TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of child abuse

 

---

 

“Lee Taemin, you had me worried sick!” Jinki gasped when his nephew arrived back at the mansion with Jonghyun. Turns out, the king and his staff had been trying to call him the entire day. Apparently disappearing in the morning without telling anyone is frowned upon in most establishments. Taemin’s mother insisted he had just forgotten his phone at the mansion (which he did) and that he knows the city well enough not to do something stupid like get lost, so there’s no reason to worry.

 

“He forgot his passport once during a school field trip and his whole class had to wait two hours for me to bring it to him before leaving.” Ms. Lee had told Jinki. “And besides, Jonghyun and his car are missing too, so they’re probably together.” Still, Jinki had feared the worst.

 

Jonghyun bent down into a 90 degree bow, eyes on the floor. “Sincerest apologies, your majesty. I should have contacted you before running off. I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

 

“I should hope not.” Jinki replied, rubbing his forehead. “Just...be more careful next time. Please.”

 

“Of course, your highness.” Jonghyun said, still bowing.

 

Jinki his heel, mumbling something about “getting some damn aspirin”, leaving Jonghyun and Taemin alone in the lobby.

 

“...King Jinki must’ve been worried sick.” Jonghyun remarked as he stood up straight.

 

“Well I mean, he had no reason to be. I was fine, it’s not like he needs to know where I am every second of the day.” Taemin said, heading down the hallway that led to his room.

 

“Still, you probably should’ve brought your phone.” Jonghyun replied, following close behind.

 

Taemin pursed his lips. “But I always forget my phone. Ask anyone.” They reached the door to Taemin’s room, and he leaned against the wood as he faced Jonghyun. “Even if I had brought it, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it was ringing, anyway.”

 

Jonghyun cocked his head to the side. “Why not?”

 

A smile crept across Taemin’s face. “Because I was having too much fun.”

 

Jonghyun swore his heart skipped a beat. “I had fun, too.” He smiled back. Taemin turned to enter his room, looking over his shoulder to face Jonghyun again.

 

“Goodnight, hyung.”

 

“Goodnight, Taeminnie.”

 

 

---

 

 

The next morning, Minho walked through the front gate to the mansion, looking around suspiciously. Checking the windows to make sure no one was peeping at him, he jumped over the short bushes and onto the grass. Hoping he was headed in the correct direction of the garden, he broke into a jog, all while searching around him for any bystanders. He eventually reached the glass door connected to the main sitting room and went inside, closing the door slowly so it didn’t make any noise. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

 

“Minho? Is that you?” A voice called from behind him, causing him to jump. He turned around to find the exact person he was trying to avoid, Kibum, standing by the hallway, holding a cup of tea.

 

“Um, yeah, just visiting Taemin.” Minho chuckled and scratched the back of his head. Kibum nodded in understanding, taking a sip from his tea. Minho stood there, wanting to go down the hallway to Taemin’s room but not wanting to move any closer to Kibum.

 

“Sorry for, you know, kissing you.” Kibum said, gesturing towards Minho with his free hand.

 

“Well, I mean, we were both drunk, there’s no hard feelings.” Minho mumbled, looking at his feet and slumping his shoulders. He was kind of hoping Kibum didn’t remember that.

 

“You wanna...kiss some more?” Kibum asked, tilting his head and sipping from his teacup.

 

“God, yes.” Minho breathed, walking towards Kibum. He put his arm around Minho’s shoulders and let him down the hall, smirking the entire time.

 

Meanwhile, Taemin leaned against the wall of the lobby, waiting for his friend to walk through the front doors. He checked his phone every few seconds, rereading the message that said Minho was just outside the mansion gates. After five minutes had gone by, Taemin texted him back asking where the hell he was, but there was no reply. Sighing, he shoved his phone into his pocket and went into the hallway, figuring Minho must’ve used a side door for some unknown reason.

 

“Minho-hyung?” He called, waiting for an answer. When none came, he went into the sitting room and called again, and again there was no answer. Groaning, he climbed the staircase that led to the workers section of the house, hoping one of them had seen Minho wandering around. He caught the head chef heading towards the kitchen and stopped him before he could go any further.

 

“Kyungsoo-hyung, have you seen Minho anywhere?” Taemin asked.

 

“He was hard to miss.” Kyungsoo replied. Taemin wasn’t sure he liked the way that sounded.

 

“Where is he?”

 

“Forgive me, your majesty, but I don’t think you want to know.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

 

---

 

 

The prince stood in front of room 823, the same room number Kyungsoo had told him Minho was in. Taemin didn’t understand why Minho would even be on the staff’s level of the mansion, let alone one of the rooms, but he pushed these thoughts away and knocked on the door.

 

“Who is it?” Someone called from behind the door.

