Archive of Our Own ^beta

Summer brings Chan peace. The sun gently warms his skin and makes him feel connected to things greater than the palace. He has time to escape during during Summer, when the days are long. He often finds himself lying in the fields until the stars gently urge himself to go home. He knows it's bad, knows that him disappearing makes the whole palace worry, but he knows he will always be found eventually.

There is the quiet sound of metal armor approaching where he lays.

"Changbin."

"My Prince, it's time to return before you really give your father a heart attack this time."

Chan chooses not to acknowledge him and instead says, "Why don't you stay for a bit. Come look at the stars with me. Allow me to be Chan for a little while longer." He knows Changbin will always give in to his whims, he always will. Changbin sits as gently as he can with his heavy armor.

"My Prince—"

"Bin, you can drop all the formalities. It's just us two, just Chan and Changbin. Not the Prince and his loyal knight, not the trouble-making second prince and the youngest knight in history. Just you," he pokes harshly at Changbin's breast plate, "and me."

Changbin removes his helmet and places it on the soft grass of the field.

"Alright, just you and me."

They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Chan breaks it with a whisper.

"I wish we could go back."

Changbin doesn't need any clarification on what he means.

"Me too, Channie. Me too."

Changbin watches as the King tears into Chan, screaming and yelling about what a disappointment he is. The King doesn't see what Changbin does. Where he sees soft heartedness and weakness, Changbin sees generosity and kindness. Where he sees vulnerability, Changbin sees joy and life. The King sees what Chan isn't, Changbin sees who Chan is. He sees his light, his love and passion. Chan is told to go to his chambers and Changbin follows him quietly. Chan looks over his shoulder and makes eye contact with Changbin with empty eyes. A single tear escapes and despite all his strength, Changbin has failed to protect what matters most in his eyes once more.

Chan shrieks when Changbin knocks him over onto the dirt floor of the training ground. He attempts to push Changbin off, hand on the flat of his wooden practice blade and eyes full of determination. Changbin may be more experienced and slightly stronger but Chan is smart. He redirects Changbin's force and uses it to push them apart. Swiftly, he launches another attack but has his feet swept out from under him with a swift kick. When he opens his eyes next, Changbin pushes the point of the wooden blade under his chin.

"Surrender."

Chan flops onto the floor, exhausted. "Ugh, you seem to get better everyday."

Changbin lies down next to him.

"Aren't you glad that the Great Seo Changbin is your personal guard?"

Chan rolls his eyes, "Meh, Innie is better."

Changbin sits up in mock-offense, "My squire has nothing on me!"

Chan cackles and smiles so wide his dimples show. Changbin hasn't seen him smile like that in weeks.

"You're right, you are the best knight I could ever ask for." Chan can't meet his gaze and something in his voice makes it sound too real to be a joke.

Why did he do this? Chan knew he wasn't supposed to leave without asking. The sun is hot and the child crouches down, hiding from potential bad guys.

"Why are you crying?" Chan flinches and looks up to see a boy about his age. He seems to be missing one of his front teeth but still smiles despite it.

"I'm not crying." Chan pouts.

"Liar."

"I'm not a liar! I'm your prince so be respectful!"

"Uh huh. And I'm the king of the world." Little Chan guffaws at the audacity. "Anyways, why are you crying?"

Chan pouts, "You seem mean. I don't want to talk to you." Now it's the boy's turn to be offended.

"I am the nicest. My auntie said so."

"Why not your mom?"

"My mom's dead. My dad is too." The other says with nonchalance.

"My mom is dead too."

"Huh. We match I guess." The boy stretches out his hand, "I'm Changbin. I will protect you so you don't have to cry anymore."

Chan takes his hand, "My name is Chan."

Chan returns to the palace that night feeling with a warm feeling in his chest. The palace staff fuss over him, scolding him for running off and coming back so dirty. They ask him if anybody hurt him or scared him and Chan just shakes his head, eyes sparkling gently.

Chan continuously escapes the palace after that, eventually the staff even helping him, noticing the Second Prince always returns after looking more alive than ever. More young, more vibrant than the shell of a puppet the King wants.

He escapes to the farming district of the kingdom and finds comfort and warmth in the simple soups and bread that Changbin's aunt makes at night while they spend the day exploring and pretending to be wizards and dragons. Before Chan leaves, he always uses the excuse of grabbing seconds to hide a few small gold pieces in various places in the kitchen. It is a small and incomparable way of attempting to pay back Changbin's family for the generousity and home that they have given him. When he leaves, he always refuses the packed meal Changbin's aunt tries to force on him and leaves quietly, heart full.

