So the ballroom was beautiful. There was no denying that. From top to bottom it was decorated splendidly, reeking of money and status, and a perfect reflection of the host of the night.

But it absolutely paled in comparison to the sight that Kyuhyun made, gliding through the crowd easily in white that made him look ethereal. Zhou Mi knew he was a bit biased with how attractive he found Kyuhyun, after all, he was in love with him. But Zhou Mi was absolutely sure that Kyuhyun at the moment could have made a blind man look twice.

“He looks beautiful,” Zhou Mi couldn’t help sighing out, forgetting himself for a moment. The Kyuhyun Zhou Mi was used to was a cheery, sometimes clumsy, teenager on the cusp of becoming a man. He was used to seeing Kyuhyun lounging around in other people’s clothing, counting his hair done as running his fingers through it, and was more comfortable looking natural than trying to dress to impress. Sure, when he and Changmin got together they’d dress each other up and act like thirteen year old girls, but Kyuhyun’s beauty was an easy one.

It wasn’t the perfected doll image in front of Zhou Mi that was being projected right now.

But gods if the sight wasn’t making Zhou Mi feel a little unsteady on his feet, what with the way that the silken cloth of the clothing wrapped around Kyuyhun’s body was making him seem like one of the old gods reborn. He was stunning, from his perfectly styled hair to the red tint to his lips. And Zhou Mi hated that he was certain to be told exactly that by a man like Choi Siwon.

“He looks good,” Yunho agreed next to him, the Captain obviously trying not to fidget in the clothing they were dressed in. The high collared shirts and starched pants were a far cry from the easy clothing they usually wore, but necessary to maintain the illusion of what they were supposed to be. “Choi is bound to look twice at him.”

“I’m not worried about him looking,” Zhou Mi said, his eyes tracking Kyuhyun as he neared Choi.

“Hey.” Yunho put a heavy hand on Zhou Mi and cut in front of him, blocking out the sight of Kyuhyun. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“Problem?” Zhou Mi echoed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Please,” Yunho scoffed. “That is the person you love out there. The one you stubbornly married even though I told you he was too young. And he’s about to play the part of a Companion on the biggest stage of his life. That includes wandering hands and leering, to say the least. We are not going to let it get past that point, but I need to know right now if you’re in danger of not being able to deal with this.”

Zhou Mi turned angry eyes on his Captain. “I’m not going to ruin this for us.”

“Maybe not on purpose,” Yunho shrugged, “but I need to know that you won’t lose your cool in the middle of this if Choi makes a move on Kyuhyun that you are sure to find offensive. I need to know that you understand Kyuhyun is a big boy, and if he says he can do this, we have to let him. I don’t need to be worried about you on top of him.”

Zhou Mi shook free his hands, realizing suddenly that they’d balled into fists without his say so. He supposed the truth was that he’d wanted to strangle Choi from the moment that he’d heard about how rough he’d been with Changmin in the past. And it was going to be the most severe test of his patience ever to watch beautiful Kyuhyun interact with Choi, but Zhou Mi wouldn’t endanger Kyuhyun by blowing his cover.

“I can play my part too,” Zhou Mi said finally. “You don’t have to worry.”

The Captain’s gaze was on him for an almost awkward amount of time, then he nodded and said, “Okay.”

Zhou Mi didn’t exactly consider himself combative. Not by nature. And true to form, when he and Kyuhyun fought, which was rarely, Zhou Mi was always the first to give in. Zhou Mi did not need to have the last word. He did not feel any sort of excitement in riling people up. And his Captain was certainly the last person he wanted to argue with in the ‘verse.

Still, he found himself saying, “Would I be having this conversation with you if that were Changmin out there? Looking like an angel, being handled roughly by a brute?”

The Captain cut him a dangerous look and Zhou Mi regretted his words at least somewhat.

“You know how hard I fought to keep Changmin from agreeing to be the one out there. And putting Kyuhyun in his place at the last second wasn’t, no matter what you seem to think, a relief to me. I merely swapped one brother out for another, Mi.”

