A crown or this? | minsung

🌙a moon away

When Minho woke from his slumber, he was met with a cold side. Jisung had vanished in the night, probably because he could not face what they had done the previous night, at least not sober. Minho chuckled to himself and got his clothes on.

He marched through the castle, but a sudden pain came to him. His lower back hurt, along with his behind. He leaned on a wall and cursed to himself as he tried not to wobble around. Too much.

He finally made it to a big room with a long table in the center, plenty of food and fresh fruit picked out from the gardens. He sat down and winced quietly, muffling the sound with his hand. Chan soon came in the room as well and sat next to him, neither speaking. They looked at the other, sitting awkwardly on the chair.

"You too?"

"Yes."

There was a short pause before they both smiled and laughed, shortly, but with a sort of relief that they were not alone.

"I did not take you for the type to..." chan started and had no intention on finishing, he simply gave a look at Minho.

"I did not either" he raised his shoulders and continued eating.

"And the king of the north, I certainly did not see him..."

"He is full of surprises."

<3

Jisung walked from room to room in quest of finding someone. He breached each door like he owned them and walked past dozens of guards in the process. It was true, he had escaped his conversation with Minho, and he would continue to do so the entire way north.

They were leaving this same night.

He opened a door suddenly and made Hyunjin jump slightly against the table he was sitting at. He was alone and his eyes were wide, his breath short.

"I was searching for you. Have you packed, you know we leave in a few hours"

"Y-yeah I'll be ready" he was blushing, like a kid who had been caught hiding something. Jisung tilted his head to the side and nodded, sighing. Hyunjin placed a hand on his mouth and closed his eyes out of pure embarrassment.

"And Felix, i expect the same of you" he said, a face as still as ice in winter.

Hyunjin flushed madly and hid his face even more, not knowing how to response.

He heard an embarrassed sigh from under the table, and an inhale, as if he was about to speak.

"No need for an answer, just be ready for tonight, both of you" he turned around but stopped completely still to turn back around one last time and said :

"after all, it's better not to speak with a mouth full."

<3

.a few hours later.

The horses were ready to leave, all packed up and the wheels adjusted for winter as well as summer weather. It was a 2 days trip this time.

"It's been an honour to know you brother" Chan smiled and embraced him into a tight and warm hug.

"I just wish I would have known you sooner..." Minho separated the hug to look into his eyes.

"We will see each other soon, for the battle of the south. Send me a crow when you are ready, and I will be there fighting by your side"

"Of course...king of the west" he bowed his head slightly and chan smiled.

"Until we meet again, futur king."

And like that they separate.

Minho rejoins their wagon, one that consisted of Hyunjin, Felix and Jisung, all already seated, all very quiet. The prince of crows sat down and they started their journey. Home. Minho kept thinking of it, imagining how much it had changed.

After a few hours, Minho also noticed that nobody was speaking, only avoiding gaze and never once looking at another's eyes. He knew Jisung would ignore him, he had expected it, but Hyunjin not speaking was concern at its finest.

"Have I missed something...?" Minho said and all eyes went to him.

"No." Hyunjin and Felix answered at the same time. Jisung simply looked at Minho with a simple gaze that meant : obviously.

"You two act as if it's the first time I walked in on you two..." Jisung spoke, unbothered against the frame of the window.

"In their room?" Minho asked.

"In the dining hall." Jisung was quick and Felix lowered his head, completely red. "That is why they are embarrassed."

"No. I'm embarrassed because you keep staring at me like I killed someone" Felix said, still bright coloured.

"Public places are not an appropriate location for sure things. Anyone could have walked in." Jisung glared him down.

"Jealous?" Felix furrowed his brows. Even if they had gone a long way, nothing was perfect between them. Fights were common.

"What would I be jealous of?"

"That I can get away with it, but if you get caught, you might as well renounce to every title."

Hyunjin widened his eyes upon hearing his lover's words and then looked at Jisung's cold and still expression.

"Stop the carriage." Jisung said in a mere whisper and yet the carriage stopped still. "I will ride on horse back for today, have my horse ready"

"Yes sir"

At the king's order, his horse was brought and he got on the blond haired creature. Minho also stepped out and got onto his own, going side by side with Jisung.

"What troubles you?"

"I suggest you wear a scarf, in a few minutes the temperature will drop" jisung replied as he normally did, placing his satchel. Minho placed a hand on his and Jisung's eyes lifted to meet his.

"Talk to me."

Jisung stopped what he was doing and sighed deeply, from the deepest parts of his soul.

"Felix is right." He said shortly and looked into the horizon. "I plan for the futur, i always have, but I am terrified Minho."

"We will be side by side the entire time."

"That is the problem. I cannot lose you again..."

"You will not..." Minho rubbed a finger on his hand and sighed. "But if I do...die. What will you do?"

"I would pierce a sword in my own heart"

He said so rapidly, it took Minho by surprise.

"So that maybe then it would stop hurting, maybe then I can join you on the other side, or find you in another life." He continued. "The only reason...that I did not do it the first time, was because of Nira...because I had someone to save. Because I owed it to Bow." He clenched the rains of his horse and his eyes drowned in thoughts.

"Jisung."

"What?" He turned abruptly, clenching his teeth. His eyes softened when they landed on his lover again.

"Everything will go as planned..."

"No."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because it never does."