This isn't the first time Hak has watched Yona sleep in her palace bedroom.
Her placid, beautiful face. Chest gently lifting and then quietly releasing like ocean waters out over a shore. Morning skin replenished, soft. Lips gently parted and relaxed, tempting pink pillows he's always wanted to touch. Oh yes, he's watched this scene in here dozens of times. But this is the first time from this angle - Yona's angelic face snuggled up against his bare chest.
Hak's heart is so swollen from this experience he's bordering on an attack.
He has his arm around Yona's naked figure which fits perfectly against his, like she was crafted to become part of him in this bed. He has his other arm behind his head as he watches her - on him - naked - and tries to cope with his new life. The rare moments he's able to steal his eyes away from her, he glances around the room still full of her things and their memories. How is this possible?!
Maybe it's not… As if to pinch himself awake, Hak leans forward and cups Yona's face upward, then presses his lips to hers. He holds there for just a moment enjoying this once-forbidden bliss - if it's a dream it's not a criminal thing to do - then pulls back to see a tiny smile curl up the corners of her lips.
Hak places her face back down and leans back again, now doubling his effort to accept this reality. He feels one of Yona's hands creeping up his chest, over his defined abs, to a peck mound, now up to one of his flushing cheeks. She looks up at him with sleepy, drunk-with-happiness eyes - so playful, so dangerous - then reaches up her other hand and yanks his face back down to hers - rolling onto her back in the process and dragging him on top of her, legs spread, his morning wood pressed against her.
Not even a word is exchanged. It's all in the look in their meeting eyes. She's in love. Excited. Playful. He's far, far off in obsession. Disbelief. Immense faith. And it's a shock of pleasure for both as he enters her and begins to hump.
Their skin feels incredible together and the sex is the most fluid it's ever been - all soft bedsheets, sloppy kisses, incredible wetness, and interwoven limbs.
The harder Hak thrusts, the louder Yona moans. It. Feels. Amazing.
If before his size had left her sore, now her body aches for him and that soreness. A dear friend, the only thing that can do this for her, make her feel this way.
Yona reaches a hand down to his fine ass and grasps it tightly as he pounds into her. She wants it - more, more. The soft bedding moves flexibly with their passionate movements, the bed itself bumps against the wall in rhythm.
And then, with Hak's mouth crushed down over Yona's in a desperate hold of affection, he feels her tighten in spasms against him and with a soft breath of ecstatic defeat he releases a stream of his hot seed into her.
For a few moments they remain connected, nuzzling and kissing, hands running all over each other, then Hak rolls to the side and stares at his wife in awe.
Hak laughs.
Yona looks at him bewildered, then incredulous.
He tries to explain, "I always wondered what would happen if I did that."
"What exactly?!" Yona is so ready to attack.
Hak runs his index finger over her lips, "Kissed these while you were sleeping."
"Oh," Yona blushes, relieved, "...I hope you're not disappointed."
Hak shakes his head in amazement, "Everything about you has exceeded my dreams."
Yona bites her lower lip with stars in her eyes, shy in receiving this compliment but also liking it from him. She finds herself grazing on his adonis-like body with her eyes, heading all the way down to where his pelvic v leads, then back up to meet his curious gaze, "You, too."
Yona is surprised to see how much he's blushing. Then realizes, "Usually you hold me after we make love. Why're you over there?" she nods down at the chasm between them on the bed, "Don't tell me you suddenly mind the wet spot now that we're at the palace…"
"It's definitely not that."
"Then what is it?!" Yona pouts.
Hak is uncomfortable to admit it, but… "It's a little weird being here… with you… like this."
Yona giggles, "I know."
"I'm glad you think it's funny, Princess," Hak shifts.
"OK I agree it's going to take some getting used to. But it's not a bad thing. Does it bother you?"
Hak looks down at her tenderly, "The most important things haven't actually changed for me. I loved you then. I love you now. I wanted to protect you then. I want to protect you now."
