Chapter Text
“He looks so good? Did you see this photo? Wait for a fucking minute! Is that a fucking tank top? God. Oh God. I am dead. His ARMS! He can like, choke me with them and I would thank him for that.” while having this monologue, mostly for himself even though Hyunjin was in the room with him but paying no attention to what he was saying, Minho was sitting in a chair that was big enough for two people to fit there comfortably. His long legs haphazardly throw over the armrest and his head hanging at the other side, almost touching the floor.
“Hyunjin. I am dying! Did you see his lips? And the way he fucking stares at the camera? This is the end!” Minho throws his arms dramatically into the air and then lets them fall down, so they hit the ground with a loud thump.
At the same time there was a soft knock on the door and a second later the door opened and revealed a young blond boy. Without a single word, he crossed the room and plopped himself on a bed, his head landing on a Hyinjin’s lap who was sitting there with his back against the bed frame, ignoring everything Miho was telling him and doing something on his phone.
“What is going on?” the boy asked, looking at Minho and then at the boy above him.
“Guess.” Hyunjin chuckled at the boy. “You have one try. But to save your butt- 3racha just released some new pictures from a photoshoot they did and wait for it..... Jisung is wearing a tank top and Minho is having a little identity crisis over it. As always.” Hyunjin sums up to the other boy, who rolled his eyes as an answer.
“You don’t get it.” Minho made a loud sigh from the chair at the other side of the room. “He looks so good. He is the most gorgeous human being EVER.”
“Honestly. I am just glad you are thirsting over Jisung, not my brother. That would be kinda weird.”
“I always forgot that Chan is your older brother, Felix. But he is also hot not gonna lie.” Minho answered with an exaggerated wink. “But that means, you actually met them all right? What type of person Jisung is when he is not on the stage?” he lifted his head a little and looked at the two boys lying on his bed.
Felix looked away for a moment, nervously fidgeting with his sleeves, and then slowly answered. “ I don't really know? I didn’t spend much time with them anyway. They were in their studio all the time, working on some music. All I know is that Jisung eats a lot because Chan complained about him eating all of his snacks all the time.”
“So he is talented, gorgeous and he eats a lot? He can’t get more perfect! I am in love.” Mino again left his head fall over the armrest with a dramatic sigh. “I just want to see him perform. I mean, all of them of course, you know what I mean.”
“You know, you can just ask your father to invite them to that charity concert? Your father is literally the king of this godforsaken kingdom, for fuck sake.” Hyunjin spoke up, being done with Minho’s antics for today.
“Hey, our kingdom is not that bad!”
“Yeah, you are right. Our economy is actually stable, we have good education and gays have some rights. Which has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that both princes are gay as fuck.” Hyunjin snickered.
“Hey, watch your mouth, young man. I am as gay as one can be but what is Jeongin is the kingdom’s biggest mystery. But I see your point and for once I really like it. I will ask my father about it. They are famous enough to be invited anyway. And their fans will definitely love it. And it means that Felix can see his brother!” Minho clapped with his hands that were hanging over his head on the floor. The position he was in looked slightly uncomfortable but Minho didn't seem to mind a little bit.
“Hmmm that would be actually nice. I hadn't seen him since Christmas and it was only for a few days. I kinda miss him.”
“Why don't they live here? It is the capital city, after all. They would have better opportunities here right?”
“Well, they all grew up in the same city and they had everything they needed there. When they became more famous, they didn't feel the need to move, so they just stayed there and it is working for them so far. Also, Chan does not like bigger cities. It makes him anxious. That's why I am always the one visiting him, not the other way around.” Felix explained to his friends.
“Oh that makes sense. Will it be okay for him to travel here for the charity event tho? I don't want to make him uncomfortable.” Miho asked.
“I think he will be okay. He does not really have reason to go to the city, right? The event is usually held in the palace and the studios are really close to the palace. And to be honest, he will probably just live in the studio you will give him during his stay here.”
“Okay. Plus we can give them rooms in the host wing of the palace so they will not have to travel that much. That sounds like a good plan if I can say so.” Minho grinned happily at the boys in front of him.
“Yeah, whatever. Seungmin just texted me that he is done with that photoshoot so he can be here in ten. Are we still up to go to visit Jeonginnie at that coffee shop he is working at?”
