Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Yona, Hak

Requested By: Anonymous User

As Yona stood stoically in front of the wide window overlooking Kouka Castle's spacious courtyard, it finally struck her just how long ago that dreadful, fateful night that Soo-Won murdered her father really was. The silken, flowing pink fabric of her regal, white-trimmed and floral-patterned kimono felt foreign against her freshly washed skin, which had grown accustomed to simple cotton and a thin layer of dust and grime. Her hair, blazing with the color of the rising sun, settled in luscious shampooed waves around her face; she was so used to the crimped, knotted strands falling into her face that she still compulsively tried to sweep them out of her eyes, only to meet her forehead because the soft threads had been finally tamed into obedience and order atop her head. Even the scent of burning incense that pervaded the room felt alien, as she had grown attached to the earthy smells of forest soil and morning dew and wildflowers in her long, arduous quest for self-actualization and destiny.

The soldiers had finished practicing and conducting chores for the day, as the sun had begun to set, casting the world in its honey-golden glow. Yona had been concerned but not altogether surprised to learn that Hak had joined the Sky Tribe Army; he needed something to keep himself busy while they lingered in Kouka Castle waiting with bated breath to learn what new plot was afoot, and also needed a medium to gather intel and even possibly gather more sympathy for their cause. Yona wasn't sure this was actually what he was up to; even now, after all this time, sometimes she just couldn't tell what was happening in that raven-haired head of his. She heaved a deep sigh as she turned away from the window to sit on the small cushioned bench beside it. Yona was not technically a prisoner, but she felt as if she were one, stowed away in her tower bedroom. She missed her dragons and Yoon and most of all, Hak. It was borderline torture not having them at her side like she was so used to, smiling and laughing and so sure of themselves… Of course, Yona was never one hundred percent sure of anything since that awful night. She just kept wandering down the path that seemed to be written for her, discovering more and more as she went on… But with her trusted friends by her side, it almost, almost seemed as if she had nothing to worry about at all.

Yona's ears perked as the faint sound of conversation drifted into them. She couldn't make out words, but she was almost sure that she heard Hak's deep, gravelly voice seeping through the thin walls from out in the hall. Her heart leapt in her chest with a slip of hope. Had he finally been permitted to come see her? She hopped up from the chair to hurry over to the door, cracking it ever so slightly to peer through the small crack. She didn't want to get to ahead of herself; in her melancholy state sulking over him, it was perfectly possible she had mistaken another's voice for that which she longed for. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene, parading out calling for Hak when it was in fact some lowly soldier. Word would surely get back to Kye-sook, and who knows what he would do with that information? Her rosy-red eyes flickered about the empty hall searching for him, and she sucked in a breath when she finally found the source of the muted conversation.

It was Hak. Even with his back turn, Yona could never mistake him; that pin-straight back and sure posture, broad shoulders, and black hair with just the lightest bit of fluffiness… Who was he speaking too, though? Whoever it was, he towered over, so Yona could not see. Quietly, she pushed the door open a little further and stuck out her head to get a better angle; before her eyes even landed on the person, she heard the girlish giggle and high-pitched, soft voice of a woman. Her face instantly flushed a dark shade of pink. Why was Hak talking to a woman? She instantly sidetracked in the other direction; she wasn't his keeper and he could talk to whoever he pleased, why should that bother her? The woman he was speaking to was a young chambermaid, dressed in simple clothing but very pretty, with her doe-like eyes and brown hair styled in a pretty up-do with a black-and-white flower ornament for a bit of stylish flair. Yona's grip on the sliding door white-knuckled as a hot flash flared in her belly.

"Master Hak, you really shouldn't be in here… Lord Soo-Won expressly forbid any unauthorized visitors to Lady Yona's chambers…" she tutted sadly. She looked genuinely regretful, but Yona could recognize the game she was playing; plump lips pursed, body angled to accentuate her shapely hips, round eyes at first looking down and to the side at the floor then rolling her innocent gaze to the corners of her eyes to look at him thoughtfully… She was most definitely flirting with Hak! Such an act made her teeth grind together with grating force. The worst part was that she couldn't just storm right out and steal Hak away. Sure, she had told him that she loved him, but circumstances had not been kind enough to hear him reciprocate. On top of that, if she made a scene, the woman would unquestionably scurry off to alert Soo-Won or Kye-Sook, and she and Hak most definitely wouldn't get to spend any time together. Loathe as she was to resign herself to the situation, Yona was forced to watch the crafty maid ogle over and blatantly flirt with Hak in the hopes that he would convince her to stay quiet.

