Chapter Text
The door to the room Taehyung shares with Hoseok and Jimin opens softly and Jimin comes in, wearing one of his loose pyjama shirts and baggy shorts he uses for dance practice. He also comes in with mussed hair, a distinct downturn to his lips, and a cloud of hormones that make Taehyung jolt upright and throw his phone down from where he'd been lounging in bed.
"Taetae," Jimin whines, stumbling further into the room towards his best friend. Taehyung jumps up to catch him, wrapping his arms around Jimin's waist and letting Jimin melt against him with a weak noise of relief.
"It's okay, Jiminie," Taehyung reassures him quickly, manoeuvring the pair of them back towards his bed so that he can sit down, pulling Jimin down on top of him.
"I hate heats," Jimin says, shifting so he can curl against Taehyung tighter, gripping onto the front of Taehyung's sweatshirt. "I hate them, I hate them, I hate them."
He's almost uncomfortably warm on top of Taehyung, burning with the beginnings of fever, and the hormones he's sending out only add to the general aura of heat. Jimin's already hard, his erection uncomfortably squished between them, but that's nothing new. Taehyung won't let something like that bother him when Jimin can't help it, a natural part of the heats that put him in this situation in the first place.
"I'm so sorry, Jiminie," Taehyung murmurs, rubbing over Jimin's back to give the omega the contact that helps to soothe during these heats. "You're stronger than the rest of us, having to deal with this every other month."
"Jin-hyung has them too, and he doesn't act so pathetic," Jimin mumbles.
"You have different heats, " Taehyung shakes his head. "He gets whiny and even sassier. He acts like royalty and make us all serve him for a week. You're just extra sweet. It's much easier to deal with."
"I'm pathetic," Jimin sniffs into Taehyung's shoulder.
"You're not pathetic. You just have strong hormones and feel guilty when you can't do stuff," Taehyung runs his fingers gently through Jimin's hair, rubbing down over his neck and shoulders to soothe.
"That's like, the definition of pathetic. It's no wonder everyone thought omegas were useless for centuries; I feel like shit and there's nothing I can do about it except get fucked until it stops or have an alpha knot me."
"Namjoon did say you could hire someone to -"
"No way," Jimin shakes his head emphatically. "Not fucking some random guy to make this go away. Can you imagine what would happen if the press found out?"
"There are contacts he found though," Taehyung says.
"Yeah, but it's not like Namjoon has a clue what this is really like, is it? He's just a beta; he doesn't really care about this shit."
Taehyung stiffens, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He knows Jimin doesn't really mean it, that it's just the heat messing with his brain, creating words that Jimin would never say if he was sober. But he hates when people imply that betas, like Namjoon or Taehyung himself, don't care just because they don't have the extreme hormone cycles alphas and omegas have. He's been seeing how they affect his bandmates clearly enough for the last few years, and it's not hard to empathise, especially with Jimin, who almost always ends up cuddling with Taehyung for several days straight to ease his heats with company.
"Sorry," Jimin says, mind catching up with his words. "I didn't mean that. I know you care, Tae."
"S'okay," Taehyung murmurs. "Namjoon-hyung cares too, though. He's just researching options."
"I know. But would you want a stranger fucking you when you're at your most vulnerable?"
"Fair enough," Taehyung sighs. "You could always ask Yoongi-hyung or Kookie."
"Oh, god," Jimin groans, pressing himself tighter against Taehyung, his heat scent coming through stronger with the mention of their group's alphas. "Shut up."
"Sorry," Taehyung cringes.
"That would be so weird, god, Tae," Jimin shivers, shaking his head. "Fucking… no. No. I don't even want to think about that like this."
They stay sitting like that for what feels like hours, Taehyung sitting up against his headboard with Jimin in his lap, wrapped around him. Jimin is overheated, clammy and feverish, and whimpering every so often. Taehyung tries to keep his hands smoothing over Jimin's body, knowing contact helps with the pain of the heat. Jimin melts into his touch with little whines, and eventually dozes off in Taehyung's arms.
Eventually Taehyung's shoulders start aching from being pressed against the wall above his bed, and he tries to shift slowly so he can lie down. His movement makes Jimin stir to life, blinking up at him with a groan.
"Whassup?"
"Nothing. Just moving to get comfy. You can go back to sleep."
