#twin Cale au

[halloween-neko96]

TCF Headcanon/Theory - Cale and Rok Soo, Two That Were Once One

The story starts with the Red Dragon. After the Red Dragon passed away, the soul was reincarnated over and over across different worlds as a natural part of the life cycle. Until one reincarnation, the said soul split into two when they were born as twins. Ever since then, one soul became two, and the reincarnation cycle continues. Many years and many reincarnations later, finally, those two souls found their way back to the world of the Red Dragon. Both of them were supposed to be born in the same year or even the same day. But the tragedy struck again. The White Star, Cale Barrow stole the birth of one soul, pushing it out to reincarnate in its supposed body. The said soul, naturally got reincarnated in another world as Kim Rok Soo. Meanwhile, its twin was born as Cale Henituse.

Due to the White Star's contact with Kim Rok Soo's soul, a part of his curse affects Kim Rok Soo. However, it wasn't just him being affected by it. His twin soul, Cale Henituse also affected by it. Think about it, the future that the forty-year-old Original Cale Henituse told us. He also is the sole survivor among the people that he cherishes. Doesn't the parallel and the similarity hit a bit too close? Maybe that's why the switch went so smoothly.

Anyway, that is my headcanon. I personally don't like the ‘Kim Rok Soo is Cale Henituse’ as in Kim Rok Soo is his 2nd life AU. I consider Original Cale Henituse and Original Kim Rok Soo to be two different individuals. They are similar in some aspects but also very different in others. However, sometimes I feel like their roots are a bit too similar, and their connection runs a bit too deep than merely soul-swapping partners. Hence this headcanon was born. (I also like the Cale is the reincarnation of the Red Dragon and Twin Cale AU so…)

[cindythecyclops]

Random excerpt from my Twins AU (that I have not written):

(1) [Noona, wtf?]

Callie, smiling and cheery: Dongsaeng! I just got back from my trip and I brought a gift for you, here!

Roksoo, in disbelief: Noona, what the fuck?

Callie, discouraged: Oh...do you not like it..?

Roksoo: N-No or yes- fuck - I like the gift, it's great but that's not the point, why're you acting like nothing happened?

Callie, bemused: Hm? What do you mean?

Roksoo, staring at her with a deadpan look, his tone of voice severe: Noona, you disappeared in the middle of the night, like vanished into thin air because there wasn't any trace of your departure and the only thing you left as explanation was a signed note that said 'I'll be back in a bit'. Father, understandably, freaked out and the entire guard turned the city and the surrounding area upside down searching for you, he even used his connections and asked the other nobles if they'd seen you and only got more anxious when he recieved negative responses. Basen, Lily and I weren't allowed out of the estate, not even into the gardens and everyone was panicking. Then, you show up a week later, with gifts and souvenirs like you were on vacation in a foreign country and somehow you're a swordmaster and have an ancient power even though when you left, your strength was only a bit superior to my own! Noona, what the fuck happened and where were you?!

Callie: ...Oops..?

Roksoo: *internally screaming*

[raemaryllis]

Number 8! Lout of Count’s Family’s release is officially one week closer!

I was hesitant to post this because I wasn’t sure I liked how it came out, but whatever… Anyway, I was scrolling through Pinterest and found a pose reference that just made me think of them. Also, a little extra after because I posted so late. It’s a lot more messy and unfinished than I would normally post, but I kinda started to get burnt out and wanted to get it done tonight. I’m also practicing with some simpler styles so overall I don’t think it turned out too bad.

So I made it through an entire week so far! Phew! I can only pray I don’t get too tired to do the rest of this….. and in a timely manner

It’s them! In the certain instances where Cale had enough of Calyan(Roksoo)’ laziness, and finally forced his brother to get out of bed and do stuff. Ft Calyan dying of embarrassment in front of Ron. This is my third post for this au and it certainly won’t be the last! So look forward to some more Twin!AU shenanigans! Bonus under the cut.

[blueteller]

Top 10 TCF Fanfics Formats

So, as far as I can tell, if you're looking up TCF fics on AO3, at least 90% of what you see will be one (or more) of these formats:

Reaction Fic ("In an Instant" fic alikes: all sorts of "divine intervention" and "watching the show" setups)

Where Cale is Not Cale (usually: KRS transmigrates as another character. Most commonly: Twin Cales AU.)

