Work Text:
It has become a habit, recently, for the prince of Utopia to sneak out of the confines of the castle to walk the grounds of the city.
He wanted to venture to be among his people as an equal. To explore. To get a taste of freedom.
Every Saturday morning, Jeong Yunho would sneak out adorning a mask and an unassuming outfit. His long brown trench coat follows him swiftly as he walks the streets, bustling with people at the markets. He doesn’t interact with many people, usually just visiting different stalls and buying different trinkets that make him happy.
However,
the more he’d go out, the more he’d notice a worker at a stall. Strongly built, face with features that of a cat, black hair neatly pushed back. Yunho would frequent this stall each week, finding small wooden figures. Every time he’d visit, he’d find new figures and with that, every week he’d go home with a new wooden figure. The first figure he bought from the stall was a small puppy.
He found out that the worker’s name was San. He’s the same age as Yunho, and Yunho seems to find himself becoming closer with him each passing week.
“You’re back!” San greets, pretty eyes turning into crescents as he smiles.
“I am,” Yunho nods, taking in the stall and its new wares. “I’m amazed with your work, Sannie. I don’t know how you do it.” He says, picking up a small cat figure and surveying it.
“Muscle memory, I suppose.” San shrugs, nonchalantly, like a liar.
San leaves Yunho to look around the stall, helping another customer as he does. As Yunho examines the small cat, he realizes how much it looks like San.
“I think I’ll take this one.” Yunho holds the small figure out. San takes it momentarily, turning it in his hand.
“You can have it. For free.”
“What?” Yunho’s eyes widened.
“You heard me. You can have it,” Then, San smirks playfully. “In exchange, you go on a walk with me around town.”
Yunho stares at him dumbly, at a loss for words. He felt his heart skip a beat at the proposition.
“A walk…with me?” Yunho stuttered out gracefully.
“Yes, a walk. I’m closing my stall early, the day is beautiful and I’d like company.”
And like that, a new habit was formed. Every Saturday Yunho would visit San’s stall, buy something, then San would close his stall early. On their walks, they’d learn more about each other, becoming closer with each passing day.
Yunho never felt freedom like this before.
“By the way, you’ve never even told me your name.” San says on their fourth week. He looks at Yunho, eyes tracing the way the sunlight plays beautifully on the other man’s features.
Yunho hesitates, before saying, “Um, it’s…Yun…min…Yes, Yunmin.”
“You don’t sound too sure of your own name, Yunmin.” San bites back playfully.
“Ah, no. My brain is just…scattered.”
The corner of San’s mouth twitched upward, “I tend to have that effect on people.” Yunho shoves his shoulder.
—
San and Yunho’s relationship blossomed throughout the months of their weekly walks. Yunho found himself looking forward to his time with San, rather than his time out in the city. San was always so animated, cuddly, and all around wonderful. His charm never ceased to pull Yunho into the deep end.
It’s been a few months since Yunho and San have been going on their walks. But, with their blooming friendship, Yunho feels the guilt of lying creeping through his bones. It’s woven into his being and nested into him like a snake, curling tighter and tighter around his neck. At the same time, there was the thrill and adrenaline of not being known. He was free to be himself, not a prince. No expectation.
But, as they continued their walks, Yunho’s heart ached more and more. The mask he’d attached to himself felt less like a shield and more like a cage.
Yunho watched the cobblestone path beneath them as they walked, San talking about some new carving technique.
“Yu,” San nudged him. “Am I talking to a wall or a person?”
“I’m sorry, Sannie. There’s a lot on my mind.” Yunho kicked a rock lightly. “What were you saying?”
“Nothing. Can I show you something?”
Yunho furrows his brows, intrigued. “Sure, what is it?”
San’s eyes seem to light up at the confirmation, taking Yunho’s hand in his. He leads him through, and eventually out of the bustling city.
They arrive at a clearing in the woods, a beautiful fountain placed in the center. The fountain is large, intricately carved and decorated. Tall trees loom their branches overhead, however leaving a clearing in the middle. The moonlight casts luminously over the water, long replacing the sunlight.
