“Sir, we’ve found out where he has disappeared to. We have his coordinates.” 

“Send some of our disposable men over there and try to hurt them. We can’t wait around any longer.”

***

The two were sitting on the porch, a bowl of blackberries being shared between them. 

“Do you wonder why I was focused on hurting you?” Mark asked, still embarrassed every time someone brought up that incident.’

Donghyuck shrugged. “I just thought you thought I was going to say something about it and snitch on you,” he said honestly. “I don’t know how you found my house, though. That’s terrifying.”

Mark had a database of the citizen’s registered addresses but decided not to tell Donghyuck this. “I.. I don’t know what was the reasoning behind it.”

“Well, who cares. Hopefully whoever wants the royal family dead gets caught and we all live peacefully again.” 

Donghyuck grabbed one of the blackberries, placing it on his palm. “Are you going to go back?” 

“I- back?” Mark asked, confused. “Back… back where?”

“When everything gets settled, silly,” Donghyuck reminded him. “When you’re free to be in public again. Are you going back to where you were living before?”

He was talking about Jaehyun’s lab, Mark realized. “I assume so.” 

“Hm.”

Donghyuck didn’t say anything else, staring at the blackberry in his hand. 

Mark started to wonder… will everything go back to normal? And how? Would it be that easy? 

He looked at Donghyuck, who was now eating the blackberry, and Mark suddenly felt a pang in his chest.

Nothing could happen to Donghyuck, Mark wouldn’t let it. People were after him and Mark couldn’t bear to lose his.. friend. 

“I’ll see you everyday,” Mark reassured him. “But before any of that happens, I need you to be safe. Remember that your safety is very important.”

“You sound like Johnny.” 

Instead of his normal teasing voice, though, Donghyuck sounded… down. 

“What’s wrong with me sounding like your older brother?” Mark asked. 

“Cause he never wants to hang out with me,” Donghyuck said quietly. “Even now, when he’s not at work, he’s still too busy. How does he have a boyfriend and friends back in Neo City but can’t even spend time with me? Oh, and he thinks I don’t know he’s dating that number guy but it’s soooooo obvious like-“

And once again, Mark continued to hear Donghyuck rant, about all these people that Johnny knew, and how Johnny never let him go out, waiting for Donghyuck to turn into his cheery self again. 

***

Chen Le stole another glance at Jisung’s bodyguard, Yuta, who was following them, staying five feet away at all time. “Does he always have to follow you everywhere?”

“Oh, Yuta? He’s real nice, don’t worry,” Jisung reassured him. 

“I’ll surely take your word for it,” Chen Le said slowly, turning his head back to the sidewalk in front of them. 

While he wasn’t looking, Jisung turned around and gave Yuta a bro wtf look, noticing that Yuta had a resting face. 

Yuta glared at him, pointing to his wrist. He did that everytime he reminded Jisung that he was just doing his job as a bodyguard. 

For ’s sakes. “He takes his job very seriously,” Jisung added. “Believe it or not, he’s crazy.”

“Crazy? Nah, sorry, Yangyang has that category perfectly covered,” Chen Le said, smiling.

Jisung smiled to him, crossing his arms. He thought it was cute how those two were friends. “Hmm, just a little bit.”

Neither said anything else after that, the two continuing to walk in silence. 

This was more than enough for Jisung, though. He was enjoying their quiet, peaceful walk, a stark contrast compared to when he was in the palace, dealing with the advisors and his father’s men about issues regarding the people, the economy, relations with the Kingdom of China. 

“Do you take your job seriously?” Chen Le said abruptly, almost as if he had been reading Jisung’s thoughts. 

His job? 

He didn’t really see it as a job, in all fairness. And sometimes he felt like he wasn’t productive enough. He heard the gossip between the people, the workers in the palace. He was a prince who did what he was told, his father’s puppet. 

But he didn’t half-assed anything. If he was given something to do, he did it right, with precision and swiftness. He took pride in his work that he had been able to accomplish on his own. 

“I don’t see it as a job,” Jisung said truthfully. “I see it as a responsibility.”

“Do you like it?” Chen Le asked. “Since it’s not by choice, I mean. Do you wonder what other career you could have done if you haven’t been in the royal family?”

Now, Jisung had never thought of that before. He had never thought about what he would have been able to do in an alternative universe.

“You probably think I’m very boring,” Jisung admitted. “But no. I just… I guess I just studied and practiced whatever I was ordered to do.”

“Huh. As a prince I would have expected you to be able to do more of whatever you want.” 

Jisung nodded. “I don’t really ask much, in all honesty. There’s only a few things I want right now.”

Chen Le frowned. Why would Jisung have trouble getting what he wanted? “Like what?” 

“Well, peace between the two Kingdoms have always been high on the list,” Jisung explained. “Also, there’s those behind the assassination attempts, that has not been quite the entertainment, if I do say so myself.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds quite lovely.” Chen Le thought of when the attempt assassination took place in the palace, and he and Yangyang had been freaking out since they chose that moment to trespass. “That must be frustrating.”

Jisung sighed. “I’ve dealt with it before. Nothing I’m not prepared to handle.”

“I don’t want to know how you can prepare yourself against getting murdered at any given time but I am merely a lowly peasant-”

“Don’t say that.” Jisung stopped walking, causing Chen Le to stop as well. “I know I may sound ignorant considering your circumstances aren’t ideal but you are very important and I hope you know that.”

