"Won't you be more careful?" Ryeowook hissed in a sharp whisper as he glanced over his own shoulder back at Kyuhyun, who was carrying two heavy suitcases and other bags under his arms. He had just crashed one of the trolley wheels against the corner of a wall, since he was creeping on his feet rather clumsily because of the heavy weight he carried with him.

"Sorry!" Kyuhyun winced and whispered back, his face scrunched into a funny grimace of tiredness and sorrow.

"Come, quickly, before you make any other noise and wake Mimi up" Ryeowook helped him with a couple of bags and directed him into their bedroom, keeping the door open.

"He's always had a rather heavy sleep anyway, why are you so worried?" Kyuhyun grinned. He took some steps inside the room and left the whole lot of luggage at his feet, while he tried to regain a bit of lost breath. His eyes widened and he couldn't help but gasp in awe before he could process any other thought about Zhou Mi or why he had to keep silent.

The room covered in the flowers he had sent was the lovliest thing he could ever witness with his eyes, except for Ryeowook, who of course was just a whole other story to describe.

"When you told me about it, I honestly had a hard time to imagine this. I really made a good job!" Kyuhyun fumbled, referring to the blankets of roses and lilies laid pretty much on every surface of the room and its furniture, then inserting a bit of his usual inflated ego into his sentence. Ryeowook was soon at his side, pressing against Kyuhyun's hip as this one opened his arm and took next to him the petite frame of his fiancé.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Ryeowook sighed and he closed his arms around Kyuhyun's waist, snuggling his face on the man's chest.

"Yeah, it is" Kyuhyun smiled and leaned in to place a quick kiss on Ryeowook's head.

"You know why I don't want Zhou Mi to wake up?" Ryeowook lifted his head and his twinkling eyes met Kyuhyun's, before his sweet smile could subside into a naughtier grin when the taller man shook his head "Because I still want to have you all for myself for a little while more. If he woke up right now, he would already buzz around us and ask questions and-"

Kyuhyun gently held Ryeowook's chin up high and tilted his head, so their lips met in a crash, kissing each other slowly and without rushing.

"I agree" he said, his lips less than a breath apart from Ryeowook's even after pulling away, his eyes directed at the thin set of rosy petals that he had just tasted "You know what? We showered already back at the hotel and it's only 8 in the morning, why don't we snuggle together in bed until he wakes up and then sit, the three of us, together for breakfast later?"

Ryeowook hopped on his toes and grasped the back of Kyuhyun's neck to pull him down: "That's a fantastic idea!" he spoke in his kiss, already fiddling with the belt and buttons of Kyuhyun's jeans. Deprived of both their annoying lower garments and left in underwear and shirts, Ryeowook was taking Kyuhyun's hand and rushed to the bedside, where he attentively climbed - without making not even one flower fall on the ground - and moved to make space for his fiancé.

Before following Ryeowook though, Kyuhyun quickly went to the desk near the window and retrieved a little box.

"What's that?" Ryeowook asked, his eyes couldn't keep from glistening in playful curiosity. Kyuhyun just smirked and didn't reply. He walked around the bed and reached his side, where he sat and then rested his back against the velvet headboard, sinking comfortably in the hill of their pillows. Sighing in satisfaction, he once again opened his arms and let Ryeowook take possess of his legit place, as the petite man immediately slipped lower inside the bedsheets and rested his head on Kyuhyun's chest, which his hands were lovingly .

"Why won't you tell me what that is..." Ryeowook childishly pouted. He felt Kyuhyun's right arm finally entouring his back, and reappear from above his shoulders in his peripheral view.

"I won't tell you, but I can show you" Kyuhyun replied, waving his left hand where a very thin and almost unnoticeable strip of skin around his ring finger was actually lighter shaded. Ryeowook frowned a little bit, but nodded all the same, on the verge of dying because of his curiosity.

Then Kyuhyun, with a light giggle and a pop from the little box, opened it and showed Ryeowook its content. He believed to hear a little squirrel squealing on his shoulder, because Ryeowook immediately stilled and brought both hands on his mouth, clasping it so to stop his throat from making those stupid and embarrassing cries of overwhelmed joy. 

The box treasured a set of identical silver rings glowing in the morning light that intruded from the curtains. One little diagonal stripe on the middle was covered in tiny little diamonds over the matte-like first layer of silver, and the only difference those rings portrayed was all about the size, being Kyuhyun's slightly bigger.

"A-are...these...?" Ryeowook gulped as a sudden hiccup caught him off-guard, too many were the gasps he let out due to the fascinating sight in Kyuhyun's hand.

"They are" Kyuhyun nodded in confirmation "Ever since I took off Jiwon's wedding ring, I've always had this annoying mark around my finger. I want you to fill the spot, replace the shadow of a past mistake with the promise of our love" he moved the box closer to Ryeowook, encouraging him to take out the biggest ring and slip it on his empty hand.

Ryeowook didn't waste any time and, about to cry, he put the ring on Kyuhyun's finger, which he touched in a caress twice or thrice under his thumb, as if to really get knowledge of what was truly happening. Kyuhyun let out a small laugh, softened and thrilled at the same time for that being a very small gesture that in truth meant something heavier and more important for the both of them. And Ryeowook could surely feel it, feel the same.

"May I?" Kyuhyun asked, as he plucked the smaller ring from the box and motioned closer to Ryeowook, whom, in the meanwhile, had started blushing and had become cherry red on his soft cheeks. 

Stupid question, stupid answer. Ryeowook giggled as he playfully smacked Kyuhyun's chest, as if to say "of course you may, you lovely idiot" and stretched his trembling hand towards Kyuhyun, holding all his fingers open and finally feeling a wave of shivers down his back when the ring had fit his finger like a soft glove during winter. It carried the most wonderful meaning ever, and despite that meaning was very heavy - eternity together was very, very long - it couldn't scare Ryeowook anymore.

"It's wonderful" he stuttered, eyes cast down on the new possession that twinkled on his finger, on his hand that was again Kyuhyun's chest.

"Our rings have been here in my desk ever since Christmas, when I wanted to formally propose to you, but while planning the flowers delivery these past days, I thought of showing them to you today, as the seventh gift of the week" Kyuhyun explained, his jewelled hand softly Ryeowook's while he rocked the man on his shoulder "I just couldn't foresee that you would have come to me yesterday, I thought it would have been way more difficult to get in touch with you after...you know, setting the rule and all"

"Rule?" Ryeowook asked, a bit astonished "Which rule?" but he faked his ignorance only not to spoil the moment.

"Okay...no rule" Kyuhyun laughed and kissed Ryeowook's forehead "I'm talking nonsense"

"You are" Ryeowook nuzzled his face and his dumb smile into Kyuhyun's t-shirt, pressing his nose on the fabric of the clothes and inhaling his lover's scent. In the meanwhile Kyuhyun held him tight around the shoulders so that Ryeowook was lying completely wrapped in his embrace. He cast his eyes down and looked at how lovely Ryeowook was snuggling close to him, even if that wasn't possible, considering their already close proximity; then Kyuhyun cleared his voice and caught Ryeowook's attention when he started to speak.

"I know I told you that I had kind of promised Jiwon not to process the divorce papers before the child's birth" he began with husky voice, already too conscious that Ryeowook's face had hardened into an unreadable expression of despise for the topic "but in truth I got in contact with Yesung a couple of weeks ago. He said that the procedure isn't as long as we imagine, because our marriage is relatively new, however it'd be better to start doing something about it, if we want to get over with it as quickly as possible"

"So?" Ryeowook asked. He didn't look at Kyuhyun in the eye, he just moved his fingers across his fiancé's chest and drew some light, nonsensical signs.

"So...I did it. I had a talk with Jiwon and she ended up signing everything. We're probably getting divorced while we speak" Kyuhyun explained with a soft grin, making Ryeowook jolt in surprise and shift in the hug, until he sat and threw his arms around Kyuhyun's neck in a move of energetic overjoy.

"Really?" Ryeowook asked, eyes once again threatening to unleash pearls of tears "Really? Really?" he continuously asked so that his doubts could be cleared somehow. At the initial nods of Kyuhyun, the petite man couldn't hold himself back anymore and showered his face in repetitive pecks: on his forehead, on his nose, on his closed eyes, on his cheeks and when he reached Kyuhyun's lips, Ryeowook's mouth got trapped in one of the longest and most heated kiss they had ever shared.

"T-thanks" Ryeowook spoke first, even though out of breath as he giggled in front of Kyuhyun and had his forehead rested against the latter one's.

"You were right, I had to do it long time ago" Kyuhyun ran his hand up and down on Ryeowook's back, reassuring him. Ryeowook slightly nodded and hummed his confirmation, but soon his left hand was once again cupping Kyuhyun's jaw, the cold metal of his engagement ring had never felt that burning hot. The pianist leaned in and caught Kyuhyun's lips in a sloppy kiss, occasionally his bottom lip, undemandingly.

