from the tips of my hair to the tips of my toes
title: from the tips of my hair to the tips of my toes {pet au}
author: himawarixxsandz
rating: pg-13
pairing(s): himdae
summary: i'm filled with thoughts of you
warning(s): kinkfic, master/slave relationships
a/n: literally about 4k of nothing but fluff. there's not even sex. bangup still hasn't happened. i m upset with me. ugh. also. a himdae thing just came up again when i was falling asleep last night so if u don't get bangup until after the apolcalypse i don't want to hear complaints ok idc i just himdae (;~; but thnk u for all of the comments so far it's been really really great and i love u all for loving this absurd au born out of my guilty pleasures ok i love u all except for u amy ihu)
“Nice of our heir apparent to finally join us,” was how Hyosung greeted Himchan, grin on her painted lips, before she took the arm of her manservant and commenced to stroll through the grounds. The other duchesses were milling about, Hana already far past Hyosung in walking towards one of the lemonade stands far in the distance, while Sunhwa and Jieun stayed behind, linking arms, and discussing the state of affairs in their respective counties. Himchan bowed appropriately to all of them as they curtsied past him, patting Daehyun’s cheek with their gloved hands lightly, before they went on with their walks.
It was a rather cloudy day, the weather just clearing up recently. There was a light dust of fog floating over the green, that empty expanse of ground between the main palace and the manors of the two princes, but otherwise the air was fresh and there were strips of sunlight poking through the gray sky. “It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Himchan asked Junhong and Yongguk.
“I haven’t seen you leave your door for at least a month, brother,” Junhong said lightly, amusement a little too knowing for Himchan’s taste as the younger prince’s eyes flickered to Daehyun’s raised eyebrows.
“I’ve had work,” Himchan snapped, shoving at Junhong’s forehead with the tip of his finger. Junhong looked unaffected. “Not all of us can afford to play like second princes-free of duty and restriction.”
“I’ve had my nose to the grindstone lately, if you’ll excuse me, brother,” Junhong grinned. “Hard at work with my studies, and diligent in my efforts.”
“I’m an eyewitness, in case you have doubts,” Yongguk added in, a twitch of his lips as he looked at Himchan.
Daehyun suddenly snorted into his hand, head bowed down and shoulders shaking. Himchan, Yongguk, and Junhong stared until the pet came up, face smoothed into something of a mockery of apology as he said, full lips parting to flash white teeth, eyes crinkling, “Forgive me.”
And as Himchan stroked the pet’s hair back, Daehyun’s eyes met his master’s and Himchan found himself digging his teeth into the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing much in the same manner Daehyun had. Daehyun’s tongue flickered out to lick at his lips, eyes half-lidded as he lowered his gaze in a show of demureness, tossing the strands of hair dipping over his forehead to sweep to the side. The prince’s pet had since then mastered the art of being a royal pet-although rather than having it trained into his skin as a matter of honor or disobedience the way real palace pets did, Daehyun seemed to think of it as a game.
Unless he needed assistance with a button or a clasp, occasionally complex ties, Daehyun dressed himself now and came to Himchan whenever he wanted new fashions. Daehyun took great pride in his appearance since Himchan had begun parading him around on his arm at parties recently. But the pet seemed to have learned how to dress for occasion, and today, for a simple outing with his prince, he was shockingly modest. Himchan didn’t think he ever remembered seeing Daehyun wear so much, although it was true that they’d yet to spend their first winter together.
While painted on so snugly that every curve of his musculature showed, the black silk covered Daehyun from chin to waist, from shoulder to wrist, no supple bronze in view above Daehyun’s waist other than the pet’s face for he also wore black gloves today. The dark shirt was coupled with the pet’s usual tight, dark breeches that stopped at the knee, no stockings or socks as he went barefoot. Tiny, stunningly gold hoops were looped up and down the shell of Daehyun’s left ear, the only bit of jewelry he wore today. Even his collar was black, placed around the high collar of his shirt and only visible by the gold trimmings that lined it.
“No leash, cousin?” Yongguk raised his eyebrows, as Daehyun regarded the general coolly.
“It’s only for a stroll,” Himchan said, arm wrapping around Daehyun’s slender waist, silk slippery and liquid beneath the prince’s palm. “I didn’t see the need.”
“Then don’t let us keep you,” Junhong said brightly, waving Himchan off. “The general promised me a race anyhow,” and the second prince nodded his head towards the stables behind them.
“Yes,” Yongguk said, tone somehow absent as he gave Himchan an odd look that had the prince blinking back, puzzled. “We’ll see you in an hour for tea, cousin. Take care to be on time.”
“I will,” Himchan replied easily, leading Daehyun away. “I won’t want any of the duchesses cross with me.”
Surprisingly, Daehyun was mostly silent as they walked over the green, only bidding good afternoon whenever they passed one of the ladies as they themselves headed back towards the tea house after having bought sweets and lemonade from the stands at the end of the grounds. When they were out of sight from Yongguk and Junhong, however, Daehyun had curled closer against Himchan, molding his body into the prince’s, fingers gripping at the back material of the prince’s coat. Whenever Hyosung, Jieun, Sunhwa, or Hana passed by them, Daehyun seemed to step slightly away, walking straight-backed beside Himchan with the only contact between them being Himchan’s arm wrapped around the pet’s waist.
