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The floor warps and trips Jimin as he stumbles across it. It’s a large, chessboard square floating in a black abyss. Nothing else exists except this game of chess, where he is a pawn- he is the only pawn, and the rest of the pieces are gargoyles that snarl and try to claw at Jimin from their pedestals. Jimin narrowly escapes the snapping jaws of what he assumes is supposed to be a knight, but the horse is mangled beyond recognition, rotting skin and bone with fangs like a wolf. Fleeing so desperately from its reach has Jimin’s opposite shoulder hitting a solid object, and the phantom pain of his long healed arrow wound flares. He looks up at the tall, immovable mass. What looks down at him is the king of the board, made of gold, but his beautiful face- Jungkook’s face- is melting away into an ugly bronzy monster. The beast that emerges from the dripping gold is humanoid but so wretched and devilish that it takes Jimin a breathless beat to realize it’s Seokjin. A version of Seokjin that’s sunken and monstrous, looking more like a fabled wendigo than a man. Jimin tries to scream, but his lack of vocal chords allows no sound.He wrenches himself away, falling hard onto his side. He wastes no more time trying to stand, instead rolling onto his hands and knees to crawl away. The wavering tilt and shift of the board beneath him has him teetering and falling over and over again until he’s too dizzied to take it anymore. He curls up, covering his head with his arms, and sobs into the floor as the deafening ghoulish groans and banshee shrieks and feral growls fill the air around him. The edge of the board that drops into void can’t be too far, but even if his quivering arms and legs could drag his body there, he’s far too afraid of the oblivion. He’s trapped. A purgatory, but his only other option is the nothingness he fears so greatly will come after death.He starts to truly panic.He can’t breathe. When he tries to blink his eyes open, he can’t see, dancing dark spots crowding his vision. He can’t tell if the wicked creatures of this chessboard have torn out his eyeballs or if he’s just lacking oxygen. He doesn’t know if he’s dying or already dead.He tries to wail, to cry out for help, to scream until all the other noise stops, but again, nothing comes out.Through the blotches in his vision, he sees gold pooling between his fingers, the remnants of the king piece, of Jungkook. He tries to gather it, to form that face one more time before he completely blacks out, but all it does is stain his hands and drip down his wrists. He rests his head in the gold, tears flowing and mixing with its essence. He pressed his lips to the floor and silently mouths his name. Jungkook.Jimin prays that Jungkook lets him into heaven.As Jimin’s consciousness is consumed, he’s convinced he’s dying.And he’s grateful for it.~~~Seokjin watches the sunset in the ballroom, standing close to the floor-to-ceiling windows, peaceful.Jimin crawls on the floor somewhere behind him, heaving terrified breaths, sweaty palms squeaking as they slide across the marble. He’d bumped into Seokjin earlier, and when Seokjin had given him a warning glare in response, the concubine had spooked and fallen over in his haste to escape the potential wrath of his master. Or something along those lines, probably twisted into a nightmare inside his drugged up brain. The bad boy pills are seeming to do quite a number on the man, but Seokjin felt no sympathy. Jimin needs to be punished. He’s lenient when Jimin doesn’t know any better, but in this case, he did.Never mourn Jungkook.Seokjin tries not to let the mental image of Jimin crying as he clutched Jungkook’s favorite book ruin the serenity he feels as he watches over his kingdom, and soon to be his newest territory: the forest. Namjoon may have the palace, but Seokjin will have the people. He’s nervous, of course, but he doesn’t have the time or the leisure of letting himself really feel it. He needs to make big, risky moves. Ones that might expose his kingdom to attack, but if he plays it right, the other kings won’t even realize until he comes out on top. Besides, he’s taken a mix of his poorest and his most loyal citizens, recruiting them with the promise of shelter, food, and a good penchant to join his army. With Seaside now his and warriors from the tribe loyal to Seokjin, he has plans to utilize naval warfare if it comes to it. From sea, he can hold the cliff top palaces practically hostage with cannons aimed and ready.Once he has the forest, why stop there? The island can be his for the taking. The foolish kings he shares the land with will be his slaves- that is, if he decides not to slaughter them. While that would certainly get rid of them for good, there’s no satisfaction in it. At least Seokjin got to keep Jungkook as a pet for a while before getting rid of him.Thinking about it, Seokjin wouldn’t mind turning the other kings into slutty, pleading little concubine. So degrading, Seokjin actually shivers pleasantly at the thought. Their inferiority would be crippling.Jimin falls into concerning silence behind Seokjin. Seokjin turns, eyes finding the concubine slumped on the floor, breathing deep and even. Unconscious. Seokjin shakes his head in disbelief and turns his back again. One he wakes, he’ll be coherent enough to be useful again. Well, as long as he stops misbehaving.It took impatient hours for Jimin to even stir. Seokjin had left him on the floor, leaving to take care of things while a servant kept watch. As soon as someone came running to tell Seokjin that the concubine was waking, Seokjin was striding back into the ballroom, darkened by night. The pale luminance of the moonlight reveals Jimin lying on his stomach, pushing himself up on feeble, shaking hands. At the sound of Seokjin’s approaching footsteps across the marble, Jimin forces himself upright, swaying on his knees. When his dazed eyes find the king, who stops to stand over him, his mouth silently forms the word master.Seokjin cups Jimin’s jaw. Traces his lips with his thumb. Bends as if to kiss- but yanks the tie of Jimin’s robe, pushes it off his shoulders to pool at his elbows, and shoves the man onto his hands and knees again. “Whore,” Seokjin mutters, kneeling behind Jimin and raking up the back of the robe. He slides the sleeves up until Jimin’s hands are forced above his head, tangling the fabric together to keep them there. A harsh slap lands on Jimin’s propped up rear, and the concubine jerks away involuntarily. It’s not a pleasant little wince, but an abused flinch.Jimin has been stripped naked, and Seokjin hadn’t even dismissed the servants before he’d done it. He could care less if they watched; Jimin’s a concubine, they all know his only purpose is to pleasure and put on a show with his body.And the servants did indeed watch.Before the deal with Suga, before turning Taehyung into a concubine, before Jungkook, this is how it was. Seokjin would get his pleasure wherever he wanted it, whenever he wanted it. Or maybe he would simply show off his little slave. Make him strip, keep him nude save for jewelry, even kept him on a leash once. The mountain servants are used to it.However, many had left. Escaped, they’d called it. Most of who remains are Seaside warriors that Seokjin gave rank to. They’re only just witnessing Jimin’s body like this, the way he spreads his legs without being asked because he knows how this goes.“There’s my good boy,” Seokjin purrs, pleased to see Jimin comply to the treatment even after months of being pampered in ways he didn’t deserve. This is what he deserves. To be spread open on the floor with no protest on his lips. To think he said the safe word on behalf of Jungkook. Seokjin had been enraged, but hid it for the time being. Jimin got his punishment. And he’ll be getting it for a long, long time. “Have you learned your lesson?”Another slap, harder. Instead of reacting and almost pulling away again, Jimin just slumps, resting his cheek on the cold marble below him.“Tell them what you did,” Seokjin orders, knowing damn well he can’t. Jimin’s bleary eyes find Seokjin’s, brow set in confusion. “Tell them.” Slap. Red blooms over Jimin’s bare bottom. Jimin’s eyes start to water. “That’s it. Go on.” Once more, harsh over the already beaten spot, and a tear spills. And another. And Jimin lets his tears fall and drip on the floor beneath his cheek, showing them all what he did to deserve his punishment. “That’s right. Only cry because of me. Only do anything because of me. Got it?”Jimin nods, face sliding easily against the wet of his tears on the smooth floor. Seokjin could fuck Jimin right here if he wants.Instead, Seokjin delivers a fifth and final spank before shoving Jimin off the support of his knees, bare body against the floor, legs still spread and probably aching like the whore he is. Jimin takes it, not reacting, crying silently. He remains restrained on the floor until Seokjin snaps his fingers. “Up.” Like a dog.Jimin weakly gets to his feet, shivering and swaying, wrists bound at his navel. He doesn’t try to lower them to hide his nudity. He doesn’t have any dignity left. He’s a broken man. A porcelain doll, shattered and glued back together to fit Seokjin’s needs.“Master’s had a long day. Wash up and meet me in the bedroom,” Seokjin commands, placing a hand gently on Jimin’s cheek and inclines their heads. Jimin’s eyes twitch, but he doesn’t flinch. If he had, Seokjin would have slapped him. You expect a hit, you’ll get one. ”Don’t keep me waiting, baby,” he whispered, closing the short gap to press their lips together. Jimin kisses with fear and submission. Seokjin kisses with authority and dominance. It’s hungry, but neat and contained. A harsh taking if the concubine’s mouth with short licks and bites that will leave the man’s mouth cherry red. When Seokjin finally eases up, Jimin has fresh tears, and his fingers twitch to grasp the king’s shirt and keep him close. When they kiss, eyes closed and no words spoken, it’s easier to pretend that Seokjin still loves him. Seokjin calls it love, but Jimin isn’t sure a love so cruel can really exist. When Taehyung came along, Jimin started to truly believe that Seokjin loved him, and that he’d begin to take care of Jimin out of kindness instead of an obligation to keep his sex toy alive.Jimin was wrong. He sees it in the way Seokjin looks at him now. It’s the same as he used to look at Jimin, except worse. Jimin knows he’s teetering on the precipice of being worth keeping. He has to behave better so Seokjin doesn’t throw him away.“Master,” he mouths again. “I love you.”Seokjin smiles, but lately, every emotion the king expressed had a crushing emptiness behind it. Like he’s not even human anymore. A chess piece wearing a mask, about to call checkmate on the opponent.“Wear something pretty.”And Jimin’s heart shatters all over again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jungkook’s relatives stare down at him still, the same faces he’s always seen painted on the walls, the same inferior feeling squeezing his heart. The hall of portraits is untouched, as is most of the castle. A few broken windows, but Namjoon had them boarded up while he had stayed here. The room Seokjin had stayed in is the worst off, practically destroyed. He nearly killed me when I tried to stop him from kidnapping you, Hoseok had murmured, stepping over the shards of wood that remained of a desk. He’d looked down at it and winced with a memory. Slammed me right through this.Jungkook doesn’t know if he believes Hoseok. In fact, he’s inclined not to. Seokjin would never- but, no, he tried to kill Jungkook, so he would.Jungkook shakes it from his mind. He refuses to linger on the thought, or any thought involving Seokjin. He’s chilled by the way the mountain king threw him to the dirt and choked him with an overdose of pills, but at the same time, Jungkook loves him. He wants to immortalize Seokjin in his mind, maintain the man’s halo even if he has fallen from grace. Jungkook thinks he’d fall apart if he let himself dwell on the truth of what Seokjin did to him.He hurries from the hallway, suddenly feeling woozy. It brings him to the place he dreads most, but he ignores the feelings welling up in favor of collapsing into his throne, resting elbows on knees and face in hands.The portrait of Jungkook’s father had been put up in that hallway, at the very end. Jungkook didn’t have the will to look at it as he passed, but his face still surfaces into Jungkook’s mind anyways. Stern. Hard eyes. The same eyes he has. Was his vision impaired as well? Jungkook wonders, and it’s almost comical to think about. Every one of those men in those portraits with the poor Jeon eyesight, and they had no idea because they were too stubborn and ignorant about their “perfect” royal genetics.Or was it his mother’s genes?Jungkook shudders hard at the thought of her. He used to have a vague sense of her, some blurry memory from his childhood. After his all-consuming time with Seokjin, he can’t recall a thing. Even the voice of his father has started to fade- but never his face. They shared the same face, save for the shape of Jungkook’s mouth.“Jungkook,” a voice calls, and he sucks in a breath, sitting up. The room swims a little, but a hand on his shoulder steadies him as he sways. He looks up, finding narrowed eyes- yet they’re always inexplicably warm. Dark brows furrow over them, another hand coming up to grip Jungkook’s chin, keeping his gaze straight. “Are you okay?” Yoongi asks.Jungkook nods, but his head feels like it’s lolling a little bit. The cold fingers on his chin tighten momentarily so Yoongi can inspect his face. “I am,” Jungkook insists.“You’re pale. And that’s coming from me,” Yoongi mutters the joke, but he doesn’t look amused. “Have you eaten today?”Jungkook flushes. “Yes.”“Don’t lie to me,” Yoongi says without missing a beat, releasing Jungkook and taking a step back. Jungkook grips the armrests of the throne to keep himself stable. He opens his mouth to say more, but just then, Namjoon is jogging into the room, drawing both their heads.“Something’s wrong,” are the first words out of his mouth, and Jungkook swallows harshly. “There’s smoke in the distance. Joohyun has a bad feeling about it, and I agree.” Joohyun, Namjoon’s commander, is on duty in the guard tower. She’s got a keen eye and a keener sense. If she senses trouble, it’s usually accurate.Jungkook stands, an urgency blooming within him. “If we have to flee, there’s something- I need to-“ He can’t finish his thought, too distraught, and strides past Yoongi and Namjoon. They don’t hesitate to follow him, footsteps falling into line.“Jungkook, what is it?” Yoongi demands. The frostbite left his legs weakened, they presume permanently, and Jungkook can hear him struggling to keep up. One look over his shoulder confirms that Yoongi is hobbling like the elderly.Jungkook faces frontwards again, determined. “I need my plans, my family history, all my documents. It’s all I have left, the only proof that I’m king. If Seo-“ He chokes on the name. He always does. He hates it, but he can’t help it. “I can’t let it be destroyed.”Yoongi falls silent. Probably because this is the first time since Jungkook’s recovery that he’s shown a will to do anything. He’s been positively listless, having practically given up. Barely eats, hardly a wink of sleep. This sign of a fight left in him spurs Yoongi to keep up despite the discomfort of his legs. Namjoon hesitates to help, always reluctant to touch Yoongi or even get close to him, so Yoongi grits his teeth and deals with it on his own.It’s a relief to all of them when they get to the door of the late King Jeon’s study. Jungkook tries the knob, and when it doesn’t budge, he reaches above the door frame, sliding his fingers in search for the key. He was never allowed into the study, but he knows his father too well, and-Sure enough, he finds it, and as he draws it down, he slows. His time with Seokjin feels like it lasted years, and holding this key to his past is jarring. He stares at the metal in his palm like he’s afraid of it. Maybe he is. It’s his past, after all. What good was his past?But this is for the future, his brain tells him. Do I have a future? Seokjin thinks he killed me. Jimin is... and Taehyung hates me for it. My people probably think I’ve abandoned them, because I did, and they might not forgive me. What if- What if- What-“Jungkook,” Namjoon murmurs over his shoulder, and Jungkook tenses, curling his fingers over the key protectively.Without another word, he shoves it into the lock and bursts through the door, the franticness returning to him. He crosses the room to the desk, barely taking note of his surroundings- he’s honed in on what he’s here for. He yanks open desk drawer after desk drawer until-Yes. The filing drawer.He heaves out a stack of folders, each chalked full of papers. He collects it in his arms and finally looks up, eyes darting between Namjoon and Yoongi- and then past them. He freezes, almost dropping the precarious stack of files, but he eases it on top of the desk just in time.Namjoon and Yoongi share a confused look, especially as Jungkook approaches and brushes past them, squeezing between their bodies to get to what he has his sights on.A portrait.He stands in front of it, lips falling open slightly, eyes huge.With a shaking hand, he reached out to touch the silver frame, and then draws his fingers over the paint, feeling the lines of the brushstrokes that flow into the form of a beautiful, pale yellow dress. Then a smaller dress, white. Warm, golden skin. Two faces, two sets of dainty lips with a cupid’s bow Jungkook has seen in the mirror every day of his life. A pair of matching noses. Eyes, one set familiar, the other less so but radiating a warmth.A motherly warmth.Mother and child.Both women.Painted and hung on his father’s wall.Mother and sister.Jungkook jerks his hand away at the reality. “No,” he whispers, his blown pupils flying across the canvas. Not my father’s stone cold heart. His next exhale is shaky, but before he has any more time to process, Joohyun is running into the room.