Round 2: Opportunities (2/2)
Taemin sat, hugging his knees as Jonghyun stood at the edge of the lake, peering into the water. He paced, going from side to side as he tried to see where the canteen might be.
“It’s too dirty,” Taemin provided. “You won’t be able to see anything just from standing up here.”
Jonghyun stiffened, before he turned around, a frustrated smile on his face. “Tell me again how you dropped the canteen in the middle of the lake, when you were standing right here?”
Taemin pursed his lips. “I didn’t throw it, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Jonghyun clapped his hands. “Well, you didn’t throw it. I guess the canteen decided it wanted to go for a swim and jumped from your hands?”
Taemin frowned. “Don’t be a jerk.”
“That was my only form of getting water, and now it’s at the bottom of the lake.” Jonghyun sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair and letting his hands fall onto his face. He crouched down, sitting on the soft dirt that bordered the lake.
“This is ridiculous…”
Taemin frowned, looking at the water. He stood up and stomped to the edge.
“It isn’t even that deep, jump in and get it!” He demanded.
Jonghyun sighed again through his hands, too defeated to be angry. “I can’t swim.”
That stopped whatever retort Taemin was about to fly back, stumbling back as his momentum slacked. He opened his mouth, lips moving with effort as he tried to form the correct words. He couldn’t.
“Uh…what?”
Jonghyun stared up at him, eyes guarded. “I. Can’t. Swim.”
“…me either.”
Jonghyun sniffed and stared at the water. “How about that…”
Taemin was at a loss. Where did they go from this? He couldn’t even think of something to make them argue again. Frustrated, he kicked a stone into the lake, stopped at Jonghyun’s feet, and kicked a rock at Jonghyun before stomping down the road, back to their cabin.
The rock only touched Jonghyun’s foot. He didn’t even notice and continued staring at the lake, mourning the loss of his canteen.
When Jonghyun finally returned to the cabin, he went through the trouble of gathering the fish and setting up a suitable fire to cook them on. He had enough sense to realize Taemin hadn’t bothered to pick up wood on his way back to the cabin. He got things done faster alone anyway.
“Servant-ah, Taemin. Come on, I’m cooking the fish. Tell me which ones you want.” Jonghyun called, prodding his fire and smiling when the flames burst forth in response. He had caught ten fish; he made sure it was an even number, just in case he wanted to divide it between them. He doubted they both would eat all five today, leaving them food to eat later.
Soft footsteps signaled Taemin’s return. “Why the hesitation? Am I not your servant anymore?”
Jonghyun shook his head, eyes locked on the cooking fish. “You aren’t useful enough…” He turned the fish around, eyeing the darkened flesh of the fish, and smelling around them. A few minutes more. “I don’t know why I thought having another person here would make things any easier…”
Taemin smirked, plopping down across from Jonghyun. He scented the air, groaning when his stomach clenched at the smell of food. Why hadn’t he eaten at the party yesterday? Better question: Why hadn’t he brought food with him? He wasn’t a planner. Neither was Dolos. Obviously, otherwise he would had been a good little boy and listened to his parents, instead of bothering them to the point of sending him to a bum that lives in the forest.
Taemin frowned. “Reborn Princes aren’t allowed to see the light of day; I don’t understand why you thought I would be a helpful anything.”
“Maybe I thought you needed to get outside more. Maybe I thought you would change once I got you away from the palace.”
Taemin looked at Jonghyun incredulously. “So you kidnapped me? Please, don’t try and fool me. You had other motives and now I don’t fit the bill. I wasn’t what you were looking for.”
Jonghyun was silent, staring into the fire blankly. He let out a sigh and picked a fat fish that was cooking in the middle of the skewer. He took a slow bite, sampling his food before chewing with vigor. Taemin looked at him jealously, he wanted to eat too but he wanted answers. A fish cooked by Jonghyun probably tasted horrible anyway.
“Why did you do this to me?” Taemin asked softly. “Revenge? Is that what you wanted? Why take me away from my family and the only person who was willing to love me?”
Jonghyun took another bite of his fish, eyes downcast as he looked for the place for his next bite. His facial expressions changed with every word, scrunching up and making his eyebrows clench together as he heard Taemin. He wasn’t good at all at hiding his emotions or pretending he wasn’t listening. Everything showed on his face.
