| eventually jihoon listened to the kid he used to be, procuring himself a prince to protect and love unconditionally. | ENG |
pairing : park jihoon & bang yedam ( and : watanabe haruto & kim doyoung / kanemoto yoshinori & choi hyunsuk )
start : 202...
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the three brothers gathered in the throne room. the king wanted to meet all of his descendants. the man wanted to discuss some urgent matter. yedam was the second one to appear in the respective space, hyunsuk was as always first, came in most probably right after hearing the "king wants you to..." sentence, running here as if his life depended on the time he arrived.
two boys exchanged looks, the younger crossing his brows asking silently what was the reason behind this unprecedented gathering. hyunsuk only swivelled his head, implying that he didn't know either.
and that was a lie. the crown prince had a premonition but he thought it was too soon to let his brothers know about it. for now, it has been a matter handled only by him and their father. why would he suddenly decide to involve kids in it? if it didn't even regard them or had any relations to their lives?
yedam sat down next to hyunsuk, his eyes wandering around the amply congested table. it wasn't the time of their dining so if the king ordered servants to prepare it, he must have had an idea of a longer conversation.
neither hyunsuk nor yedam started feasting. hyunsuk lost appetite if he even had had one before coming here, meanwhile the middle prince stirred a little on the spot with impatience. no one knew what he did the night before, no one has asked him why he needed food so late at night, no one, even the soldiers mounting guard at his door didn't conclude a thing.
no one knew - hyunsuk didn't, doyoung didn't. they had never had any secrets before, any issues they couldn't talk over. something has changed - hyunsuk didn't know about jihoon, yedam didn't know what an idea his older brother put into the king's head, even the youngest had now something to hide. and this pure flower had a lot more than yedam or hyunsuk could be aware of.
speaking of the which, the doors opened and the last invited figure went inside. the boy with ruffled hair, cheeks reddish, and clothes disordered, with one or two unbuttoned buttons and the sleeves crumpled, approached his two brothers joyfully.
"have you seen how the pink tulips opened within the night?! I stopped by the garden this morning and they greeted me with open arms! hyung have you been to the garden already?"
doyoung shook yedam's arm while talking, his voice agitated, excited. the middle prince watched him fondly.
"I haven't seen yet you will take hyung to the garden after this thing is over alright?"
doyoung nodded strongly as if resolving to fulfil this task handed to him in earnest, and then as hyunsuk beckoned he let the oldest take care of his garment - the crown prince put all the buttons in the respective holes, soothed the material of the lapels and shirt, unveiled the folded wings of the frills, lastly coaxing the boy's always tousled brown hair. although the color couldn't have been described as brown only, for it was a disputable point - this dark brown under particular circumstances could be seen as a deep shade of claret. yedam used to tease the other that he ate too many beetroots as a kid which entailed it. hyunsuk however had his own theory and doyoung liked the other one more. since the youngest spent so much time with flowers, he started transforming into one of them.
"I have always wanted to be a flower!" he gushed whenever the hair discussion emerged in the past. "I wanted to be admired by others, I wanted butterflies to kiss me, I wanted to drink the rain and open my eyes whenever the sun was in full bloom."
"do you still want to be a flower doyoungie?" a question was more like a thought accidentally let out of hyunsuk's mouth.
he was still stroking doyoung's hair, trying to flatten the unruly strains. the answer he had expected and not only he but the other brother as well, was "yes" and when a contradiction interfered instead, two pairs of eyes became concerned.
"I don't have to be a flower to be admired by others. my human form can be admired too. I don't need butterflies to kiss me, I prefer... someone else's kisses. drinking rain would probably be very tedious and the sun could scorch me if I didn't cover my skin. I let flowers be flowers and humans be humans."
yedam didn't like the "someone else's kisses" part which completely outshone the rest of his monologue. whilst hyunsuk decided to let go of the topic, yedam dug more.
"doyoungie... whose kisses are better than butterflies'?" the question might have been a little terse but yedam couldn't take it back now.
the youngest prince's eyes unconsciously dilated, his gaze lost, swivelling to and fro not knowing what to adjust on.
"hyung I mean –"
the doors opened again. this time the attention of three got devoted to the old man stepping into the hall. they all stood up, bowed, and waited. doyoung didn't finish his sentence. the father motioned them to relax, and so the family was now complete.
when the king sat down and proceeded to eat the food present, the boys exchanged sly looks nevertheless no one dared to interrupt the silence first. no one could become vocal before the monarch spoke. doyoung just shrugged and took a steaming tea to his hands. yedam took a glance at the table, all the dishes not very tempting and his stomach still digesting the breakfast, he winced unnoticeably. such a waste of food, if jihoon was here he would be in heaven.
fifteen minutes of complete lolling passed, hyunsuk forcing himself to munch the porridge and yedam stirring his using an excuse that it is still too hot to eat. at least doyoung acted, as usual, thanks to him and the king the room didn't fall entirely silent although all that could make a sound were utensils, bowls, plates.
"I have something to solemnly announce to you. tomorrow it will be announced to the public but since you are my blood you have the right to know it first." the king spoke, just the minute yedam took a china cup into his hand intending to pour some water inside.
his hand was still hovering in the air with the cup, whilst he watched carefully how the man directed the next sentence to his elder brother.
"I considered your idea crown prince but I have decided not to bring it to life. still, I share your opinion that we are bound to have a closer relationship with the king kanemoto and his kingdom."
hyunsuk's hand halted, the tips of his fingers clenching around the spoon. yedam saw how the initial spark in his eyes extinguished.
"prince yedam."
upon hearing his name, the middle prince started involuntarily. this time king's eyes fell on his figure, a half-smile on the man's face sort of spur.
"we will have you marry the brother of king kanemoto, prince haruto."
sudden clash of metal chopsticks against the plate. doyoung coughing uncontrollably, reaching for the water nearby.
the empty, deafening thud, the cup has a long scratch from its bottom to the brim. yedam's hand dropped the teacup, his all muscles weak, breath sharp and rushed.
