The Halfling - Part 15
Title: The Halfling
Pairing(s): Onkey, side 2min
Rating: PG-13 (overall)
Genre: Romance, sci-fi (?)
Disclaimer: I don't own SHINee, I don't own any of the members. Their souls and bodies belong to SM, I am only a lowly, foreign fanfic writer.
WARNING: Allusions to past sexual assault
The incessant beeping of the alarm clock was what roused Onew from his sleep early in the morning. He cracked his eyes open blearily, letting out a deep breath and stopping the alarm as he stared at the windows across the room. He could barely make out dim morning light seeping in around the edges of the curtains.
After a few moments Onew realized that there was a warm body curled around his from behind. A tail across his stomach, an arm over his ribs, a hand settled on his chest, a forehead pressed between his shoulder blades. The young noble smiled a bit to himself and rolled over, causing the other body to shift as well.
Onew settled on his side and watched Key roll onto his back. The Halfling blinked himself awake, black eyes focusing on the ceiling before finding Onew beside him. The elder reached out and traced a finger up Key’s cheekbone while smiling at him softly. Key stared back in a mixture of shock and apprehension for a moment before his eyes cleared and his face melted into something much softer.
“I had thought it was a dream,” he whispered, accent thicker with traces of sleep still in his voice. He reached up to cover Onew’s hand where it rested on his cheek.
“No, not a dream at all,” the other smiled. Humming, he lowered himself from his elbow flush onto his side and buried half his head in the pillow. “Can we just stay here all day?”
“My lord,” Key chastised, but even so he had a gentle smile on his face. “You must go to the capitol.”
“But the bed is so warm and the only thing waiting for me in the capitol are hordes of reporters with cameras and really loud voices and stupid questions.”
“Hordes?” the blonde cocked his head to the side adorably.
“Big groups.”
Key hummed in acknowledgement. “That is why you must go, my lord. If you are absent then they will write more. If you act like every day then maybe they will become bored.”
Onew propped himself back up on his elbow and raised an eyebrow. “When did you become so knowledgeable about dealing with reporters?”
“Well, my lord, I am very intelligent,” Key nodded as if imparting some great knowledge. Onew snorted and the blonde smiled in return. “I pay attention, I suppose,” he shrugged.
Onew smiled softly to himself. Key was so very observant and, even though he said it as a joke, he truly was smart. How was he ever so lucky to stumble upon a Halfling like this?
“My lord,” Key broke Onew from his reverie. “You must go shower or we will leave late.” It was an order, not a suggestion, and something inside the elder warmed to be spoken to so naturally, almost intimately.
“So bossy,” he smiled. Something flickered in Key’s eyes for a moment, almost as if he were afraid he had crossed a boundary with his master. “I’m joking, Key. I like when you speak to me like that. You’ve never been just a slave to me, you know that don’t you?”
Key smiled shyly and lowered his eyes away from Onew’s gaze. “I had hoped.”
“Well you don’t have to hope any longer,” the heir grazed his fingers over Key’s cheek one last time before leaving to shower.
-------------------------
The Complex was especially irritating that morning. Just to get through the front door, Onew had been forced to scurry through a crowd of flashing cameras and yelling voices. Royal Guards had come out from the building to try and clear a path but it had only barely worked.
When he entered the office Eunmi looked as flustered as Onew had ever seen her. The phones wee ringing incessantly and it seemed that all of the call waiting lines were flashing.
“My lord!” the secretary exclaimed when she saw the young man standing just inside the doorway. “I need your help.”
That was how Onew found himself answering call after call with, “I’m sorry neither the Duke nor his son are in at the moment. We have no comment on the matter.”
Eunmi and Onew worked like this for almost twenty minutes without pause. It seemed as soon as they finished with one call, another would pop up in its place. Gossip magazines and respected newspapers alike were all calling to ask about Key. Even the Seoul Herald - Hangeong’s oldest newspaper that retained its name from the old capitol and prided itself on being the last newspaper in the country that was still printed on paper - had called to inquire about the news.
Finally, there was a moment of silence and the two looked at each other. Was it possible that they had answered the last call? Eunmi placed her phone down gingerly, as if putting it down too hard would cause it to ring.
Onew gave a tentative smile of relief to the secretary and he saw one growing on her lips as well when a shrill ring cut through the room.
So much for the silence.
--------
Taemin and Minho sat on Taemin’s sofa. They were trying to watch a movie but neither seemed to be succeeding. The prince and the Halfling kept glancing across the coffee table at their companion who was curled up in a chair, staring dreamily at the television screen. Taemin glanced back to the movie - an action film with plenty of explosions - then back at Key’s sappy gaze. Minho could offer his prince no more than a confused shrug.
“TV off,” Taemin said abruptly. Key started when the screen went blank and turned to the young royal curiously. “Alright, Kibum. What’s going on?”
“Your Grace?” the feline boy asked.
“You were looking at the movie like you wanted to kiss it,” the brunette stated, matter of fact.
“It is a very good film.”
Minho let out a snort almost immediately, trying his best to muffle the noise with his hand, but nothing could stifle the giggles that erupted from him after.
“Exactly,” Taemin deadpanned, gesturing to the bull Halfling. Key blushed, knowing the other two would never let this go until he admitted what had him in such a state. The coloring of the blonde’s cheeks did not go unnoticed. “You’re blushing! This has to do with my cousin!” Key’s blush only darkened and Taemin cackled delightedly.
“My Prince,” Minho admonished softly, placing a hand on the other’s arm. “Do not tease him.”
Key’s ears drooped slightly into his hair from embarrassment while he simultaneously bit his lip to ward off a silly smile.
“Lord Onew and I…” he trailed off and cleared his throat. Saying it aloud was just so awkward. “We kissed. Last night.”
