It helps that this idea was already mostly formed cause I already have a great lead (and if you've just randomly stumbled across this I'm so sorry).

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Li Jie's POV

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"Sire!" I called as I caught sight of DaeHyun stepping through the palaces grand double doors. "Welcome back sire!" As with every time I called him that, he wrinkled his nose, which I always thought was really funny and kind of adorable. "What are you doing here anyway?" I continued, falling in step beside him as he mounted the stairs to go to his room. "And where's your pa?"

"In Korea with dad still," he explained. "I came back because I wanted to." I just shrugged and followed him to his room like I always did when he first arrived. We'd grown up together, so it was only natural for us to seek each other out when the other was around. He threw his suitcase onto his bed and sat in his desk chair while I hovered in the doorway.

"Is there anything you need sire?" I asked after a pause. He just shook his head at me, causing me to frown. "You're not hungry or thirsty? Tired? I could draw you a bath if you wanted. Or go get some take out."

"I'm fine Jie," he assured. "Just keep me company, alright?" I sighed in relief when I was given direction. I sat on the floor beside his chair, leaning my head against the armrest. He flicked his little TV on and we lapsed into silence, watching some movie play quietly on the screen. From time to time I glanced up, but he seemed zoned out, so I let him be. Pop always told me that my job, above all else, would be to watch out for King Yixing's kids. That I was going to help raise them. That I would be their listening ear and their comfortable space. It was instilled in me from the time I could comprehend the concept.

Though DaeHyun's recent behavior had me worried. I told pop about it of course, and he listened with keen interest. After all, we watched over them when they were here without King Yixing and King Junmyeon. But lately the Korean prince had been spacey and uninterested, zoning out more often than not. It would come out of nowhere too. One moment all would be fine. We'd be going about like normal. And the next it was like he was on another planet. I could never read his mood anymore, and I hated that. I wasn't doing my job of I couldn't figure him out.

"Huh?" I felt my phone vibrate against my leg. I flipped it so it was face up, a huge grin spliting my face. "Mei Zhen!" I jumped up and ran out of DaeHyun's room to pick up the call. "Hi honey," I greeted when I finally answered.

"Hi Li Jie," she replied. "What are you up to today? Wanna go do something together?" I opened my mouth to agree, but at the last second stopped, thinking back to DaeHyun now alone in his room. I couldn't just abandon him today. That wouldn't be fair.

"Maybe tomorrow?" I suggested apologetically. "Prince DaeHyun just got here this afternoon. It wouldn't be fair if I just left him." She sighed a little. "We can do something tomorrow," I vowed. "Promise."

"Alright Jie," she agreed at last. "You and that duty of yours, huh?" I smiled a bashful sort of smile. I had time to myself of course. But when the royal family came around, it was like a switch in me flipped. My duty was to them first and foremost. "I'd better let you go then. I know how you get when they're around. Them first."

"Ah, you know me to well," I said, ruffling my own hair out of embarrassment. "I do promise you that we can get together tomorrow, yeah?" I heard a noise behind me, so I twisted and caught sight of DaeHyun picking his way down the stairs. "Oops, I gotta go," I rushed out. "The prince is leaving."

"Alright, take care," Mei Zhen said. "Love you."

"Love you too," I replied distractedly, already running to keep pace with the young Korean prince. I hung up just as I caught him. "Where are you going sire?" I questioned, already going through a mental list of stuff. "Do you need anything? I can get it for you. Food? Drink?"

"At ease Jie," he scolded, which was my cue to back off a bit. I smiled sheepishly. "I'm just going out to the gardens. Why don't you join me? It's almost dusk after all, so the sky should be starting to turn pretty colors."

"Alright," I agreed. It was one of our favorite pastimes anyway. DaeHyun, much like both of his fathers, enjoyed the outdoors. The simplicity of it. And I kind of did too. It was peaceful out there with the flowers and the trees and the birds. I fell in step beside him once again, so close our arms brushed. When we stepped outside and the door closed behind us, I could see his shoulders visibly relax. "You've been all sorts of wound up since you got here," I observed. "Are you sure you're alright sire?"

"At. Ease," he gritted out. I only frowned at that. Usually he didn't mind being fussed over. "Just...quit talking and sit with me, alright? I haven't really seen you much since..." At that he stopped. I cocked my head to the side, studying him. But he'd gone stoned faced and tight lipped as usual. I sighed to myself, mentally going through a list. Mei Zhen. She was the only thing different in the both of our lives.

We sat side by side at the fountain, not saying anything anymore. Not that I knew what to say anyway. DaeHyun tilted his face towards the sky, shutting his eyes as the last little rays of sun hit his skin. I mimicked his movements, staring up through done trees to watch the world light up pink and orange and violet. As calm as I felt outside, my mind raced laps around my skull, trying to decide how the night was going to go. I loved DaeHyun dearly. He was basically my brother.

"How's Mei Zhen?" he asked after some confortable silence. I shot him a look, trying to guage his reaction, but he held the same pose he did before. Slightly tilted back with his hands splayed behind him. "She's good?" he asked. Ah. A slight tremble in his voice. Like it was taking everything in him to keep it together.

