A/N – Hi, this is a songfic based on Taylor Swift's "Enchanted". I hope I stayed true to her song. It's my first time writing a songfic, and I don't know if I'm any good at it. But I hope you take the time to read and drop me some constructive criticism!

Arthur took a sip of his beer as he watched the crowd dance aimlessly to the beating music. It was always the same routine – after work, he would change out of his uniform, go to the club with his colleagues and after a few drinks, he would dance a bit, maybe get drunk and then go home, waking up to a lonely bed the next morning. Frankly, he was sick of it.

"Artie!" exclaimed his colleague, Alfred. "Come out to the dance floor!"

Arthur placed his glass on the bar counter and shook his head. "Not today, Alfred," he told the younger man. "I don't feel like dancing today."

Alfred looked at him questioningly. "You sure?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah – you guys go ahead. I'll watch from here."

"Okay then," Alfred replied, making his way to the dance floor.

As he moved to sit down, Arthur accidentally bumped into a short, petite woman. "Oh, I'm sorry, miss!" Arthur exclaimed as he quickly moved away.

"Oh, it's alright," the lady smiled. She was very pretty and had a flower in her hair. "I'm going off anyway."

Arthur managed a fake smile at her as she left. His gaze followed her as she made her way to the dance floor. Oh, so she wasn't LEAVING leaving – she was just going to the dance floor…

Before she went to the dance floor, Arthur saw her approach a man, who was as small and petite as she was. He was beautiful and had his hair back in a ponytail. He looked like he didn't want to be there. She struck up a conversation with the man, and then pulled him to the dance floor.

Mesmerised by the man's beauty, and intrigued by their conversation (Arthur had to know if they were dating), Arthur moved nearer to where they were dancing so that he could eavesdrop on their conversation. Arthur knew he was bisexual, and was attracted to men as well as women, and this man had seemed to captivate his heart.

There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old, tired place lonely place
Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy
Vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

"Come on, brother Yao, just one dance!" the woman pleaded.

It looked like they were siblings. Arthur somehow felt relieved at that.

"Mei, you know I can't dance!" Yao replied wearily.

"Nonsense!" Mei exclaimed. "I've seen you dance – you're a fantastic dancer!"

As the music began, the both of them moved in sync with the music. Arthur could see that Mei was right – Yao was obviously a very good dancer. The way he moved with the music, the way his body flowed with the music, the way he was so flexible; he was hypnotic, graceful, perfect, flawless… In other words, Arthur wanted him. Arthur wanted to get to know Yao better.

At one moment, Yao appeared to have caught sight of Arthur ogling him. As their gazes locked, Yao's stare seemed to ask Arthur, "Have we met?"

Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?" across the room, your silhouette
Starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts, counter all your quick remarks
Like passing notes in secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you

When the music ended, Arthur approached the siblings. "Hi," he began awkwardly. "I'm Arthur, and… I can't help but notice that you are a great dancer."

At that, Mei shot Yao a smug look.

"Would you mind if I buy you a drink?"

Yao was shocked. "I… um… I…"

Mei winked and nudged him. "Go on," she told him. "You really need to get out and socialise more, you know," she whispered loudly.

"But…"

"Besides, I see Kiku has just arrived!" Mei exclaimed, pointing towards the entrance. "Bye!"

"Wait…!" Yao reached out towards Mei, but in a flash, she was gone. He turned towards Arthur, an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry – she's always so hyperactive, aru," he said. "I'm Yao, by the way."

"I know," Arthur smiled gently at Yao. "Shall we?"

Hesitantly, Yao allowed Arthur to take his hand and lead him to a more secluded area of the bar. "Have I… have we met before, aru?" Yao asked timidly once he was seated.

Taken aback by the question, Arthur looked at Yao. "I… I don't think so, why?"

"I could have sworn I've seen you before, aru," Yao said shyly. "In a dream, perhaps," he added as an afterthought.

The bartender moved towards them to take their order. "A frozen margarita for me," Arthur replied. "You?" he asked Yao.

