No title but it's SiHan ;)
Pairing: SiHan
Summary: Siwon is a prince and Hankyung is his servant. Can two boys from different worlds end up together?
A/N: I wanted to write their version of Cinderella but nothing came out right XP
Theme: 36. Bathroom Tiles
Dedicated to: SiHan for of their birthdays =)
“Hankyung! There you are!”
Hankyung looked up as a tall man came into the room. He immediately smiled when he saw who it was.
“Your highness! Have you been looking for me?” Hankyung asked, secretly pleased at the prospect.
“Yes, actually. I’ve got something to tell you,” Prince Siwon said, smiling.
“What is it? Does it have something to do with the meeting you had with your father this morning?”
“As always, you’re very quick, Hankyung,” Prince Siwon complimented him.
Hankyung immediately lowered his eyes at that. He was once again glad for his gift of being able to refrain from blushing anywhere near the prince. They may have known each other for a long time but Hankyung was only a servant, after all. He was lucky already to be able to serve Siwon and not his annoying younger brother, Heechul. Not, of course, that Hankyung would’ve complained either way.
“Hankyung, are you listening?” Prince Siwon asked, interrupting his reverie.
Hankyung immediately pushed out his thoughts as he looked back at the prince, wondering what he was about to say.
Sure of his attention this time, Prince Siwon went on, “As I was saying, Hankyung, my father has decided it’s time I get a bride.” He rolled his eyes at that. Hankyung knew the king had been badgering Siwon to get married for a while now but it didn’t stop his heart from clenching at the thought.
“Oh really?” Hankyung asked, his voice a little high-pitched.
Prince Siwon smiled, mistaking it for annoyance at his father instead of heartbreak. He went on, “We decided to hold a little test on all the princesses in the various neighbouring kingdoms to see who is most compatible with me.”
“And what is this test?” Hankyung asked again, a little tightly as he tried to control his voice.
Prince Siwon chuckled at that. “That’s the funny thing. We decided to pretend to accept each of the princesses and then I will ask them to choose tiles for our bathroom. Whoever chooses the right one, that is, the one that I myself would choose, will be my bride.”
Hankyung stared at him. What?? Choosing bathroom tiles?? That was the test??
Prince Siwon seemed to read his mind and said, “I’m pretty sure the princesses would realize that they will be tested in one way or another. So we wanted a test that they would not expect.”
Despite feeling apprehensive of losing his prince to some princess, Hankyung couldn’t help but laugh at that.
* * * * * * * * * *
Over the next several months, a string of princesses had come and gone. Prince Siwon had gone through each princess the same way, pretending to woo them and, naturally, always succeeding in capturing their interest. Each princess had stayed for a couple of weeks at least before Prince Siwon tested them with the bathroom tiles and none had passed. Every step of the way, Hankyung was there as Prince Siwon’s servant. He was subjected to being told what to do by the princesses as well.
Most of the princesses that came were snobby and proud. Hankyung wrinkled his nose at them, privately, because he knew they could not capture Prince Siwon’s heart with that kind of attitude. And he was glad that they never chose the right tiles.
Always, they chose something pink or blue or basically anything that was, to Hankyung, quite boring to look at because it was a common pattern or colour. Prince Siwon always shook his head slightly at Hankyung every time the princesses chose the wrong one. Hankyung knew that it was giving Siwon a headache.
The king was getting frustrated as well. He didn’t see why his son had not chosen a bride already. Why was he so fussy about bathroom tiles anyway? They were bathroom tiles! At that point in time, he’d be happy if Siwon married a man as long as he married at all.
One day, the king called Hankyung into his chambers. Hankyung entered and immediately gave a deep bow.
“Hankyung! Stop all this bowing nonsense and look up!” King Leeteuk barked at him. Hankyung looked up hesitantly, still bowed. “I said stand straight!”
Hankyung immediately stood straight in surprise. “How may I be of service, your majesty?”
The king harrumphed and glared at him for a bit, making Hankyung fidget nervously. “Stop fidgeting!” Hankyung’s hands went to his side at once.
