A/N: Hey everyone! Happy new year~ I'm really sorry for the delay on getting this chapter posted, lots of things added to the posting of this chapter being delayed several times but hopefully I can get back on track now! So I am sat here drinking bubble tea and slowly editing this chapter because for some reason AFF is being very slow for me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, you may need to read back a couple of chapters to refresh your memory but if you don't they go you! You have a good memory xD Anyway, enough of me talking, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
As always, comments and feedback are appreciated.
 

A couple of hours passed between Kyuhyun’s phone call with his father and him reaching the dark realm. The last thing he wanted to do was be in the same room with Junsu. The thought of having to sit at the same table as him put the young prince on edge and made him cranky. After spending a lot more time than he had planned saying goodbye to Leeteuk he had finally made his way to Abaddon. “You are and will always be the better person here. You are strong. Don’t let him get under your skin.” Leeteuk’s words repeated in Kyuhyun’s head, helping to calm his unease about the upcoming situation. Upon reaching the dark realm Kyuhyun took a shortcut through the quieter streets of the realm, avoiding as many people as he could in an attempt to keep his presence quiet. The people of the dark realm remained clueless as to what had happened between Kyuhyun and Junsu. There were rumours that there had been a drunken fight between the two but with the rumour dismissed by the king himself, the people simply decided to ignore the situation entirely. Kyuhyun slipped into the palace grounds relatively unnoticed with only a couple of guards greeting him quietly. One of the plus sides to being the son of the king was access to every part of the palace and the surrounding areas, even if those areas were out of bounds to the majority of the king's guards. Kyuhyun walked up the palace steps and in through the large doors.

The palace hadn’t been Kyuhyun’s home for a while but whenever he returned the staff and guards alike greeted him with soft whispers of ‘Welcome home, my lord.’ It hadn’t felt like home for a long time. He made his way towards the meeting room, coming to a standstill when he looked down the hallway to see Jaejoong standing opposite the double doors. The shapeshifter was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He was looking down at the floor as if in deep thought and hadn’t yet been alerted to Kyuhyun’s presence. Kyuhyun raised his hand a little by his side as a small smirk appeared on his face. His eyes began to glow a pale shade of blue and he touched his fingers together, revealing sparks when his fingers separated. As he focused his attention on Jaejoong the sparks grew stronger but before he could do anything more a hand on his shoulder made him jump.

“Brother, keep your magic to yourself. Remember where you are” Heechul spoke softly as he stepped in front of Kyuhyun, cutting off the younger prince’s view of Jaejoong.
“I wasn’t going to do anything” Kyuhyun sighed “But can you really blame me? I’d rather be home with Leeteuk right now, not having to see either of them”
“I know, that’s why I’m here. I heard Junsu was in a pretty bad way after the other day” Heechul grinned proudly, bringing a smile to Kyuhyun’s face.
“I heard about that too. You should have hit him harder, at least then he might have actually died.” Heechul smiled at Kyuhyun’s words before he wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders.
“I see you’ve been spending some quality time with Leeteuk today” Heechul grinned, poking the obvious hickey on Kyuhyun’s neck, earning a small smile from the younger. He pulled his brother closer and lead him down the hallway towards the meeting room. Jaejoong looked up as the two approached, visibly tensing with every step closer the princes took.

Kyuhyun passed Jaejoong without incident as Heechul ushered him into the meeting room. It wasn’t until Heechul stopped by the door that Jaejoong stepped forward, his fangs bared slightly to the older prince. Heechul let out an exasperated sigh and looked boredly at Jaejoong before shaking his head.
“Really? You bare your fangs to me while my father is in the room behind me? If you know what is good for you you’ll step away” he paused before chuckling to himself “Unless you feel like flying out of the window again”
“You almost killed Junsu the other day. Don’t think I’m just going to forget that” Jaejoong grumbled and Heechul frowned.
“He almost killed my brother! Kyuhyun’s life is a lot more important to me and everybody else in this realm than Junsu’s. If he harms my brother one more time he will not live to see another day. And if you think you can take either of us on, well just try it”
“I’m not here to cause trouble. Junsu needed my help to get back here and when the meeting is finished I will him back to his room so that he can rest”
“Good” Heechul spat as he side glanced Jaejoong and stepped in through the doors “Make sure it stays that way.”

