Chapter Text
Things were quieter around the camp without the other three, Hobi in particular. They spent the rest of that day hunting for meat and gathering fruit, stocking up to supply Jin and the others as well as themselves. Tae’s trip to see the flowers was postponed for the moment and he acquiesced gladly, near humming as he set about skinning the hares Jungkook had caught. He was so happy to be useful, to fulfill a typical omega’s role in aiding fellow omegas during their heats, to redistributing the work so that the pack continued on as strong as ever. He was rewarded by Jungkook and Yoongi’s effusive compliments that night as they devoured the stew Tae had made, and he went to sleep satisfied, falling asleep almost instantly for the first time since he arrived.
And the next day, Jungkook took him by the hand after breakfast, after Yoongi and Jimin had departed to see the other three, and brought him to a field near the grove of apple trees. The alpha hung back, a small smile on his face as Taehyung wandered forward, eyes wide.
Knee high grasses, soft as a wolf’s fur against his bare legs, swished in the gentle breeze. The fronds were dotted with wild violets, casting a purple haze in the air where birds chittered and flew, swooping low to grab loose grass to take for their nests in the nearby trees. A low drone of honeybees accompanied the sound of their flapping wings.
A large boulder erupted out of the grass in the very center of the meadow, at a slant, as if it had once stood upright but time and wind and weather had worn it down. Tae grinned and jogged forward, resting his palm flat against the dark granite. It was warm from the sun’s rays and Tae quickly ascended it, sprawling out on his back with a happy squeal and tilting his face to the sun.
Nearby, he heard Jungkook chuckle.
“Don’t you dare mock me,” called Taehyung lazily, too content to even bother opening his eyes. He felt Jungkook trail fingers through his hair, blinking his eyes open sleepily once the movement stopped. A tiny clusters of violets had been twined through the hair over his left ear.
“Not as pretty as you, but they’ll do.” Jungkook crawled up beside him, but lay on his side with his head propped on one hand to study the omega.
“Is this what I’m in for? Cheesy compliments and romantic getaways?”
“Depends. Is it working?”
Taehyung hid a smile behind a palm. Not wanting to stroke the alpha’s ego any further, he rolled over, sprawled on his belly across the heated stone. He hummed, rested his head on his folded arms, thinking he could slide into a nap with little effort. He felt a hand come to rest between his shoulder blades, stroke down to the small of his back, then up again. Tae hummed again, heard the echoing pleased noise low in Jungkook’s throat.
Infinitely relaxed, Taehyung drifted into a nap.
-
Jungkook roused him when the sunlight began to fade into twilight, pressing his lips to Tae’s forehead. Half-asleep, Tae rolled over and reached out, made grabby hands until Jungkook grinned and lowered himself to rest on top of him, weight braced on his forearms. Sighing happily, Taehyung wrapped his arms around his waist, buried his face against the broad chest, snuggling contentedly.
“Taehyung.” The voice rumbled against Tae’s ear. “You’re destroying me, you know that.”
“Deal with it, alpha,” retorted Tae lazily, scent-marking Jungkook, rubbing his cheek against them until their scents were a mix of honeysuckle and grass upon the cool air.
Jungkook made a dissatisfied sound, leaned his body away despite the weak protests of the omega beneath him. He kissed his temple soothingly. “Tae. It’s our turn to get some food to Jin and the others.” He pulled back, smirked a little. “Unless you’ll allow me to court you because then by all means, we aren’t going anywhere.”
Rolling his eyes, Tae gently pushed him aside. “You wish.”
“Yes. I do.”
Taehyung wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing. He thought about it as they fetched dried meat and fruits from camp and headed towards the caves. Jungkook had apologized, sincerely, for scaring him. The alpha had only done so because he was terrified at the thought of Taehyung being hurt. Tae had never been cared for so fiercely.
Was the fear over Jungkook getting angry, enough for the omega to continue to keep him at arm’s length?
Jungkook kissed his temple again before stopping a healthy distance from the caves, to avoid Namjoon sensing him and getting upset. Taehyung continued on alone, still thoughtful.
He emerged into the clearing that courted the caves, pausing a healthy distance away. He didn’t need to announce his presence. Namjoon came padding out moments later, entirely naked, skin slicked with sweat and hickeys and scratches. He looked well, and well-satisfied. For a moment he glared, territorial vibes rolling off of him in waves. Then his nostrils flared and he relaxed.
“Taehyungie,” Namjoon greeted, voice tired but eyes glittering with pleased satisfaction. “Tell me that food is for us.”
Tae passed over the basket, grinning. He could hear Jin’s pleased moans, Hoseok’s rhythmic grunts. The cave was all but emanating heat. He shivered at the thought of having two wolves service him during a heat.
Jin hyung was one lucky omega.
Namjoon accepted the offerings and surprisingly said, “Wait here.” He went inside, the echoing noises coming to a stop as the alpha inevitably forced his partners to take a break and eat. Namjoon returned a moment later. “Is everything okay back at camp?”
