyoung right now. Hopefully...

“I thought the queen was done for, she was going in for the kill but suddenly she lost control. I couldn’t hear them talking but she mentioned the prince and it was as though she lost her magic.”

Yugyeom could feel the jolt in Mark’s brain from the mention of the prince. The dilemma of his life between Snow white and Jinyoung was awakened once more.

“The queen conjured an apple out of thin air and it was like she was hypnotized” Jaebum looked solemnly at Snow White. "She took a bite and fell to the ground as if she was dead. I thought she was dead”

“How did you get her out of there?” Mark asked despite his twisting thoughts.

“Him” Jaebum pointed at Yugyeom. “He came through the windows like magic”

 Yugyeom tries to block out the freaked out expression of the other brothers and focuses on rectifying Jinyoung. He was cursed by a love potion, a love potion that had been cast to a poison apple. Yugyeom knew the poison apple was cursed; he had fished it out of Jinyoung’s hand in the castle. He knew it was cursed with dark magic and it should kill Jinyoung the moment he punctures his teeth into it but instead Yugyeom could still see Jinyoung breathing. It was faint but he was still there, somewhere in Snow White’s body.

There was a thin thread of hope that his protection spell still worked. The queen had obviously found out that Snow White was Jinyoung. So the spell might have been broken but Snow White was still breathing. So maybe the spell just hadn’t been broken. Maybe something went wrong and the spell didn’t break.

Maybe his spell was the only thing keeping Jinyoung alive at the moment.

But he wasn’t really alive if he was in this state. So Yugyeom has to do something, fast. He tunes out the rest of Jaebum’s story as the brothers quiz him of how they had managed to find the cottage and focuses on thinking of what could break the curse.

"So you carried Snow White all the way here?"

“Snow White?” Yugyeom could hear Jaebum think out loud as the brother’s talk. He could hear Jaebum’s brain trying to remember where he had heard that name before. He could hear Jaebum almost figuring out that Snow White was meant to be the name of the princess of the kingdom but when Jinyoung had arrived he was given a different name.

“Jaebum” Yugyeom almost shouts, desperate to stop Jaebum from finding out. If Jaebum found out, Jinyoung would be done for. He needs to think fast. “She’s been cursed and it’s only a matter of time before it kills her”

Yugyeom listened to Jaebum’s thoughts shift to Snow White and keeping her alive and his heart settles. Then Yugyeom’s eyes set on Mark’s hands intertwined with Snow White’s. His eyes were windows to the ache he felt as he runs his thumb across her hand.

“Please don’t die… please don’t die! Please!”

Then it clicks in his mind. Only true love could break a love potion. Only true love could overcome such dark magic.

Though, it was tricky because Mark loved Jinyoung and the one sitting in front of him was Snow White. Yugyeom can’t tell him that the one he had been with all this time was Jinyoung because it would break the protection spell and ultimately kill him. Where does Yugyeom find the balance?

“What do we do?” Bambam whines and Yugyeom could feel his heart weaken at the sound.

“Only you can break it” he points up to Mark. It was a bold move and Mark could possibly just laugh it off but Mark just stares at him with wide eyes. He could hear all the 1001 reasons running in mark’s head that he couldn’t do anything. If there was one thing he wished he could grant Mark was self-confidence.

“I’m not magic. What could I possibly do?”

“He was cursed by a love spell and if it’s one thing that could cure a love potion its true love” Mark looked at him with an expression that looked a lot like a lost puppy. “And you love him”

“Him?” Bambam mumbled but Yugyeom ignored it, making sure Mark was getting the picture. He could hear Jaebum’s mind work fast on this progression, trying to work out what was going on. Mark had to beat him, or else things could go horribly wrong.

“Stop, Jaebum. He needs to figure it out on his own” Yugyeom barks at Jaebum and Jaebum looked at him wildly. His thoughts immediately geared to hitting Yugyeom. Jinyoung owes him so much.

Yugyeom could almost hear the gears in Mark’s mind beginning to work and realizing that Yugyeom was hinting on that he knew. He knew what was going on in his mind. And he knew Mark was able to do it.

“True love’s kiss” Yugyeom whispered, trying to coax Mark into it. “You love him, don’t you? Trust me, it would work”

 “Why do you keep saying him?” Jackson suddenly asked, breaking the somewhat tense atmosphere. “Snow White is a girl. Don’t you mean her?”

Yugyeom sends a glare at Jackson but quickly returns his stare onto Mark. Every second was crucial. He could hear Mark making out the similarities of Jinyoung and Snow White. He could hear him contemplating his feelings all over again. He could hear Mark’s beating heart as he thought of the beautiful moments he had with Jinyoung. Then he tunes into one of his earlier memories with Jinyoung and Yugyeom knew exactly what to say.

“Do you believe in magic, Mark?”

Mark’s eyes grew wider. He recognized the question. He then looked down at Snow White and started tracing his fingers on her white skin. He brings their faces closer together as if examining from far wasn’t enough.

“My mother pricked her finger on the thorns of this tree in winter. She made a wish for a daughter who had skin white as snow, lips red as blood and hair black as night but somehow, she was stuck with me…”

Yugyeom felt a chill run down his spine when Mark allows his lips to press softly onto Snow White’s. It was happening. This was the moment when he would know if Jinyoung would make it or break it.

There is unison of gasps from the audience. He could hear their protest of watching their brother kiss an unmoving body. He could see them retract with disgust (Bambam) or with delight (Jackson).

