#jung yoonoh imagines | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jikookncity · 13 days ago

Text

Soldier!Jaehyun x Princess!Reader

Captain Jaehyun of one of the most elite task forces is assigned to protect princess Y/n...he also just happens to be her ex-boyfriend.

WC: 7.9k, oral sex, unprotected sex, dirty talk, nothing TOO crazy I think

The gilded doors of the war room closed with a soft thud, sealing in the tension that already laced the air. Security briefings weren’t usually so dramatic, but nothing about this moment was normal.

Political tensions were high.

Princess Y/N sat straight-backed in her chair, her royal silk dress cascading down to her ankles, the gold thread catching the overhead light. Her chin was tilted up—poised, powerful, unreadable.

At least, until he walked in.

The moment her gaze landed on the tall man in tactical gear at the back of the room, something in her froze.

Jaehyun.

Broad-shouldered. Stoic. Deadly. Exactly how he looked in her dreams. Exactly how he looked when he disappeared.

Her breath caught, but she forced her lips into a hard, neutral line. She would not give him the satisfaction. She was a princess now. Not the girl he left behind without so much as a goodbye.

But god, why did he still look like that?

He wasn’t shocked to see her. No twitch of the brow, no hitch in his breath. He stood with arms behind his back, boots planted firm, like he had no past. Like he hadn’t once whispered filthy things into her ear in the dark corridors of their boarding school. Like he hadn’t taken her virginity in the back of a library while she clutched his dog tags and moaned his name like a prayer.

The head of the Royal Guard continued speaking, oblivious to the molten storm unfolding in her chest. “Each family member will be assigned one member of the Special Elite to provide round-the-clock protection. These soldiers are the best of the best—trained for surveillance, defense, and close-quarter combat.”

Her father nodded solemnly. “And the soldier assigned to my daughter?”

There was a pause. Then:

“Captain Jeong Jaehyun.”

Every head turned toward him. Every hair on Y/N’s body stood up.

“Your Highness,” he said, stepping forward, giving a slight bow—measured, professional.

Her jaw clenched. “Captain.”

It tasted foreign on her tongue, like venom. His eyes flicked up—dark and unreadable—but that smirk she used to hate was threatening the edge of his lips. Barely there. Just enough for her to notice.

The meeting continued, but her heartbeat was a pounding echo in her ears. She couldn’t focus. Not with him so close. Not with the way her thighs pressed together under the table, her body reacting the way it always had to him—traitorous, desperate, feral.

-----------------

Later that evening, in the private wing of the palace, Y/N stormed into her suite and slammed the door shut. She paced across the velvet carpet in a haze of fury and heat, her fingers twitching to throw something. Anything.

The click of the lock was soft, but it echoed like a gunshot.

Y/N whipped around, already knowing who it was. Only four people had access to her wing. Her parents and loyal handmaid weren't exactly known for making unannounced visits. It had to be her new personal bodyguard, Jeong Jaehyun.

Jaehyun stepped inside slowly, his heavy boots making dull thuds against the palace marble. The door clicked shut behind him.

He looked infuriatingly calm. Still in uniform, black cargo pants and tight tactical shirt molded to his body, jaw sharp enough to cut through the ice between them.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” she said flatly, standing stiffly near the fireplace, her silk nightgown barely brushing her knees. “This is my room.”

“I’m your protection detail,” he replied, voice low. “I go wherever you go.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So you’re just going to follow me around now? Pretend we don’t have history?”

He didn’t answer that.

Instead, he stepped forward. Slowly. Measured.

“Don’t,” she snapped, holding up a hand. “Don’t get closer. I swear, Jaehyun—”

“You deserve to hear the truth.”

She laughed bitterly. “Little late for that.”

“I didn’t leave you because I wanted to,” he bit out. “I left because I had to. I enlisted in special forces because it was the only way I’d ever be qualified to protect someone like you. But if they knew we were together—if anyone knew—I would’ve been disqualified. Removed from the list. You would’ve been assigned someone else.”

“And that’s supposed to make it okay?” she hissed, voice rising. “You ghost me for years. You didn’t write, didn’t call, didn’t even say goodbye. You disappeared, Jaehyun. Like I was nothing.”

“I never stopped thinking about you,” he growled. “Every day. Every fucking mission, every scar, every sleepless night—I was doing it for you.”

“I didn’t ask for that!”

“Yeah? Well I didn’t ask to love someone I couldn’t have!”

The air between them snapped. Tense. Furious.

She glared at him, chest heaving. “Anyone could’ve protected me, Jaehyun. It didn’t have to be you. You didn’t have to destroy me.”

“I wanted it to be me!” he shouted.

The words stunned her into silence.

He took another step. She backed up until her spine hit the wall.

And then he was there—towering over her, eyes dark, lips parted like he wanted to say a hundred things but couldn’t choose one. His hands came up to brace against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in without touching her.

Their bodies didn’t touch, but god, it felt like a spark might ignite between them at any second.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said lowly, his voice shaking with fury. “Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

She clenched her fists at her sides, trying not to shatter.

“But deciding to protect you?” he whispered, face inches from hers now. “Easiest decision of my life.”

Her breath hitched.

“My whole life… it revolves around you, Y/N,” he murmured, almost broken now. “And it always will.”

She could barely breathe.

For a second, neither of them moved. Neither of them blinked.

Everything they hadn’t said—all the hurt, the ache, the years of silence—hung between them like a live wire.

Then she shook her head, blinking away the burn in her eyes.

“You don’t get to do this,” she whispered, voice trembling. “You don’t get to come back and say things like that. You can’t break my heart and then barge into my life like none of it ever happened.”

He stared at her, jaw clenching.

“I’m not barging in,” he said quietly. “I was assigned.”

“Well, tell them to reassign you.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m your personal bodyguard now,” he said, his voice calm again. Controlled. Final. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Silence.

She looked up at him, cheeks flushed, chest heaving, lips parted in disbelief.

He leaned in just slightly closer, so close she could feel the heat of him, smell the clean scent of his skin and sweat and faint leather from his gear.

“We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other,” he murmured.

Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her skin was on fire.

She hated him. She wanted him.

And they both knew it wasn’t over.

------------

The morning air was crisp, still heavy with dew, but Y/N felt flushed the moment she stepped onto the garden terrace overlooking the courtyard.

She hadn’t meant to look. Had only gone for a walk to clear her head after a sleepless night of tossing between rage and longing.

But there he was.

Jaehyun.

Shirtless. Sweat-slicked. Panting through gritted teeth as he slammed his fists into a padded training dummy with lethal precision.

His muscles rippled with every punch—scars and bruises painting his golden skin like war medals. His black cargo pants hung low on his hips, and veins ran down his forearms like roads she'd once traced with her fingers in the dark.

She swallowed thickly.

He didn’t notice her. Too focused, too deadly. But god, she noticed him.

She turned sharply on her heel, it was time for breakfast, not to fantasize about her ex.

Y/N sat between her mother and father at the long dining table, swirling her spoon in her tea, trying not to let her thoughts drift back to the courtyard—or the sound of Jaehyun’s breathless grunts that were definitely not stuck in her head.

Her mother dabbed her mouth with a napkin delicately. “Y/N, don’t forget, the unity ball is next Saturday. Ambassadors from all three provinces will be attending.”

Y/N nodded. “Right. To remind everyone the country isn’t falling apart.”

Her father frowned. “It’s important, Y/N. Symbolism matters. We need to show strength and unity.”

“And I have to wear a corset for six hours to prove that?” she muttered.

Her mother sighed. “A beautiful dress. And a smile. That’s all we ask.”

She didn’t reply. Her stomach felt full of lead.

-----------

Jaehyun was already waiting in the meeting room when Y/N arrived, now back in uniform, composed and unreadable. She hated that he could flip a switch so easily. Like he hadn’t nearly broken down in her room last night. Like her body didn’t still remember the warmth of his breath against her face.

“We need to go over your security protocol for the ball,” he said without greeting.

She dropped into the chair opposite him and raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to babysit me in a ballroom now?”

He didn’t rise to the bait. “The guest list is over two hundred. Half of them are politicians with agendas. We’ll have plainclothes officers embedded in the crowd, but your movements will be tightly monitored. You don’t leave the ballroom without alerting me. No private conversations with unfamiliar guests. No stepping outside, even to the terrace.”

She scoffed, standing abruptly. “I’m not a prisoner, Jaehyun. I know how to handle myself.”

He stood too. “This isn’t about pride. It’s about safety.”

“I’ve survived worse than champagne and small talk.”

She turned to walk away.

He moved fast—grabbing her hand, firm but careful, his fingers wrapping around her wrist.

She froze.

“I need you to listen,” he said, voice low and stern. “Not for protocol. Not for appearances. But for your safety.”

She turned to look at him, their faces close again, tension snapping in the air between them like a live wire.

“And for my sanity.”

His words were tight. Controlled. Almost desperate.

She stared into his eyes.

There was fire there. Not anger—something rawer. Fear. Want. Everything.

Her fingers twitched beneath his grip, but she yanked her hand away.

“You should’ve thought about your sanity before you walked out on me,” she said, quietly, coldly.

Then she turned and walked off down the hall, back straight, chin high.

But Jaehyun just stood there, jaw tight, fists clenched—watching her go.

She could feel his eyes burning into her back the entire way.

---------------

Y/N rolled her eyes as she stood just inside the private training chamber, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her silk blouse and slacks were hardly suited for combat, but Jaehyun had insisted she attend.

“Is this really necessary?” she muttered, as the heavy door shut behind her.

Jaehyun, already standing on the padded mats in a fitted black t-shirt and combat pants, didn’t even glance at her.

“Yes.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You have a dozen guards posted at that ball. You don’t need me to run drills.”

He turned to her then, gaze cool and steady. “If something happens, they’re not going to get to you fast enough. I will. You need to learn how to move with me.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “You mean let you throw me around like a ragdoll?”

His jaw ticked. “You think this is a joke?”

“I think you like bossing me around a little too much.”

He exhaled sharply, clearly biting his tongue. “Just come here.”

She took slow steps across the mat until she was in front of him. He towered over her—broad shoulders, sweat-slicked neck, veins thick on his forearms.

He nodded at her. “Try to get past me.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Pretend you’re escaping. Try to run.”

“I don’t need—”

“You want to prove you can take care of yourself?” he said tightly. “Do it.”

Her pride bristled instantly.

Fine.

She lunged to the left, trying to dart around him—but his arm shot out, catching her waist easily, dragging her backward. She struggled, twisting in his grip, but he barely moved.

“I’m not the enemy,” he murmured near her ear, voice low. “But they will be.”

“Let go,” she snapped, pushing against him.

“You’re dead already,” he said.

She kicked at his shin. “You're insufferable.”

He finally let her go, and she spun around, panting, face flushed.

“Again,” he said.

“Go to hell.”

But she did it again.

And again.

He caught her every time, until her blouse clung to her back and her breath came short and sharp.

On the last round, she managed to twist free, fingers brushing the door—but Jaehyun grabbed her from behind, arm across her waist, the other gripping her wrist. They crashed to the mat, her back pinned beneath him, breath stolen from her lungs.

His thighs bracketed her hips. His hands were locked tight around hers.

They both froze.

Their chests heaved. Her hair was a mess across the mat, eyes wide and staring up at him.

His face was just above hers—close enough that she could see every freckle, every scar. His eyes flicked down to her lips for just a second.

Then back up.

“Still think I’m just here to boss you around?” he asked, voice gravel.

She glared at him, but her body betrayed her—she didn’t move. Couldn’t.

He felt it.

The tension between them shifted. Thickened. Her legs, tangled with his. His breath ghosted over her cheek.

“You shouldn’t be on top of me,” she whispered.

“I should be anywhere you are,” he said, the words coming out like a confession.

A long pause.

“I hate you,” she whispered, but it didn’t sound convincing.

His lips curled, barely a smile.

“No, you don’t.”

His fingers loosened. But he didn’t move. Neither did she.

Then she turned her head sharply to the side.

“Get off me.”

He did.

But not before she saw it—the look in his eyes.

That whatever was about to happen between them… it wasn’t over.

It was just getting started.

-------------

Y/n remembered her first time with Jaehyun like it was yesterday.

It was snowing the night she gave herself to him.

The library was dimly lit, golden sconces flickering against rows of mahogany bookshelves. Far in the back, hidden behind the historical archives, Jaehyun had pulled her in by the hand — hearts pounding, breaths visible in the cool air seeping through the old glass panes.

She wore a white silk dress that hugged her frame delicately, the lace sleeves barely covering her trembling arms. She looked like a dream. His dream. Always had.

Jaehyun’s school uniform was half-undone, tie loose, white button-down slightly wrinkled from earlier. Around his neck: dog tags. He always wore them, said they were a gift from his father. She’d never asked more than that. But now, the sight of them resting against his chest made her pulse flutter.

“I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he murmured, thumb grazing the inside of her wrist. “If someone sees—”

“I don’t care,” she whispered, stepping closer until her chest brushed his. “I trust you.”

His eyes closed for a moment, as if that hurt and healed him all at once.

“Y/N…” His voice cracked around her name. “I’ve never— I mean, I don’t want to mess this up.”

“You won’t,” she said, looking up at him through lashes, breath soft. “I want this. I want you.”

His mouth found hers before either of them could speak again — tentative, reverent, lips molding together like muscle memory. It was different tonight. Slower. More desperate in the quiet kind of way, like they had all the time in the world but no idea how to spend it fast enough.

Jaehyun’s hands moved to her back, sliding down to her hips, fingertips trembling as they toyed with the zipper of her dress. She helped him, fingers working at the buttons of his shirt, exposing warm, tan skin beneath. Her palms pressed to his chest, feeling his heartbeat thundering under her touch.

The dog tags swung forward, cold against her skin as she kissed down his neck.

“Fuck,” he muttered when her tongue dragged over his collarbone. “You’re gonna kill me.”

Her dress slipped from her shoulders, the silk puddling at her waist. She stood in delicate white lace — matching panties and bra, soft and untouched.

He stared at her like she was sacred. His gaze dropped to her thighs, then lower, and his hands didn’t move for a long moment.

“You’re so beautiful it’s unfair,” he breathed, voice raw.

Y/N stepped closer, lips brushing his jaw. “Then do something about it.”

That broke him.

He picked her up easily, setting her gently on the small reading table in the corner — the one tucked away under the stained-glass window. The snow outside made the room glow blue and gold.

Jaehyun knelt between her legs, dragging her panties down with shaky hands, pressing reverent kisses to the insides of her thighs.

“I’ll go slow,” he promised against her skin.

But his mouth said otherwise.

He licked a stripe up her center, tongue teasing her clit before sucking it into his mouth, groaning softly as her fingers fisted his hair.

“Oh, fuck—Jae…”

She hadn’t expected this — his mouth so hungry, so focused, licking her open like she was his last meal. Her hips rocked against his face, his grip firm around her thighs to keep her steady.

When she came — with a shudder, his name whispered in a cracked voice — he pressed kisses up her stomach, her chest, her throat. Until he was over her, lips flushed, eyes wild.

“Are you okay?” he asked, even now, even like this.

She nodded, breathless, reaching for his belt.

“I want all of you.”

He stripped the rest of the way quickly, and when he finally slid into her — slow, thick, filling her inch by inch — she gasped and clung to him, body trembling.

“Shit,” he groaned into her neck. “You feel—god, baby, you feel so good.”

She wrapped her legs around him, hips lifting, meeting his every thrust.

It hurt — for a second. And then it didn’t.

Then it was just Jaehyun.

His hands in hers.

His dog tags clinking softly with each roll of his hips.

His breath stuttering as he kissed her jaw, her chest, her lips between broken moans of her name.

“Tell me you’re mine,” he whispered, fucking her just a little harder now, sweat beading on his brow.

“I’m yours,” she gasped, eyes wet. “I’ve always been yours.”

He kissed her fiercely then, hips grinding into hers deep and slow, until she clenched around him with a loud cry, dragging him over the edge with her.

“Y/N—fuck, I’m coming—shit, I love you—”

And then the silence.

Just their bodies, tangled. Her fingers tracing the chain at his neck. His lips pressed to her forehead, murmuring her name like a prayer.

-----------------

The palace buzzed with preparations. Staff hurried with arrangements, guards tested their comms, and Jaehyun stood near the ballroom entrance, stoic and unreadable in his full black tactical suit, earpiece in place, hands behind his back.

Until she walked in.

He turned his head—casual at first, then—

He froze.

Completely.

His jaw flexed.

His eyes darkened.

The white dress was unmistakable. He hadn’t seen it in years, but the second it appeared, his mind short-circuited. The soft lace, the way it curved over her hips, the memory of it bunched around her waist while he was inside her, whispering I love you into her neck—

Y/N smiled.

Not sweetly.

Not innocently.

She saw his reaction — the way his breath hitched, the flicker of something deep and carnal behind his eyes — and she smirked.

“Something wrong, Captain?” she asked, voice saccharine as she approached, her heels tapping lightly over the polished floor.

His throat bobbed. “That dress.”

She tilted her head, feigning curiosity. “This old thing? I figured… why not? It’s just been sitting in my closet.”

Jaehyun stared at her, speechless for a second. Completely blindsided.

Good. For once, it was him caught off guard.

Y/N leaned in, lips brushing the shell of his ear as she whispered, “You’re not the only one who remembers everything.”

Then she pulled back, turned, and walked toward the ballroom — hips swaying, white silk catching the light, leaving him wrecked in her wake.

His hands clenched at his sides.

And for the first time in years… he didn’t feel in control.

The chandeliers sparkled with a thousand points of light, casting a golden glow over velvet gowns and polished shoes. Government officials mingled with aristocrats, string music weaving through champagne laughter and whispered politics.

Y/N looked every bit the royal vision — white dress hugging her waist, a soft slit up one side revealing a hint of her thigh, hair pinned elegantly but with that deliberate softness Jaehyun remembered. The way she used to wear it when it was just him she wanted to impress.

He watched from a respectful distance — straight-backed in his suit, ear-piece in place — his face unreadable to everyone except her.

So of course she decided to test him.

A young official approached, handsome and eager. He introduced himself with a bow, offering his hand with a crooked smile and charming tilt of his head. Y/N smiled politely, allowing herself to be led to the center of the ballroom.

Jaehyun’s eyes followed, but the smirk on his lips was calm. Relaxed. Amused.

He wasn’t jealous.

And that pissed her off.

The official spun her around, chatting lightly. “You look stunning tonight, Your Highness. Has anyone told you that yet?”

“Just you,” she replied with a coy smile, eyeing Jaehyun over the man’s shoulder. Still nothing.

“So, tell me,” the man said as he guided her gently across the floor, “has a woman like you ever been in love? Someone serious?”

Y/N’s eyes flicked once more to Jaehyun, standing at the edge of the room like a statue.

She smiled brightly. “Nope. Not at all. You know how men are.”

The second the words left her mouth, Jaehyun’s expression shifted. Slightly. Just enough for her to see it.

She almost grinned.

The moment y/n excused herself to use the restroom, Jaehyun grabbed her hand.

He tugged her down the dim hallway with a quiet urgency, away from the guests and music, until they were behind the tall wooden shelves lined with royal archives.

“What the hell was that?” he hissed.

Y/N blinked at him innocently. “What was what?”

His nostrils flared. “That little show. ‘Nope, never been in love’? Really?”

She gave him a slow smile. “Why? Were you hoping I’d say your name?”

Before he could respond, footsteps echoed — close.

Too close.

Jaehyun cursed under his breath, spun her around, and pushed her against the wall. One hand slid over her mouth, the other gripped both her wrists, pinning them tightly to her chest.

The shelf beside them blocked the view perfectly. Hidden in shadow, pressed so tightly together she could feel every muscle of him.

Her breath hitched.

She tried to twist away, heart pounding, but he pressed her harder to the wall, eyes narrowing. “Don’t move.”

Her chest heaved against his. His thigh was slotted between hers. The heat from his skin, the scent of his cologne, the memories of how his body felt over hers — inside her — it all came flooding back too fast.

She stopped struggling.

She stared at him.

Their faces were so close, if he dropped his hand, their lips would touch. Her eyes flicked down to his mouth, then back to his eyes. Her breaths were deep now. Shaky.

Jaehyun’s gaze darkened.

Then the footsteps passed.

Still, he didn’t move.

He stared at her like he was drinking her in.

Then finally, his hand slowly slid away from her mouth.

“This reminds me,” he said quietly, voice low and dangerous, “of the library.”

Y/N’s pulse spiked.

She pushed him back hard enough to create space between them, her chest still rising and falling as she fixed her expression.

He didn’t follow immediately — just watched, his own jaw clenched, hands fisting like he needed to keep them to himself.

She turned and walked back into the ballroom.

And Jaehyun followed. Close behind.

Like a shadow.

Like a flame about to reignite.

-----------------

The private royal beach was a stretch of sand untouched, protected on all sides by natural cliffs and patrolling guards far out of earshot. The water shimmered under a golden sun, small waves crashing in intervals against the jagged rock wall near the edge.

Y/N stood at the shore, eyes scanning the crashing waves. Her black bikini clung to her skin like it had been painted on — the sharp contrast against her soft skin making Jaehyun grit his teeth where he stood, arms crossed near a shaded tree line.

She didn’t say anything when she walked toward the rocks.

Didn’t look at him once.

She simply sauntered into the water, dipping below the surface with a low sigh of contentment.

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes.

The waves around the rocks rolled stronger now, lapping aggressively against the stone. Still, Y/N stayed there, hands trailing the surface, eyes closed as if she was the only person in the world.

“Princess,” Jaehyun called out, voice firm.

She ignored him.

“Y/N,” he tried again, more stern this time. “Water’s getting rough. Come out.”

“I’m fine!” she called back, a slight bite in her tone. “You’re not my babysitter.”

