The moment Taehyung stepped into the office building, the sharp tang of paper, ink, and freshly brewed coffee hit him like a wall. It was busy as usual — assistants rushing past, files in arms, the faint buzz of printers in the background.
"Hello, sir," the manager at the front desk greeted him with a deep ninety-degree bow, with clipped and respectful voice.
Taehyung returned the gesture with a casual nod, his alpha presence naturally making the manager more nervous under his gaze.
"Where's Dad?" Taehyung asked, shrugging off his coat and slinging it over one arm.
"In his office, sir."
"And Yoongi-hyung?"
"In his own office, sir."
Taehyung offered a tight smile.. a silent thanks, and made his way toward his brother's room, footsteps echoing against the marble floor.
He didn't bother knocking properly. Just a soft rap of knuckles before slipping inside.
"Hey, hyung." He peeked through the door. "You called?"
"Yeah," Yoongi looked up from his laptop, dark eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Sit" He gestured to the chair, phone receiver already in hand. "Tea? Coffee?"
"No thanks. I'm going home for lunch," he said with a bright grin as he dropped into the chair across the desk.
Yoongi paused mid-dial, brow arching in faint amusement. "Home for lunch, home for dinner... Home, home, home. What's going on with you?"
"Why?" Taehyung laughed. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Not at all," Yoongi leaned back, arms crossing over his chest. "Just strange. You used to be out with Ava, Leo, Mira all the time... restaurants, clubs, trips..."
"All of that was just time-pass, hyung."
Yoongi's smirked. "And what is this, then?"
"A lifetime," he said simply and the words settled between them like dust in sunlight.
"You really have started to like him," Yoongi said, studying his younger brother closely.
"No, hyung." Taehyung shook his head slowly, a look of profound awe softened his features. "I'm in love with him."
No room for jokes. No opening for mockery. Just the raw, unhurried truth of it... and Yoongi, who had watched his brother coast through every phase and every heartbreak with careless ease, found he couldn't brush it off this time.
Yoongi leaned forward, forearms resting against the desk. "Taehyung... Do you even know his background? His character?" His voice dropped lower, caution bleeding into his tone.
Taehyung's jaw tightened, not in anger at Yoongi, but in the quiet bristling protectiveness of an alpha whose omega had just been questioned.
"I know enough," he said. "I know he's kind. I know he's brave. I know he doesn't bow his head just because someone demands it. I know he tries so hard to prove his worth even when no one's watching."
Yoongi stayed quiet. Just listened.
"And," Taehyung added, softer now, "I know that when he looks at me... he doesn't see a name. Or a title. Or a future empire." He exhaled. "He sees me."
There was a faint twitch in Yoongi's mouth, as if he wanted to smile but held it back.
"People will talk," he warned gently.
"Let them," Taehyung shrugged. "They don't matter. Only he does."
The office hummed quietly around them... the air conditioner, the distant tap of keyboards, the muted city beyond the windows. Yoongi's fingers drummed once against the desk.
Then he sighed. Relaxing in his chair.
"Then you better be ready to fight for it, Tae. Not everyone's going to accept this easily."
"I know," Taehyung reassured his brother, "and I am ready."
And that was that. Only if Yoongi knew that it was not any grand declaration or performance, just the quiet certainty. He had already made up his mind... long before he had the words for it.
Yoongi watched him for a long moment, fingers steepled under his chin. Taehyung tilted his head with a small, knowing smile.
"Is that why you called me here, hyung? To discuss my mate?"
"Hmm." Yoongi's brow furrowed. "No, actually. Dad wants to talk to you."
"Dad?" The word hung in the air. "Why?"
"You'll know," Yoongi said, leaning back with that lazy smirk... the one reserved for situations where he was not the one in trouble. "Let him finish his meeting first."
As if the universe enjoyed its timing, a soft knock came at the door. Mr. Cho, their father's secretary, entered with a ninety-degree bow so formal it almost felt ceremonial. Taehyung swallowed a chuckle.
"Sir is calling for you, Sir Taehyung."
"Cool." Taehyung rose, brushing invisible dust from his sleeves. He threw Yoongi one last pointed look — the kind that said what have you handed me this time — but not getting any answer, he followed the secretary down the corridor.
----------
Kim Sang-ho's office was as formidable as the man himself... lined with heavy bookshelves, lacquered wood, and sharp corners. The windows were tinted dark, casting long shadows across the marble floor. Dominance clung to the space like an invisible cloak, soaked into the leather of his chair and the silence that accompanied his presence.
