Chapter Text
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The curtains are drawn shut and yet the light finds a way to streak into the Prince’s room. Heavy sheets are thrown messily over his bare chest and the sunlight dances on his honey skin, tufts of soft brown hair strewn against the white of his pillow. His features are soft, relaxed and to anyone who saw him, deep in sleep, he’d seem an untroubled youth- a happy young man, carefree and gentle.
And he would’ve still been that way, if he hadn’t witnessed his mother’s death.
The Prince frowns in his sleep, the tragedy blinking before him in bits and pieces.
Donghyuck was still in his earliest years of no more than eleven or so when his mother, the Queen, had suggested they take a hike in the mountains. He had been looking forward to spending quality time with her, seeing as how he was an only child and had barely anyone else as company. The Royals were almost never let out of the Palace unguarded but the mountains were supposedly safe, with troops doing hourly rounds around each part.
They had walked for a while and Donghyuck was growing tired, the sun burning the top of his head and giving him a light headache. They stopped eventually, after constant nagging from the young Prince. Donghyuck sat on the grassy hill, beneath the shade of a large tree and ate his fruits as he watched the Queen pick berries from a tree branch, quite a distance away, tossing them into her basket.
The incident was an unfortunate as it could get, she reached up carelessly, too far from her position and lost her footing. The hill had no mercy, sending her tumbling down a few feet down until her back collided with a large rock. The last Donghyuck ever heard of his mother was her scream.
And she screamed his name.
The Kingdom’s guards found him there, trembling, not too late after during their hourly drills, he had not moved from him seated spot, food still in his hand and half chewed apple in his mouth.
Donghyuck thrashes violently against the mattress and wakes up in a sweat, the scream still ringing realistically in his ears. His troubled eyes are clouded with emotion and he lets his eyelids fall shut, to disguise his pain from no one but himself.
He recovers quickly, when a knock sounds at the door not too soon after.
“What is it?”
A female voice answers from the other side, “His Majesty has requested to see the Prince at breakfast this morning and if you are to do so I intend that you hurry, Your Highness”.
Donghyuck recognizes her voice, and her commanding tone, as that of his care-giver, a middle aged and gentle but stern lady that had attended to his needs more closely than any other maid. She was the closest thing he had to a Mother figure. A nanny of sorts. He didn’t show it, as usual, but he was grateful for her.
“You can come in Lady Woo-Song”, Donghyuck responds, tugging on a shirt that he picks up hastily off the floor.
The heavy door creaks open and her small figure dashes into the room, pushing apart the curtains, bombarding the room with light that makes Haechan lose his vision for a split moment.
“Good Morning to you too”, Donghyuck groans from the brightness and a smile makes its way onto Woo-Song’s face.
“Why don’t you go draw yourself a quick bath, my child? And I’ll lay out your clothes for you”.
Donghyuck nods, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sleepily stumbles into the bathroom.
When he comes back, sitting on his bed is a red uniform that he has not seen before. It looks too formal and too carefully embroidered to be just an everyday attire and this is how he knows that his Father has plans for him today- which is most probably what ‘breakfast’ was a part of.
**
Mark wears royal blue, lined with gold and sits up proudly on his Father’s most priced white horse.
He had bid his parents goodbye and was currently being taken to the Kingdom. He had been there before, for training and for errands but this would be his first going as a guest. First time meeting with the Prince. The first time he’d meet his future husband. And the thought of being married, although it was a marriage that came forth because of duty, made him nervous in the best way.
The castle comes into large scale view as they approach the gates and Mark feels an odd tug around him, the closer he draws to the entrance. His horse is taken to the stables and he is in turn accompanied inside the castle by a fellow knight.
Mark is led through some of the prettiest and most intricately detailed rooms and corridors until they finally halt at a pair of two large dark brown doors.
“I hope you’ve built up an appetite, because the King has breakfast set out in honour of your visit”, the Knight who accompanied him here tells him as he opens the large door and Mark is hit with a strong smell of fresh bread and some other food that he does not care to identify.
Because he’s too busy looking at the Prince.
