𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2,500 words

𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠

Wooyoung shyly grabbed Yunho's hand, tucking it into his palm even if it far from fit in there.

"I'll go fetch you some breakfast, okay? You stay here and rest some more."

The prince found the werewolf looking softly at him when he raised his head to look him in the eyes. A blush coated his cheeks when Yunho reached out to hold his chin between his thumb and pointer finger. Yunho grinned at him and Wooyoung absolutely spluttered when the other prince kissed his heated cheek.

Why was he suddenly being so shy?

The innocence of Yunho's kiss was genuine and Wooyoung was scarcely able to keep himself together from how reluctant he was about all the attention drawn to him.

"I will- I'll go now," he stuttered out while getting up from where he sat on his bed and stuffing his feet into a pair of shoes before heading for the door.

_____

Wooyoung's steps were like a peace-breaker when he entered the dining hall. It was no secret that he wasn't exactly pleased by what had happened the day before, which could easily be seen in his way of carrying himself, but he needed to face the consequences of sour opposers sooner or later anyway.

He was walking on impossibly thin ice.

Five out of eight chairs were not occupied - only Prince Seonghwa, Prince San, and Prince Jongho were seated by the table and Wooyoung would rather not question where the demon prince was, knowing that any peace would definitely be interrupted with him nearby.

But not necessary because Hongjoong would be the one initiating it; Wooyoung would be jumping him, burning the furniture as rage would bring him to a point where justifying was not an option anymore. Wooyoung did not see any wise explanation of why Hongjoong would have hurt Yeosang so much that he was on the brink of dying.

Despite coming from a species that basically had been extinct for a few hundred years, Wooyoung still understood the heavy conflicts still abounding between the different kingdoms - but killing another prince when they factually speaking all had come for peaceful negotiations was something that Wooyoung saw as unreasonable if not cruel.

Evil enough for Wooyoung to lose hope for them all to sort out the curse the sorceress had brought upon them.

The dragon would not know what to do if they were never freed from here - if they would be forced to live here until their very last breath was taken, or, in some of their cases: forever.

Forever was a long time. Barely even a scaled time.

It was existing and not knowing anything else than the same pieces of stones making up those walls always. Forever.

Wooyoung inhaled shakily as he quietly made his way down the stairs, making the three other princes turn their heads at him. San and Jongho were seated in the middle of the long wooden table, beside each other and Wooyoung only fleetly held his eyes to them both before turning to Seonghwa sitting at the end. The phoenix's eyes glanced over his appearance as he sat down across from him, being handed various amounts of different dishes by the servants hurrying toward him.

"H-hi," the dragon prince breathed, not knowing wherefrom the sudden rush of anxiety came from. He had spoken to Seonghwa various times - but the man was still so-so breathtaking.

He swallowed nervously as he tried his best to maintain eye contact with the other. Somehow, Wooyoung felt like he had turned into the villain of the story after having helped Yunho escape from the rest of them. Had Seonghwa even heard of what had happened?

"Good morning, Prince Wooyoung," his velvety voice touched the air with a calm tone, and Wooyoung felt it work on him like a quelling force.

"Please just call me Wooyoung," he told him.

"Wooyoung.." Seonghwa hummed, eyes drawing away from the smaller prince as he took another bite of his food.

Wooyoung started digging into his breakfast as well, trying not to make a too big scene of his shaking hands making his cutlery clink against the ceramic. The nauseating taste grew in his mouth and the prince hastily reached for his glass of water. When the liquid kept on spilling over the sides of the glass, Wooyoung couldn't concentrate anymore on bringing it to his lips from how intensely Seonghwa was looking at him.

"..Wooyoung? Are you alright?"

No, he desperately wanted to say but took a deep breath instead. The glass thumped against the table again, placed into the little puddles he had created on the table. The dragon held his gaze down on his plate until he bravely raised it to the other fire-breathing creature.

"I just- How is Prince Yeosang? Is he.." Wooyoung bit his lip, anticipating the other's answer.

