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“It’s been awhile.” Yoongi smiled from where he stood behind the counter of his small tavern at the end of town. It was after closing hours, lights dimmed, chairs up on the tables, but the tavern was never ever really closed for—
Hoseok sighed in harmony with the bells chiming atop the door. Moving to take a seat at the bar and bringing his sweet vanilla scent with him. Crossing his arms across the bar top and laying his head down to look at Yoongi, “I know. A whole day. I haven’t eaten all day …”
Yoongi chuckled, “That’s funny. Believe it or not I know you, if you’re hungry enough you’ll eat food I haven’t made you.” He said as he turned to the other side of the bar, preparing the looks of a muffin, some eggs and something else.
“No, if I tell you that then you’ll stop feeding me.” Hoseok countered.
“Not true. Where’s the little guy? Doesn’t he need dinner?”
“My little Jungkookie is staying at Jimin’s place tonight. Jimin’s mom saw us as we came back to town, said one look at me and she knew I needed a night of peace. Offered to take Jungkook for the night and well, you know how Jungkook and Jimin are once they see each other.” Hoseok explained, his finger drawing imaginary designs onto the wooden countertop.
Yoongi nodded, “They are inseparable.”
Hoseok stared tiredly towards Yoongi’s back, whispering, “Yeah, they are.”
They were quiet for a while after that. Just the gentle sizzling of the fire, the spatula on the pan.
“Do you think I’ll ever find that? That kind of love?” Hoseok asked, his voice so small Yoongi had to strain to hear it at all.
Yoongi whipped around, brows furrowed, “What are you talking about? Of course you will.”
Hoseok’s eyes started to water as he looked away, “My pup, my little Jungkookie has found his soulmate at six years old. He’s going to grow up and present as an alpha most likely, maybe a beta, and little Jimin a beta or omega. And they’re going to be true mates. And I…” Hoseok’s voice choked, a small cry, “I messed it all up…”
Yoongi took the pan off the fire, rushing to Hoseok, taking his hands in his own, “Hoseok, talk to me. What’s going on?” His eyes swimming with concern, “You know I don’t pry. But Hoseok, I’ve seen you carry the world on your back with a smile too many times to count. Please, talk to me. Where did you go today? What happened?”
Hoseok sniffed, still not looking at Yoongi, “I…I was summoned back to the palace. Jungkookie and I both.”
Yoongi stood up straight at that. Eyes wide in alarm as he walked over to the door, locking it and closing the blinds. “Does anyone else know?”
Hoseok just shook his head, “You’re the only one who knows my past Yoongi hyung, I haven’t even told Jungkook everything yet. I just don’t know how. I should have told him today but…I…” Hoseok sniffed, lifting his head fully now, looking at Yoongi sadly, “I told him we were on a tour of the palace. That they were letting locals in there.”
Yoongi nodded, moving to sit next to Hoseok, “That’s okay. He doesn’t need to know right now.”
“He saw my parents.” Hoseok’s voice wavered, shaking his head, “He saw his grandparents and they did nothing. They could barely talk to him, it was as if they had no idea how to interact with their grandson. Their absolutely perfect grandson.”
“Shit.” Yoongi felt like the wind was knocked out of him with that, holding his hands up in the air, “Hold on, just…start from the beginning. Please? You usually tell me what’s going on, why didn’t you say anything this time?”
Hoseok looked down, shrugging a little, “I don’t know.” His voice was small, a deep inhale, a thick exhale, “I was summoned this morning. And you know how the palace works. They don’t wait. I don’t even know how they found me…I don’t even know how they found —” Hoseok inhaled sharply, hand over his lips, “You! You’re spying on me!”
Yoongi rolled his eyes, “Hoseok, really? You think I’m spying on you?” He raised a brow, “They probably knew where you’ve been this whole time. Would a spy feed you for free every day? Take care of Jungkookie when you’re working late? Fix your gutters and porch whenever it rains? Take care of you when you’re sick?”
Hoseok pointed, pouting, “That sounds pretty spyie to me!”
“We’ll, I’m not a spy. Carry on.” Yoongi motioned with his hand.
“Would have been a cool thing to add onto your job description though, tavern owner, Jungkookies favorite alpha, spying on the countries missing princess.” Hoseok sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips, “I’m teasing you. I know you’re not a spy.”
Yoongi smiled at the sight of Hoseok’s expression changing, even just a little, “Good. ‘Cus I’m not. Even though I know you’re going to tell Jungkook that I am now.”
