Archive of Our Own

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The more his father the Majesty spoke, the more restless Soobin grew. 

Lately, every little thing had driven Soobin a bit more insane, sanity hanging onto him by a fragile thread. First, they postponed the engagement dinner and party and that turned out to be three weeks. Then, there were his feelings for.. Yeonjun. Yeonjun. It was still new to say his name without the title attached to it, his heart skipping a beat or two every time he thought about it. His feelings were all over the place which made it harder and borderline impossible to keep his hands to himself, words buried deep inside his mouth and eyes away from the prince. 

It was still early to know if Yeonjun had changed his opinion about Soobin, if he still believed the rumors. But, given their interactions, given how Yeonjun responded to Soobin’s lingering gazes, fleeting touches and shy attempts at openness, Soobin thought that they might be walking a smoother path than he had bargained for. As the days grew colder, Soobin’s feelings turned warmer and enveloped him whole. Around Yeonjun, the warmth was welcoming and familiar, it felt like resting after a long exhausting day. Away from the prince, he could feel it burning him from inside out. 

Following Yeonjun back to his room was part of his routine now, a part which he looked forward to from the moment he opened his eyes and made his way to the prince’s room to pick him up first thing in the morning to the moment he lay his head on his pillow. With each passing night, it became harder and harder to ignore how things had changed, how Soobin himself had changed and how his words to Taehyun still rang true: he did not know what he would be capable of if someone, anyone, dared to touch Yeonjun. 

The person he believed he was had long abandoned his body, leaving it empty to be filled entirely by Yeonjun. 

It should have been romantic, he thought to himself once. Any other man or woman would’ve felt as pieces of a puzzle had fallen into place, as if their sight had become clearer and the world had fallen back to its axis. Everything as it should’ve been. To him, however, it had felt exactly the opposite: Soobin felt unsure of his every step, couldn’t trust his thoughts or his hands, his lips did this thing of its own, retracting his upper and lower lips to show his teeth at the mere presence of Yeonjun. 

Soobin had become a liability, a new man. A man he did not recognize. 

But a man he did not hate, either. 

Perhaps, this version of Soobin wasn’t entirely new, bur rather, had new priorities. Before, Soobin fulfilled his duties: he was his father’s secret weapon, the monster in their enemies’ worst nightmares, the unshakable force his kingdom needed. A symbol of who they were and what they were capable of. From the moment his eyes met Yeonjun’s for the first time and he decided he’d clean his reputation with him and change the prince’s opinion about him, everything changed. Soobin was still a man who fulfilled his duties: to serve and protect.

This time, however, he would serve and protect Yeonjun, not only his own kingdom. 

Which made his skin crawl with unease as he sat on the iron chair, facing his father, who wouldn’t stop rambling about how the king of Eternis was unreasonable and incorrigible because he had insisted on returning to Eternis for a week while Soobin and “the others”, as he had said, dealt with needed to be dealt with. 

That was not of Soobin concern, therefore, his presence was not needed. 

His Majesty’s chambers were the largest in the palace: tall walls covered in paintings from ground to ceiling. Arches on both sides, a large bed stood in the middle of the room. Behind it, there was a large window which faced the forest beyond the border, pointing to the East kingdoms. Late at night, the windows open, Soobin averted his gaze from his father and Huening Kai - who  seemed equally bored and confused - and stared at the night sky. The cold wind blew at their hair and kissed their faces bit mercilessly, sending shivers running down their spines. 

The sky was a dark plain veil, not even the moon could be seen. 

Something was undeniably wrong and Soobin hoped it was only his pessimism overtaking his thoughts caused by his premature parting from Yeonjun. 

When the front door opened abruptly, Soobin held back a sigh. As relieved as he felt for finally being freed from that torture, one thing he could live without was his father’s sermons because of his attitude. 

The relief was short-lived when his eyes landed on a very distressed Taehyun and a very upset and confused Yeonjun who trailed timidly behind. 

“Your Majesty.” Taehyun greeted, bowing. Behind him, Yeonjun followed the movement, but it was more muscle memory than a conscious act. “Your highness. Soobin. My apologies for my lack of manners, but I must inform you of  an…event. An important one.” 

Soobin could count on both hands the occasions in which he had seen Taehyun taken aback. His friend was always so sure of himself, carrying a seemingly arrogant posture and aura, always right, always assertive, that seeing worry and surprise distort his features sent needles pickling Soobin’s stomach. Immediately he stood up, his chair scratching loudly against the floor - Yeonjun made a face, jumping softly on his feet, as if being awakened from a dream and brought back to reality. The prince’s eyes fell on Soobin’s. Yeonjun’s eyes, usually feline-like, seemingly tiresome, were incredibly round and wide: pupils blown wide, the black swallowing the green of  his irises. 

“It must be something absurd for you to dare to enter my room like this, Taehyun.” His Father’s scowl was deep as his voice, his arms crossed over his chest.

“It’s Taeyong.” Taehyun did not hesitate, his eyes landing on Soobin as he spoke. His Father raised an eyebrow, hands now propped under his chin. 

Around Soobin, the world had stopped and gone quiet at the words Taeyong paired up with the image of Yeonjun confused and in fear. It took him three long strides to stand in front of Yeonjun and just a quick raise of his arms to have his hand cupping the side of the prince’s face, skin soft and warm under his calloused fingers. Yeonjun’s eyes met his, a shaky breath falling from his lips. 

“Are you hurt?” He asked, voice urgent, eyes scanning his face, his shoulders, all the way to his toe. Taeyong was no stranger to war strategies, and above all, Soobin knew how much resentment he carried. Those were more than enough fuel to carry a man into making impossible, bold and cruel decisions. 

Yeonjun only shook his head, placing his hand on top of Soobin’s. His hand was cold and Soobin’s worry grew deeper roots inside his heart.

“Has he tried something?” It was Huening Kai who asked, and Soobin could feel his eyes on them. “Why is Prince Yeonjun with you?”

“Soobin’s asked me to accompany your highness Prince Yeonjun to his room, as we have been suspecting Taeyong may have been plotting something. For safety reasons, I suppose.”

“Well, of course.” The sarcastic tone in Huening Kai’s words did not go unnoticed. He decided to ignore it. 

“When Prince Yeonjun opened the door, I smelled something.” And then Taehyun was walking further into the room, stopping by the wooden table that stood on the left corner of it. Soobin turned around, but not before making sure Yeonjun’s hand were in his as he pulled the prince closer to inspect what Taehyun had brought with him. 

Yeonjun followed, hand in his. Soobin’s thumb was drawing circles on the back of the prince’s hand. Huening Kai eyed it, curiosity painting his whole face, but did not ask questions, although the raised eyebrow at Soobin was question enough. 

Taehyun placed a bouquet of purple violas on top of the table. 

Purple violas only bloomed in the North. Around Taeyong’s settlement. 

Yeonjun’s hand on his was firm, a solid reminder that Taeyong did not reach him. That Taeyong couldn’t. And yet, somehow, he walked into his home, invaded Yeonjun’s privacy easily like that. If Yeonjun had returned to his room a minute or two earlier, all by himself, Taeyong could’ve had a chance. Soobin closed his eyes in a miserable attempt at controlling his own feelings, feelings he once believed to be familiar: the anger, red and blinding, so consuming he’d shut down all the voices around him to focus solely on his target.

It felt different, the anger, as he heard Huening Kai ask the same questions that filled his mind, already in overdrive. How did he get to Yeonjun’s room? Someone must’ve helped him, we must suspect everyone. And purple violas? Do they mean something? Why Yeonjun?

“Isn’t it obvious?” Soobin’s voice was low, his eyes unfocused when he opened them again. He was trying to breathe, trying to focus on Yeonjun’s hand on his and how perfectly they fit together, how the prince was squeezing his hand and looking at him with wide eyes but with a strength and confidence that were foreign to him. That he perhaps did not deserve.

Huening Kai frowned, eyes going back and forth from Soobin to Yeonjun and then to Taehyun. 

“Prince Yeonjun? Is he making Yeonjun the target? Are you serious? Do you really believe he expects King Eunwoo to cater to his whims if  he threatens his son? This is the most stupid idea I’ve ever heard, Soobin.”

“It’s not that stupid, Hyuka…” Taehyun started, voice a bit higher and unsure. That was so out of character for Taehyun. 

By his side, Yeonjun tugged Soobin's hand a bit, but his eyes were somewhere above Soobin’s head. The prince quickly aligned his eyes with Soobin’s, a question in his eyes. He spoke up, interrupting Taehyun. 

“I am my Father’s only son.” Yeonjun’s voice was composed, calculated. Soobin watched him as he spoke, looking for any sign of fear, any sign that the prince understood what it meant. Taeyong was targeting him, targeting them. It could be a declaration of war in Soobin’s understanding. They had gone into battle for much, much less. “If he is doing this for the herbs, then my Father will willingly give it all to him.”

Across from them, Soobin’s Father stood up. He crossed his arms over his chest, spread his legs, cocking his head to the side. The King studied Yeonjun’s face and posture, his eyes lingering for a bit longer on their joined hands. Soobin wanted to show it off, and so he did,  pulling Yeonjun a bit closer to stand next to him. The prince eyed him curiously, smiling discreetly in approval. 

“Does your highness think this is proper? To bend to Taeyong’s.. childish attempts at threatening you?”

Yeonjun held his chin up high and straightened his shoulders. “I do not believe it is childish, your Majesty.”

His Father hummed and Soobin’s discomfort was almost unbearable. 

“You say King Eunwoo would easily comply. Would you let him?”

“I am no King, your Majesty. Father makes the decisions, not me. It is not my decision, but I believe my life is worth more than healing herbs.”

The King was not convinced. Huening Kai gaze met Soobin’s and the younger raised his eyebrows, his irises moving back and forward between their father and Yeonjun. Soobin hissed at him. 

“Certainly.” There was more to it, Soobin knew. Yeonjun’s life was worth infinitely more than healing herbs, but not to his Father. Not to people who didn’t know Yeonjun and, certainly, not to Taeyong. “Taehyun, tell San to gather some of our men and look for Taeyong. But, do it smoothly. I want to see how far he’ll go.”

I want to see how far he’ll go.

Soobin knew exactly how far Taeyong could go. He started with the flowers, a message: I’m here and I know where to find you. Then he would corner Yeonjun, scare him, push him to the brim of insanity. And, when they least expected, Taeyong would suck the life away from Yeonjun and, consequently, from Soobin. 

Soobin couldn’t have that. He wouldn’t stay quiet and watch Yeonjun being played with like a cat plays a mouse. 

“No.” Soobin said firmly, his eyes fixed on his shoes. In his mind, a thousand different scenarios played and all of them were absolutely terrifying. 

Yeonjun dead, on their soon-to-be-shared bed. 

Taeyong’s hand on Yeonjun’s delicate, soft skin. Breaking it apart. Making Yeonjun scream and cry in pain while Soobin watched. 

No. 

“I beg your pardon?” his Father asked in disbelief. 

“No.” It was harder to breathe, the walls closing around him. There was a pressure on his hand, Yeonjun, but it was hard to focus on it. Soobin raised his eyes to his father as he spoke. “We will not see how far Taeyong goes. You know very well what he can do.”

The king scoffed, waving his hand. “Soobin, son. Let’s not make this more complicated than it really is, shall we? Yeonjun is in no real danger, Taeyong can’t do anything.”

But Taeyong had already done something. He had already made his presence known, had already broken in, threatened. To his father, it might not be important, but the king was also too confident, too sure of his men and his power. Confidence made him blind, and, most times, it was Soobin who had to intervene and clean the mess. This time, however, Soobin was not willing to let a mess happen. As his father spoke, the world around him became more and more unfocused, blurred on the edges and he felt it again, the monster rising together with the bile filing his mouth. 

The sensation was no strange to him: trembling hands, labored breath, tunnel-vision, his target his only focus. In that moment, as his father played with Yeonjun’s life, he had become Soobin’s one and only target. Yeonjun’s hand holding his was not enough to stop him, to control the monster he fought viciously to keep under a leash. 

“Soobin, no!” Taehyun hissed, but it was too late. 

