I just got done reading The Sun and the Star. God I love Rick Riordan's stuff ao much. It's my comfort series.

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DaeHyun's POV

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The day of my party had finally arrived. In a few hours time guests would arrive in droves, including the bews vans dad had threatened to stay away until that time (that hadn't discouraged the occasional reporter from sneaking around the property). I sat in my seat at my vanity. Dad insisted I wear something befitting our culture, so I had blue hanbok on today. It wasn't very often we traded our suits and ties in for South Korean traditional clothing (Pa said suits looked more professional and modern anyway) but I kind of liked the idea of showing off my culture.

"Look at you." I turned, breaking into a huge grin and rising quickly from my seated position. "Handsome as your daddy there," Hyeja commented, opening her arms wide. I plowed into her. "How are you sprout?"

"Auntie Hyeja!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad you could make it. I know you're busy." She held me at arms length, her usually sunny face very serious. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "It's true," I defended.

"I'm never too busy for you squirt," dhe assured, and I warmed. "I saw some people trickling in already. You sure you're ready fod your big day to be a BIG day?" Her question caught me off guard. I was used to parties by now. So days like today didn't phase me. She seemed to sense my shift in mood, because she reached up and smoothed back my hair.
"We just know you kiddo. You don't always do so well with crowds."

"I'll be alright," I tried for a smile but felt like I failed. "It's nothing I'm not used to. Ever since I've been born all the attention was on me." I wasn't tooting my own horn. Just stating facts. Two gay kings having a son was big news back in the day. So all my life I'd grown up with the camera in my face. "Besides I have Hojun to keep me grounded. I'll be okay."

"Ah, Hojun." I tilted my head. "Your dad and pa mentioned him briefly to me. A friend of yours?" I opened my mouth to correct her, but the words lodged in my throat. "More than a friend?" she pried gently. I could only nod. "Your dad and pa weren't sure, so they gave me their best guess." Once again she studied me. Then she took my hand and led me to the bed. She sat down at the edge, patting the spot beside her. I obliged, picking at my bedspread. "Are you happy Dae?"

"Am I happy?" I repeated. I believed so. I had my friends. I still had Li Jie in my life. And now I had Hojun, who seemed to love me. Or be in love with me. Were they all that different? "Yeah, auntie Hyeja, I think I am." She smiled softly, reaching over and squeezing my knee. "You gonna be around awhile after the party?" I questioned.

"I'm here a week." I whooped, throwing my hands in the air. She chuckled at my antics. "I haven't spent time with you or your sister in quite a long while. Thought I'd fix that this week." I simply smiled, standing and floating back over to my vanity to stare at myself in the mirror. My crown sat to my right. I'd put it on before the party. But I studied my face. My puffy cheeks, clinging to the last remnants of baby fat. My droopy eyes I'd inherited from dad. My thin lips. Usually things that didn't bother me.

"DaeHyun?" And just like that my troubles melted away. Hojun pattered into the room. "Oh, hello noona," he greeted Hyeja. She hummed a greeting. I watched their exchange without glancing away from the mirror. It transfixed me. "Hey." Hojun wove his way over to me, snaking his arms around my waist. He pressed a kiss to my temple. "Aren't you handsome."

"Thank you," I answered quietly, feeling my cheeks heat up at the praise. That part I wasn't quite used to yet. I twisted so I could face him while simulatenously breaking the spell over myself. He planted a kiss to my forehead next. I was aware of Hyeja in the room with us, likely watching. But in that moment I decided I didn't care. Around Hojun nothing else mattered. I threaded my fingers behind his neck, bringing him closer and melding our mouths together. Faintly I heard my door open and click shut. But it barely had time to register before Hojun's hands began travelimg the length of my body, starting from my shoulders and ending at my hips. He gripped me as we kissed, breaking only momentarily to steal breaths in between.

"Woah," he commented when I finally slipped away, putting some space between us, feeling both comforted and overwhelmed all at once. Even if I was the one who initiated it. I admored Hojun for still respecting my boundaries. "Didn't know you had this side in you. My curious little baby." I blushed. "Are you ready for the party?" he fired off next, seeming to shake away the previous feeling of hunger. A small shiver of satisfaction traveled my spine. Satisfaction at having been the reason for his undoing. Satisfaction at finally feeling like I was doing something right. "Dae?" I blinked, and he laughed. "I was wondering if you were paying attention to me." He seemed rather amused while my embarrassment only seemed to grow. "You sure you're gonna be okay with the crowds?" he asked. "You get kind of funny the more people there are." I rolled my eyes to the heavens.

"I'll be fine," I said even as my stomach began twisting itself into pretzel knots. All these questions were getting to me. That's what it was. I was FINE. "I've got you there this time, so that will help." Hojun broke into a grin, and my insides did a different kind of flipping. Happy ones? "You look good by the way." And he did. A white collared shirt. Black bowtie (I was a sucker for bowties). And what appeared to be a purple suit minus the jacket, so the pants and vest. A deep purple color, almost black. The color complimented him very well. "Did we almost unintentionally coordinate?" I joked. He laughed, throwing his head back while he did it.

"Maybe," he said, his gaze raking up and down my person. A did a little spin for him, the hanbok billowing up in the process. A certain fire ignited in his eyes, but he quickly extinguished it. Though I made a mental note of how this outfit seemed to pull something out of him. "God baby you look so beautiful right now," he mumbled. I paused. Beautiful. That wasn't a word I heard very often, at least directed at me. Usually ChaoXing got called beautiful. I played off the awkwardness by laughing.