"A sweet martini," Yao replied.

"So," Arthur turned back to Yao. "You've seen me in your dreams?" he asked cockily.

"I don't know," Yao flushed, turning away quickly. "I think so, aru."

Arthur could feel his cheeks warming up at Yao's cute behaviour. "What are your dreams about me of?"

Yao giggled nervously. "I don't usually remember my dreams, but…" He didn't know if he should tell a stranger whom he'd only just met about his dreams.

"What?" Arthur probed. "Come on, you know you can tell me."

"It's just that…" Yao began hesitantly. "You make me feel so good in them, aru…"

At that moment, their drinks arrived. Yao muttered a soft thanks to the bartender as he received his drink.

"I do?" Arthur queried. In truth, it was what Arthur wanted to do to Yao in reality.

Yao nodded as he took a sip of his sweet martini. "Well, enough about me, aru. What about you? What do you do?"

Arthur was dumbfounded by Yao's straightforwardness. Nevertheless, Arthur answered his question, and they spent the rest of the night conversing and getting to know each other.

Finally, Mei and Kiku, tired from their dancing, went over to take Yao home. As Yao stood up to leave, Arthur grabbed his hand, stopping him. "Wait!" Arthur exclaimed. "Can I have your number?"

Yao stared at Arthur for a moment before smiling widely. "Sure, aru."

Arthur handed Yao his cellphone, into which Yao keyed in his number. As Yao gave the cellphone back to Arthur, he grinned at the Englishman. "Hope to hear from you soon, aru."

With that, Yao turned to leave with Mei and Kiku.

Arthur could have sworn he heard Mei say, "He's cute, brother! You should totally date him!" as they walked away. Involuntarily, his face reddened at her statement. Arthur stood up to leave, before remembering that he went to the club with a few colleagues.

Arthur spotted Alfred chatting up a young lady. He went over and told Alfred that he was leaving. Alfred had nodded and left it at that.

On the way home, Arthur's mind couldn't help replaying the conversation he had with Yao. Yao was exceptional – although he was remarkably shy, he was intelligent, and he always had a witty comment to whatever Arthur said. And it was cute how he tended to end some of his sentences with 'aru'. Moreover, he was very beautiful. Indeed, Arthur was entranced and captivated by Yao.

Arthur decided, blushing, that he would have this man no matter what.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

Thus began Arthur's courtship of Yao. He gave Yao a phone call the following day.

Mei answered the phone. "Who is this?" she asked.

"Arthur," Arthur replied.

"Ooh." Arthur could literally HEAR Mei waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "THE Arthur from the club last night?"

"Uh, yes?"

Mei giggled. "That's so cute!" she exclaimed. "I'll get him – just hold on."

Arthur was flabbergasted. What was cute about him calling Yao?

Finally, Yao answered the phone. "Hello, aru?"

Arthur was delighted to hear Yao's voice. "Yao, this is Arthur."

Yao smiled. "I know – Mei told me, aru. So what's up?"

"Uh," Arthur didn't know how to begin. "I was wondering if you're free for lunch today?"

"Hm," Yao was thoughtful. "Lunch is a bit tight for me, but I could do dinner, aru."

"Great!" said Arthur. "Dinner it is, then! I'll pick you up?"

Yao was stunned at Arthur's offer to pick him up. "You sure, aru? I can go there by myself…"

"It's okay – it's my pleasure," Arthur assured him. "Just let me know where you live and I'll be there, say, ten to six?"

"Alright," replied Yao. He gave Arthur his address before hanging up.

As Arthur, too, hung up, he looked happily at the piece of paper on which he scrawled Yao's address. He did a little whoop in the air and kissed the paper.

Step one, invite Yao for a meal – check.

When Arthur got to Yao's home that evening, a young boy answered the door. When Arthur told him who he was, he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Mei told me about you," he said. "I'm Hong Kong, Yao's youngest brother. Come in."

