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“You have been claimed as the king’s illegitimate son”
“Um…excuse me?” Jungkook asked suspiciously. This had to be a joke, right? The idea that Jungkook would be the ‘king’s illegitimate son’ was absurd. He was just some kid in a little farming village about two and a half hours away from the castle. He looked at the man. “I’m sorry, you clearly have the wrong person,” Jungkook said, about to close the door in the mans- who was wearing a guard uniform, making his claim the tiniest bit more seemingly truthful- face, but his wrist was caught in a vice-like grip.
“You are to be taken to the castle. I have my orders.” The black-haired man said seriously. “I don’t care about your goddamn orders! I’m no king’s son!” he insisted, trying to pull away, even when the guard’s grip started to nearly cut off the circulation to Jungkook’s right hand. “You might not be, but the king has said you are.” the guard said monotonously. He entered Jungkook’s house, pulling Jungkook with him. “Go into your room and pack your things. You have five minutes, and if you try to escape I will not hesitate to kill you.”
Jungkook paused for a moment, then turned around and trudged to his room, considering the weird circumstances he was now in. One moment, he was preparing to go check on the horses, the next, he was being told he was son of the king. But that was stupid, wasn’t it? Jungkook’s mother had said his father died in the army, and he’d had no reason not to believe her. And why would his mother have a child with the king? There were more times than Jungkook could count where his mother had cursed the king over their dinner. Curse how he was letting them starve and die, making them fight in a war that tore them up so badly some families didn’t get back the bodies while his lived in the lap of luxury.
What would she have her child with a man she hated so much, thought so little of?
Jungkook hadn’t realized he’d been packing as he contemplated his mother’s thoughts of the king. He had packed simple things, clothes, a few books, and some sketches him and his mother had both drawn. He had also packed the only item of value he owned, a soft blue and silver scarf that had allegedly been his fathers. Jungkook wasn’t 100% sure about that now. He decided to keep that scarf anyways, decided it would be some sort of link to his parents, no matter who his father might be.
“Are you done yet?” a half-irritated voice came from behind Jungkook. The boy whirled around and saw the guard standing in his doorway. “I guess I’m done, considering you’re here,” Jungkook said, grabbing the flimsy cloth bag and sliding past the guard. The sound of footsteps behind him told Jungkook that the guard was still right on his heels. Jungkook walked in the direction of the castle, already being fairly sure it was the way he was supposed to be going, judging by the fact that the guard hadn’t told him he was going the wrong way.
//
By the time Jungkook decided to talk to the guard, the pair was already halfway there. “So, what’s your name?” Jungkook asked the guard. “Min Yoongi. Why do you ask?” he responded, looking at Jungkook from the corner of his eye. “Well you see, I don’t like you very much, but I think I should know your name before I say I hate you.”
To Jungkook’s surprise, Yoongi laughed slightly. “I might be biased, but I don’t think I deserve your hate. I’m simply acting on the orders given to me.” he explained. Jungkook didn’t respond. He was still upset that he had been torn out of a life he had been perfectly content with living. Him and his mother had all the necessities, and they had few luxuries, and they were happy living that way. Yoongi seemed to sense how Jungkook felt and spoke again. “I really am sorry that I had to be the one to take you away from your family. I was simply closest to the king when he made the decision. It could have been anyone else.”
“But why NOW!? I’m nineteen, why would he choose today of all days to claim me as his fucking bastard son!?” Jungkook yelled. Just about nobody was on the path to the castle, so Jungkook could yell as much as he wanted and attract little-to-no attention. Yoongi hardly flinched at Jungkook’s outburst. “I don’t really know. The king is getting old, maybe he just wants to see his youngest son before he dies.” he answered hesitantly, as if not entirely sure what he was saying was even remotely close to the truth.
Hearing Yoongi say ‘youngest son’ reminded Jungkook about the princes, who had slipped his mind. They were twins named Jimin and Taehyung. Jungkook had honestly forgotten they existed. Jungkook had always wanted siblings, but he wasn’t sure he wanted two royals that the kingdom knew near nothing about as his brothers. Hell, Jungkook could probably count the facts he knew about them on one hand. The older one was Jimin, they were twenty-one and looking for wives, and they almost never left the castle grounds. And Jungkook was pretty sure that had had no knowledge of the fact that they had a brother before today. It was possible they didn’t even know now. It was getting dark, so if they didn’t know today, they probably wouldn’t until tomorrow.
Hot damn.
It took maybe another hour to get to the castle, and after about a full two hours of walking Jungkook’s legs felt like noodles, while Yoongi showed absolutely zero signs of being tired. Jungkook half-resented Yoongi for having an ever-so-slightly smug look at seeing Jungkook panting slightly, and half-resented himself for being so out of shape.
