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2020-04-10
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At The End Of Your Fingertips

Summary:

With just by a single touch from Lee Chang, Yeongshin surrendered.

(Or lost his mind if you're not feeling very poetic)

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

It had been almost a year since they started the journey to find out more about the resurrection plant. After being declared as officially dead, Lee Chang—no longer bearing any royal title—decided he would assist Seobi in order to make sure this plague wouldn’t happen again.

And really, what more could Yeongshin do then but follow in His Highness footsteps. Yeongshin vowed loyalty to Prince Lee Chang on a freezing day by the sea shore and he had no intention of breaking it.

They made a pretty neat team; a dead prince, a medic, and a former tiger hunter. They wandered always though Seobi made herself a neat little clinic slash research-hut not far from Jiyulheon should they needed a place to regroup.

Lee Chang would inquire the people of what they know about the plague or the plant, Seobi would investigate and confirm, and Yeongshin would protect them. They would sometimes hire additional guard too but it was clear that anything pertaining to the safety of the group fell into Yeongshin’s hand.

But sometimes even all that was not enough. Sometimes their biggest concern wasn't even the vicious corpses brought to life, sometimes it's just plain, old, nasty bandits. Like now, their party was ambushed by a band of robbers and they were outnumbered four to six.

Lee Chang, the noble idiot that he was, actually had the gall to say that he didn't want to kill the robbers, he understood why they might resort to robbery and implored them to let his group go. Yeongshin would definitely feel proud and touched but he couldn't because—well, they were robbers, their only goal was to loot and kill and one of them had already drawn his bows and aimed for Lee Chang.

Yeongshin moved without thinking and slammed the guy down. While he took his time recovering from the shock, Yeongshin quickly pulled his dagger from his sleeves and sliced the robber’s throat. Luckily, when Yeonshin moved, the hired guard for Lee Chang also saw an opportunity, drew his sword and slashed one of the robbers nearest to him.

Chaos ensued and Yeongshin heard Seobi’s withdrawing footsteps. She could take care of herself alright but she knew not to unnecessarily put herself in danger. Yeongshin wished the same could be said for Lee Chang, as the former prince was now trying to take two robbers at the same time. Yeongshin cursed the foolish bravery noble people had while he scrambled to stand and went to his prince’s side but a slash of something sharp pushed him back again.

Another robber, with a glistening sickle in his hands, blocked his way. Yeongshin spared a single glance towards Lee Chang before he moved in to the robber who slashed toward him again but this time Yeongshin ducked and stabbed him in the stomach. While he was doubling in pain, Yeongshin pushed the dagger deeper, making the robber hit his back on a tree. Yeongshin grabbed the robber’s head and slammed it hard into the tree branch before he was out.

Three down, three to go.

The other guard was trying to shake the robber he was fighting with in order to help Lee Chang, who was holding his own ground, trying to hold back both of his enemies and not let them loose on Seobi. Yeongshin dashed toward his musket on the ground, just a sand throw away from Lee Chang’s feet.

The robber saw his movement and lunged for him, sword drawn high. Yeongshin rolled and felt the swoosh of the blade go down right by his ear. His hand closed in on the musket and was about to get up but the robber was faster than he looked, he attacked again and Yeongshin instinctively put his arms up while backing away further. Pain shot up through him as his skin was slashed away and he held back a hiss.

Yeongshin stumbled backwards but now he got his musket with him and then it was all familiar and automatic movements for him as he gripped and pointed his musket at the lowlife before him. He pulled the trigger and watched as his enemy was blown away and fell, not moving again.

Yeongshin wasted no more time and finally, finally, reached Lee Chang’s side and beat the robber using the butt of his musket. He was knocked back and Lee Chang used the advantage to slashed the robber down. Yeongshin moved toward the last robber but the guard had already got it covered, judging by the lifeless body splayed in front of him.

The clearance was now only filled with the sound of their heavy breathing. Yeongshin turned around and meant to check on both Lee Chang and Seobi, but the physician already returned and she gave a small nod when their eyes met, she was okay. Now then, the prince—

“You’re hurt,” Lee Chang said, suddenly crowding him. He did not touch Yeongshin but he was close enough the tiger hunter could feel his body temperature. Or maybe that was just his own blood, warming up because of this close proximity with a pretty noble like Lee Chang…

Focus! He asked you something. Wait did he—oh dear gods above he’s touching me.