Minho at least had the decency to try to tame his reaction, but the prince looked downright giddy. He let out an odd sort of excited sound.
“I knew it! I knew he couldn’t wait long!” Taemin declared and hurried across the room.
“We are very happy for you, Kibum,” Minho smiled happily. Key gave him a soft smile in return, still slightly in disbelief that the kiss had happened in the first place.
Across the room the two heard, “Jonghyun hyung! You will never guess what I just heard…”
“My Prince!” Key groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
-------------
Onew was in the middle of proofreading a very important press release on the current goings-on in the Americas. He was so engrossed in it that he missed his phone blinking to alert him he was missing phone calls and text messages. That was, until-
“Do you mean to tell me-“ a loud voice boomed through the small room at almost the same time the door banged against the wall. Eunmi nearly jumped out of her chair in fright. “-that you made a move on your Halfling and never even told me?”
Onew looked up to see the affronted face of one Kim Jonghyun. The tailor stood with his hands on his hips and quite the scowl settled on his mouth.
“Jonghyun-ah, what are you even doing here?” the heir asked somewhat exasperatedly, knowing exactly what direction this was conversation would be going in.
“Well, I got a very interesting phone call from Prince Taemin and I just had to find out if it was true or not. You didn’t answer your phone so I thought I would stop by for a visit,” the brunette shrugged nonchalantly. He settled himself on Eunmi’s desk, barely missing sitting on a stack of papers as the woman quickly pulled them away with a glare, and crossed his legs.
“I will need to a talk with my cousin. Regardless, now isn’t the best time. Maybe we can talk about this later,” Onew near pleaded. He had work to get done, and Lord forbid his father return from his meeting early.
“Hyung,” the younger whined and threw his head back. “You have to be joking! You haven’t been romantically interested in anyone for over two years and now you fall into a torrid love affair with your Halfling - which is definitely frowned upon by society - and you aren’t even going to talk to me about it? I live for this sort of thing.”
“Jonghyun, please,” the elder said meaningfully, glancing at Eunmi who was valiantly attempting to look like she wasn’t listening.
Jonghyun followed his friend’s gaze and then rolled his eyes. “Please, hyung. Eunmi-ssi spends most of her day with you. She knows you’re in love with Kibum.”
Onew’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Talk like this was not only highly inappropriate at work, in his eyes, but also bordered on illegal. Actually, it was illegal. Only a week before, an online group of people who wrote fictional stories about masters falling in love with their Halflings, whether work or pleasure slaves, had been rounded up and jailed. Anything encouraging more than a master-slave relationship between humans and Halflings was strictly against the law. There had once been a case ten years before where a wealthy young woman had fallen in love with her father’s Pleasure Halfling and they had fled to the countryside together. They had been captured and the young woman had been sentenced to twenty years in prison for stolen property as well as aiding and abetting the escape of a Halfling from servitude. She had also been shunned from her family (as well as most families of similar social standing), so upon her release in ten years she would most likely be completely on her own. The Halfling, a lovely rabbit girl of about seventeen, had been considered corrupted goods and was euthanized immediately.
“It is alright, my lord,” Eunmi smiled gently. “Between us, I have long suspected you didn’t agree with the practice of keeping Halflings in slavery. And I must say I agree with you.” The young woman cleared her throat and glanced around the room quickly before adding, “About your feelings for Kibum… they were relatively noticeable somewhat early on.”
Jonghyun shot Onew a “told you so” look to which the latter simply sighed and tapped around his work tablet pointlessly.
“Thank you for that, Eunmi-ssi, but I would prefer it if we didn’t speak about these things in a government building.”
“Yes, my lord,” the secretary acquiesced. Jonghyun hummed an agreement.
Eunmi went back to her papers while Jonghyun clicked around on his phone. Onew glanced around the room and tried to distract himself. Jonghyun stood, obviously about to take his leave, when Onew could no longer hold himself back.
“Was it really so obvious?”
Jonghyun smirked. Eunmi avoided eye contact.
--------------------------------
Onew was happy to go through the rest of his day without any comment from his father on the media situation. He knew how much the Duke disliked the whole situation, and how he blamed his son for it. If Onew had only bought a Halfling at eighteen like most other boys of his social standing - and didn’t hide from the media, and didn’t avoid other nobles, and didn’t keep the Halfling he did finally purchase private - then this would never have been a big deal. The media wouldn’t have cared about Key any more than they cared about the thousands of other Pleasure Halflings bought by all the other Hangeongian socialites every day. But, Onew had done all of those things and the Duke was not happy about it. He didn’t have to use his words for his son to see the way he sighed when a reporter mentioned Key at a press conference. In the past forty-eight hours it had, naturally, gotten ten times worse with the picture of Key emerging on the internet. So his father’s lack of comment on the situation was a happy and relieving turn of events.
Even so, Onew had been wound up all day simply expecting some sort of encounter. Though none happened, he found it hard to relax. It wasn’t until the end of the day that the Duke finally broke his silence.
“Jinki-yah,” the Duke’s voice boomed through the room and the young heir’s head snapped up immediately. He had just been shutting down the electronics in his workstation and thought he wouldn’t see his father for the remainder of the day.
“Yes, Father?”
“I see that your Halfling has been in the news recently.”
“Yes, Father, and I apologize for that. I know it has been interfering in your work,” Onew lowered his eyes from his father’s face in a show of, what he hoped looked like, shame. The Duke made a humming sound in his throat and pulled on his jacket.
“The political world is no place for gossip magazines, Jinki. I do not appreciate the fact that actual, important issues are being ignored in favor of your Halfling,” he brushed invisible lint off his jacket. “I have to say I was surprised when Choi Dongwan came to me to speak about your plan-“
Onew’s head snapped up immediately. His plan?
