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prettywordsyouleft · 4 years

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Back Again

Request: #143 + #144 for anon – “You make me feel the happiest I’ve ever been.” & “I am so lucky to have you.”

Anonymous said:

Can I get a Mark Tuan Drabble with #143 and #144 from the prompt list? Thank you!! You’re one of my favorite writers btw!! I love your recent Air Force series it’s soooo good! Have a lovely day!

Pairing: Mark Tuan x reader

Genre: friends to lovers / angst / romance / fluff

Warnings: none

Word count: 4396

Applause filled the garden as the two standing under the archway shared their first kiss as husband and wife. You grinned, wiping away the tears that fell watching one of your closest friends finally secure her Mr Right.

Weddings always made you mushy and hope for your fairytale ending someday soon.

They also brought a lot of people all into one venue, some in which you wouldn’t normally see in day to day life. Especially when you bumped into a man you would have expected to be the last person to receive an invite to this wedding. Blinking rapidly as a warm smile crossed his face; you grabbed onto his lower arm and stepped closer. “Please tell me you didn’t come to crash this, Mark.”

“Now why would I want to do that? Besides, aren’t I a little too late to do such a thing?” he mused, lifting the champagne flute to his lips and you watched the action in a haze for a moment, your eyes soon narrowing on him in confusion.

“You were invited?”

Mark nodded. “The groom’s my cousin, remember?”

“And the bride is your ex,” you muttered, not intending for the man before you to hear but he must have since he chuckled at your concern.

“Ease up, Y/N. It’s a celebration and Lucy and I are well and truly old history.”

It wasn’t as simple as that. Not for you, anyway. It never had been when it came to Mark Tuan. Still, you attempted a smile. He was right, the vows had been exchanged and rings firmly upon their fingers. Lucy and Henry were a match made in heaven, nothing would rock their boat, you were certain of it.

Reaching out for a champagne glass as a waiter walked by, you took a gulp before you relaxed properly. Mark stood there grinning, watching you as if your little panic had given him more enjoyment than the entire day had. Perhaps, it did. All you knew was that someone who you had grieved losing from your world was standing before you.

And you were conflicted as an individual and as a loyal friend of what you should do. Deciding for you, Mark slung an arm over your bare shoulders, pulling you closer to him. “I think we have a lot to catch up on, don’t you?”

“Three years sure went by fast enough,” you agreed, allowing him to lead you over to a vacated table where you spent the rest of the reception catching up. You hadn’t laughed this much in ages, and Mark was just as you remembered him to be.

You sighed, resting your head on your hands. “I have to admit, I’m glad you’re here tonight.”

“Really? I thought you were going to march me out the back door as soon as you could,” he teased and you grinned, nodding softly at his sentence. Mark feigned being offended. “And here I thought we were the best of friends, Y/N. I’m hurt.”

Once, you both had been far closer than tonight. You had grown up in the same suburb, gone to the same schools and even the same university. It was there that you met Lucy and become incredibly close over the first semester with her. She soon joined your gatherings with other friends and set her eyes on Mark.

Their relationship was intense, and although you hadn’t openly shown it, you were jealous of them both. You missed the times where the three of you would just hang out and unwind from the stress of endless studies. Your loneliness was made obvious the deeper they got, and although you had a brief stint dating a friend of Lucy’s, it didn’t last long.

Because you wanted to be with Mark.

“Friends,” you mentioned as you broke out of your memories, nodding in his direction, squashing away the ghost of your feelings. “It’s been odd not seeing you around, Mark.”

He stared at you then, expression unreadable as his smile faded. His umber eyes grew hesitant, blinking a few times as he reached under the table for something. Pulling out his phone, he handed it over to you. “Let’s change that, shall we? Give me your number. Friends should have a way to contact one another, right?”

You took the device and typed in your details, inwardly struggling through the turmoil of your thoughts. You smiled all the same as you handed it back to him, now connected by some digits to see if fate would pull you both back together.

Or if you would remain as fond memories, your lives having drifted too far apart.

Staring up at the man you had opened the café door into abruptly, you began to smile, a chuckle soon leaving your lips. You had literally just smacked him with it and yet he was laughing as well, which would have seemed a little off to anyone who had watched the incident.

But you were just too happy to bang into him like this.

“The door?” Mark mused and you let go of it suddenly, stepping outside and grinning at him. “It’s been a while, Y/N.”

