"Your Highness, I have some news for you on the patient you brought in earlier." Hongjoong perked up and sat up slowly, gently bringing San up with him as the younger was sleeping on his chest. They had been waiting for a few hours and ended up staying in one of the isolated medical rooms to stay private. Hongjoong was laying down in one of the beds, the young Knight laying with him and had fallen asleep an hour or two ago. Yeosang and Jongho were sitting together on a second bed while Seonghwa and Mingi were on a third and Yunho sat on a chair beside Hongjoong and San's bed. Hongjoong gently shook San to wake him up and he woke up quickly.

"What's up," San asked tiredly.

"They have news on Wooyoung," Hongjoong said softly. San woke up quickly at those words, eager to make sure Wooyoung was going to be ok.

"Alright, lay it on us," Hongjoong said, taking a deep breath.

"Ok so he's going to be just fine, all of his wounds are going to heal over time." Everyone let out a breath of relief, glad to hear that he would at least be ok.

"What are his injuries," Hongjoong asked.

"He has three broken fingers that have been set and braced to heal. He has a mild concussion so he shouldn't do any physical work for at least a week for that. He has some severely bruised ribs which will need longer to heal. The cuts on his face, arms and stomach have all been stitched and should heal pretty quickly because they weren't too deep luckily. There are more bruises all over his body but none are too severe and should take less than a week to heal. I would give him at least a month of rest, if not longer so no training for him," the medic said. Hongjoong nodded, not correcting him about Wooyoung actually being a servant.

"Thank you. When is he allowed out," Hongjoong asked.

"We just need to do a last check up but he should be released in about an hour," the medic replied.

"Ok, thank you. We'll be waiting here," Hongjoong said.

"Of course Your Highness, we'll bring him here once he's ready," the medic said, bowing before leaving.

"H-He's going to be ok," San whispered. Part of him couldn't believe it. That everything was over for now and his baby was going to be safe, he could protect him again.

"Yeah, he's going to be ok," Hongjoong said softly. San glanced up at him with wide eyes for a few seconds before his face scrunched up and he burst into tears. Hongjoong hummed softly and bought San closer in his arms, allowing him to cry it out. Jongho quickly slipped off the bed and away from Yeosang, padding over to the other bed and climbing up, cuddling to San's other side and hooking his chin on his brothers shoulder.

"I'm s-sorry. I shouldn't be c-crying," San said.

"Yes, you should. The love of your life is going to be ok and these are tears of relief," Jongho said softly.

"He's g-gonna be ok," San whispered.

"Yeah, he's going to be fine San," Jongho said with a nod. San sniffled and turned, moving his head from laying on Hongjoong's chest to hide in Jongho's chest instead.

"You ok Darling," Hongjoong asked softly.

"I'm happy. Everyone's safe," San said quietly. Hongjoong hummed softly and gently ran his fingers through the younger's hair.

"I think we're all happy that everyone is safe and we're gonna be ok," Yeosang said quietly. He had been scared the entire time that the boys were gone, worried they would get hurt or die, or that they wouldn't be able to find Wooyoung. He was relieved when he got back and heard all of them made it back alive, even his best friend.

"Hongjoong," Mingi said.

"Yeah, what's up," Hongjoong asked.

"Can we all spend the night in your room please, just spend time together," Mingi asked quietly.

"Yeah, of course. Just come up whenever you guys want to," Hongjoong said with a nod. San turned and cuddled closer, burrowing up against him.

"We'll just wait until Youngie's let out," he added.

"Do you think your father will come back soon," Seonghwa asked.

"Words already been sent to him about what's happened. He should probably be back tomorrow," Yunho replied for Hongjoong.

"He should've been here," San said quietly. Everyone went quiet, glancing at the Knight.

"He's the King. He should've been here when his Kingdom was about to be invaded. We stopped an invasion, Hongjoong stopped an invasion and he's out having a vacation god knows where. He's the bloody King and he isn't even doing his job properly. He knew Balhae was getting restless and he denied aid to Valkyrie, he knew stuff was happening. He sh-should've-." San cut himself off with a gasp as he was breathing heavily, his breaths coming out in short sharp gasps. Hongjoong sat up properly, pulling San up with him and patting his back softly, rocking slightly to calm him down.

"I hate him, I hate him so much," San said shaking his head. Hongjoong hugged him softly and Jongho joined in rubbing his back.

"I know you do," Hongjoong said with a sigh.

