Hendery, despite wanting to, decided against saying goodbye to Yangyang before heading back to his Kingdom. 

He had discovered a lot during his trip here in the Kingdom of Korea, but a lot had been going on during the past few days, and his guards received a message that Hendery’s father wanted him back home as soon as possible before anything else happened to him. 

And he had a lot to relay to his father. He had a feeling that the Korean royal family did have good intentions, but someone was out to destroy the relationship between the two kingdoms. What did they want? A war? Was this a sense of extreme nationalism? Or was it a complicated way of removing the Park family from their positions?

No thinking of what ifs. Hendery had more pressing matters to attend to. He had to return to his kingdom safely, and hope there was no upcoming danger. Or realistically, be prepared for it. 

He only hoped that Yangyang would be safe in the meantime.

Hendery shook his head, focusing on the road while riding his horse. He had to stay focused. Yangyang wasn’t going away, anyways. Yet why did it hurt Hendery so much?

“YOUR HIGHNESS!” 

Before Hendery could even turn around to react, he felt something pierce his shoulder, and to his surprise, it was an arrow.

“STAND BACK!” a lot of his royal guards were saying to someone behind him. Despite the pain already manifesting already in the right side of Hendery’s body, he turned around to see what the commotion was about. 

There, on the top of the hill that they had passed by, stood a small teen, bows and arrows in his hand, and the cold glare in his eyes was unsettling to Hendery, almost as if the teen weren’t human. 

“WHO ARE YOU?”

“PUT THE WEAPON DOWN!”

“DO YOU WORK FOR THE PARK FAMILY?”

The teen lifted up another arrow, and all the guardings started scrambling, ushering Hendery to run away, but yet he didn’t have the energy to move, his whole body filing with fatigue.

“My name is Renjun and I have been assigned to kill Prince Hendery,” he said, launching another arrow, and as Hendery could feel his eyes close, he realized the arrows had been poisoned.

***

When Chen Le finally woke up, he was surprised to see Yangyang sitting on a chair pulled up next to the bed.

“What- what are you doing here?” Chen Le said slowly, his eyes blinking as he got adjusted to the light. His head was throbbing. What did he even do while he was out?

“You have a concussion.” Yangyang grabbed a bowl that had been set on the bedside and held it in his hands, waiting for Chen Le to sit up. “You need to eat.”

Chen Le nodded, looking around the room. He realized they must be in Xiaojun’s house, but… wasn’t he walking with Jisung earlier?

“Where’s Jisung?” Chen Le asked, watching Yangyang put the bowl of soup on Chen Le’s lap. “He was with me-“

“He’s fine. He brought you here. You need to eat this.”

Chen Le yawned, staring at the soup in his lap. He wasn’t really hungry, but seeing Yangyang all serious was a rare sight, and Chen Le wasn’t going to defy him. 

He picked up the spoon, staring at the broth. “What happened while I was out?”

Yangyang stared at him in silence, so Chen Le took that as an opportunity to try the soup. 

“I don’t know,” Yangyang said finally. “All I know is that you and Prince Jisung were attacked, and they were wearing the uniform of the Chinese guard-“

“I- what?” Chen Le dropped the spoon into the bowl. “What do you mean the uniform-“

“EAT YOUR SOUP!”

“OKAY, OKAY!” Chen Le hurriedly took another sip, picking the spoon frantically. “God.”

Yangyang crossed his arms, watching Chen Le eat.

He didn’t say anything else, nor made another movement until Chen Le was done, grabbing the bowl from his friend’s lap to put it on the bedside. 

“I wasn’t hungry, by the way,” Chen Le said, no doubt to annoy Yangyang. “Now my stomach hurts-“

“Then go to bed.” Yangyang stood up from his chair and headed towards the door. “I’ll bring you medicine-“

“Why are you so strict right now?” Chen Le interrupted him. “And vague, what is-“

“Do you not REALIZE what is going to happen?” Yangyang turned around, and he was seething. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“I don’t KNOW, Yangyang, I barely understand what even just happened a few minutes ago!!” Chen Le yelled back. 

“Dear heavens- the two Kingdoms will go to WAR!! And as orphans without documentation we are going to be seen in a bad light under the government!!” Yangyang yelled. “We have to make a decision QUICK!”

“We- we can just pledge our loyalty, I don’t know!” Chen Le threw the blanket off his lap. “There’s a lot of Chinese living here-“

“PUT THAT BLANKET BACK ON YOU!” 

“NO, DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO-“

Yangyang marched over to the bed and grabbed the blanket, covering Chen Le’s body with it. “Wear. The. Blanket.”

Chen Le glared at him, not breaking eye contact as he threw the blanket off again. 

“PUT THE GODDAMN BLANKET ON! WE DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH TIME WE’LL HAVE MUCH LONGER HERE!”

