love is just a daydream [Chapter 10]

[darkyulate]

Chapter Directory
Chapter 9

Chapter 10 "Here are your papers," Heechul said, sliding the folder towards Sungmin. Now that he'd been in Sedocia for more than a week, he'd thrown away the dark cloaks and dressed in clothes that Eunhyuk and Donghae had gotten for him. "Everything you need is inside: passport, birth certificate, all the documents you could possibly need with your new identity." Sungmin accepted the folder and opened it. "Choi Minjoon," he read aloud. "We thought that maybe you'd like to have a part of your old self with you," Heechul said with a smile. "Thank you," Sungmin said, sincerely. "You're welcome, Mr. Choi." "As for your housing," Joonmyun started. "We originally wanted to set you up in an apartment complex in a different community a bit farther from Eunhyuk and Donghae's neighborhood. We thought that, maybe, it would help conceal you from Alpha King Kyuhyun, but the Lees have requested you stay as close to them as possible until you give birth." Sungmin gave them a sad smile and sighed. "I understand. I've already made up my mind to go away as soon as my baby is born so I don't think complying to their request will be so bad." "Very well then, we've chosen a couple of places you could stay in for the meantime." Heechul handed Sungmin some pamphlets and paper with a list of names and numbers. "Everything you need to know will be in those pamphlets. "Eunhyuk specifically requested that you get to check out all the apartments yourself, so we'll give you the option of dropping by whenever you're free. If you tell the realtor your new name, someone will accommodate you," Joonmyun added. "As for a job and support, the royal family has agreed to take care of you until your baby is born as thanks for your willingness to cooperate with us in getting Venocia to sign the treaty." "I'll do my best, but I should warn you that Kyuhyun is a stubborn man. If he says he's only going to sign the treaty when he deems you in love with your boyfriend, then it will be very hard to dissuade him." Sungmin sighed. "I can give you very incriminating information against the royal family, but I'm not sure it will be enough." Joonmyun closed his eyes and nodded. "That will be fine." He gave Sungmin a sympathetic smile. "I had already thought that maybe that was the case, but if he never deems me in love with Jongdae, it would be best to be prepared." "Are you?" Sungmin asked. "In love with Jongdae, I mean?" Joonmyun opened his mouth to say yes, he really did, but in that split second of hesitation, he wondered, 'What exactly do I feel for Jongdae?' "Yes." But it was too late. The look Sungmin gave him was nothing short of scrutinizing before turning back to his usual soft gaze. "I see," was all he said. "Well then, where would you like me to begin?" Heechul clapped his hands and smirked at Sungmin. "Tell us everything and don't leave anything out." It took several meetings with Sungmin to finish relaying everything he knew that could be used against the Venocian Royal Family. Joonmyun found out that Sungmin had basically been working as Kyuhyun's personal slave for most of his life. "That's how I found out many of his family's secrets," Sungmin had said with a sad smile. "Although Kyuhyun himself has nothing to do with them, his family members still involve themselves with the underground market as much as they possibly can. I often help him conceal it from public eye and keep track of them in case something needs to be taken care of." "Thank you for telling us these things," Heechul said. "It really might help us convince them to sign the treaty. If not, then at least, maybe, we can begin talking with Donocia's side," Heechul said. After he gathered his things, Heechul bid them goodbye and left. "Thank you once again for everything you've done for me, Your Highness," Sungmin said then. "You're welcome. I've heard from Jongdae that you've moved into an apartment. Do you find everything to be in order?" "Yes, it's more than enough, Your Highness." Sungmin bowed his head low. "I'm glad." Sungmin just nodded slightly before turning his gaze to his hands. "Is there anything else you'd like to say?" Joonmyun asked when it seemed that Sungmin wasn't going to leave yet. Sungmin looked up, but the words never left his lips. Instead, he shook his head and gave Joonmyun a small smile. "I'll be on my way then." "Please take care going back," Joonmyun bid. He instructed Minseok to have Sungmin's escort ready and watched the omega leave. He didn't have much time to ponder on things that Sungmin could've said as there were more pressing matters to