Donghyuck was in the middle of pacing back and forth across the room when Mark returned. The alpha king paused in the doorway, and similarly Donghyuck paused in the middle of the room, mid step. They stared at each other for a moment, both of them seemingly feeling a bit awkward, before Mark tried a smile and let the door close behind him.
"Are you alright? Did you send Jeno out into the hallway?"
Donghyuck nodded slowly, scuffing his foot against the wood floor beneath them. "Yeah. I was anxious, I didn't want him to see me pacing and worrying all by myself."
"Why were you feeling anxious?" Mark asked gently, finally making his way over towards the omega. Donghyuck bit into his lip and shrugged.
"Are you still a bit shaken up from the incident last night?"
Donghyuck nodded slowly, and Mark sighed.
"It's okay, Donghyuck. It's only natural that you would still feel scared. I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long today, I should've known it would have put you on edge after all that happened."
Donghyuck stayed silent for another long moment, looking like he was working up the courage to say something before he finally opened his mouth. "Um. Mark?"
"Yes?"
"Would it... would it be weird for me to ask you for a favor?"
Mark furrowed his eyebrows. "What kind of favor? I'll try my best to help with whatever you need."
Donghyuck blushed darker than Mark had ever seen, looking embarrassed. He shifted on his feet for a minute, stalling, before he finally exhaled loudly and let it all out.
"Could... um... could you hug me again?"
Mark blinked, surprised. "Oh... yes, yes of course."
Mark stepped forward and gently pulled Donghyuck into his arms. The omega was stiff as he hugged him back, like he was still ashamed of even being in this position in the first place, but one comforting stroke of his hair from Mark was all it took for him to start to relax.
"Should we lie down and cuddle for a bit? Or would that be too much?" Mark muttered quietly. Donghyuck was quick to shake his head.
"No, it's not too much. Sounds great, actually," he whispered, still sounding shy. Mark grinned and pulled away, climbing up onto the bed before making room for Donghyuck to lay next to him. The omega curled up into his side and rested his head on his shoulder, hands on his chest while Mark's arms were wrapped around his waist.
"You're so clingy today," Mark said teasingly, in an attempt to lighten the mood, "it reminds me of when you were in pre-heat."
Donghyuck blushed even harder, lightly hitting Mark on the arm. Mark just laughed.
"Shut up," Donghyuck mumbled, with no real malice, "I've been paranoid and looking over my shoulder all day today. I feel like being with you is the only time I can relax."
Mark hummed, gently raking his fingers through Donghyuck's hair. The omega let out a pleased sigh at the feeling. "You're safe with me, Donghyuck. I will protect you with my life, no harm will come to you as long as I am next to you."
The omega buried his face into Mark's neck, and it took a moment for Mark to realize he was doing it to hide his face, which probably meant he was blushing again. Donghyuck was so cute that Mark could hardly stand it.
"Thank you for protecting me. I'm sorry that you have to worry about keeping me safe in the first place."
Mark furrowed his eyebrows, glancing down at him. The omega still refused to meet his eyes.
"None of this is your fault, Donghyuck. It's my fault that you're even here to begin with, which means it's my duty to take responsibility for your safety and well-being."
Donghyuck let out a little sigh and said nothing else, just kept himself pressed closely against the king's torso. After a minute, the omega finally spoke up again.
"Don't misunderstand," he murmured, "I'm not cuddling with you because I like you or anything. I'm just here because... uh, because you smell good, your scent is comforting."
Mark let out a surprised laugh, glancing down at Donghyuck again. "Yes of course. Whatever you say, Your Highness."
Donghyuck finally lifted his head to glare at Mark. His hair was a little ruffled from the position he had been laying in, and his lips were jutted out into a pout, and all Mark could think was that he looked no more intimidating than a disgruntled puppy.
"I'm serious! I don't like you, and I still don't want to mate with you, okay?"
"Sure. I know that already," Mark teased, trying and failing to keep the fond grin off of his face. Donghyuck's pout only deepened, and Mark's heart swelled with affection.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm being serious," Donghyuck whined, crossing his arms. Mark leaned over him a little and nodded along mockingly, which only served to frustrate Donghyuck more.
"Mark Lee, stop looking at me like that! I swear to god I'm—"
Donghyuck suddenly paused. As he spoke, he had been leaning up to try and get in Mark's face and challenge him, but they suddenly ended up with their lips inches apart, faces entirely too close together.
Mark froze, looking down at Donghyuck. The omega went red in the face, biting at his lower lip, but he did not make any move to pull away or put more distance in between them.
Mark thought back to Kun's words earlier in the day, which brought back memories of all the times where John had insinuated something similar in regards to Donghyuck's feelings, and he decided to take a chance.
After all, what did he really have to lose at this point?