“Just imagine his face when he finds out his favorite alpha is also a spy you’re already who he wants to be when he grows up, just wait till he hears this.” Hoseok hums playfully, a bit more of a smile.
“The one Jungkook wants to be like when he’s older is his mother right in front of me.” Yoongi smiled, meaning his words as a compliment, but something bittersweet settled in Hoseok's smile from his words.
“Yeah, well.” Hoseok exhaled, closing his eyes, “Anyway. We got the invitation. They requested my immediate appearance. They said it was imperative regarding my parents.” Hoseok shook his head, huffing in unbelief, “And to think my first thoughts were that something must have happened to my parents. That my dad was dying and he wanted to see me. I’m so stupid.”
Yoongi reached out, laying his hand atop Hoseok’s own on the counter, encouraging him to continue.
“I told Jungkook that we were chosen for a special visit to the palace to be one of the first tourist peasants there. Like a museum thing.” Hoseok looked down at their hands, “They had a carriage waiting for us immediately with the invitation, so I didn’t have time to tell you.” Hoseok pursed his lips, shaking his head, “We got there…and of course, it’s the palace. Jungkook was in awe.” Hoseok paused, a lump in his throat stopping him, a heavy tear falling.
Yoongi squeezed Hoseok’s hand gently, he could read the omega like an open book, “You left that life because you had to. There is no sacrifice you could have made that would have been worth it to Jungkook for you guys to have stayed there.” Yoongi reassured, “He may have had a more polished life there, he would have lived with the nobles and the finest foods and never have to worry about work.” Yoongi leaned towards Hoseok, recapturing his gaze, “But hey, I make pretty darn good food here, don’t I?”
Hoseok smiled a little at that, another tear falling as he nodded, “Yeah. Better than the palace in my opinion.”
Yoongi smiled, “And didn’t Jungkookie find, who the whole town agrees is, his soulmate here? Doesn’t he have a town's worth of friends who love and dote on him? This whole town adores that pup, right?”
“Yeah.” Hoseok cried, “Yeah, the town loves him. Everyone was so kind to us when we showed up and he was just so small in my arms.”
“And doesn’t he love to cook? And clean out the house gutters with me? The other day he was asking me to teach him how to build a carriage for Jimin. Do you think he would be even allowed to learn all of that in the palace?”
Hoseok exhaled, a little lighter, “You’re right. He wouldn't. He would have been forced to read the same propaganda that I did, he would have been told no, more than yes, because there are certain things that nobles, especially princesses and princes, just don’t do. He would have had a life planned out to the T for him. He would have had no choice.”
“You made the right decision.” Yoongi whispered, “You were strong enough to see past all of the glittering diamonds, and give your son a life .”
Hoseok smiled, relieved, yet still bittersweet, something unresolved still swimming in his gaze, “I just hope he sees it that way when he’s older.”
“He will.” Yoongi assured, “I know that boy. He is the son of the strongest, most independent and fiercest omega that I know.” Yoongi smiled, “I know that he will see it this way. Trust hyung.”
Hoseok nodded, “Okay.” He murmured, clearing his voice to continue, “So, once we arrived, we were ushered to a waiting room. Where we stayed for a while, of course we ate all of the snacks that they provided. Taught Jungkookie how to stuff some of the extras in his pockets for later too.” Hoseok giggled, “They do have this like…indoor playground for kids there at the palace. It had been so long I’d forgotten all about it. Eventually some of the servants asked us to go there, and thankfully there were some other kids playing there, so Jungkook had some friends to play with.”
“He’s gotten a lot better at making friends these days.” Yoongi smiled proudly.
Hoseok nodded, smiling too, “Yeah, he really has. So I was there, keeping an eye on him when my parents, my parents showed up there!”
“There?! The king and queen?! Was there a formal introduction?” Yoongi asked, confused, “This is the first time they’re meeting Jungkook since he was born…right?”
“Yep.” Hoseok looked up, chuckling incredulously, “They came in, no smiles or anything, Jungkook and the other kids didn’t even notice them. I got up and did the whole courtesy thing. They cut right to the point, my mom says ‘This is your last chance to get him back and have a real family. ’”
Yoongi’s brows furrowed in confusion even more, “What is she talking about?”
Hoseok looked over towards Yoongi deadpan, “ Jun .” Hoseok groaned, “They’re talking about Jun , Yoongi hyung.”
