"Sure, if you want I can fetch you a sample from the shop" Jimin told the royal pharmacist as they discussed one of the new fragrances he was making. The man was interested to buy his wife a gift and thought it would be the perfect choice. 

"That would be so nice of your sir Park" the man thanked him with a smile.

"What matters is that it makes her happy" he replied with just as much fondness. "Well then, I will be off now to make what you need" Jimin announced, subconsciously smoothing his Hanfu in preparation.

"Oh no I wouldn't want to burden you, this can wait truly" the man quickly halted, he would hate to have the pharmacist go out of his way to please a casual request.

"It is fine by me sir Lee, I am not solicited at the moment and you never know when I will be again" he chuckled, taking his leave and heading straight towards the palace gates.

He didn't cross paths with the Crown Prince today, he wouldn't say it was strange because Jungkook seemed quite busy lately, just noticeable. He nodded towards the guards in a casual greeting and continued on his way until one of them grabbed him by the shoulder. 

Jimin stopped in his tracks, obliviously looking at the gentle hand then at the man who owned it. "May I help you?" he asked when the guard did not pronounce himself.

"My apologies sir Park, we've received orders from his highness the Crown Prince clearly stating that you do not leave the palace without his explicit permission" the man finally explained, drawing a confused look on Jimin's face who was hearing about this for the first time.

"There must be a mistake, I'm sure he meant someone else" Jimin chuckled awkwardly, looking for a hint of agreement in the other's eyes.

"I believe not sir Park, would you please step back inside?" he nicely asked.

"Sure... I don't understand, is it an internal security problem?" 

"No further details were provided, if you need to hear more I invite you to ask the Crown Prince himself" the guard curtly replied, going back to his position and ending the conversation right there. 

Jimin hesitantly took a step back, then a couple more until he found himself headed in the one direction he knew he would find the Prince. He didn't want to face Jungkook for any reason, but not being able to return home was valid enough to make him. 

"Come in"

The pharmacist turned the handle and pushed the door open, revealing his face to a man who didn't bother looking at all. He was writing something on his desk while one of Jimin's hand-made incense burned next to him. 

"Why can't I leave the palace?" he immediately asked, only then realizing he didn't even greet the royal family member. 

The Pyre halted his ink strokes for a few seconds upon hearing his pharmacist's voice, after all, it had been almost a month since they properly talked. However, he didn't make any move to acknowledge his presence as he carried on finishing the poem. 

"What I meant is, good morning Crown Prince, why can't I leave the palace?" Jimin repeated after the silence he received the first time.

"Good morning to you as well sir Park, I see you haven't completely lost your manners since the last time we spoke" Jungkook responded, before settling his ink pen down on the polished surface of his desk, then crossing his arms and raising his head up to look at the Liquis. "Aromatic fragrance, isn't it? I might have stolen one from the shed-" he added.

"Would you please answer my question?" Jimin sighed. The Crown Prince loved to stall their conversations for some reason, he would always avoid the point and talk about the most unrelated things.  

"-But if you were around you would've noticed that I stole one everyday... The quantity you made wasn't so large yet you didn't notice almost 30 days of incense missing" he pointed out with his eyebrows raised feigning surprise. 

"It was you?" Jimin asked.

"So you did notice." he stated.

"I had to make double the amount to distribute the promised quantities around the palace" he informed, "Because of you." Jimin repeated. 

"I am carrying no guilt for this, you should've assumed I'd want some incense of my own" the man shamelessly shrugged and leaned back on his seat, making Jimin scoff in disbelief.

"Are you-... Wait, you're avoiding my question." Jimin recognized this tactic, Jungkook used it before and it was generally to run from something he didn't want to hear or say.

"Not at all" 

"Why can't I leave?" he asked again, running out of patience.

"Because you haven't been here much to start with. You're avoiding the palace, and I do not want to leave someone who knows very important secrets about me with that sort of liberty" Jungkook collectively replied, eyes hard and tone unwavering. 

"I thought we established that I wasn't going to betray you" Jimin said.

"I established nothing because trust isn't given, it's earned. So far, you have done nothing but betray the one I had in you, why wouldn't I assume you'll do so again?" Jungkook asked with his eyebrows knit, showing his seriousness about the topic.

"What now, you're just going to hold me captive?" Jimin huffed, almost amused.

"The idea is that I will know when and where you're going, what you're doing and who you're seeing, until I decide otherwise"

It's too sudden, Jimin thought.

"This is about last time, isn't it?" Jimin concluded.

"Excuse me?"

"You're getting back at me for last time" he elaborated, drawing a tired sigh from the Pyre.

