Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chi Omega, the best (in his humbly biased opinion) Omega Sorority on campus, was Jimin’s baby.

He stared up at the large, pristine white house, the columns rising up over the three floors, the banner with their sorority symbol,  and felt nothing but pride fill him. He loved having a community of other Omegas. He loved doing philanthropy to help their community.

And most of all he loved showing society how their subgender was intelligent and strong, that they weren’t just horny for knots and dreaming of pups. They were independent.

As president, Jimin was pioneering this idea into his Sorority this year. 

“Jimin!” 

His best friend and fellow strong independent Omega, Jin, squealed, running out of the large front doors and down the steps. “It’s ready, come see!”

His friend grabbed his hand, leading him inside and up the grand spiral staircase to the third floor. He had been waiting outside patiently while his Vice President made sure his suit (aka his single room) was prepared for him. He offered to do it himself, but his friends insisted they would prepare it for them.

He was so so thankful he had this group.

They entered the hallway and came to a stop at the last room. A little engraved plaque outside the door read President’s Suit , and the door was decorated with streamers and stickers. 

“Are you ready?” Jin asked, jumping up and down on his feet.

Jimin smirked a bit, pushing back his cotton candy pink hair. He had dyed it yesterday, deciding he wanted a bold color and a change for his senior year of college. 

“Of course.”

Jin grinned and threw open the door with a flourish. Inside, Jimin’s eyes widened in awe. The room was transformed into a personal haven, a perfect blend of sophistication and comfort. The walls were painted a calming shade of blue, accented with gold trim that matched the sorority’s colors. A large desk, meticulously organized, was adorned with a fresh bouquet of flowers. The bed was covered in plush, silky bedding that would be perfect for nesting. A little basket on his desk held a few heat essentials for his cycle. 

“This is incredible,” Jimin said, his voice barely above a whisper as he took in every detail. He walked further into the room, touching the soft fabric of the bedspread and admiring the thoughtful touches his friends had put in place.

Jin beamed with pride. “I knew you’d love it. We wanted to make sure you felt right at home. And look at this!” Jin pointed to a corner of the room where a small bar cart had been set up, stocked with Jimin’s favorite snacks and drinks.

Jimin chuckled, his eyes shining with gratitude. “You guys really went all out.”

“We did,” Jin said, slipping an arm around Jimin’s shoulders. “Because you deserve it. This year is going to be amazing, and you’re going to lead us to new heights.”

Jimin nodded, feeling the weight of his responsibilities but also the strength of the support around him. “Thank you, Jin. I couldn’t do this without you and the rest of the team.”

Jin gave him a playful nudge. “That’s what Omegahood is about. We stick together. Now! Let’s get the rest of the house ready for all the members.”

***

The freshmen were all moved in, despite classes not starting for another week. Which was a good thing for the students, as it allowed them to settle in and learn the campus. And it was a good thing for Chi Omega, because it allowed them to participate in tabling to promote the sorority. 

Jimin and Jin were the first to take their shift at the welcome fair. It was an event the University held the first week every year where all clubs and organizations on campus could set up a table and promote themselves to the new students. It also allowed said new students to learn what the campus had to offer and begin to think about what they might be interested in getting involved in. 

It was a crucial part of recruiting freshman members, and Jimin made sure their table was perfect. He set up a whole tarp, allowing for shade, and hung streamers from the edges. They hung their logo on the front of the table and printed out flyers with the Chi Omega Sorority mission statement. 

Of course, they also needed something to bribe with, so Jin, being the angel that he was, stayed up all of the night before to bake delicious cupcakes, sitting in neat little rows on a platter on the table. 

Jimin straightened his baby blue and pink polka-dot blouse, putting on his biggest smile as the first group approached. They were wide eyed with excitement as Jimin told them about their Omegahood and the joys of the found family they created, fingers sticky with frosting as Jin handed them cupcakes.

“If you think you’d be interested in joining our rush process later this week, feel free to fill out this info sheet with your name and number! Helps us count interest,” Jimin said, smoothly handing over the clipboard. They eagerly scribbled their info down before bouncing away. 

“Your smile could convince someone to run into oncoming traffic” Jin said, sounding a bit in awe. 

Jimin crossed his arms a bit smugly. “I am the best recruiter, what can I say?”

Jin’s face suddenly turned teasing. Jimin braced himself for the worst as his friend’s eyes slid past his shoulder to somewhere across the quad before turning to follow his gaze.

“Seems like you have competition from your favorite Alpha Frat President.”

Fucking Jeon Jeongguk.

The Alpha Sigma Phi tent was directly across the grassy field, swarmed with freshmen alphas and omegas alike as if they were moths to a flame. It was clearly the hub of activity, and right in its center, standing on the table as if he were a king speaking to his subjects, was Jimin’s mortal enemy and the main reason the alpha sub gender had a terrible reputation. 

Jeon Jeongguk was everything stereotypical about an alpha. His good looks and status as President of Alpha Sig gained him many followers on campus and raised his popularity, earning him the “top alpha” title on their campus this school year. Which was all fine, except that Jeongguk was the cockiest alpha known to mankind. He cared about nothing except partying and fucking, often leaving trails of sad omegas behind him with his cruel rejections.

On top of that, he seemed to have something against Jimin in particular. Perhaps it was because he was a sorority President and he was a frat-- No, Jeongguk had been making snide comments at Jimin for years whenever their respective houses got together for greek-life mixers, far before either of them got their President titles. 

Comments about Jimin’s bold color choices for hair and clothing, about his small and slim frame, and anything else that he deemed made Jimin inferior. It was maddening. 

In his brief moment of weakness, when Jimin first saw Jeongguk at that party Sophomore year, he had allowed himself to daydream about the alpha. In truth, Jeongguk was everyone's ideal type, and Jimin was no exception.

Jimin vividly remembers how the lights had hit him perfectly in the dark room, illuminating him. It showed off every perfect feature on his face: his large nose, strong jaw line, thin lips pierced with a hoop, and big dark eyes that looked innocent on an otherwise sinful face. His silky dark hair that he brushed behind his ear with a tattooed arm. The muscles rippling along his frame, emphasized by the way his shirt clung to his body with sweat. 

He was perfectly crafted, and Jimin had instantly felt himself slick up, leaking sweetness out in a way he never had before. It was embarrassing and lovely all at once. 

But then the guy next to Jeongguk had slapped the ass of an omega standing nearby, and Jeongguk had thrown his head back and laughed, and the spell was broken. Jimin knew then that he was just like every other alpha asshole. 

While it may have been broken for Jimin, other omegas were not as fortunate. 

Jeongguk was known to “fuck-em and leave-em” on campus, and yet every omega that he slept with seemed convinced that they were the one to make him stay, to make him fall in love. It hurt every time to see them stare after him with tear filled eyes as he walked on campus, carefree and laughing.

But the final straw was when he broke the heart of one of his sorority members.

It was last year, when Jimin and Jeongguk were juniors, but the omega had only been a freshman. Naive, perfect for Jeongguk to sink his claws into. 

She had burst through the door of the sorority house while Jimin and a few others were watching a movie on the couch. One look at the rivers that ran down her face, and Jimin was pulling her into his arms. 

They knew she had been seeing Jeongguk casually and helping him with his rut, and while Jimin had warned her the first time it started, he had learned that any future warnings after the first always fell to deaf ears. But still, seeing her shaking, curled into a ball, and Jimin had felt fury like he had never known. 

Without controlling his own body, he was pulling on shoes and a coat and running down the street to the frat houses. 

Jimin pounded on the door, the thuds echoing loud into the night. On the other side of the door, the laughing went silent. But no footsteps were heard.

“Jeon Jeongguk! I know you’re in there! Come out and face me coward!”

Heavy steps, then the door swung open. Jeongguk leaned against the doorframe, irritatingly carefree. He ran his eyes up and down Jimin’s frame, then slowly smirked, his piercing glinting in the light. 

God, his scent was delicious. It was earthy and fresh, like the forest. Jimin found himself unconsciously drawing in a breath, momentarily as spellbound as the crying girl he left at home. That is, until the alpha opened his perfect mouth.

“Park Jimin. You know, I’ve always dreamed of you showing up at my doorstep, begging for me.”

“Well, soon you’ll find out that dream is more like a nightmare,”Jimin seethed, ducking under Jeongguk’s arm and into the entryway of the frat house. 

The floor was so sticky his shoes made noise with every step as he marched further into the house. He stopped only a few paces in, not wanting to be fully in the living room where he could smell the other alpha housemates, but wanting to be out of the cold night. He spun around, Jeongguk saunting in behind him, hands in his pockets. He stopped a few steps away and cocked his head. 

“Well then? To what do I owe the delight of this visit?”

A wolf whistle sounded from the quiet room beyond, everyone clearly eavesdropping. “Damn, Jeon! Two in one night? Impressive, even for you!”

Laughter rang out, and Jimin knew his scent was growing bitter with anger by the way Jeongguk’s nostrils flared briefly. But his smug smile and intense eye contact with Jimin never faded as he called back, “Unlike the last, if this one came up to my room, I’d never let him leave.”

More hoots and hollers. Jimin had enough. 

“Stop fucking around! You think I don’t know what you did tonight? You think she didn’t come to our doorstep, sobbing so much she was shaking? Do you have no empathy?”

Jeongguk’s smile had faded, but he had just tilted his head. “Well, I can’t help that she was sad over it. I can’t control someone else’s emotions.”

“No, but you can not lead people on! What else was she supposed to think when you treated her like that!”

Jeongguk scoffed. “I never lead anyone on. It should have been clear to her that I wanted a temporary partner to get me through my rut, nothing more.”

Jimin knew this, but hearing the words still hit him hard. Alphas were all the same, thinking with their knots and not caring who got hurt as long as they got to pop one. 

But suddenly Jeongguk had stepped closer, until he was leaning over Jimin. His presence filled Jimin’s space, his scent enveloping him. 

Jimin wished he could say he refused to move out of intimidation, but in reality, at that scent, his omega froze his feet and refused to move from the delicious source.

“Hey, Jimin, I hear you’re running for Chi Omega President for next year. A little word of advice, future president to future president. Teach your omegas to not be romantic idiots, and to understand what is said to them, and we won’t have this issue.”

The words took a second to settle, Jimin’s head still a bit dazed from the delicious scent. But when they did, the fire filled him all over again.

He jerked back, seething, fists clenched at his side, and marched past Jeongguk into the hall. He flung the door open, marching out into the cold night.

“Hate to see you go but love to watch you leave, sweetheart!” Jeongguk called out the door, and Jimin didn’t even have to turn to know he was leaning against the door frame again.

Laughter of the frat chased all the way home. 

And now that same laughter rang in his ears as he started at the tent across the grass. The frat had brought beer to hand out, which was prohibited on school grounds, so they had to do it secretly. 

Or, were supposed to, but now it seemed like they had no care. Two alphas each opened up a beer, climbing up onto the table next to Jeongguk. They cracked it open, the crowd around them cheering loudly, before dumping it over Jeongguk’s head.

He was instantly soaked, but he didn’t seem to mind as he pushed his hair back off his forehead. His white tank top, tucked into baggy beige pants, was now soaked, and Jimin could see every curve and ripple of his abs as he moved. His biceps flexed with the movement as well, and Jimin felt something hot stir in his stomach.

As if he felt his stare, his gaze snapped down, meeting Jimin’s directly. That damn mouth curved into a smirk, dark eyes looking into Jimin’s soul as if he knew that Jimin’s mind was no less prone to wandering to sinful thoughts at Jeongguk’s body, despite his protests. 

He shot him a quick wink, and Jimin’s stomach fluttered.

“He’s not competition. His behavior will lead to his and his stupid frat’s inevitable downfall,” Jimin scoffed, finally turning away from the sight. He placed the sign in sheet down and turned to face the next group approaching their tent. 

Jin eyed him knowingly, but let the convo drop.

Jimin’s blissful peace lasted a glorious ten whole minutes. Ten minutes where he talked to several sweet omegas that he could picture being a wonderful addition to the sorority. Ten minutes where the sounds of the other tents, one in particular, faded away while he focused on his job.

“Congratulations on your presidency. I knew you could do it.”

The words were whispered directly into Jimin’s ear, the hot breath sending a shiver down his spine. The alpha was almost pressed against him, an inch of space between them, Jimin could still feel his warmth all along his back.

Jimin swallowed, taking a moment to gather himself before stepping forward and away from Jeongguk. 

He turned with a sickly sweet smile- hoping that Jin was right and Jeongguk would run into a busy street.

“Can’t say the same for you. I was shocked you were elected. Were all your members black-out drunk when they voted? Seems like the only logical explanation for the lapse in judgement.”

Jeongguk shrugged, daring a step closer. Jimin crossed his arms. “Or perhaps they elected me because they know I plan the best fraternity-sorority mixers. Ecstatic to work with you, by the way.”

Shit. Jimin had forgotten about that. Sororities and Fraternities paired up every so often to do ‘mixers’ (aka parties) with each other to promote socialization amongst Greek life. It was never Jimin’s favorite thing, he wasn’t much of a party person, but he did like meeting new people. That is, when it was not Alpha Sig they were paired with. And now as president, he had to help plan these with the frat presidents. 

Jeongguk’s grin widened, clearly enjoying the way Jimin’s face fell. “What’s the matter, Jimin? Already regretting your position?”

Jimin’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I’m not regretting anything. Just trying to figure out how I’m supposed to salvage a party when the only thing you’ll plan for is bad beer and worse pickup lines.”

Jeongguk threw his head back and laughed, the lines of his throat moving with the movement. “Bad pickup lines? It’s worked for me many, many times.”

Jimin stuck his nose in the air. “On idiots, maybe. Not on me.”

Jeongguk’s grin turned predatory. “Not yet, sweetheart.” Jimin opened his mouth to retort, fighting the blush rising up his neck, but Jeongguk continued before he could. “Also, our parties are known as the best on campus.”

“If by ‘best’ you mean ‘most chaotic’, then yes. There were two broken windows, one broken couch, and a kiddie pool full of beer last year alone.”

