Melodies of Life II/III
i/iii
둘
“Crown Prince!! Please!”
Yoochun’s hiding behind a pillar, listening as the guards run past.
“Prince, it’s almost time for your medicine! Please, your healer will be here soon! It’s extremely important for your health! For the Kingdom!”
He snorts. Medicine doesn’t even work for him anymore. It’s pointless to take it if wasn’t going to heal him. Which is why he’s currently hiding from his guard and healers.
Once the hall is clear, he lets out a sigh and walks out into the open.
It’s been two years of different medicine and different healers. Two years of his guards and caretakers spouting the same words over and over at him.
“Crown Prince, try this!”
“Crown Prince, don’t leave your room!”
“Crown Prince, NO!”
And they all wonder why Yoochun continues to sneak out and away for just one breath of fresh air.
He’s walking around the castle grounds, which are seemingly empty for the mid-afternoon, when Yoochun spots someone.
They’re definitely an outsider, judging by the grey robes and large black cloak around their shoulders, making it hard to tell if they were male or female. But’s it’s the short, rare red hair that mainly gives the person’s outsider status away.
While he’s curious about person, being the crown prince has lead Yoochun to more assassination attempts than he’d like to admit. So he quickly moves behind a corner, waiting a few seconds before peering around again.
But the stranger is gone.
“You know,” A voice comes from behind him, scaring Yoochun in his spot. Turning his head, he can just catch a small glimpse of that red hair behind him.
“You should be quieter with your steps if you want to go unnoticed.” The stranger says, this time even closer.
Frozen in his spot, Yoochun knows this is the end, this is it. He should have just listened to his guards and stayed in his room and waited for death from his disease instead of something more painful than what’s about to happen-
“Um, Crown Prince?” A hand touches his shoulder and that knocks Yoochun out of his frozen state.
If he’s going to die, then he’s not going down without a fight. He is Park Yoochun, Crown Prince of the Melod Kingdom afterall.
“YOU’RE NOT GOING TO KILL ME!” Yoochun yells as loud as he can, smacking the hand off his shoulder and spinning around to distance himself from the stranger...who is staring at him with an eyebrow raised?
“Kill...you?”
They stare at each other and then the stranger bursts out laughing.
“If I was here to kill you, I wouldn’t be doing the job I was brought here from so far away to do.” The strange man says between his laughs. “But maybe...I should start from the beginning, my apologies.”
The strange man goes down on a knee, bowing his body toward Yoochun, just as twenty palace guards surround them, thanks to Yoochun’s previous yell.
“My name is Kim Jaejoong. I’m your new healer from lands of Harmon.”
**
It takes a while to assure the guards of Jaejoong’s identity and purpose at the palace, but soon enough they’re escorting Yoochun and his new healer back to the crown prince’s chambers.
Maybe it’s because Jaejoong was a stranger, an outsider to his kingdom, but Yoochun nearly walks into a few pillars and walls that he should know better than the back of his hand. It’s not very princely, but Jaejoong is so...alluring.
So incredibly distracting.
In fact, Yoochun zones out and when he comes back, they’re already in his bedroom preparing for his treatment.
“If you could undress please, Your Highness…” Jaejoong asks kindly, unpacking a few things from the bag he brought.
Both Yoochun and his head guard jump in shock.
“Excuse me?! No one may see the Crown Prince’s body unless you’re one of his servants or future wife!” Yoochun’s head guard shouts, inching closer to the prince. Yunho has always been too protective for Yoochun’s liking, even after all the years they’ve been together.
Jaejoong sighs at his bag and looks over at the guard, leveling him with a glare that makes Yoochun a little scared.
“I’m here to help with his disease, am I not? How am I supposed to do that if I can not get access to the source of the problem? First, you almost arrest me for even speaking to the Crown Prince and now you’re trying to stop me from doing my job?”
Yunho shifts another step in front of Yoochun.
“Well,” he says, shifting his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Aren’t you an expert magic user? They say that all of those that come from Harmon are graced with magic abilities and if our King sent for you, you must be very talented. So…”
Yoochun catches the way that Jaejoong’s eyebrow twitches at Yunho’s reasoning. It almost makes him smile. But he can also tell that Jaejoong’s about to tear into his head guard and Yoochun does like having Yunho around, so he finally speaks up instead.
“Yunho, listen, it’s fine.” He nudges Yunho out of the way and starts to unbutton his vest and shirt. “If it bothers you that much, you can wait outside while Jaejoong- Ah, it’s okay to call you that, yes?”
Jaejoong’s face relaxes and he nods.
“You can wait outside while Jaejoong examines me, alright? If that makes you feel better?”
Yunho mumbles something under his breath and instead takes a seat on the other side of Yoochun’s bed. He’s out of the way, but still close enough in case something happens. The thought makes Yoochun laugh as he folds his shirt and vest.
“You can leave your pants on, Your Highness,” Jaejoong says as he carries over a tray filled with various things. “For now at least.”
The way he says it with a wink makes Yoochun laugh and feel more relaxed than he has in years.
**
“That is a beautiful marking you have, Your Highness.”
Jaejoong’s fingers are cool against his skin, gently tracing the black feather mark above his heart.
“I was born with it...though they say that it used to much more beautiful back then.” Yoochun replies, remembering the faint memories of red and gold he would see in the reflection of his baths when he was young.
“It’s still beautiful now.”
Jaejoong writes something quickly on the notebook sitting on his lap, pausing for a moment to close his eyes, like he was thinking.
Yoochun can’t help but ask a question when Jaejoong finally opens his eyes and starts to write again.
“It’s the reason that my heart is failing...Isn’t it?”
The writing stops.
