Chapter Text
By the time they've been formed into a group of seven trainees, three of them have presented their sub-genders: Jin, Yoongi, and Namjoon. Jin is a fierce omega, Yoongi a grumpy but well-behaved alpha, and Namjoon a level-headed beta. They joke that they are the starting pack for the group; one of each sub-gender.
The first to present out of the others is, unsurprisingly, the next oldest, Hoseok, who comes into the kitchen one day where Jimin and Jin are having breakfast, looking pale and unsteady.
"You okay, hyung?" Jimin gets halfway put of his chair, looking concerned.
"I think I'm an omega," Hoseok whimpers, then promptly passes out on the kitchen tiles.
"Oh, god," Jimin gets the rest of the way out of his chair, but is stopped from getting to Hoseok's collapsed body by Jin pushing past him, crouching over Hoseok to sniff at his neck.
"Jimin, will you be a dear and go and get Yoongi for me," Jin says with a chuckle, rearranging Hoseok's limbs to lie more comfortably.
"But if Hoseok-hyung is -"
"Trust me," Jin interrupts him, grinning. "We can have the big bad alpha in here without any problems. It's not omega that Hoseok's presenting as."
Jimin hesitates for a second, but then obeys, stepping gingerly over Hoseok to get through the door, rousing Yoongi with a gentle shake to the shoulder and leading the way back to the kitchen.
He arrives back in time to see Jin helping Hoseok sit up, smoothing a hand over his forehead to feel his temperature.
"And I woke up and it was like a fever, like the heat, hyung, and I just knew!" Hoseok's voice rises with panic. "It's making me shaky, and I already can't think straight. You'll help me hyung, won't you? Tell me how to do this?!"
"Um, I got Yoongi-hyung," Jimin clears his throat, stepping back into the room with a sleepy, ruffled Yoongi shuffling after him.
"No! No! It's dangerous when I'm in heat!" Hoseok shrieks, launching himself into Jin's arms, clinging on with fearful eyes. "He's an alpha, Jinnie, you know that!" Hoseok catches sight of Yoongi, a scream catching in the back of his throat as he clutches tighter to Jin and sweats.
Yoongi looks from the terrified Hoseok, to the mischievous smile of Jin, to the confused Jimin.
"The fuck?" the alpha grumbles, deadpan even in his confusion.
"I'm in heat, Yoongi! You need to go!" Hoseok tells him, wide-eyed and urgent.
"Now hold on a minute, Hoseokkie," Jin tells him, stroking his back soothingly. "You see Yoongi right there? Big, impressive alpha man, right up close?"
Hoseok whimpers and nods.
"Take a deep breath now," Jin coos at Hoseok. "In and out. Get a good lungful of all that alpha. You smell him?"
Hoseok nods.
"Do you want him to jump on you, press you into a mattress and fill you up so perfectly?" Jin asks, same gentle coo starting to shake a little with suppressed laughter.
"Ew," Yoongi wrinkles his nose in distaste.
"Well, not really," Hoseok frowns. "But I've barely started. So maybe it'll kick in in a bit?"
"Maybe," Jin grins brightly at him. "Now even if you don't feel that all-consuming need to mate pulling you towards him yet, alphas are very sensitive to the scent of an omega in heat. Does Yoongi look interested in grabbing you, fucking you 'til you're both satisfied, and marking you as his own?"
"Can I go back to bed?" Yoongi grimaces, rubbing his eyes and leaning on the doorframe sleepily.
"Not yet, Yoongi," Jin says cheerfully. "You can go just as soon as Hoseokkie here works it out."
"Works what out? Look at me; I'm in heat, I just presented," Hoseok says, gesturing at himself.
"You ain't no omega, kid," Yoongi yawns.
"But... I have a fever," Hoseok stares between Yoongi and Jin. "I can feel the change. I'm all weak from it, and hot!"
"Yeah, but go back to how you feel about Yoongi being here. The presence of an alpha hasn't made you any hotter," Jin says. "And not to get overly personal about it, but you're not producing slick, are you?"
"No," Hoseok mutters at the floor, flushing.
"So do you really think you're presenting as omega?" Jin says patiently, waiting for the pin to drop.
"But... I was hot," Hoseok untangles himself from Jin, feeling his own temperature with one hand. "And I'm all weak and clammy!"
"All those symptoms come with every presentation," Jin laughs. "That's just the hormones going through your body like they did for puberty, but all in one big rush."
"So... I'm not omega?" Hoseok looks between them all, understanding steadily dawning on his face.
"Nope," Jin shakes his head with a smile. "And given that I haven't started to get the hots for you, I think we can be pretty sure you aren't an alpha either."
