Chapter Text
“Renjun! Oh my Renjun!” Jungwoo shouts, his closest neighbor, calls him urgently. Making Renjun almost run from their little adobe’s kitchen to the main door.
Renjun with his flushed cheeks, mirroring panting Jungwoo, who’s tapping his chest eagerly to calm his heart rate, seems like he run a mile in just a second, “L-lele, ahhh..” he was eagerly pointing from a far, “K-king…haa… ahh, p-play!”
“What? Can you at least calm down! Were you being chased?” He asked, trying to figure out what he was trying to say, “and what about my little lele?”
“H-he was playing!” Jungwoo answers abruptly.
Renjun frowns, “yes. He is. He already told me, he’ll go to the field.” Lele did get his permission to play, and Renjun allows him as he cooks their dinner.
“He was with— didn’t you get the news?!” Jungwoo asks, and Renjun’s patience is getting nowhere. Seems like they were playing a riddle with Jungwoo’s push and pull.
“What news?” He grimaced. Obviously he hasn’t heard any news.
“The K-King is coming today! And he was there! With your child! Play—“ Jungwoo wasn’t able to finish his sentence when Renjun immediately got his way, and ran for his dear life.
This can’t be. This can’t be happening.
“Lele!” Renjun shouts as soon as he arrives at the field, panting, gasping for air like a fish who just got out of water. Sweat trails down his face. “Lele!”
He can feel his heart ramming against his chest, he closes his eyes, this can’t be happening . He needs to find his son, Renjun needs to take him home, before anything else happens. Breathe Renjun, breathe.
He opened his eyes, a shadow of a little boy running towards him with the brightest smile, “Appa! appa!” He stopped in front of Renjun. “Finally!” He chuckles. Renjun’s heartbeat skipped with Lele’s ‘finally .’
“Finally! I have someone to play with! I have a new playmate!” Renjun looked around and there were lots of kids in the field, no trace of someone . Which, for some reason, made him sigh… in relief.
He crouched down to meet his child’s eye level, wiping the sweat away from his adorable face, Lele flashed his sweet smile making his eyes crinkle into crescent moons. Something Renjun adores from his kid, also something that reminds him of… the past.
“Really? Who was he? Maybe you should ask him or her to come to our house instead, since it’s getting late. We need to come home,” he says eagerly, anxiously looking around the field while caressing his child’s face.
Little Lele beams in joy, “Really appa? Lele can invite him?” Renjun nods as an answer. He collected little Lele in his arms, “Where is he? Let’s invite him.” he says as he stands on his feet, he just received a giggle from Lele who’s keenly looking at his back. He instantly turned his back to look and he almost tripped from the sudden turn, he felt an arm around his waist supporting him and Lele’s weight.
Renjun looks up, only to be greeted by the person who holds the same crescent moon eyes as his son. “Hi playmate, and Hi Renjun.”
“Je—Your Highness…”
Renjun blames his mouth, he cannot undo his promise anymore. So here he was, in his humble home, with Little Lele… and his new playmate, having dinner.
Under the table, Renjun’s hands were cold and sweaty, for some reason he had no appetite. He was checking Lele from time to time to see if he was eating. He then picks his spoon up as he tries to push the unpleasant feelings away and sipped his soup. He choked as he listened to them conversate.
“Appa! Are you okay?” Lele asks, concernedly. He nodded, still choking, he was about to grab his glass of water when a hand landed on his back and courtly offered the glass of water, “thank you…” he muttered.
After the nerve-wrecking dinner, Renjun told Lele to wash and go to bed. Worries washes the kid, afraid that he won’t be able to play again with his new found friend. Renjun was about to coo the kid when the ‘new found friend’ assures him that they will play again tomorrow, and that he will still be there to play with him. With that they were able to convince Lele.
“Thank you for playing with my son, Your Highness ..” Renjun says courtly, heads down as he fidgets his fingers. He bit his lips and gestured to the door, “the way out is here.”
Renjun hastily made his way to the kitchen and quietly washed the dishes.
He was drowning in his thoughts when he felt an arm snake on his waist. He squirmed in shock, “J-jeno.. I mean, Your Highness...”
“Stay,” the King ordered, but it is more like a plea. Jeno buries his face on Renjun’s nape, “why?” he muttered.
Renjun can feel the deep sighs the King was emitting, how unstable his pattern of breathing was. Silence enveloped them, “why.. did you leave?” Jeno tries his best not to stutter but his voice failed him and it cracked, “W-why?”
Renjun felt a pang on his chest, as if there was a dagger along with the King’s question that struck on his chest. Renjun bites the tears back down, he calms himself, “Why are you here?” he asked, still not facing the King. “If you have other things to do maybe you should go–”
“I heard a news,” Jeno started. The King’s arms were still encircled to his petite waist.
“What news?” Renjun pry.
“That you are here,” Jeno says with hint of longing, “that the person I’ve been finding for so long is here,”
“But I was just no one, your highness.” Renjun says, trying to be rational, “I-i was merely no one, not some significant person that will help you with your Kingdom. I was a hindrance to you..”
“You were never a hindrance,” Jeno replies quickly. The King’s hold tightens as if he was trying to tell him to stay.
“I-i was. If we continue what we had, I-i think you won’t ever have the crown right now,” Renjun's voice betrayed him, he sobs.
Jeno carefully turns him to see his face. “It was just a crown, but you are you. You are my life.” he says cupping Renjun’s cheeks as he brushes the tears away from his pretty face.
“But I have lele now, your highness.”
“We.” Jeno simply says.
“Lele is our crown Prince.”
“You know?!” Renjun asked, surprise is an understatement, the King just chuckled and rested his forehead against Renjun’s and nodded as he planted a sweet, gentle kiss on his temple.
“The fruit of our love. The bearer of the crown.”
and they live happily, ever after.
What happens after happily ever after?