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“Wookjin!” He beckoned, “Where are you?” Although his parents insisted upon calling in the guards to find Wookjin themselves, Yongsoo beat them to it. As he called out into the barren forest, still receiving no answer, his heart grew heavy. Anxiety festered in his stomach, upsetting him to the point of nausea. His feet carried him deeper into the snowy woods. Tears began to form in his eyes, burning in his tear ducts before rolling down his cheeks. Yongsoo couldn’t grasp how his parents could think it would be better for someone else to fetch him after the ceremony. It’s not like Wookjin was just another guard at their disposal, his family had served them for decades. Yet, his parents were more inclined to finish the coronation ceremony before looking for Wookjin in the middle of winter! To say it was disheartening & frustrating to hear that was an understatement.
Most people Yongsoo’s age only wanted to be close to him to take advantage of his family. Eventually, he chased them away with his “lack of social awareness,” as his mother would say. Yongsoo was never a super vocal kid, so when he began to engage in conversations about his interests, he’d quickly take the wheel. But Wookjin always loved that. He loved how he could almost see every star glimmer in Yongsoo’s eyes when people took interest in him. As his small voice would grow bigger, it often left people uninterested or annoyed. Compared to his other friends, Wookjin was his closest. They even lived together for their whole lives.
However, there have been a few people who managed to sneak into the prince’s life with malicious intentions. His ex-friend Lee Jaehyun, for example, had noticed when Yongsoo was most talkative. He played his cards, pretended to be interested & be engaged. But, it was all a ruse to court the prince’s elder sister. Yongsoo was devastated. So devastated, in fact, he vowed that he wouldn’t let anyone else into his heart that easily. Wookjin, however, was exempted of this vow.
“Wookjin!” He rushed toward the first sign of life he’d seen faint rustling around on the snow-covered forest floor. His stomach tossed & turned at the sight. Blood leaked through his uniform, staining the otherwise fresh snow underneath him. If Yongsoo hadn’t found him, he surely would have gone cold for an eternity. “I’m here, I’m here now…” his voice but a low whisper through the trees. All Wookjin could muster were some confused murmurs.
Yongsoo had underestimated the weight of Wookjin’s uniform as he struggled to keep him from falling. Instead, he opted to lean the man against the base of a sturdy oak tree. “Hey, hey,” his voice almost broke as he held Wookjin’s face, “Stay with me, okay?” Heavy eyelids drooped still, unable to even flutter like they had before. Red dusted his nose & ears, while his lips were turning blue. He looked pale & sickly as he trembled in Yongsoo’s grasp. This was utterly unbelievable treatment & Yongsoo was ready to raise hell.
The king & queen absolutely insisted that a servant should do such jobs, once again, Yongsoo pushed back. The harsh bite of his tongue was fierce. It left everyone startled & appalled by such diction. Wookjin could hear the argument in the corridor when he was attempting to clean himself up. While Yongsoo’s parents kept their words hushed, their son had loudly enunciated everything, leaving no room for confusion. “What the hell was he doing patrolling on his own like that?! Father,” he continued Wookjin glanced at himself through the large bathroom mirror, fixing his gaze on his injuries.
His injuries were extensive & would most likely leave him incapacitated for at least a month. It was embarassing to see how bloody, bruised & cold he was. Even treatment from the family’s doctor wasn’t enough to make him look less mutilated. His averted his gaze from himself for now, searching for bathing supplies. As he was reaching up to grab a towel, he felt a pop. He’d immediately reached for his ribs. He curled into himself before he’d collapsed on the cold floor. One of his stitches had ripped open, exposing part of his gruesome wound again. The prince’s head turned & his words ceased completely as he let himself into the bathroom, despite his parents’ objections.
Before even asking anything, he’d rushed over to his friend’s side. A small pool of blood had pooled under his body as he shivered in pain. His weight rested on his left elbow as the rest of his upper half was leaned back. “Wookjin, what happened?” Before waiting for a response, he’d reached for Wookjin’s shoulders to help him. A hand swatted at him in blind defence & frustration.
