Afjasjfgskdgsfalalfhsgskfsjafdajs, I finally had the patience to update something. I'd meant to work on LMKY, but that fic refuses to cooperate with me! GRRR! Humph, so when I lost my patience for it, I glumly finished the final bit of reediting for this. So, tada! A wonderful repost! Excuse me for mistakes and such.

Oh, and two extra reminders: 1) I might not update this fic next weekend because I really want to draft up something decent for LMKY and 2.) a special day of mine is coming up in a little over a week...old subbies, you disappoint me if you don't remember...

Reminder: No stealing or copying or translating or plagiarizing my fic! I will make your life miserable if you do...

Repost: 9/13/14

Anywhere With You

That morning, it appeared as if you woke up peacefully, without a distressful pinch to your angelic features or a sullen frown upon your lips. When you opened your eyes, they lacked the fogginess of sleep, conveying that you were totally alert of your surroundings, but...that—everything—was just a misconception. You weren’t anywhere near peaceful—in your heart or in your soul.

Not only that, the deficiency of nutrition, sleep, and care afflicted your body with cumbersome cramps and sores. Having overexerted yourself didn’t help with the situation either. It seemed that the accumulation of horrible conditions that you burdened your body with had finally caught up to you, leaving you aching and shortwinded. You were in the dire need of painkillers, but you were skeptical towards Earth’s medicines, so decided otherwise and endured the pain as best as you could.

Glancing around, it seemed that during the night, the EXO princes had converged around you to a claustrophobic degree. Kyungsoo and Sehun had their heads pillowed on your abdomen. Kai’s arm was pressed against yours. Luhan’s flawless face was a mere hairbreadth away.

The dull light in your eyes was replaced with a fonder gleam as you lifted your hand to brush aside Luhan’s bangs from his doll-like face.

I better get up and see if Eunsun is awake, you decided. The sun had risen hours ago. Sunlight filtered into the room from the bedroom’s only window.

With slow, practiced movements, you detached yourself from the slumbering pool of bodies and eased your feet onto the cold, bare floor. They didn’t stir—though Chanyeol did intentionally flop over onto his side—but that was it. You soundlessly drifted out the room and closed the door.

When standing in the narrow hallway, a mouthwatering scent wafted upstairs and sailed into your nostrils. Your stomach growled, starving and weak-willed. You mechanically followed the aroma, treading carefully downstairs and pausing beside an arched entryway. After a moment of hesitation, you peeked past the opening which belonged to a decent-sized kitchen.

“Oh, you’re awake,” commented a bright, womanly voice.

Eunsun’s sudden announcement made you jump reflexively. Apparently you were still paranoid from your previous encounters of sneak attacks and aggressive strangers.

The woman, Eunsun, was startled by your spooked reaction and frowned. “I’m sorry if I scared you, dear. Um...” She inclined her head to the stove where something was frying on a pan. “I made some kimchi pancakes if you’re hungry. I have enough ingredients to feed a whole army. I assume the boys have appetites of ravenous dogs.”

It took you a while, but you managed to piece together Eunsun’s mannerism of speech and vocabulary that was mostly unknown to you. At least she spoke steadily and casually, so that helped you. You nodded weakly. “Yes, they do. And thank you—for the food. I’m famished.”

The human gave you a small, sincere smile, then returned her attention to her cooking. You timidly sat on a strange wooden chair with an abstract curvature and waited. Finishing up whatever she was frying and flipping, Eunsun arranged the food on a plate then poured some juice into a glass cup. Turning around, she slid the plate and glass over to you on the table. She noticed how unsure you were about your surroundings, your wandering gaze flickering everywhere—from the cute, artistic decorations, to the outdated technology that wasn’t actually outdated here on Earth.

“Interesting...accommodations,” you spoke up, managing to sound nice.

Eunsun smiled at your attempt to start a polite conversation. “Thank you. Now, please, eat.”

Picking up your silver utensils, hunger overcame you and you scarfed down the strange-looking, orangey-fried, crispy flatness. But, to your surprise, whatever Eunsun had whipped up was scrumptious and satisfying to your taste buds. Nearly choking because you ate too fast, you downed the glass of juice in one tremendous gulp. “Ahh.”

Eunsun, who had been sitting across from you, cocked an intrigued brow. “Wow. You sure are hungry, child. Here, how about another serving?” She winked at you and retrieved the empty plate and glass cup. “A girl like you needs to eat to keep up her energy.”

The playful statements made your cheeks flare in embarrassment, but you did not protest when Eunsun handed you another plate of the delicious breakfast dish and a filled up glass of juice. She sat across from you again, watching you eat in fascination, her elbows propped up on the table and her chin resting on her linked hands.