When they entered the castle, there were three maids that immediately bustled him to a bedroom, Yoongi following behind. When he entered a bedroom that was larger than his living room at home, the shortest maid gave him a quick explanation of some rules. Jungkook was not allowed to leave the room because nobody besides the king and queen and the maids knew of his existence. He would be meeting with the king tomorrow. He was also told that Yoongi would be guarding his room during nights, but not today so that he wouldn’t arouse suspicion. He was then promptly left alone and given the space he needed to fall on the bed and scream internally in peace while staring blankly at the ceiling.
Jungkook didn’t know why, but actually being in the castle, in some bedroom that was his now, seemed to set the whole thing in stone. It seemed absolutely insane. Part of what made the whole thing so crazy was the contrast between his mother and the queen. Queen Ariel was pale, tall, blond, willowy and quiet. Jungkook’s mother was tan, short, dark haired, a bit on the chubby side and never hesitated to express her opinion. They were polar opposites.
Eventually, Jungkook fell asleep, even though his thoughts were swirling around angrily. He slept for a few dreamless hours, until he was woken by the sound of his door creaking open. He was absolutely terrified when he heard two voices.
“C’mon, he’s sleeping! You’ll barely even be able to see him!” one voice said in a whispered yell. “Does it look like a care?” said another voice, closer than the first one. There were footsteps, coming closer to the bed, and that was when Jungkook fully flipped out and straight up.
There was a yell and a thump as a dark lump fell onto the floor. The second dark lump pulled up the first dark lump, then lit the candle on the table next to Jungkook’s bed. “Sorry we scared you,” apologized the boy holding the candle, who had pink hair and tiny hands. “Taehyungie insisted that we see you.”
Jungkook’s mouth went dry and his brain stalled. Taehyungie? Where these the princes? No that wasn’t possible, they weren’t supposed to know he existed. The boy holding the candle- who must be Jimin if Jungkook’s prince theory was correct- seemed to pick up on Jungkook’s absolute failure of his brain.
“We should probably introduce ourselves, huh? Taehyung, get over here!” the pink haired boy said, calling over Taehyung. He stuck his hand out to Jungkook. “I’m Taehyung, but you probably already figured that out. But since we’re brothers, you can call me Tae or Taehyungie like Jimin does.” He said, a bit too bubbly to some-unreasonable-fucking-hour in the morning. Jungkook shook his hand cautiously, starting to become more sluggish. “U-um…how do you know I’m here? I was told you didn’t know I existed.”
Jimin looked sheepish. “We may or may not have overheard Dad telling Yoongi about you…” Jimin looked to the side. Jungkook flopped onto his back. “And why did you sneak into my room in the middle of the night?” he asked. “I wanted to see you.” Taehyung answered, climbing on the bed and sitting with his legs crisscrossed next to Jungkook’s head. “Well, you’ve seen me. I’m not much.” Jungkook said, drumming his fingers on his abdomen. “Hey, now that your awake, we can all talk about our lives and stuff!” Tae announced happily. Jungkook didn’t have the heart to reject his half-brother.
That’s how Jungkook stayed up talking until an-even-more-fucking-unreasonable-hour in the morning.
//
As Jungkook had expected, he was tired as fuck when he was woken up by Yoongi, and was told he had intense bags under his eyes by a maid who covered them up with concealer. Jungkook wasn’t sure she had been able to remove the please-give-me-death look in his eyes, though. He was then dressed in clothing much higher quality than what he had ever worn, then was rushed to the throne room.
The king, queen, Taehyung and Jimin were sitting on a slightly raised platform, Jimin and Taehyung looking like they were trying way too hard to act like they were confused. Jungkook, unsure of what to do, bowed and stood with his head down. "Jungkook,that is your name, yes? Come here." the king said, his voice echoing in the large, empty room. Jungkook walked up to him, hearing a slight noise as Taehyung leaned over to wisper to his mother. "Look up." the king commanded. Jungkook did.
"There you go. You look like your brothers." the king said, patting Jungkook's cheek. "I'm sorry we don't have a throne for you yet. We'll have one ready tomorrow"
Jungkook nodded. "Thank you, sir" he said, his eyes flicking to Jimin for a second, as if hoping for moral support. The king laughed. "Don't call me sir, son. I'm your father! Now then, how about you and your brothers go to your room and break the ice?" he suggested. "Of course s-...father." Jungkook responded, turning to walk off when Jimin and Tae stood up. As soon as they left the throne room, everyone burst out laughing.
"'Thank you,sir!'" Taehyung mocked in an unrealistic hugh-pitched voice. Jungkook probably would've been upset, but he was so happy to let out all of the anxiety that had built up in the past five minutes. "Hey, don't be so mean! You're the one that tried wispering to mom. And your face was horrible!" Jimin announced.
"Hey, we had to at least pretend! You barely looked surprised!"
