#yangyang timestamp

‘I just hope she makes friends,’ you ruminate, several scenarios running through your mind all at once. Julia was a sociable and friendly girl, already having a best friend in Ten’s oldest, Charlie, who was a year younger than her in school, and thus won’t be joining her today. Visions of Julia potentially not fitting in or struggling to talk to the other children make your heart split in two. 

‘I just hope she makes friends,’ you ruminate, several scenarios running through your mind all at once. Julia was a sociable and friendly girl, already having a best friend in Ten’s oldest, Charlie, who was a year younger than her in school, and thus won’t be joining her today. Visions of Julia potentially not fitting in or struggling to talk to the other children make your heart split in two. 

‘I just hope she makes friends,’ you ruminate, several scenarios running through your mind all at once. Julia was a sociable and friendly girl, already having a best friend in Ten’s oldest, Charlie, who was a year younger than her in school, and thus won’t be joining her today. Visions of Julia potentially not fitting in or struggling to talk to the other children make your heart split in two. 

‘See, you’re worrying too,’ Yangyang gives you a lukewarm smile, slightly teasing but also mirroring your worry, ‘to be honest, my stomach hurts. I feel sick.’

‘My chest hurts,’ you admit, ‘mix of worry for her but also it hurts how old she’s getting. She’s so big and independent, I remember when she was just our little baby girl, just born in her crib.’

‘I miss it too,’ Yangyang smiles, thinking back on the fond memories, ‘maybe we should make another one.’

‘No, not yet,’ you dismiss the suggestion immediately, ‘maybe in a few more years, when I’ve caught up on some sleep.’

‘Fair point,’ Yangyang mumbles sleepily, ‘speaking of which, we should probably wake the sleeping lion up. Make her some breakfast.’

‘We have the right stuff for pancakes?’ You check, knowing Julia’s favourite.

‘Yeah, I checked last night. I knew she’d probably ask.’

The two of you sleepily toddle into your toddler’s bedroom, which is illuminated only by a small pink nightlight. 

Julia herself is fast asleep, bundled in a heap of blankets and stuffed animals, notably her Jellycat sheep bought by her uncle Kun. 

‘Jules,’ Yangyang lightly shakes her awake. She grunts in protest, squirming around and chasing the warmth that has been made as she’s slept.

‘Julia,’ he tries again, and this time her eyes flutter open, meeting her fathers own identical ones. 

‘Wha-‘ she mutters, tiny hands starting to rub at her eyes.

‘It’s a really exciting day today Jules,’ Yangyang smiles, ‘it’s school today, remember what I told you about? I’m going to make you special pancakes, ok?’

Julia nods sleepily, approving of this plan, and and you lift her up by her armpits, setting her down in the middle of the room so you can start getting her dressed. 

In the Liu household, ‘special pancakes’ are characterised by blueberries being mixed into the batter, as well as seven different shades of food colouring so that the pancake stack forms a rainbow. Naturally, Julia only eats two or three of the toddler-sized pancakes, so you and Yangyang gorge on the rest. Julia just appreciates the visuals. 

Yangyang takes his place in the kitchen while you set out Julia’s outfit for the day, which you had meticulously chosen the day before. 

You wanted something she could play comfortably in, something she could get messy with paint or pens or dirt if needed, so you chose a plain lilac shirt and some dark blue cotton trousers. 

‘I don’t know if I should dress her now or not,’ you say, ‘cause if she eats pancakes she’s just going to get muck all over them before we even leave.’

‘Good point,’ Yangyang has just served the last pancake of the stack, ‘i’ll get her ready once she’s finished.’

‘But you’ve already done her breakfa-‘

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Yangyang hums, kissing your cheek, ‘just get her packed lunch out the fridge and make sure her bag is all packed and we’re golden.’ 

‘Okay,’ you nod, swallowing the lump in your throat and taking a seat at the table. 

The three of you happily chow down on your pancakes - Yangyang really makes great pancakes - and as there’s no time to waste, dishes are quickly thrown into the dishwasher. 