“Let me finish my tests first and then we’ll see. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, Crown Prince.”
Jaejoong gives him a smile and then gets back to work.
**
Jaejoong is an amazing healer.
He gently checks Yoochun’s pulse and pressure points, presses his hand in the center of his chest to get a better feel of his energy.
“I specialize in healing, but specifically life energy.” Jaejoong explains to Yoochun the few days later. It’s the fourth day of tests, because Jaejoong says that he needs more than one day of results to compare and figure out the best cure.
Today Yunho’s sitting at the edge of the bed, actually a little interested in what’s happening. All of Yoochun’s previous healers couldn’t even compare to the meticulous care that Jaejoong gave Yoochun. They would give him the new medicine or spell of the day, hoping that they would finally be the one to heal the Crown Prince and be rich for life.
But Jaejoong-
Jaejoong has yet to give him any sort of treatment and yet Yoochun’s felt more and more energized. It’s something that the whole castle has noticed and it’s a little hard to tell them that he hasn’t even received a single real treatment from Jaejoong.
“Okay, this might feel a little weird, but don’t worry okay? I’m just going to check your circulation system using a small amount of my own energy. It should feel a little warm.”
He places his hand in the center of Yoochun’s chest, just as he had every day before, and presses his palm down. There’s a surge of warm, like a strange shock of some kind, and it travels from Yoochun’s heart all the way down to the tips of his fingers and toes.
“Wow.” It’s the only thing that Yoochun can say in response and it brings a smile to Jaejoong’s face. Something that Yoochun has already begun to enjoy seeing.
He watches Jaejoong write in his notebook before closing it.
“Okay, that’s it for today. You can put your shirt back on.”
Jaejoong’s finished quicker than he had the previous days and, admittedly, Yoochun’s a little sad.
“Don’t be so obvious, Crown Prince.” Yunho whispers to him and Yoochun punches him in the arm.
He is not obvious.
Jae bows to him after he collects his things and leaves. Yoochun’s staring at the door, when Yunho speaks up again.
“You’re allowed to ask him to eat with you, my Prince.”
Yoochun looks at him, suspicious.
“I thought you didn’t like Jaejoong?”
Yunho rolls his eyes, leaning against one of the bed posts.
“He makes you smile, for whatever reason. I like seeing you happy, despite what you may think. And you- you’ve practically been glowing since yesterday when you and Jaejoong had that small conversation about music as he was going through his tests.”
“Glowing? Really?” The thought makes Yoochun want to cringe but he did feel more energetic and happier. His heart feels lighter almost. And, he can’t deny, it did all start when Jaejoong arrived at the castle...
“Being obvious again with your thoughts, my Prince.”
Yoochun doesn’t hold back with his punch this time. He’s walking out the door and down the hall to find Jaejoong when he hears Yunho call behind him.
“PRINCE, YOUR SHIRT-”
**
It becomes routine for them to have lunch together after Jaejoong finishes his daily tests. He adds a little magic here and there to them, but it’s never painful. Jaejoong says it’s about opening all the blockades in his system, as well as removing all the tension from his system.
They talk about everything under the sun (except Yoochun’s disease) over lunch, and after a few weeks, Yoochun feels like he’s know Jaejoong his whole life.
He knows that his favorite color is red, which explains his hair, and that he also prefers his food spicy. Jaejoong enjoys music when he has time and used to sing with a few bards back in Harmon. But the thing that Yoochun thinks is most amazing about Jaejoong is that he loves that he was blessed with magic. With his magic, he’s been able to help so many people in his life, just like Yoochun.
“Being able to save the life of one person is important and so amazing to me.” Jaejoong says to him over tea that day. “One or a million, all lives are important and, it might be selfish but, I want to save as many as I can.”
He finishes his thought with the widest, warmest smile that Yoochun’s seen from him.
And for the first time in a long time, Yoochun’s heart beats in overtime.
**
The next morning, Yoochun catches his reflection in the mirror as he’s getting dressed.
There are no dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks look full and healthy. Jaejoong still hasn’t started his full treatments, just small ones, but Yoochun feels like he’s changing.
Changing for the better.
He’s pulling his hair back into a ponytail, humming with a slight smile on his face when he sees it.
The bits of gold around his black feather mark, flashing along with his heartbeat.
**
Yoochun runs all the way to Jaejoong’s room.
He finds Jaejoong asleep on top of his desk, drooling on what were probably important notes. It’s a little more adorable than Yoochun tells himself that it is.
But he gently shakes Jaejoong awake regardless, more than excited to tell him about his mark.
“Ah- What? Who?”
Jaejoong blinks the sleep out of his eyes and Yoochun frowns at the dark circles under his eyes. It almost kills all of his energy, thinking about how hard Jaejoong must be working to find a cure for him. But maybe with this new development, Jaejoong’s work might almost be done.
“Jaejoong.” Yoochun says, pulling the extra chair in the room up next to him. Sitting down, Yoochun grabs his shirt. “Jaejoong, look.”
He may or may not rip his shirt open a little enthusiastically, a button or two flying in different directions. It causes Jaejoong to let out a tired laugh, but he quickly chokes on it- fingers flying out and tracing the new gold surrounding Yoochun’s feather.
“I can’t believe it.”
The color continues to pulse along with Yoochun’s heartbeat and Yoochun thinks he might see tears in Jaejoong’s eyes.
“They’re connected, aren’t they?” Yoochun asks once again, the first time since the day that Jaejoong came to the castle. “My heart and the mark.”
“Yes,” Jaejoong whispers, pressing down a little harder, like he can’t believe it. “Yes, they are.”
