Chapter Text
Kim Taehyung was tired. He was three weeks into his freshman year of college, already arriving at the realization that everything around him was so far out of his control. It wasn’t like he was the only omega that felt that way, but that didn’t make him feel any less anxious.
Blades of grass stabbed at the backs of his thighs as he swooped a chocolate brown tuft out of his eyes. The tiny man-made lake at the center of campus was eerily quiet. All day, he’d been talking to people he barely knew, trying to make friends like his therapist back home suggested. Alas, his social battery was spent. Sometimes, being the best version of himself was just exhausting.
He took out his sketchbook and flipped to an empty page. He started to lightly shade the face that had been sitting in the back of his mind since waking this morning-- the man from last night’s dream.
Taehyung could still make the man’s face out- clear as day: sharp jawline, two impossibly dark doe eyes, a button nose. It was as if his mind had taken every perfect facial feature from every drama character he’d ever seen and woven them together to create such a masterpiece.
In his dream, Taehyung’s dorm room roared, flames consuming every inch of the carpet, the drapes, the bedding. The heat licked at his skin, but Tae was paralyzed. Suddenly, a man emerged from the inferno, grabbing his hand without a word. When he looked up, he saw that masterpiece, those big doe eyes, that button nose.
Once he was finished with the rough sketch, he stared at it through narrowed eyes. Something about the clarity with which he was able to remember and draw the dream man made his stomach twist to form anxious little knots. He had never been one to keep track of his own dreams, or even ponder them upon waking up. So, why was this particular one starting to eat away at him?
...
“You guys are literal idiots” Jimin shook his head, flopping down on his bare mattress.
In the freshman dorms, there were three people in each suite, and Taehyung had been lucky enough to room with two boys he met during orientation: Jimin and Hoseok. Each had their own room with a queen-sized bed (which was ideal for heat purposes) and they all shared the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
“Listen, someone had to wash your sheets, you little gremlin,” Taehyung gave an exaggerated shrug.
“We’re breaking the cycle, we’re not going to fulfill the stereotype of nest-obsessed omegas,” Hoseok grinned with pride.
“Hobi, this is an all-omega dorm, hello?” Jimin flailed, rolling his eyes as he giggled.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I plan on spending my heat with a knot that isn’t battery-operated, thank you very much!” Hoseok grinned, pouncing on Jimin to tickle him lightly across his ribs.
Though they had their own rooms, the three omegas had a habit of snuggling together on a single bed most nights of the week.
“All of my exes loved my scent, said it was the best thing they’d ever smelled,” Jimin brushed his ash-blonde bangs from his forehead.
“Did they happen to say that while they were inside of you?” Taehyung raised an eyebrow.
“I swear to gods, Kim Taehyung!” Jimin took the pillow he was resting on and whacked it over Tae’s head. The room swelled with a cacophony of giggles.
Taehyung had never been one to nest, even during heats, which he’d been getting every three months since he was seventeen. His wolf, unlike the wolves of his omega friends, was remarkably quiet. His heats had never even been severe enough to make him feel like he needed a heat partner. He’d been able to get through all of them with his own fingers, or the occasional knotting dildo. Sometimes, he worried that he hadn’t worked hard enough to establish a connection with his inner wolf. Maybe, his wolf wasn’t even there- it was just his biology steering him through heats, and that was it.
...
Later that evening, the three omegas gathered in a private study room at the library.
“Why did I decide to take astronomy?” Taehyung let out a heavy sigh.
“At least we all have that class together,” Jimin shrugged.
“Okay but the Theory of Everything is so fascinating to me. Everything. Every living thing is linked,” Hoseok leaned back in his chair, a wistful grin spreading across his lips.
“You make it sound so romantic, Hobi,” Jimin rolled his eyes playfully.
“Think about it. We’re made of atoms, and so are the cosmos. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen? They make up the stars, and they’re in us.
Taehyung did. He really thought about it. Sometimes, the universe seemed so big, and he felt so incredibly small. A violent wave of cramps ran through his lower abdomen.
“If I’d been born a star, at least I wouldn’t have to deal with pre-heat. Ugh,” Taehyung massaged his stomach, but it did little to cut through the pain.
“Same. I think our cycles are syncing up. It’s official, we spend too much time together,” Jimin giggled.
“How cute, look at us! No, but seriously, we should try to find heat partners so we’re not all miserable for the next four days,” Hoseok cocked an eyebrow and glanced at both boys across the table, “Let’s go out tonight!”
