For a moment there, Hoseok wondered if he were hearing things. Yoongi’s determined and unmoving expression was telling him otherwise, but he still needed to confirm.

“Did you just…?”

“I want to be the one to kill them.” Yoongi repeated with a tone that left no room for argument.

Hoseok sighed. Honestly, he did not know where all this was going; His father was involved in a treasonous plot – and he might be one of the original masterminds behind it; The Royals who have been silent and distant for centuries were now making random attacks on shifter kingdoms and independent packs; The rogue packs were dallying with humans and selling off their own kind to be experimented on; The King of the North seemed to have some involvement in all of the afore mentioned happenings. And the omega before him seemed like the most defiant person on earth. Hoseok’s gut told him that even if he refused the omega’s request the other would try to fulfill his wish in some other way; A way that did not have Hoseok’s involvement in it.

The alpha did not want to leave Yoongi to pursue such a dangerous mission on his own – out of Hoseok’s sight. It didn’t sit well with him. The alpha sighed again. It hadn’t even been a full two days since he’d come to know the omega – and even less than a day that the other was actually awake – but there was a certain pull there that he could not ignore.

“Alright. I shall see what I can do once I get back to court.” Hoseok acquiesced. “The King does take such issues with utmost seriousness and will not let go of it lightly. I’m sure a meeting would be convened by the month’s end - with all of the leaders present - and with your testimony, the Northern King will surely be stripped of his title and executed along with his son and others involved. By then, I shall put in a word with the King so that you might be given the right to carry out the execution.”

Yoongi’s eyes bore into him as he spoke so he’d lowered his gaze, being unsettled by the intensity in the other’s eyes. It had been a mistake though, because Yoongi was shirtless and at present, Hoseok’s robe was only loosely draped around the omega’s shoulders, revealing an expanse of pale skin and sharp collarbones. Hoseok shut his eyes, his thoughts split into two completely different directions. Even shut, his eyes had retained the image of bare skin, almost making a blush creep up onto his face. But then, as his mind focused of the rapidly fading image, he saw them again – the bandage around the omega’s waist, the more shallow cuts that were left uncovered after an application of a layer of ointment, the large ugly-looking bruises. None of it had any right to be on the omega’s body. His face was flushed by now, but from anger at what the other had to suffer. A snort and an unsatisfied hum prompted him to open his eyes and raise them to meet the omega’s.

“That seems to be a rather nice and orderly way to do it. “The other smirked, a glint in his eyes. “But I don’t want that.”

The alpha blinked. “Um…that is the only way you would be able to kill him yourself, though. Once the Ancestral Land’s Council has convened-“

“What I meant was-“ Yoongi cuts him off before he can continue his ramblings about the Council’s proceeding. “I want to go to his doorstep myself. I want to stand before him in his own throne room where he feels invincible and untouchable, and spit in his face and rip his throat out in front of all his advisors who know what’s been happening in the castle but have been ignoring it for ages. They have ignored me. My pleads and screams to be set free, my tears and my pain. I’m not above hurting those who have hurt me first, Hoseok. I don’t want to give them a quick death. I want them to suffer and be humiliated and then die slowly - agonizingly slow and painful.”

Hoseok was left stunned and speechless. He did not respond for quite some time after that and just there quietly, his eyes tracing unseen patterns in the dust on the ground. He heard Yoongi huff and shift, robes rustling as he drew them tighter around himself.

Afternoon and evening came and went with them not saying anything to each other except Yoongi asking Hoseok to help him outside so he could take care of his business and Hoseok interrupting Yoongi’s naps to force some food into him.

He did not know what exactly went on in the omega’s mind during that time but as night drew closer, Hoseok found himself more and more accepting of the other’s plan. For once, his heart, mind and wolf came to a unanimous agreement with his decision and at that moment he knew. He would follow Min Yoongi to the end of the world even if the other didn’t want anything to do with him.

“I will do it.” He murmured into the night, the flames of the low fire crackling between them as they lay on their sides on the hard, stone ground.

Yoongi had been facing away from him but at this, he rolled around onto his other side. His expression was a mixture of surprise, hope and apprehension.

“You will do what?” Yoongi probed slowly, unsure.

“I will help you kill the King of the North.” Hoseok states confidently and upon noticing this the omega’s lips quirk up into a slow, tentative smile. “It is high time he pay for all his evil deeds.”

 

 

***

 

 

Time passed slowly.

It’s not like Hoseok’s agreement to help kill the Northern King meant that it would happen within the next day. First and foremost, Yoongi needed time to heal – both mentally and physically – especially his leg. Next, they would need to find a way to sneak into the palace, kill the King and escape safely. Hoseok wasn’t so naïve as to expect that they would be leaving the castle unscathed – regardless of the success of their mission – but he needed to make sure that they would at least leave the place in the best possible condition.

The first day after Hoseok had agreed to help Yoongi fulfill his revenge passed much like the previous one, with them eating, napping and making some light conversation.

At one point Yoongi seemed to realize that it hadn’t been Hoseok that treated him because he questioned the younger.

“I’m guessing you weren’t the one who bandaged me up?” the older piped up suddenly as Hoseok was surveying the different pots of ointments Jimin had left, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to remember which ones Jimin had told him to use for Yoongi’s injuries and then match the names of the herbs with the labels on the pots. “Not to be rude, but you look like you have absolutely no inkling as to what you’re doing.”

Hoseok puts down the two pots in his hands and turns to meet Yoongi’s gaze with a sheepish smile, chuckling lightly. “Well, no. I mean yes, I haven’t got a clue as to what is what- “ he gestures exasperatedly towards the collection of medicine pots laid out in a cluster by the water bowl, “And no, I wasn’t the one who treated you.”

“Oh!” Yoongi seems intrigued and looks around, although he already knows that no one is there except Hoseok. “Where are they then? I would like to thank them.”

“It was an alpha healer I luckily came across while looking for help.” Hoseok explains. “Wait, didn’t you say you were from Aelia City?” Yoongi nods but the alpha sees him go a little pale for some reason.

“Is-is he from Aelia?”

“He is.” Hoseok confirms. “You may know him actually, since you both live in the same city. But Aelia is a big place, so maybe not.” He shrugs. Aelia was indeed a very large city, the second largest in the whole Lupa Kim territory, in fact.

“What’s his na-name?”

“Park Jimin.” The omega’s face falls, shoulders drooping. “What is it? Is he not someone you know, after all?”

“He is.” The reply comes out mumbled and Hoseok isn’t sure why Yoongi isn’t happy. “I’ve met him before, once. He could barely even walk then.” He says the last part a little wistfully.

“That is nice. If you know each other then he will be able to spread the news in Aelia so that it reaches your family. They won’t be worried for your safe-“ he trails off seeing the blank look on the omega’s face and then it strikes him that it had been Yoongi’s father that had willingly sold his own son in exchange for only Luna knows what and now the omega’s mother was dead. He probes slowly, “D-Do you have any other…family in the city or nearby?” Yoongi shakes his head. ”No one that cares for you and would be worried?”

Yoongi smiles then, it’s all gummy and cute which makes Hoseok’s eyes widen. The omega’s orbs shimmer with memories, clearly happy ones. “There is someone. A…friend.” The smile is lost and a serious look overtakes his face in seconds. “It’s why I’m worried. I don’t want my friend to know that I’m alive. At least not right now. Not when I don’t know for sure that I’ll still be alive after trying to kill the Northern King.”

