Chapter Eight: Blaming my dreams, asking why I live and breathe.

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Taehyung stares at the woman as he wipes down a plate. Staff was low today so he was sent to help the maids. There was no need for him to work in the kitchens, there wasn't a big demand for sweets this week and he had pre-made stuff if someone asked for them.

Jisoo sat at the small kitchen table, poised elegantly in her violet gown. It had embroidered stars with golden thread and it sparkled when she moved. It was a beautiful dress, she looked amazing in it, and Taehyung kind of hated her for it.

"You know, I'm not going to leave until you speak to me. I'll just sit here and watch you wash dishes all day, go to sleep, and come back the next." Jisoo calmly states, picking at the peeling finish of the table.

Taehyung's eye twitched. He dipped his hands back in the soapy water and pulled out a glass, scrubbing the inside with a rag. Rinse, set aside to dry, repeat. Jisoo watched him for a couple more minutes, shuffling about in all that fabric. He could hear here sighing dramatically every once in a while, but he ignored it.

Ignored her.

"Oh, come on. If it makes you feel better, now you have nothing to hide! You don't have to think hard about not saying the right thing, because I already know your deepest, darkest secrets!" Jisoo cheerfully exclaimed and the plate Taehyung had been washing slipped from his hands and shattered.

"Shit." He whispered and crouched down low to grab it. Jisoo silently watched him and he made the mistake of glancing at her. She caught his eye and he was so startled he cut his hand on a particularly sharp piece.

Jisoo heard his sharp intake of breath and craned her neck to see what had happened. "Oh no, here, let me help." She rushed to get up, so fast Taehyung didn't have time to comprehend what was happening before she had pulled him to sit down and fussed over his hand.

They sat in silence as she cleaned the wound with a rag and applied pressure, Taehyung staring off awkwardly to the side while she blew on the cut. She was right in his face, and he hated admitting she smelled as good as she looked. She smelled like a walking rose garden in full bloom and it irked him even more than how pretty she looked in her dress.

He always smells like yeast and occasionally burnt sugar.

"You know, I wasn't really surprised when you told me what was going on with Jungkook," Jisoo comments as she idly wipes at the blood on his already clean hand. She's buying herself more time, Taehyung supposes. "I knew something was up for a while. He was acting so strange, you know? And he'd clam up at the mere mention of cooking staffs…"

Taehyung makes a pinched face and tries to tug his hand back but she's surprisingly strong when she wants to be. "At first I was angry. He was keeping things from me, and that's rather rude. You probably don't know this about me, but I have to know everything about everything. Keeping secrets from me is not something you'd want to do. My brother has learned this the hard way, as have those around me… And, now so have you."

Taehyung's chocolate orbs slide down to meet the darkest eyes he's ever seen.

Except maybe Jungkook's… Not the time, Kim.

Her eyes were lined daintily in black, her lashes though at first glance look short and sparse, are actually quite long, just thin. They frame her almond eyes prettily, and the shimmering stain on her lids drew attention to the subtle greens in her iris.

Taehyung really needed to stop analyzing this woman so much, all it's doing is annoying him when all he finds is beauty, not flaws.

"Your highness…" He says lowly, clearly a warning but she just scrunches her nose and smiles at him.

"As I said, I was angry at first. But then I was sad. I wish we were close enough that he could come to me with his secrets, you know?" Jisoo carries on, oblivious to the glares the cook was sending her. "We are set to be married, you know. I want to be someone he can confide in, even with his darkest secrets. His deepest regrets…"

Taehyung could feel his irritation bubbling to the surface and he snatches his hand back from her grasp, startling the woman slightly. She masks her surprise with an easy smile.

"But now that I know his secret, I feel relief."

That stops Taehyung from storming off as he'd planned. Jisoo's words have shaken him to the core, and he feels as though he's now glued to the chair he's sat in. Jisoo, once she's sure he isn't going to race off, backs up from him and sits down on the chair opposite him.

"You see, Taehyung, I have a secret of my own…" She smiles widely, almost madly and all the baker can do is stare at her, unblinking and very, very confused.

"Pardon?"

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When Jungkook comes to, he's covered in blood and other things he'd rather not think about (he subtly flicks something pink and slimy off his shoulder). He's in a white tent and for a minute he panics, worried he was captured, but then he hears the familiar growl of General Min from the distance and he relaxes back into the mattress.

He's not unscathed, he's battered and covered in cuts but nothing too life-threatening.

He's got a nice gash on his left arm that throbs painfully now as the adrenaline begins to wear off. With every heartbeat, it throbs, and even though it makes his arm burn and his headaches with something akin to a migraine, it's oddly grounding. It reminds him of where he is and how he got here. How he's still here, alive and breathing.

