hello my dear readers ! im so incredibly sorry for the wait , im in the middle of my graduation exams and im trying to focus on those atm ,,, the updates will be really irregular from now on :/

if ur interested in the process or maybe in my other work / new story brainrots , feel free to follow my twitter @/kaeldene :]it's public and i mostly talk about upcoming stories or random ideas i have ! :]

anyways , back to the chapter ,,, it's a shorter filler , i promise the next chapter will be better and more exciting ! :]

 The afternoon lunch with the prince went surprisingly well, Wooyoung had to note, when they'd made their way down the colorful gardens, hand in hand with Eunhae and Yunho by their side. The tall guard had to help them around instead of Hongjoong, who had some errands to run around the castle, but Wooyoung thinks it fine. He likes Yunho; the guard wears a sweet smile every time he meets him, and is quick to help him whenever he asks. Yunho is a great man, kind and strong, and Wooyoung thinks just how well his chaotic and gentle energy matches Mingi's, thinks they're meant to be together, that they're two lost puzzle pieces. Because Wooyoung remembers how the red head used to be all sad and unmotivated; Mingi would laze around and work just as much as he needed to, but when Yunho had entered their lives, he'd changed. "You know, San's been asking about you," and it breaks Wooyoung's train of thoughts, having him stop in the middle of the pathway. It has Eunhae stopping too, looking up at her brother with big, curious eyes, probably eager to know about this 'San' uncle. "He's been worried after hearing you'd been thrown out. 'T was kinda painful keeping your visit from him, you know," Yunho adds and gestures with his head to follow, which Eunhae is eager to do, running over to the gentle giant with one arm out to catch onto his hand.

"He could've just called, too," the pilot groans silently, eyes almost rolling when he remembers the kiss and the long lack of contact. Wooyoung, unlike the royal, had been trying to contact the man, tried calling and texting — hell, he even tried writing a letter, yet there'd been no trace of San whatsoever, so naturally, it annoyed Wooyoung. It annoyed him so much, he'd stopped trying to contact the guy. He thought that after all, Mingi was right about the royals wanting to just play with their catches and then threw them away. It hurt, of course, but that was harsh reality, he thought as he followed the royal around the gardens and towards the pretty stables. The weather was nice, Wooyoung thought when he'd brought his head up to bask in the sunshine, eyes closed for a short second and he smiled, despite his thoughts swimming about like the pretty koi fish he'd seen earlier in the hidden pond among the colorful flowers. His mind had drifted back to San yet again and although he's still a little mad about the whole situation happening, he thinks that maybe it's all just one big misunderstanding and maybe, just maybe, San had been trying to contact him too. It's impossible to believe that the guard hadn't felt anything when they kissed. It was him, after all, who had initiated the kiss in the first place.

Yunho saddled and bridled two horses for him and Eunhae, all while Wooyoung had admired the pretty interiors of the stable, paying almost no attention to the two. The tall guard seemed to be getting along well with the child, and Wooyoung thinks they're making up a great duo with their wide smiles and cheerful remarks. The pilot thinks he'd bring Eunhae around more, just for the sake of seeing her this bright and happy again, and he thinks just how much he appreciates the guards for allowing them in. It's not too long, and Yunho is picking up the girl and sitting her down in the saddle, Eunhae gripping at the mane of the horse with a gentle force and it has Wooyoung chuckling, going over and handing her the bridle that she could grasp in her small hand. And she takes it with a grin and straightens up her back where she sits, giddy anticipation practically oozing off her. She's happy, and that's all that matters, Wooyoung notes.

