Chapter Text
Seokjin is happy to report that their plan appears to be working perfectly.
Of course it’s hard to say with complete confidence that they are truly making sure that Jimin’s heat comes at its intended time, but they are certainly excelling at all of the goals laid out by pamphlets the doctors gave them. They’ve been getting to bed at a reasonable hour, spending plenty of evenings cuddled up in the nest (watching movies and making sure everything is well scented), and showering their omegas with an abundance of gifts.
Soft new lounge clothes are accepted with delight, as is the handmade shelving unit that Yoongi installs in the bathroom and fills with new bath products. Namjoon has been busy finding new jewelry, and Hoseok is stockpiling good snacks and a variety of personal care items for their upcoming cycles. Seokjin’s first order of business is to acquire a suitable wash basin for easy cleanup in the nest, because the last thing he wants is for Jungkook to get distressed when he’s gone too long without a proper bath. Admittedly, their pack alpha has some plans surrounding that for Jungkook’s heat, but considering Jimin’s history of anxiety with abandonment during his cycle, Seokjin figures it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Jungkook is delighted when Seokjin presents it to him, and Jimin looks as pleased as he always does to see his mate being looked after. (Giving gifts to all of the omegas has done wonders to help with any lingering anxiety Jimin has around receiving some himself. Definitely a wise tactic that Seokjin is sure he’ll employ many times in their future together.)
The alphas have done a lovely job of leaning into their instincts as well, making sure that all three omegas are marked, scented, and kept close whenever possible. Taehyung is obviously enjoying it, Jungkook looks like he’s floating on air more often than not, and Jimin appears more at ease over these recent days than Seokjin ever remembers seeing him before.
He’s certainly not the only one looking particularly content though.
Namjoon is also settling in every bit as well as they could have hoped. A few months ago, asking him to take this many liberties with their new omegas would have been almost entirely out of the question – but now? He scoops Jimin off his feet at the slightest provocation, tugs Jungkook possessively down into his lap, and sucks fresh bruises onto both their necks without prompting. That behavior has translated well to the rest of the pack as well, even if the difference isn’t quite as dramatic of a shift as with Jimin and Jungkook.
Of course Seokjin keeps his mates marked and taken care of as well, but for the most part he lets himself focus on keeping everything in order, guiding the rest of his pack gently toward the behaviors his beta instincts tell him are right. This isn’t the time to second guess those impulses. What they’re trying to do requires full use of their established pack dynamics, which makes Seokjin the perfect person to facilitate.
There are no disputes for him to mediate so far, but he does orchestrate a couple of opportunities for Namjoon to exert authority over their pack. It’s important to see their other alphas defer to Namjoon’s leadership every now and then, whether it’s a simple command to gather for dinner, or something more obvious – like letting Hoseok kneel at his feet beside Jungkook so the two of them can settle for bed.
They’re all important displays of how safe and secure this pack is.
There’s unfortunately been some work to take care of during the week, including three not-so-promising interviews in their search for assistants, and one more very promising interview with Yeonjun’s group. At this point, Seokjin is convinced of their competence, but Namjoon wants to meet directly with Soobin a couple more times before making a final decision. (Entirely understandable. Giving up control of work is not something that comes easily to Namjoon.)
Regardless, Seokjin has also been enjoying just how lovely it is to have his whole pack home every night where he can feed them a properly nutritious dinner. Promoting healthy heats for their omegas is already wonderfully satisfying on its own, but there’s a special kind of joy that he gets from finally seeing Yoongi eating well.
Some habits die hard, so the alpha still occasionally picks up some of the best bits of meat off his plate to pass to Taehyung or Jungkook, but he’s no longer giving away a quarter of what he dishes up, and even those portions are becoming slightly larger. Most importantly, he’s beginning to accept snack plates as just a new part of day to day life. Right now it’s under the guise of providing extra nutrition to their omegas, but Seokjin is confident that once all of this is over, he can simply profess a passion for making them and that will be enough to have Yoongi shrugging and accepting the added food without much fuss.
It would be ideal to keep the routine of regular snacking going, at least until they feed him up and get him in the habit of eating three substantial meals a day (breakfast is still a bit of a struggle sometimes).
~~
They only have about five days left until Jimin’s preheat is expected to start, and Seokjin is just finishing the cleanup from another successful dinner. Hoseok and Jimin are assisting with the dishes, which they tend to do more evenings than not, and that frees Seokjin up for handling the leftovers and getting any required lunches packed for the next day. It feels wonderfully domestic to be so comfortable in the kitchen with them – just one more part of their new life living together that brings him immeasurable joy.
Tonight they get company right at the tail end of their cleanup.
Normally Taehyung stays far away from the kitchen after meals, wary of getting roped into the cleaning efforts, but this time he wanders in with Yoongi following just behind him and asks when they’re going to be finished.
“Just another minute or two,” Hoseok says, flashing Taehyung a curious smile. “Why? Are we doing something?”
“Picking up where we left off the night the four of us were at the apartment,” Taehyung declares, proudly holding up Yoongi’s hand. “Hyung got the projector hooked up for us, so we’re doing virtual tours of where we grew up.”
“Oh, that sounds delightful,” Seokjin says, packing the last of the portioned leftovers into the fridge. “Did you already give them a preview of my family’s estate?”
“Nah, Jiminie and Jungkookie just gave us a little tour around their area of Busan.”
“That was before you all saw it in person,” Jimin says. “No need to do a look at our corner of the city again, but I’m really excited to see where the rest of you grew up, and where you went to college too!”
Seokjin immediately nods in agreement. “That sounds wonderful. Did you let Joon-ah and Jungkook-ah know as well?”
“Already cuddled up on the couch.” Yoongi huffs out a laugh, obviously amused. “They have been since they finished clearing the table.”
“Alright, we’ll hurry to finish up. darling. Just a moment.”
