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“Jungkook-ah, you’re staring.”
Jungkook finches and quickly looks away, the sound of Namjoon’s soft laughter filling the room around them.
“Why are you staring?”
Jungkook flushes, looking sheepish as he scoots closer to the alpha and takes his hands in his lap. He runs his fingers along Namjoon’s nails, admiring their muted grey coloring.
“’Cause it’s pretty,” he mumbles and squeezes as he laces their fingers together.
Namjoon hums, flexing his fingers. “You like it?”
“A lot. Seokjin hyung’s are really pretty too.”
“Yeah? You like the pink?”
Jungkook nods, smiling and remembering how fond he felt when Seokjin came around, showing off his new nails, so proud of the color he picked, and bragging about the date night he’d had with Hoseok.
Namjoon was next after that. He wasn’t as loud about it as Seokjin, but he shyly showed off the color that Hoseok had picked for him. Yoongi hadn’t even called attention to it. He just caught Jungkook staring a few times and quietly showed him the sparkly black he liked so much.
Jungkook wonders when his turn is going to come.
He hasn’t been able to decide what color; maybe he’ll let Hoseok choose for him too, but all he knows is that he wants the omega to paint his nails too.
He’s not entirely sure why he asked yet; new alpha hormones are still getting the best of him, maybe, and maybe a little bit of embarrassment mixed with shyness. He’s not sure.
“You should ask him,” Namjoon tells him. Jungkook makes a noise of protest and hides his head in the alpha’s shoulder, breathing in that sage scent that makes him so happy. “Oh, what’s that reaction for?”
“S’embarassing,” Jungkook mumbles, nipping at Namjoon’s scent gland, earning a whine of protest.
“Why’s it embarrassing?”
Jungkook sits up, lets out a little sigh, and then shrugs. “I’m not sure—” he swallows thickly and shakes his head. “It’s okay for alphas to do that?”
Namjoon’s laugh is quiet and breathy as Jungkook sits up and looks at him, a little worriedly. His eyes are round, and Namjoon reaches up and cups his cheeks.
“Of course, it is, baby,” he says quietly. “Haven’t we taught you anything?”
Jungkook lets out a little whine, his face scrunching as he grows embarrassed. “Of course you have!”
“So, what’s the issue, then? You know alphas, omegas, and betas can do whatever they want—there’s no certain traits tied to them.”
Jungkook takes a deep breath. “I know that.” He takes Namjoon’s hand again. “I think it’s just the new hormones—my alpha trying to figure out who I am and what’s okay.”
“Whoever you are is okay, Jungkook-ah. Whatever you want to do, is okay.”
Jungkook’s smiling is blinding as he tackles Namjoon into the couch and plants kisses all over his face. “Love you, hyung,” he murmurs through them, earning a series of giggles from him. “I needed to hear that.”
“So, it’s your turn for a Hobah date night then, hm?” Namjoon asks, wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s waist and kissing his cheek.
Jungkook’s cheeks turn a dark shade of pink, and then he nods. “Looks like it.”
“You wanna go do it right now, don’t you?”
Jungkook squirms until he’s out of Namjoon’s grip and standing in front of him, and the eagerness makes Namjoon laugh.
“Sure do!” he chirps, leans down, and steals another kiss before making his way to Hoseok’s room.
It’s a rare off day, all at home, lounging around participating in various activities. He knows Taehyung and Seokjin are playing video games, and Yoongi is at the studio. He was watching a movie with Namjoon, and Hoseok and Jimin were napping, but they should be awake by now.
He brings his hand up, hovering, and hesitating, before he knocks. He never does that, and he’s not sure why he’s hesitating now. But before he can overthink it, the door swings open, and Hoseok’s smiling at him.
“What are you doing, darling?”
Jungkook blinks and shakes his head slowly. “I-I don’t know.”
“Why aren’t you coming in?” Hoseok asks, head tilted to the side with a slight smirk on his face.
