pleia | svt

15

the boys snapped out of their brother's hypnosis, their eyes going wide and brimming with tears.

"hyungs...?" chan whispered, his eyes welling up.

"dino!" seungkwan cried, pulling his younger brother into a large hug.

soonyoung approached jihoon quietly, trying not to startle him. "ji?"

jihoon's head whipped around, his eyes bright green. "not now, soonie."

he flew up to wonwoo, slapping him in the face. "i can't believe you! you have a problem with imanity when you actually banished our brother?! you're a monster!" he yelled as he turned around to jeonghan. "is this why you didn't want me to go to earth?! were you scared that i'd find out about your little secret, your highness? our future king everybody! willing to stay in power by any means necessary."

those words swirled around jeonghan's head, those were the words his mother told him all those years ago. those were words he never wanted to live by, words that he fought so hard to deny.

jeonghan started to cry, "i didn't want to do it, hoonie... you have to understand..." he reached out for the blonde boy, who backed away. 

"don't call me that, you're not my brother. my big brother would never hurt us."

the lavender haired boy sniffled, "jihoonie, please."

"jeonghan hyung didn't make the choice, i did."

jihoon turned back around to wonwoo, his cheek still red from the slap.

"how could you do that, wonwoo?!"

"if i didn't, hyung would've died!" he yelled, the bass in his voice reminding the princes of their late father.

"if i didn't make that choice you would've all died!" he boomed, and everyone in the room winced. his eyes started to soften, realizing how scary he was.

he took a deep breath and started again, "hyung was under both pain and panic." he said softly. "if i didn't make that choice, he would've died and they would've killed the rest of you." he turned to his estranged brother, "i'm sorry, dino. but it was either i sacrifice one or i'm responsible for the deaths of all my brothers. i wouldn't be able to live with myself." he whispered, his hands balling up into fists.

"i-i don't mean to interrupt..." seokmin said, stepping forward. "but what do you mean by 'pain and panic'?"

"king pain and queen panic." minghao said with a disgusted look on his face.

"... our parents." joshua finished.

"i hate them." seungkwan muttered, his arms still wrapped around chan.

the princes looked at the pink boy, surprised by the words that slipped out of his mouth. he was by far the softest and most caring prince, so hearing such bitter words was a shock.

"our father, king pain, could inflict blood curdling pain just by looking you in the eyes." wonwoo said, remembering the way jeonghan hit the floor with just a glance years ago.

"and our mother, queen panic, could drive people mad with just a little touch." jeonghan winced, remembering the feeling of his hands wrapped around his own neck. "she can make people believe in the wildest of ideas, or drive them mad enough to hurt themselves..."

"now i see why you were so bitter before jihoon, i'm so sorry for you guys." vernon added, his eyebrows furrowed.

"why does chan looks so human then...?" mingyu asked, glancing at his wingless, brown haired brother.