A Visit in the Night               

                   (Quick Note: This is for all readers who chose to skip Chapter 9.  As I said before, it was pretty plot less .  All you need to know is that a) it happened, b) all Youngjae could think of was Daehyun and c) Bipolar Yongguk went through a range of emotions, most importantly rage at finding out that Youngjae had been with Daehyun and also finding himself starting to care about Youngjae (though it keeps getting cancelled out by his evil, sadistic side that flares up.)  You are now officially caught up!)

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                “Scrub harder!  What is that?  Is that a speck of dirt?!  What are you doing to my floors?!” 

                Junhong growled under his breath, trying to block out the older boy’s nagging voice.  It had been three days since he had moved into the castle-three awful, painful, tiring, hunger filled days.  Himchan had stayed true to his word to make the servant’s life a living hell.  Junhong spent every waking hour underneath the diva’s foot, being forced into torturous housework.  He was currently scrubbing the entire dining hall with a tooth brush, though his work was quickly coming undone by the blood from his knees that was smearing the ground behind him as he scrubbed.  He was also being forced to sleep in that awful, dank cell on a straw pallet with no pillow.  Not that he was in there much, since he was only allowed to sleep for 5 hours a night anyway. 

                “Hurry up.  If you don’t finish at least halfway before noon then I won’t give you any lunch.”

                Junhong scoffed at this.  Since he had been here he had only been given one meager meal a day.  He knew Himchan was trying to break him but he was doing his best to resist.  It was true that he had never truly worked before- his life in the Yoo castle had basically just consisted of being fed and paid to follow Youngjae around.  The prince and his servant had been such good friends that the former had never really felt comfortable asking him to do anything beyond a few, light favors.  But now Himchan had him working so hard that his entire body felt stiff and he was light headed from the lack of food and sleep.

                Every now and then he’d feel on the verge of breaking, of telling Himchan that he’d be his “personal pet” (as Himchan called it), but then he’d look up at the smug face with his stupid rabbit teeth and realize that he’d rather drop dead than give in.  There was also a small hope inside of him that Youngjae would soon come to save him.  He couldn’t believe that his life long friend would let him be subjected to these conditions.  But with each passing day that he had yet to even set eyes on the prince, he was starting to question their whole relationship together.  Where was he?  What was he doing?  And why had he forced Junhong to stay here when he sent the two knights back?

                Junhong was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the bucket of water and knocked right into it.  It spilled over at least an hour’s worth of work and right onto Himchan’s shoes.

                “What the hell are you doing?!” Himchan spat and sent a swift kick to Junhong’s side, causing the younger boy to crumple.  “You’re not getting dinner either now, you little punk!”  Himchan huffed and inspected his now sopping feet.  “Chanyeol! Baekhyun!  Get over here and watch him while I go change shoes!”

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                Youngjae stared blankly out the window from his seat, looking but not seeing anything.  For the past three days after the wedding he had luckily been left mostly to himself while Yongguk was off dealing with official business.  He had found only one spot in the entire castle that he felt even slightly comfortable in- the window seat in the sitting room of Yongguk’s room.  The musky smell of the old books and the warmth from the sun through the west facing window slightly helped to ease his heart.  At least more so than being locked in that dungeon that Yongguk called a bedroom.  And the time away from Yongguk’s constant mood swings was much appreciated.  He constantly felt on edge as Yongguk would be tender with him one moment and screaming at him the next.  He really didn’t understand what was going on in the older boy’s head.  Wasn’t this all just supposed to be a game to him?

                Youngjae’s fingers played absent-mindedly with the pendant in his hand while he was lost in his thoughts.  During the past two nights after his and Yongguk’s “spousal activities”, Yongguk had made comments about the necklace that the younger boy always wore.  He would try to touch it, to inspect it, to find out what it meant.  Youngjae had tried to play it off as a meaningless trinket but the older boy didn’t seem to buy it.  So, even though he had vowed to himself just a little over a week ago to never take it off, he had felt compelled to do so in case Yongguk wised up to its meaning and took it from him.  Now he carried it in his pocket, hiding it away amongst his other possessions at night and only taking it out when he was alone.