It was right then that a soft knock woke them up, making them both turn their eyes pointed in direction of the door.

"How sweet, my lovebirds friends!" a sleepy voice reached their ears and Zhou Mi entered the scene in his disheveled hair, plus Mickey Mouse shorts and tank top pajama. His face brighted up in the most contagious smile ever at the sight of Ryeowook and Kyuhyun lovingly snuggling in bed, buried by hundreds of flower blossoms that seemed to quilt the outer bedsheets "I guess that my suggestion for the date had its good results in the end" he commented as he padded his way to the huge bed on his bare feet.

"Mimi!" Ryeowook exclaimed, sitting upright and profusely smiling to his best friend, whom in the meanwhile had plopped down on the bed and took a little space near the couple.

"I sincerely hope that you two have learned your lesson this time and that you - Zhou Mi poked Kyuhyun's cheek with his forefinger - can finally stop to make him suffer" 

Kyuhyun shyly smiled, a bit intimidated by the dangerous flames in Zhou Mi's eyes as this once glanced him thoroughly.

"I-I learnt the lesson, don't worry...Zhou Mi" Kyuhyun snickered in a frightened way and calmed down only when Zhou Mi had softened into another of his trademark, huge smile.

"Okay! I'm happy for you two!" Zhou Mi suddenly sprung and knocked them both on the pillows, while he showed his affection in a tight hug "Did you have fun yesterday?"

Throwing a glance at Kyuhyun's amused grin, Ryeowook blushed faster than the speed's light and fumbled with a small laugh: "O-of course!"

"What did you do?" Zhou Mi couldn't stop to show his curiosity, as he innocently blinked in front of his friends and roommates.

"We...took a long walk around the city after dinner and talked, a lot" Kyuhyun smiled, but Zhou Mi suspiciously narrowed his eyes and blurted his accusations: "Liars! I heard you two making noise earlier when I was sleeping, meaning that you got home only this morning. Plus, there was a storm yesterday, you couldn't be walking around the city with all that rain! What exactly were you up to all night long?"

Kyuhyun sighed as he massaged his temples in an attempt to relieve a newly rising headache. He had forgotten how much noisy Zhou Mi could get sometimes.

"You don't really want to know it, right?" Ryeowook tentatively asked, but Kyuhyun spoke soon after.

"Is there something strange with us wanting to have some privacy and making love all night long in my former hotel room, or I had to give you a call and ask for your permission first? I thought Ryeowook was my man, not yours" Kyuhyun grinned, getting a loud smack on his shoulder by an embarrassed, red-tinted Ryeowook who wanted to avoid getting to that topic with Zhou Mi present in the room. The Chinese man got slightly embarrassed too at the thought, which he tried so hard to push out of his mind with a rather suffering expression on his face: "Okay, too many details now...I didn't want to know that"

"You asked what exactly we were up to! Next time, if you don't want to incur in a similar answer, simply refrain to ask. You can't judge me guilty of loving my future husband!" Kyuhyun argued and Ryeowook couldn't like it any more than what he already did. Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun were already bickering in their own unique way, like cat and dog, as soon as they met, which was - in its own - a very refreshing sight for him to see, because it meant simple and loved routine.

Home sweet home, they said.

After listening to Kyuhyun's title for Ryeowook, the petite man proudly stretched his arm under Zhou Mi's nose and showed his engagement ring: "It's getting official, it seems" he giggled, watching his best friend getting a hold of his hand and carefully examining the manufacture of the jewel with wide eyes of surprise.

"Tsk, showing off the big money uhm, Cho?" Zhou Mi smirked, making Kyuhyun heartily laugh.

"I didn't really see the price, I just had in mind Ryeowook's beautiful hand gracefully carrying the ring and I knew this was the one I needed to give him. My husband is the most beautiful man alive and he deserves only the best" Kyuhyun explained with a casual shrug and he received a grateful showcase of his purest affection by his fiancé, who nuzzled under Kyuhyun's neck and, not minding Zhou Mi's presence, trailed butterfly kisses along a protruding vein, sometimes stopping to discreetely the skin and leave love bites.

"I love the way the word husband sounds when pronounced by you" Ryeowook sensually whispered amidst his busy kisses.

"Okay, okay, now stop you two. I don't want to watch you make out or worse..." Zhou Mi indignatedly rolled his eyes and climbed off the bed, spoiling some flowers which softly fell on the floor "I'm gonna make breakfast now, let's celebrate together"

"Yeah, I won't let Ryeowook slave away at the stoves these days anyway" Kyuhyun fumbled with a bit of difficulty, because Ryeowook's mouth was already dying to ravish the other man's and didn't let him speak properly.

Zhou Mi walked off exhaling a long sigh: "I don't even know why I still stubbornly like you!" he referred to the two friends while he closed the door at his back, a wide smile of relief appeared in the end.

It was that smile that got pictured in Ryeowook's mind all of a sudden.

"Mimi...please, answer the phone" he pleaded.

Three days. In that short span of time Ryeowook's highest moments of newly found happiness had precipitously fallen again into a hopeless limbo.

He was there, in the little squared room without windows, renouncing to the chance of sitting down at the table - the only furniture present - in favor of his distressed pace back and forth across the tiny space.

Clueless, confused and very much scared of the situation, he clutched the phone receiver with both hands, as if holding it that way could solve his problems, could mean saving his own life from sure danger. It was the only link that still threaded him with the hope of getting any help out of that surreal atmosphere.

One phone call only, a chance similar to the one given to prison convicts. And he was trying to get in touch with his best friend, the only wise choice came up into his mind after discarding the thought of alerting Kyuhyun, or his fiancé would have probably showed up in his presence in all his exuberant fury, ready to flip out at the slightest signal of threat.

Ryeowook held his breath, focused at listening to the multitude of beeps on the other side of the line. It wasn't busy, it was just Zhou Mi that was either not at home or...

The man shook his head and shut his eyes close. The idea of wasting his only phone call wasn't the most pleasant, Zhou Mi had to take the call, he needed to.

Just three days before he couldn't help but pamper his best friend at all times of the day. He was the key that had made Ryeowook change his mind and realize his mistake, what he was probably giving up to. Zhou Mi had often talked him into getting a little bit of his lost sense back - and with that also Kyuhyun at home - and when he did, Zhou Mi was sincerely happy that the two men were back together to swear eternal love to each other. The Chinese man hated seeing Ryeowook down and broken, it was stronger than him and perhaps it was because he had known the other one for as long as Kyuhyun did, having long time to nurture a brotherly affection towards the pianist.

Those flashes of Kyuhyun's triumphal - as this one liked to call it - return at home quickly rewound in Ryeowook's mind, and Zhou Mi was there to show his uttermost sincere happiness for the couple's reunion, after playing a great part to push them together again.

With each beep Ryeowook's hope lowered and reached the thin limit of discomfort. He began to gasp for air, sob against the receiver, praying all gods and divine creatures in order to be granted a chance for clarification.

"Please...please, Mimi"

The last beep. Then silence.

When he thought that his call had been hung up, Ryeowook held his breath for a second that seemed to last hours. Then a cheerful voice chirped through the speakers: "Hello?"

"Mimi!" Ryeowook screamed, alerted and relieved.

"Ryeowook? Is that you?" Zhou Mi asked, clearly confused.

"Listen to me, Mimi. I don't have much time. Please try to get in touch with Yesung. Tell him that I need him as my lawyer, that he needs to fly over here as soon as possible"

Zhou Mi didn't reply. He scrunched up his brows in another confused grimace and tried to give himself an explanation about the reason why Ryeowook needed to get a lawyer in the blink of an eye. Then it came, Ryeowook's scared voice trembled and stuttered at the phone, as if he were drowning, breathless, in his sea of endless worries.

"I-I'm hold at the Embassy. They want to...to issue an arrest warrant towards me, I can't move from here. They...they said I was the culprit, but I didn't do it, I swear!" his voice gradually rose to his hysteric pitch and even Zhou Mi was starting to get scared.

"What's up with the arrest warrant? What happened?!" he hissed at the phone more confused than ever, and his voice betrayed slight notes of agitation.

"I've been told that the Embassy is preparing some documents to have me deported back to Korea, they want to send me to prison, but I didn't do anything! I didn't kill Ahra! I didn't, I swear!" he finally burst into tears and hid his flushed face in his hands, where he loudly sobbed.

"What?!" Zhou Mi shouted back at the phone "Who told you this? Who's sending you back to Korea?!"

"I-I don't know..." and this time Ryeowook had to lean on the backrest of the chair in order not to faint out of exhaustion.

"Why are telling me this? You should be calling Kyuhyun, he's closer to Yesung, I don't know him!" Zhou Mi argued, cursing himself thereafter because he realized that his wasn't the best behavior to resort to, while all his best friend wanted was to be reassured and comforted.

