Enamored 1/?
Title: Enamored 1/?
Pairing: Jaejoong/Heechul (Changmin/Yunho, Kai/Taemin)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This much pretty can only happen in fanfics. I think if these two were a couple in real life the world would explode.
Summary: War with the Hawks is imminent. The Ravens do not want to fight, but no one is willing to back them despite being allies. The Swans have their own plans: marry off their last prince to the Ravens and then they'll think of siding with the Ravens if they need to. It's all very manipulative, especially to Jaejoong who is suddenly forced into the idea of an arranged marriage with a snobby nobel.
This fic is in the same universe as Nevermore and Forever More. This happens about three years after the events in Forever More.
Fanfic poster by me!
Part 1: The Impossible Proposition
Jaejoong leaned against the tree trunk, just outside of his office. He puffed on the makeshift cigarette, a combination of the tobacco from Yunho’s realm and some of the grasses from his own. The silvery smoke trailed into the night sky, shimmering with the stars.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Jaejoong snorted but did not turn around to face Changmin. With the Hawks causing skirmishes all along their shared border, Jaejoong dared not sleep during the night. It was only a matter of time before they grew confident enough for a full-scale assault.
He took another drag of the sweet cigarette.
“The Swans still refuse to aid us,” Changmin said. “Their magicians have left to go back to their lake.”
Jaejoong nodded. He knew they would not help despite being allies. They could not spare the warriors to protect the Hawk and Raven border when they were having their own problems with the Owls. And the Falcons refused to help anyone.
“My father has an idea.” Changmin went to the edge of the platform and leaned against the railing.
“If he is sending you to tell me, I am not going to like it.”
Changmin smiled over his shoulder.
Jaejoong snorted again, blowing smoke from his nose. “What is it?”
“An alliance.”
“Another one?”
“One of the marital sort.”
Jaejoong choked on a lungful of smoke. “What?”
Changmin turned around and leaned against the railing with his arms crossed. His long legs were crossed at the ankle, the moon catching on the curves of his thigh muscles. His white shirt gaped open, dark skin almost glowing. He was smirking. The bastard.
“The Swans have an unwed royal.”
“Last I checked, we did not,” Jaejoong said, “or at least one not already promised to someone else.”
“Yes, but Kim Heechul is not the heir, and does not want to marry a woman.”
Jaejoong stared at him, cigarette forgotten and then cursed. “No way. No fucking way.”
“You haven't even--”
“No, no way. He is arrogant, he is rude, he is--”
“I recall you saying that he was pretty.”
“He is, but that doesn’t mean I want to marry him.”
Changmin shrugged. “We are inviting him and his guards to the stronghold whenever they have time. Think about it.”
“I do not have to. My answer is no.”
Changmin smiled. “Be nice to him at least.”
“I am always nice to visiting dignitaries.”
“You are cordial. You are not nice. I want you to be nice.”
Jaejoong finally tossed the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out with his boot. “You are arranging a marriage for me without my consent when you--”
Changmin held out a hand. “It is not without your consent. I learned that things and people do not just blindly follow whatever it is that I think it the correct way.”
Jaejoong snorted. Again. “And your husband? How is he this evening?”
“Yunho is fine, as I’m sure you know, because you were supposed to be watching him for most of the evening.”
Jaejoong smiled. He stretched his arms and noticed the lightening of the sky. “You should go back to him. He has not been sleeping well.”
“The baby?”
Jaejoong turned to face him. “If there was anything wrong with the baby, you know that I would have called you out of that meeting.”
“I know. But it feels better to hear it from you.”
“Your baby is fine.”
“Thank you. You need to sleep.”
Jaejoong nodded. “I will.”
Changmin clapped him on the shoulder on the way past and left him on the balcony. Jaejoong cursed mentally and took a few very deep breaths. He did not like Kim Heechul. The man was spoiled and crude. He did not have to be the heir, and he paraded his beauty around to anyone that looked at him. Jaejoong hated arrogance and greed. He didn’t like most of the Swans royal family for that exact reason.
Married? To a Swan? To the most arrogantly beautiful Swan in the clan? Not likely. But he could play nice. He suddenly had to.
