Seilah

BTS

Change My Mind || series, friends to lovers, eventual smut, soulmate au

As a make-up artist, you were expected to glamorize your clients with brushes and products that cost a week-worth of food, not to befriend them outside of work, let alone have them save you from dates yet here you are five years later as one of their closest confidants. Being a stylist of the world's biggest boyband is no easy feat, someone is doing flips, someone can't stay still and one's asleep but its fine, you can work around their chaos but what you can't do is accept the fact that they're your soulmates.

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Lover's Oath || supernatural au, smut

“I'd spoil you rotten, put you in the nicest, most expensive clothing and I'd still have more to spend on you for an eternity.” Jin whispered into your lips like a promise, if it weren't for your lust addled mind, you'd believe him. “You like wealth, princess? I have plenty. My coven has a dragon, he'd spoil you rotten, he’d stop at nothing to give you everything you'd ever wanted.” Or alternatively, your friend’s only solution to you being a broke college student with a family to feed is to attend a private feeding party where the most affluent vampires are in attendance to drink fresh blood in exchange for money and get yourself in trouble with the Kim Coven.

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KIM NAMJOON

Sacrilege || one-shot, priest!Namjoon, smut

Priest Kim has always admired you from a far. He had made his choice to dedicate his life to the divines and he had accepted the fact that he could never be yours but then comes one cold night when you visited the confession booth to admit a secret of your own.

• Ride me? || smut

Just when you thought he's exhausted enough from chasing Miles Morales and had given you the chance to actually ride him, Miguel has other plans.

• Thirty Minutes || smut

After convincing Miguel to take a break from working, he generously granted you thirty minutes with him and you know how you'd spend it.

• Take a seat || smut

Never in your wildest dream did you imagine having your husband ask you to sit on his face.

• A New Beginning || breeding kink, smut

You tell Miguel that you're ready to have a child with him.

• Taking care of you || sub! Miguel, bondage, smut

Miguel comes home after a rough week and a half out of his universe and you decided that the only way to take care of him was to web him down.

• Playing with Fire || brat! reader, smut

After risking your life to save one spider, Miguel had enough and decided it was time to discipline you.

• Peaches and Cream || smut

There's a stark difference with how your husband and Miguel treats you, starting with how rough the latter can be.

||MCYT||

• The Simulation || Wattpad link, longfic (128k+ words), fantasy, they get trapped in minecraft, horror elements during the earlier chapters, old fic so shit writing lol

To many people, content creators have been a massive part of their life. They taught you, brought you happiness and became the light that would glow brightly in your darkest days. Now, what if they started disappearing out of nowhere?

• A deal with a demon || Demon!Quackity

Instead of dispelling a royal blooded demon like you were tasked to, you listened to his tempting deal.

༒☬༒ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ꜰɪᴄꜱ ༒☬༒

• Us Against All || Benchtrio, Zombie Apocalypse AU!

They expected the dreadful possibility of being bitten but they never knew how painful it was to see their friend run on borrowed time.

• Blue Innocence || found father and son trope, fantasy au, bedrock bros

Every death leaves a legacy behind and his brother was no different from them, along with his journals and music sheets, Techno took upon the task of raising his brother’s adopted child, Tommy.

• My Companion, My Friend, TUB30 || detroit becomes human au, clingyduo

 -------

The public gathering hall is busy today. A banquet. Most of the pack is present. Chattering quiets down as Jungkook storms past them. Your family follows him not far behind.

The door to his father’s throne room falls open loudly. The music and conversations instantly grow silent. Nervous murmurs go through the hall.

“Have you gone insane?!” Jungkook roars, filling the entire room with his presence.

“Jungkook. Son. You aren’t supposed to be back yet. Have you taken care of what I asked you to take care of?” his father greets him, voice contorted from wine. He seems jolly, having conversed with a few of his trusted people. As if he was celebrating a long awaited victory. 

Within seconds after Jungkook’s arrival, his father is on the ground as Jungkook lands a punishing fist on his face. His father flies a good five meters before he bounces on the ground.

The room vibrates in screams of horror and shock. Then silence follows. His father is too flabbergasted to react.

“You sent ___ on the Path? Are you out of your fucking mind?!” Jungkook has never screamed as he screams right now.

His father gains his composure, crawling back to his throne with the help of a few pack members. He is embarrassed, but tries to mask it with anger. His face is still bleeding.

“It was about time that she went. She is your mate now.”

“She is supposed to be one of our nurturers! The Path is for future warriors! She doesn’t need to pass the fucking maturity ritual! She isn’t a fighter!”

“It doesn’t matter! We will see if she is meant to be a fighter or not.”

“It’s going to kill her!”

His father stays silent which angers Jungkook even more. He screams with his fangs bared.

“I love her! Isn’t this enough? To know that your son loves her?”

“You aren’t in love, son.” 

“Don’t tell me what I feel! You have no idea what I feel. Or what love is! You give no shits about me. I’m your son but I’m a stranger to you and now you are going to take away the only happiness I have! Why do you hate me so much?” 

“You do not talk to me like this”, his father tries to start his usual shit again, but Jungkook isn’t having it tonight.

“Shut the fuck up!” he roars, silencing the entire room with it. Even his father, who for the first time in Jungkook’s life actually listens. He listens. Like someone who is under the influence of his Alpha’s voice. Jungkook isn’t aware of what he did yet. Blinded by anger, hurt and worry he cannot see the change in the pack dynamics. And how everyone seems to hold their breath as they watch their supposed Alpha lose his voice under the influence of Jungkook. The wish for Jungkook to step up has been present in many, but to watch it truly happening so naturally is mind blowing.

“You are going to step down once I come back!” Jungkook yells at his father, pointing his finger at him, “you aren’t fit to be our Alpha anymore!” 

His father panics. 

“You do not know me! I am fit enough to rule!”

“You sent one of our nurtures to the maturity rituals! You sent her to certain death! She’s supposed to be under your protection! You’re her Alpha. Your job is to keep our nurturers safe!” Jungkook’s voice almost ruptures at this point. He never screamed as loud before.

His father is quiet.

“You went too far! I’m done playing nice and I’m done listening to your bullshit! You are unfit to lead the pack! You’ve been unfit for many years!”

His father tries to intervene, but Jungkook gives him no chance.

“You are going to give up the leadership once I’m back. Doesn’t matter how much you protest, I will make sure that you do. And if I find out that you hurt my pack in retaliation, I will kill you”, Jungkook spits with deathly seriousness and turns to leave.

His father shakes out of his shocked trance, clutching the throne in panic. The effects of Jungkook’s voice are still shaking him. He cannot take the reality of the situation, now lashing out in his last attempt to keep control.

“You do not get to walk away from this conversation, Jungkook!”

“You’re not my Alpha anymore”, Jungkook says without looking back and slams the door closed behind him. 

“You should have died in your mother’s stead!”

 -------

Two days. That’s how big your lead is. Two fucking days.

A path up a mountain may sound like something easy to do, but it is not. The paths of maturity are cruel. Leading up a mountain with no rest stops or offers for help, it really tests the will to survive of whoever walks them. It is steep at parts, steep enough that climbing knowledge was necessary. There are parts where one must cross a wild river on nothing but slippery stones. But the worst part comes two days into the trial. A sky bridge reaching between two mountains. Every second plank of the bridge was missing on purpose and the distance between each plank was wide enough that many fell to their deaths this way. 

And if the climb itself isn’t bearing danger, it is the environment around it. The mountain is crawling with monsters and werewolf hunters. Going there without fighting experience means certain death. And you have been out there for two days.

Jungkook tries not to let the tears blur his visions as he runs along the path. He left his human form behind the moment he stepped out of the community hall, running his paws sore to catch up with you as quickly as possible. 

The scents are overwhelming to him, but none of them is yours. He stops once he caught up with half a day. He left town an hour ago. He can barely breathe, even in wolf form he tastes blood, and yet he still manages to let out a howl. Loud and filled with pain, it echoes through the valley. The effects of it ripple through town even all the way down the foot of the mountain.

Jungkook receives pained howls in answer. They are distant, but not yours. Deeper into the forest. He needs to go deeper. 

He runs in with monsters, switching between his wolf and human form smoothly as he rips through them. He feels nothing as he does. Just fear. Fear that he is already too late. If he runs in with enemies here, does this mean that they won against you? There are no signs of a fight anywhere. He can’t decide if this worries him more or if it comforts him. No traces of a fight but also no traces of your blood. Maybe they weren’t here when you came through. Jungkook climbs the first wall within minutes, stopping to howl once atop. The howls of his pack are little whispers in the wind by now, but no sound of you. 

Jungkook curses, switching into his human form to scream your name on top of his lungs. 

It’s been three hours since he left town and it is getting dark. He fears that you might not survive another night out here. 

“Please mama!” Jungkook screams at the sky, face hot in tears, “please give me a sign that she’s alive! Please mama, please!” 

The sky rumbles in thunder. 

Drip.

Drip.

Drip, drip.

Drip, drip, drip.

Rain starts pouring down on him. Lightning strikes the very crown of the mountain just as Jungkook screams into the sky as his chest bursts in relief.

“You’re here right now, aren’t you? You’re looking out for her aren’t you, mama?” 

The sky pours its heart out as Jungkook cries with it, body stretched as far as possible to reach what can never be reached.

“Help me, please! I can’t find her.” He hits his own chest, “I love her so much, mama. Please help me, mama. Please, I need you.”

The sky roars, sending blinding lightning east into the forest of him. Jungkook screams in emotion, feeling painfully overwhelmed by the situation. His mother is guiding him. At least this is what it feels like. His mama is with him. Jungkook could wail but he knows that this wasn’t the time. He has to go where the lightning hit the ground. The stench of burning wood guides him. He manoeuvres the dark forest skilfully, trying to call for you with howls which you don’t answer.

He can see the fire. One of the trees. The lightning split it in half. The rain actively kills the fire, preventing it from spreading.

Jungkook looks around panickedly, jumping and running around the area. You should be here. His mother guided him here. You should be here.

But you aren’t.

He was a fool. He trusted the ways of the environment to be something more. He trusted nature to be his mother. But his mother is dead. She has been dead for years. He was a fool for thinking that she was helping him.

Just as he was a fool for hoping that you were still alive. The mountain took you and now he is truly alone. You will never get a proper burial which means that you will never find your way into the hall of your ancestors. Even in death he won’t see you again. He is truly alone.

Jungkook howls louder than the roaring thunder, pouring his entire pain into it. 

He is too far gone from the pack to hear their answers. Or for them to hear his lonely song. 

He is truly alone. Just as you were when  you died, scared, hungry and hurt. 

The mountain shakes in heartbreak as Jungkook sings his song of grief. The sky cries harder for him, showing him its pity with lightning. 

The mountain is bright for a good second, showing him everything.

He saw something.

Not far from where he stands. Jungkook runs to it, changing into his human form mid run which ends in him falling to his hands and knees those last few inches. He cuts his palms and bruises his knees, but doesn’t feel it.

He found your body. A huge branch covers your legs. It must have broken in the storm.

“___! No, ___! Please be alive!” He throws the branch off you and picks you up to flip you.

Your body flops lifelessly, your eyes are closed and your mouth agape.

“Please don’t do this to me. Please I can’t find your corpse. Please”, he begs you, wiping the dirt from your face to search for any signs of life. His hands are shaking.

“Please baby, please wake up. Please”, he begs, pulling your chest against his ear. His ears are ringing so loudly that he can’t hear your pulse.

He forces himself to calm down by taking deep breaths. Nothing. Just ringing. Jungkook breathes in. Breathes out. In. out. 

“Please, be alive please.”

In. Out. In. Out.

“Please, I can’t lose you.”

In. Out. In.

Tudun. Tudun. Tudun.

Your pulse. He can finally hear it. It’s there. Your pulse is there.

Jungkook sobs and laughs at the same time, hugging you against him.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” He doesn’t know who he is thanking but he knows that he never meant it more. 

“She’s alive! Mama, she’s alive! I found her! Thank you, mama! Thank you!”

And he also knows that he needs to act fast. He can’t stay here. The storm is picking up. If he stays here, a fallen tree will take both of you out. 

Jungkook knows this path and he has enough clarity left to know where it will be safe to hide from the storm. He carries you to safety, talking to you and hoping that it will soak into your subconscious.

“You’re safe. I’m here now. Everything’s over.”

There is a small cave not far from the path.  It is sheltered from the rain and his equipment from his last climb is still there. Jungkook lies you down on the thin mattress and tugs you in. 

“You’re safe now. I’m here. Please hold on. I’m here now, okay? I’m here.” 

He forces his tears down. Not now. 

“Please fight for me, please.”

He leans down and kisses your cold forehead, caressing the side of your head at the same time.

“Fuck, you’re freezing. Don’t worry, I’m going to warm you.” 

He works quickly to get a fire set up and started. He works carefully to get you and him out of your wet clothes, checking for wounds as he undresses you. Except for a few scratches and broken nails, you seem okay. The branch didn’t damage you. Jungkook swears that he wants to cry again, but doesn’t because he can’t get emotional right now. 

Not when you are still so cold. Hypothermia is lethal to a lot of mammals and werewolves are no exceptions. As a matter of fact, it might be even more lethal for them than for other species because werewolves have a naturally higher body temperature and having it drop rapidly is dangerous. And Jungkook has no idea how long you have been freezing already. What if he already comes too late?

He puts another blanket on top of you and makes sure that it covers all of you. You lie closer to the fire. He climbs under the covers with you, pulling you against his bared body. Your skin hurts as it melts with his’ because of how frozen you are.

“You’re so cold, holy fuck. Please don’t let it be too late, please”, he buries his face in the crook of your neck while he presses his body closer in hopes of transferring his heat to you. Your scent is barely present, a reminder that you were barely alive. “I can’t lose you like this. I didn’t even get to grow old with you. I wanna grow old with you, ___. Please let’s grow old together, please.”

It has been six hours since he left town. The aches of his insane run finally catch up with him. Everything hurts. He abused his paws enough that even his human palms ache and bleed. The soles of his feet feel on fire. Everything hurts, but nothing compares to the pain in his chest as he considers the possibility of losing you. He doesn’t want to think about it, but it still happens. He thinks of how it would be if you died in his arms. He imagines your funeral. How it would be to carry your dead body back to town. How it would be to hand you over to your family. How it would be to look into his father’s eyes and see the victory upon breaking him. 

And then he thinks of how it was when he buried his mom. How it was to see her dead body. How it was to say goodbye eventhough he didn’t want to say goodbye. 

How it was to sit by her grave each day and wish for her to suddenly appear behind him. How it was to lie awake in bed wishing for the reset button to be a real thing just so he can reset his life back to the moment she left so he could undo it. 

And he imagines how it will be the same when you are gone. And the grief never hurt as much as it does right now. And Jungkook cries. He cries into the crook of your neck because he cannot hold it in anymore. 

 -------

It has been eight hours since Jungkook left town. Jungkook isn’t aware of this yet. Because he has been crying.

He still is. 

Then there is a hand atop his hand, which wasn’t there before. 

Jungkook lifts his head in a flinch. Your eyes are still closed, nothing seemed to have changed and yet everything did.

Your hand is atop his hand. You moved. Jungkook flips his hand to intertwine fingers. You don’t squeeze him back, but your fingers twitch as you hold his hand.

“___ my love, oh ___”, he croaks, feeling overwhelmed in relief. You are moving.

Jungkook cries. He cries as he hugs you closer. And he cries until sleep enslaves him.

 -------

It has been sixteen hours since Jungkook left town. Stress and anxiety wakes him. The rain stopped. Sunshine enters the cave. The scent of wet soil fills the air.

It feels like a dream until reality sets in. This is a nightmare. He fell asleep. He shouldn’t have. Not when your life was on the line.

“No please”, he gasps and props himself up on his elbow.

You are facing him. 

His heart stops.

Your eyes are open. You can barely keep them open, but they are open. Your eyes are open.

“___!” He sits up, pulling you with him by cradling your cheeks. Sudden awe overcomes him afterwards. He barely dares to hold you, caressing your cheeks as if you were made of glass.

“Is this real?” he whispers, eyes racing between yours.

“I don’t know. I hope it is. I can’t do this anymore, Koo.”

“___”, he presses out, resting his forehead against, “oh your voice”, he squeezes his eyes shut, “say something again.”

“Jungkook, I love you.”

He sobs softly. 

“I love you too.”

He hugs you against him, holding you with such urgency that nothing could manage to claw you from him again. 

Reality finally sinks in for you too. This isn’t the last dream you have before you finally die. This is real. He actually exists. He came to save you. 

You sob and melt into him. 

“You’re actually here.”

“I’m here, baby. I’m here.”

“You came to save me.”

“I did. You’re safe. And alive. You’re fucking alive.”

“Koo please don’t ever leave me for so long again.”

“I promise. My love, oh, my everything.”

You and he hug each other for a long time this morning. All while the sun slowly wakes up and kisses the remnants of rain goodbye. All while the light entering the cave dances on the ground. And all while the last glowing embers of a fire past fall asleep.

You clean up with what little Jungkook has in this cave while he hunts for food. You were so hungry. And he couldn’t watch you starve. So he left after making you promise him that you wouldn’t leave again.

 -------

It has been eighteen hours since he left town when he comes back from his hunt. He enters the cave with a tight chest, imagining the worst. That he just hallucinated you. That you never existed. That you are gone. Or that you were real, but somehow died while he was gone.

He enters the cave feeling anxious, but instantly melts upon laying eyes on you. You are lying curled up on the blanket, looking exhausted but alive. Your ears twitch as they pick up his footsteps, eyes opening a second later.

“You’re back”, you say, getting to your feet. 

Jungkook drops the deer and hurries to you, taking you into his arms like only a lover could. 

“Hey ___, hey”, he says, burying his nose in the crook of your neck. Your scent surrounds him, so alive and strong.

“Hey”, you whisper, eyes closed and heart racing. He hugs you as if he missed you for decades. You need it this morning. 

“You’re actually real, right?”

“Yeah, I’m real.”

He steps back, cradling your face so he can kiss it. It ends up making you giggle and hold his wrists. Your thumbs pick up his racing pulse.

“It tickles”, you giggle.

“Get used to it. I will be glued to you from now on.”

You snicker. Jungkook smiles and straightens up, gazing at you with adoring eyes. 

“I got breakfast. I know it’s not what I normally get you but-”

“It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

“Should we share it outside? Where the sunlight is warm?”

“Yes.”

And so you and Jungkook share breakfast in your wolf forms, digesting it by cuddling in front of the cave where the sunlight is warmest. Of course still in your wolf forms and it makes you realise just how safe you feel in his presence. Even as wolves, Jungkook is a lot bigger than you. It is an easy thing for him to completely shield you from the world as he keeps you safe and grooms you carefully. You groom him back, hoping that his sore paws find healing through your licks. 

You were never like this with anyone before. Neither was Jungkook. Being wolves together is a very intimate state to share. Not many couples take this step because it is rare to reach this level of intimacy. You had good partners before Jungkook. You all loved them in their own ways and yet you could have never imagined being wolves together with any of them. It feels so goddamn right to do with Jungkook. And you realise that even when your bodies change, your hearts still remain the same. 

 -------

It has been twenty four hours since Jungkook left town when you decide that it is finally time to start your journey home. He finishes the last touches in his shelter to make sure that it was ready for when he needs it next. You are outside, looking up at the mountain.

“Are you ready to leave?” he asks.

“I want to finish the path”, you confess and shift your eyes to him.

“What? No. No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “No, I won’t allow it.” 

“But I want to.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want. I’m not gonna let you go on a suicide mission.”

“I have to.”

“You don’t, ___.”

“Yes I do, Jungkook. I’m done feeling like I’m not right for you.”

Jungkook closes the distance, cupping your face and making you look at him this way. His eyes are widened in urgency.

“I hate when you talk like this. Do you understand? Don’t talk like this. Don’t. You’re right for me.”

“No, I’m not. You’re such a perfect werewolf and I’m…normal. I don’t have the pack piercings or the pack tattoos. I’m just there. I didn’t even finish the rituals.”

“You’re a nurturer. You are not supposed to walk the path. Nobody expects you to do what you aren’t meant to do.”

“But your father.”

“My father has no power anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that I’m done watching him ruin My pack. I told him to step down once I’m back. He won’t be the True Alpha anymore when we return.”

“Holy fuck, you did?”

“I did and I regret nothing. My father’s not my family anymore. He went too far when he sent you on the path. I’m better off without him.”

“Jungkook, oh my god”, you cup his face, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t. It was about time that I stepped up. He is unfit to be Alpha. I can’t let him hurt my pack any longer.”

“And you think that he will willingly step down?”

“If he has any sense of honour, he will. If not, I will make him.”

“But you could kill-”

“I know. I’m prepared to do whatever I need to do to keep the pack safe.”

“Oh my god, Koo. I’m so sorry, this is so awful”, you croak and pull him down for a hug. You nuzzle your nose against his scent spot to spread your comforting scent instinctively.

Jungkook closes his eyes, melting in relief. This is his home. This right here. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. It’s not gonna be easy but I…honestly, I’m scared shitless. He’s still my dad. I don’t wanna fucking kill my own dad.” 

“Of course you don’t and I hope that you won’t have to. You’re right, he isn’t fit to be Alpha anymore, but I also don’t want him to die for it.”

“Me neither. I just want him to step down and somehow become normal again in his retirement. Am I a hopeful idiot for wanting this?”

“No, you’re not. You’re a son who just wants a normal dad.”

“I do. I really do.” He holds you closer. “I mean my mum loved him and he loved me too. In the past, long ago... I just… I want him to see his faults and be normal.”

“You’re not alone in this, Koo. Many people feel like you feel and I’m here for you. You can rant and cry as much as you need, I’m here.”

“I know. I’m so glad that you are.”

He takes a step back, running his hands down your arms until he can intertwine fingers with you. 

“I’m sorry for before”, he says.

“What do you mean?”

“I got a little controlling. I’m sorry that you had to see me this way. The thought of losing you to the path just-” He shakes his head. “I can’t even think about it.”

“God, Koo.”

“Last night was without a doubt the second worst night of my life. The night after I lost my mama comes first, but last night? I thought that I lost you too and I can’t go through this.”

“I hear you. I’m sorry for putting you through all of this. I thought that I had no choice but to go. I thought that I could handle it, but I couldn’t and I’m…”

“Hey, don’t cry”, he soothes you in a soft voice, wiping your tears, “you’re okay. You’re an omega and you said being a nurturer is in your blood. You’re not weak for struggling at something you’re not meant to do.” 

You listen to him with great attention, looking into his eyes because his eyes really comfort you. There is always so much love in them.

“Please stop beating yourself up about it. I really ask you to stop seeing yourself so unworthy, please.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good. Because you’re perfect in my eyes. I wanna grow old with you. I wanna spend decades by your side, ___. I wanna laugh and cry and laugh some more with you. And if you ever feel ready, I wanna have pups with you and be a great father to them. I wanna be a grandfather with you and maybe even a great grandfather. I see my future with you, ___.”

“Oh”, you let out and fall around his neck. 

Jungkook hugs you back tightly, engulfing you in his warm embrace fully. 

“But it’s also totally okay if you don’t want pups of our own. We can be the cool aunt and uncle”, he adds just in case.

You laugh into his chest, pulling him closer. God, you were so stupid for ever going on this journey. His father made it seem as if this was the only way to prove your worth and yet all this time, Jungkook already saw you as perfect. 

You raise your head, cradling his cheeks.

“I’m so in love with you, Jeon Jungkook.”

“Wow, you…I’m in love with you too, Jeon ___.”

You snicker, “I think this has such a nice ring to it.”

“It totally has.”

You and he meet eyes.

“So what now?” you ask.

“Now, I’m taking you back to town. It’s gonna take us a long time. Come on, let’s go.”

“Koo, wait.”

“Yes?”

“Is there really no way for me to finish the path?”

Jungkook says your name in disappointment, sagging his shoulders.

“I’m just asking. Can I seriously not do it? Even with you by my side?”

Jungkook first learned instinct is to explode in anger. That’s what his father always did. But he doesn’t, instead he takes a deep breath to regulate himself.

“Why do you want to finish it?” he asks in a calm voice.

“Because I could be the first nurturer to ever finish it”, you whisper shyly. You lower your eyes, “and I could tell others what the path looks like.”

“So you want to know how it looks?”

You nod your head.

“Alright, look”, he says and turns you gently. He back hugs you with one arm around your waist and rests his chin on your shoulder. He uses his other arm to point at the different parts of the mountain.

“Around one hour from here, there will be another steep climb, followed by a very tense forest. Huge crab spiders like to nest in it. Their sting is even fatal to a werewolf.” he kisses your neck gently, speaking in a soft voice, “and then you have to walk half a day along very steep serpentines until they end at a cliff.”

“A cliff?”

“Yes, a cliff. Between two mountains. A bridge connects them.”

“But a bridge doesn’t sound so scary.”

“Except each second blank is missing on purpose and the distances are far enough that even I could fall through it.”

“Why would anyone make this? That’s insane.”

“It is.” He kisses the other side of your neck right on your scent spot. 

You instantly sigh and drop your head against his chest. This right here is what being loved feels like. This is home. 

“I feel like you’re being unfair”, you get out, shivering.

“I’m just trying to take you on a tour of the path. If you manage to cross the bridge, you’ll have to climb one more high wall and then you will have reached the peak. Up there, the oxygen is so thin that you can barely stand. And you have to do all of this again when you climb down. Climb and jump and fight.”

“What’s up there? At the peak?” you crane your neck to look at him. “I always wondered.”

“Rocks and stone and a wooden cross. And the ritual tree you have to get a cone from.”

“Is it really leaking red resin? Like blood?”

“It is.”

“Wow. What else?”

“There’s bodies.”

“What?”

“Yeah, bodies of wolves which died of lack of oxygen or exhaustion or starvation or hypothermia. Because the air is thin and cold, it takes a lot longer for the rot to set in, so most of them are still perfectly intact even after years of being dead.”

“I didn’t know that. Oh my god”, you confess and turn in his arms to seek comfort in his chest, “I heard enough. I want to go home. It’s so scary and sad.”

“Okay”, he whispers and kisses the crown of your head, rubbing your back, “let’s get you home, babygirl. Yes?”

“Yes, please take me home.”

You hold his hand very tightly as you and he begin your descent.

“And you had to see this when you were only eighteen?” you ask him.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Koo, I’m so sorry. How are you handling it?”

“I guess. I never even asked myself this question. It’s sad. Those wolves could have lived a good life if our traditions weren’t so fucked. Maybe they wouldn’t have become warriors but there are so many other fields they could have flourished in. It’s sad.”

“It is. Oh Koo, I’m so sad for them. Can we get them somehow? Help them get proper burials?”

“We can’t. It would take too many people to get them and the risk of losing more people to the path is too high. They’re safer up there.”

“It’s so sad. Now I’m really sad.”

“I know, I’m sorry”, he says and pulls you close until he can drape his arm over your shoulder. “Let’s watch a funny movie when we’re home.”

“Yeah, I’d like that a lot. Koo, do want to be wolves for a while? It was so nice to be free with you.”

“I’d like this a lot. It’s easier as wolves anyway”, Jungkook says and so you and he turn back into wolves to run through the forest side by side. 

 -------

It has been fifty eight hours since Jungkook left the pack. They welcome you and him by the gate as if they waited for your safe return.

You greet each person with a smile and some sort of innocent touch, but you can’t really concentrate. 

“Where’s my family? Where are they?” All you could imagine as you were cold and alone was the Alpha exiling your family or hurting them. You can’t feel at home until you know that they are safe.

“___! My baby, oh my little girl!” Your mother fights her way through the crowd, almost knocking you off your feet from how aggressively she hugs you. 

“Mama”, you press out and instantly breaking into tears.

“Praise the moon, you are safe! My little girl is safe. I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, mama.”

“Princess. My little girl”, your father takes you and your mother into his arms, sobbing in relief. “I’m so glad. I’m so glad.”

“I love you, dad.”

“I love you too.”

Now you are home again, hugging your parents and later your siblings. You are home. Jungkook is nudged between your parents by now, consoling them as much as he bathes in praises.

“You brought our little girl home. More than once you brought her home. How can we ever repay you?”

“Just keep loving her and being good parents to her. It’s all I want. Knowing that whenever she visits you and she leaves her parents home, she does so with a warm feeling in her chest. Just love her right, it’s all I’m asking for.”

“We love her so much. Our little girl.”

“I love her too”, Jungkook says and pulls you into a group hug. Your siblings join as well. Now you are really home.

But Jungkook isn’t allowed to rest yet. Reality settles in not soon after. The memory of how he left town is still brand-new for everyone. They expect him to act, to say something, to keep his promises. He has a duty to fulfil. Talk to his father.

“Should I come with you?”

“No. Stay with your family. I’m gonna be okay.”

You take his hand in front of everyone and kiss his cheek.

“You’re part of my family too.”

He meets your eyes. They are filled with emotion.

“Should I come with you?” you try again, but Jungkook shakes his head.

“Please stay with your family. I have to do this alone.”

“You don’t have to, you know?”

“I know. I want to.”

“Okay, then…good luck and I love you no matter what happens.”

His eyes soften. He cups your face and kisses your forehead in front of everyone to see. He even stubs noses with you, which is a very loving gesture for wolves. 

“I love you too. So goddamn much”, he whispers, voice slightly shaky in emotions, and steps back. He straightens his back and scans his eyes over the pack.

They expect him to act and speak like the leader he wants to be. And so Jungkook steps up. He acts a leader.

“I know what everyone is thinking. Here he is after causing a scene. I know that some of you are probably unhappy with how I handled the situation and I know that some are happy that I did what I did. The truth is however that things are going to change from now on. The pack matters to me, every single one of you matters to me and I refuse to let the greed of one man ruin it.” 

There is a rock not far from where he stands on which he could easily stand and make himself taller than the rest. He could tower over the pack, but he doesn’t. He stays eye to eye with them. 

“You all know how Alphas love to make promises only to break them, so I’m going to keep my own promises short. I promise to have an open ear for each of you. I promise to spend my energy on creating community not division. And goddamn, I promise to end these greedy, pointless fights with other packs. And if the fight comes to us? I’ll be the first on out there to keep you safe, to bloody fight for you. That’s what I promise you. Being heard, community and protection!”

He looks at each and every single part of the pack, giving a feeling that what he says is directed at the person and not the mop. And as he stands, surrounded by the people he will lead from now on, after finishing his speech, the pack is silent. Not in disgust, but in pure awe. It only lasts for a second but it feels like eternity to Jungkook. Is this it? Are they not going to accept him as his Alpha?

Taehyung, one of his best friends and a beta, steps forward and takes Jungkook’s hand by his wrist just to stretch it high into the air.

“To Jungkook!” he yells and howls.

The pack finally breaks from its awed trance, joining Taehyung’s howls loudly. You join as well, watching with tears in your eyes as Jungkook gets the appreciation he deserves. Look at him. Look at him, surrounded by his pack, eye to eye and yet shining so much brighter than the rest. His eyes are widened in disbelief and his lips are parted because he can’t believe that these loud howls are for him. 

But why shouldn’t they be? He sacrificed so much for the pack. He sacrificed his childhood, his adolescence and his innocence. He gave up the knowledge of clean hands just so his father’s enemies wouldn’t rip the pack to shreds. He lost the sweet blissfulness about true pain as he took the punishing blows of his father and his enemies instead of the pack. Over and over again, he cleaned up the messes, kept the people safe and pushed his own happiness aside just to make sure others have it better than he ever did. Hell, he wasn’t even allowed to cry at his own mother’s funeral. And this right now is what he deserves.

He deserves the appreciation, he deserves the howls. He fucking deserves to know that his efforts are appreciated and that he will always be this pack’s true Alpha. That they have his back just as much as he has theirs.

The howls do not die down as he makes his way to his father’s halls, staying by his side during this difficult time.

 -------

He is by your parent’s front door when it is already dark outside. Your little sister opens the door. She is around nine years old and looks at him as if he was the coolest adult she has ever met.

“Hey there”, he greets her.

“Hey”, she murmurs shyly, “___! Jungkook is here!” she yells and runs off giggling.

He chuckles. Children are so funny sometimes. He can see the hallways from where he stands. In the very back, you stick your head out of the kitchen.

“Hey”, you appear in the hallway, making your way to him. “Come in. We’re almost finished.”

“Finished with what?” Jungkook asks, locking the door and taking off his outside clothes.

“Dinner.”

“What?” he breathes out.

You hang his jacket for him and put his shoes next to yours.

“I hope you’re hungry. I told mum what you like and we are making it together.”

Jungkook follows you with his hand in yours, unable to say a single word because he is in shock. He is getting a home cooked meal?

“Everyone, Jungkook is here”, you say into the kitchen, holding his hand oh so tightly.

Your family gives Jungkook welcoming waves as they greet him.

“How did it go with your father? Are you the Alpha now?” your father asks.

“I am.”

“How did he take it? How are you doing, son?”

Jungkook squeezes your hand. You instantly know that this struck a nerve.

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it tonight”, you say.

Your parents understand, nodding their heads.

“Why don’t you show Jungkook your room? Dinner is going to take another fifteen minutes”, your mother says.

“Good idea. Do you want to see my room? The last time you were here, I still played with toys.”

“Yeah, show me”, Jungkook says, following after you as you lead him upstairs.

The paths are familiar to him, these halls have seen him so many times as a child.

Just as he remembers, your room is at the end of the hallway. Your door, once covered in colourful stickers, is slightly ajar. Jungkook tries to take in everything. The sights, the sensations, the scents. Nothing here smells threatening, instead a very deep scent of a safe home soaks the fibres of this house.

Just like he remembers. It was his escapism whenever his father screamed at home. He really would have needed it after his mother died, but father didn’t allow him.

“So here we are. This is my room.”

The last time he was here, your walls were bright pink and your floors were covered in dozens of toys. Your bed was children-sized and the rest of your furniture was castle themed because you were obsessed with playing princess and knight (you were the princess and he had to be the knight). 

Nothing of that child-like wonder remained in this room. The walls are painted a soft yellow, the wooden floors are covered in green rugs and the furniture is made of wood and has a modern yet cozy touch to it. The bed also grew exponentially and on the window sill a series of orchids bloom. Remnants of teenage interests are displayed on a shelf, and the last memory of childhood sits on the bed in the form of a teddy bear. But at the core of it, this is an adult’s room.

