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Jimin, an omega, and Jungkook, alpha, are the best of friends.
They’d grown up together, their parents close friends before them, and stayed inseparable since even before Jungkook’s birth. While his mother was pregnant, little Jimin followed her around the village, trying his best not to trip her up in his restless excitement. At night, he’d fall asleep next to her, face pressed to her swollen belly, and his own mother would complain that she was no longer his favorite maternal figure. And at last, after nine long months and hours of listening to her shrieks of pain throughout the night, little Jungkook was born, brought into the world on stormy evening that smelled strongly of the woods that bordered their home, the wind whisking in the scents of the forest as Jimin met his friend for life for the first time.
As pups they would play hide-and-seek, tumble through meadows of weeds and wildflowers and sprint through the forests together, Jimin’s silvery coat streaking through the woods while Jungkook’s smaller body and shorter legs struggled to keep up, always half a step behind. They played as pups were intended to play, growing up with the setting sun and rising moon, fumbling through the trying years of adolescence together as the goddess watched them from above.
And finally, at the ripe age of sixteen, Jimin had presented. His presenting hardly meant a thing to them, aside from the fact that he had begun to smell strongly of peaches and chamomile and his body began to change. He was leaner now, soft and pretty, drawing attention from all the unmated alphas of their pack. Jungkook whined that Jimin would find a mate in one of his suitors, leaving him behind, still lost in the years of youth, but Jimin would pull him in close, bodies pressed into each other, and reassure him that even mated, Jungkook would always be his best friend.
That seemed to satisfy him for the time being, and only a year later Jungkook himself had presented, his alpha status showing through his growing from, his muscles outgrowing the clothing of a child and the musky scent of pine and rain clinging to his skin like a layer of dirt that couldn’t be washed off. His build grew and grew, and soon he was towering over Jimin, who would complain that he could no longer pat Jungkook’s head from where he stood inches below.
Now when they dashed through the forest, Jungkook would overtake Jimin’s lithe agility, his longer legs and full muscles propelling him forward. But still, even after this revelation the pair stayed the same, their relationship constant and their affection unwavering. If Jungkook won all the races now, and if Jimin began to prefer craftsmanship over climbing trees, it was alright, because at the end of the day they would come together, tucked into each other’s side as they would tell the other of their day and share gossip that they had picked up from the other pack members, whispering and giggling in the firelight as they shared their meal. It was okay, because above it all, they were still the closest of friends, a bond that could not be broken so easily.
---
“Jungkookie!” Jimin leaps onto Jungkook’s shoulders and wraps his arms around his neck, the alpha grunting under the sudden weight.
“Jimin,” he greets the omega, flashing a smile even though Jimin couldn’t possibly see it from where he’s spread across Jungkook’s back.
“What are you doing? Are you almost done? Can we hang out?”
The alpha grunts again as he stands from his crouched position, Jimin sliding off his back as he straightens up, brushing debris off his legs.
“I just came back from a hunt.”
Jimin peers around the alpha, eyes landing on the pelt left abandoned behind him. “What’d you catch this time?” he asks curiously.
“A deer.”
The animal’s fur is a soft brown, its dappled pelt covered in white spots that look like patches of snow. It looks soft to touch, and Jimin wonders what Jungkook intended to do with it.
“Are you almost done?”
Jungkook shakes his head. “It’s okay though,” he assures him. “I can work on it tomorrow.”
Jimin pouts. “Don’t abandon your work for me. You never have me leave mine for you.”
“It’s too late now; I want to do something with you.” When Jimin looks like he’s going to protest again, Jungkook picks up his supplies, cleaning up the area he was working in and starting to tuck the materials away. “Let’s go.”
Jimin huffs, but there’s no malice to the action. “I just wanted to leave the village for a little. It’s getting a little suffocating.” He glances up for a mere second, not even, but Jungkook is receptive, especially to all things Jimin, so he looks up and follows the omega’s gaze to see one of the alphas, a bulky, handsome wolf by the name of Minhyuk glancing in their direction from time to time. He was trying to be discreet - Jungkook can tell - as he fiddles with something in between his fingers, but Jimin is perceptive, and he looks uncomfortable under the attention, however subtle.
“Alright, let’s get out of here then,” Jungkook agrees easily, taking Jimin’s hand and tugging him along. “I was planning to go out there anyway,” he lies. “See if any wolf has strayed into our lands.” The omega beams gratefully, letting himself be led along. Jungkook doesn’t turn, their backs facing Minhyuk as they make their way to the edge of the village where the forest begins, but he can feel the burning gaze into his back. He straightens his spine, pulling back his shoulders and trying to appear taller, larger, and the stare only intensifies and he smirks to himself. Jimin thankfully doesn’t seem to notice, though, and Jungkook likes the feeling of satisfaction that blooms in his chest at the other alpha’s displeasure.
Out in the forest, the pair take their time covering the ground of their territory, Jungkook not in any rush at all to check for any stragglers. They weave through bushes and brambles as they did when they were pups, Jimin hiding behind a tree and jumping out to scare Jungkook every once in a while.
At one point they spot a rabbit, a curious young one by the looks of it, which is surprising considering the amount of noise they were making. Jungkook would have guessed they’d scared all the prey away. Jimin perks up at the sight of it, dashing forward to greet it enthusiastically, but once he’s a few paces away he creature scampers off, diving into a burrow nearby and plunging in headfirst.
“It knows you’re a wolf,” Jungkook chuckles teasingly, but Jimin just pouts and he crouches over the animal’s burrow nestled into the roots of the tree, waiting patiently for it to reemerge.
“But I just want to play,” he whines. “I’m not going to hurt it,” he promises.
“I doesn’t know that,” Jungkook points out unhelpfully, and Jimin just whines again.
They stay there for a while, Jimin peering into the hole hopefully while Jungkook leans against a tree trunk behind him. There’s no way a creature like that would be willing to play with a wolf, even in his human form, and if it were anyone else Jungkook would be fed up with waiting by now. But it’s not anyone - it’s Jimin - so he keeps his mouth shut and stands by patiently until the omega is tired of waiting anymore.
“Let’s move on,” he says despondently, round eyes blinking up at Jungkook but still crouching beside the burrow, not willing to stand so that they could move on. The alpha gets the message, laughing as he offers the omega a hand who takes it with sparkling eyes. He tugs at his arm, and Jimin giggles as the extra force has him hurtling upwards.
“I want to check the southern border,” Jungkook says, and Jimin nods enthusiastically. The omega almost never went to check on the borders of their lands, preferring to tend to the duties of the camp village rather than roam the grounds - unless with Jungkook - and he was rather excited to see what waited for them.
It takes a while for them to make it there, having traveled on foot in their human forms rather than their nimbler, swifter wolves, but they take their time. Jungkook watches fondly as Jimin hops on the trunk of a fallen tree, balancing precariously along its spine as the alpha pads beside him on the ground, every muscle braced to catch the omega lest he fall. Jimin wobbles for a moment at the very end, and Jungkook tenses.
“Be careful,” he warns, and Jimin brushes off his concern, giggling as he always is. He makes it to the very end, weaving through the branches jutted out of the trunk’s sides and springing off top of the tree, the tip bent and broken off at an unnatural angle as it had snapped upon its fall. The omega springs off freely, landing on his feet and wobbling before steadying himself and standing upright.