Wooyoung thinks he's not the one to ride a horse, and maybe that's a reason why he's currently walking behind the two animals, putting safe distance between them, and he's deep in his thoughts. He watches the two stray further away from him, and he thinks it okay, because his sister is more than safe in the hands of the tall soldier and she doesn't seem too bothered about her brother not being around. The pilot hums to himself, content with the knowledge, and lets his mind wander for a split second, thoughts running through his head wild, buzzing and humming by. They create a static in his head; something he'd consider annoying at times, but now. "Wooyoung?" a voice calls, having him snap out of the daze, eyes growing wide and mouth going dry. He'd dreaded this moment. Not because he'd have to see San, not even because they'd have to talk about what had happened between them, but because he's terrified. He's terrified of rejection. San was his home, and having his home torn away from his grasp like that would kill him. It would hurt, and he didn't want that. "Wooyoung, hold on, wait," he calls again, when the pilot doesn't stop walking, speeding up his pace to match the blond's.

And there he is. San stands slightly taller before Wooyoung, uniform slightly disheveled and purple streaks fading from his hair into an ugly blonde. His gaze is stern, when it meets Wooyoung's, and it has the pilot shivering, feeling cold creeping up his spine because it's scary. They stand there, silent, and it kills the both of them. There are so many thoughts needed to be brought up and explained, feelings to be confessed and the longer they stand in nothing but pure silence, the more it has Wooyoung leaning towards the edge, has him feeling like he's slipping. "We need to talk." It's stern and there is no denying from the pilot's side, when the guard grabs his forearm with nothing but a gentle force and drags him down the path toward a huge, glass atrium. Wooyoung remembers the prince telling him it's an old, tropical greenhouse, but it serves as a bird house now, void of colorful flowers but replaced with vibrant birds. It's terribly hot inside, Wooyoung notes mentally, but doesn't dare speak up until the glass door behind them is closed and San sits them down on a bench near a small pond. Wooyoung doesn't look around to admire the greenhouse, not at all, when his gaze gets stuck on his fingers. He's anxious, scared, and the fact that San is silent again doesn't make it any better.

"Talk, then." Wooyoung prods after a minute, growing tired of the constant silence. It's suffocating, he thinks, and it's not pleasant at all. He'd dreaded this, so having San this close to him after so long, and having him sit there in silence has him growing impatient, even more anxious and so incredibly mad at the guard. "Go on, talk," Wooyoung adds, because San is still silent, mouth as if glued shut and for the first time in a while, Wooyoung looks up at the slightly older man, gaze dark and narrowed in a glare. He hates it. He hates this tension so much it has blood boiling in his veins, and it hurts. The pilot could see the wheels running behind San's shocked stare, face almost void of emotion save for aforementioned shock and the Captain almost took pity on the guard, almost had let his stern gaze slip in order to offer a gentle hand to the man. But Wooyoung doesn't falter. Not now, when he needs answers from San. "You didn't even try contacting me back, when I texted you and called you. San, hell, I even wrote you a letter and you didn't even as much as try to reply. What is there to talk about," Wooyoung then begins, because it's tiring him out. San's constant silence has his heart squeezing painfully, and he needs to leave; Eunhae must be worried sick, he thinks.

"No, no, I tried, I promise," The guard pleads, eyes suddenly narrowed on his fingers that fiddled with one another anxiously in the boy's lap and Wooyoung softens. The pilot sighs, nods and stands up, because he doesn't need to stay for more. He doesn't believe the guard entirely, although he's sure the entire situation is a misunderstanding. His heart had been hurt by one man like San already in the past, he doesn't need it again, he thinks as he spares San a glance. "My family isn't exactly supportive, Wooyoung. They burned the letter before I'd even got to open it, and took my phone; I was at home when you tried to contact me. Do you know how hard it was to let me come back here?" The boy asks, when he notices the pilot leaving, urgency mixed in with fear in his voice, and it breaks Wooyoung internally. He'd never heard anyone try to reach out for him this desperately, and it had him turning around to face San once again. This time, he gave him a sympathetic stare, waiting for him to continue. "I wanted to reach out to you, I really did, because as terrible as the royals' reputations are, we're not all that bad," San adds then before he stands up and comes around to stand in front of Wooyoung once again.

"I love you, Wooyoung, and the kiss did mean a lot to me,"

"Glad we're on the same page, then,"