“Now, as I see it, you’re very close with my son, aren’t you?” King Leeteuk asked, his glare indicating that Hankyung should say yes.
He gulped and nodded.
“I’m sure you can guess which bathroom tile my son has chosen?”
“Um, I have some idea, I suppose,” Hankyung replied uncertainly, not sure where the king was getting at.
“Well, as I’m pretty sure you’ve guessed as well, Siwon doesn’t seem to have any plan to actually marry any of these girls I’ve put before him,” the king paused and looked at Hankyung for confirmation, his expression clearly not expecting any argument so Hankyung just nodded. “However, if any princess chooses the right one, Siwon will have no choice but to marry her. So,” Leeteuk leaned forward, “I want you to push the next one in the right direction.”
Hankyung’s eyes almost popped out at this. “What??” King Leeteuk’s eyes glared sharply at him. He coughed and repeated, softly this time, “Uhm, excuse me?”
“I want you to help the next princess to choose the right tile!”
“But...”
“Are you refusing to obey me, Hankyung?” Leeteuk asked dangerously.
“N-no, your majesty-“
“Good!” Leeteuk interrupted before he could protest. “Now, the next princess that comes is the daughter of King Yesung. If Siwon marries her, this will be very good for the kingdom.”
For a few seconds, there was silence. Hankyung looked at the king questioningly.
“What?” Leeteuk asked.
“Am I- Am I dismissed?” Hankyung asked blankly.
“Oh, um, yeah. Get outta here,” Leeteuk’s voice was devoid of all the danger and anger from just a few minutes ago.
Hankyung ducked out of there.
* * * * * * * * *
For the next few days, Hankyung worried over what the king had told him. Tell the princess which is the right tile? That was cheating. Siwon would hate him if he knew, not only because it was deception on his part, but also for forcing Siwon to marry someone he hadn’t chosen for himself.
Hankyung wasn’t even sure if the tile he had in his mind was the right one. He’d seen it every time they had gone to the shop. To him, the tile stood out like no other. It was black, with a golden pattern of two birds on a vine. It wasn’t a practical choice for a bathroom, because it was too dark. But that was why Siwon had chosen this particular test. Because the princesses would choose something more practical. They would never consider the black tile. If a princess decided to choose that tile, she’d have to be incredibly unpractical, or else Siwon would suspect something was off.
Besides, if Hankyung helped the next princess, she would marry Prince Siwon and Hankyung would lose him forever. He’d be subjected to obey the woman who took his heart away, watch as they did everything together. Siwon would, sooner or later, learn to love her and...
Hankyung chastised himself for thinking that. Who was he? A servant. And a man. Siwon didn’t lean that way, he was sure. Siwon was... perfect. That was the only word for it. He was perfect and Hankyung was a servant. He had no right to even think that he was better for Siwon than a princess. He shouldn’t even be thinking this way.
The next princess, whose name Hankyung was yet to learn, would be arriving in a week. Hankyung didn’t know what to do. Which was more important, loyalty to the monarch? Or loyalty to your friend?
* * * * * * * * * *
Trumpets sounded as a carriage came to a stop in front of the palace.
“Daughter of King Yesung from KRY kingdom, Princess Ryeowook.”
So that was her name. Hankyung’s lips were in a tight line. He stood behind Siwon, next to his bodyguard.
Siwon clucked softly in distaste. “Too much ceremony, I think,” he whispered to Hankyung. Hankyung bit back a smile at that.
Then the carriage door opened and a beautiful young woman stepped out of the carriage. Even Hankyung couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at the spectacle before them. Siwon’s bodyguard, Kangin, gave a low whistle, heard only by Siwon and Hankyung. Hankyung risked a glance at the prince who, to his dismay, seemed as taken by the princess as everyone else was.
The princess climbed up the steps, accompanied by her maids, until she reached King Leeteuk. Giving a radiant smile, she took out her hand for Leeteuk to kiss.
