The Three Bannermen | Vminkook ✓

Eighteen: Falling Deeper

Laurel Prince

Taehyung's hands hurt like a motherfucker. They throbbed mercilessly, but Taehyung didn't want to break down in tears at the breakfast table. 

The table he shared with Jimin and Jungkook. 

When he first entered the main hall in his large hand casts, the Laurel Court watched him worriedly.  Their own prince was damaged somehow--injured! Their open mouths and frantic gasping made it seem as if he'd died. Taehyung assured them with many gestures and words that he was okay, and eventually they stopped looking at him to enjoy their meals. Now, let's get on with--shit.

That's when Taehyung's gaze found Jungkook at the high table, picking at his food like the day previous. His raven hair fell over his eyes, bitten lips hardly tasting the food he forked into his mouth. Damn, I don't want to see him after last night...not yet, not after...he saw me like that.

Jungkook didn't spot him yet, so Taehyung still had time to turn around and-

"Taehyung? Where are you going? Aren't you going to eat?" Jimin finally caught up to Taehyung and realized that the younger prince had stopped. 

"Oh, erm...yeah, I was just-"

"Let's go then, I'll help you eat." Jimin put his arm around Taehyung in a friendly gesture and urged him towards Jungkook's table. The blonde prince was too distracted to feel the comforting touch, too focused on the Oak Prince to recognize Jimin's off-kilter tone.

When Jungkook caught sight of them he was excited at first, eyebrows drawn in anticipation. Then he saw Taehyung's huge white plastered up hands and deeply frowned. Jungkook made cursory eye contact with him and looked away quickly. Shit...he remembers, this is going to be awkward...

Jimin was the first to walk up to the Oak Prince and take a seat. "Hey Prince Jeon, how's your breakf-" 

"Actually I was just finishing up." Jungkook suddenly stood up from his chair, refusing to make eye contact with Taehyung. "You guys enjoy breakfast, okay?"

Taehyung felt relieved that it wouldn't be awkward at the breakfast table with Jungkook sitting there. He moved to sit down where he sat the day before, but stopped when Jimin held out a hand.

"Really? Just finishing?" Jimin pointed at Jungkook's plate of untouched bacon and eggs along with a torn up roll. "C'mon Jungkook, we both know you have work to do around the castle...but at least eat with us."

Jungkook froze in place. He awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck. "Uhhh..."

Taehyung forced himself to speak up then, pushing past the sadness he felt when remembering the events of the previous night.

"Jimin is right, Jungkook." His own eyes met with the ravenette's nervous doe eyes. "You should eat the food on your plate before it gets cold, yeah?"

Jungkook gave him a strange look, but nodded and sat back down nonetheless. Jimin made eye contact with Taehyung and looked pleased somehow. When all three princes were seated and had plenty of good food on their plates, Jimin dug in, eating faster than anyone Taehyung had ever seen.  

Jungkook also started to eat his food with the occasional glance at Jimin or Taehyung when they thought he wasn't looking. Taehyung sat with his bandaged hands propped on the table, hungrily looking at the food on his plate. His mouth began to water. Jimin said he would help me...

Jimin noticed this and spoke in between huge mouthfuls. "Almoufftst dufn wift my platfte, I'll heflp you een one seconf."

Taehyung giggled at how dumb Jimin sounded with his mouth loaded with food. He appreciatively nodded at the silver-haired male who didn't pause his feasting to glance up. Taehyung realized that another set of eyes were on him and turned to meet the owner.