But I Still Want You | Jikook ✓

Chapter 15: I Went and Did it Now

Jimin

"Jiminie."

My eyes open to Jungkook with his wavy black hair due to how he's been letting it grow out. He is wearing black pants, dress shoes, and a flowy black blouse, making him look princely in nature. The raven smiles at me and brushes my bangs out of my face. "Wake up, I want to take you somewhere special."

"Somewhere special?" I question, sitting up while the blankets pool around my waist. Yawning, I rub the sleep from my eyes just to notice that Jungkook has an outfit already laid out for me at the foot of my bed.

I throw my legs over the bed and stand, getting ready in the bathroom as the young mage excitedly chatters about what we're going to do and how much he thinks I will enjoy it.

"This must be pretty great if it's the only thing you can think about," I tease once I exit the bathroom.

He grabs my hand and takes me to the front door, turning the dial until it shines a bright pink. "I like to think so."

We step outside of the castle into a large, open expanse of land decorated by an endless assortment of flowers. I gasp, noticing a lot of the breeds are ones that I had grown before the storm.

"Jungkook, this is beautiful," I breathe out, astounded. "Did... did you do all this yourself?"

"I did." He smiles proudly. "I used a little bit of magic, but once I gathered the necessary plants and planted the seeds, I was able to make this place. It wasn't originally going to be done this soon, but I wanted to finish this place for you so that we could share it." He fondly fiddles with my braid. "I didn't want you to only cook, clean, and play music. You deserve to leave the castle and feel safe to just be yourself and get some fresh air. And possibly have an escape from Yoongi when he's in one of his moods."

Giggling, my eyes take in the scenery as various shades of butterflies and ladybugs fly around, keeping the ecosystem well. The bumblebees are fuzzy and cute, one of them landing on my nose before flying away. All of the creatures living here are extremely docile and lovable, especially the family of rabbits that hop by along the edge of the stream.

"This place is too beautiful," I whisper. "Jungkook, I love it. Thank you." I turn and hug him tightly.

He hugs me back and I close my eyes contently and drink in the intimacy as the gentle breeze caresses our skin and tickles our noses with its sweet, floral aroma. Everything about this place is calm and inviting. It feels safe here where it is far out of the way of greedy humans who can ruin it. This place is a safe haven, too good to be true. And Jungkook wants to share it with me.

"I'm undeserving," I mumble.

"That isn't true." He tilts my head up to look into his eyes. His cheeks and the ends of his hair are a faint pink, but he continues nonetheless. "You being around has been amazing. Park Jimin, you're helpful, caring, determined, artistic, and everything that people want to be in life, what countless mages make potions trying to attain. But for you, it's all natural and that makes it magic in its purest form. To me, this place is just like you."

Now, it's my turn to blush and I bury my face in his chest. He wraps his arms around me and chuckles.

"I'll never get tired of telling you how special you are."

"Jungkook, I..." Shyly, I gaze up at him and am instantly blown away by how beautiful he looks when illuminated by the sun. My eyes land on his lips and I feel myself leaning in closer, wanting just a taste of the forbidden fruit.

I'm in love with Jeon Jungkook even though it's wrong.

Oh, I wish it wasn't. I wish I wasn't cursed to be old and ugly when in the presence of such a man. It's unfair. I should bottle up these emotions and toss them out to sea, but right now, I can't. All I want is just one little kiss.

But fate has other plans.

A loud knocking sound echoes around the field and Jungkook curses, quickly picking me up and running towards the door. I stare at him in confusion as my arms rest against his strong neck. He looks worried, the furrowing of his eyebrows creating creases on his once smooth forehead.

When we enter the castle, Jungkook stands me up on the stairs and grabs his cloak off the coat rack, his appearance changing with the snap of a finger. Instead of dark locks, light blond hair frames his face as his eyes sparkle a gentle blue-gray. He looks angelic.

"Is this the residency of Sorcerer Jeon?" A royal guard questions once Jungkook has opened the door.

"Yes, it is, but sadly, he is not in right now. I am free to take a message for him though."

The guard nods and produces an envelope from his bag, handing it to Jungkook. "The king requests Mr. Jeon make an appearance in two day's time in regards to the war. It has been quite some time and the war has yet to conclude. This means that we need more firepower to take down the neighboring country. What we need is experienced mages from our land. Everyone who can, must fight for the army, those with magical abilities included! I hope you understand and can relay this to Mr. Jeon." He bows curtly.

A thin, forced smile is returned. "I understand. Thank you for your service."

Slam!

Jungkook quickly turns the dial and looks at me, pulling his hair and pacing around the room. As he paces, the blond darkens from the roots down, leaving only his ends the pale color. He looks pissed as his eyes darken and he knocks a chair over.

"Are you okay?" I quickly grab his wrist despite it not being the best decision on my partl

His expression softens as soon as he sees me and he falls to his knees, burying his face in my stomach. "The things that they do to mages in the military, Jimin... They aren't right. They turn you into something else, something emotionless, all in the name of nationalism. I don't want that. Jimin, I'm scared."

My shirt dampens as the raven cries into my shirt, his fists balling up and gripping the fabric as he cries. I just hum a lullaby to him, petting his hair carefully as I try my best to soothe his anxieties.

"You're really smart, Jungkook. I'm sure you can figure a way out of this." I massage his scalp. "It's okay to be scared. It's okay to cry. You don't have to hide your emotions from me, Kookie."

Puffy eyes meet mine and Jungkook sniffles. "You really think I can get out of it?"

"Of course. You're Jeon Jungkook. Plus, if it makes you feel any better, I'll support you in whatever you do."

"You'll support me," he echoes, his eyes widening as he hops up and picks me up. "That's it! You're a genius, Park Jimin! A genius, I tell ya!"

I laugh and squeal as he swings me around the room. "Wh-What did I do?"

"You gave me a plan of how to get out of this." His arms hook underneath my thighs and I quickly grab his shoulders to balance myself. "In two days time, instead of Jeon Jungkook going to the castle, Jeon Jimin, his grandfather will go, telling how his grandson is both too cowardly and injured to offer any real help!"

My eyes widen at the name, 'Jeon Jimin,' and I fail to hear anything else.

"Wait. What now?"

Author's Note: Yay, I'm back! I hope I can get this story and Duality done sooner than later so that I can continue to make more and more stories for you all. This chapter marks the change in pace and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you all are just as excited as I am.

What do you think of the chapter?

Make sure to take care and love yourself as best as you can.

With lots of love,

-BBM