"If I told Kyuhyun right away, he'd come here and make a fuss over it! He'd freak out and unleash his fury and...that could aggravate my situation, I don't know what happened! I don't know why the case has been re-opened after many years, I simply don't know!" Ryeowook drew in a sharp sigh in an attemp to calm a little bit, but it was useless. He cried even louder and said: "I'm running out of time, please Mimi do as I said. The flight back to Korea is scheduled in three days and-"

Several, continued beeps replaced Ryeowook's worried voice.

Zhou Mi froze over the kitchen counter and stood like an idiot, watching the receiver of their home telephone as if he could establish any sort of contact with his best friend's lost voice.

"Good morning!" Kyuhyun walked into the kitchen in his shorts and let out a very loud and tired yawn. He had a t-shirt in his hand, which soon unfolded it to put it on and cover his otherwise torso. With a sniffle of the collar, he took in a huge breath and smiled in satisfaction: "I can tell Ryeonggu has been wearing my clothes after showering, my t-shirt smells of his green tea gel" he patted Zhou Mi's back and examined the table, where a bowl of choco chip cookies were still warm and made Kyuhyun's mouth instantly water.

"He's left sweets too!" Kyuhyun enthusiastically exclaimed as he read the side note that accompanied the sweets and showcased the thin and elegant scribbles of Ryeowook's handwriting, something along the lines of "Have a nice day, my love. Can't wait to come back to you after work".

Kyuhyun bit one round cookie and grabbed his favorite mug to fill with coffee, when he realized something was wrong with Zhou Mi's face: "What happened?"

"Do you know where Ryeowook is?" Zhou Mi began, cautious, but Kyuhyun nodded and replied: "He went to the Embassy to renew his visa, or that's what he told me. He received a letter about it, if I'm not wrong" the man shrugged and ate another cookie, which broke in his mouth with a crunch "Why?"

"What if I told you...uhm...he's more likely not to return from there?" Zhou Mi continued, beating around the bush to play it safe. Kyuhyun burst into a loud laughter: "What are you talking about, Mi? He's probably already teaching at school and he will come back like he does every afternoons. By the way, I was thinking of treating you to dinner with us later"

Zhou Mi put the phone down and sighed as he walked towards Kyuhyun, trying to get him sitting down to avoid any danger.

"He called just a minute ago. You need to contact Yesung and hire him as Ryeowook's lawyer, or he will be deported to Korea in three days. It seems someone has re-opened your sister's death case, wants to frame him and send him to prison. The Embassy isn't releasing him anytime soon, he's under arrest warrant" Zhou Mi explained, strangely calm so not to affect Kyuhyun's already too dangerously rising wrath.

"What?!" he yelled, red in the face. He had some difficulties to steady his breath, his veins pulsed blood and he left them about to explode under his touch. Kyuhyun stood on his feet and rushed to his bedroom, yelling curses and swearing words towards a certain Eric.

He came back into the kitchen perfectly dressed and ready to go out, phone in hand and keys jingling in his fist as the entrance door closed shut with a loud bang.

The engine of his sportscar roared in the early morning. Kyuhyun was driving down the busy roads of Paris during rush hours, and for that inconvenient he gladly threw himself a pair of curses as well. While he waited to exit at a particularly bottled up junction, he set his bluetooth device and dialled Yesung's cellphone number.

Soon after getting through the line, Kyuhyun didn't even greet Yesung properly but immediately reached the core of his request: "I need you to fly over here with the first plane. Ryeowook's stuck with an arrest warrant at the Korean Embassy because it seems they believe he killed Ahra. We've got three days to fix this story, or he'll be sent to prison as guilty of a crime he didn't do. Now, I wouldn't want my fiancé to rot in jail right after proposing to him and kind of booking my honeymoon in Hawaii already, so in conclusion do you know what I think? I think that I needed to kill that bastard of an assistant when I had the opportunity instead of prolonging this torture" he groaned in despise after summing up the whole situation.

Yesung didn't reply, too stunned to get all those details too quick at once.

"Did you hear me?!" Kyuhyun shouted, throwing a fist on the steering wheel. Yesung gulped at the phone: "Do you think this has something to do with Eric's threat?"

"I can't imagine otherwise, honsetly" the younger one sighed in frustration.

"Okay, Kyu. I'm gathering any kind of evidence I can and I'm gonna be there tomorrow morning. Don't do anything stupid, in the meanwhile!" Yesung reprimanded, knowing which kind of hot-headed man his best wriend was.

"Thanks" Kyuhyun exhaled in the end, totally worn out: for the call, for the wait on the road, for yet again another accident that involved Ryeowook's safety.

Half a hour later he managed to park in front of the Embassy gate. Being located almost near the Seine and in one of the most prestigious districts of Paris, near the Army Museum - where Napoleon tomb was - and the French Ministry of Labor, the building was surrounded by high surveillance systems, which wasn't strange for an Embassy, but that surely looked a bit too much for the circumstances.

Kyuhyun sped his pace and walked up to the gate, immediately requesting to enter. As a Korean citizen, he was granted access without objection when he said he needed to check his visa as an excuse. But instead of bringing himself to the needed office, he diverted his path and showed up to the administration wing of the building, showing all his indignation and rage: "I need to meet the Ambassador" he introduced his request in front of the secretary desks.

Men and women alike lifted their eyes from computers and papers that needed their uttermost attention, so to glance at the strange - and crazy - man that had just intruded into the office with an unthinkable request. It wasn't like the Ambassador met with every singular person who wasn't a representative of his country or a foreign politician on a daily basis. 

One young man in his office suit and serious expression stood up and took the courage to speak for the entire office: "Sir, please you're not allowed in this area of the building. If you need help with your documents and permits I can show you the way up to the right office" his voice was stern, it sounded trained to repeat the same thing over and over again, like he had to learn an entire book of etiquette by heart.

"I don't need any help, thank you" Kyuhyun groaned, very much annoyed and that was shown in the particular mocking tone of his voice "I told you what I need, and that's meeting the Ambassador right now! It's urgent!" his voice rose in a threatening tone, which pushed the young secretary to discreetly move his hand on the intercom and dial the security call number.

"I'm sorry, that's not possible. The Ambassador isn't here and can't meet with just anyone, or he'd have already met all the Korean population present on French soil that showed any interest in meeting him for futile reasons. The Ambassador is a very busy man, you know" the man continued, standing up to Kyuhyun's same stubborness.

"I'm a rather busy man too" Kyuhyun bared his gritted teeth as he walked to the desk and slammed his palms on the surface, showing that you-don't-know-who-I-am kind of annoyance "I'd very much like not to be here in this moment, considering all the urgent stuff I have to do these days. But you happen to have just ruined my plans of marriage, which I can guarantee hasn't been any easy to arrange, therefore sorry if I'm acting a tiny bit impatient, but I absolutely need to have a talk with the Ambassador, right here, right now!"

"Sir, if you keep on showing an hostile behavior, I'll be forced to call the security" the man retorted to his last ace, thinking to intimidate Kyuhyun, who only cheekily laughed at the provocation "Then do it, I'm not scared!"

The man successfully dialled the number and waited to get through the line, but his colleague leaned to her side and stretched her hand over the phone, cutting the line all of a sudden. She looked up to the other secretary and shook her head, tipping with a very imperceptible move to the double doors at the end of the hall.

The secretary looked in that direction and froze. He threw the receiver back at its place as if the piece of plastic had just been set on fire and regained his lost composure.

Escorted by two guards on the sides, a little man was making his way across the hall, clacking his polished shoes heels on the spotlessly clean cream-colored marble floor. His little, but spry eyes were pointed on Kyuhyun and his mouth stretched in an apologetic smile.

"I've been told that there was a bit of a ruckus in the Administration office, but I couldn't imagine to find you here, Mr. Cho" he spoke first and held out a hand towards Kyuhyun, who reluctantly grabbed it to shake hands.

"Yeah, it happens that I was the one creating this chaos, but I'm not the very least sorry about it, manager Moon" Kyuhyun tiredly exhaled.

"How can I help you?" said manager asked, after settling the impetuous secretary with a little wave of his hand. He showed Kyuhyun the way to the other side of the room with the intention of inviting him to his office.

"I need to be granted a favor, I think I'm entitled to it after getting in charge of the restoration of the Embassy with my team of architects and without asking anything from the Ambassador's funds" Kyuhyun grinned, knowing that his request could shake somehow the manager, and in fact the little man stiffened, his smile had become a forced twitch of his lips.

"Won't you tell me what that is about, before we ask the Ambassador for an official meeting?"

Kyuhyun shook his head: "It's a personal matter that doesn't need any official meeting. I need to have ten minutes with him in private, he knows me well enough to-"

"Okay, okay. There's no reason to keep enhancing the fact that Cho Company has supported all the costs of the building restoration when all funds had been cut directly from the Ministry in Seoul. Thank you very much for your kindness, Mr. Cho" manager Moon sighed and brought a hand to massage his temple. He walked to the huge marble staircase and had Kyuhyun shortly following behind. The guards had stopped tagging along.

