The Halfling - Part 13
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.
Life went on.
Onew had made it only one week after the confrontation with his father - one week of closing doors a little too hard, muttering under his breath a little too often, glaring at Junsil every time he made an appearance, and being all-around broody - before Key sat his master down and kindly asked that he apologize to his parents. At the additional encouragement of his cousin and best friend, if for nothing else than to keep the Duke off his back, Onew swallowed his pride and met with his parents in the drawing room.
He had claimed his lack of experience with Halflings was to blame for his behavior, and that his father was right and that he would do his best to improve himself as a master and son. The words had felt like acid coming from his mouth but the Duke and Duchess had been placated and they’d returned to their lives in society, rarely ever home on the estate. And when they were present they rarely bothered their son, never having been ones for actually spending time with him. Onew was more than happy to accept their absence and, aside from the occasional mandatory dinner with his parents, try to go back to the life he’d become accustomed to.
Over the next couple months Onew and Key lived their lives as they always had; in their own little world confined to the East Wing of the Lee estate. Key and Minho became good friends and the Halfling also got more comfortable with Taemin and Jonghyun. They spent plenty of time together, and had even had a couple visits to the royal palace - the first of which featured Key being too afraid to touch anything.
And Onew continued to fall deeper for the feline boy.
Butterflies he hadn’t felt since his girlfriend two years ago suddenly came back to life in his stomach. The sound of the blonde’s laugh rivaled the loveliest of song. At night, in bed, their bodies felt less like complimenting shapes and more like puzzle pieces finally reunited. Onew became finely tuned to every twitch and tick the other had, an expert on what every glint in Key’s eye meant and a downright scholar on the finer points of why the blonde’s face could start a war, or why his smile could inspire world peace.
Onew had thought he’d realized the extent of his feelings; thought he’d reached the bottom of the well and could now deal with what it all meant. But he just kept falling. He was starting to think he wasn’t falling down a well of emotions, but a rabbit hole.
------------------
Late March brought with it the end of winter. The snow was melting and the weather, though chilly, was no longer freezing. Jonghyun had been buzzing with excitement for the past few days at his impending birthday in only a week and a half.
The tailor was practically vibrating with anticipation as he told the other four boys of his birthday plans, gesticulating wildly and almost spilling his drink on the expensive couch beneath him. Onew listened indulgently to his best friend’s constant chattering beside him. Minho and Taemin were seated on the love seat across from them, the bull Halfling’s large eyes following every movement of Jonghyun’s drink in clear agitation, just waiting for a drop to hit the deep blue material. Taemin covered Minho’s hand in an attempt to calm him but it didn’t seem to be helping.
Key sat in an armchair, legs crossed and an amused expression on his face as he watched the scene before him. Onew’s eyes drifted over to the blond and settled there, as they often did. He took in every detail; struck by the way the fine royal china looked so at home in his thin, delicate hand. The steam rising from the porcelain caused his small nose to scrunch and when he pulled the cup from his mouth there was moisture left at the seam of his plump, pink-
Taemin suddenly coughed loudly, causing Jonghyun to pause in the middle of what type of cake he wanted and all eyes to turn toward the prince. Minho began fretting immediately over the younger, rubbing Taemin’s back and looking slightly panicked.
“I’m fine,” the prince waived off the concerned looks of his companions. The other four stared skeptically but eventually accepted the prince’s words. As the others fell back into listening to Jonghyun and attention was turned away from him, Taemin gave Onew a very pointed look somewhere between amusement and accusation. The caramel haired boy tried his best to not blush and instead focus on the conversation at hand. He’d been caught thinking less than pure thoughts by his own cousin. He was just thankful they had been the tamer of his inappropriate daydreams.
“I’d really love a new leather bag, you know,” Jonghyun was in the middle of not-so-subtly hinting when Onew returned to the conversation. “Or even just a nice pair of sunglasses. My favorite ones broke and all,” he looked at Key with big eyes.
“I am not getting you anything,” Key shook his head.
“But Kibum,” the short man whined. “I need new ones and we’re the only two here with style.”
