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Can I Have This Dance?

Chapter 28

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Nothing particularly bad or scandalous thankfully happened on the morning following their sleepover. Yeong had been roused from his fitful sleep by the first rays of sunshine heralding in a new day. He was closely followed by the kids who got up and seemed composed as usual. The news of their mother’s death didn’t seem to have affected their sleep tonight negatively. Yeong didn’t know how they normally behaved in the mornings, but he’d say that their mood seemed a little dampened today. Nothing tragic really, but still a small sign that the kids had actually cared for their now dead mother - even if only a tiny bit.

His hyung on the other hand was completely uncaring and in a lazy mood of horny sleepiness - much unlike the kids that were beginning to become more active. Yeong shifted about a little in bed, unnerved by the way he could feel his hyung’s morning erection press against his thigh. Before he could have come up with something to distract his hyung that’d hopefully also keep the kids entertained and distracted, there came a knock from the bedroom door.

At his hyung’s groggy invitation, Lady Noh stepped into the room and announced that she had come to fetch the kids. Looking a little sad to go already since the three little bundles of power had been in the middle of bouncing on the pile of mattresses they had slept on, the three quieted down and quickly came over to Lady Noh’s side at one targeted, mild stern look from her.

Lady Noh and the kids wished them a good start into the day to which his hyung replied with a grunt and a lazy wave. Barely half a minute later, their overnight guests had left and it was only them in the room once more.

“Come here,” his hyung muttered before Yeong found himself pulled in close for a kiss. 

Kind of glad for the distraction from his lingering worry for the kids’ mental well-being, Yeong readily sidled up to his hyung and began to reciprocate the elder’s kisses. Heat build quickly between them with the way the other’s hands were roaming all over his body and sooner than he’d known, they were naked with their pyjamas carelessly discarded somewhere at the foot of the bed.

His hyung managed to thoroughly distract and take his mind off what had happened yesterday when the elder uncapped a bottle of lube and started to insert a slippery finger into his butt. Knowing what was to come, it made it a lot easier for Yeong not to freak out this time even if his heart was racing not from lust, but from apprehension.

It by far wasn’t as bad as last time though. Either he was more relaxed today or his hyung had more patience. The whole prepping process felt less harrowing. It still hurt when his hyung slipped inside of him, but the string wasn’t as bad and this time Yeong managed to unclench and take the other in with less difficulty. He concentrated on making the muscles in his lower regions relax since he had found that helped tremendously with taking the other’s length inside of himself more comfortably.

The stinging sensation from the beginning had lessened to a less sharp ache by the time the other was full seated inside him and slowly began to rock in and out of him. It helped that his hyung kept muttering little compliments and encouragements into his ear in his husky voice that was still rough from sleep.

By the time the other had gotten a proper rhythm going, the last of the aching in his backside had fizzled out and instead transferred into a budding tingle filled with the anticipation of pleasure unlike any he had experienced before. It was dizzying how he fully hardened in the span of seconds as soon as his hyung had found the perfect angle to prod at that one spot inside him that made him see stars.

After that point, he quickly became lost in the pleasure of the moment as the other moved in and out of him with increasingly forceful thrusts. Clinging onto the other’s back, Yeong whined and clenched his eyes shut as he felt his orgasm rapidly built. For a second he tried to hold back, but he quickly found that he was helpless in light of the other’s onslaught. His dick trapped between their bodies, he came with a cry that he muffled into his hyung’s shoulder while he seized up around the other’s length inside of him as he shuddered through his release.

Sated and drenched in sweat and his own semen a handful of seconds later, Yeong fell limp and went boneless underneath his hyung who redoubled his effort to find his own release. Yeong whined at the way the other’s ongoing assault on his senses threatened to overwhelm him, but thankfully his hyung came before he could no longer bare the overstimulation. The elder grunted his name as he stiffened up and left a wetness that could only be his cum in Yeong’s ass.

Yeong squirmed and whined at the feeling and that only seemed to encourage his hyung who trust into him another two or three times, before the elder stilled and let himself collapse on top of him. Yeong gasped softly at the additional weight resting on top of him, but he didn’t complain even though his hyung was actually very heavy. He was too blissed-out and too tired to put up any protests or to attempt to wiggle out from underneath the other’s dead weight.

He waited in sleepy satiated silence as he felt the other’s dick slowly soften inside of him before it eventually slipped out of his ass with a wet squelch. Just as he wondered if his hyung wouldn’t ever move, he realised that the elder had nodded off on him. Sighing in exasperation, but quickly accepting his fate, Yeong decided to rest up a little more himself. After the fitful sleep he had had to endure last night, he could use a little more rest before he’d face the new day waiting for them.

~*~

Despite the increased frequency and intensity that his hyung engaged in sexual activities with him, each day of his new life at the royal mansion on Jeju Island went by surprisingly fast. Perhaps it had something to do with the mild temperatures, mellow climate and the ample sunshine of the island, but Yeong felt like time was racing by faster than it ever had at the palace.

His hyung and he spent a lot of it just lazing about, reading and dozing off occasionally whenever they didn’t have sex and his hyung wouldn’t have to squeeze in an hour or two of work after all. The kids usually joined them in the late afternoon once their lessons for the day were over and they were free to play during the remaining time. Despite playing a couple of rematches, Yeong’s football skills barely improved and it was still more luck than skill when he managed to kick the football into vaguely the right direction.

No one minded his sub-par skills though and the kids kept drawing him into their midst again and again. Yeong had tried to keep his distance at first, but the little buggers had mellowed him down with their angelic pouts and innocent, hopeful glances. Despite their efforts, he was still determined not to let the kids get too close to him since he didn’t want to hurt them if he’d be forced to leave here just as abruptly as he had arrived. With his hyung, he could never know what the man’s plans were and where Yeong would wake up tomorrow.