And with that, Yangyang stormed out of the room, leaving Chen Le confused on the bed, running his friend’s words over and over in his head as he shivered. 

***

Donghyuck had fallen asleep, so Mark decided to stay by his side, keeping him company.

At one point, Mark felt the temperature from Donghyuck’s body drop, so Mark threw a blanket over him and set a pillow under his head. 

And he just sat there, staring at the sleepy Donghyuck. The missing prince who, along with the rest of the population, had no idea of his blood. 

Biologically speaking, that meant he was cousins with Prince Jisung. And neither had any clue. 

Mark was going to tell him, when Donghyuck woke up. He had the right to know, especially if people were after him. But Mark wasn’t going to tell him that Johnny knew. The last thing he wanted was for them to have any problems in their relationship. 

He mulled this all over in his head, focusing on how Donghyuck’s chest would rise and fall slowly, how every now and then an eyelid would twitch, or he moved a little in his sleep, fixing his position. 

Mark glanced up towards where the door was before he scooted over, sitting in front of Donghyuck on the floor.

He noticed how the latter’s lips were parted open slightly, and Mark leaned over to trace them softly with his finger, thankful that they continued to be alone. 

Or so he thought. 

To his prediction, he heard someone knock on the basement door. 

Stealing one last glance at Donghyuck, Mark got up from his spot on the floor and headed up the basement stairs, someone continuing to pound on the door. 

“DONGHYUCK! OPEN THE DOOR-”

Mark opened it up, stepping back so that Johnny didn’t accidentally punch him. 

Seeing Johnny’s confused look, Mark explained. “Your younger brother is asleep,” he said. “He looks very worn out.”

“Stop pretending you care about him,” Johnny muttered, glancing down the stairs. “Huh. Makes my job easier. Anyways.” Johnny grabbed Mark’s arm and pulled him away. “Come on.” 

Mark let Johnny dragged him to the living room, where Johnny opened the front door to reveal- oh no.

There, outside on the main steps, stood the prince of the Kingdom of Korea, Park Jisung, his personal bodyguard Nakamoto Yuta, and a number of other Korean guards as well. 

Mark looked at Johnny, who had a neutral expression. 

“You turned me in,” Mark said, glancing behind him. “Donghyuck-”

“You are under arrest for attempted assassination of the royal family,” Yuta said. “Guards.” 

***

“God, these are so ing good-“

Ten grabbed another cinnamon roll from the tray, shoving half of  it into his mouth. 

“Have some class, Chittaphon.” Taeil pulled the tray away from Ten , who pulled it back. “I can’t believe you have such a high position.”

“Oh, shut up, you’re like, one of Prince Jisung’s favorites.” 

Taeil sighed, sitting down across from Ten as he reached for one of the cinnamon rolls as well. “That’s only because he likes the chocolate donuts with sprinklesI that I make for him.”

Ten shook his head. “The way he carries himself as an adult but still acts like a child when no one is looking.”

The two sat in silence after that, each enjoying their cinnamon roll, the only sounds being a timer on the stovetop that was ticking softly, and the water running from the sink- wait.

Ten looked at the dish area, where Taeil’s assistant, Si Cheng, was supposedly washing dishes, but from what they could tell, was just staring at the wall, the sponge still in his hand. 

“Bro, you good?” Ten asked. He grabbed a ceramic bowl and lid, stuffing some of the rolls in there. He figured he should bring some to Jaehyun and his friends later. “What the hell are you thinking over there?”

Si Cheng didn’t move from his spot, still staring at the wall. 

“He should have been back by now,” Si Cheng mumbled, his voice so low that Ten had to strain his ears to hear him. 

“Who, Yuta?” Taeil asked, getting up from his chair.

Ten frowned. “I thought he was with your royal highness.”

Yuta had one of the highest positions in the entire kingdom, as the personal bodyguard of the heir. How he got together with Si Cheng was a mystery, but Ten supposed it had to do with the bodyguard getting all those pastries for the Prince and running into Si Cheng in the kitchen. 

“They should have been back,” Si Cheng repeated again. He set down the sponge in the sink, dispensing some soap on his hands. “They’re taking too long.”

“Are you ever going to spill on why they even went to that little town?” Taeil asked him. “You signed an NDA or something?”

Si Cheng hastily turned off the sink and turned around to look at them, his eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to get in trouble because you are nosy.”

“So you do know something,” Ten said. “Pleaseeeeeee tell us something.”

Si Cheng crossed his arms, looking away. “He’s after those who attempted the assassination.” 

“Wait, they went ALL the way over SM Town for that?!” Taeil asked. “He has no method of self preservation, does he?!”

“The Royal highness will do what he sees fit-“

Taeil snorted, turning off the timer that was on the stove. He had predicted the next batch to be out soon, and he was correct, only being off by 14 seconds. “You don’t believe that.”

