Work Text:
This is the song Kai and Sehun danced to later on. I like it because it has been rewritten to fit the medieval theme. You can listen to the whole playlist while reading, too.
- Metanoia [meh-ta-noy-ah] Greek
(n) the journey of changing one's mind, heart, self, or way of life, spiritual conversion.
Sehun widened his eyes as the prince’s face came closer. He clutched the front of Kai's shirt, contemplating between pushing the prince away or pulling him closer. Kai noted all of Sehun's struggles with amusement.
There was only an inch left between them. Sehun's chest heaved under Kai, and the prince could hear his heartbeats loud and clear. His hot breath ghosted over Sehun's pink lips, and it was so tempting to suck on them until they turned red. I'll kiss him now. The prince thought.
But then there was a knock on the door, startling them both.
They both gave the door a dirty look, silently wishing for whoever behind it to go away. But another knock came, and the prince let out a frustrated sigh before reluctantly removing himself from Sehun.
However, he caught the other pouting slightly from the corner of his eyes. The prince smirked to himself, feeling pleased.
“Who’s that?” Kai asked while getting on his knees.
“I'm here to prepare your bed, your Highness.” His personal servant replied.
Kai didn't realise it had already been bedtime. He glanced at Sehun and found a panicked look on the other.
The prince chuckled to himself. What on earth did Baekhyun tell the poor boy to do at bedtime?
“It's alright. I'll do it tonight. But bring me an extra blanket.” Kai told the servant. After he heard her confirmation, he turned back to Sehun.
“Sehun, are you planning on lying here all night?” He looked down at the pouty boy and teased.
Sehun blushed and scrambled to get up. He didn't stand up but kneeled in front of Kai. “Your Highness, I'm s-sorry. I didn't know you are the prince. P-Please forgive me, your highness.”
Kai shook his head. “Don't worry about it. It's me who wanted to hide my identity a little longer so I won't punish you for not knowing.”
“Th-Thank you, your Highness.”
“Now stand up and let me see your face again.” Kai commanded.
Sehun shakily stood up, still embarrassed at his ignorance. Meanwhile, the prince was busy admiring Sehun's face. He still found his heart skipping a beat each time he looked at the beautiful boy. There was that warm and bubbly feeling in his chest that he had never found anywhere.
Brushing Sehun's cheek with his thumb, Kai said gently. “Sehun, you will live here with me for a month like Baekhyun said. But I don't want you to call me your Highness. Call me your prince.”
A look of surprise flashed across Sehun's features.
“Can you do that, Sehun?” Kai urged.
Quickly averting his eyes from the prince's intense gaze, Sehun replied. “Y-Yes, your H…m-my prince.”
“Again,” Kai muttered low, taking a step forward.
“Y-yes, my…prince.” Sehun repeated, blushing hard.
Kai’s heart jumped to his throat again.
Maybe Baekhyun wasn't wrong about him after all.
Kai had thought that the night would be uneventful. After all, they would only sleep in the same bed. And his bed was so big it could contain at least five people. But oh how he was wrong.
Kai knew he was in trouble the moment Sehun stepped out of the bathing room in his nightgown. It was a nightshirt that reached to his mid-thigh, and an undershorts beneath.
The prince's eyes almost burgeoned as he took in Sehun's long, slim legs. Kai didn't know how that worked, but the simple attire aroused him more than any revealing dresses could. It removed all of his sanity.
Every word Kai used to claim about never wanting anyone was thrown out of the windows. Right now, all he wished was for those legs to wrap around his waist while he... No!
The prince shook his head in horror. When did I start having those thoughts about men? Have I always liked men? Or just Sehun? Oh God!
Sehun had no idea about the turmoil that Kai was in. He strutted in casually and apprehensively approached the prince who was currently half lying on his side of the bed.
He blinked up at the prince innocently through his big eyes and called out in his sweet voice. “My prince?”
Kai almost jumped at the tone Sehun was using to address him. He silently cursed himself for making the boy call him with that title. Now he was imagining Sehun moaning the same words undern…. I need to STOP…
Clearing his throat to regain his cool, Kai answered. “Y-Yes Sehun, do you need anything?”