TCF Except Slightly AU (sometimes because of a ship, but generally a straight-up canon retelling with changed details)

Shipping "Ahoy!" (I don't read those, but I've seen Alberu/Cale & Choi Han/Cale tags a lot. I can roughly imagine.)

Angst Fest Under Magnifying Glass (mostly based on the colorful collection of Cale or OG Cale's traumas, but often exaggerates them to make them EXTRA depressing and basically AU)

Dimension Travel (kinda similar to reaction fic premise, except Cale and sometimes others literally appear in the TBOAH dimension)

Crossovers (usually ORV, mostly Cale ends up in a crossover and... is being Cale, but nothing status-quo breaking happens most of the time?)

Romance Game and/or High School AU (for some reason...? Usually Cale-centric, but not always)

Something Weird Happens To Cale (usually de-aging scenarios, curses & transformations)

Various one-shots (mostly Gen small what-if or canon compliant scenarios)

I'll be perfectly honest - I'm guilty of mostly writing that kind of stuff as well. I covered a lot of different fics within those categories, so it might seem unfair. But... TCF fandom can use a little bit more variety, don't you guys think?

[skylerskyhigh]

Cut Yourself On My Glass Plate

The Henituse twins. They have switched places. Instead of the younger one holding the sword to the enemy’s throat, it is the older one taking control. 

It is Rok Soo that is sitting atop the beast of death. It is the elder twin that is taking the position of the aggressor. 

He does not look like the feeble young master Silver Shield.

He looks exactly like the demon that people call his younger twin.

They are nearly indistinguishable.

Identical.

-Chapter 242

With the fic nearing it's final chapter, the epilogue, I drew this just as a final hurrah. I tried a new way to shade and it was fun. This came out better than I thought.

Close ups

[idontknowmyownmind]

Cale and Roksu twin AU

An AU where Roksu has a weak body due his laziness to move and exercise but people around them misunderstand it as he has weak body because he is sick.

While Cale is the 'healthy' twin.

The used to be really close but they had a fallout when Lily's born.

The reason is Roksu found out Cale's bad habit or something he did that Roksu is not approve of because it's not good for him.

Since then, they have been distance with each other despite they still silently seek each other out.

Bad rumors still created about Cale and Roksu try his best to alleviate it because none of it is true, but of course people misunderstand again and 'pity' him who is too good for someone like Cale.

The truth is, between them, it's Cale who has weak constitution and vitality.

He got constant headaches, frequent nosebleeds, even sudden fainting.

He got used with the headaches but there are times when it's just too much.

The nosebleeds is both frequent and rare it's easy to mask.

And he rarely faint, so no one ever found out.

He might get sick easily and ofter got fever, but somehow he manage to hide it until present time.

The only one who fully aware of his condition is Hans because he is the one who got tasked to take care of him.

(Adding an oc priest who is like Cale's personal priest and one or two personal knight that always protecting Cale like how Choi Han and Hilsman to Roksu. Oh, don't forget one trusted maid that in charge on what he eat and anything necessary.)

His group of five (including himself) are the only one who aware of this.

Cale more often is not present because his hazy mind that look like a scowl or unapproachable from outside.

Plot twist: reincarnator Roksu (after transmigrate/TCF) and WS (after TCF)

WS seeking Cale Henituse for revenge but found out the world is not the same as his previous one.

(WS is not under the curse or despair control anymore, so their enemy is another 'WS')

He observes this Cale Henituse and conclude that he is not the same person, rather it's Roksu who he searched.

He should take his revenge but he got distracted while observing Cale since he was a child.

In Roksu absent, WS try to come close to Cale and manage to gain his trust.

Let's say that Cale see him more as a brother than Roksu, because he (secretly) spent more time with him, even though he still loves Roksu unconditionally.

