The King's Man X
Title: The King's Man
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight
, Nine
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
To Byunghun, the feeling of helplessness was the worst thing in the world. When he was younger, and his family had found itself in desperate need, Byunghun had been unable to help in any way. When he'd been caught stealing in the king's palace, he couldn't even find a way to change his own fate. And now, just when he had thought he was finally in a place where he could be safe and maybe even comfortable... helplessness reared its ugly head again. Byunghun hated it with every fiber of his being, and yet the feeling seemed to follow him through life, plaguing him.
The masked man held him down against the floor, hands on his shoulders, body firmly planted on his hips. Byunghun squirmed anyway, tried to pull his arms away from his chest to fight off this intruder; every attempt to free his arms tightened the loop of rope around his neck, making it harder and harder to breathe. When he relented, and let his arms go limp, the pressure subsided and he was able to draw breath again. He shouted through the cloth in his mouth, muffled words that couldn't be made out.
All the while, Daniel just quietly watched him.
When he had had enough, when the struggling had gone from entertaining to boring, he sighed and gripped the rope between Byunghun's wrists and his throat, pulling it tight and cutting off his air. The boy choked, eyes widening as he fought to draw breath down his closed windpipe. Daniel watched this for a moment before letting go and giving the pretty child a decisive slap across the cheek.
"I told you not to make me be mean," he murmured as Byunghun closed his eyes and gasped for air. He rubbed the cheek he'd struck, tilting his head at the feel of heat rushing to the spot. "Just lie still. I don't want to hurt you more than is necessary."
He shifted, sliding his body down onto Byunghun's legs and forcing them still; Byunghun let his head fall back against the floor, a tremor running up his spine and making his entire body shake when he felt Daniel's fingers curl around the edge of his pants. This man... was he really going to...
Daniel pulled Byunghun's clothes from his body, leaving them twisted around his ankles. The boy protested this vehemently, body tensing up as he squirmed and shouted through the cloth that fettered his tongue. He shook his head, eyes pleading as he looked at the man whose hands were now on his hips, rubbing small circles along his soft skin.
The message in his eyes was clear enough to Daniel when he met them, and he shook his head slowly. "I must. You don't have to understand why."
He looked down at the trembling body beneath him, bound and beautiful, and a smile appeared on his lips. He leaned down, brushing the cold metal of his mask's nose against the boy's stomach before kissing the soft skin. He sucked on it gently, leaving a spot of discolouration before sliding his lips lower, brushing them over the boy's protruding hip.
He dug his teeth into the flesh there, making Byunghun cry out in surprise and leaving a defined bite mark. From there he shifted his body and pulled on one of Byunghun's legs, catching him behind his knee and holding it prisoner as he left more reddening suck marks along his inner thigh.
Byunghun was panting quietly, whether from panic or a far better, more enjoyable emotion Daniel did not know. He left a particularly dark, large mark further up the boy's thigh before letting the boy's leg go. Byunghun tried to kick at him, but Daniel wasn't going to be that easy to push away. Harshly he pushed Byunghun's thighs apart, moving to settle his body between them.
Byunghun never stopped shaking his head or incoherently begging the boy to let him go. Daniel ignored the whining and idly brushed his thumb along the head of Byunghun's cock, his fingers automatically shifting down further with the intent to slide inside the boy's tensed, tight body. He would work this boy loose even if it took all night.
Before he could, however... the door slid open.
Jonghyun had not been summoned by the king that night. He had simply wanted to go for a walk, something Byunghun had declined in lieu of trying to fix his ripped clothing. The boy had taken Changhyun with him for his own safety. The boys had never anticipated coming back to such a scene.