“Are the boys awake yet?” she asked to lessen the awkward silence of you just eating.

Glimpsing up from your pancakes, you shook your head and swallowed. “They are still very tired. Some of them had nightmares throughout the night.” It was true. They had whimpered and grimaced in their sleep, trapped by their unimaginable nightmares—an intangible force that you were hopeless to defeat with just soothing words and gentle caresses. Unable to think of anything else, you had risked using a subtle sleep spell to calm them down—not that Eunsun should know about that.

The human pursed her lips in concern. “That’s awful. Poor boys. They should be properly cared for with a roof over their heads, so they can grow up to be strong, healthy boys and do great things.”

“Yes,” you whispered in a subdue reply, brooding over what Eunsun had said.

Yifan would’ve been king. I would’ve been married to one of them. EXO and SHINee would have been taken over by us after our parents retired. Our two planets would’ve ensured peace and harmony throughout our lands. All of us would’ve been living happily ever after...

But those were only would haves.

The surge of sadness was numbing and cold to the touch. You felt choked up but nibbled on your food to avoid speaking.

Observant as ever, Eunsun frowned at your fallen mood. She thought it was her fault because she’d mindlessly divulged her thoughts about the strange boys. To her, you and the boys were intriguing, and she felt bound to you all by duty.

“So...where are you from really?” Eunsun dared to venture. “You had these weird clothes and bags when I found you. And the way you talk...”

Caught by the growing suspicions, you froze. “I...”

Your human savior softened. “Are you all from different places? Wait, you had to steal stuff to survive. Maybe you didn’t grow up in the city?” She leaned forward on the table, large eyes begging for an answer.

You were shaken by the bombardment of questions. “Uh...”

Eunsun pressed on, “Were any of you taken in by an orphanage before?”

“No,” you inserted suddenly. “No, it’s none of that. I wasn’t lying when I said we only have each other. We don’t know this place nor anywhere else. And I...I was...assigned to protect the pri—I mean the boys.”

Your rushed babbling had Eunsun scrunching her brows together in confusion. “Are they your brothers?”

“I...” For the second time that morning, you faltered in your speech. Eunsun’s question stabbed you in the heart, reminding you about your real brothers—the ones you left behind during the war. You withheld a heartbroken sob that threaten to resurface. When you spoke, your voice was wan and despondent. “Not here, Kim Eunsun. I’m—we’re—not from here.”

“I can see that,” she said.

You raised your chin to stare at her with your deep, calculating eyes. It stunned her.

“At all. We’re not from here at all.”

“What do you mean, Aris-ah?” she inquired, becoming serious at your hard tone.

“If I told you, you’d probably kick us out onto the streets again,” you whispered, voice trembling. “Or even turn us in over to your officials. I can’t risk that. I have to protect the boys. They’re my life.” Your abnormally pale skin stretched white over your knuckles as you fisted your hands to quell your apprehension.

Eunsun was shocked at what you accusing her of possibly doing. “Oh, no! No, I wouldn’t! I made a promise to take care of all of you!” The women scratched her non-itchy cheek as she confessed, “I may have become attached to you children. Probably because I...” She shrugged lightly. “I feel like it’s my job—my calling. Like you were supposed to be the reason why I stayed alone after all these years.”

You sensed that she was telling the truth about her feelings and intentions. She sounded sincere and genuine. “If...I told you absolute truth, would you swear not to tell a soul or dare discard us?”

Eunsun nodded firmly, hand placed over her heart. “I swear on my life.”

“I take promises very seriously,” you murmured, eyes fixated on her. You straightened up in your seat and inhaled deeply. “Alright, then. What I’m about to tell you may sound like a fantasy or even a fairy tale, but I assure you, it is all true. Please refrain from asking too many questions as I explain everything.”

In response, Eunsun clamped her lips together and nodded, indicating for you to begin.

Taking a brief moment to collect yourself, your countenance changed subtly. It was like it was story-time, your voice steady and soft, face passive and calm, and words smooth and sufficient.

“I am Aris, the youngest and only princess of the planet SHINee World. To humans, we do not exist, but if some believe we do, we are dubbed as ‘extraterrestrial beings’. To us Shawols—the citizens of SHINee World—Earth is like an unappreciated, insignificant planet. Humans on Earth are people without our certain...capabilities.”

Judging by her eyes, Eunsun was resisting the urge to ask what you meant by ‘capabilities’. Therefore, you decided to show her—she did need the incentive to believe your claim.

