Jinki’s eyes were closed, his fingers lose against his side, and Jonghyun back a harsh breath as he pressed a kiss to his hair. He could feel a faint pulse when he touched Jinki’s wrist. He didn’t want to leave him alone, but he couldn’t stay and watch him die without trying to look for some type of help. He pulled away then, carefully laying Jinki’s head down, before kissing his forehead once more. “Stay with me, Sweets. Don’t leave me just yet.”

           Tears were dripping from his chin as he got up, laying the blanket that had been in the saddlebags of the horse they stole over him and stepping from the cave with one last look at him. He deserved more than to be dying in some cold cave. Jonghyun squeezed his eyes shut, teeth grinding painfully before he swung his leg over the saddle. He hit the side, reins tight in his grip, as he set off toward his Kingdom’s border, hoping there was someone he could get back to Jinki before .. just before. He couldn’t lose Jinki now that he had a chance to have what they lost. He let his Father and Jinki’s fear take him away the first time. He wouldn’t allow this dire situation to take him this time.

           Mud was flung as the horse’s hooves hit the ground hard, being pushed yet again. Jonghyun kept low against his neck, mindful of the tree branches and greenery they were flying through. He looked ahead off the left side of the steed, looking for any sign of humanity. He knew he didn’t have time to get to his castle, but luckily he heard men then. As he flew past on his horse a commotion erupted to his right. Before he disappeared around the line of trees he caught sight of the flag flying on the carriage in the middle of the men.

           It was his own.

-----

           Getting them to not attack was easy enough. Even with the layers of grime and blood, the lack of the ornate armor he usually wore, or his white steed, his men recognized him. It was trying to convince them to follow him toward where he was held captive, to where Jinki was, that was the difficult part. There was a physician with them, sitting on the bench in the front of the carriage. “Your Highness, we must get you back to the Castle. The King is incredibly worried.”

           Jonghyun’s eyes were angry as he looked at the man. “I am not going back. If you will not help me, I’ll take the medical supplies and save him myself.”

           He was turning his horse around to go to the carriage when the Captain asked, “Save who, Your Highness? I’m not following you, Sir.”

           The panic and adrenaline flowing through him were starting to fade, being replaced by just pure fear. “The man who helped me escape... He’s.. he’s dying in a cave slightly across the border. I have to save him, Captain.”

           It was then a different voice was heard, deep and soft, coming from the direction of the carriage. “Take me to him.”

           Standing there was the Physician, a young man named Minho Jonghyun suddenly remembered after getting a good look at him. Over his body was a decent sized bag, full of items and salves to treat a wide range of injuries. He had his hand offered. Jonghyun looked at it for just a moment before he was riding alongside the carriage and taking it, helping Minho sit behind him on the horse. “Hold on tight.”

           He was gone the way he came, Minho holding tight around his waist, before any of the guards could even think to react.

----

           Jonghyun was running into the cave even before Minho was off the saddle. Jinki’s skin was so pale, a cold sweat on his brow, but no pain was visible in his features. He fell to his knees rather roughly, fingers shaking as he reached out to touch his neck, trying desperately to find a pulse. He let out a small sob when he found it, so faint and light, he thought he had imagined in at first. When a shadow fell over them he looked up, seeing Minho stepping into the cave. The man didn’t take long to assess the situation before kneeling softly on the other side of him, near the wound. He peeled back the blood-soaked cloth and grimaced. When his gaze lifted he didn’t meet the eyes of the Prince he knew. He wasn’t calm and collected. There was a maelstrom in those dark depths, pink around his irises and cheeks damp. “I’ll do what I can, Your Highness, but I make no promises.”

           “Thank you.” But Jonghyun knew Minho hadn’t heard him, for his voice failed him then, fear and sorrow overriding everything else.

----

           Jinki’s head was softly held in his lap as he ran his fingers over his features. There was a fire near them. Minho was on the other side of it, resting, a bowl of soup in his hands. He had worked nonstop to disinfect and wrap the wound, to give Jinki fluids to help his body react to the loss of blood. Whatever he had managed to do, it seemed to be working. There was color back into Jinki’s cheeks, the coolness of his skin was gone, and with his breathing steady and full, Jonghyun had more hope than he had all day that Jinki would make it. The rest of the search party had found them, setting up a makeshift camp. They seemed to be trying to give their Prince some space. Especially after the Captain mentioned needing to return to the palace some time ago only to get calmly threatened if he didn’t shut up. Because of that, all were out of the cave, making a perimeter of some type just in case men from the fight arena came searching for them.

           Jonghyun was softly caressing Jinki’s hair when Minho spoke, “Pardon me for asking, Your Highness, but, he’s much more than just the man who helped you escape, isn’t he?”

           He thought about lying, but he knew it wouldn’t be believed. The ride of emotions he had been on in the last few weeks, especially the last day, was proof enough of how much Jinki meant to him. “He used to be my servant when I was a child. And then my lover.” He glanced at Minho, studying his reaction to such an admission. The man only softly smiled. “He left when my Father ordered the bounty on the head of my Lover. He hadn’t known it was him, but, Jinki fled from the comfort of my Arms and I hadn’t seen him for thirteen years. Until-”

           “Until?”