Zhou Mi mumbled an apology, watching as Kyuhyun reached Choi’s side and was making small talk with him. Kyuhyun looked a little stiff from the distance they were from each other, but not so noticeably. He was probably just nervous, and he’d get better as the night went on.

“And for the record,” the Captain said, in a most unexpected way, “you probably would be giving me the same talk, if that were Minnie out there.”

Zhou Mi let out a low chuckle.

For the next few minutes there wasn’t much to do. The gala hadn’t officially started yet and people were still pouring in from the huge double doors on either side of the ballroom. Choi was making the rounds, greeting his guests with Kyuhyun at his side, but it was difficult keeping an eye on the both of them as people cluttered the way.

“I’ll give Kyuhyun the signal soon,” Yunho said lowly. “That’s when you’ll slip away. You remember the exact order in which to do things?”

Zhou Mi didn’t bother to nod. Instead he merely replied, “Be seen entering the restroom, but not exiting. Steal two security uniforms for us without leaving any evidence, do a preliminary run through of the observation room, then return here to get you. Nothing else, and no deviating from the plan.”

“Good,” Yunho rumbled.

While they waited for the gala to begin, Zhou Mi took the time to check the security force already present. They’d been roaming the halls in pairs of two and four when Zhou Mi and Yunho had escorted Kyuhyun to the ballroom, and they were clustered around now as inconspicuously as possible. The security detail was heavier than Zhou Mi had expected, but not unmanageable, and it simply meant a better chance of blending in.

The lights flickered twice and the crowd moved back, leaving Choi standing alone in the center of room.

“Here we go,” Zhou Mi said.

It was with Choi’s voice broadcasting, thanking his guests for their time and presence, that Zhou Mi heard Yunho swear colorfully next to him.

“Mi,” the Captain said sharply, eyes narrowing. “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is around Choi’s neck.”

The entire time Zhou Mi had been staring at Kyuhyun, who’d been staring back, there’d been something troublesome in his expression. It was obvious Kyuhyun was trying to get some kind of message across to him, but it was impossible to tell what. Neither would it be possible for Zhou Mi to verbally hear what the problem was. He only knew whatever it was, Kyuhyun looked shaken up about it.

“Huh?”

Zhou Mi’s eyes drifted to Choi and the bright red gleam of the Eye was all too obvious against the white and blue of the tailored suit Choi wore.

“,” Zhou Mi said himself, understanding immaturely why Kyuhyun had been so stiff upon initially meeting Choi. He’d seen it right away, and he’d been trying to get the message back to them somehow.

The Captain demanded to know, “What the hell is he doing wearing it? It’s supposed to be headed to the observation room, or already there.”

This … severely ruined their carefully crafted plans.

Part of Zhou Mi couldn’t help wondering if the old gods were trying to tell them something. After all, from the very beginning the plan had been fraught with issues and complications and near misses.

“What are we going to do?” Zhou Mi asked. They couldn’t very well take the Eye off Choi’s body. Even with a perfect replica, there was no way to get it switched without Choi noticing.

A look of worry was slowly overtaking Kyuhyun’s face as he silently asked what to do. He was looking jittery and anxious and his composure was nearly wrecked. Zhou Mi just didn’t know what to tell him to do.

“Captain?”

“Okay, okay,” Yunho said calmingly, more like it was for his own sake than Zhou Mi’s. “We wait. He’s obviously wearing it to make a statement. He wants the first thing people to see of him to be that stupid gem. But he can’t be planning to wear it the whole night. He’ll take it off. We just have to be patient.”

With the opening speech over and done with, the orchestra kicked up and Zhou Mi watched awkwardly as Kyuhyun accepted Choi’s hand for the first dance of the night. He looked so uncomfortable that it grated under Zhou Mi’s own skin.

It had only been a few days since Kyuhyun had learned to waltz, but Zhou Mi watched him glide across the floor like he’d been doing it for years. There was still unease in his features, but he seemed to be doing his best to hide the fact from Choi.

