Chapter Text
::/09, /10::
[From: Traitor]
18:48 <<link>>
18:48 did you see this Chimi-nah??
[To: Traitor]
18:49 shouldnt you be sleeping, traitor?
[From: Traitor]
18:49 Chimmy… Jiminie… no… :((( please forgive me
[To: Traitor]
18:50 never. go stay with your boyfriend.
[From: Traitor]
18:50 but he’s out fishing with yoongi hyung!!
[To: Traitor]
18:51 this is what you get for abandoning your friends.
[From: Traitor]
18:51 Jiminie… :(((( did you see the post, tho?
[To: Traitor]
18:53 yeah… I did
[From: Traitor]
18:53 arent you gonna say sth? comment sth?
[To: Traitor]
18:54 and say what taehyung? ‘Oh, congratulations on your photography exhibition being approved!
Seeing you have time to post about it, why don’t you also reply to my DMs?’
[From: Traitor]
18:55 well, it’s something!
18:55 he never really replied to any of them?
[To: Traitor]
18:55 no……
[From: Traitor]
18:55 not even the comment on his bday post?
[To: Traitor]
18:56 no... I guess he hasn’t even seen that one.
in the caption, Kazuo was saying he stole his phone to post the photo on his account for him…
[From: Traitor]
18:59 I’m sorry Jiminie… when I get back to Seoul, i’m gonna buy you kimchi stew and soju every day until you forget it all
19:02 i’m really sorry Jiminie… :/
[To: Traitor]
19:04 lol. it’s okay tae…
It was not okay. He had messed everything up. It was his own fault.
It’s been weeks now. Countless messages on his IG, and nothing. The alpha clearly didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
He could live with that, he could try. But he at least wanted to have a chance to explain, to apologize.
Once more, Jimin opens his IG page, staring at the picture he now had imprinted on the inside of his eyelids from how long he spent looking at it, reinforcing every detail of the face he would never forget. The birthday image on the screen was different from his memories, though. The tired bags under his eyes, almost forced smile, and paler skin did not match the lively starry eyes and cute bunny smile Jimin remembered. He still couldn’t stop admiring how beautiful the guy on the screen was, how much his eyes contained the whole universe even when he couldn’t see the usual stars shining bright on them.
“Congratulations on your photography exhibition being approved, Jungkook-ssi. I will be looking forward to it,” he comments on the most recent post.
As he is getting home, exhausted from practice, Jimin is once again reminded of how everything seems to want him to think of Jungkook. He holds the front door of his building open to a kind looking omega and right behind her is her cute kid wearing a hoodie with bunny ears. Ugh! Jimin needs a fucking break.
He doesn’t get one. The universe is adamant about making everything around him about Jungkook. The first day he was back to practice in Seoul, around a month ago, one of the new gymnasts was drinking a blueberry smoothie and Jimin ended up crying in the bathroom, his omega still very sensitive about the whole thing. That he now secretly bought himself the same blueberry smoothie almost every day on his way to the training center nobody needs to know.
The same thing with the collection of planted rue now in his apartment. He originally had only one pot, something he had bought thinking of his grandmother. For some reason, he now has seven of them – ‘some reason’ being how much his omega craved the photographer’s scent.
He still remembers the first time the scent hit him, in front of that subway station. The alpha looked so gorgeous in all those layers of black fabric. He was already head over heels for the sweet photographer, but when the berried rue attacked his senses, Jimin realized there was still a long way down to go while falling for the younger.
Thinking back, it was crazy how he let himself fall so easily, so quickly. It was one of the most important moments of his career, he needed to be fully focused on the competition, and yet there he was looking for excuses to keep seeing the other.
But also thinking back, how could he not? Everything about Jungkookie was sweet and made his heart light. He remembers watching the alpha with his camera from afar, so immersed, as if he could dive into a completely different dimension through the lenses. And maybe he could, judging from how amazing his photographs were, how they managed to capture such beautiful subtleties in simple actions like a laugh or a waving hand.
Jimin remembers how the alpha’s eyes would shine brightly while checking the photographs on his camera. How many times had the gymnast found himself beam from watching the scene unravel before him, doe eyes sometimes complemented by his scrunching nose, every time he smiled.
He missed it so much.
As he reminisces, he finds himself smiling again. He smiles and his omega whines in pain inside of him. He must be strong now. His wolf will have to accept it someday. He puts some leftover chicken in the microwave and pushes all the feelings down, shoving them somewhere deep in his chest where he doesn’t have to deal with them. That will have to do for now.
October arrives chillier than usual, and Jimin welcomes the unprecedented cold. Walking down the familiar street early in the morning, he wishes the autumn wind would sweep away all remaining memories of summer days. He doesn’t ever want to think about alien fish and purple sunsets again. The harder he wishes to forget, though, the more memories just spill over.
This time it was light touches against gray sheets, the sweetest berry and calming rue lingering around him, a warm embrace. He remembers how perfect that night had been - their last night - and wonders if Jungkook sometimes reminisces about it as well. He thinks about how close he felt to the alpha back then, how the other had bared himself to him in every possible way, making Jimin want to care for him for the rest of their lives. Only to completely ruin it all hours later by leaving the other man behind. The intrusive thoughts of guilt are swept away not by a gust of cold wind, but by the soft blow of reality, as he arrives at the training center.
He only has practice in the morning. Namjoon sends him home for the rest of the day, telling him to rest for their get-together later. It had been Hoseok’s doing and he wouldn’t take no for an answer, determined to make sure the omega celebrated his birthday somehow. Jimin eventually yielded to the swimmer’s persistence, under the condition that it would be just closest friends, at his own apartment. Taehyung was back, bringing Jin from the US with him, and Yoongi wasn’t booked for a change. At this point, Jimin wasn’t sure whether it would be a birthday party or a whole intervention. Maybe both.
“I thought I had said no party props!” Jimin complains as soon as he sees the huge bag Tae and Jin are dragging into the apartment.
