Chapter Text
“I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings.”
– Gustave Flaubert
[wishing on the sky, chapter 1: half-breed]
jeongguk, 20 years old. jimin, 20 years old.
[october] [lychenniae]
jeongguk is tired.
the moonlight peeks in through the creaks of the dilapidated thatch. though the light doesn't discriminate, illuminating all corners of the small room, the other men in the room remain shrouded in darkness, almost blending into their shadows— whether it's due to the emotions of malice stemming off of them or simply their all black attires, he doesn't know.
maybe the moonlight does discriminate, jeongguk deliberates, when he notices how it's partial to the sleeping form of the boy lying at the centre.
like everything else when it comes to him. he scoffs.
the boy, even when unconscious, seems to positively radiate energy, his skin incandescent, reflecting the light, somehow glowing brighter than the moon. trust jimin to put the moon to shame without even trying. trust jimin to make a poet out of the leader of the rebellion.
and a fool, his mind supplies. he swears under his breath.
jeongguk is fucked.
the murmurs in the room keep getting louder till a constant hum fills the room. jeongguk can see his subordinates through his peripheral vision, nudging each other to speak and yet, no one dares to raise their voice. perhaps unable to bear the tension any longer, one of them sneaks out of the cottage, the door squeaking as it opens and shuts. the remaining wolves continue shuffling on their feet, eyes wide, moving to and fro between him and the door.
jeongguk doesn't recognize them. lately, the rebellion has been gaining momentum over the general masses of the country, resulting in new wolves joining them each day. in all likelihood, these men are among those newer recruits that had come in from jeolla last week. they had probably sneaked out past curfew to drink in the privacy of the abandoned cabin at the edge of the town that everyone knows exists but no one really visits. he knows cause he too has done the same throughout his adolescence and was exactly why he had chosen this cottage as his refuge for tonight in the first place.
just his luck that they had all chosen the same place on the same night. the pups seemed to have landed in an even tougher spot, no wonder they looked petrified. he would have been too if he were the one seeing the leader of their rebellion carry in the prince of the enemy kingdom, bruised, tied up and passed out.
jeongguk shakes his head to clear his thoughts. there's no more time to waste, he has to be quick now. he buries his face inside his hands, body still half kneeling–half crouching over jimin. inside his head, a memory plays. sunny smile, crescent eyes, a soft angelic voice gently teaching him, 'first step of formulating a plan on how to deal with a situation is analysing how you got into that situation.'
jeongguk knows he fucked up and that's all there is to that, no analysing required.
he lets the voice from his memory resume. another giggle, followed by a gentle slap on his shoulder asking him to pay attention, 'second step: understand everyone's interests. jeongguk-ah, whatever we do affects the people around us and a true solution should always aim to satisfy everyone involved.'
interests, which jeongguk had compromised not only of his own, but his entire rebellion's, park kingdom's, and most importantly, jimin's.
jeongguk is fucked.
he is roused from his musings when the silence of the night is broken as the door is thrown open and the two men he'd least like to see at the moment, storm inside. he grimaces. this is exactly what he had wanted to avoid. the commander and the captain of the rebellion stand stock-still taking in the scene before them, chest heaving from exertion. their faces morph from an expression of a mixture of curiosity and surprise into abject horror, as their gazes alternate between him and jimin. the angry, sour scents coming from the alphas stifles the air, making the young recruits huddle to the far end of the room, as they try to escape notice by making themselves as small as possible.
the commander, jung hoseok, opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. he stands there, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
it's the captain, kim seokjin, who breaks the silence.
"what have you done, jeongguk? what the actual fuck have you done this time?" he bites out each word and shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath, then opens them, squinting into the moonlight and blinking rapidly as if somehow that's going to change the sight before him.
jeongguk observes them quietly, doesn't want to stir up more trouble than he already has for his hyungs, but when seokjin takes a step towards jimin, jeongguk can't reign in his wolf anymore, and he lets out a growl.
seokjin's lips pull back into a snarl, his wolf clearly not used to being challenged, especially by his youngest dongsaeng. hoseok immediately positions himself between them. though younger, he has always been the less temperamental of the two. instead of approaching either of them, he addresses the crowd of recruits instead.
"pups, it's time you retire for the night. you've had a tiring day today—", his gaze shifts to the boy lying on the floor for a second, he takes a deep breath, then continues, "—and from what it looks like, you're in store for an even more tiring one tomorrow. so you better get going." he dismisses them with a wave of his hands.
the recruits don't move a muscle, seemingly rooted to the spot. jeongguk has run out of patience, he can't find it in himself to deal with the naivete of whimpering pups. he just wants to get this over with.
