Prince Charming, Just My Style

Prince Charming, Just My Style

Kris could think of at least 99 other things he would rather do on this August day than sweat his moisturizer off in an overpriced, overcrowded theme park.  For the past few weeks, his summer vacation had followed the same routine: sleep in until noon, grab lunch and shoot some hoops with Chanyeol, peruse the mall for some sales, pick his little brother Tao up from martial arts camp, then finish the day off with his daily Instagram selca and crying over another episode of the latest K-drama he was following.

Unfortunately, life was not always predictable.  Earlier that morning, Mrs. Wu had been called to the hospital for an emergency case, leaving Kris in charge of chaperoning his little brother for the day.  And as it just so happened, today was the long-awaited Disneyland trip Tao had been babbling nonstop about for the past four months.

"I wanna see Mulan!" Tao cried, tugging at Kris' arm.  His other arm was hugged tightly around his stuffed Mushu toy.

"Hold on," Kris grumbled as he smeared sunblock over Tao's protesting face.

"No! It smells bad!"

Kris yelped as his face was violently attacked by Mushu, knocking his sunglasses askew.

"Beauty is pain," Kris reminded his brother (and himself), as he carefully readjusted his glasses.  

 

Over the course of the morning, they made their way through the park, fighting crowds and long lines.  They went on a space ride that left Kris feeling like he'd dislodged his stomach, followed by a water ride that left him feeling like he'd lost his digestive tract altogether. By the time lunch rolled around, Kris had completely lost his appetite.

"This place is not my style," he grumbled to Chanyeol as he waited for his designer jeans to dry. Beside him, on the bench, Tao chomped messily on an overpriced sandwich.

"I can't believe you went to Disneyland without taking me!" came Chanyeol's whine through Kris' earpiece.  "You , man."

Kris had forgotten Chanyeol was like an overgrown child sometimes.

"Kris." Tao tugged on Kris' sleeve.  "Can we go see Mulan now?"

"Finish your sandwich first."  Kris instructed, shoving a napkin at Tao's messy mouth.  He opened the colorful cartoon map and studied it carefully.  They had already made their way through a third of the park and met a whole array of characters, but they had yet to bump into the Hero of China.

"Yeol, if you were Mulan, would you hang out at Adventureland or Fantasyland?"

"I dunno. But maybe if you'd taken me with you I could help," Chanyeol replied grumpily. "Why don't you ask one of the workers?"

As if on cue, Kris' search was interrupted.

"Hello there, may I help you with anything?"

Kris groaned inwardly at the overly cheerful voice.  That could only mean one thing: another face character.  It wasn't that he had a thing against the costumed denizens of Disneyland, but at 23 years old, he felt ridiculous playing pretend like a little kid.  Kris lifted his head with a dismissive "No thanks we're good--"  

The words evaporated from his mouth as he was greeted with the sweetest smile he had ever seen. 

"Prince Charming!" Tao exclaimed in instant recognition.

"That's right," said the stranger in a soft voice, reaching out to extend a white gloved hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Heart racing, Kris tore his gaze from the man's flawless face.  The prince's dark hair was gelled into a classic do, not a single strand out of place even in the heat.  He wore a stiff white jacket with ridiculous gold-tasseled shoulder pads. While Kris was not overly familiar with Disney characters (other than Mulan, whose adventures Tao sang along to every night) he could definitely envision the man before him floating out of a fairytale book.

And straight into his heart.

"H-hey," Kris stuttered, taking the offered hand.  "I'm Kris." 

"And I'm Tao!" Tao interjected, oblivious to his older brother's mental breakdown.  "We're trying to find Mulan, Prince Charming.  Can you help us?"

"Mulan...?" Prince Charming looked thoughtful.  "Hm...I don't know whether she's here today.  She's...ah...very busy training.  The Hero of China can never rest, after all!"

Tao looked worried.  "When will she be finished?"

"Probably not until tomorrow..." Prince Charming hesitated as he took in Tao's crestfallen expression. "Have you two travelled a long way to see her?"

Tao nodded.  "It was scary," he explained.  "Kris is a really bad driver."

"No I'm not," Kris protested. 

Prince Charming laughed, his gaze flicking to Kris.  Kris was captivated.  Even his laugh was beautiful.

"Tell you what, I'll hop in Cinderella's magic carriage and see what Mulan is up to. Will you wait for me?"

