Tears of the Poor 20/?
Title: Tears of the Poor 20/?
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu, Siwon/Hangeng/Heechul, Yoochun/Nichkhun/Chansung,
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They are not mine to run through space, sabotage governments and overthrow evil politicians with.
Summary: With his life threatened on ShinKi, Yunho heads to Doushite, the underdeveloped planet Jaejoong and Changmin are from. The atmosphere is tense, at best. ShinKi is destroying the Doushiten way of life just because of the deep veins of gold running through the picturesque mountains. They don't know who they can trust when it comes to trying to free Doushite from the clutches of a greedy empire.
This is a sequel to the fic: Pleasures of the Mighty.
The pleasures of the mighty, are the tears of the poor. A song will outlive the sermons in the memory. = Kim Jaejoong's tattoos
Poster credit goes to 0xkaiia0x
Part 20: The Trust
Still very much on hiatus. I wrote this a couple hundred words at a time, in between work and meetings and such. And now, I have to write a paper, so yeah. Enjoy!
Yunho waited until after lunch the next day. With Junsu’s arms around his waist and hands trying to slip under his heavy coat, he figured it was as good a time as any.
“Can I ask you about last night?” he whispered.
Junsu hummed. “Good. Last night was good.”
“Yes, it was,” Yunho said, “even if my ass and back are aching.”
Junsu chuckled and then sighed. “The candle thing?”
Yunho nodded. “I felt a little lost last night, but I knew that Jaejoong would take care of you. He seems to know more about you than I do these days.”
“It’s ... I feel bad about that, but it’s easier to talk to him.”
Yunho frowned.
Junsu’s arms tightened around Yunho’s stomach. “He knows what it’s like to be a slave on Shinki. You don’t. Well, you get it, but he knows, you know?”
Yunho nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I want you to be able to talk to me. We used to tell each other everything.”
Junsu chuckled. “I thought you didn’t want to kill Yoochun yet?”
Yunho growled.
With another squeeze, Junsu said, “The first time one of my masters dumped wax on me, I wasn’t even eighteen. It was just a few months after your father sold me, though the man he sold me to decided he didn’t want someone who was so inexperienced and he sold me off almost right away. The second master hated that I kept calling him Yunho. The third is the one that really ... he wasn’t nice, but the wax was intense, and I actually loved it. I would have loved it more had it been you, but it was exhilarating, especially when I was tied up and couldn’t get away from the heat even if I wanted to.”
Junsu cleared his throat and took a few deep breaths. The rest of his story was whispered against Yunho’s ear, so no one else could overhear. “I was known as the Wax Whore. Other masters clamored to have just one time with me, or to share me. It’s one of the main reasons why Yoochun bought me.”
“And he ruined it?”
Junsu scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”
“What did he do?”
Junsu took a deep breath again. “His favorite thing to do was pour wax into fresh cuts. Or fresh burns. He’d tie me up in the dark with a candle in my ass and leave me there until the flame went out or it burned down to my skin. He put the candles out on my skin. After ... after he sold me off, it was just so hard to orgasm with wax again. I had to, because it was expected, but I didn’t like it.”
“And last night?”
Junsu wrapped his arms more tightly around Yunho’s middle. “Jaejoong asked me a while ago if he could try it given the opportunity. He had an opportunity. He asked. I said yes.”
“Actually, I think you said something that sounded like, undfughuhunf.”
Junsu laughed quietly. “Shut up.”
“Are you okay?”
Junsu nodded against his back. “Yes. It was very mild, just a little bit. I wasn’t restrained, and Jaejoong asked beforehand, and he was there, and you were there, holding me, and I trust you both with my life, and the heat really did feel good against my cold skin. I’ll probably let Jaejoong do it again.”
“Just not tied up?”
Junsu shook his head. “N-no. Not tied up.”
Yunho put the reins in both hands and covered Junsu’s arm with his free one. He squeezed lightly. “I love you.”
“I love you.” After a moment, Junsu said very quietly, “I think the reason why I talk to Jaejoong so much is because we don’t have a past and we don’t have the same upbringing.”
“Upbringing?”
“Yes. You and Jaejoong. You’re both princes. Both in line to be rulers of your lands. You both get that. I don’t have that. And I don’t have the past with him that I share with you. But we share the knowledge of being a slave.”
“But it’s different with you.”
“That’s my point. Jaejoong and I ... we’ve fallen in love under different circumstances. Different choices. And one of those choices is talking to each other. The first time we had sex without you was a bit awkward. Just a pure desperate need. And then you were poisoned, and it was so much more than that afterwards. Jaejoong needed you, and I needed you, and well, we found out that we needed each other, too. It’s hard to explain.”