Once inside the meeting room, Heechul closed the door behind himself, shutting Jaejoong out. King Kim was sitting at the head of the table with Kyuhyun on his right and Junsu on his left. Heechul gave both his brother and father a small smile before he sat at the opposite end of the table. Heechul wanted nothing more than to observe the meeting and make sure his brother was safe rather than taking part. So when he gave his father a small nod, the king finally spoke.
“I’m not going to sugar coat this. We all know why I asked you both to come here” he paused, turning his attention to Junsu “You are lucky that you are my brother, Junsu. But quite honestly after what you did I should have you arrested. This tension and hatred between the two of you needs to stop before one of you ends up dead.” Junsu sighed and raised his hand to his head for a brief moment. The wound Heechul had inflicted had almost completely healed now leaving Junsu’s blonde hair red and matted in several places beneath the bandage. He shifted in his seat and sat up straight before glancing at Kyuhyun and then to the king.
“I wouldn't blame you for having me arrested but I hope it doesn’t come to that. I have my reasons for the way I feel about humans, that much you know, but I know that I shouldn’t take it out on Kyuhyun and for that I am sorry”
“He is as much demon as he is human” the king began, glancing towards Kyuhyun as he spoke as a way of reassuring his youngest son. Kyuhyun gave his father a small smile and relaxed a little in his seat, thankful that his father had continued to keep his light magic a secret from the other “You share the same bloodline, Junsu. I do not care whether Kyuhyun is half human, you are to treat him the same as you would treat Heechul or even me for that matter. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, my lord.” Junsu nodded his head gently and sighed a little as he raised his eyes to look over at Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun was sitting rather awkwardly in his seat. One of his legs was pulled up against his chest with his arms wrapped loosely around it. He was comfortable but he looked anything but. He was in a little world of his own. His thoughts wrapped around Leeteuk and their afternoon in bed together and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling, even when Junsu spoke his name.
“Kyuhyun?” Junsu called out softly, capturing Kyuhyun’s attention. Kyuhyun looked up towards his uncle and his smile faltered but he kept Leeteuk clear in his mind, remembering the angel’s words from just a few hours earlier to keep himself calm “Kyuhyun I’m sorry. The other day was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let my anger get the better of me”
“It’s fine, let’s just forget about it” Kyuhyun shrugged but he sighed when King Kim cleared his throat “I’m sorry too. I can’t exactly say none of it was my fault since I kind of provoked you the other day. But months ago, what you tried to do to Leeteuk… He has nothing to do with any of this so just leave him alone. If you lay one more finger on him I’ll make you regret it. Just stay away from us both” Kyuhyun growled lowly in his throat, alarming Junsu at his openness to speak of his boyfriend in front of the king. Junsu glanced at the king with a confused expression.
“I know all about Leeteuk, Junsu. You are not to harm him, do you understand me? He makes Kyuhyun happy and they have my blessing so from this day forward you are to leave them alone. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, my lord. I understand”
“Good. Then I think we are finished here. Thank you both for coming today” The king smiled softly and Kyuhyun gave his father a small smile and a nod of his head. Junsu pushed his chair out and slowly stood from the table, gripping the corner for a moment to steady himself before he shouted for Jaejoong. Despite his head wound almost being healed on the surface it would still take a while for him to be back to full health. Jaejoong stepped into the room and gave the king and both of his sons a small bow before he walked over and looped his arm around Junsu’s waist to help steady himself. The king frowned at his brother's state but when he looked down the table at Heechul, his oldest son just shrugged.
“Don’t look at me like that, father. I’m not apologising for what I did. He had my brother pinned to a wall by his throat. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t scream for help, couldn't move. I was hardly going to ask him nicely to let go because it wouldn’t have worked. I’m not sorry for hitting him and won’t apologise. Maybe it will stop him from trying to hurt Kyuhyun again in the future”
“Don’t worry, my lord” Junsu spoke softly as he squeezed the king’s shoulder “I deserved it. It won’t happen again, you have my word.” Jaejoong lead Junsu out of the room without another word and when the two were gone, Kyuhyun finally relaxed a little.