“I can fix it myself!” He barked, almost yelping as pearls poured down his cheeks. Crimson poured out from his side as he clutched onto it, trembling helplessly. He’d never been in more pain than he was in this moment. Yongsoo had never seen him this vulnerable before & it was embarrassing. Seeing his most renowned guard sitting bare in a puddle of his own blood had made him feel useless. His lips were parted as if to speak, but nothing had had dared to pass them. It felt as if he were a little child again, unable to move or speak. Yongsoo must’ve been sobbing, given Wookjin’s apologetic reaction. He’d offered a gentle apology, reaching for Yongsoo’s damp cheek only to face rejection. A few shaky breaths past his lips as his tearful eyes flitted around the room.
The guilt & shame Wookjin felt had only seemed to multiply. Quickly, he grabbed the towel, opting to sop his own blood up off the floor. Warmth wrapped around his wrist ceasing his actions, “Leave it,” he murmured vaguely. Wookjin obeyed the prince, searching for his gaze to find nothing.
The warm water made his body tingle & pulse, perhaps from being borderline hypothermic. Yongsoo gently supported his back as he lowered himself into the water slowly. His injuries had throbbed, stinging with pain. Soon enough, the once clear water turned a faint red & smelled metallic. “Is it warm enough?” Yongsoo sits behind Wookjin still supporting his shoulders just in case. The cold touch of the opulent quartz tub sent chills down Wookjin’s spine as he tried to lean against it. He nodded, still shivering from the sudden warmth enveloping his body.
Yongsoo sat on the top step of the tub, cupping the water in his hands to bring it up to Wookjin’s shoulder blades. The silence wasn’t awkward, at least not for Yongsoo. He’d grown accustomed to bathing others he had courted, it was no shock to see someone’s body nude. Besides, he’d never thought of a naked body as inherently sexual, regardless of their sex. As for Wookjin, the silence was awkward. Painfully awkward, in fact. He had never bathed others, or vice versa. Though he was fortunate to have this job, it hadn’t left time for him to have intimate relationships.
It’s true that Yongsoo was the crown prince, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t get around. Both with love interests & things he’d otherwise be able to do, had it not been for his status. The difference was that Yongsoo could get caught & have a mostly simple punishment. However, if Wookjin slipped even once, he’d lose his title. “Lean forward a bit,” Wookjin obliged, the water sloshing beneath him. Clusters of bruises & old scars had scaled his entire back. This had resulted in Yongsoo being less heavy-handed than he might be with those of whom he’d courted. His right palm rested on the guard’s shoulder, holding him steady. Meanwhile, the other hand cupped the warm water, gently bringing it up his back.
Usually, when Yongsoo had bathed others, it had been a much more intimate experience. But, he did have a few that were more anxious than others. Yongsoo could tell just by feeling the tension in his shoulders that Wookjin was part of the latter few. After all, he works for Yongsoo, serves him, protects him. It wasn’t supposed to be the other way around. Regardless, Yongsoo nudged his shoulder, advising him to lean back. He snaked his fingers under Wookjin’s, lifting his arm to wash it. The stillness in the bathroom was substituted with frequent splashes of soapy water.
Now, Wookjin was looking a bit cleaner once Yongsoo had cleaned some of his upper body. However, there were still large lacerations on his ribs & stomach. Without speaking, Yongsoo slowly had Wookjin lean back against his palm. “How much of it hurts?” As soon as it slipped out of his mouth, he realised how daft he must sound. “All of it?” Wookjin answers, looking up at Yongsoo. His statement sounded more like a question, but Yongsoo hadn’t even noticed. Instead, he had noticed how Wookjin’s brown eyes had flitted nervously between his left & right as he gazed down at him. Neither had even realised how long they’d been gazing at each other for, until Wookjin broke away first. He cleared his throat, taking the rag from Yongsoo’s idle hand to clean the rest of his body himself.
The prince, of course, averted his eyes. Water sloshed around behind him & he heard Wookjin moan softly from behind his teeth. He hadn’t bothered being gentle with himself, he just wanted it to be over. Perhaps it was a sign to slow down when pain shot through his ribs. He’d knelt back down onto his knees, remaining paralysed with pain. It was so excruciating & jarring that it had taken his breath away. Without asking if he was okay, Yongsoo turned his head, assuming he needed help. He found Wookjin was grappling onto the edge of the bathtub with his jaw clenched tightly & eyes slammed shut.