Jimin tries to move himself but he's far enough into the heat that his arms are barely strong enough to prop himself up. Taehyung wriggles down the bed with Jimin on top of him until he has enough space to lie down, carefully lowering Jimin down with him so he can nuzzle into Taehyung's chest with a frown. It's less than a minute before Jimin drops off into a feverish sleep again.
Taehyung is lying with his eyes closed, trying to ignore the dizzying scent of Jimin's hormones. He may be a beta, so he's not dragged in so forcefully by them like an alpha would be, but it's still having an effect, he knows. Beta's are traditionally the mediators, ready to step in when needed and protect, where alphas are more disposed to attack. He's got a steady uncomfortable thrum of base level desire to mate with Jimin, just to ease his friend's suffering, but it's fairly easy to tune it out, especially since he's used to being with Jimin during his heats now. He tries to go back to napping, despite Jimin's body temperature making him sweat too, and focuses on breathing calmly.
Until he hears the sound of the front door, and dull voices filtering through their doorway that he recognises as Jungkook and Jin, and he tenses up under Jimin, staring expectantly at the door.
There's a decent chance that they might not come in. Neither of them share this room with Jimin and Taehyung, so they might just go to their own rooms or decide to hang out in the living room, and there won't be any complications.
The universe, however, does not seem to want to give them a break today.
Footsteps approach the door and the handle turns, swinging open. Taehyung holds his breath and tightens his hold on Jimin as the world seems to go in slow motion, praying it's only Jin and everything will be easy.
Jungkook enters the room with a smile, only making it one step inside before he freezes, the scent of Jimin's heat hitting him and bringing his movements to a halt. The young alpha's eyes go wide, gaze zeroing in on Jimin in Taehyung's arms, hands going into tight fists and nostrils flaring.
"Jungkookie," Taehyung says quietly, cautiously, hoping his voice will snap their youngest out of it. Jungkook doesn't even spare him a glance, still rooted to the spot and staring at Jimin, who, to Taehyung's horror, begins to stir.
"Taetae?" Jimin mumbles, rubbing his eyes and sitting up slightly. Taehyung's fingers tighten warningly into Jimin's sides, enough to make Jimin gasp, and the inhale alerts him to Jungkook's presence. Jimin's head turns automatically to Jungkook, sitting up away from Taehyung, who quickly raises to curl Jimin back into himself protectively. Jungkook's jaw clenches as Taehyung pulls Jimin back towards him, seeming to notice the beta for the first time since he came into the room, glaring.
"Jungkookie, you should go," Taehyung says, hoping his voice is soft enough to soothe both of them. Jungkook doesn't move. "You won't be able to control yourself if you stay."
Jimin whimpers, struggling weakly to get out of Taehyung's hold and move towards Jungkook. His temperature has shot up, and he's shaking even worse now as the heat takes over his control.
"Jungkook, alpha," Jimin shivers, squirming in Taehyung's hold.
"Please stay still," Taehyung begs Jimin, knowing every movement pushes more of the cloud of Jimin's heat scent towards Jungkook. "And please go, Kookie. Please, neither of you want this, and you'll do something stupid."
"No, no!" Jimin whines, getting visibly distressed. "I need you! It hurts, alpha, it hurts! Make it stop!"
Jungkook's eyes visibly darken, muscles standing out tense on his arms as he steps towards the bed, entirely focused on Jimin.
"No!" Taehyung yells, trying to push Jimin off him and back so he can get in between them, managing to twist Jimin onto the bed and pin him there with a hand on his chest, thankful for the heat weakening Jimin's strength. He doesn't have long to congratulate himself before Jungkook is looming over them, trying to get around Taehyung to reach Jimin.
"Please!" Jimin cries, reaching out around Taehyung just as Jungkook manages to get a hand on Jimin's thigh. Taehyung abandons his attempts to hold Jimin back to prioritise shoving Jungkook away as hard as he can, only succeeding in sending the muscle-bound alpha a couple of paces backwards. The sudden increase in distance makes Jimin start crying, but Taehyung is more worried with the way Jungkook growls viciously at him for his intrusion.
"Jin! Jin-hyung! Anybody, help!" Taehyung yells, taking the risk of triggering action with his voice in favour of getting someone else in to help.
Jungkook lets a terrifying snarl rip from his throat, barrelling towards Taehyung and shoving him hard enough to send him flying onto the bed next to Jimin.
"Oh no you don't!" Taehyung huffs, yanking Jimin back onto the bed next to him and down and throwing out a leg to kick Jungkook in the chest where he's trying to get close.
