Fairytales
Title: Fairytales
Pairing: Kyungsoo/Jongin, Minseok/Yixing, Baekhyun/Chanyeol, Suho/Jongdae, Sehun/Vivi
Word Count: ~6.5k
Rating: M
Summary: Four stories gone wrong ft. exo members. And then there's Sehun.
Note: I don't know how this happened help
Beauty and the Beast
"Let me get this clear. So you're actually a prince that got turned to a bear because you left your last fiancée at the altar?" Kyungsoo asks, standing in front of the lump of fur currently sulking on the carpet.
"It wasn't even my fault," Jongin protests plaintively, raising his head to look Kyungsoo in the eye. "She cheated on me. What else was I supposed to do?" He flops over and yawns, rubbing his back against the patterned carpet.
Kyungsoo eyes the stray strands of fur scattered all over the room and shudders. When he had decided to take refuge from the storm in an overgrown mansion off to the side of the road, he had expected eccentric bachelors, insidious serial killers, haunted ghosts maybe. What he had found instead was a an overgrown bear scowling by the fireplace with a penchant for honey and an obsession with chicken.
"Well," he says, taking a careful step over Jongin's paw thrown carelessly in front of the door. "I guess I'll be making my way out then." He pauses to raise an eyebrow and look back at Jongin. "And good luck with your whole -" he motions with his hand - "furry problem."
In the distance, the sound of thunder crashes ominously, making the house rattle around them. Jongin yelps, trying to stuff his head under the ornate couch. "Please don't go," he says, muffled under the cushions. "I need your help to get me back into a human again. The last time someone came around, they took one look at me and almost turned me into a frog. I've been stuck like this for years." Thunder roars again, and this time Kyungsoo can feel the vibrations in his chest, shaking him down to the bones. From underneath the couch, Jongin whimpers, and tries to crawl further under, only to be stopped when his butt wedges against the seat.
"A ten foot tall bear with knife like claws that still gets scared of thunder," Kyungsoo snorts. "Please tell me I'm dreaming."
"If it helps, that's what I've been telling myself for the last five years?" Jongin offers from underneath the couch. His voice trembles so pitifully that Kyungsoo has to resist the urge to punch the cuteness off Jongin's face. Well. Kyungsoo's going to be stuck here until the storm lifts anyways and there's not much he can do without leaving the mansion.
"Alright, what do you want me to do? I can't do magic if that's what you're thinking of."
Jongin's head peaks out from underneath the couch slowly, peering up at Kyungsoo hopefully. "Fall in love with me."
Kyungsoo blinks. "No way," he deadpans.
"I'm serious," Jongin says, wiggling to extract himself from the couch. He sits up with a relieved sigh and pats the top of his fur gingerly. "The witch said I had to find someone who would love me the way my fiancée had loved me before I ditched her. What a load of shit. As soon as I turned into a bear she ran away for the fiddler at the wedding." Thunder rumbles in the distance again and Jongin cringes. "Please."
"You know there's no way for someone to fall in love instantly right?"
"Well, you're kinda stuck here because of the storm anyways so what else would you do? Why don't I show you around and maybe we can give it a go? And you don't know how to work the door lock either so you can't get out unless I let you."
"Make me," Kyungsoo bites out. There's no way he's going to be stuck in the mansion with a talking bear for the rest of the night. As soon as the storm lightens, he's getting the hell away from here.
"Hyung," Jongin says, shifting slightly to move closer to Kyungsoo. A candle flickers out in the corner, casting a shadow upon Jongin's face, and here, in the darkness, a transformation seems to come over him. Lightning splits the sky in the distance, illuminating Jongin was a harsh light that highlights every tuft of his fur. "Just give me a chance." Dimly, Kyungsoo registers Jongin's eyes glint in the darkness as he sticks his nose towards Kyungsoo with a sharp smile.
Placing a hand on Jongin's chest, Kyungsoo takes a slow step back, analyzing every single move Jongin makes. If Jongin decides to attack, Kyungsoo might be able to make a run for the window. There's no way he'd be able to jam open the window and shimmy out in time though. "Jongin," he warns, lips curling back. "Don't you dare." For a moment, Kyungsoo stares into Jongin’s eyes, searching beneath the surface for a hint of something more human. He sees nothing but eyes. Jongin jerks back and Kyungsoo flinches, bracing himself for the attack.
Instead, Jongin drops to his front legs, and rubs up against Kyungsoo's stomach with a soft purr, as if more dog than bear, and against his will, Kyungsoo's lips tug upwards. "Two days," he acquiesces, winding his hands through Jongin's thick fur and trying to get away from Jongin's wet, prodding nose. Jongin stops to look up at him and blinks, as if saying really hyung? And then continues pushing until Kyungsoo stumbles to the ground. Then, he goes back to nosing his way back under Kyungsoo's arm.
Kyungsoo sighs, draped in a Jongin blanket, and buries his face within what would have been the junction of human Jongin's neck and shoulder. "Alright. You have a week. Give me your best shot."
As if struck by a bolt of lightning, Jongin lurches up with excitement. A twinge of pain goes through Kyungsoo's fingers as they snag on something lodged in Jongin's fur. Distantly, Kyungsoo recognizes a small twinkling sound as a previously hidden necklace falls to the ground, broken, shattering the spell, and all of a sudden he has an armful of a very naked, very human Jongin.
Looking at Jongin's broken necklace and then into Jongin's befuddled human eyes, Kyungsoo makes the connection. "Oh my god you dumbass," he says, rolling his eyes and trying to shove Jongin off him.
Jongin just stares at him completely frozen before a slow smile spreads across his face. "Hey hyung, you did promise to stay two weeks."
Sleeping Beauty
The floor creaks again under Minseok's feet, even as he tries desperately to tiptoe over to the large bed standing in the middle of the room. The spacious room is grossly overdue for a thorough cleansing and Minseok shudders to think of how the occupant of the bed had survived through five years of hanging cobwebs and oversized dust balls. Taking another step, Minseok suddenly slips on a random pair of boxers lying on the ground, flailing wildly and kicking up a giant dust storm. Caught within the buzzing storm of tiny particles, an itch develops his throat, crawling and proliferating until he has no choice but force it out. The ensuing cough wracks his body, makes his eyes water, until he's gasping desperately at air.
