Archive of Our Own

The sound of a gong vibrated through the camp, spreading through the houses and trees, alerting everyone in the pack that it was time for the ceremony. Yoongi’s heart was beating wildly in his chest and he wiped his clammy hands on his trousers. He had been in the middle of collecting wood, but it seemed his time was up. The sky had been getting lighter each minute and Yoongi hadn’t even noticed. The winter hunt could start any moment now and he should head back soon to wish the participants good luck.

Every year on the day of the first snowfall, the alphas of the pack went on one big, collective hunt. The main purpose was to stock up on wildlife before the weather got too harsh and made hunting almost impossible - something all packs did - but their pack had added a tradition of their own: the unmated alphas in their pack who were ready to court would hunt individually and try to catch the biggest prey to present to a person of their choosing. Traditionally, this meant an omega, but as the years went by, their pack became less conservative and didn’t mind different subgenders courting each other. Now, betas and even omegas participated in the hunt to show their courting intent publicly.

Normally, Yoongi wouldn’t be nervous about the event. He always looked forward to wishing his participating friends good luck on the hunt - he remembered how nervous Namjoon was when he participated two years ago to court Taehyung, or how excited Hoseok and Jungkook were to participate together as a mated couple last year - but this year… This year was different.

All because of Park Jimin.

Near the end of autumn, a list was put up in the communal room. People who wanted to partake in the winter hunt could sign up - it made it easier to predict how much meat would be stocked up and how many preparations should be made. Two days ago, Yoongi had been sitting in that communal room when his best friend Seokjin suddenly dragged him from his seat and pulled him towards the list. He had been blabbering excitedly, but the words didn’t reach Yoongi’s ears as his eyes zoned in on a name he thought he’d never see on the list: Park Jimin.

Jimin was a close family friend. Yoongi’s parents had been friends with Jimin’s parents even before Yoongi was born, and Yoongi was there to witness Jimin’s birth. He still remembered how tiny Jimin had been, how it felt to hold such a small creature in his short, stubby arms. Jimin was still tiny, even now that he was in his twenties. Not that Yoongi could tease him about it - sadly, they were the same height. 

It was hard to imagine a life without his childhood friend. They’d been inseparable since they were pups, glued to each other’s sides. It had only been a matter of time before one of them fell for the other, Yoongi could easily admit that. He just loathed the fact it was him who was lovestruck. What a cliché - the socially awkward omega who sucked at expressing his feelings was in love with the popular alpha sweetheart. 

Jimin was simply hard to miss: when he walked into a room, all heads turned his way, and not only because of his beauty - his charming smile, his easy-going nature and his willingness to help people made him popular in the pack even before he presented as an alpha at sixteen. Everyone had put their sights on Jimin, which left Yoongi with a lot of competition - if he ever gathered enough courage to confess, that is. 

But despite all the people confessing to Jimin left and right, the alpha always turned them down. According to their friends, it was because Jimin only had eyes for Yoongi, and he couldn’t really disagree - he had noticed it too.

Yoongi was still clueless as to how that happened. Surely there were prettier and more interesting people in the pack than him – Jimin could choose anyone, and yet he was glued to Yoongi’s side most of the time. Yoongi liked to think it was simply because their families were so close; the two of them becoming close as well was unavoidable. 

Jimin signing up for the individual winter hunt as an unmated alpha could only mean one thing: he was ready to court someone. And that someone would most likely be Yoongi.

But what if it wasn’t?

“Yoongichi!”

Yoongi blinked. He realised he had been staring at the ground for who knows how long, lost in his thoughts. He looked up from the dead leaves scattered all around him and made eye contact with Seokjin.

“I came to fetch you,” he said. “The gong was rung ages ago and everyone is waiting for you.”

“Sorry,” Yoongi mumbled, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment. Now everyone was going to stare at him when he arrived. Just what he needed. As if being one of the only omegas in the pack wasn’t reason enough to be stared at, he could now add tardiness to the list.

Seokjin sensed Yoongi’s mood as usual – they knew each other like the back of their hand, so the alpha was able to notice and identify even the slightest change in Yoongi’s scent. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll go together and I’ll draw everyone’s attention away from you with my stunning looks.”