“I don’t really know if I want to third wheeled to you and your perfect boyfriend. Some of us are sadly still single.” Minho snickered.
“Shut up. Felix is going to be there too and Jeongin will probably just use us as a reason not to work as always. He is lucky that everybody loves him there, and they are too weak to tell him something. And it is not like you have no suitors lined up to be your boyfriend or just to sleep with you.”
“You know that it is not the problem Jinnie. None of them really knows who I am and I can’t really lie to them for too long. And if I tell them, how will they react? I can’t just tell them: ‘Oh hey, I know we are dating for some time now, but I just want to tell you that I am actually the crown prince of this fucking kingdom.’ And if they would react positively, which I doubt, what if we broke up after a while? They will know my identity and they could sell it to some tabloid or something. It is just not worth it. Don’t get me wrong. I am glad that our parents keep us out of politics and all that shit so that nobody actually knows how we look and we can live normal lives - to some extent. But this - having a long term relationship, is something I can’t do. And we all knew how my last try ended. So, whatever.”
“Minnie…..” Felix sighed and crossed the room to sit on Minho’s lap, who had just enough time to sit somehow normally so Felix would not crush his legs while getting comfortable. “ You will find some unbelievably hot guy with killing thighs or whatever your heart desires, but now it is not time to get sad! Now is time to get up, get dressed and go out, okay?”
“Okay, Lixie. But you are buying me a coffee.” Minho smiled at the smaller boy in his lap. Felix just rolled his eyes and snickered.
“Oh God. Stop stealing money from innocent citizens of your own country! You act like you are actually a broke college student! Unbelievable indeed!”
Felix dramatically detached himself out of Minho’s lap and stretched his hand back for Minho to help him stand up too. With a huff Minho slowly stood up, using too much power so Felix lost his balance for a moment and almost sent them back to the chair. After they both regained their balance Minho stretched himself, his body aching from an uncomfortable position he was lying for too long. Hyunjin also stood up and walked over the big wooden door and was waiting for the two boys to join him.
“Let’s go! Seungim is already waiting at the front door!” and with that he left the room, putting on his light jacket, happy to see his boyfriend soon.
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Jisung was in his small studio with his head laying on the desk, the chair slowly spinning from side to side a little. At the other corner was Changbin spread on the old sofa they had there, humming some melody, slowly falling asleep. He had his own little studio, but there was nothing better to do, so he decided to bother Jisung for a while.
Suddenly another boy burst through the door, scaring the shit out of them.
“Guess what!” he screamed, ignoring the state of shock his two friends were in.
“You bought me that ice cream I asked you for?” “You finally learned how the microwave works?” said the boys at the same time, sitting up and watching their friend with teasing smiles.
“Ehm no. Buy that ice cream by yourself, you are old enough to do that……. and that was ONE time!” he answered looking slightly annoyed with their questions. He walked into the small room that was definitely not made for three grown-up people to be in.
“Our manager just called me. We are invited to the annual charity concert of the royal family.”
There was a stunned silence for a moment and then the two boys started to talk over each other excitedly.
“What?”
“Are you serious, Chan?”
“Okay, calm down boys.” Chan said and crossed the room to sit next to Changbin on the sofa. “ They invite us as one of the main acts which is a huge deal, but you already know that. If we are going to do this we will be the youngest artist to perform there. It is a charity event so all the money for tickets is going to a charity that is supported by the royal family. Plus if we decide to sell some merch it would go to charity too. It is in early December which gives us around three months to prepare. We have one week to decide.”
“Of course we are going. There is nothing we need to think about. We are already working on some new tracks. Three months is a solid time to have the whole new album ready, which means we could perform our new songs there.” said Changbin.
“Agree. Plus we can sell our new album there. Maybe sign some of them and sell them for more and give all the money to the charity. We can officially release the album after the event.” Jisung added, looking excited.
“Okay, that sounds like a plan. I have one song almost finished, and I have some beats I am thinking about using for another two songs. Together we can put about 5 to 7 songs on the album? Is a little bit less than usual but we don't have that much time for it as we normally do.” Chan looked ready to just lock himself in his studio and not leave till he is done with his new songs.
“The charity concert is in the capital city. That means that we will see Felix again!” Jisung realised and clapped happily. “It has been so long since I saw him. How is he? Does he still work for the royal theatre?”
“I didn't talk about it with Lixie yet! I need to call him! And yes. He works as a dancer and choreographer for the royal theatre. Anyway, I will call him and you can go through some beats and lyrics for the new album. But don't stay here for too long. Go home and get some sleep. And don't forget to eat?”
And with that he left the room, his phone already in his hand, ready to call his younger brother.
Two boys that were left in the studio grin at each other excitedly. Changbin stood up from the sofa and grabbed an old not really trustworthy looking plastic chair they had in the corner next to the table and sat next to Jisung, who already opened some files on his computer.
After some time Changbin leaned against the back of his chair and stretched his hands.
“Felix works as choreographer? Since when?” he asked the younger boy.
“Oh I think we were talking about it when he visited for Christmas last year. And he already has that job for a few months.” Jisung answered while saving their work and turning off his computer.
“That explains a lot. I didn't see him last year. I was with my parents at the time he was in the city. Actually, I don’t think I saw him since he moved to the capital? And that's around 3 or 4 years?”
“You are right! I remember him being always disappointed when we told him you are not here. He had such a crush on you when we were younger. It was so cute!” Jisung grinned, standing up and stretching his body.
“What? Little Lixie had a crush on me?” Changbin squeaked and snapped his head back to look at Jisung who was already standing at the door ready to go home.
“Little Lixie is exactly one day younger than I am but yes. It was painfully obvious if you ask me. And I have also no idea why it was you. Between you and me, I am the better looking one of course.” Jisung snickered and opened the door of their studio
“Ya! You little shit!” he also stood up and smacked his head lightly. Then he took all his things and checked if all the equipment was turned off. With a last glance, he followed the younger boy out of the room. He was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed.
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For two months 3racha worked on their new album without taking any break. Their almost absolute radio silence was suspicious to their fans and some of them had their own theories about them. Few lucky ones even guessed correctly what is going to happen, but the lineup for the upcoming annual charity concert was not announced yet, so they all were just guessing.
3racha were talking with the organizers of the event and decided that it would be best for them to arrive in the capital around 3 weeks before the event. That gave them enough time to get used to the concert hall, practice some more and even enjoy some mundane tourist adventures in the city.
They arrived at the main railway station around noon. The ride was short so they were not that tired. Three boys get off the train and look around the platform that was filled with people going their own way.
“Channie!” a loud voice suddenly was heard above the noise of the crowded platform. They all turned their heads toward the voice and saw a small boy with a huge smile on his face running to them with his hands enthusiastically waving his hands, disregarding other people around him.
“Lixie!” Chan yelled back just as enthusiastically dropping his luggage and running to the boy. As soon as they were close enough to touch, Chan picked his younger brother up and spun them around.
“Little Lixie!” Jisung screamed happily. He grabbed the discarded luggage that was laying next to him and wanted to walk closer to them when he noticed that Changbn still didn't move or say something since they heard Felix’s voice. He turned around and saw Changbin just staring blankly at Felix who was still in Chan’s embrace. Jisung snickered at his friend and grabbed his hand and tugged him along.
“Hi Lixie! Long time no see! ” Jisung launched himself at the smaller boy while talking, hugging him tightly. “You look so good.”
“Hi Ji! It is so good to see you too!” Felix answered, grinning at the boy when they moved from the hug.
“Uhmm, I- Hi, Lix.” Changbin stuttered, looking unsure of himself and playing with his sleeves nervously.
“Hi Bin. It is good to see you.” Felix smiled at the older boy, his cheeks getting warmer, lowering his head to look at his fidgeting fingers. There was a silence for a second and then Felix looked up again with a bright smile, his cheeks still a little rosy.
“So, the plan for today!” Felix jumped a little while clapping his hands a few times. “There is a car waiting for us. We can quickly put your things in the rooms you will be staying in and do some sightseeing for a little bit. How does that sound?”
“That sounds perfect Lixie.” Chan grinned at his brother. He took his luggage from Jisung who was still holding it, put his other hand on Felix’s shoulder and nudged him to lead the way.
