Regiphobia

The King

Gabe walked in as if he owned the room, which he did, really. He didn't even seem to notice Juan. Goda turned to him, stiffening ever-so-slightly. Gabe smiled. 

"Sorry for stopping like that, it was just some financial news. I doubt you'd want to hear something like that." Goda nodded, lips still. "And I assume this guard was satisfactory?" Gabe said, glancing at Juan. Juan straightened up even more than he already had been.

Goda nodded again, "Yeah, he was." He started messing with his sleeves.

Gabe nodded and Juan held back a sigh of relief. He slid his arm around Goda's waist, whispering in his ear.

Juan could just hear Goda's voice as he said, "Better. Healing."

Gabe's gentle, loving smile only grew. "Good." 

Juan watched the two, concern obvious in his gaze as he took in the meaning behind those words. It felt like there was some gate between him and understanding what the fuck was going on here, locked by a vital piece of information he didn't have.

"Officer Cazado, leave us."

He blinked, tuning back into the conversation, "Your Majesty, we're supposed to-"

"Did I make it sound like a request?" Gabe snapped, demeanor flipping from adoration for his lover to disdain for a guard.  He let go of Goda, striding over to Juan. "That was an order, Officer. Get out."

His voice seemed to fill the room in a way Juan had never felt before. Not from any general, nor any boss. He nodded quickly, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him. Damn, the king was scary. He stood beside the entrance, stressed as all hell. José was already there.

"What happened?" he turned to Juan, furrowing his brow.

"Good question," Juan let out, gripping his hands into fists at his sides.

"We're supposed to have someone inside the room," José mentioned, staring at the wall in front of him.

"I know. The king ordered me out," Juan sighed. His hands relaxed and his shoulders slumped slightly. His mood switched on a dime, like a dial had been turned in his brain.

José let the silence hang between them for a moment, his mind racing. Watching his brother think was watching a well-oiled machine work at optimal efficiency, whereas Juan must have been some sort of old, rusted conveyor belt.

"Straighten up."

Juan nodded, doing just that. He tried not to think about how angry, how awful, how violent King Gabriel's eyes had looked. Was that mood common for the king? He looked like he was going to slap Juan, or worse. Did that ever...

No, he couldn't afford to make leaps of logic like that. It was completely insane to imagine the King was that awful of a man when everyone seemed to respect him so much. Self-centered, sure, but abusive? 

Juan tried to listen to the conversation inside the room, just in case. They were talking too quietly to make out any words.

Inside, Gabe sighed angrily. He straightened up, turning to Goda. When he saw the other, standing there, trembling in fear with tears in his eyes, the rage melted away. "Oh, doll, are you scared I'm going to hurt you again?" he strode towards him. It took everything in his power to not back away. However, as Gabe got nearer and nearer, he lost that power. Soon enough, Goda's back was pressed up against the wall, absolute terror in his eyes.

Gabe slammed his hand into the wall beside Goda's head, causing the other to jump and let tears slip on to his face. The king's eyes burned with rage again as he growled, "Speak when you're spoken to!"