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When the next day arrived and Taehyung was immediately informed during his breakfast that the Prince had asked him to get ready for their stroll around the kingdom, he was taken back by it; he didn't expect Jeongguk to actually mean the offer he made yesterday.

A new sensation bloomed inside his chest, a rather unfamiliar one. His heart felt...free and nervous. It felt good, someone prioritizing him over everything else, he isn't used to that as Taehyung was never a priority to anyone. So knowing the Crown Prince out of all people, wants to spend his day with him in the middle of his busy schedule is heartwarming.

Inner child in him was awake because of how excited he was to just go out. Little things like this are certainly the best part of life.

Jeongguk was standing near the gates, waiting for Taehyung to arrive. He had a disguise on, with his clothes being cheaper than what he usually wears and his hair not in a neat bun this time but instead falling on his eyes. He had recently cut them a bit shorter just to have change even though his mother did not talk to him for days because cutting your hair shorter is frowned upon especially as a royal.

As hair is supposed to be treated well, cutting it down is the worst thing you can do. It's seen as rather immoral, well kept long hair is a sign of royal blood.

Today was rather hotter than usual, which isn't the perfect weather for a stroll around the Elestial main market but Jeongguk is just glad Taehyung agreed to go somewhere with him. He needs time out of the Palace as things recently have been getting more tense. It's getting rather unpleasant.

Though,he has been waiting for quite a long time now. He was told Prince was in the middle of breakfast when they alerted him of the plan but it has been half an hour since that too. What's taking him so long? He signaled one of the guards to come to him.

"Go and check on Prince Taehyung and see where is he? We have to be back before sundown-" Jeongguk was cut off in the middle of his sentence by a deep familiar voice.

"No need for that,I'm sorry for making you wait,my prince."

Turning his head around to face the man he has been waiting for. Taehyung was truly mesmerizing to look at. He was also wearing a simple blue hanbok to tone down his true self. What was captivating on his look was that he was wearing gat (traditional korean hat), with a veil attached to it that ended at his shoulder. It hid his beautiful face, which was somewhat visible because of the sheer material of it.

"They told me to not wear something I own so we won't get ambushed later on. So the servants were trying to find something for me to wear. I saw this hat and wanted to take it. I hope I don't attract anyone with this,it's alright, right?" Taehyung asked Jeongguk, dumbfoundedly, having no idea how Jeongguk was barely listening to him as he was too busy checking him out.

"I don't know about others but I am definitely attracted but it should stay that way. I like this veil, I don't want any of those men outside to look at you with their disgusting eyes. You are so beautiful, Taehyung." Jeongguk caressed Taehyung's cheek, who was staring at him with his eyes wide open.

"We s-should l-leave, my prince. Back before sundown, let's not waste any time." Taehyung walked past him, immediately getting into the carriage that was prepared for them. Jeongguk loves when he reacts like that.

The veil definitely didn't hide the red color on his cheeks.

The ride was rather silent as it wasn't a long one to begin, in just 10 minutes they reached their destination or rather place close by it.

They didn't go straight to the market as coming out of a carriage would just ruin any type of disguise they have put on. So the carriage was parked a few streets away from all the crowd so the Princes would just walk to the market.

Getting out of the carriage with the two guards holding the door open for them to get out. They were also in disguise too, as letting such important people alone outside wasn't safe at all. Taehyung came out first and took a look around. They were in some random alleyway with no one around. First thing he noticed was how green it was.

Even with straight walls around, there were flowers on the side of the path and green vines all over the walls. At the end of the alleyway was a huge tree and they would be right inside the market.

Jeongguk saw Taehyung staring and he walked up to him. "Stay close to me, don't go anywhere without me, if anyone somehow manages to get even a hint that you are prince I can't promise you anything good will happen. So don't stray from me and don't speak unless it's necessary, your accent is different from ours so you can get scammed very easily. Understood?"

"Yes, Jeongguk."

"Oh yeah i like that, call me by my name, I would do the same too. You two also call us by our names." Jeongguk said to the guards behind them who were too shocked.

"How can we disrespect you like that,your highness-"

"It's an order. Let's go!" Jeongguk grabbed Taehyung's hand and started to walk out of the alleyway. Dragging Taehyung into the main market of Elestial.

"Is it okay to...hold hands?" Taehyung asked.

"Oh Taehyung, the crowd there is insane and everyone is there for something. Last thing they care about is if you are holding a man's hand."

As soon as they stood in the middle of the market, with the sun shining right on them. Their nerves were being overloaded with all the hustle bustle around them. The noise of people and the shop owners yelling out to the customers, trying to sell their products to passersby. People bumping into them and apologizing immediately.