Prince Donghyuck is seated on his Father’s right, clad in an expensive red uniform that strikes perfectly against his honey-glow skin. The gold buttons trail up his chest, glorifying his good build. The buttons halt just below his collarbones, where the red splits into two sides- a collar- that runs around Donghyuck’s pretty neck and Mark can’t help but stare. Donghyuck finally looks up from his breakfast plate and meets his gaze to Mark’s and it’s like two worlds have collided, knocking the air out of Mark’s lungs and Donghyuck’s big brown eyes pulling Mark into a blackhole of beauty.
The King clears his throat and their staring contest is put to an end. Mark bows politely and Donghyuck stands up, pushing his chair back slowly. A flash of worry crosses the King’s eyes at his son’s movements but he relaxes when Mark approaches and Donghyuck bows without the accompaniment of a mean comment.
“Your Highness, red suits you well”, Mark compliments, bravely, and King Lee smiles at how flustered his son becomes for just a moment, cheeks almost as red as his attire.
As much as Donghyuck wants to utter a sarcastic response, his words are held back when he takes another glance at Mark’s face. The man is undoubtedly handsome, strong features that are softened by his gentle smile and rich blonde hair framing his face. His eyes are dark and glint in the sunlight but they hold kindness and depth and though they’re only an year apart, Mark’s eyes hold wisdom and Donghyuck realizes why his Father believed Mark would make an excellent ruler. Donghyuck notices Mark’s quite outstanding and to be fair, rather attractive Adam’s apple and it bobs down in time with his glance, like Mark knew and had caught him staring.
Donghyuck swallows the itch in his own throat and mumbles, although it is unmannerly for a Prince to mumble, a small “Thank you”.
“Join us for breakfast, Mark!”
The King exclaims and motions to the chair on his left, right across the table from Donghyuck. Mark takes his seat without hesitation and wonders why the Prince is spoken so badly about. He also mentally pats the King on the back for allowing him to take seat across from his son, enabling him to get a good look at this rather interesting boy.
“I must, however, be off now. There are some duties I have to attend to- but please, do stay and finish your breakfast Mark, Donghyuck will help you to your room afterwards”, the King tells them, as if he’d planned this all along and he pushes back his chair to leave.
“Your Majesty, I couldn’t possibly ask his Highness to be of service to me”, Mark’s eyes widen at the King’s request but the King waves a dismissive hand.
“It won’t be considered service, more like a stepping stone to getting to know each other, besides, his Highness doesn’t really have anything better to do”, the King states and Mark smiles at the humour in his voice.
Donghyuck rolls his eyes at this comment.
“You don’t have to embarrass me into doing things, Father”.
“That’s a first”, The King laughs and his deep voice rumbles through the room, the ringing staying behind even when the King has left.
Mark keeps his eyes set down for a while, finishing the contents on his plate quietly, unsure of what to say and surprisingly, Donghyuck is the one to break his silence a while later.
“So…”
Donghyuck trails off and Mark looks up and feels like he’s been asked a million gold-coin question. The windows behind Mark are letting the light illuminate Donghyuck’s pupils, presenting them in a light brown hue that has Mark stunned. He chokes out a response, hardly.
“Yes, your Highness?”
“None of that formality, Cousin- address me as Donghyuck”, the Prince gestures with his hands while he talks, it seems a habit.
Mark smiles at this, “That’s just what your Father always says”.
Donghyuck grins, taking a gulp of his water, “He asks that you address him as Donghyuck too?”
At this, Mark lets out a small airy laugh- it’s partially due to relief that the Prince was fairly interactive enough but also because the Prince seemed to have a knack for humor.
“No, that’s not it, the ‘none of the formalities’ phrase leaves his lips often”, Mark confirms and Donghyuck nods, saying something along the lines of like Father like son.
“If you’re done with breakfast, I could take you to your chambers, Cousin”.
Donghyuck calls him that for the second time and Mark decides he would prefer to hear his name. As formal as their marriage and their relationship was going to be, it would be quite odd to address hi husband as cousin.
“Donghyuck, as much as the word Cousin holds true, I too would prefer that we use first name basis”.
Donghyuck hums in thought, “Minhyung, then”.
