Pleasures of the Mighty 3/?
Title: Pleasures of the Mighty 3/?
Rating: Mostly R, but some later chapters will be NC-17
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu and implied Yoochun/Changmin
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd make them my slaves.
Summary: On ShinKi, slaves give you prestige, honor and a convenient hole to fuck. But Jung Yunho has never owned a slave. Heir to the Jung Empire, he has refused to follow standard practices and refused his father's wishes to follow the family tradition of political leadership.
But then his best friend Yoochun drags him to the slave traders, and sees the most beautiful man. When Yoochun shows an interest in buying him, Yunho is determined to keep the beauty out of his sadistic friend's bedroom.
It's a simple purchase, but soon, as he learns more and more about Jaejoong and his world Doushite, Yunho finds himself looking for answers buried deep in the anti-political underworld.
A/N: During the course of this fic I will be randomly throwing in "Doushiten" words. They are actually romanized Korean words, but yeah ... so just FYI. Doushiten is actually Korean, AND I do know that Doushite is a Japanese word. :)
Poster Credit goes to my darling tarta (trshakespeare). I ♥♥♥ You!
Part 3: The Problem
Jae woke him up at five-thirty.
“Fuck, Jae, it’s Saturday.”
“I’m sorry, Master. Is there a different time you’d like me to wake you up on Saturdays?”
Yunho squeezed his eyes shut. “Just later. Eight or nine.”
“Very well, Master.”
And then it registered. Yunho sat up. “Jae?”
Jae turned at the door and lowered his head. “Yes, Master?”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what, Master?”
“Stop that. What is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Master.”
Yunho growled, stood up and stalked over to him. “Knock it off.”
“If Master would tell-”
Yunho grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. “Don’t do this, Jae.”
“Do what, Master?”
Yunho pulled him back and then slammed him against wall again. “Don’t.”
“Why not?” That defiant look was back in his eyes. “Because you said so. Master?”
Yunho sighed. He moved his hands from Jae’s shoulders and then put them against the wall. He let his arms bend until his forearms rested against the wall. Their bodies aligned. Yunho let his head fall to one of his arms. Their cheeks were a hair’s breadth apart.
“Please, Jae. I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know why you’re mad at me. I couldn’t let Yoochun take you. Do you understand that? And fuck, you’re gorgeous. More beautiful than anyone I’ve met, but I won’t make you feel like you’re some toy to be used and abused. I won’t.”
Jae pressed hands against Yunho’s chest. Yunho let him push him away. He was gasping.
Yunho left him against the wall and started changing. “Since I’m up, I might as well go running. Do you want to come with me?”
Jae shook his head.
“Okay. I’ll see you in an hour then.”
Jae fled the room.
Yunho sighed. The run did very little to clear his head, but gave him plenty of time to think about Jaejoong. He was royalty. A prince or something on Doushite. It made sense anyway. When Jae walked, he carried himself with an air of privilege and elitism.
And how to fix this? He didn’t want Jaejoong mad at him. It was no secret on ShinKi that Yunho had no plans to join the political or military world. He did agree that the ShinKi’s democratic government was better than those aristocracies or communists ones on other worlds, but did it give ShinKi the right to force it on others? If what Jae said was true, then there had been no problems on Doushite. None of the peasant uprisings or sadistic rulers eliminating the population like the media and government said.
Something didn’t sit right with him. A little curl of fear rose in him. What if there had been no reason to be on Doushite? And if there wasn’t, what about the other planets where ShinKi now had colonies?
Doubt rose in him, enough that he knew that come Monday morning, he was going to start some discrete searches.
When he got home, Jae was no where to be found, until Yunho realized the bathroom light was on. Breakfast was sitting on the table waiting for him.
He poured a cup of coffee and sat down to eat. It was still warm, so Jae hadn’t put it out until a few minutes before. Jae didn’t appear until almost noon, sitting carefully next to Yunho on the couch. Yunho looked at him carefully. “You alright?”
“Yes.”
Yunho scoffed, but didn’t press him for details. They ate dinner late, but went to bed early. Just before Yunho entered his room, Jae latched onto his wrist. Yunho turned and made a noise of surprise when Jae hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, laying his head on top of Jae and running a hand over his hair.
“What time are you going to run tomorrow?” Jae asked, voice muffled against Yunho’s shoulder.
“Not five-thirty. Usually, I wait until eight or nine, or I don’t even go. Depends on how hot it is outside.”
“Can I come with you?”
“Sure.”
“Okay.”
Yunho knew that here was the best time to let Jae go, but instead he held him more tightly. He expected Jae to struggle, break away or at least stiffen. What he wasn’t expecting was Jae to sigh and bury more deeply into his body. Relax and god, it’d be so easy to kiss him.
Jae’s hands slid up his back.
