Um. For the writing prompts, how about Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunjae slow dancing? Theyāve already danced once, so why not again :)
Yoojinās not hiding, really. It wouldnāt do for the first prince of Haeyeon to be hiding at the birthday banquet of the crown prince of Seseong, so Yoojin isnāt hiding.
There just happened to be a lot of people in the banquet hall, and all of them wanted to talk to Yoojin when they really should be talking to Yoohyun, and none of them took the hint when Yoojin tried directing them awayā¦ So obviously, the solution was to hidābeat a strategic retreat to the gardens. Obviously.
Thereās a conveniently large hibiscus bush further down the pathānot so far that Yoojin could be accused of running away from his princely duties, but far enough that he wonāt be spotted by anyone giving a cursory glance out the windows of the banquet hall. The flowers in the gardens really are meticulously kept, Yoojin notes, and blooming magnificently even in the cooling autumn air.
āPrince Yoojin,ā a voice comes from behind him. Yoojin lets out an embarrassing yelp and even more embarrassingly tries to hide behind the hibiscus bush, even though heās obviously been spotted. āOh? I came out here to ask Prince Yoojin for a dance, but it seems he wants to play hide and seek instead?ā
Yoojin wants to go back five minutes and tell his past self to completely abandon his idea of hiāretreating to the gardens. āPrince Hyunjae,ā he says, dusting off his clothes with stiff movements. Of all the people that couldāve found him, why him? āYour flowers are beautiful.ā
The crown prince of Seseongās eyes twinkle in the moonlight, which is not information Yoojin ever needed to know, nor ever wanted. āThank you. I grew them myself.ā
āI sailed to the port of Anyeong and bargained with one of the most renowned hibiscus botanists to have these bushes planted in my garden.ā Hyunjae punctuates the lie with an angelic smile.
Yoojin refrains from rolling his eyes, in the same way that he is not hiding in the gardens. āSurely the crown prince of Seseong has better things to be doing than personally buying flower bushes.ā
Hyunjaeās smile ticks up a notch. āWell, it was worth it in the end if Prince Yoojin was able to appreciate them.ā
Itās all a lie, clearly, so thereās no reason for the heat in Yoojinās cheeks. āWhy is the crown prince out in the gardens during his own birthday banquet?ā He changes the topic for the sake of his blood pressure. āSurely itās much more important for you to stay inside?ā Even if Yoojin plans on leaving the political efforts to Yoohyun, he knows that deals and alliances are made at these types of gatherings.
āLike I said, I came out here to ask for a dance.ā
Yoojin eyes Hyunjae suspiciously. Obviously, itād be better for the other prince to dance with a princess or a lady, orāor even Yoohyun before trying to spend time with Yoojin. āIf youāre looking to strike a deal with Haeyeon, Iām not the person to talk to anymore.ā
āAnd if the deal is for a dance?ā Hyunjae takes a step forward. Yoojin inches back. āYes, like that.ā
Yoojinās not sure if he wants to spend the effort to try and untangle whatever plan the prince of Seseong must have devised. Thereās no amount of mental knots that lead to a dance with Yoojin. āIt would be better for you to find someone else to dance with, wouldnāt it,ā he says as he tries to round the other side of the hibiscus bush. Unfortunately, right as he tries a step to the side, Hyunjae reaches out and pulls him into the open. āPrince Hyunjae.ā
āPrince Yoojin.ā He still hasnāt let go of Yoojinās hand. āDance with me?ā
The crown prince of Seseong is much taller than Yoojin, which is not something Yoojin wouldāve cared to notice unless he were standing next to him like he is now. āThere isnāt any music,ā he tries.
Hyunjae cocks his head to the side. āYou can hear the court musicians from here.ā This is trueāYoojin doesnāt even need to strain to hear the notes of the slow song currently being played.
āI donāt know how to dance.ā Yoojin has suffered through too many dance lessons as a child to not know how to dance. The raised eyebrow he gets for that protest tells him Hyunjae knows this as well. āWe canāt both dance the male part.ā
Hyunjae tugs him closerāthe kind of close where Yoojin is suddenly aware of the space that Hyunjae takes up, and also the space that his own body takes up in relation to Hyunjaeāsāand after a moment of consideration, he guides Yoojinās other hand to his waist and sets his own on Yoojinās shoulder. āThere,ā he says, eyes curved into infuriating crescents. āHowās that?ā
āBad,ā Yoojin deadpans over the sound of his heartbeat in his ears.
Hyunjae hums and adjusts their hand hold so that itās more of a clasp than a grip, steps closer to Yoojin, and oh. A part of Yoojin, raised by court scholars and strict teachers, is aware that this is a more proper dancing form. The other part is too busy thinking about how Hyunjaeās hand is quite warm.