The aggravating part about that scenario was that Hak was all but required to flirt back. From this angle, Yona could now see Hak's face. He cocked his head slightly to the side so that his dark bangs drifted over his eyes, propping one muscular arm against the wall while the other languidly rested a hand on his hip. A charming smile graced his face that made Yona's heart pound even though she wasn't the intended target… At that thought, more infuriated flame roiled in the pits of her belly. Oh, how she wished she was in that maid's place right now!

"Oh, but you won't tell anyone, will you?" His rumbling purr vibrated through Yona like an earthquake. She had always thought he had such a lovely voice, so deep and dare she say… sexy. Her eyes lidded as she stood captivated in that simple sentence, letting his voice flow through her like liquid gold, Yona suddenly realized that she was entering such improper territory. With a silent gasp, she clapped her hand to her cheeks to find them burning hot. She was a princess! It was so unladylike to sit there and drool over anyone, much less her bodyguard; she ought to have some poise! Oh, but it was so hard, because Hak was… well, Hak. Her gaze instinctively drifted back to him to find the maid giggling as he twisted a lock of her hair around his index finger. "Let's just keep this our little secret, hmm?"

Yona's mouth nearly hit the floor. He had never done such a thing to her! It was getting more and more difficult to convince herself it was all an elaborate ruse of Hak's. He was flirting as naturally as Jae-Ha, for crying out loud! Her Hak, who would always get so flustered and blushy when anything remotely romantic happened between the two of them… And here he was, effortlessly courting this woman like it was second nature to him! It was working, too.

"Okay…" the maid agreed bashfully. "Just this once, for you, Master Hak…" Hak flashed her a wink, which made the girl squeal slightly and run off while clutching her heart, which was pound to be beating right out of her chest after such a display. As the girl rounded the corner, it was like a flip instantly switched in the tall man; he exhaled deeply and ran his hands through his midnight hair, shoulders sagging and muttering under his breath about what a chore that was. It was minor relief that Hak had indeed been acting, but only that. Yona was impossibly jealous. How she longed for Hak to capture her in that smoldering gaze and twist her hair around his finger…

Yona gasped quietly and scampered away from the door as she registered Hak's quiet footsteps approaching. She settled herself in front of her calligraphy desk, pretending to have been working on the art form, but it was a pitiful trick; her hand was visibly trembling, making the brush bounce about and splatter black ink all over the creamy white page. As the door slid open, she scrambled to crumple up the paper and discard it as if she had erred. Back still turned, she sucked in a deep breath to attempt to steel her courage before glancing over her shoulder lazily as if she were expecting someone else. The way her eyes lit up with elation upon landing upon her beloved bodyguard was no lie, however.

"Oh, Hak! It's you!" she beamed and hopped to her feet to run over to him. He smiled softly down at her as she stopped in front of him, radiantly overjoyed.

"I finally managed to sneak in," he mused. Oh, dear, there was his purring voice again. Though for a moment Yona reveled in it, feeling it ring in her soul, she then suddenly recalled the image of him leaning over the little chambermaid with that roguish smile on his lips… and that soured any happiness she could glean from his attention. Like she had predicted, his actions with her were quite different; he was handling her like she was some fragile thing, a porcelain doll that would shatter under his touch. But I'm not! She protested silently. Momentarily forgetting he was even there, she crossed her arms and turned her back, fuming. I'm no less a woman than she is… And I love him… I want him to be such a way with me, she thought longingly, then flushed as red as her hair. That was certainly not princess-like at all. "Um, Princess… Is something the matter?"

Oh dear! She really had forgotten he was there, and she had put on such a bitter fit. There was no getting out of it, was there? One sordid glance over her shoulder revealed that to be true; he had a suspicious glint to his dark eyes and a firm look, the look he always had when he was going to weasel something out of someone. Yona puffed out her cheeks slightly. She'd been had, and now she'd have to own up to something so embarrassing. With a tiny sigh, she walked back over to her window bench and sat down on its soft surface, eyes trained on the floor as she suffered in the consequence of her own jealousy and impropriety.

"I saw you with the maid," she started in a low voice. She peered up through her thick lashes at him to see his face dusted with pink.

"Oh, that? That was just so she wouldn't go running her mouth!" he cried quickly with his hands raised placatingly.

"I know," she reassured him before he could start tumbling apologies out of his mouth. He breathed a deep sigh of relief and then looked at her inquisitively, now unsure what the conversation was leading to. "I know it was only so you could come see me, but… I'm still… jealous…" Which each successive word, her voice grew tinier and tinier, until it had the volume of a small mouse's squeak. Her hands kneaded nervously into the fabric of her dress. Oh, surely he would laugh at her now. Once more, she peeked up at him to gauge his reaction. Instead of amusement, she found curiosity crossing his fine features instead.