“I could say the same about you,” you greeted and then he looked into the coffee shop you exited. Finally, you started to connect things together. “Oh! You were going inside there, right?”

He nodded. “Morning fuel is needed.”

“I should buy you a coffee. I did just hit you with a door and all. Are you okay?” you offered, searching him over for obvious signs of injury. Mark laughed at your sudden concern, waving you off immediately.

“I’m stronger than I look.”

“That much I know,” you retorted, a communal smile shared as you thought back to the night you had taken on everyone willing to arm wrestle you at a house party. Only Mark had been fair in the game with you, and although at the time you weren’t completely lucid, given the alcohol in your system, you had been frustrated that the others went easy on you. Then again, you had tumbled around as kids, it made sense there was no hesitation in Mark to do it as an adult either.

“So, this coffee?”

“Right!” you exclaimed, turning back around for the door, only to end up with a similar fate waiting for you when you went to reach for it. Mark pulled you back just in time, your body now within his firm grasp, the other person sending a hasty apology on their way out to the sidewalk. You were certain you had forgotten to breathe, given how close you still were to the man behind you, and you could tell he was stronger than you remembered as well. Mark had always been slender growing up, but despite the clothing between you, it was apparent over the last few years he had been hitting up a gym with how toned his torso and arms were around you.

Springing away from him in heated embarrassment, you dashed up into the coffee shop, ordering him a coffee in the way he used to have it. Mark leaned over your shoulder and you visibly jumped. “Actually, can you change that to an Americano?”

“You don’t like it sweet anymore?” you wondered and he gave you a long hard look before shrugging it off with a smile.

“Tastes can change,” Mark stated, moving away as you paid for his drink. You waited in semi-comfortable silence until the takeout cup was placed in his hand, heading back out into the morning bustle.

“So, I didn’t know you worked over this way,” you said after a couple of minutes of walking still in silence, glancing at Mark and finding him staring at you. It threw you off and you lost your footing, his hand shooting out to save you for the second time today.

Mark smirked. “Since when were you such a damsel in distress?”

“Well, we keep bumping into each other every time we met, it must be the effect you have on me.”

“I make you clumsy?” he concluded with a snort, shaking his head gently. “That’s a new one.”

“You also know how to hold onto a phone number and not contact it once. It’s been, what, six months since Lucy got married?”

“I distinctly remember my number being saved into your contacts list too,” Mark mentioned with a grin, waving his coffee cup around a little as he talked. You smiled; it had always been a quirk of his to talk with his hands when animated.

God, you had missed it.

You missed him.

Still, your brain was all too wily and reminded you instantly as to why Mark hadn’t been around. You sighed. “Perhaps there’s no need for our lives to step so closely back together after all the years. Like you said, taste’s change.”

“You’re the same as I remember you,” Mark murmured and you looked up at him as he had his moment, a playful grin spreading on his lips. “Clumsiness included.”

“I’m not that clumsy!” you complained and Mark laughed, his giggles brightening your mood yet again. You felt as if you were on a wild rollercoaster ride, the ups and downs throwing you off your game.

You were surprised to be relieved when you saw your office up ahead, just so you could get off this ride and be back on stable footing. “Well, this is me.”

“I know.”

“You knew I worked for Archer and Sons?” you questioned suddenly and Mark nodded.

“I know a whole lot of useless information,” he joked, though it didn’t hold the same effect as before. Rocking on his heels, Mark chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “Are you free tonight?”

“Well, I��m finishing at seven but yeah, why?”

“Should we do dinner?” he offered and your smile faded, his anxious gaze darting between yours and the tree behind you on the sidewalk. He attempted to remain carefree. “You gotta eat, Y/N and so do I.”

“Mark,” you started and it pained you to see his shoulders slump with dreaded anticipation at your denial. You wondered for a split second if you truly were as you had been back then.

He hadn’t known about your crush on him, however.

“Too busy, after all?” he offered and you shook your head. “Right, because of Lucy. Got it.”

“It’d just be weird, you know? What do I tell her when she finds out?”

“Two people shared some food and good times, just like we did at her wedding? Did she pull you up for it then?”

You smiled, reaching out for Mark’s upper arm apologetically. “Maybe another time?”

“Sure, a rain check.” He was ready to escape now, moving away from you and walking backwards, holding up his coffee cup. “Thanks for this.”

