Work Text:
"Hyuuuung, Jungkookie got scent drunk again !"
Seokjin sighed deeply and rubbed his hand over his face when he heard Taehyung's vaguely amused, mildly exasperated scream.
Next to him, Yoongi chuckled softly and shook his head, placing his hand on top of Seokjin's free one and standing up.
"I've got this," he said with a smile, before walking out of the room to go to the rescue of his little troublemakers.
Hoseok laughed and took over his job of helping Seokjin cutting vegetables for dinner:
"I'm sorry, hyung."
"No. No, you are not sorry. This is entirely your fault, Jung Hoseok!"
The omega laughed louder at that, grinning innocently and batting his eyes at his beta hyung.
Seokjin was just being dramatic, it was not really his fault if Jungkook had developed some kind of addiction to Taehyung's scent once he presented as an alpha! All he had done was teach Taehyung how to modulate his scent, how was he supposed to know the little shit would use it against his youngest alphas almost on a daily basis whenever they were being a little too alpha-y around him??
Okay, fine, he should have expected it, totally his fault.
"I'll make it up to everyone, hyung," he said, biting his lips to hide another set of giggles.
Seokjin hid a smile of his own, nodding:
"You totally are. Jungkook is your responsibility tonight. And you are having a talk with Taehyung about how we don't get our mates scent drunk just because we can, okay?"
"I mean, we kind of do, though—?"
" Hoseok! "
As soon as Yoongi entered the room, he was met with the sight of a struggling Taehyung trying to get Jungkook to stop clinging to and nuzzling against him, whining a little in his efforts as the out-of-it alpha complained loudly and easily overpowered him, just sticking to him even tighter.
The moment he caught sight of his Pack Alpha approaching them, the omega's eyes flashed the brightest blue as he stared pleadingly at him from over Jungkook's shoulder.
" Hyung , help me!!" he called out, this time using even his feet to push Jungkook away, more for dramatic effect than real effort.
Yoongi knew he shouldn't laugh, but the strangled sound he let out did not do much to hide how hilarious the scene was to him.
Not that he was the only one. Jimin, who was on the floor next to the couch where the youngest duo was having their little wrestling match, was clutching at his stomach and curling up as he wheezed through fits of laughter, tears streaming from his eyes that were squeezed shut, and even Taehyung was smiling a little despite his frustration beginning to infiltrate his vanilla scent.
"Okay pup, that's enough." Remembering his role, Yoongi shook his head and marched up to the couch, reaching out and placing a firm hand on the back of Jungkook's neck, pressing his thumb against the younger alpha's scent gland.
Jungkook seemed to immediately relax a little, but not enough yet to let go of Taehyung. Yoongi sighed and rolled his eyes.
Of course, he just had to be in that deep , right?
He sent Taehyung a pointed look, to which the omega replied with an indignant yelp:
"I didn't do anything this time , hyung!!"
Yoongi had a hard time believing it, but he conceded him the benefit of doubt, for truthfully, Taehyung was still learning how to handle his scent, and sometimes he accidentally released more than he intended. That, paired with Jungkook's over-sensitive nose and the way he was still a young alpha made him extremely vulnerable to scent-drunkenness.
Therefore, Yoongi himself had to go a little deeper into his alpha nature, if he wanted to really get through to Jungkook. His alpha was there, waiting for him to grant it some control. It was always there, just below the surface of his being, to be honest, but Yoongi was good at keeping a firm hold on it.
Go ahead, settle the pup .
Yoongi's eyes turned a gentle shade of red, still mixed with brown, showing he was still in control. But his voice was deeper than usual, a warm rumble that shook all three maknaes to the core, their own wolves immediately reacting to it.
A strong scent of rainy days washed all over them, chasing away the intoxicating sweetness of untamed vanilla, and Jungkook took a deep gulp of air.
"Let Tae go, Jungkookie. Come to hyung instead."
The youngest alpha obeyed immediately, releasing his hold on his youngest hyung and instead turning to Yoongi with a small, vulnerable whimper. Yoongi replied with a cooing sound, opening his arms to welcome Jungkook, letting him cuddle and nuzzle at his scent gland as he pleased.
Taehyung sighed in relief but looked at them a little guiltily. Jimin had stopped giggling but hadn't really moved from his spot on the ground, still curled up, now blinking a little sleepily.
Yoongi understood what was going on and gave the omega another fond, but stern, look:
"Really, Taehyung?"
"I didn't do it on purpose!!" the omega complained again, eyes turning blue once more and going wide to show his innocence.
Yoongi almost regretted letting him spend that much time with Hoseok, did the Pack Omega really have to snitch on all his weakest spots to him??
"Then how come both your mates are scent drunk?" he asked patiently, rolling his eyes and giving a gentle, but warning, nip to Jungkook when the other tried to rub his teeth on his scent gland. The pup growled at him, but it was more adorable than anything, so he just pinched his side in retailation.
