SH 2015: Unfrogettably Ever After (for avellkyungsoo) (2/2)

[suholiday]

“I’m going to Velvet Kingdom in a few days.” Kyungsoo looked up from the incredibly dull book he’d been reading, courtesy of Prince Suho’s extensive library. The prince, in an attempt to fill the gaping holes in Kyungsoo’s “appallingly patchy education,” had written up a list of books on etiquette and proper behavior that Kyungsoo was required read while he was held prisoner. “Please don’t put me back into the cage,” he begged. “I promise not to run away while you’re gone.” “Actually,” Prince Suho coughed. “Would you like to come with me?” Though Prince Suho would never admit it out loud, he was quite nervous for his first solo trip as representative of his family and kingdom. There was a lot riding on his performance, politically and socially, and the experience would be less nerve-wracking to have a companion with him, even if said companion had the social grace of a...well, of a frog. Plus, it was kind of cute seeing Kyungsoo’s eyes widen to almost twice their normal size as he choked on air. “...what??” “I was thinking we could find someone who could break your spell, there. The visit is for the summer solstice celebration at Velvet Castle. There will be plenty of other princes and princesses in attendance.” “You think I might find a True Love there?” Prince Suho snorted. “I think—” but he stopped himself when he saw Kyungsoo’s hopeful expression. “I think...ah...you have a greater than zero chance.” “Oh.” “Besides, it would be an educational experience. I remember you once said you’d never been to the ocean, and the Velvet Kingdom is right by the coast. I even prepared a sightseeing journal for you...” Kyungsoo perked up. The ocean! He’d always been curious of what an endless pond would look like. This might be his only chance to ever see the world, and in a free, first-class transportation to boot. “Okay!” he agreed. “When do we leave?” “Kyungsoo, sit down,” Prince Suho scolded. “Being a frog doesn’t excuse you from behaving with proper manners.” Kyungsoo ignored him, clinging on the edge of the carriage window as he ribbit-ed happily. He watched in fascination as the green hills rolled on by, underneath the blue sky. He’d never seen so much lush open space before. “Wow...” “Nice, isn’t it?” Prince Suho asked, leaning back in his seat. “It all belongs to my father...and it’ll belong to Xiumin, someday.” “What, all of it?” “No, I’ll get a sixth of it, as will Chen and Kai. But if I marry Princess Irene, I’ll own the entire coast. That’ll be even more land than Xiumin.” Prince Suho beamed at the thought. “...you really have a weird complex about your brother.” Prince Suho sniffed. “I wouldn’t expect a frog to understand.” “Who’s Princess Irene, anyway?” Kyungsoo asked, as he hopped back into Suho’s lap. He’d heard quite a lot about her from listening in on conversations between Prince Suho and his parents over the past week, as they made preparations for the prince’s visit. “Princess Irene is the oldest princess of Velvet Kingdom, and unofficial ruler—at least, until her father retires next year,” Prince Suho explained. “She’s quite accomplished. Our families have been planning an alliance for decades. Actually, Xiumin was always meant to court her—until he lost all his good sense over that painting of Princess Narsha.” Prince Suho snorted. “So now, I’ll be going in his stead.” “Love is weird,” Kyungsoo agreed. “You don’t like Princess Narsha?” “I have no opinion of her. It’s Xiumin’s choice. I do think, however, that a girl raised in the woods with three fairies is hardly fit for a prince of my family’s caliber.” Kyungsoo nodded. In that case, he couldn’t help thinking, a boy raised in a cottage with a witch and two cats was definitely not fit for a prince like Suho. Prince Suho was the perfect guest, complimenting every square inch of the Bae’s seaside castle. Kyungsoo thought his eyes might escape from its sockets from how hard he was rolling them when Suho even complimented their napkin design. “You’re almost as bad as when you were courting me,“ he told the prince. “But least you didn’t try to recite a horrible poem about the napkins.” He received a painful pinch in response. Princess Irene, in addition to being extremely accomplished, was beautiful. Kyungsoo was dazed by the glimpse of her he managed to catch, peeking out of Prince Suho’s pocket. She looked like a doll. “Her face is rather nice to look at,” Prince Suho admitted. Which, in Suho-speak, meant that she was gorgeous. Throughout the introductory tour and dinner, Prince Suho kept reaching into his pocket to squeeze Kyungsoo for reassurance, as though Kyungsoo were some sort of stress-relieving toy. Kyungsoo considered biting the prince’s fingers as retaliation, but he didn’t want to add more to Prince Suho’s obvious nervousness. Prince Suho was doing just fine stressing himself out. Halfway through the appetizers, he excused himself from the table and fled to the restroom. “I can’t do this.” Prince Suho stared at himself in the mirror, breathing shallowly. His eyes were wide with panic. “Oh, no. My hair—” “It’s fine!” Kyungsoo said, hopping out. “I’m sure Princess Irene didn’t notice that your hair wasn’t parted in a perfect line! You look nice.” “But—” “And I’m sure she appreciated your compliments on her red dress just fine.” “What about—” “No, I’m sure she wasn’t secretly comparing you to your brother. She seemed quite charmed by you.” “How do you know—” “Please, the whole room was making eyes at you,” Kyungsoo grumbled. “I’ll bet her parents are already drafting up your marriage contract right now.” “Really? Why would they?” “Because...” Kyungsoo had to bite his tongue, before he said something completely embarrassing. “...just because.” “That’s not a valid reason. You haven’t read the oration book I’ve assigned, have you?” “Oops, you caught me.