“No, you said no balloons. There are absolutely no balloons in here,” Jin corrects him.
“Yeah, about that-----“ Tae confesses with that sheepish boxy smile that allows him to get away with everything.
“Ugh, whatever. You guys are impossible!” He resigns to his fate, once again giving in.
“But you cannot have a birthday party without balloons, Chimi-nah!” The tall alpha pouts, while Hoseok is already making Namjoon blow air into a yellow one, Seokjin having left the room to help Yoongi in the kitchen.
The evening is surprisingly very pleasant. They eat, drink, and laugh. Having his friends around actually makes him feel warmer. Even his wolf is calm for a change, somewhat comforted by the familiar scents and caring gestures. A video call from back home interrupts one of their Uno matches, and Jimin goes to his bedroom to answer it, happy to be able to talk to his parents for a while. The muffled laughs coming from the living room make him smile every now and then, while listening to his alpha mom telling him all about the renovation plans for his childhood house. It turns out to be a lovely evening after all.
Before going back to the living room, Jimin decides to check for any new messages. Opening his private IG account, he sees some from a couple of old friends he hasn’t talked to in a while. And then he notices it. The one notification from “golden_lenses”.
“Hey, Jimin-hyung. I haven’t really been checking my socials, so I only now read your messages. Here’s my number, like you asked: +81 090 XXXX-XXXX. Anyway, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
Jimin’s brain freezes. There is only his omega clawing inside of him euphoric at the realization that not only had he - finally, finally! - answered back, but also remembered his birthday.
Trembling a little, he saves the number and presses call . The adrenaline makes his legs falter and he is suddenly out of breath. What is he gonna say? He had written, rewritten and rehearsed his speech in his mind so many times only to now have everything wiped off by nerves. But Jungkook never picks up.
OK, no worries. Maybe he doesn’t have his phone with him. That’s fine. Let’s just send a text. Chill.
[To: Him]
22:48 Hi Jungkook-ah. It’s Jimin-hyung here. I tried to call, but I guess you can’t talk rn. Sorry for bothering.
He is about to start writing his next text when the reply comes.
[From: Him]
22:50 Hi, hyung. I’m sorry, but I don’t think talking is a good idea rn.
Oh. Okay. There it was.
[From: Him]
22:51 But texting is ok, if you want to, I guess.
[To: Him]
22:51 YES!!
22:52 yes, i do. Whatever you are ok with.
22:52 damn, it’s been so long, Jungkook… are you ok?
[From: Him]
22:53 Yeah, I’m ok.
22:54 Are you?
[To: Him]
22:54 I am…
22:56 i have so much to tell you i don’t even know where to start…
[From: Him]
22:58 Hmm… You mentioned on the DMs that you lost your phone on the way back to Seoul?
There he is. His sweet alpha, already kindly helping him gather his thoughts.
[To: Him]
22:59 yeah. I did! it was actually Namjoon-hyung.
23:00 he dropped it right before boarding and it slipped through the gap between the bridge
and the aircraft and completely smashed down on the concrete. I couldn’t believe it when he told me!
What chairs were to Jimin, Namjoon was to every object around him. The beta was a walking disaster, poor thing. He even managed to accidentally dismantle the uneven bars at the training center once.
[To: Him]
23:01 I managed to keep the same number but since i hadnt synced my phone for a few weeks, i couldnt get your number restored.
[From: Him]
23:02 Ah… I see.
[To: Him]
23:03 i tried to reach you as soon as i could, jungkook. I am really sorry for leaving like that.
[From: Him]
23:04 Did something happen? That day, I mean?
[To: Him]
23:04 yeah… i really had to come back to seoul suddenly…
23:06 i’m really sorry, jungkook-ah. I couldnt contact you to let you know.
Why was it so hard to explain everything? Of course Jimin was a little embarrassed about the topic, didn’t know where to even start, but that wasn’t what was making it so difficult for him to admit what had happened.
[From: Him]
23:07 It’s ok, Jimin. There’s no need to apologize. You were leaving some days later anyway, so I guess it was just a little earlier.
23:08 You don’t owe me an explanation or anything. It’s ok. I only wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Enjoy the rest of your day, hyung.
[To: Him]
23:08 no WAIT!
23:08 wait, Jungkook, please, I want to explain!
[From: Him]
23:08 There’s nothing to explain, hyung. You were gonna leave. So you had to leave a few days earlier. No big deal.
[To: Him]
23:09 Jungkook, please, listen to what i have to say.
23:09 or read. lol
23:09 please…….
[From: Him]
23:10 ok…
Okay. This is it. Jimin quickly goes to the living room to let his friends know he is gonna need some time to talk to the photographer, finally being able to explain himself and try to properly apologize. He then comes back and starts typing. He decides to go straight to the point and wing it from there.
[To: Him]
23:15 Jungkook, I think that night somehow triggered a phantom heat on me.
Phantom heats were very uncommon, caused by extreme emotions or prolonged stress. Jimin had only ever heard about them, so when the doctor told him what was happening, he was confused, to say the least. His cycles were pretty regular, not due until October, and he had been on heat-blockers for the competition.
[To: Him]
23:15 i woke up before sunrise with fever and pain, and called Namjoon-hyung to go pick me up at your building
23:16 i just didn’t know how to tell you… and it got pretty bad real fast.
we discussed my options with the doctor, and i decided it was best to go back to seoul.
23:18 it was all so fast, and by the time we started heading to the airport, i was already unconscious from all the sedatives i had to take for the trip.
The doctor had explained the phantom heat could have been triggered by different causes: severe stress from the competition or the night with the alpha being the most probable ones. He could choose to wait for the symptoms to wear off at the hospital’s heat-facility nearby, or spend it with the alpha.