“Jungkook’s father?!” Yoongi’s hands balled into fits at his side at the news, growing angrier by the second, “They’re telling you to get him back ?! But that fucker—”
“No, it gets better,” Hoseok held up a finger towards Yoongi, smiling at the ridiculousness of it all, “They didn’t just want me to get him back, they wanted me to apologize to him! That’s what my mom said. That he was there in the palace for the last time visiting as he’s going around sharing news of his new engagement to the princess of the western kingdom. And that it was my duty to fall on my knees before him and beg for him to take my pup and I in as his wife and son.”
“I can't believe this. I can't believe this!” Yoongi shook his head, “Did your mother—the queen—forget that when you found out you were pregnant so young and before marriage, that Jun said he couldn’t be the father because of his path to his own throne? That his own path to be king was more important than his own child ? Then his omega ?!”
“Hyung—”
Yoongi got up from his seat, unable to keep himself still now, pacing along the bar stools, “there is nothing I would not do for you or Jungkook. Nothing that I would think twice about giving up for you. Did your mother also forget that while Jun left you at your palace to deal with all of this, the secrecy of the pregnant princess with the mystery father, that he was off in his own kingdom, messing around with another omega?! And do they not remember how you found out?”
“Yoongi…” Hoseok started softly.
Yoongi couldn't stop himself now, the tavern filling with the scent of an alphas fuming rage, “Do they know that when you had Jungkook, the next morning they had confiscated your right to rest and heal. You were forced to attend those meetings, all the plans to hide Jungkook until you were properly married to an alpha. All those plans on what Jungkook would be, how he would live his life, all of his choices being made by all of those people who didn’t care about him the way that you or I do—” Yoongi shook his head, running a hand through his dark bangs, “That you ran away to his father that night. You took your pup and you ran to the alpha who was supposed to protect his family except he just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t be a man for you. He couldn’t be an alpha for you. Not while he had all those other omegas he was so ready to fuck every night.”
“Alpha…” Hoseok whispered, reaching a hand out to rest atop Yoongi’s own, stopping him in his tracks, “Alpha…I know…”
Yoongi’s rage brought tears to his eyes, halting in his place as his voice cracked, “I should have been there.”
Hoseok smiled sadly, moving to rest his head gently on Yoongi’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around the alphas waist. “I wish you were, too. But it’s ok that you weren’t. You helped me so much when I found you.”
Yoongi’s arms immediately came to wrap around Hoseok, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Hoseok smiled, nuzzling further into Yoongi’s shoulder, tears drowning his voice but for an entirely different reason, this time. “It’s…it’s so different.” He didn’t know how else to explain, how else to describe it, so he settled for, “Thank you for caring, alpha. About Jungkookie, and about me.”
Yoongi exhaled, pressing a kiss to the top of Hoseok’s head, “Please do not thank me for something as simple as this, omega." Yoongi whispered, "I should have been there to protect you. I'm so sorry.”
Hoseok shook his head, they stayed like that for awhile, until Hoseok’s voice regained its strength, and the sharp, angry pheromones from Yoongi’s alpha diluted in the air, that Hoseok continued again, staying there in Yoongi’s arms, “I’m not sure if they know the last part of the story with Jun and I. But I don’t think they’d care either way if they knew that I was rejected by him that night I ran away from the kingdom.” He whispered against Yoongi’s skin. “My dad agreed with my mom, that I needed to try and make things right today. That it was the only way to save Jungkook, is what he said.”
Yoongi huffed, swaying them gently, “Well, that’s not true.”
“I know.” Hoseok sighed, “Well, they weren’t going to leave unless I agreed. And unless I wanted a scene from them with Jungkook there, I had to do it. So they agreed to stay and watch Jungkook while I went down the hall to where Jun—”
“ Wait—” Yoongi stepped back, holding Hoseok at arms length, brows furrowed, “You actually saw him ?!”
“What was I supposed to do?” Hoseok pouted, “It’s not like it was going to do anything anyway. I figured I could have the meeting, we could talk about how crazy our parents are, and then be on our way.” Hoseok reasoned, "I mean, we were friends at one point in our lives at least."
Yoongi shook his head, “No, Hoseok…he—”
“I know.” Hoseok cut Yoongi off gently, giving a gentle squeeze to Yoongi’s arms, mustering up as reassuring a smile as he could, “I know. But you have to understand, there was no choice in this.”
