A/N: Lots of work on future chapters has been done recently and I can't tell you how excited I am to post them! I recently made an Archive Of Our Own account and when I get the time, Sovereignty will be posted on there as well as here, just in case anyone has a preference :) I'll post the link when it's done~ I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

As always, comments and feedback are appreciated.

When Kyuhyun awoke the next morning the sun was shining outside. The floor-length curtains hung at the window filtered out the harsh sunlight, letting in enough light to brighten the room without it blinding the young prince. He turned to Leeteuk with a smile and ran his eyes over the still sleeping angel. Leeteuk was lying on his stomach with his arms wrapped loosely around his pillow. The bed sheets were draped over his lower body, stopping at the curve of his lower back and leaving the rest of his torso exposed. Kyuhyun ran his fingers gently down Leeteuk’s back, his fingers followed by soft kisses, earning a small sigh from the older.
“Sleep well, beautiful” He whispered softly before he climbed out of bed and made his way into the bathroom. When the door was closed he let out a yawn and stretched in an attempt to rid himself of the ache he felt in his muscles, but it wasn’t an ache he disliked, in fact, he welcomed it. As he turned to start the shower he caught his reflection in the mirror and paused. His back and shoulders were scattered with a mixture of small and large scratches, some were faint in redness but others cut deeper. “Aish, he needs to cut his nails again” he chuckled to himself.

After brushing his teeth he stepped into the shower and the water. His face scrunched up uncomfortably when the hot water ran down his back, passing over the fresh scratches, but after a few moments, the stinging stopped. He let out another yawn as he stood and let the water wash over his body, simply enjoying the heat before he quickly washed his hair and finished his shower. He stepped out of the shower, turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry himself off with before he wrapped it around his waist and quietly stepped back through into the bedroom. Leeteuk was still fast asleep in the same position he was in prior to Kyuhyun’s shower, making the younger chuckle softly.
“Now who’s the lazy one” He hummed almost silently as he pulled on a pair of clean boxers, his jeans and a long sleeved purple top before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Leeteuk’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

When he had closed the door to the bedroom he rubbed his hair with the towel in an attempt to dry it the best that he could. His hair was the longest it had ever been and took much longer than he liked for it to dry. After a couple of minutes of drying he put the towel in the basket beside the bedroom door and ran his fingers through his hair, it wasn’t completely dry but it was good enough. Kyuhyun hummed softly as he walked towards the closet and pulled on his jacket. He put on his glasses, grabbed his keys and phone from the table before slipping on his boots and heading out of his apartment, making sure to close the door quietly so he didn’t wake Leeteuk. As he left the building he began to walk towards the arts centre where the party was being held later that day, hoping to speak to emperor Lee before the event started. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he walked through the streets.

It was 10 am in the human realm, a time that Kyuhyun very rarely saw, and the streets were busy with commuters and shoppers going about their day. Several people stopped to look at the demon prince as he walked. The colour of his eyes always made him stand out from the crowd but luckily he had gotten used to people staring. Some people crossed over onto the far side of the street to avoid him, but most simply ignored him. Many people in the human realm knew of the existence of demons and angels, but nobody knew of the realms in which they came from. Kyuhyun looked up at the sky and smiled. The sun was now hidden behind a thick blanket of cloud keeping the light to a minimum, much to Kyuhyun’s approval. After several minutes of walking he looked around and smiled to himself when he saw the arts centre come into view and within minutes he was standing in front of the familiar building that he had snuck into just over a year ago. The outer doors were open so he followed the small hallway down towards the main hall as he looked around curiously to see if anybody was around.
“Hello?” He called out softly before he pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

The main hall looked a lot different now compared to when the masquerade had been held there.  The tables down the left and right sides of the room were set with crisp white tablecloths, black plates and glasses and a large bouquet of white roses in the middle of each table. Around each vase of roses were three small white candles on black holders, although none of them were lit yet. The red lights Kyuhyun had gotten used to at the last party had now been replaced by a more welcoming white light to brighten up the room. Both sides of the room were lined with comfortable black sofas and the middle of the room had been left free of tables and chairs, in favour of it being used as a dance floor.