 

“Taemin, I’m looking for my friend, and Kyungsoo-hyung said I should try here...I don’t mean to disturb you…” Taemin said, suddenly feeling sheepish.

 

“Hold on a sec.” A different voice replied, and Taemin could hear shuffling coming from the room. Footsteps approached, and the door opened to reveal none other than Minho.

 

“Hyung? What are you doing here?” Taemin asked, looking Minho up and down. He was still in his school uniform, but it looked like it had been put on in a hurry. The buttons on his shirt didn’t line up, and the top three were completely undone. “What happened to your uniform?”

 

“Uhh…” Minho said, ruffling his already messed up hair. “Taemin, I’m kinda…”

 

“Tell him to go a !” A voice from behind shouted. Taemin looked over Minho's shoulder and saw Kibum, shirtless, laying on his side on a navy blue bed. He really hoped Kibum had pants on underneath the bedsheets. Kibum smirked and waved his hand as they made eye contact. Taemin looked back up at Minho with his mouth agape.

 

“What the ?!” Taemin shouted, backing away from the room and face flushing a deep red.

 

“Sorry?” Minho shrugged, and Taemin ran down the corridor, knowing he’s seen enough of that to last him a lifetime.

 

 

---

 

 

In the other section of the staffs quarters, Taemin stood in front of a different door, fist poised to knock on the hardwood. He had asked Kyungsoo where Jonghyun’s room was, but now that he was there, he got really flustered at the thought of entering his hyung’s bedroom. Biting his lip, he knocked on his door and waited for the butterflies to subside.

 

“Just a minute!” Jonghyun called, and Taemin fumbled with the hem of his shirt as he waited for the door to open. When it did, instead of seeing Jonghyun’s welcoming face like he had expected, he was greeted by Jonghyun’s abs.

 

“Oh. Sorry Taemin, I thought you were Kibum.” Jonghyun said, whipping his wet hair out of his face. Wait, why was his hair wet? Taemin thought and looked over Jonghyun’s body. The only thing covering Jonghyun was a towel around his waist.

 

Isn’t that just dandy.

 

“I just got out of the shower, I didn’t mean to flash you.” Jonghyun chuckled, face tinting pink. A drop of water fell from his bangs and onto his chest, falling in between his pecs. Taemin tried to place his hands in front of his crotch in a way he hoped was casual.

 

“Yeah, I actually have something to tell you.” Taemin said, gulping and hoping his voice wouldn’t crack.

 

“Not trying to be rude, but I’m just gonna go into the bathroom and put some clothes on. You can tell me once I come out, okay?” Jonghyun said, walking backwards to the room in question. “Make yourself comfortable.”

 

Taemin nodded, but didn’t make any effort to move. His heart was beating rapidly and he felt frozen in place. Jonghyun had gone inside the bathroom already, but Taemin’s eyes were still glued to the spot where Jonghyun had been standing. He shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself. Forcing himself to think about anything but all the men he had just seen in the past five minutes, he looked around Jonghyun’s room, distracting himself by observing the decor.

 

The room was only illuminated by four lamps, two on the nightstands by his bed, a tall one in the left corner, and another floor lamp by the door. The curtains, bedsheets, and walls were all black, making the room dark despite all the lamps . The head of the bed doubled as a bookcase, filled with books from foreign countries and the top of it covered with different scented candles. Just then, Jonghyun walked out in plain jeans and a black V-neck, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

 

“What is it you wanted to tell me?” Jonghyun asked, catching Taemin’s eye.

 

“Well, you see, Minho was supposed to come over because it’s his last free day before the semi-finals, and when I went to find him, he um…” Taemin trailed off.

 

Jonghyun dropped his towel to his side, exasperated. “Don’t tell me he’s with Kibum.”

 

“Yeah, they’re kind of...busy.” Taemin looked down, cheeks burning pink.

 

“Try not to take it personally, Kibum tries to get with anyone who he thinks is cute enough.” Jonghyun said, sitting down on his bed and patting next to him as a signal for Taemin to join him. “He was trying to flirt with you the day you met, you know.”

 

Taemin scrunched his nose, settling next to Jonghyun. “Seriously?” Jonghyun nodded. “Has he ever flirted with you, then?”

 

“He tried, but I respectfully declined his advances.” Jonghyun said. “Kibum’s the kind of guy who needs a new partner every month or so. Once he grows tired of Minho, you’ll have your friend back.” Taemin fought the urge to gag.

 

“Whatever. I’m just pissed because I got the video game room all set up for us to watch a movie. I even made nachos and now he’s just blowing me off!” Taemin crossed his arms.

 

“Well, technically he’s blowing Kibum off.” Jonghyun pointed out. Taemin playfully pushed against Jonghyun’s arm and laughed.

 

“And, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll watch the movie with you.” Taemin gave Jonghyun a questioning look. “Don’t want those nachos to go to waste, now would we?”

