(A/N: I watched Akatsuki no Yona in 2 days and I needed an outlet for my feels.)
Characters: Hak, Soo-Won, Yona
“You know what? Fine. Goodbye.” Her tone was firm; her mind already set. Despite her word choice, he could tell she’d been mulling over the matter for several weeks, maybe even from when they’d first been forced on this journey together.
“Hime-san, I didn’t mean-“
“I don’t need you anymore.” Her eyes reflected his pain, but it was different from before. She really can do just fine without me now. He looked past her to see the four dragons bickering and couldn’t repress a bitter smile.
“I understand.”
Her eyes shot up to meet his, and he got a glimpse of her tear-filled, panicked expression before he turned away.
Goodbye, Yona.
~~~~~~~~~~~
His abs screamed as he sat up in an unknown bed. He closed his eyes against the dizziness and forced himself to calm down.
Shit. Where the hell am I? He squinted around the dimly-lit room, his eyes taking longer than usual to adjust.
“Ah, you’re awake!” A soft, familiar voice broke through his clouded mind. He tried to step out of the bed, but his legs nearly crumpled underneath him.
Shit, I haven’t felt this bad since when I got sick during the shitty old man’s ‘training week in Hell.’ The former Wind Tribe Chief slid back in bed and instinctively reached to his side to grab his weapon, but his hand only gripped crisp sheets.
“Sorry, but there’s no way we’d leave your weapon with you.” The shadowy figure finally revealed himself and the former general scowled, before regaining his poker face.
“Nice to see you too, Hak,” Soo-Won whispered, striding over to Hak’s side. He gently pushed him back on the bed and sat on the edge. Hak tried to retaliate, but found his arms were just as weak as his legs.
“Why the hell did you save me?! Do you want to be killed?!” Hak gave up on his physical counterattack, resorting to words instead. He’d tried to shout, but it came out as a breathy complaint.
“I wouldn’t mind being killed by you,” Soo-Won admitted, sneaking a hand into dark tresses. “You really need a haircut,” he gently scolded, carding his fingers through his hair.
Hak was shocked to silence, but jerked his head away at the contact, regaining his senses. “What happened to your resolve? Was King Il’s life sacrificed for nothing?” The former general glared up at the King, but he remained unfazed.
“My job here is done,” Soo-Won whispered, sliding off the bed. “And I’ve always wanted to see how well Yona could rule as the next Queen.”
“Then why…” Hak’s unspoken questions hang in the air. Why did you have to kill King Il? Why didn’t you just marry Yona? Why couldn’t we have done all this together?
Soo-Won sighed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Hak ignored the pain in his neck, and the rest of his body for that matter, and watched his ex-friend carefully.
“I love you,” Soo-Won confessed, as if his answer solved all the problems in the universe.
Hak choked on his response. Various questions flittered through his mind, but he went with the most pressing one. “Why?”
“I’ve known you’re in love with Yona since forever,” the King stated, avoiding the question. “And Yona was in love with me,” he continued.
“So it was my fault?” Hak whispered, trying to make sense of everything.
“No, no! It was King Il’s fault for killing my father. I would’ve killed him either way-”
“But if you’d fallen in love with Yona, then…” Hak trailed off, closing his eyes again. Fuck, my head hurts.
“I would’ve killed you first,” Soo-Won admitted, leaning back on his hands. Hak tried to kick him through the blankets, but wasn’t able to move his leg. Shit, shit, shit-!!! He’d never felt this helpless before.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you,” the King reassured, pushing himself back up. “I still need you for my final plan to succeed.”
“Final-?” Hak was cut off by loud, hacking coughs. He belatedly realized that they were his own.
“You’ll see when the time comes,” Soo-Won whispered, his voice taking on a sad tone.
Hak wanted to ask more, but his body finally gave in to the various pains coursing through it, and he was consumed by darkness once more.
