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Seokjin doesn’t even know why he’s still here. Maybe he wanted to prove a point to Jungkook that he doesn’t need the other with him to have fun, but anyone who’s not currently drunk out of their minds can see how much Seokjin hates being here. At least his stormy expression is keeping the alphas away from him.
“Who left a beautiful omega like you here all alone?”
Seokjin slowly finishes taking a drink from his cup before side-glancing the man who walked over and leaned against the wall Seokjin was practically glued to all evening. He holds back a grimace as he sees that it’s an alpha and a drunk one too. (The omega in him lets out a pleading whine. He shoves it to the back of his mind and tells it to shut up.)
Seokjin turns his gaze back to the crowd of dancing bodies in front of him, eyes already plotting out an escape route in case things get ugly. “Not interested,” he replies as he tries to nonchalantly take another drink from his cup. As he lifts the cup up, it gets slapped out of his hand and Seokjin mentally curses himself for flinching.
The alpha gets right up in Seokjin’s face and Seokjin can smell the alcohol on his breath. It makes him want to gag. “You want to repeat that, omega? I think I heard wrong.”
Seokjin raises his chin to look down his nose at the alpha in front of him. “No. But then again I don’t think an arrogant alpha like you knows what that word means.”
The instant the alpha’s eyes change from brown to red Seokjin punches him in the jaw and sends him sprawling to the floor. Any thoughts Seokjin had of running flees from his brain. He’s been in a shitty mood all night and he’s finally found the perfect target to take it out on without feeling guilty later. As the alpha gets back up in a rage, Seokjin brings his fists up in front of him, prepared to defend himself. He ignores the feeling of the omega cowering at the back of his mind.
When the alpha lunges forward, Jungkook appears out of nowhere and pins the alpha to the wall by the throat. Seokjin feels his temper flare. Even after their argument earlier that evening, Jungkook still hasn’t learned that Seokjin doesn’t need an alpha to protect him. He’s been taking care of himself just fine since he presented all those years ago. (On the other hand, the stupid omega in him is making pathetic noises at having been saved by Jungkook. Seokjin tells it to shut the hell up.)
Seokjin turns to leave before Jungkook starts to threaten the alpha. He never should have let Jungkook convince him into going out. He could’ve spent the night at home, playing video games with Yoongi and occasionally letting the other win when Yoongi started to whine. When Jungkook lets out a cry of pain, Seokjin turns back so fast he almost gets whiplash.
Jungkook knocks the alpha out with a single solid punch but Seokjin can only focus on the trails of blood sliding down Jungkook’s forearm. When Seokjin places his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, he feels the other tense then relax after seeing who it is.
“Let’s go home, Jungkookie.”
On the short walk to Seokjin’s apartment, Seokjin shushes Jungkook every time Jungkook tries to speak to him. He doesn’t want to hear Jungkook’s excuses right now especially since it would only ruin the warmth between their connected hands. As selfish as it is, Seokjin wants to stay in this moment where he can almost pretend that everything is alright. He’s always hated fighting with Jungkook.
The apartment is dark when they finally enter it and Seokjin assumes Yoongi must either be asleep already or at the studio. Jungkook obediently follows him into the bathroom where the first aid kit is kept. As Seokjin gently cleans the cuts sunk into Jungkook’s forearm by the alpha’s claws, he tries to ignore Jungkook’s intense stare boring up into him from where Jungkook is seated on the closed toilet lid.
When Seokjin isn’t able to stand the tense atmosphere anymore, he finally meets Jungkook’s eyes and says, “What, Jungkook?”
Jungkook blinks a few times and he looks so innocent that Seokjin almost forgets what a brat he is until he opens his mouth. “Am I allowed to talk now? You’re not going to shush me again?”
Seokjin doesn’t pout as he crosses his arms and looks to the side. “Shush.”
But thinking of that moment and the moments that led up to it, Seokjin starts to feel his guilt creep in. He uncrosses his arms and goes back to sticking Mario-themed band-aids over Jungkook’s cuts. “I’m sorry. If only we didn’t argue, you wouldn’t have…” Seokjin lets out a sigh as he gently smooths his thumb over the band-aid with Princess Peach’s face. Jungkook places his hand over Seokjin’s, making him still.
“Hyung,” Jungkook softly calls. “You got hurt too.” He cradles Seokjin’s hand in both of his, making Seokjin finally notice the bruise on his own knuckles. Seokjin watches as Jungkook gently glides his thumbs over the bruise, as if Jungkook could somehow magically rub it away.
“I’m sorry, hyung,” Jungkook says, keeping his focus on their hands. “I know you don’t like it when alphas push themselves onto you. Hitting on you or protecting you, it’s all the same to you, but you have to understand where I’m coming from too.”