"It was my pleasure helping other compatriots" Kyuhyun showed his cheesy smile, after achieving half of his plan.

Manager Moon left him alone for a couple fo minutes. He had brought him right in front of the Ambassador's office door, which had a golden plaque at his side and reported a writing in both French and Korean, plus the official National emblem which pictured the typical hybiscus flower engraved on the metal.

The door clicked open and Kyuhyun was let in, in place of the older little man.

The Ambassador was waiting for him in a rather informal attire, as he stood behind his desk and fixed his suit's jacket on the back of his office chair.

"I believe it's been one long year since our last meeting, Mr. Cho!" the Korean representative walked up to Kyuhyun and greeted him with a hand shake. They both sat at the little couches in the middle of the room and the Ambassador even asked Kyuhyun whether he wanted to have something to drink.

The young man shook his head and politely declined: "I'm here for a much important matter, Sir" he rubbed his sweaty hands together and didn't even think of beating around the bush. Instead he showed his usual straightforwardness: "I've been told that you're keeping Kim Ryeowook here under arrest warrant, I want to know why"

The Ambassador drew in a sharp intake of air and sighed in discomfort: "I don't know how that leaked outside the Embassy" he began, much troubled by the matter "but we've been contacted by the Ministry of Jusitice, which asked our office to prepare the documents for Mr. Kim's deportation to Korea. He has to undergo a fair trial before eventually being sent to prison. I didn't want to believe it at first, but my colleagues in Seoul have got possession of evidence of a crime commited by him during his early twenties"

Kyuhyun felt like he couldn't stay sit in his place anymore. Those false accusations made him feel itchy, and he couldn't even think of how Ryeowook must have felt when security had to carry him away that morning. His heart was silently shattering at the thought of his scared lover.

"Listen, this is too important for me and I need to talk to you heart to heart" Kyuhyun began, even though he didn't know where to begin from. Nobody knew about his relationship with Ryeowook. What if the Ambassador too were one of those old, conservative people that couldn't possibly understand that love didn't have a distinction of gender? Telling him, that Ryeowook was his husband-to-be just for the sake of buying enough time to let Yesung fix the situation, might have worsened the situation, if the Ambassador didn't show any sign of comprehension. And what about mentioning the possible intention of a freak to frame Ryeowook and drag his reputation into mud?

Kyuhyun drew in a long, deep sigh and tried to explain: "I think, no I firmly believe there's someone that wants to frame him with fabricated evidence. I know for sure that he didn't commit any crime, he's too sweet and gentle, he's not even able to kill a fly without screaming from the top of his lungs because he's got this insects phobia that..." Kyuhyun stopped and blushed, realizing his little digression in useless matters "...okay, well, that's not important"

"Why do you think there's someone framing Mr. Kim?" the Ambassador asked, rubbing his chin as he tried to give a thought on that possibility.

"Because the victim was my sister" Kyuhyun revealed with a pang of sadness striking his heart "And the culprit initially wanted to harm Mr.Kim, but my sister shielded him, she was wounded instead and...tragically died in his arms"

"How do you know all this?" the older man widened his eyes in shock.

"I was...I was there" Kyuhyun lied. He was there when Ahra got shot instead of Ryeowook, but he never ever witnessed the fighting scene happened some moments before "Please, don't send him back, I can provide a lawyer for him in the meanwhile and try to fight for his innocence. Please, that's the only favor I ask in return for paying the restoration works" his lips quivered as he pleaded. Kyuhyun wasn't a type to resort to collected favors, he didn't like it because it looked more a beggar-like, cheap method for achieving things without involving any personal strength and conviction.

The Ambassador nodded, granting the request: "If that's true, I'm gonna give you more time to prove his innocence. You can go, while I contact my colleagues"

Kyuhyun smiled, hie eyes threatening to be filled with tears. But he held back and didn't show his weakness to the much more influent man: "Can I...meet him?" he tried to ask, his words sounded a little bit more than a whisper.

The other man gave his consent and added: "Is Mr. Kim a close friend?"

Kyuhyun bit his lip: "More or less... He's someone very special to me" he revealed without either confirming or denying anything about their more intimate relationship.

With another handshake Kyuhyun was out of the Ambassador's office and some guards escorted him to the highest floor of the building. At the very end of a corridor, there was a tiny room guarded by two soldiers. It was a former archive, but now it was equipped with a small camp bed, a table and chair, an empty shelf and a ticking clock.

Kyuhyun was let in. The first thing he saw was the small, squared window that made very little light filter inside the room, the same was said for any clean air.

Ryeowook was sitting on the bed with head bent in his hands. At the sound of the jingling keys, the pianist didn't even turn to see who was standing at the door, but kept on softly sobbing in his hands.

"Ryeonggu?" Kyuhyun pronounced with the most gentle whisper possible. He closed the door at his back and walked to where Ryeowook was, kneeling in front of him and caressing his knees. He pried Ryeowook's hands away from his face and noticed his lover's swollen, red eyes flooded with tears: "Kyu! Kyuhyun!" Ryeowook tiredly chirped, his voice broken and hoarse due to the exhausting weeping.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here" Kyuhyun opened his arms and took in the crash of their bodies, as Ryeowook dove in Kyuhyun's hold and hid his flushed face under his neck: "The clock, it keeps on ticking and it's running later than my watch. It goes like tick, tick, tick every second, but I can't fix it. It's annoying!" he blurted nonsense and Kyuhyun sighed.

"How are you?" he asked at the beginning, scared that Ryeowook might have gone nuts already because of the accident. 

"I want to go home!" Ryeowook pouted "I didn't do it, you know it. I loved Ahra! I loved her, she was like a sister to me! How could I ever despised her, when she was the one to introduce me to you? We met through her!" he childishly whined over Kyuhyun's shoulder "I thought I was asked to renew my visa, instead they threw me here and gave me the chance of one call only. Like prisoners! I'm not one!"

"You called Zhou Mi" Kyuhyun sadly nodded "instead of me, why?"

Ryeowook nuzzled his face under Kyuhyun's neck: "You would have made a fuss over it, I know you" he let out a choked giggle.

Kyuhyun laughed as he Ryeowook's hair: "You know me so well. I did it" he confirmed his previous actions with a nod and went on "I was about to be dragged away by security, before I could meet with the Ambassador. He owned me a favor and I could ask him to give us more time to sort things out. Yesung is probably already on his way to the airport and..." Kyuhyun sighed, tired, worn out, he didn't think his troubles would have ever ended. Why his only wish of happiness with Ryeowook was that difficult to achieve?

Ryeowook hummed. He cupped Kyuhyun's jaw and dove in his eyes with the expression of a hurt puppy in need of infinite cuddles.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault! I had to tell you more about the threat, I had to keep away from you, like you wanted, so not to hurt you anymore. Instead I can only cause troubles to you, to us and our future" Kyuhyun bit his lips in remorse, not having any courage to hold Ryeowook's gaze.

"No, Kyu. Don't feel guilty..."

"Ryeowook, listen to me for once!" Kyuhyun snapped out "This is just Eric's last weapon to make us drift apart. He's trying everything in his mean to have me stay in the marriage with Jiwon. He's too devoted to her family and would do just anything for his mistress' sake. Do you remember that I told you the child was in danger and only marrying with someone that could provide Jiwon with a little stability could make them both feel safe?" 

Ryeowook nodded, perfectly recalling Kyuhyun's explanations of events pertaining Jiwon's tricks on her marriage with Kyuhyun.

"He threatened me into accepting the marriage conditions. The price to pay was your safety. Not only he had already abused you, he wanted to use my sister's accident to send you to prison and therefore he fabricated evidence based on the digits found on the weapon. I don't know how he could do something similar but..."

"I-I truly held the gun in my hands" Ryeowook stuttered in tears "I was trying to block Jihoon from shooting, instead it only directed the shot towards..." he gulped, his throat was knotted and seemingly filled with balls of cottons that prevented him from breathing or speaking properly.

"It wasn't your fault!" Kyuhyun tightened his hug and rocked a sobbing Ryeowook to his chest, comforting him as much as he could.

A loud knock interrupted the two's discussion and a voice urged Kyuhyun to exit the room. He didn't stand up without thoroughly kissing Ryeowook goodbye first and reassuring him: "Everything will be alright, okay?" he exhaled, his lips a breath apart from Ryeowook's "We'll overcome this as well, trust me"

The pianist nodded and witnessed Kyuhyun standing on his feet, unwillingly ready to part ways. Their interwined hands slowly disentangled themselves as Kyuhyun saw the door open in front of him. Ryeowook winced at the loss of that big, warm hand caressing his own, but he had soon to set his heart at peace: Kyuhyun couldn't stay with him. He needed to find a way to help him out of that situation, and so Ryeowook tried several times to steady his breath, calm down and even laid down on the bed, hoping to get a little bit of rest while his life was put on a temporary halt.