"I'm not even fully ready silly," I said. But his joking demeanor dropped away. He approached slowly. I watched, holding my breath like I'd scare him off if I so much as looked at him wrong. He reached out and grabbed my middle, drawinfmg me close. He rested his forehead against mine. It was such an intimate gesture it nearly drove me to my knees. "Hojun," I whispered.

"I love you." I gasped. His grip on me tightened. "You don't have to say it back," he rushed out. "I love you Dae. You've made the last few months so...magical. So special." He gave me a kiss. More of a peck on the lips than anything substantial. But fireworks might as well have exploded around us all the same. "I love you." And so we stayed that way for a long time. Hom holding onto me and whispering from time to time that he loved me. And I, who was trying to hard not to overthink it and just accept the love coming my way.

"DaeHyun." Finally a new voice broke us apart. Hojun dabbed at his eyes. Tears clung to his delicate lashes. He just chuckled, shaking his head and giving me a thumbs up. I turned to face Pa, who stumbled in and sized us up. He looked like he wanted to turn right back around and walk back out my door. But years of training soon kicked in. "Guests are starting to arrive," he said crisply. "I expect you to be down to greet them in ten minutes time. Your...friend...is welcome to join you." He faltered, the persona dropping away to give to his confusion. But he forged on. "The press is already here demanding to see you. We've held them off for as long as we can. But they're quite ruthless when they want to be."

"Yes Pa," I replied. "I'll be down." He nodded, casting one last glance to Hojun before whirling and marching out of the room. I sagged, laughing a little now that the tension had released. "I guess my presence is being requested," I added to Hojun. He nodded. "Ready for this?" I asked, offering my hand. He took it in his, threading our fingers together.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a brief moment. I opened them and scooped my crown off my vanity. Time to face my people with my boyfriend.

...

Li Jie's POV

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"Guests are coming," pop observed. We'd both been stationed in the kitchen for the time being. To help prepare the grand feast that would tske place before the dance and gift giving. Wonsik and Kyungsoo had pretty much everything under control, including their fleet of merry men running plates, goblets, champagne flutes, silverware, and serving utensils every way. Wonsik barked orders from his place sandwiched between the spacious island and the stove big enough to cook a whole village a meal on it. Pop stood guard near the door, peering out on occasion to give updates. And I was helping Kyungsoo decorate the elaborate cake they'd baked this afternoon. Five tiers high. Strawberry cake with white icing. Royal purple puffs of fondant. DaeHyun's favorite cake. I piped icing puffs along the base, tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Anyone intersting here yet?" I asked as I finished a row. Mostly so he would know he wasn't going unheard. He grunted, poking his head around the corner yet again. It was selfish, but I mainly wanted to know if he saw Hojun sneaking in. Of course, I couldn't voice that thought. Not without answering about a million questions. And I wasn't interested in doing that tonight.

"King Henry," pop finally said. "With Prince Benjamin." Nobody of particular interest to me, even if Ben was our age. "I thought I saw Emperor Nakamoto," pop added. "With Shotaro."

"Well ChaoXing will be pleased as punch," I replied. "So everything is going smoothly then?" We had to make sure it did. It was DaeHyun's first fully public birthday party. It had to be perfect. Kyungsoo chose that moment to peer around the other side of the cake.

"As smoothly as it can be when you're dealing with the masses," he said. "Now keep piping kid. We have three more rows to complete before we're done and it certainly ain't gonna do it itself."

"Yes sir," I replied. Kyungsoo laughed at me. Even pop cracked a smile. "Why aren't you with King Yixing?" I finally asked him. He raised an eyebrow. "What? It's a legitimate question. Usually for these things you won't leave his side. You almost never have." He seemed to conceed my point.

"King Yixing has asked if I stay low key for tonight," pop finally responded. "He thought maybe my presence would upset DaeHyun before the party, because you know how DaeHyun gets with crowds." That I did. "So I am to remain here until the party begins. As will you." I balked. Pop held up his hand. "Just until the party," he reiterated. "Then you may find him."

"Alright," I agreed, even if I didn't like it. I set to work on another row of icing, lost in thought. Would DaeHyun be okay during the party? Would Hojun be here? Would DaeHyun introduce them as a couple? Would he even want to see me during this? I certainly hoped so. I also needed to give him his gift at some point in the night. It was wrapped up in my borrowed room at the Korean palace, just waiting. I hope he'd like it.

"I saw Ying Yue!" Pop suddenly exclaimed. I jumped. "I think we can leave now if we want. Start finding our boys." I finished up my frosting row, bid Kyungsoo goodbye, and padded after Pop. He weaved his way between guests, calling soft greetings to a few people. He found King Yixing easy enough, slotting to his side like he belonged there. I scanned the growing crowd milling around the front foyer. Amd there. Finally. I saw who I was searching for.

DaeHyun. In a dark blue hanbok that looked absolutely marvelous on him. With Hojun at his side. Their fingers gently brushed from time to time. Even as jealousy boiled within me, I still put on a smile and marched over. As I approached I heard snippets of his conversations.

"Nice to meet you too. This is Hojun."

"My friend? You could say that."

"Actually, Hojun is my boyfriend."

Boyfriend.

...

I ended up being in a roll and wrote this entire chapter in one afternoon.