"Sir Park... I'm not petty to go as far as punishing you for your otherwise extremely degrading comments. I can see past my ego unlike what you may think of me" he rolled his eyes. 

"Not that. You're still upset that I... left" Jimin almost whispered the last part, catching the way Jungkook's jaws clenched for a second.

"As I said, I am not one to ruminate over a meaningless rejection. It was a brief mistake and it won't happen again" Jungkook flatly replied, keeping his temper in check and not giving away any other indication as to how he truly felt. 

Meaningless, he's right. Jimin thought as he nodded. 

"Then it's only because you suspect I'll talk?" he asked. Somewhere deep inside him, he wanted Jungkook to be as conflicted as he was about what happened between them. 

"Indeed, if you ever need to go some place, you shall notify me and I might grant you permission with a guard to accompany you" he informed, displaying confidence in his decision since he could already guess the reaction he would receive.

"A guard? Absolutely not." Jimin almost laughed.

"It seems you do not understand how this hierarchy works Jimin. I make the decisions and you oblige, this is not a suggestion" he stated. The pharmacist walked towards the desk and leaned on it with his extended arms.

"I am barely trying to comprehend that I will be staying in this palace for God knows how long, and you tell me that I will be watched everywhere I go too?" 

"That is the plan indeed, though I must say I am not fond of repeating myself. I suggest you go to your room and sleep on this for a bit, it might help you accept things faster" Jungkook responded with finality in his words.

"No I won't."

"Park Jimin" the Crown Prince stood from his seat and glared into Jimin's eyes, not failing to show his displeasure upon being defied. "You will do as I say"

"What if I don't" Jimin replied, looking right back at Jungkook and trying to hold his ground despite his nervousness.

"Then I might just take back what I said and deny you all exit from the palace walls" he challenged back. He could tell freedom was one of the most important things to Jimin, that's something they both agreed on, but he needed to do this if he didn't want to learn that he died murdered in a random alley downtown.

"Crown Prince, I promise I won't betray you but don't do this to me, I have a sister to go back to" Jimin pleaded with his eyes, trying to reach him somehow.

"Then I'm afraid she will have to come join you here instead" he replied, not budging from his point.

"Let me go home tonight and I'll be back in the morning, I have a few things to pick up and I should at least tell Mina" Jimin requested, following Jungkook with his eyes while he circled around the desk to stop in front of him.

"Your sister has been made aware actually, I sent a court lady to tell her the news" he sighed, playing with a small flame in his hands behind his back.

"And how did you explain your sudden initiative to kidnap me?" Jimin gave him a tight smile.

"I am not kidnapping you Jimin, this is merely a means to insure that nothing happens to you or what you know" the other replied.

"Am I to believe that you care about my safety?"

"You should believe that I care about your conviction to keep my secret safe, if you are ever harmed and coerced into revealing the truth, it would bring me tremendous damage" Jungkook said, locking his golden irises onto Jimin's brown ones.

"I thought you said you weren't so selfish" Jimin remarked.

"I guess I was wrong"

"I should've known"

"You know nothing about me"

"I meant that I should've known this wasn't mendable" Jimin breathed out, almost feeling betrayed by his own foolishness. 

"It is a final decision indeed" Jungkook replied, oblivious.

"You told me how you felt about me, and I still tried to murder you in cold blood... I rejected you in every way possible" the pharmacist said, catching him off-guard as he felt his eyebrows twitch. 

"Can you not jab that knife into me whenever you feel like it?" Jungkook exclaimed, the truth hurt enough unspoken.

"At the expense of my own feelings" Jimin admitted, earning a look of disorientation from the Pyre.

"You're choosing your words quite poorly sir Park, your hatred for me hardly clashed with your urge to turn me away every time we interacted" Jungkook scoffed, dismissing the flame in his hand and crossing his arms. 

"You're thinking of the wrong feelings." Jimin countered, not breaking eye-contact. 

He had to let these thoughts out somehow, and if he learned anything from the past year it's that he should've listened to his sister's advice of not fuelling his vengeful side. Jungkook said they tried to extract his father and other soldiers even died on the mission, what really mattered was that they did their best to save him.

"What do you mean?" Jungkook asked, he had an idea of what the answer might be but he didn't want to get deluded into false conclusions again.

"I don't just hate you" Jimin admitted, quickly realizing it doesn't sound as nice as it did in his head.

"Really, should I feel relieved or even more concerned?" Jungkook asked while Jimin sighed, this is harder than I thought.

"Let's say... Somewhere between your confession and your apology for what happened to my father, I became more open to believing you aren't so bad of a person" Jimin explained, trying to keep the damage to a minimum. He wasn't used to saying something other than insults and underhanded remarks to the Crown Prince, so this definitely needed practice.