Lee Chang grabbed Yeongshin’s bleeding arm and looked at it. The former prince frowned looking at the still bleeding cut. He gingerly put two fingers around the wound and it took away all Yeongshin's ability to draw breath. "It doesn't look like it's deep, but Seobi should still examine this, so that there won't be any problem."

Yeongshin nodded silently, hoping against hope he didn't look weird just because of a single touch. Lee Chang dropped his arm and went to check on the other guard. Yeongshin released his breath in a short, shaky exhale. He heard Lee Chang asking the same thing but he also noticed how the former prince did not touch the guard.

He couldn't ponder about it further because Seobi was already on him and his arm was treated right away.

“Alright, that should do it,” Seobi tightened the bandage around Yeongshin’s arm and the tiger hunter was reminded briefly of that one time, long ago, among the sick in Jiyulheon. It was almost similar but this time the physician was smiling at him instead of snarling. Yeongshin dipped his head in gratitude to her and Seobi moved on to treat others.

He looked down on his covered arm and felt something tickle from the inside. Something delicate and soft. Must have been the herbs doing its work, Yeongshin told himself. Yes, that must be it, though why the herb working felt like a tender caress of a prince, Yeongshin would not think about that, absolutely not.

He took his dagger and his musket, dirty and caked in blood, and headed to the little stream nearby. The hired guard and Seobi already took charge of handling the bodies, Yeongshin noted. He would help them, later, he just needed a moment to cool his head, almost literally.

He left his musket just a little farther from the stream and dipped a piece of cloth into the water before wiping away the blood from his dagger in a practiced motion. The water felt cool to the touch, although summer was almost over, not at all freezing. Yeongshin sheathed the dagger back into his sleeve before splashing his own face, hoping the water would wash away any silly thoughts inside him.

Truly, there must have been something loose in his head. Lee Chang was different. He was a noble who truly cared about the suffering of his people. He did not seek power for himself, he wanted it so he could lift more people with him. And that, that was new for Yeongshin. His heart, long thought to be hardened and indifferent to things other than survival, was filled with warm hopes and with it, the fierce desire to protect this human who was so, so good.

And that—was supposed to be the end of it.

Because Yeongshin wasn’t supposed to think about how, in the most rare occasion, the prince’s laugh was the most beautiful sound he ever heard. He wasn’t supposed to wonder how it felt to hold Lee Chang’s palm and give kisses to every single knuckles. He wasn’t supposed to wonder how it felt to have Lee Chang’s eyes on him, just him alone. He wasn’t supposed to feel a low heat curling on his stomach from all of those.

He wasn't supposed to want.

He wasn't allowed to want.

Yeongshin put his face into his palm, pressing cool skin into his eyes and exhaled a harsh sigh, wishing his head to just stop thinking. A rustling behind him was as jarring as an actual thunderbolt striking him, Yeonshin pulled his dagger out again and whirled around, ready to stab however sneaked on him—

“Whoa, easy there!”

It was Lee Chang.

Again, Yeongshin cursed the foolishness of the nobles. He lowered his head and gave a short bow. “Apologies, Your Highness. I thought you were an enemy,” he said as he once again put his dagger away. He walked away from the stream and picked his musket.

“Why would you be worried about enemies? They have all been taken care of,” Lee Chang cocked his head toward the general direction of the skirmish. “You yourself had taken three of them down.”

“Technically, only two and a half. You delivered the final blow for the third one, Your Highness,” Yeongshin smirked. Jesting and smirking at royal descendants, this was apparently Yeongshin’s life now. Lee Chang answered back with a small smile, perhaps even thinking about how impertinent his subordinate was, but Yeongshin’s stupid brain just translated that expression into fond and that was bad. Oh, that was really bad.

Yeongshin cleared his throat and lowered his eyes—as he was supposed to, “Is there anything you need, Your Highness?”

There was silence for a while before Lee Chang answered with a surprising question, “How’s your wound?”

Yeongshin blinked and looked up. “Um, It’s been tended to. I will be fine in no time, thanks to Seobi.”

“I see,” Lee Chang said simply. “Do gunners like you have a dominant arm to use when shooting?”