Key hummed sarcastically, obviously disagreeing. As much as Onew had come to enjoy the odd friendship the two had struck up, full of teasing and mocking (mostly on Key’s part), he felt bad for Jonghyun’s bruised ego.
“Kibum,” Onew said very pointedly. “Please be nice.”
“Yeah, Kibum. Be nice,” Jonghyun mocked.
“Parrot is not a good look for you, Jonghyun-ssi,” Key smiled.
Minho barely stifled a snort into his glass of water. Taemin kindly handed him a napkin without missing a beat and Onew decided perhaps he would just let the other two bicker all they wanted. Oddly enough, he found that he liked the halfhearted jabs the two made at each other. It made him think of siblings more than anything, and he liked the thought of Key becoming so engrained in all their lives that this sort of thing was normal. Mostly, Onew was fond of any scenario where Key had a spot in his life, in his group of close friends. Hopefully for a very, very long time.
-------
If Onew had thought that Key was lovely during the winter, spring was a whole new experience.
The snow had certainly set off his fair skin, and the cool temperatures had given such an attractive rose tint to his nose and cheeks. But the sun did amazing things to the Halfling.
It made his skin glow almost as if he were an ethereal being, like an angel come down from heaven. When the light shone on his hair, Onew was able to see that there must have been at least a million shades of gold in his blonde locks and a million shades of chocolate in his brown ones. The young heir liked watching the wind blow through Key’s hair, causing different colors to stand out more. Key’s ears flicked at the wind now and then, almost as quickly as his eyes flitted from thing to thing. The heir was happy with his impromptu decision to ask the Halfling if he’d like to go on a walk around the estate.
It was easy for Onew to forget that Key’s life had once been so dependent on - so dictated by - nature. Key came from a world without electricity or air conditioning or someone to grow your food for you. He had once spent his whole life among the trees, and Onew was ashamed to admit that he hadn’t realized how important it would be for the Halfling to reconnect with the nature that he’d been kept from for so long.
“How much of this land belongs to you?” Key asked softly, hand reaching out absently to touch the bark of a tree.
“Everything you can see,” Onew responded just as quietly. He was overcome with the feeling that if he spoke at a normal level he would break whatever trance Key seemed to be in; all happy sighs and eyes full of wonderment. “About two thousand acres. It all belongs to my father, though, not me.”
Key hummed in acknowledgement but made no other comment. He simply kept walking around the property, staring off at the edge of the trees several hundred yards away from the cleared land where the house sat.
A bird flew overhead and Key’s ears perked to attention, his head snapping immediately to locate the small animal. He watched it disappear into the sky, a small smile tugging at his lips.
“May we go on walks more, my lord?”
“Of course,” Onew smiled. “Whenever you like.”
Key turned his head to look at something else that had caught his interest. The sun caught his cheekbone just right and his skin glowed again. He began walking and Onew watched his thin fingers slowly slide from the bark of the tree.
Onew’s hand itched to chase after it, to twine those thin fingers with his own thicker ones. He clenched his fist at his side instead.
-------------------
Onew sunk deeper into the leather chair in front of his bedroom’s fireplace. He was responding to an email from Jonghyun, or at least he was supposed to be. He couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering up and landing on Key, who was across the room at his vanity, busy brushing out his tail with a comb.
He had caved about a month ago and finally ordered the Halfling a mahogany vanity complete with a big mirror, cushioned chair and drawers to hold all his products. Key was more than delighted to set up and organize all his hair pastes and moisturizers, and Onew was ecstatic to have his desk back.
Key shifted in his seat and began spreading some sort of cream over his hands before applying it to his hair. Onew could swear he was in a trance while he watched Key’s fingers glide through the blonde strands atop his head, just barely graze over the shorter hairs on his pointed ears. He wondered what it would feel like to have those hands running through his own hair. How would Key’s nails feel as they lazily scratched at his scalp after a long day?
“Are you alright, my lord?” Key broke the silence. Onew realize with a start that the blonde’s eyes were on him in the vanity mirror and his ears turned back to catch the response clearly from his master.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
Key’s eyes surveyed him skeptically for a moment before they turned back to his own reflection. “Yes, my lord.”