Jimin could not even begin to imagine asking that of Jungkook. His omega protested inside of him, absolutely convinced their alpha would take good care of them. Maybe he really would. But they had never discussed anything of the sort, having only been taking initial steps into their new relationship. Was it even a relationship? They never talked about what it was that they were doing, what was gonna happen after the gymnast went back to Seoul. The closest to that was asking if the photographer had plans to return to Korea, but his answer had been so unsure…
So that was how Jimin discarded the second possibility presented by the doctor. But he also didn’t want to be locked in a strange room in a foreign country for his heat. He wanted the familiarity of his apartment, the comfort of his nest back home, where he spent all of his heats. When large tears started streaming down his face, the doctor offered the possibility of taking an urgent flight back to Seoul. There were still some hours until the heat fully struck, so with some strong scent-suppressants and sedatives, he could make the trip. The doctor warned him, though: had the phantom heat indeed been triggered by the previous night, the symptoms would only get worse due to the separation from the alpha.
Confirmation came by the end of that afternoon when the omega woke up in his bed and immediately started sobbing and growling in distress. He could feel the separation pains in angry waves of cramps all over his body, a kind of ache he had never experienced before. His only solace was the used T-shirt Jungkook had given him all those days ago (which the gymnast kept "forgetting" to return to the owner). The omega spent hours practically screaming the alpha’s name - Namjoon could only watch, heartbroken and at a loss for what to do. He was taken to a special heat clinic the next morning due to the severity of his symptoms. It had been his longest one ever: seven days of absolute anguish, followed by four days of recovery, most of them practically unconscious.
[To: Him]
23:21 it took me more days than usual to recover, so that is why i only managed to try to reach out to you later…
23:22 i know i shouldve told you right away, but i was so embarrassed… and it was all so fast
23:22 i’m really sorry junkook. I really am.
[From: Him]
23:24 Hyung, I had no idea…….
Jimin chuckles. The photographer managed to somehow be cute even with five-worded texts.
[To: Him]
23:24 of course you didn’t, Jungkookie. i never told you… so how could you?
23:25 i’m really sorry. you must have been so confused
[From: Him]
23:25 Don’t apologize, hyung…
23:26 Your priority was taking care of yourself, as it should, of course. I’m relieved to know Namjoon hyung was there to take you safely back to Korea. It must have been so scary, hyung…
All the pent-up guilt and anxiety finally overflow down his face in fat tears. He smiles, he even chuckles in relief. He finally managed to explain it to Jungkook.
[To: Him]
23:27 does this mean you forgive me…?
[From: Him]
23:27 Of course, Jiminie! There is no need to ask for forgiveness, really…
23:28 I just wish I could have been by your side…
Yeah, he was fully sobbing now. His chest suddenly feels so light, filled back with only affection for the sweet alpha he had back in his life somehow. He was relieved. He was relieved and thankful.
[To: Him]
23:29 i missed disneyland… :/
[From: Him]
23:29 Yeah, you did… :/
━━━━━━━┛ 🗝 ┗━━━━━━━
::/12::
Jimin still feels relieved. And thankful. But also disappointed.
He can’t deny he expected more. After the emotional conversation on the evening of his birthday, he felt excited, hopeful even, at the prospect of being able to restart things with Jungkook. Don’t get him wrong, he was really happy to have the photographer back in his life somehow. They text almost every day now, mostly casual things. They even had some video calls, where Jimin was ecstatic about seeing the alpha’s cute smile and bright eyes.
But they never went further than that. Two months later and there was still that elephant in the room. They never talked about their last night again, never discussed what kind of relationship they had - neither back then nor right now. It was like all those kisses and touches had only taken place inside of Jimin’s mind.
Maybe he should take it as a sign that the photographer had moved on, and be glad to still have his friendship. Maybe he was being too greedy.
He brushes the thoughts aside to return to his vault practice after a quick water break. He is on his maybe fifteenth jump when the security man approaches him.
“Uhm, sorry to interrupt, Athlete Park, but there is someone at the main gate looking for you.”
“For me?” The gymnast isn’t expecting anybody.
“Yes. He refuses to show his ID or tell his name. He just says Athlete Park Jimin owes him fifteen minutes and that he will not leave until he receives what he is due.”
What the hell was that? Owe what? Fifteen min----
That’s when it hits him. The photoshoot. The fifteen minutes he owes him from having had to leave earlier.
“Oh my! Thank you! Thank you, Guard Choi!!”
He runs to the door. He just grabs some shoes and runs outside, completely unfazed by the cold snow. He runs as fast as he can, still feeling like it’s a dream. Could it be? Could it really be him?
And there he is, right by the turnstiles. His alpha. His perfect sweet alpha, his annoyingly hot alpha with the cutest smile. And every single star shining in his eyes.
“Jungkook!”
Forget this shit you see in movies where it all freezes or goes into slow motion. Jimin doesn’t have time for that. He launches himself into the other’s arms, who gasps at the sudden impact. He doesn’t have time to second guess, no time to hesitate. He just holds the alpha close and feels the other hold him back. He closes his eyes and breathes in the alpha’s warmth.
“J-Jungkook. Are you really here? I-I… What are you doing here?” Jimin grabs the photographer’s shoulders and takes a good look at his gorgeous face, and he doesn’t know what to do with all the feelings he was keeping inside that are suddenly pouring out of his chest.
The photographer giggles. He giggles and smiles, scrunching his nose, and Jimin could die now.
“Hi, hyung! I-I’m back.”
“Back?” The gymnast was so lost in the sight in front of him, he thinks he might have misheard something.
“Yeah, like… Back to Korea. Back for good.”
“B-back for good?”
Jungkook nods, still smiling.
Jimin feels like he is about to explode. He can already sense tears pooling under his eyes. He hugs the alpha again, this time wrapping arms around his slim waist. He cannot contain his wolf anymore and inadvertently starts searching for the alpha’s scent gland behind the layers of clothes. He nuzzles down his neck and savors the softness of the alpha’s skin.
