The King's Man XII
Title: The King's Man
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
Time in the palace seemed to have slowed down since the incident in the wonchungs' chambers. Days crawled by at a snail's pace, tiring the king as well as his servants. It would be several more days before Chanhee finally gave in to his overwhelming urge and had Byunghun summoned to his chambers.
The guards that escorted the boy across the grounds were a testament to everyone's still heightened tension. It was the first time Byunghun had left his room since the incident, and three tall guards were waiting for him at the door. Changhyun walked at his side, and a guard was left with Jonghyun to ensure his safety as well.
In his own chambers, Chanhee was busily shuffling through his paperwork, straightening it and preparing it to be finished the following day. Minsoo was in his usual corner, haunting the shadows with his arms crossed; he bit his lip as he watched his king.
"Are you sure about this?" he murmured finally. Chanhee flicked a quick glance at him but said nothing. "I'm worried you'll push him away by insistently bringing him here."
Chanhee sighed and set down the scrolls he'd been holding, fixing Minsoo with a look. "You think me cruel. I won't be."
"He's... just very fragile right now, sir..."
Chanhee narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You've never questioned me before, Minsoo. Now is not the time to begin. "
Minsoo bit his tongue, swallowing down his response. He did in fact question the king's decisions sometimes. He just did so quietly; his job was to protect the king, and he didn't see a need to undermine his trust with questions.
"He's here," the guard said quietly a few minutes later. Chanhee sat up straighter behind his table as the soft knock came at the door, and he gave a nod to the servant that appeared a moment later.
"Bring him in."
The boy who stepped through the door was familiar to Chanhee. The way he bit his lips while casting his eyes around frantically, the way his internal panic seemed to bubble and froth and boil over to the surface through the way he stood, the way he moved, his entire being... Chanhee had worked to free this boy of that fear, and it had returned without warning on the hands of a stranger in the night. A small flash of anger lit his stomach at the thought of it, and he looked down at his folded hands to regain his control.
"Go, Minsoo." He dismissed the guard with a soft wave and a swift look that promised him that he would do nothing to shatter this fragile boy further. The man slipped out of the chamber, closing the door tight behind him, leaving Byunghun standing in the middle of the room. The king gestured toward his bed. "Sit, Byunghun. Please."
The silent child moved to the bedclothes and sank onto them, his eyes never raising to meet Chanhee's. The king did not like this in the least, and he cleared his throat before standing and following him.
"Strip."
He lowered himself to his knees as Byunghun's shoulders dropped in defeat; he couldn't see the boy's eyes through the long hair that fell into his face, but he could feel the discomfort. It came off his body in waves, washing over the king with every shaky breath the wonchung let go.
With gentle hands, he undid Byunghun's clothes.
"I just want to look at you, Byunghun." His voice was soft, and the soothing tone of it seeped into the boy and calmed him a bit. "You're not here to service me tonight. I give you my word."
Byunghun slowly shrugged off his clothes, his cheeks burning red when the still vivid bruises along his abdomen and thighs were revealed. His entire body remained tense despite Chanhee's soft whispers, his eyes flicking around the room as if he were an animal about to attempt escape. The king fixed his gaze on a mark that stretched up the naked man's inner thigh, its colour as jarring against his pale skin as the bruises that seemed already like ancient history. How had it happened that he felt he saw Byunghun more often with bruises than without?
He reached to touch the mark, and Byunghun jerked away instinctively.
"Be still, Byunghun," the king murmured, his voice hardening the words into a command. The boy's jaw tensed, his fingers curling into tight fists at his sides; a defiant flame lit through his eyes for just a moment, only just managing to be caught by the king. "These marks... they are where he touched you. With his mouth?"
Byunghun's eyes closed, and he shuddered. "Y-yes."
"I see." Without warning, Chanhee pushed the boy, toppling him onto his back and making him cry out in surprise. He loomed over Byunghun, his fingers brushing gently over his thighs. "You stay like this. Do not move."
Byunghun's breath caught in his chest as the king lowered his head. There was a moment of confusion, and then he felt Chanhee's soft lips on his thigh. The king left gentle kisses over the marks, making the boy's skin tingle and his heart feel as if it were going to bounce right through his ribcage.
"M-My lord..." Chanhee glanced up at Byunghun through long eyelashes, and every word he had been about to speak was suddenly lost. All he could do was gape.
"You're all mine again," Chanhee whispered, moving his lips to the teethmarks on Byunghun's hip, still imprinted in a soft halo of purple. These too he kissed, his words tickling the boy's skin. "Mine... he marked you, but he may never have you. This body of yours is for me only."
