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Chapter Text

Jungkook has always been careful, he’s a shifter after all, not welcome around the common people within the walls of the city of Vinia, he lived a few days walk outside the walls, tucked into the forest where no one dares wander. 

The woods surrounding his cottage are quiet, brimming with berry bushes and the occasional nut or fruit tree. It’s enough to keep him fed. Being a bunny shifter means he doesn’t eat meat, just fruit, vegetables, and whatever wild nuts he can gather with careful hands.

Sometimes he finds wandering merchants lost in the woods and shifts to steal some food, like yummy yummy carrots. One time he saw carrot seeds but he wasn’t able to get them in time. 

So instead he hops around the woods, his Cottontail bouncing with every hop, his white ears with brown tips also wiggle as he hops. It’s peaceful out here. Almost safe.

Footsteps

A tall figure in nice clothes, accompanied by a shorter figure with shiny, bulky outerwear, with a weapon in a holder. They were walking in the dirt path a good while away from his home, had he really wandered that far?

Jungkook froze mid-hop, ears twitching, heart pounding in his tiny chest. Not a merchant. Not a traveler. These weren’t people who got lost. He landed on the edge of the path. 

He crouched low, trying to blend into the underbrush, but the white of his fur caught in a shaft of sunlight.

The taller figure paused.

Namjoon was the future king of Vinia, as the eldest prince, his younger brother, Taehyung, was busy trying to become a traveling jester, not that their father would allow it, but he still tried. 

Well Taehyung was working on his tricks Namjoon was preparing to be king, a job he had been born into that he did not care much for.  He attended council meetings, learned how to wield a sword, and memorized the names of every noble in the kingdom.

They had an older brother once destined for the crown. Seokjin. But after a heated argument with their father, he’d been stripped of his title. No longer the heir, no longer permitted to rule. His crime? Believing shifters could be trusted.

Their father had hated that.

Little did he know, Seokjin’s words had taken root in Namjoon’s heart as well. Quietly. Permanently.

Now Seokjin trained to become a knight, bound to serve the very system that had cast him aside. Of course he was still treated as a prince, and most believed he’d still become king, as Namjoon had started to learn things late. 

They of course were wrong, Namjoon had taken to things quickly and seemingly was more willing then Jin had ever been. 

But Namjoon still needed his breaks from princely duties, he liked nature, he liked going on walks. He liked the quiet. The pressure in his chest eased when he was surrounded by trees instead of tapestries.

He liked going on walks.

But to go on those walks he needed to bring his personal guard, and since Seokjin is still in training he did not qualify. So instead his guard was Yoongi, min yoongi, his father and his father before him had been knights, Yoongi had hung around the palace since childhood.

They knew each other very well, well enough that Yoongi didn’t ask questions when Namjoon requested longer and longer walks, deeper into the forest each time.

He simply followed.

A small white bunny at the edge of the path. 

Namjoon froze.

He loved animals, always had. It wasn’t unusual to see deer or birds this deep in the woods, but rabbits? Rare. Especially one this small, this clean, this… perfect.

“Look at you,” Namjoon cooed, crouching slowly as he inched closer. “Aren’t you just- gods, look at those ears.”

“Your Highness-” Yoongi warned, already exasperated.

Namjoon didn’t hear him. Or chose not to.

“Don’t pick it up!” Yoongi barked.

Namjoon’s hands were already outstretched. Grabbing the bunny gently. 

Jungkook was screaming in his head, he wasn’t sure what to do. But this man- his highness… is he the king? A prince? Jungkook had never seen the royal family… Why was this prince? King? Picking him up?

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do??

He wiggled slightly.

Why is this man picking me up like a pet?!

“Do you want to come live in the palace with me? Yes you do!” He coos, nuzzling him with shocking ease and familiarity, kissing his forehead. “Just a little baby” 

“Your highness, your father won’t be pleased if you bring home another stray” Yoongi reasons, he’s clearly more hesitant to walk over. 

“He’s not a stray! He’s my pet now” Namjoon explains, moving Jungkook into a slightly more comfortable position. 

Jungkook blinked.

I am not a pet 

No matter how many wiggles on the way back the prince just kisses him and keeps walking, occasionally hugging him like a stuffed toy. But then he smells and hears it, a merchant cart. Looking over he could see a man with a large cart being pulled by two horses, carrots, in a low compartment just above the prince's waist if he had to guess, the 2nd one closest to him. 

“Do you want a snack?” The prince followed his line of sight and grinned.

Carrots.

Fresh. Bright. Crunchy.

Jungkook’s nose twitched.

Stay strong. Don’t give in. You’re a person. A person!

But those carrots did look really good.

Namjoon smiles wide, looking over at Yoongi, who waves down the merchant to purchase. Jungkook watches as Yoongi takes two sliver metal pieces from a satchel opposite his weapon, walking over to the man. 

“How many carrots can this get me?” He asks, he seems somewhat annoyed. 

“Two” the merchant's voice is smooth yet rigid, opening his hand for the sliver. 

Yoongi returned with two bright, fat carrots in hand, one slightly dirtier than the other.

Namjoon lit up. “Oh, perfect!” he chirped, taking them eagerly.

Jungkook’s ears twitched. No. No no no. He’s not going to-

“Here you go, little guy,” Namjoon said, holding one out, wiggling it enticingly in front of Jungkook’s nose.

Jungkook stared at it. Then at Namjoon. Then back at the carrot.

Don’t. Don’t give him the satisfaction.

Namjoon smiled even wider, like feeding a small child. “Come on, just one bite.”

I am a person, Jungkook thought desperately. A person, not a pet, not a baby, not-

He took a bite.

Immediately, the crunch echoed louder than it should have. It was so good. Fresh. Sweet. Crisp.

Namjoon beamed. “Aww, look at you! You were hungry!”

Yoongi let out a soft snort behind them. “He’s naming this one, isn’t he.”

Namjoon didn’t even hesitate. “Mm-hmm. He’s definitely a Hops.”

Jungkook nearly choked on his second bite.

Hops??

Jungkook kicked his feet madly, Namjoon frowned and seemed to think. “Carrot?” He suggested. 

That’s worse!

He kicks some more, Namjoon thinks again. “I had a cookie before we left… hmm. Cookie…Kookie… oh that’s nice!” 

Jungkook stopped dead.

He did not just-

“That’s it,” Namjoon cooed, utterly pleased with himself. “You’re my little Kookie.”

Yoongi groaned. “You name one more animal after a snack, I swear-”

“He’s not an animal,” Namjoon said, nuzzling Jungkook against his cheek with a grin. “He’s special.”

Jungkook was too stunned to kick.

And the worst part?

He kind of wanted another carrot.

By the time they reached the palace, Jungkook had been nestled in Namjoon’s arms for over an hour, fed half a carrot, cooed at constantly, and very nearly kissed on the nose three separate times.

And now he was in a room.

A real room. Ornate golden trim on the door. A plush chair in the corner. Cushions embroidered with flowers and vines. And a little dish on a tray.

With.

Carrot.

Slices.

Namjoon placed him gently on the velvet ottoman, crouching in front of him with a warm smile.

“There you go, Kookie,” he said sweetly. “I told the kitchen to slice them thin, just for you.”

Jungkook’s eye twitched. Thinly sliced? What was this, royalty-level rabbit service?

He should run. Bolt for the window. Shift and book it into the woods and never look back.

But the carrot slices looked really good. Like… perfectly cut. Shiny. Crisp. Lightly chilled.

He inched forward. Just one. Just a taste.

Crunch.

Namjoon gasped. “You like them! I knew you’d like them!”

Jungkook froze, a thin slice sticking out of his mouth.

This was a nightmare. A delicious, freshly prepared, bunny-safe nightmare.

“Don’t worry, this is my private quarters, I’ll have the staff get you a litter box!” 

Jungkook nearly choked on a carrot slice.

A what?!

Namjoon misunderstood his alarm completely. “Don’t worry, Kookie. I’ll get the soft kind. No scary pine chips or anything.”

He reached out and gently rubbed behind Jungkook’s ears.

Jungkook short-circuited. No. Stop. I am a person. I pay taxes- well, I steal carrots, but the principle still stands- maybe I don’t pay taxes to the tyrant king but-

The door creaked open. A young palace servant poked their head in, eyes going wide when they spotted Namjoon crouched on the floor beside a bunny who was visibly eating from a silver tray.

“Uh… Your Highness?” they blinked. “Did you… uh… is this yours?”

Namjoon didn’t hesitate. “Yes! This is Kookie. He’s staying with me now.”

The servant blinked once. Twice.

“I’ll… inform the kitchen staff,” they said faintly, backing out like they’d just witnessed something unspeakable.

Jungkook flopped sideways in defeat, mouth full of carrot.

I am a person.

The next morning, Jungkook woke up to find himself nestled in a pile of silks and soft linen towels beside Namjoon’s bed. The carrot tray had been refilled. There was even a tiny dish of cool water, and, worst of all, a pillow embroidered with the word Kookie in delicate gold thread.

He blinked slowly. This was not his forest.

Namjoon, still in a sleep shirt with the collar askew, padded in barefoot, hair tousled and damp from a morning bath.

“There he is!” he beamed. “Did you sleep okay? I had them keep the fireplace going so it wouldn’t get cold.”

Jungkook thumped his back foot once. It was involuntary.

Namjoon interpreted it as joy. “I knew you liked it here.”

He crouched, setting something behind his back. “Guess what I have.”

Jungkook narrowed his eyes.

Namjoon revealed a tiny woven harness.

No.

“With a leash!” he added, utterly delighted. “We can go on walks!”

Absolutely not.

Jungkook bolted behind the nearest velvet curtain. Namjoon blinked.

“…Okay, maybe later,” he said sheepishly. “You’re shy.”

Outside the door, Jungkook heard Yoongi mutter, “He’s going to kill me if he finds another one of namjoons pets in the throne room again.”

Again?!

Jungkook flopped onto his side under the curtain, fur puffed in indignation.

This was going to take planning. Carrots were one thing. Embroidered pillows and leashes were a whole different level of hell.

Namjoon did get the harness on.

Jungkook wasn’t sure how it happened, one minute he was nibbling a strawberry, the next he was trussed up in golden thread and soft leather, a leash clipped gently to a loop at his back. His ears flattened in protest as Namjoon scooped him up.

“You’re gonna love this,” he whispered, utterly unaware of the war crimes he’d just committed against bunnykind. “We’re going to my lesson. It’s just Lord Harren, he’s very old. He probably won’t even notice you.”

Jungkook wriggled. Namjoon took that as excitement.

The halls of the palace were polished stone and high windows. Servants and noblemen stepped quickly aside when they saw the prince coming, then did full double takes when they caught sight of the rabbit calmly walking beside him.

Jungkook twitched his tail with every step, the harness jingling faintly with each bounce.

They turned a corner- and came face-to-face with the king.

King Hwa-sun, tall and regal in his silver-and-navy robes, eyes like stone. Two guards flanked him. Everyone in the hallway dropped their heads in a low bow.

Namjoon gave the leash a tiny tug to stop Jungkook from hopping into a broom closet.

“Father,” he greeted, neutral but polite.

The king’s eyes traveled down.

Paused.

Stayed paused.

A long, drawn-out silence.

“…This,” the king finally said, gesturing to the bunny like he was pointing out mold in the royal pantry. “Really? Again?”

Namjoon blinked. “His name is Kookie.”

“You’re a prince,” the king snapped, tone tight and sharp. “You are not a farmer. You are not a child. You cannot keep adopting stray animals!”

“He’s not a stray,” Namjoon said with full conviction. “He’s house-trained.”

Jungkook considered having a dramatic medical emergency right there on the floor.

The king pinched the bridge of his nose, muttered something about blood pressure, and stalked off without another word.

Namjoon smiled like he’d won something.

“See? He didn’t say no.”

Jungkook tugged hard on the leash in despair.

He’d nearly made it.

The next evening he and Namjoon had made it back to the bedroom.

The harness had been left draped on a chair after their walk. Namjoon had gone off to bathe. The door was cracked open. Jungkook had darted for it, heart racing, paws light on the marble.

Freedom.

He was so close. So close.

And then, he caught the scent.

Fresh strawberries. A hint of honey. Crushed oats and carrot shavings.

He turned his head. On a tiny silver tray by the fireplace, a new treat. Handmade. Still warm.

No. No no no.

He stood frozen for five seconds. Ten.

Then turned.

He told himself he was just going to look.

One nibble wouldn’t hurt. A bite. A lick. Just to test it-

Thirty minutes later, Namjoon returned from his bath to find his bunny flopped dramatically on the rug, belly full, harness still untouched, and one paw flung over his eyes like a damsel in distress.

“Oh, you liked the snack?” Namjoon cooed, dropping to his knees to scratch behind his ears.

Jungkook didn’t flinch this time. Didn’t kick.

He just sighed.

Maybe this was his life now.

Maybe he was a pet.

A very well-fed, well-groomed, royal pet with custom treats and ear rubs.

Hell.

It could be worse.

Chapter Text

Jungkook is a spoiled palace bunny. 

A nook in namjoons room has been turned to his own little place, his cushion now had a frame, and a curtain, from what he’d heard it’s called a curtain bed. Hand-carved wood, silk drapes, a tiny engraved plaque that said Kookie’s Corner in loopy gold script. Embarrassing.

He also had his litter box over here… he’s more hesitant about it. Namjoon had tried to make it cute. Painted it white. Put little decorative stones around the edge.

Jungkook stared at it for twenty minutes, he hadn’t crossed that bridge yet. 

He… he was lightly thinking about it. 

So he mostly stayed on the opposite side of his corner. Jungkook had learned many things in the palace.

Carrots were brought in daily from the royal gardens. Strawberries were hand-picked. His cushion was fluffed every morning. Namjoon kissed him goodnight. (That part was still weird.)

But today, he learned something new:

There were spa days.

He’d been minding his own business, sprawled dramatically across his curtain bed, ears twitching with well-practiced elegance, when two palace attendants entered the room with purpose.

Namjoon looked up from the book he was reading.

“Oh! It’s bath time!”

Bath?

Jungkook didn’t even have time to run.

Within moments he was wrapped in a warm towel and carried off like a royal jewel, despite his furious thumping. He was plopped into a shallow, lukewarm basin that smelled like lavender.

Lavender.

They scrubbed. They patted. They fluffed.

One of them trimmed his nails.

He tried to bite them. They cooed at him and called him “baby.”

By the time they dried him with a towel softer than clouds, his fur puffed in every direction, Jungkook lay stiff and stunned like a prisoner of war.

Namjoon picked him up once it was done and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Smells like a little prince now.”

Jungkook didn’t move.

He simply stared into the middle distance and quietly died inside.

Then Namjoon picked up a brush, he immediately started to kick, they were light and apparently not doing anything. 

Namjoon brushes his still moist fur, occasionally pulling at him to get his fur slightly as he brushes out knots. 

Ow ow can’t believe you

He makes a little upset face as he’s brushed. 

“Look at you! All grumpy! Cute little bunny!” Namjoon coos, kissing his forehead.

Jungkook was drying off in a patch of sunlight when he heard them.

Two palace maids, young and chatty, their arms full of linens, voices hushed but not hushed enough.

“I swear, he kissed it. Right on the forehead,” one of them whispered, her eyes wide with amusement.

“Well, of course he did,” the other replied with a snort. “He named it. He lets it sleep next to him like a stuffed toy.”

“I heard he had the tailor make tiny royal cloaks. For the rabbit.”

“No!”

“Yes. And one of them has gold embroidery. Gold, Rina.”

They passed near Jungkook’s curtain bed. He didn’t move. Just twitched an ear. They didn’t notice.

“I mean, it’s cute, but it’s a little much, right? He’s always been odd, but this is a new level.”

“Better than another sword collection. Or a mistress.”

“Still. It’s a bunny.”

A pause.

“…Do you think he talks to it?”

Jungkook gave a tiny snort.

The girls jumped.

“…Did it just sigh?”

They stared. He stared back, unimpressed.

“I- I think it’s judging us.”

“Let’s go.”

They scurried out, and Jungkook smugly flopped sideways again.

At least someone in this palace understood drama.

At least I’m not the only one who thinks he’s crazy

Later that day, Jungkook was lounging in Namjoon’s lap during a midday meeting, not that he was invited, but Namjoon had simply brought him along, nestled in the crook of one arm like a silk-wrapped treasure.

The advisors were used to it by now.

Most of them.

“I must say, Your Highness,” a nobleman sniffed from across the table, “bringing your… pet… to council is highly irregular.”

Namjoon didn’t look up from stroking Jungkook’s ears. “You bring your dog.”

“Yes, but that’s a hunting hound, not-” he made a vague motion toward Jungkook, who blinked lazily from his perch.

“Not Kookie,” Namjoon said, eyes sharp now. “He’s well-behaved. Quiet. Doesn’t interrupt or bite unlike some council members.”

Someone coughed. Someone else smirked.

The noble flushed. “Still. A rabbit is hardly a fitting companion for a future king.”

Namjoon straightened slightly, his hand resting protectively across Jungkook’s back.

“You know what I see?” he said, tone still pleasant but pointed. “I see a creature who’s been through a lot, who minds his business, and who’s never asked for anything but a little kindness.”

Silence fell.

Jungkook’s heart thumped hard in his tiny chest.

Namjoon leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

“Besides,” he added, “he likes me. That makes him smarter than most of you.”

Jungkook tried not to short-circuit.

Too late.

Apparently saying that is not a good thing, lots of yelling. Clearly these people do like being told the future king doesn’t like them. 

My sensitive ears

Some from old men with shaky hands and too many rings. Some from younger ones with puffed-up chests and inflated egos. A few muttered something about “disrespect” and “questionable judgment,” while someone else even dared to mention “the image of the crown.”

Jungkook’s ears were ringing.

He buried his face into Namjoon’s robes with a dramatic flop.

Namjoon rubbed his back absentmindedly, brow tight. “You’re upsetting him,” he said coolly. “Use quieter voices.”

This, of course, only led to more yelling.

Eventually the meeting adjourned with a lot of bowing, passive-aggressive glares, and someone tripping over a chair on the way out (Jungkook pretended not to enjoy that part).

When it was finally quiet again, Namjoon slumped into his seat, arms cradling Jungkook against his chest.

“I don’t like them either,” he muttered into Jungkook’s fur.

Jungkook gave a soft little chuff of agreement. His ears still hurt. Politics were stupid. Royal councilmen were loud.

Namjoon sighed. “Maybe we should run away. Just you and me.”

You kidnap me and now you want to elope? Jungkook wanted to scream.

But instead, he just melted into the warmth of Namjoon’s chest, one paw tucked under his chin.

Maybe being a pet wasn’t so bad.

Jungkook was curled up on a velvet pillow, still sulking from the council meeting, when the door burst open without warning.

“Hyung!” Taehyung’s voice rang through the room like a horn blast. “You will not believe what Seokjin made me do today, he said juggling flaming torches indoors was a hazard, can you believe that?”

Namjoon didn’t look up from his writing desk. “You set the drapes on fire, Tae.”

“Semantics.”

Taehyung flopped onto the couch dramatically, flinging an arm over his eyes like a scorned poet. Then his head snapped up.

“Wait. What is that?”

Namjoon glanced over. “That’s Kookie.”

“You named it?” Taehyung stared, getting to his feet. “Hyung, that’s a wild animal. You can’t just bring rabbits into the palace. What if it has fleas? What if it bites someone?”

“He doesn’t bite.” Namjoon reached over to rub Jungkook’s head. “He’s very well-behaved.”

Jungkook glared at Taehyung.

Taehyung froze. “Did… did it just glare at me?”

“He’s sensitive,” Namjoon said, like that explained everything.

Taehyung squinted. He crept closer. Crouched. Stared.

Jungkook did not blink.

“…He looks kind of smug.”

Namjoon beamed. “He’s perfect.”

Taehyung tilted his head. “There’s something off about this bunny.”

Jungkook’s ears twitched nervously.

Taehyung pointed a finger. “I’m watching you, fluffball.”

Then he grinned and flopped back down again like nothing happened.

Chapter Text

Once Jungkook’s tail is fluffed, and his breakfast fruit and oats have been eaten, Namjoon puts in his harness. Jungkook flops over before his leash can be put on. 

“Don’t be dramatic,” Namjoon says fondly, crouching beside him.

Jungkook glares, belly flat to the floor like he’s been mortally wounded. The harness is soft leather, custom-made and embroidered with little gold leaves, but it’s the principle of the thing.

“You love our walks.”

Jungkook does not love the leash. He loves the garden. And the way sun feels on his fur. And maybe the snacks they sometimes pick up on the way.

But not the leash.

Namjoon sighs and scratches under his chin. “Kookie, if you cooperate, I’ll stop by the orchard.”

Jungkook’s ears flick.

“And get you those tiny apples.”

…Ugh. He’s used that one thing. Again.

Jungkook slowly, grudgingly, uncurls himself so Namjoon can clip the leash on. He is not proud.

“You’re so good,” Namjoon praises, lifting him into his arms. “Let’s go show the garden who’s boss.”

Jungkook sighs. At least the apples are worth it.

Seokjin used to think that no longer being king was a worse punishment than death, he’d be unable to prevent the hunting of shifters. He realizes now that being a knight is worse than anything else, he knows the drills, the methods, the last words of shifters. 

Shifters (to human knowledge) are only predators and extremely violent to fit their instincts, but Seokjin thought differently, there’s no way shifters, half animal half people are that dumb, they must have the intellect of man, but the power of animals. 

They must be intelligent. Strategic. Thinking. Afraid.

And that makes the hunts so much worse.

He’s pulled from his thoughts by the sound of heavy boots, another knight approaching with orders. Seokjin straightens instinctively, already bracing for the next assignment. Another hunt? A border scuffle?

“Prince Seokjin,” the man says with a nod, “you’ve been summoned back to the capital.”

Seokjin blinks. “Why?”

“To complete your final training,” the knight explains. “The council wants you to sit the exam for official knighthood. You’ll be staying at the palace until then.”

Of course they do.

The idea of returning to the palace, to the same halls where his father stripped him of his title, makes his stomach twist. But he says nothing. Just nods.

“Yes, sir.”

As the man walks away, Seokjin’s hand drifts to the hilt of his sword. Becoming a knight had once been unthinkable. Now, it’s his only path forward.

But still… back at the palace.

Back where Namjoon is. 

And if the rumors are true, back where his brother’s taken in yet another creature he shouldn’t have.