“Yeah, we’re good! Totally fine.”
“Taehyung.”
“Well, Jimin may have lit some of the grass on fire but it’s fine, Yoongi hyung put it out. And I may have left the sheep pen open and we had to go round them up but it’s cool, we got them all back.”
Namjoon blinked. “Okay then.” He cast a glance over the omega’s pensive expression. “Everything okay, Taehyung?”
“Yeah, I just said—”
“Not with the pack, I mean. With you.”
Tae blinked. “With me?”
“Yes, you seem upset about something.”
“No, no,” Tae was quick to reassure. He didn’t want Namjoon thinking he regretted any part of his new life here. “No, everything is wonderful, Namjoon, I promise.”
“You can talk to me, you know? Even if it’s about Jungkook.”
He blanched. Was he that transparent?
“Namjoon, I—”
“It’s okay,” said Namjoon, and his voice was gentle. He continued to lean against a nearby boulder, expression patient and kind. He kept one ear turned towards his partners in the cave but otherwise gave Taehyung his full attention. “I know that alphas were different where you came from. I’m sure it’s a lot to adjust to.”
“Alphas in our old pack broke their word all the time,” admitted Taehyung, crouching down on his heels to hug his knees and poke moodily at a stray dandelion. “All the time. From silly things to monumental things, it just didn’t seem to matter to them whether they kept their promises. Especially to omegas. Especially to me.”
“Have we broken our word so far to you?” countered Namjoon, and his tone wasn’t combative. It remained gentle, merely reflective, as if the head alpha had all the time in the world to have this conversation for as long as Taehyung needed, as if he didn’t have two partners nearby who needed him.
“No.” Taehyung felt zero hesitations about that. Namjoon hyung and Jungkook had treated him just like Yoongi hyung always did, with respect and care, and infinitely calm and gentle. Except for Jungkook’s outburst during the incident with the stag.
But he apologized and vowed he would never turn on Tae like that again. And that counted as giving his word.
“No, all of you have always kept your word,” continued Taehyung, thoughtful now as he plucked the dandelion, idly spun it so that a few of the stalks fell to the ground.
“We’re not perfect.” Namjoon shrugged a shoulder. “I think it’s one of the fallacies perpetuated by our culture, actually, that alphas are strong and tough and protective and always make the right decisions, the right calls. The truth is we struggle just as much as the omegas and betas, but we also have more to lose if we fail.”
Taehyung didn’t answer for a minute, seemingly absorbed with the dandelion.
“Have you tried thinking from Jungkook’s perspective?” wondered Namjoon, again so gently that Taehyung couldn’t bring himself to be irritated.
The answer was no. To humor his new head alpha, Tae sighed and closed his eyes, thought back to that day. But he pictured himself as the one stalking the stag, instead. He imagined the adrenaline, the confidence, the willingness to go head to head with the sharp antlers to feed the waiting mouths back at camp. To feed the one he hoped to court. How impressed his omega would be, if he returned with such a prize.
Then Tae pictured making a silly mistake. Stepping on a dry leaf, the crackle startling his prey, sprinting after it in desperation as it fled only to see the omega he held such affection for putting himself in harm’s way to help him, because he hadn’t been skilled enough to do it alone. Seeing the omega celebrate as if nothing was wrong, as if there was never any chance of him being in danger because the alpha had it handled but the alpha had just made a mistake, put him in harm’s way in the first place.
Taehyung shook his head violently, dispelling the image. Oh.
Jungkook cared about him. And Taehyung had scared the alpha badly.
“Are you all right?”
Taehyung sensed Namjoon stepping closer, heaved a sigh when the alpha squeezed his shoulder in a friendly fashion before helping him to his feet.
“Yeah,” said Tae softly. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Whatever you decide, it’s your choice to make. No one else’s.” Namjoon’s voice grew firm. “Take all the time you need.”
“I’m already twenty,” protested Tae, knowing perfectly well that omegas usually mated by eighteen.
“Jin didn’t accept me as his mate until last year, after his twenty-third birthday.”
Taehyung marveled at that. Where he came from, Jin would have faced unsurmountable pressure to be mated by eighteen. Sometimes Tae wondered if that pressure had contributed to Yoongi and Jimin mating so soon, though Tae knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the two belonged together, and would be, always.
Namjoon squeezed his shoulder. Tae knew instinctively that the alpha would be nuzzling to comfort him but not with Jin in heat, not with Hobi in the cave, both of them awaiting his return and inevitably growing more irritable the longer his absence grew. It wouldn’t help to carry Tae’s scent with him, however harmless omega scents were.
“Thank you,” whispered Taehyung when Namjoon had turned back to the cave. “For everything.”
The alpha turned and walked backwards, shooting him a wink. “For what?”
