"My lady?"
"Hmm?" Wheein looks up from the book she's reading to see one of the east wing maids nervously standing before her. "Oh, Simyeong! What can I do for you?"
Simyeong's face flushes under Wheein's gaze. "I'm- I'm terribly sorry to bother you right now, but his Highness has been asking for you again."
Wheein lets out a deep sigh. "He's in his study now, isn't he?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Just Wheein is fine, Simyeong-ah," Wheein waves her hand around nonchalantly. "I'm just a guest here, after all. In the human world, I'm nowhere close to nobility."
"I wouldn't dare!" Simyeong shakes her head furiously. "Everyone in the palace is aware of his Highness's affections towards you, my lady. It would be terribly disrespectful of me to address Prince Taehyung's betrothed by her name and not by an appropriate title, regardless of your status."
"Betrothed?!" Wheein almost chokes on her spit. It's bad enough Seokjin is always dragging her around the palace calling her 'sister-in-law' when others are around, now it's spread to the palace staff?! She honestly shouldn't be surprised at this point. "We're not betrothed! Who started that rumor? Was it Seokjin oppa again?!"
The way Simyeong avoids her questioning gaze is answer enough.
"That little-" Wheein huffs in frustration and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Is Taehyung calling for me because he's finished his work for the day or because he 'misses me'?"
Simyeong gnaws on her bottom lip anxiously. She knows all too well from previous experience how the rest of this conversation is going to go based on her own answer "The latter, my lady."
Wheein rolls her eyes. This isn't the first time Taehyung's tried to pull this stunt. "I hate to put you in this position every time, but would you mind returning to his study and informing him that I won't be seeing him until he finishes all the work his father assigned him? Yoongi oppa told me that they're on a very strict deadline at the moment and that Taehyung's participation and focus are essential for success."
"I'll notify his Highness right away," Simyeong can only curtsy in defeat and miserably make her way back to Taehyung's personal study as she has done far too many times in the past, leaving the library as quietly as she came.
Wheein can only sigh and shake her head, before returning her attention back to the open book sitting on her lap. It's only been several months since her first visit to the fox spirit realm and the ring pop fiasco, yet some things seem to never change. Staying true to her promise, Wheein has been making time in her schedule to visit the palace every now and then, familiarizing herself with the history of their kingdom and other aspects of fox spirit culture, whether it be by reading books from the palace library or chatting with whoever's free when she's around.
Yoongi, as well as some of the other palace officials, all seem to love taking advantage of her presence when she is here as a way to encourage Taehyung to finish his work, lest he be forced to watch as someone else shows her around the kingdom while he's locked up in his study doing paperwork. Despite their efforts, Taehyung still tends to procrastinate all his work until the day she does visit, though he never fails to try and come up with some excuse or find some way to try and spend time with Wheein before he's done. His latest trick has been sending Simyeong to seek out Wheein wherever she is around the palace and request her presence under the false pretense of some sort of urgent manner. After falling for the ruse the first several times, Wheein soon caught on to his ploy and has refused to see him until he completes his assigned work ever since.
Of course, that doesn't really ever stop him from employing other tactics.
Wheein senses him nearby before she actually sees him, the baby hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She sticks a bookmark Namjoon had gifted to her a month or two ago (the gesture had made Taehyung far too jealous at the time) into the book she's reading and shuts it close with a huff. "I know you're here, Tae. Now you've made me send poor Simyeongie back for nothing."
She spots an all too familiar white fluffy tail briefly poke out from behind a bookcase several meters away from where Wheein is sitting, before Taehyung finally peeks his head out with a pout at being caught so quickly. "How did you know I was here?! I even masked my presence so the guards outside my study couldn't sense me sneaking out!"
Wheein shrugs. It's not as though Taehyung's fox spirit powers don't work on her like those silly fantasy romance novels she used to read back in high school. The first time he had used his telekinesis to levitate a tray of scones from her kitchen over to where they were curled up cuddling in the living room, Yongsun, who had been meal prepping in the kitchen, had been so shocked that all she could let out was a shrill shriek in surprise before passing out right then and there.
Taehyung was banned from using his supernatural abilities in the human world shortly after that incident.
Despite having even been the victim of Taehyung's telekinesis ability once or twice in the past ("I just couldn't wait to hug you!" had been his excuse at the time), Wheein just seems to have developed a sixth sense or sorts when it comes to Taehyung. It's not like she had incredible instincts or heightened senses like most fox spirits do, she just.... knows him.
She narrows her eyes at the guilty looking prince standing in front of her. "Since you had to sneak out, that means you haven't finished your work yet, right?"
Taehyung immediately panics at her words and their implications, hurrying over to the lounge chair she's sitting on to squeeze next to her. He's already got his puppy eyes ready, hugging his white fluffy tail to himself as he tries to look as cute and pitiful and convincing as impossible. "I'm almost done, I swear! I just- I couldn't focus because I wanted to see you so bad, don't call the guards, Wheein-ah. I'm just taking a break, I'll be done by the end of today. Promise!"