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “You know what? If you’re so nervous, let’s practice.” “Practice?” Prince Suho straightened at the familiar word. “Yeah. Pretend I’m Princess Irene.” Kyungsoo tried to raise his voice to a higher pitch and sat up taller. “Good afternoon, Prince Suho. Why do you want to marry me?” “No lady would ever be that forward!” Prince Suho hissed, scandalized. “Well, unless she were Lady Eunji...” he amended. “Fine. Prince Suho, why would you like to know me better?” Kyungsoo folded his arms. “Do you only want me for my land?” “O-of course not!” “Then...?” “You’re beautiful. And charming. With lovely long hair.” Prince Suho smiled hopefully. “And nice teeth.” “I’ve been thinking of getting a haircut. Will you like me less, then?” “N...no? Of course not! I enjoy your company, too.” “What about it, specifically?” A tiny bead of sweat rolled down Prince Suho’s forehead. “Er. I. Ah. Your jokes... The way you laugh...?” Kyungsoo nodded encouragingly. “Just pretend I’m her,” he reminded. Prince Suho relaxed marginally. “I enjoy your cooking...” “As you should,” Kyungsoo sniffed. “...and our literary discussions, even though your education is shockingly paltry. Your interesting world view...and when I say interesting, I don’t mean the kind of ‘interesting’ I tell people when they’re truthfully boring me out of my mind.” Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. “I mean it. Your honesty is refreshing. I feel comfortable around you. And for some odd reason, I trust you.” “Thanks.” “You’re welcome. And if we were to marry, maybe it wouldn’t be so...” The prince considered. “...maybe it wouldn’t be so bad...” There was a long silence. They stared at each other, wide eyes against wider eyes. Kyungsoo had a sudden feeling that their conversation had veered off course, and he quickly hopped onto Prince Suho’s jacket. “Suho—uh, I mean, Prince Suho. Just be yourself. And if it means anything, I think you’re okay even when your hair isn’t perfect.” “It does mean something. Thank you.” Kyungsoo paused at the prince’s unusually subdued tone. Without thinking about it, his tongue darted out and he licked the prince on the cheek. Prince Suho’s eyes widened. “Kyungsoo, what...?” “You should go back,” Kyungsoo squeaked, fleeing into Prince Suho’s pocket. “But what was that—” “Go back!“ Kyungsoo’s muffled yell came out of Prince Suho’s pocket. “Or they’re going to think you went to the toilet for other reasons.“ Prince Suho hastily exited the restroom. A few days later, Prince Suho managed to find some time in between his socialization and networking (Kyungsoo was amazed at how many people Prince Suho knew) to take Kyungsoo exploring. They hiked down the rocky slopes facing the shore of the Red Ocean—more accurately, Suho hiked while Kyungsoo dozed on his shoulder. When they finally reached the beach, the sun was high up in the sand. Prince Suho seemed to have no problem with the heat, but Kyungsoo dove into the water the first chance he had. Prince Suho watched him, worried that the currents would pull the little frog away. “Be careful!” “Come swim with me then!” Kyungsoo called, executing perfect breaststrokes through the water. Prince Suho sniffed. “No thank you.” He could see leaves floating in the water, not to mention fish beneath the surface. How unsanitary. “Are you scared?” Kyungsoo called. “Or...do you not know how to swim?” “Me! Not know?” Prince Suho scoffed. Misgivings about the water forgotten, he stood and stripped off his shirt. Kyungsoo squeaked, diving into the water to avert his eyes. Still, he couldn’t help surfacing a little to sneak a peek at the prince’s stomach. “Don’t be shy.” Was that a smirk on the prince’s face? “I give you permission to touch, if you’d like.” For a moment, Kyungsoo looked like he was considering the offer. But instead, Kyungsoo sent a stream of water squirting straight in the prince’s belly button. Bulls-eye. Prince Suho spluttered, before giving chase after the snickering perpetrator. An hour later, they rested upon the bank. Prince Suho stared up at the sky, while Kyungso rested on the prince’s forearm and chewed happily on a leaf. “I should do this more often.” The outdoors air and swim seemed have done Prince Suho good, for he sounded more cheerful that usual. “I can’t remember the last time I went swimming outdoors. I never knew swimming could be enjoyable.” “That’s...kind of depressing,” said Kyungsoo. “I suppose,” Prince Suho agreed with a sigh. “Chen always says I should be called Suho the Sad.” “You’re not sad...well, you’re not that sad,” Kyungsoo comforted. “You just need to relax more. Do more things for fun.” “Fun,” Prince Suho mused. “Isn’t there something you’ve always wanted to do?” “I’ve always wanted to go on a backpacking trip, actually.” “Really? Where to?” “All the way east, to New Yorkshire.” “That does sound fun,” Kyungsoo agreed wistfully. Sooyoung had once visited (and cursed half of the cow population) there; apparently it was a place of great learning and culture. Prince Suho turned his head to look at him. “Would you come with me?” “...as long as you don’t bring your books with you.” “I think I can manage that.” Prince Suho gently touched his pinky to Kyungsoo’s hand in a promise. Apparently, Prince Suho’s practice with Kyungsoo had paid off. Now Prince Suho was engaged in conversation with the lovely Princess Irene about their favorite books. In one of his hands was a glass of champagne, which he held underneath the table so that Kyungsoo could try some. Kyungsoo took a sip and sighed. Bitterly, Kyungsoo remembered when he used to be the center of Suho’s attention during their courtship... ...except Prince Suho had been under the effects of a love potion, then. Back then, Kyungsoo hadn’t truly had him. Now, Kyungsoo sort of wanted the prince’s smile and laugh and even his awful poetry all to himself. Wait, where did that thought even come from? Kyungsoo shook himself and took another sulky swallow of the fiery liquid. With each gulp, he found himself growing more and more indignant. Hmph! Who said he needed a love potion? Even if Prince Suho was no longer interested, Kyungsoo was a perfectly good catch! He didn’t need enchantment to make people like him! What had the fairy said...? It was the inside that counted, right? Taking a deep breath, Kyungsoo hopped out of Prince Suho’s lap, nearly tripping in the process. He felt a little dizzy, and he wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling it had something to do with that drink. The prince was too busy stammering verses about Princess Irene’s long black hair to notice the escaped frog. Kyungsoo climbed onto the table and zeroed in on the two princes that were sitting beside Prince Suho. Ignoring the tiny voice in his head that was telling him this might be a bad idea, he tapped one of them on the arm and cleared his throat. He put on his friendliest smile, though admittedly he was a bit out of practice. “Hello, my name is Kyungsoo—” The foreign prince’s head whipped around; his lazy smile morphed into terror as his gaze fell on the frog leaning unsteadily against his soup bowl. “OH MY GOD!” The next thing Kyungsoo knew, he was flung against the wall. Pain exploded as he felt and heard a bone crack. That hurt. Prince Tao was sobbing as he pointed a shaky hand toward the lump on the floor. “THERE WAS A...THAT THING ON MY NAPKIN!” “Tao, it’s just a frog,” Prince Sehun sighed, patting his friend on the arm. He wrinkled his nose as he took in its limp form. “How did it get in, though? Yuck.” Others had noticed the flattened figure as well. “What on earth?” “A frog!