“Good morning Kyuhyun!” Emperor Lee called out as he stepped into the main hall from one of the side rooms, snapping Kyuhyun out of his daze.
“Good morning, my lord. This place looks amazing.”
“Ah, thank you! We’ve been working on it all morning but there is still a lot to do. I didn’t expect to see you until tonight, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I just woke up early so I figured I might as well make the most of my day. I left Leeteuk to sleep so he doesn’t know I’m here” Kyuhyun smiled “Can I talk to you about the party?” he asked and Emperor Lee nodded with a small smile as he ushered the demon prince over to one of the sofas at the side of the room. Sungmin, Yunho and Changmin were down at the far end of the main hall helping to set up the area where Emperor Lee would spend the majority of the night. It was a small stage area with a long table running across the front and overlooking the entirety of the room. There was an elegant silver armchair with black cushions in the middle spot of the table, mirrored on either side by two smaller chairs for Sungmin, Yunho and Changmin.

As Sungmin set the large table he looked up and raised an eyebrow when he noticed his father speaking with Kyuhyun.
“Changmin” He called out softly, turning his head to glance towards his father’s advisor “What’s Kyuhyun doing here?” he asked and when Changmin smiled without looking up Sungmin frowned. “Seriously Changmin, why is he here?”
“It is not my place to say, my lord. Perhaps you should go and speak with Kyuhyun instead” Changmin spoke softly with a slight hint of amusement in his voice as he laid the table in Sungmin’s place. Sungmin scoffed childishly before jumping down off the stage and walking over towards his father and Kyuhyun.
“Kyuhyun, you realise the party doesn’t start until tonight, right?” Sungmin asked and both his father and Kyuhyun looked up.
“I am aware of this, yes. I needed to speak with your father” Kyuhyun grumbled in reply. He could hear in Sungmin’s voice that the prince didn’t approve of Kyuhyun being invited to the party, despite how far they had come in the development of their friendship, he didn’t approve of Kyuhyun being allowed so close to his father.
“Why? What was so important that it couldn’t wait until tonight?”
“Sungmin, enough” Emperor Lee warned before he glanced at Kyuhyun with a small smile “Kyuhyun and I were discussing something very important that is happening tonight.” Kyuhyun smiled but his smile fell when Sungmin spoke again.
“Why, what…” he started before Kyuhyun let out a low growl of annoyance.
“I’m asking Leeteuk to marry me, alright!” He snapped “It doesn’t matter how you feel on the matter because it is happening, and if you speak a word of this to Leeteuk I’ll break your neck.” Emperor Lee’s eyes widened as Kyuhyun spoke and Sungmin stepped backwards with a frown.
“Kyuhyun! You will not lay a finger on my son.” Emperor Lee shouted and Kyuhyun sighed as he leaned forward and rested his head in his hands.
“See father, a leopard can't change its spots”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it. This is why I don’t generally socialise before midday. I’m not a morning person” Kyuhyun mumbled “I’m tired and hungry and I shouldn’t take it out on you Sungmin”
“It’s alright, Kyuhyun” Emperor Lee spoke softly and rested his hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder before he stood up “Nobody will speak a word of this to Leeteuk, Kyuhyun. You have my word. But don’t ever threaten my son again.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll be on my best behaviour tonight, I swear. But Sungmin, please stop acting like I’m the bad guy. I thought we had made progress after you helped with my magic, was I so wrong?” he asked and Sungmin shrugged.
“You might make Leeteuk happy but it doesn’t mean I like having you so close to my family”

“I understand that you want to protect them but I’m not here to hurt anyone” he sighed “I’m not going to pretend I’m something I’m not just to gain your approval. I may be half angel but I am still my father's son. It's all I've ever been. For the past fifteen years of my life, I have only been surrounded by demons. My family, friends and relationships, all demons. I can't change who I am just because I have this new side of my life. People see how I am with Leeteuk and assume that that is how I always am, but it's not. I get annoyed, I lose my temper, I snap and say things I shouldn't” he paused and stood from his seat. “I am half demon, it's all I have ever known and it's going to take a long time before anything else starts to feel normal. I hate to disappoint you but I’m not good, I don't know how to be… good. But at least I admit it.” He glanced at Sungmin as he spoke and Sungmin frowned. “You can't control his life, Sungmin, it’s about time you realised that and let him be happy” he mumbled but before anybody could speak another word, the young prince was gone.

