Laurel Prince

Taehyung's hands hurt like a motherfucker. They throbbed mercilessly, but Taehyung didn't want to break down in tears at the breakfast table. 

The table he shared with Jimin and Jungkook. 

When he first entered the main hall in his large hand casts, the Laurel Court watched him worriedly.  Their own prince was damaged somehow--injured! Their open mouths and frantic gasping made it seem as if he'd died. Taehyung assured them with many gestures and words that he was okay, and eventually they stopped looking at him to enjoy their meals. Now, let's get on with--shit.

That's when Taehyung's gaze found Jungkook at the high table, picking at his food like the day previous. His raven hair fell over his eyes, bitten lips hardly tasting the food he forked into his mouth. Damn, I don't want to see him after last night...not yet, not after...he saw me like that.

Jungkook didn't spot him yet, so Taehyung still had time to turn around and-

"Taehyung? Where are you going? Aren't you going to eat?" Jimin finally caught up to Taehyung and realized that the younger prince had stopped. 

"Oh, erm...yeah, I was just-"

"Let's go then, I'll help you eat." Jimin put his arm around Taehyung in a friendly gesture and urged him towards Jungkook's table. The blonde prince was too distracted to feel the comforting touch, too focused on the Oak Prince to recognize Jimin's off-kilter tone.

When Jungkook caught sight of them he was excited at first, eyebrows drawn in anticipation. Then he saw Taehyung's huge white plastered up hands and deeply frowned. Jungkook made cursory eye contact with him and looked away quickly. Shit...he remembers, this is going to be awkward...

Jimin was the first to walk up to the Oak Prince and take a seat. "Hey Prince Jeon, how's your breakf-" 

"Actually I was just finishing up." Jungkook suddenly stood up from his chair, refusing to make eye contact with Taehyung. "You guys enjoy breakfast, okay?"

Taehyung felt relieved that it wouldn't be awkward at the breakfast table with Jungkook sitting there. He moved to sit down where he sat the day before, but stopped when Jimin held out a hand.

"Really? Just finishing?" Jimin pointed at Jungkook's plate of untouched bacon and eggs along with a torn up roll. "C'mon Jungkook, we both know you have work to do around the castle...but at least eat with us."

Jungkook froze in place. He awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck. "Uhhh..."

Taehyung forced himself to speak up then, pushing past the sadness he felt when remembering the events of the previous night.

"Jimin is right, Jungkook." His own eyes met with the ravenette's nervous doe eyes. "You should eat the food on your plate before it gets cold, yeah?"

Jungkook gave him a strange look, but nodded and sat back down nonetheless. Jimin made eye contact with Taehyung and looked pleased somehow. When all three princes were seated and had plenty of good food on their plates, Jimin dug in, eating faster than anyone Taehyung had ever seen.  

Jungkook also started to eat his food with the occasional glance at Jimin or Taehyung when they thought he wasn't looking. Taehyung sat with his bandaged hands propped on the table, hungrily looking at the food on his plate. His mouth began to water. Jimin said he would help me...

Jimin noticed this and spoke in between huge mouthfuls. "Almoufftst dufn wift my platfte, I'll heflp you een one seconf."

Taehyung giggled at how dumb Jimin sounded with his mouth loaded with food. He appreciatively nodded at the silver-haired male who didn't pause his feasting to glance up. Taehyung realized that another set of eyes were on him and turned to meet the owner. 

Jungkook's lips had tiny scabs forming at the edges where he had bitten them too hard, and his eyes had large bags underneath them. Taehyung felt a twinge of worry form in his gut for the ravenette. He didn't mean to hurt Jungkook's feelings the night before but...

But he couldn't help pushing the younger away when he went a little too far. It was too painfully similar to--too soon after his...father.

"I can, um, h-help you eat if you, um need me to, Taehyung." Jungkook set his utensils down and waited for a reply from the blonde who was lost in horrible thoughts. 

"Oh, uh..." Taehyung glanced over at Jimin who was on his second plate of food. "I--Jimin was..." Taehyung paused and looked back into Jungkook's eager eyes. "Sure, I guess you could...uh, help me since he's still eating."

Taehyung scooted his chair by moving his whole body so that he was closer to the Oak Prince. He placed his heavy white bandaged hands on his lap and leaned just far enough forward so that Jungkook could reach his mouth with a fork. Jungkook also scooted closer, a small blush already starting to highlight the few freckles on his face. 

"C-could you come a little, uh, closer?"

Taehyung tried to move his chair with his body since he couldn't use his hands but was unsuccessful. "Um, I can't really move this chair-"

Suddenly, Jungkook's hands hooked under the bottom of the chair Taehyung was sitting on and pulled hard, bringing the two princes so close together that their knees were touching. 