"I don't know," Taehyung replied, dragging the "o" a little and pouting at him, as if begging the Pack Alpha to believe him. "Kookie was nervous and asked me if he could scent me a little, and I said yes, but then– I really didn't do it on purpose, Alpha!! I just wanted to help, and maybe my omega was fretting and I released too much?? I don't know how I intoxicated Jiminie too!!" the more he talked, the more worked up the pup got, and Yoongi felt his chest tightening a little, for he could see – and smell – how truly sorry the omega was for what had happened. This time, it looked like an actual accident, at least…
"It's alright, Taehyung-ah. Let's take care of these two and then we'll talk about it some more, okay?" he said, sounding calm and soothing, carefully releasing a few pheromones, just enough to console Taehyung without making the situation worse. "I'll be right back, go call Hoba or Jin-hyung in the kitchen if you want, in the meantime."
"Okay, muscle bunny, I'll need you to cooperate at least a little bit," the Pack Alpha huffed after Jungkook stumbled for the umpteenth time and almost pulled both of them down to the floor. Jungkook merely whined and leaned more of his weight on the smaller alpha, stubbornly nosing at his neck and keeping his eyes shut
"Getting drunk on my scent as well will get you nowhere, pup. We're trying to get you back on your feet right now," the older man huffed, shaking his head and trying to push the other's face away. He did not particularly like having to deny his maknae anything, but this was for Jungkook's own sake, so…
"Don't make me use my Pack Alpha powers on you and behave," he threatened, albeit halfheartedly. Jungkook must have seen right through him, for he did not budge and kept going for his neck. Yoongi rolled his eyes:
"Stubborn pup… Fine, since you don't give me a choice~" a mischievous grin graced the alpha's face as he looked at the corridor and raised his voice just enough. "Namjoon-ah, could you please come out for a moment?"
At that, Jungkook yelped and pulled away from him as if Yoongi's skin had scorched him, staring at him in betrayal. He was still unsteady on his feet, so the movement made him stumble, but Yoongi had a firm hold on him, he would never let him fall.
"Nooo, hyungie!!" the youngest complained, giving him his best pout and puppy eyes. Yoongi had to bite the inside of his cheek to hold back a smile, but there was no way to suppress the small laughter that found its way out of his nose, nor the clear amount of love that his own scent was exuding. He could not really blame their youngest for wanting to burrow his face into his neck and drink the perfume of adoration that was dripping off him in waves.
Seokjin would have teased him and called him "whipped", but then again, the beta was no better.
At least, the threat of Namjoon showing up and tossing the pup over his shoulder, possibly while also nipping his bottom after a well-placed spank to his round and toned butt, seemed to do the trick. Jungkook finally began to begrudgingly cooperate, and soon enough he was lying down in Seokjin's room.
They no longer really needed separate rooms, since they usually spent every night either in the pack nestroom or in one another's, but they all had a private space for themselves. The beta's room was the only one they almost never trespassed in, for this exact type of occasion. The clean and soothing scent of the beta was the only thing that helped with scent-drunkenness, pre-heat and pre-rut, not to mention the occasional upset mood, so they made sure to always keep at least his room as scent-free as possible.
Besides, Seokjin claimed that if he had to live with their scents in his nose with no break for the rest of his life, he might actually go insane, and since the omegas had their own nestroom, and the alphas had their "secret hideout", it was only fair for him to have a beta-only space.
Yoongi just needed to remember to leave the window open as soon as he got Jungkook back under control.
"Alright pup, breathe deep and slow for me, okay?" he said, playing with the younger man's hair and toning down his own scent until it almost disappeared.
He would never do such a thing out in public, for his scent was what made the rest of his pack his , it was what let everyone else know that they were mated, they were under his protection, and the stronger an alpha's scent was, the stronger said alpha's power was. Showing up outside with a weak, subdued scent was practically unacceptable, anyone else might just come in and challenge his authority to get a hold of his pack.
The sole thought of a stranger taking advantage of his weakness to press their stinking wrists against any of his lover's scent glands, claiming them for themselves, making them whine in discomfort, almost made him see red.
Focus , he growled to his own inner wolf, that was already screaming bloody murder and trying to find something to sink its fangs in.
What a troublemaker.
Alphas and overthinking did not really go well together, and yet, overthinking seemed to be all they did.
And society still liked to pretend they were the strong ones. Bullshit. Alphas were insecure, fearful little things, always looking for reassurance and validation from their mates. It was betas who were steady and secure in their own roles; omegas too, once they got rid of all the prejudice and stereotypes that their alpha-centric society taught them.
His pack was the perfect proof of that, after all.
Hoseok had once teased him and Namjoon for it and called them out on their bullshit a thousand times. It was never in a mean way, more out of exasperation at how they constantly felt the need to prove themselves to him so that he would keep choosing them, would still be their omega, would never seek another alpha, a better one… Admittedly, their anxieties had been a little overwhelming back then, they smothered him a lot, and it was probably a miracle they had escaped their first period as a pack with only a few bite marks and a lot of doors slammed in their face with a promise of "I adore you guys, but come back to me only after you've figured your bullshit out."
Yoongi liked to think they were doing a much better work now, mostly. Having Jimin and Jungkook around helped, too: the two young alphas were bold and confident, having practically grown up around everyone else.
Jungkook had presented after they were a pack, and they had all made sure he always knew his worth and found his place in their dynamics. He had had guidance not only from his alpha hyungs, but from the omegas and Jin as well, and Yoongi could really tell the difference.
