Crafting The Lust

✨21✨

The warmth of the soft covers beneath him brought a fleeting sense of comfort to the painter's battered body. Felix felt the gentle, warm light filtering through his closed eyelids, prompting him to stir. As he tried to move, a soft whimper escaped his lips, his body aching with each slight shift.

"Hey, easy there. You're injured." A soothing voice broke through his hazy awareness, calming him. A gentle hand pressed against his shoulder, guiding him back to the bed, urging him to rest. Felix's eyes opened slowly, and he found himself gazing at a face with a kind smile—sweet and calming, it stirred something in his unsettled heart.

"Where… where am I?" Felix murmured, his hand reaching up to his temple, feeling the dull ache that throbbed through his head. His fingers brushed against a bandage, carefully placed to protect his wound.

The man beside him—young, with a bright, comforting expression—chuckled softly, his smile widening. "You're safe now, back in the kingdom's palace," he said, his voice warm and reassuring. "I'm Kim Seungmin, the palace's healer, usually assigned to the royal family. Treating someone outside the royal circle is a rare occurrence, but…" he paused, his eyes softening with a touch of humor, "I'm happy to help someone who's important enough to have the king's favor."

The words sent a spark of surprise through Felix, but Seungmin's gentle smile and easy presence soothed him. Felix nodded, gulping a lump that formed in his throat.

His gaze followed to the familiar chamber, as the velvety walls surrounds him, enclosing him in a warm haven. He was safe, he couldn't certainly assume if he was really safe after all he was back to the palace once a hell and still the hell with the beauty of heaven and the demon was still waiting for the favour. His mind raced, body tensing with the tremors of fear of what might happen with him in the next moment. What would Hyunjin going to do with him? He was certain there would be no mercy.

"Hey" the same gentle voice took him out from his reverie making him flinch slightly. "Don't think too much or your head will hurt," Seungmin chuckled playfully, "here, some medicine to sooth the ache besides your wounds will heal naturally," he advised. Felix nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line.

With his barely audible voice he muttered a thank you to Seungmin in which the younger just smiled, "it's my pleasure, if it's ache too much, don't hesitate to come to me," Felix nodded, gratefully.

Their attentions pulled by the creek on the chamber's lavish doors swinging and a figure stepping in. Felix's body began to tense as soon as he saw the king entered, with no definable expression on his face.

Seungmin immediately rose from the edge of bed, bowing to Hyunjin. The king's gaze fell upon the painter resting on the bed, leaned to the headboard. Who tried to greet the king but his body betrayed.

"How is he now?" Hyunjin's voice rang, uncharacteristically, concerned. Seungmin changed a glance to the painter before he spoke, "he is much better now, good rest might heal him sooner than later," Hyunjin nodded, his eyes glued to the painter as if he was studying him closely.

Seungmin felt utterly high tension between them that suffocated him, "your majesty, I should take my leave now," he bowed to Hyunjin. Hyunjin tilted his head, giving him his permission.

As soon as Seungmin was out of sight, Felix felt his body rigid. Breath hitching as the fear crept inside his chest even though Hyunjin hadn't uttered a word till now. His posture steady, cloaked with the regal hanbok, hair falling on his face as for the first time he had presented himself not in a formal form. He was rather casual no ornaments, no shawl, just a plane hanbok of navy green colour with white outer, and freely left hanging black long hair.

Felix couldn't take his eyes off from his figure as if he was witnessing a majestic sight that belongs to the art.

"Why did you escape?" The thick silence slit from the sword of Hyunjin's word, making Felix flinch slightly. His words stuck at his throat, couldn't give a certain explanation for the king's question. Hyunjin's strands lingered on his face fluttered by the gentle wind enter through the window.

Hyunjin's gaze blatantly demanded the answer, that twitched a little. Felix flinch at the sound of king's footstep nearing to him, his heart pounding as if it was going to burst out any soon.

Hyunjin's expression was unreadable, Felix could feel his low breathing as how taut the silence was. The king's glance fall upon the painter's face decorated with bruises. Yongbok flinched as Hyunjin extended his hand near his bruise, gently pressing it with his pad of thumb, sending a jolt of pain at the painter's nerves. "Does it hurt?" Hyunjin muttered in breathing, uncharacteristically sympathetic, following his gaze to the painter's eyes.

Felix felt a lump pricking in his throat. It was unbelievable, he hadn't expected that Hyunjin to be this calm even after there was a storm. "Tell me.." the king breathed out, his voice so deep yet soothing that made Felix to almost give in his body. Hating himself to feel his heart racing with the king's each glance, each words and even a slightest touch. "Why did you ran away?"

Felix pursed his lips at the repeated questions, barely holding any defiance, "I didn't run away your majesty," Hyunjin stared at him with quite amusement. The painter finally carry the eye contact, taking a low breath. "You didn't?"

"No, I didn't?" Felix kept with his answer, not holding back. "Why ?" The king mumbled, nearly as a whisper. "Why didn't you want to run then?"

The painter stayed silent, with no any specific explanation that could satisfy the king's questions. They remained silent, eyes locking at each other as if the key had got lost.

Hyunjin's heart raced, mind swirling in whirlwind of the desire that sounds so wrong so sinful. His hands clutched at the bed sheet beneath, gaze blankly staring at yongbok's unblinking. A invisible pull clutching his heart, constantly trying to take it out from the cage of ribs, a scissor of desire cutting the ropes of norms that bound him, holding him too tightly.

But it failed brutally.

Felix lowered his gaze to the king's lips, his heed solely on them as if something inside his chest creating the masterpiece of desire, making him a personified figure of lust.

And only lust.

Before he give in.

Letting the lust craft in his chest.

Dig the hollow, lust is too good but it hurts.

There was nothing to hold back, no moral remains, no boundaries remains, all they need was each other. And their lips had the collision.

A/N: this chapter for my omega jem..