Hyungwon looks up from his book, surprised by the scent of noodles surrounding him. He glances towards the kitchen curiously, his stomach grumble reminding him of how long it’s been since he’s last eaten. He closes his book and sets it on the table before getting up to investigate. He pokes his head into the kitchen, eyes widening at the sight of the Hoseok standing over a bubbling pot of broth and noodles. The older suddenly straightens up, as if sensing Hyungwon’s presence, and glances over his shoulder. A smile spreads across his face upon sighting the younger.

“Hyungwon-ah!” he greets, the happiness in his voice earning a chuckle from Hyungwon. Hoseok returns his gaze to the stove, hoping to hide his embarrassed blush. “D-Do you like ramyeon? I didn’t know if you’d want dinner, and it’s one of the only things I know how to make, so—“

“Smells good,” Hyungwon tells him. He takes a seat at the dining table, watching the older nod slightly as he focuses on the meal. “It’s a good thing you know how to cook, because I’m pretty hopeless in the kitchen.”

“Well,” Hoseok admits, “I only really know how to make a couple of dishes, but I guess I can learn along the way. After all, we are all on our own here.” Hyungwon hums in acknowledgment, and Hoseok begins to rummage through the cabinets. He finds what he’s looking for, two bowls and sets of chopsticks, and begins to serve the soup. He brings Hyungwon his bowl of soup, anxious about having his new husband try his cooking. Of course, that’s completely ridiculous. Once they get back to his kingdom, they’ll have an entire cooking staff at their disposal. It only matters for the two weeks they’re stuck here that Hyungwon can stomach his lack of culinary skills.

Hoseok takes a seat across from Hyungwon, and watches as the younger slowly in a mouthful of noodles. He drinks some of the broth, and after what feels like an eternity to Hoseok, a satisfied hum escapes his lips.

“This is really good,” Hyungwon tells him, “thank you.” Hoseok smiles at him, delighted at the compliment. He notices Hyungwon’s lips twitching up into a smile, but quickly falling back into his usually blank expression. Hoseok feels his smile growing at this despite himself, oddly pleased to have made his new husband smile. Hoseok slurps up his own noodles, reveling in the taste. Ramyeon always makes him feel better, always brings a sense of familiarity to him wherever he is…. Always manages to calm him in crazy situations.

“You can call me hyung, by the way,” Hoseok suddenly says, surprising Hyungwon. “I know we don’t know each other that well, but feel free to call me hyung.”

“Okay,” Hyungwon nods. He returns to his soup, and it’s all Hoseok has to not groan in frustration. He wants so badly to become friends with this stranger, or at the very least get to know something about him other than his name, but he doesn’t even know where to begin.

For a while, all that can be heard is the slurping of noodles. Hoseok glances over at Hyungwon every so often, his uncertainty on what to say to him never-ending. Just as he thinks of something to say, he worries too much that it may annoy Hyungwon and he remains silent. Hyungwon notices this, the inner conflict clear on the other’s face, and wants to help him calm down, but doesn’t know how. Finally, as he reaches the bottom of his bowl, he remembers something that Hoseok had said when they first got into that carriage.

“So your parents aren’t accepting of your homouality, hyung?” Hyungwon asks. Hoseok is so surprised at the sudden question that the broth he’s drinking gets in a bit too quickly, resulting in watering eyes and a sharp cough. Hyungwon chuckles at the sight. “Sorry,” he apologizes. Hoseok waves at him to tell him it’s okay, beating on his chest with a fist.

“It’s alright,” he says as he clears his throat. “Um, no they aren’t. They try to act like they are, but the only ones that really accept me for who I am are my brothers.”

“How many brothers do you have?” Hyungwon continues, glad to find something in common with him so suddenly. “I’ve got two, one older than me and one younger.”

“I’ve got three younger brothers,” Hoseok answers, a smile coming to his face. “We should get them all together some time. I’m sure my brothers would love to meet yours.”

“Likewise,” Hyungwon agrees. He then pauses before adding, “So, why’re we going to live in your kingdom if your parents aren’t okay with homouality? My parents are totally okay with it. We’d probably be much more comfortable there.” Hoseok shrugs.

“I don’t really know,” he answers honestly. “It’s probably stipulated somewhere in our betrothal agreement, though I don’t understand why my parents wouldn’t take the opportunity to get rid of me while they had the chance. It’s something we can ask about when we get there, if you like.” Hyungwon shrugs, unsure if it’s really wise to ruffle the feathers of his in-laws so soon. Hoseok then leans forward on the table, a smile coming to him. “Tell me about your brothers,” he prompts. “I’d love to hear about them.”

Hyungwon chuckles, the sound causing Hoseok’s smile to grow, and nods as he goes on to describe his brothers. Hyunwoo, the firstborn, with his silent and protecting nature, and Jooheon with his cuddly habits and tendencies to be able to get out of any sticky situation just by acting sickeningly cute. Hoseok laughs at that, noting how similar that is to his youngest brother Changkyun. Kihyun, the next-to-youngest, always babies the youngest of them and spoils him rotten. Minhyuk, the second-born and most likely to take the throne now, always makes sure the siblings are getting along well and taking care of each other.

The two spend the next few hours retelling exploits of their childhoods. Hoseok, as Hyungwon slowly comes to realize, is extremely protective of his brothers. He’s gotten into more fights with the royal court and his parents whenever they didn’t have his brother’s best interests at heart. Hyungwon is very impressed with this, the fact that Hoseok has the nerve to stand up to his superiors like that so intriguing to him.

Before either know it, the craziest day in their lives comes to an end. Hyungwon finds it hard to stay awake, his eyelids drooping every few seconds. Hoseok notices this and can’t help but chuckle lightly.

“Hyungwonnie,” he murmurs gently, moving to pick the younger up from his seat.

“Mmm,” Hyungwon hums. Hoseok laughs again. He kneels beside the chair and manipulates the half-sleeping prince around until he’s lying forward with his chest against his back. Hoseok then grips his thighs tightly, slowly straightening up. He piggybacks Hyungwon into the bedroom and gently sets him down on the covers. He tucks the younger in, noting how easily he had fallen asleep mid-conversation. Hoseok sighs, and fights the urge to brush Hyungwon’s bangs out of his face.

“Good night, Hyungwon-ah,” he whispers, and then goes to the living room. He settles down on the couch, feeling lucky to have found a spare blanket and pillow in the hall closet.

He sighs, replaying the events of the day in his mind. Hopefully nothing left in his life would be like this. If so, he didn’t know if he could mentally handle it.