‘Finished, both of you.’ the hair dresser smiled, turning Byunghee’s chair around to let him take a better look at his now dark brown hair.

‘Thank you. I’ll wait for Seungho outside.’ Byunghee said as he handed over the money to the guy, then with a glance to the back of the shop, where his prince was sitting, he stepped outside.

Not even a minute later Seungho opened the door of the shop and stepped out to the chilly morning street. He hung his head low shyly, the silky black locks covering his face.

You really don’t like to feel exposed or vulnerable, right? And this was only the first step on a long journey …. Byunghee thought smiling at this prince.

‘How is it?’ Seungho asked softly, lifting his had up to peek at Byunghee.

‘Honestly? Because I am biased.’

‘Absolutely honestly.’

‘Gorgeous.’ Byunghee smiled, taking notice of how the new color gave his eyes a deeper shade, how his pale skin contrasted against the dark locks and how he seemed even more beautiful, if that was humanly possible.

 ‘I can’t even properly describe it with words.’ he added, scratching his neck a bit embarrassed at his own words.

Seungho blushed a bit but smiled in satisfaction.

‘I think that goes for you as well.’ he said, looking at the newly colored hair of Byunghee.

‘If you say so…’ Byunghee mumbled and motioned for Seungho to come closer. ‘But Kwon will throw a Diva-fit when he sees this.’ he added with a chuckle.

‘I’ll protect you.’ Seungho answered with the smile of his own, eyes not leaving the newly turned brunet.

‘Aww thanks.’ Byunghee smiled and opened his arms for his prince. ‘Can I hug you?’

Seungho nodded and stepped closer, locking his arms around Byunghee’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder.

Byunghee smiled, feeling absolutely perfect in the warm embrace of the other, and hugged his prince closer to his chest.

‘I would stay here for a while, but I can’t protect you from Kwon if Junho kills you first for being late.’ Seungho chuckled, nuzzling his nose into Byunghee’s neck and kissed the soft skin. ‘Plus we are standing in the middle of the street.’

‘I’m more worried about the Junho-part but fine, let’s go.’ Byunghee hummed, enjoying the tingling sensation.

The rest of the day was not filled with such happy moments… Instead the exact opposite. Junho turned into a training officer and let nobody to slack off. He was even worse than Jay when he was angry… and that’s really something.

It was a complete holiday when they finally got off for work on Friday.

‘I will kiss Jay if I meet him.’ Joon sighed, completely drained from all energy. ’He is an angel compared to Junho.’

Joon was also dancing with Junho to an arranged song so he was exposed to the cruelty as well.

‘You are telling me?’ Byunghee chuckled dryly as the two of them prepared for the opening and waited for the rest to arrive. ‘I’ll write a hymn for him.’

‘There is no need for such.’ Jay laughed as he came to the front. ‘But glad to hear I’m not the worst one out there.’

‘Though still a very scary one.’ Joon mumbled and flinched a bit at the sharp gaze that was immediately directed at him.

’Oh, I can tell you something scarier.’ the Diva emerged from the back with a satisfied smirk and the two behind the counter sighed in utter misery. ‘We will have clothes fitting right after breakfast!’ he said cheerfully.

‘Please no.’ Byunghee sighed again, exchanging meaningful glances with Joon.

‘Don’t worry you won’t suffer with Joon.’ Kwon said and Byunghee hopefully glanced at him. ‘You can’t see the costume of his performance- wait.’ he stopped abruptly. ‘What happened to your hair?’ he asked slowly, moving closer.

‘Oh, this? I dyed it yesterday with Seungho.’ Byunghee smiled at the memory, completely aware he ticked off the Diva with it. But he was fond of the memory, so be it.

‘Did what?’ JoKwon asked incredulously, voice reaching a higher pitch.

‘You heard him.’ Joon interfered. ‘He dyed it and he looks totally handsome with it.’ he added with a wide smile, throwing his arm across the brunet’s shoulder.

‘I agree so don’t make a fuss.’ Jay said, patting Kwon on the head.

‘But… but… he didn’t tell me!’ JoKwon stuttered.

‘It was a last minute decision.’ Byunghee shrugged.

‘… fine. But I want to hear the details! You won’t escape me in the morning!’ Kwon threatened and with an angry huff turned around and marched to the back of the bar.

Only to let lose a shriek the next moment.

‘It’s Seungho?’ Joon asked, with a grin.

‘It’s Seungho.’ Byunghee confirmed because he was completely sure what made the Diva scream.

‘Seungho! What did you do with your hair?’

The answer was not heard but from the sounds of it Seungho just played it off with a chuckle.

‘It’s black! BLACK! You completely ruined my color scheme for your clothes!’ the Diva continued to throw a fit and Jay sighed while shaking his head.