“Isn’t that the more reason why you should contact that friend of yours?” Hoseok feels a little jealous at the pure happiness that even just the bare memories of the other person evoke in Yoongi, but it is someone the omega holds dear and he would never begrudge that, even if it meant both he and his wolf were drowning in a green pool of jealousy. “I sincerely hope it doesn’t end up being the case, but it could be the last time you may see him in this life.”

“I…I don’t want to burden him anymore than what I’ve already done.” Yoongi confides. Hoseok wonders if the older will ever let him in enough for Hoseok to learn the full story. “Let’s just pray Jimin hasn’t recognized me or if he did, that he find me first before going to his cousin.”

“Cousin?”

“Ah, yes. Jimin is a relative of my friend’s. That’s how we met.” Yoongi smiles at another fond memory. This time it’s just a simple smile, though.

“It is up to you to decide.” Hoseok says and the omega directs one of his smiles towards him. This time, Hoseok does blush.

 

 

***

 

 

The village at the border of the Northern Kingdom’s territory is almost miniscule; Hoseok surmises that no more than a hundred people inhabit it.

The huts are old and poorly built, some of them on the verge of falling apart. The people are quiet – even the children just noiselessly follow after their parents and guardians. The markets lack the usual raucousness of the vendors and the people’s faces are devoid of happiness.

All of it seems dull and sad.

Hoseok scours the markets and finds Yoongi a couple spare pairs of attire – it has been three days already and the omega was still dressed only in the thorn-up pants and the alpha’s robe.

The people look at him curiously, the population too low for them not to realize that Hoseok doesn’t belong to the village. Surprisingly, for a border village, there are no guards in sight.

It’s as though the village were abandoned by the King and his court – and maybe it really was. 

It takes a week before Yoongi’s leg heals enough – boosted by the faster healing ability of shifters – so as to not hurt too much when they try to move him. The older male protests when Hoseok once again carries him in his arms, deeming his leg still too weak to hold on if he were to do so on his back; But in the end Yoongi gives up and only scowls and pouts angrily at Hoseok all the way to the inn in the village. Honestly, Hoseok had a hard time not chuckling at the other’s expression which was way too cute – in his opinion. He’s pretty sure Yoongi wouldn’t appreciate for his angry face to be described as cute.

They rent a room at one of the only two inns in the village and he quarrels with Yoongi for the first time because of it. The squabble is of no particular importance – just Yoongi’s need to be independent and self-providing. The older insists on paying Hoseok back when he is in a position to do so – both for the clothes and the room. Hoseok stresses that Yoongi doesn’t owe him anything but Yoongi refuses to accept any more free favors. Hoseok leases the room, carries Yoongi inside and ignores him the rest of the day. In the end, Yoongi can’t stand the uncomfortable air between them and acquiesces.

They spend the mornings and afternoons planning, gathering information about the Northern King and his castle. Everything they might need to know is within their reach because it just happens that the village they were staying at was mostly inhabited either by retired or cast out officials of the court and their families. However, determining who they can trust and actually getting them to spill the beans was tough. Hoseok was a stranger to the people there and no one really wanted to step forward and give up such confidential information to someone whose allegiance they did not know. Yoongi was no better - the elder’s movements were still restricted after two weeks and thus he was confined to their room, unable to help much - though him being an outsider too would have put him in the same position as Hoseok anyway.

The evenings were more relaxing. Hoseok would bring them food from the inn’s kitchens and they would eat together in their room, accompanied by some light banter. Yoongi smiled more - which Hoseok loved. The omega also seemed to become completely comfortable to Hoseok’s presence – which the alpha also loved. At first, he was shy and wasn’t really that forthcoming in speaking about himself but as days went on Yoongi had started to open up to him and it was delightful.

At first glance, Yoongi’s behavior seemed typical of a traditional omega – meek, shy, disciplined and obedient. Too reserved. But that superficial shell was quickly scraped away, revealing an unstoppable force of nature in its wake.

Yoongi knew at least double the amount of vile words and profanities Hoseok did. He cussed and swore at every mention of something or someone he didn’t like. Yoongi spoke about galloping across vast eadows on horseback and letting his wolf run free in the wilderness. He spoke of his dislike for humans that roamed the streets of his hometown that were closer to the sea and the docks. The omega had an opinion on everything – from the laws that governed the co-existence of Shifters and Fey on the Ancestral Lands to the human encroachment into their land. Yoongi had also, surprisingly, confided in him that he knew how to read and write – though not fluently. Honestly, Hoseok didn’t care whether Yoongi was literate or not – why would he need the ability to read and write when he already had all the knowledge required stored in the depths of his mind?

He was curious though, as to how an omega who was clearly raised in such a traditional family was able to educate himself so extensively. From what he’s come to gather about Yoongi, his family would have never let him do all the things the omega told him of.

“Did you study in secret, then?”

“Naturally!” Yoongi shot him a proud, satisfied smirk. “I’m not one to follow rules and besides, what’s there to life if I’m not living it for myself? Growing up, all they tell us omegas is be invisible, listen to your mate, take care of  your home and pups. Why do I have to be invisible? I’m a person - just like any alpha or beta out there - and my voice and opinion matter too, does it not?” It’s not really a question, rather a strong statement. But Hoseok nods at it anyway because he has always had the same views on this subject as Yoongi does.

“You managed to learn all of that on your own?” Hoseok asked, quirking a brow when the other shakes his head.

“No, of course I had some help.” The omega states rather mischievously but then the excitement dulls and he looks a little distant as he speaks, once again lost in memories. “Remember that one friend I mentioned before? The one I didn’t want knowing about me being alive?” Hoseok nods affirmatively, “Well, he was the one who helped me.

“We met when we were pups and he’s been my closest friend all my life. He practically taught me everything I know now and without him, my life would have been absolute hell.”

Hoseok hums. There is a tiny fraction of him that feels jealous. He doesn’t know whether it is the fact that Yoongi is so fond of this - still nameless - man he calls his best friend, or if it is because after listening to Yoongi speak of all his teenage adventures Hoseok wants to be the one in those memories instead. Deep down inside him, he wants to be the one to spend time with Yoongi and teach him things that make him smile so softly when he speaks of it.

He knows he shouldn’t be jealous of Yoongi’s friend. Rather, he should be thankful to the man for accompanying Yoongi through the tough days of the omega’s stringent upbringing.

Hoseok does it then. He mentally thanks the Lupa and the mysterious alpha friend for helping Yoongi bloom into the amazing person Hoseok’s come to know in the last few weeks.

It’s not like he knows everything about the omega though and with a warm fluttering inside his chest, Hoseok realizes that he is willing to spend the rest of his life getting to know the smallest things about Yoongi and making him smile that soft, gummy smile of his.

If only Min Yoongi would let him.

 

 

***

 

 

The village’s people slowly warm up to Hoseok and Yoongi, who finally ventures into the streets after his leg is fully healed. It is still impeccably slow but gathering information becomes slightly easier now that they have the assistance of locals.

