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Chapter Text

“Do you want me to read you a story before bed?”

“Yeah!” The little brunet wiggled a little from where he was under the blanket on the couch, watching the elderly woman make her way to the bookshelf on the other side of the room.

“Of course you do. Which one should I read you tonight? The Seafoam Princess, the Tortoise and the Hare?” she looked back at him as she listen off the titles, amused by the pout he had etched across his features.

“Granny, you’ve read those to me a million times, they’re so boring! I want a new story!” The old woman laughed softly, stretching up to pull down a box that had been collecting dust on the top of the bookshelf.

“I see. Perhaps I should tell you a special story.” The brunet’s frown faded as she stepped back over to him, sitting by his feet.

“Special?” he echoed, looking to the box as her fingers traced through the dust that had settled on the lid, the brunet leaning forward to make out the rabbit she had drawn.

“Yes. It’s a very special story that my mother told me about when I was little. It’s been passed down through the family for years, but only very special children can hear it.”

“Did you tell mommy the story?” The old woman looked over at him, the little boy seeing something that he didn’t understand flicker through her eyes before her attention was back on the box.

“I wanted to. Your mother is very dear to me, but there are some people in this family that don’t want people to know about the story. Your uncle heard me trying to tell your mom this story, and he was very mad.”

“Why would people be mad about a story?” he asked, the corner of her lips quirking up, though the rest of her expression seemed far from happy when she spoke again.

“Once there was a land, no one knew about other than those who lived there.”

“Like an island?” Granny giggled.

“Yes, like an island I guess, and it was oh so beautiful. Flowers in more colors than you would be able to name, two giant castles- one snow white, the other a wonderful deep red like an apple.”

“A monkey’s butt is red, red like an apple,” the little boy giggled, Granny reaching over to tickle him.

“Yes. Everyone in the land knew of each other, and lived in harmony, even if the kings and queens of the castles didn’t talk to one another.”

“Why didn’t they talk to one another?” The question made her pause.

“No one knew. Things had always been that way, so they didn’t see a reason to change. Until one day a strange creature was found in the center of the forest – a little girl by the name of Alice. No one knew how she had gotten there, and she was just as surprised as the others in the land when she ran into them. She wandered through the land, amazed by all the sights throughout it, a truly wondrous land. Do you know what she named it?” Granny asked, opening the box to pull out a tattered journal, held closed by a worn string.

The little boy shook his head, eyes fixed on the book wondering if he had seen it before as he felt a pull towards it. He was having a hard time keeping his hands under the blanket, giving in with only a moment’s hesitation. His fingers immediately wrapped around journal, and he heard Granny laugh softly, letting it slip from her hands into his. He tugged at the string, unwinding it from around the journal, opening it to the front page, head tilting a little as his eyes scanned over the carefully written letters on the worn page.

“Wonder… land…” he read, blinking a couple of times when the page blurred and something heavy tugged at the back of his mind. The feeling rushed through his arms and down his chest, reaching his toes, leaving the dark haired boy feeling almost dizzy with how tired he suddenly felt. Turning his attention up to Granny, he was just barely able to make out her nod, letting out a big yawn after.

“Yes, my little Kihyunnie. Wonderland.” The name was the last thing the little boy heard before his eyes slid closed and a vividly colorful world of dreams took over.

Chapter Text

“He’s spacing out, not completing his studies… The other night when he was supposed to be going over his piano lesson his eyes kept wandering around the room. What if he’s acting like this because he’s-”

“We don’t know that, and if you jump to those conclusions things are only going to get worse.”

“I know, I know, it’s just… what if he’s… Everyone says it happens in the third or fourth generation after, and no one from my generation showed any signs. We would have by now… What if he starts showing signs while he’s at school?”

“Then we’ll pull him out and be able to monitor him.”

“Won’t he ask questions?”

“People get home-schooled all the time; we’ll just act like it’s a normal thing.”

“What’s ‘home-schooled’ mean?” The pair sitting at the table jolted, looking back at Kihyun slowly, the little boy finding something about their smiles strange.

“It’s where you don’t have to get up early and ride on a big bus with those mean children that tease you about your height,” his mother replied, getting up from her chair to kneel down in front of him, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

“But if I don’t ride the bus, then I have to wait until lunch time to trade things for lunch with Yoongi,” Kihyun stated, cheeks puffing out in a pout. The smile on his mother’s lips remained, while her eyebrows drew close together as she took one of his hands in her own.

“Sweetie, the thing is… You won’t be able to have lunch with your friends during the school week.” Kihyun stepped back, yanking his hand from hers.

“If that’s what home-schooled means, I don’t want it!” He exclaimed, the odd smile falling from his mother’s face. She opened her mouth to reply, the little boy bolting from the room before she had the chance to get another word out.

The harsh sound of a wrongly struck key snapped the dark-haired male from the memory, looking down at his still fingers. He wasn’t sure how long his attention had been fixed downward, lifting his head when he heard a voice call out to him.

“Kihyun, are you feeling alright?” Lips pulled into the best smile he could manage, and he turned his eyes back to the sheet music in front of him, starting the page over.

“Of course, mom, my finger just slipped,” he assured her, feeling her eyes locked on the back of his neck even after he reached out to turn to the next page of his book. “Is there something you needed?” he asked in turn, picturing the way she was likely fussing with her lower lip using her teeth.

“No, it’s nothing. I like watching you play.” The lie fell so easily from his mother’s mouth, Kihyun’s smile falling from his own. “Your dad will be home soon, come help me set the table,” she added, Kihyun’s shoulders relaxing as the notes filling the room came to an end and he closed the key case, fingers lingering over the smooth texture.

He knew he wasn’t the only child in his family that had watchful parents- one of his cousins had it worse with how often he got sick. That didn’t make things any easier, and he was often left wondering if this was normal. Most often his theory was no, considering how few children were subjected to being home-schooled; not to mention how weird his friends thought it was that he was learning English when he was seven. He had also been playing the piano since shortly after turning six giving him little time outside of school to run around with the other children in the neighborhood let alone the ones he made friends with in school for the first couple years he was allowed to attend.

He hadn’t set foot in a classroom in close to nine years, as much as he hoped to go to the same middle or high school as his old friend Yoongi if the other even lived around the town anymore. He was also pretty sure that most parents didn’t stare at their children as if they were some kind of alien creature when they did weird things that children did while figuring out the ways of the world. He didn’t think he would ever forget the panic his parents had been sent into when he licked a piece of chalk when he was three, or when he caught a firefly and brought it into the house to introduce it to them. It was as if they were there waiting for him to do something specific, while at the same time feared him doing whatever it was. Once when he was ten, his other cousin had told him about her parents; they were talking about her late at night, and she could only vaguely make out something along the lines of a sickness that their family got.

When he had in turn asked his granny about it, a sad look had entered her eyes and she patted him on the head telling him it was best not to worry – or tell his parents what he had been told. The latter part of her warning unsettled him, but the old woman had never steered him wrong in his eighteen years. What would make her start now? Turning on the piano bench, Kihyun stood, making his way from the room and to the kitchen, silent as he aided his mother in setting up for dinner.

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?” he felt himself ask, the figure with a blurred face getting closer though their face didn’t become any clearer, and they instead passed him without a reply. They didn’t even seem to notice he was standing there trying to get their attention.

What was making him ask random people riddles? Let alone ones that didn’t make sense while something stirred inside him to answer his own riddle. Was it even his own? The voice coming from his mouth was much deeper that how he thought himself to sound… What was going on? He continued down the street, pausing outside an antique shop that had a couple of full-body mirrors in the main display window, flinching a little when his reflection was nowhere to be seen. His eyes closed against his will, feeling his shoulders rise with a deep breath, and when they opened once again there was a strange tanned skinned figure in the mirror, cheeks bunched up as he smiled, eyes turning to crescents.

“Mommy that man has bunny ears!” His attention shifted to the little girl tugging at her mother’s hand, pointing at him with her other, and he found himself kneeling down in front of her.

“Are you Alice?” The blank faced child tilted her head to the side, quickly pulled away from him to continue down the street and he stood, watching the two of them fade in the distance. “Alice, where are you?” he heard himself ask softly, crossing the street as car horns blared and he startled awake.

“‘Alice’?” he mumbled, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “Who’s Alice? I don’t know an Alice,” he continued, sliding his legs out from under his comforter, rubbing the bottom of his feet against the soft but cold carpet as he blinked his eyes into focus. The soft rattle of the door handle was the only warning he got before his bedroom door opened, his mother looking around the room as she peeked her head inside.

“Kihyunnie, are you… alone in here?” She asked, and his eyebrows scrunched together a little as he looked to her.

“Who else would I have in here?” he asked in return, pulling his cold feet back under the covers to cross his legs under them, facing his mother.

“I heard you talking to someone.”

“Mom, I’m not allowed outside of the estate grounds. Who would I be hiding in my room, I don’t know anyone,” he argued with a small irritated huff. Fussing with her lip she looked around the room once more, nodding as if she had finally decided that he was telling the truth and there wasn’t someone curled in one of the corners of his room, though her expression didn’t relax.

“Are you feeling alright this morning?”

“Aside from a weird dream, yeah I’m fine.” He tensed as soon as the words left his lips, groaning at the interrogation he knew would follow his reply, rubbing his face with one had as his mother entered the room and sat on the foot of his bed.

“Weird dream? What was it about? What made it weird?” she fired off question after question, reaching out to touch his forehead, assessing if he had a fever or not and he pushed her hands away, frowning up at her, thinking as fast as he could.

“Mom, it’s not something that I want to talk to you about.” Her expression turned from worry to shock.

“Kihyunnie, you can talk to me about anything, no matter what it is I’ll always be here to listen to you,” she stated, the dark-haired male gripping at the cover sheet of his bed.

“Mom, I don’t want to talk about it,” he tried again, cutting her off when she started to speak. “Mom, I am a growing boy, considered an adult to almost everyone. And as such, there are certain things that boys my age don’t want to talk to their moms about, and that is completely normal.” His voice was slow, doing his best to keep it firm as he felt a fire dusting his cheeks. His mother stared at him with an almost blank expression before she coughed a little, breaking eye contact, standing and stepping out of his room turning back to him as she took hold of the door handle.

“I’ll go get your father, how about that?” She asked, shutting the door before he could even open his mouth to start to reply and he groaned, flopping back onto his pillow.

Alice, whoever you are, I hope you don’t have hover parents like I do who watch you even when you sleep, he thought, tilting his head back to look at the morning sky through the window of the wall that the head of his bed was pressed up against. Perhaps if he pushed his dresser in front of his door he could get out and be far from the estate by the time that either of his parents were able to get inside to ask him why he had barricaded his door? The knock on his door pulling him from his escape plan, looking to his father as the door opened, groaning a little- he had hoped that his mother wouldn’t actually go and get him, and he rolled onto his side, pulling the comforter over himself to hide.

After nearly a week of dreaming of himself as a black-haired man with weird bunny ears and his mother somehow managing to become even more of a hover parent than she had been for the last several years, the brunet felt himself snap. Dressing himself in a pair of plain denim jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, he tugged on a pair of sneakers, attention falling to his dresser once he was finished. Getting on one side of it, he grabbed a hold of the top while his other palm pressed against the flat side, and he took small steps in his attempt to push it in front of his door as quietly as he could. With the squeak of the dresser legs against his wooden floor he wasn’t sure exactly how quiet it ended up being, but at least he found some reassurance in how heavy the piece of furniture was.

Turning his back to the bedroom door he set his sights on the window above his bed, crawling onto and over the top cover, standing once he reached the headboard, using it to help him stand on the plush mattress, unlocking and sliding the window open. He grabbed onto the windowsill, pushing himself up until he was able to hook one knee up onto it, slipping his other leg over the edge, looking around the back yard. Taking a deep breath as there was no one around – not like he expected someone to be – and let himself slip off the edge and onto the grass. One wall jumped, one to go, he thought, keeping himself low to the ground as he approached the cold grey wall that surrounded the entire estate, reaching up and frowning as only his fingertips were able to hook over the top. He knew the wall had always seemed too tall to get over, but from his room it looked like he had a chance.

Letting his arms drop he glanced along both sides, the well-kept grounds offering nothing for him to climb on for leverage. He turned a mildly irritated glance up, bending his knees and giving a hard push against the ground, grabbing onto the ledge while his feet dangled, unable to reach the ground anymore. The first couple of attempts he made to pull himself up didn’t get him far, almost scraping his nose against the gritty wall as his hands started to sting from the texture. His feet found their way to the surface, looking for any and every shred of resistance between the rubber of his shoes and the wall, pulling himself slowly up so he was able to lean the top half of his torso over the top of the wall. Once he saw the other side he hooked one arm, then the other over to hold onto the outer side of the estate wall, finding it a frightening balancing act to swing his right leg over while avoiding toppling to the foreign side. Pushing himself up into a sitting position while straddling the wall he looked over the grounds once more, carefully slipping his left leg over as he turned, back to the house, taking one more deep breath before he pushed himself over the ledge.

A huff of breath left his lips as his feet hit the ground, stumbling a little from the force, looking up at the wall of the estate once he regained his balance. His open mouth pulled into a smile, a soft laugh falling from it as he stepped back, turning and making his way down the street. He had done it. He had really done it! He was beyond the border for the first time in- how long had it been? The brunet had lost track of the years that he had been kept inside, breaking out into a jog, putting more and more steps between himself and the prison his parents had locked him away in, eyes scanning over his surroundings to try and gather as much of it as he could.

Who knew how long he had before his parents noticed and sent out some kind of dramatic search party for him? One of the houses a few blocks down the road caught his eye, causing him to slow to a stop, hesitating for a long moment while he tried to remember how to get his legs to move and carry him up to the front door. It was an even longer pause between stopping and reaching out to knock on the door, stepping back once he had. He had only been waiting a moment when he heard muffled footsteps on the other side, causing him to perk up as the door was opened, eyes landing on a sheepish looking boy with short dark hair, only half of his face showing with how close he was standing to the door.

“Hi,” Kihyun started, holding up one had to give a little wave. “My name’s Yoo Kihyun. Does a boy by the name of Min Yoongi live here?” He asked, heart racing in his chest only to drop down to his stomach at the boy shaking his head.

“Gone. Moved away. We live here now.” The reply was just loud enough for Kihyun to hear, not making it any easier to take the news.

“Ah, alright. Thank you, I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said in return, offering another wave, turning and walking away from the house. Why had he thought that Yoongi would still be living in the same house? Just because his own family had lived in the estate for decades, if not centuries, didn’t mean that all families were going to be the same way. Still the news hurt, and he found the pep missing from his step as he continued down the road, both Yoongi’s house and the estate behind him. He ended up coming to another stop, staring down at the ground, then giving a harsh shake of his head.

So what if he wasn’t there anymore? That didn’t change the fact that here he was, on his own, for the first time. Lifting his head once more with the trace of a smile on his lips once more he continued towards the tall buildings with the assumption that was the way into the city. To say the city was louder than he expected it to be would be a drastic understatement, and the brunet found himself turning as he looked around, stumbling here, knocking into people there, losing track of how often he was offering apologies, eyes wide as if he would take in more of what he saw the wider they were. His foot even slipped off the curb, which ended up being a very good thing in that it got him to notice the crosswalk sign showing a red hand and he scrambled back up on the sidewalk as cars started zipping by him, and he let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair, then rubbed at his face.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was a little blurred, and he could have sworn that he saw someone in the crosswalk- rubbing at both of his eyes this time and blinking until they decided to focus, he felt his heart stop. Sitting in the middle of the crosswalk was a man with almost army-short black hair, looking like he was panting from exhaustion- but what stood out most was the floppy white rabbit ears. He didn’t seem bothered or concerned with his choice in a place to rest, the crosswalk soon flooding with people as the red hand turned to a white walking figure and Kihyun stiffly walked to the center of the crosswalk.

“I really don’t think that’s a good place to stop for a nap,” he stated, the figure looking up at him, making his heart jolt. That face- it was the same one that he had in those weird dreams he kept having, searching for whoever ‘Alice’ was. The rabbit-eared male stared at him for a second before his face lit up in a bright smile and he stood, turning to face the other.

“Alice!” he stated, Kihyun giving him a blank look.

“I’m- I’m sorry?” the brunet said, looking over his shoulder, finding no one behind him- as well as taking note that the timer on the crosswalk was nearing its end and he waved his hand to gesture the strange man to follow him out of the middle of the road. The other followed him, slow enough for Kihyun to start to panic about him getting hit by one of the cars, but fast enough to actually make it in time. Letting out a sigh of relief, he looked up at the tall bunny-eared male. “Why were you sitting in the middle of the road?” he demanded, the high-cheeked smile never wavering.

“I was looking for you.”

“I have no idea who you are, so how were you looking for me? Did my parents send you?” he asked, dread creeping into his stomach. Had they found his empty bed already? He took a step back from the black-haired male, watching the way confusion mixed with the look on his eyes, head cocking to the side a little.

“Parents?” he echoed, Kihyun eyeing him as dread turned to suspicion.

“Wait… Why were you looking for me? Who sent you?” The figure perked back up, confusion vanishing.

“I sent me, because I needed to find you, Alice.”

“My name isn’t Alice; I think you’re mixing me up with someone else. Glad to see that you’re not playing in traffic anymore, so I’m just gonna… go.” He stated, turning to walk away, the other’s voice making him freeze.

“How doth the crocodile improve his shining tail?”

“He pours water of the Nile on every golden scale.” Kihyun felt his lips move with the reply, one that made no sense to him, feeling foreign on his tongue while his mind itched as if searching for a long-lost memory. He stared at the black-haired male, who continued to simply smile at him, and Kihyun found himself taking a step back.

“Only Alice can offer the correct answer-” The words barely left the strange male’s mouth before Kihyun turned, running back down the road he had taken to get into town, slowing to a stop when his chest and legs began to burn and he bent in half at the waist, gripping his knees as he wheezed. He turned his head to look back the street, the panic that had bubbled up in his chest subsiding when he found it just as empty as it had been earlier when he had ventured towards the town. Coughing a little as he straightened up, Kihyun walked the short distance left to get to the wall of the Estate, starting the struggle of getting back over it and into his room once again.

