Archive of Our Own

When Jimin sees his father arrive home looking exhausted, a cage clothed in brown sacking under one arm, Jimin knows that this one is different. 

He steps away from the window and rushes to the kitchen to fetch his father a fresh mug of ale as he knows his father always like after a long day of work. He can hear the door open roughly and his father announce his arrival home with words and a heavy stomp on the front door mat. There’s the scraping draw of the living room chair that tells Jimin his father has sunken down into a seat. He must be really tired since usually the first thing he does as he comes in the front door is enter the kitchen and wash his hands.

Jimin fills the cup to the near brim and takes it over to his father who thanks him with a nod. He drains it in two gulps and sets it down hard onto the table next to the covered cage, causing the creature inside to jump with surprise.

“Where is this one from?” Jimin asks, unable to hold back his curiosity. His father always brings home the birds in travelling cages, but this is the first time Jimin has seen his father covering one of them. His hands itch to lift up the bottom of the cloth and sneak a peek.

His father cracks open one eye. “Careful there son,” he says warningly. “This one’s a wild one.”

Jimin turns, eyes wide with awe, not the least bit cautioned. “A wild falcon?” he gasps, and his father nods.

“Apparently this one’s been bothering the local wildlife in the next village over. I got a request to deal with him, and I thought rather than kill him, this beauty deserves a different sort of life. So I brought him back.”

Jimin turns his gaze back to the cage. His fingers twitch with the desire to see what this falcon looks like. All the birds his father has brought back before are all pedigree born and bred. That, or they’ve been selectively captured by falcon hunters, tamed somewhat, and then handed over to this father who will then train them, usually for the Royal House’s exclusive use. His father has several clients but the Royal House is undoubtly the most important of them all. Jimin has grown up watching his father train birds of all shapes and size and he wants to do nothing more than follow in his father’s footsteps.

“Is’s a male then?” Jimin asks, more than bursting with curiosity now.

“Yes. A tiercel,” his father confirms.

Okay. Jimin really wants to see the bird now. “Can I put him in the bird house?” he begs.

His father frowns, hesitating for a second. “I’ll go with you,” he says in compromise. “I trust you, but this one’s dangerous still but your mother would have my head if I let you get hurt.”

Jimin pouts but he guesses it’s true. He’s only fifteen and his father is bordering on forty. The disparity in their experience is more than distinct.

His father treads into the kitchen to put the dirty mug into the sink, allowing Jimin the time to crouch down and stare at the thick cloth. Not for the first time he wishes he has X ray powers.

When his father picks up the cage though, the bird inside utters a sharp complaint. Jimin forgets all about see through powers and his heart starts racing as he realizes he’s about the see the bird inside.

They cross the short distance to the little bird house erected next to their wooden cabin.

It used to be an old barn, his father had said once. One that he then modified to make habitable for the variety of birds that come through. Sometimes Jimin sits cross legged in the middle of the barn and closes his eyes. He imagines the old days when it must have been filled with cows or pigs or some sort of livestock, warm and gentle and bleating. There are remnants of that past which buffet Jimin as he unlocks the door and is greeted with the smell of fresh hay and soft hoots of the birds perched in there.

At the moment there are only three birds.

The birds have two names: a stage one that is used when hunting, so that the falconers can call to the birds quickly and efficiently. Then there is their birth name, one that breeders first choose when a bird is born. Jimin would rather use their birth names but his father has strictly instructed him to use their stage names so that it will train them to get used to the name their future owners will call them by. 

So there’s Supreme, a red-tailed hawk who is hardy and versatile. He has a gorgeous plumage of cedar browns and rich reds and Jimin wonders if each feather has a different color. Supreme doesn’t tolerate Jimin up close for long unless it involves flying or food so Jimin doesn’t think he’ll ever find out.

There in the corner is V.  He’s a Harris Hawk, friendly and brilliant at catching rabbits. He’s the bird that Jimin has been working with the most since he arrived at their bird house at the youngest and most impressionable age, and therefore least likely to hurt Jimin. In fact because of that Jimin has practically spoilt the bird and even now as Jimin opens the door of the bird house, V’s head pops up and he chirps cheerfully, begging for a head rub.

The bird house is big enough for V to fly over if he wanted to, but Jimin isn’t wearing his protective gear and the birds are trained to not land unless instructed when and specified where. Since V has been given neither orders he simply sits and crows for attention.

Jimin chuckles and walks over to indulge him.

“Don’t spoil him too much,” his father says chidingly as V pushes his feathered head exuberantly into Jimin’s hand. Jimin pets V as his father drag out a wooden table from where it was last pushed up against the wall and drops the cage lightly down onto it.

It draws the attention of all three bird, even Iron is usually apathetic to everything but outdoor flights.

Iron is a giant Golden Eagle with claws the size of Jimin's hands. As such Jimin is expressively forbidden from carrying him. Iron is his father's pet project, supposedly a request from the Royal House for a hunting bird that is capable of bringing down the larger predators of the forests which border the Kingdom. Jimin has seen his father train Iron to take down objects the size of wild boars, resulting in tree trunks with gorges inches deep. Jimin has long decided that it's okay if Iron doesn't like him that much. V makes up for it.

Jimin watches as his father puts on thick leather gloves, meant not for holding birds, but for protecting oneself against them. He leaves V and steps forwards to help him tighten the straps.

“Step back when I open the cage,” his father says in warning as he reaches down. Jimin obeys, stepping back an acceptable distance. There’s a tense silence as his father clasps the cloth between two fingers, hesitating for one moment, and then jerking the material off in one flourish. The first thing that Jimin sees is the bright yellows of its beak, the tip wickedly sharp, the edge a gradient of mellow black.

Its eyes are covered with more thick sacking.

Whilst Jimin is entranced by the bird’s beak, his father is swiftly opening the cage door and wrapping one hand around the beak, the other around the falcon’s feet. Jimin gulps at the razor sharp talons, but his father shows no fear as he slides his fingers around the base, slipping on finger between the two legs in order to get a proper grip.

His father takes the bird out and Jimin can finally get a good look at it. The bird isn’t that big. Roughly fifteen inches from top to tail and eight across. The bird lets out a small cry of distress and flutters its wings. Now they’re big. The span is nearly thirty inches across, all gorgeous blue black and white feathers, soft as down.

“We’ll put him in the isolation cage for now,” his father says as he crosses the floor over to the giant mesh cage they’ve built specifically for difficult birds. It’s more than large enough for this bird to stretch his wings in, but not big enough for him to fly.

Jimin unlocks the cage door and holds it open for his father. His father nods in signal and Jimin watches and waits as his father settles the bird down onto a perch. Jimin reaches in to loop one end of the jesse around one foot, and then slings the other end over a hook inside of the cage. He pulls out his hand, nods to his father who then retracts his own. Jimin then quickly darts one hand in and pulls off the sacking, allowing the bird to finally see his surroundings. The door is closed and his hand on the latch before the bird can open its eyes. 

Dark eyes blink, the shade of the blackest kohl, rimmed with white and gold. Jimin watches as the bird adjusts to the light, and then to its surroundings, its eyes darting around the room. Then they zero in and focus on Jimin. Only then does Jimin realize he’s been holding his breath.

“A beauty right?” his father grins at Jimin’s wide mouthed expression.

V makes a trilling sound of jealousy from the other side of the room. He side hops closer to the new guest and eyes the falcon with one beady eye.  

“Shhh,” Jimin says distractedly to V, and the bird looks away, hunching up and tucking itself into some corner. Jimin will make it up to him later with treats. Right now there’s this beautiful bird in front of him, staring right back at him with eyes like a storm.

A bird who lunges forwards, snapping its beak fiercely at the cage mesh.

Jimin flinches and his fingers fly off the cage door. Involuntarily he takes a step backwards.

“Calm down there,” his father says warningly to the bird who looks decisively disgruntled.

“He’s got a right temper for a peregrine,” his father comments as he sheds his gloves and puts them back onto the shelf.

Jimin’s eyes widen. Peregrines are the fastest falcons out there. It’s every falconer’s dream to find and raise one and here his father has gotten his hands on one. No wonder his father didn’t want to outright kill the beast.

“It’s nearly the prince’s fourteenth birthday,” his father says. “This bird will make a fine present for him if we can train him up right.”

Jimin nods obediently, but privately he’s already mourning the fact that this bird is already promised to someone. He knows that if he intends to become a professional falconer like his father, he won't be able to own a bird of his own, but it still hurts that at the most he’ll only have half a year with this beautiful bird.

A bird who tracks them as they move across the room.

When he thinks they aren’t looking, he leans forwards to snap his beak around the mesh. Pretty soon though he realizes the futility of the action and lets out what sounds suspiciously like an irritable huff. He hunkers down and opts to glare at Jimin instead.

Jimin sighs and helps his father clean up and check that the other birds aren’t too troubled by the appearance of this new resident. 

As they leave, Jimin pats V on the head, strokes one long downward motion on Supreme’s wing, and gives a small nod to Iron. He closes the door and locks up and feels the peregrine’s eyes follow him all the way back to the cabin.

|||

Yoongi, as they’ve decided to call him, is extremely difficult to take care of.  

For the first three days he refuses the food they give him. Pigeon, waterfowl, scraps of shredded meat, he rejects them all. Eventually though hunger gives way and he reluctantly pecks at the dead pigeon Jimin brings.

“He likes you,” his father comments later that night when the fire is burning hot and Jimin’s mother is in the kitchen, humming and singing as she merrily makes dinner.

“Really?” Jimin is skeptical. Just because Yoongi has finally eaten, coincidentally on the day that it’s Jimin’s turn to feed the birds, doesn’t equate to Yoongi actually liking him.

His father just gives a bemused smile and a knowing look that Jimin can’t decipher. He’s long given up trying to understand his father and so just sighs, deciding instead to see if he can figure out what’s for dinner by the smells wafting out the kitchen door.

“I was thinking about starting Yoongi on training with the creance tomorrow,” he father says, deceptively casually. “Do you want to help me?”

Jimin’s attention snaps to him like an elastic band. “Really? Can I?”

So far his father’s only permitted him to directly help with training V, and now he’s offering for Jimin to help him train a peregrine? From scratch?!

Hell yes!

“When do we start?” Jimin asks eagerly, hands gripping the table top tightly.

“Well not right now,” his mother says with a warning glint in her eye. She peers at them from the kitchen door, her fingers tight around a ladle, and her smile unnervingly thin. It's happened before, her two men running off right before dinner time to go play with the birds, leaving dinner to go cold. She hasn't allowed it to happen a second time since. “I can tell you what you’re going to do instead. How about washing your hands first?”

Jimin and his father nod quickly in obedicence and rush past her. His mother smiles beautifically and follws them in.

