"a party?"

"a party."

Chanyeol had been describing the day's schedule to prince Byun, not at all surprised when the other almost looked sick at the mention of any social gathering.

"your mother and father invited Princess Kim as well―"

"I’m not going."

adjusting his suit a bit, Chanyeol swallowed and watched as the male flipped the sheets back over his head.

"but you must―"

"I’m not dancing with her." his reply was muffled by the fluffy sheets and comforters.

"your parents want you to propose to the princess tonight."

the figure under the blankets suddenly stopped moving. slowly, Baekhyun appeared from under the sheets, a mixture of hatred and sadness in his eyes.

"I don’t want to."

"you must."

"I’m 18 Chanyeol, I can do what I want."

"but you’re the heir. you must have a bride before your parents retire from their reign-"

"I don’t want a damn bride."

the prince's eyes pierced through Chanyeol's, a look he receives frequently from the young adult. two years earlier, on Prince Baekhyun's 16th birthday, his servant, Chanyeol, crushed his heart. ever since, the heir could not function or be the same way he was all those years ago when the giant was still his lover. he became uncooperative with anything related to his future marriage. his face would scrunch up at the sound of the word 'princess.'

"sir, I’ve explained to you before―"

"I know. I know you have, and that just makes this hurt even more."

Chanyeol winced at the sharp comment, eyes darting away from the prince’s figure. the past two years have been a struggle for the servant, constantly cursing at himself after leaving Baekhyun’s sight for treating him the way he has been. each night, Chanyeol wondered if the prince hated him, wanted him dead (or even worse), banished from the palace.

“I apologize.”

“If you aren’t going to do anything to change this outcome, don’t say that. don’t lie to me like that again.”

“I―” the taller’s sentence fell apart between his lips, Baekhyun’s cold tone numbing his heart. he cleared his throat and watched as the smaller pushed the covers aside to hang his legs over the edge of the bed. with a blank face, he assumed his role as the prince’s servant once again.

“would you like for me to bring you today’s attire?”

Baekhyun only nodded, letting out a sigh as Chanyeol walked out of his room. the thin fabric of his night shirt clung to his shoulders, the sheer white complimenting his skin tone. he leaned back onto the palms of his hands with closed eyes, wishing for the millionth time that this was just a dream. the sole thought of having to dance and eventually propose to Kim Taeyeon exhausted the prince immensely. Baekhyun did not hate the princess, no. he hated the circumstances they were under and had a feeling that she was not too happy about the arrangement between them as well. maybe, if he were to explain to her the situation he was in, then she would understand and try to―

“may I come in?”

the knock on the door interrupted Baekhyun’s thoughts, almost making him jump.

“you don’t need to ask.”

Chanyeol came in, this time with neatly folded clothes in his arms. it was casual wear, a simple shirt with jeans.

“your parents are still deciding on tonight’s outfit, I'm sorry if these clothes are unfit for you.”

“don’t you remember when you would bring me mismatched outfits on purpose?”

“that was when were kids, but it’s a different story now.” Chanyeol placed the clothes next to Baekhyun’s place on the bed, standing a bit to the prince’s side.

“only if you make it so.” their eyes met for a moment before the taller looked away, while a stray strand of Chanyeol’s black hair caught Baekhyun’s attention. smiling sadly, the heir raised a hand to fix a strand out of place on the servant’s head. “I remember when you asked me to dye your hair that shade of red, because you wanted to look ‘different.’”

“they made me dye it back to black anyways.”

a small laugh came from Baekhyun’s lips, almost pulling a smile from Chanyeol’s standard expression.

“that’s right…” he paused for a second, his eyes flickering to the clothes to his left. “Chanyeol?”

“yes, sir?”

“if you wouldn’t mind, could you help me dress today?”

the request sent a wave of emotions throughout Chanyeol’s body; the giant froze and nodded his head rather than speak his reply.

the servant began to move his hands, undoing the buttons gently. he pulled Baekhyun’s arms out from the sleeves of his nightshirt, only using the softest touch on the prince’s skin. the sun reflected off of the young adult’s complexion with warmth that spread around the room.

“do you still love me?”

“this is beginning to look like a conversation we’ve already had.”

the low resonance of Chanyeol’s voice sent shivers down Baekhyun’s .

“and yet, I never had the honor of knowing your answer.”

the servant was folding the used clothing article as the other spoke, trying to ignore how wonderfully the prince’s smile sparkled despite the tears welling in his eyes.

“just so you know, Yeol, I still love you.” Chanyeol was shaking as he unfolded the clean shirt. “I tell myself that you still love me too.” Chanyeol made the mistake of meeting Baekhyun’s brown eyes as he slipped the shirt over his head. “I’ve always heard about broken hearts, but I never thought I would experience one.” Chanyeol couldn’t look away; he couldn’t move his arms from the male’s sides a single inch. “because you promised me you would never let anything hurt me.”

everything happened too fast and Baekhyun barely had a second to breathe before he felt a pair of lips crashing onto his own.

 “I still very much love you.”

 “thank you.”