It actually looked a bit as if Kyuhyun could have been spewing an incoherent mess at Choi, and he wouldn’t have cared a bit. The man was gazing at Kyuhyun with absolute infatuation . It seemed safe to say that the bait had been taken.

But what good was that when the real goal was currently unreachable?

“In the meanwhile,” Yunho said, sweat starting to collect along his forehead, “we go on with the plan. At the end of this dance you’re going to head directly to the bathroom. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Kyuhyun.”

“Maybe--” Zhou Mi started, not really sure how he was going to actually phrase what he wanted to say. Maybe he should be the one to stay? Maybe that there was no way he was letting Kyuhyun out of his sight now that the plan was crumbling before their eyes.

Yunho said sharply, “Mi, we are not straying from the plan.”

Zhou Mi made to argue, “If we just--”

“No,” Yunho said, maybe a little too loudly, but with absolute certainty. He quieted after that, leaned his head closer to Zhou Mi and said softly, “I won’t let him out of my sight, Mi. I won’t let anything happen to him. I promise.”

The Captain wasn’t one to make promises lightly. That was what Zhou Mi had first come to respect about him. Men often made promises lightly, with no intent to keep them, or no honor in the attempt. But Yunho rarely promised, and he even more rarely broke a promise. His promise was his word, and if the fact that he considered Kyuhyun family wasn’t already enough, his promise was.

“Alright,” Zhou Mi said a little shakily, which he guessed helped the fact that he was supposed to be ill very soon. “Okay. Please.”

If anything happened to Kyuhyun while he was gone …

It was another fifteen minutes before the dance was done, time which Zhou Mi used to compose himself. And before Yunho could give any kind of signal to Kyuhyun who was still caught up in Choi’s arms, the second song began.

The music of the night was more like the flow of water, Zhou Mi discovered, which was something neither he nor Yunho had anticipated. Neither one of them knew much about live orchestras in any case, or the rate of which the music was supposed to flow. But the breaks were few and far between, and the minutes crept by slowly, like torture.

Finally, blessedly, a significant break was called, and Zhou Mi was on his way, heading directly towards the restroom where he was sure to be seen by a few of the security staff loitering nearby. It was easier than expected to wait patiently for another sixty seconds for the security to be distracted by an especially pretty girl passing by.

The Choi estate was build like a labyrinth. Zhou Mi had forced himself to spend what precious time he had before arriving, memorizing every inch of it to the best of his ability. He’d been confident enough that he’d accomplished that task before arriving planet side, but being in the actual home was something a bit more challenging. Recalling the blueprints seemed more difficult now, and required more of his concentration.

But at the least the uniforms he and Yunho would require were easy enough to come by, and the especially forceful hits he delivered to the men wearing them, ensured that they wouldn’t be waking up for a long while. Maybe they’d even wake up and be completely confused as to what had happened.

The most difficult part, in Zhou Mi’s opinion, was navigating the estate while avoiding the cameras. He could trip the feed up when he was closer to the main circuit, which was located conveniently on the way to the observation room, but until then he had to be as innocuous as possible.

Making his way directly to the observation area, he counted that the number of security was only growing with each corridor he passed down. He and Yunho had smuggled in an almost asinine amount of sleeping gas to take care of the main room where they’d believed the Eye to be housed in, but it was suddenly looking like they’d need a lot more than they’d planned for.

It was also starting to seem like the odds were more stacked against them than Zhou Mi had thought possible. He wanted to make the score. He wanted to pull the job. But the risks were far outweighing the reward at the moment.

Was if they just cut and run right away?

They had just enough left in their fuel cells to get somewhere that they could pick up another job. This didn’t have to be the end all.

With similar thoughts heavy in his mind, Zhou Mi set to work quickly intercepting the estate’s camera feed. A simple playback loop wouldn’t fool the system forever, but it was enough for the next hour, which was all they planned to be on the planet. And shutting down the extra, heightened security systems was too easy as well. It was almost like child’s play, disabling one system after another, using one to cover up the next.

The only thing left to do was case the observation area, in hopes that eventually the Eye would make its way there.

