Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/9570644.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Captive_Prince_-_C._S._Pacat
  Relationship:
      Damen/Laurent_(Captive_Prince)
  Character:
      Damen_(Captive_Prince), Laurent_(Captive_Prince)
  Additional Tags:
      Fluff, Smut, Angst, Past_Child_Abuse, Past_Sexual_Abuse, Hurt/Comfort,
      Comfort_Sex
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-02-04 Words: 5148
****** Breakthrough ******
by Darkestsiren
Summary
     Four months after the trial, Laurent finally lets Damen into his
     past.
Notes
     This is my first ever Captive Prince fic!
     It's fairly intense and, in case you missed the warnings, it deals
     with past sexual abuse, so tread carefully all who enter here! If
     you've read the Captive Prince books, which I'm guessing you have if
     you're looking at this, you know what to expect.
     My sincerest apologies if I've dealt with any of this in an
     insensitive/unrealistic manner. It is, of course, never my intention
     to marginalize, hurt, or offend anyone.
     I hope you enjoy.
     *Laurent is my baby.
     *So is Damen.
See the end of the work for more notes
Damen woke slowly, aware of a warm presence pressed into his back. Laurent,
long and lithe. Damen let out a slow, pleased breath. Laurent’s arms were
wrapped around him and he moved with a subtle rhythm, his body awake and
demanding, his breath, always so controlled, subtly heavier than usual. Damen’s
body responded instantly.
Damen rounded his back slightly, pressing back into the hard lines of Laurent’s
body, savoring the choked off gasp that Laurent failed to swallow. Damen let a
hand trail up Laurent’s thigh to his hip, holding him close.
Laurent bit into his shoulder. “Damen.” Desperate. “Please.”
Damen pulled Laurent tighter against him, moving with the same rhythm. He
turned his head up, rolling slightly. Laurent shuddered when he kissed him,
opening his mouth to Damen’s tongue easily. Hot and eager, his impeccable
control faltering. 
“Please.” Again. Laurent was arching over him, turning Damen so he could press
his chest into him. 
“Anything,” Damen promised. His hands came up to cup his face, kissing him
deeply. Laurent slid against him deliciously, skin smooth and heated. After a
moment Damen flipped them over, pressed Laurent down into the bed, devoured his
mouth. Laurent spread for him, tucking one leg up to hook it over Damen’s hip. 
“Tell me what you want.” Spoken into the creamy skin at Laurent’s neck. Damen
smiled when he felt Laurent’s pulse jump under his lips. 
“Your mouth,” came the timid reply. “Then, your cock.” A shudder at the last.
Damen knew that Laurent had trouble letting go enough to come from his mouth
alone. In fact he’d never been able to get him off in any way that didn’t
involve Laurent also giving pleasure to Damen at the same time. After the
events at the Kingsmeet Damen thought he might know why. He’s knelt for me
before, the Regent had said. It still made Damen see red. He didn’t yet know
the extent of the Regent’s abuse but he was sure it was the reason for
Laurent’s isolation, for his iron control, his icy exterior. 
Damen smoothed his hands down Laurent’s flanks, soothing him. He felt Laurent’s
breath falling under his control again and resolved to break it as soon as
possible. He let his lips wander over Laurent’s neck lightly, knowing how
Laurent responded to gentleness. Damen tongued his white skin delicately,
drinking in his scent. He worked a hand under Laurent’s back and slid it up his
body until he was curling his fingers into fine, golden hair. Damen pressed his
body hard into Laurent, giving him all of his weight. Laurent arched up into
him, hands fisting in Damen’s dark hair. Damen could feel his tension, the
lines of his body rigid with it. 
“Breathe, Laurent,” Damen told him softly. 
“I would if you’d hurry up,” Laurent barked. 
Damen chuckled and nuzzled Laurent playfully. He kissed his collarbone, the
little depression at the center, pausing to drop another kiss on the tight
muscles of his neck, gratified when Laurent hissed. 
“Damen, please. I can’t…” He was starting to lose the icy restraint he always
kept over himself. Damen smiled in momentary victory. 
“Just breathe,” Damen said. “I won’t fail you.”