~~
When the rest of them return to the living room, they do find Namjoon and Jungkook already cuddled up, the omega sitting on their leader’s lap with lightly flushed cheeks and what looks like an expression of pure contentment, though it’s a little hard to make out with his face pressed against Namjoon’s neck. There’s a laptop (Jungkook’s, probably) laid out on the coffee table in front of them. It’s already broadcasting to their projector, the map web page sitting open and ready for someone to use.
“I take it you don’t wanna start?” Yoongi asks, raising an amused brow at Namjoon as he sits down on the opposite end of the couch.
“Namjoon-hyung is giving me cuddles,” Jungkook answers, voice muffled with his face buried in their alpha’s neck.
“Yeah, I can see that, sweetheart. Feel good?”
“Mhmm.”
“I can start,” Taehyung offers. “I’ll show you where my parents’ house used to be, and then me and Jin-hyung can give you a tour of the area around his family’s estate. After that, Yoongi-hyung and Hobi-hyung can go. We can save Namjoon-hyung for last and then show you our college campus.”
“Wait,” Jimin says, plopping down into Yoongi’s lap and tugging Hoseok down beside them. “What happened to your parents’ house TaeTae? Did it get torn down?”
“Sure – the charred remains of it.”
That manages to capture Jungkook’s attention properly, and he lifts his face from Namjoon’s neck to fix Taehyung with a shocked expression on his adorably flushed face. “Did you… Hyung, did you burn down their house?”
Taehyung smiles and shrugs as he plops down on the floor in front of the laptop. “Just felt like the right thing to do. They weren’t in it; I took care of them personally. To be fair, I left our first house standing, but only because a really nice family moved in after us and Jin-hyung convinced me to leave it be.”
“They had a three year old daughter,” Seokjin says. “It would have been a shame to disturb the stability of a child like that.”
“Yeah, she was adorable too! I umm… If it’s all the same though, I’d rather not look at that place. I’ll show you guys around the second area we lived instead.”
There’s a tiny bit of apprehension in Taehyung’s voice – the same as there usually is when something threatens to touch his earliest memories. His parents’ treatment of him was truly despicable, and those earlier memories are tinged with a sort of helplessness that always makes the omega’s emotions turn red hot. They’ve done some talking and healing around them, but that’s still a box best opened under therapeutic conditions only.
Seokjin sits down on the floor next to Taehyung, wrapping an arm around his back. “That sounds perfect, darling. Go ahead.”
Permission granted, Taehyung eagerly navigates to the area where he spent his early teens, a secluded property several miles away from the nearest town – the perfect place for his parents to easily hide their captive son. The satellite view on the projector screen shows little more than a driveway leading off the main road to an empty patch of green, where nature has done its best to reclaim the hill that the house used to stand on.
Taehyung never saw much of the area around him, at least aside from a few nearby locations where he completed jobs for his parents, so that part of the tour goes quickly. Still, it does make it especially easy to show the relatively short distance to Seokjin’s family estate. They spent years separated by less than thirty miles, finally brought together on the night that Taehyung was sent to assassinate him.
Seokjin allows Taehyung to give the opening tour of the family estate, partly just for the chance to laugh at his commentary about his first impressions of the place. From a few light jabs about how the gardens have improved considerably over the years, to poking fun at how absurdly easy it was to get inside the place, given how tall the fence around the property is, he has no shortage of judgments to offer up.
“Our security improved considerably when Taehyung-ah came into our lives,” Seokjin explains with a laugh. “He had strong opinions about our weak points.”
“Yeah, because I practically waltzed right into your bedroom with no fuss at all.”
“That does sound kind of dangerous, hyung,” Jungkook says. “Weren’t you worried after that?”
“Mostly I was just taken by meeting my mate, but my parents were quite alarmed.”
“You weren’t afraid?” Jimin asks.
“Not particularly. Taehyung-ah was quick to prove exactly how dangerous he was, and I knew he would protect me with his life. My family was suspicious of him, but his assistance with improving our security did a lot to help ease the worst of the tensions.”
From there, Seokjin takes control of the computer. He shows off his school, some of his and Taehyung’s favorite restaurants, as well as a few of the larger buildings that his family owns in the city. They’ve done a wonderful job of diversifying their properties between rentals, commercial buildings, undeveloped land, and a few parks that they maintain for the city. The really big money is in overseas real estate, but there’s no harm in having some domestic income streams to fall back on.
They all do a bit of shuffling when Seokjin has finished, and he’s delighted to pull both Taehyung and Jimin into his lap while Hoseok and Yoongi sit side by side in front of the laptop.
“You can go first,” Yoongi offers. “There’s not much to show for mine.”
“Nonsense,” Hoseok says. “I love your family home! It’s cozy and they’re always so nice to me whenever you let me come with you for a visit.”
“That’s because they like you more than me.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute. Your parents adore you.”
“Yeah, yeah – whatever. Just take us on the world tour already.”
Yoongi’s comment really isn’t much of an exaggeration. In the years Hoseok spent with his parents, he lived in several countries, moving around wherever business took them and finding ways to adapt into every environment. He tries to gloss over a lot of it, but the rest of them keep asking questions until he eventually gives in and just does a little tour of each area they lived.
His time in Germany provides Jungkook the perfect opportunity to talk about his class trip, and they take a brief detour toward the area where he stayed. It’s nice to get a chance to hear more about it, especially considering that the experience was quite overshadowed by everything that went wrong with Jihoon’s return – and it gets Jungkook a little bit less invested in just snuggling up so cutely with Namjoon.
Compared to Hoseok, Yoongi’s time showing them around Daegu is quite short, though a little prompting from Jimin and Jungkook does get them a few additional minutes, most of which are spent reviewing the nearest electronics shops and taking a brief look at his parents’ favorite restaurants. (Seokjin has been to each of their favorites, and confirms that the food was wonderful at both.)