Yangyang takes Julia to get dressed in her bedroom, as you rifle through her little backpack, double checking everything that should be there is there. 

‘Change of clothes, sun hat, rain hat, empty bottle- lunchbox.’ 

You head over to the fridge and pull it out. It’s cute, light pink with her favourite Kakao friends character on. 

You and Yangyang had already made up her lunch and packed the bag the night before to save yourself time this morning. You had both had throughly enjoyed making the food for her, cutting up ham sandwiches with a star shaped cookie cutter and making little fruit kebabs with grapes and apples. 

You’re just slipping the lunch bag into the backpack when Yangyang appears in the doorway, Julia on his hip. 

‘Oh, are we ready to go?’ You smile, ‘I love your outfit Jules.’ 

She looked so cute, Yangyang had tied her thin hair into a tiny ponytail. 

‘Mummy/mommy, I don’t want to go,’ Julia sniffles, small hands balled into fists, ‘I want to stay and play with you all day.’

You feel your heart split into two, and judging by Yangyang’s expression, he’s feeling the same way. 

‘Aww, Jules,’ you try to remain strong and reassuring to her, ‘you’ll have so much fun! There will be so many nice people and cool toys to play with. And mummy/mommy and daddy have made you star sandwiches that you can have while you’re there.’

She seems a bit less apprehensive, but still a bit nervous.

‘And you’ve met your teacher,’ Yangyang points out, ‘Miss Choi was really nice wasn’t she? She’ll take good care of you.’ 

Julia nods, remembering the settling in session she’d been to. 

‘And you’ll have so much fun all day, that before you know it, mummy/mommy and daddy will be back to pick you up.’ 

‘Really?’

‘Yeah sweetheart. It’ll go so fast.’

‘Ok, I’ll go.’

‘That’s my girl,’ Yangyang grins, ‘let’s go get our shoes on.’

A few minutes of velcro straps and putting on coats one arm at a time later, you’re walking to the car. 

You can sense Yangyang’s emotions even without seeing his face; he doesn’t want to let her go. Regardless, he hides it well in front of his daughter, strapping her safely into her car seat. 

‘I’ll drive,’ you hold up the keys, ‘I don’t think you’re in a fit state to do it yourself.’

He laughs weakly at this, ‘you’re not wrong.’

The drive is filled with mostly Disney music (specifically Encanto and Frozen, Julia’s favourites) which has become a regular daily occurrence for your drives. You worry for your Spotify wrapped. 

Eventually you make it to the pre-school, where several teary parents and small children are descending on the entrance. 

Yangyang takes a deep breath before unloading Julia and her bag from the car, holding her little hand as the three of you walk across the car park. 

‘Mr and Mrs Liu, it’s so nice to see you both, and Julia!’ Miss Choi smiles, ‘I know you’re probably both a bit emotional today, but before you both know it it’ll be home time.’

You squeeze Yangyang’s hand. 

‘Are you ready to go Jules?’

She nods her head shyly, taking her backpack from your hands. 

‘You can put that on your peg over there Julia,’ Miss Choi motions towards the lines of pegs for the children. 

Julia realises this means she’ll have to venture off without either you or Yangyang, so she turns back to the two of you, brown eyes wide in worry. 

You both crouch down to her level. 

‘There’s nothing to worry about Jules,’ you reassure her, ‘we’ll be back very soon, ok?’

‘Bye bye mummy/mommy.’

‘Bye angel,’ you hug her, ‘love you.’

‘Love you too. Bye daddy.’

‘Bye bye Jules,’ Yangyang hugs her too, I love you.’

‘I love you too daddy.’

‘I know sweetheart. You wanna go put your bag on your peg?’

She nods, waving one last time before rushing over to her peg, before disappearing out of sight into the toddler room of the pre-school. 

‘Can I cry now?’ Yangyang breaks the sad silence. 

Having feelings for your childhood enemy is not okay.

Yangyang, who was too mean for you in your elementary days, which made you think he despised and hated you in his sight. He loves getting your reaction out of you when you see that he'd put toothpaste on the insides of your Oreo cookies when you weren't looking. You'd love chasing him until you both hear the ringing of the bell that brings you back to class. He also loves to embarrass you in front of the classroom, which made you leave the room with a red face and him laughing.