"Something has changed since we came back here."
Fessing up, "I have this terrible feeling I'm going to get in serious trouble at any moment. -for putting my hands on you. Like I'm betraying something. Giving in to something."
Yona stares at him, surprised. Then she smiles with a sigh of frustration.
"Oh no," Hak's eyes widen.
"I was going to say something encouraging, then I remembered Mundok is arriving today."
Hak lifts a hand to his face, "This is gonna get weirder."
Yona wraps her arms around him in a hug.
"We're married," Hak reminds himself, "We're married. This is what married people do."
"Mmhmm," Yona encourages.
"Why do I still feel like he's gonna kill me?"
Yona turns as red as a beet and looks up at him with eyes that have something to say.
"Oh no," Hak is terrified once more.
"You know how I haven't been feeling like eating these past few weeks and have been feeling a little off…"
Hak nods, his mouth beginning to fall.
"Girls usually have periods every few weeks and since we've been traveling mine have been irregular but…"
Hak is still nodding, breathing has stopped.
Yona takes his hands in hers, "...but then I started feeling this pain in my breasts and last night, being here in this room, I recognized the feeling from before. Breathe, Hak," she pushes a hand against his chest.
Hak lets air out and then with effort gets some more in. He's gone white.
"I think my breasts are growing. And then suddenly it all makes sense. I think… I'm pregnant, Hak."
THUD! Hak has somehow fallen to the floor.
"Hak!" Yona peeks over the bed down at him, "Are you OK?!"
He's on his rump, a trembling hand scratching the back of his head. When he looks up at her, his cheeks are pink and there are tears in his eyes.
"Hak..."
"That's… This is… Princess, I…," he rises with an awestruck expression and goes to her. He pulls her into a deep hug against his chest, his hands tightly grasped onto her, "This is incredible, Princess. I can't believe, already…"
Yona feels wetness fall onto her cheek. She pulls back and looks up to see the streams of tears now down Hak's cheeks. She touches them, now crying along with him.
"I'm really happy, too," she shares, "It's all happening so fast, but… I want all of it. With you."
Hak just stares, overwhelmed with emotion, holding her precious body, wondering what he's gonna have to give up in a future life to balance how good this one is - and being ready to bleed joyfully for any of it.
"I know there's a lot expected of us today. The generals are on the way here. I've begun to think Joo-Doh is just making things up now his list is so long. Kija and Zeno could arrive back. I still haven't seen Jae-Ha, Yun, and Shin-Ah's room. Not to mention Mundok. And I sent for Lili-"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Hak sits next to Yona who skips off the bed and begins to dress as she realizes what's ahead.
"Oh! All your clothes are in your bedroom. I don't think I have any boy clothes," she heads to her closet, "But I might have a certain blue dress…"
"Princess…," Hak continues to watch Yona rush around, then begins to put back on what he wore the night before, still reeling from the news.
Yona stares forward into her closet, frozen. Too soon. There hangs one of her mother's gowns. And one of Soo-Won's outer robes he'd once left behind and she'd always kept.
Yona slams the closet shut a little too hard, then feels Hak's great hands on her shoulders.
He whispers in her ear, "You're going to be amazing. But first, may I walk you to a doctor?"
It takes Yona a minute to mentally come back and process, but when she does she's a little touched. She turns - and Hak sees the stress on her face.
So he adds, "The way you eat sometimes, someone's gotta get some best practices and make sure you don't go overboard."
"Whatever, Hak!" Yona smacks him.
He pulls her into a hug and they hold each other for a good while, about nothing specific and yet also very much some shared sense of the weight ahead of them on so many levels.
Yona feels comfort in Hak's arms. As long as they're together - what can't she do?
There's a knock at the door. Here we go...
"Princess," Hak smiles down at Yona, "Always remember - I'm going to protect you and our family. No matter what."