The World Is Ours

[chaebols]

The World Is Ours

Summary: Prince Yongguk always hated when Prince Himchan came for play-dates. (Swan Princess AU)

Notes: As in the original swan princess, the Queen and King in this story have no significant other and should probably just unite their Kingdoms by marrying each other instead of bothering their children. I totally forgot Himchan and Yongguk both have sisters so sorry for spiriting them away but they don't exist in this fic ;;

This fic takes place in space. Yongguk and Yongnam are from planet Mato and Himchan is from planet Tokki (ORIGINAL)

---

Prince Yongguk always hated when Prince Himchan came for play dates.

Not only did he have to get up at the crack of dawn so that the handmaids could stuff him into those uncomfortable, stuffy old royal clothes that his Mother the Queen had said belonged to his parted Father when he was his age (ignoring Yongguk's adamant protests that that was like, entire eons ago!) but she also expected him to be on his very best behaviour.

This was difficult for him as Yongguk was a shy and reclusive child most of the time. Often his stilted social interactions with the other highborns could be misconstrued as coldness and he would receive a scolding later. He usually preferred the companionship of some of the younger stable boys or stewards like Junhong and Daehyun where the pressure was eased from his shoulders and less was expected of him.

It was fair to say that the young Prince was not in the brightest of moods on the morn of the playdate. It didn't help that Yongguk was getting forced out of bed to be primped and dressed up in stupid clothes and berated by his mother all for a person whose company he didn't even like

Prince Himchan was a member of the Royal Kim Family of planet Tokki and, according to his Mother, someone Yongguk and his twin brother Yongnam had to be extra nice to no matter what. Even though Himchan was a terrible playmate: he threw the worst temper tantrums over nothing and sulked when he didn't get his own way. The young royal Princelings of Mato had long come to the conclusion that he was a spoilt brat.

It had all started two years ago, after a peace treaty had been declared between their home planets and the Kim family had flown to Mato to undergo building relations with the Bangs. There were strange talks of unions and coming of ages that the Bang siblings didn't quite understand at the tender age of eight; all they knew was that it involved Prince Himchan and so naturally, both of them were against the idea on principle.

"Sometimes, I'd rather we were still at war" Yongnam had mumbled darkly to him one night after Himchan had insisted on following them up to their treehouse, even though they'd told him it was their super secret hiding place and noone not born on their birthday was allowed in. They'd both gotten in so much trouble because Himchan had run to tattle to their Mother that they'd been leaving him out and their relationship had only soured from there.

Which brought them to the day of their annual playdate. The Bang siblings and Prince Himchan were eight years old and standing stiffly in the Great Hall of Castle Mato as their parents looked on excitedly, seemingly oblivious to the tension rife in the air.

"So good to see you again, Himchan" Yongnam broke the silence, stepping in to take the hand Himchan grudgingly extended towards him and bringing it to his lips in a fleeting kiss, looking every bit the handsome young Heir. Yongnam had always been better at this than Yongguk.

"So happy to be here" Himchan replied with a tight smile that didn't meet his eyes.

After an awkward bout of silence and an expectant cough, Yongguk moved forward mechanically to repeat his brother's actions, feeling his body flush with embarrassment. Why did everyone have to be looking? Stiffly, he grabbed Himchan's hand and brushed his lips against it with the most minimal contact possible, letting it drop back when he was done.

In a rather impressive display of simultaneous movement, Himchan and Yongguk scrunched up their faces and turned away from one another, Yongguk sticking out his tongue in disgust and Himchan rubbing his hand furiously on his shirt.

The Queen's face had fallen faster than a stone in water.

"Yongguk" She grabbed his shoulders and hissed in his ear "You apologise to Prince Himchan right now"

"But Mom" He whispered back hurriedly "If you make me kiss his hand again I swear I'm gonna be sick!"

"Greet one another again" Himchan's Father the King rumbled with an imperious air of finality, pressing his pouting son forward by the small of his back and glowering down at them "And this time, do it properly"

Yongguk felt the impact of his Mother's sharp nails as he received a harsh push on his back and he cursed as his foot twisted in the material of his ugly, oversized cloak, sending him careening forwards. Himchan cried out as their foreheads whacked together and Yongguk tried to brace himself against his shoulders as the force of their collision sent them falling to a heap on the floor.

There was a loud gasp, a warning growl from Himchan's Father and perhaps a squeal from his own Mother before Yongguk pulled away in shock. A quietness fell upon the room as if a silencing charm had been set upon it, every eye in the room trained on the two Princes as they shakily sat upright to meet one another's gaze.

"Did-did you just propose to me?" Himchan asked falteringly, a glazed over look in his eyes.

Yongguk was horrified "It was an accident!"

"Oh my" A shudder raced down Yongguk's spine as his Mother clucked indulgently "Well the two of you are much too young for that but that eagerness may bode well for the future" The Queen of Mato tittered as she yanked her son to his feet, cupping a hand over his mouth to muffle his cries of protest.

"That was incredibly forward of you, Prince Yongguk, but my son is not of an age to be making such hasty decisions about his marriage. Not yet, anyway." The King said, sharing a secret smile with the Queen as he held a dazed looking Himchan by the arm.

Yongguk wanted to cry at the injustice of it all. Why did their planet have to have such a stupid engagement tradition of butting heads?

Yongnam had found it all hilarious, the traitor.

---

Yongguk was ten years old and in a terrible mood.

"Read them and weep, Prince Yongguk, it appears as if I've won again" Prince Himchan reclined back in his chair, folding his arms and smirking down victoriously at his hand of cards.

"You must be cheating" Yongguk accused, a red flush climbing up his neck. Every time Himchan had won! "Your serving boy is probably looking at my hand for you"

Himchan's dark little eyebrows slid into an indignant frown "I am not!" He whipped his head around to a young, plain faced cupbearer, who flinched so violently he almost spilled the wine he was pouring into their goblets "Tell him now, Jonguppie!"

"P-please, m'lord, your grace, all these rules confuse me terribly" Jongup mumbled to his feet, his head ducked down and his voice small and pleading, as if he expected Yongguk to call for his execution on the spot. "I would never dare cheat"

"It's fine" Yongguk conceded, feeling a twinge of guilt in regards to the poor serving boy he had frightened. He still suspected Himchan of some sort of foul play but decided to let it slide for now. There was no use arguing with the spoilt little Princeling.

The only thing worse than Himchan coming to his castle was when he and Yongnam had to travel to his. It was like all the rules of their games were reversed and suddenly, instead of the two of them ganging up against him, Himchan had the upperhand and was more than able to order the both of them about (and more than happy to do so, as well)

The most terrible game was when they were playing The World Is Ours, and Himchan always got to be supreme ruler of the galaxy. He'd sit in the grandest seat in the throne room as one of the Bang siblings were forced to carry out whatever task he gave them, waiting on him hand and foot and obeying his every word. The other brother had the more unfortunate job of being Himchan's husband and had to kiss him whenever he wanted. More and more frequently he was choosing Yongguk to play that role, much to his dismay.

