Zhang's eyes open to low hums coming from directly behind the stone slab he had woken up on the night before. His body feels sore when he tries to turn on his side. He winces at the unexpected pain that shoots from between his shoulder blades. 'Was I injured?' He wonders, trying to recall the things that had transpired since waking up in the Sky kingdom.

Zhang becomes hyper-aware of the Sky man's arm on his chest, right over his now frantically beating heart. He gulps thickly. 'What the hell is wrong with me? Why does his presence, his touch, affect me so?' He discards the thought of moving it, worried about its repercussions: waking the sleeping man next to him. Instead, he turns his head to take a better look at the latter. 'He looks so peaceful like this. I hope him being here doesn't worry his family...his wife, perhaps.'

The thought of the sleeping sky man having a wife at home doesn't sit well with Zhang, who abandons that train of thought. 'He may have parents at home...he doesn't look married.' Zhang concludes feeling much brighter. Next, his eyes move to the man's clothing. 'This can't be what he wears daily. It looks uncomfortable.' Zhang notices the dark fabric that clings to the man like a second skin. His eyes drift to the left shoulder. 'It's damaged. Looks like someone ripped off parts of it.' He observes the bare threads that hang loose and reaches for them. 'I wonder what happened.'

As if the sleeping man can feel Zhang move, his fingers fist into the fabric over the human's chest. "Zhang..." he calls softly.

Zhang freezes for a moment. His name from the stranger's lips sounds intimate. 'Did I give him my name last night?' The officer tries to recall. He is sure that he hadn't. It hadn't seemed important at that time.

"Stay..." The Yuanjian whispers, gentle and pitiful, like a child urging his mother not to abandon him. It stirs the human's heart, and before he knows what he is doing, he strokes the sleeping man's head, answering the latter. "I am not going anywhere."

Already on the brink of waking up, the words drag YiHuang out of slumber. He smiles,  leaning into the touch, but a moment later, it's gone.

YiHuang opens his eyes, and the sight of a slightly surprised human greets him, "You are awake."

Zhang nods;  worrying his bottom lip, he looks up through his long dark lashes, "I didn't mean to wake you up."
Meanwhile, YiHuang panics at the way his fingers are scandalously fisted in the latter's clothes. He pulls his hand away with what he hopes is an 'unnoticeable move' and replies nonchalantly. "You didn't. It was time."

Instantly, the prince is on his feet. "How are you feeling?"

Zhang pulls in a deep breath and smiles, "Like I can face anything you throw at me."

"I won't throw..." YiHuang stops. His cheeks color, "Oh, you meant that metaphorically."

Zhang nods as YiHuang helps him sit up and asks, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Last night, your vehicle breached our barrier and entered our atmosphere. I think the impact damaged its hull. I was passing by and saw it catch fire. I pulled you away from the vehicle. You have sustained a back injury. Luckily, the healing water of our lotus pond sealed the wound and stopped the blood loss."
Zhang appreciates the facts but the way the man delivered them makes him feel like he is looking at a stranger. It's unsettling. 'Maybe this is it. This is when he tells me to leave. Is this where he tells me that I don't belong...that I must leave?'

"But the atmosphere constitution here is slightly different from that on land. Your lungs suffered. You stopped breathing. I didn't understand..." YiHuang trails off, not sure how to proceed.

Zhang misinterprets the sudden silence. "Am I dying?"

"What!? No. I won't let you...I mean..." The young prince stammers. He can feel his cheeks heat up. "My brother, who had followed me, realized the situation. He brought over the atmosphere regulator and powered it. I... we assisted you to breathe, and your lungs started to heal."

Noticing YiHuang's awkwardness and sensing his unwillingness to divulge more information, Zhang doesn't push for it.

"My brother was the one who brought these here. This is everything that he could salvage." The second prince points at the right corner of the cave where Zhang's worldly belongings were neatly piled up.

"What about my ship...my space vehicle?"

"The space vehicle had sustained damage. It was beyond repair. Brother pushed it out of the barrier. What remains of it rests on the bed of the sea. If you want, when you leave..." YiHuang swallow thickly, "I can help you find it."
Zhang closes his eyes. "So it is as I had thought. Everything is lost."