Rather than simply walking aimlessly over the grounds, Himchan had decided to bring Daehyun to a familiar place for the prince-one that Himchan hadn’t visited since Junhong was still a child and the older prince had spent an entire day hiding in escape from all the hustle and bustle over the second prince. It was out of childish spite and slight loneliness that Himchan had long since overcome, meaning he only ever saw this place when he passed by on the grounds, walking at Yongguk’s side or arm-in-arm with Hyosung whenever she visited the capitol.
From a distance, it appeared a tiny fortress built from misshapen and uneven boulders. Himchan, however, knew that inside there were two floors, the first one half underground with two tunnels that led deeper into his childhood castle, and a set of unbalanced and messy steps that led up to the top level-high enough that Himchan had once been able to keep a telescope atop it and stare up at the stars at night or watch visitors arriving in the palace courtyard during the day.
“Master,” Daehyun began unsurely, brows furrowing as they approached. “What is it?”
Himchan slid his hand from Daehyun’s waist into the pet’s gloved hand, locking their fingers, and the prince chose to overlook how the pet stiffened with surprise. (who would take their pet by the hand like a lover?) “Come see,” Himchan grinned excitedly, pulling his pet towards the structure.
The prince entered the stone fortress immediately, ducking his head and fitting himself into the dirt pathways that led first into the cozy, single room sheltered from the outside world, before crawling his way to sit on the lowest step of the staircase that led to the rooftop. He’d left Daehyun at the entrance, waiting for the pet to come in on his own because the amusement for Himchan would be far greater that way, watching the pet navigate by himself.
“Did you build this as a child?” Daehyun’s wary, unimpressed voice echoed in from the doorway.
Himchan had since noticed that the pet’s tone changed when he was with Himchan alone as opposed to when they were before others. In front of others, even if only just Yongguk, Daehyun’s tone was cool and amused, mocking and sarcastic at best to show some sort of emotion, but otherwise, it was lightly derisive and unfeeling. Even to an aristocrat Daehyun was fond of, Junhong occasionally, the pet would merely sound as though he were doing the world a great favor by humoring that person.
When Daehyun was with Himchan alone, he sounded like Daehyun.
Like the annoying, disobedient, rebellious, mischievous, troublemaking pet that Himchan had bought from a nothing brothel from the coast one night when the prince was nearly too drunk to stand.
“Yes,” Himchan said, “so hurry and come in.”
Even the pet’s snort echoed. “I’d rather not, Prince,” Daehyun said. “You as the builder-it’ll collapse atop me with hardly a doubt.”
“Daehyun,” Himchan called, louder, “Hurry up and come here. Daehyun!”
Daehyun laughed.
And Himchan supposed that this went both ways-that the prince was no different-because when had Himchan ever called the pet by name in front of others? Himchan never even called the pet by his name when the prince was bedding him. Somehow, Daehyun’s name only ever came through Himchan’s lips during moments like this-it felt wrong unless it felt right, and it only felt right at the strangest, most spontaneous of times.
The pet crawled in then, gloves between his teeth, grinning around the material as he came right up and knelt between Himchan’s legs, pressing himself in against the prince’s body. Daehyun took the gloves out of his mouth, balancing them on Himchan’s thigh as the pet held Himchan’s face in both hands and leaned as if to kiss the prince. “I like my name on your lips, Highness,” Daehyun murmured, and Himchan held the pet’s hips.
“What else do you like on my lips?” Himchan asked, looking into Daehyun’s eyes, and the prince wondered if this was what all owners felt for their pets. Himchan had used certain pets more than once, favoring certain palace pets that were party regulars, but he hadn’t ever remembered his heart beating like this in his chest whenever he let his gaze connect with theirs. He wondered if this was only because he owned Daehyun-because Daehyun was his, and no one else’s.
Daehyun’s thumbs brushed over Himchan’s cheekbones as Himchan pulled Daehyun even closer, fingers interlocking at the arch of the pet’s back. “Myself,” Daehyun said, and then broke into a playful smile that flashed his teeth, cheeks creasing into dimples and eyes forming pretty crescents.
Himchan tilted his face slightly, lips parting as he neared enough to feel Daehyun’s breath ghosting over the prince’s mouth. The corner of his lips tugged upward as he felt Daehyun close the rest of the distance between their mouths, kissing Himchan the way a pet certainly should never kiss his master unless ordered to. Daehyun, when they were alone-when they weren’t about to have sex, kissed Himchan like he’d take all he wanted of Himchan with intensely little regard about Himchan’s own thoughts of the matter. He kissed Himchan deep and warm and long until they were both breathless and Himchan’s arms were tight and unyielding around Daehyun’s body.
The prince didn’t think pets were supposed to hold their masters’ faces in their hands the way Daehyun held Himchan’s in his own.
