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“I’ll take the front line with my main troop. Those with horses stay on the outskirts unless I signal.” A hand skirted over the faded map on the polished wooden table, the smell of grass and metal filling the hollow stone room. “We’ll move out today.”
“Sir is that a good idea?” There were a total of five people within the cold grey walls, two clad in steel armour, two in robes and one in regal garments decorated in red and blue, rubies and sapphires. An elderly man in a dark brown cloth spoke up, leaning over the table to peer at the sketchy depiction of forest and lakes.
“If Yoongi believes it to be our best course of action, then it is the course we shall take.” The king replied, nodding his head to his general who was leaning back with a thoughtful expression, his brunette hair falling in front of his eyes.
“It is our only course, my liege.” Yoongi said, his metal armour shining as the sun streamed through the tall stained glass window behind the king. “If we do not take the enemy by surprise then we will find ourselves unprepared and vulnerable.” He stated, standing up and pressing a leather gloved finger to the outskirts of the dark woods. “We infiltrate before sundown, taking the woodland route, and eliminating any and all lookout.” His finger slid upwards and towards the other man in robes, he stopped upon the previously marked site of their enemies, and he looked up and locked eyes with the king who was watching his every move intently. “We will return again and on my signal.” He reached down and withdrew his knife, dragging the sharpened tip up the map until it reached where his finger had previously been. “We attack.” He dug the blade into the old paper, slicing an ‘x’ over the space of marked trees. The king stared into his soldier’s eyes, his own turning dark, with his fingers laced together in front of his pursed lips.
“And what time today will you be leaving?” The bearded man asked, watching as Yoongi twirled the knife in his fingers and placed it back in its holder on his hip.
“We leave now.”
Min Yoongi was a respected general. With years of victories under his belt and a strategical mind matched by no other, it was no wonder he climbed up the ladder so quickly and earned himself the top rank under the king’s rule. There was no weapon he didn’t know how to use, no battle he couldn’t think or fight himself out of and his senses were heightened after years and years of training and leading his kingdom to triumph. He was only seven when he first learnt how to throw a knife on target perfectly every time and he was only fifteen when he became an expert in the ways of the bow and arrow, able to shoot with 100% accuracy every time from so far away the average eye couldn’t see, able to take out anything by merely hearing or sensing his target. Min Yoongi was respected but not feared. He was deadly and could quite easily kill anyone without batting an eyelash but those close enough knew he was kind, knew that he would never leave anyone behind if he could help it, that he would stand by his kingdom until his dying breath and that behind the tough exterior built from a youth spent clutching swords there was a person who secretly hated the life he led.
The crunch of dead leaves beneath steel toed boots chorused through the outskirts of the forest as the small yet formidable army reached their destination and the general dismounted, Yoongi threw his hand up and the troop came to a sudden stop, the horses braying quietly as their owners pulled back on the reins.
“You will wait here,” he said to the riders who nodded stiffly, fingers clenching tightly around the leather straps connecting them to their mounts. Yoongi gave the reins of his horse to a knight who quickly jumped to the ground and took hold of both his own and his boss’ horse. “The rest of you, follow me but don’t stick too close together.” There was only fifteen of them including Yoongi, they weren’t planning on attacking. The plan was to scope out the outside and take out as many guards as they could before retreating back to the castle and leaving the enemy nervous before striking with more reinforcements.
As they traversed through the woods, Yoongi concentrated on his surroundings, he stared at the way the trees branched over each other, how very minimal light was allowed through the barky tendrils of nature to allow the plants to cling onto life but never bloom. There was no sign of anyone, it was slightly confusing. They should have ran into at least one by now, Yoongi kept his eyes peeled and ears open but he still couldn’t find anyone and it sent an uncertain chill down his spine. He wondered if maybe they should retreat, go back and bring back more people just in case. They moved in deeper in search for their opponents, the Orcs. For centuries it had been an ongoing bloodbath between the two factions, the land was ruled by the same bloodline the kingdom started with, the current king was a benevolent one and most races abided his rules, he was kind and ruled fairly. However, ever since the beginning of this society, one race has never accepted this; the Orcs. They were a cruel and malicious bunch, fuelled by greed and want for power. They lived in the dark woods, sat on the outskirts of the land, exiled from the rest of civilisation where they ran a corrupt society of their own. A corruption that unfortunately bled into the rest of the kingdom through black markets and underground dealings that not even the king could keep tabs on, however information leaked through the cracks in their warped foundation and found its way back to the high council. Information that revealed the Orcs were planning a vicious attack on the town of Nasvol that would trail all the way to the castle. To the king.
Which is why Yoongi found himself yet again trekking through the cold forest, history repeating itself in a vicious cycle that never ended. They fought, the kingdom won, the Orcs retreated, weeks or even years of peace ensues until the Orcs yet again attempt to destroy everything in their path. Yet even if we stop them, both sides lose something. No one truly wins here.
“Wait stop.” He whispered to himself and halted, throwing his hand up and stopping everyone in their tracks. Everyone’s heads turned to face their general who was drawing his bow up slowly, an arrow already placed within its hold that he had swiftly grabbed from the small arrow satchel strapped to his leg. Yoongi’s eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, straightening his back and digging his feet into the soil. “Come out!” He called, loud enough to be heard but not enough to startle anyone lurking further than that point, he was aiming at a tree in the distance, a slither of bright orange hair alerting him that they weren’t alone. He curled his fingers around the string and took a deep breath, pulling back strongly with his inhale and fingers snapping off with his exhale and the arrow cut through the air and shot into the tree, shaking the trunk slightly. A loud gasp was heard as the head of orange hair fell forwards in shock, collapsing to its knees and trembling. Yoongi stared in confusion, he could tell the figure was a male, he looked only a little younger if not the same age as Yoongi himself but there was something different. His eyes narrowed in on the shaking shoulders, the fingers that dug into the ground and how the man wouldn’t lift his head, almost trying to close in on himself. Yoongi walked forward but stopped as the rest of his men followed, he put his hand up to keep them in their place and sent back a glare before zeroing in on the shuddering person behind the distant tree. “Who are you?” Yoongi called out, approaching slowly and cautiously, bow grasped in his left hand. As he grew closer, he could make out just how violent the shaking was, and the grip on his weapon loosened. “Who are you?”
“Please!” The man suddenly shouted, jumping out of his knelt position to turn around and look up at Yoongi, eyes wide with fear, he was holding himself up with his hands pressed against the ground behind and with each step Yoongi took towards him, the stranger shuffled back. “Please! Don’t kill me! Please!” He pleaded, stuttering and quaking in fright. Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows and crouched down slowly, placing his bow on the leaves and removing his silver helmet to drop with a thud next to him. He got down onto the ground and put his bare hands in front of the frantic eyes to show he held no weapon.
“I won’t hurt you.” The general spoke softly, observing every minute movement the redhead made. “Just tell me who you are, why are you here?” He asked, taking in the sun kissed glow of the man’s skin and little pointed ears.
“I… I… You won’t hurt me?” The man’s voice broke off into his whisper, his body calming though the caution of his eyes remained.
“I swear.” Yoongi looked around, his men standing behind trees and watching the forest warily. “Just tell me so I can help you.”
“My name is Jimin. Park Jimin.” Jimin glanced behind him, quickly returning his stare to the knight knelt in front of him. “I’m lost.” He breathed out, still slightly shaken from the previous incident with his jumper falling off his shoulder slightly. It’s not every day someone almost shoots you in the head.
“Nice to meet you, Park Jimin. I’m Min Yoongi.” He spoke softly, a faint smile on his face as he questioned further but trying not to seem intimidating. “How did you get lost? Where have you come from?” Yoongi questioned furthered, elbows resting on his knees as he crouched.
“I was just walking through the forest, trying to get to town and I couldn’t recognise anywhere and then I saw you walking through and I panicked.” Jimin admitted, calming down when he came to the conclusion that he wasn’t in any danger. “I just wanted to get to town… When you shot the tree I got so scared, I didn’t know if you were good or bad!”