They don’t pry head on, rather only subtly hint at what they would like to know about during their conversations. A defamed court advisor provides them a map depicting the layout of the castle, though its accuracy is rough and uncertain as the map was drawn based on the advisor’s memories and it’s been almost a decade since his banishment from the castle. A retired castle guard promises to introduce them to his niece who apparently works as an attendant in the palace and assures them that the girl would be happy to oblige should they ever need her help.

Hoseok and Yoongi don’t discuss their plans openly, preferring to do so in the confines of their room. They still have their meals away from the dining tables on the lower floor of the establishment, relaxing and just enjoying each other’s company.

The alpha didn’t expect it, but Yoongi seems as interested in Hoseok’s early life almost as much as Hoseok was in the other’s. The omega’s quizzing is never direct and it always takes him slightly off guard whenever Yoongi just casually drops a question : What is your sister like? Why did choose a life serving the crown? Have you ever been in love? What are you doing in the North if your hometown is the royal city of Mircea?

Regarding his enquiries to Hoseok’s purpose in the Northern kingdom, the alpha doesn’t give Yoongi an immediate answer and Hoseok sees it in the shifter’s face that Yoongi understands from his silence that it must be important. Hoseok mulls over it for a few days and in the end, decides to come clean. After all, Yoongi has confided to him his deepest and most hurtful secrets, let himself be seen as vulnerable in front of Hoseok who he hasn’t known long. Hoseok realizes that if he wants Yoongi to be a part of his life – be it either simply as a friend or something more – then he needs to be honest with the omega.

One evening, Hoseok sits Yoongi down at the tiny wooden table in their room that they use for meals, and tells him all about his father’s plans and his own quest to find evidence of the treason.

When Hoseok’s finished telling him, Yoongi gently takes his hand and commends him for choosing to do what is morally right despite the fact that it involved going against Hoseok’s own father.

Hoseok feels a weight lift off his shoulders at Yoongi’s acknowledgement – a weight he’d never known was there in the first place.

 

 

***

 

 

 

Hoseok loitered around the inn’s kitchen, waiting for a kitchen help to bring over the tray with his and Yoongi’s afternoon meals. It had become a sort of routine after a month and a half.

He wondered if he would be punished for being away from the palace for so long, for leaving his duties as a General unattended. The Lupa Kim Clan’s alpha King is kind and generous though, so he doesn’t think he would receive anything more than a strict reprimanding and extra work for a couple of weeks. Hoseok muses for a minute, trying to figure out if he is taking advantage of the king’s kindness to shirk his duties but then again, Hoseok is in search of evidence that would incriminate his father.

In the beginning, it had been just Hoseok trying to help Yoongi in his need for revenge. But now that the omega knows Hoseok’s purpose in the Northern Kingdom, the other always makes sure to subtly probe for any hints of information that would likely be helpful to the younger.

It is during his routine duty of waiting for their meal to be delivered that Hoseok senses someone’s eyes on his back. He controls his scent and his reactions, not wanting the other to know that he’s noticed them. It’s the same in the evening and the next day and the day after that. Each day he would go out and feel someone’s eyes on him whether it be on the lower floors of the inn or when he is out and about on the streets. He confides this to Yoongi so as to not keep him in the dark and so that he would be aware enough of their surroundings should something happen.

On the third day since sensing this suspicious presence around them Yoongi and Hoseok go out to one of the taverns. It is dark outside, the sun having already set a few hours prior. The tavern isn’t too crowded, smells of ale, wine and a mixture of scents that belong to the patrons spread around the tavern’s premises. Yoongi and he settle at a small table in the shadows, at the furthest corner of the room. The eyes are still on them, however, this time they actually see the person behind the intense gaze and it leaves the two of them a little flabbergasted.

Yoongi leans in towards him just a little, leaning his elbows against the dark wood of the table top.  “Am I dreaming or is the person who’s been following us around just a pup?”

Hoseok scowls at the omega’s choice of words. “He might be young but he doesn’t look to be much younger than I am – a couple years at most. Do you mean to say I’m a pup too? Being over eighteen doesn’t mean everyone younger than you is a kid.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, the corners of his lips trembling as the omega tries not to smile. “Alright, alright, you big bad alpha. You are not a pup. There, satisfied now? Because if not you just have to it up for now since the kid’s looking at us.”

The teasing startles him briefly as Yoongi’s never done that before but his shoves the moment into the back of his mind – to be reexamined in the dark of the night –and directs his gaze towards the young boy who is indeed looking right at them. The boy is clearly aware that they’ve noticed him because he inclines his head and stands up. Another boy of similar age joins him and the two walk towards their table. Hoseok feels Yoongi tense slightly and subtly runs a reassuring hand over the back of the omega’s hand.

“Good evening.” The kid who’s been following them greets upon reaching Hoseok and Yoongi’ table, the other one just sends them an acknowledging grunt.

“Good evening indeed, boys.” Hoseok replies. Yoongi is silent but tilts his head and leans back in his seat, studying the young arrivals. The omega is good at playing the role of someone confident and nonchalant, despite the reality being quite the opposite. Hoseok knows for a fact just how on edge the other must is – it’s in every line of Yoongi’s body, from the clench in his sharp jaw to the tight hold the older has around his glass of ale. “How may I help you?”

“You are the ones gathering information about the King, aren’t you?” the taller one questions, though it is evident that he isn’t looking for a confirmation. By now, Hoseok has already identified him as an alpha and his companion as a beta. He knows they must have approached them already knowing Yoongi and Hoseok’s purpose here in the village, but the question was what did the two boys want with them?

“I think you already have the answer to that.” Yoongi grunts from his seat, still maintaining that composed façade.

“I know you, Min Yoongi.” The shorter boy pipes up and Yoongi’s head jerks towards him before he can control himself. The hand around his glass pales, knuckles going white and veins popping slightly. Hoseok is ready to pounce at the first sign of danger as a heavy tension begins to settle in the air.

However, it is quickly broken by the taller of the two boys when he none too lightly hits his companion on the arm, making the other yelp.

“Be quiet, Taehyun.” The taller hisses, “You have no sense of subtlety! Don’t antagonize them, we need their help.” The one called Taehyun mumbles something incoherent but Hoseok and Yoongi are more focused on deciphering the taller boy’s words. “I’m deeply sorry if that made you uncomfortable – it was not our intention to cause you alarm. What my brother means is that we saw you when we were spying on the castle.” He whispers, bowing to Yoongi and apologizing one more time.

It’s as if the polite bow completely changes whatever opinion Yoongi’s had about the boys before that particular moment. Hoseok once again recollects the environment the omega had been brought up in. Not many alphas would bow down so low to an omega with no official rank, especially not to an omega like Yoongi who had submissiveness ingrained into him from an early age. Hoseok is glad that the submissiveness is just another faux layer of the omega’s multi-layered outer shell, the shell that Yoongi uses as a defensive shield so as to not get hurt by the evils of society towards his dynamic.

“I don’t think this is a conversation we should have out in the open with so many prying ears and eyes around us. Follow me, kids. And Hoseok.” Yoongi smirks at the eldest alpha who stands immediately and joins the omega at his side as Yoongi begins to lead them towards the exit of the tavern. Hoseok looks back over his shoulder to see Taehyun scowl as the two boys scramble after them.

“Kids?” he mouths to his brother, expression aghast. “I’m thirteen!”

“Oh, shut up and just move along, Taehyun.” The taller says, then with a smirk adds, “kid.”