“You don’t need to,” Yunho said and squeezed his arm again. “I understand. Don’t forget. I fell in love with Jaejoong, too.”
Junsu smiled and kissed his cheek. “And you. I fell in love with you again.”
Yunho nodded. “Definitely.”
That night, with his arms gripping Junsu’s waist and Jaejoong’s dick slowly sliding in and out of him while the Doushiten Prince dripped hot wax up and down his chest, Yunho decided that Junsu was right. It was exhilarating.
---
On the third day, they left the road. Daehyun explained that while the road was much faster, it was also controlled by the Shinki. The sixth day found them trudging through mud during the day. The temperature warmed the further south they rode. Snow patches shared space with green shoots, and rivulets of water cascaded over small cliffs and trickled through small stream beds. The Doushitens warned them all that snow was still possible, but the heat from the sun felt nice against Yunho’s skin.
They passed empty homesteads, cultivated grounds overtaken with ferns and bushes. Those who lived in the small groups of houses they passed had moved north either to Changmin’s vacation castle. They were too conspicuous for safety. They saw no other Doushitens, though a few times, their leaders sent scouts ahead or touched and readied their weapons. Jaejoong said that a few times they were being watched, but those doing the watching did not wish to make themselves known. Anonymity was safer. Shinki shuttles and helicopters flew above them, but the noise was enough for them to take cover before they were seen.
There was, as Heechul had told him so long ago, gold everywhere. It sparkled in stream beds and marbled in rock faces. There were even nuggets worth hundreds of dollars just laying in the dirt. Yoochun picked up some of the nicer nuggets and stashed them in his bag or those of his slaves. Yunho protested at first, but Jaejoong had said to let him have it. It was worthless after all.
Yunho could not get over the beauty and wildness of Doushite.
Shinki was beautiful in lines and squares of copper and steel. Hot sunlight sparkled on buildings that formed stairs on the dark horizon. Wind blew harsh through the deserts of their world and formed sand dunes pocketed with oasis-turned-resorts. Those rich enough could afford the few spots of arid land that grew plants.
It made Yunho wonder if Shinki had ever looked like Doushite. Had it been overgrown with tall trees, dotted with brightly colored flowers that Shinki grew in tanks? Had animals like birds and rabbits and deer jumped through forests and provided food that was not imported or processed from machines? Had there been lakes and rivers and rainstorms and snow before it was pushed to its limits, stripped of its resources, mined to its core? When had technology completely taken over?
Or had it? For all Yunho knew, Shinki had always been a desert world. Politics were taught on Shinki, not history.
They stopped next to a stream rushing with melting snow. Yunho followed the Doushitens’ example and bent down for a drink from the clearest cleanest water he had ever tasted. But Daehyun made a face when he stood up.
“You can taste the dirt,” Jaejoong explained.
“What do you mean?” Hyunseung asked. “It’s delicious.”
“To you guys with your manufactured water,” Jaejoong said. He stared at the ground, frowning.
Junsu moved to him automatically and took his hand. Jaejoong smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Jongup said something next to him and Zelo nodded and added something else that made Jaejoong’s smile widen.
“What did they say?” Junsu asked.
“Jongup said it was still weird to watch us together and Zelo agreed but said it was sweet.”
Junsu gripped Jaejoong’s cheeks and pulled his face down for a firmer kiss. “Can I ride with you today?”
“Of course. Let’s get going. I feel eyes on me and they don’t feel friendly.”
“Shinki?” Yunho asked.
“Besides you?” Jaejoong replied with a smirk. “I don’t know. Probably not. If they were Shinki, we would have heard them. But they are probably keeping their distance because we’re speaking Shinki.”
“Do you think they’ll attack us?” Yoseob asked, looking warily at the trees around them.
“Probably not,” Jaejoong said. “It depends on how many they have and what their weapons are like. Doushitens do not start fights that they do not think they can win.”
“Weak pussies,” Yoochun muttered.
Jaejoong took a very deep breath but did not retort.
Yunho glared at Yoochun who didn’t look at him. So far, Yoochun had behaved on this trip. His grumbling was to a minimum. Yunho knew it wasn’t because he was actually learning that he was a bastard, but just as selfish as everything else Yoochun did. If Yoochun pissed Jaejoong off enough, chances were he’d be skewered on an arrow and left for dead. So Yoochun kept his mouth shut and he took whatever frustration he had out on his slaves who knew better than to make any noise. There were fresh, shallow cuts up and down Chansung’s arms and Nichkhun had a bruise on his cheek and a black eye. There were probably unseen bruises all up and down the rest of their bodies.
But unlike Yunho and Junsu, Chansung and Nichkhun were quiet. They heard nothing more than heated whispers and grunts from their tent during the nights.