His tone, and the almost petulant way Chanhee spoke those words, made Byunghun's entire body blush. The young man lifted a hand and gently touched the king's cheek, his fingers still trembling slightly despite the way his fear seemed to be ebbing away.
"You speak of me as if I were a toy," he said softly. Chanhee pressed his cheek to the boy's palm and shook his head, his body slowly shifting up against Byunghun's to put them face to face once again.
"Not a toy, Byunghun. Not a plaything, nor an object to be possessed. You're my lover, and nobody else's."
He pulled Byunghun into his arms and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, stealing his breath and making him loose a quiet sound of surprise. The soft squeak made Chanhee smile, and he let his hand wander up Byunghun's neck; the wonchung pulled away slightly, his eyes closed and his lips parted with a ragged gasp.
"I need to know... why me?"
The plainness, the echo of desperation in the question as Byunghun whispered it... Chanhee kissed his lips lightly once more before moving to curl the boy into his chest. He held him there almost protectively, and a yawn caught him just before he finally spoke again.
"There are few things in this world I enjoy more than a well-kept man." Chanhee brushed his fingers through Byunghun's hair, smiling at how soft and fine it was. "You make a perfect kept man, how could I not have you as my own?"
He felt Byunghun's blush, the way his skin warmed wherever Chanhee touched it, clothed or not. Byunghun snaked his arms around the king's waist, his ear pressing to the man's chest as he tried to move closer than was possible. The safest place, he realised, was right here, where he was. He would be safe with Chanhee; nobody could touch him while he was with him, and nobody could separate them unless they wanted to be separated. He closed his eyes, drowsiness setting in, and his own lips curled into a soft smile.
"You can keep me," he whispered, words laced with sleep. "I'm all yours."
The morning came too soon. Byunghun started when Minsoo touched his cheek, eyes flickering open; his fingers instinctively curled into the back of Chanhee's clothes and he looked blearily up at the guard. Minsoo offered him a hand, and the small boy shook his head and curled closer to the king's chest.
"It's time, Byunghun," Minsoo whispered, leaning in close as he kneeled on the edge of the blankets. "The sun will rise soon. You know the rules."
"Go," the king mumbled, and both men looked at him in surprise. His eyes were still closed; idly, he yawned and stretched, letting himself fall onto his back and away from Byunghun. His fingers tangled into the boy's hair, stroking it with an uncoordinated movement as he settled his head on a pillow. "I'll call on you again sooner than you think, Byunghun..."
He trailed off, and by the time Byunghun had gotten up and dressed, he appeared to be asleep once more. Minsoo covered him with a blanket before wrapping an arm around the sleepy wonchung's waist; the boy's head lolled against the guard's shoulder, and he smiled softly to himself as he led Byunghun from the room. Changhyun was sitting dutifully outside, or at least he had been; the sun was already peering over the buildings of the palace grounds by the time the boy emerged, and Changhyun had fallen asleep sitting up on the wall as he'd waited.
"Attendant," Minsoo murmured, reaching to shake the boy's shoulder with his free hand. Changhyun jerked awake immediately, his hands jumping to grab Minsoo's sleeve; the boy blinked slowly, looking between the amused face of the guard and the arm he'd seized on. "Let go of me, please."
He hastily released him, round cheeks burning bright red as he looked down at his feet. Byunghun leaned into Changhyun, a sleepy whine in his throat; the boy was grateful for the distraction and whisked his charge away without a word. Minsoo watched their retreating backs and chuckled softly to himself.
The amusement didn't last long, however. The sight of two guards trailing after them was enough to remind Minsoo of just how serious everything currently was. He waited until he could no longer see them, and then he turned to go back inside, where his own charge lay sleeping. He slid back into the chamber and closed the door silently; Chanhee had rolled over, wrapping himself in the blanket completely while Minsoo was gone. The guard stood near him, watching him as he slept, listening to the long, easy breaths that came from him. When he was sleeping like this, it was particularly noticeable how truly young he was. Minsoo often found himself being reminded of the fact that he was older than the king himself; when Chanhee was in a dark mood, speaking of politics or assassinations or anything of the sort, it was easy to forget. It was only in his most vulnerable moments that his true youthfulness shone through...
He never saw it when Chanhee was with the queen, yet he saw it all the time when the boy was here, with him. Minsoo watched him a moment longer before moving to his place beneath the window, where he set his sword at his side and put his mind to wondering just why exactly that was.
hi. I know this is short and it took me forever. I was going to write more in this chapter, but I didn't want to like... over-crowd it, I guess? ;A; please don't judge me too harshly, I'm having a rough time writing recently as I'm getting sick and that makes it hard to focus. /excuses
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
Time in the palace seemed to have slowed down since the incident in the wonchungs' chambers. Days crawled by at a snail's pace, tiring the king as well as his servants. It would be several more days before Chanhee finally gave in to his overwhelming urge and had Byunghun summoned to his chambers.
