cassiopeia ꒱ markhyuck

seventeen

The cool breeze blew through the open window in the carriage, ruffling the curtains and brushing against Donghyuck's cheeks pleasantly as they rode along the path. All of Donghyuck's original methods of curbing his boredom that he had used during their first day of traveling—which included, of course, annoying Jeno, talking to Jeno, and making fun of Jeno—had quickly grown stale for him, and he found himself becoming restless even more quickly than he had the previous day. When he poked his head out of the carriage window, Jeno had given him a skeptical look, expecting to be barraged again, but the omega stayed silent long enough that Jeno eventually lost interest and shrugged, riding a bit ahead and out of talking distance.

After a while of watching the rolling hills pass by, Donghyuck discovered that if he tilted his head just right, he was able to see Mark riding on his horse near the front of the carriage. He was next to John, and the two of them seemed to be having what looked like pleasant conversation, laughing and chatting and generally enjoying their time together.

Without realizing it, Donghyuck found himself staring, taking in the king's features. He rested his chin on his hand and let his eyes scan across Mark's face, from his thick eyebrows and bright brown eyes down the slope of his nose, all the way to his lips that were parted in a brilliant smile. He watched his black hair move with the wind and remembered his scent, thick like smoke but warm like a cozy fireplace. He imagined his familiar pheromones billowing towards him, floating in through the carriage window and making the space smell like him, wrapping him in a blanket of feeling protected and safe.

He blinked in surprise, startled at his own thoughts. He tried to push them away, shaking his head and trying to think of anything else. Mark isn't safe. Mark isn't familiar. He's the selfish jerk who kidnapped me and took me into his world without even considering how it might affect me.

But once he started, he realized that it was nearly impossible for him to stop. His thoughts kept drifting back towards the king against his will, running through his head at the speed of light. He stared at the side of his face and found himself imagining what it would be like to mouth at the side of his jawline. He watched Mark's lips move in conversation and daydreamed about them moving against his own mouth instead, soft and sweet at first and then later, hard and demanding, tongue dominating his mouth and sending heat shooting towards the pit of his stomach. He found himself biting at his own bottom lip and squeezing his thighs together, his imagination drifting and envisioning Mark above him, spreading his legs and sliding between them like he belonged there, whispering soothingly into his ear before his mouth moved down to sink his teeth into his mating spot on his neck, holding him close as he knotted him—

The train of thought ended abruptly, and all of the sudden, Donghyuck felt like he was going to be sick.

"Jeno!" He called out with as much strength as he could manage, his stomach lurching with a sudden onset of nausea that caught him by surprise. His own scent must have been already been potent enough to catch the guard's attention, either from his erotic daydreams or his current discomfort and panic, because it seemed that Jeno had already been staring at him in concern. As soon as he heard Donghyuck call for him, Jeno immediately pulled up next to the carriage window as close as he could.

"Yes, Your Highness? What's the matter?" He asked hurriedly. Donghyuck clutched the side of his seat as another wave of nausea crashed over him, his body starting to tremble.

"I don't... feel so good all of the sudden..." He managed to whimper quietly, inhaling deeply as his head started to spin. Jeno's eyes widened in panic before he lifted his head, turning towards the two soldiers in the front that were holding the reigns of the horses pulling the carriage.

"Stop! Pull over immediately!"

The guards obeyed instantly, and the carriage lurched to a sudden halt. Donghyuck clapped a hand over his mouth and whined at the movement, cold sweat starting to break out across his brow from the effort of keeping himself from vomiting. The door to the carriage then swung open, revealing Mark with panic and concern written all over his face.