“It was nice seeing you!” you called after his departure, your heart thudding heavily in your chest until he rounded the corner out of sight.

It was too good seeing him again.

You couldn’t believe the odds.

It had been so long since you were actively seeing your childhood friend in your world. Right after breaking up with Lucy, he disappeared, shutting off all contact with you. At least, that was how it felt, and you had assumed you wouldn’t cross paths with Mark again in this lifetime. When you had at the wedding, well, it was a moment in life where it wasn’t a normal setting and so it worked. Since the coffee shop incident, however, you had seen Mark a total of four times in three weeks.

And now, your fifth was in the grocery store.

As a creature of routine, you would do your grocery shopping every Saturday morning. Saturday had always been your day set aside to catch up around your apartment and run any errands you needed to before you spent the entirety of Sunday relaxing and preparing for your return to the working week.

And yet, in all your years of having this engrained schedule, you had never seen Mark enter a grocery store at the same time as you. In fact, you were sure he didn’t even see the morning sun until it was high in the sky and classed as the afternoon sun if he didn’t have to.

So why was he in your grocery store at 10 am of all times?

Mark was genuinely surprised to see you there as well, blinking a few times and hesitating on whether to push his cart your way or not. It came with the awkwardness that had seeped between you, your friendship battling through not knowing what level it was on with every encounter. Still, it was all too easy to talk with one another. Just as you had your whole lives, there was always something to talk about.

And today it seemed it would start with zucchini.

“Do I get a bag of them or just a couple?” he wondered and you smiled at his dilemma, posing your index finger to your lips in thought.

“Well, are you going to use them in a big dish or not?”

“Any recipe ideas? I was told to add them into my morning smoothies since there isn’t a distinctive taste,” Mark explained and you recoiled at how grown up the statement sounded. He laughed at your reaction. “Apparently, I eat too much meat and need to have more of a balanced diet due to high cholesterol.”

“You?” Eying him carefully, you then smiled. “You could make mini pizza bites with them. Or zucchini lasagne. There’s a lot you can do with them, actually.”

“Big bag it is,” Mark confirmed, picking up what he required and placed it in his cart. You reached around him to grab yourself a bag and he arched a questioning eyebrow at you.

“Well, now that I’ve mentioned those ideas, I want to make them.”

“We could do it together if you want? I wouldn’t know the first thing about making them and could use the help.”

“Are you asking me on another dinner date?”

Mark nodded. “This time at my place too. Can you even handle the idea of that?”

You didn’t want to admit the nervous flutters in your stomach that had just erupted felt as if they couldn’t handle that at all. But the way Mark was smiling at you, well, you were nodding before you realised it. “Fine, I’ll come to yours. When do you want me?”

“Uh–” Mark’s happiness was broken as he had a flash of thought, rubbing the back of his neck. “Tonight? Do you have plans?”

“No. But you seem like you do,” you mused, pushing off with your cart to the stack of bananas. Mark followed you hastily, reaching for a bunch himself. You glanced at him bemusedly. “I can come another time if you–”

“No, I’m free tonight. I just need to make sure my housemate Jackson isn’t.”

“He’s welcome to join us,” you offered and Mark shook his head, sending another round of those flutters through your stomach.

With your hope now building, you were certain he was making this a date.

“Just us, and the zucchini,” he confirmed with a laugh and you grinned, nodding in agreement.

“Send me your address and I’ll make sure you’ll be convinced that they’re a staple vegetable for your diet.”

“Deal,” Mark replied, already pulling out his phone to text you the information you required.

And after several panicked hours, many potential excuse messages written and then deleted before pressing send, and finally getting ready, you stood in front of his door and pressed the doorbell gingerly.

Mark appeared shortly after, face flushed as he took your appearance in before inviting you inside. You gasped when you were greeted by an unexpected housemate. Crouching down to pet the dog, you fussed over it whilst Mark watched on with a smile. “His name is Milo.”

“Hey! That was my name. I said I was going to call my pet that if I ever got one.”

“Do you have a dog, Y/N?” he bartered and you huffed at Mark’s thieving ways before smiling back down at the canine nuzzling your hand.

“You’re lucky you’re adorable and suit the name perfectly,” you humoured, petting the dog before standing back up. “Lead the way to your kitchen then.”