**
Two more weeks pass by and Yoochun feels even healthier and energetic. He outruns Yunho in their morning training, beats him in a few (lucky) sparring matches, and even sits in on a few meetings with his father and his advisors.
The kingdom has heard of their Crown Prince’s improvement and his mother suggests a ball to celebrate the end of his battle. Yes, he wants to call it the end of his battle, thanks to his mark.
The feather is no longer a simple black, but a beautiful mix of colors that were almost alive. Red and gold mix together along and under the black outline, flashing and shifting with his heartbeat.
“It’s even more beautiful than it was when you were a child.” His mother tells him, pressing a kiss to it. “Our little prince is certainly blessed.”
**
Yoochun’s walking down the hall, alone without Yunho for once, humming a melody that Jaejoong had taught last week. He’s trying to think of the best way to invite Jaejoong to the ball when he hears a voice.
An angry voice.
He stops to listen.
“All this time?! You’ve been doing it all this time!?”
Yunho?
Yoochun looks around, trying to figure out where his head guard is. He ends up on the other side of a door, one he’s never actually paid attention to before, ear pressed against door.
“What do you think he’s going to say when you tell him, huh? Because you are going to tell him, right?”
He’s never heard such anger in Yunho’s voice before and the person he’s yelling at is talking too softly for Yoochun to hear. But he clearly hears Yunho’s scoff in reply.
“It’s like you don’t even realize how he feels about you. Maybe you’re both just as blind. Or maybe you’re both too cowardly to admit the truth.”
There’s another quiet reply and then footsteps. Yoochun throws himself away from the door and hides behind a trusty pillar as the door opens. He’s not stupid enough to try and see who comes out, so he holds his breath instead.
“There’s a ball in five days,” He hears Yunho say. “I’m giving you until then to tell him. You have to tell him.”
Yoochun listens to the familiar sound of Yunho’s boots walk down the hall, but the other person hasn’t left yet. His lungs are starting to burn when Yoochun hears a heavy sigh and soft footsteps walk in the opposite direction of Yunho.
By the time they’re gone, Yoochun finally comes out of his hiding spot.
“What the hell was that about?”
**
A few days go by and he still hasn’t asked Jaejoong about the ball. There’s no way that Jaejoong doesn’t know about it- the servants have already started setting up for it. But they simply don’t talk about for one reason or another.
Honestly, Yoochun’s still curious about the person that Yunho fought with a few days ago. He’s tried dropping a few leading questions to his head guard, but sometimes Yunho is even more stubborn than Yoochun himself.
He’s staring at the ceiling as Jaejoong’s doing his normal tests. His hand is as warm as ever, but when he presses down, there’s no extra pulse of warmth. So, he presses down again, a little firmer.
Nothing.
At the fourth try, Yoochun looks down at Jaejoong. There’s a little bit of panic in his eyes and his hand shakes on Yoochun’s chest. And that’s when he notices how awful Jaejoong looks.
His face is gaunt, the dark circles deep and purple under his eyes. The clothes that Yoochun had his tailor make especially for Jaejoong are hanging off him when they used to be perfectly fitted. And it doesn’t help that his whole body looks tense either.
“Hey.” Yoochun sits up, covering Jaejoong’s hand with his own. “Hey, are you alright? You look...tired.”
Tired doesn’t even scratch the way that Jaejoong looks, but it’s the kindest way that Yoochun can word it.
“Tired,” Jaejoong repeats, carefully pulling his hand away. “I...Yes, I’m-”
He seems at a loss for words and that in itself worries Yoochun even more. Sometimes Jaejoong could never stop talking.
“I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, sorry. I don’t mean to be an inconvenience.”
Yoochun frowns even more.
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that at all. Please, Jaejoong. I’ve been feeling better than ever, like I was never sick in the first place. You...You, on the other hand.” He pauses, unable to finish his sentence the way it was going.
He glances at Yunho, who’s actually staring at Jaejoong instead of him for once. Yoochun’s not the only one that noticed, it seems.
“Listen, Jaejoong. There’s a ball in two days. The castle is going to be busy until then, which means I’ll be busy too. So how about we skip this until the ball is over and you get some rest? You certainly deserve it after you’ve helped me...with every way that you have.”
Jaejoong fidgets, pulling at his sleeves.
“If...if only you’re sure.”
Yunho shifts in his chair, letting out a sigh.
Yoochun ignores him.
“Of course I’m sure. I’ll have the servants run you a bath. Go and relax, Jaejoong.”
He reaches out, a little bold, and pulls Jaejoong into a hug.
“Feel better soon. Please.”
**
Yoochun doesn’t see Jaejoong for two days.
Despite all the preparations for the ball, they are the two longest days ever.
“So, so obvious.” Yunho tells him the first day and Yoochun thinks he hears pity in his voice.
“So, so obvious that someone wants to be reassigned to gate patrol~” Yoochun counters, handing Yunho a stack of red fabric. “But first, take that to my tailor and tell him to make something nice for Jaejoong please.”
**
The night of the ball, Yoochun still hasn’t seen Jaejoong.
Yunho’s told him that Jaejoong was coming, that he’d dropped off the outfit Yoochun had made and everything. That Jaejoong’s looking much healthier than before, that the rest helped him a lot.
Yoochun’s eyes scan the room again, searching for the unique red hair. It’s not anywhere.
“Darling, you’re fidgeting.” His mother says, seemingly kind but Yoochun knows the reprimand hidden in it.
He takes a calming breath. Jaejoong’s just...late. That’s all.
**
Two hours into the ball, his parents finally release him to the floor.
Yunho is suspiciously missing, but there are enough guards around the ballroom keeping an eye on him. With all these people around, it’s the perfect time for an assassination attempt, really.
