Chapter Text
Jeongin trekked through the dew sodden grass. The darkened clouds were swirling above him with a looming ferocity. The winds were picking up and singing between the branches of the trees. They whooshed and whistled above him, leaves tearing from the stalks and crunching beneath the soles of his boots. The tides were going to shift, he was sure of it. The winter chill would suddenly usher the squirrels and bears into their long awaited hibernation. It would paint the delicate petals of the wildflowers with strokes of frost. Jeongin hated the change of seasons. He adored the bright sun on his skin and the aroma of rosebuds and honeysuckle tickling his nose. He loved to bask in the sun with the palace cats and dance with the fireflies in the gardens. The winter wrought nothing but bitter windchill and sticky shoes.
Despite the abrupt disturbances in the air around him, he trudged onwards. His mother was insistent on him wedding by the season's end. That hardly gave him 6 months to find a suitor who wouldn’t will him into the pits of insanity. He was so frustrated with her prodding he barged through the gates and lost himself in the wood. He had concocted a rather hurried plan to spend the night in the bungalow his elder brother Chan built for him and his betrothed Minho. They retreated there twice a season, four times a year, for a week of much needed privacy. Chan had promised that Jeongin could spend his time there whenever the stresses of a noble became too troublesome. His only request was not to visit on his ‘honeymoons’ — as he coined it — with Minho. Luckily, they weren’t scheduled to depart on their next one for a month. That left the cabin empty and prying mother free.
Jeongin felt a cold prick on the tip of his nose. He released a long, downtrodden sigh as crossed his eyes to look at the crystal of snow beginning to melt on his skin. A few more followed, then that measly few turned into a barrage of thick globs of snow smattering the terrain. He scoffed at the audacity of it. How dare the first snow of the season change be a blizzard! And one he was trapped in, no less! Amidst his petty grumblings, he heard a soft whimper to his right. It was human — or at least human shaped — judging by the sound. Part of him was wary of the stranger nearby. His body was urging him to turn and run before they sprung their trap. Certainly, they had been following him! How daft could he be to aid someone who was trailing him? But part of him was far too kind to abandon a person who may have just stumbled upon the same area as him. The wood was a treacherous place during the winter, especially in the throes of a storm. Blast his damned conscience!
“Hello?” Jeongin called to the wilting mass of flora to his right. He was positive the pitiable noise came from it, and he was proven correct when he heard another whine in reply. Precautiously, he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his dagger. He would not be ambushed without landing a strike or three. “Are you alright? Show yourself, stranger.”
Said stranger rose from their hiding spot with a trembling frame. They were dressed for the summer season with damp trousers cut at the knee and a short sleeve shirt to boot. They had a pile of flowers, somehow still bright as could be, clutched within their lanky limbs. “Don’t hurt me,” The young man pled with a shaken glance to Jeongin’s blade. “I didn’t know it would snow. I just wanted to gather some tulips for my father and now… I’m freezing and I’ve no way to go back home.”
Jeongin smothered his cooes with a ragged clearing of his throat. The young man was gorgeous even while drenched and shuddering like a rainstricken kitty. The snowflakes had entwined themselves in his hair, looking as if stars had been hung in the nightly strands. His eyes were a breathtaking shade of brown, almost akin to the coffee that would brew in the palace kitchen. The mocha hue was warm as a blistering sun ray, yet cozy as a heap of blankets on a stormy dawn. It drew Jeongin in like a missing ship to the savior of a lighthouse.
Jeongin found himself shedding his cloak for the man and holding it out in offering. Clearly, he wasn’t accustomed to the brisk cold like the other residents of the territory. “You aren’t of Ssolaceblood, are you, stranger?”
“My name is Hyunjin,” The other, Hyunjin, corrected. He took a wobbly step out to reveal his sandals. Jeongin couldn’t help the gasp that tore from his throat at the sight. “I don’t suppose you could lend me your shoes as well?”
Jeongin quickly draped the cloak over Hyunjin’s shoulders and tied the strings tight around his neck. He smoothed it down to ensure it was covering as much skin as could be. He fretted with it with rueful tsks. “How foolish. Have you a death wish?”
“Awfully rude to a man who you just gave your belongings to,” Hyunjin miffed with a petulant pout. “I am a foreigner, to answer your earlier query. I knew your territory only had two seasons, but this flux of weather was nothing like I’ve ever seen.”
Jeongin relinquished his worrying with a final sharp tug to the bow now settled at Hyunjin’s throat. His skin was pale from the frigid air, lacking any pigment that would make him shine and glimmer like the stars dangling from his hair. The closest village was a ways away. His extremities wouldn’t survive that walk.
“Follow me. This snow will freeze you to the bone in that garb.”
Hyunjin blanched. His lips, blue as the summer sky, were laid agape. “I don’t even know your name!”