His jaw clenched. “Y/N, don’t be reckless.”

“I’m not.”

A particularly sharp wave shoved her a step back, and Jaehyun snapped.

He stormed into the water fully clothed — boots, shirt, cargo pants and all. His strides were fast, cutting through the surf like a predator. Water soaked his thighs, then his waist, then his chest, his shirt going nearly transparent and clinging to every defined muscle.

Y/N gasped as he approached, backing up toward the rocks instinctively.

“What the hell are you doing?” she said, eyes wide.

Jaehyun didn’t answer at first.

He stopped just in front of her, water swirling around their waists. His hair was wet, dripping across his sharp cheekbones, and his eyes… dark. Furious.

He leaned in close.

Too close.

“Why don’t you ever listen to me?” he whispered harshly, his voice low and threatening.

Her heart thudded violently in her chest. “Why should I ever listen to you?”

His gaze dropped — slowly, shamelessly — dragging down her dripping neckline, the curve of her breasts peeking above her bikini, the water beading on her flushed skin. And then it snapped right back to her eyes, daring her.

The tension between them crackled. Jae leaned down just a little bit.

Their lips brushed. Once. Light. Too soft.

Then again — firmer.

Her breath caught, and something in her snapped.

Y/N fisted his collar and yanked him down, slamming her mouth onto his in a rough, filthy kiss that left no space between their bodies. He groaned into her mouth, hands immediately grabbing her thighs and lifting her like she weighed nothing.

She gasped, legs wrapping around him as he pinned her back against a sun-warmed rock just out of the waterline.

“You have no idea—” he growled against her mouth, “how many fucking nights I’ve dreamed of your mouth… your skin… your taste.”

“Then do something about it,” she whispered, breathless.

Jaehyun’s control snapped.

He dropped to his knees in the water, hauling her onto the elevated rock surface, spreading her legs with strong, soaked hands. Her back arched as he pulled the thin fabric of her bikini aside and devoured her like a man possessed.

With Y/N’s legs spread wide over Jaehyun’s broad shoulders, she let out a loud gasp. Her fingers gripped the edge of the rock—until he flattened his tongue against her center, and then her hands flew straight to his hair.

“Fuck—Jae!”

His groan vibrated straight through her core.

“You taste even better than I remember,” he rasped, breath hot against her slick folds before diving back in, tongue working with practiced hunger. “God, baby, you’re soaking. Did getting me wet make you this wet?”

Y/N whimpered, her hips jerking involuntarily.

“Still such a brat,” he muttered, licking a long stripe up her pussy. “Still act like you hate me, but the second I touch you, you fall apart.”

She couldn’t speak—could barely breathe. Her thighs trembled as he sucked her clit into his mouth, tongue swirling, lips messy, devouring her with obscene, wet sounds. Her fingers fisted in his dark hair, pulling hard, nails scraping his scalp.

“Jae—oh my god—”

“Say it louder.” He slapped the inside of her thigh, teeth grazing her swollen clit. “Let the whole fucking ocean hear who’s making you come.”

Y/N’s back arched off the rock, her body pulsing with every flick of his tongue, every filthy word.

“Been dreaming about this pussy for years,” he growled, two fingers pushing into her tight heat as she gasped. “No one else better’ve touched you. I swear to god, princess, I’ll lose my fucking mind.”

“No one,” she breathed out, barely coherent. “No one but you.”

That broke something in him.

He latched onto her like he was starving, moaning into her folds, fingers pumping deep and fast. Y/N’s body writhed, legs shaking uncontrollably, one hand clamped around his hair, the other digging into the rock above her head.

“Good girl,” he praised darkly, licking her like she was the only thing keeping him alive. “Come for me, baby. Come all over my fucking mouth like you used to.”

She shattered—legs locked around his head, a sob ripping from her throat, body convulsing under his grip. Jaehyun didn’t stop, didn’t slow down, tongue dragging through her release, drinking her in like he’d never get another chance.

By the time he finally came up for air, his lips were red and shiny, hair a mess from her hands, eyes wild.

Y/N was still trembling, barely holding herself up on the rock. He climbed back up her body, kissed up her thigh, her stomach, her collarbone—until he was nose to nose with her.

And then he kissed her.

Filthy. Tongue in her mouth, hand tangled in her hair, swallowing her moans like he hadn’t just wrecked her.

His teeth nipped her bottom lip. “I’ll never fucking stop tasting you now,” he muttered against her mouth. “You hear me?”

Y/N nodded, dazed, breathless.

“Good,” Jaehyun growled. “Because we were never done.”

--------------

Y/N stepped out of the waves, her skin glowing in the low sunlight, legs visibly trembling from the wreckage Jaehyun left behind. Her breaths were shallow. Controlled. Barely.

Jaehyun trailed behind her in silence, shirt clinging wet to his chest, hair damp and pushed back. His gaze never left her — laser-focused on the sway of her hips, the twitch of her fingers at her sides, the heat still radiating off her.

His tongue dragged across his bottom lip, tasting her, savoring her.

The guards outside kept their respectful distance, stationed along the property’s edge. The beach house itself was quiet, cool, empty.

Y/N reached the front steps, entered through the wide sliding doors with Jaehyun close behind. Neither said a word.

They crossed the living space, floorboards creaking beneath their bare feet. She led him down the hallway and stopped just outside her bedroom. Her hand reached for the doorknob… but didn’t turn it.

Instead, she glanced over her shoulder — her lashes low, her mouth still swollen from their kiss behind the rocks.

Jaehyun’s chest rose.

That one look was enough.

He surged forward, grabbing her hips and slamming their mouths together like he’d been holding back his need for years — because he had.

Their bodies collided, wet skin meeting wet skin, her back hitting the bedroom door until she fumbled it open. Jaehyun shoved them through and kicked the door shut behind him, the thud echoing in the silence.

They collapsed onto her bed, a messy tangle of limbs and moans. Y/N gasped into his mouth, fingers threading through his wet hair, tugging hard. Jaehyun’s hands roamed her bare waist, her hips, trailing fingers beneath the strings of her black bikini, thumbs rubbing slow circles along her skin like he had all the time in the world.

They kissed everywhere—desperate, heated, soft in moments, then hungry again the next. Jaehyun groaned when she arched under him, when her nails scraped his back through his soaked shirt.

“Fuck,” he murmured against her jaw, lips brushing her cheek, her throat, her collarbone. “I missed your skin… your taste… your sounds.”

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer until there was no space between them, just heat and pressure and breathless panting.

And then he slowed.

He kissed her once—slow, deep, intentional—before pulling back just enough to look into her eyes.

His voice dropped low, almost reverent.

“You’re sure?” he asked, breath ragged, brushing her hair back from her face with shaking fingers. “I need to hear it, angel. Like the first time.”

Y/N stared up at him, eyes wide and glassy, chest rising and falling in soft pants. And then she nodded, her voice barely a whisper:

“I’ve never been more sure.”

Jaehyun’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.

And then he leaned in.

“I’m going to make you feel everything I’ve held back for the last five years.”

And with trembling hands and aching hearts, they let the past melt away under the weight of touch, breath, and everything that was never forgotten.

Jaehyun was over her again, soaking wet shirt peeled off and flung somewhere across the room. His body hovered above hers, golden and firm, water droplets trailing down his chest like they were meant for her mouth. Y/N’s bikini top was the next to go, Jaehyun’s hands shaking slightly as he tugged the ties loose.

He paused when her chest was bare—his lips parting, reverence painted across his face.

“So fucking beautiful,” he murmured, brushing a thumb gently over her breast, “I used to dream about this. About you.”

Y/N arched into him as he leaned down, mouth finding her nipple, tongue swirling slow and warm. Her breath caught, fingers immediately in his hair, tugging gently. His name fell off her lips like prayer.

“Jae…”

His hands slid down, gripping her waist with care as he pressed kisses down her stomach, across her ribs, over every patch of soft, untouched skin. He untied her bikini bottoms next, eyes locked on hers the entire time.

When she was bare, he looked at her like she was the moon and every star he’d ever wanted to reach.

And then, he took off his pants, revealing how hard he already was—completely, achingly undone by her.

“Are you sure?” he asked again, even now, his voice hoarse with restraint.

Y/N reached for him, eyes wide and honest. “Please, Jae. I want you.”

He groaned, bending down to kiss her again—slow and deep, tongue stroking hers as he guided himself between her legs, the tip just brushing her entrance. He reached for her hand, threading their fingers together and pinning it above her head into the pillow. His other hand held her waist steady, grounding her.

The first push was slow.

They both gasped, her body arching as he stretched her open, filling her so intimately it knocked the air from her lungs. Jaehyun buried his face into her neck, whispering her name like it was holy.

“You feel like heaven… like you were made for me.”

She wrapped her legs around him, urging him closer. “Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”

He didn’t.

He moved in slow, deep rolls, dragging his cock through her heat over and over again, his forehead pressed to hers, every inch of him focused only on her. Y/N ran her hands down his arms, over his strong back, clutching his biceps as her thighs trembled around his hips.

Jaehyun whispered the filthiest, softest things into her ear, breath hot and voice wrecked.

“I dreamed of this.” “Every night I trained, I imagined your hands on me.” “No one has ever touched me the way you do.” “I’ll never let you go again.”

Their mouths met between each moan, his thrusts never faltering, every stroke hitting deep and slow and perfect. Y/N's fingers tangled in his hair, dragging him down for another kiss as her back arched off the sheets.

She clenched around him suddenly, a cry tearing from her throat.

“That’s it, baby,” he panted, picking up the pace just enough to push her there. “Give it to me. I’ve got you.”

She came with a breathless sob, holding him close as her body fluttered and tightened around him. Jaehyun groaned into her shoulder, hips stuttering, then spilling into her with a low, trembling moan.

They stayed like that—linked hands, tangled limbs, their hearts thudding in sync.

Jaehyun brushed the damp hair from her face, kissed her temple.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Y/N looked up at him, eyes soft, voice barely a breath.

“I never stopped.”

And neither did he.

-------------------

The rest of the day passed in a dream-like haze.

Jaehyun stayed professional—never touching her without reason, never saying anything suggestive. But it was in the way he looked at her: soft, deliberate, lingering like she was still beneath him, wrapped around him, whispering his name.

And Y/N… couldn’t stop stealing glances.

It happened again in the hallway. She tripped slightly coming down the marble steps, her foot slipping.

Jaehyun was on her in a second.

His arms wrapped around her waist, steady and firm, his face suddenly too close to hers. “You okay?” he asked lowly, voice gentle, hand firm against the small of her back.

Their eyes locked. Neither moved.

“Fine,” she breathed, too quiet. Too full of meaning.

His hand lingered an extra heartbeat before slowly releasing her, his expression unreadable—except to one pair of watching eyes.

That night, as the palace quieted and the guards made their rounds, Y/N sat in front of her vanity, hair let down in soft waves, nightgown clinging to her still-warm skin. Her handmaiden, Mira, carefully brushed through the long strands, just like she had since they were children.

But something was different.

“You’ve been… glowing lately, Your Highness,” Mira said softly, her tone teasing but curious. “More than usual.”

Y/N bit her lip, smiling despite herself.

Mira set the brush down gently. “And the way the Captain caught you earlier... It was more than reflex. He looked at you like he’d burn the world for you. And you…” She stepped in front of Y/N, voice dropping, “You looked at him like your heart was already in his hands.”

Y/N closed her eyes, cheeks flushing.

“You saw all that?” she whispered.

“I’ve always seen you,” Mira said gently. “Since we were girls. I know what your eyes look like when you’re hiding something. Or someone.”

There was a beat of silence before Y/N slowly nodded.

“I love him, Mira.”

Mira’s breath hitched, her expression softening instantly.

“Since we were teenagers,” Y/N added. “Before he ever wore that uniform. He left without a word and I hated him for it. But now I know he left to become the man who could protect me.” Her fingers tangled nervously in the silk of her nightgown. “It doesn’t erase the hurt… but I never stopped loving him. Not really.”

Mira kneeled in front of her, taking her hand. “I’ve never seen anyone look at you the way he does. I’m happy for you… so happy.”

Y/N blinked, surprised.

“You’re not going to tell me it’s foolish? Or reckless?”

“It is both,” Mira said with a small smile. “But love always is. The question is… how will you make it work?”

Y/N exhaled, long and slow.

“I’ll talk to my parents. Soon. I have to. I can’t keep pretending we’re nothing—because he’s everything. And I won’t lie to them. Not about this.”

Mira smiled warmly, brushing her knuckles over Y/N’s cheek.

“You’re braver than most queens ever were. And if they can’t see what he means to you… they never deserved to make that choice for you anyway.”

Y/N blinked back tears, touched by her words—and terrified by the truth of them.

Because she wasn’t just in love with Jaehyun.

She was going to fight for him.

No matter what came next.

-----------------

The doors shut behind Y/N with a soft thud. Her hands twisted nervously in front of her silken dress, her heart pounding as she stood in front of the large windowed room where her mother sat reviewing papers.

The Queen looked up, warm smile instantly forming. “Darling. Everything alright?”

Y/N hesitated. “Can we talk? Privately.”

The Queen dismissed the nearby guards and staff with a wave, giving her full attention to her daughter.

Y/N walked closer, took a deep breath, and sat across from her, eyes flickering with nerves.

“Do you remember when I said I had a boyfriend back at boarding school? The one I never named?”

The Queen’s brows lifted ever so slightly in interest. “Yes, I remember.”

Y/N swallowed. “It was Jaehyun. Captain Jeong Jaehyun. He’s the boy I fell in love with.��

The Queen didn’t look surprised.

Y/N’s eyes searched her mother’s. “I love him. I think I always have. And he loves me. And I know it’s complicated—with politics, with the Guard, with the world watching. But I… I’m not going to marry someone I don’t love. I won’t. And I don’t know what to do because everything feels impossible, but I’d rather be alone forever than marry someone who isn’t him.”

She didn’t expect the silence to be so soft. So understanding.

The Queen exhaled, a small smile forming. “Y/N… I’ve known.”

Y/N blinked. “You what?”

“The headmaster informed me back then,” she said gently. “Technically, he was required to report any ongoing romantic relationships—especially between royalty and other students. I told him I didn’t care.”

“You… didn’t?”

Her mother chuckled. “You were seventeen, full of fire and heart. I always believed my children had the right to love who they wanted. And Jaehyun… he was already top of his class, serious, smart, quiet—but I saw the way he looked at you. Like you were the only thing keeping him breathing.”

Y/N’s mouth parted in disbelief, emotion rising.

“When I heard he’d been placed on your protection detail,” the Queen continued, her smile bittersweet, “I recognized the name immediately. And I felt relief.”

“Relief?” Y/N whispered.

“Because I knew no man alive would protect you more fiercely than someone who’s already given you his heart. And because… I knew he still had yours.”

Y/N’s vision blurred. She stood shakily and moved toward her mother, throwing her arms around her neck, burying her face in the curve of her shoulder.

“I thought you’d be angry,” she whispered, voice cracking. “That I’d have to hide it forever.”

Her mother stroked her hair gently. “Never. You’re my daughter before you’re my princess.”

They held each other for a long moment. When Y/N pulled back, her eyes glistened. “How are you so understanding?”

The Queen’s eyes softened, but the sadness in them was unmistakable as she glanced toward the window.

“Because I wasn’t allowed to marry my first love.”

Y/N froze.

“I married your father,” the Queen said, her voice quiet. “And he’s a good man. A great king. We became friends… partners. But I was in love with someone else once. And I let politics win.” She met Y/N’s eyes again. “There is nothinglike a first love, darling. It stains your soul, marks your heart. And if you get the chance to keep it? To fight for it?”

She cupped her daughter’s cheek tenderly.

“You don’t let that go.”

Y/N’s chest tightened with emotion. “We’ll need to figure out PR.”

“We will,” her mother promised. “We’ll make it work. I’m sorry you thought you had to keep it hidden. But you’re not alone in this.”

A tear slid down Y/N’s cheek, and her mother wiped it away.

“You’ve got me,” she whispered. “Always.”

-----------------

Y/N barely heard her mother call after her as she bolted from the room, skirts fluttering around her legs, her feet flying down the grand corridor. Her heart thudded in her chest—not with fear, but with the kind of joy that made her dizzy. She didn’t even know where Jaehyun was exactly. She just knew she had to find him.

And then she crashed right into him.

“Whoa—Princess,” Jaehyun laughed, arms instantly wrapping around her waist to steady her. “Where are you running—”

Y/N cut him off by standing on her toes and pulling him down into a kiss.

A soft, real kiss. One that tasted like joy and tears and triumph. Her hands clutched the front of his uniform as she kissed him with everything she’d kept bottled up, and Jaehyun’s arms tightened instinctively around her, heart slamming against hers like a drum.

When she finally pulled back, breathless, her cheeks were flushed as she grinned up at him.

“She supports us,” she said softly, eyes shining. “My mother. She knew all along. And she said she’s with us. That we’ll figure it out.”

Jaehyun stared at her, stunned for just a second. Then a slow, impossibly wide grin broke across his face, the kind she hadn’t seen since they were young and reckless and completely in love.

“Are you serious?” he whispered.

Y/N nodded.

Jaehyun let out a small, incredulous laugh and buried his face into her neck for a moment, breathing her in like she was air. “We’re just… meant to be, aren’t we?”

“We always were,” she whispered, holding him tighter.

He pulled back, gently brushing hair from her face. “Should we go back in?”

“Yeah,” she said. “You should meet my mother properly.”

Jaehyun took her hand in his without hesitation—openly, proudly, fingers intertwining with hers—and they walked together back through the palace halls.

The Queen looked up when the doors opened again, a small smile already pulling at her lips when she saw them hand-in-hand.

Jaehyun stepped forward, standing tall in his pressed uniform, his expression respectful but earnest as he bowed.

“Your Majesty,” he said, voice steady, “It’s an honor. I am Captain Jeong Jaehyun of the Royal Guard, and Y/N’s assigned protector. But more than that…”

He glanced down at Y/N, who gave him the tiniest encouraging nod.

“…I love her. I’ve loved her since we were kids. And I intend to keep protecting her for the rest of my life—not just as her bodyguard, but as her partner. If you’ll allow it.”

The Queen looked between them, eyes warm but sharp with wisdom. She stood, walked toward them slowly, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

“I don’t need your titles to know what kind of man you are, Captain,” she said gently. “I can see it in her eyes. And now, in yours. Take care of each other.”

Jaehyun gave a deep bow, hand still in Y/N’s.

“I will. Always.”

And Y/N smiled, eyes wet with happy tears, realizing for the first time that this—this future—was real.

She wasn’t just his secret anymore.

She was his everything.

And now, the world could finally know it.

---------

Wanna have early access and bonus scenes to more stories of mine? Subscribe to my patreon here! Or leave me a little tip here.

#nct imagines #nct x reader #nct 127 #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun smut #jaehyun x y/n #nct jaehyun #jeong jaehyun #jaehyun x you #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun nct #jung yoonoh

155 notes · View notes

baobaojng · 5 months ago

Text

Celeste (Jeong Jaehyun) - part one

celeste (jeong jaehyun)

jeong jaehyun (king jaehyun) x (afab! princess) reader

themes: slowburn, angst, fluff, (eventual) smut + fantasy au! + pleeeenty world building as we go along

some notes: reader and jaehyun have a bit of an age gap (jaehyun is older), the timeline is all over the place... please bear with me :)

☼ summary: in the land of Celeste, the King of Sol has waged war to bring back his beloved, war only stops when one day you return— but the secrets only begin to unfold.

a/n: i do not permit the use of this fic for anything else. this work is mine and mine alone. these premises and characters are entirely fictional and do not intend to paint anyone in a bad light.

wordcount: 8,527

part one, part two,

author’s masterlist

The Age of Sol was a time of hunger.

Though the land of Celeste had been built on countless wars, none had ravaged all the kingdoms quite like this. When the young King of the Kingdom Sol waged war against the Kingdom of Okeanos, chaos ensued. Each kingdom of the land left to declare their alliance to the King of Sol, or join his declared enemy and defy the strength of the sun.

Many had given into their greed, interests benefitting their own domains fueling their thirst to take the opportunity to rise to greater power. These men were not of the ordinary lot, each line of each kingdom blessing them with their own strengths— despite all that power, nothing was quite as strong as the blood of man that flowed through them.

There was a human hunger to all their cores, wanting to be fed by the glory of their dominance. It was simplistic, and any intelligent lot would have realized the dangers of giving into the contingencies of war, but nothing was quite as tempting than the promise of authority.

But no hunger was quite as strong as that of the young King, for his hunger was not of putrid anger nor that of the lust of power, but a human longing. A hunger his heart wanted to feed.

It seemed after six long years of the war, even as he remained so gloriously victorious, his hunger could not be fed. The war would either be stopped by the saving grace of his mercy, or all kingdoms would cease to know completion - only knowing ruin.

the fifth year of the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom of Luna:

In the small Kingdom of Luna, on the fifth year of the Age of Sol, a still body of a woman that had fallen into a deep slumber had finally awaken.

There’s a strange cold sensation at your feet, it seems to be the first thing you feel when light slowly enters your eyes as you begin to wake.

“Heavens! Oh, heavens!” You see an unfamiliar handmaiden who seems to be cleaning at your feet scream, alerting more unfamiliar faces to go into the chambers of your bright white room.

This was the Kingdom of Luna, no other place could be mistaken for it as its architecture so distinct from the rest. The only Holy kingdom in all of the eleven, said to have been kissed by the moon itself— a kingdom most gently bright. It was the last place you remember journeying to, until you fell into darkness.

“Where am I?” You ask the still shaking handmaiden, her disbelief utterly visible through her shaking hands. It seems as though she had been flooded with relief. Of course you knew which kingdom this was, but you were silently pleading with her to give you more clarity in that moment.