“I need to stop thinking so morbidly,” Yoochun mutters to himself, moving through the crowd.
He accepts everyone’s well-wishes, genuinely thankful for all those who are happy for his returned health. Considering he would be ruling them one day, it’s certainly nice to know that the people support him so much already.
Right as he finishes a dance with lovely young lady, Yoochun’s dragged out of the crowd by a strong arm.
“What th- Yunho?”
His head guard shakes his head and drags him out of the ballroom and down the dark halls.
“Do not ask me any questions, shut up and follow. He’ll be happy to answer them for you and you’ll be able to vent all your anger at him.”
“What?”
Yoochun’s more than confused, but as they make a few more turns, the path is more than recognizable.
“Are we going to see Jaejoong? Is he in his room? Is that why he wasn’t at the ball?”
Yunho doesn’t not answer, just continues to quickly pull him to Jaejoong’s door, rip it open, and throw him inside.
The door slams shut with a loud sound.
“Yunho? Is that you? I told you to leave me alone, dammit.”
Yoochun turns around to see Jaejoong curled on his bed, looking smaller than ever. It makes his heartbreak.
“No...No, Jaejoong. It’s me. It’s Yoochun.”
He sits on the bed right as Jaejoong’s eyes open. A hand weakly tries to push Yoochun away.
“You...you shouldn’t be here, Your Highness.”
Seeing Jaejoong in this state and knowing that he was here alone, compared to the ball-
“There’s no other place I’d rather be than right here, Jaejoong.”
And Yoochun truly means every word.
“Of course you would say that. You were always more open with your feelings.”
The words confuse Yoochun.
“Always? What do you mean by that?”
Jaejoong struggles out a laugh.
“Well, it’s not like I have much time left. I was hoping that I could get away with it. So that my debt was fulfilled. Help me sit up?”
Yoochun slides an arm around Jaejoong’s back and carefully helps him up. His eyes widen as Jaejoong unbuttons his shirt, sliding it off until-
“Jaejoong...what is that?”
His fingers reach out and press right above Jaejoong’s heart. They press right into the black feather mark above Jaejoong’s heart.
“Look familiar?” Jaejoong laughs again. “Now, careful not to get a headache like I did. It was hard to hide back then, you know?”
“A headache? Jaejoong what in the world, how long have you-”
His question is cutting off by the searing pain in his head.
**
It’s worse than anything he’s experienced with his heart and Yoochun thinks that he’s going to die.
He’s really going to die, Jaejoong tricked him this whole time, played with his heart to lure him here and murder him and-
Then there’s images in his head.
A man in black and red robes.
A forest.
A mountain.
That same man smiling at him.
A beautiful red and gold bird.
An ocean.
And then-
Darkness.
See you soon.
**
“See you soon.”
The words spill out of Yoochun’s mouth and then he’s crying. He’s sobbing.
Jaejoong’s arms come around him, trying to console, but Yoochun can’t stop the tears.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Jaejoong...Why? WHY?”
“You didn’t deserve to die back then. Even if it was for the village.” He feels Jaejoong’s own tears. “I couldn’t let you die here too. When I knew...You have to understand. You have to understand, Yoochun.”
Yoochun’s head hurts. His heart hurts. Everythings hurts so much and to add to things, his matching feather mark is burning against his skin.
It’s the first time that Jaejoong has ever said his name (in this lifetime), but Yoochun can’t even be happy because there is something terribly wrong with Jaejoong’s words.
“What do you mean ‘I couldn’t let you die here too’?”
Jaejoong says nothing. He hides his face against Yoochun’s shoulder.
“Jaejoong. Jaejoong, what did you mean by that?”
“You already know the answer to that.” Jaejoong whispers against his shoulder. “I know you that you know. Even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
Yoochun pushes Jaejoong away, barely feeling bad for the way that he hits the bed hard.
“Stop talking in riddles!! Enough of this subtle bullshit, be honest for once!”
Yoochun’s way too riled up, heartbeating fast and hands curled into fist. But Jaejoong sits up and reaches out, tapping right where Yoochun’s mark is.
“You know the answer. You know what I specialize in. You knew the answer from the first day it started to have an effect on you. The day that the first gold marks appeared.” Jaejoong’s voice is even weaker now, like it’s hard for him to speak, but Yoochun’s mind is too caught up trying to decipher his words.
Jaejoong’s speciality…
I specialize in healing, but specifically life energy
specifically life energy
life energy
It’s too much. Too much for Yoochun to handle all at once.
“Jaejoong, how could you? How- You could have...You should have-”
Jaejoong trails his hand up to Yoochun’s face, cupping his face.
“At least I was free to touch you this time,” He comments, thumb brushing Yoochun’s cheek. “Even if our time was shorter together. It was really hard not to the first time around, you know.”
The words make Yoochun laugh through his tears, despite everything.
“I knew you were feeling my chest up more than you needed to.”
**
They lay together in the bed after they settle down a bit, Jaejoong tucked in Yoochun’s arms.
Everything and everyone else seem so far away now. The only thing that matters to Yoochun is Jaejoong.
And the fact that he’s going to lose Jaejoong very soon.
“It’s tonight, isn’t it?” Yoochun asks.
Jaejoong nods against his chest.
“I tried to make it to your ball but...Yunho found me collapsed on the floor. He figured out that I was giving you my own life energy, but he didn’t know about the marks. Still, he’s smart and cares about you a lot. You should listen to him more.”
“Tch. I’m the crown prince! It’s his job to listen to me!”
Yoochun feels Jaejoong’s lips smile against his mark.
**
It happens quicker than Yoochun expects.
But this time, it’s Jaejoong that’s leaning up and giving him a kiss good-bye.
“See you soon?” He whispers.