If he tips forward just a few degrees, his head will be resting on Hyunjaeās shoulder. The same part of him thinking about Hyunjaeās palm against his also wonders if thatāll be equally as warm.
āHas Prince Yoojin danced with anyone else at the banquet yet?ā Hyunjae asks idly, taking a step back and pulling Yoojin along with him. Yoojin is fairly certain heās the one whoās supposed to be leading, but Hyunjaeās movements are firm and confident, so he lets himself be swept along.
āNo.ā There's a certain amount of dedication and attention needed to dance with strangers, and while there are guests at the banquet who are more than happy to blindly stumble their way through conversation and a dance, Yoojin would rather not. āHave you?ā
Before Hyunjae replies, he directs Yoojin in a more complicated series of steps in time with a trill in the music, before returning to the more basic, rhythmic swaying they were doing before. Yoojin wants to point out that theyāre moving too slowly for the music and their steps are too simplistic, but every time he thinks about mentioning it, heās distracted by how close their shoulders are to touching. āPrince Yoojin is the only one for me, of course.ā
Craning his head up to look at Hyunjae is a bit inconvenient from this position, but Yoojin hopes that his disbelief is conveyed loud and clear regardless. āWhatās that supposed toāā
Yoojin spins under Hyunjaeās outstretched arm without particularly meaning to, and he finishes tucked loosely into Hyunjaeās embrace. Any chill from the night air has been driven away long ago by Yoojinās flush and the feeling of Hyunjaeās arm against his back. āI think this was supposed to happen the other way around,ā is the only thing he can think to say, voice barely louder than a whisper. Though he doubts that heād be able to lead Hyunjae in a spin, even if he tried.
Hyunjae smiles. āWas it?ā When he unfurls Yoojin from his hold and returns them to their previous positions, he preemptively claims Yoojinās waist, hand gentle but no less present for it. āI believe this happened exactly as intended.ā
Yoojin spends a moment contemplating the indignity of having to stretch to reach Hyunjaeās shoulder, before consigning himself to defeat and settling an uncertain hand on his arm instead. Theyāre still so close. āPrince Hyunjae is too tall,ā he says, because it seems like the safest topic compared to everything else thatās been brought up so far. āHow will you ever dance with anyone else?ā
A tightening of the grip Hyunjae has on his waist is his only warning before the music picks up and Yoojin has to fall back on muscle memory, moving together in a circle between the hibiscuses until the music settles down again. Yoojin nearly trips over an uneven patch of land, but Hyunjae catches his weight neatly and hardly misses a beat. āIām doing so well dancing with Prince Yoojin that I donāt need to think about anyone else,ā he answers. Yoojin thinks that he should perhaps save those lines for his future wife.
He falls quiet after that, not brave enough to try another line of conversation, but even silence isnāt safe with the crown prince of Seseong. Silence means that Yoojinās attention is drawn to every point of contact between themāonly three, but thereās potential for more, and Yoojinās attention is drawn there too. Silence means that Yoojin can focus on whatever heady scent is lingering on Hyunjaeās clothes, noticeable even over the smell of the flowers around them. Silence means that Yoojin can hear footsteps crunching towards them, fast.
He disentangles himself from Hyunjae just in time for Yoohyun to round a corner of the path and spot them next to the flower bushes. āHyung!ā he calls, inexplicably glaring at Hyunjae. āI noticed you were missing.ā
They couldnāt have been gone for more than a few minutes. āOh, Prince Hyunjae was justā¦ graciously showing me the flowers,ā he says, trying not to feel like a scolded child. āTheyāre quite beautiful.ā
Yoohyun doesnāt let up on his glare. āIs that all?ā
āThatās all, Yoohyun, stop worrying.ā Yoojin steps forward and pushes Yoohyun back in the direction of the banquet hall. When he turns back to bid goodbye to Hyunjae, his words die in his throat as Hyunjae reaches forward and tucks a freshly-plucked hibiscus flower behind his ear.
āSince you liked them so much,ā Hyunjae explains, eyes crinkling with an amount of mirth that belies just how much heās enjoying Yoohyunās exponentially increasing anger.
āCome on, Yoohyun,ā Yoojin interrupts, forcefully shoving Yoohyun down the path back to the building and vehemently avoiding everyoneās gaze. āIām thirsty. Letās find something to drink.ā
Later, he pulls the flower out of his hair and tucks it into a fold of his clothes instead, the pale petals stark against dark fabric. It visibly annoys Yoohyun whenever he happens to look at it, but Yoojin canāt bring himself to throw the blossom away. Itās a visual reminder of gentle touches under the moonlight whenever he glances down, and, perhaps, a silent suggestion that there could be more.
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