Of the seven of them, Namjoon and Jimin probably tie for talking the least about their families in day-to-day conversation. While Jimin makes up for that by sharing quite a lot about his time with Jungkook and the rest of the Jeons, Namjoon generally leans toward keeping quiet.
Of course he answers direct questions when they’re asked. It’s less that he’s unwilling to discuss his childhood and more that he simply sees no need to bring it up most of the time. In their early days together, Seokjin took that as a sign of something wrong, but he doesn’t think so anymore. Considering the childhood that Namjoon had and the way his parents disowned him when he started thinking too much for himself, he’s remarkably well adjusted.
The worst wound his family left him with is the fear of becoming anything like the alpha his father was – but Namjoon has made considerable progress in healing from that.
Regardless, the fact that he rarely discusses where he grew up has the rest of their pack eagerly watching the screen when he zooms in on a relatively small city along the southern coast, landing on a sprawling gated estate barely a mile outside of town. It’s easily double the size of the property they all live on now, with expansive gardens that Seokjin has seen several photos of throughout the years from the small collection Namjoon keeps.
He doesn’t linger long on the property itself, instead zooming out and then back in on the other side of the city, where he shows off his late uncle’s much smaller home and talks about some of the memories he has of days spent there. While they do glance briefly at the private academy Namjoon attended for schooling, most of the time is devoted to places he went with his uncle. Camping grounds, walking trails, museums – all the things that brought younger Namjoon joy and a sense of connection that was severely lacking otherwise.
When he wraps up his tour and turns back around to flash them all a smile, Jimin is the first one to offer him a hand back up onto the couch. “Hyung, can I ask you something?”
Namjoon happily takes the offered hand, making his way back onto the couch and then immediately tugging Jimin sideways into his lap. “You can ask me anything you want, pup.”
“Have your parents ever tried to get back into contact with you?”
“They haven’t, no.”
“Would you talk to them if they did?”
There’s a few seconds of silence while Namjoon considers the question, not looking bothered by it in the least as he noses at Jimin’s scent gland. “Probably not. Possibly my mother if she left my father and tried to make amends, but that won’t happen.”
Jimin tilts his head slightly to give the alpha better access. “You don’t think so?”
“She’s dependent on him, and has built most of her identity around being his wife. It’s what’s important to her.”
“Their loss,” Jimin says, leaning in to return the scenting Namjoon begins to give him.
Yoongi huffs out a laugh. “Couldn’t fucking agree more, Min-ah.”
~~
Once they start showing off the college they went to, the memories and stories really begin flowing for all of them. Namjoon talks about how freeing it was to finally leave home, and how much less alone he felt the second he met Yoongi, even though it took a while for the feeling to be mutual. Seokjin has some of his own fond memories of that time, especially seeing the progress Taehyung made as the two of them acclimated to a new environment.
But all the best stories are from after the four of them met and started courting. It was a far less formal arrangement than what they’ve been through with Jimin and Jungkook – or even Hoseok. Namjoon and Yoongi were preoccupied with trying to get this business idea up off the ground, and Seokjin was very busy making sure the two of them ate regular meals (and ideally a vegetable once or twice a week).
Taehyung took care of a lot of the instigating.
He’s never been shy once he decides that someone is his mate, and the alphas didn’t stand a chance once he started pouting and angling for regular cuddles. Neither of them felt like they had much to offer in return for Seokjin and Taehyung’s continued interest, but their presence would have been enough, even if they hadn’t all decided to go into business together.
“Whose cycle was the first one you spent together?” Jungkook asks. He’s moved down to the floor between Hoseok’s legs now, where he listens happily to all of their stories and melts into the shoulder rub the alpha is giving him.
“It was Yoongi’s,” Namjoon answers. “Taehyung-ah and I each went through one cycle without our mates.”
“Pure torture,” Taehyung says, clutching his chest for dramatic effect. “I thought for sure I’d never deal with it again, but then we courted Hobi-hyung – and the two of you just a couple of years later. Now I really am sure that I won’t ever have to do it again.”
“Were you guys nervous for that first rut?” Jimin asks.
“Somewhat, yes,” Seokjin says. “Though you wouldn’t believe our surprise at just how wonderfully sweet Yoongi-yah gets during his ruts. Any worries I was harboring about how the alphas would get along evaporated the moment I saw how badly Yoongi-yah wanted Joon-ah’s approval every step of the way.”
Namjoon lets out a laugh, leaning over to poke a grumbling Yoongi playfully in the ribs. “Pretty sure that was the first time you told me you loved me without looking like someone was holding you at gunpoint.”
“It was not,” Yoongi huffs. “I definitely said it nice before that!”
“I’m not sure it counts if you’re too fucked out to remember it,” Hoseok says, flashing Yoongi a wink.
“All of you are terrible.”
“How did it go though?” Jimin asks, perking up considerably at this change of topic. “And what about TaeTae’s first heat with you guys?”
“Yoongi-hyung’s rut was amazing.” Taehyung lets out a happy sigh, eyes nearly going starry at the memory. “He was so sweet and needy, and the hyungs settled right down when they saw how well he was looking after me. And you should have seen how happy Jin-hyung was the first time he slicked up and could help take care of one of our alphas with me.”
Seokjin remembers that first rut well, from his pleasure at Yoongi’s desperate need for his alpha’s approval, to his absolute delight at producing those first few bits of slick, to just how many of his worries did melt away the second he saw how gently Yoongi handled Taehyung. It wasn’t exactly that Seokjin thought either of the alphas would ever purposely hurt Taehyung, but he had admittedly been anxious about allowing them access to his mate like that for the first time. Thankfully, that worry was very misplaced.
He’s hoping it will be the same for Jimin and Jungkook, but if the two of them would like a little reassurance…
“Taehyung-ah’s heat gave us a few more challenges,” Seokjin says, keeping his tone perfectly light and conversational. If Jimin is worried about his own difficulties with heat, Seokjin is happy to give examples of some of the hurdles they crossed with Taehyung. “I believe we’ve mentioned before how difficult it is to get him to eat during his heat, and having the alphas there unfortunately didn’t help. If anything, it made him more focused on doing anything but eating. He actually collapsed on the second day.”