“We were promoting a childlike sense of wonder by bringing back the kiddie pool, Jimin,” Jeongguk said in mock seriousness. “You wouldn't get it.”

Before Jimin could fire back, a group of freshmen omegas approached, bright-eyed and clearly eager. One of them, a petite brunette with a hopeful smile, cleared his throat. “Hi! Sorry to interrupt, but we were wondering if this is where we sign up for the sorority rush?”

Jimin’s expression softened instantly, ready to give his best welcoming smile. “Yes, absolutely! We’d love to have you—”

But Jeongguk, never one to miss an opportunity, smoothly slid in beside the girls, his smile turning warm and flirtatious. “Well I certainly hope you beautiful omegas sign up, I would hate to miss seeing you at our mixers. Jeon Jeongguk, Alpha Sigma Phi President, by the way.”

The omegas all giggled, the boy looking up at Jeongguk with heart eyes. Jimin felt his stomach go nauseous. “Oh really?” The male omega said in an overly flirty tone. “Are they that good, Mr President?”

Jeongguk winked. “Oh, they’re even better than you’ve heard. Trust me, we’ll make sure you have a great time. Plenty of dancing, laughs, and, of course, the best company on campus,” he added, flashing them a grin that had clearly worked wonders for him in the past. 

He slid his hands into his pockets, his biceps flexing with the movement, and as if this were a cartoon the three omegas sighed in unison. 

“We hopefully will see you there with one of the sororities, then!” another omega said. 

“Looking forward to it,” Jeongguk said. Then he dipped into a flourished bow, one hand on his heart. He turned to leave, but at the last second looked back over his shoulder at Jimin.

You’re welcome , he mouthed, and then sauntered back to his table. 

Yeah, what a real help Jeongguk was. Jimin watched the three omegas eagerly write their contact information down for the Chi Omega rush, whispering about the “sexy alpha” the whole time. Jimin clenched his jaw but let them, and because he was a goddamn saint, even offered them cupcakes after.

But this was exactly what he didn’t want. He was trying to make Chi Omega into a strong, independent omega sorority! He refused to let any omegas in that were just there to meet alphas and get knots. 

Especially if that knot was attached to Jeon Jeongguk. 

***

Rush had officially started.

Jimin was standing in the main house while omegas rushed in, dressed their best, looking nervous. Their active members welcomed them kindly, starting discussions. It was a form of interview, but they tried to keep it casual and kind to not make potential new members nervous. 

“Welcome! We’re so excited you’re here at Chi Omega,” Jimin greeted the next freshman, a tall girl with short-cropped hair and an excited bounce to her step. “Why are you interested in joining our sorority?”

She smiled back brightly. “Honestly? I heard about the parties you guys do with the frats. I mean, it’s the best way to meet people, right?”

Jimin’s smile faltered just slightly. Another one. He forced himself to remain friendly. “Of course, our mixers are a great way to socialize, but we also have community service events, leadership opportunities, and omegahood activities that really make us stand out.”

The girl nodded, but her enthusiasm didn’t shift. “Oh, totally. But, you know… those parties, though. I heard Alpha Sig’s are legendary, or well,” she giggled and leaned in a bit, as if she were sharing a secret. “The alphas are legendary.”

Jimin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Fucking Jeon Jeongguk had already gotten to her too. “Yes, they have a reputation,” he said diplomatically.

He tried to steer the conversation towards their other work, but she kept bringing it back to alphas.  

And several other conversations all went the same direction. While some mentioned other frats, many omegas seemed more interested in meeting alphas rather than improving themselves with a support system behind them.

After what felt like an endless string of interviews with starry-eyed omegas fixated on fraternity parties and alpha fraternities, Jimin found himself on the edge of snapping. The first day of rush had finally come to a close, and now the active members of Chi Omega were gathered in the common room for their first post-rush meeting. The room was full of chatter, everyone talking about the new potentials and their impressions of the day.

Jimin sat on the edge of one of the sofas, his fingers tapping irritably against the clipboard in his lap. His jaw was clenched tight, and he could still hear the echo of too many conversations where the only interest in joining Chi Omega was the potential to mingle with alphas.

Jin, seated beside him, glanced over. “Jimin-ah, you okay? You’ve been quiet since we started.”

Jimin’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m fine,” he muttered, though the irritation in his voice was hard to miss.

Jin, ever observant, raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem fine.”

Jimin sighed, dropping the clipboard onto the coffee table in front of him with a thud. “It’s just... frustrating,” he admitted, looking up at the room. Everyone went silent, listening to their president. “Almost every omega I talked to today didn’t care about what we stand for or what we can do for them. They’re only here because they want to party with the alphas.”

There was a murmur of agreement from a few of the other active members, but Jin remained calm. “It’s rush. A lot of them are fresh out of high school and haven’t fully grasped what they want yet. It’s part of our job to show them what Chi Omega is really about.”

“I know that!” Jimin snapped, though he softened immediately. “I’m sorry. I just thought we’d have more serious candidates. I want to work with omegas who actually want to make a difference, not just be arm candy for some frat boy.”

Jin nodded, understanding but still firm. “We can’t control everyone’s motivations. Some of them are just nervous and might be trying to fit in by talking about what they think is expected. That doesn’t mean they don’t have potential.”

Jimin huffed. “I get that, but it feels like no one cares about anything but parties and Jeon Jeongguk's frat. I didn’t join Chi Omega to help omegas find dates for mixers.”

Jin raised an eyebrow. “Ah, so that’s what this is about. Your feud with Jeon Jeongguk.”

Jimin flushed, leaning back against the sofa and defensively crossing his arms. “No! It’s not just him. I’m just tired of the focus being on alphas all the time. Why can’t we attract omegas who care about real issues? Like…” 

He paused, thinking for a moment before continuing. “Like working with an organization that supports Single Omega Mothers. That’s the kind of thing I want to focus on this year, it was one of my fundraising ideas for us. Actually helping people, making a difference in our community.”

Several of his members once again voiced their agreement. “That sounds like a great idea, Jimin! We should definitely try to work with that organization this year,” one small male omega chimed in.

Jimin’s shoulders relaxed slightly at the encouragement, though the frustration still lingered. “I’m sorry for being short…I just wish more of them saw it that way.”

“So start by leading with the work you care about,” Jin suggested. “Talk about the organizations you want Chi Omega to support. Mention the Single Omega Mothers group first, before they can even bring up the mixers. Set the tone with the potential new members, and they’ll follow.”

Jimin nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that could work.”

Jin grinned. “Of course it will. You’re Jimin. You’re good at making people see things your way.”

Jimin rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his face. “Thanks, Jin. I needed that.”

“Anytime,” Jin said warmly. “Now, let’s talk about who actually impressed you today. There had to be at least one omega who wasn’t just in it for the alphas, right?”

Jimin flipped through his clipboard, feeling a little more hopeful as they got back to work, determined to guide Chi Omega in the direction he envisioned. Even if it meant dealing with a few more misguided priorities along the way.

***

The rest of rush week went smoother than Jimin expected. After that first frustrating day, he took Jin’s advice and started leading with discussions about the charity work and leadership opportunities Chi Omega offered. Slowly but surely, the tide began to turn. While many potential members still had an eye for parties and social events, Jimin managed to filter through those who genuinely seemed interested in what the sorority stood for.

By the end of the week, Chi Omega’s class of new recruits was small but solid. Jimin had been picky, and the chapter didn’t mind—quality over quantity had always been their motto. They gathered in the house’s common room, a sense of pride swelling in Jimin’s chest as he and the other actives welcomed the new members with warm smiles and encouraging words. It wasn’t a huge group, but every single one of them had shown a genuine interest in building something meaningful.

“Welcome to Chi Omega,” Jimin said, his voice carrying a mixture of warmth and authority as he addressed the new members. “You’re here because we see something special in each of you. We’re more than just a sorority—we’re a family, and I’m excited to see what we’ll accomplish together.”

The new recruits beamed back at him, and Jimin’s heart swelled with pride. This was the kind of environment he wanted to create—supportive, empowering, and focused on making a difference.

The school year kicked off soon after, with classes and campus activities filling everyone’s schedules. Jimin found himself juggling his coursework with his responsibilities as president, but it was a challenge he thrived on.

 He felt a renewed sense of purpose, especially when he sat down with the other officers to plan their first big service project for the Single Omega Mothers organization.

But it wasn’t all work. The first mixer of the semester loomed on the horizon, though thankfully, they weren’t paired with Jeongguk’s Alpha Sig this time. Instead, they were scheduled to mix with Alpha Kappa, another alpha fraternity with a reputation for being a little more laid-back and less… chaotic than Jeongguk’s frat.

So overall, things were going smoothly and in Jimin’s direction. And the best part of it all? Jimin never saw Jeongguk on campus.

He never really had. He assumed the alpha had a very different major than him (Jimin was a dance major and as a senior his classes were focused only in his major, so he rarely left his side of campus). And this year was thankfully no different.

He knew he would have to interact with the Alpha Sig alphas at some point, but for now, he lived in blissful peace.

***

Jimin’s favorite spot to do homework was the lawn between the library and dining hall, and he made sure to take advantage of it while the weather was still warm enough to be outside.

He tilted his head back, stretching his arms over his head and feeling the warm rays soak into his skin. Even his cramped neck and fingers from doing his history reading couldn’t overpower the bliss he felt from the hot, fresh breeze. The leaves were starting to change, and the air just smelled so fall in a way that Jimin couldn’t describe. 

As usual, he was sitting with his classmate and close friend, a beta named Yoongi. Yoongi was different than the people Jimin normally gravitated towards, stoic and quiet, but Jimin had been drawn to him in their shared music class first semester of freshman year due to his intense passion and intelligence in anything he was presented with. 

Though they no longer had any classes together, they still met every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to study, chat, and eat together. 

From the corner of his eye, Jimin watched as his friend furrowed his brow and said something, frowning at the computer in his lap.

Jimin reached up quickly to take the earbuds from his ears. “Sorry, Hyung. What did you say?”

“I said, it’s hard to focus on my work with the Alpha-Sig fanclub squealing in my ear.”

Now that Yoongi mentioned it, Jimin noticed the ear-piercing cheers and giggles drifting their way. Putting a hand over his brows to block the sun, Jimin followed the sound, squinting down the field to the far end. As soon as his eyes landed on the group, he sighed in defeat.

Of course, it was Jeon Jeongguk. 

He was with people that Jimin recognized as two of his closest frat brothers (not that he paid attention to anything the alpha did, it was just hard to notice when he was always with them, okay?!), Kim Namjoon and Kim Taehyung. All three were extremely large and ripped, their muscles emphasized even more as the three threw a ball back and forth the field to each other, biceps rippling with the motion. 

To make the sight even more disgusting, each time one of them succeeded at a particularly difficult catch, a group of omegas sitting on the grassy sidelines cheered, raising their arms up and shouting their names excitedly. None of the alphas paid their fanclub any outward attention, but their smirks and subtle flexes proved that they were extremely aware of the eyes on their every move. 

“Can’t they do this off campus?” Jimin muttered, reaching for his earbuds, ready to put them back in and ignore the group again. 

“How else will they find someone to take home tonight?” Yoongi muttered, glaring over at them. 

A particularly loud shriek and an Oh my god! Filled the quad, causing everyone, including Jimin and Yoongi, to look over. 

Jimin paused, putting the earbuds back down, as Jeongguk ran fingers through his hair, pushing it off his forehead that was gleaming with sweat. Then, he lifted his shirt up to his face, wiping off the droplets and exposing his tanned abs in the process. 

Jimin wished he had looked away, made some snarky comment like, what, is this the strip club now? But instead, he found his throat and mouth dry at the sight, suddenly feeling his cheeks burn as if he had a bit too much sun already. 

Jeongguk lowered his shirt, eyes already on Jimin’s as he did so, mouth curled up. His lip piercing caught the sun, gleaming and making his gaze look even more predatory on Jimin’s. 

“Oh Jesus, he’s coming over here. Why is he coming here, Jimin? I can’t handle the fanclub following, I gotta leave,” Yoongi muttered, shutting his computer in a panic. 

Sure enough, Jeongguk was striding towards them, gaze intent on Jimin. Namjoon called something after him, to which Jeongguk waved a dismissive hand and Taehyung shook his head with a smile. Luckily, the fanclub hadn’t followed yet, not wanting to lose their prime spot in the shade. 

The omega knew what the look in his eyes meant. Jeongguk was coming to rain hell upon Jimin. 

“Please, Hyung. You can’t leave me,” Jimin whispered in a hurry, sitting up to face the alpha head on. 

“Why? I know you’re into Greek life, but I personally want nothing to do with the alpha frats!”

“You think I do?! Please, Hyung!”

A shadow blocked the sun, covering Jimin and Yoongi in a large frame. There was no longer an escape for either of them. 

“Park Jimin, how lovely to see you again after such a long time apart. Dare I say, your presence is brighter than the sun?”

Jimin bit his cheek as he met those large, dark eyes. Unfortunately, Jeongguk looked even better up close, skin flawless and not flushed even after working out. 

“Wow, suddenly I think I might throw my lunch back up. Dare I say, your presence rains- no, hails, on my rather sunny, perfect day?”

“Ouch,” Jeongguk said, stumbling back dramatically with a hand over his chest (and Jimin definitely didn’t notice his bulging pecs, nope, never). “Do you speak to everyone like this? I must say, if you do, it makes sense.”

Yoongi raised a brow in question, and Jimin felt his stomach sink even further. “What makes sense?” he hissed out, eyes narrowed at the alpha looming over them. 

Jeongguk smugly shrugged. “Oh you know, just how small your sorority class was this year. At first I figured it was just because you’re so picky with everyone and everything. But now I’m wondering if perhaps your kind personality is the reason no one joined Chi Omega.”

Jimin stiffened, cheeks flooding red. Next to him, Yoongi sighed, standing up and brushing off his pants and muttering a quick bye to Jimin. The omega would have complained more, tried to get his hyung to stay, but he was far too occupied with seething at the alpha in front of him. 

