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Title: The Measure Of A Man
Band: DBSK
Pairings: Yunchun; ChangminxOFC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sequel to 'The Masked Fencer'.
A/N: There's a lot going on in this chapter. I hope it's not confusing anyone, everything will slow down soon. ^-^
“Junsu?“
“Yes, Min-Min?“
“I can’t sleep.“
The boys were resting beneath an ancient oak tree, shivering even under their thick travelling cloaks. Changmin felt a pang of conscience in his chest. He hadn’t even told Junsu why they were going back to the village and he made his friend suffer in the coldness the rain brought, chilling them to their bones.
“Shall I warm you?“ Junsu asked innocently, moving to his master’s side. “Is it better like this?“ Junsu’s strong arms wrapped around Changmin’s slender frame, shielding him from the world.
The younger man snuggled closer, sighing softly at the warmth his best friend’s body radiated.
“I hope Lady Bomi won’t beat you up again,“ Junsu whispered. “I hate you when you’re wounded; you get so bitchy then.“
Sometimes it was good to have a friend like Junsu, Changmin thought as he buried his face in the older man’s shoulder and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
***
Yunho was lying awake in his room, trying to fall asleep, but the image of Yoochun’s frail body was too much for his mind to process. His best friend, the slave he’d known since his early childhood was born to the warrior class, just like himself, and would have been higher in status, had he been a legitimate child.
By claiming he was a concubine Yunho had ruined his social ascent forever and part of him was quite happy with that. If Yoochun was acknowledged by his mother’s family they would be separated and married off to girls they didn’t love.
Turning around to find a more comfortable position, Yunho did his best to ban the other man from his thoughts.
What was done was done and he certainly wouldn’t tell Yoochun about this. The thought of losing him was worse than the thought of Yoochun leading a life hidden in the concubines‘ residence.
But conscience gnawed away on his heart, denying him sleep.
***
Violent coughs shook Yoochun’s body, but he didn’t complain.
Sometimes the doctor came to give him tea or soup and he swallowed it all, but he did not regain his strength. He was barely alive, but far from dead and in this weird twilight he spent his days.
He wanted to see his daughter, but the doctor told him she couldn’t be anywhere near him while he was sick and he accepted the old man’s words without questioning him.
He longed to see the sun, finding the small room oppressive, but even after three weeks his state hadn’t improved enough for him to be allowed to go outside.
Lord Yunho sent presents daily, but Yoochun barely noticed them. He wanted to hold a sword in his hands, feel the pleasure of a well-balanced blade descend upon another with a satisfying clink.
Maybe it was this thought alone that gave him the will power necessary to battle the disease that held him in its iron fist.
At first he was barely able to lift his hand, but soon enough his appetite returned and with it came sorely missed strength. His body slowly returned to the shape he was used to, but the doctor told him he’d never regain his former power, he would have to make up for it with speed and intelligence.
Yoochun liked the old man, maybe because he was the only one he was allowed to see during his long days on the sickbed, but he felt like the doctor was hiding something from him. Yoochun knew he was strong enough to go out into the world and see his daughter again, but the doctor did not allow him to see anyone.
Was it to hide him from the world or to hide the truth from his eyes?
He got a wooden pole to practise his skills with the sword after a while, which comforted him a little. In the beginning it was hard to find the strength necessary for the more complicated movements he used to carry out with ease, but as time passed he became much more confident and faster than he’d ever been.
Sometimes he asked for his daughter or Yunho, but he was allowed no company besides the doctor and the sword. Grim determination took a hold of his heart. If he had to, he’d fight his way out of the confinement of this room.
***
“Is it true that Lord Yunho took the slave who stole his fiance as a lover?“ Bomi asked, cocking her head to the side. “And if so, would you do the same, dearest Min-dollie?“
Pouting at the silly nickname she’d given him after he’d lost their first fist fight, Changmin nodded. “Looks like it. But the boy’s been too sick for Yunho to ... do anything.“
Bomi nodded, resting her chin on her hand. “He was weird. Yoochun, I mean. It was obvious that he didn’t love the girl, but he wouldn’t leave her side. I wonder if he loves your lord.“
The thought of Yoochun having any feelings for Yunho had never occured to Changmin before, but he just shrugged. “I don’t think he’s going to make it so it doesn’t matter either way.“
Changmin hadn’t come all the way from Yunho’s residence to discuss his cousin’s lover with his own.
