Thursday, Hyuk's Guestroom, 11 pm, Jaehwan's POV:
- The news that King Kai was coming was making your very anxious for several reasons.
- First, the thought of seeing Kai after your drunk encounter with him and Prince Yugyeom was incredibly uncomfortable. It had also been right before you were kidnapped, and you weren't sure if he had been hurt or not.
- Baekhyun's agents apparently drugged the water Kai had a servant bring after everything was done, and all of you had passed out. But Kai was at war with Sehun just as much as Jin and Namjoon were. Something bad could have easily happened to him, you didn't know.
- Secondly, you were very worried that he was only coming because you were here. Yoongi had never returned to lunch, or joined the rest of you for dinner, so you had no clue, but why else would he want to come right now?!
- If he was in fact visiting because of you, Hyoggiwouldn't be happy. At lunch, he may have looked calm, but you could tell he was pissed and just trying to hide it. He must know what had happened with you and Kai, but you weren't sure if he knew all the details.
- Namjoon and the other two had continued their interrogation after lunch, but you were so consumed with worry that you had barely answered any questions. Jaebum had insisted on joining again, and he looked angrier than he had any right to. Thank god it was over for today.
- You were standing in front of the sink, brushing your teeth and looking at the clean, straight scars on the side of your torso where Sehun had cut you. He really was a sick fuck. You barely noticed the one on your face anymore, but these ran all the way down to your mid-calf and would take some getting used too. Reminding yourself to think of them as just another battle wound, you lowered your t-shirt, finished brushing your teeth, and walked out of the bathroom.
- Hyoggididn't seem to care about your scars or think they were ugly, so you were just in a t-shirt and boxers. It was an unseasonably warm night, and you scanned the room for the switch to turn on the ceiling fan.
- "Jaehwanie, what are you looking for?" Hyoggiasked, watching you from where he was sitting on the enormous bed. "Fan thingy," you replied distractedly. Sleeping in the heat was almost worse than being tortured.
- There was a very loud knock on your door, and Hyoggiwas off the bed and walking towards it before you had even turned your head. You always forgot that he could move as fast as Sehun if he wanted too.
- "What?" he asked impatiently, pulling the door open as you walked up behind him and rested your palm on his shoulder blade. Unlike you, he was still dressed, but the top few buttons of his shirt were open, and his hair was a bit tousled.
- To your surprise, Jaebum was back, but he was standing behind a very irritated looking Yoongi. Why would Yoongi want to talk to Hyoggiat 11 pm? Surely, he had better things to do.
- "I don't know what your deal is now, but if you still care, I thought you should know that Kai is only visiting because Tae told him you were home," Yoongi snapped, glaring at you over Hyoggi's shoulder.
- You froze in place, looking from Yoongi to Jaebum and back again very quickly. "Why? Nini had his fun, I'm sure he's lost all interest in my Jaehwanie by now. Or is this because of his guilt?" Hyuk asked evenly, filling the silence when you didn't reply.
- What guilt? You didn't know what he was talking about and didn't want too. You just wanted everyone to drop the subject. Taking a half-step away from the door, you turned to stare at the wall, trying to ignore the others as they continued talking.
- "I don't know, guilt maybe. Being who you are, I assume you're aware of how responsible he feels for Jaehwan's kidnapping. It's been eating him up inside, that's the only reason Taehyung even told him Jaehwan was home," Yoongi replied sharply.
- "Of course, I know that. But that doesn't mean he has to come here. And it certainly doesn't excuse his behavior during his visit with Jinyoung and his baby brother," Hyoggisaid, his voice getting calmer.
- You looked back at him, wondering for the millionth time how he could possibly know all the things that he did, as Yoongi snapped, "You don't know what you're talking about."
- "Yes, I do. I told your king, I know everything about everyone," Hyoggireplied quietly, taking a step towards them into the hall. Yoongi glanced at you for a split second before focusing back on Hyuk and snapping, "Not everything."
