Crimson Crown

⌠76⌡

Jinyoung woke up quite well-rested, definitely attributed to Jackson's arm that he had used as a pillow all night. It was his best night of sleep in a long while; warm and engulfed in his favorite smell.

He faced away from the latter, but could see his limb extend from under his head and up to the edge of the mattress. As his eyes adjusted to the morning light that seeped through the blinds, they admired the soft skin and tiny hairs that coated it.

Mindlessly, Jinyoung reached out and gently brushed his fingers over Jackson's. Only a moment passed until the touch was reciprocated, and Jackson's hand quickly interlocked with his own.

"G'morning, prince." The vampire purred from behind, his breath ghosting along the nape of Jinyoung's neck.

The goosebumps that raced across his body cleared up his remaining drowsiness. He turned over to face Jackson, now mere centimeters between their faces. He was always dazzled by the vampire whenever they were this close; he could barely fathom how waking up beside someone this dreamy was possible.

"Good morning..." He mumbled out, eyes glittering.

Jackson instantly used his free hand to brush the corner of the prince's lips. "You drooled."

In an instant, Jinyoung was embarrassed and suddenly regretted turning over. He pulled back and sat up, dragging the back of his hand over his mouth like a messy toddler. "S-Sorry..."

"It means you slept well. It's cute." Jackson chuckled, also sitting upright. "Since you are up, would you like anything in particular for breakfast?"

Jinyoung's head shook. "No you do not have to prepare much, I plan on spending the day preparing for our trip."

A spell of silence passed, one that indicated reservation from the vampire.

"...Are you sure you want to go through with this?" He finally asked.

Without hesitation, Jinyoung responded. "I at least want to try. Either you come with me or you stay here, but I am going."

"I'm coming." Jackson quickly assured. "I just wanted to see if maybe you'd change your mind..."

A small smile crawled across Jinyoung's lips. He was fully aware of how much everyone was against his idea, but appreciated that none of them were going to try and step in the way this time, but help instead.

"Sorry." He chuckled out while pressing an apologetic peck to Jackson's cheek. "I want to leave tomorrow. Cornelia is a little less than half a day's trip, let us go and return before my presence is expected at the palace."

Jackson hummed as he internalized the plan. He then let out a long breath. "If it is what you wish, I suppose it is not a bad idea."

"Great!" Jinyoung practically leaped out of the bed with excitement for their sealed plan. "I should gather some things, you are free to help."

Jackson quietly nodded and watched the latter run off to begin the preparations.

The small smile on his face quickly faded as he let out a sigh.

~.~

The couple plus Mark spent the majority of the day doing various prep work for the next day's trek.

By day end, they were packed with food, weapons, and extra clothes to take on their horses. It was not much else they needed, as they hoped this would be a quick and fruitful trip, nothing more. They were to leave before sunrise to hopefully get to the nearby kingdom sometime around the afternoon.

The sun was beginning to set as Jinyoung was filling the last sack with supplies. The other two had done more of the heavy lifting and horse-care while Jinyoung ensured that they had anything that would be practical.