The following days were devastating for the king. Jungkook showed up at the river and was left with no response; Jimin was nowhere to be found. The alpha would go about his day, worrying and thinking of Jimin from dusk till dawn. Even then, he would lay awake at night and panic; holding Jimin's favorite brooch close to his heart as he wondered, why did his swan seem to shy away from him? Yet, Jungkook never missed a morning trip to the river in hopes his muse would still be there, giggling and smiling at him to assure everything was fine.
It was a grim morning for the King. He wore his disguise once more and feared the thought of Jimin never showing up again. "Did I hurt him?" He would think, gripping onto his silk hair in frustration. Even at a terrifying time like this, the boy skipped out on meals for a while. His heart was at the river, waiting for the matching beat to its own.
Jungkook took a slow walk to the river, admiring the scenery along the way and hoping to see Jimin on the same path. Yet, he found no one but just merchants travelling outside of the village. The alpha didn't want to lose hope as he carried his heart in mind and pulled through. No matter what, he didn't want to think Jimin grew tired of him already.
Once the young king reached the river, his eyes weighed heavy and dark circles could be spotted from a mile away on this pale boy. Jungkook took a glance at his reflection over the river and sighed right after. The love he had for Jimin was sweet, but his desperation and wonders were out to kill him. He clung onto Jimin like a leech for so long, he didn't know what to do once Jimin disappeared from his life after.
"Oh Jimin... Where did you go? I miss you so much..." Jungkook whispered and set up his painting supplies as he contemplated. "I can't sleep... I can't paint without my muse by my side."
The alpha held his tongue in silence and glanced around the silent river alone; he never knew how dull it was before Jimin stepped into his life. The tired boy sat by the same river he met with Jimin the first time. It was quiet and still, almost as if every day seemed so grim after the king saw the omega he kissed the other night. After a week, Jungkook painted Jimin many swans in hope that he will find his swan and apologize for coming off too strong. Every morning, Jungkook would paint another swan but with a rose; better than the last and even more special than the first. Of course, this alone would spark a smile in the king's grey face.
Just when Jungkook began to paint the rose, he heard the grass crush underneath gentle footsteps behind him until he heard someone drop onto the spot to his right; the spot Jimin would always fill. Silence ensued as Jungkook inhaled the scent and recognized that it was Jimin! The smile over the king's face deepened while he finally let out an exhale to greet him.
"It's been quite a while," Jungkook noted. Keeping his eyes on the painting, yet, silence followed. Just then, Jungkook turned his head to see why Jimin was taking so long to respond. "Jimin?" Jungkook called out and tilted his head at the sight of the silent omega.
Jungkook's gaze fell onto the older boy. Jimin was just the same as before; beautiful and breathtaking. However, Jimin didn't seem the same. The innocent gleam in the omega's diamond-like eyes, was erased completely as he carried such a silent frown in between his own plump lips. Tears threatened to fall from Jimin's eyes as he avoided looking at the king in the eyes to show him respect.
"Listen... I know I came off too strong the other night and I'm sorry... I really am. I-I was confused and I really wanted to hold you like no other. I like you, Park Jimin. I really do and I don't want you to think of me as some king. I want you to think of me as yours. No greater than that," Jungkook revealed. The king then guided his hand over Jimin's smaller hand that was rolled into a fist just to calm the omega. "I missed you... so much and I am so sorry... I shouldn't have forced a move on you like that."
With words pelting at Jimin's ears repeatedly, the omega ignored. Jimin pulled his hand away and didn't brush off the faded innocence in his eyes that no longer seemed to glow. Right there, the alpha knew something else was wrong and he just knew it wasn't about the sudden kiss they shared many nights ago. Jungkook grew silent and didn't want to force the truth out of Jimin. He wanted to gain the omega's trust back; so, he fell into the silence Jimin brought and all of the sudden, a grim feeling echoed along the ripples of the silent river.
Jungkook couldn't seem to realize the eternal silence until it began to take over his painting. The swan no longer seemed happy and was now coated in the black ink. Making such a black swan that carried a dead rose in between its beak. As Jungkook continued to paint in the silence, Jimin let out an exhale and that was enough to make the alpha slowly raise the bristles of his paintbrush away from his painting.
"I had my first heat," Jimin whispered. Those words alone, assured Jungkook that he wasn't the problem and it made the alpha continue to paint while he listened to the omega. "And since I had it, my father says I'm ready to be married off to..him... I.. I don't want to get married...I don't want anyone, I don't need anyone!" cried the omega and with this, Jungkook messed up the painting with his brush as he glanced over at Jimin to see the omega crying and hugging himself in pain.
"Jimin...?"
"I don't want to be anyone's property! I'm my own person and shouldn't that be enough?" Jimin questioned himself as the grip around his own body grew tighter. "I wasn't trying to avoid you, I had to stay indoors for a while and when I stepped out, I had my 'future husband' awaiting my hand in marriage. I hate myself! I hate the fact t-that I let it all go into my head a-and...and it triggered my heat!"
With such a strong statement, Jungkook's eyes widened at how sour Jimin's words struck his mind. The alpha turned his body to face Jimin and only gawked in concern.
