Kaisoo React: When S/O and they both bump heads together
When you and the boys both bump heads (get on each other’s asses) for something you both didn’t agree about and it turns out that it’s a bigger problem than you expected. Two/nine of a Reaction.
OT2:
Do Kyungsoo:
Being the King and Queen of Joseon- you weren’t full-blooded Korean. You were (Insert your Race) and that meant you didn’t exactly have a chance of ruling the kingdom even after Kyungsoo dies. Kyungsoo and you sat side by side as noblemen were sat down on the sides. Each village that came into the room was either a thief, murder, or a villager trying to get someone to sort their problems out. Yes, you read that right- villagers wanting a king to sort out their problems. No other kingdom in Korea did this but Joseon was the special and wealthiest place to be at yet it had tweaks to be made. This idea was yours to listen to villagers problems while he read and signed off of things; usually, you would agree with whatever Kyungsoo wanted to go on with an idea or an answer. One day the rain was terrible outside and everyone was off of their emotions either cranky, irritated, or tired. Kyungsoo and you were about to return to your chambers for the alone time until the guard came up to him, “Your Highness there is one more thief we must let you see before you and her majesty go to rest.”
Kyungsoo sighed but gave a fake smile “Fine, bring him through.” As he sat down a child came out with the rope tied around his small hands, looked around 11, he was dirty, looked beaten almost purple and red, somewhat bloody. “Park Minsoo he robbed from a few Villagers homes and small shops. We caught him in the act of picking from a jewelry stand- not only that but he destroyed a few things while trying to run away.” The guard bowed and shoved the little boy forward. Though Kyungsoo saw this a small case “Well, we can’t have thief’s in our kingdom, I sent him,” you cut Kyungsoo off. “Where are your parents Minsoo?” You asked. The boy looked frightened keeping his head low. “I-I don’t know... t-they left m-m..me and my sister in an f-foster home.” You felt sympathy for the poor boy. “So you steal for your sister and yourself,” the young boy nodded at your question.
“Well, we can't have you stealing and we certainly don’t want to imprison you.” Before you could continue Kyungsoo cocked his eyebrow “We can’t?” His voice went in one ear and other the other for you. “If I may remind you that I am king and that he needs to go to the cells or get whipped.” He scolded the young boy. You snapped your head at him with his big owl eyes and serious expression. “He is not going to be doing anything our purpose is to help and resolve not to kill. He hasn’t done anything that isn’t worth not fixing and that can’t be easily fixed.” You raised your voice turning away from him. A nobleman began to speak up “Your majesty, you still are foreign to our ways but please respect our custom to punishing our people.” Then all noblemen began to chanted not once but twice. This ticked you to stand up angrily. “Nothing will happen to this boy, he is now under my protection and if any of you do any action against him you will all be punished not by a whip or a cell but Burned on the mouths.” The noblemen kept their heads down silently. Kyungsoo and you never fought ... especially in front of other people. He kept a burning gaze on your entire body as you walked to the young boy and walked out. He was upset and angry but found it somewhat hot that he could’ve had you in bed with him before this boy even came in- that he would’ve made love to you yet now this felt like he had to hold it all in till later that night. He felt teased and he liked it.
Kim Jongin:
Times were tough being inside of castle that was trying to aid another country. Being a king was hard but being a queen was even harder. With a man being a king- you would never hear someone call him such a cruel name, yet if you were a queen- being a woman was the opposite. Rumors and names wouldn’t be a problem for servants and villagers to spread about. No one took the woman seriously and that is cold rude truth. You and Jongin were sitting out in the garden, waiting for your royal visitors to come and join you both. While doing so you both enjoyed your quiet time together.
Not being bothered was the best for you and your husband, Jongin, you both wouldn’t need to speak of such troubles but enjoy the sounds of castle children playing and each other’s ease breathing. As a few minutes passed- the royal guest came out, the king and Queen of France strolled arm in arm to the table. “Ahh, You are just on time my friend please sit,” Jongin cheered. “We can catch up and then have our courses for dining.”
As they joined you both you sat quietly not wanting to be a blabbermouth but kept all comments to yourself. Whether it was rude comments or polite words to either of them. “So Jongin, Have you found yourself a mistress yet?” The King spoke lightly on the subject. Jongin froze from surprise- he looked up with an arched eyebrow.
“A-a mistress?” He repeated back to the man.
“Yes, a mistress- I mean it must be stressed that you both are always busy I would’ve believed that you both would’ve had a mistress or Mister. I’m sure you both must get bored with each other in the bedroom.” He chuckled taking a sip of his cup.
“Excuse me?” You coughed “if I may remind you who’s castle you’re in. Alliance or not- that was disrespectful and low thoughted of you.” You looked away from the King and saw Jongin was in deep thoughts. This angered you- causing you to stand up and walk away with no goodbyes. Jongin chimed in as if on cue “ I think it’s best if you just stay for the royal party and then leave to Paris...” Jongin stood up and tried to chase after you.
Once he finally caught up to you he felt bad for not saying anything to him himself. “(y/n),” he called out yet you didn’t stop walking. “(Y/n) I’m sorry but why do you care so much of his word about a.... other?” He argued. As you walked into your private quarters together you snapped at him “Because it makes you look like as if you were really considering on a Mistress,” you backed away from his touch.
“Oh, my love... I would never,” Jongin was cut off as soon as you started to weep quietly. “My love...I would never do such a thing.” He runs to your side pulling you into his chest.
Royal!Au
Genre - Fluff, smut (not explicit smut)
Length - 5.6k
Pairing - Jongin x reader
requested by the amazing, the lovely @ninibears-erigom ♡
Fiery red streaks on his skin, sweat dripping down. You take a deep breath, mouth opening and closing to get in more air as he moves again. It’s tense, these sounds in the silent surrounding. Grunts and huffs ringing loudly. His body twists, while you bite your lip harshly to stay silent.
And then his sword is clashing with a loud ‘clank’ and you stand from your golden decorated chair, holding up your hand and trying to ignore it’s shakiness.
The mumbling crowd quiets down, and two deep dark eyes find your shape from beside you. He clears his throat, frown on his face and lips pursed. “My Queen,” the man next to you starts, and you turn to lock eyes with him now the fight is stopped, “does the duel not brush your enjoyment?”
You smile sweetly, clearing your voice, and bow your head a bit. “Of course it does, my King.” Your mind is running quickly, trying to process yourself what you just did and for what reason. You’ve always been quite good at talking yourself out of situations though. “I merely am afraid that bloodshed, on the day of your coronation, would bring bad luck. Perhaps we can continue the festivities without such a display, my Dearest.” You look back up at his stern gaze, watching as it softens slightly.
The King sighs and then waves his hand, and in an instant the two men in the clearing below you seperate. You look over for a second, glancing at the familiar face that is staring at you and the little smirk that comes to rest on his lips, and then sit back down in your throne, looking away. Public festivities have never been much of your liking, with all the obscene power displays and blight, though the glamour of it does spike a certain pride.
The crowd crashes closed like two warfronts crashing into each other when the King waves another hand, both parties congratulating each other and helping both knights clean up. You don’t dare look over at the halted duel again, and instead focus your attention on the tall figure who stands up beside you.
