Jaehwan died in the minutes following after the shooting. The doctors took him away and he spent his last moments under supervision before he couldn't hold on anymore.

Or at least, that's what Seokjin is convinced that happened because no one in this damn palace is willing to update him on his friend's condition.

Seconds after the shooting, General Min shows up next to him and Jimin and orders for the palace staff to bring a stretcher for Jaehwan as has Seokjin escorted aside to get treated. After their separation, Seokjin has heard nothing on his friend's health and it was pissing him off.

At the moment, Seokjin himself was getting treated. He didn't realize what a mess he looked until they brought him into his room and he looked at himself in the mirror. Damn, no wonder everyone thought they saw a ghost, he looked like he was cast as a zombie in Train to Busan.

Doctor Song treats him, cleans up his wounds and checks him over. Personally, Jin was surprised he hadn't ended up with a broken rib or something, but he was sure that he the trauma he suffered over the last few hours would take much longer to heal than a broken bone or two.

Honestly, how was he still alive?

Over the past month, he has avoided death over and over again and he reaches the conclusion that maybe the universe is really kind enough to let him have that makeout session he wants with Namjoon. And who was he to deny the universe of its will when it was something he himself wanted badly?

Doctor Song finishes up with him, making a comment on how lucky he was given the circumstances. Seokjin agrees with her but doesn't say it out loud. The doctor gets up and pulls on her cart of medical equipment, heading to the door.

On the other side of the door, Taehyung, Jimin and Hoseok are standing there anxiously. Doctor Song stares at them before sighing. "You may see him now," she says.

Taehyung is the first to dash into the room. Seokjin is already holding his arms out when his little brother throws himself on him on the bed and presses their bodies together. Taehyung is hugging the breath out of his lungs.

"Careful!" Doctor Song shouts, "He's a patient!"

Both brothers ignore her and just keep each other in a tight embrace. Taehyung sniffles and buries his face in Jin's neck. The elder hears a sob escape him and the sound of it causes Jin's eyes to sting.

"I, I missed you so much!" Taehyung whimpers against him. "I didn't —I. You—"

Seokjin pulls him tighter to him and kisses the top of his head, smoothing the hair down with his palm. "I'm sorry," he whispers, "You must've felt so alone." Taehyung nods violently, unable to articulate words properly between his sobs.

"You idiot," Hoseok says from the side of the bed, lips whimpering and eyes glassy. "You were alive," he says low, "You were alive this whole time." He brings his hand up under his nose to try and compose himself, but it doesn't work.

Seeing Hoseok cry hits Seokjin in a different way than Taehyung's tears do. Taehyung is sensitive, but Hoseok doesn't tend to show his emotions openly like that. The sight of his friend doing his best to hold back brings a knot in Jin's throat. "I'm sorry," he whispers."

Hoseok lets out an airy chuckle, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Don't apologize for being alive, Hyung." Seokjin beams at him and then extends his hand out, Hoseok joins them on the bed, squeezing next to Taehyung and wrapping his hands around both of them to hug them. Jin laughs when Hoseok accidentally ends up stepping on Taehyung in the process.

From the entrance of the room, Jimin hasn't moved from his spot. He stares at his friends on the bed, and wonders if he's even allowed to be a part of it all. Guilt slowly creeps on him as he takes in the bruises on Seokjin's face. All caused by the elder saving him back on that day.

Could he be mad at him for it?

He's debating whether to just turn around and leave. He didn't deserve their friendship, wasn't good enough for it. He turns his back on them. After everything he tried to do to Jin, he didn't deserve to be included.

"Jiminie."

Jimin freezes at his name, glances back and sees Seokjin staring right at him, a worried look on his face. "Jimin, where are you going?"

He doesn't answer. Even he doesn't know where he's going, or even why he's wanting to run away. All he knows is that he feels that he has to even when Seokjin's eyes look like they're begging him not to. After everything he's done. After the way he's acted out against a friend and yet they chose to include him.

Was it pity?

Taehyung is watching him too, and Jimin feels something stir in him. Right, Tae wasn't alone anymore. He had his hyung. Once again Jimin's love wasn't needed. He had someone else to be there for him.

Once again, Jimin doesn't run to them. Instead he runs away.

"Out of my fucking way!"

"Your Majesty," an advisor stops him again, stepping in front of him and blocking his path, "People could misunderstand if you suddenly run to this man. For all we know this could be some sort of ploy, some sort of—"

Namjoon isn't in the mood for his shit and his eyes no doubt showed it because as soon as he glares at the advisor, the man cowers and steps aside, much to the disappointment of the others trying to stop him.

"Let him go," the Royal Queen Dowager states, waving her hand about. "If any of you have anything to say about the matter regarding Kim Seokjin than you can just discuss it with me for now. His Majesty will join us for a briefing later."

Wasting no time, Namjoon runs. Fuck all of those in the palace that are giving him looks and judging him for his desperate actions but right now all he wants, all he needs is to get to Seokjin's room. To confirm with his own eyes that he's alive.

His heart had almost left his chest twice today. Once for Jin's sudden appearance, and the other when a soldier pointed his gun at Seokjin right before his eyes. Had it not been for Yoongi's quick countermeasure, Seokjin could've died right in front of his eyes.

Yoongi had ordered the staff to immediately take Seokjin away to be treated, Namjoon didn't have a chance to talk to him as of yet. All around him people are talking about how Kim Seokjin magically rose from the dead but Namjoon himself still can't believe it because it all sounds too good to be true.