It’d be so easy to take him to his room, lay him on the bed and memorize the lines of the tattoo with his tongue. It was too tempting.
Yunho shivered. And pushed Jae away. “Make it seven. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jae bit his lower lip and frowned, but he nodded, and Yunho quickly slipped into his room. He groaned, the feel of Jae’s body along his. In no time, he was naked, on his bed, legs spread, stroking his cock, thinking of Jae on his knees, back muscles shaking, biting and licking the swirls on the tattoo. His voice, crying out Yunho’s name. And then coming. Jae’s name groaning past dried lips.
Yunho gasped, trying to clear his head enough to clean up before he fell asleep. He had no desire to be woken up by Jae in this state. Well, not until Jae actually caused him to be out of breath and covered in come.
~}|{~
Seven came a bit too soon for Yunho and he struggled to open his eyes.
Jae’s soft laughter filled the room. “How did you ever manage to get yourself to work on time?”
Yunho pouted and then rolled over, burying his head back into the pillow.
“No, you don’t. Come on.” Jae grabbed his hips.
Yunho struggled and Jae lost his balance and fell to the bed, knocking his head on Yunho’s elbow. Yunho sat up. “Oh, shit, are you okay?”
Jae had his eyes shut tight. He rolled and ended up with his head in Yunho’s lap. “Your elbow is hard.”
“Yeah, bones are like that.”
Jae rubbed his forehead. “Are you awake now?”
“I guess. Unless you want to lay here and go back to sleep?”
Jae’s eyes flew open. Yunho smiled down at him, and Jae scrambled to get up. “I’m … um, already dressed.”
“Lame excuse,” Yunho said.
Then the door shut. Yunho sighed and got dressed. Maybe one day he and Jae could be closer, but it would be on Jae’s terms. Yunho would never make Jae feel obligated to do anything for or with him.
Jae stood by the door. He wore brand new shoes, sweat pants and a t-shirt that practically molded to his chest. Under Yunho’s eyes, he lowered his head, nervous, but Yunho smiled at him and led the way to the elevator. On the way down, Yunho noticed the Jung family tassels on Jae’s arm and he frowned.
Jae shrugged. “You forgot to take it off the other day. And I have to wear it, right?”
“You shouldn’t.”
“But you’d get in trouble.”
“You still shouldn’t. Just don’t jog behind me, okay. That will piss me off.”
Jae smiled.
“Are you still mad at me?”
Jae looked away. “No,” he whispered. “It’s not your fault.”
Once outside, Yunho started at a brisk pace. Jae kept up, met him stride for stride. They didn’t talk, kept a few inches between them. Yunho followed the route ingrained into his limbs. Hung over and sick, he could still find his way through his morning routine. Around the district, two circuits around the park, over the hill and around the edge of the Ming Estate and then back through the district and home. Half way up the hill, Yunho noticed Jae’s breathing increase.
“You alright?” he asked.
Jae nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone running.”
Yunho slowed the pace a bit, and Jae rolled his eyes. “I’m alright.”
“I know. But you’re going to do this again tomorrow, aren’t you? No good to be sore.”
“True. I used to run almost ten kilometers every day.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Standard warrior training.”
“Warrior training?”
“A First Son’s first duty is to protect his family, land and people. I’ve been training since I was three.” He turned a smile to Yunho. “I could snap your neck without you even realizing it.”
Yunho’s feet stumbled, and Jae laughed.
They finished the run in silence, Yunho contemplating that. It wasn’t until they returned and Jae dropped to the floor to stretch that Yunho asked, “Why haven’t you killed me and made a run for it?”
Jae had his legs spread, almost in splits. He leaned his upper body to the floor and stretched his arms out. “That would be dishonorable.”
“Why?”
“Okay, so it wouldn’t be. But it’d be stupid. Because honestly, where am I going to go?” He lifted his legs off the floor, moaning, and Yunho had to swallow against a sudden dry mouth. He could only imagine how stretched Jae’s quads were right then.
“You’re staring.”
“You’re flexible.”
“Part of the training.” Jae sat up, winked at him and then lay on the floor. He pressed his hands flat by his head and then pushed his body into an arch. “You should be stretching after a run like that.”
“Probably.”
He kicked his legs up, effortlessly moving into a handstand. He held it and then bent his knees. He did a couple of pushups and then let his feet fall to the floor. Jae walked toward him, and Yunho followed the lines of his legs, up to his waist and chest. Jae stopped just in front of him, and finally Yunho met his eyes.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Jae whispered.
Yunho swallowed, and before he knew it, his mouth was talking and his brain was screaming at him to shut up. “If I said you, would be incredibly insulted?”
“No. But I’m not on the menu.”
Yunho frowned and Jae laughed. “Not yet anyway,” he added and turned away.