^/\-v-/\^
Jaejoong peered around the column into Yunho and Changmin’s dimly lit room. A single candle burned near the bed and another burned on the wall. Changmin, as he knew he would be, was with his father. Jaejoong should have been in that meeting as the Apex of the warriors, but the last meeting he attended was nothing but trying to get him to agree to the alliance with the Swans, an alliance that would leave him with a husband that he did not like.
Yunho sat up in Changmin’s chaise lounge, dressed only in a pair of sweat shorts from his realm that had been pants at one point and then sheared off. His knees were bent over a pillow. His bare toes curled in the soft fabric. His eyes were shut, chest rising and falling steadily, but he was not asleep. Yunho probably slept less than Jaejoong did. The pain from accommodating a baby was the worst during the first few months.
Though even six months into his pregnancy, Yunho still had pregnancy pains. Jaejoong hoped it was only because he spent most of his life in his realm, not because anything was wrong. Jaejoong kept a very close eye on both the father and the baby.
Jaejoong walked slowly into the room, and Yunho shifted, eyes opening. He smiled seeing Jaejoong.
Jaejoong sat on the lounge and pressed his hand to Yunho’s bare stomach. The practiced spells fell from his lips, and he felt Yunho sigh in relief. The magic sunk into Yunho’s swollen stomach and swirled around the child growing inside him.
“Everything okay?” Yunho whispered, rubbing the upper curve of his stomach.
Jaejoong nodded. He kept the magic inside him, soothing the growing infant as well as the father. He caught a clear picture of the child, ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, a nose, a mouth. Everything was where it should have been. He removed the magic, though he left a lingering pain relief spell upon his skin. It would activate when Yunho needed it to.
“Do you want to know the gender?” Jaejoong whispered.
Yunho’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Jaejoong nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Without Changmin here?”
Yunho pouted. “Asshole left me with only a kiss this morning. This can be payback.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “You’re going to have a boy.”
Yunho gasped. Tears sparkled in his eyes. “Really?”
Jaejoong nodded. “And he’s healthy, secure, complete. He’s picking up on your pain, of course, but there is nothing wrong with his development.”
Yunho blinked, tears spilling over his eyes. “Wow. That ... I still feel like I’m dreaming, like this isn’t really possible.”
“Most pregnant people feel that way. Do you need anything?”
“Water would be nice.”
Jaejoong stood only long enough to get a basin of water. He cooled it with magic, almost turning it to ice, and Yunho gulped it down in relief. “Have you been sick today?”
Yunho shook his head. “Not for three days.”
“That is good. I have no idea why you are having such a horrible time.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Changmin made it seem like this meeting is really important, about the Hawks, and yet, you are here.”
Jaejoong made a face. “They are attempting to marry me off.”
“Not off,” Yunho said. “You would not leave the Ravens.”
“That is the least of my concerns.”
“And what are you concerned about?”
“Kim Heechul is an arrogant, little brat.”
Yunho laughed. “And you aren’t arrogant?”
“Not the point. He’s greedy and--”
“And Changmin says it’s been years since you last saw him, that you both were just teenagers.”
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “Not true. I saw him at your wedding.”
“Saw, but said nothing to him.”
“He is a brat. News of his antics spread easily to our clan.”
“Changmin may know better now than to just assume that everything is going to go his way, but I know you, Jaejoong, and as much as you fight against this, as soon as Heechul gets here, probably within the next week or two, you are going to be nice. And Heechul is pretty gorgeous, so despite everything, you may end up with him on his knees for you before you know it.”
Jaejoong huffed. “Shut up.”
Yunho laughed. “Rub my feet.”
Jaejoong moved to the end of the lounge and dropped to his knees. He picked up one foot and frowned at how swollen it was. Nothing about Yunho’s pregnancy was normal, and if he did not have his magic, he would be worried about the baby boy’s health. He rubbed his knuckles on the arched curve and pressed his fingertips into the pads. His massage switched from foot to foot and then up his ankles and calves.
Yunho’s breathing deepened, his skin flushed red and shone with sweat. He moaned suddenly, body shaking.
“Okay?” Jaejoong asked, worried that Yunho’s sickness would return.
Yunho shook his head. “God, fuck.”