Taehyung took a look at how the greenery remained even in such a busy market like this. Every shop had a bunch of plants, next to their products that were displayed. With the big trees planted in the middle of the street, giving shade to those who want to rest for a while in this busy market.

There are a lot of colors too, with their signs decorated with vibrant colors to the walls filled with hand painted paintings. He couldn't help but to compare it to Arothia. Arothia is opposite to this lively place. Arothia's rather more dull and darker, the people here actually look fucking happy but he cannot say the same for his own people.

A good royal family really does reflect your kingdom. Everyone has pros and cons but he is yet to find a con in this place. It's all so perfect here it seems...fake.

"So what do you think?" Jeongguk asked, walking along Taehyung whose eyes were all over the place.

"This place is so...bright, Jeongguk. How is this even real? Even with so many people around us, I don't feel suffocated." Taehyung replied to him and Jeongguk grinned, squeezing his hand a bit.

"it's good to know you like it. Ofcourse not every market is as bright as this one but we pride ourselves into making our kingdom more livelier, If that makes sense." Jeongguk said to the man who nodded.

"It does,your people are lucky to have your family, the fact their Crown Prince is you, it's unfair because they are in good hands after your father too." Taehyung said to him.

Jeongguk wanted to bring up the fact that Arothia will be his eventually so they are in good hands too but he stopped himself. The look on Taehyung's face was different, it was a look of envy, he wanted his people to have what they have. Pointing him out specifically, it makes him believe Taehyung isn't the happiest about not being the Arothian Crown Prince.

"Thanks for the compliment but as I said, less talking for you,mister. Let's go, I want you to try this jjinppang. They sell out fast so we need to be there immediately. They are so tasty you would want me to bring you back here for them." Jeongguk fastened his pace, dodging the people ahead of them and he heard the guards telling him to slow down.

Taehyung laughed at Jeongguk,running along with him. The adrenaline rush made his grin wider. The guards were definitely lost in the crowd but that didn't stop them from just giggling like teenage boys, running away from their responsibilities.

It is irresponsible to run away from their guards but they don't care about that. Right now they are normal citizens of Elestial, in a market to have some fun with their friends. To do normal things that normal people do. This type of escape is so necessary that now that Taehyung has it, he doesn't want to lose it.

They were running and running,not glancing back at all. Finally stopping after a minute or two to take a breathing break from so much running. They were leaning against the wall,panting.

"Are they gone?" Jeongguk asked him, focusing ahead. Taehyung turned around once, lots of unfamiliar faces and none of them the guards.

"They are nowhere to be seen. We lost them too easily. Have you done this before?" Taehyung questioned him back, Jeongguk stared at him with a cheeky smile followed by a shrug.

"I don't know,have I? Look, we are here." Jeongguk pointed at the food stall, which had a pot with smoke coming out of it and a bunch of people standing around the stall buying the jjinppang and eating it.

It was definitely busier around here. Jeongguk went to the stall, leaving Taehyung's hand which felt so empty, it was hard to ignore it. In a few minutes, Jeongguk came back with a plastic bag filled with about 5 pieces of the jjinppang.

Jjinppang is a steamed bread filled with delicious red-bean paste, it is thick and so flavourful. He grabbed the warm bun and took a bite, the soft bun with the thick paste melted in his mouth, the flavors complimented each other so much, Taehyung moaned because of how good it was.

Jeongguk smiled at the boy who was enjoying his snack, he moved closer to him and put his jjinppang near Taehyung's mouth, feeding it to him. Taehyung stared at it for a second before taking a bite.

"Is it good?" Jeongguk asked him and Taehyung chewed with his lips in a cute pout.

"Mhm,you were right I would need to come back for this again and again."

"As long as you keep coming back, you don't have to worry about getting these, I'll buy the whole stall and put it inside the Palace for you." Jeongguk replied to him, making Taehyung choke on it. Coughing uncontrollably before staring at the Prince with an unbelievable gaze.

"Don't you get tired of being so over the top all the time? these lines won't work on me." Taehyung answered, taking one last bite, making sure to savor it all.

"It's okay,I like to see your reactions, they are so cute..just like you." Jeongguk chuckled when Taehyung slapped his arm playfully. "Alright come on, I want to buy something from the market, if you like anything tell me I will buy it for you." Jeongguk once again intertwined their hands together, clasping them together so he wouldn't let go.

They strolled around the market, window shopping through the city. Jeongguk didn't buy anything except just going into shops, buying the thing he definitely doesn't need and giving a huge amount of money for it. He saw how the shopkeeper's eyes would be wide open from the amount of money that were handed to them, triple the price of the thing he would pick up.