Jaejoong took one more deep breath and told them all to get back on their horses.
“Looks like I’m riding with you,” Yoseob said and smiled at Yunho.
Yunho returned the smile and said, “Yep.” He hoisted himself up on the horse. He held a hand down and helped Yoseob climb on behind him.
“I promise not to grope you when I don’t think anyone is watching,” Yoseob said.
“Who says I don’t think you’re watching?” Junsu said, hand sliding down Jaejoong’s front to his crotch.
Jaejoong smiled, eyes shutting for a moment, and Yunho laughed.
}|{
Yunho woke up confused. It was still dark, but there was no noise, nothing beyond the standard night noises that he had grown used to. Junsu was snuggled next to him, head on his shoulder. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. There was an insistent tug from his bladder and he figured that was why he woke up to begin with. He carefully moved. Junsu huffed, pouted in his sleep, and curled up with a heavy blanket.
Yunho shuffled to the front of the tent. After grabbing a cloak, he moved the tent flap carefully and climbed out. He stood up, took a single step and found himself at the wrong end of an arrow.
“Fuck.”
Daehyun smiled at him and relaxed slightly. “Sorry. Reflex.”
“Yunho?” Jaejoong whispered. “Why are you up?”
Yunho moved toward him. “Bathroom.”
Jaejoong pointed in a direction. “Just go that way. Not too far.”
Yunho stepped around the burning remains of their fire. Yunho saw nothing beyond the stretch of his hands and walked slowly. After another step, he realized that it wasn’t nearly as dark as he first thought. Light from the moon lit part of his way and shadows danced with a small wind. Something moved ahead of him, and Yunho decided that was far enough. He stopped and fought with the lacings on the pants. The skin on the back of his neck was pebbled and he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched.
It was a feeling he knew well. He swallowed and forced himself to relax just enough to actually piss.
When he was through, he couldn’t get back to the camp fast enough and he sighed in relief when he was again surrounded by Doushitens with weapons.
“You okay?” Jaejoong asked as Yunho sat next to him.
“Yeah, just feel like there are eyes on us.”
“There are,” Jaejoong said and translated for Daehyun.
Daehyun nodded. “They are hidden, but they are there.”
“And we’re assuming they are Doushiten?”
“They are,” Jaejoong confirmed. “They are leaving messages for each other.”
“Messages?”
“Just marks on trees, on the ground. A pile of rocks.”
“And what do these mean?”
“We’re being followed and watched.”
Yunho looked at him for more.
Jaejoong stared back. “What?”
“That’s it.”
“And speculation. They’re letting us know because they aren’t obscuring their marks which means they aren’t sure if we’re good or bad.”
Yunho looked around the trees. “How close are they?”
“Close,” Jaejoong said and repeated it in Doushiten.
Daehyun nodded and stared out in one direction. “Close.”
A bird whistled, and another answered it.
“Close,” Jaejoong said. “That was a signal to move closer.”
“Do we reply?” Daehyun asked.
Jaejoong smirked, put his lips together and whistled. One of the tent flaps opened and Zelo and Jongup stumbled out of it. Zelo was rubbing his eyes like he just woke up, but Jongup’s lips were decidedly red and his tunic was mussed.
Yunho stared at them until another whistle sounded from inside the forest.
Daehyun and Jongup whispered, and Jaejoong again returned the whistle.
All four of them lifted their bows at once and pointed them into the trees.
Yunho held his breath for the ten seconds it took for six other men to enter the glow of the fire light. Bows were ready.
The six men appeared older, probably in their thirties, but it was difficult to tell. They were covered head to foot in brown and green clothing that blended in with the woods behind them. They wore finger-less gloves and bandanas over their faces. Silence stretched for a moment before one of them demanded something, voice muffled by the cloth.
Jaejoong immediately said his name, followed by Daehyun, Jongup and Zelo.
The man’s eyes narrowed and he snapped something else.
Jaejoong lowered his bow, and just like he had done when they first arrived, he started talking and removing his clothes. Jaejoong’s story stopped when he pulled his tunic over his head. Daehyun lowered his bow and continued with when they found the Shinki party, and Yunho caught Changmin’s name in there again and again.
As soon as Jaejoong revealed his tattoo, the newcomers lowered their bows and said his name in disbelief.
The one who spoke pulled the bandanna from his face, and Jaejoong shouted, “Junghyuk”, and practically bowled him over to hug him. Jongup did the same, calling him a word that Yunho did not understand.
“Prince,” Daehyun said to Yunho. “Prince of Moon. Moon Junghyuk.”
Yunho nodded and waited until Jaejoong had gotten hugs from the other five. He pulled them over and introduced them: Minwoo, Pilkyo, Dongwan, Choongjae, Sunho.