At that, Seonghwa softened, the tense of his brows loosening as it seemed like he recognised Wooyoung's worries.

The phoenix lowered his cutlery to his plate and nodded at the other prince, "Prince Yeosang has regained his strength. You should not worry, I have him in good hands."

A wavering puff of air left Wooyoung's lips in pure relief at what Seonghwa was telling him, "So, the Great Sorceress healed him?"

For a moment, Wooyoung could see the passing of contemplating on Seonghwa's face before he slowly nodded, "..Yes, we figured out a temporary way of healing him. But unfortunately, will Prince Yeosang not fully recover as long as he is not in direct contact with nature."

The dragon's eyes went wide. He knew about fairies' delicate nature and how their lives were tightly connected with the living of their homeland - but he had not expected the current situation to have turned out that dire.

Before he even got to ask Seonghwa another thing, the phoenix prince was already raising another one of his worries.

"What about Prince Yunho? I was informed what happened once I left yesterday."

Yunho. It had been a full moon and he had transformed into his feral form- tearing Mingi's throat open and running away with him after nearly being drowned. Right.

Wooyoung's head turned all by itself, slowly inching closer to the sight of the two water creatures sitting further down the table and very obviously listening to their conversation. His breath was caught in his throat as he felt the world around him turn hazy as his vision became clearer as it always did when his eyes changed.

"You," he said.

A finger pointed directly at San.

"You nearly killed him!"

Startled by the sudden rashness, San dropped his knife, the item hitting the edge of the table before falling down underneath the table.

Wooyoung's heart was thrumming in his chest, his breath quickening as heat spread all the way down into his fingers. His skin itched as scales grew along with his neck.

"You would have fucking killed him if I had not moved him away!" 

He didn't see San's panicked face anymore for how fury was growing within him, even as the merman spoke his reasons: "Didn't you see how he mauled Mingi?! I had to do something before anyone else was hurt!"

Wooyoung slammed both his hands into the table as he stood from his chair, gradually leaning forward over the table, "He would have drowned, San!"

"I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't know what else to do- I-I- was terrified of if he hurt you!"

A loud growl tore through the hall as the dragon prince kicked the chair beside him away and reached out to grab San's shirt. The merman was pulled halfway across the table until his forehead nearly collided with Wooyoung's.

"Liar," the dragon rattled, "You wouldn't give it any thought if I got hurt."

Wooyoung sensed the movement a second before a hand slammed into his shoulder and Jongho's sharp teeth hissed at him; "Let go of him, dragon."

He let go at the same moment, retreating from the table as he sent a glare toward them both. Wooyoung turned around and told a servant to bring him another tray with breakfast to his room before he stormed out of the dining hall, sensing the deep pit of guilt in his stomach opening up and swallowing everything.

He couldn't bear looking San in the eyes.

Rhinestones formed as tears drizzled down his cheeks when he reached the door to his chamber which opened to the sight of an alarmed Yunho coming his way.

"Hey, hey there Wooyoung what's happening?" Yunho asked as he braced his arms around the smaller male.

Wooyoung just shook his head as he pushed it further into Yunho's chest, shoulders violently shaking as he let go of all of his running emotions.

Why was the world this cruel to him?

_____

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨

"Prince Seonghwa!"

Jongho lifted an excusing hand to the other when he finally stopped his pace to turn around and look at him. Jongho bowed his head before lifting himself to Prince Seonghwa's height.

"Yes?"

As Jongho was facing the other prince his reason for stealing his time suddenly sounded ridiculous and in his case rather embarrassing. The siren fiddled with the item on his back as he cleared his throat with a final determination.

"How.. how is Prince Yeosang? Is he fine?" he asked as to bring the belonging topic into talk again.

Jongho had been listening to the conversation at the table a little earlier but he somehow needed a shortcut into his true intention with this conversation.

While the tone of his question still leaned a little too much towards the firmer side, Prince Seonghwa's expression was looking slightly suspicious as to why Jongho was bringing all of this up now.

