UNTILL I MET YOU || JIKOOK

4

JIMIN POV

Jimin spent the morning training in the yard with Tae. It was as good a way as any to distract himself from the presence of the airship right outside the castle.

The first year it had landed, he'd had hope.

A good match would have secured an ally for his family.

would have provided some protection for their isolated kingdom.

He remembered his nervous anticipation that morning as he'd watched the airship come in to land.

And how that anticipation had soured to disappointment when reality set in.

And he realized none of the princes were getting out.

The airship took off again that afternoon, and he'd turned his back on the idea of marriage.

Instead, he'd put all his efforts into being the best alpha he could be for his kingdom.

He didn't need some pampered, sniveling omega to protect his people he and his brothers could do that themselves.

Tae's stick smacked against his shoulder.

"Where's your head at, Chim?"

"Between my shoulders, where it always is. You're the one with your head in the clouds."

He neatly blocked Tae's next blow throwing his brother off-balance before sweeping his legs out from under him.

Tae wound up flat on his back, staring up at him.

"So it's got nothing to do with that airship hanging around like a bad smell?"

"Means nothing, you know that. They come every year and refuel on their way to somewhere else."

Tae seemed in no hurry to get back up or change the topic.

"Just once, it would be nice if they gave us a chance."

"We both know why they won't."

Well,they didn't know for certain, but they had their suspicions.

Each year that passed, each time they were overlooked, only cemented that leaden feeling in his stomach.

He held out a hand and pulled Tae to his feet, tossing him back his stick.

"Go again?"

Tae let the stick fall. "Nah. Let's change it up a bit. Hand to hand, no weapons, free-for-all."

Jimin grinned. Free-for-all was his favorite. It meant no limits.

It meant shifting.

And on a day like today, where he felt like his skin didn't fit right, the less time he spent in his own head the better.

He threw down his stick, raised his fists, and circled Tae.

His brother tracked his every movement, his body lithe and relaxed.

This was going to be fun.

Jimin dropped his hands and took off at a run, shifting as he did.

He needed speed and agility, so a cheetah form was a good choice.

He used the momentum to run up the stone wall of the yard, turning in time to see that Tae had shifted into a leopard.

His brother always did love a good catfight.

He landed back on the floor of the yard and crouched, watching and waiting for Tae to make a move. His brother wasn't one to be hurried.

Tae's gaze was fixed on him before it darted away, watching something over Jimin's left shoulder.