attend to. Joonmyun sat back on the chair and said, "Minseok, have we booked the restaurant?" "Yes, Your Highness, everything is in order for Sir Jongdae's birthday." Joonmyun took a deep breath. "Thank you. What about the present?" "Ordered and paid for. Their invoice says it'll arrive within the week." Joonmyun slumped back on his chair and sighed. "I can't believe that even with all these things, Heechul expects me to plan a birthday date for Jongdae." "In his defense, a true and loving boyfriend will never forget their partner's birthday. And you did end up managing to plan something special enough." "Do you think it's enough? Jongdae has helped me with so much, and he's taken me on such creative and wonderful dates, I'm not sure it will mean the same." Minseok hummed for a second, thinking, eyes ticking off the checklist on Joonmyun's 'Birthday Date Plans'. "I definitely think Jongdae will appreciate all the hard work you put into this date, especially with all the things you're taking care of in between." "Minseok, as a friend, what do you really think?" At the term friend, Minseok's smile widened and he let out a soft chortle. "Everything looks fine, Joonmyun. It's very you, I suppose, but romantic all the same. I'm sure he'll like it, but more than that, I'm sure he'll love your present." Joonmyun took a deep breath and let those words comfort him. "All right, now all I have to do is tell Jongdae to clear his plans on the weekend of his birthday." "Good luck, Joonmyun." "Thank you, Minseok." Joonmyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he found Jongdae's present in his hands, neatly wrapped in glossy blue paper with a silver ribbon tied around it. "Thank you again, Minseok," Joonmyun said. "You're welcome, Your Highness. Now, please go ring the doorbell so we won't be late for your appointment." "Yes, of course." After gingerly returning the gift back to Minseok, Joonmyun exited the car and walked up the path leading to Jongdae's door. He'd just rung the bell when Jongdae opened the door, popping out in a sleek dark suit that emphasized all the lines on his body. Joonmyun swallowed thickly. Jongdae smiled at him, cocking his head to the side. He looked almost ethereal bathed under the moonlight. It didn't help that his black coat made his skin stand out even more, the white dress shirt he'd paired it with almost invisible. He couldn't hide the way his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Jongdae, his hair tousled just slightly and his ensemble missing a tie. "Oh, good, you're not wearing a tie either," Jongdae said in lieu of a greeting. "I was really worried not wearing a tie would ban us from the restaurant, especially after you'd taken the time to remind me to wear something formal." Joonmyun just smiled, unable to talk, to tell Jongdae that he looked good—no, more than good, he looked handsome. "You look great by the way," Jongdae whispered, coming closer to rest his hand on Joonmyun's chest, fingers playing with the opened collars of his black dress shirt. They brushed against his exposed skin lightly, so softly that Joonmyun thought it might've been air. Jongdae leaned closer and kissed him lightly by the cheek. He could hear the omega take two long deep breaths, scenting him before pulling away. "You smell really nice too, like the ocean." "Thank you. You smell wonderful as well," he complimented. It wasn't a lie. Jongdae did smell wonderful—heavenly even. When he leaned in, Joonmyun thought he was about to take a bite out of the sweetest chocolate he'd ever had. Now that they stood centimeters apart, the scent became muted but surrounded them like a cloud. It was almost dizzying. "Did you wear cologne?" Jongdae asked, looping their arms together and walking them down towards the car. "Because this is the first time this week that a perfume hasn't made me sick." He made a face and shuddered, almost as if he'd relived those moments. "No, I didn’t. I don't usually put on cologne, but more than that are you all right? I realized that you did look a little pale, but I thought that might've been from the light of the moon. Do you want to cancel the reservations?" "Woah there, Your Highness." Jongdae cozied to Joonmyun's side. "I'm fine. It'd be a waste not to go through with the date. I've been looking forward to it too actually, kinda the highlight of my week." "If you say so," Joonmyun said, opening the door for Jongdae. Jongdae stuck to his side all throughout the ride, eyes closed and body lax. Every few minutes he would take a deep breath and sigh. It worried Joonmyun a little, especially now that he could properly see the dark circles