{A/N: Hello again~ I'm sorry this updates so slow, lockdown has murdered my motivation, but I'm sure many of you can relate. Also, some may have noticed the updated tags! After a bunch of thought, and the way some of the later chapters have been written/are being planned, I've decided that there are going to be pairings, but they will be (for the most part) subtle or end game/slight slow burn. I originally wanted a story where romance wasn't a big part of it, most likely because the last big thing I did was Three Halves and that was almost completely about romance and relationships. But I think a little bit here and there wouldn't take from the main aspect of the story, and hope you all agree!

Done rambling~ Enjoy the short chapter, they get a bit longer after this one.}

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Hyunwoo had taken Kihyun just outside the front of the castle, where there was a large hollow space that seemed to have been carved out of the base of one of the trees, big enough for even the larger rabbit eared male to fit in if he crawled in on his hands and knees. Kihyun was sure that the confusion had been completely clear on his face, though he got down on all fours and wormed his way inside, expecting to hit the other side of the trunk almost immediately, startled when the light behind him had vanished and his head knocked against something hard. He groaned, backing out of the trunk slowly, turning to ask Hyunwoo if this was meant as a joke, finding the forest he had just been in replaced with his backyard and he looked to the tree trunk again with wide eyes.

Getting up he dusted off the dirt from his pants, making his way back inside, grabbing the book he had been reading about crossbreeding, flipping through it to the beginning to find the basic tip section, shaking his head a bit as he settled to read. A couple hours of reading passed, and when he heard another set of knocking he glanced up at his window, more surprised when his bedroom door opened instead and he pulled on a smile to greet his mother with, nodding when she explained that dinner was ready. Following her out of the room Kihyun went straight to setting up the table for his mother, father and himself, bringing the dishes of prepared food to the center of it just as his father joined them in the dining room. It wasn’t until they were all settled in their places that anyone spoke, Kihyun lifted his gaze to his mother, seated across from him.

“How is studying going?” She inquired, the dark-haired male lowering his eyes to his plate once more. 

“Fine, I guess. Nothing special, I mostly was focusing on the two botany books that you gave me to read, thinking that it would make my time in the garden carry more meaning if I knew how to tend to the plants better. I think fresh air would do me some good, and I’ve grown bored of drawing the same scenery for the last several years.” Out of his peripheral vision he was fairly sure that his mother was fussing with her lower lip using her teeth, his suspicion confirmed when he heard a disapproving click of his father’s tongue.

“We know that you tire of spending so much time in the estate, but neither of us have the time to take you on outings these days.”

“Why can’t I go out on my own then?” Kihyun retorted, turning his head to meet his father’s eyes, lips parting to follow up the statement, only for his voice to catch at the figure standing behind the sliding glass door a few feet from his father’s chair. Hyunwoo’s ears were bouncing much more, his arms flailing about his large figure as if he had been trying to capture Kihyun’s attention for a long time. It took him a moment to remember that neither of his parents would be able to see the strange figure unless he wanted them to- praying that Hyunwoo wouldn’t choose to do so in order to get Kihyun to come along with him. Was it really the next morning in Wonderland? There was no way, he had been there three hours ago, and it had appeared to be the middle of the day there… then again, three days had turned to three weeks, so Kihyun probably shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was.

“Kihyun?” He flinched at the call of his name, focus flickering to his mother’s face and the suspicion that was apparent on it. “Are you not going to answer your father?” she asked, Kihyun feeling his stomach sink as he had no clue what the question could have been.

“No, I’m not,” was the best answer he could give, hearing his father sigh, shaking his head.

“I told you he wasn’t ready,” His father said, and Kihyun dropped his gaze to his plate, scooting back in his chair when Hyunwoo began knocking on the glass.

“May I be excused?” He felt both pairs of eyes on him, and as much as he should have been used to it by now it made his skin crawl.

“You’ve hardly touched your dinner… are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m just… Not feeling hungry I guess.”

“If you don’t eat now, you’re going to have to wait until breakfast in the morning to eat,” his father lightly threatened, and Kihyun nodded, pushing further back from the table, standing and tucking his chair back in.