When your King helps you down the last of stairs with a nod, you instantly feel more comfort. You’re stood in soft green grass now, instead of elevated on the wooden stage behind you. The man in silver comes to join the pair of you instantly, helmet under his arm and sword in hand. His tanned skin is marked with small nicks from the countless fights, and dripping with sweat. He brushes his leather brown hair out of the way. “Your Grace.”
The King smiles now, lips forming a toothy grin, as he slaps the other on the shoulder. “You fought well, Captain.”
“Well,” the silver knights bows, and then glances over at you. “I could have fought even better if I were left to continue. Why the objection,Princess?” He smiles, brushing his wet hair away from his forehead with a teasing crinkle of his nose.
You huff, looking away from his adorable face to watch the Lords and Princesses in the yellow tent in front of you mingle. They swirl carefully together under the pretty structure, drinking and laughing in small groups. “I’m your Queen now, Captain Kim.” You try to hold your smile when he giggles, and turn to him. “And I’d hate to see the King’s loyal protector hurt, for what it’s worth.”
“She has a woman’s heart, Jongin. Cut her some slack.” The King smiles down at you, and takes of his crown to hand it to the squire waiting patiently beside him. He blinks down at you, and takes your hand carefully. “My Queen asks and she shall have her wish granted. Be grateful for your life.” He cocks his head at his friend.
Captain Kim smiles widely at his old friend, and lifts his eyebrow. “Be grateful for yours too, Your Grace. The Queen’s smile is beautiful without doubt, but even She cannot stop a raging army from harming you.”
“That’s why I have you, don’t I?” The King smiles, before walking into the crowded tent, and with a small bow, you follow behind. Jongin’s eyes follow your shape, you can feel it, and the thought of it sends shivers down your spine. While you walk, the King’s squire suddenly pops up next to you, his eyes locking with yours ever so briefly, before walking past you to aid his Lord.
You frown. You hate this game. Being royal, pretending to be grand and untouchable. Never knowing who to trust and who to keep a watch on. The squire though, you’ll have to look into him. There’s a strange feeling attached to the guy, and you’re not one to mistrust your gut. With a small sigh, you come to a halt at the back of the tent, careful not to ruin your pretty dress with streaks of grass.
Many Lords and Heirs and Princesses and Baronesses come to say their congrats, but none of them really call for your interest. It’s only when a very familiar silver Knight comes to stand next to you, that you’re pulled from dreamland to the present, and take another careful sip of your burgundy wine.
Jongin smiles, but keeps his eyes on the people in front of him. “I could have taken on that Lord without doubt, My Lady. Having you deny my hand was quite the interruption.”
“Oh, please. You know it was not you I was worried about.” You tutt your lips, and look over at the tall and handsome man next to you. “The poor South Iles kid hasn’t quite the experience you do. He deserves some mercy against your unmerciful swordsmanship.”
The Captain turns to you, plump lips pulled tight into a smile that makes his eyes disappear, and puts his hand on his heart dramatically. “You wound me, Your Grace. For a moment I thought you were worried for my safety.”
You lick your lips, and smile softly. “Never.”
You two stand in silence a while after that, while he puts his sword safely into the holster around his waist. Your eyes glide over the many faces, so many you recognize, and even more you don’t. Jongin swallows. “Can I expect you in my chamber-”
With wide eyes you turn to him, hand already on his lips. “Not here.” You mouth, before getting back into a respectable position before people can notice. With a shaky breath, you smooth down your dress, and look at the grass under your heels. “You know how to play this game, Captain. The rules shouldn’t be taken lightly.” Your voice is low. “You have to keep to the rules. I’m a Queen now, I have responsibilities to uphold.”
“Of course, My Lady. But if I recall correctly, you had those responsibilities as a Princess and that never seemed to stop you.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes as he speaks, but you can’t share the same amusement. He notices easily of course. “I’ll play by the rules, not to worry. Though it’d be nice to hear you at least say my name for once, Your Grace.”
You sigh, and look away, trying to hide the small blush creeping up when his hand comes to rest on the small of your back. “Captain, I don’t think you fully under-”
“Say my name, Y/N.” He calls, turning you to face him with a swift move. Your eyes go wide at his move, even more at the casual use of your name.
You keep his eyes for a long while, before lifting your eyebrow. “Make sure you don’t underestimate me, Kim Jongin.”
The Captain grins, before letting go of you and nodding coyly. “Never.” He gives you a small bow and then goes to catch up with some other guests, while you scan the room for your husband. His tall statue pokes out above almost everyone here, though he doesn’t have the same muscular build that Jongin has. Park Chanyeol was born into the crown, not fought into it. Either way, you don’t mind.
A soft voice clears next to you, and when you turn slightly you’re met with an equally gentle looking face. Sharp features, like many of the South Iles. The man with hair paled by the sun bows, before straightening up and placing a polite kiss on your knuckles. “Your Grace.” He smiles happily, a childlike joy on his visage even though he seems about your age. “Lord Baekhyun from Veladith, pleased to meet you finally, My Lady. It seems I have to thank you not only for this grand party but even more for still having my arm.”
You smile. “Oh, well, your Father wouldn’t quite be pleased that his son were to lose any of his limbs at the start of a new reign, I imagine. It was only natural to step in.” You glance over at the young man, where he stands quite small in the pretty gold and deep blue armour, colors of his house. Even with your denial, you didn’t step in to protect Lord Baekhyun, but looking at him now you’re even more glad that you did. Jongin would’ve been able to crush the other with his strength and experience.
“Still.” Lord Baekhyun smiles, bowing his head in gratitude. “Father has already sworn his allegiance to the new King, but now you also have our debt.” The young man smiles again, before bowing and backing away. “I’ll leave you to it now, Your Grace. The King seems to be in need of your assistance. Have a pleasant rest of your evening.”
You give your husband a nod, indictating you’re on your way, and quickly bow to Lord Baekhyun. “I intend on it, My Lord.”
***
You suck in a breath, feeling his lips trail down your neck hungrily, like a predator attacking feeble pray. No wonder his house is marked with the Lion’s sigil, you smile, tangling your fingers in his hair while he groans against your skin. Kisses are trailed down more and more, as his hands find your hips and push you more into the wall. “I- missed you -so much.” He brings out, your one hand already opening his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders.
Jongin looks up at you when his lips find the valley between your breasts, kissing more slowly there and pulling the skin between his teeth just a second. You yelp and glare down at him, but can’t stay mad for long when one of his hands slide up the inside of your thigh to wrap around him, his lower half pressing against yours. You’re sure that if this room were to have larger windows, they would have steamed up by now, with all the heat that swims between you two.
“My pretty little Princess.” You moan, tugging his hair and pulling his lips back up to yours, while your leg tightens around his waist.
You frown into the kiss, pulling him back. “I’m your Queen now, Jongin.” You barely finish his name or his lips are back on yours, molding and bending you to his shape. He breathes a laugh into your mouth, before pulling back with a grin.
“You’ve always been that beautiful lonely girl from high up in the palace to me, Princess. A change of title doesn’t make you any different.” His hands move to underneath your butt, and lift you from the floor against him, back to kissing your collarbones and chest. You huff and take off your top, before going for his again and pulling it all the way off too. His beautiful skin is marked with lots of little scars, it feels like every day more and more appear.