"Hey, Dad." Taehyung entered with a light bow, casual but respectful.
His father didn't look up right away. "Hmm," he muttered, glancing at the document in his hand. "When did you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago."
"Sit."
Taehyung obeyed, settling into the chair across from his father, posture alert.
"You called me?" he asked, studying his father's expression. "Is everything alright?"
Sang-ho finally raised his head. His gaze was sharp, carved from years of commanding boardrooms and controlling empires. He exhaled heavily through his nose. "Do you know how embarrassed I was today because of you?"
Taehyung blinked. "Because of me?"
"I heard you're looking for a job."
It landed like a slap.
"Who told you that?" Taehyung's voice tightened, surprise flickering in his eyes. He had told no one. Not even Yoongi.
"You are my son," Sang-ho said, sarcasm laced into every word. "You thought I wouldn't find out? You think I wouldn't notice if the son of Kim Sang-ho starts knocking on doors for work?"
Taehyung sat a little straighter, shoulders squared. "I'm not doing anything wrong, Dad."
"Anything wrong?" Sang-ho's voice rose, suddenly sharp. "I am Kim Sang-ho. I earn billions. I employ thousands. I fire hundreds. And you... my own blood... are crawling around looking for jobs like some desperate Beta with rent due?"
He slammed a drawer open and pulled out thick bundles of cash, slamming them onto the desk between them.
"If you need money... take it. If your accounts are empty, I'll triple your allowance. You want a car? A penthouse? A business to play with? Say the word."
Taehyung didn't even glance at the money. He leaned back, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
"This," he gestured at the bundles, "is exactly why I'm looking for a job."
Sang-ho stilled.
"Because just like you're throwing money at me now in anger... one day you'll take it back the same way. When Hana left and I refused to go after her, you threatened to cut me off. When I didn't speak to her the way you wanted, you did the same. Every time I disobey, you raise this sword over my head... disinheritance." His voice wasn't angry. It was firm.
"And I've realized... if one day you do more than threaten, what then? Where would I go? What would I have?" His gaze softened slightly.
"And even if I survive it... what about my mate? Where would he go? Who would protect him? Who would provide for him?"
The office room suddenly became hushed.
"You can work here," Sang-ho said finally, voice low but heavy. "Just like Yoongi."
"Of course I can." Taehyung offered a cool and distant smile. "But I won't."
"Why?"
"Because my mate isn't your friend's omega daughter or son, like Hana and Jimin" Taehyung answered bluntly. "He's not someone you'll tolerate just to save face. If I make a mistake here, you'll drag him into it. I know you. And I won't allow that."
He stood slowly, eyes never leaving his father's.
"I'm going to work so I can stand beside my omega... not behind you. So if... No" Taehyung shook his head, "when the cross roads come, I can protect him. Not beg you to spare him."
Sang-ho scoffed. "I've spoiled you too much for that life."
Taehyung's smile turned bittersweet.
"Exactly, Dad. That's your spoiled son speaking. The one who's finally growing up."
He tucked his hands into his pockets.
"And just so you know... I've already secured a position at a private investment firm. One of the top three in the country. It's not your empire, but it will be mine." A pause, voice quieter now. "Once I finish my exams I start full time. All I want from you... is your blessing."
He bowed. Deep. Respectful.
Then turned and left, the scent of calm defiance trailing behind him.
Kim Sang-ho sat frozen, eyes fixed on the door long after it closed.
For the first time, he had no words. Only the echo of his son's voice, ringing through the silence.
---------
The soft click of heels against the floor echoed down the hallway, just as Jungkook was setting aside his book in the living room.
Eun-jung stepped in, immaculate as always, dressed for an evening out, her makeup sharp and her hair pulled into an elegant twist. She looked every bit the perfect socialite. But her expression, when she turned to Jungkook, was softer than usual. Almost warm.
"There's an omega gathering tonight," she said, settling onto the arm of the sofa with an ease that awed him. "Some of my friends and their omegas. Good families, good conversation." She tilted her head. "Want to come?"
Jungkook blinked. The invitation was so unexpected that for a moment he didn't quite know what to do with it.
"I've... never really been to something like that," he admitted softly.
"Which is exactly why you should." Eun-jung's voice was gentle... patient, even. "You're part of this family now. It's good for you to be seen. To meet people. These gatherings, they're comfortable. Nothing intimidating." A small smile. "You might even enjoy yourself."