You had decided to do mini pizza bites tonight. It was a simple recipe and since the zucchini pack Mark had chosen were all rather large, it made for perfect little pizza bases. You cut several slices before loading them up with pizza sauce and your preferred toppings, and then popped them into the oven you had preheated.

“Wow, that’s really simple to make,” Mark enthused when you pulled them out of the oven shortly after, arranging them all onto the plate he had out for them. You then reached for your bag, retrieving a large container.

“Since the pizza bites on their own are more of an appetiser, I also prepared a salad. I didn’t know what you would have on hand here so I thought to make it ahead of time.”

“Were you always this adept in the kitchen, Y/N?”

“You used to scoff all the cookies I would bake for our classes, remember?”

Mark grinned. “How has nobody wifed you yet?”

It was meant to be a joke, that much you could tell. But when you both glanced at each other, the mood faltered, Mark clearing his throat as your cheeks flushed with colour. Soon recovered, you shrugged. “Maybe Mr Right isn’t ready for me yet.”

You avoided his gaze, not letting on that you had always imagined moments like this in the past. Today hadn’t helped either. Meeting in the grocery store had morphed into a day of imagining Mark doing everything domestic with you. From shopping to cleaning, you had envisioned it all, and now that you had just cooked dinner together, you were feeling a little on edge.

You were grateful when Mark pulled out a bottle of wine. “To say thanks for your cooking skills and to complement our good food choices.”

“One glass shouldn’t hurt,” you agreed, gulping half of it down in one go.

The night was wearing on and the bottle of wine had been emptied. You conversed over a range of topics, from future goals to funny anecdotes, the laughter and wine flowing effortlessly.

Finally, you had enough liquid courage to ask him why everything happened back then. Mark looked at you, surprised. “What did you just say?”

“Why did you cheat on Lucy?”

“Is that what she told you happened?” Mark asked and you clutched your glass to your chest, brows furrowing together. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “I guess I can see why she would.”

“You didn’t cheat on her?”

“Do I seem like the type to do that?”

You hummed an unanswerable tone. “I never thought once I’d lose you from my world, but it happened. So anything’s possible, right?”

“I didn’t cheat on her, Y/N. I broke up with her because I didn’t want to hurt her anymore.”

“But...” you started, scooting closer to Mark with your confusion. “You hurt her when you broke up with her. She was a mess! Do you know how many weeks she cried on my bedroom floor saying she would never find love again? She was broken.”

“It was true that I liked someone else. Which is why I ended things with Lucy,” he admitted, gaze now guarded. “It wasn’t fair to either of us.”

“So you left her for another woman.” Nodding slowly, you lifted the glass to your lips. Still, it felt just as cruel as cheating had, though you were relieved your initial belief that Mark would never cheat on anyone had been right. His parents had raised him up too well to do something that dishonest. Guilt flared in your stomach at your eventual acceptance that he had and you tried to slosh it away with more wine.

Mark took the drink from your hand and you whined.

“I never got the woman either.”

“What?” Sitting up, you pointed in his direction. “Why not?”

“Because she was out of my reach, she always had been.”

“Then she clearly didn’t deserve you.”

“No, I suppose she deserved far better. Though when I saw her dating someone, it made me realise I was in the wrong relationship.” Mark was staring intently at you now and you stopped moving, signs pointing inwardly. Your hand slipped from the table you had rested it on in realisation and thudded onto the floor.

“You know, I really did try. But you’re right, I hurt Lucy. And she made it clear that if she had to lose me, then there was no way she’d let me have you too.”

Even though you had concluded it was you, it still shocked you for the pronoun to change from she to you. “Mark-”

“I figured, I’d never see you again too when all the walls built up around you by Lucy. Then I received the wedding invitation. I don’t know, I held some hope that maybe I’d see you again, that you would be happy to see me too. And then finding out you were still single, well I–”

Perhaps it was the alcohol. Or it was the fact that Mark just told you he got jealous seeing you with someone else like you had him. Maybe you just plain old didn’t need to hear anything more since your heart was beating fast enough. Whatever it was that led you to lean over and kiss him felt worth it when your lips met his. He didn’t hesitate, mouth now moving against yours with a passion you had never experienced before. Soon entangled, both lips and limbs, you were moaning with the heady pleasure of kissing Mark.

This had been a part of your fantasies earlier on too. But you hadn’t expected it to feel this good.

