"How are you?"

Yeosang hesitated to raise the cloth in his hand to Jongho's forehead. It was damp with some precious leftovers of their water. Jongho had protested using it for his clammy skin, but San had gravely stated that he would rather climb down to the stream beneath them and get fresh water than have Jongho be uncomfortable. Jongho had conceded at that.

At the man's nod, Yeosang reached out to pat his sweaty face down. Jongho's lids fluttered shut at the gentle touch, and he relaxed into Yeosang's gentle ministrations. The librarian was glad that Jongho had eased into his care so quickly. As the one with the most medical knowledge out of all of them, Yeosang had been tasked with Jongho's recovery. While they climbed, Mingi helped him get across difficult obstacles that his hurt arm created for the most part. Yeosang's lacking skill and his clumsiness weren't needed in that regard.

Also, Yeosang was still arguably terrified of Jongho's presence near him. Whenever Yeosang sunk into the arms of his kind lover, his mind was distracted with Jongho's presence nearby him and the burning glances he sometimes sent them. While they were seemingly light and non-caring, Yeosang felt entirely exposed from them. Jongho never objected their relationship, but Yeosang felt as if he did. He suspected that he should address it, but shyness restricted his plans. What if he read too much into it? The audacity to think that Jongho even remotely cared about something as trivial as Yeosang's relationship with San when he was so detached and composed by himself kept him from quick conclusions.

"I will get better soon. No worries, despite all the climbing I'm doing my best to rest it."

They had fixed Jongho's shoulder with another cloth underneath his gadget sleeve to make sure the joint would be under as little pressure as possible. It greatly inconvenienced Jongho's range of movements and had them all on edge with the risk his handicapped climbing posed. However, it was the most they could do.

Yeosang warily eyed the bandage. The shoulder underneath - a strong and naturally tanned shoulder that Yeosang had found firm to the touch - was discoloured in blues and purple shadows that marred his flesh. Mingi had joked about it being the most sky he had seen in weeks. The rest of them had merely chuckled weakly.

"Good. Maybe we should do as San suggestionised and leave you here, though. If we can find this hermit person first, then we could bring him back to you and Mingi, and his help would do more than if you keep climbing."

Jongho chuckled. His dark lashes fanned over his rounded cheeks before he rose his eyes to Yeosang. The westsider leaned halfway into the other man's lap, and Yeosang still idly patted over his forehead. He tried to dodge Jongho's curious gaze by shifting his full attention on the little baby hairs on his hairline, but they were too close that Jongho didn't notice. His inquisitive eyes on Yeosang's features had the man blush.

"Why wouldn't you stay here with me? You are the doc, after all."

Yeosang shyly rubbed his neck. His hair begun to overgrow since no palace hairdresser took care of it regularly. By now, it was long enough in his nape that it nearly tickled his shoulders. Usually, he wore it in a little ponytail.

"I'm not a doc... I barely know anything about injuries and how to treat them."

"Wrong, you helped me a lot. Without you, we would have assumed it broke and never put it back into place correctly. I would be in so much more pain right now." His big and honest eyes had Yeosang forgive him all the embarrassment that overcame him at Jongho's words. In his low voice, the honeyed tone was like a harmonious melody in Yeosang's heart that had him calm and feel at ease. He considered it as if he had come home after a long time, despite his home being far from there.

Jongho was the most difficult fifteen puzzle Yeosang had ever come across. One day the man glared at him, the next he was all sweet and warm as he rested in Yeosang's lap. His mind spun from all the possibilities he came up with why that might be.

He knew that this was the best moment to ask. San and Mingi were off to explore and try to find a trail how much further it might be that the hermit lived away from them. While they never went too far, they were well out of earshot by now, and just two dots in the dimly lit distance.

But as usual, Yeosang shied away from it. He didn't want to disrupt their peaceful moment, and he didn't want to pry into Jongho's business. After all, the man always had a lot to glare about. Maybe it wasn't even related to Yeosang. After all, it was also obvious that Jongho disliked San, so that might be all that Yeosang mistook for more.

"Well... I'm glad that I could at least do that. I often feel as if all of you others do far more than I," Yeosang muttered underneath his breath as he put the cloth away. He checked on the bandages around Jongho's shoulder while the other man never stopped staring at him. It was as if he wanted to memorise Yeosang's features, just like Yeosang sometimes did when he drew people. From this close vicinity and as intense as he did it, it had Yeosang squirm. If he thought about Jongho looking at him for too long, he wanted to move away, scared that the other man would deem him ugly and view him with disgust.

That was also the one thing he awaited to happen with San. San was far out of Yeosang's league, far too gorgeous and exotic for a nobody like him. They were no match, and while his attention made Yeosang feel like the prince he was supposed to be, whenever his mind wasn't busy with worries and anxiety, he questioned it.

By now, he questioned everything.

"We don't. We're all in this together, and we decided to come this far by your side. We will see it through, so don't you worry about it. Nobody gets left behind."

Yeosang nodded, soothed by his words. Jongho knew exactly what to say to calm him most of the times. While Yeosang appreciated it a lot, he also hoped that to stay the same for a long while afterwards. Since he had nowhere to go apart from where Seonghwa was, Yeosang's little heart yearned to stay near his friends; near Jongho and Mingi. He knew that with them, he would feel safe.

