Silbermond und Honigwein

15. Skinned Alive

TW: Bullying

*******

Yet another commotion startled Seonghwa from sleep. Like last time, multiple male voices echoed over each other in the corridor, but this time, there were more. Since he was used to being woken by imperative business only by Seungyoun, Seonghwa stirred when the servant's voice mingled among the others.

Before he got to piece together his surroundings and guess from a distance what this morning's unrest might be about, his door burst open. Steps hurried for his bed and Seonghwa sat up, always on alert for a sudden attack poised at him.

However, instead of Seungyoun with news about discontent in the city or a fight between his husbands, it was Yunho who came running in. The head servant was on his heels, pale with his dread at what might happen for waking Seonghwa so brusquely.

"Seonghwa!" Yunho cried, his voice choked and full of pain. In a haste, Seonghwa opened the curtains of his bed and blinked into the room. Untamed hair cascaded over his shoulders and bewitched those of his husbands who hadn't seen him outside of his courtly getup yet. Jongho, Yeosang, Wooyoung and Mingi followed Yunho's call of despair, but the other two weren't in sight.

"What happened, are you alright?" Seonghwa extended his arms when Yunho fell to his knees by the side of his bed, a familiar pose but so stricken with despair as fat tears rolled over his cheeks. His slumped body cowered on the ground and the others witnessed his agony with frozen features.

Yunho sobbed something under his breath and it took Seonghwa to swing his legs over the bed and grasp at Yunho's shoulder to understand.

"Buddy, Buddy."

Fear washed over Seonghwa. Did Yunho think his loyal friend had taken off after not seeing him once he woke up? Seonghwa should have woken him. Ugly guilt gnawed at his heart.

"No worries, he's here," Seonghwa replied, disoriented from sleep. However, when his fingers felt over the bed by his side, it was empty and cold.

Seonghwa whipped around, confused if he had misjudged the distance to the animal, but no heap of golden fur smiled at him from his sheets. Only Yunho's wailing filled the room.

With a graceful movement, Seonghwa sunk to the floor by Yunho's side. Only now that frigid dread cleared his mind, he noticed Yunho clutched something to his chest. He stifled his tears in the mass of gold that looked hauntingly similar to his dog.

How did he squeeze it to his chest like a flaccid blanket?

Now that he was near, Seonghwa picked up on the faint whimpering coming from the item. It was pitiful and small, crying with Yunho, but very much alive.

That was Buddy?

"What happened?" Seonghwa inquired, nudging Yunho's shoulder so he would uncurl and show Seonghwa what he was holding on to. When it unravelled over his lap, no paws thumped onto the ground and no eager tongue came to lick at Seonghwa's face. What had once been Buddy fell apart like a sad blanket.

Seonghwa clasped his hand to his mouth in horror. He had seen things as those before, as presents from the humans to his father. They were the skins of mighty animals such as boars or bears, and they were used as carpets to show off the skill of the hunter.

As if that wasn't bad enough, however, Buddy's head was still intact, and he whimpered miserably over the heap he had become.

Seonghwa's stomach churned, but the dog was alive through some miracle. Though he couldn't move and flopped over Yunho's lap like a wet rag, he whined along with his master.