Jinki shifted, staring out the window as he sat in the corner of the room, Minho listing the top ten things that he felt a Prince must know as he paced in front of the fire. It felt pointless, he knew all that the other had to say and had been working nonstop, he just wanted a break. Since he had admitted his fears Minho had taken note, he would stop when he felt that Jinki was drifting off, talk to him about his life, not the life they were making up for him, and he did his best to allow Jinki to take part of activities he enjoyed. For that he was thankful, his fingers curling tightly around the shirt that cascaded over his body, larger than his torso which he had become accustomed to. There were a lot of things that he had become accustomed to, such as waking up beside Minho, the other male still lost in his dreams most mornings, allowing Jinki to study his features.

Minho did his best to smile during the day but something was weighing down his soul and Jinki was unsure if he had any right to ask, to pry into the other's world that had somehow become part of his as well, and he was still scared. He did not want to lose himself to this Onew that he was expected to become, that he had agreed to become. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not realize Minho had gone silent, the male setting down the book they had been taking note in before walking over to him and sitting on the ground beside his chair with a small huff. "What are you thinking about?" He asked quietly, head falling against Jinki's knee, causing the shorter to jump in surprise before letting out a breathy laugh. His hand reaching forward to rest atop Minho's head, playing with his hair. They had grown closer since the night Jinki had cried, Minho having opened up in some ways, he showed his weaknesses, sometimes when they were working Minho's eyes would seem as though they were far away rather than focused on what was in front of him.

"Just about me," Jinki said with a small hum before retracting his hand as Minho turned his head to look up at the elder, lips parting for a moment before closing again. His brows knitting together as Jinki continued, "How about we do something fun today?" He proposed, wanting desperately to forget about their mission or plan, or whatever Minho wanted to call it. He wanted nothing else than to spend a day as themselves, as Minho and Jinki, two young men who wanted to have fun. "We can go far away or something where there won't be anyone I just-" he trailed off before sighing, "I want to have one more free day as me."

He ended firmly, eyes locking on Minho's as the younger male listened, lips pursing before he slowly nodded, patting Jinki's thigh. "We can do that, there's a small I guess country house, that my family never uses," he proposed, groaning quietly as he stood, knees cracking thanks to the hardwood floor, before extending his hand to Jinki to help him up.

His country was important to him, he wanted to save them, but Onew's words still lingered in his mind. His visit having repeated in his dreams more often than not, which caused him to hesitate. The country had lost Onew, but the world had not lost Jinki yet, would these plans destroy Jinki? They hadn't known each other long but there was something about the male that drew him in, his laughter, his smile, the way his eyes sparkled when they spoke about something that interested the other, be it the horses or the traveling or the magic that rain through Minho's veins.

"Really?" He asked, nearly leaping up once he took Minho's hand, stumbling forward until their chests brushed against one another, a light pink brushing across Jinki's cheeks as he took a step back and cleared his throat. "I'm excited! How will we get there?" He asked, pulling his hand back and adjusting his clothes so they did not wrinkle as much.

"We can get a ride, you will just need a cloak so no one can see your face," Minho said, clicking his tongue before turning to his closet, grabbing a bag and tossing some clothing in as they would likely stay the night before tugging a cloak free from its hook and calling Jinki over, wrapping it around the boys shoulders and tying it closed. "You just stay quiet and let me do the talking, okay?" He added before tugging the hood up to cover the others face, rolling his eyes as Jinki laughed at the dramatic flare of it all.

"Fine, let's just go!"

It felt as though the ride took days, the carriage jostling Jinki every which way as Minho somehow managed to stay put and ride calmly, though when they arrived Jinki found that it was worth it. The building before them was large and beautiful, with vines growing along the entranceway and flowers lining the walk, from what Jinki could see he was going to love his day of freedom.

He stayed silent though, adjusting his hood as Minho stood and stepped out, turning to help him out as well, the guards having been told that Jinki was a lover of Minho's that must be kept secret, which had caused the male's cheeks to burn bright red and for Minho to receive a swift punch once they were on the road. He hoped that the others arm still ached as Minho told the guards to leave and return to pick them up in the morning, that if they were seen on the premises they would be punished, something the men seemed to take to heart as they took off towards the main palace almost immediately.

"Can I take this off yet?" Jinki asked, reaching up to tug at the string when he received a nod, tearing it off and tossing it into the others arms. It was much too hot to wear something so dark and thick if he could have melt Jinki was sure that he would have.