“Key,” Onew started after a moment. Two black eyes turned back to him in the mirror and their owner let out a soft hum of acknowledgement. “Will you ever stop calling me ‘my lord?’”
“I do not think it would be appropriate to call you anything else.”
Onew was about to make a smart reply about how Minho was rubbing off far too much on the feline Halfling but he got distracted as his eyes landed on one long, pale finger applying a balm to pink lips.
“…Right,” he replied absentmindedly.
Later that night Onew awoke suddenly from a feverish dream with a very distinct problem between his legs.
---------------------------------
Onew had enjoyed a surprisingly blissful and quiet five months with Key by his side. They had taken their hurdles in stride and grown more comfortable with each other than Onew could ever have imagined when Key first arrived. But, it seemed, all good things must come to an end and this end came in the form of a phone call from the Duke.
Prior to Key’s entrance into Onew’s life, he had spent most of his weekdays in the capitol city in an area known as the Capitol Compound. The Compound, a large area consisting of five building holding all the national political offices was located in the center of Hwaegoong. The royal branch of the government had an entire building with offices for the King as well as every Duke or Duchess in the country and the liaisons to the media and the other parts of the government. It was in this building that Onew spent most of his time at the capital, either shadowing his father or running errands. Until his time as Right Hand to the King came, Onew was no more than an errand boy. The Duke, however, felt it was the best way to expose Onew to his future responsibilities. As Right Hand to the King he would be seen as a huge public figure, having to deal with politics and the media as well as the public - his least favorite things.
So, it was with a heavy heart that Onew woke up early the next Monday morning, dressed in nice pants and a button up shirt, and headed into Hwaegoong. He had asked his driver to drop Key at the royal palace to stay with Taemin and Minho for the day.
Onew had been at his desk for only three hours and had glanced at his phone upwards of thirty times. He was supposed to be editing a speech his father was to give later that day at a meeting of Parliament but that wasn’t anywhere near being finished. It would take him a mere fifteen minutes to read through it and yet he could never focus. After fifteen more minutes of staring at his computer in vain, Onew found himself dialing the phone.
“Hello, Cousin!” Taemin’s voice chirped from the phone happily.
“Taemin-ah, are you still in the palace?” Onew asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant.
The Prince gave a sigh. “Hyung, of course I’m still in the palace. I promised you I would be here all day to babysit Kibum-“
“I did not ask you to babysit him.”
“-so you can have peace of mind.”
There were a few moments of silence and then, “I didn’t ask you to babysit Kibum,” the elder repeated.
“Sure, hyung,” Taemin responded, clearly not believing a word. “What can I do for you?”
“I was simply calling to see how things are going,” Onew said and tapped his pen against his desk.
“Kibum is fine. We were watching a movie so if you don’t mind, I’m going to hang up now.”
“I wasn’t asking about Ki-“
“Bye, hyung!” Taemin chirped happily before the line went dead.
Onew scoffed at the audacity of his cousin. He tossed his pen to the side and glared with renewed annoyance at the glowing screen before him. Weren’t there specific editors they hired to do this?
“Are you done with the speech?” Onew jumped in his seat and looked up to see his father standing before him.
“Not yet, I am still-“
“How long have you had the file?”
“I am just trying to be thorough, Father,” the heir offered somewhat lamely.
“Well I suggest you focus and finish it, Jinki-yah. I have to give that speech this evening not next week,” the Duke gave him a hard look before leaving the room the opposite way he had entered and going into his own private office.
“Yes, Father,” was mumbled quietly. Onew gave a quiet sigh and turned his focus on the task at hand.
Twenty minutes later, Onew was just starting his second read-through of the speech when he heard footsteps entering the area shared by him and his father’s personal secretary - a sort of room between his father’s private office and the busy hallway outside.
He expected the visitor to speak with Eunmi, but instead he felt a present before him and heard a throat clear. Looking up, Onew had to forcefully hold in his grown of annoyance and dislike.
“Jinki-yah,” the tall man smirked down at him.
