Archive of Our Own

⊱ ━━.⋅ ♔ ⋅.━━ ⊰

The wedding would be starting in a few minutes and Jisung’s sister was nowhere to be seen. He really wished his sister would stop being selfish; the arranged marriage was for the sake of the two kingdoms’ peace, and it would prevent so many wars in the future. But she had seemingly run away, and the ‘love of her life’ was gone as well. It wasn’t a coincidence. 

Minho, the prince from the other Kingdom, was pacing the room anxiously, and Jisung actually felt bad for him. The woman he was supposed to marry had run away, and even though neither of them actually knew each other, it was still a low blow. Prince Minho must have been humiliated. 

Jisung stayed sitting on a stool as he watched Prince Minho pace anxiously. A servant entered the room and said a few things to Prince Minho. Prince Minho glanced up at Jisung and he immediately looked away, as if he was pretending Prince Minho didn’t exist. He was saved by the awkward situation when his mom, the queen, entered the room and motioned for Jisung to follow her out. 

“Yes, mom?” Jisung asked. 

His mom put her hand on his shoulder. “Sana and Tzuyu are nowhere to be seen and the wedding starts in ten minutes. We’re putting you in a tux and marrying you to Prince Minho so we can keep the peace between Koda and Elvric Kingdoms.” 

Jisung’s jaw dropped. “What? Mother, you can’t marry me to him, he’s a man.” 

Jisung felt a slap across his cheek and his mother hissed, “There are bigger problems in our world than men who marry men. Your sister ran away with a girl, for heaven’s sake.” 

“That’s not what I was trying to say!” Jisung gasped, “I meant, I’m straight, I like girls, and I won’t be happy marrying a man!” 

His mom’s jaw clenched. “Your sister said the same thing, about how she’s a lesbian, but you rolled your eyes at her, didn’t you? Now it’s her turn to scoff at you. You have eight minutes to meet me up at the altar and if you don’t show up, we’ll find you. Your clothes are with Changbin.” And with that, his mom was turning around and stalking down the hallways, her heels echoing menacingly in the halls. 

Jisung wanted so badly to run off and never return, but he knew he had nowhere to go, and besides, he would be found anyway. So he hmphed and stalked down the hall, his fists clenched at his sides and his eyes narrowed. 

“You look rough, boss,” a deep voice said, and Jisung ignored it, pushing past the body and into the room. Changbin pointed to a rack with a tux and some things hanging on it, as well as a pair of shoes sitting next to it. 

“I can’t believe this,” Jisung growled out. “I’m gonna be married and like… a closeted straight, or something. I’m gonna have a husband. Can you believe that?” 

Changbin helped him to undress, as he usually did. Most princes had a whole squad to get them ready, but Jisung felt comfortable undressing in front of anyone but Changbin, so it only made sense for him to be his servant of sorts. 

“I think it’s for the best,” Changbin said, helping Jisung button up his shirt. “For centuries our kingdoms can live in peace, if it means you marry the prince. I’m sure he’ll treat you well, too, so that’s okay.” 

Jisung’s jaw clenched as his pants were pulled up and his shirt tucked in. “This is so stupid. They should just bring Sana back and force her.” 

“She’s gone, your majesty,” Changbin said. “Many have been sent out to find her, but no one has found her yet. The wedding is in a few minutes, we don’t have time to discuss this.” 

Jisung shrugged on his suit piece and Changbin tied his shoes for him. He let Changbin brush his hair and then they were running as fast as they could to the altar, where he knew Prince Minho would be waiting. 

A few feet from the altar he stopped in his tracks and Changbin helped him wipe his sweat before giving him a thumbs-up. Jisung tried to swallow down his nerves but failed and decided to just get started anyways. He stepped out from behind the pillar he was standing behind. 

Jisung felt his heart drop. In front of him was a crowd of all the royals, the people Jisung was scared of the most. At the very end of the crowd, Prince Minho was standing under the altar with a man behind him with a book in his hands. 

