King Sehun

King Sehun sat upon the velvet cushions of his iron throne, looking around at the people that belonged to his court. His chamber maid had chosen simple but elegant clothing for him for this day. Dark colors were chosen, his maid claiming that it made his pale skin and golden hair glow, but the look in her eyes gave away the real reason. Mourning. She dressed me for mourning, he had thought as she clasped the red silk cloak around his shoulders. Emotions had threatened to bubble up and overflow as she placed the heavy crown on his head; the weight representing the burden of his decision. Or more realistically, the decision that his advisor was forcing him to make.

Sehun had to bit the inside of his cheek to keep from reacting as his soldiers roughly brought a tall man into the Hall of Hearing. He was bound by ropes, his wrists tied behind his back, but he still fought to shake the brutal hands on him. A rough push sent the man to the floor in front of Sehun's throne, making the young king jerk with shock.

"You will beg for your life on your knees, scum." One the soldiers growled, taking a handful of dirty and matted blond hair and forcing the man's head back. A gasp left Sehun as he looked over the face presented to him. The nose had clearly been broken, lip split, and the fair skin mottled with dirt and dried blood. But Sehun could not deny that the god-like beauty he fell in love with was still there. He met warm brown eyes with his own and split lips of the older man twitched into a smile.

"Kris." The name came out like a wheeze, the air leaving Sehun's body like he had been punched in the stomach. He wasn't sure he could do this. Memories flooded his mind as he stared into the face of his bound and broken lover.

♦

Sehun never expected to understand what love was in a world of alliances and arranged marriages. Especially after his father's recent death, Sehun wasn't sure he wanted to ever experience the grief he watched his mother go through. But as fate would have it, there would be no avoiding it.

Springtime brought many things. New life, new alliances, new nobles to join his court. It also brought Kris. Kris was the son of one of his father's oldest friends and he had come to represent his father in sending his condolences. Sehun had thought it was terrible that his father's friend wouldn't come himself and was ready to write off the older man, but once Kris had arrived, the teenager changed his tune. There weren't enough words in the world that would allow Sehun to describe Kris' beauty, so he settled with god-like (which made Kris grimace every time it was used). He was tall and well-built with a face that looked sculpted by a holy figure. Short and well-kept blond hair adorned his head but it was the deep timber of the older man's voice that had caught Sehun's attention.

Kris had walked into the Hall or Hearing, bowing and pledging allegiance on behalf of his father before Sehun's mother had jumped up and brought the tall man into an embrace. Sehun was shocked. His mother rarely made a scene over sons of allies of the kingdom but it was the warm way the man returned the embrace and smiled happily that made Sehun's heart stop. And then that smile was him.

"I haven't seen you since you still had a teat in your mouth, Sire. And now you're king. How time flies, doesn't it?" Sehun gaped, his mouth falling open, blinking rapidly. But for the first time since his father's death, his mother laughed. Kris joined in, his hearty laughter mixing with the Queen's tinkling laughter. It was a pleasant sound and Sehun finally broke into a smirk.

"Ah yes, Sir Kris. I do believe I remember you now. If I recall, my father had plenty of stories about you... My favorite he used to tell about you was how when after I was born, you saw me with the wet nurse and threw a fit when you couldn't have some too. Father used to laugh and say that you truly were a man, going after already, way after you had been weaned."

Kris stopped laughing, his turn to look shocked. The Queen hid her smile behind her hand, trying to be tactful, in case Kris was offended. Sehun frowned, sudden panic hitting the younger man. What if he had offended his father's oldest friend's son? But Kris broke into a smile; shaking his head a blush covered his cheeks.

"He did always bring that up whenever he had the opportunity. He was a good man, your father. Good sense of humor." Sehun felt himself break into a smile, nodding happily. His impression of Kris was a positive one, but he had no idea what would become of this budding friendship.

♦

Summer was rapidly approaching and after two short months, Kris and Sehun had become close friends. They were inseparable and Sehun couldn't have asked for a better friend to have between hearings and making major decisions for his kingdom. But there was one small problem. Sehun was falling for Kris.

Sehun had always known he wasn't like the other boys who were training to be knights. He didn't find girls to be particularly pretty and their girlish ways were more annoying than attractive. The way they squeaked and smelled was enough for Sehun to know from an early age that he was far from interested. And there were many a nights that a young Sehun wondered how he was supposed to marry one and produce and heir when he could barely tolerate talking to one, let alone sleeping with one.