Soobin turned his head to the side, eyeing the blade Huening Kai carried on his belt. In a quick movement, he let go of Yeonjun’s hand and stretched his right arm to reach for the blade. Huening Kai tried to elude by taking a step back, but Soobin’s arms were longer and he grabbed it with his fingertips, skillfully twisting it between his fore and middle finger, fixing its holding and wielding the knife towards his father. Behind him, he felt Yeonjun walking towards him, until Taehyun stopped him. 

“Stop him, Taehyun!” Yeonjun begged, “Soobin!” Yeonjun called, but it fell deaf to Soobin’s ears. 

He was a man on a mission, determined and taken by anger, fear and resentment. In front of him, his Father smiled as Soobin ran towards him and jumped over the wooden table that separated them. Feet hitting the ground, Soobin’s fist - with the knife sideways, still in his hand - met his Father’s left cheek. 

“Oh, fuck. Soobin! Brother!” Huening Kai screamed and it felt distant.

In front of him, his Father smiled as he raised his hand and slapped Soobin across the face. It burned, Soobin knew, but he was numb. Everything was numb, he felt completely detached from his own body. 

“Oh, Soobinie.” 

His father cooed and Soobin raised his stolen blade to his father’s neck. It didn’t phase the King, who grabbed Soobin by the back of his neck, turned him around and slammed his face against the wooden desk. Soobin winced in pain when the hard surface collided with his cheekbone, another wave of pain spreading through the other side of his face. It started near his mouth, then right below his eyes all the way up to this  temple. It throbbed, and it only fueled Soobin’s rage.  

The king leaned down, lips close to Soobin’s ear, but his voice was louder, for everyone to hear. 

“I told you to clean your reputation, but you can’t help yourself, can you?” Soobin wanted to close his eyes, but instead, his eyes fell on Yeonjun. The prince's eyes were in slits, brows furrowed, lips set on a straight line. Behind him, Taehyun was holding the prince in place by the arm. “There’s no denying, Soobin. There’s no changing who you are: you are the monster in people’s tales, you’ve always been. Taeyong won’t go very far, because the monster won’t let you rest until you’ve ripped him apart piece by piece, aren’t I right, son?”

Soobin’s eyes were glued to Yeonjun, watching his every reaction. Soobin wanted to deny, to say his father was lying, that he was not what people said about him. But, how could he, when his father was right this time? It was as clear as day in his mind that he could not rest until Yeonjun was safe and that right now meant Taeyong dead.

Yeonjun’s expression morphed into an outraged one, his pouty lips turning downwards as he watched the scene before him. 

“Your Majesty.” Yeonjun’s voice was a bit shaky, but still firm enough. Certain. It was all it took for the air to be punched out of Soobin’s lungs. Yeonjun’s eyes had a different light to them, almost dangerous and Soobin thought that he had, perhaps, seen a darker side of the prince in front of him. 

The King raised his eyes to the Prince, humming. 

Yeonjun squared his shoulders, grimacing. “Let Prince Soobin handle it.” And then, looking into Soobin’s eyes, lips turning upwards, softer, “if he’s the monster your Majesty claims he is, then, let him use it in our favor.”

Above him, the pressure eased as his father let go of his nape. Soobin stood up, fixed his clothes and swirled the blade around his fingers again. Before moving away from his father, in a quick move, he raised the blade and aimed for his father’s hand that rested on the surface. In one swift motion, he stabbed his father’s hand and, in the same movement, he removed the blade, throwing it on top of the table. 

Taehyun covered his mouth to hide his chuckle, Huening Kai gasped and Yeonjun’s eyes windened, an incredulous look on his face.

“Don’t fuck with me about Yeonjun’s safety ever again, Father.” Soobin spit out as he jumped over the table and almost ran towards Yeonjun.

Behind him, his father groaned. “Is this how you repay your Father? Making me crippled before your wedding? Kai, call Gyuri.”

“Uh.. sure, of course, Father.”

Standing before him, Yeonjun had a mischievous smile on his lips. 

“What?” Soobin asked, as he extended his hand. Yeonjun took it without hesitation as they made their way out of the room. 

Yeonjun shook his head, “I’ve never seen you so angry.” He said and then, once they were outside, Soobin moving too quickly, still high on adrenaline, the prince asked: “Hey, hey. Stop for a minute, will you?” Pulling Soobin’s hand down, forcing both of them to stop on their tracks. 

Soobin did as he was asked, because how could he deny Yeonjun of anything? Once they stopped, he could feel the adrenaline pumping in his bloodstream, burning his insides and threatening to take over. It was always unsettling, to be so close to losing control, but he had embraced it every time it was necessary. In front of Yeonjun, however, he fought against it. Soobin tried to swallow the anger, the monstrosity because he had been trying to prove to Yeonjun that he was better than that. That he was more than that.

And yet, Yeonjun had told his father to let Soobin handle it. To let the monster come out, take over and settle everything in the most violent way possible. Soobin’s eyes were on Yeonjun’s, reading his face - his green, sparkly eyes, pouty red lips parted and showing his front teeth, eyebrows shot up in mild amusement. Yeonjun was beautiful, and in that room, Soobin saw how the beauty wasn’t only on surface level. There were depths to Yeonjun, and instead of feeling surprised by his words, Soobin felt intrigued. Amazed, almost. 

Yeonjun raised his hand to caress Soobin’s face, asking: “Can I?” to which Soobin responded with a scoff and a nod. 

“Forgive my behavior,” Soobin started, truly sorry for everything. For Taeyong getting so close to him, for leaving Yeonjun unprotected, for making him watch Soobin’s father trying to belittle him. “Sometimes it’s hard to control my actions when Father speaks nonsense.”

Yeonjun was smiling softly at him, his soft and cold hand still caressing his skin. Soobin noticed how smaller his hands were, but how perfectly it fit there. Holding him together. It was inviting, grounding and Soobin wanted to close his eyes and turn his face, bury his nose on Yeonjun’s wrist and breathe in his scent until his lungs were burning, begging for air. 

“I must say,” Yeonjun started softly, voice low, as if what he was about to say was a secret to be shared only between them, “your father has a tough character, I don’t blame you for losing your temper. I’ve lost mine too, with Taehyun, remember? I don’t know what I would do if my father was like Your Majesty.” 

They stood in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by darkness, their frame illuminated only by the torches spread along it. Taehyun and Huening Kai walked past them, Taehyun eyeing Soobin with intent, but letting them be. Yeonjun didn’t notice his presence at first, but when Soobin’s eyes followed Taehyun’s hand carrying the bouquet of purple violas, Yeonjun turned his head, following his gaze. 

Taehyun and Huening Kai didn’t stop to talk to them. Taehyun had his hand wrapped around Kai’s elbow.  

When the two disappeared at the end of the hall, Yeonjun’s eyes were on Soobin again. 

“Soobin”, Yeonjun called and Soobin wondered if he would ever get used to the shiver running through his body when Yeonjun called his name, “breathe. Everything is alright, we’re safe. Taeyong can’t reach us.”

Soobin hadn’t realized he was clenching his teeth nor that his hands were balled into fists. Yeonjun moved his free hand to his shoulder, running it down his arm all the way to his hand. With his elegant fingers, Yeonjun tried to open Soobin’s hand, which he complied easily. 

Why was Yeonjun touching him like that? Why was Soobin mind going haywire, every little part of his body tingling? 

“Can’t you see it, Yeonjun?” Soobin said, looking down at where Yeonjun’s fingers were wrapped around his wrist, “Taeyong has already reached us. He entered your room, left you violas. We both know what that means.”

“We do,” Yeonjun agreed easily, nodding, “but also know that you won’t let it go very far, will you?”

Soobin frowned, confused. “What do you mean, Yeonjun?” 

Yeonjun bit his lower lip, averting his gaze to Soobin’s lip and then away, towards the hallway. 

“Back in Eternis, people hate you.” Yeonjun started, his voice a bit distant, as if he was talking to himself. “But people respect you, because we know what you are capable of and we know how much Thornsreach has provided for us. We’ve always been grateful.” 

It was no news to Soobin that he wasn’t adored by people outside of his own kingdom. Even at home, people have always been reluctant around him. Still, his heart clenched upon hearing the words. Yeonjun said the people hated him, that meant Yeonjun must have hated him as well. 

Swallowing his hurt, Soobin nodded. “I know I’m not their favorite person in the world.”

Yeonjun’s smile was sad when his eyes were on Soobin again. They were still standing in the middle of the hallway. If they spoke too loud, it would echo, spread. Soobin wanted to keep that moment - of openness, of shame - just between the two of them. 

“You weren’t,” Yeonjun chuckled as he caressed Soobin’s cheek. His eyes were sweet, delicate. “You’ve got a bad reputation, mostly because when soldiers came back from battles they fought for your kingdom, they said things.”

“The rumors.” Soobin whispered, frowning. 

“Precisely.” Then Yeonjun was pressing his lips together, deciding if he wanted to continue or not. Soobin wanted him to say it, wanted to understand what he meant back there. Wanted to know if Yeonjun still saw him as a monster he was painted as. So he waited, as patiently as he could, focusing on Yeonjun’s touch on him. “There were so many and to me, especially, it felt as if they only got worse with time.” He stopped, brows furrowed. “Have you got any idea of what is said about you, Soobin?”

It was Soobin’s turn to look away, to fix his eyes on the fire and imagine Taeyong burning. It didn’t last long, though. Yeonjun’s hand had moved to his chin, pulling him back to face the prince. 

Soobin shrugged. “I prefer not to actively listen to what is said about me. What I’ve heard has either come from my Father or from Kai.”

“From Kai?” Yeonjun asked, voice raising an octave in surprise. “Does he believe the rumors?”

It wasn’t like that, Soobin knew. Soobin also knew his brother had faced a lot of misunderstandings because of him, had tried to put on a good word for Soobin many, many times. But it was exhausting, Kai had said once, how people couldn’t see how ‘good of a person’ Soobin was because Soobin didn’t want people to see it. So he had stopped defending Soobin, had stopped telling him too. More often than not, Soobin felt sorry for his brother and for causing so much damage. 

At the end of the day, the rumors were based on the harsh, ugly truth. Whether Kai liked it or not, they couldn’t undo their doings. As evil as they might’ve been, they were necessary. 

It didn’t mean Soobin enjoyed being feared or that everything was true.

“They aren’t baseless rumors, Yeonjun.” Soobin said firmly, searching for any reaction in Yeonjun’s eyes. He needed Yeonjun to understand, once and for all. To see what the real picture was and, maybe, just maybe, agree to stand by his side. 

If Yeonjun wished Soobin to take care of Taeyong and the North and everything else once and for all, he would. But for the right reasons. 

“So you mean people spoke the truth?” Yeonjun’s eyes were confused, but his touch never faltered. Instead, Yeonjun’s hand fell from Soobin’s cheek to his neck, fingers timidly trying to play with Soobin’s hair. 

“I don’t know what they said, you haven’t told me yet.”

Yeonjun tugged some of Soobin’s hair playfully, earning a grunt from the prince. It felt good, and Soobin kept the sensation to be analyzed in the darkness of his room. Alone. 

“I’ve told you some, in the letters. At the training session.”

“You just said people say I’m a beast all of the time.” Soobin smiled, but he knew it was a sad, pitiful smile. Yeonjun swallowed dry. “This isn’t exactly a bad rumor to make people hate me as much as you say they do.”

Throwing his head back and sighing, Soobin could see Yeonjun’s exposed neck, his long blond locks framing it beautifully. Soobin wanted to touch Yeonjun’s hair, too. Feel its smoothness between his fingers. Run his hands through it until his fingers were cramped. 

Then, the prince looked around them, realizing where they were. “Do you want to talk about this here, in the middle of the hallway?” 

Soobin didn’t care, in fact, about where they were. The adrenaline rush from his argument with his father had been replaced by the thrill of being alone with Yeonjun, to be touched by the prince, to be the only one receiving his attention. It was not important that they had been standing in what felt like forever, Soobin would endure anything. 

But he should think about Yeonjun’s comfort and well-being first. And, of course, he had manners. 

“You can tell me the rumors as we walk back to your room, how about that?” Soobin suggested. 

It might not have been what Yeonjun wanted, but he agreed anyway with a hesitant nod. Soobin took the chance to wrap his hand around Yeonjun’s, the one that had been wrapped around his wrist. Yeonjun’s soft gasp reached his ears as he looked at their hands locked, fingers intertwined. 

