Work Text:
[moodboard created by @idyllicsoulll]
amor fati - “love of one’s fate”
The trees blend together the faster he runs, nothing but a blur, the terrain harsh and uneven beneath his feet. His whole body aches, his bare feet bleed freely, staining the earth with each step, a perfect trail that leads straight to him despite his best efforts. His chest burns every time he tries to take a breath, a concerning wheeze escaping instead. But he can’t stop now, he has to keep running.
His clothes, or what is left of them, hang off of his thin form in tatters, worsening by the second every time the fabric catches on a stray tree branch. His neck burns, dark angry and bleeding scratches making the skin unrecognizable.
One would hardly be able to tell that there was once a mating mark in its place.
He staggers and slips in the mud, the dark scent of it making him retch, reminding him of the mate he just lost. His wolf is in utter despair, completely at war with himself, grieving at the loss, though Jimin, the human part of him, rejoices. The wolf inside him is distraught, yearning for its mate, but he knows better.
He wasn’t a true mate. He’s happy he’s dead. It was a forced union, and now he is finally free from the biological bond that was entirely against his will. So why can’t his wolf get with the fucking program?
He feels betrayed by his body, torn between his human instinct to survive, and the innate need to grieve the mate he’s lost, despite the circumstances. He can still feel the way Taesook dragged him from his bed, before his pack, an intruder on their land. He can feel the phantom grip on the back of his neck as he pinned him beneath him, forcing him into submission while the members of his pack, his family, were forced to witness with horror written on their expressions, tears rolling freely down their cheeks. He remembers the searing pain of being bitten, mated against his will, tied to the alpha for the rest of their lives. Luckily, Taesook’s didn’t last too much longer. But now Jimin is unmoored, injured, with nowhere to go.
He doesn’t know how long he runs. He hardly feels the pain anymore, he must have lost a lot of blood and is running solely on adrenaline. However, that only lasts so long and he finds himself collapsed in a clearing of swaying wildflowers. As he lays there on his back, staring up at the floating clouds with his life’s blood painting the petals red beneath him, he thinks that this would be an alright place to die. Surrounded by the soft petals tickling his skin, the sweet scents caressing his senses, he starts to fade, and he gladly sinks into the feeling. Just before the world goes dark completely, he faintly hears the echoes of shouts, perhaps the remnants of his nightmares left behind in his burning pack lands.
His eyes flutter closed, sunlight dancing behind his eyelids.
Then… Amber.
“Stay with me.”
Why should he want to stay? When oblivion feels so welcoming?
“Quick give… coat!”
Something warm envelops him. Amber with a sweet undertone fills his senses, coaxing him deeper into himself.
“It's going… alright.”
The darkness finally pulls him under, and the last fleeting thought is that maybe the voice is right.
It's going to be alright now.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
When Jimin starts to come to, the first thing he registers is that he’s warm. A little too warm. He tries to move, but he’s weighed down. Behind his closed eyelids he sees quick bursts of light. It smells earthy, wherever he is, and he wishes to sink back into himself, to escape the gaping hole in his chest. But whoever is in the room with him must realize that he’s awake, because he soon feels cool fingertips against his skin, brushing his hair from his face with such tenderness that unexpected tears sting at his eyes. They leak from the corners of his eyes, and a gentle coo comes from above, those same fingers now brushing away the tears.
“It’s alright, sweet omega.” The voice whispers in a gentle, yet deep timbre. “You’re safe now.”
Safe. What does it mean to be safe?
When he dares to open his eyes, the face of his newfound acquaintance begins to come into focus. The lighting is dim, the only source of light coming from a hearty fire in the corner, and a single lit candle sitting at his bedside. The man hovering above him is clearly an omega, his sweet cinnamon scent wafting around them, giving off soothing pheromones. His hair is a dark mess of curls, but his eyes are warm and soulful, with a beautiful face that looks not of this world.
He opens his mouth to speak, but the sound that escapes his a horrid wheeze, like trying to fight against glass shards in his throat. The omega stranger suddenly disappears from his field of vision, loud clattering sounds making him flinch, but he relaxes again when he reappears, this time pressing the tip of a waterskin against his lips, guiding him to drink the cool liquid within. Jimin drinks greedily, and listens with a fuzzy mind as the omega speaks.
“I’m Kim Taehyung, the Head Omega of the Min pack.” He tells him, and Jimin’s heart begins to thump harder in his chest. He has somehow wandered into Min territory, where there is obviously an alliance with the Kim pack. Two ruthless packs, if the rumors that he grew up with are to be believed. The Mins are known for invading other packs and snatching their pups, including some of the Kim members. The proof is in the pudding, how else could a Kim become the Head Omega of the Min pack?
And he’s right in the thick of it. What will happen to him now?
Despite the warmth of the hut and the comfort of the kind omega in front of him, he feels the moment that awareness starts to seep back in, his sleepy wolf stirring inside him. The familiar iron fist of grief starts to squeeze his heart, and he can’t stop the panicked whines that slip from his chapped lips. He frees his arms from the thick furs holding him down and he tries to claw at his own neck, where his mating mark once was, but he’s met with a scratchy barrier of bandages, blocking his self assault. Firm hands grip his wrists, trying to keep him from harming himself. Taehyung tries to soothe him, but Jimin is utterly and completely inconsolable, his wolf in control now, and hyperfixated on the loss of its mate.
He starts wailing and thrashing, begging for his mate, his alpha, crying for the pain to stop, and he can taste Taehyung’s pity like ash on his tongue. “You lost your mate.” Taehyung whispers in agonizing realization, and Jimin only breaks down more, begging and pleading for something, anything to ease the ache in his chest. He just wants to forget.
“Please..” He gasps, feeling as if his chest were a gaping wound that he could physically reach inside and rip his heart out. “Please, please please..” He doesn't even know what he's begging for. A release from the agony forced upon him. For his wolf to accept the loss and move on.
“What was your mate's scent?” Taehyung asks frantically, his hands hovering over his body but not touching, as if afraid of making it worse.
His scent. Just the thought of it makes him want to retch. He can smell rain in the air, bringing his scent will be all too easy. He doesn't want it, he doesn't want to smell damp earth ever again.
But if it will calm his wolf down…
“M-Mud.” He manages through gritted teeth. “Fresh mud, after r-rain.”
In a flash, Taehyung is out of his sight, the wooden door to the hut flinging open with a bang. A few agonizing moments later, the omega returns, his clothes filthy, and his bare hands caked with dark mud. He thrusts those hands beneath Jimin's nose.
As soon as the caked scent hits him, his tears begin to slow, the pressure eases from his chest, and the whimpers begin to settle. However, even though it sates his wolf, Jimin is repulsed, and he starts to gag, the nausea so intense that he has to shove Taehyung away.
He leans over the side of the cot and vomits, though hardly anything comes out since he hasn't eaten in days. He vaguely registers Taehyung shouting for someone before something else is being shoved under his nose.
The stick of ginger begins to settle him again, a different voice gently shushing him.
“Please..” He slurs in Taehyung's direction. “Get it.. Get it away from me.. Please..” He watches with bleary eyes as the omega rushes out with a shaky apology to wash the mud from his hands.
“I should have been here when you woke up,” the new voice speaks from above, and he feels warm hands grip his shoulders, guiding him to lay back down. “Our Head Omega means well, but he really should have fetched me as soon as you started to stir.” The voice above him speaks in a quiet, matter of fact tone, then a cool rag is gently running over his flushed skin, wiping the evidence of his sickness from his mouth.
“Who.. W-Who..” He chokes out, automatically parting his lips when the lip of the waterskin presses against them. He takes tiny gulps, fighting back a fresh wave of nausea.
“I’m Kim Namjoon, our pack healer.” Jimin blinks at him slowly as his vision starts to clear. Kim Namjoon is quite handsome, with sandy blonde hair hanging in bright, intellectual eyes, full lips, and two deep dimples kissing his cheeks when he offers him a warm smile. Jimin closes his eyes, trying to get a whiff of his scent but coming up empty. A beta, then.
“I'm not a beta.” Kim Namjoon says, somehow reading his mind in real time. “I’m an alpha, actually. In our pack, unmated alphas are required to mask our scents unless he or she is in active courtship. Which is probably a good thing when your wolf is in so much distress.” His eyes glance at the bandage on Jimin’s neck. “When it’s grieving so.” He gives him a sad smile. “I am sorry for the loss of your mate-”
A low growl, harsh and biting cuts him off, and it takes his mind a moment to catch up to the fact that it's coming from himself. Distressed, angry, even as steady tears trickle down his cheeks.
Contrasting emotions are displayed out in the open. His normally sweet cherry blossom scent now resembles burnt trees, a terrible scent that fills the air. Namjoon stares at him with wide, confused eyes, taken aback by the sudden aggression.
“No.” Jimin grits out, trying to speak around the rumbling growl in his chest. “H-He..” He whimpers and clutches at his chest as if he could rip his own heart out and throw it at Namjoon’s feet. “I’m not sorry.” His face crumples and he starts to cry again, shaking his head as his nails scratch at his bare skin. “He’s gone.. He’s gone..” He lays back on the cot and curls into himself, gasping through his sobs. “I-I’m glad, so why?...” Why does it hurt so much? Why does his wolf selfishly grieve?
The room is silent, but the tension in the air is thick as understanding begins to dawn on the alpha. “I see..” He speaks, much gentler. “A forced mating?” His wolf howls in protest at the accusation, but Jimin manages to nod, glaring up at him through his tears.
A shuddering gasp from the doorway announces Taehyung's return, his hands now clean of mud, but with such a stricken, heartbroken expression that Jimin regresses once more, burying his face into the furs enveloping him.
The sobs shake his entire body, the furs tickling his nose, absently trying to sink into them further, to capture the faintest amber scent that clings to them.
Why is this foreign scent so comforting?
Gentle hands coax his face from the furs and he nearly whines in protest, not wishing to lose the ever fading scent that comes from the furs, but he lets Taehyung wipe his face with a warm, damp rag, his now slightly burnt cinnamon scent occupying the space between them. The omega gently tucks him in, cooing softly and brushing his fingers through his hair. He feels something cold pressing against his lips and when he opens his eyes, he’s face to face with Namjoon, holding a small glass vial to his lips.
“Drink.” He urges. “You will rest, with no dreams to haunt you.” Ah. That sounds quite nice. He parts his lips and drinks the slightly bitter liquid. The effects kick in rather quickly, his eyelids start to droop, the hushed whispering between Taehyung and Namjoon filtering in and out of focus. “What is your name?” He hears one of them ask. He can’t tell who, in his exhaustion. He vaguely registers his own voice uttering his name before everything goes dark in peaceful oblivion.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
When Jimin wakes, light filters through the gaps between cloth curtains, casting a cool glow to the room, making it much less ominous than before. He’s immediately fussed over by Namjoon, who helps him sit up and pushes a bowl of warm porridge in his hands. He eats slowly, careful to not go too quickly, lest he immediately dispel it from his stomach.
As Namjoon works on changing the bandage around his neck, his mind starts to wander. Why do the alphas of the Min pack suppress their scents until they’re courting? He had never heard of such a thing, but it must be.. Nice. To not have to worry about alphas using their scents to overpower a situation, to not be able to take advantage of an omega in that way when their heats start.
“Can I ask you something?” He asks, his voice hoarse from all the crying and screaming, but a little stronger than before.
“Of course.” Namjoon sits back in his chair and smiles, oh so patient, for an alpha.
“Is your scent.. Amber? And slightly sweet?” He asks shyly, glancing down at the furs that cover his legs, the scent barely present now. Namjoon, who Jimin is realizing may be the most intuitive person he’s ever met, follows his gaze and lets out a soft “ah” of understanding.
“It is not.” He says. “It belongs to one of the alphas that found you. The stress of the situation must have caused his scent to come through despite the suppressants. Or perhaps he was simply wearing these furs before he took them in the morning.” He takes Jimin’s empty bowl from him with a satisfied hum and hands him the waterskin for him to wash it down with. “Is the scent bothering you? I understand the last thing you may want is a strange alpha’s scent-”
“No, no.” Jimin interrupts quickly when Namjoon goes to take the furs away, clinging to them despite the fact that scent is nearly gone. “I-It’s not that..”
“Ah..” Namjoon sits back with a smile that looks contemplative yet.. Amused? “Is it comforting for you?”
Something uncomfortable stirs from within, his wolf clearly displeased with the insinuation that another alpha’s scent could comfort him despite the grief that should be consuming him. Jimin closes his eyes and breathes deeply through his nose as he tries to fight the fresh wave of nausea threatening to ruin the breakfast he just consumed.
He decides not to answer that question. “Then who…?”
“I’m sorry. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to tell you that. Our pack leader, although kind and fair, can be strict about these things. We have customs that may be strange to you, but if you decide to stay with us you’ll learn them with time.”
His chest tightens. “If I decide..?”
Namjoon smiles, a small sad thing. “Did you think we would cast you out into the wilds? Or force you to join our pack?”
“Ah.. Well..” He doesn’t know what he thought. He grew up rather sheltered in the Park pack, before Jeon Taesook came into his life. When the concept of free will became a pipe dream. He had heard rumors of the Min pack and their ruthlessness, kidnapping members of other packs, creating a huge blended clan that takes whatever they want.
But Taehyung and Namjoon seem so.. Nice. And he was saved by an alpha coated in amber. There is no hostility permeating the healer’s hut.
Maybe Taehyung was right when he said that he’s safe here.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Some time passes and slowly, Jimin starts to relax in the presence of the Min pack. Though he was wholly intimidated when meeting the Head Alpha, Min Yoongi, he found the surprisingly small alpha to be quite kind, with a soothing coffee scent that compliments Taehyung's cinnamon scent perfectly. Taehyung has taken to Jimin quite quickly, often pulling him along with linked elbows, introducing him to everyone.
He’s introduced to Seokjin, another former member of the Kim pack, a particularly feisty omega that is obviously ridiculously in love with Namjoon. One of his favorite people so far is Jung Hoseok, a beta who looks after the pack's pups, teaching them different skills and wrangling them up. It's easy to see that he has a heart of gold and a warm smile, one that even Jeon Jeongguk is not immune to. But Jimin would rather not think of him, thank you very much. Not after the icy reception he received when Taehyung introduced them.
When Taehyung had dragged him to an area where the alphas tended to congregate to train, he was a shaking, nervous wreck, especially because the alphas noticed him. Of course they did, a mysterious new omega hanging off of the Head Omega’s arm like a prized trophy. The attention frightened him, but Taehyung had looped a comforting arm around his waist and steered him to an area near a small bonfire where a lone man sat, carving arrows with meticulous focus.
When he looked up at them, Jimin was stricken by the alpha’s eyes. They were huge, taking up so much of his face, but there was a gentleness to his features that made him appear softer, open, trusting.
That was, until Taehyung introduced them.
“Jimin, this is Jeon Jeongguk. Jeongguk, this is Park Jimin, the newest member of our humble pack.” He had said so proudly, hugging Jimin so tightly that he thought he might pop.
But Jimin had been focused on the name. Jeon. Jeon.
Like Jeon Taesook.
The hair on his arms stood up, and he found himself staring, wondering if he would find the same evil in his eyes that the only other Jeon he had ever met possessed.
But there had been nothing there. Nothing but indifference and slight annoyance.
He had taken one long look at Jimin from head to toe, his dark eyes scrutinizing him in a way that made his skin feel hot with embarrassment and something else he doesn't wish to admit, and he scoffed, actually scoffed, before turning on his heel and walking away without a word. Jimin was scandalized, and a bit hurt, but Taehyung was quick to assure him. “That's just Jeongguk. He takes a while to warm up to new people, but he's really quite sweet.”