A sudden creak sounds for the bed and Minseok panics, choking on the half-forced out cough, and drops to the floor clutching his throat. This is not how it was supposed to go, he thinks, taking in ragged breaths, flat on his back on the floor until the itch subsides. Five years ago, Prince Yixing had laid down for his daily nap and never awoke. The kingdom had called for all remedies and medicines to be applied to their sleeping prince, but nothing had even made Yixing stir. None of the people dared touch their prince to awaken him either and so they had called upon Minseok, another prince, who worthy of touching one of his own rank, to do so. That had been four years ago.
He was supposed to enter the castle and shake the prince until he had had woken up. But instead, as soon as Minseok had set foot into the castle, he knew a greater purpose had taken over his life: to scrub the castle of its dirt and defeat the encroaching filth for once and for all. One by one, he had made it through all the rooms, painstakingly washing each article with a concentrated curiosity that would have left lesser enemies in the dust. The efforts of his cleaning had taken up four years and now that he had finally reached the sleeping prince, he had no energy to left to spare. Stumbling blearily, Minseok approaches the bed and leans forwards to examine the peacefully resting figure with a heavy sigh.
"Hey," he says, poking at Yixing's face. "Get up." There is no change and Minseok sighs again, exasperated.
"Yixing."
"Yixing."
"Yixing, I swear to God." This time Minseok grabs Yixing's shoulders and gives them an exahusted shake in a desperate attempt to wake the man up. Again, there's no response and Minseok resists a frustrated yawn.
The bed looks really comfortable right now though, and Minseok tests it hesitantly. It sinks down beneath his fingers, dipping down almost invitingly, and he almost groans at how soft the mattress is. Smoothing out the creases of the sheets slightly, Minseok blinks blearily, swaying slightly on his feet. Surely taking a nap before attempting to wake Yixing was fine. Yixing had been waiting five years. He can wait another couple hours. Before Minseok knows it, the room tilts and he's toppling over, into the bed and sinking down into a dreamless sleep.
He wakes up with a mouth full of hair and a weird itch on his neck. Groaning slightly, Minseok squeezes his eyes shut against the offending light blasting his eyelids and shifts slightly, feeling the bed dip down underneath his weight. Wait. Bed? His eyes shoot open and he twists over, scrabbling at the fitted sheets. There's a warm lump underneath him and when Minseok rubs his eyes frantically, the world clears up enough so that he can make out the face of Yixing still sleeping peacefully beneath him.
Oh shit.
Precariously balancing himself on one elbow, Minseok attempts to maneuver himself off Yixing without touching him. However, just as he shifts the position of his arm in an attempt to roll off the bed, the mattress sinks down again, throwing him off balance and tumbling into the sleeping prince. With a frustrated cry, Minseok reaches out in an attempt to break his fall, but misses and instead lands with his face. On Yixing's face.
Double shit.
His lips brush against Yixing's and caught off guard, Minseok jerks back quickly, falling off the bed with a dead thud. The impact sends a painful jolt up his tailbone, making Minseok yelp with surprise. Screw this, he thinks. He's wasted four years of his life here already, and if Yixing still won't make up, that’s too bad. Slowly moving backwards with an awkward gait resembling that of the walk of shame, Minseok begins to inch out of the room.
He's halfway out of the room when a soft noise sounds from the bed, however, and Minseok freezes, not daring to breath.
"Yixing?"
There's another slight snore and then miraculously, Yixing turns over, stuffing his pillow in his face. "Five more minutes," he mumbles before relapsing back into sleep.
"Yo, Yixing," Minseok says, making his way back to the bed. "Wake up." There's no response again and he shakes Yixing's shoulder, exasperated. This time, Yixing slowly exhales a breath and removes the pillow stuffed in his face to open his eyes blearily.
"Whaz that?" he mumbles, voice still colored with the haze of sleep. Minseok stares slack jawed at the prince before him, unable to answer. Yawning again, Yixing falls back into the pillows and buries himself within the sheets so that he forms a large lump in the middle of the bed. Taking a deep breath, Minseok steadies himself to yell.
'YIXING."
Yixing jerks up again, this time fully awake. "Did someone call? What time is it? Did I miss dinner?" He swivels around to look at Minseok and frowns. "Who are you? I'm sure I can find some food in the kitchen, you look like you haven't eaten in days. There's a homeless shelter down the streets too if you need somewhere to stay. I'd let you stay here, but I'm supposed to be hosting a wedding for my cousin Jongin next week and there won't be enough room for all of the guests and you."
Minseok coughs politely. "I'm Prince Minseok. Your people sent me here to wake you up after you fell asleep five years ago. Also, I think Jongin has a new beau so there's no need to worry about the wedding. Actually, they're getting married in a couple weeks so if we rush, we might be able to make it there."
Blinking twice, Yixing twists his mouth thoughtfully. "Five years?" He asks, eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Did anyone feed my plants at least?" His voice quavers slightly and all of a sudden Minseok feels really bad, like stole-a-child's-candy-cane bad. Bending down, he places a hand gently on Yixing's back.
"I'm sure they're fine," he says soothingly. "Now why don't we get out of here and find your people. They've been waiting for years to see you. And frankly, all this dust isn't good for my skin."
Rapunzel
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," Chanyeol calls, craning his neck to peer up at the tower looming above. A couple minutes pass in completely silence save for the sound of overly excited birds chirping in the distance. Then a loud thud echoes from above and Chanyeol rises up on tippy toes, trying to see the source of the noise. Legends had told of the beautiful golden princess locked up in the tower when a wicked witch grew jealous of the princess's vocal prowess, and so as Chanyeol reached his 24th birthday, he left his kingdom to seek out the mysterious prisoner with his trusty guitar and a cheap sword.