And as if it wasn't enough to see Sehun in the appealing nightclothes, he was now fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, which caused the article to rise up and reveal his undershorts and smooth thighs. Now Kai couldn't stop himself from wondering what the rest of him looked like and if it was as beautiful as his face.
“Wh-Where should I sleep, my prince?” asked Sehun anxiously. Kai didn't know what Baekhyun asked Sehun to do, but it sure made the boy nervous and stressed since the moment he knew it was bedtime.
Kai gave Sehun an assuring smile. “Don't worry. You don't have to follow Baekhyun's orders. You can just sleep on the other side of the bed. There is plenty of room for both of us.”
Sehun seemed relieved at this. A smile played across his lips as he dared look straight at Kai finally. And Kai knew he had done right by consoling the boy. Although he would have done the same regardless, knowing that his words eased Sehun's stress brought a warm feeling to his chest.
And so Sehun climbed on the bed afterwards and settled on his side of the bed. He pulled the feather blanket up to his chin and sighed contentedly. Eyes crinkling up in crescents, he turned to the Kai and said quietly. “Goodnight, my prince.”
Kai found his cheeks warm and his heart combusting with all the cuteness. He stared a long while at the lump that was Sehun until his eyes got tired and shut themselves. That night, he dreamed about chasing after a boy with crescent smile in a field of nemophila.
The next day, Kai went back to his daily routine. He woke up early for his morning run and training. After that, he took his breakfast and went into the study to read until it was time for supper.
That was how things usually were. But then in late morning when Kai was immersed in a book about the history of their neighbour, Cadroneian, there was a quiet knock and then Sehun peaked his head in. “My prince, what are you doing?”
Anyone else should have known better than to interrupt Kai when he was reading. But Sehun was a newcomer. He couldn't have known about Kai's strict routine. So he put down his book and waved Sehun in. “Why don't you come here and see for yourself?”
Sehun smiled happily and let himself in. He stepped carefully toward Kai's desk and looked at the book Kai was reading in curiosity. “What was this book about, my prince?” He asked.
Kai turned the book around and pointed at a map. “You see this drawing? This is us.” Then he pointed at another picture. “And this is our neighbouring country, the Cadroneian Kingdom. They are the strongest Kingdom in the South.”
Sehun's eyes widened in amazement. He put a thumb on his lips and gnawed on it while admiring the map Kai was showing him. “Wow, this country is much bigger than us."
Kai chuckled. “Yes, but their economy depends a lot on us for transport. We have many more ships and ports than them.”
“Is it beautiful, my prince? Have you travelled to Cadroneian?” Sehun tilted his head, his eyes lit up in curiosity.
“Of course, on numerous occasions. We have a friendly relation with them after all. They are certainly beautiful, but not more than our Kingdom.” The prince answered.
Sehun nodded in reply. “I wish I could travel there once in my life.” He mumbled quietly.
“Have you not travelled much?”
A grim look flashed across Sehun's features, so quickly Kai almost missed it, then it was gone. He shook his head while smiling at Kai. Something in Kai thought the smile was forced, but before he could dig deeper into it, he heard Sehun exclaim in excitement.
“There are so many books here. How can you read all of them, my prince?” Sehun stared at rows of bookshelves in wonderment.
He reached out with one hand, but then paused mid-air. “Could I touch them?” Sehun asked in a reluctant voice, as if he feared he would dirty the books with his touch.
Kai nodded. “Of course, you can take out whichever you like.” He stood up and followed the amazed boy.
Sehun didn't take any book out. He caressed the binders lightly with the tips of his fingers, sounds of wonderment flew out of his mouth periodically. His eyes lit up, and his cheeks flushed in excitement. One could look at Sehun as he went around the study and think he was being lost in wonderland.
The prince followed silently behind. Some strange emotions rose up in his chest. Never had anyone come here and acted as if this was a sacred place. They would rather coax Kai out of here than bother finding out what got him so hooked with books.
Kai smiled back at Sehun who would turn around and smile at him every now and then while brushing his fingertips on a particular book that he found pretty. It was like looking at a kid in a candy shop whose eyes lit up at every piece of sweet he saw.