“I bet it’s weird to be back here when everything is so different”, you say, studying his features. He is tired and exhausted, you can see it clearly.

“Maybe a little.”

You close the distance to him, drawing his eyes to you with a touch.

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“No.”

“Did you have to, you know?”

“No, he’s still alive but…” he shakes his head, “…I should be used to it, but his words still hurt.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry”, you hug him.

Jungkook sinks into your embrace, seeking your scent spot like it was instinct. He closes his eyes, melting close to you. As long as he can smell you, life is manageable.

“I’m here for you.”

“I know.”

“And whatever he called you, it’s not who you are. You are loved so much and you are not a bad person or mean or whatever he said.”

“Thank you”, he chokes out, holding you tighter. Maybe you’re right and his father was wrong. Maybe Jungkook isn’t a selfish son, maybe his mum wouldn’t have been disappointed to see him take the leadership in such ways, maybe he is not a disappointment. Maybe his father was simply his father again.

He exhales shakily, cradling your head.

“You smell so good”, he says against your neck.

“It’s probably because I took a shower. I felt really yucky.”

“No, it’s not that. You smell so good.” Jungkook breaks the hug and stares at you with such intensity that you get nervous. He furrows his brows. “I feel like a robot. I just exist tonight”, he confesses, voice heavy.

“I get it. Too much happened. Do you want to take a shower and then wear something cozy? This always helps me feel better.”

“I don’t want to be rude and use your hot water.”

“Why? This is your home too.”

“Oh.” He closes his eyes. “Maybe I’d like a shower then”, he whispers shakily.

“Of course. Follow me, I’ll show you how to use it. We renovated the bathroom since the last time you were here and we got a new shower. Actually, we also got a new sink and new floors and walls. Basically, everything is new.”

“Yeah? That’s cool. Remember when we had to share a tomato juice bath because we hunted a skunk?”

“And it sprayed us? Oh my god yes, I completely forgot about that. My mum was so mad at us. The house reeked of it for two weeks after.”

“Yeah and then she called my mum because you ran out of tomato juice.”

“Remember what they said at the end?”

“That we should never lose our curiosity. Because bad smells can be washed away, but knowledge will never be taken from us again.”

“Yeah. Ah good times.”

You and he share giggles as you reminisce in the memory. His bad day feels far away when he can be like this with you.

“So. Here is a towel and you can start the water there and with this one you can change the temperature. You can use my shower gel and my shampoo”, you explain.

“Okay. Do you have a bag where I can store my clothes?”

“Huh? Just throw them in the hamper. My dad will wash it with the next load.”

“But.”

“No buts, you’re family. It’s okay.” You peck his cheek. “Just feel at home here. Okay?”

He nods his head, chest threatening to burst in emotion.

“Good. I’ll bring you some clothes”, you say and leave the bathroom. Jungkook stands frozen for a while, hearing you scream outside. “Jungkook is showering so nobody enter the bathroom!” to which faints voices from downstairs answer you with “okay”s.

It was so easy for your family to accept him in your home. The very second he stepped foot into this house, he was already part of it. He left fifteen years ago and once he returned, it was as if he never even left. Yes, rooms might have been renovated and toys might have been stored away, but at the core of it nothing changed. The layout is still the same, the scents as well and most importantly, the feelings. It still feels safe to come here.

Jungkook undresses and throws his clothes into the hamper because it is okay for him to do.

Your father will wash them because he is part of the family.

Jungkook steps into the shower and turns the shower on, and he turns up the temperature as high as possible because it was okay for him to use the hot water. He is part of the family.

Jungkook uses your shower gel and your shampoo, and maybe he uses a little bit too much but he knows that it’s okay to do. Because he is part of the family.

Tears run down his cheeks and he lets them. Water washes them away. He thought that after today, he truly lost his family. That he will never know having a “parent house” again, that he won’t know “coming over because he wants to feel like a son again”, that having somewhere where he will always be pampered was erased for him. But it is not.

Jungkook set foot into your home and became part of it. He has somewhere he can feel like a son in, somewhere where he can simply come over to.

The door opens. It doesn’t startle him because he knows that it is you.

“Jungkook?”

“Yes?”

“Can I come in? I’m not looking.”

“Yeah.”

“’I’m putting your clothes here.”

“Yes, okay.”

“Take your time, okay? I’m in my room if you need something.”

“Okay, my love.”

You leave again, filling the bathroom with a lingering feeling that everything will be alright one day. He might hurt tonight, he might hurt tomorrow and the day after that, a week from now, a month, maybe even two, but it will be alright one day. Because he has a family that cares and that means he can heal from everything.

Jungkook cleans the shower after using it and dries himself with the soft towel you laid out. He puts on the clothes you brought him, they must be some of your fathers. They’re just a little too small for him, but he does not mind. He never had a father figure who did not mind sharing his clothes when he needed a new pair. He would accept any kind of rag because they came from a place of care.

Just as he remembers, Jungkook leaves the door open. He enters your bedroom. You are on your bed, but sit up when you see him.

“Oh you look so cute. The shirt is so small on you”, you say as you roll off bed.

“I think my body is starting to change now that I’m the Alpha”, he says, tugging on the shirt. “Do you think that your family minds that my stomach is kinda out?”

You inspect the small strip of exposed skin. He seems even more muscular than he did before. Maybe his body is really settling into his new role.

“No”, you rub his stomach innocently, grinning up at him, “you’re so cute like this.”

He smiles shyly.

“Sit by the bed, I’m drying your hair.”

Jungkook obeys gladly, closing his eyes when you begin to pat him dry. It is so nice to be groomed by you.

“Did you like the shower?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“That’s good. I really hoped that you would.” You nuzzle his scent spot affectionately, lighting up his heart. Afterwards you kiss the nape of his neck, reminding him that he is loved.

Every second with you is like a dream. Jungkook doesn’t want to wake up.

“And how are your hands? Are they still sore?” you ask, patting him behind his ears.

“No, they healed.”

“Good.” You dry the left side of his hair with the towel. “I was never in my wolf form with someone else before you.”

“Me neither.”

Your dry his right side, “it was really nice.”

“Yeah, it was.”

You dry the top of his head, sending shivers down his spine.

Grooming each other is something very loving to do between wolves. Getting pat dry is very healing to receive. Jungkook wants to burn every single second of this current moment into his memory. It will serve as a reminder that bad things aren’t meant to last forever, even if they make him feel like they will.

“Dinner is ready!” your little sister screams from downstairs, interrupting the gentle moment.

“I guess dinner is done. Are you ready?” you ask and climb off bed.

He nods his head, following you with giddy nervousness in his chest.

 -------

Your family waits by the dining table, welcoming him with hugs and sweet words. And Jungkook takes the affection as much as he stares at the food in shock.

This looks exactly like the special dinner his mother always made when you came over for dinner. All these years and you remembered it?

“Is this…”

“Your mom’s special dinner? Yes. I know how much you loved it and we wanted to make it for you.”

“To thank you for bringing our ___ home and for giving her happiness”, your mother says.

“And as a cheer me up because what you did today wasn’t easy”, your father adds.

“We cut the vegetables.” “Yeah and stirred the pot.” Your siblings say proudly.

Jungkook is speechless. His chest feels so tight, but not in a bad way. He feels grateful and loved and deeply scared of taking the first bite. But he has to. Your mother is filling his plates and talking about hoping that he will love it.

He has to take that first bite. And so he does. He takes that first bite and suddenly he is nine years old again and his mother ruffles his hair, telling him to eat a lot so he can grow up big and strong. All of a sudden, he tells her about his day on the playground with you. All of a sudden, the smell of her perfume and the sound of her voice is so clear to him that it brings tears to his eyes.

“Sorry”, he presses out and hides his face behind his hand.

“Oh, sweetheart. What’s the matter?” your mother gasps and rubs his shoulders exactly how only a mother can do.

“It tastes like hers”, he whimpers his words, shoulders shaking in silent tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t want to cry, but this week’s brought up a lot.”

“Oh you, come here sweet boy”, your mother says and hugs him from behind.

Jungkook seeks the motherly comfort instantly, hugging her arm and letting his head sink into the warmth of her chest.

“I miss her so much.”

“Of course you do. She left too soon. It’s unfair what happened to Aera. No child should lose their mother the way you had to”, your mother comforts him with tight hugs and motherly kisses on his head. Just like she did whenever he came over after being yelled at by his father.

Jungkook doesn’t feel embarrassed to cry in front of your family. He was a boy in this house first before he returned as a man. These walls saw him snotty and sniffly after falling in your front yard. These ears heard him whiney and pouty during a childish innocent quarrel about toys. These eyes saw his cheeks wet in tears when his father was harsh and he fled to your house for refuge.

He was a snotty, teary boy in this house first and it is coming back to him now. All these days spent on this exact chair in this exact kitchen as you enjoyed dinner together. He returned. He was so lost for so many years and he finally returned.

“Thank you for being there for me. I felt so lonely ever since mum died”, he gets out.

“Oh, don’t thank us. That’s what family is for, son”, your father says.

“You will always have a mother in me, my boy”, your mother says and steps back to ruffle his hair.

Jungkook won’t ever be without family. He won’t ever be alone.

“I’m so glad that I do”, he gets out squeakily, wiping his eyes.

“Here is a tissue, Kookoo”, your little sister says and smiles shyly.

“Thanks, this is exactly what I needed.” He accepts it, blowing his nose.

Your little brother, he is only five, rubs his knee comfortingly.

“I would be really, really, sad too if my mama died.” He tugs on Jungkook’s pants until the latter lifts him up on his lap. He wipes the tears from his cheeks. “I’m sorry that you lost your mama, but we can share mine. She is the best mama ever.”

“She really is. I’m so grateful to have you all”, he says, taking your hand and letting your brother cuddle into his chest.

“We’re glad too”, you say, eyes filled with love.

Your parents exchange a knowing and giddy look. As if they carried the knowledge of the universe in their hearts.

“How lucky it is.”

“How lucky indeed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your connection. How lucky it is to find your true mate in your best friend.”

You and Jungkook look at each other in shock, then back at your parents. They seem baffled and confused.

“What do you mean true mate?”

“Don’t tell me that you don’t know.”

“Know what?”

“That you two are true mates.”

“We are?”

“Of course you are.”

“Oh my god”, you gaze at him. He retorts it.

If you and he were alone, it would all be different.

You would be in his arms, getting hugged and kissed, but you aren’t alone and your love still feels so new in front of your parents. And so he leans over and kisses your cheek, giving you a fleeting side hug.

“I’ll hug you better once we’re alone. I feel like we need to be respectful right now”, he says, sending laughter through the room.

 -------

Dinner finishes late. He ate a lot and he ate it gladly. Jungkook is in the hallway leading to the kitchen when you return from the toilet. He is looking at the family pictures on the wall, but shifts his eyes to you when you touch his arm.

He opens it and lets you melt into his side, kissing the crown of your head. The crickets sing outside. The overhead lights are turned off for the sake of some fake candles burning on the dresser. It is time to go home, but he does not want to leave yet.

“We should really retake our bonding picture. I look so tense”, you say, pointing at yourself.

“Mhm-hm yeah.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Just thinking about earlier. Sorry, it’s difficult not to.”

“Don’t apologise.” You hug him. “You can feel sad, you’re with family.”

He stares, eyes racing all over your face in disbelief. It doesn’t get easier to accept that he is. He fears to wake up any moment.

“Should we stay a while longer? We could ask if everyone wants to watch a funny movie. What do you think?” you suggest.

“Yes, please.”

Jungkook lets you take his hands and lets you lead him to the living room where the rest of your family is sharing time. Your parents cuddle on the couch and your siblings play on the floor.

The room smells of so much familial love and comfort.

Jungkook finds it so remarkable. After what your older brother did, your family could have crumbled apart. You could have taken his betrayal and the resulting runaway and let it destroy your bond, but you did the very opposite. You stuck together through it, growing even stronger.

“Should we watch a funny movie tonight?” you ask into the room.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” your siblings are instantly on board, jumping around happily.

“Were you not about to leave?” your father asks.

“We were, but our plans changed. Family night sounds nice. Right, Kook?”

He nods his head, squeezing your hand tighter. He hasn’t had family night since his mother died. He feels so much but your siblings rip him out of it as they both grab his clothes and tug.

“You can pick the movie, Jungkook.”

“You have to pick something cool. With dinosaurs.”

“No Dinosaurs, I want austronauts.”

“They’re called astronauts.”

“You’re annoying.”

“No, you’re annoying more.”

“Okay, okay no fighting you two. How about we pick something together and let Jungkook rest tonight? He did a lot of things today”, you step in.

“Yes, alright. But it has to be cool. Not boring like the movies daddy always watches.”

“You will appreciate a good documentary one day”, your dad says, picking up your little brother to attack his face with kisses. Your brother giggles and squeaks, entirely proud about teasing his father.

He settles on his lap afterwards, finding comfort against his father’s chest. No wonder you turned out so wonderful. Jungkook can feel, smell and see how much love your parents have for you and your siblings.

It is good. He is glad that you have a loving family.

You and Jungkook snuggle up on one end of the couch and your sister insists to rest her head against Jungkook’s arm. Obviously, because he is the coolest adult ever. Even cooler than a dinosaur. He doesn’t mind. It is nice to know that children feel safe in his presence. It is a different kind of calm to be such an adult in a children’s life. He stopped having that when his mother died.

It is far into the movie, both your siblings are asleep by now, that a sense of deep comfort finally settles in Jungkook’s chest, like he woke up from a long nightmare. He shifts his eyes from the movie. Your parents share one end of the couch, their young son spread out on their laps. You are snuggled into a blanket, laughing at the jokes and filling the air around you with a happy scent. Your sister is rolled into a small ball, slumbering on the pillow. This is a family so intimately at peace and Jungkook is part of it.

He has a family. He is part of family night. He might have lost his father tonight, but he did not lose family, maybe he even gained more than he lost. He tightens his arm around you, making you glance at him for a second. You seem worried at first until you see the adoration in his eyes, settling deeper into his embrace as a result.

You pull his hand to your lips, placing kisses on his knuckles. Jungkook kisses the crown of your head and rests his cheek against it afterwards, allowing himself to fully sink into the comfort. It is alright. He does not have to fight to stay afloat anymore.

 -------

You leave your parents’ house when the clock almost shows midnight. Your mother insists that you take the leftovers.

“So Jungkook can have his mother with him a little longer.”

He carries the little basket of glass containers whilst holding your hand and wishing for those warm feelings in his chest to never fade.

“I’m so glad that we’re walking. I ate so many snacks”, you say, rubbing your happily stuffed tummy.

“Right. I’m glad too. The night’s so nice.”

“Yeah. Can I tell you something my mum said to me when you were upstairs putting my siblings to bed?”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“She said that she knows that we probably already noticed some stuff when we did couple things.”

“Couple things? What are couple things?”

“Like the knotting and the scenting and stuff.”

“Oh my god, you told your mum about my knot?”

“I didn’t and we didn’t even talk about it. She insinuated.”

“Urgh, this is embarrassing”, he whines, throwing his head back.

You snicker, “no it’s not. It’s romantic.”

“How is this romantic? Your mom knows I knotted you. That’s so embarrassing.”

“It’s romantic because she said that the stuff happening is because we’re true mates. Kook, our bodies always knew what we didn’t even notice.”

“Oh.”

He stops on the sidewalk and puts the basket on a strangers’ windowsill.

“What are you? Oh.”

He hugs you. Like he wanted to do when he first found out. Like he did when he found you in the forest. Like he will always do for as long as you let him.

He hugs you like you are his everything, as if he wanted to make sure that you can’t slip from his arms, as if it will always be you for him.

And you hug him back the very same way because it will always be him for you.

True mates. It explains so much and makes it so much sweeter. True mates. With such a title, nobody can ever question your relationship.

“I knew it”, he whispers.

“Knew what?” You whisper too.

“That my feelings for you were so much more than just normal love.” He nuzzles his nose against your neck. “When I thought that I lost you, it was like someone cut out my heart and made me watch. It was like I was suffocating. Now I know why and I’m so glad that it’s you.”

“I’m glad too. If it’s anyone, thank god it’s you. I don’t want anyone but you.”

You and he look at each other. He cups your face, closes the distance for a kiss only to stop.

“Don’t stop”, you whisper, fingers hooked behind the nape of his neck.

“If I kissed you right now, I wouldn’t stop.”

“Then don’t stop.”

“We’re almost home. Come, I wanna kiss you and hold you.”

You let him take your hand and then continue the way home. The basket is on his arm again and he seems just a little more determined to get home.

“By the way, my mum told me something else too.”

“What did she say? Please tell me you didn’t tell her about my rut.”

You laugh, “no, doofus. She said that we werewolves can only procreate when we’re in wolf form. Anything we do as humans is for fun and nothing else. So that means we can take our time and figure out what we want in the future without being scared of an accident.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Me neither. Can you make it a rule to give better sex education in schools? Now that you’re the Alpha and everything.”

He laughs, “this is a really good idea. I’ll put it on my list.”

He pulls you close, draping his arm over your shoulder.

“Figuring it out together sounds nice to me. We’ve still got so much time and if you’re ever ready to give me your answer, I’ll still love you afterwards”, he says.

“Even if?”

“Even if. I love you for you not for what you could potentially give me. Besides, I’m not ready either. I wanna have you all to myself for a while.”

You snuggle into him. “I like this.”

“Me too. Especially when it means that we can continue being horny without risks.”

You laugh, “this is indeed a very good point.”

“Is it bad that all I think about is being with you right now?”

“No, I’m thinking the same thing. I miss you like crazy.”

“Me too. I want to hold you as you fall asleep. I miss you so much.”

“If you keep talking like this, I might actually race you home.”

He grins, “fine, if you’re asking for it. Last to get home is a stinky loser”, he says and sets off, laughing.

“I wasn’t serious! Oh my god, wait for me!” you call after him and start running, cackling and squealing.

It is impossible to win against him. He welcomes you with open arms, lifting you off your feet and using the momentum to twirl with you. Your laughter and squeals fill the streets.

Jungkook laughs with you, setting you down afterwards to rub noses. He cradles your hands against his chest, swaying from side to side.

“I love you”, he whispers, gazing at you despite the close proximity.

“I love you too”, you breathe, heart racing like crazy.

“You’re home again, baby.”

“I am and I’m a stinky loser?”

He laughs, “yeah, you are.”

“Wow okay, I thought you would at least say that I’m not.”

“No, this is where the romance ends. You’re a stinky loser.”

“Shut up”, you whine, nudging his chest.

Jungkook snickers mischievously, sweeping you off your feet a second later.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Carrying you. If I don’t, I might try to reach for the stars.”

 -------

Jungkook lets you change in the bathroom, while he uses the bedroom. Because it is already late, he decides to get comfortable under the covers. He feels so good, despite everything which happened today, the feeling deep inside his chest is happiness.

He is home and you are safe again. Nothing will ever separate you and him.

“You’re cozy already.”

He looks at you and his eyes soften, “yeah I am. I’m really tired.”

“I wanna join you.”

“Join me.”

You hurry to the bed and get under the covers, closing the distance to him so you can rest in his arms. You are facing each other, sharing intimacy with only a gaze. He cradles your face, caressing it softly.

“If I had to redo my life again in order to find you, I would. I’d walk through the fires of hell for you. If you were Eurydice and I Orpheus, I would carve out my own eyes so I couldn’t accidentally look at you”, he whispers.

“Oh.”

He drops his forehead against yours.

“Thank you”, he lets you taste his sweet words, “thank you for taking me in.”

You look up at his eyes. He loves you so much. It is so obvious.

“I will always take you in, Jungkook.” You cradle his cheek. “For as long as I breathe, you have me.”

He smiles softly. It is honest. You retort it.

“I’m happy despite everything.”

“I’m so glad that you are”, you say and close your eyes, “I’m really sleepy. The past few days have been a lot.”

“I know, they have.” He kisses your forehead. “Sleep. We’re home again.”

“Yeah, home. I’m so glad you’re part of it.”

Jungkook closes his eyes and hugs you against his chest. He will never find the words to tell you just how glad he is to be part of it.

 -------

Empty arms wake him the next day. He shoots up in alarm, screaming your name.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” you ask, looking up at him from your side of the bed. The pounding of his head stops, peace returns.

“Oh my god, I thought that I dreamed it”, he gets out, burying you under him in a hug.

“Dreamed what?”

“That I found you. That you’re okay and alive and home.”

“No, I’m really here.”

He squeezes you gently, kissing your neck. You smell so insanely good to him.

“I was so scared for a moment”, he mumbles against your skin. “Why were you so far away?”

“I got ready earlier and then kind of watched you sleep.”

“Ready for what?”

“I, uhm, I wanted to do something, but now I feel stupid.”

“No, don’t. I won’t judge. What did you want to do?”

“I have to show it to you, but please don’t laugh.”

“Alright.” He scoots back, inspecting you. You wrapped yourself in your bathrobe, rolling out of bed. “Show me, my baby.”

“Please don’t laugh.”

He scoots to the edge of the bed, “I promise.”

“I uhm. I got it so I could surprise you once you got home, but then the thing happened and yeah. I guess it’s still our first morning together again so maybe it counts.”

“Okay. Show me, I’m so curious.”

You open the knot of your robe and slip it off your shoulders. It pools by your feet, lying forgotten.

“Woah.”

You are wearing a sheer negligee and matching panties, held in soft pastel pinks and with delicate lace elements. The hems are decorated with the smallest of frills and at the lowest point of your neckline, a soft pink satin rose only as big as a pebble sits. The negligee reaches you around the middle of your thighs and allows your chest to sit freely.

“Wow, this is…” Jungkook feels lost for words, rubbing his hand over his mouth in utter shock. “Damn.”

This is the first time you are showing yourself this way to him. As of now, you only wore normal PJs and your underwear was comfortable and most of the time mismatched. Which he loves and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

It still would be a lie if he said that this right now didn’t affect him. Because it does. He feels in awe, completely enchanted and entirely in love with you.

“This is the first time I’m doing something like this, please say something.”

“I don’t know what to say, I’m in shock. You’re so beautiful.”

“I’m not wearing anything underneath.”

“I can very clearly see that”, he says in a breathy laugh and reaches out to pull you close by your waist. His eyes take you in hungrily, his breathing is just a little sped up.

“What are you thinking?”

“That I’m the luckiest man and that you’re the sexiest woman ever. Holy fuck, your body. Baby. Wow. Wow.”

You straddle his lap, chasing his touch.

“You drive me insane and get me fucking giddy at the same time.” He smiles at you, hands tracing the shapes of your hips. “My heart’s racing like crazy.”

“Mine too.” You scrunch your nose cutely. “I never did that before. It’s like in the movies when the woman surprises the man. I hope I got the vibe right.”

“You got it more than right. I’m in shock at how beautiful and sexy you are.” He looks at your body again, eyes burning in desire. “I can’t take my eyes off you. Please stand up one more time, I want to see you.”

It is easy for you to fulfill his wish.

He laughs in disbelief, running his fingers through his hair in a mindless habit.

“This is insane. This is literally insane. Holy fuck. Babygirl, oh my god.”

His positive and excited reactions are so encouraging, heating up your cheeks.

“Now turn around for me.”

Again, it is easy to fulfill his wish.

“Nope, I’m out. This is too much. Look at you. What the actual fuck”, he says and collapses on the bed dramatically.

You snicker, looking over your shoulder.

Jungkook meets your eyes and drops his head again, squeezing his eyes shut to play dead. He peeks after a few seconds, making you giggle.

He chuckles, straightening back up. He pats his lap.

“Come here.”

You obey his wish gladly, climbing his lap. He tugs you atop his cock, growling softly. His eyes practically fuck you, his lips are curled into a playful smirk and his strong hands cradle your buttocks. No one’s touch feels like his’ does.

“What am I gonna do with you, mhm?”

“Maybe be with me because we, you know, we haven’t been together for so long”, you started off strong but end up whispering the last words. Jungkook still gets you so shy and giddy. It’s just that you like him so much and you can’t believe that he likes you back.

“I can do that with you.” He squeezes your buttocks. “Nothing sounds better to me.”

“Then uhm, you…”, you snuggle your face into his neck, “…you have to tell me what to do. I can’t think right now.”

Jungkook swears that no one makes him feel like you do. He feels so protective over you, and cuteness aggression. So much cuteness aggression. He lets it out by lifting you up just so he can throw you onto the mattress and bury you under him. He attacks your face and neck with kisses, making you laugh and squeal.

“I’m gonna eat you. Get in my mouth, I’m gonna eat you.”

“This tickles. Eek! Please this really tickles!”

“You’re so consumable, and cute and cute. God, you’re so cute.”

“Please Kookie, I’m gonna choke.”

He purrs and kisses your cheek, lifting his head afterwards. As expected, his cock is already hard and you are already soaked. It should be studied how easy it is for you and him to get horny for each other. Neither of you address it right now, gazing at each other. Jungkook traces your features, you stare in awe.

“I wanna go gentle about it. Just take time to really savour the pleasure. Is this alright with you?” he speaks softly, like a purr.

“It’s really alright with me”, you say, nodding your head vigorously.

“This makes me so happy.” His features darken, brows furrowing. “You make me so happy”, he adds in a shaky whisper and drops his forehead on yours, lacing his left hand with you.

“Jungkook…”

“Promise me to never leave again.”

“I promise.”

“Holy fuck”, he whimpers, biting his lip so it wouldn’t tremble, “this feels so good to hear.”

“Koo, are you sure that you want to have sex? If you want to scent instead, we can just do that.”

“I want this. Just…be gentle with me today. I feel soft.”

“Yeah, okay. I like soft you.”

He smiles, kissing your cheek. He doesn’t stop afterwards, instead he kisses your jawline, your ear, down along your neck. He is so turned on, but he wants to go slow. Savour each second because it can be taken away so easily. He will never take you for granted again. He never did, but from now on he won’t even consider it.

A wave of emotion forces him to put his arms behind your back so he can lift you up into a hug.

His face is buried in your chest, his eyes closed.

“Mine.” He sets you down again, kissing your face with his elbows on each side of your head. “Mine in the gentlest of ways.”

“Yours with my body and soul”, you promise, heart beating in your chest.

He writes his promise onto your body with kisses to your collarbones and shoulders, hands guiding his lips and fingers so eager to explore. He leaves no marks, because your connection does not need physical evidence to be real.

True mates. That’s what you and he are. Fated lovers, destined partners, forever friends. It is real. It has always been about you and him. No marks are needed because it has always been written in the stars.

Jungkook leaves out your breasts purposefully. He knows that it would drive him too mad if he adored you there. Your sweet scent plagues him lovingly even from a distance.

So he ghosts his touch along the shapes of them, focusing his kisses on your upper stomach instead. You sigh so much in reaction, filling the air around him with your mellifluous scent and confirming for him that he would not have stayed normal if he had buried himself in your breasts.

“Can’t wait to be alive in there”, he says, quoting back to your first fateful night together. You described the feeling of his orgasm inside you as being alive. Jungkook was so moved by these words that it stuck. “Can’t wait. My beautiful, loved babygirl.”

You can’t wait either, but you cannot tell him that right now. He has you sighing so much. Ten days without him are too long, but you will never have to worry about this again. Jungkook is the Alpha now and that means he doesn’t have to leave for dangerous missions anymore.

“What are you thinking?” his raspy voice tickles your inner thigh.

“Just, I’m happy.”

“Mhm, I can smell that. Is it me?”

“Yeah, you”, you sigh and part your legs.

“I fucking love you.”

Jungkook kisses your inner thigh. First the left, then the right. Happiness, safety, love, desire. The scents are making his eyes water. It is truly difficult to exist so close to your spots when he feels so much for you. He thought that he will never be able to smell you again, but here he is. Back where he belongs with his true mate and best friend. The love of his life. His sweet, darling omega.

Salivating, he lifts his face, looking up at you.

“Can I eat you out?”

“Yeah”, your voice is shaky, your panties soaked.

With your consent, he hooks his fingers in them and pulls them down. You help him as best as possible, having to take a look when you hear two dull sounds of impact. He fell to his knees in front of the bed, gesturing you to put your legs over his shoulders.

“Let me take care of you, babygirl. There we go. Are you comfortable like this?”

Your legs are over his shoulders, skin getting caressed by his hands and muscles so relaxed.

“I’m so comfy”, you assure him, nodding your head. You love when he feels soft because he is even more attentive and loving with you than he already is.

“That’s good to hear. Your comfort matters. Ah, fuck I feel so soft today”, he chokes out and buries himself in your thigh to adore it closer and closer to your pussy.

Again, you love when he feels soft. He cherishes each moment, adores your every inch and makes you feel like a treasure in the process.

A very, very, wet treasure if one might add. You can feel it run down your butt, soaking the sheets in the process.

Drawn in by the smell of you, Jungkook changes his kisses to your buttocks, lifting your hips to gain better access. You are not in heat right now, but you are still so wet.

“You’re soaked, baby.”

“Mh-hm, yeah”, your voice is higher and softer than usual, and your hips twitch a little as if to confirm how soaked you are.

He feels so lucky. He has the most perfect mate.

He might just have to take a taste. Gently. Right where you feel so vulnerable. You gasp in reaction, tender rim tensing under his tongue as he licks you tentatively.

This is new territory he is treading on. Of course he snuck glances at it whenever you were bent over, and of course he wondered how it would be to exist in there, but as of now he has never taken a step into this direction.

He circles his tongue, listening to your rippling gasps. You don’t seem keen on pushing him away, on the contrary you shift closer to him eager for pleasure on this new, unexplored spot. Jungkook gains confidence, sliding his thumbs to your pussy to frame her. He massages you right beside where you need it most, while his tongue presses itself flat against your hole.

His nose comes into contact with your pussy, picking up your arousing scent. You are practically begging him to fuck you. His rimjob does this. It makes you needy.

It makes Jungkook needy too, but he holds himself back. He won’t rush today, not after everything, cherishing every grind of his tongue as if he was the one getting them. It is so wonderful how much you twitch, body warming up more and more.

So much more.

Dangerously more. Your hole is starting to leak as well, self-lubricating itself just as nature intended for an omega. It mixes with the sweetness of your pussy. Rich and flavourful, like aged honey. His fingers tighten on you, he grunts as if punched in the mouth. His breathing becomes rapid, heavy. His thoughts threatening him.

Fuck her ass until she is raw, push it in there without warning she’ll get used to it, take your omega, take her now. Those stupid instinctive voices tell him. He doesn’t want to listen to them. Why would he ever do something like this to you? You trust him, you rely on him to keep you safe.

He breaks away for a moment, kissing your inner thigh as he is calming himself. This was intense, holy fuck. He almost lost himself in the exploration.

“Good puppy, good girl”, he murmurs, more for himself than you to remind himself that he can be gentle. That he is still soft. That he is better than his instincts.

“Koo, more”, you beg, unknowing to his thoughts and therefore incredibly needy. You forgot how much you like it when your ass gets attention. And especially from Jungkook, whose spit has an almost aphrodisiac effect on you. You need more of him, tensing your thighs in hopes of pulling him closer.

Jungkook releases the skin he sucked tender, swirling his tongue down you thigh until it sits on your pussy. He stays by your entrance to lap up your nectar. Your shaky hands bundle his hair, your legs twitch on his shoulders. This is familiar but still just as exciting. Paths walked before have their own charm. Expect the expected, find safety in knowledge. Your taste soaks his tongue and coats this throat, and its familiarity forces tears to his eyes.

In return, his tongue so deep inside your pussy is something you know well, which makes you fall deep into a relaxing state of pleasure. You cannot deny, however, that your hole still tingles because of his previous attention.

“More please”, you beg, bucking your hips in hopes of feeling his nose against your clit.

“Anything, baby. Anything”, he purrs, replacing his tongue with one of his thumbs. He fills you just as he begins to lick your clit, your warm walls fluttering around him as they are trying to suck him inside. His cock twitches painfully, forcing him to fumble with his briefs one-handed and clumsily. It’s a distraction, his clothes, he cannot concentrate on what matters.

“Fuck.”

He slips away just long enough that you lift your head. Jungkook works as quickly as possible, setting your legs down and taking off his clothes. His muscles are bulging, dark nipples swollen hard and thick cock dripping heavy globs of slick.

“Are you going to fuck me now?” you ask with a hint of a beg in your voice.

“No, just the clothes rubbed on my nips and cock. It was distracting”, he says and falls back to his knees, lifting your legs back over his shoulders and burying himself in your pussy. His thumb returns to your walls, his nose finds its place back in your thick bush and his mouth locks around your clit.

She is so swollen that you practically throb into his mouth, sitting between his lips hot and sensitive. The burning pleasure returns instantly.

“Kook…” you grip his hair, clenching around his thumb. He never did that before: get naked because of desire only to withstand his instincts and lick you again. Mentally, as well as physically, you were ready to get fucked hard. It is difficult to accept your current situation, because of how needy his undressing made you.

“Koo…Koo”, you squeak each time you breathe out, fingers shaking in his thick hair and clit pulsing in his mouth.

He hums, sucking on your clit once, twice, three times and a fourth before he outlines her in slow circles with his tongue. A path walked before meant each step can be calculated, and Jungkook knows exactly how to work you up to an orgasm gradually.

No rushing it, not today. This isn’t just sex, this is your reconnection and your first morning as true mates. Your orgasm should hit you not like a violent punch to the gut, but like gentle waves during a warm evening.

He pumps his thumb in and out of you as he circles your clit, and because you leak so much, he lets his other thumb disappear to your hole.

He picks up some of the lubey, honey pleasure and spreads it on your hole.

Sharp pain flinches through his scalp, your legs lock behind his head. You pulled his hair, very unlikely for you, but the new kinds of sensations are doing it. Jungkook takes a mental note of it, remembering in this moment that female omegas are just as sensitive in their holes as they are in their pussies. How could he forget that? Fuck, he feels like a selfish prick. He should have adored you sooner, pushed forth into the last unexplored place of you.

He really wants to, you are self-lubricating enough and you are terribly relaxed. He really, really wants to push his thumb inside, but he doesn’t.

He teases, massages and circles your leaking rim while his tongue works up your clit. Not today. Especially because those mean voices tell him to. He doesn’t want to listen to them, he wants to listen to your blissed-out sounds.