"Rapunzel?" he tries again. Chanyeol imagines that the princess must be a little shy if she's currently avoiding him. Or maybe her voice is too soft to carry all the way down to him. No matter. Chanyeol is a patient man. So he sits down, stretches out his legs with a slight yawn and strums a few notes on the guitar he keeps with him. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your haaaair," he sings, looking up into the sprawling sky above. He imagines the princess's sweet smile, her delicate fingers and most of all, her sweet, clear voice that would make a lovely accompaniment to his guit-
"And mess up my new hairdo? I just brushed it too," a weirdly deep voice calls back irately. "No thanks."
Chanyeol blinks, unsure of what to do. He's about to reply when the window slams shut again.
Chanyeol's never been a quitter, however, so he pulls out his guitar again, sets up a campfire and begins to sing. Horribly. By the time night arrives, his throat is getting sore, but he doesn't let up. Instead, he strums harder, warbles louder and looks up at the small, open window at the top of the tower. In the distance, he's pretty sure he can see a small figure banging its head against the windowsill.
By the time dawn arrives, Chanyeol's voice is completely hoarse and he's just finished singing the first song in Girl's Generation's discography when a door previously shrouded in ivy at the base of the tower bangs open. A head pops up from behind the door and swivels around jerkily, pausing when it sees Chanyeol blinking innocently from his position perched on a rock.
"Alright, you win," the guy whines, running his hand through his dark hair. "Come in, you dumb butt. I can live through you shredding through TVXQ and Big Bang, but there's no way I'm letting you ruin Girl's Generation for me. "
"Rapunzel?" Chanyeol blinks owlishly at the other boy.
"Baekhyun, actually. But yeah that's me."
Oh. Okay then.
"Wait. Weren't you supposed to be blond?" He calls out, following Baekhyun up the stairs of the tower.
Baekhyun doesn't turn around, but Chanyeol's pretty sure that if he did, he'd be rolling his eyes right now. "I cut my hair short and dyed it black after the last prince that came to this tower broke up with me for the peasant boy living by his castle," Baekhyun sniffs disdainfully. "This is why I don't answer princes anymore. They come running with the delusion that I'm some damsel in distress that needs to be saved, and then leave when they find some new eye candy back home."
"Oh," Chanyeol says, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry?"
They reach a heavy wooden door at the top of the staircase and Baekhyun cranes his head to look back at Chanyeol. "Don't be," he smirks. "I'm pretty sure the peasant was a gold digger. Well, the prince will find out soon enough at least." Baekhyun digs through his pockets and pulls out a faded key. "Last time I heard, the peasant fled after one night with him and so the prince was trying to find him with the glass slipper left behind. To be fair, Mr. Prince's bed skills weren't the best so I totally understand why he'd run," Baekhyun adds on thoughtfully, twisting the key with a forceful yank and kicking the door open.
"I'm Chanyeol by the way," Chanyeol offers. But Baekhyun just hums and ignores him, leading Chanyeol into the room.
"Here it is. My room," Baekhyun presents with a bow and flourish.
It's bigger than Chanyeol had expected -- maybe the size of two of his bedrooms back home -- lit up by the large window Chanyeol had seen outside. On one side, a several shelves are clustered around a dilapidated kitchen area, a small teapot currently boiling merrily on the stove and dirty dishes piled up in the sink. On the other, a messily made bed is shoved next to the window with clothes strewn all over the ground. There's a rickety piano in the center of the room, papers piled so high that Chanyeol's afraid that any gust of wind would topple them over, and a small ink-splattered table sits next to it, surprisingly bare. Sunlight streams through the window, lighting up the room with a soft glow, and Chanyeol gapes in awe.
Taking note of Chanyeol's expression, Baekhyun grimaces. "It's not much, I know, but I like it. It's cozy this way," he says defensively. "It's better than any castle I've lived in."
Chanyeol just shakes his head. "No, no. It's wonderful."
Baekhyun's mouth parts in surprise and he leans in really close to Chanyeol's face, rising slightly to his tippy toes. "You mean it?" He asks, stabbing a finger at Chanyeol's chest. "I mean, I'm not gonna get offended if you say otherwise."
Chanyeol just shakes his head. "No, I'm serious. I'd seriously live in a room like this if I could get away with it. It's so convenient and cozy and there's probably no one to bother you while you play the piano either."
"Exactly," Baekhyun beams. A slow smile spreads across Baekhyun's face, eyes crinkling warmly. It reminds Chanyeol of long nights by the fireplace in the winter, coming back after playing in the snow and drinking his mother's hot chicken soup, and he stares at Baekhyun a little longer than he intends to, committing to memory the way Baekhyun's fingers take on a life of their own when he talks. "I get so much done these days and there's no one to tell me to clean up when things get messy," Baekhyun continues, head tilting in a way that reminds Chanyeol of a puppy.
"Doesn't it get lonely though?" Chanyeol asks, examining the array of objects on the shelf nearest to Baekhyun's bed. One of the boxes is labelled "From Human to Frog: For Those Pesky Princes Who Don't Go Away!" and he quickly puts it down before Baekhyun can see it. Baekhyun doesn't notice however and when Chanyeol turns back around to look at him, Baekhyun looks slightly deflated. "Baekhyun?"
"Well, I guess, sometimes," Baekhyun says, biting at his nails unconsciously. "I lost the map I used to get here ages ago and I'm never gonna be able to find my way out of this damn forest otherwise." He sits down on the floor, mouth settling into a small pout. "I thought Suho, the prince, would get me out of here, but then he ran away for that peasant wench."
"Wait, so you came here on your own volition?"
"Well yeah. I was tired of everyone always telling me to do things so I ran away until I found this tower. Prince Baekhyun please sign this petition. Prince Baekhyun please look at this draft. Prince Baekhyun please pick a princess to marry," Baekhyun mimics with disgust. "Ugh.” He throws his hands up in exasperation. "So now I'm kinda stuck here. I don't mind though. I get so much practice with the piano here by myself."
Chanyeol laughs. "I get what you mean. I can't write any songs unless it's completely quiet. The best place I've found to sing is my sister's work room -- she never goes in there."
"Wait you sing? Like actually sing? Not that horrible yodeling you were doing earlier?" Baekhyun asks, scrunching up his nose. "I honestly thought your voice was going to shatter my window."