Wearing the security uniform’s blues made it almost too easy to move into what could be considered a restricted area. And with wide, watchful eyes, he observed the security shift changes, the layout of the observation room, and the display case that was surely meant to house the Eye.

If it weren’t for Choi having the Eye on him, Zhou Mi might still be confident in making the switch.

They had to find a way to get it off him. They had to get the Eye away from him, or they had to scrap the whole thing.

Zhou Mi made the switch back to his old clothes, stashed the uniforms for both himself and Yunho near by, and then walked as quickly as he could back to the ballroom.

“Captain,” Zhou Mi said lowly, reentering the ballroom and heading directly to where he’d left Yunho. The room was absolutely filled to the brim with guests, more packed than it had been when Zhou Mi had left, and without looking awkward, there was no way to look for Kyuhyun himself.

“Everything go over fine?” Yunho asked.

Zhou Mi nodded. “We get the Eye away from Choi and it’s a go. I disrupted the cameras to make us ghosts, and while the security is heavy around the observation area, it also tells me Choi is planning on putting something of value in there soon. Now, where’s Kyuhyun?”

It was maybe a futile thing, but Zhou Mi had been searching endlessly since entering the ballroom for a pale figure in white. There were plenty of guests who had white in their clothing, but few who were wearing the color exclusively. And none were close to being as beautiful in the color as Kyuhyun was.

“He’s not out there,” Yunho said, almost sounding aggravated.

“Why not?” Zhou Mi forced himself not to jump to conclusions. Choi was still visible on the floor, so it wasn’t as if the man had carted Kyuhyun away with nefarious intentions. “Where is he?”

Yunho gave a huff that most certainly meant he was irritated. “Didn’t you hear Choi earlier? When he was attempting to intimidate Kyuhyun during tea? He’s going to make Kyuhyun sing for him, and for everyone else here.”

Kyuhyun had a deep, rich voice, the kind that soothed and comforted without any extra effort on Kyuhyun’s part. It was a voice best suited for slower songs, the kind that evoked the deepest of emotions, and it was always Zhou Mi’s favorite time when he could convince Kyuhyun to sing something for him. Sometimes they’d sing together, but Zhou Mi preferred just to listen when given the choice.

He just wasn’t sure how Kyuhyun was going to handle singing for a room of almost three hundred people. The most he’d ever sang for was the crew, and even that was rare.

“That doesn’t answer my question where he is,” Zhou Mi said, trying not to sound testy. It was making his skin itch to have Kyuhyun out of sight for so long.

“He’ll be back,” Yunho said. “Stop panicking. Choi is still in the room and he’s the threat to Kyuhyun. He’s here and not in the bathroom that Kyuhyun is in at the moment, trying not to get sick all over because of his nerves.”

No. He couldn’t just stand around. He couldn’t.

“Which direction did he go?” Zhou Mi asked.

Yunho waved a hand across the ballroom. “That direction. But if Choi and Kyuhyun aren’t in the same room, and Choi has the Eye, we need to keep both eyes on--hey! Mi!”

Zhou Mi ignored him, cutting across the ballroom as quickly as he could. He pushed past lavishly dressed women, men in suits, and quite possibly Choi Siwon himself, before crashing into the bathroom that Yunho had indicated, subtly be damned.

Kyuhyun was at one of the sinks, the kind with water from a naturally occurring source on the planet, pumped in and purified, instead of the recycled kind they had on the ship. His hands were braced against the pristine white of the sink and he was hunched over, shoulders shaking and water dripping from his face from where he’d splashed some on him.

“Guixian?”

Kyuhyun turned sharply, fear on his face for a half second then relief. “It’s you.”

Zhou Mi checked the bathroom quickly, pleased to find it empty, then made his way to Kyuhyun’s side where he gathered him up in his arms. “Expecting someone else?”

Kyuhyun bit out a wry laugh. “Siwon.” Zhou Mi tensed as Kyuhyun added, “I told him I needed a private area with great acoustics to get my voice warmed up. He wanted to come with me. I barely got away from him.”