"didn't you hear him? get the fuck out before i personally kick you out one by one", he roars.
everybody except the commander flinch, and the boys scurry out the door within a moment, knocking over the empty decanters in their rush. the sound of tumbling vessels and shattering glass do nothing to mask the threat in the captain's voice when he warns them not to breathe a word about this to anyone. the three alphas wait for the pitter-patter of footsteps to quieten down.
for a long time, nobody speaks. as jeongguk hadn't been the one to call them in the first place, he doesn't feel obliged to either quench their curiosity or face accusations on his own accord. he'd never been much for talking anyway. the tension in the room only winds tighter. seokjin's stance remains aggressive like he is barely restraining himself while hoseok looks concerned and uncomfortable.
"two weeks. you disappeared off the face of the earth for two weeks, no contact, no intimation and now that you've finally decided us to grace us with your presence, may i know, leader-nim, why was i woken up in the dead of the night by a pup, out of his wits, screaming that you have kidnapped the fucking prince of serenia?" though seokjin's voice isn't loud, it seethes with anger.
jeongguk tries to pay attention to seokjin, he really does. but not a word goes through his head, mind instead focused on the movement he detects from the corner of his eyes. he sees red when he notices hoseok has taken a step towards jimin.
jeongguk winds a protective arm over jimin's torso, voice a low growl, when he warns, "step back. no one is going to come near him".
"i just wanted to check if he's still breathing", hoseok says placatingly, scent souring even further.
"yes, of course, he's not dead, hyung", he sputters. "just knocked out from the sedative, that's all."
"jeongguk, would you just answer the question? please", seokjin redirects the question back to him, his polite phrasing not fooling anyone.
jungkook rubs his eyes in frustration. he has never been good with words. he mulls the question over, and realizes there's nothing he can say that will not make this worse.
"what should i say, hyung? i don't know. i don't know, okay?"
"you don't know? you don't know? do you realize that this could jeopardize our whole rebellion?"
his question is met with silence, once again.
"this wasn't in the plan jeongguk. why did you do it?" hoseok asks tentatively. in his eyes, jeongguk can still see a semblance of hope, that maybe it was a part of a larger plan, and trust, that jeongguk wouldn't disappoint them like this.
he feels a wave of shame wash over him. he knew what his actions would entail, was completely aware of the consequences when he finalized his decision but his hands were tied. he did what he had to do. a myriad of emotions well inside him— guilt the most prominent, like acid, burning him from inside. beneath his arm, jimin's chest rises and falls gently, his breathing calm and even, and he realizes that he might be feeling many things right now, but regret is not one of them.
he hears a creak as seokjin slumps to the ground, resting his back against the wall opposite to jeongguk, his expression grim and voice injected with venom when he asks, "why did you have to think with your dick at this crucial point, you ungrateful brat?"
jeongguk whips his head towards him at the accusation, shocked. when their eyes meet, one thing is clear— seokjin hyung knows. seokjin has always been a keen observer, and he's known jeongguk for the longest, so it was unwise of him to not expect him to connect the dots when he saw jimin and him together. it doesn't matter now, he realizes. everybody is going to find out about it now anyways.
hoseok stares at them both in confusion, seemingly lost in their silent conversation.
"hyung, is there something i'm missing?" he turns to him and asks, "jeongguk ...have you not kidnapped the prince for ransom? or a-as leverage for our cause?"
jeongguk merely shakes his head.
seokjin scoffs. "hoseokie, haven't you realised it yet? the rebellion was the last thing on our leader's mind when he decided on his own, without any consultation or warning, to abduct the prince."
hoseok looks back and forth between them for further explanation, but soon sensing he'll be offered none, he slouches next to seokjin, with his brows furrowed deep in contemplation. he looks like a million things are going inside his head.
it's only quiet for sometime before hoseok starts voicing out his worries, each word dripping with more and more paranoia. "the second the king finds out that his darling son is missing, he'll scour all the lands in search of him. and when he finds out that it was us, it would mean war, jeongguk", the trace of civility lining his voice is all but gone. "the new recruits are pups, even our trained warriors lack organization and our plan still needs weeks of work. we're not ready for a war with the kingdom at power. the rebellion will be wiped out before it even began!"
jeongguk sighs, hands busying themselves in brushing off the dust clinging to the sleeves of jimin's shirt. "it won't come to that. i'm not planning on keeping him here. we'll leave tomorrow before the first ray of sun hits the ground."
hoseok is barely able to restrain seokjin from lunging at him.