Note: it's always getting longer the more I want to finish it

[zumzumnyan]

Henituse twin au

[jasmineaoi]

Incorrect quote#

(Bad influence + twins au)

Hong : Uncle, i am bored

Cale : *hands a gun* Go, do a crime

<<<<<<< Bonus >>>>>>>

A few moments later

Roksu : *beating cale's ass with a slipper (asean style) *

Hong : :-D

Random bad guy : π_π

P/s : nobody died. Hong is alright. Cale grounded. Alver smacked his face. Ron's proud.

P/s p/s : from now on, no guns around cale, or else someone's child will go menace.

*sees cale being tackled to the ground*

[skyeyeager]

it's just a story about a man who has survived a 20 years war . What's so special about it?!

Surprise!!! guess what I made this time!!!

Don't forget to enable the audio :)

The story is " Cut yourself on my glass plate " by @skylerskyhigh on AO3

[messy-haired-bum]

Twin AU where if Cale is the fire, Kim is the salt.

Cale sets their enemies on fire, and Kim salts the earth and makes sure they stay dead.

People will call them: the 'Salt and Burn' duo 😎

[yukiazura]

my laptop just got fixed after it broke down, so in celebration, I decided to draw again, and it has been a while since I last posted one.

so here's another twin's au drawing.

[luffyrose]

A Field of Spider Lilies - TCF

So uh- Does anyone remember for like Nov last year where I mentioned a Twin AU for Trash of the Count's Family? Yeah, I was thinking about it again because it got buried in my notes and I recently uncovered it.

It took me FOREVER to think of a name for this AU but I wanted to give it one because I actually really do want to write this and would love to talk about it while I do so :D

Under the cut is gonna be just some info about the au as it stands and MAAAYYYBBBEEEEE a mini clip of what I had written/a plan I have for it.

First and foremost, bada dum! The title "Field of Spider Lilies" has been decided! It literally took me so many things to get to this lol- I was tempted to do "It Takes Two to Terrorize" as a play on "It Takes Two to Tango" but felt this was a bit better in general. I know many people will instantly think of red spider lilies, which is what I want!!! They are a dangerous and ill-thought flower, however, their meaning isn't always so dark.

Using this, since it is closest to my own interpretations of spider liles and their colors, I think each of them fits the twins. There is no specific color I will EVER assign to the lilies of the title, so you can imagine as you will with each part what coloring best fits the story at the time. If they're scamming they could be yellow. Injured? Red. Surrounded by those they love? White. Within a battle or something? Orange. It's all about the perception of the reader for the color, so you may all have fun with this :D

Also, Death would absolutely love if his children were represented by a flower that represented him so you know I'm going to fully use this to my advantage. No one will stop me and my bundle of flower meanings I've been holding onto since I learned they were a thing as a young child-

Kim Rok Soo has been named as well! He has now been dubbed our good boy Arlen! I always find the fact that Cale's name means dog as well as wholehearted fits both Og!Cale and KRS!Cale very well, so I wanted to find a name that also fit Twin!KRS as well. Then I found Arlen. Which means "hare land" (in a direct sense) but also if spelled with an "i" instead of an "e" it means "pledge/oath" which is also very fitting for our boy.

Also. Hare and the Hound. I couldn't not take the opportunity to have the twins be a reference to something. Let alone the fact that it's a story whose moral is essentially; "life is the most precious thing". I COULDN'T NOT DO IT ALRIGHT-

So their names are both a reference to a child's story that fits them as well as a name that fits our good boy KRS in general.

NOW ONTO SOME OF THE ACTUAL INFO ABOUT THE FIC TO BE!(I will be referring to KRS as Arlen, however, fear not, his middle name is Roksu, in reference to the more official translation, and he will be referred to by that as well since he's embarrassed that his name basically means bunny lol.)

ヾ( ○´ ･▿･ )ﾉﾞ

Arlen and Cale are telepathic. Not because of the typical 'time to have creepy telepathic twin time' because let's be real these two can and will learn how to communicate with nothing but staring at one another even if they weren't. They are telepathic though because the GoD felt a little bit bad about making them children again and wanted to give them a way to communicate early on. At least he only turned them into toddlers!

Jour, since her ancient power lets her see time, knows very well that something happened. She doesn't know what it is because even her power has its limits, but she knows she was only meant to have one child, but loves both her boys equally. The day they 'awaken' into their new bodies, she is also very aware that their time has yet again changed. She's worried, but still never tells anyone her plan.