“Dongwan-ssi,” Onew responded tightly. Dongwan smirked and raised an eyebrow at the obvious dislike; before Key had come into his life there had been a time where Onew used to begrudgingly call Dongwan hyung.
“How is everything? How’s your Halfling?” Dongwan drawled the last part, leaning against Onew’s desk and letting a greasy smirk spread over his lips.
“What brought you to the Right Hand’s office?” the younger continued on as best as he could without becoming uncivil.
“Just political business. Budget plans, conflicts with the space ports on the Halfling transport route,” he answered flippantly, as if it were all such a bore. As if they weren’t talking about the system where in hundreds of thousands of living beings were traded like cattle.
“Well, I’m sure Eunmi would be happy to help you.”
The secretary across the room from Onew straightened at her desk and opened her mouth as if to speak but abruptly stopped when Dongwan ignored her.
“She could, but I would so rather speak with you Jinki-yah. Are you sure you still don’t want to lend your Halfling to me for a night? You’ve had him for months now, surely you’re growing bored?” Dongwan cocked his head to the side. Onew clenched his fists under the desk in an attempt to control his anger. “I still have that feline Halfling I told you about and I would be willing to do a simple trade. God knows I’m growing tired of him; I’ll probably get rid of him in a few months-“
Unable to control himself any longer Onew stood abruptly and slammed his clenched fists on the wood top of his desk. Almost simultaneously Eunmi stood from her seat.
“The Duke will see you know, Lord Dongwan,” she said timidly, though trying valiantly to make her voice louder. Dongwan gave the woman no more than a grunt and threw Onew a smirk before heading for the office door. Onew watched him disappear through it before deflating into his chair with a sigh. “Are you alright, my lord?” Onew looked up to see Eunmi watching him worriedly.
“I am quite fine, Eunmi-ssi. Thank you,” he smiled weakly.
After a few moments of silently staring at his desk, Onew heard shuffled steps heading for him. Eunmi stood before his desk nervously, holding her tablet in her hands.
“I just thought you should see, my lord,” she near whispered and handed the tablet over. Onew looked down at the device to find a newspaper article about him - the Hermit Heir as this one was calling him. He slid his finger across the screen to show another article in another paper, then another, and another and another. They all said the same things, talking about how he had disappeared from social life in the past few months and many were wondering if it had anything to do with the Halfling he had finally purchased. Onew gave an annoyed groan. He hated the media and though paparazzi had long been outlawed in Hangeong it didn’t make it better.
“Thank you,” he responded softly and handed the tablet back without another word.
Onew spent the rest of the day brooding in his own thoughts. He went between hating Dongwan and wanting to keep him as far from Key as possible and hating the media and wanting to keep them as far from Key as possible. He constantly worried someone from the street would use a super powered zoom lens and snap a picture of Key entering the royal palace or perhaps through a car window. The lenses were illegal for any non-professional photographers but he doubted that would stop the devout Royal enthusiast.
By the time Onew could go home, he had fallen even further into his annoyance with almost everyone, and his pure hatred toward one Choi Dongwan. When they reached the palace to pick up Key, Onew was no better.
“Hello, my lord,” the blonde smiled brightly at his master. Onew smiled back but it was half-hearted at best and, in an effort to hide his mood from the other, he simply turned to stare out the opposite window.
A small frown settle across Key’s bow lips and he slid into the car silently. Onew was so busy mulling over his thoughts for the rest of the ride home that he didn’t noticed two drooped blonde ears or the white teeth worrying pink lips or the concerned furrow of two bold eyebrows.
And he certainly missed the thin, delicate fingers that reached out to touch his hand only to pause at the last moment and pull back to their owner’s side.
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Well. I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry. And I actually really hate this part. But tbh it's llaying all the ground work for where I want to go so hopefully I'll be able to write easier from here on out? Please tell me what you think and be honest! This part felt terrible and so rushed to me but I just felt terrible keeping you all waiting. ;-; Thank you all so much for reading. It means the world! <3 Also, it's 3 AM and i'm running off no sleep and i have not at all read this over so im sorry for that too :(
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.