                “Do you hate me now?” he asked the white and yellow faced bunny, though his question was really meant for someone else.  “I’d hate me if I were you.  But I suppose it’s better this way… if you hate me then you’ll want to move on instead of waiting for me when I can never come back… And that’s what I want.  For you to move on and find happiness with someone else.  If I can imagine you being happy, then I can be happy too.”  Youngjae gave a small smile as the tears started to roll down his cheeks.  Even though he knew his heart could be at ease if Daehyun moved on to be happy without him, it wouldn’t help this void of emptiness he had been feeling in the brunette’s absence. 

                “Why are you crying over there?” Youngjae jumped at the sound of the husky voice and quickly shoved the necklace into his pocket.  “What are you doing?”

                “N-nothing. I was just reading this book and it made me tear up, so I needed to take a break,” Youngjae lied quickly as Yongguk made his way over.  The younger prince quickly grabbed the book nearest to him and pretended to inspect it.

                Yongguk glanced down at the title Everything You Need to Know about the Spanish Fly and raised an eyebrow but chose to ignore it.  He wasn’t stupid.  He knew why Youngjae was crying.  While he hoped that someday the boy wouldn’t find his new life so miserable and would be able to forget the brunette knight and come to him willingly, he also knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight.  Sure, this had all initially started as something for him and Himchan to combat their boredom, but in seeing the young prince again, he was feeling something that he didn’t understand, something that he didn’t really know how to handle.  He had wanted to spend more time with Youngjae so that the younger wouldn’t have time to think about Daehyun, so that they could get to know each other better, so that he could try to understand these feelings, but some minor incidents had called his attention away for the past few days.

                “My parents called us to lunch.”

                “I’m still not feeling well.  Can you send my apologies again today?  I don’t need anything sent up.”  Youngjae had been avoiding everyone in the castle by locking himself away and having his food sent up.  He figured the less time spent with the dreaded people here, the better and he intended to see how long he could play up an upset stomach.

                “I’m sorry, but today they insist.  They haven’t had a chance to talk to you since the wedding and there are a few affairs that need to be settled.”

                Youngjae let out an inaudible sigh and stood up from his spot, instantly missing the warmth of the sun.  He reached in his pocket, fingers clasping around the pendant to help calm his nerves.  He left the comfort of the cozy sitting room for the cold halls and fought the urge to smack Yongguk’s hand from the small of his back as the older prince led him through the labyrinth of the still foreign castle.

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                Daehyun and Jongup trudged their way back to their new dorm.  When they had arrived back in the kingdom three days ago, they had obviously been reassigned since there was no longer a prince to serve.  Youngjae’s parents had been incredibly apologetic, as they didn’t know the reason for their son’s change of heart either.  They had promised that the boys would be able to keep the same amount of pay, since personal knights make more than guard knights, and would still be provided free housing, though it wasn’t the quality they were used to in the castle. 

                They had been put to work as guards at the front gate of the castle together.  Luckily nothing of interest had happened because both boys were so lost in their own thoughts and self-pity that they weren’t paying a bit of attention to what they were supposed to be doing.  Jongup was fretting over Junhong.  What exactly was he doing in the castle if he wasn’t working for Youngjae?  And what was that sleazy Himchan doing to him?  He remembered how the older boy had acted when he came to Baekje that day and now Junhong was locked in the boy’s home without Jongup to protect him.

                Daehyun’s thoughts were naturally on Youngjae.  He still couldn’t come up with any reason as to why the prince would dump him and choose Yongguk except for the reasons Youngjae had shouted at him that night.  Daehyun didn’t want to believe them to be true, but his rattled mind couldn’t come up with any other explanations.

                Finally the pair of boys reached the knights’ dorms and found their way to their shared room and flopped on the beds.

                “I’m gonna go bathe,” Jongup broke the silence after a minute, “Wanna come along?”  Daehyun shook his head.  He knew he was filthy, but he just didn’t have the energy to care anymore.    He just wanted to sleep and never get up.  Jongup decided to save the lecture and give his hyung the night off.  He gathered up his towel and soap and slipped out of the room as Daehyun lay on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

                  “…And do you, Yoo Youngjae, take Bang Yongguk to be your lawfully wedded husband?  To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

                The brunette prince’s eyes little up and he smiled his infamous chubby-cheeked smile as he looked at the red haired prince before him.  “I do.”  He took the wedding band and slipped it gingerly onto Yongguk’s left hand.