"You're a much better person than he is. You'd be a much better King," San said.

"I appreciate it Sannie, but I won't be King for a while and who knows what kind of King I would be anyway," Hongjoong said.

"You're going to be a great King someday Hongjoong, we all know it," Yunho said. Hongjoong glanced around at the others, seeing they were all watching him, nodding along to Yunho's words.

"I'll have you guys by my side to make sure I don't mess up," Hongjoong said quietly with a small smile.

"We'd be honoured to help," Jongho said. Hongjoong smiled softly and nodded before, squeezing San in his arms. He knows that everyone is safe now and he's happy for that but now things have settled down, his thoughts are drifting back to what happened earlier. He reached up and wrapped his fingers around the necklace on his neck.

"I'm going to head up to my room to get washed up and get a bit more decent," he said with a sigh. He slipped out from behind San and got off the bed.

"Tell Wooyoung I said I'm glad he's ok and I'll see him later," Hongjoong said. San furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why is Hongjoong leaving? Why wouldn't he wait to see Wooyoung? The younger boy who loves him so much and could've died, who went through so much pain to protect the Prince.

"You're seriously leaving before he get's back," he asked incredulously. Hongjoong froze from where he was walking towards the doorway, not turning around.

"San," Seonghwa warned, knowing exactly why Hongjoong wanted to leave. He doesn't like the younger boys seeing him vulnerable and he needs some time to properly grieve before they come up later.

"No, don't San me. Wooyoung went through getting tortured to keep your secrets safe and you aren't even going to stay to see him when he gets back? He loves you like his older brother and yo-."

"Choi San shut the hell up," Seonghwa said angrily, cutting him off. San went silent and the others looked over at him in shock, not used to him losing his temper. Hongjoong remained facing the door as silent tears begun to fall down his face.

"I know you love Wooyoung more than anything in this world, but that does not give you the right to snap at Hongjoong who has done nothing but protect him every single chance he can. Don't forget that Hongjoong is the only reason we have him back right now. Hongjoong is the one who rounded up the Knights to go to the town to rescue him. He didn't do that to protect the Kingdom, he did that to protect Wooyoung and in doing something he lost someone he cared about so you do not have the right to berate him for needing to take a moment for himself to process things," Seonghwa said, his voice level but low. San instantly felt ashamed for how he acted towards the Prince, knowing Seonghwa's words were right.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Hongjoong didn't reply, just continued to the doorway and out of the room. Seonghwa quickly got off the bed and followed after Hongjoong, knowing he would need him to be there for him. He hurried to catch up with him before slowing down once he did and walking beside him. When they go to the Prince's room, Hongjoong went straight over to the bathroom and walked inside. Seonghwa sighed and walked over to the cupboard, grabbing out a change of clothes for Hongjoong. There was a sudden clatter and bang and Seonghwa quickly ran into the bathroom, finding Hongjoong seated on the floor, his sword discarded to the side and tears streaming down his face. Seonghwa frowned sadly and moved over, kneeling beside him. He slipped his hands into the Prince's and Hongjoong squeezed it tightly but didn't move other than that.

"The blood on my robes, it's Maddox's," Hongjoong whispered. The reality that he would never see someone who has been there for him his whole life, has stuck up for him, protected him, helped him his whole life is now gone, finally came crashing down on him.

"I can take it off for you," Seonghwa said softly.

"He gave me his necklace, to remember him by I think," Hongjoong said quietly. Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong's neck, squeezing his hand again.

"I can't believe he's gone," Hongjoong whispered, the tears streaming down his face as he shook his head.

"I w-want it off, I need it o-off," he cried, scratching at the blood on his neck. Seonghwa lunged forwards and grabbed his arm quickly to stop him from hurting himself by accident.

"I'm going to get it off, you just need to give me a minute," Seonghwa said quickly. Hongjoong sniffled and just went limp, resting his head against the sink cupboard. Seonghwa let him go and quickly moved to the bathtub, turning on the water and running it to get it warm enough for Hongjoong. He then went to the sink cupboard and quickly grabbed a bucket and some soap.

"Come here Lucky," he said softly. Hongjoong sniffled but pushed himself up and shuffled forwards. Seonghwa quickly slipped his arms under Hongjoong's and heaved them both to their feet, steady Hongjoong as he got a little unstable. Seonghwa quickly untied his robes and pulled them off before helping out of his undergarments as well. Hongjoong was shivering, though Seonghwa wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the shock of what had happened.