It’s an effort to sit down at the dinner table and eat when Jimin would rather be out the door and telling Yoongi the good news – not that the falcon should really care, but well, maybe V would appreciate it then. For now he’ll bottle it up and hide the way his hands tremble under the dining table.

Tomorrow he gets to train a falcon for real.

|||

Yoongi is not impressed with Jimin’s attempts to get the hood on him.

He snaps at Jimin’s fingers when he tries to drop the fabric over Yoongi’s eyes and makes small snippy noises when Jimin even raises the fabric to eye level.  

“Aw, come on Yoongi,” Jimin complains and shakes the fabric again in front of Yoongi. “You’ve got to get used to these things anyway.”

Step one of training is to get the falcon used to the equipment. Namely the hood and the creance. If he’s going to be the royal prince’s falcon then he’ll often be in public situations and a hood is necessary for travel measures. He’ll have to get used to crowds as well, but that can come later.

For now Jimin has to get the stupid hood over Yoongi’s eyes.

“Here, let me do it,” his father finally says, giving up his patience as he looks out the window and sees the sun slowly crawl higher and higher. They’ve wasted enough time as it is. He steps forwards and takes the material out of Jimin’s hands, taking his place, and is about drop the material over Yoongi’s head when the falcon lets out a piercing screech and flaps his wings so hard that it slaps against the metal mesh of the cage and Jimin’s father’s arm.

Startled, his father steps backwards, one hand to the reddened flesh. It’s clear that Yoongi hasn’t done actual physical damage, but the mental one is larger. V and Supreme echo their shock with hooting sounds of their own. Jimin has to place a calming hand to both their heads to quieten them.

“Looks like he’ll be tougher to train than I thought,” his father murmurs to himself and moves to close the cage.

Yoongi’s eyes widen and he shies away from the incoming hand. 

Jimin stops him. “Appa. Let me try again.”

His father looks him deep in the eyes, certifying his seriousness, before handing over the material. “Be careful,” is all he says and then he steps aside.

Jimin approaches the cage again, soft tread and a softer voice. “Hey there Yoongi, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Yoongi fixes his dark blue eyes on him and whilst he doesn’t look like he’s calmed down, his wings do stop flapping and slowly come to fold in and settle. He stops screeching and Jimin takes another step forwards. “Hey, look here, this won’t hurt you,” Jimin says gently. “It’s just a hood. It’ll make everything black but its okay. We’re just going to put it on your head and then take it off, okay?”

Jimin’s voice seems to placate Yoongi and Jimin gets back to his starting position in front of Yoongi, the hood held high in his hands. Yoongi eyes it suspiciously, and for one moment Jimin thinks that Yoongi’s going to kick up a fuss again, but then he blinks once and seems to deflate.

Jimin edges forwards tentatively and Yoongi closes his eyes.

He takes it as a good sign and gently drops the material over Yoongi’s head, watching as the falcon twitches at first, and then settles down.

“There we go,” Jimin murmurs encouragingly. “See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?”

Yoongi makes a clicking sound that Jimin comes to realize is his sign of dissatisfaction, but grudging acceptance.

“Good job,” his father says quietly from behind him. “Okay, now let’s take off the hood to show him that it won’t hurt him.”

Jimin does so and Yoongi blinks at him again, his black eyes swiveling as he takes note that nothing has changed.

“Alright, now put the hood on again,” his father instructs.

Jimin holds out the hood again and slowly drops it over Yoongi’s head. Yoongi gives a tiny sigh and lets him do it another two times.

“Looks like he’s used to it now,” Jimin’s father says. “Let’s let him out of the cage now then.”   

Jimin removes the hood and puts its aside. His father offers him the thick leather gloves and Jimin looks to it with surprise.

His father shrugs. “He likes you better.”

Jimin takes the glove wordlessly and slips it on. These are more cumbersome than the gloves his father used when he first transported Yoongi. They’re made to withstand a bird’s sharp talons digging in, and the excessive material shows in the weight.

Jimin steps forwards and his father places a scrap of pigeon meat in his hand. It’s lure. Jimin shows it clearly to Yoongi and places it at the base of his cage. Yoongi squints at it for a second before deciding it probably won’t kill him and eats it.

Whilst he does that Jimin crouches and holds out his gloves hand, tapping it with his other ungloved hand. Yoongi pauses in his meal to glance at his hand. He tilts his head to one side, a scrap still his beak, and he drops it in favor of making a curious little pitched sound like he’s confused or something.

“C’mon Yoongi,” Jimin coaxes, “Get up here.”

Yoongi blinks and Jimin thinks that maybe he shouldn’t really be talking to Yoongi like he’s another human and can understand him, but then Yoongi makes a small sound and hops onto Jimin’s gloved hand, almost too obediently.

Jimin’s mouth falls open, tantamount to his shock. He stares at Yoongi sitting far too obediently in his hand until his father clears his throat and Yoongi makes a warning noise at the back of his throat to close his mouth. 

“Okay Jimin, bring him over here, slowly.”

In his peripheral vision he can see V watching them curiously from his high perch atop a wooden beam, eyes tracking their every motion. Supreme and Iron apparently aren’t interested as they have their heads tucked under their wings, napping.

Jimin swivels on his heel, making sure that he turns Yoongi gently. He walks the three paces to the centre of the bird house where they usually train the new birds.

Here Jimin pauses.

“Do you think we need the creance?” his father asks, holding up the thicker cord that is piled on the wooden table. Yoongi eyes it with displeasure and his neck feathers ruffle.

“I don’t think he likes it,” Jimin says slowly and Yoongi’s head bobs in ready agreement.

Jimin’s father looks amused as he puts down the creance. “Okay, no creance then,” he says and Yoongi visibly relaxes. “We’ll just work with lures today then.”

Lures means getting Yoongi to hop to and fro from Jimin’s hand and more scraps of pigeon on the floor. It’s not too difficult to get Yoongi to go to the food, but it’s tougher to get him to come back to Jimin. It’s not that he doesn’t understand what to do, but it’s more like the falcon knows he’s being trained and is purposely trying to mess with them.

“Yoongi!” Jimin chides as Yoongi ignores his hand for the fourth time in favor of hopping over directly below Iron and eyeing his long feather tails. 

Iron cracks open one eye and makes a deep warning sound at Yoongi.

“Yoongi, don’t disturb Iron!” Jimin rushes forwards and steps in front of Yoongi. Jimin knows that if Iron wants to he could easy lash out at Yoongi whose only advantage lies in flight. It wouldn’t end well, and Jimin doesn’t want Yoongi hurt. Iron by nature is not aggressive, so the minute Jimin blocks Yoongi from his line of vision, the golden eagle settles.

Jimin crouches and holds out his gloved hand to Yoongi, tapping it firmly. Yoongi sighs and hops back on. Without thinking Jimin rewards him with a pat on the head, and oops, he wasn’t supposed to do that with a bird as new as Yoongi. Heck, even Iron and Supreme normally don’t like head pats; V’s just the abnormal one. But for some reason Yoongi just makes a soft noise at the back of his throat and his eyes flutter close.  

Huh.

“Do you like that Yoongi?” Jimin asks, bringing the bird closer to his face.

Yoongi opens his eyes wide and then turns his head away, purposely ignoring Jimin.

Jimin cracks a grin and pats Yoongi again on the head, tentatively at first with one finger and then when Yoongi doesn’t make a move to snap at him, with a second finger. He strokes a long downward path starting at the crown of Yoongi’s head to halfway down his spine. Yoongi seems to relax into his touch, wings drooping slightly and head leaning back into Jimin’s fingers.

“Didn’t I tell you not to spoil them?” Jimin’s father says.

“Aw but he likes it,” Jimin grins and Yoongi snaps his eyes open, leaning forwards and away from Jimin’s hand. “And he’s shy.”

Yoongi lets out a sound of displeasure at Jimin’s statement, as if trying to say I most certainly am not.  

“Even still,” his father says evenly, but he’s fighting to keep a small smile off his face. “He’s may be the princeling’s bird. He can’t be babied all the time.”

Jimin sighs and takes his hand away.

“Let’s put him back in the cage,” Jimin’s father says. “I think we’re done with Yoongi today. We should let these three spread their wings for a bit as well.”

Almost reluctantly Jimin puts Yoongi back into his cage and loops the jesse over the hook inside. Yoongi eyes it with clear irritation and Jimin makes a soothing sound. “It’s just until we can trust you to let you out of the cage.”

Yoongi’s sharp eyes narrow in on Jimin as if to say, Of course you can trust me. Now let me out.

“Two more days,” Jimin promises, pressing one finger to Yoongi’s head again to placate him. “If you behave for two more days then we can let you out, okay?”

Yoongi ducks him head, disgruntled, but doesn’t make any more noises.

Jimin beams at him and latches the cage close, blowing Yoongi an air kiss before he goes.

|||

V looks more than ecstatic to have Jimin’s attention return to him. He barely gives Jimin time to hold up his glove before hopping onto it and then pressing his head into Jimin’s neck affectionately.

“Whoa there,” Jimin grins, stumbling a bit before he can right himself. “Let’s go for a little walk shall we?”

V gives a chirp in agreement and Jimin nods to his father for permission before proceeding outside. His father will take care of Supreme and Iron. V is all his.

The sun has crawled high in the sky now and it burns across a too-blue canvas. It’s beautiful weather for flying. Jimin stretches and inhales the woodsy scent of the forest around them.

“You hungry?” he asks V who bobs his head up and down excitedly.

Jimin looks up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun with his spare hand. He can’t see anything from here, but he’s certain V will find prey if there’s any to be had.

“Let’s go boy,” he clicks his tongue and holds out his gloved hand. V lets out an excited shriek and pulls back his wings, shaking them once or twice before toppling forwards so that he fall and spread them out to their full glorious width.

Jimin watches as V smoothly stretches them out, glossy feathers of brick red close to the bone that melts into a dark span of black and then finishes with a dusting of white. V screeches joyfully as he pulls upwards and catches wind. It floats him aloft and he beats his wings and soars higher and higher. Jimin soon has to crane his neck to maintain a watch on him.

This must be the best part of being a falconer Jimin reckons. Watching the birds soar freely without a care in the world, wings holding them up high, never failing, never falling. Jimin sometimes wonders what it must be like to be a bird, unchained.

Then he thinks guilty back to Yoongi, locked in his tiny cage.

V, Supreme and Iron have all been born and bred in captivity and then raised by Jimin’s father. They know how to spread their wings and soar, but they also know when it’s time to come home to the safety of the bird house. One day they’ll all go on to bigger and greater things, but for now they’re satisfied with this little slip of freedom.

