Ashes; part vii
jongkey | cinderella!au | fluff (for now) | pg | part vii/?
a/n: get ready for some fluff!! and then more fluff!!! and a fluffy bunbun corpse!!!
The time had come for the ball, and Kibum was stuck in the attic, looking through the elegant dress clothes his mother made for him. Golden and satin, beautiful and perfect for wearing to your first ball. He tried them on, his smile growing wider as he caught sight of himself in the dusty mirror. Kibum thought that he didn’t look as pig-like as usual, and perhaps his step-family would let him tag along seeing as how he wouldn’t embarrass them with his looks.
Taking two steps at a time, he ran down the stairs and beamed at his step-mother. “Lady Tremaine, I found something suitable to wear. Can I go with you now?”
With their mouths agape, the two sisters looked at their mother with wide eyes. Surely she wouldn’t let him go with them just because he looked perfect? “In that?” She said, her long, spindly finger pointing at Kibum.
“Yes! My mother made it for me, don’t you think I look handsome?”
“Handsome? You?” She scoffed, glancing at her daughters. She winked, and just like that, the sisters leaped on Kibum, scratching and tearing at his clothes, leaving claw marks in their wake on his skin. They laughed maniacally, looping their arms together when they saw the devastated look on the boy’s face. Lady Tremaine smiled triumphantly at the torn clothes, and reminded herself to reward her daughters for making Kibum look like he had been mauled by a cat.
His eyes welling up, Kibum opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out other than quiet croaks. He stood there, watching as the ladies went outside to the carriage awaiting them. They waved, laughing to themselves. “Bye, bye, dear Cinder!”
As soon as they shut the door, Kibum started sniffling, trying hard to contain the sobs that tried to ruin is dignity. It didn’t work, and he fell to the floor, taking off his shirt and staring at the ruined satin. He really had nothing anymore, not even the things his mother made for him were safe. How long would it take before everything in the attic was gone? Before he himself was gone, buried far, far away from his parents out of Lady Tremaine’s spite?
Just as his wailing quieted, there was a knock at the door. He stood up, wiping his pants and covering his bare chest with the rags of his ruined shirt. “Hello?” He said, his voice cracking. He looked out the door, staring at two men boring their eyes straight into him.
“Can I help you?”
A young man spoke, pointing at an older -much older -man while coughs wracked his body. “My grandfather needs someplace to rest for a moment, and the village is too far away in this cold, cold night. Can we stop here and get a drink before we move on?”
“Sure, sure. Yes, I’ll get you two some warm soup, I have some left over,” Kibum said, wiping his red eyes with his shirt and beckoning the two men inside. He practically shoved them onto the couches in the drawing room, running to get a fire going.
The young man joined him in the kitchen, staring at Kibum intently. “Is there something else you need?” Kibum asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under the man’s gaze. He scrunched his nose like a rabbit, laughing as he brushed his brown hair behind his ear. “No, thank you. It’s just… I’ve never seen you from this high up before, that’s all.”
“Wha-“ he gasped, before a loud, crackling voice interrupted him.
“Jinki!” The old man called, wobbling into the kitchen to join the other two. “I told you to wait a moment, I wanted to reveal myself first!”
“Sorry, Taemin, but I was just so excited to be seeing Kibum again!” The man named Jinki laughed, wrinkling his nose again.
“What? What’s going on?! Who are you?!” Kibum cried, pointing at Jinki with a wobbly finger. “J-jinki? My Jinki?”
“The one and only!” The man replied, putting one arm behind his back and the other over his waist, bowing. “Taemin borrowed me for a while, I hope you didn’t miss me too much!”
“Taemin? Miss you? What’s going on?” He grasped his shirt even tighter to his chest.
“Ah, I can explain!” The old man said. Before Kibum’s eyes, he transformed into a much younger man, perhaps younger than Kibum himself, with long black hair and a mischevious smile. “I’m your fairy god… brother? I don’t know, you’re my first client! Your fairy god-mother retired a couple of weeks ago, and when they assigned me to you, I needed help getting to know you better so I could perform my job to the best of my abilities. So, I took Jinki.”
“But Jinki is a rabbit!”
“Oh, I know! A cute rabbit, too. But as you can see, I turned him into a handsome fellow so he could speak to me, about you.”
Kibum nearly fainted, holding on to the nearest table top for support. The kitchen was silent for a moment, save for the boiling water of the soup that Kibum was supposed to be heating up. “Why did you come to me like this?” He asked, his voice several times calmer than before.