There were times when Jungkook, their pup , knew how to handle a stressed Taehyung or an upset Hoseok much better than even him , the Pack Alpha, ever could.
As for Jimin, he had grown into his skin, and Yoongi felt his heart swell with pride every time he looked at him. He had been so upset and scared when they had met. He had always thought he would be an omega, and presenting as an alpha had thrown him off. He remembered the small, angry kid who tried to act like he thought alphas were supposed to act. Tried to follow the stereotypes and suffering when they mutilated his real, much more softhearted, nature, and was way too hard on himself whenever he failed to keep the mask in place.
"Be tough" is what they were all taught since childhood. Omegas could be soft, alphas were meant to be ruthless.
Once again, being in a pack that loved him for what he was, and no alpha was like the other, and the omega was actually (secretly) in charge, and the beta took control off the Pack Alpha's shoulders more often than not, had taught Jimin that it was okay to just let go. If he wanted to look cute rather than intimidating, if he wanted to care , to be warm and gentle, that did not make him any less of an alpha.
If anything, it only made him more precious and, admittedly, even scarier, for he could still kick anyone's ass the moment he decided to, all while wearing soft-colored flowy clothes and looking like an ethereal angel.
"Hyung," Jungkook whined a little, staring at Yoongi through teary eyes. "Hurts."
The skin around his nose was an angry red, irritated by the assault of Taehyung's scent and the constant rubbing the pup had likely done against the other's skin (Yoongi would have to check on Taehyung's neck as well, probably).
"Ohf, that looks painful, baby" he winced in sympathy, already moving to go fetch the cream Seokjin kept for that type of rushes, finding it quickly enough and then dipping his finger in it. "Here, let me help– no! Don't rub at it, bun, it will only hurt more." Placing the small, plastic jar on the bedside table, Yoongi reached out with his clean hand and grabbed Jungkook's wrist, pulling it away from the other's face and holding it still as he used his other hand to gently rub the cream on the hot, reddened skin. The younger alpha whined and moaned quietly as the discomfort slowly faded into something more bearable, the aloe in the cream already doing miracles for his offended skin.
He kept sniffling and trying to breathe through a stuffed nose, but there was little he could do for now. He could only breathe through his mouth until the assault on his overly-sensitive nose passed.
Noticing this, Yoongi went to the window and opened it, realising that even Seokjin's scent would not be enough this time… the pups had seriously overdone it, it seemed.
"N-Not hyungie's fault," Jungkook mumbled sleepily, sniffling once more, probably sensing the way Yoongi was considering still giving Taehyung a scolding. "He tried to stop but I wanted more and more… I licked his neck to get more scent out."
Ugh .
That explained how Taehyung had seemed genuinely at a loss on how he had caused all that trouble, and even Jimin – he should check on him as well, by the way – got caught in the mess. Licking an omega right where their scent glands were, immediately caused them to release even more of their scent. It was instinctual, and really hard to control.
Taehyung had had no hope of resisting it, clearly: he was still relatively inexperienced, and even Hoseok, the most skilled and controlled omega Yoongi had ever met (albeit he had not met that many omegas, truthfully) had admitted that he struggled to resist that .
"Jungkook-ah," Yoongi scolded him, sternly but not angrily. "You know that's something you shouldn't do, baby. Especially when there's not one of us around."
"Jiminie was there," the youngest tried to defend himself, but he knew it was a lost cause.
"Yeah and you got him involved too. He's older than you, it's true, but he's still a pup as well."
"He'd bite you if he heard you now, you know it, right?"
Yoongi hid a little smirk at that, knowing fully well that Jungkook was right. Jimin was fed up with being the baby alpha of the pack, and once Jungkook had presented, he had officially self-proclaimed himself as the "hyung honorary member" for being the hyung in the maknae line, and he did not appreciate being babied unless he was asking for it.
The hyungs mostly indulged him, letting him take care of their two youngest most of the time, but that did not take away the fact that he too could do little to nothing to fight Taehyung's scent when it was so overpowering, and this mess was bound to happen.
"If he bites me, I'll just bite him harder. Now, try and take slow, deep breaths, it will get better in a little while. How are you feeling?"
"Sleepy… bit dizzy… happy."
Jungkook sighed quite contently and got more comfortable on his hyung's bed, subtly nosing at the pillow under his head but stopping when he noticed Yoongi raising an eyebrow at him.
At least he did not seem as high as he had been the last time, it could be considered as a small achievement.
"Okay, you think you're going to fall asleep soon?"
"Mn, can I?"
Yoongi considered it for a moment, trying to remember if the maknae had anything scheduled for the day, but he eventually nodded. He had only planned to go to the gym later, and Yoongi had been planning to talk him out of it anyway. Some rest wouldn't harm him, so in the end, he probably had to thank Taehyung for finally getting their stubborn, overzealous maknae to take a break.
"Yes, Koo. Get some sleep, me and Jin-hyung will come to check on you from time to time."
Another sigh, and Jungkook curled up with an happy sound that had the Pack Alpha's heart melting on the spot.
"m'kay. Can Jinnie-hyung cuddle me?"
Oh no, the maknae was out for his blood. Yoongi was a strong alpha, but also a really weak man for his maknaes. Sleepy, scent-drunk and incredibly cute maknaes, in particular, were sure to be his downfall.
