Jimin tiptoed towards his cabin, treading ever so softly through the hallway careful not to wake Ella or his brother, who were roomed right nextdoor.

The young man inserted his key into the doorlock as gently as possible and held his breath as the door squeeked open.

But after exhaling a shaky breath in relief upon seeing his pitchblack room, the weight that had dropped from Jimin's shoulders was added back on ten times heavier.

A light that stood in the middle of the room flickered on and illuminated the cabin, revealing Yoongi sitting right next to it on a large leather readingchair.

The man's beady eyes were looking right at Jimin, squinted with disdain for the younger boy.

"I looked for you... but you were nowhere to be found in the firstclass departement," Yoongi said, reaching for a sigar from his pocket.

Jimin's breath hitched, his heart pumping faster and faster as that all too familiar fear started chocking him again.

"So as a worried brother I sent someone to look for you..." Yoongi continued on, lighting up the sigar and watching the smoke twirl up into the air. "Guess where they found you?" The man asked, a light twitch of his brows giving away his confusion at the answer.

Jimin gulped, his trembling hand closing the door behind him as he walked further into the room.

"Y-Yoongi I-"

"Thirdclass!" The man said, his voice booming loud enough for their neighbours to surely awaken.

"Dancing like some common fool with a man! A man! You danced with a man!"

Jimin wanted to close his ears and winced each time Yoongi repeated his words. "I-I know but it wasn't like that-"

"What the hell are you thinking?!" Yoongi asked, holding his sigar in his hand since he was too furious to put it in his mouth.

"We were just having fun it didn't mean anything," Jimin tried to defend, desperate for Yoongi to forgive him.

"That's not what the person that saw you told me," Yoongi spat, shaking his head at the lies his younger brother kept feeding him.

Jimin teared up and dropped to his knees in front of Yoongi. "You have to believe me Yoongi plea-"

Yoongi jolted from his seat as if he were about to launch at Jimin, but halted his movements with a sick grin when the younger boy whimpered and flinched away.

"Mom and dad would be so disappointed in you..." Yoongi continued on with his gravelly voice. "The status of our family name, our possesions, our legacy, it all depends on you. And yet here you are, dancing with rats instead of focusing on your future."

Jimin bowed before his brother, praying to god that the man wouldn't punish him tonight. His back couldn't take it anymore.

One of these days, Yoongi would get too carried away and break him, just the way their father had lost himself many years ago. While disciplining Yoongi their father had accidentally broken the boy's hip, dooming him to a life of being a criple.

The horrible experiece had left a bitter hole inside Yoongi's heart, and Jimin felt like each time the man would beat Jimin, he secretely hoped he would break the boy's spine as a petty way of getting revenge.

"They gave up on me... the son who always tried to make them happy, and want you to have everything, the son who'd rather live in the gutters."

Yoongi placed his sigar between his lips for a moment before he continued. "Tell me brother... that prince you spoke of... he was a lie wasn't he?"

Jimin's brain decided quickly that he needed to keep the story going if he wanted to get out of this. He couldn't admit to the lie now and dig his own grave. "Yes he's a prince," Jimin said without hesitation, carefully sitting up on his knees again. "From a small European country you see? And- and  he's staying in thirdclass so he won't draw any attention. He doesn't mind it seeing as they are used to the poor conditions in Europe."

Jimin stared up at Yoongi with wide eyes, wishing upon all the stars in the heavens the man would believe him.

"The dance you were doing..."

"Was a dance from their country!" Jimin explained eagerly, seeing Yoongi think the story over in his head.

"And in his country it's normal for men to dance together. Just as friends ofcurse. As a joke."

A long nervewrecking silence fell in the room, in which Jimin could see Yoongi making up his mind.

"Invite him to dinner tonight," Yoongi ordered curtly before rising from his seat with a groan.

The man grabbed his cane and walked past Jimin who was still kneeling before the chair.

"If it turns out you lied Jiminah..." Yoongi said lowly, barely looking over his shoulder. "You know the consequences."