"This game is always more like The World Is Mine when playing it with Himchan" Yongnam had complained. Yongnam had spent the last hour in the servant role, brushing Himchan's hair and fetching a mirror for him, scouring the castle for sweets to bring to him and summoning some of the knights in a mock order to go on a march in search of rare fruits to bring Himchan and his Royal Husband from Kingdoms they were otherwise warring with (they hadn't been best pleased)

Today was the worst however as Yongnam had abandoned him to go shoot arrows in the famous gardens of the Kim's Palace whilst he was left to continue his losing streak at fish, contending with an increasingly smug Himchan.

"All I wanted to do is go to the library and read" Yongguk muttered to himself, pushing the cards away and flushing at how huffy he sounded even to his own ears.

"Do you really?" Yongguk looked up at the uncertainty in Himchan's voice and he found himself stuck for words as he looked up into his earnest dark eyes. Before he could even choke an answer out, Himchan had slid down from his throne and hurried over to Yongguk, taking him by the arm "Jonguppie, quickly go tell Youngjae where we're going now! I'll show you to our library, Yongguk. It has a domed roof that can open up to the sky depending on the weather and all the books you could ever imagine"

"O-okay" Yongguk stammered as he was dragged along before even giving consent, Himchan completely taking charge as the two young Prince's began to hurry out of the throne room and down the hall, ignoring Lord Kang as he spun around and demanded to know just where they thought they were off to at that speed? "Say, Himchan, don't take this the wrong way but you seem very...eager to show me around"

"Well, that's because you never spend time with me, stupid" Himchan said, like it was obvious. The blow of his insolent tone of voice was softened by the grin he was gracing Yongguk with, the sound of their voices and slap of their shoes against the marble floors bouncing off the walls "I don't have any siblings to play with like you do"

"What about that serving boy you're always with- Jongup, is it?"

"Jonguppie is cute and I like him a lot, but he's too young and can't keep up with me" Himchan said flippantly, all but holding Yongguk's hand as they rushed down the corridor.

Yongguk found himself worrying about irrelevant things he normally wouldn't, like if his hair looked okay or hoping his hand wasn't all gross and sticky "You know, I used to get really excited thinking about going to meet you and Yongnam, I thought it'd be so fun to become friends with people the same age as me. It's a shame we seemed to get off on the wrong foot"

For some reason Yongguk felt a sudden inclination to apologise, a little breathlessly "I didn't know...I guess we were a little childish back then. We should...start over"

"Really?" Himchan turned to give him a blinding smile over his shoulder, his brown eyes twinkling. He gave Yongguk's fingers a little squeeze as the narrow corridor opened up to a wide, circular space flanked by two tall stairwells "I'd like that"

Yongguk found himself smiling back a little dazedly as they slowed to a pause, standing so that they were facing opposite each other. Yongguk noticed that, whilst Himchan still had those oversized rabbit teeth, they seemed more charming than goofy looking now "Are we near the library?"

"Almost" Himchan said, his voice jumping with excitement as he took both of Yongguk's wrists and lead him to the center of the floor. Yongguk tilted his head to one side curiously as Himchan let go of his hold and began to back away, holding his hands up in the air and biting his lip around a grin 'Cute...wait, what? Seriously, what am I thinking, this is Himchan...'

"Stay there, now...In one, two, three...look up!"

Yongguk didn't have time to speak or move or even think before a bucket full of water fell upon his head and soaked him through to his core.

"Alright! You got him!"

Yongguk felt quietly livid as he slowly lifted the bucket from his head just in time to see one of Himchan's stewards (Yongguk recognised him as the one that Daehyun, the Bang's bannerman's son, was fond of) ducking away from atop the stairs.

"Himchan, you-"

Yongguk didn't finish his sentence, words trailing off as the large, double wooden doors that lead to the Palace gardens swung open and in traipsed his brother. In any other situation he probably would have laughed. Yongnam was in a sorry state, his archery tunic covered in huge orange blotches and seeds dripping down the sides of his cheeks. Daehyun was by his side, a bow in one hand and a tomato loosely gripped in the other.

"I'm sorry, your graces, I fear I was corrupted" Daehyun said, not sounding or looking sorry at all, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Prince Himchan laughed so hard he almost gave himself a hernia.

That night at dinner the Queen of Mato and King of Tokki exchanged worried looks as the Bang princelings ate their meals in stony silence, Yongguk mashing his food into an inedible oblivion as Himchan gallantly recounted his tales of revenge to anyone in the room who would listen.

---

The Bang twins were twelve years old and time had failed to miraculously improve their relationship with Prince Himchan.

"Yongnam, this is a bad idea"

"You said you wanted rid of him for good, didn't you?" Yongnam asked, raising his eyebrows at Yongguk from over his shoulder as they crept along the corridor. Yongguk didn't reply "Well then, this'll do the trick"

Yongguk had a sickly feeling curdling in his stomach and a growing will to just turn on his heel and slip quietly back to his own quarters. It was true that he had spent a long time, years even, throwing around idle plans in order to get Himchan off of their backs but somehow, this didn't sit right with him. He winced at every creak in the floorboards and flinched whenever he thought he heard movement in the other rooms. Yongnam wasn't turning back though; he watched the back of his brother's head as he moved onwards confidently, occasionally twisting around to irritably mouth 'hurry up' at Yongguk. There was no option other than to follow, really, even if all of his other senses were weighing him down by how wrong this felt.

Yongguk tried to placate himself, conjuring up images of Himchan forcing him into playing dress up with him and laughing blithely as he paraded them both around the castle, Mother cooing at how darling they both looked in their crowns and ruffles. Surely that was a punishable offence, right? Even as Yongguk was trying to convince himself, his argument rung hollow and he had the unsettling feeling, like a hazy dark tug at the back of his brain, that he was forgetting something important.

"Besides, what kind of baby is still afraid of the dark at our age?" Yongnam continued in a mocking whisper, coming to a halt outside of Himchan's bedroom door and signalling to Yongguk to stay quiet "Remember what I said, okay?...and wipe that grumpy look off of your face, it'll be funny"

Yongguk only nodded. Basically 'remembering what Yongnam said earlier' surmounted to him doing nothing but following Yongnam's lead, and he'd always been used to doing that. He mimicked his brother as they slipped quietly into the room, Yongnam with a devious smile and Yongguk with a frown of trepidation.

He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him as the door closed with a soft click and he saw Himchan asleep in the warm glow of the orange candle light.

The Prince was sleeping soundly. One small hand clutched the bed sheets to his chest and his pale face was serene, a little quirk of a smile playing on his pink lips. It was hard to believe this innocent looking kid was the bane of his existence at times.

He really couldn't do this.

