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starlost-andfound · 2 years

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cherry blossoms / kim taehyung

Summary: Every year when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom, the Kim family hosts a grand garden tea party, inviting royal families from all the neighbouring kingdoms. The heir to the Kim’s kingdom, Prince Taehyung is no stranger to the boring royal commitments of his family’s annual tea party but each year he finds himself looking forward to the gathering, for the brief moments that he gets to spend with his friend. As the years go by and seasons change, people and feelings do too.

Warnings: Fluff, absolute lack of knowledge on royal terminology

Word Count: 4286

A/n: This one is dedicated to the lovely @hopelesslylivv , thank you for being the first to read this <3

gif credits to @taeyungie

1 - When they meet…

The Kim family’s garden was a vast plot of land, painted with the colours of the surrounding plants, flowers, and every spring; the beautiful cherry blossoms. The garden itself was almost half the size of the ground floor of the palace. Prince Taehyung loved to spend most of his time after his lessons, in the garden. The young prince, only just 8 years old, felt so small among all the trees and the large space. It felt so exciting to run around exploring and conquering every corner of the garden yet, for the first time Taehyung felt nervous as he peeked from behind his father at the familiar outdoor space that was now crowded with lots of unfamiliar people.

“Taehyung, go on. It’s alright,” his father looked down at his son and patted his head. Taehyung gripped the back of his father’s coat tightly and shook his head.

“They’re all nice people, dear- our friends. You can make some friends too,” Taehyung’s mother reassured him. The young boy looked up at his parents, dressed in traditional clothing with a royal elegance and the emblem of the Kim family delicately and perfectly embroidered into the fabric. He shifted uncomfortably in his tailored shorts and buttoned shirt that had been made just for this occasion. His matching suspenders felt too tight on his shoulders and the weather felt a little too warm.

“Okay,” Taehyung mumbled quietly.

His father smiled and knelt down, adjusting his son’s collar and patting his shoulders. “You got this. Go have fun.”

“And be good!”, his mother added as Taehyung began to navigate his way through the guests.

“Oh, Prince Taehyung, is that you?”

Taehyung rubbed his clammy palms on his shorts and looked up at the woman who had spotted him. He couldn’t recognize her from any of the pictures his mother had shown him but bowed politely, “Hello.”

“Oh how sweet, how old are you now? I remember seeing you when you were just a baby.”

He laughed nervously, “I’m um-I’m eight.” He held up eight fingers.

The woman awed, “You’re all grown up now.”

Taehyung internally felt grateful as she was pulled away into another conversation. He made a beeline for his favourite spot in the garden, a wooden bench surrounded by flowers with a view of a lake through the cherry blossom trees. It was hidden in the back of the garden, away from all the crowds and anyone, perfect for the boy to have a moment alone. Except, when Taehyung finally reached the bench, his sigh of relief was cut off by a gasp. Someone had stolen his seat on the bench.

The culprit looked up and grinned, revealing a gap in her teeth where a baby tooth had fallen out. “Hello,” she waved. Taehyung stayed put, barely lifting his hand above his waist to wave back. “You’re sitting on my bench.”

“We can share,” the smile on her face didn’t leave as she scooted over and patted the empty space beside her.

He cautiously moved to sit next to her, taking notice of the plucked rose in her hands and the golden swan pendant on her necklace. “That’s from my garden,” he pointed to the rose,

“I know, it’s so pretty! It’s like the flower on my dress, see?”, she pointed to the daisy pattern printed on her dress.

“I’m Princess Y/n, from Lake Swan,” she stuck out her hand. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Prince Taehyung from here,” he responded back, keeping his hands at his side.

The princess seemed to take no notice of her unreturned handshake. She simply smiled again, “Taehyung, that’s a nice name. I like it.”

“Do you like daisies?”

“They’re nice,” Taehyung smiled as his eyes drifted to the tall cherry blossom trees ahead, hiding the view of the lake beside their castle. “But I like the cherry blossoms more. They only come in the spring and they’re very beautiful.”

Taehyung watched as y/n turned and climbed onto the bench, trying to reach for the nearest cherry blossoms, on the closest tree. Her fingers barely reached the flowers. “They are very pretty.”

A gust of wind blew off a flower and it fell down onto y/n’s forehead. She giggled and grabbed the stray flower before she sat back down. She placed the blossom into the palm of Taehyung’s hand. “Now we both have a flower.”

Taehyung smiled, delicately brushing the petals of the flower with his hand.

