Royal Temptations

Bonus Chapter 15

Alright here's the continuation that I promised two chapters ago. Thank you for being patient while I updated a few other things!

No new current jams I'm afraid. Just a lot of repeated stuff. Though Ateez's comeback is fast approaching. I guess I'm enjoying Verivery's Thunder more.
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Junmyeon's POV

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I sat up and gasped for air, my heart beating erratically and frantically in my chest. I glanced around, expecting blood and searing metal. But all that greeted me were my comforter and my nightshirt, and plenty of darkness. I settled against my pillows, splaying my hand on the empty spot next to me that should have been occupied. I blinked a couple times, the world swimming in and out of focus.

A nightmare. A bad one at that. I'd been fortunate enough that, after the accident, I only had a couple, mostly stemming from my fear of losing Yixing. But tonight our disagreement weighed heavy on my mind. It must have manifested itself as a dream. But this time I was behind the wheel. Yixing lost me. Another fear of mine, though never as prominent as the first. I let out a long, frustrated sigh. I wanted him back here, so bad.

Being a parent was hard. I wasn't going to deny that. Even harder than running my country. Making tiny humans happy was exhausting work. And, while mother and father had been nothing but supportive of me after my teen years, I didn't want my children going through what I went through. They would grow up knowing they were first and foremost. My country needed to be run, but never at their expense. No solo dinners. No pawning them off on teachers and advisors. Being a dad was hard.

But it was also my favorite job. For as many hardships as it brought, it brought me just as many joys. Hearing my children speak for the first time. Watching their first steps. Laying down with them at night and feeling the steady rise and fall of their chest as the slept. Filling their whole world with love. No one ever told me how fulfilled I would feel when I had my babies. They were my everything. My favorite things. It wasn't an easy job by any stretch of the imagination, but I would never wish this away.

"Daddy?" I opened my eyes and twisted to my side, coming face to face with DaeHyun hovering near the head of my bed. Dressed in his space pajamas, his favorite stuffed lamb tucked between his arms, his blanket trailing him as always. It was moments like this I wanted to freeze. When my babies were small. His lower lip wobbled slightly, and I sat up, lifting him into the bed with me. "I miss Papa," he admitted softly.

"I do too pumpkin," I agreed. "It feels weird without him here, huh?" He settled himself on my lap. He was almost too big to do it now, but he still insisted, and I wasn't about to stop him. I felt him nod against my chest. "I'm sure he's doing alright in China, with Uncle Luhan. You know Uncle doesn't let Papa out if his sight when he's there." Another nod.

"I wanted to see Li Jie," he said next, playing with my fingers that rested on his knees. "I wanted to go with." I closed my eyes, placing my cheek against the top of his head. "Does Papa not love us anymore? Is that why he went without us?" His voice cracked over the last couple of words. I hugged him a little harder after that.

"Papa loves us so, so much pumpkin," I explained. "Daddy and Papa just got a little angry at each other and daddy took off with you guys. I'm sure he would have taken you with if I would have let him." I shifted us so I could look at his face. My heart cracked in two at the tears coating his lashes. "Trust me Dae, you and baby sister mean the world to us. Never, ever question if we love you, because the answer, in any scenario, will always be yes. A million times yes. A trillion times yes." I watched as his eyes got comically wide, and smiled softly at him, running a thumb under his eyes.

"That's a lot," was all he had to say. I let out a breathy chuckle. He let his lamb dance its way up my arm. "I wish Papa was here right now," he added after a few moments of quiet. "I want to sleep with you guys." I kissed the top of his head. "Hey, are you okay daddy?" He suddenly twisted in my grasp, kneeling so we were face to face. "Why were you up?"