originally published - 090816

rating: varies
(current) length: 1166 words
genre(s): varies
pairing(s): ricsyung / ricsung
description: prompted by the number five. 

+ random af

092417 ► stories from the cinq collection are actually completed, but as i don't have time to complete all 20 chapters right now i'll just be posting the ones i have done on here.

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• "anyone could tell from here."

  The elf blinks at him before laughing, sheathing his sword. 

  "Anyone could tell from here. You look exactly like a stereotypical royal."

  Eric now thinks he should have accepted the spare peasant clothes his servant had offered him. Of course, even in a plain outfit you could tell the seams were woven by the finest tailor and thread.

  He pulls his hood up again, pulling the cloak over white and blue to hide a status no-longer-his.

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  The prince tries to play stupid anyways, even in the face of a smirking rebel. Both of them know the truth, but he just refuses to admit it. 

  "Oh, really? My apologies sir." he speaks, sarcastic in tone while bowing deeply. "I seem to have made a wrong assumption."

  "Yes, it seems you have."

  Without warning Eric finds his arm behind his back and a dagger against his throat.

  "Now, Prince Eric, you'll be smart enough to listen and do as I say."

 

• "are you finishing that or...?"

  He hasn't had any real food for the past week. Eric's stomach feels hollow and that - that's new. As a prince he's never actually felt hunger before. It was also meals on time, fully cooked with the finest resources available and prepared by the best chefs in the kingdom. 

  Obviously, the rebels know this. They throw him scraps after they've all had their own food. 

  Hyesung sits next to him with a half-eaten turkey leg that he hasn't bitten into for the past minute. That in itself is a feat for someone living outside of the kingdom where food is scarce.

  "Are you finishing that or...?" he asks, the words leaving his mouth before he registers actually saying them. 

  The elf blinks, like their first meeting, turning to look at Eric with an almost confused expression. However, in a rare display of kindness he hands the meat to Eric who immediately brings it to his mouth. He takes a large bite, almost choking as Hyesung begins to laugh and looking at him from the corner of his eye.

  "Jeez, prince, you must be starving. I don't think anyone's ever seen you eat like such an animal."

  Others around the fire laugh, Hyesung's chuckle quiet but not restrained beside him. 

  Eric's cheeks darken and he tilts his head down, but keeps eating.

 

• "are you stupid or stupid?"

  Stumbling over a fallen beam without much grace he finds himself dragged into the old dining room. 

  Other rebels let out a battle cry, darting down the hall as Hyesung slams the door shut. Eric shrinks back once he turns from the door. 

  "Are you stupid or stupid?" 

  Eric wonders if he's supposed to answer this question. 

  When Hyesung pulls a dagger from his belt, the same one from their first meeting, Eric thinks it better to keep his mouth shut while backing away. His foot catches on the carpet and he falls against the dining table. By then Hyesunng is upon him, bending him over till his back is almost touching the table. 

  He's angry.

  Closing his eyes as the sharp object is raised Eric wonders if this is it. If he's messed up so much during the groups mission that he'll be killed instead of used for ransom like they'd all originall planned. 

  A strange noise come into the room, and he opens his eyes to find Hyesung cutting his own clothes.

  "What...?"

  Eric is at a loss for words, not knowing what the elf is doing until the cloth is ripped away and pressed against his arm. 

  It's only then that he lets out a hiss and realizes he'd gotten injured. He moves his head to look down at the wound but Hyesung uses his other hand to force his chin up.

  "Don't look."

  "Why?" he asks, a bit alarmed now. "Is it bad?"

  "Just, don't look."

  He listens, keeping his eyes trained on the ceiling and letting Hyesung dress the injury with the material of his outfit. Eric's arm shakes with both hurt and the strain of gripping the edge of the table. If he focuses hard enough he can feel Hyesung's thumb brush across his skin.

 

• "anything, just call me, okay?"

  They're leaving him. The mission failed and they're leaving him in the middle of the forest. 

  "What if I...what if I need to find you?"

  Hyesung smiles and it's rueful. As if he doubts that Eric would ever need him for anything even after doing so much. 

  "Use this." he says, pressing a small object into Eric's hand. Without looking down he feels the ridges of a cove shell from the elven land. "Throw it into any body of water and say my name. Don't fret about the reason."

  "Any reason?"

  "Anything, just call me, okay?"

  One of the rebel group's members call Hyesung's name. He turns back to wave before facing Eric one last time. Then, he leans forward to grip the prince by the back of his neck, and kisses him. 

  "Anything." he whispers against his lips before pulling away and jumping down the slope to join the rest of his crew.

  Eric grips the shell in his hand and watches them walk until they're all gone.

 

• " better have my money"

  " better have my money." A voice comes through the water, echoing a bit before becoming clearer, the sounds of merriment and laughter in the background. Eric blinks as the picture comes into the view. 

  Hyesung is laughing, a goblet of ale in one hand and their message in the other. It takes a moment for him to realize Eric's contacted him before the elf sobers up. He hands his drink to another person and stalks off into the forest where they're holding some event in the clearing. 

  "Who has your money?" is the first thing Eric asks once it's quiet enough for Hyesung to hear him. 

  "No one." 

  "Liar."

  "None of your business."

  The conversation feels easy, even in the midst of whatever awkwardness they might have in person. Eric hasn't talked to Hyesung in months just because, well, he wasn't sure if the other wanted to talk to him. 

  "I was afraid you'd never call."

  His mind blanks.

  "What?"

  "I said, I was afraid you'd never call."

  He looks tired, wiping at his right eye before focusing on Eric figure standing before the lake. 

  "You wanted me to?"

  "Are you kid-, of course I wanted you to!"

  "Oh."

  Looking at the ground sheepishly Eric guesses he got the wrong message. Perhaps he should have tried calling him earlier. He'd missed the other's voice, especially when he hasn't heard it in so long. It's nice to hear it now, in the privacy he has by the lake. 

  "Did you seriously think I didn't want you to call me?"

  "I just assumed-"

  "Well, don't do it again."

  "Okay."

  He'd call him more after this, for days to come.