My Pabo Prince

                “Hahahaha!  I can’t believe you got bit by that crab, Jonguppie hyung.”

                “Crabs pinch, not bite, Junhong.”

                “Shut up, Daehyun.  You’re just mad because you lost in Chicken.”

                The four boys had spent the entire day lazing at the beach- playing games, napping, and most importantly- eating.  It was well into the evening before they finally found themselves strolling back into the castle.

                “Why you little brat- Why do you call him hyung but not me?”

                “MEHRONG!”

                “Cut it out, you t-“

                “YOO YOUNGJAE.”

                All four boys stopped their antics and horse play immediately and their heads shot up to see a seething King and Queen before them.  The two knights and servant instantly bowed their heads and stepped back from the prince.

                “Mother, Father.  I didn’t think you’d be home until tomorrow…”

                “Well it’s a good thing we came home early because apparently we can’t trust you.  What were you thinking?!  Skipping an entire day of lessons and sneaking out when we explicitly forbade it?  What were you even doing?”

                “Mother, it’s not a big deal.  I’ll make it up tomorrow.”

                “Don’t you dare talk back to your mother,” the King interjected.  “You are already behind in every course and you expect to be able to make up for skipping?”

                “I don’t understand why I can’t have a day off every once and a while.  It’s not like the lessons are a big deal anyway.”

                “Youngjae.  You cannot have that kind of attitude when you become king.  The whole kingdom will be dependent upon you.  You need to excel in every course so that you can handle any problems or situations that may arise.  The welfare of thousands of people will rest on your attitude and your ability to conduct yourself and think well and you don’t think these lessons are important?  Do you think you can just take days off to gallivant around once you’re in charge?  What are you going to do then?!”

                “Maybe I don’t want to be king!  Maybe I don’t care about the Kingdom.  Have you ever thought of that?!”

                A loud slap reverberated through the hall.  The other three boys winced, but dared not raise their heads.  Youngjae grabbed his already reddening cheek and glared at his father through teary eyes.

                “Don’t let me ever hear you talking like that again or I will cut your tongue out myself.  Now get out of my sight and be back down here tomorrow at 6am for your lessons.”  Youngjae’s eyes flicked from his father’s blistering glare to his mother.  She was just as cold faced,  though an expression of disappointment was seeping through.  He lowered his gaze and turned for the stairs, running up towards his corridor. 

                The remaining three boys stayed rigid as statues, awaiting their turn.  “And you three.  You better be lucky that I have other matters to attend to now or I’d have you out in the stockades.  What are we paying you for? Your jobs are not to run around, wasting our resources and aiding the prince in his life of deviance.  It is to ensure that he is safe and that he does what he’s supposed to do in order to prepare for his life as king.  You answer to me, not to him.  Is that understood?!”

                “Yes, your majesty,” the three boys answered in unison without ever raising their heads.

                “Now get out of here.  And if this EVER happens again I assure you that you and your families will suffer the consequences.”

                “Yes, your majesty,” all the boys recited with deep bows.  They waited until the king and queen’s footsteps had disappeared before straightening themselves.  Jongup and Daehyun both turned to Junhong as soon as they heard sniffles, however.

                “Junhongie,  what’s wrong?”

                “I’m sorry hyungs.  It’s all my fault,” the young boy started to cry, fat tears rolling down his pale cheeks.

                “What do you mean?”

                “I’m the one who begged Youngjae hyung to go to the beach today.  It was all my idea from the start.  I just didn’t want to sit in those boring lessons anymore.”  By this point Junhong was sobbing and it was hard to make out his exact words.  Jongup wrapped his arms around the taller boy and cradled him as best he could.  Junhong’s hands instantly flew to the knight’s shirt and he sobbed into his shoulder.

                “I’ll take him upstairs.   You go check on the prince.”  Daehyun nodded in response and dashed up the stairs.

                “What are we going to do, darling?” The queen sighed as she sat down on the bed.

                “I don’t know.  I honestly just don’t know what to do with that boy anymore.  We’re running out of options.”

                “You don’t have faith in him to become king, do you?” The king’s silence was his answer.  “So we’re just going to hand him and our country over to the Bang’s?  For them to crush it like they’ve done every other neighboring kingdom?”

                “You heard them earlier.  ‘We hope to see the kingdoms united…one way or another.’  It’s either through a marriage or through an invasion.  We’re a country of fishermen and farmers-not warriors.  Hell, the knights we do have can’t even keep the prince from running off.  What do you expect them to do against an army like theirs?”

                “What if we married him off to the princess from Dongye?  Then we’d have at least one ally that isn’t loyal to Goguryeo.”

                “What good does that do us?  They share no borders with them and while they’re larger and more formidable than we are, they’re still no match for Bang’s armies.  Not to mention, do you even remember what happened the last time Youngjae met the princess?  They had to have all those wigs special made for her after the boys set her hair on fire.  If I remember correctly, he’s technically banned from that country...”