Yoongi snorted. “My knight in shining armour,” he remarked dryly. He started walking back towards the camp – he would have to return to the forest after the ceremony to collect more wood. Maybe his head would be clearer then, too, so that he could actually focus on his task instead of daydreaming about his crush. 

Seokjin quickly caught up to Yoongi and linked their arms together, subtly scenting the omega with his black tea scent. It complemented Yoongi’s own peach scent nicely – Yoongi was always reminded of when he was a pup and his mum made him tea and sliced up fruit as an afternoon snack. Seokjin’s scent was familiar and comforting and usually helped the omega quell his nerves, but today was different: all Yoongi could think of was Jimin participating in the hunt, Jimin declaring who he was courting, Jimin not choosing him—

A sudden flick to his forehead made Yoongi wince and he glared at Seokjin. “What was that for?”

“For worrying so much. You’re even making me nervous, and I’m not the one getting courted.”

Yoongi stopped walking abruptly. Since their arms were still linked, that meant Seokjin was forced to stop walking too. “What if I don’t get courted, though?” Yoongi whispered, letting all of his insecurities pour out. “Jimin is my childhood friend, but so are you and you’re not interested in me, right? So why would he be?”

“First off, I’ve seen you in diapers, so I could never fall for you,” Seokjin teased. Yoongi grunted but was ignored by the alpha. “Second off, Jimin has the biggest crush on you. You’re just too caught up in your own feelings to notice.”

“But how do you know for sure?” Yoongi urged. “Did he tell you or something?”

Seokjin shook his head. The little flame of hope that had been burning in Yoongi’s heart snuffed out at the gesture. “Then you can’t know,” the omega murmured. 

“You’ll see,” Seokjin assured, “Mark my words.”

The conversation naturally fizzled out after that. Seokjin kept their arms linked and Yoongi was secretly glad with the support – not like he’d ever say so out loud. He’d already get teased enough by his best friend, it was better to not give him yet another reason.

They neared the end of the forest. Yoongi could see the dirt road leading towards the camp and tried to ignore the way his stomach was tied in knots. Everything would be fine – if Jimin didn’t want to court him, he’d find someone else eventually. Even if he really didn’t want to.

The sounds of the ceremony reached Yoongi’s ears before the whole thing came into view - the excited conversations, voices rising in volume as they walked closer; the chopping of wood for the four big bonfires, set up at each corner of their village’s square; the pit-patter of children’s feet running around, energised by the agitated atmosphere and the sugar cubes the elderly always sneaked into their hands. Yoongi would know: he was a calm pup, always observing from the sidelines, and more often than not one of their elders had approached him with sugar cubes and hushed whispers of “go play with the others”.

The omega joined the crowd, ignoring the way the mix of scents made him a little nauseous. He’d always been sensitive to scents - when he was a pup, he needed to sit near an open window or the combination of so many different scents would overwhelm him. Right now, he kept his head down, his nose buried in his fur coat. He inhaled his own peachy scent, blocking out the others for the most part.

The gong rang for the last time. Silence fell over the crowd, a silent anticipation. Yoongi shuffled towards the side of the crowd so he could at least see the line of participants in front, all kneeling down with their heads bowed.

The head of the elderly walked towards the participants, facing them and the crowd. It was Seokjin’s grandparent, Ayeong, an alpha woman who had gone from pack alpha to head elderly after her retirement. She was the one who offered Yoongi the most sugar cubes when he was a pup, much to Seokjin’s chagrin.

She cleared her throat and the crowd got even quieter somehow. Then, with a booming voice: “I welcome all our pack members to this year’s winter hunt. It pleases me to see so many excited faces, ready to do their part and participate in the hunt.”

People cheered and clapped loudly as Ayeong turned around to retrieve a bowl. She walked towards the participants and dipped her finger in the bowl, spreading the black liquid on the forehead of a small beta girl. Yoongi knew her - Yeojin and her parents lived close to Yoongi’s parents, so their parents had been neighbours and friends from before Yoongi was born. He didn’t know much about her because she was so much younger than him, but he had heard rumours about her and a cute omega girl one year her senior. It made sense that she would participate this year to publicly announce her intention.