"Do you remember the promise I made you? During your pre-heat?" Mark said softly, as if he was afraid speaking too loud would shatter the moment and scare Donghyuck away. The omega pursed his lips, his eyes darting back and forth across Mark's face nervously.
"Um... the one about you kissing me...?"
"Mhm," Mark hummed in confirmation, his eyes flitting down purposefully to look at Donghyuck's lips. The omega's breathing got noticeably heavier, and Mark couldn't stop himself from smirking a little. "Have you thought at all about taking me up on my offer?"
Donghyuck inhaled a shaky breath. "Uh... maybe once... or twice..."
Mark's tongue darted briefly out to wet his lips. Donghyuck followed the movement with his eyes, entranced. Mark couldn't help but grin down at him. "How about right now? If I asked to kiss you right now, what would you say?"
Donghyuck's breath hitched, and his pupils grew wider the longer he stared up at Mark. The king held steady eye contact and waited, losing himself in Donghyuck's gorgeous, big brown eyes.
"I..."
A knock on the door abruptly interrupted them, effectively shattering the moment. Mark sighed in frustration and leaned back, laying back on his side of the bed. Donghyuck inhaled deeply, as if he had been holding his breath the whole time.
"Come in," Mark drawled, and a beta servant popped her head in through the doorway, asking for permission to enter the room and drop off their newly clean clothes. Donghyuck turned to face away from her and buried his face into the sheets, completely embarrassed. Mark couldn't help the fond, amused glance he sent the omega.
The beta servants dropped off the load of laundry they had just finished washing, setting the neatly folded robes on top of the dresser, before they all bowed and wished them a goodnight. As soon as the door shut behind them, Mark gave Donghyuck a little nudge, gentle and teasing.
"They're gone now. You can stop hiding like you've committed some great sin."
Donghyuck lifted his head and scowled at Mark, his cheeks still dusted pink. "Shut the fuck up. You're such a jerk."
Mark just chuckled. "So, before we were so rudely interrupted—"
"I actually feel kind of tired," Donghyuck cut in hurriedly, smiling sheepishly before rolling off the bed and standing up. "I, uh... I'm gonna go put on my sleeping robes. And then I'll be right back, okay?"
Donghyuck then snatched his freshly washed sleeping robes and darted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Mark watched him go and sighed, trying not to feel too disappointed.
If Donghyuck didn't want to talk about it, then he would respect that. He had to remind himself that all of this was still very new and scary for Donghyuck, and that it was natural for him to feel hesitant or skittish.
However, it still did nothing to quell the longing in his heart.
┈ ୨ 👑 ୧ ┈
Once they had both changed into their sleeping robes, Donghyuck and Mark lay stiffly next to each other in the bed, awkward and uncomfortable in every sense. Donghyuck kept jumping at every small noise, and Mark could only watch sympathetically, not wanting to offer his comfort for fear of crossing the line and spooking Donghyuck away again.
Finally, after the tenth creaking of a floorboard made Donghyuck shake with fear, he finally reached out to tentatively tap the alpha king on the arm.
"Mark..." he whispered shakily, catching the king's attention immediately, "I can't sleep."
"Yeah?" Mark hummed back, turning on his side so that he could look at the small omega. Even in the darkness of their bedroom, Mark could see how wide his eyes were and how tense his body was, and he felt the same mixture of empathy and rage that had coursed through him earlier in the morning.
"Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?"
Donghyuck rolled his bottom lip between his teeth, considering. Mark waited patiently, his eyes lingering on his mouth for perhaps a moment too long.
"Can you keep talking to me? Your voice is like... oddly soothing."
Mark laughed a little, shuffling a bit closer. "Oddly? Why do I feel insulted that you included that word?"
Donghyuck rolled his eyes and shoved at Mark's shoulder good naturedly. "Maybe you should. Maybe I was insulting you on purpose."
"That wouldn't surprise me," Mark chuckled. The king took a moment to think, before he finally spoke again.
"Hmm. In that case, do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?"
Donghyuck scoffed, immediately defensive. "I'm not a child."
"No, you're not," Mark agreed, smiling as he propped himself up on an elbow to get a better angle of the omega, "I merely suggested it as a plausible means to help you sleep, since you said you find my voice soothing."
Donghyuck stayed silent for a long moment, thinking, before he mumbled a disgruntled, "fine, go ahead."
Mark hummed, taking a moment to rack his brain for his own favorite childhood story before launching into the retelling. "A long time ago, a fisherman was out fishing, and he happened to catch a mermaid in his net. It was said that mermaids are obligated to grant you a wish if you decide to let them go, so the fisherman told her that he wished the girl he liked would love him forever."
Donghyuck huffed softly. "Rookie mistake. Everyone knows that wishing for love is against the rules."
"This mermaid didn't give him any rules, silly," Mark said playfully, rolling his eyes before continuing, "the mermaid then asked him why he liked her. The man replied that he liked her because she was the prettiest girl in the land."