“Answer me, you jerk.”
Jonghyun’s face went slack, seeming to come to terms with his emotions enough to hide them completely. Taemin snarled, teeth bared as he stood up and smacked Jonghyun’s fish out of his hands.
It fell dryly on the ground.
Jonghyun stared up at Taemin, anger slowly creeping into his tone. “What the hell is your problem?”
Taemin laughed. “My problem? He asked me-you want to know what my problem is?”
Jonghyun frowned, quiet.
Taemin shook his head, feeling Dolos come forth to fuel his rage. “This bitch. I can’t believe you. Taking me away from my kingdom over something as pretty as revenge. You had no right. You had no right to do what you did!” Taemin stepped away, moving from Jonghyun’s side. “Why couldn’t you have just tried to kill me at the party, huh? Why couldn’t you have just left me alone?”
Taemin felt his throat get tight again, voice cracking and eyes getting misty. He paced, feeling his emotions build up inside of him. He felt so unhappy. He felt miserable. There was nothing he could do. Taemin wound around, coming back to Jonghyun’s side. With a yell, he punched the man in the face.
Jonghyun recoiled a bit, grabbing Taemin’s wrist as he watched the furious man squirm in his grip. “Stop.”
“You stop!”
Taemin grabbed Jonghyun’s arm, cursing the fact that he refused to work out in the palace as he realized Jonghyun’s upper body strength was much greater than his own. He used his free hand to claw at Jonghyun’s arm, hating the fact the man showed no reaction to his attacks.
“Let go of me! Let go!”
“Not until you calm down,” Jonghyun replied, unusually calm in Taemin’s opinion. This wasn’t what he wanted his reaction to be. Jonghyun was supposed to fight him. Jonghyun was supposed to get angry. This wasn’t what he wanted!
Taemin fell on Jonghyun’s legs, trying to use his feet to pull his hand out. Panting and grunting with the effort he was using to try and free himself. His face felt wet, his eyes stung. Taemin realized a moment too late that he had started crying and at that moment, his cries turned to sobs. He beat on Jonghyun’s chest weakly, strength depleted.
“Let go of me…” Taemin sobbed, trying to claw through the material of Jonghyun’s shirt. It was all futile. Nothing ever went his way. Nothing good ever happens to him.
Jonghyun released Taemin’s hand, moving the mess of a prince beside him onto the ground. Taemin collapsed onto the ground, his tears running off of his face and onto the blades of grass.
“Why won’t you let me go…?”
It held different meaning, Jonghyun knew and this time he chose to answer.
“There is a reason. I can’t tell you yet. You’d understand if you knew…”
Taemin coughed, choking on his sobs. “I’ll never understand you.”
Jonghyun struggled on what he was going to say next; the words stopped in his throat, as if he was being strangled, invisible hands around his throat deadlier than reality. He knew it wasn’t the words strangling him, nor was it his unwillingness to speak, it was much simpler. Guilt. The unfamiliar feeling clogging his mind like a tumor, Jonghyun licked his lips and tried to ignore the weeps just beside him.
“I’m…going to level with you Taemin,” Jonghyun began, quickly-almost nervous as he spoke with speed he hoped would best Taemin and let him finish speaking. “I wasn’t thinking when I took you in and honestly, now, I wish I could send you back but I can’t. I. Literally. Can’t. Send you back.”
Taemin moaned, sniffing miserably into the dirt. He was trying to speak.
“Look, I was…I was lonely alright? I thought it would be nice to have someone else living with me.” Jonghyun admitted, snatching another cooked and starting to burn fish from the skewer. He didn’t eat though; the hands were still there around his throat. He grit his teeth, frustration seeping into his tone. “I don’t know why he chose you…”
Taemin was silent. Surprisingly so. At first, Jonghyun thought he might have just stubbornly stayed silent, ignoring him. Then, irrational fear crept into his mind as he began to reason the worst. Thinking that Taemin might have actually smothered himself in his tears and died without his notice, Jonghyun went to check on the younger man.