Yunho whimpered as the tension drained with every step Jae took away from him. He watched his ass, his legs, his back, again imagining the muscles quivering under his fingers. The only thing he could do was take a very, very long shower.
~}|{~
They settled into a rhythm: morning jog, breakfast, Yunho off to work, phone calls during the day, home to dinner, and then bed. Jae read books during the day, and then started leaving little post it notes around the house, Doushite words for Yunho to learn. Chair, bed, couch, coffee table. The alphabet was different, pronunciation liquid where ShinKi was harsh. Before the end of the week, Yunho could greet Jae, ask him about his day and ask him what was for breakfast. A little voice in Yunho’s head said that he shouldn’t be so indulgent, but every time Yunho screwed up the pronunciation, it made Jae laugh, and when he got it right, it made Jae smile, and Yunho decided that he would do practically anything to make Jae smile.
His personal research on the military campaign to Doushite hit a dead end. There was nothing showing that ShinKi wasn’t there for a necessary reason. Doushite had been ruled under the iron fist of Jaejoong’s family and other nobles. It frustrated him. Never before had he seen such a blatant case of smoke and mirrors.
He hadn’t realized it was affecting his mood at home, until Jae leaned over him on the couch and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he replied and looked away.
Jae tsked at him. “Liar. Tell me.”
Yunho sat up, making Jae move away quickly. He put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Jae’s hand rubbed circles on his back. Whenever Jae touched him, no matter how innocent, it made thinking impossible. Yunho relaxed into the touch, relaxed into Jae’s body, ending up curled against his side, arms around his waist, face at his neck. Jae’s arms went around his shoulders. He was shaking.
“Are you on the menu yet?”
Jae shivered. “No,” he whispered.
“Okay.”
Yunho relaxed. He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he woke up, and even then he was utterly confused on why he was on the couch and why the couch wasn’t as soft as he remembered it being. He blinked. The previous night filtered through his foggy brain and he pushed up, hands against Jae’s chest. Jae shifted in his sleep, and Yunho’s arms bent suddenly. He landed with his face at Jae’s neck. The arm around his back tightened, and Jae moaned, shifted and Yunho’s vision went spotting when Jae’s body grinded into his.
“Oh, fuck,” Yunho muttered, but of course, practically in Jae’s ear.
Jae’s body went from relaxed to tense.
Yunho did the only thing he could think of and feigned sleep, forcing his body to relax against Jae’s chest again. But then Jae shifted and Yunho’s leg fell between Jae’s, pressing into his crotch. Jae’s hip pressed between his legs.
He couldn’t stop the moan, or the automatic thrust against Jae’s body.
Jae whimpered as his body responded.
Stop, Yunho, you bastard.
He desperately wanted to ignore himself. It’d been so long since he’d last had sex that didn’t involve his left hand.
“Yunho?” Jae whispered, and the fear in his voice halted Yunho immediately.
But he was supposed to be asleep.
Jae tugged on his arm. Yunho made a pretense of lifting his head, blinking his eyes and then sitting up rapidly.
“Jae, what …?”
“You fell asleep on the couch,” Jae whispered, and Yunho wondered if Jae bought his little sleep act.
God, he was hard.
“What time is it?”
“Only two or so.”
Yunho stood up and stretched. His shoulder was sore.
“Yunho?”
He turned to look at Jaejoong’s frowning face. “What?”
Jaejoong licked his lower lip and Yunho almost moaned again, thinking of biting that lip, slipping his tongue along Jae’s.
“Nothing, I guess,” Jae whispered.
“See you in a few hours,” Yunho said and smiled. Legs leaden, he left the living room and crawled into bed. He moaned when lying on his stomach smashed his cock. With a sigh, he undressed and did what was becoming a nightly ritual. If Jaejoong didn’t come to him soon, Yunho was going to implode.
~}|{~
It felt like Yunho had closed his eyes right before Jaejoong shook him awake. He groaned and rolled over.
“Come on,” Jae said.
“No.”
“You’re such a child. Come on.” Jae tugged on his arm until Yunho sat up.
“Fine, but tomorrow, I’m sleeping in.”
Jae chuckled and left the room. Yunho rubbed his face in his hands and then stood up. The run was hard for Yunho, and for the first time Jae set the pace, led the way through the route.
“Can I show you something?” Jae suddenly asked.
“What?”
“Training that I used to do every day.”
“Sure.”
A blinding smile covered Jae’s face and then he pushed his legs faster. After five steps, his upper body twisted, he jumped, left leg circling in a kick and then he landed on his feet again, not even breaking stride. Five more steps and he did it again, kicking with his right leg. Every movement was precise, every step measured, and Yunho wondered how long it would take someone to learn how to do that without falling on their face. Jae did a few more, five steps between each, or three steps or none, kicking high and then low, only to take off in a sprint again.