"Yong-"

Yongnam whipped around from where he was crawling to Himchan's bedside table, violently silencing him with a finger to his lips and an agitated look in his eye, the one that said 'Yongguk, you're ruining it'. Yongguk hated that look. He hit his head back against the wall he was pressed against and slid down it, doing nothing but watching as Yongnam lightly blew out the candle and plunged the room into darkness.

There was a solid knock against the wood of the bedframe and Yongguk heard the snuffling, bleary sounds of someone stirring, the rustle of sheets as Himchan moved in his bed. Another knock. Two. Himchan sounded more lucid as he let out a quiet, more alert "Mmh?"

Silence. Yongguk could practically hear Yongnam in his head hissing 'remember what I said', eyes staring at him as if he'd spoilt all their fun. He sighed and reluctantly lifted his hand, slowly scraping his fingernails across the wall in an eery rip.

"Mmph?" Himchan definitely sounded awake now, and he definitely sounded scared. "I-is someone there?" He asked in a tiny, trembling voice.

Yongguk's eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to see Himchan's silhouette shifting to huddle into a small ball, only his arm moving as he thrust it out blindly. His hand scrabbled at his bedside drawer frantically and he let out a moan as the candle knocked to the floor with a thud, unable to do anything but listen as it rolled away.

Himchan lay still on his side, frozen in place and not daring to move. Yongguk could only hear the stifled sound of his quiet, erratic breathing.

There was another long, drawn out scraping sound, this time like material being torn, and Yongguk knew that Yongnam must me under his bed, nails dragging along his mattress. Himchan now had his sheets pulled over his head.

The floor creaked ominously before everything stilled, the sudden, eery silence tense enough to be a sound in itself. Even Yongguk felt a brief flare of fear for what would come next. He couldn't imagine how Himchan must have been feeling.

There was a resounding tap on the glass of his window and the younger Prince let out a tiny, muffled scream as in a flurry of motion, the curtains suddenly burst open and cold wind from the night air filled the room.

"Go away" Himchan began to chant in a small, scared voice unlike any Yongguk had ever heard him use before "Not again. Go away go away go away! Not again"

Not again. Go away. Not again.Why did that sound familiar? Go away...not again...

Oh.

It was then that Yongguk remembered the nagging memory he had forgotten with a sudden, vividly unpleasant clarity.

Yongnam had begun to thump across the floor, just loud enough for Himchan to hear, moving forward steadily like the beat of a drum as he approached the bed. Yongguk could picture it now: he'd pounce on him and Himchan would scream loud enough to wake the entire castle. He threw back his inhibitions as he saw Himchan's small, vulnerable form visibly shaking from beneath the cover of his bedsheets and braced himself, gritting his teeth.

"That's enough!"

Yongguk surprised himself by how stern he sounded.

"'Guk?" Himchan whispered, sounding frightened and hopeful as he warned him with a tremor in his choked voice "The-there's something in here"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here. It-it's okay" Yongguk tried his best to sound reassuring. Himchan just sounded so little, so fragile, like he could fall apart at any moment.

"What did you do that for?" Yongnam muttered grouchily, disappointment rife in his voice. Himchan let out a cry as he revealed himself as the shadow at the end of the bed, his outline rising up and moonlight from the open window filtering in to illuminate his irritable face.

He pushed passed Yongguk with a hard nudge to his shoulder and left the room, muttering under his breath about spoil sports. Yongguk couldn't bring himself to follow his twin this time. Himchan's muted gasp of realisation and following silence had hit him like a smack in the chest.

"Put the light back on" Himchan whispered in a meek voice, sounding horribly like he was begging him "Please"

"I-I'm sorry, I don't have anything to light the candle with, I'll go-"

"Don't leave"

"What?" Yongguk paused, his hand on the doorknob.

"N-nothing"

Yongguk sighed and moved, carefully, as if approaching a fawn. He supposed with a guilty weight in his stomach that there really wasn't much difference. He hesitantly pulled back the bedsheets and leant his weight gently down on the mattress behind Himchan, hesitating for a moment before wrapping an arm around him. Himchan stiffened at his touch, his curled up body trembling violently.

"Wh-what are you-?"

"Is this okay?"

Yongguk listened as Himchan swallowed thickly and felt him move to wipe furiously at his cheeks. After a moment there was a small hand clutching his and Yongguk could feel cool wet tears against his palm.

There was quiet for a long time. Yongguk didn't know how long it stretched on for but he knew that Himchan wasn't asleep yet. The younger boy's breathing was still out of control, sucking in long, shuddering breaths as if on the verge of a panic attack. Yongguk watched the shadows of the rippling curtains play across the wall and squeezed Himchan's fingers, sweeping his thumb across the ridge of his knuckles in a way he hoped was comforting.

"I thought it was happening again" Himchan confessed after a while, his breathing mostly evened out to soft, watery exhales. He sniffed.

"I'm sorry. It was stupid- a nasty idea" Yongguk said haltingly, regret rushing through his system as he felt Himchan's body shudder against his. He should have remembered the siege. He had only heard of it when he was younger, about how one night Himchan's castle had been raided by an opposing family, the Royal family of Tokki taken out of bed to be held at gun point. They could have been assassinated if they hadn't been rescued. Yongguk felt sick "If I had remembered...no, even then, we should never have done that"

Himchan let out an angry little exhale, digging his nails into Yongguk's hand for a moment before relaxing his grip. The tremors in his body had began to subside but Yongguk could still feel the goosebumps prickling his skin.

"Yongnam's going to tell everyone, isn't he?" Himchan asked in a small, embarrassed voice that made Yongguk's insides ache. He sounded so ashamed of himself "He won't. I'll make sure noone knows, okay?"

"Promise?" Himchan pushed shakily.

"Double triple dog dare promise" Yongguk nodded, briefly squeezing his body against his own for a moment. Silence fell again and he became aware of how close his nose was to Himchan's neck, his exhales hitting against the soft strands of his hair.

Eventually, in a muffled voice as if he was talking directly into his bedsheet, Himchan mumbled "Maybe you shouldn't...sleep here. When he was scaring me, I..."

"It's fine" Yongguk cut off his confession, hoping to save him from any further humiliation. The dampness of the wet mattress had already soaked into his pyjama pants anyway. Himchan didn't say anything more, only huddled closer to Yongguk and pulled the sheets higher over them, hugging them tightly to his chest.

Yongguk didn't allow himself to sleep that night until he was sure that his heavy, even breathing and sleepy little sniffles meant Himchan was dreaming again.

----

Yongguk was fourteen and Himchan was still the last person he wanted to see. In any situation, ever.

