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“I don’t have any real friends here, I don’t have anybody here…” You utter sourly as you kick your legs, watching the sway of the shrubbery below.
"That’s not true,” Yoongi replied flatly, trying to shake off the sting from your comment, “you have Jin.” He countered, lifting himself onto the thick stone railing himself and making himself comfortable. He briefly hoped he wouldn’t lose his balance and fall, he wasn’t in the mood for a shattered bone or even possibly death.
"The prince…” You scoff, hugging yourself tightly in an attempt to shield yourself from the biting cold, “the prince doesn’t know me as much as I wish he did.” Your voice was soft and tinted with shades of sadness that Yoongi simply couldn’t ignore.
He was stuck. He had known Seokjin for years, loved him for years. Yet here you were before him now, a new friend he had come to care for deeply, to his own surprise, and you were in pain. In pain because, whether you realized it or not, you were in love with his best friend and with a man who was never good with love despite how much he desired it. Yoongi heaved a heavy sigh. He was really stuck.
“Y/N… come here…” He murmured gently, hesitantly holding his arm out in a silent gesture.
You look at him rather dumbfounded for a moment before carefully inching closer to him, leaning into his seeminly slender frame and feeling instantly comforted by his warmth when his arm wraps around your shoulders and squeezed you close. Your mind zoomed past all the memories you had of Yoongi shirking affection from his admirers, opting to instead hide beside Seokjin or one of the other noble sons, behind pillars, or nestled in the odd fauna that was used to adorn the palace corridors and dance hall. Idly you wondered when you passed the threshold for this level of intimacy as you nestled your head into the crook of his neck. You couldn't help but notice that despite his looks there were actually muscles underneath his dress shirt, yet he was still holding you so gently.
A twinge of guilt for that earlier comment of having nobody rudely rearing itself into your chest. With a frown you mentally pushed it aside, opting instead to wonder if all the sons of the royal court gave embraces as comforting as Yoongis’. If so, then it was no wonder why they all clung to each other so often and so casually.
“It’s going to be okay Y/N, I know it is. Hyung really does care for you, he just doesn’t know how to show it. He’s never had to show it before.” Yoongi breathed as he rubbed your shoulder tenderly, trying to instill some comfort. Instead, he piqued your curiosity.
"What do you mean by that?” You ask, lifting your head to make direct eye contact causing him to look away instantly, clearing his throat as his excuse. “Yoongi…”
"You know how he’s been giving you gifts?” He began after a moment, “But he hasn’t gotten to know you? Well... I mean, I know he means well, but all these grand gestures he’s been doing? That’s what he thinks a prince like him should do. He… he’s never had to do this before. He’s the sole prince of a nation, a globally known celebrity. Can you imagine how many people have gone after him for his status alone?” At this Yoongi turned to you, the care and concern for his friend etched clearly on his face.
"He’s tried falling in love before, he’s tried, but the few times he thought he'd gotten close they’ve always ended up hurting him. He always performed because that’s what they always wanted. They never wanted him, they wanted the status, what he’s been able to do for them, and because of that, all that Hyung knows is how to perform. He’s never gotten to show who he is or gotten to connect to someone on a personal level.” Reaching out you grabbed hold of Yoongi’s free hand that he had resting on his knee. Running your thumb gently over his knuckles you felt the hand he still had on your shoulder squeeze tightly.
Your heart was contorting at the idea of someone as sweet as Jin being hurt, all the while yearning for love. Despite the current emotional dissonance between the two of you Jin had always been kind and considerate towards you. Since the moment you met him, he was always the handsome prince who loved to tell dumb jokes, make others smile, who strived to make your stay at the palace as comfortable as possible every single day. How could anybody see these adorable qualities that helped make up this man and not instantly love him like-?
“...Yoongi?” You began but were abruptly interrupted by a voice behind you.
“Well, you two look comfortable.” Hoseoks’ voice cut through the pensive air that had gathered around you and Yoongi’s hunched forms, startling you so abruptly that you would have teetered off the balcony’s railing if not for Yoongi’s hold.
"Hobi, how long have you been there?” Yoongi asked curtly, silently pulling the two of you back into the room as he attempted to recompose himself. If it weren’t for your proximity to him you would have missed his flustered expression.
“Not long, what were you two up to?” Hoseok asked accusatorily as his gaze drifted to the arm that Yoongi still had around your shoulders.
“Just chatting, Y/N needed to get some things off her chest and I figured I’d be a listening ear,” Yoongi answered simply, giving a somewhat unconvinced Hoseok a lopsided grin before meeting eyes with you. “I have to go now, are you going to be okay? I think you wanted to say something else at the end there?”
“Uhm, yeah, yeah I did but it can wait.” You say giving him a reassuring smile before pulling him into a hug that he happily reciprocated, “thanks for hearing me out, it helped a lot. You’re a great listener.” You added, earning you a sweet, gummy smile that you’ve only ever see him use among the other noble sons.