Jeongin faltered. How- He wasn’t privy to his identity? He was a foreigner, but… How could that be? Maybe that was a blessing from the Mother in disguise. He had no appearance to uphold if the other had no clue about his title. He needn’t worry about uppity etiquette or the speck of dust on his collar. He was free, just this once. “Iyen. You can call me Iyen.”
“Is this where you live? It’s terribly dusty in here,” Hyunjin complained as he entered the foyer. He had left his sandals at the doorway and shuffled about the room with hands fisted in the cloak. He looked tiny and frail as a snow weasel with all that material shrouding his body.
“No, it isn’t. It’s more of a vacation home.” Jeongin was swift in removing his shoes and chasing after the other. With a snap of his fingers and a spark of yellow, the cabin bustled to life. The lights greeted their guests with a charming tint, not too dark yet not blinding either. Jeongin silently observed as the dust bunnies hopped and skipped out of existence till not a fleck of them remained. The hearth flickered with a gentle flame and beckoned them closer with its alluring warmth.
“Oh~ Rich boy, hm?” Hyunjin wasted not a breath as he hunkered down in front of the crackling fire. Jeongin followed suit, only to be alarmed by the periwinkle tinge to Hyunjin’s toes.
“Allow me to find socks for you!” Jeongin exclaimed as he clambered back up. He rushed to find a pair with slamming drawers and quaking armoires. At last, he snatched a stray pair in one of the empty dressers. They had kitties stitched on them, from calico to tabby. He returned to Hyunjin and thrusted them over with a stern cant of his brows. “You must put these on. The frostbite will render you toeless if we don’t warm your feet!”
Hyunjin obliged, albeit rather tentatively likely due to Jeongin’s enthusiasm. What? No Prince would allow their citizen, foreign origin or not, to garner frostbite necrosis! “Thank you,” He said softly. “You’ve been so kind to me.”
Jeongin harrumphed. “How could I not aid you? You would have died if I left you there.”
“That’s a tad dramatic,” Hyunjin huffed. He wiggled his toes within the confines of the socks. Jeongin watched as the cats bounced and twirled with his movements, dancing along the nails and seams with sharp twists and leaps.
“You were dressed for the summer grasslands in the middle of a blizzard!”
“Well, maybe this cursed territory shouldn’t change seasons like that!”
Their bickering ceased minutes later with winded titters and reddened cheeks. Hyunjin, with sugar dusted skin and a broad grin baked into his features, stared at Jeongin with an unfathomable stir in the batter of his gaze. Jeongin crooked his head in silent question and offered him a gentle, prodding smile.
“You are a terribly softhearted man, Iyen,” Hyunjin praised with a hesitant glance to the welcoming flames of the hearth. “You are the first stranger to treat me with such altruism...” His eyes flickered back to Jeongin with a wavering exhale. There was an untold story hidden deep within his apprehension. A tale that was woven with a bloodied needle and poison thread.
Jeongin’s carefree attitude fell like the snowflakes from the clouds. “I will not ask anything of you in return. I only wish that you allow me to accompany you out of the wood so you do not lose your way once more.”
“Are… Are you sure?” Hyunjin’s voice seemed to wilt like the flowers and vines in the window planters. He didn’t seem to believe him. Something was crowding him to the edge of mistrusting Jeongin.
“Of course, Hyunjin. My kindness does not come with a price.” Jeongin extended a hand for him as a symbol of peace. “You have nothing to fear.”
Hyunjin’s lips laid slack as he stared at his outstretched palm. Slowly, he slipped his hand atop Jeongin’s and shook it. “Thank you.”
“Would you like to stay for the night?” Jeongin inquired with a brightened beam. “You may have the bed, if you wish. The sofa is quite comfortable.”
“I couldn’t ask that of you-“
“Nonsense!” Jeongin dismissed. “You need the most satisfactory care or you may fall ill after being in the snow.” Jeongin stood and gave his hand a fierce tug to lift him to his feet. “Come now, I’ll fetch you some night clothes and you can wash up in the restroom.”
Hyunjin released a breathless laugh at his fussing and gave his palm a firm squeeze. He allowed their hands to untangle and gifted him a gracious smile. It was blinding as the heavens above. It was luminous and radiant. Jeongin was honored simply to be in its presence. “Thank you.”
“May I ask you a question?” Jeongin broke the bubbling tension with a gentle nudge of a blade.
Jeongin heard a soft rustling from the bed. He craned his neck to peek at Hyunjin, to see him doing the same. Their eyes met in the darkness, glimmers of the dwindling fire reflecting in the fluffed soil of Hyunjin’s. “I see no reason why not.”
Jeongin sat himself up then folded an elbow over the back of the loveseat. He rested his cheek against it as he spoke, words a bit clunky from the squish of his skin. “What did you expect me to ask of you in repayment?”
Hyunjin’s eyes widened at his audacity. He supposed he could have rounded the topic with a tad more class. “I- We’ve only met, Iyennie. I think we need more time before we delve into personal details.”