One second later, there was a blinding white light. Yugyeom covers his eyes with his arm knowing exactly what was happening, the protection spell was breaking.

Is it working or is he dying?

-o0o-

Mark felt his whole being flush in heat when he finally allows the distance between them so their lips brush against each other. Her lips are cold but they were soft. Their lips are pressed together and Mark doesn’t even dare open his eyes, just in case it doesn’t work. Just in case, Yugyeom was wrong.

Its feels like a whole minute of Mark just pressing his lips on soft unmoving ones, feeling his heart thump in anticipation on something, anything to happen. It only felt natural when he works his way on her lips. His lips were moving tentatively to lap and nibble hers. She taste like roses and smells of flowers, her skin smooth under his touch as he holds her head in place.

Mark felt her lips becoming warmer and he was unsure if it was because his lips have warmed hers or finally something is working and maybe the curse was breaking. He opens his eyes to see that Snow White was still unresponsive, despite the increasing warmth he could feel under his lips.

Was it working or not?

Mark continues to press his lips further into her soft lips. His lips were nibbling on it, letting his tongue softly swipe across her lips. It feels strange kissing something unmoving and Mark felt himself want to recoil but he wasn’t about to give up on Snow White. He had let her down once; he wasn’t going to do it again.

He focuses instead on their beautiful conversations and the times he had felt the seamless connection. He tries to knit the picture of Snow White and Jinyoung, instead of how he had constantly compared them. He focuses of what Yugyeom was hinting him, Snow White was him. And suddenly Mark felt his heart burst at the thought that he wasn’t kissing just some girl but rather, he was kissing Jinyoung.

He smiles into the kiss, thinking of the times he had wished Jinyoung would appear from the thick forest. His heart races when he thinks of the times he had stared at his lips as he pouts them to form a whistle. He thinks of that one time in autumn, the air was crisp as they wrestle on the stack of orange leaves and Mark had to hold himself back because his lips were right there. Here he was kissing Jinyoung.

Mark opens his eyes in shock when he felt the increasing heat on his lips was scorching him. Flashes of white lights blind him as he loses his balance and falls first on the floor. The dining room filled with a chorus of gasps. Mark blinks rapidly trying to reorient himself after his fall and the blinding lights. He could see Jaebum, Yugyeom and his brothers all scattered on the floor, seeming to have lost balance just like him.

He stands as fast as his body would allow him without getting a head rush. He could feel his jaw drop in surprise when he sees the body on top of the dining table.

“Prince Jinyoung?”

Mark could hear Jaebum lifting himself off the ground to run to Jinyoung’s side. His voice shaking with what Mark assumed was disbelief, something he could relate with.

Jinyoung however was still lying perfectly still. His ragged clothing was stained with dirt, still wrapped warmly around the cloak Jackson had given Snow White.

Snow White was Jinyoung after all.

“Jinyoung” Mark stuttered making his way towards him. He reaches for his arm but flinches when he realized Jinyoung was still scorching hot.

“Why is he still unconscious? You said it would work!” Mark growls towards Yugyeom who was looking frantic causing Mark to feel 10 times worst.

First love’s kiss?

Mark eyes started to water. Maybe it didn’t work because Jinyoung never loved him. Maybe it didn’t work because Mark wasn’t his first love. Who would love a mere commoner like him, who worked in dirty coaled rags, when he could find a prince or princess?

But I love him, doesn’t that count for something?

Mark looked at the peaceful face of Jinyoung through his tear-vision. He loved him but now, Jinyoung was dying. And it was all his fault for not realizing Snow white was Jinyoung all along. If only he knew, he wouldn’t have rejected Snow. If only he knew, Snow White wouldn’t have ran away.

If only he knew, he would have killed the queen himself.

Instead, he had spent all this time thinking Jinyoung was a lying bastard and Snow White was no comparison to his first love.

What a fool.

“I’m sorry” is the first thing that falls out of his mouth. He falls to his knees and leans his head on the table, afraid to reach for Jinyoung’s hands in case it would burn him. “I’m sorry” he sobs.

Jackson lets out a gasp. Maybe he was shocked that the eldest could cry. Maybe he was shocked that the reason Mark had been heartbroken was that he was in love with the prince. Mark can’t really think of it but he felt warm hands cup the back of his neck almost as if trying to comfort him.

Jackson was an idiot but at least he knows how to make him feel slightly better.

“Why are you sorry?” a hoarse sounding voice echoes the room. Mark feels goose bumps form on his arm as he looks up to see Jinyoung dark brown eyes staring down at him. “Why are crying?”

It takes a moment to register that the warm hand making comforting on the back of his neck, threading through his hair softly was Jinyoung’s hand, not Jackson’s.

“I thought I lost you” Mark whimpers lamely, his tears still wetting his cheeks.

Jinyoung has a faint smile on his face that makes Mark’s stomach do somersaults. Jinyoung grips his collar and tugs him closer. “I thought you didn’t want me” he whispers and Mark’s heart breaks.

“I didn’t know”

Jinyoung’s smile grows wider as if he was so happy to see Mark. His eyes turning into small crescents and it took everything for him to not just kiss those lips again.

“Is anyone going to fill us in or are we going to stand here and pretend we know what’s going on?”

a/n: i'm glad that based on the comments you guys get the story line and all that. please do tell me if you need like further clarification or things like that. or even have any questions at all. i love talking about writing and fics and just everything...

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