Bricolage [13/20]
Title: Bricolage [13/20]
Author: ixjaydee
Pairing: Jongyu;; TaeSeob;; minor!Minkey;; minor!JongKyung
Rating: PG-13
Genre: drama;; action/adventure;; romance;;
Disclaimer: I own the world, just not the people in it.
Summary: Prince Jonghyun, ruler of the Kingdom of Carmadon had his work cut out for him already. In between taking care of the uneasy townspeople, and searching for a traitor in his midst, he must leave his kingdom in the hands of his younger brother and his royal adviser as he prepares to set out on a conquest to the Unknown World in search for a cure for the disease sweeping through the kingdoms.
The journey wouldn’t be easy. The Unknown World was riddled with shady characters: sorcerers, shape shifters, outlaws, assassins, bandits, monsters of every sort. As if that wasn’t bad enough, things get a little bit more complicated when he falls in love with someone that he should have never fallen for in the first place, a love that would bring the downfall of his kingdom.
-
13
-
Onew stood at the edge of the valley, hands in the pockets of his pants as the wind blew at the tails of his jacket, a new addition to his wardrobe. His jacket buttoned from the waist up, and the two breast pockets were lined with blue that matched his eye. The collar was high, covering up most of his neck, but soft so he could still look up without being stabbed.
The ends of the sleeves were rolled up and pinned with a silver button. Two white striped on the sleeves met to make an obtuse cross. He wore a belt with a silver coat of arms on it, one that looked familiar to Jonghyun, but he just couldn’t place it.
Onew turned back to look at the man standing behind him with his blue eye before turning back to the front. “These... are the clothes you used to wear when you lived in the Forgotten Kingdom right?” He asked softly, moving to his side.
“Yes. These are what the clothes that I used to wear look like. Back when I lived in Lucia.”
“They look fit for royalty.” Onew was silent at Jonghyun’s comment for a while. “I suppose.” They stood in silence overlooking the valley. Unlike earlier, this silence was comfortable. Jonghyun glanced at Onew’s face and saw him staring out into the distance again, a world away. He must be remembering his life in the kingdom. I wonder what he was like... He thought.
Onew closed his eyes and squeezed them together. The vision from his blue eye and normal eye was mixing, and it was giving him a headache. He didn’t like using his blue eye unless he had to, and the fact that his eyepatch was gone in the valley didn’t help. He couldn’t go around closing one eye forever.
“Are you okay?”
“You ask that a lot,” he answered, opening his normal eye to look at Jonghyun with a smile. “But I am. I’m just... Missing my eyepatch.” Jonghyun nodded. “If it means anything, I think you look better without it.” He just chuckled to himself.
“Thank you. Shouldn’t you be getting food ready? You sound hungry.” Jonghyun’s stomach let out a loud growl. “I am a bit...”
“Then you should eat. I’ll start the fire outside. Nickhun and the others wouldn’t appreciate it if we tried to start one inside.” He turned around and walked towards the house again, Jonghyun following after him in a daze. He still had questions he wanted to ask him. But he supposed they could wait until everyone went to sleep.
--
The vampir stared at the fire from the inside with distaste. The nights were extremely cold next to the mountains, so after eating was finished, they all trooped inside to sleep in whatever space they could find. Jonghyun slept in a room on top that seemed like an attic with a window overlooking the valley. Not like he could see anything with no moon light.
He sat at the window and stared out into the darkness, the lantern of cold fire flickering behind him. Voices floated up from the front door in a language he didn’t understand. He recognized Onew’s voice though, and possibly Nickhun’s. A snore erupted behind him and caused him to jump. He turned to look at Minho rolling over on the bed and rolled his eyes.
He turned his attention back to the voices outside. He just wished he could understand them.
--
“What in the world are you doing Jinki?”
“Don’t call me that here,” he snapped at Nickhun. He saw Nickhun roll his eyes in the dark. “What does it matter? Anything that understands the First Language knows who you are.”
“Our names are the same in the Known World too.”
“I don’t know why you insist on keeping your identity a secret. What does it matter? The history, language, and script died when the kingdom fell. No one would know who you are anything or what you did.” He was silent.
“And what do you think you’re doing with this group of humans anyway? You’re risking your life for no reason. Humans expire and die, even more so in this world than the Known one. He’s searching for a cure for the plague! You’re taking him to The Fey?”
“What else can I do? I just...” He threw up his hands in defeat. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“He reminds you of you, doesn’t he?” He stayed silent.
“I just don’t want him to make the same mistakes I did.”
“Jinki, whatever is written by the Fates shall come to pass. You of all people should know that.”
“It shouldn’t be that way! I’ll make sure he doesn’t fall the same path I did. He needs to be alive for that to happen. Living with the guilt, knowing that you were the reason an entire kingdom was wiped out because of your mistake. You should understand Nickhun. You were my adviser.” It was Nickhun’s turn to be silent.