The dream shattered one day when the sound of screaming began in the distance. Then the sight of flames glowing. Then the smell of smoke and something metallic. Changbin's aunt urged them to hide in the shed in the back.

"Go to the shed. Changbin-ah, if they get too close, take Channie to the field with the pretty flowers and hide." Her voice is strong and commanding, leaving no room for argument. She places a shaking hand over both of their mouths. "Not a sound, little mice. I will find you two soon. Go. Go!"

Changbin and Chan sob as they run from the house. Chan grabs Changbin's hand and leads him to the shed. He pretends to not hear the way Changbin's aunt screams in terror and covers Changbin's eyes as their home goes up in flames.

When the bad men approach Chan tries to go and distract them but is stopped as Changbin picks up one of their favourite wooden swords and stands, ready to defend. The bad men break down the door and Chan pulls Changbin into the corner with him, cradling him against his chest and attempting to shield the younger with his body. The sound of a sword slashing through the air makes him tense but he is moved at the last second. Changbin screams and Chan watches in horror as the off-white of his shirt blooms a horrible red. The cut carves a horrible diagonal line across the expanse of the younger's back. Chan screams in terror as he holds Changbin close. He tries to stop the bleeding but his hands are too small and the wound is too big. Chan closes his eyes and wishes he could wake up from this nightmare. The sound of horses alerts the bad guys and they stop paying attention to Chan. A gentle hand on his head makes him open his eyes and he sees General Younghyun of the royal army looking at him with concern.

"Little Prince, we can still save him."

When the King sees him, he does not ask about his wellbeing or tell the Prince how worried he was. Instead, he berates Chan for being idiotic and reckless, calls him a disappointment and tells him that he was the reason that the farm district was attacked. He calls Chan a curse and Chan remembers thinking that was the most the King had ever payed attention to him.

Chan barely eats and sleeps next to Changbin while he heals. He refuses to let go of Changbin's hand for a second and helps the nurses take care of him. They said the cut would leave a horrible scar but Chan secretly thanks the Goddess every night for not taking Changbin away from him like she did with his mother.

A maid is one day able to coax him away from Changbin for an afternoon. She gently bathes him and gently pets him as he cries quietly. She helps Chan pick some flowers from the garden to put on Changbin's side table. Chan picks some pretty pink ones because he remembers Changbin said he likes pink flowers.

"Those are called anemones, my Prince."

"Will he like them, Sana-noona?"

"I'm sure he will love them." She pets his blonde hair gently and Chan smiles for the first time in weeks. He doesn't notice his older brother seeing them in the garden and running off.

Chan traces the scar on Changbin's back gently with his fingertips. Changbin rolls over and pulls him close.

"Can't sleep?" His voice is low and gruff from sleep. Chan puts his face into the crook of his neck and sighs tiredly, the whole hunting trip was just some formality he was forced to go on. Changbin lets go of him and stands up in the tent, pulling his shirt over his head quickly and throwing Chan's shirt at him. "C'mon, let's go look at the stars."

The Knight and the Prince pass by the fire where the others are. The conversations they are having die down as soon as Chan gets close enough and they look up from the animals they are butchering. Chan let's Changbin handle all the interaction and lets him brief the other knights on where they are going.

Chan wishes sometimes he was the knight and Changbin the prince. But then he snaps out of it and curses himself for wishing a fate so cruel on the other. Chan is always surrounded by people but is always cold and alone. They find a field where the grass is long and a small steam flows through it. They follow the stream until they find a section of it where the water is deeper and the stones and grass grant them some privacy. Chan removes his clothes without a second thought, gently wading into the water.

"Join me?" Chan stretches a hand out and smiles gently, though he knows it doesn't reach his eyes. Changbin removes his clothes too and soon wades in after Chan. Chan leans against Changbin and closes his eyes, not bothering to look at the stars for once, the heat from the other soothes his soul a little.

"Were you thinking about Sana-noona again?"

"…Yeah," he admits, "and Younghyun-hyung." He clenches his fist slightly and Changbin grabs his wrist, splaying the fingers out and tracing over the lines of his palm. Soothing, gentle, familiar.

"Do you still blame yourself for their execut—" Changbin cuts himself off, "deaths. Do you still blame yourself for their deaths?"

"It's not blame if it's the truth is it?" Chan states numbly.