Yoongi however is not. He has wilderness running in his veins, trapped and held captive by Jimin’s father. Captive.

Jimin almost doesn’t see V enter his stoop, diving in for the kill, his wings tucked in as he shoots straight and true for some prey amongst the bushes that Jimin cannot spy. There’s a squeaking sound and leaves and bracken are kicked up. Jimin jogs over the clearing to see V is sat on the ground, his talons dug deep into a poor little rabbit that twitches once and then dies. V looks unbelievably proud of himself.

“Good job,” Jimin praises him and then sits down onto a nearby log to let V have his meal peacefully. V may be graceful when he goes in for the kill, but he is anything but graceful as he rips apart the still warm rabbit, beak dipping into the carcass almost gleefully. Sometimes Jimin thinks V is having too much fun with his prey.

“Don’t play with your food,” Jimin says, unconsciously repeating his mother’s words, as V gets his beak all covered in blood. Jimin sighs as he’s ignored and makes a mental note to give V a good bath later.

Whilst he waits for V to finish, his thoughts wander back to Yoongi and his freedom. Giving freedom has always been a highlight of the job, but for the first time Jimin realizes that he's actually taking it away. 

“Am I doing the right thing V?” he asks the feasting bird.

V pops his head up, entrails hanging from his beak and beams at him. He hops on over and deposits the entrails at Jimin’s feet like an offering, chirping once before he hops right back to his meal.

Jimin eyes the bloody intestines. ”Thanks V,” he says dryly and leaves it be.

Asking advice from a bird. Whatever next?

|||

Jimin is working with Yoongi again, this time getting him to fly to moving lures. His father has bait tied to a string and when Jimin gives the signal his father starts to wriggle the end of the stick to make the bait move.

Yoongi lets out a deep sigh and hops after the bait, pouncing at the last moment for it. He digs into the meat almost out of habit rather than real hunger and Jimin notices that his feathers are looking dull as of late.

“Appa,” he says. “I think we should let him go outside.”

Yoongi perks up so quickly that Jimin thinks his theory must be correct.

He looks to his father, but there’s a frown on his father’s face. “You sure? It hasn’t even been one week yet.”

“He’s a wild falcon,” Jimin reasons. “He likes freedom more than the other birds do. He needs it.”

Furrowed brows. Then Jimin’s father relents. “Only for half an hour. And he needs to be on a creance. No arguments. We can’t have him running off on us.”

He’s too precious, are the underlying words his father doesn’t give voice to.

Jimin doesn’t like that part of being a falconer as well. The commodity-ness of it all. The business aspect of picking and choosing based on quality and price and how it’s not all about feelings and simply liking a bird because of who it is rather than what it looks like.

For example V is an amazing hawk, but his over affectionate ways may ‘compromise’ his respectability as a falcon of royal status and Jimin’s father worries that it will lower his price. They’ve invested too much into V to just give him away or sell him for anything less than they usually do, but sometimes Jimin holds V close and pets his head and wishes that his father would see beyond surface value.

Jimin taps at his glove and Yoongi flutters upwards, landing and tilting his head as he always does when Jimin acts out of the ordinary. Jimin doesn’t respond. He just grabs the creance with his spare hand and jerks his head to signal for Yoongi to move onto the perch.

Yoongi stares at him, confused, but complies.

Jimin turns his back for a second, reaching and grasping for the creance. As he brings it over, Yoongi makes a noise of distaste.

“This is the compromise,” Jimin says sternly, brandishing the creance so Yoongi can eye it fully. That’s how training works these days: Jimin shows Yoongi the equipment and explains it all slowly, and only then will Yoongi comply. “I said to wait two more days, and this is one day earlier. You get to go out so deal with it.”

Yoongi snorts and turns his head away, which means he doesn’t like it, but he’ll do it. Jimin lifts one of his legs and takes the jesse off, looping the thicker cord of the creance on instead. Yoongi makes a yelping little sound but Jimin’s already put down his leg and Yoongi has to make do with shaking at the heavy weight around his leg. He glares at Jimin and Jimin shrugs, roping the excess of the creance around his shoulder and arm.

“Deal with it,” he says again and Yoongi clicks his beak with annoyance.

Jimin grabs the glove, slips it on and taps at it. Yoongi ignores it pointedly and Jimin sighs.

“Sometime today please Yoongi. I know you want to go outside as much as I do, so let’s go okay? The faster you behave, the faster you get off the creance.”

Yoongi stills at the word outside and slowly swivels his head back, squinting at Jimin, as if he’s saying promise?

“I promise,” Jimin nods and shakes his gloved hand again.

Yoongi relents and hops on, slightly awkwardly as he hasn’t gotten used to the weight of the creance yet.

“Good boy,” Jimin croons and drops a kiss on the side of Yoongi’s head, much to the bird’s surprise. He flutters but rights himself and Jimin is heading for the door, his father tracking their every movements.

“I’ll join you,” he says as he puts away his gear and grabs the dirty rag from the table, stuffing it into a pocket. “We can’t be too careful with a peregrine.”

“He’ll be good appa,” Jimin says, a tad harshly. He’s tired of his father treating Yoongi like some sort of gemstone.

“You can never tell with wild animals,” is all his father says as he holds open the door for Jimin.

Jimin sighs and steps through.

|||

Yoongi almost falls right off Jimin’s hand with joy as he inhales the first whiff of fresh air in days. That human nest may be big enough for him to stretch his wings and waddle around, but he’s been locked up in that tiny trap for days, only able to step out when that human – Jimin – comes over.

Well better the little one than the big gruff one.

There’s something inherently sweet about the tiny one, something gentle about him that makes it hard for Yoongi to hate him as much as he wants to hate humans. All they ever do is throw things and shout things and point at him with things.

He’s just flying around, eating prey as is his right. Why does it get the humans feathers in such a twist?

He really can’t understand them. Them and their strange habits of locking up rabbits in traps. It’s not his fault that they suck at making the traps and the rabbits are somehow smart enough to escape, but dumb enough to then get caught by him.

Then again no prey evades Yoongi’s grasp.  

Yoongi swivels his head as he hears the rustling of the bushes some hundreds of meters away. There’s prey swarming in this forest and Yoongi can’t wait to sink his talons into one. But first – flight.

Yoongi flutters his wings, and they ache with the closeness of freedom. He can almost feel the wafts of hot wings beneath his feathers, the cool breeze that will skim the tops of his wings. feels like weeks since he’s last tasted fresh meat, hot blood still spurting and heartbeat racing a hundred beats a second and then ninety nine, ninety eight, ninety seven down to six, five, four, three-

The annoying sting thing around his leg is still there, anchoring him down. He makes an impatient noise to the tiny human as he lifts one leg experimentally. He can probably still fly with it, but it’ll be annoying.

“Calm down Yoongi,” Jimin says and Yoongi squawks. Yeah right. There’s prey right there and he’s hungry. There’s no way he’s calming down, as the humans like the say.

“I’m not letting you off the rope,” Jimin says sternly. “And the rope is only three meters long so you can’t go far.”

Yoongi’s wings droop. What? Only three meters? What’s a meter even? All he gathers is that this means the prey will be too far away.

“Aw, don’t look so sad,” Jimin says, his brow creasing as he senses Yoongi’s sadness. “At least you can fly a bit right? C’mon, look, appa’s got some meat. Why don’t you fly over to it?”

Yoongi turns to look. Indeed the gruff human is standing there with meat in his hands, but the meat is at least a few hours old, rabbit, probably relatively young. At least it won’t be stringy Yoongi reasons with a resigned sigh. He flexes his wings once to test them out. They all seem fine, if a little stiff. He stretches them and eyes the meat in the gruff man’s glove. Jimin clicks his tongue and Yoongi forgets it all and flies.  

|||

If V is joyous in his flight, Yoongi is graceful. His wings are a dazzling pattern of speckled blue-black and the lightest shade of brown-white. His chest is pure white and his belly yellow. Jimin can’t take his eyes off of him as he soars the short distance over to where Jimin’s father stands with another glove in hand.

Yoongi lands without a hitch and picks the meat up in one smooth motion.

When he finishes Jimin fishes out another scrap of meat from his pocket and calls out to Yoongi.

“Back here boy.”

Yoongi finishes up and catches sight of the morsel. He tenses up, leans forwards, and then glides back to Jimin’s hand, needing barely more than a wing beat to hold himself aloft.

He’s glorious and Jimin could watch him all day long.

It’s a pity all they have is this brief interchange between two gloves, and even then the creance hangs heavy and low like some chain. Yoongi is a creature of the sky and nothing stands out more starkly right now than the fact they are stopping him from being anything. 

|||

It takes nearly two weeks before Jimin’s father is confident enough to let Yoongi off the creance. It happens first in the bird house, Jimin and his father standing at the two ends of the room, holding out their gloves to get Yoongi to flutter back and forth. Lure isn’t needed anymore, and if they did use it, V would probably just cheekily snap it up before Yoongi could bother with it.

Jimin can tell that Yoongi is putting up with training, but frustration is building.

And then the day comes.

“Let’s take him out,” his father says over breakfast. Jimin’s head snaps up, mouth trembling with hope. “Without the creance,” his father says in confirmation and Jimin breaks out into a smile so wide that it hurt.

He whoops and shovels his oats down and is running off to the bird house before his father can put another spoonful of breakfast into his mouth.

“Yoongi!” Jimin yells as he bursts into the bird house, startling all four birds on their various perches. Yoongi blinks at him from his perch in the corner. They let him out of the cage ten days ago and ever since then he’s found his spot opposite Supreme and Iron, a beam higher than V. “Guess what?” Jimin grins up at him.

Yoongi cocks one head and shrugs.

“My dad says we can take you out today. Without the creance. You can fly! Without any ropes!”

Yoongi’s eyes widen and he shuffles on the spot.

“You ready?” Jimin grins crazily and reaches for the leather glove.

Yoongi can’t hop on fast enough.

|||

The air is cool, the sun warm.

Yoongi soars higher and higher, joy clear as he screeches and cuts a fine path across the blue. He circles and Jimin leans back to watch him fly, so free and uninhibited.

Then Yoongi curves, zeroes in and falls quickly, spiraling downwards in a corkscrew pattern. His wings are tucked in, his beak a sharp dagger, and the falcon plunges straight into the undergrowth.

Jimin jogs over to find him with a dead rodent in his claws, and the peregrine looks up at him, eyes sparkling. Jimin grins despite the bloody streak across the peregrine’s beak and the feral glint to his eyes. He has never seen anything more beautiful than this wild bird and he wants Yoongi to stay that way.

|||

Jimin is out letting Yoongi fly when a clattering of hooves alerts him to the arrival of some strangers. He turns in time to see a glossy chestnut brown stallion slow to a pause in front of his house.

There are two men sat atop the horse. They are dressed in such finery that Jimin knows they must be from the Royal House. One swiftly dismounts, and then proceeds to hold a hand out to help the smaller raven-haired boy off.

“Can I help you?” Jimin asks, approaching them cautiously. He’s not sure of what rank they are and thus what level of respect he must show them. But regardless his mother has instilled manners into him and right now they are urging him to step forwards and offer assistance.

The older man turns, breaking into a soft smile as he catches sight of Jimin. “Ah, hi there,” he says in a voice smooth and gentle. “My name is Kim Seokjin and I’m one of the retainers from the Royal House. Is this the residence of the Falconer?”  

“It is,” Jimin says, inclining his head dutifully. He tilts his head slightly to check up on Yoongi who is circling above them.

Seokjin follows his glance and spies Yoongi overhead. “Is that one of your birds?” he inquires. The younger boy follows their gazes and there’s an audible gasp as his mouth falls open.

“Yes,” Jimin replies. “He’s our most recent addition. Yoongi’s a peregrine falcon.”

Seokjin’s eyes sharpen and it is likely he knows the value of a peregrine. “Is that so,” he murmurs. “Can you call him down?”

Jimin swallows and nods. “Of course,” he says and holds out his gloved hand. He whistles piercingly and knows that Yoongi can hear him. He’s been trained to respond to that signal and within moments Yoongi has located Jimin’s position and slowly wafts downwards, catching the winds and using them to lower himself. He could of course simply fold his wings in and dive down, but breaking is harder when closer to the ground and there is no prey to be had, so Jimin lets Yoongi gently descend and fall onto his hand.

Jimin coos praises and strokes the top of Yoongi’s head as he brings him close to his chest.

“This is Yoongi,” he says, turning around so the two visitors can see the beautiful bird.

Seokjin’s eyes are wide with appreciation, but it is the raven-haired boy’s expression that takes the cake. His jaw has dropped open and his whole body is shaking. Jimin hopes it’s with excitement and not an epileptic fit.

“C-can I touch him?” the kid bursts out.

Excitement it is.

Jimin shakes his head gravely. “Sorry, Yoongi doesn’t know you and it’d be dangerous to just let strangers touch our birds. They are still wild creatures at heart.”

Seokjin nods approvingly. “That’s right Jungkook. They aren’t pets remember.”

Jungkook closes his mouth and nods. “But I’ll be able to hold my own bird when I get one, right hyung?”

Seokjin gives him a soft, endearing smile. “Of course.” His gaze is wholly brotherly. Jimin has to suppress a smile as he wonders if this is what it would be like if he had a hyung of his own. “Your brother promised you a falcon of your own for your birthday,” Seokjin continues, and something clicks.

Jimin squints at the kid. He’s young, made more youthful by his skinny frame and big eyes, but not that young that he doesn’t fit the bill.

“You’re the youngest prince, aren’t you?” Jimin says with narrowed eyes and Yoongi gives a soft hoot.

Seokjin nods. “That’s correct. Jungkook is the youngest prince of the Royal House. And he’ll be turning fourteen at the end of this year. We came here today to discuss with the Falconer about a bird for his birthday.”

Jimin doesn’t miss the way Seokjin’s eyes analyze Yoongi thoughtfully. He knows already that a peregrine falcon would be a valuable present and icon to give to the royal prince. Seokjin’s affable nature and Jungkook’s sweet innocence doesn’t make it any easier to accept.

He forces down the frown and stays calm. “My father went out this morning to get supplies. He should be back soon. Would you like to wait inside in the meanwhile?”

Seokjin looks over at Jungkook, whose eyes are still sparkling. “Maybe…if it’s okay with you, could we go to see the other birds first?”

Jimin bites his lower lip as he thinks it over. Technically V, Iron and Supreme are all well behaved, but he can’t be sure, especially not with the royal prince in his presence. If he got injured…

“Jungkook will behave,” Seokjin promises, catching the wary glint in Jimin’s eyes.

“Alright,” Jimin assents and leads the way.

Seokjin tethers their chestnut steed to the post made for such purposes and the horse – Hope, Jungkook tells Jimin he is named – sticks his head straight into the water bucket and begins inhaling the contents noisily.

Jimin then leads Seokjin and Jungkook to the bird house, cautioning them to be quiet and to touch nothing.

Inside, Supreme is asleep, but Iron and V are awake. V chirps loudly in greeting and Yoongi snorts at his continuous cheerfulness.

Jimin closes the door carefully behind the three of them before depositing Yoongi onto his favorite perch. Immediately V hops over to nudge him and Yoongi shoots him a deep glare before shooing him away with one wing.

“We only have four birds right now,” Jimin says, launching into explanation mode as he quickly packs away the equipment and sets out fresh water for the birds.

“This is Iron, a golden eagle,” he introduces, and Jungkook’s eyes are the size of saucers. Jimin hopes his heart doesn’t explode of over-excitement because that would be a tough one to explain to the Royal Household. “He’s probably too big for you though,” he adds and Jungkook frowns.

“I’m strong,” he shoots back and Seokjin hushes him.

“Manners Jungkook,” he says. “And I’m sure that’s not what Jimin meant.”

Seokjin looks to Jimin, and Jimin tries to explain himself. “It’s not in terms of strength. Bird’s are actually really light because their bones are hollow, it’s just that Iron is big in terms of um, length. He’d be difficult for your Royal Highness to carry around. In the first place I think my father is training him for the official hunting party. Even I’m not allowed to carry him.”

“Oh,” Jungkook says and deflates as he realizes he’s not being challenged.

“But there’s Supreme and V over here,” Jimin says quickly. Jungkook turns and his momentary sulk is forgotten. “Supreme is a red-tailed hawk and V is a Harris Hawk. They’re both brilliant birds for first time falconers and-“

And Jungkook is already bounding over, cooing and ahing over their glossy plumages and curious stares. Seokjin stops him from simply reaching out and touching them, which Jimin is grateful for, and so he takes a step backwards, leaning against a wooden beam as he watches the Royal Prince gasp at almost everything new.

“He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?” he says side-along to Yoongi who hoots and shrugs. “I thought Royals were meant to be stiffer and such. He seems like a good kid though.”

Yoongi ruffles his beak through his feathers as if to say sure sure, whatever.

Jimin chuckles and rubs a hand over Yoongi’s back.

Jungkook spins and catches sight of him. “How come you get to touch the birds?” he says accusingly, ignoring Seokjin’s scandalized ‘Jungkook!’

“I help my dad train the birds,” Jimin explains patiently, and privately he thinks this is what having a little brother would be like.

Jungkook’s eyes round again, wide and shiny like the moon. Jimin has half the heart to pat him on the head the way he does to V and Yoongi but he holds back. “So you get to hold the birds and fly them and pet them all the time?”

“Well not all the time,” Jimin hedges, scratching the back of his head with one hand. “Iron and Supreme don’t really like it and Yoongi is the first bird I’ve properly helped out with training and-“

“That is so cool!” Jungkook grins, huge and infectious.

Jimin grins back at him and admits, “It is.”

“Does that mean you’re going to be a bird man like your dad when you grow up?”

“It’s ‘falconer’,” Seokjin corrects him quickly.

“Oh, um, falconer then,” Jungkook adjusts, brow furrowing slightly as he accommodates his mouth to the new word. “Falconer.” He repeats the word again.

“I guess,” Jimin suppresses a smile, and then he loses at the thought strikes him. Does he really want to become a falconer? He’s always thought so, but that was before Yoongi entered the picture and made me realize the world was far larger then he first thought it to be. Birds are his everything, but is being a falconer?

“That is so cool hyung!” Jungkook bursts out and Jimin is startled out of such thoughts. He’s never really had anyone call him ‘hyung’ before. Jungkook notices his twitch and tilts his head, almost bird-like. “You are my hyung right? I mean you’re bigger than me.”

“I’m sixteen in October,” Jimin says, feeling self-conscious. Boys are expected to find work and start earning their own at sixteen. The clock is ticking and he’s never really noticed it before.

“You’re my hyung then,” Jungkook confirms. “I’m fourteen in December. Can I call you hyung?” He’s stepping forwards, eyes wide and shining and Jimin can’t really reject him, can he?

Besides him he swears he hears Yoongi snicker, a small clack of his beak and a muted sound from the back of his throat. He glares at the bird and then returns his attention to Jungkook. “Um, of course you can prince.”

“Jungkook!” Jungkook interjects. “Don’t call me prince. It’s not like I’m going to become King one day or anything. That’s Namjoon-hyung all the way. So I’m just Jungkook, okay?”

Jimin clears his throat and looks to Seokjin for help. Seokjin just smiles and gives a small nod, telling him that it’s okay to do so.

Jimin looks down at Jungkook. “Um okay then Jungkook. I’m Jimin"

“Jimin-hyung,” Jungkook says, enouncing his name perfectly, and grins, his teeth white and shiny, and Jimin notices these two bunny teeth at the front that look endearing on him. He may be royalty but he doesn’t feel like the sort of royalty that Jimin has to bow down to.  

Jimin grins and Jungkook grins back and Yoongi just snorts and tucks his head under his wing. Humans are idiots he figures, and he’ll get some shut eye while they goggle and giggle each other. He's got better things to do than watch such things. 

|||

“Hey, hey, hey!” comes an annoying chirp to the left of Yoongi.

He scrunches his eyes tighter and hopes V will get the message and scooch off.

“Hey, hey, Yoongi!” V nudges him with his beak and Yoongi untucks his head and hisses at V – Taehyung – as the hawk apparently goes by.

“They named me Taehyung back at the breeding house. Somewhere along the way they decided to name me V, so either works, but you could call me Taehyung if you want. Or Tae. Or Hyung. Or TaeV. Or V. Or-“

“I’m awake!” Yoongi bares his beak threatening and Taehyung hums, not buying his threat at all. “What is kid?”

Taehyung frowns. “You’re not that much older than I am.”

“I’m a wild bird. I’m plenty older than you are.”

Taehyung scoffs. “If you’re a wild bird then why don’t you just fly off when Jimin takes you out?”

Yoongi quietens. “He’d get in trouble.”

Taehyung tilts his head and reshuffles his wings. “Trouble? Trouble how?”

“His father wants to sell me. They’ll make lots of money if they do.”

“So?” Taehyung preens himself, nudging off a small flake of dirt with his beak. “What’s money to a bird?”

Yoongi sighs and hunches down. “If I fly away Jimin will get blamed for it. So I won’t just yet.”

Across the room Iron clicks his beak. “Why do you care?” he asks in his low gravel of a voice. Yoongi is slightly surprised, mostly because Iron has never deigned to talk to him before. There have been courteous nods here and there, but that’s been the extent of his conversation with the golden eagle. Or Hunchul as is his apparent real name.

Yoongi preens at his chest feathers, embarrassed. “He’s nice,” he admits. “For a human.”

“You like the head rubs, don’t you,” Supreme snickers from the other side of the room. Donghyuk is his birth name.

Yoongi clicks his beak snippily and shakes his head. “Don’t be silly!” he rolls his eyes.

“Course you do,” Taehyung, the little sneak says. “Head rubs are nice.”

“Shut it Taehyung,” Yoongi snaps and hops as far away from the hawk as he possibly can in the nest.

“Okay so sure he’s nice, but why would you care?” Donghyuk asks, curiosity getting the better of him. “You’re a wild bird. They captured you didn’t they? Why would you repay such cruelty with kindness?”

Yoongi shudders and tries to not remember the dreadful moment of flying down and becoming entangled in the nets. There was the feeling of strong hands gripping his legs and something rough being placed over his eyes and then the rest of his body. The journey to Jimin’s house had been far from pleasant and it was enough to make Yoongi despise humans, but Jimin…

“Jimin’s not the one who captured me,” Yoongi says quietly and tucks himself away into a corner, trying to hide away from Donghyuk and Hunchul’s curious stares. It’s true. Jimin has never done anything to make Yoongi want to fly away from him, and over time Yoongi has come to realize that the gruff one isn’t all that bad either. But if he’s honest with himself the only reason he hasn’t flown off just yet is because there's something unusual about the little one. 

It’s just that Jimin is something Yoongi has never met before. He’s friendly and cheerful. He doesn’t treat Yoongi like some dumb animal that can’t understand what he’s saying. He treats Yoongi like a friend.

And as much as Yoongi misses freedom, he knows that if he does fly away he’ll miss this strange friendship even more.

There may be no more ropes holding him back, but this time round it’s a human. And Yoongi isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or not.

|||

When Jungkook drops by the bird house again, Jimin is not surprised. What he is surprised by is that this time he is not accompanied by Seokjin, but by a different man who walks with a bold step and sharp eyes.  

His name is Namjoon and he is Jungkook’s older brother, heir to the Kingdom, and next in line to the throne.

“Half-brother,” Jungkook says, catching Jimin’s curious gaze. “We have the same father but different mothers. It’s why our surnames are different as well. Hyung doesn’t care that we’re not full blood brothers though.” He throws Namjoon an adoring gaze, obviously borne of love and respect.

“You must be Jimin,” Namjoon says in his low gravel of a voice. He holds out a hand and when Jimin takes it, he shakes it firmly. Everything about him bleeds royalty, from the way he walks to the way he talks.

Jimin feels like treading on glass shards around him.

“I’m here to choose a bird for my little brother’s birthday gift,” Namjoon explains with a sudden grin, like he can read Jimin’s nervousness. The smile changes him, melting his stoic outer skeleton and revealing something raw and molten on the inside. “Jungkook hasn’t stopped talking about the birds and you ever since Seokjin brought him here last week.”

“Hyung!” Jungkook complains, flushing slightly. Jimin grins and pats Jungkook on the head. “Want to go see them again then?” he says and Jungkook brightens, nodding quickly.

When Jimin opens the door of the bird house he doesn’t miss the way Namjoon’s eyes scan the place completely, like he’s breaking down the safety, the expenses, the value of the place. Jimin frowns because why does it seem like everyone is obsessed with the idea of value? Isn’t it enough that the birds are happy and healthy?  

Instead he introduces the birds one by one, patting and stroking and speaking as he goes.

He knows Namjoon has privately made up his mind when he introduces Yoongi, and Namjoon’s eyes gleam.

“A peregrine huh,” he says. Yoongi tilts his head and stares back unblinkingly, matching Namjoon’s gaze. “What do you think Jungkook?”

Jungkook bites his lower lip and look first to his hyung, then to Jimin. “What do I think about Yoongi?”

“Yeah,” Namjoon says, “Do you like him?”

Jungkook dips his head, not wanting to meet Jimin’s gaze. “I like him.”

Namjoon crouches down, forcing Jungkook to meet his eyes. “Do you want him?”

Jungkook pauses and worries at his lower lip. “I wouldn’t mind him,” he confesses and Jimin’s heart stutters. “But I don’t think Yoongi would be happy if he was mine.”

Jimin’s heart pauses and backtracks.

“What do you mean by that?” Namjoon asks, confused.

Jungkook lifts his head. “Yoongi is Jimin-hyung’s,” he says.

Jimin can feel his cheeks heat. “W-wait a second Jungkook, Yoongi isn’t mine-“

Namjoon looks at him with a cool expression, eyes examining him. “Is Jungkook saying that the peregrine isn’t for sale?”

“His name is Yoongi!” Jungkook interjects.

Namjoon turns, looking apologetic. “Sorry Kookie, I mean Yoongi.” He looks to Jimin again. “So is Yoongi no available? I want the best for my little brother and I’ll be honest that Yoongi looks like the best.”

There it is again, commodity talk.

Jimin takes a deep breath, forces himself into business mode.

“I’m not sure what Jungkook means, but Yoongi is for sale and-“

Yoongi lets out a loud squawk. Jimin turns and Yoongi’s eyes are blazing, guns trained on Jimin. Jimin closes his eyes and turns away.

He faces Namjoon again. “Yes Yoongi is for sale and if-“ there’s a lump in his throat that refuses to go away. “And if you want him for Jungkook’s birthday…”

Jungkook’s eyes are fearfully large as he peers up at Jimin. “Why are you saying that hyung?” he asks in a tiny voice. “Isn’t Yoongi yours?”

“W-what do you mean by that Jungkook?” Jimin asks in a wavering voice. He can still feel Yoongi’s glare burn holes in his back.

Jungkook fiddles with his fingers. “I mean Yoongi likes you best. He lets you touch him and feed him and…and I don’t think he’d do the same if he was my bird.”

Jimin feels something bubble in his chest, light and airy and it threatens to explode. “Jungkook that’s just because I feed him all the time. I’m sure if you took care of him well-“

Yoongi snaps his beak loudly, enough to make all three humans turn and stare at him. Yoongi looks positively fuming.

“Yoongi-“ Jimin reaches forwards to try and calm him, unsure of what’s got his feathers in a twist, but as he does so Yoongi lashes out in one lightning swift movement and slashes down on Jimin’s hand.

“Ouch!” Jimin exclaims and withdraws his hand, horrified to find a pretty deep nick on his right hand where Yoongi has attacked him with his beak.

Attacked.

Yoongi, his Yoongi, has just attacked him.

He stares at the peregrine who defiantly glares back.

It’s Namjoon who breaks the silence. “I think we should leave,” he says quietly and reality rushes back into Jimin. Oh god, what has he done. He’s just aggravated and been attacked by one of his birds in the presence of royalty. This could mean the end for his father’s business.

Namjoon turns to open the door and ushers Jungkook out.

“Please! Wait!” Jimin yells, taking chase. He reaches out with one hand for the door and pain lances through at the movement.

Namjoon shakes his head gravely. “I think that’s enough for today,” he says as he steps through and Jimin’s stomach drops.

“Please, it was my fault. The birds aren’t usually like that. Yoongi’s new and he hasn’t been trained enough yet.”

Yoongi seethes behind him.

“And…and…I’m sorry…” Jimin is this close to getting on his knees and begging Namjoon to reconsider.

“Hyung,” Jungkook pipes up from outside. “Please don’t blame Jimin-hyung. I still want a bird from here.”

“That bird just attacked his trainer,” Namjoon says evenly, his eyes narrowing.

“It wasn’t Jimin-hyung’s fault,” Jungkook reasons, “And Yoongi only did it because he was upset that you wanted to take him away from Jimin.”

“Jungkook! That peregrine is a bird. He won’t know the difference if he’s taken away from here and brought to the palace.” Namjoon’s voice is harsh, exasperated.

Jungkook fists his tiny hands and hunches his shoulders. “You’re wrong hyung!” he hisses. “Yoongi knows exactly what’s happening and he doesn’t want to leave Jimin-hyung. Birds aren’t stupid you know.”

“I didn’t say that Jungkook,” Namjoon says in a cracking voice. “I just-“

Jungkook glares at him.

“Let’s go home,” Namjoon sighs. “We’ll discuss this another day,” he says to Jimin, softening slightly when he sees Jimin’s distraught face. “Calm down. I won’t judge you based on one experience. Jungkook seems to trust you and my little brother is a pretty good judge of people, so we’ll come back for a bird, but I’ll be wary of that peregrine-“.

“Yoongi!” Jungkook corrects him in an angry voice.

“Yoongi,” Namjoon corrects himself, rolling his eyes as he does so. “I’ll be wary of Yoongi when I next come.”

He gives Jimin a small nod, takes Jungkook by the hand and saddles up Hope again. Jimin watches them trot away until they’re swallowed up by the forest. Only then does he sink to the floor, hands in his lap and wound throbbing hard.

|||

“Jimin?” comes a faint voice, then a hard hand shaking at his shoulder. “Jimin!”

Jimin snaps in awareness. His father is at his side, eyes wide with shock and worry. “Jimin, what happened?”

“What happened?” Jimin echoes him dumbly.

“What happened to the birds? The door’s open Jimin! V and Yoongi are gone!”

Jimin bolts to his feet. “What?” he gasps and throws open the door. Supreme and Iron hoot back nervously at him. In the gloom of the setting sun he can make out their dark outlines, particularly Iron and his light colored coat. But Yoongi and V aren’t there. He searches all the corners, the shelves, the shadowy box in the corner. He rakes it all with his eyes. They’re not there.

His heart does a dull thud. It feels heavy like a weight.

His mind races back, like a tape on rewind. Namjoon and Jungkook left. Jimin chased after them… Did he lock the door?

Of course he didn’t. He didn’t. He’s left the door open and they’ve flown away. 

|||

“Yooooooongi!!!!!” Taehyung yells into the whistling wind. “Wait up!”

“Go back!” Yoongi growls as he beats his wings faster, shooting forwards.

Taehyung hisses with frustration. Yoongi is much faster than he is. He can go even faster than he is doing right now. If Yoongi decides to, Taehyung won’t be able to catch up to him. He’ll have to reason with him first.

“Yoongi, please, Jimin didn’t mean any of that,” he yells.

“I don’t care about Jimin,” Yoongi shouts back. The lies taste like ash on his tongue. “I don’t.” it’s like he’s trying to convince himself rather than Taehyung.

“Don’t be like that,” Taehyung pleads, beating his wings twice again as he tries to catch up to Yoongi who has momentarily slowed down. “You love Jimin. You don’t let his father get anywhere near him, but you let Jimin do whatever you want. I know you could have escaped a long time ago but you didn’t. You didn’t because you wanted to stick around Jimin.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Yoongi snaps and beats his wings twice again, launching himself higher.

Taehyung gasps for breath and does his best to follow. He knows he won’t last much longer at this pace. Yoongi knows that too.

“Jimin was upset as well. You could tell couldn’t you? He made that face that humans do when they’re sad. When they want to cry but hold it in. He doesn’t want to give you up either. Let’s go back Yoongi. I’m sure Jimin will apologize.”

Yoongi’s wings falter slightly, and he drops a good meter or so. Taehyung swoops down to meet him at his side. “Please Yoongi,” he blinks at him pleadingly. “You can’t just fly away and let this all end. Jimin’s going to get in so much trouble if his father finds out we’ve flown away. Let’s go back and settle it like you said. And if you do get sold you can just fly right back to Jimin, right? Right?”

Yoongi sighs. “Fine.”

Taehyung’s eyes brighten. “Really? We can go back?”

“Yes,” Yoongi sighs. “Let’s go back.”

“That’s great Yoongi! Let’s go back. I know Jimin will be missing us now and if we get back before dinner time then….”

Yoongi tunes out the rest of Taehyung’s nonsensical mumbling and angles his body around. He senses it, the lines. Home is that way. He shifts his feathers, lowers the tip of his wings and aims for that tiny star in the far distance.

He forces himself to slow down so that the harris hawk can keep up. It takes all of his willpower to not just leave him behind and shoot straight back to where Jimin is. The suspense is killing him and Yoongi just wants to know now, does Jimin care, or is he just another bird to him?

|||

Jimin’s punished with no dinner and sent early to bed.

He doesn’t care. His father is ballistic with anger but his mother’s sharp glare and intervention has meant there is no violence and black bruise blooming on his cheek tonight. It’s not that his father raises his hand often, but when he does, it hurts.

His stomach growls unfairly, announcing its misery, but Jimin just buries his wet face in his pillow and thinks he deserves it.

|||

Dawn comes far too quickly. Jimin awakens, feeling groggy and light-headed. He’s probably only slept an hour or so, having woken up in fits and starts all throughout the night, the memories of losing V and Yoongi coming back in a haunting rush and the guilt killing him all over again before he manages to slip into sleep again.

The sun is weak through his curtains but Jimin forces himself up. He doubts he’ll manage to sleep any further.

The house is quiet as he pads through it, grabbing milk and water to rinse down the bitter taste at the back of his throat. It won’t be for another hour or so before his father wakes up and they’ll have to sit down and talk.

With a sigh Jimin decides to go the bird house. It may be the source of all his troubles right now, but it’s always been the one place that soothes him no matter what.

Jimin opens the doors and the chilly air pervades, making him shiver. He stomps his feet twice to warm up, and then makes his way to the bird house, key in hand, and then a chirping stops him, literally as his hand comes down to clasp the door handle.

Jimin looks up to see V’s cheerful face as he perches on a branch outside.

“V?” Jimin gasps, eyes as wide as saucers. “Y-you came back?”

V gives this joyful little nod and flutters his wings ecstatically.

Jimin can feel hot tears burn at the back of his eyes. V came back. He came back! He wants to hug the bird and then feed him lots of treats and praise him to no end. And then-

A softer hoot. Jimin didn’t see him at first because he’s hidden in the shadow of the leaves, but then the leaves shuffle and he hops forwards, eyes downcast and body tense.  

“Yoongi,” Jimin breathes.

Yoongi looks up, almost diffidently, watching Jimin as if he’s analyzing his reaction.

“You came back,” Jimin whispers, almost reverently. “You came back.”

Yoongi gives a tiny, hesitant nod and then preens his chest feathers out of embarrassment.

Jimin takes a step forwards, and the smile that grows on his face is so wide that it hurts. “You came back.”

Yoongi lets Jimin come up close, lets him hold out one hand, bandaged where Yoongi had attacked him. Guilt surges over the peregrine at the size of the wound, but then Jimin brings down that hand and gently strokes Yoongi on the head.

“Thank you for coming back,” he says softly as he strokes Yoongi, and the bird tilts into his touch, closing his eyes as he feels the rough scratch of the bandage and the velvet of Jimin's hand. A foreign emotion surges up in his chest, light and airy and it’s not like flying at all.

“I’m sorry for hurting you with what I said,” Jimin says close to Yoongi’s cochlea. “Forgive me.”

A soft sound bubbles at the back of Yoongi’s neck and the Jimin understands what he’s trying to convey. Yoongi presses into Jimin’s cold fingers and nibbles at them gently with his beak.

“I’ll never give you away,” Jimin promises and if Yoongi could, he would smile. He setlles for pushing his head as hard as he can into Jimin's hand.

This is home, right under that star, and he’ll never leave it again.

|||

Jimin tells his father the news when he wakes up.

“They came back?” his father sounds astounded. “Of their own volition?”

Jimin nods. “I think V only left because he went to get Yoongi back.”

Jimin’s father sounds puzzled. “You think so?”

Jimin grins. “I know so.”

Jimin father’s just puts a hand his chest and lets out a relieved sigh. “Whatever the case, thank goodness they came back. I’ll send a message to the Royal House and let them know that Yoongi is-“

“No!” Jimin blurts out.

His father looks shocked at being cutting off.

Jimin puts a hand to his mouth and forces himself to calm down. “I mean… I’m sorry, but please don’t give Yoongi away…”

His father’s expression hardens. “Jimin,” he says in a stern, no-nonsense voice. “Yoongi is a peregrine falcon. You do know how much we would get paid if the Royal family decided to buy him right?”

“Yes I know!” Jimin bursts out. “But Yoongi isn’t just some…some…item to be bought or sold. He has his own mind you know!”

“Jimin,” his father says warningly.

“It’s not like you had to buy Yoongi from a breeder anyway right? And we can give Jungkook a different bird, can’t we? Supreme is really well trained right now isn’t he? And V loves him as well.”

“Jimin,” his father looks perplexed. “What has brought this on? You’ve never had issue with our trade of buying and selling birds.”

Jimin looks at his feet, scuffs them a little. “I…” he starts and falters. Takes courage and holds it close. “I tried to be you. I tried to be a falconer who was all about business and told Jungkook that he could have Yoongi if he wanted, but Yoongi got hurt by what I said and that why he flew away. And it made me realize that I didn’t want to give Yoongi away either…”

“Jimin, he’s just a bird.”

“He’s not just a bird!” Jimin plants a fist down on the table. “He’s my best friend.”

His father’s mouth purses, surprise and worry warring with one another. He’s not quite sure what to say in response to that.

“And I want to set him free,” Jimin says boldly.

His father’s eyes flash, and his hands come down onto the table. “Jimin. He’s a peregrine falcon. He could bring in a lot of income for us, and you know that money is vital for us.”

It is, but at the same it’s not like their family has ever suffered from a lack of it.

Jimin steels himself and argues back, “but father, he’s a wild bird. What we’re doing is chaining him up and enslaving him. It’s a miracle he hasn’t flown away before.”

His father closes his eyes. It’s true. This is the first time he’s tried rearing a wild peregrine and to be honest if it wasn’t for Jimin, he’s not sure training would have worked out so smoothly. But to just let a peregrine falcon go?  

Jimin stares him evenly in the eye. “Please appa.”

“I-“ he hesitates.

A clattering of hooves outside interrupts them. Jimin watches as his father’s eyes go to the window, and then widen perceptibly. He pushes back the chair quickly and is out the door before Jimin can say another word.

“Your highness!” comes a loud, slightly unnerved welcome. It’s Jimin’s turn for his eyes to open. He stands and follows. Outside is Jungkook, but also Namjoon and Seokjin. There’s a second horse in addition to Hope and he’s black as the night and equally as elegant.

Seokjin helps Jungkook to the ground whilst Namjoon is already there, greeting Jimin’s father politely.

“What brings you here today your highness?” Jimin’s father asks, bowing low.

“Please, it’s okay,” Namjoon says, waving his hands to stop him. “This is just an informal visit and I’m only a prince of the royal house. Save the bows and mannerisms for our father.”

Jimin watches as his father straightens his back and gives a tiny, perceptible nod. “If you say so. So, how can I help you today?”

It’s Jungkook who patters forwards, eyes nervous as he takes in the gruff appearance of Jimin’s father, stocky but well-built. His father has never been the most receptive in terms of appearance and first meetings but Jimin knows his father has a good heart and he has always put his family first.

“Jungkook here came to decide on a bird today,” Namjoon says, looking down at his little brother.

Jimin’s eyes flicker with surprise. Even after the incident with Yoongi?  he wants to ask, but he hasn’t told his father about that and he doesn’t intend on bringing that up now. He had made up some excuse or another for his hand, blaming it on some rusty hook or stray branch outside. His father, livid at that point of time, had accepted it. His mother's sharp eyes however probably hadn't. Jimin's grateful she hadn't asked more and had just quietly bandaged it for him, albeit slightly too tightly. 

Namjoon catches the hesitation and gives him a firm nod and a reassuring smile. “We’ve come to an agreement about which bird to choose.”

Now Jimin’s heart thumps for a very different reason. Which bird does Jungkook want? More like which bird does Namjoon want Jungkook to want? Surely not Yoongi. Surely not after that incident. But if he does, could Jimin stop him? Could he interfere with a Royal’s decision?

“I’ll show you the way to the bird house then,” Jimin’s father inclines his head and holds out a hand, directing the three to the bird house.

Jimin feels like his heart is stuck in his throat, the blood stilling and coagulating in his veins. He can’t move. His hands twitch at his side and he wants to follow them so badly but fear traps him to the spot.

“Hyung, c’mon,” Jungkook tugs at the hem of his shirt with his tiny thirteen-year-old fist. He looks up at Jimin with bright eyes. “You said I could hold my bird when he becomes mine right? So help me okay?”

Oxygen flows in and suddenly Jimin can breathe. Jungkook pulls him forwards and Jimin goes, tripping slightly, but then his hand find itself wrapped with Jungkook’s little fingers and he lets the youngest prince lead him into the warmth of the bird house.

Yoongi blinks at him sleepily, affection deep in his dark eyes.

Jungkook lets go of Jimin and pads forwards. “This one,” he points and everyone stares in surprise.

“You want V?” Jimin’s father says incredulously. 

“Yes, V.” Jungkook nods as he confirms his decision. Above them in the beams V lets out a chirrup and bends down to push his beak affectionately against Jungkook’s hands. Jungkook giggles as V’s feathers tickle him and V practically beams back.