When you finally separated, now breathless and dishevelled, you felt vulnerable and as if you needed to explain yourself. “It’s just that I, well I always… and um–”

“You know, I half-wondered if Lucy kept us apart for more than just her own healing. I don’t hold it against her but I was sure you liked me too.”

“I did,” you announced, nodding softly. “I mean, I do.”

“Even now?”

You nodded again. “I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t.”

“Mind if I kiss you again?” Mark asked and you swooned, smiling as you nodded for the third time.

When his lips found yours, you decided that this time around, you would tell Mark about everything you felt for him. There would be no regrets, no feeble acceptance. You wouldn’t let anyone stop you from being with him.

“You make me feel the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Rolling over so you could face the man uttering such words, you pressed your hand to Mark’s bare chest, marvelling at the sparkle on your finger before smiling up at him. Mark’s arms encircled you, bringing you closer so he could kiss the tip of your nose. He then moved to your lips whilst mumbling, “I am so lucky to have you.”

You hummed with appreciation, kissing him several times over before stilling again, entrapped with his loving gaze.

Three years had passed again, yet this time, it was spent together. You had dated, fallen deeply in love, moved in together and last night he had finally popped the question.

You would marry next year.

“How lucky?” you asked with a sigh, chewing on your lip giddily. “How happy?”

“Didn’t you just hear me?”

You shook your head innocently. “Hear what?”

“Trust you,” he answered with a chuckle, hugging you tenderly. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you even more.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Oh, you’re going to argue this out with me?”

“You didn’t ask me to marry you first,” Mark pointed out and you gaped at your fiancé, poking him firmly in the chest. “Therefore I win.”

“I should’ve said no,” you grumbled and Mark brushed his lips over your forehead, knowing you would melt immediately. Your protests simmered.

“It’s a good thing you said yes.”

“Do you think had you not dated Lucy, we might have been married already?” you wondered, and Mark smiled at your question.

“If I didn’t, do you think you would have spoken up about your crush?”

You glanced away, knowing back then you had been too shy to think of such a thing. And then you pouted. “I should have dated someone first. Then you would have gotten jealous earlier and–”

Mark kissed away your alternate pathways, shaking his head as he did so. “No, this is how we were meant to be. It wouldn’t be as good as it is now had we not had a reason to step toward each other like this. Besides, Lucy is really happy for us. Why do we need to change a thing?”

“Well, we do need to change some things,” you murmured, sitting up, much to Mark’s chagrin. “It’s Saturday morning, after all.”

“Babe, we just got engaged last night. Can’t we spend more of the morning in this bed together?”

You shook your head, slipping out from under the covers. “I can’t wait any longer.”

“Your need for that schedule is really pressing, huh?”

“No, it’s not that,” you corrected, backing up towards the ensuite where you would shower to start your day. Mark eyed you curiously. “I just need to start doing things with my fiancé. The shopping, the house chores, I want to feel what it’s like to do them now I’m engaged.”

“You’re so incredibly adorable,” he told you, getting up from the bed and coming over to you in the threshold. Wrapping his arms around you again, Mark leaned down to kiss you. “Okay, let’s experience it all.”

“Even our first shower together as an engaged couple?” you questioned and his mouth twitched, a giggle leaving you at his sudden eagerness.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier, we have a lot to get through today!”

You had finally found your Mr Right. After losing sight of Mark years ago, you were certain there would be no need to do anything apart from each other now.

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aiimaginesbts · 6 years

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What You Never Had: Chapter 11

Reader x Jin, Taehyung, Jimin, Namjoon

Genres: Royalty AU, fluff and angst

Word count: 2,936 words

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (M) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 (M) | 13 | 14 (Final)

A/N: Thanks Ann @godsavemefrombts for beta-ing this!

Disclaimer/Copyright

You knew you should never have trusted Jimin.

Still, it was too late to do anything but smile now. Although you'd have liked nothing more than throw a few choice words at your brother or even deliver bodily harm, the man standing next to him was preventing you from acting on your raging emotions. The only thing you could do was the exact opposite of what you felt like doing, but you did it anyway; you smiled. "Why did you summon me here, dear brother?" You addressed Jimin, lips in place but with eyes shooting daggers towards him, emphasising the last two words so that they came out saccharine sweet.