“You are in your bedchambers, Princess. You have been in slumber for five summers now you see. If I recall correctly you arrived in our kingdom during the last days of spring those five year ago.” She gave you an answer that was more than you had asked.

You had been in a sleep-like state for five years, it was something you could not comprehend— after all, you expected to fall into death’s arms to never wake again.

“I… I do not know what to say…” You are able to speak, sitting up. You expect there to be pain, but none of it comes, you do not feel like you have been gone for five years - your body seems to be working just fine.

Before the handmaiden can comfort you, Hendery hurriedly enters your chambers, “Princess!” Your Knight has tears streaming down his face, his face flushed with disbelief.

“Hendery?” You ask, “What is happening?” You see your own reflection on his silver armor, he seems to be donning the seal of the Kingdom of Luna instead of your own Kingdon of Gaia, but that is not what continues to occupy your thoughts.

You see only a fraction of your reflection, it seems your once raven hair had turned silver white.

“Hendery? What has happened?” You look down at the long strands, your voice trembling at the sight.

Hendery sighs, “should we take a walk in the temple grounds, Princess?”

the sixth year of the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Sol:

“Are you certain that the Prince of Okeanos will follow through with his word?” Prince Mark of the Kingdom Hermes asked, seated on the right side of the King of Sol, their conversation barely understandable from two arm’s length away. The noise of the banquet hall filling the room as people from all the land arrive.

“He did mention that he’d give the King a good reason to end the war, I don’t take you for a fool dear old pal, but I wouldn’t have agreed to those terms.” Prince Johnny of the Kingdom Tyr commented, seated on the King’s left. Prince Johnny wasn’t afraid to hide his suspicions, coming from the kingdom that thrived on perfecting the art of war. “As impatient you may be at Hermes, Prince Mark, it may not be a question of certainty.”

The King of Sol laughs, “you two worry so.” He reassures. “We’ve reduced Okeanos to desolation, all their allies have slowly turned their allegiances to my crown. The state of their oceans as barren as deserts.” His expressions turns dark. “If he says he’ll give me a reason to end this war that only left him with the short end of the stick, I’m inclined to believe him.”

Before any of the two can interject, the King of Sol stands from his seat. He raises his chalice to the room, “we make a toast to the Age of the Sun. To the Age of Sol!"

He is met with the blasting boisterous sounds of laughter and praise, for nine kingdoms have gathered. All but three are not in attendance, and it is their allegiance that remains murky to the crown of Sol.

It takes no longer than a few counts for the trumpets to sound the arrival of a new kingdom in attendance. A herald announces loud and clear, “Prince Muhan of Okeanos has arrived!”

His anticipated guest is here, no air of pride in his stride or the stride of his companions. Though this came to be expected of the prince that ruled the domain of water after his defeat in the war, there was something missing.

“King Jaehyun.” Prince Muhan kneels, much to the shock of everyone in the banquet hall. The war has dragged on for six long years, never did anyone expect that it would end in this way - seemingly peaceful and less climactic.

The formalities do not entertain Jaehyun, he was growing impatient.

“I trust you know I am not much of a patient man, Prince Muhan,” Jaehyun responds.

“Yes, you wiped our domains almost clean in the shortest time any war had ever happened.” Muhan affirms, remaining knelt. It was only out of the respect of war that he recognized defeat. “I am lucky my head is not on a stake as you’d previously preferred.”

“So… Where is this grand reason you hope I’d finish this war? Surely you are not willing to disappoint a room full of royals from all over all kingdoms of Celeste?” The tension in the room rises, as there is a radiant heat permeating the room, Jaehyun’s emotions akin to the sun’s heat.

“Not all kingdoms, your highness.” Prince Taeyong of Ashtaroth says, seated next to Prince Mark. The kingdoms Luna and Gaia are not in attendance.

The trumpets sound once more.

“Delegates from the Kingdom Luna!” The Herald announces once more, filling the room with complete silence.

The people of the Kingdom Luna were left untouched during the war; their holy grounds kept free of any bloodshed through all ages of man. Their land and their people were sacred, kept only to themselves and never elsewhere.

While other kingdoms had harnessed and boasted the powers from which their kingdoms were named: Sol being of the people of the sun, Hermes the people of communication and journey, Ashtaroth of desire and beauty, Gaia of life, Tyr of war and strength, Jove of justice, Kronos of harvest, Aether of the sky, and Okeanos of the water. Luna anchored the land to divinity, never blinded to each version of conceit that corrupted the other kingdoms.

There are whispers, wondering what this had meant. Jaehyun had been smart enough to figure out that this was Muhan’s bargaining chip.

One by one in an organized fashion, more graceful and choreographed than any man lined up on the frontlines of war, the people of Luna enter the room in their whitest silks.

Six years of war come across as a thought that scrambles through the young king’s mind, six years of almost senseless wrath, and he wonders what the kingdom that did not cross his mind once had that could make up for those six long years.

Was this some cruel joke? One he could not deal with using violence or force? The heavens know that his heart was driven to war because there was no other God to turn to in his time of need. His heart beats significantly faster, much to the disdain of everyone in the hall the heat only gets worse as he cannot control the feeling that bubbles inside of him.

It’s only when you walk into the room that the heat fades and a lightness replaces it instead.

It is you, but it appears not, your hair a perfect white glimmering silver— as if now you are the moon herself. So far removed from how he remembers you had looked like.

Were you a ghost? Perhaps an apparition appearing at this very time of intensity. You don’t seem to be a ghost of his own delusion, as it seems that everyone is as presently shocked as he is to see you.

You kneel next to Prince Muhan, “my king.” you say, and that’s what it takes to make him know you’re real.

four years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Ashtaroth:

Balls in the Kingdom Ashtaroth were as frequent as they came.

Beauty was something of an art that they incessantly perfected, but nothing was quite as exciting for them to host grand events to bring out the beauty of other kingdoms. Prince Taeyong and his younger brothers Prince Ten and Price Jaemin had mentioned once that although beauty was something they knew they possessed, nothing was quite so enthralling that marveling at the beauty of others. You do like to believe that they only use that as an excuse to stir up gossip, it seemed those two things worked hand in hand in this kingdom.

No ball was as exciting as this, for this was the first appearance of the Princess of Gaia after coming into her eighteenth year.

“It seems we are promised with not just life this year.” Prince Ten comments, the three princes of the Kingdom looking down at the courtyard full of guests talking and drinking. The music was still subdued, the dancing reserved for later when the hosts would feel like everybody was appropriately intoxicated.

“You speak in poems brother, life— Princess Y/N of Gaia will surely be a spectacle.” Prince Jaemin rolls his eyes.

“Lest we forget she has silently been promised to the Prince of Okeanos.” Ten responds, “perhaps eyes of interest are unwelcome to a woman guarding her virtue when it is something of common knowledge that it is promised to another.”

“Perhaps you have been drinking the wine behind our backs, or maybe the ale you’ve been drinking has come to spoil.” Jaemin shoves his older brother, they both laugh.

Taeyong has been listening to their conversation, “you joke brothers, but no real promises between Muhan and Y/N have been made. Only jokes and pushes about how close the two had seemed when they were younger, being of the same age as well.”

Something catches the eldest prince’s eyes.

“Where the Princess Y/N’s true heart lies, well, that may be cause for much debate…” Prince Taeyong’s gaze leads to the newly crowned King of Sol, arriving just in time to allow his own conjecture to be made in secret, “or maybe it may be the cause of war.” He whispers to himself, gazing upon your arrival coming soon after the king.

Below the view of the three princes of Ashtaroth, the young King of Sol’s thoughts are filled with much dismay.

The noise of chatter cannot contest to the noise present in his own mind— for he does not care so much for the ornaments embellishing Ashtaroth in this moment. Much it may come to the dismay of the gracious hosts. He does not care for the mindless conversation, simply excuses to take control over another and rope them into seduction.

Functions like these serve the more simple-minded, formal gatherings made to feed the desire to gossip, make alliances, and entertain romance. This was not supposed to be his top priority as a newly crowned king, but in the name of alliances - he has come to establish his presence. The propriety of his title meant he had to tolerate the social season.

Though, he cannot say he completely dislikes all these balls, there were a few things that he could tolerate. And there were very few things he was fond of, not that he would say that aloud or tell a soul.

Few of the things he could tolerate, were of course, his friends.

“Old pal!” Prince Johnny makes his way over to Jaehyun, “or should I be calling you your highness the great young King of Sol?” He jokes, and it earns a laugh from Jaehyun.

“My Overlord would be preferable, but I suppose you cannot do much better than that.” Jaehyun is able to joke and it earns some hearty laughter.

“Have you seen Mark or Taeyong anywhere in this mess? I cannot understand what this ball is for.” Johnny asks.

Jaehyun tuts, “as if any of these balls are made with much thought or care. You are not meant to understand them.”

“Spoken truly like a king, so unimpressed by it all.” Johnny teases. “Try to enjoy these moments dear friend, you’ll worry more about more important matters when the glue on the crown hardens. Then suddenly menial balls such as these are a distant memory of rest.”

“Easier to say than to put into action.”

“Please don’t be so sour, be a wonderful young king and indulge in the ale and the allure of Ashtaroth! We are in the kingdom of beauty!” Johnny hands him a cup and nearly forces him to drink it all in one go, the two already in a clause to drink themselves over this whole thing.

“Oh! Oh no Prince Johnny please do not consume it all!” A female voice cuts in.

Of course it’s you, Jaehyun hasn’t had the pleasure to speak with you all that long or all that often but he remembers your voice no matter how it has bloomed into maturity. You were the only princess of all kingdoms, always so endorsed to be proposed to as the best possible prospect of a wife. Only daughters of high lords, dukes, earls, and viscounts were eligible - but none compare to the Princess of Gaia. The kingdom of life offering prosperity like none other.

Prince Johnny of course, was a fool so stubborn so strong so unwavering in all the force of his wrath, but Jaehyun knew that nothing could soften his friend quite like a beautiful woman. And that you were. Jaehyun knew it ever since you were both were very young.

Jaehyun pauses, and Johnny almost positively spits into his cup.

“Princess, what do we owe the pleasure of your concern.” Johnny stops, the tall man losing composure.

“Prince Ten told me that they positively put aphrodisiacs in the ale, apparently it makes you temporarily… physically infatuated with the person you see right after you consume a glassful.” You explain. “I apologize for the interruption.”

“See it was more of a warning, Johnny. I’m sure the princess has better cause for concern than two fools like us.” Jaehyun says, and your timid eyes carefully examine him. He feels a nervousness, but he does not make it obvious.

You however, look shocked that Jaehyun was part of the conversation.

“My king,” she curtseys, “how disrespectful of me.”

“Please.” he feels a flush go straight to his ears— suddenly thankful that his hair was now long enough to cover them, not to give away his obvious feelings. You had called him your king. “Please skip the formalities, Princess.”

Johnny rolls his eyes, too shallow to notice Jaehyun’s flustered state but oh so heavily offended. “Why is it that when I called you king, you demanded be called Overlord at my expense? If it weren’t our beautiful Princess Gaia, anyone would be met by your awful disposition—“ Johnny clutches a hand to his chest, feigning hurt.

“Yes, the awful disposition of my friendship, Johnny. Do not take offense.” Jaehyun cuts him off. “If anyone deserves respect in this room it is the Princess Gaia.” Jaehyun respectfully points and you stand there, now equally as flustered as he. “Princess, I believe a congratulations is due.”

“Whatever for?” You wonder.

“A lady’s eighteenth year is quite important in this society I suppose, and an even bigger deal in the shoes you have to fill. I’m congratulating you for all of the things you have accomplished, and the things I know you will.” It’s a reassurance, one he knew you needed. It surely wasn’t easy being the only princess in the entire land of Celeste.

“I do not know what to say. It is an honor to hear such praise, your highness.” You almost complete another curtsey, stopping yourself halfway because you know he’d try to correct you. Suddenly you laugh to yourself and it’s a pleasant sound for Jaehyun to hear.

“It is a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance after all of these years.” He says, and there is a sudden realization that drawls. You’d seen each other as children, though he was five years older than you, but never had you spoken more than a few words of greeting.

“And it has been a pleasure for me to this rather gawky conversation.” Johnny says, obviously entertained. Johnny does not need to say that he understands what is blossoming.

The night goes by, Jaehyun typically brooding from corner to corner - allowing passive conversation. He cannot help but quietly set his gaze toward you the entire night, noticing the hawks that surround you. Everyone taking turns tempting you into conversation, or trying to impress you in the most loutish ways.

Taeyong appears next to him at some point, catching the king stare at you and how you gracefully turn each man down. Jaehyun’s brows furrowing at the sight of you welcoming Muhan’s company.

“Don’t deceive yourself with jealousy, your highness.” Taeyong says.

“You must dissuade yourself from believing I am, dear friend.” Jaehyun coughs, surprised he was caught. “I’ve only ever spoken to her during this night.”

“Something tells me you’ll speak to her again.”

fourteen days hence, four years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Tyr:

Jousts were nothing of a kind sport. Princes, Knights, and Noblemen alike all had even the tiniest pinch of fear when the Kingdom Tyr would host the sport. Of course, the Prince Johnny always elated to participate in his own kingdom’s form of entertainment.

There was already commotion in the field, everything set in place except for the crowd forming outside to get in. Each horse already in their own stables, splinters painted in each participating kingdom’s colors, and all participating riders mingling in the common tent.

One such topic of conversation is on every one of the participants’ lips, one that quietly catches the attention of one such that is the King of Sol.

“It’s really no question, of course the Princess Gaia will dedicate her kiss to Prince Muhan.”

“Not even her own knights are participating in the joust— is that allowed Prince Johnny?” Prince Doyoung of the Kingdom Jove had asked, turning to get Prince Johnny’s attention.

“Of course it’s allowed, participation is completely voluntary.” Johnny says, and it’s met by a lot of contrary sighs.

“You did almost threaten our lives to participate when you sent our invitations, you know.” Mark says.

“Well, Kingdom Gaia is lucky we exercise favoritism here in Tyr. If it weren’t the only kingdom not harboring a Prince then I would’ve, very softly required a jouster.”

“Softly.” Mark rolls his eyes.

“Oh Prince Mark we have to get back to a much pressing matter— the Princess Gaia’s kiss!” Prince Ten, although not participating in the joust, has made it a mission to socialize but prod gossip. Though it was simply a kiss on the cheek that was at stake, as a kiss on the lips would certainly tarnish the Princess’ virtue, it meant a lot to all these Princes.

As you have now come of age, some traditions have lightly changed.

“You aren’t even in the—“ Mark interjects but stops himself by throwing his hands up in the air.

“Yes, her kiss will obviously be dedicated to Prince Muhan.” Prince Doyoung is so keen to continue this conversation, as Prince Muhan is not at an earshot to overhear this conversation. His own group of knights from Okeanos busy in their own bubble.

“Why is that, my ever so just friend?” Ten asks, curious to know if any of Doyoungs special abilities to give justice are of any use to him.

“Princess Gaia never does anything without good and proper reason, and considering the lineup of participants… She would not be keen to dedicate it to the princes she is not close with, which eliminates a handful of us already. She would not be interested to dedicate her kiss of victory to anyone that is not a firstborn Prince, leaving anyone below without a chance. And of course, we have to consider which of these participants have a likely chance to make it to the final round.” His mind wanders.

“So that leaves us with?” Jaehyun asks, not able to hold his curiosity out any longer. Though he was willing to really keep quiet and only listen, something inside him was rather impatient.

“Leaves us with Prince Johnny, Prince Mark, Prince Taeyong, and of course Prince Muhan because they have been linked together since infancy…” Doyoung says, but he looks at Jaehyun that he didn’t realize was part of the conversation and it seems that an idea has hatched, “I suppose you too, King Jaehyun. I would guess that you’re more than decorated to be participating in the joust, though I am not so sure about your closeness, but a king— Prince Johnny!” Doyoung’s curiosity gets the best of him once more.

“What now?” Johnny sighs, he should’ve known that Doyoung’s thirst for justice meant that he’d be answering more than several questions about the rules.

“Is King Jaehyun allowed to joust? He was recently a prince, he did regularly participate, and I suppose he’s been the most fortunate to win the most jousts of all of us… But he has now since been crowned a King. Should there not be a special box for him to sit instead?” Doyoung looks at Jaehyun and he begins to whisper. “Sorry, old friend, I do not mean to question your capabilities. But I do not believe we have seen a king on the actual field before.”

“The King of Sol is allowed to joust if he decides that he wants to.” Johnny confirms, and shrugs. The rules in the games of Tyr were obviously dependent on the mood of the prince. “And the victory kiss that Princess Y/N will also be of her own choice.”

The first rounds of the joust go by easily. Unfortunately for some of the participating kingdoms, the odds seem to have stayed the same; all remaining participants from the same anticipated kingdoms. Doyoung's predictions correct as always.

“How many splinters have you positively destroyed, dear friend?” Johnny asks with a smile on his face, getting off from the ground after falling from his horse. Jaehyun defeating him during this round.

“Far too many now.” Jaehyun smiles as well, still on his own horse.

“Well, I offer my congratulations. You won this round fair enough. It leaves you and Prince Muhan during the final round.” Johnny shakes his friend’s hand as he walks off gracefully even though he had been covered by the mud and the dust.

Jaehyun cannot say aloud that he had ulterior interests about winning. One could say he was willing to be so motivated as to make it to the final round of the joust to test out a theory— or defy an expectation.

The kiss the most noble lady dedicates is one she gives before the final round, a matter of making her best bet to all kingdoms known. It was a tradition of sorts, typically noble ladies would choose the jouster that they fancied or one that was more strategic for their own kingdom. Jaehyun had been kissed on the cheek by many noble ladies - making it to the final round of the joust many times. Though, none of those dedications meant anything more than a flattery for he never entertained their interest.

This would be the first time you would be dedicating a kiss, coming of age and not having been wed yet.

He is completely aware that if he were to go up against Prince Muhan, who definitely has the most expectations of any soul in this tournament to make it through the final round to save your kiss for his own, then he was clearly not the obvious choice. And it was simply just a kiss on the cheek, it was just a sign of good luck. Besides, he only ever spoke to you during the ball of Ashtaroth not many moons ago. What did he have now that was different from before? Doyoung only confirming his doubts when he had pointed out how barely close you were.

Jaehyun now thought, that maybe if you were to kiss Muhan, his bruised ego would make it even more satisfying to strike the Prince with his splinter and defeat him after.

But now he would simply have to see.

“Champions,” The King of Tyr says from his box in the stands, “Prince Muhan of Okeanos, and King Jaehyun of Sol,” the old man nods to Jaehyun, a courtesy, “though it may not truly affect your joust, it is of tradition that we allow our fairest maiden the blessing of the kiss of victory of her champion of choice. To bless her chosen champion.” In this case, to seal your engagement to Muhan through this declaration of your own volition. This public display of affection revealing more than just an action at the surface.

You come forward from your own box, dressed in the deep greens of your kingdom, your black raven hair loosely put down in curls with some braids holding them in place. If it were a crime to stare, to place one’s eyes upon the figure of another - to create wanting, longing simply by looking— Jaehyun would have positively been a criminal. For no such moment did he realize how much he wanted that kiss.

“Princess Y/N of Gaia, please choose your champion.”

Jaehyun does not expect it. He knows he will be greeted by the slow-moving wind, and even all the people in the crowd expect you to make your way to the man on Jaehyun’s left. Prince Muhan’s foot was lightly tapping in anticipation as well as you are escorted down from your box, it seems the prince is impatient for you to make your way toward him.

The wind does not come to Jaehyun, instead it is a warm scent of jasmine and sandalwood. You made your way straight to Jaehyun, with no hesitation or a moment’s pause.

“King Jaehyun.” You greet him, lightly bowing much to his own dismay, but he is aware that there are plenty eyes watching. Disbelief across the faces of the knights and princes previously taken out of the joust for losing in earlier rounds.

“Princess, I think you’re making the wrong choice.” He says honestly, but he is nervous. His mind goes back to the conversations about this kiss in the tent, what did Doyoung say again? You do not do things without good and proper reason.

“I think I’m making a perfectly good choice, my king.” You say, and there it is again when you call him that, it gets him.

Jaehyun knows his body has stiffened, unsure how he must perform now that he knows that not just everybody is looking— but everyone is now looking with shock or some degree of contempt.

You speak again, this time clearing your throat and placing a dainty hand on his shoulder. How he wishes his armor were not in the way.

“I shall kiss you now.” Your whisper is soft and it grazes his ears, he can feel the hairs on his cheek rise.

“There is still time to change your mind, Princess—“ He says, but it is too late. Your lips are placed so softly on the skin of his face, it feels he is unable to move. Unable to think in this searing heat that rises up at his cheeks, the familiar feeling of redness to his ears.

While the crowd roars, signaling the end of the tradition, you seem to quickly whisper something else. “If you wish to speak to me, my king, I will wait in the kingdom’s gardens after the feast. Best of luck.” Before he can tell you that it would be a risk to see each other in secret, you’ve gone back to your box.

You were on borrowed time.

It was sudden, the secrecy of your coming of age ceremony all parallel to the curse that had plagued you: Gaia had long since had a line of only sons, marrying daughters from other kingdoms, creating more sons— more princes, more kings, more princes.

But you were born, a princess no doubt. Your father was truly your own - a King of Gaia, but your mother a lowly born woman your father had met during a long journey to the far lands. No one had questioned her heritage, for her kindness was unmatched and her beauty had been unthinkable.

It seemed you had not thought to blame your own heritage, but on the eve of your coming of age you had coughed up pools of your own blood. A mix of dark and strange sludges following, flowing out of your body in long painful stages.

The oracle that had been sent to assess you had told you that you were on borrowed time, something about your family’s secrets. Ones you had no answer to, already buried with your mother who could not answer for these untraceable roots.

