The Stormbringer (Starlight #1) - Kim Taehyung/ BTS Fanfic (#SerendipityAwards)

Interlude: Hold Me Tight

Note: This chapter does not include a first-person narrative.
Enjoy!

Armed with a basket of cinnamon rolls and carefully wrapped mugs of caramel coffee, Kim Taehyung’s strides were swift as his feet led him to his destination: the Field of Poppies.

He had, after countless prods and requests, managed to get Neva to agree to meet him there for a small picnic before she departed for Ellura. Even though the prince had aided in that decision, he couldn’t stop fretting about the potential danger this journey might pose.

Neva.

It felt good to address her by her true name, and Neva had decided to stick to the shortened version instead of assuming the actual one. Taehyung smiled to himself as he recollected how quickly things had escalated.

But he was also swarmed with worry as he pondered over their future course of action. How would he even begin to convince his parents? And that matter was nothing compared to his agitation regarding Priestess Ilia.

The late afternoon was reminiscent of the winter chill blended with comforting warmth, and it helped ease some of his nerves. Taehyung had almost reached the towering gates leading to the courtyard, when Dae Hyun appeared out of nowhere, startling him.

“For God’s sake Dae Hyun! What are you doing leaping out of shadows?” he scolded his brother who merely flashed a sneaky grin as he straightened his ruffled hair.

“Hoping to catch you by surprise. Which I did.” he replied smoothly as Taehyung’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Well, you certainly succeeded in accomplishing that. Mind telling me why?”

Dae Hyun’s eyes glazed with something like brief uncertainty and Taehyung frowned. Nothing ever rendered his cocky brother unconfident. What was the matter with him?

“Will you marry Geong Min?”

The question was as sudden as it was unexpected. Taehyung’s eyes traced his brother for any signs of mischief but came up empty. Dae Hyun remained staid.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he answered carefully, not sure if he should trust his brother. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to send Dae Hyun to extract the truth out of him.

Dae Hyun’s eyes darkened. “Do you want to?”

Something in his demeanor slightly shifted and Taehyung realized that his brother was nervous. But why?

“Why are you asking me this out of the blue?” He narrowed his eyes as he studied the slight twitch of Dae Hyun’s fingers, the way he was wriggling his feet, the restlessness in his eyes.

“Just answer the question Hyung. Do you want to?”

Taehyung decided to come clean. They were going to find out sooner or later. And he wanted to know what had gotten his brother in such a state. “No, I don’t.”

He watched with an amused expression as Dae Hyun’s shoulders sagged with relief, his eyes brighter than they had been before. “I’m glad.”

“Why?”

“Because I like her.”

Taehyung wasn’t shocked, but he was surprised that Dae Hyun had waited this long to confess how he really felt about the Miystican Princess. They would make a good pair, he thought, Geong Min’s wits would be the perfect companion to his brother’s shrewdness.

But Taehyung didn’t want to lose the opportunity this moment presented. It wasn’t every day that he got to tease his brash brother. “You do realize that we’re royals and our choices are never taken into account when it comes to alliances and treaties. Geong Min will argue that she has a duty to her country, especially now since her brother won’t be producing any heirs,” He raised his eyebrows. “Do you have any counterattack to that?”