Sehun and Kris were lounging in Sehun's sitting room, snacking on tarts and drinking spiced wine, laughing and speaking quietly. They had been laughing over a peer's failure of bedding one of the kitchen maids when it occurred to Sehun that he probably should be acting that way too. He looked thoughtful for a moment before deciding that he did want to be kissed, just not by a woman. But he definitely wanted to experience the heart clenching, groin stirring kisses that the men his age talked about.

"Sehun. You're doing it again. You're off in your own little world." Kris teased, bringing the young king back to reality. Sehun blushed and scratched the back of his head as he muttered an apology. Kris poured them more wine before moving from his chair to the end of the couch where Sehun was lounging. Sehun raised a brow, not used to sharing his seating, but brought his long, slender legs up to his chest to make room for the larger man. He accepted the wine with a nod before bringing it to his lips.

"What are you thinking about?" Kris asked gently, gesturing for Sehun to stretch his legs out again. Without a thought, he stretched his legs over Kris' thighs and relaxed back into the sofa. Sehun blinked at Kris, the wine starting to get to his head, and blurted out his thoughts without hesitation.

"I've never been kissed." Realizing what he had said, Sehun turned red and looked away. Kris sips his wine and ponders for a moment.

"Then why don't you just kiss someone? You're the king. Anyone of those girls would be honored to receive a kiss from you." Sehun made a disgruntled noise and took a gulp of the wine, letting it burn down his throat.

"I don't want to kiss any of them. They're annoying. I don't want to kiss someone annoying." Kris nodded slowly, seeming to understand.

"So you want to kiss someone that you actually like then?" A small smile came to the younger man's face.

"Mm. Isn't that what you are supposed to do?" Sehun asked innocently, his boyish charm shining through as his lips flapped more nimbly. Kris smiled and placed a hand on Sehun's bare ankle. Sehun's ankle suddenly felt hot and a tingling sensation went up his leg, making his eyes fly to meet Kris'. Did he feel it too?

"Of course you should kiss someone you like... but don't you want to be good when you kiss that person? Wouldn't it be prudent to practice first?" Sehun looked a bit startled by this. He had never given this any thought.

"I've never thought about it. But I suppose you would be correct." Kris laughed at this younger friend's reaction before turning his smirk to him.

"Do you want to practice?" Sehun froze. His mouth went dry and his heart began to race. And then it hit him. Yes. He did want to kiss Kris. Swallowing, he looked at Kris haughtily.

"I do think it would be prudent to do so. Is that an offer, Kris?" Kris placed his glass on the table in front of them before shifting to look at Sehun. His voice seemed to get deeper and huskier.

"I told you. It would be an honor to kiss the king." Sehun was back to blushing, adding his glass to the table to distract himself. But as his father would tell him often, a king has no time to be embarrassed. He must be bold and able to make decisions quickly. So he took in a breath and turned to face Kris.

“Then as king, I give you permission to have that great honor.” His voice was soft but firm and Kris seemed to get the idea. He wasted no time, crawling over the lankier man, his lips hovering over the other’s lips. Their eyes met for a split second before Kris pressed down on plump lips.

It was everything Sehun could have imagined. Soft lips caressed his tenderly, making his heart race in his chest. Tentatively, he kissed back, his hands curling into the material of Kris’ shirt. One of Kris’ hands tangled in his hair, pushing their bodies closer together until the elder’s weight rested fully on the young king.

The kiss lasted for what felt like hours until suddenly, Kris pulled away with a jerk. He sat up and looked at Sehun, wide eyed and guilty. He used his hand to wipe his swollen lips before he started shaking his head. “I’m sorry. The wine got to my head. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Sehun hadn’t even had the time to process what had happened until Kris was already out of his sitting room.

♦

Kris avoided Sehun for a week after the kiss. He seemed to be conveniently helping with training or off on some task for one of his advisors. Sehun tried to be mature about it, figuring that Kris was embarrassed to kiss a man (even though he had offered it), but after the eighth day, Sehun found himself outside of Kris’ room at early predawn hours. He gave a nervous knock while holding his breath. His heart started to beat furiously when he heard swearing and movement on the other side.

When the door swung open with a sleepy, shirtless Kris, Sehun wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react. So he cried. Apologies and confessions spilled from his lips and tears ran down his pale cheeks. He hadn’t realized how much he had been hurting until this very moment. “I’m sorry. I was stupid and I shouldn’t have challenged you. I think I’ve fallen for you and I was stupid to think that a kiss wouldn’t change things, but please, Kris, don’t ignore me. I’ll pretend nothing happened. I’ll try to stop liking you. Just please don’t leave me. Please. You can’t leave my side.”