"You're beta, you idiot," Yoongi sums up. "Now will you all let me sleep?"
***********************************************
Jimin is next to present. It's about a month before his first post-debut birthday, turning eighteen, and they're all in a meeting with their manager when a sweet scent starts filling the room, so gradually at first that none of them really notice.
Until Yoongi sits bolt upright from his slouch so fast their manager stops talking for them all to stare at him as his eyes narrow, scanning the room.
It's when Namjoon sees his nose twitching that he gets it, a second before Yoongi speaks.
"Someone's in heat."
Most of them look at Jin, who holds his hands up, shaking his head and looking to the maknaes.
"I know my schedule, and I'm a good few weeks off. It has to be one of them."
"Jimin," Yoongi says, jaw tight and staring at Jimin, sitting hunched tightly in his chair between Hoseok and Jungkook and currently staring around fearfully, forehead shinier than usual.
Hoseok tentatively leans in, and Jimin flinches, gasping when Hoseok picks up his hand gently to sniff at the younger man's wrist.
"Oh yeah," Hoseok breathes, looking up at Jimin, eyes wide. "That's a heat alright."
Jimin squeaks and jerks his hand away, jolting so hard away from Hoseok that his chair knocks into Jungkook's. The maknae sits with mouth slightly open, staring at Jimin with an expression somewhere between wonder and horror.
"Shit, Jiminie! Are you okay?" Taehyung rushes out of his seat, rounding the table and wrapping Jimin into his arms to try and comfort him. None of them expect the breathy moan that Jimin lets out at the contact, least of all Jimin, who twists himself out of Taehyung's arms in alarm, staggering away from him.
"I don't feel so good," Jimin pants, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head, taking another stumbling step away from the conference table.
"We need to get you back to the dorms," Namjoon says, rising from his chair but standing in place, reluctant to reach out to Jimin, who now looks to be visibly shaking.
"Open that window," Jin orders their manager, who follows the instruction quickly. "I'm going to take him back, nobody else touch him."
"I'll come with you," Yoongi says, making to get out of his chair. Even such a slight movement disturbs his scent in the room, and Jimin whimpers, back hitting the wall as he squeezes his eyes even tighter shut.
"Like hell you will," Jin snorts, fixing him with a glare. "You're going to sit absolutely still and not say a word until we're out of this room, understand?"
"You should have me there to get back, in case some asshole tries anything with him," Yoongi hisses, though he stays in his seat. "His scent's gonna be all over the place by the time you're on the street - you can't take him out like that!"
"I don't need an alpha to protect me, and neither does he," Jin tells him with a glare. "We'll get back home just fine, and you're not going to come back until I tell you you can."
"He's right about being seen on the street like this, though," Hoseok says, anxiously glancing between their two eldest. "The last thing you need right now is having to fight off assholes during his first heat."
"I can go with them," Namjoon says. "I'll call them a cab so we won't be on the street much."
"I'm coming too!" Taehyung says, eyes fixed on Jimin as his best friend slides down the wall, looking on the verge of tears. "I'm not leaving Jiminie alone!"
"No, Taehyung," Jin shakes his head. "You haven't presented yet, so being too close to him could trigger your presentation too, and we can't be dealing with two of you coming out at once."
"I'm not leaving him alone!" Taehyung insists, chin jutting out as he goes to sit down right next to Jimin. Jimin collapses sideways, holding tightly to Taehyung's side even as he becomes visibly more distressed, the sweet scent getting steadily thicker in the room.
"If he triggers your presentation and you turn out to be an alpha then it'll cause serious trouble," their manager says warily, glancing at Namjoon.
"He's right, it's really risky to be around him right now, for you and Jungkookie," Namjoon sighs.
"I'm not leaving him," Taehyung repeats, challenging Namjoon. "You'll have to fight me if you want me to leave him right now."
"That's not fair, Taehyung, come on," Namjoon reasons with him, staying calm. "We can look after him just fine."
"He's my friend, and he's scared," Taehyung says. "I'm not going to present, and his scent doesn’t trigger anything in me since I don't have a sub-gender yet. I'm safe, I'm going to help you, and I'm not leaving Jimin."
Namjoon tries to stay calm, sees Taehyung letting Jimin press against him and sees the way their new omega hides in Taehyung like he's the only one allowed to see him like this. He tries to weigh the difficulties of dragging the two of them apart versus the dangerous possibilities of Taehyung emerging as an alpha because of Jimin's scent.