“See you soon.”
둘
“Crown Prince!! Please!”
Yoochun’s hiding behind a pillar, listening as the guards run past.
“Prince, it’s almost time for your medicine! Please, your healer will be here soon! It’s extremely important for your health! For the Kingdom!”
He snorts. Medicine doesn’t even work for him anymore. It’s pointless to take it if wasn’t going to heal him. Which is why he’s currently hiding from his guard and healers.
Once the hall is clear, he lets out a sigh and walks out into the open.
It’s been two years of different medicine and different healers. Two years of his guards and caretakers spouting the same words over and over at him.
“Crown Prince, try this!”
“Crown Prince, don’t leave your room!”
“Crown Prince, NO!”
And they all wonder why Yoochun continues to sneak out and away for just one breath of fresh air.
He’s walking around the castle grounds, which are seemingly empty for the mid-afternoon, when Yoochun spots someone.
They’re definitely an outsider, judging by the grey robes and large black cloak around their shoulders, making it hard to tell if they were male or female. But’s it’s the short, rare red hair that mainly gives the person’s outsider status away.
While he’s curious about person, being the crown prince has lead Yoochun to more assassination attempts than he’d like to admit. So he quickly moves behind a corner, waiting a few seconds before peering around again.
But the stranger is gone.
“You know,” A voice comes from behind him, scaring Yoochun in his spot. Turning his head, he can just catch a small glimpse of that red hair behind him.
“You should be quieter with your steps if you want to go unnoticed.” The stranger says, this time even closer.
Frozen in his spot, Yoochun knows this is the end, this is it. He should have just listened to his guards and stayed in his room and waited for death from his disease instead of something more painful than what’s about to happen-
“Um, Crown Prince?” A hand touches his shoulder and that knocks Yoochun out of his frozen state.
If he’s going to die, then he’s not going down without a fight. He is Park Yoochun, Crown Prince of the Melod Kingdom afterall.
“YOU’RE NOT GOING TO KILL ME!” Yoochun yells as loud as he can, smacking the hand off his shoulder and spinning around to distance himself from the stranger...who is staring at him with an eyebrow raised?
“Kill...you?”
They stare at each other and then the stranger bursts out laughing.
“If I was here to kill you, I wouldn’t be doing the job I was brought here from so far away to do.” The strange man says between his laughs. “But maybe...I should start from the beginning, my apologies.”
The strange man goes down on a knee, bowing his body toward Yoochun, just as twenty palace guards surround them, thanks to Yoochun’s previous yell.
“My name is Kim Jaejoong. I’m your new healer from lands of Harmon.”
**
It takes a while to assure the guards of Jaejoong’s identity and purpose at the palace, but soon enough they’re escorting Yoochun and his new healer back to the crown prince’s chambers.
Maybe it’s because Jaejoong was a stranger, an outsider to his kingdom, but Yoochun nearly walks into a few pillars and walls that he should know better than the back of his hand. It’s not very princely, but Jaejoong is so...alluring.
So incredibly distracting.
In fact, Yoochun zones out and when he comes back, they’re already in his bedroom preparing for his treatment.
“If you could undress please, Your Highness…” Jaejoong asks kindly, unpacking a few things from the bag he brought.
Both Yoochun and his head guard jump in shock.
“Excuse me?! No one may see the Crown Prince’s body unless you’re one of his servants or future wife!” Yoochun’s head guard shouts, inching closer to the prince. Yunho has always been too protective for Yoochun’s liking, even after all the years they’ve been together.
Jaejoong sighs at his bag and looks over at the guard, leveling him with a glare that makes Yoochun a little scared.
“I’m here to help with his disease, am I not? How am I supposed to do that if I can not get access to the source of the problem? First, you almost arrest me for even speaking to the Crown Prince and now you’re trying to stop me from doing my job?”
Yunho shifts another step in front of Yoochun.
“Well,” he says, shifting his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Aren’t you an expert magic user? They say that all of those that come from Harmon are graced with magic abilities and if our King sent for you, you must be very talented. So…”
Yoochun catches the way that Jaejoong’s eyebrow twitches at Yunho’s reasoning. It almost makes him smile. But he can also tell that Jaejoong’s about to tear into his head guard and Yoochun does like having Yunho around, so he finally speaks up instead.
“Yunho, listen, it’s fine.” He nudges Yunho out of the way and starts to unbutton his vest and shirt. “If it bothers you that much, you can wait outside while Jaejoong- Ah, it’s okay to call you that, yes?”
Jaejoong’s face relaxes and he nods.
“You can wait outside while Jaejoong examines me, alright? If that makes you feel better?”
Yunho mumbles something under his breath and instead takes a seat on the other side of Yoochun’s bed. He’s out of the way, but still close enough in case something happens. The thought makes Yoochun laugh as he folds his shirt and vest.
“You can leave your pants on, Your Highness,” Jaejoong says as he carries over a tray filled with various things. “For now at least.”
The way he says it with a wink makes Yoochun laugh and feel more relaxed than he has in years.
**
“That is a beautiful marking you have, Your Highness.”
Jaejoong’s fingers are cool against his skin, gently tracing the black feather mark above his heart.
“I was born with it...though they say that it used to much more beautiful back then.” Yoochun replies, remembering the faint memories of red and gold he would see in the reflection of his baths when he was young.
“It’s still beautiful now.”
Jaejoong writes something quickly on the notebook sitting on his lap, pausing for a moment to close his eyes, like he was thinking.
Yoochun can’t help but ask a question when Jaejoong finally opens his eyes and starts to write again.
“It’s the reason that my heart is failing...Isn’t it?”
The writing stops.
“Let me finish my tests first and then we’ll see. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, Crown Prince.”
