Chapter Text
Contrary to (apparently) popular belief, Jungkook wasn't an idiot.
Did he feel a little bad about judging Minju so harshly before he even met the guy? Sure. Whatever. The man was actually very nice, all things considered. He was hardly the pompous brat that Taehyung made him out to be. He seemed incredibly down to Earth for a crown prince who had been unceremoniously thrust out of the palace and sent to live in a nondescript village for the next few weeks.
Jungkook enjoyed Minju's company. Sue him. It was cool to hang out with the prince of Korea as if it were nothing special.
Now, was Minju's presence worth sneaking around and avoiding his boyfriends like the plague? Not in the slightest.
But even Jungkook had to admit it wasn't all bad. He wasn't completely deprived of affection like he'd feared. In fact, Minju had done a rather impressive job of supplementing his boyfriends' usual pet names and praises with his own brand of sugary sweet endearments.
Which…was the problem.
Minju was making up for his boyfriends' lack of usual affection almost too well, to the point where Jungkook could barely go an hour without the prince complimenting some aspect of his physical appearance or thrusting gifts into his hands.
Jungkook wasn't an idiot, and neither were his hyungs. The prince was in love with him, and Jungkook had no idea what to do.
He'd been agonizing over it for days. He'd connected the dots pretty quickly after Minju's arrival (despite his initial disbelief, because how could the prince of Koreabe into him?), given the prince had quite literally kissed his hand and likened him to the finest artwork in the land, but in all honesty, he'd been too delighted watching his hyungs bristle over Minju's every move to really consider the implications of the prince's feelings.
Jungkook knew that Jimin was prone to jealousy. After all, he'd taken Jungkook to an alleyway and kissed him silly at the sight of a girl grazing his cheek. In public.
Seeing Jimin glower over Minju's obvious affections had been fun but predictable.
But seeing the rest of his hyungs stare at the crown prince of Korea like they wanted to bite his hand off every time his fingers found their way to Jungkook's hair? Oh, it had been hilarious.
But now that Minju's visit was coming to an end and the incessant pet names and compliments were still in full effect, Jungkook was beginning to worry.
He tried to deter Minju. Really, he did. He'd invite his hyungs along on their outings together any chance he got. He'd accept literal bribes (because really? Who would pay that much for a portrait?) from the prince and then turned right around and assured his hyungs that the money would go toward anniversary gifts for them. He'd chosen a simple (yet beautiful) bouquet of tiger lilies over the most gorgeous pendant he'd ever seen. He even went as far as to outright refuse Minju when he'd asked Jungkook to paint him nude.
Jungkook still indulged the man. After all, he couldn't very well stomp his foot at the prince of Korea and tell Minju to leave him alone. That would surely be breaking a law of some kind, and Jungkook was still a little worried that the prince had royal assassins hidden in their bushes waiting to pounce at any utterance of treason.
But indulgence was as far as it got. Jungkook smiled politely whenever Minju called him beautiful, fought the urge to tense whenever a wandering hand came a little too close to his waist for comfort, and spent an inordinate amount of time with the man whenever he had nothing more pressing to do, but that was it.
He'd never returned any compliments, partly because Jungkook was pretty sure that lying to the crown prince was yet another form of treason written somewhere into the royal bylaws.
Minju was beautiful and definitely conventionally attractive, but in Jungkook's opinion, it was almost laughable the way bards composed songs centered around the prince's beautiful eyes and porcelain skin when his boyfriends (who'd had exactly zero songs written about them, not for Jimin's lack of trying) were far more beautiful than Minju could ever hope to be.
But, in the name of fairness (and to see his lovers bristle), Jungkook had allowed Minju to adopt the title of hyung.
That was it, though.
And Minju was supposed to leave tomorrow. This whole experience had been mildly enjoyable, if not supremely uncomfortable, for Jungkook, but seeing his hyungs squirm had made it all worth it.
After all, come morning, this would all be behind him, and he would never have to be in such close proximity to the prince again. And, more importantly, he could actually kiss his boyfriends after nearly two and a half long, brutal weeks of cruel, cruel chastity.
So, everything would be fine. Really.
Which was why when Minju pulled Jungkook to the side for a 'private chat,' the younger had simply nodded his head cheerily and let him lead the way.
It was only when Minju guided the painter to sit on his bed and moved to close the door to his quarters that Jungkook began to realize that this might not have been the best idea.
"Jungkook-ah," The elder said slowly, oblivious to Jungkook's internal monologue. "We've had a good time together over the past few weeks, yes?"
"Yes," Jungkook responded after a moment, his heart suddenly beating exponentially faster. There was no way. Was he going to —"It's been nice."
Minju cocked his head. "Just nice?"
Jungkook simply smiled weakly, unsure whether he wanted to commit to saying anything more.
"Well," Minju drawled when it became apparent that the maknae wasn't going to elaborate further. "I've had a fabulous time with you, pretty thing. You've been a blessing in more ways than one."
"Oh!" Jungkook blinked. Okay. Not good. "You're too kind, hyung, really. Not all princes are so kind to their subjects."
"I would agree." Minju nodded politely, but his eyes were like molten lava. "Though, you must've realized by now that I don't treat all my subjects this way."
Jungkook's blood ran cold. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He simply stared at the prince with unparalleled shock because he was seriously confessing?