"A little," Chanyeol shrugs, reaching over to lope one arm around Baekhyun's shoulder. "I'll show once we get out of this place and hit the road. How do you feel about heading North? I heard Prince Yixing finally woke up from his nap -- it's about time too -- and I really wanna get his opinion on some of the songs I wrote."
Baekhyun's head jerks up hopefully. "I'm coming along with you?" He peers up at Chanyeol cautiously before frowning. "I mean all the princes that come always offer to take me along, but then change their minds last minute. You better not change your mind," he says, glaring darkly at Chanyeol.
Chanyeol thinks of Baekhyun's box that can turn princes into frogs and shudders. "I won't," he promises. He likes the way Baekhyun smiles, bright and easy, too much to ditch him now. Then he pauses and frowns. "Real question is though, how did you even get a piano up the stairs?"
Cinderella
"So this is what I have to offer," Junmyeon says, counting the list off his fingers, "a steady heart, a quick mind and an impressive sense of humor."
Jongdae squints at the man kneeling before him and picks at the itchy fabric of his shirt. "The only thing funny about you right now is your fashion sense." He pauses. Then, "You said your name was Suho?"
"Call me Junmyeon," Junmyeon corrects patiently, shifting slightly to relieve the pressure on his knees. The sweltering heat is oppressive, and after kneeling for the last half hour, he kind of wants to run away and never look back. He's made a commitment though, and regardless of the circumstances, Junmyeon's determined to see it through -- even if it means communicating to the unimpressed figure before him his intentions of marriage in the mind-numbing weather. A fly lands on his shoulder and he blinks irritated, resisting the urge to flick it off.
"And we met where?"
"Last night's ball at the king's castle? We danced and then you ran before I could get your contact information. I think you kicked over a bear in your haste to leave and then stuck your tongue at my mother's sister."
"Are you sure it was me?"
"Positive," Junmyeon says, reaching behind him to pull out a glass slipper. "You left this when you ran out and I asked around in the village for the owner of the glass slipper." Sure he'd gotten a bunch of weird looks, but he's got to do what's best for the kingdom. The people come first. Always.
Jongdae examines the slipper carefully and then tosses it back at Junmyeon. "It's not mine," he claims dismissively.
"Is that why you have the same exact slipper for the other foot right by your bed," Junmyeon points out, jerking his head over towards the pile of mess laying at the foot of Jongdae's bed.
Jongdae laughs nervously. "Oh what a coincidence," he says, inching over to his bed and kicking the offending item under the bed. "What were you saying?"
Junmyeon rolls his eyes. "Anyways, I'm not here to talk about what you did last night -"
"Psh," Jongdae snorts, waving his hand in Junmyeon's face. "I was wasted the entire night. You can't possibly expect me to remember anything from there. That doesn't sound like anything I would do by the way. Although I do vaguely recall pantsing the ogre who tried to stop me from leaving."
"That," Suho says delicately, "was my ex's new boy toy." He pauses again and frowns. "It wasn't really nice, you know? My ex's been locked in a tower for months and he's finally got out again. I don't think that was the wisest way to introduce yourself to his partner. Especially since he knows how to turn people into frogs. But anyways I'm not here to talk about what you did last night, I'm here to talk about what you plan on doing life, more specifically, the tentative plans to marry me."
"Wait hold up," Jongdae says, jerking upright and finally looking attentive. "When did I ever agree to this? I have a strictly no-marriage on the first date rule."
Junmyeon turns his eyes up to the sky and briefly wishes a bolt of lightning would strike down and smite him for his sins. Actually. On second thought, that'd probably be bad for the kingdom since Junmyeon is the sole successor to the throne and he can't bear the thought of his cousin becoming king instead. Ever since Jongin turned into a bear, he'd retained vestiges of his animal-like behavior and it honestly just wasn't becoming to have a man obsessed with honey on the throne. Maybe it'd be better to just wish for a crippling but temporary bout of death instead.
"You kind of proposed to me in front of everyone, before running away and after proclaiming you were the king of the pond. My parents were ecstatic, my people were overjoyed and of course none of us knew that king of the pond meant a literal actual pond." To be fair to Jongdae though, the pond outside his hut is very nice, even if it gets a little noisy from the number of frogs having raucous sex by the lily pads. "It's okay. My people be very understanding when we clarify things a little. My aunt married a peasant and everything turned out fine after they burned his house down. And we kind of made arrangements for the wedding already, so there's no way to back out without losing half of the gold in our treasury."
"Hang on," Jongdae interrupts. "First of all, did you just call me a peasant? Second, did you just say treasury? And gold?"
Junmyeon smiles indulgently. "Well, I did say I was a prince didn't I?"
"Oh," Jongdae breathes, leaning closer in all of a sudden and running his fingers over the curve of Junmyeon's cheek. "Well, I think I can work with that. What date are you thinking of? I'm sure I can come up with something to make this work." The corners of his lips turn up slyly and all of a sudden he looks a lot more like the sharp-edged charmer that stole Junmyeon's heart at the ball than the scruffy servant who snarked at Junmyeon when he first walked through the door. Leaning into Jongdae's warm touch, Junmyeon's mouth dries up and he finally gets off his knees to stare into Jongdae's half lidded eyes.
"Um," he tries. The words seem to get stuck in his throat so Junmyeon settles instead for running his fingers over Jongdae's hand cupping his cheek, taking pleasure in the way Jongdae's breath hitches ever so slightly. He clears his throat and tries again, this time offering a saccharine smile of his own. "Well, some of the servants are quite slow and self-centered so it might be a while. But with that in mind, I do think you'll fit in quite fine."
Wizard of Oz
"This says here that we have to go to the Emerald City," Sehun drawls, squinting at a small map. "I dunno, what do you think Vivi?" He turns to the small dog resting in a basket hanging off his arm.
Vivi barks and Sehun frowns. "Yeah, you're right. That is a lot of walking," he rests his chin on his interlaced fingers and contemplates for a minute, staring blankly at the map. "There's nothing in Kansas anyways . Let's just live with the Munchkins. They definitely have the best pies."