Reaching out to gently ruffle the younger man's hair, he smiled at him and nodded:
" I'll tell him to come to you as soon as possible. Now rest, you'll be as good as new when you wake up."
Jungkook nodded and finally closed his eyes, it was only when Yoongi was halfway to the door that his voice sounded again in the room.
"Don't scold them, Alpha," the youngest begged with a small whimper. "My fault."
A gentle smile was already tugging at the Pack Alpha's lips when he turned to look at the sleepy pup on his hyung's bed.
"I won't scold them, don't worry. I'll just check on them and make sure you're all more careful next time."
"Promise?"
"You have my word. Rest well, Jungkook-ah."
A soft snore was all he had as a reply, and he walked out of the door with a quiet chuckle.
Jungkook was too adorable for his own good, they were lucky he was kind enough not to unleash his whole potential upon them every other day as two certain hyungs of his tended to do.
Speaking of which, he needed to go find Taehyung and Jimin now.
"I told you, I didn't do it on purpose!!"
The distressed vanilla scent stabbed into Yoongi's nose the moment he walked into the kitchen, and he found Taehyung standing in front of Seokjin, clearly growing more and more worked up and annoyed as the beta stared at him with a frown and his arms crossed over his chest.
"Just like you didn't do it on purpose last time or the time before, Taehyung-ah?"
"I really didn't, hyung!!"
Seokjin did not really sound angry, but there was a small amount of exasperation in his voice, and in his scent, which was probably causing the omega maknae to lose his temper more and more.
Yoongi frowned and stepped in, knowing that few things made Taehyung as angry and hurt as being accused of something he hadn't done.
Where's Hoseok ? He asked himself, looking around the room in hopes to find the omega, but the man was nowhere to be seen, which explained why things were beginning to go south between the beta and the omega.
"Hyung, it really was an accident," he said, quickly walking up to them and placing a hand behind Taehyung's neck to soothe him and calm him down.
He did not expect the other to grab his arm and push it away with an annoyed sound. When he turned to stare at him in shock, bright blue eyes bore into his.
"Why does he never believe me?!" despite the anger and the hard set of his jaw, Taehyung's voice wobbled almost as badly as his lower lip, and Yoongi's heart dropped into his stomach at hearing his youngest omega sound so upset. "I wouldn't hurt Kookie or Jiminie on purpose ," he added, and that finally seemed to break whatever self control he had, for harsh sobs finally found their way out of his lips and tears spilled from his eyes.
Seokjin looked as shocked as Yoongi, but there was guilt on his face too.
"Baby…"
Taehyung shook his head and took a step back from them, hitting his hip against the kitchen counter but not even showing to have registered it.
"You always act like it's my fault!" he snapped, pressing his arms to his chest as if to shield himself from a possible attack. "Like I enjoy making them sick! I don't, I never even asked for this!! I can't control my scent, I try and I try but it's hard and I don't know what to do!! I'm sorry I'm not perfect like Hobi-hyung," those words felt like a direct slap to their faces, but before either of them could do or say anything, Taehyung had something else coming their way. "I won't touch them anymore, happy now?! So they won't get drunk on my stupid scent!!"
"Tae, that's not—"
But whatever Seokjin had been meaning to say went unheard, for Taehyung just stormed off with another sob and they could hear him running down the hall until a door opened and slammed shut immediately after.
Yoongi turned to look at Seokjin, who had the most pained expression he had ever seen on his face for a long time.
"Does he really think that we are that mad about the whole scent-drunk episodes?" the beta asked, blinking rapidly and frowning.
Yoongi shrugged, as clueless as him.
I'm sorry I'm not perfect like Hobi-hyung .
"I think there's more to it, he hasn't been saying everything to us… why did we never notice, though?"
But the answer was pretty obvious, even before Seokjin spelled it out for him.
"Because Taehyung is a hell of an actor, that is why. And now I fucked up, I'm sorry."
Yoongi shook his head, offering his hand to his hyung for comfort, albeit a little hesitantly. His alpha had not taken well being rejected so harshly by one of his mates, and if Seokjin turned his comfort down as well he would probably have to deal with a whole new set if insecurities at the worst possible time. However, the beta took his hand and brought it to his face so he could gently nuzzle his nose against his wrist, and both of them took a relieved breath.
At least for a few moments, for immediately after that, the combined scents of burning wood and honey announced the presence of their 94 liners.
And by the sour note in the normal sweetness of honey, Hoseok was not pleased.
" Why is my Taehyungie sobbing his heart out in his room ??"
Ohf.
Low blow.
Everyone was aware of the nature of nestbonds between omegas, of how they would claim one another and be fiercely protective of each other, but that emphasis on the word "my" was a clear statement of its own, Yoongi and Seokjin knew exactly what it meant. It was a you have upset my nestmate and I don't care that you are our mates too, you are now the bad guys who hurt him.
"Calm down, Seok. We just want to understand."
Yoongi had seriously lost the count of how many times he had caught himself thinking thank God for Namjoon since the beginning of their journey together, but he added one to said count in that moment.
One angry omega was enough, he did not want Hoseok to join Taehyung in his anger.
Not angry , his alpha helpfully supplied. Hurt .
