Work Text:
One of the things that had been a major point of contention at one point in their professional lives was the fact that all of them went into heat at the same time.
They were a mated omega pack, so it was the expected direct correlation that their cycles had synced up over the years. Which meant that, when their quarterly heat kicked in, it was an automatic 5-7 days off of work so that they could manage the symptoms and stay tucked in at home.
In the early days, such occasions had been one of those rare times that the pack had seen Namjoon rise up with enough presence to rival any alpha in the room. He had laid it down as a law that if the company wanted them to continue working for them, they'd respect heat weeks. (Seokjin, Yoongi, and Hoseok had been silent sentries at his side for that particular meeting. The maknaes had been content to watch it all unfold with shit eating grins on their faces. Hell hath no fury like a protective omega mate and pack leader.)
Ever since that fateful meeting, they had been able to spend their heats in peace. They hadn't had to battle for their time off since pre-debut, and they always made sure to express their gratitude to Namjoon for that. Their devoted leader was so dedicated to his role and they loved him to no end.
Heat weeks might be the worst but at least they had free reign to stay at home and deal with things accordingly. Unless they happened to be on tour. In that case, they were usually on suppressants in order to maintain their concert schedules. Which they absolutely hated but they also understood that it was necessary. They had a rather complicated and involved work life. It was only expected that some parts of their personal lives fell to the wayside during the busiest points.
Suppressing heats was never a great choice as it tended to leave them all irritable and sore. Trying to work through the intense pressures of a concert while being grumpy always lead to a conflict or two that they had to clear up. Their long running staff had long been desensitized to their cantankerous habits however, so they were able to keep on top of their schedules even if they all felt miserable. Such was the sacrifice they made in order to spend quality time with their fans. (They all believed it was worth every moment.)
When their quarterly heat hit in a window of time that they could experience it properly, things ran a lot smoother. There was still stress and anxiety involved but it was not as bad. Their best source of comfort during the duress of an impending heat week was the fact that they had a routine. It had been years since their trying era of staggered heats. Back when none of them had any idea of each others habits and quirks during such an intimate time. These days they were able to come together as a cooperative team and support one another through every high and low of their cycle.
Heat weeks were a time of contention, but Bangtan had the routine down pat.
Heat week always slammed into Jimin the hardest. Their poor mate would be down with a fever and cramps as soon as pre-heat struck him. He tended to be bedridden for most of the week, always curled around his agonized midsection. Jimin was the first to feel symptoms and the last to recover from them. It was normal path of progression for him even if it hurt their hearts every single time.
Though he wasn't the only one to suffer the brunt of their mating cycle.
Yoongi and Namjoon each had to deal with some nasty side effects of their own. Both of them usually saw an increased influx of depression and anxiety, which lead to them being a mix between listless and overactive during the course of the week.
Yoongi also saw a rise in his ADHD symptoms. He'd forget much more than normal, he got sidetracked in anything he tried to accomplish, and he tended to be a lot more impulsive with general decisions and online purchases. They had learned over the years that they had to be extra careful with wording around him during heat week. If they complained about not having something or being discomforted by furniture, there'd be an express overnight delivery made to their front door the next day.
Namjoon tended to retreat into himself, staring off into nothing as his thoughts whirled around too fast for him to keep up with. He also complained that he'd want to write down some of the feelings welled up in him but the mere thought of holding a pen was too much. He tended to struggle a lot with finding restful sleep and convincing his body that it needed to eat. Each cycle hit him with a different degree of severity, so they had learned to navigate their pushing and pulling with careful steps.
Between the three of them, the pack had established that they were always the ones in need of the most care. They had taken to calling Jimin, Yoongi, and Namjoon the sensitive tier for this reason. Seeing as the rest of them didn't tend to have such severe symptoms, they endeavored to care for their hurting mates as much as possible.
Seokjin and Hoseok made up their secondary tier, also known as the swing tier. The two of them would have periods of highs and lows, sitting as a mix of vivid symptoms and next to no symptoms. Their heats fluctuated on an almost hourly basis and left them in an unpredictable state of wellness.