"Stop bickering, you two! I'm the one who just experienced the most awkward moment of my-"
Jungkook was cut off by bumping into somebody's chest. He backed up, his face flushing. "I'm sor-" Jungkook cut himself off again when he saw who he had run into. "Um....Hi Yoongi." he stuttered, his face turning redder than he knew it could. "Hello Jungkook. I see you've already made friends with the princes," he said. "Yeah, they're really friendly." Jungkook said, wishing to every god that may or may not exist that he could stop the intense awkward that was filling the hallway.
"I know they came into your room last night, Jungkook. I was just wondering how long you would lie for."Yoongi said, finally leaving. Jimin and Taehyung immedietly reattached themselves to Jungkook's sides, chattering about what had just happend. "You were so red!" Jimin teased, poking one of Jungkook's cheeks. "I'm surprised you managed to hold a decent converasation with him! Whenever I talk to Officer Min, I usually just feeze up!" Tae lamented. Jungkook nodded silently, joining the conversation again a few moments later.
//
The next two months passed without much going on. He never talked to the king or queen much, as he was often in classes or talking to Jimin and Taehyung or doing both. If neither of them were available, he would often talk to Yoongi. He was nearly always at Jungkook's door, gaurding his room, and seemed willing enough to talk to Jungkook on various occasions. It had gotten to the point where Yoongi would smile or laugh as the talked, and soon he even started to push Jungkook around a little (usually not much more than a shove on the shoulder) or tease him if he did something stupid. Talking with Yoongi was fun, and Jungkook was glad he was past resenting Yoongi.
One day though, something changed. Yoongi and Jungkook were talking as usual, and the teasing glint in Yoongi's eyes and small smirk on his lips that were usually hidden came out as they always did. For some reason however, it made Jungkook's heart flutter and forced him to shove down a blush for the rest of the conversation. He had no idea why Yoongi was having this sudden affect on him, and he didn't know why it was entirely unwelcome. He denied his feelings, thinking it was just a passing crush that would be gone in a week or so.
It was now six months later, and the feelings didn't fade. Hell, they felt stronger. Jungkook had to admit, he loved just about everything about Yoongi. His personality, his voice and the way he talked, the way he acted as if Jungkook was a normal person, unlike how most of the other people in the castle treated him, as if he was a hundred steps above them when a few months it had only been about three. Jungkook decided that he would have to tell his brothers, no matter the amount of teasing he might recieve.
So told them. If he remembered correctly, his exact words were 'I think I might be in love with Yoongi but I'm not sure please help me' in that exact phrasing. No pauses or anything. They had laughed, then sobered up when they realized Jungkook wasn't joking. Tae said tell him, Jimin did too. Jungkook didn't. His response was 'fuck no that's the worst idea I've heard', then left the room. He was now back to rejecting his feelings, telling himself that they were just in his imagination. He didn't like Yoongi, he just liked the fact that he wasn't supposed to like Yoongi, becuase Yoongi was a guard, and he was a prince. That's what he told himself.
He knew perfectly well that it was a lie.
After a month of repressing his feelings with no results, Jungkook started to ignore Yoongi. If he couldn't talk to Jimin or Taehyung and he had no classes in royal ettiqute or some crap, he hid in the library until someone shooed him out, telling him he had to go to sleep. When he got to his room, he brushed right past Yoongi and shut the door, not even giving him a chance to try and enter the room. It didn't get rid of his feelings, but it made it so his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest just becuase Yoongi looked at him a certain way.
He was able to repeat this process for a month and a half before it was interuppted in the best way ever.
Jungkook was shuffling into his room after being ejected from the library. As usual, Yoongi was standing at the wall next to his door, and opened his mouth to say something to Jungkook. Jungkook was prepared to quickly brush past him and shut the door, but only got halfway through. When he was about to shut the door, Yoongi's hand shoved it open. Before Jungkook knew what was happening, he was swept up and then dropped on his bed, Yoongi hovering over him.
"Why have you been ignoring me, Jungkook?" Yoongi asked. He seemed almost angry, but Jungkook could see the concern in his eyes, as if he was afraid he had done something to offend Jungkook. "I don't know what you're talking about, Yoongi." Jungkook replied. His heart was doing jumping-jacks again, and Jungkook was trying to look at anything that wasn't Yoongi's face, trying to avoid the almost predatory expression Yoongi was now wearing. "Don't play games with me Jungkook." Yoongi said, his voice roughly an octave lower than usual.
The prince was about to reply, but Yoongi dipped his head down to press his lips and fuck, it felt like heaven to Jungkook.
He returned Yoongi's kiss, feeling the gaurd smirk slightly as he did. The two pulled apart for a moment to breath, then kissed again, carrying on like that for what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than 10 minutes at most. When Yoongi pulled away and didn't kiss Jungkook again, the prince nearly whined. He was stopped when Yoongi's mouth lingered just over Jungkook's before he spoke. "If you ever ignore me for so long again, I may just have to punsih you," he murmured, pressing his lips to Jungkook's quickly and then leaving, leaving Jungkook with an issue that wasn't entirely unwelcome.