𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲•𝐣𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐧

twenty one

WITH A jolt, jisoo rose up from the bed, hair sticking to his sweaty forehead, sporting a constipated expression. he has sweated (too much) through his silky slumber clothes, and he feels lightheaded. what a way to start the day!

(if it's even a new day. jisoo bets that it's still midnight.)

"hong jisoo-ssi!" he hears the high-pitched voice of the king by his left, head throbbing due to the volume of his voice. jisoo flinched when he felt jeonghan touch his neck with the back of the king's oh so soft hand. "oh no, you're warm. too warm to be in the right condition."

jisoo frowned, closing his eyes yet again after facing what he thought was real in a nightmare, just seconds ago. he wanted to be back in his parents' home, be snuggled up in his bed with his mom playing with his hair, while his dad gets ordered around by his mom. it was a reassuring sight, rather than seeing a huge, elegant and empty room with the homicidal king.

didn't he say that he trusted jeonghan last night? hipocrisy. "your majesty, please, please, tone your voice down. it hurts."

"what hurts, hong jisoo-ssi?"

"everything."

to that, jeonghan sighed. jisoo was not like his usual, nonchalant self, so jeonghan has to have a lot of patience with him. that is, if he doesn't want chicken pox to invade his estate.

jeonghan removes his rings, and rolled up his sleeves up to his elbows. the latter didn't care at all, only peeking for a second when he thought that jeonghan left him.

though jisoo hated this place and longed to be anywhere else right now, he can't do anything to change it. the only good thing he has right now is company, and that is yoon jeonghan. despite that he was homicidal.

"let's get you to the bath. it would help, hong jisoo-ssi. i'm pretty sure you can do it yourself, since there's a tub, right?" jeonghan raised an eyebrow, gently grasping jisoo's arms to help him stand up. "i'll be here if you need me."

"fine. if i die in there, you cancel the plan."

jeonghan hides the guilty smile which was about to elicit using a vigorous nod. how can he still think of that? "alright. that's a promise."

and then, jisoo passed out halfway through pulling his shirt down. jeonghan barged in the bathroom after knocking ten times, alarmed because he didn't hear anything for 5 minutes after the sound of the water splashing stopped. jeonghan was reminded of the time he was in the treehouse.

that time, he was so vulnerable in front of jisoo, and he didn't like it though he knew that he needed help. it was true that he did not know anything concerning injuries and such—and the police bugged them too, while jeonghan was in great pain.

that time, jeonghan had kissed jisoo too. oh, of course, to play along.

jeonghan didn't know how jisoo came this far. he was supposed to be just a friend who helped him in hard times, and who he is in debt with. why is he in the castle? why is he sticking his nose in jeonghan's business? why is jeonghan taking care of jisoo? if jeonghan didn't know better, he'd say that he was wrapped around jisoo's pinky finger. jeonghan would definitely suspect jisoo of being a gold digger.

(which, jisoo kinda is. indirectly.)

no. jeonghan is still going to go on with his plan. jisung's got his back, right? that's enough support.

but then, jisoo's got too much support. he can win, too, and jeonghan will never see the blood of the murderers shed in front of him.

once the ragdoll-like jisoo had reached the bed, jeonghan sat beside him on the edge of the mattress. the man's fever was not that high, but as jisoo had refused to eat anything since yesterday lunch, he was in a horrible condition. jeonghan could see his cheekbones already.

"i'm not too sure if you can eat yet, hong jisoo-ssi. you seem like you don't have the energy to do anything." jeonghan tells, unsure if jisoo could hear and comprehend his statements. "i'm pretty sure you need to eat, so i will ask you later when you wake up."

the latter only shuffled, obviously asleep as he gripped the comforters tighter. was the room too cold? not too much, jeonghan thinks. ah, no, that action is because he hasn't eaten anything yet and he's in pain? maybe.

a nightmare, perhaps?

jeonghan frowned in worry. the king wished that he could protect jisoo from the horrendous monsters and events in jisoo's nightmares, because jeonghan did not like seeing expressions of fear and sadness on the face of the nonchalant and laid back jisoo.

it stings, sometimes. it was the kind of change that didn't feel nice at all.

"ah! jeonghan!" the king flinches, hearing abrupt rustling and yelling of his name without any formality. jeonghan was not used to hearing his name alone, since it'd been a while since his parents were around.

"yes, hong jisoo-ssi?" but, jeonghan didn't seem to mind jisoo calling him by his name. it felt nice to get seen as a normal human being without any fancy titles, jeonghan thought. if he didn't have a plan for grazia in mind, he would've stepped down from the monarchy and stayed as a commoner.

jisoo looks at jeonghan with a horrified expression, before he broke into tears. "i can't do this anymore. i'm going home. i want to see m-mom, my dad, my friends. i-i... why is everything so distasteful in this estate?!"

i know, jeonghan thought. sometimes he was ashamed that he owned this estate. "that means falling into war, hong jisoo-ssi. are you willing to give up? i will make sure you get a reward, still."

"i... i don't care. i just want it to stop. everything hurts. my.... my mom. she'll know what to do. i-i have to go to her." jisoo looks desperately into jeonghan's eyes, trying to find the 'lost' good in him. "jeonghan...."

jeonghan pursed his lips, realizing that jisoo is probably in extreme pain to sound so selfish that it almost reminded jeonghan of himself. "i'm afraid i can't, hong jisoo-ssi. if they see us, imagine the rumours that will surface, the news! it will destroy our images."

jisoo doesn't reply. he sobbed and he sobbed, whilst holding his head in extreme pain. jeonghan felt so bad for the other man now, that he held him tightly in his arms without a doubt and made him lean against his chest.

jeonghan's chest was not as muscular or as comforting, but it was at least something that jisoo could lean on.

"jeonghan... jeonghan. please let me go home."

"i'm sorry, dear....."

"i can't suffi...suffice anymore."

"promise you will eat when lunch is ready?"

jisoo gave it a thought, before humming a "yes."

"good. in exchange of that, i promise i'll help you. i will find other doctors and make sure that you don't experience this anymore. i'll yell at the workers if i have to." jeonghan whispered to jisoo, cradling him to sleep as jeonghan hid his panic behind his crooked smile and furrowed eyebrows. "i'll give you all the money in the world. all the high quality cameras, all the attention on your works of art."

"that'll make me too happy, jeonghan..." jisoo says, eyelids falling down yet again. in pain, but with the little bit of comfort from jeonghan. "too honored."

"oh no. i am honored. you saved me when i was undercover. this is nothing."

"....sure?"

"yes." jeonghan pauses. "i'm sorry for calling you ugly names."

jeonghan swore he heard jisoo chuckle, despite the unimaginable pain that he must be in. "forgiven long ago, jeonghan-ssi."