After Ayeong finished drawing the symbol on Yeojin’s forehead, the beta girl stood up and turned around, facing the crowd with a nervous smile. She walked towards the omega girl Yoongi had heard rumours about and murmured something he couldn’t hear. From the big smile on the omega girl’s face, Yoongi gathered Yeojin had just declared her intention towards her friend.

One by one, Ayeong drew the same symbol on the participants’ foreheads. It was the symbol for the unmated participants, Yoongi realised, and his nerves returned tenfold. He’d been so focused on his neighbour before that he had almost forgotten about Jimin.

It was hard to recognise the others - Yeojin had been closest to Yoongi, so it had been easy to see her face, but Ayeong was now walking further away from him and it was difficult to see the participants properly. When one of the participants stood up and walked away, a familiar mop of almond brown hair came into view. The person lifted their head and Yoongi held back a gasp.

So Jimin was participating after all. Dear gods.

Yoongi wiped his clammy hands on his furs, wiggling his head left and right in a nervous tic. Seokjin’s black tea scent got stronger behind him, comforting in its familiarity. He breathed in deeply, held his breath, and exhaled shakily. He’d be fine, no matter who Jimin picked. 

But he really wanted Jimin to choose him.

Ayeong finished drawing the symbol on Jimin’s forehead. He was the last of the unmated participants - the symbols were given according to age, and Jimin was the oldest unmated participant this year, so of course he’d be last.

Yoongi held his breath as Jimin turned around, searching the crowd for someone. His eyes landed and Yoongi and a beautiful, timid smile blossomed on his face. It contradicted his self-assured posture, the way he confidently strode towards Yoongi.

Seokjin had been right. Jimin was going to court him. It was really happening.

Jimin came to a stop in front of Yoongi, standing close like they always did. He had his hands behind his back, something Yoongi knew he did to hide the shaking of his hands when he was nervous. Despite his confident exterior, the alpha was as nervous as Yoongi was, most likely even more than the omega - after all, Yoongi had all the power now, he could accept or reject Jimin’s intention.

“Hi, Yoongi-hyung,” Jimin started. His voice was soft but stable, no indication of nerves whatsoever. Yoongi nodded, not trusting his own voice. “At this point, you probably know what I’m about to ask, but I’ll ask you properly anyways,” he continued.

Yoongi nodded again and breathed in deeply - he could smell a mix of Jimin’s wine scent in front of him and Seokjin’s black tea scent behind him. 

Jimin stretched out his right arm, palms up. “Omega Yoongi, may I offer you the prey I catch today as a token of my courting intention?”

Yoongi’s throat constricted, mouth suddenly dry in contrast to his sweaty hands. He wiped them again and licked his lips. He glanced from Jimin’s outstretched arm to his face and noticed the sweat beads on Jimin’s forehead, the smile that was too tight. Yoongi knew he should reply, needed to do more than nodding or it wouldn’t be official - fucking traditions - but somehow he still couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

He felt someone softly poke him in the back - Seokjin. It helped ground him, helped his brain start up again. He cleared his throat and made eye contact with Jimin, smiling in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “Alpha Jimin,” he declared, “I accept your courting intention.”

~~~

Jimin walked near the back of the hunting pack, body moving on autopilot while his mind worked in overdrive.

Yoongi had accepted.

Yoongi wanted Jimin to offer him the first gift that would start their courting.

Yoongi wanted him.

No matter how many times Seokjin had reassured him that, yes, Jimin’s feelings were mutual and, yes, Yoongi still liked him, declaring his intention had still been nerve-wracking. The only reason he participated in the winter hunt this year was because Taehyung had grown tired of him whining about his crush every single day. Deep down, he hadn’t really believed Yoongi would say yes.

But he had.

And now here Jimin was, making his way deeper into the forest to find the best prey. For his best friend and crush. Who wanted Jimin to court him. So they could mate.

Jimin shook his head, huffing. He would never get to mating if he didn’t catch any prey. Yoongi was a practical omega, he knew he preferred practical over pretty, so he’d be happy with a bear fur, or maybe some boar. But this would be Jimin’s first courting gift - he had to prove himself as a worthy mate, as someone who could provide and protect, which meant the rarer the prey, the better.

With a few quick strides, Jimin smoothly ran ahead of the hunting pack. He knew he was one of the bigger wolves of the pack, had been praised often enough for it, but it only meant he stood out more when he came across prey. Though it also meant he was faster than most - and today, he was going to use that to his advantage.

He dashed through the forest, expertly evading trees and big bushes. Sniffing the air, the alpha tried to smell any nearby animals. He only noticed small prey - a couple of deer and some foxes - so he kept running, deeper and deeper into the forest, until he couldn’t smell his fellow pack members anymore. It was fine - the group of unmated pack members usually split up, having more of an “every person for themself” mentality since they couldn’t share prey like the mated pack members could.

After running for nearly half an hour, Jimin’s nose picked up the scent of some bigger prey. He panted, eyes glowing bright red as he slowed his pace, paws softly thumping on the ground. Coming to a halt, he smelt the air again, certain now - he found the perfect prey for his future courting mate.