“Understood,” he mumbled, quickly exiting the dining room and heading back to his room, closing the door behind himself without hesitation. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he saw Hyunwoo standing outside his bedroom window, opening it and not bothering to invite the other in, slipping out instead.

“Who were those you were sitting with?” Hyunwoo asked, following Kihyun’s quick strides towards the pond with ease, and the brunet male’s shoulders sunk as he sighed.

“My overprotective parents,” he replied though the term ‘parents’ still appeared to be lost on the rabbit eared male, Kihyun gesturing towards the pond. “Gonna push me again, or do I have to jump in myself this time?” He asked in turn, the black-haired male perking up slightly, taking a gentler hold of Kihyun’s arm this time, pulling them both into the pond.

If he wasn’t so used to it from his parents, Kihyun probably would have been more annoyed by the way the Queen was allowing him less than two feet of breathing room, save for when the brunet would turn to drop dead leaves and trimmed stems into a small bucket, moving gradually alone the rows of various ash colored vines. He had to rely more so on the feel of the plants rather than the color, seeing how they naturally appeared a weak color, and he had to swallow back a laugh when he could hear a sharp breath in between the Queen’s teeth from time to time as he worked. By the time he had finished lightly pruning the dozens of rows of wilting plants, the sun was high overhead, oddly doing nothing to warm the frigid air that hung around the light-haired male hovering around him as he worked. Standing from the final bed of flowers he brushed his palms together to dust the dirt off them, hands coming to rest on his hips as he turned to face the Queen.

“Alright, as long as they’re watered after the sun sets in evening and as it’s rising in the morning they should start to perk back up in a couple of days,” he stated, starting to think that the skeptical, resting face that the other was giving him was simply the way his face was stuck.

“And you’re willing to bet your life on that?” The Queen asked, Kihyun rolling his eyes in response, reaching down to pick up the bucket of debris.

“If you really wanted me dead, I’m pretty sure you’d already have had your way, your Majesty,” he replied, watching the other squint at him, lips parting only for a deeper voice to interrupt him.

“Your garden is already looking much less pained, My Queen,” Hyunwoo stated, ears perked up right as he glanced between the two. “We should allow Alice-”

“-Kihyun.”

“-to get cleaned up now. The spades have prepared lunch with him in mind and set up the dining hall in order to accommodate him,” the black-haired male continued, leaving Kihyun wondering if he was going to ever actually call him by his name more than once in a blue moon. The Queen’s irritation appeared to fade slightly at the other joining them waving a hand as he did to dismiss the people he called ‘suits’, assuming that the gesture was meant towards him, encouraging another eye roll from the brunet who in turn followed after Hyunwoo to get cleaned up.

Once the dirt had been fully removed from even the crevices underneath his fingernails, Hyunwoo ushered Kihyun from the washroom tucked in the corner of a guest room, a change of clothing folded neatly on the bed, a stark contrasting white shirt paired with a simple black vest and slacks. When the arched brow he gave Hyunwoo was met with a soft encouraging smile, Kihyun picked up the clothing, disappearing once more into the washroom to get changed. He folded his original clothing, leaving it on the closed lid of the toilet. Once he had changed into the light grey button up and black slacks, he stepped back out into the room, watching as the black-haired male chose to then gesture towards the door leading back out of the room.

He kept close to the taller figure, finding that the more time he spent in the castle the more he was sure that he would become horribly lost if left on his own, the monotonous colors offering little help and lack of décor left no guidance of landmarks. As they approached a set of tall double doors the pair of suits standing at the hinge corners turned to face one another, taking steps in tandem towards the center, pushing the doors open for Hyunwoo and Kihyun to pass through and into the dining hall. The light-haired male looked so strange sitting alone at one end of the table centered in the room, seats in place for nearly thirty people while place settings for only three were located at the end where the Queen was seated.

“Did he throw giant dinner parties before his precious plants started dying?” Kihyun asked in a low voice, though the question only resulted in a confused look from Hyunwoo. The shorter brunet didn’t bother pressing for an answer as he took a seat, the rabbit-eared male sitting across from him, smile returning as he looked to the Queen, a few suits soon entering to place a bowl of soup in front of each of them. Kihyun watched closely as Hyunwoo waited for the Queen to start eating before he did, following the action in silence, choking slightly at the question that came once Hyunwoo had finished his bowl first.

