𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐒

#.. NINE

on their way to the fire nation, gunil noticed how cold it suddenly got. wrapping his arms around his body, he shivered.

"aren't you freezing?" he asked. seungmin shook his head, looking over at jungsu, who was peacefully sleeping. "no, it's warm. what do you mean 'freezing'?"

gunil just shrugged, trying to warm up his body. "i don't know... i just started to suddenly feel cold. it was so hot just seconds ago but now it feels like i was dumped into snow."

seungmin sighed and shrugged as a response, his hands gliding over bird's soft white feathers. "well, maybe it's a sign that you should rest. you haven't really slept since the raid."

no wonder why. having to witness your own home and family die must really take away any life in your body. gunil looked destroyed, and it was obvious he'd feel drained unless he found his brother.

"don't understand me wrong" gunil chuckled quietly. "i trust you two. but when you're the only one awake. sorry, i really like you two but i do not want to return there again"

understandable. seungmin gave him a warm smile. "it's okay. i mean, there's still a day until we reach the fire nation. when jungsu wakes up, you can go to sleep. if that helps you somehow?"

the elder boy chuckled. "we'll see.." it was quiet between them. gunil looked up in the sky while seungmin looked at the sleeping boy with a smile.

the airbender saw the soft expression on the prince's face in his peripheral. he really seemed to be relaxed now. "he's a good friend, hm?" gunil asked, eventually looking down to meet seungmin's gaze.

the younger nodded with a small smile. "he is... jungsu is the only one in the whole earth kingdom who doesn't reduce me to my title. he treats me like a normal human being."

sad. seungmin shouldn't be treated that way, gunil figured. and they probably wont ever treat him like that again. seungmin was a traitor, fleeing with their enemy.

"i'm glad you got to meet him then" gunil answered with a smile. "it's important to have someone like him in life."

seungmin instantly agreed. "definitely..." his mood started to shift a little. "otherwise i wouldn't have been able to handle my life...

i thought of killing myself more often than i actually showed a genuine smile to the crowd. but i couldn't do that, it'd bring shame and disgrace to my father's name and every following generation.

and what difference does it make now? i'll probably end up dead anyway! what the hell was i thinking-"

the airbender put his hands on the other's shoulder, silencing his racing thoughts. their eyes met and for the first time in his life, seungmin actually felt heard by someone else who wasn't his beloved best friend.

and he started crying. why? seungmin couldn't tell himself. was he overwhelmed? angry? sad? it felt like everything at once but also like nothing at all.

gunil seemed to have expected this kind of reaction, seungmin must've been so under pressure all the time, it was alright to let it all out.

and gunil made sure that seungmin knows that. "you've held it in long enough, let go" he pulled the prince into a hug, starting to pat his back as he cried into his shoulder.

seungmin's sobs were the only thing audible in the otherwise empty night. they eventually started to lessen as well, starting to peacefully fall asleep in gunil's arms.