Emperor Lee let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose before he stood up and closed the distance between himself and Sungmin. He didn’t say a word but gave Sungmin a small smile and rubbed the prince’s arm gently.
“You think I’m too hard on him?” Sungmin asked quietly as he turned with his father and began to follow him back towards the main table.
“I think you need to be careful what you say to him. I think you need to trust that Leeteuk is happy and I think you and Kyuhyun need to set aside your differences before one of you loses him, and I don’t think that will be Kyuhyun. However you feel about Kyuhyun when it comes to Leeteuk you both want the same thing.” Emperor Lee turned and gave Sungmin a reassuring smile and Sungmin nodded as he picked up a long strip of black fabric for the table.
“I know, father” He mumbled before he let out an almost defeated sigh “When he asks Leeteuk to marry him tonight, would you mind if I say a few words?” he asked and Emperor Lee smiled.
“Of course not. I’m sure Kyuhyun would like that, providing you have nothing but good things to say. Now, finish laying the table, we still have a lot to do before tonight.”
 

*****

Kyuhyun walked back in the direction of his apartment block with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket and his head down, avoiding eye contact with everybody he crossed paths with before he turned and made his way down a smaller and much quieter street. His meeting with Emperor Lee had gone well until Sungmin had joined them, changing his mood instantly from good to bad. As much as he understood Sungmin’s worry he couldn’t understand why the light prince was always so cold towards him. Despite their progressing friendship Sungmin always found a way to get under Kyuhyun’s skin. Kyuhyun sighed and leaned against a small wall off the back of one of the buildings. Hundreds of thoughts were racing around in his head thanks to Sungmin’s words and the hunger that was slowly starting to creep back up on him. It had been several hours since he last fed and his eyes were slowly changing to a deep red colour. He smiled as thoughts of Leeteuk and their previous night together came to mind before he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, but when a voice called out to him suddenly he flinched before he looked to his side and noticed a woman standing beside him.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you” She smiled nervously when she noticed the colour of Kyuhyun’s eyes but she didn’t run. Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes as he ran them over the woman. She had a small frame with long black hair framing her face. She was dressed in black trousers and a long red coat with a black top just visible underneath.
“Can I help you?” Kyuhyun asked, visibly tensing when the woman stepped closer.
“I’m not from around here and I’m a little lost. Can you point me in the direction of the train station?” she asked and Kyuhyun gave her a small smile.
“Sure, I’ll walk you down the end of this street and then show you where you need to go, if that’s okay?” he asked and the woman nodded.
“Thank you very much.” As the two set off walking down towards the end of the street Kyuhyun couldn’t help but wonder why she wasn’t afraid of him. She had seen his eyes yet she chose to ask him for directions over every other person around her. ‘Humans are weird’ he thought to himself but it wasn’t until the wind picked up, and he caught her scent, that he realised he had begun to trail behind. His stomach twisted as her scent lingered in front of him, his eyes glowing red with hunger. He glanced around the street before he pulled the woman into an alleyway, pushed her against the wall and clamped his hand over .
“Do not move or make a sound” Kyuhyun spoke softly as he made eye contact with the woman, his pupils dilating for a second as he spoke before she nodded. He removed his hand from and pulled the collar of the women's coat out of the way before sinking his fangs into the side of her neck. She let out a quiet pained whimper but stayed silent as Kyuhyun drank, his fangs sinking deeper with every gulp of her blood that ran down his throat. When her grip on his jacket relaxed after a few minutes Kyuhyun pulled back suddenly causing several trails of blood to run down his chin and onto his jacket and t-shirt. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before making eye contact with the woman once again.
“Forget my face, forget you ever met me. Now run” He mumbled with a hint of a growl in his voice and when he broke eye contact with the woman and stepped backwards, she pressed her hand to her neck and ran from the alley, running down the street before disappearing out of sight. Kyuhyun remained in the alley after the woman had gone. He stood with his eyes fixed on the floor, focusing on the droplets of blood that had fallen to the ground when he had pulled away. After a few minutes, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and wiped the blood onto his jeans before he sighed and began to make his way home.

It didn’t take long for Kyuhyun to arrive home and when he pushed open the door to his apartment and noticed that Leeteuk wasn’t in the living room or kitchen, he let out a sigh of relief. He knew he would have to tell Leeteuk what had happened but he didn’t want to arrive home to the angel waiting for him expectantly.  He took off his jacket and threw it onto the floor as he closed the door to their apartment before he walked over to the sofa and sat down. Kyuhyun never used to feel guilty for feeding on humans but after feeding only from Leeteuk for so long the young prince instantly regretted his decision.