His nickname sighed, mere syllables of his name squeaked, incoherent noises moaned and urgent gasps followed by silence as you hold your breath.

Your ass can wait, there is no rush. He will have so many more intimate hours with you. His heart flutters at the thought, tongue taking on a new pattern. He switches out the circles for upwards strokes like he would lick an ice cream.

“Oh god”, you get out, muffling his ears with your thighs. The new stimulation affects your body like electricity. The muscles in your pelvic floor tighten, your stomach tenses.

“Can you please stay there? Please.”

“Mh-hm.”

He could never say no to you. Whatever you want, he does it. Whatever you need, he gives it. People might think that the True Alpha rules over his omega naturally, but it isn’t so. Jungkook would wag his tail if you asked him, he would bark in command and do a little trick if it made you happy. Your wish is his command and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

He keeps the pattern going, gazing up at you while his thumbs work your other pleasure spots.

The fabric of the negligee sticks to your breasts and swollen nipples, glistening wetly wherever he kissed you. He is so into the view. Being seductively hidden fits you so well. God, he just wants to fucking push himself inside you and feel your cute walls struggle around his thick cock. The voices begin again, urging him to push his thumb into your ass, urging him to slip another finger or two into your cunt, urging him to abandon his quest for your orgasm and take what’s rightfully his’. He is the True Alpha for fuck’s sake, he shouldn’t have to kneel for an omega, he should breed her till she is bloated from it.

Jungkook closes his eyes and buries his nose deeper in your soft bush, focusing on your scent instead of the voices. They don’t know him. They’re just a by-product of nature, not his real feelings for you. He made a plan, a good plan. Your ass can wait and your pussy isn’t yet to be stretched too far. He wants to make you orgasm, this is what he wants.

“You’re gonna make me cum”, you whimper, following it with pathetic whines every time he flicks his tongue. You are shaking so much, motivating him to keep going. He loves when you shake.

“Kook, please can I cum?”

Of course you can, you don’t have to ask for permission. Not after everything that happened lately. You will never ever have to ask for permission again. His princess, his darling omega, his babygirl.

“Please? I-I really have to.”

Jungkook nods his head vigorously, flattening his tongue so he would stimulate every single micrometre of your swollen clit. Because you deserve it, because you are worth everything.

“Koo”, you let out and grow silent, back getting stuck in an arch and thighs almost painfully squeezing his head.

Your walls pulsate around his thumb, your hole flutters desperately and your clit throbs under his tongue. You are having an orgasm, pleasure so intense he has you stuck in a frozen, painfully tense state. He licks you through it, eyes burning in desire as he looks up at you. That’s his fucking wife. So fucking beautiful. He counts ten seconds before life returns to your body. You drop your back, hips instantly beginning to writhe and thighs falling from his ears to wiggle instead.

“Koo, Kook, Koo, ah Koo”, you squeak between gasps, lips looking so desperate for a kiss. He knows it’s not over yet. Your body has just about accepted that you are having an orgasm and begins riding on it. You can cum for such a long time when he licks you. It’s fucking impressive and quite frankly, he is a little jealous of this ability. It must feel so fucking good to climax for so many seconds, to think that it’s over only to be surprised by another wave. He feels it every time a new wave hits you, they are timed with the convulsing of your pelvic floor and run through you aggressively. He can count another fifteen seconds. Then your body begins to slow down and your pleasured squeaks become overstimulated. Five more seconds of it, even if you flinch and grasp his hair. Now he is happy. Thirty seconds. That’s a good number. Half a minute of bliss for you. That’s what he wanted. Jungkook lifts his messy lips from your pussy, connecting them with your inner thigh. His eyes are closed, his hands map out the kisses. He knows one is never enough for you, so he isn’t worried about whether or not you want more. He knows that you do. You are his omega, he knows you. Nobody can take this from him. The knowledge, the facts and titbits, the familiarity. You are his into the deepest parts of him.

Guided by his gentle hands, he kisses your stomach and waist, bunching up the negligee as he goes. You twitch a lot more than before, skin sensitive from the orgasm and his gentle treatment of it. He reaches the chest seam, redirecting his touch to your breasts. The thin fabric is wet and sticky where your nipples leaked. He licks it, purring deeply because of the taste. So sweet.

Feeling Jungkook’s tongue through the fabric is even more intense than you could have imagined. Your nipples swelled up so much because of him. They are so big that Jungkook can comfortably suck them through the fabric. If this keeps going, you will beg him to breed you. You are so ready to be his’. You leak because of him, suffocating him in your scent.

Jungkook is right where he wants to be. Suffocated by your scent and with your hard nipples leaking on his tongue. He swears that the fabric only adds to it. It is thin enough that he can feel your warmth, but the idea of mystery is still present. Like he is unwrapping a present. If that present was sweet, scent-heavy nectar.

He messies the sheets, cock throbbing angrily. This is too sweet, you smell so intensely. You do not need words to communicate with him, your scent tells him everything he needs to know. 

That you are happy, that you feel safe, that you feel entirely submissive and that you want to be bred. The last nuance of your scent goes straight to his cock, his instincts threaten to kick in again.

Fuck her into a stupid mess, they tell him. Use her like a ragdoll, they threaten him.

“Argh shit”, he shoots up in an attempt to control himself, but your taste left him so dizzy that he drops on the pillow next to you.

“Jungkook! What’s wrong?!”

“I feel like I’m on drugs.” He reaches for you, tugging you close. “Kiss me, come babygirl be close to me.”

You climb his lap and fall to your elbows. Jungkook pulls your face down and kisses you. The negligee tickles his skin where it touches him, your soaked cunt is sticky on his thighs. It gets so difficult to hold back. Perhaps even impossible. You suck his tongue and lick his lips like you were starving for the taste of your own orgasm. Your hand ruffles his hair so well, scalp tingling from the touches. Your tits are so soft against his chest and your nipples keep leaking on his skin. Jungkook does what any needy alpha would do and runs his hands down to your hips. He guides them, mewling into your mouth in hopes that you understand. There is resistance at first where you are trying to figure out what he wants from you, until it finally clicks and he has an easy time shifting you to where he needs you.

Sinking into you is like heaven on earth. Your pussy squelches, squeezing out thick globs of slick to make space for his big cock. Your lips tremble, a small “oh god” tickles his skin. He can feel your walls struggle to adapt at first, clenching and throbbing around him like they were trying to get rid of an intruder. He sinks you down further until he bottoms out and another small “oh god” tickles his lips. Your hand leaves his hair. He opens his eyes and follows it to your tummy where you press down. He feels it in his cock: the pressure and growing warmth. It is enough to tell him that you are sensing his cock inside yourself.

He engulfs your hand under his’.

“Am I hurting you?”

Your eyes shift to meet his gaze. It is the first time he is underneath you like this, the unfamiliarity makes you nervous.

“Does it hurt?” he repeats his question, eyes racing between yours.

“No, but you’re bigger than usual.”

Your eyes flit to his chest, then his arms.

“Everything about you is.”

You slip your hand from your tummy and grasp his chest. Jungkook grunts from the sudden stimulation to his nipples, muscles tensing.

“You grew over night. Ah, you’re so big inside me.”

“I told you, it’s because I’m the true Alpha. My body is adapting.”

“Jungkook”, you drop your head.

“Yes?”

“You’re so big”, you whimper and lift your hips. Your knees, still shaky from your previous orgasm, protest and force you to fall back onto his thighs. His cock buries itself in your insides against your will, reshaping you because you are too weak to escape.

“Big.”

“Adjust for me, babygirl. I know you can do it.” He talks softly, rubbing your full tummy. “Mhm? Can you do it for me, babygirl?”

“Yeah, do it for you”, you lull, lifting yourself only to drop again. He makes you feel so dumb and weak and wobbly. You love cock so much and he presses to your favourite spots. Those are your weaknesses.

“Good girl, stretch yourself open on me. That’s my girl”, Jungkook’s voice is raspier than usual, brows tight. His cock hits his own hand every time you drop. Tummy full of him. His omega stuffed with nothing but him. It makes the animal in him so fucking happy. Jungkook squeezes down on your stomach, making you tense and gasp.

“Big…”

“Mhhm filling up your tummy”, he purrs, rubbing it gently.

“Yeah”, you whimper, furrowing your brows, “full of you.”

“I’m so proud of you, you’re doing so well.”

Your knees shake uncontrollably, barely holding up your weight. You feel so vulnerable on top and weak. You’re so weak. No matter how much you try to move, your legs don’t want to work with you because every time he bottoms out a little piece of yourself gets lost in a soup of dizziness.

You know that Jungkook expects more of you. His possessive hand on your stomach is sign enough. He wants you to work harder. But how can you work harder when you can’t even properly lift yourself. You don’t even know what you want. Or how you want to move. Jungkook normally does that. He moves. He takes the lead.

“Come baby, speed up a little. Do it for me.”

You want to obey him. That’s your alpha and he wants something from you. But you are so weak. Your legs tremble as you lift yourself, the climb up his cock is exhausting, the fall down way too short. The increased speed means you have less time to recover from the climb. It makes it so difficult.

Your hips begin to wobble and writhe. This is so difficult. All you want is his cock but you aren’t doing it right.

Jungkook sits up, stilling your hips with a gentle but firm touch. You meet his eyes.

“I think we both know that this isn’t working”, he whispers, wiping your frustrated tears.

“I’m sorry. I-I tried but it’s so overwhelming.”

“That’s alright, baby. You’re alright, I’ve got you.” He lifts you, holding you against him as he gets to his knees. He slips out this way, but it doesn’t matter because it isn’t for long. “I’m sorry for putting you on top.”

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I couldn’t do it right.” you sob. “I wanted to be your good girl.”

“You are my good girl, baby. Don’t worry, you’re so alright”, he whispers to you, kissing you gently as he lies you down on your back, crawling between your open legs and pushing back inside.

The familiarity of your position makes your entire body tremble. You clamp down around him, leaking heavily. Jungkook is covering you from the world completely, he is so big and strong and protective. And you completely at his mercy. This is where you feel most comfortable, this is your safe space. Underneath him as he makes the sweetest, most pleasurable love to you.

You reach up with tears in your eyes, cradling his face.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I want to cry.”

Jungkook lowers himself to his elbows, caressing the crown of your head.

“Don’t cry right now. I’ve got you”, he whispers, rolling his hips into you to remind you of his promised presence.

He drags out each thrust, savouring how he sinks into you inch by inch over and over again. You are so much tighter now that you are in your happy place. Jungkook swears he might tear up too.

“But you feel so good and I missed you so much.”

“Baby, oh god, my baby”, Jungkook presses out, pushing his nose against your scent spot. He hugs your head this way, rubbing his face into your neck just so he can inhale every single molecule of your scent. His hips barely move, buried deep inside you and swirling with minimal effort.

You do not even mind that short break, melting into a puddle as Jungkook’s scent engulfs you.

He is so happy. It is soaking his skin.

You hug him, burying your hands in his hair.

“I’m happy.”

“Me too, baby. Fuck, you feel so good. Ah”, Jungkook talked normally at first until the feeling of your pussy creeped up on him and turned his voice into a moan.

You can feel the exact moment the realisation hits him because his hips pick up speed and his cock depth, forcing a trembling flinch through your body. You could have never created this kind of pleasure. No matter how hard you had tried.

“Holy fuck baby, holy fuck. I wanna live inside you, holy fuck your pussy. Ah, your pussy.”

Jungkook is getting greedy, thrusts gaining in strength. It was only a matter of time that he would. It is in your nature. There are no wolves who fuck gently, who drag it out and slow it down. It is just not instinctual.

“I fucking love your pussy. Fucking love her.”

He is so rough. Oh god. You grasp his hips and wail. The sound is like an alarm to him, forcing him to still instantly and lift his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“So big.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Everything is so big. I-I didn’t feel this way before. Koo, what if I can’t take you anymore? What if I’m not your good girl?”

“What?” His eyes darken. “You’re my true mate, there’s no one else for me you stupid fucking girl”, he spits and kisses you with tongue. It is a harsh kiss, dominant, angry and possessive. He loves you and he needs you to understand that. No time for air, or to find a rhythm. Jungkook decides the rhythm for you and it is intense. His arm snakes itself under your head and takes it in while he uses his other hand to pinch your nipple.

You squeal, squirting nectar all over his chest despite the fabric barrier. Again. Pressure and a tug. Like he is milking you. Or perhaps punishing you for your words. His aggressive kiss would suggest so.

Oh god you have to breathe otherwise you will pass out.  Wiggling is fruitless, fleeing him as well. Air. Please air. You claw at his neck.

Jungkook breaks the kiss, giving you a chance to breathe but not really. Because while he breaks the kiss and air is yours again, he also pulls out of you only to thrust into you and begin his punishing rhythm.

You gasp, eyes going cross and toes curling.

“Silly girl. Not mine? You wanna say it again. Not my good girl? I’m gonna show you how fucking dumb this is.”

He takes you into a headlock and presses his lips against your cheek, letting you feel his fangs.

“You’re my fucking everything, babygirl. Don’t ever lessen your status again.”

Your pussy weeps just as much as you do. He is definitely making sure that you remember. Holy fuck, you have never been stretched as much before and that means a lot because you are used to his cock.

“Don’t do it. Don’t ever fucking do it. You’re mine.”

His heavy musk surrounds you, lulling you into a state of intoxication. His muscles are so big and his skin so soft in contrast. Oh god his cock. You love his cock and his scent and his skin. You love being fucked.

“Never let you go. Mine. All mine. Mine forever. Mine, mine, mine, mine.”

You definitely are. And it is getting easier to take him. You don’t want anyone else, sobbing loudly as you try to hug him closer to you.

“Tell me. Tell me you’re mine.”

“Yours.”

“Louder.”

“Yours”, you mewl, grasping is tightening arm. “Koo, I can’t breathe.”

He relaxes, calming himself by licking your neck. He growls and huffs air, feral like a feeding wolf. He must be trying to get used to his changed body as well. Perhaps a true alpha is a lot less human in the way he fucks. Perhaps his voices are loud today.

You know about them because Jungkook told you once. It was late at night after especially intense, but satisfying, sex. He told you what they urge him to do, how violent they can get and how much he hates them because he would never want to hurt you.

Maybe the voices of a true alpha are even more violent, maybe he is figuring out how to be himself again one heavy thrust at a time. Weak, but determined, you tilt your head.

“Kiss me, I love you, please kiss me.”

His hips stutter, a particle of normalcy returns.

“Love. Yes, I love you. Oh baby, I love you. Say it again.”

“I love you.”

“Mine.”

“Yours.”

Jungkook moans, kissing you. He slips his hand from your aching nipple to massage the other instead. He is softer with it, urging it to leak with patience not possessiveness. His kiss is less scrambled as well. Still passionate and messy, just less violent. Oh his hips move as if they were trying to make the sweetest love to you. He feels so good.

You melt under him, spilling tears as much as you spill new slick. Just a few more thrusts and you will finally have adapted. Truth be told, you were really doubting your own bodily limits at first. He grew a lot now that he is the true alpha. His cock is heavy, thick with throbbing veins and massive breeder balls which constantly press against your ass. His knot is still a mystery to you, but you can only imagine the absolute bliss it will bring in its enlarged state.

You truly feared that your body wouldn’t ever adapt, but of course it did. Because Jungkook is right, you and he are true mates. There is no one else for him, and no one else for you. You will fit together no matter what.

Jungkook breaks the kiss, panting against your lips. His face is flushed, his lips swollen and pink.

“Your pussy’s so soft”, he sighs, mewling softly as he drops his forehead against yours.

“I adjusted, Koo. Yours, yours, yours, yours.”

“Baby. Mine. Mine, mine, mine. Fucking mine. All mine.” He cups your cheek, hips speeding up again. “I love you so much. My babygirl.”

“I love you so much. My Jungkook.” He hits your sensitive cervix with his next thrust, raising your voice. “Ah! Yours!”

Cervix stimulation is like ecstasy for omegas, every thrust fills your veins with masses of it. Electric and fiery. Never-ending because Jungkook fucks relentlessly.

“Mine. Tell me again, baby, tell me.”

“Yours. Y-yours. Yours.”

“Yes baby, again. Mine. Tell me.”

“Yours! Ah, yours!”

It is like a prayer you are both trapped in. A blissful prayer of pleasure and possession. Nothing feels better than to be owned and to own in return. Nothing feels better than to be each other’s, connected by your sticky middles.

“Sorry I doubted myself, sorry I said it.”

“It’s okay, babygirl. You’re okay, my good girl. Yeah?”

“Yeah, good girl. Kiss me please.”

Jungkook moans, fulfilling your wish gladly. He kisses you slowly at first, feeling soft again because you pulled him back to humanity. But your pussy is a powerful weapon and he is so weak to you. As his thrusts drag out and your tongues dance slowly, some of the roughness returns again. A desire for more, an itch he cannot scratch. The kiss turns sloppy, your hands fall to his hips and squeeze.

“Right…there…”

“Good girl, take me. You’re doing so well.”

“Jungkook…right there, please right there.”

“I know babygirl, I can fucking feel it. I’m made to be inside you, baby, you’re such a perfect fucking fit. Good girl, so good.”

His praise is everything you need, your legs lift only to lock behind his butt. It tightens you around him, forcing him deeper into you.

Jungkook shudders, buries his face in the crook of your neck and moans loudly. He hugs you to his chest, rubbing his scent all over your skin. Everywhere. Your neck, your chest, your inner thighs and inside your pussy. It just happens, spilling out of him because he simply loves you so much.

Perhaps he has to let go soon, head pounding aggressively and parted fangs dripping saliva. It’s because you are hugging him. His heart might very well explode right with his cock.

“Your pussy’s so soft, so soft, soft”, a new chant begins to spill out of him, soaked in pleasure and dripping in desperation.

“Koo, you’re gonna make me cum soon.”

“Yeah? Good, cause I’m”, he laughs breathily, “fuck, I’m really fucking close too.”

“Please don’t change anything.”

“I won’t, baby. Just let me get you there, let me take care of you.”

He makes you feel so fucking protected, pampered and loved. His name leaves you in a shaky whimper, followed by a moan. You have to grab more of him, making him yours just as you are his’. Any thrust could do it at this point. Any movement could be the one. You are balancing on knife’s edge, tensing every time he pushes in and shuddering every time it isn’t happening. The build-up is making you want to fucking scream. Almost. Just a few more.

“Koo, you really feel- oh? O-oh wait, oh it’s gonna, it’s gonna- Jungkook.”

You moan loudly, arching your back and toes curling. You throb around him, riding on the kind of intense high only he can give you.

“Oh fuck. Yes babygirl, yes. Cum on my cock, fuck this is so fucking good.”

“Jungkook please give me your cum”, you beg.

“Really? I’m gonna breed you so much.”

“Please.”

“Oh god, baby. Yes baby, yes. Yeah, ah fuck now.” He whimpers loudly, slacking on top of you as his high knocks him down. It doesn’t matter to you, you pull him deeper into you, hugging him with your arms and legs and sobbing in gratefulness because nothing will ever feel as good as Jungkook does.

“Thank you! Ah!”

“Baby.. girl..”

He doesn’t knot you this morning, neither do you get trapped in an endless loop of orgasms. It is okay, the sex still leaves you just as breathless and fuzzy. Maybe even fuzzier because it was filled with so much mutual love this morning. You don’t really know how much time passes between the end of your shared orgasm and the first time one of you speaks. It was all very fuzzy and blurry. You feel so out of it in the best way possible.

“Fuck”, Jungkook sighs into the silence, head heavy.

“Yeah, right. Did you like the lingerie on me?”

“I fucking love it so much. It’s so hot. I think I blacked out in the middle of it.”

You snicker, “yeah, you got a little rough.”

“Yeah”, he chuckles breathlessly, “fuck, I’m sorry if I hurt you. I swear you are affecting me too much.”

“You didn’t hurt me, I loved it so much.” You stub his neck with your nose. “I hope that you and I never ever stop being together.”

“Yeah, I hope so too.” Jungkook gets to his elbows, smoothing his fingers over your forehead and temples gently. Pearls of sweat have gathered on it. Jungkook feels sweaty too.

You smile at him, scratching his back.

“You know that I love you like crazy, right?” he says.

“I love you too.”

He finally smiles, eyes softening. You snicker because of it, cradling his face so you can squish his cheeks. Jungkook lets it happen, having to snicker right with you. Nothing feels as electric as being with you.

“So I guess we are kinda running the pack now, aren’t we?” you say.

“I guess we are.”

“What’s first on our agenda?”

“Mhm.” He thinks for a moment, tingling with every touch you place on his skin. “Mhm, probably cooking a massive breakfast and then devouring it in ten minutes.”

You laugh, “yeah okay, deal.”

“Deal. I’m so hungry.” He slips out and sits up. You follow suit, spilling him all over the sheets.

“Maybe I have to clean up first”, you say, shifting uncomfortably.

“Mhm?” He studies your messy thighs and messier pussy. “Fuck, yeah maybe you should. Wanna share a shower? True mates style.”

“True mates style? What’s that?”

“It means that I’m gonna look at you a lot and tell you how much I need you in my life”, he says, making you giggle.

“Yeah okay let’s do that. True mates style.”

Beauty had always been your burden as much as your blessing. Tales of it traveled farther than merchants and faster than ravens, crossing borders until even distant courts spoke your name with a mixture of admiration and longing. Princes penned verses in your honor without ever meeting you. Even seasoned knights, men hardened by war and duty, often found themselves disarmed by nothing more than a smile.

With your coronation fast approaching, the kingdom stood on the brink of celebration. It would be the grandest event seen in decades, drawing princes, dignitaries from every corner of the continent. Some would arrive seeking alliances. Most would arrive seeking you.

The prospect amused you more than it excited you.

“Protecting my daughter is not merely a matter of strength,” your father’s voice boomed through the hall. “It demands unyielding discipline and absolute loyalty. You will each face three trials. The princess herself will accompany you, so that you may prove your worth in her presence.”

Your eyes swept slowly across the line of knights standing before the throne, a faint mask of boredom kissing your beautiful face, certain that none of them would truly be able to handle you.

For years, entertaining yourself at the expense of knights had become something of a pastime. A lingering touch against a gauntleted hand, a mere whispered compliment that left disciplined warriors suddenly forgetting their own names. Watching them struggle to maintain their composure was endlessly amusing.

You had notoriously toyed with men like this, living wildly beneath the weight of your royal title, and your father knew this better than anyone. That was precisely why he had designed these trials.

He wasn’t simply looking for the strongest sword arm. He wanted a knight with sharp intellect and the rare ability to withstand your constant attempts to live life on your terms rather than as a perfectly mannered princess.

A small, intrigued smile played on your lips when the first few knights stepped forward. They were impressive in brute force, but you could already tell they would crumble the moment you decided to play.

Then he stepped forward.

Sir Jeon Jungkook.

Even fully armored, with only his dark, piercing eyes visible through the narrow slit of his helmet, once his unflinching gaze met yours for a brief second, a strange spark ignited low in your belly. You tilted your head, studying those dark eyes with growing interest.

The first trial took place that very evening in the smaller banquet hall. Only a select few courtiers were present. You sat at the high table beside your father, sipping from a jeweled goblet.

Unknown to the competing knights, the King had arranged for one of the wine pitchers to be laced with a powerful sleeping draught. Harmless, but potent enough to leave the princess disoriented and vulnerable. Only the King, a few trusted advisors, and the princess herself knew of the plan.

The knights had been given only one instruction: protect the princess. No further details.

As the evening progressed, the effects of the draught began to take hold. Your thoughts grew pleasantly hazy, movements slower. The jeweled goblet nearly slipped from your grasp once before you caught it. A second time, you laughed at something that had not been particularly funny.

Several knights noticed. Some were too busy trying to appear vigilant, eyes constantly scanning the room for imaginary assassins.

A few noticed your condition and drew dangerously close. One insisted on helping you stand despite the fact that you had not asked for assistance. Another rested a hand against your lower back almost inappropriately while guiding you through the room. One knight even smiled when he realized how heavily you leaned upon him after stumbling.

The courtiers watched everything. So did the King.

You were beginning to feel genuinely annoyed when a tall figure stepped silently between you and yet another overeager knight.

Sir Jeon Jungkook.

Unlike the others, he had not hovered around you all evening. He had remained where a royal protector belonged, close enough to intervene, distant enough to respect your space.

Dark eyes studied your face through the narrow opening of his helmet. “The princess has had enough wine,” he declared.

The knight beside you scoffed. “She seems perfectly fin—”

“She does not.”

You watched surprise flicker across the other knight’s face.

Sir Jungkook’s hand briefly closed around your forearm as you swayed, steadying you before immediately letting go the moment your balance returned.

Within moments he had summoned two ladies-in-waiting to accompany you back to your chambers. When another knight offered to carry you himself, Sir Jungkook declined on your behalf before you could even answer.

“Her reputation is as important as her safety.”

For the first time all evening, genuine curiosity stirred within you.

Most men saw opportunity when they looked at you. Some saw beauty, a few saw a future crown. Yet somehow, Sir Jeon Jungkook seemed to see only his duty.

As the ladies guided you toward the doorway, you glanced back over your shoulder.

“How noble of you, Sir Jungkook,” you teased, voice softened by the draught. “Are you always so resistant to temptation?”

His gaze never wavered. “My duty is to protect Your Highness.”

For reasons you could not quite explain, that response lingered in your thoughts far longer than any flirtatious remark ever had.

The final trial was, by all appearances, the simplest.

After weeks of staged attacks, hidden tests, the remaining candidates expected one final demonstration of skill. Some anticipated a duel. Others believed they would be sent to defend the princess from another fabricated threat. Instead, the King announced that the last trial would consist of a single week of personal duty beside the princess. No further explanation was offered.

The knights were disappointed.

You, however, knew exactly what your father was doing.

The trial was not designed to test strength or intelligence. It was designed to test restraint.

Most of the candidates failed within days. Some became overly eager whenever you requested their company.

Others ignored palace protocol the moment you suggested bending the rules. One knight allowed you to wander through the city market without informing the royal guard because he was too eager to please you. Another accepted an invitation to share wine in one of the palace balconies despite knowing perfectly well how improper it appeared. Every failure was carefully observed and quietly recorded.

Only one knight remained infuriatingly impossible.

Sir Jeon Jungkook.

The more you watched him, the more determined you became to discover his weakness. Surely he had one. Everyone did.

At first, your attempts were harmless. During walks through the palace gardens, you lingered beside him instead of remaining ahead as protocol dictated. During meals, you directed most of your conversation toward him. More than once, you deliberately brushed your fingers against the steel of his gauntlet while speaking. Other knights would have turned crimson. Some would have stumbled over their own words.

Sir Jungkook merely stepped aside and continued his duties as though nothing had happened.

Perhaps it was the way every other knight had spent the past weeks attempting to impress you, the King, or the court.

Where others sought favor, he sought only to fulfill his duty. And thus, when the day of the final judgment arrived, the outcome surprised absolutely no one.

Your father rose slowly from his seat.

“Sir Jeon Jungkook,” he declared, voice echoing through the hall. “You have successfully completed all trials. You have shown not only strength and intellect, but the rare ability to anticipate danger and resist… temptation.” His gaze flicked briefly to you. “From this day forward, you are hereby appointed as the princess’s personal royal knight and protector. Guard her with your life. And may the gods help you.”

A murmur rippled through the court.

You turned toward Sir Jeon Jungkook, stepping just close enough that your crimson gown brushed his armor.

“Welcome to my service, Sir Jungkook,” you whispered so only he could hear. “I do hope you’re prepared. Resisting me may prove to be your greatest trial yet.”

His dark eyes held yours with unshakable strength. “I was under the impression I had already passed that one, Your Highness.”

—

Having Sir Jeon Jungkook follow you around all day wasn’t ideal.

It had not even been three months since his appointment as your royal knight, yet his constant, silent presence had already begun to grate on your nerves. He was always a towering shadow in dark armor, never more than a few steps behind. What annoyed you most was his utter lack of reaction.

No matter how boldly you flirted, no matter how you tightened your corset in front of him until your breasts nearly spilled over, no matter how many times you “accidentally” brushed against him, he remained perfectly composed.

What bothered you most of all was that you still had no idea what he looked like. Only those dark, intense eyes visible through the narrow slit of his helmet. The rest of him remained hidden behind steel, a constant, frustrating mystery.

The journey to the neighboring kingdom for the grand alliance celebration had been long and stifling. You rode in the royal ornate covered carriage borne by four strong horses and guarded on all sides. The extravagant gown you wore was beautiful but suffocating, the tight corset pressing against your ribs and making every breath feel like a struggle. Boredom weighed on you like lead.

Your dearest friend, Lady Isolde rode beside you in her own litter. She was to be wed in a month, and the two of you had spent the journey giggling like girls again, whispering behind silk curtains.

“He’s so tall,” Isolde teased, peeking through the gap toward where Sir Jeon Jungkook rode steadily beside your litter. “And those eyes… I wonder what the rest of him looks like under all that steel. Do you think he’s handsome, or just another brute?”

You laughed softly, though your gaze lingered on the narrow slit of Jungkook’s helmet, where those dark, intense eyes remained fixed forward.

“As if,” you replied mockingly, bored. “He’s far too proper. I could tighten my corset until my breasts nearly spill, and he wouldn’t even glance.”

Isolde giggled. “You should try. For science.”

Sir Jungkook’s eyes flicked toward the litter for the briefest second before returning forward. You smirked. Annoyed as you were by his constant, unflinching presence… you were also undeniably intrigued.

That night, after the feasting and music had died down and the royal party made camp near the forest’s edge, you slipped away, desperate for even a moment of peace, and determined to test just how far his restraint could stretch.

The air had grown chilly, carrying the faint bite of early autumn as you made your way to the forbidden stretch of the deep bend where the river water ran swift and dangerously deep. No one was permitted here after dark, especially not the princess.

You knew he would follow.

The heavy footsteps of armor soon echoed behind you on the rocky bank.

“Your Highness,” Sir Jungkook’s deep voice rang out, firm. “This area is strictly prohibited at night. The currents are treacherous and the water is far too cold. We must return to the palace at once.”

You barely looked at him. Your eyes were fastened upon the vast expanse of the river, moonlight dancing across its dark surface like scattered diamonds. You wanted nothing more than to feel the cool waves kissing your bare skin, to swim freely under the moon with no eyes judging you in, except his.

A small, unusually kind smile touched your lips as you turned toward him.

“Why don’t you join me, Sir Jungkook?” you asked softly, your voice carrying on the gentle night breeze. “Just for a little while. The water looks so peaceful tonight.”

Sir Jungkook stood like a statue in his dark armor. “Your Highness… that would be highly improper,” he replied low. “I am here to protect you, not to… bathe with you.”

You let out a soft, melodic laugh and began walking toward the river’s edge, the hem of your gown brushing the grass.

“Well, I suppose then…” you bit your lip, your fingers moving to the laces of your gown with aching slowness. “I shall swim, and you will stand guard like the loyal knight you are.”

You could feel his intense eyes watching through the narrow slit of his helmet as you loosened the ties. The rich fabric slid from your shoulders like liquid silk, pooling at your feet.

Completely bare under the moonlight, you wore nothing beneath. Your skin glowed luminous and your full breasts rose and fell with each breath, nipples already stiff from the cold night air. The curve of your waist flared into soft hips, and the smooth, delicate skin between your thighs was on full display.

Sir Jungkook immediately turned his head sharply away, staring fixedly into the dark trees.

“Your Highness!” His voice was strained. “This is highly inappropriate. I cannot allow—”

“You don’t have to allow anything,” you cut him off, dripping with defiance. “You’re not permitted to touch me while I’m bare. So you’ll just have to stand there.”

You waded into the river with a soft gasp. The icy water bit into your skin, but the thrill of rebellion pushed you forward. You swam out deeper, the cold making your body hypersensitive.

You glanced back at the bank. Sir Jungkook stood like a statue, head turned away, refusing to look at your naked form even once. His armored fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

A thrill of satisfaction ran through you.

You felt exhilarated. Free. And wickedly aware that the most disciplined man in the kingdom was standing on the bank, fighting not to look at you.

“Are you really going to stand there all night, Sir Jungkook? The water feels wonderful… and I’m all alone out here.” You swam further out, the cold water caressing every inch of your bare skin. A soft, content sigh escaped your lips.

It would be a plain lie if you said you weren’t at least a little relieved that he had followed you. The deep bend was no joke. its treacherous currents and deadly depth were feared even by The King. Yet here you were, aching to tear down the walls of the knight who refused to bend to your charms.

You floated lazily on your back, letting the moonlight kiss your bare skin. Then, with a mischievous glint in your eyes, you took your chance.

Once a subtle current tugged at your legs, you gasped dramatically, flailing your arms and letting out a soft, helpless cry. “Oh—!”

You fought back a giggle, pretending to be a damsel in distress, knowing the current wasn’t strong enough to truly endanger you. You wanted to see if you could finally crack his composure.

But the gods had other plans.

Without warning, a far more treacherous undercurrent slammed into you like a living beast. It dragged you under violently, twisting your body, filling your mouth and nose with icy water. Real panic surged through you as you lost your breath and sight in the black depths.

“Jungkook!” you screamed, the sound barely coherent as water rushed into your lungs. This time, it was no act.

Sir Jeon Jungkook did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He plunged into the river fully armored, cutting through the violent current with powerful strokes. His strong arms wrapped around your waist, yanking your naked body against his steel chest as he fought the river with raw, expert strength. You clung to him desperately, coughing and gasping as he dragged you back to the rocky bank.

The moment he pulled you ashore, his helmet caught on a low hanging branch and was ripped clean off.

You lay on the grass, gasping for air, when your eyes finally focused on the man hovering above you.

And you forgot how to breathe.

Sir Jeon Jungkook was devastatingly, unfairly handsome.

Wet raven black hair clung to his forehead and sharp, sculpted cheekbones. Water droplets traced the strong line of his jaw and dripped from sensual lips. His dark eyes, now fully exposed, were intense and beautiful, framed by long lashes and thick brows. A faint scar graced his left eyebrow, adding a rugged edge to his otherwise perfect masculine beauty.

Before you could speak, he swiftly grabbed his crimson cloak and draped it over your naked body, covering you completely with careful reverence. His gaze remained locked strictly on your face, never once drifting to your exposed skin.