Kyuhyun woke up at dawn the following morning. He had too many thoughts concerning Ryeowook's state to haunt his dreams and he couldn't fall asleep without cuddling his lover, who was gone after just three days of being reunited. Not feeling their bodies gently brushing together whenever Ryeowook tossed into Kyuhyun's embrace to shift position and find a more comfortable one, not breathing the sweet scent of fading honey shower gel that soaked his bedsheets, and finally touching the cold, bedside next to his own was driving him crazy.

He knew that Ryeowook wasn't probably getting any sleep as well, but Kyuhyun tried, tried with all his strength to rest and keep a lucid mind so to fight the one obstacle he wanted so bad to believe being the very last one to negatively affect their lives.

He tried everything: natural remedies, like infusions brewed by Zhou Mi in the middle of the night, or light sleeping pills that could accompany him right up the gates of dreamland. It took him very long to fall asleep but his every effort had gone to hell when, after finally growing tired and closing his eyes, someone appeared at the threshold and loudly rang the bell.

One. Two. Three. It went up to six or seven times, or maybe more, Kyuhyun didn't keep count, but the noise scared him and made him jolt in his sleep. Sitting on the bed, in the dark room, holding his chest, frightened that his heart might have slipped out of his ribcage through his throat, the man scrutinized his surroundings just to get aware that he was safe in his house...yet again without Ryeowook by his side to comfort him and caress his cheeks after a bad nightmare.

Caught in a heavy breath and with some pearls of pespiration sneakily rolling down his forehead, Kyuhyun lazily stood up and walked up to the main door, watching Zhou Mi doing the same from the other side of the corridor.

His disheveled hair and scrunched up face, typical of someone who had been disturbed from a very good dream, described Zhou Mi as much annoyed as Kyuhyun was, probably even in the middle of mentally cursing whoever stood behind the door and waited to introduce himself.

As Kyuhyun's hand was on the handle, and after unlocking the door, he was almost immediately drawn into a bone-crushing hug that he surely didn't expect at all.

"Kyu! My son, Kyuhyunie!" chirped a voice and Kyuhyun watched with wide eyes the plump, smaller build of his own mother hugging him tight around the waist. When he lifted his chin and looked ahead, he saw Yesung in travel attire - the worst ever came out of his own wardrobe - carrying heavy bags, and the autoritary, composed smile of his father standing on the lawyer's side.

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" his hoarse voice tried to exclaim in bewildered surprise, as he glanced at the three people making their way inside the house.

"We're visiting our son, what do you think?" his father laughed, looking for the first time healthier than Kyuhyun had ever witnessed, which of course was a sign of relief for the young man.

Yesung left all their bags and helped Kyuhyun's father to where he remembered the couch was, in the huge living room, and tried to speak for the whole party, but was interrupted when Kyuhyun's mother cried out: "We know everything, Kyuhyun. We're here to help Ryeowook" she showed her uttermost determination burning in flames through her sparkling eyes, the same look she passed on to her son and that constantly lived in his beautiful chocolate orbs.

Kyuhyun glanced them all one by one. Zhou Mi was at his side with arms crossed on his chest and mouth slightly ajar in dizzy confusion: "I'm...I'm preparing some coffee, I think we need it" he commented and silently walked to the open kitchen that shared a good part of the wall across the living room.

"You must be Zhou Mi!" Yesung followed the tall Chinese man with his eyes and Zhou Mi opened in a smile, as he stretched his hand towards Yesung and introduced himself as Ryeowook's best friend. The same he did in front of Kyuhyun's parents, until Kyuhyun pushed him away and, still trying to give a sense to the ridiculous get-together, asked again: "Why are you here? I thought dad couldn't travel at all because of his poor health! And I'm sorry for saying this, but I don't think it possible for you to help Ryeowook, considering the complicated situation"

"He's under strict therapy, in fact" his mother explained, sitting next to his husband and taking his hand in hers "He's gotten a lot better lately" she didn't speak about Ryeowook though, because she let Yesung do it instead. 

The lawyer stood near the table with his travel briefcase rested on the polished ebony surface. He was thoroughly looking through papers and documents before taking one out and showing it to Kyuhyun: "This is the original counterfoil of the check that your parents received from Jihoon's uncle to buy their silence, after the accident" said that, both of the elders looked ashamed and nervously sat in silence, as if waiting to be judged again by the son who had pushed them away for the same reason.

"With this old piece of paper, your parents will have a key role as witnesses during the trial" Yesung said while waving the evidence "If we can convince the judge that your parents have been threatened and bribed to keep silent about the accident, then all evidence against Ryeowook will be void, because the true culprit's identity will be unveiled and-"

"He'll be free!" Kyuhyun realized. It dawned on him as if a full ray of light had just invested him from head to toe, the most beautiful image ever was having Ryeowook back and finally feel free of any pending, wrong sentence, any dangerous threat that could have tore him away from Kyuhyun's longing hold. And for the first time in a while, Kyuhyun felt lighter, bubbly, happier, relieved, so that he shamelessly burst into rushing tears after very long.

His mother quickly was at his side, pulling him down in another hug. Kyuhyun buried his head on her chest as he childishly sobbed without any restraint. She moved her soft hand up and down on his back, in the most gentle way possible, patting it as her husband's look was watching the scene and softening in felt tenderness for his son's reaction.

"That's the least we can do for amending our past mistakes" the usually too stern voice of his father reached Kyuhyun's ears in that reassuring tone that only a father that devoted all his life to his children could have. It was time to let the young grow up and mature, but Kyuhyun had always been one step ahead somehow.

Kyuhyun blurted a shy thanks on his mother shoulder, while she kept comforting him. 

After finally settling down, refreshing themselves and having breakfast, they all got ready to visit Ryeowook once again. Zhou Mi was the only one that stayed behind because of work. He moved rather early to join the production team that worked on his newly composed music.

When the whole family arrived at the Embassy, Kyuhyun learned that, for express statement of the Ambassador himself, Ryeowook was moved to a more comfortable room, usually reserved to guests in the wing of the building that functioned as the Ambassador's personal quarters, and that the level of security around him had visibly decreased, allowing him to freely move around the apartments to meet his any necessities.

Kyuhyun managed to have Yesung meet the Ambassador again, and through that meeting he obtained to have Ryeowook's trial through a videochat, instead of deporting him directly to Korea. In the meanwhile, the tall, young man and his parents were escorted to Ryeowook's room. 

Right before entering the room, Kyuhyun froze in front of the wooden door decorated with scribbles of gilded gold. Someone was playing a longing tune at the piano, and those sad notes flew bittersweet in the air, as if that was the powerful, yet heartbreaking last chant of a dying phoenix. Kyuhyun sighed. He didn't know the nature of his sigh: it might have been sadness, because he directly reflected his lover's feelings and emotions through his own, or relief, because Ryeowook had been given a piano to play after requesting any mean to kill the boring time.

"Hey" he got his lost composure together and entered the room, strong, fierce and without any sign of crumbling attempts.

Ryeowook was in fact seated on the piano stool in the corner of the room, which was flooded in sunlight and much more comfortable and tidier that the previous hovel. He immediately turned around at the bright call of his lover's voice and immediately stood up, just to rush into Kyuhyun's arms and hug him tight: "I couldn't sleep without you!" he explained, as he rubbed his cheek in a cuddle against Kyuhyun's chest.

Kyuhyun giggled and kissed him on his head, while he turned and showed him the two people that stood behind his back and Ryeowook stiffened, shocked and embarrassed to display too much his affection towards Kyuhyun in front of the man's parents. He wasn't used to it at all.

However, when he got released from Kyuhyun's hold, Ryeowook was soon drawn into Kyuhyun's mother-s hug. The woman spared him the same overly affectionate treatment that she had given her own son just a couple of hours before.

Still astonished, he responded to the hug and let the woman motherly rock him from side to side: "Don't make me worried, you look too wasted, Ryeowook!" she lectured him and referred to the ugly dark bags under his puffy eyes that came out after crying so much. Kyuhyun couldn't keep a small laugh to echo from his throat at the strange frown of confusion depicted on Ryeowook's face.

"Don't look at me. They just appeared this morning at our house, I didn't know anything about them coming over!" Kyuhyun shrugged.

"We're here to help you!" Kyuhyun's mother chirped again and started to pet Ryeowook's hair that was sticking out of his usual perfectly styled fashion "We can prove your innocence, dear"

"I'd say you are the only ones that can do that, since Jihoon's dead and his uncle wouldn't speak either under torture" Kyuhyun scoffed, hooking his arm around Ryeowook's and walking together towards the round table that stood in the middle of the room. Pink peonies and gerberas were assembled in a lovely bouquet on a lace centerpiece. They sat and Kyuhyun, who had noticed a jar of ice tea brought by someone from the staff that was appointed to take care of Ryeowook, filled some glasses with the fresh drink, squeezing Ryeowook's hand on the table thereafter.