Leeteuk lay awake in bed when he heard the apartment door close. He had only been awake for ten minutes but without Kyuhyun’s warmth beside him, he didn’t want to move. He sat up in bed and yawned before reaching for his sweatpants and pulling them on. ‘He’s never awake this early’ Leeteuk thought to himself and stood from the bed, stretching his muscles as he walked to the door and pulled it open.
“Good morning” He smiled but his smile fell when he noticed Kyuhyun sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands. “Kyuhyun, what’s wrong?” he asked when he received no movement or reply from the younger. He walked around to the front of the sofa and knelt down beside Kyuhyun before resting his hand on the younger’s knee. “Kyuhyun, talk to me, what's...” he paused when he noticed the blood on Kyuhyun’s jeans and t-shirt.
“Sungmin was right. I’ll never change” Kyuhyun mumbled quietly and Leeteuk’s eyes widened.
“Is this Sungmin’s blood?” he asked and when Kyuhyun shook his head the angel let out a sigh of relief. “What happened? Where have you been?” Leeteuk looked up to Kyuhyun’s face before he reached out his hand and brushed his thumb over the younger’s cheek.
“I woke up early so I went to see if your uncle needed any help setting up for the party” Kyuhyun spoke softly as he moved his hands away from his head before crossing them across his stomach instead. “We were talking and Sungmin came over, he was being cold towards me for no reason and it annoyed me. I threatened him, I don’t know why I didn’t really think about what I was saying. After I left I ran into a woman who wanted directions” he paused and looked at the traces of blood on the back of his hand, making Leeteuk’s face fall a little.
“Did you kill her?” He asked and Kyuhyun shook his head.
“No, but I could have. I made her forget ever meeting me and told her to run. Then I came home. I proved Sungmin right once again.”
“Okay, you need to stop listening to Sungmin. I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay with you feeding on somebody other than me but you are still half demon, Kyuhyun, and you still need to feed. But you made a mistake, we all make them from time to time. Don’t beat yourself up about it, okay?” Leeteuk smiled and Kyuhyun couldn’t help but give the angel a small smile.
“I think I should have just stayed in bed. I’m tired and I’m cranky. I was much happier when I was in bed with you”
“The party isn’t until tonight and it’s still early, go back to bed for a few hours. I’m sure you’ll feel better when you wake up.” Leeteuk smiled and without another word, Kyuhyun stood from the sofa and wrapped his arms around Leeteuk’s waist. Leeteuk smiled and returned the hug before he pressed a kiss to Kyuhyun’s forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”

Kyuhyun walked back towards their bedroom and crawled back into bed in his clothes, choosing to get changed later in favour of sleeping now. He pulled the covers up to his chin and rested his head on his hand as Leeteuk sat on the edge of the bed beside him and brushed his fingers through Kyuhyun’s hair.
“I don’t deserve you. But I’m happy that you stay” Kyuhyun smiled, earning a small laugh from the older before he leant down and pressed a kiss to Kyuhyun’s lips.
“You need to stop saying things like that. You deserve to be happy, Kyuhyun. I’m just glad I’m the person you can be happy with”
“I know, but I’m sure your life is a lot more complicated now. I’ve definitely gotten in the way of your relationship with Sungmin” Kyuhyun pouted making Leeteuk shake his head as he went back to running his fingers through the younger’s hair.
“Sungmin is the only person ruining my relationship with Sungmin. You’re trying to get along with him and that’s all I ask. Please stop worrying about it, Kyuhyun.” Kyuhyun smiled and gave a small nod before he let out a yawn. “Get some sleep, I’ll see you in a few hours.”
 