Yoongi frowned, “So what happened? Does Jungkook know you saw his father today?”
Hoseok shook his head, “No, I don’t…know what to tell Jungkook about his father. I don’t want to paint this beautiful picture of him and make him think that his father is out there looking for him and waiting for him to return…but I also don’t want him to think his father is a bad person…because I don’t think he is, well, all bad...I just—I don’t know.”
Yoongi nodded, “We can figure out what to tell him.”
Hoseok smiled gratefully up towards Yoongi at the mention of we...“Yeah. The truth, just, how to word the truth.”
“Of course.”
“And you won’t get mad?” Hoseok asked, a teasing smile.
“No promises.” Yoongi smiled back, leading them back to the bar stools, his voice gentle and safe, “What happened, omega?”
Hoseok’s heart always stirred a little when Yoongi called him that. He never called him that in front of others, not even often when it was just them. But it was like he had a sixth sense. Yoongi knew when Hoseok needed his inner wolf to feel safe, protected and guarded.
Now, as he processed all of this, he needed that more than anything.
“I left Jungkook with my parents. Not sure he even noticed that I left. And just down the hallway anyway was the waiting room where Jun was. I walked in and he stood up immediately, completely shocked to see me.” Hoseok chuckled sadly, “looks like nobody told him what was going on either.”
Hoseok shrugged, “I made some kind of joke about my parents setting this up, he laughed. I sat down across from him and asked how he’s been. He told me he’s engaged now. An omega from the west, that she just…swept him off his feet.” Hoseok started to cry this time, unable to hold back, but he had to continue, he had to get this out. To process. To let go.
“He said…” Hoseok's voice cracked, “He said the same thing happened. He said it as if it was a joke. A funny little coincidence.” Hoseok angrily wiped tears from his cheeks, “He said she was pregnant with their baby just over a year ago.” Hoseok swallowed thickly, “He said…he said the day his daughter was born was the best day of his life. That he had never known so much love. His whole life is devoted to that little pup.”
“Omega…” Yoongi whispered, heartbreak in his voice. He knew, Hoseok knew that Yoongi already knew exactly what Hoseok was thinking.
But Hoseok had to say it, he had to let it go. It hurt too much to keep in his bones, “I didn’t know what to say to that. So many responses came to me, I wanted to say, where were you when I was pregnant with your first born? I wanted to say, did you feel that same way when I showed up that night with your son in my arms? I was going to say, why isn't it me? Why are you choosing her over me? You want a family with her...but not me..." Hoseok inhaled sharply, spiraling, "His new wife will never have to experience the things that I had to. She will never have to go through anything alone. She'll have him by her side, all in. I messed it all up. I lost my chance. My last chance to give Jungkook a family. He'll never have a family because I couldn't be enough for his father—"
"Omega, please—" Yoongi's voice and gaze was pleading, pleading for Hoseok to stop.
But Hoseok shook his head, “But you know what I said? You know what came out of my mouth?” Hoseok looked towards Yoongi, the tears creating rivers on his skin now, but Hoseok didn’t care, Yoongi was crying now, too.
Because of course he was, Yoongi was always with him. Always in the ring, fighting through life along side him.
“I said…that I’m happy for him.” Hoseok could barely get the words out. “I said…that it’s wonderful that he’s going to be a father. And that Jungkook has a half sister.”
Hoseok shook his head, chuckling at nothing but himself, “I’m such an idiot. Because his next words were something along the lines of, ‘Oh is that his name? Jungkook? I didn’t know you still had him.’ As if that’s not his son as if that’s not my son !” Hoseok barked. “I’m so angry, I’m so angry at him. I’m so upset at myself for not being more angry at him in the moment. For being proper, and not yelling at him. For not telling him that it should be me. That I’m the one he should be marrying because Jungkook is the one who’s supposed to make him feel that way. But I don’t even want to marry him anymore…I don’t think I ever really did. He’s a weak man, a stupid alpha who will only shape up when he wants to. When it's convenient for him.”
Hoseok continued to ramble on, “I left after congratulating him. We agreed that when his daughter is old enough he’ll tell her about Jungkook and leave it up to her and Jungkook if the two of them would like to meet when they’re older. Because according to him, to have Jungkook and I in the palace right now would only stir up rumors. He hasn’t told his fiancé about me and Jungkook. And he said it would be best if in the future, if Jungkook were to visit his half sister, it would be without me accompanying him.”