Si Cheng slammed his hands on the granite counter, startling both Ten and Taeil. “YOU THINK I DIDN’T TELL HIM IT WAS A STUPID IDEA?” 

“I DON’T KNOW, YOU NEVER MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!”

“I’M NOT GOING TO GET MY BEAT, ARE YOU FORGETTING I’M FROM THE KINGDOM OF CHINA?”

Ten’s eyes widened, long ago having mentally checked out from the conversation. “The superhuman. Oh my god-”

“The what now?” Taeil asked him. “TEN!”

“I have to GO!” Ten practically jumped out of his chair, the cinnamon rolls abandoned on the table. “I have to warn them!!”

Taeil and Si Cheng watched as Ten ran out of the kitchen, standing in silence. 

“Please tell me you never ed Yuta in this kitchen.”

“Taeil, can you shut up?”

***

When Donghyuck woke up, he was surprised to be alone in the basement.  

Did he give Mark the okay to go back out there? Donghyuck had no clue, but he figured he should go up and investigate. 

Setting the blanket and pillow aside (he doesn't even remember falling asleep nor grabbing those), Donghyuck went up the stairs quickly, pushing the basement door open to find the house empty. 

Well, almost empty. The only person there was his brother, washing some dishes alone in the kitchen.

“JOHNNY!” Donghyuck stood next to his brother, tapping his shoulder repeatedly. “Have you seen Mark? He was with me earlier in the basement-” 

“Can you stop worrying about that robot superhuman whatever?” Johnny slammed the bowl he was holding down on the sink, thankful it was made of wood. “Stop worrying about him.”

Donghyuck frowned. “You’re angry as always,” he muttered. “Okay, well, I’m going to go outside then-”

“NO!” Johnny turned around. “You are forbidden to go outside! It’s dangerous and there is a lot of commotion, I don’t want you out there-”

“But I have to find Mark!” Donghyuck protested. “Plus, he told me we could make caramel apples later! You know how mom would put a tiny bit of salt on the top?”

Johnny remained silent, continuing to wash the dishes. 

“Okay, well, I’m going outside to find him-”

“I told you that you are NOT going outside!” 

“Then go find him YOURSELF!” Donghyuck yelled back. “Tell him to come in, please-”

“Mark is gone so maybe I would suggest you stop worrying about that assassin, okay?!”

Johnny grabbed a saucepan that was sitting on the drying rack and placed it on the stove. “I’ll make the caramel sauce for you–”

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Donghyuck asked quietly. 

Johnny grabbed the bag of sugar that was sitting on the counter, opening the bag. “How much sugar do I use, again-”

“What do you mean he’s GONE?!” Donghyuck repeated again. 

“He was arrested, okay?! Do you remember the part of him trying to kill you in the palace?” 

“But- but that’s impossible, the Prince didn’t know he was here!” Donghyuck’s voice cracked. “I- but we were hiding and- and Mark-”

Johnny poured the sugar in the saucepan, adding a few drops of vanilla before cursing under his breath. “, it was too early-”

“WE NEED TO GO RESCUE MARK!” Donghyuck yelled. “WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?”

“Be thankful that we don’t have to deal with him anymore and get ready for dinner.” Johnny tried his best to remain a nonchalant voice, hoping Donghyuck would calm down. 

Donghyuck stood still, fighting the tears that were pooling in his eyes. “Who- did someone-” he took a shaky gasp, feeling the room getting stuffy. “Did someone tell on him?”

Johnny stirred the sugar slowly, watching it slowly turn brown before starting to melt. “Can you grab the whipping cream-”

“Can you PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO ME?!”

“Donghyuck.” Johnny slammed the spoon on the counter and glared at his brother. “He’s GONE, Donghyuck. Get OVER IT! It’s not that hard to get over things!”

Donghyuck wiped his face with the back of his hand, too upset to be grossed out by the snot. “Just because you- just because you got over mom and dad’s death so quickly doesn’t mean I’m the same way-”

“What the did you just say to me?!” 

“Oh, I’m sorry let me just-” Donghyuck wiped his hands on his pants before wiping his eyes. “I said just because you got over mom and dad dying doesn’t mean that I DID, JOHNNY!”

“You have NO idea what I went through when they passed!” Johnny yelled. “And YOU have no right to criticize me, I had to drop EVERYTHING!”

“I am SO ING SORRY THAT IT’S HARD FOR YOU TO TAKE CARE OF ME!”

Donghyuck grabbed his hoodie off the kitchen table that he had left on there earlier and put it on. “I’m going to find him-”

“You are NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” Johnny yanked the hoodie out of his brother’s hands. “I am NOT repeating myself again-”

“I NEED to find out who snitched on him!” Donghyuck said, storming out of the kitchen. “I HAVE TO HELP HIM-”

“It was me, now SIT DOWN!”  

Donghyuck froze, tears spilling into his eyes again.

“ you,” he muttered. “You're a ing oddball of a brother.”