Jisung and Changbin followed them closely. Jisung could hear Changbin muttering words under his breath that suspiciously sounded something like “Oh God, his freckles.” Jisung just shook his head and let his friend suffer.
They left the train station building and went to the parking lot nearby where a big black car was waiting for them. When they got closer, a middle-aged man left the car and opened the trunk for them to put their luggage there. They said their greeting to the man and climbed to the car with Felix sitting in the front next to the driver. The car was big enough so the rest of the boys could sit at the back comfortably.
“So Felix. How are you?” Jisung asked the boy in the front. He was squished in the middle and leaned closer to Felix, who turned around so he could talk to them more comfortably.
“I am good.” Felix grinned happily, his eyes almost disappearing. “I am still working as a choreographer for the theatre. I love it so much! Sometimes we need to work on many choreos at the same time, so it gets exhausting real quickly but I love it. I think that my favourite is working with kids. There are about fifteen kids in the group and all of them are so adorable and talented! I mean they are little brats when they want to be but it is so rewarding to see them perform with the choreo I made.”
Felix was talking about his job for a while, filling the rest of the boys in some gossips going around. Sometimes he also commented on their surroundings, telling them interesting places they can visit during their stay in the city.
Suddenly, the car stopped and they got out of the car. They were standing in front of a majestic building.
“This is the west wing of the royal palace. They use this part of the building as accommodation for visitors. You will be staying here so you will have it closer to the studio that is about five minutes walk away from the main gates. There is the possibility that some king or actor slept in the same room as you will be sleeping. Isn't that great?”
While Felix was speaking, two men came out of the big door, opened the truck and without single words took their luggages. Not far behind them was a woman with short hair and a soft smile, looking a little bit older than Chan.
“Hi. My name is Jihyo and I will be your personal assistant during your stay. If you can please follow me now. I will show you where your rooms are.” she said and bowed slightly.
The boys bowed to her as well, still too surprised to talk. They followed him to the palace, walking through an endless maze of hallways. Jihyo stopped them on the first floor near the main staircase and turned around to them.
“Your rooms are here. There is one bigger room in the middle and then two smaller rooms on each side that are connected to the one in the middle. All of them have their own door to the hallway and also fully equipped bathrooms. I hope you will enjoy your stay. If you need anything, my phone number is written on paper on your nightstand. See you later.” she said goodbye and with a wave, she walked away.
“Okay? Let's see the rooms, shall we?” Jisung said with a grin and opened the big double-wing doors to the main room.
The room was spacious with two big windows, one king-sized bed in between them and a big drawer on one side of the room. There were also three other smaller doors. Two of them being symmetrical and probably leading to the smaller rooms and the third door was opposite to the drawer and leading to the bathroom. Next to the window, there was a big loveseat and another, smaller cabinets were also placed around the room. Their luggage was already there lined up next to the entrance door.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Jisung ran across the room and with a high pitched yelp jumped on the big bed, bouncing on the soft mattress a little. The rest of them followed him soon after, Chan sitting at the edge of the bed and Changbin walking to the door leading to one of the smaller rooms and opening them. The smaller room was not that different from the main one. There was only one big window and the back of the king-sized bed was pushed against the wall opposite the door. A drawer was situated at the other side of the bed then the window was and next to him was a loveseat that had the same colour as a massive curtain on the window. The door to the bathroom was between a window and the bed and the door leading to the hallway was next to the loveseat almost at the corner of the room.
“So…..Chan will have the main one, I will take this one and Jisung the other one?” Changbin turned around and leaned against the door frame. The two boys hummed in agreement.
“Are you ready for an adventure or you need some more time?” Felix, who was sitting on the loveseat, asked.
“I think we are good to go. Let me just grab my phone and wallet.” Chan answered, getting up from the bed. “Jisung don't forget to take your wallet, okay?”
They left the room with Felix leading the way, looking like he knows perfectly where to go.
“Lixie? I don't want to underestimate your sense of direction and your ability to find your way out of this maze, but are you sure we are going in the right direction?” Chan asked, sounding slightly worried.
“Oh it is okay. I actually live on the ground floor next to the kitchen.” Felix answered smiling at his brother reassuringly.
