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the walls were white with deep red and gold clmibing up them and entwining together, it was a stunning display of contrast, of two things that shouldn’t work together blending beautifully to become one. hao had barely taken his eyes off the back wall, off where the two large wooden doors stayed closed, off where every guest had entered and brought a renewed sense of disappointment with them.
there were people from every kingdom present that night, hao had heard all about how people had travelled far and wide to be there. some had traversed the most dangerous of seas, others had trekked through deserts and forests, it made it somewhat of a pity that hao didn’t even spare a second look at any of them at all.
by the third hour, hao’s back ached and his hands hurt from how hard he’d been clutching the arm rests of his throne. he was still sat at the head of the hall, watching as people danced around the patterened ballroom floor, they were all paired up and laughing together, hands entwined but none of them really cared for each other.
they were all there for him, desperate to steal his attention, claim his hand and boast to the masses that they had been the ones to gain the heart of the heir to the most powerful kingdom the world had ever seen.
everything about it made hao’s stomach churn, the way regalia was set out for him, the way their finest gold furniture was laid around the room, the way his outfit had been hand-crafted by the greatest tailors in the whole kingdom. no expense had been spared and hao thought the whole thing was laughable, no one truly wanted him, truly loved him. they only loved his kingdom, his wealth, his assests and at the very most they loved the idea of him.
he couldn’t help but let his eyes dart around, wide and searching and he sighed deeply when he couldn’t find exactly what they had been searching for. there was no sign of him yet, he’d said he’d come but there was no sign of him yet.
“will you not dance?” came his mother’s exasperated voice soon after, “there are so many people here for you hao, so many suitors desperate for your hand, has no one captured your attention? you must choose someone to give your dance to, you must choose someone for marriage tonight.”
“there is no one mother,” hao spoke back blankly as he felt every word she spoke cut deep into his chest.
he’d wanted none of this, none of the gold statues that adorned the room, none of the ivy that hung from the roof, none of the expensive wine he tasted on his tongue. there was only one thing hao had wanted, only one thing he’d ever asked for, ever needed and he wasn’t here, why wasn’t he here?
he let his eyes flit back to the hundreds of people who had come to vie for his hand. it was kind of odd really, that none of it had ever made him feel wanted and the opposite was true if anything. throughout his whole life, hao had very rarely felt wanted at all, until he had came along of course and hao had learned what it was like to want someone too.
the doors opened then, hao spotted his father’s butler holding on to the handle as he tugged at them, he couldn’t breathe in that moment, hazel eyes wide and full of want, hope, desperation.
he watched the newcomer walk his way towards him. no one turned to stare at him as he did, he was of no position, no ranking and his clothes were simple, lacking the gold jewelery everyone else flaunted. he had no crown or kingdom behind him but to hao he was the only one to have ever existed, he was the only one there ever was to walk the earth.
he felt butterflies fill his stomach as the man reached the front of the room, his military medals hung proudly on his chest but his eyes still not meeting hao’s own as he bowed deeply before the king, the queen and his lover.
“what is your business here sung?” hao’s father questioned soon, his voice filled with shock and annoyance and hao could’ve cried because how could they not see this for what it was? how could they not have noticed that every atom of air had been stolen from his lungs as soon as this man had entered the room.
hao stood then, eyes glistening with unshed tears, heart so full he thought it might burst, he walked down the few stairs until he stood before him, until he stood before hanbin.
“you finally came,” he breathed, taking hanbin’s hand in his own and clasping on tightly, ready to never let go again. he finally met his lover’s gaze, he finally came home.
“of course, i promised,” hanbin spoke like it was simple and maybe it was, hao thought as they started walking together.
they tuned everything else out after that, the shock of the crowd, the words of the king and queen and then the dead silence that permeated the room. both of them knew what this meant, both of them knew that when they stepped on to the floor of the ballroom and hanbin placed his hand on hao’s waist, there was no turning back.
to the deep tone of the violin and the light notes of the piano blending in a spectacular harmony, they committed to each other forever.