The Red Caravan [12]
Pairings: YunJae
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: boyxboy, no historical/geographic setting, AU, adult themes.
Summary: It's Spring time in the capital and everybody rejoices when the Red Caravan and its performers arrive, signaling the start of festival season, however, Prince Yunho is also in town, returning after three years battling in the Holy Land. What happens when the Red Caravan's most famous peformer, Kim Jaejoong, and Prince Yunho meet?
A/N: Short update, don't kill me!
The bad weather from the day before seemed all but gone in the morning, the heavy droplets clinging to the leaves in the flower bushes being only evidence of the downpour. The sound of the prince’s soft steps against the stone floor was silenced when stopped on his way to pick the most beautiful rose he could find, cutting the long stem and holding it gingerly between his thumb and forefinger.
Jaejoong was sitting on one of the stone benches built around the pond in the middle or the royal gardens, looking striking with his blonde hair shining golden in the warm morning sunlight, wearing a white, almost translucent, loose shirt that fluttered about him with the light breeze, exposing his neck and collarbones. His eyes were transfixed on the woman-shaped bronze fountain in the middle, watching as the water poured from her outstretched hands and down her almost-naked body.
Yunho approached him silently until he was standing a couple of steps behind his distracted lover. He touched the white blossom to Jaejoong’s cheek, causing the latter to turn around in surprise. When his eyes found Yunho’s figure, however, his gaze returned to the fountain.
Yunho sat next to him, setting the rose down between them and followed Jaejoong’s line of sight. Neither spoke, and to anyone watching the scene unfold from the outside it would’ve seem like the two men were merely admiring the artistic craftsmanship of the fountain.
“You’re every definition of jerk right now,” Jaejoong said, eventually.
“I know,” Yunho admitted.
Neither man dared to look at the other, their eyes remaining entertained by the sparkling reflection of light on the surface of the water. But when Yunho looked at Jaejoong out of the corner of his eyes he was delighted to catch his lover grasping the flower’s stem in his palm, even if his hold was loose around the blossom.
“I’ve never met her,” Yunho continued.
Jaejoong snorted, his fingers playing with the thorns on the rose, pressing down on them with enough force to feel the prick of the sharp edge but not enough for it to draw blood.
“I’m being serious!”
“Okay,” mumbled Jaejoong, still refusing to look at Yunho even when the prince had completely turned towards him now.
Yunho cleared his throat but in the end said nothing. For a few moments only the melodious gurgling sound of the water pouring out of the fountain filled the air, occasionally accompanied by the chirping of birds hiding in the trees.
“Were you ever going to tell me about her?” Jaejoong asked.
Yunho swallowed. “In time, yes.”
“When? A day before she arrived? The second before she crossed through the palace gates?” The bitter tone was obvious in the blonde’s voice and Yunho found himself flinching.
“You’re upset,” Yunho observed and Jaejoong scoffed. “That’s why I was putting it off for so long; I didn’t want to upset you. You mean so much to me I cannot stand to see you sad. Your pain is my pain-ouch! What was that for?!”
Yunho rubbed the scratched skin where Jaejoong had wacked him with the thorny stem of the rose, glaring incredulously at the blond male.
“Now you are feeling my pain,” was Jaejoong’s simple answer.
“You feel like thorns slicing through your skin?” Yunho asked, eyebrows furrowed, still going over the now-bleeding welts on his arm with his fingers.
Jaejoong shook his head. “Through my heart.”
“Oh, Jaejoong-ah.” Yunho’s eyes softened at Jaejoong’s words, his arms coming up to wrap around the performer’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, lips pressed against Jaejoong’s hair.
Jaejoong allowed himself to be held, his arms coming around to wrap around Yunho’s waist while he inhaled the prince’s calming scent. Yunho rocked them back and forth softly, like two willow branches swaying in the breeze.
“She is the one I’m to marry but not the one I love,” Yunho said, “the one I love is sitting on this bench with me, listening to my stupid excuses.”
Jaejoong chuckled softly.
“You’re the one I want to spend my life with, not her. You’re the one I want to shower with kisses; spoil rotten with gifts.”
“I’m not a woman,” Jaejoong protested lightly.
“Just allow me to do it, you stubborn man,” Yunho chastised, pulling softly at one blond strand of hair, easily avoiding an annoyed swat at his hand.
“Jaejoong-ah,” the prince started, pulling back to look at his lover in the eye. “Marrying her is my duty as crown prince but you are the only one in my heart. Understood?”
“Mhm,” Jaejoong nodded. “Just tell me the next time you get engaged to a princess you have never met, okay?”
Yunho laughed, tightening his hold around the beautiful man.
“Okay.”