- He must mean what happened in the garden. Nobody knew about that other than you, Yoongi, Kai, and the princes. Nobody knew all of the horrible things you had done in their entirety, if they did, they really would hate you. Hyoggitook another step forward, and Yoongi stepped back, but Jaebum hadn't moved.
- "Everything,"Hyoggirepeated, his voice at its most dangerous level of quiet now, and continued, "I know what Nini and Yugyeom got up to during their time here, and I know what you stopped."
- "I also know that you could have stepped in sooner. You had been following them after all, but you decided to watch and wait for some reason instead."
- "And, that when my Jaehwanie was taken, you were getting drunk and playing cards with Prince Kyungsoo instead of keeping an eye on him. You didn't even know he had left the party until it was too late."
- Yoongi's eyes had widened momentarily, but then narrowed. "How do you know that, and why would you even care?" he asked, frowning at Hyuk with even more suspicion than before.
- "Because, it's my business to know. And unlike Baekhyun's amateurs, my people are everywhere, and completely untraceable. Don't believe for a second that you have any secret hidden well enough that I haven't found it," Hyoggireplied.
- A wave of ice ran through your veins. Most of the time now, you forgot how intimidating he could be when he dropped his guard. Yoongi looked a bit startled, but you noticed that Jaebum was watching you over Hyoggi's shoulder.
- "What are those?" he asked suddenly, squinting at your leg. Crap, you had forgotten that you weren't wearing long pants. Hyoggimight not care about your scars, but Jaebum would, even if he had no right to. They were his fault.
- "Nothing," you said hastily, turning away and looking around the room for pajama pants. The sound of scuffling and a loud thump made you spin back around at once.
- Yoongi was now staring at you as well, but Hyoggihad Jaebum pinned against the bedroom wall and was holding a stiletto dagger against the base of his throat. Your heart began to beat faster of its own volition as you felt your panic increase.
- The memory of seeing someone in black trying to cut Jaebum's throat when Jin was taken flashed in your head, but you pushed it away. He was nothing to you anymore, Hyoggicould do what he wanted, you just needed Jaebum to leave.
- "I thought I told you, you aren't allowed to speak to my Jaehwanie. Or, did I not make myself clear enough?" Hyuk asked coldly, but Jaebum was ignoring him and hadn't taken his eyes off you.
- Yoongi barely even glanced at them before slipping into the room and walking right up to you, bending down a little to inspect your scars. "Yeah, sure, go right ahead," you said sarcastically, crossing your arms and staring at the ceiling.
- "Did he do this?" Yoongi asked quietly, and you jumped a little when his finger lightly brushed your calf. "No, of course not! Sehun did! For the millionth time, Hyoggisaved me! He got Sehun to stop!" you exclaimed, taking a step away and scowling at him.
- "You aren't acting like you've been saved, you're acting like you've been brainwashed!" Yoongi snapped. "No, I'm not! You're the ones who let Joon trick you into believing that I ran away! We were friends! How could you think I would ever do that?" you hissed back.
- Before he had a chance to make and excuse, you turned to the wall where Hyuk and Jaebum were having some sort of whispered argument, and said sharply, "Hyoggi, just let him look, it's his fault I have them anyway. Then maybe he'll go away."
- They both glanced at you, but after a moment Hyuk took his knife off Jaebum's throat and let him go. "If you touch him, I swear to god, I will cut off your hand," Hyuk said, sounding incredibly threatening, but Jaebum didn't seem to be listening anymore.
- He crossed the room in about two seconds, walking right past Yoongi and kneeling down, his face only inches from your thigh. You could feel the heat of his breath on your skin, and your anxiety skyrocketed in an instant.
- Hyoggiwas by your side a moment later, putting his hands protectively on your shoulders. You closed your eyes and tried to force your breathing to even out, but it wasn't working.
Yoongi's POV:
- There was definitely something very wrong with Jaehwan. He was still fiery like he had always been, but he was angry at the wrong people, and his moods seemed to change out of nowhere. Also, the panic you saw written clearly across his face was new.