“He’s here,” she announces gravely. Her sword is at her hip, her long black hair loose and wild. “King Seokjin is here.”Namjoon, bewildered by Jungkook’s reaction to the painting but closest to the desk, carefully grabs the files. “Let’s go,” he urges. “Where’s Hoseok?”“Preparing for battle, sir,” Joohyun reports heavily, turning on her heel to lead them out. Yoongi grabs Jungkook, forcing him from the painting to follow behind the Western king and his commander. Jungkook feels cold all over, numb and once again dizzied, this time for a different reason entirely.“Is he crazy? We don’t even have half our armies here,” Namjoon growls.“The best course of action is to retreat while we can,” Joohyun agrees. “Trying to fight him now, in this terrain and with only so few of us- it’s a death trap.”“We can’t just leave Hoseok,” Namjoon stresses, and curses under his breath. “But if we stay, our numbers will suffer. We need to save our men for when we can defeat him.”“Exactly.”“Was this Seulgi’s idea?”“No. She agrees with me, but she can’t go against King Jung’s final command,” Joohyun explains, rounding a corner and starting towards the front of the palace. “They’re in the guard tower now, waiting for you.”“You have to convince him to retreat,” Yoongi speaks up from behind. Namjoon looks over his shoulder in surprise.“But you-““I led a clan of warriors, but even I know this is suicide. Use your words, Namjoon, they’re powerful. Talk sense into him,” Yoongi insists, still dragging a dazed Jungkook along. “I need to get Jungkook out of here. Whatever he saw in that painting-““Mother,” Jungkook mutters, but it‘s strung out like a groan, distressed.Namjoon takes a minute to reply, long enough for them to push through the front doors of the palace. Thick smoke is rising above the canopy of trees, in the distance but still far too close for comfort. Jungkook’s stomach dropped into his gut, shock after shock leaving him feeling horrifically numb all over, and he stops. The rest of the group stops with him, staring at him, but he can’t take his eyes off of the smoke. His forest, his forest, burning to the ground. Because of Seokjin.“Take him,” Namjoon finally decides. “Get him out of here.”The king goes to descend the front steps of the palace, but Yoongi reaches out and grasps him by the sleeve at the last moment.“Stay safe,” is all the chief says, so very softly.Namjoon visibly swallows. As soon as Yoongi releases him, the king bows his head in embarrassment. “You too.” He clears his throat, looking away. “I’ll, um. I’ll make sure Hoseok returns untouched.”He hurries away, Yoongi floundering like he has more to say, but Namjoon is already crossing the grounds towards the guard tower, Joohyun on his heels. Seulgi and Hoseok meet them at the door, and Hoseok searches over Namjoon’s shoulder until he finds Jungkook and Yoongi still on the stairs. Yoongi shares a brief, intensive look with Hoseok before hooking his arm through Jungkook’s and pulling him down and to the left, around the palace to where they kept the horses.“Jungkook, help me,” Yoongi begs as he tries to tack a horse. Jungkook remains stiff and unresponsive. Yoongi takes him by the shoulders and shakes him, rattling the young man enough to get his attention. Yoongi holds his gaze strongly, trying to penetrate the shell shocked boy. “Whatever you saw, you can panic later. Right now, we need to leave.”Jungkook nods shakily, and it’s enough to spur him into action. He prepares the horse quickly, and as he does, other soldiers filtering to the side yard to do the same for their own. Once the horse is ready, he helps Yoongi onto the saddle, sliding on behind him, they have yet to see Hoseok or Namjoon again. “Shit,” Yoongi curses, taking hold of the reins. “Where are they? Yah!” The horse snuffs and starts forward in an abrupt canter. Jungkook wraps his arms around Yoongi tightly and squeezes the horse’s flank with his thighs and calves.The gates are already open when they ride through them. Jungkook looks around in alarm, seeing flame licking up trees in the distance. He feels ill looking at the fire eat away at the bark, fearing for the lives of the citizens. How could Seokjin do this? How could he bring terror and danger to innocent villagers like this just to draw them out?Instead of riding into the thick of it, where Jungkook distantly hears pounding hoofbeats and chanting men, Yoongi steers them around the edge of the castle’s outer walls. Jungkook recognizes the spot where he’d fallen, fatigued and injured, and realizes with a jolt just how reminiscent this escape is to the first siege of his palace those long months ago. Fleeing instead of fighting. Where is Jisoo? Where is Taehyung? Will the other kings get out alive?Jungkook bites his lip, and the movement of the horse forces his teeth down harder, keeping him present in his mind. Yoongi’s right, he thinks, tasting metal. I can’t blank out now. I also can’t back out.Jungkook reaches around Yoongi and snatches the reins from the chief’s hands, drawing abruptly backwards and to the side. For one horrifying second, the horse’s front hooves are off the ground, and Jungkook gets that false feeling of falling before they hit the ground again and he and Yoongi are still safely on its back.“What are you doing?” Yoongi barks, trying to fight for control again, but with a hard kick of Jungkook’s heels, the horse is taking off in a new direction. Towards the flame and the howls of soldiers ready for war. “Jungkook!”“This is my fight,” Jungkook insists, trying to maintain his grip on the reins, but it’s hard from behind Yoongi. With a harsh tug from the chief, the horse is slowing in confusion, turning in several directions with uncertainty. “Please!”“It’s not! Not any more,” Yoongi grunts, grappling with Jungkook’s iron grip.Jungkook’s heart sinks at the words. “Because I have nothing?”“No, because it’s not their fight either,” Yoongi snaps. “They’re retreating.”“We didn’t see them with the rest of their troops. What if-”“Trust them-”“I can’t-”“Jungkook-”The horse rears.Jungkook is the first to slip off, crying out before he even hits the ground and getting the breath knocked from him when he does, tears immediately springing to his eyes in shock. He gasps, unable to find his air, floundering when he sees the panicking horse stomping and bucking above him. One misplaced hoof and Jungkook will be-It rears again, finally throwing Yoongi, and gallops away in the opposite direction of the burning forest. Jungkook’s hands scrape uselessly at the ground, fingers digging through dirt and leaves trying to regain some semblance of orientation. A few feet away from him, Yoongi lays immobile on his side, groaning. When Jungkook can draw stuttering breaths again, he tries to roll onto his hands and knees to crawl to Yoongi, but finds the world spinning when he so much as tilts his head in the chief’s direction. He feels warm wetness on the back of his head and the jutting of a rock digging into him. Shakily, he reaches his hand up, touching the base of his skull. When he pulls it away, his fingers are smeared with red. Jungkook feels abruptly sick to his stomach.Yoongi pulls himself together, shaking off the fall with a breathless grunt. When he sees Jungkook bleeding profusely from a head wound, he sways and stumbles over to kneel beside the forest king.“Jungkook,” he mutters, just as the younger man starts to choke and splutter. Yoongi rolls him onto his side just in time for Jungkook to vomit into the grass. He’s beginning to feel the throbbing pain spiking through his head. It feels like his skull has been cracked in half and his brain pierced with the shattered remains. He trembles as he throws up clear, foamy bile and nothing more. He can barely see, vision clouding with blackness and swimming like he’s drunk and has the spins.“Yoon- Yoongi,” he coughs out the name. Hot tears stream down his face. He’s so scared, the only thing grounding him being the solid grip Yoongi has on him. He flails out a hand in desperation, and Yoongi takes it, squeezing it comfortingly.“It’s okay, kid, you’ll be okay,” Yoongi murmurs, but Jungkook can hear the anxiety in his tone, looking all around them for any signs of hostile mountain soldiers. “Fuck, they can’t find us. We won’t be so lucky if they try to kill us this time.”Jungkook whimpers, heaving one more time before he starts to completely black out. It’s a physical battle to keep his eyes cracked open, to move his mouth to say, “Seokmin.”He feels Yoongi freeze. “Seokmin,” he repeats. “Yes. Yes, Jungkook, where does he live?”“Code-“ He has to stop to draw in a gasping breath. “Code name. DK. Yoongi, I can’t-““Stay awake, Jungkook. Come on, focus on me,” Yoongi begs, jostling the king’s shoulder gently. Jungkook tries to shake his head, but he’s not sure if he succeeds. All he can feel is the splitting pain pulsing through it. He lets out a broken sob. “Shh, Jungkookie,” Yoongi soothes. Jungkook lets his eyes close, finding it impossible to stop them any more. The nickname is comforting. He can vaguely make out Yoongi cursing, but it sounds like his ears are underwater. He barely feels Yoongi shaking his body again, trying to rouse him and keep him conscious.He just can’t fight it when the darkness drags him under.
When Jungkook wakes, he’s in an unfamiliar place. He’s no longer in a bed of grass and leaves on the forest floor, but nor is he in his old bedroom at his palace. For some reason, the first thought that floats to his mind is of the portrait in his father’s study. It makes his breath hitch just thinking about it, so he brushes it to the side for later, instead trying to gauge where he is.The first thing that concerns him is that Yoongi is nowhere in sight. He sits up, and a wave of nausea hits him as his brain is rattled. He puts a hand to his head, trying to stable it. There’s a bandage wrapped around it like a woman’s headband, and when Jungkook follows the gauze, he finds it tied into a little bow at the top. He blushes at the thought of what he must look like, but knows he has bigger problems.He’s in a dimly lit bedroom, only a single lit candle on the bedside table, the wax melted down low and pooling in the dish below. The bedspread draped over his lap is a simple dark green, as are the heavy curtains that are drawn over the windows, giving no hint as to where on the island he is. However, the oak bed frame and dressers indicate he’s still somewhere in the first.He pushes the comforter off of himself, finding that he’s been stripped of his no doubt dirty clothes from the day. His chest is bare and sticky with drying sweat- he must be running a fever, for he still feels uncomfortably warm all over. He wears soft cotton pants that he knows aren’t his because they’re tight around the thighs.Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he wonders if he can stand without vomiting when there’s a streak of waxing light spilling into the room. Jungkook squints and looks to the door, headache still thrumming, the stab of light exacerbating it.“You’re Highness, please lay down, you have a terrible concussion.”Jungkook’s eyes widen at the formal speech and that familiar voice, and when his pupils finally adjust to the light, who he sees entering the room.Yoongi found him. Seokmin pauses halfway to the king’s bedside, smiling softly before going into a deep bow. Jungkook had almost forgotten what it feels like to be treated like a king. “It’s good to see you again, King Jungkook. I’m surprised to know you’re alive, but extremely grateful.”Jungkook furrows his brows. “What-“ He tries to speak, but his voice is rough and parched. Seokmin hurries over and presents the glass of water left on the nightstand. Jungkook gulps it down, all the while trying to let everything sink in. When he feels quenched enough, he licks his lips and starts again. “What do you mean? You thought I was dead?”Seokmin seems surprised by how much Jungkook talks, but doesn’t comment on it. “Well, yes. We all did. I’ve been running messages between a man who goes by Hoshi in the mountain palace and the clifftop kings. The last time I went to retrieve a message, no one met me. When I asked a mountain citizen, I was… I was told that you betrayed Seokjin, so Seokjin killed you.”Jungkook can barely breathe, hearing it aloud. He shakes his head, even as it makes him feel worse. “No. No, he- he threw me away. Said he only wanted me to get to my kingdom, but I’d become too much of a burden. He tried to kill me and failed. He doesn’t know I survived. Who do you mean by we all?”Seokmin’s expression grows sad. “The forest citizens. Everyone.”Jungkook swallows hard against the lump in his throat. Instead of acknowledging the hurt that followed that revelation, Jungkook asks, “Where’s Yoongi?”“Yoongi? Is that the man that brought you here?” When Jungkook nods, Seokmin’s shoulders seem to slump with relief and he chuckles. “He’s in my kitchen. He wouldn’t tell me his name or what happened. He kind of just collapsed as soon as you were patched up and put to bed. I’m surprised he made it here with you on his back, he can’t seem to move his legs any more.”Jungkook nods guiltily. “Ah. Yes, they’re quite damaged. I’m surprised. Where are we?”“Close to Seaside territory, though that’s all taken by King Kim of the mountains now. There’s a mix of warriors and mountain citizens that live there now. I’m guessing he’s clearing out all those overcrowded inverted apartments, which is good for those poor souls who lived there, but bad for our kingdom. King Kim of the cliffs has been protecting the forest, in a way, making sure it’s been self-sustaining while you were captured.”Captured. That doesn’t sit well with Jungkook at all. He wasn’t captured, he’d gone with Seokjin willingly and even enjoyed his stay there. Was pampered and sexually pleased and living each day leisurely. “Well, the palace has fallen to- to him now.” Jungkook winces, despising how he stutters every time, without fail, at the mention of him. Seokmin’s face falls, stricken, and Jungkook adds, “King Hoseok and Namjoon hopefully retreated and are rounding their troops. Once they’ve rallied their full forces, it’s certain victory. The kingdom will go to them, at least. Anything but him. I saved all of my proof as king, but I wouldn’t blame them or any of my citizens for not trusting me to be king again after this is all over.”“I think you’d have more support than you think, Your Highness,” Seokmin assures him, even as Jungkook hangs his head in shame. God, they don’t even know how wretched and cowardly I am. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You were kidnapped. Everyone will be so happy with news of your livelihood.”Jungkook opens his mouth, but what can he say to Seokmin? Without spilling all the ways in which he’s a failure as a ruler, what can he possibly say in response to such a hopeful sentence? Fortunately, he’s saved from speaking by the door opening again. Yoongi leans heavily against the wooden frame, knees weak and legs shaking. At the sight of Jungkook, awake and upright, Yoongi’s stone cold demeanor collapses- along with his body. He slides down to his knees, but the corners of his lips are twitching up.“Thank god you’re okay,” he says, “Hoseok and Namjoon would have killed me if I brought you back with brain damage.”