under his eyes. "Are you sure you're all right, Jongdae?" Jongdae moaned, sound half-asleep. "Yeah, this is the best I've been all week to be honest." Joonmyun looked down at him worriedly but Jongdae only had a smile on his face, snuggling closer to him. Jongdae had always been clingy, but he wondered now if Jongdae had missed him in the days they had not seen each other. He blushed at the thought, forced to face forward, afraid that Jongdae would see. Joonmyun shook Jongdae awake as gently as he could when they arrived at their destination. Jongdae blinked his eyes open and smiled at Joonmyun. "We're here?" "Yes, we are. Come?" Joonmyun offered his hand, which Jongdae gladly took and showed him the restaurant they were dining in tonight. Written in elegant script, the restaurant's name glimmered in gold against the black sign it was printed on. Iridescence. Low lights lit up from the inside, giving them a glimpse of the interior of the restaurant. "Is the place empty?" Jongdae asked when they stepped inside. He looked from left to right, but found no one around. The floor was mostly cleared of tables and chairs, leaving space for the middle area to be free and open, and a table stood directly in the center of it all. "I actually had it cleared out for the night," Joonmyun said with a smile. "Since the first date didn't work out so well, I hoped that maybe tonight, we could make it happen." Jongdae's smile grew, lips curling at the corners as he leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "Thank you." "Good evening, Your Highness, Sir Jongdae," a man with a small frame greeted. "My name is Ryeowook and I'll be your server for tonight. May I escort you to your table?" Ryeowook led them to the table in the center of the restaurant and handed them the menu once they sat. "What will you be having tonight?" Joonmyun glanced at Jongdae to make sure he was checking the menu before browsing the list himself. "I'll have the Chicken Alfredo and some water, please." "I'll have the Steak and Potatoes, medium rare," Joonmyun said. "Do you want some wine?" he asked Jongdae. Jongdae scrunched his nose at the mention of the word and shook his head. "Then I'll just have water as well." "You don't have to do that for me," Jongdae said. "If you want to drink wine, you can order some for yourself. I'm sure it will go great with your steak." "It's fine. I'm not feeling wine tonight either." "Will that be all?" Ryeowook interrupted. "Yes, that will be all." "Alright. We'll have your order ready in a few minutes. I'll serve your drinks first." Ryeowook left to go back to the kitchen, leaving Jongdae and Joonmyun alone. Faint classical music played in the background, painting their night in a soft ambiance. "This is really wonderful," Jongdae said, looking around. "I'm glad you took me here." He reached out a hand and took Joonmyun's in his. "Thank you." "There's more," Joonmyun said. "I actually have a present for you." He looked behind him and found Minseok coming over to hand him the box. Thank you, he mouthed before smiling up at Jongdae. "For you." Jongdae's eyes widened, hands coming up to reach for the gift in the middle of their table. "What's this?" "Open it." "Okay," Jongdae said, pulling it to his side. Joonmyun watched in amusement as Jongdae tore through the ribbon and the wrapper, the complete opposite of him when it came to opening presents. "Wow," Jongdae breathed when he saw the black box. He slowly lifted the lid and gasped at the sight in front of him. "I wasn't sure what to get you, but I hope you like it." Joonmyun gave Jongdae an unsure smile, but Jongdae was too busy ogling what was in the box. "Joonmyun," Jongdae said, voice soft and awed. He took the items out of the box, an engraved notebook and pen, personalized from an expensive shop that worked closely with the royal family. "This is beautiful, I love them." He stared down at the notebook, his name embossed in gold paint on genuine leather. He ran his fingers over the words and then at the small mic drawn attached to his name. "I honestly just wanted to get you the pen," Joonmyun found himself say. He peered at the thin sleek cylinder on the table, black and gold encasing the dark ink inside. Jongdae turned his attention to the pen where the same lettering had been engraved, including the small mic. "It was something my family had done, giving us a pen when we came of age to welcome us to the family." Joonmyun reached into his coat pocket to take out the same looking pen. "I keep mine with me at all times, but I've long since stopped using it." He showed it to Jongdae, flashing his name engraved on the side along with the family crest. "It's beautiful, Joonmyun," Jongdae said again, putting them back in the box and setting them aside. "I especially love the meaning." Joonmyun flushed. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you one with the family crest, but until we're married, I had to think of something else." Jongdae just chuckled. "No, this is fine. It's even better, because it's a design that's just mine." Jongdae stood up from his chair, "Come here," he'd said and Joonmyun met him halfway. "Thank you," Jongdae whispered when they pulled apart. "I can't say that was the best birthday present ever, but that's definitely at the top of the list." Joonmyun found himself laughing at that. "What's the first on the list then?" Jongdae turned to look at the box, smile soft and eyes looking far away. "When my dads adopted me on my seventh birthday." "That definitely deserves first place." Before they could say any more, Ryeowook appeared with their orders. "Chicken Alfredo for Sir Jongdae and Steak and Potatoes for His Highness." Once Ryeowook set down the dishes before them, Jongdae made a face and quickly covered his nose. "I'm sorry, but could you please take this back?" Jongdae said, voice sounding disgusted. "What's wrong, Sir Jongdae?" Ryeowook asked, quickly taking the plate back. "I'm so sorry, but the stench is making me nauseous." Jongdae turned away from the food, closed his eyes and tried to breathe the air only in his hand. "Right away." Ryeowook left and Joonmyun eyed Jongdae worried. "What's wrong? Are you sick?" Jongdae quickly shook his head, slowly pulling his hand away from his nose. "No, I'm fine, it's just that certain food make me nauseous lately." "Oh," Joonmyun asked, and then he took a quick sniff of his steak. "Does my steak do the same? Should we order something else?" "I think your steak is fine, but I think I should settle for something that doesn't smell like anything," Jongdae said with a sigh. When Ryeowook came back, they asked for something that didn't have a strong smell. Jongdae frowned when all he could recommend was soup and salad, but with such a limited option, Jongdae decided to get both. "Once again, we're so sorry for the inconvenience and we'll be right out with your order," Ryeowook apologized before going. Jongdae grumbled for a few seconds. "I've been eating soup all week and I'm not even sick," he said. "Are you sure?" Joonmyun asked. "I swear I feel fine. I just, certain scents make me nauseous." "Have you gone to the doctor? If you've been feeling nauseous, maybe it's best to get yourself checked out." Jongdae sighed. "I haven't had the time, but I should probably do it tomorrow." "Yes, please do have it done tomorrow. You can go to Doctor Kim's clinic and since he knows you, he'll accommodate you even if you don't have an appointment." "Thanks. Now, let's stop talking about this. It's ruining my celebration." Jongdae pouted. "Yes, you're right. Do you want a bite out of my steak then?" Joonmyun asked. He felt awkward being the only one with food. "Yes, please, just a bite." Jongdae leaned close and opened his mouth. Joonmyun smiled at the sight, sticking out his fork for Jongdae. "This is good," Jongdae said, moaning before swallowing. "Maybe I should've gone with the steak." "Do you want to change orders?" "Nah, you can just keep feeding me your share." Jongdae winked and opened his mouth for Joonmyun to feed him more. Joonmyun complied, alternately feeding himself and Jongdae. Even when Jongdae's food arrived, Joonmyun would occasionally fork some steak and potatoes to feed Jongdae. Jongdae finished all his food, whining about how it wouldn't be enough without a lot of meat. He thanked Joonmyun a couple of times for feeding him the steak, saying that it would be the only thing that would fill his stomach. When they finished their meals, Joonmyun turned to Ryeowook, "Can you please take the cake out?" "Yes, Your Highness, would there be anything else?" "I had a cake made, but if you want something else for dessert, you can ask them for it," Joonmyun encouraged. Jongdae shook his head. "It's fine. I can't wait to have cake." "One birthday cake coming right up," Ryeowook said before making his way back to the kitchen. "I've been waiting for cake all week," Jongdae said with a wistful sigh. "My colleagues apparently didn't have enough time to get me cake on my birthday, but they did buy me coffee and ice cream, so I guess that's fine." "I hope you like the cake," Joonmyun said. "Although, I'll be the first to admit that I asked both your parents and Chanyeol for the kind that you wanted." "No way," Jongdae said with a gasp. "You