The guards that escorted the boy across the grounds were a testament to everyone's still heightened tension. It was the first time Byunghun had left his room since the incident, and three tall guards were waiting for him at the door. Changhyun walked at his side, and a guard was left with Jonghyun to ensure his safety as well.
In his own chambers, Chanhee was busily shuffling through his paperwork, straightening it and preparing it to be finished the following day. Minsoo was in his usual corner, haunting the shadows with his arms crossed; he bit his lip as he watched his king.
"Are you sure about this?" he murmured finally. Chanhee flicked a quick glance at him but said nothing. "I'm worried you'll push him away by insistently bringing him here."
Chanhee sighed and set down the scrolls he'd been holding, fixing Minsoo with a look. "You think me cruel. I won't be."
"He's... just very fragile right now, sir..."
Chanhee narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You've never questioned me before, Minsoo. Now is not the time to begin. "
Minsoo bit his tongue, swallowing down his response. He did in fact question the king's decisions sometimes. He just did so quietly; his job was to protect the king, and he didn't see a need to undermine his trust with questions.
"He's here," the guard said quietly a few minutes later. Chanhee sat up straighter behind his table as the soft knock came at the door, and he gave a nod to the servant that appeared a moment later.
"Bring him in."
The boy who stepped through the door was familiar to Chanhee. The way he bit his lips while casting his eyes around frantically, the way his internal panic seemed to bubble and froth and boil over to the surface through the way he stood, the way he moved, his entire being... Chanhee had worked to free this boy of that fear, and it had returned without warning on the hands of a stranger in the night. A small flash of anger lit his stomach at the thought of it, and he looked down at his folded hands to regain his control.
"Go, Minsoo." He dismissed the guard with a soft wave and a swift look that promised him that he would do nothing to shatter this fragile boy further. The man slipped out of the chamber, closing the door tight behind him, leaving Byunghun standing in the middle of the room. The king gestured toward his bed. "Sit, Byunghun. Please."
The silent child moved to the bedclothes and sank onto them, his eyes never raising to meet Chanhee's. The king did not like this in the least, and he cleared his throat before standing and following him.
"Strip."
He lowered himself to his knees as Byunghun's shoulders dropped in defeat; he couldn't see the boy's eyes through the long hair that fell into his face, but he could feel the discomfort. It came off his body in waves, washing over the king with every shaky breath the wonchung let go.
With gentle hands, he undid Byunghun's clothes.
"I just want to look at you, Byunghun." His voice was soft, and the soothing tone of it seeped into the boy and calmed him a bit. "You're not here to service me tonight. I give you my word."
Byunghun slowly shrugged off his clothes, his cheeks burning red when the still vivid bruises along his abdomen and thighs were revealed. His entire body remained tense despite Chanhee's soft whispers, his eyes flicking around the room as if he were an animal about to attempt escape. The king fixed his gaze on a mark that stretched up the naked man's inner thigh, its colour as jarring against his pale skin as the bruises that seemed already like ancient history. How had it happened that he felt he saw Byunghun more often with bruises than without?
He reached to touch the mark, and Byunghun jerked away instinctively.
"Be still, Byunghun," the king murmured, his voice hardening the words into a command. The boy's jaw tensed, his fingers curling into tight fists at his sides; a defiant flame lit through his eyes for just a moment, only just managing to be caught by the king. "These marks... they are where he touched you. With his mouth?"
Byunghun's eyes closed, and he shuddered. "Y-yes."
"I see." Without warning, Chanhee pushed the boy, toppling him onto his back and making him cry out in surprise. He loomed over Byunghun, his fingers brushing gently over his thighs. "You stay like this. Do not move."
Byunghun's breath caught in his chest as the king lowered his head. There was a moment of confusion, and then he felt Chanhee's soft lips on his thigh. The king left gentle kisses over the marks, making the boy's skin tingle and his heart feel as if it were going to bounce right through his ribcage.
"M-My lord..." Chanhee glanced up at Byunghun through long eyelashes, and every word he had been about to speak was suddenly lost. All he could do was gape.
"You're all mine again," Chanhee whispered, moving his lips to the teethmarks on Byunghun's hip, still imprinted in a soft halo of purple. These too he kissed, his words tickling the boy's skin. "Mine... he marked you, but he may never have you. This body of yours is for me only."