“Ah, princess Ryeowook. Welcome to our home,” Leeteuk said grandly. Gesturing at Siwon, he said, “And this is my son, Prince Siwon.”
Princess Ryeowook gave a slight curtsy and, still smiling, gave her hand to Siwon as well. “It’s quite a pleasure to finally meet you.” Siwon smiled and kissed her hand.
For the next two weeks, Siwon and the princess spent all their time together. They got to know each other and Hankyung could see they quite enjoyed each other’s company. Siwon gave her much of his attention. Hankyung felt sick as he watched them.
Many in the palace speculated a wedding to come. The royal couple seemed to be so good for each other that they were sure the tile test was unnecessary. And for a while, it seemed Siwon thought so too.
But after the end of the two weeks, Siwon brought Princess Ryeowook to the tile shop and asked her to choose. As usual, Hankyung came along. The princess took a while to choose, walking around and fingering the tiles. Hankyung fidgeted, remembering Leeteuk’s orders. How was he going to tell her? Siwon would see Hankyung talking to her and wonder why.
Finally, Ryeowook looked up, smiling. “I choose-“ She was about to point at one when suddenly Hankyung shook his head violently at her, catching her attention. She looked confusedly at him, causing Siwon to turn towards him as well. Hankyung immediately composed himself and pretended nothing had happened.
Siwon just shrugged to himself and looked back at the princess. “Which one do you like best?” he prompted her, as she was still looking at Hankyung in askance.
Surreptitiously, he made sure Siwon had his full attention on Ryeowook and nodded slightly in the direction of the black tile. Ryeowook’s eyebrow creased in confusion and looked at the shelf where the black tile was located. Of course, she had no idea which tile he was pointing at.
“Princess?” Siwon called, pulling her attention back to him. “Have you chosen yet?”
“Um, actually,” Ryeowook said, “Let me look around some more please.” She smiled her beautiful smile and Siwon smiled back in assent.
Slowly and with difficulty, Hankyung was able to point out the tile without Siwon noticing. When she pointed at the tile in question, Siwon’s eyebrows rose. “That one?” he asked hesitantly.
Ryeowook nodded, sure that Hankyung had no bad intentions in pointing the tile out.
Siwon sighed softly to himself and smiled tightly, “Alright, then.” He turned towards the shopkeeper and bought a sample to be tried on their future bathroom.
When they arrived back at the palace, everything became an uproar as the news spread quickly to everyone. King Leeteuk immediately called for a celebration feast that night and the servants were sent running around, doing various tasks.
That night, the feast was quite joyous as everyone celebrated the fact that Siwon had finally found himself a bride. King Leeteuk was especially happy that he didn’t have to worry about his son getting an heir when he became king.
Over the next few weeks, events passed by in a blur. A wedding was to be held the next month. Invitations were sent out and preparations were underway. Hankyung himself was quite busy helping Siwon prepare himself.
A week before the wedding, there was a pause from all the work as people relaxed and rested. Hankyung went out to the palace garden to sit and think. The garden was empty except for him. He looked up at the sky and reflected on his life. It hadn’t been bad.
His father had been a servant in the palace and when he was younger, his father always took him to the palace. He and Siwon had immediately become friends and Leeteuk made him Siwon’s playmate until he was old enough to become a servant instead. Siwon wasn’t a bad person to serve. Siwon actually showed him respect, valuing his opinions and feeling content in his company. But somewhere along the way, Hankyung had developed feelings for Siwon and no matter how much he tried to hide it, those feelings just grew in time.
Now he didn’t think he could continue living in the palace just to have his heart torn apart every time he saw Siwon and Ryeowook together. He made a decision right then that after the wedding, he would quit and look for other work.
“What are you thinking about?”
Hankyung twisted around to see Siwon in the shadows behind him. “Your highness.” He stood up and bowed slightly.
He heard Siwon chuckle as he said, “Since when have you ever bowed to me?”
Hankyung smiled slightly and patted the seat next to him, inviting Siwon to sit down. “Why are you here and not with your fiancée?”