"I want to go home," Jimin cries, a sheen of sweat visible on his overheated skin now, and a thick scent strong enough in this small room for them to almost taste, the single open window not doing enough to help. Yoongi is absolutely rigid in his chair now, knuckles white on the armrests and jaw clenched as he stares at Jimin, breathing so shallow it seems barely there, obviously totally focused on controlling himself.
"Your call," Namjoon turns to Jin, knowing time is not on their side. "Should we let Tae come with us or not?"
Jin looks at the two of them and Taehyung squares his shoulders, trying to intimidate his hyungs into letting him stay with Jimin, while also comforting his best friend all he can.
"Call the cab, Namjoon," Jin decides, striding round the table. "The four of us will go back to the dorm and look after him. Can you get up for us, Jiminie?"
"I feel sick," Jimin cries, shaking his head.
"That's not the heat, I'm afraid," Jin sighs. "Probably just the shock and nerves, but you'll be okay, Jiminie. I know how to do this. We just need to get down to a cab first, do you think you can do that?"
Jimin sniffles, but nods.
"I'll help you, Jiminie," Taehyung smiles, shuffling himself out away from Jimin so that he can get into a crouch, holding his hands out. "It's not far, and then we'll be home and you can be in your own bed, all comfy, yeah?"
Jimin uses his shirt sleeve to mop up his face, before he takes Taehyung's hands and lets himself be pulled up into a standing position. Namjoon dials a number on his phone and starts talking to the cab service about how fast they can get a car to the company building.
"Let's go," Jin says, going and holding the door open.
Jimin manages to make it to the door, one arm around Taehyung's shoulders, and they leave everyone's view as Jin follows closely after.
"Text us when you get home," Hoseok pipes up, and Namjoon waves to show he's heard him as he follows the others, letting the door click shut behind them.
As soon as the door has been closed, Yoongi jerks out of his seat. Hoseok and their manager leap at him, thinking he's caved to his instincts and is about to give chase.
"Let me go!" Yoongi snarls, twisting in their grip. "I need to breathe! Let go, you fucking -"
Hoseok realises what Yoongi wants and releases his grip on the alpha, the manager making a small noise of alarm as Yoongi rips himself free and runs to stick his head out of the window, leaning almost dangerously far out to get the fresh air.
"Sorry, hyung. Didn't know what you were running after then," Hoseok laughs awkwardly, dusting himself off.
"Fuck," Yoongi pants, running a hand over his face. "Fuck, I thought I was going to lose it there for a second when he got up."
"Was it the smell?" Jungkook asks, voice small and the only one still in his chair.
"Damn right it was. I was losing my mind," Yoongi grits his teeth. "If I let myself move while he was in here I think I would've tried to grab him. Fuck. I can still feel it," he shivers.
They all stay very still, watching Yoongi gradually relax as the scent steadily leaves the room now that Jimin's gone. Jungkook keeps biting his lip, watching his hyungs anxiously, while Hoseok bounces on the balls of his feet, occasionally checking his phone. Their manager starts packing away his things until he clears his throat, bag under his arm.
"We'll reschedule this meeting, and I'll notify the rest of the company of Jimin's presentation," he says, tucking his chair under the table and inclining his head at Yoongi before leaving the room.
"I hate feeling like this," Yoongi says morosely, staring down at the street below. "I really didn't know if I could control myself at one point.
"You did brilliant, hyung," Hoseok steps over and rubs gently over Yoongi's back. "Your control is better than any alpha I've seen, ever. And you're still so young."
"Still not good enough," Yoongi shrugs Hoseok's hand off him. "Still feeling things I don't want to."
"You can't control your hormones," Hoseok chuckles, shaking his head. "That's just biology."
"Fuck biology," Yoongi mutters, so quietly it's barely audible, as the alpha glares at the sky.
********************************************
The thing about sub-genders when you're an idol is that they tend not to be too interesting to the media, except in relation to group dynamics, with the major exception of idols that debut prior to presenting. It means that when their profiles are released to the fans for debut, the hyung line have their sub-genders listed right underneath their blood types, while the maknae's profiles are left with a blank gap waiting to be filled. Jimin gets off easy, since he presents only a couple of months into debut, before they've really started to gather a fanbase. Several comebacks come and go, and the two youngest of the group remain unpresented as their audience grows, and subsequently the focus on them and their potential sub-genders.
