Chapter Text
Jisung doesn’t mind being awake at night, because it’s the only time this palace is ever truly quiet. He’s always liked the quiet. Tonight especially is a night where he’s thankful for it, because depending on whether or not he’s able to successfully execute his plan, it might be the last quiet night of his life.
It may be the last night of his life.
It’s a scary thought, but Jisung would be lying if he said it didn’t excite him. Not the idea of whatever consequences he might face if he’s caught, no, those are nothing but horrifying; Jisung is excited by what life might be like if not. If he’s not saying his vows come tomorrow morning, then maybe he’ll be somewhere nicer. Maybe not. Honestly, Jisung doesn’t care where he ends up - as long as Minho is by his side.
Jisung sits up in bed and smiles to himself. He has no idea if his plan will work or not, but the thought of seeing Minho again is enough to make him risk it.
In the two days that have passed since his boyfriend was forcibly separated from him and thrown into a cellar against his wall, Jisung’s had a lot of time to think. He hasn’t really been able to do much else. Unlike Minho, Jisung is allowed to leave his room, but not without supervision. Chan is constantly waiting by the door, always watching him. It’s awful, but, in a way it’s still better than what Minho’s going through. Jisung feels sick even thinking about it.
Not for much longer, he reminds himself, reaching down to pull his duffle bag up next to him. He's had this bag packed for years. A change of clothes, a first aid kit, non perishable food, a flashlight, and a drawing of him and Dahyun that she drew when they were younger. He smiles sadly looking at it. In a far part of his mind, Jisung always knew he would have to leave. He never knew exactly when that day would come, but he had a feeling it would be sudden, and that he wouldn’t have time to pack.
Thus, immediately after his father informed him he’d be doing some extensive therapy, fifteen year old Jisung prepared this duffle bag.
“Come on,” Jisung mumbles, rummaging through the contents of the bag. He pokes his cheek with his tongue and furrows his eyebrows as he feels around the bottom. Then, he finds what he was looking for, and lets out a sigh of relief.
$175.
He counts the wad of cash and, sure enough, it’s all there. He’s been accumulating it since puberty, taking small amounts at a time. It was never enough for his father to notice it had gone missing, but it added up, and even though Jisung could easily take more now, he feels content in having over $100 to his name. Wherever he goes, this’ll be helpful. He stuffs it back into the bag and hides it underneath a pair of socks. Then, he grabs the stuffed bunny by his pillow. He stares at it indecisively for a few moments.
Jisung isn’t sure he wants to be reminded of this bed ever again. It’s sentimental, sure, but it’s tattered and tear stained and Jisung thinks that maybe the best thing he can do for his old friend is simply throw it away.
He shakes his head. “No,” he says outloud, albeit very quietly, pushing the bunny into the bag then pulling at the drawstring to close it. “Not yet.”
Jisung pushes himself off his bed quietly and stands on his toes, slowly slinging the bag over his shoulder. He breathes in through his mouth, out through his nose, and begins creeping towards the door. He knows it’s locked. At the same time, he knows Chan is on the other side, and he knows Chan would do just about anything for him right now. Even though it’s not entirely his fault, he feels so guilty about all of this.
Jisung gently raps on the door with his knuckles. “Chan?” he asks, his voice raspy and strained. Jisung hates to exploit his friend’s empathy, but right now, he doesn’t have many other options. Chan won’t open the door unless he thinks it’s an emergency. He sniffles for added effect. In a moment the door is open and Chan is inside, flicking on the light and looking up at him. His face contorts in confusion when he notices how calm he looks.
“What’s that?” he asks, pointing at the bag slung over Jisung’s shoulder. “Nothing,” he says quickly. Then, “I’m leaving. I don’t wanna be King.” He lets out a quiet laugh. “You know that already, don’t you?”
Chan smiles at him. “I always did. Ji, it’s not gonna be that easy,” Chan says, his smile falling as he rests a hand on Jisung’s shoulder, and Jisung nods. “I mean, where are you gonna go? Do you have a plan? People will notice you’re gone, and depending on where you go, they might find-”
“I know. That’s why I need you to help me. You’re not friends with the guards outside the palace right now, aren you?” he asks, and Chan shrugs. “I don’t know who's on, but I probably am. Why? You don’t want me to hurt anyone, do you?”
Jisung frowns. “Maybe. Ideally you won’t, but if it comes to that, I need to know you’ve got my back. Please, Chan. I’ll take care of everything else, but I can’t do this on my own. Can you just clear a path for me when I need you to?”