(Himchan was sure that pets weren’t supposed to hold their masters’ hearts in their hands the way Daehyun had Himchan in his)
As much as Himchan would like to be with Daehyun at all times, as often as possible, the prince couldn’t bring his pet everywhere. The prince had to leave his pet at the manor at times when there was business to attend to at court-council meetings and open sessions with the citizens. He also couldn’t always bring Daehyun to business meetings outside of the capitol. There were times when the journey was too long for Himchan to bring the pet on, or at times it would take too much time and preparation to have Daehyun ready for that sort of travel. Daehyun required nearly the same amount of servants, clothes, and other various belongings that Himchan needed to travel with.
Himchan had never owned a pet before Daehyun-and Daehyun had been mostly an accident anyhow, a blessed accident but one nonetheless. The prince had never truly entertained honest thoughts of owning a pet, instead preferring to use as many royal pets as he’d wanted because he’d believed that only using one pet would bore him the way courting a lady would. And so, Himchan wasn’t sure how exactly to go about this. He didn’t know if what he felt was normal for a master as he didn’t know any other people closely enough who also owned pets. Most nobility who were owners, anyway, owned multiple pets. Himchan didn’t know of anyone who only owned one.
Was it normal, the prince wondered, to have your pet constantly in mind even when far from him in body?
“Cousin?” Sunhwa asked, blinking as she dipped her head, one eyebrow arched quizzically as she hung back as the rest of the aristocrats slowly filed out of the hall. The prince was meeting with the nobility that headed the south of the kingdom at one of the largest southern cities. Yongguk had accompanied him to discuss an increase in protection in the southern borders, and today’s meeting on that had taken place in the south’s stone hall-also used to display the south’s pride, sparkling gemstones from the border’s caverns.
Himchan found himself glued before a display of pale sapphires, tied delicately onto thin sterling silver bands curved as chokers around a mannequin’s neck. “I don’t remember this one the last time I came,” Himchan said mildly, as Sunhwa, duchess of the south, came to stand beside him.
“The last time you visited was a year ago, Prince,” Sunhwa snorted. “I should hope that our miners and jewelers have added onto the collection since then.”
Himchan merely grinned back. “It’s lovely,” he said, nodding towards the glass.
“I had one made for myself,” she responded conversationally, “just the design though. I’m too fair for that stone, so I had one commissioned with rubies to wear for autumn festivals-Christmas, perhaps also, so I might get more than a single wear out of it.”
“So this one isn’t for the taking?” Himchan asked, turning to her, “with the appropriate price, of course.”
Sunhwa’s expression was drenched in amusement. “Cousin,” she grinned. “Who ever for?”
There were no other nobles in the room-no one else at all in the room-and so Himchan freely bumped Sunhwa to the side with his hip, digging his elbow into her corseted side beseechingly. “Duchess,” he implored, although even he knew that his voice was more reminiscent of how he used to beg her to share her iced strawberries with him during their childhood summers together at the countryside palace.
“You’ll have to chase down the designer, commission another and wait the usual half year period,” Sunhwa said slowly, “unless you might tell your lovely cousin who this gift is for, and perhaps she would be so kind as to have this precise one wrapped and sent off to your trunks for you to bring home.”
Himchan sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “You’ll frown.”
Sunhwa burst into incredulous laughter. “I’m a human being with full emotional capabilities,” Sunhwa said, “particularly-I am a woman. Frowning-I tend to do that, regardless of your amorous activities.”
“For my pet,” he said.
Her eyebrows shot up, nearly touching the curled wisps of hair that swept across her brow. “Daehyun?” she blinked. “Cousin, I know that you are the prince, and I myself spared neither thought nor expense over having these designs commissioned, but the one in the glass is the original and the first. The price would be heady, even for yourself, and, although Daehyun is stunning and I know how dear he is to you, to buy it for a pet-”
Himchan looked at her, and suddenly she fell silent.
A beat passed before Sunhwa spoke again, breaking the quiet. “Was that why you didn’t want to tell me?”
The corner of Himchan’s mouth tugged slightly.
Sunhwa shook her head, colored curls against her pale neck shaking with the movement. “You ruin him,” she said, but there was an odd sort of smile on her pink lips. “You ruin him terribly, my prince.”
Himchan placed a hand against the glass lightly, already envisioning a familiar, bronze throat in place of the mannequin’s own white, cotton neck. “He’ll be stunning with it, don’t you think?”
“You’re the stunning one, Cousin,” Sunhwa said, amused, “how you never fail to bring Daehyun into conversation for each of the twelve days you’ve been apart from this pet of yours.”
But, somehow, Himchan couldn’t even find it in himself to be fazed by that comment. He merely smiled. “Really?” he echoed lightly, meeting her eyes and smiling back, “how odd.”
Himchan spent a total of twenty days in the south, and both he and Yongguk-when the bid farewell to Sunhwa and the other southern aristocrats-were more than a little homesick by that time. They were both used to traveling for extended periods, naturally, but that never decreased the feeling of longing for their own beds and manors by the time the journey drew to a close.