Her voice was so gentle... Nothing cold he was used to. And Jungkook, who wanted so badly to believe in kindness when it was offered, felt something tentative and hopeful stir in his chest.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, bowing his head. "Really. But... Taehyung-ssi will be home soon. I should be here when he arrives."
Eun-jung held his gaze for just a moment.
Then she smiled and waved a hand as if to say another time then. "Of course. Family first."
Jungkook returned the smile, warm and genuine, and quietly made his way upstairs.
Behind him, the room settled into silence.
Eun-jung sat still for a moment longer, her smile fading at its own pace, her eyes resting on the empty doorway.
Whatever she was thinking, she kept it entirely to herself.
Meanwhile,
Jungkook slipped into his room quietly, the familiar scent of rain-kissed earth still lingering in the air from the morning. He stood there for a moment, just breathing it in, before settling onto the edge of the bed with his book... though his eyes drifted more than they read.
He didn't know how much time passed while he was lost in the scent of his alpha mate, when came a knock.
Sarah peeked in, bowing slightly. "Sir, Sir Beom is here."
Jungkook's brows furrowed. "Sir Beom...?"
"Miss Hana's brother. He visits sometimes. But... no one else is home at the moment."
"Oh." Jungkook's hand rested lightly on the book. "Alright. Could you prepare some tea please? I'll be right down."
After stealing a solo moment or so, he kept his book aside and stood up.
He descended with quiet steps, smoothing the front of his shirt out of habit.
In the living room, an alpha sat casually with one leg crossed over the other... tall, broad, with a look far too relaxed for a guest. His presence filled the room the way certain alphas naturally did.. not loudly, but thoroughly.
"Hello," Jungkook greeted gently, bowing with the same respectful sincerity he gave everyone.
Beom turned toward him with an appraising gaze, eyes traveling from Jungkook's face to his posture to the quiet, composed way he carried himself — delicate but not fragile.
"And you are?" Beom asked, making no effort to soften his tone.
"I'm Taehyung-ssi's... mate," Jungkook made sure his voice was steady as he replied.
Beom chuckled, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as if he'd just been told something mildly absurd. "Didn't expect that."
Jungkook tilted his head, unsure how to respond to that. So he didn't. He simply smiled. "Please be comfortable. Sarah will bring tea soon."
Suddenly the scent in the room shifted... a subtle, testing undercurrent in Beom's alpha presence. Jungkook felt it, instinctively, the way omegas always feel things before they name them. But his trust in Taehyung's space hadn't yet taught him to be afraid here, so he sat across from Beom with his hands folded in his lap, the picture of polite composure.
Only somewhere very quietly, beneath all of that... He hoped Taehyung would come home soon.
As if his heart knew before his ears could hear, Jungkook felt it... a soft pull deep within his chest, warmth spreading through the bond like the sun rising behind closed eyelids.
Taehyung was near.
Before any footsteps echoed down the hallway, before any voice called out, a small unconscious smile bloomed on Jungkook's lips. His eyes drifted toward the entrance, expectant, entirely his own.
That didn't go unnoticed.
"Any reason for that smile?" Beom asked, leaning back into the couch, eyes gleaming with mild curiosity.
"Yeah..." Jungkook's voice came out lighter than he intended. Almost dreamy. "Tae is here."
And as if summoned by the words themselves, the door slid open.
Taehyung stepped in... tall, carrying that effortless presence that filled rooms without trying. He caught sight of Beom first and his smile shifted into polite and familiar routine.
"Hey, Beom." He moved forward for a brief embrace, but his eyes flickered instinctively past the guest... searching, finding, settling.
On Jungkook and just like that something in him eased.
"I see Jungkook-ssi hasn't returned the favor," Beom commented, gaze dropping to the unmarked stretch of Taehyung's neck.
Jungkook's face flushed instantly, warmth crawling from his cheeks all the way down his neck. Without a word he bowed slightly and slipped toward the kitchen. "I'll set the table," he mumbled, already gone before anyone could see the full extent of his embarrassment.
Taehyung's expression barely flickered. He turned to Beom with a short nod. "Please, sit."
But Beom wasn't finished. "Your omega not worthy enough to claim you?"
There was no real malice in his words, just the casual arrogance where words doesn't hold weight.
Taehyung exhaled quietly, one hand slipping into his pocket. "Respect, Beom," he said evenly.
"I have respect for my mate and his choice." And with that he changed the subject, "I'm starving. Let me check on dinner." already moving toward the kitchen.