His tone, and the almost petulant way Chanhee spoke those words, made Byunghun's entire body blush. The young man lifted a hand and gently touched the king's cheek, his fingers still trembling slightly despite the way his fear seemed to be ebbing away.
"You speak of me as if I were a toy," he said softly. Chanhee pressed his cheek to the boy's palm and shook his head, his body slowly shifting up against Byunghun's to put them face to face once again.
"Not a toy, Byunghun. Not a plaything, nor an object to be possessed. You're my lover, and nobody else's."
He pulled Byunghun into his arms and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, stealing his breath and making him loose a quiet sound of surprise. The soft squeak made Chanhee smile, and he let his hand wander up Byunghun's neck; the wonchung pulled away slightly, his eyes closed and his lips parted with a ragged gasp.
"I need to know... why me?"
The plainness, the echo of desperation in the question as Byunghun whispered it... Chanhee kissed his lips lightly once more before moving to curl the boy into his chest. He held him there almost protectively, and a yawn caught him just before he finally spoke again.
"There are few things in this world I enjoy more than a well-kept man." Chanhee brushed his fingers through Byunghun's hair, smiling at how soft and fine it was. "You make a perfect kept man, how could I not have you as my own?"
He felt Byunghun's blush, the way his skin warmed wherever Chanhee touched it, clothed or not. Byunghun snaked his arms around the king's waist, his ear pressing to the man's chest as he tried to move closer than was possible. The safest place, he realised, was right here, where he was. He would be safe with Chanhee; nobody could touch him while he was with him, and nobody could separate them unless they wanted to be separated. He closed his eyes, drowsiness setting in, and his own lips curled into a soft smile.
"You can keep me," he whispered, words laced with sleep. "I'm all yours."
The morning came too soon. Byunghun started when Minsoo touched his cheek, eyes flickering open; his fingers instinctively curled into the back of Chanhee's clothes and he looked blearily up at the guard. Minsoo offered him a hand, and the small boy shook his head and curled closer to the king's chest.
"It's time, Byunghun," Minsoo whispered, leaning in close as he kneeled on the edge of the blankets. "The sun will rise soon. You know the rules."
"Go," the king mumbled, and both men looked at him in surprise. His eyes were still closed; idly, he yawned and stretched, letting himself fall onto his back and away from Byunghun. His fingers tangled into the boy's hair, stroking it with an uncoordinated movement as he settled his head on a pillow. "I'll call on you again sooner than you think, Byunghun..."
He trailed off, and by the time Byunghun had gotten up and dressed, he appeared to be asleep once more. Minsoo covered him with a blanket before wrapping an arm around the sleepy wonchung's waist; the boy's head lolled against the guard's shoulder, and he smiled softly to himself as he led Byunghun from the room. Changhyun was sitting dutifully outside, or at least he had been; the sun was already peering over the buildings of the palace grounds by the time the boy emerged, and Changhyun had fallen asleep sitting up on the wall as he'd waited.
"Attendant," Minsoo murmured, reaching to shake the boy's shoulder with his free hand. Changhyun jerked awake immediately, his hands jumping to grab Minsoo's sleeve; the boy blinked slowly, looking between the amused face of the guard and the arm he'd seized on. "Let go of me, please."
He hastily released him, round cheeks burning bright red as he looked down at his feet. Byunghun leaned into Changhyun, a sleepy whine in his throat; the boy was grateful for the distraction and whisked his charge away without a word. Minsoo watched their retreating backs and chuckled softly to himself.
The amusement didn't last long, however. The sight of two guards trailing after them was enough to remind Minsoo of just how serious everything currently was. He waited until he could no longer see them, and then he turned to go back inside, where his own charge lay sleeping. He slid back into the chamber and closed the door silently; Chanhee had rolled over, wrapping himself in the blanket completely while Minsoo was gone. The guard stood near him, watching him as he slept, listening to the long, easy breaths that came from him. When he was sleeping like this, it was particularly noticeable how truly young he was. Minsoo often found himself being reminded of the fact that he was older than the king himself; when Chanhee was in a dark mood, speaking of politics or assassinations or anything of the sort, it was easy to forget. It was only in his most vulnerable moments that his true youthfulness shone through...
He never saw it when Chanhee was with the queen, yet he saw it all the time when the boy was here, with him. Minsoo watched him a moment longer before moving to his place beneath the window, where he set his sword at his side and put his mind to wondering just why exactly that was.
hi. I know this is short and it took me forever. I was going to write more in this chapter, but I didn't want to like... over-crowd it, I guess? ;A; please don't judge me too harshly, I'm having a rough time writing recently as I'm getting sick and that makes it hard to focus. /excuses