The cool morning breeze gently caresses Taehyung's cheeks as he patiently awaits by the entrance of the blue farmhouse for the young man, Jungkook, to come out and greet him. He contemplates knocking on the door again, fearing the last three times he did weren't vigorous enough to be heard, but after the fourth try, it becomes obvious that the other must be somewhere else at the moment.

Taehyung scans the large field surrounding the house with his gaze. He spots a few scattered horses quietly grazing on the grass, and an adorable couple of sparrows plucking earthworms from the ground, but there is no sight of the man he is in desperate need of finding.

A great sigh escapes him. He realizes that at this pace, all of the efforts he made to wake up before the sun rose just so he could be back before noon will surely turn to dust.

Deciding he has been planted here for far longer than necessary, Taehyung begins to walk towards the stables, hoping to find the young man there.

To his relief, Jungkook is indeed there, crouching next to a black stallion as his hands work to clean the dirt off its hooves with the help of a metal pick. He is so immersed in his work that he does not take notice of Taehyung walking past the opening of the stable. Taehyung stops and leans against the frame, hesitant.

Although he does not wish to bother Jungkook while he is obviously busy and focused, he can't wait forever to be noticed either. He too has chores that need to get done back at the palace; he can't spend any more time waiting than he already did.

"Good morning," Taehyung greets softly, voice a whisper he is not sure the other heard. However, he is glad to see Jungkook stop and lift his head to acknowledge him, lips moving into a lopsided smile before continuing what he was doing.

"Good day, Taehyung," the way his name rolls off his tongue is rather odd, as if Jungkook meant to taste it. "I was not expecting you this early, to be honest."

"Oh, I am really sorry," Taehyung apologizes on impulse, feeling it is really his own fault for not letting Jungkook know at what hour he would stop by, and for assuming he'd be inside the house this whole time. "I can leave and come back later, if I am being a bother."

"Not at all," Jungkook hurries to say, momentarily glancing up, "Stay. I shall finish here shortly, hopefully you will not mind?"

"I do not mind," Taehyung answers, smiling to himself as he walks closer to the beautiful horses kept inside the stalls.

"Are you sure?" Jungkook inquires again, still working on the horse's hooves, "This place reeks of horse ."

Taehyung huffs a laugh, shaking his head. "It is not that bad. Although, I do love horses, so I cannot say my opinion is absolutely impartial."

One of the horses catches his eye, its black and white spotted coat easily standing out from the rest, and Taehyung slowly brings a hand to its adorable pink muzzle. The animal flinches even before any contact is made, its muscles visibly growing tense, but Taehyung stills his hand for a moment to prove he meant no harm. The horse soon accepts his touch, letting Taehyung's hand rest on his velvety soft muzzle.

Unbeknownst to Taehyung, Jungkook is now staring at him, having finished polishing the horse's hooves and cleaned his hands with a damp rag moments ago. What he sees leaves him completely astonished. The blond is leisurely petting the most aggressive and stubborn stallion he owns as if it were nothing more than a docile beast, and not only that, the bastard is practically yielding to the warmth of that dainty hand.

"I am greatly surprised he let you touch him," Jungkook words out his shock, forcing his gaze away from the blond when the latter whips his head to look at him with those bright, spellbinding eyes. "Do not be fooled, that one is mostly ill-tempered," he tells him as he guides the remaining horse to its stall, "The arrogant bastard rebels against anything and everything."

Taehyung feigns a dramatic gasp at the harsh words directed to his new four-legged friend. "Do not say such things, you will upset him," he says softly to the creature, hands caressing the stallion's silky mane.

"Well, you do not know what he is capable of. That revolting creature has sent me flying to the ground multiple times with no hint of remorse."

The way Jungkook relates the incident is sort of amusing, and Taehyung barely succeeds to stifle a laugh. "There there," he soothes the animal that has started to grow tense again with Jungkook walking around the stable. "You are a good boy, are you not?" Taehyung praises, gently patting the horse's neck. Once the animal relaxes, he bestows a kiss onto his muzzle.

There is a pause, a sudden halt of all movement behind him that leaves him wondering if Jungkook had suddenly left.

No, he is still here, Taehyung knows, feels the intensity of Jungkook's stare on the back of his head. Turning around to face him, Taehyung is ready to ask what the matter is, but he only catches sight of those chocolate eyes for a brief second. Jungkook purposely avoids Taehyung's gaze like it burns him, and Taehyung is left staring blankly at his broad back.

Jungkook makes a move to the exit, hardly taking a couple of steps forward before stopping. "Come," it's all he says, and Taehyung follows him out.