A part of the young prince was relieved by Junsu’s words. The other half, however, was anything but convinced.
“Father” Kyuhyun started as he pushed himself to sit up properly and rested his elbows on the table, “Junsu said that you know the reason why he hates humans. What is it?” he asked and the king gave a small smile as Heechul moved to sit beside them both.
“This wasn’t something I was ever going to tell you because I didn’t want you thinking anything bad” The king paused with a small frown on his lips as he thought of how to explain things to his youngest son “Junsu was with me the first time I ever met your mother. Back then he had no objection to humans as long as they weren’t the kind who hunted demons. As time passed I fell in love with your mother but I wasn’t the only one.” Kyuhyun’s eyes widened as his father spoke, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach as several thoughts came into his head at once.
"I swear if you’re about to tell me that he is my real father I’m going to be sick” Kyuhyun interrupted, his lips forming a disgusted frown, but the king smiled and shook his head.
“No. You are my son, Kyuhyun. That I am sure of. Junsu practically worshipped the ground beneath your mother’s feet but he never stood a chance. He would buy her flowers and chocolates but she didn’t feel the same way for him as he felt for her. I was the one she wanted to be with even after she found out who I was, what I was. She rejected him and he didn’t take it so well. The closer your mother and I got the more distant he became. He started to hate humans and everything they stood for and for that he blamed your mother. I protected her from him and over time he started to leave her alone until one day he simply stopped visiting the human realm”
“So he hates me because my mother turned him down all those years ago?” Kyuhyun asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion “That seems a little pathetic”
“He wanted what I had. He wanted a family. He tuned everything out when we found out your mother was pregnant with you. After her death… Something changed. Kyuhyun whenever I look at you all I see is your mother. You look so much like her and remind me of her every single day. If I see that then so does he. You remind him of the woman he loved, the woman who rejected him. Now I’m not defending him because there is no need to hate an entire realm of people as well as your own nephew simply because of one rejection, but tread carefully, okay? It wasn’t easy for him.”