“I just stood up too fast! It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“You would have hit your head on the table if Joon-ah hadn’t caught you,” Yoongi says, raising an unimpressed brow.
Jungkook’s eyes go wide. “Really? You guys have figured that out a little better now, right?”
“It is admittedly still a challenge,” Seokjin says.
Hoseok nods in agreement. “Denying him a knot unless he takes a few bites of food helps, but that only gets us so far. If we push too hard, he starts to tip toward distress and things can go a little sideways.”
“Jin-hyung always feeds me up before my heats really well, so that definitely makes a difference.”
“Well, maybe…” Jungkook pauses, clearly giving the issue some thought. “There’s a chance me and Jiminie can find some way to help. I guess I’m curious if you’re going to want us there with you the whole time, or if you’ll ask us to take turns like the hyungs. Cause you don’t usually want everyone in the nest all the time, right?”
Taehyung gives a little shrug. “I don’t know – it’s weird. I want everyone there when I’m in preheat, every night when it’s time for sleep, and the final day of my heat when I’m winding down, but the rest of the time… It almost feels like too much attention? And I know that’s weird because I love attention more than anybody, but something about being the center of everything just feels overwhelming once my heat hits. Hard to say if that will change, though I’m definitely hoping that it will be different with you guys.”
“Maybe having other omegas there will help,” Jimin suggests. “Being the only omega for all four of the hyungs to fuss over is a lot different than there being three of us to help even things out.”
“Maybe. Just… I don’t want to offend you guys if I can’t have you there the whole time.”
“We won’t be offended,” Jimin says immediately. “Whatever you need during your cycle will be fine with us, baby.”
“Yeah, we’re just gonna wanna look after you however you need, TaeTae.”
A look of relief crosses Taehyung’s face, replacing the brief hints of worry with a wide smile. “However it goes, I’m super excited! I love my heats, and I just know that you guys are gonna love yours too once you have one with all of us.”
“I can’t wait,” Jungkook declares with a grin before tipping his head back to look up at Hoseok, who is still diligently rubbing the omega’s shoulders. “What about you, Hobi-hyung? What was your first rut with the pack like?”
“Really good, but you should have seen how cute and worried Joonie was. He watched like a hawk for the entirety of my pre-rut – and probably for most of my actual rut too.”
“He settled a bit after the first day,” Yoongi says. “Before that though? Pretty sure he barely even blinked.”
Namjoon lets out a puff of laughter. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but of course I kept an eye on things. Had to make sure our newest alpha was going to play nice with my mates.”
“Something about the thirty orgasms Tae had that first day must have won you over,” Yoongi jokes.
“It did make for quite the show,” Namjoon agrees. “And then he took good care of Jin too – and you, Yoongi.”
“Hell yeah he did. Pretty sure I could barely remember my name by the end of that.”
“Why don’t you tell them about your first rut with the pack, darling?” Seokjin suggests, giving Namjoon a little wink.
Taehyung and Yoongi both let out a dreamy sigh in near perfect unison.
The combined sound has Jimin letting out a giggle. “Wow, was it that good?”
“The fucking best,” Yoongi says.
Taehyung nods in agreement. “Absolutely that good. He’d been bottling up all his alpha urges for months, and then he finally let them out. Pretty sure I had bite marks that didn’t fade for weeks.”
Namjoon’s cheeks are already going pink, though the look of shame that usually accompanies their discussions of these memories is wonderfully absent. Even more enticing, there’s a subtle hint of sweetness making its way into his scent, which Hoseok clearly catches too (judging by the pleased little glance he gives toward Seokjin).
Their alpha is actually enjoying hearing his mates talk about his rut so favorably.
Finally.
Jungkook’s scent spikes just moments later too, an almost sticky sweet citrus that means he finds this very appealing too. “God, I can’t wait to spend all of our cycles together. Will you bite me like that, Namjoon-hyung?”
“Sure, pup,” Namjoon practically wheezes, taken aback by Jungkook’s complete lack of filter once again. “Just… You have to promise you’ll tell me if I ever hurt you.”
“I would, hyung. Promise.”
“Can feel you practically radiating need over there, Joonie,” Hoseok says with a giggle. “You want your omega back?”
Rather than deny it, Namjoon just nods his head and reaches out for Jungkook. “Come here, pup? Let me give you a little bite now?”
Jungkook practically scrambles to comply, climbing off the floor and directly into Namjoon’s waiting lap before fluttering his lashes and forming his face into a pout. “Does it have to be a little bite, alpha?”
Needless to say, their maknae spends the rest of the night in a nip induced haze, passed happily between all of his mates for cuddles before letting Namjoon carry him up to bed. Seokjin doesn’t miss the way that Jimin watches either, eyes glued to Namjoon when the nip is delivered, and his vanilla scent tipping sweet as Jungkook lets out the first small sigh of pleasure. There’s not a doubt in Seokjin’s mind that they’re doing an exceptional job of showing Jimin’s omega instincts just how well their pack is primed to care for him and Jungkook.
Only a few days left to go.
~~
The next day, just after Seokjin returns from a quick lunch meeting at Borahae, he steps into the house and ends up nearly jumping out of his skin when he opens the front door and finds himself immediately face to face with Taehyung, who’s leaning against the wall and picking absent-mindedly at his nails. It’s obvious that he’s been waiting for Seokjin’s return.
Thankfully, years spent together keep him from reacting with anything more than a slightly abrupt, “Darling, is everything alright?”
Taehyung looks up at him, eyes narrowing slightly as a small smile stretches across his face. “Wow, you didn’t even jump, hyung.”