“It’s a required test, to see if even when you’re emotionally distraught, you’re still generous and kind. You are, so I’ll give you some gifts.”
“Gifts? What gifts?”
“I’m going to help you get to the ball,” Taemin said happily, hanging on to Jinki and pulling out a thin, white stick from his shirt. “Come, come. Let’s get you ready.” He tapped the table with the stick, and golden sparks flew out the end. "Ah, there we go! Come here Kibum, give me your shirt."
"My shirt? Why?"
"So I can fix it up, of course, what else would I do?"
"A-alright..." He handed his fairy god-brother his ruined clothes, crossing his arms of his chest uncomfortably.
Taemin waved his wand, muttering strange words to himself, and suddenly, the shirt was bathed in the same golden sparks as before. "There, all good now!"
Kibum looked at the shirt, his eyes as wide as saucers. "It's blue now! You did more than just fix it!" He yelled, upset that it wasn't kept to it's original design.
"Come on, the gold and white thing is getting old. Blue looks amazing with your hair and eyes, aren't I right? Jinki, what do you think?" He asked, turning to the quiet man munching on lettuce a few feet away.
"It looks perfect, Kibum you should wear it!"
"Oh, alright. But after this, can you change it so it's exactly how it was when my mother made it?"
"Sure, sure, but I warn you that my magic isn't permanent, alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"Eh, I'll tell you later, let's go get your ride ready."
Jonghyun sighed, looking around the large ball room for the nth time, probing every single face there in case he missed the one he was truly looking for. “See someone that interests you?” His father asked, patting his son on the back.
“No, not yet. But I hope they’ll be here soon,” he sighed again, resting his chin against his folded arms.
“Would you like to talk about them, Jonghyun?”
“There’s nothing to say… he’s just… perfect.”
“He? Jonghyun, you know the law, you have to marry a-“
“Woman so I can have heirs. I already know this, father. But… he’s better than a wife and kids. He’s better than everyone and I only got to spend a couple of hours with him.”
“Jonghyun, how do you know he wasn’t putting on an act? Commoners tend to do that around royals, you know.”
“I know, but he seemed to be genuinely interested in me… and I doubt he really knows who I am, he believed me when I told him I was a lowly apprentice.”
“You lied? Why?”
“You already said it yourself, father. People tend to act differently around royals. I didn’t want him to be the same as the rest of the country.”
The king huffed, scratching absentmindedly at his white beard, then patting his round stomach thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose I can’t stop you from befriending whomever you wish. I still expect you to marry a Princess, though, and there’s plenty of them here. Go and dance, Jonghyun. Find someone that you can be comfortable with, at least.”
“Alright. I’ll see you later, father.” Jonghyun solemnly walked down from the balcony, looking at the pretty faces of many royals up close. He nodded at the first princess he saw, offering his hand to lead the next dance.
For an hour, he danced, switching partners with the same amount of non-existent interest, but he smiled nonetheless. He had to put on a good show, after all. Because, even if he couldn’t choose someone, a princess would be chosen, with or without his approval. It was, regrettably, a marriage meant to strengthen the country, not the royal bloodline. As it were, the King’s and Duke’s eyes were on the Princess of Spain, their eyes glinting at the prospect of having a sizable army to protect the people.
Jonghyun’s eyes, however, were at the top of the stairs, where a beautiful boy stood.
He wore a silver and blue ruffled shirt, and a shiny golden vest. Even from a distance, Jonghyun could tell how expensive those clothes must be, and the diamonds, oh the diamonds. The boy wore diamond earrings, and had a belt encrusted with jewels. How was this the same boy as before, in the woods? But it must be, for his face was as fine as the days before, and his hair still shone brilliantly in the intense candle light from the chandeliers. He was holding the hand of another handsome young man, his brown hair curled and fluffy, and his clothes seemed much more simple and cheap than Cinder’s.
All heads turned to look at the pair, all eyes staring at the two handsome boys walking slowly down the grand staircase onto the marble floors. Pushing past the dazed people, Jonghyun rushed to get to Cinder. A minute later and he stood before him, slightly out of breath, and smiling with the brilliance of a dozen stars. Kibum mirrored his smile, his dimple showing.
He has a dimple, my lord he has a dimple, Jonghyun thought, giggling to himself. He took a hesitant step forward, and extended his hand.