Someone must have seen Jisung because suddenly music was playing, and Queen Han was waving for Jisung to take a step forward. So he did, and the crowd erupted into confused cheers. No one knew why a man was standing there instead of the lovely Princess Sana. 

Jisung’s steps were slow and cautious as he walked down the isle. He could hear everyone’s whispers— Why was Prince Jisung here? Jisung’s eyes met Prince Minho’s; the man looked anxious, and Jisung could totally relate. 

The music quieted when Jisung reached the altar. He’d never thought of marrying before, much less marrying a man. Jisung was sure of his sexuality—he’d kissed enough girls to know he was definitely attracted to females. 

The man with the book started reading off some verses that Jisung couldn’t care to listen to. It seemed like an eternity for the man to finally say, “Do you, Lee Minho of Elvric, agree to wed Han Jisung of Koda?” 

“Yes,” Prince Minho said, his voice shaking uncertaintly. 

“And do you, Han Jisung of Koda, agree to wed Lee Minho of Elvric?” 

Jisung gulped. He knew he had no choice. “Yes.” 

“You may now kiss.”  

Oh great heavens. Jisung completely forgot about this part. Prince Minho was leaning towards him and Jisung wasn’t ready. He tried to back up but Prince Minho looked at him pleadingly and suddenly lips were on his. They were gone as fast as they had appeared. 

And the kiss wasn’t that bad. 

But Jisung knew it was only because the kiss was short; any longer and he’d be suffering. Minho was a guy, after all. 

The crowd cheered and the music changed to something different. Prince Minho reached his hand out to him. 

“May I take this dance?” 

And Jisung wasn’t allowed to say no. 

Prince Minho was a good dancer; he pulled Jisung into the ballroom and twirled him with ease. Jisung gasped and tried his best to spin, but he’d only ever danced with women before and therefore had no idea how to be the one twirling. 

Prince Minho spoke quietly over the music. “You’re straight, aren’t you?” 

Jisung scrunched his nose and tried to follow Minho’s footwork. Minho’s hands were around his waist and it felt so weird. 

“How’d you guess?” Jisung tried to joke, but both of them were clearly too anxious to laugh. Nothing about this situation was funny. 

“It’ll be okay,” the prince whispered, and they tried to twirl again. “I know it feels weird, but I promise we can work this out. It’s all for show, you know?” 

Jisung nodded; he knew it was all for show. The kingdoms of Elvric and Koda just wanted to make peace, even if that meant two young souls would be trapped in an unhappy marriage and forced to sit on their thrones like models for entertainment. 

“I know,” Jisung finally answered, and they fell into silence. 

After they danced for a few songs, the royals rushed them into a carriage and they waved goodbye to the kingdom of Koda. Jisung’s people had gathered around on the dirt roads to throw flowers their way while Jisung and Minho waved out the windows of the carriage. 

Jisung had never been to Elvric, so when the carriage was pulled through a large gate he excitedly poked his head out his window as if this was a field trip rather than a new kingdom to rot away in. 

“Have you ever been to Elvric?” Prince Minho asked, startling Jisung, who had forgotten he was there too. Jisung fumbled to sit back in his seat, adjusting the bow he was wearing around his neck. 

“No,” Jisung answered, his voice shaking audibly. His voice had given out every single time he’d talked to Prince Minho, because every time he spoke, Jisung was reminded that this man was his husband, and he didn’ t even know his favorite color. 

“It’s nice here,” Prince Minho said, and Jisung just nodded. He knew he should answer to be less awkward, but honestly, he couldn’t find it in himself to act happy about this. 

So they sat in silence, Jisung going back to staring out the window at the expanse of fields they rode through until they entered a village, where people were cheering and waving and some woman even fainted when Jisung smiled at her. A merchant even handed Jisung an apple and Jisung laughed, waving the man goodbye. 

Once they passed the village they were back in a forest and Jisung closed the window’s curtain, not wanting to see any wild animals and get scared out of his mind. 