Taehyung had yet to admit to his roommates that he didn’t feel like he would even need a heat partner. He desperately wanted to experience what his omega friends did- the need, the lust, the delicious satisfaction. It all just seemed so far away, like he might never be able to feel it. His omega was just defective, and that wasn’t his fault, but it felt like it was.
...
Jimin and Hoseok were moving at the speed of light, trying on different outfits. Taehyung watch in horror and amazement as endless items of clothing seemed to float to the floor around him.
“Taehyung-ah, what do we think of this?” Jimin emerged from Hoseok’s closet in a periwinkle top with lace sleeves and light-wash jeans, his eyes dusted with holographic glitter that fell to his cheekbones.
“You’re a pastel goth dream, babe,” Taehyung smirked.
Hoseok came around the corner from the bathroom and stood in the doorway. Taehyung marveled at how he could be so effortlessly cool in a pair of black trackpants, an oversized tee, and vintage-looking trainers
“Sporty Spice, reporting for duty!” Hobi gave an exaggerated salute.
Taehyung checked the time on his phone, 10:15. He looked at his reflection in the mirror hanging behind Hoseok’s door. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his favorite Billie Holliday t-shirt and cuffed the bottoms of his high-waisted jeans. He smoothed some cherry-tinted lip balm across his cupid’s bow, laced up his platform converse, and sighed in resignation.
“Fuck it. Let’s go.”
_________
When Jungkook’s roommates failed to tell him they were throwing a party at their already dilapidated house, he was hardly surprised. Being friends with upperclassmen meant living off-campus, and living off-campus somehow also meant being a party destination.
“Joon, did you procure the goods?”
“Yes, Jin, I got enough booze for, like, a small country to get effectively blitzed,” Namjoon set a case of cheap off-brand soju down on the kitchen island.
Jin leaned back against the kitchen table, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips.
“I’m bartending tonight, though. No more letting already-drunk omegas mix their own drinks,” Namjoon’s eyebrows came together in a scowl.
Jungkook had to snicker at how Namjoon could be the responsible roommate and the college party master of ceremonies at the same time. It was a talent few could pull off.
“Namjoon hyung, that’s why you’re my role model and Jin hyung is my-”
“Your favorite hyung! Obviously. It’s fine, Kook-ah. I’ll take love over respect,” Jin put his hands on either side of Jungkook’s face, squishing the younger’s cheeks.
“So Kook-ah, which goth dreamboy ensemble will you be rocking tonight? The black combat boots, or the uh, black combat boots? Such a decision!” Jin teased.
“It’s a tough decision, truly don’t know what to choose,” Jungkook lightly elbowed Jin in the ribs, making laughter explode from the older’s mouth.
...
Before Jungkook knew it, the party was in full swing. As the unofficial aux cord DJ, he spent most of his time setting up his subwoofers and making sure no one tripped over various electrical cords.
The house was packed, people moving to the hum of the bass that seemed to swallow the scene. Alphas and omegas grinded on each other left and right, scents mixing and mingling together until Jungkook’s head throbbed and he had no choice but to step out for some fresh air.
“Find anyone you fancy? There’s a cute boy in the kitchen I’ve had my eye on, but there’s also a cute girl in the living room that I would literally propose to, like, tomorrow.” Jin stepped out into the yard, sliding the back door closed behind him. He handed Jungkook a paper cup of soju.
“The night is still young, I’m taking my time,” Jungkook shrugged, taking a sip.
“He’s young but he’s oh-so-wise! Also it’s weirdly cold out here. Now that you have a drink, I’m heading back in” Jin patted Jungkook on the back and retreated back into the hot humidity of the overcrowded house.
Jungkook knew he should’ve been right behind Jin, following him back into the party. He knew he should be making rounds, talking to people, maybe even finding an omega to get cozy with. But, he wasn’t a typical alpha. His wolf didn’t push him the way other alphas’ did. His wolf was quiet, much like him. It’s not that he was a bad alpha, he thought, just a gentle one. Even after presenting as an alpha at sixteen, his ruts were not easily triggered, and he’d never needed more than his own hand to get through one. It didn’t bother Jungkook. He didn’t want to be like his alpha friends, thinking with his knot and not his brain. Maybe it was because he’d never been with an omega, maybe he just didn’t know what he was missing. He could have volunteered to be a heat partner for about a dozen different omegas who’d told him they were interested, but he was hesitant to be used. He wanted to be more than just a sort of one heat wonder. He wanted to connect with someone, wanted it to really feel right.
He just hoped he’d be able to recognize that “right” feeling if he ever found it.