With a small talk with shopkeepers denying the money and Jeongguk still making it take them, the shopkeepers giving him discounts for the next time he comes knowing he won't ever come to these shops again. After three-four shops it was obvious Jeongguk didn't need these things at all and he was just doing it to help the owners because he avoided the crowded shops and went inside the shops that were almost empty.

He just wanted to help the ones that were struggling. The more he gets to know the Prince the more he realizes how much of a big heart he has. It's really admirable to see him. Taehyung didn't say anything about it, the genuine smile on his face was reaction enough and the Prince knew it.

"Taehyung, which one is prettier?" Jeongguk asked the man while holding up two pendants in his hand.

One was an emerald pendant with a gold chain, with a beautiful design of gold on the side of the pendant. The second one was a crystal that shone under the lights of the shop, wrapped around the silver chain and the elegance was oozing out of the necklace,it was so pretty.

"The crystal one is pretty, is it for you?" Taehyung questioned him and the Prince shook his head.

Turning around to give the man the crystal necklace as the final buy of the day. He took it and put it inside a fancier box.

"Then who is it for?"

"For someone special to me."

"Is it for my sister?"

"You will find out soon, Taehyung. Don't worry, you would love to see who it goes to." Jeongguk walked up to the register and handed the sack of coins for the expensive pendant. This shop was the only one which was filled with other customers and looked well off rather than other ones.

Once he paid, he grabbed the bag and walked out of the shop with Taehyung by his side. They had about 5 bags in their hands now, so they did shop a lot. Taehyung wasn't able to buy anything. He did like some things he saw but he declined every time Jeongguk asked him if he wanted it.

In some way Taehyung didn't want to be indebted to the man, he didn't want Jeongguk to spend his money on him so he rejected the offer and left those pretty things back to their displays.

Sighing, now they have to go back to that stuffy Palace with his sister who hates him and the royal couple who doesn't want to see the face of a phony prince. Jeongguk is the only one who makes staying at Elestial bearable, he would be lying if he says he feels comfortable at Arothia too. There isn't any place that he can call his home.

A hand around wrist dragged him out of his thoughts, when he zoned back in he saw Jeongguk dragging him into the alleyway they came from. He saw the carriage they came right where they left it off. At the end of the alleyway, hidden in the shadows.

They put all the bags of things they got inside the carriage, loading it full and closing the trunk. "Your guards must be going crazy trying to find us,I feel bad." Taehyung shared with him, putting his foot on the stairs of the carriage to sit inside.

He was suddenly pulled back by Jeongguk,who grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the back of the carriage. Pinning him against it with Jeongguk arms caging him in. Taehyung stared at him with a confused gaze.

"They will come back to this place when they get tired of searching, don't worry about them. What you need to focus on is me."Jeongguk told him so and Taehyung stayed quiet for a second.

"What are you playing at,my prince-"

"Jeongguk, I have told you so many times to call me Jeongguk. We are still outside, there's still people like not so far away from us. Besides all that, I still want you to say my name, Taehyung" He emphasized Taehyung's name to show him how important it is to hear him say it.

"You're forcing a close bond on us that I don't think is there,my prince. The reason I don't call you by your name is because you are higher in hierarchy than me, it's disrespectful and besides I don't think we are that close for me to think we are on the same level." Taehyung explained his reasoning and Jeongguk scoffed at it.

"Oh spare me the details,Sweetheart. I have told you several times now, you are an equal to me. I am a prince and so are you, I haven't sat on a throne yet so at least till then drop the hierarchy bullshit that is so important to you. Also we are not close,are you serious?" Jeongguk leaned closer to him, he could feel his breath falling on his skin. "We can be very close I think."

"No,we can't. What even are we? Are we friends? Acquaintances? If anything, we are soon to be relatives, my prince. In a week, I would be your brother in law, quite hilarious isn't it?"

"You sure know how to ruin a situation, Kim Taehyung but unfortunately for you all this talk wouldn't ruin what I want for myself. What I want from you. You are special, Taehyung, you are special to me. I hold you in high honor for reasons I cannot explain, rather reasons I cannot say out loud because I think they will scare you." Jeongguk caressed his cheek, the soft skin grazing his fingers, he pulled the veil aside from his face so he could take a good look at it.

"Try me, let's see if your words can really scare me."

"I crave you, Taehyung. Everytime I see your face,I see those lips of yours. My mind goes back to when I kissed you. I don't regret it and I never will. I want to do it again, I want to kiss you again until I leave you breathless. The desire to have you is growing so strong in me, Hell I am the one getting scared because I have never felt anything like this before. Taehyung, the night you slept next to me was the hardest night of my life, ask me why." Jeongguk paused to look at the hesitant expression on his face.

