Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Twenty - Out in the Open

Dan jerks awake, his heart racing in his chest. He almost panics, unable to comprehend why his back hurts so much, but then there are warm arms around him and he finds himself able to breathe again. Phil is right there, his heart beating steadily beneath Dan's ear, and the king of Tenebris slowly calms himself down. He got whipped. Phil came in and took care of him. He's okay.

"Are you alright?" Phil asks, his voice soft.

Dan nods a bit and presses a bit closer, relishing in how warm Phil is. He's in pain, but he feels better when he's close to Phil. After a few moments, he tilts his head so he can look up at the king. Phil looks tired, but his blue eyes are as clear and lovely as always. He smiles, and it's the same smile that makes Dan's heart pound and his stomach fill with butterflies.

Screw it, Dan thinks.

He reaches up and pulls Phil down with a hand on the back of his head, pressing a kiss to his lips. Phil's fingers still against his hips, and when Dan breaks free Phil can only stare.

"Wha...?"

"Sorry if that was too forward—"

Phil leans down and shuts him up with another kiss, his thumb ghosting over Dan's ear, and Dan kisses back. He's nervous and giddy with adrenaline, but he feels happier than he has in a very long time. When they part they hover close to each other, their breath intermingling.

"Why now?" Phil asks in a whisper. "I've been waiting so long and you chose now?"

"It just felt right," Dan replies just as softly.

Phil grins and pecks his lips again. "I can appreciate that."

The king of Tenebris smiles and shifts a bit, wincing when any strain is put on his back. "We should get up. You probably can't feel your legs and neither can I."

Phil nods and shifts a bit as well. "Good idea. I am definitely numb from the waist down."

Dan gets off of Phil as painlessly as he can and the king of Divum pulls himself to his feet, nearly falling over in the process. Dan pulls himself up slowly, a grimace on his face.

"Even with the healing, I feel like I got in a fight with a mountain lion and lost," he states.

Phil chuckles a bit and helps him up. Dan thanks him and starts pacing, moving his back as little as possible, while Phil moves to the window. The sun is already setting over his kingdom, and the entire time he was sitting with Dan he didn't sleep. He wasn't tired before, but now that the energy that came with their kisses has worn off, he finds himself exhausted. There's only so much emotion he can take in one day before he just needs to sleep.

Dan moves to stand beside him, gazing out over the kingdom. "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours," Phil replies.

The king of Tenebris nods and yawns, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'll probably go back to sleep in a bit. Sleeping on the floor didn't exactly get me rested."

"I should head back to my quarters then."

Phil starts to turn around and Dan catches him by the hand, meeting his gaze with his chocolatey brown eyes. The king of Divum's heart melts and he stops, turning to face Dan.

"I know it's weird, and I feel like I shouldn't even be asking, but can you stay with me? I'm going to have a really hard time getting up tomorrow, and I don't want to be alone," he pleads.

Phil exhales, a small smile tugging at his lips. "How am I supposed to say no to that?"

A grin breaks across Dan's face and he squeezes Phil's hand. "Thank you."

Phil takes his chin between his fingers and presses a gentle kiss to his lips. "I'm going to get into pyjamas and come back, okay? You get ready for bed."

Dan nods and Phil heads off to his room. Once he's gone Dan does his best to change, although his back still protests angrily every time he moves. Usually he would go shirtless, but he's not ready to face his scars yet. He washes his face and brushes his teeth quickly before crawling into bed, trying to move the muscles in his back as little as possible. A few minutes later, Phil enters the room and closes it behind him with a gentle click. He ducks under the covers and Dan snuggles up to him, his head beneath his chin. The fire in the fireplace crackles softly, filling the room with a warm glow.

"You know, my advisors told me to hate you. They were so adamant about me killing you, and I just couldn't do it," Phil murmurs, rubbing his thumb back and forth across Dan's shoulder as gently as possible.

"I'm glad you didn't," Dan whispers back.

"Me too."

The king of Tenebris smiles a little to himself and falls asleep with his hand covering the leaf insignia on Phil's hipbone. Phil kisses his forehead and closes his eyes, letting himself fall into a contented sleep.

The next morning, Dan wakes up to so much pain that he can't move. He shifts and shooting pains travel through his back, causing tears to well in his eyes. Phil is next to him, so he reaches out and nudges him a few times.

"Phil," he whispers. "Phil, I need help."

Phil's eyes crack open, and after a second they go wide. "Dan, what's wrong?"

"I can't move. I can't. It h-hurts so bad."

Phil scoots closer and brushes a tear from his cheek. "Hey, it's alright. You're probably really stiff from sleeping, and that makes it worse. I'll help you up, okay?"

Dan nods and Phil sits up, helping the king of Tenebris into an upright position. Dan grits his teeth and clenches his hand into a fist, eyes downcast.

"Sorry for being a bother," he mutters.

"You don't have to apologize," Phil replies, taking his hand. "It's my fault you got whipped in the first place."

Dan exhales and Phil leans over, kissing him on the lips. Dan kisses back, his hand trailing into the king's hair. When they part, Phil brushes a few remaining tears from Dan's eyes.

"I've got some work to do, but we'll see each other before too long," the king of Divum says with a small smile.

"Of course," Dan replies.

"And if you never need help, any of my servants or I will be willing to do so."

Dan nods and Phil kisses him one more time before pulling himself out of bed. He helps the king of Tenebris up and bids him farewell before leaving the room.

Dan watches him go, feeling lighter than he has since he arrived in Divum.