Baby's Day Out

[TAMIKO]

"Lead the way, King Zaffuto," Tamiko said, interrupting the king and everyone else. 

He looked so excited about this adventure with the king that it was more like a bonding session for him. Sure the king had casually threatened his life but Tamiko wasn't going to be swayed by that. 

He had known bad people and when he looked at the king, all he could see was someone who had lost so much and had decided to close himself off to protect himself. 

"Have fun you two," was all the lycan enforcer said, before he portaled himself and Kosta out of the dinner room. They didn't want to stay to see what would follow even though a part of Kosta was worried for his mate. 

The lycan king was dangerous, so they couldn't assume that Tamiko was safest with the man, especially since this was the first actual interaction anyone other than Sadako had ever had with the king. 

It was like a cruel fate, but was it a cruel fate for the father to be with his dear son? 

Was that too much of a task for everyone who knew what was with the two?

"Uh, yeah," King Zaffuto responded absentmindedly for the first time in his entire life and reign. 

He was still cooped up in the bubble of what he was seeing. Tamiko was still holding his staff even then and King Zaffuto was tempted to ask so many questions about the kid who was so glad to meet him. 

The great king wasn't sure how to start a conversation without sounding like a dick to the kid he didn't want to get close to and yet at the same time, the kid who intrigued him so much, he wanted to see him more than once. 

Oh, but the king was smitten with the kid before him.

Perhaps it was because part of him was still trying to comprehend the possibility that this kid was the same age as his son, or maybe it was because, for the first time in so long, King Zaffuto felt happy and relaxed around someone other than his brother.

"Are you always this slow? The entire place is empty for you and you're still slow. Wow," Tamiko mused. He knew it was a dangerous thing he was doing, but he had seen the sadness take over the king's face when lord Sadako had left.

He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to make the king feel at ease with him, but who was to tell the young lycan that his father was relaxed, way too relaxed, for a king who was always having his guard high?

"If I were you, I would mind link my parents and tell them my goodbyes," the king said and Tamiko snorted at the king, once again making the king stare at the kid. 

In the past ten minutes, the young lycan had grabbed him and forced him up. He had held the king's staff, had been a mouthy one, and now, he was snorting like he didn't care that the king would definitely kill him if Zaffuto changed his mind. 

Without Sadako, King Zaffuto was unpredictable as fuck, and there was a really high chance that he would actually kill Tamiko for just being in his personal space. It was dangerous but did the young lycan care?

"Good thing you're not me. Because I don't want to worry my parents even more. I told them I went to look for fruits and would be back home, but if they heard that I was with the brooding king, they would die of a heart attack.

"Your reputation scares a lot of people, but I don't care about that. Y'know, you could make a really good friend," Tamiko said as they made it to the palace exit. The soldiers who were around, instantly stood at attention, as they saw the king. 

When their eyes saw Tamiko, they couldn't help but be sad for the young lycan. 

Thankfully, the king had already taken back his staff because then there would be so many questions from the lycans, questions that could actually result in them being murdered openly by the great king of doom.

'They look so scared. Should I be scared too?' Tamiko asked himself as he looked at the soldiers who were visibly shaking and some even messed themselves up. 

Some of them had gone to war with the king for Kawai, over the past two decades, but then they hadn't seen the man in over twenty-five years. So they definitely didn't know what he would do to them.

'No, you shouldn't be. You have done nothing wrong,' a voice said to Tamiko and it took him a whole minute to realize that it was the king's voice in his head. Oh, but Tamiko was tempted to ask the king how he did that.

But then what Tamiko didn't know was that the barbarian king had that very question.

When Tamiko had thought to himself, the king had heard him. But it wasn't through the regular Kawai mind links, no. Zaffuto had heard the young Lycan's voice through the royal channels. The same channel that he and his Liana had been using. 

It was a mindlink channel so private that when the queen died, it had automatically been shut by the fates, because there was no one else who could talk to the king like family. Sure, Sadako was one special being, but even Sadako used the regular mind links with the king.

'You can hear me?' Tamiko asked, ready to wow even more.

'I am the lycan king, you obnoxious kid. Of course, I can hear you,' the king said, even though he knew that wasn't the case. 

Since he had been preparing for dinner, the king had shut off his mind links with the entire kingdom, resulting in complete silence. He hadn't even opened it yet, because he knew that if he walked out of the palace his people would be talking in fear of him. 

Honestly, he wasn't in the mood to pretend like he didn't hear some of them wish him dead for just existing instead of Queen Liana. If there was a chance that the lycan king would switch places with his wife, then the lycan king would have long done it. 

But then he couldn't, and that was the misfortune that had befallen him.

'I forgot you are such a charmer. How long do we have to walk before we get to the hunting grounds? It's getting so uncomfortable having this many people watch me with worried eyes. 

'It's like they pity me for being beside you,' Tamiko whined and the king let out a loud chuckle, making Tamiko stare at the man like he had just broken character.

Well, at the end of the day, even the king was a person with feelings and emotions, right?

'How would you like to portal to the hunting grounds?' the king asked Tamiko and he looked gleefully at the dark man who had somehow managed to protectively entwine their hands together. 

Tamiko's hands were tiny in the king's, but that didn't matter to the kid at the moment.

'Are you for real?'

'Is that a yes or no, Hinata?'

'Of course, I would love to! But you're just a barbarian, sigh.'

'Who wants to give you a trip of a lifetime.'

'Fine, yes,' Tamiko said just when a portal opened and they both went through, leaving behind worried warriors.