He touched him cautiously; tapping his clothed shoulder first like one might tap a foreign animal or object they hadn’t seen before. Taemin did not move. He turned towards Taemin, put his fish down and as gentle as he could, turned him over. He held his breath, the possibilities clouding his mind like a swarm of gnats.
Taemin frowned, eyebrows furrowing as he groaned and hiccupped, still fighting the tears that were threatening to come forth. Then, he sighed, finally finding peace in his new position and relaxed.
He was only asleep.
Jonghyun let out a soft, sad laugh, laughing at his overreaction and how pathetic he was. How could he let this happen? How could he become so dependent on this stranger who was so ungrateful of what he was trying to do?
Turning away to the slumbering prince, Jonghyun starred into the shrinking flame. When it went out, he would go inside. He glanced at Taemin, and then looked back at the fire. He would have to carry Taemin in, then go to the lake and put the fire out, come back quickly, so that Taemin didn’t wake up while he wasn’t there and run away.
He juggled the thought in his mind before casting it aside. It was late. He doubted Taemin would want to wake up and run away at night. Jonghyun yawned, finding himself watching Taemin again. He would come back earlier anyway though…just to be sure.
Sleep came without dreams, leaving Taemin feeling well rested but oddly heavy. He felt as if he was carrying something on his back, dragging a weight along with him even though he hadn’t moved, even though he hadn’t completely woken up yet. He closed his eyes, letting out a soft noise as he twisted in his blankets and pressed himself further into the bed. It was pretty comfortable.
Taemin’s eyes snapped open. Bed?
He sat up. When did he get here? How? Didn’t he sleep on the floor last night? He grabbed the covers lightly, fingers feeling the material as he looked around him, confused. The house looked a bit different from his memory-didn’t he sleep on the floor? Or had that been yesterday..?
Taemin took another quick look around the room before letting out a wide yawn. His eyes stung a bit and even though he had to have slept for several hours, he felt sluggish. He moved down a degree, contemplating before deciding with a smile that it was alright; he lay down again.
Staring up at the patterned wood of the ceiling, he began to think as he chased the lines across the top.
He sighed, it was nice. This was nice once he thought about it. He could do whatever he wanted now. He didn’t have to worry about inheriting anything, or what the townspeople thought about his family.
His eyes found a ring hole and circled the design slowly.
Key. No, Key would be fine. He was an intelligent man and his parents loved him. The townspeople were rather indifferent about him, not finding him as interesting as the failure and mistake of the kingdom. With Taemin gone, Key had room to grow.
Taemin smiled. He would be fine without him.
There was absolutely nothing holding him down. He had been given a fresh start. Despite the fact he was being forced to spend his new life with someone undesirable, this was almost perfect. He was a painter, a painter who had been given his first blank canvas-one of which he had been given complete reign over.
He had no idea how to start. No clue how to start his new life.
Taemin’s stomach flipped and his mood began to turn, turmoil slowly dripping into his bottle of hope. Who was he kidding? He hadn’t wanted to start over. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want any of this.
Eyes clenching shut, Taemin blew out of puff of frustration and relaxed into the sheets. He wasn’t a prince anymore; he could afford to sleep the day away.
“Hey, Master.” Taemin called, walking out of the cabin.
Jonghyun had been in the middle of trying to decide if he should pick a herb that looked unfamiliar, or leave it and save himself from a possible rash. He turned slightly towards Taemin, giving him a short glance before the herb took his attention away again.
Offended but trying his best to keep his calm, Taemin bit his tongue and forced himself to smile. He marched a bit closer, squat beside Jonghyun, letting him get his forced smile a better look.
Jonghyun stiffened, frowned and looked the other way-away from Taemin’s face. He looked very uncomfortable, looking as if he was encountering an unwanted animal, hoping that if he ignored it, the beast would continue on its way. Unfortunately, Taemin was not a wandering animal, he was a man on a mission and he would not be ignored.
Jonghyun looked directly at Taemin and groaned, burying his face in his hands. “What is wrong with your face..?”
“Nothing. I’m smiling.”
“You look demented.”
Taemin’s smile fell and was immediately replaced with an angry glare.
“There we go,” Jonghyun said, his voice filled with mock praise. “Don’t try and be something you aren’t, if you smile again you might hurt yourself.”
