This story, as of right now, is slowly gaining momentum and I'm so happy about that. Well right now it actually has a lot of momentum, which I am so incredibly grateful for. It boggles my mind how far this story has come in a short time, and since it's nowhere near over it seems it will go even farther.

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No one's POV

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"Where is he?" Mr. Kim asked to no one in particular. Mrs. Kim, who'd been quietly reading, glanced up from her book as her husband spoke. "It's nine in the morning and I've yet to see Junmyeon up and about," Mr. Kim continued, setting his laptop aside and rising from his chair. "I'll go look for him."

"No you won't," Mrs. Kim scolded. "It's his first week as King dear. He's not going to be up every day before the sun rises. That's absurd. Besides, like you were any better at his age." She set her book down. "Sit down. I will go see if he's up yet." And so Mr. Kim, thoroughly cowed, sat back down in his chair. Mrs. Kim rose instead, padding quietly up to her son's room. There was another reason she had insisted on being the one to rouse the boy, and it had little to do with her son himself, and a lot more to do with the special company they'd been housing the last few days.

She had always suspected something, even before Yixing came and seemed to sweep Junmyeon off his feet. Her son was dutiful and did as they asked of him, but one thing he was never enthused about were the dates they set him up on. She could always tell he returned unsatisfied and unhappy, even if he claimed to have a good time. For so long, the reason behind his mysterious behavior eluded her. She did think at one point he just wasn't interested in marrying someone so young. The truth made a lot more sense. Her son was in love. But not with the traditional partner.

"Junmyeon?" she called softly into his room. She peeked in, and an empty room greeted her. "Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, wandering a few doors down to the room she knew Yixing favored. Since the door was slightly ajar, she peeked in, but not enough to disturb either boy. She smiled when she made out two bodies in the bed. Her assumption had been correct. Her son had gone to Yixing after their talk last night, seeking comfort.

She backtracked down the same hall she'd just come from, on the hunt for one particular person. She knew he was around here somewhere. And thankfully he was rounding the corner, so her search didn't last long. When he saw her, he dropped into a respectful bow.

"Good morning ma'am," Luhan greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He straightened up.

"I just checked in on my son," she replied. "He's currently with Yixing, but since I know he didn't sleep well last night, I'm loath to wake him up now." Luhan nodded. "In about an hour can you get them up? Junmyeon does have a lot to do today, but I want him to sleep a bit longer."

"Of course ma'am," Luhan replied. "I can do that." She smiled to herself, watching as the young assistant moved off. She also knew that Junmyeon positively adored Luhan, and it would be better if the boy woke them both up. With that being done, she retreated back to their old study, ready to finish the book she'd started.

...

Junmyeon's POV

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"Junnie," a voice whispered right in my ear. I whined quietly, ducking under the covers. "Junnie," the voice said again. "Come on Junmyeon. It's already ten in the morning. We should really get up."

"Five more minutes," I mumbled. The voice above me chuckled. And suddenly the covers were yanked away. I opened my eyes. "Evil," I said to Yixing, who simply smiled his dimpled smile, leaving me all flustered. Even more so when he leaned down and connected our lips in a soft and sweet kiss. When he pulled back, I gaped at him.

"I've wanted to do that again for basically the entire time I've been here," was all he had to say about it. And that really was all, as he threw the covers off himself, rising. I watched his movements through half-lidded eyes. If neither of us were royalty, would we be able to live a life we wanted? Probably not. But one thing I was thankful for was the fact that, because we were both royalty, we had the opportunity to meet in the first place. I definitely wouldn't have found him any other way. "Thinking again?" he asked without even looking at me.

"Maybe," I answered, finally sitting up and rubbing the last of the sleep from my eyes. "That isn't a bad thing." A gentle kiss was placed to my forehead.

"Think breakfast instead," he replied. "What is for breakfast anyway?" I shrugged. I'd just gotten up too. He disappeared inside the bathroom, and I was left momentarily alone. What a domestic, simple way to start the morning. With kisses and conversations about breakfast. I sighed quietly. I didn't want to get used to this again, because once he left, that was it. No more chances. No more comfort. Once he was gone, he was gone for good. And I knew that fact, yet it still hurt to think about.

"Hello?" I turned as another voice I knew so well called into the quiet. Luhan peeked around the door. "Oh, you're both up," he said, opening the door a little wider and stepping passed the threshold. "Just making sure you were alive."

"Very much so," I agreed. "How did you know I was here though? I did spend the majority of my night not here." Luhan opened and closed his mouth a few times, seeming at a loss. I chuckled at his expression.

"Your mother," he said at last. I cocked my head to the side. My mother? How the hell did she know I was here? And then I realized she was my mother. She probably knew every breath I took, let alone when I'd found a different place to spend my night.

I hadn't necessarily meant to come to him after my conversation with her last night. I'd meant to go back to my own room. But some unseen force drew me here. It felt so natural to seek him out after hardships. He could provide comfort in only the way he knew, and I loved every second of it. I sighed. Luhan took his place at the end of the bed, glancing around.

"Hi Lulu," Yixing greeted as he stepped out of the bathroom. Luhan dipped his head in acknowledgement. "What are you doing here?"

"Was kind of sent up to get you out of bed," he replied. "But you guys did that of your own accord, so my job is done. What's on the agenda today sire?" Yixing shrugged. "Junmyeon?" he asked, turning to me.