"It's not your fault though. Love between within the palace is basically forbidden." Changbin leans his forehead against the side of Chan's head and whispers, "If anything, it's your father—the King's— fault."

Chan slaps a hand over Changbin's mouth. "Don't. You can't say that."

Changbin utters blasphemous words but they sound like an angel's words to Chan. He utters the truth and it could get him killed.

Chan remembers crying until he threw up as they made him watch Sana and Younghyun get beheaded. Till the end, they held hands and looked at each other like nothing else mattered. Chan's brother, the Crown Prince had pulled Chan to the side after and cruelly mocked him as he told him that he had been the one to tell the King of Sana and Younghyun's relationship.

In the end, Chan still blames himself. Had he not loved them, they wouldn't have died. They would still be here and maybe they could've payed their debts to the palace and bought their freedom. Maybe they could've lived a modest but comfortable life and had a few kids. Maybe they could have been happy if they hadn't known Chan.

Each day Chan feels himself grow a little more numb. They sit in the water until they begin to shiver.

The attire he is dressed in is suffocating but no more suffocating than the idea of having to be at this banquet for six hours.

"Looking sharp." Changbin leans against the archway to Chan's chambers. Chan is dressed in a dark red formal attire. A way to differentiate his rank from the King and Crown Prince who will be dressed in dark blue.

"I could say the same about you."

Changbin too, is dressed in his formal wear, the medals he has earned decorate chime with each movement he makes and his hair styled in a half slicked back fashion. It makes him look even more handsome than usual. Chan grabs a red anemone from the bouquet on his desk and places it into Changbin's breast pocket.

"There, now you are ready."

"Staking your claim, my Prince?" Changbin teases. Chan just smiles in lieu of a response and it makes Changbin's heart skip dangerously in his chest.

"Let's go attend this stupid banquet, shall we?" Chan turns away and the servants open the door for him.

Chan could walk down to Hell and Changbin would follow without question.

"Ah, Second Prince Chan, it's been a while." Chan's aunt smiles at him. Chan bows deeply and smiles perfectly, as he has always done. "My, you've grown into the exact image of your mother." Chan's mask falters slightly.

"Thank you, Duchess. I'm sure she would be happy to here that if she was with us."

"No doubt about it. You've got her eyes and lips, and her demeanor. You've grown well, Second Prince. If we weren't so closely related, I would request your hand for my daughter in an instant."

Chan laughs uncomfortably, she is close enough that he can smell the wine on her breath.

"I'm flattered. I apologize, the King is summoning me." He for once is thankful to the King for calling him.

"Chan my son!" The King says flamboyantly, "Come meet the Grand Duke and Duchess of House Shin." Chan bows deeply and elegantly in a way that is so practiced, it has become natural.

"This," Chan has to repress a shiver when the King throws an arm over his shoulder, "is my youngest son, the Second Prince. He is—" Chan shows no expression when the King's hand squeezes his shoulder hard enough it hurts, "—a striking image of his late mother if I must say so myself."

Chan smiles and for a moment he feels out of touch with his body like the stars are beckoning him to somewhere kinder and gentler than here. He is pulled back into his body suddenly and can't help his reaction at the news.

"Fiancé?!"

The King smiles in a way that reminds Chan to maintain his composure.

"It's great news, isn't it? The Grand Duke of House Shin is the brother of the Emperor of Patientia. After much negotiation, we have decided to strike an agreement through a marriage. Next month, we shall be holding your wedding to the Eldest Princess of Patientia here."

Chan can't breathe. The room is too big and there are too many people. Too much noise, too many bright lights. His clothes are too tight and they scratch at his skin uncomfortably. He can't help but run out of the banquet. There is something akin to fear crawling under his skin and he escapes to his only respite, the field.

He collapses somewhere in the field and is paralyzed, unable to even breathe. He hears Changbin's panicked calls for him and can't even respond.

Changbin finds him eventually though, he always does.

Changbin watches as Chan bolts out of the grand hall and follows his Prince immediately. Sometimes he wishes Chan wasn't so fast so he was easier to catch. The Prince is nimble and flows like water when he runs, hard to keep up with, impossible to catch. He calls Chan's name to try and get him to stop but it's no use.

Knowing Chan makes it easier to find him because he knows how his Prince thinks. He heads towards the field, knowing his Prince is probably quietly nestled within, safe from the people who pull him in every direction and expect him to smile even as he is being beat down. Changbin calls out Chan's name and his concern only grows when he doesn't recieve a reply. He stands in the area he think Chan would be and closes his eyes, listening. He then hears a small broken sob and sprints towards the sound.

