Masquerade [M.YG + BTS]

°¤15¤°

     Yoongi didn't know what inclined him to do so, but he just so happened to blurt out, "why exactly do you guys wear masks?"

Taehyung and Hoseok then looked at Yoongi as if he asked an absurd question and proceeded to guffaw.

Embarrassed, Yoongi clicked his tongue and kicked some pebbles on the ground as they continued to walk back into town.

It almost took a whole minute for the two to settle down before finally stopping with the teasing.

"That's actually a good question," Hoseok replied. "I don't know, we've just been taught since birth that masks are a sign of royalty."

"We've also been told myths that our masks are sacred because they were first given as a gift from the original priestess back in the day. I guess we're just carrying on that honor as tradition," Taehyung pointed out.

Hoseok then began to laugh loudly out of nowhere, smacking Taehyung on the arm whilst covering his mouth with his other hand.

"My older sister once told me that taking off our masks to people outside of our family members would be equivalent to flashing naked in public!"

Once again, they burst out loud with laughter. The air between them was going well so far, and in all honesty, they thought it was going to be awkward as heck when the adrenaline died down.

But it didn't and it was surprisingly pleasant.

"I want to apologize," Taehyung blatantly says. "Without trying to give you a proper chance, I hated you for everything you did."

Yoongi frowned. "No, I was the one at fault. I shouldn't have threatened Jungkook's life like that even if I was not intending to hurt him."

Before those two could utter another word, Hoseok shushed them. "Why don't we just leave it as both sides accepting each other?" He was in no way wanting to hear an apology battle.

It is true, though. Firing apologies at each other would lead them nowhere but running in circles; practically pointless.

The first to make a move is Taehyung as he holds out his hand. Yoongi looks down at it and lightly chortles, shaking his hand with a firm grip.

"Just to make sure, but do any of your other friends hate me?"

Hoseok turned to Taehyung with a grin. "This guy was the only one who strongly disagreed with our actions. If it means that you were about to win Taehyung over, then it should be fine from here on out."

"Wait, Seokjin may still be hesitant about all this." The princes were frowning. "After all, he cares for Jungkook like a younger brother."

"I see, that means I'll have to prove to him that I'm not a threat."

The little pout on his face made the princes wonder how someone so small and adorable could go so far as holding a dagger against someone's throat.

His life must've been filled with caution and the necessity to protect himself.

They can't even begin to fathom the life of poor people who had to survive for every minute of the day.

"All right. What's left for me is to search for your pendant. Um, I'll return it when I find it," Yoongi rubbed his nape.

"Oh... About that, how about you take a break. The sun is setting, so you should get home to your family."

Taehyung puts his sword back in his sheath. "How about you meet up with the others to talk about what we'll be doing from now on?"

Yoongi nods his head as Hoseok wipes the dagger with a handkerchief, handing the weapon back.

The blonde-haired prince noticed some blood on Yoongi's fingers. He takes out his own handkerchief and gives it to him.

Hoseok watches with an open mouth as Yoongi stares at Taehyung in embarrassment.

It takes the blondie a few seconds to realize what he's doing.

"Ah, I--this is not what it looks like," he fumbles. Whenever a man gives his personal handkerchief to another person, it signifies the first step of courting. "I just noticed that there is some blood on your hand. Use this to wipe it off."

His face is flushed red, hands quivering as Yoongi takes it with a sheepish smile. He feels like teasing the fellow but refrains from doing so.

"Thank you. However, I do feel bad that you guys have a cut on your palm. If you don't stop the bleeding or at least cover it, it could become infected."

Not to mention, it must be very unsanitary. Could diseases spread through the wound to wound? Surely.

'Oh!'

He almost forgot about his errand.

"I've got to go now."

"Wait, when will be the next time we meet?"

Yoongi forced himself to maintain a neutral face. It almost sounded like some cheesy line from the romance plays.

°¤Masquerade¤°

"Ahem."

The clearing of a person's throat scares both Hoseok and Taehyung. This must be some sort of karma for earlier.

Arms crossed and eyebrows arched, Seokjin is clearly scrutinizing the duo.

"And where have you two been off to all this time? Namjoon and I almost thought you guys were kidnapped!"

A tone of worry and anger laced the oldest's tongue with daggers. Ultimately, they understood that he was only concerned about their well-being.

"We were out in the town, frolicking," Hoseok made up in the spot.

A strange look was thrown at the two once again. "As in flirting with people of the town??"

"Wha- No! We wouldn't dare to!" At this point, Hoseok was stammering on his own words. His ears tinted a blush as he glanced at Taehyung for some backup.

But before Taehyung knew it, he replied with a bashful yet smug "yes".

It didn't hit him until a few seconds later of silence and disbelief from Hoseok. The prince's eyes were blown.

"I mean! Uh... No. We were just playing around, no flirting of any kind." The youngest from then forced an awkward smile.

Suspicious, Seokjin continued to stare at them until they became uncomfortable.

"Fine. I'll have to take your word for it. And get ready, we'll be having dinner with the King and the Queen."

Relief fell over the blondie as he watched the other leave. Hoseok then cleared his throat.

"What did you mean by yes?"

Taehyung didn't answer but instead thought of the mint haired Yoongi and smiled.

A/N: Finally... A new chapter:)