When morning came along, Jungkook fell asleep on the ground with his body pressed against the cold wall. He was shivering over the cold wind that rushed through the night and made its way to his room. Jungkook clung onto his own body from the cold and longed for heat to warm him up, but he only remained sitting and bearing the cool wind brushing his skin and causing goosebumps to form along his arms.
Suddenly, Jimin woke up as his eyes searched the room for the king instantly until he found Jungkook resting against the wall. The omega was only wearing his underwear to sleep to avoid returning home with wrinkles and a strong scent of the king written all over his bright silk hanbok.
"Why is he... sleeping on the ground?" Jimin asked, tilting his head in worry. Then, the omega wrapped his hair back into a messy bun, securing the hair do with the same brooch he purchased from the market the other day.
The omega then got up, grabbing the cotton blanket off the bed and dragging it along the ground to the king against the wall. Within seconds, Jungkook was covered with warmth as Jimin then moved in underneath the covers to hug the alpha gently. Jimin felt the cold and firm skin of the alpha for spending the night with only his lower undergarment. Exposing his torso and his arms to the cold.
"Jungkook..." Jimin whispered and awakened the alpha with the caring tone to his fragile voice. "Are you okay...?"
Underneath the covers, Jungkook's eyes opened and met with his partner. The light beamed onto the covers where the two hid under. It was like a heavenly light surrounding the two so suddenly and his eyes gleamed at the sight of the omega in front of him.
"Jungkook, what are you doing here on the ground? Didn't you want to sleep next to me?" Jimin whispered again as the alpha blinked and rubbed his eyes right after.
"Oh Jimin, that's not what it looks like. I just..." The alpha then let out a sigh and looked away from Jimin's guilt tripping gaze. "I think this was a bad idea... This plan, I couldn't sleep all night after what I've dreamt of. I think I'm going to have my rut soon. I've had dreams, dreams of you that became so vivid. It's been happening a lot that now, I just feel like it could happen any second. I didn't want to trigger it in my sleep as I rested by your side."
"Jungkook, I trust you with everything. If you focus on me, I know you wouldn't hurt me...it's possible, you're just scared, I understand that," Jimin assured and cupped the alpha by his face as he moved in. Pressing his head against his partner and smiling. "Are you going to keep sleeping on the ground when I come over? You'll freeze to death!"
"I'll try not to," Jungkook chuckled and brought the omega close against his exposed torso. "Jimin, If I don't show up at all this week, you'll know I'll be on my rut and I don't want you to risk your life coming here,"
"Jungkook, you won't kill me! All of this is in your head, I will come here for you, don't deny me... What do we have to lose?" Jimin asked and hugged the alpha. Believing that a few words would soothe the jagged thoughts the king would always have, but, Jungkook was too much of an overthinker to even focus on the brighter side of things.
Eventually, Jimin left the palace to take a quick trip to the omega river and wash off the king's scent. He avoided his parents' words and went about his morning, not allowing a word of the night he shared with the king to escape from his mouth. Making sure he kept Jungkook as his secret when it came to everyone he knew.
As Jimin found the night to be a perfect experience with the alpha, Jungkook was tormented by everything. He was too harsh on himself and his desperation longed for Jimin to come back so they could do things right for one more night. Yet, it was only his rut disguising itself as his desperation that yearned for another breathtaking night with Jimin. Only this time, they would ascend deeper into the meaning of love.
Jungkook sat on his throne with his face completely wiped from any expressions entirely. The issue Jungkook always found himself feeling every day was his tendency to overthink a situation, drag a situation, and cling onto it longer until he feels like he could forget it like everyone else. Jimin was easy when it came to things he didn't understand, he noticed how desperate the king was and only took a step back from it. It didn't bother him after, but Jungkook clung onto every little thing and absorbed it like a sponge. Jungkook was incapable of letting things go when he thinks about it.
The alpha sat on his throne and zoned out as he imagined many lewd thoughts about Jimin. He bit his lip and flashed his fang into his plain expression and his gaze was fixed onto a stone wall. A recurring sign he had before his rut, was lewd thoughts that pushed him out of reality. This was also a way he could feed his desperation when Jimin wasn't around. As the lonely king he was before, his desperation stayed with him after so long that it birthed a new obsession with Jimin.
While the king sat over his throne and bit his lip with the thought of the ribbon to Jimin's upper garment becoming undone before him, Yoongi stepped in and flinched at the sight of the king. Yoongi caught Jungkook staring at the wall with his fangs sinking onto his lower lip and his eyes beaming with overwhelming lust.
"Uh... Jungkook?" Yoongi called out and raised a brow at the sight of the young alpha . "Are you... okay?"
"Hm?" Jungkook hummed and shook his head from the wet thoughts that filled his dirty mind. "Oh, of course I am! I... I was just thinking..."
"Looks like you were doing more than just thinking," Yoongi teased and laughed at how Jungkook was indulged into his own thoughts. "Were you thinking of last night? I'm surprised you are the type to break the rules of waiting until marriage!"