“ “How disgusting.” “Servants, clean that mess up!” “Dump it in the moat, or something.” Their voices echoed faintly around Kyungsoo’s swimming head. The champagne-induced haziness had cleared now, and with it all of his confidence. Kyungsoo was suddenly brought back to a particular childhood memory he’d always tried to suppress. He felt angry tears start to gather in his eyes. He hated humans. “Oh, my.” Princess Irene turned paler than she already was. “Excuse me, Prince Suho. I should probably leave; I have quite a weak stomach. It was lovely talking to you, as always.” The blood drained from Prince Suho’s face too, as he followed her gaze to see the squashed form of his friend being gathered into a dustbin. “...KYUNGSOO!?” “You really won’t return?” “Not until they apologize! He nearly died!” “Suho...” The King heaved a sigh, though he did wince at the sight of the frog with a tiny splint on his leg. “You’re being unreasonable. They didn’t know.” “That uncivilized child threw him against the wall! What was he raised in, a barn?” The Queen raised an eyebrow. “From what I hear, you made quite the scene at the Velvet Castle, not Prince Tao.” “I...” Prince Suho coughed. “Yes...well. I might’ve gotten a bit emotional.” “Believe me, we’ve heard. In fact, everyone in the kingdom has heard...” the King muttered. “Darling.” The Queen put a hand on her son’s stiff shoulders. “There were already rumors, after what happened at your birthday ball. And now this. Do you know what people are calling you? The Frog Prince.” “...how extraordinarily uncreative.” Indeed, news had travelled fast after Prince Suho’s disastrous visit to Velvet Kingdom. The more malicious pamphlets were having a field day over the prince’s supposed mental breakdown. FROG-ET SUHO, the latest headline read, WHEN WILL XIUMIN RETURN? Prince SuhOUT, Prince XiumIN! “Just ignore them.” Prince Chen, no stranger to scandals himself, tossed the pamphlets into the dustbin. “Who cares what a bunch of gossip rags think?” “Of course I don’t care,” Prince Suho scoffed. Except Prince Suho cared. Prince Suho cared...a lot. Since he was young, he had always been sensitive to others’ opinions, whether it was his parents’ or his brothers’ or even his horses’. Though he wouldn’t admit it, seeing all of his important accomplishments and efforts dismissed in favor of a rumor hurt. In the following days, Prince Suho threw himself into a stricter daily schedule than ever. He woke up before sunrise to exercise and study and blew out the candles long after the rest of the castle had gone to sleep. He stopped writing poetry. He smiled less, even in his sleep. “What happened to doing more things for fun?” Kyungsoo asked, after a tense week had passed in this fashion. He limped onto the prince’s shoulder and poked his cheek. “You said you’d try, remember?” “This is fun.” “You’re reading a book about tax policy.” “Kyungsoo.” The faintest hint of annoyance creeping into Prince Suho’s voice. “I don’t mean to be condescending—” “—which means you’re going to be—” Kyungsoo muttered. “—but you’re just a frog. You don’t understand. I’m a prince; I don’t have time for frivolities.” “But this is boring!” “Why don’t you leave, then?” Prince Suho asked as he scribbled notes into his journal. “No one’s keeping you here.” Kyungsoo blinked at the sudden frostiness in the prince’s tone. “Y-you want me to leave?” “Well, I certainly don’t know why you’re wasting your time in this boring place with a boring person like myself.” Prince Suho’s grip tightened on his quill. “Perhaps you should go find a more interesting prince to chat up.” “...You want me to go find another prince?” “Try not to get me involved in your mess, this time.” Kyungsoo recoiled. “...fine, I will. I’ll go!” “Good.” “I’m going to go have lots of fun! Have fun with your boring life!” “I will.” “Maybe I’ll go find Xiumin!” “Please do. There’s a map on the shelf.” “Great!” “Excellent.” That night, Kyungsoo didn’t take his usual place on the pillow next to Prince Suho’s head. He hid under the prince’s bed, trying to keep as silent as possible. His stomach grumbled. “Kyungsoo,” Prince Suho called after an hour had passed in darkness. Kyungsoo jumped; he thought the prince had fallen asleep. “I know you’re down there. Get back up here, or you’ll catch a cold.” Silence. “Please?” Silence. “Look, I’m. Ah. I’m...sorry. I’ve been in a cross mood lately, and I took it out on you. I don’t actually want you to leave.” Silence. “Unless you want to...?” Silence. “Which I understand. I’m not the most interesting company after all. Not like Xiumin, or Chen or Kai...or even Monggu...” The prince’s voice had lost its frustrated tinge and now just sounded sad. Kyungsoo caved in. He hopped up onto the bed and, instead of climbing onto his usual pillow, launched himself into Prince Suho’s arms. “I’m sorry I called you boring,” he mumbled into the sleep shirt. Prince Suho reached out a hand to pat Kyungsoo. “Well, it is the truth...” “No, it’s not! I think you’re very interesting! And nice...sometimes. And smart. Andgoodlookingtoo. And those newspapers don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re probably just jealous.” “That’s strangely sweet of you to say. You’re starting to sound like Kai,” Prince Suho commented with a wry smile. Kyungsoo lifted his head. “Then why won’t you listen to us? Why do you waste your time doing things for people who don’t matter?” “Everyone’s opinion matters. I’m the prince, and I represent the people.” “But you’re also my friend! And I want you to do fun things like swim outdoors and backpack to New Yorktown...with me.” Prince Suho didn’t answer, but he continued to absently stroke Kyungsoo. It felt nice, and Kyungsoo found his eyelids drooping. He had nearly fallen asleep when the prince suddenly spoke. “I wonder what you were like as a human.” “Uh, well, you know.” Kyungsoo yawned. “Bigger, less green...” demon child. creep. “nothing special...” “I wasn’t referring to your looks, though