Hoseok turns to face forward and silently walks at Yoongi’s unhurried pace as the eldest leads them towards the inn they were residing in.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“So, why exactly were you two spying on the castle’s happening?” Yoongi doesn’t waste any time as he starts to grill the boys with a sharp look in his eyes.

The four of them are back in their room at the inn, the door and windows locked, Yoongi seated at the table and Hoseok standing protectively just behind him.

The two brothers exchange a glance and the taller boy nods, as if reassuring himself that he made the correct decision by trying to speak with the older two. “It was our sister.” He says finally, voice taut and quiet but steely for such a young boy. The strongest people are often the ones who’ve suffered the most and lived to tell the tale and Hoseok feels a lump form in his throat as he realizes that he is about to hear another story filled with sadness and hurt. “She suffered the same fate as you. She was grabbed off the street by the guards one day, just as he was returning home. Our parents had fallen prey to the plague and passed away half a year ago, and sister was the only adult left in our family. Now that she is gone, me and my brothers and cousins are all alone.” The boy tries hard not to choke or let tears fall. Hoseok feels like crying on the boys’ behalf.

“Has she….?” Yoongi trails off. The eldest is no longer relaxed - his face irate and eyes broken, his own past suffering at the Northern prince’s hands is showing through the cold omega blue of his eyes.

“Yes, she has passed.” The young alpha replies, eyes downcast as Taehyun  - eyes misty - clings lightly to his brother’s arm. “It was a couple of weeks before we saw them bring you to the castle.

Yoongi nods, doesn’t say anything for a long while – no one does, in fact. The air around them is mournful and melancholic.

Finally Yoongi moves to the bed and gestures for the boys to occupy the now vacant chairs. As expected, Hoseok, as if by a magnet, is pulled to Yoongi’s side and sits cross-legged on the bed.

“What’s your name?” Yoongi asks.

“Choi Soobin, and this is one of my younger siblings – Taehyun.”

Yoongi’s eyes are no longer glowing blue but they are piercing and probing as he asks his next question. “And why have you reached out to us? What do you plan to do hence forth?”

Soobin raises his head. Gone are the sad faces and misty eyes as the elder of the two brothers answers. “It has come to our understanding that your ultimate goal is to put an end to the Royal bloodline of this kingdom, and if you will have us – me, my brothers and my two cousins – then, we are willing to lay down our lives and help you in any way we can.”

Hoseok watches the omega’s face as Yoongi’s brain works, as he considers every little itty bitty bit. The elder alpha doesn’t meddle, chooses to leave the decision up to Yoongi and the boys, after all, it is their revenge and their pain.

Yoongi grins wide, gums showing. “You will have to introduce the rest of your lot then, if you are to loiter around us then I at least ought to know their faces and names.” And just like that Hoseok knows that the decision is made and finalized. The boys’ faces light up and immediately dull, almost giving Hoseok vertigo. A side glance towards Yoongi answers his confusion – the omega’s face is stern and eyes narrowed as he looks at the two boys. “However, there is just one thing I would like to clarify. No one is laying down their lives. We go into this together and come out together - otherwise it’s all nothing but a waste. Your sister wouldn’t have wanted you to avenge her at the cost of your own lives, would she?”

Soobin and Taehyun shake their heads. “No, she wouldn’t have.” Soobin agrees.

 

 

***

 

 

Hoseok has never been more glad or proud of his position as an Imperial General. His aptitude for combat proves handy in helping train the three alpha and two beta boys who join them and he is amazed to see the rapid pace at which they manage to learn.

Hoseok teaches them the sword, the bow and also hand- to-hand combat. The boys are friendly and eager, take pointers well and practice hard. In a month’s time, they already come very far.

But they are still young – very much so. Except for Soobin, it hasn’t even been a year since the others’ presentation. Hoseok is aware that Yoongi plans to face the king and his son head on and he is worried for the young boys. He is okay with them running errands and gathering information but he dreads the day they would be involved in an actual fight that involves blood and death. He is hoping they will at least wait a couple years before executing their plan but he knows for sure that neither the boys nor Yoongi have patience to wait that long.

They are hurt deeply and want reprisal before they will be able to start a new chapter of their lives.  

Yoongi has no experience with the bow but his swordsmanship basics are strong enough. Instead, the omega asks Hoseok to spar with him as Yoongi tries to gain proper control over his still fairly new ability of partial shift. This way, the omega’s movements are not restricted by the size of his wolf form and his blows are much harsher due to the sharp and sturdy claws.

“Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to wait longer? As you say, the boys are still kids and taking them to a fight that is definitely going to blood-“

“We are not taking them with us.”

Hoseok was in the midst of applying ointment onto his arm where Yoongi’s claws had grazed him during practice earlier in the day. When he hears Yoongi’s words he stops to stare at the man, a brow quirked up questioningly.

“You mean we aren’t bringing them with us when we go into the palace?” Yoongi shakes his head. “Then why did you say you would let them help get their revenge?”

“We will avenge their sister, just not in their presence.” Yoongi states. “The boys won’t be coming along, it will be either the two of us or just me alone.”

Hoseok’s eyes pop and he whirls around to look at Yoongi who’s been resting beside him. “I’m not letting you go alone! Don’t you even dream of it.” He says harshly, narrowing his eyes at the omega. Yoongi shrugs and sends him an innocent smile. Hoseok huffs and resumes treating the shallow gash on his upper arm.

His good uninjured hand falters in its task when he feels Yoongi’s head on his shoulder.  He feels the movement of the other’s body as Yoongi sighs and feels the heat seeping in through his clothes.

It’s the closest and most intimate they’ve ever dared to be with each other and Hoseok once again wonders if there is a chance Yoongi might be feeling something for him too, something other than friendship and camaraderie. It’s been months since he’s met Yoongi, since he realized he wanted the omega in his life. His eighteenth birthday had come and gone with the whole gang going out on a picnic in the forest; Hoseok would have preferred getting drinks at the tavern instead but then Yoongi had reprimanded him for setting a bad example for the kids; the kids in question had only laughed at his mildly disgruntled expression. It’s been weeks since he’d accepted just how deeply he’s fallen for the omega but Hoseok never once voiced his intentions. Yoongi might have caught his longing and wistful stares more than once but the omega has never addressed it either.

Hoseok knows that Yoongi has grown attached to him since their first meeting but he doesn’t know if the attachment is a result of Yoongi’s true emotions or just an after-effect because Hoseok had saved him. Sometimes, Hoseok feels as though they were in a limbo, both not voicing what they feel for each other, the relationship between them shrouded in uncertainties. Hoseok is scared of being the first one to speak out. He fears that formally requesting Yoongi’s permission to court the omega might be the wrong decision and he would end up loosing the closeness that’s bloomed between them.

Yoongi nuzzles further into the material of his shirt and for a moment Hoseok thinks that the omega must have fallen asleep and were doing it unconsciously - but then Yoongi speaks:

“Have you thought of what you are going to do after all this is over? When you find the evidence you need and turn it in and the Northern King is dead?”

Hoseok hums in reply. He has thought about it, of course, but all his musings so far had included Yoongi in them and he’s not ready to confess that to the other. Instead, he settles for a more basic answer that he’s sure of.