“It was a very near thing, I can assure you,” Seokjin says, shutting the door behind him and looking Taehyung over more carefully. There’s nothing that appears wrong at a glance. He’s dressed for the day, his scent is even, and his expression doesn’t give any hint of distress – which only adds to the mystery of his presence here. “Were you merely trying to get a reaction, or is there another reason you were waiting here for me?”
“You said you’d be home in five minutes, so I waited.”
That response has Seokjin even more curious. It’s rare for Taehyung to avoid a direct question twice, especially about something this seemingly innocuous, so he takes a second to observe more closely. While the omega’s scent is at baseline, there’s no tiny shift at successfully catching Seokjin by surprise. His expression doesn’t betray anything, but a more thorough inspection of his hands does.
The skin around his nails is pink and very slightly irritated, meaning that the way he was picking at them likely wasn’t as nonchalant as it first appeared.
Taehyung is nervous about something.
With that knowledge in mind, Seokjin wastes no time stepping out of his shoes and then pulling Taehyung into his arms. “I think it’s very sweet that you waited for my return. Would you like to tell me what’s bothering you, darling?”
“That obvious, huh?”
“I wouldn’t call it that – but regardless, I’d like to hear what’s on your mind.”
Taehyung relaxes into the embrace, immediately nosing at Seokjin’s scent gland but making no move at all to answer.
“Love, if you don’t talk to me about it, I can’t help.”
“I know. It’s just… I feel like I’m doing something wrong.”
Well that’s certainly interesting…
“And who do you feel like you’re wronging, exactly?”
There’s a few long seconds of silence before Taehyung lets out a sigh and whispers just loud enough to be heard, “Jungkookie.”
“Ah, I see.” Now that the reason for this particular conversation is becoming much clearer, Seokjin wastes no time leaning in for a quick scenting. The first swipe of his tongue is enough to make Taehyung shiver, letting out a shaky breath before snaking his tongue over Seokjin’s scent gland in return. “There you are, darling. Everything is going to be just fine, and I can almost guarantee you that you haven’t done anything wrong – especially if you’re simply doing what we all agreed upon in our big talk several weeks ago. Is that what’s happening here?”
There’s a little nod against Seokjin’s shoulder.
“I take it I should check in on Jungkook-ah then. Is there anything else you can tell me? Do I need to bring Joon-ah as well?”
“I don’t think so. He just needs… You’ll be able to help.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to him right away.” Seokjin presses a kiss to Taehyung’s neck, pecking a line of them up to the omega’s jaw and pulling back enough to capture his lips. When they break that kiss, he cups his mate’s cheek and flashes him a smile. “I’m very proud of you for alerting one of us, love. Thank you for keeping me in the loop and giving me the chance to look after Jungkook-ah.”
“It’s… It’s nothing horrible. Normally I wouldn’t tell on him for it, but he really shouldn’t be stressing out right now if we can help it.”
“I agree entirely. Do you know where I can find him?”
“Probably still in bed pretending to study for his summer classes.”
~~
Seokjin peeks his head into the open doorway of the omegas’ bedroom and finds Jungkook exactly where Taehyung predicted, lying on top of the covers with an open textbook on the bed next to him and his phone held in his hand, playing random clips of audio as he scrolls. The scent in the room is slightly off, as is the way Jungkook appears to be nervously using his free hand to fiddle with his ear piercings.
There might be more information to be gained via observation, but Seokjin has no desire to be caught staring. Instead, he gives a couple of gentle knocks to the door frame and steps just a few inches inside.
Jungkook immediately turns his head to look, sitting up on one elbow and waving at Seokjin. “Hi, hyung. Did you just get back from Borahae?”
“I did, yes. May I come in?”
That earns a curious little tilt of the omega’s head, but he gives a little nod. “Yeah, of course. What’s up?”
Seokjin makes his way inside of the room and over to the bed, where he sits down and places a hand on Jungkook’s knee. “I was hoping to check in with you. How are you feeling, darling?”
There’s a brief pause where Jungkook glances around the room like he isn’t sure what to say, followed by him letting out a sigh and making eye contact with Seokjin again. “TaeTae ratted me out, didn’t he?”
“I wouldn’t call it that. He merely told me it might be worth checking in on you, and he was very nervous about upsetting you by talking to me.”
“I’m not mad. It’s fine that he– I just… It’s not a big deal. Everything is going to be fine.”
“I’d still like to talk, if that’s alright. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to this morning?”
Jungkook sits up fully now, chewing at his bottom lip as he crosses his legs and looks down at his phone. The screen is still paused on what looks like a random video of some performer on stage in a bedazzled outfit. After a moment, Jungkook shuts off the screen completely and sets the device aside. “Doomscrolling mostly.”
“You seemed okay at breakfast. Did something happen?”
“Not exactly? Jiminie left to go do some shopping with Namjoon-hyung and I figured I would stay home and knock out a bit of studying to make my summer classes easier, but… I should have just gone with. It’s easier when I can keep an eye on him.”
“On Jimin-ah?”
“Yeah.” There’s a few beats of silence as Jungkook’s scent tips a little more sour, and then he starts talking in a quiet rush. “I know that everything is going to be fine either way, but it’s just easier when I can watch him and take note of all the little details that make me feel more like his heat might be coming on time. Everything has been going so good, and it’s really easy to calm down my anxiety when I can see him or know he’s home with one of the other hyungs where I can look in on him anytime I want. There’s no reason I should be this worried with him being gone for a few hours. It’s not a big deal and I know that Namjoon-hyung is taking good care of him and nothing is going to go bad enough to screw things up, so–”
“Darling,” Seokjin interrupts, cutting off the flow of anxious words that only seem to be working Jungkook up even more. There’s clearly something else in the center of all of these bundled worries, and he’s sure that they can tease it out with a little effort. “It’s perfectly okay to be nervous, but I think maybe it would help if I gave you some cuddles and we talked a little about what’s really bothering you. Does that sound okay?”
