king of hearts | taegguk [ON HOLD]

♛chapter seven

Taehyung was visibly still shaken from the events that took place earlier, the scenes replaying like a broken record in his mind. Not his head nor his body were allowing him to forget and he barely dragged himself step by step further. If it wasn't for the raven-haired's steady grip on him, he would've given up and collapsed where he stood, letting sleep claim him and take him far away to a place where he wasn't just a pawn in his father's game of power.

When Jeongguk finally stopped walking after what felt like hours when it had probably been ten minutes at most, the brunette realized where the prince guided them. Taehyung found himself staring with his mouth hung open at Jeongguk's room door in the guest's quarters, the black wood mocking him by reminding Taehyung of the situation from two days ago when he listened in on Jimin and Jeongguk's conversation.

It felt like it has been a lifetime ago. 

"Why are we here?" he muttered, looking up through his lashes at Jeongguk. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"Don't you know that curiosity killed the cat?" was the only response he got from the other boy before he pushed the door open, prompting Taehyung to walk inside with a careful hand on the small of his back.

The brunette complied, not having enough energy left in his beaten-up body to argue with him. If he were in his right mind, he probably would've paid more attention to his surroundings. He would've taken in every detail of Jeongguk's space, looking for something personal, something that would tell him that he was indeed in Jeongguk's room. Something that would've helped him understand the prince a little bit better, but as it was, he contented himself with plopping down on the chair closest to him, laying his head down on the mahogany table, purposefully avoiding glancing in the mirror placed in front of him.

Taehyung was sure he looked like a mess.

"No, no, you're not going to sleep like that," Jeongguk commanded, his voice serving to only make Taehyung burrow his face further into his arms on the table. "Taehyung!" When the raven-haired understood he wasn't going to move, he stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, Jeongguk's warmth seeping through Taehyung's blood-soaked shirt. 

"Let me have a look at it, come on."

Taehyung knew what he meant and he didn't fight it. He suddenly stood up, sighing, "You want to see it? Really? Then go ahead, Jeongguk!"

He turned around and not allowing himself to hesitate, he pulled the now red shirt he was wearing over his head, shivering as the cold air hit the sensitive, ruined skin of his back.

Jeongguk gasped loudly, the unexpected sound in the otherwise still room making Taehyung shut his eyes tightly. He wondered what the all-mighty Jeon Jeongguk was thinking when seeing him so vulnerable. Taehyung was certain he made-up quite a sight for Jeongguk's eyes. 

Was he enjoying the scars marring his enemy's back?

"I'mma make them pay, Taehyung! Mark my words. That's a promise, not a threat."

Of all the things Taehyung imagined Jeongguk blurting out, that was not one of them. The lump in Taehyung's throat didn't let him respond so he just stood there bewildered, a frown marring his features and his naked wounded back on display, the prince's gaze burning into him with much more intensity than the cuts on his skin.

The brunette felt Jeongguk's presence behind him, his hand hovering over his shoulder. For a second, he thought that the prince won't touch him, but he was proven wrong when his fingers trailed from his neck and down his back, avoiding grazing any bleeding cuts in the process. "Wait here," he whispered and then he was gone.

Taehyung missed his presence immediately and he wrapped his arms around himself to protect his wounds from the cold. When he looked outside the big window in the room, he noticed the snow falling with big flakes on the ground, gathering to form a blanket of white over the castle that ceased to feel like home to Taehyung a long time ago. He was so lost in that magical view that when he sensed the wet cloth on his back, he startled, hissing in pain and gripping onto the table until his knuckles turned white.