Over all, life at the mansion was the most peaceful he had ever experienced though. Besides all the sex, his hyung really enjoyed cuddling him for long stretched of time – something he either didn’t have the time or inclination for while they had been at the palace. The elder was perhaps acting out of selfish feelings of possessiveness, but Yeong still very much enjoyed those quiet and tranquil moments and the simple comfort of the other’s arms slung around his body and a warm body pressed close to his provided.

In light of the unusual stretch of absolute peacefulness, Yeong thought he should perhaps have seen it coming when things abruptly changed from one moment to the next. It had been just another afternoon like any other that he again spent playing football with the kids when disaster decided to strike.

Instead of managing to pass the ball to his teammate, Yeong was clumsy enough to kick it off into the direction of the stone terraces bordering the big stretch of lawn they had been playing on. Due to the mansion being situated on top of a hill, the territory dropped off on all sides. The steepest part was secured with stone walls that had in-built stairs in them that allowed people to ascent to the small terrace farms that the walls securing this side of the hill formed.

Out of breath from all the running around and playing, Yeong ran after the ball that had gone awry without thinking. He approached the low stone wall marking the end of the law before the territory began to drop, leaned over it and saw that the ball had landed on the terrace just below him. Happy that it hadn’t rolled off any further, he swiftly took the stairs and went down to fetch the ball where it had dropped into the middle of an herb garden. Wincing when he saw that a few plants had gotten squashed, he knew there was nothing to be done about it now. He grabbed the ball and turned to swiftly head back.

Just when he had nearly reached the foot of the stairs, was when it happened though and his streak of luck ran out. Like he had angered the gods, Yeong was suddenly struck down by something that felt like a bolt of lightning that came out of nowhere. He lost his balance and began to tip over as he felt his nerves light up like he had been electrocuted while all his muscles clenched up all at once. He blacked out before he could even register what had happened to him - much less properly hear the shouting noises drawing nearer to him rapidly – or feel the hard ground he was imminent to hit.

When he blinked his eyes open next, he had to squint them shut immediately as bright sunlight stabbed into them like it was made of tiny daggers. The next thing Yeong registered was the incredible sourness in his whole body. He groaned since he felt like he had been put through a blender before he had been beaten into a pulp. On top of it, he suffered from a terrible headache and had no idea where he was right now or what had happened that he found himself lying on the ground with a group of suited men standing around and looking down on him a little helplessly.

“Over here, Your Majesty!” one of the suited men called out, his loud voice hurting Yeong’s suddenly oversensitive ears.

Groaning, Yeong rolled over onto his side with his last strength and curled up into himself. He only then noticed that he was lying in the fluffy, dark dirt of a well-kept herb garden. Confused, but slowly beginning to remember what had happened that he had found himself waking up in such a confusing place, Yeong shivered when he heard more footsteps approach them in a hurry.

Coincidentally lying on his side and facing the stairs hewn into the stone wall, Yeong could watch with a front row seat as a red-faced, slightly ruffled King descended the stairs and stomped over to his side. He was still somewhat out of it that he only registered the true scope of the King’s ire when said man crouched before him and slapped him across the face.

“You dare!” the King pressed out between teeth clenched shut tightly in anger.

Being a bit belated in his reaction, Yeong mewled and curled into himself protectively. He was still not sure what exactly had happened, but he understood very well that his hyung was angry with him and that the elder blamed him for whatever had happened.

“Running from me? You infuriating, stupid boy!” the King spat as he ignored Yeong’s protective pose and roughly grabbed him by the upper arm to haul him up to his feet.

Feeling vertigo and bile rise in his throat from being forced upright so quickly, Yeong groaned and tried to keep his stomach from rebelling as he was growled at by the King and berated for whatever had landed him in this miserable position. His legs were wobbly and unsteady like that of a new-born fawn and Yeong didn’t even hear the exact words spat at him due to the way his ears were ringing and his vision was swimming.

Probably sensing that he was really out of it, the King’s hateful berating stopped and then Yeong felt himself being picked up by his ankles and underneath his arms by a few pairs of hands. Too tired and disorientated to even attempt to fight them off, Yeong let himself be carried up the stone stairs hewn into the wall by a couple of huffing men that he presumed were guards who then gently set him down at the edge of the familiar lawn they used to play football on.

Less nauseous by now and being able to see and hear more clearly, Yeong frowned at the weird stinging sensation on his forehead. He reached up to examine it with his fingers, but had to wince and drop his hand as soon as his fingers made contact with his clammy skin. He had just noted that there were smudges of blood on his fingertips before he wasn’t given more time to wonder what was wrong with him since he was unceremoniously heaved onto his feet once again.

Better able to keep his balance and not simply flop over and re-meet the floor this time around, Yeong winced as he swivelled his head around to take in the groups of guards that had all gathered around him and the still livid King. Craning his neck about shot sharp jabs of pain into his mind - but looking at the King and his dishevelled and absolutely livid form, that were the least of his problems.

The elder turned to him and grabbed him by the wrist with a feral snarl on his lips before the King towed him along behind him while ignoring his whimpers and the way Yeong stumbled, barely able to keep up. Yeong was too scared to say anything or to beg for the other to at least slow down a little. He was terrified of what the elder might do once they came to a stop. Like the pathetic creature he was, Yeong therefore rather let the wait drag out for as long as possible. Who knew what horrors were going to await him at the end of this journey?

This man was no longer his hyung after all, but a feral beast brought forth by fear - fear of loss and of being abandoned. Yeong could see that underlying the king's wrath there was something hurting and something that still bled even if years had passed since the original wound had been inflicted. There was an unmistakable desperation in the other's tight hold on him. Something that told him that the King had lost a loved one too many times in his life to react in any way normal to Yeong's perceived escape attempt.

Yeong dearly prayed he might get the chance to explain himself and set things right, but even his hope of being allowed to get in even one word was as good as non-existent. The elder was on the war path and there was no predicting what he’d do and how he’d react while in such a state. Yeong really didn’t want to risk it and accidentally make the situation he now found himself in even worse for himself and therefore followed silently.