"As far as I can tell, that is still not a feeling" Jungkook replied, the nerves were affecting him just as much. He could feel his pulse rising in anticipation. 

"Right... To be clear, I am not in love with you" Jimin stated, noticing the slight twitch of Jungkook's lips.

"What are you trying to say Jimin" the man sighed, he was quickly getting worn out from taking so many blows to the heart from him. 

"I tried my best to ignore this because I've been so determined to take my revenge, but truth is... Part of my heart feels for you Jungkook" he finally admitted, bracing himself for whichever reaction might come next. The Prince had all the right in the world to reject him just as badly as he did, and maybe he will.

"I hope you're not saying this to lift the exit restrictions I instated" he muttered, not allowing himself to completely relish in the moment. Now that the Queen knew about their almost-involvement, he couldn't give her more of a reason to keep Jimin as leverage against him.

"Not at all" Jimin replied, looking him in the eyes. 

"Good, because they will remain" he insisted, staying stoic and detached from the conversation. This was all he wished to hear for months, but after all that happened, Jungkook couldn't bring himself to let Jimin in fully again. What if this was just a ruse, he couldn't help but think.

"That means you really don't trust me" the shorter whispered due to their proximity, witnessing as Jungkook shook his head apologetically.

"I don't, I'm sorry" he explicitly responded.

"No I am... As I said, I should've known it wasn't mendable" he dropped his head low, gulping down his disappointment as he fiddled with his thumbs. "I will be heading to my room if you'll excuse me" he politely smiled and took a step towards the door when a hand held him back. 

"Jimin wait" the Prince called, the volume of his voice just as intimate as before. His longer fingers curled around the Liquis's wrist and tugged on it, softly not to yank Jimin's body over, but enough to get his attention and eye-contact.

Looking into the Liquis's innocent eyes, chaos broke loose in his mind. Right in front of him stood the man he pined for, ready to try and salvage whatever was left of their genuine bond.

I can't afford to be played again, he thought to himself.

"Before you go, I have something to discuss with you" he claimed, letting the hand down and going to sit on his chair. He grabbed the Allura book they were looking into and pointed towards the four elements depicted.

"I want to start learning the other elements" he announced, making a wrinkle appear between Jimin's eyebrows.

"Crown Prince, I've already told you it's unwise to pursue this life right now" Jimin claimed.

"And I choose-" suddenly the image of a white flower flashed in his mind as he looked at his pharmacist, who on the other hand patiently waited for the rest of that sentence.

"Choose what?"

"I choose not to follow your advice because we both know I am an impatient man" he finished, nodding to himself.

He was stubborn and Jimin knew that. A couple months ago he would've wanted the Crown Prince to get caught in such a situation because it would cost him everything; his crown, his title, his life even. But everything changed now.

"The least you can do is be careful not to get caught. Make sure you experiment in empty areas, far from everyone and everything. If your secret is found-"

"I will, but you know who else will be there to make sure I'm safe?" he asked.

"Are you planning to tell someone about this?" Jimin asked in disbelief.

"No" Jungkook shook his head innocently.

"It matters not, the second they see you trying to use another element they will have you arrested." Jimin shook his head in disagreement.

"Well, will you have me arrested?"

"That's different because I know what you are" he replied, his brief confusion clearing out fairly quick, "No, I will not be watching you do this Crown Prince" he said in a matter of fact.

"I can't have anybody else there and you know it" Jungkook countered.

"How about you go alone?"

"Then who's going to teach me to wield water if not you?" Jungkook asked. Jimin was the best Liquis he's met so far, surely there haven't been many in his life, but he could tell he was a fulfilled expert of his element. 

"I have never taught anyone, how do you know I'll be a decent master to you?" Jimin asked, questioning the Prince's plans.

"Experience is not what I am looking for sir Park, I am in no position to be picky about my learning conditions" Jungkook shrugged. It was good enough he knew someone who could do the job, he wasn't about to hold a reception for elementalists all over the kingdom to make him something other than a Pyre. 

"Can you really not wait? You will be putting both of us at risk here" Jimin tried again, he would really not rather go through that trouble if possible.

"You've given me almost a month to think about this Jimin, I have all the details in mind" Jungkook reassured. 

"And where exactly will you be practicing? Assuming you actually manage to use water at all."

"My private garden, there is a small pond that I'm sure you've seen. We will be alone and uninterrupted which means no risks of getting caught" Jungkook explained. 

"Alright, if you say so... When would you like to start your Highness?" he caved in, there was no point in challenging the Pyre as he's proved many times just how strong headed he could be. The best option was to stay close and monitor those water training lessons to avoid any accidents. 