Pairing: Kyungsoo/Jongin, Minseok/Yixing, Baekhyun/Chanyeol, Suho/Jongdae, Sehun/Vivi
Word Count: ~6.5k
Rating: M
Summary: Four stories gone wrong ft. exo members. And then there's Sehun.
Note: I don't know how this happened help
Beauty and the Beast
"Let me get this clear. So you're actually a prince that got turned to a bear because you left your last fiancée at the altar?" Kyungsoo asks, standing in front of the lump of fur currently sulking on the carpet.
"It wasn't even my fault," Jongin protests plaintively, raising his head to look Kyungsoo in the eye. "She cheated on me. What else was I supposed to do?" He flops over and yawns, rubbing his back against the patterned carpet.
Kyungsoo eyes the stray strands of fur scattered all over the room and shudders. When he had decided to take refuge from the storm in an overgrown mansion off to the side of the road, he had expected eccentric bachelors, insidious serial killers, haunted ghosts maybe. What he had found instead was a an overgrown bear scowling by the fireplace with a penchant for honey and an obsession with chicken.
"Well," he says, taking a careful step over Jongin's paw thrown carelessly in front of the door. "I guess I'll be making my way out then." He pauses to raise an eyebrow and look back at Jongin. "And good luck with your whole -" he motions with his hand - "furry problem."
In the distance, the sound of thunder crashes ominously, making the house rattle around them. Jongin yelps, trying to stuff his head under the ornate couch. "Please don't go," he says, muffled under the cushions. "I need your help to get me back into a human again. The last time someone came around, they took one look at me and almost turned me into a frog. I've been stuck like this for years." Thunder roars again, and this time Kyungsoo can feel the vibrations in his chest, shaking him down to the bones. From underneath the couch, Jongin whimpers, and tries to crawl further under, only to be stopped when his butt wedges against the seat.
"A ten foot tall bear with knife like claws that still gets scared of thunder," Kyungsoo snorts. "Please tell me I'm dreaming."
"If it helps, that's what I've been telling myself for the last five years?" Jongin offers from underneath the couch. His voice trembles so pitifully that Kyungsoo has to resist the urge to punch the cuteness off Jongin's face. Well. Kyungsoo's going to be stuck here until the storm lifts anyways and there's not much he can do without leaving the mansion.
"Alright, what do you want me to do? I can't do magic if that's what you're thinking of."
Jongin's head peaks out from underneath the couch slowly, peering up at Kyungsoo hopefully. "Fall in love with me."
Kyungsoo blinks. "No way," he deadpans.
"I'm serious," Jongin says, wiggling to extract himself from the couch. He sits up with a relieved sigh and pats the top of his fur gingerly. "The witch said I had to find someone who would love me the way my fiancée had loved me before I ditched her. What a load of shit. As soon as I turned into a bear she ran away for the fiddler at the wedding." Thunder rumbles in the distance again and Jongin cringes. "Please."
"You know there's no way for someone to fall in love instantly right?"
"Well, you're kinda stuck here because of the storm anyways so what else would you do? Why don't I show you around and maybe we can give it a go? And you don't know how to work the door lock either so you can't get out unless I let you."
"Make me," Kyungsoo bites out. There's no way he's going to be stuck in the mansion with a talking bear for the rest of the night. As soon as the storm lightens, he's getting the hell away from here.
"Hyung," Jongin says, shifting slightly to move closer to Kyungsoo. A candle flickers out in the corner, casting a shadow upon Jongin's face, and here, in the darkness, a transformation seems to come over him. Lightning splits the sky in the distance, illuminating Jongin was a harsh light that highlights every tuft of his fur. "Just give me a chance." Dimly, Kyungsoo registers Jongin's eyes glint in the darkness as he sticks his nose towards Kyungsoo with a sharp smile.
Placing a hand on Jongin's chest, Kyungsoo takes a slow step back, analyzing every single move Jongin makes. If Jongin decides to attack, Kyungsoo might be able to make a run for the window. There's no way he'd be able to jam open the window and shimmy out in time though. "Jongin," he warns, lips curling back. "Don't you dare." For a moment, Kyungsoo stares into Jongin’s eyes, searching beneath the surface for a hint of something more human. He sees nothing but eyes. Jongin jerks back and Kyungsoo flinches, bracing himself for the attack.
Instead, Jongin drops to his front legs, and rubs up against Kyungsoo's stomach with a soft purr, as if more dog than bear, and against his will, Kyungsoo's lips tug upwards. "Two days," he acquiesces, winding his hands through Jongin's thick fur and trying to get away from Jongin's wet, prodding nose. Jongin stops to look up at him and blinks, as if saying really hyung? And then continues pushing until Kyungsoo stumbles to the ground. Then, he goes back to nosing his way back under Kyungsoo's arm.
Kyungsoo sighs, draped in a Jongin blanket, and buries his face within what would have been the junction of human Jongin's neck and shoulder. "Alright. You have a week. Give me your best shot."
As if struck by a bolt of lightning, Jongin lurches up with excitement. A twinge of pain goes through Kyungsoo's fingers as they snag on something lodged in Jongin's fur. Distantly, Kyungsoo recognizes a small twinkling sound as a previously hidden necklace falls to the ground, broken, shattering the spell, and all of a sudden he has an armful of a very naked, very human Jongin.
Looking at Jongin's broken necklace and then into Jongin's befuddled human eyes, Kyungsoo makes the connection. "Oh my god you dumbass," he says, rolling his eyes and trying to shove Jongin off him.
Jongin just stares at him completely frozen before a slow smile spreads across his face. "Hey hyung, you did promise to stay two weeks."
Sleeping Beauty
The floor creaks again under Minseok's feet, even as he tries desperately to tiptoe over to the large bed standing in the middle of the room. The spacious room is grossly overdue for a thorough cleansing and Minseok shudders to think of how the occupant of the bed had survived through five years of hanging cobwebs and oversized dust balls. Taking another step, Minseok suddenly slips on a random pair of boxers lying on the ground, flailing wildly and kicking up a giant dust storm. Caught within the buzzing storm of tiny particles, an itch develops his throat, crawling and proliferating until he has no choice but force it out. The ensuing cough wracks his body, makes his eyes water, until he's gasping desperately at air.
