Chapter Text
Hueningkai can't peel his eyes off of him. Doesn't even notice when his best friend stops talking and starts poking his cheek. Is too captivated by the muscles and miles of skin that show that it takes Taehyun to elbow him twice in the ribs for him to finally pay attention to something else.
"You can't blame me." Kai shrugs, feeling the itch to stare again.
"He's bound to notice your ogling you know?"
"Do you think he'd take me to his room?" Taehyun gags disgust evident in his features.
"You're impossible."
"Oh, the only impossible thing here is how those thighs fit into those pants this morning."
"Kai!!"
Kai releases a string of airy laughter. Taehyun shakes his head in dismay. Regardless of Taehyun's protests against it Kai can't help but return to his previous activities. From the balcony, you can see almost everything, the town and its vitality, the sky and it's infinity, and the ocean with its depth. Most importantly, you can see the royal guards training mid-noon, sweating and grunting to relieve the stress of the hard work.
And logically there's a lot of fit soldiers, but Kai try as he might could not keep his eyes off the captain of the royal guard.
"Look at him train Tae. I think I'm falling."
Yeah, that's what's falling."
Kai makes a face and returns to dreamily staring at his new-found fixation.
"You haven't spoken to him since you came back?" Kai's eyes lower, and he shakes his head slowly. Truth is, he'd known Soobin before. He hadn't just known Soobin, they'd been inseparable at one point.
But that was nearly 4 years ago, before boarding school in England, before his growth spurt, before he realized he'd liked Soobin way back then.
It seemed that at the fruitful age of 18, with years and miles separating them, Kai hadn't lost his feelings.
It's not like he hadn't tried talking to him. But the guard was as busy as he was and three months since his arrival they'd barely crossed eyes. Kai had even thought Soobin might be avoiding him due to the irregular circumstances in which they’d parted.
"You should you know? Talk to him that is." Taehyun watched his friend in silence, wondering how someone could be so naive as to think the guard wouldn't spare him a second.
"We're busy Tae. It's fine," it wasn't, " besides I like pining. Oh look Beomgyu's joining."
Tae snaps back to the training session, and effectively the blonde is, ahem, shirtless, and joining his comrades, sword out and face set.
"Oh, I think they're gonna fight."
"Nonsense, why would they-" Soobin pulls Beomgyu aside and appears to exchange heated words with him. Out of nowhere, Beomgyu points his sword to Soobin's neck, and Soobin growls back.
"We're not gonna survive this fight." Taehyun gulps in silent agreement.
Their weapons start clashing over and over again, parting and swiftly attacking only to be deflected every time. The two fighters move with the summer heat and as the minutes' tick by their aggressiveness rises. Beomgyu moves to stab Soobin's rib, but he twirls and disarms Beomgyu, using his brief surprise to pin him down and hold his sword against Beom's neck.
Soobin lifts his head and stares right at Kai.
He smirks.
Kai almost trips.
"He's showing off for you." Tae sniggers as Kai tries to compose his balance.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up, he's just training there's no way that was directed at me. "
But as soon as Kai's weak argument arises Soobin jogs to the fountain, which is closer to the balcony might we add, and pushes his hair back.
"This is on purpose there's no way he'd come to this fountain when the other is closer."
"Maybe it's crowded," Kai mumbles, but a quick glance confirms the other fountain was as deserted as this one was seconds ago.
"Okay, maybe it's a little intentional." Kai blushes madly at the insinuation but can't keep his focus away from Soobin, who was lounging in the fountain. His eyes were still dark, and Kai could feel his tension crackle in the air.
"I'd let him pin me if he had that look in his eye." Taehyun gave Kai a sly smile, "I think that's what he wanted to convey."
Kai's cheeks explode into a brilliant red.
-
Soobin is a lot of things. Oblivious, dorky and yeah sometimes he's easily influenced. But you'd need to be idiotic not to notice the prince's staring.
Oh, wait he kinda was.
At the beginning of training when Yeonjun made a snide remark over it, he let it pass making it out to be merely coincidence when the prince seemed to be paying closer attention to them when their pushup rounds started.
Oh but it was not a trick of the eye when the team started doing squats, and Kai lost himself watching.
Soobin appreciated it really because he at least knew Kai felt attracted to this stricter more uptight version of himself. In fact, Soobin had gotten just a little too cocky that when Beomgyu finally presented himself, and Kai's eyes did a once over his physique, Soobin grew bothered.
"Trouble in paradise?" Yeonjun supplied which riled Soobin enough to challenge Beomgyu to a duel.
Keep your eyes on me, Soobin thought, and only on me.
-
Kai wanted nothing more than to disappear.
He'd been, harshly might he add, pulled away from his 'pining session' by maids and other staff because his parents had organized a last-minute meeting.
Of course, he'd be interrupted on his free day.