Kyuhyun frowned as his father spoke before he rolled his eyes, choosing to change the subject. Junsu’s behaviour still didn’t make much sense to the young prince. Knowing more about his uncle's past gave him many questions but it also helped him to understand Junsu’s reasons a little.
“Father, thank you for defending Leeteuk like that” Kyuhyun smiled a little before taking a deep breath “I need to tell you something, both of you” he paused, giving both Heechul and his father a smile. Heechul raised an eyebrow but it didn’t take long for him to piece together what Kyuhyun could have been wanting to say.
“What is wrong, my son?” The king asked but Heechul’s smile didn’t falter.
“I have already asked Emperor Lee for his blessing, so nothing you say will change my mind. Leeteuk is everything to me, I want to spend the rest of my life by his side so I hope that you will support me” he smiled, his smile turning to a grin when Heechul shot him a wink “I’m going to ask Leeteuk to marry me.” The three of them fell into silence for a few moments. It wasn’t uncomfortable but it made Kyuhyun feel uneasy about what his father’s reaction could be. Heechul’s small smile grew and his tail flicked playfully behind his back as he got up from his seat and walked over to Kyuhyun’s seat, hugging him tightly from behind.
“It will be weird to have an angel as a brother in law. But we both want what is best for you and Leeteuk is what is best for you in my eyes. I like him so he can stay” Heechul hummed and Kyuhyun smiled as he hugged Heechul’s arms.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Are you sure about this, Kyuhyun?” King Kim asked softly but there were no hints of negativity in his voice. Kyuhyun gave his father a smile and nodded his head.
“I don’t think I have ever been more sure of anything. Leeteuk and I have known each other for most of our lives. Even when we were separated and didn’t have contact for fourteen years we still found each other again. It was pure coincidence but I believe it happened for a reason. I know all of this will be a lot for you to take in but I’m sure about this, father.” Heechul shifted to sit on the table beside Kyuhyun and ruffled the younger’s hair with a grin before he faced the king.
“A lot has happened between Kyuhyun and Leeteuk that you aren’t aware of. Do you remember when Eli stabbed Kyuhyun and all he wanted to do was go home?” Heechul asked and the king nodded with an obvious frown at the thought “Well, they were in the early stages of their relationship but when Leeteuk found out what happened he refused to leave Kyuhyun alone. That was the first time Leeteuk and I met so he made quite the first impression. I told Leeteuk that you could never know about their relationship because you would probably kill him… I’m glad I was wrong about that”
“Do what you feel is right, Kyuhyun. If you wish to marry Leeteuk then I won’t stop you, after all, you know what you feel for him. I will support you”
“Everything feels right. I wouldn’t be considering this if I wasn’t completely sure. Thank you, father, I know this isn’t easy for you” Kyuhyun smiled softly before he got up from his seat and hugged his father tightly. The king returned his youngest son’s smile as he returned the hug.

For the first time in weeks, Kyuhyun started to feel a little more relaxed in the demon realm. He wasn’t sure that Junsu would keep to his word, nor did he expect it, but he felt too good about his future with Leeteuk to let it bother him. He left the meeting room with Heechul following close behind. Heechul seemed more excited about his brother’s upcoming proposal than the younger prince himself. He hummed and bounced happily as he walked but when Kyuhyun stopped suddenly, Heechul let out a grumpy whine.
“What are you doing stopping so suddenly like that?” He asked but Kyuhyun simply let out a chuckle “Why aren’t you excited?! You’re going to propose to Leeteuk. You should be happy”
"I am happy. But I’m scared to death at the same time. I never thought I would be doing something like this. What if he says no?”
“Why would he do that? Kyuhyun, Leeteuk loves you. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have stuck around so long. He refused to leave your side when Eli hurt you and from what I understand he refused to leave your side when you collapsed the other month because of your light magic. I’ve seen the two of you together and so has Hangeng. You two were made for each other.” Kyuhyun smiled as Heechul spoke. His brother knew just what to say to help calm his nerves. The two made their way back through the palace and out into the courtyard to the rear where Hangeng was helping tend to the garden. Hangeng didn’t have a specific job in the palace. He mostly kept Kyuhyun’s room and the room he shared with Heechul clean and tidy but he passed the majority of his time helping the staff with various tasks.
“Hannie, come here” Heechul cooed as he walked over to help his boyfriend up from where he was kneeling. Kyuhyun walked over to the end of the courtyard and sat down on one of the palace walls that overlooked a large part of the realm. He watched as Hangeng took Heechul’s hand with a smile before giving the older a wave when he caught his eye.
“Kyuhyun’s going to ask Leeteuk to marry him” Heechul hummed softly, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. Hangeng glanced over to Kyuhyun before looking back at Heechul with a small smile.
“That’s great. When is he going to ask him?”
“I don’t even think he knows that yet. Keep it to yourself for obvious reasons though. Our father knows but I don’t know how the news will eventually be announced”
“Why does it need to be announced? It’s Kyuhyun’s business and his alone, nobody but his family should need to be informed” Hangeng said as he linked his arm around Heechul’s and pulled the older prince over towards Kyuhyun. Heechul sighed softly.
“Because he is a prince of this realm. No matter how long we keep it quiet somebody will find out eventually. If our father announces their engagement he can let the whole realm know that Leeteuk is off limits. If any being from this realm finds out about Leeteuk beforehand he will be in danger unless the king says otherwise. I wish we could just let them live their lives together but sadly the two of us have to deal with public attention, it’s who we are.” Kyuhyun looked up with an eyebrow raised when Heechul and Hangeng approached closer.
“What’s who we are, brother?” He asked curiously, making Heechul chuckle.
“I was just explaining to Hangeng why father will eventually have to announce your engagement to the rest of the realm”
“Oh, right, yeah. I’m not thinking about that for the time being. I have a few hours until I have to get back home. Do you want to go somewhere away from the palace? People are still looking at me weird and it’s making me uncomfortable. Can we go and sit in the woods?”
“Sure. Can we steal you, Hannie?” Heechul asked, earning a nod from Hangeng and in turn a smile from Kyuhyun. “You can show me what else you’ve learned with your magic too. I’m sure Hangeng is eager to see it”
“It’s not safe to do that here. Too many demons can sense light magic when it is used. How about we go to our spot in the human realm instead?” Kyuhyun asked and Heechul paused for a moment before he nodded his head and took Hangeng’s hand in his own.
“That sounds like a better idea. Let’s get going.”