A frustrated sigh left Laurent and Damen smiled again. Damen slid lower,
trailing his lips down to Laurent’s small nipple, teasing it with his teeth
gently before lathering the crest with his tongue. Finally he took it his
mouth, his hands on Laurent’s waist, his own hips between the other man’s legs,
and sucked greedily. 
The breath stuck in Laurent’s chest, his mouth open on a silent moan. Damen
could feel the hard line of Laurent’s erection pressed into his own stomach.
Damen slid his hand down over Laurent’s hip to his thigh, as far down as he
could reach. He used a firm touch, soothing and exciting all at once. Damen
uncurled Laurent’s white leg from his waist so he could slither down, trailing
his mouth over the pleasing lines of Laurent’s stomach, noticing the small
contractions of his muscles as Laurent attempted to control his breathing.
Damen kissed his pale skin lazily, leaving a wet trail. Slowly, so slowly,
Damen moved lower, nuzzling in soft, golden curls, listening to Laurent’s
repressed reactions. 
Damen knew Laurent well by now. It had been almost four months since Laurent
had killed Damen’s brother, saving Damen’s life, and they’d decided to unite
their two kingdoms. In that time Damen had learned to interpret all of
Laurent’s tiny, repressed reactions. Damen knew that when Laurent’s whole body
tensed up beneath him, locking down fiercely, Laurent was overcome with
sensation. He knew that when he started getting snippy and sarcastic, ordering
Damen to hurry up or leave him be, that the younger man was desperate for him,
aching in a way that Laurent wasn’t used to aching.
Damen rarely used his mouth to pleasure Laurent. He wasn’t entirely sure
Laurent liked it, though Laurent was certainly quite adept at using his own
mouth to please Damen. Damen didn’t like to think about how he’d come about
that knowledge.
Laurent tensed up when Damen pressed his tongue gently to the tip. 
“Easy,” Damen whispered, meeting Laurent’s gorgeous blue eyes. Damen’s stomach
fluttered. 
Laurent made himself take a slow breath and let it out. Satisfied, Damen went
to work again. He swirled his tongue around the head, took him into his mouth
shallowly, trailed his fingertips up and down his length. Damen pulled off and
flicked the tip with his tongue, enjoying the surprised sound that came from
Laurent before he licked him up and down, flattening his tongue out on the hot,
silky flesh. Laurent tasted so good Damen moaned. Laurent tensed up again and
Damen reached his free hand up to smooth over Laurent’s ribs, reminding his
lover to breathe. 
A shuddering breath. Enough. 
Damen played with his tip, circled his rounded head, drug his mouth up and down
his pleasing length, teasing and exciting, drawing it out. He didn’t get to do
this often and he was going to make the most of it. He was happy to hear
Laurent breathing deeply now, his body relaxing into pleasure slowly. 
Finally Damen took Laurent all the way into his mouth, letting him hit the back
of this throat. Laurent arched back, air hissing between his teeth, fists
gripping the sheets tightly. Damen moved back and swallowed him again, slowly,
always slowly. This time Laurent let a tiny moan escape him before he turned
his head hard into the pillow and squeezed his eyes tight. 
Damen knew Laurent was battling something within himself, knew it likely had
something to do with what his uncle had done to him, and wished, not for the
first time, that he could erase all of Laurent’s past suffering. Instead, Damen
focused on giving Laurent as much pleasure as he could. As much love. 
Damen pulled off Laurent and kissed the tip again, tonguing the slit and
moaning at the sweet and salt of his liquid desire. Eager, his own cock
throbbing between his legs, Damen lathered Laurent, mouth sliding over his
straining skin. He licked the ridge that delineated the head from the shaft,
focusing on the soft, sensitive bundle on the underside until Laurent was
tensing in rhythm under him. Damen loved him like this. It didn’t happen very
often and Damen savored every moment. 
He took him in again, his mouth encompassing Laurent’s cock lovingly, sucking
him all way to the back of his throat and just holding him there, letting his
throat work around him. He moved very slowly, sliding up and down almost
lazily, using his tongue along Laurent’s sensitive skin. He let the heat build,
let Laurent fill up with sensation. Damen swallowed carefully, feeling the
shudder that went through Laurent as he did.