~~~

“Yoongi, if you pace from left to right one more time I swear to God,” Seokjin grumbled. He was frowning at Yoongi from where he was sitting on the couch next to Taehyung. The beta had draped himself all over Seokjin, and Seokjin had apparently made it his mission to give Taehyung little Dutch braids. “You’re making me nervous.”

“I’m sorry,” Yoongi murmured. He just couldn’t calm down like the others, not when Jimin was out their possibly risking his life for him.

They were all sitting in the communal room - Taehyung and Seokjin on the couch closest to the fireplace, and Namjoon browsing one of the bookshelves for something to read to pass the time. Yoongi had been pacing in front of the fireplace up until his best friend had made him acutely aware of how annoying that was. 

He sighed and walked towards the couch, sitting down next to his friends. Taehyung, sensing Yoongi’s mood, sat up straight and held Yoongi’s cheeks between his palms, squishing them. “Jimin’s going to be fine, hyung,” he stated, rubbing Yoongi’s cheeks in a way he knew Yoongi found annoying. Not like the omega would ever complain about it. “He’s a strong and capable alpha. Don’t worry about him.”

“Easier said than done,” Yoongi retorted, but his voice sounded weird because of Taehyung’s squishing. What he meant to come off as serious just sounded like he was sulking. “At least you’re already mated and don’t have to worry about Namjoon coming back anymore.”

Taehyung finally let go of Yoongi’s face. “I had reason to worry,” he said, side-eying his mate. “Joonie’s too clumsy and he never hunts alone, so he had no experience hunting by himself. Jimin does. He’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

“And he’ll bring you back the flashiest furs you’ve ever seen,” Seokjin added with a wink.

Yoongi groaned. “I don’t need flashy furs. I just need him, safe and sound.”

There was a beat of silence. Embarrassment sank deep into Yoongi’s gut as his friends all collectively awwed.

“You are so precious,” Seokjin cooed.

Yoongi hid his face behind his hands. “Am not!”

“So hyung does have a cute side after all,” Namjoon added. Yoongi peeked between his fingers to see the alpha walk up to them, two books in his hands.

“You heard that?”

“Sure did.”

“Hyungie is the cutest,” Taehyung said resolutely, no room for argument. He ruffled Yoongi’s hair and Yoongi pretended to hate it, all while leaning his head just a tiny bit closer to Taehyung’s hand. He liked Taehyung’s neutral beta scent - citrusy orange, one of his favourite scents. But Jimin’s scent is your favourite , his brain not-so-helpfully provided. And now he was back to fussing about the alpha. Great.

Orange and dark chocolate suddenly engulfed him. Yoongi looked up and noticed Taehyung had buried his face in Yoongi’s neck, while Namjoon had sat down next to the omega - which was a miracle in and by itself, because the couch was not suited for four adult men - and was carefully carding his fingers through Yoongi’s hair.

“We can’t let our favourite omega be sad,” Taehyung murmured, voice barely discernible, lips tickling Yoongi’s neck.

“I’m the only omega in our friend group,” he snorted.

“Our favourite,” Taehyung repeated. 

Namjoon used his blunt nails to scratch Yoongi’s scalp. “How about a nap, hyung? To make the time fly by faster. We’ll wake you up when Jiminie gets back.”

Yoongi had involuntarily closed his eyes at all the attention he was given. He grumbled and opened them again. “But Jiminie-”

“Won’t be back for the next few hours, at least,” Seokjin interrupted him. “Sleep, Yoongichi. We’ll stay right here.”