Your thin fingertips glide over the ones who stand out the most, one from his collarbone all the way down his chest and disappearing at his ribs, and one starting from the middle of his bicep all the way to his wrist. You breathe deeply, so much so that Jongin pulls back to regard you now you’ve stilled. “I know I don’t say it often, but I do worry about you. The most, above anyone else. And every day more of these lines appear and I- I just want you to stop. If I asked, not as your Queen or your Princess if you don’t feel like listening to them… instead as your lover… would you?”
Jongin swallows, deep eyes like coal finding yours intently. “I- I was born into this life, Your Grace.” The sureness in his voice makes you frown.
“Don’t ‘Your Grace’ me. You put so much importance on a name, then use mine as well.”
Jongin’s lips twitch at the fire of your words, and with a careful movement he brushes a strand of hair away from your face. “My Queen, Princess of Heartstead, … Y/N- My father was right hand and Captain of the Royal Protectors before me, and his father before him. If I were to quit, or run- I would bring unending shame upon my family name.”
“So you’d rather break every bone in your body and die by sword than sleep safely?” Your lip shakes, while your hands wrap around his neck to pull him close. Jongin smiles sweetly, and picks you up again, strong legs carrying you to the bed and putting you down there with featherlight touches. He sinks down before you, and presses kisses from your neck to your heart.
“I’ll sleep safely in your arms until fate calls for my name, my love.”
***
“Today’s a nice day, is it not, Dearest?” The King’s deep voice breaks the silence again, and you twist your neck quickly from the beautiful flowers back to him, with a smile.
“It certainly is, My King. The roses look splendid, this time of year.” You look over them again, deep red against pale green and the tan color of the palace walls in the far distance. “Beautiful.”
Chanyeol smiles, his toothy grin beaming warmth at you in a way that fills you to the edge. He walks over to one of the bushes and with a quick snap pulls one of the roses off, handing it to you. “Almost as beautiful as you.” It’s strange, you think, because you could have been happily married. You could have, in different circumstances.
King Chanyeol is smart and kind, handsome and he has a good heart but rules sternly. You could have had it so easy, if not for the fact that you grew up playing in the same dirt Jongin practiced archery on. The same gardens you chased each other in and stole each other’s first kisses. The same kitchens where you hid from the guards from with giggles when stealing cupcakes. The same lives when you were called for duty as a Royal born, and when he was pushed a sword to his chest, willing you both to grow up much quicker than you wish you would’ve.
Now you have to live with the guilt that comes with having an affair, so painfully in love that it makes you sick to your stomach. Jongin and Chanyeol have been friends a long time as well, and that hurts even more, because Chanyeol is a good person. If only he deserved to be hurt and lied to.
You take the rose with a gentle smile, breathing when you see a small drop of blood drip from the tip of his finger. You reach forward immediately, worry filling you. “You’re bleeding, My King.” Glancing over your shoulder, you catch eyes with one of the guards. “Get a rag.”
Chanyeol laughs softly though, his free hand closing over yours. “I’m not that easily defeated. It’s not even a scratch. You don’t have to worry, My Love.” At the nickname you swallow, looking over Chanyeol’s shoulder to watch Jongin as he looks away awkwardly.
Soon after, the King leads you to the middle of the gardens, followed in tow by the Knights that follow behind and the Squire as well. Many other faces are already present, many of which you recognize as the King’s advisors. Each man stands up at the sight of their King, and gives a deep bow. Most look surprised to see you there, much like yourself.
The King glances back at you though, while he takes a seat. “The Queen can be here if she wishes so.”
One of the councilman stands up though. “My King, I don’t-”
“The prospect of war is a serious topic, don’t you think, Councilman Yoo. Should the Queen not be informed about what is to happen to her people? She’s a bright woman, we might need her insight.” Chanyeol looks around the circle, where all men still at that, and then back. “You too, Captain. Even though I would love to say that I could dictate an entire fleet, I wouldn’t attempt it without your help.”
Jongin bows in response, glancing over at the King as he takes a seat around the table, and then back at you quickly. You sigh and take a seat at the table as well, looking over the big map of land spread out in front of you.
“We’re going to war?” You swallow, looking away from both men to run your finger along the edge of the map.
“Maybe. The North has been acting up.” Chanyeol nods, his raven black hair bouncing with the motion. “Though not if it is avoidable.”
***
“The King has requested you in his chambers, Your Grace.” The maid speaks, her eyes not meeting yours once. You nod and walk past her with a small thank you, before moving from your dressing room into the hall. Your shoes click on the smooth stone, sound fading out when you hold in front of the dark wood of The King’s door.
Carefully, you place your knuckles against the wood, and suck in a breath. You aren’t often requested to visit your husband this late at night. It sends a strange feeling to your stomach. You push open the heavy door slowly, peeking around the corner. Heat from the burning fire in the middle of the room blasts towards you when you step inside.
The King is sunken into his chair, and swirls a deep maroon drink in his glass, eyes heavy and dark. It doesn’t become him, and you find your distrust morphing to worry quite quickly. You lift your dress and rush over to his side, kneeling beside his chair. “My King, are you alright? You look exhausted.”
Chanyeol’s eyelids flutter at the sound of your voice, before his sighs with a laugh. One set in his jaw, not reaching his eyes in the slightest. You swallow. You’ve never seen this look before, but you know one thing, and it’s not good. He takes another swing of his wine, before slamming it down onto the table harder than intended. His eyes find yours then, while he laces his fingers together on top of his belly. With a frown he cocks his head towards the table.
You look over confused. There’s an opened letter on the table, that you take with a confused look. Chanyeol doesn’t speak, patiently waiting as you look at it, though the frown on his face doesn’t change. Soon, your expression morphs into one of fear though.
‘... furthermore, concerning the newly wed of the equally newly crowned King.
Her Grace, The Queen, has been unfaithful and adulterous in her trusted position, as she has been deceivingly meeting another man in her own time, according to many of my private witnesses…’
You drop the letter out of shock, tears welling up when Chanyeol looks up at you. His eyes are filled with hurt and pain, months of lying straight to his face catching up now and your guilt sinks so heavy that you might slip through the stone floors entirely. The King laughs again, though you can almost feel the hurt, the accusation that lies beneath it. “You know… I should have expected it. Should have known and yet- I’ve always been an awful fool when it comes to a woman’s love. Out of everyone though, I would have expected it from you the least, Y/N.”
You pull your bottom lip into your mouth, and blink sadly. “It’s not what it seems like, Your Grace. And for what it’s worth, all the times we spent together I genuinely enjoyed with all my heart-”
“Who is it?” He cuts in, suddenly sounding terribly tired.
Your throat catches when you speak. “Jongin. Ever since we were kids, it’s always been Jongin. I never meant for this to happen, to lie and cheat and hurt people, but my father and mother had different plans for a Princess. Forgive me, My King.”
Chanyeol laughs again, this time not even hiding the bitterness as he looks at the ceiling. “Of course it is. And I guess you expect me to keep him from battle?”
You look up, eyes wide. “My Lord?”
“I said, I guess you expect me to keep him from battle?”
“I have no expectations, Your Grace. Though if not for this situation I would have pleaded for it, yes. I’ll sink on my knees in front of you if that meant keeping him safe.” You swallow heavily, and bow your head as well.