           Jonghyun swallowed thickly, thumbs moving over Jinki’s jaw. “We were put in an arena together to fight to the death. The winner got their freedom. He got this wound by my hand, trying to make me kill him to save myself.”

           Minho’s eyebrows were lifted for a moment before he hummed, glancing at Jinki. “He must have loved you greatly to give up his life for yours.”

           “He does.” His eyes fluttered closed, a deep sigh leaving his lips then. “I don’t… I can’t lose him. Not again.”

           “He’s doing well, Your Highness,” Minho stated, and somehow Jonghyun could tell he was being honest, not just trying to tell him what he wanted to hear. “He’s not out of the woods completely, but I do have hope that soon he’ll be well enough to wake up.”

           A small smile was given, but his heart was still too heavy to put all his hope in the man’s words. He refused food that night, focusing on keeping Jinki’s then burning skin cool by the cloth he had to dip in the wooden bowl of water next to his hip. He almost went without sleep, but Minho promised to wake him if anything happened and reminded him that not taking care of himself wouldn’t help Jinki at all. In the end, he laid on the bedroll provided for him. Jinki was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes and exhaustion pulled him under quickly.

----

           In the morning Minho shoved a bowl of rice into his hands, saying eat sternly before adding Your Highness somewhat bashful a second later. A new salve was put on Jinki’s wound and a new wrapping, and Jonghyun wasn’t allowed off his log the men had brought in to sit on until all the rice was gone. Once he was sure Jinki was okay he took the men’s offer for a change of clothes and a trip to the stream just around the bend to clean up.

           The water was cool and he sighed deeply as he dipped his head under. There were none of his usual bath products to clean himself, but there was a bar of soap and that would do. His guards stood on either bank of the stream, backs turned toward him to give him some type of privacy. Even as he dried and changed, they were kind enough to look away. He did everything as quickly as he could because even though the water had felt wonderful, he didn’t want to leave Jinki alone. He knew Minho was with him, but he didn’t want to have Jinki wake up to a stranger.

           The fire was still strong, flickering against the stone walls of the cave. Minho quickly stood when he saw Jonghyun step back in, allowing him to take over running the wet rag over Jinki’s forehead and chest. He was running the cloth over his skin for the second time when he looked up at Minho’s grim voice. “If he doesn’t wake up by tomorrow morning, I fear he never will Your Highness.”

           Jonghyun swallowed thickly, and focused on the way Jinki’s chest was rising and falling with his breathing. It was safer for his mental state than to think too much about Minho’s quiet, yet very real, warning.

----

           He had tried to sleep, but after tossing and turning for some time he gave up. He sent Minho to bed and instead carefully laid along Jinki’s side. He laid his head against his shoulder, arm loosely around his waist. He looked up at Jinki’s handsome face, so different yet so the same as the young man he had mapped out so many times before. “I don’t know if you can hear me Jinki, but, you’re running out of time. I know you’re always late, but for once, just this once, don’t make me wait. Open your eyes Sweets. Come back to me, please.”

           With a soft, slight movement, he pushed up to press a gentle kiss to his lips, before returning to lay his head against his shoulder, holding him close. He played with Jinki’s fingers, not daring to move his right arm at all. He could picture all the times Jinki had held his hand, how their fingers intertwined as they made love, the way he had kissed those knuckles that last night they had been together. They were rougher, calloused from years on the sea, but they were still the hands that held him, the ones who touched him for the first time… the ones he knew. Before he could try to stop himself, a weak sob left his lips, body shuddering with his rough breathing. There was still blood under Jinki’s fingernails, and some on his palm, reminding Jonghyun what held in the balance. He fought the urge to find something, anything to clean it right then. He instead closed his eyes and hoped with everything in him that Jinki opened his eyes before the sun rose that following morning.

----

           It was a slight movement, a twitch of against his back, a soft groan, that made Jonghyun lift his head from Jinki’s shoulder to look at his face. His eyes were squeezed shut, lips parted, and nose scrunching. Jonghyun pushed up onto his left elbow, bring his hand up to curl around Jinki’s cheek and move his head toward him. “That’s it, Sweets. Wake up.”

           It was mere minutes, but it felt like an eternity, for Jinki’s eyes to slowly open. And then they focused on his face hovering over his own now, and a soft smile pulled at his lips. His voice was barely there, raw and weak, but Jonghyun knew what he was saying. “Hey, Love.”

           In a rush of emotion, Jonghyun pressed his forehead into Jinki’s neck, nuzzling against his left shoulder. It didn’t help matters at all when Jinki turned his head enough to kiss his shoulder or to curl his left arm around him. He knew the two guards on watch duty would be looking, maybe the others waking up from the noise, but he didn’t care.

           Jinki had woken up.

----