It was the waning months of the year long Summer where the temperature was cooling from blazing heat to a pleasant, bearable warmth. Everyone this side of Mato who had been forced to take refuge from the heat was no free to emerge from their homes to enjoy the sun, and the castle was no different. Unfortunately for Yongguk it had been positively impossible to avoid Himchan for his entire visit. No matter where he hid or snuck off too mid-afternoon tea or intergalactic tutoring classes, it was only a matter of time until he was found, as if the Prince had some sort of inbuilt Yongguk radar. Of course their parents were encouraging it too so that even in the sweet, swift moments of solitude where Yongguk found time to himself, he would shortly be summoned to join the Kim Family and his Mother for something ridiculously tedious such as afternoon tea.

Yongguk had to take the brunt of Himchan alone now too, which something he cursed his twin for daily. After an admittedly noticeable weight gain since the last visit, Himchan had overheard Yongnam comparing his weight to that of a 'small planet' and the two had been on bad terms ever since.

Which lead to Himchan tailing Yonggukrelentlessly, like some sort of puppy that needed to be taken out on frequent walks (and one who ended up biting his ankles if he went ignored for too long.)

"What on Mato are you doing inside on a day like this?" Himchan asked incredulously as he slouched against the frame of the library's doorway, wearing a light summer dress robe and a pout on his lips. He tapped the tip of the parasol he was holding against the wall in three impatient little raps "The giant rabbits by the pond have finally come out of their warrens again and I want to go see them"

"You know where they are" Yongguk replied tightly, determined not to look up from the notes he was rigorously taking. He knew if he caught Himchan's eye then it would be like spiralling into a dark hole of defeat.

He heard the unmistakeable sound of Himchan making a very elaborate series of huffing noises and rolled his eyes to himself, predicting his next course of action. In a few moments, his personal space and peaceful solitude had been invaded and Himchan was sitting across from him at his table, thumbing through one of his books with little interest. "You're so anti-social, Bbang. How will you cope when you're ruling and have to hold court with lords and ladies every day?"

"I'm sure I'd be fine" Yongguk muttered, scribbling furiously. In all honesty Yongguk had never once entertained the idea of himself being King. In his mind's eye it had always been Yongnam seated in the throne with Yongguk by his side, advising him. That way had always just felt like destiny, a path pre-planned by fate with no foreseeable disruptions to block its route, and Yongguk had no qualms with that.

When Himchan looked up and caught Yongguk giving him his best murderous look, he just grinned infuriatingly, eyes shining "I'm bored"

"Is it your life goal to be as annoying as possible?" Yongguk wondered aloud, more to himself than his company. He felt his eyebrow twitch as Himchan made to snatch the papers he was reading through. It wasn't in his nature to shout but his tone was ice cold as he grit out "Leave that alone"

Himchan faltered. His hand flinched back to his lap as if Yongguk had smacked it and his smile slackened somewhat. He almost looked chastised. It was a good look on him. Satisfied, Yongguk went back to his work.

After a long awkward pause, Himchan cleared his throat and asked in a considerably smaller voice than usual "What are you doing?"

Yongguk sighed, setting down his quill and massaging his temples. He was tired. If he entertained Himchan too much then he feared he may end up learning to tolerate his company and he couldn't let that happen "Studying and such, how to do signings, seals of approvals, permissions...you probably won't have to concern yourself with any of that"

Himchan's face crumpled into an indignant frown "When we get married we'll be making joint decisions"

Yongguk nearly broke his quill in half "What?"

Himchan looked nonplussed in the face of his unadulterated horror "You look like a fish if you gape like that. I decided you'll be the twin I want to wed, aren't you glad? Besides, you did propose to me when we were younger, it's only natural"

"That was an accident!" Yongguk spluttered, his voice rising in disbelief as he got to his feet somewhat shakily. The attendant of the library, a wizened old man who Yongguk knew to be was partially deafened by explosions in a war past, looked up from his desk across the room curiously.

Himchan rolled his eyes, as if having his fiancé decline any such notion of this meant absolutely nothing "Our parents want us to be wed whether we like it or not" He puffed out his cheeks irritably "I'm not bad, you know, you should consider yourself lucky, I-I have plenty of other suitors"

"Choose them instead then!" Yongguk squawked, pinching the bridge of his nose and wishing that this was all part of the increasing series of nightmares he'd been having about being chained at the ankle and married to Himchan for eternity.

Himchan ignored him, diligently listing his own positive traits on his fingers "I'm really smart too, you should know that since I always beat you at card games and janggi. I'm really good at talking (something you're lacking) I can fill in the awkward silences when you're busy glaring at everyone. I'm really pretty too. We'd be a good match; you can do all the boring book stuff and I can be the commander-"

"You'd be the commander?-" Yongguk stopped himself, shaking his head and telling himself not to even entertain that thought with a reply. Taking in a deep breath, he lowered his tone and attempted to rationalise the situation "Listen, you just can't go off deciding these things- seriously, if you tell my Mother she will utterly overreact and there's Yongnam to think about-"

"I don't like him anymore" Himchan said flippantly, as if that answered everything.

Yongguk hated his twin at that moment "That-that's irrelevant, I haven't given my consent to any of this, don't you dare go off telling people we're getting married Himchan, I swear"

In the face of this threat, Prince Himchan broke into an obnoxiously loud gale of laughter, grabbed Yongguk's history book and turned on his heel to break into a run "You're so easy to tease, Yonggukkie"

"Don't call me that!" Yongguk found himself all but roaring, reaching to swipe for the sleeve of Himchan's robe but missing and grabbing air. All sense of rationality and composure was hopelessly lost to Yongguk as he set after the other Princeling in chase, cornering him up against the wall of the library.

Himchan clutched the book in front of him like a shield, his face split in a wide smile "Your face has gone a really nice shade of red"

"Give it back, Himchan" Yongguk hissed, grasping the spine of the book and pausing for a moment, surprised at the strength at which the other latched on. In the bitter struggle, neither wanting to relent, close contact was unavoidable; their hands touched, foreheads swept across one another, noses rubbed, breaths mixed together. Yongguk felt a heat in his stomach that was decidedly unlike the anger that had been boiling there a moment before.

When Himchan arched over protectively and Yongguk leant in at a different angle, lifting up, their crotches brushed and they let out hitched gasps in unison.

"Y-Yongguk" Himchan whispered, the confidence dissipating from his voice, his dark eyes unreadable.

"Ahem"

The loud sound of someone clearing their throat penetrated the room and the book slid from both of their weak holds to hit the floor with a deafening thud.