"I happened to mention the small problem that you are struggling with to Namjoon when Prince Taehyung was in attendance," Jimin said, clearly trying to keep himself from laughing outright. He knew exactly how angry you were with him. It only served to fuel the playful side of him, relishing it as he gestured to the person in question. Prince Taehyung's warm expression, on the other hand, was polite and didn't seem to be hiding any mischievous intent. A tool of Jimin’s scheme, unsuspecting in the part that he was playing in this. You weren’t sure if you were more sorry for the guest Prince or yourself.

You followed Jimin's gaze to look at the Crown Prince of Delphina. It wasn't hard to guess the reason he was here, but the expression you showed him was of polite curiosity regardless. "I inquired about the possibility of teaching you to dance. That is why your brother brought me here; so I could ask you myself," he answered your unspoken question.

Of course Jimin would talk about something like that when Prince Taehyung was within earshot. You wondered if he'd said anything else to get the guest Prince to make such a suggestion. Really, you wouldn't put it past your brother to do just that. It wasn't a gesture that you appreciated — does anyone like having their weaknesses revealed to someone they hardly know? — but there was nothing else you could say now. "If Your Highness don't mind, it would be my pleasure."

"Well!" Jimin exclaimed suddenly with a clap of his hands, causing you to jump a little and catching Prince Taehyung's attention. "There is no time like the present. If I recall, Your Highness, you do not have anything scheduled this morning, am I correct in saying so?"

"Yes, I am quite free," Prince Taehyung confirmed.

"Then I'll leave you to it," Jimin said chirpily. The speed at which everything progressed and settled blew you away, and you couldn't think of anything to say. Your flabbergasted state gave Jimin the opportunity to make a quick exit, but not before flashing a wink your way. As the door to the hall closed behind him, you decided that you could take up your grievances with him later, and make the best of the situation for now. The sound of the heavy mahogany door echoed in the large space that was empty except for you and your suddenly appointed instructor. Taking a deep breath to steel yourself, you turned to him, mind racing to come up with something to say.

"I'm sorry about that." In the end, an apology was all you could think of. For your brother's behaviour and for your own lack of abilities that had landed Prince Taehyung in this situation. However, he shook his head, disagreeing with you. Wordlessly, he extended his hand for yours. You obliged, allowing him to place your hand on his shoulder, his own on your back, and took your other hand in his.

He started to move slowly, taking you with him, and only then did he start talking again. "I'm glad to be given the opportunity. As Prince Jimin pointed out, there is nothing else that requires my attention this morning. It is a happy coincidence that the opportunity presented itself to me, as I'd like nothing more than to be able to personally talk to the princess that the two Princes of Amaryll speak so highly of."

Hearing that your brothers had spoken about you to the Crown Prince that you admired shouldn't have been surprising, but having him tell you so was still unexpected and pleasant. Suddenly you felt bashful and unable to say anything more than a soft, "thank you."

As if sensing that you were uncomfortable with the news of your brothers' praises for you, Prince Taehyung didn't pursue the subject. Instead, he made a note of your movements aloud. You were rusty, and you'd never been good at dancing in the first place, but some of it were slowly coming back to you after all these years of not practicing or learning. There was no music to accompany you, but Prince Taehyung made up for it by counting with every step, helping you keep time. In a way, you found his deep baritone voice to be just as pleasant as an orchestra, a simple, repetitive melody that served as a guide as he led the dance.

You were far from being an expert, but you could tell that the Crown Prince was an accomplished dancer. It was relatively easy to follow his lead; the way he moved, the subtle yet seamless transition from one step to the next helped you advance with him in the way that he intended. Still, you didn't find the activity very enjoyable. It was impossible for you to relax when you were constantly afraid of stepping on his foot.

“I hear that you are the reason I am here,” Prince Taehyung said out of the blue, causing you to snap your head up at him.

“I beg your pardon?” You asked, confused.

“Although we haven’t caught them yet, you are the one who found the culprit behind the people’s disappearances, aren’t you?” He clarified, and you could see something in his eyes that you rarely saw in anyone else’s save your family members and Jin. It was admiration and respect. Just by exchanging one look, the Prince made your heart swell. You’d always been convinced that you were more capable than most people gave you credit for, but to be constantly brushed aside and ignored was discouraging. Even though Namjoon was always proud to boast of your achievements and gave you credit for your contributions, you’d always felt that the acknowledgement you’d received from the nobles were grudgingly given. They would rather sing praises of your brothers’ feats, just because you were a woman.