“Well, I’ve left my posting at the castle for far too long, so I’ll definitely be going back to resume my duties.” He says, willing the slight shiver away as Yoongi twists his head to look up at him and the omega’s breath tickles the column of his neck. “Besides that, I’m not too sure. I guess I’ll just leave it up to fate.”

“Fate, huh…” Yoongi repeats, eyes distant. He gets up then and starts stretching; Hoseok feels the chill of the air now that the warm contact between them is gone. It’s deep into winter but the first snow has been long overdue, the ground beneath their feet is clear. Their garments are thicker now, heavier – and it makes training so much more draining than it would be otherwise. Hoseok briefly imagines Yoongi in the middle of a snowy field, his skin so pale it’s almost the same color as the powdery substance itself. The alpha thinks snow would suit Yoongi immensely – the omega was like a blizzard; beautiful to look at from afar but deathly and dangerous at the same time.

“What about you? Will you go back home?” he asks, eyes closely following the omega’s every movement. He tries not to, but it’s almost impossible. Yoongi’s dark robes and red hair complement his complexion, his cheeks are dusted a pretty pink – a consequence of the chilly air’s bite – his lips are a pretty pink bow, if not a little chapped. His every move is languid but calculated, not a step without predetermined purpose. Yoongi turns towards him mid-stretch and Hoseok averts his gaze – not subtly enough though. Their ears burn in a shade of pinkish-red but again, Hoseok doesn’t know if Yoongi’s are that way because of the cold or for the same reason his own are. Yoongi looks into the distance, in the direction of Yule – the capital of the Northern kingdom.

“I’m staying here, in the north. When the king and his son are dead, the people will need someone to take charge; else the rogues will pick the towns apart. I’ve always wanted to be part of a society where omegas are completely free and safe and I want to build something like that.”

“So you will stay here and try to build such a place alongside whoever takes the throne next?”

Yoongi turns back to him, eyes meeting and gazes holding as he smiles that amused smile of his.

“Not exactly.” He starts, “Because that whoever? That’s going to be me. I will take the crown, become king and build a country where omegas can be themselves without any repercussions. A new world.”

By now, Hoseok had already lost count of the times Yoongi’s words, ideas or actions surprised him enough to leave him speechless and gaping.

 

 

***

 

 

He receives a letter one morning just past his nineteenth birthday, delivered by his trusted pet falcon, Claw.

The letter is from Jiwoo and the news it brings is not something that makes Hoseok happy. She writes about Prince Jungkook’s presentation, about the late Queen’s will that had been finally found more than two years after her passing; She writes about the celebratory ball planned by the council that would also be a matchmaking occasion for the younger prince as a consequence of Prince Seokjin not having to marry until twenty unless of his own choosing – something the Queen had insisted upon in her will. She leaves the juiciest part for last.  

At the end of the letter, she states in her neat penmanship that she’d been chosen as a potential mate candidate for the youngest prince, her candidature also approved in the queen’s will.

Hoseok knows their father well. The elder Jung would waste no effort and time to cement Jiwoo’s position and would definitely push for an early engagement. Hoseok sighs as he heads to find Yoongi to tell him that he would have to leave for a couple of weeks to prevent any further scheming on his father’s part.

Yoongi is understanding. He smiles at Hoseok and hugs him close before they part. The warmth of Yoongi’s body against his lingers for several hours, so does the puzzling expression he’d glimpsed on the omega’s face just briefly before the usual mask was in place.

As he bounds along the dusty roads and the foliage of the Whispering Woods he thinks back on the past several months with Yoongi, and then Yoongi, Soobin and the other boys. More than a year and a half had passed in the blink of an eye.

He doesn’t know of a lot that’s been happening back home, his only correspondents being Jiwoo and his mentor, General Song. He feels bad for leaving Jiwoo with their father for so long, especially since she knows of the treason, Hoseok having confided in her just before leaving for the North. He tries to imagine her face, to picture how tall she must have gotten, how much prettier. He imagines an increase in wrinkles and deep lines on his father’s aging face. General Song must have grey hair on his head by now, well into his fifties but still strong and fit.

He even thinks of the Lupa Kim Clan’s ruler’s ever kind face and they way he would try to make his stress unnoticeable to the council. He doesn’t know if anyone else on the council has noticed but Hoseok and his mentor always did.

He recollects Prince Jungkook’s toothy grin and big, round eyes. Glimpses of Prince Seokjin’s beautiful face as he snuck around the palace, cleverly managing to avoid everyone but Hoseok.

The wolf skids to a stop, dirt raising and swirling around him before it settles back down. There was once a time when Hoseok had compared Yoongi and Prince Seokjin. To be specific, he had compared the impeccable way they could always mask their true feelings in an instant, they way they always wore a mask unless alone or surrounded only by those they deeply trust.

There was an expression Prince Seokjin always wore when he thought no one was looking: when the omega prince would follow behind Hoseok’s father for lessons, when a palace guard says something untoward to him and he can do nothing about it, when anyone in the castle would speak about marrying him off for the sake of the kingdom’s alliances. Soon after, Hoseok’s father would storm out of the study hall with a grim expression on his face, grumbling how the omega prince was insufferable. The guard would slip down the stairs and break a limb, or break some expensive decoration in the castle and have his wages cut to compensate. A scandal about a certain loose mouthed noble would come to light.

Prince Seokjin had never been allowed to study anything related to war, would never be required to fight on a battlefield. However, life of a noble - and a member of the imperial bloodline at that – was a battlefield in itself and that expression was Prince Seokjin’s battle shield; something he hid behind before delivering an unexpected killing blow.

What stopped Hoseok was the realization that Yoongi had that same kind of expression on his face when they had parted not even two days prior.

…either the two of us or just me alone.

He is consumed with trepidation as he turns around and zaps through the forest at record speed, praying to Luna that he is wrong and Yoongi hadn’t left for Yule yet.

 

 

***

 

 

It’s been four days since he’s seen Yoongi.

His heart is a mess as the streets of Yule fly by him in a blur. There are people gathered on the streets, rumors already going around of a sleek blond wolf battling the castle guards and bloodying the city’s barracks.

He knows the blonde wolf is Yoongi; his suspicions had been confirmed the moment he got back only to be greeted by a confused and frazzled quintet, no Yoongi in sight.

The five shifters run behind him, Soobin’s large grey wolf and four smaller ones. The castle gates are ajar, no guards – at least not the kind who were still breathing and alive. The path from the gate to the castle was littered with bodies drenched in blood; throats gnawed open, limbs ripped, guts oozing and blood seeping into the dirt and cobblestone. The red painfully reminded Hoseok of Yoongi’s hair.

Once inside the palace’s walls, Hoseok let his nose do the work. The blood and the fear mixed with the dead guards’ scents was strong but he could still smell him; smell Yoongi’s sweet honey and orange. The stone walls vibrated from the shouts and growls that were coming from somewhere on the upper floors.

The brown wolf halted before the wide open doors of the hall that was obviously the throne room. His five companions scrambled to a stop, moving in around him to get a better view.

A raised platform stood in the middle of the room, the floors and walls plain grey, the throne made of gold that has long past lost its shine. A half moon of guards stood between the King, his son and Yoongi in his partial shift form. Another half moon blocked Hoseok and the others from moving further inside.

Hoseok saw Yoongi’s wolf ears perk up, the distance between them close enough for the mind link to open up.