*****
 

Leeteuk spent the next couple of hours cleaning the apartment while Kyuhyun slept. The small storage room to the side of the living room had been tidied and the living room itself was clean and any clutter had been thrown away. He had emptied and cleaned out the refrigerator, ready for a trip to the grocery store later, as well as tidied the cupboards and cleaned the oven. Kyuhyun’s apartment was never too dirty but something about cleaning helped Leeteuk to relax and clear his mind. He the coffee machine and leaned against the counter, letting out a small content sigh as he looked around the now tidy apartment.
“One less thing for him to worry about” He hummed softly to himself with a smile. As he turned to pour a cup of coffee the door to the bedroom opened and Kyuhyun stepped into the living room rubbing his eyes.
“Hey sleepy head” Leeteuk smiled and grabbed another cup before he turned around and chuckled. “What is your hair doing?” he asked and Kyuhyun pouted. Kyuhyun’s hair was a mess and sticking up in several directions despite the younger’s efforts to neaten it.
“I don’t know” The younger grumbled and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back briefly before most of it flopped back down again. “I think I need it cutting.”
“Well, we have time if you want to go to the salon around the corner and get it cut” Leeteuk smiled as he handed Kyuhyun a cup of coffee before pressing a kiss to the younger’s cheek. Kyuhyun smiled and thanked Leeteuk with a smile as he took a sip of the hot coffee.
“I’ve never had my hair cut… properly before” he shrugged and Leeteuk raised an eyebrow.
“Really? Who cuts it for you?” he asked making Kyuhyun let out a small laugh.
“Heechul. He’s cut it for me since I was little. He tried to take me to a salon when I was a child but apparently I wouldn’t let anybody touch me and would bite them if they tried” he laughed fondly at the memory “I would only let Heechul cut it and it just kind of stayed that way. I think he would probably kill me if I let anybody else cut it now.” Leeteuk chuckled and reached out to run his fingers through Kyuhyun’s hair.
“As much as I love your hair this length, it does need tidying up. So providing you don’t try to bite the stylists we can go and get it cut if you’d like. You don’t need to have it cut much if you don’t want”
“Sure. Let me wake up properly and then we can go. I think I want it shorter so it’s easier to manage.”

Kyuhyun smiled and leaned against the counter as he rubbed his eyes and let out another yawn before he took a small sip of his coffee. Leeteuk ran his eyes over the younger and gave a small smile at his appearance. Kyuhyun was no longer wearing the clothes he had gone to bed in just a few hours earlier but was now wearing a pair of clean black jeans and a long-sleeved grey top with the sleeves pulled over his hands. Despite his hair being a mess the younger looked well rested compared to earlier. Leeteuk finished his coffee and set his cup down beside the sink.
“How’re you feeling now?” He asked in a calm and almost soothing voice and Kyuhyun gave a small nod of his head. The young prince still regretted feeding on the woman in the alley but he now felt a lot calmer and his anger towards Sungmin had faded.
“Better. I still feel guilty about what happened but knowing I didn’t kill her takes a weight off my shoulders. I’m glad I went back to sleep. I’ve definitely learnt my lesson, no more sneaking out on you” he pouted and Leeteuk smiled, taking full advantage of the younger’s pout to softly press a kiss to his lips. Kyuhyun smiled and set down his cup. “Next time I’m staying in bed. And if I can’t sleep, well, I’ll just have to wake you up and make you unable to sleep too” he hummed softly before wrapping his arms around Leeteuk’s waist and pulling him close. Leeteuk let out a small gasp but wrapped his arms loosely around Kyuhyun’s neck with a smile.
“Well, if it keeps you out of trouble you won’t hear me complaining” he hummed as he closed the distance and brushed his lips over Kyuhyun’s but pulled back when Kyuhyun tried to initiate a kiss.
“Yah, let me kiss you” Kyuhyun whined and Leeteuk simply shook his head.
“If you kiss me right now you’ll want to keep kissing me. And then we’ll end up back in bed, you will never get your haircut and we won’t want to go back out later for the party” Leeteuk said with a chuckle and when Kyuhyun opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it and pouted, Leeteuk grinned. “See, I know you too well. Now go and grab your jacket and we can get going.”

Kyuhyun let out a small frustrated growl before leaned forward and nipped playfully at Leeteuk’s neck, earning a small squeak of surprise from the older. As the two finally parted, and Leeteuk took a step backwards, Kyuhyun cupped Leeteuk’s face in his hands before pressing his lips against the angels. Leeteuk groaned in defeat and when Kyuhyun pulled away with a grin he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
“Jacket. Now. Stop being a brat.”
“But I am a brat. I am always a brat” Kyuhyun smirked and headed towards the closet to grab a clean hoodie. Leeteuk smiled and moved Kyuhyun’s cup into the sink along with his own as he waited for Kyuhyun and when the younger returned he picked up his keys before slipping on his shoes and walking to the door.