At least he’ll be able to see taehyung. 

The carriage ride was long, but not long enough.

By the time Seokjin stepped through the palace gates, the air already felt too heavy. Familiar corridors, polished floors, and the distant sound of court musicians practicing for someone else’s celebration. He kept his expression neutral as he handed his sword over for inspection, protocol, even for a prince turned knight-in-training.

He didn’t expect to be greeted. So when a familiar voice called out

“Hyung?”

Seokjin turned, just in time to catch a blur of chestnut hair and expensive velvet.

Taehyung threw his arms around him with the force of a well-dressed hurricane. “You’re back!”

“I am,” Seokjin grunted, half-hugging him back. “Try not to sound so surprised.”

Taehyung stepped back, grinning. “Father didn’t tell me. I thought you were still stuck chasing rebels in the woods or whatever knights do.”

“Not anymore. I’m here to finish training. The final exam.”

“Ooh,” Taehyung leaned in conspiratorially. “Do they make you slay a beast? Or fight a bear? Or answer riddles from a witch?”

“I think it’s mostly paperwork.”

Taehyung pulled a face. “How terribly dull.”

Taehyung had never thought of royal protocol, never taken it into account past the basics, he’d never needed too. As the youngest he didn’t need to be a backup for Seokjin, that’s namjoons job, and he never needed or was interested in being a knight, he could live in the palace for the rest of his days and never worry. Taehyung still has dreams, embarrassing dreams of making a fool of himself as a jester, and for some princes that’d be okay, the only reason he wasn’t allowed to go was their father being petty, wanting to preserve the family image that really Taehyung's passions could do very little too. 

“You’re jittery,” Seokjin said. “What’s going on?”

Taehyung hesitated, looking over at his brothers sword being handed back. 

“Have you seen it yet?”

“…Seen what?”

“The bunny.”

Seokjin blinked. “…The what?”

“The bunny,” Taehyung repeated, hushed now, like they were discussing royal treason. “Namjoon’s bunny. His pet.”

Seokjin stared.

Taehyung leaned closer. “He brought a rabbit back from one of his walks. Just picked it up like a bouquet of wildflowers. And now it sleeps in his bed.”

“…You’re joking.”

“Oh, how I wish I were,” Taehyung said dramatically, hand pressed to his chest. “There’s a whole corner of his chambers that’s been redecorated for it. A curtained bed, Seokjin. With a plaque.”

Seokjin’s face twisted slowly from disbelief to something closer to dread. “He’s naming woodland animals now?”

“He named it Kookie.” Taehyung’s voice cracked. “He brings it to council meetings.”

“To council meetings?”

“He fed it strawberries while Lord Byun was trying to talk about border patrols.”

Seokjin looked like he’d aged three years in five seconds.

“I tried to ask him about it,” Taehyung added, eyes wide. “He just smiled at me like I was the crazy one.”

Seokjin groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Gods help us. He’s lost it.”

“Oh no,” Taehyung whispered. “He’s happy. That’s much worse.”

“So rumours are true?” Seokjin- Jin laughs, “knights gossip fast… where is he?” 

“Somewhere with Kookie” Taehyung said with a grimace. “They were headed toward the eastern gardens. Said something about fresh air and bonding.”

“Bonding,” Jin repeated like it was a dirty word.

Taehyung gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Good luck. And don’t make direct eye contact if he starts baby-talking. It’s too late for me.”

Seokjin muttered something unrepeatable and started down the hall with a knight’s determined stride and a brother’s growing concern.

He had survived battles. He had faced monsters.

He was not prepared for the sight of the Crown Prince hand-feeding a bunny.

“So. Father truly hasn’t eaten this one yet?” Seokjin raised his eyebrow, voice smug. 

“I’m still mad about that, and Kookie isn’t food” Namjoon rolls his eyes, looking up to see his brother, “it’s good to see you” 

“Well you brought home a pig” 

Namjoon narrowed his eyes. “She was injured.”

“She was feral.” Seokjin countered, arms crossed. “You tried to bathe her and she bit your ear.”

Namjoon scratched said ear, clearly still holding a grudge. “She was scared.”

“And this one?” Seokjin gestured to where Jungkook sat on a patch of embroidered blanket like the world’s fluffiest crown jewel, chewing a strawberry half and glaring with tiny, furious eyes.

Namjoon beamed. “This one loves me.”

Jungkook thumped one hind leg in what Seokjin could only describe as restrained rage.

“Oh yeah,” Seokjin said, deadpan. “Adoration. Radiating off him.”

Namjoon scooped Jungkook up like a prized trophy and kissed his forehead. “He’s just shy.”

Seokjin watched the rabbit flop dramatically in his brother’s arms with a sigh of surrender that seemed to echo across the gardens.

“…Has he seen a healer?” he asked cautiously.

“I am the healer,” Namjoon grinned. “And he’s perfect.”

Jin rubbed his temples. “Gods help us. He really has lost it.”

Taehyung’s voice floated in from the hedges. “Told you!”

Seokjin stared. “You put him in a cape.”

“It has embroidery,” Namjoon said, entirely too proud. “And his name.”

“I’m going to need wine,” Seokjin muttered. “And possibly a priest.”

Taehyung ran up from where he was, looking down at Kookie, “hi buddy! Namjoons embarrassing isn’t he!?” 

Jungkook flicked an ear and gave Taehyung a flat look that said you have no idea.

Namjoon gasped. “I am not embarrassing. I am dignified.”

“You just called him ‘my little dumpling’ in front of the royal falconer,” Taehyung pointed out, crouching down to pet behind Jungkook’s ears. “I think I saw the man cry.”

“He did not cry,” Namjoon huffed, adjusting Kookie’s cape like it was battle armor. “He was moved.”

“By secondhand shame,” Seokjin muttered, then squinted at Jungkook. “You know… he does seem smarter than the average rabbit.”

Namjoon immediately beamed. “Exactly! See? He understands things! He’s special.”

Jungkook, thoroughly done with all of them, flopped sideways and pretended to be asleep.

Taehyung snorted. “Look at him. He’s coping the only way he can.”

Seokjin furrowed his eyebrows, “he does seem rather intelligent” 

Jungkook had been put in his corner of namjoons room, Namjoon, Seokjin, and Taehyung had all gone to do something just for them, and they forced Namjoon to leave Jungkook here. And for Jungkook’s sake this was amazing. 

He shifted back to human. 

I’m so cold- oh right. Naked. 

Shifters needed to shift at least once a week to keep more human characteristics, and keep them from getting stuck in animal form. 

He really needs to stretch his legs, and arms. 

Guess I’ll walk around naked

He walks around the room awkwardly, occasionally stopping to stretch his legs, needing a light cramp to go away. 

He winced as one of his toes cracked. “Ow- gods, how do humans do this all day?”

The curtain bed looked ridiculous now, tiny and cutesy next to his very much not-bunny body. He eyed it with a mixture of amusement and shame. Kookie’s Corner. With a golden plaque.

He snorted and rubbed at his arms. “Kookie’s gonna get hypothermia if you don’t get him a damn robe next time, Namjoon.”

Wandering around the lavish room, Jungkook marveled at the size again. He’d gotten used to seeing everything from a foot off the ground. From up here, the palace didn’t seem quite so massive, but still absurdly fancy. He padded over to the desk and peered at the neat stacks of parchment. A half-written letter. Namjoon’s handwriting.

He leaned closer, eyes scanning the page.

“Today Kookie took a bath. He kicked the whole time. It was adorable. I think he likes lavender. I might have dreamed that.”

Jungkook buried his face in his hands. “Oh my god.”

He’d seen and heard enough. Time to turn back before Namjoon returned and found a naked man roaming around his quarters.

He stretched once more, arms high, back cracking, legs shaking slightly, then crouched down.

Shift.

A second later, Kookie the rabbit flopped dramatically onto his side in the sunbeam near the balcony doors.

Just in time.

Chapter Text

Namjoon opens the door to his bedroom. His beloved bunny was lying in the sun, looking very comfortable.

“You look like royalty,” he says, kicking off his boots at the threshold. “Do you even remember what wild grass tastes like anymore, hm?”

Jungkook flicks one ear but doesn’t move otherwise. He’s too warm, too full from the sliced pear Namjoon gave him earlier, and frankly too tired to pretend he isn’t thriving.

Namjoon sets his sword belt aside and sinks down onto the plush rug beside him, stretching out with a groan. “Remind me to never go hunting with Lord Yoon again. The man walks like he’s chasing ghosts.”

He reaches over and gently strokes between Jungkook’s ears.

“I missed you,” he murmurs. “It was okay, I was with my brothers after all.” 

Jungkook melts at namjoons touch, leaning his hand up as Namjoon starts to scratch. Namjoon moves his hand and Jungkook quickly presses his face into Namjoon’s palm.

Namjoon smiles, brushing back the fur around Jungkook’s cheeks. “I’ll stay in tonight. No more errands, no more council. Just us.”

He flops backward, one arm slung lazily over his eyes. “We can read that stupid storybook you like. The one about the talking field mice who run a bakery. I know you pretend to sleep through it, but your ears always twitch when the jam scones show up.”

Jungkook huffs through his nose like he’s not entirely denying it. He hops up onto Namjoon’s chest without warning, earning a startled oof.

Namjoon lets his arm fall away and grins up at him. “What, miss me that much?”

Jungkook lowers his head and headbutts him in the chin.

“That’s a yes.”

Namjoon eventually sits up, shifting Jungkook gently into his lap. “Alright, alright. Let’s get you brushed, you fuzzy menace.”

Jungkook flattens his ears like he’s deeply offended, but he doesn’t hop away. Instead, he leans against Namjoon’s stomach, perfectly content.

Namjoon picks him up and walks over to his bed, Namjoon reaches for the soft-bristled brush tucked into a drawer beside the bed. Namjoon sits down, resting Jungkook on his lap. He starts slowly, dragging it carefully through Jungkook’s fur. Down his back, behind his ears, across his sides.

“There we go,” Namjoon murmurs. “Gotta keep you handsome. Can’t have the entire palace saying I spoil a scruffy bunny.”

Jungkook’s eyes flutter half-shut, body going pliant in his lap. When Namjoon finds a spot on his lower back and scratches gently, Jungkook lets out a tiny sigh of pleasure.

By the time he’s finished brushing, there’s a little cloud of fluff on the bed and a very relaxed bunny sagging against him.

Namjoon chuckles softly, flicking a tuft of fur off his sleeve. “You’re shedding like it’s your job,” he says, but his voice is fond. He gently nudges Jungkook to the side, just enough to straighten out the little blanket folded at the edge of the bed.

He shifts Jungkook into the plush nest of pillows, smoothing his fur one last time.

“There. Kookie’s all cleaned up and tucked in,” Namjoon whispers, like he’s narrating for no one at all.

Jungkook gives a lazy ear flick in response, barely opening one eye.

Namjoon stretches out beside him on the bed, not bothering to change out of his day clothes just yet. His hand finds Jungkook again, fingers moving in slow circles behind one ear until Jungkook’s breathing goes slow and deep.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Namjoon murmurs. “You just exist and suddenly I feel like everything might be okay.”

Jungkook, half-asleep and thoroughly pampered, lets out a tiny grunt that sounds suspiciously like agreement.

Jungkook needs to shift, he didn’t do it long enough last night, luckily this need makes him wake up early, before Namjoon, luckily. Jungkook scans the room and the bed, there’s a spare blanket. Looking over at Namjoon and confirming that he’s asleep he shifts, wrapping himself in the blanket he walks over to the bathroom. 

He slips into the bathroom. The door clicks shut with the softest of sounds.

Inside, it’s warmer. The morning light filters through the high windows, casting golden bars over the marble. Jungkook exhales, letting the tension ease from his shoulders, stretching his limbs, brushing his teeth, then he smells it. 

Oatmeal, the palace servants would be up by now, Jungkook wanted it. Warm oatmeal. With fruit, and maybe some nuts. 

Jungkook carefully moves, Namjoon is still asleep. He runs to the closet. Finding the shabby-ist clothes and getting dressed, he drapes the blanket back in the bed and sneaks out. 

The hallway is quiet, servants beginning their routines in the distant parts of the palace. Jungkook tiptoes like a thief, ducking around corners and flattening against walls whenever he hears footsteps. He doesn’t look too suspicious, just a boy in slightly-too-big trousers and a faded tunic, but if anyone looked too closely…

He swallows a laugh and keeps moving.

The kitchens are down a floor and around the eastern wing, and thankfully, most of the palace still assumes Kookie is just a fluffy garden ornament. No one pays him any mind as he slips down the stairs, pretending with every ounce of his being to belong here.

He peeks around the corner and spots a tray of bowls being assembled. Oatmeal. With sliced peaches, crushed walnuts, a drizzle of honey.

He could cry.

Jungkook waits until the cook turns to scold an apprentice for burning the morning bread, then swoops in like a ghost, snatching a bowl and a spoon before darting out the side door into the servants’ courtyard.

The air is crisp, the stone bench cool beneath him, but the oatmeal is warm. Divine.

He eats in slow, blissful bites, savoring every bit of the sweetness, eyes fluttering shut with the first mouthful.

“…worth it,” he murmurs to himself.

“Who are you!?” a loud voice shrieks, looking over, it’s  a young servant girl. 

“I-I just walked in?” Jungkook replies already trying to cover himself. 

“The castle guards have been alerted” she shrieks again, fumbling for the bell cord on the wall.

“No- wait!” Jungkook leaps up, nearly spills his oatmeal, and bolts.

He doesn’t think she recognized him, how could she? He’s never been seen in his human form, not even by Namjoon. But someone will start asking questions if a strange young man is found wandering the royal kitchens in peasant clothes at dawn.

Then a guard burst through the doors, it’s the knight from the walk he met Namjoon on, the former crown-prince… and the king. 

“Who are you?” Seokjin yells, his hand already on his sword. 

“I-I’m Jungkook! I-I was just hungry! I just wandered in” he stammers, hopefully he gets out of this, and can get back to being a royal pet. 

“Walked in?” He spots the king, but he doesn’t seem mad at him, he looks over as another knight runs over. “How could a commoner walk in? I want higher security”

“I’ll investigate it, Your Majesty,” the guard says, already scanning the room for possible points of entry. Jungkook tries to shrink into the too-large tunic, clutching the frayed sleeves.

Seokjin takes a step forward, eyes scanning him again, slower this time. “Jungkook, huh?” His gaze sharpens. “You look… familiar.”

Jungkook’s blood turns to ice. No. No, no, no.

“My- my family used to live just outside the walls, near the knights camps.” Jungkook explains. “I- I think I got turned around. Please don’t punish me! I just smelled the food and-”

“You’re not hurt?” the king interrupts, sounding more curious than concerned. “You weren’t trying to steal anything?”

Jungkook shakes his head violently. “No! Just… hungry, that’s all.”

There’s a long pause. Then the king sighs. “He’s not dangerous. Someone find out how he got in, and get him out of the kitchens. Someone get him in the guest quarters, we can’t have him spreading the news it’s possible to break into the palace” 

Seokjin watches him like a hawk as he backs away toward the servants’ halls, but thankfully, no one grabs him.

Just a little farther. Just need to shift again. Just need to make it back.

A servant comes up to him, “follow me” he says, then the servant boy leads him to his room. He can make it away. 

The servant boy leads him through a quiet corridor, the marble floors echoing with their footsteps. Jungkook keeps his head down, hoping no one looks too closely.

They reach a small room tucked away in one of the guest wings, modest, but nicer than anything Jungkook’s ever seen outside Namjoon’s chambers. The boy opens the door for him.

“You can stay here for now,” the servant says. “Someone will bring you food and a fresh set of clothes soon.”

Jungkook nods, stepping inside, heart hammering.

“Kookie! Kookie! Baby! Baby come on!” Namjoon calls, panicked. He runs around his chambers. 

“Kookie!” Namjoon’s voice is frantic as he throws open every door, lifts every blanket, checks under the bed twice. His hands are shaking. The brush is still on the sheets, along with the little cloud of fur. His bunny was just here.

“Kookie, please,” he breathes, chest tight. “Don’t do this, where are you?”

He remembers the day he found him. The way the little rabbit had stared at him with those big, wary eyes. How he’d slowly, cautiously begun to trust him. And now he was gone. And it’d only been a week!

Namjoon bursts into the corridor, still barefoot and half-dressed. A guard stares at him, startled.

“Have you seen a rabbit, my rabbit?” Namjoon demands, already scanning the hallway. “Brown and white, about this big- he’s missing. He doesn’t just disappear. Did something happen?!”

The guard looks like he wants to say something, then hesitates. “Actually, Your Highness… there was some commotion in the kitchens this morning. A boy, claiming he wandered in. The King said he was harmless, but-”

Namjoon’s blood runs cold.

“What did he look like?”

“I-I don’t know. Young. Dark hair. Peasant clothes. The King sent him to the guest quarters.”

Namjoon doesn’t wait for another word. He bolts.

Jungkook paces the little guest room, still barefoot, still trembling. He keeps eyeing the corners, the locked door, the window. He could shift now, but he’s too shaken, what if someone barges in? What if Namjoon-

The door bursts open.

Namjoon stands in the doorway, panting, wild-eyed.

They stare at each other.

Jungkook’s heart drops to his stomach.

“Did you do something to my rabbit?” Namjoons eyes are wild. 

Jungkook shakes his head and says,

“I promise I haven’t!”

They stare at each other for a long moment.

Then Namjoon exhales shakily and turns away.

Jungkook doesn’t move until the door clicks shut behind him.

Chapter Text

Namjoons father, Hwa-sun, asks his sons to meet him for brunch, to celebrate Jin becoming a knight. But first Namjoon had to search for his bunny, and make sure to be suspicious of the new commander in the palace, who definitely knew something, this morning’s fiasco was frankly highly suspicious. 

Namjoon wasn’t sure where Kookie could have gone, the bunny tiny and could have gone anywhere, or be lost! Kookie could be trying to find him! 

The bunny, who had never been far from his side, had vanished without a trace. The thought of him lost in the sprawling palace made Namjoon’s stomach churn. Kookie was small, too small to survive in a place like this on his own.

He’d searched every corner of his chambers, checked the stables, and even braved the kitchens where Kookie liked to sneak scraps from the servants. Nothing. His heart pounded as he retraced his steps from the night before. Where could he have gone?

And that boy could be walking through the halls evilly looking for his bunny, what if the boy eats his kookie! Like his father did to star the pig! No, no, no. 

But there’s a place he can still look before he must see his father, the garden. It was where he and Kookie spent hours together, where the air was fresh and the flowers smelled like the kind of peace Namjoon rarely found in the palace. If Kookie was hiding, it would be there. It had to be.

He glanced one more time at the empty bed and the tousled blanket Kookie had abandoned, and with a sharp breath, Namjoon turned toward the door.

“Father can wait,” he muttered to himself, the urgency in his voice almost too loud to ignore. The king’s brunch could be delayed. His bunny, his beloved Kookie, was his priority.

Namjoon moved swiftly down the hall, the sound of his footsteps echoing off the marble floor as his mind raced, bunny harness in hand. Please, Kookie. Please be there. 

There. Kookie, laying in the sun. Sprawled out happily, like he hadn’t made Namjoon nearly have a panic attack, or a heart attack, or both. 

Namjoon runs up to his bunny, “oh baby!”

Namjoon exclaimed, his voice soft with relief, but tinged with frustration. He quickly knelt beside the bunny, gently brushing his fingers through the soft fur, running his hand down Kookie’s back. “You scared me, Kookie. Where’d you go? I thought you’d-” His voice broke off, unable to finish the thought.

Kookie blinked up at him lazily, an almost too-innocent look in his eyes, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He flicked an ear, giving Namjoon a lazy nudge with his nose before relaxing again in the sun.

Namjoon let out a shaky laugh, leaning down to press his forehead to Kookie’s soft fur. “I swear, you’re trying to give me a heart attack,” he muttered, his hands still resting gently on Kookie’s warm body.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that his bunny liked to sneak off and find his own peace. It was all too easy to get swept up in the chaos of palace life and forget the quiet moments like these, just him and Kookie, lost in the quiet warmth of the garden.

But still, Namjoon couldn’t help but smile. He’d found him. Kookie was safe.

He pressed a soft kiss to Kookie’s fur. “Let’s not do that again, okay?”

Kookie gave no response, content to bask in the sun, as Namjoon chuckled to himself.

Namjoon puts on the harness and the leash is hooked on, he picks up the bunny and quickly gets them both to brunch in the hall. 

“Technically I’m taking the test in a few days, then I need to do a practical exam” Jin explains, looking over as his younger brother rushes in. a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “I assume you’re not planning on making a scene today, Namjoon?”

Namjoon chuckled softly, a little breathless from his brisk walk. “I’m here to keep my word. Kookie will behave.”

Jin raised an eyebrow at the bunny, who was now in Namjoon’s lap, nestled comfortably. “Is that so? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The tension from earlier in the morning seemed to fade with the warmth of family around him, but the knot in Namjoon’s chest still lingered. There was something in the air, a slight unease.

Taehyung speaks up, “lucky~ dad had to use the restroom” he giggles before looking at the bunny. 

Jin interrupts whatever their brother is going to say, “so, how do you think the commoner got in?” He asks, voice steady. 

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. “Well, maybe he’s a spy? Or he’s in love with a servant! And trying to see them!” 

“Oh Tae, always the optimist,” laughs Namjoon, petting his bunny, who seems tense. 

Jin’s eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful. “A spy? A servant’s lover?” His tone remained even, but the sharpness in his gaze grew. “We’ll have to look into it more.”

Namjoon shifted, keeping his voice low so only his brothers could hear. “We’re all assuming too much. The truth will come to light soon enough.”

Before anyone can reply, King Hwa‑sun returns to the table and settles into his seat. Without missing a beat, he announces, “Brunch will be arriving soon.”

Then Kookie hops into the chair next to Namjoon, the human smiles “I’ll ask the staff to bring him his pillow” Namjoon says, laughing uncomfortably at his bunny.

Its comical, the bunny in this large chair, sitting happily in his seat. 

King Hwa-sun shot him an amused glance, though the king’s expression quickly turned serious as the tension from earlier seemed to linger just beneath the surface. Namjoon wasn’t sure if his father was aware of it or if it was just his instincts kicking in. He glanced at his brothers, each of them wearing their own mix of curiosity and suspicion, but no one spoke.

The staff began to bring out the plates of food, the conversation shifting slightly. But Namjoon couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

Then kookies pillow was placed on the chair, and he was given a mix of fruits. 

