His Knight | Taegguk

12| Eavesdropping

a/n: I'm hoping all these updates will make up for neglecting this book. :/

Jeongguk looked over the edge of his balcony, taking in the view of the city below. He saw it almost every night, though it never got old to him- the soft lights dangling in the air, the soft strokes of people walking through the darkness, and, if you listened closely, the soft hum of voices carried on the breeze. It entranced him; he could sit there for hours and not notice the passage of time. It had an ethereal sense of peace, comfort.

But tonight, a different noise caught the prince's attention. The words fell over the edge of the roof and floated into the wind like ash.

"Tae, are you going to go to sleep? I worry that you don't get enough rest." It was Jimin's voice, hushed to accommodate the setting of a lulled world, half-asleep.

"I will soon."

A shuffling. Jeongguk stayed quiet, turning his gaze to the rooftop. He couldn't see them, but it was easier to focus his attention on them that way.

"What are you thinking about?"

A moment passed on which not even the crickets gave the hint of a reply.

"The prince."

Jimin hummed.

"Tell me about him. What's he like?"

"He's..." Taehyung struggled to find adjectives, "Amazing."

"Is he?"

"Yes."

"What about him is amazing?"

A two-second-long sigh was whispered into the wind.

"He's kind, caring, playful. He doesn't speak to me like a royal speaking to a knight, he speaks casually, as if he were my friend."

"Is that so?"

"And he's fun; he's just like us, really. Just like us."

Jeongguk smiled.

"I guess he is like us, in a way." Jimin murmured. "In the end, we're all people." Silence. Softer whispers: "But it's not the end yet, Taehyung. You know that, right? In this world, on this land we stand on, we're not equal. You understand, don't you?" A painfully gentle reminder that reality existed.

A pause. Perhaps it was only a few seconds, but to Jeongguk it lasted an eternity.

"I know."

The prince's heart broke. He heard the shatter echo in his ears. He could barely focus on the rest of their words; hadn't he made it clear that he wanted to be Taehyung's friend? Hadn't they established already that they were to see each other as equals? What went wrong? The shuffling of feet brought his attention back to reality. A tuft of Taehyung's blonde hair, the tip of his nose, and a portion of his elbow resting on the edge of the wall came into view. From Jeongguk's angle, that's all he could see.

"I just..." Taehyung's soft voice was light as a feather, yet his words carried Jeongguk's world on their shoulders. "I wish it were different, you know?"

And none of the three beings processing the words could think of a way to respond. Silence lingered for a long time; a tense, thoughtful silence. And finally, Jimin's voice seeped into the air, coloring the blankness of the moment with a melancholy grey.

"Don't wish for things you can't have, Taehyung. You'll only hurt yourself." He let those words settle into a thin layer of dust before disturbing the air again. "The prince... is a royal. You are a knight. You know it's not meant to be."

"But what if it was? What then?" Taehyung's voice was quiet now, barely above a whisper, and Jeongguk only caught the words because the breeze was blowing in his favor.

"Then..." Jimin sighed. "Then there would be a chance... But a chance is no foundation to set your heart on."

Taehyung's head lowered to rest on the balcony, exposing his face. Each of his eyes shone with a million stars, yet the light was made murky by oceans of pain. Only a single drop leaked from those oceans, falling into the darkness below; a shimmering meteorite. 

"Yeah. I know." His lips barely moved.

Jeongguk's eyes pricked with a slight burning sensation as he felt his own tears begin to form. He quickly wiped them away.

"Don't cry, Taehyung," Jimin whispered. His small hand appeared to brush the wetness away from Taehyung's cheek.

Taehyng sniffed. 

"You're right, Jimin," He whispered, not looking at the other, "I got my hopes up too high, didn't I?"

Jimin leaned his own head next to Taehyung's.

"I'm sorry."

Taehyung took in a deep breath and brought his forearm across his eyes. In a single motion, he dried the seas of pain- at the expense smudging the galaxies, too.

"Let's get some sleep," he murmured, standing up straight again.

"Yeah," Jimin agreed, following Taehyung upwards.

The two disappeared, leaving Jeongguk to process everything he'd heard in silence .

***

Sunlight splashed across Jeongguk's face like a liquid prophecy. Upon opening his eyes, Jeongguk felt well rested in spite of himself (he'd been up until three AM again). With a smile, he catapulted out of bed and threw on an outfit. Today, he planned to fix everything. Last night would fade into a distant memory for everyone involved, and he would assure Taehyung that despite it all, they would be friends. 

The reason behind this sudden emotional attachment the two felt for each other was something beyond explanation, but Jeongguk knew one thing; he wasn't ready to let it go. 

His feet were flying as he flung himself out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He nearly crashed into Namjoon on his way down the stairs.

"Namjoon!" He cried, "Thank goodness I found you! What time is it?"

Namjoon's eyes were wide and spooked at first, but he quickly came to his senses.

"Um, nine-twelve AM. Why-"

"Great!" Jeongguk cheered, "And what's that thing you told me to always remember? Like, a good leader..."

"A good leader knows when to take a chance."

"Right. Okay, I'm headed off!"

"Where?"

"I've got things to do, you know. I'm a very busy man."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Rude."

"Whatever."

Jeongguk headed down the staircase, a big smile plastered across his lips.