***

Jaejoong lead Junsu from the meeting room and back out into the hallway. He could feel both Kyuhyun and Heechul’s eyes on the two of them, putting him on edge. Once the door had closed behind them Jaejoong’s hold around Junsu’s waist tightened as the older demon straightened up.
“That was tedious” Junsu sighed but Jaejoong couldn’t help but smile.
“At least it’s over with. Let’s get you back to our room, you still need to rest”
“Thank you, Jaejoong. I promise it will all be worth the wait. In another day I’ll be fully healed and my strength will be back to normal, then we can start to make up for all of these setbacks”
“You have nothing to apologise for, my love. You know I would do anything for you.” Junsu smiled and nodded his head gently. Even though the majority of the wound on his head had healed he continued to experience spells of pain and dizziness if he made sudden movements.
“I feel like there will be many changes coming up around here soon. I’ll make sure that none of them interfere with our plans”
“And what of Leeteuk? I heard Kyuhyun talking about him, does this mean he is out of the picture now?” Jaejoong asked but Junsu simply smirked and shook his head.
“Of course not. But for now, we stay away. My brother needs to trust me again. So we go back to our duties and leave them both alone. If we don’t leave the palace they have no reason to doubt us”
“This is why you are my master and I am not yours. I would never think so logically” Jaejoong smiled and Junsu let out a chuckle as they reached their room.
“You could never be my master even if you tried” Junsu hummed softly. Jaejoong smiled and helped Junsu over to sit on the bed before closing their door and kneeling down in front of the older. He rested his hands on Junsu’s knees, giving the older a smile.
“I’m going to get some sleep. Will you be okay without me for a little while longer?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure you can feed when you wake up, you need your strength.”

***

Time passed quickly while Kyuhyun, Heechul, and Hangeng were in the human realm. Kyuhyun was now fully relaxed and back to his usual self, much to the relief of Heechul and Hangeng. Neither of them would really admit it but when Junsu and Kyuhyun were in close proximity to one another they both worried that Kyuhyun’s magic would be exposed. Heechul and Hangeng were lying on the grass in a field that the two princes had gotten all too familiar with. Kyuhyun was sitting not far from them looking up at the sky with a small smile on his face.

