Arcus // ATEEZ ✔

14: breathing in the familiar scent

As soon as the two manage to avoid any suspicious and questioning eyes when they made their way through the maze of the palace hallways, they tumble into the princess' bedroom. Small laughter escapes past her lips as she loops her arms around his neck, while the young king has his firmly around her waist.

With the bedroom door closing behind them, he pushes her against the door before placing his lips on hers, breathing in the mixture of the princess' perfume and the lavender scent wafting in the bedroom. Only when he feels that he's out of breath does he unlatch his lips, leaving her biting her lower lip as he rests his forehead against hers. With a smile that reaches his eyes, she feels the butterflies dancing around in her stomach, suddenly abashed at how her previous thought had become a reality when she asked him to stay for the night.

Now that they've escaped the high and they notice how awkward for them is to be in the princess' bedroom alone together, the tension between them about to snap even as they have their arms around each other.

She doesn't move a muscle, but instead he helps to lift her up and lowers her down on her bed gently, before he mutters with a small chuckle, "You do know that your brother is going to kill me the moment he finds out I'm still here, in your room."

With Hongjoong sitting cautiously at the end of the bed, she crosses her legs and leans against the headboard, claiming, "I know, but it gives me the thrill to go against my brother's orders. This past month ever since I woke up felt so short but I can feel how he's so... protective of me. It has gotten to the point that I get annoyed, sometimes."

"Seonghwa didn't change his ways, and looks like you're returning to how you were. You hated how Seonghwa always tried to take control of your life so you have always done things to raise his blood pressure."

"I'm glad to know that I'm acting as what you've all known me as." She wrings her hands, pushing her legs up against her chest as she hugs her knees and rests her chin on them. "It's so frustrating to not even know how to act because people keep saying that I'm acting differently, and at the same time I hate who I was- no, I'm scared I'll go back to become that person. That is why I never understood why you would even say that you have feelings for me before... that's not someone who deserves to be loved."

"Love makes you stupid then," he breathes. "I really have no idea on what made me decide that I actually do like you."

"Yet you know how... 'wild' I was," she puts up quotation marks. "In short, I'm not even a decent human being."

"There are still a lot that you don't know about yourself," he says. "After you woke up, you think you became someone different, but it was the person I see you as."

She huffs. "So you're the kind of person who sees the good in people despite them being bad. How much luck have I used up to be able to have a future husband like you?"

He blushes, fiddling around with his fingers. "Hearing you say that word only reminded me that we're engaged." He stands up, pacing around the room before he utters words of caution, "But you shouldn't be trusting me way too much, and letting me inside your room when we're not yet a married couple. Ah," he knocks his own head, "I was too caught up with you that I acted indecently. My apologies, princess and if I may leave before I make you more uncomfortable-"

"Please stay," she squeaks, the tremor in her voice evident. "I'm scared of being alone."

"But you could've asked-"

"I don't trust the people in this palace the most," she utters. "Bits and pieces of my memories are here, but I have yet to see the bigger picture. I know that you meant no harm to me, Hongjoong."