After a while, Kai went back to his reading while Sehun sat down with a book he borrowed from Kai. The prince offered Sehun a chair but he insisted on sitting on the floor with his back against the bookshelf. He said it made him feel like sitting under a tree in a forest. Kai thought it was adorable so he stopped pushing.
Time went by quickly with both of them immersed in their own world. And for the first time, the prince wasn’t alone in his study.
Sehun never once interrupted Kai. He sat silently with his book, too lost in his own world. Kai could work on whatever he liked and not be bothered by having to entertain someone else in the room.
Still, he was distracted. That was the first for Kai. He could be studying a rather interesting manuscript, but his thoughts always strayed to Sehun somehow.
He wondered what Sehun was reading at the moment, how he looked as he read, if his whole face brightened at certain parts, and if he ever got bored.
Those were such trivial things, and the prince should not bother himself with them. But Kai found himself curious about everything Sehun did. So he lifted his gaze from the book, and watched Sehun instead.
He was sitting with his back against the bookshelf. A thick book on his laps. His fingers traced each line on the page as he read, much like the way he caressed the binders just now. It looked more like he was admiring them than reading.
And the look of wonderment was always present on his face. One could tell he was quite fascinated by books. Kai wondered if he had read much.
The prince left his desk and slowly came closer to the dark-haired boy. “Is it good?” He asked.
Sehun jumped a little, as if he had been in a trance. But a smile quickly appeared on his lips and he nodded. “It's really good, my prince. I've never seen a more beautiful book in my life.” Seen? The prince was puzzled by the choice of words.
Something was not right, but Kai wasn't sure what. “What is it about?” He asked.
Sehun blinked then, hesitating. But before he could answer, a knock from the servant told Kai it was time for supper. So he and Sehun left his study and went into the dining hall. The conversation was long forgotten.
Prince Kai was in love. He realised this as he found himself taking a walk with Sehun in the royal garden instead of training or staying cooped up in his study. And he did all this voluntarily. Sehun simply informed Kai of where he would be, and Kai would be tempted to follow.
Sehun was so lively, so passionate about everything it made the prince wonder if he ever suffered from misery in his life. He smiled often, laughed often, and lived like every day was his last day on Earth.
“My prince?” Kai was pulled out from his thoughts by the soft calling. He stopped in his tracks and scanned his eyes among the wild roses. He chose a small pink one.
“Could we go to town after lunch?” Sehun asked him, a hopeful expression on his face.
And like every time, Kai couldn't deny him anything. “Of course. Do you want to buy something?” Kai asked while tucking the rose behind Sehun's ear. The light pink colour matched his creamy skin.
Sehun smiled, shaking his head. “Not really. But you have shown me amazing things over the past few days. And I too would like to show you something.”
“Oh? What is it?” The prince asked curiously.
“You shall see very soon, my prince.” Sehun smiled back.
The prince was silent after this, his eyes never left Sehun's face. His heart was thundering again. In fact, it had done nothing but skipping beats and hammering against his ribcage lately, especially when a certain small boy was present.
Sehun, too, was staring back at Kai. His look turned dreamy and he was licking his lips more often.
They gazed at each other for a while before Kai muttered suddenly. “My laces…”
Sehun blinked, slightly startled. “Y-Yes, my prince?”
Kai kept his gaze on Sehun, eyes turning dark. “My shirt laces. Help me tie them back.” He ordered in a low voice.
Sehun shifted his eyes to Kai's open chest. When did his laces become undone?
He stepped closer to the prince. It felt like coming closer to the sun. The prince's heat that radiated from his body warmed Sehun and burned him at the same time. Trying not to touch the prince's chest with his slightly shaking fingers, Sehun picked up the strings and pulled them tighter.
The prince's musky scent invaded his nostrils and Sehun felt intoxicated. His mind became hazy and his mouth turned dry. He swallowed heavily.
Sehun was fumbling with tying the laces back when the prince suddenly bowed down and smoothed his forehead with a light kiss.
Startled, Sehun jumped back and looked up at Kai to see the prince smirk triumphantly. “Got you.”