After a couple of fist fights Bomi had allowed him to become her lover, but she refused to accompany him as his official concubine, claiming she wanted to get married sooner or later. He didn’t understand how she could deny herself the honour being a lord’s mistress came with, but accepted it as one of the traits of her peculiar character he’d come to love.
There was something about Bomi he couldn’t quite understand, but he kept trying. He wanted to know everything about this intelligent young woman who seemed so out of place in this village.
Her small bones and elegant hands spoke of a heritage similiar to his own. Maybe she was the daughter of a lord who’d looked for pleasure in a peasant woman’s arms.
He never asked her about this, but they kept meeting in the woods by the village, making love whenever Changmin could steal away from his duties. The easy intimacy the both shared had a positive influence on the young lord, making him more patient and good-natured than he really was.
One kiss and he was in heaven, a single touch and he felt what he knew must be the bliss of the enlightened saints.
He reached out to trace the under side of her knee with his finger, chuckling when he heard her giggle.
“Stop that, Changmin, I have to tell you something,“ she giggled, throwing her head back in laughter when he didn’t stop.
“Do you want to tell me how much you’re in love with me?“ he teased, grinning at her.
“Although I cannot deny that I am it is something else,“ Bomi replied, resting her head on Changmin’s chest. “I didn’t bleed this month. I’ll come with you tonight.“
At first Changmin didn’t understand what Bomi meant by telling him about this, but then it slowly dawned on him. Surprise made way for shock, then joy and Changmin smiled at his lover like a fool. “We’re ... having a baby?“
Bomi nodded, snuggling closer to the other, seeking protection against the cold autumn air. “Yes.“
Behind her short answer Changmin could sense uneasiness, fear even. He didn’t understand, he was too young to know much about women, but he did know that having children was something pleasant.
The baby could be adopted and become his legal heir, he or she would lead a life in wealth and happiness. Why couldn’t Bomi be as happy as he was?
But he didn’t ask her, simply held her in his arms until it was almost dark and they started their travel.
***
Unbeknownst to Bomi her assumption regarding Yunho was quite right. The young lord was growing impatient with Yoochun and his slow recovery. It was already late fall and the dry, cool air seemed to ease the violent coughs a little, but the younger man was still unable to perform his duties as a concubine.
Yunho hadn’t seen a girl since the day they’d all returned to the residence and his self-inflicted abstinence was taking its toll on him. Every night he lay awake, listening to his own heartbeat when all he wanted was to feel Yoochun’s skin against his own.
He knew his love for the other was forbidden, even more so now that he knew about Yoochun’s real status. He should have moved the younger man to the main house like any honoured guest, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t lose the man who meant everything to him, more so than Yoochun’s honour or even his own.
Yunho couldn’t help but feel like scum for treating the other like that, though.
In addition to all that Changmin was being weird. He would disappear for a couple of days and return hopping and smiling like a child. Either the boy had taken a lover or he’d tasted the odd weeds some people used to get high. Whatever it was, he would have to have a word with the boy.
He’d investigate the matter soon, but right now he felt too powerless.
Sighing deeply, he got up from the mattress. He was too cold to sleep anyway and he might as well go and look after Yoochun, which he only did when he was sure the doctor wasn’t there to scold him for going near the sick man.
He slipped into his boots and quickly made his way across the yard. The air smelled of snow and winter, but coldness wasn’t what made Yunho shiver. In the distance he saw fires.
They were spreading.
***
No living man would have dared to wander Lord Yunho’s land, plunder his villages and kill his people.
Indeed, there were a lot of men who mistook Jaejoong for a ghost when he wielded the sword, killing more than one man with a single strike.
Doing this, he looked like a cruel ghost seeking revenge for a past crime, but his troops never spoke of this openly. His character was too peculiar, too unpredictable to make any jokes in front of him either. Most of them were happy when they didn’t have to see him, which happened often. The young general didn’t depend on spies, but rather went out of his way to investigate himself.
At the moment Jaejoong stood over one of the warriors who’d patrolled the borders Lord Yunho’s lands, a torch in one hand, his sword in the other; dark blood tainted the glistening steel.
“May your soul find peace,“ he murmured, bringing his sword down to separate the unfortunate man’s head from his body.
He stood there for a while, looking down at the dead man like he was a particularly interesting painting, then turned away.