Apparently Taehyung's sentiments were in the minority, because he quickly learned that most of the other pack members also found Jeongguk to be cold and rude, only giving the time of day to his friends. Jimin had already gotten quite close to these friends, finding it odd that Jeongguk fits in amongst them, but every once in a while he catches a glimpse beyond the icy exterior.
When Yoongi praises him on a good hunt, his ears turn pink and he bows his head with respect. When Namjoon fusses over his minor injuries he constantly seems to get, Jeongguk grumbles under his breath but sits obediently and nods sagely as the healer scolds him for his recklessness. When Hoseok drags him out to retrieve a ball from a tall tree for the crying children, Jeongguk scales the bark with no hesitation. He doesn’t smile at the children, but there is a certain warmth in his eyes when Hoseok beams at him and declares, “See! He’s not so scary is he! Jeongguk came to our rescue!”
When Taehyung runs around their camp, tending to pack members or causing a ruckus, Jeongguk trails alongside him dutifully to protect his Head Alpha’s mate, though the pair always find ways to play little pranks on each other. And that was when Jimin saw Jeongguk smile for the first time, when the alpha unceremoniously shoved a handful of snow down the back of Taehyung’s shirt, causing a fight to the death snowball fight between the two.
And finally, when Seokjin summons Jeongguk, the alpha comes running no matter what time of day it is, even if it interrupts his training. And Seokjin dotes on Jeongguk like one would a pup, always making sure he’s eating well and scolding him when he notices dark circles under his eyes.
Jeongguk appears to only grace these men with his favor, and no one else. He’s never hostile towards others, but he regards everyone around him with cold indifference, only speaking to them if absolutely necessary. And though Jimin has tentatively joined their little group, everyone except for Jeongguk has welcomed him with open arms.
It’s an uncomfortable feeling, being the odd one out, the only one who Jeongguk doesn’t like. He doesn’t treat him with the same indifference he does to the rest of the pack, he seems to actually dislike Jimin and he cannot fathom why. Everyone else seems to take a shine to him, so why won’t Jeongguk give him a chance?
He didn’t accept this new start to already have enemies, or to be uncomfortable in his new home. He’ll make Jeongguk like him, one way or another. Even though he is a Jeon.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Jimin finds that he loves helping out the pack, no matter what the task is. Whether it’s foraging with Seokjin, drying herbs for Namjoon in the healer’s hut, wrangling pups with Hoseok, or even skinning fresh kills hunters like Jeongguk bring back, he does it all with a smile on his face because he’s just so eternally grateful to the Min pack for taking him in.
This bitterly cold, yet sunny day is no different. He forages for rose hips and juniper berries with Seokjin, giggling at his terrible jokes and moaning about how Namjoon won’t give him a chance.
“Every mating season I make my intentions known. I never give him a courting gift during the ceremony because I don’t want to be continuously rejected in public. Yet, he refuses every time. He acts as if he’s not allowed to love because he’s too busy caring for everyone’s health.” He complains in a way that sounds good natured, but Jimin can tell that Seokjin is quite hurt. It has to be hard, pining for someone and having those feelings unrealized. “Maybe he doesn’t think he’s good enough because he wasn’t born a Kim.”
Jimin did not know that. “He wasn’t?” He asks.
Seokjin shakes his head, holding Jimin’s elbow as they climb over a fallen tree. “No. He was found as an infant in the woods, abandoned by the rogue that birthed him. He never knew his real name. Our Head Alpha wanted to leave him to die, but my parents pleaded with him to allow them to adopt him and raise him as a member of the Kim pack.”
“Oh. that’s..” He doesn’t know what to say. It must be hard, not knowing where he came from. “Sad.. But it was kind of your parents to take him in.”
He scoffs. “Just wait until you hear the rest of the story,” He steers him towards the trail on the left. “My parents were well regarded healers, but let’s just say I didn’t have the aptitude for it. I wasn’t fit to continue their work, so the Head Alpha figured this could be another chance, someone else for my parents to impart their wisdom upon. And it worked.” There’s a smile in his voice, taking on a soft, gentle tone. A fondness that makes Jimin’s chest ache.
"Namjoon was a natural, a prodigy even. I could never find it in myself to be jealous, even though it would have been so easy. He became their ticket to higher status within the pack. But Namjoon was never greedy, never rubbed anything in my face. He was incredibly humble, even apologetic when he felt that I could be upset that my parents were paying more attention to him. He became the alpha son they wish I was.” He chuckles bitterly. “To them, if I couldn’t be a healer, I was only good for being mated off. They wanted me to become one of the Head Alpha’s mates, you see. Part of his fucked up harem to elevate the family further. But there was only one alpha I ever wanted, from the moment he presented a couple years after I did.”
Jimin smiles, feeling warm in the face of Seokjin’s pure love for Namjoon. What does it feel like to love someone so wholly and completely?
“But when the Min pack came and tore everything apart, when Yoongi decided to take Taehyung away, Taehyung begged me to go. And in turn, I begged Namjoon to come too.” He sighs as he plucks a juniper berry from the bush and drops it into his wicker basket. “I was so surprised that he agreed so easily. He dropped everything to take a chance with the Min pack. And now that we’re here, we’re happy. We can be who we want to be. But Namjoon still holds me at arm’s length, and I don’t know why.” Sadness doesn’t look good on Seokjin, it sounds so wrong when it taints his melodic voice.
Jimin loops an arm through his and tugs him close. “Shall I ask him?” He teases. “I can be quite annoying until I get answers, you know.”
Seokjin smiles, shoulders relaxing. “I can tell, you have brat written all over you.”
“Speaking of answers..” Maybe since Seokjin is opening up to him, he might be able to pry a little deeper. “Namjoon already told me no, but.. Does his scent happen to be amber with a slight sweet undertone?”
Seokjin pauses, bent over a bush, looking over his shoulder at him with suspicious eyes. “It isn’t. But why do you ask?”
“Do you know who it belongs to?”
“I do. But how have you smelled it?”
Jimin picks at the frayed edge of the handle of the wicker basket. “The day I was rescued, right before I passed out, I caught the scent. And when I woke up in Namjoon’s hut, the furs that were wrapped around me held a trace of that scent. And I just..” He feels his cheeks heat up as a slow, mischievous smile begins to spread on the older omega’s face, his sweet linen scent smelling much too happy. “I just..” He tries, weakly.
“I see.” Seokjin sing songs. “You like the scent, don’t you? Your wolf is drawn to it.”
Denial. His wolf, though no longer actively clawing at his insides, clearly is still licking gaping wounds, not wanting to admit that this new scent does please it. In a way that Taesook’s never has.
“Whoever it is, they saved me. I feel grateful, and I just wish to express that to them.” He puts on the cutest pout he can muster, batting his lashes prettily at him. “So.. Will you tell me whose scent it is?”
Seokjin snorts. “And incur his wrath? No thanks.” Jimin’s shoulders slump, defeated. “Besides, rules are rules. You need to follow them too, new recruit.” He winks at him playfully and Jimin drops to his knees next to him to help him pick berries.
“The customs here are.. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Alphas have to suppress their scent until they’re officially courting someone? I’m assuming during the ceremony you mentioned?”
“Yes. Trust me, I was devastated when we got here and learned that I wouldn’t be able to smell Namjoon anymore, until he decides to accept me. Historically, during mating season in most packs, an alpha chooses an omega or beta and basically fights for their right to mate them. Whether that be during a hunt, or an actual fight, I’m sure it was similar in your own pack.”
It’s true. In the Park pack, eligible omegas had no choice but to participate in a hunt, where they were to be captured by the strongest alpha. There wasn’t much choice, some omegas end up with someone they truly did not wish to mate with.
Jimin never got to participate in such a ceremony. His choice was taken from him anyway.
“Yoongi wanted to change things. He didn’t want omegas to feel like they had no choice. So he decreed that all unmated alphas must suppress their scents, so that they cannot use them to influence an omega’s decision. Every mating season, the week before the courting ceremony, the eligible alphas will leave a gift for the one they wish to court, anonymously. Some omegas receive multiple courting gifts, but the idea is to choose the gift that speaks to you. It’s meant to be special.” He sighs wistfully. “I receive several courting gifts a year, but I know that none of them have belonged to Namjoon. I would know if it did, because he knows me better than anyone else.”
Jimin’s heart skips a beat. Spring is just around the corner, as is mating season. The thought makes him anxious, having lost his mate so recently. Will he be expected to mate so soon?
“If an omega or beta accepts a gift, they are to present it at the courting ceremony. The corresponding alpha reveals themselves, so to speak, and at that point the alpha will officially ask to court the one they chose. If accepted, their courtship begins. This lasts around three weeks, where they’re given the freedom to get to know each other, and the alpha is allowed to stop taking their suppressants.”
It’s all so strange, so different. But it’s also refreshing that the omegas/betas get to take the lead on these things.
“What if during the courtship they discover they’re not compatible after all? Are they committed at this point?” He asks.
“No.” Seokjin replies, popping a berry in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “A courtship can end any time before the mating ceremony. Some people already know who they want to mate with and don’t wish to go through all of the fanfare. They can simply request permission to mate in private, Yoongi and Taehyung keep the traditions alive, but they never force anyone to participate. I wouldn’t even care if Namjoon never got me a courting gift, I just..” He sighs. “Want him. That’s all.”
“Well, he’d be a fool to pass you by.” Jimin says, picking another berry. “Don’t worry. It’ll happen for you.”
“And what about you?” Seokjin asks. “I understand your experience with mating was.. Awful.” He’s careful with his tone, as if fearful he would set Jimin off, send him into another fit, like he was prone to during his first few weeks here. “Do you think you’ll.. Ever give it another chance?”
Would he? Give love another chance?
He never had a choice. From the moment he was bitten, he was resigned to his fate. When Taesook died, beyond his grief he could see the chance given to him. A second chance to mate someone by choice, to find a love as pure as the one Seokjin feels for Namjoon, as caring and passionate as the one Taehyung and Yoongi share.
“I’d like to,” he admits in the quiet space between them. “Someday.”
They wander deeper into the woods, serious talk left behind them, making way for a happier, lighthearted conversation.
“And then Jeongguk popped out of the water looking like a drowned rat! Seriously, when he was younger he was a scrawny thing. His eyes took up his entire face. But he was so damn proud of himself, holding a fish he caught with his bare hands, even though Taehyung nearly fainted thinking he drowned, he was under for so long.”
Jimin giggles alongside him, trying to reconcile the muscled alpha to the scrawny youth Seokjin is describing, but falling woefully short. “I seriously can't imagine it,” he admits. “But if I may ask.. How long has he been a part of the pack? He's the only Jeon.”
He tries to sound nonchalant and conversational, but his palms feel sweaty despite the cold for his answer. The only other Jeon he has ever met has permanently altered his life.
“Ah, since he was a pup at least. He was already here before the Kim invasion. Yoongi found him when he was trying to steal food for himself. Yoongi said he was so terrified when he got caught, like Yoongi would chop off his hand or something. But Yoongi had just taken over as Head Alpha, and despite the protests of the other pack members, he took him in, fed him, taught him how to hunt and such. He’s been devoted ever since. He’s never talked to me about his time before. But if he was alone and starving..” He gives a sad little shrug. “I can’t imagine that the Jeons were very kind to him.”
Their paces quicken when they hear the subtle bubbling of a small stream, and they kneel by the water, filling their waterskins. As the icy liquid slides down his throat, he contemplates the enigma that is Jeongguk. Although Jeongguk is cold and a bit of an ass, especially to him, he doesn’t find that he shares the same brand of cruelty his former mate wielded.
It doesn’t matter that he’s a Jeon. Taesook was evil incarnate. Jeongguk is just a brat.
“Yah! Kim Seokjin!”
Like meerkats, both of the omegas’ heads pop up, necks elongated, eyes wide and unblinking. The voice is familiar, but not. He’s floored when he sees Jeongguk himself, as if summoned by their conversation, bursting through the thick trees, leaves and twigs stuck to his wild dark hair. His voice sounded so unfamiliar to him because it was so.. Happy. Like chasing Seokjin through the woods is the highlight of his day.
Seokjin stands up, opening his arms wide and welcoming, his body slightly shielding Jimin where he still kneels by the stream. He watches as the alpha hops over a fallen log and approaches with a smile so big, bunny-like front teeth on display and nose scrunched, that Jimin is tempted to rub his eyes and see if it disappears. Because surely this smile doesn’t belong to the grumpiest alpha he’s ever met?
“Taehyung was worried about you, said you’ve been out on your own for too long. You know it’s dangerous out here, why didn’t you-”
“I’m not alone though,” Seokjin says, and Jimin turns back around and flicks his waterskin through the running water again, pretending to be totally cool and nonchalant. Like he didn’t even notice Jeongguk was there. “Jimin accompanied me!”
The silence is very telling. He hears footsteps getting closer, and he spares a sneaky glance over his shoulder. Seokjin skips along with his normal enthusiasm, yet Jeongguk trails behind, essentially dragging his feet. The smile is wiped off his face, like it was never even there, a figment of Jimin’s imagination.
Jimin tries to pretend that it doesn’t sting a little.
“Hello Jeongguk,” he greets, mustering up every welcoming bone in his body, and giving a friendly smile. Jeongguk says nothing. Seokjin jabs him in the side, earning a wince and an “ow!” from the young alpha. “Yah, Jeongguk. Do you have wax built up in your ears again? Do I need to ask Namjoon to clean you out? Jimin just greeted you, you brat!”
Jeongguk, to his credit, looks rightfully scolded, cheeks pink and lips pushing out in a little pout. It’s so obvious at this moment that he is the baby.
It’s cute. Even though Jimin kind of wants to throttle him.
Jimin giggles at the clear display of Seokjin’s maternal dynamic when it comes to Jeongguk, and the alpha swats at Seokjin’s hand, narrowing his eyes at Jimin, clearly not pleased that he has the audacity to laugh at him.
He had never heard an omega speak to an alpha in such a way, especially an unmated one. Things are so progressive in the Min pack, it’s hard not to be relaxed here. He can poke fun at an alpha without worrying about getting punished for it. He doesn’t have to walk on eggshells here. He’s never felt so free.
After a moment of back and forth bickering, Jeongguk finally gives a long suffering sigh and meets Jimin’s eyes. His eyes are so big, very pretty for an alpha, dark and sparkling. After a moment of tense silence in which everyone in the vicinity holds their breath in anticipation..
Jeongguk nods at him.
Jimin waits for something else, but no verbal greeting comes. Tempering his disappointment, Jimin turns back towards the water and sighs. “Do you like rosehips, Jeongguk?” He reaches into the wicker basket and scoops up the mounds of berries, before running them through the stream, cleaning them off.
“They’re his favorite!” Seokjin chirps cheerfully before Jeongguk could answer - not like he was going to anyway. He hears Jeongguk sputtering in protest, but they pay him no mind. The older omega drops to his knees next to him to assist, and once Jimin has a hearty, clean handful, he twists back around and holds out his hand, presenting the shining berries in his pink stained hand. “Here.” He offers with a warm smile.
Jeongguk stares at his outstretched palm, a suspicious furrow in the crease between his brows as if this were all a trick, that these berries are actually poisoned and Jimin will rejoice upon his grave. Eventually, he kneels down so that they’re eye level and thrusts his hand out beneath Jimin’s palm up. Pleased, he tilts his hand and lets the berries trickle into his waiting palm. “They’re my favorite too.” He reveals in a dramatic whisper, as if he were sharing some great secret. Jeongguk looks utterly unimpressed, but he shoves the whole handful in his mouth, chewing with an expression that Jimin can only describe as.. Angry?
Well, maybe they’re just that good.
He turns back around to continue washing. He keeps speaking, not wanting to let the conversation die out, not while Jeongguk is being borderline agreeable for once.
“I’m so happy that they’re so abundant here,” he tells them conversationally. “They used to never grow near my former packlands- ow!” A sharp sting cuts him off, and he drops the bundle of berries that were in his hand. There’s a speck of bright red amongst the pink juices, he must have nicked his finger on a stray thorn.