Though those jokes weren't much as bad, he still manages to do that even if he's in senior high. Except, it's more subtle. Like putting random sticky notes on your desk with a face drawn on them, you ended up crumpling the paper and throwing it all at him. It didn't bother you as much as the one time when he offered you gum and realized it was the gumball that was so sour and painted your tongue and teeth bright colors. You had a presentation right after that, and you presented with a light blue tint on your teeth speaking, leaving the boy who's done it struggling to keep a straight face.

With more pranks coming through, you come to your desk and see a surprise on it.

You roll your eyes, knowing Yangyang is up to something with it again. It was a paper flower bouquet, the size of your hand, with your favorite flowers, daisies.

Knowing the boy that he is, he probably will put a note behind it and pretend that it's from your ex-crush, Donghyuck, who wrote it for you. You turn the paper flower bouquet, and you were right. There was a piece of paper, folded neatly, with a tape holding on so tightly. You open the paper curiously, and it reads.

"Haha,  guess who?

You probably think that I annoy you too much, and I apologize for that. It's just so cute watching you get all angry, so here's my apology. I couldn't spend my money on real flowers, since my monthly budget from my parents are already spent on food, so I made these for you instead. What do you think? Do you like it? I spent my time doing this instead of doing my science homework so don't go throwing it away, please :( Anyways, if you want to, let's go get ramen outside our school together! Today after school, don't be late! I have something for you too, I will treat you this time so do not worry!

- Love, your supposedly enemy, Liu Yangyang"

“Who’s there?”, Kun had questioned as you quickly pulled your best friend behind the wall and your eyes connected. Yangyang has beautiful eyes. How have you never noticed before? You could stare at those eyes for hours on end if he’d let you. His smile was also stunning. How could someone be so beautiful? To top it off, your best friend had the most amazing personality and gave the best hugs. The two of you would tell each other anything and everything that went on in your lives. Fights were a very rare occurrence and are always small and unimportant. Yangyang was always there for you, tangling his limbs with yours in warming cuddles until the two of you would fall asleep to the sound of the other’s heartbeat. He was there for you during your first heartbreak, reminding you constantly of how amazing, talented and beautiful you are. He never failed to send good morning and good night texts when the two of you are apart and would always make sure you were his first priority. You slowly find yourself thinking about what it’d be like if he was your boyfriend. He was extremely attractive, talented and perfect for you. Your friends have shipped the two of you together multiple times but you would always laugh it off and shake your head at the silly thought. Maybe dating the Yangyang wouldn’t be such a silly idea, after all.

“Ummmm... y/n? We may have a slight problem.” The boy in question’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts as you feel heat rise to your cheeks. You look over to Yangyang, immediately spotting the “problem”.

“I swear to God. Yangyang, y/n, you have three seconds to run.” Kun states coldly, clearly unimpressed after the two of you disrupted his peace.

“Three.”

You look between the two boys, unsure of what to do.

“Two.”

You and Yangyang make eye contact, panicking.

“One.” 

You grab the younger boy’s hand and the two of you run to the nearest room and lock yourselves inside before you push Yangyang against the door to prevent Kun from opening it. You stay like that for a few moments before looking up at your best friend, only to see his cheeks a deep shade of crimson at your close proximity.

There’s a glint of mischief and something that you can’t quite work out in Yangyang’s eyes. He quickly looks down to your lips then draws his eyes back up to yours before placing a gentle hand on your cheek and wrapping the other around your waist. Suddenly, he leans in so that your lips are only inches apart now.

“Y/n... can I?” He asks as you sheepishly nod, looking your best friend in the eyes. Yangyang doesn’t wait for a second longer before placing his soft, plump lips to yours. It’s heavenly. He’s heavenly. He tastes like brownies and mint toothpaste, you notice. Yangyang slightly tugs your bottom lip between your teeth, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. 