I doubt you’re nothing special.” Prince Suho picked Kyungsoo up to examine him closer in the moonlight, and Kyungsoo suddenly felt pinned under the prince’s intent stare. It was like the prince was looking straight at him, Kyungsoo. Not the frog. There was no hint of disgust in his expression, and that made Kyungsoo even more self-conscious. “I’ve never met anyone quite like you before.” “Well, talking frogs aren’t exactly common, I’d hope...wait, what are you doing?” Prince Suho’s face was now inches away. “uh, Prince Suho—” “Quiet. I want to try something.” Prince Suho leaned in slowly, and Kyungsoo’s words died in his throat. His gaze dropped to the prince’s parted lips as they neared, and he felt his heartbeat accelerate. He was sure the prince could feel his body shaking with the vibration. He could feel the prince’s soft breath on his skin in the darkness... Kyungsoo’s stomach gave a loud grumble. The prince blinked, and he drew back. “Are you hungry?” “I haven’t eaten all day,” Kyungsoo mumbled as he tried to ignore how his entire body felt too warm. What was going on? “It’s my fault. I’ll go get you some food.” A guilt-stricken prince put Kyungsoo down and climbed out of bed. “What do you want, vegetarian or omnivorian?” “Both.” “I won’t.” “Darling,” The Queen sighed. “What’s the matter? I heard you and Princess Irene got along quite well.” “We did...” “Then won’t you go back and clear the air? Her parents are quite eager to form an alliance, but they expressed concern about...well, I’m sure you know what.” “Kyungsoo.” “...yes, the frog. Tell them about that terrible love spell or whatnot that you were under.” Prince Suho hesitated. “But there wasn’t a love potion, this time...” At that, the King and Queen exchanged worried looks. “What are you saying, exactly?” “I don’t know!” Prince Suho sighed. “I just feel...unsure about this.” “Suho.” The Queen put a gentle hand on her son’s tense shoulder. “I understand how easy it is to get attached to your pets. Goodness knows Kai still insists on bringing Monggu around everywhere with him. We royalty don’t often have playmates or true friends, growing up. But when you’re living under the public eye...you must understand how odd your behavior looks, from an outsider’s perspective.” “Well, who cares what they think, right?” Suho said weakly. The King raised an eyebrow, having never heard those words from his second oldest before. “Yes, on occasion... But if that’s truly how you feel about that frog of yours, then perhaps you aren’t ready yet for political responsibilities.” Prince Suho paled. “What?” “I’m sure you’ve read all the recent papers. Your credibility as a suitor and ruler is hanging by a thread.” “But I’ve been working my whole life for—what about all the things I—I thought—” “It’s not about that. Being ruler requires more than possessing knowledge and accomplishments; it requires sacrifice and the ability to grasp the greater picture. For instance, if you insist on your attachment to that frog, then you can say goodbye to any chances of alliance with Velvet Kingdom, or any kingdom, for that matter...” Prince Suho said nothing. “...are you willing to throw away everything you’ve worked for?” Lying on Prince Suho’s fluffiest pillow, pretending to be asleep, Kyungsoo was silent as well. Prince Suho, Thank you for being my friend, but I think our worlds are not meant to mix after all. I hope you live happily ever after, with a lucky princess. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine! Goodbye, for now. Your frog, Kyungsoo ♛♛♛ Kyungsoo was trembling half from fear and half from exhaustion when he returned to a familiar doorstep. Sooyoung took one look at him and sighed, before picking him up. “Finally returned from your adventures, hm?” She didn’t sound angry, to Kyungsoo’s relief. There was a new necklace around her neck, with a plain ornament hanging from it. Sooyoung, thankfully, did not ask Kyungsoo to recount his past weeks away from home. She didn’t even mention the potion Kyungsoo had stolen. It was like nothing had happened. Instead, she cooked him his favorite foods and ordered all the animals to be silent as Kyungsoo fell into a weary sleep. Jessica and Krystal gave him a respectful berth at first, but their curiosity soon won out. “Who’s Suho?” Krystal asked. “You kept saying his name while you were sleeping.” “No one,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Just some stupid prince.” He continued poking away at his piano. He wished frogs didn’t have webbed fingers; it really hindered the chord progression. Two gasps followed his response. “You met a prince?” “Wow!” “Was he handsome?” “How rich was he?” “Did he kiss you?” “How nice was the castle?” “What was he like?” “Does he have any bachelor cats?” “Did you like him?” “Do you think—” “GO AWAY!” Kyungsoo yelled, banging out an angry chord and holding the pedal extra-long for emphasis. The cats sulkily slunk off, and Kyungsoo dropped his head onto the keys and groaned. He had failed. According to the red mark in Sooyoung’s calendar, the curse would expire in a few weeks, and he would be a frog forever. Worst of all, though, he had done the very thing that he had been warned against. Kyungsoo had foolishly given his heart away, to someone that could never love him. Prince Suho was asleep, a marble statue in the middle of a familiar garden. There was a leaf on his face. “Kyungsoo...” the prince’s stiff lips muttered in his sleep. His brow furrowed in distress. Kyungsoo wanted to smooth it out. He hopped up by the prince’s head, tracing his features with his eyes. “I’m here,” he said. Prince Suho’s eyes fluttered open. “Kyungsoo...I love you,” Prince Suho confessed, his eyes staring straight into Kyungsoo’s. Kyungsoo’s heart thudded. “You’re perfect. Will you marry me?” This time, Kyungsoo didn’t faint. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the prince’s. Prince Suho sighed and his eyes closed again. Kyungsoo gasped as he felt his own body start to grow. “I’m turning human again!” he cried in glee. Tiffany appeared, a birthday cake in her hands. She blew out the candles. “Congratulations,” she said. “Your wish has come true.” “My wish...?”Kyungsoo turned to look at Prince Suho, who was now staring at him with an expression of horror. “...evil be g-gone,” Prince Suho stuttered, holding out a trembling hand. “Evil be gone!” “What? Suho—” “Stay away from my family!” It was only then that Kyungsoo noticed a familiar princess in the corner, staring at them both. Beside her was an equally radiant looking child--the sort that Kyungsoo had never been. “But I don’t understand--” “You don’t understand?” Prince Suho cried. “Have you even seen yourself?” Kyungsoo turned back to Tiffany, who now held a mirror in her hands. Kyungsoo looked at his reflection. He wasn’t a frog anymore, but he wasn’t quite human either. His skin was green. His tongue was forked. His limbs were spindly. His torso was a cabbage. ...Was this his true form? “Unfortunately,” Tiffany said sorrowfully. “That wasn’t a true love’s kiss. After all, no one can truly love a freak.” ♛♛♛ Prince Suho brooded. He read his long-neglected books. He practiced in the sword yard. He translated a book into Latin. He even cleaned his room, though the pile of Kyungsoo’s belongings in the corner went untouched. He scheduled, rescheduled, and finally called off visits to Velvet Kingdom, citing poor health. He ordered the servants to remove any green object in the castle. The King and Queen sighed and worried, the servants gossiped, and Doctor Lay was called in for consultations almost every day. Privately, the court physician had an idea of what was ailing the young prince, but Prince Suho brushed off any mention of his former frog. “Me? Upset? Don’t be ridiculous; it was just a frog,” he sniffed. “Nobody important.” Yet late at night, huddled under his layers of blankets, Prince Suho couldn’t fend off the questions that crowded his mind. Where was Kyungsoo? Did he have food to eat? Places to sleep? Had he encountered ruffians? Had he gone in search of another prince or princess to seduce? Would the prince or princess be kind to Kyungsoo? Would they hurt him? Why did he leave? The beginning of autumn brought a band of travelling dwarves to the castle doors, and a new chance at love. The dwarves carried a golden casket with them, inlaid with precious gems the size of Prince Suho’s fists. The real treasure, though, was inside. For the past year, Seulgi Kang had been fast asleep with no sign of waking. After consultation with the high fairy council, the dwarves learned that her curse was fated to be broken by her true love. And that person was a prince from Smentertania. “Are you certain?” The King asked warily. This wasn’t the first time parents or guardians had come to the castle with claims of their daughters being fated with one of the Kim princes. These days, everyone wanted to nab themselves a handsome royalty. One of the dwarves nodded, pulling out a scroll. “It’s signed by the Faerie Queen herself.” The King read over the scroll and handed it to Dr. Lay, who examined the magical stamp. He nodded his approval. “It’s legitimate.” At that, the Queen and King’s faces broke out into smiles. “How old is she?” “Eighteen.” “She’s Kai’s age, then.” The Queen motioned toward her youngest son. “Kai, dear, you first.” Prince Kai made a face. “Do I have to?” “Kai!” The King scolded. With a huge sigh, the youngest prince puckered his lips and bent down to kiss the sleeping princess on the cheek, before jerking back with a red face as he wiped his lips. Nothing happened, much to the King and Queen’s disappointment. Prince Chen, too, gave the sleeping maiden a quick kiss that proved equally ineffectual. At last, the dwarves turned to Prince Suho with hopeful expressions. “It must be you, then!” Seulgi Kang was beautiful. Her hair was jet-black and her skin was as smooth as new snow. Her lips were ruby red even in sleep. Despite her apparently commoner upbringing with the dwarves, she looked like someone with noble blood. Prince Suho bent down and looked at the blank face that he knew nothing about. Was this the person whose smile he’d be going to bed and waking up with, for the rest of his life? The one he would go on walks and travel with? The one he would eat dinners and discuss literature with? The one who would see him at his strongest, and at his weakest? “Suho...” the King asked. “Is something the matter?” Slowly, Prince Suho stepped away from the casket. “I’m sorry, but my kiss is not for her.” “But darling, as the eldest prince, please set a good example and try--” “No.” “No?” the King and Queen blinked in shock. “No?” Prince Chen and Kai echoed in disbelief. “I assure you that Miss Seulgi is the loveliest in her land,” one of the dwarves piped up. “And the high fairy council said...” “I don’t care what the high fairy council said.” More shocked expressions. “You can’t make someone fall in love.” Prince Suho’s hands itched for his journal; he had a feeling he was nearing some sort of an epiphany. “Not with a prophecy...or a love potion, for that matter. Love doesn’t come in some sudden magical moment. It’s when you can’t stop thinking about someone like there’s a missing piece inside you, and you can’t sleep when they’re not there, and cakes taste less good without them, and you have nightmares about what might’ve happened to them because you aren’t there to protect them...” “That’s oddly specific,” Prince Chen coughed. Prince Kai elbowed him. “True love is...something that’s been there all along...” Prince Suho trailed off as he realized that everyone in the room was staring at him. In the storybooks, realizing that you were in love was always described as a wonderful feeling, accompanied by fireworks or birdsong or sunshine. But instead, for the first time in his life Prince Suho felt incredibly stupid. ♛♛♛ Kyungsoo stared up at the mocking numbers on the calendar as he tried to fall asleep. Three more days, until his fate was sealed forever. The door creaked open, and Sooyoung poked her head in. Jessica and Krystal trailed after her. “How are you doing?” “Horribly.” “He’s been singing a bunch of depressing songs about that prince,” Krystal added helpfully. Kyungsoo glared at her. “Mind your own business, you furball!” Sooyoung came in and sat down on the bed beside him on the bed. “It’s been a while since I’ve told you a story, hasn’t it? Do you feel like listening to another one, tonight?” Kyungsoo sighed. “Is it depressing?” Right now, he could do with a story about an equally miserable being. “Aren’t they always?” Once, there was a young girl. An extremely foolish one, as they often are. She came from a line of respected fairies and, along with her sister, was sent to train in the magical arts at a young age. Magic was not as tightly governed back then, and the girl, who had always been the curious type, experimented with several powerful potions in her youth. Her sister disapproved, but then again, they