As if that was any better.
"I'm sorry, Hoseok-ah. I didn't mean to upset him, I was just telling him to be more careful…"
"If that was the case, he wouldn't be hurting this much, hyung."
Hoseok's voice had lost its bite, and Yoongi knew that Namjoon's hand gently rubbing his lower back had something to do with it, but his words were no less painful.
Once again a reminder that Hoseok could feel what Taehyung felt – and vice versa. The whole pack could, technically, but even though they were all perfectly in tune with each other, they still had not reached that level of connection. They were too young, and had to learn by themselves, so there was still room for improvement. Nestmates, however, were a different story.
Just like True Mates.
Yoongi knew he had a way of feeling exactly what Taehyung was feeling, if only he tugged at his own link with Hoseok, but that felt an awful lot like cheating, and he did not want to do that when it came to his pack.
"He kept saying he hadn't done it on purpose, and I think I was a little harsh on him when I said this has been happening a little too often to be an accident, and he hates when we don't believe him…"
" Especially when he's being honest," Hoseok concluded with a sigh. "Jiminie told us what happened, he really didn't mean to."
"Koo confirmed it to me too, but when I tried to speak up, Tae snapped and then stormed out," Yoongi added.
Their beta looked slightly nauseous at that, and Namjoon stepped forward to wrap his arms around him, his scent as warm and comforting as a cozy autumn evening.
"It's alright, hyung. You were only making sure he was more careful," he comforted, his voice lowered to a soft, pleasing rumble.
"I made him cry, Joon. It happens more often with me than anyone else…"
It was not exactly untrue, Yoongi considered. Taehyung adored Seokjin, clinging to him at every chance he got, seeking him out first, and that adoration was widely returned by the eldest, who pampered Taehyung an awful lot, cuddled him, cooked for him and gave him advice… but the two also butted heads often, especially when they both held onto their own beliefs and did not see each other's point of view at first. They had arguments, sometimes that made Taehyung cry, sometimes Seokjin needed to leave the room for a while, and sometimes they only lasted a few minutes, other times a few days, but they always made up and went back to being themselves in the end, even more affectionate than before.
"It happens more often with you because Tae hates the feeling of letting you down, that doesn't mean you are bad to him."
Yeah, another thank God for Namjoon for the count.
"Still, I should have listened to him."
"What's done is done, let's focus on making it up to him, okay?"
"I think this is not really about today," Yoongi finally spoke up, sharing his worry with his fellow hyungs. It was up to them to make sure that their maknaes were always taken care of, after all. "There was something else he said that makes me think this."
"Right!! He said– He said he was sorry for not being perfect like…"
Seokjin trailed off, his eyes wandering to Hoseok and then searching for Yoongi's.
He did not need to continue, however.
"Me?" the omega asked, face twisting into a look of uncomfortable surprise. "What does that even mean?"
The two eldest members shrugged, but Namjoon seemed to be deep in thought.
"Penny for your thoughts, Joonie? I could really use your wonderful brain's help right now," Hoseok said, trying to sound light but unable to hide the upset undertone in his scent. Yoongi could feel it, and he could feel the effort he was putting in not letting it travel to Taehyung too through their bond.
He made sure to channel all the affection and pride he felt for his mate through their own bond, and Hoseok glanced at him for a second, shooting him a small smile of gratitude.
"You are the omega who raised him," Namjoon explained, sounding thoughtful. "And we all know you are one of your kind. Not all omegas can do the things you do, nor do they know they even can do them… You taught everything to Taehyung-ah, so he only has you as an example, you are his standard–"
Although Namjoon was being careful with his words, there was no way to stop them from making Hoseok look more and more miserable. Yoongi walked up to the omega and wrapped his arms around him, feeling the other sag a little against his chest.
"He probably feels like he's not as good as you, and he must believe that we expect him to be," the younger alpha concluded, eliciting a small gasp from Hoseok and a small whine from Seokjin.
"So when I scolded him for not controlling his scent…"
"He probably heard it like a why can't you do it when Hoseok does , or something like that," Yoongi concluded, sighing wearily. "Why has he never said anything, though??"
"He has," Hoseok mumbled quietly, a little darkly, and refusing to look up. "Every time he told me 'wah you're so cool, hyung!!' or 'how do you do that??' or even 'I want to learn everything from you, hyung!!'. How could I be so dumb?? How did I never notice?! He's a pup , for God's sake, of course he's going to compare himself to the Pack Omega… I just thought we were doing well enough, that he knew we all love him because he's Taehyung, he doesn't have to be a mini-me to be treasured and loved… Oh my goodness, Alpha ," when Hoseok turned into his embrace to helplessly stare at him with his eyes turning blue in discomfort, Yoongi felt his own shift to red in reply, already itching to make everything right for him. "What do we do, now? How do we fix this?"
The others did not say anything, but Yoongi felt the shift in the air. He was their Pack Alpha, he was the one who needed to lead them through this type of situation.
"I'll talk to him," he said calmly, ignoring the way his heart was racing in his chest. "Don't worry, everything will be alright."
As always, when he was the one saying it, everyone else believed him in a heartbeat.
In the many years they had been living together, they had learnt all the good and the bad about each other.