- During the most stressful or scary moments of your collective past, when Jin's father was killed and Jin got really sick, when someone put that note in Yoonsun's crib and knocked Jaebum out, when Jin was taken, Jaehwan had never panicked. Or, if he did, he didn't show it. Instead, whatever feelings he was having were always instantly channeled into cold and efficient anger.
- Even when King Kai and Prince Yugyeom were messing with him, he had never panicked. That night in the garden, he had just pushed his nerves away and done what he thought he had too. You knew that he had broken stuff when he was in private during that visit and then shut down from exhaustion afterwards, but breaking things was just a way to get his anger out, so he could be cool and collected around the others.
- In your opinion, his temper was one of the best things about him, and it was what made him such a good guard captain. He never let himself sit and worry, because he was too angry. He had to try and find a solution to whatever problem lay before him immediately.
- But you had just watched his hot-tempered fury vanish, like he could only be angry for so long before collapsing in on himself. It could be trauma from being kidnapped, but you didn't think so. Knowing the captain as well as you did, you would have guessed that Sehun's particular brand of sadistic physical violence wouldn't have done this. Sure, Jaehwan may have been injured, but you thought he would have laughed in the king's face and told Sehun to kill him before ever breaking.
- This trauma was something different, something much more sinister. Someone had gotten into his head and played around in there, cleanly and systematically turning him against all of you one by one. Sehun wasn't smart enough to do that. Baekhyun was, but the hatred Jaehwan felt towards him for how he treated Jin would probably have been enough to stop anything Baekhyun may have tried. This new person though, Lord Sanghyuk...
- Jaehwan's uneven breathing was audible to you now, and he had his eyes squeeze shut as Jaebum stared at the red lines running up his leg.
- The Lord Sanghyuk looked furious and had his hands on Jaehwan's shoulders. Maybe he wasn't used to his victims telling him what to do. Jaehwan hadn't noticed, but the spymaster's jaw had clenched when your friend told him to let Jaebum go.
- "Jaebum, that's enough," you said sharply, keeping an eye on Jaehwan's face. He looked moments away from tears, an expression you hadn't seen on him before, and one that filled you with worry. You didn't want to push him anymore than you had already.
- "Look at him! He's a mess! I'm not leaving him, I don't," Jaebum began to argue, but you interrupted.
- "Enough! He will calm down when we leave, now let's go." Jaebum seemed ready to murder you now as well, but you ignored his glare and repeated, "Now."
- Jaebum slowly stood up, giving the spymaster a look of unadulterated hatred, before following you out of the guestroom.
- Before he could start shouting at you, you snapped, "Something is very wrong, and we need to figure out what exactly Lord Sanghyuk is up too, but there was no point in making Jaehwan suffer."
- That seemed to shut him down, and his face was suddenly full of sadness. You knew your words had probably hurt, but they were needed. "What's important now, is helping him get back to normal. And, stopping Kai from trying any nonsense."
Friday, Your Bedroom, 9 am, Namjoon's POV:
- You were in your bedroom with Jin, who was playing with Yoonsun on your bed, blissfully unaware of the altercation Yoongi had informed you of last night.
- Your husband knew something was off, obviously, but he had known Lord Sanghyuk five years ago and seemed to be under the impression that he was just a bit mischievous. But the threat he had made when Yoongi and Jaebum went to talk to Jaehwan last night chilled you.
- 'Don't believe for a second that you have any secret hidden well enough that I haven't found it.' That was a scary thing to think about. Not just because an enemy was threatening that they had private information about you, but this particular enemy was currently sleeping with the only other person in the world that knew your most shameful secret.
- Yoongi had also told you the spymaster had made illusions to things he had absolutely no business knowing. He hadn't told you what those things were, saying they weren't his secrets to tell, but that seemed to be the point. Lord Sanghyuk may say he was here to help you, but you didn't believe that in the slightest. You just needed to prove it.