“Hoseok, he does not have any right to decide something like that. That’s Jungkook’s sister, if he wants to see her he should be able to.” Yoongi interjected firmly, Hoseok could see all the things written on his face that he wanted to say, but he knew Yoongi well enough to know that the alpha was keeping it in for his sake. Letting Hoseok ramble on, process and cry before sharing his thoughts on everything.
“I know. But I didn’t want to cry in front of him, and I wasn’t in the mood to fight because he would win. Because it’s true, I can’t go to the palace unless summoned now. I ran away, with the future little prince no less, and then was banished because of it.” Hoseok looked down sadly, “I kept it together enough to go back into the indoor playground. My parents were talking to Jungkook. I heard him ask them where his mommy was, and my mom and dad went ghostly white, they looked at each other before my mom said that I’ll be back soon. By the time she said that Jungkook saw me, and came running.”
Hoseok looked at Yoongi then, “Maybe I should have told Jungkook, that those were his grandparents. But I…I don’t know. It didn’t feel right. They were so shocked just to see him come up and speak to them…” Hoseok exhaled again, “And then of course, my mom snaps out of it right away, asks how the meeting went. I told her I congratulated him, and that we will be going. Picked up Jungkook and turned on my heel to leave, she followed me out of the room, practically yelling about how much I’ll regret leaving.”
“You made the right decision, omega.” Yoongi comforted, “That was not the time to tell Jungkook. They were too focused on you and Jun.”
“And that’s all that conversation would have been anyway.” Hoseok nodded, a validating smile, “But you know what? My little stinker, he’s got such a fiery little spirit, when my mom was yelling at me, he started barking, ‘Hey! Don’t yell at my mama! I’ll yell right back at you!’”
Yoongi chuckled fondly, “That’s our boy.”
“It really is.” Hoseok smiled, “Afterwards on the carriage ride home of course he asked what that was all about, I told him it was nothing to worry about. That she was just a mean old lady…” Hoseok exhaled, “But hyung, I should have told him. I should tell him. I just…it was a lot to process today and I just couldn’t add that—”
“Hey,” Yoongi stopped him this time, “omega, look at me. You will. You will tell him, it’s okay to take time for yourself to process all of this. You can tell him tomorrow if you want, we can tell him if you want me there.”
“Okay.” Hoseok smiled a little, quiet for a moment before whispering into the dark tavern, just loud enough for Yoongi to hear, “Why wasn’t it me…?”
“Omega…” Yoongi sighed.
“Why wasn’t it, though?” Hoseok asked, with disbelief and sadness in his voice, “he was able to do it. All these years, I thought that Jungkook's father just wasn’t meant to be a father. That he couldn’t do it. That if I couldn’t get him to shape up and be a man, then that’s just how he was.” Hoseok cried now, a real, heartfelt, sad cry, “But that’s what he's doing. He’s going to be a father. He’s going to be a husband. His omega will never have to go through everything that I went through alone. His omega will have a family! Jun chose not to create a family with me…he chose not to be Jungkook's father…I…I wasn’t enough…”
Yoongi wrapped Hoseok up in his arms quickly, pulling the omega into his lap, “Not another word.” Yoongi murmured into the top of Hoseok’s hair as he cried, and cried, and cried. “Not another word. Don’t ever say that. I can't stand it. Don’t ever let him make you think that you are not enough. Omega you are single handedly building a new— better —life for your pup. You were strong enough to leave, you did it all on your own. And you know Jungkook is going to grow up thinking you are the most amazing mom. You protected him, and you brought him here where everyone loves him and wants him to succeed.” Yoongi rocked them softly. “Please, don’t ever let him make you think that. He’s hurt you enough. He’s done enough damage and I—If I ever see that man I wouldn’t know how to stop my inner wolf from utterly destroying—”
“He’s still Jungkook’s father…” Hoseok cut Yoongi off with a thick, wet voice, “As much as I want to never see him again…as much as I hate him…we can’t. He’s still his father…”
“Omega, you know your pup better than anyone. After he hears the truth, do you truly think that he will ever want to see his father?” Yoongi was filling the room with comforting pheromones. “There’s no one in this world that Jungkook loves more than you.”
Hoseok let out a huff. The smallest smile upturned the corner of his lips, “Yeah…well, there’s Jimin.”
Yoongi chuckled softly, “True. But you’re a close second then.”
