Work Text:
Jeon Jeongguk is a soccer wunderkind and the university's golden boy, seemingly blessed with the enviable ability to get insanely drunk on a Tuesday night and still make it to Wednesday's 8:30 AM class. True to his alpha nature, his body was muscular and toned, a thick chest tapering into a narrow waist, sculpted arms and toned thighs. He was wildly popular and strikingly handsome, the sort of person that you needed to invite to your party for it to be even worth the trouble of warding drunk, hormonal students away from your room and scrubbing the vomit off your couch the next morning. This was precisely the reason why his phone kept chiming insistently, rudely interrupting the historic lantern scene from Tangled, much to Jimin's chagrin. After the sixth obnoxious ding!, Jimin makes use of being snuggled tight against Jeongguk to jab a finger at his side with a huff.
Jeongguk jolts, craning his neck to narrow his eyes at Jimin. "What was that for?"
Jimin glares back, going in for another sharp poke. "You're ruining the best part of the movie!"
Jeongguk grabs his arm, pressing the palm of his hand flat against his tummy. The flimsy white shirt he has on does nothing to diminish the heat radiating from his skin. Jimin resists the urge to burrow impossibly closer, remembering at the last second he was supposed to be angry at him. Jeongguk says, "You're acting like we haven't seen this a million times, hyung."
The venom in his tone is belied by the way he lets go of Jimin to reach for his phone on the nightstand to shut it off. The movement lifts the hem of his shirt slightly and Jimin, newly placated and ever an opportunist, clambers over Jeongguk and slips both of his hands under his shirt, smirking at the hiss Jeongguk makes when his palms make contact with bare skin. The omega is always running a little cold, so he makes good use of Jeongguk being a human furnace every chance he gets. He’s now lying completely vertical atop the alpha, arms wrapped around his torso like a koala to a tree, legs tangled together.
“Happy now?” Jeongguk snaps, but there’s no malice to his tone.
Jimin ignores both him and the movie, opting to scent the alpha instead. It was an embarrassing and uncontrollable habit that could've easily been misinterpreted by anyone else, but after months of sleeping together, Jeongguk knows and even welcomes Jimin getting clingy.
He stretches his neck a bit more, allowing the omega to nose at his scent gland, gradually replacing the smell of freshly-mown grass is with the scent of magnolias.
"I thought you wanted to watch the movie, Jimin."
"You're right, we have watched this a million times. I'd rather just cuddle."
"You're ridiculous." Jeongguk sighs, but he doesn't push Jimin off. In fact, Jimin thinks meanly, Jeongguk’s the real idiot here because for all his grumbling, he won’t do anything to push Jimin off. They’ll still end up sleeping like this, stiff necks and back aches be damned.
Jimin tells him just that. He feels more than hears Jeongguk's laugh in response, and he lets the sound bubble out Jeongguk’s chest. It settles over him like a blanket, and he drifts off to sleep with its warmth.
"Good night, Jiminie-hyung."
::
"Good morning, Jimin!" Hoseok hollers from across the campus, waving his hand in a comically wide arch. His roommate is loud in every sense of the word. The beta’s clothes look like they were in a tussle with a neon clothes dye and lost badly. Jimin walks over and tells him so. Hoseok only guffaws, clearly taking it as a compliment.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
Jimin shakes his head. "I'm not feeling particularly hungry."
Hoseok ignores him, swinging an arm on Jimin's shoulders and steering him towards the off-campus diner he practically lives in. "Nonsense! I bet you haven't eaten since you went and snuck out after the game with Jeongguk. Oh no-" Hoseok slaps a hand against Jimin's mouth to suffocate the excuses he was trying to splutter, "don't I have no idea what you're talking about, hyung me, Jiminie. If Jeon Jeongguk all sweaty and reeking of testosterone doesn't make you want to jump him, I'll start believing sex is a social construct invented by capitalists to sell porn." He sighs over-dramatically, like that spoiled heiress from the drama Taehyung likes so much. "Licking Jeongguk's abs does not a meal make, Jimin."
He removes his hand with a shit-eating grin, making a big show of wiping it on his electric blue bermuda shorts. Jimin makes an indignant noise, face screwed up in disgust. "First of all, your hand is so filthy it should be quarantined. I have seen you wash your hands, hyung. You don't follow the thirty-second rule at all. Second, what Jeongguk and I get up to, even if those activities do occur after a game and involves his stained jersey, are none of your business."
"No," Hoseok replies, amused. "But it's clearly his." He tilts his head towards the diner, and Jimin's line of sight snags on one Jeon Jeongguk, clad in a loose sweatshirt and oversized cargo jeans, long hair framing his head like a pair of floppy puppy ears.
Jimin pinches Hoseok's arm, channeling all of his anger on the small gesture before waving at the alpha. "Jeonggukie!"
Jeongguk waves back while the person standing next to him calls out, "Jiminie!"
It takes a couple of seconds for Jimin to realize that it's the alpha he'd been crushing on forever.
Kim Namjoon is as handsome as ever, broad-shouldered and tall, sculpted arms on full-display and glowing under the sun. His platinum blonde undercut is sleek and stylish, his pine and lavender scent sweet and lovely. Jimin met him at Jeongguk’s birthday party, the two alphas hitting off after sharing a music production class. Since then, Jimin’s smitten by the warm and assured aura he exudes. It doesn’t hurt that he’s totally hot either.
“Namjoon-hyung!"
"Haven't seen you in a while, Jiminie."
"Yeah," Jimin says, instantly wanting to kick himself for sounding like a high-schooler with a crush. Even if that statement is technically partly true. Hoseok is eyeing him suspiciously so he clears his throat and tries again. "Yeah, my schedule’s been crazy hectic lately. What are you doing here, hyung?"
"One of the professors in the philosophy department took a maternal leave so they'd invited me to be a guest lecturer for a couple of weeks." Namjoon says nonchalantly, like it isn't a big deal for a fresh graduate to be offered a class slot in a prestigious university. "So I guess you'll be seeing more of me around."