Jaejoong rocked his fist against the ball of Yunho’s foot, and the next moan from Yunho’s mouth was not one of pain. Jaejoong smirked. It was about time. He touched the red jewel at his belt, warming it and sending a message to Changmin. The jewel was different than all the others he used to communicate with. Changmin had a matching one that Jaejoong only used when it was Yunho that needed Changmin.
“You are so insanely gorgeous, Yunho,” Jaejoong said, ratcheting up his pleasure, because Yunho loved being told how good he was. “Even pregnant, you’re so strong. So good to Changmin. With such pretty skin. I think I’d do anything to possess you, just once. You know Changmin promised, right? That he’d share you with me. Of course that was before when he still had not met you, but I’d give anything to be between your legs, sucking out your pleasure while Changmin fills you from behind.”
Yunho whimpered, hands above his head, gripping the couch. His hips rose, the shorts wet with more than sweat. Jaejoong moved his hands higher, on the inside of his knees. He lightened the pressure, fingertips slipping into the shorts, along his inner thighs.
“You are so gorgeous on your knees,” Jaejoong said. “Sometimes when you and Changmin are too involved in sex and each other, I just stand there and watch, wishing I could move in next to Changmin and fight with Changmin for space in your mouth, but I’m sure that you could take us both, swallow both our cocks in your throat, or better yet, take both our cocks in your pretty tight ass.”
Yunho moaned and Jaejoong felt Changmin’s presence with just enough time to get his hands back to Yunho’s feet.
Changmin barreled into the room, concerned, worried, and Jaejoong chuckled. He stood up and said, “He is so fucking horny for you, and you’re welcome.”
He was pretty sure that neither of them heard, and Changmin was between Yunho’s legs in a moment, touching his husband, kissing him, and Yunho was begging to be fucked between words.
Jaejoong thought of staying and watching, because Yunho had not wanted Changmin to touch him for the longest time, but figured he’d leave them to their privacy. Their baby was healthy and with Yunho finally horny enough to beg, a little worry about him left.
Jaejoong twisted a bit of magic through the room to cool the temperature, and then he was leaving, walking back through room just as Yunho whimpered in relief. The last thing he heard was Yunho screaming, “Fuck god, your cock is so good,” and then the door shut behind him.
^/\-v-/\^
Jaejoong leaned against a tree trunk, boots on the ground instead of a platform. He did not like how springing the ground was. The sun rose high above him, and the shadows darkened everything gray. Below the canopy, on the ground, even with the sun at its peak, it was dark and cool. He had a few other guards with him, but they were quiet, observant, and ready just in case the Swans had planted a trap.
Though Apollo would have warned him.
Jaejoong had to stop seeing rebels and tricks everywhere he went.
He smoked a cigarette.
Apollo squawked from above, the noise echoed by the contingent of ravens in the trees.
The Swans arrival was imminent.
Nerves threatened to make Jaejoong shift. It had been a long time since he felt so anxious. He suddenly realized that he had no idea if Kim Heechul even knew why he was coming to the Raven Stronghold. He wanted to pace. He wanted to growl. But he was the Apex of the Raven Warriors. He was above that.
At least in public.
Jaejoong had expected a grand parade of Swans, delivering the Swan Prince to the Raven Stronghold. He had not expected Kim Heechul dressed down by Swan standards with only a few guards. A total of five people.
Kim Heechul was gorgeous, Jaejoong knew that and would never deny that he found the man attractive. He was handsome in a beautiful way. His long black hair was pulled back, away from his face. Swan feathers adorned the intricate curls and metal pins that held his hair in place. His face was structured in the handsome way that kept people from thinking he was female. He wore black, head to toe, tight pants, short boots, and a tight black shirt with long sleeves and studs of metal placed in the material. Silver bangles jangled on his wrist. A metal cuff adorned with sparkling jewels wound around his thigh. And a light silver necklace of webbing draped around his neck.
Jaejoong met his eyes, and stared, wondering, did he know? Jaejoong still could not tell.
“Welcome to the Raven Stronghold, Kim Heechul,” Jaejoong said and bowed.
“Thanks for the invitation,” he drawled back, smirking ever so slightly.
Yeah, he definitely knew.
“Would you like to take the long way or the short way up?”