had never been the type to see eye on eye on most things. One day, a prince on a quest happened to travel through the city where the sisters attended school. A chance meeting at a market turned into more encounters, and they soon became entangled in one another. Against her sister’s advice, the girl left school to travel the world with her prince. They spent two years in complete bliss, exploring new lands and journeying from place to place. The prince forgot all about his quest, and the girl her education. But just as suddenly as their romance had begun, it ended. One day, the two stumbled upon a tower with a princess who had been trapped inside since birth. With her magical abilities, the girl helped the prince rescue the princess by enchanting the princess’ hair to elongate. That day, she lost her prince forever. By chance, or destiny, if you believe in that sort of thing, this was the very princess that the prince had been assigned to save. Succumbing to the pressure of the court and enamored by the princess’ beauty, the prince married his princess, and their story became a thing of legend...though of course, the girl’s role in the story was completely twisted in the telling. She became known as the worst witch in the land. With no one, not even her family, willing to help her after she’d ruined her reputation, she hid herself away in a remote village. A few months later, she gave birth to a healthy boy. She hated him at first, almost as much as she now hated her prince. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t find it in herself to cast the last reminder of her past life away. A few months turned into years. Eventually, the boy brought her a spark of happiness in her cold life. The girl—now not a girl any longer— taught herself magic from the remainder of her schoolbooks, and she channeled her energy into revenge against the very people who had ruined her life. Sometimes, she dreamed that her prince would reappear, and with the help of some...magic, he would fall back in love with her, and they’d live happily ever after together. But that was madness, of course. Besides, her prince never came. Last she’d heard, he had his third legitimate child and was expecting a fourth. She was nothing more than a distant memory to him. The human world was not kind to the little child either, and it distressed her to see him subjected to the same cruelty that humans were so capable of. She tried to protect the child from suffering a similar fate as hers...although in retrospect, her methods were probably not the best. The child grew up much too brave for his own good, and one day, he was hit with an unfortunate curse... “Hold on. So I didn’t come from a cabbage plant?” “No.” “And I have royal blood?” “I suppose, technically.” “Oh.” Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose. “But you know...” Sooyoung continued after a long pause. “Cabbage, frog, or human, it makes no difference to me what you are.” “AND TO ME!” Krystal and Jessica cried in unison. Kyungsoo mulled that over. All things considered, Kyungsoo wasn’t doing too badly in life. He had a family. He had music. He’d left home for the first time, made a friend for the first time, and even seen the ocean! And there were still plenty more adventures in store for him. Maybe, someday after Prince Suho had found a nice princess, Kyungsoo could go back and visit the prince with an I’m-sorry-for-putting-you-under-a-love-potion-all-those-years-ago wedding gift, and they could go backpacking to New Yorkshire together as planned. “I think the story could have a pretty happy ending,” said Kyungsoo, finally. “I think so, too.” “And I’m glad I didn’t come from a cabbage. Thanks for telling me.” “I’m glad that...you’re glad.” Sooyoung awkwardly patted Kyungsoo on the head, and, after a moment’s hesitation, bent down to kiss him on the forehead. “Well, good night ...” CRASH! ♛♛♛ Dear Father, Mother, Chen, Kai... How are you all doing? I write to you from Gee, the capital of Esenesdia ... One morning, a bedraggled young man made his way through the roads of a sleepy village. Even beneath all the dirt and bruises, he was undeniably handsome and carried himself with a noble air. Curious eyes peeped at him from behind curtains and closed windows. He had been traveling on his quest for weeks, fueled by a burning heart and gossip gleaned from fellow travelers. His journey had finally led him to this little village, where rumor was that all sorts of evil misdoings originated. The young man stopped by the local inn for a quick breakfast. As he ate, he drew the bartender and a few curious customers into conversation. “Curses? Ah...yes, we’ve had quite a few of that. It’s all because of that damned witch.” “Oh, you haven’t heard? She lives alone up in the woods.” “No, I don’t know of a frog... The name Kyungsoo sounds familiar though.” “Wasn’t that the little assistant who ran after her all the time?” “Oh, the little menace. My brother still has nasty scars on his back because of him.” “Anyway, you won’t find that boy around anymore. He disappeared a few years ago. I heard the witch finally decided to eat him up.” “And good riddance!” Against everyone’s advice, the young man immediately set in the direction of the witch’s place, a newfound spring in his step. It took him a few hours before he reached his destination: a house hidden in shadows. Shaking, he glanced at the crows perched on the windowsills. The windows were drawn. The whole place was silent. “B-be brave. Like Xiumin,” he reminded himself, before knocking on the door. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing a tall woman dressed completely in black. Her face was shrouded by her pointed hat and her arms were crossed. “H-hello,” the young man greeted, quaking in his boots. He’d never seen an actual witch before, except in book illustrations. “A-are you Sooyoung? The witch?” “That would be me...” The hat tilted, revealing a surprisingly young face. From all the accounts and stories he’d read about witches, the young man had been expecting an old hag. “Unfortunately, I’m not taking requests for curses or revenge potions at the moment. You’ve also just interrupted my nap, so if you’ll excuse me--” “Wait!” the young man yelled, sticking his boot between door and doorframe. “I’m looking for Kyungsoo!” “Kyungsoo?” The hat froze. “What do you want with him?” “So he’s here?” the young man beamed, energy suddenly renewed. He straightened. “Good morning! I am the second eldest prince of Smentertania, Prince Suho Junmyeon Michael Kim the Third—” “Oh, you.” Sooyoung folded her arms and cast him a critical look, taking in his muddied clothes, dark circles around his eyes, and the cuts on his arms and legs. “Finally decided to show up, then? And what makes you think I’ll grant your request?” “Please,” Suho begged. “I’ve traveled so far to find him. I had to fight an ogre and go through a carnivorous maze, and my clothes--” “Spare me,” the witch scoffed. “Tell me, in less than ten seconds, what do you want with Kyungsoo?” “To tell him I love him!” Suho cried. “And give him a true love’s kiss!” “...excuse me for a minute.” The witch disappeared behind the door. An hour later, as Suho contemplated knocking again on the door, the witch’s head popped back out. “Oh, you’re still here?” “Yes! Is Kyungsoo well? May I see him?” Suho asked eagerly. “Follow me.” Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to follow a witch down an unknown path, but Suho was too excited to care. His heart swelled in anticipation. Sooyoung led him down a side path to the garden behind the house. It had rained the previous night, and the air smelled like earth. As Suho neared the garden, he could hear a chorus of gurgles and croaks getting louder. It soon became clear why. Suho’s mouth dropped. Behind and surrounding the house, frogs covered every available surface. Some were perched in trees, others were swimming in the pond, some were napping along the walls of the house and greenhouse. Mountains upon mountains of frogs. Suho fought the urge to flee. “Quite a collection isn’t it? All those poor humans who dared cross me...” Sooyoung sighed dramatically. “If you can find Kyungsoo, you may have him.” “B-But Kyungsoo’s curse ends in two days!” “You’d better hurry, then.” Suho gulped. “And if I fail?” “Then you can be the newest addition to my collection of frogs,” she cackled. A cloud of black feathers rained down onto Suho, and he brushed them off. Suho swallowed. “I’m ready.” “Kyungsoo?” Suho called as he stepped through the sea of frogs. They croaked angrily. Their beady eyes were like something out of a nightmare as they surrounded him. All that slime. All that dirt. Suho shuddered. “Kyungsoo! Where are you?” RIBBIT! ribbit RIBBIT. RIBBIT! Ribbitribbitribbitribbitribbit Suho waded through, slightly nauseated but careful not to accidentally step on any of the animals. He located a tree stump and climbed on top. “Hello!” Suho called, cupping his hands. “It’s me, Suho. Prince Suho. I wish to speak to Kyungsoo!” No response. Maybe Kyungsoo had lost his ability of human speech and comprehension. Maybe Kyungsoo didn’t want to see him... “Prince Suho?” Suho glanced down and nearly fell off his stump as he realized that a cat was talking to him. “Are you really him?” “What are you!” Suho cried. “Get away!” “Well, that’s rude,” the cat sniffed. “I was just trying to make conversation.” “Maybe Kyungsoo rubbed off on him.” Another black cat joined the first. “Kyungsoo? You know him?” Suho asked eagerly. “Yes. And I know you, Prince Suho; you’re the one who broke Kyungsoo’s heart,” the second cat hissed in disapproval. “I did? I’m s-sorry.” Suho stuttered, feeling like the worst person in the world. “I didn’t mean to.” “Yes, you princes never do, do you?” the cat murmured. “Could you please tell me where he is?” Suho asked. The cat smirked. “Nope. It’s your test.” “But what am I supposed to do?” Suho despaired, taking in the froggy scenery. “I was never trained in this sort of thing!” “Try summoning him.” “I can’t do magic.” The cat scoffed. “What kind of a useless human are you?” Suho didn’t have time to be offended, for an idea struck him. Magic. It was utterly horrifying and unthinkable and he would have to wash his mouth with soap after this, but he was desperate. Ten hours later, Suho had lost count of the slippery frogs he’d kissed. His hands and lips were sore and slightly slimy. To make things worse, he had an audience in the form of two cats with their much unappreciated commentary. Krystal and Jessica giggled every time a mischievous frog slapped a bug onto his face—or worse, into his mouth—with its tongue, causing him to scream. (and perhaps cry a little) “It’s not working,” Krystal meowed as she stretched out lazily under the sun. “I haven’t gotten to him yet,” Suho replied resolutely, wiping a dragonfly off his cheek. “It’ll work. He’s my true love, I know it.” “But maybe you’re not his true love,” Jessica taunted. Suho paused and paled. Was that possible? Now that he thought about it, Kyungsoo had never said anything about his own feelings, except that one time at the ball...but he could’ve been lying. That had been before they had become true friends. By sunset, Suho had gone through all of the frogs around the pond. Jessica and Krystal disappeared back into the house for dinner, and Suho’s stomach grumbled. After an unsatisfying meal of leaves and berries which he hoped weren’t poisonous, Suho hunted through the rest of the garden and managed to find more frogs napping inside some empty flowerpots, but they too proved unresponsive to his kisses. He worked late into the night. Eyes drooping, he searched through every inch of the garden. No leaf and rock went uncovered. He could feel thousands of eyes on him as he worked; he wondered whether two of them belonged to Kyungsoo. “Still at it?” Krystal asked as she followed him through the garden the next morning. “Here, I brought you some more frogs.” “This place is...bigger than I thought,” Suho replied sleepily as he picked up and kissed a mossy rock. “Ah, oops.” “You know what, this is too pitiful to watch,” Krystal sighed, before glancing behind her to make sure no one was watching. “You’re looking in the wrong place. Follow me.” “Huh?” “I’m only helping you because I feel sorry for you. Plus,” Krystal added under her breath. “It’d be a shame if someone that cute became a frog...” In contrast with the creepy exterior, the inside of the house was surprisingly homey looking. The ceilings were overhung with cauldrons, the walls were lined with bookshelves, and the in the fireplace a rainbow of colors burned. “The second room on the right,” Krystal whispered to Suho. “That’s Kyungsoo’s bedroom.” “He has his own bedroom...?” Suho entered the room and gazed around with hungry eyes, absorbing every hint of Kyungsoo’s presence. The walls and furniture were all black. There was a piano in the corner, with a familiar painting propped against the sheet stand. It