He almost threw back that Jeongguk and his stupid alpha frat were the reason for the smaller pledge class this year, but he refused to give the alpha that satisfaction. Knowing him, he would take that straight to his ego, making sure to tease and flirt with the Chi Omegas even more. Instead, Jimin straightened, brushing invisible dirt off his shirt. 

“Well, thank you for caring about the well being of my sorority so much. Can’t say I do the same for your sad little frat.” Jeongguk smirked, opening his mouth to reply but Jimin rushed on. “A small pledge class, sure, but I would take being ‘picky’ in order to find the most intelligent, sweet, hardworking omegas, over letting any alpha with zero charm and a miniscule knot into my frat like Alpha Sig does.”

Jeongguk faux winced, still as confident as ever, but finally took a step back, letting the sun fall onto Jimin again. “Well I guess I can’t speak for the rest of my frat, but I can personally assure you that I am oozing with charm, and have been told my knot is…rather large.”

Jimin snorted, but felt his gut clench a bit at the idea of what omegas were saying to Jeongguk in bed. “They just say that to distract you from the fact that you’ve never made an omega cum.” He swiftly began packing his things into his bag, rolling up his blanket. There was no point in staying in the quad anymore, his afternoon fully ruined. 

The alpha just began walking slowly walking backwards towards his friends and fanclub. His voice dropped, eyes dark and visible from a distance, and Jimin found himself pausing to watch Jeongguk’s smooth motions.

 “Oh, sweetheart. I can assure you, if you were with me, you would cum so much all you would know is my name.”

Jimin felt his cheeks flush bright red, jaw dropping open as he gaped at Jeongguk like an idiot. “I- you- I’d never-”

Jeongguk gave a full smile, but it wasn’t a nice one. It was predatory, showing off his sharp canines that flashed as the sun hit them. “Maybe not now, but know that the offer is always on the table for you, Jimin. See you around.”

Jimin stood there, utterly stunned, as Jeongguk sauntered away with the swagger of someone who knew exactly what he’d just done. His friends started speaking to Jeongguk again, but Jimin could barely hear them over the sound of his own pulse pounding in his ears.

The audacity. The sheer nerve of that insufferable alpha!

He snapped his jaw shut with a clack, his cheeks still burning as he clenched his fists. “Jeongguk, you asshole! ” he finally managed to hiss under his breath, though the alpha was already too far to hear. He finally finished packing his things, throwing his bag over his shoulder and stomping across the grass, earning looks from several students.

 “I would never! Why must he act like that all the time? And calling me sweetheart!? After insulting me?”

Determined not to dwell on it any longer, Jimin quickened his pace, heading toward the Chi Omega house. He needed the safety of his room, his comfy nest and perhaps a few hours to rant to Jin about how infuriating Jeongguk was.

But as he pushed through the sorority door, slamming it behind him, the echo of Jeongguk’s voice still lingered in his mind. If you were with me…

“Dumbass alpha,” Jimin grumbled, throwing himself onto his bed.

***

The sororities didn’t believe in hazing much, but the frats loved to put their members through all kinds of torture. It was said it was to make them “earn their way” and “prove their loyalty to their fellow alphas”, but really it was a chance to torture and temporarily enslave their pledges for a week, inflating their stupid alpha egos.

It ranged from deadly amounts of drinking and drugs, to minor tasks, such as cleaning the house or wearing embarrassing costumes to class. Regardless, Jimin always felt a bit of pity for the young freshmen alphas wanting to find a social circle and getting round up in a long tradition of abuse. 

Unless it involved his own omega pledge class, and then he stopped feeling pity.

Several of the frats had a tradition of requiring the new alpha pledges to drive around the new omega pledges for the weeks before initiation. It was a burden for the alphas, having to use gas and chauffeur omegas around as they pleased, but it also was a chance for them to flirt and pick up omegas. The frats pressured them to, stating they weren’t a real alpha until they had an omega with them to knot. 

It was terribly degrading for the omegas, and another enforcer of the societal hierarchy. Jimin gave a speech to all his new omegas at the beginning of the year to be wary of these rides and not participate if possible. 

However, as much as Jimin wanted to blame them for ignoring his words and immediately falling into the alphas' charms and cars, he couldn’t. While he had strong reservations against the subgender now, Jimin couldn’t deny that there was a time when the younger him of high school had also craved attention and validation from alphas. 

So, all he could do now was pace the living room of the sorority house, waiting for his little omegas to come back safe from the shopping trip they had the Alpha Sig pledges drive them to.

Finally, he heard the crunch of gravel outside, soft giggles and deep voices, and then a motor pulling away. The door knob jiggled, and Jimin stood with bated breath as his three little freshman omegas tumbled in the doorway. They looked happy, cheeks roses and smiles wide, arms weighed down with many bags. Unharmed.

Jimin breathed out a sigh of relief. “Hey, pups. Have fun?”

They all chorused a “yes” and then their voices overlapped as they began telling Jimin all about the day they had, the stores they went to. 

One of the girls, Seonmi, a sweet omega with a confidence Jimin normally found admirable, twirled one of her bags around her fingers. “I also got a formal dress today. You know, frat semi-formals are coming up. It’s good to prepare, just in case.”

Jimin raised a brow. “A formal? Did one of the Alpha Sig pledges ask you today?”

Seonmi shook her head, long hair swishing. “No, but I know it’s within the next month, and I have someone in mind I’m hoping to start pursuing so he’ll ask me.” She giggled, and Jimin inexplicably felt his stomach drop. “I even made sure to ask the pledges what color dress he’d like best. They said something black, classic.”

Hearing Seonmi wanted an Alpha Sig, Jimin’s defenses went up. He crossed his arms, feet spread apart, trying to keep his voice nonchalant as he asked. “Oh? Who's the Alpha?”

“Well, you may think he’s a bit out of my league now, but…” Seonmi glanced side to side, before leaning in as if she had a secret to tell. “Their president, Jeongguk.”

Jimin barely managed to keep his expression neutral, fingers twitching. “Jeongguk?”

The omega smiled a bit guiltily at the expression on Jimin’s face. “I know, I know. Jin said you don’t like the guy, that you think he’s a fuckboy.”

Jimin narrowed his eyes. “He is. He had a thing with another sister last year, and totally led her on before dropping her.”

Seonmi sighed, rolling her eyes a bit. “I know, I know.” She held up a hand, stopping Jimin from opening his mouth again. “But! I heard something today from the pledges that may change your mind.”

“I highly doubt that, but go ahead,” he muttered begrudgingly.

The young omega grinned in triumph. “Jeongguk likes sex like any other Alpha, sure. But apparently he’s been obsessed with this one omega since forever . Not just for sex, he actually really likes this omega as a person.”

Oh god. Jimin’s stomach twisted inside of him, heart speeding up and skin heating. Why was he feeling like this?

“I have a hard time believing that,” Jimin ground out. 

“The pledges were 100% sure of it,” Seonmi argued, and Jimin felt his throat go dry.

“Say that is true. Wouldn’t you not want to pursue him then? If he’s already borderline in love with someone else…”

Seonmi shrugged, a smirk on her lips. “Because it shows that he is willing to have something more serious. And clearly this other omega isn’t returning his interest, if it’s been years and nothing has happened. Why shouldn’t I try and see if we work out?”

He crossed his arms tighter, trying to ignore the irrational irritation bubbling inside him. Why did this conversation feel like it was pressing on a nerve he hadn’t even realized existed?

“Seonmi, Pup, I’m not trying to be harsh. This just seems like a long shot.”

“But I should try. Every omega wants him. He’s perfect; sexy, smart, and capable of commitment apparently. And I think I’m pretty. Again, why not try?”

“You’re beautiful,” Jimin ground out, and he found himself annoyed that it was true. Seonmi was stunning, with an innocent kind of beauty that turned heads. “Just…be careful, okay? I don’t want to see another one of mine get their heart stomped on by that alpha. The pledges may have just said that so you trusted him.”

Seonmi rolled her eyes. “Jimin, you act like Jeongguk is some kind of evil mastermind. He’s just an alpha with a crush.”

A crush.

Jimin could barely fathom the idea of Jeon Jeongguk—the Jeongguk he knew—having a long-standing crush. It just didn’t seem possible. He was always so focused on himself.

Could he be sweet? Caress an omega, whisper sweet nothings into their ear while they innocently cuddle at night? Hold their hands in his much larger ones while walking along the river at night?

Jimin pictured the alpha, his stupid lopsided smirk that suddenly wasn’t so cocky in his fantasy, but rather goofy, trying to make the omega laugh. His fingers twitched again.

He shook his head, snapping out of it, before running a hand through his pink hair.

“Just stay aware, okay? All of you. Get back to the dorms safe and sleep well.”

Jimin would never admit how he turned and practically ran away from the pups after that, up to the safety of his nest, for reasons he didn’t know. 

 ***

Jimin sat at his desk, going through his emails for the week as normal. There were always so many invitations from different organizations, other frats and sororities, and businesses requests for collaborations. 

He had just finished responding to a fellow sorority agreeing to attend their annual baking fundraiser when a new email popped into his browser. 

His brows instantly furrowed upon seeing it was sent from [email protected] with the subject line Fundraiser Collaboration. 

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Fundraiser Collaboration

Dear lovely omegas of Omega Chi Sorority, 

I hope this message finds you well. This year, Alpha Sigma Phi is excited to announce a collaboration with the Mother Moon Foundation, a local non-profit dedicated to providing support and resources for single Omega mothers.

We would be honored to partner with Omega Chi for a fundraising event that will help raise awareness and much-needed funds for this important cause. We believe that together, we can make a significant impact in our community and support the empowering work of the Mother Moon Foundation.

We would love to discuss ideas for the event and how we can best collaborate to make this a success. Please let us know if you would be interested in joining us in this meaningful initiative. 

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Warm regards,

Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity 

Est 1881

Jimin’s stomach dropped. 

He read the email again, then two more times.

How did they know?

Mother Moon Foundation was the exact foundation Jimin had been looking into working with. He had already drafted an email to send them about fundraising, ready to send off that week. 

Except he had been beaten to it?

Except they had invited them to work with them?

“JIN!” Jimin screamed out into the hall, eyes not wavering from his screen. 

His best friend came jogging into the room, lips pouted. “What’s wrong? Why are you screaming?”

Jimin jutted a chin at his screen. “Look.”

Jin stopped over Jimin’s shoulder, placing a comforting hand down before quickly reading the email. As soon as he finished, his shoulders relaxed.

“Oh! Sounds like a great opportunity. Why did you sound upset?”

Jimin finally turned away from his screen, crossing his arms and scowling. “Am I being pranked? Made fun of?”

Jin squatted down, trying to get on Jimin’s level from where he sat in his chair. “What? Jimin, no. Why-”

“Did you or the other executives talk to the fraternities about our plans for the year? Are you guys spilling confidential information?”

“Uhh, I don’t think so-” Jin blinked in confusion, running a hand through his hair. “Jimin, what are you talking about? You’ve been planning to email them, right? Maybe they just saw the same opportunity and reached out first. That’s... not a bad thing, is it?”

Jimin crossed his arms. “But, the exact foundation I planned to do? Also, these are Alphas , and you want me to honestly believe they want to work with single omega mothers. I’m not buying it. So, who snitched?”

Jin groaned in frustration, standing back up. “No one, Jimin. Let’s take a step back and breathe for a second. No one’s pranking you, Jimin. And even if someone knew, this is a good thing, right? You’ve been wanting to get involved with Mother Moon for so long. This might actually be the universe giving you a chance to move forward faster than expected. And let’s be real, you know how competitive these things can get.”

Jimin sighed. He couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. “I just wanted it to also be our thing. Just for our sorority.”

“I know. But honestly, maybe this is better. More people will show up if it's a collaboration event. We’ll have a wider network, and raise more money. If the main goal is helping single mothers, which I know is what you truly want to do at the end of the day, this is the best way.”

Jimin chewed his lip, eyeing the email again. His friend had a good point. Together, they could raise far more money for the organization than they would alone. 

Finally he sighed, pouting. “Ugh. I hate when you’re right.”

Jin laughed, reaching a hand out to pinch Jimin’s chubby cheeks. “You must hate me all the time, then, because I’m never wrong.” He spun Jimin’s desk chair back around. “Now, don’t overthink it. Just reply and say yes, and we can worry about the logistics of it later.”

As Jin left the room, Jimin hit reply on the email and began typing a response. He still had some hesitations, but the more he thought about it, it could be easily fixed. 

In order to make sure things were done right and his sorority wasn’t taken advantage of, Jimin would just have to oversee the whole project himself. It would be fine. He could make sure it was exactly the fundraising event he wanted. 

Chapter Text

It was going to be the worst fundraiser event of his life.

Jimin had replied to the email, making sure to express that if they collaborated with the frat on this, Jimin would be involved in all the planning and managing of the event. Surprisingly, Alpha Sig had readily agreed to give him free rein.

As long as he worked with Jeongguk, who of-fucking-course also wanted to oversee the whole project for Alpha Sig.

“Heyyy Partner~!” The alpha sing-songed, pushing black sunglasses up on top of his head as he strolled into the cafe. He was decked out in boots, skinny jeans, and a tee, a black leather jacket swung carelessly over his forearm. 

Jimin hated him. Jimin hated the way everyone stared when he walked in, whispering in awe as if he looked good. Jimin hated that he did look good, sexy even. Jimin hated the way he noticed he got a haircut, the sides shaved into an undercut. Jimin hated the way his scent of the forest wrapped around him as he sat down across from him, causing his stomach to warm. 

And because he didn’t know what else to say, Jimin glanced at his phone. “You’re three minutes late.”

Jeongguk raised a brow, leaning back into his seat and spreading his legs. “Woahh, someone is bitter this morning! Let me get you something to sweeten you up.”