                “I know pronounce you married.  You may kiss.”  The entire room erupted into applause as a beaming Youngjae was pulled into an equally elated Yongguk’s arms.  The two shared a tender smile before passionately connecting their lips, Youngjae’s arms wrapping around the red head’s neck while Yongguk’s arms held tightly onto the brunette’s waist.

              The cheers upped in volume when the two pulled away, breathless.  “I love you, Yongguk hyung.  You and only you.”  The two boys interlaced fingers and marched down the aisle, waving merrily at their cheering guests.  They reached the end and Daehyun finally managed to fight his way to the pair.

                “Youngjae!  Wait!  I love you!” he cried, trying desperately to grasp at Youngjae’s free hand but was promptly smacked away by the younger prince.

                “Guards!  Who let this peasant in here?  Get him out of here before he dirties the floors.”

                “Youngjae! Youngjae! WAIT!” Daehyun cried desperately but a group of guards immediately came to drag him away and Youngjae disappeared from his sight.

                “Wake up!” a sharp voice cut through Daehyun’s nightmare and a rough shake of his shoulder jolted him awake.  He strained to focus on the face standing over him in the pitch-black dark and he was soon able to make out a familiar pair of dark cat like eyes set in a pale, sharp face surrounded by a mop of black hair.

                “You!” he shouted when he recognized the Goguryeo guard.  He attempted to grab his sword by his bedside, but in a flash both of his arms were pinned by his head.

                “If we meant you any harm, you’d already be dead,” Zitao hissed above him.  Daehyun shot a panicked glance over to Jongup.  The younger knight was currently hogtied on his bed, a doe-eyed Luhan sitting on the thrashing body.

                “Really.  How are we supposed to tell you anything if you won’t calm down,” Luhan scolded but Jongup wouldn’t relent.

                “What are you two doing here?” Daehyun growled as he continued his struggle, but Zitao was surprisingly strong and barely needed to flex his muscles to keep the brunette in place.

                “Well, we came to talk to you about Youngjae, but if you’re going to be so disagreeable then I guess we’ll just go home.”

                Daehyun and Jongup stilled immediately at the words.

                “Youngjae?  What about Youngjae?  Is he alright?!”

                “Before we answer that, we need to go somewhere more secure.  Get dressed and meet us outside.”

                Zitao let Daehyun’s arms go and Luhan undid the ties holding Jongup.  They swiftly left the room and Daehyun jumped up to grab his clothes.

                “Are you sure we should go out and meet them, hyung?  It could be a trap…” Jongup tried to caution but Daehyun paid his words no attention.

                “They said they have news about Youngjae.  I don’t care.”  Jongup conceded, realizing that there would be no reasoning with his hyung, and got dressed as well.  In record time they were heading outdoors and spotted the two enemy knights leaning against some trees.

                “Let’s go.”  Luhan motioned for the two to follow him and the four made their way deeper into the deserted forest in silence.  Daehyun and Jongup had no idea where they were headed because there was absolutely nothing in this direction, but after about ten minutes of walking, Zitao and Luhan seemed satisfied and stopped.

                “What are we doing here?” Jongup asked suspiciously.

                “We didn’t want to risk being overheard.  Walls have ears, you know.  We’ve already risked enough coming here tonight.  We don’t need it compromised by some eavesdropping doofus,” Zitao explained.

                “You said you had news about Youngjae.  Is he alright?” Daehyun hastily asked.

                “And Junhong?” Jongup added in.

                Zitao and Luhan looked at each other before answering.  “Well, we have news.  If you want to call it good or not is up to perspective, I suppose…” Luhan trailed off.

                “…and I wouldn’t say they’re doing “alright” per se, though they could be doing worse...” Zitao finished.  Daehyun was getting impatient at the pair’s roundabout answers.

