A/N: Here's the fluff you've all been starving for! Take it, read it, process it! Imagine!!
Oho, you're all slaves for fluff, don't deny it. I know you've all been waiting for FLUFF!!
🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
It was middle autumn in Momos Island, the night was naturally cold, accompanied by the sea breeze. Leaves danced with mirth on air, aimless and without a purpose. The shade of gold and red decorated the birch trees along the side of the road, lining out the forest. The year was going to end soon.
Shao Long stood on the balcony of his hospital room, with the windows wide open, letting in the breeze from the sea just half a mile away. Below, stood plenty of guards with weapons in their hands. Shao Long hadn't minded their presence. The only thing that lingered in his mind at the moment was the sea that failed to enter his line of sight due to distance and the darkness of the night. However, it did not change the fact that there was the sea straight up front, and that sea was what separated Momos from any other place in the world.
Shao Long didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Aren't you cold?"
Shao Long turned his head back into the room, slightly surprised by this presence. By the door, Charles stood with a smile that reminded Shao Long of a golden retriever.
A/N: JUST LOOK AT THAT SMILE.
Shao Long looked away once he felt his cheeks flushing warm. Ah, too blinding. Currently, no one else was in the room, leaving only the two of them alone. Shao Long turned back to the balcony, ignoring the other person.
"Not that cold" he had answered.
Charles' smile widened as he clearly saw how Shao Long had tucked away his hands under his sleeves. "Close the window. There's nothing to see outside".
"There's plenty to see" Shao Long smirked "Like that guard over there, almost dozing off while standing. Come here, look".
Charles was instantly dumbfounded. How could a guard doze off while guarding? Rushing to Shao Long's side, Charles had a sharp look on his face, reading to call out to whoever was dozing off. "Where?" he growled.
"Where my ass. These are professional guards. You'd have to call their mothers to sing them lullabies before you get to see them sleep" Shao Long laughed.
Realizing he was tricked, Charles pouted "Geez, you just had to do that...."
"Of course. It's not everyday I get to see the ever-so-kind Prince Charles of America about to scold some guard for not doing their job properly. Where did your soft nature go?" Shao Long rolled his eyes.
Charles scoffed "Who said I was soft in nature. You, out of all people, know that it's not true".
"Quite...." Shao Long chuckled.
From the side, Charles gave him a little glance as he took in the view of Shao Long chuckling. Imaginary sparkles and flower petals flowed beside him, offering a mirage of an angel. His heart suddenly felt warm. Unknowingly, a soft smile made way to his face.
"Hey.." Charles spoke, still glancing at him from the side. "So I found out the other day that you used to....adore me......for 4 years straight...."
"...."
"(◍•ᴗ•◍)"
"......"
"(◍•ᴗ•◍)"
"Get out of my sight" Shao Long swatted his face away. His eyes were closed shut as he lowered his chin, hiding his reddened face with his bangs.
"Oh come on!" Charles laughed "It's rare to meet a hardcore fan like you!"
"Shut up! That's like 6 years ago, okay?! After that, I despised you with seething passion! For 6 years!"
Charles continued to laugh his heart out. His eyes kept prying for Shao Long's own, hoping to see what kind of face Shao Long was making at the moment. If he could, he wanted to stare at that face forever. Seeing the face that was in hiding behind those fringes, Charles stretched out one hand and touched those ebony locks.
Shao Long flinched.
Ignoring the tense shoulders, Charles proceeded to tuck the locks behind Shao Long's ears, revealing the latter's tomato face. Pleased, Charles couldn't resist asking "Then what about now? Do you still hate me now?"
Shao Long could barely restrain his internal screaming as the warm fingers accidentally touched his ears. Upon the question asked, his mind became blank "Umm.....I don't think so...."
"You don't hate me anymore? Really?" Charles' smile broadened so much that Shao Long was starting to worry it would tear.
"En....no......" Shao Long sighed at his own helplessness when it comes to this fluffy durian head. He was just overbearingly cute.
Charles, however, was not satisfied with just that, so he thought of something else. As Shao Long was resting his elbows on the railing of the balcony, his gaze swept across the city view, wishing for the cold wind to cool down his warming cheeks. Charles took the chance to extend a hand over Shao Long's back, trapping him to the railing from behind. Right now, his chest was right behind Shao Long's back. His own elbows were rested beside Shao Long's own. Noticing this awkward position, Shao Long felt his heart racing.
"H-Hey...." he turned his head, only to have his face ending up so close to Charles'. The latter was staring at him, with the kind of eyes that could get you frozen in place. Those baby blue orbs had resembled the days of staring off into the sky as a child. Staring into them deeply gave off a sense of soaring through the big blue sky.
"Hey, Shao Long...." Charles stared back into his eyes, with the pupils like pools of ink, the darkest shade he had ever seen. "Did you bury onyx stones in your eyes when you were younger?"
Hearing this, Shao Long huffed "Did you swallow an azure gem when you were a baby?"
Charles laughed upon hearing the remark. He whispered into Shao Long's ears "Just now you said you don't hate me anymore. Shao Long, do you like me?"
Shao Long felt his hot breath tickling his earlobes, and shivered. He was 100% sure it's useless to hide his now reddened ears. Feeling as if his knees were weakened, his heart frantically beating hard against his ribcage, Shao Long sighed at his own helplessness once again.
Turning his head to face Charles head on, Shao Long mumbled.
"En.....I like you...."
Charles of America, how can you be cute and hot at the same time.
Charles stared at his blushing face for a very long time, his own heart begging to slow down from the clumsy beating. The butterflies in his stomach were probably having a disco dance right now.