To his surprise, they entered the looming mansion from the back and stepped inside via what looked to be a servants’ entry. Like a maw of darkness, the unassuming doorway swallowed them up before it spat them out in a brightly lit kitchen. Surrounded by gleaming metal surfaces, hot stoves and many sharp knives, Yeong felt his chest become so tight that he could no longer draw in any breath.

Before he could have spiralled into a full blown panic attack though, the startled and worried exclaim of a petite, old woman shocked him enough to look up and suck in a reedy breath. The King had come to a stop and had dropped his aching wrist the moment the old grandma had stepped forward with a concerned frown marring her wrinkled face.

"What has happened? Are you alright, young master?" Lady Noh asked aimed towards Yeong and not the King much to his shock.

Yeong felt close to breaking out into hysterics and laughing like a madman at the old woman's overt concern for him in light of the King’s very obvious ire and state of upset. It was a small miracle how Lady Noh had only spoken a few measly words, but those had apparently been all that was needed to make the King let go of him and retreat to the other side of the kitchen. In the company of Lady Noh, Yeong couldn’t help but notice that the King was acting rather like a sulky boy than a fierce predator with the way the elder was now watching them interact from across the room with a glower fixed on his brow.

"Sit down, sit down!" Lady Noh gently urged him, focused only on him and completely ignoring the King for now. Her concern was quickly growing at his non-reaction to her questions from earlier. "Careful now, we don't want you to fall," she muttered as her small, but firm hands guided a still somewhat loopy Yeong towards the empty kitchen counter behind his back.

The counter was too high for him to sit down without having to hop up first, so Yeong came to awkwardly lean against it instead. The old Lady seemed to be ok with the compromise as she wordlessly moved in and began to examine him. She picked up the bruised wrist he had been protectively cradling towards himself and gently moved it in different directions to test its mobility. She stopped the instant he hissed and flinched in pain.

Yeong felt uncomfortable and strangely distressed with the old woman’s openly expressed concern and the intense focus with which she was taking stock of his injuries. He glanced away and blinked rapidly to stifle the tears swimming in his eyes, his emotions in turmoil. His gaze accidentally came across the King's hunched and yet hulking form. The elder's eyes were sharp as a knife and if looks could kill, then he and Lady Noh both would have been neatly cut in halves by now. The reminder that all the old woman’s fussing and care would be for naught if the King was this angry and worked up still, caused Yeong to sniffle and a few fresh tears to escape despite his efforts to hold them back.

Unable to look away from the biggest threat not only in the room, but in his life in general, Yeong gulped heavily at the way the King snarled silently when Lady reached up and carefully touched his face. Yeong felt like a deer must when caught in the head lights of an oncoming car. He was too frozen in horror to be able to look away from the increasingly dark expression on the prowling King's face. The elder was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger, scoffing and with an itch for violence in his tightly clenched fists.

Only when Lady Noh tugged on Yeong’s shirt collar with a soft tutt, did Yeong manage to look away from the alarming sight the King made to spare her a glance.

"What is this?" the old woman asked as she ran one of her fingers over the rim of the shock collar that was sitting like a noose around his neck.

At first, Yeong thought the question was aimed at him before he understood that it wasn't as soon as the old Lady turned aside and threw the glowering King a mildly scolding look. The King, standing across the room, snarled and bared his teeth to them like a feral beast.

"Mine!" came the beast's non-reply that said nothing at all and yet somehow managed to sum up the situation perfectly.

Lady Noh was either a very brave or a very stupid woman when she didn't let that deranged display deter her.

"What did you do to him, Your Majesty?" the old woman asked, apparently determined to find out more.

The King abruptly stopped his pacing and fixed the old woman with a scathing glare for a second, before his expression smoothed out. Yeong began to cry in earnest when the other man suddenly straightened up and sauntered closer to them with no traces of his anger from just now anywhere on his face. This sudden, unnatural composedness was somehow even scarier than the wild anger had been.

"Nothing less than what he deserves," the King finally deigned to reply.

The elder's voice was deceptively soft and quiet, but Yeong knew better than to presume he was in any less danger than he had been in a moment ago. The other’s sudden calmness truly was even more terrifying than his earlier display.

"Did you know, my esteemed Lady Noh, that this boy once sought to end me? And quite successfully at that?" the King uttered with false nonchalance as he stepped a little closer to them.

The casual bearing and unbothered demeanor the elder had adopted fit the King like an ill fitted suit. He should be explosive and wild in his ire instead of showing this composed, repressed display. On the outside, the King might look calm, but anyone who knew the man even a little could tell this was nothing but a facade; a mere mask that hid the beast biding its time underneath the deceptive surface, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Surely the poor grandma would soon get to feel the King’s wrath and that’d all be Yeong’s fault too in the end.

It quickly became apparent that Yeong had underestimated Lady Noh's importance to the King once more though, since her pursed lips and mildly disapproving gaze actually worked like the perfect repellent against an unsightly angry King. Somehow, the steadfast, old woman managed to make the King's terrible fit of rage look like nothing more than a childish temper tantrum.

Yeong quickly deduced that there was indeed some credit to be given to his tentative theory that Lady Noh must have once been - and still was apparently - something like a mother figure to the King, if said man allowed the old woman to speak to him in such a way. Lady Noh looked wholly unafraid as if she had known that this would be the result of her daring to confront the King and demand answers from a man who was normally so above reproach it was ridiculous.

“You know I’m only trying to look out for you, Your Majesty?” Lady Noh asked, her expression softening.

The King scoffed, but otherwise refrained from further displays of anger. “You call that looking out for me?”

“I do,” Lady Noh assured, as calm and steadfast as a lighthouse that resisted the wild sea even in the middle of a storm. “I know that you care very much for him,” she noted with a gesture at Yeong.

Yeong winced and pulled up his shoulders, feeling uncomfortable with being put back into the spotlight.

“Can’t you see that he’s hurt and scared right now, Your Majesty? He’s most likely suffering from a concussion – a bad one going by the way he can barely manage to stay upright,” Lady Noh pointed out.

