*Souta*
"Hey, Sou," Sehun said once school had finished.
I looked up at him. "What is it?"
"Let's go to the hill. You told me that you would tell me something the other day." He grinned as he grabbed my hand.
My face turned bright red. Sehun's face was also red.
The two of us walked like that all the way to the hill without any interruptions. Ava apparently had a date with Sayuri.
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Sehun said, leaning against the tree. He had the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face.
"I..." My entire body felt like it had been ignited. "I..." My heart pounded loudly that he could probably tell that I was nervous.
"I... I love you!" I yelled with my eyes closed.
"Open your eyes," he said, moving my hands away. He still had the same smile on his face. Without warning, he kissed me.
His kiss was different than that of Ava and Purpura... it was clumsy.
"Oww," I said.
"Sorry," he said as he stared at the blood in his own lips. "Damn, I'm awful at this."
I snorted. "You sure are. Ava and Purpura weren't this clumsy."
His frown from yesterday returned. "You kissed Ava? When was this?" He stepped closer to me, his eyes were like ice.
"Years ago. It was...when I didn't want to admit that I liked guys."
Sehun backed away. "Oh... so Ava was your beard?"
I flushed. "No! She took the role up herself. That girl is always doing that!"
The prince nodded. "She sure is. His fingers curled around mine. "Let's go to Ame city. There's a place that I'll like to show you. I think that you'll love it."
I didn't move. "First, tell me if we're dating or not?"
"Are you stupid? Of course we are! Now let's go to Ame City!"
I joyfully nodded and followed him. He escorted me to his temporary home, a two bedroom white house at the outskirts of town. The only house near it was a black house that seemed empty.
"This is my first time coming here," I said.
Sehun lets go of my hand. "That's right. That's because my uncle would probably kill us if he found out about us."
"Sekin's father?" I asked.
My boyfriend nodded. "There was one time when..."
*Sehun*
[Years Ago]
"Sis, it's time for dinner," I called out. I opened the door to Shika's room and saw her busy at work drawing a picture of Sou and Sekin holding hands.
"Are you cheering Sou on?" I asked, kneeling down by her.
She leered at me.
I took a step back. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you giving me that scary look?"
"Are you jealous?"
I tilted my head. "Why would I be? You know that the one I like isn't Sou."
She pouted. "Then who do you like?"
I snickered. "Well at the moment there's no one special."
"Lies! I can clearly see that there is somebody."
Sighing, I stood up. "Let's leave this conversation for another day. We shouldn't keep Uncle waiting, it would make Mother look bad if we do. After all, she is the one who keeps bothering him to attend these gatherings."
"Here you are," Uncle said as the door behind me opened.
I gave him my best smile. "Don't worry, we're heading there."
He nodded, taking my word. As he was about to leave he noticed my sister's notebook. Snatching it from Shika, he said, "What are you drawing?"
His eyes stared at the pictures of Sou and Sekin holding hands and others of them kissing. Then he flipped to images of fictional characters committing similar acts of affection.
Taking a deep breath, he ripped apart the notebook and threw the scraps throughout the room. "Stop drawing this trash, you're a princess."
Shika's hands curled into fists. "You had no right to do that!"
Uncle eyes were unyieldingly cold. "Of course I do."
Sister tackled our uncle but he stopped her and slapped her, drawing blood. "A mere child dares to lift their fists against me?" He snickered. "Pathetic."
Shika glared at Uncle. "You..." She levitated some a lamp with her gravity powers. "Will take that back... my drawings aren't trash!"
Uncle stopped the lamp in mid-air and sent it crashing into Shika's computer, destroying the hard drive. "There, more trash was probably destroyed."
"Stop it!" I said, stepping in. I should've done something in sooner...
"Sehun, you're the future heir of this nation. You can't allow you sister to act this way. Why didn't you rip her treacherous pictures? Especially those depicting my son in the embrace of that other boy?"
"I admit, I don't like my sister's pictures based off of real people but I got no right to determine what my sister does or doesn't do. How would you feel if mother tried to tell you what to do?"
He scoffed. "That's exactly what she does. I only came to this gathering because she, the queen, invited me. Now, get cleaned, your mother will be furious with you."
Shika curled into a ball once he was gone. "My...my drawings..."
"Shika... its fine. You can always redraw them. Come, we have to clean up that cut." I grabbed her shoulders and tried to lift her up but she wouldn't budge. "Sis... come on, move. I... I'll take you to the city to buy you that manga you were pestering me about."
Her eyes sparkled a little when she looked up. "Really?"