Fingers gently combed through Wookjin’s tangled, blood-splattered hair. Yongsoo rested a hand on Wookjin’s shoulder, while the other pushed his hair out of his face. “God, it hurts,” an exasperated sigh made his voice breathy & strained. “I know,” Yongsoo, once again, brought his brown hair back. “We’ll wash your hair & then be done, I’m sure the water’s getting cold anyway.”
After a few minutes of massaging Wookjin’s scalp in silence, Yongsoo began, “I want you to know, we don’t have to talk about it if you aren’t ready.” They both knew what the prince had been referring to. It was a kind gesture that Wookjin appreciated, yet it still made him sigh deeply. “I’ve never, in all my years guarding for you, gotten that close to facing death before.” This time, the silence in the room lingered a bit longer. Soap suds from Wookjin’s hair had began to fall off Yongsoo’s hands & into the water. “The king advised me to patrol outside instead of inside. I wasn’t sure why he’d swapped my point, but I didn’t put up a fight. I saw some suspicious people around the southeast wing & without thinking, I followed them. I should’ve told the other guards where I was going,” Yongsoo traced his fingers over the nape of his neck, trying his best to reassure the man of his presence.
“I followed them & they seemed to catch on…” Yongsoo rested his hands over the edge of the tub, leaning his head on top. He watched as Wookjin recounted the events. He could see how cold his eyes went as he stared blankly into the water. “I’m assuming their plan was to ruin your coronation. When they found out i was following them, they must’ve gotten paranoid about your father sending out more guards, so they fled. I don’t know how long I laid there, it’s all a bit of a white blur,” his brows furrowed. “I heard you call, but I couldn’t move. The cold was paralysing. I could hardly move or breathe.”
Yongsoo maintained eye contact, despite Wookjin not. Now that he really thought about it, what would he have done if he’d found Wookjin too late? “You looked…” but, he couldn’t bring himself to say the word, not without his bottom lip quivering. “All I can think about is the possibility of me not finding you when I had,” A few tears fell off his cheeks, his quiet sobs choking him. Wookjin brought a hand to his head, “Hey, don’t cry.” But his voice only made the prince weep harder. The prince bowed his head, trying to hide his expression. “I don’t like to see you cry,” Wookjin’s voice was soothing & full of compassion. “We both know I’ve already seen you cry a whole lifetime of tears,” Yongsoo chuckled a little, sniffling as he brought his head back up.
Wookjin smiled in content when he saw Yongsoo grin. He traced circles into the prince’s temple, giving him another look of tenderness. “You didn’t have to go searching for me, but you did… I heard you commanded the whole room with that voice of yours,” Wookjin grinned with pride, tracing his thumb along his jawline, before stopping at his chin. “You’re much braver than I am, Yongsoo. I mean, you ran out in the cold to find me in the middle of your coronation…” His thumb & forefinger lingered under Yongsoo’s chin.
“You are far more precious than any crown,” Yongsoo smiled & chuckled lightly. The room was quiet. Though it was nice, the lingering tension made it suffocating. It hadn’t gone unnoticed when Wookjin’s soft eyes lingered on his lips. Both their hearts raced, though neither would admit that aloud. Just as his thumb traced over the prince’s bottom lip, he felt that familiar warmth wrap around his wrist. This time was different though, he had different intentions than before. The prince leaned in slowly, bringing Wookjin’s hand down & allowing their warm breaths to mingle. They’d grown so close they were sure they could hear the drumming of each other’s heartbeats. The prince’s soft lips pressed a firm, yet gentle kiss upon the knight’s.
As he leaned forward, wanting even more, Wookjin broke it off with a small gasp. They’d quieted down, still trying to hold themselves together. “Did you just kiss me?” Wookjin asked for clarification of his memory. The sly smirk he stifled was undoubtedly visible. “Depends, did you enjoy it?” A hand wrapped around Yongsoo’s neck pulling him in closer. Their lips connected for one more deep kiss, Wookjin’s lips unintentionally curling up by end of it. “Does that answer your question, prince— sorry, king?” Yongsoo rolled his eyes at the guard’s teasing. “I’m not king, yet.” Although he knew Wookjin was only joking, he still found a way to poke back at him. “Yet,” he emphasised with a cheeky grin. “Even when you are king, you’ll always be my prince.”
This draws out a groan of displeasure from the elder, “God, you are impossible… let’s get your hair rinsed out so I can finally be free from you.”
“You didn’t want to be free from me a few seconds ago…”