Chan bites his lip. Then, he nods. “Of course,” he says, and Jisung moves in to hug him. The embrace is short, but both of them feel satisfied in knowing they don’t hate each other. “Thank you,” Jisung whispers, then pulls back to look at him. He’s grinning, and even though Chan wants to cry at the thought of Jisung leaving, he knows it’s best. “No problem. What should I do now?”
“Just wait here,” Jisung says, advancing into the doorframe. His voice is strong but quiet. “I need to go take care of some things first. Give me about… Fifteen minutes? Then, go distract the guards. Minho and I’ll figure it out from there.”
“This doesn’t sound like much of a plan,” Chan says, worry evident in his tone, and Jisung smiles. “I know. But I think I need to learn how to be impulsive if I ever want to live a normal life. Take risks, and all that stuff. I don’t know,” he admits, and Chan laughs a little. “Sounds good.”
“Chan?” Jisung asks suddenly, and Chan nods. “If I don’t see you again, I just want to say-”
“Don’t finish that,” Chan interrupts, and Jisung looks slightly confused. “You will see me again, okay? So, whatever you wanna say, it can wait. Go on,” he says, nodding towards the hallway behind him. “Go get your boy.”
Jisung smiles. “Will do.”
His footsteps are silent, and the only sound resonating through an empty hallway is that of Jisung’s own heartbeat. Jisung feels like he could die at any moment, but at the same time, he feels so incredibly alive. It’s unlike anything he’s ever felt before, and he might never feel it again; so as Jisung begins creeping down the stairs, carefully and precisely, he’s sure to cherish it.
After living in this place for twenty years, Jisung’s learned all its secrets. He knows where it creaks and where it doesn’t. He knows which areas you can stand in without being seen, he knows the shortest and longest routes to every room, and he knows exactly which floorboards to avoid. Heading to the cellar is dangerous. It’s the least maintained area of the palace, and there’s a distinct echo of footsteps that rings throughout the lower part of the building if you aren’t careful with where you walk.
Jisung hasn’t been down here often enough to be entirely certain, but he knows that as long as he keeps to the wall, he’ll stay undetected.
“Minho,” Jisung says softly as he reaches the door, barely loud enough to be heard from the other side of the door. His fingers wrap around the handle, hands shaky as he hesitates, and Jisung sighs deeply. Then, he opens the door. “Minho?” he calls again, slightly louder, and at the bottom of the half stairs leading into the cellar he sees him, shivering and exhausted but still smiling. “Jisung,” Minho says, a little louder than intended, and before Jisung has time to lovingly shush him Minho is scrambling to his feet to hug him.
“I missed you, Princey,” he whispers as they embrace, gently swaying from side to side in the doorway. Jisung pulls back to look at him. There are tears in his eyes, and he looks like he hasn’t slept longer than an hour in almost three days, but he’s still grinning.
In spite of it all, Minho looks happy.
“Did you know there are rats down here?” he asks, laughing through a sob, and Jisung can feel his eyes watering as he shakes his head. “Massive rats, Sung, the size of my hand-”
“Shut up,” Jisung says fondly, wiping the tears from underneath his eyes with his thumb. Minho leans his cheek on Jisung’s hand. “I missed you too. So much, Minho,” he says, his voice cracking as he blinks back tears, and Minho giggles. “You’ll be a terrible king. You’re far too sweet,” he says, and Jisung giggles. “It’s a good thing I’m not gonna be king then, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’re leaving. I’m leaving. I don’t know where, I have no plan, I’m probably gonna die on day two but I don’t care. It’ll be worth it. I want you to come with me,” he says, taking both Minho’s hands in his own and squeezing them. “I mean, we’re both fucked if we stay here, and I know I don’t want that. And I don’t think you do, either. So, please…” he pauses, looking down for a moment.
“Leave with me.”
“Of course I’m leaving with you,” he says, and even though Jisung hoped that would be his answer, he still sighs in relief to know he was right. Again they hug, and Minho presses a gentle kiss against Jisung’s shoulder. “My Romeo,” he says softly, almost teasingly, and Jisung giggles. “Don’t call me that,” he whispers, running a hand through Minho’s hair. “I don’t want an unhappy ending.”
“And you won’t get one,” Minho says, lifting his head to look Jisung in the eyes again. “We’ll be alright. Should we get going?” He asks and Jisung nods. “Yeah, I still need to go get Dahyun. I haven’t told her about any of this.”
Minho frowns. “Are you sure she’ll come with us?”
“Honestly? No,” he starts, sighing. “But it’s worth asking. And I can’t just go without… saying goodbye. Fuck, this is actually happening, isn’t it? We’re… leaving. Holy shit.”
