Jimin woke up in his hotel room and stretched his arms, blinking blankly while remembering how Jungkook slept while he read to him and didn't wake up. He had been sitting with him and it was only until later than midnight that he moved to his room. On one hand, he was happy that Jungkook wasn't all that detrimental anymore, but he knew better than believing that the prince's head wasn't full of it. 

The urge in him to go and check up on Jungkook was superior to anything, but he couldn't show up in front of the royals without washing up and tidying himself, but it felt like a waste of time when Jimin wanted bigger fish to fry. Nonetheless, he rushed into the bathroom and showered. 

Having his luggage in the hotel, he was pleased to pick up a dark green velvet shirt and black bell bottoms. Something said by the prince about the fragrance made him choose deliberately. Opening a lid of the rose scent that he had distilled himself, he applied it over his wrists, a little dab on the neck, and some over his shirt. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. 

With heartbeats skyrocketing, Jimin lurked towards the door and his hands pried it open, he saw a man in simple-lined green hanbok. "P-prince, to what do I owe the pleasure?" 

Jungkook surveyed the man and didn't say anything. Jimin felt like his mind turned numb as he couldn't come up with anything else to supply. Jungkook waltzed past him into his room when the latter smiled at the ground. "Did you eat?"

"Not yet, my prince."

"For a stranger, you know an awful lot about me, Park Jimin, yet you are persevering in your efforts to not drop the formalities. Why don't you just call me 'prince' or 'Jungkook', hm?" Jungkook asked, now falling on the bed to see Jimin turning around on his feet that were bare. 

"I wouldn't dare," Jimin shook his head in the slightest with eyes suddenly dropping to the ground. 

"There you go acting like you haven't already broken the rules, Park Jimin. Should I call you Hyung?" Jungkook smirked, enjoying how the older male was turning red, an eclectic sight.

"I should never," Jimin replied yet cautiously. "You can refer to me by anything you prefer."

"I get it," Jungkook sat up rashly with a tiresome sigh. "You are only here because you have vowed your service to the king, which, in turn...exceeds the offer to me, the crown prince."

"Anything you have in mind, my prince. Should I get you food?"

"You have spoken out of your turn again," Jungkook intoned in his clear and authoritative voice.

"I apologize," Jimin was quick to add. 

Hearing the mechanical response, Jungkook groaned. "Can you at least behave like a friend to me, even if you are a chartered one?"

Jimin now smiled, slowly taking his steps towards the bed that stopped three feet apart. He did agree to help the king out, but he went out of the way only for Jungkook. This wasn't a paid stint for him, he was enticed by Jungkook, not that he would tell.  "What do you need me to do, prince?"

"That's more like it," Jungkook grinned. "Take me somewhere. I am hungry, and you must know a few good banquet halls. I think of you as a traveler of some sort. Take me somewhere where my mind can be off of things. I need you to do this for me today."

"Certainly," Jimin bowed. "You will have to allow me a few minutes to arrange the conveyance."

"I won't run," Jungkook quickly tucked his hair strands behind both his ears and pulled his legs that were squarely placed on the floor up until now on the bed. 

It took Jimin to sign a few papers to issue a vehicle from the hotel and when he assured him that everything inside was dandy, he returned with the good news.

**

Jungkook stepped out of the hotel and had Jimin lead the way. When the man opened the car door, he didn't budge. Jimin had to gauge his eyes to see Jungkook shaking his head as he simultaneously pointed at the front passenger seat door. Jimin's first reaction was to try and protest, but when the younger's eyes widened in a threatening manner, he succumbed. 

Jungkook got inside the car once Jimin opened the co-passenger seat's door for him, and looked around, flaring his nostrils and sniffing intently.

When Jimin found the prince curiously sniffing, he worriedly sniffed too. "Does it-"

"What's that fragrance on you I am smelling? Rose?"

"Oh... Yes, my prince. Do you not like roses?" The counselor now asked, already planning to apologize to Jungkook and run back to his room to shower again if that was what it took. 

"I... Love them, more on plants than in garlands," Jungkook answered, looking straight at the road. "Do you like wine?"

"I have yet to come across a single man or a woman who doesn't like wine," Jimin spoke sweetly, starting the engine, so they moved. 

"If you can satisfy my hunger today, I promise I will treat you to the finest wine," Jungkook promised confidently. 

Jimin had such a hard time getting into the good books with Jungkook, but now, he felt he'd made quite exceptional progress as they fished out small talk smoothly.

When they reached a big open-roof eatery, Jungkook found bliss in the sunlight and the plants that were surrounding the few benches situated in the middle. 

"You may wash your hands here," Jimin beckoned the man towards the small metal sink placed right outside the kitchen. He helped to turn on the tap for Jungkook and the crown prince was satisfied with the treatment. He let the man deal with the running water and strutted ahead towards the bench.

Jimin followed behind quickly after turning off the tap. "Are you waiting for my permission to be granted for you to sit?" 

"It will be nice to have. Even though you implied our friendship," Jimin was smiling again and Jungkook felt nervous whenever the older did that for some reason he didn't understand. Perhaps he was enticed by Jimin too, but as of now, he only had an emotional vacancy to accommodate the pain of betrayal, infidelity, and heartbreak.

