After the door to the room closed Jackson and Jinyoung were still. Neither of them moved from where they were sitting. Neither of them wanted to. There was still a lingering fear that if they let go of each other the other would fade away. So they sat in total silence, focusing only on the quiet sound of their breathing. 

 

Jackson was the one that moved first. Initially, he had only moved since his legs were going numb under Jinyoung’s weight. Eventually, they both shifted until they were facing each other on the mattress. Jinyoung took a deep breath to break the silence. 

 

“So a medicine man?” He said, smiling gently.

 

“What? You don’t think I’m good at it?”

 

“It’s not that. I would have thought you would have become a soldier. Since that is the closest you can be to a royal guard these days.”

 

Jackson frowned. There seemed to be a hint of bitterness in Jinyoung’s tone. 

 

“Well, after you died I didn’t want to be a royal guard anymore. Besides the kingdom fell while you were away so there weren’t exactly any more royals to protect.”

 

Jinyoung scoffed, looking away from Jackson. Jackson’s brow furrowed in confusion.

 

“I’m sensing that there is more behind this than me not being a soldier anymore.”

 

There were tears in Jinyoung’s eyes, but he held them back.

 

“Well thinking back on the night I died reminded me of what you did to be a royal guard.” 

 

Jackson sighed before he gently placed his hands on Jinyoung’s face. Jinyoung turned his head to look at Jackson in the eyes. The tears he tried to keep in were slowly tracking down his face.

 

“That night. When I told you what I am. Did you think any less of me because I became a vampire to become a royal guard?” 

 

Jinyoung sniffled and Jackson carefully wiped the tears on his cheeks away.

 

“Of course I didn’t. I don’t think there’s anything you could do to make me think less of you. But I was so scared.”

 

Jackson tilted his head to the side.

 

“Were you scared of me?”

 

“No! No. I was scared of being left behind. I didn’t know about my family curse back then. I thought that since I was mortal you would never allow yourself to-”

 

Jinyoung stopped himself. Could he really say it? Could he confess to Jackson after all these years? Jackson had hanahaki, but was he the unrequited love? Jackson was close to everyone back then, there was no way he could be sure. 

 

“I would never allow myself to what?”

 

Jackson’s hands moved from Jinyoung’s face to his shoulders. He tried to soothe the once prince by rubbing them. Meanwhile, Jinyoung decided to throw caution to the wind.

 

“That you would never allow yourself to love me.”

 

Jackson’s eyes widened. 

 

“What?”

 

Jinyoung whined, regretting his decision.

 

“Back then I loved you so much. And I thought that we were going to grow old together. I was actually going to confess to you that night. But once you told me you were a vampire I knew you could never love me the way I loved you. I just-” 

 

Jackson interrupts Jinyoung’s rambling with a kiss. Jinyoung couldn’t describe the feeling of it. There were so many words that popped into his mind. Warm, sweet, gentle, loving. Those words seemed right but they didn’t capture everything he felt as Jackson continued to kiss him. But he found a word that came close enough. Home. When Jackson broke the kiss Jinyoung smiled.

 

“I’m getting the feeling you might love me back.” 

 

Jackson had tears in his own eyes as he nodded.

 

“I never got to say it that night, but I was willing to do anything to be able to walk by your side. At first, I wanted to walk by you for the status that came with being a royal guard. But soon I wanted to walk next to you to protect you from harm’s way. Because over the few years I had been your guard I began to love you. Not as Prince Lee Ahn, the cold soon to be ruler of the nation. No, I loved you as Lee Ahn, the guy with the really bad jokes.”

 

Jinyoung smacked Jackson on the chest for that comment. Jackson laughed before pulling Jinyoung in for a warm embrace.

 

“I love you Lee Ahn.”

 

Jinyoung sighed before wrapping his arms around Jackson. 

 

“I love you too Jia Er.”

 

There were the words. The words Jackson had been wanting to hear for over two hundred years. The words Jackson had longed for since that night. The words that haunted his dreams. Jinyoung had said them. 

 

Suddenly Jackson felt an odd feeling in his chest. It felt like there was a snake slithering its way through it. It was slow-moving, like molasses on a cold day. Jackson’s breathing sped up at the uncomfortable sensation. Jinyoung held him, panicking that something was wrong. 

 

Just as suddenly as it started the sensation stopped. Jackson started hacking and coughing, trying to cough up something in his throat. Unlike the flowers he was used to, this item felt solid in his throat. He started to choke on it when Jinyoung started to hit his back to dislodge it. Finally, Jackson’s throat cleared with one good smack on the back. Jackson spits out the object before holding it up. Jackson couldn’t believe it. 

 

The object looked like a giant seed of some sort. This was it. The hanahaki seed that had plagued him for so long. Jackson took a deep breath. For the first time in what seemed like forever, there was no weight crushing his lungs. His heart felt lighter, and he could no longer feel the thorns that used to pierce his heart. Jackson turned to Jinyoung, tears rushing down his face. 

 

“It’s over Jinyoung. It’s finally over.” He sobbed.

 

Jinyoung took the seed from Jackson. He stood then and quietly walked to the window. He chucked the large seed out of it, uncaring of its fate. He went back over to Jackson and held him in his arms.

 

“No Jackson, this is only the beginning.”