Chen Le looked away momentarily, looking at the street in front of them. “And to whom would I be considered important to?”

Jisung wanted to respond, he really did, but for just a few seconds, he had been enamored with Chen Le’s eyes, noting how clear they looked with the sunlight radiating off them. 

Before Jisung could respond though, he felt someone behind him pull him back. “You’re highness, get down-”

“I’m sorry, what?” 

Jisung didn’t get a response, though, because now Yuta was drawing his sword and- oh, lord, Yuta was swinging at it to someone next to them-

Realizing the situation at hand, Jisung got behind Yuta, drawing out his own as well, ready for anyone to try to attack him as well. 

“Jisung-”

“Chen Le, just stay behind me.” Jisung grabbed Chen Le’s wrist and dragged him behind him, holding him tight as he surveyed the situation. 

Other guards that had been in street quickly scurried to the Prince’s side, and without any weapons or training of his own, all Chen Le could do was watch the events unfold. 

Ten men. Ten men in a different uniform started attacking Jisung and his men. But they weren’t dressed as those who caused havoc in the palace that day. No, they were… they were wearing uniforms from the Chinese guard. 

But… how? This situation made no sense, why would they be here, in all towns of all places, to attack Prince Jisung, and cause a war just like that??

He knew there were issues between the two kingdoms, but he did not want to think what would happen if war broke out. 

***

“Your brother is in danger.”

Johnny looked up to see Mark staring at him, a stern look on his face. “Excuse me?”

Earlier when Johnny arrived home, Donghyuck and Mark had been outside climbing a tree, his brother refusing to talk to him. So Johnny came in and sat at the kitchen table, trying to sit in silence for a few. 

Well, it had been a few minutes until Mark came in and interrupted him.

“You need to tell him,” Mark explained. “He’s in danger. They’re going to be after him.”

“Who is they?!” Johnny jumped out from his seat, maintaining eye contact with the latter who still did not budge. 

Mark had a neutral expression on his face. “I know about your brother.”

“Know what?” 

“That you’re not related by blood.”

Johnny froze.

… how? 

How did Mark, this… thing that has been with them a couple of days know that Donghyuck is adopted? There is no way. Johnny has never slipped anything to his younger brother, having promising his parents before they passed that he would never tell him.

The only person he has ever told was Ten. Not only did Ten had access to Donghyuck’s government documents and medical history, but also, Johnny didn’t want Ten to make a comment about genetics or such that would make Donghyuck question anything - once he almost told Donghyuck his blood type, which would have given it away. 

“What- what the hell are you even talking about?” Johnny asked Mark. Mark would no doubt tell Donghyuck everything if he knew; those two were really close to one another, and Johnny didn’t like it one bit. No he did not. “Who gave you these ideas-“

“There is someone out there set to destroy anyone with Donghyuck’s blood and if the others like me get controlled again and meet your brother, they might kill him,” Mark ranted. Johnny doesn’t think he’s even heard the superhuman speak so much in just one sentence. “He has a right to know, he deserves to know why this is happening to him-“

“You are the reason this is happening to him!” Johnny yelled. “You tried to kill him!!”

“He is part of the ROYAL BLOODLINE! THEY WANT HIM!!”

“You are OUT OF YOUR ING MIND!!” 

Mark didn’t say anything, staring at Johnny with a puzzled look on his face.

Meanwhile, Johnny used the opportunity to grab a knife off of the table and point it at Mark. “You better back the away from me if you don’t want to get hurt-“

“You knew,” Mark whispered. “Didn’t you?”

Johnny didn’t break eye contact with him, but for just a tiny fraction of a second, he showed fear on his face, and that gave it all away to Mark.

“You’re not going to hurt him,” Johnny said in a low voice. “None of you guys are allowed to touch him. Blood or not, he is my brother.”

***

Yangyang was tossing an apple in the air, catching it regularly when he saw someone in the distance watching him. 

Once he recognized who it was, a smile broke out on his face. “PRINCE HENDERY!” he shouted, waving his hand to the other. 

Prince Hendery laughed, watching Yangyang run towards him with the apple in his hand. “Hope you are faring well,” he said to Yangyang once the latter was in earshot, waving back at him. 

Yangyang stopped in his tracks once he reached Hendery, extending out the apple to the prince. “Would you like an apple?” he said, grinning. “I bought it! With coins! I didn’t steal it this time.”

“I- what do you mean, steal?” Hendery asked, puzzled when Yangyang finished his sentence.

Yangyang made an “oh” face. He had to be more careful when talking to Prince Hendery. “I… it wasn’t out of malice, I swear- anyways!” He placed it on Hendery’s palm. “Try it! It’s really good.”

Hendery smiled, taking a small bite of the apple. It was one of the local ones grown in this providence, so Hendery has never tried it before, but it was indeed as delicious as they were praised to be.

He chewed on it slowly before swallowing. “You did not lie to me, Liu Yangyang, this is marvelous.”

“Always!! I would never lie to you- oh, why does he look…”

Yangyang trailed off, his gaze wandering to something behind Hendery, causing the prince to turn around to see what Yangyang had been looking at and-

It was not at all what he was expecting. 

The prince of this very soil that Hendery was stepping on, Prince Park Jisung from the Kingdom of Korea, was marching towards him with his sword in his hand, his bodyguard beside him desperately trying to pull him back to make Jisung stop in his tracks.

And Jisung looked very, very mad.