‘This kid will never learn… But black is good! Our Panda will have a more mysterious aura!’ he grinned, obviously thinking of money related things.

‘Kwon, don’t stress on it.’ Seungho said, pushing the curtains away only to be followed by a fuming Diva and a chuckling Wooyoung. ‘It will match with whatever you did anyway.’ he added with a shrug.

‘Yeah, because you are great at designing.’ Wooyoung piped up, turning the uncaring comment into a compliment.

‘I knew you are the only one I can trust!’ JoKwon cried all Drama Queen-like, hugging the chubby cheeked guy to his chest.

‘Okay, enough soap opera!’ Jay said, grinning at Kwon’s misery anyway. ‘Go and get ready! We will announce the next week for the kids tonight!’

‘Understood!’ Joon saluted and released Byunghee’s shoulder after pecking him on the cheeks. ‘I still think it looks good on you.’ he grinned and grabbed the arriving Seulong’s arm to drag him towards the entrance.

‘Again with Joon.’ Seungho pouted at Byunghee, lifting off the stools beside the counter.

‘Jealous?’ Byunghee asked, grinning and grabbed his prince’s hand.

‘Very.’ he continued to pout.

‘I am too… because of every single person that looks at you and will look at you today.’ Byunghee smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Seungho’s palm. ‘And you look stunning today, you might want to know.’

‘Thank you.’ Seungho blushed softly then quickly proceeded with his work as Jay cast a long stare in their direction.

The mood became hot after Jay made his flashy announcement of the third birthday of his baby, the Demons’ lair.

That meant probably the double of the usual alcohol consummation on both the costumers’ and Junho’s side, it was a miracle that no one became unconscious… for longer than 30 minutes. And it was kind of too big of a mess to even tell when it would die down. Plus the new hair color of the pair attracted more attention than they would have thought…

‘Finally!’ Byunghee sighed, stumbling out the front door to have his usual 15 minutes break with Chansung and Seulong. ‘I thought I can never get out.’

‘Yeah, who knew a bit of color change will grant you such attention…’ Chansung panted, having hard time as well keeping the problematic ones away and probably very glad to give his job to Joon for a little while.

‘Well you can’t blame them. Our new couple is the hot topic anyways.’ Seulong shrugged, making Chansung chuckle.

‘Geez can’t you leave it alone already?’ Byunghee asked and the Giant just shrugged again noncommittally.

‘Well Seungho is in good hands since our Birdie is a relationship expert.’ the Italian-maknae grinned.

‘Really? How come?’ Seulong asked, but he surely knew the answer already.

‘He helped with mine, along with you of course. And I’m over it completely.’ Chansung said, patting Byunghee’s shoulder making the other smile, glad for the news since it caused some trouble between them.

‘And does it have to do anything with the new girl from the coffee shop across the Rising Sun?’ Seulong smiled surprising the maknae.

‘You know everything, don’t you?’ Byunghee smiled when he suddenly remembered Seulong’s escape from the day before. ‘And what about your Fei-girl?’

Seulong spluttered an unintelligible answer while turning a dark shade of red.

‘What? Fei?’ Chansung asked, interested in a topic that made the all-knowing Giant this distressed.

‘She is a Chinese teacher.’ Seulong said finally, slapping Byunghee’s arm for spilling the information to the maknae.

‘Oh, a teacher…’ Chansung grinned and was about to ask again when Jay interrupted him.

‘Break over! Come back in!’ the Leadja yelled from the back alley, saving Seulong from further explanation.

‘Now you are in my hands!’ Kwon grinned maliciously, when they finished an eventful breakfast with Mom and Cheondung.

 ‘And who will be your first victim?’ Junho asked, poking the Diva with his fork.

‘The Wild-crew!’ JoKwon said turning his grin at Byunghee, who leaned his head against Seungho’s shoulder with a defeated sigh.

The scene made the fan-club snicker.

‘Why us?’ Junho questioned again, continuing his poking.

‘Because…’ Kwon started, grabbing Junho’s hand. ‘Byunghee only has four stages to sing and Mir has two.’ he finished and pried the red head’s fingers off the fork.

‘And how will you get Mir to be there?’ Byunghee asked, remembering that Mir had a competition yesterday night.

‘I called Jinwoonnie, don’t worry.’ the Diva smiled wider and grabbed Byunghee’s arm.

‘Don’t worry my foot.’ Byunghee mumbled darkly, only having time to squeeze Seungho’s hand in goodbye before he was promptly dragged away by the Diva.

‘My god, that’s y as well.’ Jinwoon smirked as Byunghee stepped out from the changing room of the small shop.