You agree, opening your mouth slightly as his tongue explores you before fighting for dominance with your own. He slowly guides the two of you to the bed where he lightly pushes you down, breaking the kiss for air before sitting atop you and reuniting your needy mouths. Your hands go up to his hair, playing with his soft locks while he bruises your lips before breaking the kiss. You whine at the loss of contact but quickly gasp in pleasure when he starts sucking on your neck. He moans quietly when you massage his head, encouraging you to keep playing with his hair. You do, and he moans again into your neck, the vibrations feeling amazing.

Yangyang pulls away and places a gentle kiss to the deep red mark he’s just created on your exposed flesh before reconnecting your lips with his own as you let out a moan of pleasure.

“Baby, be louder, your sounds are beautiful.” He instructs, rubbing your cheek lovingly as you let out another moan, louder this time.

“That’s it, love, be loud for me.”

A knock at the door interrupts your make-out session and the both of you quickly pull away, blushing messes. 

“Who’s there?” Yangyang calls, annoyed at the interruption.

“Me.” The voice of Kun replies, slightly disturbed.

“Dinner’s ready so come and eat. Also if you two break anything, you pay for it.” Kun says and quickly walks away, not wanting to hear what the two of you get up to next.

You and Yangyang blush but let out a laugh as you realize what Kun meant by “break anything”. His laugh is music to your ears. His smile makes your entire day and his eyes sparkle brighter than all of the stars in the sky.

“Yangyang... I have to tell you something.” You say, not meeting his eyes as you take a breath to calm your nerves. He hums, allowing you to continue.

“I kinda maybe sorta... Imightmaybeloveyoujustalittlebit.” You manage to spit out quickly, the butterflies in your stomach now turning into flocks of birds.

“I didn’t quite catch that... what’d you say?” Yangyang asks, an amused smile on his masculine features.

“I might love you... just a little bit.” You say, cheeks reddening as you suddenly find the floor very interesting.

“Well, I might love you too... just a little bit.” He says back before lifting up your chin and bringing you into a gentle loving kiss before pulling away, smiling brighter than you’ve ever seen. The butterflies have gone now and you’re filled with pure happiness, feeling complete.

“I guess we should go and have dinner then.” You say, fixing your hair and collar, failing to hide the hickey that the boy in front of you had made on your neck just minutes before.

“the prince’s club talks about her a lot.”

the prince’s club is a group of all the prince’s in the area, not minding any kingdom boundaries or past histories

kun was once a part of the club, he knows what goes on during their meetings and what is talked about during the club’s horse rides

he’s 99.9% sure everyone is just over exaggerating

“well, you’ll be the first person to see her and find out for yourself. their whole family is coming over to sign the final contract in a few days.” kun puts his foot down on the matter

“I hate you.” yangyang says in a cutesy and high-pitched manner

“I hate you, too, demon child.” kun replies back as he walks out of yangyang’s study, “and don’t think even about running away or I'll chain you to your bed for the next few nights.”

“kun.... don’t say it like that.”

the few days between kun’s conversation with yangyang and the arrival of your family goes by quick, and pretty soon, yangyang is standing outside of the front doors of the wheyshen castle waiting for you

his family aren’t the only ones out here

there are servants, noble men and women, and knights who have all gathered this morning to catch the first glimpse of you 

your carriages are like a parade through the front yard of the castle, and finally they all stop and the driver of one carriage opens the door

first steps out the king, your dad, after that the queen, and after that their oldest son, who is next in line for the throne

yangyang remembers his name is doyoung; he has never met him personally, but he heard that there is a very big stick up his ass

yangyang wonders if you’re like your older brother

everyone holds their breath when another hand pops out of the carriage, covered in a glove and grasped by your brother’s grip

he helps you step out, and the whole lawn of people greeting you gasp in wonder as everyone sees you for the very first time

you are the definition of a princess

the aura around you, how you hold yourself and how you hold a strong gaze with the people around you shakes everyone with curiosity and adoration 

yangyang doesn’t even notice what you’re wearing or the tiara on your head, he can only see the gaze you send him as your feet delicately touch the ground