Yeong felt too weak and nauseous to worry about Lady Noh’s words having the potential to set the King off again. He had tried to plead his innocence already and he doubted he’d have a better chance the second time around.

The ensuing silent stare-off between the King and Lady Noh was interrupted by a knock on the kitchen doorway leading outside into the gardens.

“Enter!” Lady Noh took the liberty to call out without looking away or dropping her gaze from the King’s intent, calculating one once.

It took Yeong a few seconds to recognise the man that had entered the kitchens as being the Captain of the King’s Guards.

“Your Majesty, I apologise for the interruption, but we have acquired the footage you’ve requested,” the Captain explained. His demeanour remained admirably composed as he held a tablet out to the King.

“And?” the King asked as he grabbed the tablet and clicked play on the video the Captain had brought for his perusal.

“He wasn’t trying to run,” the Captain surmised what Yeong had been trying to tell them the whole time.

Perhaps having video footage of his careless act to fetch a lost football and therefore possessing concrete proof that he hadn’t tried to escape would finally make the King calm down. Whatever was going to happen, Yeong hoped that it’d allow him to close his eyes and just lie down in peace until his nausea and pounding headache would have finally abated.

The King’s expression remained shrouded even once he was done viewing the camera footage and handed the tablet back to the Captain. The King looked from Lady Noh to the Captain before his gaze came to rest on him last.

“Call a doctor and have him examined,” the King ordered, which had the Captain nod and immediately spring into action.

After that, things became a little blurry since the relief flooding Yeong’s bloodstream at having been believed was nearly too overwhelming for him in his weakened state. The journey from the kitchens into a soft, familiar bed was a little fuzzy, right along with the doctor’s examination of him, but Yeong understood enough to get that it was a heavy concussion he was suffering from right now.

“He needs lots of rest in a calm and slightly dimmed environment. There should be no physical activity whatsoever until his nausea has abated,” Yeong heard the doctor explain to the King and Lady Noh who had stood silent vigil at his bedside so far. “I’ll be back to re-examine him tomorrow morning,” the doctor added as he packed his things and made to leave.

Relieved that he could finally relax now, Yeong closed his eyes and didn’t bother to try to overhear the quiet exchange taking place between the King and Lady Noh. Instead, he focused on calming down and relaxing his aching muscles as he snuggled deeper into the soft bedding. He was in a half awake state by the time he felt the mattress at his side dip and a person join him in bed.

Knowing it could be only one person who could have sidled up to him, he held still and didn’t even bother to open his eyes when a pair of strong arms wound around his torso. Being pulled close to the heat emitting from the other’s body, Yeong had no strength left to feel exasperated with or scared of the King. Without any protest, he let the other cling to him like he was a bamboo stalk and the King was a starving panda bear.

The other’s face was buried in his hair and Yeong could feel the way the fingers holding onto him tightly were shaking and how the other’s heart was actually racing. Yeong was incredibly confused at first before he heard quiet snivels and felt the way the elder’s breathing became heavier with something like distress or grief.

Curious and a little freaked out, Yeong eventually pried his eyes open, but he wasn’t able to make out much in the darkened room. He remained silent and unmoving since he didn’t know what to do in such a situation. As more and more minutes ticked by, the other’s barely audible sniffling turned into proper crying and heaving breaths. Yeong thought it was both pathetic and kind of heart-breaking at the same time. How dare his hyung have a breakdown while Yeong should be the one crying and generally being miserable right now!

It was obvious though that these rarely-shown emotions were raw and honest. They exposed a lot of just how deeply wounded the King’s soul had truly gotten by what the elder had had to go through during his eventful life. The elder was clinging onto him not unlike a child holding on dearly to their parent whenever something had scared them or their young life has temporarily become too overwhelming to cope with on their own.

Sighing and feeling his resolve not to give in and console his hyung melt in mere minutes, Yeong eventually lifted one of his hands and placed it on the other’s back. He could feel the way the elder was trembling even while he rubbed slow circles into his back. In a way it both was and yet somehow wasn’t really the King’s fault that the man had ended up an emotionally stunted tyrant after his parent’s violent and too early deaths.

“Don’t leave me,” the elder muttered into his hair, his words quiet and slurred.

Yeong sighed silently and gave in - it’d be of no help to him finding any rest tonight after all if the King didn’t manage to calm down.

“I won’t leave. Don’t worry, hyung,” he said and found that he didn’t even have to lie.

It seemed at least in that regard not that much had changed after today’s misunderstanding after all.

“You can’t ever leave! I won’t allow it!” the King exclaimed, his voice still just as weak and frightened as the first time he had spoken up.

Yeong rubbed the other’s back and made small shushing noises. “I’m right here.”

“Stay,” the elder mumbled, his hold on him not yet slackening.

“I will,” Yeong assured. “I will.”

Yeong wasn’t sure where he was drawing all that patience from, but it wasn’t really a hardship to console his hyung right now. He knew from personal experience how rough experiencing a breakdown could be and he couldn’t find it in himself to be so cruel as to deny his hyung the comfort the elder was clearly craving right now.

He couldn’t even really blame the elder for anything that had happened today since all this mess had been his fault in the first place the longer he thought about it. If only he hadn’t been so stupid and thoughtless to chase after an awry football, nothing of what had happened today would have happened. It was all his own fault - like usual. He should really know by now that he’d never have anyone but himself to blame for his own misery.

Getting a little chocked up himself, Yeong clung tighter to the elder who was still hanging on to him like his life depended on it. When it came down to it, they were both nothing but pathetic little kids who had been forced to grow up too fast in a too violent world. Yeong’s own stupidity and foolish acts of bravery had caused so much misery that he honestly believed he deserved everything life would decide to throw at him at this point. His irresponsibility had cost enough lives and caused enough misery for him to go ahead and dare to complain about his current situation.

His life was just one mistake after another if he looked back on it.

His whole life was one big mistake.

He was mistake.