“Hoseok, you came back.” Yoongi still faced forward, not risking anything lest he gets attacked in a moment of weakness and distraction.

“Of course, I came back, you brazen omega!” Hoseok screams at him mentally, feels Yoongi laugh. “I turned around the moment I realized what you were up to.”

“Thank you, for making it in time.” Yoongi says it like a caress, soft and gentle. It almost feels like a goodbye but thankfully his next words reassure Hoseok as the mind link fills with Yoongi’s confidence and determination. “I feel stronger now that you are here. I feel like I can do anything and everything.” And then the mind link is shut off.

Some of the guards have noticed the six wolves in the entry way and turned away from Yoongi’s back to point them at Hoseok and his group instead, preventing their entry.

“So, my pretty is back.” The Prince laughs, the King snorts at his sons words, looking powerful on his throne.

The scent of rotten fruit is prominent. Yoongi is overcome by emotion, anger being the most prevalent. Hoseok focuses on his own pheromones, makes his scent spread around him. Yoongi senses it, inhales, calms down.

The sole omega in the room raises his head to look straight at the prince. “Do you even know what being a entails? I don’t think you do.” Yoongi starts, his eyes blazing that cold blue Hoseok himself is sometimes afraid of. He never wants that cold, piercing gaze to be directed at him. “Well, let me clarify it for your sake – a is a promiscuous person who s everything they see without any sense of right or wrong. If it’s anything to go by, then between the two of us clearly the is you – seeing as I’m still untouched. How many people have you put that into? Do you have a count? Because I would love to rip you apart and put you back together just to repeat it for every time you’ve ed someone against their volition.”

“Shut up, !” the prince shouts and both Yoongi and Hoseok growl at the same time. It echoes menacingly inside the throne room. The prince takes a step back. “Guards! Capture him and take him back to the dungeon or kill him, for all I care. Just get him out of my sight!”

The guards start forward but Yoongi raises his voice before any of them can strike. “I challenge the King and the Crown Prince for the title of King of the North!”

Everyone freezes, including Hoseok whose eyes are wide. All the shifters in the room turn to look at Yoongi, even the guards who’ve been holding off Hoseok’s party. A direct challenge is sacred. The practice has been ingrained into wolves since ancient times and the one could always challenge a pack alpha for the position and for wolves, kingdoms were nothing but names and territories of the extended pack. A challenge for the position of King worked the same way as one for that of a head alpha. Hoseok was aware Yoongi wanted to step in as the next king but he never would have imagined a challenge.

But then something else clicks in the alpha’s mind and the fear bubbles up to the surface again because Yoongi had just challenged two wolves to a fight to the death. – a fight where Yoongi would be up against two wolves more powerful and experienced in battle than he was. But what worried Hoseok was the fact that Yoongi might have to fight them both at the same time.

Declining a challenge would make one look weak and fearful in the eyes of others so the King and his son have no other way around it.

“We accept the challenge!” the King’s booming voice reverberates off the stone walls and ceiling as he answers for both himself and his son.

The King stand, pulls of his robe. To the side, the prince mimics the movements. They don’t bother going away to shift, just do it as they are, ripping their clothes in the process. Two massive grey wolves descend from the raised platform and circle Yoongi who chooses to stay in his current partially shifted form.

At first, Hoseok wants to rip the guards apart and join Yoongi in the fight, however, just as the brown wolf takes a step forward Yoongi’s voice flows in. “Trust me, Hoseok. I need to be the one to do this if I’m to be king.”

Hoseok trusts Yoongi, as afraid as he is for the omega. “I trust you, Yoongi. Rip them apart.” The link closes again as Yoongi focuses on the fight.

The two grey wolves are unyielding, almost feral. They bite and tear at Yoongi’s skin, at his clothes. Yoongi is covered in deep gashes and bite marks. Hoseok’s heart clenches.

But he doesn’t move. He doesn’t move because he trusts Yoongi and because Yoongi is actually winning.

The omega is sleek, fast and precise. Just as he always was during practice. His blows are not many but they are incredibly damaging and fatal. He plunges his claws into the prince’s guts, cuts shallowly along the king’s jugular, breaks one of the princes hind legs by twisting it. He focuses on blinding them, on imparting as many heavy injuries as possible.

The King collapses first, his age not in his favor. The prince makes a mistake, looks back to the collapsed older wolf for a second. It’s enough for Yoongi to surge forward and strike, speed being the most prominent advantage of partial shift. The prince slumps onto the floor beneath him, eyes dimming as fast as the king’s did.

Yoongi won.

Yoongi won.

Hoseok thinks it’s over but apparently not yet.

Yoongi is heavily injured, out of breath. He collapses closer to the platform that holds the king’s throne. The guards don’t move, just stare around them with astonishment painted on the ghastly faces. Hoseok wants to shift and go hug the omega to death but he catches movement and the glint of a knife.

A shifter in official robes, perhaps someone on the council, surges forward with a wide-bladed dagger in his hand. It’s aimed right at Yoongi’s nape and Yoongi is still too occupied in controlling his breathing to notice. Hoseok is too far away, he knows he won’t make it in time – the alpha panics as he jumps over the guards.

Just as Yoongi finally becomes aware of the presence behind, and just as the point of the dagger is about to make contact with pale skin, a blur descends from above, zapping by so fast it’s difficult to make out exactly what it is. The official looses the grip he had on the dagger and Yoongi swipes it out of the air, turning the point around and plunging it into the official’s chest – right into the shifter’s heart.

Hoseok sees Claw fly out of the hall, through a gap in a window that’s missing the glass panel.

 

 

***

 

 

It takes a few weeks to get everything in order.

The perimeter is secured, guards and officials who were loyal to the former king are either exiled or executed. Alphas and betas are sent away, only those few mated ones who swore allegiance to the new Omega King able to remain. Yule was now an omega safe zone and soon, so would be the rest of the kingdom – The Pale King’s Realm. Hoseok had said the name on whim when Yoongi had asked them for suggestions and then the omega insisted on sticking with it.

Their team worked efficiently. Plans for a border wall are made and materials were being procured for the construction to begin.

Word spread across the Ancient Lands of a new King, an Omega King who had defeated the previous monarchs. Everyone referred to Yoongi as the Pale King – only few knowing his actual name or face. Yoongi wanted to keep it that way, wanted to be able to blend in with the people should he ever need to venture into the towns and villages beyond the palace walls.

A month after Yoongi takes the throne a visitor knocks on the palace doors. Hoseok pulls the blonde boy into a hug when Soobin ushers him into Yoongi’s study.

“Jimin! I’m glad you could make it here on such short notice.”

“Honestly, I was too excited to even think of anything else once I heard what happened and realized who the omega king might be. I was fairly surprised upon receiving your letter, thank you for inviting me.”

“Nonsense, Jimin. You are responsible for saving my life as much as Hoseok is, if not more. You will always be welcome here.” Yoongi pipes up in his deep, melodic voice, walking from behind his desk to stand by the two boys. Jimin startles briefly, but then smiles and throws himself into the omega’s arms.

“Yoongi!!” he squeals like a child. “How many years has it been?”

“Too many, Jimin.” Yoongi chuckles, disentangling himself from the younger alpha’s arms. “Sorry for not keeping in touch.”