“- and at first I was apprehensive. But I’m glad you came to your senses and wanted to get your Halfling in the spotlight so you can continue on like all the boys your age.” Onew clenched his jaw, letting out a deep breath through his nose. The anger rising within him was indescribable. “Dongwan said you’ll be attending his Halfling party in a few months. I’m glad to hear it, Jinki-yah,” the Duke clapped a hand over his son’s shoulder in a show of pride. Onew did his best to fight the bile rising in his throat. “I will be staying at the mountain estate for the next few weeks. I’ll only be in the office if there’s a situation.”
“Yes, Father. Enjoy your stay,” Onew forced out through a painful smile. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold in the feeling in his chest. Thankfully, he didn’t have to find out as his father patted his arm once more and left without another word.
Onew drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself but it didn’t work. He kicked Eunmi’s vacant desk before he could stop himself, almost relishing in the pain that shot through his foot. Onew sunk against his own desk, deflated, and stared at the scuffmark his shoe left on the secretary’s desk.
He was going to kill Choi Dongwan.
--------------
Key had been feeling badly for Onew all week. Ever since having his suspicions confirmed that it was, in fact, Choi Dongwan who decided to contact reporters about Key and - furthermore - that his own father had happily helped, the heir had been a mixture between brooding and pretending he wasn’t brooding. Key knew that his master tried to hide how upset the whole ordeal made him and put in his best effort to act normally. But, the Halfling was no fool. He knew that Onew’s hatred of Choi Dongwan ran deep and, even more than that, the fact that his father had helped hurt the young caramel haired man.
Though the Duke’s stance on Halflings and the way he treated them was no surprise; though Onew had been well aware of all that was expected of him, it still hurt. The Duke was his father, after all, and one always carried the hope that their parents would respect their wishes and support them. No matter how many times they had been disappointed.
Key was sitting before the fire, sketching a flower from his home planet to the best of his memory. He got stuck on the shape of the leaves and happened to glance up in thought. In doing so, he caught sight of Onew slumped over his desk, head on his hand as he dragged his finger over his tablet over and over. The Dark Look was back on his face again. At least, that was what Key called it. Onew’s face took on a certain pinched anger look when he though the feline boy wasn’t paying attention. Sighing, Key stood.
“My lord,” the blonde said softly.
“Mmm?” Onew hummed back without looking up.
“What is it that you are looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Key, being that he didn’t believe the elder’s response for even half a second, approached the desk. He rounded it and stood just to the left of Onew. He watched as a thick finger swiped across the screen, bringing with it article after article about the couple. No more sightings of Lee Jinki’s Halfling, they reported. When will we spot the feline Halfling again?, they asked.
Key scoffed. “My lord, please. These articles are not important.”
“They are annoying,” Onew grumbled.
“Perhaps I should start going places with you. Will they not get bored if we give them exactly what it is they ask for?”
Onew hesitated for a long moment, finger frozen in mid swipe. Slowly, he turned in his chair to look at his… what was Key to him? A Halfling? Yes. A slave? Technically. A lover? Not quite (not yet?). A boyfriend…?
“Key,” he began gently. “I understand what you’re saying. But it could just make them worse.”
“Or,” Key popped his hip and swayed his tail back and forth, “it could not.”
Onew let out a deep sigh. “Key…”
“My lord,” thin fingers wrapped around a stubby hand. “Please. I wish to see more places, with you. I believe they will grow bored. As you say, this is the norm is it not?”
The heir held onto his resolve for a few seconds as he regarded the other. Then Key raised his hand and placed his cheek on the open palm, and he melted.
“If it will make you happy, Key.”
The smile - the straight, white, wide, perfect, flawless, beautiful - smile that broke out on the Halfling’s face was blinding. And Onew felt himself smiling genuinely back. Key had that effect on him.
------------
A few nights later found Onew curled up in his bed with Key. The Halfling had been asking Taemin and Jonghyun about the best places to go in the city. The only time he had ever really been in Hwaegoong was while he was at the Keepers. As such, he didn’t leave that building until it was time to be delivered. He had also asked Minho once what his favorite place in the city was and the bull Halfling had only responded that he didn’t care so long as the prince was with him, to which Jonghyun faked a gag and called the tall boy a sap. Taemin, on the other hand, pinched both of Minho’s cheeks and cooed until the elder blushed and whined. Key had decided to not ask Minho any more on the subject.
Key was going on about an Indian restaurant that Jonghyun had mentioned to him. It was upscale, apparently only catering to the richest patrons. He had asked a million questions about the place: what exactly was Indian food? Where is India? What did Indian people look like? How spicy was the food? Is curry soup?
Onew let out a groan after trying to explain the consistency of naan and looked down to the wide, feline eyes staring back at him.
“I will take you to the restaurant if you wish. But, for now, do you think we could sleep?” he asked hopefully.
Key cocked his head to the side and perked his ears. “You will take me? Do you promise?”
“Of course I promise.”
The blonde let out a pleased purr sound and lifted his head to connect their lips. Onew smiled into the kiss and reciprocated, expecting it to end fairly quickly as most of their kisses did. Onew had been very careful in the past week and a half to let Key lead any physical contact between them. Key had remained as touchy as ever, a characteristic Onew read once that was common among feline Halflings on Animus, and all the kisses had remained short pecks or short kisses that lasted no longer than a few seconds. After all, the heir was extremely cognizant of the other’s past and Key’s comfort and happiness was too important to him for any other course of action.
But, tonight was different. Instead of ending the kiss as Onew had expected, Key shifted onto his knees and scooted further up Onew’s body so their faces were level. He pressed more firmly against the elder’s lips and then Onew felt a hand rest on the side of his neck and were those teeth on his lip?
