Tell a story.

“I woke up in my room. It was night”

Tell a story.

“I know I was at the airport, because there are pictures”

Tell a story.

“And I wondered why I never heard from you?”

Tell a story.

“They told me you wanted me to leave. That you had tried to die.”

Minseok’s head was swimming. He was more than a little bit angry. He had lived like that for 9 years, not knowing why he possessed a black hole in the middle of his fourteenth year. He believed what they told him, he had been ill. He had his weakness, and it had been born forth during that time. That is why he could not remember.

“I thought you hated me”

A story. Someone told a story. He was pretty certain of it.

“I can’t remember, but I dream about it. The leaves…”

The story. Why was it like that? Why?

It was tedious for them to piece together where memories existed and where the empty space of their fourteenth year began. They remembered their shared time in the palace, spending their days and nights together, they remembered running away, and then they remembered nothing but what they were told. Together – was collective memory loss even possible?

“You know it may not be true – what they told us”

Luhan nodded. He knew a sense of confusion now, more than ever. But the truth, the motivation, was not clear. He had lived his life recklessly for a memory, a memory that was no longer a guaranteed truth.

Why?

Luhan and Minseok had turned their impromptu morning meeting into another rendezvous later that night. Once the weight of their reality was evident, they had been forced to part due to Chanyeol tracking down his Master with a yell.  Hence Luhan had asked to meet again, because their discussion was far from finished.

Minseok had made his way to Luhan’s chambers, much to the surprise of Chanyeol and Yixing, around midnight. It was easier that way, easier for him to visit Luhan than the other way around.

“I don’t understand it though” Minseok sighed. He was reclining on the white cushions that were splayed on one side of the sitting room.

Luhan took a shot. He had been the one to bring out the booze, he needed it.

“The reason…” Minseok whispered.

Neither of them would speak out the piece of information that had been imposed upon them the most. The piece of information that had confused them and shaped their path into adulthood. They had been in love. Or so they were told. It had been destructive. Was it a lie? Minseok knew how his body reacted to seeing Luhan. And while he had never thought himself in love in the past 9 years, he thought he instinctually had felt something he had never felt before. A longing. What was the truth?

He could not voice it, because he didn’t understand how Luhan had changed - and he did not understand how Luhan felt. And he was about to get married.

“I don’t know” Luhan had his own thoughts. Because if it wasn’t true, if it was all a dream, then why? And who? Because it sure as hell was not natural for two teenage boys to lose a good three months’ worth of time. Why did he drink to forget the one man he could not? Why did he no longer care when they had explained it to him? Minseok was tired of him, they said, and he should not ask more questions. Than why did his heart hurt?

Minseok reached for the bottle. He was back in his dress shirt and black slacks. His hair was ruffled and his eyes tired. He downed the shot and slammed the glass on the table.

“I missed you” Minseok was too honest with his words. Luhan could not control where his gaze lingered. His lips. My god, he had never realized Minseok’s lips before.

Minseok turned his head to survey the room. He smiled.

“You were my best friend”

Was he trying to kill him? Luhan felt like someone had punched him in the gut.

Luhan took his own opportunity to focus his gaze elsewhere.

“I am a failure, Minseok” He could not even begin to reason why he spoke such words freely.

“No. I don’t think so” Minseok took another shot.

Luhan grabbed the bottle and matched him. The situation had become too comfortable and his words were not going to die.

“Hell, does it matter?” Luhan had drank enough for his honesty to become his method, “You are marrying my cousin”

For his own sanity, his own need to process what he had learned, he had to end it.

Minseok leaned forward. He clasped his hands together and looked at the floor.

“Yeah, I am” It was so matter of fact and bland. It was what it was.

“Do you want to?” Luhan was bold.

“I have to”

“Yeah. You do” Luhan took another shot.

Minseok leaned back, throwing his head back into the soft cushions. He stared at the ceiling.

“Lu” It was foreign to speak such terms of endearment, but damn it felt good “Are we friends?”

Luhan felt a sting at the words. Was that what they were, friends?