Jisung sat back in the seat, his body rocking uncomfortably. He brought the merchant’s apple to his lips, taking a bite and savouring its juicy flavor. It calmed him. 

After an eternity they were finally stopping, and before Jisung could even peek out the window, the carriage door was opening and they were being helped out. The horses that had pulled their carriages were busy being unhooked and led to a little pond where they lapped up some water. 

Jisung was led into the palace, leaving Prince Minho outside. The palace was grand, just like his own was back in Koda, but this one was a bit different. His own palace was a dashing white with extravagant statues and fountains, but this one was something he’d never seen before. 

The floors were a dark brown color that contrasted the light beige of the walls and pillars that stretched to the roof. Like in Koda, there were two grand staircases leading up to a hallway that Jisung couldn’t see the end of. 

Jisung followed a servant up the steps and down the hallway. The walls were decorated with paintings of the royals from Elvric; Jisung recognized ancient queens and kings that no one was old enough to remember by anything but books and pictures. Jisung ran his fingers along the bottom of a painting of Queen Jihyo II, reading a golden plaque that said Queen Jihyo II 1201-1287 / Death by Princess Dahyun of Marynne. 

“Your room,” Jisung heard, and he followed the servant into a room near the end of the hallway. The room was lit brightly by an open window on the far side, which lit the beige room with a warm yellow tone that had Jisung feeling cozy. The bed was against the right wall, sitting with drapes and a nightstand. A vanity sat in one corner, and a fireplace in another. 

When Jisung brushed his finger against the edge of his new bed, a pile of dust collected on his finger as if the room hadn’t been used for years. 

Maybe it hadn’t. 

“I have sent men to clean up your room and to unpack your bags,” the servant said, and Jisung turned to give him full attention. Jisung felt the man touch his hand and when he looked down, he was no longer holding the core of his apple. 

“Thank you,” Jisung said. 

The man nodded. “King Chan would like to have you for dinner. Would you like me to show you where to go?” 

Jisung nodded, and he let himself be led back down the grand staircase and through a few doors until he was standing in an open room with a large table in the center, big enough to hold a whole royal family. 

Prince Minho was sitting at one end of the table next to someone Jisung didn’t know, and the king sat at an opposite end, but besides that, the room was empty. 

Jisung shuffled his feet, unsure of what to do, until Prince Minho seemed to notice him and waved him over. Jisung made his way over to them. 

“Jisung, this is the chef, Sir Felix. He was speaking with me about our choice of deserts.” 

Jisung bowed to the man in the chair. Felix had freckles more visible than any that Jisung had ever seen, which threw him off greatly. He shook Felix’s hand and introduced himself. 

After giving the chef ideas for food, he left and Jisung took his spot. Prince Minho smiled carefully at him and Jisung got the hint. They had to put on a show for the royals. 

So the newly wedded princes spent the dinner laughing and talking and holding hands, and though everyone knew it was all a front, it was better to be safe than sorry. 

After dinner, Jisung was excused back to his room, which was next door with Minho’s, and was happy to see it was all set up; the bed had clean sheets and the wardrobe was filled with clothes he’d brought as well as many new pieces. Jisung changed into pajamas that someone had set out for him and he dreamt of being back home with his family, with Changbin and Sana and everyone else he held dearly to his heart. He wished he could go back home. 

⊱ ━━.⋅ ♔ ⋅.━━ ⊰

Jisung was woken by sunlight, even though he clearly remembered drawing his curtains the night before. So when he sat up and rubbed his eyes, he wasn’t expecting to see his curtains hanging wide open and a man standing above his bed. 

“What the-“ Jisung gasped out, but he was calmed down by the brunette in front of him. Prince Minho sat at the edge of his bed once Jisung’s heart had slowed to a normal rate. 

“What are you doing here?” Jisung asked. 

Minho didn’t meet his eyes. “Well, you’re technically my husband. So I thought I should get to know you?” 

Jisung tried not to roll his eyes. He wanted nothing to do with this man. “It’s too early for this. I’m going back to sleep.” 