“Come on,” she got up with a sense of direction in mind, head held high. “Let’s play a game.”

“What game do you want to play?”, Taehyung asked.

Y/n hummed before her face broke out into a grin. She smiled a lot, Taehyung noticed. “Hide and seek. You count, I hide.”

Taehyung placed the cherry blossom into the pocket of his shorts and placed his hands over his eyes. “1…”

He heard her giggle and the distant sound of her footsteps fading away.

“2…”, a soft breeze picked up, enveloping the warmth of that spring day with a cool wind. When Taehyung had counted to 10, he began to look around with a cheeky smile on his face. He looked behind the bench, peeked behind statues, behind the bushes. He began to search through the crowd of guests when he recognized the daisy pattern of her dress peeking out from behind the buffet table. Taehyung grinned and ran behind the table, surprising y/n. “I got you!”

Y/n turned around with wide eyes, caught red handed with a half eaten pastry in her hand and custard smeared on her lips. Taehyung gasped, “What cake is that? I wanna try.”

Y/n gestured for Taehyung to crouch down before she pointed at the plate of pastries on the far end of the table. “It’s the one with the strawberries on it,” she whispered loudly. Taehyung squinted his eyes. Once he spotted the pastry he slowly approached the plate, tongue poking out of his mouth in concentration. In one swipe, he grabbed a pastry and snatched as many marshmallows he could fit in his other hand before running back to y/n.

“I got us marshmallows,” Taehyung smiled, handing her the one of two marshmallows he could fit in his hand. Like y/n, Taehyung was strictly raised on maintaining etiquette and a clear royal image, so the boy’s mission was not yet complete. His eyes scanned the table once more and he picked up two plates and tissues for the both of them. Y/n thanked him as he handed her a plate and a tissue before they navigated around the crowd and back to the bench where they ate their own little feast.

“Now,” y/n placed her empty plate to the side of the bench, wiping away the crumbs on her face with a tissue. “It’s your turn to hide, and my turn to count.”

She closed her eyes and began to count. Taehyung sat frozen for a moment, pondering where to hide before his eyes lit up and he broke into a sprint, trying to suppress his giggles. He ran past the cherry blossom trees and crouched down behind a bush, sticking his head out just enough to watch y/n finish counting. Y/n stood up and began to search around. After a while she disappeared from Taehyung’s vision. Taehyung stood up, making sure he still wasn’t visible behind the trees.

Taehyung felt something grasp his shoulder and he screamed. He turned around, coming face to face with a laughing y/n. “I got you!”

Taehyung shook his head, holding his hand close to his heart. “I got so scared! How did you find me?”

“You’re not very good at hiding, silly,” y/n giggled. She held his hand, “Come on, let’s go back. Mummy says it’s time to eat.”

Taehyung looked down at their entwined hands as they walked back. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink and he quickly pulled his hand away. Before y/n could look back Taehyung heard his mother call him and he quickly ran over to her.

“Taehyung, did you have fun?”

Taehyung held his mother’s hand, leaning into her side. He gazed out into the crowd where y/n was very cheerfully and excitedly talking to her parents. “I had a lot of fun.”

2 - a couple of years later…

Taehyung felt uncomfortable.

He shifted in his shoes that were a size too exact as his mother adjusted his collar. Having spent the past few years in boarding school, he had gotten accustomed to his independence. Now that he was back for the holidays, the few housekeepers and his parents following him around felt a bit too overwhelming for the young teenager.

“Mom,” Taehyung whined, turning his head away as his mother reached up to fix his hair again. “That’s enough, please.”

“I haven’t seen my son in months and he’s already sick of me.” his mother teased. “Just stay still for a moment.” She combed through his hair once more, pressing down any flyaway strands of hair she could find. She stepped back, looking her son up and down for one last check. “Kim Taehyung, what is that on your hand?”

Taehyung looked down, noticing the bright yellow paint stain smeared on his thumb, a souvenir of his most recent painting. He hated social gatherings, especially with larger crowds and in this moment he yearned for nothing more than the familiar feeling of the paintbrush in his hands, He grumbled under his breath before walking across his room to the bathroom to wash the paint off.

“You look so handsome, dear. My little boy, all grown up.” Taehyung’s mother smiled proudly as he walked out. In her eyes, time had flown by since he was a baby.

“Mom, stop,” Taehyung turned away, embarrassed.

His mother chuckled, “Let’s go meet our guests.”