“I just don’t want to see you die for a fool’s errand. If you even make it past the Fey, and somehow manage to get past their crimes against nature and come back alive, what are you going to do about after he leaves? You can’t control his actions from then on.”
“Then... then I’ll just follow him into the Known World. I’ll make an excuse.” Nickhun sighed and shook his head. He knew what Jinki was really like. Despite the cool, aloof facade he put on, he was just like a little kid, full of curiosity about the world had to offer. That’s how he was before the fall of the kingdom.
Nickhun sighed. He missed seeing Jinki smile. It was one that warmed up the heart, one that people couldn’t help but fall in love with. Maybe it was the reason why everyone put up with his antics. He was so difficult to find when they needed him, always running off somewhere or trying out new discoveries. It was because of Jinki the Kingdom of Lucia had advanced so far in terms of technology. The people were happy, the kingdom was prosperous. Then he got a little bit too curious.
After the kingdom fell, he was full of guilt. He wandered the Unknown World for the longest time by himself, refusing the company of anyone that knew him before the fall. Nickhun was his royal adviser. Junho was his tailor. Joon was the captain of his knights. Chansung was his personal bodyguard.
They all split up and made their homes in different places, gathered beings like them to keep them company as more and more were banished over the years. Only Jinki remained alone, because there was no one else like him left in the world.
“Jinki. Just... I know there’s no persuading you. But please. Please be careful. Watch out for that tall one, Minho. There’s something not right about him.” Nichkhun gripped Jinki’s shoulder, a look of worry etched across his face. He nodded silently and smiled at Nickhun. “I don’t know why you put up with me.”
“Why? Because. You alone could destroy this world on a whim. I don’t mess with people who can do that.” Jinki laughed and rolled his eyes before his expression turned serious again.
“I heard from Joon that Taecyeon is gone.” Nickhun nodded. Taecyeon was the oldest vampir out of all of them. He was the one that helped them get acquainted with the Unknown World, educating them on its dangers and such. He was alive long before the Forgotten Kingdom existed. No one knew where he was from. He was just there.
“Yes... Junsu was spotted.” Jinki flinched in surprise. “Junsu? He disappeared after the kingdom fell!”
“Well, he’s back. Taec saw him crossing the barrier between the worlds and went after him.”
“How?! That’s impossible! I would’ve heard if either of them tried to cross the barrier!”
“You forget Taecyeon was one of the ones that helped put up the barrier in the first place. I’m sure he knows a few secrets to it. As for Junsu, I’m sure The Fey had something to do with it.” Jinki swore up and down in the First Language.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Nickhun turned and went inside, presumably to rejoin Wooyoung in their room.
He stood outside in the darkness by himself for a moment, thinking about nothing and everything all at once. After he blanked out, he sighed again and went inside, making his way up silently to Jonghyun’s room to see him sitting at the opposite end on the window sill. Minho let out another snort that didn’t seem to disturb his thoughts at all. He must sleep like that often.
Jinki padded along the room quietly and appeared next to Jonghyun, examining his face in the dim light. “What language is that?” He asked, breaking the silence. “The First Language.” Jonghyun nodded, eyes staring out into the distance. “You’re sad.”
When Jonghyun didn’t reply, Jinki assumed his statement was correct. “You miss home, don’t you? Your family. Your friends.” Jinki knew all too well the feeling of loneliness. There was a difference between being alone and being lonely, but unfortunately for him, there wasn’t really anyone he could turn to.
“I just... I try to fall asleep, but I start wondering how my brother is. How my kingdom is. I wonder how my best friend is doing, whether or not he’s a blood thirsty monster or trying to retain his humanity. I wonder if that monster is going to hurt anyone else I love, or if he already has.” Jinki could see him trembling slightly.
He turned his head towards Jinki. He could see the water glittering in his eyes. “It’s ridiculous, the way I’ve been acting since I got here. I’m a ruler of a kingdom. I’m confident, I know what I’m doing. But ever since I got here...”
“This world does that to you. It multiplies your insecurities and guilt, if you have any. It’s understandable that you feel lost and scared. You can’t be a ruler all the time. After all, you’re human too.” Jonghyun leaned his head against the window again. “But I feel so helpless.”
Jinki moved to the edge of the window sill where he was sitting and pushed at his back slightly. “Scoot up.” Jonghyun obeyed reluctantly, clearly confused about Jinki’s intention. When there was enough space behind him, Jinki sat down behind him and propped his leg up, reaching forward to wrap his arms around Jonghyun’s waist, and pulling him back.
Jonghyun resisted for a moment, unsure of what Jinki was doing. He gave in eventually, and fell back, head resting on his chest. Jinki’s arms hung loosely around his waist, his head rest on top of Jonghyun’s. His head moved with the rise and fall of his chest.
Jonghyun couldn’t hear his heartbeat through his clothes, but he hoped that Jinki’s heart was just as nervous as his. Neither of them said anything, for fear of breaking the silence that might give way to awkwardness. Jinki could feel the heat from Jonghyun’s body seep into his own cold form. It was nice, to be warm for once.