Damen pulled off again. He trailed his hand over Laurent’s creamy thighs, his
gold dusted balls, pausing to tease them gently, as he circled the hand on
Laurent’s ribs, a gentle reminder to breathe. 
When Laurent nodded and Damen felt him relax again he licked the tight bundle
on the back of his shaft, grinning when Laurent twitched. 
“Damen.” Pleadingly. 
Damen curled his fingers around the golden orbs between Laurent’s legs and let
his mouth claim him again. He took him in slowly, letting his lips trail
against the hot skin, gently massaging as he went. He kept his rhythm slow and
steady. Kept his mouth pliant, receptive. He softened his tongue and let it
glide across the sensitive spot near the top of his shaft with each surge. 
Laurent’s knees came up unconsciously, his breathing beautifully ragged. Damen
looked up and saw that his blue eyes were shuttered, a deep crease carved into
his forehead. Damen urged him to breathe again, the hand on his ribs circling,
and within a moment Laurent convulsed, curling in on himself as he cracked
open, spilling, finally, into Damen’s surprised mouth. 
Laurent called aloud, a choked cry that splintered into a pained sob, his face
crumpling. Laurent twisted, desperate to hide, but his tears only came harder.
Damen broke. He scraped Laurent into his arms, turning him so he was cradled
against Damen’s chest, and held him tight against him, rocking gently and
whispering into his hair. 
“It’s ok. It’s ok, Laurent,” Damen said. “You’re safe.”
Laurent cried harder, his whole body shaking, pale legs curling up like a
child’s. 
“You’re safe,” Damen repeated. He nuzzled into Laurent’s hair, tightened his
grip around the man he loved. Laurent quaked in his arms. “You’re safe.”
“He was my uncle,” Laurent sobbed and Damen felt his own eyes prick. “My
family.”
“He was a monster.” Damen held him tight, helpless, desperate to comfort
Laurent, not knowing how. “I almost wish he was still alive so I could kill him
myself.”
Laurent laughed a little at that, which started a new bought sobs. Damen held
him tight, petting him softly until Laurent finally softened, falling into an
exhausted sleep.
Damen held Laurent carefully while he slept, his caresses soft and lulling. He
felt a strange relief at Laurent’s breakdown, a buoy of light in his chest. Of
course Laurent’s suffering pained him, but Damen knew that Laurent needed to
let out the hurt and shame he’d been hiding so viciously these past several
years. He was honored Laurent trusted him enough now to allow Damen to see him
like this, to comfort him even.
Damen made a vow to himself that no matter what Laurent needed he would give it
to him, if it was in his power to do so.
An hour later, when Laurent began to stir, Damen kissed the top of his yellow
head and wondered what he should expect. In the past, after a display of
emotion, Laurent would have pulled away, his hard, icy control firmly back in
place. But Laurent lay in his arms, unmoving but awake, for a long time. At
length he raised his head to look at Damen, the salty tracks of dried tears
marring faintly flushed cheeks. Damen didn’t let him speak. He pressed his lips
into Laurent’s gently, bathing him in the softness of his feelings. After a
long while they both pulled away, eyes finding each other. Laurent looked at
him openly, fear and resolve shining in the blue of his eyes.
Laurent swallowed and sat up. Damen let him go. Laurent scooted to sit at the
edge of the bed, his long legs dangling over the edge until his toes touched
the floor. He folded his hands in his lap and took a long breath. Damen propped
himself up against the pillows, sensing that Laurent needed space. 
“The first time, I was thirteen.” Shakily. “It was— after Marlas.”
Damen couldn’t help a tiny gasp. He hadn’t thought Laurent would ever choose to
share this with him.
Laurent paused, took a breath, his back painfully straight. Damen heard the
tremor in his chest. He yearned to reach out to him, to steady him. He didn’t.
“After seeing to it that I had plenty of wine at dinner, he asked me if I
wanted to do something special for him, as his nephew. A gift to celebrate his
birthday.”
Damen clenched his fists but forced himself not to react in any other way.
“I did, of course. He was the only family I had left. He praised me, and took
my hand. He led me to his rooms, to his bed.” A pause. “He sat down and drew me
in front of him, telling me to get on my knees. He told me he was going to
teach me something that would be very useful in the future.”