Gruffly, Zhou Mi said, rubbing his hands up and down Kyuhyun’s arms for warmth, “He’s been especially clingy to you.”

“Must mean he likes me,” Kyuhyun said with a smile, but it failed to look anything but forced, and Zhou Mi knew how uncomfortable Kyuhyun was at the moment.

Zhou Mi bent slowly and deliberately, tilting Kyuhyun’s head up for a soft kiss. He pushed his fingers up into the hair the bottom of Kyuhyun’s nape and felt absolutely complete. And the moment Kyuhyun responded to him, pushing up into the kiss, mouth parting in a happy sigh, Zhou Mi knew the sentiments were returned.

“You are going to be amazing,” Zhou Mi said, pecking Kyuhyun’s mouth with another, smaller kiss. “You have an incredible voice.”

Kyuhyun smiled again, and this time it almost seemed to reach his eyes. “Way better than Min’s.”

“Way better than Min’s,” Zhou Mi agreed with a chuckle.

Kyuhyun wrapped an arm around Zhou Mi and sank into his embrace. “I feel like I’m going to be sick. There are almost three hundred people out there. How am I going to get up there and sing knowing they’re all watching me? And be good enough for it to look like I’ve had years of my voice being cultivated by the Companion’s Guild.”

“It’s okay to be nervous.”

“Nervous?” Kyuhyun bit out. “ I feel like I’m going to get sick. All over everyone out there.” Kyuhyun’s eyebrows rose as he pondered, “If there was projectile vomit in Siwon’s direction, I’m pretty sure he’d have to take the Eye off. Maybe we should be considering this. Maybe we should--”

“Guixian,” Zhou Mi said gently, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “How about we just stick to the plan we already have?” Though from Zhou Mi’s perspective, it was an increasingly interesting option. “Now, what are you going to sing?”

With a guilty face, Kyuhyun told him uncertainly, “Our song?” He winced a bit. “Okay, I know it’s our song, and Siwon or anyone else out there shouldn’t get to hear it, but it’s the one I’ve sung the most, and I’m terrified that if I pick any other song I’ll get up there and forget the words and blow our cover, and then everyone will start laughing and I’ll probably just die where I’m standing and--”

Zhou Mi kissed him again, this time a hit harder, with much more intent. Their kiss was all tongue and teeth and the ferocity that they usually only had when falling into bed together, but Zhou Mi couldn’t bring himself to hold back, and he could feel Kyuhyun shaking against him.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” he said once more when they parted. He cupped Kyuhyun’s face and smiled as brightly and comfortingly at him as possible. “But don’t ever doubt how amazing you’re going to be. You’re forgetting, I’ve heard you sing before. I know what you’re capable of, and you’re about to be brilliant.”

“Yeah?” Kyuhyun breathed out, finally looking like he was starting to regain his confidence.

Zhou Mi pointed out, “But you’ve gone and ruined your makeup.” The water had washed some of it away and finally Kyuhyun was starting to look like his old self. He was certainly stunning with it, but he was even more beautiful to Zhou Mi with a bare face.

Before they could kiss again, something that Zhou Mi very much wanted to do, the sound of the bathroom door swinging open interrupted them. Zhou Mi dashed for a nearby toilet, just managing to hide himself in time.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Kyuhyun said, immediately leaning towards the mirror to fuss with his hair. It was the infection in his tone that told Zhou Mi exactly whom he was speaking with.

“You’ve removed your makeup,” Choi said, crossing to his side.

“Ah, yes,” Kyuhyun said, voice shaking a bit. It was such instability that forced Zhou Mi to peek around the door. His stomach clenched up as he watched Choi’s fingers trailing across Kyuhyun’s jaw. “When I perform, I want to embody the music itself. I want to bare my soul, so to speak. Makeup is an unnecessary illusion. When you hear my song, you’ll understand.”

“Oh, I believe you,” Choi said, almost crowding Kyuhyun up against the skin. “And I have every faith that you’ll be as spectacular as I imagine.”