Himchan had been parted from Daehyun for a total of twenty days, the longest he’d ever been away from his pet up to this point, and when the prince finally arrived after another two days of travel-legs cramped from all the sitting in the carriage and weary from having to sleep upright in the seat-when the prince finally stepped onto the stones of his courtyard, before he could do much else, before he could even greet his servants, he was thrown backwards, falling on his ass rather painfully onto the pebbles with his arms full of Daehyun.
With his mouth full of Daehyun.
Himchan, in all honesty, couldn’t even hear the gasps of his servants.
The prince couldn’t even see his servants-not in that moment.
“I didn’t know I’d be so missed,” Himchan said, breath stolen (heart stolen) and mind spinning. Daehyun’s face filled his eyes-Daehyun’s smile, that image Himchan had only been able to conjure up in thought and dream for twenty days, filled his gaze.
“Welcome home, Master,” Daehyun whispered, and his smile broke into a grin-dimples all around, full lips over white teeth and pink gums.
The patterns on the ceiling of Himchan’s chambers seemed to be mocking him, shadows casted upon them by the faint candlelight from Himchan’s nightstand as he tossed and turned, unable to bring himself to blow out that last light. There was a council meeting early the next morning, and Himchan had to propose a new policy that he’d written out himself-with little help from his father’s advisors or even Yongguk, and tomorrow was the deciding day on whether the council members would approve its implementation or send it, and Himchan’s efforts, into the proverbial ditch.
He was nervous.
Normally, the night before an early meeting, Himchan would fall into bed as soon as possible but he was so nervous he’d even sent for Daehyun in an attempt to calm himself. Even sex hadn’t done much-Himchan was still mildly distracted throughout, and Daehyun had seemed to sense that. Thankfully, the pet hadn’t mentioned it, took it in stride, and was now sleeping sated and content against Himchan’s side.
Or, the last time Himchan had glanced, Daehyun had been sleeping. The pet’s eyes appeared to be open now, most likely awakened by Himchan’s tossing and turning. Daehyun’s eyelids drooped, struggling to stay open as his brow wrinkled. He squinted blearily at Himchan, a sleepy, and puzzled, “Master,” on his lips.
“Go back to sleep,” Himchan said, plying the pet’s mouth with soft kisses until Daehyun pulled away to bury a yawn against the prince’s shoulder.
“Won’t you, Master?” Daehyun snuggled closer, head upon Himchan’s chest.
“Wasn’t asleep in the first place,” Himchan said with resignation.
Daehyun’s grin was sleepy but luminous in the near-darkness. “Shall I sing you to sleep, my prince?”
“Will my ears melt?” Himchan snorted.
The pet’s laughter was muted and low in his throat. “No,” he said teasingly, “but your heart might, Majesty.”
Himchan dug his fingertips against Daehyun’s hip until the pet laughed again. “Bastard,” the prince said. He kissed the pet’s laughter into silence, until Daehyun was gazing rather breathlessly up at the prince with round eyes that glowed warm and brown in the darkness.
Daehyun began to hum, a simple melody-soothing in its repetition-and from just that wordless tune, Himchan somehow knew that this would be the prince’s downfall. Daehyun’s speaking voice had always been simultaneously boyish and masculine, soothing and thick, a teasing lilt never unheard of when he opened his mouth. And now, as the pet began to sing, parted his lips and gave form to the previously hummed melody, Himchan saw it as the final blow to however else the pet had fatally enchanted the prince up to this point. The song caressed Himchan like a blanket, rocked him like a cradle, and having pet’s voice so close to his ears made certain that the prince had only Daehyun in his senses.
There was a point in the song where Daehyun’s voice soared high, easily reaching for notes that left Himchan’s ears ringing even when the pet’s voice touched them only lightly-carefully, despite how obvious it became that there was far more hidden strength in Daehyun’s throat other than what he could only show in this short song. And Himchan supposed that was the climax of the song, because all too soon it seemed to wind down and Daehyun drifted the last note off into silence.
Himchan wasn’t any closer to sleep, but the council meeting tomorrow, at the very least, was the last thing on his mind.
“What was that?” Himchan asked quietly, after a moment of silence so long that he thought Daehyun might’ve already fallen back asleep himself.
Indeed, the pet sounded only half-conscious as he replied in a low, unfocused murmur, “A lullaby from the coast.” He tipped his face upward to press a kiss against the underside of Himchan’s jaw. “Hasn’t seemed to work, though.”
“Mm,” Himchan stroked Daehyun’s hair and the pet sighed contentedly, “but it’s pretty.”
“Like me,” Daehyun said playfully, the words nearly slurred from how close to sleep he was.
The fingers that were carding through Daehyun’s hair stopped just long enough to flick the side of Daehyun’s head, so little force put into the blow that the pet just snorted as his eyes continued to struggle to stay open. “Shut up and sleep, pet,” Himchan said, but he resumed running his fingertips through the soft strands.
And Daehyun’s eyes finally closed. “Anything for you, Master,” were his last words before he fell silent, breathing evening out in moments and hand going limp against Himchan’s chest.