Of course you had asked for a different solution, one that was answered in riddles.

Away from where the sun sets, your hands tied to another, where your heart lies the sun rises - for the kiss of death shall only be freed by the wrath of his longing. Answers you must only find by the slumber of the moon, but only through the sacrifice of the water.

Though you had sent all scribes, all possible scholars from Jove upon your secret request to the younger Prince Chenle’s agreement, even all elders from your own court - no one could understand what this meant. You did understand to some degree, but you wanted your suspicions to be proven wrong. You did not want your conjectures to be true.

Your hands tied to another. You knew it meant the budding promise of your union to the Prince of Okeanos, a promise long made only because of the close friendships your fathers had. Only because you were of the same age, and were always made to see each other when time had permitted.

Muhan was pleasant, he was simple, he did not expect much but had always expressed his desire for a quiet and subservient wife— he could not be so picky as to choose. He held conversation well, or maybe just until necessary. He had the manners expected of a prince, he was not fussy nor was he expressive. There was nothing truly so wrong or right about Muhan, but you never made sense of picturing ruling his kingdom alongside him. No imaginings or desires of fulfilling what he deemed ‘duties of a woman.’ Muhan was a good friend, sure. But he was never anything more than someone so closely placed beside you.

But it was the sun. The sun. The sun. The sun. In your mind you knew the radiant face, always so adored. You had already pictured Jaehyun when the sun had been mentioned, every inkling in your body knew. In your mind there were clear imaginings of his dark thick hair, the imprints of dimples on his cheeks on the rare occasion you caught him smiling, his often misplaced look of surprise.

He had always grown up to be so… perfect. You remember tiptoeing clumsily around him, always so ashamed to be younger, feeling a blush to your cheek every time you caught a glance - but he was always so perfect to look your way.

The riddle had made only a few inklings of sense, and you had considered that maybe death would be easier than confronting a lifetime-long blooming in your chest for somebody who has never expressed much interest in you.

Your father had prayed countless nights to the Gods, hoping you would change your mind about choosing death. For the certainty of your death was not one that was clear; it could come to you at any time. Through pleading, you convinced him to allow you to live normally through the social season. Once it was over, you promised to quietly carry out your days in the Kingdom Luna, where you know that only the holy embrace of the moon would bring solace as your death would approach.

It was an excuse to savor the last of times you would see the newly crowned King Jaehyun. You anticipated the hurt of knowing he would lead a life where you were a distant stranger, one princess that would disappear into silence. You would never witness to see him grow into a glorious king, though you would know he would be a husband to another - find happiness and satisfaction in those dutiful actions.

You only planned to watch from afar, pretend that nothing changed except that you had come of age.

If not for the warning Prince Ten had given you about the ale in the ball held in Ashtaroth, you did not notice Jaehyun speaking to Prince Johnny in that moment— all you had your focus on was how rowdy Johnny typically got when intoxicated, and a love potion no doubt would be an even larger mess of things.

It’s only when you hear him speak that you realize it is the first words of serious conversation you had been in, and when he spoke about your coming of age and all the good things he expected you to accomplish - you felt an attentiveness you’d never seen in him before.

You decide to brush it off, coming home to your kingdom that night bleeding out of your nose. The same black substance flowing afterward.

Then there was the matter of the joust, an invitation sent by the Kingdom Tyr to ask for your unwavering support to deliver the kiss of victory as the fairest maiden in the land of Celeste. You could not turn it down.

The dreaded matter of the kiss would simply be about Muhan’s pride, and the fortitude of managing the expectations of a promise that everyone in the land knew. The kiss was not just about good luck, it was a sign of meaning. It was the only time in the world where a woman could express her desires without being chastised. That you knew.

You braced yourself for the worst possible outcome, knowing that the final two to make it to the final round of the joust were factors that you could not control. It was a sheer game of strength, where the use of each of the kingdom’s powers was absolutely forbidden. In your own thoughts you carefully deliberated, perhaps if it were Prince Johnny and another prince that was not Muhan to succeed - the kiss would bear no real meaning. Simply a kiss to favor another.

It was with Hendery that you confided a silly thought, your most trusted knight already knew of your little crush upon the King of Sol.

“If he will make it through to the final round no matter his opponent, I will choose to kiss him. Loud and clear.” You told him, your knight only smiling in agreement. Hendery knew of your condition, and always encouraged those choices that made you visibly happier.

And the odds were in your court, after countless rounds of painful watching. The sound of splinters crushing into metal and the neighing of horses making your heart race, the fear of injury still lightly bothering you. Round after round that Jaehyun had been present, you saw his unwavering strength. Once he was put up against Johnny and he had swiftly made Johnny fall off his horse - you knew it was finished.

Despite Muhan standing there, and everybody else expectedly waiting for you to kiss him - you walk toward Jaehyun without hesitation.

His helmet removed, revealing his sweaty hair lightly pressed down - the rising of his chest from the adrenaline running through him - the dirt making its way to lightly stain the parts of his cheeks exposed by the opening in his helmet. His armor obviously worn out from the strenuous activity. Jaehyun was positively rugged, but enough so beautifully a man.

He tells you that you aren’t making the correct choice. His words and his body language both tell you he is pleading, but the stammer in his speech tells you otherwise. He tells you again that there is time to change your mind but you do not listen, you could feel the same heat of the sun from his close chest.

Then you remember how kindly he regarded you in Ashtaroth, how you knew there was an undertone that pleaded for you to speak longer. Heavens forbid that all of this thinking were a product of a mere selfishness in your delusion— but you knew in the growing heat inside you that this was more than that.

You kissed his cheek, sealing the coffin of the façade you had worked hard to preserve.

It takes all the courage left in you to tell him to meet you in the gardens of Tyr.

that very same evening, four years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Tyr:

“These gardens are surprisingly beautiful aren't they?.” Jaehyun says, distracting you from your mindless staring at the tall hedges that surrounded you. There was a marble bench near the tall shaped hedge, facing a slow moving fountain the middle. You were seated there, just observing the still serene quiet nestled in a rough bustling kingdom like Tyr. It took him some time to get away from the celebration; it was difficult for the winner of the joust to simply disappear from everyone's incessant begging to drink one pint of ale to celebrate his victory.

“I don’t recall these gardens ever being here.” You agree, and he notices that you do not meet his gaze.

“That’s because the gardens are new, my lady.” Jaehyun sits next to you as if it was the most natural thing on earth. “Johnny is promised to a daughter of a Duke in Ashtaroth. When he knew his bride would come from the kingdom of beauty he rushed at the opportunity to build her something beautiful. That way when they will wed, she won’t feel so far away from home.” He tells you and your face brightens at the story.

“I did not take Prince Johnny as a romantic.” You almost laugh.

“Neither did I,” he laughs, “but he coerced all of us to aid him in his time of need.” He remembers setting up quite a few large stones in the garden, making practical suggestions about sunlight and how important it was to the plants. This he had told you too in animated storytelling.

You listen, and the laughter comes naturally. As if this weren’t the first time you had shared stories together. It’s only when there’s nothing more to say of other people that your smiles settle into awkward stares.

Jaehyun speaks once more, clears his throat, “why did you wait for me here?” He swears he sees you freeze in that moment, but the stiffness in your shoulders dissipate as they sink into a more comfortable posture.

“I assumed…” You begin. “No, I felt that you had more to say to me earlier. But we both know it couldn’t have been possible with all those prying eyes.” He knows you’re correct.

“If the prying eyes mattered, why did you choose to kiss me instead of the prince you were promised to?” It’s another question, it leaves his throat as soon as he thought of it. Not afraid that it could imply that he felt strongly against your relationship with Muhan.

“I am not promised to Prince Muhan, if that satisfies your curiosity.” You say so lightly, and he hopes you cannot tell that he’s only a little annoyed that it seems you do not take the question seriously.

“It does more than satisfy my curiosity.” He’s overflowing with sudden joy is what he wants to say. He inches closer to you, he is determined to know what he wants to. “Why did you choose to kiss me, Princess?” It’s almost a whisper, and he sees that goosebumps form along the expanse of the parts of your arms exposed by your garments. He sees the hairs on your neck stand.

“Would you have wanted me to kiss him instead?” It frustrates him that you could even suggest that in this moment, faces close to each other and he can feel your hot breath as you whisper to him as well. You are mirroring each other.

“Of course not.” He’s honest. “But if it weren’t Muhan, if I were up against any other Prince, would you still have chosen me?”

You know what his question is leading to, and you also know that he understands the implications of your kiss. It wasn’t just an expression of defiance— going against everything that has been laid down and built for you and Muhan, but it was a declaration of desire.

So there it was, he was asking you if you were now choosing him. Just him.

“Yes.” You swallow dryly, and you can almost feel each other’s breathing. Jaehyun’s bare hands touch you, his thumb just barely grazing your chin.

So, so close now.

But it is Hendery’s calling that cuts the moment short.

“Princess, we have to go now.” He politely bows to recognize the King of Sol, and you almost immediately follow.

“I will write to you, just remember to let the sunlight in when the rays of light are at their peak.” Jaehyun tells you, as you walk off.

“Ask Prince Ten for the flower of life, I will get back to you.” You call off, hearing the sound of your carriage.

two days hence, four years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Gaia:

Word across all the kingdoms travel far and wide and as quickly as the wind blows in the winds of the north during the winter, only when it is trivial of course.

It shouldn’t have surprised you to know that your little kiss on the cheek had already reached Gaia before your own horses could gallop out of Tyr, for all manners of communication were excessively being used to tell all the world of the unexpected choice you made. There were flying questions about your relationship, wondering if at any point you had indicated an interest or shown more than a curt nod and stare over any of the social seasons.

You already anticipated the conversation you would have with your father and the other advisors of Gaia - maybe how disgraceful it was to publicly turn down Prince Muhan, and maybe you should act upon painful consideration of the kingdom’s best image and interest. Except you’re sure that they will leave you plenty mercies, maybe your curse had its advantages.

It surprises you, that instead of a lengthy reprehension, you receive more concern than disappointment.

“I do not want to question your happiness, child. I cannot take that away from you.” Your father says, and you’re sure that he does not mind for the implications of the action. “I can only fear that he is not worthy of you.”

“Oh but you were very rightfully so vigilant to decide that Prince Muhan was worthy of me instead? Just because of the friendship you had with his father?” You say with a little hint of bitterness.

“That is not what I mean,” he says, “you and the prince were simply an idea. But the King of Sol remains to be different, have we any ties to Sol to know the kind of character he is?”

“Why does his character matter?”

“That is because he is a king. I have very little to scare him off now that he holds power over his own dominion. You could have made it easier for me if he were still a prince, but he is now a king… and the youngest one at that.” Your father is stressed. “He is quite unorthodox for a ruler of a kingdom as well, and if he reciprocates this longing for you, then he must be exceptional.”

“That is not necessary, my time is not for long.”

“But that is precisely why he must be.”

“Allow him to prove himself.” He dismisses you. “No more talk about how much you find him to be fit for your liking, he does not need you to defend him should he be as great as you describe.”

It was almost noon when you opened the windows to your bedroom, you understood that much when Jaehyun had instructed you to let the sunlight in.

You weren’t sure how this would work. Although you did know that every kingdom had their own otherworldly manner of communicating and using their respective powers for their own convenience, you’d never corresponded with anyone from Sol before.

Some doubts creep into your mind, what if he hasn’t written you anything at all? Maybe the heat of the moment was lost and he simply was no longer interested. Perhaps your father was right to be doubtful. As the minutes draw closer to noon it seems you have been waiting for much longer than only the few passing seconds.

He’s true to his word, it seems from where a clear ray of sun had entered - an envelope had materialized from the bright light. You

approach it to see that the wax seal of his kingdom was stamped on the front, your name written in the back.

The red wax is not that difficult to pry open, and you are not sure if it’s your excitement that makes it so.

‘Princess, I hope this reaches you. I am not entirely sure when I will see you again; perhaps you may not be fond of the far retreats that the Kingdom Hermes hosts. Much to Mark’s behest, I have not seen you often during those excursions. I’ve come to understand that Gaia will not host for the season, your kingdom elusive to my observation. Maybe you can correct me if I am wrong. I have also come to preempt that your father may not take a liking to accepting an invitation from my own, should I request for your private audience. Should I be thankful that your kiss has allowed me to earn the gift of your attention? Or should we feel a little regretful that it has caused much talks against the idea that we have formed an attachment? Either way, I will be waiting for your response. Prince Ten gave me the flower as if he were expecting it. Very truly anticipating your correspondence, Jaehyun.’

He’s been staring at the little plant for maybe a few hours now, passively going through the things he has to accomplish. Some complaints about the productivity of the kingdom, a few concerns about the armory, and some about having to work together with other kingdoms.

All those things he had dealt with almost immediately, his judgement not clouded at all. Though, it was obvious that he was distracted. Impatient.

He looks at the flower, in all its plenty petals, looking as though it had never once wilted nor changed since Ten had given it to him. The flower of life never requiring any water nor any attention since he acquired it.

It is strange that when a single petal falls, slowly shifting into an envelope, the wax seal of Gaia placed and his name also prettily written behind so as to mimic the same manner he had written to you.

‘My king, or if this is Prince Ten please do not take it upon yourself to invade the privacy of my correspondence - I will have you whipped for it if I had the power. But if this is the King of Sol to whom I write to, I have received your correspondence. If chance permits, perhaps I will see you sooner than later. While it is true that Gaia has not hosted any events as usually expected, it does not seem to be out of the question for us to welcome guests. As for my father, whether our circumstances were different or not, he often is peculiarly critical of the male sex. Especially when it relates to his only child, and daughter at that. Unfortunately he is hard to please, and very much skeptical. On the matter of the kiss, if you do not wish it had ever happened - then we should continue talking about it. If you do find satisfaction in it ever happening, then let us lay it to rest. Then maybe I can kiss you elsewhere than your cheek. Yours, Y/N.’

He rereads the letter thrice over, wondering if he had missed any details - if he had things he needed to decipher. Yours. The kiss. Another kiss.

His.

He was determined to make something of this attachment.

end of part one.

next chapter>

#jaehyun x reader #jaehyun imagine #jung yoonoh #jaehyun angst #jaehyun fluff #svt x reader #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun smut #jaehyun scenario #nct angst #nct fluff #nct smut #nct 127 imagines #nct scenarios #nct 127 smut #jaehyun imagines #jung jaehyun

151 notes · View notes

sunshyni · 10 months ago

Text

wanna be mine

notinha da Sun: eu tava escutando “Can We Go Back” do Dojaejung, inventei na cabeça que é uma história complementar a “Roses” do Jaehyun, e ai lembrei de “Lost” também KKKKK Então como eu já tinha um pedido envolvendo “término”, resolvi desenvolver essa aqui!!

w.c: 1k

avisos: tá triste, mas provavelmente já li coisas mais tristes ainda, vindo da @dreamwithlost então, vish, nem se fala KKKKK

Jaehyun havia se tornado o homem mais amargurado que conhecia. Ele mesmo havia desistido das redes sociais, sem saber se isso fazia bem para sua mente ou se só o tornava um senhor carrancudo. Mal saía de casa, exceto para o escritório onde trabalhava como arquiteto. Sua mobília havia adquirido um estilo frio, que jamais imaginara escolher. Antes, debochava de magnatas que optavam por preto, cinza e branco. Sempre incluía alguma cor em seus projetos para iluminar os ambientes, mas agora não mais. Sua casa tinha a aparência de um magnata arrogante; tudo era cinza, tudo era triste. Não havia fotos, não havia lembranças. Ele não queria mais pensar em você. Já fazia um ano desde o término, e ele ainda tinha a aparência pálida.

Jaehyun raramente sorria. Seus sorrisos eram tão bonitos e sinceros quando estava com você. Ele gostava de provocá-la em público, de sussurrar ao seu ouvido o que queria fazer quando estivessem sozinhos, e adorava ver seu sorriso contido, suas bochechas corando enquanto comia sua sobremesa preferida de morango. Ele nunca fora fã de doces, então sempre a observava, vendo-a fechar os olhos de prazer. Parecia que suas células eram formiguinhas de tanto amor ao açúcar.

Agora, porém, ele não podia mais te contemplar, não podia te ver, e isso o fez perder o interesse em ver outras pessoas. Não encontrava seus amigos mais próximos havia muito tempo. Quando eles marcavam algo, ele sempre inventava uma desculpa. Preferia o silêncio de seu apartamento, sozinho, acompanhado de um vinho e algum filme estrangeiro. Quando seus amigos o arrastavam para algum bar e seus lamentos já não tinham efeito, ele socializava minimamente, sorria pouco e se concentrava nos petiscos da mesa, na cerveja gelada. Morria de medo de te encontrar por acaso e que você percebesse que ele não estava bem, enquanto você, provavelmente, já havia seguido em frente há muito tempo.

Ele sabia disso, porque você detestava ficar sozinha. Amava a companhia, o toque, e Jaehyun sabia disso melhor que ninguém. Detestava sonhar com você. Eram nesses dias que ele acordava suado, com a respiração acelerada e o coração descontrolado. Definitivamente, não havia te superado. Não conseguia entender como vocês desmoronaram tão rapidamente, como de um casal amoroso, tornaram-se um casal que vivia discutindo, sem chegar a um consenso sobre nada. Jaehyun vivia preso em um ciclo louco de raiva e desejo.

Você o acendia como um cigarro, e ele queria tanto ser tragado de novo que doía.

O aniversário de Doyoung, um de seus melhores amigos, chegou naquele fim de semana. Eles reservaram uma mesa para três em um restaurante cinco estrelas, o preferido do aniversariante.

— Que bom que não deu bolo na gente hoje — comentou Jungwoo, enquanto Jaehyun segurava a taça elegantemente, balançando o vinho suavemente.

— Desta vez, não encontrei uma desculpa convincente. Afinal, é seu aniversário de quase três décadas — Doyoung lançou um olhar irritado, e Jaehyun sorriu de canto, gostando de provocá-lo.

— Para de me envelhecer, ainda falta um ano — resmungou Doyoung. Jaehyun desviou o olhar para além de Jungwoo, observando o ambiente. Notou quando Johnny, um colega de trabalho de Doyoung, entrou no local acompanhado de uma garota. Era claro que Johnny não estava ali para o aniversário, já que o plano era apenas para vocês três. No entanto, Jaehyun não conseguia parar de observar a garota que sorria brilhantemente para o homem alto. Quando seus olhares se cruzaram, ele teve certeza de que a mulher em questão era você, o fantasma que jamais deixaria sua mente e seu coração.

Você disse algo com um sorriso forçado para Johnny, mas ele obviamente não sabia de nada. Não sabia que estava no mesmo local que o cara que costumava te fazer se sentir tão bem, tão completa, tão real. Jaehyun definitivamente não queria parecer um perseguidor, mas te seguiu quando você desapareceu em um corredor que levava aos toaletes.

— Você sabia que Johnny é amigo do Doyoung, né? Podia escolher outra pessoa que não fosse do meu círculo para ficar se esfregando — ele disse, frio como nunca antes. Você o olhou com raiva, o mesmo sentimento que sentia em todas as brigas, pouco antes do relacionamento acabar. Ele conseguia ser tão egoísta, parecia que tudo girava em torno dele.

— Você continua o mesmo, né, Jaehyun? — Você sorriu sem humor, mas o encarou. Ele parecia mais magro desde a última vez que se viram, mas ainda estava lindo em sua roupa elegante, que te remetia aos velhos tempos, quando você tinha vontade de beijá-lo o tempo todo. — Eu não sabia disso. Não estou saindo com Johnny para te provocar, você sabe que não sou assim.

— Gosta dele? — Você o encarou, sentindo seu coração acelerar. Não sabia o que dizer. Não admitiria que sentia falta até das suas discussões. Não era de seu feitio, mas também não podia dizer que se sentia nas nuvens quando Johnny te beijava. Era vazio, frio, sem sentimento. Mas você odiava tanto se sentir sozinha que aceitava qualquer coisa para não ter que lidar com a falta do carinho de Jaehyun, do carinho que ele costumava ter por você.

— Pra que você quer saber? — Você perguntou, e Jaehyun se aproximou devagar. Seu olhar percorreu o rosto dele, seus lábios, os olhos que transmitiam saudade. Queria tanto beijá-lo, mas sabia que aquilo doeria. Agora poderia ser delicioso ceder à vontade, mas depois você choraria, e não estava pronta para encarar a dor da separação outra vez, com a mesma pessoa. Se tinha acabado uma vez, não havia motivo para voltar atrás.

Ele acariciou seu rosto e você quase choramingou, querendo mais, desejando-o de uma forma tão verdadeira que parecia proibido. Era como se ele fosse um ser celestial, intocável. Aquilo te destruía.

— Você não quer ser dele — ele murmurou, encostando a testa na sua. Ambos fecharam os olhos, entregues ao momento, ao sentimento proibido. Você estava comprometida. Jaehyun não deveria estar fazendo aquilo, te desejando com tanto ardor, querendo te ver nua novamente. Não apenas por desejo, mas porque ele queria te ver por completo, corpo e alma, mesmo sabendo que foi ele quem estragou tudo. — Você quer ser minha.

— Jaehyun, eu já fui sua — você sussurrou, o coração acelerado, a respiração descompassada. Ele segurou seu rosto, e você envolveu seus antebraços com as mãos, segurando-se para não chorar. Beijou-o tão delicadamente que Jaehyun se assustou com a possibilidade de você ser uma miragem, de não ser real, de que o calor que emanava de você fosse uma ilusão criada por sua mente saudosa para mantê-lo minimamente são.

— Mas você me perdeu.

54 notes · View notes

jaelaxies · 1 year ago

Text

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･

fluff; wc: 814.

Jung Jaehyun x fem reader!; fluff fluff; established relationship and skinship; tw: none.