Cale is an emotional mess but hides it. Arlen is an emotional mess but ignores it. Ron is about at his wit's end at this point between the two of them. And he's an assassin. He should have more patience than this-

They also cannot completely suppress their child-like instincts, which is both funny as if one cries the other probably will as well, but also horrible for when they're a bit older because oh y'know...trauma response from Arlen when he was Kim Rok Soo.

Cale is ever so slightly older and has decided despite their plan to stick close to the early plot up until Choi Han since nothing big happens before then(that they are aware of because Cale barely remembers half of what happened after his family died, he was kind of too numb to), that he is going to not let anyone hurt Arlen. Cause y'know. Telepathy. And Record. In a child's body.

I am very much not letting anyone forget Rok Soo grew up with that curse and if he ever had to be a younger child closer to the time he was around his uncle he probably wouldn't be able to help his instincts. Since even in canon he notes how trauma for a child is so scary for that very reason- Okay y'all get it I'll stop u-u

Anyway, Cale has seen some of the 'nightmares' his brother has and is wondering if after they ensure they can live peacefully even with the war that happens (Cale doesn't know they would have lost the war- he was too distracted and numb to truly care for much else than fighting those who wronged him!) if there is a way to get some petty revenge against those from another world.

In regards to Ancient Powers, I do have a plan, but if I share this, it t will be some major spoilers soooo maybe you'll have to wait for now >:3c

Finally, in this long tirade I've been on- I have a little snippet from when the first day they awoke!

I do have plans to do a bit of stuff pre-TCF plot with the twins since it will help build the dynamic I want as well as just give some fun interactions I believe we all deserve. Of course, there will be some serious, some fun, and some embarrassing childhood memories to be shown that Cale would will definitely get chased over if he told them.

Please feel free to ask/suggest/or just comment about this au!!!! I would love to talk about it more in general since I'm still fleshing out quite a bit of it :D

[cindythecyclops]

A scene idea for the Twin AU I was talking about earlier, here are some crumbs for all you little AlCale shippers.

Alberu went out to the garden during a banquet for some reason and some guys jumped out from the shadows and like fed him poison and chased after him.

Callie, who was also in the garden, gives chase once she sees this.

She managed to hit the guy carrying Alberu with a blow to the head (she threw a rock really hard) and used that momentary distraction to snatch the crown prince back and set him down a few steps away.

She then realizes that she is surrounded by like 20 armed kidnappers, she is wearing a beautiful elaborate deep mauve gown with heels, her hair is down and she has no weapon.

What she does have is her swordmaster aura, her fists and war-honed instincts.

So, she leans down and pinches Alberu’s cheek gently before whispering in his ear, “Don’t worry, your highness, I’ll save you.”

Callie proceeds to fight all 20 of them at once, burning skin and freezing organs and breaking bones before she steals one their swords and then cuts the heads off all of them in one round slice.

Alberu, who is sitting on the ground, hyperventilating from poison and panic is wide-eyed and in awe and kind of scared.

Callie approaches him, scrutinizing his state. She cleaned her hands from blood with her handkerchief and a nearby pond before sticking her fingers in Alberu’s mouth.

Alberu is, understandably, flustered. His cheeks flush red and his already uneven breathing gets worse. This is intensified when Callie puts her fingers in her own mouth to taste his saliva. She’s trying to figure out which poison it is since the symptoms are too common for her to figure out anything.

Ignoring the sputtering prince, she reached into her spatial pouch and procured a makeshift antidote before picking up Aberu and throwing him over her shoulder. She then begins rushing to the palace, keeping the stolen sword just in case they get attacked again.

So, Callie barges back into the banquet hall and it goes silent. She’s covered in blood, has a sword and some minor injuries and has the crown prince thrown over her shoulder.

Before anything is said or done, she takes him to the King and informs him of what happened, not caring about the eyes on her. Alberu is taken to the infirmary, Callie hands over the sword so it can be investigated and she gets a room to stay in at the palace.

