Work Text:
After that incident at the school fair, Jaeyi insisted that Seulgi stay with her when she got discharged from the hospital.
The prince cannot afford any more risk of anything untoward happening to her princess.
Jaeyi doesn't say much about the incident, but Seulgi knows she internally harbours a certain amount of guilt for leaving her unattended.
And her prince has been trying to right her wrongs since then. The first line of order was getting rid of the perpetrator who dared to harm her precious princess.
It was only a nick by the knife. But mentally and emotionally, Seulgi was traumatised by the attack, understandably so.
And for that, Jaeyi isn't very forgiving. But then again, Jaeyi has always been vengeful when it comes to anything concerning Seulgi.
Seulgi caught her prince slipping out of the house in the middle of a rainy night; clad in a full-black getup, Jaeyi went out without a word, her expression stoic.
Nobody gets away scot-free from touching her princess. They will pay.
Jaeyi came back a few hours later, soaked to the bone. After changing into a different set of clothes, she went to the backyard to burn off all the soiled black clothing that she was wearing just now.
After a shower, Jaeyi quietly slips back in bed next to an asleep Seulgi, who's facing away from her.
Jaeyi protectively wraps an arm around Seulgi tightly, spooning her from behind. The slow rhythmic rise and fall of Seulgi's chest indicates she's currently in slumberland.
"I'm sorry, Seulgi," Jaeyi whispers morosely despite knowing her princess won't be able to hear her.
Seulgi never sees her attacker anymore from that day onwards.
***
Other students have started noticing the eyebags underneath Jaeyi's eyes.
Seulgi feels guilty for being the reason for that.
Reminders of that knife attack appear in the form of nightmares in her mind. Seulgi gets them every few nights.
And her sleeping prince gets woken up either by her scream or a flailing arm.
Every single time, Jaeyi never looks at Seulgi in pity. Nor does Jaeyi complain. And God, her prince is so patient with her, comforting her after each frightful nightmare.
One of the ways Jaeyi helps in calming her princess is to cradle Seulgi in her arms.
Jaeyi will let Seulgi lay against her chest, her arms wrapping around her in a protective cocoon.
Her princess feels safe and protected like this. Sometimes when Seulgi had dozed off in her prince's arms, Jaeyi still stayed awake a bit longer. Just in case.
But Jaeyi is only human, and she needs proper sleep; Seulgi too. And so, both settle on a way to go about it.
The princess will sleep in her prince's arms. Jaeyi is the big spoon.
And somehow, this is the magical remedy that succeeds in chasing away Seulgi's nightmares.
***
Seulgi is sitting at the edge of Jaeyi's bed, playing with her phone, unwinding for the day.
A few minutes later, her prince appears in the bedroom, plopping herself on the floor space, right in front of Seulgi, looking up at her softly.
Seulgi's kneecaps are digging sharply against Jaeyi's chest, but her prince seems to pay no mind to this matter.
Not wanting to be the source of Jaeyi's discomfort, Seulgi opens up her thighs, letting Jaeyi situate herself in between her legs.
Jaeyi lays her head on her princess' thigh. Her eyes closed.
Her poor prince is tired.
Seulgi runs her fingers slowly through Jaeyi's hair. Both remain quiet.
"I'm sorry, Jaeyi," Seulgi says, cupping her prince's jaw gently.
For being her prince's burden and responsibility.
Jaeyi shakes her head.
"No, don't apologise."
Because for Jaeyi, every effort is worth it as long as her princess is safe from any harm.