Yeonjun’s hands were always cold.. Soobin’s were always too warm. 

And, yet, Soobin felt like they belonged. 

It scared him more than the men he had faced in the battlefield. More than the first time he had a knife pressed against his neck. It was more frightening than when his father punished him when he was little, trying to protect Huening Kai and Taehyun from harm. 

There was nothing he could compare it to because, at the same time, Soobin felt like he had found it. The home he couldn’t find in Thornsreach. It was there, in Yeonjun. 

As stunned as he was from the action, Yeonjun was the one who pulled Soobin to get them moving. Yeonjun didn’t know exactly where he was going, so Soobin had to guide him twice, before they were walking down the correct hallway. 

“So,” Yeonjun started, slowing his pace, “when you were crowned prince, was when the rumors started.”

“Huh, is that so?” Soobin asked, walking hand in hand with Yeonjun, his thumb back to drawing circles on the back of the prince’s hand. “I was only fifteen.”

“I know, we were very young. I was a year older than you, had one more year of experience being a prince, and yet, you had gone to the field before me. Father said it was because Your Majesty wanted to test you.”

“Test me? How?”

It was interesting to learn how things were seen from the outside. Soobin’s father had trusted him with a mission, to prove himself, that much he knew. But it was a simple task at first, negotiating produce with one of the kingdoms in the west. They had a reasonable leader, so it was quite easy. 

“Sending you to threaten the leader of the west kingdoms. So, when you returned, they said you were successful because you took your healing master and your military leader with you and threatened him. They said,” Yeonjun’s looked at Soobin from the corner of his eye before looking ahead again, “that you had a very imposing character, just like Your Majesty’s. So, people started respecting you there. There was a layer of fear to it too, I believe.”

What people thought of him he kind of already knew. So, he pushed for more pressing matters. 

“Including you? Did you start respecting me then?”

Yeonjun bit his lip again, moving his head from one side to the other. The yellow lights from the fire distorted his features a little. “I didn’t care for you, not back then. It was only when you marched north that I started kind of.. disliking you.”

“You didn’t agree with what we wanted to do.” It wasn’t a question, it was a fact. King Eunwoo had been vocal about being against attacking the north while all the other kingdoms were in favor. 

“Father was completely against it, and so was I. But, different from him, I thought we should’ve discussed more about how much we were providing for others. How much we were..relying on Thornsreach, for instance. Father never listened to me.” And then, looking at Soobin, he added: “I truly believed I wouldn’t follow my people’s tradition.”

That was new, Soobin thought. He had always believed Yeonjun agreed with his father’s decision. As the days passed, Soobin learned that Yeonjun knew better than his King. It was a shame that King Eunwoo was too obtuse to see it. 

“A shame,” Soobin said. There were a few more doors before they reached Yeonjun’s. Their steps were slow and deliberate, avoiding the moment in which they would have to part ways. “I assume my visit to the north sparked many more stories.”

“Oh, it certainly did.” Yeonjun agreed, nodding and scoffing. “They said you did…” then Yeonjun trailed off, avoiding Soobin again. 

“What did they say?” Soobin pushed. 

“That you did all sorts of things, Soobin.” And then Yeonjun was stopping on his tracks and turning his face to Soobin. They had reached Yeonjun’s door. “That you told your men to burn the forest around them, their crops. That, before invading the north, you cut their access to water and food. That you tortured one of them, the second in command. I don’t know their name, I’ve only met Taeyong.” Yeonjun’s eyes burned into Soobin’s, intense. There was a bit of fear there, resentment, but there was also understanding, as if Yeonjun refused to believe in only one side of the story. “They said you laughed as you did it, that you returned home with their body on your back, making people holler in excitement. To me, Soobin, you were a monster.” 

Soobin must have looked like a fish out of water as he listened to Yeonjun. Was that how the story had spread? It was worse than he had imagined. He did march north. He did cut down their access to water and food for two days, to force Taeyong and  Yuta to come out. And, when they did, he tried to talk. He tried to convince Taeyong to quit bothering everyone else, to build trust again instead of pestering all leaders with his insufferable pleas only to then steal from them days later. Taeyong’s family had risen against those who had helped their community, they were only paying for their sins, that’s what Soobin thought. 

Yuta wasn’t so patient or so willing to talk, nor was his partner, who tried to attack Soobin. Taehyun, always attentive, blocked Yuta, who also tried to attack Soobin. That way, Soobin was quick to defend himself - his defense, however, was always lethal. He had a blade on his hip, which he slid across the man’s throat before stabbing his thigh and twisting it in the flesh. 

Yuta’s partner fell lifeless on the floor, and all Soobin had said was: Take it as a warning. Do not seek help again, do not steal from us again, or you and Taeyong will follow him. 

Soobin could see it, the story spread, becoming word of mouth, people treating it like some sort of legend. It would justify the hate, the fear, all of the things his father had said about him. 

Still, as he saw the sadness in Yeonjun’s eyes, he felt shame and regret. Shame from something he hadn’t even done. Before meeting Yeonjun, those lies would bother him, definitely, but wouldn’t affect what he believed in nor how he saw himself. Now, however, he wanted more than never to erase that image. He was no saint, he knew. But to Yeonjun, he would never be a monster.

For him, however, if the situation called for it… maybe. 

“Have you changed your mind?” was what Soobin asked, instead of clarifying the lie. “Am I a monster to you? I asked you, before” Soobin was rambling, a bit frantic, a bit desperate, “if when you look at me all you see are ill-intented actions. Is that still true?”

Yeonjun’s face changed then, lips spreading into a soft, warm smile that made his eyes disappear into cute crescents. “You’re no monster, Soobin. You certainly have one, inside” Yeonjun then was looking at his chest before raising his eyes to meet Soobin’s. “And that is part of you. I’ve come to learn that there’s more to you than just the beast you might become when…”

“When?”

Yeonjun shrugged. “When the situation calls for it.”

“It never happened” Soobin quickly added, squeezing Yeonjun’s hand in his. “The torture, the bringing their body back to Thornsreach. I never did such a thing.”

Yeonjun cocked his head to the side. “No?”

“No, I promise. We.. I-” Soobin struggled with the words a bit, so he took a deep breath. Yeonjun’s hand squeezed his back. “I did use Yuta’s partner's death as a warning. We did cut their access to water and food. But I never exposed someone’s dead body in public. I never tortured anyone.”

Yeonjun’s expression turned pensive there. “But would you?” He asked then, after a few heartbeats of silence. “If you let the monster take over you. Would it do it?”

Soobin thought back to moments ago, when they were in the presence of his father. How easy it had been to let anger take over, to forget about everything and let himself be driven by his instincts only. And then he remembered his talk with Taehyun, how he had confessed he didn’t know who he’d become if Taeyong laid a finger on Yeonjun. He didn’t know what he would be capable of doing, back then. Now, as he looked into Yeonjun’s alluring green eyes, he had an idea. 

“To protect you, Yeonjun… yes.”

Soobin hardly ever measured his words and it sometimes caused him to regret being always so honest. That was one of the occasions in which he knew his candor could’ve caused discomfort. He expected Yeonjun to gasp in surprise, drop his hand in disgust, go back to square one and despise Soobin completely. Soobin truly believed he had ruined all the progress they had had in the last weeks. 

To his surprise, however, Yeonjun smiled kindly at him and nodded. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that, hm? None of us want that.” And then, he looked over his shoulder and his smile fell a little. “Oh, we’re already here.”

“We are.” Soobin echoed, eyeing the door as if it had personally offended him. 

They stood there, holding hands, staring at each other’s eyes, silence filling the space between them. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but there was something buzzing, nagging at Soobin. Telling him that something was off, that leaving Yeonjun was completely wrong. It might have been an exaggeration on his part but he thought that, if he left now, he wouldn’t be able to sleep, haunted by the ghost of the possibility of losing Yeonjun. 

Being around Yeonjun made breathing easier. Smelling Yeonjun’s lavender scent made his heart beat faster in such a lovely, warm way. Listening to Yeonjun’s voice lulled Soobin, a balm in the midst of chaos. He was growing dangerously addicted to Yeonjun’s presence. 

“Yeonjun”, Soobin called again and the prince hummed, still smiling. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to be alone.”

The prince’s brows furrowed in confusion. “The guards are always here. I mean”, the prince looked around, “either Jaeyun or Heeseung should be here.”

Soobin shook his head, slightly embarrassed at his own actions and wishes. Why would he deny something he could have? Something that he wanted? “They’ll stay by your door, of course, but I…”

And then he felt his face heating up, Yeonjun’s knowing smirk blooming on his face, and he closed his eyes as he spoke. “It would  put my mind at ease if I kept an eye on you as much as possible.”

Yeonjun’s smile was wide now, eyes completely turned into crescent moons. He looked like a child, a misbehaving one. “Are you going to be my personal body guard?” Laughing softly, he added, “or, better, my watch dog? Cute.”

Soobin rolled his eyes. “Are you mistaking me for Beomgyu? He’s the cute one, not me. Forget it, you’re making fun of my worry and care for you.”

Yeonjun laughed loudly, nose scrunching, torso and shoulders shaking. “No, of course not!” he said between deep breaths, “I’m very grateful for your concern and, if you insist..”

“I’m not insisting-”

It was Yeonjun’s turn to roll his eyes, sighing and wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “I would actually feel safer if you stayed with me for the night, Soobin.”

Yeonjun’s voice was grave and sincere. He looked at Soobin with a dangerous fondness. 

Soobin was going to regret letting himself fly so close to the sun. And yet, he did so, opening the door to Yeonjun’s door and stepping inside. 

༒︎

Taehyun knew were running out of time, but his hands were tied. 

King Kangdae had been breathing on his neck to know Taeyong’s whereabouts, to make Soobin do something, to trigger him. But Taehyun knew better than to push. It was not the right time, he had told himself repeatedly. On his hands, the purple violas burned. He threw them away in one of the palace’s trashcans.

By his side, Huening Kai carried a heavy expression. They walked side to side after leaving the king’s chambers and walking past Soobin and Prince Yeonjun lost in their own bubble. Neither of them interrupted their moment, but it would’ve been a lie if Taehyun said he was satisfied with how things had been happening. Too slow, he thought to himself. We’re running out of time. 

Once they reached the main entrance of the palace, Huening Kai held Taehyun by the arm, making both of them come to a sudden stop. 

“Back in Father’s room,” he started and all the youth was gone from his face. Taehyun looked him in the eye, trying to read the prince. “I was dismissive, I said it was a terrible idea if that was Taeyong’s plan. I lied.”

“You lied?” Taehyun asked, slightly surprised and very much confused. “To me it just seemed that you genuinely didn’t think Taeyong would be smart enough to think of something this… simple. Straightforward.”

The prince pressed his lips together, shaking his head. Kai’s hair was growing longer than ever before. It was already late, most of the population of the kingdom and the palace had already gone to bed. Outside, the wind whistled furiously, making their hair fly with its force. Taehyun had known Kai ever since he was in his diapers, when his mother was alive, before… before everything. Huening Kai was lovely, to put it simply. Easily smiling at everyone, bubbly sweet personality, talkative and easy going. The prince was as friendly as he was fair, but one thing Kai certainly wasn’t was stupid. He hid it, however, from his Father, avoiding being weaponized like his brother had been. 

Deep down, Taehyun wondered if Kai blamed King Kangdae for his mother’s passing. 

Well, he knew Soobin did, so Kai must, too. 

Rare were the occasions in which Taehyun had seen Kai so… serious. Brows furrowed, jaw set tight, eyes turned into slits. Soobin called it negative Kai, a rare appearance, but one he had learned how to use to win their battles. Taehyun knew the younger prince hated to be used like that, but for his older brother, Kai was willing to move mountains. 

Wind blew their way, swirling inside the palace. The flames on the torches danced with it, and Huening Kai crossed his arms over his chest. “Didn’t want to tap into brother’s anger.” Then, shrugging, he added, “it didn’t work.”

Taehyun sighed, placing a hand on Huening Kai’s shoulder. Under his touch, the prince relaxed a little, giving a long look to where Taehyun’s hand rested. 

