Taehyung felt as if he were a part of the royal family himself. Minus the servants.
The dorms felt big on their own, and he could not imagine the true size of the palace if this was only just a section of it. Ever since the parade, he has only ever communicated with the outside world through letters. He could always tell who was writing to him because of the colour of the stamp: Jimin's was yellow, Namjoon's was blue and Jungkook's was red. The captain of the Hwarang only allowed letters because of the belief that such beautiful creatures such as themselves should be protected and be kept away like a poor bird in a cage.
Taehyung wasn't the only one who wanted to spread his wings. Seokjin now felt more trapped than ever, as if his wings were pinned under heavy boulders. He walked past Taehyung with three letters in hand, tears almost welling in his eyes at the sight of his lifeless eyes. He entered his room- a shared bedroom, but his roommate was elsewhere. Making sure he was alone, he opened the letter with the yellow stamp.
" Dear Seokjinnie-Hyung,
You looked beautiful at the parade! It's such a shame we can't see each other often. I really hate telling you this but Jungkook begged me to stay over at your place so I decided to take care of him. He told me he couldn't sleep at night without his hyungs, so I make sure he's all tucked in every night.
I'm so sorry about Taehyung. I know he isn't mad at you because you joined. He's just very worried because Hwarang are first liners on the battlefield. You should try to talk to him soon. I'm sure he'll understand why you're there because I do.
I hope to hear from you soon,
Park Jimin."
Seokjin's grip tightened on the paper. He set Jimin's letter down to one side and picked up the envelope with the dark blue stamp.
"Seokjin-Hyung,
I really miss you here and your cooking. I usually look forward to telling you my stories at work, and what things I've discovered at the library, but I'm now greeted with a dark kitchen.
Jimin has been doing the cooking since, and his cooking almost reminds me of yours. I'm worried for Jungkook, because he doesn't even find peace in his sleep now he knows his Hyung and his best friend are away from home. Don't worry, I've also been trying to distract him as well. I've been making him some tea every night so he sleeps easier.
I'll send you some tea someday Hyung. I'll make sure you sleep well too.
- Kim Namjoon."
Namjoon's letter made the corners of Seokjin's mouth curl into a smile. His reassurance warmed his heart.
The last was probably Jungkook's letter. It had a dark purple stamp on the envelope.
"Hyung,
I miss you and Taehyung-Hyung more and more every day. I'm very proud of you but I also can't wait for you to come back home. Jimin-Hyung has been taking care of me and he smells like mochi for some reason. He makes me crave your cooking so much because it is almost like yours.
I hope you and Taehyung-Hyung make up soon. I miss us all being one big happy family. You looked amazing in the parade- I barely looked at the Emperor himself.
I hope you are happy,
- Jungkookie :)"
Jungkook was mature, but his playful tone made Seokjin giggle. The letters sent to him motivated him to go out there and finally build up the courage to break the silence with Taehyung. After all, it would be the best for all of them since they would be fighting together for the same person.
Hopefully Park Jimin was right. Taehyung would hopefully forgive him and everything will go back to normal, if not it would even bring them closer.
Taehyung was sitting by himself on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. Seokjin nervously approached and sat next to him. He noticed three letters in his hand, all with the same coloured stamps as Seokjin's.
"Did they send you letters too?"
"Yes."
Taehyung's tone was monotonous, and he only stared forwards, not even showing the slightest bit of interest towards his Hyung. Seokjin felt as if he was shot in the heart as he was reminded of previous conversations they had together.
"They miss us. We should go home together when we can."
"You can stay here since you wanted to be here so bad."
Taehyung's words were cold. Seokjin believed he didn't understand, so he quickly grabbed the younger's silk sleeve,
"Please, Taehyung. I want to make things right between us again."
The younger scoffed,
"Why would I want to make things right? They could never handle one of us going. Are you selfish enough to just leave them behind too? How will they cope with the pain if we both never came back?"
"We will both return safely, and I came here for you so you don't have to fight alone. I know being alone is-"
"What are you trying to tell me? That I'm weak by myself? You should look at yourself because all you can do is sit at home and look pretty!"
Taehyung pulled away violently, leaving Seokjin standing there, dazed.
Poor Seokjin felt as if he was stabbed in the chest.
It was like his entire world has stopped turning.