“No, thanks, I already ordered,” Jimin said, pointedly glancing down at his black iced coffee. He began pulling out his laptop, opening up the document with notes he had made while researching the Mother Moon Foundation. 

“Just a coffee? You need to eat something today,” The alpha shot back, voice a bit more serious. Jimin tensed a bit at the genuine care in his voice. 

Did Jeongguk care about him?

“I’ll eat after this.”

“C’mon! How are you supposed to be my sweetheart without something sweet in you?”

Nevermind. Jeongguk never cared about anything other than himself a damn day in his life. 

Before Jimin could open his mouth, the Alpha was up and strolling towards the counter. Jimin huffed, glaring at Jeongguk’s back as he leaned against the display case, all easy charm and lazy confidence. The poor barista practically tripped over themselves taking his order, nodding eagerly at whatever he was saying. 

Jimin looked back down at his coffee, wondering if he needed the caffein more or if he should dump it on Jeongguk’s head when he came back. 

All too quickly, the man himself came strolling back over, a drink in one hand for himself and a small plate in another. He quickly slid it across the table in front of Jimin. 

“Here we go, just for you. No, no, please, no need to thank me! No, really, it’s nothing, of course I would do it for you! No, please, no need to pay me back, it was an honor to buy it for you!”

Jeongguk’s dramatic monologue had the corner of Jimin’s mouth rising a bit. He was about to bite back that Of course he wasn’t paying Jeongguk back, he needed to make up for the torture that was his company , when his brain finally registered what pastry Jeongguk had bought for him. 

A cinnamon twist. Jimin’s favorite.

He squinted up at the alpha through furrowed brows, shoulders rising on edge. How did he know?

Jeongguk raised a brow, lazily pulling out his own computer, face blank. 

No, it was definitely a coincidence. He just probably picked the first pastry he saw. 

Jimin cleared his throat dramatically as his fingers reached for the pastry, hoping to distract Jeongguk by speaking, but the triumphant gleam in his eyes said otherwise. 

“ Anyway , back to the important thing, the huge fundraiser we need to start planning…I made a document with notes on the Mother Moon Foundation, their mission and goals, and what I think our goal should be to raise money. I just shared it with your school email, it should be there.” 

Jeongguk clicked around a few times. “Yup, I see it. Damn, this is organized as fuck. You gotta start taking my class notes for me.”

“So as you can see, they mainly provide financial aid to low-income single omega mothers,” Jimin continued as if the alpha never spoke. “Mainly they focus on discounts on childcare programs such as daycares, food-stamps, and covering child healthcare costs. But they also have a few safe-houses around the country to provide housing for omegas and children in unsafe situations. Whatever event we plan needs to be respectful of these values.”

“So I should tell my brothers they’re not gonna be DJing anymore? They’ll be disappointed.”

Jimin snapped his eyes up, meeting the dark ones across the table from him. He tore another hunk of his cinnamon twist off aggressively, shoving it in his mouth. “Please be serious for once in your life, Jeongguk.”

He smirked.“I am serious. Mingyu just learned how to mix tracks. I would hate to deprive the single-mothers of his talents.”

Jimin's hand clenched into a fist on the table, his knuckles turning white. His nostrils flared as his temper shot through the roof. “If you fucking tell me you decided to do this fundraiser so your dumbass alphas could flirt with vulnerable single omega moms, I will actually gut you.”

“Well surprisingly, I personally am not all that into MILFs, but a few brothers-”

Jimin slammed both hands down on the table with a force that made the plates rattle, his chair scraping back as he stood up abruptly. Suddenly, the cinnamon twist in his stomach burned like acid. “Don't fucking joke about this, Jeongguk,” he snarled, his face flushed with rage. 

For the first time all morning, the alpha looked genuinely taken aback, his smirk falling away, eyes going wide. He froze, no longer lounging back all carefree. 

“Answer the question. What you say will decide if we are actually doing this or not. Why did you decide to work with the Mother Moon Foundation?” 

For a moment, Jeongguk hesitated, before he finally sighed and let his playful demeanor fully slip away. "I got involved with Mother Moon because, despite what you think, I don’t always do things just to mess around." He met Jimin’s eyes, sincerity flickering in his gaze. "I’m not gonna act like I’m some saint, but the foundation does real work. I care about making things better for people who actually need it, and I’ve seen the impact his particular organization can have. I would genuinely like to work with Omega Chi to bring as much money as we can to these omegas."

Jimin’s shoulders relaxed a little at Jeongguk’s sincerity, but the tension in his chest remained. He studied the alpha for a moment, still unsure whether this was some long con or if Jeongguk was truly being serious. When the alpha’s face remained open, no smirk, gave in.

"Fine," Jimin said, his voice still tight but softer. "But if you screw this up with your usual antics, I swear to God, I’ll make you regret it." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "You might care about this, but you better prove it, Jeongguk."

Jeongguk grinned, the corners of his lips lifting. "Don't worry, Jimin. I’ve got this handled." His voice dropped an octave, eyes glinting with that familiar cocky confidence. "Plus, it sounded like the kind of thing that might benefit from my…amazing ideas.”

Jimin flopped back into his seat with a groan. 

They continued working for a while, bouncing ideas back and forth. It was frustrating and took far longer than it needed to, given how Jeongguk could not stop throwing jokes around, but Jimin could admit that despite it all, the alpha did have some good ideas. Though he disguised them behind a nonchalant facade, he was surprisingly…creative?

They had settled on having some kind of gala. They decided the formality of the event, along with the high-spending crowd it would bring, would be the best way to bring in money. 

“Whatever we do, check-in and seating needs to be organized. With all our members, and any guests we invite, plus all the supporters from the Foundation…it will quickly become havoc if we can’t smoothly manage that volume of people,” Jimin said, rubbing his temples at the thought. His coffee and twist were long gone, fingers beginning to cramp from all the notes he was taking. 

“We can just have them sign in with a QR code. Take the work off of our people so we can focus on guiding people to their seats.”

Jimin hummed. “It’s a nice thought, but it's also less personal. People want to feel special at a gala, like they’re going to something grand.”

Jeongguk paused for a moment, looking out the window. Jimin was ready to move onto the next possibility, when Jeongguk snapped his fingers and rapidly sat up. “I got it. We keep the QR code, but find another way to make them feel like a VIP at their tables. Then, they’re more inclined to spend too. Boom boom, double win.”

“And what do you have in mind for that?”

“Personalized name-tags. When people sit at their pre assigned seat, they have a fun name tag with a fancy title. Each one can be unique, and we can match it to whatever gala theme we end up settling on.”

Jimin froze. “That’s…not a half bad idea.”

Jeongguk leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. His scent strengthened, oozing out, and Jimin instantly resisted the urge to breathe in deeper. “I’m a revolutionary, what can I say? Make my name tag ‘Sir Jeongguk the Great’.”

Jimin snorted. “More like ‘Jeongguk, Pain in My Ass.’ All you came up with so far is name tags.”

“You wound me, Sweetheart. My creativity is highly praised.”

Jimin rolled his eyes. “By who, your mom?”

“By Professors, actually,” Jeongguk quickly shot back. “Since you know, I am an Art Major.”

Jimin froze. “Wait what ?”

The alpha opened his mouth to reply, but upon seeing Jimin’s genuine shock, his brow furrowed. “Yeah…you genuinely didn’t know that?” His tone sounded a bit sad, and Jimin found himself feeling guilty despite it all.

“Well yeah- I mean- Frat Alphas are almost always Business majors-”

“You of all people should know I am a free spirit who does not have the attention span for anything business, math, or science.”

“I do know that,” Jimin quickly cut in at the alpha’s put out tone, and found he really meant it. He did know that about Jeongguk, having seen him over the years and how he moved, always fidgeting, never staying put. 

But he still found himself trying to defend himself because, by god, the alpha was pouting . Doe eyes wide and dark, suddenly childlike in a way Jimin usually didn’t see. His small lower lip was jutting out, pink and rosy and-

“Besides, it's not like I see you around campus. I bet you don’t know my major, either-”

“Dance.”

Jimin paused. Something in him fluttered at the fact that Jeongguk paid attention to him, knew him. “Oh-h… Well, you’re just a weird stalker then. I focus on my own life.”

Jeongguk snorted, the flirty glint coming back into his eyes. Jimin was going to get whiplash from how quick this boy could change his moods. “Nah, people just talk. You had a solo at the end of last year, and all your admirers were gushing over it.”

“I don’t have admirers.”

“You do, you just don’t notice. Or refuse to notice. But whatever,” Jeongguk muttered the last part almost to himself, cracking his knuckles before speaking up again. “They’ll come lining up at the door when they hear the Great Park Jimin planned a perfect gala, despite the idea bank being little old Jeongguk, gone and forgotten.”

Jimin found himself laughing, a small and quick, but real laugh. He hated how the alpha grinned in triumph. “Please, the amount of admirers I have compared to you is miniscule and you know it. Besides, we have to actually come up with a theme for this gala before either of us can be remembered for it.”

Jimin ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling the weight of the task ahead of them. A theme for the gala had to be something that would captivate the crowd, tie everything together, and somehow reflect their cause. He chewed on his bottom lip, trying to think through all the possibilities.

He looked back at the alpha, suddenly noticing the tattoos that covered his right arm. Did he draw them himself? They were impressive work, detailed and realistic, and Jimin despite himself had always admired them. He looked back up at the man, who’s dark eyes were locked onto the omega like he was the only thing in the room, and the idea hit him.

“An art gala!”

Jeongguk blinked. “What?”

“Think about it! You must know many people from the art department who would be willing to donate pieces, or could ask your professors. We could auction off work, and that money will go to the Mother Moon Foundation.”

Jimin was leaning forward in his excitement, and Jeongguk matched that as he began to speak. “You know…I could create a personal art piece for the auction, something related to the cause. It could be the last piece we sell, something that really ties the Mother Moon Foundation into the gala.”

Jimin’s eyes widened, clearly impressed. “Wait, you’d actually be willing to make something for this?” He raised an eyebrow, skeptical but excited. “You don’t just throw around the term ‘personal art piece’ lightly.”

Jeongguk shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting in a sly grin. “If you’re jealous that someone else is getting a Jeon Jeongguk original, I’d be happy to paint you a piece of your own. You can even model for it yourself, preferably nude. It’s the form I work with best.”

“You know, I’m so pleased with the ideas you’ve come up with and your willingness to paint a centerpiece that I’m going to graciously ignore that comment all together.”

***

Jimin was beginning to wonder if perhaps he misjudged Jeon Jeongguk.

They met up two or three times a week for the next month, working through every detail of the gala. Sometimes they brought other members of their frat or sorority to help, but oftentimes it was just them two.

Jeongguk was his normal self, making jokes and never taking anything too serious. But underneath it all he continued to have good, even great, ideas. He put his full effort into planning the gala, meticulous with the details, and Jimin found his icy heart melting at the Alpha’s passion.

He also brought Jimin a cinnamon twist. Every. Time. 

“I’m gonna get fat if you keep bringing me these,” Jimin muttered one morning, cheeks stuffed up like a chipmunk as he chewed.

“You’re too thin as is, you deserve to eat it. Besides, you’re cute when your cheeks are round.”

Jimin sputtered, choking on the twist. Jeongguk patted him on the back, large hand gentle, and Jimin felt himself flush red. “Maybe I should stop bringing them. I’d hate for you to die before you see me in a suit. Your life will be unfulfilled.”

“Jeongguk, we are not buying everyone matching sunglasses. This is an art gala, not a rave.”

“It’s for the mood, Sweetheart. It doens’t have to be rave, think of it more like a heist movie, stealing valuable art. I’m taking you first, of course.”

“...Did you do drugs this morning?”

“The only drug I need is your love and attention, Sweetheart.”

“This venue is perfect,” Jimin breathed out, scanning the large space, glittering chandeliers. Jeongguk looked much less impressed.

“I guess. The lighting is a bit off.”

Jimin rolled his eyes. “It’s made to host art galas, the walls all have spotlights. How much better can the lighting get?”

“Oh, it's good for the art. I’m talking about mood lighting for when I seduce you at the end of the night. Bit bright for that in here.”

“The only seducing you’ll be doing is getting high spenders to bid big on the art. Know your place, Jeon.”

“Ooh, ordering me around. Sexy.” 

Jimin stomped on his foot, making the Alpha yelp. 

It was to the point where Jimin, as much as it made him throw up in his mouth to admit it, kind of looked forward to their meetings. It was fun, planning together and laughing at Jeongguk’s stupid jokes and meaningless flirting. 

Too much fun.

Jimin wasn’t supposed to like him. He wasn’t supposed to see him like this.

But Jeongguk kept showing up, warm pastries, ridiculous comments, genuine effort, and Jimin was starting to forget why he ever hated him in the first place.

And when Jeongguk said, “I’m worried any art I’ll make won’t be more beautiful than you, no one will buy it with you standing there,” for once, Jimin didn’t have anything to say.

Instead, he blushed and turned away.

 ***

“Okay, how do these pants look? Is my ass fat?” 

Jin and Hoseok (another one of Jimin’s close sorority members) stared at Jimin from the bed as if he’d grown a third eye. 

“That bad? I swear these are my tightest, sexiest pants.”

Hoseok shook his head slowly. “No, I mean, you look great. I’m just wondering what you’ve done with the Jimin who wanted no Alpha attention at any mixers.”

“It’s because this mixer is with Alpha Sig and Jimin has finally stopped denying that he doens’t want to fuck Jeongguk’s brains out,” Jin piped in.

Jimin glared over at the two, shrugging on a mesh shirt and then putting on a matching denim jacket. It was covering but tight, and the mesh gave glances of the tattoo on his ribs, teasing enough to leave people wanting more. 

“I’m not wearing it for any Alphas, especially not Jeongguk, who’s brains I still do not want to fuck out. Can I not want to look sexy for my own self confidence?”

Hoseok snorted, picking up some heeled boots and tossing them at Jimin to wear. “You can, but those are your ‘fuck me’ pants from freshman year, before you went all chastity.”

