The Prince looks at Taemin with a huge smile on his face. He could tell by the crimson color on his cheeks that Taemin was rather embarrased to have been caught playing. Jinki takes him upon himself to shower the young man with compliments. "There's nothing to be sorry about... You played beautifully, Taemin."

What he really wanted to say was that Taemin was captivating in every way. The Prince's heart beat rapidly at the sight of the young man before him. He looked dashing in a soft black turtleneck sweater paired with a grey coat and grey pants. His look was way more polished than the last time they saw one another and it suited the young man so well. His hair framed his delicate features and Jinki couldn't tear his eyes away from his pink and full lips. 

The older man takes a deep breath as he attempts to get a hold of himself. He hoped that no one but himself could hear the pounding of his heart.

On the other end of the room, Taemin couldn't even bring himself to respond. He alternately looks at Jinki and back at the floor, not even having the courage to look the Prince in the eye.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting... I had some matters of State to attend to. Were you properly welcomed?" Jinki asks.

"It's not a problem, Your Highness--I mean, Jinki... Minho took very good care of me," he says, thankful that he was no longer sneezing.

Taemin finally lifted his eyes as he talked and was taken aback by what he saw.

If it was even possible, the Prince looked more handsome than when Taemin had seen him last. He looked more casual today, in a crisp white shirt that he had folded up to his elbows. Brown hair fell loosely across his forehead as he tousled it with his hands. His oversized glasses drew attention to his expressive eyes that crinkled every time he smiled. The fit of his black dress pants was perfect on him, accentuating his hips and legs. He looked like an absolute dream. The young man could almost feel his jaw drop.

"Shall we?" he asks, gesturing towards the table. A flustered Taemin quickly closes the piano and fixes the velvet sheet draped over it before heading over to the spread he was so excited about.

A million thoughts were running through his head. Taemin was having a mini-mental breakdown worrying about what to say and how to act in front of the Royal.

Never in his life had he ever sat down with someone so important. He relaxes when he remembers the advice of the people around him... Maybe they were right; he just had to be himself. He somehow summons all the courage he could and wills himself to calm down.

It's okay, Taemin... He's just another dude. 

"Thanks for inviting me," he blurts out, as the Prince pours him a cup of tea. "I've always been curious about what goes on inside the Palace walls."

"Really? What did you think went on here?" Jinki asks. His interest is piqued by the way Taemin casually converses with him. It was certainly refreshing.

"I don't really know... Important stuff. I guess I wasn't wrong, though," he says, putting a scone on his plate. He wonders if it would be rude to slather copious amounts of cream on the pastry.

"Why do you say that?" 

"Well... You were just on the phone about a border crisis, right, Your High--I mean, Jinki? Gosh. This is going to take a bit of getting used to," he saiys, a bit embarrased at his awkwardness.

Jinki can't hide the huge grin that is spreading on his face. This was exactly the type of human connection that he was longing for--no pretensions, no one to impress... Just two people having a normal conversation about life. Taemin was a huge breath of fresh air.

"There's really nothing to it. My parents call me Jinki all the time," he says, smiling at the young man to assure him that it was alright. "And... Yes, I was on the phone with my father about the border, but things of that sort don't really happen a lot."

"Really? So what is it that you do exactly?" the young man asks, genuinely curious.

"It is my job to review charity proposals and choose ones that would fit well with the existing initiatives of the Palace, or think of new areas with which to explore philantrophy. I am tasked with overseeing the completion of these projects and make sure that the beneficiaries are well taken care of," he says, almost without thinking.

That was always the standard answer that Jinki gave whenever people had asked him how he occupied his time. It was an almost automatic, robotic response... And Taemin could see right through it. 

Sure, the young man wanted to know about what Jinki did but he was more interested to know about the heart of it more than anything else. That was what his question was really about, and he didn't want to stop asking until he got the proper answer. "Ah, I see... Do you like it?"

"I beg your pardon?" Jinki asks, surprised by the question.

"Do you like what you're doing? Tell me about your favorite project..." Taemin says, taking a bite out of his scone, waiting for the Prince to answer.

This was the first time that anyone had asked Jinki about his feelings toward his duties. He had assumed that his personal thoughts on his tasks did not matter, since he would have to do them anyway, but Taemin's question made him pause. It surprised him that anyone even cared. He had never been so unprepared to answer a question until now.

"Well... I... Let's see... There was this one project that I enjoyed a lot," he recalls, a smile forming on his face. "There are parts of the country that are under-developed and it was quite rewarding to give the people in the rural areas a leg up. We brought in livelihood programs and gave them oppotunities to participate in trade initiatives. That small effort really made a difference in their lives," Jinki's eyes lit up as he was talking about it. Taemin knew that he had the answer he was looking for. 

"I take it you love the work you do... I can see it in your eyes," Taemin says, as the two are locked in an admiring gaze. They had found something that connected them; something much deeper than physical attraction.

"How about you, at the hospital? I heard that you've been volunteering there for a while," Jinki asks.

"Yeah... I've been volunteering there for as long I've been in the city. I love everything about it. It's just that I know how the children feel. Being stuck in a hospital ward all the time isn't fun and it's scary for them most of the time. I just want to be able to help them smile... And take some of the burden off their parents sometimes," he says. stirring his tea, hoping that the Prince didn't catch that small glimpse into his life. But he did.