He moves to suck on his finger out of habit, but a sudden grip around his wrist stops him in his tracks. He flinches on instinct, trying to wrench himself away, but Jeongguk’s grip is strong, his large hand practically engulfing his dainty wrist. He watches with a slacked mouth as Jeongguk raises his hand to eye level and inspects the tiny puncture wound, the back of his neck heating up when Seokjin starts to coo and tease from his other side? Seriously, he’s meant to be the oldest?
“It’s just from a thorn..” He says weakly, feeling so hot from the single point of contact and Jeonguk’s assessing gaze, that he fears steam will start lifting from his skin in tell-tale wisps. And just like that, Jeongguk seems to snap out of it, like the moment was never really there. He drops his hand with a flourish, hard enough that it almost knocks Jimin on his ass from where he kneels in the mud. “You should be more careful.” He says grumpily, rising back up to his feet and glaring down at the pair. “Come on. The sun is about to set. We have to finish preparing for dinner tonight, Seokjin.”
“You’re right, I nearly forgot!” Seokjin says as he stands and helps a wobbly Jimin to his feet. They pick up their baskets and begin to follow Jeongguk back towards their camp. “Jimin, you must come!” He says so excitedly, as if it’s the brightest idea anyone has ever thought of.
His enthusiasm is infectious. He finds himself smiling despite himself. “What is-”
“No.” Jeongguk’s sharp denial makes the question die on Jimin’s tongue, the sting of rejection settling heavy on his chest like a pound of rocks.
“What’s your problem?” Seokjin demands, clearly not having any of it, whacking Jeongguk on the back of his head with his basket in such a way that makes the alpha yelp and glare at him over his shoulder. “It’s not like it’s some secret closed circle ritual, it’s just a weekly dinner Yoongi and Taehyung host at their hut. Just a fun, casual night with their closest friends.”
“He isn’t a friend.”
Ouch. He says that with such conviction, like his mind is already completely made up about Jimin. Like he won’t have a chance to change it, he’s already shot down. He can feel the unwanted tightening start in his throat, the telling sting in his eyes. He opens his mouth to.. He doesn’t know what, actually. Defend himself? Beg for a chance? Apologize for being the cause of this petty argument? But Seokjin beats him to it.
“Taehyung would be devastated to hear it. He might not be your friend yet Jeongguk, but he is the rest of ours. Therefore, I am inviting him. Jimin, don’t listen to this insufferable grump.” He hooks his elbow through Jimin’s and pulls him close, bumping his forehead against his temple. It makes him both smile and want to cry for an entirely different reason. “Will you come?”
Jeongguk looks over his shoulder and meets his eyes directly, a fire in them, daring him to defy him and accept. And maybe if he were allowed to use his heady scent against him, Jimin would be more easily intimidated.
But he’s not scared of Jeon Jeongguk.
So he lifts his chin up, meeting his gaze head on, with a lot more confidence than he really feels. “I’d love to.” He replies decisively, ignoring the not so subtle scoff and eye roll as Jeongguk faces the front again. “What should I wear?”
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Jeongguk doesn’t like change.
Actually, no scratch that. He actually fucking hates change.
Hoseok loves to tell him that it stems from his turbulent childhood and unresolved trauma, sprinkle in a bit of abandonment issues and he’s the perfect cocktail of screwed up. Because even after a decade, he still doesn’t know how to trust people.
He doesn’t trust people who haven’t proved themselves to him, and he sure as hell doesn’t trust strangers. And that includes Park Jimin, no matter how endearing he tries to make himself out to be.
And now this stranger is going to be crashing the one, singular part of his week where he usually lets himself shed his thick skin and be himself. How the hell is he supposed to do that with an omega who smells like spring invading their group?
“Stop sulking, pup,” Yoongi chastises, flicking his forehead. “And go get some more wood for the fire, yeah? Seokjin needs some extra for the stew.”
Grumbling indignantly under his breath as he always does when he’s still referred to as “pup”, he leaves the stiflingly warm hut, the bitter air burning at his skin like little pinpricks. He tightens his furs around himself and trudges towards the edge of the woods, his breath visible in foggy huffs.
It’s too fucking cold. And Jimin was not properly dressed for it earlier. How did he not turn into a popsicle?
He’s not worried, he’s really not. If he gets sick and it spreads to everyone else, then what? Everyone is miserable.
Someone should just make him a proper coat.
He starts to gather kindling, bundling the sticks in his arms with ease. Even though he grumbles and groans, he enjoys doing these mindless tasks, especially for Yoongi. The Min pack has given him everything, his compliance is the least he could do.
Once he has a hearty bundle in his arms, he wonders if this will be enough for Seokjin’s ultra hot stew. Why does it need a constant fire anyway? Does the temperature really make a difference in the taste? The hut is already hot as it is, and now it’s going to be positively boiling -
“Need some help?”
Colorful curses fly from his lips and he whirls around so fast he loses a few sticks in the process, flying out of his arms with enough force that Jimin has to dodge out of the way to keep from being struck by one.
Jimin.
There he stands, with a smile that’s a little too wide, in a coat that’s too big for his body but with none of the insulation required for this bitter weather.
“What are you doing here?” He asks, shifting his remaining sticks to one arm so he can pick up the ones he dropped. Jimin nearly folds himself in half trying to help him and Jeongguk tries really, really hard to not roll his eyes.
He fails.
When Jimin doesn’t immediately answer, his irritation only grows. “It’s freezing out here and that sorry excuse for a coat won’t cut it. Do you have a death wish?”
He sees Jimin’s head snap up in his peripheral vision, can see the edges of a slow smile spreading across his face. “You worried about me or something?”
He scoffs. “No. You’re just wasting your time. Go to the hut, I’m sure Seokjin needs help chopping vegetables or something.” He looks up just in time to watch the smile fade from the omega’s lips, replaced by something sour and defiant.
Why does this not feel like a victory?
“Oh, I see.” Jimin says, in a tone that is frankly icier than the air around them. “So because I’m an omega, I’m only useful in the kitchen is that it?” He straightens up and tosses the sticks he’s gathered at his feet. “Fine.” He turns away and Jeongguk is left kneeling with his mouth hanging open, completely thrown off by the sudden outburst.
And he doesn’t feel bad, but-
“Wait, woah.” Jeongguk shoots to his feet. “That’s not what I.. That’s not what I’m trying to say.” Jimin doesn’t turn around but he turns his head to the side slightly, a silver dangling earring glinting in the fading sun. Listening, waiting.
“I’m just saying, it’s freezing out here, your coat sucks, and it won’t take me long to fetch kindling. It’s not a two person job, it has nothing to do with you being an omega.”
Jimin is quiet for a moment, but Jeongguk can see the way his cheek lifts from the side. Cocky bastard.
When he turns back around, he’s smiling and Jeongguk feels a little relieved. He barely grazed past a potential disaster. Something tells him that this omega might be something else when he’s truly angry.
“Hm. Fine, I’ll accept your answer. I still want to help, though. Two hands is always better than one.” He skips over, a little too happy for Jeongguk’s liking and gets started on gathering more wood.
Jeongguk sighs. He sets down his bundle and shucks off his furs. He hisses through his teeth as the cold air stings at his bare arms, goosebumps erupting on his skin instantly. He marches over to Jimin and thrusts the furs in his direction, focusing his gaze on a faraway tree.
“Here.”
He feels Jimin’s gaze burning the side of his face.
“What?”
Jeongguk huffs, his patience honestly running thin. Is he daft or something? Does he think he’s doing this for his own health? He turns to face the omega fully and hastily swings the fur coat around his body, before settling the weight over Jimin’s slim shoulders, ignoring their close proximity, and how Jimin’s sweet cherry blossom scent smells welcomed in the frigid air.
“Are you deaf? I said it’s freezing out here. You’ll catch your death. You really need a better coat.”
Jimin stares at his face with wide eyes, hands hovering over the edges of the coat like he isn’t quite sure what to do with them. He watches as he tucks his chin into the furs, almost nuzzling into them, and a weird feeling settles in Jeongguk’s chest.
Right as he steps away to pick up his bundle, the omega suddenly goes rigid, as still as stone, eyes fixed on the fur sleeves, though his gaze is glassy and unfocused.
“What is it?” He asks, dropping the sticks again with a clatter.
Jimin’s eyes shoot up to his, still looking a little dazed. He inhales so deeply that his whole body tenses, his pretty lashes fluttering on his cheeks that are tinged a pretty pink from the cold. “Amber?” He asks so quietly that Jeongguk almost misses it, with the entire lower half of his face buried in the fur coat.
Jeongguk’s heart drops to his stomach.
He had heard from Namjoon and Seokjin that Jimin kept asking about his scent ever since the morning after he rescued him from the woods. Draped in the very same coat that sits upon his shoulders now.
He sighs. He had slept in it the night before because he was too lazy to keep the fire going in his hut. Of course traces of his scent would linger, and now Jimin.. Jimin is looking at him like that.
Like it’s not even that much of a surprise to him.
His eyes are squinted, the apples of his cheeks lifted. He’s smiling, the pink on his skin growing deeper.
“Come on,” Jeongguk suddenly turns away and re-picks up his sticks for the hundredth time. He can feel Jimin’s gaze burning the back of his neck. “Let’s hurry before Seokjin finds us and puts us in his stew instead of stag meat.”
It’s so fucking hot inside Yoongi and Taehyung’s hut. So much so, that as soon as they step inside, Jimin is already shedding the borrowed coat and pressing it into his hands. Jeongguk ignores how soft his fingers feel against his calloused ones.
It was a quick exchange, surely no one else had a chance to notice. Except that isn’t true, because Taehyung has his eyes locked on them with a shit eating grin on his face.
“Thank you.” Jimin tells him quietly, and Jeongguk just nods, not making eye contact. After the kindling is delivered and Seokjin gets in his scolding for taking so long, Jeongguk settles in a chair out of the way with some wine, sipping quietly as he watches Jimin eagerly take orders from Seokjin. And chops some fucking vegetables.
“Careful, you might burn a hole in him with how hard you’re staring.”
“Go away.”
“Is that any way to speak to your Head Alpha? I should have you whipped in front of the whole pack. Naked.”
Jeongguk rolls his eyes, but he bites back a smile as Yoongi settles down next to him with his own glass. “Oh, you’re right sorry, let me amend that - go away your majesty.”
“Brat,” Yoongi scolds, but there’s no heat in it. There never is, not when it comes to Jeongguk. No matter how brash Jeongguk makes himself out to be, no one can bring themselves to hate him for it.
Jeongguk doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve them, really.
“And I’m not staring. Just contemplating the hypocrisy, he got so mad at me when I suggested he go inside and help Seokjin instead of me, and now here he is.. Helping Seokjin with a stupidly big smile on his face.” He complains, waving his glass of wine in his direction with enough finesse that the dark liquid nearly sloshes over the side.
“Yah, careful with that. If you stain our rugs, Taehyung will kill me first. And then you. And then me again.”
Jeongguk grins, but hides it behind a hearty sip.
“Also, were you born yesterday? What made you think telling an omega to get in the kitchen was a good idea?”
He doesn’t know. He just shrugs and turns away when Jimin starts to laugh, so loud and so all over the place that he nearly falls over and knocks over the entire pot of stew, much to Seokjin’s chagrin.
“Why are you being this way anyway?” Yoongi asks, watching him with sharp eyes that are all too knowing for his liking.
“Being like what way?”
“An ass. Towards Jimin. Come on, you’re the one who found him in the woods. You saw the sorry state the poor kid was in first hand. Why are you hellbent on making it harder for him?”
Jeongguk stares into his half empty wine glass, icy tendrils of shame settling in his belly. He’s always looked up to Yoongi, ever since he was a lonely, starving pup in the woods with no social skills whatsoever. So it always stings when he’s being reprimanded.
“You’ve always been distant with everyone else in the pack and that’s fine. But I’ve never known you to be an asshole for no reason,” he nudges his ankle with his foot and Jeongguk takes the hint and looks up into his pack leader’s eyes. “I don’t think you hate him, or even dislike him. I think you might even have a soft spot for the kid.”
Jeongguk scoffs and immediately opens his mouth to argue because there’s no way that’s the case, but suddenly Yoongi has a lapful of Taehyung and their conversation is essentially cut off.
“You even let Jimin borrow your coat. Twice now, if I recall correctly and I do.” Taehyung smirks at him and this time Jeongguk doesn’t hold back from rolling his eyes so hard he almost passes out. “You’re protective as hell over that coat. What does that mean, hm Jeonggukie?”
Not a damn thing.
It doesn’t.
But as everyone takes their spots around the giant table, giant pot of stew and bread rolls spread out before them, Jeongguk can’t help that his eyes keep going back to where Jimin sits just across from him, their ankles brushing whenever they move a certain way. And it’s hard not to look at him, when Jimin is hellbent on catching his eyes, on smiling at him like they’ve somehow bonded, like it means something that Jimin now knows his scent, knows that it was Jeongguk who saved him.
Because it doesn’t.
Does it?
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
As the weeks pass and the weather starts to become more bearable by the day, Jeongguk takes his self reflection meditations by the river a bit more seriously. And he comes up with a couple of alarming conclusions.
For one, he accepts that he doesn’t actually harbor any hate for Jimin at all.
And the most alarming one of all - is that he’s also realized that he might like Jimin.
Fuck Min Yoongi for getting in his head.
It didn’t happen all at once, but ever since the night of the dinner, Jimin seems to have made it his personal mission to be in his presence at any given opportunity. When Jeongguk comes back from hunting with his kill on his back, Jimin appears out of nowhere to help him skin it. Whenever he goes to the river to sit or fish, Jimin somehow always finds him, begging and pleading with some damned puppy dog eyes for Jeongguk to teach him how to fish.
So he does. And Jimin is pretty good at it.
Whenever Jimin wants to go foraging, whether it’s just him or with Seokjin, he always seeks him out and asks if he’d escort them, if he’d keep them safe. And Jeongguk goes, because of course he does, and he ignores the smirks Seokjin throws over his shoulder and focuses instead on Jimin’s footing, because he’s so fucking clumsy he’d probably fall and bash his head open if he weren’t watching.
And sometimes, in the dead of night, Jeongguk will wake up feeling uneasy and restless, like an itch he can’t seem to scratch. He always feels an inexplicable urge to go outside, and every single time he does, he finds Jimin, sitting alone on a log by the giant bonfire which usually has already long gone out. And in these moments, Jeongguk will sit with him and Jimin will talk. From something as mundane as the desire to learn more about healing herbs from Namjoon, to heavier topics. The ones that still hurt his soul, that shows that his wolf is still wounded.
Jimin strips himself bare before Jeongguk, speaking to him of pain that Jeongguk feels he doesn’t deserve to listen to. For who is he to comfort someone like Jimin after the way he treated him?
“His name was Taesook,” Jimin whispers during one of these nights, the name spilling from his lips like poison. He looks at Jeongguk out of the corner of his eye. “Jeon Taesook.”
It feels like the ground has disappeared from beneath him, and all the air leaves his lungs all at once.
“Did you know him?” He asks, not even the hint of accusation to be found in his question.
Jeongguk shakes his head, but he still feels sick to his stomach.
“No.” He tells him, with an earnestness he’s never expressed before, like the mere thought of Jimin not believing him would be too much for him to bear. “I don’t remember anything from my life before Yoongi found me. Just being cold, starving..” He sighs. “Alone.”
Jimin stays quiet for a while, and the moon shines through their little bubble, illuminating the side of the omega’s face and Jeongguk thinks he’s never seen anyone so suited to be kissed by both the sun and the moon before.