It was late afternoon when they reached the town. Both of them had changed into more casual, comfortable clothes: a pair of brown trousers and a white shirt with boots. They roamed around the streets, watching people chatting or going about their businesses.
The streets were crowded with people, horses, and carts at this time of the day. Men were unloading sacks of grain from wagons, women gathered in front of shops with baskets of vegetables, children chased after one another in the middle of the street. It was chaotic, but it painted such a simple and domestic picture of life.
Kai was fascinated, because never had he stepped into town like this. He thought he could know about his people from books, but no book could ever paint such a lively picture of his people's daily lives.
Sehun, too, was excited. He kept pulling Kai over shops and street stalls. His whole face brightened as his eyes stopped at every item in the shops, even though he didn’t seem to plan on buying them.
Several times, the prince asked if Sehun would like to buy something, he would shake his head sadly regardless of how long he had been staring at them.
The prince was curious. Sehun didn't look like someone who had been spoiled and pampered since birth. Are his parents strict then? That’s why he can't have anything he wants?
But that was also what made Sehun intriguing to the prince.
“Kai?” Sehun called him - the prince had allowed Sehun to call his name instead of the Prince title so as not to draw attention.
Sehun pulled him toward a crowd. They stopped at a large square where a lot of people, mostly young couples, were gathering. The prince looked at Sehun in questioning. The boy only grinned at him in reply.
After a few minutes, more and more people came. They started holding each other’s hands and formed a large circle.
Sehun grabbed Kai's hand and yelled in his ears. “Kai, have you ever danced in public?” Kai looked back to see Sehun grin at him.
Another person grasped his other's hand and before he knew it, they were dancing to a song.
Kai could recognize the sound of drums, lute, and shawm in the background. Young men and women were taking part in the dancing while the elders, children and other onlookers watched and clapped their hands happily along with the rhythm.
Kai had attended several royal dances but he had never danced in public. It was thrilling and exciting to be dancing with commoners. No one seemed to mind if they were still in their daily clothing or if they messed up the steps. In fact, they looked much more happy and comfortable than any nobles.
He heard Sehun’s cheerful laugh next to him. His eyes crinkled up in crescents and his cheeks flushed, his lips parted in excitement. His hand was so warm and soft in Kai’s, and the prince tightened his hands, never wanting to let go of the boy.
The public enthusiasm filled his chest. With a grin on his face, he took in the sight of people, regardless of their social status, all dancing to the same rhythm. They held each other's hands, dancing, laughing, switching partners.
Kai, too, danced with all his heart. At that moment, he was just a commoner, a young man with a youthful spirit and eagerness to love.
This felt a thousand times better than any Royal Balls. The prince started to see for the first time the reason for all of his efforts and dedication. He learned and trained to be a better King for the happiness of his people. So that they don't have to worry about empty stomachs and piling debt. So that they could enjoy life and live peacefully.
The crowd kept dancing until it got dark and their legs became exhausted. When the song ended, they exchanged warm hugs and wished one another a good night.
The prince and Sehun ran back to the castle. They didn’t let go of each other's hands throughout the dancing and even after. Even though their palms got slippery with sweat and their skin burned from prolonged contact.
Kai felt satiated and satisfied, as if he was in a daze. He never wanted this night to end.
So when they reached the castle, he pulled Sehun to an empty hallway overlooking the garden, the place where they used to pass on Sehun's first night here.
They were both out of breath.
Kai pinned the small boy to a tall, large pillar and drilled him with a long, deep gaze.
“Sehun ah.” He whispered through his breath, staring into the big, dark orbs.
“Yes, my prince?” Sehun whispered back, breathing hard. He was smiling at Kai with a dreamy look.
“Shall I kiss you?” The prince breathed heavily while leaning his forehead against Sehun's, feeling almost too desperate to claim those soft-looking lips.
He saw Sehun swallow heavily. His chest rose up and down, possibly from the running, or something else. “You may do...whatever you want with me, my prince.” His dark eyes were no longer innocent and curious, they were clouded by desire and need.
“Then I shall make you mine, the apple of mine eyes.” The prince whispered those last words before he claimed Sehun's lips in a mind-numbing kiss.