“I can walk a tree trunk myself, Alpha,” he teases.
Jungkook laughs along, tossing an arm around the omega’s shoulders as they walk side by side. Jimin catches him up on the drama that’s been passed around the omegas as they tended their duties, most of the news coming from Taehyung, while Jungkook tells him about his hunt, how the deer had been quick and had almost slipped out of his grasp, but he had caught it in the last moment, tumbling through the forest with his claws deep in its neck.
As they near the edge of their lands, Jungkook stiffens, catching onto a foreign scent. He changes into his wolf, his dark pelt blending into their surroundings as his senses sharpen accordingly. Jimin changes beside him, looking anxious as he notices Jungkook’s alertness.
The alpha sniffs at the undergrowth surrounding them, finding nothing then lifting his nose to the sky, inhaling deeply. At first he still smells nothing, the initial scent lost in the wind, but as the breeze dies away he picks up on it again. Jimin stiffens beside him; the omega must have caught the scent as well. Jungkook brushes away the ferns with his snout to unveil a pair of pawprints, clearly belonging to another wolf, the prints even larger than his own.
“It must be a rogue,” Jungkook concludes. He follows the carelessly concealed trail, the prints that haven’t been washed away and the broken branches and torn foliage left in its wake. Jimin follows closely behind, sniffing at the bushes that line the trail. At first it leads deep into their territory, the prints clearly headed towards the village camp, and that fact stirs an unsettled feeling in Jungkook’s belly. But as the pair travels southward, the trail veers sharply away from the heart of their lands, and Jungkook feels Jimin relax just a little beside him. They’ve lost the scent at the riverbank, which he assumes the rogue must have crossed for his scent to disappear so suddenly. The water rushes along its trail, flowing freely as it snakes its path through the woods. A fish leaps out of the current, its silver scales catching the light of the rising moon. Usually Jungkook would mourn the loss of a chance to catch some prey, but right now he doesn’t care, too focused on the fading scent and also the way Jimin looks so soft in the faint moonlight. His silver fur catches the light in a way that’s even prettier than the fish’s scales, the way it fans across his shoulders and the way the moon highlights all his features in its ethereal glow.
“It must have realized that this was our land,” he guesses, trying to reassure the omega. “It probably missed our scent on the way in, but realized it was trespassing. I bet it’s long gone by now.”
Jimin nods owlishly, looking a little relieved.
“I’ll protect you,” Jungkook promises instinctively, all his senses wanting to assure the omega that he was safe. “I won’t let it hurt you.”
The omega steps forward, nuzzling his snout into the alpha’s shoulder. Jungkook closes his eyes, breathing in the scent of Jimin and releasing pheromones to comfort him.
“I know,” the omega says before touching his nose to Jungkook’s ear. “You always do.”
It’s darker than Jungkook had intended it to be when they return, and Taehyung bounds over to them as they enter the village, mussing with his hair and giving him a onceover for injuries.
“I’m fine,” he protests, but Taehyung’s hands are relentless, eyes searching.
“You’re mother’s looking for you,” he says when he deems him safe, and Jimin straightens, looking a little alarmed.
“I forgot I told her I’d be back in time to help her cook!” He looks ready to dart off to then and there, but he turns back to Jungkook, glancing at him almost helplessly.
“Go,” Jungkook urges him, giving him a gentle push in the right direction. “I’m sorry for keeping you out so late.”
Jimin’s expression softens. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he assures the alpha. “It just slipped my mind. See you later for dinner?”
Jungkook nods in affirmation and the omega grins, his smile blinding. He wraps his arms around the alpha in a smothering hug, burying his face into his chest for just a moment before he pulls away and lets Taehyung tug him in the direction of the kitchens.
Jungkook whirls around to get back to work on his furs, hoping to kill some time before he’s called for dinner which the pack would enjoy together, per usual. He’s headed back to his tent to grab the supplies, whirling around to head off in that direction when he runs into a firm chest. It’s Minhyuk, and the scowl drawn on his face clues Jungkook in to what’s about to come his way.
“Can I help you?” he tries to start politely.
“Are you interested in Jimin?” the alpha almost growls without preamble, not even addressing Jungkook’s question. His voice low and deep and full of a threat that isn’t voiced aloud but is very clear in the way he holds himself, the way the air thickens with the scent of alpha.
Jungkook lifts his chin, unafraid. The alpha is clearly trying to intimidate him, using his extra height of an inch to his advantage, but Jungkook stands his ground. He may not be interested in Jimin as a mate, but he is still his best friend, and he knows that Jimin is particularly indifferent to his alpha, despite his many attempts to court the omega.
“No,” he says simply, firmly. “Are you interested in courting him?”
The alpha scowls again, his frown deepening even further, the crease of his brow wrinkling with the movement.
“I’m not letting you get in my way,” he growls, again avoiding Jungkook’s civil inquiries. Minhyuk pushes past him, his shoulder catching against Jungkook’s and shoving against him.
Jungkook watches him go, a feeling of intense protectiveness washing over him. “You’ll never get to Jimin,” he vows in the alpha’s wake.
The meal prepared by the omegas for dinner is as delicious as it always is, and Jungkook can taste their hard work in the flavorful broth that coats his tongue, the way it tastes like his pack, like home. Jungkook eats from his bowl, a larger portion than Jimin had. He always tended to eat more than the omega.
The two sit side by side beside the fire as some of the omegas distribute the food, making sure that every member receives their fair share. The older wolves gossip with each other while the elders swap tales of the olden days, when they were young and carefree. Close by the pups eat together, although they’re distracted by one thing or another from time to time. Jungkook sees one of the youngest but most mischeviest pups holding a stick, poking at something on the ground while the others circle around him and look on with interest.
“What did Minhyuk confront you about?” Jimin asks curiously. He tries to sound casual, almost nonchalant, but he’s gripping at his bowl and staring at the fire with intense thought
Jungkook freezes, his hand stilling as he clutches the ceramic. He wants to say that it was nothing, that it was something the omega shouldn’t be troubled by. There’s the beginning of a frown on Jimin’s face, and he wants to make it disappear, lean forward and brush it away with his thumb.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” he settles on finally.
“Jungkook, please. I want to know.”
Jungkook glances at the omega, looks into his eyes and sees the way they glisten with worry. He sighs. “He asked if I was interested in courting you,” the alpha admits, mumbling the words together. “And to stay out of his way.”
Jimin bristles, his annoyance showing through the way his scent sours. Jungkook winces, wishing he could have avoided the topic of conversation. He didn’t want the omega upset. “That dumb alpha!” he fumes. “How dare he lay claim on me! He hasn’t even courted me properly; maybe if he did it the proper way I wouldn’t straight up reject him on the spot. And to threaten you! My best friend, who has been with me my entire life, who never leaves my side. How dare he challenge you like this!”
“It’s okay,” Jungkook assures him, trying to calm down the seething omega. “Jimin, it’s alright. Truthfully, I’m only worried about you. There are tons of alphas out there who want to court you, and most of them are rude assholes like Minhyuk. How are you going to handle all of them?”