“At this point, I don’t think there’s much we could’ve done to stop Soobin from acting the way he did. He’s very sensitive about Prince Yeonjun.”

At the mention of the Prince’s name, Huening Kai's frown deepened. “Speaking of the Prince” Heuning Kai paused, having a habit of playing with the lip ring with his tongue while thinking, “how did we go from them going at each other’s throat at every given opportunity to.. that?” The prince pointed to their back with his thumb over his shoulder. 

Taehyun had an idea both from his talks with Soobin and from what he had… seen. He wished he could tell Kai, everything he knew, but that would be too much and would mess up his plans. They were short on time and telling Kai was not part of the plan. So he just shrugged, offering what he hoped to be a convincing smile. 

“Soobin likes pretty things, doesn’t he?” Kai’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “They are soon to be married, perhaps your brother saw how useless it was to fight against it.”

The prince looked over Taehyun’s shoulder, to the opening which led to the space between the palace and the main square, and he didn’t seem convinced. Still, it wasn’t Taehyun’s responsibility to convince the prince. It was, however, his responsibility to make sure everything happened the way it was supposed to. 

And, if he could avoid a thing or two, he’d try to beat fate. He had done it before and he had won. 

“Kai,” he called, focusing on what was more important, “what do you mean by saying you lied? Is there something I should know?”

Despite Taehyun’s good eye, he wasn’t one to believe in signs from the universe. He believed in what he saw, what he knew was solid. So it did make the hairs on his arms and nape stand when Huening Kai’s eyes were fully on him, all knowing and cold. A bubbling feeling rose to his throat when the flames from the torches flickered again, throwing shadows that were way too similar to the ones he had seen before. 

“It’s a simple plan, but an effective one and brother knows it. Fuck, Tyun, you know it too.” Huening swayed his hand in the air, almost hitting Taehyun’s upper arm. “I have an idea of what he wants to do, but something’s missing. Something isn’t quite right.”

They shouldn’t be discussing that in the middle of the hallway. It was late, yes, but their walls were thin and the guards were still on patrol. Looking over his shoulder and then left and right, Taehyun grabbed Kai’s hand saying a “follow me”, and pulled him somewhere he believed to be safe from prying ears. The prince followed easily, yelping softly in the process. 

Taehyun loved Thornsreach. He couldn’t remember much of his childhood, couldn’t remember what his parents looked like. Hell, he didn’t even remember what their names were. But, he loved how big it was, how there were people everywhere at all times. He loved how the main square had been the stage for many of his and Soobin’s teenage drama and misbehavior. How the air smelled: earthy, deep and strong. Grounding. Taehyun knew Thornsreach like the back of his hand and it was the only thing he had known as home. Even at dark times, when the main square had been the stage for death and loss, disease and desperation, Taehyun still loved Thornsreach because it had always been everything he’s ever had. And because, in every single one of his visions, Thornsreach had always been solid. 

Still, as he walked past the main square - the trees had been leafless for almost a month now, and Taehyun liked them better like that - with Kai in hand, he couldn’t help but feel some sense of longing, too. It had always been there, side by side with the moments he had shared with both Soobin and Huening Kai. Thornsreach was his home, had always been and he believed it would always be. And yet, looking around, comparing himself to others too, he still longed for something.

Just like Kai had said before, something wasn’t quite right. Puzzle pieces were missing and Taehyun’s vision wasn’t exactly laying out a map for him. 

“Where are we going?” Kai asked when they had reached the farther south wall, turning right and walking behind a tavern. “Isn’t this…?”

“Namjoon’s shed? Yeah.” They stopped at the door, Taehyun knocking softly. 

Namjoon was their healer, their teacher and had been their mentor ever since Taehyun could remember. Soobin told Taehyun once that Namjoon had been here since King Kangdae’s father was the king. He never aged, never changed and never answered questions regarding his nature. After some time, they stopped asking. The shed was small and cozy, different from the rest of their kingdom. The walls were painted in a soft white color, the roof was colored the same red as their ground. There was a rectangular door and then a window that shed a buttery yellow light onto them. Warmth crept through the creaks of the door and the walls. 

“Tyun” Huening Kai warned, eyeing the shed shyly, “we really shouldn’t bother Namjoon. It’s late, we can discuss Taeyong’s matter somewhere else.”

Taehyun shook his head, “trust me” was all he asked. 

Suddenly, the front door was open and a huff of warmth hit both of them in the face. Kai winced and Taehyun tried to wipe it away with a wave of his hand. 

“Your highness, we’ve been expecting you.” It was Beomgyu, of course, smiling sheepishly. Huening Kai’s bothered expression was quickly replaced by wide eyes and mouth hanging open. “I must ask you, though, to keep it down. I could hear both of you from miles away!”

Taehyun could’ve laughed at the adorable expression on Kai’s face, his eyes huge and hand hovering over his mouth, index finger dumbly pointing at Beomgyu as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Feeling benevolent and needing Kai to be completely functional to get things moving and according to what fate had settled for them, Taehyun decided to throw a bone. 

“Namjoon has kind of gotten Beomgyu under his wing to continue his…” Taehyun struggled with the words because he didn’t know exactly what Beomgyu learned from Namjoon. “Mentoring? Back in Eternis, I believe you must’ve heard, Beomgyu was being trained to take the role of healing master.”

“Oh!” Huening Kai exclaimed dumbly while Beomgyu puffed his chest proudly. “Uh.. you are in good hands, Beomgyu. Namjoon is the best healing master I know.”

Beomgyu cocked his head to the side. “He’s the only master you know,” he deadpanned, “besides me, of course.” 

It took him a minute to feel Beomgyu’s eyes on him. He jumped a little on his own feet, caught by surprise. It was something Beomgyu did often - catch him off guard. It felt as upsetting as it felt new. Taehyun liked it. He liked it even more that he had learned that he didn’t exactly have to speak to talk to him. 

We weren’t even talking, Beomgyu. 

“Still!” the man huffed, opening the door wider for them, “get inside, it’s cold. Namjoon has lemon balm tea, my favorite.”

All the while, Huening Kai had been throwing weird looks to both of them, especially at Beomgyu. 

Once inside, in the small living room with almost no furniture besides a rug and a low table, they sat on the floor around it. Huening Kai still had his eyes on Beomgyu, staring shamelessly.

But Beomgyu’s eyes were on Taehyun. “He doesn’t know, does he?” 

No, I haven’t told anyone. Taehyun thought, eyeing Huening Kai apologetically. 

“What should I know?” The prince then asked as they listened to Namjoon rummaging through the kitchen preparing the tea. 

Do you want me to say it? Taehyun asked.

“Sure, you can do it. I’ll be back in a minute, I believe Namjoon needs help.”

“I do not!” the said man yelled from the kitchen. 

“Namjoon, I’ve run out of healing herbs!” Beomgyu protested, “there’s no way I am letting you handle boiling water!” 

In the small room, Taehyun felt scrutinized by Kai’s intense stare. The younger prince hand removed his scarf, wearing only his plain white dress shirt, black trousers pooling around him. The yellow light made him look like a painting, his defined jaw line and straight nose, as he stood still and staring Taehyun, almost made him think Huening Kai wasn’t real. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Taehyun asked, removing a few of his own layers and throwing behind him. Then he scooted back, resting his back against the wall. Kai followed. 

“You must admit, this whole ordeal is everything but ordinary.” Then, more softly, “what’s going on here? We were discussing Taeyong’s plan and Yeonjun’s safety, and now we’re in Namjoon’s place, drinking lemon balm tea and having a very odd conversation with Beomgyu. I am beyond confused and, honestly, very irritated.” 

This wasn’t part of the plan, Taehyun thought to himself. Another distraction, more time wasted.

He blinked, and suddenly he was somewhere else.

Taehyun’s body stiffed, shoulders and back straight, as he felt everything and nothing at once. He could feel the house’s warmth, but before him, there were flowers. So many flowers. A forest. The fresh  smell of grass and sweet scent of flowers was so strong that it irritated his nose. Around the edges, his vision was blurred so he know this wasn’t solid. It was an intention. Still, he waited as the scene played out.

The sun was shining and Taehyun stood in the middle of this forest, amidst the flowers. On his left, a shadow passed by him. Tinted red and thin, it vanished quickly. Taehyun blinked and it appeared again, the red shadow, running around in circles. On his right, someone else appeared: a man, with blonde hair, plump lips and small hands. His eyes were small and brown and they looked right into Taehyun’s, recognition washing over his face. 

As the man took a step towards Taehyun, the red shadow blinded him and it was over. 

He was back in Namjoon’s living room with a shocked Beomgyu standing in the middle of the living room while holding cups and the jar with tea. Since no one was moving, still annoyed, Kai stood up and took the utensils from Beomgyu’s unstable hands. 

Namjoon showed up seconds later, helping Beomgyu to sit down. 

“Taehyun tha-that’s..” Beomgyu couldn’t even speak. His eyes swelled with tears, brows furrowed. “Are you sure? Are you sure your vision is correct? Is it solid?”

Huening Kai was more lost than ever before, asking “vision? Namjoon, what are they talking about? Why is Beomgyu crying?”

Taehyun didn’t know who the man was, but Beomgyu did. And, apparently, the man knew who he was too. In front of him, Beomgyu’s breathing was labored and more tears pooled in his eyes but they didn’t fall. Taehyun watched as his pupils dilated, swallowing most of the green in his eyes. 

“Who’s that, Beomgyu?” Taehyun asked as he literally crawled towards the man. 

“It’s..” Beomgyu let out a broken, shaken breath, “it’s Jimin. Why was Jimin in your vision? What was the red thing? It’s the same shadow that Yeonjun’s dreamed about.”

From the farther corner of the table, Huening Kai asked: “Jimin as in.. one of Eternis’ healers? I’ve heard about him before, somewhere.”

Beomgyu nodded, eyes never leaving Taehyun. “Healing master. That was him. Was it solid, Taehyun?”

“No” Taehyun tried to sound certain, but even he didn’t know. It was the first time he felt inserted in a vision, he felt seen. “They’re.. intentions.”

Again, Kai called their attention by throwing his hands in the air and letting them fall on his thighs. “I’m utterly lost and very much pissed right now. What the fuck is going on?” 

Taehyun wanted to speak, but he was too focused on letting Beomgyu into his head to look and search for whatever he pleased. Namjoon beat him to it, though, and for that he was thankful. 

“Kai, do you remember when we had our history lessons?” Namjoon started slowly, giving him context. When Kai nodded in approval, he continued. “The royal family from Eternis, they have…”

“Gifts.” Kai said slowly and Taehyun felt his eyes on both him and Beomgyu. “Beomgyu is gifted?” 

“Beomgyu can read people’s minds.” Namjoon said easily as he sipped on his tea. “And he saw something that Taehyun saw. In Taehyun’s mind, I mean.”

Taehyun turned his head to Kai, and as he did so, he felt Beomgyu’s hand looking for his. Beomgyu’s hands were always so cold, long fingers ice cold against Taehyun’s smaller but warmer palm. Taehyun let Beomgyu do as he pleased - be it touch his hand, rummage through his every thought - he had let go of his privacy once he found out what Beomgyu could do. 

Huening Kai’s expression was unreadable. For a stranger, he could’ve been bored, but Taehyun knew better. Kai watched him, watched them - Beomgyu’s hand in his, Taehyun accepting the touch without protest, and them hummed to himself. 

Turning his head to Namjoon but keeping his eyes on Taehyun, he asked: “What did he mean about vision? Did Taehyun see something just now?”

“I believe he did.” Namjoon then turned to Taehyun, “did you?”

Taehyun could only nod. 

Time passed. Behind them, the fire creaked as it burned, and outside, the wind held its own symphony. All the while, Kai watched Taehyun, eyes occasionally lingering on Beomgyu only to make their way back to Taehyun. Kai was thinking, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. He must’ve thought Taehyun was gifted as well. Taehyun himself had had his idea before, but it was impossible. He was born in Thornsreach, had grown up there and the… visions hadn’t started until Taehyun was around ten years old. Taehyun didn’t have green eyes like Beomgyu and Yeonjun. 

Taehyun truly believed he was simply cursed. That was the only explanation. 

“How does it work, Taehyun?” Kai’s voice was cold and he could tell the prince had chosen his question carefully. “Can you control it? Can Beomgyu control his gift too?”