“I didn’t know him, either.” Jimin says, his hands balling into fists in his lap. He’s still not wearing a very good coat, but at least the cold is bearable as spring draws nearer. “I lived a simple life, with the Parks. We weren’t particularly a big pack. My father was the Head Alpha. I was being groomed to be the perfect omega for my future mate. My father was hoping for an alliance with a bigger pack, for protection and for resources.” His voice grows softer with every sentence, enough that Jeongguk has to lean in to catch his words.
“Then one day, a lone wolf enters our lands. He looked wild, almost feral even. He said his name was Jeon Taesook, and that he was exiled from his home because he was considered a runt.” He scoffs, and there goes that familiar fire in his eyes, the same kind of fire that showed Jeongguk that this omega is not to be trifled with. “We took him in, fed him, tended to his wounds. He helped my father and the other alphas hunt. He was perfectly polite and courteous, charming even.”
He tapers off and is quiet for a while again. Jeongguk thinks he might be gathering the strength to continue his story. And Jeongguk is not good with words, he really isn’t, so he does the only thing he can think of to do.
He reaches out and gently covers his clasped hands with his own, his own singular hand large enough to cover both of Jimin’s. The omega tenses for a moment, just a breath, then he relaxes.
“Then one night, I woke up so abruptly, so painfully. I was yanked out of my bed by my hair, he was holding on so tight. And there was smoke, so much of it in the air that I couldn’t breathe, I just kept coughing and gagging. I was dragged outside, where the others were all running around panicking. It was him. Taesook.”
He heaves a great, shuddering breath and Jeongguk holds his hand tighter, ignoring the way his heart jumps when Jimin turns his hand to press their palms together and intertwine their fingers.
“When I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing there. It was like looking at an illusion, a demon or something. That’s when he told me my parents were dead, but if I was good, I could be spared. That’s when…” His voice shakes and Jeongguk thinks he might throw up. “That’s when he ripped my clothes off, forced himself on me, and bit me. In front of everyone, in front of my family and friends. I-I can still see their faces, the way their tears made trails because of all the a-ash and..” He shudders and tears begin to spill down his cheeks, sparkling in the moonlight like diamonds.
Jeongguk doesn’t consciously do it, but in the blink of an eye he has the crying omega in his arms, holding him tight enough to hurt but Jimin doesn’t complain.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers into his hair, ignoring the sting in his own eyes. “I’m so sorry.” He’s so sorry for many things. For what Jimin went through. From the forced mating to the bond breaking so violently, to the escape and how fucking hurt and scared he must have been.
Most of all, he’s sorry for making everything so much harder for him in the beginning. Especially now that he knows he shares a name with his abuser. Jeongguk has never hated his name more than he does right now.
“I-It’s okay.” Jimin gasps into his chest, even though it isn’t okay at all. “He’s d-dead now, he can’t hurt me anymore. That means I won, r-right?”
There’s that fire again, even when Jimin falls apart. Jeongguk rubs a firm hand up and down his back, hoping to keep him grounded in reality.
“Yes,” he tells him. “That means you’ve won.”
That’s the moment when Jeongguk realized that he doesn’t just like Jimin.
He’d do anything to soothe the hurt. And feeling this way scares him more than anything else.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
As it turns out, accepting these already intense feelings comes with a lot of fucking inconveniences.
Like enduring the teasing of his friends, especially Taehyung and Seokjin.
And jealousy.
Now more than ever Jeongguk is painfully aware that spring is just around the corner, and with that comes mating season. A season he’s never participated in, even when an omega has shown interest.
But now Jimin is here, and Jeongguk is not the only alpha that notices.
As the frost melts and the first flowers begin to bloom, Jimin appears to bloom right along with them. The sun kisses his skin, his cherry blossom scent is sweeter than it’s ever been before, and it’s attracting attention. A lot of it.
Jeongguk probably should have expected this, but alphas and betas alike practically fall at Jimin’s feet, like they would kiss them if he’d let them. Every time Jimin is helping Namjoon in the healer’s hut, there’s suddenly a line of alphas who magically have all hurt themselves at the same time. And whenever Jeongguk walks past Jimin’s hut in the early hours of the morning when everyone else is still sleeping, he always sees gifts left on his doorstep, and it’s not even time for courting yet!
It shouldn’t get under his skin. He has no right to feel this way, after all.
Yet he does, and if anyone in this pack is competitive to a fault it’s Jeon fucking Jeongguk.
“You do realize what this means if you go through with this, right?” Hoseok asks him, after a particularly vivacious venting session where Jeongguk may or may not have revealed his master plan. “It isn’t a game, Jeongguk. Especially not for him.”
“He’s right,” Taehyung chimes in because he can’t help himself, pouring himself another glass of wine. “If you do this and he accepts you, then that’s it Jeongguk. It’s for life.” He leans forward until he’s right in Jeongguk’s personal space, his face the most serious it’s ever been. “In other words, you better be fucking sure.”
Jeongguk swallows thickly, feeling like the beginnings of anxiety settling in the pit of his stomach. But not for the reasons his friends would expect.
He’s not afraid of spending his life with Jimin, even though he probably should be. He’s never been so sure of anything ever since the night the omega flayed himself open and cried in his arms.
He’s afraid that Jimin will reject him.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Jimin is starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the onslaught of attention he’s been receiving ever since the snow began to melt.
Everywhere he goes he feels eyes following him, tracking his movements. Every morning he finds gifts at his door. Every evening when the pack congregates around the giant bonfire to eat, people keep piling more food on his plate. His friends are loving it, much to his dismay. He’s constantly being teased. “There’s so many alphas and betas pining for you, Minnie!” Taehyung loves to coo at him. “Whoever shall you pick?”
And - well, just the thought alone is enough to make him anxious, it keeps him up at night even more when he’s already been struggling to sleep.
That’s why the late night talks with Jeongguk by the dying fire has been such a respite for him. Despite their rocky beginnings, Jimin feels completely at ease with the alpha. He feels like he can open up to him in a way he can’t with anyone else, and he has. His face burns hot with embarrassment when he thinks back to the night he cried in Jeongguk’s arms, but in the same breath he burns for an entirely different reason when he recalls how warm and safe he felt there.
In other words, he’s royally screwed. And smitten.
And sure, he and Jeongguk may be friends now, but it’s unlikely that Jeongguk feels the same way he does. Still, he can’t help but hope..
The courting ceremony is rapidly approaching, and Jimin is fucking terrified. What if he upsets members of his new pack by rejecting them? What if Jeongguk does give him a courting gift and Jimin is unable to recognize that it’s from him?
Or even worse.. What if Jeongguk doesn’t want to court him at all?
Is he even ready to be courted?
Day by day, hour by hour, Jimin and his wolf feel more and more settled. Finally, the grief is nothing but a dull ache, one that Jimin can mostly ignore. But does that mean he’s completely ready to give everything to another? To Jeongguk?
“You’ll get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that.”
Jimin flinches and looks up dazedly, barely able to see Seokjin standing over him with the sun shining on him like he’s some sort of angel or something. The older omega quickly sits down next to him and reaches into the basket of freshly caught fish and starts assisting him with deboning them. Jimin gives him a grateful smile and washes the fish in the still freezing water. Thankfully, he’s not a popsicle every time he goes outside now.
“Not frowning, just.. Thinking.” He murmurs distractedly.
“About Jeongguk?”
Jimin flinches so hard that he fumbles with the fish and nearly drops it right back into the water. Thankfully he manages to snatch it out of the air and hold it to his chest, breathing heavily like he just ran a damn marathon.
“Huh? No! Why would I?” He asks, but he’s a terrible liar, his voice sounds even higher pitched than normal and he’s sure his cheeks are an embarrassing shade of pink. Seokjin isn’t fooled, because of course he isn’t, and he grins at him like Christmas came early (even though it’s passed).
“Well you have been spending an awful amount of time with him lately, and the courting ceremony is coming up. Do I smell love in the air?”
“No, it’s just your allergies.”
Seokjin laughs so hard that he starts snorting and almost busts a rib.
“And so what if we spend time together? We’re friends now.” He feels defensive for some reason, as if letting his friends in on his chaotic feelings would be too much, leaving him too exposed and vulnerable.
“And I’m glad to see that. So you’re saying if he leaves you a gift, you wouldn’t accept it?” He asks, staring at Jimin’s face, searching for any little twitch of a lie.
With flaming cheeks, Jimin grabs a fresh fish and flings it right at Seokjin, smacking him dead in the face. The older omega sputters, fumbling the slimy thing, but he somehow saves it from hitting the ground. “Yah, Park Jimin! Don’t think you can avoid my questions by attacking me with fish!”
But he does manage to avoid his invasive questions, because a full on fish fight breaks out between the two, and by the end of it, they’re both slimy and smelly.
As the gifting week fast approaches, Jimin starts to see less and less of Jeongguk. Every time he seeks him out, he’s either informed that he’s gone hunting or he’s simply too busy to escort Jimin to the river. And when he does manage to speak to him, the alpha’s sentences are short, direct, straight to the point, much like when they first met, all seriousness and hardly any of that softness he’s started to know.
Jimin wonders if Jeongguk is avoiding him, if he’s trying to dash Jimin’s hopes so that he doesn’t get the wrong idea. The sting of rejection feels particularly intense, his mind and his wolf having finally come around to the idea of mating by choice and the one he wants is.. Distant. Again.
Yeah, that really fucking stings.
Even during their weekly dinners at Yoongi and Taehyung’s, Jeongguk doesn’t socialize as much. Not that he did much in the first place, but he at least would meet Jimin’s eye and smile. Now he keeps his head down and shovels down food as quickly as he can, before he’s practically bolting out of the hut with hurried thanks and goodbyes.
“Is it me?” He asks during one of these nights.
Everyone looks at each other before smiling tightly at Jimin. “Don’t worry about it, Jimin.” Namjoon tells him. “This is a busy time for everyone. Things will calm down soon enough.”
But he doesn’t miss the lingering looks the group gives each other. And once again, Jimin feels like an outsider.
So Jimin busies himself, volunteering to help Taehyung prepare for the courting ceremony, and also helping Namjoon bottle his more popular concoctions.
The evening before the official start of gifting week, the entire pack is gathered around the great bonfire, buzzing with excitement, secretive looks shared across people who already know who they want. Yoongi and Taehyung stand upon a platform so they can be seen, and sitting on a log right in front of them is Jeongguk.
Hastily, Jimin steals the seat right next to him, casting him a sideways smile. Jeongguk’s lips twitch and he nods, but turns his attention back to their leaders before Jimin can get a word in. Trying very hard not to pout (and failing miserably), Jimin wrings his hands in his lap and listens.
“Quiet everyone!” Taehyung calls, clapping his hands together and smiling broadly as the crowd starts to immediately die down. “Welcome to the official start of this year’s mating season! Gifting week starts tomorrow, and as always, we ask that if you are participating, please remember to follow the rules.” He meets Jimin’s eye and winks, and Jimin feels his cheeks heating up in a way that has nothing to do with the fire.
“Alphas and betas, if you are gifting to an omega or beta, please do so anonymously. The whole point is to be recognized by your heart, to show that you know and care for your potential mate. You may leave your gift upon their doorstep before dawn.” Taehyung explains, loud and clear. Jimin shifts in his seat and glances at Jeongguk, who remains stiff and straight-backed, eyes fixed on Taehyung. “If you receive a gift on your doorstep and you reject it, simply leave it on your doorstep and an elder will collect it. If you accept the gift, bring it inside with you and you will present it during the courting ceremony in one week’s time.”
The crowd starts buzzing again, quietly, but the excitement in the air is undeniable.
“Once it is presented, the gifter will reveal their identity and officially ask to court you. If accepted, your official courtship will begin, until it is time for the mating ceremony after a month. You are allowed to end your courtship at any time, for any reason.”
“And if your gift is rejected, you are not to harass the omega or beta to whom you wished to court. Take the rejection gracefully and know that your time will come.” Yoongi adds. “If anyone feels uncomfortable or unsafe, please come to my mate or I, and we will take care of it. Remember, this is a very serious matter. Mating is for life, so think very carefully about your decision.” Did Yoongi just look at Jeongguk? Why did he look at him?
Jimin feels a stone settling in his belly. Is Jeongguk planning to court someone?
After the announcements are done, copious amounts of food are brought out and everyone starts to enjoy themselves, socializing and eating. When Jimin turns to talk to Jeongguk, the alpha is already on his feet and disappearing through the crowd.
His eyes start to sting and he tries to tell himself it’s just from the smoke from the fire. As he gets up to leave, two sets of arms loop around both of his, locking him in place.
“Where are you going Minnie?” Taehyung asks, eyes sparkling. “Won’t you have some food and drink? Seokjin and Hoseok spent a lot of time cooking it, you know.”
“Indeed, we did.” Seokjin says from his other side. “Why do you look so down? You should be excited, I have a feeling you’re going to get the most gifts this season!”
Jimin doesn’t really feel like partying. Not when the weight of rejection sits so heavily on his chest. He tries his best to put on a smile, but he thinks it probably comes out as more of a grimace instead. “You should know more than anyone that the gifts don’t matter if they’re not from the right person.” He tells Seokjin quietly. The older omega frowns, but understanding dawns in his eyes and he presses a sweet kiss to Jimin’s cheek.
“Don’t fret, pup.” He says gently. “No matter what happens, it’s going to be alright.”
“You’ve got us.” Taehyung says, nuzzling his other cheek with his nose. “If this mating season is a bust, next year will be better. Try not to worry so much, hm?”
Jimin nods, putting on a smile that feels a little more genuine. They’re right. He has wonderful friends here. If all else fails, at least he won’t be alone.
So he enjoys the evening with his friends by his side, flushing when he catches several unmated alphas and betas watching him.
It’s easier then, to get swept up in the excitement of it all.
Even though his eyes keep searching for Jeongguk with no luck.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
When dawn breaks, Jimin wakes to sunlight streaming through the gap of his shutters, and a warm body wrapped around him, hugging him like a koala.
“Tae,” he murmurs, wiggling in his hold. “Tae, wake up.”
Taehyung grunts and nuzzles his face into the back of his neck, his sweet cinnamon scent thick in the air, mixing with Jimin’s cherry blossoms, a combination that is strange but oddly works.
Jimin manages to finally free himself from his grasp, sitting up in bed, much to Taehyung’s dismay. “You know if you keep falling asleep here, Yoongi might burn my house down to get you out.”
“So damn dramatic.” Taehyung murmurs, thick with sleep. “He wouldn’t burn it down, he’d just make you live with us so I can cuddle you whenever I want.” He smirks up at him, popping one eye open. “My own personal cuddle slave.”
Jimin scoffs and smacks Taehyung’s thigh, earning an affronted yelp. He stands up and stretches, happy that for the first time since arriving he isn’t freezing cold as soon as he gets out of bed. He gets a fire going and puts some tea on to boil, then he washes up so that he feels a little more alive.
The front door creaks open and Jimin sighs as the morning breeze wafts into his cut, bringing in the fresh spring air. This is definitely his season, ready to bloom like the cherry blossoms he smells like.
“Oh Minnieeee!” Taehyung sing songs as Jimin busies himself pouring the tea into two cups. “You might want to come to your door!”
Jimin sleepily drags his feet to the front door, squinting as the sun momentarily blinds him. Taehyung grins at him with a smile even more bright before moving out of the way. He blinks as he takes in the sight before him, his tired brain taking a moment too long to catch up, but when it does – his stomach swoops.
There’s a small pile of gifts sitting on his porch.
“Oh,” He breathes. “Oh, wow.”
He kneels before the gifts, eyes sweeping over the pile. Sure, he expected one or two gifts, but certainly not this many. And not all on the first day of gifting week.
“Go on.” He hears Taehyung say softly from behind him, all traces of teasing gone. “Look through them carefully.”
So Jimin does. He looks for familiarity in the gifts, for something that could be traced to Jeongguk. But these gifts all appear to be generic, nothing that feels personal to Jimin. A bear tooth necklace, a hand carved jewelry box, brand new tools that could help him with his work with Namjoon, a pretty shirt made with silk that must have cost a fortune, a box of sweets.
He scoffs a little to himself and pushes himself to his feet, trying to calm the disappointment in his heart.
“The only alphas or betas I’ve grown close to are the ones I’ve become good friends with.” He mutters, stepping back and closing the front door, effectively rejecting the gifts. “How can virtual strangers already know they wish to spend a lifetime together?”
“I’ve often wondered the same thing.” Taehyung answers, hugging him from behind and hooking his chin over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s only the first day, after all.” He kisses his cheek sweetly.
“What did Yoongi gift you?” He asks curiously.
Taehyung chuckles low by his ear. “Despite Yoongi’s strictness, we were very unconventional. He stole me, you see. From the Kim pack.” When Jimin turns around in his arms with wide, alarmed eyes, Taehyung bursts out laughing. “I went willingly, Jimin. It was just.. Instant. The connection we felt. He brought us back here, and we mated that very night. Was it rushed? Maybe. But when you know, you know.”
“Do you always, though?” Jimin asks, suddenly feeling unsure about his own feelings. There was no instant connection between him and Jeongguk. On the contrary, all he felt from Jeongguk in the beginning was immediate hostility.
“Maybe not consciously. Sometimes it’s instinctual, you know?”
It hits him then that Taehyung is right. Jimin was drawn to Jeongguk’s scent before he even knew that it was his. Wrapped in sweet amber was the first time Jimin felt safe since coming here.
So, maybe he knew. Maybe his wolf knew all along.
Jimin can feel eyes on him wherever he goes now. And in some of those gazes, he is able to tell who had left him the gifts he had rejected. The sting of it is evident in their faces, and Jimin tries not to feel bad about it.
He doesn’t owe anyone.
The second and third day passes, with fewer gifts but still ones that Jimin can confidently say are not from the alpha he’s hoping for. So he leaves them on his doorstep to be picked up by the elders so they can be returned to dejected hands. It almost feels a little cruel. Jimin is suddenly glad that he’s not on the other end of this.
Midweek comes, and Jimin still sees no sign of Jeongguk. Whenever he asks around for him, the answer is always the same. He’s hunting, he’s hiding out in his hut, he’s running errands for Yoongi.
He’s staying as far away from the festivities as possible.
On the night before the final gifting day, he’s suddenly summoned to Seokjin’s hut. When he knocks, a frantic Seokjin answers with red-rimmed eyes, and he’s being unceremoniously yanked inside his hut, the door slamming shut behind him.
“What is it?” Jimin asks in a panic, eyes searching for any sign of injury. “Why are you crying? What happened?”
With shaking hands and stuttering sobs, Seokjin swipes something off of a table and shoves it in his hands. “Look,” he croaks. “Just.. Just look.”
Jimin looks. And a soft gasp escapes his lips before he can stop it.
In his hands is nothing short of pure artistry. The base is hand-carved mahogany, intricate patterns dancing on the wood. There’s touches of forest green and white, a winter landscape on the dark surface. The top is flat, and instead of wood, sits a glassy, icy surface.
And on top of this, are two little figurines in ice skates, also hand carved, but with stunning details.
It’s very easy to guess who they are.
“T-Turn it.” Seokjin whimpers by his side.
Jimin tilts the music box to the side and notices a dial sticking out. With a breathless chuckle, he winds it up, and then lets it go.
A soft tinkling melody plays, and the figures start to move, gliding along the glass surface. There must be some sort of magnet beneath the glassy surface, but it truly looks like they’re ice skating hand in hand, twirling and dancing.
It’s stunning.
And obviously made with so much love.
He looks up blindly, tears blurring his own vision and he grins at Seokjin, who mirrors his smile right back at him.
“Namjoon?” He asks, though he already knows the answer.
“Of course it is,” Seokjin sniffles. “He even gave himself dimples.” He dabs at his cheeks with his sleeve and laughs, high and disbelieving. “Th-there was this lake we would visit in the winter growing up, after it would freeze over. I taught him how to ice skate, he was so bad at it at first Jimin, you should have seen it.” He laughs wetly and Jimin giggles along with him, feeling choked up himself. “But he got better. And we would spend hours upon hours skating together. A winter wonderland with just the two of us and he.. He..” His face crumples and Jimin gently takes the music box from him and sets it back down on the table before pulling Seokjin into a hug.
“You did say you would know if a gift came from him.” Jimin smiles into his hair. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“I cuh-can’t believe it’s really h-happening.”
“I know. But it’s about time it did.”
He holds him close, the twinkling melody of the music box still playing in the background and he thinks that if anyone deserves this, it’s Seokjin.
Jimin wishes he could sit by the dying fire outside, just to feel the late night breeze on his skin, and that maybe, just maybe, Jeongguk would join him as he usually does.
But it’s the last chance for gifts to be left, and Jimin doesn’t want to interrupt anyone’s process. It is meant to be anonymous, after all.
So he stays in his hut, lulled to sleep by the memory of Namjoon’s melody and Seokjin’s happy scent, wishing and praying that he would feel happiness like that someday.
When morning comes, Jimin takes his time getting ready, as if delaying the inevitable disappointment that will be there when he opens the door and once again finds no trace of Jeongguk in the gifts left behind.
What if Jeongguk did leave one of these gifts and Jimin rejected it? What if that’s why Jimin hasn’t seen Jeongguk at all?
But in the end, curiosity beats his fear, and he’s absolutely buzzing from head to toe when he opens his front door, holding his breath.
Sitting on his porch, folded neatly, looks like a large bundle of fur. A pale color, almost silver, and when Jimin reaches out to run his fingers over it, it’s the softest fur he’s ever felt. He lifts it up, surprised by how light it actually is, and he holds it up so that the sun can hit it, shining bright like the moon, with specks of gray, like storm clouds at night.
He stands up and unfolds it, watching in awe as the soft material spills out like raining stars, and when he realizes what exactly it is he’s looking at, his breath catches in his throat and he sways on the spot, suddenly so dizzy.
It’s a fur coat.
I’m just saying, it’s freezing out here, your coat sucks, and it won’t take me long to fetch kindling. It’s not a two person job, it has nothing to do with you being an omega.
Are you deaf? I said it’s freezing out here. You’ll catch your death. You really need a better coat.
Tears spill down his cheeks, and he hugs the coat to his chest, closing his eyes and trying to calm his racing heart.
It’s from Jeongguk. It has to be.
He presses the fur to his nose, inhaling deeply, searching for any trace of amber but swallowing disappointment when he finds nothing. Perhaps he took extra measures to make sure his scent didn’t linger, but the lack of it doesn’t cause any doubts in his mind.
He looks up and around, wondering if Jeongguk is hiding somewhere nearby, if he can see this moment, if his heart is beating as quickly as his.
With that thought in mind, he makes a show of slipping the coat on, in awe of how perfectly it fits, how Jeongguk could have his measurements so accurate without having touched him. It glides on like a second skin, as if he had the ability to turn into a wolf for real, that’s how much this coat feels like coming home. It isn’t heavy at all, and it’s so warm that it’s almost too warm for this early spring morning.
He slowly backs away, eyes sweeping along the treeline, back into his hut, closing the door softly.
He presses his back against the door, the sturdy wood the only thing keeping him from sinking to the floor. He hugs himself, fingers carding through the fur, and he lets himself feel everything he needs to feel. He cries until he has nothing left, his wolf finally being soothed, finally being wanted, being chosen.
And now, Jimin has chosen Jeongguk in return.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Jimin’s hands are shaking around the large, nondescript, wooden box he carries. Seokjin walks by his side with his own box, though he doesn’t look nervous at all. He’s practically bouncing with each step, his smile as bright as the morning sun.
“How much do you want to bet that Namjoon trips over his own feet when he’s called?” He asks cheekily, nudging Jimin with his elbow. “And look at you, you’ve accepted a gift! I knew you would.”
Jimin raises an eyebrow at him. “You did?”
“Of course. Now, chin up. We’re nearly there.”
As they walk, other omegas start to join the procession with their boxes in hand, everyone quiet but buzzing with anticipation.
They make their way to the edge of the woods, in a clearing where there is a platform built. Taehyung and Yoongi stand upon this platform, wrangling the alphas and betas to sit right in front of it, front and center.
Jimin catches a mess of dark waves and suddenly his nerves get a thousand times worse, butterflies scraping their wings along his insides. He tries to take deep, steady breaths, steadfastly refusing to look at the crowd as the omegas are wrangled to stand on either side of the platform. Jimin sticks by Seokjin’s side, keeping his head down, grip tight around his box.
He thinks that if he tried to look at Jeongguk right now, everything would be written on his face.
“Welcome everyone, to this year’s courting ceremony,” Yoongi begins, serious as always, but Jimin can see the mirth dancing in his eyes. Especially considering two of his dearest friends are being mated, if all goes well. “I’d like to thank everyone for their participation, and for following the rules as usual.” He turns towards the waiting omegas. “When I call your name, please come up and present the gift you have chosen.” He turns back to the waiting alphas and betas. “When your gift is presented, please come up and kneel before the person you wish to court. Now will be the time where you will have the chance to officially ask for their hand in courtship. If accepted, your courtship officially begins and alphas will be allowed to stop taking their suppressants. A courtship is allowed to end at any time for any reason, and will approximately last for a month, until the official mating ceremony.” He takes a deep breath, as if this is too many words for him this early in the morning. “Is everyone ready?”
There’s a murmur of assent, and Jimin’s heart is beating so loud he wonders if anyone else can hear in the silence, if the other omegas are as nervous as he is.
As it turns out, it is a beautiful thing to witness. As omegas are being called up, it’s touching to see the gifts that are presented, and tear-worthy when faces light up when the anonymity is lifted, and the dawn of something beautiful is emerging.
Jimin has never been more happy to be a part of something before.
“Kim Seokjin.”
Seokjin straightens up by his side and shoots him a wink before he’s strolling onto the platform in perfect confidence, head held high and eyes already locked onto Namjoon.
Jimin finally lets his eyes wander to the crowd. Namjoon sits beside Jeongguk, and he looks as white as a sheet, hands balled into fists in his lap, obviously trying to hide the shake in them. He doesn’t let his eyes slide over to Jeongguk, though he can feel him staring right at him. If he looks into his eyes, he’ll lose his nerve.
“Please present the gift you’ve accepted.”
Seokjin carefully sets the box onto the ground before him and opens it. With a grin he tries and fails to keep to himself, he very gently scoops the music box and stands up straight, holding it out before him. His grip is rock steady, his eyes confident.
“Will the gifter please come onto the platform and present yourself?”
Jimin watches as Namjoon slowly rises to his feet on unsteady legs, and steps up to the platform, hands twisting nervously in front of him. When he meets Seokjin’s eyes, he promptly misses the step leading up to the platform entirely and stumbles, nearly falling off but somehow saving himself from complete disaster. The crowd erupts into barely stifled giggles, Seokjin himself holding back and grinning from ear to ear, as Namjoon recovers and makes it onto the platform with beet red cheeks. He shakily kneels at Seokjin’s feet, taking a deep breath before raising his head and meeting his eyes.
“Kim Namjoon, are you the maker of this gift?” Yoongi asks, smiling now.
“I am.”
“And what are your intentions?”
“To court Kim Seokjin, with the intention of becoming his mate, if he’ll have me.” His voice is shaky, but he’s calmer now, eyes warm as he gazes upon a teary eyed Seokjin.
“Kim Seokjin, do you accept Kim Namjoon’s offer of courtship?”
Seokjin doesn’t even let a breath pass before he’s answering a quick, “I do.”
And Namjoon’s smile is so wide, dimples kissing his skin so deeply, eyes sparkling. And when Namjoon stands and offers his hand, Seokjin slides his fingers between the gaps like they’ve always belonged and they exit the platform together with a newfound lightness to their steps.
“Park Jimin.”
It’s Taehyung that calls his name, warm with a tiny hint of teasing in it that makes his cheeks heat up. He inches his way up the stairs leading up to the platform, setting the awkwardly large box down and hovering over it with twitching fingers.
“Please present the gift you’ve accepted.”
Finally, finally Jimin looks up and finds Jeongguk’s eyes. Jeongguk is leaning forward in his seat, eyes locked onto him, looking every bit as serious as he always has, but Jimin can see the subtle clench of his jaw, the anxious bounce of his knee.
He’s nervous.
And that, more than anything, is enough confirmation for him.
So he flicks open the box and with trembling hands, reaches inside and pulls out the silvery fur coat that drips in moonlight and stars. He stands on unsteady legs and holds it out for the pack to see, feeling an unexpected surge of pride.
It’s gorgeous, and it’s from him.
“Will the gifter please come onto the platform and present yourself?”
There’s a moment where everything feels suspended in midair, Jimin’s heart pounding in his ears, sweat beading at his hairline despite the cool weather. Where he’s shaking so violently he fears he’ll drop the coat from the force of it.
Then Jeongguk stands, and Jimin sways on the spot, despite his confidence the relief is absolutely dizzying. He feels a hand grip his elbow, keeping him upright for a moment, before letting go after a gentle squeeze. Thank you, Taehyung.
Jeongguk climbs the steps easily and confidently, and he doesn’t hesitate to kneel before Jimin, never breaking eye contact, the intensity of his gaze making him feel like he’s melting from the inside out.
His lips twitch up in a slight smile, and Jimin melts, unable to stop himself from smiling back, the nerves ebbing away to something more manageable.
“Jeon Jeongguk, are you the maker of this gift?” Taehyung asks.
“I am.”
Jimin shivers at the sound of his voice, low and strong. He’s hardly heard it the past couple of weeks, and now.. Now he may get to hear it for the rest of his life.
“And what are your intentions?”
“To court Park Jimin, with the intention of becoming his mate, if he’ll have me.” His eyes lower a little when he adds, “And to make him happy in the way he deserves.”
Jimin’s breath hitches, and Jeongguk’s head snaps up at the sound of it, brows furrowed when he sees the way his lower lip starts to wobble.
To make him happy in the way he deserves.
It’s something he’s always wanted, but a dream that was dashed to hell from the moment Taesook forced a mating upon him. Even after he died, Jimin never thought anyone could soothe the cracks in his heart, could gain the trust of his wolf ever again.
And yet Jeongguk is here before him, offering him the rest of his life to make up for it, despite their rocky beginnings. They’re both taking a chance on each other, even though they’ve only known each other for a few months.
When you know, you know.
“Park Jimin, do you accept Jeon Jeongguk’s offer of courtship?” There’s a smile in Taehyung’s voice, and a thickness to it that betrays his emotions.
Everyone, all of their friends, have been waiting for this.
And so has Jimin. For his entire life.
“I do.” He says, and his voice sounds wobbly to his own ears but he doesn’t care, not when Jeongguk’s face breaks into the biggest smile he has ever seen. It’s brighter, warmer, full of affection that’s special in the way that it’s meant for Jimin.
Just for Jimin.
When Jeongguk stands up, nearly towering over Jimin, he’s still beaming when he offers him his hand.
When Jimin takes it, their fingers slot together just as easily, despite the difference between the sizes of their hands, and it feels like coming home. The rest of the courting ceremony is an absolute blur, with the only thing he can concentrate on is Jeongguk’s hand in his.
With the ceremony over, the crowd making their way back to camp to get the fire going and celebrating, Jimin feels a little lost. He’s never been courted before, has no idea what to expect, how he is meant to act, yet Jeongguk’s grip on his hand is warm, stabilizing. Safe.
“Congratulations, you two!” Hoseok wedges in between them, throwing both of his arms around their shoulders and squeezing them close. “Both of you were scared for nothing.”
Jimin feels heat rising to his cheeks and he tucks his face into the coat he’s still carrying, trying to hide the pink that’s certainly tinging his skin, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“You were scared too?” Jeongguk asks from Hoseok’s other side, trying to tilt forward to see him better.
Hoseok gives them one last squeeze, giggling before letting them go and bounding off to wrangle an unruly pup who keeps running through people’s legs.
Jeongguk tugs his hand, forcing him to stop, and the crowd parts for them, leaving them behind until they’re alone, surrounded by the trees and chirping birds.
When Jimin turns to face him, his heart stutters in his chest, because this is real and Jeongguk is so close. His doe eyes sweep over Jimin’s face, and the omega is glad that he put a bit of effort into his appearance today. His blonde hair is freshly washed, falling softly over his forehead and curling around his ears, and he wore his nicest cream colored shirt, tied together with a red sash, tucked into dark leather pants. Dangly earrings made from shiny river rocks decorate his ears, and Jeongguk gently flicks one of them with his fingers, before gently tugging, a little teasingly. “Were you, hm? Scared?”
He has to tilt his head up to meet his face, and with the sun shining, casting a warm glow on Jeongguk’s skin, Jimin feels like he’s struck by lightning because Jeongguk has never looked so beautiful. His dark hair is still a mess of waves, almost covering his eyes, but they just add to his boyish charm, with his glittering eyes and sweet smile.
The smile he finally graces Jimin with, but softer around the edges, the sweetest curl of his lips that’s reserved just for him.
He nods, trying to swallow around the lump in his throat and he squeezes the coat to his chest, lower lip wobbling when he tries to speak. He clears his throat and averts his eyes, focusing instead on the way the beautiful coat practically gleams with the morning sun.
“Yes,” he whispers. “I didn’t know if.. If you felt the same way as I did. We had gotten closer, but then you started to grow distant again, and I thought..” He ducks his head, trying to avoid Jeongguk’s searching gaze. “I thought it was your way of letting me down. A-And then gifting week happened, and I didn’t see you at all, and I was getting all of these meaningless gifts and-and..” His breath catches, words dying on his tongue when he feels a warm hand slide beneath his jaw, gently, so very gently, tilting his head up.
Jeongguk’s eyes are soft, warm, full of understanding, and maybe a hint of gilt.
“I’m sorry I made you feel rejected,” he tells him, thumb stroking along his cheek in a way that makes him tilt further into his touch. “I was just.. Hyperfocused. By the time I knew without a doubt that I wanted to court you, gifting week was already so close. I went out on my own for days, trying to find the perfect animal to get your fur from. It was a beautiful beast, and I somehow had to do all of this without anyone finding out. I basically camped out while I skinned it, butchered it, and transported the meat back here for the pack to store. The elders tried to press me but Yoongi got them off my back.” He smiles, a little sheepishly, lowering his eyes. “Then I had to actually make the coat from the furs, luckily Seokjin and Hoseok taught me how to sew when I was young.”
He bites at his lower lip, suddenly looking a little unsure, eyes flitting between him and the coat still cradled in his arms. “I know it’ll be useless soon, with spring and summer approaching I just..” He stops himself, huffing a little, pink in the cheeks and looking unsure.
“Jeongguk,” he waits for the alpha to lift his eyes, to look into his so that he can see the truth in his words, how much he means them. “I love it. Truly. It’s.. It’s beautiful.” He smiles as Jeongguk relaxes, slumping a little, the crease between his brows smoothing out, teeth releasing his lower lip. “It fits perfectly.” To demonstrate, he takes a step back and unfolds the coat before slipping it on, sighing at its comfortable weight, the way the soft furs tickle his skin when he adjusts the sleeves. “How did you manage to get the perfect fit?”
But Jeongguk doesn’t answer and when Jimin looks up, he catches him staring, eyes wide and lips parted, his gaze slowly dragging down the length of Jimin’s body, bathed in the furs he gifted him. The look in his eyes makes him feel hot, much too hot for this coat, a sudden dizziness making him sway on the spot. He can’t stop his scent from sweetening, and with Jeongguk standing so close, he catches onto it instantly.
He inhales sharply, the change in his scent snapping him right back to the moment, and he leans closer like he just can’t help himself, their faces merely a breath apart.
“Seokjin is the one who made your clothes when you first arrived. I asked him.” He whispers into the minute space between their lips and Jimin shivers, staring at Jeongguk’s lips, the way they form around every word, slow and purposeful. “And you look beautiful in it.”
Jimin exhales, cheeks flaming, and he playfully shoves Jeongguk back a step, giggling when the alpha stumbles in a clearly intentional way, grasping at his chest dramatically, playfully offended. “I’m not used to you being sappy.” Jimin laughs. “You’re supposed to be brooding and mean.”
“Ouch.” Jeongguk grins, and he offers his hand again. Jimin takes it, and they continue their journey back to camp. “I’m wounded. Guess I’ll just have to show you the sappy side more often, that’s what this month is for anyway.” He smiles crookedly at him. “To get to know each other and decide if we really want this.”
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Although Jimin has never been courted, he surely did not expect Jeongguk to show up at his hut at the crack of dawn, bright eyed and busy tailed, huge bunny smile spread over his face like butter. This Jeongguk is so different than the alpha he had gotten to know all these months, like a flower finally in bloom, turning to Jimin as if he were the sun.
He looks devastatingly handsome, with his dark pants and ruby colored linen shirt, wild waves curling behind his ears.
In comparison, Jimin looks like a drowned rat.
He had barely rolled out of bed, his silvery locks sticking up in every direction, his night clothes a little worse for wear, stretched out around the collarbone so that it dips down, exposing golden skin. He had just shrugged on the coat Jeongguk made for him, finding the early morning air a little chilly despite the flickering fire, so when he opened his front door and saw Jeongguk in all his glory looking like that - well..
He may be a tad bit embarrassed.
“Hi,” he breathes as he peeks through the small crack in the door, flushing red at the thought of opening it all the way. “I wasn’t expecting you to stop by..”
Jeongguk doesn’t look put off at all, he only smiles wider and holds up a covered wicker basket. “I’m sorry for coming unannounced, I just..” He glances down at the basket and lifts up the corner of the towel covering its contents, revealing the corner of a bread loaf. “I wanted to bring you breakfast. I can just leave it here for you, I know it’s really early and really I should have thought this through better but-”
“Jeongguk,” Jimin interrupts, breathless and tight chested. He’s never heard Jeongguk speak so much at once before, while also sounding so sweet and flustered.
If Jeongguk is intending to mate him, to spend the rest of their lives together, then seeing Jimin in his awkward morning phase shouldn’t be a big deal.
Steeling his resolve, he opens the door wider, flushing a little when Jeongguk’s eyes seem to zero in on his exposed skin, before drifting to the coat on his shoulder, a small pleased smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You can come in.”
He takes a step back and to the side, gripping the edge of the door tightly as Jeongguk slips past him. Though the moment he crosses the threshold, Jimin nearly loses all the strength in his legs.
Because Jeongguk had obviously stopped taking his scent blockers. And he smells so good.
Rich, deep amber with an undertone of sweetness, heady like an alpha’s scent should be, but not in a way that makes Jimin feel suffocated. Instead it wraps around him as warm as the fur coat he wears, blending in with his sweet cherry blossom scent seamlessly.
He slowly closes the door, flinching a little when it clicks shut, and god why is he acting like he just presented yesterday and has never smelled an alpha before?
He watches as Jeongguk sets the basket down on the table and flicks the blanket up, pulling out a fresh baked loaf of bread, an assortment of fruits, and even some smoked fish.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I baked some bread and caught a few fish at the river to smoke. It’s still pretty fresh, so it should taste good.” When he turns to Jimin, he frowns a little when he catches him still lingering by the doorway. “What’s wrong?”
A jolt goes through Jimin, and he shrugs himself off, mentally chastising himself for being a fucking weirdo. “Nothing!” He says quickly, crossing the room to stand next to him. “It’s just.. Your scent caught me off guard. I’ve only ever caught secondhand traces of it and now, well..” He flushes red, inwardly begging himself to shut the hell up. Why the hell is he rambling about his scent at the ass crack of dawn?
Jeongguk, however, doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. He ducks his head a little shyly, piling a plate high with food, lips jutted out cutely in a small pout. “Ah.. Yeah, I understand how that can be jarring. It’s a little strange for me too, to be able to smell myself so freely. It kind of feels nice, though, to not have to take the suppressants anymore.” He peeks at him sideways. “Do you.. Like it?”
It’s Jimin’s turn to be shy, hiding his smile behind his cup of tea as he takes a sip. “I’ve always liked your scent,” he admits quietly. “Even before I knew it was yours.”
He doesn’t think he remembers a scent that has ever made him feel this safe. Not even before the horrors of his past, when he was surrounded by the scents of his pack, his parents. They were familiar to him, even comforting in a way, but he’s never felt the desire to be close to them, to wish to be drenched in it like he does with Jeongguk’s.
“When our friends told me you kept asking about my scent, I didn’t know what to think.” Jeongguk continues the conversation at Jimin’s little rickety table, one that Hoseok had built for him. They eat slowly, with lingering eyes and gentle brushes of fingertips. “I thought that maybe you were clinging to it because I’m the one that found you, that brought you to safety.”
And maybe that’s part of it. Jimin can remember it so clearly, the sensation of fading away, petals tickling his skin, and a faint voice telling him to hang on, that it would be okay. Then, sweetened warm amber wrapping around him, the only source of warmth he’s felt in so long. And when he woke up in the healer’s hut, with traces of it on the furs he was wrapped in, Jeongguk’s furs, it only solidified that feeling of safety. Even though his wolf fought so hard against those feelings, Jimin wanted to clutch them in his hands and never let go.
And now he doesn’t have to. Now he’s allowed to cling, and now his wolf is finally on his side.
“Your scent did represent safety to me,” Jimin tells him, smiling when Jeongguk’s fingers slide between the spaces of his own, curling their hands together. “But it’s more than that, I think. It felt so right. It still does, don’t you think?”
Jeongguk smiles, warm and open, with a heartaching tenderness Jimin couldn’t conjure up in his wildest dreams. “Yeah,” he agrees, lifting his hand to press a sweet kiss against the inside of his wrist, just a barely there brush against his skin that has Jimin’s heart somersaulting. “Yeah, it feels right.”
Jimin finds that while things feel different now that he’s being courted, it also feels so familiar, like not much has changed at all.
He still meets Jeongguk nearly every night by the dying fire, a tradition neither of them have the heart to let go of, even if letting go would mean a good night’s sleep. Though this time, they sit pressed against each other, hands clasped between them, heads bent together as they whisper and giggle about anything and everything.
During the day, Jeongguk often will pop by wherever Jimin seems to be working that day, whether that’s with Namjoon in the healer’s hut or with Hoseok wrangling pups. He shows up with little treats and gifts for Jimin, and he departs with a warm kiss on his cheek that has him flushing pink, and their friends cooing teasingly.
One day, Jeongguk takes him to a familiar wildflower clearing, the one where he found him. Though this time, there’s no blood soaked earth, no chill in the air. It’s warm and in full bloom, and while Jimin could allow himself to wallow in the harrowing memories this place brings, he chooses to dance with Jeongguk amongst the flowers instead.
“I was so scared when I found you,” Jeongguk whispers in his ear as they sway together with the flowers, the sun warming their skin. “You were in so much distress, in so much pain. I didn’t know if you would make it back to the pack, but I had to try.”
“Thank you,” Jimin breathes, nuzzling his cheek against his. “For giving me a second chance at life.”
A warm hand cradles his face and guides him to gorgeous, sparkling eyes. “You were the strong one, Jimin,” Jeongguk whispers, thumb brushing his lower lip. “You survived because you wanted to live.”
Wetness trickles down his cheek, but Jeongguk swipes it away, chasing away the cold with his warmth. “Jeongguk,” he gasps through a hitched breath, pressing their foreheads together. “Jeongguk, please.”
“Shh..” Jeongguk smiles, sliding his hand lower, to cup the back of his neck. “I’ve got you.”
When their lips come together, finally, for the first time, something in Jimin settles. He breathes him in like he’s oxygen itself, clutches at his shoulders as if he could fly away at any moment, and lets himself feel.
Lets himself feel the truth of Jeongguk’s words through every gentle tug of his lips.
I’ve got you.
The first time Jeongguk scents him feels heavenly in a way Jimin cannot put into words.
They had tumbled into Jimin’s hut after their weekly dinner with their friends at Yoongi and Taehyung’s place, tipsy from the wine that Seokjin had brought, and flushed pink from the constant teasing they were privy to the entire night. Luckily for them, they weren’t the only targets; Seokjin and Namjoon were similarly clowned.
But now that they’re alone, Jimin doesn’t hesitate to pull Jeongguk close to him, their lips coming together so naturally, it’s as easy as breathing. Ever since their first kiss it’s like a dam has broken and they can hardly keep their lips to themselves. Kissing Jeongguk is addictive, he’s obsessed with the way the alpha cradles his face, the way he nibbles on his lower lip and licks into his mouth.
At first, Jeongguk was more hesitant, clearly afraid of pushing against unspoken boundaries, afraid of hurting Jimin, but it didn’t take long for his walls to crumble down in the face of Jimin’s eagerness.
He’s sick of holding back. He wants to replace pain with happiness. With Jeongguk.
Possessive hands grip at his hips, pressing him to the closed door, a warm nose tickling his jawline and neck. “Jimin,” Jeongguk breathes into his skin and Jimin shivers, fingers clutching at broad shoulders. “Jimin, can I scent you?” He presses a sweet kiss against his scent gland, the small action nearly enough to make his knees buckle. “You smell like our friends. I don’t like it,” he holds him tighter. “Want you to smell like me. Only me.”
And oh, Jimin wants that too. Wants that more than anything.
He’s been scented by Taehyung and Seokjin many times, mainly for comfort, especially when Jimin was still in so much pain, but he knows this will be different. This is a claim, and not in the oppressive way he’s been subject to in the past. Jeongguk has the primal urge, no, the need to drench him in his amber scent, and Jimin wants it so badly he can hardly think.
“Please,” he gasps, tangling his fingers in his thick waves, savoring the shudder he feels runs through Jeongguk’s body at the act. “Wanna smell like you. Please.”
A low growl rumbles through Jeongguk’s chest, making Jimin gasp, his head swimming already. He goes easily when the alpha pulls him away from the door and guides him to the bed, to Jimin’s nest, gently pushing him back until Jimin falls, bouncing once, twice, before settling. His breath comes out in quick pants as he stares up at Jeongguk, who remains standing at the edge of the bed, hovering.
“May I?” He asks, and Jimin fucking melts. Because even in the midst of his desperation Jeongguk still courteously asks for permission, so gentle and so respectful.
Jimin never thought he would invite an alpha into his nest, not after him. Jimin was never shown that respect before, his boundaries meant nothing. He was owned, taken for one purpose only, why would anyone care about his wishes?
But Jeongguk is not like that, he’s never been like that. Even now, with his lips swollen and slick from Jimin’s kisses and pupils blown wide, he waits for Jimin’s answer with a patience he never knew an alpha could possess.
And Jimin falls, just a little harder.
He nods and scoots back in the bed, spreading his legs slightly to give him more room. “Yes,” he breathes, tilting his head back to bare his neck, hoping to entice the alpha. “Please.”
Something flashes in Jeongguk’s eyes, something dark and primal, but he’s still careful as he presses a knee onto the mattress and starts to slowly crawl closer. It’s not a huge bed by any stretch of the imagination, but it feels like the expanse is endless as the alpha approaches, like a predator, until he’s hovering over Jimin, blanketing his body with his own.
Jimin spreads his legs further, his entire body lighting up as Jeongguk settles between them, lowering himself onto his forearms so that they’re closer, noses nearly touching. Jimin years for the space between them to diminish until it’s nonexistent, until he can no longer tell where he ends and Jeongguk begins.