"Let's not worry about that right now Dae," I replied, dropping formalities to make him more comfortable. He sighed, nodding a little. We resumed our silence, staring off into space, lost in our own little worlds. I almost didn't notice when his hand found mine and he wrapped our pinkies together like we'd done so many times in the past. Almost.

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DaeHyun's POV

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"Come on, come on, come on," I mumbled to myself, pacing in front of the window, tugging at my hair. I psyched myself out the first day here and my courage dwindled as the night went on. Though we stayed in the gardens long after the sun set, our hands twined together. To him it meant nothing. Just something we had done countless times. But to me it was a tiny, tiny step towards admitting something huge. "I'm making this too complicated," I decided, sinking into an overstuffed chair placed near the corner of my room. "How?" But I just didn't know. Especially after he spent my second day in Beijing with Mei Zhen, only appearing for a little while in the afternoon to change into something semi formal for a night out.

"He's just young and in lust," Luhan would tell my sulking form every time he caught sight of me. "Trust me, this will blow over before you know it." Good old faithful Luhan. Serving two generations of Kims/Zhangs and being an ever present angel. Though he never questioned exactly why I was out of it, which I was thankful for. I wouldn't know how to explain I loved his son because... Well, it wasn't supposed to happen.

How did dad and pa do it for damn near three years? I was barely surviving these three days. Credit where credit was do, they battled some tough stuff to get where they were. It was never easy for the pair of them. Girlfriends. Weddings. Goodbye after goodbye, time and time again. Yet fate decided they deserved to be together, so they were. They were just as in love today as they were years ago. Pa still looked at dad like he was the reason the stars shined, and honestly it was beautiful to see. I wanted a love story like theirs. The forver and ever part, not all that crap in the middle.

I thought back to all the sappy things that dad and pa did for each other leading up to their grand reveal. Dad's sunflowers he grew in a large clay pot in his room specifically to give to pa. The song they always sang together when they thought no one was watching them. Finishing their favorite sentence together. It was all super cute, but I wasn't sure sentiment like that would work on Li Jie. Would he love it? Yeah. But Jie wasn't pa. He wasn't dad. So what would Li Jie like?

"Sire?" I yelped and covered up my project quickly as a knock sounded through my room. "Prince DaeHyun?" Luhan asked. "May I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, Luhan cracked the door open. "I want to ask you a couple things."

"Sure Luhan," I answered, moving away from the desk and seating myself on my bed. Luhan carefully shut the door behind him. "Where's Li Jie?" I asked, getting my hopes up in spite of myself. Luhan studied me for a second.

"In his own room," Luhan finally answered. He glanced around, his eyes landing on my pile of stuff. I flared red and prayed he didn't ask me about that. "I can't help but notice that ever time Mei Zhen is around you look like you're sucking on a lemon." Well, he certainly came in blazing, didn't he? "Do you not like her?"

"I like her fine," I replied shortly. Luhan arched an eyebrow at my curt tone. "That's not the problem. There's no problem. All is well."

"You think I'm dumb boy?" he asked gently, which definitely caught me off guard. I halted in my tracks. "I've been around your dad long enough to know that behavior. What's bothering you young one?" I bowed my head.

"My heart wants something I shouldn't have," I told him. I wasn't lying in the slightest. "And I don't know how to handle it. At all." A spark ignited in his expression. He sidled up beside me and gripped my shoulder. I glanced up to him. "What should I do Uncle Lu?" I asked at barely a whisper.

"I won't pretend to understand what's going on up here." He tapped my forehead. "But kid... all I can say is listen to that heart of yours. It may have led your dad and pa off course a couple times, but it never failed them in the end. It might be scary and unpredictable, but what if you miss out on something great?" Slowly I eased up as he talked. "One more thing," he added. "Whatever happens... we always love you. And we always will."

"Thanks Uncle Lu," I choked out. My support system knew no limits. I was certainly thankful for them. "Okay, I know what I want." I jumped up and sped off, leaving Luhan to wonder in my room. To hell with convoluted plans. I needed to get Li Jie out of his room, now.

"Hey Jie," I exclaimed, bursting into his room. He looked up from his phone. He lay stretched out on his stomach on top of his neatly made bed, lounging in something comfortable and casual. Even in sweats and a plain shirt he looked good to me. "I have something to show you."

"Oh?" he asked, sitting up. I counted down from three as I practically ran across the room. But I paused at his bedside, taking it all in. Was I really about to do this? "What's going on sire?" Li Jie finally asked, setting his phone aside. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I haven't," I assured. "Just..." I spread my arms out like I had something to present even though I didn't. He watched the movement with his eyes, his confusion only growing more and more the longer I dragged this out. I closed my eyes. "Just don't hate me for this, okay? You have to promise me."

"I promise Dae," he vowed. "Now what's going..." But his sentence cut off as I grabbed him by the shirt front and practically lifted him off the mattress, crashing out lips together.

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Still a good stopping point, right?