“Care to grant me the honor of a dance, beautiful Cinder?”
a/n: get ready for some fluff!! and then more fluff!!! and a fluffy bunbun corpse!!!
The time had come for the ball, and Kibum was stuck in the attic, looking through the elegant dress clothes his mother made for him. Golden and satin, beautiful and perfect for wearing to your first ball. He tried them on, his smile growing wider as he caught sight of himself in the dusty mirror. Kibum thought that he didn’t look as pig-like as usual, and perhaps his step-family would let him tag along seeing as how he wouldn’t embarrass them with his looks.
Taking two steps at a time, he ran down the stairs and beamed at his step-mother. “Lady Tremaine, I found something suitable to wear. Can I go with you now?”
With their mouths agape, the two sisters looked at their mother with wide eyes. Surely she wouldn’t let him go with them just because he looked perfect? “In that?” She said, her long, spindly finger pointing at Kibum.
“Yes! My mother made it for me, don’t you think I look handsome?”
“Handsome? You?” She scoffed, glancing at her daughters. She winked, and just like that, the sisters leaped on Kibum, scratching and tearing at his clothes, leaving claw marks in their wake on his skin. They laughed maniacally, looping their arms together when they saw the devastated look on the boy’s face. Lady Tremaine smiled triumphantly at the torn clothes, and reminded herself to reward her daughters for making Kibum look like he had been mauled by a cat.
His eyes welling up, Kibum opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out other than quiet croaks. He stood there, watching as the ladies went outside to the carriage awaiting them. They waved, laughing to themselves. “Bye, bye, dear Cinder!”
As soon as they shut the door, Kibum started sniffling, trying hard to contain the sobs that tried to ruin is dignity. It didn’t work, and he fell to the floor, taking off his shirt and staring at the ruined satin. He really had nothing anymore, not even the things his mother made for him were safe. How long would it take before everything in the attic was gone? Before he himself was gone, buried far, far away from his parents out of Lady Tremaine’s spite?
Just as his wailing quieted, there was a knock at the door. He stood up, wiping his pants and covering his bare chest with the rags of his ruined shirt. “Hello?” He said, his voice cracking. He looked out the door, staring at two men boring their eyes straight into him.
“Can I help you?”
A young man spoke, pointing at an older -much older -man while coughs wracked his body. “My grandfather needs someplace to rest for a moment, and the village is too far away in this cold, cold night. Can we stop here and get a drink before we move on?”
“Sure, sure. Yes, I’ll get you two some warm soup, I have some left over,” Kibum said, wiping his red eyes with his shirt and beckoning the two men inside. He practically shoved them onto the couches in the drawing room, running to get a fire going.
The young man joined him in the kitchen, staring at Kibum intently. “Is there something else you need?” Kibum asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under the man’s gaze. He scrunched his nose like a rabbit, laughing as he brushed his brown hair behind his ear. “No, thank you. It’s just… I’ve never seen you from this high up before, that’s all.”
“Wha-“ he gasped, before a loud, crackling voice interrupted him.
“Jinki!” The old man called, wobbling into the kitchen to join the other two. “I told you to wait a moment, I wanted to reveal myself first!”
“Sorry, Taemin, but I was just so excited to be seeing Kibum again!” The man named Jinki laughed, wrinkling his nose again.
“What? What’s going on?! Who are you?!” Kibum cried, pointing at Jinki with a wobbly finger. “J-jinki? My Jinki?”
“The one and only!” The man replied, putting one arm behind his back and the other over his waist, bowing. “Taemin borrowed me for a while, I hope you didn’t miss me too much!”
“Taemin? Miss you? What’s going on?” He grasped his shirt even tighter to his chest.
“Ah, I can explain!” The old man said. Before Kibum’s eyes, he transformed into a much younger man, perhaps younger than Kibum himself, with long black hair and a mischevious smile. “I’m your fairy god… brother? I don’t know, you’re my first client! Your fairy god-mother retired a couple of weeks ago, and when they assigned me to you, I needed help getting to know you better so I could perform my job to the best of my abilities. So, I took Jinki.”
“But Jinki is a rabbit!”
“Oh, I know! A cute rabbit, too. But as you can see, I turned him into a handsome fellow so he could speak to me, about you.”
Kibum nearly fainted, holding on to the nearest table top for support. The kitchen was silent for a moment, save for the boiling water of the soup that Kibum was supposed to be heating up. “Why did you come to me like this?” He asked, his voice several times calmer than before.