"Yeah." Jimin replies dumbly. Forget the kicking, he’ll stab himself with a fork for this idiotic display. Luckily, Hoseok snickering draws Namjoon's attention away. The alpha’s eyes slowly widened as he takes in Hoseok's firetruck-red vest, those cursed shorts, his canary-yellow bucket hat with the multitude of colorful safety pins adorning the side, and the crazy-patterned socks crawling up from his huge white platform sneakers.
Hoseok takes the once-over like a champ, winking at Namjoon when his eyes finally trail back to his face. A flush spreads over the alpha’s cheeks, which Hoseok promptly ignores to high-five Jeongguk. "Nice game, Jeonggukkie. Everyone went wild after your last goal."
The corners of Jungkook's eyes crinkle before the grin spreads across his face, and it's so endearing that Jimin momentarily forgets his heart painfully squeezing from being in close proximity with Namjoon.
"Thanks, hyung. But it wasn't my goal, it was-"
"A team effort, it just so happened the ball rolled my way and the path was clear, I had nothing to do with it." Jimin recites teasingly. “Stop being so modest, Jeonggukie. You’re making the rest of us look bad.”
“That’s all you, hyung.” Jeongguk replies sweetly, effectively coaxing a scowl on Jimin’s face.
“Hey, Jimin looks great!” Namjoon interjects, eager to pacify the potential spat between his two dongsaengs. “Pink really suits you, Jiminie. Any color does, for that matter.”
Jimin preens under the alpha’s attention, cheeks turning a rosy red. “Thank you, hyung.”
Jeongguk scoffs, reaching over to muss up Jimin’s hair. The omega’s too slow to dodge, and his perfectly messy hair becomes messy messy much to his chagrin. “He looks like Tinkerbell.”
“Tinkerbell’s cute.” Hoseok offers. “She’s a bit of a thot, isn’t she?”
Namjoon sends him a withering gaze. “I really didn’t need to hear that take.”
“They’re both tiny, so.” Jeongguk snipes. Jimin huffs and reaches over to twist his nipple and Jeongguk yelps, scandalized. “Dirty hyung!”
“You’re such a brat!”
Hoseok huffs, wrapping a hand around Jimin’s bicep. “Breakfast deprivation really makes you do weird things, folks. Let’s get going, Jiminie.”
“Do you wanna grab a bite with us, Joon-hyung?” Jimin asks.
“Uh,” Namjoon spares Jeongguk a glance. The other alpha’s arms are crossed, presumably to warn off future nipple-twisting incidents. “I promised Jeonggukie I'd treat him to breakfast today. Maybe next time, Jiminie."
It's petty but Jimin can't help the sharp stab of rejection his omega feels. "Oh, okay. It's fine, hyung."
"Actually," Jeongguk cuts in, eyes trained on the way Jimin's face falls. "I'll take a raincheck, hyung."
"What, so suddenly?"
"Yeah, I uh-" Jeongguk stutters for a split second as Jimin raises his eyebrow, perplexed. "I need to take a shit."
Hoseok bursts out laughing. "Charming, Jeonggukie."
"I need to shit, hyung." Jeongguk repeats, looking pointedly at Jimin even as he's talking to Namjoon. "So you can go eat with them if you'd like."
Jimin doesn't miss a beat, shaking free of Hoseok's grip to latch on to Namjoon's forearm. "Come on, hyung. I'm starving."
Namjoon shoots a suspicious look at Jeongguk, who only blinks innocently at him in response. "You should go. Jimin-hyung bites heads off when he's hungry."
"I'm not sure it's his head you should be worrying about, Jeonggukie." Jimin says, unable to help himself. Jeongguk's just so fun to annoy, especially when his eyes bug out like he can't believe Jimin's nerve. He's opening his mouth to retort but Hoseok's loud sigh beats him to it.
"Jesus, can we please just let Jeonggukie shit in peace?"
"Thanks hyung." Jeongguk replies dryly, but he sidesteps anyway to let the three pass. "See you around, Joon-hyung."
"I'll text you the next time I'm in campus, Gukkie." Namjoon promises, waving goodbye.
"Sure." Jeongguk says. Jimin unashamedly sticks his tongue out at him, prompting Jeongguk to do the same in retaliation.
Hoseok ushers them forward with an eye-roll, muttering something about thick-headed pups in day-cares.
::
from: tiny hyung
u didn't need to shit did u
wow
u should switch majors hyung
[change contact name to: tinkerbell hyung]
from: tinkerbell hyung
what
ur so perceptive
u should be a detective
use that big brain of urs
from: tinkerbell hyung
fuck U
I was gonna say thanks
but ur being AWFUL so
no
JK !!!!!!
ur so touchy
why are u texting
u should be cozying up with joon-hyung
from: tinkerbell hyung
god
am I THAT obvious
not rlly
I'm just
very attuned to ur scent ig
I can smell the um
attraction
from: tinkerbell hyung
CREEP
that's rich coming from U
I know u stole my jersey last night
also STOP TEXTING
from: tinkerbell hyung
STOP SHOUTING
but ok
I owe u one
pls suck my dick
from: tinkerbell hyung
ok
UR THE BEST HYUNGIE
::
"Stop overthinking."
Jimin looks up from where he's sprawled like a starfish on the floor, legs burning after a stellar blowjob. Jeongguk's cleaning himself up, trading his sweatpants for a pair of boxers. Dimly, Jimin registers it's the ones with the chibi Iron Man stamped all over that he's gotten Jeongguk as a joke on his birthday.
"I'm not."
"Are you still hung up on Namjoon-hyung?"
"Is the sky still blue?"
Jeongguk holds back a smile. "It's nine in the evening so, no."
Jimin ignores him, opting to flail his arms and legs around petulantly. "Why doesn't hyung like me, Gukkie?"
