Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The cool breeze of spring was blowing against the foliage around them. The royal garden was beautiful under the late spring rays, and the scents of freshly blossomed flowers were waltzing around the table where the Crown Prince and the Supreme Commander were sitting. 

All the domestics had been sent away by Alberu prior, and they were now sharing a rare moment of privacy. A luxury neither of them could allow themselves to get used to - yet one they were both craving for. 

Rumors were forming the dominant flavor of the court, the most fashionable lipstick any noble or servant could paint their lips with. And for this reason only, peacefulness was a treasure Alberu and Cale had always felt grateful to seize - and secrecy, one they shall greedily tend to bask in anytime they could. 

This afternoon was one of those. It felt really tranquil. The silence was comfortable - familiar and intimate. 

It was nice.

Shlack.

Cale audibly put down his tea cup on the porcelain plate - the joints of his fingers almost whitening under the pressure he was applying on the poor tableware. 

A tight, saccharine smile reached his lips as he threw a look towards the royal sitting across from him.  

“Would you repeat that again, Hyung-nim ?” 

Alberu shot up a glance at him. 

“I said that I was feeling rather unproductive lately.” He cautiously replied, taking the teapot to fill another cup for himself. His blue eyes were looking everywhere but at Cale. 

“Is that so ?” 

“... It is.” 

Silence stretched between them as Alberu was busy avoiding Cale’s deadpan look. The Prince awkwardly cleared his throat. He was internally hoping the faint chirps of the birds and hisses of the branches around would be loud enough to cover his Dongsaeng’s impending words.

They weren’t. 

“How much sleep did you get last night, Hyung-nim ?” 

“... I needed to finish the planning for this morning's meeting.”

“Oh ? Sure. The night before, then ?” 

“I had directives to give about the decoration of the Palace of Joy for the opening of the social period... It is not that far away from now.” 

Cale just hummed. And Alberu was staring at the brown beverage swirling in his cup with a keen attention. 

“What about last week, hm ? You did not have major meetings nor started the preparations for the social period yet, now did you ?” 

“... I had to read the reports Kora and Shawn had brought me about some central faction nobles’ recent activities in the underground world. The great talks surrounding nobility issues are-” 

“Impending, I'm aware.” Cale cut off flatly. Another silence stretched. More deafening this time. The collar of Alberu’s official attire felt stuffy all of sudden. 

He cleared his throat again. But it did not prevent Cale from talking once more. “My beloved Hyung is such a busy person, is he not ?” 

“Ahah… yes, I happen to be.” Cale nodded gravely. 

“Of course he is. Hyung-nim will make such a great sovereign for our beautiful nation, for sure. The brightest star of our Kingdom is such a guide for us, humble and lost citizens.” The reverence coating Cale's voice pierced his earbuds. Nonetheless, Alberu kept his lips tightly shut. He was awaiting for the upcoming sentence that would leave the Commander’s. Hopefully, Cale would drop the topic and move into another one - Alberu was not sure another endless silence would do his nerves any good.

“Yes, yes. Such a great Crown Prince. It would sure be a shame if something happened to our dear Radiant Spear Hero, hm ?”

“... It would.” Alberu cleared his throat for the third time. For a short moment, he could understand the pressure and discomfort enemy kingdoms had probably felt anytime he had sent Cale as Roan’s representative. Those sugarcoated words and sweet smiles felt ten times more threatening than their usual jests. 

“Oh my, has my Hyung-nim happened to catch a cold ? He has been coughing a lot since my arrival.” 

“Ah … No, I apologize for concerning my beloved Dongsaeng. Worry not, I’m doing just fine.” Alberu downed his tea in one go to prevent another awkward cough from leaving his throat. How ridiculous - the future Emperor being threatened by his sworn brother. Cale was a bit terrifying sometimes, mind you. And he currently had this aura surrounding him telling ‘I am plotting something that will probably bring you a lot of headaches, Hyung-nim’. 

“Well, that’s definitely a relief, Your Highness. ” Alberu almost choked on his tea. This was bad. 

“... Is there something you want to discuss ?” 

“No.” Cale quickly shot. The one-word answer left Alberu staring at him, a bit stunned by the sudden taciturnity the other was displaying. Cale couldn’t care less as he poured another cup for him. 

Alberu felt like he should just accept it and be grateful the noble felt like dropping the topic for now. Thus, he did exactly this - that occasional peacefulness was too scarce for them to spoil bickering over wasteful issues. 