Chanyeol stands from his chair suddenly, as you fall backwards. His eyes glide over your shape and face once, as his own twists in pain for a second, before every emotion is wiped off. “He’ll lead the attack on the Northerners and fight for his King and his Kingdom, bury his sword into every enemy chest until they are all defeated or die for the cause. And after that, if he is still standing, he’ll swear never to touch or kiss you again, or I’ll have his head.”
With that, he walks out of the room and leaves you on the floor in silence, while your tears pull streaks down your flushed cheeks.
***
“I don’t want you to go!” You shout, putting down the necklace you just received as a present on the windowsill next to you. “And I don’t want your goodbye gift either. I want you to run, with me. We can go, take two horses and leave at nightfall, cross the border. No one would find us.” You beg, trying to keep your hands from shaking and tears from falling.
Jongin swallows and runs his hand through his fingers. “And go where exactly, My Queen? That they even know about us at all means that this palace is littered with spys. Of course it is, no one from the Capital is trustworthy. We’d be dead even before the King’s men found us.” He takes your hand into his, and sighs. “Oh, my love, I’m sorry. I should have never come, never let you get married. But now it’s too late, alright? I’ll have to reap what I’ve sown.”
“But I don’t want you to go.”
Jongin presses a kiss on the crown of your head, and nods. “I don’t want to either.”
***
It’s at dinner that you notice something is up. Everyone looks tense, more than normal, and the King’s squire has an almost pale blue hue to him. You glance at the guards situated at the door, back at the councilmen around the table happily eating, and over at the King, who sits, while with a frown, next to you.
The room is completely silent apart from the sounds of people chewing and cutting, but still the room feels strange in a way that you are not used to. Chanyeol’s eyes seem heavy, from the restless nights you know he’s been having, and he raises his hand. “More wine, please.” He mumbles.
The squire rushes forward on his command, and fills the cup again, before stepping back carefully. His young face is smoothed out, but in a split second, you catch the flick of his eye. They flick to one of the councilmen as if in question, and there comes a tiny nod from the other. You’re up and pulling the glass away from the King’s lips as quickly as the coin drops.
The entire room quiets down at the sudden move and loud noise of your chair clattering to the floor, guards on high alert. Chanyeol most of all, looks with wide eyes. You look at the glass in your hand, the deep liquid smelling ever so sweet and mostly alcoholic, and then at the squire, who stands shaking in his boots because of the sudden move. His small voice breaks the silence. “Is the wine not to your choice, Your Grace?”
Ever so slowly, you walk over to the young man, cup held tightly between your fingers. When you come to a halt before him, his pale blue hue has now changed to a slight green. You clench your jaw, and look his square in the eye. “Drink.”
Now Chanyeol stand up from his seat too, while the squire colors even more green against his red outfit. “This is ver- very expensive w-wine, Your Grace. T-To waste it on a squire would be-”
“Your Queen said to drink the wine.” Chanyeol’s deep voice rings from beside you. “You will drink if she commands.”
There’s a tense silence in the room, one where you don’t think he’ll move, and then he brings the cup to his lips. He throws back a bit of it, before handing the wine back to you. Everyone stays quiet for a moment, where the young man smiles defiantly. And then he gasps, his pupils blowing out and within seconds, he’s panting on the stone floor while guards rush forward.
With a both disbelief and confusion filled expression you step back, legs suddenly shaky at the thought of what could’ve happened. It’s only a dozen days after His Grace crowing as King. A dozen days, and there’s already been a murder attempt. You look around the room dazed, trying to spot Jongin. He was right, the Capital is full of snakes. And you’re married to the most important man in all the lands. You’re suddenly overwhelmed more than ever with the idea of what this means, the full weight that you are carrying.
Chanyeol’s hand comes to rest on the small of your back, turning you towards him. “Are you okay?” Before you can even answer, he’s pulled you into an embrace, one that feels more comforting than anything else right now. Into his soft gown you tangle your fingers to keep them from shaking, and take a deep breath.
“Arrest Councilman Myrx, Your Grace.” You whisper, before backing away and looking around the room. Jongin’s eyes are wide when they find yours, his stance totally defensive as he looks over the now lifeless body sprawled on the tiled floor. He rushes to your side, before looking up at his King and bowing deeply.
“Forgive me, My King. I was stationed outside the dining room at request of some of the Councilmen, who had gotten a letter of a threat. I should have been more observant.” He speaks loud and clear, no sound of worry in his voice but you can see clearly in his eyes that it swims everywhere.
Chanyeol nods. “I had- someone to look out for me, Captain.” His dark eyes glide over yours a second, and you swear instead of the anger of yesterday has transformed into gratitude. The King then looks back at his old friend. “Councilman Myrx, you are hereby under arrest for the attempted murder of the King you swore loyalty to.”
***
You pull your hair tight and keep your head low, the cloak covering as much of your body as possible. It’s cold out, almost freezing but there’s a fire burning in your soul more fiery than that which the dragon breathes. You’re getting out of here, and you’re doing it tonight. After the attempted murder of the King, Jongin fell into a deep fear that you might be next. A fear you, for more reason than one, felt yourself as well. He had talked of worry countless times that night, but came to a conclusion that you would run, together, with him.
Treason, of course, but only if you’re caught. And with the help of some gold and silver, the stable master was easy to pursue and not ask questions. You look around the dark stable, feeling the breathing of the black mare beneath your fingertips. It’s as if she too is nervous. Jongin has gone to get the last of your supplies, those still residing in the hallway of the palace and it’s this that brews fear in your heart.
But to your relief, a soft voice cuts through the silence in the dark. “You know,” he starts. You freeze entirely. That’s not Jongin. “I guess it’s only appropriate I find you here, sneaking around at the edge of the palace walls just as I’m taking a stroll.” Chanyeol walks out of the darkness into the tiny illuminated circle that your candle provides.
Your voice disappears entirely as you look at him, his raven hair messed up and his clothes tossed on haphazardly on what must be a late night walk. “Your Grace-”
Chanyeol sighs deeply when that is all you bring out, his eyes on the floor and his foot playing with a little strand of hay. “I might have been born into the throne, but I wasn’t born into this life.” He sighs, putting his big hand on the back of the horse, so he’s standing right in front of you. “I don’t think anyone is. Though, how unfortunate they might be, don’t you think we should carry out our names?”
“It’s not what it looks like, Your Grace. I was-”
“I won’t stop you.” He sighs, looking over you from feet to eyes. “I wanted to, but decided against it. Why do you think the entire Royal guard is keeping watch inside the palace tonight, instead of at the walls?”
You take in a breath, and take his hand. “Thank you, Chanyeol.”
“I got to keep my life because of you, it’s only fair you get a shot at the life you want at the hands of me.” He nods, before bowing slightly. “Farewell, My Queen. Ride far and quick, and no one shall come after you.”
You nod, now hearing footsteps close in and a familiar tone call your name softly. The King disappears into the darkness again, and a true gratefulness fills you when Jongin comes from around the corner. He sighs, before putting the last of the bags on the second horse, and walking over to you. His hands find your shoulders quickly and his lips your forehead.
“My love, my Princess. I was worried that some of the guards might come back outside, but they all seem stationed inside the palace tonight.”
You nod and smile, pulling him close as you bury your face into his chest. “That’s curious.” When you pull back, there’s a glint in your eyes, but Jongin doesn’t ask. “Let’s ride now, my love.”