Yoongi nodded. He could see where his friends were coming from - pacing and fretting over Jimin wasn’t going to make him come back sooner, wasn’t going to somehow speed up time.

Namjoon stood up from the couch and Yoongi whined, surprising even himself. He hadn’t realised his omega had begun seeing their little couch cuddles as the start of a nest and his cheeks heated up in embarrassment. The alpha didn’t mock him, though. He only shushed him calmly. “Don’t worry, I’m only giving you more space to lie down. See?”

Namjoon sat down on the floor, his back leaning against the couch. Yoongi nodded in approval. That would work.

The omega stood up and wordlessly asked Seokjin and Taehyung to lie down on the couch. They understood immediately - they had had multiple pack bonding sessions where Yoongi had taken charge and had given everyone a spot in his nest. Though they hadn’t pack bonded in a while, everything still came easily to them.

The couch was barely big enough to fit both of them lying on their backs next to each other. Seokjin would just have to do his best not to fall off, Yoongi decided. He nodded once, then smoothly climbed on top of his friends belly-down. He slung one arm around Seokjin’s waist and put the other on Taehyung’s chest, palm on top of his heart so he could feel the regular thump thump thump. He buried his nose in Seokjin’s neck, inhaling the scent most familiar to him. A low, content rumble escaped his throat when Taehyung lifted his arm to play with Yoongi’s hair. 

“G’night,” Yoongi slurred. It was difficult to talk when he was still emitting purs, having to consciously stop them for a few seconds to be able to speak.

“Goodnight, hyungie,” Taehyung cooed.

“Sweet dreams,” Seokjin whispered.