Himchan looked up to the ceiling again, an odd smile tugging at his lips at the irony of that sentence. His arms tightened around the pet, cheek resting against the crown of Daehyun’s head as the prince closed his eyes as well-whether or not sleep actually would come was debatable. “Sweet dreams, Daehyun.”
author: himawarixxsandz
rating: pg-13
pairing(s): himdae
summary: i'm filled with thoughts of you
warning(s): kinkfic, master/slave relationships
a/n: literally about 4k of nothing but fluff. there's not even sex. bangup still hasn't happened. i m upset with me. ugh. also. a himdae thing just came up again when i was falling asleep last night so if u don't get bangup until after the apolcalypse i don't want to hear complaints ok idc i just himdae (;~; but thnk u for all of the comments so far it's been really really great and i love u all for loving this absurd au born out of my guilty pleasures ok i love u all except for u amy ihu)
“Nice of our heir apparent to finally join us,” was how Hyosung greeted Himchan, grin on her painted lips, before she took the arm of her manservant and commenced to stroll through the grounds. The other duchesses were milling about, Hana already far past Hyosung in walking towards one of the lemonade stands far in the distance, while Sunhwa and Jieun stayed behind, linking arms, and discussing the state of affairs in their respective counties. Himchan bowed appropriately to all of them as they curtsied past him, patting Daehyun’s cheek with their gloved hands lightly, before they went on with their walks.
It was a rather cloudy day, the weather just clearing up recently. There was a light dust of fog floating over the green, that empty expanse of ground between the main palace and the manors of the two princes, but otherwise the air was fresh and there were strips of sunlight poking through the gray sky. “It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Himchan asked Junhong and Yongguk.
“I haven’t seen you leave your door for at least a month, brother,” Junhong said lightly, amusement a little too knowing for Himchan’s taste as the younger prince’s eyes flickered to Daehyun’s raised eyebrows.
“I’ve had work,” Himchan snapped, shoving at Junhong’s forehead with the tip of his finger. Junhong looked unaffected. “Not all of us can afford to play like second princes-free of duty and restriction.”
“I’ve had my nose to the grindstone lately, if you’ll excuse me, brother,” Junhong grinned. “Hard at work with my studies, and diligent in my efforts.”
“I’m an eyewitness, in case you have doubts,” Yongguk added in, a twitch of his lips as he looked at Himchan.
Daehyun suddenly snorted into his hand, head bowed down and shoulders shaking. Himchan, Yongguk, and Junhong stared until the pet came up, face smoothed into something of a mockery of apology as he said, full lips parting to flash white teeth, eyes crinkling, “Forgive me.”
And as Himchan stroked the pet’s hair back, Daehyun’s eyes met his master’s and Himchan found himself digging his teeth into the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing much in the same manner Daehyun had. Daehyun’s tongue flickered out to lick at his lips, eyes half-lidded as he lowered his gaze in a show of demureness, tossing the strands of hair dipping over his forehead to sweep to the side. The prince’s pet had since then mastered the art of being a royal pet-although rather than having it trained into his skin as a matter of honor or disobedience the way real palace pets did, Daehyun seemed to think of it as a game.
Unless he needed assistance with a button or a clasp, occasionally complex ties, Daehyun dressed himself now and came to Himchan whenever he wanted new fashions. Daehyun took great pride in his appearance since Himchan had begun parading him around on his arm at parties recently. But the pet seemed to have learned how to dress for occasion, and today, for a simple outing with his prince, he was shockingly modest. Himchan didn’t think he ever remembered seeing Daehyun wear so much, although it was true that they’d yet to spend their first winter together.
While painted on so snugly that every curve of his musculature showed, the black silk covered Daehyun from chin to waist, from shoulder to wrist, no supple bronze in view above Daehyun’s waist other than the pet’s face for he also wore black gloves today. The dark shirt was coupled with the pet’s usual tight, dark breeches that stopped at the knee, no stockings or socks as he went barefoot. Tiny, stunningly gold hoops were looped up and down the shell of Daehyun’s left ear, the only bit of jewelry he wore today. Even his collar was black, placed around the high collar of his shirt and only visible by the gold trimmings that lined it.
“No leash, cousin?” Yongguk raised his eyebrows, as Daehyun regarded the general coolly.
“It’s only for a stroll,” Himchan said, arm wrapping around Daehyun’s slender waist, silk slippery and liquid beneath the prince’s palm. “I didn’t see the need.”
“Then don’t let us keep you,” Junhong said brightly, waving Himchan off. “The general promised me a race anyhow,” and the second prince nodded his head towards the stables behind them.
“Yes,” Yongguk said, tone somehow absent as he gave Himchan an odd look that had the prince blinking back, puzzled. “We’ll see you in an hour for tea, cousin. Take care to be on time.”
“I will,” Himchan replied easily, leading Daehyun away. “I won’t want any of the duchesses cross with me.”
Surprisingly, Daehyun was mostly silent as they walked over the green, only bidding good afternoon whenever they passed one of the ladies as they themselves headed back towards the tea house after having bought sweets and lemonade from the stands at the end of the grounds. When they were out of sight from Yongguk and Junhong, however, Daehyun had curled closer against Himchan, molding his body into the prince’s, fingers gripping at the back material of the prince’s coat. Whenever Hyosung, Jieun, Sunhwa, or Hana passed by them, Daehyun seemed to step slightly away, walking straight-backed beside Himchan with the only contact between them being Himchan’s arm wrapped around the pet’s waist.