Hong Kong led Arthur to the living room. "Just wait there," he told Arthur. "I'll go get him."

Mei was lounging on the sofa, reading a book. "Arthur!" she cried when she saw the Englishman. She put down her book and walked up to Arthur.

"Hi," Arthur greeted nervously, hiding a bouquet of roses behind his back. He had thought Mei was Yao's only sibling – he didn't know Yao had another one. Or maybe he had more?

"Wow, you are much taller up close," Mei commented.

Arthur chuckled uneasily. "Maybe it's because you're Asian?"

"Probably," Mei shrugged. She then peered behind Arthur's back. "Ooh, flowers! Are they for brother Yao?"

When Arthur didn't answer and merely fidgeted nervously, Mei assumed she was right. "Let me tell you a secret – brother Yao's favourite flowers are peonies," she whispered conspiratorially.

"Oh, so I shouldn't give these to him?"

"Of course you should!" Mei exclaimed. "I'm just telling you for future reference," she winked at him. "Besides, you've got to get rid of the competition, don't you?" she muttered darkly.

"Huh?" Arthur was confused. "What competition?"

Mei gestured upstairs, where Hong Kong had supposedly disappeared to fetch Yao. "There's this Russian guy who's also vying for brother Yao's affections. They met when brother was delivering some documents to a client at a hotel. Now, he just won't leave brother alone – he comes every other day just to hang around the house and spend time with brother – it gets pretty annoying," explained Mei.

Arthur felt dread fill his heart. There was another guy who was pursuing Yao?

"But don't worry!" Mei quickly exclaimed. "I haven't seen brother take on to anyone as fast as he did you – it took Ivan two months before brother softened up to him. Besides, you're cuter," she added, wagging her eyebrows cheekily.

At that moment, Yao came downstairs. He was wearing a simple red shirt and black slacks. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw Arthur. "Hi," he greeted, smiling brightly at Arthur.

A tall man followed behind Yao. "I'll call you, da?" he asked.

Yao nodded. "Okay, aru," he replied. "Hong! Can you see Ivan out?"

Hong Kong appeared and showed Ivan to the door.

Yao turned to Arthur. "I'm sorry, but Ivan turned up out of the blue and…"

Arthur pushed the bouquet of roses in front of Yao's face, effectively interrupting whatever it is that Yao was about to say. "Here," he gasped. "I got these for you."

For a moment, Yao was stunned. He barely knew this guy and here he was, giving him flowers! Yao started blushing brightly. "Uh… thanks, aru," he said softly, taking the bouquet from Arthur.

"Here, brother," Mei offered. "I'll put these in a vase for you," she said, taking the bouquet of flowers from Yao.

"Shall we?" Arthur extended his hand, presenting a charming smile towards Yao.

Yao nodded, smiling softly in return. He took Arthur's extended hand. "Sure."

Arthur couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he made his way to his house that night after fetching Yao to his own home. Yao was perfect. And Arthur was enamoured with him.

However, Arthur's features darkened when he thought of the big Russian man who was also trying to woo Yao. He couldn't let that man win over Yao's feelings. He wanted Yao's affections to be directed to him. Only him!

Arthur's thoughts drifted back to the small Asian man whose smile lit up any room he stepped into. Although he had just dropped Yao back home, Arthur wished that Yao was with him now. It didn't matter what they were doing, Arthur wanted to be close to Yao, cuddling with him and whispering sweet nothings into his ear while enjoying seeing Yao squirm and blush.

The lingering question kept me up, 2 a.m., who do you love?
I wonder 'til I'm wide awake
Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door
I'd open up and you would say
It was enchanting to meet you
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you

When Arthur reached into his bag to retrieve his keys to open his door, he found a crumpled piece of paper. He un-creased it and tried to read it, but it was too dark to make anything out.

Arthur quickly took out his keys and turned the lock on his door, entering his home. He switched on the lights, illuminating his living room. He looked at the piece of paper again and realised it was from Yao.