And that’s about it. Also, just thought I’d mention it, I’ll probably post more ship posts about this AU because I really like romantic tension and sort of harems that edge the line of platonic and romantic.

[raemaryllis]

Y’all I am so so sorry it’s so late! I can explain! And I promise I won’t post all of these so late! I just had to stay at work an extra hour tonight and didn’t have as much time to finish this as I thought.

That being said, I’m not sure if I really like how it came out, but my writing skills are a bit rusty. I especially haven’t written much fanfiction over these last couple years. It’s mostly been snippets(that I haven’t posted), which was what I had planned this to be, but things happened. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!

Number 3, here we go!

Five Times Calyan Fell Alseep on His Family and One Time He…

1. Alberu Crossman

He would do anything to get out of this mind numbing meeting.

Crown Prince he may be, but even he is just about five seconds from pulling out Taerang to just lightly threaten some of these imbeciles in the room with him. Seriously, they’re in the middle of a war. Why are these idiots so invested in his relationship with the Dark Elves? Sure, it would be bad if someone makes the connection between them at this point in time, but what are they going to do with that information? He planned to reveal it at his coronation anyway, who’s going to try and get him off the throne when he’s already been announced as the current leader of the Roan Kingdom? As if Robbit or that coward third prince would be able to lead them to victory. Then again, he himself would not be nearly as confident without his headache of a dongseang/commander at his side.

Ah, at least there is one other person with a functioning brain in this meeting. However, his resident headache producer has been awfully quiet these past two hours…

Sneaking a look to his right as some central faction nobles prattle on about the churches and not enough healers, (pfft. As if the sun god has ever contributed to the welfare of this kingdom), he finds himself momentarily perplexed at the expression on Calyan’s face.

Glazed reddish brown eyes squint beneath slightly furrowed eyebrows. A curtain of deep red falls across his eyes as he continues to stare at a certain spot on the ovular table. Usually his dongsaeng would do his absolute best to zone out during these meetings, leaving all the discussions to his overworked Hyung-nim, the brat. But it’s almost as if he is actually trying to pay attention? Or perhaps stay awake would be the better term. Come to think of it, what was Calyan doing before the impromptu meeting?

Alberu had received word that the central faction’s nobles had a very important matter to discuss pertaining to the Kingdom’s current state of affairs. Of course, he doubted whether it was truly so important to interrupt their plans of smacking the White Star from behind, but nonetheless, he agreed to see them, as it wouldn’t do for the Crown Prince to disregard the “state of his Kingdom” in a time of crisis.

What had surprised him though, was their insistence on the inclusion of the former Commander, Calyan Henituse.

He had been rightfully annoyed at the audacity of these nobles that would demand his dongsaeng’s presence at such an insignificant meeting when he was finally able to rest for a few days. However, upon discussing it with the person in question’s older twin, Cale, neither he, nor the redhead could convince their troublesome little brother to stay away. For Calyan apparently has eyes and ears everywhere and Alberu’s Instructor-nim is still incapable of lying to his liege. Darn sensitive swordsman.

So when Calyan walked into the meeting room, Alberu had expected a lot of things. His usually stoic face with a hint of annoyance about being interrupted from his “slacking”; a blank face with barely visible exhaustion from the constant overworking, or perhaps cold eyes, ready to stare down any who even consider offending those he considers his people.

But what he didn’t expect to see was the redhead almost dragging his body through the doors and looking like he’d gone several years without a wink of sleep; his meticulously styled hair and unwrinkled clothing doing little to hide how utterly worn out he looked. Either these disrespectful nobles didn’t notice how exhausted his dongsaeng looked, or they just didn’t care, as they finally started the meeting once the Commander was present.

Which brings them to their current predicament. Alberu is beyond tired, which goes to show how tired the man at his side must be. Evident by the fact that he is actually trying to pay attention to whatever nonsense the other occupants of the meeting hall are spewing. Subtly shifting closer to his sworn brother, Alberu lets his hand just barely brush the against where he knows younger’s to be under the table. Seeing those hazy eyes focus on his faux blue ones, he conveys a silent message.

‘Are you tired?’

The blank look he gets tells everything.

‘Why are you asking such an obvious question?’

He should have seen that coming. He conveys something else.

