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Category: Hurt and Comfort

Characters: Son Hak, Soo-Won

Requested By: farrah87 (Ao3)

Soo-Won gasped as he twitched awake. His eyes shot open, and the ceiling above him blurred into an abstract painting of grey-brown streaks before reforming into the arranged slats and support beams. Exhaling deeply, he ran a hand through his disarrayed locks of pale hair to find them clumped together with sweat. He knew not what he had been dreaming about but also knew: King Il, saying such harsh words with that sickeningly fake smile on his face. Staring up at the ceiling while he struggled in the aftermath of the nightmare, it took him a moment to realize that this was not in fact his bedroom.

Once aware of that fact the recent events flood back into his short-term memory, and his face flushed rose. He was now also very aware of a small body pressed slightly against him, and there was no guesswork needed to know who that was. He stiffly turned his head, the bright flash of red hair in the moonlight the only answer he required. Yona's face was soft and calm as she dozed beside him, her hands nestled by her face with her body curled like a little caterpillar in its cocoon. He smiled gently. How could such a strong, willful person like Yona still be so vulnerable and innocent-looking? With a troubled hum, he gently stroked his sweat-streaked fingers down the side of her face, leaving three thin lines of the salty solution glistening on her otherwise unmarred skin. Even after everything, she had still been unable to leave his side in his feverous stupor.

How cruel the world was.

Hak's footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet that lined the halls of Kouka Castle as he strode purposefully through the dark. At least, his body had purpose, but his mind didn't; technically he was not supposed to be wandering the halls at this time of night, as Soo-Won and his ilk would find it quite suspect, but Hak righteously didn't care. He couldn't sleep, and he was never the type to lay in the sheets trying to will himself into slumber. If his body had energy to dissipate, then he took a walk to do so, simple as that.

Hak's eyes narrowed as he spied a silhouette shuffling at the end of the hallway. As it passed by a window, the moonlight spilling in illuminated the form of Soo-Won himself. Hak hastily hid behind a pillar, just barely peering beyond its rounded edge to watch the meandering king. What was he doing wandering around at this hour? Surely he was up to something… The king was alone, for once. Hak's fists curled into tight balls; he clenched them so hard that his knuckles glared as white as the surface of the moon hanging low in the dark night sky. Now was the perfect opportunity to interrogate Soo-Won for a multitude of things that had been bothering Hak for a great long while.

Before he could step out from behind the pillar, however, the sound of frantically falling footsteps froze him on the spot. He hurriedly hid himself completely behind the stone structure at Minsoo called softly out to the young king.

"Your Majesty!" The young boy's breath came in slight gasps from his feverish run. Hak edged his face beyond the pillar, watching with hawk-like eyes as he stopped in front of Soo-Won, holding a hand over his chest as he caught his breath. "Ah, there you are. You weren't in your chambers, so I went looking for you. You cannot be wandering around at this hour by yourself! What if you were to collapse?" Hak's eyebrows quirked at the interesting tidbit of information. Collapse? Was Soo-Won recovering from some sort of wound? Or… Hak remembered vaguely that Soo-Won's mother had died at a young age, presumably from some sort of illness, though it was all very hush-hush. Could it be possible that Soo-Won had inherited his mother's frail disposition and was going to suffer the same fate?

Hak would've expected that he would've felt vindicated or triumphant. Instead, he felt the cold, slow flood of fear and concern seeping into the cells of his body, leaving him with a numb, tingling feeling. Something about Soo-Won being dead unsettled him, even now, after all that had happened… He put a hand to his face as it twisted into a mixture between a dismayed look and an irritated frown. Now was not the time to get into his feelings; he needed to listen to this conversation to learn all he could about the current state of affairs. "Princess Yona was looking for you… She awoke and you were gone. She was very disturbed by you collapsing from fever…"

A blaze of pink flared over Hak's face. He passed out right in front of Yona? She had probably come to the same conclusion that he had, and that was dangerous knowledge for the princess to possess. No doubt, Soo-Won's advisors were going to lay down even harsher sanctions on her. This is turning out to be a bigger mess than I imagined, he thought, belly heavy with foreboding.