Hoseok hummed, the heaving cries cascading into trickling tears, “I feel…like I’ll never have that. I hate that I want it…I hate that I want that feeling. Protected and safe…a father for Jungkook. An alpha he can look up to. I've done it on my own for so long...why do I still want a family like that...? Will anyone love me first...?"
Yoongi didn’t say anything for a moment, perhaps a moment too long, but through a thick lump in his throat he took the leap of faith that he knew was the wrong time for, but he had to, he needed Hoseok to know that— “I do…” He cleared his throat, “I mean…I, I love Jungkook like my own. And my…my wolf…we can—we can talk about this later—”
“Hyung…” Hoseok pulled away from Yoongi, making sure to meet his gaze with wide eyes. Tears painted Hoseok’s cheeks, his eyes red, framed by wet eyelashes and disheveled brown locks.
But he looked just as beautiful to Yoongi.
“We can talk about this another time. You should rest for now.” Yoongi brushed Hoseok’s bangs back gently.
“We…no, let’s talk about this now. We need to talk about this now.” Hoseok started, determined.
Yoongi smiled softly at the omega, “You’ve had so much happen today, I don’t want to add to everything. We can…talk about that in the morning—”
“Yoongi hyung this is not something that we can just put off until the morning. What are you saying? Are you just saying this because I’m crying and I want a family? Is this some kind of alpha thing?” Hoseok asked, working himself up, scattered.
Yoongi reached out, soothingly rubbing his inner wrist against Hoseok’s neck where his scent gland was, scenting him to calm him. Yoongi had only done that a number of times with Hoseok, but he knew he was starting to lose Hoseok and the fear took over. “Hoseok, listen to me. I need you to stay here with me and listen, okay? If you want to talk about it now, we can talk about it now. I…I just don’t want to pressure you. This is not some kind of alpha thing. I can promise you that.”
Hoseok frowned, yet leaned slightly into Yoongi’s touch, “I don’t want to wait until the morning, I want to know now. I want to know what you mean. What does your wolf want? Do you think your wolf has…imprinted on Jungkook? That your wolf thinks of him as your pup?”
Yoongi took Hoseok’s other hand into his own, “I’ve known that boy since he was so little. I remember when you first showed up here in town. A single bag on your back, a pup swaddled up in your arms. I’d forgotten to lock the door to the tavern and you came right on in so close to midnight.”
Hoseok smiled a little at the memory, “You never told me you were closed, you know. You took our order, I even told you I didn’t have any money and you still served us.”
Yoongi’s smile mirrored Hoseok’s own, “Something told me that day that you needed a little more than just food.”
“And you told me that your aunt just moved to a neighboring town, that her place just down the street from here was empty and nobody wanted it. But that’d you’d been fixing it up and that we could stay there for free.” Hoseok smiled a little more at that, “Because of course you did.”
“And of course you can’t take anything for free—except for food—so you promised you’d get a job and start paying me back for the place and all the repairs. And you did. You got yourself a job at the local pharmacy, came in here and studied, nursed Jungkook, and worked. Paid me every month.” Yoongi continued, chuckling.
“I’m sure you give all the omegas that walk in here past midnight their own house.” Hoseok huffed fondly.
Yoongi shook his head, smiling, “There’s only ever been one. And there only ever will be.” He pulled out his wallet, pulling out a small, delicately pressed daisy and laying it into Hoseok’s palm.
Hoseok’s eyes grew wide, “Is this…”
“When this omega came into the tavern that night, with a small pup, hungry and with no place to sleep, he gave me this before he said anything. Said he had nothing to pay me, but that he had this daisy.” Yoongi recalled fondly.
“You kept this…?” Hoseok whispered. “You pressed it, and you kept it in your wallet…the little daisy I picked up on the way here…” Hoseok stared down at it in wonder before looking back up towards Yoongi with wide eyes, “I just…I picked it up because I thought it was pretty and I…I had to give you something I mean you gave me a home I…god hyung that was…that was six years ago …”
Yoongi smiled, putting the daisy back in his wallet carefully, “Something changed that day. I felt it, and my wolf did.” Yoongi could see the confusion and awe written on Hoseok’s features as he continued, “It was you. You came in here, and I knew. My wolf knew. I don’t know how exactly. I just know that I knew. And I…I would follow you anywhere, honestly. It’s just been so easy, having you down the street. Seeing you and Jungkook for every meal, I mean thank god you can’t cook.” He chuckled. “This town is so small, I was always so close to the two of you.” He added a little softer, “was always close to you .”