“Are you okay, Your Highness?” he asked, voice rough with concern. A faint blush colored his cheeks as he noticed the way you were staring at his now-bare face.

You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came. The combination of the dangerous current, the shock of nearly drowning, and the overwhelming sight of your knight’s true face left you dizzy and speechless.

Your vision blurred. You passed out in his arms.

Sir Jungkook pulled you closer against his armored chest, one large hand gently brushed your wet hair away from your face, his touch surprisingly tender. He lifted you effortlessly, cradling you like a warrior carrying his lady, your head resting against his broad shoulder, body wrapped securely in his cloak, legs draped over his arm as he carried you back to his mare.

He mounted carefully, keeping you nestled safely against him as the horse began the journey back to the palace through secret paths.

You woke briefly as he laid you down on the thick rug before the hearth in your royal chambers. The fire was already roaring. You were still wrapped in his cloak, beneath it only a thin silk bandeau now clung to your body, the delicate material barely containing your breasts, pressing them together in a deep, soft cleavage that rose and fell with each shaky breath.

You trembled from the cold and the lingering shock of the river.

Sir Jeon Jungkook remained kneeling by the fire, his movements precise as he stoked the flames. Water dripped from his raven hair onto his armoured shoulders. Then he rose to his full, imposing height, towering, broad shouldered.

Without a word, he reached for his helmet, which rested upon a nearby oak chest, clearly intending to conceal his face once more.

“No,” you whispered, your voice soft yet commanding as you pushed yourself up on one elbow. “Do not put it back on.”

The knight paused, gloved hand hovering above the helm. His dark eyes met yours, intense and conflicted.

“Your Highness… it is not fitting for me to stand before you unveiled,” he said, his voice carrying the formal cadence of a sworn knight. “I must maintain the dignity of my position.”

You sat up fully, the cloak slipping slightly from one shoulder, revealing the smooth curve of your skin and the edge of the silk bandeau. Despite the cold still clinging to your bones, warmth bloomed low in your belly as you gazed upon his face, truly beheld it for the first time.

“Come closer,” You rose to your knees on the rug, the cloak parting further as you reached for him. “Let me see you properly.”

He hesitated, every line of his powerful frame taut with restraint. Yet he obeyed, lowering himself once more to kneel before you. Even on his knees, he remained nearly at your eye level, so tall and broad was he.

You lifted a delicate hand and brushed your fingers through his damp raven locks, pushing them back from his forehead. A contented sigh escaped your lips.

“You are far too pleasing to look upon, Sir Jungkook,” you whispered, almost in awe. “I had wondered what lay beneath that steel. Never did I imagine such a face.”

Sir Jungkook remained perfectly still on his knees before you. His hands rested tensely on his armoured thighs as he fought to keep his gaze fixed on your face and not the way your breasts strained against the thin silk bandeau.

“You flatter me, Your Highness,” he replied, voice low. “But I am your knight. Nothing more. Please allow me to restore my helmet.”

You shook your head slowly, refusing to let him hide again. Instead, you leaned closer, your fingers still buried in his damp raven hair.

A new, overwhelming wave of admiration and obsession washed over you. This man... this mature, hardened, breathtakingly handsome knight was kneeling before you like a devotee. The realization sent a fresh rush of heat between your thighs.

“You’re older than me, aren’t you?” you murmured softly, continuing to caress his hair with gentle strokes. “Hardened by battles and years I haven’t yet seen.”

You wondered how many more scars he carried beneath that heavy armor hidden across his broad chest, his strong back.

“I am twenty eight, Your Highness,” he answered quietly, his deep voice carrying that disciplined tone you were growing addicted to.

“Tell me something personal,” you said, your voice turning playful yet curious. Your fingers trailed from his hair down to trace his cheekbone once more. “Have you ever been with a woman, Sir Jeon? Truly been with one?”

His jaw tightened visibly. The question crossed every boundary a knight was sworn to respect.

“Your Highness… such questions are not appropriate for me to answer,” he replied. You leaned in even closer, still stroking his hair tenderly, your breath brushing against his skin.

“But I want to know,” you whispered. “Have you ever touched a woman the way a man touches a lover? Ever kissed one?”

Jungkook’s breathing grew slightly heavier. His dark eyes stayed locked on yours with iron discipline, though you could clearly see the storm brewing behind them.

“I have not, Your Highness,” he finally answered, voice low and honest. “My duty has always come first.”

A thrill ran through you at his confession. You let your fingers drift lower, brushing along his sharp jawline. “And if a woman wanted you… desperately?” your voice dropped to a near whisper. “If she wanted your mouth between her thighs… your tongue tasting her, would you deny her?”

The impure question hung heavy in the air between you. You shocked even yourself with how boldly it slipped out, but the vivid image, his devastatingly handsome face trapped between your legs, mouth glistening with your arousal made the heat bloom even more slick between your thighs.

Sir Jungkook’s hands clenched tighter on his armored thighs. A faint flush colored the tips of his ears and neck, but he remained on his knees.

“Your Highness,” he said, reverently, “I am sworn to protect you. Not to… indulge in such thoughts.”

You smiled softly. Then you leaned back on the bed, letting the crimson cloak fall open completely. The thin silk bandeau was the only thing left covering you, and even that felt too much now.

“Then I command you,” You looked down at him, this powerful knight on his knees before you, and felt a rush of pure need. “I want your mouth on me, Jungkook. Right now.”

“Your Highness, I—”

“Touch me,” you breathed, cutting him off. “Please, Jungkook…”

You reached down and grabbed his gloved hand, bringing it to your chest. Slowly, you pressed his large palm over the thin silk bandeau, letting him feel the soft, heavy weight of your breast. Your nipple was already painfully hard beneath the fabric.

Sir Jungkook’s breath hitched sharply. His entire body tensed, the muscles in his arm flexing under the armor as he fought against every instinct.

You didn’t stop there, dragging his hand lower, sliding it down your stomach until his fingers rested between your thighs. You were soaked. your petals slick and hot against his gloved fingers.

“Feel how damp you make me,” you whispered, voice shaking with need.

Sir Jungkook let out a low, strained groan. His dark eyes were fixed on your face, but you could see the violent war happening behind them.

The most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on — the princess, the future queen, was laid out before him in nothing but a flimsy silk bandeau, legs spread, pressing his hand against her dripping cunt.

“Your Highness…” he rasped, albeit desperate. “This is beyond forbidden. You are royalty. I am sworn—”

“I don’t care,” you whimpered, grinding slowly against his gloved fingers. “I need you. I’ve never felt this way before. Touch me now, my knight. Please.”

His hand trembled. For a long moment, he simply rested there, feeling your wetness soak through the leather of his glove. Then, with a broken exhale that sounded like surrender, his fingers moved.

He stroked along your soaked folds, parting the delicate petals of your most secret flower. And what a flower it was... a lush, glistening rosebud blooming only for him. Your outer lips were soft and swollen with need, flushed deep, delicate like the first blush of dawn.

As he gently spread you open, the inner petals revealed themselves: silky, and impossibly tender, layered like the finest rose in full bloom after a summer rain. At the center lay your sweetest nectar, dripping and honeyed, flowing abundantly from your aching entrance.

The knight didn’t know what came over him, but your pulsing heat and slick, puckering folds had him utterly entranced. His breathing grew ragged. You could see the way his throat worked, the way his tongue unconsciously darted out to wet his lips. He was drooling.

“May I lick you, Your Highness?” he asked hoarsely, voice thick with barely contained hunger. “Please… allow me to taste you.”

The desperate plea from such a disciplined man sent a fresh wave of arousal flooding through you.

“Yes,” you breathed, spreading your thighs wider for him, your voice trembling with raw need. “Use your mouth on me, Jungkook. Lick your princess until she cannot think.”

The moment the words left your lips, something in him broke. Sir Jungkook leaned in and dragged his hot, wet tongue slowly up your soaked slit. The first full taste of you pulled a deep, guttural groan from his chest. You were intoxicatingly sweet and dripping with arousal. He licked you again, slower this time, savoring every slick fold as if he were drinking the finest wine in the kingdom.

You cried out sharply, back arching off the bed as overwhelming pleasure flooded your body. The sensation was brand new, so intense it made your legs twitch violently.

“Oh... Jungkook!” you moaned, fingers digging into his raven hair.

The knight’s tongue circled your swollen clit before sucking it gently into his mouth, then plunged inside your tight heat, ravishing you with slow, deep strokes. The wet, filthy sounds of his mouth eagerly eating you echoed through the chamber, obscene, and shameless.

The most beautiful woman he had ever known, the future queen, was thrashing beneath him, legs shaking uncontrollably around his head, soft whimpers and loud moans spilling from her pretty lips.

Your hips rolled desperately against his face, coating his tongue, lips, and chin with your sweet release. Sir Jungkook drank every drop you gave him, groaning against your cunt as his own cock strained painfully against his armor.

He had never tasted anything so addictive.

You were already twitching, gasping, legs trembling so hard they threatened to close around his head. The pleasure was too much, too new, too overwhelming for your body.

Suddenly, Sir Jungkook pulled back slightly, his lips glistening with your juices. His dark eyes looked up at you, breathing ragged.

“Should I continue, Your Highness?” he asked hoarsely, voice thick with lust and devotion. “Tell me… do you want more?”

You could barely form words. Your body was shaking, pussy throbbing, dripping onto the mattress beneath you.

“Please don’t stop,” you whimpered desperately. “Keep licking me... please...”

The knight obeyed instantly. He buried his face back between your thighs and attacked your clit with relentless strokes of his tongue. Two thick fingers pushed inside you, curling perfectly against that sensitive spot while he sucked hard on your swollen pearl.

The pleasure hit you like a storm.

Your entire body seized up. A loud, broken scream tore from your throat as your orgasm crashed over you violently. Your thighs clamped around his head, hips bucking wildly against his mouth as you gushed on his tongue. Wave after wave of intense pleasure ripped through you, leaving you shaking uncontrollably, vision blurring at the edges.

You nearly passed out from the sheer intensity of it. body twitching, chest heaving, soft cries still falling from your lips as the pleasure refused to let go.

Sir Jungkook stayed between your thighs through every tremor, drinking down every last drop of your release like a man who had finally found salvation.

When your body finally went limp, trembling and oversensitive, he gently kissed your inner thigh before pulling back, his handsome face flushed and glistening with your arousal.

You could barely speak, still catching your breath as you stared at the sight of your proud, disciplined knight with your release shining on his lips.

—

“The Princess requires her knight’s escort to the eastern tower for stargazing.”

The message was innocent enough on paper. But the court had begun to notice how often you summoned Sir Jeon Jungkook for these private “duties.” Some whispered that the Princess trusted no one else. Others envied the knight who had earned such unwavering favor from the realm’s greatest beauty.

They had no idea what really happened once the tower door was bolted.

In the eastern tower under the stars, you would push Sir Jungkook against the cold stone wall and demand his mouth on you again. He always hesitated at first, “Your Highness, we mustn’t…” but the moment you looked at him with those wide, needy eyes and whispered “Please, Jungkook… I ache for you,” his resolve crumbled.

He would drop to his knees in full armor, push your skirts up to your waist, and bury his face between your thighs. The sounds he made while devouring you were filthy and desperately loud. wet slurps and deep groans as he drank every drop of your arousal. You quickly learned to muffle your loud moans against your own arm or his shoulder, thighs shaking violently around his head as he brought you to shattering orgasm after orgasm.

He never asked for anything in return at first. But one night, after he had made you come so hard you saw stars, you dropped to your knees in front of him, hands trembling as you freed his thick, aching cock from his breeches.

You had never seen the knight fully bare, but you had tasted him.

You took him into your mouth with clumsy but eager hunger, sucking and licking until he was groaning your name like a prayer, his gloved hand gently cradling the back of your head. When he spilled down your throat, you swallowed every drop, looking up at him with wide, adoring eyes.

The tension between you only grew hotter, more forbidden.

You began creating excuses just to be close to him.

You “accidentally” wandered into dangerous parts of the forest during hunts. You “lost” your way in the palace corridors at night. You deliberately teased foreign dignitaries until they grew too bold, all so Sir Jungkook would have to step in, pull you protectively against his armored chest, and hold you there while scolding you with his low voice.

Each time, you nestled your head against his chest plate, breathing in his scent, feeling safe in a way you had never felt with anyone else.

One quiet afternoon in the royal rose gardens, while the other knights kept their distance. The summer blooms were at their peak, rows upon rows of crimson roses spilling over marble trellises in a riot of color and fragrance. Courtiers often compared them to you. You had heard the comparison so many times throughout your life that it had long since lost all meaning.

Your attention was elsewhere when Sir Jungkook paused beside a rose bush heavy with crimson blooms. Reaching out, he selected a single flower and turned it thoughtfully between his fingers before approaching.

“A gift?” you asked.

“If Your Highness would accept it.”

The answer surprised a smile from you.

He stepped forward and tucked the rose behind your ear. His gloved fingers lingered only for a second before withdrawing, but even that brief touch seemed to affect him more than he wished to admit.

When you looked up, his gaze was fixed upon the flower. “Beautiful things are dangerous,” he said quietly.

You laughed. “I believe roses are dangerous for everyone except gardeners.”

His expression didn’t change.

“I wasn’t speaking about the rose.”

Your heart fluttered so violently you had to look away. it was becoming impossible to deny how deeply you were falling for him.

The kisses grew sloppier, more desperate with every stolen moment.

In the abandoned library, your knight would press you against the bookshelves, helmet removed, and kiss you like he was drowning, tongue sliding against yours, hands gripping your waist as if afraid you might vanish. You kissed him back just as hungrily, tugging at his hair, moaning softly into his mouth while your hand palmed the hard bulge in his breeches.

Your hunger for him was insatiable. You ached for his presence constantly. The court noticed how you lit up when he entered a room, how you instinctively moved closer to him during gatherings. They saw devotion, they saw trust.

They never saw the way you both held each other’s eyes like lovers who knew their time was stolen.

The relationship was utterly forbidden. Your father would banish him, or worse, if he ever discovered the truth. But neither of you could stop. Something real was blossoming between you.

The knight admired your wild, rebellious spirit. You admired his quiet strength and unwavering honor. In the darkness, you were no longer just princess and knight. You were becoming each other’s secret salvation. And it was only a matter of time before the tension finally snapped.

—

The Coronation.

The kingdom was in full celebration. Banners of the finest gold flew from every tower. The greatest event in decades had arrived, your coronation as Queen.

Princes from across the realms had come in droves, each more eager than the last to win your hand and the throne beside you. They brought lavish gifts, performed in grand tournaments, and showered you with compliments. The entire court watched with bated breath, waiting for you to choose.

You sat upon the raised dais in a breathtaking gown of white, looking every bit the ethereal queen-to-be. But your eyes kept drifting to the tall, armored figure standing silently behind your throne, Sir Jeon Jungkook.

He had become even more composed in public, yet you could feel the storm raging beneath his helmet. Especially when you decided to play your cruel little game.

Prince Min of Veina leaned close during the feast, whispering sweet nothings about your beauty. You laughed brightly, placing a hand on his arm, letting your fingers linger, leaning in just enough for your neckline to offer him a generous view of your breasts.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Sir Jungkook’s gloved hand tighten around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white.

Another prince, a golden haired lord from the eastern isles, offered you a rose during the garden promenade. You accepted it with a coy smile, twirling it between your fingers while glancing toward your knight.

Sir Jungkook’s dark eyes burned behind the helmet. You could feel his jealousy like a living thing, hot and barely contained.

That night, after the feasting and dancing, you summoned him to the eastern tower under the usual pretense.

The moment the door closed, he was on you.

The knight pinned you against the cold stone wall. The single rose you’d been idly twirling between your fingers, a gift from one of the many princes, fell forgotten to the floor.

Sir Jungkook’s dark eyes burned with something almost feral.

“You will be wed off soon?” he growled dangerously, breath hot against your ear.

You looked up at him, heart racing. Your long, wavy hair had finally been let down after the long day, cascading over your shoulders and hips like dark silk. The tight corset of your white coronation gown was already loosened, the fabric slipping slightly off one shoulder, revealing the smooth curve of your skin.

“What do you think about Prince Min?” you asked sweetly, tilting your head. “I think he’s quite lovely. So charming. He even said he would worship me every night once we’re wed.”

Sir Jungkook’s jaw clenched so hard you heard it crack. The jealousy that had been simmering all day threatening to explode.

“Doesn’t it drive you mad, Sir Jeon?” You leaned in closer, letting your breasts brush against his armored chest. “Knowing your princess, the one you’ve been secretly devouring every night, is wanted by so many powerful men? That they all dream of putting a ring on my finger and taking me to their beds?”

“It is exquisite torture, Your Highness,” he growled, eyes burning. “Watching them look at you like they have any right to you. Knowing I’m the only one who’s ever tasted you, the only one who’s ever made you scream.”

His raw honesty sent a sharp thrill through you. You bit your lip, loving the way jealousy sharpened his features, making his dark eyes appear even more intense. He was possessive and barely holding himself back. And you wanted to push him further.

You stepped away from the wall with a teasing smile, walking over to the tall, gilded mirror that stood near the fireplace. The white gown still clung to your body, hair cascading in long, wild waves down your back. You picked up a silver brush and began slowly running it through it, watching him in the reflection.

Sir Jungkook followed you like a shadow, stopping just behind you. His tall, powerful frame loomed in the mirror, twice your size, radiating heat and restrained fury.

“Does that bother you, my knight?” A teasing smile played on your lips. “Knowing that soon I might have to let another man—”

You didn’t get to finish. Sir Jungkook’s large hand closed around your wrist, stopping the brush mid stroke. He plucked it from your fingers and set it down with a deliberate clack. His other hand gripped your hip, pulling your back flush against his armored chest.

Your breath hitched. The playful boldness you’d been wielding all night vanished in an instant.

“Enough,” he growled low against your ear, “You’ve teased me enough tonight, Your Highness.”

His dark eyes burned into yours through the mirror. The intensity there made your knees weak. This wasn’t the restrained, obedient knight anymore. This was a man who had finally reached his limit.

He reached around you and slowly began unlacing the rest of your corset. The white gown loosened further, slipping down your shoulders. You watched in the mirror as he tugged it lower, exposing your full breasts to the cool air and the warm firelight. Your nipples were hard, flushed, and sensitive.

Sir Jungkook’s hand cupped one breast possessively, squeezing it as his thumb brushed over the stiff peak. You gasped, arching into his touch.

“Look at yourself,” he ordered quietly, voice rough. “Look how beautiful you are. How perfect. And yet you let them think they could ever have this.”

He pinched your nipple, rolling it between his fingers until you whimpered. His other hand slid down, gathering the fabric of your gown and pulling it up to your waist, fully exposing your bare cunt in the mirror.

Your face bloomed bright red as you instinctively tried to close your legs, suddenly overwhelmed with shyness at the sight of yourself so lewdly displayed, flushed and completely bare in the golden firelight.

But Sir Jungkook wouldn’t allow it. His large hand gripped your thigh firmly, spreading you open again as he pressed his body harder against your back.

“Don’t hide,” His dark eyes met yours in the mirror, intense and commanding. “Look how filthy and wet you are for me.”

You shivered, unable to tear your eyes away from the reflection. The contrast was obscene, your ethereal white gown bunched around your waist, breasts exposed and heaving, legs spread wide while his armored body loomed behind you like a dark, possessive shadow.

Sir Jungkook’s hand returned between your thighs. Two thick fingers slid through your slick folds, parting them slowly so you could see everything in the mirror. You whimpered at the sight, embarrassed yet unbearably aroused.

“So beautiful,” he breathed as he circled your swollen clit with his fingertip. “This is what belongs to me. Not to any prince. Not to anyone else.”

He pushed two fingers inside you without warning, curling them deep. Your mouth fell open in a silent cry as he began ravishing you with slow, deliberate strokes that made wet, obscene sounds echo in the quiet tower.

You tried to close your legs again, overwhelmed, but he held them open with ease, his grip firm and unyielding.

“Watch,” he ordered softly, voice dark with lust. “Watch how easily I can make my princess fall apart.”

Your eyes stayed glued to the mirror as his fingers plunged in and out of your soaked cunt, his thumb rubbing tight circles on your clit. Your cheeks were flushed deep crimson, lips parted in shameless moans, breasts bouncing slightly with every thrust of his hand.

The pleasure built fast and merciless. Your legs started shaking, thighs trembling violently as you fought to stay upright.

Sir Jungkook’s fingers curled deeper, stroking that perfect spot inside you while his thumb pressed firm circles on your swollen clit.

You came hard with a broken cry, arousal gushing down his wrist and dripping onto the stone floor beneath you. Your head fell back against his armored shoulder, body convulsing as wave after wave of intense pleasure tore through right after.

The knight dragged his arousal coated fingers from your pulsing heat and brought them to his mouth, sucking them clean while his dark eyes stayed locked on yours in the mirror. The obscene sight made you whimper, legs pressing together instinctively. This time, he allowed it.

You pulled away from him shyly, legs unsteady as you walked toward the wide couch near the fireplace. You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to cover your bare breasts, suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment.

Sir Jungkook approached you ever so slowly. His heart was pounding. you could see it in the rise and fall of his broad chest. The way your flushed cheeks and shy posture made you look so adorable only made his desire burn hotter.

He stopped in front of you, towering over your smaller frame. Without a word, he gently uncrossed your arms, exposing your breasts again. You tried to cover them once more, but he caught your wrists softly.

“You’re too beautiful to hide, my love.” he murmured, voice low.

He leaned down and took one sensitive nipple into his hot mouth, sucking gently at first, then harder. You gasped sharply, hands flying to his shoulders as overwhelming sensitivity shot through you.

“Jungkook... it’s too much...” you whimpered, lightly pushing at his shoulders, cheeks burning with shyness.

He pulled back just enough to look at you, eyes dark with lust and affection. “You’re so sensitive here,” he whispered, almost in awe. He flicked his tongue over your nipple again, watching your reaction closely. “So angelic when you tremble like this.”

He sucked harder, alternating between your breasts, licking and biting softly until you were a whimpering mess, pushing at him weakly while your body arched into his mouth.

You grew frustrated at the unfairness, nearly naked while he was still fully armored. With a small, determined huff, you pushed him back slightly and began tugging at the straps of his armor.

“It is not fair,” you muttered, cheeks still flushed. “You get to see all of me, but I still haven’t seen you.”

The knight let you undress him, helping you remove piece after piece until he stood completely bare before you for the first time.

Your breath caught.

He was magnificent. Broad shoulders, powerfully sculpted chest marked with old scars, some long and faded, others newer. A few dark tattoos adorned his left pectoral and ribs. His abdomen was ridged with muscle, leading down to narrow hips. His cock hung heavy between his legs, thick and already hard.

You stepped closer, running your hands over his bare chest, tracing every scar with reverent fingers, exploring the strong lines of his back, more scars mapping his battles. He stood perfectly still, letting you admire him, though his breathing had grown heavier.

“You are… so manly, my knight,” you breathed, barely coherent, as your hands returned to his chest, sliding down the hard ridges of his abdomen. “So big… so perfect.”

The room had grown hotter, heavier. The air between you felt charged with months of suppressed longing. Your breaths mingled as you stared into each other’s eyes... yours wide with awe and desire, his dark with barely restrained hunger.

Sir Jungkook’s control finally snapped. He lifted you and laid you down on the wide couch near the fireplace, pinning your exploring hands above your head with one large hand, holding them there firmly before his body hovered over yours, powerful and imposing, thick cock resting heavy against your inner thigh.

“Look at me,” he commanded, voice low and rough.

You did, heart hammering.

“Tell me what you want,” he demanded, eyes burning into yours.

You squirmed beneath him, aching and desperate. “Take me,” you pleaded, trembling. “Please, Jungkook… give it to me. I need you inside me.”

Sir Jungkook let out a low groan at your words. He positioned himself at your entrance, the thick head of his cock pressing against your soaked folds. He was big, almost intimidatingly so. You felt the stretch even before he pushed in.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Your Highness,” he whispered, voice strained with worry and barely contained lust. His dark eyes searched yours, torn between desire and restraint. “You’re so tight...”

You trembled beneath him, legs parted wide around his hips. “Please,” you begged softly, cupping his face. “Don’t hold back. I need you. All of you.”

The knight exhaled shakily and began to push inside.

The stretch was intense. You gasped sharply as the thick head of his cock breached you, slowly forcing your walls open. Inch by thick inch, he sank deeper, filling you in a way you had never experienced before. It burned sweetly, bordering on too much, making your nails dig into his shoulders.

“Ah... Jungkook…” you whimpered, tears pricking your eyes at the overwhelming fullness.

He paused halfway, breathing hard, jaw clenched tight. “Tell me if it’s too much,” he rasped, rough. “I’ll stop. I swear it.”

But you shook your head, wrapping your legs around his waist.

“Don’t stop,” you pleaded, voice breaking. “I need you deeper… please.”

With a low groan, he pushed the rest of the way in, burying himself to the hilt. The fullness was devastating. You felt so stretched, so completely claimed, that for a moment you could barely breathe.

Sir Jungkook stayed still, letting you adjust, pressing soft kisses to your tear stained cheeks.

“You’re taking me so well,” he murmured, voice filled with awe and lust. “Such a good girl for me.”

When the burn finally melted into aching pleasure, you rolled your hips experimentally.

“Move,” you whispered. “Please… ruin me.”

That was all it took.

Sir Jungkook’s control snapped completely. He pulled back and thrust into you hard, setting a deep, punishing rhythm. Jealousy and months of pent up desire fueled every powerful stroke. The wet, filthy sound of his thick cock slamming into your soaked cunt filled the tower, mixing with your loud, broken moans.

He was a knight sworn to protect the crown, now utterly ruining the very sovereign he had pledged his life to shield.

“Mine,” Sir Jungkook growled, biting down on your neck hard enough to leave a dark mark. “Not theirs. Never theirs.”

He ravished you relentlessly, claiming you, marking you. His mouth was everywhere: sucking bruises into your breasts, biting your collarbone, licking the tears from your cheeks. He pinned your wrists above your head again, hips snapping against yours with raw need.

You came hard the first time, screaming his name as your walls clenched violently around his thick length. But he didn’t stop. He took you through it, then flipped you onto your hands and knees, on the wide couch.

First, he worshipped.

The knight dropped to his knees behind you, his large hands spreading your cheeks reverently. He leaned in and pressed slow, open mouthed kisses along the curve of your royal backside, lingering presses of his lips that made your breath hitch. He kissed lower, then lower still, until his tongue dragged hot and wet over your soaked folds from behind.

“So beautiful,” he murmured against your skin, breath hot and heavy. “So divine. And yet I am going to ruin every sacred inch of you.”

Then the worship turned into ruin.

He rose, gripping your hips with white knuckled force, and thrust into you from behind in one deep, devastating stroke. You cried out sharply at the stretch, the thick length of his cock forcing your walls open, filling you so completely it stole your breath.

You sobbed in pleasure, fingers clawing at the cushions as he drove into you relentlessly. The power he exerted over you was intoxicating. this hardened warrior, dominating you utterly while still worshipping every tremble of your body.

“You belong to me,” he rasped, ruining you with slow, devastating strokes now. “Say it.”

“I’m yours,” you whimpered, voice breaking. “Only yours, Jungkook... ahh!”

By the third round, you were a sobbing, whimpering mess, tears streaming down your face from overwhelming pleasure, body covered in his marks, cunt swollen and dripping with your combined release.

He took you in every way he could: against the wall, bent over the couch, riding him as he sat on the edge of the seat, then finally on your back again with your legs over his shoulders as he drove impossibly deep.

All night long, the tower echoed with your moans, his deep groans, the obscene wet sounds of your bodies joining. He claimed you utterly and completely devoted.

When he finally came for the last time, buried deep inside you, he held you tight, spilling pulse after pulse of hot seed into your womb, filling you until you felt impossibly full, claimed from the inside out.

Sir Jeon Jungkook pressed his forehead to yours, his lips brushing against yours with every word.

“You command the entire kingdom, my lady,” he whispered reverently, “but here in this hidden place… you are mine to ruin.”

You could only tremble in his arms, utterly spent, legs wrapped around his waist, heart pounding wildly as the fire crackled beside you.

The weight of what you had just done, and what it meant for both of you settled uncomfortably in the air. But in that moment, wrapped in his powerful arms, marked and filled by your knight, nothing else in the kingdom mattered.

The days that followed were a delicate illusion of peace.

It was late morning when you found yourself in the secluded royal bathing pool fed by a gentle river, surrounded by floating lily pads and white blossoms that drifted lazily on the current. The water was warm, scented with rose and lavender oils poured in by your maids. Sunlight filtered through the overhanging willow branches, casting soft, dappled light across the surface.

You leaned back against the smooth stone edge, your long dark hair floating around you like ink in water. Your body still carried the secret marks of the previous night, faint bruises on your hips, love bites hidden beneath the waterline, and a persistent, delicious ache between your thighs that reminded you with every shift who had claimed you so thoroughly.

Your maids, Elara, Verra, and old, wise Selyse moved around you carefully. They had raised you since you were a babe, more mothers than servants. They knew you better than anyone.

Elara poured another stream of warm water over your shoulders, her sharp eyes catching the faint flush that still lingered on your cheeks.

“You are glowing again this morning, my lady,” she said lightly, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “One might think the moon itself had kissed your skin.”

Verra, younger and bolder, laughed softly as she massaged oil into your scalp. “Or perhaps a certain tall, dark eyed knight has been keeping you… well attended.”

You felt your face heat, but you couldn’t stop the small, secret smile that curved your lips.

Selyse, the eldest, clicked her tongue but her eyes were soft with affection. “Hush, you two. Our princess has always been radiant. Though…” she tilted her head, studying you, “there is a new light in her eyes these days. And a certain weariness in her step that speaks of long nights.”

You bit your lip, sinking a little lower into the water as lily pads brushed against your skin.

“It is nothing,” you murmured, though the flush in your cheeks betrayed you.

“Nothing?” Vera teased, wading closer, her voice dropping conspiratorially.

“We have seen you grow from a wild little girl into this breathtaking woman. We know your heart. And we know it does not belong to any of those puffed up princes parading through the halls.”

You reached out, squeezing Elara’s hand, then Verra’s, your voice dropping to a shy, trembling whisper.

“It is true,” you confessed, cheeks burning hotter than the midday sun. “I have given myself to Sir Jeon. Body and heart. He is the only man I have ever wanted. The only one who has ever touched me.”

For a heartbeat, silence fell over the bathing pool. Then came the gasps.

Elara’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. Verra let out a delighted little squeak, nearly dropping the oil vial. Even old Selyse, usually so composed, looked momentarily stunned before her face broke into a warm, knowing smile.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Elara breathed, scandalized, thrilled. “You wicked little thing! With your own knight? Right under the King’s nose?”

Verra giggled uncontrollably, splashing water playfully in your direction. “And here we thought you were simply fond of him! All those late night ‘stargazing’ trips… you minx! Was he gentle? Was he… big?”

“Verra!” Selyse scolded, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. She turned to you with motherly affection. “Though I must admit, we have suspected for some time. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching… that man is utterly gone for you, my lady.”

You buried your face in your hands, mortified but unable to stop the shy, giddy smile spreading across your lips. Your gaze drifted across the river to where Sir Jeon Jungkook stood guard a respectful distance away, half hidden among the willow trees.

Even from here, you could feel the weight of his stare. He stood tall and imposing in his armor, but his dark eyes were fixed on you with a quiet, burning intensity that always made your stomach flutter.

You bit your lip, still flushed from both the warm water and the memory of his mouth, his hands, his body claiming you so thoroughly the night before.

“He is… everything,” you whispered dreamily, more to yourself than the maids. “Strong. Honorable. And when we are alone… he worships me like I am his entire world.”

Verra let out another delighted laugh. “As he should! Our princess deserves nothing less. Though if the King ever finds out…”

Selyse gently squeezed your shoulder, her voice softening with both love and concern.

“Then we will protect your secret as fiercely as we have protected you all these years,” she said. “You deserve to love who you love, my dear. Crown or no crown.”

You looked back at Sir Jungkook again. He hadn’t moved from his post among the willow trees, tall and steadfast in his armor, but your heart ached with a sharp mix of fear and wonder.

If The King ever discovered the truth, he would not spare your knight. Sir Jungkook would be banished, or worse. And you… you would be married off immediately to seal the wound.

The thought disturbed you deeply.

You turned back to the water, forcing a smile for your maids, but the warmth of the bath could no longer chase away the chill settling in your chest.

—

The rumors had begun to spread like fire through the palace corridors.

A lesser knight claimed he had seen “suspicious movement” near the eastern tower. One of the visiting princes mentioned, with a sly smile, that the Princess seemed unusually attached to her personal guard. Nothing concrete, nor proven. But the whispers were growing louder.

Your maids noticed your distraction immediately. During your morning dressing, Verra fastened the laces of your gown with unusually tight pulls, her voice urgent.

“My lady… you must be more careful,” she whispered. “Some of the king’s men have been asking questions about Sir Jeon. They say he spends too many nights away from the barracks. And one of Prince Min’s retainers swears he saw a tall figure slipping into your wing after midnight.”

Elara’s hands paused on your hair. “The knight is being cautious now. He avoids being seen with you as much. But you… you still look at him like he hung the moon. It is only a matter of time before the King hears something he cannot ignore.”

Selyse placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, her eyes full of love and worry. “You are playing with fire, sweet girl. And fire does not care how much you love it.”

Your heart clenched with fear. You hadn’t seen your knight alone in a week. He had been deliberately distant, protecting you both by keeping his distance. The absence gnawed at you like hunger.

That night, you sent for him under the pretense of needing extra security for a private walk in the inner courtyard.

The moment the hidden door to your chambers closed behind him, you were on him.

You pushed Sir Jungkook against the wall, frustration and fear pouring out of you in a desperate kiss. Your hands fisted in his tunic, tugging him closer.

“Where have you been?” you demanded between kisses, voice shaking. “I was scared. I thought something had happened to you. I thought my father had already—”

“I’m here,” he whispered against your lips, rough with emotion. He pulled you closer, arms wrapping around you. “I’m right here, my love.”

But then he pulled back slightly, forehead pressed to yours. His dark eyes were filled with pain.

“I cannot stay,” he said quietly. The words hit you like a blow. “Your father has ordered me to lead a company to the western borders. There have been reports of raiders. He says it is to prove my devotion to protecting the realm… and you. He also made it clear I can no longer linger so closely around you. The rumors are growing too loud.”