Kai sulkily entered the throne room and waited for the court fill.
But no one else came in.
"Father, Mother, what is the urgency?"
The King and Queen motioned Kai forward, and he shyly takes two small steps.
"We're concerned about the new Pil-Lander's in the kingdom. We have no evidence to suspect an attack but...we would not like to take any liberties with this matter. You'll have a new guard appointed to you starting tonight."
Kai frowned.
"Don't I already have guards outside my chamber?"
The Queen smiled warmly at him, "Yes, but we're afraid it's not enough. We need to appoint someone to guard you from inside your chambers. I'm sorry dear we know it's an invasion of privacy, but we're-"
"It's okay, I understand." Kai lowered his head and after giving his respects exited the room.
He has an idea of who will be assigned to be his personal guard.
Kai can't wait.
-
Kai pokes his head from the bathroom; the second his door opens. It's, as predicted, Soobin entering the room, black leather pants and a formal white shirt.
He wasn't wearing the standard uniform.
"Why are you dressed so well?" Kai intends to get Soobin to pay attention to him, within such close quarters he's sure to succeed.
But Soobin doesn't answer, he looks straight ahead and continues his frozen eyes as if he hadn't been asked anything.
"Oi." Kai attempts again, but when he's met with silence, he decides he needs to use a different tactic.
He walks over to where Soobin stands stock still and asks again, "Why are you dressed differently?" Soobin can feel Kai's hands ghosting over his shirt and forces an answer if only to stop the boy's hands from running around, "King's orders. I am undercover and pretending to be a friend of yours."
"Hmm." Kai smiles mischievously.
"If you wanna keep the act you need to be more convincing. Apart from the attire, you look every bit of a bodyguard to me."
"That's not my concern."
"Oh but what if the attacker uses a different tactic hmm? What if.." Kai inches closer, hand running down Soobin's arm before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "What if they poison my water or my food? What if they shoot an arrow? All because they think I'm under strict surveillance? Wouldn't it be easier to take them down if they thought you were not a threat? Maybe they'd actually come here..." Soobin places a firm hand on Kai's chest with the intention of pushing him back, but Kai pressed himself against his hand.
"Come on," he taunted, "after all, it's for my safety."
Soobin winced in annoyance but couldn't find a fault in Kai's logic and with a heavy sigh let his shoulder's slump.
"What do you want to do your majesty?" Kai giggled happily.
"Let's play a game."
This is dangerous, Soobin thought, the last game we played…
"You owe me one round," Kai continued, guiding Soobin to the luxurious sofa located in front of the chimney.
The fireplace was the only source of light.
Soobin gulped.
"Kai that was years ago." But Kai either didn't hear him or didn't care, he simply crossed his legs together and pulled Soobin a little closer to him.
A little closer than a guard should be with the prince.
"We never finished playing."
"Okay," Soobin took a deep breath, "okay, let's finish playing."
"Truth or Dare?" Kai's bottom lip is snagged between his teeth and Soobin barely registers he has to answer.
"Truth."
"Did you miss me?"
"Yeah," Soobin answers breathlessly, "I never stopped thinking about you in the years you were gone."
Kai's smile glows. "Me too."
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Were you watching me today?" Kai's thankful Soobin's not close enough to see his blush, and he avoids his eyes when he mumbled a yes.
Soobin is not having it though.
He grips Kai's chin and forces Kai to look at him, "What was that?"
"I said, yes."
"Good, you can only look at me."
Kai shakes his head and looks away. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Were you going to kiss me?" Kai shuffles closer, "That-that day before I left. Were you going to kiss me?"
"Yes."
Soobin's hand finds Kai's and rests there.
"O-oh."
Soobin presses his forehead against Kai's. "Truth or dare?" he whispers.
"Dare."
"Let me?"
"Let you wha-?" Soobin pushed Kai down and nudges his knee between Kai's thighs.
Soobin starts pecking Kai's cheek, then his nose, then his forehead. He continues placing feather-like kisses until Kai squirms at the attention and he's forced to see what he's done.
"Truth or dare?" Kai arches his back as he asks the question, face dangerously close to Soobin's and he sees the way Soobin's eyes grow darker.
"Dare."
Kai purrs.
"Finish what you started."
Soobin presses Kai against the couch and hungrily presses his lips against Kai's.
He licks his mouth, savouring the sweet taste of his tongue and sucks aggressively on his lower lip. Kai is a whimpering mess, and Soobin can only take, take, take. Let's his hands roam from Kai's chest down his sides, barely stopping on his smaller back.
Kai arches his back again, trying to get the least space between them as possible, and Soobin takes it as a sign to grind down hard on the younger boy.
Kai whimpers.
Soobin pulls back, a smile ghosting his red lips.
"I've wanted to do that since before you left."
"You have the rest of your life."