“Short,” Heechul said. “No one in my clan ever wants to use the baskets. I want to try it.”
Jaejoong nodded and turned to hide his surprise. Swans never wanted to go up in the baskets. They were a cautious clan. His men were quick to move toward the large trees and baskets. He felt Heechul’s gaze on his back and did not turn back around until he was at a basket.
Five baskets hung from a series of thick ropes and pulleys. There were more on other trees, but they would not need them. Jaejoong moved into the basket first, though he probably should have let Heechul to be polite, but Heechul was next. Only one of Heechul’s guards accompanied him. Jaejoong had met Kai only once before. The man was quick with his skills in hand-to-hand combat, and he frequently showed off his martial arts during festivals. He was deadly with a sword or staff.
With them came only Taemin. The other guards filled three more baskets and after a shouted warning, the basket jolted and moved up. Jaejoong expected it, so he did not topple over, but Heechul almost did and Kai was quick to steady him.
Jaejoong surveyed Heechul. Sunlight sparkled through his hair, making the dark strands shimmer. An answering shimmer ran up both ears in intricate piercings. The metals connecting them matched the metal around his neck.
“I have been told I must be nice to you,” Heechul said suddenly.
Jaejoong snorted. “Same here.”
“And how do we go about being nice to each other?”
Jaejoong thought for a moment and said, “Start with the obvious, I suppose.”
An eyebrow quirked up.
“You look fantastic,” Jaejoong said, and wished he used a different word, “but you know you’re beautiful, so I don’t feel like I need to tell you that.”
That little half-smirk flit over his lips again. “Likewise. You Ravens sure love to show off your bodily assets and I can’t say that I am disappointed in anything you have to offer. But I am prettier than you are.”
Jaejoong forced himself to relax and unclench. He nodded. “I will concede to your vanity, but not by much.”
Heechul chuckled. “I have been told by many that you do not wish to be married.”
Jaejoong shrugged. “It is not something I have ever thought about. My life, my abilities, my powers belong to the Ravens. It is unfair to a future partner to not be able to have all of my attention.”
“And you like to sleep around.”
Jaejoong smirked. “There is that.”
Heechul spun a gold ring around his pinky finger. “There is that. I hear rumors of your prowess.”
“They are not rumors if they are true.”
Heechul laughed, a free, honest sound that had Jaejoong actually relaxing and smiling back.
“Before we tumble into bed together,” Jaejoong said, “the Raven King and Queen would like to invite you to dine with us and formally welcome you into our home.”
Heechul rolled his eyes. “Theatrics.”
“Very much so.”
“May I decline?”
Jaejoong thought of telling him no, but he had no desire to sit in a formal dinner with the King and Queen either. “Perhaps you are feeling a bit unwell.”
“Or I just do not want to go.”
“Ah, but, you must be nice,” Jaejoong said with a smile, “and refusing an offer from the Raven King and Queen without a good excuse is a deep insult.”
Heechul stuck his tongue out at Jaejoong. “Fine.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “Also, this is Taemin, one of my main guards. I do not think you two have met.”
Taemin blushed a shade of red, and Heechul’s smirk bloomed over his face. “Oh, little Taeminnie and I have met, haven’t we little Raven?”
Taemin cleared his throat. “Yes, Prince Heechul.”
Heechul laughed.
Jaejoong glared at his warrior. “Oh really?”
Taemin cleared his throat. “It was ... at Changmin’s wedding, Apex.”
Heechul continued to chuckle. “Little Taemin is very eager, as I am sure I do not need to tell you.”
Heechul did not, but Jaejoong did not like knowing that they had been together, which did not make sense to him at all.
The basket jolted a little and its ascent sped up, zipping them through the leaves and branches. Again, Jaejoong had been expecting it, but Heechul had not and this time, Jaejoong had to quickly move to keep the other from falling to the bottom of the basket.
“Sorry,” Jaejoong said. “I forgot to warn you.”
Heechul was his height. He was strong, though not nearly as strong as Jaejoong. With his long dark hair, and what he learned of his attitude in the last few minutes, the two of them would be incredibly good together.
Jaejoong felt his cheeks flush, and he quickly passed the Swan Prince back to his bodyguard.