- You hadn't told Jin about it yet, knowing he was already worried about the changes in his best friends' behavior. Jaehwan's new attitude didn't worry you as much as it pissed you off, but you didn't want to alarm Jin further when he needed to be his normal cheerful self for Kai's visit.
- That was an obnoxious thing that you had no time for. It was just another meddlesome distraction, you needed to be focusing on the war! Sehun, or if Lord Sanghyuk's information was true, Baekhyun was raining down complete destruction on your northern and eastern borders, and you could do nothing while entertaining all these idiots.
- At least Hobi was with your army. You had sent him to the front a week ago, knowing he was going a little stir crazy being shut up in the castle, and he could be a lot more helpful there. You had also sent Jimin to sneak around Sehun's kingdom again the afternoon Jaehwan returned, hoping he could find out more about the spymaster currently in residence. At least they were doing something useful.
- "Jinnie, baby, we have to go down stairs now," you said gently. Jin looked up and cradled Yoonsun in one arm as he walked to you and took your hand.
- His familiar warmth brought you a little peace, it always did, and you immeasurably grateful for it. "Let's go greet Kai and Kyungsoo and get them settled," he said soothingly, kissing you on the cheek and pulling you out of the room.
- He cooed at Yoonsun before handing him to Jackson, and you watched your guard and son enter the nursery before going down the stairs and stopping in the entry hall.
- You had told Ravi to go and collect Jaehwan and your guest, and the three of them were already waiting along with Jungkook, Taehyung, and Yoongi.
- Jaehwan didn't even acknowledge you, he was too absorbed in staring at the spymaster. He was still dressed as weirdly as he had since he got here. Today, he was in all black, his partially see-through silk shirt was open at the neck and covered in silver chains. He also had on quite a few rings you were positive he had never worn before. Why did he have to look like that?! It was so fucking frustrating!
- Lord Sanghyuk had noticed you, though, and was giving you that x-ray stare that reminded you so much of Yoongi's. What was he really doing here? You had to find out, and fast.
- The sound of wheels crunching on gravel drew your attention, and you pulled Jin a bit closer as Kai's carriage stopped at the castle entrance.
- Jaebum was here somewhere, but you had ordered him to hang back and follow Kai, discreetly. Keeping an eye on the king and stopping any trouble before it started seemed like a very necessary precaution, and it had the added benefit of getting Jaebum out of the way. His emotional mess was another thing you really didn't have time for.
- Kai and Kyungsoo stepped out of their carriage, the former looking uncharacteristically anxious. Kai was normally happy and carefree, but that was not the case today. Kyungsoo appeared to be his usual serious self at least.
- Taehyung bowed and then walked to give Kai a hug, and the king hugged him back but without any of his normal laughter. He hugged Jinnie as well, but just nodded to you, which was a little odd.
- Kyungsoo bowed and then shook your hand, giving Jin a one-armed hug before stepping back and taking Kai's hand. That was odd as well, they usually weren't affectionate at all in public.
- You looked on in slight confusion as Kyungsoo and Yoongi nodded at each other, but Kai wasn't paying attention. You glanced in the direction he was staring, and you realized with annoyance that Jaehwan still had his back to you. He was laughing quietly as the spymaster whispered in his ear.
- "Jaehwan, manners. You're in the presence of royalty," you snapped, having absolutely no patience for his bullshit. Lord Sanghyuk's eye's flicked to you, and he whispered something that looked like 'Do it,' before Jaehwan slowly turned around.
- He gave you a single icy glare and then bowed in Kai and Kyungsoo's direction. The spymaster bowed too, if less politely, and wrapped both arms around your fake, NOPE, old guard captain when they stood up. How did Lord Sanghyuk make Jaehwan listen to him so easily?! Maybe he had incentive.
- They were seriously infuriating people, but at least they had listened to you. Kai cleared his throat, and you turned forwards to see him try and take a step in their direction, but Kyungsoo held firmly to his hand. Yoongi must have warned him about Lord Sanghyuk.