“Well, he does have a concussion, but he’ll make a full recovery,” Seokmin informs Yoongi, not even flinching at the quick return of the man’s guarded expression. He even offers to help Yoongi up, to which the chief almost refuses to accept.“He’s trustworthy,” Jungkook tells Yoongi. “Let him help.”At Jungkook’s insistence, Yoongi eventually relents, letting Seokmin take the brunt of his weight as he leads him to sit at Jungkook’s bedside. At the same time, he ushers Jungkook to lay back down, propped up by pillows.After fetching tea and soup for Jungkook, Seokmin drags a chair from his kitchen into the bedroom, sitting next to the bed and resting his elbows on his knees to talk. “If I may ask now, what is your story, Yoongi?”Yoongi stopped with his teacup at his lips, pursing them. Jungkook fidgets his hands in his lap. Yoongi sighs, and says, “I’m Min Yoongi, but you probably know me as Chief Suga of the Seaside Tribe.” Then he takes a pointed sip of his tea.Seokmin’s eyebrows shoot up. “How on earth-?”“When Kim Seokjin demonized me to my own people and left me to die in the cold of winter, the only people I could run to were Hoseok and Namjoon. Even before all that happened, we’d been communicating through letters. Seokjin was sending people to be tortured in my territory and trying to run it like a military camp, and I was starting to seriously regret my alliance and trade with him. I tried to meet up with Jungkook to save him,” Yoongi explains, eyeing the king, who tries not to tremble as he eats, “but he’d been severely manipulated by Seokjin. Even my right hand man turned his back on me, so I don’t blame him, but we got caught and that was when I was chased from my own territory. Turns out King Seokjin is pretty shit at killing, despite his record.”“Wait, his record?” Jungkook speaks up, alarmed. “You mean his parents?”“No. I didn’t actually know that. I mean, I always figured, but…” Yoongi clears his throat. “No, I mean his executions. You’re telling me you didn’t know?”Jungkook’s expression was that of alarm and confusion. “No.”Yoongi scoffs. “He was doing it right under your nose. The bastard. Did he ever hold hearings?”“O-Often…”“Did he send his concubine to run off and keep you company?”“Always, but only one.”“That’s because the other was collared and at Seokjin’s feet, witnessing executions of anyone who can’t work any more, anyone too disabled to contribute, anyone who wasn’t useful any more.”The words coming out of Yoongi’s mouth hardly make sense to Jungkook, they simply refuse to seep into his mind. Realizing this, Yoongi shakes off the topic, turning to Seokmin.“We have to flee. Preferably tonight, while it’s dark and Seokjin’s still settling into the palace. Do you have a horse?” He doesn’t ask if they can take it, just asks if he has one because it’s an obligation to the king to hand it over if he does. Once again, Jungkook dislikes knowing that.“Of course, but are you both well enough for the journey?” Seokmin asks nervously.“We don’t have much choice,” Yoongi responds gravely.Seokmin chews on his lip for a minute, looking between the two, trying to get a read on their wellbeing. Finally, he says, “Let me accompany you. I have two horses. If you’re willing to ride together-““I’m not so sure after what happened last time,” Yoongi jokes under his breath, entirely facetious, but Jungkook ducks his head with culpability.“I’m sorry. I-“ Ruin everything. Always cause problems. Am terrible. Am useless. Am worthless. He bites his tongue.“Tonight, then,” Yoongi decides, voice going soft. A comforting hand squeezes Jungkook’s leg. For all that Yoongi can act cold upon first meetings, the chief has an incredible warm and mellow heart. Jungkook hates himself for being forgiven so easily. “Can you do it, Jungkook?”Jungkook nods. His head still aches and he still feels sick and dizzy, but he feels he has no room to complain, not when he did this to himself.~~~When the three weary travelers enter the gates to the Jung palace early the next morning, servants scatter in order to find and inform the king of their arrival. The sky is painted watery pink with the sunrise cresting over the sea. It’s as their horses are being led away and Jungkook and Seokmin are helping Yoongi up the steps that several people burst from the doors to greet them.Hoseok doesn’t wait for Yoongi to finish climbing the stairs before he’s barrelling into the chief, Jungkook and Seokmin just barely holding on tight enough so the two don’t tumble down.When Hoseok stabilizes himself again, tucking Yoongi’s smaller body against him and rocking back and forth, Seokmin respectfully steps aside and Jungkook keeps ascending. When he makes it to the landing, he’s met with his own crushing hug, and he stiffens when he realized who it is.Jungkook’s vision is filled with dirty blonde hair, his nose infiltrated by lingering rose bath salts, his skin alight with the hearth-like heat he always seems to emit like a personal furnace. Taehyung.When Jungkook doesn’t react, Taehyung jerks away, wrapping his arms around himself instead. His eyes are bright and glistening, so very sad while at the same time so very relieved.“S-Sorry,” he stutters out. He does that now. Stutters horrifically. It’s a tick, audible proof of how torn apart and anxiety-ridden he is. He can’t bear to keep the same position too long, shifting on his feet and untucking his hands from beneath his arms to wring them together. “I th-thought you were… I thought you were-““I’m alive,” Jungkook whispers, still unmoving, muscles tense even though they’re terrible fatigued.Taehyung nods jerkly, taking two more steps back. Jungkook stares at the stone beneath their feet, unable to look at Taehyung for too long. It was a mixture of betrayal, uncertainty, and the fact that Taehyung doesn’t look the same. He’s a husk of the man Jungkook knew. It hurts to witness. “Sorry,” Taehyung repeats, because he knows he shouldn’t have touched Jungkook. They haven’t touched, hell they’ve barely spoken, since the day he’d crouched over Jungkook’s body as he lay against a wall of thorns and roses. The day Jungkook whispered I love him. Not I love you, but I love him. I love Seokjin.Jungkook had managed to keep himself from being sick the entire rough ride to the cliffs, but now it’s bubbling up inside him and he’s afraid he’ll faint if he stands here and listens to Taehyung’s deep, melancholy stuttering any longer.He rushes past him, through the open doors to the great front hall where a long ornate carpet leads to the pedestal where the throne sits. Jungkook looks around frantically, having never been in this palace. When he spots Namjoon coming from a side corridor, he meets him halfway.“I need-“ Jungkook begins, but cuts off as he trips. Namjoon catches him at the elbows, concern drawn on his handsome face.“The infirmary?” Namjoon inquires, and Jungkook nods helplessly, temples thrumming with a heavy, painful beat. Carefully, Namjoon grazed his fingers over the bandages at the back of Jungkook’s head, now secured to his neck with medical adhesive instead of the ridiculous gauze headband. “I’m guessing you have one hell of a concussion.” Jungkook nods again, unable to speak through how tightly he’s gritting his teeth against his exponentially increasing agony.Jungkook doesn’t like the fact that he’s placed right back into bed, having a bad feeling it’s where he’ll spend his time recovering for another day at least, but the nurses that greet him all seem very kind at least. Namjoon mumbles something about get better and need to see Yoongi, but before he can leave, Jungkook catches his shirtsleeve.“Wait. I don’t want to bother you more, but if you could find Jisoo…”Namjoon looks back at Jungkook, eyebrows raised. At first, Jungkook thinks he’s being annoying, and snatches his hand back with the intention of apologizing; but then Namjoon is smiling, dimples lighting up the room. “Jungkook, if we thought you were a bother, we wouldn’t go through nearly as much effort as we have to retrieve you from King Seokjin and make sure you’re safe. I’ll send a servant bring him, it’s no big deal.”Jungkook blinks at Namjoon with the biggest, most frightful eyes and they both wonder if the man will ever stop fearing everyone around him. He had, with Seokjin. Seokjin made Jungkook feel happy and loved enough to let his guard down. But now that the trust Jungkook gave has been obliterated? Who knows if he’ll ever have faith in anyone again, including himself.“Thank you,” he says quietly.Jungkook doesn’t understand their kindness and devotion. Jungkook is nothing, especially without his kingdom now. Just a man- barely. More like a boy, with how stupid he’s been. Believing that Kim Seokjin ever loved him. Did Jimin? Did Taehyung? Was Jungkook just a silly little plaything at the time? Laughable because of his cluelessness?Taehyung was scared for Jungkook today, though. Maybe he’s just like that because Jungkook’s the closest reminder to Seokjin and Jimin. Jungkook doesn’t know. But the kings? The kings have no reason to care for Jungkook. He’s just some kid they only met once before.The only conclusion Jungkook can come to is some ulterior motive, but what? If they fight and defeat Seokjin’s army, the forest kingdom is as good as theirs if they decide to rule. One could take the forest, the other could take the mountains, and if they’re generous, maybe Yoongi will be allowed to rule the beaches again. Jungkook won’t fight for his land if they want it. Anyone but Seokjin. That’s all he can think and hope for. He couldn’t fight for it even if he wanted it back. Him and what army?By the time Jisoo shows up, Jungkook is pensive and brooding. They both look a mess. Jungkook knows that the torture Yoongi spoke of last night was conducted on Jisoo, and the lasting effects of it are clear. He’s still crooked with his damaged shoulder, the same tall and lanky man Jungkook’s always known, the same man he even kissed once. It’s funny to think of now. What’s not funny is the lingering terror behind Jisoo’s eyes. He’s calm now, but Yoongi had quietly warned Jungkook that he has episodes every so often.Jisoo’s lips upturn timidly. He stands with his hands behind his back, still prim and proper like a palace servant. “King Jungkook. You’ve made it back mostly in one piece,” he jests. Out of everyone, Jisoo has treated him the most normally. Just like he used to. It’s incredibly refreshing.“Just Jungkook. Not king any more,” Jungkook corrects him, looking down at his fingers, which he twists together. “At the same time it’s nice to say that, it also breaks my heart.”“I’m sorry, Jungkook,” Jisoo says, and sits on the edge of the bed, body angled towards Jungkook. “I’m not sure what to say.”Jungkook shakes his head. He’s not sure either. “Never mind it. I actually… Before my father made you my full-time babysitter,” Jungkook starts facetiously, and it makes him happy to hear Jisoo’s responding chuckle, “You trained with his most trusted servant, yes?” When Jisoo nods his affirmation, Jungkook finally scratches that itch that’s been bothering the back of his mind since he’d fled the forest. “There’s a portrait in my father’s personal office, the one only he and select servants were allowed to enter. You told me where the hidden key was, so you must have been in there before. Is that portrait my mother?” He asks shakily. “And… a sister?”Silence falls. Jisoo closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them, there’s something final about it. “I think it’s about time I explain it to you.”“Explain what?”“Everything. Your father, his secrets. Your whole family.”“So it is. That portrait is my mother, and I have a sister? Why was she kept alive? Was she given away? Jisoo-“Jisoo holds up a hand to stop him. “Yes, Jungkook. That portrait is of your mother and sister, about a year before you were born. Clearly, your sister was still a baby when the portrait was painted. King Jeon didn’t wait long before trying again and finally getting a male heir. All throughout Jeon history, if a female was born, she was either killed, or the more merciful kings left her to an orphanage. Your father… your father was different. I know you only saw his cold, cruel side. The way he raised you is unacceptable regardless, but there is an explanation. He raised you to think nothing of women and taught you the ways of his ancestors because your father was in love with your mother and refused to separate her from their daughter.”Jungkook’s stomach gives a harsh swoop. He feels himself go pale. “W-What?”“Your grandfather was dead at that point, which… well, I’ll explain that at another time,” Jisoo says darkly, pausing a moment to shake his head clear. “If not for the conservative royal courtsmen, your father would have been happily married to the queen with his two healthy children until the end. The court allowed the daughter to live and grow up in the palace, but only if she was kept away from you so you had no memory of her. When you grew old enough and no longer needed your mother, the king was forced to send her and their daughter out of the palace. She was supposed to die, and the little girl was supposed to be given away, but your father protected them. Claimed he did the deed himself to appease the court, but in reality, he sent them to a remote forest village and never saw them again.”Jungkook lays back against the pillows, feeling floaty and strange. He doesn’t know how to react because all the information has yet to process. “Oh,” is all he gets out. “And about my grandfather’s death?”Jisoo’s brows draw together, and he looks away. “Every Jeon king has fallen ill and died by the age of fifty, give or take a few years. Your father died at forty-five.”That’s what does it. That’s what makes Jungkook’s heart plummet and race somewhere deep in his ribcage, quaking his whole body. Suddenly, he’s hyper aware of how he’s breathing and the rush of blood in his ears. It takes a lot just to speak without choking. “So I’m destined to die in another twenty-something years?” Jisoo says nothing, so Jungkook just nods, squeezing his eyes shut. “And I have a living mother and sister out there somewhere. In the forest kingdom, which Seokjin now has control of.” He wipes at the threatening tears in his waterline with the heels of his palms. “Okay.”“I’m sorry, Jungkook,” Jisoo repeats.Jungkook cracks.And Jisoo draws him into a familiar embrace as he shivers and cries, his sorrow turning into sobs of pain as it worsens his migraine until he’s gasping for breath and nurses have to rush over and feed him pills that he momentarily panics over before remembering no, they’re not out to kill you, not like Seokjin.And everything just hurts until the drugs kick in and then everything’s just numb.~~~When the good boy pills wear off, Jimin comes out of his dreamy, oblivious state and short but intense slumber to find himself in a castle he’s never seen before. He pushes himself off the floor, getting to his knees before realizing a gilded chain attaches his collar to a silver throne. Everything is silver and blue, and when he looks up, the tall, domed ceiling is painted with clouds and angels. He swallows thickly, mouth filled with the overproduction of saliva that always comes with the good boy pills, and wipes the corner of his lips in case he’d drooled when he’d passed out.He doesn’t know if it makes him feel better or worse to not see Seokjin anywhere. It’s not the first time Jimin has been left to wake up in a panic, but at least he knew where he was before. He’s become so heavily dependent on Seokjin for everything- freedom from his chains, food and water, hygiene- that it makes him nervous to be left in this strange place with the king nowhere in sight. At the same time, alone time is nice, as long as he knows Seokjin will return to take care of him again. He doesn’t know that, though. Maybe he’s been abandoned. Maybe he’s been kidnapped, but whose palace would be so empty and why would he be left unguarded?He doesn’t try to tug on his chain or even the weaker velvet of his collar. He knows it’s leather underneath the soft exterior, too thick and tough to tear. He knows better than to waste energy on it. Learned helplessness. Seokjin succeeded in that so far. Jimin’s sure he’s subconsciously conditioned to do other things, but what does it matter if he takes notice or not? He has no choice but to obey. Sit. Stay. Spea-Well. Not that any more.He shivers as a breeze rolls in, and scans the room until he finds that all the stained glass windows lining the wall to his right are cracked open. It’s not too cold, but definitely not the warm weather of springtime yet. With the gust of wind comes the thick smell of smoke, and Jimin’s pulse leaps to his throat.
Did Soekjin leave me here to burn alive?