Jimin tilts his head, a little pacified, looking so endearing in the way his eyes sparkle like a young pup’s. “Maybe if I had an alpha for a best friend I wouldn’t have to worry,” he teases, waggling his eyebrows.
Jungkook pouts. “What if I was an asshole alpha too,” he protests. “You can’t trust alphas!”
Jimin places his ceramic bowl to the side to be washed later, reaching forward to set the cutlery in Jungkook’s lap aside as well. He reaches forward and takes Jungkook’s hands into his own, folding his much larger palms over his shorter, stubbier fingers in a promise, his eyes flickering gold in the light of the fire.
“I trust you, Jungkook. I always will.”
---
Jungkook wakes up with a yearning need for something he can’t quite place. It’s a desire that burns hot in his belly, a need that can’t be satiated with any physical nourishment. It’s a feeling he’s never experienced before, and it leaves the alpha with a yawning sense of fear that he doesn’t understand, is almost afraid to understand.
“Jimin,” he breathes out, almost a whine as he sits up in his tent, the blankets kicked off in his haste to find the omega. He lifts the flap to his tent with more force than is necessary, eyes searching for Jimin in the morning bustle of their village. Instead of his gentle omega, however, he spots Taehyung first, tending to a few pups and braiding one’s hair and veers sharply to him.
“Taehyung,” he calls out, and the omega turns at the call of his name, his hands stilling momentarily before the pup whines and he returns his attention to braiding again.
“Jungkook,” he acknowledges, his fingers working swiftly but delicately.
“Have you seen Jimin?” The words tumble out without preamble, traditional greetings the last thing on his mind as all he can think about is the physical pain in his body, the emptiness in his chest that feels like a void that can never be filled unless he finds the omega.
Taehyung ties the pup’s hair at the end of her braid before turning back to Jungkook, taking in his disheveled look, the pain that must be written all over his expression. “Are you alright, Jungkook?” he asks, concerned.
“I-I don’t know.” Jungkook feels beads of sweat start to form on his forehead. This is not a sensation he had ever experienced before. It doesn’t quite feel like his usual ruts and he wonders if he must be ill, coming down with a fever perhaps, but that couldn’t explain his desperate need to find Jimin, be physically close to him, breathing in his sweet scent.
“Do you need to see the healer?”
Jungkook shakes his head. “I just - I need Jimin.” He tries not to let the desperation bleed into his voice, but with the way Taehyung’s expression morphs to one of understanding, he can tell that he fails to do so.
“He’s with his mother, helping out in the kitchens.”
“Thank you,” Jungkook manages to get out before he’s stumbling in the direction of the kitchens, body aching for a presence there.
He finds Jimin chopping vegetables, the other omegas bustling around him with various other ingredients and tasks to do. There’s a huge pot that a few wolves skirt around, tossing spices in and dipping a ladle in to taste test. It must smell delicious - the omegas’ meals always do - but all Jungkook can smell right now is the scent of peaches and chamomile.
“Jungkook!” the omega exclaims, surprised. He leaves his vegetables left unchopped on the cutting board along with the sharpened knife, wiping his hands on the fabric of his trousers and rushing over to the alpha, his entire expression written in concern. “What are you doing here?”
“Jimin,” he exhales shakily, body stilling at the sight of the omega. He leans into Jimin’s embrace, nose searching for his scent gland and inhaling deeply when he finds it at the juncture of his neck.
“Jungkook? What’s wrong? What happened?” Jimin stiffens in shock but doesn’t push him away. He never pushes Jungkook away.
“Just… need you,” the alpha mumbles into the omega’s skin. “Please - just… stay here.”
“Wait Jungkook, you don’t look well. Are you in rut?”
Jungkook doesn’t verbally reply, just shakes his head against Jimin’s collarbone, hair brushing against his chest.
“You’re not sick, are you?” Jimin presses a cool hand against Jungkook’s forehead, checking for a fever, but he withdraws his hand mystified. The loss of his touch has Jungkook whimpering in displeasure, the single display of affection already calming his racing heartbeat, already settling the turmoil in his belly. At that, an expression of realization dawns on Jimin’s face, his eyes widening in understanding but Jungkook feels as confused as ever. “Jungkook, you know what this means, right?”
The alpha shakes his head in dissent.
Jimin closes his eyes briefly, as if bracing himself. “Jungkook, think about it. You’re not in rut, you’re not ill. And being near me settles down your alpha.”
Jungkook’s throat suddenly feels dry, the realization crashing down on him like a wave that had been waiting for its victim to surface. Of course. It all makes sense; the way he had woken in a cold sweat, pain in his limbs and a desperate need for Jimin - only Jimin. He had imprinted on the omega.
“Jungkook,” the omega calls out gently. His voice sounds like comfort, but rather than draw to it as he usually would, Jungkook only feels it pull him away despite the way his body yearns to seek comfort in his omega. “Jungkook, look at me.”
Jungkook can’t seem to look at him. “The full moon,” he mutters under his breath, beginning to pace. “It was a full moon last night.”
Jimin turns away, looking crestfallen. “Yes, it’s about a month away.”
Jungkook rests his eyes on the omega, suddenly tired. “I have to remain imprinted on you for an entire month. I can’t leave your side; you can’t be too far away from me. Are you okay with that?”
Jimin bites his lip, looking anxious. “We’re best friends,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “We’re together most of the time anyway.”
“But it’ll be different now,” Jungkook points out, guilty for being so negative when Jimin was only trying to assure themselves. “My alpha wants you in a way that’s different than before.”
Jimin swallows. “We’re best friends,” he repeats. “I would do anything for you.”
A mixture of feelings swell in Jungkook’s chest, like two tendrils of a different branch, twisting together when neither came from the same root: one warm like comfort, for his friend who cared for him so deeply, the other distaste, and he knows that’s his alpha, hating the way his omega claims him only as a friend.
“This doesn’t mean anything, right?” Jimin murmurs anxiously, teeth worrying into his bottom lip so much Jungkook worries that it will break skin. “We’ll just wait it out for a month, until the imprint is broken, and then everything will go back to normal. Nothing has to change, right?”
“Yeah.” It’s like his heart is being ripped out of his chest to agree, like watching it be shredded right before him, but he says it anyway, because it’s Jimin, and he would do anything for his omega. Not his omega, he reminds himself, scolding his wolf for staking such a claim. “Yeah, it won’t mean anything. We’ll be back to normal in no time.” The words taste bitter on his tongue, as if the last thing he wants is for their suddenly turbulent relationship to return to how it had been, but Jimin visibly relaxes so the pain eases a little.
Just a little.
---
The first day had gone by and all was well. Jimin tended to his duties while Jungkook hovered nearby, and they had run into no complications. Their relationship remained the same, and there was no sense of awkwardness despite Jungkook’s initial doubts.
They had spent the first night in their respective tents, but that was where their smooth sailing ended. Jungkook had woken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, his skin diaphoretic and his body aching for his omega that never asked to be claimed. Jimin decided that he needed to sleep by Jungkook the following night, in the alpha’s tent to settle his wolf enough so that he could get the rest he needed. Jungkook agreed reluctantly, knowing that if he were separated from the omega for the entire night again, his alpha would wake him, restless to be close to Jimin again.