“I work for the king, I shot the tree to draw you out. I wasn’t aiming for you, I’d never shoot someone without valid reason.” Yoongi breathed a sigh of relief as Jimin’s body language became more open, a sign he wasn’t as afraid as he was moments ago. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, I apologise.” The general extended his hand out for Jimin to take, an unfamiliar feeling of nervousness crawling up his spine as the redhead simply stared at it, pondering whether or not he should take it.
“Its…” Jimin bit the inside of his cheek and looked behind him again, spinning his head back to Yoongi and clasping the outstretched hand tentatively, “It’s okay.” Yoongi smiled at him and stood up, bringing Jimin with him. He let go of the small hand, going to pick up his helmet and bow but he was stopped when Jimin suddenly lost balance and he had to reach out and wrap his arms around the man’s waist to keep him upright.
“You alright?” Yoongi asked, letting Jimin lean on him.
“I’m sorry, my legs are a little shaky…” He explained, hand gripping the one on his waist for extra support. “You really scared me.” Jimin chuckled a little, though it sound a bit forced and Yoongi couldn’t help the slight feeling of guilt in his chest.
“I’m sorry…” He said quietly, picking up his bow and helmet quickly, Jimin awkwardly crouching beside him to enable him to do so.
“It’s okay.” Jimin smiled up at him and Yoongi cleared his throat, looking at his troop who were still stood completely still and waiting for orders.
“Let’s get you out of here, it’s not safe.” The knight began walking, one hand clutching his equipment and the other secure around the orange haired stranger. They walked past the other knights and were quickly followed. “I apologise again, for scaring you.”
“It’s alright, what were you doing out here anyway?” Jimin asked, looking up at the knight who stared at the ground in front of them, being careful where he stepped in case he tripped over Jimin and brought them both tumbling down.
“Some… Business with the Orcs.” Yoongi said vaguely. Jimin moved away from him, confident he was okay to walk on his own now but still holding onto Yoongi’s arm just in case. “Why are you out here?”
“I was looking for a flower, it only grows in these woods.” Jimin explained, frowning slightly. “I think I saw it but I don’t know… Either way I didn’t get it.”
“Sorry for that too but it’s dangerous here. You shouldn’t come here, especially alone.” Yoongi shook his head, his helmet lightly bashing against his leg with every step. “What flower was it?”
“A Glithinda flower, it’s black with white specks near the centre.” Jimin saw streams of sun running towards them on the ground and he knew they were close to leaving the woods. It was when they stepped out into the sunlight that Yoongi noticed the distinct features of Jimin’s face and it was understatement to say he was beautiful. He was almost ethereal. Yoongi found his mind going blank, more thoughts leaving his head the more he looked at the man he’d met mere minutes ago.
“Sir, what happened?” One of the riders asked, looking at Jimin with a confused look on his face. Yoongi stayed transfixed for a moment before opening his mouth and turning to his troop with a determined tone.
“Change of plan, we’re heading back to the castle.” Yoongi said bluntly, voice back to its monotone state and expression rigid. “No questions asked.” There was murmur of humble agreement as Yoongi sent a glare to his men, not noticing the growing anxiousness of the man beside him. Yoongi looked down at Jimin who was staring nervously at all the soldiers around him, the horses standing higher than Jimin himself.
“But sir what about the plan?” One of the men spoke up, disregarding Yoongi’s prior instructions.
“I said, no questions asked.” He shot a glare and the man instantly shut up, looking down with a shamed look. Yoongi looked back down at Jimin, clearing his throat when he saw the shorter male’s shocked expression. “If you would like, after visiting the castle, I can drop you off at the nearby town?”
“Would you?” Jimin looked up in surprise, not expecting the special treatment. Much less from a knight who seemed to be able to frighten a whole troop by a mere glance.
“Of course, it is no trouble, honestly.” Yoongi took Jimin’s hand and helped him up onto his own horse, holding back a grin at the way the man held onto him like a vice, eyes wide and anxious.
“Thank you.” Jimin’s words came out as a stutter as Yoongi jumped onto his steed after securing his bow onto the holders attached to the saddle and putting his helmet away in the bag hanging off the stallion as well.
“First time riding a horse?” Yoongi asked as Jimin instantly wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s waist and held on for dear life, head pressed between the shoulder blades that were covered in sturdy metal armour.
“Maybe…” Jimin said, pitch higher than before and Yoongi chuckled lowly to himself, ignoring the odd stares of his troop. He tugged on the reins and the horse brayed, beginning to trot forward and Jimin couldn’t help the little shriek that tumbled out as he tightened his grip on Yoongi even more.
“Just relax, I won’t let you fall.” Yoongi said, smiling to himself with the knowledge that he was in front of everyone and the grin was something seen only by the wind itself.
“Sorry.” Jimin said, hair flying around as he stared at the vast fields seemingly flying past, the horse picking up into a run, the bounce making their voices waver slightly. He loosened his grip to lean back slightly and see more of the world around him. “You know,” He started, shouting a little to be heard. “That whole ‘scary general’ façade doesn’t suit you!” He giggled, looking above at a hawk that soared past.
“Façade? I’ll have you know there is nothing fake about my disposition, Park Jimin.” Yoongi shot back, no one had ever really questioned him before. Much less a stranger. It was oddly refreshing…
“You’re much nicer when you’re smiling, even though your lips barely turn up.” Jimin teased, unaffected by what he could tell was only a front. Jimin was a social person, talking to people was easy and he knew that he always made other people feel comfortable from his years of travelling so he wasn’t one to avoid friendly conversation. He liked learning about people, all the different personalities, the background behind why someone acts a certain way, why they have the habits they do. Everyone was such interesting, complex beings and it always fascinated Jimin how no matter where he went he never met the same type of person again.
“I have a reputation to uphold, it comes with the job.” Yoongi shrugged, pulling on the reins so that the horse jumped over a fallen tree on the path. Jimin wasn’t expecting the sudden action so he yelled out in shock and flailed around, tightening his arms around Yoongi’s waist and pressed his cheek against his back, eyes squeezed shut.
“A little heads up next time!” Jimin whined, the back of his shirt thrashing wildly against his skin and allowing the cold wind to dance across his back.
“Sorry!” Yoongi laughed, eyes watering slightly from the onslaught of air hitting his eyes. “Consider it a warning.”
“A warning for what?” Jimin yelled incredulously, Yoongi’s laugh still echoing in his head. It was a slight shock to hear him laugh so loud when he wouldn’t even smile in front of the other knights, he was a strange man.
“To keep my ‘façade’ as you call it, a secret.” Yoongi challenged, unsure where the sudden lightness in his chest came from. The atmosphere was happy, it was odd how a stranger managed to crack him so quickly, talk with him. He must be part Fairy or something… He thought to himself, remembering the pointed ears that pointed up instead of down which weren’t common for fairies but the short stance and glowing skin that weren’t akin to an elf. Fairies had a natural way of drawing people in, relaxing them and seeing through whatever mask they showed to the world.
“What do I get it out of it?” Jimin chuckled, leaning back again once he was sure he wasn’t going to lose his balance.
“If I ever run into that flower, I’ll be certain to bring it to you.” Yooni said, thinking back to the reason why he had found Jimin crouched behind that tree.
“Implying we would ever cross paths again.” Jimin retorted, an ever so subtle sarcastic tone behind the words.
“I’m sure we will.” Yoongi hummed, turning around the corner of the path. “Even so, I’ll just have to find you myself.”
“I wish you luck with that, I rarely stay in the same place for too long.” Jimin grinned, finding something about the situation relaxing and he shuffled forward carefully on the saddle, resting his chin on Yoongi’s shoulder to sneak a glance at the brunette’s face that was concentrating on where they were going but had a calm air about it. He looked forward, wanting to see what it looked like face on, it didn’t seem to move as fast when you stared straight on. “Though I’m sure I could make an exception.” The fresh air hit his lungs and he felt refreshed, the smell of grass invading his senses and he couldn’t open his mouth for too long else his throat would dry up from the speed they were going at. Yoongi glanced briefly and saw Jimin smiling widely, his teeth showing and his eyes full of wonder. He turned back to keep his eyes in front him with a comfortable feeling in his chest and hands holding onto him that, despite wearing full armour, felt warm.
