... And Other Ships

JiKook: Shipwrecked

The beloved Crown Prince Jimin absolutely adored the sea. When he was just a child, his tutors would complain that he had snuck out to the beach during lessons; the day would be gone by the time they found Jimin watching the waves. 

His adopted brother, Kim Taehyung, despised the Crown Prince for his love of the sea. Just like their parents, Taehyung thought Jimin should be more concerned with becoming king than the wretched sea. Taehyung's biological parents had drowned in the sea, so he held nothing but hatred for the ocean and everything in it. 

Court officials and allies of the kingdom also added their two cents on Jimin's love for the sea. They all said he was too distracted; if they didn't know any better, they would have thought Jimin was sneaking off to be with a woman or man of lower standing. 

Jimin's sexuality was not classified information; everyone knew he loved both men and women, but only his brother understood that he preferred the company of men. No one ever expressed any concern about the matter, which relieved the royal family. 

But the Crown Prince was too busy with the sea to have an affair, that much was clear. One of his favorite things to do was go down to the wharf and hop onto one of the fishermen's boats. Two friendly fishermen, Min Yoongi and Kim Seokjin, enjoyed Jimin's company and gave him their weekly schedule so that he could go out on the ocean with him. The trio would meet at the wharf hours before dawn broke, got the small ship ready, then came back to shore well past dusk.

Jimin cherished all the time he spent in the sea, afraid that one day, he was no longer going to be able to go back. His family was demanding him he fulfill his duties as the Crown Prince; he had to find a princess to marry for the benefit of the kingdom, attend more meetings in place of his father in order to gain experience in negotiation, and overall stop fantasizing about a life on the sea that he will never have. 

Jimin wished he could disappear into the ocean and never return. 

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"I don't know if we're going to make it!" 

The ocean was relentless this fateful night. The merchant ship Jimin had boarded was being tossed high in the air, only to be slammed back down onto the rough water. A mixture of slanted rain and seawater soaked all thirty crew members and the Crown Prince; they ran to and fro, grabbing this rigging or fixing that sail. The helmsman had broken the wheel in attempt to steer the boat back to land. 

The biggest issue was that no one knew which way was land anymore. 

Jimin knew there would be death to come; his own or everyone else's, he had no idea. He held onto the railing of the ship with all his might, watching everyone else scatter and yell around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lantern crash onto a barrel of oil. 

What followed happened in slow motion in the Crown Prince's eyes. 

A deafening roar sounded over the crack of thunder and rumbling of angry waves, light exploded from the oil barrel and the other four around it, and bodies flew. Chunks of wood and rigging went everywhere, disappearing into the ocean. The force of the explosion was so powerful that it had knocked Jimin off the ship and into the water. 

Light faded from Jimin's view as he sank past the rough waves and unforgiving storm. As he sank, he thought about how smart Seokjin and Yoongi were for cancelling today. Taehyung was probably smirking out the window -- a, "Good riddance, dumbass," slipping from his lips. His parents were probably beside themselves, regretting not sending the guards after Jimin. 

Jimin smiled. 

It was quiet down here. 

It was very peaceful, too.