♥ ♥ ♥
“I think the space is large enough to fit our regular stage here, don’t you think so, Yoochun-ah?” Changmin asked, while he pressed a wooden stick marked at regular intervals with small lines on the floor, marking with his finger the place where the end was and lifting the stick before putting it down again after his finger. He did this from one side of the large hall to the other; walking back and using his palms to measure the approximate height of the place.
“Yeah, but what about the bigger props? They won’t fit in here,” Yoochun replied from where he stood next to the window.
“We’ll have to forego the dragon, definitely.” Changmin sighed, carding his fingers through his hair while he thought. “Where is Junsu, anyway?”
Yoochun shrugged. “He said something about going to explore the palace. You know how much of a child he can be a times.”
“And you didn’t go with him? My, my, how mature of you,” Changmin teased.
Yoochun stuck out his tongue at the sorcerer before laughing. “Actually, I already went to explore this place.”
Changmin rolled his eyes. “Now that’s more like you. Well, there is no point in building the stage without Junsu and Jaejoong, not to mention the people we will have to borrow to help.” He started walking out of the hall, turning around to make sure Yoochun was following. “Come on, let’s see if we can get the servants to give us a second breakfast.”
“I wouldn’t get so cozy here if I were you,” a cold voice said from the door, making Changmin and Yoochun stop in their tracks.
When they looked towards the sound of the voice they spotted the handsome clergyman from the night before, looking at them with eyes filled with disdain.
Yoochun looked him up and down and whistled unimpressed, making Siwon glare harder.
“The Church will have you thrown out, Shim. You and your troupe of pagans,” he continued, looking from Changmin to Yoochun, both men looking unfazed at his words. “You’ll suffer the same fate as that witch you called mother in Je-“
“Now, now, let’s not have none of that, Siwon-sshi. I’m sure Changmin has done nothing for you to be insulting his mother, hmm?” another voice said, interrupting the priest’s words. Seconds later Heechul appeared next to Siwon, and started to guide him away by the arm. “Her Majesty is looking for you, by the way. She wants to talk to you about some books or something.”
Siwon looked back at Changmin once more before shrugging off Heechul’s hold on his arm and walking away. Heechul as well turned to look at Changmin, eyes filled with curiosity, but a second later he shook his head, shrugged and left the way he came.
Yoochun let out a long breath. “So… what were you saying about a second breakfast?”
Changmin found himself relaxing the tight fists his hands had balled into.
“Let’s go,” he said.
♥ ♥ ♥
Jaejoong sighed contently, a small smile drawing itself on his relaxed face. He was lying down on soft grass with Yunho’s head resting on his belly, enjoying the filtered sunlight coming through the treetops. Yunho had led him to a secluded part of the gardens, with enough trees and tall flower-covered bushes to hide them from curious eyes.
Yunho had Jaejoong’s hand between his, bending and unbending his fingers with a look of lazy fascination. Jaejoong let him do what he wanted, feeling his fingers flex when Yunho applied pressure on the middle of his palm with his thumb only to relax back when the prince let go.
“Yunho-yah?” he mumbled.
“Hmmm?” Yunho was still fixated on his hand, tracing slow patterns over the skin on the back.
“After the stage is built can we go somewhere nice?” Jaejoong asked.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Let’s visit the orphanage again.”
“Okay,” Yunho agreed, before placing a kiss on Jaejoong’s knuckles. “But you have to do something for me.”
“And what is that?” Jaejoong felt Yunho lift his head from where it rested on the blonde’s belly.
“Sit up,” the prince commanded.
Jaejoong lifted his upper body, shooting a questioning glance at Yunho, who merely smiled at him, reaching out to take some dry leaves out of his lover’s hair.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
Jaejoong complied, dropping his eyelids so that his lashes brushed over his pale skin. Suddenly there was a warm palm against his cheek and a soft breath tickling his nose. His lips parted instinctively to meet Yunho’s, his nerves going haywire when they finally joined.
The kiss was slow, lacking the usual urgency of their previous kisses. Yunho’s lips moved almost leisurely against Jaejoong’s own, and before long it was over.
Jaejoong opened his eyes, dazed. Yunho was smiling lovingly at his confused expression.
“That was it?”
Yunho chuckled, stroking Jaejoong’s cheek with his thumb.
“Yeah, that was it,” Yunho said, laughing even more when his lover pouted.
Yunho leaned forward again, this time kissing Jaejoong with much more passion than before. Jaejoong was pushed back and his shriek of surprise was swallowed by Yunho’s lips as he found himself responding eagerly, moaning softly when the prince slipped his warm tongue inside his mouth.
“Now, that was more like it,” Jaejoong commented between pants when they parted.
Yunho kissed his cheek and rolled over so he could lie next to Jaejoong, cradling the blonde’s head on the crook of his arm.
“Will you come to me again tonight?” he asked.
“Definitely.” Jaejoong smiled, initiating the kiss this time.
They kissed languidly, oblivious to the prying eyes fixed on them, looking down into the gardens from one of the palace windows.