When they reached the castle, Jimin followed Yoongi through the tall walls and stone hallways (wanting to stick close to the knight who was familiar with the area), gaping at the decorations and gawking at the red satin curtains. Yoongi looked back every now and then, smiling at the almost child-like behaviour and the way his eyes stayed wide the whole time in fascination.
“Do you live here?” Jimin asked, mouth still hung open and Yoongi couldn’t help the deep chuckle that rumbled in his chest, earning a few odd stares from the surrounding staff who had never even seen the general smile before now.
“Well, I have my own room here but no, this isn’t where I live.” Yoongi explained, watching as Jimin reached out and touched the wall, fingers flinching slightly at the coldness, and dragged his hand along the stones as they walked. “I live near town, I have a house near the forest. The large field is a good place for training.” Jimin hummed and nodded his head gently in acknowledgement.
“Where are we going now?” Jimin asked, temporarily distracted by the large metal statue of a knight holding a sword.
“I need to report back to the council, then I will take you to the town as per request.” Jimin smiled widely, eyes crinkling up endearingly and cheeks puffing ever so slightly in a way that had Yoongi returning a smile of his own albeit nowhere near as large.
“Okay, thank you!” He sang as they reached giant double doors that towered over them, it had large golden handles that were a little intimidating with etchings of a faint pattern in the dark wood. “I’ll wait out here.” He muttered, loud enough to be heard even though it was mostly said to himself, and Yoongi bobbed his head, opening the door and putting his index finger to his lips with a grin.
“Don’t be too loud.” The general said, drawing a scoff from the orange haired male who nodded and mimicked his gesture with a tilt of his head.
When Yoongi entered he forgot to close the door behind him and upon seeing the men in front of him, his face instantly dropped and returned to its usual robotic state.
“Yoongi? This is unexpected…” The king observed, leaning back in his chair. He was sat on a long horizontal table, members of the high council sat next to him and forming a line as assortments of paper and what looked to be letters were strewn across in front of them.
“My liege,” the general began, bowing a full ninety degrees before straightening up to deliver the news. “There was an unexpected situation upon our arrival, I would have gone ahead with the plan if I didn’t believe that it would not have been in our best interest.”
“What situation?” One of the council members asked, setting down a piece of paper and staring at Yoongi with a hard look in his eyes. Yoongi huffed internally, resisting the urge to rub his forehead in annoyance.
“Something happened that made me retreat, it gave me time to think of another plan. One most likely more effective.” It was true, during the ride back Yoongi had realised that taking such a small troop may not have worked in their favour if something was to go wrong and the Orcs suddenly attacked with everything they had. They would be outnumbered greatly. “It would be wiser to instead do the same thing, however, we take the entire army.”
“The entire army?” The king repeated, taken aback slightly by the proposition and slightly uneasy about the idea of his whole army being taken away from the castle.
“If the Orcs turn on us while we are there and we have the whole army, we regain the element of surprise and it would be easier to turn the battle back in our favour.” Yoongi explained, going over his words in his head before saying them aloud. “Of course one or two small troops will be left with you at the castle for protection.” The urge to roll his eyes was strong as Yoongi saw the king sigh in relief and nod his head, however amongst the council it was wise to stay respectful. “Anyway, if that is all I shall take my leave now.” He bowed once more and went to leave but was cut off by a loud voice.
“Who is this, Yoongi?” One of the more powerful council members questioned, standing up from his chair and walking toward Yoongi. Jimin had been hiding behind the large doors, not wanting to be seen, but his hair was too bright to not be noticed when even just a strand blew past into the open. “Come inside.” He called, the other council members murmured to each other and the king was also intrigued as the short man revealed himself, looking at Yoongi anxiously as he slowly made his way over. Yoongi stared back at him, words suddenly stuck in his throat. The elderly man raised his eyebrows in surprise, lips curling into a perverse smile as he looked Jimin up and down appreciatively, the hubbub of everyone else in the room dying down to whispers and heavy stares as they took in Jimin’s appearance. His skin seemed to glow and he had a beauty that drew out the side of the council Yoongi had tried to forget, the reason why the kingdom was more corrupt than the king realised. “What race are you, child?” Jimin fought a shudder at the way the man grinned harder as he spoke, instinctively stepping closer to Yoongi so that their elbows brushed, the brunette could feel how uncomfortable the other was, it rolled off of him in restless hands and a sudden interest in the marbled floor.
“Half Elf, half Fairy… Sir.” Jimin whispered, keeping his head down but a cold calloused hand grabbed his chin and forced it upwards, startling him and drawing a sharp gasp. Yoongi’s eyes shot straight to the wrinkled hand in warning, gauging the small actions and facial expression of the elder in an attempt to predict each movement and prevent anything too unsettling.
“What are you doing?” Yoongi’s voice was confident and low, an underlying threat laced in his tone that the other didn’t seem to pick up on. Jimin’s eyes darted up towards the brunette in a silent plea, his hands clenching into fists by his side. He didn’t like the situation but he didn’t want to do anything and anger a member of the high council, he didn’t want to lose his head.
“Now, now, Yoongi, settle down.” Another man, sat next to the king, hummed and watched the scene in amusement, clearly enraptured by the sight of young Jimin. Yoongi bit his cheek and glared at the councilmen, the king more confused than anything else as he spoke to the man on his right who made up excuses to distract him from the quiet conversation in front of him. Jimin’s face was forcefully and roughly turned to the side, hot breath ghosting over his cheek as the man leaned in further and pressed his thumb into the sharp jawline with an unnerving interest. Jimin squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, the feeling of Yoongi’s elbow against his gone. “Where did you find such an exquisite creature, young man?” The robed elder asked, thumb moving from Jimin’s chin up to his mouth where he pulled the bottom lip down and watched it slowly slide out of his grasp. Whether or not he noticed the slight tremble of Jimin’s shoulder he didn’t say, but Yoongi noticed and a feeling of anger bubbled up inside his chest.
“He is not a creature. Do not treat him like a piece of meat you would pick up from the market.” Yoongi spat, eyes narrowed and fingers itching over the knife stashed near his hip. There was something tightening in his chest, Yoongi was a fair man, he took this job under the oath of protecting the king but more so; under the oath of protecting the kingdom and everyone within it. The man merely cocked a brow at Yoongi in jaded disbelief, quickly brushing the general off in favour of grabbing the orange strands of hair that fell over the doe eyes.
“I wouldn’t say he was a piece of meat.” The man replied, fingers pulling harshly on the hair to look closer. “Though I wish there were more like him to pick up from the market…” It was a whisper but Yoongi, with his acutely tuned hearing, heard loud and clear and the knife under his fingertips was clasped in an instant and pressed sharply against the old skin of the man’s neck, the man startled back and released Jimin who quickly moved behind Yoongi, a gasp tearing from the man’s throat and a sweat building on his temple. Jimin let out a sigh of relief, glaring at the man from behind Yoongi’s shoulder.
“Touch him again and it’ll be you who is on the market.” He pressed the dagger in further, almost cutting the skin. “In parts. Do you understand me?” His voice was the staple of calm and collected however his face was the picture of rage and the cold gaze was enough to have the old man shrivel back in fear, teeth gritted stubbornly as the people in the room stared on in shock.
“How dare you speak to me like this?” He shouted, his fear given away by the stuttering of his words and the nervous dance of his eyes that seemed to look everywhere but straight at Yoongi. “All for a peasant!” Yoongi simply lowered his arm with a bored look in his eye, satisfied now he knew there was no threat, and thrust his knife back in its holder.