Onew relaxed into the pillows behind him, allowing Key to do as he pleased. It was hard not to roll the smaller boy over and take control of this kiss, and his fingers itched to touch but he steeled himself against the urges. His patience was rewarded because after a moment, Key swung his leg over Onew’s lap to straddle the young noble. Onew let his left hand rest on Key’s toned thigh and was happy to find the other did nothing to remove it. In fact, Key slipped his tongue into Onew’s mouth in response.
The elder froze in surprise for a moment. He hadn’t expected Key’s tongue to be so rough. It was a feline trait, after all, so perhaps he should have guessed. Still, he found that he liked the way the rougher texture made tingles erupt on the roof of his mouth and began kissing Key back again. Key lead Onew’s free hand to his hip and the elder almost lost it.
Onew felt like he was flying and melting into his sheets simultaneously. He hadn’t even dreamed of kissing Key a mere two weeks ago and now he found the other climbing into his lap and instigating a make out session. If he weren’t so keenly aware of the heart he could feel racing in Key’s chest he would have thought it was all a dream.
Suddenly Key let out a small noise and tangled his fingers in caramel locks. Onew groaned when he felt hips start to move against his own, trying his best to reciprocate without becoming the leader. But, God, did he want to. The stimulation was almost too much. Onew didn’t know where to focus. A fluffy tail wrapped itself around his forearm lightly and he took the opportunity to gently stroke the soft fur covering the appendage. Key immediately began letting out a sound that sounded distinctly like a purr, causing Onew to lift his hand to the others throat and feel the vibrations against his fingertips.
It was almost an out of body experience. This was more than Onew could have ever dreamed of. Heat started to pool in his stomach and Onew could feel himself growing hard. He rolled his hips up against Key’s in an attempt to release some pressure but only succeeded in becoming fully aware that he wasn’t the only one physically reacting to their activities. Key whined into Onew’s mouth and the fire that exploded in the elder’s stomach was unbelievable. He’d never been so attracted to another being in his whole life. And all too soon, it ended.
Key ripped himself away from Onew so violently that he nearly threw himself off the bed in an attempt to distance himself. His black eyes were wide and wet and his thin body shook uncontrollably.
“Key…” Onew reached forward in an attempt to comfort the other but stopped when the feline boy only folded into himself. His ears flattened into his hair and he rocked himself back and forth.
“I am so sorry, my lord,” Key whimpered out, almost unintelligibly.
“No, don’t apologize,” Onew shook his head, trying his best to calm his body down and focus his full attention on whatever the hell had just happened. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Key. I shouldn’t have done whatever I did that upset you.”
“No,” he shook his head and dissolved into tears. “I am sorry. Sorry, sorry…”
“Please stop. I’m sorry that you felt like you had to do that. If you don’t want to kiss me, you don’t have to,” Onew insisted. Had Key thought this was expected of him, and forced himself to participate in the act? “Don’t force yourself-“
“No, my lord,” the blonde squeaked out. “I wanted to! I enjoyed it. I wanted to, I promise. I just…”
Onew stared on helplessly as Key tried to get out words. He wanted to hold the younger, to comfort him and let him know it was all okay. But it was clear to him that physical contact probably wouldn’t be the best thing at the moment. Onew didn't know what was wrong but he wished he could fix it. After a minute of Key struggling he managed to calm himself down enough to get out coherent words, though Onew noted his accent was thicker than normal.
“I wanted to, my lord. I trust you and I am attracted to you and I care about you, but…” he trailed off and sniffed, turning his black eyes to the comforter. “When I felt…you…on my leg, I - I could not stop…thinking of them. Their faces and the things they did to me.” Key shook his head as if trying to rid it of images. Onew felt as if his heart crumbled into his stomach.
“Oh, Key…”
“I am sorry. Please, I am so sorry. I do not want to think about them. I am sorry.”
“Key, please,” Onew reached forward and took a thin hand in his own. Key jerked at first but Onew continued to hold on gently. “It’s me, Key. It’s just me.”
The blonde nodded after a moment and cupped Onew’s hand with his free one, relaxing marginally. His eyes remained on the comforter.
“What those people did to you,” he began in a whisper, “is not your fault. Being reminded of them is not your fault. Okay?” Key nodded, but did not stop crying and did not look up. “We can take it slow. No matter what we are doing, if you don’t want to, we can always stop, Key. Always. Just tell me and we can stop.”
Key looked up then, turning his eyes to almond shaped ones. He began to cry harder but let out a soft thank you, gripping Onew’s hand tighter between both of his own.
“Let’s go to sleep now,” Onew suggested gently.
They settled into bed on opposite sides of the mattress. Onew made no move to cuddle with the other, knowing he needed his physical space at the moment. It hurt not to be able to comfort him but his pain was merely a fraction of what Key was going through and had gone through in the past. Onew lay awake for a good hour, listening to Key’s sniffles in the dark and, eventually, his breath evening out as he fell asleep. Onew fell asleep a few minutes after Key, wishing he could do more for the boy.
When he woke up the next morning, he found Key’s warm body entwined with his own.
-------------------
GUESS WHO HAS INTERNET AGAIN AWW YEAH! Okay so basically this chapter has been sitting in my word file for a couple days because I haven't had internet for like the last two weeks. I've just been checking in on my phone. But now I have internet and finally can give you guys this update. I know it... is sort of jumpy and a lot. But all important things, I promise. Also I like writing Minho as a squishy little adorable side character ahhhh. Anyway. Please feel free to tell me what you think!!! I have been super super busy and I want to apologize for how long this took and that it isn't edited. Thank you for sticking with me! <333
next
Pairing(s): Onkey, side 2min
Rating: PG-13 (overall)
Genre: Romance, sci-fi (?)