He should never have been imbued with a rebellious spirit as a troubled kid and he should never have gone ahead and taken it to new heights by founding and singlehandedly running an underground rebel group consisting of pimply teenagers with delusions of grandeur. Just like today, he kept on failing at the most basic and essential of things - which then tended to have the worst and most unexpected consequences for him.

Trembling where he laid pressed up to his hyung’s side, Yeong felt worthless and disgusted with himself. He always inevitably ruined any kind of friendship extended to him. He was like a pest that ruined whole families – even ones he didn’t even belong to.

When it came down to it, Yeong was nothing but a worthless troublemaker who really should not have been able to make it as far as he had with his stupid plan to cause a bloody rebellion. In the end, after all the misery and deaths he had caused, he was actually better off in the strict, controlling hands of his hyung since the elder knew so much better than he did how he should be living his life.

Keeping his hyung company and warming his bed didn’t have any serious, dire consequences. Becoming nothing but the King’s playmate gave him peace of mind in that it ensured that Yeong didn’t have the chance to harm anyone but himself in his sporadic, but unavoidable bouts of stupidity.

Too many innocents had already suffered because of him which ensued that the burden now resting on his shoulders was a very heavy one. In the end, Yeong therefore believed that he deserved everything that he got. All the shit fate had thrown at him had been nothing but a deliverance of overdue karma - and that’s why Yeong kept quietly reassuring his hyung right now despite his own exhaustion.

He was to blame for everything and right now being there for his hyung (who was beside himself with worry for someone as worthless like him) was the least he could do. And so they both cried and shed their tears together as they clung to each other like they were their last hope and chance at redemption in their miserable existence.

Yeong has no idea how long he and his hyung needed to eventually calm down, but it felt like a small eternity. Only once both their tears seemed to have run dry, did Yeong allow himself to finally give in to his tiredness. He went lax, knowing he was safe in his hyung’s embrace tonight. With the reassuring weight of the other’s arms embracing him and new hope that things were likely going to be alright between him and his hyung tomorrow, Yeong quickly slipped away into a hopefully dreamless and restful sleep.

~*~

Muted sunshine and the soft twittering of birds awoke him the next morning. Yeong yawned and stretched carefully, mindful of his aching body. He didn’t get very far in testing his sleep warm muscles since he quickly found that his neck and shoulders ached something fierce. With a wince and a groan, he carefully sat up in bed and clamped a hand onto the back of his neck.

That movement was what roused the dishevelled man resting at his side and made his hyung blink his eyes open in confusion. The slightly dazed look cleared from the elder’s eyes instantly when they landed on his awake and aware from.

“Yeong-ah!” the elder exclaimed as he sat up in a hurry and threw his arms around him to hug him close with more gentleness than usual. The relief in the other’s voice and baring was obvious. “Are you ok? Is your nausea and headache better today? I’m sorry I overreacted yesterday!”

Yeong took a second to digest those questions and the highly unexpected apology that had followed them before he was ready to reply.

“I’m ok… kind off. Thanks for asking,” he muttered, feeling a little embarrassed by all the fuss his hyung was making about his health.

Even though he had felt absolutely miserable after being felled be what he now realised had been a discharge from the shock collar, Yeong didn’t think that his injuries were actually that bad. The emotional drain was worse than the slight headache that had followed him into today.

“You’re never allowed to leave me,” his hyung muttered into the crook of his neck where the elder had buried his nose.

Yeong gulped and tightened his hold on the other’s back for a moment.

“I won’t,” he assured, his mind long since made up.

This was where he belonged now and he was determined to stick even closer to his hyung than ever from today on to avoid a similar incident like the one from yesterday. His carelessness and stupidity had worried a lot of people and had caused way too much of a stir already. His hyung was right to have been angry at him yesterday. What he had done had been truly stupid. He should know well by now that his hyung preferred to keep him within eyesight whenever possible and that running off without telling anyone would be an offense worthy of the punishment he had received.

Yeong had put them all through so much. His hyung had been angry and terrified in the same instance and Lady Noh had risked a lot to stand up for him in from of the King. The last thing Yeong wanted to do was drive a wedge into what little family his hyung had still left – be it his kids or strict, but kind Lady Noh.

“I’m sorry too, hyung,” Yeong said while he rested his own chin on the other’s shoulder. “I was stupid.” He sighed. “So stupid.”

His hyung chuckled and patted him on the back. “It’ll be alright. I’ll make sure of it.”

Yeong closed his eyes, secure in the knowledge that his hyung was going to continue to take care of him and to reign in and control Yeong’s more harmful urges and prevent him from making any more mistakes. His hyung could guide him and teach him better than anyone else. Yeong only had to try harder than he had so far and then things were surely going to be alright in the future.

A knock came from the door and at the elder’s wordless noise of curiosity, the doctor who had treated Yeong last night stepped into the room. With a bit of reluctance, his hyung let go of him once the doctor asked if it’d be a good time now for Yeong’s follow-up examination.

Nervous and still left feeling skittish from the stress residues of what had transpired yesterday, Yeong was grateful for the way his hyung kept holding his hand throughout the doctor’s examination.  The doctor worked quickly and his prodding touches remained professional even if his hands were uncomfortably cold.

Once done, the doctor looked grave and ordered him to remain on bed rest and on a light diet for the next 48 hours. Yeong was too frightened of the strict man to dare to question him or the recommended treatment. He didn’t feel that bad actually and hadn’t thought that his condition would actually be that bad. He really didn’t want to be more than a burden for his hyung than he had already been.

He kept his opinion to himself though and patiently bared all the coddling during the following two days. He knew he didn’t deserve all that care and concern, but he was weak and soaked it all up anyway. No one but his own parents had ever cared for him like this. His hyung was there at his side whenever he could and helped him with most tasks that the doctor had forbade him from doing himself.

Yeong wasn’t made out of glass and he wasn’t actually a child any longer at the age of 19 that he’d need to be treated like something fragile and helpless, but the indulgent treatment was something that he secretly enjoyed very much though. In his life, it had been very rare that he had ever gotten treated with such gentleness by others. It showed how much his hyung truly cared for him that the man even refrained from any sexual activities during his two days of prescribed bed rest.

