mellifluous || jung wheein x kim taehyung

six;

"It would have found its way back to you regardless," Jimin helpfully informs her, wiggling his fingers in her face. "Fox spirit magic and all that. You should have seen the royal council members' faces when they found out he had left a priceless heirloom of our species in the hands of some human girl."

"Priceless heirloom?!" Wheein shrieks, startling Jungkook and nearly making them both topple over. "That imbecile! Why couldn't he have left me with a pencil or something?!"

"Tae Tae is an artistic and passionately romantic soul as I'm sure you already know. There's no way on earth he would leave you with anything less," Jimin giggles. "Your all's wedding will probably be the biggest and most extravagant of the millennium if he gets his way, which he almost always does."

"Weddi- there's not going to be a wedding!" Wheein chokes, "why is everyone convinced that I'm going to eventually give in and marry that doofus?"

Jimin and Jungkook both fixate the same you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me expression at her.

"You... you've seen the way he looks at you, right?"

"I- what?"

"I haven't even seen you two interact before and I still know what Jimin hyung is talking about," Jungkook groans at just the thought. "Every time he starts talking about you he just gets this derpy ass smile on his face like he's won the freaking lottery or something. I'm not even joking when I say his eyes sparkle in happiness."

As much as she wants to deny it, Wheein knows exactly what they're talking about. She started noticing it more recently, how every time Taehyung thinks she isn't looking when they're doing something together, he'll just stare at her with the softest gaze imaginable, as though he's the luckiest person on earth all because he's doing something as simple as standing next to Wheein as she shops for groceries. Like she's his everything.

And perhaps that's what she's truly scared of.

What if she just isn't good enough to be his everything? He's a prince, for god's sake. An absolute child most of the time, but a prince nonetheless. And one of a species that Wheein hadn't even known existed until said fox spirit had come banging on her door for her hand in marriage that fateful night. Sure, the rest of his family seems fine with the idea of him being with a human girl, but what about the rest of the kingdom? She has no sort of etiquette training of any kind, no idea what to expect and what's to be expected of her.

Just the thought of arriving at the fox spirit realm, only to find herself rejected by the general population of Taehyung's kind makes her heart twist uncomfortably in a way that she doesn't understand, doesn't want to understand. Because the implications of such a feeling would mean that somehow, amongst all the chaos and the handholding and the childish whining and the snuggling and the whirlwind of emotions that have come with the appearance of Kim Taehyung, she was foolish enough to fall for him.

The realization makes her pale in shock, and Jimin is all too quick to notice, eyes narrowing. "You- you're scared, aren't you? Your face looks white as a sheet. You're afraid that somehow all of this isn't real, or that Taehyung is just joking when he talks about a future with you."

"I- I am not!" Wheein replies far too quickly, flustered by the other's keen observation. "I'm probably just pale from all the blood rushing to my head after being carried like this for who knows how long!"

Jimin opens his mouth to protest her blatant lie, but is cut off by Wheein's squeak of surprise as Jungkook pauses to readjust and carry the girl bridal style. Wheein's eyes are wide as they look up at the fox spirit knight who is purposely looking anywhere but at the girl in his arms, a red flush creeping up his neck at their proximity as he mumbles embarrassedly. "This- this is just so you won't get lightheaded for the meantime. We'll be at the palace soon."