"Give it up, Jimin-ah." Jeongguk says. Normally Jimin would give him hell for dropping formalities, but they’re alone and the satoori sounds like home. "The world's most fertile omega could bat their eyes at Namjoon-hyung and he'd still think they're just being nice. He's smart, but he's as receptive as cardboard."
The room sours with the smell of wilting magnolia. "You're not helping!"
"I'm your fuck buddy hyung, not your therapist."
"Stop being cheeky." Jimin grumbles. Jeongguk picks him up like he weighs nothing and dumps him on his bed. His sheets are soft and freshly laundered, the familiar scent of a meadow calming the agitated omega. Surprisingly, Jeongguk's apartment had begun to feel like home.
"What do you wanna watch?" Jeongguk asks, opening Netflix on his laptop. An ad for To All The Boys 2 floods the screen, much to Jeongguk's dismay. "I can't believe people wanted a sequel for this shit."
"What?" Jimin raises his head from where he'd been previously nuzzling into Jeongguk's pillow. "Hey, To All the Boys was pretty good."
"Yeah, if you're a twelve year-old." Jeongguk counters, already scrolling down. "It's so unrealistic."
Jimin sits up suddenly, a metaphorical lightbulb going off his head. "Oh my God, that's it!"
"What?"
Jimin grabs the remote, going back up to Noah Centineo's smiling face. "I know how to get hyung to like me! I'm gonna To All The Boys my way to a mate!"
"That's literally the worst thing to come out of your mouth. And I heard you say you wanted to lick my armpits when you were drunk.”
”You were crying because of this mouth minutes ago, you ungrateful brat." Jimin snaps with a poke to Jeongguk's chest. He tries to disregard how firm the muscle feels underneath his shoulder. "This trope is cliché for a reason. The reason being that it wouldn't be as popular if it isn't true at least ninety percent of the time."
"Says who? And even if it were true, I'm pretty sure you'd be in the ten percent." Jeongguk grabs Jimin by the shoulders and gives him his best puppy-dog eyes. "Please don't say you'll fake date me to make Namjoon-hyung jealous. I've got better things to do than watch this bite you in the ass."
Jimin bursts out laughing, reaching up to cup Jeongguk's face and squish his cheeks. "You're so cute, Guk-ah. But I'm won't fake date you, I'll fake date Namjoon-hyung."
"What." Jeongguk says, lips puffed up from his bunched cheeks.
"I'll fake date Namjoon-hyung," Jimin repeats slowly. "To fake-make you jealous."
Jeongguk breaks free from Jimin's grip looking incredulous. "I just told you that I don't wanna be part of your dumb scheme!"
"You won’t have to do anything!" Jimin whines, aiming a kick at Jeongguk's thigh. "You'll be the elusive crush! The unreachable alpha! You’ll just sit pretty and not return my advances. My fake heartbreak will get my fake-boyfriend to comfort me. It’s simple math!"
"No math talk please, I bombed my last statistics exam." Jeongguk groans, throwing back. "Why does it have to be me though?"
"Why not you?" Jimin’s speaking in pout now. "It’s the perfect set-up. Hyung knows we’ve been sleeping for a while now, right? I’ll tell him that the only way we can progress to a real relationship is if someone threatens to take me away from you. He knows you’re possessive, so he knows it could work.”
“Yes but you don’t like me that way, hyung. And I don’t like you like that either.” Jeongguk states this like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
There’s a tinge of displeasure from his omega, but Jimin ignores it. “It doesn’t have to be real, Guk-ah. It just needs to look like it.”
“There’s really no one else?”
“No. Obviously, it can't be Taehyungie because he has a girlfriend or Jin-hyung because he’s still in Japan."
“Hobi-hyung?”
"Absolutely not." Jimin shuts him down immediately, utterly grossed-out. "He's like my brother."
"Hyung doesn't know that!"
"I can't pretend to like Hobi-hyung. I'll sell out in a minute, tops."
Jeongguk snaps his fingers, an epiphany scrawled all over his face. "What about Yoongi-ssi? He's an alpha, isn't he?"
Jimin’s face screws up, like just had a bite of an extremely tart lemon pie. He does not want to fake-date Hoseok’s best friend, thank you very much. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because!"
"You're not making a lot of sense right now, Jimin-ah."
"We dated, okay!”
"Wait, what?" Jeongguk’s hand flies to Jimin’s shoulder, as if needing a solid surface to ground himself and let the thought sink in. "You and Yoongi-hyung were a thing? As in, Min Yoongi? When?”
Jimin wraps a hand around Jeongguk's wrist and pulls it gently aside. He intertwines their hands instinctively, voice soft as he says, "Freshman year and just hit off."
For some reason, Jeongguk looks dejected. He smells sad too, the fresh grass scent turning to bitter earth. Alarmed by the sudden shift, Jimin wordlessly leans forward to start scenting Jeongguk him. "Why are you so hung up about this? Do you secretly have a crush on Yoongi-hyung?"
"Of course not." Jeongguk huffs. He leans back against his pillows and rearranges Jimin on top of him until they were comfortable. "I’m just... it feels weird to be left out in the dark I guess.”
"Not your therapist, remember?” Jimin teases. Jeongguk makes a sound of displeasure, jostling Jimin and pinning him to his chest. The omega’s mouth is pressed against the juncture of his neck, soft lips pressed against flushed skin.
"Hyung, you know that was a joke right? You're my best friend. Even if we were built through a sexually-charged way. I like knowing these things about you."
Jimin taps his chest until Jeongguk lets him go. He rests his forearms on Jeongguk’s pectorals and bops his nose. Fondness lines Jimin’s grin. “You're such a pup, Guk-ah.”
"I'm not a pup." Jeongguk growls, pinching Jimin's hipbone sharply. The omega bites his collarbone in retaliation. Jeongguk grunts but the frown doesn’t leave his face.
"We dated for half a year.” Jimin offers with a sigh. “It was great for a while but then it fizzled out. Hyung and I just wanted different things. Our ideas of loves are in separate venn diagrams, with Hobi-hyung being the only overlap. I know hyung loved me, at least at the start, but eventually I had to live with the fact that I’m only second to recording demos and music sheets.”