Jimin caught the boots midair with a scowl, but still slipped them on without protest. His friend did have excellent taste. “They are not. I just forgot I had them until the other day.”

“You wore those to winter semi-formal first year and left with that soccer player halfway through the night,” Jin said, “Don’t try to lie to us.”

“That was purely a coincidence,” Jimin huffed, fixing his hair in the mirror and giving himself one last once-over. He looked good. He wanted to look good.

But not for Jeongguk! Although he had to admit he was looking forward to seeing the alpha tonight, bantering and laughing, but he wasn’t dressing up for him. Sure, it would be fun to see his reaction, what flirting he would pull out once he saw the omega, but that was just an added bonus. 

With a final nod in the mirror, Jimin turned around. “Alright, I’m ready. Let’s walk over to this party and have a fun time, dance, get drunk… with just us omegas .”

“Sureeee,” Hoseok sing-songed, following behind as Jimin breezed out of the room. “But just to throw it out there for all of us, I won’t be offended if someone ditches halfway through for a good knot!”

“I’ll kill you!” Jimin sing-songed back. “No Alpha Sig’s have good knots, definitely not worth leaving us for.”

Jin snorted. “Sure, I’ll check in with you tomorrow on that, Jiminie.”

A short walk later, the trio was pushing open the door to the sprawling dark mansion that was the Alpha Sig house. Instantly, flashing lights and loud music assaulted Jimin’s senses. The sticky floor rattled dangerously underneath them as they entered the hallway and closed the door behind them, making Jimin wince a bit. A bit further in, a line of omegas was already forming outside the bathroom, one pounding his fist on the door and yelling at the group in there to “hurry up before I piss my pants!” It was always a bit overwhelming at first, the mix of scents. The sweat always made alpha and omega scents stronger, the bitter and sweetness clashing. 

“I need a drink immediately,” Jin said, and the other two nodded in agreement before all joining hands to push through the crowd of hot bodies. 

The kitchen was a bit less crowded but even stickier, cups strewn everywhere, a plate of food that was molding in the sink. Around the edges there were closed cans and shots set up. Jimin grabbed two beers and five shot bottles, knowing he was not going to be able to push his way back for a refill later. 

His friends did the same, and then they were pushing out of the kitchen in search of the dance floor. There was a small room outside filled with almost exclusively Alphas, a beer pong table set up. They were cheering rambunctiously when one scored, taunting when one missed. A few omegas fluttered their lashes up at the alphas, fingernails gripping tightly into the biceps as they begged for attention that the alpha’s were too focused on the game to give. Jimin was relieved to see none of the omegas were from his sorority. 

Finally, beyond that was the dance floor. A DJ stand was crudely set up in the corner, spray painted with the Alpha sig logo and lights strung up on the side that looked like they would fall at any moment. The floor shook more in here with the force of all the jumping, the crowd singing along as they danced. 

Jin cracked open his first can, and Jimin and Hoseok followed suit. “Cheers!” 

A beer and three shoots later, Jimin was feeling buzzed enough that the overwhelming heat and scents faded away. He grinded on Hoseok, Jin dancing goofily next to them. Sweat dripped down his neck as he threw his head back onto his friend’s shoulder, but he didn’t notice or care as the beat seeped into his bones. 

Jimin was halfway through another can when he spotted him.

Jeongguk.

He leaned casually against the wall across the dance floor, solo cup in hand, sleeves rolled up just enough to show the veins in his forearms and tattoos. His lips were turned up in that maddening smirk that Jimin was all too familiar with the past few weeks. 

He was effortlessly sexy, and Jimin felt himself unconsciously stopping his dancing to stare as the Alpha tipped his head back and laughed, jawline catching the purple lights. 

But then he moved his eyes slightly over to see who was making Jeongguk laugh so hard and instantly his beer tasted acid in his mouth. 

Seonmi looked gorgeous as always, and it seemed she had taken the color advice to heart as she wore a black lacy little skirt and tube top set. In fact, Jimin couldn’t think of a time the past few weeks she hadn’t worn the color. Her body was angled towards him, hair and perfectly glossed pink lips (though not as plump as Jimin’s he was proud to say) shining even at the distance. They looked perfectly moist as she parted them to say something, biting down teasingly on one after she finished her sentence.

And Jeongguk? He smirked more, leaning in to whisper in her ear. Part of Jimin knew it was because it was too loud in the building to not, but the other part of him hissed that it was far too close to not be intimate. 

Seonmi lifted a hand to his chest, lightly placing it there, and Jeongguk didn’t move it. 

Jimin’s stomach twisted, angry and bitter and sudden.

“You okay?” Hoseok shouted over the music as he noticed Jimin’s statuesque state. 

“Yeah,” Jimin said too quickly, too sharply. “I just need more to drink.”

Jin didn’t seem to buy it, but he thankfully didn’t say anything as Jimin downed the rest of his beer and slowly began to move his body again. 

It wasn’t like this was new. Jeongguk flirted with anything that produced slick. It was exactly why he told everyone to avoid him for years. On top of that, Seonmi was gorgeous and exactly the type of girl Jimin would expect the alpha to go for, at least looks wise. Poised, sexy and innocent all at once, the kind of girl who secretly wanted to be ruined. Docile, but still confident enough to know what she wanted. 

So why was Jimin’s throat so tight?

Another shot later, the alcohol was helping Jimin’s thoughts twist into something somewhat positive. 

It was just because he had gotten a bit too comfortable with Jeongguk’s solo attention and flirting the past few weeks! Despite not liking the alpha at all, and Jimin’s overall persona of being a confident independent young omega, being flirted with and found attractive was still flattering. He was not immune, and he could admit that! That was all! Now he had to get unused to it, and his problems would be solved. 

Yeah, he could do that.

He excused himself from his friends, pushing to the edge of the dance floor (but not the one where Jeongguk had been, thank you very much. He went to the opposite side), needing a bit of air. The mesh shirt clung to his chest, tattoo even more visible as lifted his arm to run a hand through his pink hair. 

He hoped if Jeongguk happened to look over and see the sexy vision that was the Park Jimin, he would choke on his spit and die. 

“Jimin, oh my god! You look incredible!”

Jimin turned his head a bit too slow, the room blurring a bit. Perhaps he should slow his alcohol intake from now on. 

“I was telling everyone the other day that Chi Omega has the sexiest president of all time and you just continue to prove it!”

Finally, Jimin’s eyes focused and Seonmi’s face came into view. She was flushed but still didn’t look sweaty at all, which was fucking unfair. Her eyes had a happy sparkle to them, lips stretched into a wide smile.

“Oh…Thanks,” Jimin finally said, a beat late. “You look good too.”

She shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, perfectly manicured fingers gleaming, and Jimin found himself wanting to rip them off of her. 

“Thank you! I knew Jeongguk would be here tonight so I had to look good and…” she leaned in, giggly, with a giddy smile. “Well, let’s just say he definitely noticed me. We talked for the longest time and the way he looked at me…it was like I was the only one in the room with him!”

Jimin’s grip tightened on his cup. “Thats…great,” he forced out, voice croaky.

Seonmi seemed to notice, and she jutted out her bottom lip and looked at Jimin with something like… pity.

“Honestly, I know why you feel that way about him, many Alphas at this age are super immature and just assholes, but I hope you can see past that soon. I’m sure then you could easily find a sweet and sexy alpha, too.”

Jimin was about ready to boil over. Her fake pity, her implying Jeongguk was already hers, her trying to give Jimin advice when she hadn’t seen half the things he had. 

He needed to leave now.

“That’s great. I hope it works out and you don’t come crying to us in a month when he breaks your heart, really I do. If you will excuse me, I might try out finding an Alpha of my own right now!”

Jimin didn’t wait to see how his words landed, turning quickly and scanning the dance floor as he pulled out another shot. 

He scanned the room quickly, refusing to see if Jeongguk was anywhere in the area, trying to find the hottest alpha who was alone as he could. Quickly, his eyes landed on a man he had seen around, a huge ripped alpha who exuded sex.

 Without much thought, Jimin teetered over there. The alpha looked up as he approached and smirked, eyes dropping down and up the omega’s form. Jimin resisted the urge to shudder, placing a hand on the man’s chest and digging his fingers into his pecs. They were huge, Jimin noticed with a pleased smile.

“I couldn’t stop staring at you across the room. Dance with me, Alpha?” Jimin wined, looking up through his lashes.

The alpha smirked, one arm wrapping around his waist. “Of course, pretty little thing.”

For a while, Jimin lost himself in the movement. He could barely feel the hot body pressed against him, vision blurring as the lights stopped around him. He was a bit dizzy but refused to stop moving his hips as he danced. 

But soon, Jimin felt a squeeze on his ass and jolted back to realize that the Alpha had his hands on the omega’s bottom, kneading the flesh like he was dough. Jimin looked up, trying to step back, but stumbled a bit. The alpha gripped tighter, pulling Jimin back in.

Jimin lifted shaky hands up, trying to push the alpha back. “Wait…I…hold on,” He slurred.

“You wanna take this upstairs, pretty? Let’s go.”

A firm arm was around his back, beginning to push him forward. Jimin tried to look around the room, but found everything was spinning. “No, wait-”

Suddenly, they were jolted to a halt. Jimin raised his heavy head, but found his eyes focusing on the sharp dark ones that were glaring at the Alpha next to him. A tattoo hand lifted up, grabbing Jimin’s shoulder and yanking him into his body. 

“He said no, you shitbag,” Jeongguk growled . His normally soothing forest scent was bitter, coming off in angry waves, and Jimin found himself sobering up a bit at the smell.

The other alpha growled, reaching out to grab Jimin again. “Dude, don’t cockblock. He wants me, he came up to me.”

“He doesn’t want to go upstairs with you, he made that clear. Besides, he’s not yours to touch.”

“Oh, but he’s yours?”

Pressed up against him, Jimin could feel as Jeongguk flinched slightly at the words. “No. But he sure as fuck isn’t yours either. And if you touch him again, we’ll see if you walk out of here or crawl out of here.”

The two puffed up their chests, staring at each other in a silent battle. Jimin twisted his hands anxiously, not knowing what he would do if the two started fighting….

“Fine, his ass wasn’t that good anyway,” The other alpha finally spat out over his shoulder, storming out of the room. Jimin let out a long breath, leaning more into the warmth and safety next to him. 

“Asshole,” Jeongguk muttered, before turning to stand in front of Jimin, gripping his upper arms. His eyes were now big and doe-like again, full of concern as he asked, “Are you okay?”

And Jimin wanted to say yes, wanted to melt into his arms and be hugged and reassured, wanted to be surrounded by woody scents until he was floating on a cloud of bliss. 

But he couldn’t. Because Jeongguk was looking at him like he was the only one in the room, and suddenly the image of him looking at Seonmi like that not too long ago flashed in his head.

So instead, he muttered, “I need air,” before yanking away and shoving his way to the backyard.

The cool air hit his throbbing temple, providing relief. As the air blew, Jimin realized his cheeks were sticky with tears, but he had no idea how long he had been crying for. Just now as he ran out? Before, when the alpha didn’t let him go? Or back when he talked with Seonmi?

“Jimin? Talk to me, what’s wrong?” 

Jimin froze from where he wiped his tears, that melodic deep voice coming closer as Jeongguk approached. It was filled with care, as if he was worried about Jimin, as if he was worried about an omega, was worried about his feelings. 

And suddenly, hot rage filled his throat. He spun around, ready to strike.

“Why are you asking like you care? You did it, were the perfect Knight in Shining Armour to save a poor helpless Omega. Great job. Go back to your friends and brag about it like you want to.”

Jeongguk froze, eyes going wide, hands awkwardly held in front of him as if he had been about to reach for Jimin’s face. 

“W-what? I do care-”

Jimin shook his head, eyes filling up and hot tears starting to fall again as he babbled. He felt unsteady, dizzy, and out of control, and he couldn't tell anymore if it was from his emotions or the alcohol. 

“No you don’t. You just care about flirting and getting your knot wet with as many Omegas as possible. You always have. It’s why you flirt with me, its why you flirted with Seonmi earlier. Well let me tell you, Jeon Jeongguk, I am tired. I am not a piece in your little game to play.”

Jeongguk frowned, eyes drooping. His voice was hoarse as it came out. “Jimin, I- I’m not playing with you, I never would. I have too much respect for you to do that.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been playing me all year. You bring me cinnamon twists, call me pretty, then turn around and make sex eyes at my Sorority sister all night.”

“I never flirted with Seonmi. She came up to me, I was just trying to be nice.”

“Oh, right, it’s so nice of you to let her place her hand on your chest. I’m sure you’re always just being nice to me, too.”

Jeongguk was starting to look desperate, approaching Jimin as he ran a hand through his long, thick locks, messing up the strands. His eyes were wide and crazed, lips moving faster and faster.

“I stepped back as soon as she did it. Genuinely, everyone I’ve ever been with has not been serious and they always approach me first. The only omega I’ve flirted and initiated with all of college has been you, Jimin!”

Jimin’s heart sped up. He quickly shoved it aside. “If you’re so serious about me why are you always joking about it?” He spat back.

Jeongguk froze at that, lips parted, breath catching in his throat.

Then he laughed . But it wasn’t amused. It was sharp, breathless, frustrated.

“Because that’s all you see me as! God, Jimin, you wrote me off from the moment we met. Not to mention, you’re beautiful, independent, smart…you’re so damn intimidating, Jimin. I couldn’t try and change your stubborn mind about me anyway. So why not joke around like you expect. At least then you talk to me, even if just to argue.”

Jimin froze, stomach sinking. “I-That’s not true. You’re so full of shit-”

Jimin was cut off in the middle of his rant by a firm hand grabbing his chin, hard . He barely had time to take a breath before Jeongguk’s mouth was on his, desperate and bruising and messy. The alpha used his grip on Jimin’s chin to open the omega’s mouth, tongue swooping in and claiming.

Jimin groaned, hands coming up around Jeongguk’s neck and leaning into his body. He was so warm but firm, all muscles and silky skin and thick hair that Jimin sank his fingers into. 