Disclaimer: I don't own SHINee, I don't own any of the members. Their souls and bodies belong to SM, I am only a lowly, foreign fanfic writer.
WARNING: Allusions to past sexual assault
The incessant beeping of the alarm clock was what roused Onew from his sleep early in the morning. He cracked his eyes open blearily, letting out a deep breath and stopping the alarm as he stared at the windows across the room. He could barely make out dim morning light seeping in around the edges of the curtains.
After a few moments Onew realized that there was a warm body curled around his from behind. A tail across his stomach, an arm over his ribs, a hand settled on his chest, a forehead pressed between his shoulder blades. The young noble smiled a bit to himself and rolled over, causing the other body to shift as well.
Onew settled on his side and watched Key roll onto his back. The Halfling blinked himself awake, black eyes focusing on the ceiling before finding Onew beside him. The elder reached out and traced a finger up Key’s cheekbone while smiling at him softly. Key stared back in a mixture of shock and apprehension for a moment before his eyes cleared and his face melted into something much softer.
“I had thought it was a dream,” he whispered, accent thicker with traces of sleep still in his voice. He reached up to cover Onew’s hand where it rested on his cheek.
“No, not a dream at all,” the other smiled. Humming, he lowered himself from his elbow flush onto his side and buried half his head in the pillow. “Can we just stay here all day?”
“My lord,” Key chastised, but even so he had a gentle smile on his face. “You must go to the capitol.”
“But the bed is so warm and the only thing waiting for me in the capitol are hordes of reporters with cameras and really loud voices and stupid questions.”
“Hordes?” the blonde cocked his head to the side adorably.
“Big groups.”
Key hummed in acknowledgement. “That is why you must go, my lord. If you are absent then they will write more. If you act like every day then maybe they will become bored.”
Onew propped himself back up on his elbow and raised an eyebrow. “When did you become so knowledgeable about dealing with reporters?”
“Well, my lord, I am very intelligent,” Key nodded as if imparting some great knowledge. Onew snorted and the blonde smiled in return. “I pay attention, I suppose,” he shrugged.
Onew smiled softly to himself. Key was so very observant and, even though he said it as a joke, he truly was smart. How was he ever so lucky to stumble upon a Halfling like this?
“My lord,” Key broke Onew from his reverie. “You must go shower or we will leave late.” It was an order, not a suggestion, and something inside the elder warmed to be spoken to so naturally, almost intimately.
“So bossy,” he smiled. Something flickered in Key’s eyes for a moment, almost as if he were afraid he had crossed a boundary with his master. “I’m joking, Key. I like when you speak to me like that. You’ve never been just a slave to me, you know that don’t you?”
Key smiled shyly and lowered his eyes away from Onew’s gaze. “I had hoped.”
“Well you don’t have to hope any longer,” the heir grazed his fingers over Key’s cheek one last time before leaving to shower.
-------------------------
The Complex was especially irritating that morning. Just to get through the front door, Onew had been forced to scurry through a crowd of flashing cameras and yelling voices. Royal Guards had come out from the building to try and clear a path but it had only barely worked.
When he entered the office Eunmi looked as flustered as Onew had ever seen her. The phones wee ringing incessantly and it seemed that all of the call waiting lines were flashing.
“My lord!” the secretary exclaimed when she saw the young man standing just inside the doorway. “I need your help.”
That was how Onew found himself answering call after call with, “I’m sorry neither the Duke nor his son are in at the moment. We have no comment on the matter.”
Eunmi and Onew worked like this for almost twenty minutes without pause. It seemed as soon as they finished with one call, another would pop up in its place. Gossip magazines and respected newspapers alike were all calling to ask about Key. Even the Seoul Herald - Hangeong’s oldest newspaper that retained its name from the old capitol and prided itself on being the last newspaper in the country that was still printed on paper - had called to inquire about the news.
Finally, there was a moment of silence and the two looked at each other. Was it possible that they had answered the last call? Eunmi placed her phone down gingerly, as if putting it down too hard would cause it to ring.
Onew gave a tentative smile of relief to the secretary and he saw one growing on her lips as well when a shrill ring cut through the room.
So much for the silence.
--------
Taemin and Minho sat on Taemin’s sofa. They were trying to watch a movie but neither seemed to be succeeding. The prince and the Halfling kept glancing across the coffee table at their companion who was curled up in a chair, staring dreamily at the television screen. Taemin glanced back to the movie - an action film with plenty of explosions - then back at Key’s sappy gaze. Minho could offer his prince no more than a confused shrug.
“TV off,” Taemin said abruptly. Key started when the screen went blank and turned to the young royal curiously. “Alright, Kibum. What’s going on?”
“Your Grace?” the feline boy asked.
“You were looking at the movie like you wanted to kiss it,” the brunette stated, matter of fact.
“It is a very good film.”
Minho let out a snort almost immediately, trying his best to muffle the noise with his hand, but nothing could stifle the giggles that erupted from him after.
“Exactly,” Taemin deadpanned, gesturing to the bull Halfling. Key blushed, knowing the other two would never let this go until he admitted what had him in such a state. The coloring of the blonde’s cheeks did not go unnoticed. “You’re blushing! This has to do with my cousin!” Key’s blush only darkened and Taemin cackled delightedly.
“My Prince,” Minho admonished softly, placing a hand on the other’s arm. “Do not tease him.”
Key’s ears drooped slightly into his hair from embarrassment while he simultaneously bit his lip to ward off a silly smile.
“Lord Onew and I…” he trailed off and cleared his throat. Saying it aloud was just so awkward. “We kissed. Last night.”
Minho at least had the decency to try to tame his reaction, but the prince looked downright giddy. He let out an odd sort of excited sound.
“I knew it! I knew he couldn’t wait long!” Taemin declared and hurried across the room.
“We are very happy for you, Kibum,” Minho smiled happily. Key gave him a soft smile in return, still slightly in disbelief that the kiss had happened in the first place.
Across the room the two heard, “Jonghyun hyung! You will never guess what I just heard…”
“My Prince!” Key groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
-------------
Onew was in the middle of proofreading a very important press release on the current goings-on in the Americas. He was so engrossed in it that he missed his phone blinking to alert him he was missing phone calls and text messages. That was, until-
“Do you mean to tell me-“ a loud voice boomed through the small room at almost the same time the door banged against the wall. Eunmi nearly jumped out of her chair in fright. “-that you made a move on your Halfling and never even told me?”
Onew looked up to see the affronted face of one Kim Jonghyun. The tailor stood with his hands on his hips and quite the scowl settled on his mouth.
“Jonghyun-ah, what are you even doing here?” the heir asked somewhat exasperatedly, knowing exactly what direction this was conversation would be going in.
“Well, I got a very interesting phone call from Prince Taemin and I just had to find out if it was true or not. You didn’t answer your phone so I thought I would stop by for a visit,” the brunette shrugged nonchalantly. He settled himself on Eunmi’s desk, barely missing sitting on a stack of papers as the woman quickly pulled them away with a glare, and crossed his legs.
“I will need to a talk with my cousin. Regardless, now isn’t the best time. Maybe we can talk about this later,” Onew near pleaded. He had work to get done, and Lord forbid his father return from his meeting early.
“Hyung,” the younger whined and threw his head back. “You have to be joking! You haven’t been romantically interested in anyone for over two years and now you fall into a torrid love affair with your Halfling - which is definitely frowned upon by society - and you aren’t even going to talk to me about it? I live for this sort of thing.”
“Jonghyun, please,” the elder said meaningfully, glancing at Eunmi who was valiantly attempting to look like she wasn’t listening.
Jonghyun followed his friend’s gaze and then rolled his eyes. “Please, hyung. Eunmi-ssi spends most of her day with you. She knows you’re in love with Kibum.”
Onew’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Talk like this was not only highly inappropriate at work, in his eyes, but also bordered on illegal. Actually, it was illegal. Only a week before, an online group of people who wrote fictional stories about masters falling in love with their Halflings, whether work or pleasure slaves, had been rounded up and jailed. Anything encouraging more than a master-slave relationship between humans and Halflings was strictly against the law. There had once been a case ten years before where a wealthy young woman had fallen in love with her father’s Pleasure Halfling and they had fled to the countryside together. They had been captured and the young woman had been sentenced to twenty years in prison for stolen property as well as aiding and abetting the escape of a Halfling from servitude. She had also been shunned from her family (as well as most families of similar social standing), so upon her release in ten years she would most likely be completely on her own. The Halfling, a lovely rabbit girl of about seventeen, had been considered corrupted goods and was euthanized immediately.
“It is alright, my lord,” Eunmi smiled gently. “Between us, I have long suspected you didn’t agree with the practice of keeping Halflings in slavery. And I must say I agree with you.” The young woman cleared her throat and glanced around the room quickly before adding, “About your feelings for Kibum… they were relatively noticeable somewhat early on.”
Jonghyun shot Onew a “told you so” look to which the latter simply sighed and tapped around his work tablet pointlessly.
“Thank you for that, Eunmi-ssi, but I would prefer it if we didn’t speak about these things in a government building.”
“Yes, my lord,” the secretary acquiesced. Jonghyun hummed an agreement.
Eunmi went back to her papers while Jonghyun clicked around on his phone. Onew glanced around the room and tried to distract himself. Jonghyun stood, obviously about to take his leave, when Onew could no longer hold himself back.
“Was it really so obvious?”
Jonghyun smirked. Eunmi avoided eye contact.
--------------------------------
Onew was happy to go through the rest of his day without any comment from his father on the media situation. He knew how much the Duke disliked the whole situation, and how he blamed his son for it. If Onew had only bought a Halfling at eighteen like most other boys of his social standing - and didn’t hide from the media, and didn’t avoid other nobles, and didn’t keep the Halfling he did finally purchase private - then this would never have been a big deal. The media wouldn’t have cared about Key any more than they cared about the thousands of other Pleasure Halflings bought by all the other Hangeongian socialites every day. But, Onew had done all of those things and the Duke was not happy about it. He didn’t have to use his words for his son to see the way he sighed when a reporter mentioned Key at a press conference. In the past forty-eight hours it had, naturally, gotten ten times worse with the picture of Key emerging on the internet. So his father’s lack of comment on the situation was a happy and relieving turn of events.
Even so, Onew had been wound up all day simply expecting some sort of encounter. Though none happened, he found it hard to relax. It wasn’t until the end of the day that the Duke finally broke his silence.
“Jinki-yah,” the Duke’s voice boomed through the room and the young heir’s head snapped up immediately. He had just been shutting down the electronics in his workstation and thought he wouldn’t see his father for the remainder of the day.
“Yes, Father?”
“I see that your Halfling has been in the news recently.”
“Yes, Father, and I apologize for that. I know it has been interfering in your work,” Onew lowered his eyes from his father’s face in a show of, what he hoped looked like, shame. The Duke made a humming sound in his throat and pulled on his jacket.
“The political world is no place for gossip magazines, Jinki. I do not appreciate the fact that actual, important issues are being ignored in favor of your Halfling,” he brushed invisible lint off his jacket. “I have to say I was surprised when Choi Dongwan came to me to speak about your plan-“
Onew’s head snapped up immediately. His plan?