Kookie sniffed the fruits, his ears twitching in interest, and then promptly ignored them, instead curling up on the pillow with a contented sigh. It was almost as though the situation, everything from the suspicious palace rumors to the gathering tension between his brothers, meant nothing to Kookie. Namjoon envied that simplicity, even as the unease in his chest deepened.

King Hwa-sun picked up his goblet, scanning the table before his eyes briefly rested on Kookie. “Is that really necessary?” His tone was light but filled with an undertone of inquiry.

Namjoon paused, his hand still on his fork, and met his father’s eyes. “Kookie’s a guest, Father. He needs comfort just like anyone else.” He said the words with a sense of finality, though internally he felt a small wave of discomfort. The conversation could go anywhere now.

His brothers, for the most part, let it slide, though Taehyung still cast a curious glance at the bunny. Jin, however, seemed lost in thought, his eyes flickering between Kookie and Namjoon.

“Perhaps,” Jin started, voice casual but measured, “but does he understand what’s happening around him?”

Namjoon swallowed. The question felt like it had more layers than it appeared. Was Jin asking about Kookie’s awareness of the palace politics? Or was he questioning Namjoon’s commitment to his strange little pet?

Before he could respond, Kookie, ever the distraction, gave a small hop, landing gracefully on Namjoon’s lap. The motion broke the silence, and even the king let out a soft, almost imperceptible chuckle.

“You certainly seem to have a bond with him,” Hwa-sun observed, his gaze sharp but still warm.

Namjoon nodded, his fingers absentmindedly stroking Kookie’s fur. “Yes, Father. He’s… more than just a pet.”

Jungkook had managed to sneak into the garden and shift for Namjoon to find him, so luckily he had been found and was now happily, Kookie. So hopefully no one came looking for human him, after all he’s just some random commoner, so hopefully he was in the clear. 

Chapter Text

Namjoon lets Kookie wander more now, since clearly the bunny wants to go on little adventures. And really the freedom allows him to be Jungkook. So he’s been spending more time in human form, and that’s nice. 

Much like when in bunny form, he loves laying in the sun, the warmth on his human skin feels wonderful. 

“So. How did you get in the palace?” Namjoon says, voice covering suspicion, poorly. 

Jungkook freezes, it’s not noticeable, hopefully. “I just walked in” 

“Why?” His voice was tighter, more pointed. 

“I was hungry. I need to eat” Jungkook explains, he’d come up with an okay story at best. 

Namjoon watches him carefully, eyes narrowed just slightly, not out of malice, but concern. “There are villages nearby. Taverns. Farms, all outside the walls, let alone the city within them. Why risk the palace?”

Jungkook shrugs, the motion casual, but there’s a flicker of something guarded behind his expression. “Didn’t know where else to go. And no one stopped me.”

Namjoon sighs, his posture softening just a little. “You could’ve been caught. Killed. You still could be.”

Jungkook’s jaw tenses, but he doesn’t flinch. “Well. Would you let that happen? Do you trust me?” 

There’s a beat of silence. The breeze rustles the leaves. A bird chirps somewhere nearby. Namjoon reaches out, brushing a strand of hair from Jungkook’s forehead with a tenderness he’s not sure he has the right to.

“You broke into my home” Namjoon sighs. “You’re really not afraid, are you?”

Jungkook looks up at him, finally. “Only of being caged.”

And Namjoon has no idea what he's talking about. Jungkook is happy he doesn’t, what could happen if Namjoon found out he was a shifter? Sell him out. Kill him. Shifters are not welcome in Vinia. 

Namjoon sits next to him. “So, why are you alone? At least you seem to be alone.” 

Jungkook shrugs, eyes on the sunlit grass. “I’ve always been alone.”

It’s not a lie. Just not the whole truth.

Namjoon watches him, quiet for a moment. “No family? No village looking for you?”

“Not anymore.”

Another pause. Jungkook can feel the weight of Namjoon’s gaze on him, pressing like a hand between his shoulder blades.

“Did something happen?”

Jungkook lets out a breath of a laugh, bitter and quiet. “A lot of things happened.”

And that’s all he says. He doesn’t mention the running. The hiding. The constant shifting. The fear. No one here knows shifters like him even exist, rare, hunted, thought to be myths if anything. And it’s better that way. Safer.

“I like it here,” he says instead. “Your gardens are nice.”

Namjoon hums, not fully satisfied but willing to let the topic slip away. For now.

By night Jungkook is a bunny and hopping over to see Namjoon happily waiting with a small basin of water, slowly going cold. 

“There you are,” Namjoon murmurs with a smile, reaching out to stroke behind his ears. “You always take your time.”

No I didn’t. You try hopping everywhere

Kookie hops into his lap, nuzzling close. The cold water doesn’t matter, not when the warmth of Namjoon’s hand rests so gently on his back, not when his heart races every time he hears his name said with that much fondness.

If Namjoon ever knew who he really was… would he still say it like that?

Namjoon falls asleep first. Jungkook shifts back to human, maybe he’s becoming too bold, too willing and unafraid. 

He should leave. He should shift back, curl up, pretend.

He sits, knees pulled to his chest, letting the moonlight kiss his skin. For now, just a few minutes, he lets himself pretend this is normal. That he belongs here.

That Namjoon wouldn’t wake up, see him like this, and flinch, hate him. 

Jungkook should be afraid. 

Jungkook’s mother, had also been a bunny shifter, she had once told him a story, about a far away kingdom of shifters, where even prey shifters lived and were happy among everyone. 

She’d said it softly, like it was a prayer. “There, little one, even the smallest of us hop freely in the sun.”

She would brush his hair, well they laid in the nest of blankets, his father would climb in after them. And snuggle close. 

His dad was a predator shifter. wolf, strong-jawed and sharp-eyed, but he never bared his teeth at them. Not once. Not his mate, not his boy. He’d pull them both close and nuzzle behind Jungkook’s ear, always pretending not to listen to the story, but always there.

“Maybe someday,” his mother would whisper, half to herself. “Maybe we’ll find it. A kingdom where no one has to hide.”

The memory fades with the breeze, warm and fleeting.

He shifts, arms tucked behind his head, and lets out a slow breath.

That kingdom his mother used to speak of… he wonders if it ever existed at all.

He looks back to Namjoon. He needs to just be a pet. A cute little rabbit. Jungkook needs to be kookie, for his safety. 

Inside, Namjoon has turned in his sleep, brow furrowed slightly, like he’s dreaming of something heavy.

Jungkook hops onto the bed, careful not to wake him, and curls into the crook of his arm.

Kookie. Just Kookie.

Namjoon murmurs in his sleep, hand drifting to rest gently over the bunny’s back.

Jungkook closes his eyes.

Tomorrow, he tells himself. Tomorrow he’ll be careful.

Yoongi was sent on a mission, despite his place as the crown prince's guard they needed his skill. Something quiet. Dangerous. Delicate.

Namjoon hadn’t liked it. He hadn’t said much when Yoongi bowed and left, but Kookie had seen the flicker of worry in his eyes, Yoongi had found it odd. 

Yoongi misses namjoons need to take walks in the woods, at least he’s stays on the path, and just picks up animals, instead here Yoongi is walking around like an idiot, looking. 

stumbling over roots in the dark, cloak snagging on every branch. No prince to babysit. No bunny to glare at suspiciously. Just him. And the heavy weight of whatever message he’s meant to retrieve.

It was supposed to be simple. In and out. Meet the contact. Get the intel. Return.

So why does the air feel like it’s about to split open?

Snap!

Yoongi’s head whips to the side. His hand is on the hilt of his dagger before the echo even dies.

There, half-shrouded by trees and mist, stands a figure, tall, lithe, with large antlers that catch the moonlight like silver. A soft tail twitches behind them, deer-like and dusted in pale fur. They don’t move.

Neither does Yoongi.

The silence stretches too long. The figure tilts their head, curious, as if Yoongi were the one out of place.

Shifter.

But this isn’t a predator animal. It’s… it’s a white deer, half human. 

Yoongi stands frozen for a breath, grabs his knife and throws it. 

Chapter Text

The knife cuts through the shifters shirt, pinning them to the tree an inch behind them, they make a strangled cry. and their wide, silvery eyes meet Yoongi’s. Fear. Not rage. Not a threat. Just raw, shivering fear.

Yoongi steps forward slowly, another blade at the ready.

“Don’t move,” he warns.

But the shifter’s already trembling, their breath catching. Their hands go up in a quiet, practiced gesture of surrender. A peace sign. Or maybe a plea.

Yoongi frowns. This isn’t what he expected.

This wasn’t a threat. Why does he feel like he’s the predator?

“Who are you?” He calls, voice firm and unwavering. 

“H-h hoseok” they tremble out, still shaking. 

The name hangs in the air like mist, delicate, foreign, real. Yoongi’s grip on his second blade loosens, just slightly.

“Why are you here?” he asks, quieter now. Not soft, but no longer the voice of someone ready to kill.

Hoseok swallows. “I was just… passing through. I didn’t mean to- I didn’t know anyone was nearby.”

The knife still holds him to the tree by his torn shirt, his chest rising and falling too quickly. Every inch of him screams prey. But Yoongi’s no longer sure what kind of hunter he’s supposed to be.

“You’re a shifter,” Yoongi says, more statement than question.

Hoseok closes his eyes for a beat. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Your… not a predator animal?” Yoongi questions, voice unsure and confused. 

“I-I I’m just a deer” Hoseok explains, he’s still trembling. 

Yoongi blinks, as if trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. “I didn’t think…” He trails off, unsure how to finish that sentence. That you existed? That prey shifters were real? That one would look so human, so scared?

He takes a slow step forward. Hoseok flinches.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Yoongi says, and it surprises even him. He reaches for the blade lodged in the tree, his fingers brushing the fabric of Hoseok’s shirt.

“Don’t-” Hoseok starts, panicked, but Yoongi just yanks the knife free, stepping back quickly to give space.

The deer shifter slumps slightly as the tension in his body loosens, though he’s still ready to bolt at any second.

Yoongi watches him. “Deer aren’t supposed to be dangerous.”

“I’m not,” Hoseok whispers. “That’s the problem.”

Jungkook wakes up late, sun filtering in and Namjoon scrambles around the room getting ready. And Jungkook’s back to just being a bunny. Today he’s just going to be kookie the bunny. He stretches his little bunny limbs, ears flicking as he rolls lazily onto his side.

Namjoon trips over a boot, swearing under his breath. “Kookie, why are you always sleeping in the middle of the bed like you pay rent?”

The bunny blinks slowly at him, utterly unbothered.

Namjoon huffs a laugh, grabbing his sash from the floor and tying it around his waist. “Must be nice, being spoiled all day. You know I have to deal with nobles asking about taxes and river border treaties?”

Kookie wiggles his nose.

“I’ll take that as a ‘good luck, your highness.’” Namjoon leans down and scratches behind one soft ear, and for a second his pace slows. His gaze lingers. “Be good today, yeah?”

Kookie gives him one solemn blink.

Namjoon leaves with a final pat, and the door shuts behind him.

Jungkook stretches before walk/hopping down the stairs Namjoon had custom made for him. smooth wood with tiny carvings along the sides, each step padded just enough for comfort.

It was absurd, really. The crown prince commissioning furniture for a bunny. But Jungkook secretly loves it.

Each hop feels like a tiny freedom. And now that the room is empty, the palace quiet in the early day, there’s no one to see him pause at the last step and shift.

He sighs as limbs lengthen and fur disappears, stretching now in human form, naked and still warm from sleep.

The day is young. And he’s got a few hours before he has to be anyone’s pet.

Look he said he’d be a bunny all day but come on… 

Ten minutes of hopping around, trying to entertain himself by chewing a ribbon off one of Namjoon’s scrolls, and Jungkook cracks. He shifts back

Jungkook steals a few clothes from Namjoon before rushing to the guest quarters, finding clothes that staff gave him.

Turns out there's not much for human Jungkook to do, it's not like he can wander the halls without being stared at in suspicion. So he sits in the garden, the one place he’s allowed to be. 

He sits on the edge of a stone path, plucking blades of grass, letting the sun warm his skin.

It’s the only place he can breathe a little. Almost feel like himself. Even if no one knows who that is.

But he’s bored even as a human. 

One Namjoon, two Namjoon

He plucks and plucks blades of glass. 

He gathers a little pile next to him, his count slipping when the wind picks up and scatters them.

He sighs and flops back into the grass dramatically, arms out like he’s making a snow angel in green.

Maybe being a bunny was easier.

“You look like my rabbit” jungkook looks up to see Namjoon, his voice is fond. 

If only you knew

“Yeah? Well I’m just a human” Jungkook tells the older, waving. 

“So, how are you today?” Namjoon chuckles, stepping closer.

Jungkook sits up, brushing grass from his sleeves. “Bored. But free. That counts for something.”

“I don’t want to be king,” Namjoon blurts out. Jungkook shoots him a look. 

Jungkook blinks, surprised by the sudden confession. “That’s… not what I expected you to say.”

Namjoon shrugs, eyes on the horizon. “Everyone thinks I do. That I was born for it. But sometimes I just want to disappear into the woods. Be with my animals. Maybe open a sanctuary far from here.”

Jungkook watches him, quiet for a beat. “You’d make a good sanctuary keeper.”

Namjoon finally looks at him, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “You think so?”

Jungkook nods. “You’re kind. Even when you don’t know the whole story.”

Their eyes hold for a moment too long. The breeze ruffles Namjoon’s hair, and Jungkook feels it again, that dangerous warmth in his chest.

Namjoon looks around the garden. “Kookie- my bunny- loves it here. He likes this spot, and that little pond, I think he’s a little scared of it” he laughs. 

Jungkook smiles, heart twisting at the mention of himself in third person. “He sounds like he has good taste.”

Namjoon glances at him. “He’s… special. Different from other animals I’ve had. Smarter. Sometimes I feel like he understands everything I say.”

Jungkook bites his lip, looking away before his expression gives too much away. “Maybe he does.”

Namjoon laughs again, soft and fond. “Maybe. That’d make me sound a little crazy though, wouldn’t it?”

Jungkook risks a glance back, and his voice is quieter. “Not crazy. Just… in tune.”

Their eyes meet again, and Jungkook feels like he’s standing on a precipice, close to something he’s not sure he can step back from.

“I should go. My father is expecting me” Namjoon sighs. 

Jungkook nods, standing slowly. “Of course,” he says, voice softer than he means it to be.

Namjoon hesitates, like there’s more he wants to say, something sitting on the edge of his tongue, waiting for courage.

Chapter Text

“So where are you headed?” Hoseok asks, apparently not being murdered is an invitation to some to follow. 

“Vinia’s neighbouring kingdom has a hunting village that’s popped up in our land” Yoongi explains. 

“Hunting village?” The deed tilts his head. 

“You don’t want to know” 

And just like that, the air shifts, colder, heavier, like the trees are leaning in to listen.

They both continue to walk, the silence is cold and thick. 

“Can you put the antlers away?” Yoongi turns to the shifter. 

“Oh! Yeah” Hoseok beams, then in an instant they flatten into more hair. Yoongi doesn’t see it but he assumes his tail also disappears. 

Yoongi nods, vaguely impressed. “That’s… convenient.”

“Not really,” Hoseok shrugs. “Hurts sometimes. Especially if I’ve been shifted for too long. Makes my spine feel like it’s buzzing.”

Yoongi grunts, like he doesn’t care, but he does. He files it away.

“But more when I’m in my deer shift for long” he explains. 

They keep walking. The trees grow denser, the light dimmer, shadows twisting strangely across the path.

Hoseok’s voice lowers. “Is this where the… village is?”

Yoongi doesn’t answer right away. He slows, crouching beside a deep groove in the dirt. Hoof prints. Wagon tracks. Fresh.

“Close,” he murmurs, and the word feels like a warning.

Up ahead, the faint smell of smoke drifts on the wind.

“What do we tell them about me?” Hoseok asks, tilting his head and blinking his eyes cutely. 

“Say you're my knight's apprentice,” Yoongi replies without looking up.

Hoseok blinks, startled. “Oh. I- I’ve never even held a sword.”

“Don’t,” Yoongi mutters. “You’ll give it away.”

They step over a fallen branch, Hoseok doing his best not to trip.

“I thought you didn’t want me tagging along,” the shifter says, quieter now.

“I don’t,” Yoongi replies. “But you’re here.”

And somehow, that’s enough.

The smoke grows thicker. Voices, faint, rough, shouting orders in a dialect Hoseok doesn’t recognize. Metal clangs. A dog barks. Hoseok instinctively flinches, moving closer to Yoongi.

Yoongi doesn’t flinch. He just narrows his eyes. “We’re here.”

“A toast! To my eldest son! Kim Seokjin! Officially a knight!”  King Hwa-sun’s voice boomed through the hall, full of pride and thunder.

Cups clinked. Laughter followed. Seokjin stood tall in his polished armor, cheeks flushed from the attention, but his smile was unwavering.

Kookie angrily clucks at Namjoon when some of his drink splashes onto his fur. 

Namjoon startles, looking down at his bunny with wide eyes. “Ah- sorry, sorry,” he mutters, grabbing a napkin and dabbing gently at Kookie’s fur.

Kookie nips at his sleeve in protest, his little paws stomping indignantly on the table.

Across the hall, Seokjin notices and snorts mid-sip, wine nearly going down the wrong pipe. “Gods, Namjoon, he’s more spoiled than you ever were.”

Namjoon grins sheepishly. “He’s delicate.”

“He’s a menace,” Seokjin fires back, but his tone is fond. “Can’t believe I’m a knight now and I’m still competing with a rabbit for attention.”

Kookie lets out a smug little cluck and sits taller, like he knows he’s won.

Namjoon doesn’t deny it. He just strokes the soft fur behind one ear and whispers, “Let him have this one.”

Then they all stop, the doors creak open, and there stands the queen. Namjoons mother. The laughter dies instantly. Chairs scrape softly against the stone floor as everyone rises. Even Seokjin straightens, the proud smile on his face dimming to something more cautious.

Namjoon’s fingers still in Kookie’s fur.

She’s regal in the way storms are, composed, commanding, and just as likely to bring ruin. Dressed in deep indigo and silver, her crown is delicate but unmistakable, glinting beneath the hall’s candlelight. Her gaze sweeps the room like a blade.

She’d been ill for months, recently recovering and the first thing she did? Go on a hunting mission for shifters causing amok in the kingdoms southern province. 

Jungkook shivers, fur twitching despite himself. He’s still nestled in Namjoon’s lap, but suddenly, he feels like prey again. He keeps perfectly still. Breath shallow.

The queen’s gaze lingers on him. Not warm. Not cruel. Just… assessing.

“And this is the creature you’ve grown so attached to?” she asks.

Namjoon doesn’t flinch. “Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Namjoon’s jaw tightens. “He’s family.”

Kookie stays perfectly still.

The queen hums, amused. “A rabbit. As family. My son, you’ve always had a strange heart.”

She moves to her seat, the room slowly exhaling around her. But that tension lingers. Like the storm might still break.

“Whatever happened to that hunting hound I got you?” She says, taking her seat.

“Tae- taehyung lost it in the woods” Namjoon reply’s, gently petting Jungkook. 

The queen clicks her tongue, a sound of disapproval or maybe disappointment, it’s hard to tell with her. “Shame. That beast cost more than some villages make in a season.”

Namjoon doesn’t rise to the bait. He keeps petting Jungkook, fingers slow and careful behind his ear, as if grounding both of them.

Across the room, Taehyung snorts into his wine.

“Technically,” he mutters, loud enough for those nearby to hear, “it ran away.”

The queen’s sharp eyes flick toward him. “And how convenient that it happened under your watch.”

Taehyung just lifts his cup in a mocking toast. “I’m excellent with creatures of all kinds, Your Majesty.”

Namjoon and Seokjin were only Taehyung's half brothers, the king had slept with a young palace maiden, and Taehyung had been born. They had lied to the public that Taehyung was indeed the queens child, and that the servant girl had been executed for other reasons. 

The queen’s smile tightens, brittle at the edges. “Yes,” she says coolly, “you do seem to have a way with strays.”

It’s a calculated jab, meant to sting, not kill. But Taehyung just grins wider, letting it glance off him like a blade against bone.

Namjoon’s hand stills against Kookie’s fur, and Seokjin shoots their younger brother a glance. Warning, maybe. Or sympathy. It’s always hard to tell with Jin, he masks it well, the way he balances loyalty and truth, much like their mother. 

Taehyung raises his brows, unbothered. “Isn’t it lucky then, that we’re full of them in this palace?”

A flicker of something dark passes through the queen’s gaze. But she turns her attention to her goblet instead, lifting it delicately. “Indeed,” she murmurs. “Some are even bold enough to sit at my table.”

“Like namjoons' love for wild strays?” Taehyung slips his drink. 

A ripple of tension tightens the air like a drawn bow.

The queen’s goblet stills midair.

Namjoon doesn’t move. He doesn’t flinch. He just meets Taehyung’s gaze across the table, calm and unyielding. “I’ve always had a fondness for the misunderstood,” he says softly, fingers curling protectively around Kookie’s side.

Taehyung shrugs, but there’s something sharper in the edge of his smirk now. “You should be careful, hyung. Wild things tend to bite.”

“Better than those who smile with their teeth bared,” Seokjin mutters under his breath, just loud enough for the table to hear.

A few courtiers shift uncomfortably in their seats. The queen finally sips from her goblet, and the sound of silver against crystal is too loud in the silence.

The silence that falls is thick, and Jungkook never wants to move, he’s terrified-

Carrots 

Roasted over fire, with spices and it’s only a few hops away! How had he not noticed! So his dumb little bunny instincts of food kick in and he hops up on the table. 

Kookie lands with a soft thump right between the goblets and platters, twitching nose leading him straight to the roasted carrots like a man possessed. He sniffs, nibbles, then grabs one in his little paws and begins munching enthusiastically.

A horrified silence ripples through the hall.

One courtier gasps. Someone else chokes on their wine.

Taehyung bursts out laughing.

The queen sets down her goblet with a soft clink. Her expression is unreadable. “Well,” she says at last, voice cool and clipped. “It appears the wild thing has learned to beg at the table.”

Namjoon, without missing a beat, plucks another carrot and offers it to Jungkook like this is all very normal. “He’s a prince’s pet. What did you expect? He has taste.”

Jungkook eats the carrots slices before being picked up by Namjoon, who also scoops some onto a plant for him. 