- That was good, you hadn't thought that far ahead. Jinnie had somehow managed to prepare a party yesterday afternoon while you were questioning your guest, since he knew it would make Kai happy, and people would start arriving soon.
Time skip: Your Office, 3 pm, Namjoon's POV:
- This visit may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Yoongi, Jin, and Taehyung had been keeping your guests occupied, so you had used the free time to actually get some solid work done this afternoon.
- You were in your office, just finishing up a letter to Lay and Chanyeol when there was a soft knock and Jaebum slipped through the door. Well, at least you had a few hours of peace.
- "Kai just went to take a nap, he's in his room, I made sure," Jaebum said, walking to stand in front of your desk. He looked very on edge, but he hadn't looked otherwise since Jaehwan came home, so you weren't too worried.
- "What else has he done since I left?" you asked, setting down your pen. "Nothing. And I mean nothing. He just sits and stares at Jaehwanie, and if he's not doing that, then he paces. That's it. No laughing, no chatting, nothing."
- That was certainly strange. Kai wasn't the quiet type around his friends, maybe it was Jaehwan's fault. Everything seemed to be Jaehwan's fault. You wished he would just leave again and make everything less complicated.
- "And what about our other guest?" you asked, knowing that he would have kept an eye on Lord Sanghyuk despite you telling him not to.
- "He's in the parlor with everyone else like you told him to be, but he and Jaehwanie are still in their own world. It's driving me crazy, and Lord Yoongi isn't too happy about it either," Jaebum replied exasperatedly.
- You weren't surprised by that, those two were always in their own world. If there was a 'worst couple of the year' award, they would win, no contest. Disrespectful traitors, both of them.
- "As long as they're staying out of trouble, I don't care. I have more important things to deal with right now. Go watch Kai's room and follow him when he leaves," you said firmly, ignoring his glare and looking back at your letter.
- "Yes, Your Majesty," Jaebum replied, his voice lacking any emotion, and you glanced at his back as he left your office. He was your friend, and you knew how he felt about Jaehwan, but your ex-guard captain was too far gone. It was time Jaebum moved on.
Time skip: The Ballroom, 10 pm, Ravi's POV:
- Jin's party had started a few hours ago, and he was sitting in a corner with Namjoon, Kai, and his fiancé, drinking and talking. Luckily for you, Namjoon had ordered you to stick to Lord Sanghyuk and not let him out of your sight.
- You needed to talk to him alone, but annoyingly, Jaehwanie was always by his side. You couldn't tell the spymaster what you needed to with Jaehwanie there, or, you didn't think you could. You weren't sure who's side he was on anymore, but you weren't going to risk it.
- Lord Sanghyuk knew who you were, and you guessed he knew what you had been doing, because he seemed to take particular delight in kissing Jaehwanie when he knew you were watching. At least you had better control of your temper than Jaebum, but unfortunately, Lord Baekhyun's warning not to get attached had come about ten years too late.
- You didn't actually know why Namjoon had let them come to the party, other than because locking them in their guestroom would make it seem like they were prisoners. But in your opinion, this had been a mistake. All night, people had been appearing out of the crowd, talking briefly to Lord Sanghyuk, and then disappearing again. You guessed they were his agents, or messengers, but you hadn't recognized any of them. Even if you had, it's not like you could tell Namjoon about it, Baekhyun would have you killed.
- The spymaster knew you were watching him, you weren't hiding. You were only standing about five feet away from where he and Jaehwanie were talking with their arms around each other.
- "Why don't you go get us drinks, my lovely boy?" you heard Hyuk say, and Jaehwanie smiled and nodded, before slipping away towards the bar. As distasteful as this would be, you needed to talk to him, and this may be your only opportunity.
- "Lord Sanghyuk," you said evenly, walking up and inclining your head a bit. "What? Does Bacon have something he needs to tell me? Or are you jealous?" Hyuk asked, sounding disinterested and putting his hands in his pockets.