He felt safe and secure again, laying there in Jinki’s arms. His eyes started to droop when he heard him say something.
“By the way, Jonghyun... my name is Jinki. Lee Jinki.” Jonghyun blinked sleepily a few times, trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar. But sleep overcame his mind before he could find the answer.
--
When Jonghyun woke up the next morning, his mind was clearer than ever. He sat up in the bed and looked around, the orange red sunlight flooding in through the attic window. Minho and Jinki were nowhere to be found. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. Why was he always the last one awake whenever they made stops like this?
He grabbed his clothes to pull them on when he suddenly stopped and smelled them. They smelled fresh. Clean. He blinked a few times before smiling and pulling them on, grabbing his armor and hopping down the stairs.
“Whoa, what’s the rush? Don’t fall down the stairs and hurt yourself.” The boy named Junho smiled at him and laughed as Jonghyun hopped down the last of the stairs. “I’m always the last one awake. Normally, that’s a good thing.” Junho looked him up and down and chuckled.
“First time I ever saw him do laundry.”
“Him who?” Jonghyun asked, turning a curious glance towards Junho. He just shrugged and moved over to a window and glanced outside. Nickhun was standing in the doorway, laughing and clapping every now and then, even heckling.
Then Jonghyun heard the sounds of clashing metal outside, and over Nickhun’s shoulder, he could make out two figures sword fighting, both of them looking very familiar. “Nickhun? What’s going on?”
“Isn’t it obvious? A sword fight. Though, I have all of my money on Jinki.” Jonghyun stayed silent for a moment. So Nickhun knows his real name too. They must be close... They know each other from the Forgotten Kingdom if they both speak the First Language so they’ve known each other for a while... A thought in the back of his head nagged at him, a memory that couldn’t quite be remembered. He was jerked out of his thoughts again though when a resounding clash echoed through the mountains.
Minho and Jinki were locked in the middle, each one pushing hard to through their opponent off balance. He could see Minho straining while Jinki still had a mocking smile on his face. “What’s the matter Minho? I’m not as weak as I look?” He laughed while Minho growled, pushing forward hard, sending Jinki back a few steps.
He lunged forward while Jinki sidestepped out of his way, but not fast enough. He sword caught some of his hair, slicing it off. His face contorted in horror as he reached up to feel his hair. “My gods! MY HAIR!” It was his turn to growl and lunge for Minho, both of them fighting ferociously.
“Where did he get that sword?”
“It’s his. His favorite.” It gleamed brighter than Minho’s sword, and looked brand new. “It’s not new is it?”
“Goodness no. It’s an old blade, but a good one. Minho’s lucky he’s not dead right now.” They locked swords again, but this time, Jinki maneuvered around him, pitching Minho forward as Jinki slammed his elbow into his back, kicking his sword away as he stepped onto his back.
“You’re dead.” Minho sighed in defeat and laid there to catch his breath. Jinki took his foot off of his back and sighed, running a hand through his hair and frowning before sheathing his sword.
“Nickhun! Look what he did to my hair!” Jonghyun almost laughed out loud at the childish way he was whining. “It took centuries to get my hair to look like that!”
“And you needed a haircut for centuries. Come on. I’ll even out the other side for you. Junho will even style it for free. Right, Junho?” Junho grumbled something about losing money before disappearing into the back.
When Jinki passed by Jonghyun on the way inside, he flashed him a grin before Nickhun grabbed his arm. “You can be lovey dovey later. Just get in here.” Jonghyun’s eyes widened as he tried to open his mouth to say something, but he was shut up by the smirk on Nickhun’s face as he closed the door.
Jonghyun blinked a few times, his mouth hanging open. When Minho groaned behind him, he turned and hurried to his side, helping him up from the ground. “You know,” he said, still taking in deep breaths, “he’s a lot stronger than he let’s on.” Jonghyun laughed and helped Minho dust off his clothes.
“Are you sure that’s just not you being bitter about losing?” Minho smiled and shrugged. “Not really. I got a chunk of his hair.”
-
Jink stood in front of the mirror, frowning as he ran his fingers through his hair, picking at a few pieces here and there. “What? Is there something wrong with this haircut? I thought I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. Centuries of practicing on Chansung came in handy.”
Chansung sighed in the corner of the room while resting his forehead on his fingers. “Centuries of bad haircuts.” Jinki turned around with a pout on his lips. Junho laughed, remembering the good times of old.
“You look fine. If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask your lover boy what he thinks about your haircut?” Jinki stared at him blankly for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. “Thanks. I think I will. NICKHUN!”
“No! Don’t do that, Wooyoung will kill me!”
“Nickhun!” He yelled again in a sing-song voice. Chansung’s laughter was louder than Jinki’s yells, which were dwarfed by a yell from Wooyoung. “JUNHO!”