***
“Do you miss the palace?” The deep voice beside you questions, as he sinks into the soft chair next to yours.
You think about it a little, but the answer is already at the tip of your tongue. “No, surprisingly. It’s calm here, and pretty beyond belief.”
Jongin smiles down at you, and takes your hand in his, glancing at the view you’re lost in. After leaving the palace you rode for a dozen days in total, careful never to reveal your identity to merchants or innkeepers. You might trust The King, but poor people would sell any information for a little money. Eventually though, the warmth of the dell the palace is built in, was changed for a cool breeze.
Now you have a perfect view of the widespread clearing on one side, a salty desert that people say leads to the end of the world, and the beautiful silver of the mountain range on the other. It strangely reminds you of- “Home.” Jongin nods, squeezing your hand softly. “It feels like a home, instead of a palace.”
You smile, and nod. “That’s good than because we’ll be needing one, Captain.” You brush your hands over your soft linen dress, and look back at the small white and wooden cottage. It’s not big, but you already adore it so much more than the wide open rooms of the palace and the multitude of servants.
Jongin gets up from his chair with a wide smile and pulls you up as well, holding you chest to chest. He giggles and kisses your pout, before picking you up entirely and twirling you around. He smiles up at you, and then with the softest expression, kisses your belly gently. “I won’t let anyone hurt my favorite people.” He mumbles, gently putting you down again so you can enjoy the sun.
You bite your lip. “Will you teach your daughter how to swordfight?”
Jongin’s eyes widen slightly, before going back to the same adorable moons. “How do you know it’ll be a girl?”
“A mother’s intuition, maybe? I don’t know.” You smile and sit back down in your cushioned chair, brushing your hand over your still flat belly. Jongin nods.
“I must be the luckiest man in the world. I don’t get one, but two Princesses.” He smiles again, before kissing your knuckles and the pretty diamond that sits there, and then your head. “I love you.”
“We love you too.” You nod. This is going to be the start of something good.
The ending is a bit rushed because I wanted to make this short but I guess I can’t write short one-shots anymore because this is more than 5k again so~ I could have taken the really angsty route but decided against it, yeey me!! Thank you for reading! ♡♡
The Price of Privilege - Part 2 (A Kyungsoo Series)
Genre: Romance Fluff/Angst/ Future Smut - Arranged Marriage / Royalty AU
Characters: Kyungsoo X You
Description: Your time has come to marry the man your family has selected to take your hand. As royalty these important matters are arranged for you, but when you meet your soon to be husband, he is nothing like you expected.
The Price of Privilege [M]: - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8 , part 9 , part 10 , part 11, part 12 , part 13 , part 14, part 15
Exactly how many days of the entire four month period could you spend locked in your room?
Two. The answer was two.
May had ventured out long before you even considered leaving your bed; having diagnosed you with some terrible mental illness brought on by stress, she left in search of a cure.
She came back with cake and after a few sugary bites you decided a shower was in order.
With the cake came news from the rest of the mansion that you stuck your nose up at, refusing to hear anything about this terrible family that would raise a terrible son like the man you were betrothed to.
With the obvious plummeting of your mood since May had rescued you from that kitchen, she was certain that something awful had happened. But May, being May did not pry. She hugged you in your sleep and rubbed your back and brought you food and snacks and even offered to let you use her phone as much as you wanted to FaceTime with your sisters.
Eventually you needed some sun. Your room was on the south side of the home and neither the rising sun in the east, nor the setting sun in the west touched your windows or your face for that matter.
During one particularly low point, you considered hurling yourself out of the window, until you remembered that you were on the first floor and you would have only landed on a rose bush and confused a gardener.
“I need to get out of this house.” May was laying on her back with her legs up against the wall in what you were told was a yoga pose, but you figured she was just bored.
With your sudden announcement she sat up onto her butt, instantly awake and ready for whatever plan you had spent the last 8 hours hatching in your mind.
“Let’s go for a drive.” There was a new determination in your voice at the possibilities and you heard the doubt in her small hum of confusion.
“You don’t know how to drive.” She reminded you of the minor detail that slipped your mind during your madness and you groaned.
She was right. You didn’t. And you knew that she didn’t either. Plus neither of you had a car.
Unless…
Your mind was spinning in a dangerous direction. Perhaps you had gone insane from cabin fever, but you leapt up from the bed and rushed to the dresser next to your bed and pulled the drawer open.
Inside of that drawer was a key.
A familiar key with a fancy symbol that you knew well from your father’s car collection.
“Do I need to remind you that you don’t know how to drive?” May spoke up again, her voice betraying a slight panic that was absent the first time she asked you.
“I watched a YouTube video once. I think I can figure it out.” Of all the bad ideas you had had in your life–
May was hot on your heels as you quickly made your way down the hallway toward the direction of the front door. Sitting inside your room staring out the window as you gave in to your melancholy self pity had afforded you a bit of time to observe the way the home functioned. You were certain that you knew the direction ot the garage and you had definitely seen what you were sure was a fancy ass black Maserati headed in that direction merely hours before.
Only minutes after you saw it leave, it had returned traveling faster than you thought was safe to drive in such a closed space as was this driveway.
You briefly wondered where he had been meaning to go, only to turn right around and head back home. You then scolded yourself for even having any thoughts about him in the first place.
The only thought that concerned you right now, was that that car was inside of that garage right now.
“I, May Kim, would like to go on the record and state that this is a bad idea. This is happening against my advice and I have tried my hardest to stop her–” May was speaking to her phone as she held it up to her face, recording a video with the time and the date that this event was happening, to cover her ass should the inevitable bad bad thing happen once you sat behind the wheel of that car and turned it on.
The garage door was closed.
Locked from the outside. You paced back and forth on the crisp clean cement in front of the rows of closed garage doors and looked for some sort of handle.
Perhaps it was motion activated? A little dance in front of the door did nothing and you looked down at the key in your hand, opting to press the buttons to see if they did anything.
Although the door didn’t open with the first button you tried you definitely heard a beep from somewhere inside of the garage.
Another button caused another sound. The deep rumble of an engine starting up on the other side of the door and you quickly pushed that button again to turn the car back off. The other buttons on the key did nothing useful from this side of the closed garage door and you dropped your hands to your side in frustration.
When you looked back up you caught a sound. A whirling and sliding metal sound and you stared in wonder as the garage door slowly lifted and disappeared up at the top of the garage, opening up to an empty space with the slick chrome grill and black hood of that same fancy black car you had seen driving around the driveway earlier today.
Next to the car…May stood with her hands on her hips and a look on her face that gave away the mischievous eyes of your best friend. Your eyes followed where she shrugged and pointed; the door to the side of the garage that she had simply opened and walked through.
“If you kill me…I’ll kill you,” she said and you smiled the first genuine smile you had felt on your face in days.
You knew enough about how cars worked to get the car into drive, with your foot planted securely on the brake. You knew you should keep your hands at 10 and 2. And you knew a seat belt was a must.
What you didn’t know, was just how fast that engine would push the second you placed your foot on the gas pedal.
Perhaps you pressed on the gas a little too hard, but this was a learning experience right? There was a loud squeal of tires and even the look of what seemed to be steam coming from somewhere behind the car. And you were clear of the garage entrance much too quickly with the horizon in front of you coming at you very very fast. You knew there was a tree somewhere ahead and you knew that you should stop the car before that got too close, right?