Jaejoong gives him a smile and then gets back to work.
**
Jaejoong is an amazing healer.
He gently checks Yoochun’s pulse and pressure points, presses his hand in the center of his chest to get a better feel of his energy.
“I specialize in healing, but specifically life energy.” Jaejoong explains to Yoochun the few days later. It’s the fourth day of tests, because Jaejoong says that he needs more than one day of results to compare and figure out the best cure.
Today Yunho’s sitting at the edge of the bed, actually a little interested in what’s happening. All of Yoochun’s previous healers couldn’t even compare to the meticulous care that Jaejoong gave Yoochun. They would give him the new medicine or spell of the day, hoping that they would finally be the one to heal the Crown Prince and be rich for life.
But Jaejoong-
Jaejoong has yet to give him any sort of treatment and yet Yoochun’s felt more and more energized. It’s something that the whole castle has noticed and it’s a little hard to tell them that he hasn’t even received a single real treatment from Jaejoong.
“Okay, this might feel a little weird, but don’t worry okay? I’m just going to check your circulation system using a small amount of my own energy. It should feel a little warm.”
He places his hand in the center of Yoochun’s chest, just as he had every day before, and presses his palm down. There’s a surge of warm, like a strange shock of some kind, and it travels from Yoochun’s heart all the way down to the tips of his fingers and toes.
“Wow.” It’s the only thing that Yoochun can say in response and it brings a smile to Jaejoong’s face. Something that Yoochun has already begun to enjoy seeing.
He watches Jaejoong write in his notebook before closing it.
“Okay, that’s it for today. You can put your shirt back on.”
Jaejoong’s finished quicker than he had the previous days and, admittedly, Yoochun’s a little sad.
“Don’t be so obvious, Crown Prince.” Yunho whispers to him and Yoochun punches him in the arm.
He is not obvious.
Jae bows to him after he collects his things and leaves. Yoochun’s staring at the door, when Yunho speaks up again.
“You’re allowed to ask him to eat with you, my Prince.”
Yoochun looks at him, suspicious.
“I thought you didn’t like Jaejoong?”
Yunho rolls his eyes, leaning against one of the bed posts.
“He makes you smile, for whatever reason. I like seeing you happy, despite what you may think. And you- you’ve practically been glowing since yesterday when you and Jaejoong had that small conversation about music as he was going through his tests.”
“Glowing? Really?” The thought makes Yoochun want to cringe but he did feel more energetic and happier. His heart feels lighter almost. And, he can’t deny, it did all start when Jaejoong arrived at the castle...
“Being obvious again with your thoughts, my Prince.”
Yoochun doesn’t hold back with his punch this time. He’s walking out the door and down the hall to find Jaejoong when he hears Yunho call behind him.
“PRINCE, YOUR SHIRT-”
**
It becomes routine for them to have lunch together after Jaejoong finishes his daily tests. He adds a little magic here and there to them, but it’s never painful. Jaejoong says it’s about opening all the blockades in his system, as well as removing all the tension from his system.
They talk about everything under the sun (except Yoochun’s disease) over lunch, and after a few weeks, Yoochun feels like he’s know Jaejoong his whole life.
He knows that his favorite color is red, which explains his hair, and that he also prefers his food spicy. Jaejoong enjoys music when he has time and used to sing with a few bards back in Harmon. But the thing that Yoochun thinks is most amazing about Jaejoong is that he loves that he was blessed with magic. With his magic, he’s been able to help so many people in his life, just like Yoochun.
“Being able to save the life of one person is important and so amazing to me.” Jaejoong says to him over tea that day. “One or a million, all lives are important and, it might be selfish but, I want to save as many as I can.”
He finishes his thought with the widest, warmest smile that Yoochun’s seen from him.
And for the first time in a long time, Yoochun’s heart beats in overtime.
**
The next morning, Yoochun catches his reflection in the mirror as he’s getting dressed.
There are no dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks look full and healthy. Jaejoong still hasn’t started his full treatments, just small ones, but Yoochun feels like he’s changing.
Changing for the better.
He’s pulling his hair back into a ponytail, humming with a slight smile on his face when he sees it.
The bits of gold around his black feather mark, flashing along with his heartbeat.
**
Yoochun runs all the way to Jaejoong’s room.
He finds Jaejoong asleep on top of his desk, drooling on what were probably important notes. It’s a little more adorable than Yoochun tells himself that it is.
But he gently shakes Jaejoong awake regardless, more than excited to tell him about his mark.
“Ah- What? Who?”
Jaejoong blinks the sleep out of his eyes and Yoochun frowns at the dark circles under his eyes. It almost kills all of his energy, thinking about how hard Jaejoong must be working to find a cure for him. But maybe with this new development, Jaejoong’s work might almost be done.
“Jaejoong.” Yoochun says, pulling the extra chair in the room up next to him. Sitting down, Yoochun grabs his shirt. “Jaejoong, look.”
He may or may not rip his shirt open a little enthusiastically, a button or two flying in different directions. It causes Jaejoong to let out a tired laugh, but he quickly chokes on it- fingers flying out and tracing the new gold surrounding Yoochun’s feather.
“I can’t believe it.”
The color continues to pulse along with Yoochun’s heartbeat and Yoochun thinks he might see tears in Jaejoong’s eyes.
“They’re connected, aren’t they?” Yoochun asks once again, the first time since the day that Jaejoong came to the castle. “My heart and the mark.”
“Yes,” Jaejoong whispers, pressing down a little harder, like he can’t believe it. “Yes, they are.”
**
Two more weeks pass by and Yoochun feels even healthier and energetic. He outruns Yunho in their morning training, beats him in a few (lucky) sparring matches, and even sits in on a few meetings with his father and his advisors.