Nickhun closed his eyes as loud thumping noises and laughter came from above. He took another sip of his tea, frowning at the fact that he couldn’t taste it. It was a shame. It was his favorite tea. “You’re not going to do anything?” Jonghyun asked, eyeing the ceiling like it might collapse on them at any moment from all the movement upstairs.
“No. It reminds me of old times. They’re all just like kids. But it’s not like I’m any better.” He smiled fondly and took another sip of his tea. “Would you like some tea?” He asked, looking a Jonghyun. Minho was in the stables checking on the horses with the other men. Jonghyun opened his mouth to answer, but Nickhun was already pouring him a cup, motioning to the empty chair across from him.
Jonghyun sat down, flinching every now and then from the noises above them. “They better not break anything...” He looked at Jonghyun with a curious expression on his face.
“So. What exactly do you know about Jinki?” Jonghyun snorted into his tea while he was taking a drink and put the cup down slowly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you know anything about him?” Jonghyun blinked a few times. He knew his habits. He knew the way he looked whenever he was thinking about the past. He knew that he didn’t actually know much about him despite Jinki saving his life three times now.
“Aside from his real name? Nothing really. His name sounds really familiar for some reason.” Nickhun nodded, pouring himself another cup of tea. “How long are you staying? I’m not going to force you out or anything, but at this rate, something is going to give, and it’s probably going to be this house.”
A loud crashing noise came from above them as debris fell to the floor next to the door, a leg showing through the ceiling. Nickhun stared in disbelief as the leg disappeared into the ceiling again. “Sorry Nickhun! My bad!” Jinki yelled through the hole. He just shook his head and took another sip of tea.
“Why do I miss this?” He asked. Jonghyun laughed and shrugged, finishing off his own cup of tea.
“Hey Nickhun, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“Well, that’s one already, but you can ask me a couple more.” Jonghyun rolled his eyes. He was definitely a friend of Jinki’s.
“Do you remember what it was like turning into a vampir?” Nickhun blinked rapidly a few times. “How could I forget? It was a pivotal moment in my life. Though not necessarily for the better, it wasn’t that bad after a few months.”
“What was it like?” He raised an eyebrow at Jonghyun.
“You’re not thinking of turning into one are you?” He shook his head rapidly. Nickhun saw the curiosity in his eyes. It reminded him too much of Jinki.
“When the plague hit the kingdom, I remember thinking that there was no way it would happen to me. I was cocky, perhaps a tad too overconfident. I got cornered in my bedroom one night, running away from noises and strange laughter. I remember seeing black, soulless, eyes that seemed to rip away a piece of my own soul.
“Then I got sick. Things got cold. I was told I died, but it just felt like going to sleep. When I woke up though, I was so hungry. I wanted to eat everything. I didn’t know anything more than the fact that I had to eat something.” He chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment while he paused, lost in his memory.
“People started to smell really good. I couldn’t help myself. Jinki had me locked away for a bit until I regained coherency. I did, eventually, but my memories of my previous life were gone. I couldn’t go into the sun. Jinki taught me everything again, and soon I was back to my normal self. But not, if you can understand. I was one of the lucky ones.”
Nickhun could see the cogs in his brain whirling around, digesting the information. “Then you and Jinki were close back then?”
“We’re close now too.” Jonghyun tried not to show frustration on his face. He wanted to know more about Jinki. But neither he or Nickhun were giving anything up about him, his past, or any details on what happened to the Forgotten Kingdom.
“You should stay for a little bit. Rest and relax before you try and take on certain doom.” Jonghyun stared at him with a tired expression. “What? I’m just being truthful. I don’t think it would be a good idea to travel through in a big group. You should consider leaving your other men behind and just taking Jinki and Minho with you.”
And right on cue, Jinki came rolling down the stairs, wrestling with Wooyoung. He had the shorter boy in a headlock as they slid down the stairs. “You’re making it really hard for me not to want to bite you. And I bite really hard.” At the bottom of the stairs, they struggled some more until they felt eyes on them.
Nickhun and Jonghyun were both giving them a strange look, Nickhun’s a little bit more annoyed than Jonghyun’s, which was full of amusement. Jinki let go of Wooyoung and stood up before clearing his throat. “Looks like you two are getting along well,” he said, eyeing Nickhun and Jonghyun.
“Indeed. I was telling him all of your embarrassing secrets.” Jinki stared at them in horror while Nickhun nonchalantly took a sip of tea. He looked towards Jonghyun, who only gave him a smile.
“He told you about the time I fell into the moat and almost got eaten by an alligator didn’t he? It wasn’t my fault! How was I supposed to know that that plank wasn’t secure? It’s not like I was fat. It just snapped in two randomly!”
“Of course. It had nothing to do with the fact that you were running back and forth taunting the alligators to the point where they kept trying to knock you off.” Jinki’s protests were drowned out by the sound of Jonghyun’s laughter.