Jungkook swallows audibly and gives a tiny nod.
Seokjin immediately scoots up toward the headboard, tugging Jungkook down into his waiting arms and then tilting his head to offer better access to his neck. The invitation is gladly accepted, with Jungkook nestling right into Seokjin’s arms and leaning in to take a few shaky breaths over his scent gland. With their bodies pressed flush together and Jungkook breathing deeply, some of the tension starts to drain out of him.
“There you go. Take a moment to relax, love.”
“M’sorry, hyung.”
“There’s nothing you need to apologize for, Jungkook-ah. I’m so happy to be able to come and comfort you like this. I love the fact that we all live together now, and you’re never more than a short walk across the house away when you need my help.”
There’s the gentle press of a kiss against Seokjin’s scent gland, and then Jungkook lets out a slightly more contented sigh. “I like that part too. I love living together, and I know I’m gonna feel fine about all of this in a couple of days, but…”
“The waiting is bothering you?”
“Sort of? I just want to know what’s going to happen so I can plan, but we won’t know until the time comes and I hate it.”
“Do you feel like making two plans is out of the question? Or is it less about the plan and more about the uncertainty?”
Jungkook pulls back to lay his head on Seokjin’s chest, leaving the little frown on his face very visible while he considers what to say next. “I think… I already sort of have two plans?”
“Would you like to share them with me?”
“The first one is just that Jiminie’s cycle starts normally and everything is fine. The second one is for if it doesn’t start on time and then we have to go to the doctor and try to get some medical help, but then it’s already going to be late, our normal schedule will be thrown off, and I’ll feel– It’ll be like…” Jungkook shakes his head, the frown on his face deepening as his eyes fill with tears.
“It’s alright, darling,” Seokjin coos, reaching up to cup Jungkook’s cheek, fingertips brushing his soft black hair. “You’re doing very well. Explain to me what you’re going to feel like if Jimin-ah’s heat is late?”
“It’s stupid.”
“I highly doubt that. Please, tell me about it? I understand that throwing off your typical schedule sounds distressing as well, but it seems like there’s more on your mind than just that. Do you worry that it says something about you if his heat doesn’t come naturally?”
“Not me.” Jungkook bites at his lip for a moment, eyes welling up with tears. “Us.”
“You and Jimin-ah?”
Jungkook nods. “I’ve always felt like us having them together is proof of just how strong our bond is, but if it’s not strong enough this time, then…” He blinks and the first few tears go rolling down his cheeks. “I know it doesn’t matter, and I’m trying really hard not to make him or anyone else anxious about it when everyone is already working so hard. But I’m so excited for our first heats together with you guys and I just want them to go well. There’s all this hope and anticipation inside of me, and when I think about everything going wrong… I– I panic, and… I don’t know. It’s only a few more days, but the waiting is killing me.”
Oh, his poor baby.
“Alright, love, come here.” Seokjin doesn’t give Jungkook much of a choice about the matter, squeezing his omega in close and tipping his head down for a brief scenting. Part of him would love to deliver a quick little nip to settle some of that worry entirely, but they need to talk before that can be an option. “I’m sorry this has been weighing so heavily on you, and I understand why you felt like you had to hold it inside. You’re trying very hard to keep the pressure you feel away from Jimin-ah, and while I think that’s very admirable, there’s also ways for us to help you feel better if we talk to him about it.”
“I don’t want to make him worry. What if it ruins everything and he’s too stressed, and–”
“It won’t. If anything, I think discussing ways to get you more comfortable and relaxed heading into your cycles will help more than anything.”
“But there’s nothing we can do. It’s all just waiting for–”
“That isn’t entirely true.”
Jungkook goes entirely still against Seokjin, a line of tension winding through his body like he’s trying to brace for impact. “It’s not? What is– Do you think there’s something we can do?”
“Your body experiences a variety of changes even before entering into preheat, including some hormonal shifts that are detectable with tests. I’m sure that Jimin-ah would be willing to meet with our doctor and give whatever samples are needed for that testing. She works very fast, so we could probably have answers that same day. Then even if medical intervention is necessary, we can make sure that your expected schedule isn’t thrown off by a day or two. Do you think that might be helpful?”
The way that Jungkook relaxes once more is evidence of just how welcome Seokjin’s suggestion is. His scent starts to even out too, an edge of relief in his voice when he answers, “I… Yeah, that would be– As long as the tests aren’t bad, I’m sure Jiminie would do them.”
“Perfect. Then we’ll talk with him as soon as we’re done here.”
“He’s out with Namjoon-hyung right now.”
“That’s alright. It’s something we can easily handle over text.”
“Okay. Thank you, hyung. But umm… we’re not done here?”
“Not just yet. There’s one more thing I’d like to discuss with you, if you’ll allow me.”
“Sure. What is it?”
Seokjin takes a second to consider his words. While it feels important to address the fact that Jungkook seems to think Jimin’s heat not arriving naturally will be a sort of sign that their bond is weak, he doesn’t want to invalidate his mate’s feelings. Perhaps lessening the anxiety of waiting for an answer will be enough for a bit of simple logic to do the trick. If that doesn’t work, there are other ways to try and discuss it, but it’s hard to say which will be most effective.
Sometimes the best option is simply to talk.
“You called having your heats together proof of how strong your bond is, and I admittedly find that slightly concerning.”
Jungkook pulls back from their embrace just far enough to give Seokjin a confused look, cheeks already drying from the few tears he cried just moments ago. “Why is that concerning?”
“Because I can assure you that there’s no literature that correlates synced heats to bond quality, and there are a thousand better ways to tell just how connected you and Jimin-ah are. It’s one of the first things we noticed about the two of you, darling, and there’s not a single person in this house who would ever doubt the bond that you share. Biology is just that – but what you and Jimin-ah have is something so much more. Nothing is going to change that.”