Taemin opened his mouth then closed it. The former prince bit his lip, eyebrows creasing together roughly as he looked torn between snapping back, staying silent and stubbornly keeping his happy mood.
Jonghyun watched, bemused. To him, Taemin looked like the student in class who wanted to do well but was afraid to answer a question in fear of getting it wrong. For all it was worth, he admired the boy a bit for trying to cooperate. Though it was a bit strange, the change was welcome.
“Was there something you wanted to tell me or did you wake up just to smile at me?” Jonghyun’s lip twitched as he fought the urge to smile while Taemin’s expression went through a range of emotions before settling at his blank default.
“I’ve decided that since you have kidnapped me and I can’t return home, I am going to make our interaction as painless as possible. That way, my life here will be tolerable.”
“Basically, you are going to stop being a brat because you realized there is no other way out?”
Taemin’s jaw went tight and he responded with difficulty. “You could say that.”
Jonghyun whistled, eyebrows rising at his performance. “Wow, you are serious about this aren’t you?”
Taemin nodded and rolled his eyes, choosing to stay silent. There was so much he could take and responding to this man’s teasing wasn’t doing well for his resolve. Even with his newly decided personality, he couldn’t stop himself from baring his teeth when Jonghyun grabbed his shoulder and shook him, pulling him a bit closer.
“Well, now that we are being civil, I suppose I can forgive you for last night when you threw a perfectly good fish on the ground.” Jonghyun laughed. The lightheartedness of the comment made it seem like a joke, so Taemin thought he would make one too.
“Then I guess I will forgive you for forcing me to be your servant and taking me away from my family.”
Jonghyun’s laugh trailed and he began looking uncomfortable. His attention went to the herb again. The plant suddenly seemed not as interesting or as important as it had before. Taemin observed Jonghyun’s lost and disappointed trance before standing.
Unaware of Jonghyun’s discomfort, he asked “Does this mean I still have to call you ‘master’?”
Jonghyun shook his head and reached his hand down as he also moved to stand. He analyzed the prince’s seemingly eager expression blankly. Then, he turned towards the forest and the hidden animals he knew were lurking there.
“Taemin, is there anything you can do?”
“Excuse me?” The boy responding incredulously.
“So far, you haven’t been able to do any of the tasks I’ve asked you to do yet.”
Taemin opened his mouth, rage twisting his features. He could feel Dolos slipping into him, peeking at the world through his eyes, feeding on his fury. He held him back, barely and bit his lip to punish himself for almost ruining the cease-fire they had just created.
“Aren’t we supposed to be acting civil?” His tender, questioning tone sounded tight and forced. Taemin felt like he was a child, being forced to say he was sorry for something he didn’t believe he did wrong and that comparison made his anger flare, burning his ego.
“Well, yes,” Jonghyun answered, attention fully on the woods in front of them. It started out as an innocent question but as he thought about it, he began to get upset. “But, I brought you here so you could help me survive while being a good distraction. So far, all you have done is lose my canteen and ruin food.”
“Well, fuck. Sor-ry for not being the perfect manservant.”
Jonghyun frowned at Taemin’s unruly behavior before digressing. “Aren’t princes supposed to be kind and cultured?”
“Usually,” Taemin snarled, not even restraining Dolos as he took his tongue, twisting whatever words that he would have uttered and made them vicious. “But then, not all princes are Reborn monsters that are hated by their people and parents. Not all princes are ignored by their parents. Not all princes are fucking sold on their twenty-first birthday to some dirty beast who wanted a friend.”
Taemin was wild, going fast on a road he knew would lead to chaos. “I think I’m allowed to not be as “cultured” as you think princes should be, considering what has happened to me.”
Jonghyun was caught between being angry or feeling guilty, the combination leaving him speechless.
“You know what, fuck being civil. I’m gone.” Taemin then stomped past Jonghyun, at first heading for the path to the Palace before turning around and heading towards the woods Jonghyun had been staring at before.
This snapped him out of his stupor. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Away from you, away from this.” Taemin responded shortly, moving quicker into the trees and plants that outlined his path.