"...Why?"

"Because you were so close to me,yet so far. I was consumed with lust that night, That I wanted to ravish you then there. Put my hands around your body and kiss you all over, leave my marks on places other people can't see. God, just the thought of other people seeing you like that is making me want to set everything on fire. See how quick I lose control around you? I have never felt this powerless in my whole life but when I'm in front of you I'm ready to kneel in front of you." Jeongguk finished,his eyes not leaving Taehyung's face who looked so conflicted.

He was going to say something but he stopped. He was hesitant and Jeongguk understands he really does but it would be nice to hear his thoughts for once too.

"Don't say we can't do this,Taehyung. We both know that's an excuse, I can do fucking anything if it's for you, sweetheart. But I won't force you into something you don't want, just say so, if you don't feel half of what I'm feeling then stop me right now,Taehyung or I might do something and this time I won't let you run away from me." Jeongguk said to him, giving him all the control in this situation.

Taehyung was conflicted about so many things but he knew one thing for sure, Jeongguk wasn't the only one feeling like that. He can't even pretend that he's okay when he sees Jeongguk with his sister so how can he say otherwise?

So he did the unthinkable,Grabbing Jeongguk's face and pulling him closer to him, the distance between their faces was soon decreased from inches to centimeters and in the very next second, Their lips were attached in a passionate kiss.

Jeongguk froze for a few seconds, he was not expecting Taehyung to make the first move, to pull him into a kiss in a place like this. The thought of being in public soon was overshadowed by the happiness he felt from feeling the lips he was longing for ever since he touched them last time.

Grabbing Taehyung by his waist, he pulled their bodies together. Grabbing Taehyung tightly so close to him, afraid he might once again slip away from him. Their lips moved together, with so much passion. They were so eager to have more and more. With Jeongguk sucking on his lips to make the boy lightly moan to Taehyung inserting his tongue inside.

With their tongues clashing against each other and tangling around. It was definitely a bit wet and sloppy but that didn't stop them from ravishing each other. It wasn't enough, they wanted to do more but the place restricted them to do so. It didn't stop Jeongguk though.

His body grinding against Taehyung's, Their crotches rubbing and sending pleasures down their body despite the layers of clothes they had on. They were unstoppable at this point, Too lost in lust to think about anything else.

Their hips moved non stop and so were their lips. The small moans escaping both of their lips once in a while. Taehyung pulled away when he felt close, His arms wrapped around Jeongguk's neck,pulling him closer as he rested his head on his shoulder. His moans muffled into Jeongguk's shoulder.

"Jeongguk, please I am c-close." Taehyung moaned out his name. Jeongguk was shocked but so fucking satisfied at the same time.

He finally called him by his name again,not only that he moaned it out which is fucking beautiful and better than any song he has ever heard. He moved his hips harder,putting more pressure on his thrusts, making sure their dicks were rubbing against each other.

They went on like this for another minute as then Taehyung suddenly was shuddering in his arms. Melting into his embrace as his legs felt wobbly. If it wasn't for Jeongguk holding him, he might have fallen to his knees because of how intense the orgasm was just from rubbing their dicks together with clothes on. Taehyung himself is shocked.

Jeongguk enjoyed that more than anyone else, he didn't come but the fact Taehyung did is more than enough for him. With the man, shaking and whimpering in his arms, there's nothing else he can ask for that can be better than that feeling. They stayed still like that for a minute or two. With Taehyung panting and Jeongguk still hard.

"Are you okay now?" Jeongguk asked in a soft voice that made Taehyung feel smaller.

"Yeah,you are still hard let me help y-"

"Prince Jeongguk!! Your majesty!!" They heard yells from the opposite side of the carriage, thankfully they were hidden behind it so the guards hadn't seen them yet.

"Looks like I would have to deal with this myself. Don't worry, I still enjoyed this more than any other sexual encounter I have ever had. You're truly something else, Taehyung. I was right about you." Jeongguk said to him, as Taehyung blushed, feeling a little shy as the situation was dawning on him.

They moved away from each other quickly as Jeongguk walked ahead towards the guards to alert them of his presence.

"Also Taehyung?"

"hm?"

"You didn't say my name but I definitely managed to make you moan it. I have to say the latter was so much better, I want to hear it more now." He winked at the blushing boy and called the guards out who finally looked at him and came running.

Jeon Jeongguk is going to get him in trouble.

♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎
What Jeongguk feels for Taehyung right now is more of sexual attraction than emotional. The emotional side is developing along with it but he is turning an blind eye to it as he has never been in love so it's hard for him to differentiate the two. please be patient with Jeongguk 😭
-K