Taehyung followed his mother out into the garden, meeting his father on the terrace. “Ah, my son, just the person I was looking for. Come here, I want to introduce you to some people.” His father wrapped a hand around his shoulder, guiding him over to a couple. The woman wore a light blue dress embroidered with patterns of swans and lakes. The man wore a matching blue suit with a swan stitched over his chest pocket. The imagery of swans seemed familiar to Taehyung and he wondered where he had seen it before.

“Taehyung, meet the King and Queen of Lake Swan.”

Taehyung’s face lit up in recognition and he bowed down. “It is an honour to make your acquaintance.”

The King and Queen of Lake Swan engaged in a conversation with Taehyung, asking him about his studies in boarding school and Taehyung replied with a smile on his face, expressing his interests in the arts. The conversation seemed to drag on and all Taehyung wanted to ask was one thing and just as he hoped to ask, his curiosity was satisfied.

“Taehyung, surely you have met our daughter y/n?”

His eyes lit up, “Is she here today?”

“She told us she would be over by some bench, I’m not sure where but I am certain you’ll know your way around here better than I will,” y/n’s father chuckled.

Some bench. Taehyung excused himself and quickly made his way through the crowd, ignoring the occasional call of his name when someone recognized him. True to her father’s word, Taehyung found y/n sitting on the bench, wearing a smaller version of her mother’s dress and eating a slice of fruit cake.

“You’re sitting on my bench,” Taehyung smiled shyly as y/n lifted her head and waved.

“We can share.” y/n chuckled. “It’s been a while. How are you?”

“I am fine, thank you, and you?”

Y/n smiled at his response, a common reply to the question which she had learnt time and time again in her studies of royal etiquette. “I am doing fine, thank you. How was boarding school?”

“It was okay, I spent a lot of time painting.”

Y/n eyes sparkled, “Painting, really? May I see some of your paintings?”

A garden party is a garden party. The young Prince knew the rules. The guests shouldn’t enter the palace unless they had to use the washroom or in an emergency but here he was, gesturing y/n to follow him as he guided her through a back entrance. Once they were in the castle, Taehyung and y/n broke into a sprint down the hallways to the Prince’s designated art studio. In the countless rooms in the castle, beside the library, the royal servants had set up a studio just for him upon his return from boarding school.

Y/n let out a quiet gasp as she walked into the room, her eyes scanning over the painted landscapes hung on the wall and half finished pieces propped against the wall on the floor. A tall bookshelf stood, filled with art supplies and sketchbooks and the room carried the faint scent of fresh paints. The sunlight from the window casted a warm glow on all the artworks. Taehyung suddenly felt self conscious as he stood in the middle of the room, following y/n’s line of vision as she looked around.

“So…” he gulped, “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” her eyes met his. “It really is Taehyung, this is amazing.”

He blushed and turned away, clearing his throat. “Thank you.”

Y/n’s interest piqued as she noticed a more abstract artwork propped against an easel by the window. She chuckled and walked over to the canvas, “What’s this supposed to be?”

“Uh-” Taehyung took off the canvas from the easel in a rush. “Nothing. You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“It looks like a monkey,” y/n remarked, trying to look past Taehyung’s shoulder to see the artwork which he attempted to hide.

Taehyung’s embarrassed expression suddenly changed to a scowl. “It’s supposed to be a person. It’s abstract.”

Y/n nodded slowly, her attention drawn by another painting in the room, “Alright, if you say so.”

“What have you been up to, these past few years?”

Y/n turned back to Taehyung. “Mother has been forcing me to take piano classes.”

“Piano?” Taehyung raised an eyebrow. “We have a piano in the music room. Maybe you could play something for me?”

“Maybe,” y/n hummed.

Once the two young royals entered the music room, Taehyung shut the door behind them. He jogged over to the piano and pulled out the stool for y/n. “After you, princess.”

“Thank you,” y/n smiled and sat down, carefully fixing her dress. “Where will you sit?” she asked, looking around. Taehyung gazed around at the abundance of instruments and the odd absence of chairs.

“You can sit next to me,” y/n offered, scooting over to her right. Taehyung quietly sat down next to her. The close proximity between them on the small stool was almost overwhelming. He gulped and rubbed his ears, hoping y/n wouldn’t notice the red tint that painted them.

Y/n took a deep breath before she began to play. “Ready to be amazed, Prince Taehyung?”