“How dare you treat a civilian like that?” He shot back, feeling Jimin’s hands pressed against the back of his armour. “You should be ashamed.” The man spluttered, opening and shutting his mouth frantically. “Sit down.” Yoongi narrowed his eyes, his voice low and the elder reluctantly did as he was told, floundering around as he sat down in between two equally as guilty men.
“Yoongi what was that?” The king asked, looking back and forth between his assistant and his general.
“Rather than asking me about what just happened, maybe you should look into the situation of the underground. The Orcs aren’t the only ones operating the black market.” Yoongi crossed his arms and leered at the assortment of men sat around the king, all colour draining from their faces. “I have given my report, I will be taking my leave now.” He bowed stiffly and Jimin copied his actions, hand still firmly pressed against the now warm metal of Yoongi’s back. When they straightened up, Yoongi spun around to face Jimin, eyes flicking from him and the door and Jimin understood what he meant, it took no time for the shorter of the two to speed out of the large room and away from the heavy gaze set upon him.
“Are you alright?” Yoongi asked when he shut the door, looking back at Jimin who was staring out the window with his arms crossed. The shorter looked back, slightly startled.
“Oh, I’m fine.” He said, lips pursed and when Yoongi approached him the two walked side by side the way they came. “I should have punched him or something.” Jimin sighed, pouting. “I really wanted to just chop him right in the neck.” He made a swift motion with his hand in front of him, seemingly more annoyed at the fact he didn’t just knock the man out than what had been suggested. Being a mixture of two already highly praised races, Jimin wasn’t unfamiliar with people trying to trick him into being their little prized possession, he also wasn’t unfamiliar with the art of knocking someone out. He’d learnt to defend himself over the years, people like that didn’t scare him anymore, if anything they were a nuisance but the same feeling of disgust remained after all this time. Living creatures were all fascinating but they were also repulsive at times.
“It didn’t bother you?” Yoongi looked down at Jimin, slightly surprised. They rounded the corner and Jimin shrugged, pushing his orange hair out of his face.
“Not really, I’ve had worse said to me.” The shorter admitted, pulling his jumper over his hands. “If I wasn’t worried about assaulting someone who could quite easily have me killed if I so much as looked at him the wrong way, then I would have quite gladly kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine.” He looked up at Yoongi, giggling to himself at the obviously taken aback expression on his face. “I can handle myself, I may look small but size means nothing.” He nudged Yoongi with his elbow, smiling proudly. “There are many things you don’t know about me, mister. One of those being that I can be deadly.” Jimin teased, whispering the last few words and whacking Yoongi with the loose part of his jumper that hung off his hands.
“Well, we only met a short while ago.” Yoongi hummed, holding the door open for Jimin. “Perhaps you’ll do me the honour of telling me more about yourself.”
“Perhaps.” Jimin grinned back, clasping his hands together and stepping outside, the horse they rode here on stood with its reins tied to a nearby post. Yoongi walked over and petted the animal, lips curved up ever so slightly as he turned back to Jimin with a question on his tongue.
“Once you get to the town, where will you go? Home?” He asked, watching as Jimin also stroked the silky mane, patting the thick neck affectionately.
“I’m a wanderer, I don’t really have a home. I just travel.” Jimin shrugged, cooing at the horse slightly. “I collect rare items and sell them in towns to pay for food, places to stay for a while and other necessities.” Yoongi listened as he sorted out the bag attached to the saddle that looked like it was going to fall off, he tightened the knot and checked everything was still inside.
“Why do you travel?” Yoongi questioned, moving around the horse to the post where he untied the reins. Jimin pursed his lips and looked at the ground in thought, his ears twitching ever so slightly.
“I guess…” He began, tilting his head with a frown, “I just never really found a place that felt like home. You could say I’m searching, no luck so far however.” He chuckled lightly, the sound floating with the melody of the air against the wind chimes hanging on a nearby post. “Though I don’t have anything to sell this time…”
“If you’re looking for a place to stay, I live alone with a spare room.” Yoongi found himself asking before he even thought about what he was saying, though he didn’t retract his offer. Jimin looked at him with wide eyes, hands stuck in the air from their previous position of stroking the horse’s mane.
“You would do that?” Jimin asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. The general cleared his throat, shrugging uncharacteristically.
“Well, it’s the least I can do. We didn’t exactly meet under the best of circumstances.” Yoongi said, feeling relief at the way Jimin giggled by his hand.
“That’s true.” He tilted his head and smiled softly. “Okay, I’ll take you up on that.” Yoongi nodded his head in acknowledgement and helped Jimin back on the horse, smiling as he felt arms snake back around his waist…
Yoongi’s home wasn’t big but it wasn’t small either, it was a cosy wooden hut that had a massive back garden. Large enough to fit 5 archery posts, a stable and a shed that held different objects and weapons he would use to train on the days he wasn’t out or at the castle. When they arrived, Yoongi had helped Jimin off the horse and they talked about the first things that came to their heads as Yoongi sorted the stable out and hung his armour up.
“Are you hungry?” Yoongi asked, lacing up his leather boots. He looked up at Jimin, the undergarments of his armour making is easier to move around. It was out of his armour that Jimin noticed his build, he was slightly taller than Jimin, muscles built from years of physical action but he still wasn’t overly muscular, sporting just the right amount that showed his efforts but didn’t make him look unnaturally buff.
“Famished.” Jimin groaned at the thought of eating and almost pushed Yoongi to the house, his stomach growling.
“Calm down.” Yoongi chuckled, opening the door for Jimin who marvelled at the décor. Yoongi lit the candles and the wooden walls of the house seemed to come alive, the patterns of the wood making an illusion of movement as the fire flickered. There was a dark red rug under the oak dining table, the kitchen composing of a stove, counters and cupboards that stored food. Due to the riches that came with being a general, he even had a cooler room to store meat, a privilege denied to many as it required a magic to keep the room cold. The bathroom was in between the two bedrooms, the room on the right being Yoongi’s and the other was the spare.
“What’s for dinner?” Jimin asked, sitting at the table as Yoongi lit the stove with the nearby matches.
“Venison and vegetables, is that alright?” Jimin’s mouth almost fell to the wooden surface under his elbows, eyes widening. “What?”
“Venison?” He gawked, staring as Yoongi walked into the cooler room and pulled out a chunk of raw meat out, shivering as the cold air rolled inside in visible waves. Yoongi nodded his head slowly, shutting the door and locking it. “I’ve only dreamed of eating venison!” The meat being a luxury for a wanderer such as himself who lived off of what he could get most of the time. Yoongi chuckled and withdrew a knife, cutting into the red meat.
“Well, how do you like your meat?” Yoongi asked, glancing back at Jimin who was staring at him, obviously unaware of the slight drool on the side of his mouth.
“Well done please…” Jimin drawled, his taste buds tingling in anticipation.
“Noted.” Yoongi began to set everything up, cooking for a while and talking to Jimin about some of the things they’ve both seen on their ‘adventures’ as Jimin liked to call them. The shorter would ask questions every now and then about the cooking and Yoongi would answer to the best of his ability, liking the way Jimin would nod in understanding, somehow incredibly interested in the process of peeling carrots…
“I have to go for a few days though, so you’d be here alone. Is that okay?” Yoongi said after he had plated everything up, moving to set the plates down on the table.
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Jimin said, smiling and staring down at his food in amazement. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going out with the troops again.” Yoongi sighed, grabbing two glasses of water as well.
“Oh…” Jimin waited for Yoongi before he started to eat out of manners. “You’ll come home safely though, won’t you?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed and he was slightly disappointed that the other had to leave so soon.
“Of course.” Yoongi said as though it were obvious. “Why, are you worried?” Yoongi teased, smiling as he sat down at the table opposite Jimin.
“I haven’t even known you for a day yet.” The other deadpanned, rolling his eyes and puffing his cheeks out as he picked up his knife and fork.
“So, yes?” Yoongi chuckled, doing the same and cutting up his meat.