And yet, the rest of their afternoon occurred quietly.

Much to Alberu’s displeasure. 

.

.

.

“Cookie Prince, hi !”

The silence of the Crown Prince’s office shattered as the three exhilarated children walked in.

Alberu’s eyes looked up from his paperwork, his face lighting up a bit as he saw them storming towards him. He could see Cale standing next to the now opened door, resting his back against the heavy panels. Alberu’s lips curled up. 

In a wave of his gloved hand, he quietly sent away his advisors and secretaries. Straightening up, he pulled out the box of cookies he kept for them from one of his desk drawers. 

“Good afternoon.” Alberu’s voice sounded lighter now that this sudden company had arrived. His morning had not exactly been as productive as it normally should have, and he had been feeling rather drained for a week now. In spite of his tight schedule, Alberu was delighted with the three children and Cale's unexpected visit. It felt like a breath of fresh hair in this stuffy office. 

Some cookies were already flying out the box as the cute and mighty dragon’s magic brought them to his small paws. Alberu put the rest on the coffee table, allowing Ohn and Hong to get their share too. But a small hand swiftly grabbed his own. 

“Cookie Crown Prince needs to sit with us too.” Ohn gravely said, tugging at his arm a little. Alberu chuckled at the young girl’s demand, but obliged nonetheless. He sat next to her on the couch, across from the spot Cale was often occupying anytime he was coming into his office to nap and discuss some political issues with him. It was oddly empty today. 

“You’re not coming ?” He inquired, accepting the cookie Raon was urgently shoving in his hands. Cale hummed absently. 

“The Human said he would make the tea today ! So that Cookie Crown Prince could rest.” 

“... Is that so ?” How thoughtful. Something was fishy. 

“Yes. My Hyung-nim seemed a bit on the edge yesterday.” Cale sweetly replied, filling Alberu’s teapot with the hot water domestics were always bringing to his office in the morning - mana stones had been keeping it warm the entire time. 

“...Did I ?” ‘As if it wasn’t your fault, you bastard.’ 

Cale hummed once again, but Alberu could no longer focus on him as he felt Hong sit next to him on the couch, to his left. Raon also landed on the table right before him, his big blue eyes staring at him in a funny way. Alberu glanced at his right, only to take in Ohn’s bright smile. It definitely looked like a certain redhead's mischievous one. Cale definitely had an influence on them. Right or wrong, Alberu couldn’t say. 

“Your visit is unexpected… to what do I do this honor to ?” Alberu cautiously asked, taking a bite in his own cookies. 

“We are not disturbing you, right ?” Cale quizzed back instead of replying.

“Ah, no.” It wasn’t like Alberu had actually been able to finish one of his countless tasks of the day. Saving a couple of hours for them wouldn’t do any harm. He was happy to have them here, even though the setting was turning stranger with every passing second. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind having you guys there. I was just wondering why you decided to come. Is there something wrong ?”

‘Just say it if you want something.’ 

“Do we need an excuse to visit the Sun of our beloved Kingdom ? You wound me, Hyung-nim.” Cale retorted, not even sparing a glance at Alberu as he was adding the tea leaves in the pot. 

Something was definitely shabby. 

“I guess not.” 

“Cookie Crown Prince, the Human said you weren’t feeling well so we came to make sure you were okay !”

“That’s true !”

“That’s what Cale said !”

Alberu was starting to know where all this was going. He glanced at Cale once more and found him walking to the couches. Raon floated away from the table to let the noble put a cup before the royal. Cale’s saccharine smile had morphed into a grin. 

‘What did you bastard do ?’ Alberu lamented in his mind, thanking him nonetheless for the tea.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to worry you all.” He eventually said to the kids, hoping this would be enough.

Of course, it did not. 

“Why was Cookie Crown Prince feeling unwell ?” Hong asked, his big, wondering eyes glancing up at him. 

“I just feel like I am not as efficient as usual. It’s nothing you should be concerned about.” Alberu assured, patting the child’s soft hair with a soothing smile. It did not tranquilize the kid. 

“But that’s very important !”

“Yes, my Dongsaeng is right. That’s concerning !” Ohn said, putting down the tea cup Cale had served her. Her little brows were furrowed. 

“Noona and Hyung are right ! I am great and mighty, but even I feel like this too sometimes. Eruhaben-nim said it was happening anytime this great and mighty me was trying to do too many things at the same time without catching a break !” Raon almost scolded. Alberu blinked, a bit surprised by the young dragon’s sudden lecture. 