Damen’s heart was pounding, anger and disgust beating through him like a
stampede of horses. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to wait, to hear the
whole, horrible truth. 
“I didn’t understand, at first, how that would be a gift for him. But I was
eager, happy for his attention.”
Laurent clenched his jaw at the confession. Damen ached with the knowledge of
how much it cost Laurent to admit this. He knew Laurent saw it as a weakness.
When Laurent spoke again his voice had that icy, emotionless edge Damen was so
used to. 
“He untied his trousers and freed himself. I remember he leaned back slightly,
on one hand, his legs opening so I could fit between them. He told me to lick
him, directing me in just the way he liked it. I did. Before long his fingers
were in my hair, moving my head over him, pushing me down so hard I choked.” 
Another pause. His body was stiff with tension.
“He let me go after that, and apologized. He laced up his pants and raised me
off my knees, ruffling my hair, telling me what a good nephew I was and how I
was going to be so good at that, with practice. That I would be such a good
lover when I grew up.”
Damen felt sick, remembering the first time Laurent had sucked his cock, at the
Inn. How nervous he’d been. How determined. How he’d made Damen keep his hands
against the wall behind him. Damen closed his eyes and forced himself to
breathe, his fists clenched beside him on the bed. His throat felt tight.
“Every few nights over the next two years my uncle’s guards brought me to his
chamber where he taught me how to make him come. With my mouth, with my hands.
Finally he asked me if I wanted to learn the best way. I didn’t, but I was too
scared to say no.” Shame colored his voice.
Laurent swallowed. His fingers were splayed against the sheets next to his bare
thighs, icicles spoking out across the silk. Damen ached to take them, to thaw
Laurent with love and tender caresses but he knew he couldn’t. If he touched
Laurent now he’d only lash out. So Damen sat in silence, waiting for the end.
“He undressed me. Laid me out on the bed on my stomach and spread my legs
open.”
Bile began to rise in Damen’s throat but he pushed it back. Laurent had lived
this, the least he could do was listen to it.
Laurent faltered, his control breaking. His next words came out jagged and
thick. 
“He slicked his cock and pushed inside me. He was too big and he hadn’t
prepared me. I remember I screamed. I begged him to stop, told him it hurt, but
my uncle moaned behind me, whispering encouragements, telling me I was doing so
well, that I should be proud I could take a man of his girth. That it was a
sign of strength. I wanted to be strong, didn’t I?”
Damen couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He slid up behind Laurent meaning
to wrap him in his arms, but he felt Laurent stiffen against his intended
comfort, the cold radiating from him, and stayed back, aching and unsure.
Laurent was rigid, tension in every muscle. He looked like he was about jump up
and flee, but he stayed seated.
After assuring himself that Damen wasn’t going to touch him, Laurent continued.
“Sometimes he’d touch me too, use his mouth on me, to get me ready, he said.
But he never let me come unless he was inside me, coming too. He didn’t want me
to come at all, really, so I trained myself not to. Sometimes I couldn’t help
it.”
Laurent’s voice was tear-thick and Damen realized he was crying again, silently
and without a tremor. Damen closed his eyes and forced his own tears back,
knowing Laurent would hate him if Damen pitied him. Laurent hadn’t told him
this for comfort or reassurances. He’d told him so that Damen could know him,
could understand why Laurent shut down the way he did, the way he always had:
until this time.
Damen was grateful beyond measure for Laurent’s honesty, for his courage. It
was a gift he would cherish forever. 
Slowly, carefully, Damen closed the distance between them. He sat behind
Laurent, his legs spread around him, one arm settling around Laurent’s middle,
the other draped carefully over his shoulder, his hand on the younger man’s
heart. Laurent was tense in his embrace but after a few silent moments he
softened into Damen’s chest, his golden head bowing.
“You’re the strongest, bravest person I have ever met, Laurent,” Damen told him
truthfully. He was careful to keep his own pain from his voice.
Laurent turned wet, unsure eyes to his.
Damen looked into his eyes. “I love you so much.” The words burst from him,
straight from his heart. It was the first time.