Dear Arthur,

I really had fun tonight. I hope we can do this again someday.

-Yao

Although the note was short, Arthur felt his heart soar. 'I hope we can do this again someday' meant that he didn't screw up and Yao wanted to see him again!

Arthur did a little dance in the middle of his living room.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonder-struck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

Step 2, charm Yao – check.

A couple of days later, Arthur gave Yao another phone call. He would have called sooner, but he didn't want to seem too needy and desperate.

This time, it was Yao who answered the phone. "Hello, aru?"

Arthur recognised his voice immediately. "Yao, it's Arthur."

"Oh, hi Arthur," Arthur could hear Yao smiling. "How are you, aru?"

"I'm great, thanks," Arthur replied. "Listen – I got a couple of tickets to go and see the orchestra. I remembered that you said you liked classical music, so I was wondering… wouldyouliketogowithme?"

There was silence.

Arthur immediately regretted his decision to ask Yao. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to go, I just…"

"I'd love to, aru!" exclaimed Yao excitedly. "When is it?"

"It's tomorrow at 8pm, but I was thinking we should have dinner together before going…"

"That sounds great, aru," said Yao. "What time should I meet you?"

Arthur couldn't contain his happiness. "I'll pick you up at 5.30pm? We can take a slow drive to dinner then."

"Okay," said Yao brightly. "I'll see you then, aru!"

"See you," replied Arthur. "Bye."

As soon as Arthur put down the phone, he did a little whoop in the air. He couldn't wait to see Yao the next night.

This is me praying that
This was the very first page, not where the storyline ends
My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again
These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you

Success!

After going to the orchestra with Yao, Arthur asked him out a few more times. Each time, he was greeted with enthusiasm by Yao at their "dates", and each time, Arthur returned home with a fluttering in his heart. However, he still didn't dare express his feelings to Yao at that point in time – he somehow felt it was too soon, and he was afraid that he might scare Yao away.

One day, Arthur decided to surprise Yao at his workplace. He would pop out from nowhere and take Yao to lunch in a fancy restaurant – he had it all planned.

However, what Arthur hadn't planned was the presence of a certain Russian who was conversing with Yao before Arthur arrived.

A little surprised by Ivan's company and not wanting himself to be exposed, Arthur sneaked behind a pillar to eavesdrop on Ivan and Yao.

Arthur's heart sank as he saw Ivan lean forward and plant a kiss on Yao's lips. Even though Yao did not return the kiss, he did not push Ivan away either. Arthur tore his eyes away from the scene and left as quietly as he could. That Russian bastard had stolen Yao's heart – Arthur was too late!

Had Arthur been earlier, however, he would have heard the conversation which led to the kiss.

"So Yao," Ivan began. "Have you given any thought to my proposition?" he asked as he leaned across the table.

Yao did not look up from what he was writing. "Yes, I have, aru."

"And…?"

"Ivan," Yao sighed, placing his pen down on the table. "I am not ready for a relationship, aru," he told the Russian man.

"It's that Englishman, isn't it?" Ivan demanded.

"What?" Yao was perplexed. "I have no idea what you are talking about, aru."

"You have fallen for that Englishman, da?"

"No!" Yao shouted as he shot up from his chair. But he was blushing furiously. "It's just that…"

"Yao, I've seen the way you look at him," said Ivan forlornly. "It's the same way I look at you."

Yao stared at Ivan sadly. There was silence for a long moment, before Yao finally said, "I'm sorry, Ivan, but I hope we still can be friends, aru. I treasure our friendship."

Ivan nodded. "Then… would you allow me… to give you just one kiss?" he asked. "Nothing perverted – just one innocent kiss."

Hesitantly, Yao nodded. He closed his eyes as Ivan leaned down to kiss him on the lips. Ivan tasted bittersweet, and not like how Yao imagined Arthur to taste like.

Arthur slammed the door to his home in anguish. He needed to vent. After all he had done, he was still too late – Yao had given his heart to Ivan.