He sits up and tries to remember how he got here. The last thing he remembers is the fight, but even that has become muddled and tapers off to nothing.

With a groan he moves to sit up, only to let out a pained gasp when he feels his skin pull at the stitches in his arm. "Shit."

"I second that." Jackson's voice startles Jungkook so badly he jumps, and his cheeks threaten to flame up at the snicker from his old trainer. "Well fuck. Didn't mean to scare ya." He chuckles and raises a hand in a wave.

The man was in a bed similar to Jungkook's, propped up by like ten pillows across the room and his left arm was in a handmade sling of sorts. Jackson follows his line of sight and nods solemnly. "Yeah. Some fucker popped my arm out of its socket and didn't even have the decency to put it back. Doc says I'm otherwise all good. Says I'm really lucky I wasn't sliced into pieces with my one arm useless."

Jungkook winces in sympathy. "How did I get here?" He asks, and Jackson hums.

"Oh yeah, you were pretty out of it now that I think about it… You were a force to be reckoned with, dude. You cried out and then it was like you'd been possessed, your sword never stopped swinging once. Men fell down one after the other and you didn't even pause once. Not even when they got a good hit at you," He points to the nasty gash, and then to Jungkook's head. "After a while, someone did get you down. Took a nasty hit to the head, but you went down like a rag doll. Scared the shit out of your men.

"Someone put you on your horse, Chestnut, I think just to keep you out of the way, but she took off runnin' the second you were tied up real tight to her. She's a smart horsey, that's for sure. She brought you straight to the medical bay, and wouldn't leave until someone had taken you in. She's probably still lurking around outside."

Jungkook gingerly brought a hand up to his head and felt the familiar itch of gauze and ointment. He winced when he touched a particularly sensitive part. "That explains the migraine." He mutters and sighs out deeply. He shuffled to the edge of the medical cot and sucked his teeth as he slowly stood up.

Although there weren't any life-threatening or particularly bad injuries besides the arm and head wounds, his body was still recovering from the battle. And it didn't feel too nice as it did so.

His body was covered in bruises and his muscles ached like a bitch. He noticed he had some scratches, nothing like the gash on his arm, and was surprised to find they were already all scabbed and healing.

"Jackson… How long have I been asleep?" Jungkook asked in a hushed voice as he traced a thick scab that would probably scar.

"Huh? Oh, shit yeah. It's been maybe four days." The man counted out on his good hand. "Yeah, I'd say four and a half."

"Four days?!" The prince exclaimed as he looked at his former trainer like he'd grown another head. "How on earth…" he muttered and fell back to sit on the cot. He ran a hand through his hair and wrinkled his nose when he felt how dirty it was. His fingers came back slightly shiny with grease and they felt gross to the touch. "Fuck."

"That reminds me, your cousin's here," Jackson commented casually. Jungkook whipped his head up to look at him and instantly regretted it as it made his head throb and his vision go blurry for a moment.

He was met with the sight of Jackson's leg lifted up and curled on his other thigh, the man currently picking at his toenails with such concentration it looked like he was teaching Jungkook how to swing a hard right without a sword.

"What?" Jackson asked, blinking when he saw the younger staring at him in disbelief.

"You- Nevermind. What do you mean my cousin's here? Which cousin?" Jungkook asks out, rushed.

"Oh. The pretty boy… Jimin or whatever." Jackson said, turning back to his nails.

"Jimin… or whatever." Jungkook echoed and normally he'd roll his eyes, but right now he's just confused. Why was Jimin here?

"Yeah. Maybe he'll come by to visit or something now that you're awake and- Woah! Where do you think you're going?" Jackson voices as he watches the younger man stumble a bit before falling back on his bed. "You can't leave here 'till the doc gives the go-ahead. You need bed rest, Kook."

Jungkook rolls his eyes. "I've been on bed rest for four days! I'm fine. Besides, I'm the prince, I don't need permission from a doctor to walk outside. I'll do as I please," he knows he sounds bratty, but it can't be helped. He wants a bath and clean clothes, and most importantly his own bed with feather down pillows and warm blankets. This cot was more uncomfortable than the lunches he shared with his mother.

Those things were all in his tent. What harm could walking across the camp really do?

"Um… Yeah, you kind of do. You may be the prince, but the doctor knows what's best for you…" Jackson says dryly, and Jungkook flashes him a glare.

"Look, I can't stop you, but don't say I didn't warn you," Jackson said, raising his one good arm in surrender.