Yet here was a nobleman, the Crown Prince of a prospering country, no less, who not only acknowledged your contribution but brought up the topic for discussion as well. It floored you, and not in a bad way. “Yes,” you managed not to stumble on your clumsy one-word answer. Truth be told, your discoveries that led to finding the threat behind the disappearances had much to do with luck and timing. Still, it didn’t take away from the fact that you were the instigator of the current state of events, and his note of it flattered you. “It was more of a coincidence, Your Highness.”

“It doesn’t seem like the case, from the way His Highness Prince Namjoon talked about you,” he mused.

“I’m sure he exaggerated,” you returned, trying to will away the blush creeping up your cheeks. Just what exactly Namjoon had said to Prince Taehyung was admittedly something that had your curiosity piqued. However, you didn’t feel that it was polite to ask Prince Taehyung about a personal conversation you weren’t a part of, despite the amusement you could see dancing in Prince Taehyung’s eyes at your reaction.

Entertainment aside, the Crown Prince of the neighbouring country was also watching you with interest. You felt like you were being assessed. It only added to the self consciousness that had started to plague you since you started dancing, but now for a completely different reason. Still, he didn’t make you entirely uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because he’d made it known that his impression of you was favourable, but far from wanting flattery, his attention only made you bashful. As if sensing your mood, he didn’t insist on continuing to talk about what Namjoon had said about you. On the other hand, the next question he had didn’t stray far from the topic at hand. “He also voiced his concern about going into Zinnis to track the kidnappers down. From what I know of the relationship between Amaryll and Zinnis, I can see why he is cautious. After all, even if our group is welcomed there, locating their hideout is another matter.” You nodded at his vocal thoughts. They were, of course, the same problems that worried you. “Well, Princess, where do you think it is?”

He managed to startle you a second time in a short span of minutes. Even though he might hold you in higher regard than most men in the castle, you didn’t expect for him to seek your opinion. It wasn’t something that you hadn’t pondered before, but the sudden question had you telling him your honest thoughts without holding anything back. “As you said, Your Highness, Amaryll and Zinnis are not on good terms, so it is imperative that we find the kidnappers’ hideout quickly. Another thing to be considered is their ties with the government. Groups like this tend to be supported by someone in the position of power, I think, and if they catch wind of our suspicions, they may be more vigilant, or run away completely.”

“All the more reason to locate them quickly,” he agreed.

“Upon arrival, if possible,” you said gravely. “Which is why it would be wise to attempt to pinpoint their nest before setting off, and verify it, if it can be done.”

“It would be difficult to send in spies into Zinnis in the first place, what with their tight security,” Prince Taehyung pointed out. “It is not a very feasible option to send men to scour every corner of the country in secret.”

“Not every corner, surely, Your Highness,” you corrected him gently. “The people carrying out this operation are pirates, and therefore are confined to the harbours. That already narrows the search area by quite a margin.”

“Something tells me that you are of the opinion that it can be narrowed even more,” the Crown Prince prodded with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I cannot be entirely certain, of course —“ you began, but the nod of his head encouraged you to continue humouring him, “but if I were to venture a guess, it would be somewhere near the border of Zinnis and Gazan.”

The grin disappeared from Prince Taehyung’s face, perhaps by the strength behind your answer. Despite cautioning that your theory was not a sure thing, you sounded confident in your estimation. “What makes you think so?”

“Even if a government official is involved, it is still an illegal activity, so they need to be careful and inconspicuous. Being close to Gazan which allows slavery would serve them well should the need to flee arise. They can bring the people they have kidnapped and quickly sell them off to acquire the funds they may need to set up a base elsewhere, perhaps even acquiring protection, if the people of Gazan find their contribution valuable enough,” you told him. If the kidnappers were indeed in Zinnis, you could think of nowhere else that would be as convenient as the border between those two countries.

Prince Taehyung’s expression was one of silent contemplation. It was as if his eyes were piercing through you, so sharp was his gaze. You started to squirm ever so slightly in his arms, but the discomfort disappeared into thin air when he relaxed and adopted a genial air once again. “Even if I had any doubts before, you have completely convinced me that they are unfounded.” Before you could ask whether he had doubts about Namjoon’s claims to your abilities or your estimate on the kidnappers’ base, he pulled your focus back towards your current situation.