There's the sound of pounding footsteps in the hallway, barely audible over Jungkook's near-constant snarls and Jimin's cries and whimpers, and Taehyung desperately hopes they'll get there in time as Jungkook grabs him by the shirtfront, hauling him up off the bed and slamming him into the wall. There's a moment where he looks into Jungkook's eyes, and doesn't recognise the alpha there, before Jungkook's hand is flying towards him and slams into the side of his face, sending a stinging ache across his cheek that makes his vision flash for a second.
The door bangs open hard enough to hit the wall, and a second later Jungkook is wrenched away from him, Jin's arms locking around the alpha's chest and dragging him back towards the door. Hoseok darts forwards from behind Jin, forcing Jungkook to let go of Taehyung's shirtfront before grabbing his hands to stop him from attacking Jin. Jungkook snaps his teeth at both of them, struggling wildly in their hold as they both force him out of the room. Jimin wails at the loss, struggling to get off the bed on shaking limbs to follow before the door closes behind them, muffling the sounds of Jungkook's anger and Hoseok's swearing.
Taehyung can only sink to the ground, trembling. His head is throbbing where Jungkook slammed it into the wall, the left side of his face aches, and his heart is thundering a million miles an hour in his chest. He's shivering all over, and has to close his eyes for a few seconds to collect himself, swallowing and drawing a deep breath.
"No! Please! I need him!" Jimin sobs, and falls off the bed in a tangle of blankets. Taehyung opens his eyes slowly and sees Jimin looking even worse than before Jungkook entered, hair mussed and face red and streaked by tears, shiny with sweat and too feeble to even get up to chase after Jungkook.
"It's alright, Jimin," he says eventually, feeling exhausted but moving to pull Jimin back into his arms. Jimin comes in without protest now that Jungkook is out of sight, trembling and crying and holding onto Taehyung. He holds Jimin so tight it must be painful, but Jimin doesn't complain, just clinging on until his sobs die down a little to choked breathing and sniffles.
There's a light knock on the door and Hoseok pokes his head round, looking ruffled and worried, but uninjured, which Taehyung is thankful for. If Hoseok has come back to the room then that means things must be back under control, or at least calmed down enough for Jin to supervise Jungkook on his own.
"Can I come in?" Hoseok whispers, jerking his head at Jimin.
"Do you mind Hoseokkie-hyung coming in, Jiminie?" Taehyung asks. Jimin shakes his head without looking up, fingers tightening in Taehyung's shirt, and he figures that's a good enough answer to beckon Hoseok in.
Their hyung enters cautiously, shutting the door softly behind himself and coming over to crouch down next to them, looking between them both anxiously.
"He okay?" he asks quietly, nodding to Jimin whilst speaking to Taehyung.
"He will be," Taehyung sighs, as Jimin sniffles against him.
"Poor guy," Hoseok grimaces, raising a hand to run through Jimin's hair, petting through it gently. "You okay, Tae?"
"Good enough," Taehyung shrugs.
Hoseok looks him up and down, eyes catching on Taehyung's cheekbone, humming pensively.
"Jungkook was shaken up but alright when I left him. Might not be once Jin-hyung's finished with him though."
"Good," Taehyung nods. "I pushed him a few times, but I didn't want to hurt him."
"He's tough. I don't think you made much of a dent, if I'm honest," Hoseok chuckles. "His head was clearing up already by the time I left. Already beating himself up something awful over it, and that was before all the talking-tos he's gonna get."
"Mm," Taehyung hums, letting his eyes slip closed.
"Leave Jiminie with me for a bit; you've done more than enough."
"But he's still upset," Taehyung grimaces. "I shouldn't go."
"I know you're his best friend, but he likes me a little bit too," Hoseok teases. "Hey, Jiminie? Do you mind me taking over so Taehyungie can get some rest?"
"He can go," Jimin mumbles, looking up at Hoseok for the first time, pouting and forlorn.
"See, he likes me too," Hoseok chuckles, helping Jimin to shift out of Taehyung's lap and into his own, cuddling him like an oversized stuffed toy.
"Love you, hyung," Jimin mumbles, nuzzling into Hoseok's neck affectionately.
"Love you too, Jiminie," Hoseok pets him softly before turning back to Taehyung. "Now go get me a bottle of water and snacks for when this one recovers a bit, and then take whatever you want from the kitchen and go have a lie down in Jin and Yoongi's room. You can rest up before you need to deal with anything more."