“It’s a required test, to see if even when you’re emotionally distraught, you’re still generous and kind. You are, so I’ll give you some gifts.”
“Gifts? What gifts?”
“I’m going to help you get to the ball,” Taemin said happily, hanging on to Jinki and pulling out a thin, white stick from his shirt. “Come, come. Let’s get you ready.” He tapped the table with the stick, and golden sparks flew out the end. "Ah, there we go! Come here Kibum, give me your shirt."
"My shirt? Why?"
"So I can fix it up, of course, what else would I do?"
"A-alright..." He handed his fairy god-brother his ruined clothes, crossing his arms of his chest uncomfortably.
Taemin waved his wand, muttering strange words to himself, and suddenly, the shirt was bathed in the same golden sparks as before. "There, all good now!"
Kibum looked at the shirt, his eyes as wide as saucers. "It's blue now! You did more than just fix it!" He yelled, upset that it wasn't kept to it's original design.
"Come on, the gold and white thing is getting old. Blue looks amazing with your hair and eyes, aren't I right? Jinki, what do you think?" He asked, turning to the quiet man munching on lettuce a few feet away.
"It looks perfect, Kibum you should wear it!"
"Oh, alright. But after this, can you change it so it's exactly how it was when my mother made it?"
"Sure, sure, but I warn you that my magic isn't permanent, alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"Eh, I'll tell you later, let's go get your ride ready."
Jonghyun sighed, looking around the large ball room for the nth time, probing every single face there in case he missed the one he was truly looking for. “See someone that interests you?” His father asked, patting his son on the back.
“No, not yet. But I hope they’ll be here soon,” he sighed again, resting his chin against his folded arms.
“Would you like to talk about them, Jonghyun?”
“There’s nothing to say… he’s just… perfect.”
“He? Jonghyun, you know the law, you have to marry a-“
“Woman so I can have heirs. I already know this, father. But… he’s better than a wife and kids. He’s better than everyone and I only got to spend a couple of hours with him.”
“Jonghyun, how do you know he wasn’t putting on an act? Commoners tend to do that around royals, you know.”
“I know, but he seemed to be genuinely interested in me… and I doubt he really knows who I am, he believed me when I told him I was a lowly apprentice.”
“You lied? Why?”
“You already said it yourself, father. People tend to act differently around royals. I didn’t want him to be the same as the rest of the country.”
The king huffed, scratching absentmindedly at his white beard, then patting his round stomach thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose I can’t stop you from befriending whomever you wish. I still expect you to marry a Princess, though, and there’s plenty of them here. Go and dance, Jonghyun. Find someone that you can be comfortable with, at least.”
“Alright. I’ll see you later, father.” Jonghyun solemnly walked down from the balcony, looking at the pretty faces of many royals up close. He nodded at the first princess he saw, offering his hand to lead the next dance.
For an hour, he danced, switching partners with the same amount of non-existent interest, but he smiled nonetheless. He had to put on a good show, after all. Because, even if he couldn’t choose someone, a princess would be chosen, with or without his approval. It was, regrettably, a marriage meant to strengthen the country, not the royal bloodline. As it were, the King’s and Duke’s eyes were on the Princess of Spain, their eyes glinting at the prospect of having a sizable army to protect the people.
Jonghyun’s eyes, however, were at the top of the stairs, where a beautiful boy stood.
He wore a silver and blue ruffled shirt, and a shiny golden vest. Even from a distance, Jonghyun could tell how expensive those clothes must be, and the diamonds, oh the diamonds. The boy wore diamond earrings, and had a belt encrusted with jewels. How was this the same boy as before, in the woods? But it must be, for his face was as fine as the days before, and his hair still shone brilliantly in the intense candle light from the chandeliers. He was holding the hand of another handsome young man, his brown hair curled and fluffy, and his clothes seemed much more simple and cheap than Cinder’s.
All heads turned to look at the pair, all eyes staring at the two handsome boys walking slowly down the grand staircase onto the marble floors. Pushing past the dazed people, Jonghyun rushed to get to Cinder. A minute later and he stood before him, slightly out of breath, and smiling with the brilliance of a dozen stars. Kibum mirrored his smile, his dimple showing.
He has a dimple, my lord he has a dimple, Jonghyun thought, giggling to himself. He took a hesitant step forward, and extended his hand.
“Care to grant me the honor of a dance, beautiful Cinder?”