His Knight | Taegguk

21| Dreamscape

[a/n: The hurricane hits tomorrow so I'm sorry but I won't be active. Mwuah mwuah (those are air kisses)]

"Maybe... I've already found my prince."

Taehyung could not think of a response. He didn't have to. Jeongguk closed what gap there was left, pressing their lips together. Slowly, gently, their lips danced off each other, Jeongguk leading with the grace of a swan. The prince moved the hand that was on Taehyung's cheek and tangled his long fingers in the latter's hair. 

Jeongguk pulled away. 

He rested their foreheads against each other, smiling quietly. Taehyung hesitated to react. Before the bodyguard could say a word, there was a knock on the door. They pulled away from each other so fast Jeongguk nearly fell off the bed, but composed himself into an upright position before Jimin's bright head of hair came into view.

"I've got soup and sandwiches!" he chirped, walking in with a tray. Hoseok stood behind him, smiling his sunshine-bright smile as he looked at them.

"Oh, thank you," Jeongguk exclaimed as genuinely as possible, taking the plate and bowl Jimin handed him. 

"No problem. Oh, Taehyung, do you have a fever again? Your face is really red," Jimin frowned, setting the tray on the edge of the bed and putting a hand on Taehyung's forehead.

"No, no, I'm fine," Taehyung exclaimed quickly, pushing Jimin's hand away.

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, then raised one at Jeongguk, who shrugged, avoiding eye-contact.

"Well, eat up then. I'm sure you'll feel a lot better soon."

Taehyung nodded and sipped a spoonful of soup. For a while, they ate in unified silence. Taehyung refused to eat a sandwich or any more than seven spoonfuls of soup. The tension was awkward, causing Jimin and Hoseok to be both suspicious and uncomfortable.

"I'm going to go take a nap," Jimin informed them abruptly, standing up.

"Oh, I haven't had a nap in a long time!" Hoseok agreed, also standing, "I think I might go have one as well."

Jeongguk and Taehyung smiled and nodded politely, watching the two clumsily hurry out, door shutting behind them. In the seconds of silence that followed, Jeongguk set his soup bowl and sandwich plate on the nightstand: clink. Surprisingly, Taehyung was the first to speak.

"That was... unexpected."

Jeongguk chuckled.

"What, the kiss or the abrupt entrance of soup and sandwiches?"

"Both, I guess," Taehyung muttered, looking away.

Jeongguk took the neglected food out of Taehyung's lap and set it on the nightstand beside his own. Taehyung's lack of directness was getting to his head, discouragement gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

"Taehyung," He began, not knowing how to continue, "I'm... sorry, if you didn't... if you didn't want..."

Taehyung sighed heavily.

"I did want it, believe me," he murmured. "But there are things in this world that you can't have, no matter how much you want them."

Jeongguk closed his eyes and raked a hand through his hair.

"Taehyung, please," He whispered.

"Please what?" Taehyung snapped. His shoulders deflated and his voice thinned out with his following words. "What do you expect me to do? Change the rules? Change my rank? I can't do anything, Gguk. I can't do anything at all."

Jeongguk looked away.

"Just give me a chance," He whispered.

"I want to," Taehyung replied. "I really do."

"Then why not?"

"What if your parents find out? What then? You'll lose their respect, and I'll probably be sentenced to life in prison, or something worse. It's an offense of highest order for a knight to date a prince in this kingdom."

"Taehyung," Jeongguk looked at him, grabbing his hand. "I won't let that happen, I promise. I'll- I- look, I just..." Squeezing the knight's hand until he was afraid the tendons would criss-cross, Jungkook whispered, "I need you, okay?"

That hit Taehyung like a train to the ribs. His mind went stark white, his lungs became a void. Jeongguk needed... him? Him, of all people? He who was useless and childish, he who was utterly unlikeable?  

"Me?" Taehyung looked up, meeting Jeongguk's eyes. "You... you need... me?"

"God, Taehyung," Jeongguk held Taehyung's hand to his forehead, shutting his eyes tight. "I need you more than I've ever needed anything."

Tears. Fast-flowing. A waterfall.

"Is that true?" Taehyung croaked, trying not to let his throat be clogged by his tears.

Jeongguk sniffled and pulled Taehyung into his lap so that they faced each other. He rocked their bodies side to side, holding Taehyung close.

"You just... make me so happy, and- and... I just-" Jeongguk's voice gave out. The prince buried his face into the crook of Taehyung's neck.

Taehyung sniffed, nodding. His protective instinct was kicking in, and he pushed aside his own tears for Jeongguk's sake. Lifting a hand up, he tangled his slender fingers into the hair on the back of Gguk's head, retracting them and unfurling them in a soothing massage.

"Okay," He whispered, "Okay, it's okay, everything's gonna be okay." And he continued to whisper sweet nothings into Jeongguk's ear, trying to believe them himself, waiting for the prince to stop crying.

When he did, he lifted his head sniffed. 

"Does that mean you'll give me a chance?" He asked quietly.

Taehyung smiled, looking into Jeongguk's glassy eyes; bright, but a little hazy. The light of a full moon. Two, big full moons, looking at him with all the hope in their lunar beauty.

"Anything for you, Jeongguk."

"So..." He leaned back enough to look Taehyung square in the face. "Does that mean you're my... my boyfriend?"

Taehyung's face lit up in a bright smile, his sweet, deep-voiced giggle filling Jeongguk's ears. It was a sound that elicited the release of more dopamine than music itself. The prince cherished it, locking the noise into his memory.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

Jeongguk couldn't help but smile back.

"That's good," He murmured, then smirked a bit, mumbling, "If crying didn't work, I might've had to seduce you."

This made Taehyung erupt with more giggles, hiding his face with his hands.

"Jeonggukkie," He whined, "You can't say things like that!"

"Hm? Can't say it? Would you rather I..." Jeongguk pulled Taehyung's hands away from his face, "Demonstrate?" Taehyung's breath caught in his throat. Jeongguk leaned in slowly, ghosting his lips over Taehyungs, looking him in the eye as best he could at the close proximity. Suddenly, he started to pepper butterfly kisses all over Taehyung's face, leaving not an inch of skin unpraised.

"Gguk! Stop it!" Taehyung squealed, laughing, but trying to keep his voice quiet as to not let the others hear.

They were both giggling hushedly, submerged into their own little world. It was a world separate from reality- a hazy filter- a dream. And this dream, in each other's arms, they were safe from everything that could possibly threaten them. It was just them, in their blissful dreamscape.

[a/n: Sorry if it was rushed. I get so impatient sometimes, I'll try to work on that.]