♜
"i assume you are not allowed to eat with your folk as well?"
junhui had just finished his duty of serving the king and his company their food and was now walking through the large hallways with the flawless elf by his side, who shrugged nonchalant. "i prefer to eat with you, if you don't mind."
"well, i have to disappoint you. the cook who makes dinner for all servants isn't as professional as i am, and the dining hall can be quite boisterous around this time." sun had fully set outside, leaving the hallways in an orange glow coming from the torches and candles on the walls. "but on the other side, this way i can introduce you to my friends here!"
"i rather come along with you than having to sit with those boring high ranged fools who-" junhui effectively nudged the elf in his side, silencing him down before minghao could curse more. "shh. we get in big trouble when they hear you talking about your masters like that." the cook warned the careless elf, who still remained unbothered.
"now, let me open this door for you, your majesty." junhui purposely used the formalities again, causing minghao to release a shy grin.
with a loud creak coming from the hinges, junhui opened the large hard maple wooden door, allowing them into a large dining hall where over a hundred of servants and maids were all having diner together at the long tables. pints of foaming beer were being raised and clung together, loud voices that gave the room a welcoming vibe and a mostly warm atmosphere.
and to minghao, who had never experienced something so loud and lively before, it felt like coming home. as if he finally was surrounded with those of his own kind, after all those silent dinners where no words were allowed to be spoken.
"good evening my lovely friends!" junhui shouted at the top of his lungs to announce their arrival, being greeted with several yells and other warm welcomes from those around them. even when he barely knew anyone, with him being nothing more but a lonely hard working cook, in this room your origin didn't matter.
"junhui! come sit with us!" another warm voice entered minghao's ear, making him look in the direction where the cook's name had been called from. a gentle but large hand brushed over his wrist and grabbed a careful hold of it as junhui found the responsibility to lead minghao through the mass of strangers. "my apologies, a gorgeous elf like you could be the centre of attention in no time. imagine what would happen if i lost you."
and minghao had to admit, those words sounded frightening. though no one in the large dining hall seemed like one to do you harm, or where he should be afraid of. "soonyoung! jihoon! how nice to see you two here." junhui was quick to claim a seat on the opposite side of the table, pulling minghao along with him to join the, to the elf, unfamiliar two boys.
they wore average clothing, not dirty but not very elegant as well, and both radiated friendliness. the male minghao noticed at first was quite tall, around the same height as the elf himself, and had fluffy cheeks, reddish brown hair, and a broad smile that beamed happiness. the other boy had short black hair and seemed a lot smaller, unlike the cheerful boy next to him he wore a serious yet intimidating expression.
"minghao, meet soonyoung and jihoon. guys, this is minghao! i met him today!" junhui introduced minghao to his friends, checking to make sure the newcomer was feeling comfortable.
"what's wrong with his ears?" the smaller black haired male asked bold, making a blush spread over minghao's pale cheeks. just when he was about to give him an explanation about his ancestry, junhui saved him from the awkward situation. "minghao is from elf kind, that's why his ears are pointy!"
"ooh! can i touch them?" the friendly looking redhead reached over the table for minghao's face, though got stopped by junhui who swatted his curious hand away. "get your dirty fingers away soonyoung! only i am allowed to do that." he huffed as he crossed his arms, making minghao cock a brow.
"and who said you were? have you ever heard me say the words: 'junhui, i would like you to touch my ears?'" minghao mocked his expression, making the said boy act even more childish while the other company snickered about their behavior.
"typically junhui." soonyoung laughed, adding something else. "so you're just like us now, i suppose?"
junhui nodded determined, shamelessly wrapping an arm around minghao's shoulders. "just like you?" minghao repeated the question, a bit confused as to why they would say such thing. "soonyoung and jihoon have been together for about two years now." junhui explained, making the whole subject even more confounding to the elf.
"in a romantic manner i presume?" minghao asked carefully, still not quite used to the whole idea of two boys being together. growing up, he had been taught it was supposed to be a man and a woman, though the same gender seemed quite alluring to him at this point. especially with junhui next to him..
"yes we are!" soonyoung proudly puffed his chest as jihoon was just in time to avoid another one of those tight hugs. how much he loved them, being together in the open still could be a bit risky sometimes as two boys being together wasn't a regular thing they saw everyday inside the castle's walls. "both jihoon and i met in this castle when we were offered to become the king's musicians."
"junhui!" a kid, no older than sixteen, jumped around junhui's neck and wrapped his arms around the surprised cook. "chan!" minghao adored the view he saw next to him, all the happiness affecting him in such a good way.
"say, have you seen mingyu yet? i need to hear his stories about how elves look like, apparently he brought them in today!" the boy, who minghao assumed his name was chan, rambled on as he released his grip on junhui. the company around the table grinned on his childlike behavior, secretly throwing glances at the elf among them.
"well let me tell you a secret, young man." junhui told the brown haired boy, pointing a finger at minghao in the process. "guess you got really lucky today."
"wow.." chan stepped closer to minghao and took the seat on his right side, staring fascinated at all his outstanding features but mostly his pointy ears. ".. excuse me to say so sir, but you look very handsome."
the boy whose age could only differ with minghao with about two or three years, made the elf emit an adorable short giggle. "well you look very handsome yourself, if i might say so." a proud smile spread over chan's face on the compliment he was given.
"so we're having fun without me now! what a shame!" another three boys walked in their direction, with one of them up front.
"seungkwan please stop complaining. as the court's joker you should be having a lot more fun than us." jihoon nagged, secretly grasping for soonyoung's hand underneath the table.
"mingyu! mingyu!" chan got up and rushed over to the tallest male among them, who also wore the neatest clothes. "i was just about to ask you about the elves! but look! look! junhui brought us one!"
mingyu let out a deep chuckle as he revealed his own companion, who was visibly too shy to look up from the floor, absolutely not used to crowdy rooms. "wonwoo?" minghao noticed the king's son and his only friend as well.
his call managed to get the raven boy to look up, his eyes widening on an instant as minghao was the person he had least expected in this room. "minghao? oh please don't tell me you got sent out of the meeting again-" though before he fully completed his sentence the elf nodded with a smirk, leaning a little closer to junhui who still had an arm around his shoulder.
"oh you bet i am! come on, don't you think they're starting to pick up clues at this point?"
to everyone's surprise, it clicked. everyone seemed to get along perfectly and the atmosphere got even better when their food was served, together with big pints of beer. and the rest of their night contained of cozy chattering, laughter, warmth and a home-like feeling.