You stared at him, heart shattering.

“No,” you whispered, then louder, “No. You cannot leave me. Not now. Not after everything.”

Tears stung your eyes as the hurt poured out.

“After our first night, you pulled away. You kept your distance like I was poison. And now you’re leaving entirely? What if something happens to you out there? What if I lose you forever? I can’t take it, Jungkook. I won’t survive it.”

Your hands moved frantically, tugging at the straps of his armor with desperate, angry fingers.

“I don’t care about the king. I don’t care about the borders. I only care about you.”

Piece by piece, you stripped him. The armor fell to the floor with heavy clangs until he stood completely bare before you, broad chest, scarred skin, powerful frame looking every bit of the warrior he was. You shoved him back onto the bed and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips.

Sir Jungkook’s hands moved instinctively to the laces of your corset, trying to free you fully, but you slapped his hand away, tears already glistening in your eyes.

But the knight was patient. He sat up slowly, your legs still wrapped tightly around his waist, and gently cupped your face with both hands. His thumbs brushed away the tears on your cheeks with heartbreaking tenderness.

“My love,” he whispered, voice soothing, “Let me worship you. Let me take care of you tonight. Please.”

He leaned in and captured one of your sensitive breasts in his mouth, sucking slowly. His tongue swirled around your stiff nipple, drawing a shaky moan from you. He moved to the other, giving it the same devoted attention, sucking and licking until your back arched and fresh tears slipped down your cheeks, this time from overwhelming sensation and emotion.

Holding you close, then gently but firmly, Sir Jungkook leaned back, gripping your hips and guiding you upward. In one rapid motion, he pulled you over his face, settling you directly onto his waiting mouth. Your soaked folds pressed flush against his lips and tongue, your thighs framing his head as he looked up at you with pure hunger.

“Use me,” he growled against your dripping folds, the vibration sending sparks through your core. “Pleasure yourself on my tongue love. I want to drown in you.”

You hesitated for half a second, still shy and nervous, cheeks burning hot even as your body screamed for more. But the frantic ache between your legs won out. You lowered yourself more fully, your slick cunt sliding over his mouth, his nose buried against your clit. He groaned loudly, the sound muffled and obscene as he immediately speared his tongue deep inside you, licking and sucking at your juices like a man starved.

You started moving almost desperately, grinding down with frantic little rocks of your hips. Shyness still flickered in your chest, making you whimper and bite your lip, but the pleasure overrode everything. Your hands braced on the headboard as wet, filthy sounds filled the room, the slick slide of your cunt over his tongue, his eager slurping and moaning, the way he sucked your swollen clit between his lips and flicked it mercilessly.

“Oh gods...” you gasped. Your thighs trembled around his head as you grew bolder, grinding harder, smearing your arousal all over his face. He gripped your cheeks, spreading them, holding you down so you could use him exactly how you needed. His tongue ravished in and out of your dripping hole, then flattened to lap broad strokes from your entrance to your clit, devouring every drop.

But it wasn’t enough.

You lifted off his face with a wet pop, strings of your arousal connecting you to his glistening mouth. His eyes were dark, lips swollen and shiny with your juices. Before he could speak, you slid down his body impatiently.

You straddled his hips, wrapped your hand around his thick, throbbing cock, and sank down onto him in one frantic motion.

The stretch made you cry out, but you didn’t stop. You rode him hard, bouncing on his length with frantic, emotional need, your breasts bouncing heavily with every harsh drop of your hips.

“Don’t leave me,” you sobbed, riding him faster, tears falling onto his chest. “Please, Jungkook… I can’t lose you. Not after this. Not after you’ve ruined me for anyone else.”

He thrust up to meet you, matching your desperate rhythm, his strong hands gripping your hips to guide you deeper.

“I don’t want to go,” he rasped, voice breaking with the same pain. “But I must. Your father commands it. I have to prove my loyalty… so I can stay by your side.”

You leaned down, kissing him messily through your tears, riding him like you could keep him here forever if you just moved fast enough.

“Then stay inside me,” you begged, voice cracking. “Fill me up. So deep that a part of you stays with me even when you’re gone. I want to carry you with me when they try to take you away.”

Sir Jungkook groaned deeply. His hands tightened on your hips as he suddenly flipped you onto your back, pinning you beneath his powerful body.

He made love to you then, with deep, devastating strokes that reached the very core of you. His mouth never left your skin, sucking marks into your neck, whispering promises between every thrust.

“You are mine,” he breathed against your lips, hips rolling deeply. “I will come back to you. I will fill you again and again until you swell with our future.”

You wrapped your arms and legs around him, clinging desperately as another orgasm built inside you. When it finally crashed over you, you sobbed his name, walls pulsing tightly around his thick cock.

Sir Jungkook followed right after, burying himself as deep as possible with a low, guttural groan. He came hard, flooding your womb with thick, pulsing ropes of his seed, holding you so tightly it felt like he was trying to merge your souls together.

Even after, he stayed buried inside you, pressing soft kisses to your damp forehead, your cheeks, your trembling lips.

“I don’t want you to go,” you whispered, small and broken. “I love you too much.”

Sir Jungkook pressed a soft kiss to your temple, his arms never loosening. “I know, my love,” he murmured. “And that is why I must return to you. No matter what.”

The weeks following Sir Jungkook’s departure had stretched into an endless gray fog.

You moved through your royal duties like a ghost wearing a crown. You sat through council meetings with a straight spine and a hollow smile, listening to nobles bicker about alliances, trade routes while your mind wandered back to your knight’s strong arms. Every night since, your bed felt too large, too cold. You would press your face into the pillow he had once used and fight the ache in your chest.

You missed him with a desperation that bordered on madness.

This morning was no different. You had barely kept your breakfast down before the maids helped you into a heavy velvet gown the color of deep wine for yet another assembly with potential suitors. The princes and lords from neighboring kingdoms were growing impatient. Your coronation was only a month away, and the pressure to choose a consort was mounting like a noose around your throat.

By midday, the nausea returned with a vengeance. You barely made it through the formal greetings before excusing yourself to the private solar, hand pressed to your mouth.

Elara followed quickly with a basin. You retched violently into it, eyes watering.

“Your Highness…” she whispered, rubbing gentle circles on your back.

“I’m fine,” you rasped, waving her away. “Just… something I ate.”

But it wasn’t.

Later that evening, after the day’s obligations were finally over, Vera and Selyse insisted on the usual massage to ease the tension in your shoulders. They helped you out of your gown until you lay on the wide cushioned table in nothing but a thin silk shift.

The moment Selyse’s skilled hands moved over your breasts, the older maid froze.

Verra, who was working on your legs, also stilled.

“…Your Highness,” Selyse said carefully, “Your breasts… they are fuller. Tender, yes?”

Your breath hitched. You had noticed it days ago but had tried to ignore the swelling, the sensitivity. The way even the softest fabric sometimes made you wince.

Verra’s hands gently pressed against your lower belly, not quite a touch, more an assessment. “And the sickness every morning… the fatigue… the way you’ve been crying in your chambers…”

Your eyes filled with tears. You turned your face into your folded arms, shoulders shaking.

Selyse knelt beside the table, taking your hand gently. “My lady… are you with a child?”

You didn’t answer at first. Then a broken sob escaped you.

“I think so,” you whispered. “I… I don’t know for certain, but the timing…” Your voice cracked. “It would be his. Sir Jungkook’s.”

Both maids exchanged a heavy glance. This changed everything.

Verra spoke softly, “My lady... with your coronation approaching. The lords are already circling like vultures, pushing their sons at you. If this comes out before you choose a prince…”

“I know,” you said, voice muffled. Fresh tears slipped down your cheeks. “I know what it means. But I can’t… I can’t just marry one of them. Not when I’m carrying the child of the only man I’ve ever loved.”

You sat up slowly, clutching the silk shift to your chest, arms wrapped protectively around your still flat stomach.

“My dear knight...” you sniffled. “He is out there fighting gods-know-what, and I’m here pretending to be the perfect princess while my body betrays our secret.”

Selyse brushed a strand of hair from your face with motherly tenderness. “We can hide it a little longer, Highness. Looser gowns. Ginger tea for the sickness. But you must decide soon what path you will take. The child… it will not stay hidden forever.”

You nodded, but your heart was breaking all over again. The thought of choosing one of those cold, ambitious princes while carrying Sir Jungkook’s child made you feel ill all over again.

Selyse pressed a kiss to the top of your head, her voice firm with loyalty. “We pray he returns soon, my lady. And until then, we will guard you and this little one with our lives.”

—

The weeks blurred into months as winter settled over the kingdom like a heavy white shroud. Snow blanketed the towers and gardens, turning the world soft and silent, yet inside your chest, the storm only grew louder.

Sir Jeon Jungkook had not returned.

Your belly had swelled noticeably now, a gentle but undeniable curve that marked the life growing within you. With the help of Elara, Verra, and Selyse, you hid it beneath layers of loose, flowing gowns and heavy cloaks lined with fur.

The rich fabrics concealed the truth for now, but you could no longer ignore the way your body changed, the tender fullness of your breasts, the occasional flutter of movement beneath your skin, and the constant, bone deep exhaustion.

You had begun excusing yourself from the suitors’ assemblies more frequently, claiming headaches or matters of state. But the King, grew increasingly impatient.

In the grand throne room one frost laced afternoon, he fixed you with a stern gaze as snow fell outside the tall windows. “You cannot delay any longer, daughter,” he spoke, heavy with royal command. “Prince Min of Viena is a strong candidate. The coronation is weeks away. You must choose a consort soon. The realm needs stability.”

You bowed your head, hands clasped tightly over your hidden belly beneath the voluminous velvet. “Yes, Father,” you murmured, the lie tasting like ash. Inside, your heart screamed for the only man you wanted.

Every few days, with your maids’ help, you sent letters. Verra would sneak them to a trusted rider, sealed with your private wax. You poured your soul onto the parchment; how much you missed him, the way your body was changing, the secret you carried, your love that only deepened with every passing day. Yet no responses ever came. The silence gnawed at you, feeding nightmares of him lying wounded on some distant battlefield or worse.

The worry became unbearable.

One bitter winter morning, wrapped in a thick hooded cloak that concealed your swollen middle, you slipped away from the castle with only Elara and Selyse accompanying you. The three of you rode through the snow dusted forest to a modest stone cottage on the outskirts of the kingdom, the home where Sir Jungkook had grown up.

When the door opened, an older woman with kind eyes and streaks of silver in her dark hair stood before you. Sir Jungkook’s mother. She froze at the sight of the princess on her doorstep, her hand flying to her chest.

“Your Highness…?” she whispered, stunned. “Surely I do not deserve to be blessed with your presence at my humble door. Please, come inside before the cold takes you.”

She ushered you, Elara, and Selyse quickly into the warm cottage, the scent of pinewood and baking bread wrapping around you like an embrace. The fire crackled merrily in the hearth as she helped you remove your snow dusted cloak. Only when you were seated by the fire did her gaze drop to the unmistakable swell of your belly beneath the loose gown.

You took a steadying breath, your hands resting protectively over your rounded stomach.

“I carry his child,” you said softly, trembling with emotion. “Your son’s. Sir Jungkook’s. He does not know yet… he has not returned, and I… I needed to feel close to him somehow.”

Jungkook’s mother, Maera, stood completely still for a long moment, her eyes wide with shock. Then her hand flew to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Oh… gods above,” she breathed, her voice cracking. “A grandchild…? From my Jungkook?” Fresh tears flowed freely as she dropped to her knees in front of you, taking your hands in hers with deep reverence. “My lady… my princess. You honor me beyond words. You honor my son. To think that you, a royal daughter, would carry his child… I am stunned. Truly stunned. And so deeply moved.”

She pressed her forehead to your knuckles, weeping quietly with pure joy and emotion. When she lifted her head again, her eyes shone with fierce affection.

“You are already family to me,” she whispered. “Come here, sweet child.” She rose and pulled you into a warm embrace, cradling you gently as if you were made of glass. “You must be so frightened, carrying this secret alone while he is away. But you are not alone anymore. Not while I draw breath.”

You felt safe in her arms, the weight on your heart easing just a little as winter wind howled softly outside the cottage walls.

After composing herself, Maera wiped her tears and fetched a small wooden chest from a shelf. She sat beside you, opening it with trembling hands.

“Look,” she said tenderly, pulling out several treasured items. She showed you a faded sketch of a chubby baby with dark, serious eyes —Sir Jungkook as an infant. Another portrait showed him as a sturdy little boy of four, holding a wooden sword with determination. There was even a lock of his soft baby hair tied with a ribbon.

“He was always so intense, even as a babe,” she said with a watery laugh. “Strong and quiet… but when he smiled, the whole world lit up. Just like I imagine your little one will.”

You traced the portraits with gentle fingers, tears slipping down your own cheeks. Seeing these glimpses of him as a child made your love for the knight swell even deeper. You could so clearly picture your baby with his eyes, his strength, his rare smile. The thought made your heart ache with both joy and longing.

Maera kept one hand over yours, cherishing you openly. “Thank you for coming to me,” she murmured. “For trusting me with this precious news. We will wait for him together, my daughter. And when he returns, he will be the happiest man alive.”

The two of you sat by the fire for a long while — his mother and the mother of his child, talking softly as snow continued to fall outside, bound by love for the same man.

The days after your visit to Maera’s cottage only deepened the ache in your soul. Winter grew harsher, and so did your impatience. Every morning you woke with your hands on your swelling belly, feeling the strong kicks of his child, and the longing became unbearable.

One evening in the royal chambers, you fell to your knees before the King, tears streaming down your face. “Father, please… I beg you. Bring Sir Jungkook back. I need him. I cannot do this without him.”

The King frowned, confused by your desperation. “Daughter, he is leading my forces on the border. The realm needs him there. Why this sudden insistence on one knight?”

You could not tell him the truth. “I just… need him,” you whispered brokenly. “Please.”

He did not relent. The pressure to choose a suitor only intensified.

And then the sickness took hold.

Your body ached constantly. deep soreness in your back, hips, and breasts that made every movement painful. The baby’s kicks, once a comfort, now left you breathless. You grew feverish and weak.

Elara, Verra, and Selyse rarely left your side, forcing herbal teas and bitter medicines down your throat while piling warm blankets over you. For nearly a week you were bedridden, barely able to leave your chambers, hidden away from the court under the excuse of a winter chill.

One cold, silent night, as snow tapped gently against the window panes, you drifted in and out of a fevered haze. The herbs made the world soft and blurry around the edges.

You thought it was a dream when the heavy door to your chambers opened with a quiet creak and a tall, familiar figure stepped inside, shedding his snow dusted cloak. The firelight caught on his sharp jawline and those intense dark eyes.

Strong arms slipped beneath you, lifting you carefully as he climbed into your grand bed. A warm, calloused hand gently cradled your swollen belly. You felt the press of soft, reverent lips against the curve of your stomach.

“My love…” The knight’s deep voice whispered against your skin, rough with emotion. “I’m here. I finally came back to you.”

“Jungkook…?” you murmured drowsily, eyelids heavy, unsure if this was real or another cruel dream born of longing and medicine.

“It’s me,” he breathed, pulling your body flush against his solid chest. He was real. warm, solid, smelling of snow, leather, and the faint scent of campfires. “I’ve been aching for you every single day. Your touch, your voice… it kept me alive out there.”

His large hand stroked slow, soothing circles over your rounded belly, feeling the baby shift and kick beneath his palm. He lowered his head, pressing his lips directly to the taut skin.

You let out a tired, broken sound. “You left me… You promised you’d come back sooner. Look at me… I’m so sore, so heavy with your child, and you weren’t here…”

Sir Jungkook chuckled softly, the sound warm against your skin, even as his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I know, my princess. I deserve your scolding. I’m deeply sorry.” He kissed your belly again and again, soft open mouthed presses wherever he could reach. Then he trailed his lips higher, attaching his mouth gently to the swollen, aching curve of your breasts, sucking lightly and kissing away the soreness with such care that you whimpered in relief.

His hands never stopped moving, massaging the deep ache in your lower back, cupping and gently holding your heavy breasts to ease their weight, stroking your hips and thighs. He intertwined his fingers with yours, holding your hand tightly as if afraid you might vanish.

“You are unreal, my love.” he murmured, voice hoarse with awe as he looked at you. “Your glow… it’s deeper now. The way pregnancy has changed you… you’re beyond anything I could have imagined. You shine like starlight. Carrying our child has only made you more radiant, more mine.”

You clung to him weakly, drowsy but desperate for his touch. “The baby… it kicks so much. I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl… but it feels like you. Strong and stubborn.”

Jungkook smiled against your temple, one hand still resting warmly over your belly. “This child is the product of our love. A piece of both of us. I already love them more than life.” He kissed you deeply, slowly, pouring months of aching into it. “Every battle, every cold night, I thought only of coming home to you like this… holding you, feeling our baby move, worshipping the body that’s creating our future.”

He continued kissing every place that ached... the sides of your breasts, the curve of your belly, the inside of your wrist, his mouth soft and devoted. You melted into him, the pain easing under his gentle care as he held you close.

“Stay…” you whispered tiredly, already slipping back into sleep.

“I’m here right now,” he promised, lips brushing your ear. “Sleep, my love. I’ve got you both.”

When morning light filtered through the heavy curtains, you woke slowly, body still aching but strangely comforted.

The bed beside you was cold. No warmth lingered. No cloak on the chair. No scent of him on the pillows. Only the faint memory of strong hands, whispered words to your belly, and soft kisses remained.

You touched your swollen stomach, feeling another firm kick, and tears filled your eyes.

Was it a dream? A fevered hallucination woven from medicine, longing, and love? Or had Sir Jungkook truly returned to you in the dead of night… only to disappear again before dawn?

The herbs and medicines your maids prepared worked their magic. The fever finally broke, the deep soreness in your body eased into a manageable ache, and the constant nausea faded. Though you were still tired, your strength slowly returned. Your belly continued to grow rounder and heavier, the baby’s kicks becoming more insistent and lively.

One quiet winter evening, when the moon hung full over the snow covered palace, your maids turned your chambers into a secret sanctuary.

Accompanied by Sir Jungkook’s mother, they had worked together in absolute secrecy. No one outside your trusted circle knew. They had decorated the large private solar adjacent to your bedroom with soft candlelight, evergreen boughs, and winter white roses. Warm furs and silk pillows were arranged in a luxurious nest near the hearth. Incense of myrrh filled the air, and a small table held gifts wrapped in fine cloth.

They helped you into a loose, flowing gown of the softest ivory silk that draped beautifully over your swollen belly, leaving your shoulders bare. When you stepped into the room, all four women bowed their heads in reverence.

Selyse took your hand and guided you to the center of the soft pillows. “Tonight we celebrate you, my lady. And the precious life you carry. No one else will know of this blessing. It is ours alone.”

They treated you with deep adoration, as though you were sacred.

Elara gently massaged your feet with warm scented oil while Maera brushed your hair until it shone. Verra offered you sweet honeyed fruits and warm spiced milk, foods meant to nourish both you and the baby. Selyse laid her hands lightly on your rounded belly and spoke soft blessings for a safe birth and a strong child.

Selyse, ever wise, placed a small crown of dried herbs and winter berries on your head. “You are the vessel of love and life,” she murmured. “Even in these uncertain times, you bloom. We honor you as our princess… and as the mother of Sir Jungkook’s heir.”

You felt tears prick your eyes as they presented their secret gifts: tiny embroidered blankets, a soft knitted cap in deep green, a small silver pendant shaped like a blooming rose, a symbol of motherhood.

Vera leaned her cheek against your belly for a moment, grinning when the baby kicked in response. “He or she is strong already. Just like their father.”

You placed both hands over your swollen stomach, feeling another firm flutter. The warmth of their love and the secret celebration soothed the constant ache of missing your knight.

“Thank you,” you whispered, “All of you. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Elara kissed your temple. “We will keep you and this little one safe until Sir Jungkook returns. And he will return.”

The warmth of the secret celebration lingered on your skin as you returned to your chambers that night. The maids had just helped you out of the ivory silk gown when a royal messenger knocked urgently.

“The King demands your presence immediately, Your Highness. In his private study.”

You had no time to prepare. Still glowing from the love and blessings of your maids, you wrapped yourself in a heavy velvet robe that concealed your very swollen belly and followed the messenger.

The moment you entered the study, the atmosphere turned icy. Your father stood behind his desk, several of your letters spread before him.

“Daughter,” he spoke, controlled. “I have given you time to come to me yourself. I know you have been sending letters to the front lines. To Sir Jungkook, specifically.” He turned to face you, his expression stern but not yet furious. “I know of your… admiration for him. Speak truthfully now. What is this attachment?”

Your throat tightened. This was the moment. With your belly heavy with his child and your heart aching, you could no longer hide everything.

“Father…” you began, voice trembling as you stepped closer. “It is more than admiration. I love him. Sir Jungkook is the only man I want.” Your hands instinctively moved to cradle your stomach. “And I… I am carrying his child.”

Silence crashed over the room.

The King’s eyes widened, then narrowed sharply as his gaze dropped to the unmistakable swell beneath your gown. His face darkened with shock, then rage.

“You what?” he hissed. “A knight’s bastard? While I have been parading princes before you? While the entire realm waits for you to secure the throne with a proper alliance?”

“Father, please,” you begged, tears filling your eyes. “It is his. Our love is real. If you would only let him return, we could—”

The King’s face twisted with fury. “You dare speak such filth to me? A royal princess swollen with a common knight’s bastard?”

You rebelled, voice shaking but defiant. “It is not filth. It is love. I will not marry Prince Min. I will not let you use me as a pawn for alliances while I carry the man I love’s child.”

“Enough!” The King slammed his fist on the table, making you flinch. “I have been patient with your childish infatuation, but this is treason against your bloodline. You will do as you are told! Your fate is sealed. You will marry Prince Min before the month ends.”

Later that same night, before your maids could even calm you, you found your most trusted rider in the stables. With tears streaming down your face and snow falling around you, you whispered your final message: “Tell him… tell Sir Jungkook that I will wait for him. No matter how long it takes. My heart is his alone. I will wait.”

The rider bowed and galloped into the night. No response ever came.

The next weeks were a nightmare.

Prince Min visited often, his eyes raking over your body with open lust and infatuation. He complimented your “ethereal glow”, clearly aroused by your pregnant form, but his arrogance disgusted you. He spoke openly of claiming the throne through you, of bedding you the moment you were his. You hated him with every fiber of your being.

You fought your father harder than ever, refusing to attend meetings with Prince Min, screaming that you would rather die than marry him. But the King had reached his limit.

One brutal afternoon, he summoned you again and placed a bloodied cloak and a forged letter before you.

“Sir Jeon Jungkook is dead,” he said flatly. “He fell in battle two weeks ago. This is proof.”

The world shattered.

You collapsed to the floor, a guttural sob tearing from your throat. The baby inside you kicked as if sensing your pain. From that moment, you broke completely.

You refused to eat. You barely slept. You stopped speaking, even to Elara, Verra, and Selyse who begged you through tears to think of the child. You lay in bed for days, staring at nothing, your once radiant glow fading into pale exhaustion. Your maids feared for both your life and the baby’s.

Despite how numb you had become, when your maids gently suggested taking you to Maera’s quiet home on the edge of the forest, you agreed without protest. You were taken there in secret under the cover of night.

Maera, a strong but grieving woman with the same dark eyes as her son, took you in without question. She cared for you with quiet hands and even quieter words. You didn’t speak much to her either, but you accepted her care wholeheartedly. After all, she was mourning the loss of her son, and you were mourning the loss of your lover and the father of your child.

The King, despite his fury, still sent guards to watch over you from a distance. You were still royalty, still carrying what he believed might be his grandchild. But you could only think of the protection you once had... the strongest, safest pair of arms that had ever wrapped around you.

You mourned deeply. But you couldn’t be completely selfish with a baby on the way, restless and eager to come into the world.

The labor came on a stormy night.

The pains started suddenly and violently. Maera and your maids worked frantically around you as you screamed and cried, gripping the sheets until your knuckles turned white. The King himself had ridden out in secret when he heard you had gone into labor, standing outside the cottage with a face pale with rare fear.

He didn’t know how to comfort you. He only knew one thing, his daughter was calling for her knight in her delirium.

Even though he viewed the child as the product of a sinful affair, something in him softened at the sound of your broken sobs. He could not lose you.

Inside the cottage, you gave birth to a baby girl.

She was small, chubby, with a shock of raven hair and big, dark eyes that looked exactly like her father’s. The moment the midwife placed her on your chest, fresh tears streamed down your face.

“She looks like him…” you whispered, hoarse and broken. “My little love… she has his eyes.”

You held her close, sobbing softly as the pain and grief mixed with a fragile, overwhelming love. Even in your exhaustion, you couldn’t stop crying. You believed Sir Jungkook was dead. The thought that your daughter would never know her father tore you apart.

Maera wept beside you, gently stroking your hair. “She’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Just like her mother.”

Outside, the King stood in the rain, waiting.

When the door finally opened and the midwife stepped out, he demanded to know if you and the child were alive. Upon hearing they both were, something in his hardened heart shifted.

He turned to his captain without a word and gave the order.

“Send riders to the western borders at once. Bring Sir Jeon Jungkook back. Tell him… his princess has need of him.”

It would take time. The borders were far, and the roads were muddy from the storms. A week, perhaps a month.

In the quiet warmth of the cottage, you held your newborn daughter against your chest, wrapped in soft linen.

You rocked her gently as she fussed against your breast, nursing hungrily. Your maids and Maera moved around you, bringing broth, fresh cloths, and ever soft words. But you barely spoke. The grief had hollowed you out.

“I wish you could meet your father,” you whispered to the baby one quiet night, voice cracking. Tears slipped down your cheeks as she latched on again. “He would have held you so carefully. He would have loved you more than anything in this world. He would have protected us both…”

Maera sat beside you, her own eyes red from mourning. She placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. “He would have been so proud,” she said softly. “Of both of you.”

You could only nod, throat too tight to speak. The emptiness inside you felt endless. Every time the baby cried, every time she looked up at you with those familiar dark eyes, the pain returned like a fresh wound.

The King demanded your return to the palace, as you were still royalty, still bound to your father’s will despite carrying a child out of wedlock. He wrote letter after letter insisting you resume your duties and prepare for the inevitable marriage to Prince Min. You refused to answer most of them.

Your maids tried their best to comfort you, but even they could not reach the depths of your sorrow. The only light in your world was your daughter. Tiny, perfect, with Jungkook’s dark eyes and a tuft of raven hair. You held her constantly, whispering stories about her father, singing lullabies with a voice that often broke halfway through.

You mourned him deeply. The King had not even granted him a proper funeral. No rites. No chance to say goodbye. Just a bloodied cloak and a cold declaration.

One quiet evening, Maera left the cottage to fetch groceries from the nearby village. Your maids had been called back to the palace on the King’s orders, duties they could not refuse. For the first time in weeks, it was just you and your baby in the small, warm cottage.

You sat by the window, cradling her in your arms. She cooed softly, tiny fingers wrapping around yours as you gently rocked her. For a few precious minutes, you allowed yourself to smile a real, soft smile as you played with her little hands and kissed her forehead.

“My baby,” you whispered, “The loveliest babe. Don’t tell the queens and princesses, I think they’d be terribly jealous.”

The baby blinked up at you. “Oh, yes,” you continued solemnly. “Especially of those cheeks.”

You leaned back in the chair as exhaustion eventually won over you, your eyes growing heavy. With your daughter nestled safely against your chest, sleep claimed you quickly.

When you woke, the cottage was awfully quiet.

Your arms were empty.

Panic slammed into you like a physical blow. You shot upright, heart hammering wildly as you looked around the room.

The baby was gone.

“No… no, no, no...” you gasped, stumbling to your feet, voice rising into a broken sob. “Where is my baby?!”

You searched frantically, under the blankets, behind the chairs, near the hearth, terror clawing at your throat. Your mind spun with nightmarish possibilities. Had someone taken her? Had the King sent men to steal her away?

Then you saw him.

A tall figure standing near the doorway, cradling your daughter gently in his strong arms. She was sleeping peacefully against his chest, tiny fist curled into his tunic.

Your knees buckled.

It was Sir Jungkook.

He looked exhausted, travel worn, mud on his boots, shadows under his eyes, but he was alive. Real. His dark eyes met yours, filled with unbearable love and pain.

You stared at him, trembling violently, refusing to believe what you were seeing.

“No…” you whispered, shaking your head. “No, no, this isn’t real. You’re dead. They told me you were dead. This is another dream. You always come in my dreams and then you leave me again—”

Your voice cracked into a sob as you backed away, hands clutching your chest.

“You left me,” you cried, tears streaming down your face. “You left me and our child. I mourned you. I almost died mourning you. Please… don’t do this to me again. I can’t take another dream. I can’t wake up to find you gone again.”

Sir Jungkook’s face crumpled with anguish. He took one careful step forward, still cradling your daughter like the most precious thing in the world.

“My love,” he said hoarsely, voice breaking. “It’s not a dream. I’m here. I’m real. Your father… he lied. He sent me away to the borders to keep me from you. But I came back the moment he allowed it. I rode without stopping.”

You shook your head harder, tears falling faster, refusing to believe it even as your heart screamed at you to run to him.

“You’re dead,” you repeated, voice small and shattered. “You have to be dead… because if you’re not, then you let me believe it. You never answered my letters. Not one. I wrote to you every single day, pouring my heart out, begging you to come back to me, to our child… and you never...”

Fresh tears spilled down your cheeks as the pain twisted deeper.

“You were in on it, weren’t you?” you whispered, voice breaking. “You let my father tell me you were gone. You left me here to rot in grief while I carried your child alone. How could you?”

The knight’s face crumpled with agony. He took a step forward, but you flinched, and he stopped immediately, hands trembling at his sides.

Before he could speak, your daughter stirred in his arms. As if sensing the suffocating tension in the room, she let out a sharp, hungry cry, her little lips puckering, tiny fists waving.

You moved without thinking, reaching for her. Sir Jungkook gently handed her over, his hands lingering for a moment as if afraid to let go. You turned away from him, sitting on the edge of the bed and loosening your dress to feed her. The baby latched on eagerly, her cries softening into small, contented sounds.

The knight stood there, watching you in silence. He looked lost, this battle-hardened soldier, returned from war, now completely unsure how to comfort the woman he loved. He slowly lowered himself to his knees in the middle of the room, head bowed.

“I wrote to you,” he admitted hoarsely. “Every chance I had. Your father… he made sure none of my letters reached you. He wanted you to believe I was gone. I fought every day to come back to you. I almost died trying to get word to you.”

You didn’t look at him. You kept your eyes on your daughter, tears falling silently onto her soft hair.

“I mourned you like a widow,” you whispered, voice thick with pain. “I almost died. And now you’re here… acting like you didn’t abandon me when I needed you most.”

The words cut awfully deep. Sir Jungkook’s shoulders slumped, but he stayed on his knees, silent and respectful, giving you the space your wounded heart demanded.

Your daughter stirred in your arms, letting out a small, distressed whimper as if she could sense the storm raging between her parents. You rocked her gently, pressing a kiss to her soft raven hair.

“Shh, my sweet one,” you cooed softly, “Mama’s here. You’re safe.”

Sir Jungkook’s hands twitched at his sides, aching to reach out, to touch you, to hold both of you, but he remained still, jaw clenched tight. He was no longer in full armor, only a worn tunic and breeches, his appearance shambled from the long ride, fresh bruises blooming across his knuckles and jaw.

You turned away from him, focusing on the small tasks that had become your life in the cottage. The rain outside grew heavier, pounding against the roof like a relentless drum.

You moved about the space, stirring the pot of stew over the fire, folding fresh linens, anything to keep your hands busy and your mind from breaking completely.

Hours passed in heavy silence. When your daughter finally grew fussy again, you nursed her by the hearth until her little eyes fluttered shut. You laid her gently in the wooden cradle Maera had prepared, stroking her cheek one last time before covering her with a soft blanket.

Only then did you notice movement near the door.

Sir Jungkook was standing there, cloak in hand, quietly preparing to leave.

Something inside you fractured. You stepped toward him, voice cracking. “You’re leaving again?”

He turned slowly, eyes filled with torment. “I was only going to check the perimeter. The rain is heavy, and I… I didn’t want to burden you further.”

You stared at him, this warrior who had survived hell just to return to you, and the dam finally broke.

“Come here,” you whispered.

He obeyed without hesitation.

You led him to your bed and with trembling hands, you began removing his tunic, revealing the damage the war had left behind.

New bruises painted his ribs and shoulders in shades of purple and blue. Fresh scars, still healing, cut across his chest and abdomen. He looked harder, a man who had walked through fire and barely returned.

Your lips trembled, but you forced yourself to stay steady. You turned away briefly, gathering clean linen strips, salve, and a bowl of warm water. When you returned, the knight stood perfectly still, letting you see all of him, the bruises, the brutal evidence of everything he had endured just to return to you.

You began tending to him in silence, your hands gentle as you cleaned a particularly nasty cut along his side. But the more you looked, the more the dam inside you cracked.

“What have they done to you, Jungkook?” you whispered, voice breaking. Tears spilled down your cheeks as you carefully wrapped a bandage around his ribs. “You’re… you’re covered in pain. All of this… just to come back to me?”

He stood motionless, letting you care for him, but his dark eyes never left your face.

“I would go through it a thousand times more,” he said softly, “if it meant coming back to you and our daughter.”

You shook your head, fresh tears falling as you pressed a bandage over another wound. “Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say that. I can’t bear thinking of you suffering like this. I thought you were dead. I thought I would never see you again, and now you’re here… broken because of me.”

Sir Jungkook slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of you, even though you were still trying to tend to him. The powerful knight, the man who had survived war, knelt before you like the loyal protector he had always been.

“Your Highness,” he murmured, head slightly bowed, voice thick with emotion. “I failed you. I wasn’t here when you needed me most. I wasn’t here when you carried our child. I wasn’t here when you gave birth. I wasn’t here when they told you I was gone. Forgive me.”

You dropped the bandages and pulled him into your arms, holding his head to your chest. His arms wrapped around your waist instantly, clinging to you like a man who had almost lost everything.

A broken sob tore from his throat.

