A/n: whoops, heh, disappeared. Being a senior is hell.

"Namu - I -"

"Change out of your nightgown," Namjoon ordered, disregarding his previous question as though he'd never asked it. "The palace is in mourning, you should be wearing black."

Jimin's mind was stunned for a moment or two before he could properly gather his thoughts. "Namjoon, there's been an issue surrounding the demigod, he somehow managed to escape the dungeons but I prevented him from -"

Namjoon held up his hand. "I will not accompany you during dinner tonight. You should dine in your own chambers."

"But Joon -"

"Silence!"

Namjoon fluttered his eyes at the harshness of his tone, and Jimin held his toungue.

"Why would you put yourself in such danger?" Namjoon asked, lowering his voice to nothing but a gentle whisper.

"Brother - "

The older prince walked up to Jimin, his eyes glazing over with a thin layer of tears.

"Why would you go to the dungeons all by yourself, Jimin? Without a guard... All on your own.... defenceless and most of all vulnerable. Can you not understand that there is danger lurking in the shadows of our home? The doctors are still sceptical over what caused Boreas's death, and there you go, prancing carelessly through the passageways in nothing but a thin nightdress. Your irresponsibility could have gotten you killed!"

Jimin's brows twitched. He could hear that his brother was speaking to him but after the first few sentences the impact of the man's words had numbed him completely.

"But I... I caught him..." He whispered. "I caught the half-god... I -"

Namjoon reached out and cupped Jimin's face.

"I just need you to be safe, Jimin," he said earnestly. "That is all I need right now. You are what is keeping me sane."

Jimin swallowed thickly as Namjoon caressed his face. "Yes... yes I know brother, I just - " The boy lowered his head. "I simply wished to be of use for once in my -"

"Oh, but you are of use Jiminie!" Namjoon interrupted, lifting Jimin's chin. "You are the future king's brother."

"Y-yes that might be true, but that is all I am Namjoon!" Jimin cried out. "I want more than just a title... I want to have a task, a purpose a -"

"Your purpose," Namjoon said, pressing his thumb against Jimin's plump bottom lip as he played with the boy's sulky pout.

"Your purpose is to do absolutely nothing, dear brother..."

Namjoon slowly let is hand slide down from Jimin's jaw to his neck, curling his fingers around the boy's throat before he continued.

"Your purpose is to keep yourself safe and sheltered just for me... out of trouble... out of danger," Namjoon whispered, his thumb sliding down along the length of Jimin's throat to push ever so softly against the boy's trachea.

"I... I should dress myself," Jimin muttered, avoiding his brother's stare.

"I need you to say it, Jiminie," the man reiterated, pressing against Jimin's airpipe with more strength this time, squinting as he tried to see just how much more he could squeeze. "Promise your older brother."

Jimin's heart began beating faster than a hummingbird's wings.

"I - I promise," he said quickly, pretending to be content with the little amount of air Namjoon allowed him to breathe. "I will keep myself safe brother. I will stay by your side... I promise I will never leave."

Namjoon looked at Jimin as though he was studying the boy's soul, his dragon-like eyes darkening until the strange tension hanging in the hallway had reached it's peak. The prince filled his lungs with a deep breath, and let his charming dimples wink down at Jimin.

"Good," he said, flashing the boy a bright smile, his hand finally leaving Jimin's neck and falling on his shoulder for a friendly tap. "I really needed you to say that brother, you understand though, don't you?"

Jimin nodded vigorously.

Coward... you won't speak?

"It's fine," Jimin said with a dismissive wave of his hand, his voice faltering in a pitiful way.

Namjoon hummed contently. "Go on and dress yourself, Jiminie. Today is a sad day, and though I would never wish to see you unhappy, us princes don't always get to choose what mood we are in..."

____

Jimin burst into Taehyung's chambers only to be welcomed by a thunderous growl.

The prince flinched and turned back around just as quickly as he'd entered, burying his face in his hands to keep Taehyung out of his sight.

"Oh gods! I am so sorry Tae, I forgot to knock!"

Jimin fled back into the hallway, and pressed his back against the wall.

"I didn't see anything Tae, I promise!" Jimin yelled, feeling the ground tremble under his feet with each step Taehyung took. He stood petrified, holding his breath and perking his ears until he heard the clear sound of bones cracking, accompanied by loud cries of agony.

Jimin took a deep breath before daring to peek inside the room again.

"Tae?" He called carefully, letting his eyes glide across the interior of the man's chambers.

The prince of Athens lay naked on the floor on all fours, rolling his shoulders and stretching his fingers and toes with a loud groan.

The redheaded prince moaned, picking himself up and straightening out his spine to let each of his vertebrae pop into place, the last few remnants of fur still fading away from his back.

Jimin shuffled further inside the room and kept his head lowered to avoid seeing his friend's naked body. "I saw nothing Tae, not a single thing, I swear to you by the waters of the Styx."

Taehyung picked up a bright red robe and threw it around his slender body, tiredly dropping down on his bed before gracefully crossing his legs. "Don't worry Jiminie," he sighed, whipping some red strands of hair out of his eyes. "I believe you. If you had been so unfortunate to see me... you would've been clawing your eyes out by now."

Jimin frowned at seeing his usually flamboyant friend look so blue and grey.

