Look at him hugging him like a proud appa I can't even their interactions are so freaking cute >_<

         Kyungsoo’s feet hit the ground hard as he jumped off a branch on a tall tree. He grabbed the arrow that had missed the young deer and bounced off a rock behind it and growled as he threw his quiver over his shoulder. He stalked back in the direction from where he had come.

         Once he reached his home, Ryeowook was waiting for him at the door.

         “Where have you been?” he asked.

         “I was hunting. Didn’t catch anything though,” Kyungsoo said with a pout.

         “You know you’re not supposed to go out,” the elder said disapprovingly. “Your father would be upset if he knew.”

         “He’s not going to know,” Kyungsoo snapped.

         Ryeowook lowered his head, his eyes downcast. “I won’t say anything, but Prince-“

         “Stop worrying,” Kyungsoo said, resting his hand on the elder’s shoulder. “It’s fine.”

         “You need to be more cautious,” Ryeowook warned.

         “It’s not-“

         “Kyungsoo!” a deep voice yelled, interrupting the two’s quiet conversation.

         “Coming!” he yelled, giving Ryeowook a stern parting look. Don’t say anything, he mouthed. Ryeowook didn’t look happy, but he nodded. Kyungsoo turned away and rushed to where his father was calling for him.

         “Yes, sir?”

         “Where have you been?” Kyungsoo’s father, a tall, bulky man, asked.

         “What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo asked with wide, innocent eyes. “I haven’t been anywhere, Father.”

         His father seemed to buy the innocent act and left it alone. Or so Kyungsoo thought.

        

         The next few days went by without a hitch. There were no complications with Kyungsoo sneaking out to hunt and just get away for a while. That is, until he came along.

         Kyungsoo had just gotten back into the palace, Ryeowook nagging and following the younger as he quickly hid his quiver and bow back safely inside his closet. Ryeowook was going on about how dangerous it was, as usual, for the younger to be going out so often. He was telling Kyungsoo that he needed to space out his outings to remain as discreet as possible. Kyungsoo merely snapped at the elder and he was so distracted by Ryeowook’s constant rambling, that he didn’t notice the tall man standing in front of his path until he ran straight into him. With a grunt, Kyungsoo fell back into Ryeowook, who caught him with a yelp.

         “Who are you and why exactly are you in my way?” Kyungsoo snapped.

         The tall man merely gave him a grin. He put his fist over his heart and bent at the waist, the customary greeting for a royal.

         “I apologize, Prince,” the man said, the smile never leaving his face. “But I’m here to watch over you.”

         Kyungsoo stiffened, his face paling. “What do you mean ‘watch over me’?”

         “Your father has become worried over your safety so he sent me to protect you.”

         “I’m sorry that you wasted your time coming here, but I am fully capable of taking care of myself and won’t need your services,” Kyungsoo said with a dark glare aimed at the grinning giant.

         “I apologize, once again, but I have my orders. They come from your father and I can’t simply ignore them. You know how it is,” the man said, giving Kyungsoo a nudge on the shoulder. “I just hope that you won’t make this unbearable for both of us.”

         Kyungsoo’s glare never wavered as he stalked past the tall man and headed towards his father’s study. He barged inside without knocking and slammed his fist down onto the desk, aiming a glare directly at his father.

         “I don’t need a babysitter, Father,” Kyungsoo snarled.

         “On the contrary. I’m fully aware that you’ve been sneaking out and I hired Chanyeol to put a stop to it.”

         “I have not been sneaking out!” Kyungsoo yelled.

         “Watch your tone with me,” Wonshik snapped, his temper rising as much as his son’s.

         “Father, I don’t need-“

         “I heard you the first time, Kyungsoo, and my decision hasn’t, and won’t, change. You need to get used to Chanyeol being around.”

         “But Father-“

         “This conversation is over, Soo,” his father said with a sigh as he rubbed his fingers over his temples.

         Kyungsoo spun on his heels and stalked his way to his room. He slammed the door and collapsed on his bed with a growl. After a few minutes, he heard a timid knock at the door.

         “Go away, Ryeowook,” Kyungsoo yelled at the closed door. When the door opened, Kyungsoo threw a pillow in the direction of the intruder, hoping that it would deter them. It didn’t work. Chanyeol came bustling in with his signature grin on his face.

         “What do you want?” Kyungsoo asked impatiently.

         “Hey now, don’t be like that. This arrangement doesn’t have to be horrible unless you make it so.”