Byunghun let out a mangled, muffled scream, and everyone in the room was very suddenly in motion. Changhyun shouted, calling for guards that under regular circumstances wouldn't be close enough to hear him. However, such was his shock and horror that his voice seemed to double in size, almost deafening the man in black as he charged at him and tackled him. Daniel was thrown off of Byunghun, leaving the boy exposed for all to see. Changhyun wrestled with him while Jonghyun stared in horror, unable to fully comprehend what was happening in front of him. There weren't many moments where Jonghyun's true age was apparent, but this was one of them.
Byunghun whimpered softly and tilted his head back, watching as Changhyun and the boy grappled in a messy pile on the floor. Changhyun swung a fist at the boy, connecting with an exposed spot just beyond the reaches of his mask. The blow seemed to make his mask slip; Daniel grabbed at it to hold it up, but not before it had slid off and revealed half of his face.
Everyone in the room saw it.
With an angry growl, he landed a hard punch to Changhyun's cheekbone, knocking the boy off him and giving himself time to get up. Once on his feet, other hand holding the mask over his face, he barrelled toward Jonghyun, shoving him to one side as he ran past him and out the door. The guards would be coming by now, and if he were caught it would be the end of him. Changhyun pushed himself up, expression dazed, and looked at Jonghyun, who had fallen against the doorframe and was standing there silently, eyes wide as he clung to it to keep himself standing.
"Byunghunnie," he whispered, gaze fixed on the boy. "B-Byunghunnie..."
They could hear the guards outside. Changhyun, wobbling a little, hurriedly moved to pull Byunghun's pants back up; there was no reason for the guards to see him like that. Two appeared in the doorway behind Jonghyun as Changhyun pulled the shaking, now crying Byunghun into his lap.
"He ran out there. He was hurting Byunghun, go find him," the small boy said quickly; the guards nodded and disappeared again. "Jonghyunnie... please come help me..."
He stroked Byunghun's hair gently as Jonghyun finally came to his senses and drew closer; his trembling hands moved to work at the knots, while Changhyun slipped the gag from Byunghun's mouth and gently wiped his eyes. It took Jonghyun a few minutes to figure out how the rope was wrapped around his friend's body, and eventually he was unlooping it from Byunghun's neck and wrists.
Byunghun buried his face in Changhyun's chest and didn't come out. Even when his arms were finally free, he kept his face hidden in the servant's clothes; he wrapped his arms tightly around the boy's waist, squeezing him. Changhyun just went on stroking his hair, occasionally whispering that everything was okay.
~ ~ ~
They didn't find Daniel. Guards had flooded the grounds that night, carrying torches to dispel the shadows, but he was hidden in none of them. The king was roused, to be informed of the situation at hand; coincidentally, he had been with Queen Minjung that night. She seemed less than pleased when Minsoo woke her husband and frantically whispered to him about what had happened.
She had to fake a look of concern when Chanhee looked to her before whispering back to Minsoo. Not that it was difficult, she'd been faking expressions often during her life, but she was sure she knew what it was about tonight, and concern was difficult to truly have. She touched his arm gently, biting her lip at the stormy expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" she whispered as Minsoo nodded and swept away. Chanhee put his hand on hers and squeezed it.
"A man broke into the palace and attacked someone." Minjung gasped softly, and Chanhee looked at her with a frown. "Do not leave this room until the guards have assured the grounds are safe. Understand?"
The queen nodded, and Chanhee slipped from beneath the covers to dress himself. All the while, a prickle of paranoia curled across his skin, making him shiver as he straightened his clothing up. He moved toward the doors, knowing Minsoo was waiting just beyond them; as he reached them, he glanced back at his wife.
Her mask had slipped for only a moment. He had seen the cold satisfaction in her eyes.
~ ~ ~
By the time Minsoo and the king had arrived at the wonchungs' quarters, Jonghyun and Changhyun had redressed Byunghun and made a valiant attempt at calming him down. When talking had proved futile, Jonghyun had gone through one of his many drawers and found some medicine that he thought would help; Byunghun, however, didn't want to take it, and he was too on edge for Jonghyun to even consider trying to force him.
