Work Text:
The bustling of people outside of his window woke Taehyung from his hazy dream. It was probably already midday, his families' courtyard already full of workers and he wondered why his father did not wake him up to help out.
He gingerly sat slowly and flinched when his sore shoulders throb.
He's been working on the pattern that his father will be dyeing on silk all night, it was no wonder that he's sore. His father probably pitied him and let him sleep longer.
Taehyung sighed and looked at his work table full of paper and colorful paint. The design that he's been working on for a month is barely seen under the clutter.
The design depicts the figures of three youma playing tag in the sky and below them is a yaboku (a tree that bears the ranka of animals and youma). Silver and green paint for the tree. Gold, bronze and red for the playful youmas. His work will be dyed on black silk.
It's undeniably beautiful, it's his best work yet and he wants to show it to the world just like all the other designs he made for their business and yet...
He doesn't want anyone to wear it.
It would be beautiful hung up on a wall or painted on a screen but as a print on someone's clothing? It would just be hilarious.
In a perfect world, this robe would be worn by someone with broad shoulders to showcase the playful youmas in the sky, a tapered waist and broad back to display the yaboku and most important of all a beauty that will surpass his own work.
What he got instead is an ostentatious balding minister with too much money and not enough class that wants to boast in front of a kirin when he ascends Mount Hou.
Father said it would be an honor for someone of high status to wear the clothes that they make. That they can even possibly make clothes for other ministers and their future Emperor or Empress!
Taehyung can't help letting out a chuckle. For all that his father is a calculating businessman, he still dreams about such impossible things.
Another wave of noise outside draw him away from his musings. He can hear his father's voice sounding reverent, it was probably a noble or an official outside.
He got up and stretched, rolling his sore shoulders for some comfort and headed to the basin of water in the far corner of his room to wash his face.
Clean clothes has been prepared for him and he quickly changed into them.
He was tying his belt when he heard another commotion again, now just outside the hallway of his room.
He heard his father's voice again, still reverent, although now it also sounds agitated, "Young Master...please this is not appropriate. This commoner will call his sons and present them to you, please wait in our--!"
Taehyung heard someone fall--probably his father--and he can't help a rush of anger that creeped into his heart.
Without tying his robe, he strode towards his door and grabbed the door open--
Only to stop when he saw another person on the front his doorway with hands stretched outwards as if to open his door.
The man slowly lowered his hands and Taehyung raised his head a bit to look at the person fully.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw the man's face.
Doe like eyes...small straight nose...full lips the color of his favorite flower, peony...full cheeks like the steamed buns his mother always makes for him...long black hair--that's glimmering?
He is the most beautiful person that Taehyung has ever seen.
"Young Master! This is not proper! Please-", Taehyung's father urgently try to lead the man outside. Taehyung saw him approaching along with his two older brothers behind the man.
The beautiful man who was still staring at him, frowned at him as if he personally offended him or something.
His father rapidly approached them and tried to reach the man but before he can even touch him, a youma suddenly appeared.
"Y-youma! G-g-guards!"
"Youma attack!"
"Father! Get behind me!"
Taehyung's elder brothers pushed his father behind them and with growing horror, he saw his eldest brother pull out his sword and swing it towards the youma.
The youma-who looked like a woman with wings and clawed hands-catched his brothers' sword and broke it like a twig.
"Taehyung-ah!" his father urgently called him, "get away from that man!"
Taehyung who froze because of the unfolding horror before his eyes, stumbled backwards to his room and grabbed the nearest item he can get ahold of--which happens to be a vase--to protect himself with.
Taehyung gathered courage and his remaining anger and gingerly asked the man, "W-who are you?"
The beautiful man looked at him disbelievingly and rolled his eyes. The fucking bastard.
"I can control a youma, a nyoukai to be exact...who or what do you think I am?" the man asked Taehyung back.
"...nyoukai?" Taehyung repeated confusedly. He's not the best at remembering the names of species of youma, rather he remembers those he have seen personally by their appearance...
The man huffed and stepped into his room, Taehyung can hear the guards arriving and his father frantically screaming at them to save him but he can't take his eyes of the man in front of him.
"Thousands of people went to Mount Hou with hopes in their hearts and thousands of people went back to this kingdom with their hopes crushed because they do not have the mandate of Heaven," the man slowly walked towards Taehyung.
Taehyung clutched the vase closer to his chest and was ready to throw it towards the man when the said man's glimmering hair shone bright like the sun that he had to close his eyes.
When Taehyung opened his eyes, the man is closer and his black hair is now the color of gold.
His heart started thudding wildly in his chest.
Mount Hou...a woman-like youma...golden hair...
"I can see in your face that you finally realized who I am. I assume you know what will happen next," the man--or is it creature?--stated as a matter of fact.
"But before that," he continued, "you will tell me your name."
"Taehyung," he answered in a barely audible voice.
"I am Kouki, the kirin of Kingdom of Kou."
"Kouki..." Taehyung faintly repeated the name, his hold on the vase went slack and it slipped from his fingers.
Before it hit the floor though, Kouki catched it and glared at him.
"I will not be kneeling with shards on the ground, be careful."
Taehyung who still can't believe what is happening wondered if he's still dreaming. His imagination can be pretty vivid afterall.
Kouki walked past him and placed the vase on his worktable, placing it on top of his design.
Upon seeing his work, Taehyung remembered his father and his brothers fighting Kouki's nyoukai, that was when he finally noticed the silence permeating his room.
He looked towards the open door of his room and realized that Kouki's nyoukai is gone and beyond the open door he can see his family kneeling with their heads on the ground.
He should be kneeling too in front of a kirin, but remained standing. His heartbeat started slowing down and he can hear Kouki coming up behind him.
Delicate hands touched his shoulders and led his towards his bed. He gingerly sat down and looked up at the kirin again.
Kouki returned his look and slowly let go of his shoulder and backed a few steps away.
With a grace he had never seen before from a human, Kouki dropped to his knees, bowed his head in supplication and spoke the words that will change his life.
"By the Mandate of Heaven I grant thee the throne,
"I shall never leave your side and shall follow your every command,
"Your Highness, I pledge to you my eternal fealty."
Taehyung couldn't breathe and he wanted to run far away from this kirin.
But of course there's no running away from a kirin and their purpose so instead he answered,
"I accept."
Kouki raised his head and Taehyung noticed in a daze the way his hair lay on the floor like forgotten gold threads.
"Long live the King," Kouki continued as if Taehyung's acceptance hardly matters.
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
Taehyung flinched in surprise when multiple people repeated Kouki's words.
He turned his gaze towards his father who have finally raised his head from the ground and he can see both joy and disbelief in his face...his brothers' heads remained on the ground.
The rest of the guards and other servants who went because of the commotion were also bowing and hailing him as King.
"Well...this was some morning," Taehyung blurted and promptly fainted.
The last thing he saw before everything went black is Kouki's hilariously shocked face.