         “I hate you,” Kyungsoo said with a glare. He rolled over on the bed so his back was facing the insanely tall man and hoped that he would leave. That didn’t work either. Chanyeol strode further into Kyungsoo’s room and walked around the bed so that he able to kneel down (damn his height) and look the younger in the eye.

         “I promise I’m not that bad,” Chanyeol said with a kind smile.

         “I don’t need you here. You’ll ruin everything.”

         “And why would I do that?” Chanyeol asked, a look of confusion clouding his ever-present smile.

         “You’ll take away the little freedom I have now. I’m fine with Ryeowook whining at me all the time but now I have to deal with you too. Just go away,” Kyungsoo said as he threw another pillow at the giant. Chanyeol swiftly caught the pillow and placed it gently back on Kyungsoo’s bed.

         “It won’t be that bad. Promise,” Chanyeol said as he held out his pinky finger in Kyungsoo’s direction. With a frown, Kyungsoo studied the idiot’s face to see if he seriously wanted him to pinky swear. It was like Kyungsoo was five years old all over again. Chanyeol continued looking at him, waiting for the younger’s response. Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo wrapped his pinky finger around the elder’s and sighed heavily. Chanyeol grinned even bigger, who thought that would be possible, and stood up. He left the room with a bid goodbye and after a few minutes, Kyungsoo went to his closet and grabbed his bow and quiver.

 

         Before Kyungsoo had gotten very far, he heard footsteps behind him. Startled, Kyungsoo quickly scrambled up the nearest tree and perched himself silently on a high limb that was able to hold his weight. He listened for any more noises, but heard nothing. For the next few minutes, Kyungsoo only heard the sound of the animals in the forest. When Kyungsoo felt that he had waited long enough, he silently climbed down the tree and continued on his way. After the first few steps, he heard someone following him again. Annoyed, Kyungsoo huffed as he threw his bow over his shoulder and continued walking. Stupid Chanyeol.

         Kyungsoo stilled as he saw exactly what he was looking for. A deer stood eating in a small clearing. The prince quickly readied his bow and carefully took aim. The deer looked up, its ears shifting to try and determine a sound that Kyungsoo had not made. Confused, Kyungsoo lowered his bow and looked around carefully. In a flash, Kyungsoo landed on his back and a dark figure landed on top of him. With a shriek, Kyungsoo tried to reach for a knife that he kept at his belt, but his arms were pinned down. The figure above him sneered and lowered his head. He could feel the stranger’s breath on his skin. Kyungsoo brought his knee forward, hoping to be able to kick at whoever was on top of him, but the man only pinned his legs down with his own. Kyungsoo threw all of his weight to the side, wanting to catch him off guard and be able to free himself. It didn’t work either. He continued thrashing and kicking to try and get the person off of him but it seemed that nothing would work. The stranger leaned down and a thick stripe along the big vein in Kyungsoo’s neck. Kyungsoo’s body began to shake as he realized the trouble he was in. He had never encountered anyone in these woods, despite the warnings everyone had given him. Now he only wished that he had listened.

         “Ch-Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo yelled, his voice shaking.

         “Are you scared?” the man above him asked.

         Kyungsoo nodded, his eyes wide.

         “Don’t be,” the man said, his voice more gentle than before. He swiftly kissed Kyungsoo on the collarbone and leaned back, releasing his hold on the prince’s arms. Kyungsoo swiftly reached into his belt, grabbed his knife, and held it at the stranger.

         “What do you want?” Kyungsoo demanded.

         The man sat back with a smirk. “Feeling braver now that you’ve got that little knife? You couldn’t hurt me with it.”

         Kyungsoo sliced at the man’s arm and where blood was supposed to well out, nothing happened. Kyungsoo stared at the man’s arm in disbelief, then back at his knife’s blade.

         “I warned you, little prince,” the man said with a smile.

         “Shut up!” Kyungsoo said as he brought the knife up once again and aimed for the man’s heart. His blade snapped in half and the man stared back at him, completely unharmed. Kyungsoo scrambled backwards, now terrified. With a grim smile, the man advanced on him and pinned Kyungsoo on his back once again.

         “You legitimately tried to kill me,” the man said with hurt in his voice.

         “Let me go!” Kyungsoo yelled as his arms were held down and he felt the man’s weight on his body.

         “It’s alright, little prince,” the man said softly in Kyungsoo’s ear. Before Kyungsoo could say anything else, the man’s weight was off of the prince and Kyungsoo looked around, completely confused.

