Jinyoung was busying himself with making the blow up mattress that he set up for himself. It was all he could do to keep his thoughts off of his still very sick sister. He was glad she was healing, but he couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Jackson looked troubled whenever he stepped into Sooyoung’s room. Every time he looked at Sooyoung he looked puzzled. His eyebrows would shift downward, along with his lips. Not that Jinyoung was looking at his lips or anything!

Jinyoung’s thoughts were interrupted by Jackson walking into the room. The other man was absentmindedly running a towel through his wet hair. He, too, was lost in his thoughts. He can’t understand why the petals are taking so long to heal Sooyoung. Jackson looks up to see Jinyoung staring at him. He then looks down at himself, and realizes that he was so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t put on a shirt.

Jackson coughs before reaching for a shirt that Jinyoung’s grandmother left on the bed. He swiftly puts it on, ignoring the blush that stains his cheeks at Jinyoung’s intense staring. “Do you mind if I look at your wound again? I wanna make sure it’s healing well.” He says, throwing the wet towel into the hamper in the corner of the room. Jinyoung nods before lifting up the side of his shirt. Jackson moves the bandages, and is shocked to see the wound has finally healed. He was glad the wound was gone, but it hadn’t even left a scar. When it came to his blood wounds still tended to leave a scar, but Jinyoung’s skin was flawless and smooth to the touch.

Jinyoung’s breath hitched a bit when Jackson ran his hand over his side. It was almost ticklish. The way Jackson’s soft hands gently smoothed across the area where the wound had been. The touch abruptly stopped, as if Jackson had finally realized what he was doing. Jinyoung looked down to see Jackson biting his lip, a look of confusion on his face. Jinyoung looked further down, noticing the wound was gone. Jinyoung let out a nervous chuckle. “Looks like the wound is healed.” He said as he tugged his shirt down.

Jackson stood slowly, confusion still written all over his face.

“Is it normal for you to not have scars after injuries like that?” He asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m not sure. I mean, it’s not everyday that a wolf pack attacks me.” Jinyoung replied, scratching the back of his head.

Jackson took a deep breath before uncrossing his arms. “Right, so how are we gonna do this? Do you want to take the bed?”

Jinyoung blinked a few times before catching up with what Jackson had asked. “Oh! Uh, no thanks. I mean, you’re the guest so you should get the bed.” Jackson smiled at Jinyoung.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind taking the inflatable bed. I don’t sleep much.”

“I insist. Even if you don’t sleep much you should be comfortable while you sleep.” Jinyoung said with a slight pout.

“The inflatable bed looks comfortable. I don’t mind taking it.”

“Just take the bed. That’s an order.”

Jinyoung was joking as he gave the command, but the shift in Jackson’s face at the words made him want to take them back. The biggest change had been in Jackson’s eyes. They had shifted from crinkled with mirth at the play argument to drooping with sadness. Jinyoung felt like the sudden change had given him whiplash. He quickly backtracked.

“Sorry, I don’t know what made you upset but I didn’t mean to. I don’t have any control over you so I don’t know why I made it seem like I did. Um, you can take the inflatable if you want to.” He said, twisting his fingers the entire time.

Jackson was trying to swallow back the flowers that were currently suffocating him. It was a little command, and he knew Jinyoung was joking. But how many times had the prince ordered him to take care of himself with that same wide smile on his face? How many times did Jackson dream about the days that the prince would look fondly at him as he commanded him to rest? Jackson had lost count. Before Jinyoung could freak out more Jackson swallowed the flowers and gave him a smile. “As you demand your highness.” He said, hoping that he sounded playful. If he was Being honest, his chest was on fire from how tightly the roots were squeezing at his long dead heart.

Jinyoung was shocked when Jackson slowly slinked into the bed, making himself comfortable. “I’m sorry.” He said, hoping he hadn’t offended the man that was saving his sister's life. Jackson shook his head.

“No need to apologize. You were joking.” Jackson said, trying to smile once more.

“Are you okay?” Jackson nodded at the question.

“You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago.”

Jinyoung decided not to press any further. He felt like he would be asking too much of the older man. So with a nod and a whispered “good night” Jinyoung curled under his own blankets. It should have been hard to fall asleep, but with all the excitement Jinyoung was out like a light.

Jackson turned over and watch Jinyoung sleep. The younger man looked so peaceful. The moonlight coming through the window illuminated his face in a soft bluish glow. Jackson could see the way Jinyoung’s long lashes rested against his cheeks. His lips were set into a small pout, and his hands lay perfectly at his sides. Jackson couldn’t help but be drawn to the other man. He slipped out of his bed and kneeled next to the inflatable bed on the floor. Jackson reached over and moved a small piece of hair from Jinyoung’s face.

Suddenly, Jinyoung began to whimper. Jackson guessed he was having a bad dream. Unsure if waking the distressed man was a good idea, Jackson sat by and watched. Jinyoung began thrashing about a bit, mumbling words that were not able to be heard. Jackson decided to wake Jinyoung up, consequences be damned. He reached out to shake Jinyoung awake. But the unconscious man said something that made him freeze.

“Jia Er.”