"Kai!" His father called. "Come I need to have a word" Kai groaned, kicking his short legs around, he briefly glanced at the queen who was staring blankly at the window before turning his attention to his father. "Your majesty!" He bowed. "Forgive me but I am afraid I cannot spare time for you right now, I have urgent business to take care of." The king shook his head, with a fond smile as though he expected nothing less from his son. "It won't take long, I just need a few minutes of your time" he walked closer and took Kai's small hand in his. Kai couldn't say more, instead he silently followed his father. He could hear footsteps behind them and he needed not to look to know the queen was trailing after them. Glancing to his right where the king's personal guard was, Kai blinked at his uncle slightly asking for help. He'd been doing it a lot, and Jongdae had helped him more times that he could count, but right now his uncle just shook his head mouthing 'forgive me' before turning to face ahead.Groaning once again, Kai took a deep bracing breath and it didn't go unnoticed by his father. "Stop doing that, you're to young to be groaning like an old useless man." the king scolded, coming to a stop in front of his Chambers. "I was not" Kai denied and his father just rolled his eyes. "My king!" The queen called, Heechul turned slightly toward his wife. "I will be in the garden if you need me" she bowed and the king dismissed her with a wave of his hand, before proceeding into his bed Chambers. Silently Kai wondered what his father wanted to talk about that could not be discussed inside the throne room but he kept his opinion to himself, while he dutifully followed the king. "Leave us" the king dismissed his personal guard as he took his seat. Jongdae bowed, lifting his head slightly to mouth 'best of luck' to Kai before walking out. *** Kai was sat in the library when his uncle Minseok decided to disturb him from his thoughts after having 'The talk' with the king. He needed something to distract him from the matters of his up coming wedding. The talk turned out to be what Kai dreaded the most, his father had told him the prince of Ilda– his supposed husband to be– would be arriving in ten days and the wedding would take place as soon as the prince arrived. He had begged his father to reconsider and push the wedding forward but unsurprisingly the king had made his decision and nothing was going to change that. Minseok slid into the chair opposite Kai, sly smile playing on his face. "Why, nephew, you seem almost restless. Nerves before the big day? there's still time, your betrothed will not be here until another ten days." "Don't you have anything better to do?" Kai went back to his book. "Small children to frighten, perhaps?" "Oh, you know you're my favorite small child to frighten dwarf." Minseok linked his fingers behind his head and smiled. "Alas, that's not why I'm here. There's something of importance I need to discuss with you. Or rather, there's something of importance that needs to be discussed with you, and I'm afraid I'm the only one with the... experience, as it were." "Uncle, I assure you, there is absolutely nothing I need your advice on." Kai flipped to the next page before he realized he hadn't actually read a single word. "And if I did, for some unfathomable reason, need your advice for something, I would quickly reexamine my life choices and exhaust all other opportunities first." Kai loved his uncle, he really did, but Minseok had his ways of getting on his nerves with his big mouth. Minseok laughed, the smarty bastard. "Very well. Let me know just who you intend to ask about being with another man in bed, hmm?" Kai felt all the blood drain from his face, a slow sinking sensation that left him feeling vaguely ill. He hadn't considered the possibility of consummating the marriage. He had been with women but never a man in the past, he had only wanted one man in his life and he never got to have him before he died. "Ah, yes, that is what I thought." Minseok kicked his feet up on the desk and crossed his heels. "And since you know as well as I do that might be the only thing you're bringing to this relationship, it might behoove you to listen to me without the... commentary. For at least a few minutes." "I'll figure it out," Kai said, but his voice sounded weak and hollow even to his own ears. "It's not... it can't be..." It can't be that hard, he was going to say, not when both their bodies worked generally the same way, but before he could even get the words out, he heard Kyungsoo's reassuring voice in his head.