The other’s arms envelop him as well, bringing his thick winter coat around the omega’s body. His round nose starts to trace Jimin’s own neck too, and the familiar rue slowly hits his senses. They stay like that for what feels like several minutes, wrapped up in the cocoon of Jungkook’s coat, scents mixing together, completely relaxed. As Jimin feels petal lips and a warm tongue against his scent gland, his legs falter and he shivers from the sensation. Jungkook’s hands comfort him sliding up and down his back, and he doesn’t care if he has even let a low moan out.
“I hope you’re here for more than just fifteen minutes,” he finally manages to say, his voice muffled against the alpha’s chest.
The other laughs sweetly, holding the gymnast’s face and brushing away some tears with his thumbs. “I’m here for as many minutes as you’ll give me, hyung.”
They go for a pizza at a restaurant nearby and talk. They talk about Jungkook’s plans in Seoul, the job offers he had gotten after Jimin’s photoshoot was published, how hard it was for the photographer to not mention anything about his moving out to avoid ruining the surprise. It was the lightest Jimin felt since the evening of his birthday.
“Ah… It’s already so hard to say goodbye to you, even after the few hours you’ve been here,” Jimin confesses, in front of his building. Jungkook had insisted on walking him there.
“Then don’t, hyung,” the alpha replies, with a piercing look. “Don’t say goodbye yet.”
Jimin’s heart does a somersault.
“I mean, back in Tokyo, I had the decency to at least offer you a drink when you walked me home,” he adds, with a grin.
The gymnast doesn’t respond to that. He just smiles wide and grabs the alpha by his index finger, pulling him inside the building.
“Soju, for old time’s sake?” he asks, once coats are hanged and the alpha is comfortably sitting on the beige couch.
“Great choice!” Jungkook smiles back at him.
They ease back into a chill conversation and lazy sips of alcohol. The alpha’s presence itself settles Jimin’s wolf in a way he thought he’d never experience again, and he knows he could spend a lifetime just watching the photographer be.
Maybe it’s the long-awaited warmth, maybe it’s the alcohol, but something in Jimin encourages him to wish for things he wouldn’t dare just the day before. That is the feeling that makes him start speaking.
“Jungkook, I-I know we haven’t really talked about it ever since that night, but I wanted to say something if you’ll listen.”
The alpha nods in agreement, shifting in his seat to stare directly at the gymnast and show him he had his full attention.
Jimin takes a deep breath.
“My last day in Tokyo… with…you, that last night in your apartment… I think about that day a lot, you know? All the moments in Tokyo with you, really. They are all very special to me. I think that’s why I felt especially guilty for having left the way I did. I-Those moments were all so precious, Jungkook, and I- I ruined it all. I’m so, so sorry.”
“No, hyung… Don’t… you didn’t ruin it. You didn’t. Please…” The alpha tries to comfort him, reaching out to grab his hand, probably noticing Jimin’s already watery eyes.
The omega smiles at the other’s gesture then takes another deep breath. “But that’s not what I want to say. Not the only thing, at least. When I came back to Seoul, all those weeks waiting for a reply I never knew I was going to get, it all made me realize how important- how important you were to me.”
The memory of those weeks of wait under radio silence brings back a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Having you back in my life somehow these past two months have just confirmed that. Your… your friendship, your texts, our talks, they are really precious to me, Jungkook. I was really- I am really thankful for all of that. I will always be thankful for having you in my life, in whichever way you want to, whichever space you want to occupy.” He truly is.
“But… When you showed up like that today, when I saw you again after all this time, I also realized that all these months, ever since we first met back at the Gymnastics Center, all I’ve been doing is making room for you. Even during all those weeks when I thought you’d never speak to me again. Even after these past months, when your presence slowly came back into my life. All this time, the space reserved for you in my life and in my heart only grew larger.”
He looks back at the alpha’s big eyes and sees gentleness, a kind of longing he doesn’t think he had ever seen in them before. Not this strong at least. The photographer grips Jimin’s hand tighter, as if he wants to convey the same feelings the omega could find in his eyes.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that, when I saw you today, I felt hopeful again. Greedy, perhaps? And I felt like I should tell you. That I want you to be more in my life. I mean, if you want to, of course… I- there’s room, if you want more. It’s all yours.”
He says the last lines in an even weaker tone, still unsure whether he should be pronouncing the words, if he should be allowed to want this.
“C-can I-can I be greedy, Jungkookie? Can I want more, can I want to have all of you, even after everything?”
He is sure the other can hear his loud heartbeat from where he is sitting on the couch, sideways, thighs barely touching.
“Hyung…” The alpha furrows his eyebrows, and tightens the grip on the smaller hand. “Jiminie, I-of course. I want it. I want all that too.”
The younger leans in, sliding his other hand behind the omega’s nape, and stops centimeters away from kissing the other.
“Hyung, can I-?” Jimin interrupts him mid-sentence and closes the gap.
The kiss starts messy. They seem to not know how to quench the desperate need they have to feel each other’s mouth. Jimin clutches at the younger’s white sweater, as his impatient hands run through his hair and try to pull him even closer.
“Jiminie, you have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you, ever since I saw you running towards me earlier,” Jungkook says, as he nibbles the plump lips. It drives Jimin crazy, drawing a small growl out of him.
“I was so scared.” Jungkook admits, softly, in between still hungry kisses. “I was afraid it would be awkward… that you’d reject me.”
Jimin chuckles at the absurdity of the thought. He shifts to straddle the photographer and starts to leave pecks behind the other’s ear and down his neck, mumbling sweet never’s and moaning ‘Jungkookie’ between kisses.
(***)
Their scents start mixing again, with stronger berries and cardamom filling the air around. Jimin can already feel the first drops of slick pooling on his underwear, and that’s when the alpha’s hands tighten a strong grip around his hips.
“Jimin-ssi…” The photographer warns in a low voice and strong satoori.