"There we go." Jungkook reached over Taehyung to grab ahold of the blonde's plate that had food piled on top of it. He set it down carefully in front of him. Jungkook delicately grabbed a silver fork off of a lace napkin and stabbed a sausage on Taehyung's plate. 

Taehyung watched as Jungkook carefully blew on it before slowly leading it to the Laurel Prince's open mouth, his other hand underneath Taehyung's chin in case any food dropped. This...isn't awkward? Why isn't it awkward?

Taehyung took the delicious sausage in between his teeth and made a small sound of satisfaction at the wonderful taste dominating his tongue. Jungkook smiled a bit, prepping Taehyung's fork with another morsel of food. 

Stone Prince

The entire time Jungkook fed Taehyung, Jimin snuck glances at the pair sitting opposite of him, noticing the way Jungkook's leg nervously bounced up and down and the faint blush that was on his cheeks. Jimin also noticed the way that Taehyung was staring at the younger, as if he were a piece of artwork the Laurel Prince wanted to hang up on the wall. Every once in a while, the two would make eye contact as Taehyung bit down on a new piece of food, and every time, they would look away from each other bashfully.

Jimin noticed all of this...and under the river of jealously that ran through him, he felt a pang of relief. 

The pair obviously liked one another, and not just as friends. Although Jimin was new to the idea of falling in love, he could tell there was something strange happening between these two. And if Taehyung was close to Jungkook, then that would mean Jimin wouldn't have to worry about his feelings for either of them.

Because they wouldn't be reciprocated. 

They like each other, not me. I have to stop thinking that people actually like me-

No. Jimin needed to stop with the self-pity and just agree to be friends with both of them. Jimin could support them, be there when they had hardships, joke around with them and open up liked he had always wanted to, laugh, smile, be himself-

Stone. ONLY STONE. STOP, JIMIN. THIS ISN'T YOU. 

Suddenly, the thoughts came pounding back in, causing him intense physical pain. It felt like knives were stabbing into his temples, twisting in rapid circles over and over again. Jimin set his fork down hard on his plate, making a louder sound than he intended. People from the surrounding tables glanced over at the high table, wondering what the source of the loud sound was. Jimin ignored them and clutched at his temples. A harsh breath hissed out between his teeth. Huuurttttsss...Stone...head...heart...hurrtttsss!

"Prince Park!" Taehyung turned his head away from the food Jungkook was trying to feed him and reached his bandaged hands out to Jimin. He realized he could do nothing with them and hurriedly placed them back on his lap. "Are you okay?!"

Jungkook set the fork back down on Taehyung's plate and placed his hand on Jimin's back. Jimin was hunched over the table, hands gripping his head tightly. "Prince Park...?"

Jimin stood up too fast and his knee slammed into the oak table, knocking over his water glass. Liquid from his glass streamed out along the table grain and flowed into Taehyung's lap. Taehyung scooted his chair back fast and stood up. Gasps along the high table by other important officials and loud chair scooting echoed in the morning sunlight pouring in through the window. Jungkook also stood up then, rushing over to Jimin's side. 

"Hey Jimin? Speak to me, what's happening?" Jungkook unknowingly tore both scabs off of his lips as he started up his bad habit. 

Jimin's head weighed a ton by then and his ringed hands seemed to be the only thing supporting his head from falling off of his neck and onto the floor. "I...don't know...n-need...bed...lay...rest..." Jimin struggled to get out words through his agony. 

"What's happening?" Taehyung chimed in anxiously from the side.

"We need to get him to a bed..." Jungkook paused. "Prince Kim, your room is the closest to the main hall. We need to get him there..." Jungkook's voice faded out of Jimin's ears. 

Jimin didn't remember what happened next. All he knew was one second he was standing up, and the next second he was falling, watching as the ground came closer and closer to him, waiting for the hard impact of his skull on the marble floor. 

But nothing came.

Jungkook had thrown himself under the falling prince, acting as a body cushion right before Jimin's head hit the ground. Jimin's head met with a firm chest, saved from a dangerous fate of injury.

Gratefulness surged within him in that moment.  The scared look on Jungkook's face burned into his mind before everything went black. 

Oak Prince

Jungkook watched an unconscious Jimin closely as the silver haired male's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Jimin's body laid across Taehyung's bed, head supported by several white pillows. Stone Guards had helped haul Jimin's body into to Taehyung's room, setting his delicate figure down carefully on the large bed. The medic had already came by, noting that Jimin's heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs looked completely normal. The puzzled medic told Jungkook to simply keep a watch on him and to make sure that the Stone Prince drank enough fluids and rested plenty when he woke up. 