***
[Present]
"That calmed her down?" Sou asked.
I nodded. "Yup though she never talked to our uncle ever since."
"I wonder why Sekin's father dislikes people like us..."
I shrugged. "Don't let it bother you. People have their own opinions about things. Sometimes these viewpoints come from the way we're raised and other times there's something else." I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.
His eyes widen as he looked around the largely empty house. "You sure live a minimalist life-style, don't you? I expected more from the house of a prince."
I rolled my eyes. "I might be a prince but I'm not the kind who would gather wealth for his own benefit."
My boyfriend flashed me a bright smile.
"That's one of the things I like about you."
My ears and cheeks felt as if they had been ignited. "R-really?"
He nodded. "Say, where did your worldview come about?" he said as we walked to the garage. "Or better yet, who did you learn them from."
"I would say that they come from various sources," I said as I opened the car door and opened the garage with the remote control inside. "One of which is my father and the other being you."
A flush of embarrassment spread across Sou's face.
I moved closer, pressing my lips to his once more.
His hand found the hem of my shirt, lifting it slightly. A shiver of anticipation coursed through me as his long, lean fingers, toughened by work, traced a path up my torso.
I gently pushed him back. "S-ou, we should stop-"
"I don't want to," he interrupted, pressing his lips to my neck.
I clenched my jaw, struggling to suppress my enjoyment.
"S-sou."
"Let's stay here, Sekin," he murmured, his breath ragged. His large, orange eyes met mine.
"No, it's too risky," I replied, averting my gaze. "I think it's too soon for that."
"Oh... Okay," he conceded, stepping back. "I... won't push you."
I smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Thanks, Sou. I'm fortunate to have such an understanding partner like you."
He chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "Let's continue our date, boyfriend!"
I laughed. The term 'boyfriend' would take some time to get used to.
***
"What did you want to show me?" Sou inquired as we browsed the various stalls. The air was filled with chatter and music, lending a festive atmosphere to the market.
"Well, this for starters."
Sou surveyed the vibrant and varied stalls and the crowd around us. "Well, it's certainly impressive but..."
I sighed. "I thought you'd appreciate the magnitude of this event. It's a sale that only lasts three days. Vendors usually make a killing from it. I've even heard stories of peasants becoming wealthy because of it."
Sou frowned. "Are you suggesting I should participate in this?"
"No, we're here as customers," I clarified, nudging him forward. "Come, there's something else I want to show you."
His orange eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What is it?"
"You'll see," I teased.
He pouted adorably. "You're such a tease..."
I halted after a few more steps. "We're here." I picked up an opal stud earring, holding it against his earlobe. "It suits you."
He grinned, selecting a citrine earring. "This one would look good on you."
"So, shall we buy them?" I proposed.
He nodded enthusiastically, perhaps understanding the unspoken sentiment behind the earrings. It was comforting to have someone like him in my life who understood me without words.
"Sou, Sehun?" a familiar voice called out. I hastily put the citrine earring back on the table.
Sayuri was waving at us, with Ava trailing behind her.
I picked up the earring again, gripping it tightly.
"Sehun, that's not the right one," Sou corrected, opening my hand. "You picked up a rose quartz earring." He handed me the correct one and returned the rose quartz earring to its place.
"Hey, hey. You two are on a date, aren't you?" Sayuri asked, grinning widely.
Sou nodded, blushing brightly.
Sayuri squealed with delight, jumping up and down. "That's so wonderful!" She threw her arms around me. "I knew you two would end up together!"
I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Hey, let go of him," Sou demanded, shooting her a glare.
She smirked, hugging him instead. "Aww, little cinnamon roll is jealous!"
His face turned a bright shade of red. "Let...let go of me."
Ava... and Sayuri... if they weren't together, our relationships would be so different...
"When did you start dating?" Ava finally asked.
"Today," I replied.
She crossed her arms. "In that case... please take good care of Sou. Though I know he's in good hands with you." Her smile was strained.
"Hey, Ava..."
"Look Sayu, don't you think these look good on me?" she asked, picking up the rose quartz earrings.
"Yeah, they do," Sou agreed, smiling.
"I was asking Sayu, not Sou."
Sou grumbled. "Can't I give my opinion too?"
Ava poked his forehead. "You never give me your opinion when I want it, you topsy-turvy cinnamon bun!"
Sou blushed. "D-don't call me that."
Sayuri and I chuckled as Ava and Sou bickered. The fear of our friendship falling apart had held me back until now, but it seemed my worries were unfounded.