- You almost laughed at the name 'Bacon', but stopped yourself and replied, "I have a message for you. My lord wants and update on how your plan is going. He also wants to remind you not to be so protective, it looks bad."
- Saying that last part made you a little happier. This creepy guy had no right to act the way he did, especially with the weird state Jaehwanie was in. Your old friend was acting just like how he used to at the end of high school, and Sanghyuk was almost a carbon copy of your ex-friend Youngjae. You honestly would have preferred Jaehwan to be with Jaebum, at least you knew the guard was trustworthy.
- "How would he know I'm being protective? What did you tell him?" the spymaster asked coldly, but you replied quickly, "I haven't spoken with him, maybe his other agent told him something."
- Hyuk exhaled sharply, looking at you intently before saying, "Fine. I don't know you, so just tell him to expect an update in the usual way. But do me a favor, keep my Jaehwanie's ex-boyfriend away from him. It makes him anxious."
- The imperious tone he used when he said 'my Jaehwanie' made you want to stab him in the heart, and you thought the 'ex' before 'boyfriend' would be news to Jaebum, but you just nodded.
- Lord Baekhyun probably wouldn't be happy that the spymaster didn't tell you anything, but you had still given him the message, so you were safe.
- You stepped away again just in the nick of time, and Hyuk's glare vanished as Jaehwanie reappeared with two glasses. Pretending not to be watching, you held your hands behind your back as Hyuk took one and gave Jaehwanie a kiss on the cheek.
Time skip: The Ballroom, 11 pm, Jin's POV:
- The party seemed to cheer Kai up a little, but not as much as you had hoped. He didn't want to dance, which was just completely out of character, and he barely said anything, choosing to leave the talking to Kyungsoo. That was funny to watch. Kyungsoo wasn't a chatty person, but he was making a clear effort to be social and discussing something war related with Namjoon.
- You weren't really listening to them. Kyungsoo was very intelligent and the things he did choose to say were always inciteful, but tactical strategy discussions bored you. You were sitting in between Namjoon and Kai, enjoying the warmth from Namjoon's arm wrapped snuggly around you, and trying to figure out what was the matter with your friend.
- Kai had talked to you and Taehyung the most so far, which still wasn't much, but he hadn't said more than two words to Namjoon and you didn't know why. "Kai, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself since you got here," you asked softly, poking his leg.
- He had been staring into the crowd, but glanced at you and replied, "I don't know. I just want to ask him if he's ok. And I want to know why every single person in my family is horrible."
- You sighed, patting his knee reassuringly as you said, "Chanyeol isn't horrible, remember? And you can see that Kenjumma is ok, he's right there." You pointed in the direction he had been staring before, but it didn't seem to help.
- "I would have kept looking for him if your husband didn't convince me that he had just run off. Then maybe he would still be sweet, not so cold," Kai replied, trailing off as he returned his attention to the crowd.
- He hadn't even said Namjoon's name. Kai liked Namjoon as much as he liked you, so it was a little strange. Was he just pouting because Jaehwan was ignoring him, or something else?
- "Nini, chill out about Jaehwan, he was never sweet to begin with. The version of him you liked was his fake-Jin persona, not who he really is. Just get over it," Namjoon said a bit harshly from next to you.
- Kai's head whipped around, and he gave Namjoon an uncharacteristically cold glare as he snapped, "He was a prisoner for two months! We could have gotten him back if you hadn't been so stubborn! How do you not feel even the slightest bit guilty?!"
- "Because, I'm still not convinced he was a prisoner. There are conflicting stories, and he's acting very friendly with his ex-captor if he really was kidnapped. Anyway, Jaehwan's competent enough to take care of himself," Namjoon replied evenly, pulling you a bit closer.
- You sighed again, starting to get a little tired of his suspicion, but Kai looked absolutely furious. He was about to reply, however Hyuk and Jaehwan chose that moment to come over to where you were sitting.
- Kai closed his mouth, and you squeezed his hand as you looked up at your best friend. He was ignoring you, but Hyuk was staring directly at Namjoon.