"My Prince—" Changbin's rage flares at the sight of Chan looking so small and helpless, "…Chan, Channie, O Goddess what happened?"

He pulls the breaking Prince onto his lap and holds him close, his heart aching because he truly feels helpless. He holds him until Chan's breathing finally evens out.

"What happened?"

"I'm getting married. I'm engaged now." Chan says with a slight delirious tinge to his voice. "I'm getting married to a stranger and then sent halfway across the world, away from everything I've ever known. Away from—" his voice cracks, "—away from you!" Chan looks at Changbin's sword lying sheathed on the ground before picking it up with shaking hands.

"Chan, what are you doing?!" Changbin tries to grab the sword but is pushed to the ground by Chan. He watches in horror as he scrambles to stand up as Chan unsheathes the blade from its scabard and raises it to his neck. He feels paralyzed with fear.

"Tell them you found me already dead. Tell them I attacked you and threatened you then took your sword and ran off. Tell them that when you had found me, I had already slit my throat and died. Do you understand?"

Chan's eyes are fierce and determined and Changbin's trembles, not knowing what to do or say.

"Promise me, Changbin. Please, Binnie."

Changbin still doesn't answer and Chan presses harder.

"You have to promise me."

Changbin reaches for him with shaking hands.

"Seo Changbin. As your Prince, I order you to—"

Changbin swings at Chan and punches him, knocking him out. He takes a minute to cry before gathering the man who holds his heart within his arms and walking back towards the palace.

Hyunjin and Seungmin in the left wing of the palace know not to say anything. They keep their heads down or conviently find something to do as Changbin brings the Prince to his chambers. He gently removes the formal attire from the Prince and gently washes the makeup and tears from his face. Once the Prince is safe and in bed, he sits in the chair next to it and guards. As is his duty. He stares at Chan's face as he sleeps. He looks so youthful and free when he is able to get some rare and precious sleep.

He seals their fate when he presses a reverently blasphemous kiss onto his forehead before sitting back down.

Chan wakes up with an ache in his jaw and looks at his Knight slumped over on the side of his bed, sound asleep.

"I'm sorry, Binnie." Chan brushes his bangs back with a gentle hand. He is angry. At himself, at his father. Really, he is angry at everything and he realizes he has always been. He gets up to get ready for the day but is pulled into a lap by strong hands.

"Don't ever do that again." Changbin weeps.

Chan wiggles around so he is facing his Knight instead. He straddles his lap and wishes he could be closer to Changbin. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I keep on hurting you." Chan places a worshipful kiss to Changbin's cheek as if that's enough to apologize.

Changbin's arms tighten around his waist and they stay there for a moment. A reprieve from the world. Their bubble of peace.

Changbin's hand clenches around the hilt of his sword. Chan looks gorgeous dressed in white. A crown decorates his head and Changbin realizes he has never seen anything so tragically beautiful in his life.

Chan's lower lip trembles and he smiles despite the tears streaking down his cheeks.

"Well…I guess this is it. I'm…getting married tonight."

Changbin breaks down at that statement and they both fall to their knees. Giving each other one last embrace.

"Changbinnie." The old, fond name falls from his Prince's lips and he looks up in rapt attention. "Can I make one last selfish request?"

"A-Anything." He holds Chan's hands in his own gently but firmly.

"I want you to take my virginity. Make love to me right now please, for the first and last time."

Changbin pulls him close by his waist and kisses him like they both have wanted to for years. Changbin needs no other convincing and does as he is told, doing his best to make love to his Prince.

It starts off slightly awkward but neither of them mind when they are so consumed with each other. They both cry ugly tears when Changbin enters slowly. When Changbin begins to fuck into Chan, they don't spend another second without kissing. Their hands intrinsically find each other and intertwine. Tears, spit and snot mixing grossly but at the same time it feels perfect. The beginning of the end. Their goodbye to what could have—what should have been. They finish together and it is horribly beautiful, then immediately hold each other. Crying and holding each other until their time runs out and they have to get ready for the wedding. Not their wedding but the wedding that will ultimately break both of them in a way so deeply and personal that they will never fully recover.

Hyunjin and Seungmin are kind enough to not say anything and in return Chan doesn't acknowledge how all of the staff in the left wing have already begun to mourn him. He pretends to not hear their quiet sobs or red eyes. He walks with a false confidence, knowing the love of his life cannot follow.