Minho stopped him from hiding back under his covers. “I have a trip to go on. I leave in an hour. Just talk to me and you can sleep once I leave.” 

Jisung’s mouth formed a straight line, but he nodded. He wanted this conversation to be over so he could go back to his dream of Changbin and him exploring the woods. “Fine. What do you want to know?” 

The brunette made himself comfortable on Jisung’s bed, leaning back on his hands. “What do you want that will make you more comfortable here? I know that this isn’t an ideal situation and that you can get bored, so we can help you to feel… happy here. Anything you want.” 

Jisung supposed it was a nice offer, but he didn’t think Minho came up with it on his own. So he fell onto his back and stared up at Minho. “A journal. I want to write.” 

Minho seemed sceptical. “A journal? Are you sure you don’t want anything else? We could get you anything, no matter the expense.” 

Jisung’s brows furrowed. “I want a journal and a pen. Is there anything else you wish to speak with me about?” 

Minho blinked. “There’s a ball tonight at sunset. Everyone will expect us to be a happy couple, so you’d better fix your attitude by then. Your new servant, Jeongin, will help you into your attire. I expect you to be kind to him as well.” With that, Prince Minho seemed done with the conversation, as he stood and left the room without another word. 

⊱ ━━.⋅ ♔ ⋅.━━ ⊰

“I know how to dress myself, thanks,” Jisung huffed, stepping back from the taller man in front of him. 

Jeongin was obviously annoyed. “Sir, you haven’t even put your shirt on, just let me help you and it’ll go by twice as fast.” 

Jisung refused, finally snatching his clothes from the man and turning away to dress himself. However, he got confused with how to button his shirt and Jeongin ended up having to accessorize him. Besides that and the fact that he couldn’t tie shoes, he got dressed pretty independently. 

Jeongin led him to a seat in the corner of the dressing room and soon he was being swarmed by women who were doing his makeup and hair. Once he was all prettied up he was led downstairs and into the ballroom just in time for others to show up. 

The ballroom was large with hard floors and large archways. The room was lit dimly by yellow torches on the walls, giving it an almost scary feeling. What wasn’t scary, however, were the people in ball gowns and suits with heels that tapped against the floor as they found their partners. 

“May I have this dance?” A familiar voice spoke. Jisung turned to see Prince Minho behind him with an outstretched arm. 

The prince looked beautiful. His brown hair was parted and his eyes had glitter surrounding them. His hand called for Jisung to place his own gloved hand in his. 

Everyone watched them fall into step with each other; Minho, with agility and elegant movements, and Jisung, who fumbled over the steps and struggled to be twirled. 

It was like nothing Jisung had ever experienced. 

Jisung watched the prince get lost in the music, looking so passionate and lovely with the way he moved. It was like he was born to be a dancer. 

“You stare a lot for a supposed straight man,” Prince Minho spoke, and Jisung snapped out of his daze. 

Why had he been staring? He was straight; so why was he so enamoured with Prince Minho? He decided it was because he was jealous of how pretty he was, and how well he danced. That would explain the weird feeling Jisung was feeling. 

“I wasn’t staring,” Jisung finally answered, and the other just rolled his eyes. 

“How was your trip?” Jisung asked in an attempt to break the silence. 

Minho warned him before spinning him, again unsuccessful. “My trip was okay. I went to a nearby village to get some things and I found a journal for you. I hope you like it; I left it on your bed.” 

Jisung smiled softly, “Thank you.” 

“No need to thank me,” Minho said, “I want you to feel welcome here, even if we didn’t meet under the best circumstances.” 

Jisung nodded. The circumstances they met definitely weren’t the best—unless you somehow think that being forced into a marriage is romantic. 

“I want you to be happy here,” the prince continued, “so if you ever need anything, feel free to ask me. I’ll get you whatever you need.” 