“I know, I know. The big strong alphas need to save the puny weak omegas. It’s instinct,” Seokjin tries to lightly joke.
Jungkook finally looks up and the seriousness in his eyes causes the joking smile to quickly slide off Seokjin’s face. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
Seokjin does know. He’s always known. How could he not when Jungkook used to always follow him around when they were kids, when he presented as an omega and Jungkook declared that he wanted to be an omega too, when Jungkook called him every week when Seokjin went to university, when Jungkook presented as an alpha and refused to sleep anywhere but Seokjin’s bed for a week…
Jungkook doesn’t need to say anything for Seokjin to know Jungkook is in love with him. Jungkook also knows that Seokjin is aware of his feelings. But just as Jungkook’s feelings are known but unspoken, Seokjin’s feelings are too. Jungkook knows that Seokjin will never fall for an alpha.
Seokjin is speechless as this is the first time either of them has acknowledged the unspoken words between them. As he scrambles for a change of subject, Jungkook then places a delicate kiss on his bruised knuckles and Seokjin’s brain decides to give up on him, leaving his mouth agape with nothing to say.
And of course this is the moment that the omega in him decides to make itself known again. A pleading whine leaves Seokjin’s lips but Seokjin wasn’t the one to make it. He’s not in full control of his body right now. It’s that stupid omega! Seokjin quickly shoves the whimpering omega back into the corner of his mind where it belongs but the damage is already done.
Jungkook is staring up at him, mouth slightly parted and eyes wide in awe. “Your eyes—”
Seokjin slaps a hand over his eyes even though he knows they’re not green anymore. “You know that was just the stupid knot-hungry omega! I would never—” Seokjin stops himself before he can finish the rest of that sentence.
“I know.” Jungkook sounds so sad that Seokjin peels his hand from his face. Jungkook smiles sadly up at him with tears beading at the corner of his eyes and Seokjin doesn’t know what to say. He’s never wanted to be the cause of that expression on Jungkook’s face.
Jungkook starts to laugh and play off his tears as happy tears. “I finally got to meet your omega! I was wondering if it was because your omega hated alphas or if he just hated me, but it looks like he was just shy! That’s so cute. Your omega is cute,” Jungkook rambles as he wipes at the tears sliding down his cheeks.
“Jungkookie…” Seokjin extends a hand out to try to comfort him but it freezes in the air. He can feel his heart breaking into pieces and he isn’t sure if it was for Jungkook or himself. “I didn’t mean—”
Jungkook suddenly stands up and Seokjin quickly takes a step back to avoid being headbutted. “Ah! I just remembered I have this thing tomorrow morning and I really need to get going! Thanks for hanging out with me hyung and patching me up and—and—see you soon!” Jungkook runs out of the bathroom and Seokjin soon hears the front door slam shut.
Seokjin stands in the bathroom for a few seconds before he feels the tears streaming down his cheeks. He finds himself walking towards Yoongi’s bedroom and he sees a dark lump on the bed when he peers into the room. Seokjin makes his way over and the tears are evident in his voice when he whines, “Yoongi…”
“…what?” Yoongi’s groggy voice asks and Seokjin takes that as permission to climb into his bed and cling to him like a koala.
“I broke Jungkookie’s heart and I think I broke mine too,” Seokjin tearfully mumbles into Yoongi’s chest.
Yoongi sighs as he pets Seokjin’s head. “You’re so stupid, hyung. We’ll sort this out in the morning. For now, just go to sleep.”
A while after Yoongi has fallen back to sleep and Seokjin’s tears have dried, Seokjin pulls out his phone to send a message to the others to make sure Jungkookie is alright. When he looks at his phone though, he sees that he’s gotten a few messages. Hoseok and Namjoon are wondering what happened and they were sure that he liked Jungkookie too; Jimin’s message makes him feel scolded by asking what was he thinking, how could he do this to Jungkookie; and Taehyung’s message asks if he’s alright before informing him that Jungkookie is with them. Seokjin is relieved that Jungkookie is with people who love him not like—
Seokjin doesn’t finish that thought. It hurts too much to. He feels the omega in him shifting around in the back of his mind, whining about being away from Jungkookie and he thinks that Jungkookie couldn’t have been more wrong. The omega in him doesn’t hate alphas and it certainly isn’t shy. It loves them. That’s why Seokjin has to be in control or else it’s going to do something that he’ll regret.
He’s actually surprised it’s taken this long for the omega in him and Jungkookie to actually meet. Seokjin then realizes that he hasn’t met Jungkookie’s alpha either. He thinks through the day’s events and he can’t seem to recall any instances where Jungkookie’s eyes turned red, not even when he fought that drunk alpha. Seokjin thinks that Jungkookie’s alpha would be just as handsome as he is. When his omega starts yipping in agreement, Seokjin finds that he’s just too tired to reprimand him.