"we?", seokjin sneers. "you're leaving too? and how, please tell, are we supposed to carry out this rebellion without our leader? huh? listen well, jeongguk. the only place where you'll be going is his palace. you'll return him back there without a scratch on his pretty head, and that too before anybody finds out."
"he's not going anywhere", jeongguk snaps through his clenched jaw.
"gguk-ah, try to understand, our mission would be compromised without you. you've been working for it since you were a pup", hoseok pleads, aiming for a calmer tone to balance out seokjin, who was aggressive enough for the both of them.
a long silence prevails. the commander and the captain await with bated breath, hoping that jeongguk would come out of his bout of insanity. though as soon as jeongguk opens his mouth to speak, the finality of his voice and red gleam in his eyes shuts down all their expectations.
"he's with child, hyung. my child. he's my first priority now."
the captain and the commander exchange looks. the prince, a male vampire, pregnant? seokjin's eyes are round as saucers.
"how?", he sputters.
jeongguk gives a mirthless life, hand rubbing at his temple. "the usual process, hyung. how else?"
their eyes fly to the sleeping prince, and true to his words there's a tiny bump along his abdomen. the vampire prince is pregnant.
they are fucked.
a long while ago, when the wheels of the rebellion were beginning to churn into motion, there had been chatter amongst the warriors that the leader is courting an omega, the gossip fueled more by his long unaccountable disappearances and lingering sweet smell always clinging to his person. the fact that he showed up distracted at the meetings, each time more than the last, and was never seen in the presence of local omegas whom the other alphas visited for pleasure during free nights, didn't help ease their suspicions either. they had decided to take up the issue with him but the need didn't arise when one day it all stopped as abruptly as it had begun. they had thought that jeongguk had finally outgrown his teenage hormones and gotten his priorities straight.
two months have passed since that fateful day, and now, as a consequence, they have a pregnant prince at their hands and soon will have an enraged king hot on their heels.
no way would jeongguk love a man, an enemy prince at that, more than he loves the rebellion. seokjin refuses to believe it. all of them were barely teenagers, jeongguk a mere pup, when they had sworn revenge on the park family and had promised to devote their entire lives to end their tyrannical rule over the kingdom of lychenniae. overthrowing the ruling family is no easy task. ever since that day, they had poured their blood, sweat and tears into it, resulting in what is going to be the biggest uprising in the history of lychenniae. everything is set, the plan already in motion, troops gathered and weapons honed. now is not the time they can afford to lose their key player, especially not over a lover. the commander looks over to the floor adjoining the wall opposite to him, where the prince rests, partially draped over jeongguk's lap, and gives him a once over. he is exquisite, no doubt, maybe a little under the weather, but exquisite nonetheless. smooth porcelain skin, delicate features set on a lovely face, but none of that enough to lure jeongguk into favouring him over his mission. if only he hadn't been with child.
no way would jeongguk abandon his child. hoseok has known him for years— he, seokjin and jeongguk had become a family, the brotherhood between them stronger than actual kin. jeongguk was hardworking, intelligent, and skilled, therefore he was chosen as the leader of the rebellion, despite being the youngest among them. but along with these qualities, one more quality was just as, if not more, prominent— stubbornness. once he sets his mind on something, it's a waste of breath to try convincing him otherwise. he places the rebellion over everything else, often above his own happiness and needs, his yearning for the liberation of lychenniae unparalleled in all the lands. he is sure jeongguk would have blindly chosen the rebellion over an insignificant lover, but when a child was factored into the equation, the whole game had changed.
they quietly watch as jeongguk loosens the binds around the prince's arms and feet. he fiddles through the loops, untying and retying the knots but not for a second do his eyes waver away from the prince's face, which has taken an almost rosy hue now, as dawn breaks outside. the slanting rays of the peaking sun cast a halo around his pretty head, adding to his angelic persona, while the rest of the room remains shrouded in darkness. they finally catch a sight of jeongguk's face, and the look on it is one they have both seen a thousand times— jeongguk has made up his mind.
there is no turning back now.
seokjin jolts out of his thoughts when he feels hoseok's fingers wrap around his wrist. he throws him a questioning look but hoseok's grip only gets tighter in return. he gestures towards jeongguk with a tilt of his head, who is now leaning even farther into the prince's space. their leader's body is drawn taut as a bow string, his knuckles white from fists clenched too hard, eyes trained on the boy before him. seokjin had never thought he would see his easy-going, always calm and collected dongsaeng on edge like this.
the prince stirs slightly, letting out a small mewl. all three alphas freeze.