Jungkook doesn't remember a lot after entering the sunshine line's room. He remembers opening the door, meeting Taehyung's panicked gaze, Jimin wrapped tightly in his arms, and then it devolves into a mess of need and possessiveness and white noise overtaking his higher brain functions.
He starts being able to think again in the corridor, able to register something beyond the blind rage and lust when he snaps his teeth close to someone's face and then realises it's Jin, that the person he's twisting against and clawing at is Hoseok, as both of them manhandle him through to the kitchen. He still doesn't have any idea why he's being fought though, anger burning hot as he needs to go back, needs to go back to that delicious heat and mark and claim.
But they fight him down onto the kitchen floor and pin an arm down each as Jungkook stops snapping his teeth at them and trying to claw his way free, growls giving way to heavy breathing as his head clears enough for coherent thought to come back to him.
"How dare you, Jeon Jungkook," Jin snarls at him, fingers digging into his arm painfully. "How fucking dare you try to take Jimin while he's in heat, you absolute bastard."
Jungkook pants, head hitting the floor as he finally goes lax under them, scent of heat no longer swirling dizzyingly through his mind, allowing coherent thoughts to gradually return to him.
He tried to mate with Jimin in heat. He fought Taehyung, hurt him, trying to force his way through to Jimin in heat.
He wants to be sick.
"You have to have a better hold on yourself, Jungkookie," Hoseok says warningly, loosening his grip and leaning back so Jungkook could probably break free if he wanted to. "We won't always be around to protect you guys."
"Are you listening to me?" Jin grabs his hair, forcing his head back to expose Jungkook's neck. He jolts on the floor, every instinct demanding he fight back, push Jin off and defend himself. He's certainly strong enough to. But he forces himself to remain down, trembling, letting Jin hold him in this vulnerable position.
"I'm listening," he rasps, squeezing his eyes shut against the images coming back to him now, like snapshots surrounded by smoke, each one a sickening shock to his memory. Jimin's wide eyes. Taehyung shoving him away. The whining, the growling, the thud of Taehyung's head hitting the wall, and the disgusting sense of satisfaction he'd felt in looming over Jimin on the bed.
"I'm so sorry," he forces his eyes open to meet Jin's furious glare. "I - I didn't mean to. I couldn't think past the scent."
"You can and you must!" Jin hisses.
"Did I hurt them?" Jungkook asks, eyes wide and worried. "Is Jimin okay?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Hoseok reassures him. "Tae didn't let you near him."
"You're lucky he was there. Who knows what would've happened if Jimin was alone," Jin finally lets go of him, letting Jungkook sit up and tuck his chin down defensively.
"I know. I can't explain how bad I feel," Jungkook says, mind rewinding through memories of grabbing Taehyung, throwing him, hitting him, hating him for being in the way. Taehyung's determination to save them both clear in his eyes, steadily starting to give way to fear.
Jungkook wants to eradicate himself.
"I'll go and check on them, and call if I need help," Hoseok pats his shoulder and gets up, quickly heading back to the room.
"You can't let your instincts take over like that," Jin tells him like he doesn't already know. "You could seriously hurt one of the rest of us, and do something you'd really regret."
"I know. I just wasn't careful enough," Jungkook can feel himself shaking with the weight of what could have been. He should've paid more attention to the faint sweet smell permeating the air of their apartment. He should've knocked before going in, should've run as soon as he saw what was going on in that room.
"Alphas being boneheaded and running after every scent is one of the biggest problems the other sub-genders face, especially omegas," Jin continues harshly. "You think you can just muscle on in there and take charge because of what you are? It's sickening. We raised you better than this."
"I'm sorry," Jungkook chokes, curling in on himself and hiding the tears rolling down his face. "I'm so, so sorry."
"You would've taken him, if Taehyung wasn't there, wouldn't you? Don't try to deny it. You know an omega in heat can never give consent! You know it's as bad as molesting someone while they're unconscious, right? Jimin has no control over himself while you're in there, you understand? None at all! It is your responsibility to step away. You don't get to touch an omega in heat without previous consent or so help me god, Jungkook, I will cut off your cock myself so you can never use it again, understand?"
Jungkook can't control his breathing now, can't think beyond his anguish, can't begin to express his guilt.
He shuffles to kneel, press his forehead to the floor in front of Jin and lets his tears drip down his nose onto the kitchen tiles as he bows, trembling and wordless.