“I need to hurry,“ he told the men who stood around him, watching the guards die. “I have to catch my sister and the boy before they reach the town. Ride to the next outpost. I don’t want any captives.“
With that he turned, mounting his black steed in one fluid movement, spurring him hard.
Whinnying loudly, the stallion reared and ran off, trampling everything under his hooves.
Jaejoong’s face was still completely motionless, but like a predator following its prey’s tracks he felt the wild lust of hunt coursing through his veins.
***
Yunho yelled for his men, shouting orders at everyone who came his way. Those fires came from every direction; it couldn’t be an accident. He would have never thought that his enemies would dare such a thing, but they were openly attacking him in his own country.
Not even ten minutes since he’d discovered and most of his men were surrounding him already, waiting for his order to ride, to run like they had all ghosts of the world behind them.
Blazing fury warmed him even when the first snow of winter began to fall. It would be difficult to find their way in the snow, but he was confident that they would be in time to stop whoever was violating the peace of his lands.
A boy brought Yunho’s horse and he was about to mount it when suddenly a shadow dove out of the darkness, appearing beside his horse.
“Let me come with you, my lord.“
The men gasped at the sight of the boy who’d appeared in their middle, quiet as an assassin, pale as a ghost. Yoochun’s long fingers were wrapped around a sword, holding it as confidently as ever. Yunho hadn’t known he was already this strong, hadn’t known anything about the other’s fate in fact. The doctor had made sure to keep Yoochun separated from him, perhaps to shield him from his true identity, maybe to stop Yunho from taking the other’s dignity.
He knew he couldn’t allow his concubine to ride with them, but Yoochun’s real self, the lord, should have led them all to battle. He couldn’t make the other stay behind, no matter what people might think of his decision.
“Bring a horse!“ he ordered and immediately the boy scurried away, returning only a couple of minutes later with one of their best steeds.
Yoochun took a hold of the saddle and mounted gracefully, his face grim and determined.
Yunho shuddered at the sight; something had happened to Yoochun during the long nights in his small, stuffy room and he didn’t know what to make of it.
But then he gave a battle cry and his men joined in, drowning out everything else.
They were on a hunt.
Band: DBSK
Pairings: Yunchun; ChangminxOFC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sequel to 'The Masked Fencer'.
A/N: There's a lot going on in this chapter. I hope it's not confusing anyone, everything will slow down soon. ^-^
“Junsu?“
“Yes, Min-Min?“
“I can’t sleep.“
The boys were resting beneath an ancient oak tree, shivering even under their thick travelling cloaks. Changmin felt a pang of conscience in his chest. He hadn’t even told Junsu why they were going back to the village and he made his friend suffer in the coldness the rain brought, chilling them to their bones.
“Shall I warm you?“ Junsu asked innocently, moving to his master’s side. “Is it better like this?“ Junsu’s strong arms wrapped around Changmin’s slender frame, shielding him from the world.
The younger man snuggled closer, sighing softly at the warmth his best friend’s body radiated.
“I hope Lady Bomi won’t beat you up again,“ Junsu whispered. “I hate you when you’re wounded; you get so bitchy then.“
Sometimes it was good to have a friend like Junsu, Changmin thought as he buried his face in the older man’s shoulder and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
***
Yunho was lying awake in his room, trying to fall asleep, but the image of Yoochun’s frail body was too much for his mind to process. His best friend, the slave he’d known since his early childhood was born to the warrior class, just like himself, and would have been higher in status, had he been a legitimate child.
By claiming he was a concubine Yunho had ruined his social ascent forever and part of him was quite happy with that. If Yoochun was acknowledged by his mother’s family they would be separated and married off to girls they didn’t love.
Turning around to find a more comfortable position, Yunho did his best to ban the other man from his thoughts.
What was done was done and he certainly wouldn’t tell Yoochun about this. The thought of losing him was worse than the thought of Yoochun leading a life hidden in the concubines‘ residence.
But conscience gnawed away on his heart, denying him sleep.
***
Violent coughs shook Yoochun’s body, but he didn’t complain.
Sometimes the doctor came to give him tea or soup and he swallowed it all, but he did not regain his strength. He was barely alive, but far from dead and in this weird twilight he spent his days.
He wanted to see his daughter, but the doctor told him she couldn’t be anywhere near him while he was sick and he accepted the old man’s words without questioning him.