“Anytime, goodnight Y/N. Come on Hoseok, I’m sleepy.” He said with a yawn, slipping effortlessly back into his lackadaisical attitude.
“Goodnight Hobi.” You attempt but are only met with a skeptical, sideways glance from the usually sunny man. He gave you a very curt ‘goodnight’ before following after Yoongi who had already made his way out of your room. You suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.
_______________________________________
You were right to worry. You didn’t know how long you had been asleep but it couldn’t have been long because the moon was still high in the sky and your balcony window, which you had absentmindedly forgotten to close, let in a more biting wind than before. But all of that didn’t matter once you noticed Jin above you - gently shaking you awake.
“Y/N… Y/N, wake up.” He murmured, his voice wavering as if he were trying to maintain his composure and speak evenly.
"Jin…? What’s going on?” You almost slur as you sit up in your bed, rubbing sleep from your eye. What was Jin doing in your room, was something going on? It wasn’t like him to just come into your room. “s'everything okay?” You yawned.
“Yes, Princess, everything’s okay,” he said gently as he took one of your hands in both of his, caressing it gently, “I just… needed to see you.” Something in his voice made you focus on him through your dazed state, looking deeply into his dark eyes.
“Are… you sure everything’s okay?” You ask hesitantly, wanting to be sure he was fine without pushing him too much. Unfortunately, your second inquiry was all it took to break the damn that was holding back all the emotions Seokjin was currently holding back. Gritting his teeth Jin moved his hands from your hand to rest on either side of your face, pulling you close and pressing his forehead against yours, his eyes squeezed shut.
“No… No, everything is not ok. Hoseok told me how he found you and Yoongi tonight.” You stilled, you had never heard such tension in Jin’s voice before, “I don’t get it Y/N. I trust Yoongi, he’s one of my best friends, but... I just can’t seem to get it out of my head.” Opening his eyes his intense stare bore into you, “I keep imagining his arm around you, his arm where my arm should’ve been, him comforting you when I should have been the one you came to. I understand that I’m not entitled to that - I get it, but why? Why does it still make me so angry?” You didn’t know what to say, was Seokjin… jealous?
"Jin, you’re being a little bit ridiculous. We were just talking, he was just being a good friend.” You didn’t have to defend yourself, you knew you didn’t. He was the one acting strangely, making his way into your room in the middle of the night. You didn’t have to defend yourself. But that didn’t stop you from wanting to, from needing to make sure that Jin didn’t have the wrong idea about you and Yoongi.
“Since when did you two become so close?” He snapped, his hands tensing on either side of your face.
“Jin, we’re just friends! I was just having a hard time and he heard me out!”
“He had his arm around you, he never holds just anyone like that!” He spat out, pulling his hands from your face and walking over to the balcony as you struggled through your grogginess to pull yourself from bed. Jin knew he was being overdramatic, he knew it was nothing, he knew Yoongi would never do that to him, all these things he knew but even still he couldn’t help himself. He was scared of being hurt again.
“Jin…” You began sleepily, the frigid wind not even being enough to fully pull you back into lucidity. “Jin, it’s not like that. I don’t-” you sighed raggedly, hugging yourself once again. If you were honest with yourself, you didn’t want to admit this out loud, all you wanted to do was crawl back into bed and drift to sleep under the soft covers, but you had to say it. “I don’t want him.”
Jin swallowed hard. He stood there for a few moments before turning towards you, once again cradling your face in his hands. He didn't want to hope. The entire time you've been here you've been amicable but unreceptive. He wants to believe he's getting your hint but he has to be sure.
“Then... what do you want?” He asked tentatively, his voice gruff as he tipped his head down so his lips hovered near yours, so close that you could almost feel them against your own. Hovering, but never touching.
Your breath hitched. The moment his fingers brushed against your skin you were awake, wide awake, the adrenaline thumping through your veins suddenly making you acutely aware of the growing silence between you two, the slight tremor in Jin’s hands, the unkempt tousle of his hair, the floral scent of his striped pajamas, the warmth of his breath and the slight part of his inviting lips. You always knew Jin was handsome, you weren’t blind. Everybody knew about “World Wide Handsome: Kim Seokjin”, but at this moment he didn’t just look handsome, no, at this moment Jin looked downright gorgeous.
Illuminated by the ethereal moonlight that poured in through your open window, you noticed the crisp wind cause his hair to fall and frame his face, his smoldering gaze completely entrapping you. That smolder was so hypnotizing that you couldn’t help yourself from closing the infinitesimal gap between you, desperately wanting to feel his plush lips against yours.
You felt Jin’s hands twitch against your cheeks before they slid up and into your hair, whatever agitation he was still feeling fueling his desire as he pressed deeper into the kiss. He wasn’t letting you go, not just yet, and you had no desire to pull away either. You hadn’t been wanting to admit it to yourself, but speaking to Yoongi earlier made you realize just how much you wanted to be here with him, to spend as much time as you can with him. Speaking to Yoongi made you realize just how much you were in love with Prince Seokjin...