Jungkook lays on the blankets first, settling his head onto the pillow and Jimin crawls beneath the blankets beside him carefully, pulling the furs over his shoulder as he peers at the alpha’s face, eyes searching and finding nothing in Jungkook’s steely expression. He lets out a small huff of disappointment, so inconspicuous that the alpha could have almost missed it, if not every one of his senses were focused on the omega in a way that it never was before. Then he wonders if he had always paid such careful attention to Jimin, the way he always pouts when something is bothering home, the way he knows that the omega must be a turbulence of emotions inside himself now, with Jungkook trying his best not to act on his wolf’s desires but only serving to push him further away despite the way they physically lay so close together now.
There’s a long stretch of silence in which they simply lay there, their breathing matched with every inhale and exhale, and Jungkook thinks Jimin must be asleep before his soft voice breaks the stillness in his tent.
“Everything will be okay, right?”
The omega curls into Jungkook’s body even further, nuzzling his face into the crook of the alpha’s neck. Jungkook inhales sharply, trying to be discreet about it. He can’t tell if Jimin is even conscious of his actions, the sleepy haze to his friend’s eyes an indicator of how fast sleep is overtaking him.
“Yeah,” he says, breath bated. It’s not uncomfortable - Jimin used to snuggle up to him all the time when they were pups - but Jungkook feels something unfamiliar unfurl in his chest, and he can’t tell if it’s a feeling he likes.
“You don’t sound sure,” Jimin murmurs into his skin. His eyes have fallen shut; his breathing is soft and Jungkook can hear and feel him on every exhale.
“We’ll be okay,” Jungkook tries to reassure him. Despite anything he was feeling, he wanted Jimin to be content above all. “We’re best friends, right?”
Jimin hums in agreement, and Jungkook can feel the omega’s lips curving into a smile. “I’ll always trust you, Jungkook.” It’s strangely similar to the moment they’d shared a few nights ago, beneath the light of the fire and the moon, the red light setting Jimin’s face in a warm glow but the silver of the stars highlighting the sheen of his hair.
“Me too,” Jungkook breathes. “I’ll always protect you.”
---
Jungkook had just come back from a hunt, an admirable kill in his grasp to show for his skill, when he sees it.
Jimin with Minhyk, the omega clearly uncomfortable as the alpha presents him with something Jungkook can’t see from how far away he is, but he knows immediately what it is.
A courting gift.
He curses, his alpha immediately on edge. They’d figured that Jungkook could leave for short periods of time to hunt without his alpha becoming restless, and so far he had been able to restrain his wolf, but he could never have anticipated this. Minhyuk must have deliberately waited for Jungkook to be away to make his move.
Abandoning his catch, Jungkook storms over to the pair, feeling a flash of satisfaction as he catches the relieved look in Jimin’s eye as he notices the alpha approaching them.
“What’s going on here?” he demands, trying not to let his irritation show but failing to do so. The other alpha takes it as a challenge, and he puffs out his chest in retaliation.
“None of your business,” he sniffs.
“It’s okay, Jungkook,” Jimin tries to reassure him, but his voice is small, timid. “Minhyuk was just giving me a gift.”
“A courting gift,” Jungkook growls.
“So what if it’s a courting gift, it’s still none of your concern,” the alpha retorts. “This only involves me and Jimin.”
“I said no,” Jimin says quietly.
Jungkook spins towards the alpha, furious that he hadn’t taken the hint. “Didn’t you hear him? He said no, so get lost.”
“You’re not his alpha; you have no claim on him,” Minhyuk growls but he does turn away, stomping off in his defeat.
When he’s finally out of earshot, Jimin sighs, suddenly looking extremely exhausted. Jungkook swoops in and wraps his arms around the omega, who relaxes in his embrace. He tries not to let the cloying scent of sweet peaches cloud his mind and his judgement. He wants nothing more than to nose alongside Jimin’s scent gland, to bury his face in it and drown in his sweet scent as he holds the omega in his arms.
“Thank you,” Jimin murmurs, looking so worn down Jungkook starts to fuss over him, mussing his hair and studying him carefully.
“Let’s go sit down,” he suggests. He leads Jimin to the circle where the pack usually eats their meals. The fire isn’t lit yet, the day still young and the sun still providing them with its shine. Once the omega has settled in his seat, Jungkook darts off to grab him some water, which he takes gratefully.
“Better?” he asks anxiously. “Do you need anything else?”
Jimin shakes his head, looking a little more refreshed already.
“Thank you,” he says quietly.
“For what? Alphas are easy to scare away when you’re stronger than them.”
Jimin shakes his head fondly. “It’s not just Minhyuk. It’s just... thank you for being my friend. For looking out for me. For taking care of me.”
“That’s my job,” Jungkook says brightly, trying to cheer him up. “I’m supposed to protect you, remember? I’m the best alpha, aren’t I?”
Jimin nods, looking strangely subdued all of a sudden. “Yeah, the best alpha,” he agrees. “Your future mate will be the luckiest omega in the world.” There’s a note of lingering sadness in his voice, and Jungkook tries not to dwell too much on it, but a sensation of dissent settles in the pit of his belly and try as he might, it’s not a feeling he can’t brush off so easily.
---
Jungkook is pacing the southern border with Namjoon when he smells it. The alpha had asked him to join him in checking the territory by the river earlier on in the morning, insisting that he leave the village to get some fresh air. He had been hesitant to leave Jimin behind, but Namjoon insisted, informing him that all of the other alphas were busy at the moment and assuring him that it wouldn’t take long. Even Jimin agreed that he should go, convincing him that no harm would be done if he left the omega’s side for a short while, promising that nothing like the counter with Minhyuk would occur again. And so Jungkook agreed, trekking along with the alpha southward to where the river met their neighboring pack’s land.
“So how are things with you and Jimin?”
The question catches him off guard; Jungkook had no idea that the other pack members may be gossiping about them without their knowledge.
“We’re fine.”
Namjoon raises his brows disbelievingly and Jungkook sighs.
“Really, it’s alright. There’s nothing to say about it.”
Namjoon pushes through a particularly dense thicket, brushing aside the ferns with his broad shoulders. “You don’t look fine,” he notes.
“But I am,” Jungkook insists, falling in step with him once they’ve pushed their way through the undergrowth. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Just because nothing is wrong doesn’t mean everything is right,” the alpha points out.
Jungkook lets the words sink in. Were he and Jimin right as they were now? As an alpha who had accidentally imprinted on an omega? Were they right before, as childhood friends? He shakes his head, not knowing the answer.
“It’s alright,” Namjoon says softly. “You don’t have to know it now. Sometimes it’s gradual, like the way flowers blossom in the spring, or the snow gathers on the ground.”
Jungkook likes Namjoon, likes the way he speaks comfort and wisdom, likes the way he feels he can always come to the alpha for support.
“You may be right,” Jungkook murmurs, turning to him briefly to shoot him a bashful glance. “Maybe there’s a little something more.”
Namjoon returns his smile, and they continue on in a comfortable silence. Jungkook is grateful, because he’s able to swim in his own thoughts quietly, delve into the confusion and dissect the turmoil without intrusion.
They’ve only just approached the riverbank, the sound of water rushing in their ears when Jungkook smells it.
“Rogue,” Namjoon snarls.