"Oh my, your graces...I do hope we're not interrupting?" Youngjae, one of Himchan's stewards, was standing in the doorway looking bored "But it's time for your tea with Lady Sunhwa, my Prince. She's hoping the two of you could go for a ride in those pleasant swan boats they have here"

By his side was Daehyun. The young knight in training looked utterly devious, leering unashamedly at Yongguk and Himchan's position "And you have an astronomy lesson with Maester Song, Prince Yongguk, but if you'd like to take a moment to...gather your belongings then I'm sure he won't mind if you are slightly tardy"

"I don't need a moment!" Yongguk said thunderously, snatching his book from the floor and marching over to collect his papers, stuffing them unceremoniously under his arm and marching out of the door without a spare glance back to Himchan. "Daehyun, lets go"

"My, your Grace, if you don't mind my saying, you're much louder than usual when you're with him" Daehyun commented as he jogged to catch up to the Prince's storming footsteps, waggling his eyebrows in a rather unseemly fashion "I could hear you from halfway down the corridor! You two must be becoming good friends"

"He's quite as unpleasant as he's always been, perhaps moreso now than ever before" Yongguk protested, feeling his cheeks heat up under Daehyun's knowing leer, not quite sure why "Besides" He continued under his breath "He's always flirting with the castle guards"

"I think you really kind of like him, your grace" Daehyun commented, looking innocently at the ceiling and pretending not to notice the glare Yongguk was sending him. He dared to give him a gentle nudge in the ribs "Come on, fess up"

"Even if I did like him I wouldn't be telling you" Yongguk insisted, shaking his head "You'd only run to tell Youngjae and by twilight it'd be the talk of the entire castle!"

Daehyun only smiled in return and hummed the tune of wedding bells.

---

Yongguk's ears were burning. It was the day of Prince Himchan's return to Mato and ever since Yongguk, everything anyone ever seemed to ask about in regards to Himchan was embarrassing.

"Are you going to kiss him?" Yongnam teased as they walked through the courtyard, all laughing eyes and taunting smiles as he leant in to make crude smacking sounds with his lips. Sometimes Yongguk found it hard to believe that he was the older twin.

"I'd much rather suffocate in deep space" Yongguk grumbled, shooting Yongnam an envious look. As a committed knight of the realm, Yongnam had taken an oath of celibacy and thus was out of the danger zone when it came to marrying Himchan. Yongguk sometimes couldn't help but feel as if his brother had royally screwed him over.

"Oh do come now, brother dear" Yongnam jibed, swinging his lance jauntily and wrapping an arm around Yongguk's shoulders. He paused to to wink at some passing ladies of House Han in a decidedly unchaste manner before adding in low, conspirational tones "You know, he hasn't grown up so badly, in fact, he's very popular amongst my knights. Sir Jaehyo in particular is rather enamoured"

"Sir Jaehyo?" Yongguk felt a stab of annoyance. The Knights of the realm had taken vows against these feelings but according to Yongnam, they always seemed to be in heat "I thought he was supposed to be taken with Lord Jiho, anyhow?"

"Oh, that's a whole other shambles. Quite the scandal actually, I'll have to entertain you with it some other time" Yongnam said, waving his hand around as if he were literally batting the topic away. In a flash, he was wearing a shark-like grin again "Back to your love life, Yongguk. Forgive me but since I can no longer have one myself, I'm afraid I've become overinvested in yours. I never thought I'd say this but I rather approve of Prince Himchan. Give yourselves a chance and you might be surprised"

"It makes no difference whether he's a two headed ogre or the most sought after beauty in all the land, I still can't stand him" Yongguk said stubbornly.

"Have it your way then" Yongnam sighed forlornly and pulled his arm away, swinging it by his side as they continued their walk "All I ask of you is to at least try to be open minded, Yongguk. The future of the Kingdom will rest in your hands one day, and the Kim family would provide a very advantageous marriage to us all-"

"Oh, do be quiet" Something in Yongguk snapped then. He'd had enough of hearing about the fate of the Kingdom from his Mother and his council advisors and the whispers of the chambermaids and castle knights. Yongnam had never broached the subject before and for that Yongguk had always been grateful. He was the last person he wanted to discuss it with.

"Where on Mato are you going?"

Yongguk whirled away from his twin, turning on his heel and heading in the opposite direction "Somewhere to clear my head. Good day to you, Yongnam, why don't you return to your knightly duties and leave me to mine?"

It came out more bitterly and more like an order than he had intended. Yongguk felt a stab of regret as he walked away, leaving his twin in his wake, but he felt too angry to wallow in guilt for long.

Truthfully, Yongnam's decision to be inducted into knighthood and to step down from first in line for the throne was one that brought Yongguk much anxiety. In that one move he had changed both of their fates: now Yongguk would certainly be King one day.

He didn't have what it took, he thought miserably as he marched through the gardens in heavy strides, trying his best to nod amicably at the serving men and women as he passed. They looked as intimidated as if he was glaring them down. Yongguk had always been the littler brother in every sense, taking after Yongnam's lead in whatever they did together, he'd never developed the initiative, the skills, the confidence...and his public demeanour and smalltalk hadn't improved since he was eight. In fact, by the way everyone always seemed to think he was frowning at them, it had only appeared to deteriorate.

He realised belatedly as he had been walking that he had been headed in the direction of the beating of a drum. He looked around curiously before tipping his head back to gaze at the sky above him. Yes, that was it. The sound was spilling out from the window of the guest tower.

Really, Yongguk had more pressing matter to deal with that day than chasing after a mysterious drumming tune but he was inexplicably seized by a sudden curiosity. He pushed through the tower doors and began his ascension up the spiralling staircase, heart thudding as the beat grew louder and louder. He'd always been an avid fan of music and this sounded so different, so alluring, somehow he just had to know what it was and who was playing...

As he reached the top step and pushed open the door he felt as if his heart was thudding for reasons other than his climb rendering him completely out of breath.

When he saw the player the drum beat tapered off and sticks dropped to the floor in surprise. A flush raced across Yongguk's cheeks.

He stared at this person, the young man he had known since childhood, memories flitting through his mind as quick as the windows pass by on a moving train: from the boy he first met with the haughty dark eyes, the one he had seen develop and grow each year, always just a tad shorter than himself; had seen him through the awkward years of puberty when his skin broke out in spots and he near refused to leave his room all Summer, through his chubby phase to his scarily thin phase; observed, unknowingly, as his face began to change shape, baby fat swapping for angled lines and sharp jaws. Only those sparkling dark eyes and bowed pink lips remained the same. The Himchan he had loathed and dreaded and revelled in leaving behind all through his younger years, the one who teased him and forced him into stupid games and dressing up, who had a brilliant mind for beating him at card games and jjangi and had once directed an entire group of knights into preparing a fake marriage ceremony for them with scarily precise attention to detail, the one who had made him frustrated, upset and confused all at once, this persistent, silly kid had really become...someone quite, undeniably, beautiful.

"Himchan" Yongguk croaked out, standing immobile in the doorway. He moved forward as slowly as Himchan rose to his feet, chanting in his mind to not let his foot get caught and make a fool of himself as he greeted him this time, reaching shakily for the hand extending towards him "I heard you had arrived- I-I'm sorry for not greeting you sooner, I just-" Yongguk choked "I'm glad to see you again"

Himchan swallowed deeply as Yongguk pressed a kiss to his hand, holding it belatedly for a few moments before pulling away abruptly and looking suddenly shy. He broke into a smile that curved his eyes into half moon crescents "I'm happy to be here"

From across the room where they had been spectating Prince Himchan's much spoken of jjangu playing, the Queen of Mato and the King of Tokki discreetly hit their fists together in a victorious fistbump.

