Sanghyuk woke up when he felt something shift on the bed next to him. Blinking his eyes open tiredly, he vaguely realized the sun was already pretty far up in the sky. He was confused for a moment; why hadn’t Hongbin woken him up earlier, it wasn’t normal for him to sleep this long…

Again, something shifted under the covers next to him, and Sanghyuk remembered what had woken him up.

Still drowsy from sleep, he propped himself up on his elbows, looking down at the bed next to him. For some reason, it didn’t surprise him to see a mop of dark hair peeking out from under the blankets, even though it took him a moment longer to remember the events of the night.

A small smile decorated his lips as he watched Hakyeon wake up, shifting again until he rolled onto his back, the blanket slipping back to uncover his face and simultaneously allowing a cheeky ray of sunshine to shine into his eyes.

The Lord groaned, scrunching his eyes shut even further to block the sunlight, and Sanghyuk suppressed a chuckle. He looked adorable like this! He took mercy on him, though, and moved to block the sunlight tormenting him.

That was when the older stilled, stiffening where he lay. Carefully, he blinked his eyes open, and as soon as he recognized Sanghyuk, dread widened his fearful eyes.

Sanghyuk’s heart clenched painfully upon seeing Hakyeon’s reaction, but he didn’t let it dim his smile.

“Good morning, hyung…” He merely whispered, and it took another couple of long heartbeats before realization dawned on Hakyeon. He blinked at Sanghyuk in mute surprise, unable to quite comprehend what what he was seeing meant.

“Hyung-” Sanghyuk started, slowly getting a bit concerned, but Hakyeon interrupted him.

“It was real?” His voice was but a hoarse whisper, disbelief tainting it deeply.

Sanghyuk’s smile grew, and he was sure a stupid amount of love was pouring out of his gaze.

“It was, hyung. The curse is broken.”

Hakyeon gasped, tears welling up in his eyes, and he reached out towards Sanghyuk, who understood his silent request for a hug. Hakyeon almost crushed him with how tightly his arms locked around Sanghyuk, but that wasn’t the reason Sanghyuk teared up as well as Hakyeon hid broken sobs against his shoulder.

“It’s over, hyung. You don’t have to hide anymore. Jaehwan and the others told me all about the curse; and it’s over now.”

Hakyeon shook in the younger’s arms, his tears only drying slowly. But even when they did, he didn’t seem to be able to let go of Sanghyuk just yet. Eventually, after an eternity that still seemed way too short to Sanghyuk, he did pull away, though.

“Sanghyuk-ah…” He started tentatively, and Sanghyuk answered with an encouraging hum.

“I- I don’t remember much about last night… It’s all a blur… Did you really kiss me?”

Sanghyuk blushed, biting his lip.

“I did… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-“

Hakyeon shook his head vehemently.

“Nonsense! It broke the curse! But- I am sorry, for I don’t remember it…”

Sanghyuk blinked at the older questioningly, and it was his turn to blush and avert his eyes momentarily.

“Sanghyuk-ah… Would you kiss me again?”

Sanghyuk’s heart leapt, and he couldn’t care less anymore if Hakyeon would be the reason it stopped beating at some point. Without wasting another moment’s time, he leaned forward and sealed Hakyeon’s lips with his own. And this time, the older didn’t stay unresponsive, answering his movements with the same fervor as their lips and tongues melded together until it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended.

The sheer overwhelming nature of it all was what made them back up eventually, breaking the kiss, but not for long as neither could get enough of the other.

***

Sanghyuk eventually found himself alone in the breakfast salon once more, but he might as well have been surrounded by a hundred people and he wouldn’t have noticed it.

Hakyeon had left at some point, claiming that he desperately needed to get back to his room before anyone saw him and get dressed in some of his own clothes. Sanghyuk had argued that the whole castle probably knew what had happened the night before and exactly where Hakyeon had spent the night by now, and he might as well borrow some of his clothes, but the older had hit his shoulder with an intensifying blush and mumbled something about Sanghyuk being a giant and that he would look like a poltergeist apprentice if he tried to wear his clothes before slipping away. Just before the door closed behind him, he’d told Sanghyuk not to wait up for him and to go ahead and eat breakfast without him.

For a moment, Sanghyuk had felt a pang of disappointment, but then hunger won over and he’d ventured to the salon alone.