Chapter Text

After his interaction with the strange tan male, Kihyun had expected the dreams of trying to find ‘Alice’ would have only gotten worse, unsure if he should find comfort in the fact that they came to a sudden stop instead. Had his interaction with the white floppy eared male even happened?

‘If the heart’s desire is strong enough, the mind is capable of creating a world in which the desire becomes real.’

His granny’s strange words circled around his mind, sitting in the garden, flipping to a new page in the sketchbook settled in his lap. Had it all been some kind of daydream? He wondered, eyes traveling around the garden, lingering on the wall that surrounded the estate. Had he really climbed such an un-textured surface? He didn’t see himself actually having the upper body strength to pull himself over the wall once, let alone a second time after being set into a panic and running. A soft snap had his attention drop back to the sketchpad, watching the broken end of his pencil roll down and fall off the pad, disappearing in the grass.

A sigh passed his lips, reaching for his pencil bag, digging around inside for the sharpener left inside, freezing at the splash that reached his ears, hesitant to turn his focus over to the pond on the opposite side of the yard from the wall Kihyun remembered climbing over so vividly. Aside from the slight ripples crossing the surface of the water there was nothing out of the ordinary, and Kihyun let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

‘Get a hold of yourself,’ he thought, inserting the broken end of his pencil into the sharpener, a faint squeak occurring as he twisted the tool. ‘The last thing you need is mom or dad seeing you jumping at shadows,’ he continued, examining the sharpness of his pencil, setting the sharpener back in the pouch before looking up at the pond once more- Coming almost nose-to-nose with a face that was quick to grow in familiarity, Kihyun yelping as he jerked back from the rabbit-eared figure now sitting in front of him.

“What are you- How did you find me?” Kihyun demanded, watching the black-haired male shrug a little, confusion mixing with the alarm he felt when he noticed something drip from the male’s chin. He didn’t shrug, he was- shivering? “And why are you soaking wet?” Kihyun continued, eyes flickering between the male and the pond several feet away. The splash he heard… “Did you crawl out of our pond?” The shivering male’s head cocked to the side.

“Pond?” He echoed, finally offering a response to one of Kihyun’s questions, and the brunet pointed to the body of water, the other’s eyes following his gesture. “Oh. Yes, I came out of the pool.”

“That’s not a pool, it’s a pond,” Kihyun corrected, the male meeting his eyes and Kihyun shook his head; what it was called was nowhere near the issue at the moment. “Why are you even here, how did you find me?” he asked again, the other continuing to shiver as he smiled brightly.

“I came through the looking glass to find you, Alice, and here you were right on the other side! I didn’t have to go searching for you again,” he explained, Kihyun glancing to the pond once more. Was there some tunnel that connected it to some other side? Did his family know? “Alice, you need to come with me,” the other male continued, snapping Kihyun from his thoughts, a frown tugging at his lips.

“I’m not going anywhere with you, unless it’s to the police to report you as some kind of stalker,” Kihyun stated, his words seeming to only induce further confusion for the strange male, who simply stared at him, unthreatened by the reply he got. “Why are you convinced that I need to go with you, anyway? You haven’t bothered to introduce yourself, and you keep calling me by the wrong name.” The other offered a bow of his head, bright smile returning.

“I am called Hyunwoo, known by the title of White Rabbit. I call you Alice because you are Alice. Only Alice would know the answer to the riddles created by Alice,” the black-haired male replied, Kihyun rolling his eyes. Opening his mouth to make another attempt to correct the rabbit eared male, he was cut off, Hyunwoo standing and offering a hand to help Kihyun to his own feet. “Please, Alice. Let me show you the pool, you’ll understand then,” he assured, Kihyun staring up at Hyunwoo.

If the day before had been something he had dreamed up, and the figure before him wasn’t real, there was no harm in going over to the pond, right? What was the worst that could happen, he would trip in and sit in the three feet of water. As long as the weirdo didn’t try drowning him everything would be fine. Reluctantly he took Hyunwoo’s hand, staggering a little at the force the other used to pull him to his feet, pulling his hand back once he was upright, following the dark haired male up to the pond, watching the other point at something in the water. He kept his eyes on Hyunwoo’s face as he stepped closer to the edge of the pond, hesitant to look where he was pointing. Kihyun had barely enough time to blink between feeling Hyunwoo take his hand, jumping into the pond, taking the brunet with him, and Kihyun’s eyes shut tightly as he braced himself for the impact of hitting the water and the muddy bottom of the pond.

Kihyun expected to sputter water when he felt his face break the surface, head spinning for several moments as he tried to steady himself, eyes remaining scrunched up even when he no longer felt water on his face... Or the rest of himself. He didn’t understand why moments after being dragged into it he felt nothing- aside from his feet flat on the ground. How was it that he was standing up right? And why did he feel so cold?

Letting his face relax, eyes opening shortly after only for what he saw to make his head spin again. In place of the blurred discomfort in his eyes he had grown accustomed to when opening his eyes under water, Kihyun found himself standing in a light grey stone walled hallway, one look over his clothing revealing himself to be completely dry. What was going on? His hand was taken once again, head spinning a little as he fought for balance, being dragged by his hand down the hall.

“Wh-where are we?” he asked, Hyunwoo looking back at him, slowing his pace when he seemed to realize how much of a struggle Kihyun was having keeping up.

“Wonderland, where else would the pool of tears have taken us?” he asked, Kihyun yanking his hand back. Wonderland? Now he was sure that he had imagined up the strange rabbit man who now had his head tilted a little to the side at the sudden halt Kihyun forced them to come to.

“Okay, now I’m sure that one or both of us is crazy,” he stated, Hyunwoo frowning a little.

“Crazy? No. Mad, yes, but we’re all mad here, especially the Hatter,” Hyunwoo replied, Kihyun feeling something itch at the back of his mind once again. The moment that Kihyun noticed that the black-haired male’s hand had relaxed enough, he pulled away, turning and bolting in the opposite direction just as he had last time the strange male had said something that felt like the ghost of a memory.

The problem he was faced this time was that he had no idea where he was going. At least with running back to the estate he had a clear shot, and a vague idea of when to stop. Here the hallways that his mind had created twisted and turned and he almost ran into the grey stone several times when the wall seemed to offer a turn only to be revealed as no more than an indentation. He continued past a few figures, their faces no more than blurs with how little focus he gave to them, eventually finding a dark brown wooden door down one of the hallways. Without a second thought he crashed into the smooth textured surface, pushing it open enough to press himself through, leaning back against it to force it closed once again.

Allowing himself a few moments to breathe, Kihyun closed his eyes, waiting for the burn in his chest to ease before opening them, mouth hanging open even as his panting stopped at the sight before him. Rows of flower beds lined the castle wall as far as he could see, and he stepped down onto the sand colored path, finding it firmer than he expected. Some of the plants that lined the pathways seemed familiar, yet at the same time didn’t quite look like what he was pretty sure they were meant to look like. Mostly in the fact that the blooming flowers all appeared healthy, while the stems they were attached to appeared to be an ashy white-grey color. It reminded him of when he was a child, trying to draw animals without being able to remember exactly what they looked like, and the end result came out… interesting.

One thing he did take notice of in the garden was how often one particular plant seemed to appear. The thin green stems contrasted against the others, delicate violet colored flowers blooming at the ends with oval shaped buds here and there. He pulled his eyes from the foliage, letting them fall onto the opening of a simple white colored archway, stepping in and stopping a about ten feet in when he met a wall like hedge, looking left then right to see pathways down each direction. Was it some kind of labyrinth? Kihyun flinched when he heard a voice, too muffled to make out, yet something had him inclined to believe it was Hyunwoo getting closer to finding him, and he took quick steps down the left pathway.

A turn here, another there, Kihyun had difficulty remembering what direction he had come from, gaze lifting to the tops of the walls for some kind of sign of where he was and where he wanted to go, fearing what would happen if he remained lost. Then again if Hyunwoo had been able to find him at the estate, he was sure that the strange male could find him anywhere, even in the furthest corner of this maze. It felt like he had been searching for a way out when he began debating giving up, hands finding their way to one of the walls, finding it more pliable than it looked. Could he just… walk through it? Closing his eyes he lifted on arm up to shield his face, pressing through the wall as his hair and clothing was tugged at by the branched of the hedge. Once free, Kihyun reached up to pull a few twigs from his hair, flinching when he heard a new voice.

“Would you mind explaining to me why you’ve decided to destroy my hedge maze?” Something told Kihyun that he had found the source of the colder temperature he was met with when he stepped out of the Looking Glass, or whatever it was that Hyunwoo had called it. Looking to his right he found a small light blue circular table with a tea set resting on a white tablecloth, and an icy-pink haired male sitting in one of the two chairs with a teacup raised almost to his lips. When their eyes met, the other male went from cocking an eyebrow, to narrowing his eyes a little, lowering the teacup to rest on the saucer in his other hand.

“You’re not one of mine… You must be from the Red Kingdom,” he continued, setting the saucer onto the table before their eyes met again, silence settling between them. Red Kingdom? The corners of the male’s lips tugged downward, standing from his chair, fingers brushing over the tablecloth as he took a couple steps towards Kihyun, the brunet noticing the small black spade and club on his cheek bones, along with the white king chess piece hanging from his neck.

“Well? Out with it.”

“Out with what?”

“Your message.”

“What message?” Kihyun asked, earning a scoff from the other.

“Leave it to Minhyuk to find the stupidest suits to send on errands. They make him look like less of a wet candle,” the male muttered, stepping closer to Kihyun as the brunet backed up against the hedge he had cut through, the pink haired male holding out his hand. Kihyun turning his eyes up to the taller male’s face with what he hoped was less of a confused expression than he felt. “Your wrist.”

“Why do you want my wrist?” His question did nothing to ease the irritation in the light-haired male’s eyes.

“Why else?” Came the other male’s response, reaching out to take a firm grip of Kihyun’s right wrist, twisting it so his palm was up, tugging back the sleeve of his shirt, eyes narrowing at it, tightening his grip when Kihyun tried to yank his arm free. “A suit without a number?” The words came out softer, like the breath of a thought as his fingers eased and Kihyun managed to get his arm back, side stepping to place some distance between himself and the cold male before him. “Just what are you?” The male asked, Kihyun stepping away again, watching as his steps of retreat were met- he had never felt relief as he did when footsteps quickly approached and Hyunwoo rounded the corner, floppy white ears perking up a little at the sight of the pair.

“There you are, Alice!” He exclaimed, Kihyun’s relief short lived and he let out a groan as the light-haired male looked back to the new arrival.

“You know this numberless suit?” he asked, Hyunwoo jogging over to them, offering a bow, smile never leaving his lips.

“He’s not a suit, my Queen. He’s Alice.” The light-haired male arched an eyebrow.

“What’s an ‘Alice’?” He asked, Hyunwoo gesturing to Kihyun.

“Him. He’s Alice, and he’s going to fix everything, my Queen,” Hyunwoo answered, the Queen opening his mouth, Kihyun cutting in.

“Don’t you mean ‘King’?” The two turned their eyes to him.

“King?” Hyunwoo echoed.

“Yeah, the male version of a Queen.”

“Just where did you find this strange creature?” The Queen asked, attention turning to Hyunwoo as Kihyun shot him a glare.

“On the other side of the Looking Glass. He was sitting beside the Pool of Tears, and-”

“Oh Hyunwoo, not this again,” the Queen sighed, one hand coming up to pinch the bride of his nose, turning back towards the table he had been seated at earlier, Hyunwoo’s ears managing to droop more as he trailed behind the male.

“Really, my Queen! I went through the glass and on the-”

“Hyunwoo it’s just a mirror,” the Queen argued, voice raising a little, Hyunwoo’s head lowering and the large body seemed to shrink before the Queen, silent as the light-haired male took a seat once more. “I’ll ask you once more. Where did you find this ‘Alice’ creature?” Hyunwoo’s ears raised a little, only to fall as the Queen’s voice to sharpen once more as he picked up the saucer. “And do not lie to your Queen.”

“He’s not lying,” Kihyun stated, holding firm as he moved to stand beside the black- haired male, the Queen’s eyes on him again.

“You intend for me to believe that you came from one of the mirrors in my castle.” Kihyun gave a single nod, even if it seemed like a rhetorical question. “Hyunwoo, you’ve convinced this pitiful creature of enough foolishness for one day. Take him back to wherever it is you found him,” he continued, dismissing the pair with a wave of his hand, using it to then pick up his tea cup, eyes closing as he took a sip, Hyunwoo fidgeting where he stood.

“Please, my Queen-” The other’s eyes were on him once more, the look sending a chill through Kihyun.

“Have I been misunderstood?” The question came in an even tone, Kihyun watching Hyunwoo’s back straighten, and his ears swung a little as he shook his head.

“N-not at all, my Queen,” he stammered, turning and taking Kihyun by his arm, tugging on it to get the brunet to move with him. “Come now, let’s get you back to where you belong,” he continued, keeping his voice loud enough for the Queen to hear him as he guided Kihyun through and out of the hedge maze. Kihyun’s mind was reeling to the point that they were at the wooden door before he found enough sense to question the rabbit eared male.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that after all of this you’re giving up? After you wandered around town for who knows how long, after pulling me into my family’s pond, you’re backing down? Just like that?” He asked, Hyunwoo’s steps slowing to a stop a few feet from the mirror. “All because your ‘queen’ wouldn’t listen to you?” He continued, his arm released as the black-haired male turned to face him.

“Things may be different in your world, but here… the White and Red Queens’ word is law. We all have one that we serve, and therefore must obey,” Hyunwoo explained, Kihyun frowning a little at him.

“You took a while to back down for someone meant to simply obey a queen,” he pointed out, watching Hyunwoo’s gaze shift down a little, then to the mirror, following Hyunwoo as he moved over to it.

“I was hoping that once he saw you he would decide to take a chance… You’re my last hope for saving him.” The statement tugged at Kihyun’s heart, shifting to get a better look at the rabbit eared male’s face, Hyunwoo’s hand moving up to trace along the frame of the Looking Glass.

“He didn’t seem like the type to need saving to me. Not with the look he gave you for arguing with him.” Hyunwoo shook his head, a smile crossing his lips.

“My Queen is very strong. On the outside he may seem to be well but… The way he’s been acting lately has me worried… and that worry has only gotten worse as time passes and he spends more time alone. His focus leaves him during meal times and it’s become a rare event for him to finish his plate. I fear before long, the person he once was will be gone, and after that… He’ll be no more than a shell of himself.”

“Okay… and how am I supposed to help in any of this?” Hyunwoo’s eyes returned to Kihyun’s face, ears perking up a little though the worry didn’t leave his eyes.

“Not long after my Queen started to show signs of illness that the suits were unable to diagnose, I was pacing through this very hallway. I kept thinking to myself, trying to come up with some way to ease whatever burden was troubling him when I passed by a sheet appearing to be hung up on the wall. When I pulled it away, the Looking Glass was hidden behind it with the words ‘Find Alice’ written on it, seeming to have been carved from the inside. And then when I reached out to touch the letters to check, my hand when through the glass as if I was reaching into a body of water. I believed the glass to be telling me how to save my Queen and where to go, so I stepped through it and ended up in the Pool of Tears, and began my search for you immediately.” Hyunwoo reached out, taking a hold of Kihyun’s hand, leaning forward a little.

“Please, Alice… Please say you’ll come back.”

“What?”

“Please!” Hyunwoo pleaded, giving Kihyun’s hand a small squeeze. “The Looking Glass wouldn’t have told me to find you if you weren’t the key to saving him.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that? If he’s unwilling to listen to you, what makes you think he’ll listen to me? In case you already forgot about the whole exchange that just happened I really don’t think he’s going to let me attempt anything.”

“He just needs time. It’s important, Alice. If anyone can do anything-”

“If I agree will you let me go home?” Hyunwoo blinked at the question, then nodded. “And will you stop calling me ‘Alice’? I don’t know how many times I have to state that my name isn’t ‘Alice’ before you understand.”

“But… if not ‘Alice’, then what is it that I should call you?”

“Kihyun,” the brunet stated, Hyunwoo nodding again. “Now that we have an understanding, I need to go home before my mother freaks out when she can’t find me, and thus never lets me out of her sight again. Because if that happens then I can never come to this place again, got it?” he continued, Hyunwoo finally releasing his hand, gesturing to the mirror.

“Take a deep breath and step through. It’ll take you right back to the Pool of Tears,” he explained, and Kihyun stepped closer, freezing when Hyunwoo’s hand was on his shoulder. “One more thing. Please do not attempt to enter Wonderland unless I am with you. We wouldn’t want you to be unable to return to your world, would we?” Kihyun opened his mouth to question the cryptic statement, or how the other knew something so specific when neither really seemed to grasp what was going on, only for the hand on his shoulder to shove him back through the mirror before he got anything out.

From the moment he lost his footing it was a struggle to regain it, opening his eyes only to squint through the blur of water. Curling his fingers in a cupping motion to pull himself towards the light source, letting out a large breath once his face broke the surface of the pond, coughing a little as he swam towards the edge to pull himself out, sitting on the edge as his legs remained in the cool water. There was no way any of that was real… A pond taking you to some alternate world? No. The cold feeling that had gone through him when he thought he had stepped out of a mirror must have been his skin picking up the temperature of the pond water. Sighing he reached up, running a hand through his soaked hair, flinching when he heard his mother call out his name.

Great. How was he going to explain his little pond adventure?

Chapter Text

When Hyunwoo didn’t show up the next day, on top of Kihyun having dreams he would consider normal as they didn’t consist of him looking for ‘Alice’, the brunet started to truly believe that he had been imagining everything. It made more sense that way at least, and he had returned to his studies the following morning. When night came again, however, he found his dreams filled with soft murmurs, unable to make out more than a few words of what they uttered to each other. When he tried, it only resulted in a dull throb in his chest, heart lodging itself into his throat. Whatever was going on in his dream, nothing good would come out of it, and he found himself waking constantly throughout the night, hesitant to settle and let himself drift off again as he was unable to shake the whispers and feeling of dread.