And then Jae stumbled. Yunho saw it, that Jae hadn’t jumped high enough in the air, but instead of dropping his legs to try to land the kick, Jae tucked his body into the fall and rolled on the ground and ended up on his feet, only to take off running again.
Kick. Run. Kick. Run.
It was breathtaking, and Yunho had a sudden vision of a squadron of warriors doing this in sync.
Jae stopped, hands on his knees, bent over, gasping, until Yunho caught up.
“That was awesome,” Yunho said.
“God, I haven’t done that for so long,” Jae said. “I was required to do it for a kilometer.”
“A kilometer? Holy shit.”
“Yeah. But god, that was fun. You never really know how much you miss something.”
They started running again.
“You fell.”
Jae shrugged. “It happens, especially on uneven ground. One of the first things we’re taught is how to fall without hurting yourself.”
“What do they do, throw you off a roof or something?”
Jae grinned. “Not until you’re older.”
Yunho laughed.
~}|{~
Yunho had no desire to go to work. None at all. But he dressed (in a black suit with a red shirt and tie), ate his breakfast and said goodbye to Jaejoong. The thought of driving, meetings, posturing, kissing ass had no pull on him, but like a good part of the system, he did it anyway.
He grabbed a crappy cup of coffee on the way past the machine and then headed to his office.
Yoona was on the phone, but picked up an envelope and waved it at him.
As soon as he saw the return address, he groaned. He opened it up. An invitation. Cordially invited to a dinner party.
He shook his head, and then Yoona handed him another piece of paper.
Dear Jung Yunho,
You have declined many invitations to my parties, and I have been lenient because of your social status. However, now that you are a proud slave owner, you have no excuse not to come. If you fail to show off your purchase, I will withdraw my business from your company.
Sincerely,
Senator Bi
Yunho sighed. Inside the invitation was an R.S.V.P. He signed the bottom and indicated that he would be bringing one slave with him.
Yoona was trying not to laugh.
“Shut up,” Yunho muttered and went to his office.
God, he hated the Senator’s parties. It was less a dinner and more of an excuse to get drunk, show off and trade slaves.
At precisely nine, Yoona buzzed him. “Yunho, I’m sorry, but Lee Sungmin refuses to talk to me anymore.”
“Patch him through, NaNa.”
Yunho lost himself in work.
At eleven he was considering going home and taking a long lunch. And then Yoona buzzed him again. “Park Yoochun is here to see you.”
Yunho shut his eyes and sighed. “Send him in, Na.”
Yoochun sauntered in, once again dragging the tall Doushiten named Changmin behind him. Yoochun flung the kid onto the floor, and hooked the handcuffs to the arm of the chair.
“Hey, Yunnie,” he said.
“Yoochun. What do I owe the pleasure?”
“Just bored, thought I’d visit. I’m going to go use your bathroom.”
Yunho studied Changmin. He didn’t look up, head lowered. More bruises and cuts covered his back and neck and chest.
Yunho spared the bathroom a glance and then rose. He moved around his desk and sat in the chair. Changmin flinched, but didn’t pull away, when Yunho touched his cheek.
“Hope to the end,” he whispered in Doushiten.
Changmin’s head shot up, eyes wide.
“I’m only doing this so if Yoochun comes back, he won’t be suspicious. Jaejoong has been telling me about Doushite. It sounds like it was a beautiful place. He also said that you saved his life once. I don’t know what the honorable Doushiten thing is to do, but since he has no way of paying that debt, it will be my debt. Jaejoong says you’re strong, stronger than him, be stronger for a little while longer. Okay?”
Changmin nodded.
They both heard the toilet flush and then Changmin swallowed and said, “Tell Jaejoong that I am stronger than he is.” He said something in Doushiten. “Tell him that.” He repeated it.
Yunho copied him, and Changmin actually smiled.
“What the fuck?” Yoochun demanded behind them.
“Hope to the end,” Yunho said again and then turned a smile to Yoochun. “Just taking what’s owed me.”
“What?”
“Hero says you kissed him. Now we’re even.”
“Whatever. I kissed his cheek, you’re practically raping him.”
Yunho stood up. “I am not, and if I was, you’d just join in, so stop acting like you’re all offended.”
“Are you going to Senator Bi’s party?”
“I have to or he’ll pull his business from me.”
Yoochun smirked. “Let’s go to lunch.”
“No.”
“Yunnie,” Yoochun said with a whine.
“I’m busy today.” Yunho sat behind his desk.
“You’re such a fucker.” Yoochun released Changmin from the chair and yanked him to the door. “I don’t know who you are, but when you see my supposed best friend, let him know I think he’s being an asshole.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Neither do your standards.”
Changmin looked back once, and Yunho smiled at him. The door shut.