Mark’s heart skips a beat, nobody ever called him by that name, not even his mother. He had disliked it when he was younger but coming out of Donghyuck’s mouth, years later, it sounded almost heavenly. Mark convinced himself that it was only because he’s heard it after so long and not because Donghyuck’s melodious voice saying it had sounded like a song.
Donghyuck smiles at how dumbfounded Mark is just by an utterance of his name.
Donghyuck’s smile is contagious, it reaches his soft cheeks, where the skin is so rosy that it makes Mark crave pink mountain apples and his eyes smile brighter than the sun. His gaze travels down, picking up on the pretty birthmarks on Donghyuck’s neck that he hadn’t seen before from the distance of the door. Unintentionally his eyes linger on the healthy, honey-tan skin that peaks from beneath the open collar of Donghyuck’s red uniform. The Prince watches in silence, not oblivious in the least to Mark drinking him in with just his eyes and Mark is only forced to tear his eyes away when the help arrives to clear the breakfast table.
There is a shift in mood at the their presence and Donghyuck’s soft face turns hard, he stands up abruptly from his seat and makes his way to the doors, having Mark follow him cluelessly, to his sudden change in behavior. He paces behind Donghyuck along the corridors and up flights of stairs until they reach an extravagant looking ivory door.
“This is where you will be staying for your visit. Your permanent chambers will be arranged after our marriage”.
Mark thanks him and finds that behind the doors, his few belongings have already been brought in. He’s not sure if he should say anything else after what just happened but Donghyuck solves that for him.
“I will be back in a few hours to accompany you on a tour around the palace, wear something comfortable”.
The firmness in his face has vanished again but he isn’t smiling either. Mark nods and bows, waiting till Donghyuck has left so he can lock the doors.
**
In his room, he trades out of his red uniform, laying it on the arm-chair and settling instead down into his underwear. He chooses to skip lunch for the day, too indulged in reflection to be hungry. This morning’s events run in his mind like a sequence and throughout, Donghyuck ponders why he had let himself act so casual and carefree around his spouse-to-be.
He hadn’t initially intended on making any conversation since he usually was never interested. He didn’t plan on impressing Mark either, knowing that the marriage would happen even if they weren’t fond of each other.
But the moment Mark had set foot in the dining hall, in his dark, cobalt uniform and his doe eyed, pink lipped smile and his stupid long eyelashes, Donghyuck had wanted to make a good impression. He had only come to his senses and realized how out-of-his-ordinary he was being when he was no longer alone with Mark.
And then like a fool, he had gone and made plans to go on a promenade with Mark, even though Father had mentioned nothing about it. Donghyuck- he himself, prepared arrangements, made time and took interest.
“Stupid Mark”, Donghyuck huffed in frustration, rolling around in his well-made bed and crumpling up the sheets again.
He falls asleep like that, a soft frown adorning his face, his underwear hugging his waist, his golden skin against the white sheets.
And that’s how Mark stumbles upon him, hours later.
He hadn’t intended on barging in and gawking at his sleeping, half-naked husband to be but after knocking loudly and being left with no answer, he’d entered the room and now hadn’t the heart, or the will to be parting.
Donghyuck’s eyelids flicker and his upper body heaves in a deep breath, stirring slightly in the untidy sheets and he yawns, and Mark is reminded of a baby. A small golden cub. A lion cub.
His eyes flutter open in the gentlest of movements and he sits up after a tired struggle. He uses one hand to push the hair out his eyes it’s then that he becomes aware of another presence in the room with him. His eyes dart to the door where Mark remains, immobile and almost salivating at the sight of the honey-gold boy and Donghyuck yelps in surprise.
The sudden noise has Mark stumbling backwards, colliding against the closed door, snapping him out of his captivated trance and Donghyuck swiftly fetches the sheet to cover himself.
“Mark, what the hell?”
“Forgive me, Your Highness, you didn’t answer the door so I came in to check on you an-“
“And the guards let you past my corridor?”
Donghyuck hurries into his bathroom as Mark answers back, “Yes, why wouldn’t they?”
“Because I only allow certain people in my chambers”, Donghyuck yells back, cheeks tinted rosy that Mark had seen him so unadorned and so vulnerable- in his sleep.