Song recommendation: Perfume — Nct DoJaeJung (Perfume)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･

—You’re definitely not being sneaky about this babe… — You said as you delicately caressed Jaehyun’s face; whose body was hugging you from behind, arms firmly wrapped around your waist while his pouty face decided to stay on your shoulder; pressing feather like kisses every now and then because your dress exposed the area but mostly, because it was a signal that he wanted to leave, now.

It was his own exhibition and he wanted to leave, but deep down, you understood why. No one was really interested in Jaehyun’s effort in creating these beautiful scents and compiling them into a collection of perfumes; everyone was just gossiping about his fortune, his family and now, you. Of course, if this was any other person, you would be annoyed; upset, almost. But these were the strangers that your fiancée had to face everyday and if you wanted to be by his side, even in the worst times, words that seeped poison never got through you.

—Did you know… —Jaehyun whispered in your ear, your touch was magical to his demeanor, even he got surprised every time about how at peace it made him feel. But there was something in his tone, that playfulness and intimacy that sent an electric shock through your veins and made your cheeks feel hotter. — that his hotel has an indoor pool, love?

—A p-pool? — You stuttered when you met his eyes; your faces were inches apart and you could feel his hot breath every single time he pronounced a word and then, there was that smile.

His eyes forming crescent moons and his dimples displaying themselves only for you, whenever he did that, he knew he had won you over. And this time, it was no different. As neither of you excused yourselves and just started to wander around the luxurious hotel, hand in hand; heels abandoned somewhere and tuxedo too. Laughter filled the air again as you started to compare your hand sizes, winner got a granted wish and that winner was obviously Jaehyun; who started stealing pecks every time you wanted to talk back and then had the nerve to act innocently. But it was moments like these where the world was just the two of you, where you could fight for whatever together and win. It was moments like these that made you fall in love even more with him, if that was possible.

—We’re here!

Somehow, you two really wandered into a beautiful indoor pool, even thought the lights were turned off; the pool was lit from within, almost inviting you to jump right in. The sight was magical: Ypu, Jaehyun and no formalities to act to, so you nodded softly and before you could even respond, he carried you, bridal style; like it was nothing, as your gazes locked with each other, you finally smiled in rendition and you both jumped into the pool. Warmth water receiving both of your still intertwined bodies and when you got to the surface, you saw that genuine grin again. Jaehyun was radiating with happiness as he started to talk about new projects with you and how many dogs would you have, spinning both of your bodies like you were dancing in an imaginary ballroom. You wish more people could see these side of him, but people only let themselves see what they truly want to see. As you bantered for a bit between 4 or 2 dogs, Jaehyun halted his speech and stared at you for a moment. — I really can’t wait to spend forever with you.

—Me too…— You pecked his nose, earning a huff from him and he took action immediately, cradling your face and kissing you, taking his time and savoring your strawberry scented lip gloss while ruining at the same time; it was a kiss full of love and care, there was no rush, no clashing; just your lips dancing at a slow pace that you both enjoyed. Then, when both of your bodies pleaded for some air, the two of you separated with flushed faces and racing heartbeats, still, when looking at each other, you shared a shy giggle before returning to each other’s arms. Him swaying your bodies in the water slowly, as you rested your head on his shoulder and he adjusted his on top of yours, whispering a soft melody that only the two of you knew.

There was nothing in the world, that felt more like home, that being in each other’s embrace. No matter if you were talking about how many starts there were in the sky or which color your house will be, as long as you two could feel each other’s warmth seeping through your arms and hands, longing to be together; your hearts remained the same as they fell in love for the first time, and that thought, was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever known.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･

Ah coming back and to write about my bias ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ ੈ♡‧₊˚

I know this one probably fell on the shorter side but believe me when I say I'm so happy to just be back and writing again that my i almost filled a whole notebook with ideas-

Thank you for all the love on my recent works and all the sweet comments, likes and reblogs! It makes me really happy and motivated to create even greater fics ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚♡

Again, with all the love in the world,

ੈ✩‧₊˚✧˖°࿐ Stella!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･

#k films #k labels #kbookshelf #nct 127 fluff #nct fluff #jung jaehyun #jaehyun #jaehyun au #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun scenarios #jung yoonoh #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun x you #jaehyun x y/n #jaehyun moodboard #nct dojaejung #nct 127

190 notes · View notes

map0fthes0ul7 · 2 years ago

Text

THAT WAS SO FUCKING HOT OH MY GOD.

holy fuck | j.jh

“imagine what your dear father would say if he sees me fucking her precious little daughter?”

SYNOPSIS; being a pastor’s daughter was difficult. putting up an innocent and holy figure in front of his members; and discarding the fact that one of his loyalest members, Jung Jaehyun was hot as hell.

PAIRINGS; jung jaehyun x fem!reader

GENRE; smut

INCLUDES; swearing , age gap (12 years) , (tiny) mentions of religion , cock riding , orgasm denial , oral (male receiving) , public sex , dilf!jaehyun , pastor’s daughter!reader

WORD COUNT; 4.8k words

AUTHOR’S NOTE; PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK !!! this feels like it’s straight from pornhub ;—;

BEING THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER, YOU’RE FULLY AWARE OF THE MANY PEOPLE YOUR FATHER HAS HELPED; BUT HE CAN NEVER HELP YOU WITH YOUR OBSESSION OVER JUNG JAEHYUN.

Keep reading

#jung jaehyun #jaehyun #jung yoonoh #jaehyun smut #jaehyun x reader #nct smut #nct 127 smut #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct #nct 127 #jung jaehyun smut #jung yoonoh smut

3K notes · View notes

0525recs · 8 months ago

Text

a hitchhiker's guide to 0525recs

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

kpop idols

for group imagines, (eg. [group name] members reacts to …) search for the groups name (eg. [group name] or [group name] x reader) ୨ৎ bambam ୨ৎ byun baekhyun ୨ৎ choi jongho ୨ৎ choi minho ୨ৎ choi san ୨ৎ choi youngjae ୨ৎ chris bahng ୨ৎ dong sicheng ୨ৎ felix lee ୨ৎ hansol vernon chwe ୨ৎ han jisung ୨ৎ hirai momo ୨ৎ huang renjun ୨ৎ hwang hyunjin ୨ৎ jackson wang ୨ৎ jennie kim ୨ৎ jeon jungkook ୨ৎ jeong yoonoh ୨ৎ jeong yunho ୨ৎ johnny suh ୨ৎ jung hoseok ୨ৎ jung sungchan ୨ৎ jung wooyoung ୨ৎ kang yeosang ୨ৎ kim dongyoung ୨ৎ kim hongjoong ୨ৎ kim jisoo ୨ৎ kim jungwoo ୨ৎ kim kibum ୨ৎ kim minjeong ୨ৎ kim minseok ୨ৎ kim namjoon ୨ৎ kim seokjin ୨ৎ kim seungmin ୨ৎ kim taehyung ୨ৎ kim yugyeom ୨ৎ lalisa manobal ୨ৎ lee donghyuck ୨ৎ lee jeno ୨ৎ lee jinki ୨ৎ lee minho ୨ৎ lee taemin ୨ৎ lee taeyong ୨ৎ lim jaebeom ୨ৎ liu yangyang ୨ৎ mark lee ୨ৎ mark tuan ୨ৎ min yoongi ୨ৎ na jaemin ୨ৎ nakamoto yuta ୨ৎ ning yizhuo ୨ৎ osaki shotaro ୨ৎ park chanyeol ୨ৎ park jihyo ୨ৎ park jimin ୨ৎ park jinyoung ୨ৎ park jisung ୨ৎ park seonghwa ୨ৎ qian kun ୨ৎ roseanne park ୨ৎ seo changbin ୨ৎ song mingi ୨ৎ ten ୨ৎ uchinaga aeri ୨ৎ wong kunhang ୨ৎ xiao dejun ୨ৎ yang jeongin ୨ৎ yoo jimin ୨ৎ zhong chenle

#0525recs

23 notes · View notes

doiesfav · 2 years ago

Text

¡! ❞ Parenthood - NCT DJJ ||

MASTERLIST

STRAWBERRY SUNDAY - KIM DONGYOUNG

Release: 17/7

Plot: You realized that your daughter would feel awkward with his own dad sometimes so you decided to do a picnic to help them improve their relationship.

BLOOMING SPRING - JUNG YOONOH

Release: 1/8

Plot: Jaehyun is always prepared for any challenge, even if it was sky diving or meeting the president but preparing her daughter's first official day at school was worse than he imagined. Y/n his wife, was on a business trip so of course he had to do it alone.

MOVING DAY - KIM JUNGWOO

Release: 8/8

Plot: The day was coming, Jungwoo and you always wanted to move to a pretty and cozy apartment but the real problem is dealing with a 5 month born kid at the same time.

#nct #nct fics #nct imagines #nct x reader #nctzen #wayv #nct 127 #nct dojaejung #nct drabbles #nct dream #nct djj #teaser #series

34 notes · View notes

nnon0 · 10 months ago

Text

JJH fic recs #3

previous fic recs : 1. 2.

note: hey yall ik it’s been a while ive been busy with life and truth be told, it’s been getting pretty hard to find good fics to recommend cuz i feel like ive read them all 😭😭😭 anyway jaehyun’s SOLO REVIVED ME SO IM BACK 😜 but this post is going to be an active post meaning ill keep adding fics so there will be more everytime. happy reading!

(🫀) - personal faves

(🫀) TRY AGAIN @kaleidohscopic

WC:32.4k

exes to lovers, coworkers! au

if you could have it your way, you'd never have to see, hear, or even think about jeong jaehyun ever again. a fortuitous blind date, and that same dimpled smile after all those years, is somehow enough to make you reconsider. maybe he was always meant to be by your side.

summer of seven years @lebrookestore

WC:30k

summer!au writer!jaehyun

Coming back home was hard for both you and Jaehyun, but when you realize both of you are back in the same place again, feelings from three years ago rise to the surface, and you start to realize that the things you thought you knew when you were younger never quite played out.

(🫀)His love, Her force @anashins

WC:28k

Undercover detective!jaehyun x ballerina!reader , fake marriage au, slow burn

Fleeing from a ruthless stalker, you are forced to participate in a witness protection program at the other side of the world, pretending to be the wife of a taciturn undercover detective from now on. Despite all differences, you slowly start to settle with your new life as a married couple - until your newfound happiness is stripped away from you all over again.

TOO YOUNG TO MARRY @anashins

WC:24k

Lawyer!jaehyun x divorcee reader

Jaehyun has a ruthless, cruel and not so legal way of getting his clients everything they want out of their divorce. After all, to do the job right, a lawyer like him is not supposed to believe something like 'love' exists in the first place. That is until he meets his next client who also has a not so legal way of creeping right into his heart and make him question all his morals

(🫀) BAD HABITS @jaedore

WC:21k

Boxer!jaehyun

You were never really good at saying ‘no’ to people, always a people pleaser, listening to your teachers, parents, to authority. Jung Jaehyun is a professional boxer attempting to make it to the top with the help of your father, who used to be a well known boxer. Being in a friends with benefits relationship with Jaehyun would be the last thing you’d find yourself in-you’re always focused on finishing college, studying hard, and sticking to yourself. With you pushing your feelings down for him and him focused on other things, you’re already in too deep to pull out of this complication. When will it be too much? When is your breaking point?

(🫀) cynosure - a focal point of admiration @drquinzelharleen

WC:20.4k

surgeon!jaehyun , enemies-to-lovers

When the young hot shot doctor, Jung Jaehyun, has been solicited to your hospital. He is to become the new Chief of Surgery. Your excitement and curiosity are soon to be washed away by his cocky disposition.

no guidance @yutaholic

WC:20k

knocked up, smut, pregnancy au

You insist on keeping things casual with Jaehyun, even though he wants something more serious, but then you miss a period and in an instant, your lives are turned completely upside down.

happy now? @hwaflms

wc: 19.9k

ex!jaehyun, fake dating au

your family has been pressuring you for months to bring your boyfriend, jaehyun, over for dinner, and you think it’s really sweet that they like him so much. the only problem is that your “boyfriend” jaehyun, hates you.

The Cat Burgler’s Heist @vnti-vnxiety-recs

WC:19.6k

ceo!jaehyun x cat burgler!reader

When you attempt to rob a wealthy businessman, things don't go as planned. Instead of calling the police, he offers you a job. Now, you're left uncertain about whether you can truly start anew or if your past will come back to haunt you.

(🫀) ordinary people @ppangjae

WC: 18.3k

friends-to-lovers, fake dating!au, ceo!jaehyun

Jaehyun’s parents are coming home for Christmas and he may have made the biggest mistake of telling them he has a ‘girlfriend’. Insert you, his best friend, who so happens to be the only girl he knows and trusts. You, on the other hand, would have never expected Jaehyun to show up at your door at two in the morning with nothing but a proposition; to be his fake girlfriend. And man, are you in big trouble.

(🫀)ethereal @celestialmark

WC: 16.7k

fluff, life lessons

(note: shed a tear reading this it was so beautiful i highly highly recommend)

Jaehyun was indeed way more than his good looks. Jaehyun was gentle, honest and sincere, you felt it all in the way he smiled, the way he talked and in the way he kissed you. He was the living definition of ethereal, and his beauty shone the most on the inside

(🫀)SUN&MOON @ppangjae

WC:14.6k

enemies-to-lovers, fake dating

Asking Jeong Jaehyun to accompany you to your family’s 1-week Christmas vacation as your boyfriend has its consequences. One can surely get through 1 week of pretending to be in love with an enemy, right?

(🫀) chasing stars, losing you @prodbymaui

WC: 14k

exes to lovers, ceo!jaehyun x model!reader

When your relationship got announced, it made noises louder that anyone could've imagined. Of course it will, a pair containing a supermodel and a CEO of one of the most successful enterprise that made a name in both the fashion and business industry. But soon enough, everyone witnessed how the perfect relationship they had been envying crumbled down into tiny pieces until there's nothing left to pick up.

(🫀) if we were a movie @sehunniepotwrites

WC:14k

childhood friends to lovers!au , college au , theatre/drama au

For someone who was always the understudy and never the lead, scoring this role was huge for you. All you had to do was pretend to be in love with your best friend. No big deal, right? Wrong. It was the biggest deal because, for the past four years, you had been hiding your feelings for Jung Jaehyun.

If this were a movie, he would be your perfect match and the story would end happily with the credits rolling to a perfectly timed soundtrack. Too bad this wasn’t a movie— this was real life and life came with complications.

model cowboy @smileysuh

WC:13.2k

actor!jaehyun x singer!reader, enemies to lovers, fake dating

You maintain eye contact until the moment your lips meet, and then, you do your best to just relax, to forget about the cameras pointed at you. You allow yourself to melt into the kiss, following Jaehyun's motions, following the gentle notes that soon become more heated. His tongue swipes against your bottom lip, and on instinct, you open your mouth for him, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck to pull him closer. You try to convince yourself that you’re leaning into this for the sake of the scene, that you’re just being good actors together, but there’s something underneath it all. There’s a desperation. You can almost taste it below the spearmint on his tongue.

oops, baby (i love you) @prodbymaui

WC:12.5k+

modern royalty au, arranged marriage

you had been living your life as a rebellious and controversial crown princess, now you must face the consequence of purifying your tainted image; marrying the gentle and infamous crown prince of South Korea.

deadly kiss @slightlymore

WC: 12k+

chief architect jaehyun x chief engineer fem reader

office au, enemies? to lovers, dom x dom and trying to force each other to sub, romance, smut, fluff

(🫀) FEELINGS @ppangjae

WC:11.6k

f2l!au, fake dating! au

After many failed first dates, Jaehyun decides to take matters into his own hands and teach you how they work and what you should do to guarantee yourself a second date. But of course, this is just a plan that’s set up for failure.

in your court @boymeetsweevil

WC:10.8k

basketball player!jaehyun , bff!haechan

Two idiots in love, oc is scary when mad, hyuck is crafty always, jae is a bit intense but he’s just trying his best, gratuitous descriptions of dimples, a kiss!!! sfw!

coparenting @eleganzadellarosa

wc: 10.3k

angst, fluff smut

babydaddy!Jaehyun x fem!reader

(🫀)SEVEN LETTERS @ppangjae

WC: 10.1k+

soulmate!au , childhood friends-to-lovers , slight fake dating

On a camping trip, you find a message in a bottle that’s been washed up the shore, only to find out that it’s a message from you in the future. Your message tells you three things:

1. You must make Jeong Jaehyun fall in love with you because,

2. He’s your soulmate and

3. Because of your future self’s mistake, he ended up falling in love with someone else.

the wedding @jae-canikeepyou

WC:9.5k

rivals!jaehyun fluff-crackish

jeong jaehyun’s your long-time friend, and as far as one could remember, every single and little thing you both do ends to a competition; it turned into a permanent kind of relationship you have for over a decade now. no one expects that it would ever change, not until a childhood friend of yours from high school decides to make you two as his singers for his upcoming wedding.

one more time @moondustis

WC:9.4k

smut, friends to lovers

Maybe this right here is a story about growing up and finding yourself, or about finding love and being vulnerable. But it definitely is a story about friendship, skating, pancakes and Jung Jaehyun learning how to deal with his feelings.

(🫀) rose bud @hazyhae

WC:9.2k

stoner!fuckboy!jaehyun , smut

friday nights are party nights, and it's here that your feet always seem to lead you to your favorite stoner. you know the sweet words that leave jaehyun's mouth don't belong just to you, but something about him leaves you wanting more.

baby @moonctzeny

wc:9.1k

college au, fake dating!au

When Yuta breaks your heart for the millionth time, you meet Jaehyun, freshly broken up and looking for revenge. You decide to start fake dating to get back on your exes, but your plan takes an unexpected turn. You fall in love.”

when fratboy falls @gyeomsweetgyeom

WC: 8.9k

fratboy!jaehyun x tutor!reader

Jaehyun is a fratboy with a notorious reputation for being a playboy, you have never heard of him. surely, he can use tutoring as an excuse to get close to you, right?

hello again, my sunshine @alluringjae

WC:8.5k

high school reunion!au, business lawyer!jaehyun, fashion designer!reader, high school best friends to strangers to lovers!au

there’s no more running away when you’re thriving in the fashion industry, yet it’s exactly what you want to do when you encounter your first love after a decade in your high school reunion.

(🫀) The lies of apollo @jaevie

WC:8k

Spy!jaehyun x spy!reader , forbidden love , smut , enemies to lovers

As powerful corporations seek to sun privatization, two spies find themselves falling in love and discovering the wonders of physical affection.

Head over Broomsticks @sehunniepotwrites

WC: 3.5k

Hogwarts!au Sports!au Quidditch!au Gryffindor!jaehyun

When your friends are tired of watching you and your crush go around in circles, they take matters into their own hands. Putting their Advanced Potions skills to the test, Donghyuck and Chenle conjure up a powerful truth serum and slip it in your drink right before a Quidditch game, which leads to a few inappropriate comments about No. 77, Jeong Jaehyun, of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team. This would’ve been fine if you were just a regular spectator but you are much more than that--you’re the Announcer and everyone is subjected to hear your unfiltered thoughts. Just great.

SERIES

(🫀) when icarus falls @baobaojng

college athlete!au , crush!au

(note: this series genuinely brought me to tears btw I HIGHLY RECOMMEND )

some tragic story of you sharing one class with your long time college crush jaehyun who never notices you until he accidentally reads your work and he gets curious— oh, and he uses lame excuses to get to talk to you.

345 notes · View notes

writemekpop · 1 year ago

Text

Bad Girl | Jung Jaehyun

Summary: Jung Jaehyun is the first guy you’ve ever met who isn’t attracted to you. You’re determined to seduce him.

Genre: Enemies to lovers AU

Word Count: 1.5k

As you walked into the first play rehearsal, you felt your heart stutter.

A painfully hot guy was standing by the cast-only coffee table. He was tall, statuesque, in a long black coat and glasses. His chest strained at the fabric of his white shirt, as if his stiff body couldn’t be contained.

"Hey, you must be Jung Jaehyun," you said, looking up at him through your lashes. Now, you just had to wait for him to start drooling - guys couldn't resist you.

"Afternoon," Jaehyun said. He barely glanced at you. Was he gay or something? "Thank goodness you're here, we're out of tea."

You blinked. "Sorry…I’m your co-lead? I play Margot Warner, your character's wife?"

He stretched out his hand to shake yours, stiffly. "Apologies - I thought you were the coffee girl."

Damn it, even his cold stare of indifference was sexy.

"Let’s start with the argument scene," the director said.

You and Jaehyun took centre stage. "Does my gaze make you feel nothing?" you breathed, looking into his eyes. "My touch?" You twined your fingers in his heavenly soft hair. "My kiss?"

Standing on your tiptoes, you squeezed a kiss to his lips. They were cool as marble.

Jaehyun stared into your eyes. Now, overcome with desire, his character was meant to tear the buttons off your shirt and pull you close, just as the lights dimmed.

But Jaehyun stepped away from you. "Time out!" He sighed. "I just cannot understand what my character sees in hers. Why does he suddenly give in?"

The director nodded. "He’s right. We need some chemistry here, guys! This is… PG-13 at best.”

Jaehyun looked at you. "Listen, you may have never seduced a man, but you are going to have to pretend. That is of course, what actors do."

You could just strangle him. Never seduced a man? Jaehyun thought he was so much better than you, with his stupid little theatre degree from Harvard.

You didn’t need a fancy degree to be a good actor. Plus, you could eat Harvard boys for breakfast - and you had. You’d tasted half the football team, in fact.

Four hours later, you still hadn’t got the scene.

The director looked like he'd had enough. "Sort out the chemistry by tomorrow, or I’m firing one of you. Which one do you think I should fire?"

"Him!" you said, at the same time as Jaehyun snapped, 'Her!"