“I don’t know”

Minseok left shortly after that. It was cold. His breath was visible as he hung his head and shuffled towards his quarters. Minseok decided he had enough booze and enough reality. And enough of the lingering question. He unconsciously rubbed the scar on his wrists as he walked back to his quarters. Was it not a scar from Luhan after all? The words “I don’t know” made his head hurt.

***

“So you are asking me what to do if you like a girl?” Jong Dae was practically on the floor.

Joon Myun had his stoic and serious expression him, and was seriously asking.

“Um, be nice to her?! Buy her ? I don’t know!”

Joon Myun looked disappointed.

“What if, um, she is not of your class?”

At that Jong Dae broke down.

“Ohhhhhhhh – is our rich little Prince in love with a poor girl?”

Joon Myun flushed from head to toe. Jong Dae had some investigating to do. It was clear that the usually staid and sober prince had gotten himself into a pickle.

“Well, no. Maybe. I don’t know” Joon Myun was ill equipped for anything that was not as it should be. Jong Dae knew this, which made the entire situation that much more entertaining.

Jong Dae sat next to Joon Myun .They had met up in the Crown Prince’s study, as they often did for a nightcap.

“Who is it?”

Joon Myun looked annoyed.

“No one”

Jong Dae sighed, throwing an arm over Joon Myun’s shoulder.

“Hyung, you are hopeless. If you like her just tell her”

“Well, she is rather brash”

Jong Dae’s laugh echoed, probably loud enough to make the servants outside raise an eyebrow or two. This was getting better and better.

“How about you buy her flowers. Chicks love flowers”

“Flowers! Flowers? Why didn’t I think of that?!” Joon Myun latched onto the idea with fervor.

Jong Dae was pretty sure he was going to get punched if he showed up with a bouquet.

“Yeah, flowers hyung. Bring her flowers” Sometimes being a royal advisor was the best job in the world.

***

Nauen knew she should not be doing it. She knew that out of everything she had done in her short life this by far was the worst thing she had embarked on. Running, hand in hand with her future brother in law through a place she should not be fit the bill of “Poor life choice”

“Run!”

Her breathing was already heavy, panting she felt like she was near a state of hyperventilation.

“I AM running!”

A pull forward, an almost fall, and the doorway of a shop closed for the night gave her a moments rest. Not soon enough.

Sehun was holding her tightly, her face buried in his coat. Her ragged breathing made a rasping sound and he held her closer to mute it.

The footsteps were loud and then louder. Nauen didn’t see them run past, she only heard it. They stood like that for a solid minute after the footsteps faded into the distance. Then she let him have it.

Pulling away she hit his chest with both fists.

Sehun grabbed her tiny wrists to stop the assault.

“Hey- it was fun, right?” He smiled down at the angry Chinese Princess.

“Do you know how much trouble we are going to be in?! Take me back NOW!”

Sehun grinned again. He had considered trouble when he had started to visit his pretty future sister in law after her etiquette classes. But it was too easy. She was always alone for an hour or two between her lessons and dinner, and she was surprisingly fun to talk to. Of course she was all innocence – like cotton candy and a puppy- but she giggled and laughed and Sehun could tell she had a spirit waiting to break free.

Sehun took the opportunity to help her spirit along with a rush. It was three days after she had arrived that he had suggested they meet up that night. You know, to visit as family and such. Sehun knew that Minseok was too busy with his position of Crown Prince and Joon Myun had been acting really weird lately. Prince Luhan, the one that should have been at Nauen’s side, was also apparently too wrapped up in his own affairs, Sehun had barely seen him. They could care less what their younger brother and cousin was up to, and he was sure as hell no one other than Naueun’s servants were watching her. It was a relief that servants – whether Chinese or Korean –accepted bribes (and well planted excuses).

She had taken his challenge to skip out of the palace in disguise rather well, he thought. She only cried twice after they left (both times because she was worrying what could happen to her servants if her parents found out). And then, of course, on their way to M1, trouble happened and they had to run.

And now Nauen was crying again, her wrists firmly in Sehun’s grasp.

“Come on Princess. I won’t let anything happen to you”

“I waaaaant to go home!” Nauen tearfully pleaded.

Sehun rolled his eyes. Why did people feel the need to be so dramatic?