Rather than simply walking aimlessly over the grounds, Himchan had decided to bring Daehyun to a familiar place for the prince-one that Himchan hadn’t visited since Junhong was still a child and the older prince had spent an entire day hiding in escape from all the hustle and bustle over the second prince. It was out of childish spite and slight loneliness that Himchan had long since overcome, meaning he only ever saw this place when he passed by on the grounds, walking at Yongguk’s side or arm-in-arm with Hyosung whenever she visited the capitol.
From a distance, it appeared a tiny fortress built from misshapen and uneven boulders. Himchan, however, knew that inside there were two floors, the first one half underground with two tunnels that led deeper into his childhood castle, and a set of unbalanced and messy steps that led up to the top level-high enough that Himchan had once been able to keep a telescope atop it and stare up at the stars at night or watch visitors arriving in the palace courtyard during the day.
“Master,” Daehyun began unsurely, brows furrowing as they approached. “What is it?”
Himchan slid his hand from Daehyun’s waist into the pet’s gloved hand, locking their fingers, and the prince chose to overlook how the pet stiffened with surprise. (who would take their pet by the hand like a lover?) “Come see,” Himchan grinned excitedly, pulling his pet towards the structure.
The prince entered the stone fortress immediately, ducking his head and fitting himself into the dirt pathways that led first into the cozy, single room sheltered from the outside world, before crawling his way to sit on the lowest step of the staircase that led to the rooftop. He’d left Daehyun at the entrance, waiting for the pet to come in on his own because the amusement for Himchan would be far greater that way, watching the pet navigate by himself.
“Did you build this as a child?” Daehyun’s wary, unimpressed voice echoed in from the doorway.
Himchan had since noticed that the pet’s tone changed when he was with Himchan alone as opposed to when they were before others. In front of others, even if only just Yongguk, Daehyun’s tone was cool and amused, mocking and sarcastic at best to show some sort of emotion, but otherwise, it was lightly derisive and unfeeling. Even to an aristocrat Daehyun was fond of, Junhong occasionally, the pet would merely sound as though he were doing the world a great favor by humoring that person.
When Daehyun was with Himchan alone, he sounded like Daehyun.
Like the annoying, disobedient, rebellious, mischievous, troublemaking pet that Himchan had bought from a nothing brothel from the coast one night when the prince was nearly too drunk to stand.
“Yes,” Himchan said, “so hurry and come in.”
Even the pet’s snort echoed. “I’d rather not, Prince,” Daehyun said. “You as the builder-it’ll collapse atop me with hardly a doubt.”
“Daehyun,” Himchan called, louder, “Hurry up and come here. Daehyun!”
Daehyun laughed.
And Himchan supposed that this went both ways-that the prince was no different-because when had Himchan ever called the pet by name in front of others? Himchan never even called the pet by his name when the prince was bedding him. Somehow, Daehyun’s name only ever came through Himchan’s lips during moments like this-it felt wrong unless it felt right, and it only felt right at the strangest, most spontaneous of times.
The pet crawled in then, gloves between his teeth, grinning around the material as he came right up and knelt between Himchan’s legs, pressing himself in against the prince’s body. Daehyun took the gloves out of his mouth, balancing them on Himchan’s thigh as the pet held Himchan’s face in both hands and leaned as if to kiss the prince. “I like my name on your lips, Highness,” Daehyun murmured, and Himchan held the pet’s hips.
“What else do you like on my lips?” Himchan asked, looking into Daehyun’s eyes, and the prince wondered if this was what all owners felt for their pets. Himchan had used certain pets more than once, favoring certain palace pets that were party regulars, but he hadn’t ever remembered his heart beating like this in his chest whenever he let his gaze connect with theirs. He wondered if this was only because he owned Daehyun-because Daehyun was his, and no one else’s.
Daehyun’s thumbs brushed over Himchan’s cheekbones as Himchan pulled Daehyun even closer, fingers interlocking at the arch of the pet’s back. “Myself,” Daehyun said, and then broke into a playful smile that flashed his teeth, cheeks creasing into dimples and eyes forming pretty crescents.
Himchan tilted his face slightly, lips parting as he neared enough to feel Daehyun’s breath ghosting over the prince’s mouth. The corner of his lips tugged upward as he felt Daehyun close the rest of the distance between their mouths, kissing Himchan the way a pet certainly should never kiss his master unless ordered to. Daehyun, when they were alone-when they weren’t about to have sex, kissed Himchan like he’d take all he wanted of Himchan with intensely little regard about Himchan’s own thoughts of the matter. He kissed Himchan deep and warm and long until they were both breathless and Himchan’s arms were tight and unyielding around Daehyun’s body.
The prince didn’t think pets were supposed to hold their masters’ faces in their hands the way Daehyun held Himchan’s in his own.