Life went on.
Onew had made it only one week after the confrontation with his father - one week of closing doors a little too hard, muttering under his breath a little too often, glaring at Junsil every time he made an appearance, and being all-around broody - before Key sat his master down and kindly asked that he apologize to his parents. At the additional encouragement of his cousin and best friend, if for nothing else than to keep the Duke off his back, Onew swallowed his pride and met with his parents in the drawing room.
He had claimed his lack of experience with Halflings was to blame for his behavior, and that his father was right and that he would do his best to improve himself as a master and son. The words had felt like acid coming from his mouth but the Duke and Duchess had been placated and they’d returned to their lives in society, rarely ever home on the estate. And when they were present they rarely bothered their son, never having been ones for actually spending time with him. Onew was more than happy to accept their absence and, aside from the occasional mandatory dinner with his parents, try to go back to the life he’d become accustomed to.
Over the next couple months Onew and Key lived their lives as they always had; in their own little world confined to the East Wing of the Lee estate. Key and Minho became good friends and the Halfling also got more comfortable with Taemin and Jonghyun. They spent plenty of time together, and had even had a couple visits to the royal palace - the first of which featured Key being too afraid to touch anything.
And Onew continued to fall deeper for the feline boy.
Butterflies he hadn’t felt since his girlfriend two years ago suddenly came back to life in his stomach. The sound of the blonde’s laugh rivaled the loveliest of song. At night, in bed, their bodies felt less like complimenting shapes and more like puzzle pieces finally reunited. Onew became finely tuned to every twitch and tick the other had, an expert on what every glint in Key’s eye meant and a downright scholar on the finer points of why the blonde’s face could start a war, or why his smile could inspire world peace.
Onew had thought he’d realized the extent of his feelings; thought he’d reached the bottom of the well and could now deal with what it all meant. But he just kept falling. He was starting to think he wasn’t falling down a well of emotions, but a rabbit hole.
------------------
Late March brought with it the end of winter. The snow was melting and the weather, though chilly, was no longer freezing. Jonghyun had been buzzing with excitement for the past few days at his impending birthday in only a week and a half.
The tailor was practically vibrating with anticipation as he told the other four boys of his birthday plans, gesticulating wildly and almost spilling his drink on the expensive couch beneath him. Onew listened indulgently to his best friend’s constant chattering beside him. Minho and Taemin were seated on the love seat across from them, the bull Halfling’s large eyes following every movement of Jonghyun’s drink in clear agitation, just waiting for a drop to hit the deep blue material. Taemin covered Minho’s hand in an attempt to calm him but it didn’t seem to be helping.
Key sat in an armchair, legs crossed and an amused expression on his face as he watched the scene before him. Onew’s eyes drifted over to the blond and settled there, as they often did. He took in every detail; struck by the way the fine royal china looked so at home in his thin, delicate hand. The steam rising from the porcelain caused his small nose to scrunch and when he pulled the cup from his mouth there was moisture left at the seam of his plump, pink-
Taemin suddenly coughed loudly, causing Jonghyun to pause in the middle of what type of cake he wanted and all eyes to turn toward the prince. Minho began fretting immediately over the younger, rubbing Taemin’s back and looking slightly panicked.
“I’m fine,” the prince waived off the concerned looks of his companions. The other four stared skeptically but eventually accepted the prince’s words. As the others fell back into listening to Jonghyun and attention was turned away from him, Taemin gave Onew a very pointed look somewhere between amusement and accusation. The caramel haired boy tried his best to not blush and instead focus on the conversation at hand. He’d been caught thinking less than pure thoughts by his own cousin. He was just thankful they had been the tamer of his inappropriate daydreams.
“I’d really love a new leather bag, you know,” Jonghyun was in the middle of not-so-subtly hinting when Onew returned to the conversation. “Or even just a nice pair of sunglasses. My favorite ones broke and all,” he looked at Key with big eyes.
“I am not getting you anything,” Key shook his head.
“But Kibum,” the short man whined. “I need new ones and we’re the only two here with style.”