Fuck. How much he’s missed the three syllables coming out of those petal lips. Does the other have any idea of what that does to him?
The gymnast ventures some grinds against the alpha’s crotch, shivering a little from the feeling of the large erection under him. “Ju-Jungkook…” He keeps moving his hips, as large hands slide from his sides to grab his ass.
A guttural moan from the alpha, who never stops mouthing his shoulder and collarbones, elicits a hiss of pleasure from the athlete. Jimin straightens to quickly remove his sweater and proceeds to do the same for the other.
“God, Jimin… I missed you so much,” the younger divulges while tracing fingers through the letters tattooed over his ribs. Fingers are replaced by lips, and when a careful tongue reaches one of his nipples, Jimin convulses.
Jungkook takes his time torturing the gymnast. Noticing the strong reaction, he carefully trails the outlines of the dark nipples, thumb in one, tongue in the other. When he starts lapping over all his chest area, Jimin is already lost in a frenzied state, whining for more and grinding harder on him. The alpha smirks, pleased.
Unable to withstand more, the omega removes himself from the younger’s lap to rise up to his feet. After a short silence of heavy breathing, the gymnast brings his small hand around the clear bulge behind his pants, biting his lips. “Alpha… please…”
His alpha is a sadist, Jimin concludes, as he sees the other simply lay back on the couch with an even sexier smile, crossing his legs. “Show me what you need, omega.”
Jimin complies. He slides down his jeans and briefs, cock standing already painfully hard. Lapping at his small hand for moisture, he brings it down to touch himself, quickly wrapping the other hand for extra pressure.
“Please, alpha,” he begs with his eyes.
“What is it that you need, baby?” The photographer asks with a sweet sadistic tone.
“I-I… I need you , Jungkook!” His voice rising in a higher, whiny pitch.
The alpha finally stands up, getting rid of his own jeans and underwear. He steps closer to gently stroke his lower back and butt, keeping his head on the conjuncture of Jimin’s neck and shoulder.
“Jungkook, please…”
A light brush of other fingers against the head of his cock makes the gymnast quiver in anticipation.
“Baby,” Jimin could get used to the term of endearment, “where’s your bedroom?”
Jimin is already guiding the alpha to his bed, when fingers around his wrist stop him. He turns back to another hungry, but slower kiss. “I want you standing,” the alpha instructs.
The younger kneels down on the soft black and white carpet by the bed, grabbing both of Jimin’s ankles with his hands, helping to ground him. Dangerous doe-eyes quickly look up at him, and then a dart of wet tongue makes his cock twitch.
The alpha’s mouth explores his shaft and crotch thoroughly, and Jimin has to cling to Jungkook’s shoulders as his legs keep faltering from all the pleasure.
“Please, alpha… I need more…”
“Hmmm… You’re already so wet for me.” Jungkook moves his hands to the omega’s cheeks, clenching them eagerly. “Tell you what: when you start dripping into the carpet, I’ll give you what you want.”
It must be payback for the last time when the gymnast had edged him to a knot with his mouth. He knew Jungkook didn’t let things go easily, so this must be his revenge. Those are Jimin’s thoughts while the alpha spreads his legs wider and grips his butt even tighter, leaving his rim completely exposed.
Even without anything inside him, Jimin feels himself opening up while gasping at the wet pleasure Jungkook provides him, with lips and tongue around his dick. The warm delectation he receives in front contrasts and feeds the sharp stretch from gripping hands on the back, making him produce an impressive amount of slick. As his alpha instructed him to, he is dripping.
Jungkook removes his mouth from the older’s cock to stare at the small pool of liquid already noticeable on the carpet. His contented expression makes Jimin’s omega preen, desperate to please the photographer.
“So good to me, omega,” the whisper is followed by an eager finger entering his rim. The pressure is gentle but firm, increased by a second and a third finger, all easily accommodated by his hungry muscle.
“Alpha… enough. I’m ready.”
Jungkook smiles and consents, removing his fingers from the gymnast’s hole.
Climbing into bed, Jimin goes into all fours and arches his hips towards the photographer. His wolf feels this inner need to present to his alpha, and that’s what Jimin does. Maybe it is the dominating tone from earlier which he (not-so) secretly adored, his omega wanting to show how good he is. Maybe it is something deeper in Jimin, eager to give all of himself to the other and to be claimed back. Jungkook understands.
He understands and, with a gentle grip on Jimin’s hips, he positions himself behind the omega.
“Jiminie, I didn’t- Do you have any condoms?”
His wolf protests inside of him, wanting to give himself completely to the alpha.
“I-I do… But if you- if you’re clean, we can do it without. If you want to? I mean I’m clean, and my fertile cycle won’t come until mid-January, so…”
“Damn, Jimin!” The alpha snarls and lowers himself over his back, nibbling Jimin’s shoulders harshly and scenting him with the same intensity.
Jimin feels the head of the photographer’s cock stretching his rim and moans, feeling completely relaxed under the strong berries that surround him.
As he starts thrusting deeper into his hole, Jungkook keeps scenting him, as if trying to mark the gymnast. Jimin’s suspicion is confirmed when the alpha adds a collection of small bites and hickeys trailing from his neck to his waist. His own cock releases a bit of precum with each one of them.
“Jimin, baby, c-can I turn you around? I really want to see your face. Please...”
And of course he complies. He too was eager to look at the other’s eyes that blink lust, and longing, and adoration. It sends Jimin over the edge, as the alpha’s thrusts only grow harsher.
“Jungkook… I won’t last long,” he whines, clinging to the younger’s arms and letting out almost desperate moans.
“Me neither. Me neither, baby… I’m too c-close.”
He keeps pounding into the older, the erratic rhythm matching the coiling tension in Jimin’s belly. The omega wants Jungkook completely inside of him, wants to have the other’s cum inside his body, wants the sharp feeling from a growing bulge stretching his rim even further.
