OBTICEŌ | TK

Chapter Nine

He watched as the mask broke into tiny pieces then, as realization hit him, he tried to bend down and clean the floor since he couldn't even walk around now. Hands gripped his wrist and, before Taehyung could even take a breath, his body was being raised by strong arms again.

"What are you doing?" He asked the other, turning so that their irises were now connected. The man shook his head, like he was telling him to calm down, then walked towards the bathroom.

He softly sat Taehyung down on the small couch inside, then walked toward the bathtub and let water fill it. The Prince watched as that man, one of the deadliest men in the kingdom, took his favorite oils and scents and poured them into the water. Taehyung had whole cupboard full of oils and scents but, somehow, the man still remembered which ones he liked the most, which ones calmed him down better.

After pouring everything in he man walked away, signaling for Taehyung to wait. The Prince heard shuffles outride the bathroom and realized that the other has cleaned his mess only when he came back with the remains of his mask, throwing them away in the golden bin before walking towards the couch again.

Under Taehyung's gaze, the other bent down, then took his hands in his, massaging his fingers with his. It was such a gentle gesture that the Prince's eyes filled with tears again.

"Thank you." He whispered as he stared into the other's bloodshot eyes. "Thank you for existing."

The Prince didn't notice the other's brows flinch at his words since the man immediately looked away, flustered. Jeongguk was so weak in front of his Prince, so weak that it scared him. Shaking his distracting thoughts away, the man focused his attention back on the beautiful human in front of him. He felt his chest tighten at the sight of those red, puffy, eyes, but not matter how much he wanted to touch and caress his face, he couldn't. He sometimes let the weakness inside him overtake his body during the night, when no one could see him watch the other sleep, but right now he wasn't shielded by the darkness in which he blended so well, in which he lived. No. His prince, his Taehyung, was watching him now, truly watching him like he saw more than skin deep, like he was reading everything he felt in the reflection of his irises.

No matter how much he wanted to lean in an caress the other's face, he knew he couldn't act on his instincts and feelings. The only thing he could do in an attempt to make his prince feel better was to bring him comfort through a stupid bath, comfort he wouldn't have been supposed to need if his mother wouldn't have been that way.

Oh, how angry Jeongguk's been tonight. He's been so angry that even Jimin noticed his fingers shaking, telling him to calm down before he did something stupid. He managed to calm down, but not because of his words. What always calmed the anger inside him down was the sight of his Taehyung, of his caim, the thought of protecting him and keeping him safe.

Jeongguk smiled under the cloth on his lips as he looked at the other, gripping his fingers and helping him stand up. His caim turned around, letting him know how much he trusted him, and the smile on his lips became softer as his eyes stung with tears he would never be allowed to shed.

"Untie the strings, please." His soft voice echoed in the bathroom, making Jeongguk's sensitive ears tingle.

Oh, how weak he was.

He wasn't supposed to touch, he wasn't allowed to do so, but his Prince was such a menace. He must've known what effect he had on him but he still didn't care. He didn't care about rules, didn't care that they weren't allowed to touch each other, to caress each other's faces or sleep in the same bed. They both knew they weren't allowed to feel this way but they still did. And neither of them regretted anything.