The prince, setting his mind to it, got back up and shuffled to the entrance of the tent. He pulls back the tarp and is blinded by the afternoon light. It makes his head thump and he's a bit dizzy but he blinks away the floating colors and rights himself. He can do this. He's alright.

Stepping out into the camp, he's greeted with men rushing around. He's reminded of his first day here and instantly feels remorse for those he lost on the battleground.

Shaking himself out of it, he shuffles out a bit further. A couple of people take notice of him and rush to help (or order him back to bed rest) but he raises a hand up and politely ignores them all. Ignored their calls of "Your highness! Wait!"

They fall back but watch with nervous energy as he waddles around camp. He's almost made it to the halfway mark between the medical bay and his tent when he's caught red-handed.

"Oy. The fuck you doing out here?" A rough growl from his right. Turning his head, he's met with Yoongi's questioning glare and disapproving frown. He's standing in the shade, talking with someone. Turning to peek at who was behind Yoongi, he feels his stomach swoop. Shit, Jackson wasn't lying, he really was here.

Jimin looks just as he remembers him, but at the same time, not. He's lost all the baby fat around his face, and he stands taller and with more confidence than before.

His hair is slicked back daintily and he's wearing a loose, black silk shirt. He looks away from Yoongi and steps aside to see who Yoongi was talking to. His curiosity is replaced with recognition, and then adoration, and worry, and finally irritation. Jimin has always been easy to read, but right now Jungkook kind of wished he hadn't ever seen his cousin.

"Jeon. Jungkook!" Jimin booms out, literally shoving Yoongi aside to storm over to his cousin who was currently looking for a way to escape. He barely made it two steps to the left, to safety before he's snatched back by his shirt.

"J-Jimin Hyung!" He squeaks out, turning in the vice-like grip to face his captor. "What are the chances, huh? To meet up at the same war… Camp…"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jimin hisses out, clearly pissed.

"Going on a nice afternoon stroll?" It comes out as more of a question than he'd meant, and the prince winces.

"Huh. That's funny because I seem to recall you having a serious concussion and needing to stay in bed until the doctor says differently." Jimin says with fake innocence. He bats his eyelashes, eyes wide and Jungkook swallows loudly.

"What? You must be recalling wrong because I feel fine and was given the go-ahead from my doctor and-" And speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

The doctor comes racing out, looking left and right, before catching sight of the royals and running towards them.

He is visibly frazzled and out of breath when he reaches them.

"Y-your highness! I've been looking all over for you! You can't be out of bed! What on earth were you thinking?!"

Jimin turns to look at his younger cousin and raises an eyebrow as if to say 'you were saying?'. He's tapping his foot like he does when annoyed and this is not how he'd planned this all going.

"D-Doc! What do you mean? You just gave me the go-ahead to be walking around! Maybe it's your head you should be checking, not mine!" He tries to laugh but it doesn't come out right and the doctor is just visibly confused and Jimin is losing his temper the more this whole charade goes on.

"What do you mean? I never-"

"Of course you did! I, a very responsible person, would never dream of acting out in blatant defiance against the wishes of someone who was only trying to help me." Jungkook raises a hand to his chest as if wounded by the very thought, and Jimin rolls his eyes.

"Your highness I do not-" The doctor tries again but Jungkook doesn't let up, talking very loudly over him.

"In fact, I even told you that I wasn't sure I should be up walking so soon. I was very concerned about my health, remember? And you said 'oh no, you're as healthy as a horse! You can even do summersaults or cartwheels you're so healthy!' and I was very flattered but you should know by now I'm not that flexible and I can't even do a handstand without toppling over and- Are you sure none of this is ringing a bell, doc?" He widens his eyes and puts emphasis on 'sure', praying this clueless doctor would get the hint, but he just stares at Jungkook like he'd lost his mind.

"Alright enough of this, Jungkook, you're coming with me." Jimin grabs him by the arm and when the younger prince tries to resist, he attaches his chubby little fingers on his ear instead. The little fingers were surprisingly strong and pulled on the cartilage with the force only a mother should have.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow -shit Hyung just stop for a minute- ow, ow, ow." Jungkook cries as he cranes his neck and follows behind his cousin. He's drug all the way back to the medical tent like that and is only released once he's back by his bed.

He even made eye contact with chestnut who was, like his friend said earlier, lurking by the medical bay. God, that's embarrassing.

Jackson watches the whole spectacle with a pinched face, clearly trying not to laugh. "I did try to warn you," He calls out quietly and gets a pillow to the face in thanks.

Jimin gives drawn-out sigh before walking over and picking up the pillow. He returns it to Jungkook's bed with a pointed look.

"You're still as childish as I remembered, then."