"I'm sure that's not true," Jungkook managed to squeak, now seriously concerned that he'd pass out from the sheer idiocy of it all if he said anything further. What was the prince doing? Didn't he know that revealing such sensitive information about one's sexual preference was basically a death sentence? "You're very kind to everyone!"
"But not like I am to you, my flower." Minju stepped closer, and Jungkook found himself unwittingly scooching backward. My flower. That was another one of the prince's chosen pet names for him. He'd never hated it more than he did at that moment. "Surely you've noticed by now."
"Noticed? Noticed what?" Jungkook yelped, acutely aware that his voice was about five octaves too high. Heat was climbing up his neck, and his eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere other than Minju's approaching form. "I haven't noticed anything!"
"Really?" Minju regarded him with hot, dark eyes.
"Really!" Jungkook insisted. He curled his hands into fists, clutching at the blankets on Minju's bed in a desperate bid to stop them from trembling.
Minju frowned. "That's a shame." He took another step forward. "I suppose I'll have to give you a hint, then."
"Oh, no, no, no." Jungkook shook his head vehemently, his wobbly smile now threatening to fall off his face entirely.
Briefly, he wondered how quickly his hyungs could reach him if he called for them now. Come to think of it, were any of them even in the house? Namjoon had been present when Minju pulled Jungkook to the side, but he'd been dressed in his magistrate robes and could easily be down at the courts. And he was fairly sure that Hoseok and Taehyung, despite their indefinite house arrest, had taken a stroll in the gardens this morning…
It hit Jungkook like a ton of boulders. He was all alone.
Minju just looked at him, a ghost of a smile on his face at the younger's squirming.
Jungkook fought the urge to vomit. This could not be happening-
"I like you, Jungkookie." The prince breathed. It was nothing more than a shameless whisper, but the weight of his words could've knocked Jungkook to the ground if not for the headboard bracing him. "And I want you to be mine."
What.
"What?!" Jungkook choked on air, eyes blowing as wide as dinner plates and alarms blaring in his head that flashed deny, deny, deny, in technicolor lettering. "Romantically?"
"Of course," Minju hummed as if spouting illegal propositions was an everyday occurrence. If anything, he seemed rather amused at Jungkook's panic. "How else?"
"Minju!" Jungkook didn't even need to pretend to be scandalized. He wasn't oblivious to the prince's feelings about him, far from it, but this was the 18th century. People were hardly tolerant of men loving men. It was punishable by execution, for God's sake! How could Minju just declare his feelings so blatantly? "What are you saying? We're both men, I-"
"And what a pretty man you are," Minju purred, and Jungkook nearly fell off the bed in disbelief.
"Stop," He hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Such relations are illegal. They result in death. And I'm not-"
"Not what?" Minju cut in. Against all odds, he still looked rather charmed at Jungkook's disavowal. "A sodomite?"
"-attracted to men." Jungkook finished, face souring at the word. There was no actual term for what Jungkook and his lovers felt for each other, at least not yet, but hearing such a derogatory, dirty word fall from Minju's lips with casual indifference made his heart clench. That was the word people like him were called before they were sentenced to death. "Just how can you throw around confessions so casually?"
Minju sighed, sounding more like a lovesick girl than the famed crown prince of Korea. "You're cute when you deflect, beautiful."
"Deflect?" Jungkook sputtered uselessly. He waved his hands around wildly, movements bordering on erratic. He couldn't bring himself to admonish Minju for his sexual preferences, even if it was just to get the prince off of his back, but that didn't mean he couldn't act (rightfully) outraged at the position he'd been put in. "I'm not deflecting anything! I'm trying to look out for you! We've gotten close these past few weeks, but not close enough for you to confess something like this to me! What if someone overhears! What if your father overheard?! Having such feelings is illegal-"
"My father knows," Minju responded nonchalantly, fixing the younger with a warm smile, and Jungkook's jaw dropped.
"What?!" He gaped, heart dropping to his stomach. "But- all the people he's sentenced-"
"I never said he liked it," Minju said again as if that answered the millions of questions running through Jungkook's head. He shrugged non-committedly, but his eyes never left Jungkook's prone form. "But I'm his only heir, so he looks the other way." Minju grinned, and Jungkook could've sworn the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. "I will marry a princess for the sake of political alliances. But if it means keeping me agreeable, my father will look the other way should I choose to proposition a male consort."
Male consort…
"ME?" Jungkook choked, nearly doubling over from the force the air left his lungs. "Are you asking me to-"
"Be my male consort?" Minju finished for him. "Yes."
"I-" Jungkook began shaking his head violently, shoulders trembling as he attempted to scoot back even further into the bed, only to be blocked by his head hitting the wall. "No. I'm… I'm flattered, but I already told you I'm not-"
"Deflecting." Minju clicked his tongue in disappointment, and Jungkook's heart dropped to his soles. "Really, Jungkook-ah. Do you think I would be so persistent if I didn't know we shared common interests?"
Jungkook opened his mouth, closed it again, then opened it once more, bearing an eerily resemblance to a fish out of water because no way, he knew what Minju was getting at, and he couldn't breathe.
"So, I'd appreciate you telling me the truth about your interest in men." Minju finished, and Jungkook's vision went white. "You're in a relationship with six of them, after all."
Jungkook couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. His muscles were seizing, his head was pounding, he was pretty sure tears were gathering behind his eyes, and he couldn't breathe-
"No…" He finally whispered, but it sounded unconvincing even to his own ears. "N-no, we-"
Minju took a step closer, and Jungkook hated the way he flinched, suddenly acutely aware that the prince held their livelihood in his hands.