Minho rolled his eyes, catching the cloak and heading inside as Jinki followed, looking around with wide eyes, it felt good to explore without having to hide. His hands reaching forward to run along the rocks that lined the walls before grabbing the handles and pulling the doors open with a low grunt, the entrance hall shocking him. It was huge, the ceiling higher than he could have imaged and adorned with many elegant paintings, his rushed forward to peer at them before looking back at Minho who followed, seemingly unimpressed by everything he saw. It was just another home for him after all.

"This place is so cool! He cheered before laughing as Minho entered the lounge room and tossed their things onto the chairs, leaning over to undo the laces on his boots, not noticing as Jinki skipped over, the male throwing his arms around the other's waist. "I have one more request," he whispered as the other tensed before sighing and standing up, placing a hand over both of Jinki's, "I get to say what we do tonight, we can have some of my kind of fun!"

The taller hesitated before folding, unable to say no to Jinki's smiling face. "Fine, what exactly is your kind of fun?" He asked, only to regret his question when Jinki dragged the other to the back doors and shoved them open, beginning to list games that he had never been able to play as a child, such as hopscotch and jump rope,  cowboys, and cops and robbers, all of which confused Minho but he listened as best he could.

"Come on, let's play tag!" He called, sure, it was childish but he had never had a chance to play such silly games and he wanted to, plus, he was sure that Minho had never been given a proper childhood, so he wanted to give the other a chance. Just a day where they didn't have to think about the hardships they both faced.

"That's the one where I chase you-" he asked, turning only to groan when he found that Jinki had already taken off across the garden, assuming he was right before chasing after the smaller male.

It took a moment before a smile sprung onto his lips when Jinki swerved to the side to avoid Minho's grasp, laughing and slipping on the grass, rolling down before snorting as Minho lifted him up. "Tag?" He said, obviously confused before Jink nudged him back, "Well! Start running before I get you back!" Jinki teased, laughing as the other blinked a few times before turning and taking off, his long legs helping him get further before Jinki took off as well.

Hours later found both men covered in grass stains and sweat as they laid on the ground, Jinki nearly atop Minho as he pointed at random clouds and proclaimed that that looked like certain objects, the other simply humming in content as he listened.

Minho was happy, his lips curled in a lazy grin as he felt the gentle presence of Jinki nearby, and he couldn't help but think that he did not want to go through with his plans. He did not want to leave the house and have to pretend that Jinki was anyone other than himself. He wanted to grow closer to Jinki, the man made him smile and laugh and feel a lightness in his chest that was almost concerning. "Let's go make something to eat now," Jinki said after a moment of silence before standing up and stretching in the last moments of sunlight.

"I don't know how to cook," Minho said quietly as he stood up as well, not wanting Jinki to be further from him, which was a sudden and odd urge that he forced himself to fight off as Jinki rolled his eyes before walking back inside. Minho following and sighing as he led the other to the kitchen.

"Good thing I do know how," he said before searching through the available food options and deciding that they were going to have chili chicken and rice, Minho simply watching, not saying a word as Jinki rambled on about what they needed to do in order to prepare the food.

A sudden pain rising in his chest, soon Jinki would be someone else, they wouldn't have moments like this, just beside one another laughing and talking. Jinki would be forced to run a kingdom he had never been a part of and Minho would be forced as far away from the male as the people wanted. He didn't want that, he didn't want to be far from Jinki, he just wanted Jinki beside him.

His fingers curled into small fists as he watched, they couldn't do this, they couldn't have a simple moment, they couldn't become more attached. "Jinki," he called, the other glancing over with a smile, causing the ache in his chest to hit harder. "Jinki, stop," he said again as he reached out to grab the others hand, "We shouldn't have wasted time," he mumbled, the other raising a brow immediately, almost in shock.  "We should work while you cook too, hm? We don't have time to waste," he muttered, it wasn't true though. They could waste a few hours, they could have a fun dinner and rest of the night but Minho did not want to focus on his worries. He didn't want to have to feel the pain of letting Jinki go, he wanted to bury it deep inside himself again.

"What do you mean? We were just having so much fun, it's fine," Jinki said with a laugh as he turned back to the food only to freeze when Minho hissed a sharp "No," turning back towards the lounge to grab his bag, "We have to keep working, you're nowhere near ready and we can't push it off," he snapped, Jinki staring after the other in disbelief as Minho returned with one of the journals that he had packed away that day, having planned to read it on the way back.

"Why not? No one is expecting anything yet!" Jinki huffed, Minho glaring in response as he sat the book on the table.

"I am expecting something! Just listen and cook while I read,' He snapped, Jinki blinking a few times before shaking his head.