murmurs rise out of the crowd but quickly end when your family moves closer to yangyang’s, people dropping down to their knees to bow at royalty

your father politely greets kun, exchanging some words of congratulations to kun’s new position as king 

there’s some more greetings exchanged between queens and yangyang’s father as he sits in a chair, too frail to stand up, but yangyang is only looking at you

warmth seeps into his chest and down to his stomach, like a flood of feelings he has never felt before

the flood covers his heart and makes it beat faster

it’s a scary feeling, but so exhilarating and addicting, as if yangyang is riding his prized race horse as fast as he can go through the fields behind the castle

the chatter between your families dies down and the attention suddenly turns to you two, making yangyang even more nervous

if you’re feeling any emotion similar to the ones that he’s feeling, you’re hiding it pretty well

yangyang feels kun lightly push on his shoulder and it effectively snaps him out of his reverie 

“I'm pleased to meet you.” yangyang can barely get the words out of his mouth, feeling like peanut butter is stuck to his tongue 

he reaches forward and gently takes your gloved hand in his, kissing the top of your knuckles, looking up at you afterwards

“it’s a pleasure to meet you, too.” with your angelic voice and your soft smile towards him, yangyang feels like he just got KO-ed

his head is fuzzy and he’s sure he looks like a fool with his jaw slacked and gapping at you

however, both families start to move inside before yangyang can really process his embarrassment 

people on the lawn start to scatter, still trying to get one good look at you as you walk side by side with yangyang into the castle

he almost jumps out of his skin when you talk to him, not expecting to hear your voice so close to him

“I heard you like horseback riding?” you ask, and yangyang can feel himself heat up

mentally, he’s beating himself up for reacting like this to a girl

he’s been around PLENTY of girls, but something about you is so highly and elevated that yangyang can’t help but fall into your palm and cozily stay there

“y-yeah. I do.” he answers simply, but the words felt like they took hours to think of and leave his mouth

“I do, too! we should go riding tomorrow after brunch.” you propose

“how about we go riding for brunch? we could have a picnic.” yangyang suddenly remembers a spot in the mountains where the sun isn’t blinding and the breeze is cool during this time of year

and then he realizes he just asked you to brunch and made plans with you as if you didn’t just meet 5 minutes ago

he heats up again, suddenly remembering who you are and who he is, and questioning how in the hell you can have him in a vegetative state in one minute and absolutely head over heels for you in the next

“sounds like a date!” you send him that smile of yours once again

yangyang trips over his shoes, sliding along the castle’s tile floor before quickly picking himself up again and walking forward as if nothing happened

(you try not to notice his fall, biting back a laugh)

yangyang can barely sleep that night, and when he does fall asleep, the moon is already lowering in the night sky

maybe that’s why yangyang is almost late to your brunch date

he’s running out of his room, pulling on his riding boots and practically launching himself around every corner of the castle

he runs into the kitchen and thanks the cooks who hand him a picnic basket (he’s moving too fast to see them roll their eyes at him)

sliding into the barn, yangyang breathes a sigh of relief when he doesn't see you waiting for him, taking a second to catch his breath

a second is all he gets before you open the barn door, looking around the place and then at him

“oh, you’re already here. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” the apologetic tone you use makes yangyang shake his head

“no, no. believe me when I say I just got here.”

after preparing your horses, you follow yangyang out of the barn and through the backyard of the castle until you’re no longer on the property

you ride through a small forest, over some fields, and then up one big hill before stopping and tying your horses to a nearby tree

laying down a blanket and the food yangyang picked up earlier, you begin eating brunch

and it hits both of you at the same time

you’re alone

in the middle of nowhere

together

yangyang, no matter how awkward the air around you begins to feel, can’t help but think that you really are so, so beautiful

these types of thoughts are new to him

maybe it’s because he knows he has to marry you one day, and his brain is tricking him into making this easier?

yangyang doesn’t have time to think further when he realizes he has been looking at you and you caught him in the act