"Come on, let's get in the tub," Seonghwa said softly. He gently pulled Hongjoong over and helped him into the tub. Hongjoong sat down and leaned back against the tub, not moving anymore after that. Seonghwa sighed and quickly filled the bucket, running the water over Hongjoong's body. Usually he would get flustered whenever Hongjoong ever lost a piece of clothing but he felt nothing but concern for the younger boy now. He went back to the cupboard and grabbed a sponge before wetting it and lathering it up with soap before he began to clean all of the blood off of Hongjoong's body. There was a lot of blood around his neck, on the necklace as well but he knew it would be a bad idea to remove it so he just cleaned it up as best as he could. Once he got all of the blood off of him, he put the plug in and the bathtub begun to fill up.

"You're all clean now, just rest for a bit," Seonghwa said softly. Hongjoong blinked and looked up, glancing over at his lover in front of him, watching him with concern. He reached out his hand and grabbed Seonghwa's, holding it tightly.

"Can you join me," he asked quietly.

"Yeah, of course. Just let me put some muscle relaxant in," Seonghwa replied with a nod. He quickly grabbed the bottle with the relaxant in it and poured some into the water as it continued to rise. Once he finished pouring it in and waiting for the tub to fill, he turned off the tap and put away the bottle. After that, he quickly got undressed and climbed into the tub beside Hongjoong. Hongjoong immediately cuddled into Seonghwa's side, resting his head on Seonghwa's chest, his arms slipped around his waist. Seonghwa sighed and held him close, kissing the top of his head before running his hand up and down his shoulder to comfort him.

"It's gonna be ok," Seonghwa whispered.

"He's gone Star, he won't be coming back," Hongjoong said quietly.

"I know," Seonghwa said with a sigh, not knowing how to ease his worry.

"It should be worse," Hongjoong whispered. Seonghwa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not understanding what he meant. What exactly should be worse? It was then that it clicked in his mind.

"Do you regret it? Going back to save Wooyoung," Seonghwa asked. Hongjoong's breath caught in his throat at Seonghwa's words the tears beginning to fall from his eyes again.

"I should. I should regret going because someone I've known pretty much my whole life died," Hongjoong whispered.

"But you don't," Seonghwa said softly.

"B-But I don't. I don't r-regret it, because Y-Youngie is s-safe," Hongjoong sobbed, his shoulders shaking. Seonghwa let out a breath and held him tighter, letting him cry into his shoulder. It makes more sense now, how he's been acting and Seonghwa knows the guilt will be eating at him for a while because of the way he was thinking.

"Maddox knew the risk before he went, he knew what could possibly happen and he still went. Do you know he used to sneak down to the servants quarters to help teach Wooyoung how to read and write when he was younger. Wooyoung told me about it, said he looked after him a lot when he was younger," Seonghwa said. Hongjoong glanced up at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"He did," he questioned quietly.

"Yeah, he loved Wooyoung, even if he wasn't around him much. He was like a silent helper, always there to make sure he was doing ok and was safe. He went there to protect Wooyoung and he gave his life for someone he cared about," Seonghwa said quietly. Hongjoong sniffled but nodded, burying his face in Seonghwa's neck.

"Don't feel guilty for feeling the way you do Joong, he wouldn't want that," Seonghwa said. Hongjoong relaxed in his arms, still crying but seeming like a weight had lifted off his shoulders and Seonghwa was relieved he was able to help calm him down slightly.

"Hongjoong," he said softly. Hongjoong hummed quietly in reply, not moving at all.

"I love you," Seonghwa whispered. Hongjoong didn't move, but he smiled a small smile, it was the best he could do given the circumstances.

"I love you too Star," he replied gently. Seonghwa slipped his arms around Hongjoong's waist and Hongjoong wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling himself up slightly so he could tuck his head into Seonghwa's neck. Hongjoong felt tired, exhausted actually, even seeping into his bones and he couldn't find it in him to move from his position.

"You ok," Seonghwa asked worriedly, noticing the way Hongjoong was just sagging against him.

"Tired," Hongjoong replied with a deep sigh.

"That's ok, you can get some rest," Seonghwa said softly, brushing the hair from his forehead.

"I can't. The boys want to spend time together and Youngie will be back soon," Hongjoong said, shaking his head slightly.

"You've been through a lot Hongjoong. Physically and emotionally. You need rest before you have all those responsibilities tomorrow," Seonghwa pointed out.