He thought he heard Siwon sigh, but it was soft and he couldn’t be sure. “I feel that we haven’t spent much time together anymore.”
“What are you talking about?” Hankyung asked, looking at him. “We see each other every day.”
“But we’re always surrounded by people. Don’t you remember when we used to sneak out to buy cakes even though we could just get some from the kitchen just for the heck of it?”
Hankyung left at the memory. “That was years ago. Why would you bring that up?”
“I don’t know,” Siwon replied. This time Hankyung was sure Siwon had sighed. The next thing that came out of Siwon’s mouth caused Hankyung to forget how to breathe, although Siwon said it very softly. “I miss you.”
Hankyung didn’t reply. He couldn’t. He was too busy concentrating on breathing. Had Siwon really said that? Like he said before, they saw each other every day. How could Siwon miss him? Besides, Siwon had Ryeowook to distract him. Why would he even be thinking about Siwon?
“As usual, Hankyung, you think too much,” Siwon commented. Hankyung blushed, this time unable to control himself. “You’re blushing, my friend,” Siwon said softly, looking at him.
Hankyung cleared his throat and looked away. “It’s kind of hot out here. Maybe we should go inside.” He stood up and walked to the door.
“Hankyung,” Siwon called.
Hankyung paused and turned back. Siwon stood up and walked towards him. His fingers held Hankyung’s face up to look at him. He leaned in and brushed his lips against Hankyung. Pulling back, he whispered, “You told Ryeowook which tile was mine.”
Before Hankyung could react, Siwon was gone and he was all alone. How had Siwon known?
* * * * * * * * * *
The week moved slowly. To Hankyung, it was all just a blur. All he could think about was that night.
Siwon never said anything about it and treated Hankyung like he always did, as if it had never happened. Princess Ryeowook didn’t seem to realise that anything had happened between her future husband and his servant and went on as normal. It seemed that Siwon had not told her.
Seven days... six days... five days... four days... three days... two days... one day...
Hankyung had never felt time move so slowly before. King Yesung, Ryeowook’s father, had arrived and the bustle in the palace increased even more. It was obvious that the king cared about his daughter very much and wouldn’t have minded if she’d married a troll as long as it made her happy.
The day before the wedding, King Yesung called Hankyung for a walk, which shocked the latter greatly because he hadn’t realized that the king had noticed him at all. They took a stroll around the garden, walking slowly. King Yesung didn’t say anything at first, preferring to enjoy the beauty of the garden instead. Hankyung had no idea why he was here in the first place, walking around with Princess Ryeowook’s father of all people.
“You helped Ryeowook,” King Yesung said, so abruptly that Hankyung nearly jumped in surprise.
“Wh-what?”
“With the tiles, you helped my daughter to choose the right one,” King Yesung said.
“Uh, oh. Yeah..” Hankyung felt bitter at the memory.
“You regret your decision?”
Hankyung blinked. What?? “No! Of course not.”
King Yesung chuckled at this and then went on, “My daughter seems to enjoy Prince Siwon’s company very much.”
“Uh, yes....” Where was he going with this?
“You do too.”
If Hankyung had been drinking, he would’ve choked.
“I love my daughter very much. I’m sure you’ve realised that.”
“Um, of course. Everyone can see...” Hankyung trailed off.
“Leeteuk wants this connection between our two kingdoms very much. But even without their marriage, I would still extend my friendship to Leeteuk.”
Hankyung just nodded, not knowing how to respond.
Yesung stopped walking and turned to look intently at Hankyung. “She doesn’t love him, Hankyung. She only does this because she knows I will be happy to see her married. And Siwon is a nice young man. But I can see that he has eyes for someone else. I won’t call off the wedding. It’s their choice. But it’s obvious to me that they don’t love each other as anything more than siblings or friends.”
“Your majesty-“ Yesung waved him off and walked back into the palace, leaving Hankyung alone to ponder his words.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was the morning of the wedding. Hankyung was helping Siwon with his suit.
“How do I look?” Siwon asked, fixing his collar.