‘I can bail you out. It’s not like you need to hear this obvious buffoonery.’

That gets a barely noticeable smile from the redhead. But Calyan imperceptibly shakes his head.

‘I’m fine.’

What blatant lies.

He knows there’s no use in trying to reason with his stubborn dongseang, so he instead tunes back into the discussion when he hears his title being called by a no-name Count.

It is a mind numbing fifteen minutes before he feels a weight on his shoulder, and all at once, the hall falls silent. Looking down, he sees a head of long red hair slumped against him. Luckily the chairs were situated in a way that Calyan’s chair was at his side instead of further down; a sort of intimidation move on Alberu’s part, so the Commander had blessedly not fallen to the floor when he evidently succumbed to sleep.

“Is there anything else that requires the Crown’s immediate attention, Count Rodden?” Said man nervously shifts, clearly having more to say, but relents upon witnessing the Crown Prince aiming his blinding smile directly at him.

“Ahem.. I suppose we should finish our discussion at the next meeting then, your highness.“ Count Rodden avoids his eyes as he says that, clearly not wanting to end the meeting there, but unwilling to propose waking the sleeping Commander on the Crown Prince’s shoulder, and most likely earning the ire of the swormaster and highest grade expert he knows are on the other side of the doors.

As the nobles finally filter out of the room, Alberu makes a mental note to thank Cale and Choi Han for being so intimidating. Say what you will about the eldest Young Master of the Henituse County and the scary Swormaster, but they sure know how to get those idiotic high classes to submit.

Sighing in relief that finally, finally, he is out of that horrible meeting, he once again looks down at the young man slumbering away on his shoulder. Hah…really, his dongsaeng is just too adorable.

Steeling himself, he reaches his unoccupied arm to gently rouse his adorable headache.

“Dongsaeng, Calyan. It’s time to wake up.”

His only reply is slow breathing. This won’t do. Any moment now, the chaos incarnate and his vicious instructor-nim will kick open the doors. He’s got to wake Calyan up. For the sake of his ever-growing damage repair bills.

“Donsaeng. Wakey wakey. If you don’t wake up your brother is going to permanently scar some poor nobles..” Still no response but heavy breathing. He swears it’s like this man wants to make his life harder. Oh wait, he does, doesn’t he?

Hearing the chatter outside growing faint, Alberu finally resolves himself to having to carry around this lazy little brother of his. Propping Calyan’s head up with the hand currently attached to his imprisoned limb, the Crown Prince is forced to pause when he feels that something is off here.

Since when has Calyan ever been so still?

Sure, he loves to sleep and will grumble when anyone tries to wake him, but ultimately he still answers whoever it is, even with only a tired groan. Even the few times Alberu is forced to wake up him up after an all-nighter forces them to crash on the couch in his study(while the company is quite appreciated, he’d rather skip the never ending paperwork altogether thank you), he would usually burrow deeper into whatever he’s laying on(Alberu, in this case) in an attempt to not get up. If this was an attempt to get out of the meeting, he would’ve stopped it as soon as the rest of the room’s occupants were on the other side of the doors.

Which makes this situation all the more strange. And worrying.

Well, that and the obvious fever. With Alberu’s hand on Calyan’s head, he can clearly feel the unnaturally high temperature. Why didn’t he feel it before? And the unusually loud breathing; it’s no wonder the redhead is down for the count. When was the last time he slept?

He has precious little time to think about that though. Moving his right arm to Calyan’s back, he reaches down to place the other under his dongsaeng’s knees for a much more comfortable position in which to carry him. He lifts them both off the chairs with ease(which is just a tad bit concerning), and mentally prepares himself for the hour-long lecture he’s sure to receive from the redhead’s equally red-haired, overprotective twin.

In the time it takes him to get them both out of that awkward semi-hugging position they started with, the heavy doors of the meeting hall are pushed open and he can practically feel the satisfaction radiating off the two hooligans. Where he would normally feel an incoming headache, along with a small amount of pride, he only feels growing concern for the young man in his arms……And maybe a bit of trepidation for the hurricane of nagging soon to come.