Yunho bowe, and said hello in Doushiten and “pleased to meet you” and something that sort of sounded like, “May your kingdom be bountiful.” It was something that Changmin had taught him, but he butchered it and all the Doushitens chuckled.
“Junghyuk is the Prince of the Moon Province,” Jaejoong explain. “He and Jongup are cousins.”
Jaejoong switched back to Doushiten and explained what they were doing and where they were going while putting his shirt back on. Daehyun gestured to the fire and asked if they were hungry. One of the others nodded, but said something else and pulled a leather case from his back. They had their own food and there was a bit of flurry as they found the prepared-sticks to put the meat over the fire. They all resettled around the fire, and Jaejoong explained where they were going and why.
Junghyuk nodded. “I know. They are surprisingly well guarded at the Falls.”
Yunho lost the main thread of the conversation, the accent Junghyuk spoke with was difficult to understand. But he understood that he, Daehyun and Jaejoong were discussing tactics while the others ate.
Yunho had just rested his head against Jaejoong’s shoulder, content to go to sleep in the warmth of the fire and the soft melody of voices, when Jaejoong cursed loudly in both languages.
Yunho jerked alert. “What?”
Jaejoong huffed in disgust. “They’re saying that Jonghun might be a traitor.”
“What?”
“He was practically thrown out of his own castle,” Jaejoong said. “Four Shinki had infiltrated their walls and three of the four named him as their contact. But the other said it was only a ruse. It was enough for him and his closest friends to be banished.”
“Jaejin, too?” Yunho asked.
Jaejoong shrugged. “Yes. Jaejin has been his friend since they were little, despite Jaejin’s lack of any noble blood. Maybe they were being set up.”
“Maybe they weren’t. Maybe we just left Changmin unprepared and ...”
“Jonghun isn’t stupid,” Jaejoong said. “Maybe the Shinki had promised him something, and he realized the error of his ways.”
“Heard you were back and headed North?” Yunho said.
“Maybe.”
“Or maybe he was sent to kill you.”
“He had plenty of opportunities to kill me.”
One of the new Doushiten’s cleared his throat.
Jaejoong smiled at him, and then said in Shinki, “I trust Changmin with my life. He’s smart and powerful. He’ll be okay.”
“Can we trust them?” Yunho asked and jerked his head at the six men who were looking at them suspiciously.
Jaejoong smiled. “As much as we can anyone. We need their help.”
He went back to speaking in Doushiten and Yunho tried to follow along again, getting lost in the discussions of tactics.
They broke camp just as the sky turned gray.
“We can move faster,” Jaejoong explained as they once again headed south. “This area is clear of Shinki at the moment, and Junghyuk and the others can scout for us.”
“How much longer?” Shindong asked.
“Another week. Five days, if the weather holds out.”
All the Doushitens glanced up at a strong brush of wind.
“Don’t tell me,” Yoochun muttered, “snow?”
“Maybe,” Jaejoong replied. “It’s too soon to tell. Rain, definitely.”
Yoochun mumbled under his breath but said nothing more. He hadn’t been too happy waking up and seeing himself even more outnumbered by bow-toting Doushitens.
“This totally isn’t fair,” Heechul said, arms tightening around Yunho’s body.
“What?”
“Six more gorgeous Doushitens and I’m not allowed to touch.”
“I don’t remember you being so ... chaste.”
Heechul snorted. “I’m a married woman now. I can be chaste.”
Yunho chuckled. “Then why is your hand trying to get into my pants?”
“It’s not,” he said even as his fingers loosened the laces.
“You know what’s going to happen if you tease me, right?”
Heechul grunted. “Shut up.”
“That’s right. You’re going to make me horny, and when we stop, I’m going to drag Junsu and Jaejoong into a tent and see if they’ll double penetrate me.”
Heechul groaned, burying his face in Yunho’s back.
“And you’re going to have to listen to me. That is, if Jaejoong doesn’t decide that I need to be gagged.”
“Oh, fuck you.”
“They will. They’ll fuck me hard.”
Heechul huffed and moved his hand out of Yunho’s pants. “I hate you right now, Bambi.”
SHINHWA
Part 21: The Test
Part 19: The Tent
Part 18: The Training
Part 17: The Traitor
Part 16: The Torture
Part 15: The Throne
Part 14: The Thwarted | Part 13: The Threats | Part 12: The Travail | Part 11: The Talk | Part 10: The Table | Part 9: The Treat | Part 8: The Tub | Part 7: The Tribe | Part 6: The Terrain | Part 5: The Trail | Part 4: The Transformation | Part 3: The Tunnels | Part 2: The Trap | Part 1: The Trip
.