“oh, sorry,” he panics, “there’s a bug on you.” he swats the imaginary bug off of your shoulder, mentally applauding himself for his quick thinking

that is, until his cuff catches on your sleeve and he’s left leaning over the food, tugging his wrist while trying not to rip your clothing

he begins to laugh nervously, eyes switching from looking at you to your sleeve before your hand covers his own

he stops moving, he stops all laughing, he doesn’t even think he breathes when you carefully pull his cuff off of your sleeve and let go of his hand gently, letting him fall back onto his side of the blanket

“I-I’m sorry, I just, I—” yangyang sighs at his own stuttering

he realizes he doesn’t feel like himself

why is he trying to shape himself into something he’s not when he’s around you

he decides that stops now

“honestly, I'm not sure how to act around you.” yangyang begins, watching how your face turns to look at him, “you’re my fiancé, but I don’t know you at all. I don’t even want to marry you.”

yangyang says the last sentence timidly, but bewilderment replaces the timidness when you sigh in relief

“that’s good because I don’t either.”

“wait, really?” yangyang perks up

“yes, really. I’ve lived my whole life without a fiancé, and one day one just falls into my lap. that’s how deals work with kingdoms, and that’s how I've been thinking about you for the past few days, just as a deal my dad is making with your brother. no offense, really, you seem like an awesome guy, but I'm just not interested in a relationship right now.”

you add on that last bit as a second thought, but yangyang caught the gist

somehow, your words make him relax tenfold and he doesn’t feel like someone else is talking and moving for him

however, there is that one part of him that aches when you call him “just a deal”

yangyang decides to deal with it later, taking things one step at a time for now

“my brother threw this onto my lap, too. it makes me less lonely knowing that I'm not the only one who’s feeling this way.”

“is your brother an uptight micro-manager with a stick up his ass?”

“yes... is yours?”

“yes!”

the more yangyang talked with you, the more he realized how similar you two are

you both loved horseback riding and pranking your older brothers

you both loved painting and eating the left over pastries that the kitchen is about to throw away

yangyang found out that you’ve been studying ever since you were little and that you wanted to be well-versed in as many subjects that you can be

and you didn’t judge yangyang when he honestly told you that he has no idea what he wants for his future

and he appreciates you for that

soon, the sun rises over the top of the sky and starts to sink back down towards the horizon, and sadly your “brunch” ends

“I'm glad we got to know each other better.” yangyang said as he rolled up the blanket you were sitting on

“me too. I'm glad I'm not being forced to marry someone who’s snobbish or boring”

yangyang laughs at the weird compliment, but that pang in his chest returns

forced...

is it bad that yangyang doesn’t feel like he’s being forced anymore?

is it bad that yangyang could.... willingly marry you?

he doesn’t feel trapped or like he would involuntarily be doing something

.... but do you still feel that way?

did the day you spend with yangyang not change your mind about your relationship like it did with his?

yangyang thinks about that the entire ride back to the castle, with secret side eyes to you and a heart that has unexpectedly sunk 

the next morning, the two royal families gather for the signing of the contract 

kun and your father are sitting at the table in one of the rooms in the castle, the two pieces of paper in front of them as they discuss the last terms and conditions

you’re standing next to yangyang and your mothers are standing only a few feet away

your brother is standing on the other side of yangyang; everyone waits patiently and silently as the kings do business

yangyang’s thoughts are still scrambled from the previous day, and he stares at the floor with his eyebrows screwed together

“are you okay?” you whisper from next to him, causing yangyang to jump slightly

“yeah, just tired.” he lies, and it makes you tilt your head at him

just as it looks like the kings have come to a final decision and they grasp their quill pens to sign the contracts in front of them, the doors to the room burst open, kun’s right hand man running into the room

“your highness, it’s the lee kingdom, they’re here.”

everyone in the room has just enough time to look at each other in perplexity before a group of your guards and the third royal family, the lees, walk into the room

king lee taeyong leads the way, along with his son, lee jeno

at the intrusion, yangyang feels you grab onto the back of his jacket, making him look at you to see uncomfortableness and slight fear in your eyes

“what’s this?” kun stands up from his chair, looking from king lee to his own right hand man to your father

“you are not legally allowed to sign that contract.” king lee states, producing a piece of paper and setting it on the table before your father 

“according to this contract, your daughter cannot marry anyone other than my son, jeno.”

your father picks up the contract and reads it over, scoffing afterward

“this contract was created by our great-grandfathers.”