The kingdom has heard of their Crown Prince’s improvement and his mother suggests a ball to celebrate the end of his battle. Yes, he wants to call it the end of his battle, thanks to his mark.
The feather is no longer a simple black, but a beautiful mix of colors that were almost alive. Red and gold mix together along and under the black outline, flashing and shifting with his heartbeat.
“It’s even more beautiful than it was when you were a child.” His mother tells him, pressing a kiss to it. “Our little prince is certainly blessed.”
**
Yoochun’s walking down the hall, alone without Yunho for once, humming a melody that Jaejoong had taught last week. He’s trying to think of the best way to invite Jaejoong to the ball when he hears a voice.
An angry voice.
He stops to listen.
“All this time?! You’ve been doing it all this time!?”
Yunho?
Yoochun looks around, trying to figure out where his head guard is. He ends up on the other side of a door, one he’s never actually paid attention to before, ear pressed against door.
“What do you think he’s going to say when you tell him, huh? Because you are going to tell him, right?”
He’s never heard such anger in Yunho’s voice before and the person he’s yelling at is talking too softly for Yoochun to hear. But he clearly hears Yunho’s scoff in reply.
“It’s like you don’t even realize how he feels about you. Maybe you’re both just as blind. Or maybe you’re both too cowardly to admit the truth.”
There’s another quiet reply and then footsteps. Yoochun throws himself away from the door and hides behind a trusty pillar as the door opens. He’s not stupid enough to try and see who comes out, so he holds his breath instead.
“There’s a ball in five days,” He hears Yunho say. “I’m giving you until then to tell him. You have to tell him.”
Yoochun listens to the familiar sound of Yunho’s boots walk down the hall, but the other person hasn’t left yet. His lungs are starting to burn when Yoochun hears a heavy sigh and soft footsteps walk in the opposite direction of Yunho.
By the time they’re gone, Yoochun finally comes out of his hiding spot.
“What the hell was that about?”
**
A few days go by and he still hasn’t asked Jaejoong about the ball. There’s no way that Jaejoong doesn’t know about it- the servants have already started setting up for it. But they simply don’t talk about for one reason or another.
Honestly, Yoochun’s still curious about the person that Yunho fought with a few days ago. He’s tried dropping a few leading questions to his head guard, but sometimes Yunho is even more stubborn than Yoochun himself.
He’s staring at the ceiling as Jaejoong’s doing his normal tests. His hand is as warm as ever, but when he presses down, there’s no extra pulse of warmth. So, he presses down again, a little firmer.
Nothing.
At the fourth try, Yoochun looks down at Jaejoong. There’s a little bit of panic in his eyes and his hand shakes on Yoochun’s chest. And that’s when he notices how awful Jaejoong looks.
His face is gaunt, the dark circles deep and purple under his eyes. The clothes that Yoochun had his tailor make especially for Jaejoong are hanging off him when they used to be perfectly fitted. And it doesn’t help that his whole body looks tense either.
“Hey.” Yoochun sits up, covering Jaejoong’s hand with his own. “Hey, are you alright? You look...tired.”
Tired doesn’t even scratch the way that Jaejoong looks, but it’s the kindest way that Yoochun can word it.
“Tired,” Jaejoong repeats, carefully pulling his hand away. “I...Yes, I’m-”
He seems at a loss for words and that in itself worries Yoochun even more. Sometimes Jaejoong could never stop talking.
“I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, sorry. I don’t mean to be an inconvenience.”
Yoochun frowns even more.
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that at all. Please, Jaejoong. I’ve been feeling better than ever, like I was never sick in the first place. You...You, on the other hand.” He pauses, unable to finish his sentence the way it was going.
He glances at Yunho, who’s actually staring at Jaejoong instead of him for once. Yoochun’s not the only one that noticed, it seems.
“Listen, Jaejoong. There’s a ball in two days. The castle is going to be busy until then, which means I’ll be busy too. So how about we skip this until the ball is over and you get some rest? You certainly deserve it after you’ve helped me...with every way that you have.”
Jaejoong fidgets, pulling at his sleeves.
“If...if only you’re sure.”
Yunho shifts in his chair, letting out a sigh.
Yoochun ignores him.
“Of course I’m sure. I’ll have the servants run you a bath. Go and relax, Jaejoong.”
He reaches out, a little bold, and pulls Jaejoong into a hug.
“Feel better soon. Please.”
**
Yoochun doesn’t see Jaejoong for two days.
Despite all the preparations for the ball, they are the two longest days ever.
“So, so obvious.” Yunho tells him the first day and Yoochun thinks he hears pity in his voice.
“So, so obvious that someone wants to be reassigned to gate patrol~” Yoochun counters, handing Yunho a stack of red fabric. “But first, take that to my tailor and tell him to make something nice for Jaejoong please.”
**
The night of the ball, Yoochun still hasn’t seen Jaejoong.
Yunho’s told him that Jaejoong was coming, that he’d dropped off the outfit Yoochun had made and everything. That Jaejoong’s looking much healthier than before, that the rest helped him a lot.
Yoochun’s eyes scan the room again, searching for the unique red hair. It’s not anywhere.
“Darling, you’re fidgeting.” His mother says, seemingly kind but Yoochun knows the reprimand hidden in it.
He takes a calming breath. Jaejoong’s just...late. That’s all.
**
Two hours into the ball, his parents finally release him to the floor.
Yunho is suspiciously missing, but there are enough guards around the ballroom keeping an eye on him. With all these people around, it’s the perfect time for an assassination attempt, really.
“I need to stop thinking so morbidly,” Yoochun mutters to himself, moving through the crowd.