Part 2: The Complicated Beauty
.
Pairing: Jaejoong/Heechul (Changmin/Yunho, Kai/Taemin)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This much pretty can only happen in fanfics. I think if these two were a couple in real life the world would explode.
Summary: War with the Hawks is imminent. The Ravens do not want to fight, but no one is willing to back them despite being allies. The Swans have their own plans: marry off their last prince to the Ravens and then they'll think of siding with the Ravens if they need to. It's all very manipulative, especially to Jaejoong who is suddenly forced into the idea of an arranged marriage with a snobby nobel.
This fic is in the same universe as Nevermore and Forever More. This happens about three years after the events in Forever More.
Fanfic poster by me!
Part 1: The Impossible Proposition
Jaejoong leaned against the tree trunk, just outside of his office. He puffed on the makeshift cigarette, a combination of the tobacco from Yunho’s realm and some of the grasses from his own. The silvery smoke trailed into the night sky, shimmering with the stars.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Jaejoong snorted but did not turn around to face Changmin. With the Hawks causing skirmishes all along their shared border, Jaejoong dared not sleep during the night. It was only a matter of time before they grew confident enough for a full-scale assault.
He took another drag of the sweet cigarette.
“The Swans still refuse to aid us,” Changmin said. “Their magicians have left to go back to their lake.”
Jaejoong nodded. He knew they would not help despite being allies. They could not spare the warriors to protect the Hawk and Raven border when they were having their own problems with the Owls. And the Falcons refused to help anyone.
“My father has an idea.” Changmin went to the edge of the platform and leaned against the railing.
“If he is sending you to tell me, I am not going to like it.”
Changmin smiled over his shoulder.
Jaejoong snorted again, blowing smoke from his nose. “What is it?”
“An alliance.”
“Another one?”
“One of the marital sort.”
Jaejoong choked on a lungful of smoke. “What?”
Changmin turned around and leaned against the railing with his arms crossed. His long legs were crossed at the ankle, the moon catching on the curves of his thigh muscles. His white shirt gaped open, dark skin almost glowing. He was smirking. The bastard.
“The Swans have an unwed royal.”
“Last I checked, we did not,” Jaejoong said, “or at least one not already promised to someone else.”
“Yes, but Kim Heechul is not the heir, and does not want to marry a woman.”
Jaejoong stared at him, cigarette forgotten and then cursed. “No way. No fucking way.”
“You haven't even--”
“No, no way. He is arrogant, he is rude, he is--”
“I recall you saying that he was pretty.”
“He is, but that doesn’t mean I want to marry him.”
Changmin shrugged. “We are inviting him and his guards to the stronghold whenever they have time. Think about it.”
“I do not have to. My answer is no.”
Changmin smiled. “Be nice to him at least.”
“I am always nice to visiting dignitaries.”
“You are cordial. You are not nice. I want you to be nice.”
Jaejoong finally tossed the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out with his boot. “You are arranging a marriage for me without my consent when you--”
Changmin held out a hand. “It is not without your consent. I learned that things and people do not just blindly follow whatever it is that I think it the correct way.”
Jaejoong snorted. Again. “And your husband? How is he this evening?”
“Yunho is fine, as I’m sure you know, because you were supposed to be watching him for most of the evening.”
Jaejoong smiled. He stretched his arms and noticed the lightening of the sky. “You should go back to him. He has not been sleeping well.”
“The baby?”
Jaejoong turned to face him. “If there was anything wrong with the baby, you know that I would have called you out of that meeting.”
“I know. But it feels better to hear it from you.”
“Your baby is fine.”
“Thank you. You need to sleep.”
Jaejoong nodded. “I will.”
Changmin clapped him on the shoulder on the way past and left him on the balcony. Jaejoong cursed mentally and took a few very deep breaths. He did not like Kim Heechul. The man was spoiled and crude. He did not have to be the heir, and he paraded his beauty around to anyone that looked at him. Jaejoong hated arrogance and greed. He didn’t like most of the Swans royal family for that exact reason.
Married? To a Swan? To the most arrogantly beautiful Swan in the clan? Not likely. But he could play nice. He suddenly had to.
