Genre: bodyguard!AU | fluff, angst, mild swearing and a lot of sarcasm.
Member: Jaehyun / reader (3rd person perspective!!!!!)
Note: There will be a part 2!
Summary: “You’re staring.”
“London doesn’t compare to you”
(or the one where she doesn’t need him, but maybe she wants him.)
“You’re being unreasonable. “ Jaehyun says, crossing his arms.
She shrugs, “I disagree.”
He sighs, “Look your Highness-”
“Don’t call me that.” She interrupts, crossing her legs.
“Okay princess.” He drawls sarcastically, “You simply can’t refuse to have a bodyguard without a valid reason.” He sighs.
She cocks her head, raising a eyebrow, “I have a valid reason!” She assures.
“Let’s hear it.” he demands.
“I don’t like your face.” She blurts. He frowns and she crosses her arms to mimic him.
“And you think my face is going to hinder my ability to protect you?” He questions.
“It could!” She assures in a seriousness that almost makes him laugh, “What if you’re looking at your reflection in a store window or your phone screen and someone kidnaps me?” She cries.
“Trust me, they’d bring you back.” He muttered scratching his head.
“I said we’d get you back.” he enunciates, “Our job is to make sure nothing happens to you- for God’s sake I’m a trained professional you can’t just-”
“I don’t need a bodyguard. I don’t even need a guard dog, I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself!” She cries in frustration, running her fingers through her hair.
To silence that follows is a mutual agreement for a break- to regroup, relax, grab a glass of water or a snack before they come back to finish the conversation. He sighs, she kicks her feet like she feels guilty for something and looks down at the table. There’s a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that sit kindly beside an economist magazine and a small receipt like checklist of everything she needs to pack.
Her fingers tap at her upper arm and she looks away to the wall to study the paint. He adjusts his suit, tugging at the collar of his shirt, “You’re stuck with me princess.” He says eventually.
Her neck snaps back to look at him. She wrinkles her nose, “Keep your distance.”
She sitting on a smooth wooden bench in the center of the Louvre. The room is empty, cleared by security for her protection and she’s staring at a painting. Its called ‘The Embarkation for Cythera’ and her chin is resting on her fist. One leg is crossed over the other and she quickly adjust the denim skirt she’s wearing. She’s got a brochure in one hand and headphones in her ears where jazz floods her senses.
Jaehyun is a few meters to her left, watching her closely as she stares curiously at the art. She yanks her headphones out, “What?” She snaps, sighing and turning to look at him.
“I didn’t say anything.” He shrugs.
She rolls her eyes, “You’re staring.”
He shrugs again, “That’s my job.”
She shakes her head, “No, your job is to protect me. You could do that from the control room or from the other side of this room but instead you’re stood as close as you can get without it being suspicious and you’re staring.” she explains.
He licks his lips and points to the painting before her, “This is one of my favourite paintings.”
She raises an eyebrow, “So you were staring at the painting?” She asks, knowing full well he wasn’t.
He nods, walking closer to sit on the bench next to her, “Not everything’s about you princess.”
They sit quietly together, neither too bothered to fill the silence. The absence of crowds who discus meaningless matters makes her feel lonely and isolated but she’s learnt to be with herself. “Why did you take this job?” She pipes up, not quite sure why she’s interested.
He cocks his head to look at the painting and licks his lips, “Patriotic duty.”
She laughs, “You’re funny.”
He turns to look at her, “You don’t believe me?”
She scoffs, “I don’t even think you believe you.”
“Okay.” He says carefully, crossing his arms, “Why do you think I took the job?”
She pauses and watches him carefully. She holds up her hand, “I have two theories.” She states.
He smirks, “I’m all ears.”
“the first-” she starts, her posture changing because she’s in her element, “Is that you were bored. You got sick and tired of foreign business men and all that bureaucracy and you heard the rumours.”
He raises an eyebrow, “What rumours?”
“The ones about me.” She says, pointing to herself. He scoffs but she continues, “You heard about the strange princess who doesn’t buy into this whole royalty thing and you were curious.”
“Curious enough to leave the KCIA and baby sit a brat?” He asks sarcastically.
