The Crown Prince [COMPLETED]

𝟜𝟞

Two weeks. For two weeks, Mark had been grappling with the fact that Renjun was dead. Almost three weeks had passed since he had learned of it; it felt like less.

The other princes were still alive, but they weren't living. Jisung and Chenle were still separated, Jaemin had been isolating himself, Jeno had been throwing himself into kingship, and well, Mark wasn't much better.

He'd been working day in and day out, always by Donghyuck's side. His sleeping beauty, the one he was lucky to still have in his life. One he wanted back into his life.

The heart monitor was steadily beeping as Mark worked, a constant reminder that Donghyuck was alive and well.

As well as he could be.

Mark checked the time, realising it was late, three eighteen in the morning to be exact. Time just kept slipping. Like time he'd had with Renjun, time with Donghyuck he could have had was slipping like grains of sand through his fingers.

It was then the heart monitor started to speed up, Mark starting as it did so. He quickly discarded the items on the bed and moved closer to Donghyuck, his eyes wide as Donghyuck curled his fingers.

"Hyuckie?"

Silence except for the speeding up heart monitor, and Mark watched with mounting anxiety as it did so, unaware of the boy's eyes fluttering underneath him.

In all reality, it looked fairly compromising from any view. Mark, pinning down Donghyuck in case he started thrashing, his torso over Donghyuck's.

It was also the first thing Donghyuck saw when he woke up.

"Mark Lee you pervert!" Donghyuck screamed then started coughing, startling poor Mark to the point he fell off the bed with a resounding thud.

"Hyuck?"

"Water?" Hyuck gasped, and Mark nodded, scrambling for his water he had. He handed it to Donghyuck, who sipped it before sighing. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Your heart monitor went up and I was scared."

"So you pinned me down?"

"It wasn't the best option was it?"

"Not in the slightest." The door opened to reveal a frantic looking Jieun, holding a frying pan and sword.

"Who was assaulting who?" She asked, and Donghyuck looked at Mark oh-so-subtly. "Lee Minhyung!"

"Mom! No! It was a misunderstanding! If I ever took advantage of Donghyuck it would be on his terms I promise! Wait, that sounds bad. I mean that I'm not into almost dead people! That sounds like I'm into dead people but I promise I'm not, I'm only attracted to Donghyuck!"

Both Jieun and Donghyuck looked at Mark, deadpan. "Are you done?" Jieun asked, and Mark nodded. "Alright. Well, go to sleep, and we'll run a check up in the morning, just to make sure nothing's happened. We'll also inform you of what you've missed." Jieun removed the IV and the heart monitor, and then padded out, leaving Mark and Donghyuck in awkward silence.

"I probably smell terrible -"

"We gave you sponge baths. I've seen everything now." Mark said bluntly, and Donghyuck blinked. "And it just confirms every part of you is beautiful, I swear you're some sort of sculpture that needs to be shown off to the world and -"

Donghyuck grabbed Mark's shirt and yanked him in for a rough kiss, pulling away after a second. "Shut up and cuddle me you dumbass."

"Yes sunshine," Mark happily got into the bed, moving so that Donghyuck was laying on top of him and still had room to move. He was lighter than before, but Mark was definitely going to feed him the best food to give him his precious chubby cheeks again that he loved so much.

"Did you stay the entire time?" Donghyuck asked, blinking at Mark as he wiggled up so he could lazily kiss Mark's lips, happy to feel them again.

"Of course," Mark replied between kisses, his eyes fluttering closed as Donghyuck's did, the kiss growing more intense.

"Thank you," Donghyuck said, pulling away, and Mark smiled winningly at him.

"It's really a terrible time and not the right place, but I do have something for you." Mark reached into his back pocket with a lot of struggle and pulled out the ring he'd had made for Donghyuck, and Donghyuck looked at him with confusion.

"What is it?"

"I have a matching one," Mark said sheepishly, and realisation came across Hyuck's face.

"Are you asking me to marry you officially?"

"Yes," Mark affirmed, and Donghyuck began to tear up. "Wait, don't cry, is it ugly?"

"It's perfect. Yes, I want to marry you," Hyuck whispered, letting Mark slip on the ring. "Mark, wrong hand."

"Sorry!" Mark squeaked, changing the hand, and Donghyuck smiled fondly, kissing Mark before snuggling into him.

"Goodnight Mark. I love you."

"Goodnight Sunshine," Mark whispered, smiling at Donghyuck. "I love you too."

♛♔♛

Head slumped against his chest and bobbing a little, softly snoring, hand still grabbing a pen. That's how Jaemin found Jeno as he went to search for something to drink; something to numb his mind of the thoughts he was having.
If mixed with enough syrup, anything tasted good enough for him to guzzle down.

Sighing, Jaemin stopped and found a blanket, his eyesight fuzzy from the bottles he'd already downed. Jeno stirred, the sting of alcohol entering his nose, and he blearily looked up at Jaemin, who was frozen with a blanket.

"Jaemin," Jeno said, his voice dangerously low and sending a shiver down Jaemin's spine. "Why do I smell soju on you?"

"I spilt some," Jaemin tried, and Jeno scoffed, taking Jaemin's arm and seeing him wince.

"Jaemin," Jeno's voice quickly changed, and Jaemin gave him a blank look. "Let me see your arm." In his slightly drunk state, Jaemin didn't see a problem with showing Jeno the bloodstained bandages that now sloppily adorned his arm, and Jeno sucked in a breath.
"Jaem-"

"Nothing!" Jaemin slurred.

"Jaemin, I'm going to take you to my room -"

"Already trying to have me fuck you huh?"

"No, come on." Jeno picked up the practically dead weight of Jaemin and brought him up the stairs, into the bedroom where he promptly passed out in the bed.

Jeno looked at the boy before remembering something Renjun had done before he died.
Renjun had realised something was a little off about Jaemin, and he was worried, so he taught Jeno a few very simple things about patching up wounds - including bandages.

"He knew," Jeno whispered, tears welling in his eyes as he went into the bathroom and found the first-aid kit that had his name on it. Inside were little notes of how to clean deliberately made cuts, like Renjun already knew.

Jeno did his best to fight back tears and followed the instructions, wetting a washcloth and wiping off the excess blood and letting it dry, then taking the ointment and spreading it on.

He almost started to sob when he saw the cute images detailing how to wrap it, a little Moomin holding out its arm and another Moomin wrapping it. If the Moomin were really him and Jaemin, that meant they were close to Renjun's heart since his Moomin was something he couldn't be without.

Jeno followed the instructions and wrapped Jaemin's arm, then smiled at the last instruction. Decorate! It declared, a little paintbrush on the sticky note. Make it pretty! Jaemin would really like the sky :).

Jeno looked into the kit and found a tiny paint kit of white and blue with a soft paintbrush, and he smiled as his heart broke.

Then he began to paint.

♛♔♛

"The road to recovery, though bitter, still has sweet moments." - Me at 4 AM