"Oh? Jealous?" Though she wouldn't have thought it possible, Yona's face blazed darker than her sunrise hair at the undeniably mischievous grin that flashed across his face. Yona gulped as he crossed the room in only a few steps thanks to his long stride to stop right in front of her and crouch down; she tried to hide her face by ducking her head down, only for his large hand to catch her underneath her chin and force her to look up at him. Yona wasn't sure if she was glad or mortified to have admitted the truth, because the situation was spiraling out of control so rapidly that it made her head spin and her breath hard to catch. "Imagine that. Princess Yona jealous over just a little fake flirting." Yona squirmed in his iron grip. She wasn't sure how she wanted the exchange to go but this was certainly not it. He chuckled under his breath and let her face go. She made to jump up and run away, but what he did next rooted her to the spot. "So, you'd like it if I did this, huh?" His voice was soft now; there was no teasing tone but one of genuine wonder. Yona's red eyes were wide but unseeing as he twisted a lock of her rosy-red hair around his index finger. Just like… Just like he did her…

Hak then blushed bright pink and jerked his hand back to cover his face. "Th-there, you happy now?!" he grumbled as his eyes looked everywhere but at her. She blinked, coming out of her daze, and then giggled. That's my Hak. Though she certainly didn't dislike the man he had been a moment ago, she much preferred him… just him, no flirtation or suave demeanor- her shy, bumbling Hak.

"Hehe," she began to giggle until she was doubled over, holding her belly and laughing. Hak stared at her wide-eyed in utter disbelief throughout her entire fit, right up until she sat up wiping a few tears from her eyes. "Hak, you're so funny!" Why had she even been jealous in the first place? That woman was no threat to her in the slightest…

"Are you making fun of me?!" he whined loudly as he sat back on his behind with a loud sigh. He scratched his head as a completely defeated but amused smirk came upon his face. "Man… I just can't win with you, can I?" Yona shook her head with a small laugh and leaned forward slightly, smiling warmly.

"It's not that. I just realized that I didn't have to be jealous at all." He continued to give her that bemused look.

"No… No, you don't. I only have eyes for you, after all." He said it so naturally, so softly. Though it wasn't the husky whisper she had heard from him earlier, it almost had an even stronger effect; an electrical pulse shuddered through her body, making her flush warm from head to toe and her heart spin into overdrive. Once again, he reached for her hair, but this time threaded his fingers through the strands to gently hold the side of her head. "Only you," he echoed again, even softer than before. Yona smiled as she felt herself ready to cry of joy. Her hand rose to cover his and she leaned into his touch.

"Thank you, Hak…" His adoring gaze continued to warm her to her core, until suddenly he tore it away from her, looking at the door. He didn't have to say anything to her for her to know. "You have to go, don't you?" The disappointment in her voice was palpable.

"The guards will be making their rounds soon. I wouldn't want to completely ruin my chances of paying you another visit," he looked back at her with a small smirk. Still holding his hand to her face, Yona wrestled with letting it go; she knew it was for the best, considering the uncertainty of everything right now, but she just missed so badly having Hak constantly at her side. "I'll come back as soon as I can… I promise." Yona let the tears slip down her cheeks and obediently dropped her hand. Instead of falling as well, his hand lingered a moment in her hair like the dawn, then slipped down to her cheek to catch some of the watery droplets rolling down. From the way his muscles tensed in his arms, she knew that he was going to pull back and disappear into the night.

Yona wanted just one last thing, one last reassurance.

She jumped forward to crash her lips against his, smothering his gasp of alarm and shock. Her hand landed against his broad chest, feeling the tension in the muscles fibers there, then the way they slowly relaxed as he melted with her. His hand traveled to the back of her head as he angled his own, wresting control from her and moving his lips in a passionate rhythm that stole Yona's breath away. They kissed like that for several minutes, deeply, desperately, until he pulled back from her with a small sigh. "I really have to go," he said with an apologetic expression. Yona nodded and sat back up straight.

"I know… I'll be waiting." He smiled wryly and took her hand to gently press a kiss on top of it. The area tingled with electricity long after his lips ceased to brush over it.

"Until then… Princess." And then he was gone, the sliding door closing behind him and his footsteps rapidly retreating down the hall. Yona exhaled deeply and looked once more out the window down at the courtyard, which was now bathed in the light of the pale moon.

Until then… Hak… Just thinking of him made her heart begin to flutter like autumn leaves tossed about in the wind, chasing away the dull settled that had pervaded her now that she was once more alone. Even if he was not by her side physically, she knew he was there in spirit, watching over her… Because he had eyes only for her, just like Yona had eyes only for him.

She had nothing to be jealous of. Nothing at all.