Taemin sleepily yawned as he slowly woke up, stretching a bit and turning around, sighing in contentment and hoping that he would quickly fall asleep again. The bed was too comfortable and he was too tired, so he didn't feel like getting up right now: his nocturnal activities with Minho had exhausted him. He still wasn't used to his lover's stamina...

He felt the mattress shift a bit under his body and he smiled as he understood that Minho was awake as well and busy coming closer to him, but Taemin kept his eyes shut, pretending to be still asleep.

He shivered as Minho's cold fingers brushed against his bare thigh, drawing strange patterns on his warm skin, slowly going up to caress his flat stomach.

"I know that you aren't asleep, Taemin..." he whispered on an amused tone.

The younger opened his eyes and blinked, Minho's face in front of his own growing clearer as his pupils got used to the light. He straightened up a bit and pecked his lover's lips before falling backwards on the mattress, resting his head on the soft pillow.

"How did you know ?" he asked, smiling.

"You were breathing too quickly... Or maybe it was because I was touching you ?"

The taller boy moved his hand on his lover's chest, lingering over his sensitive spots that he had learnt by heart; he grinned as Taemin's breathing hitched, his body tensing a bit.

"Minho..." he moaned as he felt his lover's fingers brush against his s, teasing him. "Please, stop... I'm still sore from last night..."

The older chuckled a bit and rested his head on his lover's chest, listening to his heartbeat and closing his eyes, enjoying the calm atmosphere of their small but comfortable bedroom.

"Minho ?" Taemin suddenly asked.

Said boy mumbled something that he didn't totally understand, but it was enough for him to know that his lover was listening to him.

"Do you know what day it is today ?"

Minho didn't reply and seemed to think over it for a while; then, he gasped as he realized and looked up, locking eyes with Taemin.

"It's been one year already." the younger said with a tiny smile, running his hands through Minho's hair.

The taller boy nodded, a bit taken aback. It had been one year since they had left the castle, leaving their friends behind them and heading for the unknown.

"It was worth it, don't you think ?" Taemin asked.

Minho nodded again. Yes, it was. It hadn't been easy for them at first, since they had nowhere to go and no one to help them... They had decided to leave the country: Minho didn't want to run the risk to be recognised; it was highly unlikely but he wanted to be sure. When a Prince or a member of the royal family died, heralds conveyed the proclamation through the whole country, so it would have been dangerous for them if they had met one of those messengers.

They had gone to the South, avoiding the roads, going across country and sleeping in old, half-collapsed farms they had found on their way. The victuals Jinki had given to them hadn't been enough for their journey and they hadn't had any other choice than stealing in the fields, even though they had felt bad for that.

They had finally left the country, both being exhausted and going on feet to spare their tired and skinny horse that had suffered from the lack of feed. They had been lucky though: an old, widowed woman was living alone in a big farm and she had seen them as they passed in front of her property; she had been horrified to state how tired and thin they looked and she had immediately offered them to take a meal with her.

She hadn't ask them any question, despite her obvious curiosity, and they had been really thankful to her for her respect. Still, she had understood that they were kind of running away and in want, so she had suggested to pay them, lodge them and feed them if they helped her in the farm.

A glance at each other had been enough for them to know that it was their only chance if they wanted to earn money and live by their own later. They had accepted and never regretted it. For six months or so, they had lived with the old lady and she had ended up treating them like her own children.

However, it had been hard for Taemin to trust her. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't. Running away hadn't solved his problems all of a sudden and even around Minho, he had felt insecure. He had been used to criticism during his whole life and he always felt like he didn't deserve to be loved by someone like Minho. He was afraid that his lover would end up considering him like his father did and that he would leave him one day. He knew that he was being ridiculous, that Minho loved him and didn't regret anything they had done together but he couldn't help it. Minho was aware of his insecurities though, and he did his best to reassure his lover and help him to get over his doubts.

Still, it had taken a while for Taemin to get rid of his insecurities; during the six months they had stayed with the lady, he had worked hard to believe in people but above all, in himself.

One day, the kind and old woman hadn't gotten up in the morning. Minho had found her in her bedroom, her features looking as relaxed as if she was just sleeping, even though she wasn't. After the burial, they had left the farm with their horse and had travelled again, until they arrived in a calm village nearby the sea.

Thanks to the money they had earned by working with the old lady, they had been able to buy a small cottage, a bit outside of the village. They both had been a bit worried about the inhabitants' reactions towards them but they had been surprised: those people had learnt to mind their own business and they had never bothered them.