He accepts everyone’s well-wishes, genuinely thankful for all those who are happy for his returned health. Considering he would be ruling them one day, it’s certainly nice to know that the people support him so much already.
Right as he finishes a dance with lovely young lady, Yoochun’s dragged out of the crowd by a strong arm.
“What th- Yunho?”
His head guard shakes his head and drags him out of the ballroom and down the dark halls.
“Do not ask me any questions, shut up and follow. He’ll be happy to answer them for you and you’ll be able to vent all your anger at him.”
“What?”
Yoochun’s more than confused, but as they make a few more turns, the path is more than recognizable.
“Are we going to see Jaejoong? Is he in his room? Is that why he wasn’t at the ball?”
Yunho doesn’t not answer, just continues to quickly pull him to Jaejoong’s door, rip it open, and throw him inside.
The door slams shut with a loud sound.
“Yunho? Is that you? I told you to leave me alone, dammit.”
Yoochun turns around to see Jaejoong curled on his bed, looking smaller than ever. It makes his heartbreak.
“No...No, Jaejoong. It’s me. It’s Yoochun.”
He sits on the bed right as Jaejoong’s eyes open. A hand weakly tries to push Yoochun away.
“You...you shouldn’t be here, Your Highness.”
Seeing Jaejoong in this state and knowing that he was here alone, compared to the ball-
“There’s no other place I’d rather be than right here, Jaejoong.”
And Yoochun truly means every word.
“Of course you would say that. You were always more open with your feelings.”
The words confuse Yoochun.
“Always? What do you mean by that?”
Jaejoong struggles out a laugh.
“Well, it’s not like I have much time left. I was hoping that I could get away with it. So that my debt was fulfilled. Help me sit up?”
Yoochun slides an arm around Jaejoong’s back and carefully helps him up. His eyes widen as Jaejoong unbuttons his shirt, sliding it off until-
“Jaejoong...what is that?”
His fingers reach out and press right above Jaejoong’s heart. They press right into the black feather mark above Jaejoong’s heart.
“Look familiar?” Jaejoong laughs again. “Now, careful not to get a headache like I did. It was hard to hide back then, you know?”
“A headache? Jaejoong what in the world, how long have you-”
His question is cutting off by the searing pain in his head.
**
It’s worse than anything he’s experienced with his heart and Yoochun thinks that he’s going to die.
He’s really going to die, Jaejoong tricked him this whole time, played with his heart to lure him here and murder him and-
Then there’s images in his head.
A man in black and red robes.
A forest.
A mountain.
That same man smiling at him.
A beautiful red and gold bird.
An ocean.
And then-
Darkness.
See you soon.
**
“See you soon.”
The words spill out of Yoochun’s mouth and then he’s crying. He’s sobbing.
Jaejoong’s arms come around him, trying to console, but Yoochun can’t stop the tears.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Jaejoong...Why? WHY?”
“You didn’t deserve to die back then. Even if it was for the village.” He feels Jaejoong’s own tears. “I couldn’t let you die here too. When I knew...You have to understand. You have to understand, Yoochun.”
Yoochun’s head hurts. His heart hurts. Everythings hurts so much and to add to things, his matching feather mark is burning against his skin.
It’s the first time that Jaejoong has ever said his name (in this lifetime), but Yoochun can’t even be happy because there is something terribly wrong with Jaejoong’s words.
“What do you mean ‘I couldn’t let you die here too’?”
Jaejoong says nothing. He hides his face against Yoochun’s shoulder.
“Jaejoong. Jaejoong, what did you mean by that?”
“You already know the answer to that.” Jaejoong whispers against his shoulder. “I know you that you know. Even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
Yoochun pushes Jaejoong away, barely feeling bad for the way that he hits the bed hard.
“Stop talking in riddles!! Enough of this subtle bullshit, be honest for once!”
Yoochun’s way too riled up, heartbeating fast and hands curled into fist. But Jaejoong sits up and reaches out, tapping right where Yoochun’s mark is.
“You know the answer. You know what I specialize in. You knew the answer from the first day it started to have an effect on you. The day that the first gold marks appeared.” Jaejoong’s voice is even weaker now, like it’s hard for him to speak, but Yoochun’s mind is too caught up trying to decipher his words.
Jaejoong’s speciality…
I specialize in healing, but specifically life energy
specifically life energy
life energy
It’s too much. Too much for Yoochun to handle all at once.
“Jaejoong, how could you? How- You could have...You should have-”
Jaejoong trails his hand up to Yoochun’s face, cupping his face.
“At least I was free to touch you this time,” He comments, thumb brushing Yoochun’s cheek. “Even if our time was shorter together. It was really hard not to the first time around, you know.”
The words make Yoochun laugh through his tears, despite everything.
“I knew you were feeling my chest up more than you needed to.”
**
They lay together in the bed after they settle down a bit, Jaejoong tucked in Yoochun’s arms.
Everything and everyone else seem so far away now. The only thing that matters to Yoochun is Jaejoong.
And the fact that he’s going to lose Jaejoong very soon.
“It’s tonight, isn’t it?” Yoochun asks.
Jaejoong nods against his chest.
“I tried to make it to your ball but...Yunho found me collapsed on the floor. He figured out that I was giving you my own life energy, but he didn’t know about the marks. Still, he’s smart and cares about you a lot. You should listen to him more.”
“Tch. I’m the crown prince! It’s his job to listen to me!”
Yoochun feels Jaejoong’s lips smile against his mark.
**
It happens quicker than Yoochun expects.
But this time, it’s Jaejoong that’s leaning up and giving him a kiss good-bye.
“See you soon?” He whispers.
“See you soon.”