Prince of the Celts

𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓢𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷: 𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓛𝓸𝓼𝓽?

"There's a pain/ it does ripple
Through my frame/ makes me lame
There's a thorn in my side/
It's the shame, it's the prize" - In This shirt; The Irrepressibles

We gathered together with my belongings just before the sun rose outside the door. "Put on your hood. I don't want to be recognized." Father swallowed dryly before Aiden transported us across the border into Scotland.

"Unfortunately, this is the only gate around here to The Coalesce." He gestured to a grand, Gothic-style monument. "It's called the Scott Monument. It finished eons ago, in the heart of what used to be Edinburgh--"

"Aiden, we're not here as tourists, remember? We're here to send off my baby." His voice sounded tight. Aiden nods.

I jumped into their arms and hugged them close, pulling both of them off the ground.

"Agh! Put me down you giant!" Aiden cried. I complied and put them both down.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye." My dad sniffled. "I love you. You better write me every day. And I want a photograph. Please."

"Of course, Father. I wouldn't dream of anything less." He smiled sadly. "Good, now go. Live your life the way you want to."

"My, is that you, Airell? I haven't seen you since I fuck--"

"Go!" Dad cried, pushing me through the portal with my luggage in my hand.

I fell over into the portal and found myself on a large platform. There was a bunch of people milling about, demons with no cloaks, angels letting their wings hang out, werewolves half transformed.

"Wow!" It's so cool here." There were five tall, red gates with different languages ​​written on them.

I stood up and dusted myself off, grabbing my luggage, and joined the crowd, looking at the gates lost.

"Ahhh, why didn't I ever learn any other languages ​​than Gaelic and English?" I went with my gut and walked towards one of the gates.

"Hey, are you lost?" A short guy with black hair and mischievous orange eyes stopped me. "I think you have the wrong gate."

"Pardon?" I responded in Irish.

I didn't understand a word he said.

We stared at each other.

"Annyeong?" He tried. I didn't know that word.

"Bonjour? Hola? Nihao? Yā? Hallo? Hello?"

"Hello?"

"Oh, you speak English." He groaned. "Well, you're in the wrong area, man. Where are you trying to go?"

He adjusted the collar of his shirt. He had a collar! A padlock collar with a blue gem and a strange symbol.

"You're a submissive!" I shouted, pointing at his neck.

He turned thermonuclear and grabbed my free hand, dragging me to a dark corner.

"Were you raised on a farm?" He cried as he slammed me against a wall. "Sorry!" I shouted. "I am also submissive!"

His hands lowered. "You are? Where are you from?"

"Ireland."

He clicked his tongue, and I caught a peek of a piercing. "No wonder you're lost. Come."

He grabbed my free hand again and led me through the gate I met him at. I was astonished. It was so beautiful. Little red paper lanterns lined the street and hung on thin strings above our heads. The buildings were impressive and oddly shaped, nothing like my home hut. Delicious food smells filled the air around us.

"Let's go eat something before we continue talking." He led me to a small cart with photos of food lining its corners and foreign letters.

"Boss, can I get two bap burgers?"

"You got it, kiddo!" This man gave him money and in a short few minutes, we received two white, rounded discs with meat and veggies in the middle. The man led me around the cart to a bench against the gate that looked over a river. "For you. " He handed me one of the sandwiches. I took a big bite of it and marveled at its deliciousness. "Wow!" It was crunchy, hot, and filled with chicken, seasoning, and various vegetables.

I didn't understand anything that was happening around me. The guy who grabbed my hand faced me after he wiped his face. "I'm Minjoon. What's your name?"

"Cael. It's nice to meet you, Minjoon." He waved his hand in a nonchalant way and grinned as he leaned back on the bench. "Just call me hyeong." I blinked in confusion. "Thank you for helping me back there. It means a lot."

"Hyeong?" out the new word. I tried to nod. "Thank you for helping me back there. It means a lot." "No problem, kiddo. How old are you? A bit older than a hundred, I assume. I've been alive since the 300s."

"Wow, you're so old!" I gasped. His orange eyes seemed to blaze like fire.

"I should beat you for that, but you may live to see another day." We got stuck in a staring match again.

"Thank me."

"Thank you."

"Good." He grinned. "I was only born in the late 1200s. 1248, specifically." I told him. Something told me I should tell him. He gave me a sly smile. "1248, eh? Not bad. Back then I was still a part of the Divine Court."

"Divine?" I gasped. "Are you a God?" He shook his head. "No. I am a bulgae. A Korean fire dog. I was a guard and task dog to Gamangnara, my master. He sent both my brother and me out to steal the sun, but we both botched and created an eclipse. After a few centuries, he created us humanoid forms so that we could learn about the new world and become a part of it. I was upset by it a little bit, mostly because he had an amazing dick--"

"Joonie." He jumped and turned around to see a taller guy with piercing dark eyes. "Jiro! This is Cael. He's lost and only speaks English. But I heard his stomach growl and brought him here." I didn't even realize my stomach growled. I turned red. "Aww."

"Nice." He sighed and sat next to Hyeong, and scoffed. "Give me a bite." Hyeong gave a mischievous grin before he bit down on Jiro's shoulder. "What is wrong with you? Am I dating a toddler?"

I didn't even realize my stomach growled. I turned red. "Aww, you turn the same color as your hair!"

"Shush Joonie, you're embarrassing him." Jiro scolded him before turning his attention to me. "So, you're also a submissive. I suppose you're looking for the club?" I submissive, excitedly. He grinned. "Joonie and I can help you there, were you also looking for a job? I can get you a job there if you'd like. Joonie and I both work there."

"How did you know that I'm a submissive?" He shrugged. "Your mannerisms. The way you carry yourself, the way you refuse to look up at me. Plus, the only friends Joonie can make are other submissives because he's so unruly."

"Hey!" Hyeong protested, a grain of rice stuck to his face and some sauce smeared on his cheek. "Not true!" Jiro giggled and wiped Joonie's face. "You're such a mess, pretty puppy." Joonie crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child and huffed as Jiro cleaned his whole face. "At least I'm a hot one." Jiro full-on belly laughed. "Fuck, you're so cute."

It made my cheeks warm. This is what I want. The love between these two, the passion...

"Cael, do you have a place to live?"

How would I forget something so simple? I groaned out a no.

"That's okay." Hyeong smiled. "I'll let you stay at my apartment. I'm hardly there anyway. You wanna go see it?" I nodded and stood up with him and Jiro, toting my luggage behind me.