Sighing heavily, Taehyun took one last look at Beomgyu before turning his attention to the prince. “Beomgyu can control it.”

“Poorly.” Beomgyu murmured. 

“But I can’t. It just comes to me, sometimes I’m in the middle of a meeting, or eating and I just.. see it.”

Kai considered it, taking it as seriously as it truly was. He seemed uncomfortable, though, moving his legs a few times. “This explains a lot, actually.” The prince smiled in disbelief. “We can use it to fix this mess once and for all, Taehyun.”

“It’s not that easy” Taehyun said as Beomgyu raised his head to Kai and asked, “What mess?”

With a deep sigh, Kai stood up and started pacing around the room. It felt too crowded, but Taehyun wouldn’ t comment on it. Instead, he tried to focus on how Beomgyu’s hand was still on his. 

“Since I know now you’re telepath, you can just read it up.” Kai pointed to his forehead, “here’s the news for you, watch it.”

Kai then stood still in front of them as Beomgyu stared back at the young prince. For a while, there was no reaction, until Beomgyu was gasping and murmuring a low this is wicked to himself. 

“Now that Beomgyu is up to date,” Kai clasped his hands together, “I need to know what you saw since it involved Jimin. And, if  Jimin is in it, then Eternis is involved..”

“Then, so are we.” Taehyun concluded and Kai nodded. “I saw Jimin in a forest-”

“Back in Eternis, I’m sure.” Beomgyu added, a bit frantic. 

“And?” Kai prompted.

In the middle of it all, Namjoon drank his tea, his eyes moving from one person to the other as they took turns speaking. 

Taehyun had been avoiding saying it out loud and thinking about it. He had his suspicions which he had fought hard to keep only to himself because he didn’t want to jump into conclusions until his visions were solid. They had been acting on guesses and guesses weren’t solid. They changed. They messed up plans. 

Taehyun couldn’t do much with what-ifs. 

He groaned, and Beomgyu grimaced. “There was a red.. shadow around him. Then, on him. And then it was over.”

“Red shadow?” Kai repeated and, in a heartbeat and because people had to stop underestimating Kai because he prince was nothing short of brilliant, he added: “Taeyong?”

Now it was Taehyun’s turn to sport a grimace. “Most likely.” By his side, Beomgyu made an annoyed noise, “I refrained from mentioning it to you because the visions haven’t been solid. We can’t work with what-ifs.” 

“Oh, but we shall from now on.” Kai was serious, his pacing becoming more frantic as his mind raced. “I have an idea of what Taeyong is trying to do. You say the visions weren’t solid, right?”

“Yes?” it came out almost like a question, Taehyun having a hard time following Kai’s train of thought. 

“So that means we can meddle in it, in the future.” Kai stopped for a second, looked at him, asking, “can we?” and then resumed his pacing.

“In theory, yes. But you’ve got to understand, Kai,” Taehyun was almost begging now, “the future does not depend solely on us. Even if we change what we do, it might not lead anywhere.”

Kai was shaking his head, biting on his lip ring and on his finger nails. “Or it might lead somewhere. The odds are the same, Tyun. Think of it as tapestry, right? Since we’re in Soobin and Prince Yeonjun’s lives, whatever we do, whichever thread we pull, will change all of the rest. Even if it’s a little.”

“Kai is right.” Namjoon said, lips on his cup as he sipped the last of his tea.

“Taeyong is after Yeonjun.” Beomgyu started, eyes on the dark table in front of him. “But your vision was of Jimin, back home. Yeonjun has been dreaming about this red shadow taking him.”

Kai raised an eyebrow at Taehyun. “And you said your visions weren’t solid?”

Taehyun shrugged exasperatedly. “Have I ever been wrong before, Kai? No! Because I’m cautious. I know for a fact that everything’s still too blurry. Whatever plan you think Taeyong has laid out, it’ll most likely change.”

Since Soobin and Kai were so different, sometimes it was easy to forget they were brothers. That they were, indeed, sons of the Mad King. 

Kai smiled at Taehyun, his gums and small teeth displayed did not soften the wickedness of it all. “It won’t matter, we’ll be faster. Smarter.”

Then Beomgyu was standing up, eyes wide, in complete disbelief. Whatever he had read in Kai’s mind did not please him. 

“Absolutely not!” Beomgyu exclaimed, “you can’t possibly think I’ll let-”

“There’s no other way, Beomgyu. We need to let Taeyong try to follow his plan.” Kai was strategic, rational. “Now that we know, we will be one step ahead. And, the first thing we will make sure is that brother stays out of it. He must not know about any of this.”

“Why?” Taehyun asked but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

“If Soobin knows and the time isn’t right, there can be more damage done. Think about it” Kai had his palm up towards Taehyun, “if Soobin even suspects it is as bad as I think it is, will he stand back and let us do it right?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” Kai nodded. “Soobin will be kept in the dark, and so is Prince Yeonjun. The second thing is, we trust no one. And Soobin must be always with Yeonjun. Always. Soobin needs to be there for it to happen. Taeyong needs to believe we did not take him seriously, that our guard is still down.”

Beomgyu was still shocked as he turned to Taehyun and whispered: “He’s as bad as Prince Soobin, isn’t he?”

He’s even worse, Beomgyu. He isn’t easily taken over by emotion. 

༒︎

As much as he had made up scenarios in his head in the confinement of his chambers, it did barely nothing to help Soobin act when everything became real. Tangible. Yeonjun had accepted his offer to stay the night and look after him, which did soothe the prince for a while. His heart was beating erratically again when Yeonjun pushed the heavy doors open, the mixed scent of Yeonjun’s own scent and the purple violas still lingering. The flowers’ scent brought back Taeyong and the threat to the forefront of his mind, making Soobin angry all over again. 

It must have shown on his face because as Yeonjun turned to Soobin after opening the curtains - the soft pale moonlight mixed with the warmth of the torches bathing the room in soft shades in the middle of the dark - he asked. 

“Is everything alright?” a delicate pout, his movements still flawless - he opened the curtains and then the windows, stepped back to the middle of the room and grabbed one of the candles one of the maids had lit up and started lighting all the other candles spread across the room. 

Soobin watched, entranced, as darkness gave space to soft warm yellow hue from the candles. The prince felt as if trapped in the middle of somewhere beyond his palace, somewhere where magic and fairytales existed. Yeonjun, still in his fancy garments - long beige skirt, a dress shirt of the same shade that exposed his collarbones paired up with lavender and other flowers scattered along the sleeves and torso, and more flowers decorating his hair and his bracelets -  moved around gracefully and with precision. To Soobin’s eyes, Yeonjun was an entity, one of those spirits Namjoon had warned him about: beautiful, charming, and yet so dangerous because they were impossible to escape. 

It was just too fortunate that Soobin did not wish to escape. 

“The room,” Soobin started, moving his weight left and right on his feet, “still smells like the flowers. The violas.”

Standing in the middle of the room, candle holder in hand and eyebrows furrowed together, Yeonjun eyed the bed with mild suspicion, the flame flickering too close to his cheek. The fire threw shadows over Yeonjun’s whole face, making it sharper, more dangerous. 

But then he sighed, pressing his lips together. 

“Make yourself comfortable, Soobin.” Gesturing to the washing room, he continued, “I’ll wash up quickly and I can change the sheets once I’m out.”

Still from the door - Soobin had barely stepped inside, stupidly standing by the entrance, suddenly shy and self-aware - he watched as Yeonjun placed the candle handle on top of one of the stands and moved to the washing room, leaving the door slightly ajar. 

The room was quiet, from outside, the only noise that could be heard was from the insects rustling against leaves, the fire crackling and the wind blowing. So, from where Soobin stood, he could hear perfectly as Yeonjun’s garments fell against the floor, as the prince turned on the faucet, as he started bathing. As a reflex, Soobin’s hands were immediately on his back, holding himself back. It did not matter that he knew he was drawn to Yeonjun, it was simply inappropriate to think about him like that. Soobin was not allowed to do that, he did not deserve it. 

He needed to busy himself with something, anything. His eyes were on the bed again and on the bothering smell of violas. Without giving it a second thought, Soobin moved towards one of the tallest doors, where he imagined maids stored Yeonjun’s clothes and other essentials. Still, he considered it’d be best if he asked. The last thing he wanted was to pry and upset Yeonjun. 

“Do you know where they keep the sheets?” Soobin spoke a bit louder, standing before the closet. He did walk by Yeonjun’s washing room and did not dare to look or to close the door completely. He had said it before, he was no saint. 

There was some rustling coming from the washing room, water splashing and hitting the floor. “Uh…” Yeonjun seemed to be caught off guard, “I must say that I have no idea. I never had to do such thing here.”

Soobin frowned, hands hovering the knob. “What do you mean?” then, he decided that it wouldn’t hurt if he just opened the doors. He wouldn’t touch Yeonjun’s belongings. “Do you not have maids back in Eternis?”

More water spilling filled the room as Yeonjun spoke. “Well, of course we do. But they do other things, more difficult ones. More important, too.”

The prince opened the first doors and, luckily, his eyes met a stack of white sheets and towels. Soobin grabbed one and a pair of matching pillowcases, closing the door with his feet. He moved to the bed, ripping the old bedsheet with more force than necessary. He’d have those burned first thing in the morning. 

“Keeping your chambers clean isn’t important?” Soobin asked as he threw the old bedding on the floor, and moved around to cover the mattress with a new one. The smell of soap filled the room and Soobin felt immediately more at ease. He’d feel even more comfortable once it started smelling like lavender and the sun. 

A weak chuckle came from the room, and Soobin wanted to look. He wanted to turn his head and try to see how Yeonjun looked like chuckling like that. Instead, he grabbed a pillow and changed its case. 

“It is, it is. But isn’t it something I can do myself?” he asked and Soobin heard more water moving, droplets falling against the floor. Then steps, moving around the washing room. Soobin focused on changing the last pillowcase.

“I suppose,” Soobin agreed, fluffing the pillows and placing his hands on his hips, proud of his work. “But if they don’t do basic maintenance work, then, what do they do?”

Soobin could feel that Yeonjun was almost done with his washing up process so he quickly grabbed the old sheets, rolled them up and opened the front door, throwing it out. 

Heeseung was standing there, on the look out for the night. As the sheets fell on his feet, the guard couldn’t hide his confusion and surprise. 

Soobin smiled weakly, explaining himself quickly. “Taeyong got in. Long story. Burn these.” And he could’ve laughed at how big Heeseung’s eyes had become, almost falling from his face, before he nodded along and bent down to pick up the sheets.

Soobin did not wait for the guard to reply before shutting the door right onto his face. 

When the prince turned back inside, Yeonjun had already stepped out and Soobin’s breath was stuck in his throat. Soobin had seen, more than once, Yeonjun early in the morning with sleep still in his eyes, hair unkept as he tried to make it presentable. Soobin had seen Yeonjun all dressed up in his royal garments, in his long skirts and his black, wide slacks. Had seen him decorated with flowers from his hair, down to the sleeves of his shirt and over his heart. Soobin had found Yeonjun beautiful and charming on all of the occasions.

Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by lit up candles, the cold breeze swirling around them, stood Yeonjun. Barefaced, blond hair wet and pushed back, exposing his forehead and his eyebrows. Yeonjun had thicker, more expressive eyebrows than Soobin had expected. Yeonjun’s gaze on Soobin was calm, inviting. He held the candle holder on his right hand and ran his hand over his wet hair, exposing more of his forehead and forearm as the sleeves of his shirt slid up with the movement. 

Yeonjun’s lips were redder than ever before, plumpier, his skin glowing under the candle light. 

Yeonjun was breathtaking. 

Soobin was convinced Yeonjun was the spirit Namjoon had warned him about. He was sure Yeonjun had come all the way from the magical forest of Eternis just to haunt him, to destroy him. 

The prince smiled to himself, accepting his doom. His fate. He’d gladly accept being turned into nothing by someone like Yeonjun. 

“You’ve never asked about Eternis before,” Yeonjun’s voice was light, full of good humor, “and the first time you do, your curiosity is regarding the maid's duties?”