the sun outside hasn't risen high enough in the sky yet. the few rays of the sun that do manage to sneak in, cast a peachy tint upon the room, barely offering any illumination.
the prince, as if with great effort, slowly blinks his eyes open but only a second later, forcefully shuts them again. in the few moments it takes for him to regain full consciousness, his eyes remain closed, crinkles lining each corner due to the strain, his face white as a sheet. he squirms against the binds around his wrist and despite jeongguk having loosened them moments earlier, they still hold strong. when he's unable to break free, his posture goes rigid and his breath quickens. the amalgam of alpha pheromones clogging the room clearly don't help him relax either. he doesn't hold his nose or cower. instead, he lifts his nose and whiffs once, then gulps the air in bursts like a man starved. opening his eyes wide, he looks around and at his own tied up form, while they adjust to the darkness, then settles his gaze at the black silhouette of the man sitting right beside him and the breath is knocked out of him in a whoosh.
jeongguk stares right back at him.
they only hold eye contact for a few moments but it feels like even if no words are been spoken out loud, a conversation is taking place, something rapid and private that they aren't privy to. a flurry of emotions bloom on his face before the prince heaves a long sigh, closing his eyes, and slumps back to the floor, all fight gone out of his body. his breathing becomes shallower and shallower as he scans the room once again, almost lazily, taking it all in, and for the first time notices the presence of the two other alphas in the room, sitting across from him, enveloped in shadows, one of them looking at him with curiosity and the other, with animosity. the prince's gaze remains blank though, no hint of apprehension or hatred on his face.
seokjin could swear he smells roses in the air, but he quells the odd thought down. no ornamental flowers grow in this dusty, famined village, only weeds and thorns.
behind the open contempt, seokjin feels a twinge of sympathy for him, enemy status notwithstanding— for a young boy to wake up in his enemy's den, bound, helpless and confused, must be traumatic. he looks barely past his teen years, no crease or wrinkle marring his youthful countenance even with his brows furrowed, as he frowns at jeongguk who is currently crouched in front of him, untying his binds. though, all notions of the prince being the damsel in distress vanish when he opens his mouth.
"did you beat me while i was asleep?", he asks softly, running his palms over his arms, wincing when it rubs over tender, raw skin.
seokjin glances over at hoseok to check if he mirrors his expression but finds it contorted in confusion instead, and realises with a start that he is not able to follow the conversation. obviously. hoseok's vampyre is rusty at best.
jeongguk rolls his eyes and throws his hands in the air in exasperation. "of course not, jimin. but i already regret not doing it."
seokjin jerks his head towards him in surprise, and so does hoseok. jeongguk had just spoken in the vampyre tongue. he blames the course of the strange night for wearying out his brain to the extent that the thought had not even crossed his mind earlier— how else would a vampire and a werewolf have communicated? only a fool would expect a vampire, a royal one at that, to stoop down from their pedestal and learn wolfian. regardless, at any other time, seokjin would have ventured on king park himself learning wolfian before jeongguk learns their language, considering his repugnance regarding it. in fact, only a few months ago, he remembers jeongguk clearly stating that he doesn't speak a lick of vampire. judging by his diction, it was highly implausible for him to have learnt it in the months after that incident. it had taken seokjin years to get a command of the language and he would still pale in comparison to jeongguk which only meant jeongguk had had years of practice as well.
icy shards prickle at his heart— how long has this affair been going on under their noses? jeongguk would not have lied, if he had nothing to hide. the shards stab deeper, drawing blood, spilling it onto his insides. how many more things had jeongguk lied to him about?
he observes the prince who has now moved on to circling his fingers around his wrists, massaging them gently. he rises to a sitting position and lifts his shoulder in a half shrug, melancholy clouding his expression, his voice a mere whisper when he says, "it wouldn't have been the first time."
seokjin stills, eyes widening in shock. had jeongguk abused the prince? the jeongguk he knew would never harm a someone weaker, let alone a lover but after the events of today, could he claim of knowing him at all?
jeongguk flinches at the accusation, hurt and anger flashing on his face, and he lets out a harsh breath. "it's been one minute since you've opened your mouth and i want to dump you back in your palace already", he bites out through clenched teeth, a muscle ticking on his jaw.
the prince stops his ministrations for a moment to look up at jeongguk. "okay then", he hums, "take me back."
he fixes him with a stare, eyes glassy and opaque. "yeah? so i wasted all this energy to bring you here to plant you right back to your room?"
"then why did you?"
"don't you know?"
the prince looks away.
