THE RAVEN KING, yoonkook

chapter xx: come back home

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, you died a couple of days ago." Yoongi asks as he waits for the younger to finish getting ready. Since the incident, the assassin had been moved to the room next door to the king, making it easier for him to protect and hang out with him. These days, it seems like the latter has been occurring a lot more often.

"I'm fine. That whole bedridden thing was more making the most of the opportunity, rather than a necessity." Jungkook explains, throwing his bed shirt over the top of the wooden fold out wall separating them. "The healer gets rid of most of the bad stuff from my body, so it's like I never died. The only thing I'm really worried about is whether Hoseok will be back in time or not." This has really been all he's worried about, as they'd received little word on the attack and whether it was a success or not. They hadn't heard from Hoseok either.

"How does this all work? No one has even tried to explain it to me." Since the last death, Yoongi has been thoroughly confused on the matter. His mind has been running with different possibilities, all which only make him more confused. Then, Jungkook's hand raises above the wall, necklace dangling inside it. With no explanation or context, this only makes the older more confused.

"I made a deal with the devil. This is my contract, or a reminder of it. I have to wear it all the time." The raven explains, dropping his hand again. Yoongi can't see it, but Jungkook is struggling to hide his sniggers. He might trust his guard, but he doesn't trust him that much. Not yet. "My soul belongs to the devil so, until he claims it, my life can't be taken by any mortals hand."

"Oh..." Yoongi is now going to have to spend some time trying to wrap his head around this. This was an explanation he hadn't considered. He's still thinking about it, frown furrowed into his brow, when Jungkook steps out from the separator. He's completely dressed up—clothed head to toe in the official royal clothes. Similarly to the first time they met, the outfit is a combination of white and blue, making him look like he's a part of the sky. On his head rests a small crown Yoongi has never seen before, with a dark gem in the centre of the silver metal. Completing the look is a small smile and nervous eyes.

"How do I look?"

"Great." The smile, thankfully, grows bigger. "Happy birthday, Your Majesty."

"Shut up, princess." Jungkook grabs the older male by the arm, tugging him towards the door. "Are you ready to protect me? I'm eighteen now, who knows what might happen."

"Well hopefully what happens is you get married, have a nice happy family, and live a peaceful life until the devil claims your soul." The thought of a peaceful life must be so unlikely to Jungkook that it's laughable, because it does laugh. A lot.

At the party, Yoongi takes a step back. While he still keeps an eye on the younger, he also gives him the space to converse with relatives and other suitors who are all filled with birthday wishes. Everyone seems so excited that the king has finally turned eighteen. In fact, the only one not gushing and congratulating him and bringing back embarrassing stories of when he was just a small small chick is his uncle—though Yoongi thinks he knows why that might be. The sight of the fuming uncle makes him chuckle a little bit, knowing he's lost despite all his efforts.

"Hey, stranger." The magpie's attention is diverted to the voice, which belongs to Taehyung. Yoongi frowns, having thought Taehyung had gone with the rest of the army, but then he brushes it off. He's a suitor, he probably stayed to keep wooing the king.

The wingless male is also dressed up—in fact, everyone is incredibly dressed, making the magpie feel underdressed—in a suit of all black. If it weren't for his lack of wings, he'd probably look quite stunning. Though, his missing wings alone could probably also stun people.