"Oh, please. It's obvious," Minju drawled as if his observation was anything less than earth-shattering. "Maybe not to everyone, but it is to me. The way you look at each other. It's telling enough." The prince smiled lightly. "I will admit, they've been fun to toy with."
"You-" Jungkook's eyes blew wide at the realization that he hadn't been the only one enjoying his hyungs' jealousy. "You knew?"
"Of course." Minju shrugged. "They've been wanting to pounce on you all week. I can tell."
"Okay. Okay." Jungkook wrung his hands together, his skin clammy, and his heart lodged in his throat. This made no sense. "A-and you're not going to…"
"To expose you?" Minju finished for him. He seemed to have an affinity for reading Jungkook's mind lately, or maybe the younger's terrified expression simply told him everything he needed to know. "No."
Instantly, Jungkook felt himself relax. They were good. They were safe. Sure, Minju's proposition may have been creepy and wholly inappropriate given their relationship, but surely he was a reasonable man, and-
"Not unless you refuse my offer."
What.
All at once, the crushing fear was back, paralyzing Jungkook further as he sat and stared at the prince, eyebrows pinched in eyes growing into nothing less than horrified ovals.
"What?" Jungkook whispered, and he couldn't breathe-
"I assume you love them," Minju said simply. He took another step forward, now properly leering over the painter as he looked him up and down, something hungry in his gaze. "And that's okay. Your loyalty is one of the many things I love about you. But I also know that, if given time, you can grow to love me more."
Jungkook said nothing. His face was morphed into what could only be described as abject horror. He was physically shrinking under Minju's gaze, the magnitude of what Minju was bargaining practically crushing him.
"So, you have two options," Minju announced. He reached out to caress Jungkook's face, and desperately, the painter acknowledged that he was too terrified to flinch away. His hyungs… "Either you break off whatever you have with your hyungs and come with me, or I'll report their crimes to the royal guard come morning, have them executed, and take you whether you like it or not."
Executed-
Everything became white noise at that point. The word screamed over and over like a mantra in his head, his heart beating in tandem with the tears that had begun to trail down his cheeks, too weak to lift even a finger to wipe them away.
Executed. Executed. Visions of his hyungs lying lifeless on the ground, eyes glazed over and arms hanging limply at their sides, reaching out to him, ghostly pleas escaping their mouths, blaming him-
No. No. Jungkook couldn't let that happen. He couldn't. His hyungs…they were his everything. They'd taken him in when he'd had nothing, when he'd been nothing, and they'd loved him unconditionally for no reason other than because they could.
And Jungkook loved them. He loved them so much. He felt selfish for being with them, if only because they were so good and lovely and caring and perfect that-
-that Jungkook couldn't let this happen. He couldn't. Even if Minju rescinded his promise, Jungkook would throw himself to the ground and beg the prince to reconsider. He'd stay locked up in a palace, shackled by royal silks and gemstones that would undoubtedly feel all too heavy on his neck, and seal his freedom away if only his hyungs would be fine.
Executed…
No.
"I'll go with you," Jungkook whispered. His head shot up, eyes desperate and pleading and had his hands not been white at the knuckles, Jungkook wasn't sure he would've been able to resist lifting them in a silent prayer. "I'll do whatever you want. Please, please don't tell anyone about them. Please."
Minju smiled, and only then could Jungkook see how sadistic it was. "That's my pretty little thing. I knew we could come to an agreement."
"Yes." It was all Jungkook could do to nod vehemently, forcefully, desperately. "If you leave them out of this, then…" He paused, swallowing thickly. His throat was lined with cotton. "Just tell me what I need to do."
Minju reached out to pet Jungkook's hair, mussing the black locks with such care that one could almost forget the threat of execution hanging in the air.
Not Jungkook, though. Not when the imagery of the lifeless faces of his hyungs sent blood rushing to his face and tendrils of terror curling down his spine.
Not when he felt like he could barely breathe.
"Tonight," Minju spoke. Jungkook could hardly hear him over the blood rushing in his ears, but his lovers' lives depended on it, so he listened. "You tell them tonight. We will leave first thing tomorrow." The man smiled. It was all teeth. "You'll see, my flower. We will be so happy together."
xxx
Jungkook was going to faint.
It was dinner, and his food lay untouched, if only to avoid the very real possibility of throwing it all up the second anything other than the barest bit of water entered his fear-riddled stomach.
His hyungs were all there, chatting along as usual, but they'd been eyeing Jungkook warily for the better part of ten minutes. Hoseok's eyebrows were etched with concern, and Jin had already asked Jungkook what was wrong two times, only to receive a meek "Nothing!" in response.
Because Jungkook was dying over here. His boyfriends were worrying about him because of course they were. Because they were kind and loving and caring and beautiful, and Jungkook was going to break their hearts in one fell swoop.
A small price to pay. He reminded himself, but the assurance that he was saving his lovers from an untimely death provided him with little solace.
The genuine possibility…the reality of living the rest of his life without these six men who he had come to love over everything…it killed him. It killed him so much.
He was pretty sure that he would die of heartbreak. But then what? Would Minju go back on his word? If his precious male consort was dead, would he report his hyungs to the royal guards anyway and sentence them to their doom?
Maybe, just maybe, Jungkook could hope to catch a glimpse of Hoseok as he made his monthly runs to the capital. Perhaps he could watch the yearly training all of the king's warriors from the shadows, if only to see Taehyung's face one last time.
Maybe he could watch them from afar and be happy knowing that he was saving them from a far worse fate.
"Ahem." Minju cleared his throat from beside him, and Jungkook snapped to attention. The prince stood, smiling cheerfully, and Jungkook couldn't find it in himself to be even the slightest bit alarmed as tears immediately gathered behind his eyes. "I have an announcement."
"Oh?" Hoseok sipped his drink and smiled politely, halting all dinner conversation. "Okay, Minju-ssi! Whenever you're ready."
"Thank you." Minju gestured toward the painter. "Jungkook-ah?"
Fuck.
Jungkook rose on shaky legs, refusing to make eye contact because he knew his pathetic condition would only be met with concern and love, and he couldn't bear to watch that fizzle out.
"So," He started, fighting to keep the wobble out of his voice. Minju placed a hand on his arm, and Jungkook had to fight the urge to flinch away. "As I'm sure you all saw, Minju-hyung and I got c-close while he was here."
His breath caught as he picked his chin up from his chest, and immediately regretted it as he was met with six faces etched with heart-wrenching unease.
They didn't deserve this. But they didn't deserve to be dead either, so Jungkook would take the lesser of the two evils.
"W-we've talked, and it's been decided that I will return to the capital with him." There was a sharp gasp from his left, no doubt Jin, but Jungkook knew he'd lose his courage entirely if he didn't get it all out now. He had to keep going. "A-as the prince's consort. So," He lifted his head pathetically, "this is goodbye."
No one said anything. And then-
"What the fuck did you do to him?" Taehyung hissed. The words were violent and hateful, spat at the ground as if they were something ugly, and Jungkook was surprised to find that Taehyung's ire wasn't directed at him, but at Minju. "Tell me before I put my blade right through your fucking skull."
If Minju was at all thrown by the comments, he didn't show it. Instead, he just looked at Jungkook expectantly. "Jungkook-ah…?"
"No!" Jungkook's eyes widened, and he began waving his hands around frantically. "T-this was my choice! I'm sorry, but we've connected so well these past few weeks. He's so kind and caring and h-handsome-" That last word was like acid on Jungkook's tongue, every compliment to Minju's character widening the crack that threatened to break his heart in two. "Really! Please don't threaten Minju-hyung. This is all my choice-"
"Is it money?" Namjoon asked softly, and it made Jungkook all the more devastated to see that he wasn't even mad. His face was nothing short of anguished, lips pursed and eyes wide, but pure, unadulterated worry trumped all else. "Do you have debts that we don't know about, Jungkook-ah? Because I know you like the money you can get from him, but just say the word and we'll-"
"No!" Jungkook exploded before Namjoon could finish that sentence, tears threatening to fall. "No, no, it's not that! This is my decision. I l-"
The word caught Jungkook's throat, and something icy shot through his veins. No. No. What the hell had he been about to say? He couldn't do that to them, couldn't say that in front of them, couldn't bear to say that about anyone but them.
"I like him," Jungkook finished quietly, shoulders slumping in defeat. He peered upward, eyes meeting mercilessly with Jimin's, and he nearly broke down at the way the elder's face twisted at the declaration. Seeing his hyungs twitch in jealousy had been fun before. It was gut-wrenching now. "A-a lot. And this is my choice. I hope you accept it."
"Accept it?" Hoseok slammed his hands against the table, making everyone jump. He was furious, rage practically radiating off of him in waves, and his face contorted into a vicious scowl as he glared at Minju. "I defended you, you fucking bastard. I have been arguing with my lovers nonstop for the past two weeks because of you."
"Hoseok-ssi," Jin said sharply, but Hoseok waved him off with a scoff.
"What? It's pretty fucking clear he knows about us, given that he clearly told Jungkook to fucking break it off with us at dinner." All caution had been thrown to the wind, but Hoseok didn't care, because all he could feel was the white-hot rage coursing through his body. "Am I fucking right?"
"Yes," Jungkook sputtered out. Suddenly, Minju's hand on his arm tightened, and Jungkook fought the urge to whine. "N-no, I mean. I…I mean, he knows about us, but I decided to tell you all myself! I thought you were owed an explanation, at least-"
"You're hurting him," Jimin hissed, and only then did Jungkook realize that his hyungs had zeroed in on Minju's bruising grip on his bicep. "You don't know a fucking thing about how to treat him. You're hurting him. Stop it."
Minju said nothing.
"P-please." Jungkook tried again, but his begging only made Jimin's expression darken. "T-this is my choice." He swallowed. No one was buying it.
Jungkook screwed his eyes shut.
"You always say that you want me to be happy," He started, and God, Jungkook was going to be sick. This was a low, low blow, but he didn't know what else to do. Their broken hearts would heal, but heads could not be reattached to mutilated bodies. Jungkook refused to subject them to that fate. "Minju-hyung makes me happy. I am choosing to be his consort of my own free will. Because I want to. He makes me feel safe and secure-"
"He is bruising you," Taehyung hissed, eyes nothing short of deadly. "I don't know-"
"Please!" A sob escaped Jungkook's throat, guilt absolutely consuming him for making his hyungs look that way, but what else could he do? "Don't you want me to be happy?"
The room fell silent, six tear-filled, wide, terrified eyes trained on one trembling maknae.
"Fine," Yoongi spoke for the first time since Jungkook's announcement, and it was almost comical how one simple word had the power to nearly send the maknae careening toward the floor. "Fine. You want to leave us. Go with him."
The disgust was evident in Yoongi's words as he held out his hand.
"Then give me your ring."
All the breath was stolen from Jungkook's lungs.
"W-what?" His voice trembled, hands instinctively clasping over each other to hide the ring from view. "W-what do-"
"The ring," Yoongi said firmly, but Jungkook could tell this was breaking him inside. His eyes were glossy as his fingers began to shake, his own golden band glinting beautifully, tauntingly, under the candlelight. "You're leaving this relationship. Now give me your ring."
If Yoongi had asked Jungkook to tear his heart out and hand it to him on a platter, the younger wouldn't have hesitated.
But this…
"H-hyung…" Jungkook's voice broke pitifully, barely audible over the blood rushing in his ears. A tear fell down his cheek, followed by another, and another as his face grew damp with anguish. With desperation. "P-please…"
Yoongi said nothing.
"P-please d-don't make me…."
Jungkook had never felt so desperate in his entire life. He was saving their heads, quite literally! Couldn't they afford him this one courtesy? Could they be so kind as to leave him with the one trinket that would remind him of the people he loved enough to let go?
"Ring." The command was quiet.
A sob bubbled up in Jungkook's throat, a primal, guttural thing, and that was all Yoongi needed.
"He doesn't want to go with you," The teacher stated, retracting his hand, and suddenly his voice was deadly. Ready to kill. "So tell me what the fuck you have over him, or I'll rip your fucking throat out."
Jungkook just shook his head now, tears flying every which way because, no, now his hyungs were going to die because he couldn't let go of a stupid fucking ring. How could he be so selfish?
"Jungkook-ah." Jimin's voice pulled him out of his spiral. It was tight and thick with something indecipherable. "Get over here."
Jungkook took a breath. Calm down. "I can't-"
"Please." Jimin's voice broke, and that alone was enough to crumble Jungkook's resolve into dust. The elder's eyes glistened with tears, face pinched with a unique mix of anger and terror. "He's hurting you. Please get over here."
Jungkook's breath hitched, and it was all he could do to stop himself from barreling into his hyung's waiting arms. He had to refuse. He had to. But God did he want to.
"What's going on, baby," Jin murmured, and the pet name only made the tears fall even faster. "Please, just tell us. Whatever he's threatening you with, we can deal with it."
Jungkook just whimpered, looking up at Minju with pitiful, pitiful eyes.
He couldn't function like this—not for much longer. He was a weak man when it came to his hyungs, and Jungkook knew it was only a matter of time before he folded altogether. And that was not an option—never, if it meant Minju would follow through on his threat.
"Please take me away," Jungkook whispered, but it clearly wasn't quiet enough because he was immediately met with a clamor of anguished protests and quite a few profanities. "I tried. The deal is still good, right?" His doe eyes were big, pleading, and glassy as they stared up at Minju. "Please tell me it's still good.
Minju just nodded, and Jungkook practically collapsed from the sheer, poignant relief that tore through his body.
"Come along, dear, "Minju murmured. He turned, practically dragging Jungkook with him as the younger stumbled to catch up.
Immediately, the shouting from his hyungs got louder, ceramic bowls and utensils alike crashing to the floor as six bodies shot up from the table all at once. Jungkook screwed his eyes shut as the sound of hopeful pleas reached his ears, words of comfort and confusion directed at him, and vile, cruel words of unbridled loathing at Minju.
In one last act of love, the last selfish act he would ever afford himself, Jungkook allowed himself to look back at his hyungs one final time.
Jin was screaming bloody murder, face beet red and eyes nothing short of furious. Hoseok was much the same, sprouting all kinds of treason that he would've admonished only hours before but now spit with fire, a raging inferno building in his chest.
Namjoon's expression was calculating and sad, eyes frantically scanning Jungkook up and down for evidence of a dagger or something wedged at the small of his back, desperately trying to figure out why exactly their maknae was walking out the door of his own volition. The only thing holding him back was Yoongi, whose white-hot fury had only grown as Minju dared to take his maknae away from him. The cold indifference he'd shown when asking Jungkook to give up his ring was gone, replaced by an intense range of emotions flickering across his face ranging from despair to outrage.
Jimin was still zeroed in on the bruising grip Minju had on Jungkook's arm, face contorted as if he couldn't think of anything worse than someone causing his maknae even the slightest amount of pain. And Taehyung-
His headband, which bore the royal crest, was thrown to the floor with a thud.
A challenge.
No.
"Hyung, no." Jungkook ripped away from Minju at that moment and practically launched himself at Taehyung, hands scrambling for purchase on the man's blue and golden robes, a sob retching itself out of his throat. "You can't. No, no, no, I'll go with him, you can't do this-"
"The hell I can't," Taehyung hissed. He curled an arm around Jungkook's waist and turned so the younger was completely shielded, eyes never leaving Minju. "I don't know what the fuck is going on, and you're going to fucking tell me, but the one thing I do know is that I'm not letting him fucking take you away from me."
"Hyung." Jungkook was ugly crying now, his face a mess of snot and tears as he clung onto Taehyung like a lifeline. "No. No. Just let me go with him. Please, don't do this, you've already done so, so much for me, you can't-"
"I'm not letting him take you," Taehyung growled simply. Resolutely. Reverently. A vicious prayer and a promise all at once. "So? I used to think you were a man of honor, Your Highness, but clearly, I was mistaken." The warrior took a step forward, arm leaving the security of Jungkook's waist. Jungkook just sobbed. "Care to take the chance and restore it?"
