Fairytales

Everyone said their relationship was like a fairytale story.

Kyungsoo wondered what they meant. It was a warm, lazy afternoon and the field was awash with a riot of flowers, all dancing in the spring breeze as if in response to some unheard music. He had a day off from training and treasured this rare opportunity to just sit and think. The man settled himself under a large oak, closing his pale eyes against the sight of dappled shadows playing across his skin as he contemplated this question.

Was he like Cinderella where he is rescued from the clutches of his evil family by a mysterious fairy godmother and swept into the arms of his Prince Charming?

Not really, considering the fact that Kyungsoo balked at the idea of labeling his family as 'evil.' They weren't, really. They simply functioned according to Dyo traditions, generation-old rules that even he could not escape. As for the fairy godmother, he supposed that would have to be Jongin since he was the one who changed his life. He was the one who gave Kyungsoo the means, the courage to stand up to his family for what he believed in. But if that was the case, Jongin could not be Prince Charming at the same time. Besides, he simply was not the passive, wishy-washy sort of person who stood to the side when the love of his life disappeared for no reason.

But he was no Sleeping Beauty either, although he often wished that he had been graced with strength and ability rather than looks and other talents his father deemed as weaknesses.

Kyungsoo had been destined since birth to carry the name of Dyo Heir but he did not view it as a curse the same way others did. He saw it as a blessing in disguise, a chance to unite his family after centuries of meaningless division and cruelty. For he had not been asleep to the injustice in his family; in fact, he had been educated in them since birth. He did not need Jongin to be the Prince Charming that comes and opens his eyes to this, even though he does need him for support and strength.

One might argue that Kyungsoo is like Snow White and Jongin is the Prince that saves him by removing the apple that was choking his throat.

True, Kyungsoo's skin is as white as snow, his hair as black as ebony and his cheeks flushed a pretty red more often than not. But that would be where the similarity ends. There is no one out there who is jealous of his quiet beauty, no one who would want to kill him for something so superficial. Indeed, that sort of physical description would apply to any of the Dyos. However, Kyungsoo secretly agreed that this particular version of Prince Charming fits Jongin well, since he was the one who dislodged the shyness and low self-esteem that had been suffocating him throughout his entire life.

Certainly, Beauty and the Beast was not a very flattering or accurate portrayal of their relationship.

Kyungsoo's modesty quickly supplied him with the names of other men who would more aptly hold that title even as his cheeks flushed shyly at the many memories of Jongin gazing at him in awed adoration while awkwardly praising him as the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Perhaps he had been the one to first love him, but he was not the first person to break through his loneliness. No, that position belonged to Joonmyeon and his friends. And Jongin was no beast in any way shape or form. True, he had Kai inside him but he was not Kai. There was nothing reclusive or threatening about that cheerful, giving man who was the light of his life, not the other way around.

If anything, Kyungsoo thought the story of the Little Mermaid was perhaps the most applicable.

He had seen his Prince and had been captivated by his exuberance, his indomitable spirit. Kyungsoo had been willing to change for him, to become something more like him through hard work and despite constant obstacles. And Jongin had been there for him every step of the way. Like Prince Charming, he had not seen Kyungsoo at first, choosing instead to fix his eyes on his image of another, but Jongin had seen him in the end and that was what mattered. He had seen who Kyungsoo was and accepted him with all his differences and all his weaknesses. Jongin had brought him to his world and was determined to keep him there.

"Kyungsoo hyung!"

A loud shout interrupted his musings and the man opened his eyes to focus on the tall figure making its way towards him. A small smile touched his lips as he stood, a soft giggle escaping as the tanned man swung him easily up in his arms and planted a firm kiss on Kyungsoo's forehead.

"Jongin..."

He draped an arm over Kyungsoo's slim shoulders as they began walking back towards the village. As he glanced over at him, the sunlight gleaming off his dark brown hair and brilliant brown eyes twinkling contentedly down at him as he enthusiastically told him about his new dance routine, Kyungaoo thought he was everything a Prince Charming should be.

And as he leaned gently against Jongin's warmth and felt him pull him closer affectionately, Kyungsoo understood what the others had been referring to.

It didn't matter whether their relationship fit into any existing fairytale plots. Those things were made-up, situations that might seem realistic in certain ways but could never compare to the real thing. No matter how many times in the past he had dreamed of a fairytale life, Kyungsoo knew that he would never swap what he had.

Besides, so long as they were together, they could create their own fairytale. And their own happily ever after.

The End