男孩: Boy

章节: 3 - Bitter Tea, Sweeter Words

"Zongxi?" Jimin required softly, turning back to Jungkook.

"He hasn't told you about his father?" The old lady yapped in disbelief. "Well he hasn't really been one to overshare..." She drifted to her thoughts. Zongxi? Jimin pondered. What an ugly name for such a rich man.

"Well, tell me now!" Jimin begged excitedly. "What are your parents like?" What is your father like?

"They're nice." Jungkook replied shortly, bringing the teacup to his face as if to end his piece there. His sweet doe-eyes dropped to a disgruntled, doleful shape at the question - the change was clearly visible, even as he tried to hide his face in the cup. "My mother, Yujin... she's kind." The boy added quietly, quickly. He then placed the cup on the table and drew a small smile on his face before getting up. As the other two turned to look at his hastiness, his big eyes returned to innocence. "The tea was sublime." He then left the room, steps echoing in the large hall.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Qiuxue!" Jimin retorted to politely as he too rose from his seat to go find Jungkook.

"You'll be staying for a while, yes?" Qiuxue required, and Jimin answered with a quick nod. "Then just grandmother is fine." She smiled.

"Grandmother." Jimin tasted the Chinese word on his tongue and smiled then too in return. It was an insincere one, yet he still offered it willingly to the other.

"Jungkook!" He shouted as quietly and respectfully as he possibly could, not wanting the other to leave just yet. "Wait for me."

The boy stopped and with questioning eyes, turned to inspect the soft voice. He probably hadn't expected Jimin to follow him. He didn't say a word though, just waited for the other to catch up to him.

Jimin hurried to his master, grabbing the hem of his luxurious garment to run faster. "You left in such a hurry," Jimin muttered to himself. He tried his best to play a worried character, akin to a wife or a mother perhaps.

"I needed some fresh air." Jungkook tried to convince, but the hand creeping to his nape revealed the weak lie. "Would you like to come with me?" The boy offered his other hand hesitantly. Jimin looked at the slender-shaped fingers and the soft skin for a while before placing his smaller hand to be enveloped by his young master. Jungkook looked somewhat surprised, then instantly shy at the other's action, but then turned his face away from the pretty boy to lead him through the long halls of the palace.

Jimin couldn't help but notice how bare the walls of Jungkook's halls were, how austere and empty they were, yet how expressive even the graceful touch of his lingering fingers was. He held Jimin's hand so politely, so lightly, that at any moment the older could have drawn his hand from the other, without it seeming like an offense to the younger. He could have taken his hand from the other should his touch have been too much, without ever experiencing the denseness of an awkward rejection. The young boy seemed sensible and most considerate in this sense.

He held on to the other's hand though. He let Jungkook have this first taste of his body, the supple skin and the smallness of his hands, all to show his submission and to fool the innocent boy further. Jimin wanted to entice him with the way he grabbed at the other's larger hand, hung his small finger's over the other's strong ones.

"Here." He announced before another, unremarkable sliding door and let go of the older's hand. Jungkook opened the door and revealed a small, yet endlessly rich garden. It was built following the Chinese traditions of Fengshui and it amazed Jimin how orderly and controlled the nature had become under the touch of the Chinese. There were decorative stones laid in a comfortingly understandable pattern and one, beautifully ornate bonsai tree.

"It's beautiful." Jimin admitted. Jungkook smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you." He blushed. "It's my latest design."

"You did this?" Jimin asked amazed, looking at the taller boy who went to sit by the bonsai. He hummed as he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of, admittedly, fresher air. He seemed much less shy then, and as Jimin witnessed the calm face of the other he had to also notice its boyish handsomeness. A sharp, slender jaw, round nose with a small mole that he found quite cute. Even his hair he hated less, even as it was short and cut in a western style. He sat down next to the boy.

"You live here alone with grandmother?" Jimin tried to squeeze some information as delicately as he could from the bunny-like boy. He opened his eyes to look at Jimin too and nodded. "You're so young though, where are your parents?" The older pressed on.

"Mother's in Pyongyang. Zongxi's in Beijing these days, I think." He revealed silently, obviously exhausted of the topic. He looked it too. And sad, Jimin thought. His doe-eyes had spawned some gloss. Jimin went to grace the other's cheek to catch tears should they fall. This time, his motions were instinctive. He managed to stop himself only right before his hand landed on the other's skin. His hand hovered over the other for a while, Jungkook looking at the approaching hand, Jimin at the boy, before choosing to just let his hand find its way to touch the smooth skin. Jungkook's eyes then shot to Jimin questioningly, yet accepting the touch by placing his own hand atop the other's smaller one.

They sat there in silence for a while before Jimin managed to speak. "I'm sure I wasn't cheap - even for your father." He began and saw they boy wince at his words. "Why haven't you taken me already?"