"It was Yesung's idea actually" Kyuhyun's father explained after gulping down nearly half of his glass "He showed up at home, asking whether we had possession of anything that could prove the identity of Ahra's murderer. I couldn't understand at first how he knew all the truth about it, then I thought of you, Kyuhyun, and about that period when we fought and you eventually drifted apart from us. It was Yesung who discovered the true dynamics of what truly happened with Congressman Choi and his nephew, and it was him who told you right?"

Kyuhyun nodded. It was the first time that he found himself thrown in a deep confrontation about his sister's accident with his parents. Long time ago, when Yesung incurred by chance into the folder of Ahra's case, when he told Kyuhyun and accompanied his friend to meet Jihoon, Kyuhyun had sworn never to meet or talk to his parents ever again. The insult of two parents cowardly giving up to justice and being silenced with money was too much to bear for him and, it had also contributed to his own hatred towards Ryeowook, whom back then was the only innocent soul mistakeningly thrown into the huge mess. When he had rather pushed away the two people who gave him life, Kyuhyun didn't have any chance to have a heart to heart with them about it, or better...he had never sought the need to create a favorable one.

Now it was the right time. And even if Ryeowook was the one in danger right now, he knew what kind of emotional turmoil was investing Kyuhyun's heart in that moment, therefore, to support him, he squeezed his hand over the table even harder and Kyuhyun cracked a smile in his direction.

"Thank you" Kyuhyun tenderly leaned towards Ryeowook's cheek to give him a quick kiss and whispered in his ear, making Ryeowook deeply sigh in front of his in-laws.

When Kyuhyun's father was about to resume his explanation about how Yesung had gotten the idea of involving them into Ryeowook's trial, firmly convinced that the two elders only could withhold the key for unveiling the truth, Yesung himself showed up to the door and quickly barged inside showcasing his most cheeky smile of confidence. He waved a stack of papers in the air and walked up to where Ryeowook and Kyuhyun sat side by side, only to lean over the table and intrude between them to slam the folder on to the smooth surface.

His hands covered the writings on the first page, but they couldn't hide the hybiscus emblem, signalling that whatever those papers were, they came straight from an official bureaucracy source from the Republic of Korea.

"Okay, first of all I'm sorry to interrupt your talk, Mr. Cho" he quickly apologized to Kyuhyun's father with his disarming smile and then continued "but I'm here to tell you that the Ambassador managed to organize a videochat with the court in charge of your case, Ryeowook. There is no scheduled flight to Seoul anymore!"

Everyone in the room was heard drawing half a sigh in relief. Kyuhyun's mother hopefully smiled, while she watched at how caring his son behaved towards Ryeowook, how their fingers threaded even tighter and their hold unwilling to let go.

"But! I saved the best for last" Yesung grinned, as he slowly lifted both hands from the folder and showed what was written on it.

"This is..." Kyuhyun widened his eyes. They slowly went back and forth along the thin description of the folder's contents just to make sure he wasn't allucinating or inventing things on his own. He surely couldn't speak, it was stronger than him, so his usual dumb expression of not understanding emerged on his face like a fish gasping outside water.

Ryeowook seemed to estrange either Kyuhyun's parents' presence or Yesung's voice describing those papers to be the official termination of Kyuhyun's fake marriage with Jiwon. Their friend's voice was so distant and echoed from one undefined place outside Ryeowook's brain that had just alienated the pianist from the living world and was comtemplating another dimension: one that was built according to different standards and that welcomed him and Kyuhyun like kings of that small-sized, yet huge in hidden meaning and wonderful before their shared dreams world.

"Isn't this your successful divorce?" Kyuhyun's mother asked to Kyuhyun and his son was about to nod in confirmation, when Ryeowook joyfully hopped in his seat and sprung towards Kyuhyun, grabbing his face in both hands and pulling the man in a crashing kiss, not caring about who was watching him or what might be the other people's reactions. For once he didn't care. He didn't care to show himself finally spreading his constricted wings and flap them in the wind, freed of any fear and trouble, ready to fly towards his most cherished dreams. Once again Kyuhyun was his only, and like that he needed to stay until the end of times.

"Hey...hey, slow down!" Kyuhyun blurted, unwillingly in need to push Ryeowook away from his face or he'd have ended up being eaten alive due to his lover's unstoppable joy.

"You do know that I don't care what happens to me now, right? I might even end up in prison, but at least now I know that you'll always be...mine!" Ryeowook laughed in his typical, crystal-like and vibrant bell chirp. He leaned over Kyuhyun's shoulder and rested his head there, not caring of the bad glare Kyuhyun was throwing him.

"We're all gathered here to find a way to drag you out of problems, don't ever say that you'd be fine with ending up in prison for something you didn't even do!" Kyuhyun grunted, disappointed.

"Just saying..." Ryeowook scoffed, possessively hooking his arm with Kyuhyun's, as he rested his head on the man's shoulder and peacefully sighed, totally estranged from the pending danger.

Kyuhyun exchanged a comprehensive look with his parents, whom, even though kept perfectly silent, knew everything of their son's situation ever since he was forced to move in with Jiwon and start their fake marriage. What they didn't know was Ryeowook's violence and Eric's consecutive threat revolving all around Ahra's accident. The last part had been somehow exposed, putting the two elders in position of knowledge of a far larger portion of the recurring facts.

"Kyuhyun's right" the old man gave out a small laugh, underlining with his tone of voice that for him his son was very seldom right about something "We were planning a marriage between you two, back in Seoul. I don't want to see all my efforts go wasted, especially because I'm taking care of all the expenses" at that point though, his smile conveyed his resigned and full acceptation of Kyuhyun's choice, not to mention that he shared with his wife the already solid affection towards Ryeowook, whom they considered to be just another son.

Ryeowook blushed. He bit his lip and slowly nodded.

Yesung took a look at his watch: lunchtime. He gravely sighed and interrupted again the light hearted chat led by Kyuhyun's mother about the future reception and other small details. She was holding in her hands those two that the younger men had still interwined together, but as soon as Yesung told them it was already time to leave, she slumped both her shoulders and sadly looked right into Ryeowook's eyes: "Stay strong, dear. We'll do anything to get you out of here"

Kyuhyun was the last one to stand up from his spot. When he did, he slightly bent over Ryeowook's figure and kissed his temple in a loud smack: "Two days left until the trial, you can do it" he whispered his encouragement to lift the other man's mood, however, not enough satisfied with just that initial peck, he lifted Ryeowook's chin and leaned in to properly kiss him. Ryeowook responded to the gesture and hooked his arms around Kyuhyun's neck, unwilling to let go and desperately pouting his request to stay some more.

"I'll be back tomorrow, alone, and I'll stay with you all day long, if the security allows me. It's already a great achievement that you've been moved to a better room after I got to speak with the Ambassador, as if just a rumor could erase all your outstanding records as a worldwide musician, my love. That was inexcusable!" Kyuhyun twitched his mouth in a deceived frown, his mind already planning to get reveng over all those that had dragged Ryeowook's respectable reputation into mud, like a true thief.

"I'll be waiting for you" Ryeowook was left to sigh for a last time, as he breathed his goodbye against Kyuhyun's lips with another kiss.

Kyuhyun ruffled his hair and with a sad smile turned heels to follow Yesung and his parents out of the room.

He thought that everything was slowly gonna get fixed: his reunion with Ryeowook, Yesung's discovery, his parents' help and in the end his successful divorce; but what he didn't take into account was the alarmed phone call from Zhou Mi that he received as soon as he got in to Ryeowook's city car with his family and friend.

"Kyuhyun! This is terrible!" Zhou Mi didn't spare any time to greetings. His agitated voice betrayed all his fear and discomfort.

"What's up now?" Kyuhyun tensed on his seat, feeling three pairs of eyes directed at how tight his jaw was clenching.

"I got a letter from the conservatory! It's the principal asking for Ryeowook's immediate dismissal following the rumors of his involvement in your sister's accident!" Zhou Mi explained, eyes bruning with prickling tears of fury. Life had surely gotten extremely unfair towards his bes friend lately.

"What?!" Kyuhyun couldn't hold his astonished shout, which resonated in the small space and affected the three other passengers with a similar look on their faces.

"You heard me! And it's not all..." Zhou Mi stopped just to gravely sigh, his hand held the tv remote and flipped through channels "...it's all over the news! The entire planet knows pianist Kim Ryeowook as a murderer now, and not as a very skilled musician anymore!"