“This is like the way you were sitting with those others when I went to pick you up this morning,” he stated in a bright tone that was quick to turn curious. “Who was it that you were seated with?”

“Those were my parents, the ones I keep mentioning to you.” Hyunwoo’s cheeks bunched slightly, causing his eyes to form slight crescent shapes as he leaned forward.

“What are ‘parents’? They don’t act like the suits do, and if I didn’t know any better I would think they were of the same tiered status as my Queen, but they have no markings,” the other rattled on, Kihyun biting back a comment about how he didn’t think that Hyunwoo knew better about anything from his home.

“They’re a lot more like prison keepers, with how close they keep an eye on me.”

“And why is it that they feel the need to watch your every move? Have you managed to dislodge their trust in the integrity of your actions?” The Queen asked, the sudden addition to the conversation catching the brunet off guard, both his and Hyunwoo’s eyes moving over to him. 

“They’ve kept a close eye on me for years. For some reason they’re convinced that I’m going to suddenly go crazy for no factual reason,” Kihyun replied, deciding that it would be best not to mention the curse that the Yoo family had believed in for decades; at least not until he was sure that he had gained the Queen’s trust.

“So even your own kingdom doesn’t trust you?” The light-haired male pressed, eyes narrowing slightly while Hyunwoo sighed at the hinted accusation, ears drooping as he set down his cutlery.

“My Queen, please. I’m sure that there’s as much reason for them to worry about Kihyun’s health and safety, as there is for those residing here to worry about yours,” he countered, the corners of the Queen’s lips turned down in a soft frown and the two shared a long stare that ended in the light-haired male getting up from his seat.

“I’m retiring for the afternoon.” Hyunwoo tensed, standing as if it would get the other to change his mind as he reached out to take a limp hold of the other’s elbow.

“My Queen, you’ve hardly eaten. Please stay and finish your-” The black-haired male was cut off by the sharp look the other male gave him, pulling his arm free with ease.

“I am retiring for the afternoon,” he repeated, and even Kihyun felt a slight shiver from the chill in his voice, watching as he exited through the same door that Hyunwoo had lead Kihyun into the dining hall through, opened by a different pair of suits posted on the inside. Letting himself drop back into his seat with a sigh, Hyunwoo’s attention was cast down at his bowl until the brunet spoke up a few long seconds later.

“The plants should start getting better in a couple of days, so that means he’ll start acting like his old self again, if your theory is right,” he pointed out, doing his best to sound encouraging as he offered a smile once the rabbit-eared male finally looked up from his bowl, Kihyun watching as he tried to match the expression. With a nod, Hyunwoo looked back down at the remnants of his soup, Kihyun pushing his own aside once it had become cold and the taste was no longer pleasant on his pallet.

“I believe I should go check on my Queen, wait here. I’ll be back before long to help you home,” Hyunwoo stated to fill another bout of silence, Kihyun watching as he stood and followed after the Queen’s cold trail, leaving the brunet feeling more alone than he had in a while even as one of the suits entered from a different door to clear away the used bowls from the table. His eyes scanned over the figure, comparing it to his own, trying to understand what it was about the male that made the White Queen mistake him for one.

He was dressed in a dark grey button-down shirt, black vest and matching pants; much like the outfit that Hyunwoo had given him to change into after working in the garden. The cuffs of his shirt were folded back enough to show a black spade about the size of Kihyun’s thumbnail with the number eight above it, reminding him of not only a deck of cards but also one of the markings on the White Queen’s cheeks. It had the brunet wondering if there were other suits with the club on their wrist in the same fashion, deciding that wasn’t what he would ask about once he found his voice.

“How long-ah, sorry,” Kihyun said, noticing the way the suit seemed startled by the sudden voice, raising his attention to the unfamiliar figure. “How long has the Queen been, you know… acting in a way that’s got you all so worried?” He asked, watching the other tilt his head from one side to the other as he mulled over the question.

“I believe we’ve all lost track of how many full moons have passed since our Queen’s health began to decline. It’s been such a gradual change, most of the suits didn’t believe the White Rabbit when he initially voiced his concern for our Queen… I’m sure that if you asked the White Rabbit, he would have a more defined timeline with how close he used to keep to our Queen.”