He had no idea what he was even eating now, he just knew it wasn’t bad and it filled his stomach while his mind was somewhere else entirely.

“Sanghyuk-ah! Would you just stop daydreaming already and focus on the present for at least a moment!”

Sanghyuk jumped in his seat, choking on the piece of food in his mouth as he finally registered Hongbin standing in front of him, his arms crossed but a bemused look in his eyes taking away from the harsh line his mouth was set in.

“Hongbin! You startled me!” He accused the other when his coughing fit died down.

“Not my fault when you don’t pay the slightest attention to your surroundings. Anyway, hurry up. Lord Hakyeon has asked to see you.”

Sanghyuk’s eyes widened.

“What?”

Hongbin rolled his eyes.

“In his study. He wants to talk to you. As soon as possible.”

Sanghyuk blinked in confusion, but got up, the rest of his breakfast forgotten.

“Why?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“How would I know?!”

From the look in his eyes, Sanghyuk was sure the servant knew exactly why, but he followed him quietly.

Like so many times before, Hongbin led the way to Hakyeon’s study, waiting for Sanghyuk to catch up before he knocked, opened the doors and let Sanghyuk inside before closing the doors behind him again.

The study looked like always when Sanghyuk stepped inside, with only one significant difference: all the curtains were drawn back, and light flooded the room.

Hakyeon stood with his back to him in his usual spot, only now it wasn’t hidden in the shadows but bathed in the golden light of the sun coming in through the wide open windows.

“Lord Sanghyuk, please have a seat.”

Sanghyuk rose an eyebrow at the formality, but sat down in his usual chair anyway.

“I have found you a potential spouse.” Hakyeon declared into the silence of the room, and Sanghyuk almost leapt up from his seat.

“What?!” Confusion and a not insignificant amount of hurt bled into the single word, but Hakyeon shook his head to silence him.

“Of course, it is up to you if you accept their offer, but you should know that I was no longer able to stay impartial and can’t say my choice was made with only your benefit in mind. In fact, I dare say that it was made mostly for my own selfish gain and profit…”

Sanghyuk’s eyes widened as Hakyeon turned around and approached him, his face a mask of calm and collected, but something in the look in the other Lord’s eyes confused Sanghyuk. He gasped, though, when Hakyeon stopped right in front of him, just to sink down onto one knee in front of him.

“Lord Sanghyuk, would you marry me?”

Sanghyuk was sure he was about to faint right then and there, all of the air leaving his lungs in a rush as if he’d been punched, while his heart didn’t know if it should stop or beat faster than ever before.

Struggling for air, he jumped up from his seat, towering over the kneeling Hakyeon before taking his outstretched hand in his.

“Get up, Lord Hakyeon.”

The older blinked confusedly, and Sanghyuk tugged on his hand again.

“Get up.”

A shimmer of fear flitted over Hakyeon’s eyes, and Sanghyuk squeezed his hand comfortingly as he helped him up.

“Let’s go outside. Please.”

Confusion and veiled hurt were clear in Hakyeon’s face as Sanghyuk pulled him along and out into the gardens. He didn’t know what to make of it as Sanghyuk didn’t answer his question -the most important one he’d ever asked- but didn’t let go of his hand, either.

Once outside, though, Sanghyuk slowed down his pace, interlacing his fingers with Hakyeon’s properly as they strolled along the winded paths in silence for a long time.

Eventually, Sanghyuk spoke up.

“Why N?”

Hakyeon blinked.

“What?”

“Why did you choose the name N when we first met out here?”

Hakyeon smiled fondly.

“It’s a relic from my childhood. There was a book I read back then that I loved. There was this character, Agent N; He fascinated me, I wanted to be like him. The others –Taekwoon, Jaehwan, Wonshik and Hongbin- they read the book too, and each chose a character that they would play. Sometimes we played the story like it was in the book, sometimes we gave them a new story. I was always Agent N, and when we would try to hide things from the adults, we would always refer to each other as our characters. Eventually, they stuck as nicknames for quite a while.”

Sanghyuk listened with wide eyes, trying to imagine the carefree times in which Hakyeon and his friends must have played like that. He’d never had a time like that himself, and he was curious about what it had to be like.

“What book was it?”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“You know it, I’ve seen it in your room. Haven’t you read it yet?”

Now that Hakyeon mentioned it, something rang a bell in Sanghyuk’s head.

“That boring old thing?”

