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The gentle warmth on his hand helped distract him from the pain steadily spreading from where he’d been hit towards the rest of his body. His vision was starting to get blurry, and although his wounds were being tended to, he wasn’t all that sure whether or not he’d be able to keep his consciousness for much longer.
Josuke groaned, parting his lips in order to try to say something, to apologize for failing his kingdom, but no words came out. His lips were dry and his mouth tasted of blood. Maybe he was in worse shape than he thought. He weakly squeezed at the hand holding his own, glancing down at them as best as he could in his current position.
It was almost funny how different their hands looked. Josuke’s were big, rough and calloused from years working on the fields and scarred from all of the training he’d had to do in order to become a knight and serve the crown. They were dirty and covered in dried blood from his previous battle. Rohan’s hands were much smaller, paler and smoother… if Josuke didn’t know better, he’d say they almost looked fragile.
Rohan was anything but fragile, though. Although Josuke was physically stronger than him, Rohan had been trained in combat as well as any knight. The responsibility of running the kingdom had fallen upon him at a young age due to the fact that his father was away from the land more often than not. This made Rohan strong in ways that Josuke knew he himself was not.
The prince’s hand felt warm and soft. Josuke couldn’t believe how well their hands fit together, how right it felt to have Rohan’s slender fingers intertwined with his.
Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he’d ever felt the prince’s hand in his own. He’d dreamed of this happening for as long as he could remember. Josuke had coveted the other man for far longer than he’d like to admit, though he’d never dared make a move on him.
It was unfortunate that the circumstances for their physical contact weren’t exactly ideal, but this might be the only way and the only chance he’d ever get to touch the prince this way.
“You’re going to be okay, Josuke,” the prince spoke, sounding much calmer than Josuke had expected him to. The fact that Rohan was trying to comfort him even in a situation like this made him feel conflicting emotions. He could feel his heartbeat fasten, his insides flutter, but he also felt guilt and shame wash over him all at once.
He tried speaking again, but all that managed to come out was a strangled cry as the nurse applied something to his open wounds. The grip on his hand tightened significantly, and Josuke’s eyes flicked up to Rohan’s face. He looked worried for a brief moment, before returning to his neutral expression.
Rohan shushed him, reaching for Josuke’s hair with his free hand, brushing the stray strands off his forehead. “It’ll be alright. As soon as your wounds are treated we’ll take you somewhere safe.”
Josuke bit his lip. He was supposed to be the one keeping Rohan safe, not the other way around. “I’m… sorry,” he finally managed to say, though his voice sounded strained and distant in his own ears. He wanted to say more, to apologize for not being able to save Rohan all on his own, but the words caught in his throat.
“Shut up, dumbass,” Rohan said with a frown, tightening his grip on Josuke’s hand before glancing over at the man tending to the knight’s wounds. “If it weren’t for you…” He shook his head, looking away from Josuke entirely. “Don’t apologize for saving me, Higashikata.”
Saving him… Well, Josuke guessed he had, indirectly, but… Rohan had saved him right back while they escaped and he’d gone as far as getting him a medic to treat his wounds. Josuke owed Rohan his life now more than ever.
Josuke gripped Rohan’s hand tighter, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a small kiss on it. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew it was wrong to be this selfish, but…
Rohan’s cheeks grew pink at that, and he looked in the medic’s direction immediately, relaxing significantly when he noticed the other person hadn’t noticed Josuke’s affectionate gesture. “You’re lucky you’re as hurt as you are right now, or I’d slap you for that,” Rohan whispered, a small frown on his face. The blush on his cheeks betrayed the poisonous tone in his voice, though.
Being slapped by Rohan… didn’t sound like it’d be a bad experience either way. Josuke shook his head, trying to focus on the world around him again. He could still feel himself on the verge of unconsciousness because of all the blood he’d lost during battle.
“I’m done, but he needs serious rest after this. The injuries he sustained were…” The medic drifted off, shaking their head before taking the small pouch of gold that Rohan had offered them and walking away.
Rohan took a deep breath now that they were alone, glancing down at Josuke and biting his lip. “They’re gonna find us if we stay put, but we can’t help staying here for the night. Please get some rest so that we may move in the morning. You’re gonna be okay.”
Josuke nodded as best as he could, finally allowing himself to close his eyes and rest. He was aware of the fact that Rohan didn’t let go of his hand even as he started drifting off to sleep. If anything, the prince held onto him tighter, stroking his thumb over the back of Josuke’s hand.
As strange as it sounded, Josuke could have sworn he felt a pair of lips on his forehead. The feeling made his heart skip a beat and his insides warm up in the most pleasant way imaginable.
Not too long after that, he lost consciousness.