A sudden creak sounds for the bed and Minseok panics, choking on the half-forced out cough, and drops to the floor clutching his throat. This is not how it was supposed to go, he thinks, taking in ragged breaths, flat on his back on the floor until the itch subsides. Five years ago, Prince Yixing had laid down for his daily nap and never awoke. The kingdom had called for all remedies and medicines to be applied to their sleeping prince, but nothing had even made Yixing stir. None of the people dared touch their prince to awaken him either and so they had called upon Minseok, another prince, who worthy of touching one of his own rank, to do so. That had been four years ago.
He was supposed to enter the castle and shake the prince until he had had woken up. But instead, as soon as Minseok had set foot into the castle, he knew a greater purpose had taken over his life: to scrub the castle of its dirt and defeat the encroaching filth for once and for all. One by one, he had made it through all the rooms, painstakingly washing each article with a concentrated curiosity that would have left lesser enemies in the dust. The efforts of his cleaning had taken up four years and now that he had finally reached the sleeping prince, he had no energy to left to spare. Stumbling blearily, Minseok approaches the bed and leans forwards to examine the peacefully resting figure with a heavy sigh.
"Hey," he says, poking at Yixing's face. "Get up." There is no change and Minseok sighs again, exasperated.
"Yixing."
"Yixing."
"Yixing, I swear to God." This time Minseok grabs Yixing's shoulders and gives them an exahusted shake in a desperate attempt to wake the man up. Again, there's no response and Minseok resists a frustrated yawn.
The bed looks really comfortable right now though, and Minseok tests it hesitantly. It sinks down beneath his fingers, dipping down almost invitingly, and he almost groans at how soft the mattress is. Smoothing out the creases of the sheets slightly, Minseok blinks blearily, swaying slightly on his feet. Surely taking a nap before attempting to wake Yixing was fine. Yixing had been waiting five years. He can wait another couple hours. Before Minseok knows it, the room tilts and he's toppling over, into the bed and sinking down into a dreamless sleep.
He wakes up with a mouth full of hair and a weird itch on his neck. Groaning slightly, Minseok squeezes his eyes shut against the offending light blasting his eyelids and shifts slightly, feeling the bed dip down underneath his weight. Wait. Bed? His eyes shoot open and he twists over, scrabbling at the fitted sheets. There's a warm lump underneath him and when Minseok rubs his eyes frantically, the world clears up enough so that he can make out the face of Yixing still sleeping peacefully beneath him.
Oh shit.
Precariously balancing himself on one elbow, Minseok attempts to maneuver himself off Yixing without touching him. However, just as he shifts the position of his arm in an attempt to roll off the bed, the mattress sinks down again, throwing him off balance and tumbling into the sleeping prince. With a frustrated cry, Minseok reaches out in an attempt to break his fall, but misses and instead lands with his face. On Yixing's face.
Double shit.
His lips brush against Yixing's and caught off guard, Minseok jerks back quickly, falling off the bed with a dead thud. The impact sends a painful jolt up his tailbone, making Minseok yelp with surprise. Screw this, he thinks. He's wasted four years of his life here already, and if Yixing still won't make up, that’s too bad. Slowly moving backwards with an awkward gait resembling that of the walk of shame, Minseok begins to inch out of the room.
He's halfway out of the room when a soft noise sounds from the bed, however, and Minseok freezes, not daring to breath.
"Yixing?"
There's another slight snore and then miraculously, Yixing turns over, stuffing his pillow in his face. "Five more minutes," he mumbles before relapsing back into sleep.
"Yo, Yixing," Minseok says, making his way back to the bed. "Wake up." There's no response again and he shakes Yixing's shoulder, exasperated. This time, Yixing slowly exhales a breath and removes the pillow stuffed in his face to open his eyes blearily.
"Whaz that?" he mumbles, voice still colored with the haze of sleep. Minseok stares slack jawed at the prince before him, unable to answer. Yawning again, Yixing falls back into the pillows and buries himself within the sheets so that he forms a large lump in the middle of the bed. Taking a deep breath, Minseok steadies himself to yell.
'YIXING."
Yixing jerks up again, this time fully awake. "Did someone call? What time is it? Did I miss dinner?" He swivels around to look at Minseok and frowns. "Who are you? I'm sure I can find some food in the kitchen, you look like you haven't eaten in days. There's a homeless shelter down the streets too if you need somewhere to stay. I'd let you stay here, but I'm supposed to be hosting a wedding for my cousin Jongin next week and there won't be enough room for all of the guests and you."
Minseok coughs politely. "I'm Prince Minseok. Your people sent me here to wake you up after you fell asleep five years ago. Also, I think Jongin has a new beau so there's no need to worry about the wedding. Actually, they're getting married in a couple weeks so if we rush, we might be able to make it there."
Blinking twice, Yixing twists his mouth thoughtfully. "Five years?" He asks, eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Did anyone feed my plants at least?" His voice quavers slightly and all of a sudden Minseok feels really bad, like stole-a-child's-candy-cane bad. Bending down, he places a hand gently on Yixing's back.
"I'm sure they're fine," he says soothingly. "Now why don't we get out of here and find your people. They've been waiting for years to see you. And frankly, all this dust isn't good for my skin."
Rapunzel
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," Chanyeol calls, craning his neck to peer up at the tower looming above. A couple minutes pass in completely silence save for the sound of overly excited birds chirping in the distance. Then a loud thud echoes from above and Chanyeol rises up on tippy toes, trying to see the source of the noise. Legends had told of the beautiful golden princess locked up in the tower when a wicked witch grew jealous of the princess's vocal prowess, and so as Chanyeol reached his 24th birthday, he left his kingdom to seek out the mysterious prisoner with his trusty guitar and a cheap sword.