“Yah! It’s not boring!” Hakyeon was quick to defend the book, and a mischievous smile played on Sanghyuk’s lips.

“But it is! The story is so predictable and full of clichés, and there is no depth to the characters! I almost fell asleep while reading it, I just couldn’t focus. And that Agent N! He is so dense, how is he even an agent?!”

Hakyeon stopped dead in his tracks, glaring at the younger as he pulled him to a stop.

“Yah! What are you saying?! You want to die?!”

Sanghyuk bit his lip to hide his amusement.

“I never finished the book, I couldn’t stand it anymore… But either way, I’m sure the way Agent N kept failing he would never get together with his beloved anyway-“

“Yah! He didn’t fail!” Hakyeon stomped his foot quite childishly, pulling on Sanghyuk’s hand harder than intended and making the younger stumble towards him.

Not quite accidentally, Sanghyuk landed against the older’s chest, smiling down at him as the proximity stole the older’s breath.

“Agent N was dumb, because he could never see when anyone tried to let him know how they felt about him. He always believed everyone only saw him as what his job made him, but not the real him. They could scream their feelings in his face, and he would still doubt them…”

Sanghyuk looped his free arm around Hakyeon’s back, holding him in place, and he could see how all thoughts and possible retorts fled Hakyeon’s mind as he stared up into his eyes with his lips still parted from his interrupted attempt to defend his favourite character from that book.

Sanghyuk smiled before he caught those lips with his own, kissing Hakyeon slowly but passionately. Still, it was only a short kiss; one that left both of them slightly breathless, but not from lack of air.

Sanghyuk was the one who pulled out of the kiss first, stepping back and giving Hakyeon room to breathe before they continued their way through the garden.

As much as Sanghyuk couldn’t get enough of Hakyeon, there was still an inner turmoil in him that wouldn’t quite let him give in to the older just yet.

Eventually, they reached the small clearing with the lonely stone bench, and sat down for a rest. There was no distance between them, and Hakyeon rested his head on Sanghyuk’s shoulder, which the younger welcomed gladly. His free hand found its way up to play with the older’s soft hair, his fingers running idly through the dark strands.

“Hyung… How did you do that with your hair?”

Hakyeon blinked inquisitively.

“What thing?”

“When I met you in your study, you always had dark hair, but out here, when I met you as N, it was bright red…”

Hakyeon sighed.

“It was the curse. As soon as I left the house, my hair turned red. Only under my own roof it was dark. That’s why I never met anyone outside of my own house… That hair colour was a sign that marked me as cursed whenever I went outside…”

‘He was to stand out as a misfit in any crowd when he stepped out of the house’ Sanghyuk remembered Jaehwan’s words about the curse the night before.

“I liked your red hair, though. It was different, but it was pretty. It suited you.”

Hakyeon lifted his head off Sanghyuk’s shoulder, giving him an incredulous look, but his features softened when he saw the sincerity on the younger’s face. Appeased, he rested his head on his shoulder again.

“I’m glad it’s gone, though…”

Sanghyuk only hummed.

“Is it true that food turned into dirt in your mouth when you ate in company of someone else?”

Hakyeon grimaced.

“Yes.”

Sanghyuk shuddered.

“That sounds disgusting.”

“That is disgusting, trust me!”

“How did you handle important dinner meetings then?”

“I avoided them as best as I could. I didn’t go to other’s dinners, since I’d stand out wrongly anyway. And tried to avoid stretching meetings here until late.”

“And when you couldn’t? When the meetings stretched until dinner?”

Hakyeon didn’t answer, but his silence was answer enough and Sanghyuk shuddered.

“How long has it been since you were cursed?” He asked eventually, and Hakyeon shifted uncomfortably.

“Over seven years. About seven and a half; a little more than that.”

Sanghyuk nodded, losing himself in thought and the silence stretched on between them, only interrupted by the singing of birds in the bushes around them and the fluttering of their small wings.

“Hakyeon… Are you only asking to marry me because I broke your curse?”

Finally, Sanghyuk managed to ask the question that had been burning on his chest all this time, even though it was barely more than a hushed whisper.

Hakyeon sat up straight then, but Sanghyuk didn’t look at him, his eyes unseeingly wandering over the ground by his feet until Hakyeon cupped his face and turned it so he was looking at him. He didn’t start talking until Sanghyuk’s eyes found his.