He can feel the heat of his body through their clothes, even though they’re barely touching, yet Jimin feels like he’s on fire. He bares his neck even more, letting him see how ready he is, how ripe he is for the taking, steadfastly ignoring the self-inflicted scars left on his skin from the assault of his nails after his mate died.
He hates seeing them in the mirror.
He watches as Jeongguk’s eyes drift to his neck, and though he can see the edge of sadness in his gaze, he doesn’t comment on the state of his skin. Instead, he dips down and gently trails the tip of his nose along his skin, breathing in deep.
Slowly, dark, heady, yet sweetened amber starts to float around them, briefly mingling with Jimin’s cherry blossoms before gradually fading away until there’s nothing left but amber. Nothing left but Jeongguk.
His body feels heavy and relaxed as Jeongguk nuzzles into him, thoroughly scenting him, his mind fuzzy and far away. He doesn’t even register the rhythmic pitter patter on the roof above, doesn’t even realize that it’s raining, until a certain scent cuts through the moment, drifting in from the slightly opened window near the bed.
Mud.
His entire body locks up, tensing so quickly that it’s painful, and it feels like all of the air is sucked out of the room until he’s left gasping for it.
Here, with an alpha hovering over him and the smell of thickened mud in the air, Jimin feels like he’s transported back there, caged in, pressed into the hard, damp earth, choking on the scent of real mud and of him, cold rain splattering his bare, bloodied skin, sharp teeth piercing his neck and-
“Jimin?”
No.
“Sweetheart, what is it?”
It’s not him. Jeongguk could never be him.
It has rained many times since Jimin has come here, he has caught the scent of mud, even trudged through it until his clothes were caked with it. And while it took a long time for the panic attacks surrounding the scent to fade, it did fade eventually. He no longer has these episodes, he can, for the most part, ignore the lingering ache in his neck and in his chest.
So why now? Why is the trauma rearing its ugly head when he’s in the arms of the alpha he wishes to spend his life with?
Why does he still have the power to ruin things?
What if this is a sign? What if Jimin will never be ready to-
“Jimin.”
A jolt shoots through Jimin, as if coming back to his body from somewhere far away. Jeongguk is right there, with furrowed brows and concerned eyes, one hand stroking his side soothingly while the other supports his weight so that he doesn’t crush him. Jimin almost wishes he would, thinks it would ground him to be pressed so close to Jeongguk that they would leave a permanent imprint on his mattress.
“It’s raining.” He whispers, and Jeongguk stares at him blankly for a few moments, before understanding dawns on him and the corners of his lips tighten, his gaze sad and maybe a little angry.
Not angry at Jimin, of course. Angry for him.
“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know why he feels the need to apologize, but it leaves him in a rush anyway. For ruining the moment? For letting Jeongguk see the hurt and broken pieces of him that should be healed by now but isn’t?
Is Jeongguk going to have to deal with these episodes for the rest of his life? Or.. Is this a deterrent for Jeongguk, a reason to not go through with mating him?
That thought scares him too. Who would want to deal with the fallback of someone else’s mistakes? Jeongguk doesn’t deserve that, Jimin would even understand if he changed his mind, but it would still hurt. A lot.
But the softness in Jeongguk’s eyes doesn’t lessen, he doesn’t draw back or look at him like he’s a problem. He just looks concerned, and sad.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Jeongguk whispers. “It’s going to be okay. It’s just us here, yeah?” He braces his hand more firmly on the bed before he reaches overhead, somewhere behind Jimin, grunting under his breath, and Jimin hears the slide and click of the window being closed, dulling the sound of rain, and dimming the scent a bit.
Jeongguk settles back down and presses their foreheads together, smiling at him softly. “It’s just us,” he reaffirms, nuzzling their noses together. “And you smell like me, and no one else.”
No one else.
He slowly nods, the tension bleeding out of his body, letting Jeongguk’s comforting scent wrap around him like a protective barrier. Close. Safe.
He reaches up and slides a hand up his chest, to the side of his neck, then to cup the back of his head, fingers tangling in soft waves. He presses down gently, and Jeongguk goes easily as their lips join together in a sweet kiss.
It’s dizzying, kissing Jeongguk while being drenched in his scent, and in his nest. And Jeongguk kisses him like they have all the time in the world, with gentle nibbles of his lower lip, the warmth of his tongue soothing any sting before it can truly set in.
And maybe they do have all the time in the world, tucked away in Jimin’s little hut, no one daring to bother him as the rest of the pack readies themselves to sleep.
With this weather, they won’t be able to sit together by the dying fire, beneath the stars. Their little routine will be broken, but it’s hard to be too upset about it when Jeongguk gently lowers his body until they’re finally, finally, pressed together, warmer than any furs. His body is firm, his muscles shifting against Jimin’s much softer body, and Jimin tries, oh he tries, to not be affected, but there’s a heat simmering low in his belly that only intensifies when the alpha growls low, deep in his chest.
He can feel how affected Jeongguk is as well, pressing hard and insistent against his thigh. It only makes the heat in his body grow, and an uncomfortable wetness trickling between his cheeks as he starts to slick up, despite himself.
And Jeongguk must realize, must catch the sickly sweet smell of it, because another sound escapes through the space between their lips, raspy and wanton, and Jeongguk suddenly presses down firmly, grinding their hips together.
Jimin arches up with a shuddering gasp, hands scrambling for purchase on Jeongguk’s shoulders, a surge of slick practically ruining his clothes in an instant, his own cock hard and heavy where it's pressed against the alpha.
“Ah, fuck,” Jeongguk groans, deep and affected, and Jimin shivers at the sound of it, nearly preening that he’s already this worked up from just a few kisses and being pressed together. “You smell so good, Jimin.”
A foreign sound tears through Jimin’s throat when Jeongguk ruts their clothed cocks together again, the alpha’s body shaking as if he can’t control himself. It’s high pitched and needy, a desperate whine, one that he’s never made before, not even when he’s touched himself at night.
Jeongguk freezes at the sound, panting into his neck. A nervous swirl settles in his belly as he holds his breath, cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Why does he sound so desperate, like some virgin who has never been touched before?
His entire experience with sex boils down to his own hands, and before, when his body didn’t belong to himself, when he used their biology to force him to submit, no matter what Jimin wanted. He never wanted to be touched, never craved it the way he does right at this very moment. He didn’t think he ever could, that a feeling like this even existed.
But now he knows that his neediness blew it for him, because Jeongguk lifts himself back up to peer down at him, chewing his lower lip nervously, though his pupils are still blown wide, and his breathing still ragged.
“I’m sorry,” Jeongguk breathes, slowly putting some distance between their hips, and the loss of his weight, his warmth, makes something pull at Jimin’s chest, an aching hollowness settling deep inside him. “I didn’t mean to-to move too fast. I got carried away, I should have asked if this was okay and..”
Oh. Oh.
Warmth seeps back into his body, chasing the ache away as quickly as it came and he relaxes again, an involuntary smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Jeongguk pauses mid-ramble when he sees this and makes a questioning sound in the back of his throat, tilting his head like a cute, overgrown puppy. “What is it?”
Jeongguk isn’t deterred at all. He’s worried about him, afraid that he’s infringing upon unspoken boundaries, nervous that he’s the one pushing Jimin too far, too quickly.
He isn’t used to someone caring about his wants and needs, or his feelings. He was treated like an omega to be used, a breeding tool and nothing else. When he was mated, he almost resigned himself to his fate, his dream of mating for love and being touched gently thrown out of the proverbial window.
But now, Jimin realizes as Jeongguk stares at him with gentle eyes, it doesn’t have to be like that. It won’t be like that. Because Jeongguk cherishes him, he wants to give, he wants to treat Jimin like something to be treasured.
“Honey, why are you crying?”
Oh. Jimin didn’t even realize tears were leaking down his cheeks. The worry only deepens in Jeongguk’s face and he shifts further away, to get off of him, but Jimin grabs onto him desperately, keeping him in place. “Don’t,” he gasps, fingers curling into his shirt. “Stay.”
And Jeongguk does, slowly settling back down, though he doesn’t fully rest his body on his again even though Jimin wishes he would. He uses one hand to gently wipe away his tears, worried eyes flitting all over his face. Waiting, oh so patiently, for Jimin to speak again.
It takes a few minutes for Jimin’s tears to slow, for the tightness in his throat to calm down enough for him to make any noise other than a hoarse croak. “N-Nothing’s wrong, Jeongguk,” he breathes, lips twisting in a wobbly smile. “I’ve never been given a choice, before.” He whispers, flattening his hands over his chest, and feeling his steady heart beating into his hands. “And I’m so happy that it’s you. Because I do, I-,” he exhales shakily. “I choose you. I want to be yours, to be your mate.”
He’s never been so sure of anything in his entire life.
He doesn’t need the entire month to be sure, these two and a half weeks of being courted by Jeongguk have been the happiest, something he never dreamed he could have.
And now he can. Forever. As Jeongguk’s mate.
He watches as the concern bleeds from Jeongguk’s expression, until there’s nothing left but an aching tenderness that nearly leaves him breathless. “I want that too,” he breathes, a slow, brilliant smile spreading over his face. It makes him look impossibly boyish, a whimsiness in it that makes Jimin want to coo and pinch his cheeks. “I can’t take away the pain from your past, but I swear to you that I’ll take care of you, Jimin. I’ll work hard every day to be the mate you deserve.”
Jimin thinks that Jeongguk has already done that. In the quiet and loud ways he’s shown that he cares.
“Yeah,” he whispers, tilting his chin up. “Please.”
He grins into the kiss, both of them unable to contain it, mostly pressing their teeth together but it’s perfect all the same. He winds both his arms and his legs around him before tugging him down, forcing Jeongguk to press against him again, sighing as the alpha fucking giggles into their kiss, before pulling back enough to bury his face in his neck, nose pressed against his scent gland.
He feels so complete, so warm, clinging to Jeongguk like a koala, with his warm breath against his skin and his warm, happy amber scent swirling around them.
“Now?” He finds himself asking before he can really stop and think about it.
Jeongguk makes a questioning noise into his neck, the sound muffled.
It would be so easy to backtrack, to come up with something else to say, but Jimin finds that he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t have to.
“I want to mate you.. Now.”
Jeongguk lifts his head so fast he nearly knocks his head into Jimin’s chin, his eyes wide and a little glassy as he stares down at him in shock. “Now?” He asks. “Don’t you want to wait for the mating ceremony? It’s just a couple of weeks away.”
But Jimin just shrugs, still smiling despite the fact that Jeongguk may insist on waiting. Which he would do, of course, if the mating ceremony is important to Jeongguk. But Jimin doesn’t need it, he doesn’t need the fanfare, doesn’t need the attention of the other pack members. Being here, in his nest, alone with Jeongguk, is more than enough for him. It’s perfect, even. Doing this on their own terms, another choice they get to make, sounds perfect.
“I don’t need a ceremony,” he tells him, moving his hands to cup his cheeks, thumbing along his smooth skin. “I just need you. And it feels right, doesn’t it?” He smiles, in a way that he hopes is reassuring. “If you want a ceremony, we can do that too. The choice is ours to make, and it feels so good to have that choice, I just.. I want this. With you.”
He watches, a little apprehensively, as Jeongguk considers his words, his expression carefully guarded as he thinks. But steadily, the furrow in his brows smooths out and he tilts his face into Jimin’s hand, turning his head slightly to brush his lips against his palm. “We’re technically supposed to get our Head Alpha’s permission if we wish to mate outside of the ceremony.” He says, tone light and teasing, eyes dancing with mirth, and any nervousness that Jimin harbored seeps out of him fast enough to make him dizzy.
“Technically,” he giggles, pressing his thumb against the singular dimple that appears on his cheek. “But do you really think he’ll be angry with us? It’s not like he can undo it.”
“No, I don’t think he’ll be angry at all. Taehyung would have something to say about it if he was. All of our friends would, actually.”
“So, you admit it.” Jimin says with a shit-eating grin, recalling that first encounter with Seokjin in the woods. “I am your friend.”
Jeongguk looks momentarily stunned, but when it hits him he starts to laugh, loud and bright, his entire body shaking with it. He dives down and nips at his jaw playfully. “More than that,” he growls playfully. “You’re about to be so much more than that.”
Jimin’s heart flips in his chest, a flutter of excitement in his belly like butterfly wings. “So, you mean…”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk affirms, lifting his face to meet his eyes again. “Let’s do it. You’re right, this is perfect.” His smile softens around the edges as he tucks a strand of Jimin’s hair behind his ear. “I don’t want to wait, either. I want forever to start right now, with you.”
Forever.
That’s more than Jimin has ever hoped for.
Their lips slot together again, tongues dancing in a way that feels easier than breathing, easier than anything Jimin has ever done in his life. Their pause did nothing to dim the intensity, the buzzing between them. Even with a storm raging outside, rattling the windows and wind howling through every little crack in the wood, Jimin is lost in a sea of amber.
When Jeongguk breaks the kiss with a wet smack, Jimin automatically chases his lips with a whine, but the alpha makes it up to him immediately, by kissing a searing trail down the side of his neck, brushing over his scent gland in a delicious way that makes him mewl in the back of his throat, before tugging down his shirt far enough to latch onto his collarbone, sucking bruises into his flushed skin.
And Jimin wants it, needs it even, to be marked up by Jeongguk in every way imaginable, until there isn’t even a shadow of a doubt who he belongs to. He never thought, after his experience, that he’d ever wish to feel claimed again, but he finds that he wants that so badly with Jeongguk. Because Jeongguk is kind, he’s good, and he makes Jimin feel safe. And wanted.
Maybe even loved.
Warm hands brush against his slightly exposed lower belly, the barely-there brush of fingertips enough to send a searing heat through his entire core, lighting him up from the inside out.
He arches into his touch, gasping, when his hands slide higher, before thumbing at his nipples, the zing-like sensations traveling straight to his cock.
The air suddenly feels thick with arousal, Jimin slicking up enough that surely his pants are ruined, and Jeongguk’s scent getting heavier, richer, as he nips at his jawline, fingers pinching and rolling his nipples in firm little tugs.
Jimin winds his fingers in his hair, tugging enough to force Jeongguk’s head up so he can crash their lips together. He shudders when Jeongguk growls, feeling the vibration of it through his entire body, kissing him with so much force that Jimin is helplessly pinned to the mattress, whining into his mouth as Jeongguk hitches his shirt up to his armpits.
The kiss breaks long enough to rid them both of their shirts, Jimin barely even having a chance to look at the muscled expanse of his chest that’s riddled with ink, before Jeongguk is on him again, hot lips trailing scorching kisses and bites on his chest, only pausing to flick his tongue against a taut nipple, making Jimin cry out amongst the cacophony of thunder.
He feels like he’ll burn from the inside out, white hot pleasure sizzling at every possible nerve ending, and he’s barely being touched. Yet Jeongguk makes a pleased sound in the back of his throat as he slides even lower, pressing fluttering kisses against his navel. It’s so very obvious how affected Jimin is, straining hard in his pants, the back of them soaked through with slick.
When he reaches the waistband of his pants, he looks up at Jimin with dark eyes, with so much intensity that Jimin can’t hold back the soft, needy sound that escapes his lips, cheeks flaming.
Jeongguk’s smile is sharp as he teases his waistband with his fingertips, barely dipping them past the fabric to stroke along his pelvis. “May I?” He asks, his voice much deeper than before, and a little raspy. It does nothing to ease the flames licking at the insides of his belly.
He nods frantically, not even stopping to think about the fact that he didn’t even hesitate, and he lifts his hips to help as Jeongguk hooks his fingers in and pulls them down. He shivers uncomfortably as the damp fabric drags along his ass, making it immensely difficult to remove the material, but Jeongguk eases them down his legs carefully, before tossing them somewhere off the side of the bed, leaving Jimin bare beneath him.
