GUYS! I KNOW THIS WILL GET PUT UP AFTER BUT I FOUND SOMEONE TO MAKE AN AWESOME COVER AND I'M SO EXCITED.

I like adding things like this because it helps me remember exactly when I was working on everything lol.

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Junmyeon's POV

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I once again awoke to loud shouts and bells ringing and sunlight streaming through the cracks in my blinds. I squinted for a moment, getting my bearings. Then I smiled when a mass of messy hair greeted me, as well as some soft snores. I'd grown so used to having Yixing beside me at night, tonight was going to be odd.

Yep. Our two weeks together were up. In just a little while, Yixing and Luhan would be packing their suitcases and getting on a plane back to China. I was dreading every part of today. Sure, we'd keep in touch with our phones and computers, but it wouldn't be the same as having him face to face with me. I pulled him closer to me, scooting up so I could bury my face in his hair.

These last few weeks had been some of the happiest of my life. Mother and father were around a lot. We had a lot of our meals together, after years of barely getting one. Yixing was always beside me as well. We traveled as one. To meetings and councils and even things like shopping and going out to eat. I got to show him everything Seoul had to offer, and he got to experience a culture very similar yet drastically different than his own. The best part had to be nights though. Being able to cuddle and talk until sleep claimed us both. And waking up to his body pressed to mine.

"I don't want this to end," I whispered. "Ever." And I was stuck in a lose lose situation. If I confessed my feelings to mother and father, they'd forbid me from ever seeing him again. But if I kept quiet, I had to watch him walk away time and time again. I honestly wasn't sure which was worse at this point. Never having him in my grasp again, or forever having him just beyond my reach. "Yixing," I said, a little louder. "Wake up. It's time for breakfast."

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, rolling to his side facing away from me. I pouted, placing my face right next to his neck. I blew gently, and he squirmed. "Damn it Junnie, you know that's my weak spot," he said, slowly rising to a sitting position. Yixing in a shirt five sizes too big for him with one shoulder exposed was just as great as Yixing in a form fitting suit, but that was just my opinion on the matter. "It's the day, huh?" he asked.

"Yep," I answered, pretending I wasn't extremely bothered by the fact. "We have a few more hours." I leaned over and pecked his lips. "Let's make the most of this fact." I would surely miss moments like this when he left. It would be strange the first few times when I'd turn to talk to him and he wasn't beside me or just behind me. Tomorrow's breakfast would feel a little incomplete.

"Is it bad I don't want to go home?" he asked as he settled on the floor, beginning to carefully pack his suitcase. I stifled a sigh. "But I know it's a necessity." He glanced up to me. "Fairy tale endings just don't exist in real life, right?" There was a sort of finality in his voice. I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe when I opened them again all of this would just be some crazy dream. But when I did, Yixing was still packing his suitcase. Slowly and deliberately, sure, but he was still doing it. "I'll have to make plans to visit again very soon, yeah?" he added.

"Question," I replied, and his gaze flicked up once again. "Are we going to try to keep...whatever this is...working once you leave?" I'd been avoiding the question all week, terrified of his answer. He bit his lip.

"I'd love to," he admitted. "But do you think it's a good idea?" My shoulders slumped in defeat. No, not really. "Hey," he said softly, rising and sitting beside me once again. He captured my chin in one hand and forced me to face him. "I hate the idea of leaving you, and this, behind," he said, his eyes perfectly reflecting my own inner storm. "But we both know that we have a duty to do."

"And it doesn't necessarily involve each other," I said. He simply stared, then leaned close and gave me a kiss that lingered a lot longer than necessary, but was filled with so much more than simple passion. When he pulled back, his eyes searched mine again. "I'll miss you," I said. "You'd better plan on visiting soon. Or I'll come to you. Something."

"I promise Junnie," he said. "We will figure something out." He finally released my chin, gently brushing his fingers along the spots he'd held and setting my skin alight. "I have to get ready. Luhan would kill me if I don't."

"No he won't," I responded, and Yixing chuckled. I'd gotten to know Luhan pretty well over the last couple of weeks, and one thing I'd learned very quickly that Luhan's soft spot was Yixing himself. He could never be mad at him, and even if he was it never lasted. They'd been together since Yixing was born. It wasn't much of a stretch to call Luhan his older brother.

"Do you mind if I shower?" I was yanked from my thoughts as Yixing suddenly spoke. "Caught you off guard huh?" he asked with a straight face, but I could sense the smile lurking under the surface. "Do you mind if I use your shower?" he asked again.

"No, go right ahead," I replied. He selected an outfit out of his suitcase and rose. As he passed, he gently brushed up against me. Once he disappeared into my bathroom and the door clicked shut behind him, I let my smile drop away. Tonight would be hard, no doubt about it.

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Yixing's POV

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Breakfast had long passed, and final preparations had been made and last minute scrambling to finish packing had been done. Now it was the point in the day I'd been dreading. I looked back over my shoulder at my boyfriend and his family. Junmyeon stood between his parents, his head bowed.