Key hummed sarcastically, obviously disagreeing. As much as Onew had come to enjoy the odd friendship the two had struck up, full of teasing and mocking (mostly on Key’s part), he felt bad for Jonghyun’s bruised ego.
“Kibum,” Onew said very pointedly. “Please be nice.”
“Yeah, Kibum. Be nice,” Jonghyun mocked.
“Parrot is not a good look for you, Jonghyun-ssi,” Key smiled.
Minho barely stifled a snort into his glass of water. Taemin kindly handed him a napkin without missing a beat and Onew decided perhaps he would just let the other two bicker all they wanted. Oddly enough, he found that he liked the halfhearted jabs the two made at each other. It made him think of siblings more than anything, and he liked the thought of Key becoming so engrained in all their lives that this sort of thing was normal. Mostly, Onew was fond of any scenario where Key had a spot in his life, in his group of close friends. Hopefully for a very, very long time.
-------
If Onew had thought that Key was lovely during the winter, spring was a whole new experience.
The snow had certainly set off his fair skin, and the cool temperatures had given such an attractive rose tint to his nose and cheeks. But the sun did amazing things to the Halfling.
It made his skin glow almost as if he were an ethereal being, like an angel come down from heaven. When the light shone on his hair, Onew was able to see that there must have been at least a million shades of gold in his blonde locks and a million shades of chocolate in his brown ones. The young heir liked watching the wind blow through Key’s hair, causing different colors to stand out more. Key’s ears flicked at the wind now and then, almost as quickly as his eyes flitted from thing to thing. The heir was happy with his impromptu decision to ask the Halfling if he’d like to go on a walk around the estate.
It was easy for Onew to forget that Key’s life had once been so dependent on - so dictated by - nature. Key came from a world without electricity or air conditioning or someone to grow your food for you. He had once spent his whole life among the trees, and Onew was ashamed to admit that he hadn’t realized how important it would be for the Halfling to reconnect with the nature that he’d been kept from for so long.
“How much of this land belongs to you?” Key asked softly, hand reaching out absently to touch the bark of a tree.
“Everything you can see,” Onew responded just as quietly. He was overcome with the feeling that if he spoke at a normal level he would break whatever trance Key seemed to be in; all happy sighs and eyes full of wonderment. “About two thousand acres. It all belongs to my father, though, not me.”
Key hummed in acknowledgement but made no other comment. He simply kept walking around the property, staring off at the edge of the trees several hundred yards away from the cleared land where the house sat.
A bird flew overhead and Key’s ears perked to attention, his head snapping immediately to locate the small animal. He watched it disappear into the sky, a small smile tugging at his lips.
“May we go on walks more, my lord?”
“Of course,” Onew smiled. “Whenever you like.”
Key turned his head to look at something else that had caught his interest. The sun caught his cheekbone just right and his skin glowed again. He began walking and Onew watched his thin fingers slowly slide from the bark of the tree.
Onew’s hand itched to chase after it, to twine those thin fingers with his own thicker ones. He clenched his fist at his side instead.
-------------------
Onew sunk deeper into the leather chair in front of his bedroom’s fireplace. He was responding to an email from Jonghyun, or at least he was supposed to be. He couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering up and landing on Key, who was across the room at his vanity, busy brushing out his tail with a comb.
He had caved about a month ago and finally ordered the Halfling a mahogany vanity complete with a big mirror, cushioned chair and drawers to hold all his products. Key was more than delighted to set up and organize all his hair pastes and moisturizers, and Onew was ecstatic to have his desk back.
Key shifted in his seat and began spreading some sort of cream over his hands before applying it to his hair. Onew could swear he was in a trance while he watched Key’s fingers glide through the blonde strands atop his head, just barely graze over the shorter hairs on his pointed ears. He wondered what it would feel like to have those hands running through his own hair. How would Key’s nails feel as they lazily scratched at his scalp after a long day?
“Are you alright, my lord?” Key broke the silence. Onew realize with a start that the blonde’s eyes were on him in the vanity mirror and his ears turned back to catch the response clearly from his master.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
Key’s eyes surveyed him skeptically for a moment before they turned back to his own reflection. “Yes, my lord.”
