strange addiction {y.guk}

three

jeongguk clung to yoongi's arm as they made their way through the small town. the former had warned jimin of his whereabouts, just in case something were to happen. he was wearing a scarf around the lower part of his face so no one would recognize him, even though he never got out much. or ever.

"yoongi, this is scary." his grip on the elder's sleeve tightened as they squeezed between a group of people, making jeongguk press against yoongi's back as they slid past.

"you act like you've never been outside before, sir." yoongi laughed, making jeongguk smile, barely, from underneath the scarf.

"um, that's the thing." jeongguk scratched the back of his neck. "i haven't left the castle in a while. i can't remember the last time i did."

yoongi turned and looked at jeongguk with wide eyes. "wha- you- i- i'm going to be in so much trouble! jeon jeongguk! i'm sorry, but why would you let me drag you out here?" yoongi was obviously upset, and he had pulled away from jeongguk's hold.

jeongguk let his head hang. he mumbled, "sorry, yoongi. my father wasn't ever going to let me leave. i just really wanted to see what all this was like." he crossed his arms and shuffled his feet. "guess i really am just a bratty kid who needs to be locked up all day."

the older sighed softly. "hey, it's okay." yoongi rubbed the boy's shoulder. "we'll go to my family's shop, and you can help me pick out the flowers for you party, okay? and you aren't a brat. you just don't have any other emotional outlet."

jeongguk sniffed and looked away. "m'kay. thanks."

they continued walking until they reached a worn down building which jeongguk could only assume was the flower shop yoongi's family owned. there was the small building in front, and then a large greenhouse attached to the back.

"ready?" yoongi looked up at jeongguk. the boy had a weary look in his eyes. the older wasn't surprised now that he knew he hadn't seen much outside of the castle.

jeongguk wrapped his hand around yoongi's bicep once again. "uh-huh."

the two stepped inside, and it was exactly what one would expect. flowers decorated the floor and walls. there were also a few paintings adorning the surface. at the counter, there stood a small, older woman with her dark hair pulled back out of her face. she looked up when she heard the door close shut, and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the two men.

"yoongi." she placed the book she had been holding aside and focused on the pair in front of her. "can i help you?"

yoongi coughed into his fist and took a small step away from jeongguk. "hello, mother. i just need to pick up a few things, if that's okay with you?"

"why would i-" she was cut off when two children ran out from the back, probably from the greenhouse, laughing and pushing each other playfully. there was a girl and boy, maybe twelve or thirteen and the other around ten, respectively. they stopped when they saw the visitors, and once they realized who was in their presence, their smiles returned to their faces.

"yoongi!" they shouted simultaneously and rushed forward, crashing into the older man.

"i missed you so much, hyung! why have you been gone for so long?" the little boy stared up at yoongi.

yoongi sighed and rubbed the boy's already messy hair. "yoonsung, i've been busy with work. i'm sorry." he glanced over at his mother, who was making no effort in trying to hide her glare.

the girl, who was nearing yoongi's height with long brown hair, said, "we miss you, oppa. can't you just come back and work here?"

"it's not that easy, yoonhee. if i could, i would in a heartbeat, i promise." he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "now, i need some help in finding some flowers for my friend here." he smiled in jeongguk's direction and patted him on the shoulder.

yoongi's siblings led the two to the greenhouse. yoonhee turned and held her arms out, gesturing to the beautiful plants surrounding them. "you know the place better than any of us, so go ahead."

he smiled warmly and ruffled her hair, making her shove him playfully. yoongi grabbed jeongguk's wrist gently and pulled him closer to a row of flowers, coming in an assortment of different colors.

jeongguk's lips parted slightly in wonder as he stared at the mixture of colors. "aren't those..?"

yoongi smiled and said, "lilies." he gently caressed one of the petals before looking up at jeongguk. "i think they'd be nice for the party, don't you think?"

the corner of jeongguk's lips twitched slightly at the thought as he nodded. he then pointed over at some smaller white flowers. "what about those? they're pretty."

yoongi's eyes lit up at the sight. "really?" he made his way over to the pots. "these are my favorites. gardenias." he admired the simple yet beautiful flower.

"don't some flowers have special meanings? what's this one mean?" jeongguk tilted his head curiously in yoongi's direction.

heat slowly rose to yoongi's face. he continued to stare at the flowers, purposefully avoiding jeongguk's gaze. "um, i don't think this flower means anything special. it might represent beauty. that's common in lots of flowers."

"hm." jeongguk eyed yoongi suspiciously but didn't push any further. the two gathered what flowers they could with the help of yoongi's siblings. the children asked the stranger plenty of questions, trying to figure out his true identity, however they didn't succeed.

once they finally returned to the castle, jeongguk faced yoongi with a look the latter hadn't seen before in the younger. gratitude, maybe?

"thanks for letting me join you, yoongi. i've never gotten to do anything like that before. and i- i had a lot of fun."

yoongi opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, jeongguk had already rushed off.

-

"namjoon! i need your help!"

"yes, your highness?" namjoon peeked out from behind a bookshelf, pushing up his glasses.

"i'm looking for a book." jeongguk declared.

namjoon's eyebrows shot up on his forehead, surprised. "a book? sorry, but, you want to read something?"

jeongguk laughed. "of course not. i just need to look up something. for someone. are there any books about flowers in here?"

"give me a second, sir." the man disappeared for a moment, returning minutes later with a few books in his hands.

jeongguk frowned. "how will i know which one to look in?" he shuffled through the different books once the older had placed them on the table.

"well, what are you looking for?"

"the meaning of a certain flower."

"here, try this one. if it doesn't help, come find me." namjoon handed him a book to start with before wandering off in the library.

jeongguk sat down and flipped to the back, starting in the index. he went to the 'g' section and found the name he was looking for and went to the page it directed him to. as he began skimming over the words, he found several different meanings, but there was one that stood out more than the others.

gardenia:
a symbol of secret love

-

omg i didn't realize how cheesy that was until i wrote it out what the hell but there's no going back now bc i have nothing else planned bc that's what's needed for what's coming
ugh i hate this lol