[AGUST]
The silence that befell the king and his Erasthai was loud. Way too loud that it didn't even mask the set of feet at the door of Jiminie's room. They both knew who was on the other side, but they didn't care.
Not this time.
Not when they were trying to understand each other and the price they had both been forced to pay because they had shared a fate so cruel.
It wasn't easy.
It wasn't fair, but it was what they had been forced to live through.
And for years, they had stayed apart, desperate for answers for each other, when it was never even their fault to begin with. Perhaps this was their lesson on what was precious and what wasn't right?
"I don't know what the future holds for us, Xiao Xiao, but I know I want to walk that path with you. There is so much that we never got the chance to explore. A life that we never had the courage to live.
"We were always at war… perhaps still are, but maybe we can find something worth holding onto. A life worth fighting daily for, no matter how long it takes. Would you be open to trying to see what the future holds for us?" Jiminie asked hopefully.
He was scared of what their realities had been forced into. He was scared of what was waiting for them once this bubble popped, and they were left bare for their people to see them for who they had become.
The two mates who had been bound in the worst of ways.
It wasn't easy; they understood that already too well.
But they had to try.
They had to figure shit out because there was no other way around this.
They had to be the rulers that their people needed.
And if an alliance was what was needed, then Jiminie wasn't opposed to it anymore.
He had lost almost three thousand of his people, and he refused to let anyone hurt them anymore. If this agreement with Agust was the only way to make things right, then Jiminie would keep on with it.
However, deep down, Jiminie knew it was never about the people that they both ruled over and the enmity that had always lingered between their factions. This was about him as a person.
Not the alpha of Kiyoto, who was feared by everyone except Agust.
Not the man who could breathe, and armies would go to war.
Not the man who had been dolled up by Agust and reduced to a fuck toy that he never once got tired of.
This was about him.
Just Jiminie.
The boy who had fallen in love with the man he had grown up hating.
The boy who had grown into a man with a heart that had somehow managed to repurpose itself into beating solely for Agust. It was this proudest moment, but Jimmie had no regrets. And that was what he was leading with this time.
"Oh, chim… I would fight the world for you. I would do anything for you. And after everything happened, I wouldn't make the same stupid decision I made years ago. Of course… I want a future with you.
"I always thought that it would be too risky having you in my life, that it would be a little complicated and would hurt you, but in the process, I hurt you. I know I don't exactly come with flowers and kisses all the time—
"…and that this future we both seek... will be one of war until we find a way through it, but I would be honored to fight beside you, even if I have to fight my own people for you," Agust said, and Jiminie just looked at him softly from his lap.
The king was being honest and bare with him right now. There wasn't even a point in denying it, because despite it all, Jimmie could feel the sincerity. He knew this was not going to be easy for Agust.
He understood that there were forces that they would truly have to fight, whether it was willingly or unwillingly. Their futures were already woven, and they had to decide whether to deal with it together or deal with it in their separate ways.
"I hate that we still have to fight wars, Xiao Xiao," Jiminie said earnestly.
"I hate that for us, too. But it is one we can't run away from. It is one we unfortunately have to face, regardless of what we have to get on with. I will make you a promise, though, my beautiful. I won't ever leave you, never again.
"I will always be here to find the way through with you, to figure out all of this. I won't target you and your people again. And if that means I have to lose the few friends that I made over the years, then I will willingly let them go," Agust assured.
Jiminie didn't doubt him.
Maybe it was because he was tired of always fighting with Agust and never getting anywhere. Maybe it was because she knew that regardless of what Agust said, Jiminie would never win against him.
Or maybe it was because, for the first time in so long, they both were on the same page. No one was forcing the other to do anything. No one was trying to blackmail the other with safety and a bond that didn't mean so much for them.
They were just trying to understand each other, with the little time that they had before the chaos of their lives reminded them of what they were currently living.
Maybe it was a taste of what their futures would bring, but Jiminie was done trying to play games with the king.
And maybe, just maybe, King Agust was done too.
"They think we are fucking," Jiminie suddenly said.
Agust couldn't help but snort at the randomness of the beautiful man on his lap. It was as if for a moment, he had to remind himself that beyond the strong alpha of the Kiyoto pack was Jiminie.
His Jiminie, who was always random and determined to do whatever the hell he wanted.
Oh, how he loved his Jiminie so much.
"Oh yeah, want to give them something to listen to?" Agust teased and Jiminie chuckled lightly as he patted Agust's arm teasingly. It was almost normal for a moment, and Agust didn't freak out.
He had never been one for affection, but this was a new beginning for him with Jiminie. He was not going to fuck it all up just because of his paranoia and inability to understand what affection was.
Perhaps, he really was going to walk the talk with Jiminie, right?
"No matter what happens, no matter where I am, no matter how she gets, if you don't like anything, let me know. If someone pisses you off and you want to break their necks but are too nice to do it, tell me.
"I will gladly turn them into pudding just for you. If anyone tries to break your heart again, I will burn them to the ground, even if that person is Luna Park," Agust said, adding the last bit like he already knew that shit was going to go down once he left with Jiminie.
But he was not going to take chances, not this time.
"I love you too, Xiao Xiao," Jiminie said, before he sat up, and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss.