Chapter Text
The Kingdom of Rosario was a well-respected place with a king who watched over his people and made sure that it was protected, the queen who showed compassion and helped her husband with the kingdom. It was no surprise that their son had also inherited the same traits as his parents and showed just how much of a good future king he would become.
Prince Jeon Jungkook would roam the outer walls of the palace and visit the village, always making sure that the people had plenty to eat and that everyone was treated equally. In return the citizens would stay outside their houses during those times, waving their hands and smiling as their prince passed by. With how well everything was going, the kingdom grew in prosperity.
It was on a cloudy afternoon when Jungkook rode his white stallion across town and stopped to pick up some fresh apples from the town’s sellers that he heard some noises coming from a secluded alley covered by tall houses and barely noticeable to those passing. As he neared the noise he heard voices laughing and a loud thud following afterward.
“See what happens kitty, when you try to play tough to get.”
“You’re nothing but disgusting. You creatures think you’re better than us don’t you!”
“Hey, Minjun how about we show him who has the real power here.”
Jungkook’s brow rose at the insults thrown. He wasn’t going to allow anyone to harm one of his people, not if he could help it. Walking at a faster pace he stopped suddenly at the sight in front of him. Standing there were three men of tall and muscled frames circling around another person. The person underneath them however was what made Jungkook’s eyes widen in surprise.
He was a hybrid. With a white plain shirt, black slacks, long boots, and white cat ears on top of his hair that looked ruffled. The ears were flattened backwards clearly revealing that he was scared even if his face refused to show it. What disgusted him more than anything was seeing how he shook as the men’s hands touched the hybrid’s body with his shirt already ripped away revealing a smooth pale stomach.
What made him move however were the hybrid’s words as the men continued to harm him.
“Stop it! Get off me you-”
It was barely a scream, more stuttered and soft. But with enough fright to get Jungkook mad.
Not wasting any time, he pulled the sword from his back.
“Let him go!”
The men were startled at the new voice turned around to see him glare at them with pure anger. If they didn’t know who he was now they were so going to regret the actions they committed today.
“P-P-Prince Jungkook?!” the one who he had heard been called Minjun stuttered.
“How dare you commit such vile actions in our kingdom! You should know that everyone is respected equally here, hybrid or not. Leave now before you cause more harm or stay and fight me so that we can end up in front of the King. You have 10 seconds to decide.”
The men stumbled back at his sudden outburst. Not knowing what to do they looked down at the hybrid and before Jungkook could begin counting they had quickly run away, passing him along the way. Minjun had even turned his head to look at him and he knew well enough that this wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other.
He sighed and put his sword back in its place, walking towards the cat hybrid whose head was bent down and arms shaking as he tried his best to cover his chest with the scarce fabric that was left on his shirt.
“Hey… are you okay? Do you need any help?”
It was obvious the hybrid wasn’t okay, his frame still shaking and ignoring his words as he pulled himself together and stood up as best as he could. His tail was wrapped around his left leg and he finally looked up at Jungkook, his eyes were red as he tried to hold back tears and his cheeks red.
“Th – thank you for helping me Prince Jungkook… I – I’m sorry I couldn’t do much to help.”
The hybrid finally spoke, voice sweet and soft to Jungkook’s ears but laced with sadness and if he heard right more than a little angry at what had happened to him. He couldn’t help but smile at the hybrid with how he had thanked him and tried his best to stop his attackers even though he was clearly outnumbered.
“It’s alright. I couldn’t just leave you like that. Besides they’re cowards for doing that to you and trust me the next time something like this happens I’ll make sure that they get the punishment they deserve. No one here has to suffer at the hands of someone like them.”
Jungkook remembering he had apples with him in his pouch and looking at the hybrid still tense, he grinned and put his hand inside.
“Here eat this. It’ll make you feel better…and Jungkook’s okay really. What’s your name by the way?”
Jungkook took the red apple from his pouch and handed it to the hybrid as he extended his own hand and took the apple from him, blushing at the kind action.
“Ah thank you Pri – Jungkook… My name is Kim Seokjin.” the hybrid no – Seokjin said as he grabbed the apple tightly in his hand still clutching his shirt with the other one.
Noticing how embarrassed he looked at his appearance Jungkook quickly took off his own brown cloak and closed the distance between him and Seokjin. He noticed that they were almost the same height and the other had taken a step back confused as to what was happening.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry if I frightened you but here take this. You can use it to get home and cover yourself with it.” Jungkook said as he wrapped the cloak around Seokjin’s body and tightened the string. As he moved back he couldn’t help but smile at how it looked on the other with his feet barely showing as it completely covered him.
“Oh. I really shouldn’t, you’ve done so much for me already and this looks really expensive. I don’t want to dirty it or have it torn.”
Seokjin looked worriedly at him but his once tense frame had now completely vanished as his ripped shirt wasn’t visible.
Laughing Jungkook shook his head, “Really, don’t worry about it. I can pick it up from your house tomorrow if you’re worried about it. Besides it’s the least I can do seeing as how it is my duty to make sure everything is going well around here.”
Seokjin bit his lips and sighed, he knew it was going to be pointless trying to convince the Prince otherwise, “Very well. I live near the stream by Court Road, there’s a path that leads you through trees and you’ll be able to see a cottage as you near the steam.”
Smiling at the fact that Seokjin had agreed to it, Jungkook happily nodded his head.
“I’ll walk with you back out then.”
Seokjin timidly allowed the other to lead him out the alley and his ears couldn't help but move forward as he became happy. Embarrassed he looked down at the floor hoping that Jungkook wouldn’t notice how flustered he had become. Once they exited out the area Jungkook turned around to face the other and for the first time looked a bit timid himself as he said his goodbye.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then… Be careful on your way home and I hope you enjoy the apple.”
Seokjin looked up at Jungkook and nodded shyly he couldn’t help but notice how the other looked as though he wanted to say something else but he ignored it as it being just his imagination.
“You too… and thank you again, Jungkook.”
With that Jungkook turned around towards the direction of his horse and Seokjin looked for a moment at him until he too turned around and started walking. It was already late in the afternoon and he was supposed to have gotten there earlier. His mom would definitely be worried right now and his little sister more than impatient as he had promised her he would play with her today.
As he walked home he couldn’t help but hold the apple up and give it a bite. It was sweet and a little bit of juice had dropped on his mouth. Still, Seokjin smiled as he took another bite, he was happy to know that the Prince was exactly as how others said he was, kind and noble to all. It made his blood boil that other people still chose to treat hybrids the way they did, only caring for their own satisfaction. More than 50 years had already passed since they had ruled hybrids to be treated equally and the trafficking of hybrids had stopped completely.
Seokjin shook his head, for better or for worse things were changing once more and he sensed a storm coming. He only hoped that one day humans and hybrids would truly be equal.
----
The next morning Seokjin was awakened to a heavy object on top of him as it bit his ears strongly but not enough to hurt him. He groaned softly as his eyes opened and sure enough his sister was moving on top of him trying to get him up.
“Brother! Brother get up, it’s time to play!”, his little sister with big eyes and brown soft hair cried out as her own brown cat ears twitched happily. She was only nine and she already had more energy than he did in the morning.
“Minji wait a bit. First we have to do chores remember and we also have to help mom with the food. Dad’s gonna come late today so we have to help out as much as we can.”
Seokjin spoke as he stood up with his little sister still holding on to him. If there was one person, he loved more than anything in the world Minji was definitely at the top of the list. He loved taking care of her and playing with her when their mom was too busy to do so. Seokjin himself worked in the town’s bakery shop, helping out in the back and sometimes taking customers’ orders. The job paid well and he had enough time to still help his mom out in his free days.
“Okay. Let’s get up then and help right away!” Minji said as she got down the bed and ran out of his room surely to get herself ready for the day. Sometimes Seokjin would be so surprised to see how mature his little sister was and knowing that she listened well and behaved made him love her even more.
Getting ready for the day and seeing as how it was going to be hot today more than usual, Seokjin put on brown shorts that reached his kneecap, a white blouse which had his sleeves rolled up, comfortable shoes for the day and combed his hair back. As he made his way downstairs towards the kitchen he noticed that his mother was already awake making breakfast.
“Good morning.”
She turned to look at him and softly smiled, “Good morning Seokjin. Did you sleep well?”
He nodded his head and made his way towards her pulling out plates from the cabinets in order to set the table. Memories from yesterday came back as he remembered her worried face as he entered the house. He knew she could still smell a bit of his frightened state and when he had told her what happened, not everything but enough to make up for the shirt incident, his mom had hugged him tightly and a bit of tears had fallen. His own father being human couldn’t help but have his fists curled up as he angrily shook his head.
“It’s not your fault Seokjin. Some humans are just incapable of letting others share the same right as them. They’re nothing but predators who want control. If anything like this ever happens again, I’ll…” his father had simply mumbled the last part to himself not wanting them to know just how shaken up he had felt about it.
Seokjin could only hug his mom tighter, the warmth and protection he felt from his parents was enough to get him to tear up a bit too. His sister had already been asleep by the time he came home and he was glad that she didn’t see him in his current state.
As he came back to his current day, Seokjin moved back to the table and set the plates down. It was bound to be a busy day today and they had much to do. The cloak he had worn yesterday was neatly folded and laid on his bed stand; he had washed it as soon as he got home and made sure it was in perfect condition. He told his parents someone had helped him but he was too flustered to tell them it had been the Prince and if they were to find out well… Seokjin wasn’t too sure how they would react.
Eating breakfast quickly with his little sister, they soon head out of their home and walked towards the stream. Today they were looking for special herbs to cook with and also for medical purposes. Being cat hybrids had its perks as their eyes made it easy for them to spot around quickly.
Seokjin not only kept an eye on the ground but also on Minji, making sure she wouldn’t get hurt. Together they quickly found a bush hidden from sight that held many blueberries. Wasting no time both siblings carefully picked out the blueberries and put them inside their basket making sure not to squish any fruit. As soon as they were done they were able to find the herbs they needed and walked back home.
The afternoon came and Seokjin was busy helping Minji hang the clothes outside as well as watering their garden full of vegetables. As soon as he was done he allowed himself to play with Minji only for a few minutes.
Running away from her slower in order for her to catch up he turned his head around and watched as her tail swished happily and she let out giggles. That was until she put her little finger up and pointed behind him.
“Brother watch out!”
It was too late, Seokjin looked in front but he knocked into someone else and they both fell to the ground hard. Seokjin winced as he went up in all fours still on top of the person he looked down and his cheeks became red.
“Ow, it seems this time it was my fault for not stopping on time.”
Seokjin couldn’t believe his eyes as the Prince lay underneath him and he was still on top of him, straddling him and hands on each side of his head. They were too close and he could practically feel his own heart beating.
“Brother…”
Seokjin turned hearing Minji’s worried yet a bit frightened voice made him realize that they weren’t alone. Flustered he stood up and moved back allowing Jungkook to stand up by himself and dust the dirt from his clothes.
“I told you I’d come didn’t I? Ah sorry for coming so late but I had business to attend to…and well I can see you’re not alone either.” Jungkook said as he saw Seokjin walk back towards the little girl who clutched his hand and stared at him, her own cat ears now twitching as she looked at his every move.
“Sorry about that, I should have looked where I was going. And this is – she’s”
“I’m Seokjin’s little sister, Minji, nice to meet you Prince Jungkook.” She said as she now had both hands clutching on to her brother’s shirt and chubby cheeks blushing at him.
“Oh, nice to meet you Minji. You’re already a lady with how well you introduce yourself. And Jungkook is fine there’s no need to call me Prince Jungkook haha.”
Minji smiled brightly at him and nodded her head, pleased with how Jungkook had spoken to her and taken her seriously. Seokjin smiled too and realized why Jungkook had come; he had forgotten throughout the day that he had left the cloak inside his room.
“The cloak. You came here for the cloak, right.”
Jungkook looking at Seokjin nodded his head, “That’s right. It’s a lovely home you have by the way I noticed it as soon as I was coming near. The garden is also very well kept together.”
“Thank you!” Minji said as her ears tail swished happily.
“You can come inside and wait in the kitchen. My parents aren’t currently here right now.”
Seokjin walked towards his home as Jungkook made his way to stand beside them both and Minji couldn’t help but happily bounce in her steps as she was ecstatic to know that the Prince was about to enter their home. Opening the door Seokjin couldn’t help but feel nervous knowing that someone other than their friends or family was about to enter their private home. But at the same time knowing that it was the same person who had saved him yesterday and showed that he cared made his heart flutter.
“Would you like anything to drink?” He asked as soon as Jungkook had taken a sit in the kitchen chair. Minji had already taken a sit in the other side waiting for her brother to do whatever he had to do and watching the Prince from her side.
“Ah just water will be fine please and thank you.”
Nodding his head Seokjin quickly took a cup from the cabinet and filled it with fresh water as he gave it to Jungkook. He blushed lightly when their hands brushed against one another.
“I’ll come back fast then, I just need to go up and get your cloak.” He said as he moved towards the door and turned back. Jungkook merely nodded but he had already stricken up a conversation with Minji both of them talking excitedly about what was their favorite type of flower.
With that Seokjin quickly made his way to his room and gathered the cloak still folded neatly. He took it with him and walked back towards the kitchen as he could hear Minji laughing loudly.
“I’m back.”
Both Jungkook and Minji turned to look at him still smiling at one another, but as he walked towards Jungkook he stood up and left the glass now empty on the table.
“Thanks for the water it was refreshing and I feel better now.”
Seokjin smiled softly at him and handed him back the cloak, “No problem. I washed the cloak and it should be fine too.”
“Seokjin you really didn’t have to. I’m sure it was clean when you took it out and if anything I’m glad you got home safely.”
Jungkook opened the cloak and swiftly put it on himself, it was long but it didn’t cover his feet and it looked good on him. As he opened it Jungkook couldn’t help but notice how fresh it smelled and there was a sweet scent to it too.
“It… smells nice too.”
Seokjin blushed at the Jungkook’s words and simply clasped his hands together while his tail moved slightly.
“Well I should get going. I’m sure you two still have a lot of work to do and I really don’t want to interrupt you from doing your work.”
Minji stood up from her own chair and walked towards Seokjin. All of them walked outside the cottage and Jungkook stepped further out brushing his hair back.
“Thanks for taking good care of my cloak, Seokjin.”
Seokjin blushed at his words and his ear twitched, “Ah you’re welcome. I’m just grateful for all you’ve done for me.”
Minji unsure of what they were talking about nodded her head, agreeing to what her brother was saying.
Jungkook smiled at Seokjin, he was truly too cute for words.
“Bye Minji! Make sure to listen to your brother well and take care of him too. I’ll make sure to have lilies with me the next time I see you.”
Minji smiles widely and Seokjin’s own eyes widen a bit when he heard Jungkook mutter a ‘next time’ to her. Was he going to come back?
As soon as he was about to speak again, Minji jumped from his side and ran towards Jungkook giving him a hug. She purred a bit before letting go and running back to her brother grabbing his hand and shyly waving to him.
“Bye Jungkook, it was nice meeting you too~”
Seokjin couldn’t help but smile at his sister, she really was too sweet for words and by the way Jungkook also looked at her, Seokjin could see that he was thinking the same.
“Before I leave… I was wondering… if you by any chance were doing anything tomorrow?”
Seokjin looked at Jungkook trying to understand what he had just said. Jungkook only came to get his cloak and that was it right? He wasn’t really anything special and he was sure Jungkook had more important things than to spend his time with him. Was he maybe? … No there wasn’t any way Jungkook was asking him out for any reason. He must have stayed silent for more time than needed because Jungkook was staring at him and he couldn’t help but blush.
“I actually – I have work in the morning at Yoongi’s bakery. I finish in the afternoon at 3:00 but after that there’s not much for me to do.” He wasn’t sure what compelled him to speak back or for that matter even slightly agree that he had free time.
“That’s great actually! I’m free in the afternoons too and wasn’t too sure whether you were as well. But if it’s fine by you then I’ll come to pick you up, there’s a place I want to show you.”
Seokjin couldn’t help but further blush at the other, he was a Prince and had much more interesting people he knew so why spend time with him. Still unconsciously he found his head moving in agreement.
“That’s alright…” he mumbled voice soft once more and Jungkook smiled at him. Finally waving his goodbye to the both of them and walking back.
Minji turned to look at his brother and nudged his shirt as he was too busy staring at Jungkook’s back.
“Brother… does that mean you’re going on a date with the Prince.”
Seokjin quickly looked down at her and blushed brightly while fanning himself with his hand, trying to get back to his normal state. Tomorrow was something he was looking forward too.
“We should go inside now Minji and prepare lunch for mom and dad.”