“Mhm…”the younger shakes his head. “Joonie used to talk about you all the while so I’m actually pretty up to date with most of everything that’s happened to you before…before your supposed death.”

Hoseok concludes that Joonie must be Yoongi’s best friend and Jimin’s cousin. The alpha still remains a sort of taboo topic for Hoseok to pry into despite knowing Yoongi for almost two years.

“You haven’t told him, have you?” Yoongi asks, hopeful.

Jimin shakes his head. “I did not. At first, I waited for news of your recovery because…if you weren’t going to make it then I didn’t want him to hear of your death for the second time. The first time broke him enough.” The two of them look sad. Yoongi takes Jimin’s hand as he thanks the blonde. Meanwhile, Hoseok wonders at the familiarity with which Yoongi carries himself with around Jimin despite them speaking to each other for the first time in over a decade. Jimin is just such an easy presence to be around, it seems - a kind and pure soul. “Later, when I realized that you were the Pale King, I wanted you to have time so you could tell him yourself.”

“I will, soon. Just not right now when everything is still so fragile.”

Jimin stays with them for a week, is by Yoongi’s side almost all the time. The new King is busy with court meeting and documents. Hoseok barely sees him, talks to him maybe once or twice throughout the week. Jimin is a huge help; he reassures the General that Yoongi is doing good whenever they cross paths.

The day before Jimin is set to leave, Hoseok senses a change in Yoongi’s scent. The omega was in pre-heat.

Yoongi calls for him, Jimin and Soobin for an audience in the throne room. The King’s chair has been replaced with an elegant seat cut out of white marble. The bloody floors were scrubbed clean and painted entirely black with the insignia of a white rose in the centre that has become the kingdom’s unofficial emblem.

The three of them were the closest people to Yoongi and meeting in the throne room felt too distant, too official.

Soobin’s nose scrunched up and Jimin too had to school his expression to normal as the omega’s scent wafted close. Yoongi only seemed amused, watching their reactions with a smirk plastered on his face.

“Your Majesty, what was so urgent that it couldn’t wait until after… you know.” Soobin gestured with his hands off-handedly, clearly speaking of Yoongi’s pre-heat.

“It’s exactly my current predicament that made me decide on something.” The three listen attentively. “The kingdom needs someone to look after it while I’m indisposed. You alphas got lucky with your ruts being at least three months apart.” The Pale King scowls.

“So you finally took advisor Ki’s prompt and decided to name a regent?”

Yoongi nods. “I called you all here so I could make an official announcement before my heat becomes unbearable.”

Jimin winks at Hoseok, patting him on the back. Soobin eyes are also on him as Yoongi speaks up again.

“I have been thinking about it for the past week and finally have decided that the kingdom’s regent is going to be….” Yoongi had been looking at Hoseok until then but at the last moment he shifts his gaze to his left. “Park Jimin.”

Hoseok startles. Beside him Jimin squeaks, Soobin gaze moves between the other two alpha’s  and the Pale King. At that point, it was obvious that all three of them had expected Hoseok to be named as regent.

“Me…?A-Are you serious, Yoongi?” Jimin manages after a side-ways glance towards Hoseok that the eldest alpha doesn’t miss.

“If you want it, the position is yours Jimin. You are rational person and a good friend; I don’t think I have to look any further for the right candidate.”

“I…”

 

 

 

***

 

 

Jimin ends up happily agreeing to being the regent, despite how far away he would have to be from Aelia. Soobin and Jimin leave and Hoseok is alone in Yoongi’s presence.

“Are you done packing, then?” The Pale King asks, relaxing now that it was only the two of them. Soobin and Jimin were people close to their hearts but the level of comfort between Yoongi and Hoseok was greater.

Hoseok had concluded that he’s put off Jiwoo’s situation for way too long. Luckily, his father hadn’t proceeded with the engagement but by now everyone in the Lupa Kim Kingdom was fairly sure that out of all the candidates, Jiwoo would be the final choice for Prince Jungkook’s mate. He had to go home and do something about it before anything they might regret happens.

“Mhm, not much to pack so I was done rather quickly.” Yoongi nods at his reply, head tilting as he studies Hoseok’s face.

“So…this is it? Where we part?”

“For now…” Hoseok says, “We’ll meet again in the future. You can always ask me anything, just send me a letter and I’ll be over in a jiffy.” He tries to smile but thinks it comes more as a grimace.

Yoongi stands, comes down the half dozen steps of the raised platform on which the throne stands. The freshly renovated chamber is white, silver and pale gold – all colors Hoseok has come to associate with the pale man before him.

“I would hug you, “ Yoongi says, taking Hoseok’s hand in his, “but I don’t want to make your wolf uneasy because of my scent.” Hoseok wants to reassure Yoongi that it’s okay to hug him, that he is used to Yoongi’s heady heat scent after knowing the other for so many months, that both he and his alpha crave for that scent on his skin. He doesn’t though. Instead, he clutches Yoongi’s hand and lifts it up, placing a gentle kiss to the pale knuckles that have faint scars over them.

“Until next time, then?” he asks, smiling, running the pad of his finger of the back of Yoongi’s palm.

“Until next time.” Yoongi nods.

Hoseok takes him in – the regal robes, the dangling earrings, the white gossamer of his shirt; the blush on his cheeks that was most probably a side effect of the heat. He smiles and leaves.

His footsteps reverberate in the empty hall of the throne room. He stops at the high doors, thinks better of it and doesn’t look back, just bites his lip and shuts the door behind him.

There is a short corridor between the door to the throne room and the hall that leads off towards the rest of the palace, the door at the end of the corridor is smaller though. He heads towards it, his steps are quick but it still seems far away no matter how much he walks. It’s as if fate is extending the distance, extending the time so he would still be there when the event planned by fate occurs.

And just as he puts a hand against the door that leads out he hears a creak behind him.

“Hobi!”

It’s Yoongi. Hoseok blinks but it’s really him and the omega is walking towards him at a rapid pace, almost breaking out into a jog. Hoseok’s hand leaves the door and he turns towards the omega, taking long steps to met him in the middle. Yoongi stops just a foot away from him.

“Did you have anything else to say to me?”

“Were you really going to just leave? Just like that?” Yoongi’s voice is trembling a little. It’s been ages since Hoseok’s last heard it being so vulnerable and defeated.

“I…I thought you were okay with me leaving.”

“Of course I’m not! How did you ever manage to come up with that conclusion!?” There are tears in Yoongi’s eyes and he reaches an unconscious hand to swipe at the soft underneath the omega’s eyes. Yoongi clutches at his hand.

“I only meant to leave so I could resolve the things back home.” Hoseok sighs. Yoongi’s expression makes him spill his true thoughts and feelings. “But…but when you chose Jimin to be the regent, I guessed you didn’t want me to come back.”

“Where did your General’s brain go to at a time like this?” Yoongi wails, stepping closer into Hoseok’s space. “Why would I make my mate be the regent when he is the one who’s supposed to be taking care of me when I’m unable to sit on the throne!?”

That one sentence and the implication behind it is enough for Hoseok to truly know that Yoongi feels the same. He pulls the omega close, arms wrapping tight around his waist and back. In turn, Yoongi clutches at the front of his shirt and robes, buries his face in the alpha’s chest.

