Royally Yours ✓

24| not free

an hour earlier...

   a knock on hoseok's bedroom door alerted him. after seokjin left him, he was alone with his thoughts, thinking to all the chaos that happened. he barely looked over his shoulder at the vanity, and spoke a clear "come in!".

   the door opened and shut quickly, and the sound of rushed footsteps filled hosoek's ears. he looked back to see weisoo looking at him, worried and seemingly frightened. "what is it?" hoseok asked.

weisoo looked sheepish, unable to look hoseok in the eye. after a moment of hesitation, weisoo finally looked up at hoseok, looking somewhat constipated—or ashamed, hoseok couldn't tell; he was not good with reading people's faces.

   "i'm sorry..." weisoo's high-pitched voice went low, and so did his head again.

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   "w-woah... this room is big." taehyung exclaimed in awe once he entered. namjoon jumped up from the bed and rushed towards him, quickly getting down to his knees to hug him tightly. taehyung hugged him back just as tightly, but unsure.

   "are you okay?" namjoon asked just as one suitcase dropped beside taehyung. he pulled back to hold his shoulders. "are you hurt anywhere—"

   "i don't remember hurting myself... but... but i have a headache." taehyung admitted rather calmly, scratching the back of his head and avoiding namjoon's look. namjoon wondered how the prince's guards got taehyung to trust them and come here... but then if he did trust them that easily... this wasn't good; he was too gullible.

"it's okay, we'll get you some water—"

"water." hoseok's voice came from beside them suddenly, and after a click of a finger and ten seconds later, there was a cup of water in front of taehyung. the child gladly took it while namjoon eyed the prince, unable to contain his distaste.

hoseok glanced back at namjoon, but said nothing. namjoon could swear he saw the corner of his lips tugging up.

taehyung bowed in thanks towards the servant that got him the water and gave him back the glass. he then turned to namjoon and pulled him closer to whisper a bit loudly in his ear. "hyung... i... i'm sleepy."

   namjoon was about to say finally, because taehyung rarely said he wanted to sleep, and when he did, he always slept so deeply. however, cutting him off before he spoke. "alright, everyone else, get out." he commanded, and everybody save hoseok, seokjin and namjoon, left. irritated, namjoon looked back up to him, lips curling up to a sneer.

   "that includes you, please." he stated quietly, but trying to view an annoyed edge to his voice. hoseok acting all noble and kind just for show irritated him. hoseok eyed him carefully through the veil for a full fifteen seconds before turning away from him, and gesturing for seokjin with his hand to come after him. together, they exited the room, only before locking the door...

there was no escape.

   if anyone from hoseok's family—or, well, anyone from seoul besides his stepdad—found out hoseok was just protecting him from getting his job exposed, he'd be doomed. literally. he took taehyung in a hug again, closing his eyes, making the childish wish of this to become just a dream he'd wake up from, and his mother would peer down at him, smiling, telling him that breakfast was ready.

   taehyung would still be a baby, crying for being hungry. he would sit with his parents on the dining table—although shabby—and eat to his heart's content, never worrying about anything at all. he would be twelve again, he would be free again, happy again.

   he would be running to rock taehyung's crib whenever he cried, unsure what to do. his father would come towards them, smiling down at him and taehyung, and taking the child in his arms, properly rocking him to sleep while humming a small lullaby. then the three of them would sleep on the same bed, with both taehyung and namjoon curled onto their father's arms, chests rising and falling soundly, with no other care in the world. their mother would tiptoe into the room, and slide into the bed beside them, engulfing her children and her husband in her arms, and namjoon would smile as he drifted to sleep.

   he would still be in middle school, playing along with his friends before walking back home, his steps bouncy, eager to know what was for lunch. his hold on his mother's hand would tighten once she mentioned his favorite food, and his smile would be so big, his dimples dig through his skin like moon craters.

   he would be so happy, so oblivious, so innocent—he would be living a normal life, with his family.

   but unfortunately that was not the case.

   "hyung? a-are you okay? why... why are you crying?" at taehyung's words did namjoon realize that indeed he was crying, and he pulled away to quickly wipe at his eyes. taehyung watched him intently, slowly blinking. when namjoon opened his eyes and watched, he saw taehyung, who was not a baby, and he looked down at his hands. he wasn't twelve.

   he wasn't free.