Laurent shuddered, tears sliding down his porcelain face. Damen kissed him
then, as softly as he could.
“I want to give you everything, anything you want,” Damen told him. “I want you
to know how amazing you are.”
Laurent looked at him silently, a slow blush of heat taking the place of shame
and fear. “You… love me?” Broken.
“I love you.” Breathed.
Laurent kissed him again. He tasted like tears and hesitant joy.
Damen drew his hands down Laurent’s body slowly, so slowly. “I want to make you
come a thousand times,” he said, low. “I want to give you every pleasure, every
joy.”
Laurent reacted instantly, hardening without ever being touched. He whimpered. 
“Tell me what you want,” Damen whispered. His lips at Laurent’s ear, ghosting
over his pulse.
Laurent reclined against him, letting his head roll back onto Damen’s shoulder.
“Your hand.” Breathed shakily.
Damen touched him reverently, kept his ministrations slow and steady, desperate
to give Laurent whatever he needed; anything. Everything.
Laurent clenched his teeth, his back tensing against Damen’s chest, arching
away from him. Damen slowed his caress even further. He nosed into the fair
hair at Laurent’s neck, breathing in his scent and letting it settle him. Rage
still coiled inside him, the insatiable need to inflict violence upon the
Regent, but stronger still was the need to give Laurent everything he’d
promised he would.
“It’s ok,” Damen whispered, lips fluttering over pale, heated skin. “Breathe.”
Laurent squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. It wasn’t quite
the wanton abandon Damen was hoping for but it was a step. Damen pressed gently
at the tip of Laurent’s cock, thumbing the slit and enjoying the slick liquid
he drew from him. Laurent shuddered, a quick gasp escaping him before he
repressed it.
“It’s all right to make noise, Laurent. You don’t have to hide from me.” Damen
held Laurent securely against him and circled the head of his cock tenderly. He
was rewarded with a sharp intake of breathe. Laurent swore delicately, in
Veretian. Damen knew Laurent was already close. His prince was so sensitive,
his pale skin so deliciously responsive. Damen stroked him with soft fingers,
up and down. Finally, Damen closed his hand around him and pulled up slowly,
once. 
Laurent bucked against him. “Damen.” Quietly. He spilled into Damen’s hand,
curling into him as he fought a shiver. 
“You’re so beautiful when you come, Laurent.” Damen raised his hand and licked
Laurent’s seed from it, humming at the sharp flavor. Laurent’s eyes followed
the action. 
“I’m always beautiful,” Laurent said, giving Damen the small delight of leaning
his head back on Damen’s shoulder, his muscles soft, for the moment.
Damen chuckled, nuzzling Laurent, drawing in his scent again. Then he raised
his head. 
“It took me a long time to really see you, Laurent,” Damen said softly. “You
hide yourself well. But now that I do, I can see your brilliance.” He felt
Laurent roll his eyes but he pushed on regardless. “I don’t just mean the
brilliance of your decidedly formidable intellect, but the brilliance of your
spirit. Adversity doesn’t dim you: it makes you shine even brighter. That’s how
I know you are meant to be King.”
Laurent turned his eyes to Damen’s, his jaw uncharacteristically loose. “I
don’t feel like a King,” he admitted, flushing. Damen felt his chest tighten. 
“You will.” 
Laurent slid his mouth over Damen’s. He kissed him softly, deeply, slowly
pushing him back onto the bed. When he finally lifted his head Damen was
breathing hard, aching for more. Laurent reached for the oil.
“I want you to fill me, Damen.” Huskily. “I want you to make me come and I want
you to come inside me. I want to be able to feel you inside me tomorrow, when
we sit at Court.”
Damen felt a shudder go through him. “Anything,” he swore. 
They made love slowly. Damen rolled them over and sat up, looking down on
Laurent with nothing but love. He touched Laurent with light fingers, with soft
lips and gentle teeth. He took his time, teasing Laurent out of his shell
tenderly, urging him to breathe, to make his pleasure known. Laurent flowered
slowly, finally letting sensation overtake him. The small cries Damen was able
to coax from Laurent were like music, and when Damen finally entered him,
Laurent begged him to take him hard.