It’s unexpectedly a very good pairing. V is the friendliest bird in the entire house and that is exactly what Jungkook needs for his first bird.

Seokjin smiles proudly down at Jungkook.

Namjoon turns to Jimin’s father. “I trust this is okay with you?”

Jimin’s father nods soundlessly, dumbfounded that they haven’t chosen the peregrine.

Jungkook supplies the answer. “Yoongi is Jimin-hyung’s,” he says cheerfully as he pets V on the head.

“Is that so,” Jimin’s father says quietly. He glances at his son pensively and Jimin wonders what thoughts run through his head then. It’s a tentative moment, and then his father is turning back to Jungkook. “Of course there is no problem. V is yours.”

Jungkook beams up at him. “Do you hear that V? You’re mine!”

“Taehyung,” Jimin finds himself blurting out. Everyone looks at him. “I mean…Taehyung is his birth name. V was just kind of the stage name we stuck on for sale purposes but his...um…if you want to call him by his real name it’s…”

“Taehyung!” Jungkook chirps and the Harris Hawk responds vocally.

Jimin feels something shift his hair, and he turns to see Yoongi right behind him. The peregrine blinks gently and presses his head into Jimin’s hand. It’s like he’s trying to reassure Jimin. If he could speak with words, Jimin’s sure he’d say something like It’s alright. I’m yours.

A small smile breaks out without Jimin realizing it, and his fingers make their way around Yoongi’s head, caressing the feathers there.

“You’re mine,” he whispers to the peregrine, and Yoongi hoots gently in agreement.

|||

That night there’s a knock on the door to Jimin’s bedroom. When it opens his father is behind it, quiet pensiveness in his movement.

“Is something wrong appa?” Jimin gets to his feet, his pajama bottoms catching on his heels and he almost trips.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” his father says as he comes in. Jimin sits back down on his bed where he had been writing down notes in a tiny leather bound book that had been his fifteenth birthday gift, and his father sits down next to him.

The book is spread wide open and its creamy pages are filled with drawings and scribbles on falconry and on birds, on the best methods of how to train them, and of the different birds and how to take care of them. The most recent entry is on the peregrine falcon.

“Specifically I wanted to talk to you about Yoongi,” his father says. “You spoke honestly today to me about him, and I want to show you the same respect.”

“O-okay,” Jimin responds hesitantly. He’s never had a chat like this with his father before. “So…?”

“Like I said to you this afternoon, Yoongi is a peregrine falcon and if we were to sell him, we could potentially make a lot of money.”

Jimin stiffens at the coldness of his father’s words. It’s the truth behind it that hurts the most.

“But the young prince today chose V, not Yoongi,” his father continues. “And that made me realize what you said today was true. Yoongi is a wild bird and we are essentially enslaving him. And the only reason he puts up with us, is because of you.”

Jimin feels like his chest is tightening, the realization that Yoongi likes him. Puts up with him. Stays, because of him. 

“And so I had a discussion with your mother today. And we decided that for your sixteenth birthday, Yoongi will be yours.”

Jimin’s eyes shine. “Really? Really?” he grabs at his father’s hands, unable to believe what he is saying.

His father cracks a smile. “Really,” he says. “Yoongi is yours. And you can do whatever you like with him.”

Jimin leaps to his feet. “I’ve gotta go tell Yoongi that right now-“

“Wait one second Jimin,” his father holds him back.

“What appa?” Jimin asks as he hops from one foot to the other, unable to contain his excitement. He wants to just race outside right now and tell Yoongi everything.

“I want to tell you one more thing. After they decided on taking V, the eldest royal prince approached me about something else. About you.” His father looks at him pointedly. “And he wants to offer you something.”

|||

Jimin opens the door to the bird house quietly.

Iron, Supreme and Taehyung are all peacefully asleep. So is Yoongi, but somehow he seems to sense Jimin and he cracks open one eye, spotting him, then opens the other. He greets Jimin with a soft call and Jimin can’t help but smile as he closes the door behind him and pads over to where the peregrine is resting, on the same beam as Taehyung.

“Hey Yoongi,” Jimin whispers, running his fingers over Yoongi’s neck feathers. “I’ve got some stuff to tell you. Shall we go outside?”

Yoongi cocks his head curiously, but complies as Jimin slips on a glove and holds it out for Yoongi. The peregrine hops on, and Jimin goes outside, closing the bird house door behind him.

They don’t go too far. Just to the clearing in front of the house where there’s a large log for seating purposes.

Jimin sits down and holds out his glove to the twisted branch that grows out from the log. Yoongi hops onto it, allowing Jimin to drop his arm down and take off the glove. He sets it aside and gives a tiny sigh. Yoongi appraises him before pushing his beak into Jimin’s hair, concern clear.

“I’m okay,” Jimin says softly. “I just… I just don’t know how to tell you what my father told me just now.”

Yoongi leans away and ruffles his feathers, adjusting so that he settles down. It’s clear what his intentions are. Go ahead. Take your time. Tell me what you want to say.

Jimin leans back and stares up at the stars, a beautiful scattering of white. His mother taught him a bit about stars once. That if he were to ever get lost, he should look for the north star to find his way home. He finds it now, looking first for the Big Dipper, and then scanning upwards to find the bright dot winking down at him.

“My father told me two things today. One is that you are officially mine.” Jimin looks down at Yoongi, who stare right back at him curiously. “It means you won't ever be sold to anyone else." 

Yoongi pushes his head into Jimin’s shoulder, butting him gently, as if he wants to say, isn’t that a good thing?!

And it is. It’s just-

“Then my father said that Namjoon – Jungkook’s older brother, do you remember him? – wants to offer me a job at the royal palace. I’ll be helping Jungkook take care of Taehyung. At the same time I…lately I’ve not been so sure I want to be a falconer like my dad after all. Going with Namjoon-hyung and Seokjin-hyung and Jungkook to the capital might give me a break to decide what I really want to do and…”

Yoongi makes a small confused noise. So what’s wrong? Why are you sad? he seems to say with his eyes and the tilt of his head.

“If I go, what about you?” Jimin says, looking at Yoongi uncertainly.

Oh. Yoongi’s eyes widen in realization.

“You’re mine now, so you can do whatever you want. And…Yoongi…” Jimin pauses and looks at him right in the eye. “I want to set you free.”

Yoongi blinks rapidly in surprise.

“I mean, from the beginning you’ve always wanted to go home right?” Jimin says in confession. “And now…now I’ve decided to go the capital and there’ll only be more people there. It’ll be worse there for you, so I think it’s best if I set you free.”

Yoongi makes an angry sound, something between a squawk and a harsh clack of his beak. It makes Jimin jump and look Yoongi in the eye. Anger shines back, dark and black, and it’s clear that Yoongi is angry.

“What? Don’t you want to be free?” Jimin says, his voice pitched and shrill. “We’re the ones who captured so, so I’m letting you go now. Go.”

Yoongi shakes his head, feathers on end, his beak bared.

“Why?” Jimin is this close to tears. He can feel the burn at the back of his eyes, scorch a patch at the base of his throat. “I don’t want to let you go either but I can’t take you with me, and, and…this is for the best, right?”

His last words are tinged with hopefulness, as if Yoongi can suddenly start speaking and tell him he’s right, yes Jimin is right and this is all okay and he doesn’t need to cry. Nope, no, Jimin needs to be strong and brave and let Yoongi go.

Yoongi leans in and Jimin closes his eyes, imaging Yoongi is going to give him a sharp nip on the ear and he totally deserves it, but the touch doesn’t hurt. It’s soft and gentle, cool to touch. Jimin opens his eyes and Yoongi is caressing Jimin’s cheek with the top of his beak. He leans away, eyes soft and lets out a gentle little song of a sound.

Oh.

He gets it. Yoongi gets what Jimin is saying. And Jimin gets that Yoongi gets it and…

Yoongi makes a croaking sound at the back of his throat and jerks his beak at Jimin’s glove. Jimin soundlessly slips on the thick leather and holds up his hand for Yoongi to hop onto.

Jimin is ready to move on and the only thing holding him back is Yoongi.

Jimin takes three unsteady steps forwards and holds his hand up high. Yoongi opens his wings, broad and glorious and his black and white feathers glitter under the light of the full moon.

Jimin thinks he’ll always remember Yoongi like this, eyes bright and feral, wings spread in flight, the shadow the moonlight casting a fine sheen over his sleek body. Yoongi lets out a shriek that symbolizes freedom and wildness all in one, and then he tips himself forwards and falls, his wings spreading out to catch him and he glides smoothly. One wing beat, two wing beats and he gains height.

Jimin’s eyes never leave Yoongi as he sweeps upwards and soars past the moon. The peregrine does a single circle, a farewell of sorts, and then he angles himself north and beats his wings powerfully. There is a gust of wind and he is gone.

Jimin lowers his hand and bites back the tears. Yoongi is gone, and one star winks in the far distant, a bright diamond. Jimin tries to focus on it, his eyes straining as if he can see that can star and Yoongi wherever he is.

He tries to burn Yoongi’s visage into his memory one last time, tries to trace it in the stars. The curve of his beak, the glint of his eyes. Jimin thinks that if birds could smile, Yoongi would be beaming. He tries to imprint that into his mind before he turns around and trudges for home, heart heavy and light all at once. 

|||

When it’s time for Jimin to leave, Jungkook, Namjoon and Seokjin come to collect him. It puts his father into a tizzy and gets his mother flustered as they never imagined their only son to be greeted and received directly by Royalty. Two in fact.

“Everything packed?” Seokjin greets him cheerfully as he slides off Hope and bows to Jimin’s parents cordially.

“Yeah,” Jimin says as he slings his small satchel over one shoulder. He looks at Hope and Eleven – Namjoon’s horse who is dark as midnight but for the white stocking on his front. “Which one am I riding?”

“You’ll take Eleven with me,” Namjoon says as he slides off his mount, landing heavily on the ground and walking over to clasp Jimin on the shoulder. “He’s stronger than Hope, and Jungkook’s not old enough to ride Hope by himself, so he still has to ride with Seokjin.”

“Hey,” Jungkook protests from atop Hope. “I can ride Hope if I try hard enough.”

Namjoon raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, says the kid who fell off Hope yesterday trying to just mount him.”

Jungkook flushes a bright red color. “That was an accident!”

Namjoon snickers and shakes his head, all brotherly affection and arguments bundled up there. “If you’re ready then…I guess you should say your final goodbyes to your parents. You can visit them whenever you want, but the capital is a good hour ride away, and you’ll be busy from now on.” He holds out a hand for Jimin’s satchel.