"This is...seriously getting a wrong turnout" Kyuhyun groaned in frustration, his slender fingers tangled in the mass of his light brown locks. Behind his back his mother was trying to get an explanation of what was happeing by Yesung, who simply shrugged it off, being him just as ignorant of the matters as she was.

Kyuhyun fumbled over the chattering noise: "Can't you do something about it? I don't know...go there and talk with the principal! Tell him to stop, tell him that Ryeowook doesn't really have a clue about it, that it's just a big misunderstanding, that..." 

"The letter does look final and official. The dismissal has been approved and all his classes removed from the advanced course. He says that a last minute meeting was held yesterday evening with professors, heads of the student council and parents of the youngest students. The latter were very much indignated to know that their sons were in close contact with a criminal" Zhou Mi explained in a very feeble hiss, as his eyes read back and forth the lines on the crumpled piece of paper containing the conservatory official seal.

"He is not a criminal!" Kyuhyun yelled, stressing each word as vehemently as he could.

"I know!" the same did Zhou Mi, throwing the letter on the table. He sighed and quickly slumped on a chair, looking into the void a little above the fruit bowl in the middle of the table "It's gonna be hard for him, when he finds out. He loves teaching, he loves his job and losing it might be the very last drop to strain him of whatever joy he found in life"

"Shut up, Zhou Mi! Don't talk about my Ryeowook as if he were a deluded loser, or I might not respond of my actions right now" Kyuhyun argued, attacking the poor man on the other side of the line and throwing a fist at the steering wheel "I perfectly know what makes Ryeowook happy! I know he might not take well the news, but even if we fail to fight for him and we can't manage to convince the principal to hire him again, I will know how to take great care of my husband after our marriage. I will take him away from any trouble and we will live off each other's love and strength. I will protect him, be that the last thing I might do on Earth before my death!"

"Have you ever considered my efforts to protect my best friend after all these years?" Zhou Mi fought back and almost spat over the phone "You were the very first obstacle I tried to make him overcome at the beginning! Don't you remember?!"

"It's all in the past, I..."

"It's not in the past, Kyuhyun! You are his only obsession! You've been his obsession ever since this damn accident! And when you left him to marry a stranger he came back home with his heart totally shattered! I was there to help him stitch it back to what it was before a jerk like you could use and throw him away that shamelessly! Don't pretend to be Ryeowook's only mean of safety and stability, because you've been harming him with your stupid and selfish behavior much more than what you truly imagine!"

Silence from the both of them fell like in a sea abyss. The line was busy with the light pants of Zhou Mi, who had just finished speaking with exceptional speed and for once didn't deny to present what he truly thought about Kyuhyun, being him the only spot which all Ryeowook's world revolved around.

Kyuhyun slowly returned to his composed self. His eyes and featured softened from the harsh frown of stupor just felt at those words and the man lightly coughed to clear his voice. In a very detatched and tired tone, he hung up the call: "I...I gotta go now. I've got plenty of things to discuss with Yesung about the trial and..."

"Okay, I won't keep you" Zhou Mi was the first to physically terminate the call, Kyuhyun remained a couple of seconds with his phone glued to the ear and the empty line whining in a deadly beep.

The young man didn't speak at all while he accompanied Yesung and his parents to the hotel where he had two rooms arranged for their short staying. However, despite dying of curiosity for what had happened during the agitated verbal exchange between the two men, it didn't take too long for the other three to really discover what all that conversation was about. Like Zhou Mi had said, tv news, newspapers, blogs and social networks were flooded with bad opinions and comments of disbelief about one of the most skilled pianist of modern times, whose reputation had been dragged from stars to the lowly, dirty earth in the blink of an eye.

The following day, as promised, Kyuhyun spent most of his time at the Embassy by Ryeowook's side. He blessed the lack of information his lover was undergoing while being locked and estranged from the world. There was no useless gossip, but the lovely chant of little birds and repetitive chirping cicadas filling the air from the open windows, while the curtains happily flew along the soft drafts of warm wind.

The sky was turning fully orange, some shades of blue tinted it at the very farthest glimpse of the horizon, but twilight didn't mean Kyuhyun's departure.

He brought food and drinks, whatever Ryeowook liked the most, together with books, board games, and anything Kyuhyun thought his lover might have needed during the short staying. The man even included a full change of clothes, hoping to convince the security to let him stay overnight. Even under those strange circumstances, the two managed to spend a carefree and loving afternoon, because as long as they had each other, nothing else was needed and they could survive for very long assumed each one of them could provide enough warmth and love to the other with their sole presence.

"Are you scared?" Kyuhyun asked out of the blue, breaking the amiable silence. He sat on the bed with his back against the candid white wall and of course Ryeowook was all nestled and cuddled up into his arms, playing with his long fingers and especially with the engagement ring Kyuhyun treasured more than anything else in the world.

Ryeowook shook his head and with eyes still lowered on the precious jewel, he simply admitted: "I'm not scared when you're with me"

Kyuhyun cracked a little smile, his confidence wavering a little bit but his worries never manifested in front of Ryeowook, not when the other man had taken him as the only object of moral support. It could be just like walking on a solid ground and then suddenly feeling the earth slowly deteriorating, until a huge hole appeared and you into its dark depths with a ruinous fall.

"Why?" Ryeowook asked "Are you scared?" now his hands had stopped playing with Kyuhyun's, but his fingers had slipped into the furrows of the other man's hands to connect them in one unmelting hold. 

Kyuhyun lifted that locked hand and gently brought Ryeowook's backside before his lips, kissing it slowly and thoroughly: "I'm...always scared to lose you" Kyuhyun revealed, able to hide and hold back the tears that were collecting at the edge of his eyes with a sweet smile that subsided on his lips and was printed on Ryeowook's hand skin "Did you notice something strange? Whenever we are together after being separated, there's always something or someone that tries to keep us away again, and again, and again...I'm tired of this!" 

Ryeowook's smile disappeared: "Are you saying that you're tired of me?" this time his eyes didn't avert Kyuhyun's look, like they usually did when the atmosphere got strangely tense. This time Ryeowook held Kyuhyun's inquisitory gaze and even pierced it with all the magnetism hidden within his dark irises.

"I'm saying that I'm tired of being away from you, silly!" Kyuhyun lightly pinched his nose with his free hand, hoping to get the atmosphere less heavy and a bit more lively "I swear, if this doesn't work and that bastard wins. If his trick to get you imprisoned works, I'll kill him and with my hands dirty of his blood I'm willing to follow you there. Even in different cells, I could meet you during meals and break times, and we will be together. How does this sound?" Kyuhyun was now moving the back of his forefinger in a soft caress along Ryeowook's cheek, feeling the man he loved lean into the little gesture to get physically closer to him.

His heart swelled with the highest and purest feelings of love and respect whenever such little actions were exchanged with the aim of showing one another their presence, something that was bound never to change for many, many years in the future...or at least so they hoped.

Ryeowook lightheartedly giggled. He turned into Kyuhyun's arms and rested his head on the man's shoulder, where he sighed almost blissfully when Kyuhyun tightened the hold around Ryeowook's shoulders and moved their interwined hands in his own lap: "That sounds terrible, you know? If I were you, I would keep on thinking about our marriage instead of planning a way to follow me in prison. We're so close to it again, I will not make it slip away this time!"

"You're right. Whatever happens, let's run away from here, let's escape and live-"

"I don't want to escape and live like a criminal, because I'm not one!" Ryeowook snorted, curling his nose in a disapproving grimace.

"Then what?" Kyuhyun looked down at him "I wanted to bring you to a little deserted island, build our own home and live there happily ever after!"

"My happily ever after includes sharing my music with whoever likes it" Ryeowook lectured him, a bit taken aback by Kyuhyun's faking indifference, as if he didn't know which were his lover's passions anymore.

"Nobody will ever love your music like I do. I'm you number one fan! You don't need anybody else to tell you that you're great and-"

"You do it because you're too biased, Kyu" Ryeowook explained, making it a point.

Kyuhyun sighed and slumped both his shoulders. Ryeowook was right. But how was he supposed to tell him that his career had ended without him even knowing it! His teaching position was canceled, his reputation blown away like in a cloud of smoke, and everyone knew him as Kim Ryeowook, the murdered of an innocent girl, instead of the pianist who had won many prizes, who was featured in prestigious concerts and that loved teaching what he knew to the potential future of classical music.

Kyuhyun surrendered: "Okay" he simply said "You're right, I'm too biased because I love you. I'm guilty, now punish me" he suggested, shifting his position and lowering his back onto the mattress, dragging with him the petite build of his chuckling fiancé.

"We can't do anything here!" Ryeowook smacked Kyuhyun's chest while the latter one showed his contagious, naughty grin.

"I know, I don't want to do anything besides cuddling with you. Can't I? I even brought my pajama! And you know that I don't usually wear it while sleeping..." Kyuhyun grunted in disappointment and Ryeowook rolled his eyes, before diving his face on to Kyuhyun's chest and suffocating his laugh there.