Seokjin coughs. “Well! I for one am happy to have my mother here, for such a wondrous occasion!” Despite his widely differing views on shifters to his mother, Seokjin had always been a mama's boy. 

The queen’s lips twitch, whether in approval or disapproval is impossible to tell. “Of course. I would never miss my son’s elevation,” she replies, voice smooth as silk over steel.

Namjoon settles Jungkook into his lap, absently stroking down his back, while Jungkook nibbles the carrots from the plate like nothing is wrong. Like he didn’t just leap onto royal dinnerware in front of half the court.

Seokjin smiles a bit too tightly and lifts his goblet. “To duty. And family.”

Taehyung raises his cup lazily. “And unpredictable pets,” he adds with a grin.

The queen doesn’t toast. She watches Kookie with an expression carved from frost. “One day, you’ll realize that sentiment is a dangerous thing to keep so close to the throne.”

Namjoon doesn’t flinch. He meets her eyes, calm and steady. “I already know.”

For a long moment, the table holds its collective breath.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the queen leans back and laughs, low and elegant, the sound rippling through the hall like a gentle breeze after a storm. “Oh, my sons,” she says, shaking her head. “You were all born with your father’s heart. Foolish and far too soft.”

She raises her goblet again, this time toward Seokjin. “To my return. And to my son, the kingdom’s newest knight, may your sword be sharp, and your instincts sharper.”

A murmur of agreement follows. Cups clink. Seokjin blushes deeply but manages a proud nod. Taehyung slouches back in his chair, relief visible in the way he loosens his grip on his cup. Namjoon gives the queen a small, respectful nod, but his hand never stops petting the bunny in his lap.

Jungkook munches another carrot slice, feeling oddly triumphant.

Chapter Text

Yoongi steps through the hunting village with confidence, Hoseok not far behind. The dirt paths are rutted and damp, the scent of smoke and old blood clinging to the air. Hoseok keeps his head down, ears sharp. Every door creak and laugh makes his shoulders twitch.

There are bones hanging from one post… trophies, maybe. Or warnings.

Yoongi doesn’t flinch. Hoseok wonders if he’s used to this. If he’s ignoring it. Or if he’s pretending.

The village isn’t much, just tents and makeshift shelters slapped together with raw logs and torn tarps. Wind whistles through the cracks, and everything smells like wet leather and rust.

They pass a group of men skinning something behind one of the tents. Hoseok doesn’t look too closely.

Yoongi keeps his pace steady. Hoseok stays close.

Yoongis helped set up some posts like this before, but he was pretty quickly turned into a guard for Namjoon. God he misses him now, and his weird little bunny. At the far end of the camp, a larger structure rises, four thick posts supporting stretched hide for walls. A crude attempt at a town hall. There’s a banner over the entryway, splattered with old blood and something painted on it, half-faded.

Yoongi doesn’t pause. Just glances once at Hoseok. “Let me talk.”

They’re here to get this hunting party off the kingdom’s land. No blood if possible. But Yoongi’s fingers still twitch near his blade.

Inside the crude hall, it’s colder. Damp. A few men sit around a crooked table made from planks and old crates. A map is pinned to one wall with a dagger, red markings slashed through territory that doesn’t belong to them.

One of them looks up, grizzled and gray at the edges, eyes too sharp. “You the one they sent from the capital?”

Yoongi steps forward. “I am.”

Hoseok lingers in the shadow behind him, still quiet, still small.

The man leans back in his chair, smirking. “Didn’t expect a crown dog to come sniffing around himself.”

Yoongi doesn’t flinch. “You’re encroaching on royal land. I’m here to ask you to leave.”

There’s a beat. Then laughter. Cold, wrong.

“Ask?”

Yoongi’s jaw tightens. “For now.”

The man looks over to Hoseok, “they let you bring concubines?” 

Yoongi doesn’t even glance back. “That’s my apprentice.”

The man chuckles, low and ugly. “Pretty thing to be dragging through the woods. Hope he’s worth the trouble.”

Hoseok’s hand curls slightly at his side, but he doesn’t step back. He lifts his chin instead, quiet, composed. He’s used to eyes like that. Doesn’t mean they hurt less.

Yoongi’s voice drops, calm like thunder before the crack. “I’m not here to barter or banter. You’ve set up camp past the boundary markers. That’s trespassing. The Crown is asking you to move.”

Another man at the table snorts. “Asking.”

Behind them, Hoseok’s gaze shifts, just for a second, drawn to a tarp fluttering near the edge of the hall. A sliver of something pale and soft behind it. Fur. Antlers. Caged.

His stomach turns.

And rage pools. He snaps his head to look at the men, “you have killed shifters who didn’t need to be. They were a problem for you only because you breached Vinia’s territory.” 

The room stills. One of the men blinks, clearly not expecting him to speak, let alone accuse.

Yoongi’s jaw twitches. “Hoseok.”

But Hoseok doesn’t back down. His voice is steady. “You came looking for prey, and when you couldn’t find any, you made it.”

A heavy silence follows. The man at the center leans forward slowly, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. “That a threat, boy?”

Yoongi steps between them before anyone can blink. His hand is on the hilt of his dagger, gaze locked. “It’s a warning.”

The man scowls, “whatever, your game here is soft. And no fun. We’ll leave. Even if you do have some rare possessions” 

Yoongi doesn’t flinch. “You’ll leave by dusk.”

The man scoffs, turning away with a lazy wave of his hand. “Yeah, yeah. Wouldn’t want to upset the prince’s lapdog.”

Behind him, Hoseok’s fists are clenched tight at his sides, shaking. But he doesn’t say anything else. Not yet.

As they walk back out into the gray light, past blood-soaked skins and ash-covered fire pits, Yoongi doesn’t speak until they’re clear of the tents. Then:

“You shouldn’t have said anything,” he mutters.

“They were caging one of us,” Hoseok hisses back, eyes still burning. “I couldn’t-  I- ”

“I know.” Yoongi slows. “But they’re leaving. That’s all we needed.”

Hoseok exhales shakily. “For now.”

They’re gone before dawn. Leaving caged shifters. Some dead, some alive. Hoseok is the one who goes to free them all first. 

“It’s okay,” Hoseok whispers, voice cracking. “I’m getting you out.”

Yoongi stands still for a moment. Then he moves too, jaw tight, eyes sharp. Together, they go cage by cage.

Some are empty.

Some are not.

Some never made it through the night.

Hoseok’s hands won’t stop shaking.

Yoongi places a steadying one on his shoulder. “We’ll bury them,” he says, quiet. “And the ones who are still breathing… we’ll get them home.”

“Your people will kill them too” Hoseok spits, it’s the first time anger has been directed at him. “They might not gain the energy to shift to fully human during the trip.”

Yoongi doesn’t flinch. He just looks at Hoseok, steady, like he’s weighing every word before he says it.

“Then we don’t go to my people,” he says at last.

Hoseok blinks, startled.

Yoongi’s gaze sweeps over the wreckage of the camp, the broken cages, the faint rustle of breath from a doe shifter still curled in the corner. “There’s a place,” he says slowly. “North of the ridge. Old healer’s cabin. Abandoned now, but it’s safe. Off the maps.”

He meets Hoseok’s eyes again. “We take them there. We help them shift, if they can. We wait. We don’t let anyone else decide what happens to them.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then Hoseok nods, once, and turns back to the cage.

His voice is quieter now, but firm. “Then help me. We’ll start with the smallest one.”

Jungkook is in bunny form, happily dozing, Namjoon kneels beside him, running a hand down his spine. 

“My mother’s summoned me to council. Again. I think she’s sniffing out secrets.” He whispers. 

Jungkook shifts slightly, just enough to press his head into Namjoon’s hand. It’s comfortable. It’s fear. It’s all the things they aren’t allowed to say. 

“Queen Eun-kyung, the queen of Vinia, the gem of the land, a symbol of fertility with her 3 boys.” Namjoon says, putting on a voice. Then chuckling. 

“She hates when people call her that,” he adds, carding his fingers through Jungkook’s fur. “Probably because she’s not the fertile one. Just the queen who survived it.”

Jungkook gives a tiny huff, not quite a laugh, but something. Namjoon smiles faintly, rubbing behind his ears.

“She wants to talk about the borders,” Namjoon murmurs. “About the shifter sightings. About you, probably.”

Jungkook freezes.

“No son of mine should be seen with something so… fragile” Namjoon mutters, in her voice, predicting what she’d say. 

Namjoon, for the first time in a while, grabs the harness. “Come along? Please Kookie?”

he allows Namjoon to slip the leather straps over him.

Namjoon fastens the leash gently, then gives a small nod. “We’ll face her together,” he promises, voice steady, offering Jungkook a reassuring smile.

With that, he lifts Kookie into his arms. 

“Mother- your majesty! Kookie is just a little fluff ball!” Namjoon defends, the meeting had been productive. 

“As your mother I do not think it’s productive to have such… a small pet, one that can’t protect you!”

Namjoon’s jaw ticks. “He doesn’t need to protect me,” he says calmly, though his hand tightens just slightly where it rests on Jungkook’s back. “That’s not why he’s with me.”

Queen Eun-kyung arches a brow, lips pursing. “Then why is he with you? Sentiment makes poor armor.”

Jungkook stiffens in Namjoon’s arms, but the prince doesn’t falter. “Because I chose him,” Namjoon replies evenly. “And because not everything in this world exists to serve or shield. Some things- some creatures deserve peace.”

The queen studies him for a long, unreadable moment. Then, with a sigh, she leans back in her chair. “Your father spoiled you. One day you’ll understand what it means to rule, and that sentiment will be a burden, not a gift.”

Namjoon doesn’t respond to that. Just strokes between Kookie’s ears, firm and steady, a quiet reminder that he’s not alone.

“I’ve heard there’s a commoner in the guest quarters,” she hums. 

Kookie tenses.

“Yes mother, he’s quite nice. But I haven’t seen him recently” Namjoon responds. Continuing to pet Kookie.

“Well, I would like to meet him. I deserve to know the person who ‘just walked in’” she’s mad, maybe perplexed, but Namjoon feels uneasy. 

“He hides in the guest quarters most of the time. Haven’t seen him in a few days. He also turns up in the garden” 

The queen hums again, this time sharper, a sound like a knife being drawn from its sheath. “How interesting. Perhaps I’ll take a stroll in the gardens tomorrow. See what the vines are hiding.”

Kookie doesn’t move, but Namjoon feels the way his little body tightens in his lap, like a spring wound too tight.

Namjoon forces a smile. “You should rest, Mother. The trip here must’ve been exhausting.”

Queen Eun-kyung gives him a long look, and then, at last, a cold smile. “Of course, my dear. After all, we wouldn’t want to wear out our welcome.”

She rises, the hem of her robes whispering across the marble floor like storm clouds rolling in. As she walks away, Kookie’s nose twitches, and Namjoon feels a small tremble under his palm.

“Baby, why are you so tense? Mother won’t hurt you.” Namjoon reassures, kissing his head. 

Kookie will need to be Jungkook tomorrow. 

Chapter Text

It’s early morning when Kookie sneaks out of namjoons chambers, hopping down the halls as fast as he can. Turning a corner to make sure he was in the clear before shifting. Covering himself he runs to the room, getting dressed in the cloak he’d stashed behind a tapestry, feet silent against the cold floor as he bolts toward the guest quarters.

He barely makes it inside before collapsing against the door, breathless.

Today, he has to be Jungkook.

And the queen is expecting him.

But first he needs more sleep. Way more sleep. He peels off the cloak, flops face-first onto the bed without even bothering to tug the blankets back, and groans into the pillow. Being a bunny was easier. Less talking. Fewer lies. No terrifying queens trying to sniff out secrets.

He’ll deal with everything after a nap. Maybe. Hopefully.

He walks confidently to the garden, but stops by the kitchen, he wants a warm meal. 

The staff barely glance at him. He’s just the quiet guest who keeps to himself and occasionally talks to the prince. No one questions it when he asks for a warm meal. One of the cooks smiles and sets a bowl of steaming rice and vegetables in front of him, along with a cup of tea.

He eats slowly, savoring the heat. It’s the first time all morning he feels almost human.

He lets out a quiet, content sigh. “Yummy,” he mumbles to himself, the word slipping out before he can stop it.

The cook chuckles. “Glad you like it.”

Jungkook just nods, cheeks warming. For a moment, he forgets about the queen. About the tightrope he’s walking. There’s only the soft steam curling from his tea, the quiet clatter of spoons and ladles, and the warmth settling in his belly.

He doesn’t get many of these moments. He lets it stretch just a little longer before he has to face the day.

“Hello, don’t you look cute?” Namjoon laughs, walking into the kitchen. “Why don’t you come with me?” 

Namjoon has a stupid look on his face, maybe he’s been drinking? No it’s too early, well…

Jungkook looks up, mouth still half-full of rice, and scowls. “I’m eating.”

Why is he being weird? 

Why is Namjoon being a little freak? Especially right now? All Jungkook needs to do is wait for the queen to see him… he’s not even supposed to know about that, she’d mentioned it when he was just a rabbit. So what is his joonie trying to do? 

“What are you trying to do?” Jungkook mumbles, setting his spoon down. “Sabotage me?”

Namjoon just grins wider and pops the toast in his mouth. “Me? Never.” He looks slightly confused. 

Jungkook continues to eat. Perplexed. Warm vegetables make their way into his mouth, because they definitely want to be there and not anything else like Jungkook shoveling into his mouth. 

Namjoon watches him for a beat longer, then finally settles beside him, stealing a sip of Jungkook’s tea like it’s his right. Jungkook glares but doesn’t stop him.

“Not very princely of you” Jungkook spits, smile fading and his glare sharpening. 

“Don’t stare at the crown prince like that. Who knows. Maybe it’ll get you killed” Namjoon smirks, “come with me. Trust me” 

This is Namjoon's way of helping. 

So he agrees, grabbing his bowl of food, it makes him itch, the feeling of the wooden bowl, carved however long ago, well having a nice varnish of some kind of oil. Makes his skin crawl in a way he can’t explain.

It’s too quiet in the halls. His boots echo faintly off the stone, and he hates the way it makes him feel seen. Exposed. Like anyone could turn a corner and know.

Namjoon doesn’t speak again. Just glances back now and then, making sure Jungkook is still behind him.

He’s guided to Namjoons chambers, Namjoon pushes the heavy door open with a casual nudge of his shoulder, stepping inside like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Jungkook hesitates in the threshold, the bowl clutched awkwardly to his chest, heart thudding.

Namjoon’s rooms are warm, sun filtering through the windows in lazy beams. His bed is rumpled, papers scattered across the desk, a cloak thrown over the back of a chair. It smells like woodsmoke and lavender oil and him.

“Come on,” Namjoon says, voice softening, almost coaxing. “You’re safe here.”

Jungkook steps inside. Slowly. Warily.

“Sit,” Namjoon adds, and Jungkook does, dropping into the oversized armchair near the hearth. The wooden bowl thuds against his knee as he sets it down.

“My mom wants to see you, and I don’t want her to kill the random peasant in the castle, you didn’t really do anything” he laughs like it’s the most normal thing ever. 

A lump rises in Jungkook’s throat.

He isn’t this man’s bunny rights now, he just had to have a warm meal. 

“Thank you, your highness,” Jungkook mumbles. 

Namjoon grimaces immediately, crossing the room in two strides to crouch in front of him. His hands come up, resting lightly on Jungkook’s knees.

“Don’t do that,” he says, voice low. Almost pleading. “Don’t call me that.”

Jungkook blinks, caught off guard. His hands tighten around the edges of the cloak in his lap.

“But you are,” he says quietly

Namjoon shakes his head. “Not with you. Never with you.”

Jungkook swallows hard. His chest feels too tight. His skin feels too thin.

For a second, he lets himself believe it. Lets himself believe in this stupid, fragile safety Namjoon is offering him like it won’t be snatched away the moment the Queen looks too closely.

“I’ll be good,” Jungkook says instead. His voice wobbles just slightly. “I won’t cause trouble.”

Namjoon smiles, soft and sad, and squeezes his knees once before standing again.

“I know,” he says. Moving to his closet, grabbing one of his nicer cloaks. “You haven’t” 

“You trust me” Jungkook states, he’s nervous.

“Father says it’s foolish but I trust you” Namjoon breathes. Then she walks in. 

Chapter Text

The door creaks open just as Namjoon finishes adjusting his cloak, his back turned to Jungkook. Jungkook’s heart skips a beat, his breath caught in his throat, as the figure in the doorway steps into the room. The Queen.

Her presence fills the space, and for a moment, the room feels unbearably small. She’s tall, poised, radiating a sharp, calculating elegance. Her eyes are cold, but there’s a hidden warmth in the way she looks at Namjoon, like a lion watching over her cub. Then, her gaze shifts to Jungkook.

Jungkook stiffens, his body instinctively bracing for the onslaught of judgment or disdain. He’s suddenly acutely aware of the rumpled cloak, the awkward way he’s holding himself. He can already feel the weight of her gaze, like a thousand needles pricking his skin.

The Queen doesn’t speak at first, simply assessing him with a sharp, unreadable expression. Namjoon steps forward, the warm smile still on his face as he addresses her.

“Mother,” Namjoon begins, his tone calm, almost casual. “This is Jungkook.”

Jungkook forces himself to straighten in the chair, despite the anxiety coiling tighter in his chest. He tries not to let his unease show, but he can feel the tension thickening in the air.

The Queen raises an eyebrow, her gaze flickering over Jungkook with an appraising glance. Her lips curl slightly, as if weighing him, measuring him in some unspoken way. She tilts her head ever so slightly, her voice smooth and calculating.

“So you wander in to my home” she says softly, her tone still cool but with a strange undercurrent of something else

Jungkook swallows hard, Namjoon buts in “Jungkook is my friend. Nothing more.” Seemingly trying to protect himself more than anything. 

The Queen narrows her eyes, studying Namjoon for a moment, before her gaze flickers back to Jungkook. It’s almost as if she’s trying to read the truth behind the words, her sharp gaze digging deeper into Jungkook than anyone else has before. The silence stretches between them, suffocating.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the Queen nods, her expression softening just slightly. She doesn’t smile, but there’s a glimmer of something almost like approval.

“I’ll be watching you, Jungkook,” she says, her voice low but not unkind. “Do not make me regret this.”

Jungkook nods quickly, his throat tight as he tries to muster the courage to speak. “I won’t, Your Majesty.”

She studies him for another moment before turning on her heel and walking toward the door. As she exits, she pauses at the threshold, her back still to them.

“Namjoon. I love you, but don’t like attachment stab you in the back” She leaves the room, the door clicking softly behind her.

Jungkook exhales a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and Namjoon releases a sigh as well. He turns back to Jungkook, his face unreadable for a moment before his gaze softens.

“See?” Namjoon says, his voice gentle but with a hint of teasing. “Told you it wouldn’t be that bad.”

Jungkook can’t help but let out a small, relieved laugh, even as his heart continues to race. “You’re insane,” he mutters, but there’s a sense of warmth blooming in his chest, just a little.

“Well I can’t help it. I want to help you, something just, tells me too” 

Jungkook looks at him for a long moment, feeling that warmth twist tighter in his chest, almost painfully. He ducks his head, letting his hair fall into his face so Namjoon won’t see how much those words rattle him.

“I don’t have to know everything to know you’re good,” Namjoon says simply. Like it’s the easiest truth in the world.

“You shouldn’t trust so easily,” Jungkook says, trying for something playful, but it comes out too raw, too real.

“If I can’t trust the public, then who can I? They are who I rule for.” Namjoon smiles, small and crooked and a little sad. “Maybe not,” he says. “But I trust you anyway.”

“I’m going back to my bedroom” Jungkook states, the room is tense with the aftermath of before, almost worse then before when the queen was here. 

Namjoon looks around for his pet, Kookie doesn’t usually go far, he seems a little scared of the place.

 “Kookie?” Namjoon calls softly, careful not to let his voice carry too far. He knows the palace walls have ears.

There’s no answer. Just the faint rustle of fabric from somewhere deeper inside the suite.

Namjoon just wants to find his pet, instead he finds Jungkook in the garden, he’d get along great with his bun. 

“Good to see you again” 

Jungkook looks up at his words, startled at first, but then a shy, crooked smile flickers across his face. It’s the first real, unguarded smile Namjoon’s seen from him.

“Good to see you too,” Jungkook replies quietly, his voice still a little rough from nerves, but lighter somehow. Namjoon moves closer.

“I needed air,” he admits. “It’s easier to breathe out here.” Namjoon sighs, sitting next to Jungkook. 

Namjoon watches him for a long moment, the way the fading light of the evening catches in Jungkook’s hair, the careful gentleness of his hands.

“You fit here, you know,” Namjoon says suddenly. The words fall out before he can think better of them. “I haven’t met many people, I’m glad you're one of the few I have met” 

Jungkook blushes, “how glad?” He teases. 

Glad enough that I hope you stay.”

Jungkook ducks his head again, hiding the way his blush deepens, but Namjoon catches the tiny smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“I don’t really… belong anywhere,” Jungkook says after a moment, voice quieter, almost as if he’s confessing a secret. “But maybe… maybe I could belong here. With you.”

Namjoon’s heart twists in his chest, painfully tender. He reaches out instinctively, brushing a piece of grass from Jungkook’s sleeve

“You already do,” Namjoon says softly. “Even if you don’t see it yet.”

They sit there for a long moment in the fading light, the world around them slowing down until it’s just the two of them, breathing the same cool air, hearts beating just a little faster.

And somewhere between the silence and the soft sounds of the garden, something shifts, something small and important, something that feels a lot like the start of a home.

They stare at each other, happy, then Namjoon leans in. Eyes closed and lips puckered, and Jungkook does the same. 

Chapter Text

Their lips meet, soft and tentative, a brush more than a kiss at first, like they’re both too afraid to break the fragile moment blooming between them. Jungkook’s eyes flutter shut, and for a heartbeat, the world disappears entirely: no looming palaces, no queens with sharp gazes, no fear or doubt, just Namjoon, warm and close and real.

Namjoon pulls back first, just a little, resting his forehead against Jungkook’s. His breath is shaky, and when Jungkook dares to peek, he sees Namjoon smiling, small, shy, and utterly genuine.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Namjoon whispers, as if speaking too loud might shatter the spell.

Jungkook swallows, his heart thudding against his ribs like a caged bird. “I’m glad too,” he whispers back, barely able to believe the words even as he says them.