Yoongi smells amazing, the subtle sweetness of his scent enhanced with the heat. Hoseok leans just a little back so there is enough space between them for the alpha to run the tip of his nose against the omega’s cheek, along the side of his face. His skin is so soft. Hoseok startles and pulls back when he feels Yoongi trembling but then he realizes that it was just his chest vibrating from the almost purrs that Yoongi was letting out.

Hoseok chuckles, cupping Yoongi’s face in his palms and Yoongi finally opens his eyes. It’s not for long though, because a moment later they are leaning towards each other, heads tilting and lips parting slightly.

The first contact of lips against lips is barely there but Yoongi’s purrs and the soft, unexpected squeak at the peck have Hoseok surging in. His lips glide against Yoongi soft mouth, interchanging between kissing the omega’s lower lip and then the upper one. Yoongi responds accordingly, clutches tighter at Hoseok’s clothes as one of the alpha’s hands leaves his face and slides along his back to grip at Yoongi’s waist.

The omega gasps and Hoseok into his mouth when Yoongi’s lips part. The alpha kisses him hungrily, trying to make up for all the times he couldn’t do this throughout the two years they’ve known each other.

A low growl rumbles deep inside him when Yoongi lets out a soft moan, his voice still more high pitched than Hoseok’s generally used to hearing. The alpha shifts them, moves them away from the center of the corridor to lightly press Yoongi against one of the pillars that line the corridor’s walls. He uses the hand on Yoongi’s face to tilt his head sideways, providing access to the omega’s neck. One of Yoongi’s own hands has long slid to grip at Hoseok’s hair, tugging gently every time Hoseok nips his lips or the sensitive skin of his neck.

Hoseok distantly smells a burst of something deliciously sweet as he moves lower on the omega’s neck, aware that he was hard enough to leave marks. Yoongi pats him on the chest, lightly shoves him back just enough for him to be able to look into Hoseok’s face as he speaks but not enough for the contact along the lines of their bodies to disappear.  

“H-Hobi, st-stop. We need to stop.” Hoseok raises his head to look at him. Yoongi’s face is flushed, his ears burning red. He knows that he own state must similar because Yoongi’s lips are twitching, holding back a smile.

“What is it, my king?” At that Yoongi does laugh, pinching the inside of Hoseok’s arm none too harshly.

“It-It’s the heat. We should stop.” Hoseok almost unconsciously sniffs at the air then and finally realizes that the rich sweetness from earlier is Yoongi’s slick; the omega is a blushing mess in his arms, his pale complexion doing nothing to help hide the color. Hoseok nods in understanding.

The alpha walks Yoongi to the King’s chambers, stops at the door with the omega standing at the threshold. Yoongi gazes at him lovingly before pulling him close and kissing him again – it’s soft and fleeting this time. A temporary goodbye. They both know that Hoseok wouldn’t be spending this particular heat with Yoongi, the omega understands that Hoseok can’t delay the trip home any longer and Hoseok appreciates that.

“I love you, Jung Hoseok. “ Yoongi surprises him with his words upon pulling back. The surprise quickly blooms into warmth.

“I love you, My King. “Hoseok says, voice and gaze soft and almost reverent. “I love you, Min Yoongi.”

 

 

***

 

 

 

To his relief and immense confusion, the situation back home doesn’t take long to resolve.

The final decision Hoseok and Jiwoo end up with does complicate things a little because it plays right into their father’s ploy but he thinks he should wait and see how things go.

The confusion arises when he arrives home on the day of the ball, albeit very lately and only barely in time for the last hour of the duration of it. In that small amount of time between the start of the ball and Hoseok’s reunion with Jiwoo, his sister has somehow managed to bond with the youngest prince.

Jungkook is kind, polite, charming for his age and he seems to be comfortable around Jiwoo. When Hoseok asks why it was so, Jungkook gives him a two part reply. One being that Jiwoo was his mother’s favorite and he trusted her judgement. The second reply was that if they were just pretending for the sake of marrying into the royal family then his older brother would figure it out quick enough and put an end to it.

The day of the ball is also the day he officially meets Prince Seokjin for the first time. It’s amusing to see the elder prince act so withdrawn and meek. However, once the prince decides he likes the Jung siblings, the other side, the one Hoseok has only caught glimpses of, surfaces.

Kim Seokjin becomes his next favorite person, following immediately after Jiwoo and Yoongi.

It takes him a month to finish up everything and head back to Yule. By the time he arrives, the construction of the border wall was well under way and Beomgyu greets him at one of the openings in the wall where a gate is supposed to be.

Jimin greets him outside the throne room and Hoseok bows to thank him for taking care of Yoongi and the boys while he’d been away. Jimin only scowls at him.

“You don’t have to thank me. After all, we are family.” He says and gestures to the closed doors. Yoongi was inside. His heart rate picks up when he realizes that he would finally be seeing his omega after so long. His omega. His love. His King.

“I know, but, thank you anyway.” He calls after the blonde who was already heading down the corridor.

Hoseok places the palm of his hand against the door, the wood is smooth and has a soft fragrance that lingers. He pushes the door open and Yoongi, who’d just reached it on the other side, falls into his embrace.

“I’m back, my king.” Hoseok says and Yoongi chuckles into the material of his shirt.

 

 

***

 

 

They were taking a walk away from the hustle of construction, outside the border wall and beyond the limits of their kingdom’s territory.

It was late spring and the Whispering Woods was thriving.  Bees buzzed, birds chirped. In their short walk alone, they’ve managed to catch sight of rabbits, deer, elk, foxes and what Hoseok insisted was some kind of hybrid panther.

A few friendly tree nymphs waved their way and one even made a flower crown for Yoongi. Hoseok liked the way it looked against Yoongi’s hair so much that he’s even asked the nymph to teach him on his next visit.

They held hands and stuck close together throughout the day so much that Soobin, who was now the chief imperial guard, had mock gagged at their cheesy displays of affection and left them to their own devices. He was still following them – Hoseok could sense him – but it was over a reasonable distance.

It was only when Yoongi noticed something peculiar that he tugged on Hoseok’s hand, prompting him to stop and follow Yoongi’s gaze.

It was an elf, half hidden in a small grove of blooming fruit trees. The elf’s skin looked almost transparent and her body seemed to be partially melded into the bark of one of the trees. The elf’s hair was long and pale silver; it reached low and swept the ground when she curiously tilted her head as she looked towards them.

“Are you one of them? Hoseok heard her say, surprised and perhaps a bit hopeful. She was looking at Yoongi as she spoke the words. “You are, aren’t you…?”

“Are you speaking to me?” Yoongi asks her, confused. Neither of them are familiar with the elven woman. In fact, they don’t know too many of the Fey folk.

The woman gasps, not answering Yoongi’s question. She mumbles a bit of gibberish, talks to herself for a bit before looking back towards Yoongi. “You are one of them.” She repeats. “Which one though? The warrior? The king? You are clearly not of Fey descent so you cannot be the seer…so one of the former two, then.”

The woman mumbles some more, continues to ignore Hoseok and Yoongi and the omega’s barrage of questions. She shakes her head at last and soundlessly melds into the bark that had been part of her dress.

Hoseok and Yoongi are left blinking and perplexed. For some reason, they cannot let go of the elf’s words for they seem important.

However, in that moment, on that sunny day, the two had many distractions and failed to realize the full extent of the importance of those three words.

The warrior, the king and the seer.

 

***