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Sunwoo wishes that he could relax. He’s so used to being on guard, shoulders constantly tensed and arms ready to grab his weapon and fight whatever he needs—his mind and body just can’t seem to grasp the concept of rest. He’s been tired and exhausted for so long, running solely on adrenaline and the goal of rescuing the prince. Sunwoo is not sure that he knows how to relax, or how to feel safe.
Even now, body surrounded by water, a sturdy house surrounding him and the prince, Sunwoo can’t seem to find it in him to let go.
He feels Jacob’s hands running along his shoulders, down to the backs of them. Sunwoo stiffens almost immediately, his hands curling into fists against his thighs. Jacob hushes him softly, the prince’s breath gently fanning against Sunwoo’s ear and jaw. Sunwoo swallows as he closes his eyes, his shoulders slowly relaxing under Jacob’s touch. It’s—hard. Normally, Sunwoo is so touch averse—he doesn’t like when others touch him. Even at the beginning, Sunwoo rarely ever allowed for the prince to touch him, unless he had specifically asked to do so. And just because Jacob asked, it didn’t mean that Sunwoo always let him.
“You’re okay,” Jacob’s voice is soft and warm. It feels like home—like something that Sunwoo hasn’t known since he awoke those few years ago. Hyrule may be where he lives, but it’s never quite felt like home. Jacob, though—the prince makes Sunwoo feel something akin to home, just by existing, just by being in Sunwoo’s presence. “Sunwoo, you’re alright. Relax.”
Sunwoo is trying, he really is. He keeps his eyes closed, slowly nodding. He can feel Jacob behind him, moving until the prince is seated in the bath behind Sunwoo entirely—then, carefully and slowly, Sunwoo feels himself being pulled back. It takes everything in him to not react violently, squeezing his fists together and pressing them against his thighs. Jacob’s hands come around Sunwoo’s body then, palms pressed against his skin, fingers dancing across the muscles lightly. It’s only when he feels the prince’s chest against his back that Sunwoo lets himself breathe out, shaky and quiet.
“It’s just me,” Jacob reassures. He dips down and presses his lips against Sunwoo’s shoulder. Jacob’s hands remain where they’re placed on Sunwoo’s torso, the warmth of them seeping into Sunwoo’s entire being. The water around them seems much warmer than before, despite that it had been freezing cold when Sunwoo originally got in. “You’re doing so well, love.”
Love.
Another thing that Sunwoo is not used to.
Sunwoo’s always known that he’s loved Jacob—before being put to sleep, he’d always had feelings for the prince. But Sunwoo was a knight—he was meant to protect, and nothing more. Loving the prince was merely something everyone did, and Sunwoo had been no exception to that rule. Now, though. Now the love that Sunwoo feels for the prince is much more different. It’s a type of love that Sunwoo never imagined himself being able to feel—considering everything that he’s been through. From the moment he saved Jacob, Sunwoo had felt this love bubbling up to the surface, so overwhelming and intense.
Jacob’s lips are on his skin. They travel along the scar of Sunwoo’s shoulder, dipping down to the back of it. There are many scars on Sunwoo’s body—souvenirs of the hundreds (possibly thousands) of fights that Sunwoo has been in. There is always some kind of phantom pain with them, a dull ache constantly thrumming through Sunwoo’s bones—another reason why Sunwoo doesn’t particularly allow himself to relax. His body doesn’t feel safe, even when relaxed. There will always be constant reminders of what Sunwoo’s had to do to get here—to obtain this peace, to be able to be here, with the prince, in his arms.
“Some of these are deep…” Jacob’s hands slip from Sunwoo’s front in order to gently press against Sunwoo’s back. Sunwoo shudders as the prince’s palms press against a particular scar near his spine. “My… how were you able to recover from these, Sunwoo?” It’s mostly a rhetorical question—Sunwoo won’t answer him in the first place, because silence is his best companion. Jacob does not expect him to talk, though: Sunwoo has always been silent, from the beginning until now.
Sunwoo frowns softly to himself, slowly opening his eyes. Reaching around, he gently grabs Jacob’s wrists, pulling them away from his body. He slowly turns around to face Jacob, eyebrows knitted together—attempting to convey his thoughts. Jacob looks up towards him and smiles. It’s beautiful and kind, causing a wave of warmth to flood through Sunwoo’s entire being. “You don’t want me to talk about them?” Jacob questions softly, turning his hands palm-up in Sunwoo’s. “I’m sorry. I won’t mention them again.”
With a slow nod, Sunwoo relaxes. He lets go of Jacob’s hands, but continues to shift around until he can fully face the prince. At this, Jacob reaches out and slowly pulls Sunwoo closer—closer, closer, closer, until Sunwoo is sitting directly against his lap. Sunwoo shudders as their skin come into contact—he’s never been so close to another being before, much less the person he’s been sworn to protect. He lets out a shaky breath, his gaze slowly moving up to meet Jacob’s—the prince is watching him with gentle eyes, his hands now merely hovering against Sunwoo’s sides. He’s giving the hero an out, allowing Sunwoo to choose whether he wants to move away or not.
“You’ve grown so much…” Jacob’s gaze slowly moves lower, stopping against Sunwoo’s chest. “You used to be so much smaller in the beginning. I feel like I’ve missed out—being able to watch you grow and turn into the wonderful person you’ve become today.”
Sunwoo breathes in deeply, keeping his gaze on Jacob’s face, though Jacob seems preoccupied with his body. He feels the prince’s hands on his sides again, his fingers slowly starting to slip along the edges of his ribcage. Sunwoo lets it out slowly, watching as Jacob’s eyelashes flutter, his eyes flicking back up to meet Sunwoo’s—his lips curling around the edges.
He feels so—exposed.
Jacob can see everything about him, from his skin on the outside down to the broiling feelings deep inside of his heart. He’s merely a glass window that Jacob can look through and see an entire plane of things he’s never seen before. Sunwoo wants to pull away and curl up into himself—he wants to hide away from Jacob for the rest of eternity, terrified of what Jacob will think of the depths inside of him. Even Sunwoo doesn’t want to think about what he must be carrying; he merely can’t handle the idea of Jacob just knowing, let alone the prince being able to accept it.
“Sunwoo,” Jacob calls his name so easily. It rolls off his tongue, the simple word making Sunwoo’s entire world spin. “My hero.” Jacob whispers these next words, causing a shudder to run through Sunwoo’s spine—he breathes in sharply, almost a gasp, as Jacob’s hands come up to curl around his face.
Sunwoo’s eyes fall shut. He squeezes them tightly, shuddering breath leaving him as Jacob leans forward—their lips meet and Sunwoo feels like he’s falling. He reaches out and grabs hold of Jacob’s arms, steadying himself. There’s an intense swooping sensation in his gut, his entire balance thrown off kilter, swaying as the prince keeps him in place. Sunwoo couldn’t pull away if he tried—he is at Jacob’s mercy, no matter what.
The hero is dazed as Jacob settles him back down into the water. Sunwoo only sits and watches as Jacob cups his hands in the water, lifting it up and pouring it over Sunwoo’s body. The tension in his body starts to slowly dissipate, his eyes slipping shut as the prince begins washing him—Jacob’s hands are gentle, fingers careful when they graze the scars covering him. Sunwoo lets himself indulge, and lets Jacob be indulged. As much as he would like to tell Jacob he doesn’t need to do this, he knows this isn’t because Jacob feels like he has to—Jacob is doing this because he wants to.
Because, despite what Sunwoo will always think, he is just as precious to the prince as the prince is to him.