HIWAGA | tk | ✓

34. to love

a flame.

such a destructive thing they say it to be, it capable of burning and turning anything to ashes before your eyes.

the flame that had sprouted on the hearts of the thousands of baekje citizens had fired up like anything and took hours to simmer down.

now what left was just ashes, the beaten and battered corpse of the king among them.
such a sight it was- the mighty kim king that had reigned terror across innocents now laying covered in blood and mud, beaten to death by the ones he ruled upon.
no one will pity him, no one will shed tears on his demise.
he will just be remembered through a page or less in baekje history as that was all he deserved.

on the still settling dust of the battlefield- like a flower sprouting among the ashes were jungkook and taehyung- that little love once extinguished starting to bud again.

even as everything settled around them, jungkook refused to let go of taehyung and taehyung only clinged to his alpha more.

"-i love you jungkook. i've always loved you" only when the noises settled did jungkook manage to make out taehyungs words murmured onto the crook of his neck,
"-love you alpha... i'm sorry for leaving" taehyungs voice was strained and delirious, weighed down by days of exhaustion but he couldn't stop confessing, for he feared he would lose everything once again.

that first time taehyung had uttered those three words while slipping into sleep, jungkooks heart had fluttered; he had thrived like a sunflower seeing the first rays of sun.

but right now after hearing it for real like he always wanted, the alpha couldn't reciprocate it, just not under this circumstance.

so jungkook had shushed him with a kiss to taehyungs forehead, held him close like he wished he could on those lonesome days and fought against the darkness that threatened to cloud his vision and the ache of his body.

a recovery was needed immediate.
for jungkook, for taehyung, for the village, for baekje-

when there were no more guards left to fight, an eerie silence engulfed the once thriving battlefield.

what's next? their gazes were on all the strangers who had told them to fight,
and moreover on the omega prince in jeon jungkooks arms.

once taehyung had managed to stop his tears and look around, he was baffled at the numerous eyes, old and young on him, for taehyung was the only kim left now.

the omega prince was the only royalty left and for the citizens of baekje, only taehyung words mattered to them now.

so to the guards that stayed by their side and to all the palace employees, taehyungs only command was to aid all those who got injured for free of cost and for the citizens to return back to their homes.

and when the first of the rain drops landed on the dusty ground, people dispersed to their respective homes, their shoulders no longer tense, their minds much lighter and years of burden finally dissolving away.

jungkooks arms were still on taehyungs waist as he was guided to the palace, the other four friends following after,
and this time he didn't fear the palace as he used to as the prince took his steps forward, because he had everything he ever wanted or needed right next to him.

he felt peaceful- a peace that was built through the hardest of times and the deadliest of the flames.

□□□

just as taehyung had returned, minsun has unlocked and opened all the windows in his room and for the first time light, fresh and bright replaced the darkness enveloping it.