“I hadn’t taken you for a jokester…” Jimin provoked, taking a bite of the food and almost fainting. It was that good.
“I didn’t know I was either.” Yoongi grinned at Jimin’s reaction, not needing to ask how the food was. The other’s blissful expression was enough. “Funny that, isn’t it?” He hummed, smiling down at his plate.
“What is?” Jimin looked up, slightly phased out from being so invested in eating.
“You haven’t even known me for a day and yet you seem to know more about me than I myself know.” Yoongi explained, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of water. Jimin smiled softly at him, picking up one of the carrots.
“Funny…”
After they finished eating, Yoongi told Jimin about everything he might need to know while he was away, that there were a lot of clothes in Yoongi’s bottom drawer that he never wore or grew out of that Jimin could wear and that he was free to use anything he wanted and there were a lot of books in his own room in case he fancied reading anything and Jimin accepted it all gratefully, thanking Yoongi over and over. Unfortunately, Yoongi had to leave right away and so Jimin bid him goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
“What was that for?” Yoongi pulled away in shock, hand flying up to his cheek in surprise.
“A kiss?” Jimin was confused at the reaction, “It’s what you do when you’re saying goodbye.”
“It is?” Yoongi said in disbelief, frowning, hand still on his cheek for some reason. Probably hiding the ever so slight blush.
“Yes! Whenever I leave I always give a kiss on the cheek to whoever has been so kind to let me stay.” Jimin explained, not understanding why Yoongi was making such a big fuss.
“But I’m the one leaving, not you.” Yoongi said, finally dropping his hand to his side where it hit his metal armour that he had thrown on moments prior. Jimin rolled his eyes with a sigh.
“Well, if you’re going to be like that, consider it a good luck kiss.” Jimin wagered, “You know, good luck, don’t get stabbed, all that jazz.” Yoongi snorted and nodded his head with a chuckle.
“Okay then, thank you.” Jimin waved it off and they said their goodbyes, Jimin watching as Yoongi rode his horse out of sight, the stars hanging in the sky acting as his only company now.
He felt a little lonely…
It only grew more and more, Jimin had never been alone for so long before. He tried to distract himself but nothing really seemed to work and he thought he was going to go crazy, he even read a cookbook. Then he questioned why such a supposedly manly man had a cookbook. The thought made him laugh, he could see right through Yoongi. It wasn’t hard. The general may try to appear tough but Jimin was very perceptive (he was part Fairy after all) and it wasn’t difficult to see that Yoongi was the type of man who fall into a depression if he so much as accidently kicked a dog. Out of everything Jimin did to make time pass, thinking about Yoongi seemed to be the only that provided any sort of satisfaction, but it in turn also made him feel even lonelier… He was definitely going to go crazy.
When Yoongi returned after three days, Jimin had greeted with a surprise hug, launching himself into the taller man’s arms and shouting ‘welcome back’. It was slightly odd but Yoongi couldn’t complain, definitely not when Jimin then suggested cooking for him (claiming it would be a thank you for letting him stay and also that Yoongi deserved to relax for a bit, as he looked stressed out). Yoongi could only smile and allow someone to take care of him once, the thought sounding strange and foreign but feeling natural… It was nice to have someone dote over him, he usually hated it but maybe it wasn’t that, maybe he just didn’t mind it if it was Jimin. The following week, Jimin had seemed to make it his personal mission to learn everything about Yoongi, asking him questions from the moment he woke up to the moment he fell asleep and Yoongi too asked his guest the same questions. He learnt that Jimin had started travelling when he was a teenager, he didn’t know his mother and his father, an Elf, had raised him until Jimin was deemed ‘old enough’ and sent away as part of tradition to face the world on his own two feet. It was something Yoongi admired and Jimin didn’t seem too affected by it, after all it was tradition so what was there to be upset about? Eventually Yoongi realised there was something to be said about the fact that he cared about learning about someone elses life for once. Yoongi tried putting it down to the fact that Jimin was part Fairy but there was just some nagging part of him that couldn’t agree, of course that helped but there was just something about the way that Jimin’s smile made him stop breathing for a second that couldn’t be put down to mere genetics. Yoongi found himself picking up on all the small things Jimin did, like the way his ears twitched whenever he was thinking, or how when he smiled his eyes would crinkle up and turn into crescent moons, or whenever he was slightly annoyed he would chew the inside of cheek. Yoongi doesn’t know why he started picking out the minute things, or why he found them so endearing but he did. It was slightly unnerving, having these thoughts and having no idea whether or not Jimin was also experiencing the same thing. Not that he kept himself up at night thinking about the ‘what if’ of that situation. After all, by this point Jimin had only been in his life for a couple of weeks and it wouldn’t be a shock if it really was just Yoongi… That was another thing that would keep him up at night, the confusion realisation that it really had only been such a short time and here he was, thinking about Jimin’s eyes and smile and laugh and voice and… Well, everything. Surely there was some method behind his madness? He put it down to the fact Jimin would always laugh at his jokes, would just stare at him sometimes when they were eating with this dazed smile and how he would brush their hands together when passing. Of course Yoongi would have these thoughts, it was hard not to and it was hard to get them to go away.
One afternoon, Yoongi found Jimin playing with one of his training bow and arrows. The orange haired male pulling on the string and letting it snap back, staring at the distant target boards with an intrigued look. Yoongi smiled to himself at the sight of Jimin holding the bow up, arrowless, and pretending to aim and he found himself admiring how the sun made his orange hair stand out brightly, how his skin seemed to glow under its light and the way his lips pouted slightly in concentration.
“Interested in archery?” He called out, startling Jimin who dropped the bow and turned around to face him with a sigh of relief and a hand over his heart.
“You scared me!” Jimin whined, running a hand through his hair and sending a playful glare over to Yoongi who chuckled lightly, walking closer and playing with the cuffs of his shirt.
“My apologies,” He bowed his head slightly, “I seem to have a knack for that.”
“Apology accepted.” Jimin huffed, grinning back and crossing his arms. “And yes, you do. Can’t say I appreciate it.” Yoongi hummed in reply, picking up the discarded bow and grabbing an arrow from the bag on the ground.
“Well, are you?” He set the arrow in the holder and pulled back the string, still looking at Jimin. “Interested in archery I mean?” With his eyes still looking at Jimin, he let go of the string and the arrow flew straight into the bullseye on the target. Jimin gasped and hunched over, staring at the far away target incredulously.
“No way!” He breathed, hands dropping to his side as he spun back to face Yoongi. “Show off.” He spat, sticking his tongue out and Yoongi laughed lowly yet again and extended the weapon to Jimin who looked at it with a frown before picking it up. Something Jimin had begun to do in his time here was tease Yoongi, whether it be in meaningless insults or a childish antic such as sticking his tongue at him whenever Yoongi would shoot one straight back. It wasn’t expected behaviour for a feared general but Yoongi just couldn’t complain. “It can’t be that hard.” Jimin murmured as he put the arrow in place; he went to pull it and… It fell off… “Oops.” He stood there, bow still in place in the air, looking at the arrow on the ground. Yoongi picked the arrow up and extended it out to Jimin.
“It’s okay, try once more.” Yoongi chuckled to himself, and so Jimin tried again: it fell…
And again…
And again…
“I seem to be struggling…” Jimin hummed. “I think I need some help.”
“Seem to be? I couldn’t miss as many times if I tried.” Yoongi smirked, teasing as he set his own bow on the ground and picked the arrow up, holding it out to Jimin.
“Well then what am I doing wrong?” Jimin asked, brushing his hair out of his face and taking the arrow with a small smile, a tingly sensation of expectancy thrumming through his veins.
“You’re placing too much pressure on the arrow, you don’t need to push it into the bow. Just place it firmly but don’t push it…” He stood behind Jimin as he tried again, holding the shorter male’s arms up in a securer position, back pressed flushed against the others and Yoongi could faintly smell strawberries, the scent making him a little dizzy and he tried not to focus on the feeling of Jimin pressed up so close to him.