“I will,” Jisung said so quietly it was almost a whisper. Somehow he found himself leaning in towards Minho, close enough for him to feel his breath on his face, He wanted to lean further, to close the gap between them and to taste—

“Han,” Minho breathed out, and Jisung snapped out of his thoughts. He jerked backwards, his hands leaving the comfortable grasp of Minho’s and his eyes widening. 

What had gotten into him? 

“I’m so sorry,” Jisung gasped, his hands coming up to hide the blush on his cheeks. “I didn’t mean to, I wasn’t thinking, I… I’m sorry.” His voice faltered at the end. 

Minho shook his head and stepped closer, only for Jisung to step back. However, when he did, his back bumped into the person behind him and suddenly eyes were on him, everyone watching as he broke down into tears that he couldn’t hold back. 

Without much of a choice on what to do, Jisung broke down. He felt his knees collapse and suddenly he was in someone’s arms, and then on his bed, and then he heard whispering and he cried harder and harder until he couldn’t cry any more. 

“Jisung,” a voice said, and Jisung shook his head desperately. He was so embarrassed that people had seen him, the great prince of Koda, break down in the middle of a ballroom unprovoked. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this; maybe he should run away with his sister and her girlfriend. 

“Jisung,” the voice repeated, but this time it was softer, more gentle. “Jisung, it’s just me. You can open your eyes, I promise I won’t judge you.” 

Jisung wanted to keep his eyes shut forever, to never face anyone again, but for some reason he found himself opening his eyes, only to meet the dark brown orbs of Minho’s. 

“Minho,” Jisung whined out, and he was crying again. 

He barely felt the arms around him, barely heard the hushing and cooing from the prince, and barely realized that he had started to falter, his sobs slowing and his back being laid down onto his bed. He didn’t realize that he was drifting off to sleep, either. 

He did, however, hear Minho’s voice whisper, “Goodnight, Han. Sleep well.” And he also heard his drapes closing and soft footsteps leaving his room. 

Jisung suddenly wanted to fall asleep and never wake up again. 

⊱ ━━.⋅ ♔ ⋅.━━ ⊰

It had been a week and the two had never brought up the almost-kiss. Jisung was thankful for this; he still didn’t know what it meant, even after filling many pages of his notebook with confusing thoughts about the man. 

Prince Minho had hired his brother to teach Jisung how to dance, which was a sign that he actually cared. Prince Hyunjin was a beautiful man with a kind heart who Jisung found himself becoming really close with over the past week. They spoke about anything and everything; how life was for them, things they wished they could do, like travelling and learning to swim. One topic they never braved, though, was the man’s brother, Jisung’s forced husband. Jisung was glad to keep it that way. 

Until today, that is. 

Jisung had woken up to light filtering through his window that he was used to being opened by Minho in the mornings. He’d gone downstairs and eaten breakfast with Minho and Felix, then had gone off to find Hyunjin so he could perfect his twirling. 

Jisung had found the blonde messing around with an entertainer named Seungmin. Seungmin was usually found at balls as one of the people playing live music in the corner, and sometimes he would even sing self-written songs. Jisung had caught Hyunjin staring at the man wishfully on more than a few occasions. 

Jisung felt bad for interrupting them, but a party would be held tonight and Jisung needed to be able to show off his newly found dancing skills to Minho. Hyunjin seemed only slightly irked at his intrusion; but Jisung promised he could be quick with today’s lessons. 

“What were you doing with Seungmin?” Jisung asked once they were alone in the garden. 

Hyunjin smiled at the mention of his crush’s name. “We were just talking,” he said, his mind already in a world of fantasy. 

Jisung smiled and grabbed his hands, pulling him in to remind him they were here to dance. Hyunjin got the memo and stepped to an imaginary beat with him. 

“So when are you going to confess?” Jisung asked. 

Hyunjin sighed dramatically, spinning Jisung, who twirled with much more ease now that he’d been practicing for a while. “I’ve wanted to tell him for a while, but I’m not sure what he’ll say. I think I should wait a bit longer… just to make sure we’re on the same page, you know?” 

Jisung smiled softly. “I know.” 