They knew that Jimin couldn't stand to leave a fight unresolved, and he'd rather have a screaming match over the silent treatment, until things smoothed over and they could make up again.
They knew that Hoseok was slow to anger, but once he reached the end of his fuse, it would be better not to cross his path until the corners his lips were no longer turned down and his eyes lost their edge.
They knew that Yoongi never really got mad, and when he did, there was probably something else troubling him.
They knew that when Taehyung was mad, it was better to let him have some time to himself before reaching out to him. Which is why Yoongi waited for a few hours until he finally heard the key to the omega's bedroom turn. Nothing else, just a small sign that they were no longer shut off from their second maknae's world.
By the time that happened, Jimin was awake too, and had been filled in about everything that had happened. He had not been pleased, of course, but he too admitted to not really knowing much about what was going on inside the other's mind, much to his own chagrin.
"You sure you don't want me to go in?" the younger omega asked, helping Yoongi place the last few items on the trail he was to carry as a peace offering.
"I've got this. Stay with Jin-hyung, he's been way too quiet all afternoon."
Jimin nodded, and Yoongi made his way to their youngest omega's room, knocking on it will his foot and the calling out for the other.
The door opened almost immediately, and he couldn't help the soft smile that graced his lips as soon as he was met with the sight of his baby omega. Ruffled hair, swollen eyes and puffy cheeks, he looked a mess, but the type that made you want to wrap up around him and hold him tight.
Most importantly, he was wearing Seokjin's sweater that he had stolen from him a week before.
"Hyung," the omega said, a little surprised… and maybe slightly disappointed, as if he had been hoping to see someone else standing at his door.
Yoongi did not waste time.
"Can I come in? We made you food," he lifted the trail just slightly as if to prove his words, and Taehyung's eyes flickered the slightest blue for a moment as he looked at it.
"... You?" he mumbled, a little insecure, as if he was scared to ask what he was dying to ask, and Yoongi grinned at him:
"Well, Jin-hyung did."
There it was, the slow blossoming of vanilla. Taehyung reached out for the trail almost impatiently, then moved out of the way and let Yoongi in. The alpha entered the room and closed the door as the other made his way to the small bundle of blankets and pillows on the floor, sitting in it with his legs crossed.
Yoongi frowned a little.
"You nested here?"
Instead of replying, Taehyung filled his mouth with food, his whole shape melting as soon as the flavour hit his taste buds.
So, no speaking about it, mh? Yoongi could wait, after all.
It took a while, the food was practically finished when Taehyung finally turned to him, eyes wide and a little vulnerable. He was trying to keep his defences up, or maybe he was fighting to let them down.
"Do you want some, hyung?"
No matter how hurt or mad, Taehyung was always their sweet, sweet boy. Yoongi shook his head and invited him to finish it, instead.
"I… didn't want to go to the nestroom."
There it was. The opening breach in his walls.
Yoongi said nothing, but Taehyung knew he was listening.
"My scent was bad, I didn't want it to ruin the room… it smells heavenly in there."
The alpha hummed in understand. The room was filled mostly with Taehyung's and Hoseok's sweet scents, and a little mix of everyone else from the few times the others were allowed to cuddle in there too. It made sense if he did not want to be there while his scent was so burning and bitter.
"Are Jiminie and Jungkookie okay?"
"Minie woke up and he's doing great, he's waiting for you to come out, actually. Kookie is still sleeping, but his nose is no longer stuffed and he seems to be more than fine. It was nothing, Taehyung-ah. A little scent-drunkenness happens all the time," Yoongi hoped he sounded as reassuring as he was trying to, and that the omega believed him.
Taehyung was looking at him, apparently relieved, but still troubled.
"What's going on, little love?"
The affectionate pet name was Taehyung's favourite, and Yoongi was well aware of it… he had hoped it might get him an opening, and it seemed to work immediately.
"I just… I couldn't stop. I felt the scent growing, and I tried to control it, but Jungkookie was licking my neck and it felt so good and I just– wouldn't stop ."
Oh.
So that's what was troubling him.
"You felt like you were no longer in control."
It was supposed to be a question, but it did not come out as one.
Taehyung nodded, lowering his head so that his hair covered his face. Yoongi did not reach out to brush it away: he had not been invited into the nest, yet.
"Hyungie is always in control."
It was so quiet Yoongi almost missed it, so he had to ask him to repeat it.
"Hobi-hyung, he's always in control. At work, at home, with us… he's always himself first, and then an omega. But I– sometimes I feel like I have become an omega and lost myself, lost my human self. Sometimes I'm cuddling one of you, and I feel so happy, and then I can't tell if it's me who's happy, or my omega. I need to be with one of you all the time, or I will feel restless… When Jin-hyung was scolding me, human-me knew he was only doing it because he was worried, but– omega-me was scared that he would no longer want me, that he thinks I'm not good enough. You already have Hobi-hyung, why would you need me?" before Yoongi could speak up against such blasphemies, Taehyung had held up a hand to stop him. "I know they're not true. Rationally, I know… but my instincts, my omega– he's afraid. So afraid, hyung." His voice broke, and Yoongi's heart almost followed suit. "I don't even know why. You guys give me everything, you tell me you love me every day, you are perfect, then why am I feeling like this??"