"A duel," Minju mused, looking increasingly annoyed with every passing second. How…barbaric."
"Fuck you."
Minju laid his hand on the hilt of his own sword, which, as the prince, he had permanently strapped to his side, just as Taehyung did. "Terms?"
"If I win, our maknae stays with us, and you forget we ever existed. Whatever the fuck you have over him? Get rid of it."
Minju's lips curled in on themselves. "Hefty demands, I must say."
"Fuck. you."
Minju regarded him for a moment. "Fine. If I win, I will take Jungkook-ah without a fight. He will live out the rest of his days as my consort, and you six will forget he ever had any impact on your lives in the first place."
If looks could kill, Minju would be dead twenty times over.
"Deal," Taehyung growled. He was slipping, his grip on his sanity loosening as he succumbed to the tendrils of dark, murderous rage tickling at his insides, but he really couldn't find it in himself to care. "First to draw blood?"
Minju's eyes flitted over to Jungkook, a sadistic grin blooming on his face, and Taehyung could've killed him right then and there.
"No. To the death."
"Hyung!" Jungkook choked at the words. He started toward the two men, only for a strong pair of arms to make their way around his chest and pull him tight against a warm body. He thrashed regardless, tears streaming down his face and voice hoarse from screaming, but the hold stayed steadfast. Strong. Namjoon. "Hyung, let me go. I can't let him do this for me; he can't die because of me! I don't care if I have to be the consort. I don't care. As long as you all are safe, I don't care, so let me go-"
"It's okay," Namjoon murmured into his ear, but Jungkook could tell he was just as terrified as he was. "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." A kiss was dropped to his hair, his nape, and his cheek, and all Jungkook could do was scream, kick, and sob.
"Jungkook." Jungkook was a drowning man, and Taehyung's voice was like a breath of fresh air. "Either I duel now, or I storm the fucking capital to get you back later. You pick."
"Neither!" Jungkook sobbed, his hands pulling at the arms that were caging him in. "Neither, neither! Just let me go with him; let me leave!"
Taehyung's eyes darkened. "Over my dead body."
The warrior unsheathed his sword. Minju, apparently sensing the change in atmosphere, followed suit.
Taehyung was upon the man before anyone could even blink.
Swords clashed together with reckless abandon, the sound of metal scraping metal drowned out only by Jungkook's desperate pleas.
"Shhh." A hand threaded itself into Jungkook's air as the maknae choked on his spit. Taehyung was on the offensive, forcing Minju into a corner, and some small, crazed part of him thanked all the deities above that they had such a large breakfast room. "Taehyung-ah can handle himself. You know he can. It'll all be alright. I promise."
"Hobi-hyung," Jungkook whimpered, ripping away from the touch as he turned to stare at the offender. "I can't watch this. I can't. Please, please just tell Minju-ssi I'll go with him, please-"
"No, baby," Hoseok soothed, though Jungkook suspected the pet name was more for his hyung's sake than his own. "I'm not going to do that. I could never do that."
Jungkook choked, a thousand pleas dying on his tongue because there simply wasn't enough time to say them all.
"I'm sorry," Hoseok continued. He didn't look at Jungkook, keeping his eyes trained on the battle before them. Taehyung was on the defensive now, having lost a startling amount of ground to Minju courtesy of the prince's superior royal blade. Hoseok was worried. Petrified. But no amount of fear coursing through his veins could convince him that giving Jungkook up was a better alternative. None. "I should've realized. The others tried to warn me, but…I didn't listen."
Jungkook said nothing. He couldn't. Not when Taehyung had just grunted in pain fighting for him.
"Come on, Tae," Jungkook heard Jin whisper beside him.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Jungkook whispered to no one in particular. Minju and Taehyung were beginning to blur together between the tears, to the point where Jungkook could hardly tell where one began and the other ended. His chest ached. "You could've stopped him."
"I would've, Jungkook-ah," Namjoon whispered, quiet and focused and quite a bit terrified. He gasped as Minju got another lucky blow, sending Taehyung stumbling off balance before righting himself with terrifying speed and going right back on the offensive. "But I couldn't. Not when it's you."
"Who cares?" Jungkook choked out. "If he loses, then you lose both of us. Why couldn't you just let it be me? Then you could be happy-"
"Why do you think we could ever be happy without you?" Yoongi breathed in response, and oh, if that didn't hurt like a punch to the gut.
Jungkook just shook his head, fingernails piercing his palms as Taehyung's sword nicked Minju's shoulder. Yes, yes, yes-
"You've done it before," Jungkook managed. He couldn't watch this. He couldn't. It was all he could do to keep talking to keep from spiraling completely. Right now, Jungkook didn't know if he could trust himself not to break free the moment Namjoon's hold loosened. "You were six before you were seven."
"That doesn't matter," Jin replied frantically, voice picking up as Minju's sword got just a little too close to Taehyung's neck. "That was before you. Now that we've had you, we can't go back."
"But losing two. Losing Tae-hyungie-"
"We would've lost you both either way, Jungkook-ah," Jimin breathed, and Jungkook could practically feel the truth of those words in his bones. Jimin was always so attuned to Taehyung's feelings. He knew him better than anyone. "If he'd wanted to duel for you and we'd forced him to stand down, I don't think he'd ever forgive us."