Hyunjin giggled and asked, “So how do you feel about my brother? You haven’t really talked about him.” 

Jisung’s smile immediately faltered. He struggled to keep up the happy atmosphere when he said, “He’s really sweet. I’m just… not sure if I like him.” 

Hyunjin frowned. “Why aren’t you sure?”

Jisung took a deep breath, stalling and trying to decide how much he should tell him. He decided he could trust Hyunjin; he was a king soul with a kinder heart and Jisung couldn’t ever imagine him exploiting someone’s secrets. 

“We almost kissed,” Jisung admitted, and it felt so good to get it off his chest. He had been needing to tell someone. “I just… don’t know what came over me then. I’ve never wanted to kiss a man before, but when I was dancing with Minho, it was like I was floating, like we were the only people there, and I just wanted to try it. It’s so confusing, Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin seemed to sympathize with him. “I think I understand what you mean. There was…” he swallowed dryly, “a guy that I liked when I was younger. I was only a kid back then, so I didn’t know it was okay to like other guys. I wanted…” his voice cracked, “I wanted to end it all. I thought I was terrible, I hated myself. I was ten years old and I would stand at the edge of my windowsill at night debating whether I should jump. 

“But I met Seungmin, and he stopped me, and told me it was okay, and from then on I’ve been his best friend. Of course I’ve wanted more, but I can’t bring myself to tell him in case it ruins our relationship. I have to be sure he feels the same way as I do before I tell him how I feel.

“But whenever I’m with him, I just feel so happy. I feel invincible, like I can take on a whole army with ease. He makes me feel so much more confident, so much more me, and I want to tell him so bad. I need to tell him how great he makes me feel.” 

Jisung’s heart broke after hearing Hyunjin’s story. He couldn’t imagine being in his place; he knew he wouldn’t have been strong enough to live through something like that. Suddenly his respect for his friend skyrocketed. 

“Sorry for dropping my pity story on you,” Hyunjin said with a sigh. 

Jisung gasped, realizing he’d forgotten to reply. “Oh heavens, I was just processing it, is all. I’m so happy you shared that story with me…” 

Hyunjin smiled softly at him. “I don’t know if that story helped you at all, though. I wish you all the best with figuring yourself out.” 

Jisung nodded excitedly. “It helped. You can go back to Seungmin now, I have to go write in my journal.” 

Hyunjin giggled but gave him one more hug and they both skipped off into different directions, each with different purposes that might have the same outcome. 

⊱ ━━.⋅ ♔ ⋅.━━ ⊰

“You’ve improved your dancing,” Minho noticed, and Jisung grinned brightly up at him. Now that he knew how to dance and twirl properly, he was very excited to dance with Minho and he wasn’t as awkward as he normally was. It was like he was pumped up with enough adrenaline to last him a lifetime. 

“I’ve been practicing,” Jisung said, excited to get praise. 

Minho smiled gently. “I can see. You’ll be better than me in no time.” 

Jisung giggled and spun with ease, his eyes meeting Minho’s to see his impressed reaction. He was suddenly so confident, so happy, but rather than celebrating, his face dropped. 

This must have been the feeling Hyunjin was describing earlier. 

Minho seemed to notice his sudden sadness because he made a joke that had Jisung forgetting all about it. He was being twirled again, voices singing lyrics about love just background music to the pumping of adrenaline in his veins. 

Minho dragged him over to a table to help himself to some fruit, and Jisung found himself dipping a strawberry in the chocolate fountain and bringing it to his lips. 

And while they ate various fruits, Minho’s hand never left his own. 

Jisung was suddenly so sure of himself as he tapped on Minho’s shoulder to get his attention. “Minho, I want to tell you something.” 

The prince turned to face him and said, “Yeah?” 

Now was the moment. Jisung would confess that he actually liked Minho, and then they would kiss, and they’d have a fairytale ending and everything would be perfect. They’d ride off into the sunset and the story would be over. 