--
Prev | Next
Author: ixjaydee
Pairing: Jongyu;; TaeSeob;; minor!Minkey;; minor!JongKyung
Rating: PG-13
Genre: drama;; action/adventure;; romance;;
Disclaimer: I own the world, just not the people in it.
Summary: Prince Jonghyun, ruler of the Kingdom of Carmadon had his work cut out for him already. In between taking care of the uneasy townspeople, and searching for a traitor in his midst, he must leave his kingdom in the hands of his younger brother and his royal adviser as he prepares to set out on a conquest to the Unknown World in search for a cure for the disease sweeping through the kingdoms.
The journey wouldn’t be easy. The Unknown World was riddled with shady characters: sorcerers, shape shifters, outlaws, assassins, bandits, monsters of every sort. As if that wasn’t bad enough, things get a little bit more complicated when he falls in love with someone that he should have never fallen for in the first place, a love that would bring the downfall of his kingdom.
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13
-
Onew stood at the edge of the valley, hands in the pockets of his pants as the wind blew at the tails of his jacket, a new addition to his wardrobe. His jacket buttoned from the waist up, and the two breast pockets were lined with blue that matched his eye. The collar was high, covering up most of his neck, but soft so he could still look up without being stabbed.
The ends of the sleeves were rolled up and pinned with a silver button. Two white striped on the sleeves met to make an obtuse cross. He wore a belt with a silver coat of arms on it, one that looked familiar to Jonghyun, but he just couldn’t place it.
Onew turned back to look at the man standing behind him with his blue eye before turning back to the front. “These... are the clothes you used to wear when you lived in the Forgotten Kingdom right?” He asked softly, moving to his side.
“Yes. These are what the clothes that I used to wear look like. Back when I lived in Lucia.”
“They look fit for royalty.” Onew was silent at Jonghyun’s comment for a while. “I suppose.” They stood in silence overlooking the valley. Unlike earlier, this silence was comfortable. Jonghyun glanced at Onew’s face and saw him staring out into the distance again, a world away. He must be remembering his life in the kingdom. I wonder what he was like... He thought.
Onew closed his eyes and squeezed them together. The vision from his blue eye and normal eye was mixing, and it was giving him a headache. He didn’t like using his blue eye unless he had to, and the fact that his eyepatch was gone in the valley didn’t help. He couldn’t go around closing one eye forever.
“Are you okay?”
“You ask that a lot,” he answered, opening his normal eye to look at Jonghyun with a smile. “But I am. I’m just... Missing my eyepatch.” Jonghyun nodded. “If it means anything, I think you look better without it.” He just chuckled to himself.
“Thank you. Shouldn’t you be getting food ready? You sound hungry.” Jonghyun’s stomach let out a loud growl. “I am a bit...”
“Then you should eat. I’ll start the fire outside. Nickhun and the others wouldn’t appreciate it if we tried to start one inside.” He turned around and walked towards the house again, Jonghyun following after him in a daze. He still had questions he wanted to ask him. But he supposed they could wait until everyone went to sleep.
--
The vampir stared at the fire from the inside with distaste. The nights were extremely cold next to the mountains, so after eating was finished, they all trooped inside to sleep in whatever space they could find. Jonghyun slept in a room on top that seemed like an attic with a window overlooking the valley. Not like he could see anything with no moon light.
He sat at the window and stared out into the darkness, the lantern of cold fire flickering behind him. Voices floated up from the front door in a language he didn’t understand. He recognized Onew’s voice though, and possibly Nickhun’s. A snore erupted behind him and caused him to jump. He turned to look at Minho rolling over on the bed and rolled his eyes.
He turned his attention back to the voices outside. He just wished he could understand them.
--
“What in the world are you doing Jinki?”
“Don’t call me that here,” he snapped at Nickhun. He saw Nickhun roll his eyes in the dark. “What does it matter? Anything that understands the First Language knows who you are.”
“Our names are the same in the Known World too.”
“I don’t know why you insist on keeping your identity a secret. What does it matter? The history, language, and script died when the kingdom fell. No one would know who you are anything or what you did.” He was silent.
“And what do you think you’re doing with this group of humans anyway? You’re risking your life for no reason. Humans expire and die, even more so in this world than the Known one. He’s searching for a cure for the plague! You’re taking him to The Fey?”
“What else can I do? I just...” He threw up his hands in defeat. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“He reminds you of you, doesn’t he?” He stayed silent.
“I just don’t want him to make the same mistakes I did.”
“Jinki, whatever is written by the Fates shall come to pass. You of all people should know that.”
“It shouldn’t be that way! I’ll make sure he doesn’t fall the same path I did. He needs to be alive for that to happen. Living with the guilt, knowing that you were the reason an entire kingdom was wiped out because of your mistake. You should understand Nickhun. You were my adviser.” It was Nickhun’s turn to be silent.
