Sternenstaub und Abendfeuer

26. Lack of Attention

Mild smut starting towards the middle of the chapter!

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Wooyoung needed more attention.

Attention that Seonghwa happily gave him, especially when Aodhán was away with Hongjoong in the Spire of Magic, but now that his coronation was near, Seonghwa didn't have as much time to play with his gryphon-born as he wished. In the beginning, Wooyoung understood. He spent time with Mulberry, went on walks with Yunho and Buddy and picked on Hongjoong whenever the two saw each other. He was happy sneaking the occasional kiss from Seonghwa whenever he rushed through in a hurry.

But as time passed, and the coronation drew nearer, there was no end in sight to the constant bustle. If anything, the closer Seonghwa came to becoming emperor, the more insecurity surfaced about whether he would ever win back that time.

He hated it, being too busy for his husbands and child. And though he made time where he could, it wasn't enough. At a certain point in time, Wooyoung's patience ran thin and - like the man for action he was - he didn't hold back anymore.

At first, it started in private.

"You look ravishing today," Wooyoung grinned when he just so happened to appear in the foyer at the same time as Seonghwa crossed through. The prince threw him a fleeting smile.

"Thank you, love."

Though the gryphon-born blushed, he didn't duck away as he usually would. This time, he stayed strong and watched Seonghwa's eyes flick over the papers in his hands as he hurried down the stairs.

"I don't get a kiss? You weren't at breakfast," the gryphon-born whined and though Seonghwa had a meeting in a few minutes, he couldn't help the draw in his heart. He swerved, leaning over Wooyoung, whose shoulder slipped from the doorframe in surprise. The warmth of Seonghwa's kiss on his cheek stunned him out of his schemes.

"See you later," Seonghwa beamed before he went on. Though Wooyoung was satisfied for the moment, the fleeting interaction upon demand only underlined his point.

Seonghwa wasn't paying enough attention to him. To them all, perhaps, but Wooyoung was the one to show it. Especially since he waited so long because of Aodhán already.

Though Hongjoong commented he was merely not busy enough preparing with the Cliffs of Zephyr when the rest of the husbands were.

Another time his behaviour struck Seonghwa as odd, Wooyoung approached him at the dinner table. He daintily pushed his overgrown hair behind his ear and his feathers looked more groomed than usual. When instead of going to his seat, he halted next to Seonghwa; the elf looked up from his hasty meal to pay them company. Playful hands interwove behind his nape, resting Wooyoung's wrists on his shoulders. He flicked at Seonghwa's earrings as Seonghwa disguised his surprise. Everyone else at the table was staring at them. Only Mingi's fork searched over his plate to find his food.

"Seonghwa," Wooyoung pouted at him, voice high and whiny. He didn't look injured, so Seonghwa lifted his hand to Wooyoung's waist, rubbing his back.

"What is it? Something wrong?" He asked, worried at the sudden shift in behaviour. With Hongjoong's odd potions, they never knew. Wooyoung could have breathed in some weird fumes.

"Can I sit in your lap today?" Wooyoung asked with a coy bat of his lashes.

Hongjoong's fork slowed on the way to his mouth. His invisible hands rocked the crib by Seonghwa's side, where Aodhán could spend time with them without needing to be held all the time. Right now, he was lulled into a peaceful slumber by Hongjoong's magic.

Seonghwa glanced down at his lap, then at Wooyoung's empty seat. They already sat next to each other, anyway. Wasn't that close enough?

"Won't it make eating difficult for you?" Seonghwa asked, curious though he already scooted his chair back. Yeosang continued eating since seeing him indulge his husbands was nothing out of the ordinary, but San regarded them with a contemplative frown. Clearly, Wooyoung had some ulterior motive, but they had yet to make sense of it.