"Are you ready?" I blinked as Luhan came strolling passed me, lugging our suitcases behind him. "Xing?" I cast my eyes downward, afraid if I made eye contact with him I'd crack. "I know it's hard," he said, rapidly switching to our mother tongue. "But you'll see each other again."

"That's not what I'm worried about," I replied, turning once again to look. Queen Kim gave me a little wave and smile. Junmyeon subtly kissed his fingers and mimicked throwing something at me. I smiled softly. I'd miss him dearly. With one final wave over my shoulder, I climbed in the car after Luhan. As we made our way down the driveway, I watched out the back window as King and Queen Kim retreated back inside the palace. But Junmyeon remained, a lone figure looking lost. And maybe it was just my overactive imagination, but I swore I could see traces of tears in his eyes. But all too soon, he disappeared from sight.

The ride to the airport felt like an eternity. Luhan tried to keep the mood light by constantly talking with me or cracking jokes or asking questions, and while I appreciated his efforts, I wasn't necessarily in a talking mood. I gazed out the window, watching the world zoom by. I sighed, playing with the lid of the music box Junmyeon got me.

"You really liked him huh?" My gaze flicked to Luhan, who'd dropped the joking demeanor and was now serious. "I've never seen you like this before. He's just some boy." I frowned, glancing away again.

Junmyeon wasn't just "some boy" to me. He was the boy who made my world a little more vibrant and exciting. He was the first person I'd come across that shared the same fears and doubts as I did. He was someone I could comfortably spend the rest of my life with and I would never tire of it. But sadly it seemed fate didn't want us together because I was sitting in this car on the way back to my home country, and Junmyeon would stay here.

"I didn't mean it that way," Luhan whispered. "I'm sorry." I hummed in response, closing my eyes and resting my forehead against the window. It felt like I was leaving a little part of myself behind, and I hated it.

...

"Xing!" I smiled tiredly as mother rushed out of the front doors of the palace, much to the horror of our guards. She wrapped me in a hug. "How was your time there sweetie?" She ushered us both inside, with Luhan bringing up the rear.

"It was good," I answered. "King and Queen Kim are really nice, and Junmyeon's become a good friend." I wanted so bad to tell her about what happened, but I doubted she'd take to kindly to it. "I learned a lot while I was there."

"That's good," mother replied, reaching over and ruffling my hair. I thought back to the many times Queen Kim had done that as well, and I resisted the urge to sigh. I walked to the dining hall with mother, passing staff along the way. A lot of them bowed and called out greetings, welcoming me back. "Seems like you were missed, huh?" mother commented lightly.

"Appears so," I replied as we slipped into the dining hall. Father glanced up from his paperwork briefly. "It's good to be back, let me tell you."

"What all did you learn while you were there?" father asked, setting the papers aside. I thought about it for a bit. What all should I tell him? See, to me, the biggest thing I'd learned while I was there was that someone actually liked me for being me, and not the fancy title strung across the front of my name.

"I sat in on some councils," I said at last. "They handle domestic disputes quickly but professionally. I've never seen someone leave upset. And Junmyeon's input is respected just as much as King Kim's. Everyone is already willing to fall under his lead."

"That's good," father replied. "And since you guys have such a good relationship already, he shouldn't give you any problems in the future." I drew my lips to a thin line. Even if I knew it would happen, it still didn't stop me from disliking them talking about my boyfriend as if he was just a pawn on a chess board, waiting to be played. "Why the sour face?" father asked without looking up from his papers.

"I'm sure Xing is just tired, right sweetie?" mother asked, pinching my cheek. I bit my tongue and nodded.

"I think I shall retreat to my room," I said at last, rising from my place at the table. It wasn't very late, but I didn't feel like facing them. "Goodnight mother. Goodnight father." And without waiting for any sort of response (which I'd hear about in the morning I was sure) I walked out of the dining hall. Once the doors swung shut, I bolted.

I knew that Junmyeon was just another hurdle for me to tackle in their eyes, but it was another hearing it outright. All these meetings, leaving me in Korea for three weeks, it was all so Junmyeon wouldn't pose a threat when we took over. And maybe I'd thought that way a bit at first as well. But once I got to know him, I hated myself for ever thinking that in the first place.

I burst through the doors of the garden, swallowing great lung fulls of fresh air. It was beginning to feel so suffocating today. From the Korean palace to a town car to an airport and airplane to my palace... It was all too much. Though, much to my delight, it seemed Luhan had the same ideas, because he sat on one of the marble benches by the fountain, reading something off his phone.

"Hey Xing," he greeted, patting the spot beside him. "Come sit. Let's talk awhile." I smiled to myself. Luhan always knew exactly what I needed. I sank down next to him, breathing in the crisp evening air. "What did they want?" he asked.

"To know what I'd learned while I was over there," I replied, leaning my head on his shoulder. "What I didn't tell them was I learned I found someone who makes me happy. I learned that it was okay to let someone passed my walls a bit." I sighed. "They wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't count them out yet kid," he said. We watched as the sun began its way down the sky, lighting it brilliant blues and vibrant violets. "They may surprise you yet." Doubtful, but one could dream.

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I totally forgot to stick something down here at first so now this has turned into the "shite I forgot to put an author's note at the bottom" author's note.