"Probably that press conference I've kept putting off," I replied. "Mother and father wanted me to address the public for the first time as King, basically right after the party. But I've been kind of avoiding it in favor of spending time with you guys." Luhan smiled, while Yixing seemed to find something utterly fascinating in the rug.

"Knock knock," another voice spoke. We all turned as Baekhyun pushed his way into the room. "I thought I heard your voice Junnie. Come on you lazy oaf. Your father is about to tear his hair out if you aren't down there."

"Coming, coming," I mumbled, rising and falling in step beside him on the way back to my room. "You would think he wouldn't still be so worked up huh?" I asked as I closed the door behind us.

"I think that's less to do with the fact you're king, and more to do with the fact he's your father," Baekhyun pointed out. Once again, curse him for being the rational one. I selected a new outfit for the day and ducked inside my bathroom to change. "So, you were in Yixing's room last night?" he asked innocently, but I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Get your mind out of the gutter young man," I replied. "I simply fell asleep there after we talked. Nothing happened." Nothing bad anyway. There was some intense cuddling, but Baekhyun didn't need to know that. "He's a taken man Baekhyun. It's not like we could do anything even if we wanted to."

"Ah, but the heart wants what it wants," he answered, attempting to sound cryptic. "What's your heart say?" Now that was a weighted question. What did it say?

It says you want him, I answered myself. But damn it all you can't have him. It doesn't matter what you say or what you do. At the end of the day, he won't be yours. He never was, and he never will.

I angrily wiped away the tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes. I knew all of this. I told myself over and over that it didn't matter. That Yixing had a fiance and that he would go home to her at the end of the week. But I also couldn't help that a small part of me hoped and prayed that it was all a ruse and that he really did like me.

"Hey." I blinked at the mirror, and a hollow expression greeted me. "You okay in there?" The voice was right outside the door. Baekhyun sounded unusually concerned. "You've been in there awhile. What's up Junnie?"

"Nothing Baek," I replied. "Just taking extra long today I guess." I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. It was time to stop acting like the world was ending. "Wanna accompany me to my press conference today?" I asked him as I stepped out of the bathroom. "I'd feel a lot better if you were there."

"Of course," he said. "I'm surprised you didn't ask your little boyfriend though."

"Why would I ask Yixing?" I replied. "He's not my best friend. He's not even from this country." As soon as I said it, I realized it. Baekhyun visibly flinched.

"I guess," he said. "Alright. We should get going then." We fell in step beside each other again. This time though, it wasn't as comfortable as it was before. I sighed. Stupid feelings. Stupid life. Stupid everything.

...

Yixing's POV

...

"Hello all." There was a pause as people clapped, and Junmyeon smiled at them all. "Thank you for the warm welcome. A lot of you already knew that the change of power would be happening after my eighteenth birthday, but I'm here to address you all directly. And joining me today is another face a lot of you may recognize, as his family runs a lot of the southern part of the country. Byun Baekhyun." Baekhyun waved timidly at the cameras, and that's when I decided I'd had enough of it. I turned off my TV. Luhan turned a confused look to me.

"I thought you wanted yo watch the conference?" he asked me. "I'm sure your parents are."

"I wanted to, but I changed my mind," I replied. "I can go back and watch the live feed off Facebook later," I added. "I...I want to call Ying Yue, I guess." I pulled out my phone, pressing her contact and holding it to my ear.

"Hello Yixing," she greeted as soon as she picked up. "Are you watching Junmyeon's press conference. My he looks so handsome."

"I am not," I answered carefully. "I wanted to call you instead."

"Aww you're so sweet," she gushed. I felt my face getting hot. "How has it been there so far?" she asked. "I know we talked last night but we didn't get to talk about that."

"It's fine," I said. "Junmyeon came to talk after we hung up last night actually. Neither of us could sleep and misery loves company." I chuckled lowly. "And how are you? How was dress shopping?"

"I am good, and dress shopping is a bust right now," she replied. "I haven't found the perfect one yet. But your mother is a sweetheart." I smiled to myself, lying back on the bed and throwing an arm over my head. "Are you ready for the wedding? It's only a few months away."

"Not quite." Luhan looked over. "But it's coming up quick. And as it gets closer, the more ready for it I'll feel." She hummed quietly. Conversations like these were my favorite. Where there was no pressing issue to discuss.  "I should let you go though," I added. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

"You are hopelessly romantic aren't you?" she asked, very clearly amused. "This is why I love you." For a moment there, my brain stopped functioning. I turned a wide-eyed gaze to Luhan, but all he did was shrug. She'd never said she loved me, indirectly or not. I wasn't sure how to handle it. Because the first time she said it to me, I expected my heart to stop. I expected butterflies to explode in my stomach. I expected this warm, fuzzy feeling to travel the length of my body.

But that didn't happen.

"I...I love you too," I stuttered. "I'll talk to you later darling. Take care." And I hung up before she could utter another word, because I wasn't sure if I could handle hearing it again. I let out a long, frustrated breath. Why? Why couldn't I love my fiance with everything in me? And even as I thought it, I knew. I knew the reason. It was the reason from the start.

Junmyeon.

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Holy moly guys this story is really taking off thank you so much.