It was an honest miracle that he was able to offer attention to his studies, convinced that it was a type of self-preservation as he was flipping lazily through one of three books spread out on his bed – the current topic: crossbreeding plants. He hadn’t questioned his mother when she handed it to him, as she seemed more on edge than usual since she had found him swimming around in their pond.

There was a tap on his window, encouraging him to look up from where he laid on his bed, staring for a moment when he didn’t see anything from the angle he was at, returning to his book momentarily when nothing happened. He was turning the next page when the sound happened again, choosing to ignore it, continuing his reading as the tapping increased in frequency, closing his book with a soft huff when the noise was almost constant. Tossing his book to the side he sat up, turning to face the window, scowl turning to a wide-eyed stare at the black-haired figure on the other side of the clear glass.

“Hyunwoo?” he asked, reaching up to slide the window open, shifting out of the way when Hyunwoo started climbing over the windowsill, tumbling through and flopping onto the bed with a slight bounce. “What are you doing here?” he asked, lowering his voice as his eyes flickered to his bedroom door, hurrying to close it.

“Alice, please, we must hurry.”

“For the last time stop. Calling. Me. Alice,” Kihyun’s whisper turned into more of a hiss, leaning back against the door. “And keep your voice down, if my mother sees you, she’s going to lose her mind,” he added, Hyunwoo’s head tilting a little to the side, but he nodded, and his voice softened.

“Al-Kihyun, we must hurry. My Queen, he- he’s gotten worse. My fear for his health grows with each day that passes.”

“What do you mean he’s gotten worse? It’s been three days, what did he do, up and start starving himself?” The black-haired male appeared confused, falling silent as he stared at Kihyun’s face.

“Three days? You’re mistaken. Kihyun it’s been three and a half weeks since I sent you home from Wonderland.” The statement had Kihyun letting out a laugh until he saw the serious expression remained on Hyunwoo’s face.

“Okay…” Kihyun started, the dreams he had been having starting to bubble up from the back of his mind, somehow the muffled voices becoming clear enough that he could recall what had been said. “He’s been hiding away in his room, hasn’t he?” Kihyun asked, earning a single nod from Hyunwoo. “The suits are getting worried like you are… they’re all becoming aware of just how much he isn’t behaving like himself-”

“Kihyun is everything alright?” The brunet felt the color drain from his face, looking back at the door.

“Yeah mom, everything’s fine!” he called, eyes darting back to Hyunwoo. “Hide,” he whispered, Hyunwoo’s head cocking to the side.

“Hide? Why would I need to hide?” The handle to Kihyun’s door jiggled, him having to lean back against it to keep it closed.

“Kihyun, sweetie, what’s going on?” His mother called through the door, Kihyun pointing to the comforter on his bed.

“If you want me to help you, you have to get under that and lay down. And don’t move or say a word!” he pleaded, Hyunwoo following the order in a hurry and Kihyun staggered away from the door as his mother pushed it open.

“Why were you holding the door closed?” she asked, giving Kihyun a full look over, her gaze shifting around the room after, returning to Kihyun’s face before long.

“I kicked my blanket off the bed, and it got caught on something. I was trying to move it from the door before things got worse,” he offered with the most convincing smile he could muster up, his mother staring at him for a long moment, eyes traveling to the bed and Kihyun silently cursed himself as she stepped towards it, reaching for the cover that was – honestly doing a poor job at – hiding the large rabbit eared male. She took a hold of one corner of it, inspecting it and eventually pulling it halfway off of Hyunwoo, and Kihyun opened his mouth to offer an explanation, voice catching when his mother paid no attention to the strange male. Instead she hummed a little, releasing the blanket, running a hand over it to smooth it out, turning to face Kihyun once again.

“You’re sure that everything’s alright? You’ve had me worried these last few days,” she said, reaching out to cup his cheek, Hyunwoo sitting up out of the corner of Kihyun’s eye.

“I’ve told you, I’m fine. There’s nothing that you need to worry about mom,” he assured her, earning a hesitant nod as she lowered her hand from his face, wandering back to the door. She turned back to scan over the room one last time, offering Kihyun a small smile as she stepped out, only closing the door a few inches. When he could no longer hear her footsteps, he hurried back to the door to close it, facing Hyunwoo.

“Who was that?”

“I think the better question is why she couldn’t see you!” Kihyun exclaimed as loudly as he dared.

“Because I did not choose for her to.” Kihyun groaned a little at the vague answer, sliding down to sit in front of the door, rubbing at his face.

“What is that supposed to mean? That you’re only choosing for me to see you?” Hyunwoo shook his head.

“As Alice you are able to see me when others can and cannot. It’s one of the signs that you’re Alice, along with your answer to the riddles.”

“Riddles? Like that weird question you asked when we first ran into each other?” Hyunwoo nodded, cheeks bunching up as he smiled.

“Exactly. If you were not Alice then you wouldn’t have known the answer, and you wouldn’t have seen me when I grew tired of making myself visible to the others of your world.” Kihyun started rubbing at his temples, biting back a groan. This was all getting so confusing, and the fact that his mother paid no attention to Hyunwoo only encouraged him to believe the other male to be a figment of his imagination again. The likelihood seemed to only be growing, and he pushed himself back to his feet, Hyunwoo scooting closer to him on the bed.

“You’ll come now, right?” He asked, a hint of desperation returning to his voice and Kihyun sighed.

“I guess if I tell you no then I’m basically lying to myself,” he mumbled, Hyunwoo’s head cocking to the side before Kihyun gestured to the open window. “We can’t go through the door, my mom’s going to freak out if she sees me trying to go outside again,” he continued, Hyunwoo nodding again. He stood carefully on the mattress, slipping out of the window much easier than he had fallen in, Kihyun not bothering to look back as he followed Hyunwoo, dropping to the grass with a soft grunt. “We don’t have to go through the pond again, do we?” Kihyun asked, looking over the black-haired male’s appearance. He wasn’t soaked from head-to-toe as he had been last time, something the Kihyun found a little odd, trailing behind him as he made way towards the pond.

“After bringing you to meet my Queen the last time, he ordered for the Looking Glass to be put on watch, which makes me inclined to believe that he knows you’re Alice. He’s being stubborn in now allowing you to help though, thus I had to find a new way to your world,” he explained, and Kihyun found himself frowning slightly as his hand was taken.

“Can’t we go back the way you came then?” He asked, earning a shrug.

“The pool of tears is much faster,” the rabbit eared male concluded, pulling Kihyun into the pond with him once again. Kihyun took a gasp of air the moment he stumbled into the hallway again, wiping at his face as the wet feeling left him, Hyunwoo releasing hold of his hand as Kihyun regained his bearings, glancing at the suit who appeared shocked by their sudden appearance. When Kihyun looked up at the other male, Hyunwoo smiled brightly, tugging on the sleeve of Kihyun’s shirt to lead him in the opposite direction that the brunet remembered running off in the last time, Kihyun taking long strides to keep up with Hyunwoo’s excited pace.

“Are you sure that I’m even going to be able to get near him, let alone do anything to help him feel… better? You were there last time, first he thought I was some failure of a messenger and then he thought I was some random idiot playing along with your fantasy,” he pointed out, frowning a little once the words had left his mouth. “Wait… There’s no way he sent you to get me. He didn’t seem to know much about what an ‘Alice’ was, other than it being something that you believed in that he didn’t, so aren’t you going against his orders again?” he pointed out, Hyunwoo turning his head back to meet his eyes, not offering a response. “You still haven’t explained to me how I’m supposed to achieve anything that you think I’m capable of. I’m pretty sure I’ll just end up making things worse when it comes to your Queen- whom I don’t even know the name of yet. And I doubt that he wants me calling him ‘my Queen’ as you do since he knows that I don’t belong here.” Kihyun paused to breathe in the cooler air, Hyunwoo stopping his steps and facing the shorter male.

“Until he offers you his name it would be best to refer to him as ‘your Majesty’.” Kihyun rolled his eyes, looking down at the hand now on his arm. “If we’re going to get him to trust you, it’s imperative that you act like one of us,” Hyunwoo stressed, Kihyun’s shoulders drooping a little as he sighed, nodding.

“Fine, I’ll play his dumb little game if it gets me home before my parents start to freak out. Which apparently is longer than I think it should be if you’re convinced it’s been three weeks since I was dragged here for the first time.” The comment had Hyunwoo smiling, and thus Kihyun relaxed and returned the expression with one of his own.

“Time in your world is so strange,” Hyunwoo said, and Kihyun couldn’t help but laugh.

“Really? You’re going to bring up my world being strange? You have rabbit ears.” Hyunwoo’s eyebrows knit together, a slight pout crossing his lips as he reached out to touch one of the white floppy ears.

“They’re normal here.”

“None of the others here have them,” Kihyun pointed out, giggling after. “Imagine your queen trying to look all serious with big floppy rabbit ears dangling over his shoulders,” he continued, Hyunwoo biting back a smile as they were approached by someone in a black and white suit. The figure bowed his head as he faced Hyunwoo, pulling the black-haired male’s attention to him.

“The Queen requests your presence in the garden. He’s had several spades searching the castle for you.” Hyunwoo offered a nod, then a slight bow of his head, starting back in the direction they had come from, Kihyun keeping close as they passed the Looking Glass.

“Does he spend all of his time in the garden?” Kihyun asked, Hyunwoo pushing open the large wooden door with ease, closing it behind the brunet. The taller male didn’t have a chance to respond as the light-haired figure in question was only a few feet away from the door. His hand was outstretched, twisting the stem of a wilted bud between his fingers, his gaze shifting to the pair a moment later- eyes narrowing at the sight of, likely, Kihyun.

“How is it that you have managed to keep you head after failing to deliver your message?” Well, looked like the chance of him forgetting who Kihyun was and starting everything all over had gone out the window. Before he could reply though, Hyunwoo stepped closer, bright smile back in place.

“It’s good to see you out of your room, my Queen,” he stated, offering enough of a distraction and the light-haired male turned back to the plant his fingers were toying with, Kihyun leaning to the side to look around Hyunwoo, a somber expression on the queen’s face.

“The Clubs haven’t been taking care of my garden as they should be,” he replied, hand finally falling from the wilted flower, turning and making way to and through the archway of the hedge maze, the wilted bud fluttering to the ground. Hyunwoo’s shoulders drooped, and Kihyun watched him kneel down to pick up the fallen bud, examining it in his palm. The darker haired male turned to face the brunet a moment later, holding it out to him. Looking at the shriveled violet petals, Kihyun reached out and took the offering, rolling it around in his own palm, eyebrows knitting together a little.

“So- you have crappy gardeners. What do you want me to do about that? I’m not a botanist,” he stated, eyes meeting Hyunwoo’s again though the other was only confused by the term. “I’m not a plant doctor,” he simplified, examining the bud again. “But from the looks of it they’re just not getting enough water. That’s usually the biggest problem, over or under watering.”

“But they started wilting like this when my Queen started falling ill. The worse he gets, the more noticeable the wilting becomes.”

“Ever think that the clubs are focused more on him because he’s sick, and thus they’re falling short on their duties to manage the garden?” Hyunwoo paused, eyes scanning over the garden, though he didn’t really seem to be looking at the garden itself.

“A cycle causing a downfall,” he murmured, and it was Kihyun’s turn to be confused.

“Doesn’t that seem sort of… you know, extreme?” he asked, almost flinching at how immediate Hyunwoo’s eyes were on him. “Do you really think that the queen is getting sick because his garden isn’t perfect?”

“It may seem silly to you, but these flowers are one of the few things that bring my Queen happiness.”

“If they’re so important then why doesn’t he take care of them himself?” Hyunwoo opened his mouth to answer, Kihyun shaking his head, pushing aside the question for a new one. “Do you actually think that if I fix these flowers, it’ll fix the queen?” he asked, Hyunwoo nodding excitedly. “And you really think that he’s going to let me do anything to something that means so much to him that it makes him physically ill.” Hyunwoo’s nodding slowly stopped, lips forming a slight frown.

“That’s what I thought,” the brunet sighed, flinching a little at how suddenly his arm was taken hostage again, stumbling to keep his balance as the rabbit-eared male headed to and through the archway of the hedge maze. Kihyun couldn’t help but wonder just how many times the taller male had to have gone through it to have the path to the Queen’s tea table memorized, the table and light pink haired male coming into view without a single wrong turn. As they approached the table Kihyun watched the delicate hands of a black-haired girl sprinkling dried violet petals into the teapot beside the queen, resulting in a soft scoff from him.

“If you’re just turning them into tea then why does it matter if they get all dried out?” The queen’s unamused expression met Kihyun’s for a brief moment before he was focused on Hyunwoo.

“Where have you been disappearing to these last few weeks? You’re gone for hours at a time without warning… You know as well as I do how talk can travel along these halls,” the Queen said, Hyunwoo straightening his posture a little, only for Kihyun to cut back in.

“You know, some flowers wither when they’re not watered enough, while others drown incredibly easy.” Kihyun was fairly sure that the queen almost looked to him again, noticing the faint twitch of the light-haired male’s finger on the table. “There is also the chance of an invasive species, insect or plant, that’s attacking the roots, eating away at the plants themselves… if not taking away the needed nutrients from the soil. No one would be able to just see this looking at the appearance of the flowers, likely making them panic and water the plants more and more, loosening the soil around their roots and causing their foundations to crumble around-” There was a harsh clink as the queen set his tea cup down on to the matching saucer.

“Just what is it that makes a suit-less creature like yourself think you know more about my garden than myself or my Clubs?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at Kihyun as they were finally on the brunet’s face, remaining locked there even as Hyunwoo cleared his throat.

“I’ve been searching for someone to heal your garden, my Queen," he stated, a sarcastically amused look flashing through the Queen's eyes.

"And you somehow came to the decision that this thing was fit for the task?" Hyunwoo gave a single, definite nod, Kihyun glancing between the two and offering a shrug.

"If what I do helps then things will be fine, and your gardeners will learn a few things. If not- well, your garden is already dying, so it would put the plants out of their misery." The look Hyunwoo gave him had the vibe that the last part wasn't the smartest thing to say, but the queen kept insulting him. Was he expected to just take it and be fine with it?

"So you plan to fail."

"Of course not."

"What benefit does our Queen receive if you do?" the black-haired servant asked, Kihyun biting at the inside of his lip as he thought.

"If things get worse, he can punish me however he chooses." The Queen looked Kihyun up and down once again, jaw tight when he finally spoke.

"Fine. I advise you not fail," he said, Hyunwoo relaxing, offering a bright smile to the light-haired male.

"You'll surely not be disappointed, my Queen," he stated, though the other male appeared less than convinced, and the black-haired girl leaned closer to him.

"Shall I gather a group of Clubs to watch over him in your garden?" She asked, the Queen's eyes finally leaving Kihyun's face, falling to his teacup, raising it to his lips.

“Considering the state of which they’ve let my garden fall in to, I trust their competence as much as I trust this creature’s. I shall personally keep track of his task in my garden,” the Queen concluded, the black-haired girl nodding and stepping back from the male’s side. “You may begin tomorrow morning,” he continued, and Kihyun frowned slightly, causing him to arch an eyebrow. “Do you have a disagreement with my order?” He asked, and Kihyun looked to Hyunwoo for help. What was tomorrow morning in his own time? A couple of hours? He couldn’t just keep disappearing every couple of hours, even if it was only for a few minutes in his own time, his mother would decide to drain the pond if she continued to find him regularly soaking wet beside it.

“It is difficult to know how long his other tasks are, and when he is able to pull away from them to come and tend to the garden,” the dark haired male offered, earning an arched eyebrow from the Queen, looking far from amused by the reply.

“He will start tomorrow morning, or he shall be punished,” he stated simply and Kihyun rolled his eyes as Hyunwoo bowed his head.

“Yes, my Queen,” he agreed, leading Kihyun back through the maze. Once far enough, Kihyun turned his frown up to the taller male.

“Okay, if I’m going to have to come and go on his terms, then I’m not returning through the pond. Got it? I don’t care if it’s easier, you have to find a different way to get me home or I’m going to get caught and I’ll never be able to come back,” he stated firmly and Hyunwoo nodded, gesturing for the other to follow him out of the castle and into the woods.

Chapter Text

Hyunwoo had taken Kihyun just outside the front of the castle, where there was a large hollow space that seemed to have been carved out of the base of one of the trees, big enough for even the larger rabbit eared male to fit in if he crawled in on his hands and knees. Kihyun was sure that the confusion had been completely clear on his face, though he got down on all fours and wormed his way inside, expecting to hit the other side of the trunk almost immediately, startled when the light behind him had vanished and his head knocked against something hard. He groaned, backing out of the trunk slowly, turning to ask Hyunwoo if this was meant as a joke, finding the forest he had just been in replaced with his backyard and he looked to the tree trunk again with wide eyes.

Getting up he dusted off the dirt from his pants, making his way back inside, grabbing the book he had been reading about crossbreeding, flipping through it to the beginning to find the basic tip section, shaking his head a bit as he settled to read. A couple hours of reading passed, and when he heard another set of knocking he glanced up at his window, more surprised when his bedroom door opened instead and he pulled on a smile to greet his mother with, nodding when she explained that dinner was ready. Following her out of the room Kihyun went straight to setting up the table for his mother, father and himself, bringing the dishes of prepared to food to the center of it just as his father joined them in the dining room. It wasn’t until they were all settled in their places that anyone spoke, Kihyun lifted his gaze to his mother, seated across from him.

“How is studying going?” She inquired, the dark-haired male lowering his eyes to his plate once more.

“Fine, I guess. Nothing special, I mostly was focusing on the two botany books that you gave me to read, thinking that it would make my time in the garden carry more meaning if I knew how to tend to the plants better. I think fresh air would do me some good, and I’ve grown bored of drawing the same scenery for the last several years.” Out of his peripheral vision he was fairly sure that his mother was fussing with her lower lip using her teeth, his suspicion confirmed when he heard a disapproving click of his father’s tongue.

“We know that you tire of spending so much time in the estate, but neither of us have the time to take you on outings these days.”