"I said I wanted a day as myself!" He snapped back, ignoring the food that sat beside them, "Just one more day!"

"Well, you can't have that anymore!" Minho yelled in response, only realizing what he had said after the fact, Jinki staring at him for a long moment before shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair angrily, eyes burning with tears as he in a few sharp breaths. Minho fumbling for something to say that would make up for his mistake.

"I want to go home," Jinki growled after a moment, looking down as his tears built up and overflowed, "I want to go to my home now! I don't care about helping you or your stupid world anymore, I don't!" He yelled, voice breaking as he rubbed at his face, "Send me home now!"

He barely managed to swallow back the guilt that was rising in his throat, pressing against his mouth and trying desperately to escape his lips. Free everything and to wipe the worry and sadness from Minho's face. The taller man kneeling in front of the mirror that was in one of the large bedrooms, moving slowly as though trying to put off sending Jinki home.

He shouldn't feel guilty, he didn't do anything wrong as he did his best to help, but Minho wouldn't allow Jinki to be himself. He just wanted to tie him down to these obligations that he seemed to have hidden in the fine print, erase the man that Jinki had become and to cover the shell of a man with the identity of Onew. But he wasn't Onew and he never would be, no matter how hard he tried, he could say the right words and run through the motions but he'd be Jinki until the day he died. He'd love fried chicken, trip over his own feet, and turn his nose at the nasty mush that they served in this realm as a delicacy. Minho didn't care about that, it had nothing to do with him.

"Come here," Minho whispered, turning to look at the other who slowly stood up and knelt beside the current prince. "Place your hand on the glass," He continued, voice breaking as he whispered a small spell, the rim of the mirror glowing for a moment before the reflection of Jinki's attic fluttered into view.

His heart ached at the sight, something he never thought he would miss but oh god how he missed that room. The boxes he'd dig through, the old smell that surrounded him as he sprawled out on the floor. He wanted to go home so badly, but he wanted Minho to stay beside him as well, the Minho who he thought he knew. The one who didn't want Jinki to die.

"Now you push and you'll be..." Minho trailed off, gaze locking on Jinki's pleading with him not to leave, to stay by his side and stay with him.

"Goodbye," Jinki whispered before turning his head away and pushing forward, chest tightening as he held back his sobs and forced his body through the hard level of energy that separated their worlds.

A small cry escaped his lips as he tumbled forward onto the hardwood floor, fingers sprawling out as he slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was home! He was actually home, "Oh my god," he whispered, slowly standing up as he grabbed onto the wall, worried that his legs would give out, that his sickness had returned but it didn't, he was still healthy, still able to walk and jump and run, and relief flooded through him. Turning around to look for Minho in the mirror, to assure the other that it worked but he wasn't there.

Minho was gone, it was only his reflection that stared back, wide eyes ringed with pink from the tears that continued to appear and be forced back. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to miss the man who was willing to erase who he was.

"Mom..." He whispered, turning around and calling out to the woman as he stumbled forward before shoving the stairs down and rushing down to his room which was the same as he had left it, albeit a bit dusty. "Mom!" He called out again, walking to the door and shoving it open, nearly hitting the very woman he had been calling as she rushed in.

"Jinki?" She asked, voice high with worry as she reached out to cup his cheeks, shaking her head as tears overflowed. "My baby, oh my god, where were you? We were so worried!" She yelled as she wrapped both arms around her son and pulled him close, sniffling and burying her face against his neck as he hugged back. His mother had been cold, but she loved him just as he loved her, and the guilt that washed over Jinki was immense. His parents must have been worried sick looking for him, wondering if he had run away or a number of other things.

"I'm so sorry mom, but I'm here, I'm back," he said with a small smile as tears began to fall from his eyes as well.

It took a few days for Jinki to adjust to life at home again, adamant on the fact that he had run away, that he had needed time alone after becoming well again. Of course, there were a lot of holes in his story but his mother was too happy to have him back to push it as she doted on her son, the maids having been fired upon his request leaving him to lead the life he had always dreamed of, but something was always missing.

Minho, he often dreamt about the other, wondering how he was doing and if he was okay, what he was planning now and if he missed Jinki at all. Though the thought made him scoff, Minho probably only missed the idea of having someone to replace Onew. A walking, talking doll, and the thought would often leave him bitter. As much as he told himself he shouldn't care he couldn't help it, he wanted to know if he was okay, he wanted to see his warm smile and feel his gentle touch when he was being praised or simply pat on the head.  