“I just don’t want to see you die for a fool’s errand. If you even make it past the Fey, and somehow manage to get past their crimes against nature and come back alive, what are you going to do about after he leaves? You can’t control his actions from then on.”
“Then... then I’ll just follow him into the Known World. I’ll make an excuse.” Nickhun sighed and shook his head. He knew what Jinki was really like. Despite the cool, aloof facade he put on, he was just like a little kid, full of curiosity about the world had to offer. That’s how he was before the fall of the kingdom.
Nickhun sighed. He missed seeing Jinki smile. It was one that warmed up the heart, one that people couldn’t help but fall in love with. Maybe it was the reason why everyone put up with his antics. He was so difficult to find when they needed him, always running off somewhere or trying out new discoveries. It was because of Jinki the Kingdom of Lucia had advanced so far in terms of technology. The people were happy, the kingdom was prosperous. Then he got a little bit too curious.
After the kingdom fell, he was full of guilt. He wandered the Unknown World for the longest time by himself, refusing the company of anyone that knew him before the fall. Nickhun was his royal adviser. Junho was his tailor. Joon was the captain of his knights. Chansung was his personal bodyguard.
They all split up and made their homes in different places, gathered beings like them to keep them company as more and more were banished over the years. Only Jinki remained alone, because there was no one else like him left in the world.
“Jinki. Just... I know there’s no persuading you. But please. Please be careful. Watch out for that tall one, Minho. There’s something not right about him.” Nichkhun gripped Jinki’s shoulder, a look of worry etched across his face. He nodded silently and smiled at Nickhun. “I don’t know why you put up with me.”
“Why? Because. You alone could destroy this world on a whim. I don’t mess with people who can do that.” Jinki laughed and rolled his eyes before his expression turned serious again.
“I heard from Joon that Taecyeon is gone.” Nickhun nodded. Taecyeon was the oldest vampir out of all of them. He was the one that helped them get acquainted with the Unknown World, educating them on its dangers and such. He was alive long before the Forgotten Kingdom existed. No one knew where he was from. He was just there.
“Yes... Junsu was spotted.” Jinki flinched in surprise. “Junsu? He disappeared after the kingdom fell!”
“Well, he’s back. Taec saw him crossing the barrier between the worlds and went after him.”
“How?! That’s impossible! I would’ve heard if either of them tried to cross the barrier!”
“You forget Taecyeon was one of the ones that helped put up the barrier in the first place. I’m sure he knows a few secrets to it. As for Junsu, I’m sure The Fey had something to do with it.” Jinki swore up and down in the First Language.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Nickhun turned and went inside, presumably to rejoin Wooyoung in their room.
He stood outside in the darkness by himself for a moment, thinking about nothing and everything all at once. After he blanked out, he sighed again and went inside, making his way up silently to Jonghyun’s room to see him sitting at the opposite end on the window sill. Minho let out another snort that didn’t seem to disturb his thoughts at all. He must sleep like that often.
Jinki padded along the room quietly and appeared next to Jonghyun, examining his face in the dim light. “What language is that?” He asked, breaking the silence. “The First Language.” Jonghyun nodded, eyes staring out into the distance. “You’re sad.”
When Jonghyun didn’t reply, Jinki assumed his statement was correct. “You miss home, don’t you? Your family. Your friends.” Jinki knew all too well the feeling of loneliness. There was a difference between being alone and being lonely, but unfortunately for him, there wasn’t really anyone he could turn to.
“I just... I try to fall asleep, but I start wondering how my brother is. How my kingdom is. I wonder how my best friend is doing, whether or not he’s a blood thirsty monster or trying to retain his humanity. I wonder if that monster is going to hurt anyone else I love, or if he already has.” Jinki could see him trembling slightly.
He turned his head towards Jinki. He could see the water glittering in his eyes. “It’s ridiculous, the way I’ve been acting since I got here. I’m a ruler of a kingdom. I’m confident, I know what I’m doing. But ever since I got here...”
“This world does that to you. It multiplies your insecurities and guilt, if you have any. It’s understandable that you feel lost and scared. You can’t be a ruler all the time. After all, you’re human too.” Jonghyun leaned his head against the window again. “But I feel so helpless.”
Jinki moved to the edge of the window sill where he was sitting and pushed at his back slightly. “Scoot up.” Jonghyun obeyed reluctantly, clearly confused about Jinki’s intention. When there was enough space behind him, Jinki sat down behind him and propped his leg up, reaching forward to wrap his arms around Jonghyun’s waist, and pulling him back.
Jonghyun resisted for a moment, unsure of what Jinki was doing. He gave in eventually, and fell back, head resting on his chest. Jinki’s arms hung loosely around his waist, his head rest on top of Jonghyun’s. His head moved with the rise and fall of his chest.
Jonghyun couldn’t hear his heartbeat through his clothes, but he hoped that Jinki’s heart was just as nervous as his. Neither of them said anything, for fear of breaking the silence that might give way to awkwardness. Jinki could feel the heat from Jonghyun’s body seep into his own cold form. It was nice, to be warm for once.