“Why can’t I go out on my own then?” Kihyun retorted, turning his head to meet his father’s eyes, lips parting to follow up the statement, only for his voice to catch at the figure standing behind the sliding glass door a few feet from his father’s chair. Hyunwoo’s ears were bouncing much more, his arms flailing about his large figure as if he had been trying to capture Kihyun’s attention for a long time. It took him a moment to remember that neither of his parents would be able to see the strange figure unless he wanted them to- praying that Hyunwoo wouldn’t choose to do so in order to get Kihyun to come along with him. Was it really the next morning in Wonderland? There was no way, he had been there three hours ago, and it had appeared to be the middle of the day there… then again, three days had turned to three weeks, so Kihyun probably shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was.

“Kihyun?” He flinched at the call of his name, focus flickering to his mother’s face and the suspicion that was apparent on it. “Are you not going to answer your father?” she asked, Kihyun feeling his stomach sink as he had no clue what the question could have been.

“No, I’m not,” was the best answer he could give, hearing his father sigh, shaking his head.

“I told you he wasn’t ready,” His father said, and Kihyun dropped his gaze to his plate, scooting back in his chair when Hyunwoo began knocking on the glass.

“May I be excused?” He felt both pairs of eyes on him, and as much as he should have been used to it by now it made his skin crawl.

“You’ve hardly touched your dinner… are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m just… Not feeling hungry I guess.”

“If you don’t eat now, you’re going to have to wait until breakfast in the morning to eat,” his father lightly threatened, and Kihyun nodded, pushing further back from the table, standing and tucking his chair back in.

“Understood,” he mumbled, quickly exiting the dining room and heading back to his room, closing the door behind himself without hesitation. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he saw Hyunwoo standing outside his bedroom window, opening it and not bothering to invite the other in, slipping out instead.

“Who were those you were sitting with?” Hyunwoo asked, following Kihyun’s quick strides towards the pond with ease, and the brunet male’s shoulders sunk as he sighed.

“My overprotective parents,” he replied though the term ‘parents’ still appeared to be lost on the rabbit eared male, Kihyun gesturing towards to pond. “Gonna push me again, or do I have to jump in myself this time?” He asked in turn, the black-haired male perking up slightly, taking a gentler hold of Kihyun’s arm this time, pulling them both into the pond.

If he wasn’t so used to it from his parents, Kihyun probably would have been more annoyed by the way the Queen was allowing him less than two feet of breathing room, save for when the brunet would turn to drop dead leaves and trimmed stems into a small bucket, moving gradually alone the rows of various ash colored vines. He had to rely more so on the feel of the plants rather than the color, seeing how they naturally appeared a weak color, and he had to swallow back a laugh when he could hear a sharp breath sucked in between the Queen’s teeth from time to time as he worked. By the time he had finished lightly pruning the dozens of rows of wilting plants, the sun was high overhead, oddly doing nothing to warm the frigid air that hung around the light-haired male hovering around him as he worked. Standing from the final bed of flowers he brushed his palms together to dust the dirt off them, hands coming to rest on his hips as he turned to face the Queen.

“Alright, as long as they’re watered after the sun sets in evening and as it’s rising in the morning they should start to perk back up in a couple of days,” he stated, starting to think that the skeptical, resting bitch face that the other was giving him was simply the way his face was stuck.

“And you’re willing to bet your life on that?” The Queen asked, Kihyun rolling his eyes in response, reaching down to pick up the bucket of debris.

“If you really wanted me dead, I’m pretty sure you’d already have had your way, your Majesty,” he replied, watching the other squint at him, lips parting only for a deeper voice to interrupt him.

“Your garden is already looking much less pained, My Queen,” Hyunwoo stated, ears perked up right as he glanced between the two. “We should allow Alice-”

“-Kihyun.”

“-to get cleaned up now. The spades have prepared lunch with him in mind and set up the dining hall in order to accommodate him,” the black-haired male continued, leaving Kihyun wondering if he was going to ever actually call him by his name more than once in a blue moon. The Queen’s irritation appeared to fade slightly at the other joining them waving a hand as he did to dismiss the people he called ‘suits’, assuming that the gesture was meant towards him, encouraging another eyeroll from the brunet who in turn followed after Hyunwoo to get cleaned up.

Once the dirt had been fully removed from even the crevices underneath his fingernails, Hyunwoo ushered Kihyun from the washroom tucked in the corner of a guestroom, a change of clothing folded neatly on the bed, a stark contrasting white shirt paired with a simple black vest and slacks. When the arched brow he gave Hyunwoo was met with a soft encouraging smile, Kihyun picked up the clothing, disappearing once more into the washroom to get changed. He folded his original clothing, leaving it on the closed lid of the toilet. Once he had changed into the light grey button up and black slacks, he stepped back out into the room, watching as the black-haired male chose to then gesture towards the door leading back out of the room.

He kept close to the taller figure, finding that the more time he spent in the castle the more he was sure that he would become horribly lost if left on his own, the monotonous colors offering little help and lack of décor left no guidance of landmarks. As they approached a set of tall double doors the pair of suits standing at the hinge corners turned to face one another, taking steps in tandem towards the center, pushing the doors open for Hyunwoo and Kihyun to pass through and into the dining hall. The light-haired male looked so strange sitting alone at one end of the table centered in the room, seats in place for nearly thirty people while place settings for only three were located at the end where the Queen was seated.

“Did he throw giant dinner parties before his precious plants started dying?” Kihyun asked in a low voice, though the question only resulted in a confused look from Hyunwoo. The shorter brunet didn’t bother pressing for an answer as he took a seat, the rabbit-eared male sitting across from him, smile returning as he looked to the Queen, a few suit soon entering to place a bowl of soup in front of each of them. Kihyun watched closely as Hyunwoo waited for the Queen to start eating before he did, following the action in silence, choking slightly at the question that came once Hyunwoo had finished his bowl first.

“This is like the way you were sitting with those others when I went to pick you up this morning,” he stated in a bright tone that was quick to turn curious. “Who was it that you were seated with?”

“Those were my parents, the ones I keep mentioning to you.” Hyunwoo’s cheeks bunched slightly, causing his eyes to form slight crescent shapes as he leaned forward.

“What are ‘parents’? They don’t act like the suits do, and if I didn’t know any better I would think they were of the same tiered status as my Queen, but they have no markings,” the other rattled on, Kihyun biting back a comment about how he didn’t think that Hyunwoo knew better about anything from his home.

“They’re a lot more like prison keepers, with how close they keep an eye on me.”

“And why is it that they feel the need to watch your every move? Have you managed to dislodge their trust in the integrity of your actions?” The Queen asked, the sudden addition to the conversation catching the brunet off guard, both his and Hyunwoo’s eyes moving over to him.

“They’ve kept a close eye on me for years. For some reason they’re convinced that I’m going to suddenly go crazy for no factual reason,” Kihyun replied, deciding that it would be best not to mention the curse that the Yoo family had believed in for decades; at least not until he was sure that he had gained the Queen’s trust.

“So even your own kingdom doesn’t trust you?” The light-haired male pressed, eyes narrowing slightly while Hyunwoo sighed at the hinted accusation, ears drooping as he set down his cutlery.

“My Queen, please. I’m sure that there’s as much reason for them to worry about Kihyun’s health and safety, as there is for those residing here to worry about yours,” he countered, the corners of the Queen’s lips turned down in a soft frown and the two shared a long stare that ended in the light-haired male getting up from his seat.

“I’m retiring for the afternoon.” Hyunwoo tensed, standing as if it would get the other to change his mind as he reached out to take a limp hold of the other’s elbow.

“My Queen, you’ve hardly eaten. Please stay and finish your-” The black-haired male was cut off by the sharp look the other male gave him, pulling his arm free with ease.

“I am retiring for the afternoon,” he repeated, and even Kihyun felt a slight shiver from the chill in his voice, watching as he exited through the same door that Hyunwoo had lead Kihyun into the dining hall through, opened by a different pair of suits posted on the inside. Letting himself drop back into his seat with a sigh, Hyunwoo’s attention was cast down at his bowl until the brunet spoke up a few long seconds later.

“The plants should start getting better in a couple of days, so that means he’ll start acting like his old self again, if your theory is right,” he pointed out, doing his best to sound encouraging as he offered a smile once the rabbit-eared male finally looked up from his bowl, Kihyun watching as he tried to match the expression. With a nod, Hyunwoo looked back down at the remnants of his soup, Kihyun pushing his own aside once it had become cold and the taste was no longer pleasant on his pallet.

“I believe I should go check on my Queen, wait here. I’ll be back before long to help you home,” Hyunwoo stated to fill another bout of silence, Kihyun watching as he stood and followed after the Queen’s cold trail, leaving the brunet feeling more alone than he had in a while even as one of the suits entered from a different door to clear away the used bowls from the table. His eyes scanned over the figure, comparing it to his own, trying to understand what it was about the male that made the White Queen mistake him for one.

He was dressed in a dark grey button-down shirt, black vest and matching pants; much like the outfit that Hyunwoo had given him to change into after working in the garden. The cuffs of his shirt were folded back enough to show a black spade about the size of Kihyun’s thumbnail with the number eight above it, reminding him of not only a deck of cards but also one of the markings on the White Queen’s cheeks. It had the brunet wondering if there were other suits with the club on their wrist in the same fashion, deciding that wasn’t what he would ask about once he found his voice.

“How long-ah, sorry,” Kihyun said, noticing the way the suit seemed startled by the sudden voice, raising his attention to the unfamiliar figure. “How long has the Queen been, you know… acting in a way that’s got you all so worried?” He asked, watching the other tilt his head from one side to the other as he mulled over the question.

“I believe we’ve all lost track of how many full moons have passed since our Queen’s health began to decline. It’s been such a gradual change, most of the suits didn’t believe the White Rabbit when he initially voiced his concern for our Queen… I’m sure that if you asked the White Rabbit, he would have a more defined timeline with how close he used to keep to our Queen.”

“Used to? He seems like he clings to your Queen still, considering he just hurried off to check on him,” Kihyun countered, the suit giving a single nod.

“It may be difficult to picture it as you’re unfamiliar with our Kingdom, but a couple moons ago our Queen was rarely alone, even when he slept,” the suit stated, causing Kihyun’s eyebrows to knit together.

“What changed?” He asked, confused by the smile that the other gave him.

“The White Rabbit got it in his head that he needed to find something outside the Kingdom to heal our Queen. He began traveling out to the forest, bringing back things he found, most recently a mirror… And then a few weeks ago, he decided whatever ‘Alice’ was, that it or they were the key to healing our Queen. Thus, he began spending time searching, to find you, despite our Queen telling him that you didn’t exist. I apologize, but I must go now.”

Kihyun nodded as the suit dismissed himself, heading to what he assumed was the kitchen, his attention turning back to the main entrance of the dining hall, getting up from his own chair as he grew tired of waiting, wondering how quick Hyunwoo would be to notice he had headed home on his own. The black-haired male had only ever told him not to come to Wonderland without him, he never said anything about going home on his own, and he was confident he could find the Looking Glass- even if he didn’t enjoy the idea of hiding soaking wet clothing considering his parents thought he was in his bedroom.

At least, he hoped that time was slow enough in his own world that they still thought such, as he hadn’t bothered to barricade his door in order to hide him missing from his room. The growing possibility of them discovering otherwise only encouraged him to hurry the pace of his steps, deciding it was in his better interest to go through the hole in the tree, which he needed Hyunwoo for considering how vast the forest outside the castle was. He was sure he would get so lost that he’d collapse from hunger before managing to find the correct tree, though as he was passing the various doors in a maze of hallways he was starting to consider the forest instead- if he could even find his way out of the castle in the first place.

Concern was starting to leak into his stomach when he caught sight of door open just a crack, sure that he could bother whoever was inside for directions, fingers brushing against the door, freezing before he could open it any further when he realized he found the black-haired male he was in search for. What caused him to hold back on pushing open the door was the realization that it was the only set of double doors he had come across aside from those leading to the garden and the dining hall… As well as the fact that the rabbit-eared male was standing intimately close to the light-haired Queen, the pair of voices fading in as the brunet shifted closer to the opening, eyebrows knitting together as he did his best to sort out the context.

“Please, Hyungwon... Don’t you want to know why it holds meaning?” Hyunwoo asked, appearing to have his fingers curled around the white chess piece that hung from the Queen’s neck, surprising Kihyun when he didn’t pull away, instead lifting a pained expression up to meet the other’s.

“You’re the only one that believes that numberless suit has anything to do with this,” Hyungwon stated, causing Hyunwoo to slowly release the white chess piece, bowing his head as he took a step back.

“If your garden begins to flourish as it did before, will you finally refer to him as more than a suit? The fact that he has no number should be enough to prove that he isn’t like the rest of them… the rest of us. He’s different. He’ll fix everything, Hyungwon… I’m sure of it,” the black-haired male stated, perking up until he met Hyungwon’s expression, and his ears drooped.

“Hyunwoo, you’re the one that’s convinced there’s something wrong. And it’s all in your head,” the light-haired male concluded, his own hand coming it to shield the white chess piece when Hyunwoo reached for it again, turning away from the other. “Now, go take that silly thing back to where you brought it from,” he ordered, voice much weaker than Kihyun had heard it so far, causing a strange ache to spark through his chest. Hyunwoo took a couple of steps back, bowing to the Queen, silently dismissing himself before heading towards the door, causing Kihyun to tense. He was quick to move away from the crack he had been peeking through, getting as far back down the hall as he could in the time it took the rabbit-eared male to exit the room.

“Al-Kihyun… Are you ready to head back home?” He asked, head tilting to the side a bit as the brunet turned back to face him, trying for a smile as he nodded.

“Yeah, I was, uh- looking for you to help me get back,” Kihyun answered, managing to keep his voice even, watching Hyunwoo step past him in order to lead the way out of the castle, the brunet trying to make more of a mental note this time as to the location of the tree with the rabbit hole hidden inside.

Chapter Text

The difference in passage of time between Wonderland and his own world was truly beginning to make Kihyun’s head hurt the longer he tried to mentally make a plot line. The fact that the sun rose and set several times there in the same time as it only managed to do so once in his homeland was baffling. He often found himself chuckling to himself when it resembled the way time worked in the novels telling the story of a world hidden in the back of a wardrobe. He wondered if that was one of the many tales that his grandmother read to him as a child, assuming that was the only way he could come up with something as strange as time passing in any other way than how it had his entire life. 

He still wasn’t sure if he believed that Wonderland existed anywhere other than in his head, unsure if there was a way to explain its ‘existence’ in any other way. A world that existed at the bottom of their pond. A pond that became a mirror. A hole in the tree connecting two vastly different worlds in which servants had symbols and numbers inked on their wrists, where he was called by a traditionally feminine name by a man with animated rabbit ears. Was this by chance the ‘crazy’ that his parents were afraid of, or simply his attempt to find an escape within himself from their suffocating, overprotective ways? 

Kihyun was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his skin when there was a thump behind him, bringing his focus back to where he was standing, centered in his room. His attention locked almost immediately on the worn thin book that was now on the floor in front of his bookcase. Letting out a sigh as he realized there was nothing to be startled by, he kneeled to pick it up, turning it to examine the back and cover, eyebrows knitting together when he didn’t recognize it. His other hand moved to the frayed yarn cord that kept it closed, unwinding it until he was able to open the cover, breath catching at the letters on the first page.

“Wonder…land,” he read, the skin on the back of his neck rose, a hazy feeling spreading through his mind, as if clouding a memory that was attempting to surface. There was a high-toned knock that had his eyes shifting up from the book to his bedroom window, finding a sense of comfort in the black-haired male he saw on the other side. Standing once again he set the worn book onto the nightstand beside his bed as he climbed onto the plush surface, sliding the window open, watching as Hyunwoo’s cheeks bunched up in a smile.

“Time to make my rounds with his Majesty?” Kihyun asked in a sarcastic tone that was lost on the rabbit eared male, who simply nodded eagerly, and the brunet couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh. Real or not, at least he was able to escape the estate walls for a short while.

As per usual the Queen was keeping close to him just as he had the first time Kihyun had gone through the garden for the initial clearing of debris and dead stems that had little chance of reviving even with proper attention. The only thing that had changed since the first instance was that he now knew the light-pink haired male’s name- and the fact that he shouldn’t know it. Oblivious to this fact, the figure watched every snip and adjustment Kihyun performed on the rows upon rows of flowers, shifting back when the brunet would turn in his direction to toss debris into the small bucket that followed them through the garden.

Reaching for the pair of scissors that had been supplied to him, Kihyun’s lips turned down into a soft frown when they had reached a specific plant bed that had been giving him more trouble than any of the others. Opening the blades of the scissors he leaned forward, his free hand giving slight pinches along the wilted stem, searching for where the nutrients seemed to stop, clipping a finger width down from there, passing the snipped vine into the hands of the light-haired male beside him.

“Hold this, will you?” he said, not paying attention to the look of complete bewilderment on the Queen’s face.

“Excuse me?” Was the response given and Kihyun found himself rolling his eyes, turning to face the other, standing straight even if it didn’t quite get him up to the Queen’s height, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Do you want them to get better or not?” he deadpanned, pulling a scoff from the Queen, watching him turn, confusing Kihyun with how he was walking away.

“What does a ridiculous creature like you even know?”

“Hyungwon.” The light-haired male froze mid-step, turning slowly to face him after a long moment of pause. “I know your name, your Majesty,” Kihyun continued, meeting the hard stare with one of his own. “Plants have feelings too. They need humans just as much as humans need them. Maybe if you actually gave your precious plants attention, instead of expecting your servants to put all of the care into their growth, they would get better. Maybe they wouldn’t have even begun to wilt in the first place. Bet you never thought about that, did you, Hyungwon?”

“How dare you assume you can speak to me in such a disrespectful manner,” Hyungwon hissed through a clenched jaw, re-approaching Kihyun in a way that twisted the shorter’s gut, fighting to not back down. After all, if this was just in his head, then he would essentially be backing down from himself, right?

“Maybe some needs to start, since kissing your ass ended in this garden turning into a graveyard,” he fired back, watching Hyungwon narrow his eyes, and he could practically see the gears of the taller’s mind turning, as if trying to come up with some witty comeback but failing. “You probably think it sounds stupid, but where I come from talking to plants encourages their growth. Try it some time,” Kihyun continued, Hyungwon scoffing as he turned his back to the brunet once again, Kihyun letting him walk away this time with the sense that he had actually won their little argument.