“You sound like you might change your mind,” Minho says, and Jisung quickly shakes his head. “Never. How’s your foot? It looked kinda bad last time I saw you,” he says, and Minho scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sore. It’ll be fine, I’m sure I can walk on it, it’s just gonna hurt a bit.”
Jisung sighs. “I don’t think I’ll be able to carry you. But we’ll go slowly, okay? Follow me,” he says, adjusting the bag over his shoulder assuming position against the wall. He stretches out his hand and Minho takes it. They glide along the wall and up the stairs in silence, neither daring to speak as they finally ascend onto the ground floor of the palace once more. “You alright?” Jisung whispers once they’ve reached the top, and Minho nods. Now that they aren’t stuck in one pattern of movement, Jisung is able to wrap his arm around Minho’s waist to support him as they continue their trek.
“Jisung,” Minho starts as they begin climbing the stairs towards Dahyun’s room, his voice small and quiet. “When I was trapped in that cellar, I was… really fucking scared. Not just because I thought I was gonna die, but because I thought I was never gonna see you again. And I, uh, I guess it made me realize how much you mean to me,” he says. He sounds so nervous, it makes Jisung worry. “I know it’s still really early, and, uh, it’s totally fine if you aren’t there yet, but I love you.”
Silence.
And again, all Jisung can hear in an otherwise empty hall is the sound of his own heartbeat. They’re outside Dahyun’s room now. Not yet ready to acknowledge Minho’s confession, Jisung cracks open the door and slips inside, pulling Minho in with him before shutting it again.
“Dahyun,” Jisung says, and she grumbles something, turning over in bed. She’s clearly half asleep. “Dahyun,” he says again, louder, and she rolls onto her back. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Dahyun sits up, yawning as she does. “Jisung, Minho,” she says casually, nodding at them. Then, it hits her. She turns on her bedside lamp and stares at them in wide-eyed shock. “Holy fuck. What are you guys doing here?”
She sounds surprised, but happy, and as soon as she’s awake enough to comprehend exactly who she’s looking at she pulls both of them into a hug. “We needed to come see you,” Jisung says, drawing back after a few seconds and sitting next to her on the bed. Minho stays in the hug for a moment longer. “I... I’m not gonna marry you. I’m sorry, but I can’t. I don’t wanna be King. I don’t wanna pretend to be in love with you for the rest of my life. You’re my best friend, Dahyun, and I can’t marry you. So, I’m leaving. Tonight.”
Dahyun leans forward to ruffle his hair, smiling sadly at him. “I hoped you would.”
“Does that mean you’re coming with us?” Jisung asks, and Dahyun’s lips twitch. She’s still smiling, but it’s strained, and Jisung can feel his heart breaking as she solemnly shakes her head. “I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“I mean, I have a reason to stay here. You know my opinion on how fucking stupid monarchy is, but if I stay here, I can fix it somehow. That speech I wrote you for the ball the other night? I meant every word of it. I want to change things. I know it won’t be easy, but I have to try.”
“Dahyun…” Jisung says, his voice cracking. “Do you really think that's gonna work?”
She laughs, then, “not at all. But I still want to try. Fuck, I have to try.”
He should’ve known. Dahyun’s always been so strong, so determined, so fucking stubborn that Jisung should’ve known she wouldn’t want to run away with him.
Part of him always knew.
In spite of that, he still hoped. He always hoped that if he were someday to leave, with his duffle bag full of supplies and heart full of promise, his best friend would come with him. But that’s not what she wants. And for the first time in his life, Jisung understands the power of wanting something, and he understands just how cruel it would be to take away her dream. He clears his throat harshly to choke back a sob. “So this is goodbye?”
“Don’t say that,” Dahyun says, cupping Jisung’s cheeks in her hands. “It’s never goodbye. I’ll see you again, okay? Write to me. Wherever you go, send me a letter, let me know you’re okay. I know it’s too dangerous to tell me you’re going, but I’ll find out somehow. I promise.”
“I don’t wanna leave you,” Jisung manages, his vision blurry with tears. “Hey, hey, it’s alright,” she says quietly, pulling him into a hug. Minho watches from beside him, not saying a word. “Everything’s gonna be alright. I’m so proud of you, y’know that, Princey?” she says, and Dahyun’s crying now, too. Her voice is breaking and tears are streaming down her face. “You’re actually leaving. Fuck, I’m gonna miss your dumb idiot face so damn much.”
“I’m gonna miss your dumb idiot face!” Jisung cries, and clutching onto each other like a lifeline, they both laugh.
After what feels like forever, Dahyun and Jisung part, still holding onto each other. “It’ll be alright. You’ll take good care of Minho, won’t you?” she asks, and Jisung nods, biting his lip and sniffling. She smiles in spite of a sob, then turns to Minho. “And you’ll take care of Jisung too, right?”