"He is, yes. But he needs more time to heal. I am sure you heard us talk over breakfast earlier, no?" the phoenix prince lifted a brow and Jongho couldn't help the nervous chuckle passing over his lips when he realised how observant the other prince must be.

"You're right, you got me there," Jongho said, nodding.

"Then why are you asking me this?" Prince Seonghwa waited and Jongho did his best to keep his eyes at the other's despite the flush to his face.

Priorly, Jongho had been telling San that he just wanted to hand over Prince Yeosang's crown which he had found lying around in a corridor. But that was admittedly not exactly the truth. In reality, he just used this as an excuse to see the fairie prince.

But not like that! He wanted to see Prince Yeosang. And make sure that he actually was doing fine just like Seonghwa was telling him.

"I uh.."

Jongho had no idea why he felt the need to make sure that Prince Yeosang was alright - they were not close like he and San was; they had barely spoken more than a handful of times, and it was more than clear to see how Yeosang despised every other specie than his own. Although, it surely did not feel like Yeosang was entirely true to his words.

The siren prince pulled the golden crown out in front of him, "I found Prince Yeosang's crown lying around and was wondering if you would give it back to him?"

As the phoenix prince's eyes landed on the crown between them a surprised look crossed his face. His hands reached out for the item, but instead of curling his fingers around the crown as Jongho had thought, warm hands folded on top of his own instead, giving them a squeeze. Jongho stared at the other. Slightly terrified.

"You can follow me to his chamber and hand it over yourself? I am sure he would appreciate that more than if I just gave it to him."

The siren had definitely not expected this shocking answer - not when the other prince always was so.. restricted about certain things that seemed to matter to him.

Jongho swallowed the lump forming in his throat, his hands tightening around the gold in his hands, "If you're so sure about that, then okay."

Prince Seonghwa made a curt gesture with his hand as he silently told Jongho to follow him through the castle to a different wing opposite of his own chamber. However, he hardly even remembered the path of corridors when he was so focused on not dropping the expensive item in his hands. The phoenix prince made a stop in front of a tall wooden door much like the one to Jongho's own chamber. And then he knocked and waited.

And waited some more.

There was no answer. Jongho glanced at Prince Seonghwa when he heard the surprising little sigh coming from him.

"Prince Yeosang?" he called, leaning against the door, "May I open?"

Jongho looked down at his feet as they waited a few minutes in silence again. The tiny spark of hope to see the prince was dying out and the siren couldn't help but feel the disappointment seep in.

Suddenly, a tinge of energy surged through his body as the door clicked open when he least expected it.

He had never seen anything like this before. It was a magnificent sight and he needed to hold his breath. 

The room was nearly full covered in lush greeneries crawling and curling around every possible surface in here. A few flowers sprouted along the branches adorning the sight with colourful wonders. Jongho thought it was beautiful. It could very well have looked like this at the bottom of the sea.

In the bed, all the way at the corner of the chamber, sat the fairie prince, eyes wide open as they shrouded different changing colours. Jongho wasn't so sure anymore about the foretold appreciation that Prince Seonghwa had been talking about. But when the phoenix crossed the room, Jongho could not find himself doing anything but feel obliged to follow him further into the deep jungle. He should never have come here in the first place - the siren felt as if it was too personal to be stepping into.

He should finish it. Quick.

So before Jongho even came all the way close to the bed, he rushed to the point of why he had come there, "I apologise for stealing your time, but I found this lying around and thought you might want it back.."

The siren prince took a step forward and placed the golden crown on top of the soft covers of the bed, not daring to reach any longer than it had just accurately been placed safely down. He nodded at him, satisfied with his success, even if he barely gave himself time to see the utterly stunned look on the fairie's face.

Jongho just panicked and couldn't stress his leaving any damn faster.

"I hope you'll get better soon!" he peeped, giving the prince a little bow with his head, then one at Prince Seonghwa, before running to the door.

His cheeks burned and his head spun like he had not been breathing real air the entire time he had been in this chamber that was not his.

♛