Tao nodded.  "Be careful," he said seriously.  "It's a very long way to China. And put on your seatbelt."

"Of course," Prince Charming replied just as solemnly.  He stood up, and with a pat on Tao's head and a wink in Kris' direction, walked off.  

"...bye," Kris said, belatedly, to the empty air.

 

"So, on a scale of 1 to me, how cute is he?"

Kris nearly fell over in shock at the unexpected voice in his ear.  "Dude, you didn't hang up?!"

"Nah, I wa bored," Chanyeol replied as he crunched loudly on what sounded like popcorn. Kris wrinkled his nose in disgust. "And it's always fun to watch you embarrass yourself.  Man, now I really wish I were there."

"You ," Kris muttered, as he watched Prince Charming speak animatedly to a uniformed Disneyland employee, who nodded and spoke rapidly into a walkie-talkie.  "God, even his is cute."

"Uh, dude, language.  Isn't your brother like, right there?"

Oops.  Kris glanced down at Tao, who luckily seemed too engrossed in his sandwich to notice Kris' not-so-charming verbalizations.

 

"Tao, look whom I found!"  Prince Charming returned half an hour later, slightly out of breath.  On his arm was a young woman with long, jet-black hair.  Kris instantly recognized her costume from the hundreds of Mulan showings he'd been forced to endure in the Wu household.

"Hello!"  Mulan beamed as she approached, waving at them.  Observing the pair, Kris wondered whether it was in the Disneyland characters' contract to be gorgeous and smile 24/7.  

"Thanks for doing this, Vic," Kris heard Prince Charming whisper into Mulan's ear.

Tao squeaked and hid behind Kris' long legs.

"He's just shy," Kris told Mulan apologetically, trying to dislodge his younger brother.  "Tao's been dying to meet you for the past few months."

Tao's muffled whine came from between the fabric of Kris' jeans.

"Hello, Tao.  Do you know who I am?" Mulan asked, bending down to Tao's level.

"Y-yeah," came Tao's muffled voice. 

"Come on Tao," Kris prodded, playing along.  "Mulan came all the way from China just to see you. Aren't you going to say hi?"

Tao peeked his head out.  "Hi Mulan," he mumbled, clutching at Kris' jeans and staring at the floor.  "Thank you for meeting me, even though I am not worthy."

"Is this your first time at Disneyland?" A delighted Mulan asked, motioning for Tao to come closer.  Tao nodded. "How are you liking it?"

"It's good..." Tao shuffled his feet.

"What was your favorite part?"

"Well..." Tao thought about it.  "We went on this super tall galaxy ride and Kris screamed..."

"I didn't--" Kris protested.

"...but it was really fun!  And then we went on the Star Wars ride and Kris said it wasn't his style and I nearly lost Mushu.  Oh yeah, I have a Mushu too, Mulan, except he doesn't talk. Then we bought two hot dogs and I put some ketchup on mine but no mustard because I don't like mustard..."

As Tao recounted every detail of his day to an amused Mulan, Kris snuck a peek at Prince Charming.   Now that they were standing side-by-side, Kris couldn't help but notice that the prince was actually quite petite. The perfect height for cuddling...

Kris blinked, shaking off the thought.

Prince Charming glanced over at him, and Kris coughed, flushing at being caught staring.

"I don't particularly enjoy the space rides either," Prince Charming confessed with a small smile, after Kris had finished coughing.  "I prefer the safety of my trusty carriage."

"Carriages are nice," Kris agreed.  "They're very good for...uh...carrying people. And things."

Prince Charming blinked, before laughing.  "I agree.  Pumpkin ones are my personal favorite."

Pumpkin what? Kris regretted not paying more attention to Disney movies as a child.  

He plowed on.

"So, uh...Prince Charming...do you ever ride your carriage to coffee shops?"

"No...?" Prince Charming's face crinkled adorably in confusion.  "Cinderella isn't really a fan of coffee shops."

"Ooooh, Kris," came Chanyeol's snicker.  "Are you trying to ask out a married man? Tsk, tsk."

Kris jumped and mentally cursed at the unexpected voice; he'd forgotten to hang up on Chanyeol yet again.  With Chanyeol's racuous laughter in his ear, he felt all the courage drain out of him.

 

"Wow!" Mulan clapped in amazement as Tao finished showing her his routine.  Kris could tell she was actually impressed, and he looked over at his brother with pride. Tao wasn't the most advanced student in his Wushu class for nothing.