But that makes no sense. The palace he sits in is mostly stone beyond the pale blue and white carpet he sits on.Jimin jumps when a door opens behind him, and footsteps approach. He shifts to look, chain rattling and neck straining, dreading to find that it’s Wonwoo. Then again, he would have dread anyone who came through that door, unless it had miraculously been Taehyung. Wonwoo was a unique brand of sinister, though. Jimin knows he’d once tortured a man to the brink of death and back again, over and over, under Seokjin’s instruction. Jimin just fears that one day, Seokjin will order him to do the same to Jimin. Every day is already torture, why not add physical to the psychological?He smirks, and Jimin fights the urge to grimace. “The little whore’s awake, I see. Wondering where you are?”Jimin hesitates, but nods. It always feels like defeat to respond to Wonwoo. He’s not Jimin’s master, yet if he misbehaves, Seokjin has given him full permission to punish Jimin in any way he wants. Jimin has yet to give him any reason to explore the realm of possibilities within that power. Jimin’s terrified Wonwoo will try to use his body. He’d rather a beating. Jimin has come to once again hate sex, like he used to when he was a lowlife slave being bought and sold to gross, old men and women.Wonwoo spreads his arms, walking around Jimin to stand before the throne. Then, to Jimin’s horror, he sits in it, leaning back and crossing his legs. He settles in, humming as he gets acquainted to the feel. Then, smugly, he says, “Welcome to the forest kingdom. While Seokjin tours the land, weeding out traitors, resistors, and anyone who may have connection to Jungkook,“ Jimin flinched at the name, and Wonwoo’s shark-like grin grows, “I’ll be king for a day.”Jimin’s eyes widen, mouth falling open.“Now,” Wonwoo says loudly, clapping his hands together, making Jimin cower. “Be a good little slut for me, yeah?” No, Jimin thinks, taking on a sickly pallor. “Show your king how much you worship him.” Wonwoo leans his head back, uncrossing his legs to spread them, closing his eyes. “And don’t keep me waiting, songbird. Show me what that mouth is worth now that it can’t sing.”Jimin forces back a sob, and he obeys.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jungkook looks truly lifeless. He’s starting to liken to Taehyung’s brand of miserable, which entails finding a spot to curl up in and staring out the window. At least when Namjoon coaxes Jungkook out to the cliffside garden for some tea and lunch, he goes without fuss.Seokjin took over the forest kingdom two days ago. When Namjoon had left Jungkook in the infirmary to talk to Jisoo, he’d gone to find Yoongi to welcome him back, but was informed that he and Hoseok had gone off for private time. The king and the chief have been inseparable since, and even though they try to invite Namjoon to spend time with them, Namjoon refuses to intrude on their alone time unless it’s strictly for business.The problem with that is Namjoon is a people person. He grew up with Hoseok, they’ve been best friends since birth because of their parents’ strong alliance. They took and still take trips to each other’s kingdoms often, Namjoon carting his retired parents over with him a lot of the time. That’s just how close their families are. And for the longest time, Namjoon had this idea, this crazy idea, that maybe they’d marry to merge their
kingdoms. And he had this idea, this stupid idea, that in doing so that maybe Hoseok would begin to fall for Namjoon just as hard as Namjoon has already fallen for him.Regardless, Namjoon’s current dejection has given him the chance to console Jungkook. He wishes he could simultaneously be there for Taehyung, but Namjoon’s not sure what’s going on between the two men and he isn’t about to force it. Jungkook’s presence, while deeply melancholy, is pleasant. Namjoon is the type of man that can spend hours in silence with a friend and feel completely at ease, which seems to be exactly what Jungkook wants to do nowadays. While Hoseok tries to cheer Jungkook up and Yoongi mothers the hell out of him (which is extremely amusing and endearing, in Namjoon’s opinion), Namjoon chooses to simply coexist with him. He hopes to become a sort of rock in Jungkook’s life, someone stable he can be around to clear his mind.Jungkook likes being outside, too, especially with the turn of the weather into spring. It’s still pretty chilly with the sea breeze and altitude of the cliffs, but other than the rain shower three days ago, it’s been all sun.Namjoon will leave tonight to return to his own kingdom. He figures one last quiet hour with Jungkook is therapeutic, before he’ll be barraged by his court and forced to formulate a powerful speech to calm his people while also riling them for war. Seokjin’s thrown down the spear with this recent takeover, and Namjoon can’t simply stay idle at Hoseok’s palace, not that the thought would ever cross his mind.He nearly chokes on his sandwich when Jungkook suddenly bursts into tears.It’s alarming, to say the least. Jungkook has shown hardly any vulnerability, at least in Namjoon’s company. He’s shown no emotion except distraughtness. So the sudden outburst has Namjoon completely unprepared to act, but before he even can, Jungkook is furiously wiping his eyes with his sleeves and apologizing.“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. The silence- I was thinking t-too much and-“ He gulps in air, only for it to be forced back out in a sob. Namjoon puts his food down, but hesitates to offer a comforting hand to the shoulder as his instincts tell him to.Instead, he says firmly, “You’re dealing with massive losses right now. No worries, okay?” Namjoon doesn’t know if the words soothe him at all, but Jungkook is nodding, so he continues, trying to read the situation. “You seem like you haven’t acknowledged all the tragedy in your life, but those things build up if you don’t deal with them, you know?”“It’s too much,” Jungkook mutters wetly, mostly to himself, but Namjoon catches it.“It is,” he agrees, and Jungkook looks over at him, seeming puzzled by the king’s understanding. Has Jungkook ever been treated empathetically and compassionately? “It’s clearly overwhelming, but I think you have to face it this time or else it’ll come back later much, much worse. Trust me.” Jungkook winces at that last phrase, and Namjoon hopes it doesn’t ruin the whole spiel he just gave, because it’s important for Jungkook to hear and accept. “I’m leaving tonight, but Hoseok and Yoongi are here for you if you need to let it all out, talk about it all. Don’t bottle it inside, okay? Work it out with yourself. You can get through this.”Jungkook’s expression is extremely doubtful. Namjoon wishes he could just erase all the poor man’s pain and suffering, he can’t even imagine. He knows Jungkook’s childhood wasn’t peachy, suspects King Jeon probably hit him one too many times. To finally be crowned- Namjoon knows how that feels. It feels like rebirth into a new, more responsible version of oneself. Just a week after Jungkook experienced that, he was so elated, ready to make big changes, and Seokjin ruined it all. Not only that, but he brainwashed Jungkook into thinking he was his knight in shining armor. Then Seokjin tried to kill him, successfully killed the man Jimin that Namjoon knows Jungkook and Taehyung loved-He’s overwhelmed just knowing it secondhand. But he can’t fix all of Jungkook’s problems, not if they’re psychological. Those are mental barriers that only Jungkook himself can take apart. Slowly and painfully, but Namjoon always holds faith in people’s ability to survive the worst. It’s no different now. He believes in Jungkook, and he tells him as much.Jungkook dries the last of his tears, giving another tiny nod. Namjoon, on a whim, offers out his hand, closed in a fist save for his pinky. Jungkook stares at it.“Promise me you’ll be okay?”Fresh tears start to visibly threaten Jungkook’s eyes, but he blinks them away. He laughs, small and weak. “Reminds me of… Taehyung. The first time we met.”“You know Taehyung’s going through a similar grief,” Namjoon tells him gently. “Maybe you should talk to him. Figure things out. Try to find peace in knowing that, through everything, you at least didn’t lose everything. Not each other. He’s important to you, right?”“...He is,” Jungkook admits, and timidly hooks his pinky with Namjoon’s, laughing again at the ridiculousness of it. Namjoon grins, and their hands draw away, the deal sealed. “Thank you, um, Your Highness.”“Jungkook. The day I met you I said you can call me Namjoon.”“But… I’m not equal to you any more,” Jungkook whispers, like he’s afraid of the massive class shift.“It still stands. As I see it, you’re still Jeon Jungkook, and I told Jeon Jungkook to address me informally.”Namjoon emanates a peacefulness, one that can’t stop itself from seeping into those around him. As there’s a dawning in Jungkook’s eyes, something that says yes, I am still Jeon Jungkook, it finally seeps into him. His shoulders untense, and with a new acceptance, he says, “Thank you,Namjoon.”“No worries, Jungkook,” he says again, and as a silence falls over them once more, it feels lighter. Jungkook sips his tea and, watching the restless ocean from high above the surf, he starts to find himself again. He starts to reconstruct his identity. No longer an extension of someone else. His own person, just like he was for that brief week in which he was king.Now, instead of king of the forest, he considers himself king of his own mind again. And it’s a start.~~~Namjoon sits down for one more official meeting with Hoseok, and as expected, Yoongi sits faithfully next to him. Technically, Yoongi is as powerless as Jungkook is now, but more level-headed. Namjoon can’t be mad that he attends because if Jungkook was less distraught and broken down, he would certainly be invited as well.Also in attendance is Joohyun, Namjoon’s commander; Jongin, Hoseok’s commander; Kyungsoo, Hoseok’s right hand man who takes charge when Hoseok travels; and Hyuna, Yoongi’s right hand man. She has shown immense resiliency, given all that has happened, and Hoseok and Namjoon have come to trust her almost as much as Yoongi does. When she recovered from minor frostbite and pneumonia, she jumped at any chance to be helpful, wanting to feel like she’s repaying them for their hospitality.However, despite Namjoon welcoming Yoongi and Hyuna’s presence, the meeting has little to do with them. They’re not here to talk about Jungkook or war plans or anything regarding territory. They’ve come to talk about trade.“We’re fucked,” Kyungsoo is the first to say. He has a very blunt personality; at the same time, he’s wickedly perceptive and crazy intelligent. He has his hands folded together under his chin, elbows on the table. “Our kingdoms are massive, we have the largest, most widespread population. Now more than ever, with the influx of Seaside warriors and mountain refugees. We relied on a steady flow of trade with the forest for the majority of our lumber and for a small portion of our food. We’ll be seeing the ill effects of that eventually, but what’s really been hitting us hard after that rough winter is the loss of trade with seaside. We’ve had to make our own tools and weaponry with what metals we have in our very few mines, we’re not getting the whale oil we need for lamps, no fish, we don’t have salt deposits at our altitude so we’re running out of that.” He spreads his hands now, eyes big, lifting to meet Hoseok’s. “We’re fucked.”“We’re not entirely fucked,” Namjoon says. “Yes, it’s not ideal and there will be people negativity affected by this, but we can be self-sustaining for the time being.”“It’s not like the ocean’s far,” Yoongi adds, earning himself an incredulous look from most people in the room, Namjoon included.“You mean at the bottom of the cliffs?”“It’ll deplete your store of lumber, but I think it could be possible to build some sort of way down to the small strip of beach at the bottom of the cliffs. Hyuna and I can teach you all you need to know about salt mining and whaling.”Namjoon and Hoseok share eye contact, both doubtful. “Between funding my current construction on the new hospital and having to pay my entire growing army for this mini war we have on our hands… I really can’t risk such an expensive project,” Namjoon insists. “Unless we put the structure in the Grey and split costs…?”Hoseok nods along. Both of them still obviously have reservations about the idea, but maybe with some planning, it can work. “I can make that work. Can you?” With confirmation from Namjoon, Hoseok shrugs. “I guess we’ll have to make more refined plans for that in a meeting between our courts. Next week?”“I’ll send a messenger to discuss a good time,” Namjoon responds smoothly. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Okay, so, a potential solution. Thank you, Chief.”“For the love of God, call me Yoongi,” the man mutters, but it’s said with fondness. Namjoon shoots him a quick, tense smile.“While we’re here, should we discuss Jungkook’s future?” Kyungsoo suggests, eyes darting to everyone’s face. He, more than anyone, has been the most skeptical about that. He’s anxious to know the kings’ intentions by protecting him, especially now that Namjoon has brought all of Jungkook’s royal records.“Is it right to do that without him here?” Hoseok wonders aloud, shifting in his seat at the head of the table.“He’s not a king any more,” Joohyun points out softly. “His fate is entirely up to you, regardless of what he may want.”“As a merciful man, I’d still want his input before just deciding.”“I think,” Namjoon speaks up, “that no matter what, he can’t simply go back to ruling the forest once we reclaim it. Our courts will be very unhappy if we just give away all that land that we fought for. However, I do think that the reservation treaty between the forest and Seaside should remain once we gain forest territory. It’s pre-existing, there’s no reason not to. Our goal isn’t to control the entire island, it’s too much. As for mountain territory… If we end up killing King Kim in the battle…”“We don’t know enough about their lineup to the throne,” Hoseok says. “I think that’s a bridge we’ll have to cross when we get to it. How does the reservation treaty sound, Yoongi?”“I appreciate it,” Yoongi’s quick to thank them. “I’m sure my faithful tribe members will, too.”“We’ve been around for generations,” Hyuna adds, smiling. “It’s not just about the land being home, but the land is our culture. Our gods gifted us with the skills to survive off the land we were given.”“It’s not easy, but like I said, we’ll teach you,” Yoongi promises.“Meeting surmised, then? I really should get going as soon as possible,” Namjoon pipes up, glancing towards the window where the sun was already wavering lower towards the horizon.“I suppose, for now…” Hoseok agrees. As everyone begins to stand and filter out, Hyuna takes Joohyun aside as they’d grown to be close friends and Jongin and Kyungsoo leave in the midst of quiet banter. It leaves Namjoon alone with Hoseok and Yoongi, and as quick as he tries to straighten his crown and leave, Hoseok is calling out, forcing him to linger. “You’re not staying for dinner?”Namjoon turns back around, trying to appear gracious. “Ah, no. I really should… I think I’ve been away from home too long. Seungwan deserves a break and my people need an update. I was hoping to hold a meeting with my court tonight so I could speak to the public tomorrow.”Hoseok presses his lips together, but nods in understanding. Yoongi has this odd look to him, not taking his eyes off of Namjoon, like he can read the king’s thoughts if he tries hard enough. Namjoon thinks, quite foolishly, that the conversation is over. That he can leave, and Hoseok won’t stop him again, but- “I’m sorry.” It’s Yoongi who speaks, keeping Namjoon frozen in place. Both Namjoon and Hoseok tilt their heads at him in puzzlement. Yoongi shifts on his feet, hands white with how hard he holds onto the back of his chair for support. “I’m sorry if you don’t like me and I’ve caused tension by being here, Namjoon. It was never my intention.”Namjoon’s heart stutters in his chest. “No, God, I’m sorry for making you think you’re not welcome here. Of course I li- I mean, I don’t dislike you. If I’m acting strange-“Hoseok snorts. “You are.”Namjoon shoots him a playful glare. “It’s because of personal reasons.”“You can talk to me, you know,” Hoseok pushes, stepping around the table to stand closer to Namjoon, even ae the other king takes a wary step back. “We’ve been best friends since we were born. You’ve always confided in me. What changed?”“I don’t appreciate the intervention,” Namjoon mutters, looking away, but he accidentally meets eyes with Yoongi. The chief looks so guilty, and for no good reason. Namjoon’s the guilty one. He’s the only person to blame for his own stupid, awkward behavior. He doesn’t know how to act around Hoseok any more, now that Yoongi’s always here to notice Namjoon’s lovesick bullshit that Hoseok was too blindsided to ever see. Besides, this wasn’t something he could just confide in Hoseok like he’d suggested. He couldn’t complain in his faux whiny voice while Hoseok pretended to coo and laugh at Namjoon. Could things go back to being that normal? Could Yoongi be in that familiar picture, adding his dry humor and ridiculous gummy smiles?Namjoon felt gross for all the hopeful thoughts. He backs away more pointedly, clearing his throat. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”“That’s a first,” Hoseok jokes, but it lacks any trace of amusement. “This isn’t like you. You haven’t been yourself lately. The closest I’ve seen you act like the Namjoon I know is when you’re alone or with Jungkook or Taehyung or- or anyone but me, actually.” Don’t ask it, Namjoon silently begs. “What did I do wrong?” But of course you would ask.“Nothing, Hoseok. I promise. I’ll… try harder to…” Namjoon trails off. To be me again? To fall out of love with you? Christ, I’m pathetic. Namjoon waves his hands vaguely, as if to encompass everything. “I need some time.”“I guess, if you don’t want to talk about it, then…” Hoseok trails off dejectedly. Then he sighs and spreads his arms a little. “Come here before you go, at least,” he insists, trying to revive the casual, brotherly fondness into his voice.Namjoon tries not to show his dithering before he accepts the hug, letting it linger. Yoongi, to Namjoon’s puzzlement, looks relieved to see the affection of the two kings. He gives Namjoon a slight nod, which only further spirals his confusion, but then he and Hoseok are drawing away and he has no time to figure out what it means. Namjoon claps Hoseok on the bicep, smiling tightly, and leaves with a final, “I’ll see you.”As he practically flees the room, he knows that he’s leaving Hoseok and Yoongi to talk about him. The first hint is that they don’t immediately follow him out, even after Namjoon takes a pause outside the door to recuperate and gather his bearings. He almost wants to stay, see if he can listen to what they say, but is too afraid of both getting caught and hearing something he doesn’t want to. Yoongi has to know. There’s no way he doesn’t. Namjoon’s terrified he’ll hear him tell Hoseok he’s pathetically in love with you.Namjoon shudders, walking away from the meeting room at a brisk pace. Before the meeting, when he’d tried to say goodbye to Jungkook, the young man had asked to come with Namjoon. Jungkook admitted to feeling the most comfortable with him, so Namjoon of course is allowing him. However, there’s one more person Namjoon thinks he should extend the offer to.Namjoon climbs to the third floor of the palace, going to a room in the deepest part of the left wing, a room that overlooks the vast ocean beyond the cliff’s drop-off. He knocks lightly, but enters without an answer, knowing he won’t get one. Knocking is meant mostly as a warning of his presence, so as not to startle the man inside.The hinges are silent as he inches the door open, peering inside to ensure that he’s there- and as expected, Taehyung sits at the bay window with his knees to his chest, watching the tide meander in as night approaches.“Hello, Taehyung,” Namjoon calls softly, entering the room and closing the door behind himself. Taehyung doesn’t like when it’s kept open.“Hi, King Namjoon.”“I’m departing for home soon. I thought I’d come see you before I go,” Namjoon explains, crossing the room to lean against the wall in Taehyung’s line of vision. Taehyung turns his head slightly to see Namjoon’s face more comfortably. “I know you’re probably sick of me asking, but how are you?”Taehyung shrugs, shoulders bony and undernourished. Like Jungkook, the thought of eating often escapes Taehyung’s mind, swallowed up and drowned out by all the other pressing thoughts keeping them preoccupied. “At Seaside, we never dwelled on-on death, not for more than the standard vigil and f-funeral. When my grandma passed, I was- I was even a little comforted. She’d been suffering in her old age, but she a-always wore a smile. Throughout the vigil, I imagined her soul becoming one with the ocean. Now, when I look at- at the water, it’s like I can see her smile in the crests of the waves. The s-sea is my comfort.”Namjoon listens to the story pensively, knowing exactly why Taehyung was telling it. “You wish you could have had a vigil and funeral for Jimin,” Namjoon guesses gently. Taehyung’s eyes flick away harshly, blinking rapidly, staring out at the ocean again. With an audible click, he swallows and nods. “What was he like?”Namjoon can see how hard it is for Taehyung to form words, but he has an idea. Something therapeutic for the man’s mind. Taehyung’s deep voice is wobbly as he says, “He was like… he’s like sunlight. Always warm, b-but sometimes blazing hot with his passion and his personality. His heart is pure gold. B-Beautiful. He’s beautiful.”Namjoon tilts his head, watching Taehyung’s eyelids twitch and fight off tears. “Like a sunflower? Always facing the sun, seeing the light in everyone and everything? Soft petals and a sweet pollen center. I’ve read that every flower has a meaning. A sunflower’s is adoration, loyalty, and longevity. It’s the happiest of flowers.”Taehyung looks up, smiling shakily. “It’s fitting.”“My kingdom is surrounded by scattered fields of sunflowers. I even have some growing in the backyard, right up to the edge of the cliff, overlooking the sea. Would you want to come see them?”Taehyung perks up, very slightly, and it warms Namjoon to see. “I… think I’d like that. A lot.”“But- Jungkook has also decided to come with me,” Namjoon apprises him.Taehyung’s hope crashes like a wave. “Oh. M-Maybe another t-time, then,” he dismisses, not even bothering to give it a second thought, stutter prominent.“Please come,” Namjoon says. “I think it’ll be a good time and place to talk to him.”“He doesn’t want to talk to me,” Taehyung mutters, fingers clasping tightly together.“He’s needed time to process. I think you have, too. He’s ready, now.”“D-Do you know? For sure?”“We’ve been talking. Are you ready? It’s okay if you aren’t,” Namjoon tells him, eyes sincere. Taehyung looks down at his white-knuckled fingers and, as he consciously loosens them, nods. “There’s no pressure, but if you do want to come… is an hour enough time to prepare?”“Yes. Tha-Thank you, Namjoon.”True to his word, Taehyung waits in a sitting room on the ground floor of the castle, a bag prepared with the clothing he’d been given. When Namjoon finds him, Yoongi is sitting with him, talking in soothing hushed tones. Namjoon can’t get over how odd it is to see them together again. Taehyung was Yoongi’s right hand man before the trade Seaside conducted with the mountains. Namjoon had witnessed Yoongi’s broken spirit at Taehyung’s betrayal when they’d recovered him, Hyuna, and Jisoo from the cave that fateful winter day. Then again, it’s odd to see that any of them are still together after the mess of events that happened. Technically, Namjoon and Hoseok betrayed Yoongi, too; they abandoned their long awaited plans to make a collective siege on the forest, instead protecting the territory from Seaside while Seokjin kidnapped Jungkook. Namjoon and Hoseok’s men had fought off Seaside warriors, forcing Yoongi’s people to flee back to tribe territory when the cliffs refused to go with the plan.Yoongi never knew any better, though. He hadn’t met Jungkook and had the opportunity to change his mind. Hoseok had easily forgiven him, returning to their “secret” affair, turning it into something more open and emotional. And Namjoon… Namjoon can’t hold a grudge either, even after watching the man he’s always had feelings for fall into the arms of another.Yoongi looks up when Namjoon enters, Jungkook trailing in behind him. The situation feels strange, like he and Yoongi are fathers trying to get their fighting kids to apologize- but that’s a very degrading thought that Namjoon wills away as soon as he has it.Taehyung stands, shuffling on his feet like he’s eager to go. “B-Bye, hyung,” he says to Yoongi, who cuffs the back of his neck fondly. Namjoon remembers a time, in the days before the siege, when Yoongi had sensed Taehyung’s shift in devotion to Seokjin and wouldn’t let the man address him with the familiar brotherhood of their tribe. It had looked like it didn’t bother Taehyung, but now Taehyung uses the term often, like he misses it. They’ve all undergone some big personal changes. Namjoon’s glad to see they’re becoming normalized again. Except me.“I’ll see you, kid,” Yoongi replies, using his hold on Taehyung to draw him into a quick hug.“I’m not a kid.”“You’re my kid.”“H-Hyung,” Taehyung complains, extracting a laugh from Yoongi. “I won’t be away forever,” he mumbles when Yoongi still doesn’t let him go.“That’s what you said last time,” Yoongi murmurs back, but steps away from Taehyung with a tiny grin. “Don’t go falling in love with Namjoon, now.” Taehyung smirks, like he knows something the rest of them don’t. He makes some smart remark, too quiet for Namjoon to hear, and Yoongi pushes him gently. “Shut up, get out of here.”“But you just said-““Come back when you learn how to respect your hyung,” Yoongi pretends to scold, sitting back down to watch Taehyung pick up his back and go to Namjoon’s side. And just like that, Namjoon was flanked by two nervous men that have a boat load of unspoken feelings and immense tragedy between them. Yoongi cuts the tension a little by pointing a finger at Jungkook. “Take care of that clumsy king.”Jungkook touches the back of his own head tentatively. “I’m not sure I’m the best person for the job.”Yoongi purses his lips, regarding them all. Then she shakes his head. “You’re right, you’re all hopeless.”The truth to the words goes deeper than the surface-level joke, but Namjoon isn’t about to admit that. Without any more fuss, they leave, meeting Namjoon’s small array of soldiers and Joohyun by the stables. On the other side of the wall separating palace grounds from the surrounding capital city, Namjoon can already hear the bustle of life. He knows the streets closest to the palace are mostly noblemen’s homes, but he also knows that on the other side of this particular wall is a street of shop owners and vendors. He can smell cooking food and hear paper boys shouting headlines.“Mountains take the forest! Mountains take the forest!”It’s not the nicest reminder, and he catches Jungkook hanging his head as he readies a horse. It’s the reality, though, and as much as Namjoon wishes he could go back in time, be better prepared, even go as far back as to stop the initial kidnapping, this is the reality. Jungkook will just have to hear it, accept it, and find a way to move forward from it, because that’s the only option. Grow, and try to prosper.Namjoon watches Taehyung’s long, fragile looks in Jungkook’s direction and hopes that he’s doing something right by putting them back together.~~~Namjoon’s kingdom is as beautiful as Jungkook always imagined it would be. He remembers seeing sunflowers on Seokjin’s dining table the first time he arrived at the mountain palace and wondering which king gifted them, but seeing the yellow-painted fields of the eastern cliff kingdom answers that question.Taehyung’s eyes are huge staring at the flowers on their tall stems. His trembling hand reaches out to brush the petals as their horses pass on the path. “They’re s-so big,” he notes, awestruck. Then he laughs, small and surprising even himself with the sound of it. He points to a small one off the path, half the height of the ones around it. “There. Tha-That’s him.”Namjoon slows, and Jungkook- while confused- follows his cue. Taehyung stops, too, a questioning look on his face. “Huh. That one must not get much sun. Would you like to bring it back with us and take care of it?” Taehyung’s whole expression lights up. Without verbal answer, he eagerly slides from the saddle, crouching in the dirt next to the plant. “Make sure to get its roots so we can replant it.”Taehyung nods, fingers sinking into the dirt and gently digging the flower out, feeling out the roots to make sure he gets it all. Once he’s pulled it out, he brushes the thin tendrils at the bottom off, cleaning them a bit before standing and inspecting the flower. He thumbs an orangey-yellow petal like he’s caressing it, his whole body softening with admiration. It reminds Jungkook of the way Taehyung would look at the people he loves. At one point, that included Jungkook. Jungkook wonders if Taehyung will still look at him that way, if he ever gets past the immense guilt and sorrow he looks at Jungkook with now.When Taehyung comes to the side of Jungkook’s horse and offers up the flower, Jungkook’s heart skips a beat. Neither of them move, not until Taehyung says, “H-Hold this, please? Keep it safe for the- the ride?”Jungkook slowly accepts the flower, avoiding brushing hands with Taehyung, like any touch will be too much. He tucks the plant into the arrow sheath on his back, one Hoseok allowed him to take to feel safer. When they continue, there’s a weird atmosphere, but Jungkook likes having the flower on his back. It feels like an olive branch, but at the same time, something more. For reasons that Namjoon knows but Jungkook doesn’t, the small flower means a lot to Taehyung. And Taehyung trusts Jungkook to carry it home safely. Namjoon is smiling with deep set dimples, knowing exactly how meaningful the gesture is.In some small way, Jungkook feels the beginning of healing, and it all starts with a sunflower.~~~Yoongi’s dark hair splays over the pillows as Hoseok lays him down, hovering over him. Yoongi stares up lazily, fist curled into the front of Hoseok’s shirt to drag him down for a languid, sloppy kiss that’s wet with tongue. Hoseok’s always been a little more impatient, hands already pulling up the hem of Yoongi’s shirt and splaying along the newly exposed skin. In light of Yoongi’s recently more sedentary lifestyle, given the frail state of his legs, his once toned abdomen is a little softer beneath Hoseok’s palms. Hoseok loves it, though. Loves the way his skin has a tiny bit of give to it, how he can dimple it with a hard press of his fingers. In the way Hoseok loves Yoongi’s soft, skinny body, Yoongi loves the firmness of Hoseok’s. Hoseok works every day, trains as hard as his soldiers, and it shows in the defined lines of his muscles beneath his skin. Yoongi can trace the prominent v-line of his hips to the divots of his abs up to the flat planes of his chest, where he pauses to play with Hoseok’s dark, sensitive nipples.The little ah Hoseok breathes out in response encourages Yoongi to break the connection of their mouths just long enough for them to tear each other’s clothes off, not even completely kicking off their pants yet before Hoseok’s kissing him again.When Hoseok sits up, Yoongi’s left dazed for a moment before he tries to follow. With a hand to his chest, however, Hoseok pushes him flat again, bouncing a little with the force of his back hitting the mattress. The king is grinning coyly, knelt prettily between Yoongi’s lovely pale legs, a hand already stroking up his thigh. “Let me take care of you.”Yoongi raises an eyebrow, but when Hoseok leans over to the nightstand to retrieve their jar of lubricant, his breath catches. Hoseok hasn’t even done anything and Yoongi already groans, making the king laugh. They both know Hoseok’s a generous lover, taking pleasure in giving to his partner. They also both know that his devilish hands can edge Yoongi for hours.When Hoseok tucks a pillow under Yoongi’s lower back to prop his ass up, Yoongi spreads his legs willingly. He was already half hard from their frottage and sheer anticipation, so when Hoseok’s warm hand curls around his erection to jerk him to full hardness, it doesn’t take long. He keeps it slow, torturously so, making Yoongi’s toes curl and his hips tense, wanting to thrust up into the feeling. At the same time, he likes the prospect of self control just as much as Hoseok likes the prospect of doing all the work. Yoongi’s not lazy in bed, but Hoseok gets off on putting in all the effort, and Yoongi won’t say no to occasions like this.“Mmm,” Hoseok hums, releasing Yoongi’s cock to open the jar of lube. Yoongi huffs a desperate breath, but remains still and patient. “It’s nicer now, isn’t it?” He asks, knowing Yoongi will understand the question. “I can tell you how pretty you look like this.” Slick fingers start to tease, sliding down Yoongi’s perineum, making him properly wet. Hoseok loves when it’s sopping and messy. “How much I adore your body.” They drag against his rim next, those long, slim digits. Yoongi’s hole clenches automatically, and Hoseok circles the pucker until it relaxes again. “How much I worship it.”“Your sex talk is embarrassingly sincere,” Yoongi tells him, sucking in a harsh breath when he thinks he’ll finally be penetrated, but instead Hoseok just tugs at his rim in a way that makes Yoongi yearn to be stretched open. His cheeks flame at the rather slutty thought. “But you’re right. It’s nicer. Everything.”Hoseok hums again, and without warning, presses his first finger in. Yoongi grips the bedsheets, closing his eyes and thinking finally, even though he damn well knows it’s just the start to a long, drawn out fingering session. Yoongi will be absolutely ruined by the time Hoseok lets him cum.