‘Hmm, it is.’ Junho grinned from his spot besides Jinwoon. Byunghee just rolled his eyes at the duo.

‘I know. I made it tight at all the right places.’ JoKwon smiled and slapped Byunghee’s thigh. ‘So does it fit well?’

Fitting as tight black pants with a tight wife-beater can fit. Byunghee thought when Kwon trusted a glittering cloth into his hand.

‘Here, the jacket you and Mir will wear.’

‘It’s fine hyung. Don’t look like that at it.’ Mir chuckled twirling around in his own piece.

‘Alright.’ Byunghee said, starting to feel tired from all the changing. But he did give credit to Kwon; he knew exactly what would fit a song.

‘Perfect!’ the Diva exclaimed happily. ‘Stand together!’ he chirped motioning Junho over.

‘Well if you won’t rock this stage the look will sure do.’ Jinwoon whistled approvingly.

‘It’s really good Kwon.’ Byunghee smiled, it really was. And he should start getting back on the Diva’s good side if he wanted to stay in one piece.

‘Right!’ Kwon continued to chirp. ‘Mir go change to your other costume, Junho go and rest, Wooyoung will come in later.’

‘Alright.’ Junho yawned, giving thumbs up for the designer and climbed upstairs to take a nap.

‘And you come with me.’ Kwon pointed at Byunghee and made his way to the back of the store where the small kitchen was.

‘About the hair…’ Byunghee started but was cut off by a silencing finger against his mouth.

‘I understand. It was a meaningful step for Seungho, wasn’t it?’ Kwon smiled and gave him a hug. ‘Sorry I over-reacted.’

‘You did, but apology accepted.’ Byunghee chuckled, hugging Kwon back.

‘But it’s so romantic! You made this step with him… So sweet! I want to put you both into my pocket and keep you with me!’ JoKwon giggled and patted Byunghee’s back.

‘So you could dress us into your designs? No thanks.’ Byunghee laughed and pulled away from the hug, only to receive a hit to his chest.

‘At least I get to be the leader of your fan-club.’

‘Fan-club… what did you made up again?’ Byunghee asked as he narrowed his eyes.

‘Nothing. But I’m so happy for you!’ he answered in a singsong voice. ‘Now let’s go! I still have a lot to do and you have to go and sleep… you look tired.’

‘Well I am.’

‘Jinwoon our princess is tired, carry him back home!’ Kwon yelled and Jinwoon’s laughed loudly in answer. ‘And no you can’t peek at what Mir or Seungho will wear for my Animal stage. Especially not Seungho’s.’ he added and skipped to the front to help Mir out.

‘I just survived Kwon’s torture.’ Seungho chuckled into the phone as Byunghee put together the last of his performance, resting on his bed at the dorms.

‘And how did it go?’

‘It felt long but Joon managed to make it bearable.’ Seungho answered.

‘Joon is a mood-maker without much effort.’ Byunghee said, smiling and enjoying the voice of his prince.

‘He is.’ Seungho answered and by the sounds of it he just arrived back home. ‘Are you free on Monday?’

‘I think after 5. Why?’ he asked, interest perked up.

‘The flat needs some paint and I wanted to ask if you would help me…’ he trailed off and Byunghee could imagine the soft blush on his face. ‘But only if you want!’ Seungho added quickly, confirming his embarrassment.

‘Of course I want to help.’ Byunghee said, chuckling at the cuteness.

‘Then see you on Monday at the Rising Sun, okay?’ Seungho said with a relieved sigh. ‘Gotta go, Wooyoung is approaching at fast speed.’

‘Hey, don’t make me seem bad in front of brother-in-law!’

‘Then on Monday.’ Byunghee said, hearing a bit of commotion on the other end of the line before his prince hung up.

‘What are you doing on Monday?’ Jinwoon asked, peaking inside the room.

‘House painting.’

‘The little bird is leaving the nest, I see.’ Jinwoon teased.

‘Sadly no, I’ll still be stuck here with you all.’ Byunghee sighed dramatically then sent a cheeky grin to the tall guy.

‘How terribly bad for you.’ Jinwoon grinned back. ‘Come on, I made dinner.’

‘You? Dinner?’ Byunghee asked carefully and Jinwoon nodded back enthusiastically. ‘Gosh I’m not cleaning anything after that.’

‘You don’t have to. That’s the privilege of the maknae.’

‘Then let’s go!’

Byunghee couldn’t wait for Monday afternoon. To finally escape all the school work and practice with the Demons so he could be with his prince.

And his day really brightened up as he spotted Seungho at the alley, standing around in casual clothes waiting for him.

‘Hey, waiting for long?’ Byunghee surprised Seungho with a back hug, nearly receiving a hit from the shocked guy.