Soobin had no reply to it, still stunned by the vision in front of him. He watched as Yeonjun placed the candle holder on top of his bedside table and made himself comfortable on the bed. He sat down, legs crossed and a pillow over his legs. “Thank you” he whispered, smiling shyly. “I’d never known you could change bed sheets.”

And that got Soobin scoffing and rolling his eyes because of course Yeonjun would tease him. Soobin leaned against one of the columns, between the door and Yeonjun’s vanity. 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Soobin tried to sound wounded. “What do you take me for, Yeonjun? A brute?”

The prince bit his lips, laughing softly. “So you remember that,” Yeonjun looked almost embarrassed at the memory of one of their first encounters. It felt like an eternity ago. 

“Of course I do, I have very good memory.” Soobin bragged, still pretending to feel wounded. 

On the bed, Yeonjun shrugged and averted his gaze, eyes on the open window. “Everything here is so controlled, who would’ve thought the Prince of Thornsreach was able to do mundane housework?” Then, his eyes were on Soobin again and they were full of childish mischief and a bit of sarcasm that should’ve offended Soobin. But it didn’t. Instead, Soobin felt giddy. “Certainly not me.”

Then, before Soobin could reply, the prince was yawning, hands covering his mouth as he tried to hide it. 

“We’ve had a long day and an especially rough night,” Soobin argued, “you should rest.”

The prince seemed too exhausted to fight back, instead nodding and making himself more comfortable on his bed. Yeonjun moves resembled ones of a cat, the way his legs stretched and his torso moved elegantly, as in slow motion. Soobin watched, entranced, trapped under the spell of something he only knew as fascination - laced with something more he couldn’t quite name yet - as Yeonjun lay on bed with a pillow between his legs and hand cupping his own cheek. 

“What about you?” Yeonjun asked, his eyes fluttering close. “You can’t stand there the whole night, Soobin.” The prince murmured, lips pouting adorably as he spoke. 

Soobin wanted to step closer, to perhaps sit by the edge of the bed and caress Yeonjun’s face. Wouldn’t it be too much, though? Crossing boundaries? Being too bold? They’d been touching each other’s faces, hair, yes. But always in a very polite, innocent way. Somehow, being in the same room as Yeonjun with candles lighting up the room felt too intimate. Too sacred. Soobin had to be careful. 

“Do not worry about me, I’m more than fine.” Soobin wasn’t lying. He could sit on the floor, or stand the whole night. It didn’t matter, because he was with Yeonjun. 

The prince, however, did not seem to agree by the way his lips were pouting even more and his brows furrowed together. “No..” the prince murmured again, followed by another yawn. 

“Sleep, Yeonjun.” Soobin whispered, failing to keep the soft smile from his lips as he watched Yeonjun’s eyes fall shut, his breathing slow down and his torso rise and fall slowly. 

The room was filled with warm light, warmth from Yeonjun and, lulled by the lavender and sun scent, Soobin sat on the floor, back resting against the column, and kept guard all night. 

At some point between watching Yeonjun sleep - he tossed and turned constantly and Soobin wondered what he could possibly be dreaming about - and checking outside the window and the door, Soobin fell asleep. 

It wasn’t his intention to fall asleep there. His plan was to stay until the sun started to rise, then leave Jaeyun on the lookout as he went to his own room to maybe catch an hour of sleep before getting ready for the day and greeting Yeonjun again in the morning. His plans were all down the drain, he realized, as he felt cold hands cupping his cheeks and a soft voice cooing: 

“Oh, Soobin. You fell asleep on the floor?”

“Yeonjun?” Soobin asked, voice rough from the lack of use, his throat and lips dry. He opened his eyes slowly, and it was still dark in the room. In fact, it was darker than when he had watched Yeonjun fall asleep. “Why are you up? Is everything alright?”

Immediately Soobin’s mind went from sluggish from sleep to alert and panicked. His eyes darted around the room as he tried to stand up, dragging Yeonjun along with him, holding the prince’s hands on his. Everything was as quiet as possible: the wind blowing, just two candles burning in the corner of the room. Still, the feeling of danger wouldn’t leave Soobin. 

“The light was bothering me, that was all.” Yeonjun’s voice was nothing above a whisper, his breath hitting Soobin’s cheek as he spoke. “Why did you sleep there? You could’ve gone to your room, or…”

Yeonjun trailed off. It was darker than before, so it was hard to read the prince’s face. Soobin couldn’t tell why Yeonjun did not finish what he wanted to say, but he was curious. 

“Or?” he pushed. 

“I mean,” Yeonjun started and the light was enough to see the prince shrugging, “the bed is big enough for both of us.”

Soobin did not know what to do with himself. He should have said no, laugh it off and say it was a ridiculous idea. But, was it? Would it be considered going too fast if they were just sharing a bed because there was only one and they were two? Would it be considered rude, overstepping even if it happened only once? 

The prince’s eyes were tired. Soobin didn’t know how long it had been since they both had fallen asleep, but it did little to nothing to Yeonjun’s exhaustion apparently. So Soobin nodded, agreeing easily. A soft “oh!” fell from Yeonjun’s lips, who quickly moved back to bed. Soobin watched as the prince climbed in first, making himself smaller in the farthest corner of the bed. 

Shyly, Soobin removed his boots, then his socks. “I haven’t washed up.” He said, apologizing in advance, as he slowly sat down on the opposite corner, laying down on his back. 

“Don’t care” Yeonju murmured, turning to his side to face Soobin. Again, he had a pillow between his thighs. “Let’s just sleep. Sunoo wants to see us early in the morning.”

Soobin groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. “I had completely forgotten about that.”

Yeonjun’s soft laugh reached his ears and Soobin turned his head towards the sound. The prince had his eyes closed but his lips were spread in a smile. “We are about to get married, Soobin, and your court is very detail-oriented. You brought this upon yourself.”

“This what, exactly?” Soobin asked, intrigued. 

Still with his eyes closed, Yeonjun shrugged, “me, the wedding” and then he popped one eye open, “Sunoo.” and laughed again. 

Soobin frowned, “all kingdoms have a Sunoo. He comes in different forms, I suppose. But all of them have one.”

The prince heard some rustling of the sheets, Yeonjun shook his head, dragging his cheek against the soft fabric. He hummed softly. “Not Eternis.”

Not much was said after that, Yeonjun immediately went back to sleep while Soobin lay wide awake, watching the ceiling above them. What did Yeonjun mean by saying they did not have someone like Sunoo back in Eternis? And then servants. They did not do basic maintenance work? Those seemed like simple, unimportant questions, but as the sun rose in the west and its pale white light gave life back to Yeonjun’s room, Soobin realized how little he knew about the prince’s home. All he had ever learned about Eternis had also been through rumors, mostly, and a small part from Namjoon’s lessons when he was younger and still being tutored. 

Soobin made a promise to himself to learn more about Eternis, too. 

Once the room had been completely drawn in the morning light, Soobin stood up and shut the window, closing the curtains. He’d let Yeonjun sleep in today. Soobin made his way out of Yeonjun’s room with his boots on his hands. At the door, Jaeyun bowed. 

“Please, keep an eye on Prince Yeonjun. I’ll be back before breakfast.”

The guard nodded and immediately returned to his position. 

On his way back to his room, Soobin noticed how his own place was far away from Yeonjun’s. That would be a problem and, as he tried to elaborate a good and plausible excuse to move to a new room on the same corridor as Yeonjun’s,  his eyes fell on Huening Kai standing by one of the entrances of the castle. 

That was the first thing that made Soobin stop on his tracks. Huening Kai had never been a morning person. The second thing was that, just like Soobin, Huening was still wearing the previous night’s clothes. 

And last, and most shocking, was that Huening Kai had a cigarette between his lips. 

“Who pissed you off so badly?” Soobin asked, standing behind his brother. 

The young prince jumped, a scream falling from his lips and the cigarette falling on the floor. 

Hand over his heart, Huening Kai turned around with a scowl decorating his face. “You!” he retorted, scoffing and stepping on the cigarette bud as if it had personally offended him. Huening Kai extended the sentiment to Soobin, apparently. “What are you doing outside, anyways?” his brother asked.

“I could ask you the same, Huening.” Soobin shrugged. “It’s not like you to wake up early,” Then, moving his gaze towards the bud on the ground, “much less smoking.”

When Soobin looked at Huening Kai, he often saw the little boy who ran around the palace, who laughed at the guards' jokes, who cried quietly. The boy who laid his head on their mother’s lap and fell asleep there and who did the same to Soobin when they were younger, after their mother passed. But Huening was not a little boy anymore and the severe expression he carried was a proof of that. 

Soobin missed his younger, little brother. 

It wasn’t common to get Huening behaving like that. They had been through a lot, and kindness and composure had never once left him. Something must’ve happened, or, perhaps, Huening was just as on edge as Soobin. 

“The whole Taeyong breaking in ordeal kept me up all night, brother.” Huening did not look at Soobin as he spoke, instead watching the smoke that came out of his mouth dance in the air. “Taehyun and I were discussing where Taeyong might be going with this.”

So he was right, they all shared the same worries. “And could you come up with anything?”

Huening shrugged and pouted, “not really. I still think he is too desperate to think straight. Is he doing all of that for the herbs? I still think it is a stupid way to do it.” 

“It’s not stupid, Huening.”

His brother shrugged, “Prince Yeonjun is here, under our protection. Eternis is ours, now. Why would he dare meddle in our business, now?” Then, eyeing Soobin from the corner of his eye, he added: “Hasn’t he learned his lesson?”

“Prince Yeonjun said Taeyong was desperate, and I agree” Soobin said, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “we have denied him of everything. We took everything he had. We took his pride, Huening. He’s got nothing to lose.”

Turning to face him, Huening Kai frowned. “And we do?” he asked, in mild disbelief, “brother, there’s nothing he can do to get to us. He’s got nothing we might possibly want. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

Soobin thought about Yeonjun sleeping in his room. Thought about how much he craved the prince’s touch, his presence. Thought about he had changed for and with Yeonjun. Soobin imagined Taeyong taking Yeonjun away from him, threatening him using Yeonjun as a bargain. 

Bile filled his mouth. It was unbearable to even consider  it a possibility. 

“I do, brother.” Soobin said firmly. “Now, I do.”

A sheepish smile bloomed in Huening’s face. “I assume you aren’t talking about herbs or land.”

Against his better judgment, Soobin smiled too. “I’m not.”

They stayed silent for a minute, just enjoying each other’s presence. The sun rose higher in the sky, but the clouds were still too thick. The sun was no match for the freezing wind, and both of them hissed. Soobin guided both of them inside, making their way to their rooms. 

“What are you going to do about it, brother?” Huening asked, silence had stretched and become uncomfortable. 

Soobin sighed heavily. He still wasn’t sure and Huening looked expectant. Shrugging, he turned to his brother and said: “Hunting Taeyong down isn’t easy, but it might be the only option.”

“Protect Prince Yeonjun.” Huening added and Soobin nodded. 

They walked a bit down the corridor and Soobin got to his room. 

“Brother,” the young prince called and Soobin hummed, smiling softly. He was exhausted, the previous day wearing him out. He needed to catch some sleep before meeting Yeonjun again. “I know I haven’t really helped you in your tasks before but.. you can count on me. Taeyong will be dealt with.”

And then Huening was wrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck, giving him a hug. The first in… months. 

Soobin wrapped his arms around Huening’s torso, burying his face between the younger’s neck and shoulder. 

“Thank you, Hyuka.” He whispered. 

The younger one shook his head and patted Soobin twice on the back. “Don’t mention it.”

༒︎

When the sun was high in the sky and pathetically trying to peek through the heavy, dark clouds, was when Soobin left his chambers to make his way to Yeonjun’s room. 

As he had expected, Yeonjun had slept in. That morning, when he knocked on the door, it didn’t take more than a breath for Yeonjun to open the door, rather hastily, with furrowed brows and lips in an incensed pout. The prince was already in his day garments, this time a pair of black trousers paired with an equally dark dress shirt. His hair, carefully styled, framed his face beautifully: his pale blonde locks a contrast to his outfit. On his hair, he had chosen to forego the flowers he usually wore, opting for a delicate golden band adorned with twisted metal flowers. On his left ear, three golden hoops adorned his ear beautifully, while on his right only there were only two. 