Had Chan been attending as a guest, the wedding would have been a sight to behold. The decorations are objectively gorgeous but as he stands at the altar, they feel like decorations for his funeral. The deep navy blue of his kingdom is married with the jade green of the Patientia kingdom. He watches as the Princess enters and everyone is stunned at her beauty, but he doesn't see her as she walks down the aisle. He only sees Changbin, fully clad in his armor, standing guard against the wall of the hall.

When she stands in front of him, there is an immediate understanding between them. She too, silently cries beneath her veil, face numb from being forced into this union neither of them wants. They slip the wedding bands onto each other's fingers with trembling hands. As he walks back down the aisle with her arm around his, he sees his Knight and for a moment wishes that Changbin didn't have the damned helmet on so he could see his beautiful face one last time. A tear final tear slips down his cheek, and he gives one last glance at his Knight before the doors to the hall shuts behind him and his new wife like the door to a casket.

Him and the Eldest Princess sit awkwardly on either side of the bed, not wanting to move.

He chooses to break the silence first, "I'm sorry, I know you didn't want this."

"Neither did you." She laughs bitterly. She slips out a vial from her dress, the liquid inside is an enchanting purple colour. It shimmers gently in the light. "I have a proposition."

Chan furrows his brows in concern but gives her his full attention.

"This is a poison that will kill you within twenty-minutes but it is completely painless. Half of this vial is enough to kill one person." Chan's eyes widen as she speaks. "I'm going to give you two choices: one, you take half of the poison with me and we end our miseries together. At least we won't be alone when we…" She shakes her head and focuses, "The second choice is you find your Knight, tell him to meet you somewhere and I, will cause a distraction big enough that it will give you time to escape and have them never look for you."

"Jihyo-ssi, I—"

"Please, allow me to make a positive difference in your life to soothe my conscious before I go."

"You can escape with me! I—we can figure something out—"

She gently shushes him and brushes his hair out of his face.

"My Knight is waiting for me in a different plain of existence, but your Knight still waits for you. Live your life. Be kind to yourself and choose to be happy, Chan-ah." He finally gives in and agrees to the second plan.

They hold eachother as they plan with heavy but hopeful hearts.

He checks his bag one final time before gently pushing the door open. He hopes that Seungmin got his message to Changbin in time. Jihyo looks at the freshly dead corpse they had dragged from the dungeon with a blank expression, carefully dressing it in Chan's wedding attire. It's weird seeing it lay in Chan's bed. Hopefully it will make a good final resting places. Jihyo takes a deep breath as she soaks as much as she can in the room with the excessively large vat of sweet wine that had been intended for their consummation night. She approaches him smiling brightly. She places a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Thank you, Chan-ah." Chan wipes his eyes aggressively. He watches her down the purple tonic and it immediately makes her sway on her feet. He helps her lay down on the bed and lights a candle for her, handing it to her. "Jeongyeon-ah, I'm finally coming to you." She gives him one last look, "Go, Chan-ah."

Chan runs and doesn't look back even as he sees the glow of fire spread through the left wing of the palace. Hyunjin and Seungmin help him reach outside the palace walls by directing the guards attention to the blaze after a few minutes, wailing and crying as theatrically as they can. He will miss him.

He makes his way to their field, hoping Changbin is waiting for him. He sees a cloaked figure waiting with two horses and he sprints as fast as he can towards him. He leaps, knowing Changbin will always catch him and Changbin does, spinning him around and kissing him.

"We need to go now." Chan says as he breaks the kiss. The anemones gently sway in the breeze of the night, almost as if waving goodbye. Chan gives one last mournful look towards the palace, watching what had been home for so many years go up in a furious blaze. He mounts his horse and him and his Knight ride towards where the wind directs them. It just feels right.

As they were about to leave, they were stopped by Hyunjin and Seungmin who had also escaped the palace and begged them to come with them and serve them, saying their loyalty had always been to Chan, not the kingdom. When Chan sees the way they look at each other, Chan knows he made the right choice to bring them along.

It had been a week of hard travel and they finally had crossed borders, now in a different kingdom with no ties to their old kingdom. Chan looks at the yellow roads and how the gingko trees sway gently in the wind. They must be in Salus, the Kingdom of the Sun, ruled by the two princes of Lee Family. He remembers meeting both Prince Minho and Prince Yongbok a long time ago and thinking they were kind and benevolent people. Changbin and him should be safe here. Forever.

Changbin sighs happily and turns to gather a still-asleep Chan in his arms.