"I need to get to the bed," Hongjoong said, trying but failing to get up.

"Hey, hey, that's ok. You just stay here and get some rest, sleep in the warm water. Once it starts getting colder, I'll fix you up and get you into bed," Seonghwa said.

"I can't ask you to do that," Hongjoong whispered, making Seonghwa chuckle.

"Joongie, it's literally my job. We've only been away for a few days and you've already forgotten I'm your personal servant," Seonghwa said with a giggle.

"Not here, not when we're alone. You're my lover in this room and we are equals, no matter what," Hongjoong said firmly.

"Ok, ok, equals. But as someone who loves you more than anything, I want to look after you. So sleep, and I'll take care of you," Seonghwa said, leaning down and placing a kiss to the crown of Hongjoong's head. Hongjoong relaxed more, cuddling closer and letting his eyes slip closed.

"Ok, you can look after me," Hongjoong whispered before letting out a yawn. Seonghwa just stayed in the bathtub for a while after that, just holding Hongjoong even after he fell asleep. He felt at ease, having the younger boy safe and asleep in his arms, his soft, even breaths hitting his neck. When the water finally begun to cool down, he shifted and pulled out the plug, letting the water drain as he held Hongjoong in his arms. Once it was drained, he delicately lifted Hongjoong up and stood, stepping out of the bath and making sure not to hurt either of them. He managed to hold Hongjoong close with one arm and snatch up two of his special towels before walking into the bedroom. He went over to the armchair and slipped the towel over, placing Hongjoong down and wrapping the two towels around him. He made sure Hongjoong was resting properly before going to the bedroom door and latching the lock so no one would randomly walk in. He then went back to Hongjoong and gently dried him off with the towels, making sure he was fully dry so he wouldn't get sick. That's the last thing he needs. Once he was dry, Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong's some new clothes and got him dressed. It was a bit hard because he was asleep but the Prince is also small and light so he managed to get him changed soon enough. After he finished changing him, he scooped the smaller up and carried him over to the bed, placing him down softly. He got himself dressed before he reunlocked the door before crawling onto the bed and pulling Hongjoong back into his arms and pulling the blanket over the two of them. It was really a testament to how tired Hongjoong was because he didn't wake up once through everything that Seonghwa did. Seonghwa just settled down and held him close, waiting for the others to arrive.

~~~~~

"Guys, I know you've missed each other and you were scared you were going to die but you've been hugging for almost two hours. We were planning to go up to Hongjoong's room, so you can continue hugging when we get there," Mingi said. Wooyoung lifted up his head from where it was resting on San's chest, looking over at Mingi and giving him a small, tired smile.

"Sannie's comfy," he said with a pout.

"So you don't want to see Hongjoong," Jongho asked with a raised eyebrow.

"NO! No, I wanna cuddle with Joong," Wooyoung said, sitting up quickly. He winced slightly at the pain and San was quick to sit up, placing a kiss to the side of Wooyoung's neck to relax him more.

"You ok," he asked in concern.

"I'll be fine," Wooyoung said, giving him a small smile.

"Can we please go and see Hongjoong though. I wanna cuddle," Wooyoung said quietly.

"Yeah, ok baby," San said with a nod.

"Let's get going," Yunho said. He and San helped Wooyoung up off the bed, making sure his wasn't in too much pain. It hurt San to see the bruises littering his lovers skin but Wooyoung was taking it all with a smile and he kept his uplifted spirits as usual. They all walked down the halls together, making sure to keep a close eye on Wooyoung and their surroundings. Wooyoung joined them in the room two hours earlier and assured them he was going to be ok despite what he went through but they still couldn't relax enough to let their guard down. They lost him once, they aren't about to lose him again. Jongho quickened his pace slightly so he was walking beside Wooyoung and he quickly wrapped his hand around his wrist, being careful to not grab his hand because a few of his fingers were broken and he didn't want to hurt him more. Wooyoung glanced over at Jongho and smiled softly, moving from San's side to Jongho's in thanks. Jongho let out a deep breath and squeezed Wooyoung's wrist in relief. When they finally got to the door to Hongjoong's room, Yunho knocked before opening the door and walking inside. Wooyoung went in quickly and wanted to immediately run to Hongjoong's side but stopped himself when he noticed the sleeping Prince. He knows what Hongjoong did, what he lost and what he risked to do for him, for a servant that he cares about and he'll never be able to repay him. Hongjoong will forever be an older brother to him, a source of comfort and safety. Mingi was the last to answer and he closed and locked the door behind him. Seonghwa glanced up when the others entered and gave them a small smile from where he was still laying with Hongjoong asleep in his arms.

