Crimson Crown

⌠20⌡

Jinyoung escaped the palace early the next morning in order to make a stop before heading off into the forest. He didn't want anyone to know of his whereabouts, but he did leave a note just to ease Youngjae's worries and to keep him from sending a search party out into the kingdom.

He rode his steed into town, giving his normal greetings to the townspeople that bowed as he passed by. He sort of wished they didn't feel the need to do that; though he was used to being put on the spot like this, he still felt somewhat alienated from the rest of the kingdom.

Nevertheless, he made his way to his destination, once again being the clinic. He met the same woman that greeted him previously, the latter taking him to the doctor he requested.

The prince stepped into the small room, shutting the door behind him with a smile once Yugyeom caught glimpse of his appearance. The younger worriedly frowned as his friend began wandering the room.

 "Yugyeom, I need some things." He stated, that bright smile he wore obviously hiding something.

"Like what-...?" The doctor asked, pausing mid-sentence once he laid eyes on Jinyoung's wound. "Is your shoulder bandaged?"

The latter touched his shoulder, shaking his head. "It's fine. I'm okay. I just need stuff for the wound."

Yugyeom frowned at the soaked bandages, worry settling on his face as he realized it wasn't long ago that Jinyoung came to his clinic asking to be cut open. The scar from then is barely fully healed, and here he shows up with yet another fresh injury. "...Are you sure everything's okay? I've been seeing a lot more of your blood than I'm used to..."

"I'm fine, really." The prince assured, making himself sound more energetic to avert suspicion. "I just need some extra bandages and some sterilizing fluid."

"Sure..." Yugyeom mumbled as he slowly turned to dig through his material. At least this time he wasn't making an unethical request and instead wanted something slightly more practical. Still, it wasn't often that the prince of all people personally came to ask for medical materials. "I really hope you're not doing anything dangerous..."

"I'm not." Jinyoung insisted, eagerly awaiting his items. He brightened as Yugyeom turned and handed him bandages and a jar of fluid, tucking them safely under his arm. "Don't worry, you know I'll come to you if anything happens to me."

Yugyeom hummed, folding his arms. "You better."

Jinyoung spun on his heels and headed out, hopping on his horse and heading full speed to the house of his vampire acquaintance.

~.~

When Jinyoug arrived, he found the door unfastened, allowing him to enter easily. He wondered if he should've knocked first, but by then he was standing in the living room of the quiet house, shifting his weight as he tried to sense the vampire.

"Jackson? You home?" He finally called after a little while, wondering why the latter hadn't yet appeared like he usually did. He waited a bit longer for a response, slowly walking around the first floor.

"I'm here." That husky voice called, drawing the prince's attention to the top of the stairs that led to the second floor. He quickly made his way over to them, finding the shirtless vampire leering down at him from the top.

Jinyoung at first greeted him with a smile, only for his expression to drop after seeing his current state. Jackson was bandaged around the waist, his hand clutching his side that still hadn't healed fully. The bandages around his bare torso were tinted pink in contrast to flawless skin that seemed a few shades lighter than Jiyoung remembered.