Jimin nods and hands it over to him. Namjoon takes it and goes to attach it to Eleven’s saddle whilst Jimin walks over to his parents, hands twisting. He’s never really had to say goodbye before, and he never imagined doing so, but he did it two nights ago with Yoongi and here he is doing it again with his parents.

His father puts a hand to Jimin’s shoulder, eyes glittering proudly. “Do us well son,” he says gruffly, emotion thickening his accent. “And make sure to come home when you can.”

Jimin nods, his throat thick, and then his mother wraps him into a tight hug and Jimin’s voice cracks.

“We’re so, so proud of you Jimin,” his mother says softly into his ear as she caresses the back of his head, the way she always did when Jimin was a child and colicky with a fever. “I’ll miss you, but I know you’re doing this for yourself and I want you to discover your dream with your own two hands.” She pulls away, smoothening down Jimin’s shirt and fondly tucking his hair behind his ears. “Remember we’ll always be here, supporting whatever you do.”

Jimin nods, trying not to speak because he knows he’ll cry if he does so. His mother lets him go and he backtracks to where Jungkook, Seokjin and Namjoon are waiting patiently. 

“I’ll see you in a few days,” he promises in a wavering voice and turns before he does lose it. This is the first time he's ever left home for more than a day and it is surprisingly hard. Not only is he saying goodbye to his parents, but to Supremem and Iron as well. 

“Ready?” Namjoon asks again, and Jimin nods firmly. He holds Eleven steady as Jimin puts one food into the stirrup and swings himself up into the leather saddle. Namjoon bows courteously to Jimin’s parents, and then levers himself up smoothly, seating himself directly behind Jimin.

Seokjin gets up behind Jungkook and both riders take the reins in their hands, clicking their tongues. Jimin waves one last goodbye to his parents as they slowly get further and further away and then there is nothing but forest lining their path.

He inhales deeply and suppresses the tears, because this is supposed to be a joyous event, and he shouldn’t be crying.

“It’s okay to cry hyung,” Jungkook says softly as Seokjin pulls up aside them, keeping Hope pace with Eleven. “My mother tells me all the time that it’s okay to cry. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or if you’re not sad. Crying can mean a lot of things. So it’s okay to cry.”

Jimin manages a grateful smile as the pinpricks of the first tears appear and blur his vision.

Jungkook smiles wide and begins to chatter endlessly about all the stuff Jimin will discover in the Capital. He speaks of the markets with their crush of crowds and the fresh food, he talks of the stables with hundreds of other horses – not as good as Hope and Eleven of course – but horses all the same, and then there’s the dog house and the pig pen and the bird house – yes! That should be the first place Jimin goes because it’ll remind him of home – and then Jungkook babbles on about the Royal palace and all the rooms where they can play hide and seek.

Namjoon and Seokjin exchange amused glances, because it’s evident that Jungkook is beyond pleased with getting a close-aged hyung and he’s going to milk it for all it’s worth.

Taehyung is still back at home with Jimin’s father as he puts together the last of the preparations. They’ll be back in a few days to pick him up, so it’s not like home is that far away. And even at the captial Taehyung will be like a little slice of home away from home. 

Jimin feels the tears dissipiate as he grounds himself, feeling Eleven’s smooth canter beneath his legs and Namjoon’s warm and reassuring hold behind him. There’s Jungkook’s bright chatter that tells him he’s not going to be lonely, and then there’s Seokjin’s ever-watchful eye who is like a replacement mother for Jimin.

Jimin looks up at the sky, burning blue and bright. In the far distance a bird flies, too far away for Jimin to identify it. He holds two hands, framing the bird in an imaginary picture of its wings spread over a canvas of the sky and one star twinkling faintly in the background.

He imagines the bird to be Yoongi, free and flying high, and he smiles.

|||

It’s nearly a year and a half later and Jimin finds himself in a forest clearing, Jungkook and Seokjin with him. They’re lying on blankets, campfire doused, and Seokjin is explaining to them all about stars.

“If you’re ever lost you should use the North Star as reference,” Seokjin says in his quiet voice that carries clearly. “It’s the only star that doesn’t move. Or well, at the least for our lifetime."

Jimin recognizes that star as the guiding star his mother has always taught him to follow – the star that points north. And from there, he would be able to find his way home. 

“Eh? You mean when we die and other people are born and then they die and so on, then the North Star won’t be the North star anymore.”

“Probably not,” Seokjin says. “But a different star will be at the North position, and that will become the north star..”

“So it’s kind of like a job huh?” Jimin says.

Seokjin laughs. “Something like that.”

Jungkook squints upwards. “So where exactly is this star?" he asks. He means the exact location, position and all. 

“Right Ascension 2 hours 32 minutes. Declination +89 degree, 16" comes a deep voice from behind them all. Jimin tips his head back further to see Namjoon stomp his way over to the campsite. Hope whickers in gentle greeting and Namjoon pets him, fondling his ears, before he drops down next to them all. “Am I right?” he asks with a gleam in his eyes.

“Full marks Your Highness,” Seokjin says with a roll of his eyes. “I see you’ve been reading your astronomy books well.”

Namjoon leans over to nudge him playfully. “What would my tutor say if he saw me now?”

Seokjin grins back. “He’d despair that you only learn such useless facts and would rather you stick your head back into Monarchy and Finances and learn the ‘proper’ things a Ruler should learn.”

Namjoon huffs and flops his head onto Seokjin’s shoulder. “Urgh, please tell Hobeom-hyung to lighten up. Accountancy is so boring.”

Seokjin ruffles his hair affectionately. “Tell him that yourself,” he says and Namjoon grumbles.

In the year and so that Jimin has been at the Royal Palace, he’s learnt that Namjoon’s job as future king is not easy. He has countless tutors hundreds of expectations, and all he really wants to do is just get out of the palace and hum different melodies. Jimin’s seen his dog-eared little notebook that he carries everywhere with him. It’s filled to the brim with messy scribbles and Jimin has bought Namjoon a new one for his birthday, a nice leather bound red thing with thick pages and a waterproof surface. He hopes he likes it. Jimin owes a lot of Namjoon, for giving him this job and this opportunity.

Jimin on the other hand has been working a lot of random jobs around the Palace whenever he doesn't have to directly help Jungkook take care of V, or Taehyung as Jungkook prefers to call him. In the skies Jungkook just refers to the hawk as Tae, so it all works out well. So when he's not at the bird house he's helping Seokjin out with his retainer duties or going on rounds of the city with Namjoon. When he's  tired of the city and it’s press of people, he’ll saddle up Hope or Eleven or some other horse and head out into the forest for a quick ride around.  

But at the end of the day he'll always end up back at the bird house, whether it's working with Taehyung, or simply to be around the gentle sound of birds hooting sleepily as the sun goes down. He has a love-hate relationship with the place; he can't stop his feet from always walking him there everyday, but at the same time every time he steps in and hears a bird that isn’t Taehyung, Jimin finds himself superimposing Yoongi over that bird and he’ll turn, heart leaping, only to crash and fall in disappointment.

Jimin lifts one hand to the sky and encircles his fingers around the North Star. The guiding star. The star that shows the way back home. He clasps his hands over it and pretends he could take ahold of the constellation and hold it close. 

In the depth of the forest he hears a bird shriek, calling to another. A response comes back within seconds and then there’s the fluttering sound as they both take to the sky. Jimin watches as their shadows cut across the moonlit sky and they fly north, flitting in and out of blocking the North Star.

It makes Jimin wonder where Yoongi is right now. Maybe he’s a thousand miles away, cruising over the ocean. Or perhaps he’s a wing beat away.

Jimin closes his eyes as Seokjin tells them all another story, about the naming of some constellation called Apus. He lets Seokjin’s voice wash over him in a soothing spread, coupled with Namjoon’s deep laughs and Jungkook’s higher pitched interjections. He hears Taehyung chirp now and then, and imagines Jungkook as he moves to swipe one hand down Taehyung’s back to quieten him. Hope makes horsey sounds in the corner as he breathes in his sleep and dreams of grass and fields and galloping. And somewhere there is Yoongi, soaring high and free.

Jimin imagines it and smiles his way into a dream.

When Jimin awakens the sky is rose pink and the North Star is no longer as visible. He'd have to squint to make it out. 

Around him, everyone is fast asleep. He can hear Namjoon’s deep snores and Seokjin’s gentler ones. Jungkook is a silent sleeper but the fact there is no rustling sounds signals he is still in dreamland.

A soft chirrup fills the air and Jimin groans. “Shh Tae,” he whispers. “It’s early.”

The sound comes again, and Jimin’s ears prick. Because…this isn’t Taehyung’s call…

Jimin sits up promptly, his hair falling over his eyes haphazardly. He exhales heavily, blowing his bangs away, and in that snapshot second that his fringe flies up, he sees a bird perched atop the rock next to him.

He frowns and his hair falls down. It must be his imagination.

Jimin takes the energy to lift his hand and swipe away the hair and oh.

His eyes round like the moon long gone. “Yoongi,” Jimin breathes, and the peregrine squawks back at him, sounding irritated as if he’s saying who else did you expect?

Jimin shuffles forwards on his hands and knees, unable to believe his eyes. But it’s Yoongi. It’s got his feathers and his build and the gleam in his eyes, that mischevious little glint right there. Jimin holds out one hand hesitatingly and Yoongi holds still for him. He gently lowers it and Yoongi is as soft as he remembers.

He strokes downwards. “You came back,” he whispers, and Yoongi pushes his head into his touch, like he’s saying of course I did idiot. A grin grows on Jimin’s face like a flower, blooming slowly but beautifully. He strokes again and again, and then he leans forwards and presses a kiss to the crown of Yoongi’s head.

“You came back,” he says again, because it’s important and it needs repeating. 

Yoongi blinks once at him in assent.

“You came back.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes.

Jimin kisses Yoongi’s beak. “Thank you for coming back,” he says and enfolds Yoongi into a hug. The peregrine starts slightly, but lets Jimin do as he please. Yoongi is warm and Jimin can hear his avian heart beat like a tiny drum.

The sky above them is slowly being doused by blue, and the star and the moon is long gone, but that’s okay. It’s okay. He doesn’t need a guiding star anymore. Yoongi has found his way back to him and Jimin may not know what he wants to do with his life, but he has his friends at the palace and his family back home and something completely different but absolutely essential in Yoongi.

Jimin pulls back and looks at Yoongi in the eye. The peregrine blinks back at him affectionately and Jimin knows that this time Yoongi isn't leaving, no matter what Jimin says. “Thank you for coming home,” he whispers and Yoongi taps him on the nose with his beak, a gentle action borne of love.

The night can vanish, the north star can change. That's okay. It doesn't matter where Jimin is. Yoongi is home and that is all Jimin needs.