"What? What are you laughing for?" Kyuhyun stuttered, confused "About my pajama? I brought the one with giraffes that you gave me as a present last year!"

Ryeowook laughed even louder, clutching the fabric of Kyuhyun's shirt so tight in his fists that he would have probably torn it apart, if he had pulled it with a tiny bit more of strength.

"Tonight I'm not going home, I wasn't joking when I told you so!" Kyuhyun hugged him tight and Ryeowook's laugh gradually faded away, being replaced by light pants to catch some breath back.

"I know" Ryeowook replied, his hand Kyuhyun's chest while his legs accomodated the man's left thigh in between of his own "Thank you" he finally whispered, busy at fixing Kyuhyun's bangs that had fallen right into his eyes during the little collision on the bed.

"For what?" Kyuhyun blinked, and unconciously made Ryeowook's smile grow wider with his unwanted cutesy.

"For simply being you, who loves me" Ryeowook leaned in and his smile disppeared when his lips grazed Kyuhyun's before touching them deeper, moving slowly on those plump petals which willingly followed Ryeowook's and even parted slightly ajar, to allow Ryeowook to and the seam of them.

"You're welcome" there was the reply, whispered right before things could escalate and their kiss get deeper. Kyuhyun's head comfortably sunk on the pillows while Ryeowook couldn't part at all from his fiancé's mouth, devouring it all as Kyuhyun gently caressed and explored the other's warm walls.

Shy moans slipped away and increased right when the heated kiss became slightly more intense. Kyuhyun nonchalantly hid his hands under Ryeowook's t-shirt, his bare hips and them both up and down in the softest way possible, so that his touch was merely the ghostly sensation of his slender fingers grazing the man's warm skin. Ryeowook cried in the kiss, his arched back at once hostage of some pleasurable chills, while he unconsciously moved forward and ground his hips against Kyuhyun's crotch. 

A louder moan filled the room as Kyuhyun felt particularly aroused to anything Ryeowook was doing on him or receiving. He wanted to continue, not caring about the place they were staying at, not caring about the people outside who could have clearly heard them and reported their illicit doings. He simply didn't care about anyone but Ryeowook, who sinuously straddled him and pressed his body against Kyuhyun's hot one in the right places.

Ryeowook sat straight and his back gracefully curved, tall and elegant above Kyuhyun who could simply stare in awe at the creature with open mouth and quick breath. The pianist drew in a long sigh after his own breath had gotten steadier and traced with his digit the lovely and swollen lips of his lover: "We can't go on" he explained.

"What if this is the last night I can ever get to hold you in my arms?" Kyuhyun fought back, with a little groan of disappointment. Ryeowook giggled and leaned in for a quick peck on Kyuhyun's lips: "You just said that I won't be sent to prison, you're so sure about it!"

"I am! But...that was just me looking for a valid excuse to take you tonight" Kyuhyun shrugged, powerless in front of Ryeowook's point.

"Then your excuses are so lame..." Ryeowook grinned, but even though he had just forbidden Kyuhyun to keep going on, the petite man bent over his fiancé to his shirt and open it at its fullest, so to reveal the man's torso, a plain of white skin that was about to be farmed in butterfly kisses.

Kyuhyun closed his eyes, sighing in content as his hand travelled to fondle Ryeowook's hair and accompany his every gesture, the silky locks slipping through his fingers while he him with each kiss Ryeowook was planting.

"If you plan on staying, then don't wear your pajama tonight" Ryeowook ordered in a silent hiss next to Kyuhyun's earlobe "I want to feel you close to me"

"I'm already close to you" Kyuhyun smiled without opening his eyes. That way he missed Ryeowook in the act of taking his own t-shirt off, but he soon realized that his lover was half because their bare chests brushed together when Ryeowook lowered his body.

"I want you much closer" Ryeowook revealed as he climbed off bed and got rid of his pants. He did the same to Kyuhyun and they both were in front of each other, except for their underwear. Ryeowook slipped once again in bed and cuddled in Kyuhyun's arms, occasionally teasing him by inserting a finger past the rubber band of Kyuhyun's boxer, hooking it to the clothing and lifting it to play with Kyuhyun's impatience.

"I won't do that, if I were you. Or you might find yourself pinned to the mattress and scream my name so loud that half Paris would probably have a hard time sleeping tonight" Kyuhyun advanced his playful threat, frustrated that Ryeowook could with such high rate of success. The latter one squirmed as Kyuhyun managed to flip him down on the bed and take the usual dominant, hovering position.

"We don't want the Ambassador to get a sudden heart attack before the trial, right? He's the only one that tried to give us a concrete chance to prove my innocence!" Ryeowook reasoned, while Kyuhyun had already lowered himself on his prey and attacked those inches of uncovered skin on Ryeowook's neck, which he lightly nibbled.

"Hmm, you're right" Kyuhyun hummed and agreed, his lips still glued to small, reddish bites on Ryeowook's collarbone "Stop enticing me with your sensual aura, then. I'm not known to be quite patient or particularly able to control my drives"

Ryeowook chuckled over Kyuhyun's shoulder, he stretched his arms and hooked them around the taller man's neck as this one re-emerged from his kissing duties and stopped a while to thoroughly scan Ryeowook's lovely, dark eyes.

Kyuhyun sighed, their mutual stare too powerful yet too easy to held still locked.

"Everything will be alright" Kyuhyun murmured, his face only a very few inches apart from Ryeowook's. While he supported himself over the petite body, Kyuhyun couldn't stop his hand from endlessly fondle Ryeowook's hair in that soothing, reassuring motion he loved so much. And Ryeowook responded. With a seemingly shy nod, he bit his lip and kept staring into Kyuhyun's infinitely sweet eyes, fighting the urge to immediately close the missing gap and touch the man's lips with his.

"You always tell me so" Ryeowook replied, referring to the various other times in which Kyuhyun had tried to coax him in reassurance and acceptation for future events. Everything would have eventually turned to its original state of calm, after the storm had finished its sweeping rage. That was what Kyuhyun firmly believed in, and if anyone by chance messed up with his plans of re-form any sort of thin balance that involved himself or his loved ones, a very high price was to paid as punishment.

Not wanting to resort to any vengeful options, Kyuhyun still preferred to play under the defense line, instead of the attacking one.

"I always tell you so, because it's the truth" Kyuhyun mumbled, pressing his lips in a soft kiss on Ryeowook's cheek "Look at how many times we got into troubles or people, events, and many other things came across our path. Look at what happened, and then look at us. We're still here, together. If this isn't a sign that everything is going to be alright for us, then I don't know what it is"

"As long as I have you..." Ryeowook nodded and with that sentence let many other unspoken feelings flow between them. Kyuhyun perfectly understood it, because Ryeowook finally moved and decided to close the last gap that still separated them. With a long, undemanding kiss, in that unfamiliar room, in that small bed, under covers that didn't give out the usual, reassuring scent of home, Ryeowook abandoned himself to the protective embrace of his lover, yet again wishing to freeze time, so to live the same moment of sweetness over and over again in the centuries.

It was impossible though, and for now he simply contented himself of the little chance to peacefully sleep bound to Kyuhyun, in his strong arms, until the sun crept in and broke the magic spell. Until the trial would have brought him again with feet rooted on the solid earth, far away from the fluffy clouds that in his head contained his dreams.

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A/N: Hi there my readers! First of all, excuse me if there are some mispellings or grammar errors, I tried to give this a check, but I failed half way through it...I apparently fell asleep on the keyboard while doing so .____. 

Then, I wanted to celebrate Kyuwook Day (-15 mins to midnight here, so I'm still on time lol) with a brand new story, but I miserably failed at it too. It happens that I don't have any internet connection where I live in Milan and need to write on Words only when I can be off work earlier than usual, but most of the times I'm just too tired to even turn my computer on.

Now, today is a sort of national holiday here in Italy and, since I don't work on weekends, I decided to go back home and visit my parents (that means tons of hours with full broadband wifi connection! T^T I miss all of this sigh sigh).

In the end I lost my inspiration and decided to take part into our otp's celebrations with finally updating All's Well What Ends Well, which kind of lacks of updates recently, compared to On a Rainy Day.

Btw, I read of course all your comments (some of them were really touching T-T) and wishes for my future! I'm so sorry I couldn't comment right away, but the reason of my lazy presence on aff is the one stated above. Let me just settle down in my own studio apartment (when I find one...sigh I've got just two weeks time from today to do so ;___;) and I promise I'll be consecutively way more active. I'll also reply to every single one of your comment, which I already said I loved! Thanks my friends for your unconditional support! <333

Sure, I expect you all to comment this chapter as well and who knows, I might actually cheat a little bit a give you a second update tomorrow, before leaving for Milan once again.

For now, thank you all and lots of love!!!!! xxx