“If only...” Yoongi starts, but trails off, unsure if it’s not right to say.But Hoseok knows. “Namjoon?” Is what he says by way of asking. Yoongi moans softly at the name, nodding. Hoseok chuckles, agreeing: “If only he could watch you fall apart on my fingers.” At the mention of it, Hoseok pumps his digit, and Yoongi fights the need to squirm for more. It fits perfectly to the knuckle, Yoongi’s ass accommodating for it easily. “He’d probably tease you, too, huh? Leave hickeys on that pretty throat of yours.” The excess lube makes obscene wet noises as it’s pushed out and forced back in with the motion of Hoseok’s hand. “Pinch your nipples until their raw.” Yoongi grunts when Hoseok momentarily removes his finger, but then he’s prodding at his asshole with the blunt tips of two. “Maybe, if you were good for him, he’d even play with your cute little cock.”Yoongi’s toes curled at the delicious burn of two digits pushing into him. He pants, savoring that sharp feeling of his rim being forced to stretch. His inner walls contract around the intrusion, but only for a second. “Fuck. Why won’t he just- just admit it.”“He doesn’t think he’s allowed to,” Hoseok says, feeling the resistance in the drag of his fingers as he pulls the majority of their length out and shoves them back in harshly. Yoongi’s eyebrows twitch, fists tightening in the blankets. He has the sweetest, breathiest way of moaning that Hoseok could listen to all day. He could probably force Yoongi to do it for him, too.“How?” Yoongi growls in frustration, and it gets strung out with pleasure at the feeling of more lube being drizzled where Hoseok’s fingers are buried in his ass. It’s cool and a little alarming, but with a few shallow strokes, Hoseok’s worked it in. Yoongi’s body is so hot that it doesn’t take long for it to heat up so he doesn’t notice it any more. “What do you think it’s like? Kissing him?” Yoongi speculates teasingly, and he has a feeling it’ll be his last coherent sentence for a while as Hoseok starts fucking him open with his fingers, the slide noisy but smooth.“God,” Hoseok mutters, and by the deepening tone of his voice, he’s extremely hot and bothered by the sight of Yoongi’s asshole swallowing his digits greedily. “It must be- He has those thick lips, you know? They must be pillow soft and so full, would feel so good against mine-““You have the- the prettiest lips,” Yoongi breathes out jaggedly, eyes cracked open so he can focus on said lips. The soft, curved cupid’s bow and thicker bottom lip that Hoseok currently has tucked between his teeth. Yoongi can just imagine that mouth against Namjoon’s, the mental picture of it erotic to make him keen. “Fuck, Hoseok- kiss me.”Hoseok smirks, supporting himself over Yoongi’s body so he can dip down and nose along his jaw, up his cheek, nuzzling Yoongi’s own nose and finally, finally kissing Yoongi slow and tender like he deserves. Yoongi’s hands find solace in gripping Hoseok’s silky black hair, making the king groan. As Hoseok angles his head and divulges in deep strokes of his tongue, his fingers stay steady but push in increasingly harder. Yoongi’s ass is loosening well with the stimulus, enough that Hoseok could add a third, should add a third, but he’s waiting until he finds-Yoongi shouts a choked moan, lips dropping open, barely kissing any more so much as whimpering into Hoseok’s mouth. Hoseok’s grin is wicked as he aims his strokes to press at Yoongi’s prostate, and this time, Yoongi really can’t help the cant of his hips and the arch of his spine. “Yes, yes,” he chants quietly, pulling at Hoseok’s hair to drag him back in for a hot, heavy kiss with sharp, nipping teeth instead of gentle tongue this time.When Hoseok tucks his third finger tight against his first two and begins to breach Yoongi’s body, the chief is forced to turn his head away from Hoseok just to be able to breathe again. His chest rises and falls with deep gasps for air. It’s been a long time, months, since Yoongi’s had Hoseok’s fingers in him. His body is no longer used to taking three fingers, and his asshole practically throbs- but the pain is everything Yoongi wants and needs.When Hoseok’s palm is flush with Yoongi’s taint, it stays there, only trembling slightly from the exertion of Hoseok’s hand working so hard. “How are you feeling?” Hoseok murmurs, pressing kisses under Yoongi’s ear and down his neck, feeling a fluttering pulse beneath his lips. He smiles against it, nips it gently, but keeps it innocent.“Full,” is the most Yoongi can choke out, and they both laugh breathlessly. “It’s been a while.”“Does it hurt?”“Yeah.”Hoseok looks down at him. “Do you like it?”Yoongi flushes. “You know I do.”Hoseok twists his hand, making Yoongi bite his lip to stifle a noise. Then he’s petting deep inside Yoongi, stroking his walls, the pads of his fingers rubbing perfectly over Yoongi’s prostate. Yoongi nearly screams, but it comes out silent. The waves of pleasure crashing through him is overwhelming. He has to let go of Hoseok’s hair so he doesn’t hurt the man, instead scrabbling for purchase in the sheets, reaching up to grip and squeeze the pillow under his head. His dick jumps and pulses at the sensation, rock hard and dripping precum, even as it lays untouched against Yoongi’s stomach. “Hoseok,” he moans, feet sliding against the bed, legs trying to close. Hoseok forces his thighs open, spreading them wide enough to make them ache, squeezing the flesh hard enough to leave bruises in the shape of his fingerprints. The tight circles Hoseok rubs over and over against Yoongi’s prostate has him writhing, hips straining, stuck between wanting to fuck himself back onto the feeling or pull away from the ruthlessness. “God, please, touch me,” Yoongi begs, neck stretching back, leaving Hoseok plenty of room to mark him.Despite the plea, Yoongi knows Hoseok won’t do it. Hoseok will make him cum untouched. Yoongi loves when Hoseok drives him to that point, but in the moment, a hand on his cock is all he craves. The most he can do is roll his hips up and graze Hoseok’s abs with the head of his dick. It’s teasing at best, and Hoseok doesn’t let him do it for long, sitting up and looking down at the smear of precum down his stomach.“So wet,” Hoseok coos, licking his lips. He trails a single finger up Yoongi’s cock at the same time he eases the abuse on his prostate. The change in sensation is dizzying, Yoongi’s foggy head can barely keep up with it- but his body reacts for him, precum beading at the red tip of his cock. “You’re dripping for me.” Hoseok dragged his finger across the slit, collecting the white liquid. A sob breaks from Yoongi’s throat. “So beautiful,” Hoseok praises, bringing his finger to Yoongi’s lips to smear it there. Before Yoongi can lick it away himself, Hoseok bends to do it. They share the taste between them as Hoseok starts thrusting his fingers into Yoongi’s hole again, the lube squishing absurdly. Yoongi is truly dripping wet, between his weeping cock and sopping asshole.A steady chorus of moans bursts from Yoongi’s lips every time he’s pounded into, and Hoseok swallows every pretty sound. Yoongi’s ass already feels raw and gaping, but he wants more, he wants Hoseok to fuck him into the mattress. At the same time, he knows he’ll barely last a second if Hoseok’s inside him. He’s already teetering at the edge as is, seeing sparks behind his eyelids because Hoseok knows precisely how to ruin Yoongi.“You want to cum, baby?” Hoseok growls into Yoongi’s ear, and the chief nods frantically, toes curling as he’s so close. “What’s that?” Hoseok teases, turning an ear towards Yoongi, making him beg for it.“Please, Hoseok, make me- ah,” Yoongi cuts off as Hoseok goes back to stroking those tight circles on his prostate. “Fuck, yes, Hoseok,” Yoongi cries out as his orgasm finally crashes over him, cock spurting cum, painting his stomach with semen. Yoongi squirms and whines, thighs tense with the most intense climax he’s had in a long time. When he finally comes down, chest heaving and eyes bleary, he feels boneless. He can’t find the will to even close his legs- can’t, because Hoseok’s still in him. He knows how Yoongi hates the sudden emptiness that comes after Hoseok pulls out, but since it’s just his fingers, Hoseok can linger there, unmoving.He pets Yoongi’s inner thigh with his free hand, smiling softly at the way his lover shakes with aftershocks. Yoongi’s jittery hands reach out for Hoseok, and Hoseok leans into them, letting Yoongi pull him down onto his chest. Hoseok hums when their bodies slide together, getting them both sticky with Yoongi’s cum. Minutely, he ruts his neglected erection against the chief, and Yoongi lets him.“You can fuck me,” Yoongi offers, stroking through Hoseok’s hair, gently now that he’s not in the throes of mindblowing pleasure.“I don’t want to hurt you,” Hoseok says, grinding into the crease of Yoongi’s thigh.“Well, if you keep this up, I’ll get hard again anyways,” Yoongi reasons. Hoseok stops, brow creased with the effort of it, and searches Yoongi’s face. Yoongi cups his cheek, thumbing his lower lip, smirking when Hoseok’s tongue darts out. “I mean it. Come on.”“Stop me if it’s too much,” Hoseok stresses, waiting until Yoongi confirms he will before withdrawing his fingers. Yoongi makes a face at the slick sound it makes and the way his loose hole just hangs open, contracting on nothing. It’s disgusting, but when Hoseok leans back to line himself up, he groans at the sight of it gaping for him. Yoongi can feel the way lube dribbles out, down his crack.“Just- get in me,” Yoongi demands, and Hoseok laughs, slicking himself up before pushing inside. He has to grit his teeth and exert major self control not to thrust into the heat of Yoongi’s body, tight around his cock despite how thoroughly prepped he is. Yoongi’s face contorts slightly, but Hoseok moves slow enough that it’s not too uncomfortable. More than anything, Yoongi’s just really oversensitive, and what should be pleasure is registering as pain instead. Somehow, he finds he doesn’t mind it, though.When Hoseok’s bottomed out, he rests his weight on Yoongi, not about to start quite yet. They lay there, both breathing unevenly, Hoseok so restlessly aroused and Yoongi still trying to recover. The only thing keeping Hoseok grounded is the way Yoongi cards through his hair and lightly scratches his scalp. He has his nose tucked against the chief’s collarbones, breathing in sex. The saltiness of Yoongi’s sweaty skin makes him smell like the sea, just like he used to when this was only an affair.Hoseok tries to shift his position, accidentally pushing deeper into Yoongi. Between their bodies, Hoseok feels Yoongi’s dick give an interested twitch, and a grin spreads over his face. Yoongi throws an arm over his eyes, hiding his rosy cheeks as he mutters, “Fuck, I can’t believe you do this to me.”“All out of love,” Hoseok reminds him sweetly, circling his hips a little. Yoongi hisses and grabs Hoseok’s shoulders, nails leaving crescent moons in his golden skin.“Please go easy on my prostate,” Yoongi grits out between his teeth.“Sorry,” Hoseok chuckles, instead massaging Yoongi’s balls to get him hard again, even flicking his nipple and rubbing his thumb over the bud harshly, making the elder squeak. Hoseok sighs dreamily down at Yoongi. “I really do love you.”“Don’t be cute while you play with my nipples,“ Yoongi says, tucking his face into his arm again. Of course, Hoseok won’t let him hide and pulls it gently away, instead pinning it above Yoongi’s head. Yoongi’s forced to meet eyes with Hoseok, and he immediately softens at the sight of the king’s pink cheeks and eyes that sparkle with joy. Yoongi hits Hoseok’s shoulder with his free hand, which Hoseok quickly grabs and pins as well. They smile stupidly at each other, faces inching closer and closer together. The scene is too perfect, Hoseok haloed by the golden light of day spilling through the curtains, the window open and a beautifully warm breeze grazing their heated skin. “I love you, too,” Yoongi finally mumbles. It always embarrasses him to say, but Hoseok kisses the blush that rises on each of Yoongi’s cheeks, then the tip of his nose that’s red from sunburn, a sign of the sunny spring days ahead of them. Yoongi’s responding smile is full and gummy.“Who’s acting cute now?” Hoseok taunts, and rolls his hips.Yoongi gasps, smile wiped off his face, replaced by dazed pleasure and just a hint of hurt. “God, not you. You’re sinful.”“Funny. This tight ass of yours says the same of you,” Hoseok grunts, head tilting towards the ceiling as he lets himself lost in the lull of his thrusts. “Feel incredible,” he whispers, brows twitching and drawing together. The way his sweaty black hair falls over his forehead, parted at the side, is breathtaking. Yoongi simply lays back and watches Hoseok fall apart, moaning a harmony with him, bodies making some sort of obscene melody but Yoongi thinks it’s his favorite song.Hoseok fucks him deep and rhythmic, jerking Yoongi off so he can keep up with the king’s fast-approaching climax. After waiting so long and being so patient, Hoseok’s close from the start. The only indication that he’s drawing any nearer is the way his movement begins to get a little erratic. Yoongi wishes he could grind down to help Hoseok along, but his weak legs make it hard. He makes an effort to clench around Hoseok’s member, though, which makes them both gasp and mewl. They can feel the way Yoongi’s body hugs Hoseok’s cock as he pulls out and sucks it back as he slams in again. That tight, smooth heat and Hoseok’s hard, throbbing cock.It isn’t long before Yoongi’s brain is scrambled once more and all he can do is chant out high-pitched ah’s on repeat, intermingled with broken off forms of Hoseok’s name. He cums again, body seizing up, squeezing impossibly tight around Hoseok until, with three more powerful thrusts, he’s spilling his seed into Yoongi. Yoongi can feel it fill him up, coating his inner walls, and when Hoseok pulls out, he leaks cum and lube.“I feel...” Yoongi starts, voice gravelly from how vocal he was.“Incredible?” Hoseok fills in, dropping onto his side next to Yoongi, staying close to keep contact.“Disgusting. My asshole is leaking.”Hoseok snorts, burying his face into Yoongi’s neck and kissing his shoulder. “How about your legs?”“Can’t move ‘em. Most men can’t follow through with the promise you won’t be able to walk for a week once I’m done with you, but I think it’s happened this time,” Yoongi reflects, tone light and amused so Hoseok knows that it’s okay. “Seriously, I can’t even close them right now. Not that my ass would be happy if I did.”Hoseok curiously reaches between Yoongi’s legs, and Yoongi isn’t able to grab his wrist in time before he’s prodding at Yoongi’s stretched rim. He thumbs at the loose muscle, humming in contentment until Yoongi forces his hand away.“Stop that,” he complains.“Hurts?”“No shit.”Hoseok hums again, moving his hand to massage Yoongi’s inner thigh and snuggling into him. “Maybe... Maybe I’ll ride you next time,” Hoseok says, so softly Yoongi almost doesn’t catch what he says. It makes his stomach flip- but he can’t imagine the intensity of the butterflies Hoseok must have.Hoseok’s never bottomed for Yoongi. During the entire affair before the siege, it had always been Yoongi, no discussion needed. Yoongi doesn’t know if Hoseok’s ever bottomed. The idea has crossed Yoongi’s mind, but he’d dismissed it, knowing he could never fuck Hoseok good with his legs being so weak and damaged now anyways- but Hoseok’s just offered the solution to that.“Okay,” Yoongi says, tucking his nose into Hoseok’s hair. “But only if you want to.”“Imagine… God, imagine you caught between me and Namjoon. He fucks you, you fuck me-”“Shut up, I really can’t do round three right now,” Yoongi gripes.Hoseok giggles into Yoongi’s collarbone. “I love you.”“Gross… I love you, too.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jimin feels like he’s spiraling. His life, his mind, his will.He’s alarmingly sober in the few days of Seokjin’s absence. Where before times like these would be a blessing, they’re torturous now with the abuse Wonwoo puts him through. Terrible things. Unspeakable things. It’ll be nothing short of a miracle if Seokjin doesn’t notice when he returns.And he does return.Jimin sheds tears of joy when the mountain king waltzes into the throne room, black cloak feathering around his boots, one of which a dead leaf clings to. Jimin’s first and only reaction is to cry and smile and push into the feeling of Seokjin’s hand stroking his hair in greeting, like a cat looking for attention. “Hello, pet.” Jimin doesn’t even care. Degrading or not, he has learned that anything Seokjin does to him is far better than the treatment he gets from Wonwoo. He’s even shaking with excitement, especially when Wonwoo has to rise from the throne to go into a full bow as Seokjin takes his place on the chair. And then- “Wonwoo. I’m sure you took care of things while I was gone.”Wonwoo hums in agreement. “Yes, I took care of everything, Your Highness.” Everything, including your own concubine, Jimin imagines he’s smugly thinking. He nuzzles his cheek against Seokjin’s thigh. Kneeling versus being in full bow position like Wonwoo, Jimin is able to look slightly down on him. Daring Wonwoo to touch him again in the presence of their master. Wonwoo’s jaw twitches, but he stands again and falls back into his stoic facade. “How was the tour?”