^/\-v-/\^
Jaejoong peered around the column into Yunho and Changmin’s dimly lit room. A single candle burned near the bed and another burned on the wall. Changmin, as he knew he would be, was with his father. Jaejoong should have been in that meeting as the Apex of the warriors, but the last meeting he attended was nothing but trying to get him to agree to the alliance with the Swans, an alliance that would leave him with a husband that he did not like.
Yunho sat up in Changmin’s chaise lounge, dressed only in a pair of sweat shorts from his realm that had been pants at one point and then sheared off. His knees were bent over a pillow. His bare toes curled in the soft fabric. His eyes were shut, chest rising and falling steadily, but he was not asleep. Yunho probably slept less than Jaejoong did. The pain from accommodating a baby was the worst during the first few months.
Though even six months into his pregnancy, Yunho still had pregnancy pains. Jaejoong hoped it was only because he spent most of his life in his realm, not because anything was wrong. Jaejoong kept a very close eye on both the father and the baby.
Jaejoong walked slowly into the room, and Yunho shifted, eyes opening. He smiled seeing Jaejoong.
Jaejoong sat on the lounge and pressed his hand to Yunho’s bare stomach. The practiced spells fell from his lips, and he felt Yunho sigh in relief. The magic sunk into Yunho’s swollen stomach and swirled around the child growing inside him.
“Everything okay?” Yunho whispered, rubbing the upper curve of his stomach.
Jaejoong nodded. He kept the magic inside him, soothing the growing infant as well as the father. He caught a clear picture of the child, ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, a nose, a mouth. Everything was where it should have been. He removed the magic, though he left a lingering pain relief spell upon his skin. It would activate when Yunho needed it to.
“Do you want to know the gender?” Jaejoong whispered.
Yunho’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Jaejoong nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Without Changmin here?”
Yunho pouted. “Asshole left me with only a kiss this morning. This can be payback.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “You’re going to have a boy.”
Yunho gasped. Tears sparkled in his eyes. “Really?”
Jaejoong nodded. “And he’s healthy, secure, complete. He’s picking up on your pain, of course, but there is nothing wrong with his development.”
Yunho blinked, tears spilling over his eyes. “Wow. That ... I still feel like I’m dreaming, like this isn’t really possible.”
“Most pregnant people feel that way. Do you need anything?”
“Water would be nice.”
Jaejoong stood only long enough to get a basin of water. He cooled it with magic, almost turning it to ice, and Yunho gulped it down in relief. “Have you been sick today?”
Yunho shook his head. “Not for three days.”
“That is good. I have no idea why you are having such a horrible time.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Changmin made it seem like this meeting is really important, about the Hawks, and yet, you are here.”
Jaejoong made a face. “They are attempting to marry me off.”
“Not off,” Yunho said. “You would not leave the Ravens.”
“That is the least of my concerns.”
“And what are you concerned about?”
“Kim Heechul is an arrogant, little brat.”
Yunho laughed. “And you aren’t arrogant?”
“Not the point. He’s greedy and--”
“And Changmin says it’s been years since you last saw him, that you both were just teenagers.”
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “Not true. I saw him at your wedding.”
“Saw, but said nothing to him.”
“He is a brat. News of his antics spread easily to our clan.”
“Changmin may know better now than to just assume that everything is going to go his way, but I know you, Jaejoong, and as much as you fight against this, as soon as Heechul gets here, probably within the next week or two, you are going to be nice. And Heechul is pretty gorgeous, so despite everything, you may end up with him on his knees for you before you know it.”
Jaejoong huffed. “Shut up.”
Yunho laughed. “Rub my feet.”
Jaejoong moved to the end of the lounge and dropped to his knees. He picked up one foot and frowned at how swollen it was. Nothing about Yunho’s pregnancy was normal, and if he did not have his magic, he would be worried about the baby boy’s health. He rubbed his knuckles on the arched curve and pressed his fingertips into the pads. His massage switched from foot to foot and then up his ankles and calves.
Yunho’s breathing deepened, his skin flushed red and shone with sweat. He moaned suddenly, body shaking.
“Okay?” Jaejoong asked, worried that Yunho’s sickness would return.
Yunho shook his head. “God, fuck.”