They ended up in Jungkook's moderately big and well-illuminated kitchen, sitting across each other at the wooden table with a pair of tall glasses full of apple juice before them.

It was an inevitable outcome, really. Taehyung already had the letter for prince Jimin secured under his coat and was ready to leave, but Jungkook had insisted on him having a drink before he set off to the palace - an apology for the time he had been left waiting, he said. Ironically, to accept the offer would result in Taehyung delaying his depart for even longer, but he could not find the strength in his heart to refuse Jungkook's good intentions, or the hopeful look on his face for that matter. So, albeit hesitantly, he said yes.

Now, however, he is convinced that by staying he has done the right thing, and there is not an ounce of regret in him. Not only the juice that Jungkook offered him tastes extraordinary, but the dialogue that surges between them proves to be a highly enjoyable experience, both of them exchanging opinions and thoughts with the ease of a flowing river. On top of everything else, it is most fascinating to discover how much the two of them have in common.

And this is a novelty for Taehyung, to have someone who is willing to listen to whatever it is that he has to say, someone who truly understands.

"The things we take for granted," Taehyung rambles on, cheeks pink and alive, emboldened by the fact that Jungkook is right there, carefully listening to every single word coming out of his mouth, "The morning dew, a roof over our heads or warm soup in a freezing night, those we should appreciate the most."

"I could have never said it any better," Jungkook brings the glass to his lips and takes a sip, slurping in delight. Taehyung does the same, the refreshing fruity liquid doing wonders to his slightly dry throat.

Silence follows, but it is not awkward in the least, just silent. Taehyung takes this opportunity to ponder about Jungkook's intriguing personality and how he seems to be the only occupant of the house. A house big enough to comfortably fit a family of four at that.

Before he knows it, Taehyung finds himself asking, "Do you live here by yourself?"

And this time Jungkook doesn't answer immediately, instead, he tilts his head back to gulp down the remaining juice. It isn't until Jungkook nods in response that Taehyung realizes how prying and impolite the question was.

"I apologize, Jungkook, it was most impertinent of me to ask such a thing," he apologizes, searching in Jungkook's eyes for any hint of irritation. His fingers tighten around the glass from the creeping embarrassment he feels, "It was uncalled for."

He is taken aback by Jungkook waving him off. "It is quite alright. Your curiosity is... endearing," he comments, placing the empty glass on the table, and his eyes bore into Taehyung's when he speaks anew, expression unreadable, "But I will have you know that I do not like the pity dancing in your eyes."

"It is not pity," Taehyung defends, "I thought you were lonely, that is all."

"And I appreciate your concern, but I am not. After all, it was my choice to be alone."

"Do you not have any friends, then?"

"I do, of course. I enjoy solitude, not isolation," Jungkook gives him this look that is not entirely serious, but it is soft at the same time, making it easy for Taehyung to guess that under that rough exterior lies an inexplicable depth of tenderness. "Can I be honest with you?" Jungkook suddenly asks, any trace of jesting vanished from his face, which has Taehyung worriedly nodding for him to continue. He his lips, seemingly taking a moment to properly word what he is about to say, "If I may be so bold, I think your silences beg for someone to care. Tell me, Taehyung, why does it seem like you are the one who is lonely?"

Taehyung's immediate reaction is to sink into the chair. The question puts a frown onto his normally soft features, makes him feel caught and vulnerable and terrified all at once. Those eyes must have seen right through his soul, for there is no other possible explanation as to why something he worked so hard to keep locked away is easily guessed by a man that has only seen him twice.

"That is... I am not-" No matter how hard he tries, he is at a loss of words. At this point, he believes he will only make an even greater fool of himself if he continues babbling, so he falls silent. Jungkook shifts the slightest bit on his seat, chocolate eyes looking at him with puzzling softness, as if he understands.

Reality hits hard then. How much have they been sitting here? Taehyung wonders, feeling hectic.

"My goodness, I got carried away. I must go back," he murmurs and stands hurriedly, barely glancing at Jungkook before he starts walking towards the kitchen's door. Jungkook quickly mirrors his actions, following him closely.

"Forgive me," Jungkook whispers behind him, guilt evident in the heavy sigh he unintentionally lets out right after. Taehyung turns around to face him, but nothing could have readied him for witnessing the look of absolute remorse on Jungkook's face. "I did not mean to upset you."

"No. Oh no," Taehyung hurries to say, straining to reassure him with a gentle smile, "I am far from upset, Jungkook. I truly enjoyed our conversation, it was wonderful and I...", he trails off the moment Jungkook gives him this dazzling smile, big and genuine, showing the most adorable pair of bunny teeth. "We... We should do this again."