"why didn't you tell me, jimin?", his voice shakes with barely contained emotion, indecipherable, unfathomed.
the prince looks piqued as well. "when should i have told you? before or after you left me?"
jeongguk straightens his back, and leans forward, body looming menacingly over him. "i left you? are you fucking serious?"
the prince's doesn't draw back or pull away in the face of his ire. his face flushes red with anger. "you told me that you never want to see me again, that you're tired of all vampires. you can't change your mind whenever you want, jeongguk-ssi. you'll notice we're not children anymore."
jeongguk swears harshly.
"fine, i left you. are you pleased now? but i didn't leave my pup. i didn't even know about the pup. you took that choice away from me, and you had no right to do that."
the prince cocks his head, and cryptically replies with a voice so soft seokjin isn't sure he's hearing it right, "bloodsuckers or half-breed, we're all the same, jeongguk-ssi."
jeongguk recoils as if struck, his face paling considerably as he takes this in slowly. he inhales at length, exhales, but says nothing, body winding even tighter. his fingertips press so hard into his thighs, they go bloodless. an unreadable expression shadows his face as they keep gazing at each other, and a putrid smell of decomposition and decay diffuses the space.
outside, the sun has bloomed into the sky. the chirping of birds and the humming of insects echo in the cold, morning air. the day has come alive. seokjin listens intently when he catches a weak noise, till he makes out the distant sounds of people hustling and bustling to start their usual routine.
alarmed, he jumps to his feet, startling the other men in the room. "you can continue this later."
jeongguk breaks off his stare with the prince, and looks at him questioningly.
"we have to do something about this—", he motions towards the prince, "—before everybody is up and about."
jeongguk rises to his feet as well, and gives him a curt nod. "we'll leave."
hoseok rushes to jeongguk's side who takes a few steps ahead and meets him halfway. "jeongguk-ah, i don't think it's wise for you both to leave now. you know how this town is, we can't trust anybody here. someone might raise the alarm."
hoseok is right. they haven't sweeped the area for rats yet, not deeming it necessary since they were only here to recruit new members. their plan hadn't involved any operation, even miniscule, in this part of the remote countryside. additionally, the vampires have been planting spies throughout the country in the past few years which gives them reasons to be wary of wolves as much as vampires.
a deviant ray of sun manages to creep in through the thatched roof and fall directly on his eyes, momentarily blinding him. he instinctively turns his face to shield his eyes and that's when his eyes fall on the prince. streams of dazzling light filter through the glass, bathing him in a golden glow as he sits unperturbed in the centre.
he gasps, hands flying to his mouth in shock.
"why hasn't he burned? he's sitting right under the sun", he squeaks, sounding far different from the alpha commander that he is.
jeongguk jerks his head towards the prince, panic evident in his eyes at his exclamation. however, as soon as his eyes fall on him, he visibly relaxes and lets out a shaky exhale. "he's different, hyung", he says softly.
probably sensing that they're talking about him, the prince looks up. he tilts his head at jeongguk quizzically, who merely stands there and stares back at him till he's the one who has to look away, the tip of his ears burning red.
jeongguk takes a deep breath and stays quiet for several minutes, staring at some obscure spot on the ground. seokjin is still left with many unanswered questions but he knows better than to interrupt him while he's thinking of his next move, therefore he leaves him to his own devices and moves to stand beside hoseok, whom he'll have to brief soon about whatever part of the conversation he missed out on.
jeongguk strides over to the prince and kneels down in front of him. the prince turns his face away in defiance.
"i have to leave for a while. i need to take care of a few things," he clasps his chin and forces his face in his direction, like talking to an uncooperative, errant child, "while i'm away, don't touch anything, don't talk to anyone and don't even think about leaving this room. just sit here quietly." contrary to the commanding nature of his statement, his voice is remarkably soft, softer than he thought jeongguk capable of.
the prince asks him through pursed lips, voice gone so quiet that seokjin barely catches it, "when will you come back?"
"as soon as i can."
they stay like that for a few seconds, until finally jeongguk lets out a long breath and drops his hand from his face. the prince turns away again, choosing to vacantly look out the window instead. jeongguk sighs and pushes himself to his feet, carries himself to the door, and hesitates there for a while, before leaving wordlessly.
the other two alphas linger for a few more seconds studying jimin, before they too turn around, and follow their leader out, locking the door from outside.
they walk briskly down the narrow, trodden path, while seokjin recounts the events of the night to hoseok everytime they're out of earshot of the occasional cattle grazer, or the milkman, or the other town folks walking along the same road.