(Himchan was sure that pets weren’t supposed to hold their masters’ hearts in their hands the way Daehyun had Himchan in his)
As much as Himchan would like to be with Daehyun at all times, as often as possible, the prince couldn’t bring his pet everywhere. The prince had to leave his pet at the manor at times when there was business to attend to at court-council meetings and open sessions with the citizens. He also couldn’t always bring Daehyun to business meetings outside of the capitol. There were times when the journey was too long for Himchan to bring the pet on, or at times it would take too much time and preparation to have Daehyun ready for that sort of travel. Daehyun required nearly the same amount of servants, clothes, and other various belongings that Himchan needed to travel with.
Himchan had never owned a pet before Daehyun-and Daehyun had been mostly an accident anyhow, a blessed accident but one nonetheless. The prince had never truly entertained honest thoughts of owning a pet, instead preferring to use as many royal pets as he’d wanted because he’d believed that only using one pet would bore him the way courting a lady would. And so, Himchan wasn’t sure how exactly to go about this. He didn’t know if what he felt was normal for a master as he didn’t know any other people closely enough who also owned pets. Most nobility who were owners, anyway, owned multiple pets. Himchan didn’t know of anyone who only owned one.
Was it normal, the prince wondered, to have your pet constantly in mind even when far from him in body?
“Cousin?” Sunhwa asked, blinking as she dipped her head, one eyebrow arched quizzically as she hung back as the rest of the aristocrats slowly filed out of the hall. The prince was meeting with the nobility that headed the south of the kingdom at one of the largest southern cities. Yongguk had accompanied him to discuss an increase in protection in the southern borders, and today’s meeting on that had taken place in the south’s stone hall-also used to display the south’s pride, sparkling gemstones from the border’s caverns.
Himchan found himself glued before a display of pale sapphires, tied delicately onto thin sterling silver bands curved as chokers around a mannequin’s neck. “I don’t remember this one the last time I came,” Himchan said mildly, as Sunhwa, duchess of the south, came to stand beside him.
“The last time you visited was a year ago, Prince,” Sunhwa snorted. “I should hope that our miners and jewelers have added onto the collection since then.”
Himchan merely grinned back. “It’s lovely,” he said, nodding towards the glass.
“I had one made for myself,” she responded conversationally, “just the design though. I’m too fair for that stone, so I had one commissioned with rubies to wear for autumn festivals-Christmas, perhaps also, so I might get more than a single wear out of it.”
“So this one isn’t for the taking?” Himchan asked, turning to her, “with the appropriate price, of course.”
Sunhwa’s expression was drenched in amusement. “Cousin,” she grinned. “Who ever for?”
There were no other nobles in the room-no one else at all in the room-and so Himchan freely bumped Sunhwa to the side with his hip, digging his elbow into her corseted side beseechingly. “Duchess,” he implored, although even he knew that his voice was more reminiscent of how he used to beg her to share her iced strawberries with him during their childhood summers together at the countryside palace.
“You’ll have to chase down the designer, commission another and wait the usual half year period,” Sunhwa said slowly, “unless you might tell your lovely cousin who this gift is for, and perhaps she would be so kind as to have this precise one wrapped and sent off to your trunks for you to bring home.”
Himchan sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “You’ll frown.”
Sunhwa burst into incredulous laughter. “I’m a human being with full emotional capabilities,” Sunhwa said, “particularly-I am a woman. Frowning-I tend to do that, regardless of your amorous activities.”
“For my pet,” he said.
Her eyebrows shot up, nearly touching the curled wisps of hair that swept across her brow. “Daehyun?” she blinked. “Cousin, I know that you are the prince, and I myself spared neither thought nor expense over having these designs commissioned, but the one in the glass is the original and the first. The price would be heady, even for yourself, and, although Daehyun is stunning and I know how dear he is to you, to buy it for a pet-”
Himchan looked at her, and suddenly she fell silent.
A beat passed before Sunhwa spoke again, breaking the quiet. “Was that why you didn’t want to tell me?”
The corner of Himchan’s mouth tugged slightly.
Sunhwa shook her head, colored curls against her pale neck shaking with the movement. “You ruin him,” she said, but there was an odd sort of smile on her pink lips. “You ruin him terribly, my prince.”
Himchan placed a hand against the glass lightly, already envisioning a familiar, bronze throat in place of the mannequin’s own white, cotton neck. “He’ll be stunning with it, don’t you think?”
“You’re the stunning one, Cousin,” Sunhwa said, amused, “how you never fail to bring Daehyun into conversation for each of the twelve days you’ve been apart from this pet of yours.”
But, somehow, Himchan couldn’t even find it in himself to be fazed by that comment. He merely smiled. “Really?” he echoed lightly, meeting her eyes and smiling back, “how odd.”
Himchan spent a total of twenty days in the south, and both he and Yongguk-when the bid farewell to Sunhwa and the other southern aristocrats-were more than a little homesick by that time. They were both used to traveling for extended periods, naturally, but that never decreased the feeling of longing for their own beds and manors by the time the journey drew to a close.
Himchan had been parted from Daehyun for a total of twenty days, the longest he’d ever been away from his pet up to this point, and when the prince finally arrived after another two days of travel-legs cramped from all the sitting in the carriage and weary from having to sleep upright in the seat-when the prince finally stepped onto the stones of his courtyard, before he could do much else, before he could even greet his servants, he was thrown backwards, falling on his ass rather painfully onto the pebbles with his arms full of Daehyun.