This is going to be a long, long night…

————

Calyan Henituse, formerly Kim Rok Soo, has experienced a lot of sleepless nights in the last twenty years for someone whose dream is to do nothing but roll around on his bed. For the record, he blames that stupid Radish for his lack of a slacker life. If that White Thing would have just minded his own business and left Roan alone, Calyan wouldn’t have to lose sleep(and brain cells) trying to find a way to get rid of him. So yeah, he is unfortunately familiar with going several days without sleep during his plans to smack the White Star in the back and meeting up with various allies across the two continents. Though his frequent use of record in order to speed things up does nothing to soothe what is most likely one of his many stress headaches. It’s a bit annoying having to deal with them after being a spoiled young master of the rich Henituse family in this life, but he dealt with them for years as Kim Rok Soo, he can deal with them for a few weeks now. Just until he can find a moment to rest.

Or so he thought. Because the very first thing he registers after his impromptu nap at the latest and most probably annoying nobles meeting is a headache at least five times worse than the ones he frequently got as Kim Rok Soo. That’s not even mentioning how his whole body feels as if he just experienced what it’s like to be on the receiving end of one of Choi Han’s brutal training sessions.

He stifles a pained groan as he attempts to slowly open his eyes in order to better adjust to the light in his room.

It appears it was not needed though, as the mana-powered lamps in what is most definitely not his bedroom are set at the lowest setting. The room is just barely bright enough to distinguish the sleeping silhouette of its only other occupant.

Alberu Crossman sits on a chair beside his own bed, in his own bedroom, that is being occupied by Calyan. His head is at an awkward angle(ouch) and he has his arms crossed even in his sleep. All in all, he looks like he fell asleep waiting for Calyan to wake up.

He…doesn’t know how to feel about that. There’s definitely a certain warmth at the actions of his self-proclaimed Hyung-nim, but he would still rather Alberu not waste his time and energy staying with him when the Crown Prince is surely even more exhausted than him. If anyone deserves to rest during such a chaotic time, it’s this quarter Dark Elf.

That said, this is not exactly an ideal position for the future Sun of Roan to sleep in, so Calyan will just have to wake him up and force him into his own(currently occupied) bed to get some real rest.

As if sensing his thoughts, the pseudo-blond shifts slightly before slowly opening his eyes. Blinking the sleep away, his not-blue irises lock onto sharp, and thankfully no longer hazy, reddish brown ones.

“Hah. Took you long enough. Well isn’t that convenient how you woke up only after your brother left the room.” He scoffs at the man who stayed asleep throughout Cale’s entire over-an-hour long lecture about making sure his troublesome brother rested. Who knew that the so-called “Trash” Cale Henituse, who was known for yelling at everyone and throwing around wine bottles, would tell off the Crown Prince of Roan for letting his twin attend a meeting in his condition. And that he would do it all without raising his voice above a whisper.

“My sincerest apologies your highness, the star of our kingdom. You have my most heartfelt gratitude for courageously bearing the full might of-“

“Enough.”

Alberus heaves a deep sigh into his hands before brushing back his disheveled hair. He can now finally allow himself to relax. He is not going to lie, he’s happy to hear his dongsaeng’s voice again. Even if the first thing the person in question says is complete, nonsensical flattery. Alberu was a bit unnerved at how absolutely still Calyan was during the meeting, and that feeling evolved to concern and anxiety when Calyan eventually collapsed in the middle. Suffice to say, Alberu will now be thoroughly observing his dongsaeng for any discomfort at a formal event in the future. Forget about any consequences, Calyan will always come first.

Sigh. He reaches out a hand and places it gently on his troublesome brother’s forehead. Good, his temperature seems to have gone down a bit.

“Hyung-nim?” Calyan says with a small bit of confusion.

Alberu sighs for a third time. “What am I going to do with this troublesome dongsaeng of mine?” He says with exasperated affection.

Calyan attempts to sit up. But is swiftly stopped by hands firmly keeping him from moving. Too tired to protest, he resigns himself and simply mutters one word.

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” What are you sorry for? He wants to ask. For getting sick? For going to the meeting without any regard for your own health? For worrying your family?