Jonghyun watched the boy for a while, noticing how he would avoid touching the plants and stumble on the roots he hadn’t been looking out for. He wouldn’t last thirty minutes by himself.
“Fine, play out in the trees for a while. Just come back before the sun sets.”
Taemin scoffed, he had to strain his voice to make sure Jonghyun had heard him. “I’m not coming back at all.”
“Sure you aren’t.”
Taemin didn’t respond this time, jogging into the depths of the woods. Jonghyun stood at the entrance for a moment, wondering if he should follow him before casting the idea inside and walking into the cabin. The boy needed to be taught a lesson anyway. He wanted to act tough, fine. He wasn’t going to be the one worrying about boy’s safety if he, himself wasn’t even concerned.
Jonghyun laid onto his bed, relaxing. He would be back on his own, eventually. He closed his eyes, trying to force sleep. Hopefully.
Jonghyun woke up soundlessly, stiff as he stared at the ceiling of his cabin. The sun was setting outside, he could tell from the tint of the room. Taemin wasn’t back yet. He moved to the edge of the bed, shuffling his shoes on as he hopped unevenly toward the door. Why hadn’t Taemin come back?
He knew the boy was stubborn but he didn’t think he would actually-no, he knew. He had tricked himself into believing Taemin wouldn’t leave. That Taemin would see that he needed Jonghyun and that he would come back. He was too prideful to admit something like that.
Jonghyun cursed, running through a swarm of mosquitos and gnats he had noticed too late to avoid. He shuddered, waving the small bugs off of his skin as he finally entered the trees and officially begun his search.
The long trunks of the trees surrounding him continued on an unclear path, surrounding him, giving him countless choices on where he could start.
The sun was setting. He was losing light. Taemin was still out there.
He closed his eyes, cursing again as he set off in a direction, eyes searching left and right, flickering over the ground and the trees. Where could he have gone? Jonghyun licked his lips, hopping over a root grown out of the ground.
Taemin is a prince, Jonghyun thought and continued to remind himself as he searched, he wasn’t taught anything about survival or how to protect himself against animals.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and inhaled deeply. “Taemin!” He heard his voice echo, his cry going deep into the woods. He waited for a minute, hoping to hear something back but there was no call, he was alone. “Taemin, this isn’t funny, come out! Now!”
Once again, there was silence. The only companion he had was the pathetic regret and guilt he heard from his own voice.
“Please?”
He felt embarrassed for a second, hoping Taemin to give him an answer, hop out of a corner and start making fun of him. He expected it. He wanted it.
It never came.
Something wet hit his cheek. He looked up slowly, dazed as the heavens began to pour everything it had on him. He was being punished. The rain felt cold and unforgiving, a steady beating for the wrong he had committed and coupled with his guilt, he truly felt useless.
He, stiffly, went to cup his hands again, when thunder echoed above him, overtaking his voice. Limply, his hands fell back to his sides. It was alright, he tried to convince himself, he would look for Taemin without calling for him.
It would be fine.
Jonghyun walked for hour searching the woods for any sign of Taemin. As the sun’s light began to fade from the sky, so did his hope. He could ignore it all he wanted but he had failed. Taemin was gone. Something had happened to him, he was probably attacked by some animal, he wouldn’t be returning back to the cabin.
With this conclusion, Jonghyun continued hoping to find Taemin’s body, or at least something he could bring back to the palace. Taemin would like it if he was buried on palace grounds. He could probably make up a lie, say it was his last wish before he died; they wouldn’t turn him down then would he?
Walking unsteadily, Jonghyun decided to turn back. If he told Taemin’s family first, he would be able to get a search team to find Taemin’s body. As he began to walk back, his foot caught something and he fell face first into the mud.
Irritated, Jonghyun looked back at his ankle.
There was a hand, clutching his ankle tightly, pale and thin as it tightened and tugged lightly from the tree hole it was coming from. Horrified, Jonghyun kicked at the hand and scrambled away as it let go.
“God damn it, what the hell is wrong with you!?”
Jonghyun froze, blinking the water out of his eyes as he cautiously approached, the pouring rain ruining his vision. As he got closer to the tree he realized that there was a significant gap between dirt and the roots, lifting the tree out of the ground. Jonghyun bit his lip, taking his chances as he slid down into the space and wiped the water off of his face.