While Kihyun didn’t personally witness Hyungwon going around the garden, he did hear about it in great length from Hyunwoo a few days later when he next appeared to bring the brunet to Wonderland. He couldn’t hold back a snicker at the mental image of the light-pink haired male walking around the garden, surveying the area to ensure that none of the suits were around before mumbling something to the individual flower beds. He wondered how the Queen acted when he got caught by someone, if he chose to hide away in his room, considering the murmurs he heard in his dreams. It was just like how he knew that Hyungwon was starving himself, only now the worry encasing his chest was replaced with excitement; pride at one’s self for a job well done.

“When you say he personally requested for me to come back, do you mean that in the same sense as he’s demanding I come and tend to his garden again? Because it’s honestly getting exhausting spending an hour in Wonderland and having to basically relive that hour in my own world. Trust me, it’s nice being able to get out of the house for what is only like, five minutes according to my world, but I don’t know how long I can keep this up before I start going crazy,” he admitted, an odd emotion that Kihyun couldn’t place flickering through Hyunwoo’s dark eyes before the rabbit-eared male’s cheeks bunched up in a smile.

“Things are going well, and my Queen is very pleased with you. Soon you won’t have to constantly travel back and forth, please be patient for a little longer,” he assured the brunet, leading him to and then into the pond. Kihyun was almost getting used to the feeling of being encased in water then suddenly dry, the icy feeling in the air that was becoming far less present the more often he visited. He wasn’t sure if it was simply his skin growing accustomed to the odd chill or if the castle was truly warming up as the garden was slowly revived. 

Kihyun expected to be guided to the garden, though by now he had a pretty concrete understanding of how to get there from where the Looking Glass resided, or even the dining hall that he hadn’t seen since his first and only meal with Hyungwon and Hyunwoo. When neither seemed to be in the direction that the black-haired male was leading him, Kihyun found himself glancing up at the other male every so often, giving a confused look to the set of double doors that they stopped in front of. 

“He wants me to visit him in… his bedroom? Isn’t that a little weird?” he questioned, pulling a chuckle from Hyunwoo as the other reached out to push one of the doors open, gesturing for the brunet to step inside. He was even more unsettled by the way the door was closed behind him, his eyes scanning around the large room, eyebrows knitting together when he didn’t see the light-haired male. He found himself drawn to a small table in the open area of the room, opposite the large four-post bed, though as he approached it he was sure that it wasn’t the table itself that he was drawn to, but the object residing on the center of it.

It was the necklace that Hyungwon had been wearing every time that Kihyun had seen the cold-toned male, the one he had been arguing with Hyunwoo over. Without thinking much he found his hand extending towards the white king chess piece that was secured to it, fingers curling around the oddly warm, smooth material it was made out of- tensing a bit when it was torn out of his hand before he could get a good look at it, attention turning immediately to the taller male narrowing his eyes down at him.

“Were you never taught to keep your hands off that which doesn’t belong to you?” Hyungwon hissed, and Kihyun resisted the urge to roll his eyes, not wanting to currently annoy the Queen any further.

“That’s a King,” he replied, watching the irritation flicker to confusion in the other’s eyes.

“What?”

“The necklace charm. It’s a chess piece, and it’s called a king. You know- like what I tried to call you when we first met and Hyunwoo kept calling you his Queen?” Hyungwon stared at him for a long moment, as if unsure of what part of Kihyun’s statements he wanted to question first.

“And ‘chess’ is, what? A material used to carve objects from?”

“‘Chess’ is a game played between two people with black and white pieces where the point of the game is to capture the other person’s king piece. Or make it so any move they make would end in exposing them in a way that you would capture it, thus forcing them to surrender,” Kihyun explained, a dark spot on his middle finger drawing his attention to the digit, eyebrows knitting together when he noticed the same spot on the pads of his thumb and index fingers as well. Upon examination the spots looked almost like the silhouettes of tiny leaves, the fact that they didn’t smear away as he rubbed his fingertips together a little concerning.

Kihyun felt himself bristle when icy fingers wrapped around his wrist just like they had in their first meeting, Hyungwon seeming to have no respect for personal boundaries in contrast to the way he acted toward his necklace. He turned Kihyun’s hand palm up, then down and back up again, eyes moving to the brunet’s face once again.

“What are you staring at?” Kihyun felt his mind stutter, glancing between the tiny leaves and Hyungwon’s face, unsure if the taller male had enough of a sense of humor to try and joke about this.

“Are you serious? You don’t see them?”

“See what?” Hyungwon questioned in return, Kihyun scowling lightly up at him.

“The little markings,” he stated, the taller male releasing his wrist finally, allowing Kihyun to take a closer look at the tattoo-like markings now on his fingers.

He rubbed them together again while the Queen looped his necklace over his head and back to its usual place against the center of his chest. If the chess piece had been made of black material, he would have suspected that it had somehow stamped the shapes onto his fingers, considering the new markings were only in the spots that his skin had come into contact with the king. He didn’t have much longer to question the oddity before Hyungwon’s voice cut through his thoughts, sending a chill down his spine.

“Those were there the last time I examined your wrist, why are you suddenly shocked?” Kihyun stared at the other as Hyungwon was stepping past him towards the double doors, voice caught in his throat. The Queen raised one hand up in a gesture that he often saw the taller male use towards Hyunwoo, causing the rabbit eared male to hurry after him. The brunet was, at the moment, too stunned to offer any opposition, trailing after the Queen.

“Another trip to the garden?” Kihyun asked, though he didn’t get a verbal answer, turning a corner here and there, another pair of double doors being opened for the pair of them to enter the dining hall. The memory he had of the room left a bitter taste in his mouth, so he wasn’t entirely sure why he sat down in the seat gestured to, finding it a little odd that Hyungwon sat directly across from him rather than in the seat at the head of the table.

“You exceeded my expectations with your revival of my garden. While I told Hyunwoo that it would have returned to the beauty it once was in a much timelier manner if you had remained here, he argued that you had to leave because of your residence in that other world you travel to.”

“You mean the one he begged me to leave because your suits couldn’t pay enough attention to the garden you put them in charge of? The one I belong to,” Kihyun pointed out, Hyungwon staring at him with a mildly displeased expression that the brunet assumed was caused by his implication of the suits’ incompetence. Hyungwon took a deep breath through his nose, and Kihyun honestly expected a sharp comment to pass his lips, eyes darting to the door off in the corner as it opened, watching as a dark-haired female suit stepped into the dining hall, carrying a tray towards the two of them.

“Yes, that one. You speak so poorly of that world, why is it that you’re always in a hurry to return?” The light-haired male asked as the suit placed an ivory teapot between the two, along with a pair of teacups settled on saucers with tiny blue flowers painted on them, decorating the perimeter of both. Kihyun’s lips parted to give an answer, slowly closing his mouth when he didn’t have one on hand to give, staring at the purple tinted liquid being poured into each of the cups before the suit placed the teapot back onto the table, stepping a few feet back from the pair.

“I belong there. It’s where my family is,” The brunet offered as reasoning, eyes lifting to Hyungwon, watching as the Queen picked up his own teacup.

“This ‘family’ of yours leaves you feeling suffocated, do they not?” Hyungwon pointed out, his tone making it sound like a rhetorical question, eyes flicking down to the teacup in front of Kihyun, then back up to the brunet’s face. He got the hint that he was meant to take a drink, his index and middle finger looping around the handle, steadying the weight with his thumb as he lifted the lightweight ceramic, noticing the half-dehydrated petals littering the liquid inside. “Hyunwoo told me that this world allows you freedom. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time here?” Kihyun had the cup halfway to his lips when Hyungwon spoke again, causing him to lower the teacup, eyes shifting up to the Queen’s face.

“I spend plenty of time here already as your pseudo-plant doctor. You only want me here because I fixed your garden, but I doubt that you actually care about what I want,” he accused, the light-haired male’s lips tugging down into a frown, gaze shifting towards the door they had come in from, Kihyun following the line of sight to watch Hyunwoo join them in the oversized room. The white eared male bowed a few feet away from the pair, replacing the dark-haired female, silently sending her back towards the door she had come into the room from, smile bright as always.

“Your Alice is being difficult,” The Queen stated, confusion causing Hyunwoo’s expression to falter slightly, head tilting a bit before he looked between the two, and Kihyun couldn’t keep back a sigh this time.

“He’s trying to get me to drink something that I’m pretty sure is made of the dead leaves I pulled out of his precious garden,” he countered, a strange mix of awkwardness and concern altering the dark haired male’s smile, giving it a much more forced sense to it before he bowed his head slightly.

“My Queen cherishes his garden above anything else in existence. While they may seem to be simple flowers to you, I trust that by now you’ve been able to comprehend their importance to him. He has never before offered the tea brewed by the flowers from his garden to another. Please, take it as a sign of his gratitude for all you’ve done to promote the health of something so special to him,” he said, lifting his head after, a smile having returned to usual before he glanced to the White Queen and back, both pairs of eyes looking expectant in their own ways. 

When it started to seem as though there wasn’t any way to get out of the castle without having at least a sip of the tea he decided to give in, bringing the delicate cup to his lips, warm liquid passing them and coating his tongue with a vaguely metallic taste. There was a sharp sting that started in the back of Kihyun’s throat as soon as he swallowed the mouthful of tea, causing him to grimace and drop the cup back down onto the table, one hand coming up to cover his mouth, the other his throat after causing the cup to clatter back into place. He could hear his name being called by Hyunwoo, unable to voice a response as he broke out into a fit of coughing, tears lacing his eyes by the time something else was brought up to his lips.

A different liquid was forced to fill his mouth, though he didn’t fight the faintly sweet and salty taste, the slightly cold liquid replacing the previous awful sensation, reducing his coughing quickly, leaving him wheezing faintly. Once he was able to focus again he opened his eyes, vision initially blurry but focusing to find Hyungwon standing, backed a few feet from his chair, a look of almost horror contorting his face in a new way, as well as showing that it was Hyunwoo whom had gotten him to drink something else. He mumbled a hoarse offer of thanks, the White rabbit nodding and setting the clear glass he had been holding to Kihyun’s lips on the table, searching the brunet’s face.

“What the hell did you put in my cup?” Kihyun snapped, Hyunwoo tightening the grip on Kihyun’s shoulder to force him down as he attempted to stand from his seat.

“Kihyun, calm down. My Queen bares no ill-will towards you,” Hyunwoo protested, the shorter male pushing his hand off his shoulder, successfully standing, though he didn’t make a step towards the White Queen as Hyunwoo seemed to expect, considering the rabbit eared male stepped between the pair.

“Then how else would you explain the feeling of fire in my throat as soon as I went to drink what he gave me? He didn’t even drink it himself, for all I know he tried to poison me, or give me something to keep me here,” he rattled on in accusation, Hyungwon stepping closer until he was inches away from Hyunwoo, looking strangely small compared to the white eared male considering their similarities in height, along with the way he usually commanded a room.

“I was just as horrified by your reaction to the tea as you were,” the light-haired male protested, letting out a small huff as he sat back down in his chair, which had Hyunwoo calming down slightly. 

“Kihyun, are you sure the tea wasn’t just overly hot when you took a drink?” The brunet shot a dirty look up at the larger male for the question, Kihyun’s suspicion growing.

“It was barely warm against my lips, there’s no logical reason it would burn my throat and not my lips or tongue,” he fired back. “You take a drink, if you’re so sure it’s safe.” Hyunwoo looked beyond hesitant at the order, turning his attention to Hyungwon, eyes searching for permission and after a pause the White Queen’s gaze flicked down to the teacup, then back up to the male’s face. A moment later, Hyunwoo was lifting Kihyun’s teacup to his own lips, sipping from it, eyebrows knitting together briefly as he silently inspected the taste.

“It seems quite hot to me still, Kihyun. Perhaps you didn’t realize the temperature?” the dark-haired male questioned, Kihyun’s own eyes widening when no other effect took place, and Hyunwoo set the teacup back down onto the saucer it had been resting on initially. “My Queen means you no harm, as I said before. Perhaps you don’t like the taste of the tea, and that’s what caused the bad reaction?” he offered, gesturing for the dark haired female from earlier to come back over, smile returning to her face, even as Hyunwoo mumbled to himself while trying to decide what to have her retrieve for the pair.

“Toadstools,” Hyungwon stated, cutting the White Rabbit off, and causing him to give the seated male a curious look, though it melted into a smile and he nodded, glancing at the dark-haired female, sending her off with a look.

“You haven’t asked for those in quite some time,” Hyunwoo said, almost sounding as if he was teasing the Queen, and Kihyun found himself slowly taking his seat again while the light-haired male didn’t offer a verbal response. He simply began sipping from his own teacup, not sparing Kihyun a single look for the time being. He wasn’t sure how long passed before the servant returned to the room, setting a tray on the table with what appeared to be cookies shaped like and decorated like mushrooms. Kihyun had honestly expected to be served actual toadstools, watching as she placed a few different colored cookies on two small plates, serving one to Hyungwon before placing one before himself. He stared down at the plate, then up at the light-haired Queen, giving him a hard look.

“Eat one of the cookies from my plate,” he ordered, earning an unamused look from the other male, though Hyungwon surprisingly didn’t offer a protest, lifting one hand with his index finger extended, making a circle motion with it. Without much hesitation, Hyunwoo switched their plates, and Hyungwon picked up one of the red and white cookies, bringing it to his lips, taking a bite out of half of the mushroom cap with the faintest snap, chewing and swallowing without much change to his expression.

“Still convinced I’m trying to poison you?” Hyungwon asked, leaving Kihyun feeling mildly baffled. Had he truly imagined the burning in his throat? Or perhaps Hyunwoo had been right about the temperature somehow? He looked down at the plate in front of him, choosing the purple and green decorated cookie, examining it more the closer he brought it to his face before giving in to the two pairs of eyes on him, taking a bite as Hyungwon took another from his own. It wasn’t as sweet as he was used to cookies tasting, the texture reminding him of shortbread, though a dizzy feeling started surrounding his head as soon as he swallowed, causing him to drop the cookie into his lap, grimacing as one hand lifted to hold the side of his head, eyes scrunching closed as the feeling worsened.

As he kept his eyes closed a set of double doors appeared in front of him, in a hallway that looked like the one Hyungwon’s room was in, though he didn’t seem to have much of a chance to look around, hands that weren’t his own coming up to force the doors open. It honestly reminded him of the dreams he had before, where he was walking around seeing through Hyunwoo’s eyes, but this time emotions flooded through him as soon as the doors revealed the white and red figure on the ground inside. His stomach dropped so fast he thought he was going to throw up, running to the figure and crumpling beside it, hands trembling as they pressed over the center of the red stain on the figure’s chest, hands becoming soaked in what he could only assume was blood. He could feel the stinging of tears lacing his eyes, streaking down his cheeks, a small sob bubbling up from his chest, eyes locking on the bleeding figure’s face when one hand covered his own, giving it a weak squeeze.

“My Love, who did this?” he felt himself ask in a trembling voice, the hand squeezing his own bringing it up to the figure’s cheek, giving it a slightly firmer squeeze.

“Alice,” the figure wheezed, before the grip went limp and he felt something similar to an electrical shock though his body.

His eyes snapped open and he stood, breathing coming out in a mild pant, the room around him starting to come back into focus; he only had a moment to realize that Hyungwon was standing beside his own knocked over chair, his own breathing ragged to match Kihyun’s, tears streaked down both of their cheeks. Hyunwoo’s ears seemed to be straighter than usual, high on alert as he looked between the pair, gaze bolting to Hyungwon when he raised a shaking hand, pointing at the brunet.

“Alice, you’re here by sentenced to death for the murder of the White King,” the light-haired male stated, a pair of suits quickly gripping either of Kihyun’s upper arms harshly, dragging him from the room, unfazed by his struggles. He tried to crane his neck to look back at Hyunwoo, calling for help, the last expression he saw on the White rabbit’s face being one of complete confusion.

Chapter Text

Kihyun wasn’t sure where it was that the suits were dragging him off to, his body eventually falling limp from exhaustion long after he lost track of the directions he had been carried. Watching the walls of the castle in reverse probably didn’t help with his spatial awareness either, or the images he had seen right before Hyungwon had announced his death for a crime he had no way of committing. He had only recently started visiting Wonderland… and when he had first met the White Queen, he had been baffled by what a ‘king’ even was. Hell, he had even still shown confusion about the title before they sat down for tea and cookies! And now he suddenly was accusing him of killing someone with the title of White King?

How many times did he have to tell everyone within the castle walls that he wasn’t whoever this ‘Alice’ person was in the first place? Hyunwoo refused to get it through his thick skull. And now because the stupid rabbit eared male calling him that he was being charged for a crime without evidence! There had to be some kind of trial system, even in a backwards place like this, right? Before his thoughts could race much further, he was tossed from the suits’ hold, rolling onto a slab of light colored wood, barely having the chance to look up at the pair in time to see one pulling on a leaver, causing the wooden slab to drop out from underneath him. He was then sent downward, becoming encased in darkness when the trapdoor-like contraption closed above him before he could fully process the ache that came from hitting what felt like concrete or stone.

The brunet let out a small groan of pain, rolling from his side onto his back, grimacing when he laid on what he could only imagine was a rock of some sort, arching his back and reaching underneath himself to fish it out, expression scrunching when he found a cold, smooth object instead of the stone. He pulled it out from underneath himself, squinting as his eyes tried to adjust to the light, sighing when he was unable to interpret the object completely, but it seemed to be on some kind of chain, leaving him to assume it wasn’t actually a rock. His eyes slowly started adjusting to the dark around him, trying to focus on the slight teal glow that came from several yards from him, feeling himself frown when it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The brunet let out a small huff, flinching when the glow popped back into existence as if responding to the noise, this time doubled for a brief moment, fading to thin circles after and Kihyun found himself holding his breath as the glow started coming closer to him. He hardly hesitated before he was scooting backwards until he knocked into a wall, mind starting to race once again. He didn’t trust anything in this world, what if those were the eyes of some monster of a creature? Was his death sentence meant to be him getting eaten alive in the darkness, never knowing what it was that caused his last breath? The glow stopped approaching him, or at least slowed to the point that he wasn’t able to notice any movement, Kihyun’s fingers gripping even tighter around the small object he had rolled onto minutes earlier.