For a while, they just sit there, close enough to feel each other breathe, wrapped up in the golden hush of the garden.

And somewhere deep inside Jungkook, somewhere he’s kept locked away for so long, something begins to root itself. Hope. A tiny, trembling hope, daring to grow. 

After a few lingering moments, Namjoon pulls away fully, though the reluctance is clear in the way his hand lingers on Jungkook’s sleeve, fingers brushing lightly over the fabric like he doesn’t quite want to let go.

“I should-” Namjoon starts, then huffs a soft, breathless laugh. “I should check on my brothers before dinner. If I don’t, Seokjin will find a way to make me regret it.”

Jungkook smiles, small and understanding. There’s something endearing about the way Namjoon, a prince with the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, still moves quickly at the idea of an older brother’s scolding.

“Go ahead,” Jungkook says, his voice still a little rough around the edges, but steadier now. “I’ll be fine.”

Yoongi shoves the door to the cabin open, Hoseok soon after carries another shifter in. They’re the same type of shifter. White deers. 

“Here, lay them down,” Yoongi barks, dragging a threadbare blanket off the old cot and tossing it down. Hoseok obeys wordlessly, his usual sunshine-demeanor replaced by a sharp, controlled focus.

The young shifter stirs faintly when Hoseok lowers them onto the bed, a soft groan escaping their lips. Yoongi kneels beside them, brushing damp hair from their forehead with an unexpected gentleness.

“This is an old and out of use medic station” Yoongi explains, helping a few more shifters in, a dog, wolf, fox, and lynx. 

“They’ll need food. Clean bandages, too,” Hoseok says quietly, already pulling supplies from a hidden cache beneath the floorboards. “We’re running low.”

Yoongi glances back at the white deer on the cot, delicate, barely conscious, ribs visible beneath their skin. 

“Do you…” the knight trails off. Uncomfortable 

“I do. I recognize the scent… my younger brother” Hoseok sighs, running his hand through his hair, shifting back to show his antlers and tail. 

Yoongi's breath catches in his throat. “What was his- what is his name.” Yoongi corrects himself, the kid is basically dead. 

“Jimin”

“Your brother,” Yoongi echoes, voice low. Not a question. Just trying to make sense of it.

Hoseok nods once, jaw tight. “He disappeared when he was ten. They told us he’d been taken by hunters. I never found a body.”

“And now you have.” Yoongi’s tone is flat, but beneath it simmers something volatile. Rage. Guilt. Sadness too tangled to name.

“I don’t know if he’s even still in there,” Hoseok murmurs, kneeling beside the cot, one hand hovering over Jimin’s chest, not quite touching. “But I’ll stay with him. I have to.”

Yoongi shifts his gaze to the others, the fox is curled in a corner, shivering; the lynx growls softly when he gets too close. The wolf paces, eyes darting, and the dog just lays down in a ball, head tucked under a trembling paw.

Yoongi mutters. “They’re not just poaching shifters. They’re collecting them.”

Hoseok finally looks up. “Then we burn it all down.” Nothing but rage in his eyes. It frightens yoongi. 

And behind them, Jimin breathes, shallow, but steady.

Yoongi watches over all the shifters. He and hoseok try to help them, they don’t really trust him. The fox flinches every time he moves. The wolf growls if he gets too close. Even the lynx, the strongest among them, avoids his gaze.

They don’t trust him. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Yoongi doesn’t blame them.

He crouches beside the young dog, who won’t meet his eyes. Her ears twitch every time Hoseok speaks, but her tail stays limp, curled tight against her side. He doesn’t reach for her. He just sits.

“They’re scared,” Hoseok says quietly, rewrapping Jimin’s bandages. “They’ve only known cages and pain. Kindness doesn’t come for free, to them.”

“I’m not here to be kind,” Yoongi replies. “I’m here to keep them alive.”

“Same thing, sometimes,” Hoseok says, glancing up at him.

The white deer stirs again. Jimin’s breathing is shallow, but his eyes flutter open, just for a moment. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t seem to recognize Hoseok. But he doesn’t flinch either.

It’s a start.

Yoongi stays up through the night, not touching, not speaking unless needed. Just watching. Guarding. Giving them space to learn that, at least for now, they are safe.

Jungkook wakes up in namjoons bed, as a bunny. It's early and he’s tired, shifting back to human, well hybrid form, bunny ears out, tail flicking. He takes a drink from his water bowl. 

He squeaks as he stretches. his arms high above his head, toes curling into the plush rug. His ears twitch and flick with the motion, and for a second, he lets himself melt into the sleepy stillness of the room, soft and safe.

Namjoon stirs at the soft, high-pitched squeaks drifting through the quiet room. At first, he thinks it’s part of a dream, the kind filled with warm fur and sleepy eyes, but as the sound comes again, unmistakably real, his eyes flutter open.

He blinks blearily, then turns his head toward the source.

And there, backlit by the pale light seeping through the curtains, stands Jungkook. Not fully human, not fully bunny, but something tender and in-between. His long ears droop a little with sleep, his shirt hangs loose off one shoulder, and his little cotton tail flicks idly behind him as he stretches, arms overhead, toes pointed, spine arching.

Namjoon’s heart gives an unsteady thud.

Jungkook squeaks again, unaware he’s being watched, then drops his arms with a soft sigh. He looks so small like this.

“W-who are- what’s going on” he stammers, shoving himself up as he stares. Namjoon blinks unnerved. 

Then their eyes meet.

Jungkook freezes.

Namjoon stares, wide-eyed 

Namjoon stares, wide-eyed, breath caught in his throat. His brain scrambles to make sense of what he’s seeing, Jungkook, soft and blinking in the dawn light, with rabbit ears perched on his head and a fluffy tail twitching against the blankets.

He opens his mouth, closes it again. Tries to speak, but no sound comes out.

Jungkook’s face drains of color. “No,” he whispers. “No, no, no- this isn’t-”

“Jungkook?” Namjoon’s voice is hoarse, raw with shock. “Is that… you?”

“I-I I’m a shifter” Jungkook stares like a trapped animal, muscles tense, breathing shallow.

Namjoon finally moves, barely a shift forward, like approaching a wild thing. “You’re a shifter?”

Namjoon stares at him, utterly silent. Not angry. Not frightened. Just… stunned.

“Holy shit,” he says quietly.

Jungkook doesn’t know what to do, with anything, with any part of his body. His hands clench and unclench, he’s scared. 

“Have you been my bunny?” He asks, getting out of bed and walking over “you're not a predator animal” he says in awe. 

He walks toward him, slowly, like he’s afraid Jungkook might bolt.

Jungkook flinches but doesn’t move. Just nods, once, miserably.

“You’re not supposed to exist.”

Jungkook winces. “I know,” he says, voice barely a whisper. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

Namjoon sinks to his knees in front of him, still staring in awe. “You let me pet you,” he says, almost laughing. “I bathed you. I put you in a nest of pillows.”

“I didn’t think you’d… I thought if you knew, you’d turn me in.”

Namjoon’s expression twists at that, pain flashing through his eyes. “I would never-” he swallows. “Jungkook, I would never hurt you.”

“This kingdom wants me dead- your father wants me dead, my kind” Jungkook defends. “I’m a rare hybrid, that could make people think things, I can’t let people know”

Namjoon reaches out, slowly, his hand hovering near Jungkook’s ear. 

“I know what this kingdom thinks,” Namjoon says softly, eyes never leaving Jungkook’s. “But I’m not them. I don’t care what you are. I care that you’re you.”

His fingers finally brush the soft fur of Jungkook’s ear, gentle and reverent, and Jungkook shudders. A small, involuntary sound escapes him

Chapter Text

“I kissed you.” Namjoon states, “I've kept you as my pet” he shakes his head. “Why would I get rid of you knowing that I know you're the two people…”

Jungkook shakes his head, his ears drooping and shaking with it. 

“Why would I ever get rid of you, knowing that you’re both? That you’re… you?” Namjoon reassures. 

Jungkook’s eyes shine with unshed tears as he shakes his head, ears drooping low, trembling. “Because it’s wrong,” he says hoarsely. “Because I tricked you.” 

He breathes in long, but shallow. 

Jungkook's mother washes the dishes, cleaning up the stuff she used to make vegetable medley, one of his least favourites, mostly as jungkook didn't like the beets she put in there, icky beets. 

Daddy went hunting and was eating a deer, a full deer, you can tell by scent. 

Jungkook’s stomach twists, not from hunger.

His mama stiffens for only a moment before setting the bowl down gently. “Go to your nest, baby,” she says softly, not turning around.

Jungkook hesitates. But he obeys.

He always obeys.

His mama hates when he’s around meat, she can handle it as a grown up, but she didn’t want her kookie around it, she knew there’s no way to make a wolf be vegan. 

So he stayed in his nest.

And waited.

And tried not to think about how loud bones sounded when they cracked between jaws.

Daddy would wash himself in the creek, scrubbing the blood from his fur, rinsing the gore from his claws until the water ran clean. Only then would he come home.

Jungkook would already be tucked away, his little ears poking out from under the blanket, but always alert, always listening. Even when he was pretending not to be.

The cabin door would creak open, soft steps padded across the floor, and then, warm arms. Big and strong and still smelling faintly of forest and iron, even after the washing.

His daddy would wrap him up close, humming something low and quiet into his hair. “My little moon,” he’d whisper, brushing his cheek against Jungkook’s soft ears. “You stayed safe today.”

Jungkook would nod. He always did.

Even when the scent made his stomach twist.

Even when the hug made him feel both safe and terribly small.

Sometimes when he had only eaten mama's breakfast, oatmeal and fruit. He didn’t smell like iron, and the sounds of flesh being torn went away, his daddy was just his daddy. 

Not a predator. Not a wolf with blood on his breath.

Just the strong arms that held him, the chest he curled against, the voice that hummed old lullabies through the soft hush of dawn.

And he would tuck his nose under his daddy’s chin and believe, just for a while, that love was enough.

His daddy was still slick with river water, mid-wash, when the sound of hooves beat through the trees. Guards. The ones from Vinia. Mama pushed Jungkook behind her, behind the wooden counter, shoving a blanket into his arms.

“Shift. Now” she whispered. He was too young to question it. He obeyed.

She grabbed him and ran to the living room, shifting as well. They both hid under the blanket, and waited. 

The cabin door creaked open and metal clinked against metal. Boots stomped through their home. 

He stayed still. Breath shallow. The scent of soap and wildflowers and blood all tangled in his nose. It was terrifying. 

They weren’t there long, all he saw was his father laying still in the grass, just still. He’s ushered off by his mama, all he heard was his mama's tears. 

And so he learned.

To hide.

To shift small.

To stay silent.

To survive.

The memory dissolves like mist, but the ache stays sharp.

“I wasn’t raised to trust Namjoon. I can’t in this world.” Jungkook’s breath hitches. He wraps his arms around himself, as if he can still feel the thin blanket, the tremble of his mama’s arms, the iron tang of fear thick in his throat.

“I didn’t mean to trick you,” Jungkook says, finally lifting his head, his voice hoarse. “I just… didn’t know how to be safe and be myself at the same time.”

“Hey” Namjoon says. Voice flat. He smiles at him. 

Jungkook looks over, taking a calming breath. “How are you okay with that?” 

“I only have the people in this castle, who else am I going to be friends with?” Namjoon responded, smiling reassuringly. 

“So it’s for selfish reasons?” Jungkook counters. He wants a reason to be wrong now. 

“No. Jungkook. You and I are stuck here. And we have each other.” 

Jungkook bites the inside of his cheek, unsure what to say to that. His heart wants to believe it. His brain still screams caution.

Namjoon steps closer, slow and careful, then kneels in front of him. “I don’t care what you are,” he says quietly. “I care that you let me hold you when you’re scared. That you squeak in your sleep. That you eat fruit like it’s the best thing in the world.”

A small sound escapes Jungkook, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “I’m a bunny then”

“And I love you as a bunny, and I kissed you as a human.” Namjoon reaches up, brushing the edge of Jungkook’s ear with a reverent hand. “You don’t have to be anything but you. You’re safe with me.”

Jungkook sighs, leaning into the touch. “But-“

“Let me love you as a shifter” 

Jungkook closes his eyes. The room is quiet except for the soft hum of morning beyond the windows, the steady thrum of his own heartbeat in his ears.

He shifts forward without thinking, burying his face against Namjoon’s shoulder. His ears twitch against Namjoon’s cheek. “Okay,” he whispers. “Okay.”

Namjoon wraps his arms around him, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “We’ll figure the rest out together.”

Together. That sounded a lot better to jungkook. A whole lot better. 

Then there’s an urgent knock at the door, and Jungkook panic shifts to bunny. 

Jungkook startles, body jolting with instinct. Before Namjoon can say a word, there’s a blur of fur and ears and he’s a bunny again, trembling on the floor beside the bed.

Namjoon’s heart lurches. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispers, but he’s already standing, already moving toward the door.

Another knock. More forceful.

Chapter Text

“Your Highness!” a voice calls. “You’re needed in the council chamber. Urgently.”

Namjoon rushes off, quickly making his way to the council chamber, his entire family is there, and the entire council. 

“What’s-“ he trails off, where’s his father…

“Sit down,” his mother says, voice tight, commanding. Her eyes don’t quite meet his.

“What’s going on?” Namjoon demands again, stepping forward instead of sitting.

Seokjin looks away. And Taehyung looks sadder than ever before. “He was poisoned” 

Namjoon’s knees nearly give out. “Poisoned?” he repeats, the word foreign in his mouth. “What do you mean, when? How?”

“There was a council dinner two nights ago,” his mother says. “He collapsed this morning.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Because he’s not dead,” Seokjin answers firmly, finally meeting his eyes. “And until we know who did this, who we can trust, you needed to be protected.”

Taehyung adds, voice barely above a whisper, “The royal physician says… it’s shifter venom. A slow one. Rare. Illegal.”

Silence falls over the room.

Namjoon’s breath leaves him in a sharp rush. Shifter venom.

“Which is why you’re here,” his mother says. “If your father dies… you will take the throne. And you’ll have to choose how this kingdom responds.”

“What do they say the venom is?” Namjoon hesitates. Breath slowing. 

“Snake joon, are you daft?” The queen spits, her teeth clenched. 

“I’m worried,” he defends. “I’m your acting king well father is ill, I deserve respect”

The room stills at that.

The queen’s eyes narrow, but she doesn’t speak again. Instead, it’s Seokjin who clears his throat, stepping in carefully. “He’s right. If the king can’t speak for himself, then by law… Namjoon speaks in his stead.”

There’s a long, stunned pause.

Then Taehyung whispers, “He really is our father’s son. The both of you” 

He laughs at his brothers. “Is now a time for comedy?” The queen spits once more. 

“Mother. Father will be fine” Seokjin reasons. 

Taehyung’s expression softens. “He’s survived worse. Remember the wolf ambush on the western border?”

The queen doesn’t answer, jaw clenched, lips thin with rage or grief, it’s hard to tell.

Namjoon straightens, stepping closer to the council table. “We’ll do everything in our power to keep him alive. But until then… this kingdom is mine to protect.”

Several council members exchange glances. One of them, Lord Han, an older noble with deep lines carved into his face, nods slowly. “Then rule wisely, Prince Namjoon.”

Namjoon swallows the lump in his throat and nods. “Dismissed. All of you. I’ll be speaking with the royal physician next.”

As the room begins to clear, Taehyung brushes past him and squeezes his arm gently. “You’re doing good,” he murmurs, then adds with a crooked smile, “Don’t let Mother scare you.”

Namjoon doesn’t answer. He can’t.

His mind is already with Jungkook, alone in his room, a bunny once more, probably terrified.no idea what’s going on. 

“Has anyone heard from my personal guard?” 

The shifters are surprisingly resilient, they heal quickly. Him and Hoseok prepare to start the travel back to the capital city. 

Hoseok checks the position of the sun through the trees. “We can reach the capital in two days, if we don’t stop.”

“We can’t afford to stop,” Yoongi says. His eyes fall to Jimin, who’s curled in a cloak by the fire. “We need to get them somewhere safe. And fast.”

They don’t say it aloud, but both know the only place that might be safe now… is the palace. Even if it means walking straight into the lion’s den.

“Palace healers are better than anyone.” Yoongi reassures, finishing up building the sleigh. 

Filling the sleigh with supplies before having Hoseok pick up Jimin, well Yoongi drags the thing along. 

Hoseok says, his voice low, protective. “You sure you can pull that?”

“I’m sure,” Yoongi snaps, already bracing himself as he grips the wooden handles of the sleigh. “Let’s move before I change my mind.”

The shifters follow close behind as they walk. The trees thin as the mountain trail descends, and the distant golden towers of the palace glint on the horizon, so close, and yet impossibly far.

The trail is rough, frozen in some places, soft mud in others. Yoongi’s boots slip more than once, and he curses under his breath, but he doesn’t stop. Behind him, Hoseok walks steady, quiet, Jimin wrapped in his cloak. The others, fox, wolf, lynx, dog, move in a weary cluster, limping, watching every shadow.

A few times, they hear something in the woods. A crack of branches. The flap of wings. They stop. Breathe. Wait. Move again.

Hours pass. The sun breaks through briefly, only to disappear behind heavy clouds.

“You’ll all need to shift. No one can know your shifters” Yoongi tells the group, everyone does… but Jimin. He doesn’t know if the boy has the strength, or if he will. 

“we’re dragging half a forest full of outlawed shifters behind us” yoongi muttered to himself, then worried that the others may have heard, animal hearing and all. 

They continue to walk, the path turns to cobblestone, and Yoongi knows they're close… This is his home after all. 

The road winds down into a valley, and that’s where they see it, a small traveling market camped just off the main path. Colorful cloth stretched between carts, the scent of fried bread and cured meats drifting on the air.

Yoongi halts the sleigh so fast Hoseok nearly stumbles. “Shit.”

“What?” Hoseok glances ahead, blinking. “Oh.”

Too many eyes. Too many mouths. Too much danger.

Jimin whimpers quietly. Hoseok holds him tighter.

“We’ll go around,” Yoongi says, already pulling the sleigh to the left, off the cobbled road and into the brush again. But it’s rough terrain, every jolt could be dangerous.

“We can’t,” Hoseok says softly. “He’s not going to make it like this.”

Yoongi stares at the market. At the guards stationed nearby, the children chasing chickens, the women selling herbs.

He curses under his breath.

“We need supplies,” Hoseok adds. “And water.”

“I’ll go,” Yoongi snaps. “You cover him.”

Yoongi straightens his coat, pulls his hood low, and strides toward the market like he belongs. Sleigh pulled after him

Like he doesn’t have a dying boy and half a dozen fugitive shifters waiting in the trees.

The others wandered in the shadows of trees, Hoseok was quick. And the shifters followed close, all of them in human form, except the one of course. 

Yoongi hates markets. Yoongi moves between stalls with practiced disinterest, but his eyes scan everything. Dried herbs. Bottles of tinctures and old family remedies. A stand stacked with “anti-shifter remedies” thick oils said to “repel animal presence,” small amulets promising protection from predator attacks. It upsets him that it’s clearly sold stock. 

He scoffs quietly, fingers twitching at his side.

A vendor calls out, “Good for children! Keeps the monsters away.” She smiles too wide, pressing a jar toward a nervous couple.

Yoongi’s jaw tightens. Monsters, huh?

He moves on before he says something he’ll regret.

At the next stall, a wrinkled old man sells poultices and bandages. No shifter hate here, just the bitter scent of herbs and old smoke.

Yoongi lowers his hood slightly. “Anything for infection? Fever?”

The man squints up at him, then nods slowly. “Marrow root cuts. Keeps wounds from going bad. Featherleaf tea to sweat it out.”

He sets down a small bundle wrapped in cloth. “You got someone hurt?”

Yoongi doesn’t answer. Just drops a few coins, grabs the supplies, and turns back toward the trees, toward the boy fading too fast, and the makeshift family trying to save him.

while’s get a whiles away before giving the remedies to Jimin, making sure he drinks all the tea. 

“It’s bitter,” Yoongi warns. “But you’re drinking all of it.”

Jimin’s eyes flutter open, barely. “You’re mean,” he whispers.

“Yeah,” Yoongi mutters, lifting the cup to his lips. “Now drink.”

Jimin does. Every sip burns down slow, but he takes it, grimacing. Yoongi doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe until the cup is empty. Only then does he press the marrow root salve into Hoseok’s hand.

“For the wound,” he says quietly. “We keep moving in ten minutes.”

“You're awake” Yoongi says a few minutes later. 

“Yeah” jimins voice is soft and sweet. 

Hoseok chuckles under his breath, brushing sweat-matted hair off Jimin’s forehead. “You’re a brat,” he murmurs, but there’s warmth in it.

Jimin blinks up at them both, too tired to smile for long. “You’re dragging me back to the palace, aren’t you?”

“We’re dragging all of us back,” Yoongi says. His voice is low, but firm. “You’re not the only outlaw anymore.”

“You're a knight?” Jimin questions, seeming more aware. 

“Yes, I can hide you all in my home” Yoongi doesn’t mention his own fear and nerves about the plan. 

“All of us?” Hoseok questions, somewhat jokingly. 

Yoongi shrugs, but his hands are tight on the sleigh’s handle. “Not the first time I’ve done something stupid for a cause.”

Jimin’s fingers curl weakly into the blanket. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Yoongi mutters. “We still have to make it past the gates.”

The wind picks up, stirring leaves and fur-lined cloaks. Behind them, the others begin to gather again, silent and sharp-eyed, shifter instincts tuned to every sound.

Yoongi stands, looking back toward the edge of the capital in the distance. “Let’s move.”

The castle gates are far in the walls of the capital, anyone can get into the city. Jimin had the energy to shift thankfully, and all of them make their way into the city. And then Yoongi hears it. 

Ring ring 

The bells. Death bells. The palace death bells, the king is dead. 

Chapter Text

The low, echoing ring of the palace death bells rolls across the city like thunder, everyone stops. 

Shopkeepers go still. Mothers hush their children. Everyone looks to the distant castle spires, where the black flags begin to rise.

Yoongi swears under his breath

People begin to murmur around them, flooding the streets toward the palace for news. Grief. Gossip. Opportunism.

“We need to move. Now,” Yoongi says. “Before the gates tighten.”

Namjoon had been in charge for 3 days, and his father was dead. They must mourn for 3 days, then he will be crowned king. 

days where black banners flew from every tower. Where no one wore color. Where music and laughter and dancing were basically forbidden in the capital.