Jungkook’s eyes are wide, but his feet stay planted firmly on the ground. Hoseok playfully rolls his eyes and tugs him forward by the shirt, closing the door with his foot behind them.
Hoseok fusses over Jungkook until they’re both on the bed, the alpha lying comfortably in his arms.
“You smell distressed,” the omega comments quietly, a little nervously. “what’s wrong?”
Jungkook’s quick to insist, “Nothing!”
Hoseok runs his hands through the alpha’s newly grown-out hair and scratches along his scalp. “Ah, ah, when did you start lying to me?”
“M’not lying,” Jungkook mumbles and pouts a little, making Hoseok coo. “I just—” Jungkook sighs and searches until he finds Hoseok’s free hand and laces their fingers together. “Iwantyoutopaintmynails.”
Hoseok smirks and presses a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek, wholly endeared by the baby alpha in his arms. “Hm, what’s that, baby?”
Jungkook takes a deep breath and then repeats himself, “I want you to paint my nails.”
“You do, huh?”
Jungkook can’t help but whine a little under his breath as he squirms in Hoseok’s arms. “You’re so mean to me.”
“You know I love you, alpha.”
Jungkook sucks in a breath, and Hoseok can’t help but throw his head back in laughter at the instant reaction.
“I-I love you too,” Jungkook murmurs, his cheeks turning a dark shade of red, and Hoseok can’t resist the urge to kiss them.
“Are you feeling up to it now? Can I do it now?”
Jungkook hesitates and looks over at Jimin’s sleeping figure in the bed next to him. “Will we wake Jiminie?”
Hoseok shrugs. “It’s okay—you know he’s dead to the world once he’s out.”
Jungkook giggles quietly but nods as he climbs off Hoseok. The omega stands up and rummages around in his nightstand until he obtains the bag of polishes.
He turns to Jungkook with a bright smile and asks, “What color?” He climbs on the bed, positioning himself cross-legged in front of the alpha.
Jungkook reaches out as Hoseok starts to empty the bag and runs his fingers over a few of his polishes. He thinks about it, but none of them feel right. He searches and takes Hoseok’s hand in his. “Like yours,” he says simply. “If you can—I like the different colors.”
Hoseok’s head tilts to the side, and he doesn’t think he’s ever been more in love with the alpha than he has at this moment. “Of course, I can. You know, I’d do anything for you.”
And Jungkook—Jungkook melts.
He curls into himself, a new wave of brown sugar filling the air that Hoseok can practically taste. Jungkook smiles, big and bright, as his cheeks color.
Hoseok reaches up, cups Jungkook’s cheek, leans forward and presses their lips together. “I love you,” he murmurs into it, but even if he didn’t say it, Jungkook would feel it.
“I love you too,” Jungkook whispers back, kissing the corner of his mouth. “So much.”
Hoseok’s always had a special place in Jungkook’s heart—all his hyung’s have, but it’s always been different with Hoseok. There’s always been a special bond between them that Jungkook couldn’t explain. It’s why he shyly confessed to liking boys to him first and came to him after he kissed Seokjin for the first time, and confessed that he didn’t know that was an option and excitedly kissed him into the mattress.
Hoseok is completely gone as Jungkook smiles brightly when he picks out the different colors, he wants for each of his nails, all coming together to form a rainbow.
“What have you been up to today?” Hoseok prompts as he pulls Jungkook’s hand into his lap, starting with the basecoat.
The question is enough to get Jungkook's cheeks pink as he tells him all about the morning and how he played games and watched movies with Namjoon.
“Always good to spend time with the pack alpha, hm?” He comments, and Jungkook nods enthusiastically.
“He convinced me to come to you,” Jungkook blurts. Hoseok looks up with a raised brow as he finishes the first hand and starts on Jungkook’s other one. He hums before starting again. Jungkook swallows nervously and nods. “I don’t really know what it means to be an alpha.”
Hoseok hums again, then prompts, “Tell me more.”