Part 4: The Proposition
Part 2: The Prince
Part 1: The Purchase
.
Rating: Mostly R, but some later chapters will be NC-17
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu and implied Yoochun/Changmin
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd make them my slaves.
Summary: On ShinKi, slaves give you prestige, honor and a convenient hole to fuck. But Jung Yunho has never owned a slave. Heir to the Jung Empire, he has refused to follow standard practices and refused his father's wishes to follow the family tradition of political leadership.
But then his best friend Yoochun drags him to the slave traders, and sees the most beautiful man. When Yoochun shows an interest in buying him, Yunho is determined to keep the beauty out of his sadistic friend's bedroom.
It's a simple purchase, but soon, as he learns more and more about Jaejoong and his world Doushite, Yunho finds himself looking for answers buried deep in the anti-political underworld.
A/N: During the course of this fic I will be randomly throwing in "Doushiten" words. They are actually romanized Korean words, but yeah ... so just FYI. Doushiten is actually Korean, AND I do know that Doushite is a Japanese word. :)
Poster Credit goes to my darling tarta (trshakespeare). I ♥♥♥ You!
Part 3: The Problem
Jae woke him up at five-thirty.
“Fuck, Jae, it’s Saturday.”
“I’m sorry, Master. Is there a different time you’d like me to wake you up on Saturdays?”
Yunho squeezed his eyes shut. “Just later. Eight or nine.”
“Very well, Master.”
And then it registered. Yunho sat up. “Jae?”
Jae turned at the door and lowered his head. “Yes, Master?”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what, Master?”
“Stop that. What is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Master.”
Yunho growled, stood up and stalked over to him. “Knock it off.”
“If Master would tell-”
Yunho grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. “Don’t do this, Jae.”
“Do what, Master?”
Yunho pulled him back and then slammed him against wall again. “Don’t.”
“Why not?” That defiant look was back in his eyes. “Because you said so. Master?”
Yunho sighed. He moved his hands from Jae’s shoulders and then put them against the wall. He let his arms bend until his forearms rested against the wall. Their bodies aligned. Yunho let his head fall to one of his arms. Their cheeks were a hair’s breadth apart.
“Please, Jae. I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know why you’re mad at me. I couldn’t let Yoochun take you. Do you understand that? And fuck, you’re gorgeous. More beautiful than anyone I’ve met, but I won’t make you feel like you’re some toy to be used and abused. I won’t.”
Jae pressed hands against Yunho’s chest. Yunho let him push him away. He was gasping.
Yunho left him against the wall and started changing. “Since I’m up, I might as well go running. Do you want to come with me?”
Jae shook his head.
“Okay. I’ll see you in an hour then.”
Jae fled the room.
Yunho sighed. The run did very little to clear his head, but gave him plenty of time to think about Jaejoong. He was royalty. A prince or something on Doushite. It made sense anyway. When Jae walked, he carried himself with an air of privilege and elitism.
And how to fix this? He didn’t want Jaejoong mad at him. It was no secret on ShinKi that Yunho had no plans to join the political or military world. He did agree that the ShinKi’s democratic government was better than those aristocracies or communists ones on other worlds, but did it give ShinKi the right to force it on others? If what Jae said was true, then there had been no problems on Doushite. None of the peasant uprisings or sadistic rulers eliminating the population like the media and government said.
Something didn’t sit right with him. A little curl of fear rose in him. What if there had been no reason to be on Doushite? And if there wasn’t, what about the other planets where ShinKi now had colonies?
Doubt rose in him, enough that he knew that come Monday morning, he was going to start some discrete searches.
When he got home, Jae was no where to be found, until Yunho realized the bathroom light was on. Breakfast was sitting on the table waiting for him.
He poured a cup of coffee and sat down to eat. It was still warm, so Jae hadn’t put it out until a few minutes before. Jae didn’t appear until almost noon, sitting carefully next to Yunho on the couch. Yunho looked at him carefully. “You alright?”
“Yes.”
Yunho scoffed, but didn’t press him for details. They ate dinner late, but went to bed early. Just before Yunho entered his room, Jae latched onto his wrist. Yunho turned and made a noise of surprise when Jae hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, laying his head on top of Jae and running a hand over his hair.
“What time are you going to run tomorrow?” Jae asked, voice muffled against Yunho’s shoulder.
“Not five-thirty. Usually, I wait until eight or nine, or I don’t even go. Depends on how hot it is outside.”
“Can I come with you?”
“Sure.”
“Okay.”
Yunho knew that here was the best time to let Jae go, but instead he held him more tightly. He expected Jae to struggle, break away or at least stiffen. What he wasn’t expecting was Jae to sigh and bury more deeply into his body. Relax and god, it’d be so easy to kiss him.
Jae’s hands slid up his back.