"The past couple of days have been a lot for him and he was exhausted so I told him to sleep. He needs to be good to go tomorrow because his father will give him crap about what happened even though it isn't Hongjoong's fault and Hongjoong did what the King should have done," Seonghwa said. Wooyoung nodded before padding over and climbing onto the bed, moving to Hongjoong's back and cuddling up to it.

"Hi Youngie, how're you feeling," Seonghwa asked, reaching over and ruffling his hair because it was the only place he was sure wouldn't cause any more pain.

"I'm ok. My body is a bit sore but I'll live. I just wanted to cuddle you guys," Wooyoung said. Seonghwa nodded and shook Hongjoong softly.

"Wait, you don't need to wake him up," Wooyoung protested, but it was too late as Hongjoong started moving and stretched slightly.

"Star, what's wrong," Hongjoong asked, reaching up to cup Seonghwa's face and make sure he was ok.

"I'm fine," Seonghwa giggled. Hongjoong yawned and leaned up, kissing Seonghwa softly. Seonghwa's eyes widened in surprise and he squeaked, realising that the others were still in the room. He kissed him back quickly before pulling back and pulling him into his arms.

"Joong," he whispered, burying his head in his shoulder with a groan.

"Yeah," Hongjoong yawned.

"The kids are here," Seonghwa pointed out. Hongjoong blinked for a few seconds before his head snapped up and he turned around quickly. His eyes went wide and he looked around, noticing the shock on most of the boys faces. Wooyoung was sat beside them, his mouth parted in shock but his eyes lit up.

"Oh my god, finally," Wooyoung squealed, jumping forwards and hugging Hongjoong tightly. Wooyoung however, forgot that he was injured and in doing that, he felt pain shoot through his body. He yelped and whimpered, moving back and wrapping his arm around himself, curling in slightly.

"Youngie, Sweetheart, look at me," Hongjoong said, sitting up quickly and moving to his side, placing a hand on his arm in worry. San moved over to the bed but he didn't engage, waiting to see what happened.

"Sweetheart," Hongjoong whispered.

"I'm good. I just kinda forgot I was injured," Wooyoung said, lifting his head up. His eyes were slightly watery and teary but he wasn't crying and he smiled softly. Hongjoong for some reason felt his own eyes welling up with tears, proud of how strong and resilient the younger boy was. This is the same boy that cried when a squirrel died and he's being strong despite everything he's gone through.

"Why are you crying," Wooyoung asked in shock, reaching up to wipe his eyes. Hongjoong quickly grabbed his arms to stop him from touching him, raising an eyebrow.

"What," Wooyoung asked in confusion.

"Your fingers are in splints because they're broken," Hongjoong pointed out.

"Oh, right, my bad," Wooyoung said.

"You and San really are perfect for each other," Hongjoong said rolling his eyes.

"Come here," he added, holding out his arms. Wooyoung smiled softly and carefully crawled into Hongjoong's arms, resting his head on his chest.

"Don't just stand there guys. We all know my beds massive, get on here," Hongjoong said. Yeosang quickly crawled over and gently cuddled up to Wooyoung so he wouldn't hurt him. San followed, curling up against Yeosang's back and draping his arm over his waist, resting his hand on Wooyoung's waist. Mingi went around to the other side of Seonghwa and cuddled up to his back, curling up against him. Jongho and Yunho laid down near the foot of the bed, relaxing against each other.

"You happy now, oh great Prince," Jongho asked.

"It's perfect," Hongjoong said with a nod. He had his family back, relaxing in his bed to sleep the night together and reassure each other they're all ok.

"Thank you," Wooyoung whispered, snuggling his head into Hongjoong's neck.

"You don't have to thank me. You're my little brother, annoying and stupid sometimes, but still my little brother who I cherish," Hongjoong whispered. Wooyoung blushed but smiled happily, letting out a breath and relaxing against Hongjoong. He's safe now, everything's going to be ok...

A/N

Here is Chapter 20 everyone, I hope you enjoyed it

Let me know you're favourite moments

Thank you for reading everyone 

This story officially passed 1k reads and I'm so happy so thank you everyone for reading!!