“- and at first I was apprehensive. But I’m glad you came to your senses and wanted to get your Halfling in the spotlight so you can continue on like all the boys your age.” Onew clenched his jaw, letting out a deep breath through his nose. The anger rising within him was indescribable. “Dongwan said you’ll be attending his Halfling party in a few months. I’m glad to hear it, Jinki-yah,” the Duke clapped a hand over his son’s shoulder in a show of pride. Onew did his best to fight the bile rising in his throat. “I will be staying at the mountain estate for the next few weeks. I’ll only be in the office if there’s a situation.”
“Yes, Father. Enjoy your stay,” Onew forced out through a painful smile. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold in the feeling in his chest. Thankfully, he didn’t have to find out as his father patted his arm once more and left without another word.
Onew drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself but it didn’t work. He kicked Eunmi’s vacant desk before he could stop himself, almost relishing in the pain that shot through his foot. Onew sunk against his own desk, deflated, and stared at the scuffmark his shoe left on the secretary’s desk.
He was going to kill Choi Dongwan.
--------------
Key had been feeling badly for Onew all week. Ever since having his suspicions confirmed that it was, in fact, Choi Dongwan who decided to contact reporters about Key and - furthermore - that his own father had happily helped, the heir had been a mixture between brooding and pretending he wasn’t brooding. Key knew that his master tried to hide how upset the whole ordeal made him and put in his best effort to act normally. But, the Halfling was no fool. He knew that Onew’s hatred of Choi Dongwan ran deep and, even more than that, the fact that his father had helped hurt the young caramel haired man.
Though the Duke’s stance on Halflings and the way he treated them was no surprise; though Onew had been well aware of all that was expected of him, it still hurt. The Duke was his father, after all, and one always carried the hope that their parents would respect their wishes and support them. No matter how many times they had been disappointed.
Key was sitting before the fire, sketching a flower from his home planet to the best of his memory. He got stuck on the shape of the leaves and happened to glance up in thought. In doing so, he caught sight of Onew slumped over his desk, head on his hand as he dragged his finger over his tablet over and over. The Dark Look was back on his face again. At least, that was what Key called it. Onew’s face took on a certain pinched anger look when he though the feline boy wasn’t paying attention. Sighing, Key stood.
“My lord,” the blonde said softly.
“Mmm?” Onew hummed back without looking up.
“What is it that you are looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Key, being that he didn’t believe the elder’s response for even half a second, approached the desk. He rounded it and stood just to the left of Onew. He watched as a thick finger swiped across the screen, bringing with it article after article about the couple. No more sightings of Lee Jinki’s Halfling, they reported. When will we spot the feline Halfling again?, they asked.
Key scoffed. “My lord, please. These articles are not important.”
“They are annoying,” Onew grumbled.
“Perhaps I should start going places with you. Will they not get bored if we give them exactly what it is they ask for?”
Onew hesitated for a long moment, finger frozen in mid swipe. Slowly, he turned in his chair to look at his… what was Key to him? A Halfling? Yes. A slave? Technically. A lover? Not quite (not yet?). A boyfriend…?
“Key,” he began gently. “I understand what you’re saying. But it could just make them worse.”
“Or,” Key popped his hip and swayed his tail back and forth, “it could not.”
Onew let out a deep sigh. “Key…”
“My lord,” thin fingers wrapped around a stubby hand. “Please. I wish to see more places, with you. I believe they will grow bored. As you say, this is the norm is it not?”
The heir held onto his resolve for a few seconds as he regarded the other. Then Key raised his hand and placed his cheek on the open palm, and he melted.
“If it will make you happy, Key.”
The smile - the straight, white, wide, perfect, flawless, beautiful - smile that broke out on the Halfling’s face was blinding. And Onew felt himself smiling genuinely back. Key had that effect on him.
------------
A few nights later found Onew curled up in his bed with Key. The Halfling had been asking Taemin and Jonghyun about the best places to go in the city. The only time he had ever really been in Hwaegoong was while he was at the Keepers. As such, he didn’t leave that building until it was time to be delivered. He had also asked Minho once what his favorite place in the city was and the bull Halfling had only responded that he didn’t care so long as the prince was with him, to which Jonghyun faked a gag and called the tall boy a sap. Taemin, on the other hand, pinched both of Minho’s cheeks and cooed until the elder blushed and whined. Key had decided to not ask Minho any more on the subject.
Key was going on about an Indian restaurant that Jonghyun had mentioned to him. It was upscale, apparently only catering to the richest patrons. He had asked a million questions about the place: what exactly was Indian food? Where is India? What did Indian people look like? How spicy was the food? Is curry soup?
Onew let out a groan after trying to explain the consistency of naan and looked down to the wide, feline eyes staring back at him.
“I will take you to the restaurant if you wish. But, for now, do you think we could sleep?” he asked hopefully.
Key cocked his head to the side and perked his ears. “You will take me? Do you promise?”
“Of course I promise.”
The blonde let out a pleased purr sound and lifted his head to connect their lips. Onew smiled into the kiss and reciprocated, expecting it to end fairly quickly as most of their kisses did. Onew had been very careful in the past week and a half to let Key lead any physical contact between them. Key had remained as touchy as ever, a characteristic Onew read once that was common among feline Halflings on Animus, and all the kisses had remained short pecks or short kisses that lasted no longer than a few seconds. After all, the heir was extremely cognizant of the other’s past and Key’s comfort and happiness was too important to him for any other course of action.
But, tonight was different. Instead of ending the kiss as Onew had expected, Key shifted onto his knees and scooted further up Onew’s body so their faces were level. He pressed more firmly against the elder’s lips and then Onew felt a hand rest on the side of his neck and were those teeth on his lip?