"What?" Jungkook asked and then shook his head with a scoff. "You've got the wrong idea, Yoongi. Nothing happened last night."
"Nothing? Then, how was it?"
"It was torture..." Jungkook said into a sigh and fixed his eyes upon the guard before him. "I couldn't sleep, all I thought and dreamt of was having him underneath me. But I was too paranoid of triggering my rut. Now, it's all I could think about, having Jimin by my side so I could kiss him, touch him, fu-"
"Okay! Now I know why you're like this," Yoongi interrupted and tilted his head to see the king's fangs were sharper than usual and the gleam of lust in his eyes didn't seem to fade away. "You're going to have your rut, aren't you?"
"Is it obvious?" Jungkook asked and covered his face right after. "My breathing is getting heavier, my thoughts are running wild and my heart won't stop beating in the same rhythm Jimin's heart usually beats."
"All hearts beat the same, you creep."
"Ugh, no they do not! Every beat is unique, just like Jimin's heartbeat... I've memorized every beat by now."
"Ew... your obsession scares me sometimes, Jungkook."
"Thank you for your comment," Jungkook replied sarcastically and finally sat up straight to face the guard once more. "I want you to cancel today's selection. I can't see any omegas until after my rut. It could happen any second, I don't want any omegas in the palace."
"What about Jimin? Surely you'll have him by your side, right?"
"Do you think I can, Yoongi? I don't want to hurt him! As much as I care about him, I don't want to hurt him on my rut. He trusts that I will keep him safe and focus on him, but I don't think I could handle it. I know I can but I'm afraid..."
"What is there to be afraid of?"
"I'm afraid I might hurt him! I might lose my mind and do more than just touch him. I could hurt him to the point where he won't feel safe around me and I'll lose him forever!" Jungkook panicked and covered his eyes. "I've been thinking of so many things but the fear of losing him on my rut, haunts me."
"Oh, Jungkook... It's okay to feel this way," Yoongi assured and approached the king to remove his clutches from his gaze. "Listen to me, I've been through it... I felt the same way but I was able to pull through. It's not as hard as you may think it is, Jungkook. You're overreacting."
"I'm overreacting, that's all I've ever done. It's a part of me; my desperation and my constant thoughts, keep me away from doing so much. If I could just throw these habits away, I would! I would love to just forget about it all and move on, but it becomes a thought I can't push away like a constant ringing in my head," Jungkook confessed and rubbed the side of his head as Yoongi finally got a hold of his wrists.
"Calm down, you'll be fine. All you have to do is focus on him, it's all you've ever done before when you met him! Knowing how clingy you were to him from the start, there's no doubt that you will be able to do this safely. Trust it, Jungkook. That's all you have to do," Yoongi spoke to the king carefully and gripped onto his wrists to get his attention.
"Alright..." Jungkook exhaled and felt the tight grips along his wrists loosen. "Please, let the palace know there will be no selection until after my rut, I don't want any omegas around me. And... if Jimin comes along, let him in. But, make sure he knows what he's getting himself into first. He's too pure and innocent, I wouldn't want him to feel like he did something wrong," the alpha advised and watched Yoongi nod his head.
"You have my word."
After those wishes were exchanged, Yoongi escorted the king to his room. This time, other servants and eunuchs carried meals to the royal room so the king would have something to eat throughout the few days of his rut. The alpha stood and watched his servants place down many meals that were wrapped safely, he knew his rut was close by, so all he needed to do was trigger it once he was alone in his room; finally sealed away from everyone else. During this protocol, Yoongi took it upon himself to stand and guard the entry to the room in case Jimin was to ever appear.
Jungkook sat over his bed as he allowed his thoughts on Jimin to run wild and imagine the many things he wouldn't normally think of. He felt his own face grow hot as he pressed his body back against the bed and closed his eyes from the feeling he welcomed. The king laid against the bed, biting his lip again as the image of the omega he cared about was used just to trigger his rut more sooner now that he was locked into his room; isolated from the outside world. At a time like this, Jungkook felt as if he didn't have to worry. He was in his own little world.
By the following morning, Jimin arrived at the Omega River and noticed that the alpha was absent. The trees sang a silent song and the breeze didn't seem to blow in the right direction Jimin longed to feel. Knowing that the alpha wasn't there that morning, made the omega feel as if his day was ruined! Jimin knew the alpha was in his rut and he wouldn't be able to see the king for a few days, yet it somehow bothered him.
"Figured as much, Jungkook must be on his rut," Jimin spoke softly to himself as his gaze scattered along the river that now became so eerie and hollow as he stood alone. "I should... I should help him, it's what he would want, right? I want to be there for him," Jimin thought and looked into reflection at the river quietly. "He needs me, I can't let him face this when I should be by his side... I'll be his omega soon," Jimin thought and with that, he turned around and began to make his way to the palace.
Jimin's mind was made up on being there for Jungkook, he was prepared for the consequences if there were any and he was prepared for what he was going to face. An innocent omega like him had no idea how this would play out, but he trusted his partner, he cared about his partner and of course, he alone felt that their loving bond was growing stronger every day.