“Key,” Onew started after a moment. Two black eyes turned back to him in the mirror and their owner let out a soft hum of acknowledgement. “Will you ever stop calling me ‘my lord?’”
“I do not think it would be appropriate to call you anything else.”
Onew was about to make a smart reply about how Minho was rubbing off far too much on the feline Halfling but he got distracted as his eyes landed on one long, pale finger applying a balm to pink lips.
“…Right,” he replied absentmindedly.
Later that night Onew awoke suddenly from a feverish dream with a very distinct problem between his legs.
---------------------------------
Onew had enjoyed a surprisingly blissful and quiet five months with Key by his side. They had taken their hurdles in stride and grown more comfortable with each other than Onew could ever have imagined when Key first arrived. But, it seemed, all good things must come to an end and this end came in the form of a phone call from the Duke.
Prior to Key’s entrance into Onew’s life, he had spent most of his weekdays in the capitol city in an area known as the Capitol Compound. The Compound, a large area consisting of five building holding all the national political offices was located in the center of Hwaegoong. The royal branch of the government had an entire building with offices for the King as well as every Duke or Duchess in the country and the liaisons to the media and the other parts of the government. It was in this building that Onew spent most of his time at the capital, either shadowing his father or running errands. Until his time as Right Hand to the King came, Onew was no more than an errand boy. The Duke, however, felt it was the best way to expose Onew to his future responsibilities. As Right Hand to the King he would be seen as a huge public figure, having to deal with politics and the media as well as the public - his least favorite things.
So, it was with a heavy heart that Onew woke up early the next Monday morning, dressed in nice pants and a button up shirt, and headed into Hwaegoong. He had asked his driver to drop Key at the royal palace to stay with Taemin and Minho for the day.
Onew had been at his desk for only three hours and had glanced at his phone upwards of thirty times. He was supposed to be editing a speech his father was to give later that day at a meeting of Parliament but that wasn’t anywhere near being finished. It would take him a mere fifteen minutes to read through it and yet he could never focus. After fifteen more minutes of staring at his computer in vain, Onew found himself dialing the phone.
“Hello, Cousin!” Taemin’s voice chirped from the phone happily.
“Taemin-ah, are you still in the palace?” Onew asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant.
The Prince gave a sigh. “Hyung, of course I’m still in the palace. I promised you I would be here all day to babysit Kibum-“
“I did not ask you to babysit him.”
“-so you can have peace of mind.”
There were a few moments of silence and then, “I didn’t ask you to babysit Kibum,” the elder repeated.
“Sure, hyung,” Taemin responded, clearly not believing a word. “What can I do for you?”
“I was simply calling to see how things are going,” Onew said and tapped his pen against his desk.
“Kibum is fine. We were watching a movie so if you don’t mind, I’m going to hang up now.”
“I wasn’t asking about Ki-“
“Bye, hyung!” Taemin chirped happily before the line went dead.
Onew scoffed at the audacity of his cousin. He tossed his pen to the side and glared with renewed annoyance at the glowing screen before him. Weren’t there specific editors they hired to do this?
“Are you done with the speech?” Onew jumped in his seat and looked up to see his father standing before him.
“Not yet, I am still-“
“How long have you had the file?”
“I am just trying to be thorough, Father,” the heir offered somewhat lamely.
“Well I suggest you focus and finish it, Jinki-yah. I have to give that speech this evening not next week,” the Duke gave him a hard look before leaving the room the opposite way he had entered and going into his own private office.
“Yes, Father,” was mumbled quietly. Onew gave a quiet sigh and turned his focus on the task at hand.
Twenty minutes later, Onew was just starting his second read-through of the speech when he heard footsteps entering the area shared by him and his father’s personal secretary - a sort of room between his father’s private office and the busy hallway outside.
He expected the visitor to speak with Eunmi, but instead he felt a present before him and heard a throat clear. Looking up, Onew had to forcefully hold in his grown of annoyance and dislike.
“Jinki-yah,” the tall man smirked down at him.