Kyuhyun and Heechul spent some time demonstrating the younger’s magic to Hangeng. There was still a big difference between the young princes’ light and dark magic but the new control he had over his light magic was evident. Hangeng was amazed at how far Kyuhyun had come since finding out about his true identity. His confidence had grown and he was no longer afraid of his new magic, much to his relief. Kyuhyun let out a yawn and lay back on the grass. He inhaled deeply and smiled at the freshness of the air around them. No matter how much time he spent in the countryside with Heechul each time was as peaceful and calming as the last. Kyuhyun began to hum softly to himself as he relaxed on the grass and Heechul pushed himself to sit up before he smiled down at his brother.
“Has Leeteuk ever heard you sing, brother?” Heechul asked softly but Kyuhyun shook his head.
“Not that I know of, why?”
“Because you have a wonderful voice and I’m sure he would love to hear you sing.” Kyuhyun smiled and shook his head softly.
“Maybe one day. Listen, I’m going to head home. Leeteuk and I have a party tomorrow and I have some things to prepare beforehand. I’ll speak to you both later, okay?” He hummed softly as he stood up and brushed himself off. Heechul pulled a face but when he noticed a small pout appear on his brother’s lips he grinned.
“Of course, brother. You need time to make yourself pretty before this party, you weren’t lucky enough to be born as pretty as me.” Kyuhyun laughed out loud before he touched his finger to Heechul’s cheek. A small spark left the tip of Kyuhyun’s finger and Heechul yelped.
“Yah! Stop that”
“Stop acting like a big girl then. I don’t need to be ‘pretty’. I'll see you both later, hopefully with some good news” Kyuhyun grinned as he stood up and brushed himself off. His grin turned into a soft smile when he noticed Heechul wink at him. The young prince didn't doubt for a moment that Leeteuk would say yes to his proposal but he couldn't hide the worry on his face. Despite everything he had ever had to face, proposing to Leeteuk had to be the most nerve-wracking thing of all.

After a quick goodbye, Kyuhyun zipped up his jacket and made his way out of the field and back towards the city. The sun was how on the horizon by the time he made it home casting soft pink and purple light over the city. As much as he liked living in the city, a part of him wished for a house in the country away from the noise and chaos of city life. After making it to his floor he took out his keys and unlocked the door, focusing his ears instantly to detect any sign that Leeteuk was home.
“Teukie?” He called out softly as he pushed the door closed and put his keys down. There was no sign of Leeteuk in the apartment but as Kyuhyun made his way through the living room he caught sight of a small note on the table "Teukie, where are you?” he mumbled as he walked over and read the note.

‘Hey handsome :) I hope the meeting with your father and Junsu went well. If you’re reading this it means I’m still with Sungmin. Let me know when you’re home. I’m sure you’re hungry so I left you some of my blood. I’ll see you when I get home. I love you x’

Kyuhyun smiled and set the note down on the table before taking out his phone. He hesitated for a moment but finally typed in a quick message for Leeteuk.

To: Teukie
From:Kyuhyun
Message: I’m home now. I have something to talk to you about when you get back but you don’t need to rush. Tell Sungmin I said hello… On second thoughts I changed my mind, you need to hurry home because I miss you.

He hit send with a small smile on his face before he walked through to the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed. After sitting still for a moment he leaned down and pulled a plain black box out from beneath the bed. He shifted to set the box down before taking off the lid and removing a few photographs that were placed on the top of various other items. At the bottom of the box, hidden beneath an old childhood bear, was a small square box with a silver trim. To anybody else, the box could have been mistaken for an old gift from Kyuhyun’s mother, but that was the reason that the young prince chose that place in particular. Kyuhyun smiled when he reached down and took out the box before he opened it. Inside the small box was a platinum engagement ring. The ring had a simple design, with two thin polished platinum bands running along either side of a wider matt band in the centre.  Kyuhyun ran his fingers over the ring and smiled before he closed the box, put it back beneath the items in the larger box and slid it back under the bed.

Just the thought of his proposal to Leeteuk was enough to give the young prince butterflies, but the closer it got to the party the stronger the butterflies got. He let himself fall back against the bed and looked up at the ceiling with a content sigh.
“Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.”

 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter~
I'll try not to keep you all waiting as long next time.
Leeteuk's ring, in case anybody wants to see the reference picture :)