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu, Siwon/Hangeng/Heechul, Yoochun/Nichkhun/Chansung,
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They are not mine to run through space, sabotage governments and overthrow evil politicians with.
Summary: With his life threatened on ShinKi, Yunho heads to Doushite, the underdeveloped planet Jaejoong and Changmin are from. The atmosphere is tense, at best. ShinKi is destroying the Doushiten way of life just because of the deep veins of gold running through the picturesque mountains. They don't know who they can trust when it comes to trying to free Doushite from the clutches of a greedy empire.
This is a sequel to the fic: Pleasures of the Mighty.
The pleasures of the mighty, are the tears of the poor. A song will outlive the sermons in the memory. = Kim Jaejoong's tattoos
Poster credit goes to 0xkaiia0x
Part 20: The Trust
Still very much on hiatus. I wrote this a couple hundred words at a time, in between work and meetings and such. And now, I have to write a paper, so yeah. Enjoy!
Yunho waited until after lunch the next day. With Junsu’s arms around his waist and hands trying to slip under his heavy coat, he figured it was as good a time as any.
“Can I ask you about last night?” he whispered.
Junsu hummed. “Good. Last night was good.”
“Yes, it was,” Yunho said, “even if my ass and back are aching.”
Junsu chuckled and then sighed. “The candle thing?”
Yunho nodded. “I felt a little lost last night, but I knew that Jaejoong would take care of you. He seems to know more about you than I do these days.”
“It’s ... I feel bad about that, but it’s easier to talk to him.”
Yunho frowned.
Junsu’s arms tightened around Yunho’s stomach. “He knows what it’s like to be a slave on Shinki. You don’t. Well, you get it, but he knows, you know?”
Yunho nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I want you to be able to talk to me. We used to tell each other everything.”
Junsu chuckled. “I thought you didn’t want to kill Yoochun yet?”
Yunho growled.
With another squeeze, Junsu said, “The first time one of my masters dumped wax on me, I wasn’t even eighteen. It was just a few months after your father sold me, though the man he sold me to decided he didn’t want someone who was so inexperienced and he sold me off almost right away. The second master hated that I kept calling him Yunho. The third is the one that really ... he wasn’t nice, but the wax was intense, and I actually loved it. I would have loved it more had it been you, but it was exhilarating, especially when I was tied up and couldn’t get away from the heat even if I wanted to.”
Junsu cleared his throat and took a few deep breaths. The rest of his story was whispered against Yunho’s ear, so no one else could overhear. “I was known as the Wax Whore. Other masters clamored to have just one time with me, or to share me. It’s one of the main reasons why Yoochun bought me.”
“And he ruined it?”
Junsu scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”
“What did he do?”
Junsu took a deep breath again. “His favorite thing to do was pour wax into fresh cuts. Or fresh burns. He’d tie me up in the dark with a candle in my ass and leave me there until the flame went out or it burned down to my skin. He put the candles out on my skin. After ... after he sold me off, it was just so hard to orgasm with wax again. I had to, because it was expected, but I didn’t like it.”
“And last night?”
Junsu wrapped his arms more tightly around Yunho’s middle. “Jaejoong asked me a while ago if he could try it given the opportunity. He had an opportunity. He asked. I said yes.”
“Actually, I think you said something that sounded like, undfughuhunf.”
Junsu laughed quietly. “Shut up.”
“Are you okay?”
Junsu nodded against his back. “Yes. It was very mild, just a little bit. I wasn’t restrained, and Jaejoong asked beforehand, and he was there, and you were there, holding me, and I trust you both with my life, and the heat really did feel good against my cold skin. I’ll probably let Jaejoong do it again.”
“Just not tied up?”
Junsu shook his head. “N-no. Not tied up.”
Yunho put the reins in both hands and covered Junsu’s arm with his free one. He squeezed lightly. “I love you.”
“I love you.” After a moment, Junsu said very quietly, “I think the reason why I talk to Jaejoong so much is because we don’t have a past and we don’t have the same upbringing.”
“Upbringing?”
“Yes. You and Jaejoong. You’re both princes. Both in line to be rulers of your lands. You both get that. I don’t have that. And I don’t have the past with him that I share with you. But we share the knowledge of being a slave.”
“But it’s different with you.”
“That’s my point. Jaejoong and I ... we’ve fallen in love under different circumstances. Different choices. And one of those choices is talking to each other. The first time we had sex without you was a bit awkward. Just a pure desperate need. And then you were poisoned, and it was so much more than that afterwards. Jaejoong needed you, and I needed you, and well, we found out that we needed each other, too. It’s hard to explain.”