"Taehyungie," he whispered, cocking his head as he walked up to the man. "I am sure you are just as beautiful in your human form as when you are -"

"A beast, Jimin," Taehyung said sharply, looking out the tall window in his bedroom that gave a wonderful view of the nearby ocean. "A savage, man-eating beast is never beautiful. A monster... perhaps, like that poor, innocent demigod they are hanging at the town square tomorrow... a monster can be quite attractive. But a beast will always be hideous."

Jimin shook his head and walked up to his best friend, sitting down on the bed as tears began to build in Taehyung's chocolate eyes, the tip of his nose flushing a light crimson shade.

"My gorgeous beast," Jimin whispered, smiling at the crying prince and dragging his fingers through the boy's firey red locks. "How foolish of you to believe that any version of you could be anything but charming and handsome and completely bewitching. You know better than to doubt your looks."

Jimin captured his friend in his arms when the man burst our crying, and sobbed against Jimin's shoulder.

"I look h-horrid!" He cried out. "Revolting!"

"Shush Tae, I won't have you speaking such lies."

"But it's true Jimin... I p-pray you will n-never have to lay eyes on me w-when I'm... when I -"

"Don't cry Taehyungie, please." Jimin lifted Taehyung's head and looked deep into his friends puffy eyes. "You need some fresh air and a reminder of how much more you are than just your looks."

Taehyung pouted his lips, a few more tears rolling down his flushed cheeks. "But what of you dear Jiminie? You came to my room for a reason did you not?"

Jimin shook his head. "Gods no. Kim Taehyung of Athens forgetting his worth is much more important!"

Taehyunt smiled through his tears when Jimin dragged hin off his bed. "Jiminie," he chuckled, letting the younger prince guide him to the bathroom by his hand. "You don't have to..."

"Cheer up my dearest friend?"

Jimin looked back at Taehyung in a way that showed the redhead he should have already known that comforting others was the one thing Jimin was born to do.

"Let's get you dressed..." Jimin said. "We haven't gone for a walk in ages."

___

Taehyung twirled under the fierce sunlight, striking a pose to show off his velvet black robe and sizeable ruby pendant that matched his hair.

"Think Yoongi will oppose?" Taehyung asked, innocently batting his eyelashes as he looked over his shoulder.

Jimin chuckled fondly at his friend and clapped his hands. "Simply stunning."

"The both of us," Taehyung clarified, grabbing Jimin's arm as he shot the prince a wink.

Jimin glanced down at his simple robe. "Right."

The princes strolled through the palace gardens with their arms locked together.

"What a dreadful few days it has been..." Taehyung spoke up after a while. "I never thought I would ever see Yoongi cry but now I feel traumatized. It was frightening, wasn't it? Emotions don't suit him. They make him look human when a king should be anything but."

"True..." Jimin mumbled. "But he'll be okay."

"Oh of course he will be okay," Taehyung agreed. "It's just - " the prince catched his lower lip between his teeth, suddenly turning bashful.

"I stayed with him after everyone left this morning, Jiminie..." Taehyung whispered, tucking some strands of scarlet behind his ear.

"He... he clung to me like a poor child... he let me hold him in his bed. He let me place soft kisses against his neck and whisper in his ear. He fell asleep on my chest with his hand clutched in mine but, Jimin, I - I wish he wouldn't have..."

"I know..."

"Should I have left?" Taehyung asked, frowning to himself. "Or should I have given him more? More than I already have? I feel like both options would have been mistakes, but... how could that be?"

"You're right..."

Taehyung snapped his head towards his best friend, huffing when he saw the boy stare at the ground without blinking.

"Jimin," he said, nudging the boy's side. "You are doing it again."

Taehyung rolled his eyes. "By Zeus, when will you finally stop putting yourself away to please others?"

Jimin snapped out of his trance and looked up at his friend. "Huh? Oh, I - I'm sorry... It's just... I'm used to it."

Taehyung shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. You came to me first but I was a mess. You buried your own problems to be kind, but you can talk to me Jiminie. What is on your mind?"

Jimin's gaze fell back down to the ground as the princes continued their walk.

"Well, Tae. I've always been under the impression that one's life is supposed to be lead towards something - some goal or great achievement that will grant one their place in the world - Namjoon, Yoongi and even you too, you guys are all meant to be kings. To be remembered. People listen to you, people love you, and I don't wish to sound like a bittered soul - truly, I don't, but Tae... I am so terribly jealous. I am so jealous that I can barely look my own brother in the eyes without feeling mindnumbing hate rise from within me. Hera's spite doesn't even come close to what I feel Tae, and I fear it is turning me mad!"

Jimin was too upset to meet Taehyung's stare. "I need something to change..." He said with a trembling voice. "But nothing ever does. Atleast... not for me."

The prince whimpered when he was dragged into an unexpected hug, his body tensing at the unexpected affection.

Taehyung didn't say anything, though Jimin knew comforting lies wouldn't satisfy him anyway. The prince discovered that a hug was actually quite simple. It was easy for someone to wrap their arms around another person, and force them to forget all their problems, as though there was nothing else to be done about them anyway. It was meaningless. It was empty. It drained him.

Jimin suddenly realised he hated hugs.