“This is my secret spot. I don’t usually take people here,” San says, looking down at his shoes. “I come here when I want to do woodwork alone, to be free from the city for a minute.”
Yunho knows how he feels, but so oppositely.
The prince looks at San fondly, taking his hand delicately. “It’s beautiful.”
San leads them both to sit on the ledge of the fountain, the sound of faintly trickling water filling their ears.
“What’s bothering you, Yunmin?” San asks, placing his hand on Yunho’s thigh gingerly. Yunho flinches at the name.
Taking a deep breath, Yunho gathers up all the courage he’s ever needed. His anxiety eats at him, flooding his brain with everything that could go wrong. “San,” he starts, uncertainty in his voice. “I have something important to tell you, and you have to promise to not freak out or be mad.” Yunho fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
“You can tell me anything.” San says, squeezing his thigh. His smile is sincere and cracking at Yunho’s psyche.
“I’m not who you think I am, San.” Yunho says, words tumbling out of his mouth.
San’s smile is unwavering, bright as the sun. And, a little…smug?
“I know,” he says, gently.
“I’m so sorry, Sannie, I should’ve told you earlier and it was really—“ Then, Yunho’s mind catches up with his ears. “You know?”
The other man giggles, eyes turning into beautiful crescents. “I knew ever since you stepped into my stall, Yunho. Your bag? It has the royal crest on it.”
Yunho’s heart successfully drops to his ass. He had been so careful, so meticulous, yet he hadn't noticed something as simple as his bag. "But...but you didn’t say anything?"
“No, I was trying to figure out how long you’d stretch this out,” he laughs. “But, really, I just enjoyed how human you acted. I know it must’ve been freeing to just be yourself, not the Prince.”
Yunho stares at San, dumbfounded. “And you’re…not mad?”
San looks at him again, fondness flooding his eyes. “Mad? Never. Maybe I was surprised at first, but I loved—love—spending time with Yunmin, with you. And truly, even if you are a prince, I still like you all the same.”
“Like me?” Yunho whispers, now noticing the closeness between them.
San laughs airily, squeezing his thigh again. His free hand reaches up to Yunho’s face mask. “May I?”
Yunho stiffens at the question, anxiety still thrumming through his chest. He nods, he knows he’s safe. San’s calloused hands brush his cheek as he removes Yunho’s mask, the cool air now hitting his face. There’s a soft look in San’s face. Yunho really wants to kiss it off him.
They’re so close now that Yunho could practically feel the heat radiating off San like the sun. San’s hand remains on Yunho’s cheek, thumb gently caressing it.
It’s fast, a barely-there moment, but Yunho watches as San’s eyes flick to his lips. The prince’s breath hitches. San’s hand trails down, his thumb finding Yunho’s lip. The moonlight dances off of San’s face in a way that Yunho thinks should be captured and hung in a museum.
He’s so pretty like this, Yunho thinks. So intimate, raw, real. He wants this moment to replay in his head forever.
“San-Sannie, can I please do the thing I’ve been waiting to do for months.” Yunho asks, voice dripping with want.
“Please.” San breathes out. In that moment, Yunho finds his lips on the other’s, slotting together like a puzzle piece. They pull each other impossibly close, bodies flush. Hands pull desperately at fabric, trying to move closer, trying to fuse together.
“Sannie,” Yunho breathes out against San’s lips. Fingers find the back of Yunho’s neck, playing absentmindedly with the short hair. “I really, really like you.”
“Sap.” San says, pecking at his lips, once, twice. “I really, really like you, too. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
They laugh, foreheads pressed together, savoring the moment. San’s eyes light up momentarily.
San leans back, his hands resting on the prince's shoulders. “So, like, did it hurt?” San asks.
Yunho raises his eyebrows, then narrows his eyes in confusion. “Did what hurt?”
“You know, when you fell from heaven.”
“Oh my god.” Yunho blanches, shoving at San’s chest. “You’re stupid.” The other man wears a dopey grin, snaking his arms around Yunho’s waist.
“Yet, here you are, telling me how much you reallllllyyy like me.” San drawls, squeezing him tight.
“Fine, but I’m doing it begrudgingly.” Yunho laughs, meeting his forehead with San’s once more.