 

“We’re watching Mulan, are you sure you want to see that?” Taemin asked. “I-I don’t actually like the movie, it’s just a weird thing that Minho always does before a big soccer match.”

 

“You don’t have to pretend you don’t like animated movies in front of me, Taemin-ah.” Jonghyun smirked, and Taemin scowled at him. “I happen to love animation, and I would love to join you for your movie party.” Jonghyun stood up and extended a hand for Taemin to take, truly looking like a royal’s servant.

 

“It’s not really a party…” Taemin mumbled, taking the hand offered to him.

 

 

---

 

 

The first part of the movie went by in relative silence only broken by the sound of nachos crunching. Taemin’s not a particularly good cook, but Jonghyun acted like they were the best nachos he’d ever tasted. Taemin called Jonghyun a nerd, but the light flush on his cheeks told Jonghyun otherwise. He rode on that high for a good half hour.

 

When “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” came on, Taemin was quietly humming along, hoping Jonghyun wouldn’t notice. Of course, he did, and began singing the lyrics rather loudly, hoping Taemin would join him in a beautiful duet. Instead, Taemin belted the chorus out, completely ignoring pitch and rhythm, and even added a few hand motions. Jonghyun joined him at an even higher volume, until they were basically just screaming the lyrics across the room. They were kind of surprised no one came and told them to shut up.

 

That was how they spent the entirety of the movie, quoting the funny lines and singing along to the songs. They both had seen it like a hundred times, so paying attention to the plot didn’t really matter. Being curled up on the leather couch, holding their stomachs as they shook with laughter, and screaming until their throats were sore was an ideal way to spend the afternoon.

 

That is, until the ending of the movie.

 

Okay, I’m not gonna cry this time, Jonghyun thought. Mulan presents to her father the gifts the emperor had bestowed onto her family. Quit getting emotional, you’ve seen this movie a hundred times. Mulan’s father leaves the gifts on the ground and brings his daughter into his arms. Stop ing crying, you’re embarrassing yourself in front of Taemin. “The greatest gift and honor,” her father says, “is having you for a daughter.”

 

“, hyung, are you okay?” Taemin asked from the side. Jonghyun touched a hand to his cheek. Yup, he was ing crying. He brushed away the tears with the back of his hand.

 

“Sorry, it’s just…” Jonghyun sniffled, his throat clogging up. Taemin watched wide eyed, not sure how he should comfort his friend.

 

“I wouldn’t have made you watch the movie if it was just gonna make you sad. I’m sorry.” Taemin said, stopping the film and walking towards the tissue box on top of the cable box.

 

“No, it’s not your fault, Taemin-ah…” Jonghyun took the tissues from Taemin’s hand and dabbed at his eyes. “I just cry really easily, that’s all.”

 

Taemin nodded and pursed his lips in thought. “Anything I can do to help? You wanna talk about it?”

 

Jonghyun chuckled. “It’s fine, I’m just...I just wish my dad was like that…”

 

“Oh.” Taemin replied, looking at the floor. “I never knew my dad, but I guess you already know that.”

 

“Knowing your dad isn’t all it’s hyped up to be.” Jonghyun chuckled again, wiping away the last of his tears. “But, if it’s any consolation, your dad was a very good man.”

 

Taemin turned towards Jonghyun, eyes alert. “How would you know? Did you meet my dad?”

 

“When I was a little kid, yeah.” Taemin looked off to the side, thinking deeply, before turning to Jonghyun’s side of the couch with his legs crossed in front of him.

 

“Tell me about him.” He requested, looking like a preschooler ready for storytime. Jonghyun leaned back on the couch.

 

“In order to do that, I’d have to tell you about my childhood. I should warn you - you have to be at least a level 5 friend in order to unlock my tragic backstory. Do you accept this challenge?” Jonghyun asked, and Taemin rolled his eyes.

 

“Stop being a nerd, just tell me.” Taemin whined, rocking back and forth.

 

“Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Jonghyun said. “Well, when I was younger, it was me, my older sister, and my mom and dad. We lived out in the slums of Aellyn. My dad…” He paused here. “...wasn’t a good person. I had it better off than my mom and sister did, but...it wasn’t exactly a walk through the park for me, either.” Jonghyun looked at his hands in his lap as he said this. “I was left-handed until he beat it out of me. I think that should tell you enough.

 

“Anyway, after a particularly bad fight with my dad, my mom decided we needed to get the out of there. Should’ve done it sooner, but you know how society treats single mothers. I’m proud of her for doing anything, really. I never could’ve been that strong.” He shook his head, trying to stop the tears from welling up again. “Sorry, getting off topic. We stayed with my aunt, or my mother’s sister, who lived near central city. The police were on the lookout for my dad, and we had a place to stay until my mother found a steady job. It was probably the highest point of my life at the time.

