Little King (Seoksoo)

Seokmin

Seokmin fingered the sheets on the hotel bed and grimaced—the thread count was definitely not up to his usual standards. But it had been the best he could find in this tiny town, and he wasn't planning to stay long anyway.

Seokmin had been waiting in this hovel, only a few hours' drive from Hyde Park—not nearly far enough for Seokmin's taste—needing Jeonghan's confirmation that Mingyu was actually following him before he could put any real miles between him and his mate. His mate who had looked so unbelievably lovely sleeping that Seokmin had barely found the strength within himself to leave the bed, let alone the city.

His mate who should have been in this bed with Seokmin now, whimpering while he rode Seokmin's cock. Not hours away and out of Seokmin's reach.

He had just received the text from Jeonghan, and he was battling with his demon, trying to resist the urge to turn back the way they'd come. Seokmin's demon was never a fan of long-term planning over short-term gratification, especially now, when it came to their mate.

Seokmin's phone rang, and he answered it in an instant after confirming quickly that it was the call he'd been both dreading and longing for. "Little king?"

Seokmin had partly hoped Jeonghan would be able to stall Joshua a little longer, cover for Seokmin's absence, but maybe Joshua had been feeling the pull of this separation the same way Seokmin had. Like an ache in his chest he couldn't seem to rid himself of.

"You left?! Without even telling me?" Joshua's voice on the other end sounded just as angry and hurt as Seokmin had expected. Guilt surged through him.

"I am sorry, lovely. I thought it best this way. I was not sure I could go through with it otherwise." Already his demon had made it hell for him to leave, growling its protests and throwing itself at the bars of its internal cage, trying to take over control. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It only got more restless the further he strayed from Joshua's side.

"You really thought leaving without any warning was the best way?"

"You know this is not me really leaving you. Not really, not for good." Oh God, did Joshua know that? "Tell me you know that."

"I don't know what I know." Joshua's voice had lowered from shouting to barely audible, but the hurt in it remained. This would not do. Seokmin needed his mate to understand.

"You were right, Joshua. About Mingyu. About me needing to deal with him. And I would never forgive myself if you were hurt in the process. I needed to be far away from you to make any sort of move."

"How do you even know he'll follow you?"

"He has already. I had Jeonghan make sure of it while you were working. Mingyu has left Hyde Park."

"But—but what will you do with him?"

"Talk with him, to start. Just him and myself. I have been running from it for far too long. Just as you said, little king."

Joshua groaned in exasperation. "I was tipsy and spitballing ideas. I didn't think you'd leave the very next day. What if talking doesn't work?"

It was the same worry Seokmin had, but he didn't want to focus on potential failure. "Then I will have Jeonghan come join me, and we will try to take him down."

"You could get hurt."

Seokmin's chest ached at the concern in his mate's voice. "I could. But my body can handle quite a lot. Yours cannot."

"Way to rub it in my face," Joshua grumbled.

Seokmin chuckled. "There are many things I love about your body, sweet mate. Its fragility is not one of them."