H̶e̶l̶l̶ Hail King || ONC 2021(Longlister)

XVI. Vena Amoris

Acceptance was the key. Edward hoped it was the key to his deeply tangled emotions. After the scare Jupiter had, he could not rebut having sentiments for the boy. Whether his feelings were amicable or leaned towards attraction, was yet to be discovered. He was imagining himself on hands and knees, praying the feelings to be platonic emotions which were a result of him not having a single friend during childhood.

"I do not trust you enough to supply you with an answer."

Edward was not expecting Jupiter to laugh.

Jupiter was not expecting such an ironic response, hence he laughed despite the ache in his head.

"I am your sentry; don't you think it is a little late to be distrusting of me, sir?"

Jupiter was afraid that the king's teeth would fall off after getting gritted so much. Deep inside him, a voice - probably his brain - was telling him to sew his mouth shut. Masochistically, he shut out the voice. The man in front of him deserved every tongue-lash and every mishappening that came his way simply for being a cruel leader.

Edward's nostrils flared, and for a second he looked ready to burst. The soldier's image from an hour ago flashed in front of his eyes and he swallowed his outburst.

"You fell prey to my issues. I should not have taken out my anger on you."

Jupiter's voice was sharp when he repeated his question. "Why?"

"I cannot tell you."

"You do not want to."

Edward nodded mutely.

"But you owe me an explanation as your issues are endangering my life."

Initially, he was hesitant but not for long. A resolute Edward asked Jupiter - "May I take a seat beside you?"

It was Jupiter's turn to hesitate. "Y-you m-m-may." He watched the man he served with a hawk-like gaze until he was a reachable distance away. At the last moment, he averted his eyes as the man was staring into them with an unbearable intensity.

"Look at me."

He shook his head at the soft demand. The strand of his hair that refused to stay tucked in flew left and right with the movement. He would not budge and listen unless it is a brutal command.

"Jupiter, open your eyes and look at me." When did he close his eyes? He could answer the question as it was a subconscious action on his part.

"Please."

Edward saying 'please' was manna from heaven - a miracle. The unusual request made Jupiter reconsider and look at the king who looked like he ate something bad which to an extent was true; politeness must have left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"I started fancying you sometime in the past week. I never wanted to as you are a servant and a man at that. Two men are fine as long as they know each other in the bounds of bed and not beyond."

Jupiter's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. He did not hold any feelings for the king, but getting called unworthy hurt. For the first time in his useless life, someone took an interest in him only to emphasize how undeserving he was. The reality, his reality, hurt. The vulnerability was clear on his face, changing him into an open book, easy for anyone to read.

Agony-filled eyes stared back at him and Edward realized his mistake. Quickly, he tried to amend. "No. I-I did not mean it in a bad way."

Hearing a half-hearted excuse come out of the king's mouth, Jupiter forgot most of his pain and directed the leftovers to the path of anger, fueling the latter. "Then how did you mean it?"

A groan left Edward's lips. Feelings are hard to decipher and harder to explain. "I did not mean to insult you. It is simply...you know how I am."

"Unfortunately, yes."

The cold response cut through Edward, snapping the last thread of his patience. "Shut up! Listen. If I did not respect you, you would not be in my bed right now."

"Thank you for helping the man who fainted because of you, kind king."

"You are a brat," Edward grumbled, taking a deep breath. His next course of action was to slide closer to the beautiful, young soldier. Slowly, he leaned in, leaving a very minute distance between them. "Listen," he whispered before taking Jupiter's hand in his. "Can you forgive me and forget what happened? I want to begin afresh."

Jupiter could say Edward felt the sudden spike in his heartbeat as the man was thumbing at the exact spot where his Vena Amoris - the vein of love - lay. His smug smile was all the proof Jupiter needed. This handsome man was going to be the death of him, if not literally, then figuratively. Swallowing, he nodded.

"Use your words, Jupiter."

"Yes sir."

"Edward."

"Ed..." Jupiter's breath hitched as the king gave the back of his hand a lingering kiss.

"Ed? I like the sound of that from you," Edward said and smiled in triumph. Emotions were not his strong suit. They were challenging to figure out. Despite that, once he had a clear picture, he made sure to act as he wished. He was headstrong and used to get what he desired.

And now, he craved Jupiter.