                The queen sighed into her hands, shoulders hunched.  “I can’t…. I just can’t give my son over to them.  I don’t trust them and he’s our only child.”

                Daehyun bounded up the stairs and down the hall, rushing into Youngjae’s room.  He wasn’t surprised to find it dark and deserted, however.   Youngjae didn’t like people to see him upset, and thus would always run and hide somewhere less obvious until he could calm down.  Daehyun backtracked down the hall, slipping through a dingy, rarely used door and into a dark closet.  Without light he bumped his way past the room’s contents to the back where he opened another door that opened to a narrow, spiraling staircase.  His feet clanged against metal steps as he made his way dizzily up the steep stairs.  The musty, moldy smell was starting to make him feel nauseated and he was already tired from today’s events, but he pushed on.  After what felt like eternity, he reached the top and opened the final door.  Fresh air rushed into his lungs and he inhaled the scent.  Letting the door close behind him, he inspected the secret terrace, far away from wandering eyes, and spotted his brunette prince huddled on the ground towards the end.

                “I thought I’d find you here.”

                Youngjae jolted and turned to stare at the intruder but quickly hid his face back in his knees, trying to mask his tears.

                “Go away.” His voice was muffled from his pants and cracked from him restrained sobs.

                Daehyun knew better, however.  This wasn’t the first time he had had to come here to retrieve a crying Youngjae.  Ever since Youngjae was a child, he was prone to getting yelled at- whether it be by his parents, teachers or other royal members.  Youngjae had always been a troublemaker but he refused to let anyone see him cry.  Soon after Daehyun was knighted and placed under Youngjae, the prince had gotten in trouble for drawing inappropriate doodles of his math teacher.  The teacher scolded him and rapped his knuckles with a ruler.  Even though the teacher shouted at him to come back, Youngjae took off running out of the classroom.  Never having seen the prince run away before, Daehyun was at first frozen in shock and unsure of what to do, but as he thought about the tears that had started streaming down the young boy’s cheeks, he took off running after him. 

                Daehyun sprinted to the prince’s room but was confused to find it empty.  He wandered back down the hall, racking his brain for all the possible places Youngjae may have run off.  Lucky for him, the twelve year old prince was also a bit of a clutz and since he was a sobbing mess, he didn’t manage to make it through the dark, deserted store room very gracefully.  Daehyun heard the clanking and crashing furniture and managed to open the door just in time to find Youngjae disappearing up the staircase.

                “Wait!” he called out in vain.  He stumbled through the long forgotten housewares and knickknacks, chasing Youngjae up the steep staircase.  When they finally reached the top, he was astonished by the small but quaint terrace he had never seen before.

                “Your Highness, please come back,” he called as he jogged after the still crying Youngjae, finally managing to catch up and grab his wrist.  He was taken aback, however, when he was met with the red, blotchy, tear streaked face screaming back at him.

                “DON’T CALL ME THAT!”  Youngjae tried to move away from him, but Daehyun kept a strong hold, pulling him closer.

                “W-what’s wrong, your…” Daehyun trailed off, unsure of what to do.  Though he had called the prince by his first name as children during their secret nightly get-togethers, he had ceased to do so the moment he was knighted.  It had been months since he was allowed to use the boy’s name.  Youngjae turned and grabbed onto the front of his shirt, sobbing into his shoulder.  Daehyun let go of the boy’s wrist and wrapped his arms loosely around his shoulders instead.  He felt Youngjae’s weight start to drop and he followed him until they were a strange, tangled mess kneeling on the ground.

                “Just… please… when it’s just the two of us, don’t call me that…” Youngjae’s sobs had died down and were now just breathy hiccups, his voice quiet and hoarse.  “Please… call me like you used to before…”

                “Your-…Youngjae…” the name was uneasy in Daehyun’s mouth, though he had to admit that he liked using it better than the official title.  “What’s wrong?  Why are you so upset?  The teacher didn’t even yell at you that bad.”

                Youngjae sniffled in silence into Daehyun’s shirt for a few moments.  The older boy tried to crane his neck to get a look at the prince’s face but it was too buried.  Finally his voice came out, though tired and muffled.  “I’m just so tired…”

                “Tired?  Didn’t you sleep a lot last night?  You went to bed at like 10.”

                Daehyun jumped when he felt a small giggle reverberate into his neck.

                “Not that kind of tired, pabo…”  Youngjae trailed off and went silent for a minute before lifting his face off the crook of Daehyun’s shoulder, but keeping his hands firmly grasped in his shirt.  “I’m tired of… this…  Ever since you were knighted and I was put into official royal training, I just hate everything.  I’m tired of my teachers and parents breathing down my neck, the endless classes of stuff I don’t care about.  I couldn’t care less about becoming King.  But the worst part is…you.”

                “Me?!” Daehyun’s eyes widened and he craned his neck once more to look at the prince.  The boy was staring at the wet spot he had made on Daehyun’s shoulder and though his tears had stopped, his face was still streaked and red.  “What did I do?”

                “You stopped being my friend.”

                “What do you mean, stopped being your friend?! I’m right here, aren’t I?”