“Don’t worry, Raon. His Highness is well aware of this, isn’t He ?” Cale eventually spoke again, raising his own tea cup to his lips. He had sat across Alberu a while before, and had quietly observed the children chidding him. Alberu was sure he had planned this. 

“... Yes-”

“Of course, His Highness is a very responsible person. He told me yesterday he was ready to take a break but didn’t exactly know where to go during that improvised vacation week.” Cale cut him off, shamelessly ignoring Alberu’s mortified expression. 

“Really ?” Raon’s hopeful eyes turned to him, sparkling with unspoken expectations. And Alberu understood everything. What a devilish plan. 

“But Cookie Crown Prince can come and visit us anytime !” Hong assured, taking Alberu’s left arm.

“Yes, Cookie Crown Prince should come to the villa for a week to rest !” Ohn agreed, grabbing Alberu’s right arm. 

The poor Prince glanced at them both before looking before him again and taking in Raon’s expectant glance. No escape. He was trapped. 

Alberu glared at Cale. 

‘You shameless bastard, you’re using the children ?’ - ‘I am. So, what are you going to do ?’ 

“That’s a wonderful idea, isn’t it, Hyung-nim ?” Cale beamed at him with the most innocent and brightest smile he could muster up. It felt even more taunting like this. 

“Ahah, well-…”

“Miss Tasha also found it a great idea. She assured me she would take care of everything during your absence. Isn’t it perfect ?” 

Alberu was done for.

Chapter Text

A soft light pierced through the curtain of the luxurious canopy. Filtering through the smooth and heavy fabric, the morning beam tickled Alberu’s sleeping form - waltzing around his closed eyelids and yet still not stirring him awake. 

Cale was leaning on his elbow, observing the rays dancing on the prince’s smooth features. He had hardly ever got to see him asleep: Alberu had always gone to bed after him, and had somehow always managed to wake up before him.

Before anyone else in the palace. Even before the Sun itself. 

Nonetheless, his asleep figure was truly a sight to behold. And Cale would fully appreciate its beauty if it wasn’t for how this mellow gleam was highlighting the profound curves under Alberu’s eyes. Those eye bags truly were a crime. 

A light scowl reached Cale's face - but he was not about to avoid his gaze nonetheless. 

There was something so satisfying in witnessing this overworked Crown Prince finally getting some rest. And the view was somehow even more relaxing when it was all happening in Cale’s very bed. 

The immaculate silk of the sheets was gently wrapped around Alberu’s idle body, and the soft pillows under his head seemed to coax him into sleeping more. A discreet smile tilted up Cale's lips when his eyes fell on the little cat cuddled up under the prince’s hand. Alberu had been holding Hong close the entire time he had been asleep, a cautious hand unconsciously petting the red fur.

Raon was curled up on the pillow above his head, and Ohn's hand was lying not so far from the dragon’s little body as she was sprawled on the bed between Cale and Alberu in her human form. 

It felt messy, and yet oddly domestic.

A gentle warmth pooled in Cale's chest at the sight. It truly was great. And this greedy part of himself wanted this tranquility to become part of their daily routine. 

The fact that it was not possible somehow made this moment even more enjoyable. 

Cale would rather die than move. 

He felt Ohn moving next to him and huffed quietly, tucking her in gently - her agitated slumber had managed to take all the blankets away from her. When his eyes returned on Alberu’s face, he found the prince’s brown pupils gazing up at him. His eyelids were already open as he was slowly regaining consciousness.

Cale’s disappointment quickly morphed into amusement as he saw the somewhat lost expression in Alberu’s eyes. How princely. 

“Rise and shine, your Highness.” He uttered in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the children’s sleep nor surprise Alberu too much - the crown prince was definitely not used to oversleeping as he seemed to need more time to fully get back to his senses.

Alberu wasn’t prepared to wake up in Cale’s room in the Super Rock Villa. The bed and surroundings weren’t similar to the furniture of his own chamber, but a smile reached his lips nonetheless. 

In Cale’s humble opinion, such a beaming expression so early in the day should be considered a crime. His eyes narrowed a bit. So unfair. 

“Hi.” No biting reply nor glib words escape Alberu’s lips. Just a discreet yawn and a sigh as he stretched cautiously. His hand then returned on Hong’s soft back, patting the sleeping kitten. “Slept well ?” 

Cale did not reply right away. Very unfair, yes. 

“Yes…” He eventually managed out. To say Cale was unprepared to hear those words from Alberu was the understatement of the year. And with this voice too.