You stormed up the stairs of the auditorium to get your bag from one the seats. Chemistry problem. Bullshit. That was like saying Albert Einstein had an intelligence problem.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jaehyun said.

A tiny shiver ran down your spine.

"Are you really going to give up on the scene that easily?" Jaehyun taunted. "I've seen chihuahas with longer attention spans."

"It’s tough acting against a brick wall," you shot back.

Jaehyun shuddered. "If I have to teach you how to act, I will. Come here."

You walked over to him.

"Margot is trying to seduce her husband. Your acting is too unidimensional!"

"Uni-what?" you said.

"Obvious! You're playing it too obvious," Jaehyun said. "I can see why that would be a problem for you. The whole Barbie thing usually does the trick with men, doesn't it? With your tight dresses and your… long legs. " He glanced at your body, and quickly looked away. But you’d noticed.

You smirked. "So you think I'm hot."

Jaehyun scoffed. "What I'm saying is, you need to play the role with your whole body. Subtle - yet hair-raising." He grabbed your script. "I'll try Margot. Watch and learn."

Jaehyun stepped towards you.

On the surface, nothing had changed. But Jaehyun was a different man. His face was flushed, his breaths shaky. His eyes kept flashing to your lips, like it took everything in him not to kiss you.

"Does my gaze make you feel nothing?" he said quietly, his black eyes searching yours. "My touch?" He twined his fingers in your hair, and you couldn't hide the sound of your breath catching.

Every inch of your skin was alive.

"My kiss?"

Jaehyun kissed you. His lips were so much gentler than you'd expected. You knew it was just acting, but Jaehyun seemed so into you it made him nervous. His whole body trembled with desire.

You pulled back, struggling to catch your breath. That kiss was hair-raising.

Something told you Jaehyun wasn't that good an actor.

Jaehyun pulled back, his face flushed, a pink cloud of lipstick rimming his mouth. He was biting his plump lips, almost as if he was fighting a smile. "Clear?"

You smiled. "You've forgotten the end of the scene."

An unreadable expression flashed over Jaehyun’s face.

“How did it end again?” he murmured, his eyes fixed on yours.

Your eyes fell to Jaehyun’s lips. “Margot and Lewis find the time to… reconnect.” Your fingers found the opening of Jaehyun’s shirt. “To get to know each other again.”

Jaehyun gulped. “I thought they hated each other.” You started unbuttoning Jaehyun’s shirt, one button at a time. He shivered under your touch. “Hate and love aren’t as different as you think,” you said.

You abandoned Jaehyun’s shirt on the seats. His body belonged in an art gallery, a sculptor’s impression of the perfect man. Only, Jaehyun was not still and cold anymore. His chest was rising and falling, his flesh hot.

“This doesn’t mean I’m giving in,” Jaehyun said. “I still abhor you.”

“And I still don’t give a damn what abhor means,” you said, smirking. Jaehyun hoisted your leg up against his hip. His lips met yours now, hungrily, no script to lead the way.

On the couch in Jaehyun's big New York apartment, you smirked down at him, stroking his chest. "How was that for seducing a man?"

"Excellent work," Jaehyun said in mock-seriousness, trying not to look ridiculous despite still panting. "Highly commendable."

“You know…” you said, nuzzling into his chest, “if you were so into me, why did you act like a jerk?” “I’m married,” he said.

You felt a pang of disappointment.

“Divorced, to be precise,” Jaehyun continued. “Eight years. She was my… my first.” He spoke into your hair now. “I didn’t know what to do with the way I felt about you. I know I’m just a fling to you, but-“ “You’re not,” you said, moving to meet his eyes. He was gnawing at his plump lip, and you smoothed your finger over it, stopping him. “The way I felt last night… let’s just say I don’t get that a lot.” Your voice dropped. “Or ever.” “Are you saying I’m the best you’ve ever had?” Jaehyun said, turning you around so he was hovering over you, wearing a smug smirk.

“You’re gonna have to work a lot harder to earn that title…” you said, fixing your fingers in his hair.

The next day, when you returned to rehearsal, something had changed. “You- um, you first,” Jaehyun said, gesturing to the coffee pot.

“No, really, you,” you said, rubbing the back of your neck. You had no idea how to act professionally now. Should you touch Jaehyun? Smile at him? Ignore him completely?

You both broke out into laughter.

When it came to that scene, however, you and Jaehyun fought the urge to rush to the end.

"Does my gaze make you feel nothing - my touch - my kiss, blah blah blah..." you mumbled, then pulled Jaehyun towards you in a kiss that made you weak in the knees.

A lot of the director’s throat-clearing later, Jaehyun finally prised you off him, and you stood next to each other. The spotlights were a little blurry – or was that your eyes?

The director started a slow clap, his mouth ajar.

"Will these two set the house on fire? I think so!" He walked towards you, lowering his voice. "But really, how did you do it? What's the secret?"

You grinned at Jaehyun. "We were just acting. That is, of course, what actors do."

—

MAIN MASTERLIST

Let us know what you thought in the comments or on anon! 💋

679 notes · View notes

yer-cute-when-you-scream · 5 years ago

Text

Unsuspecting Activities~ Jung Jaehyun

WARNINGS: Smut, Hair Pulling, Rough Sex, Almost Being Caught 587 Times. (I’m probably forgetting something)

Request: Husband Jaehyun being denied by you and also because family members are walking in on them until he snaps mad Jaehyun with extra hair pulling

A/N: I’m back from the dead, this was requested a long while back and I had finished it and then forgot the hair pulling so I wrote that in literally last minute so I’m so sorry if you feel it doesn't have enough of that in here. I have been sick so that's why I haven't posted in a bit, but I'm putting a Got7!Prince in the queue for tomorrow!

I kept glancing over towards my husband, Jaehyun, taking in how gorgeous he looks when he isn't even trying. The black jeans he wore fit him so nicely, his shirt was unbuttoned at the top so his chest peeked out of it, and a silver chain adorned his neck.

My family was having a cookout and Jaehyun and I decided to come, unaware of the fact that I would randomly get horny in the middle of it.

My inner thighs felt warm, my panties were sticky from arousal and they clung to me uncomfortably. Jaehyun finally looked over to me and smiled, I motioned for him to come here and he did, I grabbed his hand and led him into the house.

”Babe, where are we going?” Jaehyun asked confusedly, but never slowing his pace. ”To my old bedroom,” I reply before opening the door to said room.

It still had most things from when I was a teenager, my parents still don't know what they want to do with this room yet so they just left it alone.

After shutting the door I turn around and pull Jaehyun closer to me, a smirk appears on his face as realization finally hits him.

”You're horny, aren't you?”

I nod then pull him into a heated kiss, our tongues explore each other's mouths and begin to make us needier. My hand hovers over his bulge and I start palming him through his pants, a small groan leaves his mouth and his hands go to my ass.

Pleasure was written all over his face as I kept rubbing him and bringing him closer to the edge.

Footsteps came down the hall and I jerked my hand away and turned around before he could release, my body blocked the view of his pants so no one could see his boner.

The door opened and revealed my sister, she raised a question, ”Hey, what are you doing in here?”

”Oh, I was just showing Jaehyun my old room, he has never seen it before,” I answered, surprised at myself that I didn't stutter.

She understandably nodded and closed the door, her steps fading down the hall. I turn back around and see how red Jaehyun’s face is, I choke on a laugh and he glares at me.

”You should see your face,” I giggled, he rolled his eyes at me and pulled me close to him again.

”Haha so funny...now where were we?”

He holds my face with one hand while the other holds my waist, backing up until my back is against the wall. This time I unbutton his pants then slide my hand into his underwear, wrapping my hand around his length and slowly pumping it.

”Shit, I need you so badly Baby.”

His lips found their way to mine, he let out a harsh exhale into the kiss then moved his hands to my breasts, softly massaging them through my clothes.

Once again, our movements froze when we heard footsteps coming down the hall, Jaehyun quickly fixed his pants and I opened the closet door next to us.

The bedroom door opened, this time revealing my mom, her voice was cheerful as she sparked a question, ”I was wondering where you two went.”

A small chuckle leaves my mouth as I pretend to look through the closet, ”I was looking for one of my photo albums I left here.”

”Oh, I think they're in a blue container up there.”

Jaehyun immediately reaches to grab it as I tell my mother we would be out in a bit, after she walks away I walk over and shut the door. ”That was a close one,” Jaehyun states, he puts the container down and comes closer to me.

Lust clouded his eyes, he presses his lips against my neck as I loosen his pants again, nibbling softly at my skin. He slipped his hand under the sundress I wore and rubbed my clit through my soaked panties, I sighed in pleasure and pushed his pants to his ankles.

Dropping to my knees, I lick a long stripe along his length before taking all of him in my mouth, my tongue swirling around his tip every now and then. Jaehyun grips my hair and throws his head back, ”Fuck, Baby,” he moaned out.

I hallowed my cheeks out and bobbed my head back and forth at a quicker pace, Jaehyun’s breathing is rapid.

”Baby, I'm gonna-”

His sentence is cut short as my name is called once again, I remove him from my mouth and stand up, Jaehyun rolls his eyes and pulls his pants up with a huff. He hides behind the door and I open the door with an annoyed look on my face, my sister stops in her tracks and raises her eyebrows.

”When are you coming back?” she asks.

”Jaehyun and I are having a serious discussion, can you please give us like thirty minutes? It's important.”

”Oh, I'm sorry, I'll let you guys continue your talk.”

She quickly walks away and Jaehyun shuts the door, this time locking it, he picks me up, causing me to squeal as I wrap my legs around his waist.

”I’m so sick and tired of being interrupted,” he grunts and takes me to the bed, ”I just want to fuck my wife and finally get the release I've been deprived of.” He drops his pants and lifts my dress up, pushing my panties to the side, ”Fuck, you're so wet,” he groans as he rubs his head against my entrance, making me whimper.

He harshly pushes into me and grips my hips, thrusting in and out of me before I adjusted. My hand covers my mouth to muffle my moans, an intense pleasure began to course through my body and I knew everyone would hear me if I didn't cover my mouth.

”What’s the matter, Babe? Getting to be too much for you already?” Jaehyun grunts as he deeply pounds into me.

I mewl against my hand and scratch down his arms with my other, wrapping my legs around him to pull him closer. My body shook beneath him as I felt a pit in my stomach, and Jaehyun could tell by the way my eyes screwed shut.

He halts his movements and grabs my face, a dark look in his eyes, “Don’t you dare cum yet,” he growled in my ear.

I look up at him with wide eyes, his jaw was clenched and his aura almost seemed merciless. He pulled out of me and with one hand on my hip flipped me onto my stomach, wasting no time to penetrate me again.

A frantic gasp left my mouth and I buried my head into the bed, the feeling of hips rocking into me was invigorating. My head was quickly lifted by force, Jaehyun had his hands tangled in my hair, “God, you feel so fucking good.”

My mouth hung open as I tried to choke down my moans, the way he was brutally thrusting into me and pulling my hair had me delirious and I was soon feeling that pit build up in my stomach again.

“Baby, please let me cum!” I pleaded through a moan.

I could tell he was close as well and my pleas only brought him closer to edge, Jaehyun moved his other hand to my throat and squeezed the sides of it, growling as his pace sped up.

”Cum for me.”

His words were more than enough for me to release the orgasm I desperately wanted, pure ecstasy washed over my body, my moans were silent as Jaehyun choked me. He grunted loudly and emptied his load inside of me, sloppily thrusting as we rode our highs out together.

He removed his hand from my throat and helped me turn back around, he deeply kissed me and began to pet my hair.

”We should get back out there,” he sighed, pulling out of me and tugging his pants up. Sitting up, I agreed, smoothing my dress out before smiling at him.

I pulled him by his shirt closer to me and he chuckled, ”Hopefully, we can continue more of this when we get home,” I suggested. The quick smirk that appeared on his face showed lust, but it changed into a sweet smile.

”Of course, Babe.”

Jaehyun held my hand as we walked back out, everyone unsuspecting of of the activities that took place in my old bedroom. We continued stealing glances from each other for the rest of the time we stayed.

#jung jaehyun imagine #jung jaehyun imagines #jung jaehyun smut #jung jaehyun scenarios #jung yoonoh imagine #jung yoonoh imagines #jung yoonoh smut #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun imagine #jaehyun smut #jaehyun scenarios #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct smut #nct scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 smut #nct 127 imagine

497 notes · View notes

baobaojng · 5 months ago

Text

Celeste (Jeong Jaehyun) - part two

celeste (jeong jaehyun)

jeong jaehyun (king jaehyun) x (afab! princess) reader

themes: slowburn, angst, fluff, (eventual) smut + fantasy au! + pleeeenty world building as we go along

some notes on this chapter: reader is kind of a martyr, jaehyun's sexual history is mentioned... lots of longing and disappearing (my favorite trope haha)

☼ summary: in the land of Celeste, the King of Sol has waged war to bring back his beloved, war only stops when one day you return— but the secrets only begin to unfold.

a/n: i do not permit the use of this fic for anything else. this work is mine and mine alone. these premises and characters are entirely fictional and do not intend to paint anyone in a bad light.

wordcount: 12,113

part one, part two,

author's masterlist

one month into the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Gaia:

Jaehyun did not want to do this.

This was the last place he wanted to lay siege, the gates of your kingdom already affected by the gloom of decay. The war happened so fast, and it was burning through every kingdom even faster.

It was to his curiosity that he made sure Gaia was left untouched since the first month of the war, but it looked like war had already paid it a visit. The cobblestone they were passing through already full of grime where it was once pristine and polished— only signs of wilted plants scattered around where the landscapes were typically so beautiful. The kingdom of life once boasting everything of the word now the complete opposite.

He despised this feeling.

Every decayed turn and step toward the castle, held now seemingly distant memories of you guiding him through your kingdom when you wanted to whisk him away from the palace and into town amongst the common people. The two of you hiding in ridiculously large caped outfits, the hoods somewhat effectively disguising your identities.

Now he could only imagine your laughter, the sway of your hair as cascaded through waves that snaked to your hips. It seemed that he would no longer be able to smell jasmine and sandalwood, not in this Gaia. Not anymore.

“You understand why I have to be here?” Is the first thing Jaehyun asks when he sees your father. Both of them disheveled, looking up at each other like broken men.

“I don’t suppose you expect me to give up the autonomy of my men to join your campaign in war.” Your father says to him, and it ignites only a little bit of anger in Jaehyun.

“I don’t suppose you are much so interested to get your daughter back—“

“If she has gone I am not kneeling to your crown because I know this is not what she would want!” Your father finally breaks his composure.

“Do you not wish to see her again?”

“Of course I wish to see her again! Do you think that I am no father? Every day I think about seeing her again, even her mother. I’ve suffered more loses than you think.”

“Then you must understand that I only waged this war against Okeanos because Muhan was the last person seen with her.” Jaehyun pleads, but your father seems to have his own resolve.

The older man sighs, “No. I cannot join you, my son.”

Jaehyun does not respond at the mention of the endearment, instead he leaves your father to continue.

“I simply cannot. I love my daughter too much to allow something I know she would have not wanted. Truthfully, I see myself in you– so dangerously consumed by love - but it is the flame and the light in you that burns differently. When her mother died, Heavens know how much I wanted to avenge her, how much I wanted to take it out on any man or royal that questioned the depth of my grief.” He pauses, looks at Jaehyun.

“You know the one thing that stopped me? It was seeing the fear in Y/N’s eyes, knowing I was so willing to take life to answer to the loss I was facing.”

Jaehyun imagines you, a motherless child - the only pillar of hope left for your father.

“My son, believe me when I tell you, she would not have wanted any of this. There are reasons things have happened the way they did, and you have to trust that she will make her way back to you when the time is right. But please, allow me the peace of not being part of this war.”

Jaehyun leaves Gaia, not a soldier added. When he looked back at the kingdom, it all suddenly decayed as if centuries have rapidly aged it, he knew your father had been behind it.

The Kingdom Gaia lay into a hibernate state, life is stagnate akin to a seed waiting for water to spring back into life. In one swift transition, Gaia then ceases to exist for the rest of the Age of Sol.

And now, the King of Sol was left with more questions than answers.

four years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Gaia:

“Should there be any more… concerns about our correspondence with the Kingdom Luna?” You ask your father, who has sent a materialized message to the said kingdom.

“Not so much is cause for concern with Luna, it is the process that irks me. It is too tedious.” He says, closing his eyes with two fingers pressed into his temple. It was true, because Luna was not considered much an actively participating kingdom in Celeste - it meant that being able to communicate with them was a bit of a hassle.

Before much else can be said, your Knight Hendery of oh-so perfect timing chimes into the study. “You have a,” Hendery begins, not sure how he will explain, “there is a, delivery? Yes, a delivery of sorts.”

“Sorry, am I to hear you correctly?” Your father asks Hendery who seems just as confused.

“Yes, from the Kingdom Sol.”

Your father looks over to you, not having to know more to imagine that it was King Jaehyun who had sent you something over. He did not have to know that your little attachment was turning into something, this he knew for certain.

“Then it’s for you.” Your father then says flatly, but then it is your turn to be confused. Sure you and Jaehyun had been going back and forth sending letters to each other, but never did he mention anything about sending anything.

Hendery then perks up, the poor knight subject to the awkwardness. “It is actually for you, your royal highness— I mean, both of you are royal highnesses, but it is for you, King.”

“Bring it in then.” Your father says and it takes Hendery’s signal for footmen to enter, carrying a large golden cage with an ever so peculiar creature inside.

It was its peculiar squawk that drew your father’s attention, the reds and oranges of the birds so majestically capturing.

“Are you certain this is for me?” The King of Gaia asks Hendery who only nods.

“A phoenix,” you say, not believing what was delivered to your father’s study, “is that… real?” The bird coos at your voice, obviously favoring your presence.

“It seems just about real.” Your father observes that even Jaehyun’s gift for him had a fondness for you.

This is what happens over the next two weeks, everyday a new gift arriving from Sol right into your father’s chambers. A new rare relic, a large almost impossible to carry weapon forged from the sun, an elixir that supposedly slows down aging (that you caught your father drink almost immediately), new furs for his closet, and countless other things you did not even bother to look at. All of them arriving day by day without fail. Jaehyun still never mentioning or explaining the sudden influx of gifts.

Throughout this time you notice that your father and the phoenix form an insufferable attachment, the animal following him throughout the entire day. It seems they even have silent conversations as your father goes around the kingdom to observe in his limited times of silence.

The last thing delivered, an envelope on a golden plate. No more did your father want you in the same room when he realized it was a letter from Jaehyun directed to him.

That was the only gift he kept to himself.

“You must rise and make haste.” You wake up the following day from the booming voice of your father who forced your curtains open, revealing the early bright rays of sun into your room and directly onto your face.

“Whatever for?” You complain, rubbing the sleep off your eyes.

“Prince Mark had sent you an invitation to one of their getaways to set up camp and enjoy the terrain of the mountains, did he not? I believe the dreadful event begins in a day, and traveling to those awful mountains takes just about that time.”

“But I thought you did not want me to go, you never usually entertain the idea of Prince Mark’s part in the social season because you say their choice of area is always so grim to travel to.” You say, it’s always been the reason why you never really travelled to the Kingdom Hermes.

“Well this time is a different time we live in,” you only now notice that the bird sits on his shoulders, but it has less feathers than you grew accustomed to and it seemed a little sickly, “maybe I am putting faith into this year’s trip.” He simply says.

“And you want me to be in attendance?” You make sure you’re understanding the situation correctly. There’s something about your father’s calm demeanor that scares you; he’s usually a worrywart about these things. Especially after you had fallen ill.

“Precisely.” He says. “Now please get ready before I change my mind.”

You sit up abruptly only to ask him one thing before he leaves. “Is the bird alright?”

He looks at you, and it seems the bird is doing the same.

“Yes, you do know these beautiful things go back into ash. Suppose think of it as a long slumber, until life comes to wake it again until life rises from the ashes. It is a young bird the King of Sol had gifted me, it will go through this process regularly until it matures into a fine phoenix.” The bird cranes itself closer to your father as though it understands the affection.

“A good metaphor it is.” He says to himself, but you do not hear it as he had already left.

You wonder what it was that made your father change his mind.

a day hence, four years before the age of Sol, in the Kingdom Hermes:

You had only gone to one of these once in your life, and it had been when you were only thirteen - erasing the horrible memory of the grueling hills and mountains you had to pass through to get to the camping grounds where Hermes hosted these short-lived dwellings.

The roads were narrow and winding, each rock an obstacle for the wheels of your carriage— encountering a stop or two now and then when your horses had to be checked up on. Why did the Kingdom of travel and communication choose to make roads these precocious? Something you would never understand.

There were no other travelers on your way to Hermes’ camping grounds, for you were the last to go. Your presence not at all anticipated on these roads.

Thick dense forests surround the serene sight of the camping grounds. It is a full of small well-distanced cabins, some smaller pitched tents and a large common tent pitched in the middle, a lake shining at the very end of the clearing. Not at all like how you remember it, perhaps it had improved over the years you hadn’t gone.

Giving your own ensemble of knights and footmen the rest they deserve, you inform them that they are allowed to spend the rest of the evening looking for their designated cabins and to mingle as they please. It takes some convincing for Hendery to follow suit but you manage to convince him that you needed this time by yourself to properly assimilate for once. You were hyperaware that you were always so, literally, guarded. This made you feel like you were always so alienated and distanced from everybody else, an obvious bubble hiding you away from everything.

You already see people scattered everywhere when you arrive: some men drinking off to their own heart’s desire, some roasting food over the fires they have built for their own cabins, some simply enjoying the comfort of the outdoors. A few groups of ladies you noted were flocking to their own tents, obviously put up to gossip.

It is something you do not mean to do when you overhear the exchange happening between noble ladies from all over Celeste, none of them you were strangers to but none too close for you to be explicitly invited to join them either.