“I will. I promise I will,” he says, squeezing Jisung’s hand, and even though her best friends are about to leave her, Dahyun feels content. “You guys are gonna be so lost without me,” she giggles, wiping the tears from her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I love you both so much. Never forget that, okay?”
“Come on,” Jisung says, patting her back. “I thought this wasn’t a goodbye?”
“It’s not,” she says, forcing herself to smile. “I just… want you to remember that until I see you again. And I will! Me and Chaeyoung are gonna make this kingdom so much better, and when it’s alright, you’ll come visit. Promise me you’ll visit?”
“We will,” Minho says, and Jisung looks at him like he’s the moon on the clear night. He knows he didn’t say it earlier, but he loves him too.
“Minho, my sweet boy, come here,” she says, laughing as she takes hold of both of his hands. “You’ve come so far. I’m so proud of you, too. I’m proud of both of you,” she says. Then, she looks at Jisung, a glint in her eye. “Congrats on proving me wrong.”
Jisung laughs. “I did do that, didn’t I?”
Minho looks confused. Dahyun opens her mouth to tell him what she meant, but Jisung stops her by grabbing her hand and squeezing it. She giggles. “We should probably get going if we’re ever gonna actually leave,” he says to Minho, and he nods, wiping his eyes. “You’re right. First,” he says, reaching into his back pocket to pull out something small and shiny. Dahyun squints at it, quirking an eyebrow in confusion when she sees it,
“It’s Jisung’s engagement ring. I stole it when he saved me earlier, I thought it would be funny. For old time’s sake.”
Dahyun laughs heartily, taking the ring and holding tautly in her hands. “It is funny! You’re hilarious, Minho. I can’t wait to see you again,” she says, leaning forward to kiss his forehead, and Minho smiles. “You too, princess. You too.”
“Alright, you fuckers need to go,” Dahyun says finally, taking a deep breath. Even if it’s only until they leave, Dahyun’s finally managed to stop crying. “When your dad asks where you are tomorrow, I’ll just tell him you died. Both of you. I'll play it up, so don't worry about that.”
“Sounds great,” Jisung giggles, rummaging through his duffle bag again. He chokes back a sob. Then, Jisung places his childhood stuffed bunny on the pillow next to Dahyun’s head. “It’s pretty old and manky,” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “If you don’t want it, feel free to burn it, but-”
“Never. I thought you couldn’t sleep without this?” she asks.
“I couldn’t,” he says. He looks at Minho and smiles. “Not anymore, though. Are you ready to go?” he asks, and Minho nods. He seems certain this time. His eyes aren’t fully dry, but the three of them know that it’s now or never.
They hug one last time, hanging in the embrace longer than they should, and eventually pull apart. Dahyun is trying her hardest to hold it together. “Stay safe,” she says as they stand.
“We will,” Jisung says. He wraps his arm around Minho’s waist again, pulling his arm over his shoulder to help carry him out. “I love you so much,” she says again, swallowing hard, and Jisung nor Minho can bear to look at her as they slowly make their ways towards the door frame.
“I love you too,” Minho whispers, tears spilling down his cheeks and onto the carpeted ground below. Jisung leans in and kisses his cheek.
He turns his head to look at Dahyun one final time. “Me too.”
They leave the palace without anyone noticing. There are two guards out front, but neither of them react when they see Jisung and Minho standing at the gates, as both of them are unconscious.
“Thanks, Chan,” Jisung says as they meet again, and Chan smiles. “No problem.” He pushes open the gates of the palace and gestures towards a carriage waiting for him. He looks so proud of himself, and Jisung can't help smiling. “Got you a horse. Hey, Minho, I’m sorry about the whole… locking you in a cellar thing.”
Minho shrugs. “Happens to the best of us. Thank you for helping.”
“I asked a friend of mine to take you out of here. He knows a place a couple of hours from here, really nice, where no one’s gonna find you. You don’t have to stay there, but while you get yourself sorted out it might be a nice resting place,” Chan says, helping Jisung and Minho into the carriage. He sighs. “I can’t believe you’re going,” he says, and Jisung laughs a little. “Me either. We’ll come visit someday,” he says, patting Chan’s shoulder. “Promise.”
“I guess I’ll see you then,” Chan says, smiling fondly at both of them. “Safe journey.”
“Thank you!” they call back in unison, and with that, the carriage is going, and they’re leaving. It won’t be long until the sun rises. Minho rests his head on Jisung’s shoulder, yawning as he does. “Minho?” Jisung asks, and Minho mumbles a sleepy “yes?”
“I love you too.”
And he truly, truly does.