You screamed and May screamed and when you pressed on the brake pedal, you found yourself half on the cement of the driveway in front of you, half off the cement into the well manicured grass and bushes that lined the driveway.
That bush would probably not survive. But the tree was still relatively far away and you took a deep breath, put the car into the R position and lightly, pressed on the gas again.
“You need to turn the wheel and follow the driveway,” May was speaking from the passenger seat and you noticed she had the glove box open as she leafed through the user manual for the car.
A glance down at her lap showed the page she had opened to was the section on the extensive safety features the car offered.
You had made it down the long and curving driveway at an achingly slow pace, now terrified to press too hard on the gas you noticed that the car seemed to move on it’s own quite nicely without even having to use the gas. Perhaps you could reach your destination like this….just going slowly. You didn’t bother reminding yourself that you didn’t have any actual destination.
The gate was closed ahead of you and you noticed two guards look up as you slowly approached.
You could see their faces getting closer and closer. They looked at each other for a long while as they simply waited for the car to reach where they stood and you braked hard enough to throw you and May forward into the seat belts as they approached.
The first button you tried on the door panel locked the doors around you. The second one didn’t seem to do anything and the third button you tried sent the driver’s side window down smoothly.
The one guard on your side leaned his head down as he looked at your face. His eyes glanced over the car quickly and you saw his eyes glance over at May who sat silently in the passenger seat next to you. You gripped the steering wheel and kept your foot on the brake, trying your hardest to keep your expression completely calm and casual.
“Your Highness,” the guard spoke up finally and his eyes were looking at the other guard on the other side of the car.
“Open the gate.” The authority in your voice was familiar and you saw him stiffen slightly as he heard it.
His eyes glanced at the other guard again and you felt a wave of something flood your senses. They were communicating to each other – about you – with their eyes.
You felt a sinking feeling when you saw the guard on the other side of the car reach for a radio on his belt. In a low voice he began speaking too silently for you to hear and you turned your attention on the guard at your window.
“What is the meaning of this? Open the gate. That’s an order. Do you know who I am?” You felt your temper rising with their stubborn inaction and his eyes flinched hard with your words. He definitely knew who you were and you could see the struggle on his face at having to disobey you.
He was working on someone else’s orders though. That much was obvious.
“I’m afraid I cannot let you leave alone. I have only been authorized to allow you to leave in the company of the prince.”
The prince. The prince–Your prince. It didn’t take a fucking genius for you to figure out which prince he was talking about, but what you couldn’t quite grasp here was why.
Why would Kyungsoo give the guards such an order? He hated you. He wanted nothing to do with you, why on earth would he want to go anywhere with you?
You heard the sound of an engine behind you, pushing hard. The sound grew closer the longer you sat still trapped in front of this closed gate with two very alive, very real human guards standing directly in front of your two tires. No matter how you thought about it, this was a situation that would end badly unless you simply gave up and returned back to the home.
The sounds of the engine grew closer until in the rear view mirror showed you the image of a white sedan racing up the driveway, moving closer and closer at a shockingly fast pace. You closed your eyes hard and flinched just as you heard the squealing of brakes behind you. You braced for the impact. You were sure it would hit, but your racing heart was met with only the sound of a car door slamming behind you.
“Get out of my car.” He was breathing hard and his face was red with anger as he stomped up to the open drivers side window.
Your heart pounded as you looked into the big round angry eyes of Do Kyungsoo and you reached your hand down to lift up on the lever that would close the window. It lifted…too slowly for your liking and you pulled harder, willing the stupid thing to close faster than it was.
Halfway up, it suddenly stopped and changed direction, heading back down again. You saw his arm moving through the open space of the window as he reached inside the cabin, coming for you and you screamed.
With genuine fear coursing through your chest, making your heart thump wildly, you curled up into yourself. Instinctively protecting your face and chest, you pounded against his arms as they tried to reach for something.
You heard the sounds of May screaming as well and Kyungsoo was practically laying over you through the open window. He was still reaching as May smacked him hard over and over with her purse and a moving sensation made you feel seasick.
You were rolling.
“Brake! Brake! Hit the fucking brake!” He was screaming in your ear and his arms were reaching around you trying to grab at the gear shift as May smacked him again and again. The sounds of men shouting around the car muddled your thoughts further.
You heard a clanking sound from somewhere in front of you. Then a metal scraping sound and a grinding clicking sound as the heavy breathing of the man who laid over your chest grunted and pulled at something inside the cabin.
The car stopped moving. You could feel the weight of his body on top of yours as he breathed in and out, warming you thoroughly with each breath.
Your hands were shaking just over your face, as you watched his side profile with his closed eyes, through the slits in your fingers.
You couldn’t see in front of the car because his face was in the way and your eyes zeroed in on his lips. They looked soft and they held your attention until you looked up a few inches and saw dark brown eyes glaring hard at you now.
“Did you just crash my car into the gate?” His voice was low and menacing so up close to your face and you shook your head as you winced.
“I don’t know, I can’t see through you.” You whispered, almost too afraid to use your voice at full volume. His eyes closed and he groaned, lifting himself off of you unceremoniously by plopping heavy hands against your thighs. He pushed and he grunted as he exited the window which he had somehow managed to climb almost entirely through.
And suddenly he was gone.
Without his heaviness sitting over your chest you could breathe deeply and your view of the front of the car was visible again. You saw the gate, pressed right up against the front of the car and a very clear bend against the bars of the gate. Not enough to really cause any damage to the gate, but the car had pushed hard against the bars causing them to give a bit.
Had you really crashed his car?
Kyungsoo had been crouched down somewhere up at the front of the car and when he stood up you saw him holding something in his hand.
It was a piece of the first bush you ran over when you first exited the garage.
His eyes glared up at you, hard and disbelieving and he tossed the shrubbery hard against the gate behind him.
He was back at the window with what you were sure was a twitch happening in his eye that he rubbed at quickly before he leaned down to look into your face through the window.
Your hand instinctively went back to the lever that would close it but you had tried that once and it didn’t work. Did it have some sort of a sensor that kept it open if someone was trying to climb through and murder you? That seemed like a flaw in the design of the car.
“Move.” He growled in a low voice and you nodded your head quickly as you unfastened the seatbelt and quickly climbed over the gear shift into the back seat.
May watched you with wide eyes as you moved before her attention shot back to the man who was reaching inside the door to unlock it.
“Oh fuck this,” she whispered and she was climbing through the space between the seats to join you in the back seat of the car. You felt her arms reach for you and wrap securely around your shoulders as she shook and trembled.
“You know that scene in the movies before the killer snaps and hacks his entire family to bits with an ax?” She was whispering into your ear as she stared at the man who was sitting completely unmoving in the driver’s seat of his car.
You could see his shoulders slowly rising and falling and his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly enough to turn his knuckles white, but he wasn’t moving outside of that.
The guards were watching him through the windows and they must have seen something in his eyes because you saw one of them move to the gate control box and press on something.
The gate opened outward with a squealing, grinding sound and you felt a small thump that shook the car. The silent man in the driver’s seat took a deep breath and griped the steering wheel harder.
When the gate was completely free of the car’s path you felt a definite sense of dread that had you pulling on your seatbelt in the back seat, buckling it securely. May did the same with her eyes wide on you and she reached for your hand.