"Rapunzel?" he tries again. Chanyeol imagines that the princess must be a little shy if she's currently avoiding him. Or maybe her voice is too soft to carry all the way down to him. No matter. Chanyeol is a patient man. So he sits down, stretches out his legs with a slight yawn and strums a few notes on the guitar he keeps with him. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your haaaair," he sings, looking up into the sprawling sky above. He imagines the princess's sweet smile, her delicate fingers and most of all, her sweet, clear voice that would make a lovely accompaniment to his guit-
"And mess up my new hairdo? I just brushed it too," a weirdly deep voice calls back irately. "No thanks."
Chanyeol blinks, unsure of what to do. He's about to reply when the window slams shut again.
Chanyeol's never been a quitter, however, so he pulls out his guitar again, sets up a campfire and begins to sing. Horribly. By the time night arrives, his throat is getting sore, but he doesn't let up. Instead, he strums harder, warbles louder and looks up at the small, open window at the top of the tower. In the distance, he's pretty sure he can see a small figure banging its head against the windowsill.
By the time dawn arrives, Chanyeol's voice is completely hoarse and he's just finished singing the first song in Girl's Generation's discography when a door previously shrouded in ivy at the base of the tower bangs open. A head pops up from behind the door and swivels around jerkily, pausing when it sees Chanyeol blinking innocently from his position perched on a rock.
"Alright, you win," the guy whines, running his hand through his dark hair. "Come in, you dumb butt. I can live through you shredding through TVXQ and Big Bang, but there's no way I'm letting you ruin Girl's Generation for me. "
"Rapunzel?" Chanyeol blinks owlishly at the other boy.
"Baekhyun, actually. But yeah that's me."
Oh. Okay then.
"Wait. Weren't you supposed to be blond?" He calls out, following Baekhyun up the stairs of the tower.
Baekhyun doesn't turn around, but Chanyeol's pretty sure that if he did, he'd be rolling his eyes right now. "I cut my hair short and dyed it black after the last prince that came to this tower broke up with me for the peasant boy living by his castle," Baekhyun sniffs disdainfully. "This is why I don't answer princes anymore. They come running with the delusion that I'm some damsel in distress that needs to be saved, and then leave when they find some new eye candy back home."
"Oh," Chanyeol says, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry?"
They reach a heavy wooden door at the top of the staircase and Baekhyun cranes his head to look back at Chanyeol. "Don't be," he smirks. "I'm pretty sure the peasant was a gold digger. Well, the prince will find out soon enough at least." Baekhyun digs through his pockets and pulls out a faded key. "Last time I heard, the peasant fled after one night with him and so the prince was trying to find him with the glass slipper left behind. To be fair, Mr. Prince's bed skills weren't the best so I totally understand why he'd run," Baekhyun adds on thoughtfully, twisting the key with a forceful yank and kicking the door open.
"I'm Chanyeol by the way," Chanyeol offers. But Baekhyun just hums and ignores him, leading Chanyeol into the room.
"Here it is. My room," Baekhyun presents with a bow and flourish.
It's bigger than Chanyeol had expected -- maybe the size of two of his bedrooms back home -- lit up by the large window Chanyeol had seen outside. On one side, a several shelves are clustered around a dilapidated kitchen area, a small teapot currently boiling merrily on the stove and dirty dishes piled up in the sink. On the other, a messily made bed is shoved next to the window with clothes strewn all over the ground. There's a rickety piano in the center of the room, papers piled so high that Chanyeol's afraid that any gust of wind would topple them over, and a small ink-splattered table sits next to it, surprisingly bare. Sunlight streams through the window, lighting up the room with a soft glow, and Chanyeol gapes in awe.
Taking note of Chanyeol's expression, Baekhyun grimaces. "It's not much, I know, but I like it. It's cozy this way," he says defensively. "It's better than any castle I've lived in."
Chanyeol just shakes his head. "No, no. It's wonderful."
Baekhyun's mouth parts in surprise and he leans in really close to Chanyeol's face, rising slightly to his tippy toes. "You mean it?" He asks, stabbing a finger at Chanyeol's chest. "I mean, I'm not gonna get offended if you say otherwise."
Chanyeol just shakes his head. "No, I'm serious. I'd seriously live in a room like this if I could get away with it. It's so convenient and cozy and there's probably no one to bother you while you play the piano either."
"Exactly," Baekhyun beams. A slow smile spreads across Baekhyun's face, eyes crinkling warmly. It reminds Chanyeol of long nights by the fireplace in the winter, coming back after playing in the snow and drinking his mother's hot chicken soup, and he stares at Baekhyun a little longer than he intends to, committing to memory the way Baekhyun's fingers take on a life of their own when he talks. "I get so much done these days and there's no one to tell me to clean up when things get messy," Baekhyun continues, head tilting in a way that reminds Chanyeol of a puppy.
"Doesn't it get lonely though?" Chanyeol asks, examining the array of objects on the shelf nearest to Baekhyun's bed. One of the boxes is labelled "From Human to Frog: For Those Pesky Princes Who Don't Go Away!" and he quickly puts it down before Baekhyun can see it. Baekhyun doesn't notice however and when Chanyeol turns back around to look at him, Baekhyun looks slightly deflated. "Baekhyun?"
"Well, I guess, sometimes," Baekhyun says, biting at his nails unconsciously. "I lost the map I used to get here ages ago and I'm never gonna be able to find my way out of this damn forest otherwise." He sits down on the floor, mouth settling into a small pout. "I thought Suho, the prince, would get me out of here, but then he ran away for that peasant wench."
"Wait, so you came here on your own volition?"
"Well yeah. I was tired of everyone always telling me to do things so I ran away until I found this tower. Prince Baekhyun please sign this petition. Prince Baekhyun please look at this draft. Prince Baekhyun please pick a princess to marry," Baekhyun mimics with disgust. "Ugh.” He throws his hands up in exasperation. "So now I'm kinda stuck here. I don't mind though. I get so much practice with the piano here by myself."
Chanyeol laughs. "I get what you mean. I can't write any songs unless it's completely quiet. The best place I've found to sing is my sister's work room -- she never goes in there."
"Wait you sing? Like actually sing? Not that horrible yodeling you were doing earlier?" Baekhyun asks, scrunching up his nose. "I honestly thought your voice was going to shatter my window."