He also missed sleeping beside the other, rolling over to find Minho's comforting presence beside him, being able to press closer and bury his face against the other's chest. Perhaps he had developed feelings for the man but he wasn't sure if he'd ever see Minho again, the only things that told him it wasn't a dream was the fact that he was well and that he had been registered as missing.

"I miss him," Jinki mumbled, heart still aching over the fact that the other had been so focused on changing who Jinki was. What if he would have been attached to the person he already was, maybe he would have changed his mind when it came to changing the other over. "God, this isn't fair!" He snapped, slamming his fists against his bed as he turned to look at the clock that blinked at him through the darkness. Eleven PM, everyone was asleep so no one would hear him, slowly he climbed out of bed, grabbing a pillow and his blanket to drag up to the crawlspace.

The mirror was where he had left it when he first returned, tilted forward from his weight falling through and simply a mirror. Holding only the reflection of the room as he sat down in front and tilted the glass back until it was straight, setting the pillow down on the floor and wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. "Minho?" He called quietly, staring at the glass hopeful that the others figure would appear as it used to. "Minho, please, I'm sorry..." He whispered as he reached forward to press his palm against the glass, waiting a long moment before letting it fall away from the cold glass back to his side, sniffling quietly.

He had turned his back on the plan, he had hoped somewhere deep down that Minho would rush back to the mirror, that Minho had wanted something other than the plan to form during their time together, but nothing had.

Slowly he shifted to lay down, head resting on the pillow as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Minho, I miss you," Jinki called out once more, staring at the glass as he rested before stiffening when his form wavered, watching his reflection blink, which should be impossible.

"You're very sappy," his reflection muttered with a laugh, still lying in the same position as the man on the floor who was shocked and slightly scared. This hadn't been what he wanted. "Don't worry, you're not crazy, I’m Onew."

Yeah, that didn't make him feel even crazier than he already had. "W-What?" He whispered, sitting up though the other stayed on the floor.

"Since you were over there I was able to latch on to you..." He said quietly, offering a smile as he shrugged, "I figured why not since you were trying to be me, it was fun to watch you try."

"But I don't want to be you!" Jinki snapped back immediately, the other seeming unphased as he nodded slowly, "I just want Minho back, the good times we spent together."

Onew only shrugged before sitting up as well, the mirror blurring his movements, "Then keep calling him, but if you go back you'll have to make some serious choices, that world needs a king that will care, can you become that King? Are you willing to change who you are and leave your home behind for good? Or do you want to stay here? Leave Minho behind to deal with the problems on his own as you live the life you're meant to?" The prince asked, placing his hand against the mirror, Jinki slowly placing his hand over the others. "You are not obligated to help him, you have to pick for yourself Jinki, it's your life."

“It’s my life, I know that, but I can’t decide!” He whispered as he stared at the male before him, the other looked exactly like him, from their eyes, to their nose and working down towards their feet. Identical. “How am I supposed to decide? Either way I’m stealing something from someone and I can’t be you,” Jinki said, shoulders falling as he breathed in deeply.

“Then don’t be me Jinki, you need to figure out what you want.”

Minho had been busy, cleaning up all of Onew’s items since he had gotten home, though he kept the shirt Jinki had worn. He didn’t care if the other wanted nothing to do with the plan or with his world, he just wanted Jinki back, wanted that smile and laugh to grace his presence once again. But he couldn’t have that and he hated it, he hurt Jinki beyond belief and so he didn’t deserve to talk to the other, much less be smiled at by Jinki.

All because he had gotten so wrapped up in a plan that he hadn’t acknowledged the weight of his words, he avoided thinking about his own feelings towards the male and had hurt him in the process. God, how Minho hated himself, his fingers toying with the corner of his blanket. He hadn’t been able to do much other than clean since Jinki left, his body weighed down with depression as he mulled over his options. Part of him wanted to leap through the mirror and rush to Jinki’s side, stay there with him in the mundane world, holding him and living a normal life as themselves. But there was no way he would be able to do that, he’d be abandoning so many innocent people who didn’t deserve such treatment.

He could also rise himself, overthrow his father and rule the kingdom as best he could, but why would the people trust him? What was to stop them from killing him and starting a revolution. Minho didn’t want to rule, he didn’t want to be in the chair that was won through bloodshed. He cursed, resting his head in his hands as he breathed in deeply, deciding to do what he had to do, there was no other option. It did not matter what he wanted, as it hadn’t mattered as to what Jinki wanted, he had not taken the others well being into consideration so he decided to treat himself the way he had treated Jinki.