Looking to your left, you flourished your dainty hand to a picture hung up on the wall. Wisps of your magic floated over and touched the picture. The horse began to gallop and whinny like it was in a movie. Birds chirped and flew by. A breeze rustled the leaves of a tree. Clouds lugged by in the blue sky.

Nearly jumping out of her chair, Eunsun gaped, awestruck, at what you did. She pointed incredulously, stammering, “D-did y-you just u-use m-magic to—”

“To animate the picture? Yes, I did,” you supplied for her. “In SHINee, all Shawols are gifted with magic. We’re sorcerers or sorceresses to a certain degree.” You flexed your slim artist’s fingers. “To my people, I am considered a prodigy. As...as a child, I was gifted with an intellectual mind beyond my years, and not to mention an immense amount of power that no one else can equate to. By the time I was five-years-old, I could master the most strongest or complicated batch of spells. No one dared to question my knowledge or expertise. Many, including the adults, were afraid to test my powers, and, even though I was incredibly young, I was proclaimed to be more powerful than my father—the king. They said I was on par with the greatest sorceress in our history—my grandmother.”

Then your thoughtful expression faltered. “M-my brothers couldn’t even beat me. They tried to be a challenge though...”

“Your real brothers?” Eunsun inquired softly, sensing your wistfulness.

You nodded dimly. “As I said, I am the youngest—out of six children. I had—I have five older brothers. I care for them greatly, and they return the favor, but...” Your vision watered, and a tremor made your voice waver. “But they couldn’t watch over me the way they promised Mother... My mother died giving birth to me because of her weak condition...”

She couldn’t help it, Eunsun reached over to squeeze your shoulder sympathetically. A single tear streaked down your ashen face. Eunsun waited courteously until you were able to continue with your tale.

“Now the boys: they are from EXO Planet—the closest neighboring planet in our solar system. If you imagine Earth being superbly advanced in technology, and yet maintains the utmost beauty of nature, then you can fathom what EXO would be like. EXO and SHINee are allied planets and are very close friends—the royal families especially. Our planets are special, tucked within the Aeonian Veil which, by what our researchers discovered, correlates your time with our time, regardless of space-time factors. My brothers and I originate from SHINee, and the boys—Xiumin, Luhan, Yifan, Suho, Yixing, Chen, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Tao, Kai, and Sehun—are from EXO. They are the beloved princes of EXO, cherished by all of their people. Not long ago, they were my dearest friends...I was engaged to all of them in the hopes to formally link our two worlds by marriage.”

The human before you absorbed the tremendous amount of information with gusto. She frowned. “Your life sounds exquisite, but what happened that caused you and the princes to...move to Earth?”

Your body slouched with despair and anguish. Eunsun was sure an inquisitive one. “There is one planet out there, called Techcron, who has always wanted, for many decades, to overthrow the Exotic monarchy and seize the planet for their resources and vitality. Techron’s...beings are half-mechanic and half-biotic. They are bred to create destruction and war.”

Looking down at your clasped hands, you said, “A royal prophet—my teacher—Prophet Yesung foresaw the massive invasion of the Techas from Techcron. Despite their previous failure, they were better planned, efficiently organized, and had upgraded themselves this time. The Techas were ruthless and gruesome... And their main objective was to kill the EXO princes—my fiancés.”

Eunsun’s sympathy for you rocketed sky high. It all made sense now...

“I wasn’t actually fifteen a few days ago,” you murmured. “All of this catastrophe happened within a span of three weeks at most. The dreadful vision, formulating a plan to counterattack, and me visiting EXO again. It got very complicated from there.”

Though confused to a scale from lost to mindblown, Eunsun delicately motioned for you to continue. “So, tell me. I’m all ears.”

And you did.

After thoroughly explaining about the calamity that’d befallen on EXO, you described the more recent events: “We were targeted by your government’s military when we entered the atmosphere and took a beeline for your country. They chased after us, but with our advanced technology, their efforts were futile as we avoided their jet-like machines. We landed somewhere in a large, untouched field surrounded by a thicket of woods on the rural side of this city. Wasting no time, we concealed the spaceship with its cloaking system, took our stuff, and journeyed into the city. Somehow we managed to avoid being mugged and beaten by bad people and being narrowly apprehended by police officers who tried to take us to an orphanage. Despite the dangers, though, none of us used our magic or powers.” You sighed, getting to the depressing parts. “None too soon, we ran out of food and were forced to steal what we could without being noticed. It had only been maybe five days since we arrived on Earth until the rainstorm hit us hard. We couldn’t do anything to save ourselves without proper shelter and aid... We just laid there, hoping and praying for a better tomorrow.” Something lodged in your throat, making it difficult to speak. You realized your suppressed fears and anguish had dug up to the surface, haunting you, clawing at you. “I guess our prayers finally paid off when that night I woke up to be blessed with an angel.” You smiled at Eunsun softly, eyes rimmed with unshed tears. “You.”

