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Their first meeting was very official, a dinner with many honoured guests and facades to uphold so as not to shatter the image of perfection that naturally ran parallell to any mention of the word 'royalty'. Despite the occasional being the joining of two kingdoms, the young princes neither acknowledged nor spared each other a passing glance, after all, they had responsibilities to tend to and official introductions to be made.
For a party that was thrown in their honour, Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin seemed to derive the least enjoyment from the merriment that surrounded them and though they both understood the terms of which their betrothal had come to be, it could be said that neither party had completely come to terms with the agreement that they'd had no say in.
That could be why they both chose to discard their responsibilities and sneak away from the festivities, unknowing that their counterpart had made the same decision. The Northern Palace was an extensive structure in which people would have trouble finding them if their absences were discovered.
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Jeno made sure to discard the heavy burgundy blazer the second he was clear of the hall, hastily unbuttoning the unnecessarily decorative buttons and folding the crisp material over one arm. The cufflinks came off next, neatly paired on his palm before being unceremoniously shoved into his pocket to (hopefully never be seen again) ensure they didn't get dropped and lost. He'd always hated ties and bowties were no exception so he made quick work of the neat knot and left the red fabric dangling around his neck aimlessly before undoing the top button of his neatly ironed shirt and finally releasing a sigh of relief. The decorative rose that had been tucked into his blazer pocket was discarded with a snort and then Jeno felt as though he was no longer being stifled by formality.
You'd think he would've adjusted to it over the years but he still hated dressing up as much as he had when he was a child, only now, he'd learnt to bite his tongue and accept things, if only to make the event know question pass by faster.
The halls were rarely this quiet, staff bustling back and forth or whichever guests his parents had invited over making a fuss about some menial topic. It was nice to be able to pass through them in silence, to be able to think and not be interrupted by something of little to no consequence but brush it off with a smile that he hoped didn't look too fake.
There was no sound, the silence thick and heavy but ultimately comforting in comparison to the stifling chatter of the formal induction he'd barely managed to escape from. Jeno's peaceful train of thought was interrupted by the hollow sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway, the rhythmic tap tap tap giving way to the fact that someone was approaching fast. Idly, Jeno hoped that it wasn't his parents or one of the staff because he didn't have enough time or creativity to find somewhere appropriate to hide.
For a brief moment the tapping stopped all together, the silence being broken only by a frustrated sign and then nothing and Jeno figured he could risk a peak at who else was roaming the halls during this 'joyous' celebration. If anything, be was surprised by the lack of recognition as he took in the figure that was standing mere feet away from his position and that lack of recognition sparked his natural curiosity and drove him forward out of his less than stellar hiding place.
Perhaps the most note worthy thing about the boy was his hair, auburn and flying in a million different directions but still managing to look like the style was purposefully artful while simultaneously looking as though he'd just rolled out of bed. The velvet overcoat that was slung happlessly over one shoulder revealed that he was likely one of the people of higher status attending the event that evening and comically, Jeno found that the tapping had ceased because the boy had kicked off his polished black shoes and was now cradling them together in one hand.
Silently, Jeno stepped forward from behind the tapestry that had ill concealed him and the shuffle of movement caused the boys head to snap up, eyes searching and meeting his in both question and challenge. The brief once over he was given ended with eyebrows raised in surprise and shoulders relaxing from their previously tensed state. "What a surprise, to see the crown prince wandering the halls after dark during. His. Own. Celebration." The words slipped passed the strangers lips with a practiced lilt of superiority and though he was obviously well spoken, his stance was one of casual ease that detracted from the overall image of class. The final words were each punctuated with a step forward, disregarding Jeno's personal bubble and leaving very little space between them as he watched in expectation of Jeno's next move.
"My party. My rules." Jeno bit back in response, ducking around the other because his intent gaze was beginning to become a little disconcerting.
A laugh rang out through the hall, causing Jeno to spin and slap hand over the others mouth to out an end to the sound. "Shh! As entertaining as your company is, I'd rather not be caught and escorted back to that bothersome event." He hissed, scowling when he felt the other boy grin against his hand before darting his tongue out and licking a wet stripe over it, effectively making Jeno let go in disgust.
"I guess--I guess you'll do!" The other boy stuttered out between quiet gasps of laughter at his expense.
"I'll do? What exactly do you suppose to mean by that?" Jeno inquired, displeasure painted like a mural over his features as hid foot began to tap against the marble floor, a sure sign of his worsening mood.
"You really don't recognise me, do you?" Mr. Annoying(ly handsome) asked, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears and shoulders still shaking with silent laughter. The whole situation seemed to amuse him greatly and Jeno had a difficult time keeping track of why.
"I was so against the idea of this 'paper marriage' but I think I've changed my mind. You'll be a pretty good husband, once you finally learn my face, you're handsome and you appear to have a stick wedged so far up your ass that you'll have great posture for life!" He ticked the points off his fingers as he made them and Jeno became gradually more slack jawed at the blatant display of disrespect.
It took an inordinately long amount of time for all the facts to snap into place in his head but when the pieces did all fit together, Jeno suddenly felt both majorly pissed off and like an idiot.
"You're Na Jaemin, Crown Prince Na Jaemin of the Southern Kingdom. My--- future husband." Jaemin's grin grew impossibly wider at the statement, leaning back against the wall and seeing to take great pleasure from Jeno's mini meltdown in the middle of the hallway.
"So smart!" He cooed, eyes curving in crescent moons, "Does baby want a cookie as a reward?"
In that moment, shoving Jaemin further into the wall and pulling his fist back to possibly knock him unconscious, Jeno knew that the rest of his life was going to be a living hell. However, Jaemin caught his fist before it could make contact with his jaw (not difficult, seeing as Jeno wasn't much of a fighter) and reversed their positions.
"Now honey, wouldn't that be a story to tell the kids! How did you and daddy meet? Oh! I punched him in the face because I have zero restraint." Jeno scowled at the taunting, trying to wriggle out of the position he was stuck in but to no avail.
"I despise you," he hissed at the younger who appeared to take that as some sort of compliment and preened under the (negative) attention.
"It's okay," Jaemin chirped in response, leaning so close that Jeno might have considered headbutting him as a form of escape. "You'll soon learn that I'm very lovable."
It was shock that prevented Jeno from pushing the other away when he briefly connecting their lips before dropping Jeno's hands and hightailing it back down the corridor and it was a swirling mix of emotions that kept his feet glued to the floor instead of giving chase.
"See you later Sugar Pie!" Echoed back down the hall and Jeno decided that maybe-- just maybe he could make it through the next how ever many years without commissioning a hit man to take care of Na Jaemin.
It was a funny circumstance that the betrothed happened to meet while escaping from a celebration in their honour and it was persistence that meant the same thing happened at every following event. Jeno thought, that he liked the side of Na Jaemin that wasn't all formal speech and stifling dress robes even if that meant dealing with someone who didn't so much as seem to understand the concept of respect.
It would be interesting to see how they ruled a kingdom together.