"Hyung,” Jeongguk says softly, hands solid and steady on Jimin’s hips. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“The fall-out wasn’t terrible, I promise. I just really wanted to fall in love, you know?
Jeongguk stays quiet, patiently waiting for him to continue. Jimin swallows, suddenly feeling shy from his earnest gaze. He focuses on the mole underneath Jeongguk’s lower lip, hand lazily tracing a finger underneath his collarbone. “I wanted to belong with someone. I want to spend each day knowing that he is mine and I am his. I want to be someone’s priority. I want to be loved.”
Everything’s silent for a moment. Jimin’s ears are warm with the confession. Beneath his hands, he could feel Jeongguk’s hummingbird heartbeat. Then-
"I'll help you."
Jimin looks up, confused. “Jeonggukkie?”
"I'll be your fake-unattainable crush, or whatever it’s called.“ Jeongguk’s gaze is openly sincere, and it tugs the cobwebbed heartstrings in the depths of Jimin’s heart.
"Really? You better not be playing with me Jeon Jeongguk!”
Jeongguk laughs, squeezing his waist. "I’m not, I promise.”
Jimin for regards him for a moment, looking a little teary-eyed. Then he nods resolutely to himself, wiping the tears away with a steely resolve. "That's it. I'm gonna ride you till you cry again."
"Jimin-"
"Stop talking."
::
Jeon Jeongguk spent the first semester of college trailing around Kim Taehyung like a puppy.
They were seatmates in an introductory statistics class and bonded over their mutual disgust for interacting with numbers outside a video game. They were both from the art department as well- Taehyung in fine arts and Jeongguk in film. Taehyung then introduced him to his soulmate Park Jimin.
By a weird twist of fate (and six shots of vodka), Jeongguk ended up sleeping with Jimin at a party. Now that Jeongguk thought about it, he hadn't expected to start sleeping with Park Jimin the same way dinosaurs didn't expect to be wiped out by an asteroid. The impact, for all Jeongguk cared, was just about the same. The first encounter all but wiped any desire for other omegas for Jeongguk's alpha. He hadn't knotted him that time; instead, Jimin rode him until his legs felt boneless. He woke up with such a pleasant, warm ache in his body that he wondered if he blacked out and forgot he was the bottom.
By the time he came to, his neck littered with bruises and he had an armful of sleepy omega who smelled like a premium bouquet of magnolias.
He hadn't realized he had lulled himself back to sleep inhaling Jimin's scent, but the next time he woke up was because Jimin was squirming in his hold.
"Please let me out." Jimin said, coming out muffled since his mouth was smushed against Jeongguk's shoulder.
"Oh, sorry." Jeongguk loosened his hold, letting Jimin slip through. He watched, half-asleep, as Jimin hopped up and let out a groan, one hand coming to palm his lower back. Jimin was even more beautiful in sunlight, slim and toned, a tiny waist and thick thighs, and the most shapely ass Jeongguk has seen in the campus. He could feel his dick twitch at the sight, and he hastily tugs the covers Jimin had shucked over his legs.
The small action doesn't escape the omega. "Oh my God, are you getting hard again?"
"Do you fuck the same person twice?" Was definitely not what Jeongguk was going to blurt out, but he wasn't just about ready to let Jimin go, not after seeing the bruise he'd left on his hipbone.
"Just twice?" Jimin teased, bending down to pick up his boxers. Jeongguk is half-convinced he dragged it with his foot so his ass would face Jeongguk when he bent down. "Sorry, Jeonggukie. This was a one-time deal."
"One-time? I made you cum twice!" Jeongguk cried, throwing his arms up in the air. "That's not fair, don't you think?"
"What are you saying, Gukkie? Want hyung to give you a blowjob so we'd be even?"
"No. I want hyung to be my fuck buddy."
Jimin laughed openly, eyes curving into slits. One of his hands flies up to cover his mouth as he curls into himself from the force of his laughter. "Jeongguk, you're my dongsaeng."
"So?" Jeongguk puffed his chest out, trying to look older. "I still made you cry from rimming, so."
Jimin paused, pondering on this thought. "Well. That is true."
Jeongguk let out a pleased grin, giddy at the prospect of another great lay. "And senior year's gonna be stressful isn't it? Wouldn't it be great if you can get off with an alpha whenever you need to let off steam?"
"Jeon Jeongguk." Jimin said, aiming for stern and failing, betrayed by the lingering smile on his face. "You're driving a hard bargain."
"I'll let you cuddle me whenever, hyung." Jeongguk continued, on a roll. "Get clingy all you like without an alpha thinking it's like, the prerequisite to mating or whatever." Jeongguk wrapped an arm around Jimin's wrist, who'd gotten closer while he was talking. He pulled the omega to his lap, biting back a groan at the feel of a plush ass coming in contact with his cock. "What do you say?"
"You're a sweet talker, Jeongguk-ssi." Jimin ducked so he could plant a kiss on his neck. "But I can think of other ways to put that pretty mouth to use."
::
from: tinkerbell hyung
HE SAID YES
NAMJOONS MY FAKE BOYRFIREND NWO
I'M SO SOJOIDWONDQD
did u just keyboard smash?
from: tinkerbell hyung
ur rubbing off on me
IS THAT ALL U HAVE TO SAY
cool
what now
from: tinkerbell hyung
lunch thurs w/ taehyungie
his favorite bbq place
u know the one??
does taehyung know?
from: tinkerbell hyung
no
why would I tell him
uh? he's ur soulmate
from: tinkerbell hyung
NO
NO ONE CAN KNOW GUK
the less ppl know the longer we can pretend
isn't that the first rule of that film u like so much
not even close
I KNEW U SLEPT THROUGH FIGHT CLUB
THAT WAS A CLASSIC
UNCULTURED HYUNG
from: tinkerbell hyung
stop SHOUTING
see u at lunch
only if it's ur treat
from: tinkerbell hyung
YOU LITTLE SHIT
::
Jimin fidgets, trying not to drum his fingers on the bench he's sharing with Namjoon, sat across Jeongguk and Taehyung. They're grilling pork belly, the satisfying sizzle of the fat on the grill and sweet smell of barbecued meat doing nothing to mellow Jimin's nerves. Taehyung just arrived, bringing with him the crisp autumn air and the smell of chocolate that hinted he'd been hanging out with Seulgi before coming to the hole-in-the-wall samgyeupsal place he swears by.