Seokjin tended to have cramp flare ups that were strong enough to incapacitate him. It wasn’t uncommon to see him curling in on himself and letting out a string of expletives as a sudden cramp would hit. The waves would last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, depending on the heat. He always made it known to his mates how much he despised his bouts of agony.
Hoseok's flare ups tended to be of the emotional kind. He could sometimes have mood swings of absurd proportions. One hour he might be laughing to himself as he danced to a children's tv show, and the next he might be in their home gym beating the sand out of a punching bag with a menacing furrow in his brow. He also cried a lot easier than normal. It was sometimes as easy as showing him a cute dog video and Hoseok would be a mess of tears.
The youngest two of their pack made up the final tier of heat week classifications. Jungkook and Taehyung were the solitary members of the lucky bastards tier, as they experienced next to no symptoms. Seokjin had long since declared it was a sign that the universe favored their babies over everyone else. They were just grateful that their lack of symptoms meant that they were able to act as the primary caretakers for their mates.
It was not uncommon to see Jungkook jumping in to curl around Jimin when his cramps reached the point of tears, or offering a guiding hand to Namjoon to tug him to the dinner table. He liked holding Yoongi's hand when his impulsivity was high so that he could distract him away from the enticing idea of online shopping. Their youngest mate was good at being an emotional support pillar, preferring to indulge in physical coddling as much as possible. He tended to be clingy during heat anyways so it worked well for him.
Taehyung liked to cook, run errands, and take care of physical tasks that needed done during heat week. He'd ferry Jimin to the rest room every couple of hours, he'd run baths and clean his mates, he'd push Seokjin into a chair when he underwent a cramp flare up, he'd replace the punching bag if Hoseok broke the one hanging up. He cleaned bedding and offered warm towels to any that wanted one. He liked feeling useful and productive, and keeping on top of those little things helped him accomplish just that.
Sometimes their roles would shift around a bit, as their heats were always different, but it worked well as an established system. They worked together to give each other what they needed and did their damnedest to balance out one another's experiences.
Once the worst of their symptoms passed after heat week had ended, Jimin, Yoongi, and Namjoon loved reciprocating the love and care they received. It gave them satisfaction to pay it right back to their attentive mates.
As a pack, they had managed to find a balanced lifestyle for themselves and they were proud of it. Life as seven had never been so sweet.
Jimin had been having an excessively rough day up to that point, full of intense cramping, nausea, and heart breaking tears. Their poor mate was just stuck in the depths of his own body’s misery, and they hadn’t been able to help.
It had become a group effort to try and get their darling to eat something, as it had been nearly two days since he had eaten something substantial, but it seemed to be beyond their capability in that moment. Although, their failures had only strengthened their overall resolve to help in any way that they could.
Which is how they had found themselves in a huge nest in the living room. Jimin's nose had been too sensitive to be in the den, so they had opted to achieve the same comforting effect in an area with lesser scents.
Namjoon and Yoongi had both been having pretty good days by comparison, and so had been active in the efforts to aid their Jiminie. Though their attentions had been split to include Hoseok and Seokjin who were having rough days.
The day had just been an intense balancing act, which is why they had come together within the same room in order to combat it as a team.
”I swear to everything that I’m about to rip out my reproductive organs,” Seokjin complained. “They’re being dramatic and I need them to calm their shit.”
Taehyung rumbled a displeased note and pressed a heating pad into his hands. “See if this helps. Shouldn’t be too long until the pain meds kick in.”
Jungkook perked up from where he was spooning Jimin, holding a heating pad to the older’s tummy. “It’s been like 20 minutes since he took the pills, they usually kick in around the 25 minute marker.”
Seokjin huffed in amusement, gaze fond as he looked across the nest to Jungkook. “You’re so cute. Such an attentive baby for me.”
”Always for you, Jinnie,” Jungkook replied with a cheeky grin.
Yoongi watched the proceedings with a lazy smile. He was half slumped in Namjoon's hold, enjoying a brief reprieve from cramps. "You're such nerds. I love you more than I know how to say."
Namjoon managed a chuckle at that. "That's gay, Yoongi."
Jungkook inhaled deeply and purred as he curled over Jimin. "That's the good shit. I love cuddle piles. Smells so good."
