Chapter Text
Prince, what is your Treasure?
5 years old
“Mommy…” Hongjoong sobbed uncontrollably.
He had sneaked away from the guards and found his way to his mother’s tomb. The funeral had been held over a week ago, but he found himself sneaking away from his duties to find her. There was no comfort in the cold stone that held her now. He didn’t really understand all that well what it meant for her to be there, but he knew she was not coming back, and it hurt him so much to simply know that.
“Mini Hong?” A voice called from behind him.
Hongjoong turned around to find his oldest brother, Taejoong, standing at the entrance of the tomb. Clumsily, he stood up and rushed to his brother’s arms, who hugged him tight and patted his back. His oldest brother, who was only 15 years old, was the bravest and strongest person Hongjoong knew. Being in his arms made him feel safe.
“What are you doing alone in here, huh?” Taejoong picked him up easily, and Hongjoong wrapped his arms around him for dear life.
“I miss mommy,” Hongjoong sniffled, trying to hold back his tears. He didn’t want Taejoong to see him cry. He wanted to be brave like his brother.
“You miss her?” Taejoong looked at the tomb and nodded. “I miss her too, so much, mini Hong.”
He held tighter onto Taejoong’s neck and hid his face there, trying to keep his cries in.
“Let it all out, it’s okay to cry…” Taejoong pressed a hand to his head and carded his fingers through his hair, and Hongjoong was finally able to let all of his tears out, in the safety of his brother’s arms.
9 years old
“Prince Hongjoong, come back here right this instant!” The instructor yelled behind him as Hongjoong made a run down the aisle.
He didn’t like his History and Geography class. It was tedious, and boring, and his professor was mean and strict. He was usually content with not paying attention and simply using his energy on something else, but that day the professor had confiscated his drawings and he had decided he simply didn’t want to be there anymore, so he ran.
It was a risky decision, because he knew his father wouldn’t like to hear about it, but at that moment he didn’t care. Adrenaline fueled him to run as fast as he could, putting in practice all he had learned from fighting with his brothers. The shouting from his professor followed him only a few meters before he had completely left him behind. He broke into a breathy laugh as he sprinted towards the garden, but was unceremoniously stopped as he crashed into something and fell on his behind.
“Ow…” he complained, sprawled on the floor.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Taejoong was standing in front of him, both hands on his hips as he looked at Hongjoong with mild disappointment.
“Class sucks,” Hongjoong muttered.
“Language,” Taejoong immediately reprimanded him, but helped him stand up nonetheless. “Which class did you just run away from?”
“History and Geography,” Hongjoong sighed, knowing fully well that he would probably be forced to return. Taejoong grimaced instead, making him laugh.
“Yeah, okay,” he shrugged. “I can understand why you would run from that one, but you should head back. Father won’t be glad about it.”
“I know…” Hongjoong sighed. “But I don’t want to be in class, I want to go sailing with you. Being here is boring.”
“I’ll make a deal with you,” Taejoong decided, pulling out his golden compass. “Do you see this?”
Hongjoong’s eyes widened. His brother owned a golden compass that had been gifted to him by his father after he had completed his studies. It was his most prized possession, and Hongjoong had always gone on and on about how much he wanted one like it. His brother would sometimes let him play with it as well.
“If you can behave and study hard, I myself will give you your compass when you graduate,” Taejoong smiled wide, as Hongjoong’s eyes glistened with a sense of purpose.
“Do you promise me?” Hongjoong asked, still unable to believe what his brother was suggesting.
“I promise.”
16 years old
Twas the night before his birthday, and, most importantly, before his last exam before he could graduate from his studies. Yunho and him were sitting on the floor of his bedroom, studying for his navigation exam in hushed voices as they pretended to be asleep. Hongjoong had aced every exam so far, but he felt restless nonetheless, because he wanted to make his brother proud.
“Trace the best route possible between these two planets, considering the season and weather marked at the side,” Yunho instructed him, passing him a stellar map.
Hongjoong took a deep breath as he began to trace the route, murmuring to himself the procedure to make sure that he didn’t miss anything important. Yunho observed him and took notes. He still had one year to graduate, but helping Hongjoong study helped him a lot as well. When Hongjoong finished tracing the route, Yunho compared it to the example problem they had been using and smiled widely.
“You got it!” Yunho smiled, showing them side by side.
“Yes!” Hongjoong stood up with a jump, immediately throwing himself on the ground again. He was exhausted.
“I think you should go to sleep now,” Yunho smiled, picking up the papers and pens they had scattered around.
“Would you pass the night here? I’m nervous,” Hongjoong pouted, trying to appeal to Yunho.
“You know I can't, they'll get mad at me,” Yunho shook his head, trying to hide his apparent blush. “But I’ll be outside your door first thing in the morning and I’ll accompany you to take the exams.” He offered instead.
“Fine,” Hongjoong sighed. “Do you think I’ll do well?”
“You’ll do amazing.”
The next morning, Yunho did as promised and waited for him outside of the classroom. The exam went on for two long hours, as Hongjoong read and reread every question and checked his answers at least three times to make sure it was alright. When he finally gave it to his teacher, albeit a bit begrudgingly, he let out a relieved sigh and left the classroom. Yunho, who had been waiting for him outside, immediately extended a makeshift bouquet to him.
“Happy birthday!” His voice broke in the middle of the expression, making a funny noise, and Yunho’s face flushed bright red.
Hongjoong recognized all the flowers to be from their gardens, but that didn’t matter. He noticed the scratches and small bleeding wounds from the thorns he had had to fight, and he felt warmth spread in his chest. He grabbed the flowers delicately and took in their scent, feeling himself blush slightly.
“Thank you,” he smiled, giving Yunho a hug.
“How did you do?” Yunho asked, willing his heart to stay calm.
“I think I aced it,” Hongjoong grinned widely, pulling Yunho with him so they could go have breakfast.
“I’m sure you did.”
~*~*~
The day went by and soon enough dinner came and they celebrated Hongjoong’s birthday. The results of his last exam also came in, and he had passed with an almost perfect score, which meant he had officially graduated from his studies with the highest scores among his brothers. He was radiant, proud of himself from what he had achieved. But what made him the happiest, was the recognition that came from his brother, Taejoong.
“I made a promise,” Taejoong said after he had claimed the attention of everyone present for the dinner. “I promised my youngest brother, that if he could pass all of his studies, I would give him his very own compass when he graduated. And today, he fulfilled his part of the deal, so I will fulfill mine.”
Taejoong reached into his pocket and pulled out a black leather box, standing up and asking Hongjoong to do so as well, so they could face each other. He grabbed Hongjoong’s left hand carefully and placed the box on it, grabbing his right hand and putting it on top of the box. He held his hands there for a moment, as he dedicated some words to him.
“I’m extremely proud of you, Hongjoong,” he said, and Hongjoong had to put effort into not crying. “Open it.”
Hongjoong opened the box and found a round black box on the inside. It glistened under the lights of their dining room, and has his initials engraved in golden letters at the top. He took it out of the box and held it carefully. It was roughly the size of his palm. He opened it, and watched as the needle oscillated softly, pointing to the north.
“May it always guide you home, mini Hong.”
My treasure is revenge.