It’d be so easy to take him to his room, lay him on the bed and memorize the lines of the tattoo with his tongue. It was too tempting.
Yunho shivered. And pushed Jae away. “Make it seven. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jae bit his lower lip and frowned, but he nodded, and Yunho quickly slipped into his room. He groaned, the feel of Jae’s body along his. In no time, he was naked, on his bed, legs spread, stroking his cock, thinking of Jae on his knees, back muscles shaking, biting and licking the swirls on the tattoo. His voice, crying out Yunho’s name. And then coming. Jae’s name groaning past dried lips.
Yunho gasped, trying to clear his head enough to clean up before he fell asleep. He had no desire to be woken up by Jae in this state. Well, not until Jae actually caused him to be out of breath and covered in come.
~}|{~
Seven came a bit too soon for Yunho and he struggled to open his eyes.
Jae’s soft laughter filled the room. “How did you ever manage to get yourself to work on time?”
Yunho pouted and then rolled over, burying his head back into the pillow.
“No, you don’t. Come on.” Jae grabbed his hips.
Yunho struggled and Jae lost his balance and fell to the bed, knocking his head on Yunho’s elbow. Yunho sat up. “Oh, shit, are you okay?”
Jae had his eyes shut tight. He rolled and ended up with his head in Yunho’s lap. “Your elbow is hard.”
“Yeah, bones are like that.”
Jae rubbed his forehead. “Are you awake now?”
“I guess. Unless you want to lay here and go back to sleep?”
Jae’s eyes flew open. Yunho smiled down at him, and Jae scrambled to get up. “I’m … um, already dressed.”
“Lame excuse,” Yunho said.
Then the door shut. Yunho sighed and got dressed. Maybe one day he and Jae could be closer, but it would be on Jae’s terms. Yunho would never make Jae feel obligated to do anything for or with him.
Jae stood by the door. He wore brand new shoes, sweat pants and a t-shirt that practically molded to his chest. Under Yunho’s eyes, he lowered his head, nervous, but Yunho smiled at him and led the way to the elevator. On the way down, Yunho noticed the Jung family tassels on Jae’s arm and he frowned.
Jae shrugged. “You forgot to take it off the other day. And I have to wear it, right?”
“You shouldn’t.”
“But you’d get in trouble.”
“You still shouldn’t. Just don’t jog behind me, okay. That will piss me off.”
Jae smiled.
“Are you still mad at me?”
Jae looked away. “No,” he whispered. “It’s not your fault.”
Once outside, Yunho started at a brisk pace. Jae kept up, met him stride for stride. They didn’t talk, kept a few inches between them. Yunho followed the route ingrained into his limbs. Hung over and sick, he could still find his way through his morning routine. Around the district, two circuits around the park, over the hill and around the edge of the Ming Estate and then back through the district and home. Half way up the hill, Yunho noticed Jae’s breathing increase.
“You alright?” he asked.
Jae nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone running.”
Yunho slowed the pace a bit, and Jae rolled his eyes. “I’m alright.”
“I know. But you’re going to do this again tomorrow, aren’t you? No good to be sore.”
“True. I used to run almost ten kilometers every day.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Standard warrior training.”
“Warrior training?”
“A First Son’s first duty is to protect his family, land and people. I’ve been training since I was three.” He turned a smile to Yunho. “I could snap your neck without you even realizing it.”
Yunho’s feet stumbled, and Jae laughed.
They finished the run in silence, Yunho contemplating that. It wasn’t until they returned and Jae dropped to the floor to stretch that Yunho asked, “Why haven’t you killed me and made a run for it?”
Jae had his legs spread, almost in splits. He leaned his upper body to the floor and stretched his arms out. “That would be dishonorable.”
“Why?”
“Okay, so it wouldn’t be. But it’d be stupid. Because honestly, where am I going to go?” He lifted his legs off the floor, moaning, and Yunho had to swallow against a sudden dry mouth. He could only imagine how stretched Jae’s quads were right then.
“You’re staring.”
“You’re flexible.”
“Part of the training.” Jae sat up, winked at him and then lay on the floor. He pressed his hands flat by his head and then pushed his body into an arch. “You should be stretching after a run like that.”
“Probably.”
He kicked his legs up, effortlessly moving into a handstand. He held it and then bent his knees. He did a couple of pushups and then let his feet fall to the floor. Jae walked toward him, and Yunho followed the lines of his legs, up to his waist and chest. Jae stopped just in front of him, and finally Yunho met his eyes.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Jae whispered.
Yunho swallowed, and before he knew it, his mouth was talking and his brain was screaming at him to shut up. “If I said you, would be incredibly insulted?”
“No. But I’m not on the menu.”
Yunho frowned and Jae laughed. “Not yet anyway,” he added and turned away.