Jungkook sat in an armchair across from Taehyung, who was falling in and out of troubled sleep. The pair had been there watching over Jimin since 10 A.M. Jungkook glanced at his pocket watch which read 4 P.M--six hours of waiting for him to awaken. Whatever was wrong with Jimin...it was serious. 

And the next day, this very man was supposed to go up north to command an army. 

Jungkook couldn't believe it. So he ended up rethinking his plan. 

He considered just letting Taehyung command the Laurel Army so that Jimin could rest properly, but then again, if Taehyung couldn't even hold onto the reins of a battle horse nor dress himself-

How is Taehyung supposed to lead an army? Impossible! 

Jungkook even thought about going up there himself, but he had very little war experience. He was experienced in planning things behind the scenes, but when it came to live battle, he was hopeless. He would only end up getting himself captured and killed. 

Perhaps a stand-in would have to lead the army. 

Jungkook had a few members of his own court that he trusted traveling up north; a few of his father's friends could even make the journey and do a pretty good job. Maybe not as well as Jimin could, that was for sure, but it would be something. 

And if something was all they had, then they would have to make it work. 

So while Jimin slept soundly on the bed (along with a now passed out Taehyung) Jungkook wrote a letter for a servant to deliver to his father's close friend, Sungwoo. He only hoped that Sungwoo would recognize the dire need of his service and agree to the task. Jimin obviously wasn't up for it. 

Even if Jimin insisted on going, Jungkook would force him to stay. Which would be hard to do, given it was Jimin. No, there's no way I'm allowing him to go...not like this. If this were to happen in battle, then what? He probably fainted from stress--he needs to rest.

Jungkook glanced attentively at the soft expression Jimin's unconscious face wore and smiled to himself. Jimin looked so peaceful like this, his lips slightly parted and his pale face drawn in a pleasant, restful semi-grin. Jungkook realized that he looked half dead when he was like this; compared to Taehyung, Jimin's sleeping composure made him appear as if he were a statue. He hardly moved, hardly breathed...his eyes hardly moved under their lids. 

Which was actually quite fitting for Jimin's nature. 

Jungkook thought back to the hug they shared the previous night and felt a longing for another one. Since he had grown to trust Jimin instead of being wary around him, Jungkook realized the Stone Prince was surprisingly similar to himself. They agreed on many things and were on a similar wavelength compared to either of them with Taehyung. 

In their princely trio, Taehyung was clearly the oddball. 

Jungkook he thought about these things and closed his eyes for a little, feeling fatigued from all the worry coursing through him that day. Just as he was falling into a dreamlike state, a voice called out to him. 

"Jungkook?" A soft voice woke him up. He open his eyes to see Jimin sitting straight up in bed, rubbing his temples with both hands. "What happened?" 

"Woah there, lay back down, don't move too quickly-" Jungkook sprung out of his chair and was at Jimin's side instantly, pushing gently on the Stone Prince's firm shoulders to coax him down.

Jimin complied, wincing at the pain that lingered in the cavity of his head as his body lowered into the pillows. He reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, but Jungkook beat him to it. Jungkook grabbed the glass and slowly brought it to Jimin's lips, one hand on the back of his neck for support. Jungkook watched as Jimin greedily drank the entire glass gulp after gulp until it was empty. 

Jungkook sat the glass back down on the table and turned his head towards Taehyung, who was still fast asleep, wiggling around in his chair or mumbling something every now and then. 

Jimin looked at Jungkook weakly with his eyebrows still contorted in pain. "I-I was falling...but, y-you were...there? I was-on...you were under me--my head didn't split...?" Jimin's voice sounded vulnerable for once, laced with confusion.

Jungkook moved closer to Jimin on the bed and set his large hand over Jimin's smaller one. "You had some sort of...attack? One second you were eating, then you were clutching at your head...Taehyung and I didn't know what to do...then suddenly you collapsed...I tried to grab you but I just ended up being a body cushion of sorts." Jungkook let out a nervous laugh. 

Jimin's eyes were wide. "O-oh, I didn't realize..." He trailed off, but his eyes sparkled brightly at the younger. "Thanks for catching me, Jungkook."

Jungkook grabbed Jimin's hand tigher and played with one of the rings on his finger. "It's nothing, don't mention it...so how are you feeling right now? Any better? If this incident was because of my chefs or...or something that was in the food I will find the person who caused it and make them pay for what they did...don't worry...oh, and the medic came in here a while ago and said nothing was wrong, but I made him check all vital signs three times just in case he missed something abnormal the first t-"

Suddenly, Jimin cut Jungkook off with another hug. 