Kyuhyun put a hand on Choi’s shoulder, grinning at him and Zhou Mi had to pull back. It was only acting, he told himself. Kyuhyun had to look like he was interested in Choi. It wasn’t real, and Zhou Mi knew for a fact that Kyuhyun found the man to be terrifying.

“Show me to the stage?” Kyuhyun requested.

They were gone without so much as a pause and it was Zhou Mi’s turn to splash water on his face.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” Yunho said the second Zhou Mi was back at his side.

“I needed to talk to Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi said, watching as Choi presented Kyuhyun to the crowd. “And he needed to see me.”

Yunho was quiet for a moment as the crowd applauded, then he asked, “He’s nervous?”

“Very,” Zhou Mi cut out. “But it think he’ll be okay. He’ll get through this.”

“Good,” Yunho said.

The lights went down around them and Zhou Mi wanted to push forward for a better spot. He barely kept his feet still under him, and it was quite possible that if he did try to move, the Captain would seriously injure him. Already he’d taken quite a few liberties with the chain of command.

But this was Kyuhyun, and if there was anyone to inspire independence, it was him.

“Here we go,” Yunho said, and Zhou Mi could tell he was watching Choi, and not Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun’s voice was magnificently strong. When he sang it was full of emotion, full of depth, and absolutely moving. He had the kind of voice that was incredibly distinctive, and that Zhou Mi could listen to a hundred times over and not become bored with. And standing up on stage? Kyuhyun was only shinning more than usual, his voice belting out with such power that Zhou Mi closed his eyes and just listened. Just felt.

The song was likely three minuets, maybe four if Zhou Mi was being generous, but it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Kyuhyun’s performance was flawless, and it was met by a roar of applause so loud it nearly made Zhou Mi’s ears ache.

“Look at Choi’s face!” Yunho had to yell over the applause that wasn’t dying down while Kyuhyun gave respectful half bows to the crowd.

Zhou Mi tore his gaze away from Kyuhyun and to Choi who was bounding over to him. He looked … smitten. No, he looked more than that. He looked in love.

Zhou Mi turned back to Yunho sharply. Was this something the Captain had wanted to happen? If not, why did he look so pleased with how things had unfolded.

“Captain?”

“We can’t make Choi take the Eye off,” Yunho said, giving Zhou Mi a pointed look. “But the look on Choi’s faces says there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Kyuhyun right now.”

Finally the applause was dying down, and despite calls for an encore, Kyuhyun was stepping down from the stage. Zhou Mi was half impressed Kyuhyun’s legs were supporting him so strongly. He was more than a little pale.

“We need to talk to Kyuhyun,” Yunho decided. “Everything is about to hinge on him.”

“Again,” Zhou Mi said tensely. “Again.”

It was at least forty-five minutes before Yunho even dared motion at Kyuhyun, and during that time Zhou Mi called upon every bit of his patience, and pushed away all the of the unease that had settled into his chest.

“We can talk,” Kyuhyun said when he was near enough, standing on the fringes of the ballroom with them. He’d had to endure countless people stopping him along the way, inquiring about contracting him, complimenting his voice and cutting into the precious time they had while Siwon was distracted by a pretty woman in a deep green gown who Kyuhyun mumbled at them was Siwon’s sister--his incredibly drunk and borderline belligerent sister. “He’ll be dealing with her for a while yet.”

Before Yunho could say anything about a new, hastily manufactured plan, Zhou Mi was sure to cut in first, “You were brilliant up there. Just like I knew you’d be.”

There was a sudden rush of pleasure in Kyuhyun’s eyes. “I was a nervous wreck the entire time, but I also loved every second of it. Does that make any sense?”

“Yes,” Zhou Mi laughed out. “I imagine that’s very normal for anyone performing for such a large crowd.”

Kyuhyun confessed, “I wanted to stay for the encore the crowd was demanding, but I thought it better that we try and meet. By now you’ve seen what I have.”

“It’s around his neck,” Yunho said flatly. “Of all the things we anticipated going wrong, that isn’t the one we considered.”

