cowboy like me - yoongi x reader

it could be love

december 1793 

you look at him differently. 

with a fondness that's too warm and lasts too long to just be platonic. you often catch yourself staring at him, taking in every detail of his features, never noticing until now that he has one monolid and one double lid. and even though you never considered yoongi to have an unappealing exterior, it's like you only now realize how beautiful he actually is. 

which also causes you to feel more conscious around him, trying your best to look presentable with the little beauty products you have. (you even resort to crushing the little berries you can still find in the winter to put some color on your lips or cheeks.) you're almost certain he doesn't even notice the little extra effort you put in. and hopefully, he also doesn't notice your rapidly growing feelings for him. 

you listen to the snow crunching beneath your feet as you and yoongi walk through the woods. the land has changed into one white blanket of snow. your cloak nowadays does little to keep out the cold winter winds. sometimes it blows so hard that yoongi and you are stuck in the same place for days, which only adds to his impatience since you were meant to reach Gwangju weeks ago. 

you used to love winter as a kid. you and your father would have snowball fights and share food with the poor people in your town. but now that you're one of those poor people, winter is not fun. it's cold and unforgiving. your toes are purple from the cold, you can't stop shivering and your sleeve is so wet because of your runny nose, it's almost frozen. 

"we're here." 

yoongi's voice brings you back to reality. "hmm?" 

"gwangju, we're here." 

_____________________

it's been a while since both you and yoongi were in a place this crowded. you can tell he's a bit uncomfortable – his jaw is clenched and he keeps his head down. maybe he thinks people will recognize him as the exiled prince, or maybe he doesn't want people to see his scar. either way, you feel pity for him. you think of things to say to make him feel better, like a joke or something, but nothing comes up. so you both keep quiet, finding your way through the crowd.

the smell of food keeps you and yoongi going until you eventually find a small restaurant to eat a warm meal. and even though it's the cheapest place in town, it's still quite expensive for you two. even more, there are no vegetarian options, but it's been so long since yoongi and you had a warm meal, that you'd eat almost anything at this point. you're surprised neither of you have fainted so far since both of you are basically just skin and bones now.

"what can i get you two?" the cook asks as he sees you and yoongi walking in.

"can we have two bowls of yukgaejang," yoongi asks, "and one without beef?"

he adds the last part softly, almost seeming embarrassed.

"without beef?" the cook repeats slowly, making sure he heard correctly.

yoongi just nods at his question. "yes… we are very poor."

the cook's eyes dart between yoongi and you for a few seconds before nodding and turning around to start preparing the soup.

"I thought you hated admitting how poor you are to people?" you remark as you sit down on the thin rug on the ground.

he shrugs nonchalantly. "rather have people think i'm poor than hanging out with a vegetarian."