It gets to the stage that their managers have to reign in interviewers, who love to talk about how it's been almost a year since Jimin presented as omega, and Taehyung, despite being only a couple of months his junior, is now lagging behind in his presentation. Taehyung isn't late enough for it to be a concern for his health, but it's enough to draw attention to it. People at fansigns start asking about it, a few particularly intense fans trying to lean over and smell him, trying to detect a scent. Taehyung's too nice to do much more than laugh nervously and lean away, sometimes asking them to back off if they don't take the hint, or if security doesn't intervene. The betting shops around the country start seeing a steady rise in people putting money on what they think Taehyung will present as, and there's a sure trend in what everyone expects: omega.
It's not hard to see why. Taehyung is friendly, pretty, soft and sweet on pretty much everyone, not to mention getting a reputation as the group's sweetheart. There's already an abundance of fansites for the omega 95z twins, everyone seeing how Taehyung and Jimin complement each other and work so well together. It certainly seems like a strong possibility, even to the group members. They joke about it, saying Taehyung's bound to present with his first heat when Jimin gets one, they're so in sync. Jimin says he'll be able to pay back Taehyung for all the times he's cuddled him close in heat, though the later Taehyung's presentation lags the less often they're left unsupervised during Jimin's heats, with the elders (especially Jin) being worried that Taehyung could still get triggered into presenting by the heats and could still be an alpha.
They're steadily gearing up for a comeback with Danger towards the end of their second summer as a group when it finally happens. Namjoon is sitting alone in the little studio of the company building in the early morning when a noise like something, or someone, hitting the door makes him jolt and pull off his headphones and spin his chair to stare, waiting for something else, wondering if he's been shut away with his lyrics and a keyboard too long and he's started hearing things.
And then there's a quiet knock, so soft that he'd probably have missed it if he hadn't already taken off the headphones.
So he stands, cautiously, crosses the tiny room, and tentatively opens the door.
He has a split-second of his sleep-deprived senses telling him no-one's there, that he must have imagined it after all, when movement on the floor catches his eye and he looks down, drawing in a quick breath at the sight of Taehyung, still in the t-shirt and sweatpants he probably slept in, trembling, drenched in sweat, with tear tracks shining down his cheeks.
"Hyung," Taehyung manages to say, before his bottom lip wobbles and fresh tears spill free, and he's choking and using his arm to rub them away.
"Jesus, Taetae," Namjoon clicks into action at last, dropping to his knees on the threshold of the dubiously clean studio and putting an arm round Taehyung's shoulders, desperately scanning him for injuries, marks, anything that could indicate what put him in this state, why he's crying in Namjoon's arms at six in the morning in their company building, rather than still nestled up in bed at the dorm. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"I - I'm not," Taehyung shudders, and Namjoon feels the feverish heat and finally notices this close that Taehyung's scent has changed, a distinct new layer to it that wasn't there yesterday. And he works it out for himself a second before Taehyung draws in another choked breath and says "I p-presented."
"That's great, isn't it?" he says quickly, gathering Taehyung further into his arms a little awkwardly, internally questioning why the hell it's him Taehyung came to. He's much better friends with Jimin, or Jungkook, or Hoseok, or even Jin. He loves Taehyung and they get along great, but he can't help feeling more like a mentor than a friend, a lot of the time. "You were worried about it taking a while, and now you know! You're a beta, congratulations!"
Something about his words makes Taehyung cry harder, practically wailing into Namjoon's shirt and shaking his head hard.
"No! But I can't be! I'm - I'm not supposed to be -" Taehyung is overtaken by a violent shudder. "I was going to be an o-omega! I - I'm not a - a -"
"Oh, Taehyung," Namjoon glances up and down the empty corridor anxiously, glad the building is practically empty at this time. "You're fine whatever you are! Everyone will love you, whatever you are!"
"Jiminie wanted me to be an omega t-too," Taehyung cries. "W-we thought we could match."
Namjoon really wishes he was good at comforting the younger members like Jin and Hoseok. This is not his area of expertise.
"Jimin will love you forever," he says confidently. "He'd love you as a beta, or omega, or even an alpha. He'd love you if you hadn't even presented in fifty years."
Taehyung sniffs, quietening just a little, and Namjoon knows he's listening.
"But we thought we'd be together, with everything," Taehyung's voice sounds small.
"You'll be together anyway," Namjoon tells him softly, petting cautiously over Taehyung's hair until his fingers get tangled and he gives up to focus on his strengths: logical reasoned comforting. "You know Jimin. You two are best friends. If he knew you were this upset about it he'd either want to comfort you, or maybe he'd laugh because you were being silly over nothing."
Taehyung attempts to mop at his face with his bare arm, and Namjoon has to stop himself from laughing when he only succeeds in smearing the tears and snot over his skin, and Namjoon uses his own sleeve to get the worst of it with a grimace.
