A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I've posted several stories today as my gift to you, so please enjoy!
Sinbad stared down in horror at Ja'far, who dangled off of the edge of a bottomless pit by one hand and held Yamuraiha with the other.
Ja'far stared back, the effort of supporting more weight than he was used to with a single hand showed clearly on his flushed face.
"OH my, my, my! Whoopsie! It seems I accidentally pushed them off the edge!" came a high male voice laced with sarcasm and giggles. "New challenge! I'll only let you save ONE of them!"
"You bastard...!" Hinahoho snarled.
"S-Sin?" Yamuraiha squeaked, panic apparent in her voice.
"I'll swing her up," Ja'far said nonchalantly. He had looked away and refused to meet Sinbad's eyes.
"B-but Ja'far, you'll-"
"It's either me or you, Yamu," Ja'far interrupted, "and I'm not going to let you drop."
"I'm not going to let either of you drop," Sinbad said. "Swing Yamuraiha up, but don't let go of her. We'll pull you both up at the same time."
"Got it," Ja'far puffed as he began swinging Yamuraiha back and forth, starting with small movements.
A giggle echoed throughout the room, but Sinbad elected to ignore it.
"He's planning something. If he pulls anything, save Yamuraiha, alright?" Ja'far puffed.
"Stop talking. I'll get you both." Sinbad assured.
"This'd be... Ungh! S-So much easier if I had my blades!" Ja'far groaned.
"It'd be so much easier if he hadn't taken all our weapons period!" Sinbad hissed.
Ja'far finally gained enough momentum to swing Yamuraiha up in the air.
She screamed and flailed, but her hand stayed latched onto Ja'far's.
Hinahoho caught her legs, and, with Sinbad's help, began pulling her up.
"See? I told you I'd get you both out of this," Sinbad said smugly, unable to see the grip Yamuraiha had on Ja'far's hand as his gaze was mostly directed toward her panties.
"Hurry the fuck up! I'm slipping!" Ja'far gasped in a panic.
Sinbad gasped and let go of Yamuraiha to reach for Ja'far, he trusted Hinahoho . "Here, grab my-" he stopped mid-sentence when something shiny caught his gaze. It seemed to be headed straight for Ja'far.
"No!" Sinbad screamed. The word had just barely left his lips when the object slid across Ja'far's fingers.
In horrified fascination, the king watched his adviser's reactions. Time seemed to have slowed almost to a stop, and all sound outside of his steadily increasing heartbeat and rapid breaths seemed to have completely vanished.
The former assassin's face contorted in pain. A spray of blood dirtied the wall he hung off of as his fingers were severed from his hand. Quickly, his advisor moved to hold the injured appendage to his chest to try and stop the blood flow with his robes.
Terror flashed in Ja'far's eyes as he heard a crack. The ledge he had been holding onto for dear life had given way.
He screamed; his uninjured hand stayed stretched out above his head as he fell, as though if, by some miracle, Sinbad's arms might become like Vittel's and be able to become long enough to save him. Down, down, down into the abyss he fell until he disappeared into the darkness.
Sinbad woke with a loud gasp, covered in sweat. He wiped at his face, then placed a hand on his chest as he slowed his breaths.
"Sin?" came a sudden groggy voice that held some urgency to it.
The king jumped, then suddenly remembered who it was who had been lying with him. He grabbed Ja'far and pulled him close in a tight hug.
Ja'far gasped in surprise at the sudden movement and squirmed to get comfortable in Sinbad's arms. His king gave him some room to worm around, but right after Ja'far settled, Sinbad's arms locked like a vice around him.
"What happened?" The adviser asked finally.
"Bad dream..." Sinbad mumbled.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's over and done with... but promise me something..."
"Should it be within my power, I will do anything," Ja'far said with a small smile.
"Never leave me. Always stay by my side," Sinbad whispered.
Ja'far chuckled softly. "I will stay by your side until the day I die."
Sinbad frowned at the response.
"D-did I say something wrong, Sin?" Ja'far whispered, his face had gone bright red with embarrassment.
"... No. You responded in the way you thought best. There is nothing wrong with that," the king said softly.
"Sin?"
"Shush, Ja'far... Let's just go back to sleep..."
Ja'far stared at Sinbad for a few moments, unsure of whether to press the subject a little more. After thinking hard about it, he decided against pestering his tired king. Ja'far pressed a loving kiss to his king's lips before he snuggled into the older man's chest.