Having seen the way the King had freaked out and then eventually broken down in his arms in private that night, Yeong couldn’t even remain truly angry with his hyung for having been a bit too trigger happy with the shock collar still sitting snugly at the base of Yeong’s neck. The skin underneath it had been burned and chafed raw in a few patches from the electrical discharge, but the burning sensation had stopped as soon as a cooling gel had been applied and all had healed up swiftly.

The big bump on his forehead where he must have hit his head on a stone while he had collapsed was starting to recede too along with the by-products of the concussion that had resulted from having hit his head. On the third day after the incident, Yeong was relieved to finally be declared fit and healthy enough to finally get out of bed and resume joining his hyung as the elder went about his day in his usual way once more. He of course was still urged to take it slow, but he at least no longer needed to stay in bed.

Up and about once more, Yeong made sure to stay close to the other’s side, or at least remain in his line of sight whenever that wasn’t possible - like when the elder was in a conference call or a meeting. And if he was a little clingy, then so was his hyung, who in return sought out his closeness more often than before.

~*~

They stayed for two more weeks on Jeju Island until duty was presumably calling his hyung back home. Yeong was surprised that the elder had managed to postpone important meetings and clear his schedule for as long as he had. With how busy the elder usually was, Yeong had expected them to be gone a week, maybe two at the most, and not the whole month he estimated they had spent here.

They goodbyes were short and mostly tears-free. Only his hyung’s youngest wasn’t able to completely keep herself in check. Yeong hugged her goodbye after her father had, but he gave her no false promises that they were ever going to meet again. His hyung had enjoyed his holiday and would surely be inclined to return here, but Yeong couldn’t be sure of that and so he didn’t want to risk anything.

The month spent underneath clear skies and in the bright sun of an island as beautiful and picturesque as Jeju had done him really good – besides the concussion and all the drama revolving about that brief misunderstanding about the football. His stay on the island had let him forget for a while about what had all happened at the palace with his assault by the guards and then the whole business with the traitor Queen – which had all arguable been much worse than the football misunderstanding.

Being away from it all had lifted his spirits and had allowed his emotions to settle in a way they surely wouldn’t have been able to if they had remained on the mainland. The biggest challenge on their return back home was getting used again to the constant presence of guards and secretaries and servants once more. To nearly at all times be eyed by at least one person wasn’t a feeling Yeong could say he had missed at all. The atmosphere had been so intimate, casual and comfortable during their island getaway and he found he was already missing it on his first day back home.

There wasn’t anything to be done about that though since all these people were necessary to keep his hyung safe and comfortable. If the Palace staff was surprised at first to see Yeong sticking even closer to his hyung than he had before their holiday, then they said nothing and kept acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. Yeong in general felt happy with mostly being ignored by anyone that wasn’t his hyung since it left him room to breathe and actually be himself.

Accompanying his hyung wherever he could these days, Yeong was on his best behaviour and very proud to be able to look back after some time had went by and note that he hadn’t actually needed to be corrected or scolded in weeks. His life back at the palace was smoother and more pain-free than ever. True, he still considered the Yoga lesson and the one terrifying horse riding lesson his hyung had dragged him to that one time to have been their own kinds of torture, but otherwise things were fine at the palace during the summer.

Yeong was very grateful that he was allowed plenty of supervised time outdoors when his hyung was cooped up in meetings. He enjoyed nature and the fresh air and thanks to the streak of good weather, he had even gained a healthy tan. Due to boredom and curiosity both, Yeong had started to help out in the vegetable garden the kitchen staff kept to have some fresh, seasonal produce always ready at hand. Working with his hands and being outdoors had been something Yeong had always enjoyed and he was glad to be allowed to learn the ropes of proper gardening.

The gardeners and kitchen staff were really nice people and they treated him kindly and with patience even when he made mistakes occasionally. He diligently kept learning and improving during the summer though. Along with being trusted more than ever by his hyung came the establishment of his new routine of gardening whenever time permitted it which made him feel happier than ever.

And when his hyung sometimes came by to watch him work under the bright midday sun or to sneak up on him to pull him into a surprise hug, then Yeong enjoyed his outdoor time all the more. Everyone that Yeong came into contact with by now knew of his relationship with his hyung and they didn’t even glance at him anymore whenever his hyung occasionally dropped by to visit him and steal a kiss or two from him.

The only thing Yeong could say with absolute certainty that he didn’t like was when his hyung had to leave the palace on whatever important errant or political obligation the elder had to see to. The longest the elder had been gone, had been three days in a row and Yeong was really glad afterwards that the elder’s duties usually took him away from home for no longer than a day. Whenever his hyung was gone, Yeong found himself missing the other’s presence and the strange silence that fell in the elder’s absence.

True, Yeong was never really alone and he could even ask the new guards tasked with protecting him some questions, but despite their much improved demeanour, the guards didn’t exactly make for good conversation partners. They just weren’t as genuinely interested in hearing about his day to day life the way his hyung was, so talking to them was kind of a moot point.

Despite always getting hugged extra tight on his hyung’s returns to the palace, the elder also always brought him some kind of souvenir from his trip. Usually it was some kind of sweet delicacy, but sometimes it was also a pretty bracelet or some other knick-knack that Yeong then proudly placed on what had become his nightstand in his hyung’s quarters. Having those little knick-knacks to look at before he went to bed each night, helped to ease him into sleep whenever he had to stay in his hyung’s too big rooms all by himself whenever his hyung was away on business.

Yeong didn’t know what was going on and happening outside of the little bubble of happiness as he was living in at the palace except what little morsels of information his hyung decided to feed him. Not that being able to watch the news or read any newspapers would have changed anything about Yeong’s life, it just seemed eerie to him sometimes that he had no idea on what kind of trips his hyung was leaving on infrequently during the summer.