got me my favorite Triple Chocolate Supreme?" "Yes, I did." Just as Joonmyun said it, Ryeowook came out of the kitchen holding in his hand a cake layered in chocolate. Jongdae grinned widely at the sight. Ryeowook laid the cake down in the middle, stuck a candle somewhere it won't disrupt the writing on the cake and lit the candle. "Happy birthday, Jongdae," Joonmyun whispered, turning to watch the smile on Jongdae's face grow. The younger leaned in, closed his eyes—probably to make a wish—before wrinkling his nose. He took a small sniff before turning away from the cake, gagging back on his chair. "Oh god," Jongdae whispered, covering his mouth and getting up from his seat. "Excuse me, but where's your restroom?" Ryeowook, looked surprised but quickly pointed to the hall by the kitchen. Jongdae nodded in thanks before gagging once more. "Jongdae?" Joonmyun watched Jongdae stumble his way to the restroom and followed after. Before he could even come inside, Jongdae slammed the door in his face. Joonmyun frowned and knocked against the door. His frown deepened when he heard even more gagging noises. He walked out of the hall and took a deep breath. Minseok was in front of him in seconds. "Call Doctor Kim, we're taking Jongdae to his clinic. Now." Joonmyun didn't even wait for Minseok's affirmation before going back to the bathroom door, trying to get Jongdae—or anyone really—to open it. Jongdae finally opened the door a few minutes later, hands still wet and mouth glistening. Joonmyun could smell the stench of vomit and soap tainting the scent of his sweetness. "Sorry," Jongdae said weakly. "Don't worry. We're going to the doctor now if that's alright with you. I'd rather not wait another day to find out what's wrong." "Okay." Jongdae sighed and allowed Joonmyun to lead him out of the restaurant. After instructing for the cake to be wrapped, Minseok took their things back to the car, making sure to keep them out of Jongdae's way. Joonmyun clenched his fist in worry, wrapping an arm around Jongdae's shoulder and pulling him closer. "How many times to do I have to say I'm fine before you relax?" Jongdae said, trying to shrug off Joonmyun's arm. "Until the doctor says you're fine." Jongdae sighed and left Joonmyun's arm on his shoulder. His hand reached out to Joonmyun's clenched fist, uncurling them so he could twine their fingers. "Stop worrying," he whispered. "I'm sure it's nothing serious." "I really hope so," was all Joonmyun said. They stayed quiet until they reached Yesung's clinic, still open, but barely bustling with people. "We're so sorry if we disturbed you," Jongdae said, smiling apologetically at the doctor. Yesung just waved their apologies away. "It's fine. For the Royal Family, I'm always on call. Why don't we step inside my office." He led the way to his office and sat both Joonmyun and Jongdae down. "What seems to be the problem?" "I've been feeling nauseous a lot lately," Jongdae said. "Certain scents have been making me vomit but I don't have a fever. Other than food that make me throw up, I've been eating well." Yesung nodded. "I see. How do you feel after you've thrown up, feverish?" Jongdae shook his head. "I usually feel fine after and I can return to work like normal as long as I don't smell something off again." "When did this begin?" "About a week or two ago? I started waking up feeling like throwing up but then it would go away." Joonmyun frowned at how long Jongdae pushed off seeing a doctor. Jongdae just shrugged. "Have you had your heat recently?" Both Joonmyun and Jongdae stiffened in their seat. Joonmyun flushed lightly, but Jongdae cleared his throat to answer the question. "I usually take suppressants so I didn't get my heat this month, but I did have my heat two months ago." "Why did you miss out on your suppressants?" "It was a bit of a busy time. Alpha King Kyuhyun came by and I had to appear in a lot of events, so I forgot to take my pill for the month." "I see, I see. Would you mind if we conduct a couple of tests so we can diagnose the problem?" Yesung asked. "No, not really." "When can we get the results?" "It shouldn't take longer than a few minutes," Yesung said, going around his office and getting a syringe. After setting Jongdae up on a chair, Yesung said, "This is probably going to hurt." Jongdae closed his eyes and Joonmyun stood beside him, holding his free hand. Once Yesung filled the vial, he nursed the small wound on Jongdae's arm and excused himself. "Do you have any idea what it might be?" Jongdae asked. "Until we get the results of your exam, I can’t say for sure what it is. I’m sorry." Jongdae sighed and leaned his head against