PERFIDY || Taekook

Illecebrous

Taehyung's pulse pounds against his throat, his chest rising and falling as he tries to suppress the storm within him. Jeongguk's words are like a slow-burning ember, sinking into his skin, igniting something deeper. His body still hums with the aftershock of their fight, muscles taut with lingering adrenaline.

Jeongguk does not move away immediately. His grip remains firm, his body close enough that Taehyung can feel the heat radiating from him. The sharp amusement in the alpha's eyes does not wane, but there is something else beneath it—something assessing and lingering.

The omega clenches his jaw, his breath steadying despite the way his chest aches with suppressed frustration. His fingers twitch against the stone pillar, resisting the urge to push Jeongguk away, to reclaim the space that the alpha so effortlessly invades.

The silence between them stretches, thick and suffocating, broken only by the distant cries of birds circling above the courtyard. Jeongguk tilts his head slightly, watching him with that same unreadable intensity, his lips curling just enough to be maddening. "You're unsurprisingly strong." His voice is low, intimate in its quietness, as though he is speaking to Taehyung alone, as though the world around them ceases to exist.

Taehyung exhales sharply through his nose, his fingers curling into fists. "And you rely too much on brute force." His voice is unwavering, despite the tightness coiling in his chest.
Jeongguk chuckles, a sound that is both amused and approving. "Do I?" The alpha's hum rumbles in his chest, too close to Taehyung's skin that the omega almost feels the vibrations of that hum coursing through him. "I would say I use both strength and brain equally."

Taehyung does not answer. Instead, he pushes forward, pressing against Jeongguk's grip, forcing the alpha to either release him or escalate their confrontation. For a fleeting moment, neither moves, tension crackling like a drawn bowstring.

Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, Jeongguk finally releases him, stepping back just enough to give Taehyung space but not enough to sever the thread of their moment. His gaze flickers downward, taking in the rise and fall of Taehyung's chest, the way his amber eyes burn with barely contained defiance.

Jeongguk hums, tilting his head as if in thought. "You fight well."

The alpha breathes in the spiking scent of Taehyung's frustration, his nostrils flaring at the captivating scent. He has never smelt cinnamon on an omega before. Pure cinnamon. He smells spicy, warm and faintly sweet. The alpha does not know Taehyung well enough to decide whether these characteristics apply to him or not, but he cannot help but note how the undeniable spiciness to his scent suits him well. It suits the omega's feistiness and his undeniable defiance. The side of the alpha's lips quirk up in amusement, enjoying the challenge that is the omega standing before him, straightening as he smoothes out his sleeves, as if to brush away the remnants of Jeongguk's touch.

"And you talk too much," Taehyung retorts, annoyance clear on his face, and anger slowly fading away as does the bright amber color of his eyes. Jeongguk's eyes follow the omega's movements, lingering on the arm he was just holding — noticing how Taehyung is still brushing his arm, trying to get rid of some sort of invisible sensation. It reminds him of the tingling coursing through the skin of his palm causing him to clench and unclench his fist repeatedly.

It almost feels like he could only get rid of that sensation if he would hold onto the omega again — get distracted by the warmth of his skin again.

The retort causes the alpha to let out an amused release of breath, his eyebrows shooting up in obvious surprise. No one would dare speak to the king in such ways, especially not a rogue.

With every wall the omega builds around himself, the alpha cannot help but feel as though he is being pulled closer.
Jeongguk takes a deliberate step forward, the space between them shrinking until the charged air feels almost tangible. His eyes, dark and unyielding, trace every subtle shift in Taehyung's expression, reading the defiance, the vulnerability buried beneath layers of carefully constructed resistance.
"A mystery" Jeongguk murmurs, the single word hanging in the space between them like a challenge and a promise, "You are a mystery I vow to unravel." His tone is intimate, almost conspiratorial, as though the courtyard and its distant cries are mere background to the unfolding revelation.