He felt safe and secure again, laying there in Jinki’s arms. His eyes started to droop when he heard him say something.
“By the way, Jonghyun... my name is Jinki. Lee Jinki.” Jonghyun blinked sleepily a few times, trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar. But sleep overcame his mind before he could find the answer.
--
When Jonghyun woke up the next morning, his mind was clearer than ever. He sat up in the bed and looked around, the orange red sunlight flooding in through the attic window. Minho and Jinki were nowhere to be found. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. Why was he always the last one awake whenever they made stops like this?
He grabbed his clothes to pull them on when he suddenly stopped and smelled them. They smelled fresh. Clean. He blinked a few times before smiling and pulling them on, grabbing his armor and hopping down the stairs.
“Whoa, what’s the rush? Don’t fall down the stairs and hurt yourself.” The boy named Junho smiled at him and laughed as Jonghyun hopped down the last of the stairs. “I’m always the last one awake. Normally, that’s a good thing.” Junho looked him up and down and chuckled.
“First time I ever saw him do laundry.”
“Him who?” Jonghyun asked, turning a curious glance towards Junho. He just shrugged and moved over to a window and glanced outside. Nickhun was standing in the doorway, laughing and clapping every now and then, even heckling.
Then Jonghyun heard the sounds of clashing metal outside, and over Nickhun’s shoulder, he could make out two figures sword fighting, both of them looking very familiar. “Nickhun? What’s going on?”
“Isn’t it obvious? A sword fight. Though, I have all of my money on Jinki.” Jonghyun stayed silent for a moment. So Nickhun knows his real name too. They must be close... They know each other from the Forgotten Kingdom if they both speak the First Language so they’ve known each other for a while... A thought in the back of his head nagged at him, a memory that couldn’t quite be remembered. He was jerked out of his thoughts again though when a resounding clash echoed through the mountains.
Minho and Jinki were locked in the middle, each one pushing hard to through their opponent off balance. He could see Minho straining while Jinki still had a mocking smile on his face. “What’s the matter Minho? I’m not as weak as I look?” He laughed while Minho growled, pushing forward hard, sending Jinki back a few steps.
He lunged forward while Jinki sidestepped out of his way, but not fast enough. He sword caught some of his hair, slicing it off. His face contorted in horror as he reached up to feel his hair. “My gods! MY HAIR!” It was his turn to growl and lunge for Minho, both of them fighting ferociously.
“Where did he get that sword?”
“It’s his. His favorite.” It gleamed brighter than Minho’s sword, and looked brand new. “It’s not new is it?”
“Goodness no. It’s an old blade, but a good one. Minho’s lucky he’s not dead right now.” They locked swords again, but this time, Jinki maneuvered around him, pitching Minho forward as Jinki slammed his elbow into his back, kicking his sword away as he stepped onto his back.
“You’re dead.” Minho sighed in defeat and laid there to catch his breath. Jinki took his foot off of his back and sighed, running a hand through his hair and frowning before sheathing his sword.
“Nickhun! Look what he did to my hair!” Jonghyun almost laughed out loud at the childish way he was whining. “It took centuries to get my hair to look like that!”
“And you needed a haircut for centuries. Come on. I’ll even out the other side for you. Junho will even style it for free. Right, Junho?” Junho grumbled something about losing money before disappearing into the back.
When Jinki passed by Jonghyun on the way inside, he flashed him a grin before Nickhun grabbed his arm. “You can be lovey dovey later. Just get in here.” Jonghyun’s eyes widened as he tried to open his mouth to say something, but he was shut up by the smirk on Nickhun’s face as he closed the door.
Jonghyun blinked a few times, his mouth hanging open. When Minho groaned behind him, he turned and hurried to his side, helping him up from the ground. “You know,” he said, still taking in deep breaths, “he’s a lot stronger than he let’s on.” Jonghyun laughed and helped Minho dust off his clothes.
“Are you sure that’s just not you being bitter about losing?” Minho smiled and shrugged. “Not really. I got a chunk of his hair.”
-
Jink stood in front of the mirror, frowning as he ran his fingers through his hair, picking at a few pieces here and there. “What? Is there something wrong with this haircut? I thought I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. Centuries of practicing on Chansung came in handy.”
Chansung sighed in the corner of the room while resting his forehead on his fingers. “Centuries of bad haircuts.” Jinki turned around with a pout on his lips. Junho laughed, remembering the good times of old.
“You look fine. If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask your lover boy what he thinks about your haircut?” Jinki stared at him blankly for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. “Thanks. I think I will. NICKHUN!”
“No! Don’t do that, Wooyoung will kill me!”
“Nickhun!” He yelled again in a sing-song voice. Chansung’s laughter was louder than Jinki’s yells, which were dwarfed by a yell from Wooyoung. “JUNHO!”