“I didn’t—you know I never expected to be an alpha, so I don’t really know what it means.”
Hoseok frowns, and then Jungkook’s scent turns bitter. The omega glances up as he finishes the base coat on the second hand and sees the distressed look on Jungkook’s face.
“Baby, it’s okay,” he coos and grabs the assortment of colors and sets them in front of himself. “I’m not—I don’t know how to explain how I feel about that.”
“Please try,” Jungkook pleads, trying to keep his hand still as Hoseok paints on the colors.
Hoseok takes a deep breath. “It just—makes me a little sad for you, that you’re so worried about it.” Jungkook bites his lip and avoids the omega’s gaze. “Also makes me wanna tell Yoongi-hyung so he can enroll you in one of those ‘you aren’t your subgender’ classes he loves so much and lectures you for hours and hours—”
Jungkook groans, but it quickly turns into a laugh, and Hoseok’s smiling too.
“But in all seriousness,” he says and starts on Jungkook’s other hand. “however you want to be an alpha is okay with the rest of us. You want to paint your nails and wear skirts? Awesome. Or you want to wear all black and your stompy boots exclusively? Awesome, too. None of that matters to us, you know that.”
Jungkook nods and swallows harshly. “I know I just—” he sighs. “I want to be a good alpha for all of you.”
“You are.”
Jungkook’s head whips over to Jimin’s bed, but Hoseok doesn’t lose his concentration but smiles at the sound of Jimin’s voice.
Jimin sluggishly stands up from bed, shuffling over to Hoseok’s bed. He attaches himself to Jungkook like a koala, clinging to his back, burying his head in his neck, and scenting him softly.
“You’re the best baby alpha we could have ever asked for,” he whispers, and Hoseok quickly agrees. “You take care of us so well—always help the betas to make sure everyone’s fed, you always check on everyone before you go to sleep—”
Hoseok interrupts, “—and you do whatever you can to make them comfortable if they aren’t. Find extra pillows, blankets, etcetera.”
Jungkook blushes as Jimin continues, “You’re, like, alpha in training, constantly trailing Namjoonie to see how you can better help us all.”
“Alpha in training,” Jungkook repeats, the words feeling right on his lips. He smiles, and it’s small but powerful.
Jimin kisses his cheek as Hoseok finishes up the second hand, grabs the topcoat, and gets to work on finishing Jungkook’s nails.
If it’s a little rushed, none of them say anything; he’s just ready to have a cuddle pile with the three of them.
“I like alpha in training,” he comments. “I’m going to use that—tell the rest of them about it, and we’re never going to let you forget it.”
Jungkook can’t stop giggling at Hoseok’s words as Jimin’s nose starts tickling his throat as he scents him.
“Love you,” Jimin murmurs. “Best baby alpha I know.”
Jungkook whines and squirms a little but tries to stay still as Hoseok finishes up.
It doesn’t take long until Hoseok’s letting go of Jungkook’s hand, declaring, “All done!”
He thinks Jimin fell asleep, but he mumbles something about the colors being pretty and immediately tackles Jungkook onto the bed, on top of Hoseok, but is careful of his nails.
Jungkook and Hoseok giggle and Jimin gives them a satisfied smile and snuggles up between the two of them, and they all get comfortable.
“Thank you,” Jungkook whispers.
Jimin hums, and Hoseok quickly asks, “For what?”
“For being… so good to me over the years.”
“Baby, we love you,” Jimin reassures. “It’s nothing you haven’t done for us.”
Jungkook smiles, which is small, but it makes Hoseok smile as he kisses the top of his head.
“I think it’s just all the new hormones—I don’t know,” he whispers and buries his head in Hoseok’s neck.
“That’s okay, darling,” Hoseok coos. “you’re allowed to feel however you feel.”
“But we’re here to validate you when you need it and help with the bad feelings,” Jimin offers.
And that—that’s all Jungkook could ask for, an accepting pack that loves him for who he is.