SPOILT ROYALS | JAEYONG NCT

12: Celebration Preparations

Taeyong had no time to dwell on how he should feel or where they should go from there because as soon as that day ended, he was thrust into ball preparations for the next one. Coincidentally, Prince Jaehyun's birthday ball was coming up and thankfully (as in Taeyong wasn't religious, but he actually praised God for this) Jaehyun was so busy with fittings, speeches, and other trivial preparations that they didn't see each other much in the next week that passed.

Another thing Taeyong was thankful for was the Crown Prince's health, he was back up and running as if he was never sick in the first place and all rumours bouncing around the palace's walls were dispelled. For now at least.

Whilst hanging up some decorations on the wall of the ball room that was going to be used for the ball in a few days, Taeyong thought back to his most recent letter, the one that he had given Haein to send a day ago. His letters always had to pass through Haein first to make sure what was written in them was guileless, they didn't care if it was an invasion of privacy or not. So Taeyong kept it simple with basic questions such as; How are you? How is mother? Is the shop doing well? And if his little brother was still in training to become a knight.

If he could thank the Lee's for anything, it was for his pay. It'd be enough to upkeep them back at home but that wasn't saying much. It was their lives or this job so in and of itself, it wasn't that much of a choice. King Lee threatened to burn his family shop if he didn't agree, he also threatened to kill his family but that was just more implied (super, duper, obviously implied). Taeyong could only pray to whatever deities or God was watching that his family were safe, especially since he never got a letter back. Haein wouldn't tell him how they were faring either and with each week that passed with no response, he only became increasingly distressed.

The worry that was on his mind creeped into his work and the ladder that Taeyong had been using to hang up decorations wobbled, and before he could even register the fact that he was falling (okay, maybe not from a great height but he fell nonetheless!) he landed on his ass with a heavy thud. And oh God, his spine.

Taeyong howled, unashamed as he rubbed on his tail bone. He whimpered, half expecting for someone to come be his knight in shining armour, though the rest of the servants and maids didn't want to be associated with the likes of Taeyong since day one. He did get better though, a prince in shining armour if you will.

"Are you okay?" a voice came from above him and Taeyong opened his eyes from his grimace expression to see Crown Prince Sangyeong peering down at him with bona fide worry in his eyes. Taeyong made a sort of groan mixed with an it's fine noise, but that only made the worry of the Prince's face intensify.

"Here." Sangyeong held out a hand to him. And Taeyong had been in this position before, though not quite as romantic or romantic at all really with the way Prince Jaehyun had glared at him on the floor on his very first day. It was a memory that made him purse his lips.

Taeyong looked around the ballroom. It was relatively empty except for some workers who had stopped their scurrying to eye them, and it was clear that he was going to be a source of gossip between them for at least a week. He bit down on his bottom lip; Sangyeong had told him he couldn't like him in public, but then Taeyong said oh fuck it and took his hand anyway. Sangyeong smiled as he hauled him up.

"Thanks," Taeyong muttered, a warm hue of pink spreading over his cheeks and rubbing on his tail bone. Taeyong hadn't forgotten their earlier conversation and by the looks of it, Sangyeong hadn't either, even if he was half out of it at the time.

The Crown Prince cleared his throat. "It's fine."

And then there was a pause, an excruciatingly painful (and mind numbingly) awkward pause. Sangyeong made to avoid it just as Taeyong made to talk about it. Then they blinked at each other before switching again at the same time, Taeyong making off topic conversation to avoid it and the Crown Prince making headway to talk about it. They paused again before Taeyong burst into laughter and Sangyeong chuckled along with him.