was a hand sized portrait of Suho—the one he had gifted Kyungsoo during their initial courtship because the painter had done an excellent job highlighting his jawline. Suho felt hope fill his chest. Kyungsoo still kept it, all this time? Suho approached the piano and ruffled through the sheets on the stand, flushing when he saw that Kyungsoo had also kept his love poems. Some of them had even been transcribed into songs. Softly, he hummed along to one of them: “I lost my mind, when you walked into my sight...” Ribbit! Surprised, Suho lifted his head in time to see a frog hop onto the piano top. It stared down at him with wide eyes, and Suho gasped. “Kyungsoo!” Ribbit. “Am I too late? Can you still talk?” Suho reached out an eager hand, and the frog hopped into his palm. Kyungsoo looked a bit smaller and duller than he remembered, but his markings were the same. Suho held him at eye level. “Hey,” said Suho softly. Ribbit. “I miss you.” Suho said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Things aren’t the same without you.” Ribbit? The frog tilted its head. Encouraged, Suho continued. “And I know now, I...love you, I really do. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize. I guess, sometimes you just don’t see what’s been right in front of you all along.” RIBBIT!! Ribbitribbitribbit “Kyungsoo.” Clearing his throat, Prince Suho unloaded all the words that had been pent-up in his heart and penned in his journal over the past few weeks. “I don’t care if I’m too late to break the curse, as long as I’m not too late to have your heart. I don’t care if you can’t speak anymore, as long as you can understand my heart. I don’t care that you’re a frog, as long as you’re my frog--” The frog made a gagging noise and hopped out of his hands. Suho gaped. “That’s good to know.” Suho whirled around. Standing by the open doorway was an unfamiliar, yet familiar, young man. He was dressed in black from head to toe. He looked about Suho’s height and age. Wide eyes. Round cheeks. Plump lips. A thin chain hung around his neck. A familiar feeling stirred in Suho’s memory. “I see you’ve met D.O.,” the stranger said, as he picked the escaped frog up from the floor. His voice was surprisingly deep, given his youthful appearance. He patted the frog on the head. “What a lucky frog you are, to receive a confession from a handsome prince. Even if the prince seriously needs to get his eyes checked.” Suho stared. “...Kyungsoo?!” The young man nodded. “But...you’re not a frog,” Suho noted dumbly. Kyungsoo set D.O. down. “I haven’t been, for a while. My mother broke the curse a few days ago.” “But...” Suho’s head was spinning. “But I...I just spent the last two days...but that witch said...” “She’s a little overprotective, I guess.” Kyungsoo’s lips quirked. “And it was kind of funny, seeing you kiss all those frogs.” Suho flushed; he saw nothing funny at all in the situation. The pieces were starting to fall together; he’d been fooled by a witch and her son. “So I kissed...” he checked his journal, “...883 frogs for nothing?” Kyungsoo’s lips finally broke into a smile, and he let out a giggle. Suho scowled. “And it’s all a joke to you. Wonderful.” Pride bruised, Suho stood up to leave. “It’s not!” Kyungsoo intercepted Suho at the doorway and stared at him, all traces of humor gone. Unprepared for the hazard that was Kyungsoo’s face up close, Suho found himself reduced to rapid blinking. Kyungsoo swallowed. “I just wanted to be sure, that you actually...um...” Kyungsoo reached up to touch Suho’s cheek, for the first time with human fingers. Suho shivered under the touch. Slowly, Suho reached up to cover Kyungsoo’s hand with his. With his other hand, he drew Kyungsoo closer. “And are you convinced now?” As two cats cheered in the background, Suho read the answer in Kyungsoo’s kiss. “I can’t believe I didn’t give you your true love’s kiss.” A week later, Suho was still slightly disgruntled over the turn of events. Of course, he was overjoyed to call Kyungsoo his, but... “What am I going to tell everyone back home? I’m never going to beat Xiumin...” “You’re still my hero.” Kyungsoo assured from his position, snuggled in the prince’s arms. It wasn’t a feeling he would be tired of anytime soon, and it felt infinitely better when he and the prince were both the same size. (and species) “I promise you can have all of my future kisses.” “I’d better.” Suho sniffed. Then he smiled down at Kyungsoo, a gleam entering his eyes. “May I have the next one, now?” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, but he leaned up to accept Suho’s eager mouth. While Kyungsoo had never been the sort to pay attention to his appearance even as a human, he had to admit it was gratifying to hear Suho whispering how incredible his eyes and cute his nose and adorable his smile and kissable his lips were, in between constant demonstrations. Each time he tried to get Suho to stop with his lines, Suho would silence him with another kiss. Kyungsoo was torn between rolling his eyes and preening. The prince had just moved on to praising Kyungsoo’s collarbones when a familiar shriek interrupted them. “Prince boy! Where are you? You haven’t finished cleaning all my pots yet! I want my house spotless before you leave! You hear? SPOT! LESS!” Suho sighed as he disentangled himself from Kyungsoo. “Your mother scares me.” “You and everyone in the world,” Kyungsoo replied cheerfully. He released Prince Suho. “You should go, before she turns you into a frog.” “...But you’d still love me, right?” “Hm.” “Kyungsoo!” Suho’s expectant beam turned into a frown. “As long as you don’t go around kissing any more frogs...” “Of course not!” Suho exclaimed, taking Kyungsoo’s hand and holding it against his (very firm, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but notice) chest. “Kyungsoo,” he said earnestly. “I lost my mind, from the moment you hopped into my sight—” Kyungsoo had to kiss him again, to quiet him. He could feel Suho smiling against his lips, no doubt thinking up an arsenal of terrible amphibious lines to torture Kyungsoo with for the rest of their lives. Still, Kyungsoo was looking forward to his happily ever after. ~*~ THE END ~*~ Sometimes, you have to kiss quite a few frogs before you find your prince charming. -excerpt, from “The Selected Journals of Suho Junmyeon Michael Kim III, Volume IV.” one | two MOD NOTE: You've reached the end of the fic! Thank you for reading. If you'd like to leave a comment, please do so in THIS Livejournal post!