An involuntary sob left Arthur as he slumped on his couch, burying his face into it.

Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you

Arthur just wanted to fall asleep and never wake up from this nightmare. He couldn't even get the image of Ivan kissing Yao out of his head! Every time he closed his eyes, his mind would replay the scene of Ivan leaning forward to kiss Yao.

Arthur reasoned with himself. It made sense, though – Yao had known Ivan longer than he had Arthur. So Ivan had more time to capture Yao's heart.

Now what could Arthur do? Well, all's fair in love and war – Arthur could continue to court Yao. Maybe Yao would see that he was the better man and then break up with Ivan. Then Arthur would be free to date Yao!

Arthur sat up with renewed fervour. He would not give up – Yao would be his no matter what!

Ever since the incident where Arthur spied Ivan kissing Yao, he played innocent – it was as if he hadn't seen it. He continued his phone calls to Yao, asking him out, going out with him… And Yao was none the wiser.

Arthur knew Yao's birthday was coming soon. It was the following week, in fact. He wanted to do something nice for Yao.

So, Arthur called Yao's home, hoping anyone but Yao would pick up the phone.

"Hello?" It was Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong?" Arthur asked, relieved that it wasn't Yao. "This is Arthur."

"Oh, you want to speak to brother?" asked Hong Kong. "I'm afraid he isn't…"

"Actually, I wanted to speak to anyone but him," Arthur admitted.

"Oh?" Hong Kong was surprised. "Did the two of you have a fight, because I swear, if you hurt brother…"

"NO!" Arthur shouted into the phone. "It's nothing like that, okay? I just know it's his birthday next Tuesday."

Hong Kong nodded. "That's right."

"What have you all planned for him?"

Hong Kong shrugged. "The usual – since it's a weekday, we'll all go for a family dinner together."

Arthur grinned. It was perfect. "That means the house will be empty?"

"Pretty much."

"Great!" Arthur exclaimed. "Can I enter your house while you guys are out and organise a surprise for Yao?"

"Yeah, sure," Hong Kong replied. "We'd appreciate that."

"Thanks!" Arthur gushed. "So… I'll need to grab an extra set of your house keys…"

"You can come now," Hong Kong told him. "Brother is not home and isn't due home for a while."

"Okay then – I'll see you in a few minutes."

So, on Yao's birthday, he went out for dinner with his siblings. His siblings, however, knew what Arthur was planning and exchanged knowing smiles all night.

"For the last time what are you smiling about, Yong Soo, aru?" Yao asked his brother exasperatedly, as he reached out for a dumpling.

Embarrassed to be caught, Yong Soo turned back to his food. "Nothing, da-ze! I'm just happy that you're happy!"

The rest of Yao's siblings snickered and continued eating.

Yao frowned. His siblings were all acting odd that night, and he would find out why soon enough… They all just needed the right incentive to spill the beans.

"So…" Yao turned to Hong Kong. "How's your math class, aru? You were complaining about it last week."

Hong Kong glowered at Yao. "It's not just math – it's calculus," he muttered darkly. "I still hate it – I don't understand a word of what the lecturer says."

"Do you need help, aru?" Yao asked in concern. "Because I have a colleague who's really good at maths; maybe he can help you."

Hong Kong brightened up instantly. "Really?" he asked. "If you could get him to tutor me, it would be great!"

Yao nodded. "I'll ask him – he's really nice, so it's unlikely he'll say no, aru."

The night went on that way with Yao and his siblings making small talk just like they always had. It was rare that they got to eat together due to their busy lifestyles, so they treasured times like these.

When they reached home, Mei let out a shriek. "I dropped my pin!" she cried.

Yao didn't like seeing his only sister in distress. "Shall we look for it, aru?" he asked.

"NO!" his brothers shouted together.

Yao was taken aback by their quick response.

"Uh… I mean, we'll help her look," Kiku said. "Why don't you go home first?"

"But…"

"Go home!" ordered Yong Soo.

"Yeah, brother," Hong Kong agreed. "Leave it to us – we'll find it in no time."