“Ehm. WHAT? You live in the fucking royal palace and you didn't bother to tell us?” Jisung screamed his voice echoing in the empty hallway.
“It is not like I live in the part of the castle where the royal family is staying. They made a few flats near the kitchen for some of their employees who do not live in the city. They offered me a flat when I got promoted. I live there with my friend Hyunjin and his boyfriend Seungmin. Well, Seungmin does not actually live there with us, but he is there enough so you wouldn't be able to tell.
“Hyunjin is your friend from the theatre right? I remember you talking about him a few times. Isn't he part of Danceracha with you?”
“Danceracha?” both Jisung and Changbin asked at the same time.
“Yeah he is. There are three of us there. Me, Hyunjin and Lino.” Felix smiles shyly, explaining the name “It is not an official unit name or something. They just created this name after they find out that Chan is my older brother. You know, it is three of you and three of us so it kinda makes sense. But we are not using it anywhere. It is more like an inside joke more than anything.”
“That's actually really cute, Lixie.” Jisung cooed at the younger.
“Yeah- It is a good name. I- I think you should use it as the official unit name. We will
not mind right?” Changbin said not looking Felix in the eyes. The rest of 3racha nod in agreement.
They successfully found their way out of the palace, using some small door next to the kitchen that was used for employees living there. They were talking about their lives. Jisung and Changbin talking about their families and what is new in their hometown. Felix talked about his life here, the theatre, his colleagues and about all the cute kids that he was teaching. He was also talking about his friends that he found here. About his beautiful friend Hyunjin, who was a young prodigy, having all the dance solos in all ballet performances. There was also the third member of Danceracha, Lino whose dancing reminds people of water. Fluid, eyes catching but also very powerful. They all worked as choreographers for the royal theatre, creating a name for themself as the perfect team. Another member of their friend group was Lino’s younger brother Jeongin who was still studying at uni. The last boy, who Felix was talking about, was Seungmin, Hyunjin’s boyfriend and well-known photographer. They all met him at one of the theatre’s events and quickly became friends. And after what felt like an eternity of pinning, Seungmin and Hyunjin started to date.
While talking, they wander around the city centre, Felix telling them interesting information about important buildings or recommending them good places where to eat or go for a coffee. It was around 6 pm when they found their way back to the palace.
“If you want to, there is a good coffee shop a few blocks away we could go to now. It is getting a little cold so we can stay there for a bit. Plus Jeongin is working there and if I am not mistaken he has a shift right now.” Felix asked other boys who were starting to get tired after all the walking. They all nodded and Felix led their way to the café nearby.
It took them about five minutes of walking to get there. Felix stopped in front of a cosy looking coffee shop with a soft neon light above the entrance saying ‘Stay Café’. They walked inside and sat at the table in the far corner.
After a moment, a young-looking boy with dark blue hair walked from the staff room, his notebook ready in his hand. He stopped in his tracks for a second when he saw them but then smiled widely and waved at Felix.
“Innie!” Felix greeted him happily and waved at him back. “These are my friends, Jisung and Changbin, and my older brother Chan. And this is my friend Jeongin.”
They all bowed a little to each other politely, all of them coping at the boy in front of them.
“It is good to finally meet you all. Felix talks about you all the time. It is kinda annoying honestly.” Jeongin smiled at them and it would look cute if there was not the cunning shine in his eyes directed at Felix. “What do you want to drink?”
They all ordered their drinks and Jeongin wrote their orders in his notebook. “I will be right back,” he said to them but he was looking at Chan with a shy smile adorning his face and then quickly turned around to walk behind the counter.
“He is so cute.” Chan said, smiling at the boy who was preparing their drinks on the other side of the room.
“He may look cute but don't let his appearance fool you. He is the spasm of the Devil himself. Trust me.” Felix snickered at Chan who still watched Jeongin already looking ready to adopt him just as he did with Jisung and Changbin.
It didn't take Jeongin long to prepare their drinks and joined them at the table. It was already late so they were almost the only ones in the shop. They stayed there for almost two hours, talking about their lives and telling embarrassing stories from their childhood. Jeonging joining them when he had time.
They said their goodbyes and got back to the palace, ready to just take a quick shower and go to bed.