“Like this?” Jimin whispered, glancing back at Yoongi with his eyes.
“Yeah, pull back…” He spoked softly, mouth near Jimin’s ear and the shorter inhaled sharply, palms suddenly itchy. Jimin pulled and the string creaked loudly. “Let go.” Jimin fired. The arrow shot through the air but:
“Ah! I missed…” Jimin puffed his cheeks out and groaned, arms flopping to his sides in annoyance. “This is harder than it looks.” He mused, biting back a sigh when Yoongi moved away from him.
“If everything was easy, what would be the point?” He picked up his own bow up, grabbed an arrow and fired it – straight into the middle of course, Jimin stared in slight envy. “Practice makes perfect and I’ve had a lot of practice.” He stared at the arrows in his half of the posts, a proud smile on his face.
“I think I need even more help.” Jimin huffed, something about his tone sounded a little off but Yoongi didn’t question it, he merely shrugged and set his own equipment back down and moved back behind Jimin and held his elbows again gently.
“Breathe in as you pull back.” Jimin followed Yoongi’s instructions, leaning back a little into the brunette’s chest, not noticing how Yoongi gulped. “Close one eye and look at your target, and breathe back out when you release.” This time the arrow hit the target. Bullseye. Jimin smirked in triumph and Yoongi moved away, eyes wide in shock, impressed. “Nice…” He said and Jimin smiled widely, giving a little bow and a breathy thank you, thank you… Jimin picked up another arrow and hit yet another bullseye. “Okay, did you really need my help?” Yoongi frowned, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. “I get the feeling you’ve done this before.”
“Or maybe you’re a great teacher.” Jimin sang, arm hanging by side and the bow rubbing against his leg.
“And the sky is green.” Yoongi shot back, earning himself a giggle as Jimin shook his head.
“Okay, I know how to use a bow and arrow.” He admitted, “But you are a good teacher.” Yoongi rolled his eyes with a grin.
“Anything you already know that I should be aware of?” Yoongi tilted his head with a questioning tone, something fluttering in his stomach when Jimin beamed at him.
“Hmm…” He tapped his chin theatrically, squinting his eyes in thought. “Just that if you ever try and jump me, I’ll have you on your ass in less than five seconds.” The side of his mouth curved up, eyes seemingly sending a silent challenge and Yoongi raised a brow.
“Oh?” Yoongi hummed, walking a few steps toward Jimin who bit his lip to hold back his grin. “Is that a threat?” Or an invitation. Those were the words on the tip of his tongue, however he’d never let them slip.
“That depends on if you’re going to attack a poor old civilian like myself.” Jimin gasped dramatically, dropping the bow and stepping back.
“Well, I must say I’m curious to test your skills.” Yoongi shrugged, lips pursed and Jimin raised an eyebrow at him, smiling impishly. Yoongi moved even closer, stopping just before he bumped his chest into Jimin’s, looking down.
“Well then, general.” Jimin purred, looking up with a glint in his eye. “Give it your best shot.”
Yoongi grinned and stepped backward to make some room, taking in Jimin’s stance, feeling his adrenaline pump. Before he knew it, Jimin had lunged forward and kicked his foot around the back of Yoongi’s knees, sending him to the ground on his back with a thud. The knight looked up, resting on his elbows.
“If you just stand there, I’m afraid even an old lady wouldn’t have much of a problem dealing with you.” Jimin teased, smirking as he placed his foot atop Yoongi’s chest and pushed him back onto the ground. Yoongi let his head hit the soil with a chuckle before grabbing Jimin’s ankle and pulling, the shorter falling backwards onto the ground and Yoongi sat on the man’s thighs, arms crossed triumphantly.
“Are you comparing yourself to an old lady?” Yoongi chimed, revelling in the pout sent his way. “Because I would have to agree as it would seem you’ve fallen and can’t get up.” He joked and Jimin scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“That was bad.” Jimin countered, raising his head. “And of course I can’t get up, you weigh more than your horse.” Yoongi’s mouth fell open in protest and in his moment of disbelief, Jimin had successfully flipped their positions by sitting up abruptly and pushing Yoongi down by his shoulders, tangling their legs together in case Yoongi tried to use it to his advantage. Jimin had his hands either side of Yoongi’s head, staring down with a shit eating grin that a child would wear when managing to get their sibling in trouble for something they didn’t do. Yoongi stared up wide eyed, gulping at the position and the smirk on Jimin’s face.
“I…” Yoongi couldn’t think of anything to say, his mind going blank and when he tried to push Jimin off and get the upper hand, his hands were simply grabbed and pinned to the ground beside his ears. Jimin leaned down next to his ear, a breath fanning over Yoongi’s next that had him shuddering.
“I win.” Jimin sang, promptly clamouring off the brunette and jumping to his feet, he clapped his hands and stretched. Yoongi cleared his throat and sat up, looking up at Jimin who was now reaching for the sky, his jumper riding up his stomach.
“That was more than five seconds.” He stated.
“Still got you on your ass though.” Jimin winked, “I think that was the main point here.” Yoongi spluttered, trying to find a snarky reply but finding none and Jimin laughed at his misfortune. “It’s okay,” He started, placing a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder and smiling. “I won’t tell anyone that mister big bad general lost to someone who was part fairy.” Jimin held his hand out.
“Gee, thanks.” Yoongi deadpanned, taking Jimin’s hand and letting himself be pulled to his feet. “How will I ever repay you?” He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice that had Jimin giggling again, and Yoongi couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed. Not that he was anyway.
“The look on your face was quite enough for me thanks.”
Another week passed like that, Yoongi was starting to wonder if Jimin was ever going to leave like the traveller he was but he never did and Yoongi was secretly glad. He had grown used to having someone around his house and although he’d never admit it, he would miss Jimin if he were to leave. He would be lonely. However, sometimes duty calls and Yoongi can’t help but answer.
“Jimin?” Yoongi knocked on the spare room’s door (Jimin’s bedroom), and waited for a reply to let him know he could come in, when he heard Jimin’s bright voice he leaned on the door and the hinges creaked as he entered. Jimin was sat on the bed, reading one of the books Yoongi had recommended, the candle on the bedside table flickering as the moonlight poured through the open window.
“What is it?” Jimin asked, smiling, setting his book down and patting the bed for Yoongi to sit on.
“I have to leave again.” Jimin’s smile instantly dropped and Yoongi felt guilty, sinking into the mattress.
“Oh… really?” Jimin felt his chest tighten, eyebrows furrowing and he forced his grin back on. He didn’t want to make Yoongi worry. “What for?”
“There’s going to be an attack, it’s urgent.” Yoongi said and Jimin bit his bottom lip, looking down at the closed book in his lap. “The Orcs have moved faster than we anticipated, the king is in danger…”
“Oh, I understand.” Jimin said, breathing out deeply and playing with his fingers. “You’ll be careful right?” He whispered, unable to look up.
“Of course.” Yoongi wanted to reach out and take Jimin’s hand in his but he resisted. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, might be short, might not be…” Jimin nodded his head, inhaling and finally looking up. He leaned forward on his knees, holding Yoongi’s shoulder as he pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Good luck.” He said quietly, fingers tightening on the fabric of Yoongi’s shirt.
“Don’t get stabbed and all that jazz?” Yoongi chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, repeating what Jimin had said to him before.
“Yeah…” Jimin said, pulling away and keeping his head down. Something in Yoongi wanted to lean forward again, capture those pouting lips in a kiss that said everything he couldn’t. He wanted to but he didn’t. He didn’t do anything, he just stood up and walked away, shutting the door quietly behind him.
When Jimin heard those hooves against the concrete, he buried his face into his pillow and cried. So many times over the past weeks he had wanted to reach out and do that, kiss Yoongi. So many times he had wanted to reach out and grab his hand simply to know how it would feel, to wrap his arms around Yoongi’s frame and just embrace him, to hear Yoongi say something he was sure he’d never. So many times he had been close to saying something he’s sure he would regret. So many times he never did a thing. Times he settled for just brushing against him, letting those words tumble out as jokes. He just hoped that this time, alone again, he actually might go insane just to think about something that wasn’t Yoongi.