Your knight, your warrior, the strongest person you had ever known, cried against your chest like a child. Deep, shuddering sobs that shook his powerful frame as his arms tightened around you.

“I thought I lost you,” he choked out, voice muffled against your skin. “Every night on the border, I prayed I would make it back to you. To both of you.”

You held him tighter, fingers threading through his raven hair, your own tears falling onto his head.

“You’re here now,” you whispered, rocking him gently. “You’re here. You came back to us. That’s all that matters.”

For a long time, the only sounds in the cottage were the rain outside, the crackling fire, and the quiet, heartbroken sobs of a knight who had finally returned to his princess.

—

The rain had not eased by the middle of the night. It hammered against the thatched roof like an impatient army. You had fallen asleep in Jungkook’s arms on the narrow bed, your daughter nestled safely in her cradle beside you. For the first time in months, your sleep was deep and dreamless.

A sharp knock on the cottage door shattered the peace.

Sir Jungkook was awake in an instant. He slipped from the bed silently, pulling on his tunic and reaching for the sword he had left by the door. His body was still tense from war, every muscle ready for threat.

“Stay here,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. “I will see who it is.”

But you already knew.

A cold certainty settled in your chest. You rose, wrapping a shawl around your shoulders, and followed him despite his warning. Your daughter stirred but remained asleep.

Sir Jungkook opened the door, sword half drawn, rain pouring behind the figure standing outside.

It was the King.

Your father stood in the downpour, cloak heavy with water, face pale and drawn. Guards waited at a respectful distance, torches flickering weakly in the storm. His eyes moved past your knight and landed on you.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then the King stepped inside without invitation, water dripping onto the wooden floor. His gaze softened when it fell on you — his only daughter, still pale from childbirth, carrying the weight of grief and motherhood.

“My child,” he said, voice rough. “You must return to the palace. You are still royalty. Still my blood. You do not belong in a cottage like this.”

You stood straighter, even as exhaustion and lingering pain made your body ache.

“I belong where I choose,” you replied quietly, but firmly. “And I will not return without Sir Jeon. He is my knight. He is the father of my daughter. He stays with me.”

The King’s jaw tightened. He glanced at Jungkook, who stood tall and silent beside you, sword now lowered but ready.

“I know what you are to each other,” the King said heavily. “I have known for some time. Prince Min is a fool and a coward, but his bloodline is strong. The alliance—”

“I will not marry him,” you cut in, voice steady despite the tears gathering in your eyes. “I will return to the palace. I will perform my duties as princess, as future queen. I will be the ruler this kingdom needs. But only if Sir Jungkook remains at my side. As my knight. As the man I have chosen. As the only man with any right to me.”

The King looked at you for a long time. He saw the woman you had become, not just his rebellious daughter, but a figure of quiet strength. The people in the surrounding villages spoke of you with reverence. They told stories of the princess who helped common women, shared food during hard winters, who listened to their troubles as if they mattered as much as any noble’s.

The King exhaled slowly, defeated but not broken.

“Very well,” he said at last. “Sir Jeon will return with you. He will remain your personal knight. But this… affair… must remain hidden from the court. For now.”

You nodded once, relief flooding through you.

The King’s gaze drifted to the cradle where your daughter slept. He had not yet seen her. You had kept her away from him, protecting her with every fiber of your being.

He took one hesitant step toward the cradle, then stopped, as if afraid.

The King’s shoulders sagged. For the first time in years, he looked truly old.

“Bring her home,” he said quietly. “Both of you. We will find a way.”

When the heavy door of the cottage finally closed behind your father, you let out a huge, shaky sigh. The weight of the conversation pressed on your chest like a stone. You turned and walked to the cradle, gently lifting your daughter into your arms. She stirred but settled quickly against your chest.

Sir Jungkook followed silently behind you, his presence warm.

“I would not trust him,” you whispered, voice laced with bitterness. “My father lied. He did all of this, told me you were dead, kept us apart, made me believe I had lost you forever. How can I believe a single word he says now?”

Jungkook stepped closer. He gently wrapped his arms around you from behind, resting his chin on the top of your head as you held your daughter.

“Petal,” he murmured softly, the old endearment slipping out like a balm. “Your father is a hard man, but he is not as cold as he pretends to be. He sent for me the moment he learned you had gone into labor. He could have kept me away forever. But he didn’t.”

You turned slightly in his arms, eyes wide with disbelief.

The knight continued, low and calm.

“There was one night… when you were still heavy with our child and very sick. I rode through a storm to reach you. Your father allowed it. He let me see you. I held you while you slept, fevered and restless. I whispered to you. I kissed your forehead and promised I would return. But I had to leave before dawn. He made me swear not to wake you. He said it would only make the pain worse when I had to go back to the borders.”

You stared at him, stunned. Tears welled up again.

“That night… it was real?” you whispered. “I thought it was a dream. I thought I imagined your arms around me.”

“It was real,” he said gently, pressing a kiss to your temple. “I was there. And I have regretted leaving you every single day since.”

You turned fully toward him, still cradling your daughter. The baby had woken and was fussing softly. You loosened your dress and began to feed her.

Sir Jungkook watched the two of you with such open love and longing that it made your chest ache.

“She has your eyes,” you said softly, brushing a finger over your daughter’s cheek. “So dark and beautiful. Just like yours.”

Sir Jungkook’s expression softened further. He reached out, gently stroking the baby’s tiny hand.

“And she is as beautiful as her mother,” he murmured. “I hope she grows to be as strong as her. As kind. As full of fire and love.”

For a while, the only sounds were the soft suckling of your daughter and the rain pattering against the roof. Sir Jungkook stayed close, one arm around your waist, the other lightly resting near the baby.

Eventually, after your daughter had fallen asleep again, you made the decision.

“We will return to the palace,” you said quietly. “Together. As a family. I will not hide anymore.”

The next morning, after tender farewells to Maera, who hugged you both tightly and kissed her granddaughter’s forehead with tears in her eyes, you left the cottage.

—

Three Months Later,

The palace had transformed around you.

After your return, the finest healers in the realm were summoned, learned men and women versed in herbs and ancient remedies. They tended to you with the utmost care, restoring the strength you had lost in grief and childbirth. Slowly, the hollow exhaustion faded. Color returned to your cheeks. Your body healed, and with it, your spirit bloomed once more.

You were treated not merely as royalty, but as something sacred. The people whispered that the Princess had returned more radiant than before, as if the earth itself had blessed her.

Your maids, Elara, Verra, and Selyse, were beyond ecstatic to have you back. They fussed over you constantly, brushing your long hair until it shone, dressing you in the finest silks, and whispering prayers of gratitude for your safe return.

The kingdom now knew the truth: the child was Sir Jeon Jungkook’s. The scandal had spread like wildfire, but instead of outrage, most of the people embraced it. They saw their princess glowing, and fiercely protected.

Prince Min had tried to slander you upon his return, calling you impure, unfit, a disgrace for bearing a knight’s child out of wedlock. Sir Jungkook had nearly killed him in the great hall before the King’s guards pulled him back. Prince Min was expelled from the kingdom that very day, the alliance shattered. No one mourned his departure.

It was a warm evening when you returned to the royal bathing pool, surrounded by floating lily pads and fragrant white blossoms. The water shimmered under the sunlight as your maids helped you undress. Your daughter, now three months old and full of life, babbled happily in Elara’s arms, reaching for you with chubby little hands.

“Come here, my sweet,” you cooed, taking her into the warm water with you. She immediately nestled against your bare chest, tiny fingers grasping at your long, wavy hair as you gently rocked her. She was a needy little thing, always wanting her mother’s warmth, her scent, her voice.

Verra smiled as she poured scented oil over your shoulders. “She adores you, my lady. Look at those big, bejeweled eyes.”

You glanced toward the far bank where Sir Jeon Jungkook stood guard, as always. He was no longer forced to hide. He remained your personal knight, ever watchful and devoted. His gaze met yours across the water, soft with love and quiet pride. He had become even more protective since your return, rarely leaving your side unless duty demanded it.

The King had grown strangely silent on the matter of your relationship. Seeing you flourish and beloved by the people, had turned him into something of a coward when it came to opposing you.

He doted on his granddaughter in private, though he still struggled to fully accept the circumstances. Yet he no longer pushed for any other marriage. He had seen what happened when he tried to separate you from your knight.

Bit by bit, your beauty had deepened into something almost otherworldly, skin luminous, eyes bright with life, a gentle fullness to your figure from motherhood that only made you more captivating. You moved through the palace performing your duties with grace while still finding time to help the common women who came to the gates seeking aid. You had become more than a princess.

At night, when the palace slept, Sir Jungkook was yours completely.

He would slip into your chambers, shed his armor, and worship you with slow hands and mouth. He made love to you like a man who had walked through hell and returned only for this. You clung to him every night, whispering how much you loved him, how you had chosen him long before the crown ever mattered.

Your daughter babbled softly, pulling at your long hair again with her tiny fist, drawing a soft, delighted laugh from you.

“Oh, my little one,” you cooed, gently untangling her fingers from your waves before pressing a kiss to her chubby cheek. “You are going to pull Mama’s hair right off if you keep that up, aren’t you? Such a strong little flower.”

She giggled in your arms, reaching up to pat your face with her small, uncoordinated hand, her big dark eyes, exact replicas of her father’s, sparkling with pure joy. The resemblance was almost startling even at such a young age. She was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

Elara sighed dreamily as she poured warm water over your shoulders. “Look at her, my lady. She is perfection. She already has the whole palace wrapped around her tiny finger.”

Verra nodded, gently massaging oil into your hair. “And you, my princess. You glow like the sun itself these days. Motherhood suits you more than any crown ever could.”

Selyse, ever the wise one, glanced toward the bank where Sir Jeon Jungkook stood guard, fully armored but with his helmet removed today. A small, teasing smile tugged at her lips.

“And that one over there… he can’t take his eyes off the two of you. Look at him, standing there like a lovesick fool in steel. Our fierce knight, brought to his knees by a baby and her mother.”

The knight’s ears turned faintly red, but he didn’t deny it. His gaze remained soft, locked on you and your daughter with quiet awe and devotion.

Later that evening, in the royal rose gardens where he had once walked beside you as your new knight, Sir Jungkook carried your daughter in his arms.

He was still in full armor, crimson cloak draped over his broad shoulders, but he held her with such careful gentleness it made your heart melt. The baby was dressed in the softest cream colored gown embroidered with tiny golden flowers, a little bonnet tied under her chin. She looked like a living doll against his armored chest.

She reached up with both hands, grabbing at the edge of his armor, babbling excitedly as she tried to pull herself closer to his face. When he leaned down, she patted his cheek with a wet, sloppy kiss.

Sir Jungkook’s entire expression softened into something almost boyish. He smiled, genuine and devastatingly handsome.

“My little love,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

You walked beside them, heart full as you watched your daughter play with the buckles on his armor. Every time he lowered his head to let her see his face, she lit up. But when he playfully put his helmet back on for a moment to tease her, she immediately fussed, letting out a small, indignant cry and reaching for him with both arms.

“No helmet,” you laughed softly. “She hates it. She wants to see her father’s face.”

Sir Jungkook removed it immediately, tucking it under one arm while cradling her with the other. He leaned down so she could press her tiny palms against his cheeks and give him another sloppy kiss on the jaw.

The maids watching from a distance cooed and teased him lightly.

“Look at that,” Verra whispered loudly enough for him to hear. “Who would have thought the man who survived the western borders would be brought down by tiny hands and gummy smiles?”

Later that night, the heavy oak door to your royal chambers was barred, only the soft glow of candles and the low fire in the hearth illuminated the room.

You stood before the tall mirror, slowly changing into your nightgown. The fabric whispered against your skin as it slid down your body. Your gaze caught on the beautiful ring on your finger, the one Sir Jungkook had slipped onto your hand in secret weeks ago, a quiet promise between the two of you. You turned it gently, a small, private smile touching your lips.

Your daughter lay nestled against your bare chest, warm and content, her tiny fingers curled around the edge of your loosened gown. She babbled softly, her big dark eyes full of adoration for her mother.

Sir Jungkook stood a few steps behind you, fully armored except for his helmet, watching the two of you with quiet awe. The firelight danced across his face, highlighting every healed scar and the lingering shadows of war that still clung to him.

You gently laid your daughter in her ornate cradle, pressing one last kiss to her forehead as she drifted into sleep. Then you returned to the mirror, picking up the silver brush to run it through your long, wavy hair.

Sir Jungkook followed without a word. He stopped behind you, his large hands resting lightly on your waist. Slowly, he leaned down and began pressing soft kisses along your bare arms, from shoulder to wrist, as you continued brushing your hair.

You giggled softly, cheeks flushing with that familiar shyness even after all this time.

“Jungkook…” you murmured, breathy. “You ought to distract me.”

“Good,” he whispered against your skin, kissing the curve of your shoulder. “I have missed you all day. I need my darling.”

He dropped to his knees behind you with a quiet clink of armor, bowing his head in his familiar, devoted way. You turned to face him, running your fingers through his raven hair, then tracing the sharp line of his jaw and the faint scars that remained on his face.

You saddened for a moment, remembering the brutality he had endured.

But he looked up at you with such pure worship that it took your breath away. To him, you were more than a princess. you were his salvation, the very source of life that had healed him.

You pulled him closer, and he rose, lifting you effortlessly into his arms and carrying you to the grand bed.

The knight laid you down gently, then began to worship you with slow, reverent hands. He unlaced your nightgown with painstaking care, peeling the silk away until you were bare before him. His mouth found your breasts immediately, sucking softly on one sensitive nipple, then the other, drinking the sweet milk that flowed for him with deep, grateful groans.

You moaned softly, fingers threading through his hair as he fed from you, his tongue swirling, lips sealed tight around your peak. He drank like a man who had been starving for you, savoring every drop as if it were the very essence of life itself.

Sir Jungkook groaned deeply against your breast, the sound vibrating through your chest as he drank almost desperately. His large hand cradled the soft weight of your breast, squeezing gently to draw more from you while his other hand stroked your side with reverent tenderness.

“So sweet,” he whispered against your skin, voice hoarse and worshipful. “You give me life, my petal. You heal what war tried to break.”

You whimpered, arching into his mouth, overwhelmed by the intimate, sacred act, fresh heat blooming between your thighs.

When he finally released your nipple with a wet pop, his lips glistening, he looked up at you with dark, adoring eyes.

“You are my salvation,” he murmured, kissing the valley between your breasts before moving lower. “The mother of my child. The light that brought me home.”

When he finally moved lower, he spread your thighs with firm hands and settled between them. He looked up at you once, eyes dark with devotion, before lowering his mouth to your core.

He worshipped your flower, seeking nectar with slow, deep licks that made your back arch, followed by gentle suction on your swollen clit. His tongue delved inside you, tasting every inch, groaning at your sweetness as if it were the most sacred thing he had ever known.

You whimpered and moaned, hips rolling against his handsome face as pleasure built in waves. He was relentless yet tender, bringing you to the edge again and again before letting you tip over.

When you finally begged for him, voice trembling with need, Sir Jungkook rose above you like a knight before his altar.

He did not rush. Instead, he sat back on his heels, dark eyes drinking in every inch of your bare, flushed body with such raw hunger that it made your skin burn. You felt vulnerable and impossibly desired under that gaze. A shy, breathless giggle escaped your lips as heat flooded your cheeks.

Sir Jungkook reached out with one large, calloused hand and traced a single finger slowly down your body, from the delicate line of your throat, between your heaving breasts, over the soft curve of your belly, and down to the sensitive skin of your inner thigh. The touch ever so feather light, yet it left fire in its wake.

“You are a goddess made flesh,” he whispered, voice hoarse with awe. “And I am but a mortal who has been granted the honor of kneeling at your feet.”

He leaned down and pressed his forehead to your thigh in a gesture of pure worship, eyes closed, breath warm against your skin as if he were praying to the only deity he had ever believed in.

Then he moved over you, settling between your spread thighs. His thick cock pressed against your entrance, hot and heavy. He looked into your eyes as he slowly pushed inside, inch by thick, stretching inch, filling you so completely that your mouth fell open in a silent cry.

You dug your nails into his back as he began to move, first slow and loving, then harder, deeper, claiming you with every thrust.

“I love you,” he groaned against your neck, hips snapping forward. “I love you more than life itself.”

When you came, it was with his name on your lips and tears of overwhelming pleasure in your eyes. Jungkook followed moments later, burying himself deep and spilling inside you with a low, broken groan, filling you with pulse after pulse of his release.

In the quiet that followed, with the knight’s arms still wrapped around you and the weight of the world momentarily forgotten, it was strangely easy to remember the day he had first knelt before the throne.

The impenetrable knight clad in steel, sworn to protect a princess draped in silk. and protect you he would, as though it had been carved into the marrow of every breath he would draw, for eternity.

You’re exiting the kitchen with a large tray of scones balancing on your palm which you gracefully slide into the display case to replace the empty one. After rising to your full height again, you spot him in the doorway and your eyes light up like fireworks. 

“Honey? What are you doing here?” 

Before he can even open his mouth, you scurry across the room to him. He naturally extends his arms out and pulls you in close once you barrel straight into his chest. 

“Thought I’d surprise my beautiful wife at work,” he explains. 

His lips find your temple before you unravel yourself from his embrace. 

“Aren’t you too busy for that?” 

“Eh, maybe. I’m never too busy for you, though.”

Your responding smile is just as radiant as always, and the lovesick gleam in your eye is something he’ll never tire of witnessing. 

“But how do you know I’m not too busy for you?” You retort with a smirk. 

Jungkook playfully clicks his tongue a couple times like he’s scolding you.

“That's something I never wanna hear.”

“Well, I’m a business woman now. So you don’t have much say in the matter.” 

With your hands placed proudly on your hips as they are now, you look like a sweeter-than-candy version of Wonder Woman, and the corners of his lips twitch upwards. 

“Fair enough, business woman. Are you too busy for me?”

After momentarily pursing your lips in thought, you smile and shake your head.

“Nope.”

He tsks at you.

“Put me through all that heartache for nothin’.” 

Jungkook steals your hand so he can lace your fingers together while you holler at Jennie about leaving for a bit. He follows suit by waving at her with his free hand where she’s standing behind the counter, to which she enthusiastically returns the greeting. 

It lifts his spirits to see such a massive smile on Jennie’s face. He feared she would never wear such a bright expression again, but it seems she’s found new fulfillment by helping you manage the bakery. 

“So, where are we going?”

The two of you are strolling hand in hand down the street adjacent to the building, your arms lazily swinging between you. 

“Thought we could just walk around together, maybe grab some coffee,” he proposes.

His answer causes you to stop short in the middle of the sidewalk. 

“Did you do something bad?”

“Huh?”

“Jae, the only time you’d ever leave the office for lunch was to meet with Kookie once a month. Let alone just to go on some afternoon stroll with me,” you declare. 

He debates over his reply while beginning to tug you along with him again. 

“You’re right, but I think it’s about time I change that.” His hand squeezes your own. “We’re both working now and that means less time to spend together at home.” 

“You gonna make this a little routine, then?”

“I’d like to,” he firmly states. “Anything I can do to see your gorgeous smile more often, I will.”

The blush creeping onto your cheeks and up your neck is precisely why he canceled all his early afternoon meetings to spend time with you. Moments like these are priceless and he understands now more than ever how fleeting they are. 

“Speaking of routines, there’s one you stopped doing after we lost Kookie that I’ve been really missing lately,” you announce. 

“Hm? What’s that?”

You’re gnawing on your bottom lip as though you’re embarrassed, which is both adorable and heartbreaking, considering you shouldn’t ever find it hard to tell him how you feel. 

“Well, you know how you used to bring me home a new bouquet every Friday? I didn’t mention it sooner because everything’s been such a whirlwind the last eight months, but I seriously miss smelling flowers every morning when I come downstairs.” 

Jungkook mentally smacks himself in the forehead. Of course, he vividly recalls your kitchen table always having a fresh flower arrangement in the center. Not to mention Jaehyun spoke about it plenty over the years. 

He even remembers how his twin would waltz into the house on Friday evenings with a massive bouquet in his hands and shout, “Happy Friday, beautiful!”

“Fuck, baby, I’m so sorry.” He pauses and turns to face you. “I never thought of it once this entire time.”

“I know. It’s alright.”

“But it isn’t. My grief shouldn’t prevent me from treating my wife how she deserves.”

His comment causes your eyes to roll.

“Honey, you treat me better than I could ever hope for. The flowers? They’re far above and beyond your duties as a husband. That’s why I didn’t bring it up before.”

“Above and beyond or not, it’s something I’ve done for you for years and it shouldn’t just stop because I have a lot on my mind.” Jungkook sighs while encasing your hands between his own. “I promise to do better and you’ll start regularly receiving your flowers again this week.”

You smile and acknowledge his vow with a nod before giving him a quick peck. 

The stroll lasts another half hour or so, including a brief stop for drinks to sip on during your trek back to the bakery. Jungkook kisses you goodbye outside the entrance, out of view from any customers, but waits for you to safely step inside before returning to his own workplace. 

Upon arriving at the office, he immediately begins digging around old files and notebooks for the name of the florist Jaehyun used. He imagines his brother had a weekly service set up with them and Jungkook wants to reestablish it if possible. 

In the end, he finds absolutely nothing, and has to ask Jimin for assistance. Unsurprisingly, his twin’s longtime employee already has the name on hand and scribbles the information on a sticky note for Jungkook. 

After work, he heads straight to the florist shop that’s thankfully about equal distance away from both the office and house. 

Just like the bakery, a bell dings overhead when he enters the building and the sound causes an older lady behind the counter to glance up.

“Ah! Jaehyun, dearie, I wondered when we’d be seeing you again!” 

It only makes sense she recognizes him, Jaehyun probably saw her once a week for the last three or four years whenever he picked up the bouquets. 

“I know, I’m so sorry,” he remarks while weaving through the shop towards her. “We had a death in the family and suddenly all my usual routines got thrown out the window.” 

“Oh, I know, dearie. I saw the news in the paper after it happened. I’m so sorry about your brother,” she tells him as her hand comfortingly covers his own where it’s resting on the counter. 

Jungkook offers her a small, warm grin.

“Thank you.”

“You know, I’m a twin myself.”

His eyes widen in pleasant surprise. He doesn’t think he’s come across another twin since losing his own.

“Really?”

“Mmhm. Identical, too, just like you. She passed away a couple years ago.”

It’s hard to hide how his breath catches in his throat. For eight months he’s felt so unbearably alone it’s been like carrying around a physical weight. But here’s someone who knows exactly how he feels, even if the circumstances differ.

“I’m sorry,” he quietly offers.

She merely waves him off.

“It was old age, nothing like what you went through.” Her expression shifts from professional to caring; almost motherly. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Going from two to one.” He nods, in complete awe of her speaking his own emotions aloud. “No one else understands, do they? I mean, they try, but it’s impossible. You’re with this person from conception and then all of the sudden… nothing.”

A stray tear sneaks out from the corner of Jungkook’s eye which he quickly wipes away, but she still notices and sends him a sympathetic, understanding look in return. 

“It’s indescrible,” he replies. 

“It is.”

“Other people can’t even begin to comprehend what it’s like walking around as just a half. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been cut right down the middle and I’m bleeding out.”

Her head curiously tilts while she surveys him for a moment.

“Is that how you view yourself, dearie? As half a person?” Another nod. “Well, that’s not true. You and your brother were two separate, distinct individuals. Although I’m sure your bond was much stronger than most siblings, you didn’t complete one another, you complimented each other.”

It takes a second for her words to sink beneath his skin and flow through his veins. He rolls the notion around in his mind a few times and when it finally solidifies, Jungkook feels like he’s been hit over the head with a metaphorical brick. 

His entire life, he’s always viewed him and Jaehyun as two halves of a whole. It never even occurred to him there could be other schools of thought. Rather than two magnets stuck together by a natural force, from her perspective, they’re closer to parallel lines moving at the same pace. 

Jungkook doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels a tissue being pushed into his hand. The kind gesture brings a smile to his face as he thanks her with a curt bow before drying his eyes. 

“I’ve never thought about it like that,” he confesses.

She smiles as well.

“It appears so. I hope the fresh perspective helps, dearie, I really do.”

“It does. Thank you.” 

When his grin broadens, she reaches out to pinch his cheek, causing him to giggle and scrunch his nose. 

“So, what brings you in after so long?” 

Jungkook sighs. 

“Well, my lovely wife misses her weekly flowers and if I’d remembered sooner myself, I would’ve been here ages ago.” 

“Ah, I see. Do you want to return to the old schedule? I use whatever seasonal flowers we have and you pick them up Friday before closing time?” 

He enthusiastically nods while clasping his hands together in a prayer position.

“You’re a lifesaver. Yes, please.”

She chuckles and types on her computer for a couple minutes before meeting his gaze again.

“Done. We’ll see you on Friday,” she announces.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

If it weren’t totally inappropriate, he would leap across the counter to hug her. Not only did she solve his problem with you, but her words of wisdom were some of the best he’s ever heard. 

The interaction leaves Jungkook with a genuine pep in his step as he strolls towards the front door after returning home. His good mood lingers beyond the threshold as well, especially when he finds you at the stove cooking dinner for two. 

“Hi, honey!” 

Rather than greeting you, he snatches your waist from behind to yank you into his chest. You squeal and kick your legs in mock protest, but he ignores you in favor of aggressively kissing your cheek. 

“I missed you so much,” he proclaims into your skin. 

“We saw each other a couple hours ago.”

“Still too long.” 

You giggle and smack his forearm so he’ll let you go. But once your feet are back on earth, you spin around in his arms for a slow, lingering lip lock. 

“If it makes you feel any better, I missed you, too,” you confess. 

Jungkook smiles into the kiss before breaking it to tuck some hair behind your ear.

“It always does.”

This is the typical affection that occurs between you two and after eight months, it’s as easy as breathing for Jungkook. 

Ever since you had sex for the first time two months ago, you’ve both been clingier. You were already a handsy couple before, but the deeper bond forged through intimacy amplified the urge to always be near each other. 

Following that night, neither of you have been able to resist one another. In the last eight weeks, Jungkook can count on one hand how many days you haven’t had sex. It doesn’t just happen in the evenings, either. Sometimes he wakes you up in the morning by kissing his way down your torso until he reaches your center. On weekends, you often pause whatever afternoon activity you’re doing to force him onto the couch while sinking to your knees. 

You’re making up for lost time. Although, for you it’s about six months and for him it’s been almost sixteen years. 

Despite having a full blown mental breakdown after making love to you for the first time, Jungkook hasn’t had any issues since. He simply lives alongside his guilt like it’s a roommate inside his head, just as he does with the grief and loneliness of being without Jaehyun.

It’s a good thing because you’re fairly insatiable, and if his emotions were still giving him pause, it would be impossible to please you.  

Like right now, when you begin guiding him out of the kitchen and towards the living room with a mischievous glimmer in your eye.

“Sweetheart…”

“What?” You nonchalantly shrug, but your smirk reveals your true intentions. “Dinner takes over an hour to cook in the oven.” 

“You know, at one point you might just milk me dry,” he warns.

“Says the one who always asks for another round,” you counter after reaching the couch and shoving him down. 

He plops onto the cushions with a low grunt, but he’s grown accustomed to this song and dance, and his eyes follow your every move as you straddle his lap. 

His hands immediately start to crawl up your spine while you focus on kissing and biting his neck. Your hips are already rolling into his, causing his dick to strain against his slacks. Regardless, he doesn’t hesitate to mirror your movements so you can feel how hard he’s become just for you.

“Not my fault your pussy’s so damn addicting.” 

You giggle and lift your head.

“You’re right, baby. I’m so sorry for having such a tight, wet cunt.”

Jungkook loudly groans while his eyes roll into his skull.

“Fuck! You just love driving me insane. Don’t you?”

“It’s only, like, my favorite pastime,” you quip.

Your lips meet before the banter can continue as your bodies work in tandem to provide friction to your most sensitive areas and nerve endings. After a little while, Jungkook sneaks his hands beneath your shirt to pull it over your head, but you sever the kiss and stop him. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks you, concern evident in his features. 

“Nothing. I’m just on my period at the moment and for whatever reason it’s really, really heavy.”

His head tilts in confusion.

“Like abnormally heavy?”

“Yeah. The cramps are killing me, too.” 

“Well, don’t orgasms help with cramps? Let’s kill two birds with one stone.”

He goes to kiss you again, but you maintain the distance between you by leaning away from him. 

“What?”

There’s a sharp edge to your tone like you suspect he’s messing with you and you’re not in the mood.

“What?” 

His iteration comes out much more clueless. 

“Jae, you’re the most squeamish person I know. You can’t handle the sight of blood at all. Let alone touch it.”

Shit.

Jaehyun did get pretty queasy around blood. Which is a shame because period sex feels fucking fantastic and his twin should’ve gotten to experience it at least once while he was alive. 

“Right, right.” Jungkook nibbles on his lower lip while his mind scores through different explanations he can use. “I guess once you wake up in the hospital next to your dead brother, that stuff just doesn’t really bother you anymore.” 

You grimace and reach up to card your fingers through his hair. 

“Are you sure? I’m more than happy just to help you out.”

He nods.

“I’m positive, baby. But I’m a little concerned about your period being so bad.”

“I mean, it happens to the best of us,” you claim.

Perhaps he simply doesn’t have enough knowledge on the matter, but he hates the idea of you being in pain or discomfort. 

“Alright. Just promise me you’ll go to the doctor if it doesn’t let up.”

You reassuringly smile.

“I promise.”

Jungkook’s hand rises to cradle your head so he can guide you closer for a kiss. You two quickly pick up where you left off, starting with him removing your top and tossing it aside on the couch. His shirt’s the next victim and then your bra, soon leaving you both nude from the waist up.

Your soft, warm skin brushing against his own is one of his favorite feelings in the world and he presses on the small of your back until there isn’t any space left between you. The two of you proceed to lazily make out and dry hump for some time, but you both eventually grow too needy and start maneuvering so you can strip your pants and underwear off. 

Once the rest of your clothes are strewn across the furniture, Jungkook’s hand slips between your legs where he glides his fingertips through your folds.

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he notes as his lips travel across your jaw and down your neck.

“I think that’s all the blood, honey.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Two of his fingers push into your hole and you naturally arch towards him when he begins curling them. “Still feels fucking amazing. And so damn tight.”

He continues to slowly fuck you while maiming your throat with his teeth and tongue. The airy whimpers he elicits are music to his ears and he’ll do anything to keep hearing them. Which is why he glances up for an explanation when you suddenly grab his wrist to stop him.

“I want your cock,” you answer the silent question.

As if Jungkook could ever deny you. 

“Yeah, baby? You gonna ride me exactly how I like?” 

Following a nod, you kneel and wrap your hand around his dick to pump him. He’s already rock hard, just like he always is as soon as you touch him, but the grip still helps lead him towards your cunt as you descend again. 

When his head passes through your tight circle of nerves, you both groan, and the pleasure only increases the farther you sink down his length. 

“God, you’re so fucking big.” 

Jungkook snickers.

“Don’t act like you forget. I was balls deep in you just last night,” he retorts.

“I know, but holy shit. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how full you make me feel.” 

The sentiment is certainly shared because having his cock buried deep inside you still frazzles his brain every time. It’s especially true at the moment, since your pussy’s extra swollen and sensitive due to your period. 

He would sit here with your bodies intertwined forever if you let him, even without any movement or friction. It’s heaven on earth and he’s positive he’ll never get enough.

“No? Not even after all this time?” 

Your responding chuckle is fractured by a moan when he rocks his hips forward to send his cock straight into your g-spot.

“Yes. I’ll be eighty and still babbling about how much I love your cock.”

Jungkook genuinely cackles, causing your chest to shake along with his due to the proximity.

“Ditto.”

You join in his laughter before the noise gets muffled by your lips meeting again. Since you’re both still smiling, your teeth scrape against each other until you manage to find your footing.

While your mouths partake in an amorous dance, you begin dragging your hips across his lap. The fluid motion allows your cunt to seamlessly move up and down his shaft and it isn’t long before his velvety skin is coated in arousal with a creamy, white ring at the base. 

You’re goddamn prolific at riding dick, and Jungkook doesn’t have to do much but sit there and watch you bounce. Even so, he still lets one hand roam your spine while the other tugs on your hair. He also takes control of the kiss by nipping at your bottom lip and conquering your mouth with his tongue. 

“Shit, baby, you’re doing so well,” he encourages you. “Taking this big cock like you were made for it.” 

His words make you keen as your body instinctively speeds up. The pace isn’t too fast, not like how he pounds into you after a particularly hard day, but it’s enough to leave you both panting between kisses. 

Whatever the tempo may lack, you ensure it’s made up for by consistently sheathing his entire cock inside you. His tip keeps hitting your cervix at the conclusion of each stroke and feeling your pussy swallow him whole over and over is beyond divine. 

“It’s s’good, baby. I won’t last,” you admit. 

“Already?” Jungkook teases before dipping down to kiss your neck and shoulder. “You used to be able to keep up with me.” 

He feels your muscles tense above him and giggles in accomplishment. You may be an expert at riling him up, but he knows precisely how to push your buttons, too. 

“I’m sorry, which one of us came barely a minute into the last blowjob they received?” 

With a gasp, Jungkook lifts his head again to stare at you in faux offense.

“How dare you use that against me! You had my balls in your mouth, what did you expect to happen?” 

You boisterously giggle while tossing your head back. 

“All I’m saying is don’t dish it if you can’t take it, Mr. Jeon.” 

“Ha! Let’s see about taking it, shall we?” 

Without warning, Jungkook flips you onto the couch before driving his dick right back inside your cunt. A sinful squelch accompanies the sudden action, but it’s nothing in comparison to how zealously you both moan. 

“No fair.” Your lips form an adorable pout he has to refrain from smooching. “I wanted to keep riding you.”

“If you can hold out a little longer, I’ll let you sit on my dick all night,” he offers. “Mrs. Jeon.” 

You wordlessly accept his challenge by wrapping your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist so you can force him closer. It leads your lips to naturally reconnect at the same time Jungkook begins rocking into you at a steady pace. 

Even though he’s the one who mentioned holding out, the new position is already propelling him towards the edge of ecstasy. Between your walls fluttering around him, your limbs clinging to him, and your tongue inside his mouth, he’s a goner. 