Jaejoong rocked his fist against the ball of Yunho’s foot, and the next moan from Yunho’s mouth was not one of pain. Jaejoong smirked. It was about time. He touched the red jewel at his belt, warming it and sending a message to Changmin. The jewel was different than all the others he used to communicate with. Changmin had a matching one that Jaejoong only used when it was Yunho that needed Changmin.
“You are so insanely gorgeous, Yunho,” Jaejoong said, ratcheting up his pleasure, because Yunho loved being told how good he was. “Even pregnant, you’re so strong. So good to Changmin. With such pretty skin. I think I’d do anything to possess you, just once. You know Changmin promised, right? That he’d share you with me. Of course that was before when he still had not met you, but I’d give anything to be between your legs, sucking out your pleasure while Changmin fills you from behind.”
Yunho whimpered, hands above his head, gripping the couch. His hips rose, the shorts wet with more than sweat. Jaejoong moved his hands higher, on the inside of his knees. He lightened the pressure, fingertips slipping into the shorts, along his inner thighs.
“You are so gorgeous on your knees,” Jaejoong said. “Sometimes when you and Changmin are too involved in sex and each other, I just stand there and watch, wishing I could move in next to Changmin and fight with Changmin for space in your mouth, but I’m sure that you could take us both, swallow both our cocks in your throat, or better yet, take both our cocks in your pretty tight ass.”
Yunho moaned and Jaejoong felt Changmin’s presence with just enough time to get his hands back to Yunho’s feet.
Changmin barreled into the room, concerned, worried, and Jaejoong chuckled. He stood up and said, “He is so fucking horny for you, and you’re welcome.”
He was pretty sure that neither of them heard, and Changmin was between Yunho’s legs in a moment, touching his husband, kissing him, and Yunho was begging to be fucked between words.
Jaejoong thought of staying and watching, because Yunho had not wanted Changmin to touch him for the longest time, but figured he’d leave them to their privacy. Their baby was healthy and with Yunho finally horny enough to beg, a little worry about him left.
Jaejoong twisted a bit of magic through the room to cool the temperature, and then he was leaving, walking back through room just as Yunho whimpered in relief. The last thing he heard was Yunho screaming, “Fuck god, your cock is so good,” and then the door shut behind him.
^/\-v-/\^
Jaejoong leaned against a tree trunk, boots on the ground instead of a platform. He did not like how springing the ground was. The sun rose high above him, and the shadows darkened everything gray. Below the canopy, on the ground, even with the sun at its peak, it was dark and cool. He had a few other guards with him, but they were quiet, observant, and ready just in case the Swans had planted a trap.
Though Apollo would have warned him.
Jaejoong had to stop seeing rebels and tricks everywhere he went.
He smoked a cigarette.
Apollo squawked from above, the noise echoed by the contingent of ravens in the trees.
The Swans arrival was imminent.
Nerves threatened to make Jaejoong shift. It had been a long time since he felt so anxious. He suddenly realized that he had no idea if Kim Heechul even knew why he was coming to the Raven Stronghold. He wanted to pace. He wanted to growl. But he was the Apex of the Raven Warriors. He was above that.
At least in public.
Jaejoong had expected a grand parade of Swans, delivering the Swan Prince to the Raven Stronghold. He had not expected Kim Heechul dressed down by Swan standards with only a few guards. A total of five people.
Kim Heechul was gorgeous, Jaejoong knew that and would never deny that he found the man attractive. He was handsome in a beautiful way. His long black hair was pulled back, away from his face. Swan feathers adorned the intricate curls and metal pins that held his hair in place. His face was structured in the handsome way that kept people from thinking he was female. He wore black, head to toe, tight pants, short boots, and a tight black shirt with long sleeves and studs of metal placed in the material. Silver bangles jangled on his wrist. A metal cuff adorned with sparkling jewels wound around his thigh. And a light silver necklace of webbing draped around his neck.
Jaejoong met his eyes, and stared, wondering, did he know? Jaejoong still could not tell.
“Welcome to the Raven Stronghold, Kim Heechul,” Jaejoong said and bowed.
“Thanks for the invitation,” he drawled back, smirking ever so slightly.
Yeah, he definitely knew.
“Would you like to take the long way or the short way up?”