“You don’t need to,” Yunho said and squeezed his arm again. “I understand. Don’t forget. I fell in love with Jaejoong, too.”
Junsu smiled and kissed his cheek. “And you. I fell in love with you again.”
Yunho nodded. “Definitely.”
That night, with his arms gripping Junsu’s waist and Jaejoong’s dick slowly sliding in and out of him while the Doushiten Prince dripped hot wax up and down his chest, Yunho decided that Junsu was right. It was exhilarating.
---
On the third day, they left the road. Daehyun explained that while the road was much faster, it was also controlled by the Shinki. The sixth day found them trudging through mud during the day. The temperature warmed the further south they rode. Snow patches shared space with green shoots, and rivulets of water cascaded over small cliffs and trickled through small stream beds. The Doushitens warned them all that snow was still possible, but the heat from the sun felt nice against Yunho’s skin.
They passed empty homesteads, cultivated grounds overtaken with ferns and bushes. Those who lived in the small groups of houses they passed had moved north either to Changmin’s vacation castle. They were too conspicuous for safety. They saw no other Doushitens, though a few times, their leaders sent scouts ahead or touched and readied their weapons. Jaejoong said that a few times they were being watched, but those doing the watching did not wish to make themselves known. Anonymity was safer. Shinki shuttles and helicopters flew above them, but the noise was enough for them to take cover before they were seen.
There was, as Heechul had told him so long ago, gold everywhere. It sparkled in stream beds and marbled in rock faces. There were even nuggets worth hundreds of dollars just laying in the dirt. Yoochun picked up some of the nicer nuggets and stashed them in his bag or those of his slaves. Yunho protested at first, but Jaejoong had said to let him have it. It was worthless after all.
Yunho could not get over the beauty and wildness of Doushite.
Shinki was beautiful in lines and squares of copper and steel. Hot sunlight sparkled on buildings that formed stairs on the dark horizon. Wind blew harsh through the deserts of their world and formed sand dunes pocketed with oasis-turned-resorts. Those rich enough could afford the few spots of arid land that grew plants.
It made Yunho wonder if Shinki had ever looked like Doushite. Had it been overgrown with tall trees, dotted with brightly colored flowers that Shinki grew in tanks? Had animals like birds and rabbits and deer jumped through forests and provided food that was not imported or processed from machines? Had there been lakes and rivers and rainstorms and snow before it was pushed to its limits, stripped of its resources, mined to its core? When had technology completely taken over?
Or had it? For all Yunho knew, Shinki had always been a desert world. Politics were taught on Shinki, not history.
They stopped next to a stream rushing with melting snow. Yunho followed the Doushitens’ example and bent down for a drink from the clearest cleanest water he had ever tasted. But Daehyun made a face when he stood up.
“You can taste the dirt,” Jaejoong explained.
“What do you mean?” Hyunseung asked. “It’s delicious.”
“To you guys with your manufactured water,” Jaejoong said. He stared at the ground, frowning.
Junsu moved to him automatically and took his hand. Jaejoong smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Jongup said something next to him and Zelo nodded and added something else that made Jaejoong’s smile widen.
“What did they say?” Junsu asked.
“Jongup said it was still weird to watch us together and Zelo agreed but said it was sweet.”
Junsu gripped Jaejoong’s cheeks and pulled his face down for a firmer kiss. “Can I ride with you today?”
“Of course. Let’s get going. I feel eyes on me and they don’t feel friendly.”
“Shinki?” Yunho asked.
“Besides you?” Jaejoong replied with a smirk. “I don’t know. Probably not. If they were Shinki, we would have heard them. But they are probably keeping their distance because we’re speaking Shinki.”
“Do you think they’ll attack us?” Yoseob asked, looking warily at the trees around them.
“Probably not,” Jaejoong said. “It depends on how many they have and what their weapons are like. Doushitens do not start fights that they do not think they can win.”
“Weak pussies,” Yoochun muttered.
Jaejoong took a very deep breath but did not retort.
Yunho glared at Yoochun who didn’t look at him. So far, Yoochun had behaved on this trip. His grumbling was to a minimum. Yunho knew it wasn’t because he was actually learning that he was a bastard, but just as selfish as everything else Yoochun did. If Yoochun pissed Jaejoong off enough, chances were he’d be skewered on an arrow and left for dead. So Yoochun kept his mouth shut and he took whatever frustration he had out on his slaves who knew better than to make any noise. There were fresh, shallow cuts up and down Chansung’s arms and Nichkhun had a bruise on his cheek and a black eye. There were probably unseen bruises all up and down the rest of their bodies.
But unlike Yunho and Junsu, Chansung and Nichkhun were quiet. They heard nothing more than heated whispers and grunts from their tent during the nights.