She clicks her fingers, “Or you were fired. I’m still developing some more theories.” she sighs.
He scoffs a laugh, “Yeah well keep looking.”
She sighs again, turning back to the painting. The silence becomes deafening, an unbearable reminder that she’s always alone and completely segregated from the rest of society. He can see the sadness in her eyes, he saw it the moment he met her when she watched her distant family’s children dancing in the gardens of the palace. He sees it every time she has to attend some event or smile at some strangers her parents introduce her to, even sometimes when she watches students on their way to school, laughing with their friends.
“So which one is your favourite painting?” He asks quietly, trying to give her some kind of human interaction before she locks herself in her hotel room.
She swallows, scratching her head, “I hate art.”
He frowns, “Why are you here?”
She shrugs, looking around the room at the different paintings. “I wanted to feel less alone.” she says quietly.
He rolls his eyes, “Yikes, do you ever stop feeling sorry for yourself?” He asks tiredly.
He shakes his head, “There are many ways to feel less alone, like hookers.” he suggests.
She tries to stay angry but her lips threaten a smile and she looks down at her hands, “You’re funny.” she states once more, but this time he doesn’t think it’s sarcastic.
He points, “You should smile more.”
She waves him off even though he looks smug because he can see her trying not to grin, “Shut up.”
She’s curled against the window with a book half open in her hands and her legs bent against her body. Jaehyun’s sitting in a leather chair nearby, looking around the room while his fingers tap anxiously against the arm of the seat. He sighs loudly, “How long are we going to be here?” he asks.
“How long is a rope?” she retorts, not testing her eyes from the book.
“Long enough to hang myself with.” He replies.
“Oh, boo-hoo, your life is so miserable.” She says sarcastically, turning a page.
He sighs again, glancing around the room. The building has high ceilings with shelves the reach as high as they can. Books are in piles on coffee table before leather chairs and large windows let in light to show dust over some of them. He pushes some aside with his feet, distantly curious but barely caring enough to sit up properly. He glances at her, “What are you reading?” He asks in an attempt to appease his boredom.
She sighs, “It’s called Man’s Search For Meaning.”
He cocks his head, “Is it a self help book?” He mocks.
She scoffs, “You’re an idiot.”
He rolls his eyes, “You’re mean.” he points out.
“No.” She begins, “I dislike persistent human interaction, something I cannot get away from as long as you continue to be present in my life because your contract says you need to shadow me 24/7” she hisses.
There’s a pause and he points to her, “Mean.” He repeats.
He watches her read, the light from the window falling on her face like she’s waking up from a dream and her hair is tucked behind her ear. She flicks through the book like she’s hungry for some kind of intellect she can’t find in her everyday world and she bites her lip when she concentrates. “You’re staring again.” She states, not looking up from the pages.
He clicks his tongue, “I like the view.”
She looks up and raises and eyebrow, “Excuse me?”
He points to the window that overlooks le canal saint martin where trees grow along the pavement and provide shade to couples who sit on benches and watch the water flow. “Paris is beautiful.” He states with a smirk.
She rolls her eyes, “It’s famous for that.”
He cocks his head, “So are you.”
She sighs loudly and lays the book down against her lap. “Are you flirting with me?” She asks carefully.
He shrugs, “You’re pretty, we’re in Paris, might as well make the most of a bad situation.” he crosses his arms.
She shakes her head, “Your job is to protect me, not take me out.”
He sighs loudly, a grunt emitting from his throat, “Buzzkill.”
She stares at him a little longer, “You’re so unprofessional, there is no way you can protect me more than I can myself.”
“Wanna bet?” He replies without a beat.
“Do I get to go back to reading if I agree?” she says tiredly, rubbing her eyes.
He nods, “Pinky promise.”
She smirks slightly, “What’s the bet?”
He points to her, “You get a point every time you don’t need me, I get a point every time you do.”
They’re sitting in a red leather booth by the window. The floor is tiled black and white and there’s a rainbow coloured juke box in a corner where a Beatles song is playing over the speakers. She’s scarfing down a burger and the fluorescent lighting from the diner stings her eyes, it’s a contrast from the darkness outside. Jaehyun sits opposition her with his arms crossed to match the boredom on his face.
she glances at him, “Don’t look so glum.” she giggles with a childlike grin.