But this time was different. Jimin pulled the ravenette down onto his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around Jungkook's black shirt, almost desperately. Jungkook was shocked but said nothing, only enjoyed the warmth of their two bodies. Jungkook's ears brushed up against Jimin's gray hair and it tickled. Jungkook squirmed a bit and laughed gently into the pillows. Jimin only pulled him in tighter and smiled. 

"Ji-Jimin." Jungkook whispered while struggling to quiet down his giggles. "Taehyung's sleeping, you can't make me laugh."

"Oh, I can't?" Jimin's breath puffed against Jungkook's earlobe. "Watch me."

Suddenly, the arms around Jungkook's back shifted to his sides. "What are you-"

Jimin's hands spasmed then, tickling Jungkook's sides as fast as they could. Jungkook's body writhed around on top of his, jerking this way and that. Jungkook's mouth was open in pain and happiness, and he struggled to push away from the older male.

"STOP--hehehehEHEh...Jimin--AHAHAHA!!" Jungkook's breaths were short and excited as he hit Jimin's chest. "Stop it, Jimin! HeehehehAHHAHEHHE-"

Jimin's hand clamped over Jungkook's mouth then, ceasing his tickles for the moment. Jungkook looked at Jimin, confused, but Jimin only nodded at Taehyung's sleeping form that had just shifted around a little.

When the coast was clear and they knew for sure that Taehyung wasn't going to wake up, Jimin removed his hand from Jungkook's smiling mouth. Jimin is pretty like this...

"How is he not awake?" Jungkook whispered down to Jimin's face, which was only inches away from his. Jimin pursed his lips in a 'how am I supposed to know?' expression and he shrugged his shoulders into the pillow. 

Jimin must've realized how close the two of them were because he cleared his throat and blinked a couple of times. Jungkook lifted himself awkwardly off of Jimin and side smiled. 

"Do you like hugs that much?" Jungkook handed Jimin one of his rings that had fallen off during their tickle fight.

Jimin just sighed and raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I guess I only like hugs from you."

Jungkook's face started to heat up at this comment about him. He looked at Taehyung and felt a pang of guilt eating away at his gut. Then he looked back at Jimin who had a smile painted on his face and...

Is that a blush on Jimin's cheeks?

Who was this person in Taehyung's bed? Did being in this room affect one's judgment or something? Was the Stone Prince really blushing right now? 

Jungkook didn't reply to the comment, rather, he pretended to be interested in his fingernails. I don't know how to respond.

Jimin just looked down at his rings and waited a while before he followed up an explanation. "The real reason I wanted that hug was because I know I'm going to have to leave tomorrow and...I hate to say it but-"

"Don't." Jungkook interrupted the Stone Prince. "I'll stop you there. I'm not letting you go up north to command that army tomorrow. You are in no shape or condition to do so. We still don't know why you passed out or if it'll happen again."

Jimin was clearly upset, sitting straight up in bed and grabbing Jungkook's leg that was close to him. "No, you don't understand! You have to let me go or the troops will have no-"

"Jimin, I already have another commander set up. He's one of my father's close friends. Name's Sungwoo. He'll be enough to keep the Stone Castle protected...I promise you." Jungkook peeled Jimin's hands off of his calf and shook them encouragingly. 

"But please, just let me-"

Jungkook was firm. "No 'buts' Jimin. I'm not letting you go. Me and Taehyung both agreed, this is what's best...I-I can't have you passing out again while in battle."

Jimin sighed, cradling his head in his hands. When he looked up, he was staring Jungkook dead in the eyes. "Okay, Jungkook. I understand. But only under one condition."

Jungkook nodded, waiting for the condition.

"If my castle is destroyed..."

Jimin stared daggers out the window, mulling over something.

"Then we declare war."

Jimin held out his right hand, waiting for Jungkook to agree to his terms. I...guess that's a solid deal.

Jungkook thought about it a bit and took Jimin's hand in his own. It was very warm. 

"Deal." Jungkook said and shook Jimin's hand. 

Moments later, Taehyung's wake-up gasp and heavy breathing filled the room, startling both Jimin and Jungkook. They both glanced over at Taehyung, who was filmy-eyed and drowsy from his nap. Taehyung yawned once lazily and propped his elbows on his knees to cradle his head. He met both pairs of eyes that were staring at him and opened his mouth to speak in his gravelly morning voice. 

"What did I miss?"

~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello! Good day to you beautiful, show-stopping readers :)

Poor Jimin took a tumble in this chapter...both because of head pain and because he might be...falling for some other princes...(WINK).

I hope y'all are enjoying this story so far...get ready because this is only just the beginning!

LOVE,

izzy