“A-alpha… my alpha… will you knot me?” The alpha growls and moanw, unable to reply with words. “Alpha, please… I-I need your knot again.”
With a powerful shudder, Jimin spills all over himself. Two more thrusts and Jungkook is panting and releasing inside the omega’s hole. Before Jimin can complain, the bulge he longed for starts locking against his rim.
(***)
The alpha almost collapses against the mattress from the exhaustion, still managing to find a comfortable position for both.
“Jiminie, can I stay the night?” The photographer asks, almost shyly, making Jimin’s stomach twirl with loving butterflies.
“Of course, Jungkookie. I-I need you here.”
He is lulled to sleep by the sweet whispers of “ Jiminie… my Jiminie… ”
Jimin wakes up enclosed by strong arms and the scent of rue. The alpha apparently kept releasing pheromones through the night, and Jimin doesn’t remember having ever slept so well in his life. He could stay like that forever, but he really needs to use the bathroom, and also clean up.
“Nope. Not letting you go.” Jungkook’s voice sounds deep and muffled. There are strong arms around him, gripping him tighter, not letting him move, and Jimin giggles at the softness of the moment.
“I need to use the bathroom, big alpha.” Jimin is still smiling brightly.
“Hmmmmmm… Don’t go.” The sleepy voice insists, and Jungkook now lazily runs his nose around his neck and shoulder, releasing more rue to their surroundings.
“I promise it won’t be too long. Sleep some more, baby alpha.”
The baby alpha whines cutely, “Not a baby.” He slowly releases his hold on the gymnast, so that he can move.
Jimin turns around to look at the most beautiful morning face. He wants to pepper kisses all over the other. But he also wants to let him rest some more, so he just pecks his round nose and tells him he will leave clothes and a towel in the bathroom for him and wait with breakfast in the kitchen, whenever the other wants to join him.
He sits by his small dining table, eating a yogurt. When he left the shower earlier, his omega complained about the absence of the alpha’s scent on his body, so he decided to pair his lazy sweatpants with the white sweater the alpha was wearing the previous day. It was a little big for him, falling around the collarbone, but it didn’t matter: it has his alpha’s scent and made him remember all the kisses and touches he would never get enough of.
A warm embrace from behind surprises him, followed by quick kisses on the shoulder.
“All your toiletries are berry scented,” the alpha observes, having opted out of a T-shirt, wearing only the black sweatpants that were too big on Jimin, and just perfect for the photographer.
“Hmmm… yeah… I kinda found myself buying stuff with very specific smells these past few months,” the gymnast explains, blushing a little, while eyeing the collection of potted rue he is sure the alpha had also noticed.
The photographer giggles and sits on the chair beside Jimin’s, proceeding to move cutleries and cups around the table that the omega had placed for the seat across from him. “I know what you’re like around chairs, so I’d better stay close in case you decide to fall,” he explains, while sliding an arm around Jimin’s waist, and the omega gasps at the sensation.
They lazily eat breakfast like that, enjoying the proximity. Jimin ends up resting his head on the younger’s shoulder, and Jungkook would turn to sniff at his hair, leaving sweet kisses on top of his head. Yeah, he could do that for a long, long time, Jimin decides.
The omega remembers all the moments from the previous night, the way the photographer kissed him with passionate affection, the way he still felt so safe in the other’s arms, the way Jungkook had said that he wanted it all too. Jimin can’t help but wonder if it was all really happening. If it had all meant what he wanted it to mean.
Jimin raises his gaze from his plate to the alpha’s profile and whispers, “Jungkook.”
The alpha shifts in his chair to give his attention as if sensing the turmoil inside the omega’s head.
“D-did you really mean what you said last night? About wanting it all?” Jimin can’t help but feel a little insecure. He just needs some confirmation, after all these months, that this was for real.
Jungkook looks a little frustrated but doesn’t say anything immediately, seeming to be pondering something.
“Come here, hyung.” The alpha stands up and grabs the athlete’s hand, pulling him to the living room, and starts looking for something. “Do you have a laptop I can borrow?”
A laptop? What does a laptop have to do with anything? Was he trying to avoid the subject? Because this looked like a terrible attempt to do it.
He hesitates but concedes. “Hmmm… yeah, here…” He types his password and gives it to the photographer, who starts opening a browser.
“Here, hyung. Sit down here.” He brings the laptop back to an empty space on the table and sits Jimin in front of it. He stands up behind the omega, distractingly close.
“I meant to show you this only later, but I guess this is a good time, too”.
It is a video.
There For You, Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan
It starts with a shot of the Olympic Village on an early morning, replaced by a fast-forward of people walking around, people filling up audiences at stadiums, and athletes from different sports. Most of them were at the Ariake, and the Gymnastic competitions, where the photographer had spent a great part of his time.
Some seconds later and he sees himself. Was it the balance beams finals outfit, maybe? Just a close-up, a very beautiful one. Jungkook always had a way to capture subtle smiles and gazes. And then it is only Jimin. Different short videos of his routines, each one beautifully taken, even some of a training session. An edit of one of his swings at the uneven bars transitions into him running around the giant spider sculpture in Roppongi Hills.
The rest, three more minutes, are only of Jimin. He had no idea the alpha had that many shots of him. It must have been hours of film. There is Jimin dancing at that party. There is Jimin eating a chicken wrap somewhere at the Olympic Village. But most are Jimin walking around Tokyo, smiling and laughing and talking. It is all very simple, so many shots of his back walking in front of the photographer, but something about the insistent sequence of shots of his own smile makes him break down. It is like Jungkook is showing him a part of himself he would never get to experience otherwise. It is everything Jungkook saw when he looked at him, and Jimin could feel it. He felt it all. He felt all the other’s love pouring out, enveloping him in a warm hug.
A couple of tears runs down his face, and he takes a deep breath. The music phases out to a distant violin, and a slowed-down image of Jimin’s transitions to a sunset. It is the sunset from that observatory.
“I had to go back there several times until I could get the time-lapse right,” the photographer whispers close to his right ear.
The time-lapse slows down as the sky gains a shade of purple. ‘Do you ever think about going back to Korea?’ He recognizes his own voice and remembers the conversation the camera must have registered that day. It feels like a lifetime ago. He remembers the feeling of Jungkook’s hand under his tracing finger, remembers how good the other smelled. ‘Do you know what you want to go back to, Jungkook?’
The video ends.
Jungkook holds him gently as he just takes deep breaths, a couple of tears still running down, trying to recover from the emotional display. He focuses on the sensation of fingers brushing the skin on his arm and closes his eyes. He just lets himself enjoy the moment, enjoy the other’s precious existence by his side. He is so in love with this man he is not sure what will become of him.
But now he knows. He knows it’s the same for the other.
It’s the alpha who breaks the silence.
“Ask me again, hyung.”
“Hm?” Jimin shifts, looking at the other, confused.
Jungkook smiles sweetly, brushing the tears away from the omega’s face, and leans to the laptop to rewind the last seconds of the video, replaying those two phrases.
Jimin stares at him and nods.
“D-do you ever think about going back to Korea?” He asks, voice weak from all the emotion.
The alpha keeps his arms around him, and rests his chin on Jimin’s right shoulder. “I thought about it every day, hyung, because of you… I was already thinking about it when you asked me then. I just… just didn’t know how to admit it. When you left, I- I felt it so deeply. It hurt so much… Nothing else felt the same. Tokyo just became empty places where you weren’t, hyung.”
Jimin feels a heaviness inside. Not a bad one. It’s the kind where you feel like your chest is expanding, as if what he was feeling was so big, he needed more room for it to grow in.
Jungkook lowers onto one knee and looks up at the omega. “Ask me the other one now, hyung.” Doe-eyes stare up at the gymnast, expectantly.
“Do you…” He takes a deep breath and clears his throat. “Do you know what you want to go back to, Jungkook?”
“Yes. To you, hyung.” He states with a reassuring smile, as if he had rehearsed it several times. Maybe he had. “It’ll always be you - what I want to go back to. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll want to go back to.” Fuck. “I love you, Jiminie. And I want it to always be you.”
━━━━━━━┛ 🗝 ┗━━━━━━━
::2024::
It’s still the same. He still lights up the whole arena as soon as he enters it: Korea’s Pride. He can’t believe it is the last time he will see how bright the gymnast shines up there. He is determined to take as many videos and photos of his omega’s last Olympics as possible.
[From: My Pride]
11:12 if you keep that camera on you all the time, i can’t see your drooling face
Jungkook chuckles as he reads the messages. Truthfully, he only picked up his phone because the gymnast had signaled it to him from where Jungkook was filming him. It was the Floor Individual Final, and the athletes were just finishing their warm-up, the arena still almost empty.
[To: My Pride]
11:14 How do you know I’m drooling then?
[From: My Pride]
11:14 arent you always drooling over me?
He was indeed. His infatuation with the omega was still there, even after those four years. What could he do? The man was brilliant! Gorgeous. Talented, hard-working. Fierce, caring and fun. An absolute delight to be around.
[From: My Pride]
11:15 my parents havent gotten here yet?
[To: My Pride]
11:15 They went to get something to eat with Kazuo.
[From: My Pride]
11:16 ah ok. i’m gonna go get ready then. see you after podium
[To: My Pride]
11:17 Ok. Good luck, baby. Bring me my medal. <3
[From: My Pride]
11:17 after last night, you deserve nothing but gold :-***
The gymnast still compelled Jungkook to give him good-luck kisses before every competition. Last night the alpha might have let himself get a little carried away, dropping careful kisses and strokes of luck all over the omega’s body, until the other came undone inside his mouth.
“Hey, Jungkook-ah, where’s our Nation’s Pride?” Hobi is the first to arrive at their seat facing the Floor Exercise platform.
The others are right behind him: Tae, Jin and Yoongi, all there to watch Jimin’s last official appearance. The omega was already looking into a Gymnastics training center for young children and was pondering over the several offers he had been getting to join a TV station as a sportscaster.
“He’s getting ready. It should start soon,” Jungkook explains.
“What the heck is this on your neck, Jungkook-ah?” Jin asks him with a playful smirk.
“Oh, this? Jimin-hyung is letting me carry all his medals today,” Jungkook explains with a proud beam. There was the bronze one from the Korean team, the silver for the Individual All-round and the gold for the vault.
“I think he means the huge hickey behind the ribbons, Kook-ah,” the omega music producer clarifies on behalf of his only hyung. Jungkook blushes immediately.
“Ah… You mean this ?” Jungkook touches his neck protectively and his wolf dodges Jin’s attempt to get closer to the mark. “Jiminie… he bit me.”
The others chuckle and wait for further explanation.
“We were playing around last night, and I picked him up in my arms and started spinning and spinning, saying I wouldn’t let him go until he agreed to mate me…”
Jungkook remembers the scene fondly. To be honest, his wolf was getting really restless because of the empty spot on his neck, craving the moment when he would finally carry his omega’s bite. They had agreed to wait until after the Games, so that the strong pull of a fresh bond wouldn’t distract Jimin during preparation. But the closer it got to the moment, the more agitated his alpha was. He needed the other wolf’s mark on him, he craved to breach the omega’s pretty skin with his teeth.
“So he just bit me. He said ‘Yah, Jungkook-ah, do you want a bite so bad? Here!’ and bit me.” Jungkook concludes the story and can’t even look his hyungs in the face from the embarrassment.
The others snort out a laugh, looking dumbfounded at the cute shamelessness of it all.
Jungkook barely manages to recompose himself and adjust the medals on his neck to conceal the mark before Jimin’s parents and Kazuo arrive.
