Be My Pride (old)

48: I Like You

Fear can be such a weird thing. There are cases where people don't even realise they are afraid of something specific, that feeling having been buried most of the time because of a certain want. But once confronted, they surely feel the full experience. Triggers are such dangerous things, maybe even more dangerous than the person's fear itself. And even though we are aware of that fact, it'll still always be the fear rather than the trigger we try to stay away from.

This isn't at all the reason for Jeongguk's panic attack, doesn't explain what was going on inside his head before his body decided it has had enough. Panic attacks are nothing more than a warning, a way for the body to cope with what the mind is full of. Panic attacks can vary from mild to extremely dangerous too, something we shouldn't worry about too much. Because every panic attack is caused by something that scares us. Every panic attack is bad and it doesn't matter whether the attack is mild or extreme. As long as the victim suffers, it's bad.

That is exactly what Taehyung was thinking about when he saw the younger panicking.

The young King had decided to follow after the younger the moment the latter had walked out the room, encouraged by Yoongi's nod. Taehyung only watched and followed as the younger made his way to the garden filled with colours and blooming flowers. It was obvious that Jeongguk wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. If he did, he would've never ended up outside in the gardens. That much did Taehyung know about the younger. The King was quite impressed with him. Jeongguk loved, was brave and curious and the way he thought and did things might be childlike, but Taehyung found himself liking that about him. Jeongguk was beautiful inside out, carried this certain charm that would've swooned every male and woman out there if Taehyung didn't claim him first. The younger was mature yet innocent, a mix that the young King admired about the younger boy.

Both took their time drowning into each others eyes, unsure of what they were looking for, not certain of what they found. The moment felt long yet short, was comfortable and warm. There was something about the scenery around them that made the moment all the more beautiful. May it be the singing of birds or the warm sun touching and licking at their bare skin, neither did really care. They didn't seem to realise where they were anymore, couldn't move and only felt the need to just look in the other's eyes without having a reason to.

"Are you... are you alright?"

Taehyung forced himself to say something, feeling both calm and concerned was a strange thing and he found himself unable to move still, not aware of his hand that was still clamped around the younger's wrist. He didn't realise how his heart rate accelerated, making jump after jump as a blush accompanied with a shy smile made its appearance on the younger's face. It was a beautiful sight to see, heartwarming and so unbelievable cute that it had Taehyung's heart doing things, making him feel new emotions that he certainly enjoyed feeling.

"Yeah... much better. Thank you..." Jeongguk's voice betrayed just how shy he was. There was no embarrassment, no humiliation and the fear he felt once just wasn't there anymore. The fear of trusting someone else and yourself enough to feel and give love. Jeongguk didn't feel the restraint anymore, pulled over the edge thanks to the angelic face of his captor yet his saviour.

"It was nothing." The older smiled back, his eyes no longer showing worry and fear. There was something in his eyes that made the younger feel thousands of emotions right there and then. Or maybe he felt like that longer already but only now allowed himself to feel that way. There was no reason to be afraid around Taehyung. Because really, the only thing he's ever done was being possessive. It wasn't like Jeongguk never noticed the man's poor tries of being kind. Now thinking back at it, it was quite laughable.

But this wasn't the moment for that.

"Your heart is... b–beating... so fast..." a soft whisper is all that it was, his voice so soft and gentle as if trailing his fingers along the fur of a sleeping baby pup. Jeongguk's eyes were big, showing curiosity and warmth, indicating the comfort he felt around Taehyung.
Only then did the older realise that that's all that he's ever really wanted. He wanted the younger to trust him, to feel comfortable around him. And in exchange wanted to be allowed to love and care for the boy.

A soft chuckle left the older's lips upon hearing the other's words. His heart was indeed beating quite fast, aware of the closeness of their bodies, feeling the comfortable aura lingering around the two males. It was as if they were in a trance that made them aware of what they felt.

"It is indeed," Taehyung replied, voice soft, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. His eyes showed pure admiration as he looked at the younger boy.

Pretty.

He is so, so pretty.

"Yours is too."

Jeongguk didn't think he could blush harder than he already did. But it seemed possible, his burning cheeks turning from a warm rosy pink to a bright red. His eyes were literally shining at this point, showing vulnerability and admiration.
His heart was beating fast indeed, his mind aware of how close Taehyung was standing to him. His body was aware of the hand around his wrist, feeling the beating of the older's heart. Jeongguk found himself enjoying the touch, finding a sense of comfort in the moment.

Neither of them were thinking about what had happened only some minutes earlier, the younger's panic attack long forgotten now that they found themselves drowning and living at the same time.
They both felt the tingling feeling in their stomach, the warmth and want to be even closer to each other. But they seemed afraid to move, scared to trigger a bad feeling that would put an end to the wonderful moment they shared. They didn't want the warmth to disappear just yet.

It seemed that they also couldn't stand the space in between their bodies.

No words were shared when they decided to close the distance, having no doubt that they needed to feel each other's warmth closer.
Even though being just as tall as the older, Jeongguk was so small in the King's embrace, allowing his arms to lock him into his broad chest. The younger nuzzled his nose into the other's neck, taking in the addicting scent that he has grown accustomed to due to having spent days upon days and nights upon nights wearing his clothes and being inside the man's room. Jeongguk just loved the scent of pine trees and warm vanilla, the scent that identified Kim Taehyung and would stain every piece of clothing of the King that Jeongguk would wear. The scent made him feel safe and comforted, sent the boy into a trance of relaxation.

"I like you, Kim Jeongguk."

Something about the sound of his voice made the message even more emotional than it was already, having the younger falling into a state of ecstasy. He pulled away from Taehyung only slightly to be able to face the older, not even minding the close proximity between them as their breaths fanned each other's skin.
The younger was smiling, his eyes brimmed with tears as the moment overwhelmed him in the best way possible. He never expected to feel so happy and free when there was no fear dominating his stubborn mind.

"I like you too, Your Highness."

Those two words triggered a playful feeling of nostalgia to invade Taehyung's mind, leaving a chuckle to be let out from between his lips as he once again got rid off the space in between their warm bodies. "It's Kim Taehyung to you, Prince."

And for some reason, those words triggered a joyous wave of warmth and satisfaction to cleanse the younger's body and mind from any bad memory for the rest of the day.