"Not everything. As long as you are alive and well, you can always hope to build it again." YiHuang offers and walks towards Zhang's personal belongings. He returns with the X-ray device. "Please lie down. I want to take a look at your condition."

'Why do you care?' Zhang wonders but does as asked.

YiHuang examines him. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "Your lungs have almost healed."
"How did your brother know about the atmosphere regulator?"

The smile drops from the prince's lips as a pang of unexpected jealousy makes its presence known. He knows he is being illogical, yet he fails to squash the ugly feeling. "You met him. He told me that you saved him. He is our crown prince, YiYang."

Understanding dawns on the human's face. From what he had gathered, the Sky dwellers hated the land people; they despised humans, and yet, this Sky dweller had not only saved him but had gone beyond the call of duty. 'It doesn't make sense. If the crown prince is his brother, that would mean that he is royalty as well. The man has no reason to save me, let alone spend the night in this place.' Zhang sneaks a glance at the sky dweller. 'YiYang must have told him who I am. Did he also ask him to take care of me? But why would the prince do that? He had said that he didn't want to see me again.'

As the silence stretches, it fills YiHuang with apprehension. 'Would he ask for YiYang now that he knows who saved him? Is he scared of me now that he knows who I am?'

Finally, unable to take it anymore, the Yuanjian speaks. "I am not a threat to you. I will protect you as long as you want me by your side."

Zhang looks up and meets YiHuang's concerned monolid eyes. "Why?"

"Mn?" The question surprises the Yuanjian.

"Why do you want to protect me? Your brother told me that your race hates humans. I am sure he must have told you that I am basically an alien without a home to go back to, an orphan in every sense of the word. Then why do you want to protect me?"

The anger, despair, and resentment in the human's voice startle the young prince. He contemplates how to answer, but in the end, he chooses to be vague instead of revealing the truth of his feeling. He hides his heart; he doesn't confess that Zhang, the orphaned human, was the one that he was waiting for his whole life. "I have my reasons."

"What do you intend to do with me?" Zhang presses on. "Are you planning to throw me out once I have recovered? Or do you want to hand me over to your father?"

"Silence!" YiHuang growls. "Who are you to question me? If I wanted to hand you to my father, I would have done so already. If I wanted to throw you out, I would not have saved you. Why would I stay with you, be prepared to lie for you, hide you..." The prince's anger subsidies as fast as it had risen. He had said too much. He turns away. "Stay here if you value your life. Your lungs...just stay here." He mutters, but before he has taken a step towards the exit, he hears Zhang wince.

Panicking that he would be left alone, the human had tried to leave the bed to try and stop the prince. His sudden movement had led to the barely healed wound on his back opening up.
Intense pain rips through him; he sways and loses his footing. However, just like earlier, strong arms circle his waist and pull him close. The Yuanjian's intense monolids fix him with a reprimanding stare. "Are you trying to kill yourself!?"

"Sorry," Zhang mutters and looks away. 'Why do I keep embarrassing myself?'

"You are bleeding again." YiHuang purses his lips. He guides the stupid human to the bed. "Can you take off your uniform, or do you want my assistance?"

"What?" Zhang's eyes widen at the statement.

"We are a superior race, but we still have limitations. I still need to touch you if I am to redress your wound." His hands pause midair, waiting for permission. "If you trust me with it."

"I trust you. I am sorry. I was being unreasonable and immature." Zhang tries to move his arm and winces again. "Please help me with my uniform..." He requests, realizing in that instant that he did not know the name of his savior despite all the things the latter had done for him. "Your Majesty." He finishes with a bow.

It is amusing and sweet all at once. The Yuanjian, forgetting his anger, chuckles, "That would be my father. I am YiHuang. You can call me-"

"Ah-Huang," Zhang interjects. The name, as it leaves the human's lips, is barely a whisper. The prince hears it nonetheless; he cocks his head. His name had never sounded so beautiful.
Zhang asks, "May I call you Ah-Huang?"

{Author's Note:- Word count 1681

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