"Jongho, may I ask you something?"

Without a second of hesitation, Jongho nodded. The speed of the approval made Yeosang giggle. As he shifted his weight in the hammock, Jongho followed the movement until they could rest together comfortably. In a moment of being lost in his thoughts, Yeosang carded his fingers through Jongho's hair. The strands were soft underneath his fingers and slid through them spun silk.

"It's about your brother, tell me if I overstep any boundaries. But I was... Wondering. What happened to him?"

With a sigh, Jongho began to unpack the story. He told Yeosang about their happy life together as a family of four back in Zey. Their situation had been anything but perfect, but at least everybody had found their fulfilment and joy within each other. Then, the palace people had come and taken Yunho from them. Jongho had fallen into bitter cynicism and distrust in anything but himself, while his parents grieved about their precious son. It had taken his mother from him, and recently, as Yeosang only learnt now, also his father.

Jongho's story was laced with hatred and sadness so deep and raw that Yeosang's heart ached. In the middle of it all, he had noticed his soothing touches to the other man's hair, but even after a long moment of hesitation, he had continued in his ministrations. Even if Jongho didn't look the part, he seemed to enjoy the gentle caresses to his scalp.

After he had ended, Yeosang felt numb. He was stricken with guilt for every assumption he had made about Zey and how they lived, and with every word in particular that he directed against Jongho.

Yes, Yeosang feared his father, and they had never had a good relationship. But who was he to complain when Jongho's pain ran so much deeper?

They had spent a few minutes in silence after Jongho concluded his story. He wasn't any sadder or angrier than before, but he had sunken into a state of melancholy and sombre smiles. They all hurt Yeosang in any possible way. Jongho's smile was beautiful, and Yeosang wanted to curse the world for not gifting him a reason to show it more often.

He was just about to come up with some joke that Mingi would say in this situation to resolve it when the shrill call of a bird startled both of them from their trance. As they shifted, they seemed to notice for the first time how naturally their bodies had interwoven and how comfortably they laid in the hammock.

Yeosang cleared his throat and sat up after nearly having sunken into Jongho's arms with his whole body.

Bricky fluttered above them with the sweet lullaby melody he played echoing from him. When Yeosang held out his hand and called for his little friend, the intricate clockwork machines in his body whirred to life when he came over. Brass claws wrapped around Yeosang's outstretched finger when the bird settled down comfortably.

When Yeosang shifted to seek the warmth his body had left behind next to Jongho, he automatically slumped further towards the man since the hammock pressed them together. As if Jongho had to make sure he was stabilised, he reached out to wrap an arm around Yeosang's legs. It settled around his upper thighs, but the westsider barely minded as he glanced at Bricky. More aware of the touch, Yeosang timidly cleared his throat.

He unbound the message from Bricky's foot and let the bird hop on his shoulder. Only then, he unrolled the little piece of paper from its confinement. Wooyoung's handwriting contrasted in black ink from the paper.

"It's from Wooyoung." Yeosang declared as if they hadn't waited for news from him. Then, he rose his voice slightly to read it to Jongho first before he could show it to the last of their two members later.

"Dear Yeosang

I'm writing with urgency. Many new things are going on here, and they follow in such quick recession that I fear I might forget half of what I wanted to write as I finish this letter.

More trouble has overcome the palace. Ever since Prince Seonghwa's passing, the system tightened. Trade with Asora has gotten sparse ever since, and up until now, we have no idea why. While our allies are stricken with grief over the prince's untimely death, they certainly promised us their support above anything. However, the more we seem to yearn for said help, the more it gets restricted. All I see are Bishops and soldiers. Either our allies disapprove of the current war plans, or something else is brewing.

I heard rumours. Rumours from Zey that talk about the local gangs. I fear that they might seize the chance and try to take over Asora while the king wages war. He seems ready to take the risk, though. I worry a lot, Yeosang. I feel as if he overlooks too much. This battle might be his last. If the Bishops aren't as mighty as we think, then nobody will be able to stop Asora from falling. It seems as if with Seonghwa gone, our allies also see no future anymore.

I fear about Asorazey. Nobody knows what the future might bring to both of our cities.

Please stay safe and take good care.

Your Friend
Wooyoung"

Yeosang ended his speech with a frown etched deeply into his forehead. The messages from the palace increased in panic and distress that weighed Yeosang's heart down. From how desperate Wooyoung sounded, Yeosang wished to know him safe now rather than risk another letter exchange. By the next letter, Wooyoung might already be in trouble.

Jongho agreed on that sentiment.

"You should contact Seonghwa about this. It seems as if the empire crumbles, so he should know about it."

Yeosang whipped out more paper to write to Wooyoung and Seonghwa. His writing was hectic and wobbly from his nervousness. Jongho kept silent until he finished with it all.

"What do you think? Will we return to the palace once we retrieved the item?" Yeosang sent Bricky off and watched him flutter away further down the canyon. Jongho followed his line of sight with his own gaze.

"Maybe. Right now, it sounds as if everybody should have an eye on the palace anyway."

They needed to hurry more. The unknown spectacles up on the surface stayed hidden from their eyes, and Yeosang feared to return to a city of ashes. The king needed Seonghwa to stabilise, and Seonghwa could only return with his precious item. It was on them to save what could still be saved.