In Soobin’s opinion, Yeonjun looked like the personification of the union between Thornsreach and Eternis. The middle ground he once believed to be impossible. The balance that  his heart so acutely desired.

Soobin got lost in the vision in front of him, and  Yeonjun had grown more irritated. 

“What took you so long to come and fetch me?” he asked and perhaps the prince wanted to sound irritated, offended even, but to Soobin’s ears, there was only genuine concern wrapped in light teasing. 

And it was the easiest thing in the world, Soobin realised, to smile and play along, to follow whatever Yeonjun’s commands were. 

“I was being considerate, Yeonjun” he replied in the same light tone, arching an eyebrow, “let you sleep a bit more. That’s what a gentleman does.”

Yeonjun’s eyes were on Soobin’s face, reading it. It was almost impossible to look away, to break that connection they had somehow managed to build over the weeks. But then Yeonjun huffed, stomping his feet once as he stepped outside and murmured to himself as he walked past Soobin:

“And now you decide it’s the right time to have manners.”

Soobin bit back his laugh and ignored the way Yeonjun rolled his eyes. 

During breakfast, everything was running as it usually did: Soobin sat by Yeonjun’s side, facing their Majesties the Queen and King of Eternis. On the far end of the table, sat his Father, with Taehyun on his right and Huening Kai on his left, next to Soobin. Between the Queen and Taehyun, sat Beomgyu, who had his eyes glued to the table. It did not go unnoticed by Soobin how Taehyun had his hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder or how he whispered in the boy’s ear from time to time, his eyes always glued to Soobin and Yeonjun. 

“Son,” it was King Eunwoo speaking while he tore a piece of bread between his hands. The Queen lowered her gaze to her pie, avoiding eye contact. “There’s something we must tell you.”

By his side, Yeonjun stopped eating. It’d be rather adorable the way his eyes widened, his lips parted, spoon halfway to his open mouth. But then Yeonjun’s brows were furrowed when he turned his gaze to Soobin for a second before his eyes falling on Beomgyu and, lastly, on his father. 

“Yes, Father?” he said, placing his cutlery back on the table. 

The table fell silent. If it were a private matter, the King certainly wouldn’t bring it up in the middle of breakfast. So, all eyes were on the king, but Soobin only had eyes for Yeonjun, whose hand shook softly, who bit his lip twice and tucked his hair behind his ear, all at once. Uncomfortable, uncertain. 

As a reflex, or if Soobin had to look deep into it, an instinct, he quickly placed his hand on Yeonjun’s knee under the table, squeezing it softly. I’m here, he wanted to say, it’s just your Father. Your sensitive, overly generous father. But the truth was, Soobin knew very little about Yeonjun’s relationship with his father. While his relationship with his Father was no secret to all, Yeonjun had spoken very little of his family and.. his whole self, actually. 

It bothered Soobin, he realised. How little he knew about Yeonjun. He recalled the previous night, when he had made yet another promise to himself. To learn and learn he would. 

King Eunwoo rested his elbows on top of the table, placing his hands together as he spoke. “Jimin has written to us a few times since we arrived and, as you’ve been told in one of your Majesty’s Kangdae’s meetings, Taeyong has been extremely insistent on us sending them not only more healing herbs but also…”

Yeonjun frown deepened. “Also what, father?” then, resting against the chair with his arms crossed over his chest, “what else could he possibly want from us?”

The King sighed, cracking his knuckles loudly. By his side, Huening Kai winced at the sound. 

“Taeyong has made his presence known in very unpleasant ways back home, son.” King Eunwoo gave Yeonjun a pointed look. “His last visit has caused a lot of damage to our forest and Jungwon had to use some of his men to send Taeyong away, to keep him from stealing from our library.”

Stealing from a library, at first, did not sound like a big crime to Soobin’s ears. Of course, he was well aware that knowledge was power but knowledge without resources was simply trivia. It couldn’t be put to good use. It did not feel the same to Yeonjun nor Beomgyu, apparently. By his side, Yeonjun’s back was straight in a second, eyes wide, palms flat on top of the table. On his right, he heard Beomgyu gasping followed by an ‘ahhh’ from Taehyun. 

“Pardon my meddling but,” it was Huening Kai who broke the silence, “I don’t see how stealing from your library is as severe as Taeyong trying to steal your herbs, your goods.”

“It’s worse than him trying to take the herbs,” Beomgyu had his eyes zeroed on the King as he spoke, “it’s where we store all the history of the magic of our land. Where to find it, how to control it…” he stopped for a second to take a deep breath, “how to destroy it.”

Never, in all of Soobin’s life, he thought that would be possible. “Is that even possible?” he heard himself speaking, “Your land is magical in itself. A man, an undeserving one, could destroy it?”

The way Beomgyu’s eyes were instantly on Soobin sent chills down his spine. The boy, whose bubbly and loud personality often annoyed Soobin, had a completely different expression on his face. Suddenly, his jaw had a shadow to it, his eyes sharper. 

Beomgyu shrugged, “we do not say how magic should work, your highness. All of us, we’re just vessels for it. Once it is done with us, it can and it will simply vanish. It is not up to us to question. All Jimin, and all the other healers did was to describe how it works. Document it.” 

Yeonjun, by his side, had gone awfully quiet and if it weren’t from his eyes moving to whoever was speaking, Soobin would’ve gotten more worried. 

“Beomgyu was Jimin’s apprentice,” the King said, “he knows more about our land’s magic than me or Yeonjun himself.” Then, turning to Yeonjun, “your mother and I must go back to Eternis to fix this and help Jimin. We might not be here for your wedding, son.”

That definitely did not feel right. Soobin was no family man, but he knew the importance of having your King and Queen by your side in moments like these. It was tradition, just like their whole marriage was, and for all Gods sake, Yeonjun was their only son. Wouldn’t they want to give their hand away in the marriage, like they were supposed to? Soobin used to believe families in Eternis were knitted together, an entity. 

Perhaps he had projected his own wishes onto this magical realm he was once told about. 

His hand still on top of Yeonjun’s knee, the prince moved, placing his right hand on top of Soobin’s. It was cold, as it usually was, as he wrapped his fingers around Soobin’s. He held them for dear life, for comfort, for whatever Yeonjun needed. They did not bring their hands together to the view of others, instead, kept it there, a secret that belonged to just the two of them. It might’ve been inappropriate to feel happy with the simple gesture, but Soobin felt so all the same. 

“And you are returning to do what exactly, Father?” Yeonjun’s tone was cold, the coldest Soobin had ever heard. Immediately his eyes fell on Beomgyu who also could  barely conceal his confusion and surprise. “Welcome Taeyong into our home, chat with him in our garden while you drink lemon balm tea and discuss how much more he will be taking from us?”

Soobin had never watched families arguing like that, so, in a way, it was uncomfortable. It was difficult, however, to shake the feeling of pride he felt as he watched Yeonjun finally say what he believed in. As stupid and childish as it was to argue with his parents like that, instead of trying to convince them rationally, it made Soobin’s heart clench and warm to see this side of Yeonjun. Once again, he realized that he was also attracted to this version of Yeonjun. 

He shook his head, trying to bury those thoughts. Not the place, he told  himself. 

“If that’s what it takes to make him stop, then, yes, son. That’s exactly what your mother and I are going to do.”

Yeonjun scoffed in disbelief. “Father, you have the choice to stop this madness!” He protested, looking at Soobin for a second before returning his gaze to his father. 

King Eunwoo was scandalized. “Son, you can’t be–”

“Why?” Yeonjun protested as he stood up, letting go of Soobin’s hand. Then, the prince was turning to Soobin, “does he know? Have you told my Father?” 

It was Soobin’s turn to be under the scrutinizing gaze of the whole table. Taehyun’s eyes met his and he shook his head. All the while, his Father was silent, watching. 

“No, we haven’t had the chance to tell him.” Was Soobin’s answer. 

Yeonjun hummed and then he turned, leaning over the table. “Father, last night, Taeyong broke in. Left purple violas on my bed.”

King Eunwoo’s eyes were impossibly wide. “Violas?”

Yeonjun nodded. “Yes, father. What do they mean?”

King Eunwoo nothing said, instead, he looked around the table. It was Soobin’s father who broke the silence.

“Purple violas bloom in the north. They represent… faithfulness.” The king, who had been silent until now, then turned to Soobin with a smirk playing on his lips. “Soobin knows well why Taeyong left those there. It wasn’t a random choice.”

Soobin was hoping his Father wouldn’t mention it. Because, in fact, he knew. He knew what Taeyong was trying to do, the message was clear. An eye for an eye. 

A partner for a partner.

“You do?” Yeonjun’s voice was weak as he turned to Soobin. 

“Yes,” Soobin raised his hand, wrapping it around Yeonjun’s elbow and trying to pull him back to the chair. The prince sat back reluctantly. “When we marched north back then…”

Soobin couldn’t say it. Of course he needed Yeonjun to know how dangerous Taeyong was, and yet, he wanted to shield the prince from it. From the worry, the fear that would certainly  follow. 

Sensing his hesitation, it was Huening Kai who stepped in to help. “Taeyong had a faithful servant, his right hand if you will. Yuta. And Yuta had a partner, who Soobin killed.”

Yeonjun’s frown seemed engraved in his features. “The man who tried to attack you?” and Soobin could only nod in response, not trusting his voice.

“Brother must have told you,” Huening Kai continued, “how he had to act quickly, and how Taehyun had to hold Taeyong back.”

“Don’t you see, son?” King Eunwoo was talking again, this time with a pleading tone, “I must return and do whatever it is within my reach to protect you.”

It did not seem enough to convince Yeonjun. Soobin watched as the prince grabbed his spoon and dipped into his now cold oatmeal, “you’re doing it again, father” he said before eating. 

“Doing what, son?” The King asked as Yeonjun chewed slowly. 

The prince swallowed, watching his oatmeal with lazy interest before raising his head and smiling. The smile was sad, full of sorrow and a pain that Soobin knew all too well. 

“Selling me away. This time, though,” Yeonjun lifted his forefinger, pointing to Soobin, “I might not get a happy ending.”

The room fell silent. On the outside, through the windows, the symphony of the wind served as a soundtrack for that gloomy moment. Yeonjun returned to eating his breakfast, eyes down and shoulders slouched, defeated. The King and Queen of Eternis excused themselves, stating that they had lost their appetite and that they had to start getting ready to leave. On the other side of the table, Beomgyu had his eyes on Yeonjun, and they were as sad as the prince’s. 

Soobin could only think about Yeonjun. What he could’ve meant with “happy ending” and “selling away”. Was that how he felt about their marriage? Or, perhaps, had felt? Had his perception of everything changed like it did for Soobin? Was Soobin Yeonjun’s idea of a happy ending? 

Despite the hope threatening to bloom inside his chest, Yeonjun’s sadness and dejected posture still took most of Soobin’s thoughts. They finished breakfast in silence and, as they left, Yeonjun asked to be excused for a moment. Beomgyu followed the prince and, Soobin pretended he didn’t care. He pretended that he understood why Yeonjun let Beomgyu see him being vulnerable and confided in the boy and not in him. Rationally, he knew exactly why. But Soobin hadn’t been thinking straight ever since Yeonjun had arrived, he wouldn’t start doing so now. 

The day went by quickly, and, all the while, Yeonjun had kept it to himself. Quiet. 

However, he had returned from his talk with Beomgyu a lot more touchy. Prince Yeonjun asked to hold Soobin’s hand during their meeting with Sunoo and Gyuri. He held Soobin’s face in his hands for five whole minutes in the middle of the hallway, as he looked into Soobin’s eyes. And Soobin indulged him. 

Later that night, when most of the torches had been already blown out and Soobin walked with him towards his room, the prince stopped by the door and said: 

“You seemed very uncomfortable last night, I believe it’s best if you go and grab yourself a change of clothes.” Then, with a shy smile, he added, “I’d lend you some of mine, but they wouldn’t fit you properly.”

Soobin didn’t think that picking a change of clothes could be such a hassle. Suddenly, he cared about what he should wear to spend the night looking out for Yeonjun. Especially because he was not the biggest fan of wearing too many layers to bed. He opted for a light pair of trousers and a sweater, one Taehyun had gifted him from one of the best seamstresses of their land. 