One day passed, and Jimin couldn’t bring himself to light the candles.
Two days passed, and Jimin stared at the cookbook sitting on the kitchen table in distaste.
Three days passed, and Jimin couldn’t sleep.
Four days passed, and Jimin couldn’t stay in the house.
Jimin was sitting outside, staring up at the stars and trying to point out all the constellations Yoongi had taught him about one night when neither of them were tired and had just laid on the grass and talked. He had his knees drawn up to his chest, hugging his legs and ignoring the cold. The wind was caressing his frame, running through his hair as though it were trying to provide some comfort but Jimin had bags under his eyes and a dryness in his throat that wouldn’t go away. He stayed there for hours, just watching the stars anxiously when the familiar sound of hooves reached his ears. He jumped up onto his feet, eyes wide and pupils blown, all traces of tiredness abandoned as he turned around and saw the approaching horse, a huge stab of relief washing over him when he saw Yoongi sat on top. That relief didn’t last long however, as soon as the horse reached the fence, Yoongi jumped off and winced, instantly falling to the ground, clutching his side. The horse neighed and Jimin was running over before the thought even fully processed.
“What’s wrong?” He shouted, diving to his knees beside the knight and craning his neck down to look at Yoongi’s face, he carefully removed the metal helmet and discarded it behind him without much care. Yoongi’s skin sheened with a layer of sweat, his hair was messed up and his mouth hung open to let out harsh shaky breaths. “Yoongi, talk to me.” Yoongi panted and groaned in pain, moving his hand away from his side and Jimin’s eyes followed carefully, eyebrows furrowed in worry when he saw slit in the armour and the red liquid that dropped from the leather gloved fingers onto the grass. “We need to get you inside, can you move?” Jimin said, chest tightening in panic and hands trembling as he grasped onto Yoongi’s shoulders. Yoongi shook his head, eyes closed tightly as he focused on calming his breathing. “What happened? Why didn’t you go to the medics?” Jimin asked exasperated as he laid Yoongi down on the grass and tried to figure out what to do, the horse braying every now and then but not moving from Yoongi’s side.
“I didn’t realise… Till I was halfway here.” Yoongi admitted, head thrown back against the ground in an attempt to distract from the pain. Jimin bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair, ears twitching as he racked his brain.
“You idiot!” Jimin choked out, deciding now wasn’t the time to get angry. “You need to take the armour off.” Yoongi nods and strains to sit up, allowing Jimin to pull the metal off his arms and over his head, wincing and groaning with the exertion. The shorter chucks the armour away and helps Yoongi lay back down, looking at the brown leather shirt, eyes trailing down to the growing bloodstain on his side. “I don’t know what to do!” Jimin didn’t notice he had started to cry, frustrated at his own uselessness.
“Inside… Get scissors.” Yoongi whispered, unable to raise his voice, he had his hand pressed against the wound to apply pressure. “The cupboard above the stove.” He swallowed dryly, a sharp pain shooting up his nerves whenever he moved. “Bring the wooden box out with the scissors… I’ll help you.” Jimin nodded frantically and scrambled to his feet, running into the house so fast he almost tripped and fell.
He burst through the door, eyes instantly zeroing on the kitchen and he swerved round the table, almost knocking his hip but hardly caring as he rummaged messily through the cupboard, pulling the box down and setting it on the counter as he searched for scissors.
“Where are they?” He almost sobbed out, pulling out every drawer in sight and almost cutting his palm on the knives in the cutlery drawer. “Come on!” He screamed, wanting to pull his hair out as he struggled to locate them. He cursed under his breath and ran into the bathroom, hurting his wrist when he pushed it open with too much force it bent his hand back a little too hard but he was running on so much adrenaline he quickly brushed it off and swung the cabinet open. Cheering silently to himself, a shiver rushing through him as he pulled the scissors out from the back, successfully knocking random objects into the sink below but he didn’t care. He ran back into the kitchen to grab the box and sped out of the house, panting and near sweating as he collapsed next to Yoongi again. “I got it!” He huffed, eyes still bulging as he opened the box and looked at Yoongi expectantly, not knowing what to do.
“You need to cut the shirt off.” Yoongi instructed, the blood had made it stick to his skin and if he were to take it off normally it would aggravate the wound and put strain on his body. Yoongi’s skin had gone a sickly pale, the sight so unfamiliar it made Jimin’s stomach twist but he didn’t linger on it in favour of taking the sharp tool to the top.
“I’m going to hurt you.” Jimin stuttered out, biting his lip when he noticed his hands wouldn’t stop shaking so frantically, worried he would accidently cut Yoongi. He felt a cold hand hold onto his, squeezing lightly in support and Jimin took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “I can do it. It’s okay.” The hand fell back onto the grass, the shallow breaths of Yoongi floating into his ears and making him focus on what was more important. He made the first snip into the brown leather, dragging the scissors up towards Yoongi’s neck before snipping once more to split the shirt. He carefully peeled it back, biting back a whimper when Yoongi winced in pain, and slid it off of Yoongi’s arms and watching as the muscles twitched under his fingertips. Jimin took a look at the stab wound, a hand shooting to his mouth as he took in the laceration. The skin was irritated and while it wasn’t a big or wide wound, it was definitely deep. Jimin could tell the sword had gone straight in and out, no wonder Yoongi hadn’t noticed. Thankfully the blood wasn’t gushing out and while it made Jimin nauseous, it wasn’t enough to put him off.
“The box,” Yoongi said, Jimin snapped his head up to look at him but instantly wanted to look away, his usually pink lips had lost colour, blending in with his skin and the ends of his fringe stuck to his head with the sweat. “Grab the cloth and bottle, you need to clean it.” Jimin nodded and took the bottle out, pouring some on the cloth and gently dabbing at the cut. Yoongi breathed in sharply and bit down on his lip, a long grunt rumbling in his throat and Jimin withdrew his hand immediately, panicked. “No, no, Jimin…” He panted, clenching his fists. “You need to do it. It is going to hurt no matter what. You just need to do it and ignore me.” Jimin sniffed, the tears stinging his eyes again and he moved the damp cloth back to the wind, wiping up the blood before swapping it for another cloth with the same liquid that he now knew was rubbing alcohol to apply directly to the wound. He tried not to look at the way Yoongi’s knuckles turned whiter from the pressure and how the veins in his arms showed from how hard he was tensing, tried not to hear the loud winces or the way he would groan in pain and focused on doing what he was told. “You need to burn it.”
“What?” Jimin pulled away and gaped at him, dropping the cloth on his lap and staring at Yoongi like he’d just seen a ghost. “What do you mean burn it?” He gasped.
“The wound… Needs to be cauterised.” Yoongi explained, having performed procedures like this on many of his own men. “Take the metal rod, heat it up… Don’t let it get so that it turns red or white.” Yoongi was struggling to talk, the words coming out breathy and choked. “You need to pinch the skin and burn it in…” He groaned again and dug his fingers into his palms so hard there would be indents. “In two second bursts.”
“But the alcohol…” Jimin said, eyebrows furrowed.
“It’s not rubbing alcohol…” Yoongi said, wincing as the liquid seeped into his skin and Jimin looked at him confused as to what it was. “I don’t know… What it is, it’s given to every knight and medic… In the kings army… Just listen to me and do as I say.” Yoongi cursed and panted, trying not to think too much.
“Okay, okay…” Jimin grabbed the rod out of the box, “how do I heat it up?” He clutched it in his hands and bit his lip.
“The fireplace, use the hot coal…” Yoongi explained and Jimin looked back at the outside fireplace, they had never used it as there was one in the house that they would use but there was coal in it already and all Jimin needed to do was light it up. He nodded his head, more to himself as he knew Yoongi couldn’t see him with his eyes closed, and ignored the ache in his thighs as he sped over.