“You don’t look too bad,” Hankyung said, smiling slightly. Siwon looked incredible to him but he was not about to say that out loud.
“Thanks,” Siwon replied, chuckling.
Hankyung bit at his lip as he looked at the prince before him. Tomorrow, he would quit while Siwon was at his honeymoon. Yesung’s words hit him again and again but he reasoned that if Siwon and Ryeowook didn’t really love each other, they wouldn’t be getting married now.
“What are you thinking about, Hankyung?” Siwon asked softly.
Hankyung blinked out of his reverie and looked at Siwon, who was looking at him with an expression he didn’t recognize. Siwon took a step towards him and repeated his question.
“Um, nothing,” Hankyung replied, wondering why Siwon was asking.
“Are you sure?” Siwon asked, still in that soft voice that made Hankyung’s heart jump so strongly against his chest. Siwon took another step towards him.
Taking a step back, Hankyung nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
“I’m sure you were thinking of something,” Siwon said even more softly, taking two more steps towards Hankyung who, in turn, backed up.
“N-nothing at all, really,” Hankyung whispered.
“You’re always thinking about something,” Siwon maintained, walking ever closer towards his friend.
Hankyung didn’t reply, backing up even more.
“About how you helped Ryeowook pick the black tile perhaps?”
Hankyung gasped slightly as his back hit the wall. He didn’t move as Siwon reached him.
“Maybe that night when we... talked?” Siwon trailed his fingers down the side of Hankyung’s face gently, making Hankyung’s heart flutter.
“Maybe,” Siwon whispered as he leaned towards Hankyung, “maybe that kiss I stole before I left?”
Siwon’s lips brushed against Hankyung’s.
“M-maybe,” Hankyung stammered. He moaned softly as Siwon’s hands moved slowly down his body. Siwon kissed him again.
“S-Siwon, we should- we should stop,” Hankyung whispered shakily, using up all his willpower to keep from losing his mind.
“Why?” Siwon whispered, his lips moving down to Hankyung’s neck.
“Be-because-“ he cut himself off with another moan as Siwon started to suck slightly at his special spot. Only his hands kept him standing as they pressed against the wall behind him.
“Siwon...” Hankyung breathed as Siwon’s hands moved under his shirt, sending shivers down his spine. Unable to help himself, Hankyung pulled Siwon’s face back up to his and kissed him feverishly, loving every taste and feel of the man against him.
Siwon pulled back, whispering, “Do you still want to stop?”
Hankyung hesitated before answering, “I don’t know...”
Their lips touched again for a second before Siwon moved back again. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this.”
Hankyung felt shocked. He’d thought he was the only one who felt anything at all. He never expected to hear Siwon say that. His thoughts were interrupted as Siwon kissed him some more, pressing him against the wall to prevent him from escaping. Not that he had any intention to do so.
The clock chimed then, pulling Hankyung back into reality. He pulled out of the kiss and whispered, “Siwon, what are you doing?”
“I’m doing what I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now,” Siwon replied, leaning in again.
Hankyung shook his head. “No, Siwon. What about Ryeowook? What about your father?”
“Screw them,” Siwon said softly. At the stunned look on Hankyung’s face, Siwon sighed and looked at the floor, resting his head against Hankyung’s chest. “Princess Ryeowook doesn’t love me and I don’t love her. And my father can’t make me marry anyone I don’t want to marry.”
“But-“
“Sshh,” Siwon whispered, putting a finger to Hankyung’s lips before he could protest. “Last night, Ryeowook and I had a talk. She said she didn’t want to marry me because her father said she didn’t have to. She said Yesung will still maintain friendship with my father even if I don’t marry Ryeowook. However, she said it was my choice and she didn’t mind either way. I didn’t think my father would be happy if I pulled out at the last minute so I told her to just get on with it. But now, just a few hours before the wedding, I realize that I can’t do it. Because I don’t love her. I love someone else.” Siwon glanced meaningfully at Hankyung.