‘Byunghee… you nearly gave me a heart attack!’ Seungho breathed out, patting the arms around his neck. ‘No, I just arrived as well.’

‘And where is your new house?’ Byunghee asked, releasing his prince only to hold his hand.  Surprisingly, Seungho didn’t mind it and the brunet couldn’t hide his happy grin.

‘Not far from here, but it’s much more quieter.’ the raven-haired answered, only slightly pink because of their intertwined fingers, and led Byunghee down the busy streets and a park-area before arriving to a cozy looking apartment complex.

‘It’s really peaceful.’ Byunghee stated, surprised since they were still very close to the bars and the busy downtown.

‘Yeah, I came to this park often. That’s how I found this place.’ Seungho smiled and they made their ways upstairs. ‘Well this is it.’ he said, opening the door to reveal a pretty flat.

‘Wow, it’s really nice.’ Byunghee said in awe and looked around with Seungho.

‘Two rooms, kitchen and bathroom. Small but nice.’

That summed it up, but Byunghee felt more to it. The big windows, the neat bookshelves that divided the living room up, the warm colored doors all spoke of home and safety. He felt at ease to know his prince had his own sanctuary.

‘I want to paint this wall, to give the house a middle point.’ Seungho said, touching the main wall of the room. ‘This will be the place for photos and new memories.’

‘Since it has such an important role, let’s not waste time!’ Byunghee smiled and helped his prince with preparing the paint, brushes and putting out newspapers on the floor.

The painting was fun, they messed up the color twice and left nice paint marks on the apron they used and pretty much played around for two hours before they finished everything.

With a tired sigh Byunghee lay down on the newspaper covered floor after putting down his weapon of choice.

‘Come, here is oppa’s arm for your pillow.’ he chuckled, imitating Mir’s rap and spread his arms out.

Seungho just rolled his eyes but lay down anyways, resting his head on Byunghee’s arm.

‘Comfortable?’ Byunghee asked, glancing at his prince.

‘Yes, but I would have finished earlier without you, you know.’ he answered, glaring with a pout.

‘Yes, but it would have been boring.’ Byunghee said and leaned over Seungho. ’And who would have gave you a piggyback ride to reach higher?’ he asked with a lopsided smile.

‘The ladder in the corner.’ the raven-haired answered in monotone.

‘I risked my life for you!’ Byunghee exclaimed, trying to hold back a smile and feigned anger. ‘My back nearly broke!’

‘Ah, seriously…’ Seungho sighed irritated, but Byunghee silenced him with a quick kiss.

 ‘That’s ual harassment.’ Seungho pouted, but eyes glinted mischievously.

‘Only if you don’t want it.’ Byunghee said, smiling fondly down at his prince.

‘Then…’ Seungho said and leaned up to steal a kiss from Byunghee. ‘… it isn’t.’

‘Now you are stealing back my kisses… I see where this is going.’ Byunghee said in mock-disbelief only to be silenced by plump lips.

‘You talk too much again.’ Seungho mumbled against his lips and pulled Byunghee down for a deeper kiss by his collar.

Byunghee gladly shut up to fully enjoy the lip lock and closed his eyes to the feeling of Seungho’s lips against his own, moving hungrily and devouring him completely.

Seungho smiled at the enthusiastic silence and bit down softly on Byunghee’s lower lip, earning a loud gasp from him. He wasted no time to trust his tongue into the other’s mouth and engaged in a feverish battle for dominance.

Byunghee felt as the grip on his collar became tighter and the tongue battling his own became fiercer, mapping out every corner of his mouth. It turned him on completely that Seungho wanted him this badly, even though it was just a kiss.

Then without warning Seungho turned them over, straddling Byunghee’s lap and released the other’s lips with a satisfied moan.

‘Why are you so irresistible?’ the raven-haired panted, eyes hooded as he his lips.

‘I could ask the same.’ Byunghee answered, breathless and completely mesmerized by his prince. The glistening deep-brown eyes and that luscious mouth drove him completely crazy…

Seungho smirked down at the brunet and attacked his neck with open mouthed kisses, making him moan loud and clear. He and nibbled on the exposed skin and his way down to Byunghee’s collarbone, claiming him his own as he bit down on the abused flesh.

‘Ahh… stop teasing me.’ the brunet moaned and cupped Seungho’s face to make him look up at him.

‘Shush, I know you like it.’ he answered, chuckling and rolled his hips expertly.

Byunghee moaned loudly because of the friction and pulled Seungho down for another kiss, trusting his hips up for more. He wanted more… he wanted everything…

Phew,such a long chapter... and a cliffhanger~

Will they take the next step? I wonder, I wonder... :D