Unable to stand it anymore, Yoongi walked up to the nest, crouching down next to it.
"Can I come in, baby?"
The omega nodded, and the moment Yoongi was kneeling inside, the younger man dove into his arms, breaking down into sobs once again. This time it was a freeing cry, and Yoongi did nothing to stop him. He just held and soothed him, releasing his scent just enough to comfort, gently brushing his lips on the reddened skin over the omega's scent gland.
"I've got you, sweetheart. It's okay. Alpha's here. Hyung is here, you're safe, and you're ours. You are just what we needed in our pack, I promise."
His words only made the other sob harder, but now that they were so close, he felt his alpha finally tuning in to Taehyung's omega, drinking up his feelings and thoughts. He felt relief, so much relief it almost crushed him too and made him tear up.
Just how long had Taehyung been struggling with those insecurities?
He was not sure if he had voiced his questions or if somehow the other had read his mind, however, he got his answer.
"S-S-Since Hobi-hyung went on suppressants again."
Yoongi inhaled sharply.
Of course Taehyung was so unbalanced and vulnerable, then.
His nestmate was on heat-suppressants. The most comforting scent in the world was growing fainter and fainter.
And Taehyung's heat was coming closer.
The first heat without Hoseok in years.
How am I so dumb?!
"Hyung," Taehyung whined and held on to him tighter. " Hyung ."
He hushed him and held him tighter as he wailed.
They stayed like that for a while, Taehyung kept crying and vomiting words over words, one insecurity after the other.
Losing control that day had scared him, made him feel guilty and terrified of what his scent could do when provoked like that.
And now, he was approaching his heat without his nestmate. His heat cycle had matched his hyung's pretty soon, and it had always been comforting to have him by his side… Hoseok always knew what to do, even when he was in heat. Taehyung relied on his control when he lost himself.
"Hobi will be there anyway, little love."
"I know… but it's not the same."
Yoongi wanted to cry together with him. He respected his mate's choice, but he was not fond of it either.
As they both shared their worries in the quiet of Taehyung's room, they both knew they could not share any of it with the other omega. Hoseok would come off his suppressants in a heartbeat, if he knew his choice hurt his beloved so much, and they did not want to take that from him.
But they both secretly dreaded the day they would wake up to the scent of honey completely suppressed by chemical nothingness.
"Maybe I should take them too?"
Taehyung's whisper was frail, but sharp as a knife.
Yoongi growled a no before he caught himself and amended it.
"Not if you don't want to. If you feel uncomfortable and want to, then I will personally take you to the clinic, but if you feel like you have to…"
"My scent is too strong, even the doctor said I need to control it or it will cause trouble."
And Yoongi had made sure to change his doctor with a better one, who had explained gently that it was not too strong, it was just one of the most powerful omega scents, just like honey.
"Your scent is just fine, baby. It's yours, and it's lovely. And you're doing a wonderful job of keeping it under control."
"I get the others drunk every other day."
Yoongi snorted at it:
"Because Jungkookie is an idiot who doesn't know what's best for him, not because of you."
The omega still didn't look convinced, so Yoongi took his face in his hands, squeezing his cheeks together.
"Taehyung-ah, listen carefully to me. You are our Taehyungie, first and foremost. Omega or not omega, strong scent or weak scent, instinctive or rational, all of it, you're always you, and you are the one we love. Just like we love Hoseok, we love him for himself, not because he's 'perfect', which he isn't, for your information. Perfection is boring. We don't want perfection in this household, except for when we're performing, but that's another story. We want real. We want all your highs and all your lows, we are always here for you. Your omega acts up a little? No problem, we have our own wolves who can handle it. You feel like acting up? That's also alright, we love you and we are here for you. Don't be afraid to ever let yourself fall, we are your security net, always. Just close your eyes and trust us, okay?"
By the time he was done speaking, Taehyung's cheeks were damp with new tears, but the moment his cheeks were no longer squished by Yoongi's large palms, they were lifted in his signature boxy smile.
"You should write love songs, hyung," he said, half teasing and half honest. Yoongi scoffed shyly, and then he felt soft lips being pressed against his mouth. He welcomed the kiss and pulled Taehyung closer, kissing and touching him until he felt the other come undone under his fingertips, finally relaxing once and for all.
Later, that evening, Jungkook emerged from Seokjin's bedroom looking like a mess, but when he walked into the living room he was welcomed warmly by the rest of his pack, Jimin already making room next to him for cuddles.
The youngest searched for Taehyung, and found him sound asleep, curled up against Seokjin's side while the beta held him close and rubbed circles into his shoulder. Jungkook guessed he'd have to apologize to his youngest hyung another time. As he made his way to Jimin, he also noticed that Yoongi was whispering something in Hoseok's ear. Both of them seemed relaxed enough, but there was an air of seriousness about them.
"What did I miss?" he whispered, settling next to Jimin, and the alpha giggled pecking his lips.
"Us, of course ~" Namjoon smirked from his other side, shifting closer until he was sandwiching their youngest between himself and Jimin.
Jungkook laughed quietly and purred when Jin reached out to rub gently at his scalp.
"How are you feeling pup?"