To say Taehyung was mesmerised would be an understatement. Y/n’s ability to play the piano far exceeded his. Her hands moved gracefully across the keys, creating a beautiful melody. The Prince was sure she would be able to play with her eyes closed if he had asked. He snuck a glance at her face that seemed so peaceful and so confident of her every move. A stranger would think she learned to play before she learnt to walk.

Y/n finished off the piece and turned to her audience, “So, what do you think?”

Taehyung’s eyes were filled with awe. “That was very beautiful.”

3 - the cherry blossoms bloomed beautifully again.

“Isn’t this a bit too much for a garden party?” Taehyung frowned quizzically at his reflection in the mirror. The red leather jacket he wore was a striking contrast to the glittery black blouse he wore underneath, decorated with a necklace that was hard to miss with the shining jewels clasped around his neck.

“Your mother said it is most fitting for a Prince.” His assistant replied. Taehyung sighed, stepping into the chosen pair of shoes for today’s event. He adjusted his hair in the mirror when a thought flashed through his head. A flashback, an image of an old friend he hadn’t seen for many years. He smiled. “How do I look?”

“Quite dashing, if I do say so myself.”

Taehyung left his room and made his way down to the garden party. His shoes clicked against the marble floors of the palace. His footsteps echoed around the halls as his heart pounded in his chest. Taehyung rubbed his palms against his pants and took a deep breath as he approached the doors to the garden. The two guards by the door grasped the door handle, “Whenever you’re ready, Prince Taehyung.”

Taehyung nodded and the guards pushed the door open, announcing his entrance.

“His Royal Highness, Heir to the Kim Throne, Prince Taehyung.”

Taehyung held his breath and put on his best smile as he greeted all the guests. Family by family, guest by guest, he made his way through the garden, politely shaking their hands and joining in on discussions but his mind remained on one person. His eyes often wandered around to the back of the garden where an old but familiar bench laid. To his dismay, his eyes continued to seek an empty bench. By the time he had greeted all the guests, Taehyung’s cheeks began to ache from all the smiling. He served himself a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice from the buffet and retreated to the back of the garden. Taehyung sat down on the bench with a sigh.

“Is it just me or do all these royal formalities get more boring the older we get?”

Taehyung nearly choked on his juice as he sat up on the bench. He turned to meet someone who looked all too familiar, yet all too different. Her hair was chopped much shorter. He had a feeling that she must’ve had something to do with the haircut as it appeared someone had attempted to style the very messily chopped uneven ends. The handbag over her shoulder and the dress she wore seemed quite out of her taste, a striking contrast to her bold and dark eyeshadow- but what struck Taehyung the most was what she held in her hand: a cigarette.

Taehyung smirked, “Isn’t smoking forbidden for royals?”

“Isn’t wearing a massive diamond studded chain over an even more sparkly outfit forbidden for a garden party’s dress code?”

“A royal garden party.” Taehyung rolled his eyes, attempting to hide the red tint of his ears by ruffling his hair. He glanced down at his outfit with a grimace, “I didn’t exactly have a say in it.”

Y/n brought the cigarette to her lips, inhaling the smoke. She exhaled. “Come on, let’s go somewhere a bit more hidden. I don’t want to get caught.”

Taehyung arched his brow in curiosity as he followed y/n out past the trees with blooming cherry blossoms, and up the steps to the dock by the lake. “Is this your idea of somewhere a bit more hidden? A dock in the middle of an open lake?”

“Your bright red jacket isn’t exactly helping either. Do you happen to have a better idea, Diamond Prince?”

“Diamo-” Taehyung scoffed. He shrugged off his jacket, hanging it against a pole before sitting down. Y/n tugged her dress at her knees before she sat down beside him. Taehyung shamelessly watched as y/n took another drag of the cigarette.

“What is it?”, y/n asked, turning to him. Their faces were barely centimetres apart. Taehyung gulped, “Do you happen to have another cigarette?”

Y/n suddenly laughed, throwing her head back. “Well, well, who would have thought? The golden boy, Kim Taehyung smoking a cigarette.”

She handed Taehyung the cigarette in her hand, “I’m afraid I could only sneak one cigarette in without my mother noticing.”

Taehyung thanked her, bringing the cigarette to his lips. He inhaled and leaned his head back against the pole as he exhaled. His shoulders relaxed.

“Where have you been the past few years?”

Taehyung smiled, “College. I’m studying the Arts. You?”