"I don't want you in this house for the rest of Jimin's heat," Jin grunts. "You will go and stay in your room, with the door closed, until I send Yoongi to collect you and take you to stay in his studio. Maybe you'll let him talk some sense into you, if it takes another fucking alpha to make you listen."
Jungkook nods his assent against the floor. He's listening to Jin as hard as he can right now, doesn't need another alpha to tell him he's wrong. But he does want Yoongi to tell him how to do it, how to lock down his hormones and instincts and turn away like the older alpha can.
"Go, now," Jin snaps, and Jungkook stumbles to his feet, holding his breath from the time he leaves the kitchen all the way down the hallway to his room, only letting himself draw a gasp of air once the door is safely closed and the window is wide open for extra safety.
He can't imagine losing control over Jimin's scent again, but he never would have thought he'd lose it so easily before, so he's taking no chances.
He curls up on his bed, into sheets that smell of himself, and tries to calm himself down. Then feels guilty for focusing on his own breathing, after what he'd just done, and forces himself to relive memories to make sure he doesn't forget, to be sure his mind remembers how wrong it was.
The perverted reaction he provoked from Jimin. Lashing out at innocent Taehyung. Being dragged back and fighting his hyungs. Jin's words.
It feels like hours and he gives himself an awful headache, and by the time the door creaks open he's half convinced it'll be Yoongi or Namjoon or one of the managers telling him he's been kicked out of the group, that they can't live with him anymore, since he's such a monster.
The last person he expects to see is Taehyung, peering round with mussed hair and concerned eyes, a bruise blooming over his left cheekbone that makes Jungkook feel sick.
He scrambles to sit up, throat tight as he drops to the floor in the same pose he gave to Jin earlier, begging for Taehyung's forgiveness.
"I'm so, so sorry, hyung. I'll never forgive myself," he says into the carpet, voice wobbly and tight, betraying his weakness.
"Oh, Jungkookie," Taehyung's footsteps cross the floor to him in seconds, and Jungkook moves willingly when Taehyung tugs him up, being deliberately pliant. "Are you okay?"
Physically, he's fine, but that's not what Jungkook hears in the question.
"I'm awful," he croaks, feels traitor tears slide free once more, wiping them away furiously. "I - You must hate me, hyung."
"Oh no, not at all," Taehyung pulls Jungkook into a hug, which fills Jungkook's nose with the beta's calming scent, but mixed in with the sugar-sweet layer of Jimin's heat coating his skin and clothes. It makes Jungkook lurch away, scared he'll react viciously again, but Taehyung holds on, not realising the problem, forcing Jungkook to cope. His initial typical reaction to the heat scent is there, but there is no omega present to attach it to, and Jungkook has the sickening fear of his own body to tamper down the heat in his stomach. He holds on to Taehyung tightly, forcing himself to breathe through it and ground himself with the beta.
"Your hormones took control. That wasn't you back there, I know," Taehyung says tiredly.
"How do you know?" Jungkook holds onto Taehyung, shaking his head on the beta's shoulder. "What if that was me? If I'm just that bad?"
"Jungkookie, you still wait for your elders to take food before you start dinner, and you hold the door open for everyone, and you do the most awkwardly cute birthday cards I have ever seen," Taehyung sighs. "You're not a bad person."
Jungkook's head hurts.
"But what if I am?" he whispers.
"You're not. Jin is just in overprotective omega mode. He's not in his right mind either."
"I hurt you," Jungkook pulls back to brush his finger over the bruising over Taehyung's cheekbone. He's unbelievably grateful he wasn't wearing any rings today.
"I don't want to talk about it," Taehyung winces back, and Jungkook lets his hand fall. "I just wanted to cuddle."
"Sorry," Jungkook says anyway, transfixed by the bruise he made until Taehyung shakes his head and turns away, nesting himself into Jungkook's bed and patting the mattress next to him invitingly. Jungkook hesitates for a second, before carefully sitting next to Taehyung, letting himself be arranged for them to lie comfortably together.
"When we wake up we can watch a movie and you can write a note to Jiminie saying how sorry you are," Taehyung nuzzles his head into Jungkook's shoulder, thoughtfully avoiding pressing into his neck. "But for now I just want to chill."
"Okay," Jungkook says, closing his eyes and trying to quiet his roaring thoughts.
"Think of it as supporting my needs and being a nice big body to lie on, if it makes your alpha ass feel any better," Taehyung mumbles, already clearly halfway to falling asleep.
"Okay."