---

Prince Yongguk, aged sixteen, was first in line for the throne of Mato and was still hopelessly entangled in yet another game Himchan had cooked up.

"I'm just trying to help you, Bbang" Himchan said, a familiar mischief glinting in his dark eyes as he swayed back and forth on his heels "Jaehyo, uppercut to the left shoulder, swing down and finish him!"

Yongnam fell to his knees dramatically as the wooden sword poked under his armpit. He twisted his neck to give Yongguk a weary, almost pained look "Geez, Guk, hurry it up with the commands. This is getting embarrassing. I've died like six times!"

"This game is stupid" Yongguk said darkly. Surely two Royal heirs and the young highborne knights of the realm had more duties to attend to than playing Human Chess? He was flustered. Of course this was all Himchan's idea, saying something ridiculous about teaching Yongguk to be more leader-like, but how was he supposed to concentrate when Himchan was paired up with Jaehyo and they kept smiling at each other?...Even if he had grown up quite beautifully it seemed as if the Prince of Planet Tokki hadn't matured one bit.

"Ahh, scary scary" Himchan said from behind the opposing line drawn to separate them from square of their pretend bouts, pretending to shake and cover his eyes behind his fingers. Indeed, he was still an entirely obnoxious individual "You look like you want to kill us, Yongguk. That's good! Channel that into demolishing us"

Yongguk sighed disparagingly. Only Himchan could act encouraging about a thing like that. The other Prince was so intent too, staring at him determinedly and pumping his fist "Yongguk fighting!"

"Shut up!" Yongguk ground his teeth together and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Should I call it off?"

"Call it off? Yongguk, I'm getting my rear end handed to me by Jaehyo, end this when I'm at such a disadvantage and I'll cut your pecker off" Yongnam's voice fell to a mock whine "All the other knights will laugh at me"

Yongguk was all but ready to ignore his twin (he'd gotten better at turning down whatever escapades Yongnam tried to drag him into over the years) until he heard a giggle that made his heart jolt for a moment. Himchan's giggle, to be precise. He looked over to see him standing with Sir Jaehyo, the knight leaning coolly against a tree as Himchan smacked him lightly on the chest, laughing at some sort of joke the two seemed to be sharing. For a blinding moment, Yongguk saw red.

"Kill him"

Yongnam patted his twin on the back and grinned as he stepped back into the square, moving his sword into an offensive position "That's the spirit, brother!"

"Once the two of you have stopped flirting I think we have a match to resume, do we not?" Yongguk bit out, feeling a vindictive stab of of joy as Himchan flinched and Jaehyo looked ready to fall over in shock. The other knight straightened up and took up his defensive position opposite Yongnam, apprehension shining clear in his eyes. Yongguk wondered briefly if he looked as murderous as he felt.

"Jaehyo, two steps forward, swing to the r-"

"Counter, Yongnam, block his sword!"

"Jaehyo, keep hitting him!"

"Hold your ground, 'Nam- Now! Push him back!"

Jaehyo lost his balance as Yongnam suddenly surged forward with a hard butt of his sword, almost lifting the other knight clean off his feet by the force of his attack.

"G-get up- no, block-um" Himchan's eyes were opened wide as he stammered, sounding frazzled as he watched Jaehyo struggle to block a flurry of swings directed his way "Move to your left-"

"Yongnam, follow him, aim for his chest!"

"Jaehyo, hit his r-right sid-"

"Now, Yongnam, right in his heart!"

Yongguk watched with an air of victory as the blunted point of the sword struck Jaehyo's chest, his own sword knocked from his hand. He heard Yongnam say something, most likely a smug little boast, before the two knights were suddenly engaged back into a fervent fight all of their own, dancing out of the square and down the hill much to the regale and amusement of onlookers.

"Wow, Bbang" Himchan said in a soft, awed voice, his eyes never leaving Yongguk's even as the warring knights stepped passed them. He began to babble excitedly "That was amazing, I knew you could do it! Why didn't you listen to me? Haha, I knew I was right all along. You seriously seemed like a leader general just then. Even though I'm a great commander myself you totally took me by surprise (I mean, if we did it again, I'd be more ready to beat you) I was like, Jaehyo move- but you were like-" Himchan's voice turned deep and growly as he imitated Yongguk's voice "-no, Yongnam obliterate him! And then if this was real then Jaehyo would be like- super killed!"

Yongguk let out an angry snort of breath through his nose. He barely listened as he strode purposefully towards Himchan, catching him by the shoulders and cutting him off as he pressed him up against the tree. Himchan's sentence died in his throat, a curiously dazed look in his eyes and a pink flush on his cheeks that was driving Yongguk crazy. Yongguk didn't quite know or understand just what this persistent urgency was bubbling inside of him was exactly, but he needed to let it flow out now.

"Himchan you're the most irritating person I've ever had the misfortune of meeting" Yongguk grit out. "You're loud, you're bossy and you never listen. You always think you know best and you're always- pushing me, teasing me, bringing me into your silly games whether I want you to or not, deciding I have to be your husband out of nowhere...Seriously, you cause me so many headaches"

Just as Himchan looked fit to protest, his lower lip jutting out indignantly, Yongguk glowered into his eyes and moved forward in one solid motion, whacking their foreheads together hard enough to bruise "...And I'd really like for you to marry me"

There was a worrying moment when Himchan's head lolled and he fell silent and Yongguk began to worry he had knocked him unconscious.

"You can say...no...if you want" Yongguk finished lamely before jerking in surprise as Himchan's head shot up as if he'd been electrocuted, eyes wide and looking like he could kill him for even suggesting the idea.

"Are you kidding me, Yongguk?" Himchan smiled wickedly, wrapping his arms around his neck and sliding their lips together in a sweet, teasing kiss that Yongguk could lose himself in "I've known I was going to marry you since I was eight years old"

---

Yongguk's proposal had unleashed some sort of insatiable force inside of Himchan.

"No. Not here, we can't-" Yongguk whispered urgently as Himchan backed him into a remote crevice inside the wall on one of the quieter floors, all crude teasing smiles and sparkling eyes as he pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to his lips. Yongguk was both aroused and appalled. What if someone saw?

Himchan didn't seem to have a care in the world however, leaning in further and gazing up at Yongguk with a put-on pout "Are you rejecting me?"

"N-no of course not, don't be ridiculous- Himchan, no!"

"What?" Himchan asked innocently. His hand had slid from Yongguk's chest to palm at the crotch of his pants. He let out a whine of protest as Yongguk took him by the wrist and lifted his fingers away "Aren't you attracted to me?"