Jimin has to make a conscious effort to not curl in on himself and hide. His skin is flushed, inner thighs glistening with slick, his cock curved on his belly, hard and leaking against his skin.
And Jeongguk stares at him like he wants to devour him whole.
His eyes are so dark that he can barely see the whites in them, lips parted, tongue darting to lick across them as he kneels between his legs, slowly and gently nudging his thighs further apart, exposing him even more.
“Look at you..” Jeongguk breathes, using a singular finger to swipe along the slick accumulated on the sensitive inner part of his right thigh, spreading it along his skin. Jimin squirms, whining when even more slick leaks from him, the scent so concentrated now that he’s naked, nearly strong enough to drown out Jeongguk’s amber. “You’re so beautiful, Jimin.”
He lifts his hand to his nose, inhaling deeply, eyes impossibly heady as they stare right at him. A pink tongue flicks out, tasting the slick on his fingers and Jimin feels like he melts into the blankets at the low, guttural sound the alpha makes.
That tiny taste of him seems to make something snap in Jeongguk. Because he wastes no time lowering himself onto his belly, wiggling until he’s comfortable between Jimin’s legs. When his fingers first close around his cock, Jimin arches up with a shuddering gasp, hands fisting the blankets beneath him. He can feel his hot breath against his skin, so close, but not doing anything more than lazily stroking with a loose fist.
“J-Jeongguk,” he cries, trying to fuck up into his fist but Jeongguk keeps his grip too loose, not enough to feel any real friction. He feels out of his mind with want, like he wants to crawl out of his skin and settle in Jeongguk’s instead. “Please.”
And finally, finally, Jeongguk decides to have mercy on him. He licks a fat stripe from balls to tip before closing his lips around the head of his drooling cock, tongue dipping into the sensitive slit as he sucks hard, cheeks hallowing.
Jimin mewls, high and desperate, nearly screaming, trying to thrust up into the tight heat of his mouth, but the alpha’s firm grip on his hips keeps him still, completely at his mercy.
Never before has he felt something so good. He’s never had a mouth on him like this, chasing his pleasure as if it is the most important mission in the world to Jeongguk. Never before has he been touched with desperate hands and love.
He can’t help how loud he gets as Jeongguk plays him like a fiddle, his tongue tracing along the sensitive vein on the underside of his cock before coming to swirl around the head, barely brushing and teasing over his slit, lapping up the precome as it comes.
The first brush of a fingertip against his slick hole has him choking on his next moan, his body automatically tensing up despite how good it feels, despite how much he wants it.
But Jeongguk doesn’t rush him, doesn’t do anything more than gently pet over his clenching hole, spreading his slick around as he comes off of his cock with a gentle pop.
“Is this okay?” Jeongguk asks, his voice a little hoarse and thick with saliva, his eyes burning a hole straight through Jimin.
And it is okay, even if his body is so used to trying to protect itself in this way. So he nods, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to relax his body. He sighs as he melts back into the mattress, the tension steadily bleeding out of him as Jeongguk rubs the pads of his fingers over his hole, applying a little more pressure each time, letting him get used to the feeling.
“I don’t want to hurt you, sweetheart,” Jeongguk tells him, pressing a kiss against the inside of his thigh. “But I need to prep you so you can take me more easily.” He speaks gently, still rubbing against his hole. “Can I do that?”
Jimin nods, ignoring the heat prickling behind his eyes at his care. Taesook never gave him a choice, did not care for his comfort at all, or if he was in pain. Even when his body tried to revolt by not producing any slick, it made no difference to the cruel alpha.
But Jeongguk is the opposite. He takes his time, easing a finger inside of him, whispering soft praises as he steadily works him open, encouraging him as he adds another finger, dusting kisses over his thighs and pubic area.
It feels good. Jeongguk’s fingers are long, reaching into the depths of him, expertly stroking against his walls, gently scissoring him open. By the time he adds a third finger, Jimin is arching off of the bed, unable to keep his moans and whimpers at bay as Jeongguk curls his fingers and finds that spot inside of him that makes him see stars.
He can tell that Jeongguk is just as affected, his eyes dark as they zero in on where his fingers disappear into his hole, the wet squelching sound loud amidst Jimin’s cries. By the time he slowly withdrawals his fingers, Jimin is a shaking mess, whimpering as he clenches around nothing.
He hears a rustle of fabric, and the thump of clothes hitting the floor before the mattress dips again and Jeongguk is crawling over him, his cock hanging hard and heavy. He barely catches a glimpse of it, but he sees enough to know that it’s big, and that makes him appreciate the thorough prep all the more.
When they’re face level again, Jeongguk crashes their lips together, licking hotly into his mouth, his body pressing tight against his, letting Jimin feel every bit of him, the heavy heat of his cock twitching against his thigh.
“Please,” Jimin whines into the kiss, breathy and desperate. “Alpha, please.”
He feels a jolt go through Jeongguk’s body, his breath hitching as he pulls back enough to look at his face. Jeongguk is flushed and panting, dark waves sticking to his forehead, sweat trickling down his temple. His scent is overpowering and heavy, but not in a way that feels suffocating. But just enough for Jimin to taste it on his tongue, to crave more.
“I’ve got you,” Jeongguk breathes as he settles between his legs, slipping a hand underneath his right thigh and hoisting it up just a little, giving him easier access to his leaking hole. “Gonna make you feel so good, gonna make you my mate.”
God, yes. Jimin wants that so much.
The first gentle push of Jeongguk’s cock against his hole has Jimin gasping for air, his heart pounding in his chest as he’s stretched wide open, the slight sting of it making him dizzy, but in a good way. Jeongguk tilts forward and presses their foreheads together, watching Jimin’s face carefully as he fills him inch by inch, seemingly endless, until their hips are flush together and Jimin feels so fucking full, he might burst.
Jeongguk stays still, his brows furrowed as he obviously tries to concentrate on staying still and not fucking into the omega with wild abandon. Jimin can feel the tremble in his arms as Jeongguk holds himself up, his breath warm as he pants above him.
And Jimin, well, Jimin feels like he can hardly breathe. He feels like he’s pressed so deep that he’s reached his chest, even though he knows that’s impossible. His neglected cock is trapped between their bodies, leaking against their skin. He breathes slow and deep as his body adjusts to the sheer size of him, lashes fluttering when Jeongguk barely shifts and brushes against that sweet spot again.
“Are you okay?” Jeongguk asks, voice strained as he pecks a kiss against the tip of his nose.
“Mhm,” he hums, pressing his fingers into his shoulder blades, fitting their bodies more closely together. “‘M so full.”
Jeongguk curses under his breath, lowering himself onto his forearms so that he can be even closer, peppering kisses along his jaw and up to his ear. “You feel so good, omega,” he breathes hotly against his ear. “So hot and tight.”
Jimin gasps, curling his nails into his skin slightly at Jeongguk’s heated words, feeling the slick somehow leak from the edges around Jeongguk’s cock, making the alpha groan and bury his face into his neck.
“Jeongguk,” he whines, raising a hand to tangle into his hair, nevermind the sweat. “Move. Please, move.”
Jeongguk’s breath is shaky against his neck and he lefts his head to meet his eyes again, watching him with heated eyes as he slowly withdraws his hips, nearly pulling out completely before plunging back in, slow yet deep, enough to punch the air from Jimin’s lungs. He takes it slow for a couple of minutes, his low growls rumbling into Jimin’s chest, but once he picks up the pace, all coherent thought leaves Jimin in a rush.
All he can feel his the thick drag of Jeongguk’s cock, hitting every nerve ending possible with each thrust, his trapped cock sliding along his stomach, a friction that’s barely there but delicious all the same. The wet sounds of their hips meeting fill the small hut, their combined gasps and moans drowning out the storm still raging outside.
Jeongguk kisses him hungrily, swallowing Jimin’s moans, barely giving him room to breathe but Jimin likes it. He would happily let his lungs combust if it meant getting to kiss Jeongguk forever.
When Jimin lifts his legs to curl around his hips, heels digging into his lower back to draw him in closer, deeper, Jeongguk moans into his mouth, the sound going straight to Jimin’s cock, making him throb and leak quick and messy. The new angle feels fucking amazing, a fire itching just beneath Jimin’s skin, liquid heat stirring low in his belly.
“More,” he chokes out between kisses, gasping for air. “More.”
Jeongguk buries his face in his neck again, bracing himself on the mattress as he drives into him harder and faster, the bed shaking and creaking beneath them. He feels the scrape of teeth against his mating gland and he cries out, pulling him in closer, craving the bite for the very first time, his own mouth salivating for it.
He can feel the heat and pressure building in his belly, he’s so close to the edge, helplessly clenching around Jeongguk’s cock, feeling a rush of satisfaction when Jeongguk gasps and groans at the sensation. His back is slick with sweat, making it hard for Jimin to get a steady grip but he doesn’t care, not when Jeongguk angles his hips just right, and nails him right in the spot that makes his vision go white.
He loses all sense of self as his orgasm hits him like the thunderstorm outside, crashing into him, making him black out for a moment as he paints their bellies white. He can feel something else, a new pressure on his stretched, now oversensitive hole, Jeongguk’s moans turning into whines as he pushes his knot into him, locking them together.
It burns in the best way, especially as he’s flooded with warmth as Jeongguk’s release paints his walls, and he knows, feels, that now is the right time.
As Jeongguk shudders with the shocks of his orgasm, Jimin turns his head, baring his neck as he looks up at him through hooded eyes, lashes sticky with tears.
He can’t speak, his tongue feeling too big for his mouth, but Jeongguk knows what he wants, what he needs, of course he does.
Jeongguk shakily finds Jimin’s hand, intertwining their fingers and pressing them into the mattress by Jimin’s head. His eyes swim with tears as Jeongguk ducks down, and he trembles when he feels his breath against his skin.
“Mine.” A promise is whispered into the space between them before he feels the sharp sting of teeth, clamping down, a white hot pain that makes him keen, his spent cock twitching between them.
Being claimed feels so much more different this time. And for the first time, Jimin realizes that the intent behind the bite matters. Because there’s no fear even with the pain, because he can feel the bond forming, like Jeongguk’s wolf is reaching for Jimin’s, tucking him in close and keeping him safe.
He doesn’t realize the bite is finished, until Jeongguk is kissing the tears from his cheeks, murmuring praises into his skin, painting him with love and light.
He gasps when Jeongguk uses his free hand to tilt his face up, lowering his head until his lips brush against the alpha’s unblemished neck. “Complete it, Jimin,” he says thickly. “Make me yours, too.”
When Jimin was bitten before, it was one sided. Jimin wasn’t allowed to make Taesook his as well, he was meant to be owned and nothing more, a true bond was never there. But Jeongguk willingly bares his neck for him, making himself vulnerable so that Jimin can have him as well, as an equal.
The moment Jimin sinks his teeth into his skin and tastes blood, he feels that finally, for the first time in his life, everything clicks into place.
When Taesook bit him, Jimin’s wolf only felt chained, pinned down and claimed in total ownership, without a single ounce of affection. Now, their wolves and souls are bonded, curling and winding together and Jimin can feel Jeongguk’s affection, his complete and utter devotion to Jimin.
He sobs into his neck, gently cleaning the wound with his tongue the best he can, but it can’t feel good, with his salty tears mixed in. Jeongguk doesn’t seem to mind though, he simply holds him tightly, slowly and gently maneuvering them so that they’re on their sides facing each other, his knot still locked inside him and still pulsing with his release.
It’s overwhelming, suddenly feeling everything all at once. He thinks that if he reaches just a bit deeper, maybe he could hear Jeongguk’s thoughts. But just this, letting Jeongguk pour his love into him like a warm balm over his wounded soul, is all he’s ever wanted in a mate.
It’s real. He’s here, and he’s mated. Willingly, with an alpha that deserves him.
Warm fingers brush the tears from his cheeks, and when his vision begins to clear he sees Jeongguk, staring at his face with wonder in his eyes, tears lingering on his own lashline. “Jimin,” he breathes when their eyes meet. “My omega, my mate. I love you.” He leans in and kisses him sweetly, cupping his face like he’s something fragile and precious, holding him in a way that makes him feel safe. Protected.
Whole.
“I love you too.” He whispers into the kiss, his voice thin and scratchy but Jeongguk hears him just the same.
This is the start of forever, and Jimin has never been so excited.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
As expected, the moment they emerge from Jimin’s hut, rumpled with fresh matching mating bites on their necks, they immediately get pounced on by Hoseok, who just happened to be passing by.
“Oh my god! Say it isn’t so! Yoongi is going to pop a fucking vein, I can’t wait!” He bounces around them like a puppy, grabbing them and dragging them through the camp. Jeongguk keeps a firm, possessive grip around Jimin’s waist, setting off a few low warning growls that has Hoseok holding his hands up in surrender and walking a safe distance in front of them.
With their bond being so fresh, their instincts are heightened, and Jeongguk is stiff by his side when other pack members begin to flood out of their homes to start the day, though stopping to stare at the newly mated couple, most looking a bit stunned to see them already mated before the ceremony.
When they make it to Yoongi and Taehyung’s hut, their friends are already gathered outside, listening to instructions for the day, Yoongi taking the time to check in with each individual while Taehyung and Seokjin pass around cups of steaming tea and bread for breakfast. But everything comes to a screeching halt when they catch sight of the couple dragging their feet behind a snickering Hoseok.
Chaos erupts when five pairs of eyes hone in on their necks, Taehyung practically beside himself as he screeches and barrels into Jimin, pulling him into a bone crushing hug, much to Jeongguk’s great annoyance. The growls are ignored, however as Seokjin joins in the hug, both omegas talking over each other, asking for details details details! Spill!
And while Yoongi watches on quietly, studying Jeongguk with an unreadable expression, the alpha keeps his head bowed, ready for the scolding of their Head Alpha for breaking tradition, for not getting his blessing to mate before the ceremony.
But that’s not what happens. Yoongi simply heaves a long-suffering sigh before he clasps Jeongguk’s shoulder and gives him a little shake, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “Congratulations, you two.” He tells them. “May your union be strong and prosperous.”
And that was that.
Later, after their chores, in which Jeongguk stuck by Jimin’s side the entire day, they had a celebration, gathered around Yoongi and Taehyung’s table, the food and drinks plentiful. When Namjoon gave Seokjin a pointed look, the older omega simply stuck his nose up. “I’ve waited for you for years, Kim Namjoon, I am getting my fancy mating ceremony.”
Which is fair, in Jimin’s humble opinion.
Still, even later on in the dead of night, they found themselves by the dying fire with the stars twinkling from above. Only this time Jimin is snuggled up in his new coat, comfortable and safe in Jeongguk’s arms. They don’t need to keep coming here, but it’s become a tradition neither of them are keen on breaking.
“I want to build a hut for us.” Jeongguk whispers in his ear as they map the constellations with their eyes. “A new beginning, something bigger. What do you think?”
Something bigger. Maybe even for the family they’ll grow one day.
“That sounds perfect,” he tells him, perfectly giddy and boneless as Jeongguk thoroughly scents him. The smell of the damp earth beneath them doesn’t even bother him in this moment. He’s home, safe and loved by the kindest alpha he’s ever known. Despite their rocky beginnings. “I want a porch, big enough to sit outside and relax.”
Jeongguk grins, Jimin feeling the curve of his smile against his skin. “Done. Anything else?”
Jimin can’t think of a single thing. How can he find room for wishes when he finally has everything he’s ever wanted.
“No,” he says decisively, turning his head to meet his big, sparkling eyes. “I just need you to stay by my side.” He traces his fingers over the curve of his jaw. “Do you promise?”
And Jeongguk, ever the honest man, doesn’t even hesitate. “I promise. You can count on me, Park Jimin.”
It’s the first promise of many, sealed with a kiss beneath the stars, and finally, Jimin and his wolf are on the same page.