Hoseok’s eyes filled with tears again. “Hyung I don’t…”
“Please.” Yoongi shook his head, “Please don’t feel like you need to respond. You don’t even have to acknowledge what I just said. Just allowing me to be close to you like this, to share your world, that’s enough for me. To have you, and to be in Jungkook’s life in any capacity, I’m grateful for. You’ve been through enough tonight, I can’t put this on you—”
“ Alpha .” Hoseok’s voice wavered, “You’ve felt this way…for six years …?”
Yoongi nodded, frowning, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I did not tell you this to make you cry more, please, let hyung make it better somehow—”
“No.” Hoseok shook his head, “No, hyung, why didn’t you say anything? Is that why you haven’t dated since I’ve known you? Why didn’t you tell me…?”
Yoongi shook his head, pleading, “I’m sorry. Hoseok, I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner, I just wanted to be in your life in some way. I was so afraid that if I told you, I would ruin the balance of everything. I would push you and Jungkook away. That I’d wake up from this dream and I can’t—I can’t fathom a life without you. I can’t. I can’t do it.” Yoongi’s eyes filled with tears, “You always handle everything on your own, Hoseok. I just…I was worried you didn’t want an alpha.”
“ You idiot. ” Hoseok cried, wiping away his tears, bringing Yoongi’s wrist up to his scent gland, initiating the motion for the alpha to scent Hoseok again. “I can’t believe you…I can’t believe you thought that I didn’t want you …”
Yoongi blinked widely, whiplash from his thoughts, “What?”
“You couldn’t tell how badly my wolf wanted you? How badly I wanted you?! Hyung, you’re the only one who knows my situation, nobody else in this town knows that I'm a princess. Not even my own son. I only trust you.” Hoseok smiled a little, “Even though you are spying on me.”
“I’m not spying on you.” Yoongi groaned, his expression slowly turning into a smile, something fond, so gentle and oh god how it made Hoseok’s toes curl, how much love there was. It colored the room different, warmer, filled his heart with oranges and reds and yellows. That was the power of Yoongi’s gaze. “Your wolf feels that too…?”
Hoseok nodded, Yoongi’s scent was taking over like never before. Hoseok never realized how much Yoongi had restrained himself from fully scenting him before. Always careful to never cross this imaginary line they’d both created. “Yeah.” Hoseok could barely speak, his wolf submitting to Yoongi’s, as if she’d been strong for far too long, as if her alpha was finally there to protect her, and she could allow herself that safety. Smiling, “I can’t believe you kept the daisy.”
“I had to.” Yoongi smiled right back, their gazes softening, Yoongi hadn’t realized how close he’d gotten to Hoseok until then, their lips inches apart. “I think that…omega, I think that you’re my…”
“Me too…” Hoseok whispered, his words brushing against Yoongi’s own before erasing the distance.
Like daisies blooming in the spring, like Jungkook laughing in his arms, like Yoongi’s cup of warm coffee in the mornings.
Everything fell into place.
Everything felt right.
Hoseok’s wolf howled, yearning for more as he reached to deepen the kiss—
Yoongi pulled away slightly, breathing heavy, heavier than Hoseok, “Omega, I—”
“I know…me too.” Hoseok moved their bodies closer, nuzzling himself into Yoongi more, they were a perfect fit, the missing princess and the tavern boy.
“I…I need to stop my wolf. I don’t want it to take control, not right now.” Yoongi reasoned, “I want to savor this, every step. I want to do this the proper way, and I don’t want to take advantage of you…you’ve had to be so strong for so long. Let me hold you tonight. Help piece you together. Let me be there when you talk to our pup about everything. And let me do this the right way with you. Let me cherish you.” Yoongi proclaimed.
“Alpha…” Hoseok felt breathless at Yoongi’s admission.
“You have no idea how badly I want to ravish you right here right now.” Yoongi brushed Hoseok’s hair back away from his eye, thumb drawing away another tear in the corner of his eye. “It’s taking every ounce of me to stop myself. My wolf has waited too long for this, but I want this to be me, first. Let my wolf wait, let me have you first. The right way.”
“How are you real…?” Hoseok teared up, “Am I dreaming? Is this really happening…? You just…you just keep saving me, alpha.”
