[Fanfic: The King Loves] Recovery

[ FOUR ]

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The remainder of the evening passed by with significantly fewer commotions. Lady San had apparently enlisted Yeom-Bok and Gae-Won's aid in recreating her porridge, and the two left in a rush soon after the task was done. All the better, he thought, remembering their earlier remarks. When Lady San returned with two bowls, Rin accepted his graciously, and they ate in a comfortable silence as the sun set that evening.

However, it wasn't long before Rin found himself wondering, again, how he would convince her to take his place on the bed. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he noticed that she had already grabbed her bedroll and was making space for it on the ground. 

"Sani-Agasshi," he started.

"No," she hummed back pleasantly, still crouched on the ground. 

"I haven't asked a question of you yet," he responded back, confused.

"I may not be able to read your mind, but you're staring at me with a look that says you feel guilty." She unrolled another corner and patted it down.

"I would prefer to sleep on the ground."

"You need to heal first."

"The ground would be better for my--"

She turned to him then, hands on either side of her hip, and pinned him with a stare. 

He stopped protesting.

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Rin couldn't sleep that night.

Though Lady San had effectively silenced him with one look, his mental protests rang loud and clear through the evening hours. It was as though he could hear Dan's voice in his mind, berating him for his ill treatment of a woman he adored. He could almost imagine a finger wagging at him and the tell-tale click of her tongue. "Oraboni," she would say with disappointment, tight-lipped with scrunched brows.

Rin sent her a mental apology and glanced back down to Lady San's huddled figure on the ground. He truly did not understand himself sometimes, much less the sway that she held over him. His gaze traveled from the bridge of her nose to the soft breaths she exhaled. From where he lay, it seemed as though he could see her wind-chilled breaths. Was she cold? He glanced down to his warm blanket, then back to the worn one on her. 

As quietly as he could, Rin struggled to an upright position, teeth clenching as he realized the difficulty of the task given the injuries on either side of his body. Attempting the act in silence most likely didn't help either. He wiped the sweat on his brow with the back end of his sleeve. Bracing one arm against a wooden panel, he inched forward and maneuvered himself onto the ground, landing in what was a decidedly ungraceful heap.  He worriedly looked over to her. Still asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief. With his right arm, he grabbed the blanket and shifted it over to her, gently draping it over her the length of her body. Better. 

As he sat beside her on the ground with his uninjured leg propped up and the other outstretched, Rin carefully studied her sleeping form. Wisps of hair had escaped her hairband and lay tangled by her face. Curled as she was with her hair fanning over the curve of her neck, she was beautiful. She shifted then, a soot-smudged chin jutting out as though in defiance of his thought. No, he internally corrected himself, the corner of his lip curling up in response. He could think of no scenario where she would cease to be beautiful to him.  She shifted again. This time, her hand emerged from underneath the blanket and grabbed hold of its edges. His gaze softened at the sight.

Rin longed to grab hold of that hand, to press his palm against hers and fold his fingers neatly between her own. Despite the chill of the night, a warmth of emotion flooded through him. Inadvertently, he found himself reaching forward as though drawn by an invisible force. His hand hovered just a scant distance above hers for several heartbeats before he exhaled a sigh,  curled his fingers into a fist, and leaned his head back against the wooden frame.