“So, the Princes of Ashtaroth are obviously the most handsome.” One says, it’s as if it’s a proposal on the list of things they were to pick on.

“They simply do not count, it’s unfair to count them in. They are literally the princes of the kingdom of beauty, that is ridiculous.”

“Prince Doyoung is unbelievably handsome is he not?” One of the girls squeals.

“To you he is the most gorgeous man to walk the planet, but only because you harbor a little crush on the prince. And no, his wit does not count.” Another answers.

“Well if we were talking more about your fancy, it would definitely be the Princes of Tyr.”

“Oh please Prince Johnny is engaged now to one of the more timid flowers of Ashtaroth too, and Prince Jeno is far too young for an old wench like you!”

They laugh, and when the laughter subsides somebody else speaks up. It seems a cycle.

“If we were to talk about engaged men, Prince Muhan is a sight for sore eyes.” You almost scoff when you hear this, but you manage to stay quiet so that they won’t notice your snooping.

“Also engaged.”

“Or so we thought he was; it seems that all of Celeste was wrong about him and Princess Y/N. Maybe their friendship was lasting, perhaps they are just close and truly friendly.”

“Except she’s now clearly attached to the most handsome man of all the land.” It’s a bitter tone that comes from the voice of whoever is speaking, but you hold in your own feelings because you know where this conversation leads.

“Oh the King of Sol.” It’s almost in unison that all these ladies sigh, their voices laced with desire. This is when you start to critically listen.

“How could we forget to mention?”

“It’s because King Jaehyun of a different calibre.”

“Often so unattached because he’s simply above all of us. Any and all of us.”

“Well he is in some sort of attachment now, Princess Y/N must know some conjuring spells they keep secret in Gaia for him to be infatuated with her.”

It’s honestly a little insulting to hear that, especially when all of them laugh after it is said.

“Oh come on ladies, we speak like he is no man at all. He’s had his… conquests before.” One speaks up again, and you don’t think that you much appreciate where their conversation leads and you are half tempted to walk away and forget you ever even stumbled upon their privacy— but another part of you wants to know more.

“Like I believe he could ever break free from his cloak of honor, why don’t you tell all of us about these conquests?”

“You are in for a world of surprise when I tell you that the King of Sol was once a Prince of Sol who did not shy away from acting like such a breeding horse.” She snickers.

“Just ask Lady Kim, Lady Cho, and Lady Hwang about his… vigor. Those three are ever so willing to indulge anyone who will ask about their magical encounters with King Jaehyun during his run as a prince. Others don’t want to speak, but you can tell they must have had such a great time lying in his bed.”

Your skin crawls, and it’s not because you do not expect that Jaehyun had done those things. It was the Kingdom of Life you had come from: sex was something so normally regarded that you are sure that if it were anyone’s own relationship to sex being scrutinized you would’ve not been so reactive about it. It’s something you understand happens, but you’re sure what you’re feeling about Jaehyun in this exact moment is not particularly normal.

Imaginings of all those ladies you were vaguely familiar with immediately crossed your mind, sudden flashes of their love affairs with Jaehyun already filling the vast space of your once quiet thoughts. If you could try to dig deeper into your brain for any of your earlier memories of Jaehyun when he was once a prince, maybe you could recall a handful of times that he did graciously come escorting some noble ladies to some events in the social season - and now you wonder what the extent of their relationships were.

Was it jealousy? Was it a deep insecurity of understanding that maybe you could not live up to lovers he might have had?

You weren’t sure, but your fists are curled into balls that flex into frustration. Perhaps it was the idea that you did not like to imagine things you did not know of Jaehyun, maybe you know so little of him that your acquaintance would never reach that level of honesty. Whatever this was, it bothered you beyond normal reason.

It was not a good idea to have listened for as long as you did, and you were too preoccupied eavesdropping to have noticed Jaehyun only a short distance away from you. Jaehyun also listening to a conversation not meant for him to hear, and noticing the way you stiff up in what he presumes to be disappointment as you listen and walk away.

He wanted to surprise you, the moment he saw you wandering alone in the vast camping grounds.

Though he did not count on his letter to your father affecting his decision to allow you to go to this gathering in Hermes, he had a little spark of hope that his weeks of trying to earn your father’s favor would work.

It started with the phoenix, which was not an easy feat to get his hands on. Then many other material things of priceless value followed after, but he did not take your father for a fool. Material things could be worn out and thrown away, but the words of an earnest man held value to a much higher degree— especially to a royal man like your father.

A proper way to speak to a king from another.

Jaehyun’s letter detailed how he recognized how the gifts would give off the assumption that he could give his way into the warmth of your father’s approval, but he could only hope that your father could understand that he was willing to do more for you. The rest were desperate vulnerable writings about how he cannot handle being apart from you much longer, but he will respect the reservations your father may have about meeting alone in private.

So he asked, or more so begged, that he allow you take part in the regular social event Hermes held. Promising that he would not be ludicrous enough to try anything stupid because there were positively eyes everywhere that would keep him in check.

Now it was to his surprise that you were here in the forest, journeying your way through the rocky cliffs of the mountains.

You were here. In the flesh. How excited he was to see you in person after only depended on your written words to fuel the longing he held for you, but it was not enough.

He wanted to gently lay a hand on your shoulder, or try to hop out in front of you to get your attention - but you were so focused on standing outside a group of noble ladies’ tent that he couldn’t help but wonder why your eyebrows were furrowed.

It started out a normal conversation when Jaehyun listens in, talking about handsome royal men like these flock of women typically do. He cannot say he did not find it insulting that they question your relationship; there was absolutely nothing unbelievable with being absolutely entranced by you.

Nothing could have prepared him for where the conversation was headed. When they open the topic of his conquests, he half expects you to walk away— but he isn’t so surprised when you decide to stay. You expression an unreadable combination of surprise and frustration.

Was he to feel shame? He could not deny he made some rather… unsavory decisions to indulge in his primal urges in the past. He could neither feel like the manner in which he was spoken about was degrading for far worse things could have been said.

But then names come up, none of them are untrue. Jaehyun did have several sexual partners, and recalling them all now don’t make them any much important. They were part of things that have happened in the past, and they were far too distant to hold much value or interest anymore.

Jaehyun sees your hands ball into fists: perhaps the most expressive he’s seen you, and then you still manage to gracefully stomp off.

only an hour hence, four years before the age of Sol, in the Kingdom Hermes:

You find a quiet corner nearing the mouth of the lake, you can see less of the crowd and notice the twinkling of the waves of water against the bright moonlight.

Was it wrong of you to be so affected by this?

Surely it was normal for you to feel, it was not very much the characteristic of a Princess to feel so outwardly emotional but you were trying your best to be calm about the surge of emotions you were feeling.

In a matter of perfect timing, you hear someone speak, a little startling because you did not have any inkling that anybody was near.

“I apologize if I startled you,” Jaehyun holds both his hands to his chest level, palms facing you, “I just noticed Hendery with the other knights and I went out to seek you.” He’s not telling you the whole truth but you do not know that.

You have not seen each other in weeks, and the atmosphere was strange and it was awkward. It almost feels like the first time you’re speaking to each other again. Was this how it was going to be?

“Oh, I just wanted to acclimate on my own. I’m not used to these mountains and this… forest.” Was probably the most believable thing you could think of saying, and Jaehyun only partially believes you because he knew what you just heard. And he knew it affected you somehow.

“I did not expect you to be here.”

He lowers both hands, slowly walking to be closer to you. Just enough for the moonlight to illuminate his face, just enough for you to know he is truly in front of you.

You laugh, “What? In the forest?”

“I meant here, in Hermes. I did mention it in our first correspondence that I noticed you were not the biggest fan of these camping excursions, so I did not hold much expectation.”

You could have very well expected other ladies to arrive, eager to please his every desire. You think only to yourself.

Maybe this was jealousy. And you did not like the way it tasted on your tongue.

He’s smiling at you now, you’re earning those two wells dotting his cheeks without even trying to be nice or kind about finally being together after weeks of anticipation. You wanted this moment to be a grand reuniting, where you could feel colors burst out from your chest the moment you would lay eyes on him.

Instead you were now so preoccupied about the figurative distance between you. How you’d only become friends now. How you felt a generation away because he was older. How you honestly felt like a pathetic child waiting around a corner to understand the implications of the situation.

But then you had to keep yourself in your place, maybe you were assuming this relationship meant much more than it was. Perhaps you had only decided to kiss him, you were entertaining an idea.

Maybe he did not feel the same.

“I did not think I would be here either.” You answer, holding yourself back from speaking with annoyance or anger. He thankfully does not notice.

Jaehyun moves toward you much closer now and suddenly you become too aware of your own being. Your hands feel clammy, and you wonder if he will scrutinize your figure even with all the layers of cotton and fur you had on to protect yourself from the cold. You wonder if maybe you should have let your handmaiden apply more rouge, maybe you did not look as beautiful as those other girls who would go out of their way to polish every single surface for him.

“Did your father allow you?” He asks.

“It wasn’t a matter of him allowing me,” you say, pressing both of your palms together, “he persuaded me told me go.”

“I expected more from him you know.” Jaehyun admits, he places a hand on your shoulder. “It took so much convincing, it made me believe that he wouldn’t have allowed you to come here knowing I would be in the same place. I even wrote him that letter to explain to him that I would do everything to make our meetings of honor and of virtue.”

Of honor and of virtue. You do not know if it is a compliment or an insult that he regards you as if you were made of porcelain and not of skin. Were you not desirable that not even his carnality must peak through?

You roll your eyes, and you know that he feels the shift in your demeanor, but his hand does not falter where it is planted on your shoulder. You can feel is emanating warmth.

“Am I to understand that ‘tis the sole reason that you’ve done so much as to impress my father?” In that slip of the tongue, you cannot help but make your words come out much sharper than intended. By the way Jaehyun looks at you, you can tell he is a little stunned by your tone.

“Of course I wanted you to be here.” He admits, and even if you do not want to feel the warmth that blossoms from your own chest - you cannot help it.

“Two weeks of gifts from Sol, only for me to make the journey to this crowded clearing.” You say, and his other hand makes its way to your empty shoulder.

“I did not mean that I wanted only for you to be here,” he pulls you closer, now one hand cautiously on your back, “I meant that I would have been on my knees mercilessly if need be at your father’s doorstep if it meant that I would only catch a glimpse of you.”

“You do not mean that.” You whisper.

“If it takes for me to bring down the sun to make you believe my sincerity, I’m willing to do that for you.” He says, the distance between your chests so much less than a world apart.

Jaehyun speaks up again, “and I’m to believe, if you are sincere, that you owe me my kiss.”

“If you take me nothing more than a pastime, you can take your kiss up on any other noble lady here.”

“I cannot deny what you heard.” He says, looking into your eyes, and you immediately understand that he knows what you did hear.

“So you’ve been following me?” You point.

“I would not say that, I did notice your arrival and I wanted to surprise you. It lead to me being somewhere where I was not supposed to be, that’s all.”

“Why didn’t you stop me when you knew what I was starting to hear?”

“And save you from what? The truth of who I was back then?”

You only blink at him.

“I cannot change those choices, they are a part of me now as much as they’ll ever be— I cannot change the past even if I wanted to. I’ll admit I was foolish, I did a great deal of messing around, but I am no longer that way.” He says, and it sounds like he’s trying his best to convince you.

“What do you want me to believe of you?” Your voice is much quieter, because you know that there is truth in which he speaks.

“I want you to believe that I do not want to use you and discard you, I admit that when I was a little younger I let the promiscuity get into my head. Princess, I understand that you are younger than I and I do not want you to think I’m taking advantage of you because you’re more malleable in that stage—“

“You do not have to consider me in that light.” You cut his rambling off.

“I just, I do not want you to believe what other people may say. If there is truth to it or not, I believe we must tread through this together— without the outside noise.” He sighs, hoping he made enough sense for there to be resolve.

You close the distance between you by taking him in for an embrace, this gesture startling him but you immediately feel how he softens. Your face buried in his chest, and only then you realize just how tall he is.

“I apologize, I just felt so overwhelmed with the idea that other people knowing these things about you presented the possibility that our attachment was disingenuous.” You admit.

“I’ll tell you every single detail if need be.” He laughs, and you feel the earthy tone of his bellowing voice when he does - the vibration traveling to where your head was placed.

“To what value should I hold that?” Looking up at him, only to find him looking at you.

“To every single aspect of the matter.” Jaehyun says with certainty.

“And which matter is that?” You raise an eyebrow.

“To every matter of this relationship.”

“You know, you must be very particular about these things, you would not want a lady to assume an attachment be worth something it really isn’t.”

He can only laugh again, “I do not mean to rush you. It is a waste of your youth for me to maintain a pace that I want, and that is unfair.”

“So you want me to wait?”

"Perhaps."

You laugh, "do you not find me desirable?"

He stiffens only a little, "believe me when I tell you that it is taking every single fibre of my being to maintain self-control when I only get so little as a glance of your shadow and a whiff of your scent."

"So is it appropriate for me to want to rush you?"

“No. I want you to breathe in the air of your youth, the same wind does not come across for you twice.”

Then the realization returns to you. Your borrowed time.

“Alright,” your voice goes quiet again, “thank you for considering that of me, my king.”

You savor the embrace, lulling yourselves into the peaceful quiet of each other’s arms as everything in the background fades past you. Except your impending doom is weighing on your mind.

You’ve come to treasure early mornings, when the sunlight just comes to a hilt - and the cold evening still lingers as you begin to smell the morning dew evaporate from the blades of grass and the margins of the leaves. Ever since you’ve become ill, you tried your best to get up early at times to admire morning spilling into the night sky.

It seems you’re earlier than most, not feeling or seeing a single soul awake as you stroll around the camping grounds.

After your brief moment with the King of Sol last night, you excused yourself - feeling a familiar build up of sick black wanting to leave your body. You thought it only a little cruel that he dismissed you without question, probably assuming you were still upset about what happened overhearing the ladies in the tent.

But it was much better that he blamed something else than find out about your condition.

You were being selfish, playing so closely with both your feelings knowing that you had no idea how to keep yourself safe and alive for much longer.

Finding yourself entering the trees, you notice a different quiet. The songs of birds seem much different here, you imagine this to be the sound of the birds in Kingdom Aether - maybe close to the bird calls you had heard Prince Sicheng make during one occasion. The breeze is different, passing through each tall oak and pine, scents wafting through the air.

Time seems to be lost when you see the rays of sunlight come through, illuminating each shadowed branch. You do not realize how deep you’ve gone, and how far long you’ve walked.

It is something you are not prepared to see, something you thought only started to manifest in your own kingdom.

The tinges of blacks and sludges of green were familiar, it had been happening in Gaia irregularly ever since you became sick. Some lakes turning a deep black, fish floating dead and atop the surface of the water - flowers wilting in large patches, harvest of grain reduced to half, some horses and cattle found lifeless in the mornings— seeming to have decomposed for months but have passed for only a few hours.

Life was being taken, with no real way to comprehend how that came to be. A decay was spreading, patches of land - the sky - the water - they were all experiencing the same illness you were.

This was a plague on life. On everything you stood for.

Right here, in the forests of Hermes, the decay was beginning in a few old trees. Their once sturdy trunks, now an almost melted mess of the same dark hues you had coughed up. An elk, however so beautiful its antlers, lay lifeless in the middle. You can see the expose of its ribs, viscera mangled and splayed across the dark ground. No sign of other animals or insects, only the worms and the centipedes avoiding the grueling scene.

You approach it, even when the hesitation in the stiffness of your steps oppose the almost voluntary way your feet move forward.

Months of torture knowing you were ill, and all these weeks of knowing that life all around was diseased with the same fate. This was the only time you found whatever courage it was to seek it out yourself. With all the power you have been reserving, you hover a hand over the dead patch of land, trying to command anything you had. Anything to bring it back to life.

To your dismay, nothing at all happens. Where typically flowers would bloom upon the command of your hands, or the wounded would heal, there was nothing your will could do at this moment.

Instead, a sharp pain ricochets into your palm, a seething burn that stings through as if cut by a blade. No visible force is doing this, but it’s as though you are wounded.

You gaze upon your palm, surprised to see that you are truly bleeding and you have been cut open.

Before you can process how that came to be, a drop of your own crimson blood lands onto the patch of dead grass— and suddenly, life is willed as you intended. It is almost so immediate, how the trees seem to stand tall once again - the timber stalks boasting in height. An elk so gloriously beautiful in how it stands, how it looks at you. Everything so alive, so starkly different from what you’ve seen.

An unpleasant feeling in your stomach churns, for blood magic has been known to have died so many years ago. It seemed only a dark, shunned myth.

Until now that you have seen it with your own eyes. And it makes you absolutely repulsed, it makes you sick.

You turn back, the blood curling from within your body. None of your worst nightmares could fare the fear that ran through your body.

Running back into the camp, you do not notice Jaehyun standing around outside your lodgings when you near the curtained entrance.

“Y/N?” He asks, seeing you visibly in distress, you do not like how he is concerned. He should not be. It was already so unfair that you were taking advantage of his kindness like this, it would hurt him to know the truth that you were hiding. And you knew it would destroy both of you to pretend that your curse would not affect this attachment.

You had to end this now before it could do him any more harm to know— to be any closer to the truth.

“If you know what is good for you my king, we shall stop this.” You say with conviction, and it kills you to see the hurt that wells up in his eyes.

“Y/N? What is this about? I had thought that we had talked and—“

“Please,” you say, “please,” you beg in a whisper, “this must end.”

Before you can shed tears over the lump that seems to be blocking your airways, you leave him behind to enter your lodgings.

You do not hear him walk away. You know that he waits, even if you do not come back out that day.

three years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Ashtaroth:

“Has much so changed in a year, dear brother?” Prince Johnny nudges at Jaehyun, who has drifted away in thought - staring at the new sort of display for the ball. Perhaps Jaehyun was not the best to understand art of the underlying messages of its beauty, or perhaps Ten and Taeyong have properly lost their minds to come up with a cohesive idea.

“Maybe.” He takes a while to answer.

But he knows the answer is yes, much and very little can change in a year. That he knows to be true.

“Wasn’t it almost exactly a year ago here in Ashtaroth? We accidentally drank those aphrodisiac-laced drinks, thankfully Princess Y/N was there to—“ Johnny stops himself, aware of now how even more disconnected Jaehyun looked. He shouldn’t have mentioned you at all.

It was still a sensitive subject.

“Well, I suppose Prince Taeyong, Ten, and Jaemin always do manage to surprise us with… decorative arrangements. Maybe nothing much has changed.” Johnny says instead, trying to save himself the embarrassment of forgetting the one thing that he knew bothered Jaehyun.

“Yes maybe some things do not change.” Jaehyun nods, pretending he wasn’t affected by just the mention of your name. Like you hadn’t been the one occupying each thought he had for the better part of a year now.

After you told him to end things in Hermes the previous year, you suddenly left without telling a soul. The entire delegation from Gaia just deciding to leave the excursion, leaving everyone in different curious whispers. A message flew in for Prince Mark in his domain that there were urgent matters in Gaia that needed you to be summoned back, and there were no more questions after that.

He tried writing to you at first, but he knew you never kept your windows open - never waiting at noon to let the sunlight in. His letters piling up unsent in the corner of his study, where he altogether just stopped sending any.

You hadn’t been present in any more social events, no one left with a clue about your absence. Except an overheard comment from Prince Muhan once, saying you were preoccupied arranging things in Gaia.

Something that bothered Jaehyun - because it meant that Muhan was still close enough to you to know what was going on at least. Slowly, people began to forget that you two ever had an attachment as well.

He had thought of reaching out to your father, but he could not conspire something he knew you would be against; you had told him to stop, you’d even pleaded with him.

In the year that followed, he adjusted quite well into his position. Many heard of the well boosted prosperity of Sol, and though Jaehyun’s emotions were entirely elsewhere— he poured himself into his kingdom. It was a very welcome distraction, realizing he needed to pay attention to other things of importance to keep his heart stalled.

An unwelcome distraction however, came in the form of his political advisors and his own set of knights— bothering him of the same ordeal over the past few months.

“You need a wife.” Was a constant phrase he’d heard. Something Sol did not demand of him when he was still their crown prince was an engagement; marriage was not something of importance at the time. He’d grown to prove himself in wit, in strength, and in the use of his power during those years. Romance was simply an accessory, and his people agreed that he would have no problem finding a partner when the time came. And now was the time that it was required of him, to keep up with appearances - to set a precedent for a matriarchal figure of the kingdom.

If the issue on finding a wife came anywhere sooner than when you first spoke at the ball in Ashtaroth a year ago, he would have had no qualms saying yes to the next random well-bred noble lady.

Except now, all he could think of was you. It was you he pictured next to him, even if the possibility seemed close to none again.

As if he’d never came close to being your king in the first place.

“There you are.” It’s perfect timing when Lady Cho snakes her arm, linking it into Jaehyun’s. The unwelcome distraction.

She was, it seemed, the main contender to become his possible fiancé. She was highborn of a noble family in Ashtaroth, she was easy on the eyes, and they did share a rather interesting history. In fact, he was certain she was one of the names mentioned when you overheard those ladies in Hermes.

Johnny is now aware he’s found himself in a very interestingly uncomfortable situation. It had not been five minutes since your name had been mentioned, and here was Lady Cho giving Jaehyun the most lovesick look. Jaehyun looking uninterested, maybe even intent to get away from Lady Cho.

“Anything worthwhile here, Lady Cho?” Johnny asks, just so the atmosphere would seem less dull.

She actually squeals in delight at the prospect of sharing information, “I did see Prince Muhan arrive, with a lady no doubt!”

Jaehyun could be interested, but he does not make it a point to express it. Not when her grip on his arm was getting tighter with each word she enunciated.