Jaejoong took one more deep breath and told them all to get back on their horses.
“Looks like I’m riding with you,” Yoseob said and smiled at Yunho.
Yunho returned the smile and said, “Yep.” He hoisted himself up on the horse. He held a hand down and helped Yoseob climb on behind him.
“I promise not to grope you when I don’t think anyone is watching,” Yoseob said.
“Who says I don’t think you’re watching?” Junsu said, hand sliding down Jaejoong’s front to his crotch.
Jaejoong smiled, eyes shutting for a moment, and Yunho laughed.
}|{
Yunho woke up confused. It was still dark, but there was no noise, nothing beyond the standard night noises that he had grown used to. Junsu was snuggled next to him, head on his shoulder. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. There was an insistent tug from his bladder and he figured that was why he woke up to begin with. He carefully moved. Junsu huffed, pouted in his sleep, and curled up with a heavy blanket.
Yunho shuffled to the front of the tent. After grabbing a cloak, he moved the tent flap carefully and climbed out. He stood up, took a single step and found himself at the wrong end of an arrow.
“Fuck.”
Daehyun smiled at him and relaxed slightly. “Sorry. Reflex.”
“Yunho?” Jaejoong whispered. “Why are you up?”
Yunho moved toward him. “Bathroom.”
Jaejoong pointed in a direction. “Just go that way. Not too far.”
Yunho stepped around the burning remains of their fire. Yunho saw nothing beyond the stretch of his hands and walked slowly. After another step, he realized that it wasn’t nearly as dark as he first thought. Light from the moon lit part of his way and shadows danced with a small wind. Something moved ahead of him, and Yunho decided that was far enough. He stopped and fought with the lacings on the pants. The skin on the back of his neck was pebbled and he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched.
It was a feeling he knew well. He swallowed and forced himself to relax just enough to actually piss.
When he was through, he couldn’t get back to the camp fast enough and he sighed in relief when he was again surrounded by Doushitens with weapons.
“You okay?” Jaejoong asked as Yunho sat next to him.
“Yeah, just feel like there are eyes on us.”
“There are,” Jaejoong said and translated for Daehyun.
Daehyun nodded. “They are hidden, but they are there.”
“And we’re assuming they are Doushiten?”
“They are,” Jaejoong confirmed. “They are leaving messages for each other.”
“Messages?”
“Just marks on trees, on the ground. A pile of rocks.”
“And what do these mean?”
“We’re being followed and watched.”
Yunho looked at him for more.
Jaejoong stared back. “What?”
“That’s it.”
“And speculation. They’re letting us know because they aren’t obscuring their marks which means they aren’t sure if we’re good or bad.”
Yunho looked around the trees. “How close are they?”
“Close,” Jaejoong said and repeated it in Doushiten.
Daehyun nodded and stared out in one direction. “Close.”
A bird whistled, and another answered it.
“Close,” Jaejoong said. “That was a signal to move closer.”
“Do we reply?” Daehyun asked.
Jaejoong smirked, put his lips together and whistled. One of the tent flaps opened and Zelo and Jongup stumbled out of it. Zelo was rubbing his eyes like he just woke up, but Jongup’s lips were decidedly red and his tunic was mussed.
Yunho stared at them until another whistle sounded from inside the forest.
Daehyun and Jongup whispered, and Jaejoong again returned the whistle.
All four of them lifted their bows at once and pointed them into the trees.
Yunho held his breath for the ten seconds it took for six other men to enter the glow of the fire light. Bows were ready.
The six men appeared older, probably in their thirties, but it was difficult to tell. They were covered head to foot in brown and green clothing that blended in with the woods behind them. They wore finger-less gloves and bandanas over their faces. Silence stretched for a moment before one of them demanded something, voice muffled by the cloth.
Jaejoong immediately said his name, followed by Daehyun, Jongup and Zelo.
The man’s eyes narrowed and he snapped something else.
Jaejoong lowered his bow, and just like he had done when they first arrived, he started talking and removing his clothes. Jaejoong’s story stopped when he pulled his tunic over his head. Daehyun lowered his bow and continued with when they found the Shinki party, and Yunho caught Changmin’s name in there again and again.
As soon as Jaejoong revealed his tattoo, the newcomers lowered their bows and said his name in disbelief.
The one who spoke pulled the bandanna from his face, and Jaejoong shouted, “Junghyuk”, and practically bowled him over to hug him. Jongup did the same, calling him a word that Yunho did not understand.
“Prince,” Daehyun said to Yunho. “Prince of Moon. Moon Junghyuk.”
Yunho nodded and waited until Jaejoong had gotten hugs from the other five. He pulled them over and introduced them: Minwoo, Pilkyo, Dongwan, Choongjae, Sunho.