Damen clamped down on his desire fiercely, forced himself to move slowly:
though he did allow himself to push in deep and hard, relishing the way it made
Laurent moan. 
“Please,” Laurent said. His fingers were tangled in Damen’s curls. “Please,
Damen. I won’t break. Please.” Laurent thrust up, meeting Damen’s hips, putting
proof to his words.
Damen’s control foundered. His hips flicked forward faster, harder. He buried
his face in Laurent’s neck, lips against his pounding pulse, and listened.
Listened to the beautiful sounds Laurent made, the way his breath bulleted out
of him, the way he finally released his iron control and let himself feel.
“Damen!” A shout as he came, clenching around Damen, forcing Damen’s own
release.
“Oh, Laurent,” Damen moaned, holding him tighter, spilling into him. “My
Laurent.”
“Yes.” The word fell breathlessly from Laurent’s lips.
When they regained their breath Damen rose up slowly, searching Laurent’s face.
Laurent kept his eyes closed but there was a soft smile playing at his lips.
Damen bent and kissed them, nuzzling in Laurent’s warmth.
Laurent chuckled. His blue eyes caught on Damen’s and his smile grew, then
faltered. 
“I’ve never told anyone about…” He blushed beautifully. 
Damen felt a rush, a strange tightness. “Your uncle?”
A nod, eyes lowered.
Damen felt Laurent tense beneath him. He drew a gentle hand down Laurent’s
body, anchoring him until Laurent could meet his eyes again. 
“The shame is his, Laurent. Not yours.”
An unsteady breath from a tight jaw. “I should have been able to stop it,” he
said darkly. “Auguste would have been able to stop it.”
“You don’t know that. And what could you have done, really? You were young, and
your uncle was the most powerful person in your life, in your whole country. It
wasn’t your fault, Laurent.”
Laurent pushed Damen off him and stood. He went to their private bath and
cleaned himself off. Damen could feel him pulling away, could feel his
agitation. He wished he knew what to say. 
Laurent dressed efficiently, even though it was still hours before dawn, doing
up his ridiculous Veretian laces with expert grace. Damen rose, stepping close,
but not too close, as Laurent laced up his jacket and pulled on his boots. 
“I’m yours, Laurent. Tell me what you want me to do, what I should say.”
Laurent turned away. “I need to think. I’m going for a ride.”
Damen blocked the door and was met with ice cold eyes and a blank face. “Are
you sorry you told me?” Softly.
Laurent clenched his fists and Damen knew he was fighting not to lash out.
“No,” he said, the word sharp.
Damen breathed in relief. He stepped aside and let Laurent flee. 
 
Laurent rode his steed hard. Too hard. He had to get away. Damen, well meaning
as he was, was suffocating with all his tenderness. Laurent needed air, he
needed clarity, strength to push back against, not softness that swallowed him
and pushed him under. He gathered his will about him and rebuilt the walls he’d
allowed Damen to breach, sealing his pain deep inside him where it couldn’t
cause any more trouble. 
It had been a mistake to tell him. He’d never told anyone before, had never
trusted anyone enough to be weak in their presence. It was Damen, with his
mouthwatering muscles and the sweetness of his touch, with his cursed
understanding and decidedly nonjudgemental eyes, that had weakened Laurent’s
resolve. He’d been crumbling for months, unable to withstand Damen’s kindness,
his honor, his ability to look beyond Laurent’s cold armor and see the man he
was hiding inside. 
The truth was, Damen terrified him. Ever since Damen came to Vere, Laurent had
been nearly incapable of maintaining his normally flawless, ice cold
countenance. He’d been angrier, more stubborn, less able to think, to play his
uncle’s games.
But all of that was over now. His uncle was dead, executed by the Council for
treason. And Laurent would be crowned King by the end of the month. There were
no more games to be played, no more need to hide. The Court was his now, his to
choose, his to command. 
Laurent almost didn’t believe it. He’d dreamed of this since the day Auguste
had been taken from him. He’d prayed for it, desperately, especially once his
uncle began his unwelcome attentions, once he began his campaign to destroy
Laurent’s reputation. Tried to kill him. Laurent had fought for it, tooth and
nail, with everything he had. 
And he’d won. 