He was sitting on his bed when the king came in, knees pulled to his chest, staring at the blankets before him without really seeing them. Minsoo stood just inside the door, letting his gaze stray to Changhyun and Jonghyun for only a moment before he fixated on the king and his boy. Chanhee lowered himself to the floor and moved onto Byunghun's soft mattress, and with hesitance nobody had ever seen in him, he reached one hand out to touch Byunghun's.
The boy flinched, and Chanhee pulled his hand back.
"Is he injured anywhere?" he asked quietly. Changhyun stepped forward.
"He has a few marks on his stomach and leg, your highness... rope burns on his wrists and neck, too. But there was nothing more, and he should be fine."
Chanhee glanced back at Minsoo. "Call the doctor, just to be sure."
Minsoo nodded, and before he could turn one of the other guards was already on his way. Chanhee shifted closer to Byunghun and lifted his hand again, this time to touch the boy's cheek. Byunghun's eyes closed as their skin made contact, and the king could feel the trembling of his body. But the boy didn't flinch this time, nor did he try to pull away. He just squeezed his eyes shut tight, lips pressing together into a thin line.
"He will be found, Byunghun. When he is, I will see him executed." Chanhee brushed his thumb over the tender spot on Byunghun's cheek, anger pouring into his stomach when he realised the boy's face would probably still feel sore come morning. "He tried to take what is mine, and he will pay for it."
Very slowly, Byunghun leaned into the king; Chanhee wrapped his arm around the boy, letting him rest against his chest. Absently he ran his fingers through Byunghun's tangled hair, careful not to pull it. From the doorway, Jonghyun and Minsoo watched with rapt attention, while Changhyun stared at his feet.
The king held Byunghun until the boy finally fell asleep against his chest. The next day, whispers of his kindness would fill the palace walls; the king could no longer be called a cold-hearted man. One of his young men had managed to draw out the sweet nature that had disappeared years and years ago.
Some gossiped that the king had fallen in love, and for the queen, who heard many of these rumours, that was the worst of all.
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight
, Nine
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
To Byunghun, the feeling of helplessness was the worst thing in the world. When he was younger, and his family had found itself in desperate need, Byunghun had been unable to help in any way. When he'd been caught stealing in the king's palace, he couldn't even find a way to change his own fate. And now, just when he had thought he was finally in a place where he could be safe and maybe even comfortable... helplessness reared its ugly head again. Byunghun hated it with every fiber of his being, and yet the feeling seemed to follow him through life, plaguing him.
The masked man held him down against the floor, hands on his shoulders, body firmly planted on his hips. Byunghun squirmed anyway, tried to pull his arms away from his chest to fight off this intruder; every attempt to free his arms tightened the loop of rope around his neck, making it harder and harder to breathe. When he relented, and let his arms go limp, the pressure subsided and he was able to draw breath again. He shouted through the cloth in his mouth, muffled words that couldn't be made out.
All the while, Daniel just quietly watched him.
When he had had enough, when the struggling had gone from entertaining to boring, he sighed and gripped the rope between Byunghun's wrists and his throat, pulling it tight and cutting off his air. The boy choked, eyes widening as he fought to draw breath down his closed windpipe. Daniel watched this for a moment before letting go and giving the pretty child a decisive slap across the cheek.
"I told you not to make me be mean," he murmured as Byunghun closed his eyes and gasped for air. He rubbed the cheek he'd struck, tilting his head at the feel of heat rushing to the spot. "Just lie still. I don't want to hurt you more than is necessary."
He shifted, sliding his body down onto Byunghun's legs and forcing them still; Byunghun let his head fall back against the floor, a tremor running up his spine and making his entire body shake when he felt Daniel's fingers curl around the edge of his pants. This man... was he really going to...
Daniel pulled Byunghun's clothes from his body, leaving them twisted around his ankles. The boy protested this vehemently, body tensing up as he squirmed and shouted through the cloth that fettered his tongue. He shook his head, eyes pleading as he looked at the man whose hands were now on his hips, rubbing small circles along his soft skin.