“Whoever could that be?” Johnny asks again.

“I did not get the pleasure of having a good look at her, but she did have regally long dark hair. Maybe it would be worth mentioning that she had a good figure to her as well. I bet she’s beautiful.”

It does not ring any bells, Jaehyun still imagines you the way he last remembers you. Medium length hair only a little past your shoulders— and your body although perfect in his eyes, still a developing shell shedding slowly of youth.

“Good for him.” Jaehyun comments, perhaps hoping Muhan had found himself a match. He could say, Muhan was rather busy this year - many campaigns throughout Celeste. Not an area experiencing drought. Jaehyun recalls Muhan traveling into Sol to deliver supplies of water for the people of the kingdom.

It was by all means very good, but he still held his reservations for the Prince of Okeanos. There was a sour spot planted in him, especially when he remembered how Muhan was linked to you. Maybe Jaehyun was bitter that you had severed ties with everyone, except for Muhan.

Laughter gets thrown into the air, Jaehyun does not realize how crowded the hall had become. There was a sudden surge of people, where he swore that there was enough room to breathe only moments ago.

He sees the long dark hair first, waves past hips - the unmistakeable curves of a woman. It’s only fitting then, that the twinge of attraction he feels gets validated when he finally sees the woman draped into Muhan’s arms.

It’s you, smiling effortlessly at a joke someone had probably said.

The hollow in Jaehyun’s chest begins to feel so sensitive, when he tries his best to be here in this moment. It feels that all the hall’s only a background, and all he can focus on is finally seeing you.

Have you been eating well? Although he can see you look like you’re blossoming into a woman now, he notices the frailness of your wrists when you make motions with your hands - and the indents of your collarbones more prominent than he remembers. You look tired, although there might be little indication for him to go by, he just knows that you do not seem so yourself.

Are you happier? There's a smile on your face but a tiredness at the wrinkles curling up in your eyes.

Did the silence give you enough peace? Was the smile on your face so genuine, did it feel like you could finally breathe now that you made the choice to end it? He wants to know if the year has been kind to you in any way at all, because it had not been that way for him.

“Oh, it is the Princess.” Lady Cho notices Jaehyun’s gaze so focused on you.

Johnny scrambles to finish his drink, calling Mark over for another full glass.

In the year that passed, you were busy.

Scrambling back into Gaia to tell your father of what had happened in the forest, you mapped out all the plagued areas in your kingdom. Your blood put into a small vial, and you had gone in secret to test whether they could be revived with a drop.

And they did.

Suddenly death was wiped off, temporarily keeping things at bay.

Though it left you with three problems.

First, you knew the illness was spreading in other kingdoms. It would mean you had to employ the help of others to keep this secret. It only took a message to Prince Sicheng of the Kingdom Aether, asking him to scope the skies for anything that was reminiscent of the scenes you described. It was to your advantage that Sicheng had been a rather quiet man, discerning in his own political choices and well understanding of the matter at hand. After you had identified those areas, you needed to speak to Prince Muhan.

But the closeness of your families warranted an explanation, one he took quite well. One secret he promised to keep to the grave, even if it seemed your engagement no longer held true.

He agreed to be the one to hold campaigns around Celeste, mixing only a drop of your blood into the water he would cast upon the places Sicheng had mentioned.

Second, the matter of your blood.

Blood magic was something no one had quite been familiar with, the only clues you had were the scribes of the Kingdom Luna - some passages in books of your old library had mentioned something of the Moon Kingdom. You had to start there.

In the meantime you had to bleed, and it drained a lot of life out of you. If there was anything about it, you experienced just how much it took a toll on your physical state - more so on your magic. The more blood you gave, the less you had the capacity to do much. You could not even make the flowers bloom around your gardens. Recovering after long periods of bleeding meant that you had to stay away from leaving Gaia, there was barely a chance for you to see more than the borders of your kingdom.

It frustrated you, but you had to keep it secret. Now only a select few Gaia, Okeanos, Aether, and Luna knew.

Third, your heart.

Though there were moments that you had to take your responsibility as Princess, and now a not so certain herald of blood magic - you found yourself thinking about Jaehyun often. Even if you were so ridden with guilt about how you spoke to him last, you knew in your heart that it was the best way to keep him out of the burden of knowing.

At the rate of how things were unfolding, it seemed the threat of your death was not as terrible as it initially was, and it ached to know that you could not spend these days without even a word from Jaehyun. You had meant to write, but you knew you hurt him, and you did not want to be more selfish than you already had been.

“You have to leave this castle.” Your father mentions once, your moping had come to be quite stressful for him. The bird on his shoulder looked a bit more aged now, its feathers thicker and richer in vibrant color.

It was not nice being bothered by the presence of a bird, but it reminded you so much of Jaehyun.

“And accomplish what exactly?” You ask.

“Well, you could do me the favor of giving me peace.” He says, “and perhaps it’s time to find a partner.” He suggests; he’s been the most enthusiastic that you made it through the winter.

“The last thing we need—“

“You are the most unenthusiastic about your own life. Have a little faith that we can find a solution, perhaps life is more bountiful for you.” He ushers you out the door of his study, ordering Hendery to gather all your maids to prepare you for the upcoming ball in Ashtaroth.

“I heard a rumor.” Prince Muhan whispers to you, you sent a letter asking him to accompany you to the ball in Ashtaroth, knowing his presence typically hindered much attention. He kept to himself a lot, only really mingling with his own traveling audience from Okeanos.

You were currently in a carriage together on the way to Ashtaroth, so conversation was good enough to distract you from the travel. “And what did that entail?” You wonder.

“Well, they were rumors. Plural.” He settled on agreeing with himself. “The first about, your blood magic.”

“As if there wasn’t enough bad news already.”

“Some scribes in my own kingdom came to find a piece of history in writing, and it wasn’t particularly mum. A little gruesome actually.” Muhan states. “The last royal who dabbled in the art, well, all kingdoms agreed to have her head on a stick - there was half a treaty left good enough to read.”

It doesn’t surprise you, instead you ask, “and where might the other half be?”

“You have to hear the rest first. The document was signed mainly by one olden king from a certain kingdom.”

“Well, the effort must have come somewhere.” You affirm.

“Yes, something about blood magic not bidding well with their people or something of such effect.”

“So are you going to tell me?”

“The document was scorched.”

And that was all you needed to hear.

What did Sol have against this magic?

“Oh.” You say, processing. “You said rumors, plural.”

“Yes, rumors, plural.” He sing songs, “since we’re at the topic of kings from Sol, the other is about your beloved.”

Muhan had surprisingly been accepting about severing your engagement, even more so receptive about your entanglement with Jaehyun during the previous year’s social season. He said that the kiss was all he needed to see to know that you were finally sticking true to your own heart, which he knew he could have never won over anyway.

But he remained now a good friend, and an even better ally.

“What about him?” It pains you to ask, but your curiosity overpowers it.

“Apparently, he’s been in search for a wife - and his current candidate… You’ll have to see for yourself.”

You make your way into the ball, trying to slip in unnoticed - choosing a rather late time to arrive as you only expect there to be alcohol and endless conversation. But you underestimate the crowd that gathers when you do start to socialize, something you did not typically do before. It’s strange being cautious, anticipating Jaehyun’s presence - and yet being unsure if he was here.

Half of you wanted him to be too busy ruling a kingdom to show up, and half of you wanted to catch even the smallest glimpse of him if you could.

“You look different.” Prince Ten comments, ever so observant, and it makes you a bit self-conscious because you’re aware of how different you do appear.

“I can only hope you mean well when you say that.” You respond.

“Even if you arrived in nothing but rags, I’m sure you’d still be the most beautiful here.” He says and you laugh.

In the middle of your laughter, your eyes seem to quickly drift off to where you feel like you’re being watched. It is then that you lock eyes with Jaehyun, seeing Lady Cho link her arm around his own. She’s telling him something, and you only notice Prince Johnny looking like he wants to detach himself from whatever the conversation was.

But Jaehyun only looks at you. A stare so passive that you cannot place it as anger or sadness, you hope it’s either - you just want him to still care.

Because you still care.

Even if you were sure that Lady Cho was the candidate Muhan mentioned, irking you to know that it is the same high born that was mentioned to have slept with him before. Maybe there was comfort in a familiar body, and you hoped Jaehyun chose right. She was beautiful, and you could not contest.

She would make a great queen.

All you can do now is look away the entire evening, pretending you don’t feel his gaze linger on you.

three years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Tyr:

It so goes that the social season follows a regular pattern, a grand ball in Ashtaroth, a joust and a feast in Tyr, the excursions up to Hermes, and whichever kingdom is open to hosting anything for the flock that would not refuse at the chance of being amongst other people.

Another joust was set to happen, you were now sat at a designated box, all decorated in the deep greens of your kingdom.

This year, you refused Johnny’s request at the kiss of luck. He had come to you in hopes that you would be willing to place the gift again, but you very politely declined - mentioning a handful of single noble women who would be happy to oblige.

You were nothing more than a spectator this time, watching a sport you did not very much enjoy.

A lineup of all the princes and knight participating parades across the field before the joust officially starts, and you cannot help but try to count. Everybody you knew would participate would be there and young noblemen who’d never had the chance to joust before, but there were no forerunners from Sol.

Your eyes are fixed to see the boxes across from yours, a space of field in the middle, you hadn’t noticed it empty - but you could now notice it being filled up with people in flags of a golden sun.

“The King of Sol decided not to be part of the joust, if you were wondering.” Hendery discretely speaks next to you as you do notice Jaehyun settle down at the same level of seats as you. It was awkward having to face him directly, but you were left the comfort of distance. Lady Cho still by his side but she seemed uninterested at the joust, more so trying to get his attention.

The joust goes by quickly, the breaking of splinters and noblemen falling of horses a cackle of sound you never grew so used to. It’s Jaehyun’s hard gaze that you have to avoid, and it felt like you were unwillingly gluing your eyes on the field to avoid having to look up at his face. It already hurt you to know he was a proximity away, so close enough to see but still far away.

“Champions,” the King of Tyr announces in perfect fashion when the last two contenders are narrowed down, “it is time for the kiss of victory. The Lady Kim will give her blessing to her champion of choice, between the Knight Hyunjin from Ashtaroth and Prince Jeno of Tyr.”

There was an obvious choice for Lady Kim; everyone knew that between the two contenders, she had already been promised to the Knight Hyunjin.

It’s almost riveting, when she steps down, and you notice that she does not even look at the knight’s way. Instead she goes straight for Prince Jeno, who seems so flustered. Everybody in the stands all curios and mildly appalled that she did not choose the man she was supposed to.

She whispers something to him, and he guides a hand to her shoulders - and you know well enough to read his lips. He’s telling her not to worry. It is made obvious that there was something going on between the two.

Then she places a kiss on his cheeks, and you feel yourself all flushed with a familiar feeling.

That had been you and Jaehyun not long ago, in the same predicament.

You can only look up from the field to see Jaehyun looking at you still, despite the lady at his side. It’s the first time you can clearly tell what he feels in the way he looks at you. It is a feeling of sadness.

You and him both know you are witnessing reflections of yourselves.

It is an uncomfortable thing to be stuck in the middle of rowdy feasts. Every joust in Tyr entailed a long session of bards singing their tales, banging on hard wood tables cut from large trees, and ale and wine being spilt more than it was drunk. You never really lasted more than twenty minutes of formalities during this part of the function, zooming out to leave early. In last year’s case you made your way to the garden.

You were lucky that Johnny’s wife was next to you, she was just as well-adjusted to these festivities in Tyr as you— which was barely adjusted at all. There was a silent agreement between the two of you, to simply be receptive around the long table of royals overlooking all that was happening. It seemed you found a friend in her gentle character, recalling the story about the gardens in the kingdom that Johnny had made for her. They were a beautiful contrast. You were happy that you had company.

Still, you cannot help but notice Jaehyun in your periphery. Feeling helpless that Muhan and Sicheng were sat way at the far end of the table, and Hendery was in one of the knight’s tables away from guarding you.

It’s a surprise when your father arrives late into the function, he was never so fond of going to these types of events and left you in his stead on behalf of Gaia. Once upon a time, your father and Johnny’s had been quite close. Gaia and Tyr were somewhat allies in times of disagreement among kingdoms, and they had lead their troops into battle together. So your father being accommodated a seat next to the King of Tyr was expected.

What wasn’t expected however, was your father calling the entire dinner hall’s attention for a toast.

“I hope I do not come to this feast unwelcome,” He starts off, met with the silence of willing ears, “nor do I want to come off as rude to bid the attention to something completely irrelevant to something such like a joust.”

You want to be swallowed by the velvet of the seat you were restrained to, feeling secondhand embarrassment if it were such a thing.

“I must take advantage of the attendance of all important representatives of each kingdom in this very hall, and the kindness of my old friend who permitted me to make such an announcement.” Your father continues, and you hope that he just gets to the point.

He clears his throat, taking a good eye around the room where every soul had been earnestly listening. Even all the royals and high borns wondering whatever it could be he wanted to say.

“This is the season that I announce, on behalf of the kingdom Gaia, that our Crown Princess finds a husband. Or rather, a time where we welcome suitors for the princess.”

A pin could drop, and perhaps everyone would hear it. The air feels sucked out of the room, and you cannot believe your own ears. You should have seen this coming, after all the faux optimism your father had been disillusioned with.

Johnny’s wife lays her hand on your lap very gently, finding your hand to squeeze. It is a gesture of comfort, one you need at the moment. You close your eyes for a few seconds, before finding composure in your own body.

“A toast, to the Princess Gaia. A toast to finding love that is true.” The King of Tyr raises his chalice, and everybody erupts in a cheer.

Everyone except you, Johnny’s wife, and Jaehyun.

a few weeks hence, three years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Hermes:

This was the last place you wanted to be, but you were here nonetheless, surrounded by trees again in the middle of the mountainous forests.

After your father’s announcement, you could no longer count even with three sets of hands the amount of suitors that came to visit your kingdom. An absolutely horrific experience to entertain all guests for a sit down in your drawing room, you’d grown weary of pretending to be present during small talk.

Every nobleman and royal came with particular reasons for you to consider their engagement, and each reason proved to be selfish or absurd. Or perhaps you had your reservations because you could not find it in yourself to be interested in any of them.

To your dismay, this also meant that your quest to figure out your cursed blood magic was halted— making conversation with Sicheng and Muhan all the more difficult. On a few occasions Muhan had to pretend he was a suitor, cutting in line of whoever was interested to hold you hostage in another elaborate attempt to woo you.

There was some commotion about this, suddenly it became a fast spreading rumor that Muhan was trying to mend back an old engagement. Denying this would have meant you had to admit to your secret, which was much more dangerous. So you find yourself once again associated with the Prince of Okeanos, but maybe now to your advantage.

Even so, it makes you wonder if Jaehyun ever considered expressing any interest in the matter of you. No men from Sol ever entered Gaia, none ever expressing a desire to wed the only princess in Celeste. You wonder if he had heard the rumors at least, of you and Muhan - how that would seem in his judgement.

But it was so rich of you to assume that he would still care after you pushed him away. Maybe you would see him here in this retreat in the forest, and you condition yourself to be satisfied if you could only see the outline of shadow. That would be enough.

Your lodgings in Hermes are not as peaceful as you remember. Though everything was kept the same way it was before, it’s hard to ignore that you were now always bothered by suitors.

“May we please… promenade?” Prince Muhan struggles as he spent a good few minutes pushing through the men crowded outside your door, appearing before you in the small common area of the cabin designated to you.

“Is it important?” You wonder if he had any new news.

“No, but I suppose you want to not feel like a prisoner here. It’s stuffy always being inside and well, I think I do just the trick to keep all these admirers of yours away.”

“Yes, dear friend, you have that effect.” You say, dusting yourself off to find a good overcoat to wear.

“Did my father put you up to this?” You ask him once you’ve gone out to walk, your gloved hands carefully gripping his forearm. A great discovery to ward off any attempts to get near you.

“Put me up to what?”

“Babysitting me as if you were my wet nurse.”

“Well, your father did cause all this unwarranted attention now that you’re so available in the marriage market.” He rolls his eyes, he was also obviously annoyed having to always get past men to have to speak to you.

“Why are you looking out for me so much then?”

“Because we are good friends now, are we not? I made a vow to protect you with all of this… curse. And I know the social season is hard on you especially after the previous one.” He tries to explain, and you know where he’s leading at. Especially now that you notice you’ve been promenading in circles - repeatedly passing by a tent occupied by Prince Johnny, Prince Mark, and Jaehyun.

“What made you believe that?”

“I don’t believe it, I know it to be true princess.” Muhan sighs, “I’m trying to weaponize myself and my knowledge on a man’s ego to prove you are being stupid about this.”

Stupid. He’s never been so forward with you before, maybe that was the beauty in no longer being set-up to marry him was that he could be honest and have a sense of humor. Maybe he was a good friend now indeed.

“Stupid about what?”

“You’ll see what another stupid man sedated with misconstrued jealousy can conjure in his mind. Maybe I can spread a few rumors that I am intent on rekindling our old engagement, only for the sole purpose of entertainment of course.” He comments, walking off now to finally finish the loop you’ve been going around in.

You see this excursion to Hermes up to its very end, with only a few stolen glances of Jaehyun. Your eyes meeting once in a while on accident, and your heart hurting every time they do.

a month hence, three years before the Age of Sol, in the Kingdom Gaia:

Among the many things your father had done out of sheer absurdity, this one takes the biggest slice of cake.

Gaia was to host a ball for the social season, this being quite rare in itself. All because your father was interested in making such a big deal of your formal welcoming into society— something about the formality of welcoming marriage.

While the rest of your kingdom was scrambling to do their tasks to accommodate the behemoth-amount of guests that Gaia was not used to, all you really had to do was stay put and put on your best gown. Your face already worn out from practicing a forced smile.

What this ball was for, you didn’t quite understand, but you were meant to be a spectacle than a host.

You sit next to the throne your father was designated, a makeshift hall made in your vast gardens - everything crafted with the trees and ornamental flowers. It was almost like a building of its barebones, as though a greenhouse without glass in the middle of the nature your kingdom boasted - though the greens were guided to create a roof-like structure.

If Gaia were to host balls, they hosted very few but very grand ones. Taking advantage of the magic of life— influencing the movement of wildlife and greenery.

The effect of awe is evident with every guest that arrives, and in your thoughts you can quietly count off each kingdom that does come into your gardens. You’d heard from Hendery that your father took the liberty of inviting every kingdom, and that meant invitations had been sent to Sol.

And you found yourself waiting on the young king, even if you had no right to.

With each noblemen who had the intention of declaring their interest in your hand, they presented elaborate gifts or even their own talents in poetry, perhaps in wielding a sword, or even a song or two. Prince Muhan even asked for your hand in friendship, earning a comical smile from you - leaving everybody else confused at your inside joke. It all conspired throughout the course of the morning up until the courses of lunch were served and eaten.

You were bored out of your mind, the smile on your face betraying your true feelings. Even your father seemed to be less and less enthusiastic about the entire ordeal.

It was his fault, really.

The long line of suitors seemed to have been done saying their piece, everybody retreating to a table to find their own company. The ending should have been a relief, but you can’t help but feel disappointed at the few empty seats where Prince Johnny sat— knowing very well that it would be Jaehyun occupying at least one of them.

The simultaneous chatter serves as background noise as you try to imagine his presence, and it’s the bright rays of the sun rising at high noon that break your thoughts.

It all happens quickly, motions of people arriving. The swarm of familiar whites and golds, it seemed delegates from Sol came out of nowhere.

Jaehyun walks in, behind a few of his knights, and he holds a rather determined look to his face.

“The King of Sol.” One of the heralds of Gaia announce, as they make their way to the very front of the hall to your table. The stones of the garden floor rustling in the organized manner that Jaehyun arrives in.

“To what do we owe the presence of a king?” Your father’s voice bellows across, as if Jaehyun was a stranger to him. Like the little phoenix wasn’t perched up along the vines near behind your father, Jaehyun’s gift still kept so dear.

“I intend to express something I regret not being able to much sooner, to everybody in Celeste at least,” Jaehyun looks around, and it’s the first time you hear his voice after one year - an unmistakable confidence there, “I know plenty men here have done their due diligence to express their interest in the princess, and it is quite rude of me to express myself much later than all the others.”

Your father leaves room for Jaehyun to continue, but the King of Sol cannot look at you.

“It is in all my desire to marry the Princess Gaia.” He says, and all princes and noblemen alike look floored. “My intentions and my feelings have not changed from the year before, and it is in my shortcomings that I did not stay true to my words and my own heart. I find that I cannot stay away from her much longer.”

You can only stare onto the ground in which he steps, hoping his feet will spare you from having to look at his face.

“I hope you understand as the king of your own domain that I took the time to think over my choice to come to you now— as you know I am in search of my own wife, and now the princess seeks a husband. No union will ever be as strong as such.” Jaehyun speaks directly to your father.

Then, in an act so demeaning, Jaehyun kneels in front of your father - in front now of all of Celeste to see. “Even if I shall beg for this honor.” You suddenly recall your conversation in Hermes - how he did say that he would do this for you, and now he really was.

The bird squawks, breaking the silence that follows, and your father clasps his hands together and stands up from his seat.

“Very well then, King of Sol. If you insist on proving yourself, I shall give you one year. But I shall now announce to all people of the land that this engagement is final, and will forevermore be.”

All eyes then turn to you, now stunned.

end of part two.

< previous chapter , next chapter >

#jaehyun x reader #jaehyun imagine #jung yoonoh #jaehyun angst #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun smut #jaehyun scenario #nct angst #nct fluff #nct smut #nct 127 imagines #nct scenarios #nct 127 smut #jaehyun imagines #jung jaehyun #jung jaehyun x reader #nct imagines

106 notes · View notes