“Dongwan-ssi,” Onew responded tightly. Dongwan smirked and raised an eyebrow at the obvious dislike; before Key had come into his life there had been a time where Onew used to begrudgingly call Dongwan hyung.
“How is everything? How’s your Halfling?” Dongwan drawled the last part, leaning against Onew’s desk and letting a greasy smirk spread over his lips.
“What brought you to the Right Hand’s office?” the younger continued on as best as he could without becoming uncivil.
“Just political business. Budget plans, conflicts with the space ports on the Halfling transport route,” he answered flippantly, as if it were all such a bore. As if they weren’t talking about the system where in hundreds of thousands of living beings were traded like cattle.
“Well, I’m sure Eunmi would be happy to help you.”
The secretary across the room from Onew straightened at her desk and opened her mouth as if to speak but abruptly stopped when Dongwan ignored her.
“She could, but I would so rather speak with you Jinki-yah. Are you sure you still don’t want to lend your Halfling to me for a night? You’ve had him for months now, surely you’re growing bored?” Dongwan cocked his head to the side. Onew clenched his fists under the desk in an attempt to control his anger. “I still have that feline Halfling I told you about and I would be willing to do a simple trade. God knows I’m growing tired of him; I’ll probably get rid of him in a few months-“
Unable to control himself any longer Onew stood abruptly and slammed his clenched fists on the wood top of his desk. Almost simultaneously Eunmi stood from her seat.
“The Duke will see you know, Lord Dongwan,” she said timidly, though trying valiantly to make her voice louder. Dongwan gave the woman no more than a grunt and threw Onew a smirk before heading for the office door. Onew watched him disappear through it before deflating into his chair with a sigh. “Are you alright, my lord?” Onew looked up to see Eunmi watching him worriedly.
“I am quite fine, Eunmi-ssi. Thank you,” he smiled weakly.
After a few moments of silently staring at his desk, Onew heard shuffled steps heading for him. Eunmi stood before his desk nervously, holding her tablet in her hands.
“I just thought you should see, my lord,” she near whispered and handed the tablet over. Onew looked down at the device to find a newspaper article about him - the Hermit Heir as this one was calling him. He slid his finger across the screen to show another article in another paper, then another, and another and another. They all said the same things, talking about how he had disappeared from social life in the past few months and many were wondering if it had anything to do with the Halfling he had finally purchased. Onew gave an annoyed groan. He hated the media and though paparazzi had long been outlawed in Hangeong it didn’t make it better.
“Thank you,” he responded softly and handed the tablet back without another word.
Onew spent the rest of the day brooding in his own thoughts. He went between hating Dongwan and wanting to keep him as far from Key as possible and hating the media and wanting to keep them as far from Key as possible. He constantly worried someone from the street would use a super powered zoom lens and snap a picture of Key entering the royal palace or perhaps through a car window. The lenses were illegal for any non-professional photographers but he doubted that would stop the devout Royal enthusiast.
By the time Onew could go home, he had fallen even further into his annoyance with almost everyone, and his pure hatred toward one Choi Dongwan. When they reached the palace to pick up Key, Onew was no better.
“Hello, my lord,” the blonde smiled brightly at his master. Onew smiled back but it was half-hearted at best and, in an effort to hide his mood from the other, he simply turned to stare out the opposite window.
A small frown settle across Key’s bow lips and he slid into the car silently. Onew was so busy mulling over his thoughts for the rest of the ride home that he didn’t noticed two drooped blonde ears or the white teeth worrying pink lips or the concerned furrow of two bold eyebrows.
And he certainly missed the thin, delicate fingers that reached out to touch his hand only to pause at the last moment and pull back to their owner’s side.
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Well. I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry. And I actually really hate this part. But tbh it's llaying all the ground work for where I want to go so hopefully I'll be able to write easier from here on out? Please tell me what you think and be honest! This part felt terrible and so rushed to me but I just felt terrible keeping you all waiting. ;-; Thank you all so much for reading. It means the world! <3 Also, it's 3 AM and i'm running off no sleep and i have not at all read this over so im sorry for that too :(
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