         He saw Chanyeol standing over the man wielding a sword that had a blood red blade. He held it over the man, whose eyes widened at the sight of the blade, and became very still. He lay back and, as it appeared to the prince, surrendered completely. There was no more fight in him. Chanyeol brought the sword closer and the man’s breath became faster and more labored. The giant pressed the blade gently over the man’s heart and Kyungsoo could see the man clench his fists. He was scared. The prince jumped up and ran over to Chanyeol. He threw his weight at the tall man and the giant stumbled slightly, which gave the stranger on the ground room to escape. In a flash, he was gone, leaving Chanyeol and Kyungsoo alone in the woods.

         “What did you do that for?” Chanyeol asked with a whine as he rubbed at his shoulder.

         “You were going to kill him,” Kyungsoo mumbled, ashamed of what he had just done. Chanyeol had helped him and all that he had done was shove him out of the way.

         “Of course I was! He was a dragon!” Chanyeol snapped, his grin gone, for once.

         “He didn’t hurt me,” Kyungsoo said quietly.

         “Yet!” Chanyeol shrieked as he looked at Kyungsoo like he had gone completely mad.

         “I’m sorry,” the prince said as Chanyeol sheathed his sword with a huff of annoyance.

         “It’s fine. Let’s get back. Your father will be worried.”

         “You told him?”

         “Of course I did. Those were my orders.”

         Kyungsoo’s shoulders slumped as he shuffled his way after Chanyeol, wishing that the last hour had never even happened.

        

         Wonshik was furious when Kyungsoo returned to the palace and quickly gave Chanyeol orders to become the prince’s shadow. Kyungsoo couldn’t do anything to stop it and resigned to pouting and moping around, hoping to stir some kind of sympathy in his father’s cold, cold heart. It didn’t work. Wonshik only glared at his son as Kyungsoo continued acting like a child. The tension between the king and his son made things awkward for Chanyeol, but nothing could be done about it.

         One day, Kyungsoo finally had enough. He stormed his way to his father’s office and slammed his fist against the door until his father finally opened it.

         “What is it? What’s wrong?” Wonshik asked, his voice slightly panicky.

         “I’m sick of this,” he said gesturing towards Chanyeol, who stood a couple feet away, “constantly following me!”

         “Then you shouldn’t have snuck out, Soo. Let alone almost be killed by a dragon. Do you really think I would let you roam free after that? You are my son. I have to keep you safe.”

         “I’m perfectly safe without him always within five feet of me! Do you know how horrible it is to have absolutely no privacy?!” Kyungsoo demanded.

         “Of course I do. My father did the same to me,” the king answered patiently.

         “So you’re trying to make me go through the same thing that you hated when you were my age? What kind of father does that?!” he squeaked.

         Wonshik laughed and brought his son into a hug. “I’m not punishing you, Soo. I’m only trying to protect you.”

         Kyungsoo stubbornly refused to return the hug but his father was unwavering. He finally wrapped his arms around his father. “I hate this,” Kyungsoo mumbled into Wonshik’s shirt.

         “I know. It’s not for much longer. Just bear with it, okay?” Wonshik said as he ran his hands through his son’s hair. Kyungsoo nodded slowly and released his hold on his father. Wonshik ruffled Kyungsoo’s hair and led him to the door. “Chanyeol’s really not a bad person. Just try and get to know him a little, okay?” With a slight pout, Kyungsoo nodded and headed back to his room, his shadow following him every step of the way.

 

         On the eve of his eighteenth birthday, Kyungsoo was restless. His body felt…odd. Bordering painful. Chanyeol stood at his side, but instead of being worried, he looked relieved.

         “I’m glad you’re happy at the sight of me feeling like complete ,” Kyungsoo snarled in the giant’s direction. He to his side with a groan and tried to ignore Chanyeol.

         “It’ll be okay by tomorrow, Prince.”

         “And how do you know that?”

         “My father watched over your father when the change happened to him. It’ll be okay,” he said quietly as he ran his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair. If Kyungsoo hadn’t been feeling so bad he would have told him to stop, but seeing as he could barely sit up, it wasn’t bothering him that much. Kyungsoo whimpered as a wave of pain overtook his body.

         Wonshik came into his son’s room and saw the state that he was in. He sighed in relief, but knew that it would be a long night for Kyungsoo. The change wasn’t easy. He sat down on the bed beside his son and heard him whimper again. Wonshik pulled Kyungsoo into his lap and let the boy cuddle up against him.

         “It hurts,” Kyungsoo whined.

         “I know,” Wonshik said. He kissed the top of his son’s head reassuringly and wrapped his arms more securely around the little prince.

         “What’s happening to me?” Kyungsoo mumbled into his father’s chest.

         “Shh, Kyungsoo. Just sleep.”