Tao blushed. "I'm still not as good as you, though, Mulan," he said.  "My teacher says I still have a lot to learn."

"Well, then, you'll have to show me what you've learned next time."

"Okay!"

Kris sighed at the thought of spending another long day at Disneyland.  But seeing Tao's shining eyes was almost worth it.  And...Kris' gaze slid to the side, where Prince Charming was watching Tao with a fond expression.  Maybe another visit wouldn't be so bad...

 

Kris wept internally as he exited the souvenir shop, arms laden with the bags of Mulan merchandise Tao had selected.  He was going to be broke at the end of the day.  He was never coming back to Disneyland again. Ever.

"Wait Kris, stop!" Sighing, Kris bent down. Tao rummaged through the bag, proudly pulling out a silver tiara.  "Look!  I got you a princess crown!"

"Not my style," Kris responded immediately.  

Tao pouted. "But Kris, Prince Charming only marries princesses.  You like Prince Charming, right?"

As a speechless Kris allowed Tao to place the tiara on his head, he resigned himself to losing his wallet and his dignity for the rest of the day.

 

"Peter Pan and Aladdin are staring at us."

Kris followed Tao's gaze, to where two tall and skinny costumed young men were sipping on milkshakes and devouring fries, one table away from them. At Kris' stare, they quickly averted their eyes and broke into frantic whispers.  Kris sighed.  He had been getting strange looks for the past few hours, probably because a 6-foot-tall, blonde, fashionably-dressed, tiara-bearing male did not exactly blend in, even in Disneyland.

"Just ignore them, Tao."

The advice proved impossible, for the odd pair were whispering quite loudly.

"Kai! Do you think it's him?"

"It has to be! How many other blonde giants with a little kid are there? And the kid has a Mulan backpack!"

"But Suho said he was really handsome.  That guy just looks constipated."

Kris was starting to feel uncomfortable. Were they being stalked? And who was Suho?

A few minutes later, a pair of milkshakes slammed onto their table.  

"You."

"Me...?" Kris stared up, bemused, as Peter Pan looked critically down at him.

"How old are you?"

"Don't be rude," Aladdin scolded, elbowing Peter Pan.  "Sorry, Peter's a bit grumpy today," he explained.  "Tinkerbell ripped his tights this morning."

A pink flush rose in Peter Pan's cheeks.

"Wow, you two are friends?" Tao exclaimed, looking up from his dinner.  "But I thought Peter Pan didn't like grownups!"

"He made an exception, just for me," Aladdin explained with a wink.  "No one can resist my good looks."

"Nah, I only like him because of his monkey," Peter Pan deadpanned.  Tao giggled. Peter Pan had a baby face and a slight lisp; if not for his height, Kris could almost believe that he really was a twelve-year-old boy.

"Shush.  So, will you two be watching the fireworks tonight?" Aladdin asked, after slapping Peter Pan none-too-gently on the stomach. 

"I don't know..." Kris was still trying to figure out why they were being randomly approached by Disneyland characters.

"I would really, really recommend it," Aladdin insisted.  "You never know who you might meet at one of those shows."

"The best view is by the Mickey statue," Peter Pan added.  "Make sure to stand there."

"Uh, ok...?"

"Yeah!" Tao turned excitedly toward his brother.  "Can we go, Kris?"

"It's a bit past your bedtime, Tao..."

"I wont be tired!" Tao promised.

"Alright then..." The fireworks did sound pretty cool. Kris mentally calculated the time it would take to get back home after the show ended--it would be past midnight.  He'd probably have to post his daily Instagram update from Disneyland...

"Promise you'll be there? By the statue?" Peter Pan held out a pinky, casting an inscrutable look in Kris' direction. 

"Promise!" Tao exclaimed, linking his pinky.

Too old for such childish displays, Kris settled for a very cool and nonchalant nod.

 

Kris held an exhausted Tao in his arms, staring up at the sky.  The entire park watched in silent awe as the show came to a and Tinkerbell flew around the castle.  Even Kris felt himself well up with emotion at the masterful mix of music, pyrotechnics, and narration; he could sort of see why this place held magic for so many.

"Is that a real person up there?" Kris wondered aloud as he squinted up at the tiny glowing figure.

"Yes, he's my friend, actually.  Luhan."

Kris nearly dropped Tao at the familiar laughing voice.  