“What the hell took you so long to get me?”
Jonghyun looked up at was met with Taemin, his entire body drenched and shivering. He looked angry but when Jonghyun looked at his eyes they were red, the bloodshot color revealing his tears.
“Taemin, were you…crying?”
Taemin tensed, moving a stray strand of his hair behind his ear before shaking his head and sniffing. “No, my eyes were just irritated by all the…nature that was around here.” Taemin sniffed again, rubbing his arms feverishly before turning back to him accusingly “What the fuck took you so long to decide to find me? Huh?”
Jonghyun let out a tired laugh, snatching the prince’s shirt and dragging him close. Taemin let out a strangled noise as Jonghyun brought him into his lap.
“What the hell are y-“
Jonghyun put his hand on the boy’s mouth, scooting until his back touched the uneven bark of the tree. He let out a breath, closing his eyes in comfort as he listened to the rain outside.
“Just stay quiet for a while, Taemin…” Jonghyun whispered, throat getting tight and voice sounded restrained. “…just for a while.”
Jonghyun held him tight, pulling his head into his chest as he breathed in the scent of the wet plant they were inside. He couldn’t get over the fact that if Taemin hadn’t reacted then, if Taemin had been too weak or had still been angry at him, he wouldn’t have found him. His fingers tangled in the damp fabric of Taemin’s clothes, as he let out a ragged breath and a sniffle. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. This was so fucking embarrassing.
Despite his tears and fear of ridicule, Taemin stayed uncharacteristically silent and let Jonghyun cry his relief out.
Jonghyun whimpered, sniveling as he tried to force himself to stop. He wiped his eyes furiously, almost rubbing the skin raw to punish himself for exposing himself in front of someone like Taemin.
“I…” Taemin murmured, his voice barely audible over the storm outside. “I wanted to…thank you, for coming out to look for me.”
He tilted his head from side to side. “I didn’t run away, honest. I just wanted air. I got lost though and couldn’t find my way back…I’m sorry I made you worry…”
Jonghyun sniffed noisily and sighed, still breathing quick breaths of almost-sobs. “Why the sudden apology?”
“I’ve been waiting here for a while, Jonghyun and the storm trapped me here. It gave me time to think.” Taemin paused, his eyes drifting downwards toward the ground and his intertwined fingers. “I’m trouble, Jonghyun. I was born trouble and I will forever do nothing be cause trouble. There’s nothing anyone, not even you can do for me.”
“Taemin.” Jonghyun began but was quickly cut off by the younger man.
“Dolos is a part of me and there’s nothing I can do to stop myself from following what his instincts tell me to. It would be better off if I could just stay here. Maybe I’ll be able to live in the forest or something, I don’t know. I should just…just stay away from people in general.”
“You won’t survive in the jungle.” Jonghyun stated. “If I leave you here you’ll die.”
Taemin was silent, staring absent at the ground and everything else but Jonghyun as he shrugged his shoulders. He was completely resolved, as if he knew what he had to do and had already accepted his terminal state. His eyes were dead, and lost all signs of hope when Jonghyun brought the only conclusion to light; he had been hoping Jonghyun would buy it.
The idea disgusted him. “You fucking idiot, why do you think I would just leave you here after I took so long to find you?”
“I brought you here to tell you what I was going to be doing so you wouldn’t do something drastic or try and tell my parents I was missing. I don’t want them to know. Your life would be better off without me.”
Jonghyun shook his head. “Says who?”
“Jonghyun,” Taemin said softly, he didn’t sound angry or frustrated. He spoke with a gentle tone, explaining as if he was talking to a small child. “I’ve done nothing but cause trouble while I was here and honestly, if it weren’t for Dolos slipping out of my consciousness I wouldn’t be this calm right now. My attitude and actions got me fucking sold, Jonghyun. I won’t change. I don’t know how.”
“I…” Jonghyun stuttered, trying to rack his brain for answers. Anything to stop this. “I can teach you. I’ll-“
“What could you do that my mother and father with their wisdom, resources and money haven’t tried to do already?”
Jonghyun bit his lip. “I…I know I’ll be able to teach you better.”
