SPOILT ROYALS | JAEYONG NCT

25: Help

Things had been quiet. Too quiet. A lot more quiet than it should've been, and it made him uncomfortable, anxious, and put him on his toes. He supposed that was what they were trying to do, make him scared, and he was struggling not to give in. Maybe he was reading too much into things, maybe his shitty intuition had become even shittier because Donghyuck, on the other hand, seemed completely fine. The boy was beginning to doze off if the way his eyes were drooping and his lips had parted were any sort of indication. Taeyong wished he could kick his chair. He didn't want to be scared by himself.

"Wake up," Taeyong hissed, his words slightly panicked and frantic. He shoved as much as his elbow as he could with his constrained arms into Donghyuck's shoulder. Donghyuck jolted upwards, and for a moment, Taeyong wondered if Donghyuck had truly been sleeping with his eyes open. That thought, funnily enough, was the first thing of the day to make send a shiver of unease down his spine.

Donghyuck blinked away the vestiges of his sleep rapidly and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to get rid of the tartness.

"What do you want?" he mumbled lazily.

Taeyong's eyes widened, baffled at Donghyuck's casualness. In fact, he'd been calm as soon as everyone had stepped outside their room - jail cell - and it left the both of them. All traces of writhing anger had been replaced with a nonchalance that set Taeyong off, and he somehow felt like he was carrying the burden alone, as if he was the only one who had really taken in their predicament. Or was he the one overthinking things?

"Yes you are," Donghyuck said flatly as if reading his thoughts telepathically (that wasn't it, Taeyong could just be really obvious). Donghyuck shifted in his seat to sit straighter, now more awake than he was minutes prior. "You worry too much. Help will be here soon."

Taeyong blinked at him.

"Wait, you seriously didn't think I came here without telling anyone where we're going? I'm not you for god's sake." Donghyuck scoffed, but it was relatively lighthearted.

Taeyong could only blush in embarrassment because Donghyuck was right. But who was there to tell other than Donghyuck himself? Jaehyun was a hundred and ten percent out of the question. Donghyuck had Prince Johnny at least.

"Jaehyun should be here soon but he's taking his damn time," Donghyuck grumbled under his breath, but Taeyong, on high alert, had caught it. He whipped his head towards Donghyuck who raised a brow at him, not quite understanding Taeyong's reaction.

"You told Jaehyun to come here?" Donghyuck looked on, confused at his words. Taeyong wished he could move to grip Donghyuck's hand in his but he hoped the look he was giving him was enough to convey the seriousness and panic he felt. "Please tell me you didn't tell Jaehyun to come here. Please."

Donghyuck swayed in his seat, slightly turning to face him, now wearing a heavy flabbergasted expression. "Of course I fucking told Jaehyun to come here- Prince Jaehyun, is that it? C'mon, Tae, of course I did. Mark told me to keep an eye on you since he spoke with Sir Doyoung at the Jaehyun's birthday celebration, so I am. Jaehyun's keeping an eye on you because he loves you."

Taeyong turned away to him, guilty suddenly and whispering under his breath, "Not anymore."

Donghyuck frowned and pursed his lips but didn't comment on Taeyong's vague words. Taeyong continued to stare guilty at his lap for... only God knew how long. He didn't want Jaehyun to come and have the possibility of him being killed being opened. He couldn't live with himself if that happened. He had some little fight left in him now but that would all be gone if Jaehyun got hurt... fatally.