It was approximately late morning when you finished your time-consuming tale. If you had told this to anyone else without background knowledge and had feigned pretense, they would’ve believed the tale to be the most suspenseful, action-packed, tear-jerking, heart-stopping story of all time.

No one knew it better than you, because you had lived it.

Eunsun was beyond floored, flabbergasted and thunderstruck. She was lost at how measly her human life was compared to yours. Her jaw was slack and her eyes were wide with disbelief.

You wrung your hands and swallowed nervously. “So, um, that’s it.”

“That’s—that’s—you...” she blubbered, blinking rapidly. She was speechless.

Suddenly you were enveloped in a huge bear hug.

“Oh my lord, you poor baby!” Eunsun cried in your hair. “No one deserves what you’ve been through! That type of treatment and sacrifices shouldn’t even exist!” She caressed your cheek tenderly. “You don’t know how much I admire you right now, Aris-ah. I wouldn’t have been as brave and as unselfish as you—not at all. Aigoo, you’re amazing.” Her eyes brightened in reverence, wondering if you were possibly a goddess from the heavens above.

It was automatic, but you had stiffened by her intimate proximity. Knowing that she was intentionally comforting you, you forced yourself to relax.

“That’s what I am,” you whispered into the woman’s shoulder. “A sacrificer. An unselfish being.”

Eunsun patted your hair soothingly, overwhelmed by compassion and tears. “Aris-ah, I think it’s a high time that you need to be taken cared of. Lately I’ve been thinking...would you mind if I adopted all of you?”

Your tired, half-masted eyes bugged out in disbelief. “You? Adopt and house thirteen kids?” you questioned skeptically.

The human blushed delicately at your piercing stare. “I hope I don’t sound...rushed and thoughtless. But think about it,” she insisted. “This house may be too small for thirteen kids, but I have a bakery to provide food and full income. In fact, if you want to return the favor, you and the boys can help out by working.” Eunsun at her braid bashfully. “You know...I’ve never considered having an actual family until I met you. And in doing so, I can’t seem to tear myself away. I think...I would honestly feel heartbroken if I let you and the boys leave without knowing you’d come back safe and sound.”

You were touched to the core by her considerate words. She was such a sweet, kindhearted women. A blessing. An angel. “Really? Do you mean it, Kim Eunsun? Like I said, I take promises very seriously.” Hope churned in your stomach.

She patted your cheek reassuringly. “I do, sweetie—with my entire heart. And stop calling me Kim Eunsun,” she playfully chided to lighten the mood; it did. “It’s umma to you now.”

A mother, you thought dreamily. Someone to be my mother...

“Thank you,” you whispered fervently and then sniffled. “Thank you so much.” Your voice cracked, overflowing with gratitude.

Eunsun grasped your taut, shaking hands in hers. Her hands were slightly longer and thicker with callouses from labor, but they were warm and welcoming. “There’s no need to thank me, Aris-ah. You deserve some proper rest and care. This is a new chapter for all of us.”

“I’ll go tell the princes,” you affirmed and immediately stood up, the wooden chair squealing as it was pushed back.

“Tell them I have breakfast! Enough to feed a whole army!” she agreed exuberantly. “The bakery should be opened by now by my employees, so I have spare time to cook.”

Chest swelling with wholehearted relief, you bowed your head low, then you whipped around and sped upstairs.

...

Gathered in one bedroom, the EXO princes sat in a squished circle, dead silent as they listened to you recollect the conversation you had with their human savior. The last thing you told them about was Eunsun’s plan for adoption.

“But...we still have our mothers and Father!” Tao unwittingly objected, breaking the grim silence that’d befallen over you all. The time prince sought for comfort as he hugged a pillow close to his chest.

You sighed collectively, having already expected the displays of reluctance. “Yes, I know, Prince Tao. But here, we have no one else to rely on but ourselves. It’s too risky and, not to mention, fruitless. We are in dire need of help that Kim Eunsun can sufficiently provide to us.” Seeing their distrustful looks, you changed gears and earnestly insisted, “She cares for us greatly. You can see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. She believes what has happened to us and wishes to lessen our burden of being here on Earth.” No one responded, and you sighed again. “It’s okay if you don’t like her right away—it takes time and effort to build relationships. You don’t have to call her your mother—at least not yet.”

“I still don’t like it,” Kai muttered, a grumpy frown plastered across his apathetic face.

