Irresponsible
@augustwritingchallenge Day 8: Medival
Words: 960
Fandom: Steven Universe
Ships: Kevin/Jamie
Warnings: kidnapping, blood, injury, power imbalance
The castle hall was dark; the only dim light came from the torches on the walls.
A cold draft blew through the hall as Kevin stepped into the corridor, cold stone tapping under his feet.
"Come here often?" He smirked and walked up behind Jamie, startling him. Blushing, Jamie turned to look at him, biting the inside of his cheek. "Can I help you, your royal highness?"
"I don't know; can you?"
"Can I?"
Laughing to himself, he grabbed Jamie's hand and pulled him away from his post, into the courtyard. Red-faced, Jamie stumbled after him, almost dropping his sword. "Your Highness!"
"Yeah, what?"
"I can't leave my post."
"Sure you can; you just did." Kevin kept his grip on his hand, grinning wide. "Besides, who's going to stop me? I'm in charge here."
"This is still irresponsible..." he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing!"
"No, I heard you say something." Leaning his head on Jamie's shoulder, he wrapped his arms around his waist. "About how irresponsible I am?"
"No, I didn't!"
"Yeah, you did," smirking, he pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Don't worry about it."
"...your highness." Bright red, Jamie looked away and started to fidget with his coat. "This is highly inappropriate."
"I won't tell." Loosening his grip, Kevin turned to stare into the pond, watching a frog jump in. "..."
"Did...did I do something wrong?" Gingerly, Jamie touched his arm, making him bristle.
Wind blew through their hair, and a folded paper fell out of Kevin's pocket.
It was creased and rustled as Jamie opened it, revealing a missing poster. "Is this—?"
"Mhm."
"Oh," he took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
"Oh yeah?"
Smiling softly, Jamie nodded and leaned back into him, resting his head on his chest. "Yeah."
"Mmm." With an unusually soft tone, he mumbled something into Jamie's hair. "That's why you're my favorite."
The night was cool as they stood in silence, bugs floating on the surface of the pond.
Moonlight reflected off the buttons of Jamie's uniform, glinting as he turned and pulled Kevin into a tight hug.
Kevin nearly jumped out of his skin but wrapped his arms around his waist anyway. "Feeling forward tonight?"
"Sorry! Sorry—" he moved to pull away, but Kevin pulled him back. "Don't you dare."
"Yes, your highness."
~
Darkness covered the kingdom as Kevin paced back and forth, shuffling papers in his hands.
Maps lay scattered across his bed, dresser, desk, and any other available surface.
A pin was stuck in his jacket, matching the ones labeling various countries. "Damn it!"
"What?" Jamie poked his head inside the doorway, holding a bowl of stew. "I brought you dinner."
"Okay," he didn't look up from his paper but turned slightly towards him. "Thank you."
"Are you going to eat it?"
"Mhm, sure."
"Your highness..." sighing, he brushed off the desk and set the bowl on it. "You need to eat."
"I need to fix this; this has gone on long enough."
"What has?"
"The disappearances!" Frazzled, he turned to stare at him, running a hand through his hair. Gently, Jamie reached out and took his hand. "Please eat something? For me?"
He sighed, "Fine."
"Thank you!" Grinning, he pulled him into a tight hug before blushing and dusting off his sleeves. "Sorry, sorry."
"It's fine, you want to sit?"
"Sure, you look like you could use a break."
~
"Where is he!?" Storming into the throne room, Kevin grabbed a guard by the collar of their shirt and pushed them into a wall. "Where is Jamie!?"
"I-I don't know."
"Well, you better find him or I swear—" he took a breath and gave them a final shove. "Find him now."
~
Red seeped into Kevin's down sheets as Jamie lay unconscious on his bed. He paced back and forth, watching Steven carefully. "Well? What's wrong with him?"
"Head wound, broken bones, etcetera."
"Great, now fix it."
"Yeah, hold on."
It took longer than Kevin liked, but Steven healed him as much as he could and left the room, grumbling to himself.
The bed sagged as Kevin sat down, pulling his knees to his chest. "Jamie?"
Silence hung thick in the air as he stared at Jamie until the sun started to set, casting a gold glow over them.
"Geez, you look awful." Flecks of blood dusted his sheets as Kevin brushed off his face. "...heh, I guess you're used to that."
A maid padded inside and changed the sheets, drawing a bath that Kevin set Jamie in.
The water turned a light shade of red, splashing over the side as he swirled his fingers in it. "Come on, wake up."
Jamie's blood-soaked uniform lay in a pile on the floor, staining the porcelain, and bandages covered his face.
Sighing, Kevin leaned onto the edge of the tub, cold porcelain sticking to his cheek. "Please?"
"Kev?" Jamie slurred, blinking at him before wincing. "Never thought you'd say that."
"Jamie!" Carefully, Kevin pulled him into a kiss. "Uh, I mean—"
"Shh, I won't tell." Smiling as much as he could, Jamie tried to roll over and grab his hand.
Instead, he sloshed water over the edge of the tub and onto Kevin's clothes. "Ugh, what happened?"
"You got kidnapped."
"Oh," something flashed behind his eyes, and he started to shake, gasping sharply, "Oh."
"Calm down, you're safe here." He ran his fingers through his hair, massaging out knots. "I'll protect you."
"...you will?"
Rolling his eyes, Kevin leaned over and cupped his cheek.
Fabric met his hand, but Jamie leaned into the touch anyway, ignoring the blood seeping onto Kevin's hand.
As if he would shatter, Kevin leaned over the tub and pulled him into an awkward hug, kissing his bandages. "I will."