"I needed some fresh air, that's all. I am feeling much better. Please go tell Yona that I will return shortly. You may retire for the night, Minsoo. I'm quite all right." Minsoo looked like he wished to argue, but it wasn't like he was in any position to do so. Instead, he respectfully bowed his head before scurrying off in the direction of the princess' quarters. Immediately, Soo-Won sighed deeply and leaned his shoulder against the castle wall, one hand threaded through his long blonde hair in a gesture of stress. Hak remained unseen behind the pillar for a moment, considering his options. If Kye-Sook and the others learned of how much Hak knew, it would be bad for him, and asking Soo-Won anything was likely to worsen any potential consequences… But, it wasn't like Hak was the least bit threatened by the lot of them. There were things he wanted to know.

"Soo-Won."

"Hello, Hak," Soo-Won responded dully as the knight stepped out from behind the pillar to walk toward him. The king glanced wearily over his shoulder with that stupid smile that prevented Hak from knowing what his scheming mind was thinking. Hak stopped a few paces short of him. "What an expression on your face." Hak was sure it was quite an expression. His conflicted hate for Soo-Won was so strong that it was guaranteed to be written all over his stony face anytime they interacted. He was glaring so hard his face actually hurt, but he really couldn't help it.

"What does Minsoo mean? What are you recovering from?"

"That's none of your concern."

"It damn well is my concern. You kill King Il to take the throne, and go and die less than a year later? What the hell are you plotting?" he snarled savagely. The smirk fell from Soo-Won's face, morphing his visage into a blank, unreadable expression. It pissed Hak off to no end. He clenched his teeth, baring them like a wild dog, as he tightened his fists at his side. "… Did you do it just because you think King Il killed Lord Yu-Hon?"

Soo-Won's eyes widened for a brief second before falling back into that uninterested lidded stare. He turned his head to face away from Hak, preventing him completely from reading his expression, as if he could anyway. Silence settled between them. "Well? Answer me!"

"Whether or not that is true has no bearing on anything." Hak growled and jerked forward, foot stomping into the carpet.

"Of course it does! I just can't figure you out! What are you doing all this for? Why did you hurt Princess Yona? I swear, if you hurt her any more, I'll-!" Hak stopped short as Soo-Won pushed himself off from the wall only to start wobbling precariously, like his was inebriated. Reflexively, Hak surged forward to catch him under his arms as he fell, and Soo-won's head flopped to the side against his chest. Beneath the strands of long blonde hair covering his face, Hak could see the deathly white pallor of his sunken cheeks. He really is… Sick… he thought dumbly, just staring at Soo-Won as he rasped unevenly.

"Hak…" He groaned suddenly. The warrior stiffened, not sure what to say, before replying with a soft and gruff, "Yeah?" "Please take care of her… of Yona… I can't die… just yet… I still have… something I need to do…" He forced the words out between heaving inhales, clearly struggling to remain conscious long enough to deliver his message. As soon as the last syllable left his lips, he breathed out deeply before collapsing completely, his full weight sinking against Hak's body. Hak's expression was now the unreadable one as he stared down at the unconscious man in his arms. Soo-Won was vulnerable. Helpless. There was so much Hak could do with that…

But to what end?

"Idiot," he grumbled as he hoisted Soo-Won up into his arms. The man was lighter than he ought to be. Soo-Won's hair was already beginning to stick to his forehead with the sheen of sweat growing there. "You'd better not die, not until you tell me just what the hell has been going on." His footfalls seemed heavier and louder as he carried the ill king down the hallway to Yona's room. He slid the wooden door open with his foot, prompting a slight gasp from the princess, who was seated on her knees amongst tousled blankets and pillows. He paused in the doorway as her dawn-colored eyes wobbled in the dark, swimming with more emotions that Hak could ever name. Then, silently, she stood to rearrange the blankets and gesture for Hak to carry Soo-Won over. He did so, crouching down to gently deposit him in the bed. Yona pulled the covers up to his chin, sitting on his opposite side and gazing miserably down at his now flushed face.

"What's going to happen to him, Hak?"

"I dunno," he answered honestly. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He hated that he didn't know, but there was no lie convincing enough that he could tell her. His dark eyes met hers, round and soft and brimming with tears. With a small sigh, he pushed himself back to his feet and walked around the sleeping Soo-Won to sit beside her, pulling her little body into a reassuring embrace. Her face buried into the fabric of his robes while her fingers clutched it like a lifeline, and the thick material muffled her already quiet sobs. He laid his cheek against the top of her head while releasing a deep, shaky sigh.

When was the last time anything had been right in their lives? It seemed like an eternity. His black eyes flickered down to Soo-Won's face, which was screwed up in discomfort. … You'd better fix it, you bastard. Fix it all. In the meantime… I will protect her with my life.