“We have to get it away from him,” Kyuhyun said quickly. “Or else scrap the entire rest of the plan.” Kyuhyun looked between them with anticipation. “I take it that’s not what we want to do?”

“No,” Zhou Mi said.

“Kyuhyun,” Yunho said, daring to touch his elbow. “Choi’s looking at you like he’s in love with you already.”

Kyuhyun snorted and said, “Considering the very naughty things he’s been whispering to me, I hope he doesn’t speak to the people he loves that way.”

Zhou Mi’s eyes narrowed. “What kinds of things?”

“Never mind,” Yunho intercepted.

Kyuhyun huffed and explained, “It’s nothing you wouldn’t expect a man like him to say to a client he’s paid for. But suffice to say, they’re dirty and you don’t want to hear them.”

“No,” Zhou Mi said sullenly.

“The point is,” Yunho said, pulling Kyuhyun even closer to them, “you could ask Choi for the world and he’d likely give it to you.”

Kyuhyun frowned. “And that’s what you want me to do? Ask for the proverbial world?”

“No,” Yunho said, shaking his head, “just the one around his neck.”

Zhou Mi himself couldn’t help looking back at Choi. The Eye was still around his neck, his sister still at his side.

Confusion lacing Kyuhyun’s features, he posed, “I know he likes me, Captain, but I don’t think he likes me that much.”

“He does from where I’ve been standing,” Yunho said. “I want you to invite him to retire for the night, and say whatever it take to get him to let that gem out of his sight.”

“No!” Zhou Mi protested immediately, watching Kyuhyun go white at the suggestion. There was no way he was allowing that to happen. This was where he drew the line. This was where he let the plan go, and bailed out with Kyuhyun in tow. No matter what it cost him, even if it was their place on the ship, or his friendship with the Captain. Kyuhyun was going into a bedroom alone with Choi over his dead body.

“I thought …” Kyuhyun mumbled.

Yunho gave them both an exasperated look. “Before the both of you look at me like that, can you just listen to my plan?”

Zhou Mi snapped, “Your plan involves crossing a line that I’m not willing to cross.”

“Listen,” Yunho said.

Kyuhyun gave a small nod. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

Zhou Mi endured a long suffering look from Yunho before he said, “I want you to turn the charms on Choi. I want you to schmooze him or butter him up. I want you to get him to be dying to duck out of the party early. And I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem, because this is the first time tonight he’s taken his eyes off you. It shouldn’t be too hard to get him to agree. What I expect to be a little more difficult is you suggesting that he hand the Eye off. But I know you’ll think of something.”

Zhou Mi muttered, “This plan doesn’t sound any better than I imagined it.”

Kyuhyun gave him a quick glance, then asked, “What happens after that?”

Yunho kindly risked mussing Kyuhyun’s hair for a quick second. “You don’t sleep with him. That’s for sure. You don’t let him touch you any more than you absolutely have to, and that’s not much. You understand, Kyuhyunnie? We’re not having you make that kind of sacrifice for some stupid gem. It’s not worth any part of you.”

Kyuhyun offered a tiny smile and Zhou Mi let out a breath. He almost felt guilty for believing for one second that the Captain would be asking Kyuhyun to do such a thing. The Captain was not that kind of man.

Zhou Mi recapped, “So he gets Choi to take the Eye off, and then what? We hope it gets sent up to the viewing room?”

“If Kyuhyun gets him to take it off, and I have faith he will, Choi will send it up there. Because this gala is about posturing, and if he isn’t going to be here to make a big show of it, he’ll need the Eye to do it in his place. That’s when we make our move. We’ll toss in the sleeping gas, make the switch, and here’s where we cover our tracks.” Yunho looked positively gleeful. “The viewing room has other treasures on display as well, correct?”

“Many, that I could see,” Zhou Mi answered. “Artwork, jewels, artifacts and such.”

“Good,” Yunho said. “We’ll grab just enough to make it look like those were our goal, and we weren’t stupid enough to try and make a grab for the Eye. We’ll toss everything down the garbage shoot, the Eye being protected, of course, and when the security comes to, the fake Eye will be in place, and they’ll be looking for the wrong items. That buys us more than enough time to get back to the ship without drawing any attention to ourselves.”

