A knock on the door interrupts the tender moment between Ming'er and Mingyi.
"Come in," Ming'er calls out towards the door by reflex. He doesn't know who it is, but he assumes that it must be Imperial Guards that the Emperor said that he would send over earlier.
Just as the doors slide open, something that was moving so fast that it looked like a bolt of lightning came flying towards Ming'er.
"BIG BROTHER!!!"
Mingwu throws himself into his older brother's embrace before the latter even had the time to process that it was him.
Ming'er blinks in surprise as he slowly looks down to see Mingwu nuzzling against him like a puppy asking for head scratches.
Mingwu moved so quickly that it was almost as though he'd teleported right there and then, leaving Ming'er flabbergasted.
"Big Brother, Big Brother!" Mingwu cries out as he wraps his tiny arms around his older brother's waist so tightly that Ming'er could barely breathe.
"I'm so happy that you're okay, Big Brother!" Mingwu exclaims as he looks up at Ming'er with tears glistening slightly in his big, round eyes, "I was so scared that something bad had happened to you!"
Mingwu is clinging onto Ming'er so tightly that the latter could barely manage a response. Thankfully, Mingyi comes to his rescue as he plucks Mingwu right out of his lap.
"Mingwu," Mingyi chides his youngest brother as he sits him down onto his lap, "What did we say about being careful with your older brother?"
"B-But," Mingwu sniffles as he wipes his tears away with the back of his hand, "I'm just so excited to see that Big Brother is fine...I was really scared that bad guy actually h-hurt Big Brother..."
Ming'er felt his heart soften at his younger brother's words. He was way too pure and innocent for this harsh and cruel world.
"Mingwu," Ming'er chuckles as he reaches out to ruffle his younger brother's hair, "I'm alright, so don't worry. Big Brother's a really tough and strong guy, you know..."
"B-But," Mingwu whimpers again as he rubs his eyes, "If you're really that tough and strong, why did you nearly get your a-ass whooped by that bad guy from yesterday..."
"Mingwu!" Mingyi widens his eyes in shock as he clasps a hand over his younger brother's mouth by reflex. "Mind your language! Where did you learn to speak like that?"
"I-I heard two big brothers talking about whooping someone's a-ass," Mingwu sniffs, his voice coming out muffled since he didn't even bother to remove Mingyi's hand from his mouth, "W-While I was accompanying Father to patrol the market area once..."
Ming'er couldn't help but snort at his younger brother's naive and innocent explanation. He snorted even harder upon seeing the scandalized look on Mingyi's face. His older brother was probably the most uptight of them all.
"I-I see," Mingyi stammers slightly, caught off guard by Mingwu's explanation. "All right, I'll let it slide just this once, but don't ever speak like that again, you hear me?"
"Aw, you have no faith in your older brother," Ming'er pouts jokingly. He decides to mess with Mingwu a little as he places a hand over his chest and clutches at it like he's in pain, "I'm so hurt."
"N-No!" Mingwu widens his eyes as he frantically tries to grab at his older brother's hand, "That's not what I meant! I don't want you to hurt anymore, Big Brother..."
"MINGWU!!!"
A shout from outside interrupts the three brothers. Just then, the doors slide open so quickly that it's a wonder that they hadn't come off right there and then.
"Mingwu!" Mingsan exclaims, "Mingwu, are you in here-" He cuts himself off when he spots his cheeky youngest brother sitting on his oldest brother's lap with slight tears in his eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness," Mingsan murmurs under his breath as he walks into the room. He seems to be slightly breathless, like he'd been running all over the place trying to catch a certain troublemaker.
"Didn't I tell you not to run off like that?!" Mingsan frowns as he tells his youngest brother off.
"I get that you're worried about Big Brother and all, but you can't just run off like that!" Mingsan exclaims, "Do you know how dangerous that is? What if you were in a public place or something?"
"I-I'm sorry," Mingwu mutters guiltily as he hands his head, "I was just really worried about Big Brother..."
"I know, Mingwu," Mingsan sighs, "We all are..." Just then, he looks up at Mingyi and Ming'er and gives them a weary smile.
"Hey, Big Brothers," Mingsan greets them tiredly as he runs a finger through his hair. He turns to Ming'er and grins at him.
"Hey, Second Brother," he says to Ming'er as he brushed past Mingyi and Mingwu slightly and goes over to him, "How are you holding up?"
"I should be asking you that question," Ming'er replies. He couldn't help but notice that there were dark circles below Mingsan's eyes. His younger brother also looked paler than usual, almost like he was sick or something. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," Mingsan sighs as he runs his fingers through his pinches the bridge of his nose.