He longed to see the sun, finding the small room oppressive, but even after three weeks his state hadn’t improved enough for him to be allowed to go outside.
Lord Yunho sent presents daily, but Yoochun barely noticed them. He wanted to hold a sword in his hands, feel the pleasure of a well-balanced blade descend upon another with a satisfying clink.
Maybe it was this thought alone that gave him the will power necessary to battle the disease that held him in its iron fist.
At first he was barely able to lift his hand, but soon enough his appetite returned and with it came sorely missed strength. His body slowly returned to the shape he was used to, but the doctor told him he’d never regain his former power, he would have to make up for it with speed and intelligence.
Yoochun liked the old man, maybe because he was the only one he was allowed to see during his long days on the sickbed, but he felt like the doctor was hiding something from him. Yoochun knew he was strong enough to go out into the world and see his daughter again, but the doctor did not allow him to see anyone.
Was it to hide him from the world or to hide the truth from his eyes?
He got a wooden pole to practise his skills with the sword after a while, which comforted him a little. In the beginning it was hard to find the strength necessary for the more complicated movements he used to carry out with ease, but as time passed he became much more confident and faster than he’d ever been.
Sometimes he asked for his daughter or Yunho, but he was allowed no company besides the doctor and the sword. Grim determination took a hold of his heart. If he had to, he’d fight his way out of the confinement of this room.
***
“Is it true that Lord Yunho took the slave who stole his fiance as a lover?“ Bomi asked, cocking her head to the side. “And if so, would you do the same, dearest Min-dollie?“
Pouting at the silly nickname she’d given him after he’d lost their first fist fight, Changmin nodded. “Looks like it. But the boy’s been too sick for Yunho to ... do anything.“
Bomi nodded, resting her chin on her hand. “He was weird. Yoochun, I mean. It was obvious that he didn’t love the girl, but he wouldn’t leave her side. I wonder if he loves your lord.“
The thought of Yoochun having any feelings for Yunho had never occured to Changmin before, but he just shrugged. “I don’t think he’s going to make it so it doesn’t matter either way.“
Changmin hadn’t come all the way from Yunho’s residence to discuss his cousin’s lover with his own.
After a couple of fist fights Bomi had allowed him to become her lover, but she refused to accompany him as his official concubine, claiming she wanted to get married sooner or later. He didn’t understand how she could deny herself the honour being a lord’s mistress came with, but accepted it as one of the traits of her peculiar character he’d come to love.
There was something about Bomi he couldn’t quite understand, but he kept trying. He wanted to know everything about this intelligent young woman who seemed so out of place in this village.
Her small bones and elegant hands spoke of a heritage similiar to his own. Maybe she was the daughter of a lord who’d looked for pleasure in a peasant woman’s arms.
He never asked her about this, but they kept meeting in the woods by the village, making love whenever Changmin could steal away from his duties. The easy intimacy the both shared had a positive influence on the young lord, making him more patient and good-natured than he really was.
One kiss and he was in heaven, a single touch and he felt what he knew must be the bliss of the enlightened saints.
He reached out to trace the under side of her knee with his finger, chuckling when he heard her giggle.
“Stop that, Changmin, I have to tell you something,“ she giggled, throwing her head back in laughter when he didn’t stop.
“Do you want to tell me how much you’re in love with me?“ he teased, grinning at her.
“Although I cannot deny that I am it is something else,“ Bomi replied, resting her head on Changmin’s chest. “I didn’t bleed this month. I’ll come with you tonight.“
At first Changmin didn’t understand what Bomi meant by telling him about this, but then it slowly dawned on him. Surprise made way for shock, then joy and Changmin smiled at his lover like a fool. “We’re ... having a baby?“
Bomi nodded, snuggling closer to the other, seeking protection against the cold autumn air. “Yes.“
Behind her short answer Changmin could sense uneasiness, fear even. He didn’t understand, he was too young to know much about women, but he did know that having children was something pleasant.
The baby could be adopted and become his legal heir, he or she would lead a life in wealth and happiness. Why couldn’t Bomi be as happy as he was?
But he didn’t ask her, simply held her in his arms until it was almost dark and they started their travel.
***
Unbeknownst to Bomi her assumption regarding Yunho was quite right. The young lord was growing impatient with Yoochun and his slow recovery. It was already late fall and the dry, cool air seemed to ease the violent coughs a little, but the younger man was still unable to perform his duties as a concubine.