But before Jisung could get a word out, a piercing scream rang through his ears so loudly that he found himself letting go of Minho’s hands to cover his ears. He wondered if this was someone’s idea of a prank; screaming loudly in the middle of a party just to get a little giggle. 

Jisung unplugged his ears and turned to try and find the owner of the scream, but before he could pinpoint them, he saw something else that made his skin boil. 

A man with an iron chestplate stood in one of the archways, a sword drawn and a determined look in his eyes. Behind him were more people attired in armour holding weapons and staring out at the crowd. 

A woman in a lovely white dress had been stained red, her eyes rolled back as she slowly sank to the ground. 

And suddenly Jisung no longer felt like he was at the top of the world. 

A scream rang out through the crowd and everyone seemed to understand all at once; people started scrambling away, all crying or screaming in fear. Jisung wanted so badly to follow, but his legs were frozen in place and his eyes were glued on the lead knight’s, who was now looking him dead in the eyes. 

Someone was trying to drag Jisung away but it took him too long to follow and suddenly he was being charged at. The armoured men scattered to chase the people, while the leader of the bunch tried to reach Jisung. 

“Jisung!” A voice screamed, and Jisung snapped back to reality. His feet moved faster than they ever had, following Minho to wherever the man was taking him. He was giving Jisung directions that he couldn’t bring himself to focus on. 

“Minho,” Jisung panted, trying to stop and catch his breath, but Minho just angrily yanked at his arm. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Minho yelled, and Jisung flinched instinctively. “Hurry!” 

Jisung felt tears spring into his eyes and when he looked behind him, he noticed that they were in a large hallway with a closed door in the direction they’d come from. Minho was angrily dragging him down the dark hall. 

“Are we going to die?” Jisung asked, still not making any effort to move forward. Minho was visibly getting more and more angry as the seconds passed. 

“Jisung, run. If we die there won’t be anyone to succeed my parents.” 

Jisung finally let his feet carry him forward, but it didn’t make much of a difference as he heard the iron doors burst open behind them. Loud footsteps were rushing after them. 

“Han!” Minho yelled, and he was pulled to the side harshly. Minho shoved him down the hall and before he realized what was happening, he was alone. 

When he realized that Minho had left him he spun around, his eyes meeting the back of Minho’s head. The prince had drawn a knife and was standing face-to-face with the man that had chased them. Jisung knew Minho had no chance against him. 

“Minho, come with me!” Jisung yelled out desperately. 

“Run, Han!” Minho yelled out desperately. “There’s a door at the end of this hall that leads outside. You can run home to Koda and get help!” 

Jisung shook his head, his eyes widening as the man stepped closer to Minho. “Minho, I can’t leave you.” 

“You have to, Jisung. I promise I’ll be okay.” 

Jisung knew that Minho wouldn’t be okay, but he found himself taking steps backwards, already ready to leave him. 

“Han, you need to make it out alive. I’ll protect you no matter what, do you understand? Even if it kills me, you need to make it out alive.” 

“Okay,” Jisung said, his voice breaking. Tears were filling in his eyes, making his view of Minho blurry. 

Minho was now fighting with the man, something Jisung hadn’t realized until he heard the man gasp in pain. 

“Promise me,” Minho gasped out, his eyes flickering around until they met Jisung’s. 

Jisung couldn’t do anything but watch as the man’s knife impaled his stomach. 

Jisung shook his head. He wanted nothing more than to leap forward and kill the man who hurt Minho, but he had no weapon and no chance of winning a fight like that. So he took a step back and choked out, “I love you,” before turning and running down the hall. He ran until he couldn’t feel his legs, couldn’t breathe, and then he ran some more. 

He slammed face first into a large metal door and unlocked it before his mind even caught up with what was happening. Heavy footsteps sounded behind him and he slammed the door on him, making his way out into the open. 

The sun was shining so brightly that Jisung’s eyes ached, and he struggled to keep his eyes open as he ran into the forest. He heard feet behind him, but they were further away, and he suddenly felt like he had a chance of living. 

He stumbled blindly through trees until he couldn’t anymore and he collapsed to the floor, his chest heaving and he wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. 