He debated throwing the object at the glow, opting against the idea when he found himself unable to trust his aim in the darkness, sure he would only anger the creature further. Not to mention the way his body chose to freeze up when the glow signaled the creature lunging at him, and he followed through with whatever movement his body came up with first: shutting his eyes while swinging the object in hand, keeping a firm enough grip that he wouldn’t lose it easily. All his movements stilled again as soon as his hand came into contact with something a full arm’s length from him, and his eyes opened when a weight dropped onto one of his legs, trapping him under the force as whatever attacked him as it let out a human-like groan. It was then that Kihyun realized how panicked his breathing had become, stuck wondering how exactly he would be getting free while the creature was stunned as scooting back further wasn’t an option. If he shoved the creature, there was a chance he could be bit, and he knew the longer he hesitated the more difficult it would be to stay away from the creature. With that in mind he reached out to give a hard shove, pausing when the creature barely offered resistance, as if it rolled off Kihyun’s leg on its own terms.

“That really hurt.” Wait- the thing could speak? In a non-panicked state the brunet probably wouldn’t have been caught off guard by the fact, and the brunet found himself slowly standing on quivering legs, one hand against the wall for balance in the dark, half circles of the thin teal glow directed at him. His other hand slipped the hard object he had used into his pocket to inspect later.

“You jumped at me! Did you think I was gonna just lay there and let you eat me without a fight?” He was met with a pause, the glowing now something he assumed to be the creature’s eyes moving up to hover about waist level on the brunet, leaving him to figure the thing was now sitting up.

“Eat you? I was just trying to play. Geeze, they throw even the grumpy people down here. I thought the silly rabbit only wanted to get rid of people that flustered the queen.” Kihyun felt like everything he assumed since getting dropped into whatever prison-like room he was now in had been torn from him.

“Wait… are you trying to say you’re a prisoner down here too?” The glow blinked away again, reappearing a further distance from him and he heard the creature hum.

“Considering you’re the one behind bars, I think you’re the one that’s really a prisoner. I was just taking a nap before heading home.”

“You were just on top of me, how am I the one behind bars and you’re not?” Kihyun asked, pushing himself off the wall that had been supporting him, moving towards the new position of the glowing eyes, halting when his cheeks came into contact with something cold and hard, causing him to stagger back hand a step, rubbing at his face, and the creature broke out in a fit of laughter.

“Why would you run into the bars like that? You’re too big to squeeze between them,” the creature said between collecting large breaths of air, and Kihyun narrowed his eyes.

“Then how exactly did you get out? You sure didn’t feel like you were smaller than me,” Kihyun pointed out, looking around when the glow disappeared once again. They didn’t reappear anywhere that he could detect in front of himself, squinting through the darkness on his left and right as well. The next time he jumped he wasn’t sure if it was because the voice came from behind him, or because he felt the creature’s breath against the back of his neck.

“Like this.” The reply was simple and came in an unthreatening tone, and Kihyun told himself that it was the suddenness that caught him off guard, spinning around to face the pair of eyes, barely visible as the creature let out another bout of laughter. “You should see the look on your face,” the creature chimed, and Kihyun let out an annoyed huff.

“And how am I supposed to see anything? It’s pitch black down here,” Kihyun pointed out, and the giggles died off; the brunet almost preferred them to the quiet that was followed by a soft shuffle of fabric.

“Oh, right. Your kind can’t see in the dark, can they?” the creature asked, and there was a bit of shuffling before a dim glow causing the other’s features to come into focus. What caught the shorter male off guard was the fact that as far as he could tell, the light haired figure was human like himself or Hyungwon, no signs of weird ears popping out of the top of his head, leaving Kihyun confused about what the other meant by ‘his kind’. Dismissing that, he looked to what the figure held in his hand, finding a small glass jar sitting on his open palm, containing a few mushrooms glowing a brilliant icy blue.

The longer he spent around the stranger the more questions he was left with, giving him a sinking feeling of Déjà vu, and his gaze traveled upwards to the vague outline of the wooden trap door he had been dropped down through. He could partially see now with the other’s help, but he doubted a jar of glowing mushrooms would be getting him out of the prison any time soon. He found himself more and more grateful for the difference in time between Wonderland and his own world, and Kihyun found himself letting out a sigh, frowning when the figure’s face was suddenly only a couple of inches from his own.

“Even with the light you’re still bothered,” the other pointed out and Kihyun gave him the blandest expression he could manage.

“Just because I now can see you’re not some eight foot monster with giant fangs and claws, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still trapped in here with you,” he pointed out, watching the light haired figure’s head tilt to the side briefly before he grinned revealing slightly larger than average canines that sent a shiver through Kihyun. The figure’s teal eyes gleamed again before he vanished with a blink, the jar of glowing mushrooms floating where he had been holding it, and the brunet felt himself bristle once again. He had knocked his head against the floor in his fall, hadn’t he? Or perhaps the tea and cookies were laced with hallucinogens.

“Now you’re trapped in there without me,” came the figure’s voice from behind him once again, causing him to spin around. He was right- somehow the other was on the opposite side of the prison bars from himself, and Kihyun felt his eyes go wide, amusing the figure, and the brunet frowned when he started laughing again.

“I’m not sorry for hitting you anymore,” he stated, silencing the figure who gave a roll of his eyes as he straightened up.

“You’re about as fun as the rest of your kind,” the figure stated, causing Kihyun’s frown to deepen.

“And you must have been locked down here for quite a long time if you don’t know that I’m - wait. My kind… Have others like me ended up down here?” the shorter asked, stepping closer and grabbing ahold of the bars, searching the light-haired male’s face. Was there an actual chance that he wasn’t the first that Hyunwoo had dragged from the other world? Perhaps there was someone else here that could help him make some kind of sense of everything that had happened, what had played in his head like a memory that didn’t belong to him. At his point he didn’t care how desperate his expression was as he watched the other figure almost snicker, while appearing to attempt not to smile.

“Well duh. Of course they have. They wander around the castle for a bit, say something to piss off the White Queen and get tossed down here. It’s been a while since someone joined me, but your kind ends up down here a lot,” he replied, tone hinting that it was something insanely obvious as he looked Kihyun over. “You’re not from the Red Kingdom, so I don’t get why you don’t know about your own kingdom’s customs.” Any hope that Kihyun had vanished and he let his head hit the bars of the prison with a groan.

“You think I’m a suit, don’t you?” he mumbled, the figure’s face coming close to his again, causing him to step back from the bars.

“Well you’re not a Queen, and you complain too much to be a Hatter. What else could you be but a suit when you don’t have a pair of floppy ears either,” the figure pointed out and Kihyun gave him a hard look over.

“You don’t have ears either. And I doubt that you’re a Queen since you don’t have markings on your face, so what does that make you?” he argued, the figure taking a step back from the bars to give a dramatically deep bow.

“I, dear suit, am the Cheshire,” he introduced, standing up straight again, grinning at the shorter male after. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Kihyun tugged back the sleeve of his shirt, extending it through the bars and out towards the light-haired male.

“For the last time, I’m not a suit,” he stated, hoping that his bare wrist would be evidence enough for the eccentric figure who stared down at his bare skin. The grin taken over by a curious expression, the figure reaching out for but not touching the shorter’s skin.

“If not a suit, then what kind of a creature are you?'' The Cheshire asked, gaze lifting to meet Kihyun’s once again, and he let out a sigh in response.

“According to the White Rabbit, I’m Alice. But the only thing that’s done for me is cause me to become a gardener for the White Queen, and end with me getting locked down here,” he grumbled, unsure how to feel about the way The Cheshire’s eyes widened.

“The White Queen allowed you to tend to his garden even without being one of his suits? You must be special,” he stated, and Kihyun felt his shoulders sink a bit.

“Apparently I’m special in not-so-fun ways too, and now he wants me dead,” he stated, the Cheshire’s arms coming up to cross loosely over his chest.

“Why not leave before the trial?” he suggested, and Kihyun gave him a sharp look.

“Easy for you to say, not everyone gets to choose what side of these bars we’re on,” he deadpanned and after a moment of thought, The Cheshire was reaching for the golden pouch fastened to the hip of his pants. Kihyun assumed it was the same place that he got the jar of glowing mushrooms from. Untying the red rope keeping it closed, the figure then reached down into it, arm sinking further than logically possible with the minimalistic size of the pouch, appearing to be digging around for something. Pulling his arm back out of the pouch the Cheshire revealed a single silver key with a grin, slipping it into the slot on the opposite side of the set of bars, the lock slipping out of place with a rusty clunk.

“How did- where did you get the key?” Kihyun asked as the barred door was opened by the other and he stepped out, closing the door behind himself before looking to The Cheshire’s constant grin.

“Oh, I found it around here quite some time ago.”

“But… Why were you staying locked up if you had the key? And beyond that, you’ve got the ability to teleport or something,” the brunet rattled on, the other laughing and giving a shrug, tucking the key back into his pouch.

“It was a nice place to rest after the long travel from the Red Kingdom,” he replied, extending his hand towards the bars. Kihyun followed the extension in time to watch the jar of glowing mushrooms drift through them and into the Cheshire’s palm, the taller humming and turning, heading away from the prison cell. The brunet was quick to follow after, having no intention to stay put without an explanation as to how he got out, or to face trial for a crime he hadn’t done. He hadn’t killed anyone!

Had he?

The Cheshire lead the way, a turn here and there, through the underground area, eventually coming to an indent in the wall that he pushed against, the indent revealing itself to instead be a circular hole in the wall that was hidden by a large rock. After slipping through himself he offered a hand back to Kihyun, aiding him in climbing out, and Kihyun stepped aside as the rock was rolled back into place, sealing the exit and leaving him wondering just how many times the strange figure ended up down there only to escape again. He would have expected a higher level of security, even if the lack thereof made his own escape easier, and he glanced up the tall, grey walls of the castle. How was he going to get back inside? Knowing his luck if he managed to crawl in through one of the windows, he would end up in a hallway he didn’t know and run headfirst into Hyungwon on his quest for the Looking Glass.

“You coming, strange one?” Kihyun turned his head in the direction of the other, eyebrows knitting together.

“You’re stranger than I am,” he countered, noticing the way the Cheshire’s eyes had shifted from teal to a golden color, but his lips were still pulled into a grin.

“I’m stranger, you’re stranger. Together… we’re strangers.” The response caught the brunet off guard, and he looked the other over, his grin met with a frown.

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” He asked, earning a shrug before the other was turning and starting to walk away into the forest. One final glance was spared up to the castle, then Kihyun let out a groan, following after the Cheshire, even if he doubted that light-haired male knew anything about a tree hole that would take him home. The brunet wasn’t sure why he placed faith in the Cheshire's directional skills, though as he trailed after the figure’s fifth weaving loop around a pair of trees, he felt his patience growing thin.

“Do you even know where you’re going? I’m starting to think you were in that prison so long that you forgot your way home.” The Cheshire came to a stop, glancing over his shoulder at the shorter.

“‘Home’? Is that where we’re going?”

“I don’t know where we’re going, you just started walking so I assumed you knew how to get out of the forest.” The light-haired male’s lips pulled into a more playful grin this time as he circled around the tree once more.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, then any direction can take you there.” Kihyun resisted the urge to smack his own face, because honestly what did he expect from someone that had been relaxing in a prison.

“I bet the reason that you think it’s such a long trek back to the Red Kingdom is because of how slow you go and the amount of hours you spend going round and round trees,” Kihyun stated, hearing the other hum as he leaned back against the tree he had been circling prior.

“Haste makes waste, so I rarely hurry.”

“At this rate we’re going to still be wandering through the forest after nightfall.”

“Not all who wander are lost, Alice~” The Cheshire chimed, and the brunet came to a stop.

“Seriously, what is with you all talking in riddles?” He demanded, walking past the taller figure. The Cheshire’s eyes locked onto his movements, watching and turning his head to follow, allowing it to the side a bit.

“All?” He copied, and Kihyun turned around to face him once again, letting out a small huff.

“Hyunwoo showed up in my life saying that this ‘Alice’ he was looking for was the only one that could make sense of whatever riddles he came up with. He decided that I was Alice because I responded to the one he offered when first meeting me, but if anything they just left me feeling more and more confused. My name isn’t Alice, I’ve never even heard of a name like it. And now because of something he decided, I…” Letting out a sigh, Kihyun’s arms came up to wrap around his own waist, squeezing in an attempt to offer himself comfort. When he caught movement in his peripheral, he glanced up to see the other moving to stand in front of him, bending at the waist until they were eye-to-eye.

“You should meet the Red Queen. I’m sure he’ll have answers, he knows all about the White Queen,” he suggested, and Kihyun scrunched his nose at the idea.

“Yeah, because the last time I met one of the Queens in this crazy world it ended fantastically for me,” the brunet fired back, pulling a laugh from the Cheshire as he straightened his posture.

“If there’s one thing that the Red Queen isn’t, it’s like the White Queen,” he replied, turning to start walking in the general direction they had been headed, leaving Kihyun with two options: continue following him in the hopes that he was actually leading the way to the Red Queen’s castle or attempt to find his way back to the white Kingdom and from there find a way home… without getting caught, considering his new criminal status. Letting his shoulders drop with a defeated breath he started trailing after The Cheshire once again, hands slipping into the pockets of his jeans. It was then that he remembered the object he had found earlier, wrapping his fingers around the smooth material, pulling it carefully out of his pocket to inspect in the slowly dimming light.

It appeared to be a pocket watch, though he had the sinking feeling that it was broken as none of the hands were moving… Or at least, not fast enough to notice. As he continued walking he glanced up to make sure he hadn’t lost sight of the Cheshire, then back down at the watch waiting for the second hand to tick forward. Once it had he started counting seconds in his head, watching as the hand would move about every seven seconds that he counted. Was it just that slow? Perhaps he had broken it when he fell onto it. It was a shame considering how pretty it was, that it didn’t have an actual use with the rate in which it counted time. Stifling a yawn with the back of his other hand, Kihyun slid the broken watch into his pocket, finding himself unable to bring himself to simply toss it to the side.

As he started to look forward again he came to a sudden halt when he noticed the red and black checkerboard a few feet in front of them, set with life-sized chess pieces on either side. Glancing around he saw the black bared fence lining the sides of the board along with as far back as Kihyun could see behind them. How long had he been staring at the watch? Especially considering how he had been following the Cheshire quite some distance through the forest with nothing around them changing. Speaking of the strange figure, he looked up at the blond male who looked like an NPC from a video game on idle mode, just staring ahead across the board, head bobbing ever so slightly from side to side.

Well if he wasn’t going to take the first steps across the board, Kihyun would do so himself. One step up onto the slightly raised board and there was a hand grabbing his upper arm, tugging him back down and Kihyun shot a confused look up at the other.

“Let me guess, it’s booby-trapped or something?” He questioned, the Cheshire blinking back to focus and offering a smile to him.

“If that means dangerous, then not at all… As long as you know how to play.”

“Did you seriously take me on another detour because you wanted to play a stupid game of chess?” Kihyun demanded, the Cheshire laughing in response, letting go of the brunet’s arm when he tugged it free.

“What is ‘chess’? Is it something that the white queen came up with?” he asked, Kihyun feeling the strong desire to internally scream, choosing to instead gesture towards the red and black checkerboard.

“This. This is chess.”

“No it isn’t, silly. This is a game that the Red Queen calls ‘I win. If you wish to see the Red Queen, then you must win. Otherwise turn back now, Alice.” As much as he wanted to correct the taller, he found it pointless. Hyunwoo had never truly grasped any correction he had made, so what made him think the blond would stick to it? He was starting to wish he had given his actual name in their initial meeting.

“Are you serious?” he asked, arching an eyebrow, to which the other simply gestured towards the chessboard once again. He wasn’t stopped this time when Kihyun stepped up onto the board, the brunet flinching when the pieces around him shifted slightly, animated faces being molded out of the black material they were made of. What was he supposed to do to get them to move? Go up and introduce himself then tell them where to go? It didn’t seem right to try and shove something with a mostly human-like face.

“To get them where you want, touch a piece then touch the square you want it to go,” The Cheshire piped up as he was reaching out one hand to feel the smooth, eerily warm material, and Kihyun looked back to the figure.

“If I get injured, it’s your fault for making me do this,” he stated in a sour tone, and the blond rolled his eyes, stepping up to the edge of the board but not climbing up with him.

“Do you know how to play?”

“Of course I know how to play.”

“Do you know how to win?” Something glinted in the figure’s eyes, an almost cold feeling creeping into the back of Kihyun’s mind, hesitating to answer.

“Theoretically, yes. I just have to capture the king or put my opponent in checkmate,” he replied cautiously, the Cheshire smiling.

“If you know how to play and how to win, then why would it be any fault of mine if you fail?” The blond stated and Kihyun found himself frowning in response.

“Because it was your idea to go see the Red Queen and play this stupid game!” Kihyun exclaimed, earning a shrug from the other and he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I knew I shouldn’t have followed you, no matter how lost I figured I would get in the woods. I just want to go home,” he grumbled, starting to look away when he saw The Cheshire’s head cock to the side.

“Little Alice, caught in Wonderland’s games. Somehow you strayed and lost your way, and now there’ll be no time to play, no time for friends… not even time to make amends.” The words caused the cold feeling in the back of his head to become a full-blown shiver down his spine, the blond’s teal eyes becoming a glittering gold color.

“Make amends for what?” he dared to ask, the other’s eyes never leaving his own.

“You were on trial for something, weren’t you?” Kihyun didn’t have an answer he trusted at the moment, straightening his posture.

“Promise that you’ll step in if I’m about to get hurt. Make that deal with me and I’ll play this stupid game and go see the queen you decided I should,” he proposed instead of giving one, the gold fading back to teal, the blond’s smile appearing far less threatening now.

“Deal~” With that Kihyun slowly turned back to face the rest of the board, taking a deep breath, waiting for the first red piece to move.

Chapter Text

Kihyun straightened his shoulders when one of the red pawns shifted forward, confusing him a bit as he wasn’t able to see his opponent. Hadn’t the Cheshire told him he had to touch the pieces to make them move? His gaze was scanning over the other side of the board for some kind of glimmer of movement, the sing-song tone behind him making him tense.

