In Sickness And In Health (Yandere M. Genius x F. Reader x Yandere M. Prince)

Chapter 31: Return

Orion, still bedridden, gazed in awe at the sunflowers by his side. He couldn't take his eyes off of them. He had Atlas place them right next to his bed, and though he continued sneezing like crazy, his body unable to handle the pollen, he was elated. The orange-haired male began humming to himself in his joy, wondering just what it was about the flower that made the girl relate it to him.

He gave a silly grin, lying comfortably on his pillow and ignoring the common dulling pain in his body. Maybe it was that the flower was so bright. It liked the sun and followed it wherever it went, too. Orion was always doing that. He loved the sun, but how did she know that? The girl seemed to know all about him. She knew what kind of presents he would like, what food he enjoyed, and even made him rethink what his favorite flower was. Before, it was lilies, but, all of a sudden, because of the comparison, he adored sunflowers even more.

"You look quite pleased," Atlas teased, pouring a glass of water for the male, "I don't suppose it would have to do with anything Miss Shiratori's present?"

The prince whined contentedly, rubbing his cheek on his pillow. As a result, the servant chuckled at his love-struck attitude, placing the cup in his hands. Orion blushed, first giving the sunflower some water before taking some himself. He repeated the process, caring deeply for the flower. Atlas even helped him trim the thing, if only to keep it nice and strong. While he did so, the prince kept the grin on his face. It might have been one of his favorite things to have ever received.

"You like this plant more than Esper, don't you? You haven't been watering him lately. Is there a reason?"

Orion sulked and Atlas didn't push on it. Instead, he placed the male's medicine in front of him, encouraging him to take it. Though Presley would usually be the one with that role, as of late, he had been busy with all kinds of managerial matters. As head of staff, he was always needed, but it was so bad that he was even unable to perform his duties beside the orange-haired prince. Either way, he was doing his job and helping everyone, so it wasn't like the boy could necessarily complain.

"Well, you won't be sulking for long," the male hummed, holding up a letter with very, very familiar writing, "Because the fourth prince is returning today."

. . .

The blonde had been called back by his mother weeks prior. She kept clamoring about how Orion would die soon and that he would be needed to fill in the gap. Of course, he didn't believe her seeing as she had been going on for years about that. But, when the entire country was updating the world with the younger male's deteriorating condition, it was hard to ignore. He would have rather it never come to that.

Rei was supposed to be traveling the world. He had already gone through many countries on just his motorcycle. It was liberating, but he should have known it wouldn't last long. Putting the kickstand up, he removed his helmet and tossed it carelessly to the closest servant. They fumbled with it, terrified of what would happen if they dropped it, but thankfully, the prince's playmate scooped it up before it dropped to the ground. As always, he was inhumanly quick with his reflexes, placing it back in the servant's arms before going right back to the prince's side, always slightly behind him.

Rei's mind was filled with the endless possibilities he was walking in on. He expected his cousin to be in pain, of course, and on his last limbs, but he didn't know precisely what he would see. To his brothers, too, Orion was precious, and, even if the blonde wasn't exactly the type to fawn over him like everyone else, he did hold him close. That was why he had to prepare himself for what he would see.

Everyone he passed bowed at his feet, as per usual, careful not to be the one to trigger his sadistic tendencies. Perhaps, if he was not so distracted by his cousin's state of being, he would have liked to toy with someone. Though, with the help of his playmate, quite a few of his fits could be quelled. The male in question trotted behind the prince, gazing all around the palace. It had been so, so long since he'd last been in the country and longer since he had actually stepped foot in the castle.