After spending a few hours making sure that Lee Jaehwan survived through a critical operation and then sitting down with Yoongi to hear what he had to say, Namjoon was more than ready to see Jin. To see if the man he loved was really there.

Strutting down the courtyards, he feels his blood pump furiously through his veins. A sudden push that he needs to just run as fast as he can till he reaches the candidates' rooms and stops a few feet away from Seokjin's door.

Laughter is the first thing that hits his ears, and it's a laugh that gives him life, that makes him smile, and Namjoon feels like he can suddenly breathe again as he approaches the room, the door wide open.

He's really there. Namjoon's heart is now running at a hundred miles an hour against his chest, he can't breathe from the sight of him, especially when Seokjin turns to look at him with those wide eyes of his. Namjoon feels frozen in place, scared. Frightened that if he takes a step forward Seokjin will just vanish into thin dust.

Someone clears their throat. Namjoon doesn't tear his eyes away from Seokjin even as he hears Hoseok speak up.

"We should leave," he says, and Namjoon sees the two of them moving out of the corner of his eye. "Jin-hyung, we'll be back later." Seokjin nods, smiling at them before he turns his attention back to Namjoon.

The door closes behind the king, Namjoon is still frozen in place, staring. Seokjin stares back and neither of the two have any idea what to say to the other even though their emotions are everywhere at the moment.

Jin is the first one to move. He pushes back the covers of the bed and slips out, feet touching the ground and slowly makes his way across the room. Namjoon hears the thumping of his heart in his ears as the other male approaches. So many feelings are flying through him and every cell in him is screaming in joy as the other gets closer.

He's alive. He's really alive.

Seokjin stops before him and gives him a soft smile. "Hi," he says and the sound of his voice is enough to bring Namjoon out of his stupor and he takes a step forward, pulls Seokjin against him, leans down but stops.

His hands surge up, cupping the back of Jin's head and is oh so close and he wants nothing more than to bring their lips together but holds himself back. "I..." he trails off, uncertain. Had nothing changed? Had he decided that maybe he was better off being a normal citizen rather than the spouse of a king? Had being in the face of danger gotten him to rethink his choice of being with him?

"I'm going to kiss you now," Seokjin states, grabbing Joon's collar. "Tell me now if you don't want it." He doesn't wait for an answer, just yanks him down so that their lips finally meet.

The action catches Namjoon off guard but he's immediately compliant when he feels Seokjin pushing through with his tongue. The sense of need is there and Joon returns that sense of need, both of them closing the nonexistent distance between them and tasting the other as if they had been in a long term drought and finally found water to survive.

Namjoon pushes forward, Seokjin takes a step back. Their lips never part and Seokjin is suddenly struggling to keep up as Namjoon keeps pushing him back with his body, both flushed against one another.

Jin's heels hit something and in the next second he realizes it's the foot of the bed, without much thought he throws himself back on the mattress and pulls Joon down with him.

The kiss suddenly intensifies now with Namjoon on top of him. Both lose control as they kiss the other back hungrily, aggressive. Namjoon's body feels so good against his own and he can't help but to just not let even a millimeter of space between them. Joon's fingertips dig into Seokjin's back and Seokjin arches in response and buries one of his hands in the king's soft hair.

The way they fit one another is so nice, their arms, their lips. The way they don't need words because they can feel every bit of emotion just from each other's touch.

I love you

A soft mumble against Jin's lips brings him out of his daze, out his drunken state caused by their need for one another and he blinks several times till he feels something wet suddenly fall on his cheek.

"Joonie," he coos, hands immediately cupping Namjoon's face and wiping away the streaks of tears, "Baby, don't cry."

"Let me cry," Namjoon sniffles, glassy eyes staring right into Seokjin's as he leans down and presses kisses to several parts of Jin's face. His nose, his cheeks, his forehead, there's not an inch of space that Namjoon's lips don't touch. Seokjin feels his heart swell. "I've been crying for weeks, but this is the first time it feels so good to cry." He buries his face against the elder's neck, his body shaking. "God, Hyung I was dying without you. I couldn't stop thinking about how much I missed you. And now you're here, really here. Not just in my dreams and- and you're just so amazing you know?"

Words that go straight to his heart, that make it swell in his chest. Seokjin presses his lips together, then smiles tenderly. Rubbing the male's back softly, he whispers, "I missed you too. I wanted to come back quickly so that we could make out and then you'd just love me even more since I'm such a great kisser."

Namjoon laughs against the skin of his neck, it's a beautiful sound. Seokjin closes his eyes and takes it in. Namjoon's voice is like a tender lullaby and his laughter is something that Seokjin would give his soul for. "Amazing," he repeats again, "You are incredible." He places his lips against his ear, his breath hitting Jin softly. "I love you so much, Kim Seokjin. You have no idea."

"You should kiss me again," Seokjin says, teasing but being completely serious. Namjoon lets out another laugh and pulls back from Seokjin's neck to stare down at him. His eyes are beautiful, shining and staring at him so sweetly Seokjin swears that honey drips from them. "Kiss me to give me an idea of how much you love me."

Joon obliges. Kisses him blind.

"Hey," Namjoon whispers, when he pulls away to catch his breath. Voice so low, Seokjin almost didn't catch it, "marry me."

Jin's smile is so radiating. "Once I win the competition," he winks. "I think all the odds are in my favor."

Shaking his head humorously at the elder's antics, Namjoon presses a soft kiss to his lips. "Fuck winning the competition," he states, giving him another kiss, then followed by another and another. Then he just smiles down at him. "No point in continuing this mess when you've already won my heart."