 

“On May 24th of that year, which, as you remember, is our independence day, there was a big parade. I’d never been to a parade or anything like that before, so I was a bit too excited and pushed my way to the front row, away from my family. I was blissfully ignorant of my mother’s worry for me until I realized I couldn’t find her. After everything I had been through...I guess I started to panic? I don’t know, but I grabbed the leg of the nearest adult I could find...and it happened to be your father’s. He was handing out necklaces to the other kids. Since I was stupid, and eight, I grabbed the ing prince’s leg.” Jonghyun let out a laugh. “The guards didn’t know what the to do, I bet. Your dad saw me shaking and crying, so he picked me up, and....he must’ve seen my bruises, or something, because he held me close and wiped my tears. I’d never been held by anyone besides my mother before. It was weird.

 

“My mom came rushing towards us, apologizing profusely for allowing her son out of her sight. But your dad was fine with it, and continued holding me. I don’t remember most of their conversation, but I do know they decided to meet up at another day. I found out later they met for a job interview, and from then on my mom worked at the castle as a maid, and me and my sister lived in the servants quarters.

 

“Like I said, I was stupid, and eight, so I just kind of had my own rules when it came to the castle. Even though I mostly stayed in the staff’s section, I sometimes wandered off, and was scolded by the workers. Still, it was better than anything I had known before. One day, I walked right into the middle of a conversation between your dad and a diplomat. That diplomat looked so pissed at me, I swear to god! But your dad didn’t get mad, instead he picked me up, still weird, and sat me on his knee, finishing his conversation with me like that the entire time. I know what you’re thinking, how could he have kept an eight year old kid on his knee unless he was Superman or some ? Well, I was still really malnourished at the time, so I was closer to the size of a five year old. Anyways, once the diplomat left, he looked at me, and asked if I wanted to play a board game. I had no idea what a board game was and told him so. He tsked, and asked one of the staffs to go pick up his stack of cards. And then…he taught me how to play Go Fish.

 

“After that, I’d look for him throughout the castle each day. If I found him and he was busy, he’d set me on his lap just like that first day. Once he was done, we’d play games until he had somewhere to be. By the time I was ten, my mom had bought me an acoustic guitar and your dad taught me how to play. Music kind of runs in your family, huh? King Jinki used to study opera, and you dance...I think that’s nice.

 

“But then, when I turned eleven…” Jonghyun stopped as he chose his words. “...he passed away. I’m sure you already know how. We lost him, his two best friends, and three bodyguards that day. I didn’t really know much about death at that age, but I knew he was never coming back. I locked myself in my room for a week. Didn’t even go to his funeral. I really regret that.” He looked down at his hands, before sighing and continuing the story. “My mom quit her job at the castle not soon after. I think maybe she thought it reminded me of him too much, I don’t know. Anyways, she got a job at a restaurant and kind of fluctuated between jobs after that. I went to a normal school again. By then I had decided I wanted to give back to the royal family and dedicated my school work towards that goal. My college major was political science, minor was music. Graduated after 5 years. Most people would think it’s easy to find a job with a major like political science, but that’s ing ridiculous. No one hires you unless you don’t have hair or all of it is white. They just don’t take kids seriously.

 

“In a crazy turn of events, my mom still had the palace’s phone number and told them of my struggle to find a job.” Jonghyun chuckled. “It was actually really embarrassing to have my mom ask for a job, but I didn’t know she was planning it so that’s my excuse. King Jinki still remembered me, and offered me a job almost on the spot. And that’s how I’m here. It’s all kind of ridiculous, but I’m really glad it happened. Been here for half a year now and wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

 

Jonghyun let out a breath and faced Taemin again. “Congratulations, you just heard my life story. Would you like another while we’re at it? I tell a great Legend of Chunhyang.”

 

Arms wrapped around Jonghyun’s body, pressing their chests together. Taemin rested his head in the dip between Jonghyun’s neck and shoulder, mouth covered by the fabric of his shirt.

 

“Uh, Taem? What are you doing?” Jonghyun asked, holding his arms away from Taemin. The prince shook his head, hair tickling Jonghyun’s back.

 

“Are you okay?” Taemin shook his head again, and Jonghyun heard a soft sniffle. Jonghyun wrapped his arms around Taemin, rubbing his hands across his back in a way he hoped was soothing.

 

“I’m sorry about your dad.” Taemin whispered, voice muffled by Jonghyun’s shirt. He probably wouldn’t have heard him if the room wasn’t so quiet.

 

Jonghyun chuckled. “It’s not your fault, Taeminnie.” He said, trying to gently push Taemin off. He replied by holding on tighter. Sighing, Jonghyun hugged Taemin back, marveling at the way Taemin fit so perfectly in his arms.

“It’ll be okay, Taemin-ah.”