The alpha groaned as Jimin met the strokes of his tongue with his own, and the sound was anguished, as if this moment, this kiss, was the only thing holding him together. 

They kissed like they argued, Jimin realized. A perfect rhythm, throwing back and forth, heated and charged with emotion. 

Jeongguk’s hand slid from Jimin’s chin to wrap around the front of his throat, not pressing but just holding there, claiming. Jimin’s knees went weak at the touch, falling more into Jeongguk and grinding his hips desperately. 

“ Jimin, ” Jeongguk whispered into his mouth. “My sweet omega.” And it sounded good on his tongue, right. 

Too right.

It was like suddenly waking up from a dream. Jimin gasped, flying back. He stumbled, trying to get his legs under him as he ripped away from the warmth in front of him. 

Jeongguk looked wrecked, panting, fingers clenching at his sides as if he wanted to step forward and grab Jimin again. 

“You-You can’t say that,” Jimin whispered. “You’re breaking me, Jeongguk. I-You…You don’t like me. You like the idea of being able to say you got into the pants of the untouchable Omega. And it’s cruel. You…You’re being cruel.”

Jeongguk's breath hitched. The muscles in his jaw jumped, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed something down hard.

Then he said, voice barely above a whisper, “That’s really how little you think of me?”

Jimin flinched.

Jeongguk didn’t move. He didn’t beg, didn’t step forward, didn’t argue. He just stood there, like Jimin had punched a hole right through his chest, and the hurt in his eyes was unbearable.

Jimin’s mouth opened, then closed. He couldn’t breathe. The cold air felt thick, suffocating, pressing down on his shoulders.

So instead, he turned and ran.

 ***

Only a week after The Kiss, the gala for Mother Moon Foundation was scheduled.

Jimin had buried himself in work all week to distract himself from the guilt and confusion he felt around the alpha. He wasn’t sure what to believe anymore, if Jeongguk was truly not an asshole, if he did like Jimin. The omega wanted to believe it, but also his history with the alpha, all the things said, all the sorority members he fucked with…it was hard.

Luckily (or unluckily, because it was killing Jimin), Jeongguk hadn’t texted to reach out to Jimin. Any interaction with Alpha Sig when planning the fundraiser was done by the Vice President. It was dead silence. 

So here he was, hands shaking as he stepped out of the car, gripping his Ipad with his “Day Of!” checklist, scanning the room for a glimpse of the man. But he didn’t see him, the room already filled with a mix of alphas and omegas working together to set up. Something inside Jimin softened at the sight. He sighed, moving to work on the table cards.

It’s not like he wanted to see Jeongguk. What would he even say to the alpha? 

I’m sorry for what I said, you scare me.

I want to believe you.

I don’t know how to believe you.

Jimin blinked hard and focused on the table cards, aligning each name with precision that bordered on obsessive. His hands still trembled, though, and the shaking only grew worse when he spotted a tattooed hand in the corner of his eye, easily lifting a heavy table.

Jimin perked up, something in his omega awakening and Jimin realized that it always did that when Jeongguk was nearby, as if he could sense him before he saw him. And something in Jimin knew it was the same for the alpha, that Jeongguk was well aware of Jimin’s exact location in the room. 

Still, as Jimin stared at him, Jeongguk refused to make eye contact. 

And Jimin didn’t know how to handle it.

It was clear that his words had truly hit the alpha deep and hurt his feelings. In all their years at university Jeongguk was always the one seeking Jimin out, always already looking at him. Now, the roles were reversed, Jimin standing frozen as he awkwardly stared at the alpha speaking softly to Taehyung, like a ghost in the corner of the room.

Jimin took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, smoothing the last name card down with trembling fingers. He double-checked alignment, even though they were already perfect.

He had to focus on the Mother Moon Foundation. That was what he was here for, what he had worked hard all year for. Today was about those omegas, not his stupid feelings. 

By the time the first guests began to trickle into the ballroom, Jimin had managed to rebuild his mask, his face placid, charming, every smile deliberate, practiced. He welcomed donors with poised bows and polite, appropriate grace, the perfect co-president of the Mother Moon Foundation’s largest gala yet.

Guests laughed at their name cards, bragging at the fancy titles they were given as they were led to their seats. Jimin heard on more than one occasion to “thank whoever came up with this amusing idea!”, and had to put on a polite smile as he assured them he would. 

Jeongguk kept his distance.

Jimin was the quietest he’d ever been as they cruised seamlessly through the silent auction, all the planning clearly having benefited the two chapters. The room blurred around him in gold and glittering extravaganza, keeping to himself on the side as the noise faded to a hum.

It was only when the lights dimmed, a spotlight going up to the stage that Jimin’s eyes focused again, the room clearing in his view. The guests were the quietest they had been all night, and Jimin realized with a start they were at the last piece, the largest one to auction off, specially made for this gala.

The one Jeongguk had painted. 

The alpha strutted onto the stage with practiced confidence, shooting gleaming white smiles at the crowd. A few of his frat members cheered and whistled as he strolled up, and he lifted a hand to blow them a cocky kiss, making the crowd chuckle. 

For once, Jimin found himself so endeared instead of annoyed at the sight.

“Hello,” He started into the mic as he came into the spotlight. “My name is Jeon Jeongguk, and I am the President of Alpha Sigma Phi, the fraternity who worked with Chi Omega to put together this lovely gala to support the Mother Moon Foundation for Single Omega Mothers. Thank you so much to all of those who helped us put this together, and of course to all of you, our donors. None of this would be possible without your support.”

He stepped back slightly, raising his hands to clap, and the whole room followed his lead to crescendo into an applause. After a few seconds, it died down, and Jeongguk stepped forward again as Taehyung and Namjoon began wheeling a covered easel onto stage. 

“This is a foundation I am particularly passionate about, and I can’t deny that I have selfish and personal reasons. Because of these reasons, and my Art degree that I paid far too much for and need to put to use,” The room laughed, “I offered to paint the main piece for this gala.”

Jeongguk gestured a hand, and Taehyung removed the white cloth. Jimin’s gasp was covered by the room’s similar noises of surprise, a hand coming up to clutch his aching heart.

It was a beautiful watercolor painting, done in pastel pinks, blues, and whites that flowed together. In it, a mother’s frame was depicted, and even though you could only see her back and her long, flowing dark hair, there was both a protectiveness in her stance, and a tiredness in the curve of her shoulders.

 In her arms, wrapped up, a young boy was peeking over her shoulder, large brown eyes far too familiar even on this young face, so unmistakably Jeongguk’s. His face was curious and a bit hopeful, a chubby hand reaching up to grip onto his mother’s sleeve for security even as he glanced at the world. 

Jimin’s stomach twisted. It was raw, honest, and filled with both love and pain at the same time.

Jeongguk swallowed, and when he spoke again into the mic, his voice was heavy in a way Jimin had only heard for the first time the other night, in the backyard of a frat party. “I was raised by a single Omega mother. She worked two jobs for most of my life, and even then could barely make enough to feed up,” Jeongguk said. “But she still put on a brave smile for me, telling me bedtime stories of a world where anything was possible, where the sky was the limit. I was loved, so much so that I didn’t feel I needed a father. I had her, and she was my best friend.”

The crowd cooed. Jimin’s eyes burned as they began to fill with tears. Still, he refused to blink, refused to look away from the man on stage. 

“When I was 13, my mom discovered the Mother Moon Foundation. And it changed our lives. They helped us have consistent access to food, and later when I was older, helped me apply for scholarships so I could attend university.”

Jeongguk took a breath. “I know there are people in this room who understand what that kind of sacrifice looks like. Who’ve lived it. Who are it. This gala isn’t just about raising money. It’s about visibility. About honoring omega parents who are doing the impossible and still showing up with their heads high.” He stepped back. “I painted this piece to remind us of a mother’s sacrifice, ones they make everyday so their children can thrive. I hope I was able to reflect even a fraction of these emotions in my piece. Thank you.”

The room roared into applause and cheers. Frat brothers jumped and whistled on the side, one shouting That’s my boy!

But Jeongguk didn’t look at them as he stepped off the stage, even as they clapped his back. Instead, his eyes went instantly to the corner, where an omega stood with tears running down his cheeks, as if he’d known exactly where he was the whole time. 

They just stared for a moment, neither breaking eye contact even as the auction started up. Because for once Jimin saw Jeongguk as a man with a heart and soul, good ones. And he realized that Jeongguk had always seen Jimin’s heart and soul. Not just the polished version Jimin showed the world, not the titles or the perfection or the careful walls.

But him . The messy parts. The fragile parts. The parts Jimin tried to bury and never speak of.

And now, he had to let Jeongguk know he was ready to learn about the full him, too.

 ***

They were both lingering, neither brave enough to approach the other first. 

The ballroom had mostly emptied, the laughter and clinking glasses fading into distant echoes. Volunteers were stacking chairs, wiping tables, gathering decorations into neat piles. Jimin stood by the front, telling frat and sorority members who had finished their tasks to get home safe. Jeongguk was helping put tables away, though he didn’t seem to be all that helpful, eyes flicking to Jimin every ten seconds and almost dropping the table. 

Their eyes met again, and Jimin’s stomach tightened with a ball of guilt again. 

He couldn’t take it anymore.

He made his way towards the alpha on shaky legs, hands twisting nervously in front of him. Jeongguk looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected him to come over despite their game of eye-tag for the last hour. 

“Hey,” Jimin said softly, coming to a stop a few paces away.

Jeongguk swallowed. “Hey.”

“Do-” he cleared his throat, “Do you have plans? After this?”

Jeongguk blinked. “Uh, no. Not really.”

“Cool,” Jimin said, and instantly wanted to punch himself. Cool? “There’s a 24 hour diner a few blocks away. Do you want to get some food and…talk?”

Jeongguk looked at him like he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “Talk?”

Jimin nodded again. “Yeah. I owe you an apology. More than one, probably. I…I was a bit harsh the other night, and I realize now I was wrong about the things I said.”

Jeongguk was frozen for a moment, before he smiled, cute, warm, and hopeful. “I’d like that. I can leave now, if you’re done with your tasks.”

The walk over was silent, the two of them side by side, hands occasionally brushing as they fought to not look at each other. It was awkward, but no longer angry. Just…unsure. 

When they got there, the diner was almost empty. It was a cozy place Jimin and his friends had stumbled upon one night after studying when nothing else was open. It just had basic greasy food, burgers and fries, but it was warm and filling. 

They slid into opposite sides of the booth, and Jeongguk immediately reached for the menu, flipping it open even though they both knew he was barely reading it.

Jimin tapped his fingers against the edge of the table. “You can get whatever you want,” he said quickly. “I’m paying.”

Jeongguk peeked up at him with a quirked brow. “You don’t have to do that.”

Jimin shot him a look that warned him not to argue. “I do. It’s part of the apology. Please let me, or I’ll never stop feeling guilty, and then I’ll follow you around like your fanclub members until you forgive me. You’ll be annoyed, I’ll feel liable, and it won’t end well ever.”

Jeongguk snorted. “You at my side all day, worshipping me, sounds like a dream. But fine, I’ll spare you today.”

They both scanned the laminated pages for a moment. The waitress came by, a tired looking omega in a smudged apron, and Jeongguk ordered a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. Jimin followed with a grilled cheese, fries, and a strawberry soda.

Then they were alone, and the silencer returned. 

Jimin sighed and leaned forward, eyes stuck on a sticky stain on the table that he didn’t want to know what it was. “I was wrong, and unfair to you, and I judged you based on stereotypes about alphas right away. I assumed you were an asshole because you’re always joking around.”

Jeongguk sighed, picking up a straw and playing with it. “I mean, I do joke around. And sometimes my jokes haven’t been the nicest…I admit that. So, I don’t blame you.”

Jimin groaned. “Stop trying to make me feel better or make yourself sound worse. Let me say my part.”

Jeongguk smiled, small but warm. “Fine,” He conceded, as the waitress came back with their food. She left, and he picked up a fry in a tattooed finger, popping it in his mouth. “Continue.”

Jimin smiled. “So…I’m sorry about the gala. For saying you weren’t taking it seriously, when you made it as great as it was.” He blew out a breath, leaning back in the booth and running a hand through his hair. “I mean, you didn’t just take it seriously…that painting, Jeongguk, that was beautiful. I….I teared up when you revealed it.”

Jeongguk paused mid-bite, his gaze flicking up to Jimin’s face. He chewed slowly, then set the fry down, the compliment seeming to settle somewhere deep in his chest.

“Thank you,” he said, voice quieter than before. “That… really means a lot.” Jeongguk took a sip of his milkshake, clearing his throat as he spoke again, this time with a fond smile. “You know, my mom was embarrassed about it when I sent her a photo last week. She said she looked too tired. But that was what I wanted to show. Because that exhaustion? That showed love and dedication. It showed what it truly takes to raise a child.”

“Can I…Can I ask what happened? With your Alpha parent?”

Jeongguk didn’t answer right away. He leaned back in the booth, rubbing his thumb over the condensation on his milkshake glass. For a second, Jimin thought he’d overstepped.

But then Jeongguk nodded.

“She was cheated on,” he said quietly. “While she was pregnant with me.”

Jimin’s breath caught.

“They got together young, were both a bit stupid and rash and thought the other was their soulmate. When my mom got pregnant with me, she was ecstatic. My dad didn’t feel the same. It was too much responsibility, so he took refuge in another omega. Or, at least that was his excuse.” He shook his head, anger in his eyes. 

“But my mom refused to let his absence ruin my life. She was determined to raise me better alone. So she did. Worked until her feet were swollen, but still made time to pack me a lunch, read me bedtime stories, take me to play dates.”

There was a reverence in his voice now, a quiet kind of worship.

“I think,” Jeongguk continued, looking down at his hands, “that’s why I’ve always had so much respect for omegas. They’re so damn strong, and half the time no one even sees it.”

Jimin swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to say to that. So he didn’t say anything. He just listened.