"Ugh. Men are so shallow."
Mark huffed out a soft, surprised laugh. Donghyuck grinned in return, gesturing for him to continue.
"The mermaid gave him a magical ring, and told the fisherman to give it to the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The only catch was that he had to wait exactly one year before he used it, or else it wouldn't work. On his way back home, he came across a homeless girl, asking to work in exchange for food. The man agreed, and every day for a month, the girl would come help him put his nets away and he gave her food in return. One day, she didn't show up, and when the man went to look for her, he found her asleep in his fishing shed."
Donghyuck furrowed his eyebrows a little but said nothing. Mark continued.
"The man was ashamed of himself for not thinking to give the girl a place to sleep, so he gave her a room in his house. He told her she could sleep there for the next eleven months until his wife arrived, but then she would have to leave."
"Ah. He means the girl he'll give the ring to in a year," Donghyuck yawned. Mark chuckled and nodded.
"As the months passed, the fisherman and the girl talked every night before they went to bed. They shared stories about their families, and the fisherman told the girl about the beautiful woman he planned to give the ring to. And then one morning, the man awoke to see the girl with her things packed up, standing by the door."
Donghyuck's eyes started to flutter shut, and it was clear that he was struggling to keep them open. Mark smiled at him fondly, lowering his voice and making his tone a bit softer to help lull him to sleep better.
"The man asked where she was going, and the girl answered that it had been a year, so she must leave now and free the room for his wife. Excited, the man ran into the village to find the beautiful girl, but to his surprise, he no longer felt anything for her."
Donghyuck's eyes finally closed, his breathing started to even out. For a moment, Mark debated reaching out and stroking his hair. He eventually decided against it, drawing his hand back towards himself and inhaling before he finished off the story.
"The man turned around and chased after the homeless girl. When he found her, she looked confused, and asked him why he wasn't with his love. He told her that he was mistaken, that his love hadn't been the prettiest girl, and he had realized that she was truly the one he loved. He gave her the ring, and they lived happily ever after."
Mark leaned down and pulled the blankets up towards Donghyuck's neck, tucking him in gently. He looked gorgeous like this, Mark realized—with his pink lips slightly parted, his cheek squished up against his pillow and his hair fanned out around his head. He couldn't help but gently trace over his cheekbone with his finger, dragging the pad of his fingertip across every mole littering the small omega's face.
"Goodnight, my love," Mark whispered, reluctantly retracting his hand. He allowed himself to lean down and press a small kiss to the crown of Donghyuck's head, soft and feather light, before he rolled over to his own side of the bed and fell asleep himself.
┈ ୨ 👑 ୧ ┈
The alpha entered the queen's bedroom again later that night, thrumming with anticipation. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about his visit with the queen, and he longed to see that fear again, the way the omega had shaken and whimpered even though he couldn't get away, paralyzed. It had given him such a rush, to see the queen unable to move and overcome with terror, so he decided that he would try to recreate it a second time, and maybe this time he'd be able to get the queen to look at him.
When he arrived outside of the bedroom door, he noticed that the hallway was empty. Not a single guard was posted outside the door, and he couldn't help but snort to himself in disbelief.
Were the guards really that careless? Were they stupid? How could they possibly leave the queen's bedroom completely unprotected in an unfamiliar palace?
He opened the door as quietly as he could and slipped into the bedroom. The room was pitch black, and he was unable to see anything, but he was sure by now that the queen had heard him and had woken up. He grinned to himself, feeling along the wall and bringing himself closer to where he knew the bed would be.
"Your Highness..." He whispered, inching closer before his knees finally hit the edge of the mattress. "I've come to visit you again. Did you miss me?"
Silence. The alpha furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if the omega was asleep.
"Your Highness, wake up. You have a visitor," he tried again, his voice a little louder this time. Once again, he was met with silence.
Confused, the alpha fumbled along the wall, looking for the bedside table. When he finally found it, he felt around for the lamp and switched it on, flooding the small space with warm light.
The bed was empty, freshly made and looking like it hadn't been touched since the morning. The alpha stared, trying to figure out where the queen had possibly gone, but then it clicked.
He must be in the king's bedroom. There were no guards in the hallway because this bedroom was empty, and both the king and the queen were together in the king's quarters.
The alpha let out a wry laugh into the quiet bedroom.
"So, His Highness went crying to the king about my visit last night, I assume?" He muttered out loud, to no one in particular. "What a little bitch. How dare he ruin my fun."
He thought for a moment longer, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"Then again, that does provide me with the opportunity to kill him sooner than I anticipated. With the king in the same room, it will make for a great show."
The alpha laughed to himself again, the sound harsh and maniacal even in his own ears, before he slunk away and out of the bedroom, back out into the darkness of the hallway.
There would be another day. He would find their weakness, and then he would strike.
The queen was going to die by his hands. He would make sure of it.