“Used to? He seems like he clings to your Queen still, considering he just hurried off to check on him,” Kihyun countered, the suit giving a single nod.

“It may be difficult to picture it as you’re unfamiliar with our Kingdom, but a couple moons ago our Queen was rarely alone, even when he slept,” the suit stated, causing Kihyun’s eyebrows to knit together.

“What changed?” He asked, confused by the smile that the other gave him.

“The White Rabbit got it in his head that he needed to find something outside the Kingdom to heal our Queen. He began traveling out to the forest, bringing back things he found, most recently a mirror… And then a few weeks ago, he decided whatever ‘Alice’ was, that it or they were the key to healing our Queen. Thus, he began spending time searching, to find you, despite our Queen telling him that you didn’t exist. I apologize, but I must go now.”

Kihyun nodded as the suit dismissed himself, heading to what he assumed was the kitchen, his attention turning back to the main entrance of the dining hall, getting up from his own chair as he grew tired of waiting, wondering how quick Hyunwoo would be to notice he had headed home on his own. The black-haired male had only ever told him not to come to Wonderland without him, he never said anything about going home on his own, and he was confident he could find the Looking Glass- even if he didn’t enjoy the idea of hiding soaking wet clothing considering his parents thought he was in his bedroom.

At least, he hoped that time was slow enough in his own world that they still thought such, as he hadn’t bothered to barricade his door in order to hide him missing from his room. The growing possibility of them discovering otherwise only encouraged him to hurry the pace of his steps, deciding it was in his better interest to go through the hole in the tree, which he needed Hyunwoo for considering how vast the forest outside the castle was. He was sure he would get so lost that he’d collapse from hunger before managing to find the correct tree, though as he was passing the various doors in a maze of hallways he was starting to consider the forest instead- if he could even find his way out of the castle in the first place.

Concern was starting to leak into his stomach when he caught sight of the door open just a crack, sure that he could bother whoever was inside for directions, fingers brushing against the door, freezing before he could open it any further when he realized he found the black-haired male he was in search of. What caused him to hold back on pushing open the door was the realization that it was the only set of double doors he had come across aside from those leading to the garden and the dining hall… As well as the fact that the rabbit-eared male was standing intimately close to the light-haired Queen, the pair of voices fading in as the brunet shifted closer to the opening, eyebrows knitting together as he did his best to sort out the context.

“Please, Hyungwon... Don’t you want to know why it holds meaning?” Hyunwoo asked, appearing to have his fingers curled around the white chess piece that hung from the Queen’s neck, surprising Kihyun when he didn’t pull away, instead lifting a pained expression up to meet the other’s.

“You’re the only one that believes that numberless suit has anything to do with this,” Hyungwon stated, causing Hyunwoo to slowly release the white chess piece, bowing his head as he took a step back.

“If your garden begins to flourish as it did before, will you finally refer to him as more than a suit? The fact that he has no number should be enough to prove that he isn’t like the rest of them… the rest of us. He’s different. He’ll fix everything, Hyungwon… I’m sure of it,” the black-haired male stated, perking up until he met Hyungwon’s expression, and his ears drooped.

“Hyunwoo, you’re the one that’s convinced there’s something wrong. And it’s all in your head,” the light-haired male concluded, his own hand coming to shield the white chess piece when Hyunwoo reached for it again, turning away from the other. “Now, go take that silly thing back to where you brought it from,” he ordered, voice much weaker than Kihyun had heard so far, causing a strange ache to spark through his chest. Hyunwoo took a couple of steps back, bowing to the Queen, silently dismissing himself before heading towards the door, causing Kihyun to tense. He was quick to move away from the crack he had been peeking through, getting as far back down the hall as he could in the time it took the rabbit-eared male to exit the room.

“Al-Kihyun… Are you ready to head back home?” He asked, head tilting to the side a bit as the brunet turned back to face him, trying for a smile as he nodded.

“Yeah, I was, uh- looking for you to help me get back,” Kihyun answered, managing to keep his voice even, watching Hyunwoo step past him in order to lead the way out of the castle, the brunet trying to make more of a mental note this time as to the location of the tree with the rabbit hole hidden inside.