“Your ordinary became my special. Your special became my ordinary.”

August D, People

“Run it again!” Viscount Kim commanded, “On three.”

“Can we take a break?” I asked, panting, holding my knees as I bent over breathlessly, “We didn’t even stop for a sip of water.”

He clucked his tongue. “You’ve gone soft, is what it was. Don’t feed me excuses, you used to go for hours.”

“Well, what do you expect, I was indoors most of the time!” I protested.

He waved me away. “Jungkook!” he called, “Get over here!”

My brother jogged past me. “Weak,” he jeered, holding up his staff, “I’m ready!”

A second later, he was on the ground, the wind knocked out of him as he looked up in surprise.

“Being arrogant and ignorant is a combination that sets you up for disaster!” Viscount Kim chided, “You, young man, are practically begging to be defeated. It’s adorable, if it wasn’t so predictable.”

My brother looked at me like he was about to cry.

I smirked. “Weak,” I said to him, gulping down water, before going to the viscount, “I’m ready.”

He scoffed. “I’m always ready,” he said, swinging his staff at me.

The sound of our staffs created an upbeat melody around the Courtyard, and I ducked in time for a blow to my shoulder, before flipping backwards, using my feet to kick his staff out of his hands, catching it with my other hand.

“Always showing off,” the viscount mocked me as I grinned, “Fancy footwork doesn’t save you in battle, princess.”

“Oh, please. I’m not even trying. And stop calling me that!”

“Why, my darling princess?” he asked, voice saccharine sweet, “Isn’t that what your husband calls you?”

“It should only be the husband calling her that!” Yoongi’s voice called from behind, and I made the mistake of getting distracted, “Last I checked, hyung, you’re not her husband.”

That mistake caused me to fall on my back beside Jungkook, who was watching us with admiration.

Viscount Kim’s staff hovered over my face. “You need to focus.”

I slapped it away. “And you need to be less condescending,” I told him.

He smiled wryly, throwing his staff aside as he offered his hands to me and my brother, pulling us both to our feet. “Good job nonetheless. Tomorrow morning. Same time, same place.”

“But I don’t want to meditate!” Jungkook whined.

“You don’t have a choice. Your sister did exactly that every morning for a month before I allowed her the liberty of a duel. Even then, it wasn’t my call,” he replied, “Go and wash up. Yoongi, get over here, you’re late.”

“I lost track of time,” he said, bowing, “I was painting.”

“And now you’ll pay dearly for it,” Viscount Kim said, lifting his staff to throw it at him, “You’ll practice with Eunji, since she’s clearly still full of energy.”

“I never said that!”

“Unfortunately, I am depleted of energy, so I’m going to take a good soak to keep out of this summer heat,” he said, marching away from us, “Enjoy your training.”

Yoongi turned to me. “What’s gotten into him?”

I shrugged. “He hates the weather. Been complaining about it since morning.”

We turned back to the viscount, who took a swig from his clay bottle - alcohol, most probably - as once mentioned. “But I was ready to spar with him,” he said wistfully, “He told me he was going to teach me some new moves.”

I raised my staff. “As his best - and favorite - student,” I said, a smug expression on my face, “I’m able to do that. No charge.”

“Is that so?” he asked, rolling up his sleeves, exposing his veiny hands that were momentarily distracting. “Go on, then.”

Focus, Eunji. He may be your husband outside training, but once you’re both on the Courtyard for a duel, all bets are off.

He scrunched up his face, keeping his eyes on me as I circled him. “No hard feelings, eh, princess?”

“Of course, my love,” I replied, keeping my distance as I diverted an attack, “You know it’s just strictly educational purposes.”

I lunged, our staffs clashing as I shoved him backwards.

He stumbled, recovering quickly as he used the momentum to spin…

...and trip to the ground, pulling me right on top of him.

“Oof!” he grunted, as our staffs fell to the ground beside us.

“Hah!” I yelled triumphantly, tapping his nose with my finger, “Like Viscount Kim said earlier, fancy footwork doesn’t save you in battle. You failed.”

He huffed, sweat clinging to his brow as he tried to breathe with me pressing against him. “Have you always been this annoying?”

I leaned closer until I was a breadth away from his face. “I don’t know, have I?” I whispered.

His eyes almost fluttered shut before I climbed off him, and I pretended not to notice the look of disappointment on his face as I stood up.

Too bad. You’re going to work a little harder for that.

“On your feet!” I told him, channeling my inner coach as I took my staff, “Run it again!”

He exhaled, running towards me, and I sank into my stance, meeting him halfway as I held my ground, using all my leftover strength to spar with him.

I let out an exhilarated laugh, anticipating his moves as he whacked his staff against mine. “No hard feelings, remember?” I taunted, as his hits gradually became more erratic, “Remember you still love me!”

“Do I?” he yelled back.

“I don’t know, do you, Yoongi?” I asked, tripping him.

He yelped as he fell against his back again, while I pointed my staff against him. “Now you’re just feeding your pride,” he complained.

“As I should,” I replied, helping him to his feet, “Up for a last round?”

“So soon? I thought you had so much to show me,” he baited.

“Now, now, I’m not the one with an arrogance issue here,” I singsonged.

His jaw twitched. “Oh, now you’re trying to bring up my curse,” he said under his breath, “Fine.”

Adrenaline pumped through me. “Aww...is my overgrown cat angry?”

He raised his staff, offering me a gummy smile that contrasted sharply against his intense gaze. “Surely it takes more than a chatty little mouse to anger me.”

I grinned, raising one eyebrow as he stared at me, the tension in the air heavy. “Come on, then.”

He let out a yell, running towards me with his staff held high, swinging it down so furiously that it whistled past my ear.

It cracked against the stone ground with a sickening thud, and I stared at him in surprise.

“I’m genuinely fearful for my life right now, Yoongi,” I egged him, deflecting his blow, “Are you trying to kill me?”

“How lowly you think of me,” he retorted back, as he held our staffs locked between us, “I only just married you.”

I gazed up at him mischievously. “A waste, wouldn’t it be, if I were to no longer exist?”

His eyes flickered downwards, reading my lips, before looking back at me. “A tragedy,” he lamented, “What would you do without me, my dear Eunji?”

“And I, you, Yoongi?” I sighed, as he leaned forwards, “It’s a shame you love me so. It’s your biggest weakness.”

With that, I hooked my foot around his, and tugged.

His eyes widened as his knee buckled, and in the next moment I had him pinned down on the ground again.

He looks so hot and bothered when he’s irritated.

I would be lying if I said it wasn’t attractive.

I patted his cheek as he scowled at me. “I love you too,” I reassured him, “Training’s over. Good job. You almost had me thinking it was going to be an easy fight.”

Before I could get up, he rolled us over until it was me under him.

My breath hitched. “As much as I love this view,” I said, punching his arm playfully, “Training’s over.”

He didn’t budge. “I’m aware of it.”

I started to feel flustered at the minute distance between our bodies. “Then move!” I said, squirming beneath him, “Accept the defeat like the loser you are; I’ll read your favorite book later or something to make it up to you.”

Yoongi lowered himself such that he supported himself with his forearms, trapping me with his body. “You can make up to me now,” he said, pinning my arm down as he kissed me.

My toes curled and I fidgeted, my heart pounding wildly such that I could only take little gasps to breathe. “Not here,” I said frantically in between kisses, “Are you mad?”

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