“Contrary to what Prince Jimin said, you don’t seem all that bad at dancing.”

Just like that, he brought you back to the ballroom. The soft clicks of shoes against the marble floor, somehow forgotten during your discussion with Prince Taehyung, greeted your ears again, forming a rhythm that replaced his earlier counting of the beat, a music of its own. Your skin froze everywhere that was in contact with him, and suddenly he felt too close. Gone were the thoughts that whirled around in your head during most of your waking hours as of late, taken over by the panic and expectation to take the right step, to seamlessly follow his lead. Naturally, that led you to fumble and land your foot onto his.

Your panicked apologies were brushed aside by Prince Taehyung’s laughter, a melodic sound coming from such depths that seemed contrasting to his beautiful, delicate features, that you wouldn’t have expected if you’d never heard his pleasingly deep voice before. “It is a mistake on my part,” he said magnanimously, “after my attempts at distracting you with tedious political talk, I suspected that you would perform better when you are not so fixated on your movements, yet I brought your attention back to it.”

Despite the events of the morning of your first dance lesson with Prince Taehyung, it wasn’t marked as the last. It wasn’t a daily occurrence, but often when he had time away from the discussions and the duties that he could carry out away from his home, he sought you out for another lesson, and another. You were obliged to accept, of course, so you thought nothing of it. Although at times the sensation that made you want to squirm returned in his presence. You’d heard that Prince Taehyung was good at reading people, and sometimes you thought that was exactly what he was doing. Reading you. If he truly was, he gave away no indication that he found anything he discovered to be unsatisfactory, yet you weren’t sure if anyone would enjoy being given a look that seemed to pierce through their soul.

However, he more than made up for any discomfort you might feel on your part. Here was another person who was inclined to talk about matters of the nation with you. Perhaps he didn’t indulge in disclosing confidential information as much your brothers did, but it was more than you could have hoped for. An extra source of information is always valuable. Moreover, the Crown Prince didn’t only share with you the progress of the preparations for pursuing the kidnappers. He was also more than happy to tell you more of his kingdom. They were superficial details like the weather, notable buildings, the trade — usually focusing on the differences between his country and yours that he could observe, but having never gone far from the capital, much less into another country, you found his little tidbits, his stories to be riveting.

As you swung in his arms once again one afternoon, your eyes were pulled to the door before it could even make a sound as it closed shut behind the newcomer. Jin’s presence was the sun, and your eyes planets of a galaxy, gravitating around him, pulled towards him. However, none of the sun’s warmth, none of Jin’s usual easy comfort wrapped around you this time. Instead, a chill enveloped your skin, despite being in Prince Taehyung’s firm arms. In the span of less than one second, the frost-like feeling creeping up your spine was replaced by red-hot fire everywhere your skin touched his. Even your back felt burnt by his hand there, and your instincts were to jump up and away from him, but you kept yourself as calm and collected as you could. Jin was the epitome of professionalism, his face expressionless, unbothered by the sight of you dancing so closely to Prince Taehyung, but there was a darkness in his eyes that sent a pang of regret inside you although you weren’t doing anything wrong. Even his voice didn’t betray any feelings, unfaltering as he apologised for interrupting and informing that the Crown Prince Namjoon had asked you to join him for tea.

Happy as you were to spend some time with Namjoon, you were more eager to make an escape from Prince Taehyung and talk to Jin. The former released you with an easy smile, brushing off your gratitude for his time and informing you that it was his pleasure. Even though Jin was just behind you as you walked through the long corridor outside the ballroom, the distance between you felt bigger than an ocean. Unable to stand the growing silence, you slowed your step to look sideways at him, trying to meet his eyes as you said, “Jin, I’m sor—“

“Don’t apologise,” he cut you off softly. It wasn’t unkind, but it left you clueless as to what to say. After a few moments, he ended the quiet, saying, “I do wish one of your brothers could teach you how to dance, though.” Looking up at him again, you saw no blame in his eyes. Only a wistful smile that inflicted more pain than any scolding ever could.

The funny thing was, you were sure your own features were twisted into a similar expression. “I wish you could teach me.”

With that, both of you lapsed into silence once again, letting your echoing footsteps distract you from letting the truth consume you. To attempt to ignore the fact that in the public eye, the close proximity that you had with Prince Taehyung earlier was something you could never have with Jin.

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