"Everyone will be s-so disappointed in me," Taehyung says, pouting, voice thicker than usual from crying.
"Nobody's going to be disappointed in you," Namjoon smiles. "At worst Jin will be disappointed that he doesn't get to hold his senior omega status over you like he does Jimin, but I'm sure he'll find some other way to smother you instead. And the fans that lost money because they made stupid bets will realise how stupid they were and you'll teach them a valuable life lesson about gambling, and they'll still think you're amazing and funny and beautiful."
"Jin will be sad," Taehyung sniffles. "He said we'd be the prettiest sub-gender line if I was omega with him and Jimin."
"Well we'll just have to be the prettiest beta line, then, won't we?"
"But," Taehyung sits up a little bit better, clearly gathering himself together a little bit, small smile wobbling on his lips. "But you and Hobi-hung are the only other betas."
"Hey, you come to me all upset, and insult me," Namjoon scolds teasingly, squeezing Taehyung a little closer to him just to emphasise that he's not really offended by the joke.
There's a soft noise from the floor above that shows that there are some other people in the building, and Namjoon glances up at the empty hallway warily.
"Do you want to come into the studio, Taehyung? Sit with me in there instead of the floor out here?"
Taehyung nods, and Namjoon helps him stand on wobbly legs to shuffle into the privacy of the studio, supporting the new beta over to their cracked black couch and letting him collapse onto it. He's thankful that Taehyung's a beta, since they're not safely at home; which reminds him,
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the dorm with the others?"
"Got scared," Taehyung mumbles, leaning over to grab Namjoon's discarded coat from the other end of the couch and curling up to pull it over himself, shivering. "I woke up feeling all wrong and I didn't want the others to see. I snuck out of our room and got a cab here before they woke up."
"But you didn't mind me seeing?" Namjoon questions, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, um," Taehyung looks like he hadn't even realised the disconnect between not wanting to be seen and coming to Namjoon. "You're you, I guess? You're our leader, and you know what it's like, and… and… I don't know," he finishes lamely, scrunching in his shoulders so the lower half of his face is obscured by the coat, only his large, puffy eyes visible, watching Namjoon warily. "It's not really scary in the same way. It's like it doesn't matter to you so much."
Namjoon tries to ignore the glow of fondness in his chest as he watches Taehyung wiggle under his coat and screw his eyes shut with a grimace, obviously still suffering at least physically with his presentation.
"They'll have to find out eventually," he reminds Taehyung quietly.
"No they don't," Taehyung huffs childishly. "I won't tell them."
"Sure," Namjoon chuckles. "I won't tell if you don't."
When Jimin stops by mid-morning with two bottles of water and some of Taehyung's favourite cereal bars and snacks his entrance wakes Taehyung up from where he'd been fitfully drifting in and out of a feverish doze on the sofa. Taehyung doesn't have time to open his mouth to ask how Jimin knew before his best friend has squeezed onto the edge of the sofa to hug him, running his fingers deftly through Taehyung's tangled fringe, feeling the temperature of his forehead and making a sound of sympathetic distress before he unwraps one of the bars so Taehyung can 'keep his strength up'. Taehyung actually cries all over again when Jimin tells him how happy and excited he is at his presentation, and when the others arrive it's more of the same story. Jin and Hoseok fawn over him until Namjoon wonders if he should ask them to leave, Yoongi ruffles his hair and tells everybody he knew from the start that Taehyung was beta, and Jungkook hangs back until Taehyung becomes visibly nervous for his reaction before he cracks into a grin and tells Taehyung he wasn't cute enough to be omega anyway.
********************************
Jungkook, of course, is the last to present. And it happens when they're all together in the dance studio, going through the killer choreography for Fire. The scent of sweat and all of their hormones are soaked into the air so thickly that nobody notices the subtle shift in Jungkook's scent.
They pause for a breather, with Yoongi bent double and wheezing from the practice.
"Jesus. This fucking track better be a fucking hit, with me sweating out of my ass for it," he grunts.
"Oh, ew," Jin wrinkles his nose.
"Maybe you're getting too old for this, and you should just give up," Jungkook calls across the studio, eyebrow raised.
"Maybe you're being a condescending twat, and you should just fuck off," Yoongi snaps. And it sounds like how they often tease each other, with Jungkook gently mocking his elders, except they both seem more aggressive, more serious about their comments this time.
"Guys," Hoseok laughs nervously, obviously sensing the tension.
"I'm not being condescending if you're genuinely shit. How many times have you fucked up on the chorus now?" Jungkook laughs without feeling. "Jesus, you even messed up your verse, and all you have to do is walk like you're drunk for about three seconds."
