halcyon || seungjin

08: Moonflower

Seungmin doesn't learn her name, but he knows she's Hyunjin's fiance. She wears a gold tiara and matching gold jewellery that complement her pale complexion and dark, long, hair. He sees her around the palace- in the dinner hall, the library, the garden. Everywhere. She sits at the dinner table with the princes looking as uninspired with her circumstances as Hyunjin does, barely speaking and poking at her food, while the King and Queen gawk over her and talk about the wedding.

The wedding.

That's how long Hyunjin's parents are remaining at the palace before they leave again for another one of their royal business trips. It's a few weeks away, but preparations are already being made, and of course, Seungmin is recruited to do most of the decorations.

"I mean, she's really nice," Felix says to Seungmin the night after she arrives. "I spoke to her and she seemed like a sweet girl. But they obviously both don't want to get married."

"Mhm," Seungmin says, staring down at the kitchen counter.

It's late, and Seungmin is helping Felix clean up his supplies for the night. Or rather, he was. Now he's just fiddling with a whisk as Felix washes a few pans. Jisung is posted at the kitchen door, and it's the first time Seungmin has seen him in a week.

"Poor Seungminnie," Jisung says, somehow smiling as he watches Seungmin silently wallow in his own despair from where he's leaning on the doorframe. "He wishes that was him."

Seungmin points the whisk in Jisung's direction as if to warn him, and Felix stifles a laugh. "I do not."

"Seungmin, you haven't been this depressed since the snail you caught and made a house for out of sticks escaped back when we were ten-"

"First of all, don't compare Hyunjin to Mr. Slimy. That was its own tragedy." Seungmin says angrily. "I'm just concerned for Hyunjin."

"Haven't you been, like, climbing up the walls of the palace like a lizard just to get to his room every night? You're doing more than the rest of us. I'm sure your company is very appreciated on his part." Felix laughs.

"I have, and he keeps telling me it's fine, it's his duty, princes have to marry princesses and what can he even do about it, so on and so forth with tears running down his face." Seungmin frowns. "He's obviously not fine."

"Are you going to do something about it?" Jisung asks.

"What can I do?" Seungmin huffs.

"I don't know, wage a war between our kingdom and hers so that the marriage is called off?" Jisung suggests, and he sounds like he really does believe Seungmin can do it.

Seungmin wants to believe it too, for his sake but also Hyunjin's sake, because he doesn't know what else he can do.

...✦

Yeji is nice, Hyunjin thinks, but he can't marry her. She doesn't want to marry him either, he's glad, but that doesn't mean there's any way they can get out of it. At this point, their best course of action is to go through with the marriage while secretly- and separately- living out their desired love lives under the wraps of the palace walls.

"The ceremony will be lovely," the Queen is saying one night at the dinner table, and Hyunjin has to purse his lips so he doesn't snap anything that could get him locked up in his room until the day of the wedding. That's how dinners are for a while- his parents dote on how extravagant and lovely the wedding will be, Hyunjin and Jeongin sit quietly across the table from Yeji, and none of them speak to each other.

Hyunjin only finds the motivation to get through dinner with the promise of Seungmin's visits every night, wherein Hyunjin tries to convince himself that everything will be fine in the comfort of Seungmin's arms.

"Sungie suggested we wage a war against her people," Seungmin laughs when he's in Hyunjin's room that night, strewn over a sofa.

"If only," Hyunjin sighs. "We considered trying to create political upset, but I can't endanger a whole kingdom for the sake of my love life."

"Maybe you just need to wage, like," Seungmin chews on one of his cheeks as he thinks, "the tiniest little dispute."

"Anything solvable will be solved. This is my destiny, I guess."

"Pretty messed up if you ask me."

"Yeah. It sucks even more because Yeji tells me she has her own lover back home. Someone who claims to live in another kingdom and sends her love letters signed with a single, mysterious R. Isn't that romantic?"

"Totally." Seungmin sounds unamused.

Hyunjin playfully rolls his eyes. "You just don't get it."

"She basically has a stalker. Take it from me," Seungmin smirks to himself, "those aren't fun."

"Oh, be quiet." Hyunjin laughs.

They settle into silence and Hyunjin can't tell if Seungmin has drifted to sleep, or if he just doesn't have anything to say.

"Can we go to the balcony?" Hyunjin asks, and Seungmin- who is in fact, awake- obliges.

They stand side by and look out over the garden. It's still looking lush as ever, and Hyunjin has noticed new flower beds of his favourite little white flowers popping up here and there every few nights starting when he and Seungmin began to hang out.

"You know, Hyunjinnie," Seungmin says quietly, voice cutting through the night breeze. Hyunjin stares at the gardener, taking in his side profile that's lined by moonlight. "I think I know why you like moonflowers the most."

"Why is that?"

"You're a moonflower."

Hyunjin laughs. "How am I a moonflower?"

"Always up at night, and you open up even when others don't- in the sense that you're not like anyone else I know." Hyunjin sees a twinkle in Seungmin's eyes as he stares down at the garden below. "A little bit mysterious. A little bit romantic." Seungmin adds, laughing at that last part, but Hyunjin can't deny there's some truth to it.

"If I'm a moonflower," he counters, "then you're a morning glory."

"Yeah?"

"You're resilient- you work so hard to maintain this whole garden all by yourself. You're versatile. You uprooted your whole life to move into the palace but I've always felt like you've made yourself fit right in." And you're pretty like one, Hyunjin can't stop himself from thinking, but he doesn't say it out loud.

"Thanks," Seungmin smiles.

Quiet again.

They stare at the garden, Hyunjin's eyes tracing the rows and arches and circles of flowers, meticulously arranged and changing by the day since Seungmin's been working out of the palace.

"Do you mind if I go now?" Seungmin asks after some time.

Hyunjin shakes his head. "Not at all. I'll be okay." No I won't. Please stay. He doesn't say it because he doesn't want to ask too much of Seungmin. He knows that Seungmin will, in fact, stay and choose to neglect his personal need for sleep in order to keep Hyunjin company.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, then."

Hyunjin helps Seungmin over the balcony, hands on his waist while Seungmin clutches Hyunjin's shoulders so he makes sure Seungmin won't slip. Their faces are inches away from each other's, eyes level, and Hyunjin can feel Seungmin's warm breath lightly brushing his neck. Hyunjin doesn't mean to stare, and he doesn't realise he is, until Seungmin starts to descend down the wall, and eventually, disappears through the courtyard door.

...✦

A/N- another double update for my lovelies ;) hope you all are doing well!!