The meeting with the Princes had gone more than okay. They both heard their story and immediately gave them citizenship and titles. The even more generously gave them an estate for them to build on, a vast, and more private plot within a more wealthy area to grant them protection. They both wholly have casted away the blues of their past accepted the gold of their new home.

Changbin remembers how they had felt when they had first entered the land, only to see it was covered in anemones. He remembers how him and his Chan had broken down, thanking the Goddess for her benevolence and kindness.

Seo Changbin is the luckiest man on the planet and nothing could change that. He holds his love in his arms tightly and sighs happily. The morning light makes Chan somehow even more beautiful. He begrudgingly gets up when he hears a knock at the door.

"Duke Seo, the First and Second Princes are both here to see you." Changbin nods and thanks Seungmin. Hyunjin helps him get ready and nags at him for staying up too late again.

The young man trots away in his usual puppy-like fashion. He is surprised when he opens his door to find the full entourage their and…Yang Jeongin?!

Jeongin awkwardly smiles, "Surprise, I deserted too…?"

"I knew that. I helped you escape." Changbin deadpans.

Minho elbows him, "And you're my fiancé now too."

"Oh yeah, I'm also Minho's hot sexy boytoy—OW!" Minho flicks him in the head.

Changbin pinches the bridge of his nose, processing how his once young, scrawny squire was now a fiancé to a Eldest Prince of one of the most powerful empires in the world.

"Oh, Duke Han, it's also nice to see you too." He bows gently and Yongbok's fiancé waves back before going back to laughing at Jeongin's pain and suffering.

"Anyways," He ignores the squabbling, "Did you bring it?"

Yongbok looks offended, "Hyung, who do you take me for?"

"A man who once said yogurt was a vegetable—"

"Yah! We agreed to keep that in the past!" He fumbles around in his bag before pulling out a box, "TADAAA!"

Changbin takes the box with excitedly trembling hands before opening it. He almost begins to tear up with how perfect it is. The ring is perfect for Chan: the band is silver with beautiful carvings of anemone flowers, the sapphire is cut in a way that resembles a star, the gentle blue of the stone somehow refracting multicolour beams of light. Beautiful, just like the love of his life who will hopefully soon be his fiance.

"Thank you."

Jisung soothes Yongbok as he cries at how "beautiful love is" and Minho smiles like a cat sitting in a nice beam of sunlight.

Chan comes down the stairs because of the noise, still half-asleep and hair a mess and Changbin can't help but think he looks simply so gorgeous when he is relaxed and safe. He hides the ring in his pocket.

Chan is immediately teased by their friends and Seungmin says Chan looks like a disgruntled chow chow to which Chan glares at him briefly for before giggling.

They all enjoy a hearty breakfast together, the manor is loud and chaotic. Even through the chaos, Chan and Changbin's gazes are drawn to eachother. Chan reaches over from under the table and takes his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. When Chan smiles at him this time, it reaches his eyes and they sparkle like the stars Chan loves so much.

There's another knock at the door and Hyunjin answers this time. He comes back with a letter and opens to read it.

"The Second Prince of Maeror and the Eldest Princess of Patientia were found dead in a tragic fluke incident shortly after their marriage." Hyunjin raises a knowing brow before smirking. Changbin squeezes Chan's hand, and they both look at Jihyo's picture hanging in their living room.

Changbin leads Chan out to the field in the back of their home, the anemones sway gently in the wind. He gasps when he sees candles warmly lighting up a picnic blanket with all of Chan's favourite treats.

"Changbin, this is amazing!" He giggles as Changbin squints towards some nearby bushes, hearing their friends terribly spying on them. The bush is quieter as it rustles than they are.

They spend a while gazing up at the stars. While it may not be the field that brought them together, it still felt the same. Chan pops another chocolate covered strawberry into his mouth before leaning to kiss Changbin on the cheek.

"I love you, my loyal Knight." He watches fondly as Changbin's eyes immediately become shiny with tears and he sniffles aggressively.

"Stop! I'm trying to be nonchalant."

Chan kisses him again which makes Changbin laugh. He raises a brow when Changbin gets onto one knee and awkwardly fumbles around in his pocket before producing a small velvet box.

"Bang Chan, my dear Prince, will you make the happiest man in Salus and marry me."

"Yes." Is all Chan says before pouncing on Changbin. They both cackle when a course of "Eeewww"s erupts from the bushes nearby.

Changbin and Chan spend the rest of the night surrounded by friends— more now like family— and thanking the Goddess and her stars for guiding them towards their happy ending.