“Maybe the title of husband-to-be was reliable enough”, Mark says mindlessly. He doesn’t mean anything by it other than what it implies but Donghyuck finds himself blushing, as if Mark had just dropped down on one knee and proposed and he was glad that in the confines of his bathroom, nobody could see him in such an innocent and flustered state.
“I’ll leave you to get dressed, I’ll be right out the door”.
Donghyuck treads quietly back into the room once he hears the door shut, indicating that Mark had left.
He dresses himself plainly, into his favorite cream, silky, long sleeved dress shirt and pairing it with long, black, cotton pants- contrasting greatly from the rich and excessive clothes that he’d worn just this morning.
He slips out the door and Mark waits there for him. Even in his plain clothes, Mark notes, Donghyuck looks as stunning as ever, the loose dress shirt, unbuttoned and showing off the Prince’s flawless, sharp collarbones and his caramel skin stretching lazily over them, like a work of art.
Mark offers his hand and Donghyuck rests his own in it, leading the older boy out the castle doors and into the extensive gardens behind the palace.
The sun has set, bringing forth a light breeze and Donghyuck feels the hairs on his arm rise from the chill. He steals a glance at Mark, who beside him, looks snug in his all black attire, his black tailcoat probably keeping him a lot warmer than Donghyuck. Mark looks to Donghyuck, notices his hunched position and how he’s walking a little closer to him than before, instantly understanding the problem.
“Donghyuck?”
The younger hums in response.
“Are you wearing a vest under your dress shirt?”
The answer was an obvious no, the open buttons revealing his sun-kissed skin chest gave it away.
“No, but that isn’t an issue”, he smiled through gritted teeth and if it weren’t for how awful Mark felt, he would’ve laughed at how terrible Donghyuck was at hiding the fact that he was cold.
Mark shakes his head, a quiet chuckle leaving him as he removed his own black tailcoat and draped it over Donghyuck’s shoulders. Under his coat, Mark was still wearing a thick long-sleeved sweater, hence keeping him warm still.
“Better now?”
Donghyuck scoffs and replies in an annoyed tone, “I was all right anyway”.
Mark lets it slip by though, solely because they still had a long way to go along the gardens and not because he thought it was adorable. No way.
Donghyuck stops walking and turns to Mark.
“How do you feel about mazes?”
Mark is taken aback because he really doesn’t know how to respond.
“I’ve never been in one”, he cocks his head to the side and Donghyuck smiles at this gesture.
“We’ll change that”.
Mark’s hand is taken in Donghyuck’s delicate one.
The younger picks up off the ground and starts running. Mark follows, legs moving faster until he can catch up, it doesn’t take long for Mark to outrun the boy but he holds back his pace so that he can shadow behind Donghyuck and watch him, coat and shirt whacking against the wind and long legs hitting the grass, looking like a majestic creature. But there was also his gentleness, arms free and brown hair beautifully messy, the innocence of a child, a baby.
When Mark’s hand is finally free of the Prince’s hold, he’s surrounded by thick walls of perfectly cut bush, over seven feet tall.
“They say that it’s easier to get lost in here than it is to breathe”, Donghyuck pants, out of breath from their sprint here.
Mark is not the prompter of his own movements when he’s finding himself pinning Donghyuck against the closest leafy wall of green. Donghyuck gasps, obviously stunned but he doesn’t resist, arms relaxed in Mark’s hold.
“Tell me then, Your Highness, how easy is it to breathe?”
Marks breathes against Donghyuck’s own fragmented exhales.
“Right now, not at all”, Donghyuck murmurs, gulping when Mark drops his head low, lips hovering over the skin at the nape of his neck.
For the first time since their encounter, Mark is, for the first time, close enough to smell the rich fragrance that Donghyuck emits. It’s always been too foggy to detect, other odors interacting with it, but at a distance this brief, it’s almost overpowering. He emanates summer and sunlight, fresh and sweet and so warm. Mark can’t quite put a finger on it, the strong sweetness, but it’s almost like fresh water from a waterfall trickling into his mouth unhurriedly, awakening his taste buds.
And with that illustration in mind, Mark is thirsty. He wants nothing more in this moment than to sink his canines into the soft flesh, that smells so inviting and looks even more so. The strangled sounds escaping the Prince’s lips are nothing but a cheer, encouraging him- but Mark holds back.