They follow the scent as Jungkook had done the first time he noticed it, the scent bitter and unfamiliar, crushed leaves and broken branches once again giving away the rogue’s trail. It leads all the way to the end of the border where the scent disappears again, lost in the scents of water and rain. There are pawprints in its wake, the last of it washed away in the mud. They must have just missed the wolf by a few hours.
Namjoon sniffs at the lingering prints before admitting to the loss. The rogue was gone.
“Come on, let’s get back. This is something we’ll have to report to Pack Alpha.”
Jungkook nods in agreement, but before he turns to follow the alpha back to the village he stares at the fading prints, squinting at the trail of torn undergrowth and wondering what kind of danger lies waiting for him in the shadows.
---
“Can we take a walk?” Jimin approaches Jungkook slowly, almost hesitantly, and the alpha hates it more anything, more than when the other alphas in the pack won’t stop pestering Jimin, their actions relentless, hates it more than the times they were separated by their wolves, when Jimin would suffer a painful few days in his heat and Jungkook would suffer through his rut alone.
Jimin looks almost shy. The omega had never been shy around him before.
His eyes are round and pleading, his voice soft, as if he’s nervous. Jungkook knows that he must be thinking again, about their relationship, about their situation. He knows the omega tends to overthink, knows that he must be overthinking it now, which will do them both no good when they’re unable to do anything but wait for the full moon to arrive.
“Yeah,” he breathes out in agreement. “Yeah, let’s go out for some fresh air.”
They change into their wolf forms, Jimin’s silvery white fur clashing against the foggy day, while Jungkook’s dark coat blends right in. Their walk quickly turns into a run as they both sprint through the forest, weaving through thickets and undergrowth, dodging trees and leaping over fallen trunks. Jimin is smaller, his legs shorter, so Jungkook makes sure to slow down to match his pace so that he’s not left behind. The omega doesn’t show any sign of exhaustion, though, so they run through the woods side by side, their fur brushing against each other every once in a while. They run until they’re at the edge of the forest, until they’re panting as their lungs heave for more oxygen. Even in their wolf forms, though more fitted for such physical exertion, they’re tired from the sprint.
As they stand at the edge of the forest waiting for their racing heartbeats to slow down, Jungkook realizes where they are. He had run without a thought in his mind, clearing his head and letting all his burdens disperse as he simply followed Jimin’s lead.
They’re at the beach, the trees thinning out and the dirt under their paws slowly turning into sand. As he gazes out into the horizon, Jungkook can make out the waves of the ocean, the fog just above the water’s surface, and he can smell the salty tang in the mist that surrounds them. Jimin glances at him before making his way down to the shore, picking his way around clumps of washed up seaweed and brambles that have been tossed around.
The sea is stormy, the waves thunderous as they crash upon the shore. A thick layer of fog shrouds the cliffside, and Jungkook has to squint to make out the outline of mountains, the rocky edges that seem to fade all the way into the clouds.
Jimin picks his way through the sand and pads up to where the waves meet land, his paws pressing into the sand as they sink ever so slightly under his weight. Jungkook follows him, moving to stand beside him as the water laps at their paws. Jimin presses his nose into the seafoam that gathers on the sand momentarily before it disappears. He flinches back with a yelp, blinking at Jungkook as the seafoam melts from his nose.
Jungkook snickers, and Jimin nudges him playfully with his snout. Jungkook leaps back, running off along the shore as Jimin chases him, just a breath away but unable to catch up.
Jungkook’s legs take him faster and faster, the momentum propelling him forward. Jimin follows, his shorter legs struggling to catch up, and he makes sure not to lose sight of the omega. He thinks about how beautiful Jimin is like this, all smiles and innocence in the way he plays along, the thought crossing his mind momentarily. He wonders how much truth Namjoon’s words held, how he’d thought long and hard about what Jimin meant to him and how everything had changed the moment his alpha decided to claim the omega as his own.
Suddenly, a fat drop of water falls from the sky, landing on Jungkook’s nose and dispelling his thoughts. He glances up, a few more raindrops following the lead of the first. Jimin yelps as he feels the freezing drops fall from the sky and Jungkook skids to a halt, the omega stopping as well. The sprinkle quickly turns into a shower, and the two wolves take off in the direction of the forest for shelter.
Even under the canopy of the woods their fur is soaked, the rain relentless as they drench the pair to the bone. “The camp is too far away,” Jimin gasps as they trudge back.
Jungkook hums in agreement. “We should find shelter and wait out the storm,” he agrees.
They trek through the forest together, the ground wet and peaty under their paws, until Jungkook spots an alcove up ahead. “This should do,” he says excitedly, turning to Jimin to ask for his opinion but halting when he notices how worn down the omega looks. “Jimin, we’re almost there,” he encourages the omega, pressing his snout into Jimin’s shoulder and nudging him forward. “Just a little further, and you can rest while I keep watch.”
The omega looks up blearily, his waterlogged fur pulling him down. Jungkook presses against him, shocked to find his skin cold to the touch. Panic begins to bubble in his chest, but he pushes it away, willing his alpha to calm down. This was no place to show fear.
After a lot of nudging and encouragement, he’s finally able to guide Jimin to the entrance to the alcove, and the omega collapses onto the ground, exhausted. Jungkook presses against him, trying to share some of his warmth as he curls around the omega’s body, soaked and waterlogged from the storm.
“Don’t worry, Jimin. I said I’d always protect you. You’ll never have to worry when I’m with you.”
When he wakes Jungkook feels an unnatural warmth radiating from the body beside him. He sits up, alarmed. Jimin had shifted to human, most likely unconsciously in his sleep, and his skin is pale and flushed all over. Jungkook had stayed as a wolf, his alpha unconsciously hoping to warm the omega with the extra padding of his thick, dark fur. He sniffs at Jimin’s body, nosing at him all over and inspecting for any injuries he might have missed. He doesn’t find any, but Jimin stirs in his sleep, whining as if something were hurting him, shivering as if he weren’t burning up on the outside. He must have come down with a fever, Jungkook deduces anxiously, and he nudges at him with his snout, trying to wake him.
Jimin whines again, thrashing in his sleep until Jungkook rouses him awake. The omega blinks at him blearily, his eyes crusted with sleep and his nostrils flaring.
“Jimin,” the alpha says softly. “You’re burning up. We have to get you back to Hoseok.”
Jimin makes a noise of complaint from the back of his throat, flopping back down in exhaustion.
“Come on, Jimin. You can get up,” Jungkook urges. “I’ll help you the whole way back. I just need you to get on my back.”
Jimin blinks open his eyes, staring at Jungkook with glazed over eyes.
“You can do it,” Jungkook encourages patiently, lowering himself until his belly brushes against the crushed grass, and with a little more prompting Jimin reaches out to grasp at his shoulders, his small hands grasping at patches of his fur as he heaves himself onto Jungkook’s backside. He drapes himself over Jungkook’s shoulders, body limp and lighter than the alpha remembers it being. Once the omega has adjusted to a more comfortable position, Jungkook pokes his head through the curtain of willow.
The sky had cleared significantly from the night before, until only a fine layer of mist hung in the air, and he steps outside tentatively. The ground is damp and bouncy under his feet and he breaks into a brisk walk, doing his best to travel as quickly as possible without dislodging Jimin from his position or causing any more turbulence than was necessary.