“The artworks you showed me last time were pretty cool. I’m glad you’re pursuing the Arts. I’m studying politics.”

Taehyung grimaced, turning his body to face y/n more. “Sounds awfully tedious and boring.”

“I actually find it quite interesting.” Taehyung caught a small glimmer in her eyes as she spoke more about politics, almost the same kind of glimmer in his own eyes when he created art. There was a small aching flutter in his chest, a foreign feeling which he hadn’t felt in so long. His face broke into a small grin.

“I just realised I have been boring you with all this political nonsense,” y/n groaned.

“It wasn’t boring at all,” Taehyung mumbled. He absent mindedly lifted his hand carrying the cigarette to y/n. Y/n leaned her face forward, taking a drag of the cigarette. She was so close to him, all of a sudden, he could smell her perfume. Cherry blossoms. Much to his confusion, Taehyung’s heart flipped in his chest. Could she hear his heart pounding as loudly in his ears as he could?

“You’re blushing,” y/n remarked, leaning back against the pole.

“It’s the humidity,” he retorted.

“It isn’t humid at all,” y/n spoke softly. “Are you blushing because of me, Taehyung? No need to be shy about it, I know I’m quite the charmer.”

Taehyung didn’t know how y/n attempted to distract him from her own blush with her teasing. He inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart in his chest. He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. “Don’t get too full of yourself, I was just starting to like you.” He pressed the now worn out cigarette against the wooden floor of the dock, putting it out.

Y/n gasped, “Wow, that was tough.”

He chuckled, looking in any other direction but her. Y/n took this small moment to sneak a look at Taehyung without him noticing. The sound of laughter sent butterflies to her heart.

“For the record, you are quite the charmer, yourself.”

“Who’s blushing now?” he giggled, finding the courage in her confession to look at her again, just as she found the courage to hold his gaze.

Taehyung licked his lips. His eyes trailing down her face from her eyes to her lips. He inhaled shakily, looking back up at her eyes.

“What is it?”, y/n asked, her voice just above a whisper.

His hand grasped hers, bringing it to his chest over his pounding heart. “Is it too sudden to feel this way, having known someone for only so long?”

Y/n shook her head, “I don’t think so.” She bit her lip.

“Don’t do that,” Taehyung whispered. “Or I might just give in and kiss you.”

“And if I want you to kiss me?”, y/n replied, lifting her hand to his cheek.

Taehyung brushed her cheek with his hand. He cupped her cheek and leaned in, just about brushing his lips with hers.

“Do you hear that?”

“What?”, Taehyung asked, eyes closing.

“Taehyung,” y/n rubbed his cheek.

“Yeah?” he mumbled, kissing the corner of her mouth.

“Taehyung,” y/n spoke louder.

“What is it?”, Taehyung asked with a tinge of impatience as he opened his eyes to meet hers again. Then, he heard it. His parents. His parents were calling his name. His eyes widened. His parents were searching for him.

“Shit, shit, shit, come on,” y/n yanked him by the arm. Taehyung got up, barely getting a chance to dust off his pants when y/n pulled him by the arm back down the dock. He could barely keep up as they jogged back. He glanced down at his hand holding hers when his eyes suddenly widened. “Wait!”, he called out, barely keeping up. “My jacket!”

Y/n cursed under her breath again, as she turned back to their previous spot, dragging him with her. Taehyung shook his head, trying to get rid of his blush. Swearing was strictly forbidden for royals but gosh, something about hearing y/n swear made his heart flutter. Y/n, who ran in front, grabbed his jacket. She turned around bumping into a very dazed and distracted Taehyung’s chest. “Take it!”

Taehyung snapped out of his trance, and grabbed his jacket before they sprinted back. He glanced back at her, their faces breaking into grins as they laughed. Taehyung held her hand as they climbed back down the steps of the dock.

“Hurry,” y/n pushed his shoulder. Taehyung took a few steps forward but something in his chest tugged him back around again. “When will we meet again?”

Y/n quickly rummaged through her handbag, pulling out a pen. She grabbed Taehyung’s hand and wrote her number down. She stood up on her toes and pecked his lips, before she ran away, leaving a blushing Taehyung with his hand feeling very empty.

“Taehyung!”

He hid his hand underneath his jacket as he turned around to his mother.

“There you are my dear, I have someone I want you to meet. Where did you run off too?”

He grinned, “I just needed some fresh air.”

#taehyung fic #bts taehyung fic #tae fic #tae #bts tae

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