“Donghyuck?”
The younger whimpers, eyes still closed.
“If you let me do this, I’d be marking you, officially, as my Omega”.
The boy nods knowingly.
“We met just today, do you really want this?”
Donghyuck open his eyes, the desire in them burning a hole through Mark’s chest.
“Does it matter? We’ll be married either way”.
As much as Mark wants to agree and carry on, something inside him, something small, pulls back his urges.
“We would, but that doesn’t give me permission to mark you, does it? That consent needs to come from you. This is something we should want. It’s not an obligation, it’s a choice”.
“Don’t use our marriage as an excuse for things you want”.
Donghyuck seems to be angered by this, nostrils flaring slightly as he pushes Mark away with his hands.
“Then why would you do any of it? It’s not like you would even be here if it wasn’t for us getting married”.
Mark keeps his composure, speaking calmly.
“But we are getting married, so here I am. However, my yearning for you, my desires, they’re impulsive- it’s because you fascinate me, Your Highness. You’re so captivating, in the way you look, the way you smell, your voice- it all appeals to me and it’d be so unjust for me to blame all the things I feel on just our marriage”
“Because even if you weren’t to be my spouse, I’d still want you as much. That leaves the question, do you really want to as well?”
Mark’s chest burns from where Donghyuck had pushed him earlier, his touch still lingering near and Donghyuck almost feels bad for what he’s done. It is both as an apology and out of a consenting gesture that Donghyuck paces forward, allowing his body to graze against Mark’s, his hands re-finding themselves where they had pushed him before. He tilts his head back, in the most clear of gestures, exposing the appetizing honey skin on his neck.
This time, Mark doesn’t hesitate, leaning forward, hands stabilizing Donghyuck’s shoulders and sponging kisses into the area that he would soon decorate with proof of himself. However, he halts once more, purring against the skin.
“You need to give me verbal consent, Your Highness”
Donghyuck visibly shivers at both the vibrations and the name, mind hazy- too hazy, to form words.
“Go on-“
“Yes, yes, god yes- mark me as your Omega, Minhyung”, Donhyuck whines urgently, nails tightening into Mark’s wrist.
The name, once again, sends Mark into an abyss and he growls an instinctive growl, so raw and so possessive that it may have been mistaken for an animal.
He laps his tongue around a certain spot that has the Prince writhing in his hold and Mark declares it the perfect place to sink his teeth into.
The initial entrance hurts. Donghyuck floods with sweet scent when Mark’s canines pierce the surface, and the Prince struggles to remain still, knees buckling under him and Mark has enough sense left to wrap his arms under the younger’s thighs and lift him up, pressing him into the sturdy wall of bush for support. The throbbing burning sensation eventually passes, leaving only a slight sting at the point of contact and Donghyuck is begging for more when Mark pulls away. He dives back down, to satisfy his Omega, leaving smaller, less painful hickeys instead of bites around the same area, making sure that attention would be drawn to his mark.
When Mark has completed his masterpiece, he leans away, admiring the litter of reds blotting the boy’s neck. Donghyuck’s eyes gleam in the light, tears glazing over his pretty pupils but a smile playing at his lips. He seems amused for the most part, but he’s also clearly dazed, not confused but still staggered by what has just occurred. His fingers reach up to his own neck to touch the bite but Mark pushes his hand back gently.
“Careful with that, don’t infect it”.
He means it with utmost care and it comes out that way too, soft-spoken and warm.
Donghyuck nods without meaning to and shyly rests his head against Mark’s chest.
The older boy holds him there, not another word out of either of them until a loud rustling and an unknown face pops into view.
It’s a palace guard and at the sight of the intimate moment being shared by the two, he turns back around, away from them, before speaking.
“I apologize for the intrusion, Your Highness but we assumed you had lost your way in the maze, I’ll be heading back now, have a nice evening, Your Highness. And to you as well, Sire”.
Donghyuck steps back, out of Mark’s hold, much to Mark’s displeasure and suggests that they head back inside. The older reluctantly agrees, wanting to hold the younger in his arms a little longer but doesn’t protest when Donghyuck reaches for his hands to lead them back inside.
**