“But Princess Aris has a point...” Suho interjected tentatively, siding with you after listening to your reasons.

“And the human, Kim Eunsun, can teach us how to fit in,” Yixing added helpfully, voice soft. You shot those two grateful smiles, and they returned the gesture with supportive nods.

“We can fend for ourselves,” Chanyeol murmured, downcast, but his argument was futile, and he knew it.

None of the other princes had divulged on what they thought, but the silence was a bad indication of their indecision. You began to plead with them, “My princes, please, if we stay with her, it would be better for your health and ease of mind and comfort. I...I don’t want go back—to how weak and vulnerable we were. I don’t want be helpless—drowning in my own hopelessness as I watch the color disappear from your cheeks and the light die in your eyes. It was killing me, little by little, until I could feel myself losing to something I couldn’t fight against.”

They shifted uneasily, pained because of your agony over them. You wanted them happy and safe and smiling. But no, you stood by, powerless as you watched them grow weak and thin and pale. Guilt and remorse came back tenfold, eating at you, letting you helplessly flounder around in a dark gloom. You thought you had failed—you thought that you were a failure.

They were worried about you, too. They hated seeing you cry; they hated seeing you blame yourself. But the twelve of them combined could never outmatch the love you had for all of them.

“Then, let’s do it,” Luhan whispered.

His brothers looked at him in bewilderment, as if he lost his mind. Maybe he had, but he wasn’t going to take back his words now.

Luhan quickly defended himself, “Brothers, think about it. We don’t have any connections or assistance here on Earth. We’re lost sheep tossed into an unknown land. We can’t appear, speak, or act human enough—but that human lady can teach us. Kim Eunsun would be our...savior here.”

But Aris is my only savior, Kai thought, glancing at you briefly then away.

“If Luhan and Aris believe in such advantages, then I agree with them as well,” Yifan chipped in finally after a long moment of inner debate.

Chen raised his hand meekly. “Me, too.”

A chorus of ‘yes’ rang around their midst, either reluctant or willing, but, in the end, all of the princes approved of having Eunsun adopt them.

“Go on and head downstairs, my princes,” you urged them with a tiny, relieved smile. “She has food.”

“I’m hungry!” Xiumin shouted and quickly bounded out the room and down the stairs with Tao and Chen hot on his heels. Suho and Yixing coaxed the younger ones to also congregate downstairs to the kitchen where a delicious scent of homemade food enticed them to sit and eat.

Just before you could step outside the room, Yifan grabbed your arm. You gave him a questioning glance, but he hesitated, lips pressed into a thin line.

“Don’t...stress anymore,” he finally said, the flow of his words coming out all awkward, but his message was caring and considerate. “Don’t give up so much for us.”

You softened. “Yifan...”

He shook his head before you could dismiss his worries. He wanted you to listen to his pleas and understand the full context of them. “Please, Aris... You’ve already done and sacrificed so much for us. If we’re...settling here on Earth, then just stop with always trying to protect us and pretending to be strong.” A finger was pressed against your lips when you were about to protest. “I know my parents and my people beseeched you to watch over our welfare, but it’s a burden to your shoulders—and I can see it clearly, so don’t you dare lie to me. We’re not helpless, Aris. We can protect ourselves, too. And I...” Yifan inhaled deeply, then he stared at you squarely in the eyes. “I want to protect you as much as you protect me. Let me be the hero for once.”

Hearing his concern...his pleas...it made the inner resolve you had crack with the weakness you tried to hide under everything else. Without thinking, you tackled the flight prince into a hug. It felt strange since he was now shorter than you, but you didn’t care. Right now, you needed your moment of weakness, allowing yourself to want what you shouldn’t have, like being able to cry or tremble or whimper.

“You stupid, proud, arrogant prince,” you sniffled, nose buried in his straight, silky hair. “I forgot that you aren’t some scared little boy that needs to be spoon-fed all the time. You can read me like an open book.”

Yifan scoffed lightly at your teasing remarks, but he enjoyed your embrace, winding his long, skinny arms around your waist. You hummed as he held you closer. “Just because you’re four years older,” he chided, “does not mean that you can boss me around, Aris. Internally, I’m still older than you.”

You chuckled at his defensive retort, and that sound was music to Yifan’s ears. “Understood,” you submitted. Both of you pulled away from the embrace with pink cheeks. “Um...shall we head downstairs, Prince Yifan?” you asked meekly.

The flight prince nodded gently, and he took the opportunity to lace his fingers through yours. “Anywhere with you,” he whispered.

Anywhere is fine as long as I’m with you.

...