"jeongguk has chosen the location well", hoseok comments. "nobody visits the cottage during the day. additionally, the lock outside would sway any suspicion of anything untoward happening inside. however, we need to find a safer place before nightfall."
"first thing that we need to do is shut the mouth of those recruit pups before they open their mouths", he interjects.
they stop in front of the seedy, worn out inn at the outskirts of the town where they have been residing since the past few days, and quietly make their way to their respective adjoining rooms, bidding each other silent farewell after they've reached.
once inside his room, seokjin sheds his coat and boots, and lays down on his bed, bone-weary inside and out. just as he is about to drift asleep, the door on the shared wall is flung open. a grim looking hoseok stands on the opposite end.
"commander, do you really believe what you said back there? that jeongguk doesn't care about the rebellion anymore."
seokjin releases a deep breath, rising to a sitting position. he pats the space on the bed beside him, beckoning hoseok to take a seat.
"no. i think he does care, hoseok-ah. he still cares a lot. the rebellion's in his blood. he needs it as much the rebellion needs him."
"that's what i think too— there's still hope. no matter what, we can't let him leave", hoseok readily replies.
seokjin regards him for a second.
"he spoke more to that boy in fifteen minutes today than he has spoken to both of us in months, combined. i think we'd be lucky if this is all it is. from what it looks like, jeongguk cares for him. not only the pup, he cares for the prince."
hoseok nods warily. if jeongguk truly does care for the prince, which he can't make himself believe, he has an unusual way of showing it. it would take a while to wrap his mind around the things that have happened today. he could only hope that it wouldn't change the future they have envisioned.
"i'd really like to know how this happened. how did our jeongguk, who hates parks with a vengeance, get one pregnant? where did they even meet?", he mumbles more to himself than seokjin, not really expecting an answer in return, but he's offered one nonetheless.
"the academy."
jeongguk, 15 years old. jimin, 16 years old.
[may] [academy]
"jeongguk-ah, i cannot tell you how happy i am now that you've finally abandoned your miscreant ways. i knew there was hope for you. you've chosen well. make me proud, son", his father, head alpha of the jeon pack, had said, overjoyed when jeongguk had been accepted into the prestigious "academy for combat, battle training and leadership".
thousands of kids his age apply for a position in the academy but only a handful make it in. he still remembers the shock on his father's face when he had broken the news to him. his father's young wife, whom he refused to call his new mother, had shrieked so loud as if it was her who'd gotten accepted instead.
on the day he'd left, she'd gone as far as to wipe a single stray tear drop from her eyes, speaking in that same cloying saccharine voice she adopted whenever she was talking to her babies, "your hyung is leaving, jeongsunnie, jeonghyunnie. say bye, bye", waving the tiny hands of the twin pups juggling on her lap.
"jeongguk, wouldn't you miss your dongsaengs?"
the twins had been barely a few months old, he didn't understand why that woman wasted her energy speaking to them as if they comprehended anything. jeongguk had been glad he wouldn't have to hear her shrill voice droning constantly in his ears.
"not at all."
he had quickly dismissed the guilt which bubbled up inside him when both pups had started wailing right after his remark, reminding himself that they couldn't possibly have understood what he had said. he had then set off from his house. the pups' cries and his father's reprimands about disrespecting his family drowning out the farther he moved.
more than a year has passed since he joined the academy, but jeongguk still remembers that day as if it was yesterday. when he thinks about home, he remembers receiving his father's validation, his friend's congratulations but most of all, he remembers his hyung's words which had compelled him to apply for the academy in the first place—
"without a competent leader, we're no better than the unorganized barbarians the vampires make us out to be. most wolves here neither have the opportunities nor the resources to get formal education let alone a proper training. you turning down the opportunity being handed to you to snub the imperial system will not affect the vampire king, as a matter of fact, let me tell you, it will not even remotely affect a single vampire. the only sufferers will be the rest of the wolves, who bear the brunt of the injustice and cruelties under vampire rule, exposed and defenseless. lychenniae needs freedom and the quest for freedom demands a leader."
seokjin hyung had been a fifth year student at that time, and after clearing his final year last december, he had left him all by himself in the academy.
jeongguk keeps his hyung's words in mind when he crosses the threshhold of the premises on his first day, he thinks about it when he works himself past sunset till he's nothing but a pile of flesh and bones, he thinks about it when he wins the renowned annual tournament against older, experienced vampires and wolves, and he thinks about it during his lessons on important aspects of governance or leadership. he thinks and thinks and thinks till he can't anymore and retires to his bed, only to start thinking about it again the next day.