"Hyung!" Taehyung cries happily, loosening the plaid scarf he'd wore over a black sweater. "I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Hey, Taehyung-ah." Namjoon says warmly, like the sun bestowing its rays on an awaiting sunflower. "Senior year treating you well?"
Taehyung snorts. “I wish. Whoever says senior year was going to be a breeze is a piece of shit. My professor decided to enter me in an exhibit at the last minute, and while I’m flattered to be chosen, he did so just three days before the deadline. My arms have buried in clay like, eight hours a day trying to finish.”
“And have you?”
“Yup. Ten sculptures, all bound up and sitting pretty at the Seoul Museum of Arts.”
"That's amazing, Taehyung-ah! When does it open?”
“Saturday night!” Jimin answers for him, anxiety temporarily forgotten as he shoots Taehyung a wink. “Best believe I’ll be there with the cheapest bottle of champagne I can find.”
“That's my trophy wife!” Taehyung slaps a hand against his chest, sighing dramatically. Jimin giggles, reaching over to poke his cheek. Taehyung swats his arm away, before placing his elbows on the table, arms interlaced. “Anyway, enough about me. How about you, hyung? What brings you here?”
Jeongguk sends Jimin a pointed stare as Namjoon launches into his story. The weight of what they're about to do settles in like a punch to the gut. It's been one agonizing week since he'd drawn up this silly plan with the silly alpha sitting across him now, and three agonizing days since Namjoon had said yes. A part of Jimin is stewing in guilt from playing off his hyung's kindness and blind trust, but that measly part is drowned out by the part of him that just wants to be loved. To belong. It's a shot in the dark but the worst that could happen is that Jimin admits defeat by using Jeongguk rejecting him as his way out. It's a risk worth taking.
Jeongguk quirks a corner of his lips. It's a ghost of a smile, but it's enough to give Jimin courage. Now or never.
"We're dating!" He blurts out, cutting Namjoon off. Several heads swerve their way, but he holds Taehyung's stare, the beta's mouth hanging open in surprise. Jimin takes Namjoon's hand, almost knocking a glass of water in the process, and laces their fingers together. "I mean- um. That's not why hyung is here- but, um. Yeah, we're uh-"
"Jiminie," Namjoon says, thick with affection, slipping into his role like a second skin. "You didn't have to drop it on Taehyung-ah like that." Then he turns back to Taehyung, whose mouth is still a literal 'o'. "Like I said, the course is Oriental Philosophy and I've been trying to integrate hip-hop as a medium-"
"What!" Taehyung shouts, gathering his bearings. The lettuce roll on his hand is getting crushed to a pulp. "You're dating?" He asks Jimin, voice dripping with disbelief. "Namjoon-hyung?"
"You've been very busy!" Jimin says in lieu of an answer. He can feel his face heating up, both from the smoke and the effort of not buckling under Taehyung's very intense stare. "And it literally just happened!"
"How literally?"
"Yesterday literally!"
"That's like, more than eight hours to text me! I can't believe this. Last week you texted me because your pee was neon yellow."
"It's just been a whirlwind since then, Taetae. I didn't expect hyung to ask me out."
Taehyung narrows his eyes, gaze swerving to Namjoon. "Hyung? You liked Jiminie all this time?"
"Well, no, but I think it’s a long time coming." Namjoon lifts Jimin’s hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. Jimin holds his breath instinctively, fire licking up his chest at such a tender gesture. “He means a lot to me.”
Jimin is frozen in place. His heart feels like it is about to leap out of his chest, but he isn’t entirely sure if it is excitement or guilt. Namjoon spoke with so much feeling, his scent turning sweeter as he professed his love for him. As ridiculous as the plan had been in the beginning, maybe it is actually possible that Namjoon could learn to love him.
The realization hits Jimin like a ton of bricks. His stomach turns with an unidentifiable emotion, a vengeful sea.
Jeongguk makes a noise of disgust, startling him from his reverie. Jimin glances at him, alarmed by the unreadable expression in Jeongguk’s eyes. Normally, the alpha wesrs his heart on his sleeve; now he looks wary and guarded. “I hope you’re not gonna be this gross from now on. I’m not a big fan of eating my meals with a side-helping of sap all the time.”
Taehyung turns to stare at Jeongguk, as if having forgotten he was there in the first place. “How are you so cool with this? Aren’t you and Jimin-“ he cuts himself off, waving his hand vaguely.
“Kim Taehyung!” Jimin gasps. Namjoon’s hold on his hand tightens. Jeongguk merely shrugs, looking down to busy himself with the grill.
“We stopped a while ago. It was just sex anyway, wasn’t it hyung?”
And Jimin can’t help it, the way his stomach swoops at Jeongguk’s callousness. Logically, he knows that Jeongguk’s indifference is making his cause appear real, but the animalistic part of Jimin, his omega, can’t help but feel dejected and shameful. The alpha doesn’t enjoyed Jimin’s company enough to keep him. He just used him like a toy, and he wasn’t even afraid to tell everyone that it meant nothing-
“Jimin?” Taehyung asks, tone laced with concern. “Are you alright?”
“Y-yes.” Jimin blinked rapidly, subconsciously easing his hand out of Namjoon’s grip. He takes a breath, grounding himself on the smell of their scents, the sweetness of barbecue smoke, and… pheromones. Freshly-mown grass.
“Don’t worry, hyung.” Jeongguk says, talking to Namjoon but keeping his eyes on Jimin. “You’ve nothing to worry about.”
