Here's the second repost for this month probably. I'll try to revise the next few chapters with some help from my writing friends, but don't expect any quick magic from me. Thanks so much for your patience and please don't give up on me.

Disclaimer: I do not own pics.

Repost: 9/18/13

Better Than Air Hugs

The second you and Chanyeol entered his home, the two of you flinched. The guards who were victims to your antics immediately informed the others what had happened (humph, tattle tales). Suddenly, a menacing aura of angry princes engulfed your smaller form, making you gulp fearfully, shimmying away to partially hide behind Chanyeol. The five eldest princes—Xiumin, Luhan, Yifan, Suho, and Yixing—lectured you and Chanyeol about the consequences of being rash and reckless, and running off without supervision. Then you intervened saying Chanyeol had fainted from fatigue, and that garnered the expected reaction you wanted.

Suho was aghast by the news. He fiercely grabbed Chanyeol by his shoulders and frantically fussed over him, fretting, “Oh, no! Is my baby brother alright?” The water prince looked ready to have a heart attack, forgetting about the previous matter at hand. He roughly shook Chanyeol’s shoulders. “DID SOMETHING BAD HAPPEN? DID YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP EARLIER? ARE YOU HUNGRY?!”

“C-calm down, Joonmyun.” Yixing placed a comforting hand on Suho’s arm. Luhan pulled you away from the scene, not wanting you to be also manhandled by a crazed mother hen—ahem—Suho.

Suho yanked on Chanyeol’s ear who yelped. “Come with me, mister. You’re taking a nap and then eating with us afterwards. No objections!” he dictated obstinately, before Chanyeol could insist that he was fine.

“I think you should listen to him, Prince Chanyeol,” you gently urged, touching his arm.

Chanyeol faltered with his protests. He caved under your touch and complied, “F-fine.”

Suho dragged Chanyeol away to get that nap he talked about with Yixing hot on their heels (so he could take care of Chanyeol).

...You sent a fervent sorry to Chanyeol for using him as a distraction.

Noon passed and now it was the first hour of the afternoon. By the time Chanyeol awoken from his brief, fitful nap, everyone gathered around for a late lunch. Baekhyun and Suho hovered over Chanyeol’s condition like hawks (but he was perfectly fine). During the luncheon, you were given an excessive amount of attention from Kai, Sehun, and Luhan. They wanted to share food with you or personally feed you like you were a baby. You had no choice but to let them do whatever they wanted because they were too much of a hassle to control. Yifan had his hands full with a gluttonous Xiumin and trying to coax a picky Tao to eat. Yixing was making sure everyone was eating rather than doing that himself. Chen and Kyungsoo watched the rowdy scene from the sidelines, exchanging their amused point of views. Kyungsoo kindly pointed out what type of dishes you should try, and Yifan scolded everyone at their table manners.

Such a hectic lunch, you thought fondly, then chuckled inwardly. It’s nice to see everyone full of life.

“So, is the last stop for today Sehunnie’s domain?” you spoke up, dabbing the corner of your mouth with a napkin.

Everyone nodded in response. Sehun’s usual placid eyes were expectantly shining with fervor. “We’re leaving after we pack up,” Yifan validated.

“Can someone lend me a new traveling bag?” you asked sheepishly. “My bag is jam-packed with so many things—it can’t fit anything anymore.”

Yixing meekly raised a hand. “You can have my spare. It’s small but usable.”

You beamed at him gratefully. “Thanks so much, Yixing!”

The healer’s cheeks heated up when you addressed him so informally. The other princes were stricken with jealousy, but waved it off because you liked being casual with names from time to time.

Lunch was cleared, and everyone prepared for the next leg of the trip. Yixing dropped by to the room you were occupying, a spare bag in tow. It was similar to yours—shoulder-strapped and made of soft, but thick leather material. He shyly held it out to you, not meeting your sincere gaze. Taking the offered bag, you surprised the prince with a one-armed hug. The healer was frozen in shock, but then slowly recovered and returned the embrace. He loved your hugs—they were light and gentle, but meaningful.

“Really, thank you, Yixing,” you said softly. “My other bag is completely stuffed.”

Yixing tilted his head curiously. “What do you have in there anyway, Princess?”

Uh, oh, you thought.

Luckily you knew how to act casual and unsuspecting—a handy trick you mastered to avoid your nosy brothers—and dismissed the inquiry with a goodnatured wave. “Oh, lots of things. Shells, sand dollars, plants, rocks, sto—”

The healing prince laughed out loud. “Ahahaha, I understand, Princess. Souvenirs.”

“Are you going to give me any souvenirs?” you inquired innocently, eyes probing.

Yixing blushed under pressure. “A-anything you want, Princess.”

“Princeeeeeeess! Big Brotha Yixiiiiiiiing!” sang Tao, his soft, bubbly voice resonating down the hall. “We’re leavin’ soon!”

“Coming!” you and Yixing replied in unprompted unison. The two of you blinked at each other and then bursted out laughing.

“Shall we go?” Yixing asked, holding out a hand gentlementally. You smiled and accepted the offered hand.

“Yes, we shall.”

And you and Yixing walked down the hall together.

...

About a half an hour later in a different territory...

“Don’t be nervous—just be you,” Luhan advised Sehun, the older one switched into take-care-of-Sehunnie-mode. The telekinesis prince busied himself by tiding up his younger brother’s appearance—folding down Sehun’s collar, adjusting his sleeves, sweeping microscopic dust off his shoulders. You could say Luhan was more nervous than Sehun.