         “I can’t,” Kyungsoo whimpered.

         “Try,” Wonshik reassured him. He hugged his son closer to his chest and pat his head gently. Kyungsoo whined but otherwise tried to rest. He let out a sharp cry as his body underwent a searing pain. It felt like his body had caught fire and the flames were running along every inch of his skin. Wonshik continued to rub his son’s back, wishing that there was some way to alleviate the pain, but he knew that there was not.

 

         Wonshik was beginning to panic. Kyungsoo was in enormous amounts of pain. There was always some pain throughout the night before with the change, but this was different. Kyungsoo was in excruciating pain. He called Yixing in hope that the young healer could identify the problem, but he could not. No one knew what was wrong and Wonshik was running out of options.

         “Chanyeol,” Wonshik called from Kyungsoo’s side. The grinning giant was, for once, no longer grinning. He hurried to the king’s side with a solemn expression.

         “Find that dragon that you two saw the other day. Find him and bring him to me.”

         Chanyeol nodded and gave a low bow before silently sprinting out of the room.

 

         Yifan sighed as he, for the nth time in the past few days, pictured the little prince in his head. His mind didn’t wander from him for long. He knew that the boy was almost eighteen. That he was going to undergo the change soon. He could smell it. He let out another long sigh and flipped over in the green grass of the clearing he had found the other day. His onyx wings fanned out on the ground behind him, soaking in the warmth of the sun. He was finally at peace.

         Until a stumbling giant with wide, scared eyes came into his clearing, completely destroying his newfound peace.

         Yifan shot onto his feet and prepared himself to fight. His claws were extended and ready to tear the flesh from the man’s bones.

         Until the man threw his crimson-bladed sword onto the ground in front of him. Yifan’ eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked up.

         “My prince is in danger and his father needs to speak with you.”

         “The king is requesting the presence of a dragon?” Yifan asked with a scoff. “Well that’s rich. No,” he said as he turned to walk away.

         “Kyungsoo, the prince, is dying.” Yifan froze. “No one knows why. This is the last chance we have to save him. He saved you that day,” Chanyeol said with an accusatory tone. “I was going to kill you. Please,” Chanyeol paused, “please, just come see him. Maybe you will know what’s wrong.”

         Yifan’ eyebrows furrowed as he realized that he didn’t really have a choice. He sighed again, this time in annoyance, because he was literally going into the enemy’s castle and there was no telling how this was going to turn out.

 

         Yifan heard the sound of quiet sobbing before he even reached the door of the prince’s bedroom. As he opened the door, he saw a lump of shaking blankets on the bed. Not even really understanding why, Yifan’ feet propelled him forward and he sat next to the young prince.

         “Hi, Kyungsoo,” Yifan said quietly. Even though his voice was quiet, the deep timbre made it sound loud in the dead silent room.

         Kyungsoo’s owl eyes peeked out from underneath the blankets and he sniffled softly. “Hi,” the prince said through gritted teeth.

         Yifan reached out to remove the blankets from him, but Kyungsoo held them in his hands and firmly shook his head. Yifan rolled his eyes and yanked them hard, causing Kyungsoo’s hold to falter. Yifan heard a growl beside him and looked up to see Chanyeol hovering over them.

         “I have to look at him,” Yifan snapped.

         Chanyeol nodded and took a step back. Wonshik placed a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder and gave him a kind look as the taller man struggled to allow the dragon to touch his prince.

         Yifan brought his attention back to the whimpering prince beside him. He ran his fingers over Kyungsoo’s cheek and, with the other hand, lifted his shirt gently. Kyungsoo whined, but relaxed a bit as Yifan continued petting him softly. Yifan gave him a light peck on the cheek and Kyungsoo completely relaxed, his taut muscles loosening as he sunk further into the mattress. Yifan’s eyes traveled lower toward the prince’s belly and narrowed as a blue mark appeared as his fingertips brushed the prince’s right hipbone.

“What is that?” Wonshik asked sharply, his dark eyes widening.

         Yifan ignored the king and leaned down to press his lips gently to the mark. Kyungsoo let out a gasp as he felt a sharp pain where the dragon’s lips met his skin. Chanyeol rushed to the prince’s side and tried to grab the dragon, but Yifan let out a furious roar, startling the giant and the king.

         “Mine,” Yifan snarled. Kyungsoo’s wide eyes met the dragon’s now-piercing blue eyes and shrank back, only to be snatched close to the dragon’s chest. Yifan held the prince in his arms as his wings began to unfold from his back and before Chanyeol or Wonshik could stop him, both the dragon and Kyungsoo were gone.