                “Yeah… but as Sir Daehyun, not Daehyun the fatty pabo.”  Daehyun narrowed his eyes at the long unused nickname but otherwise kept quiet.  “Ever since you and Jongup were knighted and I started official training, you’ve only been official around me.  Always calling me ‘Your Highness’ and forcing me to study constantly, not ever talking or playing with me anymore.  I’m just a job to you now…”

                The hurt in Youngjae’s voice made Daehyun’s heart sting.  “Youngjae…. I-I’m… I’m sorry.” Daehyun’s heart clenched and he felt his arms tighten around the prince’s shoulders.  He had been so determined to do his job well, to become the perfect knight so that he could take care of his parents and sisters- that he hadn’t even noticed himself change.

                “Just… please… away from everyone else… will you still by my fatty pabo?  Then maybe I’ll be able to put up with all of this stupid crap.”

                Daehyun let out a small chuckle, tightening his grip.  “I’ll always be your fatty pabo…”

              Daehyun knelt down next to his sniffling friend, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.  “Youngjae… Youngjae-yah…” he whispered into the boy’s ear.

                “I’m sorry, Daehyun.  You warned me and I didn’t listen…” Youngjae mumbled.  He lifted his head when Daehyun started to chuckle.   The older boy had a bright smile and his eyes had shaped into pretty crescents.  Youngjae felt his heart beating faster at the sight and his sniffles and tears came to a stop.  “What’s so funny?”

                “When have you ever listened to me?  Do you know what you put me through?  And you’re just apologizing now?”

                “Yah!  I’m being serious and heartfelt here!” Youngjae felt his shy moment from earlier slip away as he punched the knight in chest.  He tried to move away but was pulled back by Daehyun’s strong grip into a tight hold against the older teen’s chest.  He initially struggled, throwing his weight around to break free, but the knight was much stronger from years of physical training and didn’t so much as budge.  Youngjae finally gave up, not really even wanting to break free anyway, and settled into the embrace with his cheek pressed against Daehyun’s hard chest, arms snaking around his waist.  He could hear Daehyun’s heart beating loudly and felt his eyes close and relax to the sound of the vibrations.

                “I know, I know.  I’m sorry.  But seriously, Youngjae, what’s really wrong?”

                Youngjae let out a sigh.  While he wasn’t one who usually liked expressing his feelings, in front of Daehyun he felt like he could let everything out.

                “I’m scared, Daehyunnie.  I’m scared to become king.  I know I can’t do it.  I fail at everything else and I know I’ll fail at that too.  And then it won’t just be my parents and my teachers and you that I’m letting down, but thousands of people whose lives I’ll be ruining.  It would have been better if I had never been born so that the Kingdom could have a chance of having a prince who is actually worth something.”

                “You’ve never let me down, Youngjae.  Never.  I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.” Daehyun’s tone was harsh but he tightened his grip even more around the prince in his arms.  If it had been anyone else, Youngjae would have complained about the cut to his oxygen supply, but in Daehyun’s arms he finally felt safe and comforted.  He tightened his own grip and snuggled further into his knight’s chest, taking in the familiar scent that was the castle and sea salt and sweat and everything Daehyun.

                “And you’re not a failure.  You can do this.  Just because you don’t like lessons doesn’t mean you can’t be a kind and gentle ruler who will care about his people.  And Jongup and Junhong and I will always be by your side to help you when you need it.”

                “You promise?  You’ll never leave me?” Youngjae’s voice was drowsy and quiet. He was getting intoxicated by Daehyun’s scent and warmth and was steadily lolling off to sleep.

                Daehyun nuzzled his face into the short brown locks below, hearing the younger boy’s breath evening out and feeling the grip on his waist slackening.

Hello again!  I know I just uploaded the first chapter yesterday (<_<)  but I was so overwhelmed by the initial response that I got excited and needed to write more!

Though not a lot happens- it’s mostly just setting the story for why Youngjae’s parents are considering marrying him off and trying to build DaeJae’s relationship.  So… FLUFF!

(Un)fortunately, I will be leaving for Korea tonight until Monday and will thus have no internet connection (as I will be running around trying to stalk down y Korean boys.  Though I’ll be in Busan, so probably no chance of running into our lovely bunnies).  And while I’m super excited about this, it also means that I absolutely cannot update for the next week.  I hope to have the next chapter out next Wednesday.  I'm currently handwriting it, since I won't be taking my computer and will take train/bus/plane time to get it all fleshed out and then sit down to type it up when I get back. 

And be ready for serious Yongguk/ Himchan appearances!  It’s scary how easy it is for me to imagine them as evil sadists (O_O).

Also, if you’re a tumblr user, come check me out.  It’s just like 116% BAP spam, with some other things thrown in there and not very interesting, but hey.  That’s mostly what Tumblr is right?  Though I won’t be updating that either for the next week… so it’ll be even more boring than usual.

http://kumadaniyo.tumblr.com/

Well, adieu!  Until next time!

Love, Dani