Taemin sighed, finally looking up and meeting Jonghyun’s eyes with a sympathetic and defeated expression. “It’s alright, don’t feel guilty. It’s alright to leave me here, I want to be left here, all you have to do is walk out, go back to your cabin and fall asleep.”
“Taemin…”
Taemin took a peek out of the hole they came through and gave a small smile. “The rain is lightening; you’ll be able to leave in a minute.”
“Taemin, I’m not going to leave you.”
“The sun isn’t out anymore so be careful, alright? You said the animals wouldn’t bother you though, so you should be fine.”
“Taemin, listen-!”
“No, you, listen!” Taemin screamed back. His calm masquerade falling off his face and broke into pieces. Taemin panted, tearing as he started to speak. “Do you think I want to die? Do you think that I want this to be an option? I’m trying, for once Jonghyun, to do the right thing and you’re still fighting me on this! Just go home! Leave me! Leave me alone!”
Jonghyun was silent, watching somberly as Taemin faced him with teary eyes and then wiped them away angrily. The young prince sniffed, snapping his face in another direction as shudders wracked his body and muffled cries tumbled out of him.
“That’s just it, Taemin…” Jonghyun whispered, sliding a bit closer and touching the younger’s back. “I can’t leave you alone even if I wanted to. He won’t let me.”
“My father doesn’t care about me anymore, Jonghyun, don’t you dare use that as an excuse-!”
“I wasn’t talking about the king.”
Taemin stared at Jonghyun, silent. His eyes narrowed with both impatience and suspicion. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Jonghyun grunted and pulled Taemin towards him, forcing the other to skid on dirt and fall on his side. Taemin growled in annoyance, before pushing him away and sitting up by himself. “Well?”
“I…Caerus. Caerus wants me to keep you.”
Taemin’s eyes widened and his brows rose. He couldn’t mean…”You mean Caerus as in the-“
“-Spirit of Opportunity. Yeah, that’s the one.”
A silence surrounded them both. Jonghyun bit his lip, feeling uncomfortable and open. Taemin looked away from him, humming in thought as he tapped the dirt below him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and then swallowed. “So, you are a Reborn too?”
“Ah, yes.”
Taemin hummed again and nodded.
“And you live in the woods…?”
“-because I was exiled out of the city a while back, Caerus notices things no one else does: chances, openings, things that I wouldn’t normally do but he thinks it’s too good of a chance to pass up.” Jonghyun laughed, bitter as he braced himself.
He was going to talk, Taemin realized, and he was going to explain everything. Smartly, he bit his lip in warning, telling Dolos to stay silent as they listened, Taemin felt no resistance.
“Caerus is opportunity personified, wherever he is, he makes things happen. He gives people chances to do things that wouldn’t be possible had they not seen an opportunity to do so. He isn’t stingy, he gives his gift to all people: woman, children, men, murderers, robbers, thieves, everyone gets their chance to do what they want and if Caerus is generous, which he usually is, get away unscathed.” Jonghyun sighed, tugging at his pant leg as he got caught up in the memories. “Before I understood it was wrong, I felt really good. I felt…I don’t know-I felt like I was doing something for people. I felt like they appreciated me. I thought they liked me.”
Taemin frowned, remembering how he used to long for compassion and loving. When he wanted to be appreciated and loved for who he was and how he wanted people to look past the fact that he was a Reborn. He wanted them to look past Dolos and see Taemin. But…
“Then, as I grew older I saw that they talked about me. I heard that they hated me. Caerus and I, we were so upset. We thought we were doing good, you know? Then, something happened.”
I was angry. I was so angry. It isn’t my fault, Dolos is the one! Dolos makes me lie and hurt people! I don’t want to, it’s Dolos!
“We were angry. All we wanted to do was help and they shunned us for doing the only thing we knew how to do. We decided to punish them by giving them so many opportunities but not letting them escape, forcing people into uncomfortable situations where they would get in trouble. For a while, we were left alone. And then, suddenly, they found us while we were sleeping and threatened us with death. We were forced to leave immediately afterwards.”
“We wandered for a bit, aimless and then we heard something interesting.” Jonghyun broke off suddenly, laughing loudly at his ridiculousness. “There was another Reborn boy, being sold by his father.”