After just a couple more minutes, both of you are breathlessly whining and digging your nails into one another's skin. Jungkook’s strokes are as deep as ever despite not being that fast and it’s clear nothing can prevent either of you from crashing headfirst into an orgasm. 

“I’m close,” you warn him, to which he concurs with a mindless nod. 

As a final push, Jungkook trails his hand down so he can circle your clit. You’re already sensitive from all the friction so far and it only takes the slightest touch for you to wail and cream his cock. 

His own release follows with a series of animalistic grunts as his seed floods your cunt and he fucks the liquid deeper inside you. You two continue to grind throughout the climaxes, causing the wet sound of Jungkook thrusting into your drenched, swollen hole to echo around the room. 

“Jae… baby… it’s too much.” 

He stops as soon as he hears your quiet whimper, but remains nestled between your walls while he catches his breath. 

“Are you alright?” 

Jungkook rises to his elbows so he can see your face before pushing back the sweaty strands of hair stuck to your forehead. Rather than answering, you just nod and tug him down for another kiss. He smiles into the lip lock, leading you to do the same regardless of how tired you are.

After pulling out and finding a rag to wipe down you, him, and the couch, which is thankfully leather, you both get redressed in a comfortable silence. Then you return to the kitchen to check the oven while he heads upstairs to file away his work stuff. 

When he returns to the first floor, you’re busy setting the table since the food only has a few minutes left to cook. 

“You know, I had the strangest dream last night,” you announce after placing the final fork. 

“Hmm? What about?”

“So, you know the bench right across from Kookie’s headstone?” Of course, he does, it’s one of the reasons they chose the location. He, you, and his parents all agreed and the four of you usually visit the cemetery together about once a month. “I was sitting there with him just like I have in some of my other dreams. We were talking about the bakery, how Jennie’s doing, etc. But when I said, ‘I love and miss you, Jungkook,’ this confused expression crossed his face and he told me, ‘I’m not Jungkook.’” 

The actual Jungkook, the one standing a couple feet away from you, chokes on the grape he just nabbed from the fruit bowl in the kitchen. Never in a million years did he expect his twin to start sending you subliminal messages in your sleep. 

“That’s so weird,” he mumbles while attempting to chew properly. 

“Right? I mean, why would he say that? I get it’s a dream and all, but it’s just so bizarre.” 

He begins racking his brain for a reasonable explanation, even though he knows you won’t actually figure him out based on a dream alone. 

“Maybe he meant he isn’t Jungkook to you. Because you always call him Kookie,” he poses. 

A metaphorical lightbulb seems to flicker on above your head. 

“Oh, I didn’t think of that.” 

Jungkook shrugs as though it was obvious and he didn’t just pull it out of thin freaking air. 

The timer for the oven saves him from the conversation as he joins you in the kitchen to help plate everything. Following dinner, despite him promising you full access to his lap for the remainder of the evening, your period makes that impossible. 

So, you two cuddle in bed together and watch a couple movies before eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms. 

In the morning, Jungkook’s surprised to find you still asleep beside him. You usually wake up hours ahead of him to prepare the day’s bakery menu. 

“Sweetheart?” 

He rounds the mattress so he can sit on the edge near you, where he begins softly combing your hair back.

“Hi,” you croak. 

Your eyes gradually blink open as a weak smile appears. 

“What’s wrong?”

“My cramps came for blood this morning. Pun unintended.”

“Have you taken anything?” You nod while resting your hand atop the one still parsing through your hair. “Should I bring you to the hospital?”

“No, baby. I already called my doctor to book an appointment for Friday.”

“But it’s only Wednesday,” he argues. 

The small grin on your lips grows until he can see your teeth. 

“I’ll be fine. Maddie assured me her and Jennie have everything handled, so I can just rest until I’m feeling better.” 

Jungkook’s hesitant to let you wait two more days, but he’s also aware you’ve suffered through enough periods over the years to trust your own intuition. 

“Alright, but I’m staying, too.”

You shake your head.

“That's not necessary. My mom will come over if I get worse. She’s driving me on Friday, anyway.” 

“Y/N, I’m not leaving you like this.” 

“You are. You’re going to go to work and I’m going to lay here and do absolutely nothing. I assure you, you’ll be far more useful at the office.” 

His head tilts in determination, but your eyes burn with resilience just the same. It’s clear any form of persuasion will fail, so albeit reluctantly, he starts getting ready for work after placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. 

But he does make you promise to call him if you feel worse, even if your mom comes to keep you company. 

It takes an exuberant amount of effort to coerce him into finally walking out the door and leaving you home alone. Especially when all he wants is to dive back into bed and hold you close until the sun goes down. Alas, he still has other responsibilities to uphold. 

You’re feeling a little better by the time he arrives home that evening, with your symptoms continuing to lessen throughout the day on Thursday and again on Friday morning. 

Nevertheless, Jungkook asks you to call after your appointment and you assure him you will before kissing him goodbye. You wave him off as he strolls towards the car and even though you do it whenever you’re home during his departure, it never fails to make his heart skip a beat. 

“I love you, handsome!” 

An involuntary blush stains his neck, cheeks, and ears. 

“I love you more, beautiful!”

The simple exchange sets his entire day up for success, and he finds himself practically skipping around the office until it hits five. But rather than heading straight home, he stops at the florist to pick up your arrangement. 

He has another quick chat with the owner before paying for the bouquet and telling her he’ll see her next week. The sweet, floral aroma fills the car as he drives home and it feels fitting for the spectacular mood he’s in. 

You never called him after seeing your doctor earlier, but he’s choosing to assume no news is good news. 

Upon arriving home, he locks the front door and kicks off his shoes before strolling into the house with the large bouquet in his right hand. He finds you on the couch with a novel perched between your fingers, so instead of possibly disturbing you mid-sentence, Jungkook kisses the top of your head.

“Hi, baby,” he whispers. 

A second after he goes off to find a vase for your flowers, he hears you set the book on the coffee table and stand up. He’s busy placing the arrangement in water, but can tell you’re now a couple feet away on the edge of the dining room. 

“Jungkook,” you flatly call.

“What about him?” 

He moves the vase to the center of the table before smiling to himself for a job well done. It looks just as beautiful as he remembers it being when Jaehyun was alive. 

“Jungkook.”

His brow scrunches as he turns towards you. 

“Why are you just repeating my brother’s name?”

When he finally faces you, he notices your demeanor’s completely different from this morning. Your face is cold and blank with your arms defensively crossed over your chest. 

“I’m not.” A heavy silence stretches like elastic between you. “I’m talking to you.”

The rubber band cracks like a whip and damn near knocks Jungkook off his feet, but he hides the reaction by shaking his head. 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he claims.

A dry laugh shatters the stillness in the air. 

“Of course, you don’t.” 

Your behavior’s making his head spin and his stomach curdle, so he naturally steps closer to you. 

“Baby, what —”

“Don’t fucking call me that,” you snap.

Jungkook immediately raises his hands in surrender. 

“Y/N, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Another eerily silence floods the room as he waits with his breath trapped inside his lungs. Then you clear your throat while standing taller in preparation to speak again.

“As you know, I went to the doctor earlier today.” He nods, but intense confusion is still etched into his features. “And it turns out I wasn’t on my period this week, I was having a miscarriage.” 

His heart sinks straight through the floor and buries itself in the earth below. He’s never once considered being a father; not when he was always resigned to loving you without ever being with you. But now you’re telling him you were pregnant, past tense, and the thought makes him ache done to his very bones.

“What?”

You completely ignore him. Your stern expression doesn’t even slightly waver despite the sadness in his voice.

“But see, that doesn't make any sense, because I have to be pregnant first in order to miscarry. And considering my husband can’t have kids, that should be impossible,” you calmly explain. “That only leaves two options.” In contrast to the unspeakable tension of the conversation, you wiggle two fingers in the air. “Either I cheated, which I know I didn’t, or…” You slowly inhale as a scalding fire blazes alive in your irises. “The person I had sex with isn’t my husband.”

The world feels like it’s crumbling into ash all around him. This can’t be happening; there can’t possibly be something so unavoidable in his path. Not when he’s spent the better part of a year successfully hiding the truth from you. 

Could Jaehyun really not have kids? His brother never mentioned fertility issues, either on his or your behalf. Jungkook always assumed you two were simply waiting to have kids. 

Even though this obstacle is astronomically larger than the previous ones, he knows he can overcome it. He has to, for you. 

“Those are not the only logical explanations,” he counters, keeping both his voice and body relaxed so you don’t suspect him any more than you already do.

“No? Please, enlighten me.” 

Jungkook feigns confidence on the outside while reaching into the very depths of his mind for an answer.

“Well, the doctors could’ve been wrong.” 

Your eyebrows rise.

“About what? Me having a miscarriage?”

“Or me not being able to have kids.”

“Oh, please, they were not wrong,” you retort. “If you were actually the person there during the diagnosis, you would know that.”

His head feels like it weighs two tons and it’s difficult to even think straight when his anxiety sounds like blaring sirens. 

“Miracles happen everyday, Y/N.”

“Miracles? That’s what you’re going with?” 

He groans and runs his fingers through his hair.

“What else do you want me to say, sweetheart? Because your theory sounds fucking insane!” 

“No, it doesn’t!” You shout. “And Jaehyun would never say something like that to me!”

“I am Jaehyun!” Jungkook yells right back.

“Like hell, you are!” You take two large strides towards him before recoiling, like you forgot you don’t want to be that close to him. Then all at once, the anger seeps from your face and your shoulders slump. Tears collect along your waterline as your lip begins to quiver. “Kookie, please… please don’t lie to me anymore. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

Hearing his nickname fall from your lips in such a somber, defeated tone yanks him into reality. The reason he did this in the first place is because of you. To keep you happy and save you from experiencing the same grief he had to endure. But now you’re standing ahead of him looking like a mere shell of yourself, and he can’t convince himself this is right anymore. 

So, he takes a deep breath and counts down from three in his head.

“You’re right,” he confesses. “I’m not your husband.”

Your eyes widen dramatically, and Jungkook realizes you never expected him to actually admit it. That despite your determination and adamance, you wanted him to prove you wrong; to conjure up a reasonable explanation that could quell your doubts. Because if he’s not your husband, then that means…

“No.” It starts as a quiet epiphany, but then Jungkook watches in horror as you crumble into a ball, your knees scraping against the floor while your forehead meets the wood. It almost looks like you’re praying, which you very well might be. “No, no, no, no!” Each repetition grows louder until you’re desperately sobbing the word. Your whole body shakes from the immense force of your cries and soon enough, the short syllable turns into a gut wrenching scream. “No, Jaehyun!” You choke on his name as though it physically hurts to say. “My baby!”

Your shrieks are brutal and ear piercing, throwing Jungkook completely off balance. He can’t think, can’t breathe, and certainly can’t move. Leaving him no choice but to stand there and witness the exact nightmare he was trying to prevent in the first place. 

It honestly sounds like your vocal chords are being torn from your throat as you alternate between screaming, weeping Jaehyun’s name, and more helpless denials. He’s never heard anything so horrible in his entire life and it’s utterly paralyzing. Everything he did was to avoid this moment, but now you’re on the ground wailing in front of him and he’s totally useless. 

Jungkook doesn’t know how much time passes, too crippled by his own mind numbing emotions and your cries of agony, but he eventually manages to kickstart his brain. 

“Y/N.”

On pure instinct, he tries to close the distance between you. Except when you register the movement, you instantly sit up and shuffle back before standing to further expand the gap. 

“Don’t you dare come near me,” you state with your arms out. 

The defensive stance makes his heart shatter and his lungs tear.

“Y/N,” he pleads. 

“You’re a fucking monster.”

Despite calling himself that in the past, it kills him hearing it come out of your mouth. 

“No.”

“How… how… how could you?” Your frame’s still rattling from all the raw emotions as silent tears cascade down your face. “How could you do this to me? Lie to me, manipulate me, betray me like this? You… you stole my grief from me!”

“Y/N, please —”

“All this time, I should’ve been grieving my husband. Eulogizing him, visiting his grave, remembering our time together. But instead you let me waste it all on you!” Jungkook’s never even seen you angry before, let alone like this. The fury in your eyes is borderline animalistic. “And for what? So you could take over his life? Were you so jealous of him you had to go this far? To steal his house, his car, his job, his fucking wife?” 

“No, that’s not why —”

“But it isn’t just his life. You stole his death, too,” you proclaim. “Jaehyun died protecting you and this is how you repay him? By claiming the act as your own?” Your rage seems to be simmering into a bleak calm, but that’s actually scarier, because it feels like the person he knows and loves is fading away. “He deserved to be mourned. He deserved to have a funeral, to be remembered and prayed for, to be buried under a headstone with his own goddamn name on it!” Jungkook opens his mouth to argue, but you don’t let him. “But you took all of that away from him and now I…” You gasp for air as fresh tears escape your eyes. “I’ll never get to say goodbye,” you declare in a fractured voice. “He’s been all alone in that cemetery for eight months while I was busy playing house with his fucking brother.”

Your monologue not only rips his soul in half, but causes you to break down all over again. That’s when Jungkook realizes his face looks the same as yours; swollen eyes and cheeks stained with tears. 

“And there were so many signs,” you note between sobs. “I knew you weren’t Jae the second I got done hugging you at the hospital, but I needed you to be him so badly I gaslit myself into believing you were. Besides, the idea you would ever do something this horrendous was just unfathomable to me. So whenever your behavior didn’t make sense or you couldn’t remember something you should’ve known, I ignored it.” 

He can’t even begin to digest your words, no matter how much he wishes he could. His only thought is that he needs to fix this. It’s his duty to heal your heart and save whatever may be left of your relationship. 

“I… I’m so sorry,” he whispers. 

The despair in your eyes flickers out to make room for more wrath. 

“You’re sorry? That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

“No, I…” Jungkook inhales to gather his thoughts. “I didn’t do it to steal Jae’s life. I did it for you.”

“For me?”

He nods.

“Yes. To protect you from the truth. I didn’t want you to ever have to feel what I was feeling at that moment. I couldn’t let you lose Jae.”

His explanation makes you scoff.

“Oh, no. You don’t get to stand there and pretend you’re some selfless hero. You did this for you and you alone, Jungkook.”

“But I didn’t, Y/N. All I could think about after finding out he died was how you would react and how much pain you would be in.”

“Ha! Well, look at me now!” 

“I know, okay?” He isn’t even cognizant of his body moving towards you until you take a matching step back. It creates an even deeper wound in his chest seeing you repeatedly inch away from him. “I know it wasn’t right, but I didn’t have any other choice. I never should’ve survived that crash. Jaehyun was supposed to be the one to walk away, not me. This was all I could do to fix it.”

You disagreeably shake your head.

“Your survivor’s guilt isn’t an excuse to play with everyone’s lives like this,” you argue. “I mean, did you even think about your parents? Or Jennie?”

“No,” he answers without hesitation. “The only person on my mind was you. Just like always. You’ve been my first thought in the morning and my last in the evening for fifteen years.” 

His confession doesn’t seem to register with you like he thought it would, given how your eyebrows kiss in confusion.

“What? Why?” 

“Why?” Jungkook gawks. 

“Yes!”

He laughs to himself, although there isn’t an ounce of humor present. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” When you shake your head again, he braces himself to finally admit the secret he once swore he’d take to the grave. “I’m in love with you, Y/N. I’ve loved you since the moment I stepped foot in that classroom all those years ago. And I tried to stop it, tried and tried to get over you, but it was fucking impossible.” 

Jungkook has no clue what to expect in terms of a reaction. Maybe shock, horror, or disgust. But he certainly doesn’t think it will be absolute, unadulterated anger.

“That’s what this is about?” You yell at the top of your lungs. “Your brother bites it and your first thought is to take what you’ve always wanted?” 

“What? No!” The possibility you believe he would ever stoop so low leaves his hands shaking at his sides. “My feelings had nothing to do with it!”

“Oh, so you getting to fuck me whenever you want was just an unintended consequence?” 

“That’s not…” He pauses to take a deep breath, although he’s finding it hard to keep his lungs inflated. “Yes, my feelings were obviously a factor, but they weren’t the reason for my actions.” 

It’s your turn for an empty, heartless chuckle. 

“You can lie to yourself all day, Jungkook. But you’re done lying to me.” 

When you turn to grab your coat and bag hanging near the door, he panics and rushes forward.

“Where are you going?”

You face him again with a look of total disbelief, as though you’re shocked he thinks he has any right to ask you such a question. 

“I don’t know. I just need it to be far, far away from you.”

There’s a burning sensation in his chest that’s spreading into his veins and he has to bite back the whimper clawing up his throat. 

“No, please. We can still fix this.” 

“This? There’s no ‘this’ to fix!” Jungkook can feel you metaphorically slipping out of his grasp when you place one hand on the doorknob. “We’re not a couple, Jungkook. This marriage doesn’t belong to you. My real husband’s lying six feet underground and I’ve been a widow for eight fucking months without even knowing it. All because of you.”

Before he can find another avenue to stop you, the door flies open and you disappear from his sight. The loud slam when it closes makes him jump as the first sob erupts from his lungs and he slowly drops to his knees. 

“Y/N,” he weeps, despite you no longer being there. “Wait.”

Jungkook buries his face in his palms as his emotions pummel into him like rampant, merciless tsunami waves. His oxygen is long gone, there’s an incessant ringing in his ears, and his vision is shrouded in tears. 

Your name slips in between his cries like an undertow, pulling him so deep he can’t see the surface anymore. 

He has no sense of how long he stays in the position, but his head is pounding by the time he finally glances up. Based on where the sun is outside, or lack thereof, he thinks at least an hour has passed. 

Of course, you’re his first thought once the dust clouding his mind settles. He immediately checks your location to ensure you’re somewhere safe and finds your contact photo at the cemetery. 

It only makes sense that’s where you went. Who else would you run to at your darkest hour besides the man you love? 

The real man you love. 

No matter how well Jungkook was able to fool himself into believing what you two had these last few months was authentic, you’re right. There’s nothing between you and him but a paper house.

His fingers begin typing you a message before he can think twice. It isn’t anything of note, just a couple sentences stating he’s going to pack and stay with his parents so you can return home without having to worry about crossing paths. 

Shortly after hitting send, a new thought dawns on him. His parents. You finding out the truth was one thing, but he can’t even imagine how hard it’ll be telling them. 

Once he throws some clothes and toiletries into a duffle bag, he trudges down the stairs to survey the first floor. 

Jungkook doesn’t know if he’ll ever stand here again, not after what he’s done. It isn’t just the home where you and he lived together, either, but where his beloved twin once resided. Most of his memories of the three of you from the last five years took place in this house. By now, it’s become more akin to a physical piece of his soul than a mere building. 

The ghosts of you and Jaehyun seem to dance around the various rooms; mirages of him helping you bake in the kitchen or covering your eyes for you during a scary movie. But they’re soon replaced by visions of you and Jungkook instead. 

He wishes he could claim he regrets his choices, and a piece of him does, but he can’t wholeheartedly say so. Not when you were content, comforted, and fulfilled while he was pretending to be your husband. No matter how decimated your relationship is now, he can’t bring himself to paint your time together in a negative light.

On the drive to his parents’ place, Jungkook pictures the worst case scenarios for their reactions in his mind, and he’s downright terrified of any one of them coming true. Because if he loses his parents as well, what would he have left in this life? 

Even after arriving, he waits in the car for a burst of courage to propel him towards the house. The problem is this confession’s inevitable no matter how long he lingers outside. There’s no unwinding this wheel; all he can do now is face the music. 

As the front door swings open, he hears his mother humming to herself in the kitchen at the end of the hall. It’s mundane and something he grew up listening to around the house. If it’s the last creature comfort he gets to experience at his childhood home, he supposes it’s a good one. 

“Jae? Is that you, sweetie?” 

Jungkook halts upon reaching the threshold of the room.

“No,” he quietly responds. 

She giggles, clearly assuming it’s a joke, but when she turns around to find him looking as though all the life’s been drained from him, her face falls.

“Darling, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

An anticipatory moment stretches for what feels like an entire eternity while Jungkook wills himself to open his mouth. 

“I’m…” His hands are shaking so violently he has to squeeze them into fists. “I’m not…”

“Jaehyun?” 

While she maneuvers through the kitchen to reach him, he fills his lungs with enough air for the weighted confession. 

“I’m not Jaehyun.” 

The world freezes just like pausing a film. At least, everything except his mother’s pupils which are trembling in shock and astonishment. 

“What did you just say?”

Fresh tears are already blinding him.

“I’m not Jaehyun,” he repeats as his voice breaks across his twin’s name. 

“You’re… Jungkook?” The very second he lifts his chin to nod, she gasps and throws her arms around him. His body involuntarily buckles once he’s inside her warm, familiar embrace while his hands cling to her like a life vest. “Oh, my baby.”

Jungkook doesn’t know if he’s ever cried this hard. It’s as if hugging his mom reverted him to a child who’s just fallen and scraped their knee. The overwhelming comfort of her presence unlocks all the emotional tension within him, freeing it for the first time since he woke up in that hospital room.

“I’m sorry,” he wails into her shirt. 

“Shh, shh.” She keeps kissing the side of his head and despite the affection healing something deep inside, it makes him cry even harder. “You have nothing to apologize for.” One of her hands moves to cradle the back of his head. “I’m just so happy you’re alive. I’ve missed you so, so much.”

“But Jae… Jae’s dead. He’s been dead all this time. He died saving me and then I fucking stole everything from him,” he explains. “I got Y/N pregnant. That’s how she found out the truth. Because she lost the baby, and since Jae couldn’t have kids…” 

“Oh, sweetie.”

“He never told me. Why wouldn’t he tell me?” He feels like he’s speaking utter nonsense, but the words are just pouring out of him after being trapped in his chest for so long. “I hurt her, mom. I’ve loved her since we were kids, but I still lied to her and betrayed her trust in the worst way imaginable. I kept her from grieving the man she’s loved since she was fifteen.” The longer he talks, the more his guilt bears down on him like a cage that’s one size too small. “I’m such a monster.”

His mom delicately separates the two of them and as soon as they come face to face again, her own eyes fill with tears. 

“No. You’re not even close to a monster.” 

“No one else would be able to stomach doing something so awful.”

“That’s not true,” she argues. “People have committed far worse crimes than trying to help the ones they love.” When his mouth opens, she lifts a finger to silence any retort. “Even if their methods were misguided.” 

“He must hate me, right?” 

She shakes her head. 

“Never. Jaehyun could never hate you.”

Jungkook sniffles before drying his face with his sleeve.

“I think this might be the exception,” he claims.

“No, my darling.” Her fingers caress his cheek, right where his scars are, and he automatically leans his head on her palm. “I’m sure he isn’t the happiest with you at the moment, but he also knows you better than anyone. So, I think he understands why you did it, even if he disagrees.” 

“Mom, I fucked his wife. Repeatedly.” 

She chokes on a dry chuckle. 

“I said he probably isn’t happy with you, didn’t I?” 

The sound of his mother’s laugh eases both his heart and mind, even if just a little. 

“What about you? Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Of course not,” she assures him. “How can I be when I thought you were dead, and now you’re standing here in front of me?” 

“Because there’s still only one of us.”

“Yes, and I’ll have to work through that on my own time. But for now I just want to cherish my baby being alive.” 

Jungkook can’t help but smile. 

They end up gravitating towards the couch, where he stretches across the cushions with his head in her lap like he would do as a kid. He and Jaehyun used to fight over the coveted position all the time. 

Her fingers gently comb through his hair as she listens to him explain everything from the moment he decided to pretend to be Jaehyun, to the second you walked out the door. She doesn’t give her opinion unless asked, but hums in acknowledgment every once in a while so Jungkook knows she’s paying attention. 

“I just don’t get why Jae never told me he couldn’t have kids. I mean, did he not trust me with something like that?” Jungkook muses.

“No, sweetie, it didn’t have anything to do with you,” she clarifies. “Your brother was just so ashamed when he found out. He felt like he was letting everyone down; Y/N, your dad and I, her parents. He thought it made him less of a man, no matter how much we all assured him that wasn’t the case.” Jungkook gazes up at his mom as she speaks. “He even begged Y/N to leave him so she could find someone who could give her children.”

“No, he didn’t,” he gawks.

His mom nods. 

“As you can imagine, she totally lost it on him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so mad, especially at Jaehyun, of all people. Being a mother’s always been her dream, but only if Jaehyun was the father. She didn’t care whether it was natural or through adoption, but the only person she ever wanted to raise a child with was him.” 

“How come whatever condition prevented him from having kids doesn’t affect me, too?” 

“It’s environmental and develops after birth, so that’s why you’re in the clear.” He hums and turns his head back to the front so his mom can continue carding through his soft, black strands. “In fact, when the doctor found out Jaehyun was a twin, she suggested they ask you to donate for artificial insemination.” 

Jungkook nearly falls off the couch when he chokes and twists his entire body around so he can face his mom.

“You’re joking.”

She cackles.

“No, not even a little.” Her head shakes as she recalls the whole debacle. “The doctor told them it would be biologically the same as having their own child, since your DNA is ninety nine percent identical.”

“Oh, I bet Y/N loved hearing that,” he teases. 

“Jaehyun said she almost burned the doctor’s office to the ground.” The two of them share another laugh. “Your brother actually didn’t mind the idea, but like I said, biology didn’t mean anything to Y/N. Only he did.” 

It’s easy for anyone who knows you to understand your negative reaction. Nothing in the world mattered to you more than Jaehyun, and it only makes sense that if you couldn’t have kids with him, you wouldn’t want them at all. 

The thought causes Jungkook’s heart to start aching again because on one hand, your unconditional love for his twin is the very reason he took his place, but it’s also what makes the truth so much more devastating. 

“He knew, you know,” his mom professes. 

“Knew what?”

Her lips form a pout like she’s debating whether or not to elaborate.

“That you were in love with Y/N.”

Jungkook genuinely does flop right over the edge of the couch this time. His left side meets the ground with a thump as his mom gasps and leans forward to check on him.

“I’m okay,” he groans while sitting up. 

“God, you haven’t changed one bit. Have you?” 

He smiles before standing and sitting down beside her. 

“Apparently not.” 

“I don’t even know how you pulled it off. You two were such opposites,” she notes. “I mean, when I look back on the last eight months, it seems obvious. Even you and Y/N’s interactions were different.”

“How so?” 

She thoughtfully sways her head side to side.

“Y/N and Jaehyun moved like the earth and the moon. They orbited around each other, complimented each other, and relied on each other. But you and her were more like waves crashing against a shoreline. There was a push and pull as though you took turns guiding one another. High tide and low tide.” 

When people claim mothers know everything, his mom proves them right by a long shot. She somehow notices every little detail no matter how small and it genuinely amazes him. 

But he can’t focus on her words of wisdom with the massive elephant still in the room.

“Wait, we need to rewind,” he states.

Of course, she knows what he’s referring to, and clears her throat to explain.

“Darling, your brother knew you better than he knew himself. Just as you did with him. You really thought he couldn’t tell you had feelings for Y/N?”

“Yes! I mean, why didn’t he ever say anything? Or throw a damn punch?” 

She chuckles again. 

“Like I said, because he knew you. He was certain you would never try to steal her away regardless of your feelings. He was also sure Y/N would castrate you if you ever even attempted to.” 

Jungkook echoes her laughter. 

“That’s what you meant, then? When you said you think he understands?” 

“Absolutely. He knows where your heart lies, sweetie. That you wouldn’t do something like this out of malice, selfishness, or jealousy. It obviously doesn’t make it right, and he might cash in that punch once you join him upstairs, but I’m sure he doesn’t see you as the monster you claim to be.”

The words permeate his mind as he ponders whether or not he can agree. On the surface, he recognizes her point, but his guilt’s still too thick to wade through. 

“That’s what Y/N called me,” he tells her while fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “She’ll never want to see me again.” 

His mom reaches out to tuck some hair behind his ear, prompting him to meet her gaze. 

“Yes, she will.” 

“You didn’t see her face, mom. She looked afraid of me. Or repulsed, at the very least.” 

She sighs and drops her hand so she can cover his own. 

“Didn’t you hear all those wonderful things she said about you a couple months ago? She loves you, Jungkook. Maybe not how you wish she would, and it’ll definitely take time, but I have no doubt she’ll forgive you one day.” 

All Jungkook can do is hope she’s right. Because he truly doesn’t know what he’ll do if he loses you forever. Until then, he just has to focus on cleaning up the mess he made. 

Speaking of, the sound of the front door opening and his dad calling for them ends their conversation. Jungkook looks towards his mom with fear written all over his face, but she simply reassures him with a smile. 

His dad doesn’t take the news nearly as well as his mom did. There’s screaming, an abundance of questions, and even a door slam when his dad needs some fresh air. But once the initial shock wears off, he hugs Jungkook tighter than humanly possible while whispering how much he loves and missed him.

Now that his folks know, the next step is to tell the world. The three of them spend the evening contemplating all their options before settling on claiming it as a business move. 

The official story printed in the press the following morning is that after finding out Jaehyun died, his dad worried people in the industry would question whether Jungkook could fill his shoes without any prior experience. So, they decided to let Jungkook prove himself under the guise of being Jaehyun for a pseudo-transition period. 

Of course, the entire technology world goes crazy. His dad spends multiple days fighting with board members and shareholders alike over his poor decision making. But like all news, it simmers into just some strange family drama after a couple weeks. 

Jungkook doesn’t leave the house much during that time and according to his mom, who you still regularly contact, neither do you. Apparently Jennie and Maddie have been running the bakery together in your absence while you rest and grieve on your own terms. His mom also informs him you told Jennie the truth shortly after the article dropped, so she’s the only person outside of family who knows. 

A month goes by in the blink of an eye and unfortunately, he has to return to work next week. Despite all the rigmarole, the board eventually decided Jungkook’s leadership has been exemplary these past eight months, and he should remain in his position as CEO. 

Given that real life’s about to start up again, and very soon, Jungkook swallows his nerves and ventures outside to visit the bakery. Not to see you, but to finally face his best friend for the first time since the news broke. 

He arrives just before closing time so there won’t be any customers around. Jennie also isn’t anywhere to be found, but he decides to enter the building anyway by using his spare key.

His eyes map all the different desserts and adorable decor around the room as he waits for her. Everything’s still so you even though you probably haven’t stepped foot inside the building in a month. It makes his heart throb because he just misses you so damn much, but he knows it’s his own fault you aren’t here. 

A recognizable doodle on the chalk board behind the counter is currently holding his interest, so he doesn’t hear anyone approach until they clear their throat. 

“Scout’s honor, huh?” 

Jennie’s voice automatically causes his head to whip in her direction. She looks exactly the same as she always does; beautiful, radiant, and headstrong. 

Once her comment clicks in his mind, his shoulders slump forward and he sighs from deep within his chest. 

“Jen, I —” 

Before he can even begin his spiel, she interrupts by colliding with him in the center of the bakery. He grunts in surprise, but still naturally pulls her body closer by her waist. His other hand cups the back of her head while her arms wrap around him so tightly she almost chokes him. 

She buries her face in his neck, but it doesn’t muffle her quiet sniffles very much. The sound prompts Jungkook to return her affection by nuzzling the side of her throat. 

“I’m so fucking happy you’re alive,” she whispers. 

Jungkook starts beaming following a huge sigh of relief.

“Me, too.”

They simultaneously pull apart and without thinking, Jungkook wipes a stray tear away with his thumb once her face reappears in his view.

Her eyes grow wide when his finger grazes her cheek, but her expression soon relaxes into one of content. And armed with the newfound awareness of her feelings, he also realizes it’s full of love. 

It’s strange being here with her. Even though he’s seen her numerous times throughout the last few months, it doesn’t feel like he did because he wasn’t technically himself. 

“I’m so sorry, Jen,” he tells her. “I never… I never meant to hurt you. That’s the last thing I ever want to do, but I just… got lost, I guess.”

“I know.” She’s wearing her signature smirk and Jungkook can’t resist mirroring it. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I already understand.” 

“You do?”

“Kook, you were going through the worst possible moment of your life. You made a mistake. I mean, it was a huge one, but I can’t claim I wouldn’t have done the same in your position.” 

Although he feels an enormous amount of relief because she isn’t furious with him, a part of him wishes she was.

“Sure, but I still lied to your face and let you believe I was dead. Not to mention when I sat here and listened to you confess your feelings for me like it was nothing.”

She simply shrugs. 

“Yeah, that was pretty fucked up, but it wasn’t a secret or anything,” she states. 

“Huh?”

“I would’ve told you how I felt if you’d asked.” 

Jungkook shakes his head to prevent any more confusion from infiltrating his mind.

“What are you talking about?”

Her eyes roll like it’s the most obvious answer in the world. 

“It wasn’t a secret, Kook. Me having feelings for you changed absolutely nothing between us. The only reason I never told you is because it would’ve been pointless.”

“Why would it have been pointless?” 

“Uh, because you’ve been head over heels in love with Y/N since forever?”

That response nearly knocks the air out of his lungs. 

“But you said you didn’t know who I had feelings for when I asked you that night!”

She laughs while crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Of course, I did. I wasn’t going to out you to who I believed was your brother and her husband.” Jungkook’s mouth forms a little O and it causes her to laugh again. “I’m fairly certain everyone but Y/N was well aware.”

“No shit. Mom told me even Jae knew,” he replies.

Jennie gasps.

“Are you serious?” He nods with a disbelieving chuckle. It still doesn’t really compute in his brain, either. “Damn, your brother was a saint. I would’ve kicked your fucking ass.”

“That’s what I said!” 

They share in more giggles and suddenly it’s as if no time passed at all. Being around Jennie always feels like coming home, and he sincerely hopes she knows that and agrees with the sentiment.

Then again, there’s still so much left to apologize for even baring the current situation. He honestly doesn’t know where to start, but he promised himself he would try. 

“Jennie?” She raises her eyebrows to show she’s listening. “About your feelings… I’m sorry. I should’ve considered how certain things might affect you, even if I didn’t know you were in love with me at the time. All those late night hook ups and trauma dumps. I can’t imagine what those must’ve been like for you. I used you and your body to make myself feel better and best friends should never treat each other like that.” 

“Kook, that’s not —”

He stops the interruption by throwing his hand up. 