- "My Jaehwanie would like to know where the picture's he had in his office went," Hyuk said coolly. He had both arms around Jaehwan and rested his chin on your friend's shoulder as he spoke.
- "They're of Jin and Jaebum, I would have assumed he didn't want them back," Namjoon replied, sounding bored, but taking your free hand in his and starting to play with your fingers.
- Your husband may look bored, but you knew he only did this little hand trick as a way to try and calm himself down. You pressed your thumb against his palm, showing that you knew something was up, and he lightly pinched the tip of your finger.
- "Not those, the one of his mother. Where is it?" Hyuk asked, his eyes flicking momentarily in Kai's direction when the king shifted in his seat. Kai looked like he was forcing himself not to talk, and Kyungsoo was holding his other hand again.
- "I put them in his room, which he would know if he ever bothered to go in there," Ravi said from behind them. Namjoon had told him to keep an eye on Sanghyukkie, which you privately thought was a good choice. Ravi might just be scary enough to keep him in line.
- "Problem solved, now please go away," Namjoon replied, turning his back on Hyuk and Jaehwan. He kissed you on the cheek and looked at your hand he was holding, but you could tell he was getting more irritated by the minute.
- As you watched, Hyuk tensed up, and his calm façade slipped for the briefest second. The odd mix of anger and amusement you saw on his face shocked you, and you weren't even sure if it had really been there, it was gone so quickly.
- "Hi," Kai said quietly, his voice sounding strained. It was as if he physically couldn't stop himself from talking any longer. Both Namjoon and Hyuk shot him exasperated looks, but Jaehwan didn't even blink.
- He had his forehead against Hyuk's cheek, smiling like an idiot, and you wondered again what could have happened to make him act this way. "Nini, please don't speak to my Jaehwanie, all you'll do is upset him," Hyuk said evenly.
- "Shut up, Satan. I don't know what you're up too, but from what I remember, you strongly dislike anyone who isn't noble. So, just leave Jaehwan alone," Kai snapped, his abnormally icy expression returning almost instantly.
- Now that you thought about it, you remembered something like that too. Hyuk had always been a little elitist. But their use of such familiar nicknames surprised you. It probably shouldn't, Sehun and Kai are first cousins, and Kai had told you they had grown up together, so he had probably known Sanghyukkie longer than you had.
- "I'm not up to anything, I'm here because I'm tired of Sehun's bullshit and Bacon's manic streaks. I just want to help, and I want to keep my Jaehwanie safe, which includes keeping him away from you," Hyuk replied, sounding genuine for the first time since he arrived.
- Namjoon's head snapped in their direction, and you pressed his palm again, wanting to stop him from interrupting. This argument might actually reveal something of importance. Thankfully, he understood your nonverbal message and stayed silent.
- "I'm not a threat to anyone! I wanted to try and find him, but I was convinced not to," Kai said angrily, shooting Namjoon a frustrated look before continuing, "You're the one who's a threat! You've never helped anyone in your life unless you thought you could gain something from it!"
- "Don't think I've forgotten about how you like to train your little pets, there's a reason we all call you Satan." Your eyes went wide, Kai had never sounded this cruel before, and what pets?
- "Don't you dare speak to him like that! You don't get a free pass to treat people however you want just because you're a king," Jaehwan hissed, finally speaking up way later than you would have guessed.
- You watched in mild amazement as all of Kai's anger was instantly replaced with shock. Jaehwan was giving him an extremely nasty look, and Hyuk held your best friend's waist tighter when he tried to take a step forward.
- "I should have told you that months ago, but now is as good a time as any. You're an arrogant, self-serving, irresponsible little bitch Kai, and you have no right to talk down to anyone with the way you behave."
- Kyungsoo seemed ready to light Jaehwan on fire, but all of Kai's fight had left him. You were at a loss. On the one hand, this was the most normal Jaehwan had acted since he came home. But on the other hand, he shouldn't talk to a king so rudely, not that someone's rank had ever given him pause before.