He sat in the throne room alone now, the heavy chair too large beneath him, though no one would dare say it aloud. His hands rested still on the table. He hadn’t slept. Had barely eaten.

He would be king.

And everything had changed.

The only constant was Jungkook, who had stayed in bunny form, and sat on his lap. 

He had barely moved from Namjoon’s lap, small and silent in his bunny form. Soft fur pressed to Namjoon’s stomach, warm weight grounding him through it all.

Namjoon’s fingers drifted through his fur without thinking. Slow, rhythmic. A quiet comfort neither of them spoke about. He didn’t ask Jungkook to shift. Didn’t ask him to speak. The silence between them was heavy, but not empty.

Guards came and went. Advisors whispered. Mourners filed into the throne room. Namjoon stayed where he was, chair turned slightly from the main table, arms cradling the only part of his life that hadn’t splintered.

No one dared question it.

“Your highness. Your person guard has returned home” 

Namjoon lifts his head slowly. His fingers still in Jungkook’s fur.

The soldier stands at the doorway, stiff and pale, clearly having sprinted through the city to deliver the message.

“Where are they?” Namjoon asks. His voice is raw, quiet from too much silence and too much grief.

“At the west entrance. He’s settling at home. He’s returned with… travelers.” They state. 

“Travelers” he breathes in, worried. 

“They are ill, he was worried for them” the guard is then excused. And Namjoon sighs. 

“He’s more like me than he realizes” he tells Jungkook. 

Namjoon leans back against the chair and closes his eyes for just a moment. “If they’re sick, he’ll need healers. And if he’s brought shifters…” He trails off, eyes flicking open again. “I’ll send someone” 

Three days go by, and it’s slow and painful. And for the first time in days he’s worried about something, other than swallowed in grief, he’s going to be king. 

His mother calls him to her chambers before his coronation. 

He enters alone. Jungkook, still in bunny form, had curled up in his room.

“You wanted to see me,” Namjoon says quietly.

She nods once. “Shut the door.”

He does. The silence stretches, “Sit,” she commands, her voice firm as always.

He obeys, but the silence between them feels suffocating. She’s staring at him with an intensity that feels like a thousand unspoken questions.

“Tell me, Namjoon,” she begins, her voice cold but steady. “What is going on with you and that… boy?” Her words drip with disdain. “The one you’ve been keeping close, the one who’s always by your side.”

Namjoon’s heart sinks. He had known this confrontation was inevitable, but hearing her speak like that, that boy, hurts more than he expected.

“He’s a stranger in the palace, and you as the crown prince kept him close… I can’t help but think, As if he had a hand in your father’s death.”

The words hit like a blow, and for a split second, Namjoon freezes. His mind races, the pain of the accusation clashing with his overwhelming grief. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. She thinks Jungkook is involved in his father’s death?

“What are you saying?” Namjoon finally breathes, his throat tight. “Jungkook had nothing to do with that.”

The queen stands, pacing in front of him. “How can you be sure” she spits. “You’re deluding yourself,” she snaps, spinning around to face him. “Do you truly think I don’t see it?”

“I-I” he doesn’t know what to do, what to say, but “we’re in love” it’s silent for only a moment more. 

“I love him,” Namjoon finally says, his voice breaking the silence like a strike. “I love him, Mother. And he’s not involved in my father’s death.”

The queen freezes. Her face goes pale, eyes wide in disbelief. She stares at him, her expression unreadable. For a moment, neither of them speaks, the air thick with the weight of his confession.

“Now excuse me, I am about to become king. Your highness”

The throne room is silent.

Not empty, far from it. The high council lines the walls. Nobles fill the galleries. His mother stands beside the seat of power, eyes shadowed beneath her crown. But it’s quiet in the way that only reverence and fear can create.

Namjoon steps forward, each footfall echoing. His cloak is heavy on his shoulders, the same deep blue his father wore the day he was crowned.

He kneels.

The priest speaks, but Namjoon only hears fragments. Lineage… duty… strength… mercy. Then the crown is lifted, slow and deliberate, and set on his bowed head.

“You rise not as prince,” the priest says, voice ringing through the room. “But as King Namjoon of vinia.”

He stands.

Applause erupts. But it sounds far away.

And his bunny sits on the floor by his throne, his jungkook. And he knows what he must do… but in due time. 

Namjoon’s fingers brush the curve of the throne as he sits, the weight of the crown unfamiliar on his head.

The applause fades, the chamber falling once more into quiet.

Jungkook stays at his feet, silent and still, soft ears flicking once at the sound of a shifting robe or a cough behind a pillar. But he doesn’t move. Doesn’t run.

Namjoon rests one hand lightly in his fur. A subtle touch, a silent promise.

He raises his head, and begins his reign as king. 

Chapter Text

The coronation feast is loud, overflowing with wine and too many nobles eager to gain favor with the new king. Namjoon weathers it all with practiced nods, but his attention never strays far from the small figure tucked beneath his chair.

It’s only when Lord Harin approaches, tall, sharp-eyed, and perpetually displeased, that the room tenses.

“Your Majesty,” he begins with an overdone bow, voice sweetened with false respect. “A… pet, in the royal hall?”

Namjoon’s jaw clenches. “That pet is under my protection.”

The court stills, and Harin doesn’t back down. “The people will talk. A beast at the king’s side? It sends a message. One I don’t believe you intend.”

Namjoon rises slowly. “Then let them talk.”

Harin falters, clearly not expecting such a blunt dismissal.

“My father once said the throne is only as strong as the person who sits in it.” Namjoon’s voice is calm, but laced with steel. “And I say that trust is not weakness. Compassion is not shame.”

He looks down, meeting Jungkook’s dark, steady eyes.

“This creature has shown me more loyalty than half the men in this room.” He breathes “I am your king” he hisses. 

The silence that follows is deafening. No one moves. No one dares to speak.

Namjoon and Jungkook are lounging in the garden, Jungkook is human. 

“So how is it?”

Namjoon stretches out on the grass, one arm tucked beneath his head, eyes closed against the sun. “Heavy,” he says after a moment. “It’s like wearing a crown made of stone.”

Jungkook hums, laying beside him, close enough that their shoulders touch. “You wear it well.”

“That’s because I have you,” Namjoon murmurs, eyes still closed. “Without you, I think I’d forget why I’m doing this.”

Jungkook turns his head, watching him. “You’re doing it for your people.”

“I’m doing it for my people,” Namjoon corrects softly. “And that includes one very stubborn, very special bunny.”

Jungkook smiles, cheeks pink. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re still here,” Namjoon teases, finally cracking an eye open to look at him. “So maybe you’re a little ridiculous too.”

Namjoon smiles and touches Jungkook's thigh, “I want to tell people. That your a shifter, that shifters are safe” 

“How do you know that they are?” Jungkook is tense and avoids eye contact. 

“Your safe” namjoons says, questioning. 

“I’m not all shifters… your father was poisoned with shifter poison” 

Namjoon’s smile fades, his hand still resting gently on Jungkook’s thigh. “I know,” he says quietly.

Jungkook finally looks at him, eyes uncertain. “What if some of us are dangerous?”

“Some people are dangerous, Danger isn’t about what we are” Namjoon states, voice not weavering. 

“We shouldn’t. It’ll put a target on my head.” Jungkook replies, “didn’t you say you needed to see your knight?”

“Here” Yoongi says, handing the lynx shifter a plate of food. “Come on, the rest of you too” 

The others come forward slowly, worn faces and wary movements. Hoseok hovers near Jimin, who’s back in human form but still pale and slow. The fire crackles in the hearth, the only sound for a long while.

Yoongi settles on a low bench, watching them all. “You’re safe here,” he says simply, like saying it out loud might make it true.

Namjoon pushes open the door, Jungkook at his side, and the warmth of the hearth greets them first. Then the sight.

Shifters.

Not disguised. Not hidden. Sitting close together, wrapped in borrowed blankets and faint smiles. A fox tail curls around a chair leg. Someone with wolf eyes glances up from a bowl of stew. Jimin leans against Hoseok, his breathing shallow but peaceful.

Namjoon freezes in the doorway.

Jungkook tenses too, but not with fear, with readiness, in case he has to run.

Yoongi looks up, expression unreadable. “Your majesty.”

Namjoon’s eyes sweep the room slowly. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t know if you’d let them in.”

A beat of silence passes. Jungkook doesn’t speak.

Jungkook squeaks, and Namjoon pushes him forward and slams the door shut. Jungkook jumps and lets his bunny ears slip free. 

Everyone is staring, everyone is on guard, and no one speaks. 

“You said you wanted to tell people,” Jungkook whispers, voice hoarse. “Guess this counts.”

“Is… is that your rabbit?” Yoongi blurts out, defensive stance dropping. 

“Yeah” Namjoon laughs lowly, standing straight. “So… what’s with the…”

“The mission. Get rid of the shifter hunting camp from our neighboring kingdom. Survivers, "Yoongi explained, looking around. 

“Well that’s good. You know they say my father was killed with shifter poison and I need help to find out the culprit” Namjoon walks forward. “I trust these shifters as you do, we have too” 

“Then we’ll help,” Hoseok says, standing at Jimin’s side. “But you better be ready for what that means, your majesty.”

Namjoon nods. “I am.”

“Shifters… not being hunted?” Asks the wolf, somewhat folding in on themself. 

“Hopefully” 

“You know I hate crocket, father used to make us play it when we were being bad” Seokjin sighs. 

Taehyung giggles, “think I can be a jester now?” 

Namjoon huffs a soft laugh, the first real one in days. He leans back against the tree trunk, watching his brothers knock the croquet balls half-heartedly through the overgrown grass.

“You always were a clown,” he says dryly to Taehyung. “Maybe now you’ll get to show it off.” 

Seokjin rolls his eyes. “I’m just saying, if I’m forced to dress like nobility for court meetings, I shouldn’t also have to suffer this game.”

“Tell that to father,” Taehyung murmurs, then pauses, the smile faltering just slightly. “If he were here.”

The moment dips into quiet. Namjoon doesn’t speak, just presses his thumb into his palm, grounding himself. Across the garden, Jungkook is resting in a patch of sunlight

He’s a bunny, his ears twitch lazily. He’s happy, and it seems a lynx has joined him. 

“What’s with the new animals? I haven’t heard of any more walks on your part” Seokjin laughs, scoring another point. 

“You were always good at this. Even if you hate it” Taehyung whines, he’s losing, very badly losing. 

Namjoon looks back over to his bunny, Namjoon nods. “Seems they’ve taken to each other.”

Taehyung snorts. “Great. Now the bunny’s got a bodyguard.”

“Or a boyfriend,” Seokjin adds with a grin, just to tease.

Namjoon frowns but doesn’t say anything. 

“Jin. Can we talk after this?”

Seokjin straightens, the grin fading as he catches the weight in Namjoon’s tone. “Of course,” he says, voice gentler now. “You okay?”

Namjoon doesn’t answer right away. Just watches the bunny and the lynx laze in the sun like they haven’t a care in the world, like the world hasn’t shifted beneath their feet.

“I just… need advice,” he says finally, low. “And I trust you.”

Seokjin nods once, serious now. “Then you’ll have it.”

Taehyung pretends not to listen, but his next swing misses entirely again.

“Tae. Fuck off” Namjoon sighs looking over. 

“Rude” 

Seokjin chuckles softly, but his eyes never leave Namjoon. He understands the weight of his brother’s words, the unspoken tension hanging in the air.

Taehyung, for his part, shrugs, a mock pout forming on his lips. “I was just trying to have fun. No need to be so grumpy.” He swings his mallet again, missing yet another shot.

Namjoon sighs again, rubbing his temples. “I’m not grumpy, I’m… just thinking.”

Taehyung wanders off. 

“Shifters. You told me first that they could be civil, human” 

He waits for a moment before responding, “You still think they can’t be both, don’t you?” His words are soft, yet they carry weight.

Namjoon looks away, not wanting to meet his brother’s gaze.

“What’s going on?” His brothers face turns accusatory. 

“I need your help with something.” Namjoon sighs “you can’t tell a soul.” 

“They’ve been in the palace walls?!” Seokjin is flabbergasted, absolutely flabbergasted.

“Brother.” Namjoon breathes out, rubbing the back of his neck. “They could be killed.” He reasons. 

Seokjin’s expression softens, and he steps closer, placing a hand on Namjoon’s shoulder. “We’re in this together, no matter what. You’re not alone, Namjoon.”

Namjoon meets his brother’s gaze, gratitude and guilt warring within him. “I just need to know that you’ll have my back. That you’ll understand.”

Seokjin nods, his gaze steady. “You’ve got it. No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side.”

Namjoon exhales, feeling the weight of the crown lift slightly, knowing that his brother’s support will make all the difference. “Thank you, Jin.”

Hoseok speaks up. “If someone killed the king… who would be next?” 

“If they’re shifter they could smell Jungkook on his majesty” Jimin says, pale and weak, he’s having trouble standing. 

“Our mother” 

Hoseok looks between them, jaw tense. “If they’re targeting the royal line… if it really was shifter poison, then yes. She’s next.”

“Yoongi, Jin lets go. All the shifters stay here. Hidden. We have to make sure mama is safe” 

With that all the humans rush off to the queen’s quarters. 

And on the way Namjoon swears he sees a slither of movement running away. 

They reach the queen’s quarters breathless.

The door is ajar. A single guard lies unconscious outside.

“Mother…”

Chapter Text

Curtains flutter in the breeze from an open window. The fire has been snuffed out. The scent of perfume hangs in the air, delicate and wrong, laced with something metallic.

Namjoon’s heart slams in his chest.

“Mother?” he calls out, stepping further inside.

Then he sees her.

She’s slumped beside her vanity, eyes wide.

And Namjoon sees two distinct bites on her neck. Yoongi’s already at the door again, barking for a healer, for soldiers, for the guard captain. Namjoon kneels beside her and gently takes her hand.

Jin kneels beside him, expression twisted in confusion and concern. “Are those… bites?”

Jin then takes his fingers to her pulse, “dead” he breathes out.  “Snake bites” he sighs, “They’re hunting us,” he says aloud. 

“Who are they going to go after next?” Namjoon asks, moving away from his mothers body. 

Jin unable to pull himself away from his mother “the shifters said Jungkook’s scent is on you. It’s unlikely a shifter would go after a king with a shifters scent” he explains

“How are you sure?” Namjoon questions, holding his sides tightly. 

“I don’t. But they’ve killed two figure heads for an anti shifter movement, mom got back from her hunting trip a month ago. And dads- was the king” Jin finally gets up and moves away from the body. 

Namjoon swallows hard, his throat burning. “You think they’re killing the ones who led the charge against them.”

Jin nods grimly. “It looks like retribution.”

Yoongi returns with guards and the healer trailing behind him, and as they flood the room, Namjoon steps back, fists clenched. His crown weighs heavier than ever.

“Then well known guards are next…” Namjoon mutters to himself. 

Yoongi’s jaw tightens. “We’ll need to double the palace watch. No one new, no one unaccounted for.”

The healer leans over the queen’s body, already whispering prayers. One of the guards bows his head. Jin looks pale, but steady.

Namjoon exhales, cold and sharp. “No one moves alone anymore.”

He glances out the window again, wind stirring the curtains like the breath of a predator.

“Find the snake,” he commands. “Before it strikes again.”

Then a plan hits Namjoon, he knows what to do. 

The wolf seems hesitant. So Namjoon explains again, “you can detect scents. You can help us find them” 

The wolf looks up, shaking “what… what will happen to me after?” 

Namjoon’s voice doesn’t waver. “You’ll be protected. Not hunted. That’s my word, as king.”

A long silence stretches between them. Then, slowly, the wolf nods.

“I’ll help you find the killer.”

“Shifters… no longer hunted.” Yoongi breaths, slightly shocked. 

“Or outlawed,” replied Jin. 

Namjoon straightens slowly, his expression steeled with resolve. “Not in my kingdom,” he says, loud enough for every soldier, healer, and courtier in the room to hear. “The old ways died with my father.”

The wolf bows its head slightly, disbelief and something like hope flickering in its eyes.

Yoongi exhales, eyes wide, like the weight of centuries has shifted just a little. “Then we’d better start hunting the real enemy.”

Jin nods grimly, his voice quieter now. “Before they strike again.” He looks over “teachings going to be so mad we didn’t tell. 

“We should go tell him” Namjoon says sheepishly, “he’s probably just found out about mom.” 

“Gods,” Jin mutters, scrubbing a hand down his face. “He’s going to throw something.”

“Jungkook, you come. Just a more familiar shifter to come along” Namjoon explains, moving over to hold his hand. “Not that he knows… it’s just… you know?” 

Jungkook giggles, Namjoon is happy that he can be happy even in such a situation. “I get it.”

Jin rolls his eyes fondly but doesn’t comment. Instead, he moves ahead to lead the way through the palace halls. Their footsteps echo in the quiet tension of the moment.

Namjoon squeezes Jungkook’s hand gently, grounding himself in that warmth. “He’s going to yell,” he mutters under his breath.

“Should I shift into a bunny to soften the blow?” Jungkook teases, trying to lighten the mood.

Namjoon glances at him with a grin. “Only if you want to be launched out a window.”

“An innocent animal?” Jungkook questions, his face going a little pale. 

“An animal that’s dating his brother” Jin mumbles as he knocks on the door to taehyung's room. 

The two stand straight up and look over shocked. “We’re not dating” they both say. 

Namjoon might have said that he loves him to his mother… but he just can’t to jungkook. 

Jin raises both eyebrows, unimpressed. “Uh-huh.”

The door swings open before either of them can recover. Taehyung stands there, eyes red-rimmed, lips pressed into a thin line. “Is it true?” he asks, voice tight. “Is she dead?”

Namjoon’s throat goes dry. “Yeah.”

Taehyung stares at him, jaw clenched. Then his gaze flicks to Jungkook, to their joined hands, to the way Namjoon’s fingers don’t loosen. “And now you bring a peasant boy around? Where’s your bunny? They were cute at least.” 

“She wasn’t even your mom,” Jin mutters mostly to himself, scanning over his half brother. 

“Can we come in? We actually need to talk about the bunny” Namjoon sighs. 

Taehyung crosses his arms, lips pressed into a thin line. His posture screams defiance, but he steps aside.

“Fine. Come in. Talk.”

They enter the room, somber and quiet. The fire crackles softly in the hearth, casting a warm but insufficient glow.

Namjoon doesn’t let go of Jungkook’s hand as they sit. “This isn’t just a peasant boy,” he starts, voice calm but firm. “This is the bunny.”

Taehyung blinks, the words clearly not registering at first. Then his brows knit, eyes narrowing. “You mean…?”

Jungkook nods sheepishly. “I’m a shifter.”

Taehyung stares at him, then lets out a slow breath, dragging a hand down his face. “I knew there was something weird about that rabbit.”

Jin snorts. “You said he was too well groomed.”

Taehyung glares. “He was.”

“I was a royal pet. You think Namjoon didn’t take a few brushes to my fur?” Jungkook questioned, not pleased. 

“Your fur was WAY to white.” 

Jungkook scowls, crossing his arms. “I bathed. Regularly.”

Namjoon tries, and fails, to suppress a laugh. “Lavender-scented baths, if I recall.”

Taehyung groans. “Gods, I knew it. No wild rabbit smells like a damn flower garden.”

Jin’s shoulders shake with laughter. “You kept saying he looked smug for a rabbit.”

“Because he was! Look at him!” Taehyung gestures broadly at Jungkook, who raises an unimpressed eyebrow.

“Technically I was a pet the entire time you knew me” Jungkook says smugly. “Sorry for having standards,” Jungkook deadpans.

Namjoon leans in, murmuring under his breath with a smirk, “I thought you were adorable.”

“Gross,” Taehyung mutters.

“Jealous,” Namjoon replies easily.

Taehyung scoffs. “Of what? The royal furball you sneak into bed?”

Jungkook smirks. “You’re just mad I got better food than you.”

“I am mad about that,” Taehyung says, pointing accusingly. “You got pastries.”

“You stole one!” Jungkook fires back.

“Allegedly!” Taehyung cries, as Jin wheezes beside them. “You shouldn’t have been eating them, you were a rabbit” 

“Look, there’s more of us in Yoongi's home,” Jungkook explains. “And we’re looking for the killer.” He deadpans. 

That sobers the room immediately.

Taehyung’s teasing drops from his face. “You mean the one who killed the Queen?”

Namjoon nods. “And the King before her. Same signs. We think someone’s targeting anti-shifter figureheads… possibly a shifter, or someone using them.”

“There’s a wolf shifter helping us now,” Jungkook adds, tone quiet but firm. “They can track scent. We’re narrowing things down.”

Taehyung swallows hard. “So this is real. Bigger than any of us.”

Jin just looks in between them “can we stop talking about our parents like we didn’t know them?”

The silence that follows is heavy.

Namjoon’s shoulders tense, and he glances at Jin. “I know who they were to us. But they were also rulers who made decisions that affected thousands. We can mourn them and still see the truth.”

Jin shakes his head slightly, voice low. “I know. I just- she kissed my forehead yesterday. She was humming. And now she’s cold on the floor.”

Taehyung places a hand on Jin’s shoulder, unusually quiet. “We’ll make sure it wasn’t for nothing. That it ends here.”

Jungkook’s voice is soft, but unwavering. “We’ll protect what’s left. Together.”

Chapter Text

They all sat with each other in yoongi's home, the young shifters playing with each other. Jimin had dozed against Hoseok’s shoulder, looking better than he had in weeks.

Jungkook was relaxing by the window, sitting in the sun coming in. Laying on a silk pillow. 

Yoongi stood in the corner, watching quietly, arms crossed but expression soft.

Then he walks over. And he, Jin, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Hoseok sit around the table. They need to find this killer. And fast. 

“We all have to carry a weapon” Jin says, in full armour. 

“We can’t let our guard down,” Yoongi added. “Even for a second. They’re hunting the royal line, and anyone tied to it. We don’t know if there’s another kill”

Taehyung frowned, chewing his lip. “But what if they’re already inside?” The only one not fully aware of every plan or detail yet. 

“They are,” Namjoon said quietly, stepping into the room. He looked like he hadn’t slept. “And we need to move fast. Or someone else is going to die.”

“Let’s track them down.” 

They’d wander the halls for a few days, the shifters unable to pick up a scent. No scent. No trace. Only the growing sense of being watched.

Whoever the killer was, they were careful. Too careful. And that, more than anything, set everyone further on edge.