The message in his eyes was clear enough to Daniel when he met them, and he shook his head slowly. "I must. You don't have to understand why."
He looked down at the trembling body beneath him, bound and beautiful, and a smile appeared on his lips. He leaned down, brushing the cold metal of his mask's nose against the boy's stomach before kissing the soft skin. He sucked on it gently, leaving a spot of discolouration before sliding his lips lower, brushing them over the boy's protruding hip.
He dug his teeth into the flesh there, making Byunghun cry out in surprise and leaving a defined bite mark. From there he shifted his body and pulled on one of Byunghun's legs, catching him behind his knee and holding it prisoner as he left more reddening suck marks along his inner thigh.
Byunghun was panting quietly, whether from panic or a far better, more enjoyable emotion Daniel did not know. He left a particularly dark, large mark further up the boy's thigh before letting the boy's leg go. Byunghun tried to kick at him, but Daniel wasn't going to be that easy to push away. Harshly he pushed Byunghun's thighs apart, moving to settle his body between them.
Byunghun never stopped shaking his head or incoherently begging the boy to let him go. Daniel ignored the whining and idly brushed his thumb along the head of Byunghun's cock, his fingers automatically shifting down further with the intent to slide inside the boy's tensed, tight body. He would work this boy loose even if it took all night.
Before he could, however... the door slid open.
Jonghyun had not been summoned by the king that night. He had simply wanted to go for a walk, something Byunghun had declined in lieu of trying to fix his ripped clothing. The boy had taken Changhyun with him for his own safety. The boys had never anticipated coming back to such a scene.
Byunghun let out a mangled, muffled scream, and everyone in the room was very suddenly in motion. Changhyun shouted, calling for guards that under regular circumstances wouldn't be close enough to hear him. However, such was his shock and horror that his voice seemed to double in size, almost deafening the man in black as he charged at him and tackled him. Daniel was thrown off of Byunghun, leaving the boy exposed for all to see. Changhyun wrestled with him while Jonghyun stared in horror, unable to fully comprehend what was happening in front of him. There weren't many moments where Jonghyun's true age was apparent, but this was one of them.
Byunghun whimpered softly and tilted his head back, watching as Changhyun and the boy grappled in a messy pile on the floor. Changhyun swung a fist at the boy, connecting with an exposed spot just beyond the reaches of his mask. The blow seemed to make his mask slip; Daniel grabbed at it to hold it up, but not before it had slid off and revealed half of his face.
Everyone in the room saw it.
With an angry growl, he landed a hard punch to Changhyun's cheekbone, knocking the boy off him and giving himself time to get up. Once on his feet, other hand holding the mask over his face, he barrelled toward Jonghyun, shoving him to one side as he ran past him and out the door. The guards would be coming by now, and if he were caught it would be the end of him. Changhyun pushed himself up, expression dazed, and looked at Jonghyun, who had fallen against the doorframe and was standing there silently, eyes wide as he clung to it to keep himself standing.
"Byunghunnie," he whispered, gaze fixed on the boy. "B-Byunghunnie..."
They could hear the guards outside. Changhyun, wobbling a little, hurriedly moved to pull Byunghun's pants back up; there was no reason for the guards to see him like that. Two appeared in the doorway behind Jonghyun as Changhyun pulled the shaking, now crying Byunghun into his lap.
"He ran out there. He was hurting Byunghun, go find him," the small boy said quickly; the guards nodded and disappeared again. "Jonghyunnie... please come help me..."
He stroked Byunghun's hair gently as Jonghyun finally came to his senses and drew closer; his trembling hands moved to work at the knots, while Changhyun slipped the gag from Byunghun's mouth and gently wiped his eyes. It took Jonghyun a few minutes to figure out how the rope was wrapped around his friend's body, and eventually he was unlooping it from Byunghun's neck and wrists.