Jimin doesn’t complain the entire way back, but every once in a while, if Jungkook trips over a branch in his haste or stumbles over a strange animal’s burrow, the omega will flinch, and Jungkook internally beats himself up for jostling him around so carelessly.
The other pack members must have sensed his distress, because the moment he steps into their camp Hoseok is rushing towards them with Taehyung in tow, the two easing Jimin off of his shoulders and onto the bed of pelts that had been prepared for any emergencies once they’d made it to the healing hut. Jungkook watches as Hoseok assesses his body, feeling for the warmth in his forehead and the flushing of his skin, crushing together herbs and flowers and trickling the remedy into his mouth.
Now Jungkook paces outside of the healer’s tent, waiting for any news of his waking.
Hoseok had suggested he stay close to the omega, their strange bond keeping him just barely afebrile along with the medicines, but Jungkook insisted on staying outside the room.
He was starting to think that maybe things aren't the same anymore, would never be the same again even after they broke the imprint, and it is that thought that has him chilled from the inside out, fear stilling every one of his thoughts. Namjoon’s words swim in his head again. Maybe things weren’t all right.
---
They always watch the fall of the first snow together.
The greeting of this year’s season is no different, the two sitting side by side as they peer at the moon peeking around from behind the clouds, the goddess seemingly shy tonight. The sky is grey with a hint of the upcoming snowfall, the air smelling of it long before it makes its journey downward towards the earth.
Jungkook sits stiffly beside the omega, their bodies not quite touching but their arms just barely brushing, and his alpha wants more, wants to hold Jimin’s hand, wants to envelop him in his embrace, but he holds his wolf back, scolding himself for thinking such thoughts. He can’t love Jimin like this, wills his heart to revert to when they had been young pups, loving the omega as simply his childhood friend.
Jungkook doesn’t see the first flakes fall. Instead, all he can see is the way Jimin’s entire face lights up, the way his eyes sparkle in a reflection of the starlight, the way they crinkle in innocent, pure joy.
“It’s beautiful,” the omega breathes, and Jungkook murmurs his agreement, but all the beauty of the snow is lost in the beauty of Jimin. Jungkook shakes his head fondly as the omega giggles, trying to catch a few flakes on his tongue and blinking when they melt immediately upon touching his skin. A flurry of them settle on his silver hair without him realizing it and Jungkook smiles, endeared.
As much as Jungkook finds joy in the way Jimin dances under the light of the moon, the snowflakes framing his face, he feels unsettled. His alpha is restless with the need to claim the omega, desires swirling in his belly that’s not so easily swept away. Ever since his realization, it had become increasingly more difficult to ignore his alpha.
“Jungkook, look how pretty!” the omega’s voice breaks into his brooding. “Let’s find a more open clearing. The moonlight will shine through more clearly.”
Jimin reaches forward to clasp around his wrist, fingers outstretched, but Jungkook flinches, shrinking back. He sees the flash of hurt in the omega’s eyes, and the action serves to pierce him with a stinging guilt, the feeling throbbing throughout his chest even after Jimin has schooled his face to one of nonchalance, of no expression. It almost hurts more than the pained look he’d worn just briefly and Jungkook curses his alpha for being the cause of his discomfort, his turmoil.
Jimin folds his hands together, looking dejected but clearly trying to hide it.
“It’s alright,” he says, but his voice is tinged with sadness. “We can admire it from afar.”
The beauty of the first snow is spoiled with Jimin’s unhappiness.
---
“It’s almost the full moon,” Jimin says observantly. He’s trying to sound nonchalant, as if he was making small talk, but Jungkook can see right through it. He’s fiddling with the hem of his clothes, something he always did when he was anxious.
“Yeah.”
Jimin whips his head towards him, his eyes a little sharper. “What’s wrong?” he demands. His voice is gentle, but his expression is steely, controlled. “You don’t sound excited.”
“You say that about me, but you’re the one who seems to be having doubts. Don’t try to act indifferent, Jimin. I know you.”
Jimin’s eyes flash. “I’m not having doubts! I was just making an observation. You look unusually subdued.”
Jungkook sighs. He doesn’t want to tell Jimin. Not yet, not now. Maybe not even ever.
“I’m not,” he lies, hoping the omega will drop the subject. He doesn’t want to think about his feelings now. Unfortunately, that seems to anger Jimin further.
“You’re lying,” the omega says. “You’re lying to me, your best friend! Are you hiding something from me?”
Jungkook flinches, the words hitting a little too close to the truth. Jimin notices the action, however, and he visibly wilts.
“You are,” he says quietly, states it as a fact. “Since when did you ever keep secrets from me, Jungkook? I thought we trusted one another.”
“I do trust you,” Jungkook says, willing him to understand. “Jimin, I trust you with my entire being.”
Jimin’s eyes flash. “Then look me in the eye right now and tell me you’re not hiding something from me,” he challenges. “Tell me that you’re not keeping anything from me now, Jungkook. Not when our friendship is this strained.” Towards the end his words are softer, his eyes pleading and he sounds exhausted.
Jungkook winces. “I can’t do that,” he says. “Jimin please, don’t push it. This is something I can’t tell you yet.”
“When has there ever been a time that you have had to keep something from me?” Jimin snaps. “I tell you everything, Jungkook. I trust you with my life. I guess you just don’t feel the same.”
And with that, the omega pushes his way out of his tent, his eyes glistening with tears that have already begun to shed, the flap of the tent swinging shut as he takes his leave.
It’s the first time they’ve been so far away from each other since Jungkook’s accidental imprinting, and the pain of separation is more excruciating than he could have ever imagined. It’s an ache that thrums through his entire body, a longing in every vessel and a desire in every muscle. It’s like being physically ripped away from his life source, like being so far away from his omega hurt more. He spends a total of thirty minutes away from the omega before he breaks, lifting the flap of his tent and shouldering his way into the village, eyes searching for Jimin. When he can’t find the omega, can hardly taste his lingering scent in the air, he resolves to find Taehyung instead.
The omega is tending to the elders, offering blankets for the chill that has begun to settle in, and Jungkook doesn’t wait for him to finish to inquire him about Jimin, his worry for the omega already spilling over until he’s shaking with anxiety.
“Taehyung!” he calls out, hoping his pain doesn’t bleed into his voice.
The omega whips his head around, but doesn’t look surprised. His expression steels to one of displeasure. He’s furious. “What do you want?” he asks coldly. Jungkook can’t quite blame him. He knows how the situation looks. Jimin had looked an absolute mess when he stormed out, and he must have gone to Taehyung first for comfort.
“Taehyung, please. I need to know where Jimin is.”
“Why do you care? He just left your tent just half an hour ago, crying about how you no longer trusted him as his best friend. You hurt him, Jungkook. The damage is done, so you can go fuck yourself and be satisfied with the fact that you hurt your dearest friend.”
Jungkook feels like he’s been tossed into the icy lake, freezing water seeping into his bones, chilling him through his veins. It stings, hurts like a physical wound gaping in his chest, and Jungkook feels his head begin to swim. He’d hurt Jimin, broken their already strained relationship, and now he wonders if it’s too fragile to put back together.