Jungkook sits in bunny form well sitting in namjoons arms, well a wolf (to the outside world) wanders the halls. The younger shifter tries to find a scent of another shifter. One they don’t recognize. Jungkook sits in bunny form well sitting in namjoons arms, well a wolf (to the outside world) wanders the halls. The younger shifter tries to find a scent of another shifter. One they don’t recognize. 

Jungkook watches as Namjoon lags behind, twitching his ears as Namjoon pets his small body. His nose twitches, ears angled forward as he tracks the wolf’s path through the hallway.

“He’s nervous,” Namjoon murmurs, stroking a gentle thumb down Jungkook’s spine. “I would be too.”

Jungkook shifts slightly in his grip, eyes locked on the wolf as he stops near a decorative vase and sniffs again, more intently this time. The wolf’s tail stiffens. A growl rumbles in his chest.

Namjoon tenses. “You smell something?”

The wolf turns his head slowly, eyes glowing gold. Then he dips his snout toward the floor. A trail, faint, but fresh.

Jungkook presses closer, heart fluttering. He doesn’t need to speak to know what it means.

Someone unfamiliar has been inside the palace. A shifter. And they’re not one of Yoongi’s.

Of course they know this. They know there’s a killer in the palace. But this is terrifying, searching the halls for a shifter that can very well hurt them, end their life. 

Jungkook presses close to Namjoon. 

Namjoon’s arms instinctively tighten around Jungkook, holding him close like a talisman, like something precious that might vanish if he breathes too hard. He feels the bunny’s heart hammering against his chest, so fast and small and alive. His fingers curl gently into Jungkook’s fur.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispers, more to himself than to anyone else.

Ahead, the wolf freezes again, head jerking toward a side corridor. His hackles raise, and he bares his teeth in a silent snarl. The scent trail is stronger here.

Namjoon follows slowly, steps measured, his eyes flicking to every shadow. The guards are stationed too far away. There’s no backup, just him, a bunny in his arms, and a terrified wolf in front of them.

They turn the corner.

The hallway is empty.

But the window is open. And the scent? Still fresh.

The killer is close.

Kook can run faster than any killer, especially now in bunny form. Namjoon leans down, stepping closer to the wolf. 

“Kook. Run to the guards. Nip and bite just get them over here” he whispers. 

Jungkook hesitates, his tiny body tense in Namjoon’s arms, ears twitching like they can catch the killer’s breath. Then he gives the smallest nod, a twitch of his whiskers, a shift in his weight

and leaps.

He hits the ground silent and fast, a flash of white fur streaking down the corridor like a comet. His paws barely touch the stone, claws skimming for traction as he bounds toward the nearest barracks.

Namjoon straightens, drawing his sword slowly, quietly. He meets the wolf’s eyes. “Stay with me.”

The wolf nods, nose to the ground again, steps cautious.

The window flutters.

Then something moves.

Namjoon doesn’t blink. Doesn’t breathe.

And from the shadows above, because of course it’s above, there’s a flicker of something inhuman, watching.

More paws come running, echoing down the corridor like a rising storm.

He doesn’t dare glance back. Doesn’t want to look. Because if it’s not help, if it’s not- 

“Namjoon!”

Jin barrels around the corner, bow already drawn. The lynx shifter is beside him, low to the ground and snarling. Jin’s quiver rattles with just three arrows, three chances.

“Above!” Namjoon hisses, never taking his eyes off the darkness above. “It’s watching.”

And the shadows seem to lean closer.

They stare at the ceiling, eventually forming a circle, back to back, the creature moves. Namjoon can see scales glimmer and shine with reflected light from his sword that he had just grabbed. 

The beam creaks. The shadows shift again. 

They all knew. It’s definitely not a human. It’s a shifter. Concretely. They then drop to the floor. 

From above, the creature plunges in a blur of motion, too fast and too smooth to be natural. The air whistles with its descent. A thud cracks against the stone as it lands in the center of them.

Then everything explodes into motion.

Jin spins, losing an arrow on instinct as he fires and misses hitting the wall. The lynx bares their teeth. Namjoon moves closer, sword raised, and the wolf growls, backing into their flank to protect the rear.

The creature slithers through them, impossibly fast, its form shifting, part man, part serpent, all venom and speed. Its eyes gleam gold in the dim light. Its tongue flicks the air, tasting fear.

They aren’t ready. None of them are. But the fight has already begun.

Chapter Text

Jungkook runs, small tiny bunny body shifting into human form as he turns a corner to a group of guards. 

“HELP!” he yells, voice raw, breathless. “There’s a shifter in the west wing! The killer!”

The guards startle, hands flying to weapons. One of them reaches instinctively toward Jungkook, then freezes, confusion flickering in his eyes.

“Wait- aren’t you the- ?”

“NOW!” Jungkook barks. “MOVE!”

And they do.

Jungkook knows he can’t let them see him shift- but… maybe he can. It’ll be faster, And it could save the new king's life. He could protect joonie, he’d figure it out. Namjoon is in danger. And that matters more than anything.

His eyes flash with resolve.

He shifts. Getting smaller and faster as he runs, he may be a tiny bunny but he has to help his hyung. Joonie needs him. 

Behind him, one of the guards stares, mouth open. “That was-”

“Don’t just stand there!” another shouts. “Follow it!”

Because whatever that thing was, it knew where the danger was. And it was running straight toward it.

Behind him, the guards give chase, clanking armor and sharp boots echoing like thunder. They’re not chasing to catch him now. They’re chasing to follow.

The scent of blood is sharp as he nears the hall again. The clash of steel, the growl of a beast, the shout of his hyung’s voice.

He skids around the last corner, body low, and launches forward. 

Straight into the chaos.

The snake shifter has a dagger. They’ve stabbed joonie in the thigh. 

Jungkook’s blood runs cold.

Namjoon is down on one knee, sword braced, jaw clenched in pain. Blood darkens the fabric around his thigh, seeping fast. Jin is shouting something, but it’s drowned by the hiss of the serpent shifter, scales shimmering with each sharp twist of their blade.

Without thinking, Jungkook leaps.

A blur of brown and white fur launches at the attacker, small, quick, feral. Teeth sink into the shifter’s wrist, making them snarl and recoil. The dagger clatters to the floor.

They violently shake him off, he tumbles onto the floor, and does a little roll. 

The creature shrieks as Jin lands his second arrow into their forearm, they hiss loudly, quickly darting for the dagger. 

Jin shoots his last arrow straight into the attackers palm, jungkook shifts to hybrid form, his bunny ears and tail twitching, he plants himself in front of Namjoon. 

The attacker falters, screeching as the final arrow pins their hand to the stone floor, blood blooming in quick, furious pulses. They writhe, trying to wrench free, but Jin’s aim was precise.

The snake’s eyes flick between them, calculating.

“You’ll regret this,” it hisses. He stares directly into Jungkook’s eyes. “traitor” they hiss once more, it grabs the arrow tugging it out of their hand and runs, jumping out a window. 

“Guards! Go! After them!” Namjoon yells immediately. 

The guards sprint after the snake shifter, metal boots pounding against the stone floors, but by the time they reach the shattered window, there’s nothing left but broken glass and a smear of blood on the sill. The attacker has vanished into the night.

Namjoon groans, bracing himself as he tries to sit up. Jungkook turns instantly, reaching out to steady him, panic rushing back into his face.

“You’re hurt,” Jungkook breathes.

“I’m fine,” Namjoon lies, teeth gritted against the pain. “It’s shallow.”

“It’s not,” Jin says flatly, rushing to his side and peeling Namjoon’s hand away to assess the wound. “But we stopped the worst of it.”

“Come on. Let’s get to medical” 

Namjoon tries to wave him off, but the moment he shifts his weight, pain shoots through his thigh and he stumbles. Jungkook catches him instantly, an arm around his waist, brows furrowed in worry.

“I said come on,” Jin snaps, already halfway to the door. “I don’t care if you’re king now, you’re still my little brother, and you’re bleeding.”

Namjoon grumbles something unintelligible, but leans more of his weight into Jungkook. “You’re really strong for a bunny,” he mutters.

“Be nice to your pets joonie” Jungkook huffs. 

Yoongi steps aside to let them pass, eyes still scanning the halls. “I’ll handle the rest. Go. “We’re locking down the palace,” he announces. “No one leaves. No one enters.”

“Good,” Namjoon exhales. “Because this isn’t over.”

As they leave the bloodstained corridor behind, Jungkook tightens his grip on Namjoon, heart pounding, he’s so worried about his joonie. 

The snake shifter was gone, vanished into forest or fog or something worse. The palace guards had combed every inch of the kingdom’s borders

The first problem was the shifters. No one knew the lynx or the wolf were shifters. Just kook, kookie. Namjoons pet bunny was revealed to be a rare prey shifter. So Namjoon had scheduled a meeting with his council to change laws. He has to. 

The palace was quieter these days. Not with mourning, but with watchfulness. The shadows were still checked twice. Doors locked with more care. Everyone carried weapons, even in sunlight.

And yet, On warm afternoons, Jungkook now lounged in the sun not as a pet, not even in his bunny form, but as himself. In hybrid form wearing soft palace clothes, feet bare, curled on a cushion in the garden. He didn’t hide anymore. Namjoon wanted to make sure he never would. 

“You’re going to burn,” Namjoon murmured one afternoon, standing over him with a glass of chilled water in hand.

Jungkook cracked one eye open. “I’m a bunny, not a ghost. I can go in the sun.”

Namjoon sat beside him anyway, offering the drink. Their fingers brushed.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “Just… I worry about you.”

Jungkook smiled at him, soft and unguarded. “I know.”

Namjoon leaned back on his hands, staring up at the pale blue sky. “The council’s going to fight me.”

“They always do.”

“They’ll say shifters can’t be trusted. That this is dangerous.”

“And you’ll say what?” Jungkook asked, turning to look at him fully now.

Namjoon met his gaze. “That danger isn’t determined by fangs or fur. That trust has to start somewhere.”

Jungkook’s ears twitched, pink against the sunlight. “You’re getting good at speeches.”

“Well, I have too.” Namjoon smiled faintly. “I’ve had a lot of practice lately.”

Jungkook tilted his head, watching him with something unreadable in his gaze. “You’re changing everything, you know.”

“I’m trying,” Namjoon said softly. He moves, careful of his thigh. 

Jungkook looks over, and wordlessly places his hand on namjoons bandages. “You're an amazing king”. 

Chapter Text

Namjoon dresses in his finest wears, he has to convince the council. He doesn’t wear his crown often, but today, it sits on his head with weight and meaning. The bandages on his thigh are gone, the wound still aches if he moves too sharply, but he doesn’t limp.  He opens the doors to his quarters and steps out. 

The hallway is quiet, hushed, as if even the palace itself is waiting to see what happens next. Two guards bow low. Jin is waiting just ahead, leaning against the wall in full armor, a ceremonial sword at his side.

“You look like a king,” Jin says simply.

“I am one,” Namjoon replies, voice low and even.

Jin nods, falling into step beside him as they begin the long walk toward the council chambers.

“They’re expecting you to back down,” Jin mutters.

“Then they’re in for a surprise.”

“I’m off after this, I’ve been posted by the head of the royal guard to some of the outer villages, closer to more shifters… to help with the transition of whatever you do” Jin says. 

“I’m glad mother and father got to see you become a knight. They at least were proud of something in the last days of their lives.” Namjoon sighs, he and his brother walk in silence. 

They reach the towering doors of the council chamber. Two guards stand aside, and the heavy wood begins to creak open.

Namjoon takes a breath. “You’ll write?”

“I’ll try. Don’t let them kill you while I’m gone.”

Namjoon gives a dry, crooked smile. 

“Think you’ll take one of those kids with you?” He jokes quietly. 

“A shifter near the forest? Sounds perfect” Jin jokes right back, maybe not joking it’s hard for Namjoon to tell. 

Namjoon walks through the doors. He walks the length of the room with quiet purpose, his crown glinting in the filtered sunlight, his brother had walked off, most likely to pack. 

Namjoon doesn’t feel safe here.

He takes his seat. Takes a deep breath and sighs. 

“Shifters… they’ll no longer be hunted.” he states flat out, looking up to the wall. 

The council erupts with protests, “we can’t just-“

“We can. And will. A shifter helped me find the assailant, and a shifter helped save my life” Namjoon breathes. 

“Sir- why? This is unorthodox!” Another councilman cries. 

“A wolf shifter found them. A bunny shifter saved me” he spat back. 

“A- bunny?” The councilman asks, another pipes up “a prey animal?”

Namjoon leans forward, resting his forearms on the table, voice ironclad.

“Yes. A prey shifter. The kind you’ve all insisted couldn’t exist. The kind you’ve told stories about to frighten children. He saved my life while you all sat behind these walls debating my worthiness to rule.”

The room falls into shocked silence. A few councilors exchange uneasy glances. One lowers his gaze entirely.

Namjoon’s jaw tightens, his voice low but clear. “You think this is unorthodox? What’s unorthodox is the idea that trust should only be given to those who look like us”

He rises, “they saved your king, despite being hated and hunted. And as king this is my decision.” 

The council murmurs again, but this time the protests are more uncertain.

Then Namjoon finishes, calm but resolute:

“From this day forward, no shifter will be hunted in my kingdom. You can stand with me, or you can step aside.” He sighs then “I’ll make a speech to the people in a few days time”

An older councilor clears his throat, subdued. “We… will need time. To adjust. To prepare the people.”

“Then take it,” Namjoon says firmly. “Because this is happening. And I won’t allow another life to be lost because we were too slow to change.”

“How bad?” he asks, falling into step beside Namjoon.

“They didn’t riot,” Namjoon says dryly.

Jin chuckles. “Progress.”

Namjoon exhales slowly. “I’m giving a speech soon. If this is the end of the old laws… I want the people to hear it from me.”

Jin claps a hand on his shoulder. “Then say it, little brother. Make them believe in something better.”

Namjoon leaned into his brother, he checked on Jungkook earlier in his bedroom, he was sleeping in his bed for his afternoon nap. 

“Do I make you proud? You wanted to do this… and yet you didn’t get to be king” Namjoon says, his voice quiet. 

“Father picked you because he had no idea of how similar we are. That makes you a good king. People can’t guess what you're thinking in combat. In war… and with this new change… I don’t see our relationship with the neighbouring kingdom being very good” Jin laughs nervously. 

Namjoon lets out a soft breath, almost a laugh, though there’s no humor in it. “They already don’t trust us. This just gives them another reason.”

Jin hums, thoughtful. “Then let them fear you a little, if they must. As long as your people love you.”

There’s a pause. Namjoon takes the moment to feel the soft covers of his brother's childhood room, notice the dip of the bed, and the way it feels the same, like when they were kids. 

“He looked peaceful… Kook. Curled up like he belongs here.”

“He does,” Jin says without hesitation. “You made sure of that.”

Namjoon nods, throat tight.

“I never wanted this crown,” he admits. “But I want this change. For him. For all of them.”

Jin bumps his shoulder gently. “Then wear it like it was always yours. That’s what a good king does.”

“Are you happy?” Namjoon asks, looking up at his big brother. 

“I’m a knight. And I don’t have to hunt shifters anymore. A whole lot less pressure then being king” Jin is honest and amazing, his favourite brother (don’t tell Taehyung). 

Jin grins, boyish and a little tired, but it reaches his eyes. “A whole lot less paperwork too.”

Namjoon huffs a laugh, the tension easing slightly from his shoulders. “You’d be a better king than me.”

“I’d be bored in a week,” Jin says with a shrug. “Besides, you’re the one making history. I’m just out here swinging a sword and telling kids not to stab each other.”

They both laugh. “I have to go now,” Jin finally says. 

Namjoon frowns “I’ll miss you. I could have orders to make you stay” he offers. 

“No. I’ll go. It’s my job and I’ll come back. I love you so much, mom and dad would be proud you're a good king. Maybe not why but that you are” Jin kisses his brother’s forehead, “now walk your brother down there” 

Namjoon blinks quickly, his throat tight again, this time from love. He nods, silent, and falls into step beside Jin.

They walk through the halls slowly, the stone echoing under their feet. At the main gates, Namjoon finally stops. “Be safe,” he says, voice low. “You always were the brave one.”

Jin smiles. “And you always were the one who worried too much.”

Namjoon lets out a breathless laugh. “Still true.”

Jin pulls him in for a final hug, tight and full of unspoken things. Then he steps back, mounts his waiting horse, and turns only once to look back.

“Keep changing the world, little brother.”

“Jinnie! Don’t leave without saying goodbye to me!” Taehyung yells as he runs over, his cloak dramatically flowing in the wind. Hugging what he can of his brother. “I’m going to be a jester!” He gives Namjoon the side eye, like it’s his fault he hasn’t yet. 

Namjoon could give him permission to go be a jester, his dream. So maybe it’s his fault a little. 

“I love you too, tae tae.” Jin laughs. Petting his hair. Kissing the top of his head and leaning back up. “Go make people laugh” Jin smiles 

And with that, he rides off, the gates closing slowly behind him. There’s still so much to do. But for now, he lets himself breathe.

He looks at Taehyung, “let’s go cuddle. In my room. It’s bigger after all” he laughs. 

“I knew it was bigger, always said they were the same!” He laughs. The move to get back into the palace. “Will your weird rabbit be there?” 

“Jungkookie will be on top of me. It’s my bunny” he laughs right back. “And next week you can go be a jester”

Taehyung beams. “Finally. A crown made of bells. Just like destiny intended.”

They lay in bed, jungkook in bunny form on his chest, pretending to sleep. And Taehyung is fast asleep on his left, snoring loud as hell. And joonie just stares at his bunny. 

“Thank you. My thigh doesn’t hurt anymore. Just a little sore.” He laughs as quietly as he can. 

Jungkook’s ear twitches again. Maybe he’s listening. Maybe he’s always listening.

Namjoon smiles. “You saved me,” he murmurs, eyes half-lidded, full of warmth. “You can stop pretending, you know.”

But Jungkook doesn’t move.

Namjoon closes his eyes anyway, hand still resting on his tiny heartbeat. “I know you’re awake. It’s okay. I’m here.”

And slowly, in the hush of the room, all three of them breathe together.

Jungkook moves then, and hops down to the floor, shifting to hybrid form, and Namjoon slowly gets up. They move to the small balcony. 

Namjoon leans on the railing beside Jungkook, close enough for their shoulders to brush. He doesn’t say anything at first. Just breathes in the cool air, the soft scent of wildflowers and rain on stone.

Jungkook speaks first, voice quiet. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

Namjoon turns to him. “I wanted to.”

“For me?”

“For you. For all of you.” He pauses, looking at Jungkook’s profile in the moonlight. “But mostly you.”

Jungkook’s ears flick, pink at the tips again. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re brave,” Namjoon says. “And I’m lucky.”

They fall into silence again, the kind that feels easy. Safe. Something new and soft and real blooming between them.

Jungkook shifts just a little closer, leaning his head on Namjoon’s shoulder. “Okay,” he whispers.

“Hoseok will be my shifter… advisor? Yeah advisor” Namjoon hums. 

Jungkook lets out a soft, surprised laugh against Namjoon’s shoulder. “Hoseok? The dramatic one?”

“The very one,” Namjoon says, a smile tugging at his lips. “Turns out he knows a lot more than he lets on. Has contacts, knows the underground shifter routes, even helped organize safe houses.”

“Huh,” Jungkook muses. “I thought he just liked wearing sparkly cloaks.”

“He does like wearing sparkly cloaks,” Namjoon grins. “But he also wants to help. He said, and I quote, ‘If we’re rebuilding the world, I’m making sure it doesn’t turn into a flaming mess.’”

Jungkook giggles quietly. “Sounds about right.”

“And I don’t want to work with you” Namjoon sighs, “your better then that… or well- it’s better for our relationship” 

Jungkook tilts his head, ears twitching in curiosity. “Better for our relationship, huh?”

“Friendship- friendship. Yeah.” Namjoon says awkwardly. Biting his lip. 

Jungkook looks at him for a long, quiet moment. “So you care about me?”

Namjoon swallows. “Yeah. I do.”

The air shifts, warmer somehow despite the breeze. Jungkook’s eyes soften, and a faint smile pulls at his lips. “Good. Because I care about you too.”

Namjoon breathes out a little laugh, relieved. “Then let me protect you. Not as a king. Just… as me.”

Jungkook leans in closer, their foreheads almost touching. “And I’ll protect you. As me.”

They sit in silence, it’s so weird. 

“Do you want to go on a date?” Jungkook blurts, breaking the silence. 

Namjoon blinks, surprised, and then laughs, bright and unguarded. “A date?”

Jungkook immediately flushes, ears standing stiff and pink. “Forget it. That was dumb-”

“No,” Namjoon cuts in quickly, smiling. “No, I want to. I just didn’t think you’d ask me first.”

Jungkook shifts on his feet, suddenly shy. “Well… you’re a king. I figured you’d have, like… royal protocol or whatever.”

Namjoon leans in, conspiratorial. “Royal protocol says I should court you with poetry, twelve horses, and a dinner under seven chandeliers.”

Jungkook snorts. “That sounds exhausting.”

“Exactly,” Namjoon says, grinning. “So let’s do your way instead. Something small. Just us.”

Jungkook’s smile returns, bashful and radiant. “Okay. A date.”

Chapter Text

It’s early evening, the light honey-warm and slanting low across the palace walls. They’re tucked away in a quiet corner of the outer gardens, an abandoned gazebo Namjoon remembered from childhood, half-overgrown with ivy and dotted with wildflowers. Jungkook sits cross-legged on the stone bench, nibbling at slices of chilled fruit from a porcelain plate. Namjoon is beside him, scrolls and notes spread haphazardly across his lap.

“This doesn’t sound right,” Namjoon murmurs, crossing something out. “Too formal.”

Jungkook swallows his bite. “Then don’t make it formal. Say what you said to me. About trust. About wanting change.”

Namjoon glances at him, softening. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not easy. But it’s real,” Jungkook says, picking up a slice of peach and offering it to him. “Start there.”

Namjoon looks back to his parchment, unsure of what to write, still very much questioning. 

“Oh! Shifters… there I wrote something” he says all proud of himself. 

Jungkook just raises an eyebrow. 

Jungkook just raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Wow. Incredible. Revolutionary. Truly history in the making.”

Namjoon grins despite himself. “You’re mocking me.”

“I’m inspiring you,” Jungkook corrects, plucking the peach slice from his fingers and popping it into his mouth. “Big difference.”