Jeongguk looked back up at him, big dark eyes flicking over Jimin’s face like he was debating whether or not to speak again.

Then, almost shyly, he said, “You remind me of her.”

Jimin blinked. “Me?”

Jeongguk nodded. “You’re independent. Proud. You don’t ask for help, even when you need it. And you don’t let people see when you’re struggling. Just like her.”

Jimin looked down, hiding a smile, cheeks reddening. He didn’t quite know how to reply, how to respond to someone that saw him so well. 

So instead he said, “Your mom raised a good alpha.”

“She’d say she raised a stubborn one.”

They both chuckled softly.

When they finally stepped out into the cool night air after eating, it was quiet. The streets were empty, the world slowed and soft around them.

They walked side by side again, a rhythm falling naturally between them now. A few steps passed in silence, the only sound the soft click of Jimin’s shoes against the pavement, the brush of denim, the shift of breath.

Jeongguk was so warm next to Jimin, tall and big and safe . Maybe that was why he did what he did next, what he felt compelled to. 

His fingers brushed Jeongguk’s first, knuckles grazing, before curling around the alpha’s hand with a tentative sort of boldness. Like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed, but he wanted to be.

Jeongguk didn’t hesitate.

His hand closed around Jimin’s like it had been waiting for this exact moment. His thumb pressed against the inside of Jimin’s wrist, grounding, soft.

They kept walking like that for a block. Another. Neither speaking.

Jimin’s heart beat wildly, his palm sweaty, but his grip never loosened.

At the next streetlamp, Jeongguk tugged him to a gentle stop. Jimin turned, surprised, but then the alpha lifted their joined hands, brought Jimin’s fingers to his lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand.

Jimin’s stomach went wild, frozen in shock as he stared up at Jeongguk. 

“Thank you for the meal,” Jeongguk whispered. “Don’t feel guilty anymore, you’re forgiven.”

“O-oh. You’re welcome,” Jimins stuttered back equally as quiet, as if talking louder would break the moment. 

But the alpha stepped back with a smooth wink, cocky mask sliding back into place for the first time all day. For the first time, Jimin noticed they were outside the Chi Omega house, Jeongguk having unknowingly walked him home.

“Sleep well, Sweetheart,” He called, walking backwards into the darkness.

And Jimin stood frozen on the front steps, fingers still tingling, until the Alpha had fully vanished into the night.

 ***

It started as an accident.

Jimin had been sitting in the quad alone after Yoongi left, not wanting to leave the sunshine, when a shadow hovered over him. 

He looked up, expecting another Chi Omega sister or maybe someone handing out flyers for some boring club, but instead it was Jeongguk, holding a smoothie in one hand and a sketchpad in the other.

“Oh,” Jimin said, blinking.

“Oh,” Jeongguk parroted with a flirty grin. “Come here often?”

Jimin snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yes, every week with my friend. In fact, I’ve claimed it as my territory, and you’re currently overstepping.” He made a shooing motion with his hands at the alpha, but now it was playful rather than serious.

Jeongguk laughed, taking an exaggerated step forward, and plopping onto the spare space of Jimin’s blanket. “Park Jimin land is being invaded by stronger foreigners. You have no choice but to surrender to the Great Jeon Jeongguk and let him share your land while he sketches people.”

“Noooo!” Jimin had groaned, but didn’t argue as the two began their work together in silence. 

It happened again later that week, this time with Yoongi there. Jeongguk asked to join again (much more politely with someone else there), and the three chatted. Once Yoongi got over his initial glaring and saw that Jimin was relaxed with the alpha, he actually got along with Jeongguk well. They both loved this underground rapper “RM”, who’s identity was concealed but made the best music. It was cute to see them both talk excitedly about their favorite lyrics and melodies. 

After the second time, it became an unspoken schedule that Jimin would stay on Tuesday so Jeongguk could join him after class, and then all three would meet on Thursday. 

Tuesdays, Jeongguk brought a cinnamon twist for Jimin. Thursdays, Jimin brough Jeongguks some sort of chocolate sweet after seeing the alpha eat far too many chocolate things. 

They talked about family and friends and classes. Jimin shared stories of the time Jin accidentally stole sunglasses while they were shopping, forgetting they were on his head, and security grilled them for three hours in the back of the mall. Jeongguk talked about the time Taehyung got so drunk at a club he started dancing on the stripper pole and cried when Namjoon pulled him off. 

He heard more about Jeongguk’s childhood, his mother, who was fierce but sweet. 

“I started art because my mom wanted to get rid of me as a kid. No, I’m serious,” Jeongguk giggled one day as Jimin snorted, hand over his mouth to muffle his laugh. “I was in my destroying phase, always taking dishes out of the cupboard for no reason, clothes out of dressers. But when I started using my crayons to scribble on the walls, she had enough. Took me to my first class the next day. As she drove away, she yelled out the window to “‘ draw on paper, not on the goddamn house I pay for, you little menace! ’” Jeongguk finished, voice high pitched in an impression of his mother.

“Oh my god,” Jimin cackled, “Young alpha energy is the worst, I don’t blame her.”

“The teacher started praying as she walked me into the classroom after that.”

“Oh so you weren’t just energetic, you were feral. ”

“Feral?” Jeongguk gasped, clutching his chest. “Excuse you! I was passionate. Misunderstood. A true tortured artist.”

Jimin snorted. “You were eating glue, weren’t you?”

“I tasted it once!” Jeongguk held up a finger like it made the argument stronger. “For science!”

They talked about the future. How Jeongguk was hoping to just freelance, but knew it would be hard to make a name for himself that way. How Jimin was preparing for auditions for different dance companies.

“Jeongguk!” He shouted excitedly one day, arms waving as he ran towards the lounging alpha. “The New York Contemporary Company emailed me back! They want me to send a second audition video!”

Jeongguk shot up, eyes sparkling. “Jimin that’s huge! Congratulations!”

“I know!” Jimin squealed, bouncing on his feet. The alpha began to stand, rolling up the blanket. Jimin glanced at him, confused.

“We need to celebrate with something bigger than a cinnamon twist today,” he explained, throwing a casual arm around the omega’s shoulders that had the butterflies in his stomach fluttering. “Let’s get ice cream. I’ll buy.”

Jimin laughed. “You don’t have to buy, but ice cream does sound delicious, I can’t say no.”

They walked for a few paces in silence, before the alpha spoke again. “But so we’re clear, you know that in five years, when you’re famous, I’m gonna spill your dirty secret that you accidentally replied ‘love you’ to your dance professor’s email thinking it was your mom.”

Jimin groaned. “It was an honest mistake! Anyone could make that. Besides, she had written ‘your performance was amazing, my little superstar ’. You can’t tell me that doens’t sound motherly.”

​​Jeongguk threw his head back laughing, the sound bright and completely unbothered by Jimin’s wounded pride. “Your mom doesn’t sign her emails with ‘please remember your final piece must include a narrative arc and dynamic range.’”

Jimin covered his face with his hands and groaned. “Shut up.”

“Did she ever reply?”

Jimin peeked through his fingers. “She signed off the next email as ‘Mama Park’.”

A slow smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked up at Jeongguk as he threw his head back, his easy laugh, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the messy curls that caught the afternoon light just right. For the first time in a long time, Jimin felt something like peace settle over him, soft and steady.

 ***

Jimin arrived at their usual spot in the quad, eyes scanning for Jeongguk, but the alpha was nowhere to be found. 

He didn’t think much of it, knowing the alpha was probably held back after class or in the bakery line. He sat down, pulling out his phone to shoot him a quick In the usual spot , text before pulling out his laptop to edit his latest audition video.

Fifteen minutes, then thirty, then fourty and no sign of the Alpha was when Jimin finally started to wonder if something was wrong. He checked his phone, seeing the text still unread, and his chest got a bit tight in worry. 

A few more restless minutes and Jimin decided he had enough. He stood, heading towards the only building on campus Jeongguk claimed he was in, the art building. 

Jimin hesitantly pushed the large door, the shut echoing behind him. He had never been in this building, unsure of where to go, but the desire to find Jeongguk overruled his nerves. He began walking the endless white halls aimlessly, peering into both empty and full rooms as he tried to think where Jeongguk could be. 

“God this place is like a maze,” Jimin said after his fifth turn, about ready to give up when he heard a familiar, warm laugh. 

Hope sparked inside him, and he turned toward the sound, moving cautiously, eager to find the alpha and figure out why he hadn’t shown up.

But then another voice floated out. A female, warm and laughing. Jimin’s stomach twisted into an unfamiliar, sour knot. He paused, confusion mingling with something sharp he didn’t want to name.

Who was Jeongguk with? What was so important that he missed their meeting, couldn't text back?

The woman laughed again, the sound a bit too high to not be flirty. Jimin felt sick.

Technically, he and Jeongguk never explicitly agreed to meet every week. It had just happened. But still, Jimin really valued their meetings, looked forward to it every day. But now he was feeling stupid and wondering if the alpha didn’t feel the same. 

He should’ve left there. With a bit of his pride still left, willing to text the alpha again later and ask for a reasonable explanation. But Jimin had always been curious (nosy), so he continued forward on light feet, towards the open doorway. 

Inside, Seonmi stood close to Jeongguk, her hand lightly resting on his arm, eyes bright as she smiled up at him. She was perched comfortably on a stool next to him, watching as he painted with smooth, confident strokes. It was clear she had been there a while, complimenting him while she batted her lashes.

And Jeongguk didn’t seem to mind. His smile was easy, posture relaxed. He didn’t seem to even notice the time, notice that he had forgotten about Jimin.

Stupid stupid stupid.  

There was nothing to forget. They just met to study a few times a week, that was all Jeongguk clearly thought of their meetings. Jimin was the foolish one for allowing himself to feel more. 

He stumbled back, ready to leave, but of course his shoe squeaked on the polished floor, the sound far too loud for the gentle moment the two were sharing. Jimin winced, both Seonmi and Jeongguk’s heads whipping up to where he stood in the doorway. 

Jeongguk’s brow was immediately furrowed. He stood from his own stool, forearm flexing as he set his brush down, golden skin flecked with paint. 

God, it was stupidly sexy and romantic and he had ruined a moment with Seonmi for him. 

“Jimin?” Jeongguk asked, but the omega was already sprinting down the hall. 

Jimin didn’t stop running until he reached the Chi Omega house, lungs burning, face hot. He slammed the door behind him and stormed up the stairs, ignoring the way one of the girls in the kitchen called his name.

He barely made it to his room before the tears started. Not the dramatic sobbing kind, but hot, angry ones that stung his eyes and left his cheeks burning. He tossed his bag onto his bed and stood there, shaking, arms crossed tight over his chest like he could hold all the feelings in.

Stupid.

He was so stupid.

For years Jimin had told himself to avoid alphas, and for good reason. They were too complicated, always flirting but not saying what they truly meant. It always lead to heartbreak. 

Alphas flirted. Alphas got close. Alphas said sweet things and smiled like they meant it.

Just because Jeongguk brought him cinnamon twists and remembered to ask about his auditions didn’t mean anything.

But most of all, Jimin was stupid because he had let his heart fall for Jeongguk.

He couldn’t deny the obvious at this moment. He knew why he was feeling this way. Somewhere in their flirting banter and talks, Jimin had fallen in love with Jeongguk. 

Jeongguk, who called his mom every day and drove hours to comfort a crying Namjoon and remembered Jimin’s allergy to cucumbers.

Jeongguk, who liked smooth pretty girls who were far more polished than Jimin, with sleek black hair and not dyed pink locks. Girls who knew what they wanted and didn’t put up walls because they were afraid of this very feeling.

Jimin wiped at his face with his sleeve, jaw tight. Maybe he wasn’t as polished or poised, but he had worked too hard to let his heart get crushed this easily.

He’d cry tonight. He’d let himself feel the sting, the ache, the disappointment. But tomorrow?

Tomorrow he’d pretend it didn’t matter. That he hadn’t fallen for an alpha with big boba eyes and colorful tattoos and a bunny toothed smile. 

 ***

Later that night, Jimin was making good on that promise.

He was curled in bed, eyes puffy but no longer leaking, a tub of ice cream and his favorite show on. He had reached a peaceful state of numbness, only focused on the coolness of the dessert in his mouth contrasted with the warmth of his blanket.

He shoved another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth and blinked hard at the screen, pretending he was paying attention. He was just about to let the next episode auto-play when a knock echoed faintly from downstairs.

He ignored it. Another sorority member would get it.

Another knock. Firmer this time. He still ignored it,

Then, a ring on the doorbell, loud even from Jimin’s room. He groaned, throwing off his blanket and swinging the door open. Did no one know how to answer a door in this house?

He took the marble stairs two at a time, trying to smooth his rumpled shirt a bit so he didn’t completely scare what was probably a delivery guy with his zombie-like state. 

Jimin’s hand gripped the lock, clicking it open and turning the handle, already prepared to ask who the food was for when his eyes registered the sight in front of him.

Jeongguk. Looking handsome as ever even as he was clearly overtaken with nerves, chest muscles heaving under his tight black tee. His hand gripped green stems slightly, eyes framed with long lashes peeking out over pink tulips, the same shade as Jimin’s hair.

The omega was frozen, staring at the alpha in the doorway. He couldn’t say anything, couldn’t move to let him in.

“Hey,” Jeongguk said at last, stiffly extending his arms. “I…you seemed really upset earlier so I think I messed up. I’m really sorry for forgetting to meet you. I didn’t mean to, I just got painting and lost track of time and-”

“Jeongguk,” Jimin cut him off, voice scratchy as he tried to sound okay. “It’s fine. I- our meetings aren’t a big deal, we never technically agreed to meet every week.”

Jeongguk frowned at that, shifting awkwardly on the porch, flowers still in hand. “Maybe not. But I still should’ve come. I wanted to. So, I’m sorry.” He extended the flowers again, as if that would make Jimin grab them.

He didn’t. “Again, it’s fine. You didn’t need to get flowers. You can keep them.” Jimin began to close the door, now fully ready to end the convo there because he couldn’t let the alpha keep breaking him.