“I- I wasn’t thinking of his feelings,” he confesses, his voice gone soft in submission. “I didn’t realize the impact of what I was doing. And I’m sorry. I...I have reasons for what I did, I promise you that. But I know I should have told him instead of shying away.” Jungkook prays that Taehyung can see the sincerity in his eyes, the genuitiny in his voice. “Please, Taehyung. Let me make it right.”
The omega’s expression softens, a little understanding, though there’s a hint of hesitance that has Jungkook sweating. “Alright,” he concedes. “It’s Jimin’s decision whether to forgive you or not. I won’t stand in the way of that.”
Jungkook feels his heart lift in his chest a little at the words. “Thank you, Taehyung. For this… and for looking out for him, too. I promised to protect him, but I was the one who hurt him in the end.”
The omega gives him a brief nod before going back to sorting out the blankets. “He’s left the camp and gone southward. Said he wanted to be by water.”
Jungkook inhales sharply. The river, of course. Then he feels a chill ripple down his spine. The river by the southern border. The rogue.
He barely manages out a quick ‘thank you’ to Taehyung before he’s bolting away, fear pulsing under his skin and he plunges deep into the forest in pursuit of the omega.
Jungkook finds Jimin on the riverbank, crouched by the edge of the water with his head tucked into his knees and his arms wrapped around himself. He’s trembling, and at first Jungkook thinks it must be due to the chill in the wind before he approaches the omega and hears a quiet sniffle.
Oh. He’s crying.
Jungkook is wracked with another wave of guilt, the feeling swamping over him.
“Jimin,” he says quietly, hesitantly.
The omega raises his head, hands furiously swiping at his tears as he realizes who it is.
“Jungkook.” His voice is hoarse, and the alpha’s heart sinks even further in his chest. But then suddenly he remembers the immediate danger, all guilt and regret swept away in lieu of the matter at hand.
“Jimin, I need to get you out of here,” Jungkook blurts out tactlessly, but the fear is threatening to overwhelm him. “The rogue, it’s been spotted in this area. Oh Jimin, I’m so glad I found you before it did.”
“Jungkook,” the omega sniffles again. “I didn’t think you’d come after me.”
Jungkook sweeps over to him, wrapping his arms around the omega. “Jimin, you’re my best friend,” he murmurs. He presses his face into Jimin’s hair, breathing in his sweet scent and letting it calm him down. “Maybe even more, if you would let me,” he manages to mumble into the silky strands of his silver hair. “I will always come for you.” The omega stiffens at first, but then relaxes, letting himself melt into the alpha’s embrace. But Jungkook doesn’t allow him to relax, straightening up and pulling away as quickly as he had draped himself across Jimin’s shoulders. He rests his hands on the omega’s shoulders, holding him an arm’s length away as he stares into his eyes, trying to relay how serious the situation was.
“Jimin, listen to me. What I did was wrong - I know it was - and I want to talk it out with you. But right now, we’re in danger. The rogue that I smelled the last time you were here with me? Namjoon and I have picked up on his scent multiple times, all over this area. He’s a dangerous rogue - it’s clear from the trail he’s left - and I need to get you back to the camp safely.”
His words must have struck something in Jimin, because immediately the omega’s expression hardens and he nods in understanding, scrambling to his feet as Jungkook unties the cape of furs around his shoulders to place on the omega’s protectively.
Suddenly, Jimin freezes, his entire body going tense. Jungkook whips his head around, all senses on full alert. “What is it?”
Before Jimin can reply, he tastes the scent, the bitter smell of rogue filling the air and plaguing his nostrils. He’s barely able to get a warning out before a wolf steps out of the shadows, a huge creature with broad shoulders and sharp teeth stained with blood. Jungkook is a large wolf himself, but even in comparison to this rogue he may be outmatched in size.
“A tiny alpha and his omega,” the rogue observes. “What a weak pack you must be, to send a mere pup to defend your land.” He licks his lips over his sharp canines, and a shiver of fear ripples throughout Jimin. Jungkook feels it in the way he presses against him, feels the omega trembling beside him.
“Stay behind me,” he murmurs softly, and Jimin makes a small sound of despair.
“Jungkook, I’m scared.”
The alpha turns to him, offering him his most reassuring smile. “I said I’d protect you, right?” The omega nods, eyes wide in fear. “I won’t break this promise.”
With that, he stands, changing into his wolf. The rogue growls threateningly, but Jungkook isn’t deterred. He has Jimin to protect, and that single thought burns all the fear that could have been present, leaving him with only the need to keep his omega safe.
“Give me your best, little pup,” the rogue taunts, and Jungkook does. He leaps forward, barreling into the other alpha and sinking his teeth into his pelt. It’s not enough to break skin, but the alpha howls, shaking himself to try to dislodge Jungkook from his pelt. Jungkook stays firm, pawing at his hide but with time he’s tossed off, slamming into the trunk of a tree with a heavy thud. He hears a slight ringing in his ear, and briefly wonders if that’s a sign of damage to his head, but there’s not enough time to dwell on it when the rogue is rushing at him, growling as he swipes at Jungkook’s snout.
The alpha dodges and the rogue just barely misses, swiping at air instead and taking a moment to regain his balance. They circle each other, leaping forward to get in close and deliver a new injury and falling back to dodge another swipe until they’re both covered in wounds that are dripping with their blood. The ground is covered in droplets of red, tinging the freshly fallen snow scarlet, and Jimin continues to watch anxiously.
Jungkook is starting to tire, feeling his knees start to buckle underneath him, and he briefly wonders how long he can hold on for. The rogue has clearly been better off as well, as a cut above his eye spills blood into the orbit and forces it shut. Despite this hindrance, he ducks forward with as much ferocity as he had started with, and Jungkook has to draw back to avoid the blow. For a split second, there’s an open angle on the rogue neck in his blind spot, and Jungkook lunges forward, teeth bared and snarling viciously. The wolves collapse against the ground, Jungkook tumbling over multiple times before stopping, the breath knocked out of him. The forest canopy spins above him, and the corner of his vision is spotted black.
A few paces away, the rogue wounds pour out into the ground, tainting the forest floor a vibrant red in his endless blood. Jimin runs to Jungkook’s limp, exhausted body, collapsing beside him.
“Jungkook,” the omega cries out. “Jungkook, are you okay? Get up. You have to get up.”
The alpha stays motionless for a few heartbeats, the only indication of life in his body through the rise and fall of his chest, his breathing shallow as his lungs struggle to maintain the oxygen levels in his body.
Jungkook’s eyes flicker open, a little clouded over at first, but clearing as it settles on Jimin and he manages to crack a smile. “Jimin,” he says, voice rough and raspy but full of affection.
“Oh, Jungkook.” Jimin buries his face in the alpha’s chest. “You’re alright, you’re alive.”
The alpha smirks. “I promised I would protect you, didn’t I?”
Jimin tries to laugh, but the sound gurgles in the back of his throat as another sob threatens to spill out instead. He wipes at his eyes, smearing the tears across his cheeks. “I never asked you to get hurt in the process!”
Jungkook chuckles, although his face winces in pain. “Well, I suppose that comes with the job.”
“Silly alpha,” the omega mumbles.
With Jimin’s help, the alpha manages to limp back to the village, arms draped over the omega as he helps shoulder some of the weight.