Byunghun buried his face in Changhyun's chest and didn't come out. Even when his arms were finally free, he kept his face hidden in the servant's clothes; he wrapped his arms tightly around the boy's waist, squeezing him. Changhyun just went on stroking his hair, occasionally whispering that everything was okay.
~ ~ ~
They didn't find Daniel. Guards had flooded the grounds that night, carrying torches to dispel the shadows, but he was hidden in none of them. The king was roused, to be informed of the situation at hand; coincidentally, he had been with Queen Minjung that night. She seemed less than pleased when Minsoo woke her husband and frantically whispered to him about what had happened.
She had to fake a look of concern when Chanhee looked to her before whispering back to Minsoo. Not that it was difficult, she'd been faking expressions often during her life, but she was sure she knew what it was about tonight, and concern was difficult to truly have. She touched his arm gently, biting her lip at the stormy expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" she whispered as Minsoo nodded and swept away. Chanhee put his hand on hers and squeezed it.
"A man broke into the palace and attacked someone." Minjung gasped softly, and Chanhee looked at her with a frown. "Do not leave this room until the guards have assured the grounds are safe. Understand?"
The queen nodded, and Chanhee slipped from beneath the covers to dress himself. All the while, a prickle of paranoia curled across his skin, making him shiver as he straightened his clothing up. He moved toward the doors, knowing Minsoo was waiting just beyond them; as he reached them, he glanced back at his wife.
Her mask had slipped for only a moment. He had seen the cold satisfaction in her eyes.
~ ~ ~
By the time Minsoo and the king had arrived at the wonchungs' quarters, Jonghyun and Changhyun had redressed Byunghun and made a valiant attempt at calming him down. When talking had proved futile, Jonghyun had gone through one of his many drawers and found some medicine that he thought would help; Byunghun, however, didn't want to take it, and he was too on edge for Jonghyun to even consider trying to force him.
He was sitting on his bed when the king came in, knees pulled to his chest, staring at the blankets before him without really seeing them. Minsoo stood just inside the door, letting his gaze stray to Changhyun and Jonghyun for only a moment before he fixated on the king and his boy. Chanhee lowered himself to the floor and moved onto Byunghun's soft mattress, and with hesitance nobody had ever seen in him, he reached one hand out to touch Byunghun's.
The boy flinched, and Chanhee pulled his hand back.
"Is he injured anywhere?" he asked quietly. Changhyun stepped forward.
"He has a few marks on his stomach and leg, your highness... rope burns on his wrists and neck, too. But there was nothing more, and he should be fine."
Chanhee glanced back at Minsoo. "Call the doctor, just to be sure."
Minsoo nodded, and before he could turn one of the other guards was already on his way. Chanhee shifted closer to Byunghun and lifted his hand again, this time to touch the boy's cheek. Byunghun's eyes closed as their skin made contact, and the king could feel the trembling of his body. But the boy didn't flinch this time, nor did he try to pull away. He just squeezed his eyes shut tight, lips pressing together into a thin line.
"He will be found, Byunghun. When he is, I will see him executed." Chanhee brushed his thumb over the tender spot on Byunghun's cheek, anger pouring into his stomach when he realised the boy's face would probably still feel sore come morning. "He tried to take what is mine, and he will pay for it."
Very slowly, Byunghun leaned into the king; Chanhee wrapped his arm around the boy, letting him rest against his chest. Absently he ran his fingers through Byunghun's tangled hair, careful not to pull it. From the doorway, Jonghyun and Minsoo watched with rapt attention, while Changhyun stared at his feet.
The king held Byunghun until the boy finally fell asleep against his chest. The next day, whispers of his kindness would fill the palace walls; the king could no longer be called a cold-hearted man. One of his young men had managed to draw out the sweet nature that had disappeared years and years ago.
Some gossiped that the king had fallen in love, and for the queen, who heard many of these rumours, that was the worst of all.