So, This is Love💫 (Chenji AU)

👑3👑

Chenle had snuck out of the house through the back. All three of them knew their mother wouldn't allow him to go. She was going to be at a friends house and would arrive home no later than midnight. Chenle got into the chariot, when his step-mother was no longer in sight.

"Aw~" His step siblings cooed at him. "Little Chenle's first ball." Chenle rolled his eyes.

"By the way, Chenle. I brought this. I'm not sure if it'll fit, but it was your mother's wedding ring. Your father always kept it. My mother tried to throw it away but luckily, Donghyuk thought it was too pretty." Jaemin held his hand out and on it sat a beautiful ring with a pretty little pearl on it.

Chenle tried it on with the other two watching him try it on each finger, before finding that it fit perfectly on his ring finger. He waved his hand a bit and the ring never budged. He smiled at the thought of his father placing this same ring on the same finger of his mother.

Chenle was a nervous wreck when they arrived and were introduced to the king. Everyone inside were talking with each other. His brothers immediately left him when they got distracted. He just decided to look around. This was one of the first times that he felt like he wasn't trapped in a cage.

Chenle walked and was looking up at the large chandelier, so he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry." He looked down to see a handsome man. The man waved his hand, to dismiss his apology and looked as if he was looking for someone. "Are you looking for something?" Chenle decided to ask.

"Yes, I'm looking for someone named Jaemin. He's a friend of mine." The dark haired man said. What are the odds that this man was looking for his step-brother?

Chenle smiled, "I know him. He's my step brother."

The man looked in shock. "Well then, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jeno, and you are?" The two bowed to each other.

"Chenle." He introduced himself. "Jaemin went somewhere in that direction." Chenle pointed with his thumb. Jeno thanked him and was about to walk off, but stopped and stood in front of Chenle, smiling. His eyes forming crescents. Chenle decided he liked Jeno. He seemed friendly.

"In exchange. I'll just let you know that the prince is not out here yet, out of nervousness. I don't know if you're nervous, but most people are,  so just know that he's nervous too." Jeno said, chuckling a bit.

"You know the prince?" Chenle asked.

"He's a friend. Make sure you treat him kindly. He's a bit of an awkward mess, but he'll find a way to charm you. Don't let him fool you, the boy is talented." Jeno laughed.

Chenle smiled and nodded, although he probably wouldn't dance with the prince. He had told his step-siblings he wouldn't dance with him and he intended to stay on their good side. Jeno bid Chenle goodbye and was finally off to looking for Jaemin. Chenle decided to keep exploring the palace. He looked around in awe at the elegant chandelier and the remarkably extravagant decor. It was such a sight.

Soon he could hear names being called somewhere. He wondered if they were finally calling out people for the prince to meet. "I guess the prince decided not to let his nervousness win." He thought. There did seem to be a crowd now, surrounding where the king had been before. Although Chenle was a little curious, he ignored the commotion and stood somewhere towards the back of the crowd.

He sighed as he heard his step-brothers being called. Of course his name wouldn't be called with theirs. Hardly anyone even knew he existed. He had only told Jeno who he was out of instinct. It's not like he really cared about dancing with the prince anyway.

Okay, maybe he cared a little bit. It would be interesting to get to dance with a prince.

Chenle spotted a long white curtain, and being the curious person he is, he wandered through it. It led to a balcony-like area but it was way more spacious. The music could still faintly be heard but there was less echo. It was empty around him and a bit dark, but he wasn't afraid, as it was a sight full of beauty. He walked over to the white cemented railing and leaned on it, looking around at the greenery and the moon. The weather seemed to be almost perfect, but he did feel the wind billow about, making small chills run up his spine from time to time.

He spotted a bridge that led down to the garden and decided he would go explore the garden in a bit. He stared down at his ring that gleamed in the moonlight. It was very alluring and he was glad Jaemin had given it to him. He was also glad for his father's suit. Even the clip on his hair, he was grateful for. Maybe he'd be okay just getting to dress up in nice clothes and go to a ball for one night. It didn't matter that he felt a little lonely, right? He was always pretty lonely anyway.

He was cut off from his thoughts as he heard footsteps from behind him. He jumped at the sudden sound of them. They were loud and dragged. He clenched the railing and turned when he heard a loud groan of frustration. He was met with the silhouette of a person, frozen. The person, most probably male from the very tall and thin physique, stopped before he was in the moonlight, where Chenle would be able to see him.

"Um..." he heard the person say. Chenle turned around fully to face him. He frowned. It was awkward. This person could have just kept going about their day and Chenle wouldn't have even paid them mind, but right now they were frozen in the dark. The person cleared their throat before walking forward a bit more to stand closer to Chenle.

Chenle stared at the boy, who he could now see, and noticed how he looked to be around his age. It wasn't a shock since everyone at the ball was around his age. It was a shock how finely dressed this boy was, though. Everyone here was, usually, fairly wealthy. You could tell this boy had money though. His outfit was a darker, more royal  blue than Chenle's, creating a contrast of blues in different sides of the spectrum.

He was attractive in the eyes of Chenle, an innocent kind of cute, he was. He reminded Chenle of a mouse with his thin nose and the small structure of his face. Mice were okay to the blond boy since he would often find some in his room in the attic and, as a joke, give them Chinese names like Sicheng and  Xuxi. The mice never intended to hurt him. They were almost like his first pets since he would sometimes feed them, though he would hate to admit that fact.

The stranger smiled a bit at Chenle and hesitantly held out his hand, asking for a... dance? Chenle frowned. It was odd, way odd. A stranger just asking for a dance from a stranger, and in the dark, but he supposed that's what the prince was doing too, dancing with strangers to determine who he would wed. He felt a bit bad for the prince suddenly. Obviously, he was being asked to look for a suitable partner and that was the purpose of this ball.

The pale, full moon shone dimly above them. It was far more beautiful than anything man-made. It was like a substitute chandelier and the music could still faintly be heard through the curtain, so Chenle stepped forward, deciding to trust what the universe had placed in front of him.

He placed his hand on top of the strangers and let him lead the dance. He wasn't entirely sure how to waltz since he had only watched his step-brothers learn, but the stranger kept it simple and led him through the steps. Chenle felt like he had danced like this before. His feet knew where to land and he could feel the stranger's gentle grip on his hand and occasionally on his waist. It felt nice, despite how odd it was, he wasn't uncomfortable.