Hankyung’s heart skipped a beat. Now he realized what the look on Siwon’s face was. Love. Love? Really? He couldn’t believe it. After all these years of hiding how he felt, Siwon felt the same way? How was that even possible? Hankyung felt like tearing up. He didn’t deserve this. What had he ever done to deserve this? He had no right to Siwon’s love. Siwon was so kind and understanding and perfect. Hankyung was only a servant. He didn’t deserve this.
“Hankyung?” Siwon asked, concern in his voice as a tear fell down Hankyung’s cheek.
Hankyung shook his head, unable to speak for fear that he would cry for sure.
“Hankyung?” Siwon asked again, as his hand wiped away Hankyung’s tear. His brows were creased worriedly, probably wondering what he had said to make Hankyung cry.
“Do you really mean that?” Hankyung asked, his voice barely a squeak as he tried with all his might to keep from actually crying.
“Of course, Hankyung. You know I do,” Siwon whispered, that look on his face again. Love. Hankyung couldn’t believe it was aimed at him.
He swallowed a lump in his throat and he whispered, “I’m only a servant.”
“Hankyung!” Siwon said, chastising. He pulled Siwon into a hug, holding him tightly against him. “I don’t care if you were a mythical creature! I love you.”
Hankyung burst into tears. He felt embarrassed but he couldn’t help it. He was so happy. “I love you too,” he whispered.
* * * * * * * * * *
Later on, Siwon announced that the wedding was cancelled. Leeteuk was furious but calmed down as Yesung assured him that they would remain friends anyway. Siwon shocked everyone, including Hankyung, further when he declared his intention to move away from the kingdom with Hankyung and leave the kingdom to his brother, Heechul.
Leeteuk was livid at the last one. “What??” he roared. “You decide this without even discussing it with me??”
“Heechul and I have talked about this, father,” Siwon said calmly. “Heechul agreed to take over the kingdom when you die.”
“You expect me to die so soon??” Leeteuk thundered at his eldest son.
“No, I’m sure you’ll live to a good old age,” Siwon said dryly. “So I’m sure you have enough time to teach Heechul how to rule.”
“And what will you do in the meantime? Go off with a servant??” Leeteuk screeched. Hankyung hid behind Siwon from his poisonous glare, holding tightly onto his sleeve.
Siwon chuckled. “Something like that.”
Leeteuk was about to shout some more when Heechul interrupted, “Yah! So what if he goes off with Hankyung? He’s hot!” Heechul winked at Siwon and Hankyung at this while Hankyung blushed.
Leeteuk turned onto his other son. “What do you mean, so what??”
“I mean, he can do whatever he wants!”
“He’s the crown prince!”
“No, he’s not. He gave his title to me so now I’m the crown prince, so there!”
“You???” Leeteuk said incredulously. “All you ever do is dance to Wonder Girls videos!”
“Hey! They’re awesome videos! And besides, I’d look much better in the king’s clothes than Siwon,” Heechul said defiantly.
Leeteuk rolled his eyes at this.
While the two of them argued some more, Siwon pulled Hankyung out of the room.
“Are you sure it’s okay to leave them?” Hankyung whispered as he was pulled into the garden.
“Do you care?” Siwon whispered before kissing him without any more restraint.
Hankyung decided he didn’t care as long as he had Siwon with him.
* * * * * * * * * *
Heechul eventually became king when Leeteuk grew too old and became too sick to rule. They argued over every matter but Heechul always won the argument because he always reasoned that he was the king, not Leeteuk anymore. Heechul eventually married Princess Sungmin, who matched his delight in all things pink.
King Yesung kept his promise of friendship with Leeteuk’s kingdom. Princess Ryeowook achieved happiness by marrying a baker in Yesung’s kingdom.
As for Siwon and Hankyung, they left the kingdom and lived together in a small quiet village far away, maintaining occasional contact with both Ryeowook and Heechul.
* * * * * * * * * *
OMG! that sucked!! :P but it doesn't matter... cause it made me happy slightly. it's the first time I ever wrote anything that had anything close to a kiss in it lol!!! I know I sucked T__T criticisms are welcomed and loved!! :)