With that Yoongi opened the cabindoor and strolled out of the room, leaving Jimin without making him pay for the events of tonight.

Jimin took a deep breath and laid himself down on the wooden floor, groaning as he buried his face in his hands. He could always count on Yoongi to ler his greed for money cloud his judgement.

How could he have worked himself into so much trouble? Why couldn't this magical evening have ended peacefully for once, without his brother making him believe that he was a fool to ever smile. And why did that strange boy Jungkook make Jimjn feel so incredibely happy just by being there? This was never meant to happpen. These feelings were never supposed to confuse him. Was Jungkook right? Could he really lead his life the way he wanted to? Wouldn't he just be acting selfish? And what was it he even desired? He didn't know anything other than playing pretend. Did he have a passion for something? One that he could trust in?

The many questions floating through Jimin's mind carried the young man right to sleep and made him forget he was still lying on the floor.

So much unsure, so much doubt. But one thing he knew. This stranger that had turned his world upside down, had stolen his heart without Jimin even realising it.

~~~

"Jungkook!"

"Jimin?"

Jimin nearly crashed into Jungkook when he ran down the thirdclass hallway, looking for the handsome young man to inform him about the fact that from now on, he was a European prince travelling to feed his curiosity about the world.

"Are you crazy?" Jungkook said, a quieted scream in the back of his voice as he stared at Jimin with wide eyes.
"Why did you say that!? Why did he believe you?"

Jimin shushed Jungkook by placing his finger against the boy's lips and pushed him against the wall. "Quiet down, it turns out he has a spy following me or something. He knows I was with you last night. He knows we... danced."

Jimin's cheeks flushed when he realised his finger was still on Jungkook's lips and the boy was staring at him as if he was ready to take him right there in the cramped hallway.

"So..." Jungkook said, his gaze gliding along Jimin's pretty facial features as he slowly dragged his tounge over his lips. "You told him I was some foreign prince and now he wants to meet me..."

Jimin nodded hesitedly. "Yeah..." he whispered, drooping his head. "Are you mad at me?" He chuckled.

Jungkook gave a small huff as a smile spread across his face. "Ofcourse not. You came to my world... maybe now it's time for me to enter yours."

Jungkook gently lifted Jimin's chin up to connect their eyes. "You're so beautiful Jimin," he said softly, looking deep into the boy's chocolate eyes feeling like he'd drown in them if he stared for too long.

Jimin released a flustered giggle,"You keep saying that but you shouldn't..."

The boy took a small step back, moving his chin away from Jungook's hand. "Save those compliments for a nice girl."

"There'll be no girl on this planet that will ever deserve those words more than you," Jungkook said, seemingly unphased by the distance Jimin tried to create between them.

"Well it's not right," Jimin said, shaking his head as if his body was subcontiously disagreeing with his words.

"What isn't right?" Jungkook asked, leaning away from the wall to change their earlier positions.

Jimin gulped as Jungkook cornered him against the wall. "We can't be like this we can't... be this close. We're men..."

Jungkook smirked, setting off a chain of explosions in the pit of Jimin's stomache. "How many times do I have to tell you my lovely flower..." he said, eyes crinkeling at the sharp inhale Jimin drew at the nickname. "No one has the right to control someone else's life. Not yours, not mine. You can be as free as you want to be... if you're prepared to give up something in return."

"Like my family?" Jimin asked sadly, a small pout forming at his lips.

Jungkook sighed. "It's a shame that they are what stands in the way of your happiness but... if that's the case... you have to choose for yourself Jimin."

"And when I choose my freedom..." Jimin said, cocking his head slightly as he squinted at Jungkook. "What would I do with it?"

Jungkook grinned, stroking Jimin's cheek and following how the light tint of rose spread where his thumb traveled. "The beauty is that you get to decide that all by yourself."

The young man leaned in, coming so close to Jimin's face he nearly made the poor boy faint. "But... I had held hope you'd maybe share it with me..."