"He loves you," Hoseok said quietly. "And he's so, so skilled. Let him fight for you."
"He can't kill the crown prince-"
"Any deaths that occur during duels are exempt from punishment," Hoseok recited. "It'll be fine. It will."
Jungkook wasn't so sure.
Taehyung and Minju were still fighting. Taehyung was the king's greatest weapon, one of the finest soldiers in his arsenal, but Minju had been trained by said soldiers. As the crown prince, he was expected to lead the kingdom into battle one day when he ascended to the throne, and his combat skills were indeed a testament to his future.
He and Taehyung were on equal footing. They were both incredibly skilled, extremely determined, and getting angrier by the second.
Taehyung had a cut on his arm and a line of beaded blood on his face, courtesy of a lucky swipe of a blade. Minju, inversely, had a rather deep wound on his shoulder but was otherwise unharmed.
Both were parrying blows and dancing around attacks as if it were second nature.
Jungkook briefly wondered what cruel irony it would be if he were to recreate the night he and Taehyung first met and throw himself in front of Minju's sword should the prince ever gain the upper hand.
It would be cowardly to die after all the trouble he'd caused, but he'd do it again and again and again.
"You're quite talented," Minju grunted, the praise barely audible over the sound of swords grating together.
"Thanks," Taehyung sneered. He lunged forward, missing Minju by inches as the elder dodged and returned with an attack of his own. "Wish I could say the same."
Taehyung blocked Minju's blow with a flick of his wrist, sending the swords careening against each other, and took a step back. Minju did the same.
The two men stood, blades clenched in identical white-knuckles grips, staring.
"Would you like to know," Minju began lowly, voice so quiet that only Taehyung could hear, "what I plan to do to your sweet Jungkookie?"
"Don't fucking talk about him."
"It's nothing bad," Minju purred. He lunged forward, and Taehyung parried the blow. "He'll be kept in his quarters, naturally. It's not as if a male consort can wander the palace halls. I won't force him into anything, but I have no doubt that he will come to love me in due time."
Taehyung swung viciously, sending the prince stumbling backward with a surprised yelp. "Let me tell you this," The warrior hissed, stalking forward with unrivaled ferocity. His eyes were alight with fury, an animalistic growl tearing itself from his throat. "If you somehow win this duel," He went for Minju's feet, the latter barely able to block the blow before the blade embedded itself in his calf, "then you better make sure that I'm dead. Because if you don't, I'm storming your fucking palace, and if I find out you such much as touched him, I'm slaughtering you where you stand.
Minju looked properly panicked now. Whether it was because of Taehyung's threat, the fact that he oh so clearly meant it, or because the warrior had somehow gotten the upper hand so quickly, no one knew.
Taehyung couldn't even smile at the sight. Sick satisfaction coiled in his gut, a primal, possessive, protective part of him taking far too much pleasure in torturing the bastard that would dare make his beautiful, talented maknae nothing more than a glorified trad wife.
Taehyung swung his sword at a downward angle. Minju scrambled to block the blow, but before he could, Taehyung took advantage of the distraction and kicked the man's knees out from under him, sending him sprawling to the floor in a mess of limbs and slightly bloodied silk.
It was over.
Distantly, Taehyung could hear Jungkook fall backward against Namjoon's chest with an audible thump.
Instincts took over. Taehyung's sword was at Minju's throat before the elder could even hope to breathe, the tip of the blade tickling the prince's Adam's apple, taunting him.
"Well?" Minju rasped after a moment. To his credit, he didn't blubber, cry, or beg. He was a man of honor, after all, despite how eager he'd been to abuse their Jungkook's trust. "Do it."
Taehyung regarded him for a long moment. The hatred he felt toward Minju had hardly dissipated. The image of Jungkook's face, contorted in pure, unadulterated anguish at the mere thought of giving up his ring to be with this man, was etched into Taehyung's brain, making his heart squeeze and blood boil beneath his battered skin.
Taehyung wanted to kill him. For bruising his maknae's arm, for forcing him into servitude, for blackmailing and propositioning him with no regard for his feelings, Taehyung wanted to kill him.
It would be easy. A single twitch of his wrist, the prince's blood would be spilled over the study wooden floors of their entryway.
Taehyung had killed in front of Jungkook before. It had been a necessity. They'd been surrounded by Azrail's men, outnumbered in every which way, and all Taehyung could think was Jungkook, Jungkook, Jungkook.
He never wanted his lovers to think of him as bloodthirsty. But he'd had to protect Jungkook.
This time was no different.
But Taehyung knew he couldn't.
For Jungkook, Taehyung would do anything. Including letting a despicable man go free.
Taehyung raised his sword above his head. Minju braced himself, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head to the side in preparation for the inevitable blow, but none came.
The prince opened his eyes to see the warrior's sword buried in the hardwood, just inches away from his nose.
"I'm going to spare you," Taehyung said gruffly. He took a step back. "You know what that means. Mercy in a duel to the death means you are indebted to me. So as my favor, you're going to keep your mouth shut about us, run back to the capital, and never so much as look at our maknae ever again."
Minju's lips curled in on themselves, but he nodded. It was stiff, but it was there.
For the first time in hours, Jungkook could breathe.
xxx
Minju was gone. His escort wasn't supposed to arrive until the morning, but no one had been willing to allow the man to so much as breathe in Jungkook's direction after all was said and done.