Another hand in his hair, bringing the scent of dark chocolate with it. “We’ll wake you up when your Jiminie returns.”

~~~

“He’s not back yet?”

“There are a lot of unmated pack members who haven’t returned yet. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Will hyung feel the same though?”

Yoongi stirred in his sleep, head fuzzy. He vaguely recognised the voices, but had a hard time discerning what exactly they were saying.

“Be quiet or you’ll wake him up.” That was… Namjoon. Yeah, definitely Namjoon. Why was he so worried about Yoongi waking up, though? 

A snort. “He’s already awake. Woke up about ten minutes ago, but he’s obviously still drowsy.” That was Seokjin. It made sense - he’d known Yoongi for the longest and knew each nuance to his scent. Out of all their friends, it was definitely him who would know such a detail as Yoongi’s scent when he was awake or asleep.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh ’.”

Yoongi grunted, moving around until he smelt oranges. Taehyung was still lying next to him. Good. Sighing contently, Yoongi moved closer to his beta friend, until he could smell the scent glands on his neck.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Taehyung’s deep voice rumbled. 

Yoongi frowned, confused. “Morning?” he croaked out.

“It’s evening, don’t worry,” Seokjin cleared up. 

That was good, yes. Morning would mean Jimin had been gone for the entire day and night. Evening was better - most participants of the hunt stayed away the entire day, but rarely did they not return before the stars were out. “Hm.”

“He seems fine about it,” a new voice piped in. Yoongi frowned again and opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times. Was that Jungkook?

“Oh, he’s fully awake! Hi, hyung,” the same voice said, sounding too energetic for Yoongi’s sleepy self. The scent of sea salt got stronger, mixed with some ginger. Hoseok was here as well?

Yoongi wiggled around until he could see his two friends. They had participated in the winter hunt as a mated couple this year, so it made sense they were back sooner than the unmated wolves, who had to be more ambitious when it came to choosing prey to hunt down. He was still glad to see them again, safe and sound.

He made eye contact with Jungkook, who looked at him with an excited grin and a sparkle in his eyes. Hoseok was standing behind him, seemingly more tired than his mate, but he was still smiling at Yoongi.

“Hi, Kookie, Seok,” Yoongi murmured, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the last remnants of sleep. “How did it go?”

“It went great! Hyung and I caught a big male deer and we skinned it together. We’re going to put it on the couch,” Jungkook rambled. Yoongi sat up straight to be closer to him, suddenly feeling the urge to scent him. The alpha seemed to catch on - probably smelt the restlessness in Yoongi’s scent - and stretched out his arm for Yoongi to take. As Jungkook continued talking excitedly about the hunt, Yoongi moved Jungkook’s wrist against his neck, basking in the salty scent. Before he could use his puppy eyes on Hoseok, the alpha already offered Yoongi his wrist with a soft smile. Yoongi let go of Jungkook’s wrist to focus on Hoseok’s ginger scent, inhaling greedily. 

Yoongi was usually pretty clingy after a nap, wanting to smell like his family and closest friends and cuddle anyone nearby, but today with the added stress of Jimin’s intention, it was more of a need than a want. Scenting all his friends, having their scents intermingle until Yoongi smelt of familiarity , was exactly what he needed.

The only scent missing was Jimin’s.

“When will Jimin-ah be back?” Yoongi asked, but it sounded more like an embarrassing whine. He ignored the fond looks thrown his way, preferring to focus on biting his nails. 

Hoseok gently pulled Yoongi’s hand away from his mouth. “Soon. Kook and I arrived here about two hours ago, so he’ll be here any minute now. You know he has to skin the fur first, so that’ll take a little while too.”

The omega nodded, not completely satisfied with the answer. He couldn’t change anything about it though.

“Want to go outside and wait for him?” Jungkook suggested.

Yoongi was about to nod when Taehyung spoke up: “He doesn’t have crazy alpha heat like you guys. He’ll freeze to death if he stands still in the cold for so long and then Jimin will kill you.”

Jungkook pouted, crossing his arms. “I forgot,” he mumbled. Yoongi didn’t blame him - there weren’t a whole lot of omegas in their pack, it was easy to forget some of the small differences between their subgenders.

“They’re back!”

Yoongi perked up. He saw others sit up straight as well, people he recognised from the ceremony earlier, who were also waiting to see their family and friends return.

“Come on,” Namjoon said, dimples on display as he smiled at Yoongi with an outstretched hand. Yoongi took it and followed him outside. The wind was icey and it was dark, making it hard to see who had arrived already. Yoongi noticed the others had followed him and Namjoon as well - they were standing in a half-circle around the pair, essentially protecting Yoongi from the wind.

Yoongi nervously stamped his feet, squeezing Namjoon’s hand tightly. He wondered what Jimin had hunted for him, secretly wanted to know how hard the alpha had tried for him. Obviously, Yoongi was already ecstatic about Jimin even wanting to start their courtship - he could offer him the smallest, thinnest furs and Yoongi would wear them every day with pride.

The smell of wine suddenly hit him strong, making him weak in the knees. “Minie,” he whispered, as he let go of Namjoon’s hand and stumbled forwards. He followed his nose as he ran towards the forest, the wine scent getting stronger with every inhale. His eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness yet, so he didn’t notice when Jimin was right in front of him until he hit him square in the chest. 