"We should."

»»————««

The rest of the day feels like an entire week of work. Taehyung doesn't remember the last time he felt this degree of exhaustion before he even had dinner, it feels as if his bones resent having to carry his own weight.

He might be dying to hit the bed, but he wishes he could at least bathe more than anything, as he knows for a fact he must stink. Taehyung shakes his head, settling on the task at hand instead: running a bath for the prince. He fills the tub to the brim with hot, of course not scalding, water, and pours a generous amount of scented salt, vanilla oil, and rose petals. Lastly, he lights the candles and leaves the bathroom to fetch prince Jimin's night robe.

"Tae!," the prince squeaks from his standing position next to the desk, a letter on his small hand, and to Taehyung's frustration, he is still fully dressed. "He says he misses me badly."

"That is amazing." Taehyung does his best to not blatantly ignore the prince's excitement as he briskly grabs the silk robe and takes it with him to the bathroom. Prince Jimin tails behind, a spring in his step, still making those squeaky noises Taehyung doesn't think any normal human could make.

"'I hope your evening is as pleasant as mine will be - as it can be, without you.'" The prince reads out loud for Taehyung to hear. "Oh Tae, he is not only good looking, but he also has a way with words unlike any man I have ever met. And I have met my fair share of men."

Taehyung limits himself to being polite, offering a soft smile as he helps the prince undress, cautiously guiding him inside the tub. All the while, prince Jimin stubbornly holds the letter in his hand as if it were his most prized possession, which, on second thought, Taehyung thinks it must be. Once he is sure the prince is comfortable, he turns on his heels to leave, wanting nothing more than to wash himself while the prince soaks in the tub. After that, he will help the prince out, drain the tub, clean any leftover mess and-

"Wait, Taehyung? Do you have a minute?"

Taehyung halts in the middle of walking out, briefly closing his dried out eyes in utter weariness before turning back to the prince. "Yes?"

The prince gestures to the wooden stool at the corner of the bathroom. "Come, sit down. I wish to speak with you."

So Taehyung agrees. It is his fate, after all, he never really has a choice.

He suppresses a sigh, resignation sinking in as he grabs the stool and weakly drags it next to the tub. Then, he sits on it, waiting for the prince to speak while trying hard not to fall asleep right there.

Prince Jimin looks up at him with sparkling, curious eyes. "You saw him, did you not?"

"Yes," he easily answers.

"And what did he say to you?"

Oh dear.

Taehyung feels too fatigued as of now to come up with an elaborated answer quoting the extensive conversation he and Jungkook had this morning. If he is being completely honest, he can only recall certain fragments of it, but even trying to condense those small bits into one sentence seems impossible. So he figures he will lie, just this once.

"He is not a man of many words, I am afraid."

"Really," the prince giggles, and Taehyung concludes he is pleased with the answer. "When I met him, mind you it was only once, I was out hunting, and my horse became awfully startled all of sudden, she ran off with me holding onto her," his voice is so melodic, so pleasing to hear. It almost lulls Taehyung to sleep, but he still fights against the overwhelming need to close his eyes, forcing himself to listen until the prince is done. "I was unable to stop her. She would not listen, the guards could not keep up with us, and I ended lost deep in the forest. I was so scared I cried," he laughs at the memory, Taehyung smiles, "But he found me and brought me back to safety. Our conversation was not at all memorable, but the way he held me so gently was."

"He is a good man," Taehyung mumbles without thinking, doing his best to sound more awake than he actually is.

He hears the prince sigh, and his eyes shot wide open.

When did he close them?

"You are tired, are you not?" the prince states, giving Taehyung a look full of concern, or is it disappointment? Taehyung can't tell. "I am sorry, Tae. You are the only one I can talk about him with. Go to sleep. We shall speak some more tomorrow."

"But I have to-"

His attempts to protest are silenced right away.

"I can drain the tub myself this time. You have done more than enough already." Taehyung nods, standing up from his seat onto his wobbly feet. "Heavens, you look terrible. How did I not notice earlier?" Another sigh leaves his plump lips, and Taehyung watches him play idly with the petals floating on the water. "Go rest now."

"You are most kind. I am truly grateful, Jimin, I really am." 

"Hush. You better not forget the letter tomorrow morning," he gives Taehyung a pointed look, "Second drawer of the desk."

"Yes. Goodnight, Jimin." Taehyung bows, gratitude exuding through his pores as he finally walks out the royal bathroom, heading to his much deserved rest.