The sound and sight of a drowsy Alberu lying in his bed was not something he had thought he would ever get to witness. And that greedy part of him stirred once more. He would never get enough of this. 

Cale made a mental note for later: he should get Alberu to come and sleep over more often - even if the Crown Prince was to leave earlier in the morning. He appeared so relaxed and rested like this.

“You seem better than yesterday, Hyung-nim.” 

“I feel a bit better, yes.” Alberu nodded, a low chuckle escaped his lips as Raon cuddled up closer to him in his sleep. His free hand raised to pat his scaly back as well. “You’re up early.”  

“Not that early. It’s almost ten, Hyung.” It was actually early for Cale, but for Alberu it was probably already sleeping in. His guess turned out to be correct - confirmed by the Prince’s widening eyes. His mind eased up a bit later as he probably remembered he was supposed to be on a break, but the light scowl of his eyebrow did not vanish. 

“We didn’t receive any calls from the palace, right ?” Cale almost groaned hearing this. 

“The capital won’t be consumed by flames if you’re not the one picking the color of the tablecloth for the next banquet, Hyung.” He drawled, deadpan. And Alberu’s regal pride did not feel wounded hearing this.  

“You bastard, it’s not about tablecloth…” He grumbled, his hands still busy petting Hong’s and Raon’s back. And it was somehow funny to see the future Emperor mumbling drowsy sentences about meetings. Almost as entertaining of his usual worn out complaints about nobles. But it was also oddly disheartening. Cale sighed loudly. 

“Let’s set some ground rules for the week, hm ? First, no work babblings.” Cale said flatly, ignoring the outraged look Alberu threw at him. It was screaming ‘you disrespectful punk, you dare to order me around?’ as well as ‘I’m not babbling.’ How funny. 

“You bastard… stop spouting nonsenses, it’s too early for this.” Alberu said instead. 

“Since you keep on saying it's early, why not going back to sleep then.” Cale proposed calmly, letting Alberu take his hand gently. His thumb absently brushed against the Crown Prince’s tanned skin. 

“Oversleeping is not healthy.” Alberu stated, and the very sight of him saying this with those eyebags was as amusing as it was mortifying. Cale identified himself more with the latter. He was definitely not impressed. 

“Who taught you such nonsense, Hyung ? There is no such thing as oversleeping.” ‘Or at least not for you, you idiot.’ 

“You… ahhh.” A loud sigh escaped the prince’s lips once again as he registered Cale’s words. “Don’t give me headaches that early in the morning.” 

The corner of Cale’s lips curled up slightly, his fingers playing with Alberu’s absently. 

“Hyung should still sleep a bit more.”

There was no such thing as oversleeping when one didn’t get a healthy amount of sleep during the weeks prior. In spite of himself, Alberu seemed to understand this since he didn’t battle with Cale that much. He did not respond to Cale’s words - granting him a silent victory. The noble felt a great amount of satisfaction course through his body at the view. 

Silence returned in the tranquil room, the muffled steps and echoes of voices filtering through the walls and floor as the rest of their family was roaming around the hallways of the villa. It somehow added to this agreeable peace instead of shattering it. 

“Where is my necklace ?” Alberu eventually asked, another frown wrinkling his spotless features as he was running a hand around his neck. Cale had got to take it off the evening before as the royal fell asleep with his disguise still on. 

He retrieved it from his nightstand, handing it its rightful owner. However, his brows furrowed once again as Alberu rose it to his neck. Cale gently seized his wrist. 

“That’s the second rule, Hyung. No disguise.”

Alberu’s eyes traveled between the jewel and Cale’s eyes, an unimpressed expression shadowing over his features. He was about to brush Cale’s hand away when the latter spoke again. 

“No no, keeping your necklace on too much is bad for your health, Hyung.” Cale gravely uttered, nodding at his own words to add to the seriousness of this fact. His hold around Alberu’s wrist was cautious as he slowly got him to lower his hand and move the necklace away from his neck. 

“Who said such nonsense ?” Alberu whispered back, keeping his voice low enough not to wake up the children. 

“Miss Tasha did.” 

“My Aunt ?” A hint of surprise and curiosity stirred in his brown eyes. “... What else did she say ?” 

“She said it would wrinkle your skin and make you age faster. Understand my point, Hyung. We can’t let you decay before you even ascend to the throne, can we ?” 

Alberu silently stared at him for a while. He was not impressed by Cale's antics. 