Nickhun closed his eyes as loud thumping noises and laughter came from above. He took another sip of his tea, frowning at the fact that he couldn’t taste it. It was a shame. It was his favorite tea. “You’re not going to do anything?” Jonghyun asked, eyeing the ceiling like it might collapse on them at any moment from all the movement upstairs.
“No. It reminds me of old times. They’re all just like kids. But it’s not like I’m any better.” He smiled fondly and took another sip of his tea. “Would you like some tea?” He asked, looking a Jonghyun. Minho was in the stables checking on the horses with the other men. Jonghyun opened his mouth to answer, but Nickhun was already pouring him a cup, motioning to the empty chair across from him.
Jonghyun sat down, flinching every now and then from the noises above them. “They better not break anything...” He looked at Jonghyun with a curious expression on his face.
“So. What exactly do you know about Jinki?” Jonghyun snorted into his tea while he was taking a drink and put the cup down slowly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you know anything about him?” Jonghyun blinked a few times. He knew his habits. He knew the way he looked whenever he was thinking about the past. He knew that he didn’t actually know much about him despite Jinki saving his life three times now.
“Aside from his real name? Nothing really. His name sounds really familiar for some reason.” Nickhun nodded, pouring himself another cup of tea. “How long are you staying? I’m not going to force you out or anything, but at this rate, something is going to give, and it’s probably going to be this house.”
A loud crashing noise came from above them as debris fell to the floor next to the door, a leg showing through the ceiling. Nickhun stared in disbelief as the leg disappeared into the ceiling again. “Sorry Nickhun! My bad!” Jinki yelled through the hole. He just shook his head and took another sip of tea.
“Why do I miss this?” He asked. Jonghyun laughed and shrugged, finishing off his own cup of tea.
“Hey Nickhun, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“Well, that’s one already, but you can ask me a couple more.” Jonghyun rolled his eyes. He was definitely a friend of Jinki’s.
“Do you remember what it was like turning into a vampir?” Nickhun blinked rapidly a few times. “How could I forget? It was a pivotal moment in my life. Though not necessarily for the better, it wasn’t that bad after a few months.”
“What was it like?” He raised an eyebrow at Jonghyun.
“You’re not thinking of turning into one are you?” He shook his head rapidly. Nickhun saw the curiosity in his eyes. It reminded him too much of Jinki.
“When the plague hit the kingdom, I remember thinking that there was no way it would happen to me. I was cocky, perhaps a tad too overconfident. I got cornered in my bedroom one night, running away from noises and strange laughter. I remember seeing black, soulless, eyes that seemed to rip away a piece of my own soul.
“Then I got sick. Things got cold. I was told I died, but it just felt like going to sleep. When I woke up though, I was so hungry. I wanted to eat everything. I didn’t know anything more than the fact that I had to eat something.” He chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment while he paused, lost in his memory.
“People started to smell really good. I couldn’t help myself. Jinki had me locked away for a bit until I regained coherency. I did, eventually, but my memories of my previous life were gone. I couldn’t go into the sun. Jinki taught me everything again, and soon I was back to my normal self. But not, if you can understand. I was one of the lucky ones.”
Nickhun could see the cogs in his brain whirling around, digesting the information. “Then you and Jinki were close back then?”
“We’re close now too.” Jonghyun tried not to show frustration on his face. He wanted to know more about Jinki. But neither he or Nickhun were giving anything up about him, his past, or any details on what happened to the Forgotten Kingdom.
“You should stay for a little bit. Rest and relax before you try and take on certain doom.” Jonghyun stared at him with a tired expression. “What? I’m just being truthful. I don’t think it would be a good idea to travel through in a big group. You should consider leaving your other men behind and just taking Jinki and Minho with you.”
And right on cue, Jinki came rolling down the stairs, wrestling with Wooyoung. He had the shorter boy in a headlock as they slid down the stairs. “You’re making it really hard for me not to want to bite you. And I bite really hard.” At the bottom of the stairs, they struggled some more until they felt eyes on them.
Nickhun and Jonghyun were both giving them a strange look, Nickhun’s a little bit more annoyed than Jonghyun’s, which was full of amusement. Jinki let go of Wooyoung and stood up before clearing his throat. “Looks like you two are getting along well,” he said, eyeing Nickhun and Jonghyun.
“Indeed. I was telling him all of your embarrassing secrets.” Jinki stared at them in horror while Nickhun nonchalantly took a sip of tea. He looked towards Jonghyun, who only gave him a smile.
“He told you about the time I fell into the moat and almost got eaten by an alligator didn’t he? It wasn’t my fault! How was I supposed to know that that plank wasn’t secure? It’s not like I was fat. It just snapped in two randomly!”
“Of course. It had nothing to do with the fact that you were running back and forth taunting the alligators to the point where they kept trying to knock you off.” Jinki’s protests were drowned out by the sound of Jonghyun’s laughter.
--
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