For everyone’s sake, Jimin hopes he’s right.
::
The rest of Thursday's lunch was glaringly awkward until Taehyung was able to wrap his head around the idea that Namjoon and Jimin were now dating, and proceeded to treat it like an elephant in the room, bringing up harmless topics like Jeongguk's next match, his art exhibit, his girlfriend, and whether or not he should dye his hair green (there was a resounding no from the group).
Several days had passed since then. It was now Wednesday, and Jimin was waiting in Jeongguk's room for the alpha to come home after his match. They don't really have a rigid schedule for meeting up, mostly subject to their whims, but it was an unspoken rule that they slept together whenever Jeongguk had a game, while the alpha still doped up on adrenaline and had a ton of energy to expend. Jimin was all too eager to comply, because while Jeongguk was never a bad lay, post-match Jeongguk was undeniably the best Jimin had slept with so far.
Jimin had been lying on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through his phone when Jeongguk came in, his scent heavy with perspiration and flooding the small space. Jimin grins, heat already stirring in his gut in anticipation. “Hey.”
Jeongguk pauses in the middle of kicking his shoes off, a deer caught in headlights. “Jimin?”
“I heard you won. Congrats, Gukkie. Through to quarters, right?’
Jeongguk nods, padding over to the kitchen and dropping his bag along the way. “I didn’t know you kept up with my games, hyung.”
“I don’t. But I saw a tweet about it, so.” Jimin rests his chin on the back of the couched, blinking up at Jeongguk who had come closer with a glass of water on one hand. “Did you score any goals?”
“Yeah.” Jeongguk replies, but he doesn’t elaborate. Instead he looks at Jimin carefully, lips pursued. Jimin’s about to ask him why, but Jeongguk beats him to it. “What are you doing here, hyung?”
Jimin bites his lip, confusion washing over him like an ice-cold shower. Jeongguk never asks him that; there is only one reason why Jimin ever came to his apartment and he doesn’t know why Jeongguk would think that it’s about to change now. “You know why.”
“I’m- I can’t.”
“Can’t?” Jimin repeats, unable to help himself from sounding incredulous. “What do you mean, you can’t?”
“It’s- I’m just tired, alright?”
“You’re never tired after a game, much less a win.” Jimin stands up and walks over, eyebrows knitted in concern. “Are you sick, Guk?”
“I’m fine.” Jeongguk sighs, batting away the hand that Jimin was about to place on his forehead.
“No you’re not.” Jimin insists, omega agitated by the dimness in Jeongguk’s eyes. “You look terrible, Gukkie, let me feel your temperature-“
“I said I’m fine!” Jeongguk snaps, making Jimin flinch. Jeongguk had never raised his voice at Jimin, ever. Something sharp lances his chest, the physical ache of rejection that was becoming all too familiar for the omega. There’s anger too, bubbling under the surface. Jimin clenches his fist and readies himself for a fight.
“Why are you acting like a child?”
Jeongguk rubs a hand tiredly over his face. Jimin hadn’t noticed, but the circles under his eyes had gotten darker. He looks like he hasn’t slept well in days. “What are you talking about?”
“You obviously have a problem with me. You haven’t been replying to my texts, you bailed on Taehyung’s art exhibit because you knew I was going to be there, and now you’re snapping at me for caring about you? Why can’t you just tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong!” Jeongguk cries, exasperated. He pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out an exhale. “Jimin. Hyung, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore your texts. I really have been busy. Coach is being extra tough now that we’re in the off-season, and practice is eating up every second of my free time. That’s why I wasn’t able to go to Taehyung’s exhibit either, why I can’t sleep with you. I’m sorry if I made you feel like this, hyung.”
Jimin deflates, the fight going out of him in an instant. “You should have just told me.”
“I know.”
They lapse into an uncomfortable silence. Jeongguk is clasping his hands in front of him, his feet turned inward, looking small despite his bulk. His shoulders are drooped, remorse evident on his face. Jimin sighs, stepping forward and placing his hands on his shoulders. Very gently, he leans forward to nudge his nose on Jeongguk’s scent gland and begins to scent the alpha. Jimin loses track of time, focused on just erasing the sadness away from Jeongguk’s scent. He goes up his neck and across his jaw, whining when despite his best efforts, Jeongguk’s bad mood continues to weigh down on him like a thick blanket.
After a while, Jeongguk grips Jimin’s forearms and pushes him away. “It’s okay, hyung.”
“Jeonggukie, please. You don’t smell right,” Jimin pleads, belatedly realizing he meant that it’s wrong that Jeongguk doesn’t smell like him. “Please just let me-“
“Hyung.” Jeongguk’s voice is firm, but not unkind. There’s no room for discussion anymore. “I need to rest. I’ll… I’ll text you tomorrow, okay?”
Jimin nods, the scent of wilting marigold mixing in with the damp smell of trodden grass. "Okay. Good night, Guk-ah."
"Be safe." Jeongguk says, before heading for his bathroom, the door closing with a decisive shut. It's not until Jimin's on the way back home that he realizes he misses Jeongguk saying his name, the playful Jimin-ah falling from his lips.
::
Jeongguk prods his food sadly, the steaming hot pork and shrimp dumplings unable to lift his spirits right now. Taehyung stares at him in disdain as he wolfs down another spoonful of fried rice. "Stop moping! It's making my food taste bad."
"I'm not moping."
Taehyung rolls his eyes, picking a piece of radish cake and pointing it at Jeongguk's face. "Does this have something to do with the picture Jiminie posted last night?"
"What picture." Jeongguk replies flatly, even though he knows exactly the ones he's referring to. Jimin and Namjoon on a bike date, dressed in matching parkas and heads tilting towards each other's, the Han River glowing in the sunset. Traveling with my destination, the caption read. Jeongguk stared at it for what felt like hours, an acute sense of loneliness slowly churning in the pit of his stomach.