“The Chakko trained us to be able to use both hands, Your Highness,” Yeongshin answered while shouldering his musket. “As long as both of my arms are able to lift, I can use either hand to shoot.”

Lee Chang tilted his head sideways, his eyebrows lifted and eyes went round. He was fascinated, Yeonshin could see that in his expression.

“So you can hold your musket fine, now? Even with the wound?” Lee Chang asked again.
Yeonshin grabbed his musket and easily held it into aiming position somewhere on his right without breaking a sweat. He could feel his torn skin getting even stretched but there was no pain, only numb sensation. Seobi did a good job indeed, but if he aggravated his wound further than this, the physicist would be the one who actually finished the robber’s job.

He was about to lower his arms when fingers touched his elbow and he almost jumped out of his skin.

“Truly, no discomfort whatsoever?” Lee Chang asked so, so very closely, so easily, blind and ignorant of the heart attack he just gave Yeongshin. “You can just shoot the musket with whichever hands?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Yeongshin should be awarded for keeping his tone even and resisting the urge to turn his head into his prince because he was just. right. there. Crowding his space and heart, with no regard for Yeongshin's safety or sanity. Lee Chang’s fingers kept its maddening way into Yeongshin’s arm, slowly and tentatively while Yeongshin held his breath and tried not to tremble.

When Lee Chang’s finger arrived at the bandage wrapping Yeongshin’s arm, he whispered, “I feel like this is my fault, somehow. I was not quick enough.” When those blasted fingers left Yeongshin’s arm and touched the musket handle, Yeongshin did not feel any disappointment, no. “It was a good thing you were able to get to this quickly. I saw you handle this. It was… Impressive.”

Yeongshin could barely utter a word of thanks when Lee Chang did something even more outrageous and bracketed Yeongshin’s whole body. Both of his arms were held as Lee Chang tried to imitate Yeongshin’s posture. If Lee Chang wanted to, he could easily put his chin on Yeongshin’s shoulder.

A harsh intake of breath was the only indication Yeongshin was still alive. He was frozen solid.

“So I guess this is how you see the world when you hold a gun,” the words were just whispered right into his ear and Yeongshin prayed to all the gods in heaven to please just take his life right here and now. When Lee Chang’s fingers closed on his own, it was the last straw for Yeongshin.

“Your Highness.”

The royal bastard actually had the nerve to just answer with a hum. “Your Highness,” Yeongshin tried again, firmer this time. “What are you doing.”

“I just want to know and learn about how you handle your gun,” Lee Chang was still holding on to him. “I learn better with, hm, direct approach.”

But Yeongshin was not moving away either and he cursed his weak wanting heart. “That's not—that is not how you learn how to shoot a musket, Your Highness.”

“Well, then,” there was something in Lee Chang’s voice that seized Yeongshin’s heart with both desire and fear as he felt every breath in his ear. “Will you teach me the right way?”

Yeongshin was a survivor. Everything he did was out of the preservation of his life. He did many bad and foolish things, yes, but it brought him more time in this wretched world. He lived, still. So, he thought this might be the most stupid and final decision he would ever make. He would not come out of this alive, he knew, yet he wouldn’t mind it. This was Lee Chang. He would gladly give his life and soul to him.

As Yeongshin was about to say yes, the sound of a branch breaking from footsteps were heard and both of them separated from each other, Yeongshin tensed and ready for an attack while Lee Chang put his hand ready to pull his sword out.

“My Lord,” said the hired guard, emerging forward. “We are ready to depart.”

Lee Chang nodded and the guard left. Yeongshin finally let his arms down and tried to avoid Lee Chang’s eyes. But of course he would not let it go just like that.

“Next time,” Lee Chang said. “Will you show me next time?”

Yeongshin looked up and felt a fluttering in his heart when he saw what was in Lee Chang’s eyes. Something was burning bright in those eyes. Something all-consuming and devastating. Something that would end Yeongshin.

But this was Lee Chang and Yeongshin would give his all for him.

Yeongshin nodded.

Notes:

Sooooo that guard most definitely saw his employer fondling his right hand man, right?

I did not mean to make Lee Chang that leery. Or was I? hmm.
Also I think I abused the italic function a bit here. oh well.