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There were a few reasons that Donghyuck hated being the crown prince of the Eastern Kingdom and the majority of them revolved around the lack of freedom or will that he was afforded because of the position. It wasn't even that he particularly considered himself some sort of free spirit but he couldn't stand the stifling feeling of never being able to be alone or think for himself, the absolute lack of control he had over his own life was reason enough for him to act out against his parents in an attempt to make them realise how suffocated he was feeling.It didn't really work, only making those who served him see him as bratty and ungrateful of his fortuitious position but that didn't deter Donghyuck in the slightest and he he tucked away the sideways glances and snide words of people who didn't matter for use at a later date when he sat in the study after the moon had risen and let his hands run over the ivory keys, creating melodies that took him to another place.
For Donghyuck, the piano, music... was an escape from the suffocating reality of being born into royal blood and never getting to choose whether that was what he wanted or not because as a prince, he had to do what was expected of him from the moment he could walk, talk, read and write. His sad reality meant that he knew the meaning of "duty" before he could even spell the word or recognise it in writing.
Yet, he knew someone who treasured that very same upbringing like an olive branch that had been handed to him after being stranded at sea for more years than he could remember and that both infuriated and confused him beyond belief because Crown Prince Zhong Chenle of the Western Kingdom was one big, walking contradiction with the kindest smile he'd ever seen.
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It wasn't often that their schedules conincided well enough for the two of them to meet for more than a few hours and those nights were an escape that meant more to Donghyuck than he'd ever willingly admit out loud. It was funny, their personalities clashed in every way possible but the only thing they ever really argued about was whether to stay inside and play the piano or lay out on the lawns and stargaze once the moon had risen to the top of it's pedestal for the night.
"It wouldn't hurt you to be a little nicer to the servants you know? They work hard to make sure you have it easy and you repay them with less gratitude than if they'd just pushed you out of a third story window and told you to fly." Chenle's voice was stern, lisp prominant as he struggled to adjust to the native dialect of the Eastern Kingdom but no much less reprimanding for it. He watched with disapproving eyes as Donghyuck had pushed passed the servant who'd looked at him with narrowed eyes before offering him a nice evening, the strain noticable in his voice.
"Oh, and I suppose you didn't hear the way he called me a brat under his breath as he walked away? or any of the other colourful words that I shall not repeat for the sake of propriety. They dislike me as much as I dislike them." He replied, leaning casually against the door frame and waiting for Chenle to refute his statement because he was the perfect little prince who could do no wrong and he didn't underastand that those traits didn't carry over to his best friend.
"So you be the bigger person and start being nice first. They're much more likely to reciprocate in kind if you start treating them like they're at least on an equal level to you, and not living 50 feet below your polished shoes." Chenle's tone never rose, staying even as he tried to reason with the older prince for what was probably the 1000th time despite the fact he knew that the words would go in one ear and out the other.
Donghyuck snorted, earning himself a glare that looked suitably like it belonged on a newborn kitten, "As if," he replied, making his way towards the open arch that would lead them into the gardens and beconing the other to follow, "The day I treat them like human beings is the day they stop trying to shove royal duties down my throat. Coincidently, that's also the day that the sun will implode and I'll grow wings and fly to the moon where I'll live happily ever after.
A laugh forced it's way through Chenle's stern facade as it always did when he was in Donghyuck's company. A combination of happinness and Donghyuck's surprisingly good sense of humour even when they were talking on a serious topic just moments before.
"If you're gonna fly to the moon then you're going to have to promise to take me with you. After all, how would you possibly manage to live happily ever after without me by your side? That's blasphemy!" The teasing lilt in his voice told Donghyuck that their small confrontation was over and he pulled them both down to the ground when they reached ther usual spot, not too far from the veranda but far enough away that they were out of earshot of anyone who may be lingering in the lounge.
"Of course! What would I do without my Prince Charming?" Donghyuck played along, watching Chenle as he indulged in his favourite pastime of watchintg the stars and figuring out their many hidden constellations. He didn't have a particular interest in the stars himself but he loved the way Chenle's eyes shined under the moonlight as he explained every new constellation animatedly and that was enough reason to let himself be dragged out into the crisp air frequently to stare at dying or dead balls of gas that burned millions of light years away and listened to Chenle ponder their possible magical, wish granting properties.
Now, with his robe spread over the dew-ridden grass as a pseudo-blanket, Donghuck watched Chenle watch the stars and wondered whether he should finally consider making a wish himself because, growing up as a prince, he'd never wanted for anything in his life and yet he found himself wishing that his star would never drift too far from him because he wanted it to always be in his sight to make sure it's light wasn't extinguised.
"The stars are really beautiful..." Chenle muttered with a quiet sigh, content to rest his head on Donghyuck's lap, removing his glasses which kept trying to slip down his nose and starrng up into the endless, inky balckness that was the night sky.
"They are," Donghyuck agreed but his eyes were drawn elsewhere, to the boy who took his breath away and gave him life simultaneously, filled with wonderof how such a person had come to be by his side despite his less-than-stellar attitude towards his own way of life or the supposed opportunities that'd been handed to him on a silver platter.
Chenle was all that he could have but never would have asked for to make being a prince worthwhile. Zhong Chenle was a star because his brlliance was observable even from miles away and his smile could wash away Donghyuck's doubts and negative feelings even without the intention to do so.
Maybe, he decided, that being a prince wasn't so bad if it'd aligned his orbit with such a bright star and that was more than enough to be thankful for in his book.