"I-" Yongguk could feel his face turning a beetroot red and he blew his bangs out of his eyes, flustered. Himchan was just so close. Yongguk had lost himself for an entire moment just by staring at his lips: plump and red and curved teasingly, it was as if they were almost urging him to taste them "You're quite lovely" He said, haltingly, cheeks pricklingly hot.

Himchan preened "So what's the matter?"

"We'll...we'll be wed shortly. We have to wait. We have to" Yongguk repeated, more to himself than anything. He had to be strict, both with Himchan and with...his own body. He willed himself to stay cool "After that, we're free t-to do as we please"

"Ah, always such a stickler for the rules, Bbang" Himchan chided gently, his eyes falling to half-lids. He stopped struggling against the grip on his wrist and let it go limp, softly moving his hand to entwine his fingers with Yongguk's. His voice dropped to a silken whisper, slowly leaning forward to drop his chin on Yongguk's shoulder so that he was speaking directly into his ear "And what would it please you to do with me, your grace?"

Yongguk let his head tip back against the cool brick of the wall, closing his eyes and groaning "You're seriously driving me crazy-"

He could practically feel Himchan's smirk "You know, I've thought about you sitting in the seat of King Kwangsoo the Conqueror, me in your lap, consummating-"

Yongguk's breathing had turned long and shallow, the material of his pants becoming uncomfortably tight "Really-?" He stopped that train of thought in its tracks. He had repressed these urges for so much of his teenage life- he could withhold another short while, even with this warm, eager body snuggling into his..."Himchan..."

"Sorry" He murmured, not really sounding it. He spoke more quietly then, a longing rasp in his deep voice as he nuzzled his lips against the hot skin of Yongguk's neck "I want you to hold me in bed again, like you did when we were twelve after...you know. You were so comforting, so...sturdy, like a rock. I felt safe even though it was dark. That's when I knew for sure"

"Knew what?" Yongguk asked gently. Feeling brave, he moved his hand to cup Himchan's cheek so that the other boy was facing him.

Himchan's teeth bit down on his lower lip and he looked uncharacteristically shy and awkward for a moment, studying Yongguk's eyes intently and looking almost ready to bolt at the first sign of rejection "Even if it was an accident when you first proposed to me, I always liked you" His cheeks heated over and he faltered, lowering his eyes "And it was after you held me that night that I knew that I wanted you to do it again, for real. You've always been my first love"

Yongguk couldn't breath for a moment. It felt like there was a cork stoppered in his throat blocking out all air. "Me?" He asked, before he could stop himself. Luckily for him this helped to bring Himchan's gaze back to his as he scoffed and smacked him on the chest.

"Yes you!"

"Why were you always annoying me then!?"

Himchan's eyebrows furrowed indignantly "That's what you do when you like someone!"

"You're crazy" Yongguk whispered wonderingly, a grin splitting his face. He pressed a kiss to Himchan's head and laughed as the other boy huffed against his shoulder, leaning down to capture his lips in a longer, deeper kiss. He felt his stomach stir again, hot curls licking his insides as Himchan flicked his tongue against his and cupped him behind the neck to pull him closer in. Yongguk's mind was heady in a way it had never felt before. All of this was new and exciting, scary and exhilarating all at once, and he was glad it was Himchan he was experiencing it with. Feeling daring, he slid his hand down the line of Himchan's body, urged on by the small, appreciative mewl Himchan let into his mouth, slipping it down lower to cup the curve of his-

"What, what, what are you two doing over there!?"

"Oh shoot" This was exactly the metaphorical cold shower Yongguk needed.

"Find me later!" Himchan called as a furious Lord Kang all but dragged him down the hallway, muttering about obscene displays of physical affection in public and outside of wedlock too, oh how their parents would be hearing about this...

Prince Yongguk, first in line to the Kingdom of Mato, stared after his squirming Fiancé with an awed look on his features.

A week later, as he watched Himchan's belongings being carried and packed away into his ship to take him back home to Tokki, Yongguk felt as if a little piece of him was being torn away.

"Remember who gave you that bruise" Yongguk said in a rumbling voice as he held Himchan to his chest, heart thudding as Himchan threaded his fingers through the short hair on the back of his neck. "Seriously, I don't want you to even cover it up either. Wear it like a badge of honour"

"Bbang, don't make our engagement sound like we were in some kind of an intergalactic war together" Himchan chided, rolling his eyes "Besides, I doubt I could forget it; it's so dark I don't think it'll even fade for the rest of the year!" He complained. Yongguk secretly held a smug amount of pride in himself for that.

Himchan's lips suddenly broke into a large smile, the kind where his whole face seemed struck by a burst of light and reached two fingers up to poke at the purplish mark on Yongguk's own forehead "Don't you dare forget me either and go flirting with any lords and ladies that take your fancy, okay? You're mine"

Yongguk slid a hand into his soft hair as they embraced again, nosing Himchan's cheek and closing his eyes. For the first time, a year without Himchan was a year he was dreading.

---

A year later, on the day of his royal wedding, Yongguk had began to fret.

It had been near a full year since he had last seen Himchan. 'What if his feelings for me have changed?' He thought miserably, picturing Himchan in his mind, the endlessly sociable and effortlessly charming Prince. Whereas Yongguk took to secluding himself in his room when he didn't absolutely have to be present, he could imagine Himchan feeling completely at home in court; laughing at jokes, accepting gifts, awed by the travelling performers that came to entertain for him. He would have met so many kinds of interesting people from all over the galaxy.

What if he didn't care for Yongguk anymore?

"What in Mato's name is the matter with you, 'Guk?" Yongnam asked tiredly, sensing his brother's worries most likely by the dark frown etched upon his face. "You look sour enough to scare the entire wedding party away"

"It's nothing" Yongguk lied acidly, sounding bitter even to his own ears. Of course Yongguk wouldn't blame Himchan if that was the case. Himchan was bright and extroverted, like the flickering flame of a candle, and Yongguk wouldn't be the one to extinguish his light. It was only natural that one day Himchan would have met someone like himself and become attracted to them instead of boring, awkward Yongguk. He steeled himself for it.

"You're not about to get cold feet, are you?" Yongnam asked lightly. There was a serious note to his joking tone as he gently nudged his twin in the side, real concern showing in his eyes "Surely you don't want to back out now? I have to say finding an escape route for you when just about the entire planet has come to watch you wed may prove to be a daunting task"

Yongguk looked around him, swallowing. A lot rode on this union. This day would be well-documented in all of the history books and would also mark the first day of Yongguk and Himchan's reign as Kings of their newly joint Kingdoms.

They were in the Palace of Mato's Royal gardens, stood beneath an old, strong oak tree. A carpet had been laid down the grassy path that stretched back to the Palace doors. The gates had been open to the public and it did indeed seem as if the entire population had come to bare witness to the royal wedding. The union was a decidedly popular and widely supported event for their people- it would, after all, result in lower taxes.