“It’s not wise to keep the Red Queen waiting~” The brunet shot a dirty look back at the taller male, then looked ahead once more, letting out a small huff before reaching to touch the smooth, cold surface of one of his own pawns, stepping forward two squares.

The black pawn started moving as soon as he stopped, and he stepped out of the way as instructed, gaze locked on it until he heard a dragging sound approaching. His eyes widened at the sight of a red bishop slipping behind the opening the red’s pawn had made, and he had to jump out of the way to avoid being knocked into, his black pawn taking the hit in his place. As if the crack sound wasn’t enough he found himself only able to stare as the red bishop then formed arms out of shiny red material, grabbing the thin collar of the black pawn. The bishop proceeded to throw its captive piece off the board in the direction Kihyun and the Cheshire had come from, Kihyun’s eyes shifting to the other male’s face, met with a simple smile. He slowly let his paled face turn back to the red bishop just in time to see its arms receding back into its body, and he couldn’t help but feel a slight shiver.

It took what felt like five minutes to be able to get his legs to move again, stepping back and instinctively grabbing onto the pawn he started tripping over, holding on as he scanned over the colored tiles beneath his feet. He let go, stepping forward two squares, his pawn moving to the black square right beside the bishop, safe for the time being. A red knight moved forward, and Kihyun’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion at how quick the other side was to expose two sides of its king. With his eyes constantly flickering back to the red bishop, Kihyun made his way to the far side of the board, moving the left most pawn forward one spot, red sliding a pawn two squares forward halfway down the uniform red front line.

He looked over his pieces, deciding it was probably time to start moving something other than pawns, reaching for the nearest knight piece, jumping back a moment later when it hardly hesitated to jump over the pawn in front of it to get into the position that he signaled it to take. The red knight on the far side of the board copied the action, Kihyun glancing at the squares before reaching for the knight he had just moved, guiding it to take the red pawn two rows ahead. He was more collected this time when his knight opened its jaws comically wide in order to grab onto the collar of the red pawn, tossing it just as the bishop had done- the feeling disappeared when his knight was taken by a red one, and in a blink he had lost another piece, and he could hear the Cheshire let out a whistle as it flew over their heads.

“I thought you said you knew how to play, Alice~”

“You’re welcome to take over at any time,” he called back, one hand coming up to run through his hair, letting out a sigh before reaching for his next piece. Black rook taken by the same bishop he lost his first piece to, and he was able to capture it with one of his pawns, starting to find them a lot more useful than people gave them credit for. The feeling didn’t last long as one of his other pawns was taken by the red queen, stabbed through with a staff that faded in and out of the figure’s body just like previous pieces’ arms. He took the opening to take out the other red bishop, giving him a sense of control over the board.

His next turn he captured one of the red knights, turning around when he heard a piece approaching, expecting it to zoom past him on its travel. It was the red queen piece after all, meaning it could take the piece behind him. However, it stopped with him in the only red tile between it and his own king piece, baffling him. Was the other toying with him? It was checkmate, why wasn’t it just grabbing ahold of his king and throwing it from the board? He was about to turn to ask the Cheshire what was going on when the red queen piece’s sides morphed into arms this time and started to move forward again, causing him to bristle and stagger back. The red queen’s staff formed in one of its hands, arm pulling back and ready to strike, causing Kihyun to realize that it wasn’t aimed for his king piece.

His arms came up to brace for impact, holding his breath as the board became still and silent. When he wasn’t impaled or thrown from the board he started to open his eyes from being scrunched shut, finding the Cheshire standing in front of him, both of his hands on some part of the spear, quivering from the strain of keeping it from getting closer to them.

“Hoseok?”

The high-toned voice encouraged Kihyun to move his gaze past the taller male, finding a maroon haired male sitting on the crown of the red queen piece. He wasn’t sure at this point what confused him more: where the other had suddenly appeared from, or which of them he was talking to.

“Why did you interrupt? We were just getting to the fun part~”

“As much fun as it’s been to watch you dominate yet another thrilling game, I feel perhaps your skills were unfairly matched, Your Majesty,” the blond, Hoseok, stated, his tone slightly strained still. As the maroon haired slipped off his perch the red queen figure straightened posture, arms and weapon disappearing into its sides, allowing both him and Kihyun to relax. With the Cheshire’s arms free from being on defense, they were open to being held captive by the maroon haired male’s, both arms looping around one of Hoseok’s, hugging it to his chest.

“I thought I told you to only bring Wonnie’s suits if they were special and knew how to play. His moves were so poor and predictable I decided not to tease him and simply put him out of his misery.” Kihyun wasn’t even going to bother with the suit argument, focusing more on calming down from being seconds away from getting impaled, trying to take in the sudden arrival’s appearance now that Hoseok wasn’t in between them. Similar to Hyungwon, the figure had markings on his cheek bones, though his were red and in the shape of a heart and diamond. From his neck hung a heart shaped pendant as well, instead of a chess piece, which Kihyun almost found odd. Another difference was the crown he wore, which to him looked like it was meant to mimic the top of a king chess piece, though with a heart rather than cross extending from the center.

“Actually, Your Majesty, this strange creature is someone special. Not suit, nor hatter, but an ‘Alice’.”

“An ‘Alice’? What in the world is an ‘Alice’?” The maroon haired male asked, leaning as close to Kihyun as he could with only removing one of his arms from Hoseok’s. “What’s it good for? What’s it do? Aside from practically beg to be thrown from my board?” The male asked, lips quickly pulling into a smile, and he could hear the laughter in the other’s voice as he reached out towards Kihyun’s face, causing the brunet to step back.

“I’m not an ‘it’, thank you very much,” he argued, gaining a sinking sense of Deja vu as the comment seemed to be ignored, as who he could only assume was the Red Queen looked up at the Cheshire with a curious expression as the blond continued to speak.

“Apparently the White Queen willingly allowed this fascinating creature to tend to his garden.”

“And then decided to throw me in prison,” Kihyun grumbled, the Red Queen looking to him for a long moment before he burst out laughing.

“That sounds like Wonnie alright~ most of my suits never come back from trips to his kingdom, it’s really quite a bother. I think he misses me and just doesn’t want to admit it, so he just tosses them into his dungeon when he gets embarrassed about me knowing his little secret,” the other chimed, waving one hand as if to dismiss how strange the concept of the White Queen showing some kind of affection in the way of kidnapping may have seemed.

“Look, as fascinating as this weird soap opera of a world is, I really need to be getting home.”

“Ah, yes! Even though you failed miserably, I’ll allow you into my kingdom. After all, friends of Hoseokkie should get special treatment. I’m sure you and I will end up being the greatest of friends~” The maroon haired male chimed, reaching out and taking one of Kihyun’s arms captive just as he had with Hoseok’s.

“Last time I made a ‘friend’ here, or thought I had, I was sentenced to death. I’m not really in the market for repeating that,” Kihyun argued, though he found himself unable to get himself free from the Red Queen’s grip, being lead along with the Cheshire to the red side of the board and off it, the male in the middle shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

“Wonnie really does have the poorest of manners. He needs to slow down how much of that tea he drinks, I think it makes him fussy and irritable. Mad as a Hatter, truly,” the Queen mused, leading the way through a passage fenced by dark trees that thinned out the further they got, going completely barren on both sides of the gated perimeter just before a black and red colored gate. It was opened by a pair that were dressed in a way that reminded Kihyun of the suits in Hyungwon’s kingdom, though instead of grey button ups and black slacks they were dressed in lavender button ups.

“You may call me Minhyuk,” the Red Queen stated, pulling Kihyun’s gaze to him, arching an eyebrow.

“Not going to make me call you ‘your majesty’ until I’ve ‘earned the right’ to know your name?” he countered, Minhyuk letting out a laugh that had him partially doubling over as they passed through the gate.

“Oh my dear, of course not. Is that Wonnie’s new thing? He’s too funny, I should really pay him a visit one of these moons,” Minhyuk mused, Kihyun glancing to Hoseok as if expecting some kind of answer to be on the taller male’s face.

“Well, Hoseok called you it, and Hyunwoo always would call Hyungwon ‘my queen’ when I was around, so I assumed-”

“Are you afraid of birds, Alice?” Minhyuk cut in, forcing the brunet silent for a moment as he processed the question.

“Birds?”

“Yes. Flamingos, to be specific. They roam around freely in the kingdom grounds, I thought it would be a point in the favor of our friendship if I were to warn you, just in case they gave you some kind of a fright.”

“As I said before, I don’t know about the whole ‘being friends’,” Kihyun tried to remind, but both his and Hoseok’s arms had been abandoned as the Red Queen hurried forward several yards, spinning around to face them.

“Let us consummate our friendship with a nice game. Are you any better at croque than I Win, dear Alice?” He questioned, stepping back towards the pair.

“My name isn’t Alice, it’s Kihyun.” He was growing exhausted from making that statement over and over in this world, and honestly didn’t expect the Red Queen to listen. He heard Minhyuk hum before he was wrapping one arm around his own stomach, using it to prop up his other elbow, resting his chin in the palm of his hand as he smiled at the brunet.

“I’d much rather call you something pretty, but I guess ‘Kihyun’ will have to do for now, my new pet.” Kihyun shuddered, Hoseok speaking up before he could argue against, or even fully process anything Minhyuk had just said.

“How about we move on to something all of us could participate in and enjoy, your majesty?” The blond suggested, and Minhyuk’s pout vanished as quickly as it had formed, an idea seeming to pop into his head without much fuss.

“Let’s enjoy a play! Oh, it’s been many moons since the suits put one on, and I can’t think of a better occasion for them to! My clever Cheshire~” the maroon haired male cooed, reaching a hand out to pat Hoseok’s cheek, turning away from the two, leading the way onto and over a low arched bridge that crossed a lavender colored stream. Kihyun did his best not to wonder why the water wasn’t clear, making note not to drink anything offered to him, sure that it would come from the same water source they were crossing over… not to mention what had happened with the tea Hyungwon had wanted him to drink. At least the White Queen seemed to be less explicitly out of his mind.

It was a short walk up to the red and black colored castle, the walls tiled as if they were made from slabs of a chess board, the garden grounds around it containing shirt trees and bushes rather than flowers like he had seen in the White Kingdom. Another slight difference he noticed was the way the branches were covered in various shades of purple, budding flowers bright with life, reminding Kihyun of spring compared to Hyungwon’s fall or even winter like garden-scape. There also wasn’t a giant hedge maze for him to get lost in, which was another point in favor for the courtyard they were walking through.

“You mentioned before something about Wonnie and you being friends?” Minhyuk mused in a questioning tone, pulling Kihyun from getting lost in comparing the two Kingdoms, gaze turning to meet the Red Queen’s as he was finally able to reclaim his own arm.

“I’m not sure if I would exactly call us ‘friends’,” he replied, Minhyuk’s lips forming a pout again and he looked up at Hoseok, who didn’t seem to pay the expression any mind as the three of them stepped inside a large set of double doors, entering the castle. “He and I just… made a deal? I guess. Hyunwoo was sure that I would be able to fix his garden, since the suits there were doing an awful job at it. And since Hyungwon supposedly only goes between his room and the garden, seeing his plants dying seemed to be stressing him out or something, because he actually started… acting like a person as the garden started recovering,” he explained further, hoping it would satisfy the maroon-haired male.

“Sounds like Woo’s gonna get jealous soon with how much special attention Wonnie’s giving you~” The Red Queen chimed with a giggle, waving over one of his suits to them, lips remaining in a playful smile. “Gather everyone, ensure that they know how special of an event we will be holding in the Great Hall. I want everyone dressed in their best, and those lucky enough for me to pick will be putting on a very special performance across the stage!” the maroon-haired male practically squealed, the suit nodding once before bowing and turning to make her way swiftly down the hallway. With her gone, Minhyuk turned to face Kihyun again, finally releasing Hoseok’s arm from captivity in order to take both of Kihyun’s hands.

“Now, time to get you out of those dreary clothes. Only Wonnie’s suits should have to wear such a dreary color like that,” he stated, gesturing to the grey shirt Hyunwoo had given him to change into after he had been tending to Hyungwon’s garden. It honestly seemed like days ago since he had been in his own clothing, a stray thought circling around, wondering if he would ever get his original clothing back. He didn’t have the chance to wonder for long, a male and female suit each taking one of his arms and leading him from Minhyuk, Hoseok trailing behind them, and he craned his neck to look at the Red Queen. The maroon-haired male was just standing there, smiling as he waved the small group off, disappearing from view as he was gently dragged around a corner and down another hallway.

He didn’t bother struggling at this point, though that changed once he was tugged into a room, doors shutting behind himself and the pair of suits, separating him from the Cheshire. He bristled as one of the suits began unbuttoning the dress shirt he was in, pulling out of her grasp, met with a confused expression, head tilting slightly.

“Is something the matter? We need to hurry and get you changed, as me mustn’t keep his Majesty waiting.”

“I can dress myself, thank you,” Kihyun stated, hoping his tone was firm enough, though he didn’t relax even as it seemed to be accepted, and the suit held her hands out to take the folded stack of clothing that the male suit had gathered, passing it to the brunet after. When he came to the understanding that even with the clothing in his own hands, the pair weren’t going to leave he sighed, making his way over to one of the corners, swapping only his shirt with his back to them.

Ruby red shirt buttoned and tucked neatly into his pants, he draped the grey button up over one of his arms, stepping back over to the suits, handing it and the pants to the male suit, ignoring the way he tried to protest, pushing his way through the door to exit the room. He didn’t have to wait long for Hoseok to join him, announcing his presence directly behind the shorter male and causing Kihyun to jolt slightly, half a glare in his expression as he turned to the blond.

“Wearing red in front of the Queen himself? How bold of you, Kihyun,” the other teased, and he rolled his eyes in response.

“It’s what the suits gave me.” His reply had the Cheshire’s golden eyes light up. Something about it tickled at the back of Kihyun’s mind, despite the way he attempted to ignore it.

“That means you were given something out of his Majesty’s personal wardrobe. He must already find you just as special as the White Rabbit did~” Kihyun let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I would really rather the people here stop deciding something like that, especially considering just where ‘being special’ got me last time.” As soon as the words left his lips, the tall blond dissipated into smoke that quickly faded away, and Kihyun felt his stomach drop, body jolting once again as there was a voice in his ear this time, hot breath against his ear.

“If you were not so special, we wouldn’t have met. Is that something you wish for? I’m wounded, little Alice.” The brunet took as even of a breath as he could, turning his head just enough to see the other’s face hovering over his shoulder, eyes flickering to teal for the moment it took to call him by the different name.

“How did you just..”

“Just, what, Kihyun?”

“Move… Without having to walk.”

“You mean…” he trailed off, disappearing in the same fashion, only to materialize again leaning back against the door Kihyun had come out of. “Like this?” Kihyun gave a single nod, the other chuckling, reaching down to adjust the sleeve of his black shirt.

“You did it back in the cell, where we met. Teleporting from one side of the bars and back, but I… couldn’t see it before,” he said carefully, not a fan of the smirk Hoseok gave him after.

“Hello again, Your Majesty.” Rather than answering him, the blond simply greeted the Red Queen as he joined them, dressed in an identical outfit to Kihyun, quick to loop one arm around one of the brunet’s.

“Don’t we look wonderful together? Red absolutely suits you, just as it does me,” Minhyuk stated, looking to Hoseok as he held his free hand out towards him. The Cheshire hardly hesitated to push himself off the door he had been leaning against, joining Minhyuk’s free side and offering his arm along with a bow of his head that seemed to double as a nod in agreement. “And now that we’re all dressed for a fantastical evening, let us join the rest. I’ll even let you help me choose the cast for tonight’s play, Kihyun!” The Red Queen chimed, leading the way through the hall, making a few turns here and there, soon arriving at a set of double doors that were opened by a pair of suits, revealing a gathering of about fifty suits all dressed in black like Hoseok.

As Minhyuk’s presence was noticed, they all turned to the three of them, bowing and curtsying to their Queen, and he simply smiled in response, guiding Kihyun and Hoseok to the stage on the left side of the room, scanning over the crowd for a few silent moments.

“This evening we have a guest joining us. Kihyun darling, say hello to my sweet suits,” the Red Queen instructed, glancing to him, and he opted for a small wave with his free arm. It seemed to satisfy Minhyuk enough, as the marron-haired male looked back over the crowd. “Kihyun is very special, and has come a long way to spend time with us. He’s miserable at games, but since we all want him to enjoy himself, some of you are going to put on a play. But not just any play, that would be silly. You are going to be putting on The Carpenter and the Walrus,” he stated, a soft murmur breaking out across the crowd, Minhyuk looking to Kihyun with a bright grin tugging at his lips.

“I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it, it’s about- well, perhaps it would be best as a surprise,” he decided, releasing Kihyun’s arm, gesturing towards the crowd. “We’ll take turns choosing roles. As my darling guest I’ll give you the honor of picking the walrus.” Kihyun arched an eyebrow at the statement, letting his gaze wander over to the crowd, then back to Minhyuk.

“Don’t people usually… practice plays after their roles have been selected? What if I pick someone that doesn’t know the lines?” he asked, Minhyuk letting out a full-bodied laugh that had him holding onto Hoseok’s arm to keep himself standing.

“Oh silly Kihyun, of course they’ll know the lines. I wouldn’t allow one of my suits to be so clueless as to muck up such an important evening, they know better.” As cheery of a tone as the last part was spoken in, it sent a shiver through the brunet, who turned back to the crown, hopping down from the stage. He wandered around the spaced-out group, not finding any of them particularly walrus-like, pointing to a random suit when he got tired of feeling Minhyuk staring holes into the back of his head. The suit made his way up to the front of the stage, as the Red Queen looked out over the crowd for a brief moment.

“Ace of club shall play the Carpenter.” A female suit, that Kihyun assumed was the one with the called-out title moved to stand beside the suit he had picked out. They kept going back and forth until eighteen of the suits were in a line in front of the stage: The Carpenter, Walrus, seven with the title of maids, and nine oysters though one was given a special additional title as the eldest oyster. Once the roles had been fully decided on the a few of the suits moved up onto the stage to help gather and set up the backdrop and a few props, while three gathered a set of chairs, centering them before the stage.