A black sneaker stuck in the crack. “Wait! I-Jimin- You ran away earlier, looking upset. It’s clearly not fine. I want to know what I did.” The alpha’s voice was desperate, a bit shaky.

Jimin opened the door again, knuckles turning white from where he gripped it. He stared down at Jeongguk’s shoe. 

“You want to know what you did?” Jimin whispered with a wet voice, chin tucked to his chest. “Fine. You made me laugh. You remembered my favorite foods and movies and my class schedule. You asked about my family and friends and dreams. You made me feel seen, and more than that, you made me feel wanted.”

Jeongguk opened his mouth, but Jimin continued on without taking a breath. “But worst of all, you made me go against my ways and let an alpha in. You made me get jealous when I saw you with someone, flirting with them the same way you did for me. You made it break my heart. You made me fall for you. ”

Silence. Then, the flowers hit the ground in Jimin’s line of sight, before warm hands were on his cheeks, gently gripping his face and forcing it upwards.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk breathed, and his eyes held so much pain, longing, hope. His thumbs smoothed over Jimin’s cheeks and the omega shivered. He closed his eyes, a drop finally falling and running down to the hands cupping him. 

“Look at me,” Jeongguk whispered. “Please?”

Jimin’s breath hitched, but he did. Slowly, reluctantly, his watery eyes rose to meet Jeongguk’s. What he found there wasn’t teasing or flirtation. It wasn’t pity, or confusion.

It was adoration. Raw, open, and real.

“I wasn’t flirting with Seonmi,” Jeongguk said, voice low and trembling slightly with the weight of his honesty. “I was being polite, because she kept showing up in the studio, and I didn’t know how to tell her I wasn’t interested. Honestly, I was kind of annoyed.”

Jimin blinked, lips parting, but Jeongguk wasn’t done.

“Jimin, my Jimin,” Jeongguk whispered reverently. “I’ve been in love with you since Sophomore year. Since you were standing outside the student council building, giving a speech in the middle of winter, cheeks red, nose runny, and still somehow looking like the most beautiful omega I had ever seen.”

Jimin’s lip wobbled.

“You were so damn passionate,” Jeongguk whispered. “So smart. So strong. You made people listen just with your sweet voice and pretty eyes. And all I could think was ‘fuck, I want to know what he sounds like when he laughs.’”

Jeongguk exhaled shakily, thumbs brushing along Jimin’s cheekbones. “I know I haven’t always said the best things. I know I’ve joked around too much. Teased you. Pushed your buttons.”

He pulled back just enough to meet Jimin’s eyes again, gaze raw and unflinching.

“But it felt like the only way to get your attention,” he admitted, voice rough with vulnerability. “You always looked at me like I was just another alpha. Just some cocky frat boy who thought he was funny. And yeah, maybe I played into that a little. But only because I didn’t know how else to make you look at me.”

Jimin’s lashes fluttered, a sharp pang blooming in his chest.

Jeongguk continued, quieter now. “I’ve had partners. A couple ruts, hookups, sure. But they were never about anything. Just… distractions. Because I couldn’t have who I really wanted.”

His hands tightened slightly on Jimin’s cheeks, grounding both of them.

“I only ever wanted you. It’s always been you.”

Jimin’s chest ached. He reached up, placing a trembling hand on Jeongguk’s chest. The alpha’s heart was pounding under his skin. 

Jeongguk’s eyes searched Jimin’s, vulnerable and hopeful, before he leaned in slowly, giving Jimin every moment to pull away. When their lips finally met, it was soft, hesitant at first, but the heat of it quickly deepened, a quiet promise in every touch.

When they broke apart, breath mingling, Jimin’s voice was barely above a whisper, shaky and earnest. “Do you really mean that? About… only wanting me?”

Jeongguk smiled, a little shy now, but steady. “With everything I have.”

Jimin bit his lip, the weight of his own feelings crashing over him. “I’m sorry, too. For making you feel like that was the only way to talk to me. I should’ve seen you sooner. Wanted you sooner.”

Jeongguk shook his head. “I should’ve been braver, should’ve told you how I felt from the beginning.”

“I probably wouldn’t have listened,” Jimin admitted, shame curling in his stomach.

Jeongguk smiled a bit sadly. “Maybe not, but maybe you would’ve come around sooner.”

Jimin slid his hands up winding them into Jeongguk’s soft strands. “Kiss me again,” He whispered. 

Jeongguk’s eyes darkened with a mix of tenderness and desire as he leaned in slowly, his lips brushing softly against Jimin’s.

It was even better when sober. The dance of their lips, the warmth of Jeongguk’s breath, his earthy taste. He groaned, stepping closer to the alpha and rising up on his toes to reach his mouth better. Jeongguk slid his hands down Jimin’s face, settling on his hips and pulling him in so they were pressed together.

Jimin groaned at the warmth, the hard muscles he felt shifting beneath him. Jeongguk’s kisses got harder, faster at the sound, a rippling thigh slotting between Jimin’s legs.

Jeongguk pulled back slightly, breath ragged, eyes searching Jimin’s with an earnest urgency.

“We should stop,” he murmured, voice low and a little rough.

Jimin blinked, confused, fingers still lightly clutching at Jeongguk’s shirt. “Why?”

Jeongguk swallowed, his hands dropping reluctantly from Jimin’s waist. “Because… you’re my walking wet dream, Jimin. You always have been. But I don’t want you to think this is just about sex.”

Jimin’s entire being heated at the words, scent sweetening. 

Jeongguk groaned again, rubbing a hand over his face. Jimin noticed he was hard, large bulge twitching slightly in his jeans. “God, Jimin. We really need to stop here. I have no control when it comes to you.”

And Jimin a year ago would’ve been horrified that current Jimin didn’t feel scared. Didn’t feel used. Jeongguk said he wanted him, showed every action that he did, cared for him beyond his body. He knew that was true.

So he grabbed the alpha’s hand and yanked him inside.

They stumbled onto Jimin’s bed, Jeongguk’s shirt already pulled off by Jimin’s greedy hands as they had fumbled down the hallway. The alpha was just as toned as Jimin remembered seeing that day tabling, abs rippling in the dim lighting. But now, it was all Jimin’s. His to touch, run his fingers on as the alpha groaned and goosebumps rose along his arms.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so attracted to someone, wanted to be close to them, in their skin.

Jeongguk’s mouth was hot on his neck, trailing down to his collarbones and sucking. Jimin whined, squirming against him. He felt himself flush, then the wetness of slick leaking out of him. 

“Jimin, my sweetheart,” Jeongguk said into his skin, inhaling deeply. “Smell so good,” Jeongguk groaned, voice low and wrecked as he pressed closer, lips dragging over Jimin’s throat. “Been dreaming of this since the first time you yelled at me.”

Jimin let out a breathless laugh that turned into a moan as Jeongguk nipped at the sensitive spot just beneath his ear. “You might want to look into a degrading kink.”

Jeongguk rolled his hips, pressing into the omega. “I’ve looked into a Park Jimin kink.”

Soon, the rest of their clothes were on the floor in a pile, Jimin spread out flushed on the bed with Jeongguk standing over him like a chiseled god. His cock was as large as the women on campus claimed it to be, slightly curved and pretty and bobbing as he walked back to the omega. 

He gripped the omega’s thighs, smoothly pulling him to the edge of the bed as he kneeled, and while the display of strength made another glob of slick leak out of Jimin, he couldn’t help but rise up on his elbows, brow furrowed.

“No,” Jimin whined petulantly. “None of that. Just fuck me. Want your knot.”

Jeongguk arched a perfect brow. “You…You don’t want to be eaten out?”

“Not right now, I want to feel you,” Jimin said, making grabby hands at the alpha. Jeongguk rose back up, muttering cute before leaning back over him. “Ask me again tomorrow morning.”

The alpha laughed but reached a hand down, guiding his cock to Jimin’s leaking hole. At the press against his entrance, Jimin shuddered, fingers coming up to grip Jeongguk’s broad shoulders. 

“It might be a bit of a stretch at first,” Jeongguk muttered, and it was clear he was holding himself back, eyes dark and crazed. “Let me know if you want to stop.”

Jimin moved a hand down, grabbing his ass, and pulling. “Shut up and put it in.”

The alpha laughed but obliged. Jimin threw his head back and groaned at the stretch, a bit painful but in a good way. Jeongguk was probably the biggest he had ever had (not including his toys he used for heats), and while his body was unused to it, it felt right.

Jeongguk finally stilled, balls pressed to Jimin’s hole. He dropped his head. “Jimin, Sweetheart, take all the time you need, but if I can’t move soon I will die.”

Jimin laughed, clenching around Jeongguk and causing his cock to twitch. He lifted up to press his lips sweetly to the alphas. “Fuck me, Jeongguk. Knot me.”

The alpha didn’t need to be told twice, pulling out before slamming back in. Jimin gasped, fingers clawing at his shoulders. “Yes, please.”

Jeongguk’s hips found an easy rhythm, rolling into Jimin and perfectly hitting his sweet spot with each thrust. His tattooed hand snaked down, grabbing one of Jimin’s thighs and pressing it to his chest, allowing his cock to drill into him deeper, harder. 

Jimin was a mess, leaking slick onto his sheets, forming a creamy ring around the base of Jeongguk’s dick, which was beginning to swell. The omega in him grew frantic at the sight, whining and clenching his hole to keep the alpha from slipping back out.

“Jeongguk, harder!” Jimin whimpered. “Harder, need your knot!”

The alpha grunted, picking up the pace. Sweat ran down his neck, skin deliciously tan, and Jimin couldn’t help himself as he lifted up, running his tongue, catching the drop. Woody musk exploded on his taste buds, and Jimin’s hole stomach clenched. He frantically reached up, attaching onto the skin, sucking more of the taste, Jeongguk’s taste , into his mouth.

At the same time, Jeongguk’s knot grew, beginning to catch on Jimin’s rim, causing his thrusts to slow as he worked to push his cock back in. “Close, close. Gonna give you your knot, Sweetheart. All yours,” Jeongguk muttered.

His hand released Jimin’s thigh to thumb at his nipples instead. The new sensation caused Jimin to arch off the bed with a cry, spasming as he reached his peak. Jeongguk’s knot slipped in around Jimin’s spasming hole, finally plugging him as he too groaned and came, hot seed filling Jimin. 

Later, after Jeongguk had cleaned up the omega and changed his sheets, when they were curled up in bed, wrapped around each other like vines as sleep pulled them under, Jimin spoke. 

“To still be clear, if you lied about anything, I will chop your dick off.”

Jeongguk laughed, smoothing a hand over his shoulder blades and pressing a kiss to his temple. “Well, luckily for me and my dick, I meant every word. Always you, Jimin. Always.”

 ***

One Month Later

The applause still rang in Jimin’s ears as he stepped out the side door of the auditorium, his chest heaving and heart still racing. Not from nerves, but from the sheer high of performing. His final piece. The last routine of the showcase. The last step of undergrad.

The chill of the night air kissed his sweat-slicked skin as he tugged his jacket tighter, cheeks still flushed from effort and adrenaline. There were people milling around, friends and classmates waiting outside for their own bouquets and photos, but Jimin scanned the crowd instinctively for a familiar face.

“Park Jimin!”

Jimin turned just in time for Jin and Hoseok to barrel into him, sweeping him up into a hug. They squealed in his ear, and Jimin’s cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. “Thanks for coming, guys,” Jimin said. “Means a lot to me.”

“So my presence isn’t needed? Oh I see how it is.”

Jimin turned to face his lovely, sexy, and incredibly dramatic pouty boyfriend, holding another bouquet of tulips. It was the only flower he ever got Jimin, saying it was represented the ‘blooming of their love’. 

Jimin detached from his friends, going over to kiss Jeongguk’s soft cheek. He whispered thank you in his ear before pulling back, grabbing his bouquet and tucking into Jeongguk’s warm side. The alpha easily slung an arm around his waist, putting his nose to Jimin’s hair and breathing in. 

“You were beautiful on stage. Incredible as always,” he said fondly, and no matter how many times Jimin heard it, he preened when Jeongguk said it. 

Jeongguk continued to ramble about his favorite parts of Jimin’s performance, ever the attentive boyfriend even if he didn’t know shit about dance terminology, but Jimin was now scanning the crowd. He felt off, the familiar prickle on his skin of someone watching him.

There. Across the street, having paused while walking with a few friends, was Seonmi.

It wasn’t a secret Jimin and Jeongguk were dating, but Jimin hadn’t seen Seonmi much the past month, and had never seen her when he was with Jeongguk. Now, Seonmi stared at the buff, inked arm around Jimin’s waist with an unreadable expression, still as a statue.

What he did next was immature, Jimin knew it was. She had done nothing to him, and had backed off after the news of their relationship came out. 

“And that spin in the middle? Beau- Oh!” 

Jimin grabbed the collar of his boyfriend’s jacket and pulled him in for a kiss.

Not a sweet peck.

A kiss . Mouths slotting together, tongue curling in to taste Jeongguk. 

​​When Jimin finally pulled back, flushed and smug and fully satisfied, he glanced back over his shoulder.

Seonmi was gone.

Jeongguk looked dazed. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”

Before Jimin could answer, Jin’s voice floated over with a dramatic scoff. “You are so petty. I love it.”

Jimin giggled happily, linking arms with Jeongguk. “Nothing, just wanted to kiss my handsome alpha. Who’s going to buy me dinner after my show.”

Jeongguk leaned down with a smirk. “You kiss me like that again and I’ll skip dinner and eat you instead.”Jimin snorted, swatting his chest. 

“I want substance, fuel. A whole menu’s worth.” He began pulling him down the street towards a certain diner, his friends falling behind him.

“My poor wallet,” Jeongguk sighed dramatically, but Jimin knew he would pay. He always did. 

And as Jimin slid into the booth with his loved ones, he knew that despite what he had once thought about love and alphas, this was the most perfect way to end his university experience.