“Jisung?”

He couldn’t even process the voice until he felt a hand guiding his head up and he saw Minho’s face staring at him with a worried expression. 

“Minho…” Jisung breathed out, reaching up to touch his face and see if he was real. He was. 

But the man said, “No?” And when Jisung blinked, Minho’s face was gone and replaced with Hyunjin’s. 

“What’s wrong?” A new voice asked. Seungmin. 

Jisung’s eyes furrowed. “What do you mean?” 

Hyunjin and Seungmin both looked greatly confused. “I mean,” Seungmin spoke, “why are you running like your life depends on it? What’s wrong?” 

Jisung couldn’t believe it. “You weren’t there when we got attacked?” 

“We got attacked?” Hyunjin gasped, and he was pulling Jisung to his feet. “We need to go.” 

Jisung couldn’t argue that one. He let Hyunjin grip both his and Seungmin’s hands and start running through the forest to a destination Jisung didn’t know. After much too long, Hyunjin stopped, and he dropped to the floor. Jisung was about to start complaining about being on the run when Seungmin crouched next to him and started moving leaves from the floor to reveal a board that Hyunjin and Seungmin lifted up. Jisung was too shocked to react. 

“Get in,” Seungmin demanded, and Jisung finally snapped into action. He crawled down a small ladder into what seemed to be an underground bunker of sorts. There was a mini fridge in one corner and a stack of boxes and cans in another that Jisung recognized as food. 

Seungmin did his best to conceal the board with leaves before ducking back in and letting out a breath. 

Hyunjin made himself at home, plopping down onto a pile of blankets in the corner. “So this is royally fucked,” he said. 

“Minho died,” Jisung blurted out without thinking. 

Hyunjin’s expression turned grim. “What did you say?” 

Jisung shook his head, falling to the floor and burying his head in his hands. “Minho sacrificed himself. He told me to run and he…” Jisung’s voice cracked and he couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. 

Seungmin was at Hyunjin’s side in an instant, already starting to whisper words of comfort to him. Jisung faintly thought that if Minho were here too, he could have some comfort as well. 

But Minho wasn’t here, and it was all his fault. It was his fault that he’d stopped running, that Minho had to face that man, that Minho had to die. If Jisung weren’t there, Minho would have lived. 

Minho’s death was his fault. 

Jisung watched Seungmin comfort Hyunjin with a longing stare, as he wanted nothing more than for Minho to come and hold him like he had the night Jisung had had a panic attack in the middle of a ball. 

Then Jisung realized something. He’d only kissed Minho once when they were wedded; after he confessed he was planning to kiss him, to live a fairytale ending, but they couldn’t. 

Minho was dead. 

Minho was dead and he’d never come back. 

Jisung would never get to see Minho again. 

So Jisung crawled to the side of the room near the mini fridge, threw his head back, and slammed it as hard as he could against the hard fridge. 

He heard moving behind him but didn’t focus on it, instead just banging his head against the fridge again and again until he was being forced away from it. Hyunjin and Seungmin were saying something but Jisung couldn’t understand with the ringing in his ears. He tried to pull away from them but their grips were too strong. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He heard, just as he started to bang his head backwards against the hard ground beneath him. He wondered how long it would take for him to die of a concussion of sorts. 

He was suddenly being lifted up and placed on a softer material. He growled and struggled and tried his best to find a way out of their hold but they were relentless. 

Jisung finally gave up and went limp in their hold. 

“Jisung,” a voice spoke, and he was sure it was Minho’s. 

Maybe Minho survived after all. 

But deep down, Jisung knew he was gone. When he peaked his eyes open, he saw Hyunjin and Seungmin’s worried eyes locked onto his, but he didn’t see Minho. 

So he threw his head back one final time and closed his eyes, silently praying that someone would take him to Minho. 

And then he was asleep, and he desperately hoped he would never wake up. 

⊱ ━━.⋅ ♔ ⋅.━━ ⊰