Hoseok offered a hand for balance as Minhyuk descended from the stage to take place in the middle chair, patting the one on his right as he smiled at Kihyun, who watched most of the suits not currently on a task settle on the floor. He admittedly felt a tinge of guilt as he sat where instructed, noticing the casted suits had disappeared, wondering if it was to change or rehearse lines, which was followed by the mental question of how long they would be seated before the play started. He was honestly surprised when less than five minutes passed and the lights of the room they were in dimmed to half-light, Minhyuk wiggling in his seat and releasing Hoseok’s arm to use both of his to tug on Kihyun’s.

“I’m so excited for you to see! This is my favorite play!” If that statement was anything to go on, he now understood why it was such a ‘silly’ idea that the suits would need time to prepare. His arm was slowly released, and he settled back in his seat, gaze shifting to Hoseok just in time to watch him turn his attention from watching the brunet. The Cheshire was now taking some kind of vial offered to him, Minhyuk doing the same before one was offered to Kihyun and he shook his head, giving an apologetic smile.

“No thank you, I’m not thirsty,” he stated, the suit smiling before placing a corked vial in his lap anyway, continuing down the line until everyone that was part of the audience had one. “What even is this?” He asked Minhyuk, who had already uncorked his vial, tilting his head back and pouring the entirety of the lavender colored liquid, mind wandering to the river they had crossed on the way into the castle… Which meant at best it was colored river water, and at worst some kind of poison. He wasn’t entirely sure which was worse, all things that had happened that day considered.

“Mood juice! It makes the play ten times more amusing than it already is,” the Red Queen replied, passing off his empty vial to Hoseok, who set it in the basket beside his chair, along with his own unopened one, causing Kihyun to narrow his eyes a little at him. “Oh don’t go and break my heart, Kihyun darling. It’s harmless,” the maroon-haired male assured him, and he sighed, shoulders sinking.

He guessed he had no choice. He uncorked the vial, tilted his head back and downed the sickly sweet liquid.

He never thought he would be consciously aware of the way something didn’t make his throat burn or his head spin, relaxing a bit when the liquid seemed to just be some kind of sugar shot, opening his mouth to ask what it was that he had taken without much opposition. Minhyuk silenced however he was going to ask by grabbing onto his arm to give it a vigorous shake, letting out an excited hiss about how the play was starting, lighting in the room dimming further, making the pair of spotlights almost blinding when they flicked on.

In the center of the stage there were the first two casted suits, The Carpenter sporting a pair of tan colored overalls and a worn baseball cap, the only thing that matched them being the color scheme. The other suit, taking the role of The Walrus was just as strangely dressed, top hat settled on her head, black and white checkered shirt that stood out almost as much as the bright red suspenders keeping up the oversized khaki dress pants she wore. She kept true to her role, waddling across the stage when needing to move as if she had a single flipper rather than legs, The Carpenter not offering any sort of aid as he took long strides, leaving her wheezing on the cigar she lit up a few lines into the play.

The play wasn’t hard to follow story wise, but Kihyun couldn’t help but wonder… why? What was the point behind it? And furthermore, why was it the Red Queen’s favorite play? The Carpenter and Walrus spent the first act discussing wanting to find something to eat while working on clearing sand from a beach, though they didn’t seem to be doing any of the word as the seven ‘maids’ spun through, leaving the Carpenter and Walrus patting themselves on the back for a job well done. The pair ended up settling on oysters seemingly out of nowhere, talking of herding them away from their home as if they were sheep… or children, Kihyun thought with an unpleasant shiver.

Their first attempt to call the oysters to follow them was put to a quick end by the oldest oyster, and Kihyun felt his face begin to pulse in time with his heartbeat, spacing out long enough to lose track of where the oldest oyster went off to. With him out of the way, the first set of four oysters were easily lured… wait, why was the stage dark? It took more effort than he thought it should have, but he was able to open his eyes realizing that was what had caused the darkness, instead finding the stage- empty? His eyes grew heavy, only vaguely aware of the way they closed this time, and when he was able to open them he couldn’t lift his head from the uncomfortable way it was hanging backwards, sand-colored walls passing by.

When he opened his eyes after the next long blink he looked around his peripheral as much as possible, seeing Hoseok’s face when he looked down… or was it up? He was pretty sure he could see the ceiling past the Cheshire’s head. Was he being carried? What happened to the play? The questions he had only multiplied as they came to a brief stop, and he was pretty sure he made out a doorway being passed through when Hoseok started moving again, back soon met with something plush. A bed.. but not his bed. He needed to get...

“Home…” His voice hardly sounded like his own, and Hoseok’s face came back into view.

“Only a few find the way, some don’t recognize it when they do… Some don’t ever want to.” The statement was the last thing Kihyun could process before everything went black again.

Chapter Text

What woke him again was the feeling of warmth cascading across the skin of his hands, soon reaching his face, making it scrunch a little before he began to blink his eyes open, scanning around the room as it came into focus. High ceiling, four post bed, a pair of doors that appeared to lead to a balcony; it made icy panic flood his veins and he bolted upright, head spinning from the sudden shift in position, and he did his best to collect his memories in chronological order.

He had been at the White Kingdom, drank tea that burned his throat… no, before that he had gone to see Hyungwon, and the strange pattern had shown up on his fingers… His gaze traveled to his hand as he lifted it towards his face, eyes scanning over the tiny leaf-like pattern, eyebrows knitting together at the dull ache his head gave. After the tea, there were cookies that the White Queen insisted they enjoy… Then the out of bodied experience that got him accused of murder. But… How had Hyungwon seen what he did? Shared hallucinations weren’t a thing, right? Either way it landed him in the dungeon… Where he met Hoseok and now he was in the Red Kingdom…

His stomach flipped again, and he dug into his pocket for the watch he had found, searching for some sense of what time it was… though as it was an analog he wasn’t sure if it was four in the morning and the sun rose at a ridiculously early point of the day or in the afternoon. Either way he was screwed considering it had been around noon when Hyunwoo had gathered him the day before. He had never stayed this long in Wonderland, thus he wasn’t entirely sure how the time would translate by the time he finally did get home.

There was a knock at the door, startling him out of his racing thoughts and he lifted his head to see one of Minhyuk’s suits open the door just wide enough to bow her head before pushing it fully open, Kihyun’s clothing from before folded neatly atop of her hands. Stepping inside she placed them beside him on the bed, offering a soft smile as she reached to tug the blanket off of his lap, the brunet’s hands coming up to grab her wrists as she made a move to start unbuttoning the shirt he had borrowed for the play.

“I don’t need help getting dressed, I need help getting home,” he spilled, her smile faltering and replaced with a confused expression, pulling her hands back from his grasp gently.

“His Majesty the Queen assured us all that you would be staying here from now on.”

Of course he did. Kihyun let out a low groan, rubbing at his face with his hands, praying that he would somehow just teleport to his room because of the action; or wake up with having never left… He was still unsure if this whole world was even real, or just some delusion he had suddenly fallen into. Perhaps the solitary confinement he was practically subjected to had finally pushed him over the edge and he had gone just as crazy as they had been doomsday preparing for since he was eight.

“Ah, has the sleeping beauty finally woken?” The teasing voice was almost enough to make him groan again, letting his hands fall from his face as he opened his eyes, gaze landing on the blond sitting on the floor a few feet from the bed.

“Ha ha, very funny. Now take me home,” Kihyun ordered, Hoseok’s lips curling up into a smile while his head tilted to the side.

“And where exactly is this ‘home’ you wish to be taken to?” The question caused him to hesitate, lowering his gaze to where his hands were resting in his lap, searching his mind for an answer that he trusted the Cheshire not to make fun of. He couldn’t exactly say through a tree stump or mirror, even if both were ways he had traveled home.

“The White Kingdom.” It wasn’t exactly correct, but perhaps if he found Hyunwoo he would have a chance at getting back home… As long as the dark-haired male didn’t actually believe that he had killed someone… Not just someone, but the White King… Like Hyungwon’s necklace… His head throbbed with another rush of questions, one hand coming up to hold his forehead, trying to keep himself together- at least for now. He would jolt when there was a weight beside him on the bed, and his eyes met Hoseok’s, the other’s face too close to his own to put him at any ease.

“Now why would you want to head back to a place intending on keeping you prisoner? Locked away so no one can see you, can hear you?” The blond asked, the parallels that his words drew between the White Kingdom and his own home sending a chill down his spine.

“Do you… know something you’re not telling me?” His returned question caused the other to let out a laugh, flopping onto his side and rolling onto his back, Kihyun’s clothing trapped underneath him in the process like a cat laying on the laundry you were trying to put away.

“I know a great deal of things; shall I tell you everything~?” He chimed, and the brunet only got as far as opening his mouth to say yes, before deciding that it probably wasn’t going to be information he actually wanted. Not unless he was specific about what he wanted to know- and at this point he didn’t know how to ask for that information.

“Ooh, are we sharing secrets~?”

“No, Your Majesty, Kihyun was just telling me that he wanted to go home, isn’t that so cruel? Wanting to leave after all the nice things you’ve done for him here.” The blond’s words earned him a sharp glare from Kihyun as Minhyuk hopped onto the bed beside him, immediately clinging to one of the brunet’s arms.

“How could you possibly be thinking of going back to Wonnie when we’ve been having so much fun? Isn’t it better here with me?” The Red Queen whined, and Kihyun took a deep breath, wanting to be able to keep the irritation he felt bubbling up out of his voice.

“My home isn’t the White Kingdom, I have no intention of going back there,” he stated, though he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to find a way home without the looking glass… And with his current luck streak it was probably being heavily guarded, making getting through it nearly impossible, even if he managed to find it without Hyunwoo’s assistance.

“Do you live with the Hatter and the Hare?” Minhyuk asked, his head tilting to the side a bit, and Kihyun did his best not to ask who they were, not wanting to go down another path of distraction.

“No, I live somewhere that’s… far from here? So I should really be leaving, because it’ll take me a while to get home. I’d rather travel while it’s still light out, since it’s safer that way,” Kihyun reasoned, feeling a little relieved when the maroon haired male nodded in agreement.

“I’ll take you home myself~” He chimed and Kihyun opened his mouth to protest, gaze following the Red Queen as he bounced off the bed, grabbing hold of both of Kihyun’s hands, yanking him up onto his feet as well.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to leave the Kingdom just to take me home?” The brunet asked, causing the other male to pause for a moment in thought before he looked at Hoseok, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he met Kihyun’s gaze again after.

“Hoseok will accompany me~ that way he can keep the both of us safe~!” Kihyun attempted to voice another protest, but it fell on deaf ears as both he and the blond were pulled up off the bed. Minhyuk then hooked arms with both of them, half leading and half dragging them through a few hallways until they reached a set of double doors that were opened for them by a pair of suits, Kihyun grimacing slightly at how much brighter it was outside. His eyes hadn’t even fully adjusted by the time they were over the lavender water bridge, wondering if there was any way to get out of the grip the Red Queen had on him.

The last thing he needed when trying to sneak around was the maroon haired male, or the blond on his other arm for that matter, attached to him. What if Minhyuk tried to follow him through the Looking Glass? He was already going to have enough of a time trying to explain where had been for who-knew how long, he didn’t want to add who this childish male with cheek-tattoos was on to that, let alone what was with Hoseok’s disappearing tricks. He spent most of the trip sorting through different things he could use to bribe the insistent male to just let him go home by himself, one that might actually work finally bubbling up from the back of his mind.

“Hey, you like stories right?” Minhyuk’s attention was immediately away from Hoseok and on the brunet’s face now, head tilting to the side. “Like they play from last night… You’ve been seeing the same one over and over for so long, wouldn’t you like something new?”

“But that’s the only play my lovely suits know how to put on,” Minhyuk replied.

“What if I just… told it to you. If you let me go the rest of the way home on my own, then when I come back I’ll bring a book with me. Where I’m from, that's where we keep stories, and I’m sure some that I know, you would really like,” he explained, watching the redhead process the offer, a soft pout playing across his lips.

“But I wanna see where you live, Kihyun!” Came the next protest, Kihyun wincing at how loud the other had spoken, and he wouldn’t even have time to enjoy the other calling him by his name before his stomach dropped at the next voice.

“Alice?”

Kihyun turned slowly, lifting his gaze up to the dark-haired male staring at the three of them, teeth finding their way into his tongue. Hyunwoo looked between Kihyun and the other two, obviously feeling some level of discomfort as much as he seemed to be doing his best to hide it, gaze lingering on Hoseok before he sighed, and looked back to Kihyun.

“Alice, we need to get you back to the dungeon before My Queen discovers you escaped,” he stated, holding one hand out towards the brunet’s free hand, deflating a bit when not only did Kihyun pull his hand back, but Minhyuk also pulled the smaller male back a few feet.

“Wonnie is just so cruel, sending his friend to the dungeon of all places! I must like him way more than Wonnie does, I gave him front row seats to one of my suit’s lovely plays, and a room of his own!” Hyunwoo would stare at the Red Queen for a few moments, ears drooping a little and his shoulders would follow with a sigh before he looked at Kihyun once again. He would open his mouth only to close it a few times, ears sinking lower with each attempt and after a bit he would close his eyes and shake his head, ears straightening as the rest of his posture did, appearing more determined.

“A… Kihyun… Please. We need to get you back. Once My Queen calms down we can discuss what happened,” Hyunwoo would insist, holding his hand out towards the brunet again and when he stepped closer this time, there was a cloud of smoke between them, which dissipated to reveal Hoseok, and Hyunwoo would once again retreat. “Cheshire.”

“Rabbit,” Hoseok would reply, causing the other to steel his expression.

“It is important for Kihyun to return with me.”

“On the contrary, Kihyun has requested to go home. I intend to ensure that he is protected along his journey,” the blond would reply, and Kihyun leaned forward to see his lips spreading into a wide grin, noticing the teal glow of his eyes. It would remind him of their first meeting in the dungeon, and it’d be enough to send a chill through him and encourage him to step closer to the two, Minhyuk still attached to his arm.

“Hoseok, easy. He’s not going to hurt me.”

“Did you believe that about the White Queen?”

“Well-”

“And where did that land you? Locked away?”

“I think there’s more to it all than just that,” Kihyun would try to argue, Hoseok’s gaze shifting to him with a tilt of his head.

“Things always are more than they seem,” he replied, Kihyun faltering with a reply and Hoseok’s eyes darted back to Hyunwoo when he cleared his throat.

“I intend no harm. I never have,” Hyunwoo continued to insist, and Minhyuk finally let go of Kihyun’s arm to step closer to the white rabbit, chipper as ever.

“Which means there should be no reason for us all to go along with you as you get Kihyun home! Right Hoseok?” the maroon haired male would ask, glancing up at the Cheshire, who’s eyes would return to gold with a blink.

“You always are, Your Majesty,” Hoseok would reply, and Kihyun felt like he could finally relax. The back and forth would do nothing to ease Hyunwoo’s look of conflict though, and he would glance back over his shoulder, sighing as he looked back to the other three while Minhyuk started to pull on Kihyun’s arm once again to bring him closer to the main door.

“That was fun~ I do always love seeing your magic tricks, Hoseok,” Minhyuk would chime, pulling a chuckle from the blond, before his attention would turn back to Kihyun. “Now, how do we get to your home from Wonnie’s castle?”

“I thought we made a deal that if I went alone, I would come back with stories?” Kihyun pointed out, a pout returning to the Red Queen’s lips.

“But I want to see where you come from! What if you don’t come back?” He protested, and Kihyun felt an immense wave of relief when Hoseok reached out to place a hand on Minhyuk’s shoulder.

“We must trust that our friend wouldn’t lie, Your Majesty. He shall return to us,” Hoseok assured, letting his gaze wander back to the shorter male, head tilting slightly. “He must. Isn’t that right, Kihyun?” He added, and Kihyun felt uneasy once more from the flicker of teal in his eyes, giving a single, slow nod.

“That’s right… I can’t bring back the books if I don’t leave…” Kihyun stated, watching as Minhyuk’s pout faded the more he thought, fluttering a blink as the maroon haired male pulled him in for a hug. Kihyun’s arms wrapped around the other to gently return the embrace, stepping back once he was released, Minkyuk’s lips pulling up into a smile once again.

“We’ll see each other soon, my pet,” He stated, making Kihyun grimace a little, starting to turn away, though he would pause at the way Hoseok was staring at him, finishing the turn after a moment of silence, starting to reach for the door when the Cheshire spoke again.

“Let your need guide your behavior, Alice.”

There was something chilling about his tone, and Kihyun didn’t dare to look back at the pair again, pushing the door open just enough to slip inside, only feeling like he could breathe again once it had closed behind him. Was it safe to try going home? None of the others could follow him there other than Hyunwoo, right? If they could, Hyungwon would have… Well, no. As Kihyun thought more about it, he doubted that Hyungwon would set aside his pride enough to come and ask for help, and he had put so much effort in convincing Hyunwoo not to, he wouldn’t send any others after Kihyun to bring him to Wonderland. His safest option was probably getting seen going through the looking glass because it would probably result in it becoming heavily guarded… And if the suits followed after him, he was sure the protectiveness of his parents would come in handy for once.

It took Kihyun a lot longer to find the looking glass than he would have liked, and part of him wondered if being around the castle more would have helped at all. Then again he had spent almost half the search ducking back around corners because he didn’t want anyone to see him until he had the looking glass in his sight, and by the time he caught a glimpse of it down the next hallway, he no longer cared who saw him as he broke out into a sprint down the hallway. He would keep up the speed until his foot caught against something that sent him skidding across the floor, stopping a couple feet shy of the looking glass. It took him a moment to recover from the fall, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees before glancing back at what he’d tripped over, the color draining from his face at the sight of the pink haired figure staring at him with as much shock and confusion as he would have expected the White Queen to have upon seeing someone escape the locked dungeon under the castle.

Wincing again from the ache he felt, Kihyun would stand up the rest of the way, turning to face Hyungwon, watching him as he took the few steps back he had to, reaching behind himself to feel around for the border of the looking glass, taking a deep breath once he found it, letting himself fall backwards through it.