Ming'er couldn't help but be reminded of how their father had a habit of pinching the bridge of his nose. Mingsan was almost a splitting image of their father.
"I...couldn't sleep well last night," Mingsan confesses after a while, "I was so worried about you that I could barely catch a wink..."
"Besides," Mingsan chuckles as he turns to Mingwu and ruffles his hair slightly. "The fact that I'm pretty much this little troublemaker's unofficial babysitter isn't helping..."
Ming'er couldn't help but feel guilty after hearing his younger brother's words. He'd made him so worried that he could barely sleep.
Mingsan was right about him being Mingwu's unofficial babysitter, too. Since Mingyi was often sick and wheelchair-bound, Ming'er was usually off at the academy, and Mingsi...well, nobody ever knew where he was, there was no one left but Mingsan to take up this responsibility.
Ming'er is well aware of how energetic and hyperactive Mingwu could be. Well, to be more precise, he like that most of the time.
Mingsan's always scrambling after their little troublemaker of a younger brother, who never seems to be able to stop running around and almost quite literally bouncing off the walls.
As such, Ming'er knows exactly what Mingsan meant. He looks so exhausted that Ming'er would've gotten up to offer him to lie down on his bed if his body didn't feel like it weighed a thousand ton.
"Anyway, I'm so glad to see that you're all right," Mingsan says to Ming'er quietly, "We were all so worried about you. None of us saw what happened last night coming..."
"It's all right, Mingsan," Ming'er murmurs as he hangs his head as though he's ashamed of himself. "I'm all right."
Even though it wasn't even his fault, and he didn't even know what had happened the night before, Ming'er couldn't help but feel terrible about everything. He'd worried his brothers, his parents, and everyone else.
"I'm..." Ming'er mutters sheepishly, "I'm sorry, brothers. I didn't mean to worry all of you like that..."
"Ming'er," Mingyi says as he squeezes his younger brother's hand, "I already told you not to apologize. Like Mingsan said, there was no way any of us could've seen this coming..."
Ming'er contemplates for a moment whether or not to confide in his brothers that he actually had no recollection of what happened the night before because he hadn't been in his body.
However, Ming'er ultimately decides against doing this and shuts down this idea. After all, he'd already caused them enough trouble and worry.
Just then, there's another knock on the door. Perhaps because he feels guilty about how he'd made Mingsan scramble around after him, Mingwu takes the initiative to hop off Mingyi's lap and get to the door before the latter could.
Mingwu opens the doors to find some Imperial Guards standing there.
"Little Prince," the Imperial Guards bow and greet Mingwu respectfully, "We've been sent by His Majesty to escort the Crown Prince back to his quarters."
"I guess that's my cue to leave," Mingyi chuckles in a way that almost sounds like he's accepting his fate or something.
"Make sure to take care of yourself, Ming'er," Mingyi reminds as he pats his younger brother on the shoulder, "Rest well."
"You too," Ming'er nods at his older brother. "Get back to your room safely, okay?"
"I will," Mingyi promises as he places his hands on the top of his wheels, getting ready to wheel himself away.
"Wait, Big Brother," Mingsan suddenly says as he grips the handles of Mingyi's wheelchair. "Let me."
Mingsan then wheels Mingyi over the door and lets the Imperial Guards take over from there.
"Take the Little Prince back to his quarters as well," Mingsan suddenly says, handing Mingwu over to them, "He's been running around all day and needs to go back to take a rest."
"What about you, Big Brother?" Mingwu asks, "You look exhausted."
"I'll go back soon," Mingsan promises, "After I have a short chat with your Second Brother.'
With that, Mingyi and Mingwu wave goodbye to their brothers before the Imperial Guards escort back to their room.
Mingsan walks back over to his older brother's beside as soon as he closes the door.
"So, Mingsan," Ming'er says slowly, "What do you want to talk about?"
Mingsan fiddles with his fingers. He looks like he's debating whether or not go say he what he wanted to Ming'er when he finally opens his mouth to speak.
"Remember how I said," Mingsan starts slowly, "That I was up all night?"
"Yeah...?" Ming'er hums, not exactly sure what his younger brother was trying to get at.
"I wasn't unable to sleep because I was worried sick," Mingsan admits, "I was trying to investigate."
"Investigate?" Ming'er blinks, "You were trying to investigate what happened the night before?"
"That's right," Mingsan confirms with a nod. "I was trying to figure out the identity of the assassin."
"And...?" Ming'er trials off.
"I think I may have an idea of who it is."