when he had won the tournament, along with receiving the award and making his name throughout the academy and in front of important officials, he had been promised a special course. he heard no news on it for months, had assumed it to be a farce that the academy used to maintain appearances, until yesterday, when he received a missive asking him to report the next day at a given location and time.
a little before the designated time, jeongguk rushes through the crowd of pupils walking along the corridors, eager to get to his training till he reaches the west wing. all these months, he had passed by these gigantic stone walls surrounding the west wing, housing the elites and premium training arenas and had not once desired to enter the establishment as snobby, entitled brats do not warrant his interest. besides, as people of high importance lived in this wing of the academy, approved documentation must be procured to enter the grounds.
jeongguk stops in front of the opening in the small chamber jutting out from the walls, made from the same slate grey stone, almost camouflaging as a part of the wall. the man inside the chamber eyes him suspiciously, then shifts his focus back to his work at hand, ignoring him. he waits for a response for a few seconds, then raps at the wooden desk impatiently. jostled from his work, the man mutters under his breath, and asks him something in vampyre.
jeongguk shrugs, not understanding a single word.
the man asks him again, louder this time, saliva spitting out of his mouth at each word. at his continued yelling, a guard from the adjoining gate comes to check on the situation.
jeongguk rolls his eyes and gestures with his hand.
the man's eyes widen when he understands what jeongguk is trying to convey. him and the guard turn to look at each other incredulously, like they have never met someone who doesn't speak vampyre.
fools, the lot of them.
"learn vampyre", his hyung had said before joining the academy. "it'll give you an edge over the vampires, to be able to understand the words they don't want you to know. don't let emotion handicap you from your goal." jeongguk had mulled over the advice, and had yet simply chosen to not learn it. he didn't want to owe any part of their freedom to the vampires or their language.
the man clears his throat and asks him, this time in wolfian, "your identification tag?"
jeongguk fishes it out of his pocket and hands it over to him.
the man adjusts his spectacles and bends over the piece of card, scrutinizing it. "jeon jungkook, student of second year, son of jeon beomseok, resident of district busan, nation lychenniae, correct?"
"yes", he responds curtly.
he watches him with narrowed eyes then bellows to the guards manning the gate, "let him in."
"listen closely, boy. go down the corridor to your left, walk straight to the end of the hallway and take a right turn. from there, it's second door on your left. got it?"
jeongguk nods and turns to leave.
"go directly to the assigned room. if you are found loitering along the hallways, you will be punished severely—", the man yatters on till jeongguk is out of his sight.
he finds his way easily to the room, realising that the layout of the west wing isn't very different from the east wing, where he resides. infact, it's like a mirrored replica of his wing, only much grander and lavish. another noticeable difference is how every corridor, every gallery, every porch, is roofed— brick, wood or opaque coloured glass. sun-proofing, it's called.
vampire burn-proofing, it should be called.
he takes a deep breath, tightening his grip around the handle before turning it, letting the next phase of his life begin, hoping that it helps shape him into a better, faster, stronger wolf, and gets him closer to his purpose.
the door opens onto a sizable grassy field in which a wide circle has been marked out with white paint, imitating a mock ring. numerous lamp posts have been lit around the area, washing it in a warm luminescent glow. from this point he can make out two men standing at the centre, the man nearer to him with his back pointed to him has a cascade of icy-blonde hair that flow past his waist, gently swaying in the wind completely obscuring the one man opposite to him. he strides towards them, his footing confident, shadowing the wave of anticipation that courses through his body.
detecting his presence, the man turns around, and jeongguk gets a good look at his face, faltering in his step when he recognizes who is he. though slight in build, his gaze is sharp and piercing, his face pale, a long jagged scar running down his left eye dissecting his face, making it even more intimidating. standing in front of him is min agus, the only surviving descendant of the legendary min family, who were the founders of the academy, famed to be the fiercest warrior in the entire eastern continent and rightfully so. many of his disciples have gone on to become great men, assuming important positions in different monarchies. tales of master min's guidance have been relayed to him personally by some of his students who are now a critical key to the rebellion.
"welcome, jeon jeongguk. congratulations on being the first person in the history of this academy to have won the annual tournament on his first try."
jeongguk puffs his chest with pride, as the respect for master min in his heart surges for recognizing him for his own achievements rather than his father's station at the court. he bows deep, and politely offers, "thank you, sir. it would be an honor to learn from you."
he gaze flitters to the the other person, and he's left momentarily stunned. he's standing with his hands clasped in front of him, his eyes downcast. he's small and...adorable—milky skin, soft blonde locks, so light that it looks white, a small button nose, plump cherry red lips, and round, full cheeks like rice cakes. he's dressed in a pair of loose plain white, cotton tunic and shapeless brown breeches fastened around his tiny waist.