"I don't have cold feet" Yongguk insisted, tugging uncomfortably at his collar. Images of Himchan flashed in his mind, his teasing smile, deep eyes staring infinitely into his own, tender kisses and a hand tugging his wrist, trailing loud laughter behind him as he ran. He felt a pang in his heart. They were young. A lot could change in a year. Yongguk just knew for certain that his feelings had remained immovably, hopelessly the same "I hope Himchan doesn't either"

As soon as the words left his lips it felt as if his heart had sunk.

He looked up as he heard Yongnam let out a sigh of exasperation, staring at Yongguk as if he was an idiot "What?" He said, riled, trying to keep his voice low so only his best man could hear him. Sitting in the best seat in the Garden directly across from them was his Mother, hands clasped with Himchan's Father and a box of tissues sat between them. He gave them a stiff smile "Look, I'm preparing myself for it, that's all-"

He cut off with a growl as Yongnam had the gall to laugh in his face.

"Pardon me, Bang Yongguk, your grace, but you are an utter fool" Yongnam shook his head, a disbelieving smile on his lips as he took his brother by his rigid shoulders and shook them slightly, as if to make him see sense "Truth be told, Yongguk, if you're worried about this then you must not have realised that you have never had to worry about Himchan wanting to marry you"

Yongguk merely blinked in his face. Yongnam was looking at him so knowingly, with so much conviction, as if there were a puzzle piece sitting right in front of him and Yongguk couldn't see it to complete his jigsaw "What are you saying?"

Yongnam sighed "Yongguk, Himchan hasn't had eyes for anyone but you since we were eight years old" When he stares into his twin's creased frown of confusion, he persists "Just think about it"

"Oh" Yongguk whispers softly, realisation casting over his features "Oh"

"There" Yongnam grinned, smacking him heartily on the back until his face snapped out of it's blank, awed expression "Now you have nothing to worry about...apart from, you know, messing up your vows in front of everyone or-"

"Shut up" Yongguk tried to growl but it didn't quite work when he couldn't fight the smile from his lips and was feeling positively elated inside.

"Eh, is that anyway for a King to talk?" Yongnam chided but suddenly his voice was distorted and distant to Yongguk's ears, as if it had been carried away by the wind. It might as well have been for all he cared in that moment because it was then that he noticed Himchan arriving.

Yongguk couldn't remember breathing as his fiancé walked towards him, the stretch leading to their meeting seeming to last forever, camera flashes playing on his pale, smiling face as the media craned for the best picture to take. All he could remember was Yongnam's words from before in his mind as he met Himchan's eyes: they never strayed from his.

"I missed you" Yongguk breathed when Himchan reaches him and they stand opposite one another, both hands entwined. He wanted to savour every moment and wanted everything to be over with at the same time- he felt impatient, wanted them to be together now.

The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur. Yongguk stumbled a little through his vows but that was only because he was distracted by everything Himchan (his hair, his lips, his fingers as they squeezed his own, his cute laugh whenever Yongguk rambled) and their history together. It felt so surreal and yet so right that they should be there now.

When it was time for the kiss Yongguk forgot they had an audience, forgot everything in the world besides himself and Himchan and lost himself in that sweet, electric moment their lips touched. He sighed deeply when Himchan was the one to pull him closer, to keep the kiss going, letting out soft moans into his mouth and flicking his tongue against his.

It was over too soon for Yongguk's liking whethey broke apart and were rushed down the aisle, holding hands and grinning as they passed the hoards of cheering, somewhat scandalised public, new Royal crowns balancing on their heads as confetti was scattered as far as the eye could see.

Himchan made sure that Yongguk's ears were burning enough for everyone in the newly named Kingdom of Matoki to notice as he whispered, low and teasing into his ear, a wicked look in his glittering eyes "You know, it used to be tradition for the royal couple to consummate their wedding night under that oak tree"

---

Himchan still had confetti in his hair when Yongguk gently pressed them both down into bed. He picked it out tenderly and blew it away, cheeks warming as Himchan laughed.

He took a moment just to push himself up onto his elbows and stare down into his husband's deep brown eyes, tracing a finger from his chin to his forehead. Himchan still wore his crown "Your bruise faded"

"It didn't" Himchan replied, smile widening, reaching up two fingers to press softly to where a mark had once been on Yongguk's forehead "Yours didn't either, right?"

"No" Yongguk shook his head, a quiet sort of happiness that he couldn't quite explain filling up inside of him "No, it didn't"

This seemed to satisfy Himchan only for a moment, his hand moving to cup Yongguk's cheek and stilling there, warm but frozen "Yongguk" He said, suddenly tensing up. He pressed his lips together uncomfortably "You-do you...do you love me? Or is all of this just you sticking to the rules and marrying me because you have t-"

Yongguk silenced that ridiculous train of thought by kissing him, almost vicious in his conviction. Himchan moaned, winding his arms around Yongguk's neck as he seemed to sink into the kiss, their hot breaths mixing as they pulled apart only to clash lips once more, each channeling every feeling, every memory, every dream that they had repressed over the years.

When they finally broke apart they were both breathless and flushed, hair dishevelled and a matching look in their eyes.

"Of course I love you, you idiot" Yongguk murmured wonderingly, pressing another soft kiss to Himchan's red, parted lips and holding it for a moment longer.

Their noses brushed as Himchan leant up, that smile Yongguk had fallen for returning "I love you too"

"If anyone had told me I would be here when I was eight-"

"I could have" Himchan said smugly, all traces of earlier anxieties melted away. He settled back against the pillows with a relaxed, sated look on his face, as if he was admiring his husband. He drew back a hand so he could run his fingers down Yongguk's arm, lingering by his muscles "I just didn't know you would turn out like this"

Yongguk blushed, flustered. Himchan's praise and touch was making his head begin to spin "Well, I couldn't have imagined an annoying little rat like you could have turned out so beautiful" He grinned as Himchan smacked him and stuck out his bottom lip irritably "Hey, I'm just nervous because you look pretty incredible right now and I have no idea what I'm doing"

Himchan's eyes widened slightly at his confession, hesitance leaking into his eyes and a small smile on his lips as he admitted "Me either" Swallowing, he ran his hand more firmly up and down his husband's bicep with a determined, longing look in his eyes before taking Yongguk by the shoulder and encouraging him to lean down, pressing their bodies flush together. They both gasped at the friction: they had become more excited than Yongguk had realised before "I just know that I want to do this with you"

"Just don't be too demanding, okay?" Yongguk smiled, planting a trail of kisses down Himchan's sharp jaw, secretly hoping otherwise.

Himchan just grinned wickedly, adjusting his crown as he wrapped his legs around Yongguk's waist "I can't promise you that. You might be the leader, but you know that I'm still the commander, right?..."

FIN