“I think I know that logically, but I just really… I want everything to go right – and that’s sort of making me spiral a little.”
“If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe there’s a way for your heats to truly go wrong. No matter when they happen, or what problems could possibly come up during, I promise you that your pack will make sure you’re taken care of completely, Jungkook-ah. We wouldn’t dream of giving you and Jimin-ah anything less than the very best.”
Jungkook is utterly silent for a few moments as he processes Seokjin’s words, teeth worrying his bottom lip until he lets his eyes slip shut, nodding to himself.
In the end, Jungkook doesn’t bother answering with words. Instead, his eyes open and he leans in for a kiss, lips feather light against Seokjin’s. After a second of two, he breaks it and just rests their foreheads together, taking a couple of long, steady breaths.
Seokjin allows the silence to linger for a while, one hand tangled in Jungkook’s hair and the other keeping his omega close. He’s so glad to have had this chance to help settle his mate, and as soon as they’re done here, he’ll text Jimin and their doctor to line up whatever tests they can do to help their maknae feel less uncertain. Then he’ll need to alert Namjoon to make sure their leader is kept in the loop (and to let him know that Taehyung made good on their agreement as well).
Eventually, Jungkook tips his head forward for one more peck to Seokjin’s lips, then whispers, “I know you’ll take care of us, hyung. Thank you.”
“Of course, darling. Thank you for letting me help.”
~~
[Jin to Jimin and Jungkook]
[Jin]: Jimin-ah, would you be willing to head into town with me and Jungkook-ah tomorrow morning? :-)
[Jimin]: Sure （。＾▽＾）
[Jimin]: Where are we going?
[Jin]: I’d like to stop by the hospital for a quick test of your hormone levels to determine if medical intervention is required for your heat to begin on schedule. I just got off the phone with our doctor, and she assured me it’s just a simple cheek swab when you’re this close to your cycle starting.
[Jimin]: Yeah that’s no problem at all
[Jimin]: Have you been worrying about it Kookie? (;＾-＾)
[JK]: a bit yeah
[JK]: i think the uncertainty is getting to me a little
[JK]: so hyung set this up to help settle my nerves
[JK]: sorry jiminie
[Jimin]: Baby it’s totally fine
[Jimin]: A cheek swab is all it takes to make my mate feel better?
[Jimin]: Sign me up (＾-＾)
[JK]: thank you
[JK]: youre the best hyung
[Jimin]: You gonna be ready for cuddles when I get home? Me and Namjoon-hyung are just on our way back now
[JK]: yes please
[Jin]: I think some cuddles would be very much appreciated. I’ll get everything set up for tomorrow.
[Jimin]: Thank you Jin-hyung (●'◡'●)
*******
Hoseok has been curled up in bed with his crochet supplies and a new pattern for nearly half an hour now. He keeps waiting for his eyes to get tired, but hasn’t had any luck so far. To be fair, the pattern he’s attempting has been a little fussy to get right. None of the stitches are particularly difficult, but he’s tried starting it with two types of yarn so far and been unhappy with how it was working up. Luckily, this third yarn seems to be giving him the result he wants.
The pattern is for a delightfully squishy looking whale, and even though the jellyfish he’s working on for the omegas’ bedroom still isn’t finished, he can’t quite help giving this pattern a try. (Despite his best efforts and all the warnings online about this exact problem, his pile of works-in-progress seems to be growing faster than he can cull it.)
Now that he’s satisfied with his yarn choice for the whale (a slightly thicker cotton blend in a pretty shade of purple), he might be ready to put the project down for the night. He’s still not tired, but maybe he can read a book for a while, or–
Four quiet knocks come from his door. Not a pattern he recognizes – maybe Jungkookie or Jiminie?
“Come in,” he calls, making quick work of winding his loose yarn back onto the ball and securing his crochet hook.
The door opens slowly, and Jimin steps quietly inside. He’s already wearing his pajamas, but he doesn’t quite look tired. If anything, the expression on his face is more apprehensive than anything, a nervous little half smile on his lips as he looks over at Hoseok without coming any closer, as though he might be sent on his way at any moment. “Am I interrupting your crocheting?”
The hint of uncertainty has Hoseok letting out his scent immediately, eager to settle his mate in any way he can. “Not even a little bit. I was just about to put it away for the night and pick up a book instead, but I’d much rather talk with you. What’s up, Minnie?”
“It’s umm… I’m–” He cuts himself off with a little sigh, cheeks going pink as he shakes his head and takes a few steps closer to the bed. “M’nervous and I need… I was hoping your offer to help me talk things out still stands?”
Hoseok can feel his face cracking into a wide smile as he shoves his crochet supplies off onto one of his end tables and then opens up his arms in invitation. “That offer stands until the end of time. Come and tell me what’s on your mind.”
The smile on Jimin’s face widens a little as he climbs into bed right beside Hoseok, thighs touching as they lace their fingers together. Everything about it is wonderful – at least aside from the perfectly sweet scent of vanilla rolling off of Jimin.
“Do you think you can let me smell, honey?”
“Shit, sorry. Not doing it on purpose.” The hurried apology is accompanied by a slight souring of the omega’s scent. Certainly not full distress, but far enough from baseline that one of them would be able to tell he was a bit upset if he didn’t hide it on instinct. “It’s not terrible.”
“Not bad at all. I just want to be able to smell you either way. So, what’s eating at you, baby?”
“It’s– Hold on, I’m just trying to figure out where to start. So… I’m– My heat is coming. Kookie wants me to get my hormone levels checked tomorrow to be certain, but I’m pretty sure I can feel things starting to change. I don’t mind doing the tests at all; whatever it takes to settle him is totally fine with me. It’s just… My preheat starting on time is what I want, so that part is great…”
“But?”
“Last time was bad, hyung.”