"this is park jimin, the prince of serenia", master min introduces.
oh. a vampire and a royal one at that. bitterness flares in his gut, no doubt creeping onto his face— and without his notice, the air around him charges with animosity, catching the attention of the prince, who, for the first time since they've met, lifts his gaze. for the third time that night, the breath whooshes out of jeongguk when his eyes bore into a pair of striking violet eyes, the colour of nightsky during thunderstorms, contradicting his otherwise delicate features, and yet perfect for his face. he's gorgeous.
he schools his face into an expression of indifference when he hears master min clear his throat, and nods in acknowledgement.
"starting from today, both of you will be training together every sunday." he gives him a pointed look and continues, "jimin-ssi is a new addition to the academy, so i expect you to be considerate and hospitable to your fellow student."
the words have the opposite effect on him. 'be considerate and hospitable?' the bitterness in his gut swirls violently again, even more vehement and intense at seeing that the training he'd qualified for by working himself to the ground, day and night, and winning the tournament in his first year itself against all odds, is being handed to his opponent on a silver platter within days of joining the academy, solely due to nepotism. he scans him from head to toe, judging his strength by scrutinizing his thin body, and finds nothing extraordinary that could have made this decision of the academy justifiable.
master min interrupts him out of his thoughts, "i've already briefed jimin-ssi about today's schedule while we were waiting for you."
jeongguk tries to keep the sheepish expression at bay at being called out for his tardiness. his eyes fly to the prince, who is back to his previous relaxed posture, examining his nails, paying no attention to their conversation.
undeserving and arrogant, he thinks, until realizing with a start that, of course, the vampire prince isn't listening, why will he? he doesn't understand wolfian.
"before officially starting your training, i would like to assess the skills you've acquired till now. so for tonight, both of you will demonstrate your hand to hand combat skills. take it as a normal match during training, no need to overexert yourself as i won't be keeping a score. i'm only a silent spectator, tonight. try not to injure each other."
he steps back till he is out of the ring and bellows out a command for them to take their positions.
jeongguk squares his shoulder, cracks his neck and assumes his stance. only when master min motions them to start, does the prince ready himself and they begin circling around each other. jeongguk wants to make the first move, being on offense has always played more into his strengths than defense. he wills his muscles to contract, flexing and extending his arms till they're rippling underneath but he just can't make himself serve the first blow. he tries to shake himself out of it, reminding himself that there's no place for emotion on the battlefield. he might hate all vampires, but even jeongguk has enough morals to not hurt someone weaker than him, even if they're the son of the tyrant who is the cause behind their suffering.
freeing him from his turmoil, jimin takes the choice away from his hands and before he can even react, the prince's fist connects to his jaw with furious velocity, creating an impact that sends him sprawling headfirst into the grass. for a few seconds, he doesn't even realise what had just occurred.
the prince: one.
jeongguk: zero.
his alpha howls at the provocation, so he let's it take control of his body, and channels the rage he is feeling into the fight, and charges like a ram, but the prince slithers around him like a snake. jeongguk's broad shoulders makes it difficult for him to dodge punches, each aimed with meticulous technique. where jeongguk thought he had the advantage of strength, the prince easily outmatches it with agility and precision. his poise must come with a price though. jeongguk waits for him to make a mistake, it takes him a minute but he figures it out— there's a pattern behind the prince's attack.
his fists take a one-second pause, but the prince doesn't and that's how he gets him exactly where he wanted him to be. it is his turn, now.
the punch lands on the prince's cheekbone and sends him flying metres away from where he stood. a trail of blood trickles down his cheek, jeongguk watches him collect some with his finger, inspect it in front of the light then wipe it on the front of the tunic, straining it an ugly red. he is disgusted at himself when he realizes his alpha is howling again, not for his victory but out of concern for the boy currently lying on the grass.
jeongguk inches forward. the fight has almost drawn to a close, there is no way the prince could get out of it now, that's what he thinks, but in a flash, the prince jolts upright, catching him off-guard. he punches his throat, bends down, grabs his left knee and rolls around, lifting him up from the waist, turns around and pins him straight into the ground.
as jeongguk lies beneath him, immobilized and thoroughly defeated, he realizes that the prince smells of wild roses and fresh ripe peaches, impossibly more beautiful now with a glowing sheen of sweat lining his body and cheeks stained red with exertion. he also realizes that the prince is unlike any vampire he's ever seen.
park jimin.
who are you, park jimin?