Yunho whimpered as the tension drained with every step Jae took away from him. He watched his ass, his legs, his back, again imagining the muscles quivering under his fingers. The only thing he could do was take a very, very long shower.
~}|{~
They settled into a rhythm: morning jog, breakfast, Yunho off to work, phone calls during the day, home to dinner, and then bed. Jae read books during the day, and then started leaving little post it notes around the house, Doushite words for Yunho to learn. Chair, bed, couch, coffee table. The alphabet was different, pronunciation liquid where ShinKi was harsh. Before the end of the week, Yunho could greet Jae, ask him about his day and ask him what was for breakfast. A little voice in Yunho’s head said that he shouldn’t be so indulgent, but every time Yunho screwed up the pronunciation, it made Jae laugh, and when he got it right, it made Jae smile, and Yunho decided that he would do practically anything to make Jae smile.
His personal research on the military campaign to Doushite hit a dead end. There was nothing showing that ShinKi wasn’t there for a necessary reason. Doushite had been ruled under the iron fist of Jaejoong’s family and other nobles. It frustrated him. Never before had he seen such a blatant case of smoke and mirrors.
He hadn’t realized it was affecting his mood at home, until Jae leaned over him on the couch and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he replied and looked away.
Jae tsked at him. “Liar. Tell me.”
Yunho sat up, making Jae move away quickly. He put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Jae’s hand rubbed circles on his back. Whenever Jae touched him, no matter how innocent, it made thinking impossible. Yunho relaxed into the touch, relaxed into Jae’s body, ending up curled against his side, arms around his waist, face at his neck. Jae’s arms went around his shoulders. He was shaking.
“Are you on the menu yet?”
Jae shivered. “No,” he whispered.
“Okay.”
Yunho relaxed. He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he woke up, and even then he was utterly confused on why he was on the couch and why the couch wasn’t as soft as he remembered it being. He blinked. The previous night filtered through his foggy brain and he pushed up, hands against Jae’s chest. Jae shifted in his sleep, and Yunho’s arms bent suddenly. He landed with his face at Jae’s neck. The arm around his back tightened, and Jae moaned, shifted and Yunho’s vision went spotting when Jae’s body grinded into his.
“Oh, fuck,” Yunho muttered, but of course, practically in Jae’s ear.
Jae’s body went from relaxed to tense.
Yunho did the only thing he could think of and feigned sleep, forcing his body to relax against Jae’s chest again. But then Jae shifted and Yunho’s leg fell between Jae’s, pressing into his crotch. Jae’s hip pressed between his legs.
He couldn’t stop the moan, or the automatic thrust against Jae’s body.
Jae whimpered as his body responded.
Stop, Yunho, you bastard.
He desperately wanted to ignore himself. It’d been so long since he’d last had sex that didn’t involve his left hand.
“Yunho?” Jae whispered, and the fear in his voice halted Yunho immediately.
But he was supposed to be asleep.
Jae tugged on his arm. Yunho made a pretense of lifting his head, blinking his eyes and then sitting up rapidly.
“Jae, what …?”
“You fell asleep on the couch,” Jae whispered, and Yunho wondered if Jae bought his little sleep act.
God, he was hard.
“What time is it?”
“Only two or so.”
Yunho stood up and stretched. His shoulder was sore.
“Yunho?”
He turned to look at Jaejoong’s frowning face. “What?”
Jaejoong licked his lower lip and Yunho almost moaned again, thinking of biting that lip, slipping his tongue along Jae’s.
“Nothing, I guess,” Jae whispered.
“See you in a few hours,” Yunho said and smiled. Legs leaden, he left the living room and crawled into bed. He moaned when lying on his stomach smashed his cock. With a sigh, he undressed and did what was becoming a nightly ritual. If Jaejoong didn’t come to him soon, Yunho was going to implode.
~}|{~
It felt like Yunho had closed his eyes right before Jaejoong shook him awake. He groaned and rolled over.
“Come on,” Jae said.
“No.”
“You’re such a child. Come on.” Jae tugged on his arm until Yunho sat up.
“Fine, but tomorrow, I’m sleeping in.”
Jae chuckled and left the room. Yunho rubbed his face in his hands and then stood up. The run was hard for Yunho, and for the first time Jae set the pace, led the way through the route.
“Can I show you something?” Jae suddenly asked.
“What?”
“Training that I used to do every day.”
“Sure.”
A blinding smile covered Jae’s face and then he pushed his legs faster. After five steps, his upper body twisted, he jumped, left leg circling in a kick and then he landed on his feet again, not even breaking stride. Five more steps and he did it again, kicking with his right leg. Every movement was precise, every step measured, and Yunho wondered how long it would take someone to learn how to do that without falling on their face. Jae did a few more, five steps between each, or three steps or none, kicking high and then low, only to take off in a sprint again.