With a low grunt the man threw his legs over the bed and stood up, grabbing his cloak and the sword he brought with him on outings for his father, sliding the blade into its sheath before gathering the journals of the prince and tossing them into a bag before jogging down to the stables. The bag was slapping against his thigh, reminding him of everything that had gone wrong up until that point. His first plan dashed, second plan ruined thanks to himself, so this was the third one and for the first time he was putting himself at risk. Minho was anxious, his heart beating harder when he rounded the corner to face the horses, his own steed seemingly asleep, its head hung low and eyes closed, meanwhile the one that Jinki had rode was wide awake.

“Alright,” he grunted before grabbing the saddle and cushions and getting the white horse ready, “We got a mission to accomplish, alright boy?” He whispered, patting its head before climbing on, noting how reluctant the animal seemed, though it didn’t buck him off and when the man was seated they took off, the animal surprisingly fast as they made their way past the palace gates.

He wasn’t sure where to go right away, the town center was too dangerous, the church too religious and the schools, well, children can’t fight in a war. The only place that was left was the bar and for a moment the man felt fear, considered the fact that he might be killed in cold blood that night. Not that he slowed the horse as they wove through the streets towards the closest pub, noting that it was late evening. It would be crowded.

“This was not the brightest idea,” he whispered as the building came into view, the man slowing the horse as he bit his bottom lip, holding onto the saddle tighter until his knuckles turned white. His stomach turned over as he took a breath and forced himself to climb down, patting the animal once more before tying him to a nearby pole so he wouldn’t wander away, entering after giving himself a moment's pep talk.

He was right about the crowd, as the moment he entered he was hit in the face with a wave of heat and noise, men left and right laughing and talking as they drank, a few men in the back playing cards and speaker in slightly lower voices as Minho lowered his head and made his way to the center of the building, holding onto his blade as he did so in case anyone felt as though he needed a fight to worsen his day. There was no speech prepared, no plan that he had laid out days beforehand, he was relying on emotion and on the pure truth.

With a small grunt the man lifted himself onto a table, the two men who had been sitting there grunting as they stood to start something with him only to freeze when Minho tugged off the hood of his cloak, revealing his identity as he stared out into the crowd which was quick to take notice of him. Angry murmurs starting in the crowd as well as the sounds of confusion as a few people looked around for more guards, worried and scared as to why the prince would be in their pub. “Hello,” he started before swallowing hard and grabbing the bag with his free hand before breathing in deeply, “There is no one else coming, I am not here on orders from my father, I am here in order to ask for help,” he continued only to duck in order to avoid a glass that had been thrown at him.

“And why should we help you?” A man screamed, a few others calling out in agreement as the young man sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Your pa been up there killing us off for years!” They continued as Minho held up a hand.

“Because I want to get rid of my father, I don’t want him in control and I don’t want to be either!” He explained, voice showing how desperate he was. “I’ve been… reading and studying and I can’t think of any other way to do this! I-” he breathed in before opening the bag and pulling out the journals, “I found the late prince’s things a few years ago, I don’t belong in that palace,” he whispered, the people watching him as he turned them over a few times. “I can’t bring them back but I can get rid of my father, I just need help.” Minho fell silent afterwards, staring out at the men who were quiet, mulling over a few things as Minho waited, slowly climbing off of the table. He was not above them, and he had their attention already.

“We can kill your dad and you!” A man called out after a moment, Minho sighing as they did so.

“That would make it harder on you wouldn’t it? I can open the palace gates, I can redirect the guards so they aren’t there to cut you off, I just need the man power behind me, then I will leave this kingdom.” He explained, looking around in desperation, pausing when the bartender extended his hand for the journals, wanting proof of what they were it seemed. So with a faint sign of reluctance Minho handed them over, a few men crowding around the tender to skim the words as Minho took out his sword and tossed it on the floor. “But if you’d prefer to kill me now then do it.”

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t ready to bolt from the room or cry out in fear when a much larger man walked over to him, grabbing his sword from the ground, eyes locked on Minho’s hands to make sure he wasn’t getting any smart ideas and within the next moment Minho was dragged towards the other side of the bar. “Sit,” the man grunted as he took a seat across from the man, the people not seeming ready to kill him just yet. “How you gonna get this done?” The man asked as his friends nodded and leaned in, Minho’s eyes lighting up in hope.

“First I’d start exports of weapons into the town, so you guys are equipped, then we train, and within the next month we storm the palace, I’ll order the guards out to the south gate, and we will come in the north gate. I will be among you, I will not hide.” He promised, the others seeming to think for a moment before they nodded, reaching out to place their hand over his.

“We’re in with ya, but if this is a trick we’ll just start killin’ everyone.”