"Jungkook," Taehyung's eyebrows shoot up, scrambling up to stand from where he'd collapsed on the floor, staring between them.
"Just because you're the company's precious little golden boy doesn't mean you're not a jumped up little shit," Yoongi hisses.
"Just because you're my hyung doesn't mean I've got to bow down to your pathetic ass," Jungkook growls.
"Stop, both of you!" Namjoon demands, standing between them. "What the hell has gotten into both of you?!"
"Kookie," Jimin gets right in front of the maknae, deliberately getting in his line of sight so he can't keep glaring at Yoongi. "What's going on?"
"I'm fucking pissed off, is what's going on," Jungkook growls.
"Use my scent, c'mon. Calm down," Jimin cautiously pulls Jungkook into a hug. Omega scents are known to be soothing, even in unpresented individuals, and it's something Jimin and Jin often use to their advantage when there's conflict in the group.
This time though, Jungkook ducks his head and breathes him in a little too deeply, wraps his arms around Jimin tightly and nuzzles into him, just a little too roughly.
"Easy, tiger," Jimin chuckles, trying to pull back a little, but Jungkook growls and holds him tighter.
"Jungkook?" Taehyung takes a step towards them, concerned. "Kookie?"
"Fuck, you're so hot," Jimin gasps, Jungkook's burning forehead pressed against his neck, hot and clammy even for dance practice.
"Uh-oh," Namjoon mutters, seeming to cotton on faster than the rest of them. Then, speaking a little louder, he says "I think you should let go of Jimin, Jungkook."
"Why? Just cuddling," Jungkook huffs, glaring at Namjoon over Jimin's shoulder.
"Hmm, I don't mind," Jimin breathes in Jungkook's scent. So warm. He lets himself relax a little into the tight hold Jungkook has on him, scratching through the younger's hair lightly and chuckling. Jungkook is funny with how he gets sometimes.
"Get the fuck off him," Yoongi snaps suddenly, advancing towards them, causing an instantaneous reaction as Jungkook crushes Jimin to him so tightly that Jimin's heels lift off the ground, as Jungkook lets a growl rip up through his throat, baring his teeth.
"Jungkookie," Jimin whimpers, confused.
"Hold on," Namjoon throws a hand out to stop Yoongi from advancing any more on the youngest. "Yoongi-hyung, could you and Jin go over to the far corner for a bit?"
"He's presenting, isn't he?" Hoseok whispers, eyes fixed on Jungkook, who seems much more interested in rubbing himself over Jimin's chest and neck than paying attention to the others.
"Little shit can't go grabbing Jimin like that, then," Yoongi growls, making to move forward again, but this time Jin catches him before Namjoon needs to, hand on Yoongi's shoulder forcing him to halt.
"You go over there and he'll try and rip you to shreds and Jimin could get hurt," Jin narrows his eyes at Yoongi. "The best thing you can do right now is back off and shut up."
"Hoseok, Taetae," Namjoon says slowly, letting Jin pull Yoongi away slowly. "We need to get Jungkook away from Jimin."
"How?" Taehyung asks, eyes wide and voice shaking. "He's. He's going into rut, isn't he? It's because Jimin is an omega, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but hopefully we can use the fact that it hasn't hit him too hard yet to our advantage," Namjoon breathes deeply, forcing himself to stay calm. "I want you to go over there and offer to hug him instead of Jimin, Taehyung."
"Me?!" Taehyung's eyes go even wider.
"Yes. He's most used to you touching him, so his body should be happy to let you get close right now, which means while he's with you we can get Jimin out of here and Jungkook someplace safe."
"But he's going into rut," Taehyung breathes quickly. "I don't want to get trapped by him either!"
"Trust me, it'll be easier to get him off you than off Jimin," Namjoon reassures. "We'll be right behind you."
Taehyung makes a scared little noise, but then they hear Jimin giggle breathily as Jungkook undoubtedly starts kissing up his neck. Taehyung takes a deep breath, shakes himself out, and squeezes his eyes shut for a second.
"You got this, Tae," Hoseok encourages gently, patting him on the back.
"Okay. Okay," Taehyung nods. "It's just Jungkook. Just Kookie. Fuck. Okay."
And then Taehyung starts walking cautiously over. At first the pair in the corner don't seem to notice, but all of a sudden Jungkook must sense the approach, because his head snaps up, teeth bared.
"Just me, Kookie," Taehyung says, voice barely trembling as he raises his hands up. "It's just me. I wanted to give you a hug too, y'know? My best napping pillow?"
