Royal attentions

      Why is Riko always being interrupted during dinner? Maybe he really should think about hiring a curse-breaker because it’s getting ridiculous.       “Couldn’t you wait?” Riko looks at the grinning Nathaniel. The smears of blood on his face complete the feral look, and for some reason it only makes him look more handsome. Is there more blood hidden by the black color of his clothes? Maybe some of it seeped through, leaving crimson stains on the pale skin?       Stop, he berates himself. The traitorous thoughts nearly make him scowl.       “No.” Nathaniel shrugs nonchalantly and sprawls in the chair opposite of Riko, not caring about possibly getting blood on the velvet seat. Bastard.       “Get off,” says Riko, now annoyed.       With a dramatic sigh, Nathaniel gets up and kneels next to Riko’s chair, a velvet pillow supporting his knees (isn’t Riko generous?). The king’s hand automatically cards through Nathaniel’s auburn curls, and the man leans into the touch.       “How did it go?” Riko asks. One of the council members was an annoying pest lately, so the matter needed to be handled.       Nathaniel puts his head on Riko’s thigh. “He won’t be a problem anymore.”       Riko nods. “Good boy.” He pets Nathaniel’s head, and gives him a piece of meat from his dinner. Nathaniel takes it from his fingers, licking them clean after.       The rest of the dinner lasts in relative peace, the silence being broken by the cutlery scratching the plate.       Occasionally, Riko feeds Nathaniel small bites from his food (again — isn’t he generous?). The man relaxes against Riko’s leg, and the king would think he’s asleep if not for the occasional shifts on the pillow — Nathaniel’s always had a problem with staying still for longer periods of time.       “How’s your new toy doing?” Riko asks when his plate is empty. As if sensing this, Jean appears quietly beside the table and cleans it up. He doesn’t pay attention to the pair, long used to their antics. Even if he has any opinions on the matter, it’s not his place to say them out loud — a lesson taught a long time ago.       Nathaniel looks more awake after Riko’s question. “I’m still deciding what he should be.” He shrugs. “But I’ll figure it out.” A cold smile stretches his lips that sends a shiver down Riko’s spine. Poor bastard, Riko thinks. But that’s what you get for playing rebels and destroying the kingdom, so he’s not really sorry for Aaron. Now the man is useful, at least.       “How’s yours, Your Majesty?” Nathaniel asks. He must be in a headspace if he’s addressing Riko properly.       A smile tugs at Riko’s lips when his thoughts wander towards his new pet. “He’s rather occupied at the moment.”       He made sure of that earlier. It’ll do his new plaything some good to get used to being put in humiliating predicaments — the sooner, the better.       Now his other pet needs his attention. He snaps his fingers, summoning Jean to his side. “Prepare a bath,” says Riko.       When the servant walks out, Riko tugs at Nathaniel’s shirt. “Up.”       The man stands up slowly, careful not to topple over as his body tries to adjust to the new position. Riko waits for the moment Nathaniel straightens up, ready for another command.       They both move to the washroom, where at the center stands a large bathtub filled with hot water. Riko waves a hand, dismissing Jean who’s been waiting for them in the corner. With a quick bow, he disappears from the room, probably glad that he doesn’t have to witness the upcoming events.       “Strip,” says Riko, now that they’re alone.       Nathaniel smirks and starts taking off his clothes slowly, giving his king a show. Riko nearly rolls his eyes, but his gaze still traces the man’s lean body, hardened by years of training.       Nathaniel’s back and chest is littered with scars of different sizes, some gained in fights and some in Riko’s bed when the knife came into play. Beside the scars, there’s one mark Riko takes pride in — a tattoo on Nathaniel’s hip depicting Riko’s crest.       When the man is finally naked, Riko gestures towards the tub. “Get in. You’re filthy.” Fortunately, the blood didn’t seep through the clothes onto Nathaniel’s skin, but he wants to make sure that his pet is in pristine condition.       Surprisingly, Nathaniel sits down in the tub without complaint. It makes Riko suspicious.       He starts scrubbing Nathaniel down with a sponge, not being overly cautious because ‘gentle’ is not their language. The man bears it without a word, being used to the treatment by now. His skin gets pink from the sponge and the hot water, and it’ll be sensitive to touch later. Riko totally won’t use it later.       The last thing to take care of is Nathaniel’s hair. The auburn locks have lost some of their shine, but they don’t seem dirty. Still, it won’t hurt to wash them since they’re already here, will it?       Riko grips the hair, marveling at its softness for a second. Nathaniel, having been in this situation a lot of times before, takes a quick breath before his head is pushed under water. He doesn’t struggle under Riko’s hold, but it’ll be inevitable. No matter how much control someone has over their body, the survival instinct always wins in the end.       Riko tugs Nathaniel’s head above water. The man heaves, trying to get air into his lungs, and Riko relishes in the moment.       “Am I not nice to let you breathe, pet?”       “Thank you,” Nathaniel says in a breathless voice and coughs.       Riko sighs and pushes the man’s head back under water. Honestly, where are his manners, he thinks to himself as Nathaniel struggles under his hold yet again.       When Nathaniel gets another chance to breathe, he quickly says, in between coughs, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”       “Better.” Riko nods satisfied.       He looks at his pet in scrutiny, at his dripping auburn hair and scarred skin, flushed from the hot water, and deems him clean enough.       “Out,” he says and observes as the man heaves himself up, eager to get out as quickly as possible.       As always, Jean appears at the king’s side, seemingly out of nowhere, with a fresh towel in his hand. Just as quickly, he disappears again somewhere, never lingering in one place if it’s not needed of him.       Riko dries Nathaniel off, then wraps him in the towel, making sure that it’s secure around him. Through it all, the man is silent, surprisingly.       Maybe the day has finally caught up to him, Riko thinks with amusement as he brushes through Nathaniel’s locks, careful not to pull at them — there will be time for that later. Thanks to Riko and Jean’s efforts, the hair is smooth and shiny, a far cry from how it used to be. Nathaniel has never cared about his looks, so if it weren’t for Riko, he would still look like a homeless person.       Well, he was homeless before he got caught by Kevin and brought before the throne. But living in the castle among various luxuries hasn’t influenced his sense of style at all, to Riko’s great disappointment. At least Nathaniel is easy on to the eyes, even in the most atrocious outfits.       He is capable, though, so at least not all is lost.       Riko hums as he outstretches his hand to the side, and Jean is quick to place a collar there — a simple leather band with a big diamond at the front — which then is clasped around Nathaniel’s neck.       Perfect, Riko thinks as he tugs at the collar, satisfaction settling within him.       He could use someone to warm his lap during the cold evening.