Jungkook offers a slice of orange to Namjoon, who gladly takes it. 

“You know,” Jungkook says between bites, “you could just start with what happened. What you saw. What changed you.”

“That I was an idiot who didn’t realize his pet bunny was a person?”

Jungkook laughs. “Exactly. It’s a powerful opening.”

Namjoon sighs but smiles as he keeps writing. “Fine. I’ll leave out the idiot part.”

“You’re the king,” Jungkook says, settling in closer beside him. “You get to decide what the story is.”

“Oh yes. My hot sexy self found a pretty hot bunny-person in the woods and took it home to keep” Namjoon laughs. 

Jungkook blushes as he swallows his peach. “Pretty hot?” He laughs. 

“I meant that like hot and pretty but what do I know” Namjoon looks back to his parchment blushing. 

Jungkook grins, ears twitching just slightly, the tips turning even pinker. “You think I’m hot and pretty?”

Namjoon groans and hides behind his parchment. “That’s not what I meant- well, it is what I meant, but not like that. Or. Exactly like that.”

“Keep writing your little speech. The importance of a new era” jungkook eats more of the fruit. “I feel like this is for us both. I’m really eating all this by myself”

“Pass the fruit kook”

Jungkook makes sure his cloak is on properly, before moving to his hair, running his hands through it. When he stops, Namjoon gently fixes a stray piece of Jungkook’s own hair behind his ear, fingers lingering for a heartbeat longer than necessary. “You don’t have to come.”

“I want to,” Jungkook replies. “I want them to see me.”

Namjoon nods, pride flickering in his chest. “Then let them. You look beautiful.”

“Come on. Your majesty” Jungkook laughs, but then kisses his hyungs cheek.

Namjoon’s breath catches, just for a second, but his smile blooms wider, softer. He reaches for Jungkook’s hand again, linking their fingers as naturally as breathing.

“Let’s go then, before I forget my speech and just start talking about your hair,” he murmurs, a bit dazed.

Jungkook snorts, squeezing his hand. “Honestly? That might be more convincing.”

The walk, a guard stands by him as they make their way to town square, typically he’d never come down here. Never come down to see. 

Whispers ripple through the crowd as they see the bunny-eared boy at the king’s side. But there’s no jeering, no panic. Just curiosity. Wonder. Maybe even hope.

Namjoon steps up to the podium. Jungkook stays just behind him, quiet but steady, his presence undeniable.

And Namjoon begins to speak.

“I was raised to fear shifters. Taught they were monsters, threats, enemies. And yet, ” he glances behind him, meeting Jungkook’s eyes “one of them saved my life.”

The square falls utterly silent.

Jungkook’s ears perk up and twitch. 

“He’s an animal of prey. We hunt shifters because they can be a danger, but I was protected by them. We don’t know where evil can come from, where danger is” 

He steps forward now, crown catching the sun. “No more hiding. No more hunting. Shifters will live freely among us. And if anyone asks why…”

Namjoon pauses, breath catching.

“Tell them a bunny saved the crown.”

The silence breaks, gasps, scattered applause, disbelief, and Jungkook reaches for Namjoon’s hand. Not hiding. Not anymore.

Jungkook and Namjoon lay in bed. It feels different to look out those windows and see a kingdom that won’t kill jungkook on sight. He feels safe, he’s no longer just any bunny, he’s the king's bunny. And the entire kingdom knows. 

And no one is coming to cage him.

Not anymore.

He shifts closer, nose brushing Namjoon’s collarbone. “You really told the whole kingdom I’m yours.”

Namjoon hums, sleep-heavy but smiling. “Because you are.”

Jungkook snorts softly. “That’s embarrassing.”

“Mm. Maybe,” Namjoon murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “But you’re also mine. And now the whole world knows not to mess with the king’s bun.”

“Mama used to call me her bun bun” he giggles, he plays with the blankets. “Hyung. You have nice hair”

Namjoon chuckles, voice still thick with sleep. “You’re just saying that because you like sticking your fingers in it.”

Jungkook hums, innocent and smug at the same time as he twirls a piece of Namjoon’s hair between his fingers. “It’s soft. And pretty. Like you.”

Namjoon groans softly, tugging the blanket up to hide his face. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Jungkook giggles again, cozy and proud. “Can’t die yet. You just fixed the kingdom.”

Namjoon peeks out from under the covers with a sleepy smile. “You helped.”

“I know,” Jungkook says, quietly proud. “But your speech was good.”

Namjoon leans in, brushing his nose against Jungkook’s. “Thanks, bun bun.”

Jungkook shuffles close and kisses his nose. “I want to be a bun tomorrow.” 

Namjoon’s smile softens, all warmth and affection. “Yeah? I’ll carry you around all day.”

Jungkook beams. “With the little pouch thing?”

Namjoon laughs, his eyes crinkling. “You mean the royal satchel?”

“It’s a bunny pouch,” Jungkook insists, smug now. “Made for me.”

Namjoon nuzzles into his cheek, voice low and fond. “Everything’s made for you now, bun. The palace just doesn’t know it yet.”

Jungkook giggles, curling up tighter in his arms. “Then let them learn.”

Namjoon presses a kiss to his forehead. “They will.” Jungkook presses close. 

Chapter Text

Taehyung gets ready to leave, “look at my hat!”

Jungkook peeks over the blankets, blinking sleepily. “Is that… a bell?”

“Yes! Three bells actually.” Taehyung spins in place, the tiny golden bells jingling wildly from the ends of his brightly colored jester’s hat. “Hand-stitched. Imported fabric. Jin said I look like chaos itself.”

Namjoon sits up with a groan. “You are chaos itself.”

Sunlight makes its way in through the window, Namjoon covers his eyes, Jungkook burrows into his side. 

“I know!” Taehyung beams. “Isn’t it perfect? I leave tonight, and I’ve already written three jokes about noblemen’s shoes and one very tasteful pun about goats.”

Jungkook snorts into the pillow. “You’re going to get thrown out of the first castle you visit.”

“Then I’ll juggle my way back in,” Taehyung says proudly, adjusting the ridiculous hat. “Anyway, I came to say goodbye. But mostly to show off the hat.”

Namjoon gets up, walking over to pull his little brother into a hug. “Don’t fall off any stages.”

“No promises,” Taehyung grins, already bouncing toward the door. “Love you both! Tell the bunny he’s my favorite!”

“He heard you!” Jungkook calls after him.

“I know!!”

Namjoon lays back down in bed, his bun happily holding onto him. “You gonna miss him?” Jungkook laughs. 

“He’s most likely going town to town and making silly jokes,” Namjoon laughs. “sounds perfect for him.” 

Jungkook nuzzles in closer, still chuckling. “He really was born for it, huh? That hat was ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous is his natural state,” Namjoon says fondly, threading his fingers through Jungkook’s hair. “But yeah… I’ll miss him. The palace feels a little emptier already.”

Jungkook hums. “You still have me.”

Namjoon smiles and presses a kiss to Jungkook’s forehead. “Exactly. I’ve got my bun. That’s more than enough.”

Jungkook giggles. “I’ll try to juggle to make up for him.”

Namjoon snorts. “Please don’t. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“I am very dangerous,” Jungkook says, ears twitching proudly. “Just ask your council.”

“Deadliest bunny in the kingdom,” Namjoon agrees, pulling the blankets over them both with a grin. “And mine.”

“One date and look at you-“ Namjoon cuts Jungkook off, “I fell in love the minute I saw the ears on your head. Fluffy ears! How could I not?”

Jungkook hides his face against Namjoon’s chest, clearly flustered. “Hyung, stop,” he whines, ears flicking madly. “You’re so embarrassing.”

Namjoon just laughs, arms tightening around him. “It’s true! I thought, ‘That is the cutest creature I’ve ever seen, and if anyone hurts it, I’ll start a war.’”

“Don’t say that you dork” Jungkook laughs once more “go be a king”

Namjoon smiles down at him, all warm and lazy. “Later,” he murmurs. “Right now I’m just yours.”

Jungkook peeks up, ears still pink-tipped from blushing. “You can’t say stuff like that and expect me not to melt.”

Namjoon kisses his forehead. “Good. Then stay melted. Just for a little while longer.”

They lie there in the soft hush of the morning light, tangled together in blankets and warmth and something fragile but growing stronger with every shared breath.

“Maybe,” Jungkook whispers, “being a royal bunny isn’t so bad.”

Namjoon hums, amused. “The royal bunny.”

Jungkook grins. “Your royal bunny.”

“Taehyung, why are we doing this?” Namjoon deadpans, staring at his younger brother as he interrupts an amazing bunny picnic. 

Truly it’s terrible to interrupt a man’s bunny picnic time. 

Taehyung huffs, arms crossed dramatically as he paces in front of the blanket like he’s on stage. “Because, dear brother, the kingdom demands entertainment!”

“We’re literally eating strawberries in the garden,” Namjoon says, gesturing toward Jungkook, who’s mid-chew with a berry in each hand and looking personally offended.

“I was promised a peaceful picnic,” Jungkook mumbles around his mouthful, ears twitching irritably.

“And now,” Taehyung declares, throwing confetti pieces into the air (where did he get that?), “you are the lucky audience for the debut performance of Prince Taehyung’s Traveling One-Man Spectacular!”

Namjoon groans, already regretting every life decision that led to this moment. “Can I revoke your jester permit?”

“Nope!” Taehyung grins, striking a ridiculous pose. “It’s royal decree now.”

Jungkook sighs, flopping dramatically onto Namjoon’s lap. “We should’ve eaten inside.”

Taehyung pulls out two puppets, one with bunny ears… it’s a puppet Jungkook. Oh! Look a crown, it’s a puppet Namjoon… fun. 

“I’ll send a servant with you when you leave,” Namjoon sighs. “Come on” Namjoon rubs his temple, but he’s smiling too.

Taehyung gasps, clutching his chest like Namjoon’s words wounded him. “A servant? You wound me, your majesty! I am an artist! A performer! A gift to this kingdom!”

“You’re a menace with a sock collection,” Namjoon mutters, petting Jungkook absentmindedly as he nestles against his stomach. “And I say that with love.”

“Deep, endless love,” Jungkook adds, smirking up at him.

Taehyung makes the puppets kiss, loud, dramatic smooching noises included. “Look! The king and his bun-bun, in love and united in the face of adversity!”

Namjoon sighs deeply. “I’ll send two servants with you.”

“Good,” Taehyung beams. “One for costumes, one for snacks.”

“Are you bothering us because you're leaving later?” Namjoon asks, well eating his lunch. 

He liked the fruit brunch picnic he had with Jungkook, but the bunny is now eating grass for lunch in full bunny form in the garden. 

“Us? Jungkook isn’t here” Taehyung defends. 

Namjoon raises an eyebrow and gestures with his fork toward the fluffy white bunny nibbling peacefully in the grass not three feet away.

Taehyung squints. “That’s a rabbit. Not Jungkook. Completely different.”

“That is Jungkook.”

“Nope,” Taehyung says firmly. “That’s just a cute, ordinary bunny who happens to eat grass in the exact same way as your boyfriend.”

Namjoon chews slowly, unimpressed. “You literally just said he’s your favorite.”

“I say a lot of things. I also said I was going to be a tree last week.”

“And then you climbed onto the roof and refused to come down for two hours,” Namjoon reminds him.

“Exactly. Trees are tall. I was committed.”

Namjoon sighs, glancing down at the bunny now rolling lazily onto his side in the sun. “He’s ignoring us.”

“Because he knows I’m right,” Taehyung says confidently.

“Because he has better taste than to engage in this conversation.”

Taehyung hums, flopping back onto the picnic blanket with exaggerated grace. “Whatever. I’m still taking the puppets on tour.”

Namjoon groans. “Please don’t let history remember us this way.”

From the grass, Bunny Jungkook sneezes delicately.

“See?” Taehyung points. “He’s allergic to your attitude.”

“H-Hey- w-wait boyfriend!” Namjoon sputters, he blinks rapidly and shakes his head indignantly. 

Taehyung gasps, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Boyfriend? Did the mighty king just say the word boyfriend? In public?!”

Namjoon groans, dropping his face into his hands. “That’s not what I- I mean, it is, but not like that- ugh.”

Bunny Jungkook lifts his head from the grass just long enough to twitch his ears in amusement, then goes back to nibbling like none of this is his problem.

“Jungkook,” Taehyung sing-songs. “Your boyfriend is having a royal meltdown.”

Jungkook hops in a small circle, tail twitching, clearly unbothered.

Namjoon peeks through his fingers. “You’re the worst.”

Jungkook flops dramatically into the grass like he’s fainting from secondhand embarrassment, legs stretched behind him like a squishy little rug.

“Great,” Namjoon mutters. “Now he’s dead from shame.”

“Better than being killed by your love confessions,” Taehyung replies cheerfully, already putting a tiny crown on the puppet Jungkook’s head. “Don’t worry. Puppet-Kook and Puppet-Joon will take over while you sort this out.”

Namjoon looks to the sky. “I should’ve stayed inside. And my boyfriend is eating grass!” 

Namjoon, Jungkook, and annoying little Taehyung. Namjoon is just trying to do some paperwork, well his bun sits in his lap in his bedroom. 

“And that’s my show! Yes! Yes! Clap for me!” He shouts, doing a little twirl. 

Namjoon rolls his eyes but claps. “Alright. Now are you ready to get out of here?” 

Taehyung gasps like Namjoon just suggested executing a puppy. “Get out?! I graced your chambers with a ten-minute one-man show featuring original puppet work and zero rehearsal- zero!, and this is the thanks I get?”

Jungkook, still in bunny form, tilts his head back to look at Namjoon upside down from his lap, ears flopping lazily as if to say you invited this.

Namjoon sighs, setting aside his pen. “You barged in. Again.”

“Art can’t be scheduled!” Taehyung declares dramatically, throwing himself onto the edge of the bed like a dying swan. “You should be thanking me for the cultural enrichment.”

Jungkook thumps his foot once on Namjoon’s thigh. Whether in agreement or protest is unclear.

Namjoon glares at both of them. “I’m just trying to file a trade proposal. One. One document.”

Taehyung sighs, “it is time for me to go. I must go entertain!” He jeers, throwing his hands up, “goodbye brother! I’m off! Town to town!” 

“Break a leg,” Namjoon mutters without looking up.

“Gladly!” Taehyung cackles, already halfway to the door. “If it gets me more applause, I’ll break both!”

Jungkook lets out a tiny huff from Namjoon’s lap, as if equally exasperated and entertained.

Taehyung pauses dramatically in the doorway. “Tell Jungkook he still owes me a duet. Puppet-themed.”

Namjoon squints. “He’s a bunny.”

“Art knows no limits!” Taehyung declares with a flourish. Then he’s gone, the door slamming shut behind him like the finale of a chaotic play.

Namjoon finally relaxes back in his chair, glancing down at Jungkook. “You okay down there, bun?”

Jungkook, still in a loaf position, blinks up at him and thumps his foot once, like a soft applause. Encouraging. Maybe sarcastic.

Namjoon chuckles. “Yeah. I’m not getting this proposal done today, am I?”

Jungkook stretches luxuriously across his lap in answer. No. No he is not.

Chapter Text

Yoongi is on high alert, the need to find this snake and kill it… no matter how much he cares for shifters, this one is a danger and needs to be killed. 

He cares for them, but he also cares for the safety of the entire kingdom.

“Aren’t you supposed to be my personal guard?” Namjoons voice comes through Yoongi's now open door. 

He looks over, smiles at his friend. “I’m your personal knight because I’m one of the best… and I grew up alongside you.” 

“So you’ve gone off to truly be the best?” Namjoon teases, walking closer. 

“I’m best assigned to things. Especially now, you have a bunny protecting you” he jokes, chuckling lightly. 

“So tell me. What’s going on with all this? "Namjoon's voice is still familiar but more formal. 

Yoongi shakes his head once, firm. “We found a corpse in the old granary. No wounds, but the lips were blue. Veins black. That’s venom.”

There’s a long pause between them. The light from the window stretches thin and gold across the wooden floor, catching in Namjoon’s hair. He looks older now. Wiser. But still wears worry like armor.

“So what are you going to do?” Namjoon asks.

Yoongi’s voice drops low. “Hunt it.”

Namjoon looks at him, silent. 

He looks to the ground before speaking, “the same one that killed my…” he tails off. 

“What do you think? The target is always people who seem to be defying the new laws about shifters, "Yoongi says somewhat harshly. 

“There’s more than one snake shifter. And I assume word spreads between hybrids. I can see more taking a stance” 

Namjoon looks around his home, “where’s the shifters?” He asks, looking back at him.

“After his highness, jin, left, the Lynx followed, not immediately but around the time he said he’d be stopping for a good meal” Yoongi explains. 

“That doesn’t seem… reasonable? Energy efficient?” Namjoon looks puzzled, trying to find the right words. 

“It was for fun, plus it was late when he left and the lynx was tired” Yoongi grabs one of his maps, dropping it onto a table. 

Namjoon steps closer, eyes scanning the worn edges of the map. “And the others?”

“The wolf is running messages, their fast so it’s efficient. The dog is asleep in the guest room. The fox went to live in our berry orchards, and the wolf wanders the halls of the palace.”

Namjoon huffs a laugh. “You sound like you’re running a small army.”

Yoongi doesn’t look up. “Maybe I am.”

There’s a beat of silence, the weight of reality settling between them again.

“Any word on the snake?” Namjoon asks quietly.

Yoongi’s eyes harden. “No. But I’ll find it. Before it strikes again.”

“Good. I have a trade agreement to discuss” Namjoon walks out of his home. 

Vinia is a decently sized kingdom with the capitol in walls, mostly because when they were built it was more common for the royal family to actually go out to be in the streets and just be people, but that was long ago. And in the past they had minorly helped the younger kingdom that neighbours them build. 

So after that they’d set up a trade agreement soon after. And it was perfect, so it was always renewed when the time came. 

The neighbouring kingdom of Viremont usually sends their king's secondary advisors with his orders and a best case scenario of what to get from Vinia in the agreement. 

Namjoon sits in his chair across from the head advisor, a man with fine robes and a carefully neutral expression. The kind of man who’d been trained not to blink when insulted or startled. Still, there’s tension in the room that hasn’t been present in years past. It clings to the air like fog.

Viremont must travel through thick woods to get here. It’s long but mostly peaceful. “I assume your journey was well?” He asks, mouth shutting tight. 

“Better than usual,” the man replies. “Now. We’ve heard of Vinia’s new… rules.” 

“Yes,” Namjoon says simply. “The laws regarding shifters.”

“Quite the change,” the advisor says, tone light, but his fingers drum once, sharp and deliberate, against the table’s edge. “You’ll understand, of course, that Viremont wasn’t informed prior to the change. Nor were we consulted. That complicates things.”

Namjoon’s jaw tightens. “Shifters live in our borders. It was our decision to make.”

The advisor doesn’t argue the point, just nods once, as though making a note. “Still. These changes have… implications. For trade. For safety. For shared hunting grounds.”

There it is. The real reason they came.

“We have no intention of revoking the agreement,” Namjoon says. “But we won’t tolerate Viremont setting up illegal camps within our borders. Nor will we overlook the deaths of beings under our protection.”

The advisor’s mask cracks, just slightly, with a tight pull at the mouth.

“I see,” he murmurs. “Well. I do hope we can come to a solution that doesn’t… disrupt the balance we’ve so carefully maintained over the years.”

Namjoon leans forward. “So do I.”

“This is our way of life” the man hums, “shifters have always been… the enemy” 

“Not all of them are evil”  Namjoons jaw is tight. 

There’s a pause. Then the advisor smiles faintly, like Namjoon has just said something charmingly naïve.

“That’s a dangerous sentiment for a ruler to have.”

“It’s a dangerous sentiment to ignore,” Namjoon counters.

The advisor tilts his head, studying him. “I wonder, then, if it’s sentiment… or influence. We’ve heard rumors, after all. About a creature kept close. A shifter, pampered like a court pet.”

Namjoon doesn’t flinch, but he doesn’t look away either.

The advisor leans back slightly, fingers steepled. “It would be… unfortunate if those rumors were true. You understand, of course. For both of our kingdoms. What it would imply.”

“Is that a threat?” Namjoon asks calmly.

“Not at all,” the advisor replies. “Merely… a concern. One ruler to another.”

Namjoon lets the silence stretch for a breath too long. “Then let me be clear. Vinia will not return to the old ways. We will not hunt those who seek peace, nor will we allow fear to dictate our future.”

A flash of something cold flickers in the advisor’s eyes before his expression smooths once more.

“Then I suppose we’ll see what the future holds.”

The meeting ends with nothing signed.

No new terms. No handshakes. Just the echo of footsteps retreating down stone halls and the lingering scent of old parchment and sharper threats.

Namjoon stays seated long after the doors shut. Long after the last of the advisor’s words fade from the room.

His shoulders ache from holding himself still. His jaw from clenching. His thoughts from racing too fast to follow.

He doesn’t say anything when the guards quietly open the door for him. Doesn’t say anything as he walks the long path back through the palace halls, past the torches that flicker low and the windows now painted with evening.

He doesn’t say anything until he steps inside his chambers

A small fluffy lump on his bed, cuddles up in his silk shirt. Jungkook perks up immediately, tiny paws shifting under him, ears flicking at attention. He doesn’t hop forward, he stares at Namjoon. 

Namjoon exhales, tension bleeding out of him like a popped seam. He sits on the edge of the bed and gently strokes between Jungkook’s ears.

“You missed the part where a man told me I was ruining centuries of stability,” Namjoon murmurs.

Jungkook shifts closer, curling beside Namjoon’s thigh. He nudges softly at his arm until Namjoon lays back, then jungkook climbs right onto his chest, all warm fur and tiny heartbeat.

Namjoon closes his eyes. Breathes in the lavender scent of Jungkook’s shampoo. Lets one hand rest on the small of his back.

“I don’t care what they say,” he whispers. “You’re not evil. You never were.”

Jungkook’s ear flicks, but he doesn’t move.

“Guess I’m pretty lucky. Fluff ball boyfriend to keep me safe and cuddled at all times”

That gets a twitch of the whiskers. A slow blink. A nuzzle just under Namjoon’s jaw, like Jungkook’s way of saying damn right.

Namjoon smiles at the ceiling. It’s faint, a curve born of exhaustion and something softer, something he’s afraid to name out loud.

But Jungkook stays there. Warm and real and safe. And for tonight, maybe that’s enough.