Jungkook's stance relaxes a little, grip on Jimin easing up, and the rest of the room relaxes a little as Taehyung keeps edging closer.
"There we go," Taehyung's smile doesn't falter, even when he's right next to Jungkook, and can smell the alpha starting to seep out of him now, and it's fucking weird, but it's still Jungkook. "You'll need to let go of Jimin to hug me, though, Kookie."
"Why you instead of him?" Jungkook cocks his head.
"Because," Taehyung's head has never worked so fast. He needs to appeal to Jungkook's most base instincts, what would make him automatically go to Taehyung over Jimin. "Because Jimin will think you like him if you keep hugging him like that."
He sees the gears ticking over in Jungkook's mind, the new alpha hormones demanding he keep hold of the warm omega, versus the carefully cultivated years of teasing, pretending he doesn't care for Jimin.
"Just to make him annoyed, go on," Taehyung pushes a little further, not sure exactly how far he can push Jungkook.
Luckily, Jimin's own neediness in response to the rut steps in to help.
"No, he likes me the best, don't you Kook?"
And that's when the click of a decision comes on and Jungkook unlatches himself from Jimin to wrap himself around Taehyung, the omega stumbling back a little from the sudden release.
"Hey, Jimin, c'mere for a sec," Hoseok calls quickly, using the time Jungkook is distracted by sniffing over Taehyung as productively as possible. Jimin looks caught, miserable at Jungkook's rejection, but traipses over to be safely wrapped in Hoseok's arms across the room. Taehyung can see Yoongi with his teeth gritted in the corner, obviously on the cusp of storming across the room, to check on Jimin or lash out at Jungkook, he's not sure. But Jin's hand is still firmly on his shoulder, the eldest watching Jungkook with a stony expression.
"You smell different, hyung," Jungkook mutters, nosing over Taehyung's collarbones. It's strange, it's so strange, but Taehyung knows it's Jungkook's new alpha senses, not Taehyung's own scent, that has changed. So he holds still and watches as Namjoon cautiously approaches.
"Jungkook," Namjoon calls gently, and Jungkook's head snaps up again, eyes narrowed. He drags Taehyung closer to him, and Taehyung goes with a little huff, used to being manhandled by Jungkook, even if not so possessively. "Jungkook, we need to get you home."
"Why?" Jungkook narrows his eyes at Namjoon. "Practice isn't over."
"Jungkook, we think you're presenting," Namjoon gestures at the way Jungkook is clutching Taehyung, at Jimin still carefully wrapped up by Hoseok, at Yoongi looking at him like he's ready to kill. "We think you're presenting as an alpha."
Jungkook freezes, and Taehyung watches his eyes track over the scene before coming back to Taehyung, releasing him suddenly and reeling back, colliding with the mirrored wall.
"Fuck!" he growls, gripping his head. "Fucking, no! No! Not like this!"
"Jungkook," Taehyung, who only a minute ago would probably rather not be in close proximity to the new alpha, now approached him again. "It's alright, Kookie. It's just us. It's going to be okay."
"No it's not fucking okay!"
"It is."
"No it's not!" Jungkook roars, advancing a couple of steps on Taehyung.
"Don't you fucking dare talk to him like that," Yoongi growls from the other end of the room, ignoring Jin's hold on him to advance on Jungkook a few steps.
"I'll talk how I god damn want," Jungkook hisses venomously, before his eye widen and he stumbles backwards again, head in his hands.
"Jungkook," Namjoon tries this time, taking a step forwards and reaching out.
"Don't fucking touch me!" Jungkook growls, smacking Namjoon's hand away hard enough for them to hear the contact, then immediately tripping over his feet to get backwards, backing himself into a corner, shaking his head and pulling on his hair.
"This is weird," Hoseok murmurs. "Is he supposed to be like this, Yoongi?"
"He's supposed to get a hold of himself," Yoongi snaps. "Not sit there like a snivelling child having a tantrum!"
"You're still the size of an actual fucking child. I could snap you in two if I wanted to," Jungkook advances on Yoongi, only held back by Namjoon and Taehyung lurching forwards to hold back a side each.
"I'd like to see you try," Yoongi snarls right back, shaking out of Jin's hold for long enough to make it level with Jimin and Hoseok before Jin catches him again, arms locking around his entire torso to hold him back.
"What's going on?" Jimin whimpers, cowering against Hoseok.
"I think this could be a challenge for pack alpha," Namjoon replies, eyes wide and going between the two snarling alphas. "Now that Jungkook's presented, he's a challenger."
"What? But why not just be alphas together?" Taehyung whines, holding tight to Jungkook's arm to stop him from launching himself at Yoongi.