“it still applies to today. my son and your daughter were destined to marry each other before they were even born.”

while the three kings argue about the validity of such an old contract, yangyang feels you tug on the back of his jacket

he turns around to see the look of fear and uneasiness still on your face

“please, do something.” you're plea stuns yangyang, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to process your request

“like what?” he finally gets out

yangyang is just a prince, practically a nobody in this room when there are three kings and two soon-to-be kings here as well

“I can’t marry him.” you step closer to yangyang, you're dress pressing against his legs and your grip on his jacket tightening, “please, I just can’t.”

yangyang only realizes now that your fear is not from the situation currently happening in the room, but rather from the prince that stands by the entrance

lee jeno

tall and muscular and smart

maybe it would be better for you to marry jeno

yangyang feels a burning at the bottom of his stomach at his next thought, but it’s no doubt that it’s true:

you fit as jeno’s wife better than you fit as yangyang’s

you’ll be a queen one day if you marry jeno, but with yangyang you’ll only stay a princess

“why not? he’s better than I ever could be.” your eyebrows furrow for just a moment at yangyang’s words but you shake your head furiously

“he’s been trying to get me to marry him for years. I don’t care about what he has to offer, I don’t want to marry anyone.”

yangyang has to take a moment to feel pity for you

you’re being pressured into marriage from all sides when you don’t even want anything to do with matrimony

yangyang remembers what you told him the day before, that you’re glad you’re being forced to marry someone like him

although the words don’t sit well with him, he’s taking them and running with the idea that you’d rather be with him than with jeno

“we need to break up this contract, it’s no longer relevant with my kingdoms current needs.” yangyang hears your father declare as he tunes back into the conversation

“we can’t just break a several decade old contract because you don’t like it anymore. we’ll have to do it properly; either a trade, a rewrite, or a duel.” king lee states

“I'll duel.” yangyang speaks up without a second thought and jaws drop as everyone turns to look at him, “I’ll duel lee jeno.”

“huh?” jeno glances at his dad to try and figure out how he just got himself into a duel

“yangyang.” kun gives a deadly glare to his younger sibling, a que to sit down and shut up, but as always, yangyang never listens

“If I win, the old contract is destroyed, if jeno wins, it stays.”

no one speaks, only turning to look at jeno for his acceptance of the deal

when he nods, the three kings disperse and kun orders the guards to get the courtyard ready for tomorrow’s duel

if yangyang thought his sleep a few nights before was bad, that night’s sleep was even worse

yangyang and jeno have been in the prince’s club for the same amount of time and have known each other for years

yangyang knows how good jeno is at dueling

the cause of his tossing and turning was not for the fear of getting hurt or nerves of not breaking the contract

it was mostly about how stupid he was to suggest to duel one of the most skilled princes in the area

the next day, yangyang is in his tent, an assistant helping him put on his protective gear when you walk in

yangyang dismisses the assistant and turns back around to put on his gear himself

you take small steps to him, clearing your throat

“thank you for doing this. you have no idea how much I appreciate it.” yangyang is reminded of the core reason for his actions:

you

and because he still gets that warm feeling whenever he’s around you and thinks of you, he pushes his nerves aside and turns to look at you

“will you help me put this on?”

you nod and step closer, helping yangyang secure one of his forearm guards 

“you’ll be okay... right?” you ask, your voice is full of jitters and you glance up at him for a second

“uh... well... jeno is pretty good at dueling and I..... have only done it three times before—”

“what?!” you yell, making yangyang jump 

he’s never heard your voice at that volume before, and now that he takes a good look at you, you seem less composed than you usually do

“how can you agree to a duel with jeno when you aren’t experienced?”

“I am experienced... I have three fights under my belt.”

“did you win any of them?”

“... I won experience...”

his answer makes you sigh, and yangyang tilts his head

“are you worried?”