                “Just ing tell me about Youngjae before I kill you both with my bare hands!” he shouted.

                Luhan held his hands up in surrender.  “Alright, alright.  He’s with Yongguk.”

                Jongup rolled his eyes.  “Well, duh.  We were there for that part, you know.”

                Zitao glared at the sass but ignored it.  “And while there have been… some incidents…it seems… overall Yongguk’s treating him better than expected, considering the circumstances…”

                “What circumstances?” Daehyun’s heart was about to beat out of his chest and sweat was making its way down his forehead in anticipation.

                “Considering that he’s technically being held captive.”

                Daehyun and Jongup’s eyes both grew large in surprise.  “What do you mean?”

                “Youngjae was blackmailed into staying.  He was on his way out to meet up with you and run away when Yongguk caught him.  Yongguk told him that he’d let him leave, but that if he did, he would take your families and torture them in exchange.  But if Youngjae agreed to stay with him, Yongguk promised to leave you and your families alone forever.”  A wave of mixed emotions flooded through Daehyun at that moment and he couldn’t focus on anything else.  Youngjae didn’t love Yongguk.  He didn’t actually want to stay with Yongguk.  Youngjae had done it all because he did, in fact, love Daehyun.  That was a relief.  But then that also meant that Youngjae was currently being held against his will by an evil tyrant and forced to live in misery just for his sake.  He couldn’t handle that emotionally.

                “What about Junhong?” Jongup asked again.

                “Himchan had requested for him to stay.  It seems that he wanted to keep the boy as his personal pet.”  Jongup’s hands balled into tight fists at this.  “But so far it hasn’t worked in Himchan’s favor.  That little servant boy seems to have a tougher will than we thought and has yet to give in to the flurry of abuse Himchan is unleashing upon him.”  Jongup experienced a tidal wave of emotions similar to Daehyun’s.  He was relieved to hear that Junhong was staying strong and fighting off Himchan’s advances.  But at the same time he was mortified by the idea of the young, delicate boy being subject to abuse.

                “Why didn’t you tell us all of this sooner?  Before the wedding!  Then we could have stopped it.  We have to go save them!  Right now!” Daehyun finally managed to find his voice.  He made to turn back towards the dorm but Zitao caught him again.

                “Do you really think we risked our necks to come all the way out here and tell you that?  There’s much, much more.  And you’re going to ruin it if you go running in half-cocked like an idiot.”

                “We couldn’t tell you before the wedding because we weren’t ready to tell you and we knew you’d do something stupid.  Plus, we didn’t know who could be listening,” Luhan continued.  “We still don’t know who’s loyal to the Bangs and who’s loyal to…us.”

                “What do you mean?”

                Zitao shared a glance with Luhan before continuing on.  “The reason that we’re here telling you all of this is because we need your help.  The truth is that the Bangs are malevolent rulers and the people of our country are taking the brunt of it.  There’s a small sect of us that are tired of seeing our families crushed under their tyrant thumb and want to fight back.”

                “But we’re not ready yet.  Not by a long shot.  And we need a lot more allies from outside of the kingdom.  People we know we can trust.  That’s why we came to you two.  We figured that you’d want to get back at the Bangs more than anyone.  And if we succeed, then you can have Youngjae and Junhong back.  But you have to listen to us.  And most importantly, no matter how much you want to go save them right now, you have to wait until everything’s ready.”

                Daehyun and Jongup only needed to share a quick glance to read the other’s mind.

                “We’re in.”

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Author’s note:

Hello all!  What do you think?  Do you want to kill me a little less after that last chapter?

DaeUp’s worries have been (slightly) alleviated and it’s time to concoct another plan!

What will it be?  How will it go?

Tune in again next time to find out more!

<3 Dani

P.S. And as always, thank you for the fabulous comments.  You have no idea what it means to me log in and see the red "New story comments!" notification.  Even if this story has over 100 subs and over 2500 views now (a celebratory one shot will be coming, BTW), I just assume that everyone looks at it and goes "what is this crap?" unless they comment otherwise (T~T).

So thanks to those who always take a little time and effort to let me know what you think (good or bad).  You guys seriously make my day.