"Have a seat, Mr. Counselor," Jungkook spoke in a very wry tone that made Jimin chuckle. Sitting down, he had a tussle on how to continue this conversation. 

"Is the food coming by itself?"

"I placed the order, prince. Yes."

"Good, otherwise I'd say that you have added on to your sins and broken rules pile." Jungkook continued with his haughty perversion. 

Jimin could now tell the difference between Jungkook's tones, even when the man had the same ones for many impressions and occasions. Just like right now, the prince was rather trying to make him laugh, so he heartfully did, chuckled, and squeaked with adoration in his eyes.

The kitchen was smelling divine and it was a matter of a few moments before the food arrived, raising Jimin's temperature. With the expectations that the prince had set before, he felt obligated that Jungkook must like what he had ordered. This eatery wasn't something any royal would visit as it lacked a few stars, but it was buzzed amongst the travelers.

At the first bite, Jungkook's eyes closed and his brows scrunched in anger. Jimin gripped onto the wooden table firmly, but then he earned a beautiful moan, slipping past the younger's mouth. It confused Jimin. Was the food good or not? He decided to continue staring to conclude. With each chew, the prince's face turned pleasurable and so Jimin knew it was safe to assume that he was loving the food. The laugh from the older popped his eyes open. "Why aren't you eating? It is a sin to keep such delectable food waiting." Jungkook grumbled.

Jimin sighed with an excuse for breathing and picked up his chopsticks to dig in. 

**

"How much more?" The prince asked.

"Just a few more steps, prince." The man asked from behind the crown prince.

"I feel you want to kick me off this valley. Did I trouble you that much, Park Jimin?"

Jimin chuckled. "I promise if you fall, I will fall before you to cushion the impact. You can't die until I am alive."

Although the words were spoken without prior consideration, Jungkook stopped and turned around to look at Jimin panting slightly due to hiking, who had his arms ready to hold him in case he tumbled. 

"Do you really mean it, Jimin?" The younger asked with such innocence and solemnity that it made Jimin gulp while his hands reached to hold the prince's palms. 

"I can swear on my ancestors." The gorgeous man gave his word. 

Albeit Jungkook called Jimin a chartered friend, the answer he received didn't feel like duress in any way. Jungkook made himself believe, even momentarily, that it had nothing to do with so many rules of the kingdom king, that Park Jimin was a true companion. When he pulled his hands away while looking down, his breath hitched with a gasp at the surrealness of the sight after slowly turning around on his feet. 

As he stood on the top of the valley, he saw a plethora of yellow and orange flowers perturbing through the mountains. It was as though the sky and earth were mating on the horizon. The captivating sky was melancholic, yet elated. The frangipani around the small pond trickled the bees that danced over them. What made Jungkook's eyes fixated was a meadow of red roses many feet under.

"You said you liked them on plants," Jimin whispered against his ear from behind, making Jungkook's hair on his body erect.

"You brought me here to show me this?" Jungkook's voice cracked at catharsis. All he wanted was a loving pair of arms around him. He tried his best to not think of Lee Geon, but he couldn't when all the man promised him to show him all this, and now, it was a stranger in place of a man he truly loved. 

"Prince?" Jimin voiced out in worry. 

"Hm?"

Jungkook's voice was so small, underwhelmed in contrast to his emotions that Jimin had no option, but to turn him back around. A transparent tear was trickling down the expanse of his milky skin that the older captured on his fingertip. "Now where should I keep this?" The man asked, his own eyes turning moist. 

Jungkook blinked, sniffling with his red nose and reaching out for the tear when Jimin pulled his hand back, immediately stroking the finger in his hair to make the tear disappear in the silvery mop, and be a part of him forever. "How is it that you have seen me in my most mortifying moments?" Jungkook chuckled while sniffling. 

"For someone who is as adorable as you, as captivating and ravishing as you, the word mortification shouldn't go near you," Jimin responded politely. 

"Nonsense," Jungkook strolled ahead to not meet eyes with Jimin and bent down with a miserable feeling. He picked up a stone way too big for his one hand only for it to slip back down and crush his pinky fingernail underneath it.

Jimin all but dropped his knees over the stones without a hiss as he heard the prince whizz in discomfort. "My prince," his hands gripped the finger that turned an ombre red. Nothing else made sense when Jimin brought it to his lips and blew warm breath on it once, twice, and multiple times. 

Jungkook's eyes blinked softly as he looked at Jimin in desperate need to bring him comfort. At this moment, he swore that nothing he just saw looked more ethereal than the man on his knees for him. The strings in his heart, for a moment, felt swung freely as though someone had placed a comfortable seat by tying a knot in it.

He wanted to pull his hand back, but all the strength slipped away from his toes. The words didn't form and the eyes didn't blink as he kept on looking at the man.

"Why must you do something like that?"

With a long, calculated breath, Jungkook croaked out. "Relax."

"I can be relaxed when I've made sure it doesn't hurt you anymore."

"It doesn't," Jungkook now tugged his hand back. "I want to leave. Take me back to the hotel."