"Guk. Do you..." Taehyung trails off when Jeongguk looks him in the eyes, confused to see that the beta was regarding him with pity. "You like Jimin, don't you?"
Jeongguk scoffed, spearing his dumpling with his chopsticks by accident. "Of course not! You know he's dating Namjoon-hyung."
"Why does that matter? Not that I'm telling you to be a home wrecker, or something. But," Taehyung paused, voice turning delicate. "You're not really answering my question, Gukkie."
"He's my closest friend, hyung. Of course I like him, but not like that. What I said before is true. We just have sex. That's all."
"Jeongguk," Taehyung puts down his chopsticks, torn between exasperation and sympathy. "You're happy with Jimin. I can't smell you, but I don't need to. Your face lights up like a child's on Christmas Eve, like you've just been given the one gift you've been asking for all year. You scent each other a lot, have you noticed that? Subtly, when you think I'm not looking, but I can see it. The way you gravitate towards each other, like you always want each other close. Guk-ah, look at me."
Jeongguk looks him directly in the eyes. Taehyung’s gaze is steadfast and kind. “Do you like him?”
Jeongguk lets the words mull over his head. Does he like Jimin? Of course he does, in a platonic sense. Jimin is fun to be with, naturally funny and innately charming. He had a light inside him that drew people in like moths to a flame, entranced by his smile, his laugh, his eyes. Jeongguk admires his work ethic, the way he is never satisfied with himself, how he constantly pushes past every limit he set. Jeongguk relates with that immensely, with that drive for perfection, and they found common ground in trying to pull each other out of their slumps of insecurity and self-loathing. Jimin is great in bed in a physical sense, but also in a mental sense, in how he always encourages Jeongguk to be open and honest about what he likes or doesn't like, or what he's comfortable with and would rather go without. He knows a lot about Jeongguk, perhaps more than any other person in his life right now, and it came without much fanfare and without either of them noticing.
Jeongguk misses him, and the realization shoots through his heart like bolt of lightning.
It must be written all over his face because Taehyung says, "I'm not here to tell you what to feel. I love Jimin but you're my friend too. I don't like seeing you sad, even more when you won't even acknowledge it yourself. You've been down ever since he told us he's dating Namjoon-hyung and you've been avoiding both of them since then, too. If you feel deeply affected by this, don't you think it's time to reconsider what Jimin means to you?"
"Hyung-"
Taehyung raises a hand, cutting Jeongguk off. "You don't have to decide right now. You don't even have to tell me when you finally know what Jimin means to you. Just... give it some thought, alright?"
Jeongguk nods mutely, not trusting himself to speak. He lets Taehyung steer the conversation away to more harmless topics, but Taehyung's question weighs heavily on his mind long after they've parted ways.
It even gets to him in practice, unfortunately resulting in an earful from his coach and captain. The same question plays on a loop as he goes about his day, a fallback thought when he's zoning out in class, or waiting in line for food, or riding on a train to downtown to buy a new pair of socks. He's steadily avoiding Jimin and Namjoon as well, going back on his promise to answer the omega's texts. Jimin seemed to get the message crystal clear. The omega hasn't dropped by Jeongguk's apartment since their fight, nor had he tried texting after Jeongguk left him on read for two days. Instead, he'd resorted to flooding Jeongguk's Instagram timeline with pictures of Namjoon, a sickly-sweet caption underneath each one. Jeongguk felt extremely guilty knowing that he told Jimin he would help him get his alpha, but everything's been so confusing lately. He'd been consumed by his thoughts, wondering when Jimin went from someone he sleeps with to someone who he-
Jeongguk shakes his head. Some roads are better not taken.
It's been a week since he and Taehyung spoke, and a murky confusion still plagues Jeongguk's mind. He's on his way home from practice with Mingyu, his teammate, who's currently talking his ear off about the new pair of shoes he's planning to buy.
"- plus you can get them to make you a custom sole to properly fit your arch for free! But my idiot roommate- you remember Seokmin, right- broke our sink so now we've gotta pay for the repairs- hey Jimin-hyung!"
Jeongguk whips his head, laser-quick. Mingyu's waving to two figures standing near the curb, Namjoon's platinum blonde hair standing out like a beacon. Jimin waves weakly back, catching Jeongguk's eyes before darting away.
"Hi, Mingyu! Jeongguk," Jimin says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. Still, the smell of marigolds soothe him somehow, and he manages to smile back. "Mingyu this is my boyfriend, Namjoon. Hyu- Joonie, this is Jeongguk's teammate, Mingyu."
Mingyu's eyebrows shoot up, surprise written plain on his face. "Oh um, cool. Nice to meet you, Namjoon-ssi."
"You too, Mingyu-ssi. Practice went well, Gukkie?"
Jeongguk nods, guilt clawing its way up his throat, making it harder to speak. "Yeah, we're uh- really swamped. Quarters are this weekend, so."
"You'll do well. Both of you." Namjoon says assuredly, smiling widely at the both of them. Mingyu's still ogling him like an exotic animal at a zoo.
"We better get going. We have reservations at eight." Jimin says. Doubt flickers on his face, undetectable if Jeongguk hadn't been staring at him this whole time. He looks from Mingyu to Jeongguk, and whatever hesitation he has morphs into determination. "Let's go, babe."
Jeongguk vaguely registers Mingyu saying goodbye and pulling him towards his dorm. He follows in a trance, a single word occupying every inch of his brain. Babe. Babe. They have pet names now.
"Hey, Guk." Mingyu says just as he's about to drop him off his building. He looks like he wants the ground beneath him to swallow him up right about now. "I know we uh- don't really talk about these kind of things but uh- are you okay?"
"Holy shit." Jeongguk says, eyes wild as he turns to Mingyu. "I like Jimin?"
Mingyu frowns, throwing an arm around Jeongguk in an awkward bro-hug. "Sucks, man."
Needless to say, the half-hearted pats on his back do nothing to comfort him at all.
::
Jimin is distracted.