Soon the whole arena is full of people and Jungkook films the exact moment Jimin makes his entrance. It does weird things to his stomach, reliving it all. The loud cheering, the wide smile and bows, the sweet gaze he knows is meant for him only. It fills his chest with a proud warmth, knowing that out of all the people there, out of all the people everywhere, he was the one who would get to see that smile every day.
Jimin had dyed his hair blue for the Games. His outfit was a velvety night-sky blue that matched the color in his hair, and it had some featherish details across his torso. He was wearing some pretty dramatic make-up, with a strong black around one of his eyes, shaped into a wing. And he was absolutely gorgeous.
This time Jungkook knew all about the routine. He had seen it a hundred times while Jimin was still learning it, perfecting it, practicing it. But it was like the first time all over again. Everything was like the first time today.
Jimin positions himself in the center of the mat, standing straight with clenched fists, arms bent over his head in a triangle, resembling a prisoner confined by handcuffs. An orchestral version of the song “Black Swan” starts with sharp strings pacing a set of marked arm and wrist movements. The unique tempo of the song allows the gymnast to brilliantly switch between quick and slow timing, sharp and smooth motions. His always powerful saltos and twists mold into delicate swings of arms that resemble fluttering wings. Turns and jumps are combined with subtle elements that evoke the idea of struggle, of an attempt to escape from binding darkness: like when Jimin grabs his own throat or drags his left foot as if he were an injured bird, restrained by a hindering chain. He closes his routine with legs and arms spread apart, bent knees, in a beautiful inclined body line, like a swan ready to take flight. It was absolutely brilliant, and no one shone brighter in Jungkook’s eyes.
After the medal ceremony, Jungkook is checking his camera’s battery when an excited Jimin suddenly starts climbing his way up to the group, going for warm hugs and kisses from his friends and family – which now included Kazuo, too –, Namjoon following right behind the omega to greet everyone as well. Jungkook could not put into words how happy he was to see Jimin surrounded by the people who loved and treasured him the most, how happy he was to be part of that circle, and to also be the target of a good part of all that love and care himself. He felt like this was finally somewhere he belonged to.
The omega wraps his arms around him, completely disregarding the camera, and hangs the gold medal he had just won on Jungkook’s neck, concluding with a shy peck on his lips.
“Jungkook-ah, I swear I’m gonna smash this camera on the ground if you don’t look into my eyes right now!” Jimin feigns indignation, but Jungkook knows better and hands the camera to Taehyung, who is right beside him.
He has no time to take notice of all the cell phones and cameras quickly raised towards them before Jimin takes a step backwards and goes down on one knee, looking up at Jungkook’s face and holding one of his hands.
“No, no, no, Jiminie! No! I was supposed to-” Jungkook protests, already feeling the tears pooling under his eyes, quickly realizing what was about to come. He knew what Jimin was about to do, and Jungkook hated it. He hated it because the omega had once again beaten him to it. Jimin had beaten him to it four years ago, when he first arrived back in Seoul and the omega confessed first. And now the alpha had everything ready to take him to a special place tomorrow, take advantage of Paris’s whole romantic atmosphere, but his stupid boyfriend was one jump ahead once more. And he loved it. He loved this man so much.
“Shut up and listen to your hyung!” Jimin scolds him, voice already faltering from the emotion.
Jungkook purses his lips and nods, unable to utter another word. Jimin clears his throat and keeps going.
“Jungkookie… my Jungkook,” Jimin hasn't even started and there already is a tear falling down the alpha’s face.
“Remember that evening, back in Tokyo, when you found me near the dorms, after the vault finals?” Jungkook nods.
“Remember how the first thing you told me was ‘you were amazing today, hyung’ ? I remember thinking back then ‘ah, this kid’s gonna try to say that I did well even though I completely missed the timing on my first jump’ . But then you said ‘no, that’s not what I was talking about. Your performances were great and all, but I meant how well you handled it. It must have been disappointing, but you stood strong, you recovered’ .”
Jimin’s lips tremble a little, but he swallows and keeps going.
“You said that and your eyes, your round, pretty eyes were shining. That was the first time I realized that you would be somebody I could rely on.” The gymnast takes another deep breath, and Jungkook steps closer to him to affectionately caress the omega’s cheek with his thumb.
“I don’t think I really know how to lean on people. I always wanted to be self-reliant, my parents were always scolding me about never asking for help when I needed, but you made me want to try, Jungkook. And all these four years, you kept showing me how… you kept teaching me how to rely on you. When I struggled during that injury, when I almost gave up on competing in these last Games, you were there. You knew how to comfort me, you made me feel safe, you kept me going when I thought I didn’t know how to hold on.
“You always say I’m your home, that you found your home with me, with our friends… That I’m the home you always want to go back to. But you, Jungkook, you are my reflection. When I look into your eyes, when I see myself through your eyes, through your lenses, your photos, your videos, when I see all your love, all your infinite and warm love, I think I can see myself clearer. You always manage to remind me of how much love there is, of how much I love myself, of how much I wanna love you, always.”
The omega closes his eyes for a second, dropping a tear or two in the process, and takes another breath. “For as long as there is love in me, Jungkookie, I wanna keep on loving you. So, please, will you be my mate?"
Jungkook can’t contain his tears anymore, and apparently neither can Jimin (or Tae, or Jimin’s parents, or Hobi…) He just… How does one react to that? How does one properly reply to something like this? He couldn’t. Not when his emotions, his stupidly endless love for Jimin keeps spilling over, blocking all his senses, taking over his whole body.
He just falls to his knees and hugs the omega. He hugs him impossibly tight and lets himself cry on his shoulders, mumbling ‘yes’ , ‘yes, hyung’ , ‘yes, Jiminie’, ‘yes, my omega’, ‘yes, my pride’. He says a hundred, a thousand ‘yes’, and he is never gonna stop. He is gonna say ‘yes’ to Jimin every day from then on.
“I hate those stupid scent-blockers!” It is the last thing his omega says before they stand up to go celebrate at a bistro nearby.