“Sanghyuk-ah… Even though I’ll be eternally grateful to you for breaking that wretched curse, that isn’t why I’m asking you to marry me… I wanted you to marry me even before the curse was broken, only I couldn’t ask you then.”

Sanghyuk could see the sincerity burning in the other’s eyes, but it still wasn’t enough to reassure him.

“Really?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“That day when you first found me, crying out here on this same bench, I couldn’t believe it that you didn’t scream at me and ran away immediately. And when you agreed to come see me again the next day, I was sure that day would be the happiest of my life. But every single day after that that you came out here and we tended to the garden together, when we sat here and rested, when we talked about everything and nothing, and you still didn’t hate me… Every single day was even better than that first day.

“Then when I decided to meet you officially, and you screamed your hatred at me, it felt as if my heart had been ripped out, but no one had the mercy to just break it and be done with it. Instead, it felt as if it was lying just out of my reach, bleeding and tortured. But when you found me here, again, you picked it up and put it back in its place. And while it was still hurting, it was whole. But at the end of that day I realized it no longer belonged to me… It was beating in my chest, but it wasn’t mine anymore.

“It took me a while to come to terms with that… But I knew I couldn’t have you, and so I decided that I had to get myself together and start working on the reason why you came here in the first place.

“It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, trying to find someone who would get to spend the rest of their lives with you, see you every day, kiss you- and it felt worse than all of the parts of the curse together. And then when I met you in the mornings… It wasn’t my idea to try and pry it out of you what you were looking for in a spouse, but… Jaehwan and Hongbin were so sure you would eventually be the one to break the curse, and… I hope you can forgive me, but I was desperate after so many years and there was a tiny chance, for the first time…

“Those meetings were my own personal hell, though. I knew they were just as bad for you, but I was selfish and desperate. And I deserved every single time that you looked at me with hatred in your eyes.

“Then you almost confessed to me, almost. Twice, even, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I hated myself for being two people in your eyes -one you cared for, one you hated- and I couldn’t stand it anymore. And when I saw the pain in your eyes and heard it in your scream, my heart was ripped out of me once again. It didn’t crush, but it was held in an excruciating iron grip out of my reach, and it still belonged to you.

“I managed to convince myself that you hated me for good now, though, and I couldn’t live with it. I’d rather be dead… And then you found me… And-… and-…” He sighed, shaking his head as he broke off and averted his gaze.

Sanghyuk needed a moment longer to process what Hakyeon had just told him, but eventually, he shook his head, sighing as well.

“You know… Agent N fits you very well as a character, because you are as dumb and dramatic as him…”

He lifted his hand to trail his fingers along the edge of Hakyeon’s jaw, cupping his face afterwards.

“I should be so mad at you for those horrible meetings you’ve put me through, and I should want to strangle Jaehwan and Hongbin for their stupid idea, but in the end… In the end it all turned out right, didn’t it?”

Hakyeon blinked at Sanghyuk owlishly.

“So you’re not mad at us? At me, for… for trying to use you to break the curse?”

Sanghyuk shrugged.

“After that long a time of being under such a rude curse, everyone would be desperate to break it, I guess. And… You already got punished enough. So no, I’m not mad.”

Hakyeon heaved a sigh of relief, wrapping his arms around Sanghyuk and hiding his face against his shoulder, just like the many times he’d done it before when Sanghyuk had only known him as N. He stiffened, though, when he remembered times weren’t like then anymore, and made to let go of Sanghyuk again.

The younger rolled his eyes, shaking his head amusedly as he wrapped his arms around Hakyeon in turn.

“My answer is Yes, by the way…”

Hakyeon froze.

“What?”

Sanghyuk sighed, nudging Hakyeon teasingly.

“Aish, so dense, our N-hyung! Yes, I would like to marry you!”

Hakyeon gasped, pulling away from Sanghyuk only far enough to see his face.

“You do?”

“I do.”

------------------------------------------------------

The End

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This is it, the end of this little story :) I hope it was enjoyable and didn't cause anyone any grey hairs or added wrinkles. Thank you to everyone who read it and left comments so far, and of course also to everyone who finds this later on and reads it then. Also, please check out the stories from the person I wrote this story for originally, the wonderful Ashtin ( ash_tin). She's great, promise! <3 

I hope to see you wonderful readers again somewhere with my other stories. Until then, have fun!