Everything will be alright my love
 
They've been in love for years but Kai had never been intimate with Kyungsoo, they had both preferred to wait until the wedding and then– Something inside him twisted as memories swirled around his mind, and Kai wished he could disappear into the thin air and never be seen again. "There, there," Minseok said, with a complete lack of anything resembling sincerity. "Just listen to Uncle Minseok and everything will be all right." Kai had a hard time believing that. "I've read about it," he said, though he knew damn well theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge were far from the same thing. "Uh huh." Minseok did not sound impressed. He took his feet off the table and sat up, fishing around in his pocket. He pulled out a glass vial and set it on the table. "Do you know what that's for?" Kai peered at it. "It's oil." "Observant." Minseok smirked. "I asked if you knew what it was for." Kai ducked his face back toward his book to hide the red he knew was creeping up his neck. This was already going to be hard enough without Minseok teasing him unmercifully. "Oh, don't be so bashful about it, Kai; you're going to be a married man soon." Minseok nudged the oil toward him. "It's for... lubrication." Oh, God, he wasn't going to survive this conversation, because he was going to spontaneously combust from humiliation. Kai rested his head on his book and tried to pretend he was somewhere, anywhere, else. "Now, obviously, lubrication is a good idea at nearly any time—I know I much prefer it when I take myself in hand or when Jongdae use it to finger me—" Kai wished he could set his mind on fire to get rid of that mental image. "—but unless you're even more useless at this than I imagined, then I would hope you could figure out how to toss your husband off– I bet your is still the same size?" He gestured openly at Kai's small body. "It will be depressing  to know your had shrunken as well–" "Please stop talking," Kai mumbled into the book.  Minseok continued as though he hadn't heard a thing. "However, if you wish to him—or vice versa, I don't judge—then this little bottle is quite literally a necessity. I also don't think I can emphasize enough that it's best you boys clean yourself very thoroughly before engaging in that particular activity." Kai wondered if the Goddess would strike him deaf for the next five minutes if he prayed hard enough. He thought about leaving, but he was pretty sure Minseok would follow him. Worse, he was pretty sure Minseok would follow him and keep talking, no matter who they came across. "And you should never, ever simply slick up your and shove it in. Ghastly. And quite painful, I'm assured. No, you should always take your time. Open him up with your fingers, first,– you could ask him to finger himself since I bet yours are too short for him. And remember, one at a time. Then you ease your way in. At least at first. At that point, you can set the pace to whatever you like." Minseok paused. "Also, I do hope you've learned to swallow." Kai grimaced into the book and finally raised his head, though he still couldn't bring himself to look his uncle in the eye. "Can we please stop talking about this?" Minseok had his chin in his hands, eyes wide and innocent. "You're not talking, you're just listening. And frankly, if you can't even say the word ',' you shouldn't be having it." Kai groaned. "I don't want to listen to you. Not about . It's," he dropped his eyes back to the book, because he didn't think he'd ever been so embarrassed, "private." Minseok rolled his whole head along with his eyes. "And just how do you intend to find out about it? Do you think the universe will bestow this knowledge upon you on your wedding night? That you'll get into the bedchamber and know exactly what to do?" His smile went predatory. "Or perhaps you're hoping your betrothed will know what he's doing? Of course, that's doubtful, given he's an Ildian, but I certainly wouldn't mind giving him a bit of advice, especially if we got to be a little more hands-on—" Rage surged through Kai like a wave, and he lunged halfway across the table and snarled, fangs bared and claws scarring the wood. Minseok didn't move but for a slight uptick of his eyebrows, but Kai heard his heartbeat skip. "Touch him," Kai growled around his canines, "and I'll rip out your throat." Minseok crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair again. "Temper, temper, damn you wolves and your protective instincts, you haven't even met him yet you're willing to rip your uncle's throat because of him." he said mildly with a smirk. "Tell me, is this how you're going to deal with uncomfortable situations when you're married? Threaten to rip your husband's throat out?" Kai let out another, lower growl. "No, but it's effective in this situation." Minseok snorted. "Hardly. Now, regarding the fine art of and the eternal question of what you do with your teeth—" Kai slammed his book shut and stalked out of the library, going as fast as his short legs would allow. "I'm just trying to help!" Minseok called after him. "I don't care!" "You'll thank me on your wedding night." No, Kai decided, he really, really wouldn't. "Leave me be"   The following day, Kai saw the appeal of a formal court meeting; apparently, the court still saw him as a warrior that only knew how to talk about war or with his claws and didn't see the need to invite him to one even when it involved a place he held dear to his heart. The only reason he even found out about the council meeting was that he went to the kitchen looking for brunch because he'd missed breakfast, where he was told it was being kept warm for the councilors and the king. “But you can have some bread and cheese to tide you over, my dear,” Taemin, a close friend of his, said with a grin. “No, thank you,” Kai yelled over his shoulder, already halfway down the hall. He was perfectly accustomed to having to fight for his advice to be heard, and he didn’t mind earning the respect of the court;