Personal, hm? A rancid scrape of a fingernail roamed the expanse of his spine. He could only presume what Hyunjin was alluding to, and it was damned sickening . “Was it a sexual act?” He asked coldly. The stiffening of Hyunjin’s frame served as a clear enough answer. “I would never ask anyone for such a crude payment, stranger or friend.”
Hyunjin’s body stilled for a moment, not a breath rising from his lungs. He seemed to relax before his eyes, bones melting to relieved puddles underneath his flesh. He graced Jeongin with a fragile smile, the dim glitters of his beauty churning a feeling of possession in Jeongin’s heart. He wouldn’t allow Hyunjin to ache like that again, not if he had anything to say about it. “I wish others were as resolute as you,” Hyunjin professed with a tearful wetness dampening his vocal chords. “I am grateful to have met such a genuine soul.”
Jeongin’s brows pinched at the heart wrenching slice his broken calls elicited. He had the urge to take such sounds from him. He longed to rid him of every pain and trauma his battered memories held. Hyunjin was too sweet a boy to garner those experiences. “I am sorry for everything you have been through, Hyunjin.”
Hyunjin pawed at the shimmering trails on his cheeks. His snivels were raucous and grating, something Jeongin would find asinine if it was anyone else. Yet he couldn’t tamp the want to coddle and cradle those puffed cheeks. He had been through things that Jeongin wouldn’t deal upon his most degenerate enemy. “No need. It is in the past now.”
“That does not mean I cannot mourn for you. I would send a fleet to vanquish those who harmed you if you so desired.”
Hyunjin laughed at his severity. “Even if you commanded a fleet, I wouldn’t allow you to do that for my sake. I survived. I am merely thankful that you have all the heart those before you did not.”
Once the storm drifted in the dawn hours, Jeongin escorted Hyunjin through the dense forest. He commanded the thickets and brush with a whoosh of magic, clearing their path without harming the delicate life before him. Hyunjin had been amazed with each spurt of it. His face would morph into a childlike wonderment, mixtures of adorable innocence and naivety.
At the edge of the quaint village, Jeongin parted the branches for Hyunjin to exit. He remained in the shadows as Hyunjin leapt out with a crunch of snow beneath his borrowed boots.
“I must bid you adieu here, my friend.”
“What?” Hyunjin shrieked. “No, you must let me treat you to breakfast as a thank you for your generosity!”
“I cannot, I’m afraid,” He refuted with a guilty smile stitched onto his cheeks. He quite enjoyed his time with Hyunjin and he truly did not wish for it to end so soon. But he must return to his duties at some point, as should Hyunjin. With a cursory glance left and right, he stepped out just to gently grasp Hyunjin’s hand. He gave it a tender squeeze before speaking once more. “Next time I am near the village, I will surely take you up on the offer,”
“Wait!” Hyunjin exclaimed as Jeongin began to recede into the forest, tugging him right back before him. “Let me fetch something for you. I promise I’ll be swifter than a hare.”
Jeongin fixed him with a look of doubt, but that precious pout on his lips was far too transfixing to deny. “Then get to hopping, I suppose.”
Hyunjin beamed so warmly, Jeongin almost thought the snow at their feet would melt to puddles soaking their boots. He was truly a beautiful sight when he was elated. Jeongin would like to keep him that way, if he was so lucky.
Hyunjin returned in a jiffy with a red glow powdering his cheeks. He looked akin to a small animal bounding about the high treks of snow. Fat globs of snow flung from his shoes and stuck to his trousers, wetting the fabric to the bone. His cloak flourished behind him with each bounce through the thick layers. Despite the resistance, Hyunjin smiled brighter than any star.
“Yennie! I told you I’d be back!” Winded, he bent at the waist to brace himself on his knee. He panted, attempting to catch his breath while he thrust a bouquet of flowers to Jeongin. “For you!”
Jeongin reeled for a moment. “For me? This splendid gift is for me, my dear?” He wrapped his fingers around the base of the stems, a white ribbon securing them into one. It was a simple assortment of mint green lillies and idyllic bell flowers. It was beautiful, even with the petals wobbling from the brisk winter air. Protectively, he cradled them to his chest. “Oh, this is magnificent. Thank you kindly.” Jeongin then held out his hand to daintily grip Hyunjin’s, raising it to his lips to meet half way. He placed a gracious peck to the back, boasting the most noble of etiquette he could recall. His eyes drifted to Hyunjin’s as their skin collided, a flurry of heat rushing to Jeongin’s cheeks in response to Hyunjin’s own.
“I- It’s nothing at all. It was the least I could give you,” Hyunjin’s melodious voice splintered in his fluster. Jeongin reveled in the ethereal cracks as he parted from his skin with an innocent flutter of his lashes. He felt his lips pull taut into a merry grin.
“And yet it warms my heart all the same.”