"He makes a very pretty Tinkerbell.  But don't tell him I said that.  Hello, Kris."

"Hi."  Kris couldn't stop staring.  Out of his prince costume and dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans, the other man was still unbearably good-looking, though his ruffled, ungelled hair and soft t-shirt made him look extremely huggable as well.  His smile was still as sweet as ever.

"My shift's over," he explained, smiling sheepishly at Kris' stare.  "No more Prince Charming for me. At least, not for another eight hours."

"I...I'm still charmed," Kris replied immediately.  Lame, he could just hear Chanyeol mocking.

Not-Prince-Charming-anymore giggled.  For the second time that day, he extended his hand.  "I'm Suho Kim."

Kris took the hand. It was tiny in his own.  "Kris Wu."

"Tao Wu," Tao interjected sleepily, turning his head. That little eavesdropper. "Hi Prince Suho Kim Charming.  Kris told his friend that you smell like flowers and you have a cute ." 

Tao then turned his attention back to the fireworks display, missing the look of horror on his older brother's reddening face.  An equally red Suho hid his laughter behind his hands.

Yeah, Kris was never taking Tao to Disneyland ever again.

 

galaxy_style: Dreaming of you, let's fly to Neverland together. (photo credit Tao Wu)  #Prada #Luckybrand #me #cool #life #peace #love #dreamscometrue

PCYMAN liked this.

PCYMAN: You're going again, right??? TAKE ME NEXT TIME.


 

 I just wanted to write some real-life Prince Charming Suho. And Victoria x Tao hehe  =)

Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
ephemeral24
2376 streak #1
Chapter 7: oh i thought the story was still gonna be here... but anyway, as i read all the chapters again, i realized how much i love your humor authornim! everything was enjoyable to read coz the subtle humor works so well... definitely appreciated this much more than when i first read this...

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS AUTHORNIM!!!
ephemeral24
2376 streak #2
Chapter 6: HAHAHAHAHAHA KIDNAPPING PRINCESSES BUT ENDS UP WITH A PRINCE!
ephemeral24
2376 streak #3
Chapter 5: HAHAHAHAHHA Kris was so whipped! and the side comments from Luhan abt waiting 10 years to get his number? LMAO

Jun could've spared Kris from overspending tho? HAHAHA i mean, he still would've given him the coupons, right? HAHAHA
ephemeral24
2376 streak #4
Chapter 4: HAHAHAHAHAHA KRIS YOU IDIOT! HAHAHAHA
thank goodness he wasn't able to complete the emergency call! HAHAHAHA
KIM BROS FOR LIFE!!! THANK YOU GUYS!
ephemeral24
2376 streak #5
Chapter 3: THE ICONIC MIROTIC LINE IN BED??? PILLOW WHIP DESERVED! HAHAHAHAAHA
man, as much as the humor was on point, i really loved how Kris conveyed clearly that Yunho was not his type, and not the one he loves... but then Kris saying i got you under my skin just ended me! HAHAHAHAHA

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH AUTHORNIM!!!
ephemeral24
2376 streak #6
Chapter 2: istg Changmim might be the type to make things up just to instivate something with his friends as a joke! HAHAHAHAHA

SUNHO AND KARIS LMAOOOOOOOOO
BUT I LOVE THIS! HAHAHABABA I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
THANK TOU SO MUCH FOR THIS AUTHORNIM!
everyrhing was just perfection!
ephemeral24
2376 streak #7
Chapter 2: OH MY GOD HAHAHAHAHAHA
I REMEMBER MY REACTION TO READING THIS FOR THE 1ST TIME BACK THEN HAHAHAHAHAA
ephemeral24
2376 streak #8
Chapter 1: HAHAHAHAHAHA I REMEMEBER HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS!!! AND I STILL DO NOW!
Chanyeol not hanging up the phone is the best! also, when Kris thought Tao was busy with his food, he was actually listening to what he and Yeol were talking abt! HAHAHAHAHA

not only Kris was smitten huh, coz the fact that Suho had Kai and Sehun searching for him just so they could try meeting up for the fireworks at the end of the day, damnnnnn...

anyway, just wanna say that Prince Suho Kim Charming would absolutely be dreamlike!
Kakshu
#9
Chapter 6: Ahhhhhhhhhh tooo cutee !!!!
izy_angelic
#10
Chapter 3: Haha!!! The last one got me laughing.