“I put you in an awkward situation.” Oh. Calyan avoids his eyes, running his hand over a particularly interesting strand of red hair. His face remains stoic, but his voice and actions speak of his sincerity. Truly, Alberu doesn’t understand the thoughts going through that brilliant but dumb head. Is he really thinking about Alberu’s reputation at a time like this?

“Do you really think I care about what those imbeciles with no tact think of me?” Calyan stops fidgeting, but is clearly still troubled. “Dongsaeng, you did me a favor. If I had to be in the same room as them for two more minutes, I might have considered calling your brother.”

The redhead lets out a small huff at the mental image of Cale getting full reign to say whatever he wanted to those insufferable suck ups. He’d send them packing, that’s for sure. Finally lifting his head to face the prince, he is slightly stunned to find a fond sort of amusement reflected in the quarter Dark Elf’s eyes.

He knows Alberu truly doesn’t care about what anyone, let alone those who hold hostility for his family, thinks; and yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty for the position he’d unwillingly put the other in. He may be weak, but he doesn’t like to be a burden on his colleagues. Least of all, someone he considers family. He knows it is okay to need others, he is only able to survive thanks to them, but he also knows when they need him to be strong. If it were anyone else, he might have done considerable harm to their image. It is only thanks to Alberu’s own wit and status that Calyan’s act of falling asleep in an important meeting was set aside so smoothly.

Regardless, he allows himself to let it go just this once. After all, who’s going to fault the Crown Prince for the actions of his sworn brother? Alberu holds all the cards. He’s got loads he can use against those central faction idiots; and if he needs more, Calyan will happily contribute to their humiliation.

“Move over.” He is snapped out of his musings by a short remark from the man to his left. Confused, he makes space for Alberu to join him on the rather large bed. What was all that forcing him to stay still earlier if he was just going to be forced to move?

He complies as the young man situates them so that they are both covered in the plush comforter and Calyan’s head is resting in his lap.

“Your highness…?”

“Hyung-nim.”

“Hyung-nim…what are you doing?”

“You keep wincing as if you have a headache. I wouldn’t be surprised. Just let your Hyung-nim deal with everything.”

His protests get stuck in his throat when he feels gentle hands carding through his hair. Embarrassment aside, the repetitive motion does somewhat comfort him, though it does little for a headache as severe as this one. Of course, he’s not going to tell Alberu to stop. Why waste the opportunity to sleep on the Crown Prince’s lap? And just where does he manufacture his blankets? Calyan will have to mention it to Ron.

Alberu scoffs softly. “You’re probably the first person to make a royal into a bed. “

He continues carding his fingers through the long hair, untangling the silky wine-like strands. “Just sleep, Calyan. You’ll feel better tomorrow. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the children just yet. I’ll tell them it’s a sleepover.”

A sleepover in the Crown Prince’s bedroom? It was almost funny to imagine. But the assurance that the children would remain ignorant of his condition(at least for the time being) allowed him to finally relax and give into the lull and warmth. Even after his unplanned nap, he feels the exhaustion creeping up on him. However, unlike the last few weeks, he welcomes it. The White Star can wait to be smacked just as Calyan can wait a bit longer for his life of doing absolutely nothing. For now, he’ll sleep for a few (maybe a few dozen?) hours and dream of retiring in his late twenties.

Calyan falls asleep to the quiet murmurs of his Hyung-nim’s plans for dealing with lousy citizens and the feeling of complete safety only few can give him even in this life.

Yes, he is close to his long-awaited slacker life. Maybe in a few more months, there can be more nights like this with his family. Preferably without the sickness and embarrassing positions though.

///////

Also, just wanted to make a note here in case people don’t read the tags. Please do not tag as ship. All relationships in my countdown, unless stated otherwise, are purely platonic.

[maria-of-the-waves]

(＾〃＾)

Just come and scam me as much as you want you two handsome (unlucky) bastards.

[skylerskyhigh]

Cut Yourself On My Glass Plate chapter 76

"The future can still be changed," Cale says firmly. "We may not be able to stop the inevitable, but we can prepare for it," Rok Soo adds with a calm gaze. Cale scowls. "That future will not come to pass." They finish at the same time in the same vicious and firm tone.