“yes.” yangyang’s heart does a backflip in his chest, almost jumping out of his throat in the process, but he quickly reminds himself about what the reason for your worry could be

“I-I mean... you don’t have to. I'll make sure one way or another that you won’t have to marry jeno.” 

“that’s not what I'm worrying about right now... I don’t want you to get hurt.” yangyang feels like he’s about to pass out

you’re worried.... about him

he feels a rush of adrenaline fill him from head to toe

he thinks he might be able to do anything for you right at this moment

“I kind of made you do this, I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“hey,” yangyang gently takes your hand in his, stopping you from fiddling with his forearm guard, “whatever happens is not your fault, I made the choice to do this, so it’s my responsibility all the way to the end.”

you and yangyang share a moment of silence; he thinks that was probably the most grown up thing he has ever said

if yangyang thought his heart was done jumping for joy, the feeling is not yet over

you reach into your dress pocket and pull out a handkerchief 

it’s plain white, but your initials are stitched into the corner in purple thread

you tuck the piece of fabric between yangyang’s forearm guard and his sleeve, tying it around his wrist so that it doesn’t move

“you have my luck. please, yangyang, be safe.” and with that, you walk out of the tent

he feels like a new man when he walks out to the courtyard, sword in one hand and helmet in the other

he’s almost blinded by the adrenaline and thoughts of you from just a few minutes ago

he feels like he actually has a chance of winning this duel

however, once his helmet is on and the duel starts, yangyang faces reality

no matter how much adrenaline and hope he has, he still sucks at using a sword

his arm seems to weight a lot more than just a few minutes ago and jeno seems to be moving a lot faster than yangyang has ever seen him move before

the sound of metal clashing against metal and grunts leaving yangyang’s mouth fill the area, what seems like everyone from the castle watching on to see who’ll win the fight

yangyang thinks he’s about to lose until jeno retreats, letting yangyang take the offense and move closer

soon, yangyang has the upper hand and, by some miracle, jeno’s sword flies out of his hand, landing on the grass several feet away with jeno surrendering to yangyang

cheers and claps break out at the ending of the duel, but yangyang can’t hear anything, his shock too great to process what just happened

he drops his own sword, instead shaking his hand with jeno’s 

jeno accepts the gesture, pulling yangyang closer by his hand and leaning into his ear

“have fun marrying y/n.” he chuckles lowly, walking away from yangyang to join his father

yangyang’s rush from victory and accomplishment die down as he watches jeno’s back retreat

.... did he just throw the duel? so that he won’t have to marry you?

yangyang can’t believe that jeno would do something like that, but the smirk on his face as he sends yangyang one more look tells him that maybe yangyang’s guess could be right

yangyang’s attention pulls away from jeno to you, already making your way down to where yangyang is standing, feet almost running to get to him quicker

you meet him in the middle of the courtyard, slowing down as you reach him 

not knowing how to show your worry and affection, you grab onto his forearms and turn him to you, looking him up and down

“you’re okay?” you ask, pleading with your eyes for him to tell the truth

“yeah, I'm fine.” yangyang laughs; you don’t let go of him yet

“good. I don’t want my future husband to be hurt by me before we’re even engaged.” you try to joke, but yangyang doesn’t find it funny

instead, his smile sobers up and he opens his mouth a few times, trying to get the words stuck in his throat out into the thick air between you two

yangyang didn’t want to deal with his feelings right now, but he’s not sure if he’ll get the courage to confront you again

“so, I know you don’t want a relationship and that you feel forced into marrying me right now... but maybe one day that can be different?”

you swallow and keep staring at yangyang in response

“maybe... we can go on some more horseback rides, or maybe we can paint together someday?” yangyang’s confidence starts to fade when you’re not saying anything in return, your face still void of emotion

“I don’t know... I think I can learn to be a good husband.” yangyang finally gets his thought out, gaze falling as he kicks the ground lightly, waiting for your response

“yeah... I think I can learn to love you, yangyang” your response makes yangyang lift his head, the dumb smile on his face matching yours

maybe it’s okay that yangyang only partially won this game