Yunho hadn’t seen a girl since the day they’d all returned to the residence and his self-inflicted abstinence was taking its toll on him. Every night he lay awake, listening to his own heartbeat when all he wanted was to feel Yoochun’s skin against his own.
He knew his love for the other was forbidden, even more so now that he knew about Yoochun’s real status. He should have moved the younger man to the main house like any honoured guest, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t lose the man who meant everything to him, more so than Yoochun’s honour or even his own.
Yunho couldn’t help but feel like scum for treating the other like that, though.
In addition to all that Changmin was being weird. He would disappear for a couple of days and return hopping and smiling like a child. Either the boy had taken a lover or he’d tasted the odd weeds some people used to get high. Whatever it was, he would have to have a word with the boy.
He’d investigate the matter soon, but right now he felt too powerless.
Sighing deeply, he got up from the mattress. He was too cold to sleep anyway and he might as well go and look after Yoochun, which he only did when he was sure the doctor wasn’t there to scold him for going near the sick man.
He slipped into his boots and quickly made his way across the yard. The air smelled of snow and winter, but coldness wasn’t what made Yunho shiver. In the distance he saw fires.
They were spreading.
***
No living man would have dared to wander Lord Yunho’s land, plunder his villages and kill his people.
Indeed, there were a lot of men who mistook Jaejoong for a ghost when he wielded the sword, killing more than one man with a single strike.
Doing this, he looked like a cruel ghost seeking revenge for a past crime, but his troops never spoke of this openly. His character was too peculiar, too unpredictable to make any jokes in front of him either. Most of them were happy when they didn’t have to see him, which happened often. The young general didn’t depend on spies, but rather went out of his way to investigate himself.
At the moment Jaejoong stood over one of the warriors who’d patrolled the borders Lord Yunho’s lands, a torch in one hand, his sword in the other; dark blood tainted the glistening steel.
“May your soul find peace,“ he murmured, bringing his sword down to separate the unfortunate man’s head from his body.
He stood there for a while, looking down at the dead man like he was a particularly interesting painting, then turned away.
“I need to hurry,“ he told the men who stood around him, watching the guards die. “I have to catch my sister and the boy before they reach the town. Ride to the next outpost. I don’t want any captives.“
With that he turned, mounting his black steed in one fluid movement, spurring him hard.
Whinnying loudly, the stallion reared and ran off, trampling everything under his hooves.
Jaejoong’s face was still completely motionless, but like a predator following its prey’s tracks he felt the wild lust of hunt coursing through his veins.
***
Yunho yelled for his men, shouting orders at everyone who came his way. Those fires came from every direction; it couldn’t be an accident. He would have never thought that his enemies would dare such a thing, but they were openly attacking him in his own country.
Not even ten minutes since he’d discovered and most of his men were surrounding him already, waiting for his order to ride, to run like they had all ghosts of the world behind them.
Blazing fury warmed him even when the first snow of winter began to fall. It would be difficult to find their way in the snow, but he was confident that they would be in time to stop whoever was violating the peace of his lands.
A boy brought Yunho’s horse and he was about to mount it when suddenly a shadow dove out of the darkness, appearing beside his horse.
“Let me come with you, my lord.“
The men gasped at the sight of the boy who’d appeared in their middle, quiet as an assassin, pale as a ghost. Yoochun’s long fingers were wrapped around a sword, holding it as confidently as ever. Yunho hadn’t known he was already this strong, hadn’t known anything about the other’s fate in fact. The doctor had made sure to keep Yoochun separated from him, perhaps to shield him from his true identity, maybe to stop Yunho from taking the other’s dignity.
He knew he couldn’t allow his concubine to ride with them, but Yoochun’s real self, the lord, should have led them all to battle. He couldn’t make the other stay behind, no matter what people might think of his decision.
“Bring a horse!“ he ordered and immediately the boy scurried away, returning only a couple of minutes later with one of their best steeds.
Yoochun took a hold of the saddle and mounted gracefully, his face grim and determined.
Yunho shuddered at the sight; something had happened to Yoochun during the long nights in his small, stuffy room and he didn’t know what to make of it.
But then he gave a battle cry and his men joined in, drowning out everything else.
They were on a hunt.
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