Choi was on the move, clearly searching for Kyuhyun. They didn’t have much time.

“What about me?” Kyuhyun wanted to know. “How am I supposed to keep Siwon off me?”

Yunho held up a finger. “You’ll give him exactly one kiss.”

Before Zhou Mi could protest, Kyuhyun’s eyes widened in what looked to be excitement. “Oh!” he exclaimed.

“What?” Zhou Mi demanded.

It was Kyuhyun who said, “That’s when I give Siwon the new and improved version of the Goodnight Kiss. He’ll feel sick within sixty seconds, maybe ninety at the most, and make a beeline for the bathroom. Which, I’m assuming, he won’t come out of until the fake theft is reported.”

Yunho added, “Naturally between his sudden … bowel issues, and the theft, he won’t be able to entertain you anymore, Kyu. You’ll be very understanding, insist upon seeing him again at a later date, and that’s when we recover the Eye, get back to the ship and make a clean get away.”

Choi had spotted Kyuhyun. Zhou Mi could see him streaking towards them, a focused look on his face.

“But wait,” Zhou Mi said, rushing to get the words out, “he can’t give Siwon that kiss until we have the Eye, and we need at least fifteen minutes to make that happen, maybe up to twenty. How is he suppose to buy is that much time before pulling the plug on Choi’s expectations?”

Before Kyuhyun could answer Choi was there, almost groping at Kyuhyun possessively, eyes narrowed as he asked, “I hope there isn’t’ a problem with your … personal security force. I did advise my men to see to it that they’re given whatever they need.”

Zhou Mi did his best to look sick as Kyuhyun leaned into Choi’s touch and said, “One of my supposed bodyguards isn’t feeling well. I’m questioning whether he’ll be able to remain here. He might need to retire for the night.”

Choi’s gaze slid to Zhou Mi as he kept his eyes to the floor. “Your concern for him is … admirable.” It certainly didn’t sound that way, from his tone.

Kyuhyun said haughtily, “I’m attempting to be a bit more charitable.” When Choi laughed, Kyuhyun added, “Actually, I was pondering the same thing myself. The gala is lovely, Siwon, however I’ve never been one for such productions.”

“Are you feeling tired?” Choi asked, pure concern in his tone. “Did you want to retire for the night?”

Kyuhyun put a hand on Choi’s arm, flashing him a bright smile. “I was thinking instead that perhaps we could continue this gala, just you and I. I’d much prefer to have your undivided attention. And maybe you could make due on those promises you made earlier.”

Gods, Zhou Mi wanted to hurl, thinking of the things Choi could have said to him.

“I’m supposed to remain at the gala for at least a few more hours,” Choi said, but there was obvious indecision on his face.

“Let them have their gala,” Kyuhyun pressed, his fingers trailing up Choi’s arm seductively. “And let us have our own.”

“You’re a very difficult man to say no to,” Choi said. But then Zhou Mi couldn’t hear anything else, because Choi was pulling Kyuhyun away, almost a little too frantically. Zhou Mi tracked them as they existed the far double doors and disappeared from sight.

From beside Zhou Mi, Yunho said, “Kyuhyun knows what he’s doing.”

“Are you kidding?” Zhou Mi asked, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “He has no idea what he’s doing. But he’s doing it anyway, because he thinks he has something to prove, and because he doesn’t want to let us down.”

Putting a hand on Zhou Mi’s shoulder, Yunho said, “Let’s not waste the time he’s given us, then. I know he’ll get the Eye away from Choi. We need to get to the observation room for when it arrives.”

Zhou Mi squared his shoulders and nodded. “But first, we make a pit stop to pick up our supplies. Trust me, we’re going to need all the gas we brought. And then some.”

As they darted from the room, no one seemingly the wiser, Zhou Mi could only hope and pray that Kyuhyun could keep things under his control. Because if Choi touched him, or did anything else, Zhou Mi was going to kill him. And then they’d really be in trouble.