"Jimin..." Jungkook repeated and let out a scoff right after. "Stop it, beating yourself up isn't fair! You do not deserve this, you deserve to love yourself and accept anything that makes you who you are. Your heat... It may not be what you wanted, but it plays a part in life, you have to accept it."
"N-No... I know what happens next. I'll get married and I-I will never s-see you again!" Jimin choked in his words and let out a sharp exhale after. "I won't be what I hoped I'd be... Independent and happy..."
"You're one of a kind, Park Jimin. You will always be independent and extravagant no matter who you end up marrying. Take it however you want," Jungkook replied. The king then looked off to the distance of the morning sun ahead. "You're the omega that belongs to no one. Oh, you don't know how much I adore that from you."
"My...M-My king, you're drunk aren't you?" Spoke up the omega as his latch began to loosen around his body before smiling a little. "You always had such a way with words... I missed that for the week I was gone."
Jungkook watched Jimin smile and wipe away his tears using the sleeve of his salmon colored upper coat. Jungkook noted how fragile the boy truly was even after he played off how strong he was for so long. In reality, Jimin's flame was so little, Jungkook couldn't help but to protect it from going out.
"Jimin, about the other night, I am sorry. I'm sorry and I shouldn't have pushed myself onto you. I hope we could start all over," Jungkook whispered and looked into the omega's eyes as his hand raised to drop over Jimin's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you. Losing you is like losing the stars to the moon... one won't shine as bright as the other."
"I missed you too but, I don't want to start all over. What is done is done, we cannot go back and paint over what has been already painted; or else the painting wouldn't look good," The beautiful omega answered.
"I understand... I just didn't want to hurt you like I did the other night..."
"You didn't hurt me, you confused me. They are different. When I went through my heat, it was hard to think but all I could imagine was you, all I could sense was you..." Jimin confessed and bit his bottom lip. "Those endless nights helped me organize my thoughts as it calmed down by dawn. I was once confused but now I understand it. I just needed time. But, something else was formed throughout those days," Jimin confessed and briefly looked away from the king.
"What is it?"
"Jungkook..." Jimin finally called out and looked the king in his eyes. "I finally said your name without feeling afraid," the beautiful omega stated and then thought out his words before speaking. "Something else formed throughout those nights and they just so happened to be... my... feelings for... you."
Such perfectly picked words struck the king and filled him with his heart beating faster than it did before. Jungkook smiled at the response and couldn't seem to peel his gaze away from the omega. Could this love truly be enough for them to stick together through anything? Jungkook liked to believe it could, but as Yoongi advised before, the king should never have high expectations of the future since it had so much to unfold.
"Jimin, I feel the same way."
"Oh Jungkook, but you don't understand!" Jimin replied and moved in closer until he cupped the alpha's face into the warm palms of his small hands. "I can't have you... You can't have me..."
"W-Why?" The king whispered as every tone to his shaky word sounded distraught. Jimin scanned every detail to Jungkook's face in distress and fought everything that held him back from saying anything after.
"Can't you see? I will marry and I won't see you again! Commoner or King, I'm due to marry soon."
"No," Jungkook replied and ran his hands up the omega's waist; latching onto the omega and making sure he never lessened his grip this time. "I can't lose you... Not my one and only muse." Jungkook then carefully pressed his forehead against Jimin's and tightened his grip along Jimin's small waist. "I am the King afterall, what I say goes."
"Jungkook... Don't tell me you'll marry me now..."
"Of course not! I would never force that upon you so soon," Jungkook assured and pulled his head away from Jimin for a moment to gaze at the omega longer. "I.. I want to lift a marriage ban.." (a gantaek)
Jimin's eyes grew empty at the sound of Jungkook's response. The desperate king was willing to announce a wedding ban; where all weddings were banned until the king was to find his future partner. Yet, Jungkook would be expected to marry after a while the ban is put into action.
"You're... you're doing this all for me?" Jimin whispered and slowly raised his head to face the king. "So I could be happy? W-What about you? Everyone will pressure you into marrying as soon as possible!"
"At the very end, it is up to me to choose who I marry. I want you to have the same choice as well, to marry whoever you desire."
As the two pressed their foreheads together, Jimin closed his eyes and blushed from the feeling he found within the king. How could the omega long to choose someone else if his true heart resided right here?
"I don't desire anyone else... I only want you..." Jimin confessed. Slowly, Jimin smiled and initiated a gentle kiss. The round ends of Jungkook's hat covered their faces as they shared such a romantic moment. Jimin couldn't tell how much he missed the king; he missed his lips, his voice and his charming gaze that made his heart skip a beat. Even if it was tough for him to finally understand the alpha's story, Jimin couldn't help but to fall for Jungkook's character.
The king's pouting lips kissed the warm honey over his cloud-like lips. Jimin's scent grew sweeter and the smile he supplied into the kiss made the feeling worthwhile. As the two kissed for that moment, Jungkook couldn't help but to keep his arms wrapped around Jimin's waist. They found true euphoria within each other and even though there were many obstacles between the two, they chose to stay in each other's arms for a little while longer.