Taemin’s eyes widened. “You-“
“At first, we had no intention of taking you, we just wanted to talk but you were so nasty that day and we were still upset about what had happened with our hometown that we…” Jonghyun clicked his tongue. “We made sure no one else wanted to take you by stealing the good feelings people would have felt from the chance, and then we took advantage of their silence. There was no hope for you after you made us angry.”
“How could…how could you?” Taemin hissed.
“This isn’t anything new,” Jonghyun explained. “You just know more details now, you shouldn’t be angry with me.”
“I can be angry all I want. You were a Reborn and you didn’t tell me? You hypocritical ass, you kept talking about how I was a liar and then entire time you can’t control Caerus?”
Jonghyun grimaced, his eyes glancing hard on the prince. “I don’t try and control Caerus. He is a part of me; he doesn’t need to be controlled.”
Taemin looked like he was going to say something else when he shook his head and went against it. He moved closer, a strange smile appearing on his face. He moved closer, making sure that their bodies were touching before he let out a sigh.
“Jonghyun,”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you took me away, in hindsight, it was probably for the best.”
Jonghyun groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Could we not do this again, you moody fuck, I can’t handle this.”
“Shut up, I’m speaking.” Taemin cleared his throat. “If I had been sold to one of the people in the town, I probably would either be beaten or broken, if not dead by now. You put up with me the entire time I was here and not once have you hit me. Though you have said things that offended me, you haven’t done anything too drastic or unbearable yet.”
“Is this your way of saying you like me?” Jonghyun joked, still trying to understand the prince’s huge mood swings.
“Yes,”
“Excuse me?”
“I like you, Jonghyun.” Taemin admitted without shame or hesitation. “I like you a lot.”
Jonghyun sputtered, incredulous. “Just because I haven’t hit you? Don’t you think your standards are low?”
“Considering that fact that you are I are the only people in the woods and we aren’t allowed into the city anymore. Yeah, my standards are low.”
“So you only like me because I’m the only thing available?” Jonghyun deadpanned, feeling slightly disappointed. “What if I told you I could use Caerus’ ability to perhaps allow us access into the city again, would you stop liking me? Am I just a convenience for you, Taemin?”
“Wait, what?” Taemin said. “You can do that, you have the power to do that?”
“I…” Jonghyun scratched his head, quickly, frowning as he did so. “I spoke to Caerus about sending you back because you seemed so damn unhappy here; he said he would be able to work something out in order to make them take you back.”
“You can speak to Caerus?”
“Of course, can’t you speak to Dolos?”
Taemin’s guilty silence was more of an answer than anything. He actually looked horrified at Jonghyun’s response.
“They told me not to speak with him, they told me not to try because it wasn’t possible. Dolos was just a feeling, Dolos can’t control what you do, they said. They told me…”
Jonghyun held Taemin stiffly, unsure if this was the right thing to be doing. Taemin accepted his hug eagerly, taking the initiative to wrap his arms around Jonghyun’s torso.
Jonghyun began spitting out random things in order to pacify, Taemin not wanting the boy to become upset again when they had been doing so well before. “It’s fine, I’ll teach you how to speak to Dolos. I’ll teach you how to control your urges and when to use your abilities and-oh, look it finally stopped raining!”
Jonghyun broke away from Taemin, pushing himself through the hole as he stretched, shook and listened to the world around them. The chirps of insects and the rustle of the plants matched the sound of their breathing, both Taemin and Jonghyun’s. Taemin pulled himself out of the hole, relishing in the sounds he heard, the beat of the branches, the melody of nature and calm.
As Jonghyun gestured for him to follow him, he moved with the older man. He realized that he was leading them back home, finally, after this mishap, he was going home. Not to the palace but to Jonghyun’s cabin where Hippo would probably be asleep and safe in her hut and Jonghyun’s lights would still be on from when he ran to search. The cabin would be warm, because the both of them would be sleeping in there together.
Finally, after being sold and fighting Jonghyun’s care, Taemin relented. He finally felt calm and happy, probing his subconscious; he could tell Dolos was happy too. They had nothing on their back, they felt finally, finally free.
The End
Poll Opportunities