Jungkook rolls his eyes and shifts to lay back on the cot, the springs creaking. He could feel one poking him in the ass.

"What were you thinking? I mean really, Jungkook. You could have fainted, or worse, hit your head on something and died." Jimin hisses out, standing over the younger with the air of a disappointed parent. He even had the hands-on-hips-scare factor down.

"Oh please, you're always so dramatic, Jimin-ah." Jungkook grits out, obediently turning his head for the doctor to look at his bandages.

"Jeon Jungkook, I swear to-"

"What are you even doing here?" Jungkook cuts him off, ignoring the glare he gets in return.

"Your mother sent out a raven asking for our aid. Father agreed and sent me personally out to make sure everything goes smoothly." Jimin says, sighing deeply and coming to stand at the end of Jungkook's cot. He leans forward and rests his hands on the metal frame, a stern but caring expression on his face. Jungkook feels very much like a child who's done something wrong but didn't outwardly mean to.

"We brought a little over six thousand men, and we can get more if you need… But Jungkook, if you continue to be as reckless and idiotic as you usually are, you're going to end up dead. And this will all have been for not." Jimin reprimands gently, and now that the anger has fizzled out Jungkook can see the concern his cousin has been harboring for him.

"I know… I just wanted to sleep in my own bed. This shitty cot feels like I'm laying on wood and that's it." He mutters out, and it's not a good excuse, not even a good explanation for what he'd done, but it's the truth and Jimin can see that.

"You're an idiot." Jungkook grumbles out a 'yeah, I know,' and Jimin smiles a bit. "But you're my idiot cousin. Who I was-no, am very worried about, but I am relieved to see you've finally woken up."

"How long have you been in camp?" Jungkook asks as the doctor finishes wrapping his head again, moving on to check his knife wound. He pokes at the puckered skin and Jungkook bites at his cheek to stop from snapping at him.

"Only two days. But I nearly had a heart attack when they told me you'd been injured in battle and were unconscious. A heart attack was evaded, but a panic attack? Not so much." Jimin chuckles darkly and Jungkook feels a bit guilty even though it wasn't his fault he was unconscious. "General Min had to personally calm me down, I'd fallen into hysteria… He's a very nice man."

Jungkook's eyes were bulging out of his head, and a look to Jackson proved the man was much the same. "General Min? As in, Min Yoongi? Resident hard-ass and perpetually grumpy Min Yoongi? Calmed you down? Was nice?!"

"I heard that, asshole."

All four of the men jumped at the voice, turning to Yoongi who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Jungkook just smiled all innocently at the general, who in turn rolled his eyes and came to stand by Jimin.

"I'll have you know, I'm a very nice person." He deadpans and Jungkook doesn't reply because he doesn't trust himself to not blur out something like "Yeah, and I'm a cow." But knowing Yoongi, he'd probably agree and somehow manage to make the prince moo.

Jungkook's already been humiliated enough for one day, thank you.

"You're healing up nicely, your grace. But, that does not mean you've healed completely. Your head wound is still worrisome and you're going to need a lot of bed rest before I'll even think of letting you back outside, much less back to battle." The doctor rushes to explain, seeing the look Jungkook was giving him. The prince deflates but doesn't object. He's learned his lesson (at least just while his cousin is breathing down his neck).

But, there was one thing he needed to ask, even if the answer was no. He had to know;

"Can I at least bathe? I smell awful, and I'm covered in things I'd rather not try to discern." Jungkook asked, gesturing down at his body. No one argued with that, and Jungkook could see Jimin subtly wipe the hand he'd grabbed the younger with off on his pants. Jackson shouts a "Hell yeah you do! And I spent four days with you smellin' like that in this tiny, hot tent!"

The doctor thinks about it for a moment before agreeing. But only if he promised not to exert himself and to avoid getting his wounds wet. He also demanded it be a sponge bath and not a soak-in tub.

Jungkook didn't know how he'd avoid his head wound when washing his hair, but he'd try to.

"When you came in, we only cleaned around your more pressing wounds… I apologize for that, but we needed to be quick and efficient. I will have someone bring in a small bucket and some soap for you to wash off." With that, he left.

"You're an idiot." Yoongi and Jimin say at the same time, turning to look at one another in shock. Jimin smiled, clearly pleased that someone agreed with him, before turning back to his cousin.

"I know, mothers." Jungkook snarks, feeling petulant and a little tired. I slept for four days straight but managed to be sleepy after… What, half an hour?

Weak. A voice eerily similar to his mother's voice hisses and he has to agree.

What would Taehyung think if he saw him right now?