Yoongi gasped as Jimin’s arms wound around his waist, nearly sobbing from how much he had missed him. “I was so worried,” he breathed out. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Jimin laughed - god, Yoongi loved his laugh. “I’m okay, hyung. And I bet you just slept the entire time I was gone.”

Yoongi slapped his arm, gasping in offence. “Not the entire time. I only slept because the others convinced me to.”

“I’m glad,” Jimin cooed, lightly scenting Yoongi’s neck. “I’m glad you didn’t have time to worry.”

The omega hummed, returning the scenting. They stood in silence for a while, simply scenting each other. Eventually, Jimin spoke up: “You smell like our friends. It smells… homey.”

“Got restless,” Yoongi admitted. He exhaled heavily, deciding to be frank. “I’ve wanted to court you for so long, when you declared your intention I just… It made me want to be with you, be close to you, but then you immediately had to leave for the hunt. Made me worry so much.”

“I’m sorry,” the alpha said softly, genuinely. “But I’m back now. I’ll scent you all you want, give you all the cuddles you could possibly need.”

“Good. Now where’s my fur?”

Jimin barked out a laugh, leaning away from Yoongi’s neck and almost falling over by the force of his laughter. “Yah! So this is how courting you is going to be? You being spoiled?”

Yoongi’s belly pooled with warmth at hearing the word ‘courting’. This was it - they would start their courtship after years of uncertainty and seemingly unrequited feelings. “Yes, that’s exactly how it’s going to be.”

“I love it,” Jimin grinned. He sobered up then, moving his arms away from Yoongi. The omega could feel something soft against his skin - Jimin had been holding Yoongi’s courting fur when Yoongi had run into him.

The alpha sank down on both knees and stretched out his arms, a beautiful spotted fur in his arms. “Omega Yoongi,” he started, “I offer you this leopard cat fur as a symbol of my courtship to you. Do you accept?”

A leopard cat. Jimin had hunted a leopard cat for him. The fact that this was the hardest prey to catch by yourself in their region was already impressive enough, but they were almost extinct and hard to come by. Jimin had caught the rarest animal he could find.

For Yoongi.

Tears welled up in Yoongi’s eyes and he sniffled, embarrassed. “I accept.”

Jimin’s smile was radiant as he stood up and draped the fur around Yoongi’s shoulder. It was so warm and soft, skillfully skinned and turned into a beautiful overcoat. “I love it,” Yoongi said, slowly rubbing his hands over the fur to feel the texture.

“You’d better. It took me ages to skin properly,” Jimin said playfully. He winked at Yoongi and gently took Yoongi’s hands in his.

“Thank you,” Yoongi said in earnest. He made eye contact with Jimin and saw nothing but fondness and pride in his eyes. He hoped his own eyes reflected the same feelings back. “Can I kiss you as thanks?”

“You can kiss me always.”

Yoongi let go of Jimin’s hands to hold onto his cheeks, standing on his tip-toes as he inched closer. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Jimin’s lips were warm, a nice contrast to the icy wind blowing around them. Jimin held onto Yoongi’s waist as he pulled him closer, slightly opening his lips to tug gently at Yoongi’s bottom lip. Yoongi moved his hands from Jimin’s cheeks to his nape, tugging softly at the hair there.

They kissed until Yoongi’s feet were frozen and he was shivering - from pleasure or cold or a combination of both, he wasn’t sure. Jimin felt him shiver and leaned backwards, disconnecting their lips. He rubbed Yoongi’s sides, then his arms, trying to warm him up. “Let’s get you home.”

“I want to stay with you though.”

“Stop pouting.”

“I’m not pouting,” Yoongi pouted. Jimin simply laughed.

They walked back hand in hand. Jimin’s thumb rubbed softly over Yoongi’s hand and he wanted to melt into a puddle from how fond he felt of the alpha. The square was empty - everyone else was now holed up in the communal room or at home, away from the cold wind. They were the only ones still outside.

Jimin dropped Yoongi off at his hut. Yoongi wanted to kiss for a little longer, but during their walk back he had noticed the way Jimin’s shoulders were slumped and the bags under his eyes - the alpha was exhausted, unsurprisingly so. “Rest well tonight, alpha,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss on Jimin’s forehead, nose, and lips. “You did well.”

“Thank you, omega,” Jimin whispered, matching his volume to Yoongi’s. He kissed him back, soft pecks that made Yoongi blush harder than when they had been making out earlier. “I’ll come see you in the morning.”

“Yah,” Yoongi whined, “you always wake up too early. Let me sleep.”

“I’ll come cuddle you.”

Oh. “Well,” Yoongi said, clearing his throat. He could feel his cheeks heat up even more. “That’s… That doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll be waiting then.”

Jimin smiled sadly. “I wish I could spend the night here cuddling you.”

“The elders would publicly crucify us.”

The alpha snorted. “They’re dumb.”

Yoongi shrugged. “Never said they weren’t.”

“I’ll see you in the morning then.”

Yoongi quickly leaned forward to wrap his arms around Jimin’s neck, hugging him tightly. “Don’t be late.”

“So which is it? Don’t be late or don’t wake you up?”

“Both.”

Jimin laughed and pressed a kiss to Yoongi’s forehead. “Fussy omega.”

“You still chose to start courting me.”

“Didn’t say I disliked it.”

“Good.” Yoongi smiled. “Now go, it’s cold.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m leaving. See you tomorrow, hyung.”

“Good night, Jiminie.”

~~~

Jimin ended up waking Yoongi up after all, not only the next morning, but every morning after that. And Yoongi couldn’t be happier about it, thankful every day that he would spend the rest of his life with his soulmate.