Joonmyun. Joonmyun watched as Jongdae yawned and he looked at the watch on his wrist, frowning when he saw how late it was. He hoped Yesung would come back soon so they could finally get home. Yesung appeared after almost ten minutes of waiting, papers in his hands and smile wide. "I got your results right here," he said. "Congratulations, you're pregnant!" It took a second to register. At first they were just words, coming in and out, but before they could leave the vicinity of Joonmyun's brain, they rang bells in his head and Joonmyun could see it in his head, bright neon lights screaming, pregnant, baby, family, your child. The smile was on his face before he could really help it, but when he turned to Jongdae, his eyes filled with fear, the smile fell away. Yesung seemed to have noticed the tense air between them and cleared his throat to get their attention. "If His Highness helped you with your heat two months ago, it would fit the timeline as you're around eight weeks pregnant." He handed them the test and explained, but Joonmyun could barely hear what he was saying because at that moment, it felt like he knew what Jongdae was feeling and all of a sudden he shared the same worries. "I suggest setting up your prenatal visits as soon as possible. We'll need to check out how the baby is doing so if you don’t mind, I’d like to do an ultrasound." Yesung looked like he wanted to say more, but kept his mouth shut. "There’s a medical gown in the closet over there. I’ll leave you to get ready." When Yesung left, Jongdae grabbed for Joonmyun's arm, hands tight around the limb. "Did he say I was pregnant?" Jongdae whispered. Joonmyun swallowed. "Yes." "Shit," Jongdae whispered, curling into himself and covering his mouth with a hand. "What have we done?" he said, turning to face Joonmyun. "What are we going to do? This is going to change everything," Jongdae whispered. "The plan, this is gonna affect our plan, my life, forever. Joonmyun, this baby, if I have this baby, it's going to be permanent." Joonmyun swallowed down the small stab in his heart at Jongdae's words and sat down beside the younger. "We should—" he took a deep breath and tried to clear his thoughts to make a coherent statement. "We should call Heechul and see what he says." Jongdae bit his lip and waited for Joonmyun to make the call. It was nearly midnight now, but the call went through after three rings. Joonmyun put Heechul on loudspeaker. "Yes, Your Highness?" Heechul said in that tone laced with irritation. Joonmyun was too thrown off by the big news to care about Heechul's feelings. "Jongdae's pregnant." "What?" "Jongdae, he's pregnant." "Really?" he said, sounding amused. There was soft rustling from his side of the line and some muttering in a foreign language. "Well, that was sooner than expected, but congratulations." "What do we do?" Joonmyun asked when Heechul offered no real answer to the problem. "What do you mean?" "Clearly there's something that needs to be done? I mean, this isn't part of the plan, it could ruin everything." Heechul hummed. "I don't really see how you impregnating your omega is a problem. Unless, you plan on aborting your baby which I advise you now is not a good idea. I think it's obvious that you should keep it. You having a baby with Jongdae is good for us actually." "You want us... to keep the baby?" Jongdae asked, voice hesitant and scared. "Yes?" Heechul replied. "What's so wrong with that? It's a baby. You guys were ready to get married for the peace treaty, that also meant having a baby in the not-so-far future. Just 'cause the baby came earlier doesn't mean it's much cause for worry." "Does this mean we should have the wedding earlier?" Joonmyun found himself asking, one of the many questions running through his head. He was surprised when he found a voice for it. "Maybe, but we'll have to see. It's not really that important now that you're having a baby, but it might be good to have you married before Jongdae gives birth. We'll talk about it on the next meeting, and make sure you're there too, Jongdae. Good night, Your Highness." Heechul cut off the call before Joonmyun could ask any more questions. "So that's it?" "I'm not sure," Joonmyun replied. Jongdae closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. Joonmyun reached out for his hand and wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulders. "I'm scared," Jongdae admitted, clutching Joonmyun's dress shirt. Joonmyun felt the ache in his heart again, but he ignored it in favor of pulling Jongdae closer. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise." But they both didn't believe it.

Chapter 11