"A little," Chanyeol shrugs, reaching over to lope one arm around Baekhyun's shoulder. "I'll show once we get out of this place and hit the road. How do you feel about heading North? I heard Prince Yixing finally woke up from his nap -- it's about time too -- and I really wanna get his opinion on some of the songs I wrote."
Baekhyun's head jerks up hopefully. "I'm coming along with you?" He peers up at Chanyeol cautiously before frowning. "I mean all the princes that come always offer to take me along, but then change their minds last minute. You better not change your mind," he says, glaring darkly at Chanyeol.
Chanyeol thinks of Baekhyun's box that can turn princes into frogs and shudders. "I won't," he promises. He likes the way Baekhyun smiles, bright and easy, too much to ditch him now. Then he pauses and frowns. "Real question is though, how did you even get a piano up the stairs?"
Cinderella
"So this is what I have to offer," Junmyeon says, counting the list off his fingers, "a steady heart, a quick mind and an impressive sense of humor."
Jongdae squints at the man kneeling before him and picks at the itchy fabric of his shirt. "The only thing funny about you right now is your fashion sense." He pauses. Then, "You said your name was Suho?"
"Call me Junmyeon," Junmyeon corrects patiently, shifting slightly to relieve the pressure on his knees. The sweltering heat is oppressive, and after kneeling for the last half hour, he kind of wants to run away and never look back. He's made a commitment though, and regardless of the circumstances, Junmyeon's determined to see it through -- even if it means communicating to the unimpressed figure before him his intentions of marriage in the mind-numbing weather. A fly lands on his shoulder and he blinks irritated, resisting the urge to flick it off.
"And we met where?"
"Last night's ball at the king's castle? We danced and then you ran before I could get your contact information. I think you kicked over a bear in your haste to leave and then stuck your tongue at my mother's sister."
"Are you sure it was me?"
"Positive," Junmyeon says, reaching behind him to pull out a glass slipper. "You left this when you ran out and I asked around in the village for the owner of the glass slipper." Sure he'd gotten a bunch of weird looks, but he's got to do what's best for the kingdom. The people come first. Always.
Jongdae examines the slipper carefully and then tosses it back at Junmyeon. "It's not mine," he claims dismissively.
"Is that why you have the same exact slipper for the other foot right by your bed," Junmyeon points out, jerking his head over towards the pile of mess laying at the foot of Jongdae's bed.
Jongdae laughs nervously. "Oh what a coincidence," he says, inching over to his bed and kicking the offending item under the bed. "What were you saying?"
Junmyeon rolls his eyes. "Anyways, I'm not here to talk about what you did last night -"
"Psh," Jongdae snorts, waving his hand in Junmyeon's face. "I was wasted the entire night. You can't possibly expect me to remember anything from there. That doesn't sound like anything I would do by the way. Although I do vaguely recall pantsing the ogre who tried to stop me from leaving."
"That," Suho says delicately, "was my ex's new boy toy." He pauses again and frowns. "It wasn't really nice, you know? My ex's been locked in a tower for months and he's finally got out again. I don't think that was the wisest way to introduce yourself to his partner. Especially since he knows how to turn people into frogs. But anyways I'm not here to talk about what you did last night, I'm here to talk about what you plan on doing life, more specifically, the tentative plans to marry me."
"Wait hold up," Jongdae says, jerking upright and finally looking attentive. "When did I ever agree to this? I have a strictly no-marriage on the first date rule."
Junmyeon turns his eyes up to the sky and briefly wishes a bolt of lightning would strike down and smite him for his sins. Actually. On second thought, that'd probably be bad for the kingdom since Junmyeon is the sole successor to the throne and he can't bear the thought of his cousin becoming king instead. Ever since Jongin turned into a bear, he'd retained vestiges of his animal-like behavior and it honestly just wasn't becoming to have a man obsessed with honey on the throne. Maybe it'd be better to just wish for a crippling but temporary bout of death instead.
"You kind of proposed to me in front of everyone, before running away and after proclaiming you were the king of the pond. My parents were ecstatic, my people were overjoyed and of course none of us knew that king of the pond meant a literal actual pond." To be fair to Jongdae though, the pond outside his hut is very nice, even if it gets a little noisy from the number of frogs having raucous sex by the lily pads. "It's okay. My people be very understanding when we clarify things a little. My aunt married a peasant and everything turned out fine after they burned his house down. And we kind of made arrangements for the wedding already, so there's no way to back out without losing half of the gold in our treasury."
"Hang on," Jongdae interrupts. "First of all, did you just call me a peasant? Second, did you just say treasury? And gold?"
Junmyeon smiles indulgently. "Well, I did say I was a prince didn't I?"
"Oh," Jongdae breathes, leaning closer in all of a sudden and running his fingers over the curve of Junmyeon's cheek. "Well, I think I can work with that. What date are you thinking of? I'm sure I can come up with something to make this work." The corners of his lips turn up slyly and all of a sudden he looks a lot more like the sharp-edged charmer that stole Junmyeon's heart at the ball than the scruffy servant who snarked at Junmyeon when he first walked through the door. Leaning into Jongdae's warm touch, Junmyeon's mouth dries up and he finally gets off his knees to stare into Jongdae's half lidded eyes.
"Um," he tries. The words seem to get stuck in his throat so Junmyeon settles instead for running his fingers over Jongdae's hand cupping his cheek, taking pleasure in the way Jongdae's breath hitches ever so slightly. He clears his throat and tries again, this time offering a saccharine smile of his own. "Well, some of the servants are quite slow and self-centered so it might be a while. But with that in mind, I do think you'll fit in quite fine."
Wizard of Oz
"This says here that we have to go to the Emerald City," Sehun drawls, squinting at a small map. "I dunno, what do you think Vivi?" He turns to the small dog resting in a basket hanging off his arm.
Vivi barks and Sehun frowns. "Yeah, you're right. That is a lot of walking," he rests his chin on his interlaced fingers and contemplates for a minute, staring blankly at the map. "There's nothing in Kansas anyways . Let's just live with the Munchkins. They definitely have the best pies."