“You’re drunk.” he points out.
She giggles again, slurping from her milkshake and crossing a leg over the other. She’s wearing his jacket because she didn’t have one of her own and the velvet dress was too thin to keep any heat in. “You’re a buzzkill.” she retorts.
He purses his lips, “You’re an idiot.”
“I’m a princess.” She reminds, wagging her finger back and forth.
He rolls his eyes, “You snuck out and went clubbing.”
She shrugs, “I like the music.” But her lip lifts into a smirk and he knows she’s still sober enough to be herself.
“You can’t ditch your security.” He repeats for what feels like the hundredth time.
She shakes her head, “I think you’ll find that I can, and I did.”
“It’s dangerous.” He enunciates, leaning forward.
She scoffs and waves him off, “The only dangerous thing about tonight is the blister on my foot.”
“Or-” he Interrupts, snatching her milkshake and taking a gulp, “The guy who followed you to the club, the one who nearly slipped something into your drink and the one who tried to hit on you.”
She frowns, “You’re the one who followed me to the club, you’re saying I was in danger of you?”
He pauses, narrowing his eyes, “You knew?” He asks.
She breathes a laugh, “Of course I knew, and what was wrong with the guy who tried to hit on me?” she adds absentmindedly, finally finishing off her burger.
He raises an eyebrow, “Really?” She just stares so he sighs and points to his wrist, “Gang tat on his arm.”
“Oh, a bad boy.” She giggled again, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol.
“A very bad boy.” He reminds.
She smiles like he’s the funniest guy on earth and he tries his best not to stare too long because she really is very beautiful. She picks up the menu again, scanning through the options, glancing at him every few seconds. She hesitates, opens her mouth a few times but doesn’t say anything.
She folds the menu and puts it down, “I have another theory.” She states.
He narrows his eyes, “Alright.” He nods.
She licks her lips and crosses her arms “You’re running away from something.”
He cocks his head and she thinks she’s getting somewhere, “Continue.”
She shrugs, “That’s all I’ve got. Maybe you fucked up, hurt someone or got hurt- I’ve seen the scar on your hip.”
His arms instinctively tighten together and he wrinkles his nose, “You been checking me out?” He smirks, trying to deflect.
She shrugs again, “I like the view.”
“Now princess, are you flirting with me?” he questions, leaning forward in his seat and pressing his forearms into the table.
He’s got this smile on his face like he knows what she’s going to say. She smiles back, like they’re drunk idiots at 4am eating junk food somewhere in the middle of new York. She wipes her lip with her thumb and rest her elbows on the table, her head resting in her hands. They’re close enough that she’s pretty sure he can heart her heart slamming against her rib cage, “You’re beautiful.” She murmurs.
He cocks his head, his hand reaching out and pushing the hair away from her face. He tucks it behind her ear and she sighs, closing her eyes, “You’re drunk.” He says sadly.
She giggles, only making everything crash down around them much faster, “‘Yes I’m drunk, and you’re beautiful. And tomorrow I’ll be sober-’”
“‘And you’ll still be beautiful.’” he finishes. He sighs, letting his hand drop, “Its late princess, let’s get you home.”
She smiles again when she sees his cheeks flushed red and as he leads her out of the diner, his hand is on the small of her back, trying to keep her steady. He tries his best not to touch her for too long in case he kisses her but he helps her climb into the car and she holds onto his hand a little too tight like she doesn’t want to let go of him.
She’s panting, sweat dripping down her forehead and her shirt clings to her body. She takes a swig of her water bottle and wipes her cheek, trying to cool herself down. She looks over the cliff, staring down into what seems like the abyss and smiles. She’s trekked all this distance, wading through the dirt and gravel and the grass that scratches her ankles while the sun beat down on her skin.
“I didn’t take you for a hiking person.” Jaehyun huffs out.
She chugs a gulp of water and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, “I wanted to try something new.”
He shakes his head and clicks his tongue, knowing full well she did it to get some space and, and sighs, “Right.”
“Anyway-” She shrugs, stepping over a rock, “This is fun.”
