Love In A Sinking Realm ⊰BTS⊱ Steampunk

CHAPTER 23 ➣ Feast of Winter's End

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Music does not belong to me, please credit the sources themselves.

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Water streamed down the pipes, whistling behind the wooden walls. Drops leaked from the moist wooden roof of the corner of Y/N's room where she stood. Using a towel she dried her wet hair and body, recently washed in the hotel's bathtub. She dressed quickly, already with lighter clothes than a few weeks ago, dropped the towel on her bed, and exited her room.

She crossed by the common bathroom door where she could hear Taehyung in turn scrubbing his hair while singing a soft, lovely tune with his mellifluous voice. He was noticeably delighted to have a warm bath after a long week of arduous lab work.

The girl pressed her ear on the door smiling to herself. She then headed to his room, opened the curtains, unlocked the windowed door, and stepped on the balcony.

She leaned on the wooden rails and gazed at scenery.

The sky was clear, with the first glint of stars embellishing the gradient orange-blue tint left behind by the setting sun. The weather was favorable and the smell of the blooming night-flowers filled the air with the aroma of early spring. For once in many months Y/N wasn't forced to curl her nose by the stench of swamp water, mud, moldy wood, and moss.

Down at the square, or so they called a larger area of the village elevated from the swamp with wooden platforms, the villagers had gathered around in a circle, with tables set temporarily, chairs, bottles and glasses, fairy lights hanging from building to building, and a bonfire in the middle where they roasted fish and meat. They all played ballads and sang together like a choir, exchanging spirited conversations and guffawing at each other's jokes.

'Feast of winter's end' they called it, which they celebrated each year. Y/N and Taehyung, however, despite being invited, were compelled to decline. It was too risky for them to be in any proximity with the villagers, who may have been infected by the plague even devoid of any symptoms. So, they promised that they would participate from a distance, raising a glass from Taehyung's balcony.

The villagers spotted her from the square and greeted her. Even old man Dr. Woo nodded tentatively. She smiled and waved back. Meanwhile, Taehyung opened the door and entered his room. Y/N turned to look at him wiping his hair with a towel and rummaging inside a drawer for a freshly washed shirt.

It took several attempts for the girl to snap herself out of staring at his naked top half for more than she preferred to admit.

Taehyung did not seem to mind, however, because when he caught her she quickly twirled her head away, which made him smile.

"Something that interests you here, my lady?" He said teasingly while loosely wearing a clean shirt, and leaving it purposefully unbuttoned.

He walked next to her and poked her flanks with his fingers making her giggle.

"Stop it!" She said flustered, retrieving away from him and covering her face with her palms, struggling to control her orbs from falling on his bare chest.

"What are we looking at, eh? Eh? Is something interesting happening here that you wanna see? Eh?"

He kept tickling her and eventually trapping her against the railings of the balcony. She chuckled.

"Taeh!" She tried pushing him and her hands 'accidentally' pressed on his chest.

"Ah, ah, ah! We've got a little pervert here!" He teased.

"I'm not a pervert!"

Y/N started laughing. She immediately retrieved her hands but the boy pulled them back on his chest.