Only when Yeong noticed the usual hustle and bustle of the palace change sometime during the late early autumn and pointed this observation out to his hyung, did he get a glimpse at the world outside of the palace. Tablet in hand, his hyung pulled him close to his side as they sat pressed close to each other in their bed one evening. His hyung for the first time took the time to explain to Yeong some of what he had been working on so hard during his many meetings that had often left his hyung exhausted and in need of Yeong’s services afterwards to sooth his ire and alleviate his stress.

A new kind of prison had been build up north, someplace remote and high up in the mountains, that would make the inmates work in the mine right beside it as repayment for their sins. Yeong watched with wide eyes as his hyung showed him some photos of the dreary place that had the character of bleak military barracks that featured only the bare necessaries at best.

As he was shown some photos of the kind of criminals that had been moved into the new work prison camp, he suddenly gasped out loud when he thought he recognised some of the inmates dressed in drab overalls and ratty jackets. He felt satisfaction and a tiny strand of pity curl in his belly when his hyung confirmed his suspicious that those three men had been the guards that had dared to assault him all that time ago in spring.

Before Yeong had the time to really digest his own feelings brought on by what his hyung had just cheerfully presented to him, the elder had already moved on to a new topic. Shown on the display of the tablet the elder was holding, now was a fancy looking invitation to a ball his hyung explained he was going to host in honour of his upcoming 20th anniversary on the throne.

A little surprised to hear it had actually been that long since the elder had reigned, Yeong swallowed when he realised that his hyung had been running a whole country for longer than Yeong had even been alive. He listened in quiet contemplation as the elder went on and explained the kind of festivities he had planned and the kind of high-level guests that was going to be invited. It was a lot and Yeong was still digesting all that he had been shown by the time they had laid down to sleep and his hyung’s breaths had already deepened and smoothed out.

Despite Yeong’s nerves and budding anticipation, the day of the big anniversary party came around much faster than he had expected. During the extensive preparations, his hyung had been so busy and very often holed up in general meetings, suit fittings and food-tastings and selection sessions all in preparation for the big event that Yeong hadn’t seen him as much as he had wanted to.

Surprised at being invited to come along to a meeting one day, Yeong didn’t know if he should feel happy or dismayed when he was dragged to a session with his hyung’s tailor. Bade to undress down to his underwear, the kind, ancient looking tailor took all kinds of measurements of him before the man and hyung disappeared into a corner to go over fabrics and colours that would complement Yeong’s complexion best.

Yeong in the meantime awkwardly shifted off back behind the partition to get properly dressed once more, wondering all the while why he would even need to be measured for any fancy clothes since he wasn’t even invited to the party. True, his hyung had bemoaned his absence at the party frequently during the past week, but they both knew that Yeong was to be kept safe in the shadows and that that couldn’t happen if he was seen hanging off the arm of the King at the man’s anniversary party attended by hundreds of people.

When the day of the big party came around, Yeong was therefore surprised when his hyung handed him a clothes bag that Yeong found out upon cautious opening contained a navy coloured tuxedo and shined dress shoes to match that he found out all fitted him like a glove once he had changed into the fancy dress on his hyung’s behest. Though Yeong felt weird in the stiff, constricting clothes, even he had to admit that he looked really good in them – good enough that his hyung was nearly late to his own party because the other had barely managed to take his hands off him once they had slipped under his waistcoat and possessively taken hold of him as they exchanged a couple of kisses.

Having anticipated the following separation from his hyung for the rest of the evening, Yeong was surprised when one of his guards approached him and he was guided to a section of the palace he had never been to before. There was a small, but lavish side room apparently set aside just for him. He had barely entered and looked around, when he stopped at the distant sound of many overlapping voices coming from somewhere down the hall.

When he turned to his guards to ask them about what was going on, he only got a brief smile in reply from one of them, before they both slipped out of the room in opposite directions – one taking up position in front of the hallway door and one outside the veranda door leading outside into the gardens through which they had entered the room.

Yeong was in the middle of exploring the room in hopes to catch any clues for why he was there while dressed up to the nines, when he was interrupted by a knock and a guy looking like a butler entering the room. The man silently placed a tray of dinner in front of him along with a bottle of something bubbly and alcoholic that was served in the pair of dainty glasses the butler had brought along as well.

Left to his own devices again, Yeong shrugged, sat down and began to sample the delicious dinner before he paused and perked up when he heard the echoes of a very familiar voice waft down from down the corridor he by now presumed lead to the big ball room that was where all the guests were hosted. Smiling despite not being able to make out any words, Yeong listened to the sound of his hyung’s voice as the man presumably held some kind of speech. They had been apart for barely two hours and Yeong found he was secretly already beginning to miss his hyung.

He knew he couldn’t be out there with the elder, but still he found himself wishing to be able to join the party under some kind of guise at least if he already couldn’t just go as himself. Some of his unspoken wishes were seemingly heard when the same butler from earlier came by half an hour later to fetch his empty dishes and to exchange them for a tablet that Yeong quickly noticed had a live-stream running on it that showed what was happening in the not so distant ballroom.

Yeong was so entranced watching the sparkling chandeliers and the glittering ball gowns of all colours that the attending women were wearing that he didn’t even spot his hyung at first. Just like him, the guests had just finished dinner and were now moving on to an area clear of any furniture that Yeong quickly realised was a dance floor. As some live classic music started up from the group of musicians that had set up in one corner of the ballroom, Yeong for the first time caught a proper glance of his hyung this evening in his fancy get-up and all.

As he unashamedly eyes the elder, Yeong thought that his hyung really could work as a model with the effortless grace and haunting beauty the man exuded as naturally as breathing. Yeong noticed that he by far wasn’t the only one enraptured by the King’s sight, though he couldn’t really begrudge the other guests for looking. He only began to feel uncomfortable with all the attention his hyung was receiving when the elder took up the hand of a beautiful woman and led her onto the dance floor to officially have his first dance of the night with her. A sharp sting a jealousy pricked Yeong in the chest as he watched the beautiful pair waltz around the dance floor with light, effortless steps and the smooth, flowing movements that spoke of them being talented dancers. 