“It went well,” Seokjin muses, tracing his hand down the back of Jimin’s neck, brushing his knuckles over a faded bruise that could feasibly be Seokjin’s doing from before he left, but Jimin knows it isn’t. “I have these stupid people wrapped around my little finger. Normally, they wouldn’t fight for me, but they’ll fight for their poor dead king.”“Excellent work, Your Highness,” Wonwoo appraises, nodding along.“It’s time for the next step of our plan. We’ve cut off the mountains, we’ve cut off the forest, and with only one option left… Well.” Seokjin smiles sinisterly. Jimin detests how intelligent his master is, his strategy and tact impeccable, especially when it came to war. He’d spent his whole young adulthood obsessed with it, knowing he had to study up for one day, he would be waging it. It had always been in his plan. Nearly every one of his pawns has fallen into place, just as he had predicted, with the exception of Chief Suga’s betrayal. “I’ll be sending you to Seaside to conduct this. You have experience after the trade, don’t you?”“I was mostly doing the Chief’s dirty work, but… yes, I can handle whatever you ask of me,” Wonwoo agreed reluctantly, eyes darting to Jimin for an instant. Jimin wishes he could laugh in Wonwoo’s face, but- even if it wouldn’t get him slapped by Seokjin, it was impossible for him to laugh ever again. “When should I leave?”“Today. No time to waste.”“Yes, Your Highness,” Wonwoo mumbles with a bow, and while Seokjin may not notice it, Jimin catches the way he stalks off with stiff anger. Otherwise, Jimin doesn’t bother watching him go, instead tilting his head to gaze up at Seokjin. Seokjin scratches lightly at Jimin’s scalp as he bites his lip, staring off in thought over something. Like this, with the soothing gesture and smoothed expression on Seokjin’s face, Jimin can pretend everything is how it’s supposed to be. He can pretend that Taehyung is knelt on Seokjin’s other side, practically purring at the head massage. And Jungkook- Jimin likes to imagine he had never met Jungkook. That Jungkook had not been kidnapped by Seokjin, and was instead sat on the very throne Jimin sees now.“Jimin,” Seokjin calls contemplatively. Jimin can’t respond, but gives Seokjin his attention. Seokjin’s hand travels again, thumbing over the bruise he’d touched earlier. Jimin gives an involuntary jerk at the faint throb of his skin under the pressure of Seokjin’s finger. “You were a traitor once.” The words make Jimin feel cold with sudden fear. The thread of ponderance can’t possibly lead anywhere good. “Was Taehyung attached to you? Did he love you?” Jimin swallows down his panic and upset and nods. “Do you think, if he knew you were alive, that he would save you, Jimin?” Jimin wants to shake his head, but knows that would be the wrong answer, so he nods again. “Hm. I agree.”Jimin thinks that’s it- but then Seokjin’s thumb digs hard into the bruise on Jimin’s neck, dragging the concubine’s attention back. He’s staring down at Jimin with eyes like the tundra. Cold and barren.“Jimin,” Seokjin repeats in that same tone. “How do you feel about becoming bait?”Jimin’s eyes widen.~~~Construction has begun. It’s been going for a few days now. Jungkook can just barely see it in the horizon on the clear days, scaffolding being prepped. It’s a dangerous job, a difficult one, and watching it from afar leaves Jungkook feeling useless once more. He finds peace in caring for his sunflower, though. He sits next to it nearly all day, and sometimes Taehyung joins him. There’s healing happening, even if most of that time is spent in silence, Taehyung stroking the sunflower’s petals with a frail touch that makes Jungkook’s heart ache. He wants nothing more than to bridge the gap and hold the man, reassure him, cry together, but they’ve done that. It doesn’t help. Neither does this, but at least Jungkook is healing from this. His own brain is his best friend at the moment. Taking himself through the motions and asking himself the hard questions that he doesn’t want to answer but has to. What can I do to keep living? Find a passion, a talent. Writing poetry. Hunting with a bow. Fighting; he could be a soldier. There are options, even if few. What do I want from Taehyung? The easy answer is what they had before, but Jungkook knows it would never be the same. They had both changed as people in the blink of an eye. So, the hard to swallow answer is to relearn who Taehyung is and hope to fall in love again, because the old Taehyung is still there just like the old Jungkook is, but they need to evolve together. Where will I live? Wherever he’s accepted. There’s an unspoken offer in the air, between Namjoon and Hoseok. Even Yoongi, if he gets his territory back. Jungkook doesn’t know yet, but he thinks… he thinks it’s okay not to be quite sure. Part of him romanticizes the lifestyle of Seaside warriors. They fight if they must, but mostly, they fish and they craft and they train and they’re a family.Jungkook has no idea what the future holds for this island, though. He’ll be like the ocean. Go with the waves, bob along, keep afloat. He’ll do it.One day, the sun directly overhead, as Jungkook sweats even in the cool ocean breeze, Yoongi joins him outside. He lays down his ornate staff before slowly lowering himself down on shaking legs. He has a hat on, white with a wide brim to shade his face, and all loose white clothing. He dresses like a man who lives in the desert, no wonder he remains so pale.Jungkook smiles at him, and Yoongi does a double take, seeming surprised, but offers a timid smile back. “Did you and Hoseok just arrive?” Jungkook asks softly, and Yoongi nods.“They’re just having a quick meeting, so we won’t be here long,” Yoongi explains. He’s silent for a moment, rolling over words in his mind before asking, “How are you? It’s a stupid question, I know, but answer honestly.”“Better,” Jungkook replies with little hesitation. “I feel… strange, though. Like something’s off.”Yoongi leans back on his palms, fingers sinking into the verdant green of the clifftop, where the grass is lush and healthy even so soon after winter. “That’s normal, though. Your whole life has changed. You have to realize the things you’ve been through, and accept the ways that they’ve affected you.”“I think I have begun to do that.”Yoongi nods shortly, curtly. “You’re resilient as hell, kid. If it was anyone else who went through that- well, they wouldn’t be here talking to me.”Jungkook cocks his head, meeting Yoongi’s eyes. They were the one part of the chief that really gave away the tenderness inside of him. Soft and warm. Assuring. “You think so?”“I do.”Jungkook searches a little deeper- but Yoongi isn’t lying to him. Yoongi had never lied to him. Yoongi was the only one who had ever told him the truth. Even the hard parts. He’d admitted to attacking Jungkook’s palace, but he’d also admitted to his regret. More than that, he did one better by proving his remorse, and wound up being one of Jungkook’s rescuers. Jungkook smiles. Yoongi, tentatively, twitches the corners of his lips up in return.Suddenly, a question comes to Jungkook’s mind. Something he’s been curious about for a long time. “What was Taehyung like, as a warrior?”Yoongi’s eyebrows shoot up, and his half-smile melts into a frown. “Very different from the Taehyung you met in the mountain palace, and even more from the Taehyung you know now. I think the only person who hasn’t changed is Namjoon, but…”“But he is now.”Yoongi looks grim as he nods in agreement, something unreadable passing over him. “Anyways, Taehyung. He was like a kid, you know? Bubbly and energetic, curious about the world, eager to please. Innocent and excitable.” It isn’t hard to imagine. Jungkook remembers their first meeting, on top of the stone wall that surrounds the Jeon’s palace. Taehyung had the widest eyes, lit up even in the moonlight, filled with wonder as he looked at the shy little forest prince retrieving his arrow. How he’d asked to kiss Jungkook, and had done so with a warm, vibrant energy to him. Jungkook remembers thinking Taehyung was so beautiful, a rebellious man with a good heart. Chaotic good.Jungkook still thinks Taehyung is beautiful, even as he’s been broken down by Seokjin. He’s like a tiny ball of light. Where before, he was bouncing off the walls and bright as ever, now he’s been kicked in the mud and dimmed down, slowed down by the weight of it all. But that light still pokes through in the smiles Jungkook sometimes catches when Taehyung takes care of their sunflower, or the way he still looks at Jungkook with the same interest and attraction he did the first night they met.“What were you like, Jungkook?” Yoongi throws back at him, making his heart murmur with nerves. “Before… all this,” Yoongi finished, voice growing dry, and again there was that regret bleeding through to his tone.“Quiet,” Jungkook says, a joking lilt to his tone. “But you probably knew that about me. Everyone did. The mute prince. The shut-in. The heir with no face. I was nothing, really.” Just a collection of thoughts that drifted through that castle like a ghost. “Sometimes I’m grateful that all of this happened. It turned me into something, at least. It’s helped me learn and grow, even if it hurt.”“Everyone gets growing pains,” Yoongi reasons softly.They become quiet after that. Peaceful. Yoongi’s presence is like a breath of fresh air to Jungkook. He’s not complicated. He sets it straight.“I think I’m ready,” Jungkook says after a short pause. “To talk to Taehyung.”“He’s been waiting for you,” Yoongi murmurs by way of answer. “I think he’d wait forever for you.”Jungkook swallows that fact, because it doesn’t go just one way, and that’s a scary thing to feel. Instead, he teases, “Like you’ve been waiting for Namjoon?”He gets a quirked eyebrow at that, and Yoongi’s soft scowl. “You’re perceptive.”Jungkook snickers. “No, Namjoon is just obvious. Why don’t you… you know.”“He needs to come around on his own time.” Yoongi leans back on his hands, tilting his head back so the sun hits his face beneath the hat. At the crook of his throat and collarbone is a blossom of purpled skin. Jungkook realizes that Yoongi is quite pretty. Delicate and lovely in ways that a warrior typically isn’t. He wonders if he’ll ever get the honor of seeing Yoongi at full power again, sword in hand, standing- well, not quite tall, but standing strong. He hopes so.“Seokjin waited for me.”It’s rare, that Jungkook talks about his time in the mountains. Even rarer that he says his name. He’s had time to process, though, and he’s taken Namjoon’s words to heart. These people, they rescued Jungkook. Of course they want to know what happened. If the way Yoongi inclines his head is any indication, they also just want him to open up to them. Jungkook feels like they really care. It makes him nervous. The last time he thought that, he was dead wrong. Is it naive to want to believe it’s real this time?“It felt so real, the way he loved me,” Jungkook sighs, unable to keep looking at Yoongi. He feels so shameful for how stupid he was. “It was… It was actually Taehyung and Jimin that really coaxed me into a relationship first. Seokjin refused for a long time, insisting he wanted it to be my choice, when I was ready. Now I know it was all just a big manipulation scheme.”“There’s no better way to gain someone’s trust than to let them think they’re in control,” Yoongi agrees quietly, nodding. “That’s fucked up.”Jungkook breathes a laugh, somehow relieved at Yoongi’s response. “Everything felt good, up until…” He swallowed, the bitter taste of pill casings lingering on his tongue. “He tried to kill me,” Jungkook forced himself to say, another bitter laugh following it out. It is comical, in a way. “My dad always warned me about those Kims. Why didn’t I listen?”“Because your dad was hardly better.” Yoongi freezes, seeming to realize what he’s said and who he’s said it to. He doesn’t apologize, though. Just mutters, “No offense. I can’t lie to you, though. We had meetings often about our trade and the reservation. He belittled me and my people. He called us savages. Treated me like a charity case. I know he didn’t treat you the kindest, either. He seemed like the type to smack his son around. I’d know, because my dad was, too. Until my mom kicked him out to be a Rat.”Jungkook stared down at his lap, hands twisting together. It was the most he’d ever learned about Yoongi, and to find that he empathizes is overwhelming, but comforting. Jungkook hides a smile, ducking his chin down to his chest. “Did you know I have a mom, too?”That makes Yoongi sit up straight again. “You’re certain, then? Of that painting?”“Jisoo confirmed it. I have a mom, and an older sister. They’re safe and alive somewhere in the forest kingdom.”“That’s… Your father let them…?”Jungkook nods. “He’s still terrible. I still hate him. But he’d had a heart once.”“I think the Jeons just have shit luck, kid,” Yoongi says, and Jungkook knocks their shoulders. “I think yours will turn around, though.”“Why do you think that?”“Because you have us now.”Later, when Hoseok and Yoongi have returned to the west and Jungkook is in his guest room, there’s a knock at the door. Jungkook perks up, setting his book and glasses aside. The sun had long since set, leaving him by the light of a bedside candle. When he opens the door, his heart thumps hard in his chest at the sight of Taehyung, shuffling on his feet and grasping a towel in his hands. His movements slow to a stop when he looks at Jungkook.“Um. I was wuh-wondering if you wanted to…” Taehyung stutters, trailing off as he tries to find the words. Jungkook often wonders how Taehyung’s mind words these days, what has him so distraught he can barely speak. He has a pretty good idea, but at the same time, Jungkook knows he can’t possibly grasp the extent of it. Taehyung had been damaged like Jungkook, but in a completely different way. “Do you want to take a- a bath?”A pause, in which Taehyung looks seconds away from bolting, on edge as he waits for Jungkook to answer. But then, Jungkook smiles, and the tension melts from the other boy’s shoulders like the wax dripping from the candles lighting their faces. Wordlessly, Jungkook grabs a robe and a towel, following Taehyung to his own bedroom. The cracked door of the ensuite spills rose-scented steam. For whoever continued to supply Taehyung of his favorite bath salts, Jungkook is grateful. The familiarity of it is like a balm on healing wounds.Jungkook feels reminiscent of the first time he and Taehyung bathed together, except for the startling absence of Jimin. They’ll have to talk about it, about Jimin, about Seokjin, eventually. Jungkook feels like that conversation is tonight. He’s ready for it.Taehyung slips in the bath first. It’s commodious, as are all facilities in the kings’ castles, but still smaller and more personal than what Jungkook’s used to. He could sit comfortably apart from Taehyung.He doesn’t.Feeling bold, Jungkook steps into the bath- lowered into the floor instead of free standing- and slides over Taehyung’s lap. It’s intimate, entirely nude, straddling his waist. It’s reflexive when Taehyung’s hands immediately settle on his waist, but he’s looking up at Jungkook with the widest eyes. “J-Jungkook-”Jungkook sighs, squeezing his eyes shut and wrapping his arms around Taehyung’s neck, nestling his face into the man’s bony shoulder. “Is this too much?”“No,” Taehyung whispers breathlessly, clutching Jungkook closer and burying his nose into the younger’s hair. He feels a gentle wrack that could be a repressed sob, but he doesn’t comment on it, only inhales Jungkook’s woodsy scent. No matter where he goes, mountains, sea, cliffs, Jungkook always smells like he did when Taehyung first met the mute prince. “You gotta e-eat more.”“You gotta eat more,” Jungkook retorts, but it’s childishly muffled into Taehyung’s skin.They save the talking for later, after they’ve washed each other with gentle soapy hands, massaging each other’s hair, not losing skin-to-skin contact for a single second until they got out. Wrapped in supple robes, they curl up against one another atop the comforter of Taehyung’s bed, legs tangled. Jungkook presses his ear to Taehyung’s chest to listen to his heart. Taehyung closes his eyes and listens to Jungkook’s breath. Signs of being alive. Jungkook almost doesn’t want to disturb the peace. He can close his eyes and pretend that everything has stopped, that they have all the time in the world.They don’t. If Jungkook’s learned anything from the past few months, it’s that the world is too cruel to slow down for them. To be frank, he doesn’t know if any day will be his last. Seokjin could storm these walls any second. Or not. But he could.
Will I ever feel safe again?