With his mouth full of Daehyun.
Himchan, in all honesty, couldn’t even hear the gasps of his servants.
The prince couldn’t even see his servants-not in that moment.
“I didn’t know I’d be so missed,” Himchan said, breath stolen (heart stolen) and mind spinning. Daehyun’s face filled his eyes-Daehyun’s smile, that image Himchan had only been able to conjure up in thought and dream for twenty days, filled his gaze.
“Welcome home, Master,” Daehyun whispered, and his smile broke into a grin-dimples all around, full lips over white teeth and pink gums.
The patterns on the ceiling of Himchan’s chambers seemed to be mocking him, shadows casted upon them by the faint candlelight from Himchan’s nightstand as he tossed and turned, unable to bring himself to blow out that last light. There was a council meeting early the next morning, and Himchan had to propose a new policy that he’d written out himself-with little help from his father’s advisors or even Yongguk, and tomorrow was the deciding day on whether the council members would approve its implementation or send it, and Himchan’s efforts, into the proverbial ditch.
He was nervous.
Normally, the night before an early meeting, Himchan would fall into bed as soon as possible but he was so nervous he’d even sent for Daehyun in an attempt to calm himself. Even sex hadn’t done much-Himchan was still mildly distracted throughout, and Daehyun had seemed to sense that. Thankfully, the pet hadn’t mentioned it, took it in stride, and was now sleeping sated and content against Himchan’s side.
Or, the last time Himchan had glanced, Daehyun had been sleeping. The pet’s eyes appeared to be open now, most likely awakened by Himchan’s tossing and turning. Daehyun’s eyelids drooped, struggling to stay open as his brow wrinkled. He squinted blearily at Himchan, a sleepy, and puzzled, “Master,” on his lips.
“Go back to sleep,” Himchan said, plying the pet’s mouth with soft kisses until Daehyun pulled away to bury a yawn against the prince’s shoulder.
“Won’t you, Master?” Daehyun snuggled closer, head upon Himchan’s chest.
“Wasn’t asleep in the first place,” Himchan said with resignation.
Daehyun’s grin was sleepy but luminous in the near-darkness. “Shall I sing you to sleep, my prince?”
“Will my ears melt?” Himchan snorted.
The pet’s laughter was muted and low in his throat. “No,” he said teasingly, “but your heart might, Majesty.”
Himchan dug his fingertips against Daehyun’s hip until the pet laughed again. “Bastard,” the prince said. He kissed the pet’s laughter into silence, until Daehyun was gazing rather breathlessly up at the prince with round eyes that glowed warm and brown in the darkness.
Daehyun began to hum, a simple melody-soothing in its repetition-and from just that wordless tune, Himchan somehow knew that this would be the prince’s downfall. Daehyun’s speaking voice had always been simultaneously boyish and masculine, soothing and thick, a teasing lilt never unheard of when he opened his mouth. And now, as the pet began to sing, parted his lips and gave form to the previously hummed melody, Himchan saw it as the final blow to however else the pet had fatally enchanted the prince up to this point. The song caressed Himchan like a blanket, rocked him like a cradle, and having pet’s voice so close to his ears made certain that the prince had only Daehyun in his senses.
There was a point in the song where Daehyun’s voice soared high, easily reaching for notes that left Himchan’s ears ringing even when the pet’s voice touched them only lightly-carefully, despite how obvious it became that there was far more hidden strength in Daehyun’s throat other than what he could only show in this short song. And Himchan supposed that was the climax of the song, because all too soon it seemed to wind down and Daehyun drifted the last note off into silence.
Himchan wasn’t any closer to sleep, but the council meeting tomorrow, at the very least, was the last thing on his mind.
“What was that?” Himchan asked quietly, after a moment of silence so long that he thought Daehyun might’ve already fallen back asleep himself.
Indeed, the pet sounded only half-conscious as he replied in a low, unfocused murmur, “A lullaby from the coast.” He tipped his face upward to press a kiss against the underside of Himchan’s jaw. “Hasn’t seemed to work, though.”
“Mm,” Himchan stroked Daehyun’s hair and the pet sighed contentedly, “but it’s pretty.”
“Like me,” Daehyun said playfully, the words nearly slurred from how close to sleep he was.
The fingers that were carding through Daehyun’s hair stopped just long enough to flick the side of Daehyun’s head, so little force put into the blow that the pet just snorted as his eyes continued to struggle to stay open. “Shut up and sleep, pet,” Himchan said, but he resumed running his fingertips through the soft strands.
And Daehyun’s eyes finally closed. “Anything for you, Master,” were his last words before he fell silent, breathing evening out in moments and hand going limp against Himchan’s chest.
Himchan looked up to the ceiling again, an odd smile tugging at his lips at the irony of that sentence. His arms tightened around the pet, cheek resting against the crown of Daehyun’s head as the prince closed his eyes as well-whether or not sleep actually would come was debatable. “Sweet dreams, Daehyun.”