Sehun bobbed his head, looking up at his favorite older brother. “Thankz, Luhannie.”

You were waiting for the youngest EXO prince by the front door of his house. When he came into view, you directed a sincere smile his way, and asked, “Ready to go, Prince Sehun?”

“Yes!” Sehun darted to your side and swept open the door. You and him waved everyone goodbye and exited the threshold, accompanied by two guards.

Sehun’s front yard was literally the entire open-aired plains. A spacious sea of healthy green.

“Aaaaah!” You hummed appreciatively, relishing the fresh air and of wind. The guards were like shadows lurking from far behind. By your side, your young fiancé watched your breathtaking expressions with a dazed look of his own. He thought you were insanely adorable—more than him! Strands of your glossy black hair flew flimsily in the passing breeze. Your chocolate eyes shone a rich russet under the sun.

Beautiful.

To enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, you closed your eyes and let it seep into your skin. Seconds later, you smiled. Why? Because Sehun was teasing you. Small, individual wisps of streaming air currents swirled around you. Air threaded through your hair as if to yank on it. Your neck tingled as if it was being tickled by an invisible hand. Something incredibly soft and plush smooched at your cheek.

“Sehunnie! Stop with the air kisses!” you exclaimed, but was overcome by giggles.

Sehun froze in his tracks. How did she know? He pouted. “Why?”

Turning around, you skipped over to him to poke his puffed out cheek. “Because I’m ticklish.”

Sehun’s brows rose mischievously. Something about him seemed villainous and you were the victim. You gulped. “Weally?”

You knew that look. You’ve seen it many times from Kai, Xiumin, and even from your brothers when they had a scheme in mind. You began backing away slowly, hands held out as if to ward off the advancing wind prince. Sehun might be cute and shy sometimes, but when he opened up, he was just as playful and cheeky as Kai. “Don’t you dare, Sehu—eek!”

Like a cat, Sehun pounced and attacked your sides with tickles. Hysterical laughs escaped your lips like a musical chorus. Your breath left you like you had an asthma attack and blood rose up to your cheeks.

It was a desperate plan, but you retaliated by tackling Sehun. “ROAR!”

The two of you toppled over onto the soft bed of grass, rolling, giggling, and tickling each other. The lack of air was unbearable, so you and Sehun agreed to call a cease-fire. The two of you laid there, sprawled limp on the grass, sides and cheeks aching from laughing. The sky was a pretty sapphire, with puffy clouds lagging by.

“Hmm...” Sehun mused, “One day I want to uthe my powerz to thape the cloudz.”

“Will you draw pictures for me?” you asked him, seconding the idea.

Sehun nodded fervently. “Anything for you.”

To pass the time, you and Sehun pointed out certain cloud shapes. A fish, a tree, a plane... Then a butterfly decided to land on your arm, distracting you.

“Oh!” You abruptly sat upright as the butterfly fluttered its wings at the jerking movement. Sehun also sat up. “What a pretty butterfly! Its wings look so soft and colorful!”

“That’z a Royal Moon Butterfly,” explained the wind prince with a small smile. “They really like people. It lookz thmall, tho it muth be young.” He held out a finger. The butterfly deliberately flew over to nimbly perch on his finger. You stared wondrously at the delicate insect. “They live around here, Yixing’z, and Tao’z place.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever encountered it up close,” you admitted, still marveling.

The wind prince raised his hand and a small air current squished by. The butterfly felt it, flapped its wings, and rose into the air, letting the air current carry it along. You giggled at the cute sight.

Sehun stood up and dusted off his hands. “Princess, want to thee thumthing cool?”

You looked at him questionably. “Depending on the definition of cool.”

That was replied with a small grin. Sehun rushed off, positioning himself a mile or two away in the center of the field. You sat down patiently, legs crossed and undivided attention focused on your fiancé.

Solely concentrating on his breathing, Sehun set it to a steady tempo. Then he narrowed his eyes fiercely. He whipped out his hand and a sudden strong gust buffeted the plain, rushing northward—the direction Sehun was facing. He spun and the wind mimicked his movements. The grass and distant trees were battered by the powerful currents, forced to sway left and right. Leaves and twigs were caught in the frenzy, helpless versus the dominating element. Sehun rotated his finger, gathering the torrents of wind in one place. A small, visible whirlwind materialized before him. Gradually the whirlwind shrank, weakening until it completely diminished into nothing.

You clapped mechanically, stunned to your disbelief. “Th-that was wonderful! It was cool!”

The young EXO prince waved his arms at you exuberantly. “Thank you! Thank you!” He ran back to your side.

“That was SPECTACULAR!” you continued to laud, boosting his self-esteem greatly. “Only Tao and Baekhyun demonstrated their powers to that extent! I see how much you’ve grown from training! Your brothers should watch out! You can flatten them in seconds!”

The accomplished wind prince spread out his arms. “If I did tho good, den can I have a hug?” he requested.

You quirked a brow teasingly. “Are you sure you won’t go ahead and give me an air hug because I can’t stop you?”

Sehun pondered for a split second, then you were yanked into a suffocating embrace, your fiancé burying his face in the crook of your neck. You were breathless, enjoying the moment, too.

“Thith ith better than air hugz,” he sighed contently, his breath warming your bare neck. The ba-dump, ba-dump of your heartbeat reverberated from your chest, filling his eardrums. He loved that sound.

In response, you winded your arms around his neck and cradled him close. Your voice was soft and sober as you whispered, “I agree.”

The two of you didn’t budge for a long time.

Let me stay in your love, your heart, your embrace for as long as I can.

...