“Oh yeah, 1000° of fun.” he mocks sarcastically, wiping his forehead.
She scoffs, “I didn’t take you for a whiner.” She mutters.
He smirks, “Sexually or just in general?”
“You’re hilarious.” She says breathlessly, placing her hands on her hips as she stands straight, trying to get some air into her lungs. He keeps walking as she looks at the distant view of the city.
“You need to stop princess?” Jaehyun calls from ahead.
She swallows, looking up at him and shakes her head with a grin, “Not a chance.” She assures, jogging to catch up with him.
He’s not in his suit for once. They’re both in workout gear, trainers and T-shirts and sweat all over their bodies but they’re both smiling at each other as they continue to hike up the sandy hill. “I have a question.” he breathes heavily.
She keeps walking, “Okay.”
He takes a gulp of water, “Why are you off gallivanting the world with no specific purpose?”
“I have a purpose.” She points out nonchalantly.
“Care to share?” he asks curiously.
She shrugs, “I want to gallivant the world.”
He nods, “That’s a good argument.” He points out, almost impressed.
But he’s got this tone to his voice that makes her eyes narrow, “But you don’t believe me.” She states, wiping the sweat from her forehead again.
He smirks, “I don’t even think you believe you.”
She shrugs and keeps walking, “Okay, what do you think my purpose for doing all of this is?” she asks tiredly.
He follows after her, still sweating from everywhere, “I have one theory.” He states.
“Only one?” She replies, raising an eyebrow.
He sighs disappointingly, “Yes sorry, only one.”
She smiles softly, “Let’s hear it.” She orders.
He stops, taking a deep breath and placing his hands on his hips. He pants through his words and she stops next to him. “I think you’re running away from something.”
He waits for a reaction that never comes, she just keeps panting, stays silent and tries to regain her breath. She swallows, hands on her knees and shakes her head, “Aren’t we all?” She responds, standing upright and staring at him. “And that’s not a very original theory, I seem to remember using it myself.” She reminds.
He cocks his head, “And now you’re deflecting.”
She smirks, “Well aren’t you a smart one.” She says sarcastically with no tone of anger in her voice which tells him she’s not upset he’s starting to figure her out, maybe because she doesn’t think he’ll get very far.
“I think you don’t want to be queen, or princess even.” He adds, “I think this is your way of experiencing life outside of that.”
She almost rolls her eyes, “A child could have diagnosed that.” she starts to walk up the hill again, lugging her body up the steep slope.
He raises an eyebrow, “Diagnosed?” He calls after her.
“Yeah” she calls back, “It’s called the grass is always greener on the other side or um… wanting what you can’t have?” but there’s a hint of bitterness to her voice and he knows she’s annoyed.
“And what you want is a normal life.” He states.
She narrows her eyes and stops walking, her hands on her hips. She takes a deep breath and sighs. She hesitates telling him, she’s not the kind to complain but she feels like he needs to understand her. She swallows, “You’ve seen my life; the glitz and glam and everything that goes on behind it. I was never in line for the throne so for a while, I knew what it was like to have none of that. I went to school, I was a bartender i…” She pauses, her eyebrows furrowed like she really needs an honest answer. “I never wanted to be princess, and then suddenly my uncle dies and my mum becomes… I’m thrown into this limelight, I had no choice in that!” She says louder, like she’s getting riled up, “I thought I could get used to it, if I pretend enough it’ll become reality right?” She takes a breath, looking away from him and watching the birds fly over the distant cliffs, “But I know this isn’t where I’m supposed to be.” she mutters.
He cocks his head, “You’re thinking about this the wrong way.” He points out, moving to stand closer to her. “We’re in the 21st century, you can be anything you want. You can be princess and have a job, you can go to school and rule a country. The possibilities are limitless! You could buy your own bar and work for yourself.” He pauses, “People look up to you princess. Show them what you got.”
She smiles softly, feeling uplifted into a new realm of thought. But she doesn’t tell him, only shoves him away with a giggle and takes off running towards the summit of the cliff- “Last one there’s a rotten egg!” she cries behind her.
Jae smiles softly and shakes his head, this girl.
(She beats him, she thinks that deserves a point no matter what)
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