For a moment, Hoseok almost replies with confusion, remembering the suppressed heat Jimin and Jungkook spent at the house with them half a year ago. While far from perfect (and full of the negative effects of suppressant use), most of Hoseok’s memories of that couple of weeks are warm and happy.
But that isn’t the heat Jimin means.
He’s talking about the week he spent running himself into the ground because of Jihoon, alone without any of his mates there to help. Every time Hoseok imagines that period, it makes his chest feel tight. Just knowing that he was so caught up in work that he didn’t do the right thing and stop by to check on his mate is excruciating. He’s aware that the real person to blame is Jihoon, but it’s impossible not to wish he had done something different, something that might have helped.
“Your scent is– If this isn’t okay to talk about–”
“That’s not it at all,” Hoseok says immediately, lifting their intertwined hands up high enough that he can brush his lips along Jimin’s knuckles. “I just got caught up in my own head for a minute, wishing I’d done literally anything to look in on you that week.”
“It’s okay.” Jimin squeezes Hoseok’s hand and flashes him a tiny smile. “None of what happened is your fault, and if you had tried to check on me, I probably would have just lied to you too.”
“Not if you’d known what job I was working. If I had just gone into the group chat to share the details, instead of the pack-only chat, things could have been so different.”
Jimin considers that for a moment before giving a shrug. “Probably, but it’s not like you knew anything was even going on.”
“I might have if I had just tried – but we don’t need to get bogged down in all of that. It is what it is, and all I can really do is make sure that it never happens again. I know you’re working on that too, but for the moment I wanna hear about where your head is at now. Are you… Does it scare you that your preheat is going to start soon?”
After one deep breath, Jimin nods.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, gorgeous. Come here. I think some cuddles are in order.” Hoseok tugs Jimin down under the covers and pulls him in close, tangling their legs together and leaving them lying face to face in the bed. Flashing a little smile, he reaches up to brush some of the hair out of Jimin’s eyes. “There, that’s better. Talk to me, baby. Tell me what you’re afraid of?”
“It just… I know it was my own fault, but it hurt so bad. There was nobody there and it was just me crying and nesting in the closet to try and feel safe. It’s– I know it’s not going to be like that this time, but I’m afraid that it’s going to make me even more emotional than usual. What if I start panicking right away? Jungkookie has been looking forward to this so much and I just want to make it all good, but I’m terrified that it’s going to be even worse than usual.”
“I’m so sorry you went through that alone, Minnie – and I know you feel like it was your fault, but it wasn’t. Jihoon is the only one to blame, and he’s dead and buried.”
Jimin swallows audibly, eyes brimming with tears that don’t quite manage to fall yet. “I know. He’s gone and I’m safe here with all of you, and I wish that meant I wasn’t scared, but…”
“It’s okay to be afraid,” Hoseok whispers, resting one hand on Jimin’s neck where he can rub slow circles into his scent gland. “You know that none of us are going to be mad about that, right?”
“Yeah. I just don’t want to feel this way.”
“Listen, baby. I don’t know if I can tell you anything that will make the fear go away, but I can tell you that no amount of it is going to get in the way of us looking after you however you need. There might be some moments where you get pulled back into that headspace you were in for your last heat, but I think that as soon as your instincts feel all of your mates surrounding you with every bit of love and adoration you’ll allow, a lot of that is just going to melt away. It won’t be anything like it was before.”
A tentative little smile tugs at the corner of Jimin’s mouth as he looks up at Hoseok with those pretty brown eyes full of unshed tears. “You think so?”
“Pretty sure I know so. And if you do have to take a minute to panic, I can basically guarantee that there’s nothing that’ll stop Joonie from getting you cuddled up and settled so fast that it’ll make your head spin.”
“You might have a point there,” Jimin says, letting out a puff of laughter.
“Might? Have you seen how quick he moves when one of his omegas needs something? Not that the rest of us wouldn’t be happy to jump in too, but it might be dangerous to be in the line of fire if he gets going.” That joke earns an actual bout of laughter, and Hoseok is quick to follow it up, chest filling with warmth as he feels Jimin settle against him. “Now, we can still talk about you being scared if you want. I’m not trying to tell you it isn’t valid or that we need to just wash it all away with jokes about our favorite fussy pack alpha. You’re allowed to take a minute to be upset.”
“No, this is way better than panicking and spiraling. I appreciate you reminding me that sometimes my brain just makes up a bunch of stories that aren’t real. And that what is real is how fast Namjoon-hyung leapt over the back of the couch last week to pick TaeTae up when it looked like he twisted his ankle.”
“Exactly. One hint of stress from our sweet little Jiminie when he should be enjoying his preheat, and we’ll all be running just that fast to look after you.”
The smile on Jimin’s face widens into a proper one now, scent tipping all the way back to baseline as he leans in and presses a kiss to the tip of Hoseok’s nose, then his lips. “Thank you, hyung. I knew talking to you would help.”
“I’m so glad you did, honey. Wanna stay here for bed too? We can watch something for a bit first if you want?”
“Yoongi-hyung said you watch bad heist shows with him sometimes, and then point out everything they do wrong. Can we do that too, or is that just a you guys activity?”
“I’m always down to tear apart a shitty heist. I’ve got a list of youtube documentaries I’ve been saving if you wanna watch one with me, or a couple of TV shows if you prefer something more fantasy.”
“Let’s do a documentary. Too close to bed time to get riled up over all of the outrageous stuff they come up with for TV.”
“Documentary it is then.”
As much as Hoseok adores the fact that Yoongi will sit there and let him go off about the poor decisions made in various thefts both real and fictional, there’s something delightful in a whole different way about doing it with Jimin. He can feel the omega cracking up in his arms even before the two of them start laughing at another stupid mistake or amateur move, and when it’s over they spend nearly half an hour discussing how they would do the job better.
Of course by that point, they’re both tired enough that the discussion eventually turns to kissing and sleepy scentings, ending with Jimin drifting off on Hoseok’s chest just minutes before sleep claims him too.