Yunho bowe, and said hello in Doushiten and “pleased to meet you” and something that sort of sounded like, “May your kingdom be bountiful.” It was something that Changmin had taught him, but he butchered it and all the Doushitens chuckled.
“Junghyuk is the Prince of the Moon Province,” Jaejoong explain. “He and Jongup are cousins.”
Jaejoong switched back to Doushiten and explained what they were doing and where they were going while putting his shirt back on. Daehyun gestured to the fire and asked if they were hungry. One of the others nodded, but said something else and pulled a leather case from his back. They had their own food and there was a bit of flurry as they found the prepared-sticks to put the meat over the fire. They all resettled around the fire, and Jaejoong explained where they were going and why.
Junghyuk nodded. “I know. They are surprisingly well guarded at the Falls.”
Yunho lost the main thread of the conversation, the accent Junghyuk spoke with was difficult to understand. But he understood that he, Daehyun and Jaejoong were discussing tactics while the others ate.
Yunho had just rested his head against Jaejoong’s shoulder, content to go to sleep in the warmth of the fire and the soft melody of voices, when Jaejoong cursed loudly in both languages.
Yunho jerked alert. “What?”
Jaejoong huffed in disgust. “They’re saying that Jonghun might be a traitor.”
“What?”
“He was practically thrown out of his own castle,” Jaejoong said. “Four Shinki had infiltrated their walls and three of the four named him as their contact. But the other said it was only a ruse. It was enough for him and his closest friends to be banished.”
“Jaejin, too?” Yunho asked.
Jaejoong shrugged. “Yes. Jaejin has been his friend since they were little, despite Jaejin’s lack of any noble blood. Maybe they were being set up.”
“Maybe they weren’t. Maybe we just left Changmin unprepared and ...”
“Jonghun isn’t stupid,” Jaejoong said. “Maybe the Shinki had promised him something, and he realized the error of his ways.”
“Heard you were back and headed North?” Yunho said.
“Maybe.”
“Or maybe he was sent to kill you.”
“He had plenty of opportunities to kill me.”
One of the new Doushiten’s cleared his throat.
Jaejoong smiled at him, and then said in Shinki, “I trust Changmin with my life. He’s smart and powerful. He’ll be okay.”
“Can we trust them?” Yunho asked and jerked his head at the six men who were looking at them suspiciously.
Jaejoong smiled. “As much as we can anyone. We need their help.”
He went back to speaking in Doushiten and Yunho tried to follow along again, getting lost in the discussions of tactics.
They broke camp just as the sky turned gray.
“We can move faster,” Jaejoong explained as they once again headed south. “This area is clear of Shinki at the moment, and Junghyuk and the others can scout for us.”
“How much longer?” Shindong asked.
“Another week. Five days, if the weather holds out.”
All the Doushitens glanced up at a strong brush of wind.
“Don’t tell me,” Yoochun muttered, “snow?”
“Maybe,” Jaejoong replied. “It’s too soon to tell. Rain, definitely.”
Yoochun mumbled under his breath but said nothing more. He hadn’t been too happy waking up and seeing himself even more outnumbered by bow-toting Doushitens.
“This totally isn’t fair,” Heechul said, arms tightening around Yunho’s body.
“What?”
“Six more gorgeous Doushitens and I’m not allowed to touch.”
“I don’t remember you being so ... chaste.”
Heechul snorted. “I’m a married woman now. I can be chaste.”
Yunho chuckled. “Then why is your hand trying to get into my pants?”
“It’s not,” he said even as his fingers loosened the laces.
“You know what’s going to happen if you tease me, right?”
Heechul grunted. “Shut up.”
“That’s right. You’re going to make me horny, and when we stop, I’m going to drag Junsu and Jaejoong into a tent and see if they’ll double penetrate me.”
Heechul groaned, burying his face in Yunho’s back.
“And you’re going to have to listen to me. That is, if Jaejoong doesn’t decide that I need to be gagged.”
“Oh, fuck you.”
“They will. They’ll fuck me hard.”
Heechul huffed and moved his hand out of Yunho’s pants. “I hate you right now, Bambi.”
SHINHWA
Part 21: The Test
Part 19: The Tent
Part 18: The Training
Part 17: The Traitor
Part 16: The Torture
Part 15: The Throne
Part 14: The Thwarted | Part 13: The Threats | Part 12: The Travail | Part 11: The Talk | Part 10: The Table | Part 9: The Treat | Part 8: The Tub | Part 7: The Tribe | Part 6: The Terrain | Part 5: The Trail | Part 4: The Transformation | Part 3: The Tunnels | Part 2: The Trap | Part 1: The Trip
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