"I would also like to add, that despite everything you did a good job out there. Especially for a rookie like yourself." Yoongi's rough voice adds, quiet and a little hesitant like he doesn't praise people often. Jungkook doesn't feel the same, and he lets the general know, too. "Oh come on. You slaughtered the enemy. Our total loss count was nowhere near theirs. And, you probably don't know this since you were unconscious, but we managed to lock one of those fuckers up. He's in a holding cell as we speak."

What? They have a prisoner?

"Why didn't anyone tell me sooner!" Jungkook's voice is laced with disbelief. Yoongi raises a single brow, his arms folded across his chest and he was leaning against a bed frame. Jimin moved to sit on an empty bed with a long-suffering sigh. Jungkook couldn't even feel offense at his cousin, he was too busy staring at Yoongi with wide eyes.

"What would you have done? Interrogated them from dreamland? Or do I need to remind you you've been unconscious for four days? Forgive me for not marching in here the second you were patched up and informing your slack-faced drooling self of our prisoner." Yoongi grouches and Jungkook feels his face flame up. He's the future king yet Yoongi has no regard for that. He's talking down to Jungkook, and he's not the least bit worried about it.

You're a push-over. Too nice, too easy to play. That voice whispers in his unsuspecting ear, and Jungkook has to force these thoughts out.

"I'm sorry… I just meant, well. I feel as though I haven't been of much use. And like everyone is two steps ahead of me." Jungkook admits as he fiddles with his modest white shirt. Jackson across the way is very interested in his sling all of a sudden, inspecting the material with rapt attention. It makes Jungkook feel even more silly, more embarrassed.

"Kid, you were recovering, no one is mad at you for that. But, just because you're out of work doesn't mean everyone else is, too. We couldn't wait for you to wake up. That's just not how wars work." Yoongi explains gently, taking time to choose his words carefully and voice them out calming and evenly.

"'M not a kid," Jungkook mutters out, Jimin giving him a look. He glares right back. He's not a kid. He isn't.

"Sure, kid." The general sounds amused but his face shows no signs of it. He sighs out and moves over to grab Jungkook's shoulder. "Listen, I understand you're frustrated, I truly do. I've been there before, and it feels like hell to just sit there all day doing nothing while everyone else is working around you.

"But, it's important that you heal up fast, your people need you and we can't risk you dying from infection or something, just because we let you run around without healing up properly."

"He's right, Kook. It's different for you than others, you're their future, their king." Jimin cuts in, ruffling the younger's hair and getting a glare in return. He smiles crookedly and leans away anyway.

Jungkook opens his mouth to object, but Yoongi squeezes his shoulder and speaks before he can even say "But-"

"How about I make a deal with you. I'll interrogate the prisoner, but I'll come straight to you after. No breaks, detours, nothing. From the holding cell straight here to talk about what I've learned with you. And, in the meantime, you get all clean and smellin' all good, eat some food, and fuckin' recover. Deal?"

Jungkook can tell the general is only doing this to make him feel included and important, placating him, but it's all he's going to get and he knows when to take something or not.

"Deal…" Jungkook grumbles out and Yoongi nods once before leaving.

Jimin hangs out with him, catching up and chatting with his cousin, but he soon leaves as well when they bring in the stuff for his bath. When Jungkook gingerly lifts the shirt off his head, Jimin purses his lips but doesn't immediately leave. When he goes to slide down his pants, however, the other royal shoots straight up with a nervous chuckle. Jimin pats his head and dashes out before he can get hit, with an "I don't need to see your nuts, I'll see you later!" thrown over his shoulder.

Jackson cackles but looks like he kind of wants to run away too. At Jungkook's questioning gaze, he cracks and states: "What? I don't wanna see your nuts, either. Feels wrong, like you're my metaphorical nephew or something."

Jungkook just shakes his head, smiling a little and grabs the soapy rag.

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Taehyung cannot believe what he has heard. Jungkook needs to get home, fast. He needs to know. This secret is killing him from the inside out, it will change everything.

Jisoo gives him a look from her spot next to the queen and her brother. They're having dinner, and Taehyung is helping serve. Her gaze tells confirms everything he'd been thinking.

It will change everything.

A/N: Title is from EGO! :)

Please do kindly ignore any errors! Thank you.

Hello! It has been a very long time, I"m sorry for that btw! How is everyone? Did you enjoy this chapter? Speaking of enjoying things, how did everyone enjoy the comeback?!

I am obsessed with Louder than Bombs, ON, Filter, and, of course, Bulletproof: The eternal! I love all the songs, though. This album is definitely up there on my favorites list. It's up by LY: TEAR and Wings tbh.

What's your favorite track? I wanna know! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, too if you'd like! I'll see you all in the next chapter xoxo

Hugs,

MC