The Black Prince & The White Prince

White Wounds

They walked for a whole hour before Minhyun finally felt a little more secure to stop for a break. He didn't know how Baekho could hold out with his injuries but the other was just trying to act tough in front of Minhyun and he didn't want to get caught again too.

"We will stop for awhile and get you treated first," Minhyun said, carefully settling Baekho down onto the grass. They had somehow found their way to the forest and went off the path into the trees so no one could find them that fast even if they tried. Baekho nodded and silently watched Minhyun open the bundle that the maid had passed to them. Minhyun carefully looked through what they had and took out the water. He turned and noticed Baekho staring at him. He let out a little cough and Baekho blinked. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Hmm? Yeah... but... it's been too long since..." Baekho's voice trailed off as he found himself drowning in Minhyun's eyes again. He caught himself and breathed in. "Since I've looked at you." Minhyun couldn't help the laugh that escaped from his throat.

"It's been too long, Baekho. Considering its been barely a week. Also, a month since we've gotten to know each other," he replied and started rinsing Baekho's wounds gently. The other would wince and Minhyun would pause before going at it again.

"A month was enough for me to fall for you," he chuckled through the pain. "Enough for me to care for you like crazy. And enough to almost drive me insane when people kept telling me that you're dead."

Minhyun dabbed the blood from his mouth and made him open his mouth. He knew it. He could see the teeth marks on the other's tongue. "You seriously thought killing yourself would be easier?" He could see Baekho's uneasiness at Minhyun finding that out.

"I thought if you were dead... then... I didn't have a reason to keep living too," he said softly. "How did you find out?"

"I'm not stupid, Baekho. Apart from being talkative, I believe you are capable of doing stupid things," he huffed and got the medicine to gently... keyword, gently apply onto Baekho's wounds. The other covered his mouth to try to silence his grunts from the pain. "Like the time you fought alone. And telling me head on that you were a prince. And when you thought running from Ren's bodyguards would be better than fighting them. And yelling at me to stop being so wishy washy even though that would have cost you a lot. You do stupid things, idiot."

Baekho pouted but knew what the other was trying to say. Minhyun tried to be efficient, covering the bigger wounds with bandages and leaving the rest since there wouldn't be enough to wrap his whole body.

"I'm sorry," Baekho said once Minhyun was done. Minhyun sighed and took a sip of the water.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about. If you weren't such an idiot, I probably wouldn't have had paid attention to you." Baekho smiled and kissed Minhyun's cheek. That startled him and made his cheek turn red.

"I love you, Minhyun," he said seriously.

"And you really don't know how and when to be romantic, do you?" Minhyun sighed. Baekho laughed and shook his head. "Idiot. I love you too." Minhyun returned the smile and kissed his lips, glad he had wiped the blood off first. Baekho felt his heart would burst from happiness again, the same feeling when he heard Minhyun say he liked him for the first time. Only this time, he didn't want anyone to take this away from him. He carefully pulled Minhyun closer for a deeper kiss which the other allowed although his tongue throbbed a little and he had to pull away.

"Geh. I shouldn't have bit my tongue," he whined and Minhyun shook his head.

"Here. Wear this," he said as he handed Baekho the shirt that the maid had managed to toss in in time. Baekho nodded and slowly put it on, just steeling his way through the pain.

"What do we do now?" Baekho asked as he started to button the shirt.

"Try to find a place to rest for the night. There's no way we can keep running without rest especially with your wounds like this. There's too much bacteria in the forest. It'll get infected very easily if we just stay out in the open," Minhyun replied and got up, making sure to tie the bundle properly and hanging it over his shoulder with the sword hanging loosely with it. He helped Baekho up and the other nodded. They started walking again, making sure to keep an eye out on their surroundings.

"So... what exactly happened?" Baekho asked after they have walked a few miles. He felt much better now. The medicine did help a lot even if it did sting.

"From what I got before I stormed out, apparently my sister ordered an assassin to kill me but before she herself gave me poison to drink," Minhyun explained. "The old- advisor that you've met before gave me a different kind of poison. One that slows my heart beat down and lowers my temperature dangerously too so it would seem like I was dead." Minhyun started telling Baekho about the days he spent in the room and how he finally got out. All the way until he went to the dungeon to find the other. Baekho wasn't sure which was more difficult to believe. Minhyun's own sister poisoning him or the fact that there was something so advanced that could wipe someone's memories out and forcefully replacing it with some foreign memories. "Your turn."

"Well... There's nothing much I can say. After you fell down, I went to your side. You father appeared and I was so enraged that I kind of attacked him. He's much too strong and I was defeated easily. When I woke up... I was... already in the dungeon. He would come in everyday and do all sorts of things to me... whipping, cutting, all sorts of... torture. Telling me that you were gone and dead."

Baekho found it difficult to tell Minhyun any more because he could see the pain and anguish in the other's eyes over what he had to go through. Even though Minhyun felt Baekho got the more brutal end of it, Baekho wouldn't know how he would have felt if he had to forget Minhyun. It would probably tear him right in the soul. He could withstand the torture if it was all just a payment to see the other again.