“Omega,” Yoongi hummed, pulling Hoseok closer, scenting him properly now with his nose in the omegas neck, comforting him. “This is real. What’s happening is real, our wolves are real. And I merely help you. You do all the saving yourself. But I hope you let me help you more.”
Yoongi moved to stand, carrying Hoseok in his arms bridal style before his erection could get in the way of their embrace. “Will you stay here tonight with hyung? Or do you want me to take you home?”
“Here is fine.” Hoseok leaned closer towards Yoongi, snuggling into his warmth, completely pliant in his arms, so safe.
Yoongi carried Hoseok towards the back of the tavern and up the stairs to his second floor bedroom. Willing his heart to calm the storm in his veins, that he had Hoseok, he had his omega in his arms.
Hoseok had always been his omega.
And now he was in Yoongi’s arms…
Hoseok kept murmuring tiredly something along the lines of ‘ daisy’ and ‘ you kept it’ and ‘ alpha ’ as Yoongi tucked him into bed.
“Alpha…” Hoseok whispered, blinking sleepily as Yoongi sat on the ground beside Hoseok who was laying in bed. Yoongi couldn't trust himself to sleep next to Hoseok, not yet, anyhow. “We’ve always been a family…haven’t we? Ever since the daisy…”
Yoongi smiled, holding Hoseok’s hand in his own hand that shuffled out from the covers, “Yeah.” Yoongi agreed, “Ever since the daisy, I’ve been your alpha.”
Hoseok smiled, eyes closing completely now, his voice laced with sleep, “We can tell Jungkookie tomorrow…after we tell him everything…I can say his real daddy has been here the whole time. He can call you dad, we can be a family...”
Something in Yoongi’s chest constricted, tears welling in his eyes. He loved that pup just as much as his omega did. And to think that his omega was willingly allowing him to be part of their lives, to have a title, to be allowed the responsibility to care for Jungkook, for him to be their pup, Yoongi couldn’t help the wetness in his voice when he whispered, “Yeah. His family .”
Yoongi smiled fondly, watching Hoseok drift off to sleep. He had so many emotions running through his veins. Now that his omega was safe, he wanted nothing more than to tear apart the alpha who made him cry. The one who was too much of a coward to give Hoseok the life he deserved.
But on the other hand, Yoongi was eternally grateful to the universe, for Hoseok being there with him, for Jungkook being born.
And they will have to talk more about it, the labels, the titles.
Yoongi already knows that he is the father figure in Jungkook’s life. He already knows that Jungkook writes down Yoongi’s name on forms requesting his fathers information. Yoongi knows that when Jungkook needs advice, or help from a father, that he comes straight to Yoongi.
But Yoongi wants to do this right, he wants to do this with Hoseok.
Yoongi wants to make dinner for them, to have the table filled with their laughter every night, hearing Jungkook’s stories from school, Hoseok’s stories from the pharmacy.
Yoongi wants to pick up the slack when Hoseok works the long shifts at the pharmacy. He wants to have a bath ready for the omega when he returns home, he wants to have their pup already fed and in bed. To massage hoseok’s feet, to hear his complaints, to feed him when he’s too tired to eat, to take him a part and put him back together again in their bed.
Yoongi wants to brave the storm of the royal family with Hoseok. He wants to be there for whatever comes, whatever it means if Jungkook and his half sister want to have a relationship and to know each other. What that means for Hoseok, he wants to be there. To protect Hoseok, to allow him that space to fall apart like tonight. To pick up all those pieces and put the omega back again.
Yoongi felt his eyes grow heavy, blinking slowly. Tomorrow, they would talk. They would talk about living arrangements, would Yoongi move in with them? He practically has a drawer and toothbrush there already from all the times he’d taken care of the two of them already.
They would talk about responsibility. What could Yoongi take off of Hoseok’s plate officially, what would Hoseok feel comfortable with initially. What would be best for Jungkook.
They would talk about them. Yoongi knows it. He feels it, the connection. What they’d only described in folklore as true mates. Something akin to soulmates. Yoongi is convinced that in another lifetime, Yoongi and Hoseoks wolves were intertwined. They’d loved before, deeply and fiercely. Yoongi felt it in his bones, how his blood flows with the love that connected him to the man before him.
And he would do anything to protect him.
He would do anything…just to continue loving this man. Their family.
As Yoongi drifted off to sleep, a smile on his lips, his omegas hand in his own,
And a single, delicately pressed, daisy, in his palm.