He poured some oil over the black rocks and used the nearby flint and steel to send sparks downwards and a fire quickly began roaring, the oil causing specs to fly off and lightly singe Jimin’s skin but he didn’t notice.
“Hurry up… Hurry up…” He bounced on his feet, holding the rod by the protecting handle and waiting for it to heat up. He heard Yoongi wince loudly in the background, followed by the horse’s bray of distress and he felt the panic return, climbing up his spine and whispering negative thoughts in his ear. “Please, come on!” He cried out in impatience, wanting to get back to Yoongi and be by his side. Just in case. Finally, the rod seemed hot enough, starting to glow at the ends and Jimin withdrew it before it got too hot. He needed to hurry however, he didn’t know how long it would be at optimum temperature so as soon as he returned to Yoongi, he looked up in question.
“Pinch the skin and press the rod against the wound.” Jimin nodded and sucked in a deep breath, preparing himself for what he knew was going to happen. He reached out his hand and pinched the clammy skin, instantly pressing the boiling metal against the cut. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Yoongi shout out in agony, his leg kicking out and back arching. Jimin pulled away after two seconds, checking to see if he had done it right and upon satisfying himself that it was working he bit back a whimper and repeated it. Each time Yoongi screamed, Jimin choked out a sob, he couldn’t help but feel so guilty even though he was helping, that he had to do this or else there was no way Yoongi would make it through the night. Seven more times and Yoongi was trying not to thrash, Jimin having to hold him down by sitting on his legs and Yoongi panted in agony. “I’m done, I’m done!” Jimin said, putting the rod on the soil beside him and clasping Yoongi’s hand to try and soothe him. Yoongi breathed in sharply and deeply, a few tears having slipped out of his eyes from pain and Jimin pushed his fringe out his face, swinging his legs off and helping Yoongi calm down at least a little bit.
“You need to clean it again.” After each word he had to take a breath, a horrible headache creeping up on him, like someone was bashing his head over and over again. “Again… Then bandage it…”
“Okay, okay… Bandaging, I can do that.” Jimin whispered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands and leaning over Yoongi’s body to grab the box and pull it over to him. He rummaged through and picked up the bottle again, taking the other end of the used cloth and repeating the same notion as before. Jimin didn’t know whether or not Yoongi was too exhausted to be in pain anymore or whether the pain of the metal rod was just so intense nothing else hurt as much, either way Jimin hated both answers.
Bandaging up the wound was straightforward and by then Jimin was just making sure Yoongi wasn’t falling asleep, once everything was done Jimin rested his head on Yoongi’s thigh to just breathe and relax. The horse also lying on the grass, eyes closed and sleeping, knowing her owner was okay.
“You did well.” Yoongi whispered, and Jimin sat back up, moving up so that he sat on the grass with Yoongi’s head on his lap, the taller of the two laying on the grass with his body next to Jimin’s horizontally. “Thank you.” Jimin began to stroke his hair, not speaking. “Why are you still crying?” Yoongi asked, eyes open by a mere fraction to look up at Jimin, voice quiet and hoarse. Although he was laying down outside, with only trousers and a bandage wrapped around his torso, he didn’t feel cold anymore. His lips were dry and his skin was still a little paler than usual but he was looking better than when he first returned.
“Because you scared me.” Jimin breathed, fingers playing with the ends of the brunette hair, eyes never leaving Yoongi’s face. “God, I… I thought you were going to…” Jimin bit his lip, unable to finish his sentence, he brought his other hand up to his face and wiped his eyes, sniffing.
“Die?” Yoongi finished for him, smiling softly. He used up all his strength to reach up and grab Jimin’s hands, bringing its warmth down to his cheek and rubbing his thumb over the soft knuckles. “It’ll take more than that I’m afraid.” He chuckled, coughing a little afterwards.
“You were so… I” Jimin couldn’t find the words, his brain all over the place and the images of Yoongi screaming out and bleeding imprinted in his mind and making him shudder. Yoongi’s cheek felt hot under his palm and his neck ached from looking down for so long but he didn’t care.
“Stop thinking about it, I’m okay.” Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows, more concerned about Jimin than himself at this point. He’d had worse injuries, he’d been closer to death before. It came with the job. The one thing that seemed to bother him was seeing Jimin so upset. “Please don’t cry, I’m okay.”
“I can’t seem to stop.” Jimin chuckled, wiping his eyes again. “I thought you would… Leave… Without me ever telling you…”
“Telling me what?” Yoongi pressed, an anxious feeling settling in his chest and he gulped, throat suddenly dry. Jimin averted his eyes from Yoongi’s suddenly heavy gaze, a weight appearing on his shoulders and chest that made him feel like he couldn’t breathe anymore. “Jimin, what is it?”
“This is… Hard to say.” Jimin began, clearing his throat. He wanted to pull his hand away from Yoongi’s cheek but the brunette seemed to hold on even tighter. “But after that, after the thought of maybe never getting to say it, the thought of being a what if… It doesn’t seem as difficult.” Jimin forced himself to look at Yoongi with his glassy eyes, heart jumping to his throat the moment he did and he grew conscious of the fact that his palms must be clammy, he thought carefully about his words, ears twitching. “I… I think I know why I never found a home… I didn’t think about the fact that home doesn’t necessarily mean a roof over your head or a bed to sleep in, a home is where you feel safe and protected.” Yoongi gulped quietly, Jimin’s fingers trembled against his skin. Or was that him? “To me, you’re home… Or at least, you’ve become home.” Jimin stuttered over his words, sighing and bringing his other hand to run down his face. “Sorry, I mean, I guess what I’m trying to say is.” He pursed his lips and sighed yet again, “I love you.” Jimin was met with silence, the only thing he could hear was the soft breath of the horse lying beside them. “Please say something…” Jimin whispered, heart beating out of his chest, there was quiet ringing in his head and he was sure his ears were red.
“Your ears twitch when you’re thinking, did you know that?” Yoongi said, smiling and Jimin cocked an eyebrow in confusion, touching his ear with his fingers, they were warm and he knew they were red at that point. “Its cute.”
“What?” Jimin breathed, unsure what to think of the situation and what his ears had to do with anything.
“It is something I love about you.” Yoongi explained, looking up at Jimin and breathing gently. “I also love how you pull your jumpers over your hands, how you chew your cheek when you’re annoyed, and the way your nose scrunches up at compliments…” Yoongi let out a cough, a chuckled dying in his throat, adding in a comment when he saw Jimin scrunch up his nose slightly, blushing a little. “I love the sound of your voice, how your hand feels against mine.” He smiled, squeezing Jimin’s hand. “I guess… What I’m trying to say, is that I love you too.” Jimin let out a breath he didn’t he had been holding, he somehow knew that was what Yoongi was getting at but hearing it just seemed like a validation he needed.
“That’s a relief,” Jimin chuckled, releasing Yoongi’s hand and leaning down so that his face hovered over Yoongi’s. They were so close that their breaths mingled.
“I’d have to agree.” Yoongi whispered, bringing his hand up to hold Jimin’s neck, pulling him down softly and letting their lips press together lightly, almost not there at all. He could feel Jimin smiling against him and he pulled him closer, deepening the kiss and moving his mouth against the others.
When they pulled away, Yoongi swiped his thumb under Jimin’s eye and sighed.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked, not moving his hand away, not wanting to let go of Jimin. “Your ears are twitching.” He teased, smiling playfully a little, not able to laugh even just a little as it made his stomach hurt, the wound still aching.
“That I think I’ll be staying still for a while.” Jimin said, leaning into Yoongi’s hand and running his fingers through the brunette hair. Yoongi beamed up at him, temporarily forgetting about the pain throbbing through his body in favour of ingraining the image of the moonlight illuminating Jimin’s face into his brain and committing the melody of his breathy chuckle to memory. He closed his eyes with a sigh.
“Good.”