"S'rry mm not helpin'," Jimin croaked. "Prob'ly don't smell good.."
Hoseok leaned forward to press a kiss to his brow. "Nonsense. You smell hurt but that's alright, babe. You're allowed to hurt. We've got you."
That earned him a disbelieving scoff. Jimin shook his head and nuzzled further into the pillows. It was normal for him to be rather quiet during heat weeks. He tired to conserve what little energy he had for moments of required movement.
Yoongi reached out a hand to pat Jimin's hip in commiseration.
They were all quiet for a while, just basking in one another's presence and finding peace in their combined scents. Heat weeks were a time of comforting one another and bonding in their relative misery.
The pain medicine kicked in for Seokjin and allowed him a chance to relax more fully. Taehyung accepted his added weight and kissed the side of his head.
"Maybe it's too early to ask, but are we getting take out, or are we making food tonight?"
Yoongi grunted in response to Tae's question. "None of us have the energy to cook enough for all of us. Someone just needs to make Jiminie's juk and the rest of us can eat take out."
Jungkook whined. "As long as it's not chicken again, I'm tired of chicken."
"Let's get lamb skewers then, Kookie. It's time to indulge ourselves."
"Marry me."
"We're already mated, love, that's basically the same thing."
"Fair."
Hoseok rolled his eyes. "You're both a mess. But we can make sure you get your damn skewers. Needy babies."
Jungkook hummed in interest. "Yes and I'm your baby, thank you very much."
"I can make the juk for Jiminie," Taehyung said. "I just might need some direction from Jin or Yoongi."
"We'll make it happen, but not right now," Seokjin murmured.
"Hmmm yeah now is for relaxing. No brain, only tired body," Namjoon grumbled out.
Yoongi laughed as Namjoon nuzzled into his neck. He reached behind him to brush through some of the other's hair, smiling when it made a purr escape.
Taehyung tilted his head and watched with evident adoration in his gaze.
There were so many moments that were shared between them all as mates that made their mate bond glow with warmth and happiness. Sometimes it was nice to bask in the semi constant echoes of that warmth within their bond. It was an ongoing reminder that there were many beautiful moments of joy shared between the seven of them, and that their bond was thriving.
He loved it, he loved every moment of being in love with his pack. Taehyung would never let a day pass when he didn't feel grateful for his mates.
"We are all but graceless nest potatoes," Jungkook proclaimed happily. "Cuddled together in the most delightful bundle."
Hoseok giggled, "Kookie is scent drunk again."
"The sniff king goes undefeated," Yoongi added.
Jimin groaned and pinched one of Jungkook's arms from where it was wrapped around him. "St'p sniffin' me, weirdo."
"It's called soothing, and I'm a pro," the youngest sassed. "Now hush and accept your quota of love."
"We are not establishing love quotas in this pack," Seokjin scolded with a teasing edge. "That would lead to competition and I don't have enough energy to keep up with your rambunctious hellions."
Jungkook's eyes flickered with mischievousness. "Jeez, just say you'd lose, Jinnie."
"Watch it, you little shit."
Jungkook let out a squeaky laugh and ducked down behind Jimin's head, until only his eyes were still visible. They were crinkled up and dazzling with amusement.
Namjoon's purr from across the nest increased in volume.
Despite the usual aches and pains that came with heat weeks, they almost always managed to find their sense of equilibrium through cuddling up together in a unified nest. It settled every part of their inner omegas and allowed them to find rest. There was just something unbeatable about nesting as a unit and sleeping their way through the day.
"I'm making Jiminie and Namjoonie bathe later," Taehyung announced. "It is their turn for hot bath soothing time."
Both of them made vague sounds of interest in response.
Hoseok heaved a long sigh and backed up so that he was within Seokjin's arms. "We can worry about that later. It's naptime now."
"We've worked hard," Yoongi agreed with a drowsy sound to his words. "We've earned a rest."
Taehyung snuggled into Seokjin's back and reached an arm over his torso to land on Hoseok. It was cozy. His heart swelled with content.
"Love you all," one of them said. Six sleepy responses joined the first in.
Heat weeks sucked, but at least they had outstanding company. At least they had each other.
Bangtan was seven, always and forever, after all.