Yao was unsure. "Okay… if you say so, aru." He then turned uncertainly and made his way to enter his house.

Kiku, Yong Soo, Hong Kong and Mei exchanged a grin before they ducked behind a bush and began moving nearer to their house. They were unseen by their oldest brother.

Yao unlocked the door to his house and opened the door. He wished he knew what was wrong with his siblings – they were acting strange that night, and he had not been any closer to finding out why even as their dinner ended. They were up to something…

Yao made his way into the kitchen, where he would prepare a cup of hot tea before retiring for the night. However, he was not prepared for what he saw…

There was a banner hanging over the kitchen. It said, "Happy Birthday, Yao!"

Below the banner was Arthur. He was holding a cake with a lit candle placed in the middle of it, and he was smiling brightly. "Happy birthday, Yao," he said.

Still stunned, Yao held onto the wall for support. "How… how did you…?"

"Make a wish and blow out the candle first," Arthur told him.

Yao stepped forward, closed his eyes for a while to make his wish and blew out the candle. When he opened his eyes again, it was to glare at Arthur. "You gave me the shock of my life, aru!"

Arthur grinned sheepishly as he placed the cake on the dining table. "Sorry," he apologised. "But I'm sure this doesn't beat anything that Ivan has already done for you…"

"Ivan?" Yao questioned. "Why would Ivan do anything for my birthday, aru? He just gave me a book."

Arthur frowned. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

"What?" Yao exclaimed. Since when were Ivan and him an item?

"I saw him kiss you that day in your office…" Arthur said softly.

"Oh," Yao nodded in understanding. So Arthur was there that day when Ivan kissed him, and had seen everything. "That wasn't anything," he quickly explained. "Ivan just wanted a kiss, aru – just an innocent kiss, and I let him. After he found out I didn't have feelings for him, he has stopped his advances, aru," Yao told Arthur.

"And why don't you have feelings for him?" asked Arthur. He was feeling much better at Yao's admission that Ivan and he weren't together, but he needed the confirmation. "You've known him for a while, haven't you?"

Yao flushed and turned away. "Because… because I am in love with someone else, aru," he replied quietly.

"And… who might that be?" Arthur was afraid of the answer, but he had to know.

A small smile ghosted over Yao's lips as he looked at Arthur. He took a step forward closer to the Englishman. Should he? And possibly ruin their friendship? He decided he would take the risk. Yao stood on tip-toe and kissed Arthur on the lips lightly. "You, you idiot, aru," Yao said affectionately.

Fireworks exploded in Arthur's head. Yao was in love with him! His feelings were reciprocated! Arthur stretched out his hands and brought Yao closer to his body. He hugged Yao and engulfed the Chinese man in a deep, passionate kiss as he ran his fingers through Yao's hair.

Yao smiled into the kiss – Arthur tasted just as sweet as he's imagined him to taste.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonder-struck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you

By then, Yao's siblings were tired of waiting outside and peeking through the window (and not being able to see anything); they decided to enter the house. As soon as they saw Arthur kissing the daylights out of their oldest brother, they erupted into catcalls and wolf whistles.

When Arthur and Yao heard the noises Kiku, Yong Soo, Hong Kong and Mei were making, they broke apart quickly. Nevertheless, both of them were smiling, although a bit sheepishly.

"You all knew about this, aru!" Yao accused, pointing at them.

"Yeah…" Mei said unapologetically. "It was a great plan, wasn't it?"

Hong Kong nodded. "A few days ago, Arthur called and asked if he could come in and prepare a surprise for you while we were out. Naturally, I said it was alright," he beamed.

"Did you know…"

"That you had feelings for Arthur, da-ze?" Yong Soo asked, grinning mischievously. "It was so blatantly obvious!"

Yao chuckled nervously as Arthur wrapped his arms around Yao's small waist and rested his chin on Yao's shoulder. "Now, who wants some cake?" Arthur asked.

"ME!" came the chorus.