“I know you’re going to say it’s fine, but it isn’t.” Once she concedes with a short nod, he continues. “The truth is, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make myself love you back. You’re fucking perfect, Jen. But even if I could force myself to reciprocate, it wouldn’t be fair to you. My feelings for Y/N are unalterable and no matter what, you would always come in second place. And you don’t deserve anything even close to that. You deserve someone who’ll cherish you and worship the very ground you walk on.” He sighs. “I wish it could be me. God, you have no idea how badly I want to love you. And I’m so fucking sorry I can’t.” 

His best friend looks shell shocked by the time he’s done talking, but she immediately returns the favor when in lieu of a verbal response, she clutches his head with both hands. Before Jungkook can register the sudden movement, she’s already yanking him down to her level for a kiss. 

It’s gentle and chaste. Neither of them even move their lips or attempt to deepen the connection. Although Jungkook does lightly cup her face and caress her cheekbones with his thumbs. 

She pulls back first, but they both keep their eyes closed for a second longer than the kiss itself. It doesn’t feel romantic, even though in any other circumstance it should. Jungkook also understands why she did it without her explaining herself. 

It was a thank you, an I forgive you, an I missed you, an I love you, and a “you’re my best friend” all wrapped into one. Maybe even a farewell to the possibility of ever being more. 

“You’ve never hurt me, Kook,” she assures him. “Every moment we’ve spent together, platonic or otherwise, I’ve utterly adored. My feelings for you are like an underwater current. They aren’t something I agonize over or think about often. They just… exist; a part of me in the same way my love for my other friends and family is.”

He smiles after her proclamation fully sinks in. 

“I love you, Jen. I truly don’t know where I’d be without you.” 

A matching grin appears on her lips. 

“Dead in a ditch. Easily.”

They both laugh again as the seriousness of the moment passes to make room for a new chapter in their friendship. One without any misunderstandings or secrets weighing either of them down. 

Jungkook assumes those are the only amends he’ll make this week, but shortly after leaving the bakery, he checks his phone and finds a text from you on his screen. 

You want to meet at the cemetery this Saturday to talk. 

Honestly, he can hardly believe what he’s seeing, and he even blinks a few times to check if the message will disappear. When it never does, he swiftly types an affirmative reply and hits send. 

Visiting Jaehyun has been on his list for the last couple weeks now. He hasn’t been to his brother’s grave since everything fell apart and more importantly, he wants to see the new headstone you had installed with the proper name on it. 

Besides redesigning the small monument, you’re also planning a very belated celebration of life on the first anniversary of his death in a couple months. It won’t ever replace losing your chance to give him a proper funeral, but it’s at least something that’ll be dedicated solely to him. 

On the morning of your first meeting in just over a month, Jungkook’s so nervous it feels like his entire body is resting on pins and needles. 

He’s bracing himself for this to be goodbye. In fact, he’s half expecting you to hand him a restraining order and make him sign a visitation schedule for the cemetery so you never run into one another while spending time with the person you both loved most. 

Except when he arrives at his twin’s grave and slowly approaches the bench you’re sitting on, he notices you appear totally relaxed. It could very well be the calm before the storm, but after you glance up and pat the empty space beside you, he stops believing it is. 

Jungkook follows the silent instruction, but neither of you speak at first. You both simply admire the headstone across from you as the birds chirp overhead and the leaves rustle beneath your feet. 

You quietly chuckle to yourself after a while and Jungkook finally gathers enough courage to look your way. 

“I won’t bite, you know,” you tease.

He checks his spot on the bench and realizes he’s cartoonishly far away from you. His ass is actually only half on the seat because he felt it was necessary to leave a comfortable distance. 

“Right,” he sighs before sliding closer.  

“How have you been?” 

The question feels so foreign compared to how you two normally communicate, but small talk is where you have to begin again if your relationship is ever going to be mended. 

“Alright, all things considered.” You hum. “What about you?” 

It’s a stupid thing to ask given the circumstances, but manners are manners. 

“Uh, not the best. Not the worst, either. At least, not anymore.” 

Jungkook nods to acknowledge your response, but every second the air is becoming thicker with tension.

“So —” 

“I —” 

You both awkwardly chuckle while avoiding each other’s gaze.

“You first,” Jungkook offers. 

“No, I insist.” 

It’s difficult deciding where to start, but then Jungkook remembers who he’s talking to. No matter what’s happened between you two, you’re still you. He knows he can ramble or stutter for hours and you’ll still understand him somehow. 

“First of all, the headstone looks beautiful.” 

Following the compliment, you both look towards the monument just a few feet away. It’s relatively the same as before in terms of design, except it now reads “Jeon Jaehyun” and rather than “beloved brother, son, and friend,” it lists “beloved husband, brother, and son.” 

You initially only wanted to change the final word, but his parents insisted what Jaehyun was most proud of was being married to you. 

“Thanks.” In a surprise twist, you giggle for a second and Jungkook can’t help but feel his spirits lift. “They asked if I wanted to keep the old one. And I almost said yes so I could, like, smash it with a mallet or something. But I realized that might not be very conducive to my healing.”

Jungkook genuinely cackles at your admission and as if it’s second nature, you parrot the laughter. The moment is so mundane it’s almost like nothing’s changed between you at all. 

“Damn, I wish you’d said yes. I would’ve loved to see that.” 

“Of course, you would. You’re the only person I know who’d find enjoyment in watching their own headstone get demolished.” 

“I mean, duh. That’s metal as fuck, Y/N.” 

You snicker with a familiar shake of your head.

“Next time you die, I’ll be sure to grant your wish.”

The smile on his face simply refuses to disappear. Not when you two are chatting like old times and the negative energy surrounding you is gradually fading away. 

“Will you?” He asks, bringing the conversation back to a more serious tone. “I mean, next time I die, will you be there?”

His question makes your eyebrows pinch together.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Jungkook shrugs. 

“I honestly thought we were coming here to say goodbye. That you’d never want to see me again, but were at least willing to give me some closure before you leave my life for good,” he explains. 

The words have barely left his mouth when you begin vehemently shaking your head.

“Jungkook, no,” you clarify. “No matter what, you’re still my best friend. There’s no reality where I wouldn't want you in my life. Even if I still need time to forgive you and move on, I’ll never say goodbye.” 

He doesn’t register himself crying until you shock him by reaching out to swipe at the lone tear on his cheek. Your touch causes his entire body to tense, but it has the complete opposite effect on his soul, which relaxes for the first time in a month. 

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” he cries. “I know it isn’t enough, and that it’ll never be enough, but I am. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted. Everything I did was supposed to prevent that from happening. It may be hard to believe, and I understand if you don’t, but my feelings for you had no bearing on my decision. I’m sure it sounds confusing, but I never wanted you for myself. Yes, I’m in love with you, and I have been for more than half of my life. But the one person I love more than you is Jaehyun, and I would’ve never dared to take something so precious away from him. Especially when you made one another so fucking happy.” He pauses in case you want to interject, but you just gesture for him to continue. “If I had wanted that, I wouldn’t have taken his place after he died. I would’ve just comforted you in your grief in order to get closer to you. Me pretending to be Jae was so you two could stay together, not so I could have you. And I know that doesn’t make any sense and it’s so fucking twisted, but it’s the truth.” You encourage him with a nod when he checks in with you again, prompting Jungkook to take a deep breath. “When the nurse told me Jae was dead, all I could think about was how wrong that was. Not only was he always my better half, but he had so many people who needed him. Then I thought about you, and how I was feeling at that moment. And Y/N, I couldn’t let that happen to you. The idea of you experiencing the same devastating loss I was going through made me sick to my stomach. All I wanted, my only goal, was to shield you from that pain. In my mind, I had to keep Jae alive because he’s the one who deserved to live.” He sighs. “I’ve done a lot of reflecting this past month and I’ve come to realize that, although you were on the forefront of my mind, there were also other factors involved in my decision. The truth is, I’ve always hated myself for being in love with you. I saw myself as this leech constantly feeding off you and Jae’s relationship. I know that isn’t the case, but I felt so much shame about not being able to get over you. And I loved Jaehyun so fucking much, but the problem is, I think I might’ve hated myself more than I loved him. Which led me to believe I was making the right choice in keeping him alive and letting myself die.” Finally, he twists his upper body so he’s facing you head on. “I know none of this makes it right, and that you don’t owe me any forgiveness, but I needed to tell you. Again, I’m so, so sorry. There’s no amount of apologies that can ever make up for what I’ve done.” 

Once he concludes his speech, you blow air out of your mouth and thoughtfully nod. 

“I know,” you nonchalantly respond. 

Jungkook’s eyebrows rise and he looks around like someone will appear out of thin air to explain. 

“You… do?”

You ever-so-slightly smile at him.

“Yeah. The day I found out the truth, that the love of my life was dead, it felt like being sucked into a cyclone of vicious, excruciating emotions. I could hardly think straight. But after mulling it over these last few weeks, I understand your reasoning. I certainly don’t agree, and wish more than anything that you’d never done it, but I can see why you did.” 

“Oh.”

“And I’m actually just as angry at you for a different reason than lying to me,” you confess. His eyes go wide and you know him well enough to understand it means you should explain. “I am so, so mad at you for choosing to deal with Jaehyun’s death alone. Grief is meant to be shared. The only way someone can get through something so horrible is by leaning on their community. But you decided to hold it all on your shoulders without letting anyone else help carry the weight for you. Do you know how much that breaks my fucking heart, Jungkook?” He shakes his head. “You lost the most important person in your life and yet you stomached everything on your own so none of us had to lose him. It isn’t fair. And even more than that, you gave up everything that made you special; chose to live as someone else for the rest of your life if I hadn’t found out. That isn’t okay. Yes, Jae had people who loved him, who relied on him, but so did you.” You rest your hand over his own and Jungkook’s eyes flicker down to ensure he isn’t imagining it. “If I’d known you were the one who survived that day, I would’ve run to you just the same. And I would’ve been okay because I still had you. Minus any romance, we would’ve gotten through it together exactly like we did when I believed you were him.” When you squeeze his hand, he flips his palm up to reciprocate. “I’ve never once compared you and Jae. Obviously, losing my husband is an entirely different level of grief, but it isn’t necessarily worse. You both held the same weight in the world and left a hole in my heart when I believed you were gone. Just like how platonic and romantic love are two versions of one emotion, but despite being so different, can share the same intensity.” 

It takes him a second to process your monologue and he knows it’ll be even longer before he can internalize it. His self-loathing runs deep, and it’s only gotten worse after all this, so any positive feelings directed towards him are met with a hard line of defense. 

“It was an easy choice to make when I thought it would make you happy,” he counters. 

“There can’t be real happiness without truth.” 

Jungkook nods.

“You’re right.” 

You release his hand and turn back towards the headstone with an almost peaceful expression, and Jungkook finally understands. Knowing where the person you love actually is, even if it’s far away from you, is better than blind ignorance. Any happiness you might’ve felt while he was pretending to be Jaehyun is hollow in comparison.  

“Jae’s death wasn’t wrong, either.” 

His eyebrows instantly meet in the middle of his forehead. Of everything he claimed, he didn’t expect that to be what you disagree with. 

“Huh?”

“He died saving your life, Jungkook. How can that be wrong?” He’s never considered viewing it in that light before. “In a split second decision, his gut instinct was to protect you. And I know if your car had been traveling in the opposite direction, you would’ve done the same.” Jungkook fervently nods. “No matter how unfair it is or how much I wish it never happened, you shouldn’t take that away from him by belittling yourself. His death meant something and I know without a shadow of doubt that he doesn’t regret it. Not even a little bit.”

“Eh,” he objects. “Considering I proceeded to sleep with his wife countless times, he might regret not using me as a shield instead.” 

His familiar humor elicits another giggle out of you. 

“Okay. Fair.” 

Once a comfortable silence begins to stretch across the cemetery, Jungkook clears his throat so he can change the subject.

“So, where do we go from here?” 

The question makes you purse your lips, but it also seems like you might already know the answer. 

“This is the hard part,” you state. 

“What do you mean?” 

You start stamping your toes on the ground and rhythmically tapping your thighs. Any sign of nervousness is out of character for you, but Jungkook just waits for your explanation rather than probing. 

“Alright. After ‘you’ died, I automatically expected Jaehyun to be different. Grief that insurmountable is bound to change someone. Which is why I never questioned all the discrepancies I kept noticing while you were pretending to be him. I simply came to terms with the fact that my marriage was never going to be the same.” Jungkook has no idea where your train of thought is going, but he still listens intently. “Because of that, throughout our time together, I felt like I was falling in love with Jae all over again. And even though ‘he’ was different, I welcomed it with open arms. I’ve loved every version of him since we were teenagers, and this was just another iteration.” As you talk, the wheels inside his brain twist and turn until the purpose of your speech finally clicks into place. “But since you weren’t actually Jae, that means the newfound love I feel doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to you.”

If his heart could physically leap out of his chest and start doing cartwheels, it would. Jungkook genuinely can’t believe what he’s hearing. Here he thought this would be the end of your relationship forever, but you’re speaking as if it might be the opposite. 

“You… I mean, you…”

“I don’t know,” you admit. “The problem is, this love is shrouded in well over a decade of feelings for Jae, so they’re too intertwined and convoluted to properly distinguish what I feel for him and what I feel for you.” He isn’t even breathing while he listens to you, but rather holding in his air supply until you allow him to exhale by clarifying. “But I’d like to try. Not now or even soon, because I still have to forgive you and we still need to rebuild what we lost, but eventually, I think we should give it a shot.” 

It’s as though the heavens have opened up overhead and the angels themselves are singing a song of celebration. He actually worries he didn’t hear you correctly because his head’s so high up in the clouds.

“You’re serious?”

“I have one condition, though.”

“Name it,” he blurts out. 

You side-eye the instantaneous response before chuckling under your breath.

“We have to start from scratch. There’s too much history and baggage between us that’ll only weigh us down. When the time comes, I want to go on a first date like we’re total strangers. Ask one another stupid questions about our favorite colors and what we do for a living. Back to square one.”

Jungkook wouldn’t be able to stop himself from beaming if he tried. Because you’re posing the idea as if it’s a bad thing, but he can’t think of anything better than relearning everything he already adores about you. 

“Deal. I’ll even repeatedly pronounce your name wrong so it feels authentic.” Your bright laugh echoes through the air and fills his heart with song. “Y/N, I’ve loved you for so long. I’ll be happy with whatever you give me, even if it’s just an annual call on my birthday and a Christmas card.”

“I want more than that, Jungkook. Even if a romantic relationship between us fails, I never want to lose you.” Like it’s muscle memory at this point, you lift your hand to comb back his hair. “I love you. I’m not entirely sure to what degree just yet, but I do know that’ll never change.”

He cups your hand and presses them both to his cheek.

“Ditto.”

A massive smile might honestly be a permanent feature of his after this and it’s still present when he turns his head to kiss your palm. 

“So, I have this theory,” you proclaim.

“Oh, yeah?” 

You reclaim your hand before fiddling with your fingers in your lap.

“It’s kinda bizarre, but it’s helped me make sense of all my emotions.” Jungkook nods for you to continue. “Okay. It starts with the multiverse. You with me?” He nods again, albeit more tentatively. “Now, let’s assume in all the other universes, you and I, or Jae and I, are soulmates. As in, we’re always meant to find one another and be together. But what if there’s usually only one of you, but here you happened to be split into two as twins. It would explain why you both fell for me and I ended up developing feelings for each of you. Because everywhere else your personalities and traits are combined in one person.”

Well, you’re definitely right about it being bizarre. But in some strange sense, it’s comforting to imagine. Jungkook likes the idea that you, him, and Jaehyun are fated by the universe to always intertwine in one way or another. Or that he and his twin really were one soul in two bodies as he so often described. 

“I think it’s got some legs,” he confidently concludes.

You laugh again before another natural lull in the conversation occurs. It allows for Jungkook to finally admire you up close, which is when his eyes land on something shimmering around your neck.

A gasp escapes his lips upon realizing you're still wearing the pendant he gave you. He was positive you would rip the jewelry clean off after your last interaction. Yet here it is looking just as beautiful as the day he gifted it to you. 

“Why didn’t you take the necklace off?” He asks in awe. 

Your fingers rise to map the familiar outline.

“I tried, believe me. Except whenever I went to undo the clasp, something inside just wouldn’t let me,” you explain. “I’m obviously still very angry with you. There are even nights when I wish I’d never met you. The sense of betrayal and violation I feel because of what you did isn’t going away anytime soon. But sometimes when I remember certain moments from the last eight months, I can’t help but smile.”

His heart soars all over again.

“Really?” 

You smirk and shrug your shoulders like it’s no big deal, but Jungkook’s still far above cloud nine. After a moment, your hand falls from your clavicle and you affectionately gaze at your wedding rings.

“You know, I’m thinking about wearing my wedding band on my right hand and getting the diamond from my engagement ring made into a pendant. Maybe something with a ‘J’ and a sapphire for your guys’ birthstone.” 

Jungkook can already picture it in his head. Everything looks beautiful on you, but something like that would be icing on the cake. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“Me, too.” 

Suddenly, he remembers his own memento he got earlier this month.

“Actually, I have something to show you,” he exclaims. 

Your attention shifts to him as he rolls up his right sleeve and presents his forearm to you. You gasp at the colorful artwork on his skin while instinctively reaching out for a closer look.

“You finally got a tattoo?” 

He’s always wanted one, but when Jaehyun was alive it somehow felt wrong. For whatever reason, he hated the idea of having something that would permanently differentiate them. As though the tattoo would make them less identical or weaken their bond. 

“Figured it was about time.” Your fingers delicately trace along the curves and sharp lines of the ink. But while you’re busy admiring his tattoo, he’s doing the same to you. “It’s a tiger lily. Jae and I’s birth flower.”

“I remember,” you tell him. “You drew this yourself. Didn’t you?”

His eyebrows rise.

“How did you know that?”

You shrug again after one last look at the tattoo. 

“I’d recognize your artwork anywhere.”

Jungkook drew all the time when he was younger until he eventually opened the bar and became too busy for the hobby. Whether a hand-drawn birthday card or personalized painting, he often gifted his art to friends and family alike. He’s always been known for his creative mind in comparison to his twin, but he had no clue you could distinguish his style from other artists.

The notion of you remembering what his brush strokes and shading looks like, even after all these years, causes his heart to beat like a jackrabbit in his chest. In fact, it’s so touching that tears begin to crowd his waterline. 

“You know, you make it really fucking hard not to be in love with you,” he notes. 

That not only pulls more giggles out of you, but a pink blush stains your cheeks and neck. 

“Sorry.” Jungkook smiles while waving your apology off with one hand. “Now I want one,” you pout.

He’s never taken you for a tattoo person, especially since you’re a self proclaimed hater of needles. Although, the devious side of his brain can’t deny how alluring the thought is. Not to mention how amazing one would look on your skin. 

“My tattoo artist was great, I can take you to her if you’re really interested.” 

“Yes, please,” you confirm. “But will you draw it for me?” 

His hand automatically flies to his chest to point to himself.

“Me?”

“Well, duh.”

“You want me to… to draw a tattoo for you?” 

You seem totally endeared by his surprised expression, evident by your eyes crinkling in the corners when you smile.

“Of course!”

Every time Jungkook believes he can’t possibly fall for you more than he already has, you come in swinging with a steel bat straight to his heart. 

“This is where I came after I found out the truth,” you state, changing the subject.

“Yeah…” Jungkook awkwardly chuckles. “I know. I checked your location.” He put his hands out in surrender when he realizes how that might come off. “Just to make sure you were safe.”

Once he hears you softly chuckle in return, he lets his arms fall.

“I probably shouldn’t have been driving, to be honest, because I could hardly see through my tears. Then I got here and immediately fell to my knees in front of the headstone,” you narrate. “I just sobbed, screamed, and apologized until I was too lightheaded to keep going.”

“Apologized?”

You nod while making eye contact with him again.

“Yes, because I should’ve known. Or at the very least, been slower to accept what you were telling me.”

Jungkook isn’t able to see your irises anymore when you glance down at the ground.

“Don’t do that. Don’t victim blame yourself,” he replies. “I lied to you for months.”

“I know. But he was my husband, Jungkook.” A heavy sigh makes your chest rise as you shake your head, seemingly at yourself. “You didn’t kiss or touch me the same. You didn’t smell like him or laugh how he did. I mean, you even tasted different. But I just kept chalking everything up to grief, despite that making no fucking sense.”

“Y/N, the world itself stopped making sense as soon as Jae wasn’t in it.” He nudges your shoulder so you look up. “Besides, I don’t think many rational people jump to someone actually being their dead twin brother when they start acting different.”

The gentle smile that appears makes him hopeful you’ll stop being so hard on yourself about what he did to you.

“You make a good point,” you concede.

Even though he would love to just talk about everything and nothing with you, there’s one more topic he wants to cover.

“Um, do you think it’s a good idea for us to talk about the miscarriage?” He poses. “We don’t have to, I just thought I’d offer.”

“Hmm.” You momentarily mull it over. “Honestly, with so much on my mind lately I haven’t had time to even think about it.” 

“Me, either.”

“Are you alright?” 

Jungkook tilts his head in confusion.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Becuase you lost something, too.”

A hum serves as his initial response.  

“I never really saw it like that. I mean, logically I know that’s true, but I was so distraught about what I’d done it almost felt like penance.” 

“Makes sense,” you conclude. “Truth is, my dream of having kids naturally ended as soon as we got the diagnosis. I was perfectly fine with adoption and Jae and I were actually planning on beginning the process later this year.” You shrug your shoulders and meet his eyes. “So when I found out I was pregnant and miscarrying, it didn’t really register with me.”

“You and Jae would’ve been amazing parents,” Jungkook wholeheartedly declares.

A huge smile forms on your lips. 

“Hopefully in another lifetime.” He agrees with a nod. “I’m actually getting my tubes tied this spring.”

“What?” 

Just last month there was a bun cooking in your oven and now you’re burning down the kitchen. He worries you’re only doing so because of him, and that’s the last thing he wants. 

“Jae and I couldn’t have kids together, so even if I do ever fall in love again, it wouldn’t feel right having them with someone else.”

“And your doctor’s willing to do the procedure when you’re still so young?” 

You scoff. 

“No. I had to go to three different practices until one of them was touched enough by my sob story about tragically losing my husband.” You click your tongue with evident indignation. “It’s such bullshit.”

That’s an understatement. Jungkook’s proud of you for standing up for yourself and choosing to do what you feel is right. It’s what you deserve after he took away all your agency.

“It is. I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” he tells you. “My mom actually told me about your fertility doctor’s suggestion to ask me to donate.” 

The memory must still irk you because you theatrically roll your eyes.

“Let me tell you, Jungkook, I almost started throwing the clipboards in that damn office.” He laughs while a vision of you chucking office supplies around plays inside his head. “Then Jae had the audacity to ask why it was such a terrible idea!”

The mention of his twin acting so clueless brings a smile to his face.

“He may have been the perfect husband, but he was still just a man.” You chuckle and concur with a short nod. “I’m surprised he didn’t react the same way you did. I can’t imagine him being comfortable with someone shooting my sperm into you given the circumstances.” 

A wave of confusion contorts your features.

“What circumstances?” 

“Oh, my mom also told me Jae knew about my feelings for you.”

It takes a moment for his words to register, but once they do, your jaw drops open.

“Are you kidding?”

“Nope! Trust me, I was just as shocked.”

You click your tongue a couple times before glancing at the headstone again. 

“What the fuck, Jae,” you mutter. “And he never confronted you about it?”

He shakes his head.

“Mom said it’s because he knew I’d never actually try anything and even if I did, you’d kick my ass.”

His mother’s explanation produces a tandem, warm laugh from the two of you.

“He sure was right about that.” 

Jungkook joins you in turning to face his twin’s grave again as you two allow the wind and rustling of leaves to fill the air instead of your voices. 

After a little while, you lean over to rest your head on his shoulder and Jungkook naturally follows suit by mirroring the position. You both stay like that for some time and although he doesn’t know exactly what you’re feeling, he believes it’s a shared emotion.

For the first time since the night of Jaehyun’s work event, the three of you are finally together again. It’s how things should be, even if you both wish Jaehyun was physically here beside you.

“I miss him so much,” you whisper.

“Yeah.”

It’s difficult for Jungkook to respond with anything else when no words exist to truly capture what it’s like living without him. 

“Everyday I find something new to miss about him. Like yesterday, I remembered how he would always squish my cheeks and shout ‘kawaii’ whenever I did something cute.” A deep, solemn sigh makes your chest rise and fall. “I always pretended it was irritating, but I would give anything to hear him do it again. Even just one more time.”

Jungkook hums in response before an idea flickers inside his head and he sits up to face you. 

“Close your eyes,” he instructs.

“Why?”

You look skeptical, so he flashes an encouraging grin in your direction. 

“Just trust me.”

Although you’re hesitant, you soon straighten your spine and shut your eyes. 

Jungkook takes a second to survey your features without you seeing him do so. Being around you brings him more peace than anything else in the world and he’s just grateful to be sitting here in front of you. 

He recalls almost nine months ago on the morning of the funeral when he spoke to you as himself to cheer you up. It made you feel better back then and he hopes it’ll do the same today. 

His twin used to do this to you all the time, so Jungkook remembers his exact tone of voice and mannerisms.

Following the short reverie, he inhales and gently clutches your cheeks with one hand. He ignores the questioning glance you shoot him. Although, he can’t deny how cute you look with your face all scrunched up. 

After another deep breath, he focuses on his memories of Jaehyun before wiggling your head back and forth. 

“Kawaii!” He mockingly cheers to imitate his brother.  

You immediately beam brighter than the sun as your eyes fly open and a laugh rises from deep in your belly. Jungkook shares in your giddiness, but he also notices fresh tears falling down just above his fingertips. 

“That was spot on,” you assure him. 

Before letting your face go, he wipes away the droplets on your cheeks. 

“It helps when you have the same voice.” Jungkook feels a sense of accomplishment when you chuckle and your smile persists. “I’ll do that for you anytime you want, Y/N. Other stuff, too, if you think of it.” He lays his hand over your own where it’s resting on your thigh. “Just because I’m not pretending to be him anymore doesn’t mean I can’t help keep his spirit alive.”

The grin on your lips broadens.

“I think I’d like that.” 

A silent calm moves through the air and settles over the scene. Even with all the grief and pain between you, it’s clear you both agree about wanting to fix what’s been broken. 

Jungkook still can’t really believe it. He also doesn’t feel like it’s what he deserves, but he isn’t going to question you. His actions already ripped away your independence and free will, whether initially good intentioned or not. So he’s ready to simply stand by your side and follow your lead.

“I’m really happy to have you back. I missed you so much when I thought you were dead.” You rest your free hand on the growing pile of appendages and squeeze, leading him to complete the stack. “My Kookie.”

Your familiar, effervescent smile could heal even his deepest wounds all on its own. Not to mention hearing his nickname pass through your lips again after so long. 

“I missed you, too.” He lets go of your hand so he can tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. “My sweet Cupcake.”

By now you’re both grinning like little kids as you rest your head in his open palm. 

You two stay in the cemetery for a little while longer; sharing memories of Jaehyun, catching up some more, and reminiscing about your lives together so far. Jungkook further explains his feelings for you by detailing how contradictory they are at times. In return, you open up about your experience while he was pretending to be your husband and how you’ve been coping with the truth since.

For instance, how it would give you pause whenever he’d slip up, but you could always think of more logical reasons for his actions than him not being Jaehyun. And it was only once you were faced with the indisputable fact of a miscarriage that you couldn’t deny it any longer. 

As you said the night you found out, you needed Jaehyun to be alive, so as long as your brain could rationalize his behavior, you weren’t going to question him. 

You elaborate about how your doubts were subconscious, rather than something running through your head all the time. Jungkook’s someone you trusted, and you also had no idea he had feelings for you, so accusing him of taking your husband’s place was the last thought on your mind. 

In terms of afterwards, you tell him every day’s a different story. Most are full of despair, others are confusing, but sometimes you feel at peace. 

Jungkook actually chooses to remain even after you head home for the evening. Since the daunting conversation with you is behind him now, there’s only one person left to apologize to. 

A few minutes after you leave him alone on the bench, he stands to walk towards the headstone bearing his brother’s name. He hates the sight of it, if he’s being totally honest, because it still doesn’t feel right for Jaehyun to have a grave at all. But he can still admit it’s a gorgeous testament to who his twin was. 

“Hey, Jae,” he greets him while sitting cross legged on the ground in front of the monument. “Is this alright? I mean, I’m not sitting on you. Am I? I figured this is more like when I’d throw myself on your bed while you were studying or something.” Of course, there’s no response, but then again he never needed one even when Jaehyun was alive. They could always communicate without words. “I, uh, don’t really know how to start. Apologizing to our folks, Jennie, and even Y/N seemed fairly simply even though I was nervous as hell. But you? I think you’re the person I hurt most of all. I know that sounds terrible considering they’re here and you’re not, but none of them died so I could live.” A couple tears roll down his cheeks, but he doesn’t bother swiping them away. “Y/N’s right. You fucking gave up your life for me and just like always, I was too damn stubborn to accept it. I lost count of how many times you offered to help me over the years, in a million different ways, and I rejected you every time because of my own insecurities. I should’ve been shouting from the rooftops about what you did for me. Telling everyone I came across how my brother chose to leave everything behind; his accomplishments, his family, the love of his life, just so I’d survive. But instead I threw your sacrifice away like it meant nothing.” He’s crying much harder now, leaving him no choice but to use his sleeve so he can still see. “I’m so sorry, Jaehyun. I messed up. I betrayed you. Before your wedding you made me promise to take care of Y/N if something ever happened, and I fucking failed you.” It takes Jungkook a moment to catch his breath, but then he places his hand on the tombstone, right over where the word “brother” is engraved. “I swear to you I’ll uphold that promise from now on and forevermore. I’ll do it right this time; watch over her as myself instead of pretending to be something I’m not. And we can… we can talk about the feelings stuff another time. I’m actually a little peeved you kept that shit to yourself. But anyway, I know you might not be able to forgive me yet and I understand. I just hope by the time we meet again, you’ll welcome me with open arms.” Jungkook stares at the lettering while blinking back more tears before his emotions propel him forward until his forehead meets the stone. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.” He sighs and forces his eyes shut, trying to picture his twin sitting across from him. “I’m gonna live the best life possible, Jae. As me. For you. For both of us.” 

Maybe he’s crazy, or sleep deprived, but he swears he hears a faint echo of his twin’s laughter, almost like his response to Jungkook’s apology is: “Of course, I forgive you, you loveable idiot.”

He misses Jaehyun more than any words in the multitude of human languages that exist can describe. His life will always feel like something's missing, but he’s also certain there isn’t a single step he’ll take where his brother won’t be right beside him. 

After that night, you and Jungkook begin to rebuild your relationship brick by brick through visits to each other’s homes or the bakery, running errands together, and going on adventures you never have before. Including you finally teaching him how to figure skate and him taking you on your first ever motorcycle ride. You also try deep sea fishing off Jeju Island, hiking Dobongsan Mountain, and even a weekend trip to Japan. 

It’s all strictly platonic, but just like the last decade and a half, Jungkook doesn’t mind. He’ll wait forever if that’s what it takes, and he won’t complain even if you end up never wanting more. Simply being in your life is all he needs and without his better half, your friendship means more to him than ever before. 

About eighteen months later, three months after the second anniversary of Jaehyun’s death, you finally ask Jungkook if he’s interested in testing more romantic waters with you. To no one’s surprise, he enthusiastically accepts without hesitation. 

You both agree on upholding the deal you made in the cemetery to start from scratch. Jungkook even goes the extra mile by deleting your contact from his phone. His antics send your eyes rolling back, but there’s also an endeared grin on your lips while you re-input your number. 

The day of your first date goes by way too fast. Jungkook swears he just woke up and yet when he checks the clock, it’s already time to get ready. Perhaps it’s because he’s more anxious about tonight than he’s ever been in his entire life. 

There’s honestly no reason to be. You’re his oldest, dearest friend and you always have fun together no matter what you choose to do. Although even that knowledge doesn’t stop his fingers from shaking as he buttons up his shirt and throws on a coat. 

His new apartment is close enough to the restaurant to walk, so he decides to let the fresh air calm his nervous system.

He arrives ten minutes before the agreed upon time, but he’s thankful because even after the brief stroll, he needs a second to slow his racing heartbeat and quiet his mind. 

Jungkook dives face first into the menu as a distraction while he waits. Except it’s hardly any use because he ends up deciding on all his courses within the first five minutes.

His leg incessantly bounces beneath the table before he holds his knee down to stop the movement. That’s when he decides to pray to whoever might be listening to save him from sweating through his clothes.  

If anyone, he believes Jaehyun’s watching over him. Sometimes he’s positive he can sense his twin beside him or hear his voice in his ear. It’s comforting, even if it might very well be all in his head. 

He hopes Jaehyun isn’t upset with him. If he’s still pissed about what Jungkook did immediately following his death, that’s reasonable. What he doesn’t want is for his brother to be angry at him for moving on with you. 

Jungkook’s fully aware he’ll never be able to replace Jaehyun, nor would he want to. His twin wasn’t just your first love, but the love of your life.

Now, that doesn't mean you and Jungkook can’t live a long, happy life together full of devotion. Because if he learned anything from his mistakes, it's that love can manifest in multiple different forms, none of which are any less than another. 

He’s too deep in his reverie to hear the footsteps approaching his table. It takes someone rapping their knuckles against the wood and speaking to grab his attention. 

“You must be Jungkook.”

The familiar, yet distant phrase forces his gaze away from the menu as his head slowly lifts to reveal the person standing across from him. 

You’re smiling, but as soon as your eyes meet, it becomes a smirk while you playfully tilt your head to one side. 

Perhaps it won’t make sense to anyone else, but you somehow look identical to when you two first met and entirely different. Your brilliance, charisma, and beautiful features are all the same, but it’s also clear you’re older, wiser, and more refined.

All Jungkook can think about is how lucky he is to be able to witness so many versions of you. He wishes Jaehyun had the same opportunity, but he’s certain his twin is always admiring you from above. Just as he did every day of his life here on earth.

The memory your words trigger in his brain instantly paints a huge smile on his face and elicits a warm, nostalgic chuckle as he maintains your eye contact.

Despite it feeling like almost a whole other lifetime, Jungkook knows precisely how to reply. 

“You must be Y/N, then.”