For an instant, Cale mistook the look in Alberu’s eyes for resolve and felt the flavour of triumph land on his taste buds. Sweet victory.

His mind quickly changed when he saw this look turn into a mischievous glint. The Prince’s lips parted once more, and Cale braced himself up for the tons of bullshits and sugarcoated words that would soon escape the royal’s mouth. Fortunately for him, the children chose this moment to start to stir awake.

Saved by the bell. 

Raon was the first one to fully  regain consciousness. The cute and mighty dragon ended up floating around the bed in no time, circling happily as his voice finished to wake up his Hyung and Noona. 

“Human ! Cookie Crown Prince ! Good morning !” 

“Good morning, Raon-nim.” Alberu replied gently, his grin softening as Cale reached out to pat Raon’s little head. 

“Good morning, Cale. You too, Cookie Crown Prince, nya !” Hong stretched his little cat body to slowly approach Cale and paw his cheek. The technique worked out, as Cale’s free hand landed on Hong’s head to give him a soft pat too. 

“Good morning.” He simply uttered, his lips still curled up into a discreet smile. 

“Cale, you’re awake early today, nya.” Ohn yawned and stretched as well. After giving a little good morning hug to both Cale and Alberu, she cautiously picked up Hong. Straightening back up, she took her little brother out of the bed. Raon followed after them as they walked to the door. As they were leaving the room, the two adults could hear the children’s whispers.

“Noona, why are we leaving so early, nya ?” 

“That’s true ! Why are the Human and Cookie Crown Prince not coming to eat with us?” 

“We will return after breakfast, let’s leave Cale and Cookie Crown Prince for a bit.” 

“But why…” 

“We should at least tell Lemon Gramps they are awake !”

“Let’s just do that then.”

The door closed behind them, and Cale and Alberu could hear their steps and low voices walk away beyond it. They exchanged a glance. The Prince’s hand was still trapped in Cale’s gentle hold.

“May I ?” Cale inquired, his voice carrying way too much decorum for it to be genuine. Alberu huffed, but smile nonetheless. Even now, this bastard was looking for a way to get on his nerves. And yet, Alberu couldn’t bring himself to mind. 

“I spent the night in your bed ?” 

“Is that a yes ?” 

“Ahhh… yes.” Alberu’s smile widened a bit as Cale’s lips brushed against his knuckles, and a familiar warmth puddled in his chest. It felt intimate. 

He let his hand slide down Cale’s palm to grasp his wrist and draw him closer. Cale didn’t have any objections, and let himself be pulled in Alberu’s embrace. The noble’s arms wrapped around the Crown Prince’s chest, and his lips curled up as he felt a lingering kiss being planted atop his head. 

“So, what is today’s program ?” Alberu eventually inquired, his voice still hushed against Cale’s hair. It made Cale tilt his head  up, searching for Alberu’s eyes once more. The answer to this questioning felt rather obvious. 

“Mmh ? Slacking off and resting.” He mused, his hand reaching out to absently brush some unruly strands away from Alberu’s forehead. “Maybe not in this order though.” 

“Let’s do both at the same time, then ?” Alberu proposed gently, a little laugh escaping his lips as he took in Cale’s surprised expression. Composing himself back swiftly, Cale eventually nodded. 

“You’re getting good at this, your Highness.” He praised flatly, his eyes still sparkling with an ounce of amusement as he heard Alberu’s scoff. 

“I have a great teacher.” The Prince just replied, his lips landing on Cale’s cheek softly. 

“Right ?” And Alberu’s laugh filled the peaceful room again. 

‘Damn.’ Cale’s greed stirred once more. He would definitely consider dragging Alberu here more often. He was certain the children would be delighted to help. 

“Seriously, what are we going to do?” Alberu quizzed again, his hands idly resting around Cale’s waist. Cale just shrugged.  

“What do you feel like doing ?” 

“Absolutely nothing.” It was the truth. It felt like the most obvious thing to reply - the right thing to say. And Alberu was surprised to realize it actually was true. It was an entirely new concept to him, but it somehow felt great. However Alberu doubted he could get used to this. “I feel like staying in bed with you all day.” 

“Then let’s do just that.” Cale nodded, resting his head back against Alberu’s chest. His eyes were already closing again. “I can have Ron bring us our breakfast and lunch there too. We can join the others for dinner.” 

Alberu’s lips twitched up, his fingers carding through Cale’s red strands. 

Maybe he would have to be careful not to get used to this. 

“Sounds wonderful.”