The Ugly Duckling [Jinkook, Minjoon, Taegiseok]

1: The Ugly Duck

(Y'all I have way too many stories to write... this is probably gonna be really slow updates because I have other stories I started first that I want to finish. Idk why I do this to myself.)

Ages at the moment (by the end of the chapter):

Jin and Yoongi: 10

Hoseok: 9

Namjoon: 8

Jungkook: 5

~~~~~

Seokjin was the first born son of King Daesung and Queen Yunhee in the kingdom of Seoul.

At the time, the kingdom of Seoul was on rocky terms with the nearby kingdom of Busan, over something petty that only rich spoiled royalty would fret about.

But as fate would have it, both queens were pregnant around the same time.

Knowing that both kingdoms were rather large and powerful, the King and Queen decided that an alliance of some sort would be highly beneficial for both kingdoms.

They reached out to King Chanwook and Queen Soyoung of Busan, requesting an alliance to put their petty squabble behind them and start building a friendship between the two countries.

They accepted the alliance.

And now the newborn Jin was to be engaged to the unborn Yoongi as soon as they were both of age.

Seoul and Busan built a relatively strong bond after that, and the royals often visited each other to keep the bond strong and flex their riches to each other.

In the next few years, Yunhee gave birth to her second son Namjoon. And a few years after that, Soyoung also had another son, named Jungkook.

The four kids were often dragged along side their parents to visit each other. That way, Jin and Yoongi would be able to hopefully grow to like each other.

Unfortunately, as Jin reached the age of 7, his cute baby fat went away and he become an unattractive child.

The King and Queen were shocked and distraught over the appearance of their son. They waited, reasoning that maybe it was just a bad year, and he would start maturing early to become handsome.

When Jin turned 8, his face hadn't changed at all, and showed no signs of doing so in the future.

Outraged, Jin was stripped of the title 'crown prince' because they didn't want to plague their kingdom with an ugly king. The title was given to his younger brother Namjoon, who was only 6 but was quite handsome and intelligent for his age already.

The King and Queen of Busan didn't think a face so ugly could be fit for a queen. A queen should hold more beauty and grace than any other person in the kingdom.

But they still needed an arranged marriage with Jin to keep their alliance going strong. So they decided that Jin would marry Jungkook instead.

Jungkook was only 3 at the time, being about 5 years younger than Jin.

With the arrangement worked out, the kingdoms continued their alliance, constantly sending their kids to each other's castle so they could bond at a young age.

When Namjoon reached the age of 8 two years later, he started being cooped up in the Seoul castle by his parents, being taught basic schooling and politics to prepare him for his future as king.

Yoongi was also often being taught those things, but his parents weren't as strict about how long he had to study. But although they were less strict, his parents were worry warts and assigned him a personal guard.

Hoseok was a year younger than Yoongi and still only in training, but he was a prodigy when it came to quick movements and swordplay.

So with Namjoon inside studying and Yoongi eagerly getting to know his new guard, that often left Jin alone with Jungkook for hours.

Jin was only 10, but he was forced to mature fast when his parents started neglecting him over his looks. And with Jungkook being only 5, he required a lot of attention that his parents were failing to give him.

Despite Jungkook's parents being total worry warts over his safety, they were also selfish and vain, and left Jungkook in the care of Jin so they could have expensive parties with rich nobles or have sex alone without having to worry about their 5 year old interrupting because he was bored or hungry.

~~~~~

"Jinnie!"

Jungkook screeched as he ran across the castle garden as fast as he could with his short little legs.

Jin smiled at the little boy and gave him a hug.

"Hello, little Kookie."

"I'm not little!" Jungkook protested. "I'm a big boy! I grew a whole inch this summer!"

"But you still have many inches to go before you pass me," Jin pat his head before sitting down next to a bed of small pink flowers and holding his knees to his chest.

Jungkook sat down next to Jin, facing him entirely.

"Mom thinks I'm gonna get real tall one day. I bet I'll be taller than you, Jinnie."

"Surely you will," Jin smiled softly, running his hand though Jungkook's hair the way he knows that Jungkook loves. "One day you'll become a big, strong king."

Jungkook pouted. "But I can't. Mom said that Yoongi will be king."

"You don't have to rule a kingdom to be a king," Jin told him. "A king is someone who leads those he cares about and protects who he loves. It just so happens that monarchs care about their kingdom and love their queens."

"Then I'll become a king for you, Jinnie!" Jungkook declared, a determined look in his eyes. "And you will be my queen. I'll be strong and protect you because I love you."

Jin laughed a little at Jungkook's enthusiasm before sighing.

"I can't be your queen, Kookie."

"Why not?"

"Because a queen is someone who is beautiful and graceful, and all the things I am not."

"But you are!"

"What? Don't be silly, Kookie--"

"I'm not being silly!" Jungkook shook his head rapidly. "You're the most prettiest of them all, Jinnie! Who wouldn't want you as their queen?"

Jin fought hard to keep a smile on his face for Jungkook's sake.

"No one could ever want me, Kookie. I'm the ugliest person to have ever walked the earth. My own mother can't stand the sight of my hideous face."

Jungkook grabbed hold of Jin's cheeks with his small hands, looking directly into his eyes.

"You have the prettiest insides, though! Many people call me annoying, but you are nice to me everyday, and try to smile for me even when you aren't happy. And it's better to have pretty insides than a pretty face. But you have a pretty face, too!"

"No, I don't," Jin giggled at Jungkook calling his personality his 'insides'.

"Yes, you do! Jinnie's eyes are the prettiest eyes I've ever seen!" Jungkook insisted. "When I grow up, I'm going to become a strong king just for you. And when you grow up, you're going to be the most prettiest queen ever."

"You're so sweet, Kookie," Jin felt moved by the boy's words, and they gave him a bit of hope. He laid down on the grass, staring at the sky. "Want to lay down with me for a while?"

"Sure!" Jungkook smiled wide, laying down and curling up into Jin's side.

Jin put his arms around Jungkook protectively, and they laid there together with Jungkook's head on Jin's shoulder for the next few hours, pointing out the shapes of the clouds in the sky.