His hand moved to the center, shifted faster than you had ever dared and your head flew back into the plush headrest behind you as the car leapt forward at an alarming speed.
Was this it? Was this how you were going to die?
He was driving fast enough to send your head swimming with the rapid motion and you felt yourself shifting around the seat with each fish-tailing turn the car took. Although you were buckled in, you still felt your body sliding no matter how hard you tried to stay still. He was just driving too fast.
“Umm..K-Kyungsoo?” You called out from the backseat. The window was still down and the rushing of air was making your hair fly around your face, into your eyes and mouth. May had both of her hands over her face as she curled up into a ball in the back seat.
“T-This wasn’t May’s fault…You’re scaring her.” You said a little louder, hoping to maybe talk some reason into this man.
“Can you slow down a little bit?” He didn’t respond to your words, nor did he slow down and despite the unstable anger you could obviously feel coursing through his body through his actions behind this wheel, you also got a sense of something else.
He was a good driver, and this was a well built machine that seemed to handle the twists and the curves very well. The longer he drove, the more you let go of your tight grip around the shoulder strap of your seat belt and gave in to the movements of your body as you slid around the back seat.
After a while you heard a deep sigh from him that made you look up again into his profile that you could see quite well from the back passenger’s seat. May had been staring ahead of her at the back of his head for some time now and she looked pale and almost green from all the movement.
He flinched and the window rose, blocking out the noisy wind and as it closed you felt a change. The interior of the car settled into a silence that soothed the wild thumping inside your chest and you worked at smoothing the mess that was made of your hair. After a few attempts you deemed it impossible. You were thoroughly fluffed by now and you’d just have to live this way from now on.
The sounds of the engine, deep growling thundering sounds that had been pushed very hard for a while now were slowing down, smoothing out just like the wrinkles in your skirt that your palms ran over.
“So where are we going?” You couldn’t help the casual tone. The crisis seemed to be over now and you were out of that house, seeing the town now. He drove away from the scenic views that decorated the miles and miles near the mansion and closer to civilization. You saw homes and businesses and the buildings were growing taller and closer together.
There was a red light in the road and he blended in with the traffic as he slowed down, changing lanes quickly before reaching the light he pulled the vehicle to a steady stop that hardly caused you to rock at all.
He was watching the red light in front of him with a dazed look.
“I was going to the river to throw you both in,” his voice was low and trance-like, “but May didn’t do anything wrong.”
May nodded her head slowly with her eyes wide. He couldn’t see her nodding at all from the back seat as she completely agreed with everything he said.
“But if I just threw you in, she would be a witness.” He was still talking as the light changed and May shook her head in response to his reasoning. She looked so ready to turn on you at the thought of surviving that you scoffed in annoyance.
“She was the one who got into the garage,” you said and her wide eyed expression turned on you. She gasped loudly at you and covered her open mouth with her hand. You glared at her for being a traitor vowing to remember this moment when Christmas came around.
He was driving again. This time at a much more reasonable speed and you caught the movement of his jaw as he chewed at the inside of his lip. He took another turn and pulled into a parking lot of a busy shopping center and put the car in park.
When you looked around you noticed how crowded it was. Patrons milled around in front of shops selling food and a man in a brightly colored suit was handing out flyers as people walked by.
“Do either of you have any money?” Kyungsoo had turned around to face the back and you noticed the anger you had seen in his eyes since your arrival was suddenly gone.
“Like cash? I don’t carry cash,” you said and you looked over at May who was pulling out the wallet she always carried with her.
“You have your card,” she said, pulling it out of the center of the wallet.
This was news to you and you looked down at the black piece of plastic that had your name embossed on it. She held it out to you and you saw it vanish instantly as it was grabbed by the man who sat on the front seat.
“I’m hungry and you owe me.” He said with a bounce of his eyebrows on his face. He turned forward in the seat again and slowly unfastened the seatbelt. Why was he going so slow?
His eyes seemed to be focused on the people on the sidewalk. Every now and then someone would look at the car and you wondered if he hesitated because of who he was, or because he didn’t want to go outside and see what damage you had done to his precious car.
“Do you want me to go get the food?” May was speaking up from the back seat and Kyungsoo turned at the sound of her voice. He kept his eyes trained on the crowd of people.
“You know it’ll cause some publicity if you are seen out in public…I’ll go get food.” May held her hand out over his shoulder, palm up and after a moment he nodded and pointed to the small cafe to the left of the ice cream shop.
“I’m not picky. But nothing with coriander.” He said and May closed her fist around the card he laid on her hand.
May was out the door and you stared into the profile of the silent man. His fingertips drummed lightly on the steering wheel and you heard him whisper a word to himself. His jaw clenched down and he shifted in his seat.
“Junmyeon said you had a black card. Why did you need mine?” The question wasn’t accusatory at all, you were merely curious about this strange behavior.
“Uhh–” he began hesitantly, as if the idea of having an actual civil conversation with you was against his rules.
“I….lost it.” His confession was small and quiet and he cleared his throat immediately after he answered your question.
“So just call them for a replacement.” You were confused. Didn’t he call the dealer to get a new key for this car? Why couldn’t he just get another card?
“No, they took it from me. I have to do something to earn it back.” You weren’t quite following. It felt as if he was being purposefully vague but then again, this was Kyungsoo, so that was probably exactly what was happening.
He shifted in his seat again and you could see his knee bouncing up and down.
He turned and began digging through the center console storage and from inside he pulled out a single bill. It wasn’t enough for lunch but he turned to look at your face for a moment.
His eyes were softer now. More so than you had imagined was possible and you saw the tiny twitch at the sides of his pretty mouth as he looked at you.
“Will you go get me an ice cream? Umm…this should be enough right?” You looked down from his tempting eyes to the single bill he held out.
How the hell should you know?
Your response was a confused shrug and his eyes closed for a moment before he shook the bill at you again.
“You owe me,” he said and you rolled your eyes hard as you grabbed the bill from his fingers.
When you stepped out of the car the sunlight was shining brighter than you had expected. That car was tinted very darkly it seemed and a glance back proved this point when you were completely unable to make out the shape of him as he sat inside the vehicle.
The line for the ice cream shop was moving quickly and you glanced up at the prices, realizing that you had no clue what kind of ice cream he wanted.
You opted for a vanilla cone. You had just enough cash to cover it and who didn’t like vanilla? He even said himself that he wasn’t picky.
You turned with the cone in your hand, ready to head back to the car when you noticed a small crowd gathered outside of the ice cream shop.
You tried to push through it and the loiterers moved aside easily enough. The travel was slow but eventually you made your way through warm bodies, enough to find the source of the commotion.
Do Kyungsoo…Prince Do Kyungsoo was out of his car. He was leaning against the hood, his legs concealing what seemed to be a small dent and a scratch in the grill of the fancy Maserati. You noticed that both of the headlights were cracked yet he wasn’t fussing and fretting about the damage to his precious car. He was simply leaning against the car with a calm look on his face as he smiled and nodded sweetly to the small group of people gathered.
A few had their phones out as they took pictures and videos of the elusive Prince who rarely ever made public appearances, yet who now stood bravely for all to see in front of this crowded ice cream shop.
His eyes were flitting over the crowd slowly until he found your face and his smile faltered just a touch.