“Short,” Heechul said. “No one in my clan ever wants to use the baskets. I want to try it.”
Jaejoong nodded and turned to hide his surprise. Swans never wanted to go up in the baskets. They were a cautious clan. His men were quick to move toward the large trees and baskets. He felt Heechul’s gaze on his back and did not turn back around until he was at a basket.
Five baskets hung from a series of thick ropes and pulleys. There were more on other trees, but they would not need them. Jaejoong moved into the basket first, though he probably should have let Heechul to be polite, but Heechul was next. Only one of Heechul’s guards accompanied him. Jaejoong had met Kai only once before. The man was quick with his skills in hand-to-hand combat, and he frequently showed off his martial arts during festivals. He was deadly with a sword or staff.
With them came only Taemin. The other guards filled three more baskets and after a shouted warning, the basket jolted and moved up. Jaejoong expected it, so he did not topple over, but Heechul almost did and Kai was quick to steady him.
Jaejoong surveyed Heechul. Sunlight sparkled through his hair, making the dark strands shimmer. An answering shimmer ran up both ears in intricate piercings. The metals connecting them matched the metal around his neck.
“I have been told I must be nice to you,” Heechul said suddenly.
Jaejoong snorted. “Same here.”
“And how do we go about being nice to each other?”
Jaejoong thought for a moment and said, “Start with the obvious, I suppose.”
An eyebrow quirked up.
“You look fantastic,” Jaejoong said, and wished he used a different word, “but you know you’re beautiful, so I don’t feel like I need to tell you that.”
That little half-smirk flit over his lips again. “Likewise. You Ravens sure love to show off your bodily assets and I can’t say that I am disappointed in anything you have to offer. But I am prettier than you are.”
Jaejoong forced himself to relax and unclench. He nodded. “I will concede to your vanity, but not by much.”
Heechul chuckled. “I have been told by many that you do not wish to be married.”
Jaejoong shrugged. “It is not something I have ever thought about. My life, my abilities, my powers belong to the Ravens. It is unfair to a future partner to not be able to have all of my attention.”
“And you like to sleep around.”
Jaejoong smirked. “There is that.”
Heechul spun a gold ring around his pinky finger. “There is that. I hear rumors of your prowess.”
“They are not rumors if they are true.”
Heechul laughed, a free, honest sound that had Jaejoong actually relaxing and smiling back.
“Before we tumble into bed together,” Jaejoong said, “the Raven King and Queen would like to invite you to dine with us and formally welcome you into our home.”
Heechul rolled his eyes. “Theatrics.”
“Very much so.”
“May I decline?”
Jaejoong thought of telling him no, but he had no desire to sit in a formal dinner with the King and Queen either. “Perhaps you are feeling a bit unwell.”
“Or I just do not want to go.”
“Ah, but, you must be nice,” Jaejoong said with a smile, “and refusing an offer from the Raven King and Queen without a good excuse is a deep insult.”
Heechul stuck his tongue out at Jaejoong. “Fine.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “Also, this is Taemin, one of my main guards. I do not think you two have met.”
Taemin blushed a shade of red, and Heechul’s smirk bloomed over his face. “Oh, little Taeminnie and I have met, haven’t we little Raven?”
Taemin cleared his throat. “Yes, Prince Heechul.”
Heechul laughed.
Jaejoong glared at his warrior. “Oh really?”
Taemin cleared his throat. “It was ... at Changmin’s wedding, Apex.”
Heechul continued to chuckle. “Little Taemin is very eager, as I am sure I do not need to tell you.”
Heechul did not, but Jaejoong did not like knowing that they had been together, which did not make sense to him at all.
The basket jolted a little and its ascent sped up, zipping them through the leaves and branches. Again, Jaejoong had been expecting it, but Heechul had not and this time, Jaejoong had to quickly move to keep the other from falling to the bottom of the basket.
“Sorry,” Jaejoong said. “I forgot to warn you.”
Heechul was his height. He was strong, though not nearly as strong as Jaejoong. With his long dark hair, and what he learned of his attitude in the last few minutes, the two of them would be incredibly good together.
Jaejoong felt his cheeks flush, and he quickly passed the Swan Prince back to his bodyguard.
Part 2: The Complicated Beauty
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