- Luckily, Hyuk stopped Jaehwan from saying anything else, smirking a little and whispering something in Jaehwan's ear as soon as he opened his mouth again. Jaehwan gave Kai a final look of pure distain, and then pulled Hyuk back into the crowd.
- All of you sat in stunned silence for a few moments, trying to take in what had just happened, when Yoongi materialized out of nowhere and exclaimed, "What the hell was that?!"
Jaehwan's POV:
- Well, Jaebum and Ravi's stupid worrying may not have been completely useless after all! One of them had said something about Kai not getting a free pass during his visit, and the king had been making you so angry that you repeated it without hesitation.
- Better than that, Hyoggiwasn't even mad at you for shouting! He had told you to stop, but only after you had made your point. It was good that he stopped you, anything more would have just spoiled it.
- "That was very fun to watch, Nini looked like he wanted to drown himself," Hyoggisaid, sounding distinctly amused as the two of you walked towards the exit. Well, three. Ravi was still following you.
- You had an arm looped through Hyoggi's, and you replied a little hotly, "Nobody talks to you so rudely in front of me, I don't give a shit if he's a king or not." Your temper would take a few minutes to cool off, it always did.
- Hyoggilaughed softly, and said, "Thank you for standing up for me, my feisty boy. You deserve a reward."
- You smiled unconsciously as the two of you left the party, but Hyuk stopped in the hallway outside. "Before that, though, do you want to go to your room and get your picture? Or anything else you might need?"
- After thinking for a second, you nodded and continued to ignore Ravi as you led Hyoggitoward the basement staircase. You didn't have your key, but it was probably unlocked if Ravi had gotten in to leave the pictures there.
- You were right. When you reached your room a few minutes later, the door swung open with its familiar soft creak, and you pulled Hyoggiinside. It was neat and tidy like always, but you could tell immediately that someone had gone through your stuff.
- The pillows were arranged differently than how you usually put them, and your closet was all wrong. "Someone messed up my color-coding!" you exclaimed, walking over and compulsively fixing the shits that were out of order.
- "You color-code your shirts?" Hyoggiasked, sounding like he was trying not to laugh, but you replied distractedly, "I like things to be neat."
- "Noted," he said, actually laughing a little this time. You heard his soft footsteps move across the room, and he added, "I found your pictures." Glancing over your shoulder, you saw the three little frames lying side by side on the mantlepiece.
- You walked up next to Hyoggi, doing your best not to look at the other two pictures and focused on your mom's face. You had missed seeing this photo so much, and you quickly picked it up. Just holding it again made you relax.
- That relaxation didn't last long, because a moment later the door opened. You reached back under the collar of your shirt and pulled out your long knife without even thinking. Hyoggihad given it to you, and the sheath lay along your spine. Loose clothing had its benefits.
- It was just Jaebum, you should have guessed. Ravi was still out in the hall, but Jaebum had frozen in your doorway. You didn't put your knife away, it looked very impressive and you really weren't in the mood to deal with Jaebum for the third night in a row.
- Hyuk, who's steel stiletto dagger had appeared in his hand seemingly out of thin air, put his weapon-free arm around you and said impatiently, "Ravi, deal with it."
- To your complete surprise, Ravi gave Jaebum an apologetic look, before pulling him out of the room and shutting the door again. You had no clue what was happening but could hear muffled shouting from the hallway.
- Hyoggilet you go and locked the door, putting his knife away and smiling as he took something else out from a hidden pocket in his shirt. It looked like a miniature TV remote, and you watched in confusion as he pressed a bunch of buttons before chuckling and putting it back.
- "What's that?" you asked, trying to ignore Jaebum's cursing from outside. Hyoggiwas still smiling as he walked back over. He smoothly disarmed you, set your knife and the picture on the mantlepiece, and then rested his hands on your hips.
- "Just something that helps me keep records," he replied soothingly, before leaning down and gently biting your bottom lip. "So, how would you like your reward?"