Surprised by his own envy and the insidious feeling of something heavy and ugly that had settled in his stomach as he watched his hyung in the arms of another woman, Yeong set the tablet down with a huff a minute later and instead turned his attention to the tray of snacks that had been delivered a few minutes ago. Only once he felt like he had cooled his ugly feelings down and was once again ready to peep in on what his hyung was doing, did he pick the tablet back up.

He was glad for it too since it meant he didn’t miss the various artistic performances that had started up to keep the none-dancing guests entertained. He quickly forgot about his surge of bitterness from earlier as he watched with bated breath as one of the artists contorted herself into anatomy-defying shapes that would have broken an average human’s bones for sure. The woman bend herself into smaller and smaller shapes until she ended her performance by being zipped up into a small carry-on bag and them being carried off the stage that way.

Following her were a duo that hung from ropes high up in the air and that performed a mesmerising dance in the air without touching the floor once. Yeong was so caught up, that he didn’t even notice he had lost track of his hyung a long time ago. The gripping performances of the artists was the excuse he went with when he was startled out of watching when the door to his room opened and admitted none other than his hyung inside.

“Yeong-ah!” the elder called out with a wide smile as he approached him where he was sitting on the divan.

“Hyung!” Yeong called out, the tablet immediately forgotten as he rose to his feet and rushed to greet his hyung.

“I take it you’ve been enjoying the show?” the elder asked once he was done kissing him like they had been apart for days and not hours. “You practically have starts in your eyes.”

Yeong grinned wide and nodded before he took a step back out of the other’s embrace to be able to take in the other’s stunning outfit with his own eyes for the first time.

His hyung’s smile turned flirtier. “Like what you see, sexy?”

Blushing and glancing away after being called out for his blatant staring, Yeong gulped before he once again chanced a look at his hyung. There was nothing but fond amusement and a hint of harmless desire he knew could lead nowhere since surely his hyung was expected back at his party again at one point this evening.

“You’re looking absolutely edible yourself there, my boy,” the elder said as used both his weighty gaze and his big, warm hands to explore just how perfectly the tailored garments fitted Yeong’s form. Suddenly the other’s grip on his hips tightened and Yeong gasped as the elder used that hold to pull them flush together.

“I wish I could have you with me out there,” his hyung breathed into his ear, his hot breath causing Yeong to shiver.

He felt the other’s hands explore the so far untouched territory of his lower backside and gulped when the elder gave his ass a gentle squeeze.

A breathy, “Me too,” was all Yeong was able to get out in reply while his hyung’s hands kept roaming from his neck all the way down to his ass, leaving imprints of heat wherever they passed. Yeong was quickly left panting from the sure, lust-filled touches and would normally have been embarrassed by how worked up they had gotten him already if he didn’t relish in the fact so much that it was him that his hyung was groping and lavishing with small kisses and nips up his neck and down his jaw not some random woman.

It made something heated and wiggly settle in his stomach that it was him who his hyung desired. Smiling wide, he pressed himself closer into the other’s embrace and made his annoying brain forget all about the way it had taunted him earlier and had tried to make him believe that he was nothing more than a dirty secret and that his hyung wasn’t actually loving him since he wasn’t allowed to be there at the elder’s side this evening. His pathetic doubts and self-deprecating thoughts as well as his jealousy and slight resentment for most likely being kept a well-guarded secret for the rest of time were thankfully pushed back into the dusty corner they belonged into by his hyung’s sweet, sweet affection and claiming touches.

He really wanted to be good - a capable lover who belonged only to his hyung and who was the only one the elder desired. He knew he didn’t have and never could have the same claim the elder had on his love and his life, but he would do his best that he came as close to it as he could. As long as his hyung’s eyes saw only him and he was the only one allowed to touch every inch of the other’s smooth, honey-coloured skin, he’d be happy and satisfied.

“As much as I’d love to take this farther,” his hyung broke into his thoughts, “I need to return to the party sooner than we’d both like and I don’t intend to cause a scandal tonight by showing up dishevelled and reeking of sex.”

To make his point that he did desire him but couldn’t act on it right now, his hyung moved his hands from his ass to have them rest in a less suggestive place around his waist. The elder smiled and placed a consoling peck on the pout that had formed on Yeong’s lips without any conscious input at the thought of being parted from his hyung again so soon already.

“There’s something else I wanted to do tonight beside that anyway,” his hyung said as he let go of him and took a step away from him.

Curious what the elder could mean, Yeong watched how his hyung put one hand behind his back before he bowed down slightly so they were at equal eye-height and then held his other hand out to him palm up. Catching on with a second of delay to what the elder wanted from him, Yeong was too caught up by the sparkle of anticipation and happiness that had entered the elder’s eyes and made them shine like diamonds in the warm chandelier light to reply right away.

The elder tilted his head to the side, amusement mixing with anticipation and fondness as he regarded Yeong with intent.

“Yeong-ah,” the other spoke, watching him back while Yeong stood there like an unmoving, stunned fool who couldn’t look away from his lover long enough to even take up the hand the other held out and accept the unspoken invitation the other had offered.

“Yes?” left Yeong’s mouth in a breathless whisper.

In that moment, he felt like a moth that had been hopelessly ensnared by the light reflecting in his hyung’s eyes and been hypnotised by it. One corner of the other’s lips pulled up into a smirk and the other’s expression turned smug and victorious. The other’s voice when he opened his mouth as the tension between them reached its crest was low and enticing. Staring right into his soul, the elder asked:

“Can I have this dance?”

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story even if it was a dark and twisted one. If you haven’t done so far, leaving me kudos or a comment would make me super happy 🤗

This very likely won’t be my last Gonjo fic since I already have some ideas and a few drafts for shorter stories started in my writing folder that just wait for me to find the time to give them the proper attention they need. In the meantime, you could check out one of my other Gonjo stories that range from cute and fluffy to dark and fucked-up.