He disappeared inside. Taehyung watched after him, listened for a moment to the sudden excited cries, the pleased sighs that greeted his entrance.
“Everything,” he whispered, and turned to retrace his steps back to camp.
Jungkook met him on the trail, stepping out from the shadow of a tree with a gentle smile. “How are they?”
“Jin hyung is a lucky wolf,” commented Tae, still hung up on the triad. He had heard it being done before but never in his old pack. He loved it. He loved how happy they all were, and berated himself for not noticing immediately. Perhaps they had toned it down to avoid making the newcomers uncomfortable but Tae wished they hadn’t.
“I thought maybe something was wrong,” admitted Jungkook, stepping closer and offering a hand. He waited until Taehyung laid his on his palm before squeezing it, and reached up to tug a loose lock of Tae’s hair affectionately. “You were gone for quite some time.”
“I was talking to Namjoon hyung.”
“Is everything okay?”
Taehyung thought about that for a moment. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, everything is great.”
“In that case, mind if I escort you back to camp? It’s getting late.”
Tae nodded and the pair walked on, bare feet scuffing through the grass.
“Thank you for not pushing me,” said Taehyung out of the blue. He glanced at the alpha then looked straight ahead when Jungkook cocked his head inquisitively. “You announced you wanted to court me, then backed off when I demurred, and now you refuse to push me, to demand your answer. So thank you.”
Jungkook snorted. “Some answer it would be, if I had to coerce it out of you. We have nothing but time, Taehyung. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know. I know that.” Taehyung stopped, drew his hand away. He watched Jungkook immediately pause beside him, moonlight in his hair and the stars in his eyes. “Jungkook?”
“Taehyung?”
“I’d like you to court me,” he admitted shyly, scuffing his toes a little in the damp grass. “If you still want to.”
For a heartbeat, Jungkook only stared. Then his arms were around Tae’s waist and the omega was being lifted into the air, squealing helplessly in laughter as Jungkook spun them in circles beneath the moon. Jungkook brought him down to earth, and kissed him.
For a moment Tae froze.
Then it all came rushing in. He heard the whisper of the river splashing over rocks, the creaking of trees, the rustle of leaves in the wind. He heard the catch in Jungkook’s throat as their lips pressed warmly together.
Tae had a moment to panic, to wonder if he was doing it right. A first kiss was considered special and here Taehyung was, completely bumbling everything.
But then Jungkook pulled him just a little closer. And Tae hesitantly leaned in, let the alpha bear the brunt of his weight, as he moved his lips in a seemingly instinctual pattern. Jungkook’s teeth snagged lightly on his lower lip and Tae shivered, releasing a sound that was halfway between a groan and a laugh, so damn content to be in Jungkook’s arms.
They broke apart, gasping for breath.
“Yes,” whispered Jungkook, eyes soft and warm. “Yes, I’d be honored if you would allow me to court you.”
Taehyung’s knees went weak.
For a different reason altogether.
He eased back a little, chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“Good,” he said breathlessly, as heat hit his belly like a fist. “Because I think Jin hyung’s heat triggered mine.”
Sheer panic crossed Jungkook’s face. “You just had yours before you arrived—”
“Stress, different environment, being around another omega in heat,” rattled off Taehyung, too busy calming his breathing to ease Jungkook into it. “Will you help me?”
Jungkook’s eyes went to flint. “Are you sure? That’s not something you can take back, Tae.”
“I know.” Taehyung summoned his courage, leaned forward to kiss him. “I want you, Jungkook. I want you to help me. I only want you to help me.”
Jungkook growled, and this time Taehyung wasn’t afraid. He was exhilarated. Jungkook plucked him off his feet and carried him bridal-style towards camp, breath hitching in his throat as Tae enthusiastically and shamelessly began burying his face in the alpha’s neck, nuzzling and licking at the warm skin.
Jimin sat by the fire, humming a tune as he stared into the flames. He shot to his feet to face Tae, surprised. “Taehyung? What—”
“Heat.” Tae’s voice was already weak and thready. “Jungkook is going to help me.”
Jimin’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Jungkook?”
“We’re courting,” Taehyung told his best friend, and saw the tears swarm into Jimin’s eyes before his friend sniffled and rubbed at his face, waving them off with a wordless cry of support and pleasure. Tae vowed to cuddle his best friend the moment his heat broke.
Jungkook strode for his hut and hesitated at the door, body vibrating as he scented the arousal pooling in Tae’s body. Warmed by the consideration, Tae reached out a trembling hand and gently drew the curtain aside.
“Please, alpha?” he added in a soft tone, looking up into Jungkook’s eyes. “Please come inside. To my nest.”
Jungkook lowered his head, pressed kisses to Tae’s hair, temple, cheeks and finally his lips, sinking in with a pleased hum. “Yes,” he whispered between caresses. “Yes, Taehyung.”
He carried the omega inside and let the curtain fall closed behind them.