He’d won. 
Because of Damen. Laurent wasn’t so proud he couldn’t admit that truth. But
what now? When Damen had been stabbed in the slave baths, and Laurent had
killed Kastor, they’d made a promise to unite their countries, to rule
together.
But did that mean as a… as a couple? Laurent realized he wasn’t sure. He knew
Damen loved him, knew he loved Damen just as much, but would the people accept
them as joint rulers? It wouldn’t be easy to unite Vere and Akielos. There was
a lot of animosity between the two nations, a lot of hatred and blindness. 
Still, if anyone could do it, it was them. Two enemy princes who’d found
forgiveness and salvation in each other. Who’d found love. 
Trust.
Laurent hadn’t realized he’d wheeled around until he was suddenly pounding up
the stairs to Damen’s rooms. He burst in, heart hammering in his chest. Damen
was sitting at the table. He’d bathed, dressed, eaten, and was leafing through
some papers. He looked up when Laurent came in, surprise turning to worry when
he saw him. 
Laurent rushed over and pulled him up, pressing his mouth to Damen’s hungrily.
He pressed Damen back against the table, fisting at his clothes, his hair,
wanting him as close as possible. He wasn’t gentle. 
Damen broke off, searching his face uncertainly.
“I’m tired of hiding,” Laurent breathed. “I’m tired of always being the cold,
emotionless prince. I want to be myself again. And I want you. I want you with
everything I am.” He was panting as he spoke and he smiled at the way it made
him sound. Passionate. Alive.
Damen pulled him back in and kissed him fiercely, his hand cupping Laurent’s
head, fingers filtering through his hair. Laurent lifted the short skirt of
Damen’s uniform and gripped him, smoothing over the pleasing curve of his
buttocks. 
Damen gasped. A hand came to each of Laurent’s thighs, gripping hard as Damen
lifted him, guiding his slender legs around Damen’s waist. Damen turned, swiped
his papers aside and set Laurent on the table, pressing into him with all that
savage strength Laurent craved so badly. Laurent arched up into him, his blood
racing.
“Yes,” Laurent let himself say.
When Damen’s lips found his throat Laurent moaned, a wild, free sound that made
Damen shudder and bite.
“You have me, Laurent,” Damen said, mouthing at him. “You’ve always had me. I’m
never leaving you. Never.”
“We’ll rule together? As a couple, you and I? Wedded?” Laurent cringed at how
hopeful, how unsure and afraid he sounded.  
Damen stopped kissing his neck and looked him full in the face. His eyes were
deadly serious. “Nothing would make me happier.”
Laurent felt himself shatter. It felt good, to finally let himself feel, trust.
He smiled up at Damen and felt new tears gathering in his eyes. He wrapped his
arms around Damen’s neck and pulled him in, nestling into the space where his
shoulder met the muscled column of his throat. 
Damen snuck an arm under Laurent’s waist and pulled him up to a sitting
position. Laurent held on, pulling in Damen’s scent, his warmth, the security
of his massiveness.
“I love you, too, Damianos.” 
Damen held him tighter. “Laurent.” A prayer. He brought his hand up to cup the
back of Laurent’s head, nuzzling in his golden strands. Laurent smiled into
Damen’s neck, knowing how much Damen liked his yellow hair. Happy that Damen
liked his yellow hair.
When they parted Damen was smiling stupidly. “So, do you want to tell everyone
to prepare for a Royal Wedding as well as joint coronations?”
Laurent threw his head back and laughed, delighted. “That’s going to go over
well.” 
There was a new sparkle in Damen’s eyes when Laurent looked back. 
“What is it?”
Damen smiled softly and kissed him, just a soft brush of lips. “You. You’re
so…”
Laurent stilled. “Unbound?”
Damen nodded. “Beautiful,” he said. Strong. Free. Fearless. Amazing. Full of
dreams you’re finally letting yourself dream. Full of light and vigor and
beauty, like I always knew you were. 
He didn’t say it. He would someday, but right now he needed to kiss Laurent
until they were both breathless and aching.
End Notes
     Thanks for reading, guys! Please feel free to leave me a quick note
     with your thoughts/feelings. I love getting feedback!
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!