"I'm sorry, did you say you know how the children feel?" Jinki asks, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I was sick when I was a kid... I was in and out of hospitals and I didn't have many good memories about it. I dunno... I just want to make it better for these kids... Just because they're in the hospital doesn't mean they can't have fun... So that's what I try to do for them. I play with them or draw with them, sing with them... Anything they want, really. Making a difference, even in a small way, is worth it..." Taemin says, surprised at his own openness.

That time that he was sick was traumatic and brought up a lot of painful memories. He usually didn't like talking about this part of his life at all. But somehow, Jinki made him feel safe.

"I think I know what you mean," Jinki says.

The butterflies in his stomach were going crazy. He had never admired someone more than he admired Taemin in this moment. The fact that he had turned his personal tragedy into something that helps others was something that the Prince was astounded by.

"Can I ask you something?" the young man says. It was a bold move, but he knew that he would forever regret it if he didn't ask right now. The Prince nods his head in agreement. Taemin takes a deep breath before he lets the words tumble out of his mouth. "Why am I here?"

Jinki looks down at his cup of tea. Their hour together was just halfway done, and already Taemin had managed to catch the Prince off-guard twice.

"I didn't think I needed to explain, Taemin... You feel it too, don't you?"

The look in the Prince's eyes made Taemin's heart race. Of course he could feel it.

They sat there for what felt like a blissful eternity, looking into one another's eyes. Everything that they couldn't say spilled over into every tiny movement... And all at once they both knew that this was something they couldn't ignore.

*****

The bell at the entrance of the cafe rings and Kibum looks up at the door to find Taemin and Jonghyun come in.

"Oh my God!! You're back!!" Kibum says, running towards the younger man to wrap him in an embrace. "Was the Palace wonderful? Was the food amazing? Did you meet the King and Queen? Was the Prince handsome? Did you kiss?? Better yet--did he ask about me?"

Taemin's eyes were wide at the many question thrown at him and looks to Jonghyun for some sort of rescue. The older man was quick to jump in.

"He just got here! Give him a break, Kibum." The older man looks over at Taemin. "Let me simplify: How did it go?" Jonghyun asks, chuckling to himself. Kibum frowned at him as they all made their way to sit at one of the tables.

"Well... At first it went horribly when all the pine trees in the Palace made me sneeze, then it was a bit awkward when the Prince asked me to call him by his first name, but in the end, it went really, really well..." Taemin says, a dreamy look still in his eyes.

"Geez, what is with that face??" Kibum says, cupping Taemin's cheeks in his hands.

"It's no use. He's been like that the whole way back. It's as if Prince Jinki cast a spell on him," Jonghyun says, taking off his scarf.

"Guys, it was the best hour of my life! We just clicked! We talked about everything, and we even had a moment! The time we had wasn't enough at all," Taemin says, clutching his hands to his heart.

"Oh, yeah. Just to give you a heads up. Taemin is talking in 'we' now," Jonghyun says, amused.

The young man hadn't gotten rid of his smile the entire time and the meeting with the Prince replayed in his head over and over. Their lingering looks, the way their hands brushed as they reached for pastries, that awkward but sweet farewell... Everything about it was beyond perfect. Taemin was over the moon.

"All this while I thought I was imagining it, but there really is something there."

Taemin's obvious heart flutters are infectious and the two join him in being smiley and giddy. 

"So when are you seeing him again?" Kibum says, eagerly awaiting the answer.

"That's the thing..." Taemin says, his face falling a bit. "I don't know..."

*****

Minho does a final check of the rooms before he retires for the evening when he hears a melody coming from the tea room. He slowly approaches and peeks his head in to find Prince Jinki seated on the piano, fiddling with the keys. He could see the Prince struggling with a few notes here and there but he still was able to play through a song that Minho wasn't familiar with. 

"Oh, Minho. You're there... Sorry, was I being too loud?" The Prince rises from the piano bench and closes the instrument, draping the velvet cloth over it again. 

"Sir... I apologize for the intrusion," he says, quickly ducking out of the room.

"No, wait! It's not a problem... I'd like the company." Prince Jinki walks out to join Minho in the hallway. The younger man holds the door open for him and turns the lights off the tea room for the night.

"I believe I've never heard you play the piano before, Your Highness." Minho had always known that the Prince could play, but he had never actually seen him do it.

"I haven't played in years... I suddenly missed it," he says, remembering Taemin earlier today. Looking at the Prince, Minho notices that there was a peculiar look on his face... Like he was smiling, even if he wasn't.

"How was tea time this afternoon, Sir?" the younger man asks. He felt like he already knew the answer though.

A huge smile creeps onto Jinki's face. "Taemin is different, isn't he?"

"That he is, Your Highness." They start to walk toward the Prince's room, Minho escorting him to rest his head for the night. "He gave me the impression that you two could have a lot more in common that you think."

"Observant as always, Minho," the Prince says. "We do have much more in common than either of us expected."

They reach the door of Jinki's room, Minho opening it for the Prince as he enters his room. "Good night, Your Highness." 

"Minho? I'm serious about not having any other tea times with anyone else from now on. I really do think my time is better spent getting to know one person in particular."

The Prince had decided. There is no turning back now.

"Of course, Sir. I shall rearrange your schedule first thing in the morning." The younger man nods his head and starts to close the door.

"Minho?" The young man looks up at the young Royal midway through his action. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad to see you happy, Your Highness. Pleasant dreams."

Jinki smiles to himself as he is left alone in his room. Thoughts of Taemin continued to buzz through his brain, never leaving him alone. He crashes on his bed, his heart continuing to flutter. Knowing Minho, he knew that his next meeting with Taemin wouldn't take long but even then, he felt that it couldn't happen soon enough.