“If you didn’t have so much muscle, you wouldn’t be so heavy,” he complains.
“If I didn’t have so much muscle, I wouldn’t have been able to fight off that rogue,” Jungkook retorts, and Jimin is silenced in a bout of giggles.
He’s laid down on one of the empty beds in the healer’s hut, and Jimin sits beside him as Hoseok, flits around applying poultices and dressing all his wounds. Even when the beta is finished, his injuries all cleaned and treated Jimin stays, holding his hand as the alpha rests. He’s able to sit up with much effort and so he does, Jimin’s hand clasped in his own.
“Jungkook,” the omega starts quietly, hesitantly. “I was really worried about you.”
A laugh rumbles deep in the alpha’s chest, and Jungkook cracks a small smile. “You had nothing to worry about.”
“I was scared of losing you,” he confesses.
“You didn’t have to.”
“You’re right,” Jimin sighs. “I have no right to worry about you like this.”
Jungkook frowns. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” he says guiltily. He hadn’t been thinking about Jimin’s feelings at all, focusing solely on the dire need to protect him.
“I want to worry about you,” the omega blurts out. “I don’t want to worry about you as your best friend.”
Jungkook feels his breath catch in his throat. He thinks he knows what Jimin is trying to say, but he doesn’t state it explicitly and he curses his heart for jumping to conclusions.
“Jimin…”
The omega doesn’t let him finish. “I want to worry about you as more than that,” he confesses. “I want to worry like an omega worries about an alpha.”
Jungkook tugs at Jimin’s hands, and the omega seems to understand the motion, because he draws in closer. Jungkook leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to Jimin’s forehead.
“I want you to worry about me too,” he whispers into the omega’s skin. “I want you to worry more than friend.”
---
The full moon rises with the dying sun, casting the entire forest aglow in its silver light. She is accompanied by her entourage of stars, the faraway orbs taking their designated places in the deep ocean of the night sky. Jungkook sits beside Jimin under the light of the clear moon, her entire face revealed for the single night before disappearing into the shadows again the following night. They’re sitting close together on the riverbank, yet not quite touching as they watch the waves catch the silver light of the stars before rolling on in the motions of the current. The alpha’s wounds have begun to heal, and Hoseok allowed him out of the village to stretch his legs for the first time. Jimin had fussed over him, worried that a mere walk in the woods could do harm, but Jungkook assured him that he was fine and that he was itching to leave the stuffy healer’s hut for days now.
“It’s the full moon,” Jimin says simply, his voice almost melodic in the stillness of the night. Only the rushing of water and the song of crickets penetrate the air.
Jungkook hums in acknowledgement. “It is.”
Jimin is silent for a long moment, as if he were thinking deeply about something Jungkook can’t quite put his finger on.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks finally, because even though he has a hunch on what it could be, he does want to hear Jimin say it himself.
“We were supposed to break the imprint tonight,” the omega murmurs, almost to himself.
“We were,” Jungkook agrees.
Jimin turns his round eyes on him, shining with the full light of the moon. “What if... we didn’t?” he says hesitantly, tentatively.
Jungkook blinks. “You don’t want to break the imprint?”
Jimin nods, assuredly.
“Even though it was accidental? We can still love without an imprint.”
Jimin shakes his head. “That’s not what I mean.” He reaches up to take the alpha’s hands in his own, admires the way Jungkook’s palms swallow his own so effortlessly. “Jungkook… Alpha…”
The title has something stirring deep in Jungkook’s gut.
“You see the other alphas courting me. You see the way Minhyuk looks at me. But it’s not them. It’s never been them. Don’t you see?”
Jungkook thinks he does see, thinks he is following along. He waits patiently for Jimin to continue, knowing that he must be struggling with the emotions inside of him, the words that can’t quite come out the way he wants.
“Jungkook.” Jimin sounds nervous, but when he speaks the words are full of confidence. “What if I told you that it had always been you?”
Jungkook stills, realizing what such an implication meant.
“I think… It was always meant to be, hasn’t it? You and me?”
Jungkook swallows. He thinks about how he had been attached to Jimin since birth, how they’d been inseparable since as long as he can remember. He thinks about how even before his accidental imprinting they had been each other’s support, their lifeline. He thinks about how he had loved Jimin even before he knew he did. “Yes, I think so too.”
“I don’t want to break it,” Jimin murmurs softly. “I don’t want to be just your friend. But I don’t want to be just the omega you imprinted on either.”
Jungkook’s alpha is restless, coming to an understanding of what the omega was saying. “I want it too,” he whispers, and the way Jimin’s eyes light aglow is something he wants to cherish forever, something he’ll always hold dear to his heart. “I want it more than you can ever know.”
The omega’s cheeks flush a deep red, satisfied but shy all the same. He makes a noise of content in the back of his throat and begins to tilt his head to the side, his whole body flushing as he exposes the soft skin of his neck. Jungkook leans down in response, nosing at the omega’s neck. He presses his nose against the skin where he knows his scent gland lies, inhaling his sweet scent deeply and basking in the omega’s presence.
“So beautiful,” he murmurs against the skin, pressing a soft kiss there.
Jimin whimpers beneath him, and the alpha feels something stir deep in his belly. “Are you really mine?” he whispers, drunk on the scent of his omega.
“Yours,” Jimin whines. “Always has been yours. Always will be yours.”
Jungkook exhales again. “And I am yours.” He pushes away all his feelings of lustful desire to meet Jimin’s eyes, reveling in the way they shine with so much love. With the scent of Jimin in his nostrils and only the thought of his love for the omega in his heart, he leans down and marks the smooth expanse of his neck.
Jimin winces beneath him, gripping onto his arms with trembling fingers and exhaling as the pain subsides. Jungkook soothes the wound with his tongue, lapping up the droplets of blood welling up there until the wound clots and begins its healing process.
“My mate,” he murmurs, nuzzling at Jimin’s neck.
“My alpha,” Jimin sighs contentedly. “And still my dearest friend.” The omega interlocks their fingers, looping his arm through Jungkook’s and resting his head on the alpha’s shoulder as he stares out into the rolling water.
Jungkook glances up at the moon hanging high in the sky, his eyes trailing downward to rest on his mate. A feeling of content and warmth fills up his chest until it’s threatening to spill over. He feels so lucky, having Jimin by his side all his life and now as his omega. He looks back up at the moon, thanking the goddess for her blessing, wondering if all this was a part of the fate she had woven for them from the beginning, from before even their births.
“Alpha.” Jimin’s soft voice draws him back, his attention affixed on the only omega that matters. “What are you thinking?”
Jungkook beams down at him, closing his eyes as he noses at the omega’s neck again. “Just how lucky I am to have you.”
Jimin’s cheeks flush. “Silly alpha,” he mumbles, shy.
Jungkook chuckles, his laughter ringing out in the air. He doesn’t expect Jimin to reply, thinks he could be content with laying in the silence together forever, but suddenly the omega turns and draws him in close, pressing a soft, chaste kiss against Jungkook’s mouth. The plush of his lips tastes as sweet as his scent had promised.
“I love you,” he whispers into Jungkook’s mouth, the words tasting even sweeter on his tongue. Jungkook accepts it gratefully.
“I love you, too.”