In Taehyung’s arms, he finds something close.He’s surprised when Taehyung speaks first. “I’m sorry.”Jungkook’s hand tightens where it’s fisted in Taehyung’s bathrobe. “You were just as manipulated as me.”“I kn-knew. I knew he was a bad man.”“Sometimes, you can’t control who you fall in love with, and love is the most persuasive emotion of them all.”“You shouldn’t forgive me,” Taehyung responds slowly, trying not to stutter. Jungkook closes his eyes and breathes softly against the strip of exposed chest beneath his cheek.“We forgive Jimin.”“That’s not the same,” Taehyung snaps, anger bubbling over into his tone. Jungkook goes stiff, fearful for a moment, but Taehyung simmers down almost immediately. Shudderingly, he continues, “He was broken. Abused. Probably a case of st-stockholm syndrome.” Jungkook had read about that before. Wonders if he, too, had acquired it for a time.“He swept you off your feet and he-““He made me an offer,” Taehyung mumbles. He shifts, but instead of pushing Jungkook away like he expects, Taehyung holds him closer. “I chose sex over my chief. I chose pampering over work. I got lost in the luxury and- and-“ Taehyung finally chokes on his speech, but pushes through in a tight voice. “A-And he told me lies in return for a-all the loyalty and dev-devotion. Your ch-chief is torturing people. Namjoo- Namjoon wanted to k-kill Jungkook. I’ll protect you now. I love- I love you, Taehyung.” Jungkook pushes himself up on his hands, finding silent tear tracks trekking over Taehyung’s cheeks. His eyes are dark, like black coffee, shimmering wetness clinging to his lashes. “He lied.”Jungkook nods. He’d been told that lie, too. He knows it hurts. But- “But I didn’t. Jimin didn’t. Taehyung…”Taehyung breaks. In a shaky exhale, he moans, “I miss him, Jungkook.”Jungkook doesn’t realize he’s crying until it tickles his skin, but it’s too late by then, it’s already dripping onto Taehyung’s chest. “It should have been me.”Finally, Taehyung sits up, almost knocking Jungkook onto his back as he barrels into him, collecting him into an embrace. “N-No. No. If you were gone, too, I’d- Jungkook, don’t say that. Jungkook,” Taehyung cries into Jungkook’s hair. He’s trembling- or maybe that’s Jungkook. Neither can tell if it’s themselves or the other.“He saved me,” Jungkook whimpers into the softness of Taehyung’s bathrobe. “If he hadn’t tried to save me-““We all would have died anyways,” Taehyung refutes sullenly. “Seo-Seok- Fuck. He’s a sick bastard. If he knew you were alive, he’d have al-already attacked. Anything to destroy you.” He squeezes tighter at that, knocking the breath from Jungkook’s lungs, but Jungkook hardly cares. “He won’t touch you again.”Jungkook hiccups from holding in more tears. “Is it wrong to still love him?” He whispers defeatedly. Taehyung shakes his head in a way that Jungkook thinks means that Taehyung understands. “How do I stop?”Taehyung doesn’t respond for a moment, hesitating. He leans back just enough to rest his forehead against Jungkook’s and takes his hands into his own. Jungkook mourns how fragile Taehyung feels now, like if he holds too hard he’ll shatter the other man like he’s glass. He speaks with conviction now, though, hardly a waver as he tells Jungkook, “I’ll love you better. I’ll sh-show you real love.”The words make Jungkook want to melt into Taehyung’s hands. His heart feels like an animal, caged by his ribs, punching at the bones to break free. Taehyung wipes away a few more errant tears that spill from the younger’s eyes, and Jungkook grasps his wrist to keep his hand on his cheek. “Show me,” Jungkook whispers. Taehyung’s breath catches.With nervous, unrushed movements, Taehyung cautiously takes Jungkook’s face in both hands. His thumb brushes over Jungkook’s lips, like he’s trying to familiarize himself with them again, like it’s been forever since he’d last kissed them. It sure feels like forever, at least. “Do you want it?” Taehyung asks, voice pitched low.“Do you?”Taehyung’s eyes flicker back up to Jungkook’s, brows drawn. “Of- Of course. I just… need to hear you say it.”With a start, Jungkook realizes that Taehyung’s still afraid of taking advantage of him. He’s desperate for the purest form of consent he can get from Jungkook, terrified of fucking up. Jungkook smiles weakly, curling his hands into the lapels of Taehyung’s robe. “I want it, Taehyung.” He presses closer, until their noses slide together, a breath away from one another. His eyes flutter closed, his nerves buzzing, voice wavering with anticipation. “I’m tired of crying.”“Then let’s st-stop,” Taehyung mumbles, and presses his lips timidly to Jungkook’s.~~~Namjoon hardly sleeps these days, and everyone’s been noticing. How can he, though? It’s impossible to rest on the precipice of war, regardless of all the side projects he has going on. The hospital is almost done, but construction has slowed considerably due to the workers he’d had to relocate to the Grey. Seokmin, who had returned to his forest home, has recently sent word that Seokjin went on a “tour” to sway the people’s opinion about him. Through Seokmin, Namjoon’s trying to rally the forest from his spy on the inside to spread word of Jungkook’s livelihood and get them on their side instead. He has his soldiers training daily for an inevitable battle on the horizon, and Namjoon’s doing his fair share to prepare himself with them.And right now, he’s drafting a letter to who he believes might be Jungkook’s mother. It’s tedious to write such a query. He can’t just outright ask, but he also can’t be so vague that, if it is Jungkook’s mother, she won’t know what he means. He sighs, ready to pull his damn hair out. In the end, he scraps it all, crumpling the paper and tossing it into his overflowing trash can. Another waste of paper that they hardly have to spare. He’ll ask Seokmin to investigate, maybe talk face to face with the woman. He’s already asked so much.He’s rubbing his exhausted, irritated eyes when there’s a sharp round of knocks to his office door. Tiredly, he lifts his head, confused when Yoongi bursts in before he can call out for him to enter. Namjoon furrows his brows. “Chief. I thought you went with-““You need to come with me,” Yoongi says, skipping all bullshit. He’s out of breath, leaning heavily on his staff. “I’ll explain on the way. Bring a spyglass.”Not ten minutes later, when Namjoon’s hurrying down the front steps of his palace, he finds Yoongi already waiting at the open gates with two tacked horses. Sensing they really have no time to waste, Namjoon helps him mount before getting on his own horse, only pausing to make sure his sword sheath is secure around his waist. It’s only when they’re riding towards the Grey that Namjoon calls into the wind between them, “What happened? Is Hoseok okay?”Yoongi rolls his eyes, smirking to himself. “He’s fine. It’s- Maybe it’s better if you see for yourself.”That doesn’t sit well with Namjoon, but at least Hoseok’s okay. Anxiously, he presses his heel into the horses flank to ride faster.The first thing that Namjoon notices wrong is the construction crew in the Grey. None of them are working, they’re all standing at the cliff’s edge, staring out over the water. The next thing he notices are the flags. Even in the dark, he can make out the crimson and gold crest declaring the royal Kims of the mountains, waving high on flagpoles, coming up from below the cliff’s edge. Namjoon’s gut swoops with trepidation as they travel towards the construction site. Slowly, they’re revealed.The ships.Yoongi wears a disgusted scowl, making it easy to guess that those are Seaside’s old ships, and sailing them is probably warriors who’d turned their backs on the chief.Hoseok’s waiting for them, a few meters from the group of confused and fearful builders. “Stay calm and await instruction,” he calls towards them, and an agreeable murmur spreads through the crowd. When Namjoon rides up next to Hoseok, he can’t even look at the man, eyes glued to the impressive ships and their formidable canons. Aimed right at them. “Shit,” Namjoon grumbles.“You can say that again,” Hoseok says distastefully. “Do you have your spyglass?” Namjoon pulls it from his belt, turning it over when Hoseok lays out his hand for it. “Let’s find out who’s at the head of this.” They all know it’s Seokjin. They just need to know which minion he’d employed. Hoseok nudges his horse a little bit closer to the edge, stretching out the spyglass and peering through it with one eye. It takes a moment for him to find the ship at the head of the armada, but when he does, he makes a disgruntled noise. “Yoongi, do you recognize the one at the helm of the largest ship?”Yoongi takes the spyglass, looking through with practiced ease, and immediately growls out a curse. “Jeon Wonwoo. Bastard was the one who tortured Jisoo and sent the manhunt after me.”“Great,” Hoseok sighs, sitting back in the saddle. Namjoon feels guilty that his only thought is that he’s always looked good on a horse. When he meets Namjoon’s eyes, the eastern king almost startles. Hoseok’s mouth is twisted unhappily. “I guess we shouldn’t waste any more time on this construction if he’ll just blow it to smithereens when we finish it.”“Oh, he will,” Yoongi assures them darkly, blatantly pissed at this Wonwoo guy. Namjoon hadn’t met him, but he’s not a fan, either.“So we call it off. They might be planning to somehow storm the cliff face, climb it and take us by surprise when night falls. We need to set up watches at intervals along the edge, make sure they’re not sneaking in at any other points along the cliffs.” Namjoon pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. He’s had a headache for days now, and this new wrench in their plans isn’t helping. He wishes he and Hoseok could stay at one palace for more convenient planning, but that would leave one of their kingdoms vulnerable. “Seokjin’s surrounded us. We’re cut off from all directions. Next, he’ll show up in the plains with a fucking army. We have to make a move.”Hoseok sits pensive, heel bouncing in the stirrup, making his horse just as antsy as he is. “How soon can we rally our forces and give them a cohesive strategy to follow?”“I… I think I have an idea,” Namjoon says slowly, a sour taste in his mouth. He looks at Yoongi, who lowers the spyglass to stare back, something weird passing between them. Something understanding. “Do you trust me, Yoongi?”With a level gaze, Yoongi nods curtly, with surety. “With my life, Namjoon.”Shakily, Namjoon nods back. “Good. Because that’s what’s on the line.”“Namjoon,” Hoseok begins sharply, an argument in his tone. “I know you’re the tactical genius but-““It’s not my first choice. It’s my last,” Namjoon says gravely, chest tight. “I’ve been planning for days, and this,” he gestures harshly towards the ships floating almost serenely on the water, “ruins all of that. We have to move fast. The longer we wait, the more supplies we drain, the more worn out we get, the more time he has to catch us by surprise. We need the element of surprise.”Hoseok sets his jaw, clearly upset. “Tomorrow. We rally our troops at my palace. We talk about this. We take action no later than the next day.”“I’m going with Namjoon.” The two kings jerk their heads in Yoongi’s direction. The chief’s face is impassive, but softens when he catches Hoseok’s eye. “I need to hear his proposition so I can decide. On my own.”“Yoongi…” Hoseok reaches out his hand, and Yoongi takes it, brushing his thumb over the knuckles of the king’s riding glove. Brown leather, cut off fingers so they still touch skin to skin. Hoseok doesn’t have to say it for Namjoon to hear the unspoken words in the look he gives the chief. I love you. And the return, that cheesy, full-cheeked smile that squints Yoongi’s eyes and says I love you, too. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”“Don’t worry, I won’t canoodle with your lover,” Namjoon jokes, clearing his throat and feeling awkward.Hoseok simply raises his eyebrows. “Canoodling is encouraged.” A blinding grin, and then he’s trotting past them, leaving Namjoon to sit there in puzzlement. “Pack up, you’re all going home!” Then, over his shoulder, “And Namjoon, don’t forget to post your watchmen.”Then he’s leaving.Namjoon clears his throat again. Yoongi rolls his eyes again.~~~Namjoon is grateful that Jungkook and Taehyung seem to have gone to bed early tonight. The two of them don’t need the stress of knowing there’s a threat now sitting idle in the waters below the palaces.He and Yoongi have already discussed the plan, and now they’re just spending a quiet evening together. Somehow, it’s more nerve-wracking than the talk of war. Namjoon’s pouring them some red wine- mostly for his own sake- when Yoongi huffs a small laugh. They’re in one of the more secluded sitting rooms on the uppermost level of the castle, closest to Namjoon’s bedroom and also his favorite. He looked cozy and completely comfortable, his shirt unbuttoned at the top and a woven blanket over his lap. Granny Kim knit it.“What?” Namjoon asks self-consciously, holding out a wine glass to Yoongi, wondering if he’d maybe filled it a bit too much. He doesn’t know about Yoongi’s tolerance, but it suits his own.“Nothing.” It’s like Yoongi purposely waits for Namjoon to take a seat and start sipping his wine to elaborate. “This just reminds me of the first time Hoseok and I hooked up after you guys rescued me.”Namjoon chokes, and Yoongi’s grin is lopsided and full of intention. “Oh. I, uh, remember that night actually. We got kind of tipsy.”“Mm. Alcohol makes me horny,” Yoongi comments lightly. “Especially red wine.”Vaguely, Namjoon wonders if the click of him swallowing the lump in his throat is audible to Yoongi. Mostly, his brain is just replaying what Hoseok said. Canoodling is encouraged. Experimentally, Namjoon responds lowly, “Good to know.”It seems to please Yoongi, who raises an eyebrow. “You want to kill me one moment and flirt with me the next.”“I’m not trying to kill you,” Namjoon insists, voice straining. “It kills me to even suggest-““I know, Namjoon. Come sit down before you wear a trench in the floor.” Only once he says that does Namjoon realize he’s been pacing. He stops, fidgeting for a moment, before sitting next to Yoongi and leaning back into the cushions. “That’s it. Relax,” Yoongi coaxes him, surprisingly soothing. “You look like shit lately. When’s the last time you slept?”“i… don’t know.”“Drink up, then. You deserve it.”An amiable silence falls over them as they palat their beverage. Namjoon believes the drinking of wine is an art, something to be savored and thoughtful. He likes to let it sit on his tongue, for the flavor to seep in and the red to stain his lips. It’s like proof of enjoyment. It’s a ritual. It’s amusing for him to find that Yoongi does none of that. Yoongi drinks wine with one goal: get buzzed. At least, that’s definitely what it looks like from his outsider perspective. Quick gulps that bob his throat, like he hates the taste so he’ll toss it back as a means to an end.“You’re watching me,” Yoongi speaks up boldly, keeping his face forward. Namjoon doesn’t mind. His profile is as nice as any other part of him.“You’re funny.” Yoongi makes an affronted noise, so Namjoon chuckles and explains; “You drink wine like it’s water.”“How am I supposed to drink it?” The chief retorts defensively.“Well, you should actually taste it, for one. There’s something oddly satisfying about the dry aftertaste that lingers in your mouth,” Namjoon explains, smacking his lips softly as if proving the point to himself. Yoongi turns his head to watch him as he does it.“I think I’d rather taste you.”Namjoon flushes. “That’s… What do you… You can’t just say that,” he protests feebly.“Why not?” Yoongi wonders, narrowing his eyes at Namjoon with upturned corners of his mouth.Now Namjoon is frowning. “Why n- Are you playing games, Yoongi? Hoseok. That’s why not.”“Because I’m in love with him or because you’re in love with him?”And that’s a tough sentence to hear. Namjoon swallows the rest of his wine in one fell swoop, the Yoongi way of doing it, before putting the glass down on the coffee table. “Both.”“You do know that Jungkook was once in a fourway fuckfest, right?”“What’s your point?” Namjoon asks plaintively.Yoongi’s looking at him like he’s an idiot. Maybe he is, for thinking there’s only one way things could end if he admits his feelings. “My point,” Yoongi enunciates, “is that there’s no number on how many people you love. My point is that if I’m going to be risking my life by walking into the belly of the beast, I want to know that I won’t be leaving Hoseok alone.” Namjoon goes to speak on that, but Yoongi holds up a finger, halting him so he can finish. “I want to know that not one, but both the kings I have disgusting, mushy feelings for are keeping each other company until they swoop in like my knights in shining armor to save the island and proceed to carry me home, and then I want them to victoriously fuck me- and each other- into the next century.” With something akin to anger, perhaps frustration, Yoongi finishes off his drink as well so that he can messily climb into Namjoon’s lap and stare him down. “So, if that sounds like a good plan to you- you know, if you like me and Hoseok, because we’ve extensively discussed that we like you- then kiss me and let me finally get a good taste of that wine.”See, Namjoon likes to think he has self control. In fact, he’d love to say that he does, and that he can chalk up his reaction to pure reasoning. Yoongi’s right. In such a time where war is at their front door, what the hell are they tiptoeing around each other for?So that’s why it only takes a millisecond after Yoongi’s last word for Namjoon to grab his waist and kiss him like he’s starved for it. That’s why Namjoon growls and takes control, presses his fingertips into Yoongi’s hips in the hopes of leaving bruises. That’s why he relishes how tiny Yoongi feels in his arms, like a porcelain doll. He nips and licks and takes and takes until Yoongi’s gasping and raking rough hands through Namjoon’s hair.“God, Hoseok is going to love this,” Yoongi mumbles against Namjoon’s lips, pressing in again for another taste of that wine. It’s bitter on their tongues when they collide, delicious, getting them more tipsy than the drink itself. Namjoon feels like he’s losing his goddamn mind in these kisses. “He likes to talk about you during sex. Likes to make me cum from the thought of your lips on my throat, your broad chest with our marks on it, your fingers in my ass- ah.”Yoongi cries out when Namjoon rocks his hips up suddenly. They’re both half-hard already, vying for more. Namjoon’s completely forgotten about the right or wrong of it. It’s easy to cloud his brain with Yoongi, to kiss him until he’s punch-drunk off of it- or maybe he’s just not allowing enough space between their mouths to breathe. Asphyxiation by lust, and another emotion Namjoon’s too scared to think about just yet.They pant into the space between them, trying to right their heads again- or at least Namjoon is. Yoongi, on the other hand, tightens his hand in Namjoon’s hair to tilt his head back. “Can we agree to freak out later so you can fuck me now?”Without answering, Namjoon stands, hands under Yoongi’s thighs. Yoongi’s eyes darken, smile playing at his lips as he’s carried to Namjoon’s room and laid out just like he wants to be.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

*** This is not a chapter, this is an author's note ***
Hello readers, I apologize if I excited any of you with this update notification, but I'd really appreciate it if you read this to the end.I owe you, if there are any of you still left, much more than an apology for simply false excitement. I have not updated this in months, maybe over a year, I honestly didn't even check how long it had been before sitting down to write this note to you. I'm really sorry to those of you who got invested in this story and looked forward to the updates, you warm my heart and I wish I could do better by you.However, realistically, I think we all know that I am not going to continue this. Hear me out, though, please. For just another moment. It's about time that I officially abandon this fic, so as not to give any old or new readers false hope. I loved the start of this story and its overall idea, but I feel like the past few chapters were incredibly forced and I'm not sure how to dig myself out of this motivationless hole, you know?While I am abandoning this, it does not mean that it has to be the end. I'm putting this story up for adoption, so to speak. If there are no takers, then this is it, but I would be more than happy to have someone take over and see this through to the end. Here's how that might work.If you are interested, please DM me on my twitter account, @Hour_of_Blue and let me know how you'd like to go about this. If you want, I can send you all my google documents of these chapters and you can move the entire story over to your account. Or you could write, and I can post on my account so as to minimize readers' confusion- giving you full credit of course and linking your own account(s), with your own author's notes and such. If you want direction, I can also share some of my rough plans and brainstorms with you, or you can take what I've already written and go in any direction you want with it. I would also love to be your editor during this process in order to keep the style somewhat cohesive, but I am entirely okay with it if you'd rather do it all on your own. Any which way is most convenient or desirable for you, I will work with it, because I really just want to see this to the end in some form even if not directly.Again, I'm terribly sorry that it's come to this, but I am double majoring and focusing on art commissions as income, not to mention that my bipolar episodes have been rapid cycling since 2018, which has posed a strain on all of these aspects of my life. I hope to post more work in the future, but this time around, I am waiting until I've completely finished a series before posting it so that this mess does not happen again.Thank you all so much for reading and enjoying this, it's been a hell of a ride. If anyone wants to write the rest of this with any level of collaboration with me (or none), then please do as I said and DM me via twitter and we can discuss. If you do not have instagram or just feel uncomfortable communicating that way, you can also email me at [email
protected].Sincerely, MC
P.S. This author's note will remain posted. Even if you see this five months from now, the offer is still on the table! This will only be deleted when an arrangement has been set in place. Otherwise, if you're seeing this, then it is still up for grabs <3