As time went by, Taemin had changed and had opened up more and more to Minho. He had cut his hair, that was currently short but still a bit longer than Minho's, and he even began to feel proud of his beautiful features.

Minho had never seen that heartbreaking sadness anymore, the one he used to see in his eyes when they were in the City; but it still happened from time to time that Taemin's brown orbs filled with tears. And Minho felt bad for that, because he was sometimes the cause of his sadness. They loved each other but they also had their little fights and even though the younger was more confident now, it always awoke his fears of being left alone. Fortunately, it didn't happen that often but when it did, they always found a way to make up.

It had been one year since they had run away... And Minho was amazed by the progress they had both made.

They weren't the only people who had made progress. When they had settled down in this village, they had sent a letter to Jinki, Jonghyun and Kibum, in order to let them know that they were fine. They had received letters as well and their friends had told them what had happened after their departure.

The King had taken two days to realize that his son had disappeared. He hadn't cared about it at all but to keep up appearances, he had ordered to several soldiers to seek after the Princess. Of course, they hadn't found Taemin and Sulmyong had assumed that he had been so desperate after his lover's death that he had ended up committing suicide. It hadn't affected him but his wife had cried for months.

Jonghyun and Kibum were as happy as they were before, despite the loss of their young friend they were missing like crazy. Still, they were slowly getting over it and had been relieved to hear that he was alright. Jinki was doing fine as well but was really nervous: he was slowly getting ready to help Sulli to give birth to her first child.

Because Sulli had finally found her happiness too, and Minho had been relieved to know that. Sulli hadn't totally fooled him when she had said that she didn't love him for real... He knew that she had feelings for him, he just wasn't sure anymore of how strong they were.

But several months after Minho's death, the King had introduced a new Prince to Sulli and surprisingly, she had agreed to marry him. He wasn't Minho, she didn't love him and she didn't do that in order to forget his previous fiancé... But they got on well with each other. He was kind and good-looking, so she would rather marry him than an old and grumpy man.

She had found out that the Prince was really attached to her and even loved her. He treated her well and even asked for her opinion about political topics he needed to talk about with her father, even though it was usually rare that women were involved into political discussions. Finally, a sincere attachment had developed between them and Sulli was relieved beyond words.

Four months after their wedding, Jinki had told her that she was pregnant and since then, she was overexcited and found it hard to rest, which was what the young doctor had told her to do. Even her husband was surprised to see how restless she was and he couldn't help but worry about their health, hers as well as their child's. He had thought over a way to force her to take a nap from time to time... But he hadn't thought that it would end up with him taking a nap beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his hands on her big belly.

Even though he would probably never see their child, Taemin was really curious to know if he would have a niece or a nephew. He was also reassured: he was sure that his sister would be a great mother and above all, he knew that she would do her best to give a happy childhood to her child.

Minho and Taemin were both relieved that she had found someone she could trust and rely on, and who loved her.

Now, the two lovers could focus on their relationship without feeling guilty for what had happened between them and the Princess. They had finally discover what it truly meant to be free.

"Have I already told you today that I love you ?" Minho suddenly asked, nuzzling his nose in the crook of Taemin's neck.

"Not yet." the other answered with a smile.

The taller boy placed his lips on his lover's and gently nibbled on his bottom lip, asking for entrance, that the younger immediately allowed to him. As soon as Taemin opened his mouth, their tongues met and slowly played together; Minho let his lover dominate the kiss and the younger turned it into a passionate and heated up one. The other boy soon broke the kiss, panting.

"T... Taemin..." he stammered. "How am I supposed to refrain from making love to you if you kiss me like that ?"

His lover only answered with a sly smile and Minho chuckled. Yes, Taemin had made a lot of progress lately...

"Minho ?" the younger boy said on a strangely serious tone.

"Mmh ?" the taller man mumbled as he placed butterfly kisses on his lover's milky-white neck.

"Thank you."

The older boy stopped kissing him and looked up to stare at him. Taemin had tears in the corners of his eyes but he was smiling in a way that made Minho's heart skip a beat. The boy caressed his lover's cheek and slowly whispered:

"Thank you for giving me the life I always wished for, Minho."

The end.

Well, it's done... And I feel incredibly sad.

I would like to thank every single person who read this story, subscribed or upvoted it, and above all, I want to give a special thanks to my readers who commented the story. It means a lot to me, thank you ! <3 I hope that you liked this ending as much as the other chapters, so let me know what you thought about it for a last time, okay ?

Thank you again and I hope to see you around~