And then Jae stumbled. Yunho saw it, that Jae hadn’t jumped high enough in the air, but instead of dropping his legs to try to land the kick, Jae tucked his body into the fall and rolled on the ground and ended up on his feet, only to take off running again.
Kick. Run. Kick. Run.
It was breathtaking, and Yunho had a sudden vision of a squadron of warriors doing this in sync.
Jae stopped, hands on his knees, bent over, gasping, until Yunho caught up.
“That was awesome,” Yunho said.
“God, I haven’t done that for so long,” Jae said. “I was required to do it for a kilometer.”
“A kilometer? Holy shit.”
“Yeah. But god, that was fun. You never really know how much you miss something.”
They started running again.
“You fell.”
Jae shrugged. “It happens, especially on uneven ground. One of the first things we’re taught is how to fall without hurting yourself.”
“What do they do, throw you off a roof or something?”
Jae grinned. “Not until you’re older.”
Yunho laughed.
~}|{~
Yunho had no desire to go to work. None at all. But he dressed (in a black suit with a red shirt and tie), ate his breakfast and said goodbye to Jaejoong. The thought of driving, meetings, posturing, kissing ass had no pull on him, but like a good part of the system, he did it anyway.
He grabbed a crappy cup of coffee on the way past the machine and then headed to his office.
Yoona was on the phone, but picked up an envelope and waved it at him.
As soon as he saw the return address, he groaned. He opened it up. An invitation. Cordially invited to a dinner party.
He shook his head, and then Yoona handed him another piece of paper.
Dear Jung Yunho,
You have declined many invitations to my parties, and I have been lenient because of your social status. However, now that you are a proud slave owner, you have no excuse not to come. If you fail to show off your purchase, I will withdraw my business from your company.
Sincerely,
Senator Bi
Yunho sighed. Inside the invitation was an R.S.V.P. He signed the bottom and indicated that he would be bringing one slave with him.
Yoona was trying not to laugh.
“Shut up,” Yunho muttered and went to his office.
God, he hated the Senator’s parties. It was less a dinner and more of an excuse to get drunk, show off and trade slaves.
At precisely nine, Yoona buzzed him. “Yunho, I’m sorry, but Lee Sungmin refuses to talk to me anymore.”
“Patch him through, NaNa.”
Yunho lost himself in work.
At eleven he was considering going home and taking a long lunch. And then Yoona buzzed him again. “Park Yoochun is here to see you.”
Yunho shut his eyes and sighed. “Send him in, Na.”
Yoochun sauntered in, once again dragging the tall Doushiten named Changmin behind him. Yoochun flung the kid onto the floor, and hooked the handcuffs to the arm of the chair.
“Hey, Yunnie,” he said.
“Yoochun. What do I owe the pleasure?”
“Just bored, thought I’d visit. I’m going to go use your bathroom.”
Yunho studied Changmin. He didn’t look up, head lowered. More bruises and cuts covered his back and neck and chest.
Yunho spared the bathroom a glance and then rose. He moved around his desk and sat in the chair. Changmin flinched, but didn’t pull away, when Yunho touched his cheek.
“Hope to the end,” he whispered in Doushiten.
Changmin’s head shot up, eyes wide.
“I’m only doing this so if Yoochun comes back, he won’t be suspicious. Jaejoong has been telling me about Doushite. It sounds like it was a beautiful place. He also said that you saved his life once. I don’t know what the honorable Doushiten thing is to do, but since he has no way of paying that debt, it will be my debt. Jaejoong says you’re strong, stronger than him, be stronger for a little while longer. Okay?”
Changmin nodded.
They both heard the toilet flush and then Changmin swallowed and said, “Tell Jaejoong that I am stronger than he is.” He said something in Doushiten. “Tell him that.” He repeated it.
Yunho copied him, and Changmin actually smiled.
“What the fuck?” Yoochun demanded behind them.
“Hope to the end,” Yunho said again and then turned a smile to Yoochun. “Just taking what’s owed me.”
“What?”
“Hero says you kissed him. Now we’re even.”
“Whatever. I kissed his cheek, you’re practically raping him.”
Yunho stood up. “I am not, and if I was, you’d just join in, so stop acting like you’re all offended.”
“Are you going to Senator Bi’s party?”
“I have to or he’ll pull his business from me.”
Yoochun smirked. “Let’s go to lunch.”
“No.”
“Yunnie,” Yoochun said with a whine.
“I’m busy today.” Yunho sat behind his desk.
“You’re such a fucker.” Yoochun released Changmin from the chair and yanked him to the door. “I don’t know who you are, but when you see my supposed best friend, let him know I think he’s being an asshole.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Neither do your standards.”
Changmin looked back once, and Yunho smiled at him. The door shut.
Part 4: The Proposition
Part 2: The Prince
Part 1: The Purchase
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