Thankfully, hosting a prince was actually a pretty big deal, so it wasn't too much trouble for Namjoon to recruit another high-ranking town official he knew from his magistrate duties to house Minju for the night.
The man had left in a huff, but true to his word, his lips had been sealed.
The seven of them had turned in almost immediately after that. Jungkook had sobbed himself into exhaustion, and the emotional turmoil of their maknae simultaneously breaking up with them and begging them to let him stay was a little too much for anyone to be anything less than absolutely drained.
Jungkook was snuggled in between Jin and Taehyung, both of whom were extremely pleased with themselves for securing spots next to their maknae. Jin had pulled the hyung card, to absolutely no one's surprise, while Taehyung had flatly declared that if he was going to bet his life on keeping Jungkook safe, he should, at the very least, get to sleep next to him.
No one could think of a good counterargument for that.
When the oil lamps grew dim, and the moon began to shine through the window, the other four would leave Jin, Taehyung, and Jungkook alone and retreat to the other cots scattered throughout the room with their chosen partner. But for now, they were all tangled together in a perpetual cuddle pile, soaking up the affection they'd been denying themselves for days.
"Jungkookie," Jimin whispered, lazily kissing Jungkook's face. His hands cupped the maknae's cheeks, thumbs grazing just under his bloodshot eyes. "My baby. My darling."
"I'm so sorry," Hoseok murmured quietly. "I knew you didn't want him to come. If only I had listened, this would've never happened. I-"
He was cut off when a pair of lips pressed against his, stealing his words from his tongue. Hoseok leaned into it, opening his eyes just in time to see Jungkook pull away with a soft smile.
Jungkook was still exhausted and quite a bit breathless, but he still reveled in the knowledge that he could do this after confronting the very real possibility that he might never be able to again.
"Not your fault," He whispered, leaning into the arms Taehyung had wrapped around his waist. "I promise."
"Jungkook…" Hoseok looked pained. He took his maknae's hand and pressed his lips to the younger's knuckles, eyes glassy as he stared up at Jungkook through thick, dark lashes. "Please. Your hyungs warned me about how infatuated he seemed with you, but I wouldn't listen. I let my duty to the crown overshadow my duty as your hyung. And I will spend forever making it up to you."
Jungkook just smiled, his chest constricting with something else now. He felt like he was floating, surrounded by such pure, unadulterated love. Had he not shed every last tear in his body, Jungkook was pretty sure he could have broken out into sobs right then and there.
"Not your fault," He said again, and was rewarded for his efforts by another kiss to his hand.
"What did he have over you, baby?" Yoongi rumbled from somewhere to Jungkook's left. "You were so…you were breaking my heart, Kook-ah."
"You," Jungkook said after a moment of silent, painful deliberation. "He told me he knew. About us. And that if I didn't go with him, he would have you all…" He swallowed. "...executed…."
The word hung in the air.
"I should've killed him."
"Taehyung." Jin admonished quietly, but he didn't disagree.
"I'm serious." Taehyung's arms tightened around Jungkook's waist, but the pressure was reassuring. Protecting. Not like Minju's, who's grip on his arm still throbbed with unearned possession in all the wrong places. "He was driving me crazy even before he went fucking insane. The way he was treating you…I couldn't stomach it."
Jungkook's smile was watery at the confession. "I'm sorry, too. I should've done more to deter him."
"What?" Jimin paused from kissing lightly at Jungkook's neck, shooting up so fast he nearly knocked Namjoon in the head. "No. None of this is your fault."
Jungkook shrugged halfheartedly. "I…I didn't enjoy all the pet names and touching, not like I do with you all, but…I did think it was a little entertaining to see you jealous." He ducked his head. "I'm sorry."
Yoongi huffed a laugh. "He's the prince of Korea, Kook-ah. You couldn't exactly tell him to fuck off."
"It's hardly your fault," Jin murmured in Jungkook's ear, breath sending shivers down the maknae's spine. "I'm sure we were an entertaining bunch. We could barely contain ourselves from snapping at Minju like a bunch of rabid dogs. Hobi-ah was the only thing keeping us from whisking you away and locking you in our bedroom for the rest of his visit."
"Which, again, I'm sorry for," Hoseok muttered.
A laugh bubbled up in Jungkook's throat despite himself, and he wished he could be surprised at the sensation of tears prickling the back of his eyes.
"Thank you for not believing me when I said I wanted to leave," He whispered after a moment. The words were vulnerable. He was vulnerable. But he knew that, unlike Minju, his hyungs would never do anything to exploit that. "I really, really didn't want to."
"We know, Kookie," Namjoon murmured. His hand came up to pet Jungkook's hair, twisting the fluffy locks between his fingers almost absentmindedly. "I would've fought Minju myself before I let him leave with you looking like that."
"And I'm sorry I asked for your ring," Yoongi said, dropping a chaste kiss on Jungkook's shoulder. His fingers found Jungkook's hand, tracing the band with something akin to reverence. "It's yours. Even if…you decide to find happiness somewhere else, we'll never take that from you."
Silence.
"Hyung…" Jungkook breathed, eyes blowing impossibly wide. "That will never happen."
Despite himself, Yoongi chuckled, and Jungkook would be a fool not to see the tears in his eyes.
"I truly believe I can speak for all of your hyungs when I say we will hold you to that."
"Please do." Jungkook snuggled even further into Taehyung's chest, and the elder obliged him as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "I love you all."
Hoseok's whispered reply was nothing short of a prayer and a promise wrapped in one.
"We love you forever."