Ten’s fingers fumble around the ends of his robe as he ties them around his waist. It’s four hours past noon, but the ginger tinge in the sky is still blinding, casting its fair shadow in the river waters where small waves crashed at the seams. Johnny didn't make a fuss about his departure, leaving Ten and the rest of the boys right after spar class, a few choked up goodbyes and bro hugs here and there. Ten can already feel the Young Master’s absence in the silence that followed them past the hollows of the university walls. Their long walk home now feels a bit sullen and completely drained of any form of life.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Yuta puts a firm hand on Ten’s shoulder and throws a worried glance at the Thai Prince’s newly bandaged head.

Ten nods softly. “I’ll be fine,” he mumbles at the Chrysanthemum Throne Prince. “I could use a good walk on the way home. I think I need some fresh air after all the sand I'd inhaled inside the sparring hall.” He turns to his left and sees Taeyong walking calmly, his dark eyes trained on the river opposite the road. The surface sparkles with the ghost of sunlight.

Hansol throws his head back with a laugh as he matches the princes’ pace. “We’ll make Johnny pay as soon as he comes back.”

Ten smiles, his gaze dropping at the play of stones and earth in the crooked pathway. The road stretches on towards the direction of the sun, its mighty glow lighting up the path before them. Rows of maple trees mildly shade the land, leaves crashing and bustling in the wind.

“I’ll probably drop by for a visit this coming weekend. Just to see how you’re doing,” says Yuta, smiling brightly at his friend.

“Thanks,” Ten mutters. “I could definitely use a little company,” The Thai Prince finishes his statement with a grunt; he hates being left alone and the silence that comes with it. The Headmaster had quickly gotten word of Ten’s injury after spar class and had specifically instructed the Thai Prince be subjected to complete bedrest for an entire week. Ten hates missing in action like it’s the plague of his existence.

“You have Taeyong, Your Royal Highness,” Yuta reminds him with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder. “You’ll survive.”

Ten raises his head and takes a swift glance at the mun nai. Taeyong is still pre-occupied with nature’s beauty, and Ten is somehow thankful he could steal a few seconds to just stare at him more carefully. Just purely for recognition purposes, he tells himself. You know, in case he wakes up blind one day and forgets how his personal guard looks like? Yeah, he mumbles to himself.

Yuta clears his throat, stretching his arms over his head as they come to a fork in the road. “Well, this is us.” Yuta and Hansol stay at an enormous boarding house built for royalties enrolled in their university. The mansion is located at the western part of Siam, about half a mile past the fork in the road, opposite the direction of the Grand Palace. Everyday, Ten walks with his friends on the way home and they separate right here at the fork for when Ten needs to walk to the other direction to get to his own home.

“Take care, you two,” Ten bids with a light wave of his hand. He waits for a few more seconds or up until Yuta and Hansol have turned into sticks and dots in his vision, the trees swallowing them from a distance. The Crown Prince heaves a long, weary sigh before hitting the road again.

“Um,” Taeyong starts, forcing out a cough. “The Grand Palace is that way.” He points at the other end of the fork, right behind Ten’s current direction.

Ten glances back at the mun nai, seeing him in full for the first time since sparring class. His left cheek is splayed with dark sand and his nose looks a little dusty. Ten can’t help but smile. “I know,” he finally says as he continues walking towards the direction of their university.

Taeyong stares at him, confusion muddling his remarkable features. “Okay?” he starts tentatively. “So why are we heading the other way?”

Ten raises an eyebrow at the silver-haired mun nai in response, his hands falling firmly on his hips.

“I mean, why, Your Royal Highness?” Taeyong asks again, Ten’s noble title heavily enunciated.

“Like what I said,” Ten mutters, pulling his robes up as he moves down the thick slope by the side of the road where the river waters meet the grass, “I need some fresh air.” He takes a minute before fully reaching the hem of the river, allowing the waters to run against his toes. Its mild current sends a cold bursting sensation through his entire body. The Thai Prince smiles, a sense of calm reaching his soul. He glances back and sees Taeyong still rooted on the spot uphill, right where he left him. His eyes are ablaze with uncertainty.

“Prince Ten, it's not safe to be on the road at this hour,” the mun nai says, his voice rising above the sound of the flowing river.

Ten can feel the white taking over his eyes. “I can’t hear you from all the way down here!” he lies, cupping a hand over his eyes, shielding them from the intimidating rays of the setting sun.

Taeyong glides down the slope of grass with ease, trudging towards Ten’s direction. The sun melts with the silver and purple in his hair.

Ten can feel a smile tugging on his lips as the mun nai draws closer, the faint scowl on the warrior’s face looking more amusing close-up. The Thai Prince throws himself on the grass, hands tucked under his head and legs crossed just a few feet away from the river, basking in what remains of sunlight.

Taeyong stops right next to Ten, his hands on his back and his lips pursed, and Ten can feel the mun nai's heavy stare glazing over him even with his eyes closed.

Ten cracks an eye open. “You can lie down too if you like. There’s plenty of space right next to me,” the Thai Prince says, realising too late what his words may have sounded like. He rushes to save himself, “I mean—“

Taeyong immediately plops himself down on the grass right next to Ten before the prince could finish explaining, his legs crossing in lotus position.

Ten bites his lips, mentally reminding himself to stop saying something stupid. He pretends to close his eyes and watches Taeyong from the tiny sliver of his eyelids. The mun nai is holding on to his bandaged wrist as he moves his right hand in circular motion, seemingly testing its condition. Taeyong winces mildly, his nose crinkling slightly and he covers it up with a bite of his lips.

Ten pulls himself up from the grass, staying in a seated position. “Taeyong,” he calls, and the mun nai immediately glances up, his face visibly surprised that Ten has woken up so quickly from his slumber. “What happened to your hand?”

“I—“ Taeyong starts, looking a little embarrassed. “It’s just a small gash.”

Ten looks at him worriedly. “Let me see.”

Taeyong hesitates for a few seconds, pulling his hand away. “People in our ranks are forbidden to touch anyone from the Royal Family,” he explains, but Ten wastes no time and reaches out quickly, his short fingers landing on the mun nai’s arm.

The Crown Prince sees a ghost of blood tinting the bandage from the inside. “Was this from the night of the attack?” Ten asks, fingers already working to untie the bandage from Taeyong’s wrist