When he arrived, already dressed up in more comfortable clothes and teeth clacking from the cold, Yeonjun was already curled up in bed, facing the door. 

“What took you so long?” he asked, just like he had done that morning.

“I had to bathe, change into more comfortable clothes” Soobin said as he made his way to the window, closing it, “as per your highness’ requests.”

He could hear Yeonjun’s soft laugh, the way he let out air from his nose, “fine.” 

Then Soobin was back at the entrance, standing by the door. Awkward again, Yeonjun pouted from the bed. He looked small, curled up with his knees brought up to his chest, the comforter covering him whole up to the chin. 

“Aren’t you cold?” he asked, wriggling on the bed.

Soobin shrugged, “a bit, but I’ve dealt with worse on the field.”

Yeonjun rolled his eyes. “But you’re not on the field. You’re in my room, where there’s a comfortable, warm bed.”

“Your bed.” Soobin pointed.

“I can share.” Yeonjun shrugged and wriggled his eyebrows. But Soobin didn’t move. Wouldn’t that be too much? There were rules. Boundaries. 

And, above all, he did not trust himself. 

But then Yeonjun was wriggling on the bed again, making the comforter tighter against his frame, as he said. “Entertain me?”

“You’re insufferable" Soobin murmured as he took off his shoes and walked to the bed, sitting on the empty space and crossing his legs. “Are you satisfied now, your highness?”

Smiling, Yeonjun nodded, “Yes, very much so.” 

Soobin tried to keep his hands to himself. But Yeonjun had invited him to his bed. Soft, warm, beautiful Yeonjun had moved a little, getting closer to Soobin. Soobin wasn’t a bad man nor a stupid one, so he moved too, making the distance between them almost nonexistent. They laid there, breathing in the dark, room lit up only by a few candles by the window. Their yellow light threw frightening, tall shadows on the walls. 

It was alright, because Yeonjun was there. They weren’t alone. 

Before falling asleep, Soobin’s hands were on Yeonjun’s smooth blonde hair. The last thing he remembered from the night was Yeonjun’s soft sighing, and him murmuring in his sleep. 

More.

The following morning, breakfast was uneventful. Yeonjun barely spoke to his parents during it and, once it was over, all members of the court and the guards followed them to the gates to wish them farewell and safe travels. The King and Queen of Eternis returned with one guard only, Heeseung, leaving Jaeyun and Riki to look after Yeonjun and Beomgyu. As they watched them leave, Soobin saw when Yeonjun swallowed hard, keeping his tears at bay. 

The whole day had been dark, no sign of the sun up in the sky. Soobin thought about the black bird he had seen weeks ago, its gloomy tune and the feeling of foreboding he had felt. It was there again, lingering, like a thin layer of sweat over his skin. No matter how much he rubbed it off, it wouldn’t go away. 

Instead of dwelling on his pessimism, he focused on Yeonjun, and the prince seemed to want the same. 

The rest of the day was spent with Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai doing little things here and there, running errands for the King, having short meetings with different councils. Nothing was distracting enough and Soobin could feel Yeonjun was growing restless by the minute: constantly tucking his hair behind his ear, playing with the hoops in his ear, fixing the flowers on his jacket. 

As soon as the sun set, Yeonjun stood in front of him, almost making Soobin lose his balance. 

“Are you going to stay with me again tonight?” 

“Of course” Soobin replied immediately until it hit him that, perhaps, Yeonjun wanted to be left on his own for a while. “If you wish me to stay, of course.” He added quickly, giving Yeonjun the option to refuse his company.

The prince had a hardened expression, looking somewhere above Soobin’s shoulder. 

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” the prince pushed for a direct answer.

And the truth was yes. It’d always be yes. “Yes, Yeonjun. But I understand if you want some privacy, some space.”

The prince took Soobin’s words into consideration, mulling over them for a while. After a few breaths, he shook his head. “You should leave some pieces of clothing in my room. We should make this easier for both of us, hm?”

The moon was high in the dark sky when Soobin found himself sitting on Yeonjun’s bed again, a pile of his clothes resting on top of his drawers by the window. 

Like the previous night, Yeonjun wrapped himself around the comforter, leaving almost nothing to Soobin. It didn’t matter, Soobin wasn’t paying attention to the cold. What he did pay attention to was how, different from the previous night, Yeonjun did not fall asleep quickly. 

After almost an hour or so, Yeonjun was still staring at Soobin’s legs.

“Yeonjun?” Soobin whispered, “are you still awake?”

The prince nodded, raising his head towards Soobin. “Sleep isn’t coming to me easily tonight.”

When they were young, Soobin used to help Huening Kai fall asleep by touching his hair. He could do the same for Yeonjun and, obviously, indulge himself a little. 

“Do you want me to help you fall asleep?”

Quickly, Yeonjun turned, supporting his weight on his elbow. “How?” 

Soobin shrugged, “When Hyuka was little I used to play with his hair until he fell asleep. I can do it for you, too. If you’d like.”

The prince debated for a minute before nodding and resting his head on Soobin’s lap. Soobin swallowed a surprised gasp, making sure he was sitting still under the prince. Like a cat, Yeonjun rubbed his cheek against Soobin’s thigh and sighed and Soobin had to ignore how good it felt, how his belly twisted and the flame that tickledlicked his whole body. 

He focused on the task at hand: he started combing his fingers through Yeonjun’s soft locks, making sure to lightly scratch the prince’s scalp with his blunt nails. Under him, Yeonjun made the sweetest sounds: sometimes he sighed deeply, then he would make a sound from the back of his throat. Honestly, it was rather innocent: the way Yeonjun laid his head on Soobin’s thigh, not fully on his crotch. The way Soobin petted the prince’s hair. 

And yet, it was setting Soobin ablaze. 

He needed a distraction. 

“Still awake?” he whispered and Yeonjun nodded.

“Feels good,” the prince confessed, “but I can’t seem to fall asleep.”

Yeonjun’s throat vibrated against Soobin’s thigh. Soobin’s hand was on his hair, strands of hair between his fingers, if he closed them a bit, and pulled what kind of sounds would– 

A distraction.

“What is on your mind?” Soobin asked instead, watching his own hand. 

He felt the prince shrugging, “I was thinking about Eternis,” he said and his voice was small, almost nostalgic, “thinking about how I felt when I left and how I feel now. The things I did while living there, the things I didn’t have the chance of doing because I was the prince.”

“You are the prince” Soobin repeated, “why were there things you couldn’t do? The land was yours. You could do whatever you wanted, Yeonjun.”

And then Yeonjun was moving and sitting in front of Soobin, legs crossed. Soobin mourned the loss of the prince’s head on his lap, but he also loved being able to just look at him. Barefaced, blond hair flat on his forehead and the back part sticking in different directions because of Soobin’s hands, Yeonjun was majestic. The most beautiful being Soobin had ever seen. 

When had he started feeling this way? He couldn’t tell. 

And then Yeonjun was smiling sweetly at him, shaking his head. “That is not how things work in Eternis. Here, there’s a lot of explicit control, but back home… Everything is so subtle. I see it now.”

“Subtle?” Soobin repeated not very eloquently, “how so?”

The prince moved again, scooting closer. Soobin moved as well, resting his back against the headboard and crossing his legs like Yeonjun’s. 

The prince pouted, pretending to think. “Things are expected of me. Your Majesty sent you to missions on your first year as prince” he started. The room was dark, as Yeonjun liked, the candles framed his face like an angel. A halo all to himself. The warmth and the pull, the desire to touch only seemed to grow deeper and hungrier. It was hard to breathe and Yeonjun’s eyes were trained on Soobin, on his lips, or.. was he imagining things? “I had never left Eternis before coming here.” he continued. 

“You didn’t miss a lot.” Soobin replied, slightly out of breath. 

Yeonjun had pouty, plump lips. As he talked, they moved beautifully, so kissable and inviting. 

Soobin was going to die. 

“Oh, but I think I did,” Yeonjun chuckled and if it wasn’t so dark Soobin could swear he was blushing, “can you believe I’ve only kissed once?” 

That was a surprise. Soobin eyed Yeonjun with intent now. The prince raised his eyebrows and nodded twice, going ‘mmhmm’. The prince must’ve been joking. How come someone as beautiful, smart, witty and attractive as Yeonjun had only kissed once?

“You’re lying” was Soobin’s reply, “I never expected to be a prude or anything, but come one, Yeonjun. Look at you.”

The prince cocked his head to the side, smiling shyly. “What about me?”

“You’re.. you”, Soobin wasn’t doing well, so he took a deep breath and started again, “you’re beautiful, Yeonjun. How come you have only kissed once? Was it so bad that you decided to never kiss again?”

The prince laughed loudly, cute, high pitched sounds falling from his lips as he slapped his own thigh. 

“No, no, none of that!” he exclaimed, trying to calm down his breath, “Kissing Wooyoung was alright. I just didn’t feel the way I was told it is supposed to make you  feel.”

Soobin cocked his head to the side, thinking back to the time he’s kissed. It had felt good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The means to an end. Quick and easy gratification. But, nothing he’d seek or miss. 

And then Yeonjun was moving again, both of his hands on the mattress as he stood on his knees, almost crawling. The prince’s eyes were hooded and, around them, the room felt quiet. It was as if they were wrapped in a bubble of just the two of them. Energy buzzed between them, and Soobin could swear he saw the fire that threatened to consume him whole burn in the green of Yeonjun’s eyes. 

Yeonjun’s face was close to his. If he moved his neck a little, angled his face just right, Soobin could brush his lips against Yeonjun’s oh so softly.

“How is it supposed to make you feel?” Soobin whispered, eyes darting from Yeonjun’s lips to his eyes. 

Soobin’s heart hurt inside his chest, beating so wildly that he feared it might give up on him before he could kiss Yeonjun. He had never felt this way: sweaty palms, hammering heart, labored breaths sharing a thigh space, green eyes looking at him as if they could devour him whole. 

He had never anticipated a kiss as much as he did this one. 

“Soobin,” Yeonjun whispered, moving closer. Soobin moved with him, sharing the same breath. Yeonjun’s eyes fluttered as he spoke, Soobin swallowing each word as a starved man. “It should make your heart beat fast. Make you nervous. Make you forget everything.” And then Yeonjun brushed the tip of his nose against Soobin’s. “Can you do it? Make me forget everything?”

Soobin let go of everything.

He let go of the restraints he had built for himself. He knew he had emptied himself to be full of Yeonjun. So he moved, slowly, carefully, because Yeonjun was precious to him. Soobin nodded, the tips of their noses brushing, as he cupped Yeonjun’s cheeks with both hands and dived. Soobin captured Yeonjun’s lower lip between his, so delicately, and sucked. 

Soobin saw stars. 

Yeonjun sighed.

Soobin pressed their lips together, ending the distance between them. First it was just a lock of lips, Yeonjun’s shy hand moving to Soobin’s face, for support, to feel him. Soobin could taste Yeonjun’s lips - they were soft, sweet, warm. But he wanted more, so he moved, parting his lips a little and letting the tip of his tongue run along Yeonjun’s lower lip. The prince gasped, parting his lips and allowing Soobin to deepen the kiss. 

There was nothing else but Yeonjun. 

There was only Soobin kissing the prince delicately, but as if his life depended on it. There was Yeonjun, trying to climb on Soobin’s lap as the prince timidly tried to suck and nibble Soobin’s lower lip and the lip ring, giggling to himself at the feeling. Soobin helped Yeonjun to get into a more comfortable position, caged between the prince's legs as Yeonjun hovered above Soobin.

Something seemed to have set alight inside the prince, because Yeonjun became bolder. The prince’s teeth were on Soobin’s lower lip, nibbling, then sucking, then the tip of his tongue was running along it. And Soobin let him do as he pleased until the prince bit and pulled, dragging a moan from Soobin. 

But Soobin was competitive. His hand moved to Yeonjun’s nape, holding him still and angling the prince’s head so Soobin could deepen the kiss. Their lips parted, and Soobin teased, licking inside Yeonjun’s mouth, his tongue. The prince moaned, and pushed Soobin’s chest, breathless. 

Soobin couldn’t keep the smile away from his face.

He kissed Yeonjun.

And it felt exactly the way Yeonjun had described. And more. 

There was only Yeonjun. Only them together, feeling one another. And nothing else. No one else.