"Better! My nose is all free and the skin doesn't itch anymore, I think I won't do that ever again, lesson learnt"
Yoongi smiled at him and Hoseok nodded approvingly at him. The acknowledgement from the main couple of the pack made Jungkook feel warm inside.
He still felt worried, though. He furrowed his brow and pointed at Taehyung with his head, silently asking his hyungs what was wrong with him. Albeit being as sweet as usual, his vanilla scent still held notes of sad and upset, underneath all the combined scents of his hyungs, and Jungkook hated the feeling of not being around when Taehyung had been upset.
Or worse, being the cause for said upset.
"He'll be fine, pup, don't worry. You can talk to him when he wakes up," Namjoon told him, nosing at the skin behind his ear with a soft smile. "He had a bad day, that's all."
"Is it my fault??" Jungkook asked, alarmed. Jin's hand went back to his hair while Jimin pecked his cheek.
"Not at all, honey. He actually wanted to wait for you to wake up, but tiredness got the better of him," his youngest alpha hyung explained, and Jungkook nodded, not fully convinced.
But he trusted Taehyung, and the rest of his pack. If they said it was alright, then it was going to be alright, he just needed to be patient.
Hoseok stood up and stretched with a quiet yawn.
"I'm going to sleep, everyone. I'll see you in bed~"
Namjoon stood up so quickly it almost made Jungkook dizzy.
"I'll go with you."
Yoongi bit his lower lip to hide a smile at the alpha's puppy-like behaviour, which had not really changed in more than ten years of living around Hoseok.
The omega smiled softly and grabbed Namjoon's hand.
"Of course, Joonie. Goodnight, everyone!"
A chorus of "sleep well" and "goodnight" followed suit as the couple left.
One by one, the others left to go to sleep as well, until only Jungkook, Jin and Taehyung were left.
Jungkook had moved to the couch, curling up against Seokjin's other side, and he gently brushed Taehyung's hair away from his face.
"Are you okay? Honestly, Koo."
Looking up at Seokjin, the alpha smiled and nodded cheerfully. The beta seemed relieved, although something was still off about him.
"We had a fight earlier," the man explained, tilting his head towards Taehyung. "It's solved now, but I hate it anyway… I should have known better. I'm your beta, I must know when things are off."
Jungkook smiled then bit his shoulder, mentally praising his hyung's steadiness when he did not even flinch, and Taehyung kept sleeping comfortably against him.
Seokjin did send Jungkook a glare, though.
"A bite for every self-deprecating thought, you know the rules, hyung."
It was something Jungkook had been doing since their debut. Whenever Seokjin doubted himself, he would bite him. Slowly, the rest of the pack had joined on that use, even Yoongi… the results had been interesting.
"Fine, fine– still, I failed him, today. And yet here he is, already forgiving me."
"He wouldn't have if you hadn't been really sorry, you know it. Hyungie is kind and selfless, but he can stand up for himself."
Seokjin smiled, and Taehyung shifted a little in his sleep, hugging him tighter.
"Sometimes I wonder what did I do to actually deserve his love," the beta admitted. "All of you love me, and I just… sometimes it's hard to understand why."
Jungkook grinned.
"No bite this time, but just because I wonder too, about myself, I mean. I know why I love you, of course."
Before Seokjin could answer, a sleepy mumble cut them off.
"B'cause you're you."
Both alpha and beta turned to look at Taehyung, confused, and the omega blinked sleepily at them, nuzzling against his hyung to his heart's content.
"I love you because you're you. Yoongi-hyung said that to me earlier, and it's true… I love you all because you are like you are. That's the only reason. It's not what you do, or what you have to give or anything else, it's just who you are. I love you just because." The omega shrugged and smiled a bit helplessly at them, blushing a little. "Does love really have to have a reason?"
Jungkook beamed at him and leaned forward to meet the other's lips, not minding that they were dry and a little chapped at the moment. They were still as warm and soft as usual, and perfectly familiar against his own.
"I guess it doesn't," he agreed. "Hyungie, I am so sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have–"
"It's alright. I know you didn't mean to. Sometimes our wolves fuck us up," Taehyung grinned innocently at Seokjin when the beta let out a soft exclamation at his choice of words.
"They really do, don't they??" Jungkook laughed, leaning back and kissing Seokjin's cheek as well.
"Your wolves are just as troublemakers as you," the beta scoffed, rolling his eyes and hugging both maknaes closer to himself, kissing each of them on the forehead. "And I love them as much as I love you."
Vanilla danced again in the room, this time soft and controlled, pleased and pleasing.
Leather and clean linen followed it suit, tangling around each other just like the three men to which they belonged.
"Let's go join the others in bed, shall we?" Seokjin suggested, tucking a lock of hair behind Taehyung's ear and lacing his fingers together with Jungkook's.
The two maknaes nodded enthusiastically and stood up quickly, pulling the beta up with them and dragging him towards their shared bedroom, where the rest of their family was waiting for them, already deep into Dreamland.
Jungkook fell asleep with his nose buried into Namjoon's neck, the warm scent of wood and fire lulling him to sleep with no threat of getting him scent-drunk.
Vanilla. Burning wood. Sandalwood. Clean. Rain. Leather. Honey.
Their scents combined probably made no sense to anyone but them, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
What Home smelled like for them was none's business but their own, after all.