The sudden urge to protect this little angel from any harm at all cost surged through his mind. How could he had missed such a precious angel all gis life. How could he have been one of those who had hurt Shao Long the most?
He suddenly felt sad. Ridiculously sad.
"I'll be leaving tomorrow morning...." Charles suddenly spoke, his smile missing from his face.
Shao Long, hearing this, also felt somewhat bitter "Mm....Okay then....be careful".
Charles stared at the upset expression worn by the little angel and gave a soft smile "You too. Don't die when I'm not around.."
"So it's fine if I die in front of you, like right now?" Shao Long frowned. What he didn't realize was the fact that he was basically pouting.
Charles chuckled as he pinched Shao Long's cheeks "Of course not..."
"Aish, that hurts..." Shao Long grabbed Charles' wrists as he said this.
"But really, I'm telling you to be careful. It's.....it's just too dangerous there...." Shao Long sighed.
"Are you looking out for me?" Charles teased. "Did my ears lie?"
"Shut up, I mean it...." Shao Long sighed. Glancing once more into those blue orbs, Shao Long mumbled "Why can't you realize how dangerous it is...?"
"Alright, alright. I'll always be careful for you, okay?" Charles chuckled, then wrapped his arms around Shao Long's torso.
"Is it okay if I hug you?"
"You already did, asshole" Shao Long rolled his eyes, turned around to face him and slithered his own arms around Charles. "If you saw him in Poposi, run away, as fast as you can".
"I'll listen to you...." Charles smiled as he rubbed Shao Long's back. They stayed like that, cuddling into each other's arms for warmth and comfort, as if it was their last time seeing each other.
Funny, because not too long ago, Shao Long used to hate Charles to the core, and Charles saw nothing more than a nuisance in Shao Long.
How did one story change their hearts to this extent?
How could one action lead to such an extreme change?
Charles felt like the person in his arms was a gift sent to him, to make him realize just what he had done, and how to repent. As he inhaled the calming scent from Shao Long's hair, he drew circles on the latter's back.
Until he found something awfully disturbing.
"Shao Long....." he murmured into his ears.
"Hmm?"
".....Your back is uneven....." Charles spoke, his tone turning cold.
"Ah....that.......that's not...." Shao Long slightly panicked. His back was still very much scarred. Blemishes, bruises, unhealed wounds that doesn't bleed anymore. Uneven skin all portraying just how much force it had received for years.
Sensing his uneasiness, Charles instantly knew what it was. After a long pause, Charles asked softly ".....Can I see it?"
Shao Long bit his lips, hesitating to answer. Needless to say, they were still on the balcony, although slightly inside. The window was still open, and the room was cold. No light could be seen from the outside.
He knew, no one had ever seen his back other than Shao Jun, Xueyang and Xi Shen Ko himself. He was originally insecure about it, fearing people would find out. Embarrassed and vulnerable, the two feelings that would fill his heart when someone else saw it. But then again, this was Charles. Charles knew. Charles is safe...
Shao Long exhaled silently.
"...Sure..."
The went inside, and closed the curtains. With the small light from the table, the room illuminated just enough to see the position of the things around the hospital room.
Charles still had his expression cold, though he struggled to not show it. When Shao Long was still hesitating on what to do, he led him. Still in the position as before, they stood facing each other, while Shao Long's back was facing a body-sized mirror just beside the bed. Right at the moment, the only one that could see the mirror was Charles, while Shao Long could only see Charles' neck.
Trembling out of anxiety, Shao Long lowered his forehead onto Charles' shoulder, his hands still wrapped around the teenager's torso.
He looked so vulnerable, so fragile.
Charles glanced at the head resting at the crook of his neck with deep eyes, holding unknown emotions, before turning back to look at the mirror.
His left hand slipped under Shao Long's shirt, raising it up to expose bare skin that looked nothing like what Charles had expected. Shao Long flinched upon his touch, but said nothing.
The look on Charles' face turned more and more severe as his hand raised higher.
The skin had an ugly shade of purple surrounding the wounds from all sides, entrapping the red uneven wounds in the middle. There were mostly lines from cut wounds with scab, and even bruises from blunt force trauma. The rest were of punches and possibly whips. But the most horrifying lines that caught Charles' eyes wasn't any of those lines.
It was the lines that formed words, words he had recognized as Chinese characters.
Charles said nothing as he stared deeply onto the bruises and scars, his gaze peircing cold and dangerous. With both hands, he continued to rub Shao Long's back as if soothing him gently.
It did help. Shao Long couldn't see his expression, so he couldn't tell what he was thinking at the moment.
"Does it hurt?" Charles suddenly whispered, his voice calm and entrancing.
Shao Long was.....unknowingly caught by this hypnotic voice, letting Charles lull him to a state of stupor. As his eyelashes slowly drooped down, he mumbled "No.....it doesn't hurt....anymore".
Charles was someone pleased, hearing this, and drew the figure in his arms closer into his embrace. Like a spell, Shao Long was getting drowsy, with warmth entering his body and mind, relaxing him whole.
Charles traced those words carved onto Shao Long's back with his fingers, humming to something along the way.
Then, he asked.
"....What does this say?" his previous gentle tone turned to that of a carefully restrained anger, waiting to burst. The smile had long been wiped away from hus face the moment he saw the marks. At the moment, what he felt could only be described as pure abhorrence, resentment, revulsion and fury, all directed to a single person.
Oblivious of the demon-like expression on Charles' face, accompanied by the drowsiness and addicting numbness of the mind, he casually replied...
"......It says.......Xi Shen Ko's slave......"