Wheein presses her lips tightly together, already beginning to sense that she's fighting a losing battle as soon as Taehyung grabs her hand and places it enthusiastically on his head, looking up at her with those hopeful puppy eyes. She can't help but internally groan to herself as her fingers start to move on autopilot, gently scratching at the base of his fox ears just the way he likes. The adorable, happy trill that escapes from his mouth at the feeling only serves to melt away what little resolve Wheein had left and she lets out a long sigh in defeat.
She's grown too weak to his wiles over these past few months. At this rate, he'll have her wrapped around his finger just like everyone else. The procrastinating side of her decides that this is a problem future Wheein can deal with due to the strong temptation currently sitting before her: cuddles with Taehyung.
"C'mere," she grumbles begrudgingly, shifting to allow him more room on the lounge chair so he can lay his head in her lap and nuzzle his face happily into her stomach in victory. "I should just have someone send me a text if you aren't done with your work and cancel my visit if you haven't finished from now on."
"Noooo," Taehyung whines, shaking his head adamantly in disagreement. "If you don't come visit me then I'll come visit you! I'll run away from the palace forev- ow!"
"Don't even think about it!" Wheein hisses in a scolding tone, pinching him in the side. "Don't say things like that, Tae, think about your family and friends. Wouldn't they be so sad if you did something like that?"
"Yoongi hyung might throw a party," Taehyung grumbles jokingly.
"You know he wouldn't do that," Wheein chides the other sternly. "Why can't you just finish your work before I arrive, huh? Hoseok oppa had to walk with me around the gardens to make sure I didn't get lost instead of you earlier today."
"Don't like doing work," Taehyung pouts. "Just wanna spend time with you instead."
Wheein pinches at the bridge of her nose in frustration. "If you don't do your work, then you aren't allowed to spend time with me."
"Don't most people typically like it when their significant other gives up their work to spend time with them?" Taehyung's brow furrows in confusion. "Isn't that what all the romance novels are like nowadays?"
"That's typically only the case when the significant other is actually busy or a workaholic! You just don't do your work ever!" Wheein argues. "And why were you reading those in the first place?"
Taehyung presses his lips together nervously, not wanting to reveal the fact that he had been reading through the books to research ways on how to woo and successfully propose to someone. He doesn't want Wheein to think he's unoriginal in his romancing ways.
Wheein seems to sense his sudden unwillingness to continue the conversation and sighs, carding her hair lightly through his hair. "Tae, there's more to being a prince than doing whatever you want whenever you want. Just look at Namjoon oppa, how many meetings he has to attend, how much he works to learn about how to run your kingdom smoothly. Even if you aren't going to be the king in the future, he's going to need your help to make the fox spirit realm a better place. Yes, you have a lot of status and power and money, but with that comes even more responsibility."
"I don't like the pressure," Taehyung murmurs sadly, gently playing with Wheein's fingers as he speaks. "They always had so many expectations for me, always had something more for me to do to beat Namjoonie hyung. I didn't want to beat him, just wanted to play with him. That's why I ran away when I was younger, where I met you. I like being with you because you never had any expectations for me, Wheeinie. You just accepted and cared for me regardless, made me feel free for once in my life."
Wheein's gaze softens and her heart clenches at the realization that perhaps she doesn't know Taehyung as much or as well as she thought. The real question is, is it because he never tried to tell her, or because she never tried to ask? He was always the one pushing in their relationship, always the one asking her questions and doing things for her simply because he thought of her. But what had she been doing all this time? Wasn't it time she tried to push back? "I'm sorry, Tae. I... I never saw it that way. That was pretty terrible of me to do as your girlfriend, huh? I should've thought of you more."
"You're not terrible, you're the best!" Taehyung insists. "You always make time for me after your work, and you bake me cookies and always know how to scratch my ears just right! Your cuddles are the best and- and you just want me to finish my work because you don't want my hyungs to yell at me. You're always encouraging me to do my best even though it leaves you alone around the palace sometimes because you know Namjoon hyung and Yoongi hyung and all the other officials will be proud of me."
Wheein's bottom lip trembles at his words. How is it that despite all his silly antics, despite all his hidden hardships and burdens he somehow always knows the right thing to say to her? "I really don't know what I did to deserve you, Taehyung."
Taehyung's eyes crinkle with all the affection and warmth in the world as he stares fondly back up at her, almost like a reminder that all he sees, all he's really ever seen, is her and only her.
"I could say the same thing."
author's note;
for those unaware, simyeong is a member of girl group bvndit and a HUGE wheein fangirl hehe
this chapter was brought to u by the UNCANNY amount of wheetae twin moments going on irl atm (melon/jamon? jura jura?? literally how 😭)
anyways, thank you all for the love and support and for simply reading! reminder to check out blacklivesmatters.carrd.co (linked in my bio) for resources, petitions to sign, etc to support the black lives matter movement! stay educated, stay vocal, and take actions beyond your words! black lives matter today, tomorrow, and forever <3 please stay safe and healthy and happy friday!
Less than three,
PalmerPie