Onew relaxed into the pillows behind him, allowing Key to do as he pleased. It was hard not to roll the smaller boy over and take control of this kiss, and his fingers itched to touch but he steeled himself against the urges. His patience was rewarded because after a moment, Key swung his leg over Onew’s lap to straddle the young noble. Onew let his left hand rest on Key’s toned thigh and was happy to find the other did nothing to remove it. In fact, Key slipped his tongue into Onew’s mouth in response.
The elder froze in surprise for a moment. He hadn’t expected Key’s tongue to be so rough. It was a feline trait, after all, so perhaps he should have guessed. Still, he found that he liked the way the rougher texture made tingles erupt on the roof of his mouth and began kissing Key back again. Key lead Onew’s free hand to his hip and the elder almost lost it.
Onew felt like he was flying and melting into his sheets simultaneously. He hadn’t even dreamed of kissing Key a mere two weeks ago and now he found the other climbing into his lap and instigating a make out session. If he weren’t so keenly aware of the heart he could feel racing in Key’s chest he would have thought it was all a dream.
Suddenly Key let out a small noise and tangled his fingers in caramel locks. Onew groaned when he felt hips start to move against his own, trying his best to reciprocate without becoming the leader. But, God, did he want to. The stimulation was almost too much. Onew didn’t know where to focus. A fluffy tail wrapped itself around his forearm lightly and he took the opportunity to gently stroke the soft fur covering the appendage. Key immediately began letting out a sound that sounded distinctly like a purr, causing Onew to lift his hand to the others throat and feel the vibrations against his fingertips.
It was almost an out of body experience. This was more than Onew could have ever dreamed of. Heat started to pool in his stomach and Onew could feel himself growing hard. He rolled his hips up against Key’s in an attempt to release some pressure but only succeeded in becoming fully aware that he wasn’t the only one physically reacting to their activities. Key whined into Onew’s mouth and the fire that exploded in the elder’s stomach was unbelievable. He’d never been so attracted to another being in his whole life. And all too soon, it ended.
Key ripped himself away from Onew so violently that he nearly threw himself off the bed in an attempt to distance himself. His black eyes were wide and wet and his thin body shook uncontrollably.
“Key…” Onew reached forward in an attempt to comfort the other but stopped when the feline boy only folded into himself. His ears flattened into his hair and he rocked himself back and forth.
“I am so sorry, my lord,” Key whimpered out, almost unintelligibly.
“No, don’t apologize,” Onew shook his head, trying his best to calm his body down and focus his full attention on whatever the hell had just happened. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Key. I shouldn’t have done whatever I did that upset you.”
“No,” he shook his head and dissolved into tears. “I am sorry. Sorry, sorry…”
“Please stop. I’m sorry that you felt like you had to do that. If you don’t want to kiss me, you don’t have to,” Onew insisted. Had Key thought this was expected of him, and forced himself to participate in the act? “Don’t force yourself-“
“No, my lord,” the blonde squeaked out. “I wanted to! I enjoyed it. I wanted to, I promise. I just…”
Onew stared on helplessly as Key tried to get out words. He wanted to hold the younger, to comfort him and let him know it was all okay. But it was clear to him that physical contact probably wouldn’t be the best thing at the moment. Onew didn't know what was wrong but he wished he could fix it. After a minute of Key struggling he managed to calm himself down enough to get out coherent words, though Onew noted his accent was thicker than normal.
“I wanted to, my lord. I trust you and I am attracted to you and I care about you, but…” he trailed off and sniffed, turning his black eyes to the comforter. “When I felt…you…on my leg, I - I could not stop…thinking of them. Their faces and the things they did to me.” Key shook his head as if trying to rid it of images. Onew felt as if his heart crumbled into his stomach.
“Oh, Key…”
“I am sorry. Please, I am so sorry. I do not want to think about them. I am sorry.”
“Key, please,” Onew reached forward and took a thin hand in his own. Key jerked at first but Onew continued to hold on gently. “It’s me, Key. It’s just me.”
The blonde nodded after a moment and cupped Onew’s hand with his free one, relaxing marginally. His eyes remained on the comforter.
“What those people did to you,” he began in a whisper, “is not your fault. Being reminded of them is not your fault. Okay?” Key nodded, but did not stop crying and did not look up. “We can take it slow. No matter what we are doing, if you don’t want to, we can always stop, Key. Always. Just tell me and we can stop.”
Key looked up then, turning his eyes to almond shaped ones. He began to cry harder but let out a soft thank you, gripping Onew’s hand tighter between both of his own.
“Let’s go to sleep now,” Onew suggested gently.
They settled into bed on opposite sides of the mattress. Onew made no move to cuddle with the other, knowing he needed his physical space at the moment. It hurt not to be able to comfort him but his pain was merely a fraction of what Key was going through and had gone through in the past. Onew lay awake for a good hour, listening to Key’s sniffles in the dark and, eventually, his breath evening out as he fell asleep. Onew fell asleep a few minutes after Key, wishing he could do more for the boy.
When he woke up the next morning, he found Key’s warm body entwined with his own.
-------------------
GUESS WHO HAS INTERNET AGAIN AWW YEAH! Okay so basically this chapter has been sitting in my word file for a couple days because I haven't had internet for like the last two weeks. I've just been checking in on my phone. But now I have internet and finally can give you guys this update. I know it... is sort of jumpy and a lot. But all important things, I promise. Also I like writing Minho as a squishy little adorable side character ahhhh. Anyway. Please feel free to tell me what you think!!! I have been super super busy and I want to apologize for how long this took and that it isn't edited. Thank you for sticking with me! <333
next