"Because he's pathetic, I can beat him," Jungkook snarls before Namjoon can answer.
"You're just a fucking child, what would you know?" Yoongi jerks in Jin's hold.
"While omegas and betas can happily coexist without rank, there's typically at least one senior alpha," Namjoon explains quickly. "Like the default leader, at least historically. Most groups in modern society aren't as isolated amongst each other as we are, so there isn't such a great need for a pack alpha to emerge as the senior one. But it's not uncommon for things to lead to battles for dominance, especially when there's a new presentation."
"Let me go," Jungkook huffs, strugling to free himself until he succeeds in jerking away from Namjoon's hold, shoving him back hard enough for the beta to fall with a shout of surprise. He easily jerks free of Taehyung's scrabbling grip, barrels past Hoseok and Jimin before they can respond and swings his fist, punching Yoongi square across the jaw.
Yoongi uses Jin's moment of horror and surprise to elbow free, staggering sideways before he launches forwards and thumps Jungkook in the stomach with a sickening smack.
"Stop it, you two! Stop it!" Jin yells, grabbing at the limbs of both alphas.
"Jungkook!" Hoseok cries, letting go of Jimin to get between them, catching their youngest's next blow right in the shoulder, making him crash backwards into Yoongi with a cry of pain.
"Fuck!" Jungkook reels away, eyes wide and terrified. "Oh, shit! I - Hoseok!"
And before they can catch him properly again he struggles free, crashing into the door of the studio before yanking it open, launching himself through. Namjoon and Jin give chase, leaving the others to look after themselves as Jungkook careers through the hallways, knocking into employees and walls as he sprints down one hall, rounds the corner, bursts into the stairwell they normally ignore in favour of the lift, and climbs the stairs three at a time with his long legs.
"Jungkook!" Jin shouts, him and Namjoon panting to keep up, significantly less fit than their youngest, though thankfully unhindered by a first rut, and aided by their long legs. "Come back here right now, Jungkook!"
Jungkook gives no indication he'd heard the call, staggering round the sharp turn of the stairwell as he climbs but not stopping until the third floor, bursting into the hallways again and staggering down until the thick door of one of the practice vocal booths, crashing through it and slamming it behind him.
"Jungkook! Come out!" Namjoon tries to push against the door, but finds it blocked, probably by Jungkook's own body weight.
"Lock me in here," Jungkook shouts through, voice pitchy and uneven. "Lock me in here until it's over!"
"We can't just leave you!" Jin shouts, knowing they're making a scene, that people are staring, but fuck them. "You need help, Jungkook!"
"Leave me the fuck alone!" Jungkook yells from the other side, and then they hear a thud and a weak whimper, muffled by the wood.
"Let us in!" Namjoon tries the door again, but it won't budge. He really wishes Jungkook didn't work out like a champion athlete sometimes. "Jungkook, I know you're scared, but this isn't helping anything!"
"Fuck you! You don't know jack shit about what's going on right now!" Jungkook bites back.
"Please let us help," Namjoon implores, hands flat on the wood of the door. "Jungkookie, let us help you."
"Leave me alone! Lock me in here before I lose it again," Jungkook cries. "Help the others, not me!"
And no matter how much they try and persuade him, and beg, and command outside the door, Jungkook keeps them firmly shut out. Even when Namjoon thinks he can hear him crying, they can't manage to force their way in, until they know it's too late, that it's dangerous to move him now, and reluctantly source a key to lock the door, which is the only thing that seems to make Jungkook's distress die down a little.
After an hour Taehyung finds them, and Namjoon and Jin see that they've got a dozen missed calls that they didn't notice while they were trying to get Jungkook to let them into the vocal booth.
Taehyung takes a look at the door that Namjoon and Jin are sitting with their backs against, and down at their expressions, and sits down against the wall opposite them.
"Hoseok's okay. Just winded. Yoongi-hyung's got a killer bruise that'll get us in trouble, but he's calmed down a bit now. Swearing up and down the building about Jungkook being stupid, but I think he'll be okay," Taehyung hangs his head. "Jiminie is shaken. He says it's all his fault, that he must've triggered it, or at least made it worse."
"That's not true," Jin cuts in firmly.
"I told him that," Taehyung smiles wryly. "But you know how he is with self-flagellation. How's Jungkook?"
"Not good," Namjoon says quietly, hopefully low enough that Jungkook won't hear. "He's shut us out. Not sure he's coherent anymore. I don't think he took it well."
"No," Taehyung closes his eyes, lets his head drop back against the wall. "I don't think he did either."