"As soon as possible, though I doubt I can make time for it tomorrow, I have a feeling my meeting with the King will take longer than planned" he sighed.

"Sure, I'll be here when you have time then" Jimin nodded, finally standing up and excusing himself. 

This wasn't how he expected the day to go, mainly because he wanted to keep avoiding Jungkook and drawing the curtains on his long-denied change of heart about him. But here he was now, leaving his office with not only his feelings out in the open, but also an implicit dismissal of them. 

Jungkook had the right not to believe him anymore, after all, he did let him down in the worst way possible. But now that he's starting to see past his twisted objectives, it's becoming a bit hurtful to believe that he might never earn that trust back.

"Sir Park, good evening" a familiarly unpleasant high voice said. 

"Queen Sunmi, I hope you had a good day" he greeted with a bow.

"It is quite late, aren't you heading back home?" she asked, feigning concern while her eyes looked disinterested. 

"I am not actually, I will be staying in the palace tonight... And every night" he replied, noticing how her expression changed for a second, she almost seemed disappointed before regaining her composure.

"That is a good call sir Park. I've heard some unsettling stories lately about our town when the sun sets, and I would hate for something to happen to you, your talent is hardly replaceable" she smiled and he mirrored it.

Only my talent is irreplaceable? Jimin almost scoffed in disbelief. 

"Have a good night my Queen" he bowed.

"You too" he heard her say before walking past her. It looked like she was walking towards the King's throne room, but after he bid her goodbye, she changed course and headed straight to where Jimin came from. The Crown Prince's office. 

"Queen Sunmi would like to-" one of the court ladies started announcing when they reached the door in question, but the woman did not have time to waste outside as she barged in, completely uninvited. 

"Prince Jungkook, you find a way to disappoint me even when I truly believe you couldn't do worse" she accused, stopping a couple of strides away from the desk.

"Indeed, I tend to outdo myself like that" he sarcastically boasted.

"Your pharmacist is spending his nights in the palace now and you have something to do with it, don't you?" she assessed, raising one eyebrow challengingly. 

"My my... Quite the brazen assumptions" he continued with his mocking remarks. "Do you think we're close enough to discuss such intimate matters?"

"I do not care that you are secretly getting in bed with your underling, except I know he is smart enough not to make that mistake" she clicked her tongue. 

"Then what are you really here to say?" he raised his hands questioningly.

"The fact that this started only a few days after I told you to make the decision is very suspect" she pointed out. 

"Could you please get to the point, it's been a long day" he sighed.

"You're keeping him within the palace because I threatened his safety" she concluded.

"Well, it looks like you have all the answers" he replied.

"You don't understand anything do you..." she shook her head condescendingly. 

"What I don't understand is why you would risk getting arrested? This whole negotiation was unnecessary" Jungkook asked again.

"I needed to know just how much he means to you, but it seems you've shown me more than I asked for" the Queen smirked, "Choosing to lock me up in a cell would prove that your loyalty to this country runs deeper than anything, or so I've heard, but you instead opted for a loophole that will not spare you any of the loss you are meant to experience" she explained. 

"You can't hurt me Sunmi" he glared, not caring that he used her first name and totally disregarding her offended expression.

"There's something I learned during my time in Hansu. Hurting you personally is not what's going to break you, I have to take the things you love like you took mine" she said through her teeth, "You killed people I cared about, you destroyed families, and I am going to make you pay for it all" she promised. 

"I was on a mission. Your people plotted against the King and committed crimes worthy of severe punishment" Jungkook replied, just as eagerly. This woman had a knack for making herself a victim whenever it came to their feud.

"No you slaughtered them. Men and women. You didn't bring them to justice you just killed them right where they stood in cold blood" she countered, furious that the Prince tried undermining his effort at giving those people gruesome deaths.

"The operation was done off the books and that proves just how dangerous they were" he fought back. 

"All it proves is that you're nothing but a beast. Even animals kill to survive, you kill for your enjoyment. You don't deserve this country's support, you're trading your leadership for the chance at a mere affair with your pharmacist" she shook her head judgementally, and she wasn't done yet.

"Do you think you deserve him? Park Jimin is better off dead than with you, I'm doing him a favor really-" she taunted.

"Don't you say his name." Jungkook said through his teeth.

"You will lose everyone, and you will lose him forever, I promise you that" she assured before stepping out of the office and slamming the door behind herself, leaving Jungkook boiling in his chair.

---

Hello guys! How are you on this Friday morning?

Queen Sunmi is a pain in the ass don't you think? I wonder how Jungkook will deal with her...

Jimin is starting to open up, are we excited about that?

-Aida-