Until it widened further, quite forcefully, if you were being honest.
You hadn’t seen that before. The full, breathtaking smile of this man. You froze under the weight of it. Had he always had that smile? How could it transform his face so entirely?
You knew you had to move. People were watching and you began to make sense of their whispers, the longer you stood frozen with this ice cream cone in your hand.
“There you are,” he said softly and you nearly dropped the cone. He moved quickly, closing the distance between you and him and he reached for the frozen treat. You heard a giggle from his chest and his eyes were on yours, much closer now.
The crowd gasped.
’That’s the princess!’
’The rumors are true. He’s getting married!
The murmurs grew louder and closer and you felt his hand grip around the ice cream cone and pull it out of your clumsy fingers.
“Thank you for the ice cream,” He smiled and your eyes zeroed in on his lips as he opened them, sticking his tongue out to lick at the melting sides of the cone.
“Mmm,” he moaned softly and lifted his eyes up to look into yours.
“Want a taste?”
Your voice wasn’t working. He was too close and you watched as he licked the cone again, pulling the white cream between those lips before he swallowed and licked his bottom lip again.
You felt hypnotized. Why did he have to be so attractive? Why couldn’t you have been promised to the old geezer prince with the crooked teeth and bald head?
A warning was sounding at the back of your head. An annoying buzzing that you knew you should probably listen to, but he was moving again and you felt his arm swing around your shoulder and he pulled you close to himself.
“Be careful, there are lots of people here.” His voice whispered against your ear and that alarm blared louder.
Your memory flashed back to the car. Right before he asked you to get the ice cream he had said something to himself. Something that you hadn’t really understood at the time but this…this was wrong. This wasn’t the Kyungsoo who glared at you with hate filled eyes mere moments earlier, but…
But he was warm around your shoulder. And he smelled amazing. The kind of manly smell that tickled your nose nicely and you could see yourself giving in to him much too easily. The dumb kind of easy that would forgive and forget just for one glimpse of that smile again.
The crowd was saying something now, and he was working them. The shy smiles and laughter echoed out from his chest and he lifted his hand to wave them away. Their chant didn’t end and he turned to you with pink cheeks and an embarrassed grin.
As you looked around at the smiling faces, many with their phones out taking videos you could feel your own face burning.
“It would be over faster if you just did it,” he said softly against your ear and his warm cheek brushed against yours.
His brows lifted and you heard the word the crowd had been saying as clear as day.
’Kiss Kiss Kiss!’
He dipped his face and tapped on his cheek once with his finger tip.
’I have to do something to earn it back.’
His words in the car. The word ‘publicity’ that May had said before she left, and him repeating the word again to himself as he debated. The privileges that had been slowly taken away from him for his disagreements with this marriage. The frustration you had seen in the erratic driving you saw out of your bedroom window. Him trying to leave, him being refused at the gate and returning angry and desperate.
It wasn’t his orders for you both to leave together. He was being punished for the dissent.
“You don’t want to do this Kyungsoo.” You said quietly and you saw the smile flinch. His eyes locked into yours and you saw a new emotion. This was a frantic one.
The ice cream cone fell and splattered on the sidewalk and that emotion flared in those eyes. Desperation.
“You owe me,” he said and you swallowed away your nerves at the public display. You lingered on the look of utter desperation in his eyes and you told yourself that this man was going to be your husband soon. If he needed this to live with it, then you would do it.
You nodded once and he turned his head again, his cheek just centimeters from your lips you leaned in close, lips pursed for the kiss and you closed your eyes as you waited for the warmth of his soft cheek.
Your surprise caught in your throat when you didn’t feel his cheek, but felt the quick shift he made as he turned his head and caught your lips with his own.
You opened your eyes in an instant and you saw his face, too close. You felt his hands slip around your waist and pull you into his warmth and you heard the frantic squealing and screaming of the crowd around you.
You were right.
His lips were soft.
You felt the warmth of his breath as he exhaled through his nose and your eyes drifted under the weight of this gravity. His palms were hot at the small of your back and when his lips moved you relaxed your own.
Was this how a kiss should be? God knows you had countless fantasies to refer back to, but this felt…better.
His soft flesh gave in to yours, until he moved his mouth and you felt the light suction against your bottom lip. Was it possible to freeze a moment? How could you remember this forever?
His lips were gone too quickly. Your eyes were still closed when you were pulled roughly by the arm. The sweetness you had felt in that kiss was a distant memory and your legs stumbled to keep up with where you were dragged.
“Sorry everyone,” his voice was echoing out from further away from where you were headed and you looked into the angry face of the person who opened the back door of the sleek black car and pushed you inside.
“…please keep our first kiss a secret just between us.” Kyungsoo was still addressing the crowd and May was climbing into the backseat next where she had pushed you roughly inside.
“Don’t–” May was in your face now with her finger raised and her eyes wide and scolding, “–don’t look at him like that. He’s evil and he is using you to get his credit card back. That wasn’t real.”
It wasn’t real?
Of course it wasn’t real. None of this was real. This was an arranged marriage. Your stupid heart thumped loudly in your chest and you smacked at your sternum trying to control that response.
With a noisy grunt, Kyungsoo climbed back into the driver’s seat of his car and started the engine back up.
You stared ahead into the empty passenger seat back, trying not to dwell on the taste of his lips.
The silence inflated all around the inside of the car and you heard him clear his throat from the front seat.
“That should do it,” he said quietly, talking to himself and you heard a small chuckle that May scoffed at loudly.
He ticked his head in response to the noise she made and you saw the grin on his lips.
“Oh come on,” he said into the suffocating silence of the vehicle and you crossed your arms over your chest, feeling the mood taking over your whole body.
Neither you nor May offered any response and he turned to face you both, glancing between your faces.
“It’s not like that was her first kiss–” he was looking at May as he spoke and you felt a lump in your throat forming. You cleared it away noisily and looked out the window, trying to get your face to cool down some before he looked at your face.
May wasn’t looking at him and you caught his expression changing from the corner of your eye.
His eyes widened so much you thought they would pop right out of his head and he looked at you with his lips parted.
“Oh shit, it was?” His conclusion had been reached by your silence and you were pretty sure your ears and your neck were bright red with the way they were burning.
“At your age?” He laughed once, loud and mocking sounding and he quickly covered his mouth with his hand. The laughter felt like a slap in the face and you wished for a hole you could crawl into.
“Just drive.” May’s voice was menacing.
“Listen, I just needed my card back. It’s never going to happen again,” He spoke casually as he put the car into reverse and backed out of the parking spot. “–Got that, Princess?”
Never before had your title grated on your ears in such an obnoxious way. Never before had you hated someone so completely deep inside your soul that the very sound of his laughter made you want to kick him right in the teeth.
You pried your eyes away from him, but not before you caught the way he licked his lips once more, lightly tapping against his own bottom lip with his fingertips, you saw the way he pursed them against his index finger.
Through the entire ride home, your mind’s intrusive thoughts pushed those soft lips against your own again and again, and your stomach fluttered with the butterflies that you knew would eventually turn into rocks at the bottom of your gut.
Because his lips were soft.
And you were a damn idiot.
The Price of Privilege [M]: - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8 , part 9 , part 10 , part 11, part 12 , part 13 , part 14, part 15