He shouldn't be, given how much the Jimin of two months ago would've wanted this. A date with Namjoon in a cozy outdoor restaurant, the entire place twinkling with fairy lights, the weather cool enough to warrant a coat but still bearable to sit around and eat meat dipped in cheese fondue. Except-
Jimin can’t stop thinking about Jeongguk. He looked exhausted. Not just from practice, but a bone-deep exhaustion that made him look younger than he actually is. Less like a powerful, confident alpha and more like a lost pup. Jimin had to dig his nails in his palms to stop himself from smothering him in kisses, his omega highly distressed at the sight of his miserable alpha.
His alpha. Jimin was in the middle of dinner date a man he'd been crushing on for almost two years now, and he's referring to his (ex?) fuck buddy and (former?) best friend as his alpha. Fucking swell.
"Jiminie."
Jimin stops absentmindedly stirring the cheese and casts Namjoon a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, hyung. What were you saying?"
Namjoon pauses, gaze gentle as he reaches for one of Jimin's hands. Jimin wonders if he's about to confess.
He wonders why he doesn't feel anything at all.
"Jimin-ah, I think we should stop."
"Wait, what?" Jimin's chest expands with an inexplicable feeling of relief, like it's urging him to let out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding for so long.
Namjoon smile is full of warmth. "You don't need me anymore, Jimin-ah. If I'm being honest, I don't think you ever needed me."
Jimin tilts his head, utterly confused. "Hyung I'm not- I don't follow."
"Jeongguk... he's very guarded. He keeps a lot of things to himself. It took me a long time to coax him out of his shell, and even now, there are days when even a simple conversation feels like pulling teeth. But you wouldn't know that, not with the way he acts around you. I think you're his person, you know? You always have been, even if you were never together. You feel that same way too, don't you? Isn't that why we're here?"
Jimin doesn't speak, letting Namjoon's words wash over him like a wave. Even when he'd been playing boyfriend with Namjoon, posing pictures to post on social media, that disastrous dinner with Taehyung, tonight... something's been keeping him from enjoying it to the fullest. It's like he's watching everything from underwater, and the sensations are warped and blurry. There isn’t a bright, encompassing happiness. For the longest time, the fog over his eyes has always been unnamed.
Until now.
"Jeongguk... likes me?"
"More than either of you know, I think. And as fun as it had been hanging out with you, Jimin-ah, you didn't need this elaborate plan. You could've just talked to him."
"But what if..." Jimin starts, a foreign fear gripping his heart. "What if he doesn't like me back, hyung?"
"I don't think that's possible. But even if it is, isn't there be only one way to find out?"
::
After Jeongguk bade goodbye to Mingyu, the knowledge that he likes Jimin crashes on him like a wave. He collapses on the couch, limbs like jelly and head full of Jimin.
It's how Jimin finds him when he crashes into his apartment, out of breath like he'd been running the whole way. "Jeongguk?"
"Hyung?" Jeongguk leaps up, frightened at the idea of coming face to face with Jimin so soon after he'd realized he liked him, but unable to move away nonetheless. "What are you doing here?"
"Guk-ah. I'm going to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me, okay? Why have you been avoiding me? And don't say soccer, because we both know that isn't true."
Jeongguk swallows, inching closer to Jimin on instinct. He smells sad, to his alpha's discontent. There's a need there to comfort the omega, so he does. Jeongguk dips his head down, open mouth ghosting over his scent gland. Jimin whimpers, eyes fluttering shut, making Jeongguk's alpha growl.
His omega.
"Jeongguk." Jimin pushes him away, a reverse of how they'd been the last time he was here in his apartment. His cheeks have gone all rosy, lips swollen from where he'd bitten them hard. Jeongguk doesn't know how he ever doubted he had feelings for Jimin, not when the smell of magnolia bleeds perfectly well into a fresh meadow. "You haven't answered the question."
"Jimin-ah." Jeongguk swallows every last drop of fear, unwilling to lose Jimin again. "I like you. I'm pretty sure I love you too, but I only got the liking part down today and my brain's still pretty scrambled so-"
Jimin drowns the rest of his sentence in a fierce, bruising kiss. It's unlike anything they've shared before, an apology and an affirmation all at once. Jimin pulls back, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Wait, you like me too?"
Jimin laughs, as sweet as honey. "Yes, Guk-ah. I do."
"But what about Namjoon-hyung?"
Jimin shakes his head, eyes nearly shut from the sheer exuberance of his smile. "I was wrong. All this time, I had this ideal of what belonging to someone would look like. I thought I'd find it in Namjoon-hyung, mostly because he fits the part of what most people would think an alpha would be. Tall, commanding, confident."
"Are you sure you don't like him?" Jeongguk jokes but Jimin could hear the insecurity creeping in. He draws Jeongguk in for a hug, relishing the way the alpha's arms wrap around him like coming home.
"I'm not most people, Guk-ah. I'm just me. I know I can be bossy and I overthink a lot and I'm a perfectionist with zero self-preservation when it comes to my craft but I'd like to belong with you. Only you if you'd have me."
"Jimin." Jeongguk presses a kiss on his forehead, before pulling back to look him in the eyes. "You're wonderful. You're strong and kind and you're one of the best people I know. With you... I don't feel the pressure to be whatever people make me out to be. I'm just me, too. And I would have you, Park Jimin. For as long as you'd want me too."
"We're such idiots." Jimin laughs, burying his face into Jeongguk's chest. "This might be the only time the plan actually worked."
Jeongguk breathes in Jimin's scent deeply, tightening his hold on his omega.
He never wants to let him go.
::
from: tinkerbell hyung
SORRY I LEFT EARLY
JESUS I HAVE AN EXAM
I TOTALLY FORGOT
STOP SHOUTING
it's ok dw!
good luck baby
from: tinkerbell hyung
JEON JEONGGUK
U DID NOT JUST DROP THE B WORD
kekekeke
see u later, baby
[change contact name to: my omega]
from: my omega
JSKJKSLJKSLJLKSJKLS