Strong arms wrapped around Sehun, pulling him against the hard, bare chest. He allowed Kris to pull him inside the bedroom before looking up at the older man. Kris gently wiped the tears off Sehun’s face with his thumbs and smiled.

“You weren’t stupid. I was stupid. I thought my head was playing games with me. That if I could kiss you, that I’d be able to walk away and these feelings meant nothing. But I’ve been suffering for a week not being around you. But I was trying to do it for you. You’re the king. This is wrong.” Sehun hiccupped and shook his head.

“The only thing wrong is not being around you. We’ll keep it a secret. We can do it. Everyone knows we’re friends. They don’t have to know how much we mean to each other… Please Kris. Please.” Kris took one look into those glassy brown eyes and lost every ounce of resolve he had acquired over the course of a week. With emotions heightened, lips came together in a flurry, caution thrown to the wind. Kisses turned into bites, caresses turned into s, and step by step they were falling into Kris’ bed with only one thing on their mind.

♦

They are cautious in the early weeks. They stick strictly to the late night for their love making. But Kris is brave and Sehun is needy. Caution is sacrificed for one more kiss or a lingering touch. Discretion is all but lost on them and it is no real surprise when they get caught. Except it is a surprise when the consequences of Kris taking Sehun in the wine cellar lands him in the dungeons.

 ♦

Sehun barely registers the reading of the charges against Kris. All he knows that every part of him is aching to free the man before him and take him in his arms. But as it goes, he would be Kris’ executioner. Sehun is afraid, but not without a plan.

Bile threatens to fill his mouth as the hilt of his mighty blade is pushed into his hands by his advisor. He had never liked the pushy man, but now his malcontent for the man made so much more sense. He shot his advisor an icy glare before taking heavy steps towards Kris. He stops before the bound man who is still smiling up at him.

“I don’t regret anything.” Kris whispers, shoulders squared proudly, despite his bound wrists. Sehun nods, tears coming to his eyes.

“We won’t be apart long.” Sehun whispers back. They share a look, one filled with all the love they cannot say aloud, before the sword swings through the air. Gasps fill the room. His mother starts to cry. A sickening thud echoes off the walls as a body and head separate. The mighty blade falls loudly to the ground and Sehun turns with a swish of his cloak and exits the Hall of Hearing.

Sehun starts off with a quick gait as he weaves his way through the halls of the castle, but soon his lungs burn as he sprints to reach his destination before anyone can catch up with him. His muscles burns, his head pounds, and he doesn’t even realize he’s crying until he reaches a set of stairs. He pushes himself onward, forcing himself to climb the steps as the weight of what he has done begins to hit him.

Sehun bursts through the door of the astronomy tower, slamming it behind him. It doesn’t matter if someone hears, because no one can stop him. No one can save him. He stumbles to the balcony door and pushes it open. The air is cold and crisp and it brings a tearful smile to the young king’s face.

“Just like father. I’ll die in the winter, just like father.” He says to no one particular. His feet feel like lead and it takes all of his energy to climb onto the stone ledge. Sehun takes a deep breath before hysterics set in. He sobs loudly, the pain racking his body.

“I never wanted to love! I never wanted any of this!” He shouts. “Father, why aren’t you here? You could have prevented this! I was never meant to be king! Damn you! DAMN YOU!” A shiver shakes his body violently before he changes his tone. “Mother, oh Mother, I am so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the son you wanted me to be or the king you needed me to be. I just… I can’t be without him, Mother. Please understand. Don’t lose sleep over a son that was not worthy of this name and throne…”

Sehun cries for a moment more before forcing himself to stop. He takes several deep breaths and closes his eyes. “Kris… I’ll see you in the afterlife. I will never leave your side.”

For a moment, Sehun feels likes he can fly. It’s a calming and peaceful feeling. He sighs and keeps his eyes closed, relaxing into his decision of death. We’ll never be apart. He hears a piercing scream. And then everything goes dark.

Well, this little 2800 word oneshot came about bc I got to see meltedicecubes again at Otakon. And I saw this print in person on Friday and its just... gorgeous. If I was more of a Sehun stan, I probably would have gotten it, tbh. definitely check out her art though. She does some amazing work.