Where Jungkook stood at the counter, fingers picking absently at his nails, giving soft instructions to the kitchen staff with calm voice on the surface and anything but underneath. His face was still flushed.
Taehyung knew, It was not from anger, but from that particular vulnerability that came with being discussed like a checklist item. His bond. His worth. Laid out for a stranger's casual inspection. So, he stepped in quietly.
The moment their eyes met, Jungkook felt the knot in his chest loosen... just slightly. Just enough.
Taehyung crossed the room without a word, took Jungkook's hands in his, and gently pulled his fingers away from his mouth.
"Hey." His voice came low, grounding him. "He doesn't mean any harm."
Jungkook opened his mouth. Closed it. Nodded once.
And when Taehyung pulled him into a side embrace, he let himself melt into it. Just for a moment. Just long enough to remember what safe felt like.
"Let's have dinner, alright?"
"...Okay," Jungkook whispered.
He straightened, turned back to the food with that quiet composed smile of his, and tucked the soft ache away somewhere deep.
Only if he knew that that ache would come biting back later that night...
Jungkook turned again... restless, the bedsheets crumpling under his light frame, damp with the tension of dreams too close to memory. His brow furrowed. Lips parted in a silent cry.
He woke to unfamiliar walls, his limbs aching, body sore in ways he couldn't name. For a moment he didn't know who he was — only the white ceiling above him, and the muffled voices at the edge of the room.
Two silhouettes stood near the door, speaking in hushed urgency.
"Taehyung, you don't even know who he is. We shouldn't have brought him here to your flat," the woman whispered. Her voice was sharp but elegant.
"Hana…" the man sighed, exasperated but steady. "You said we couldn't take him to the hospital because it would cause a scandal. Now you don't want him here either? What, should I have left him on the road to die after you hit him?"
The name... Hana. The voice...Taehyung. Jungkook's pulse quickened.
"But your personal doctor treated him, didn't he?" Hana pressed. "He'll be fine when he wakes up."
"It's late," Taehyung said, tone shifting, cooler. "I think you should go home now. Take my car." Keys jangled softly.
"I'm not leaving you alone with this omega," she snapped, folding her arms.
"We can't stay out together like this. What will Mom and Dad think?" He took her hand gently, pressing the keys into her palm. "Go home. I'll come later… after I make sure he's okay. Trust me."
The door opened and then closed right before silence fell.
Jungkook blinked up just in time to see Taehyung walking toward him, running a hand through his hair with the awkward care of someone approaching a wounded animal he didn't want to startle.
"Hey there…" Taehyung offered a sheepish smile. "I'm really sorry about the accident. The doctor says you're cleared, but I'm ready to offer any compensation you want."
"I don't need anything," Jungkook said. His voice came out smaller than he intended.
"Okay… then let me drop you home, yeah?" He reached out to help.
The second his hand touched Jungkook's arm, something shattered.
"Don't—don't touch me!" The panic came out raw and sudden, tearing from somewhere deep. He recoiled violently, eyes wide and glassy, tears spilling before he could stop them. "Please… no…"
His legs kicked weakly beneath the blanket, body trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"Hey... hey, you're okay."
Warm arms pulled him in before he was fully awake, and Taehyung's scent reached him before his voice did... rain-kissed, deep and present, wrapping around his senses like he had been waiting only for that. His alpha pheromones rolled out slow and deliberate, the kind that didn't demand anything, just settled — like a hand pressed gently over a wound.
Jungkook surfaced from the dream like breaking through water, gasping, eyes still glassy.
"You're safe, Kookie… you're with me now." Taehyung's fingers found the mating bite on his neck, tracing it softly, slowly, the way he sometimes did without thinking. Not claiming. Just reminding. I'm here. You're here. This is real.
They stayed like that for long minutes, bodies entwined under the soft glow of the reading lamp, Taehyung's open notebooks and scattered study materials forgotten on the desk behind them.
"I'm sorry…" Jungkook murmured at last, voice barely above a whisper, eyes drifting to those abandoned notebooks. "You have an important exam tomorrow…"
"Nothing is more important than you," Taehyung said softly, nudging their foreheads together.
Jungkook pouted lightly, cheeks still tinted pink. Unconvinced but too wrung out to argue.
"Wanna go to Switzerland with me after the exams?" Taehyung's voice shifted... lighter now, that familiar playfulness threading back in as he hovered over Jungkook, one leg casually slotting between his thighs.
Jungkook blinked up at him. "Why are you going there?"
"For our honeymoon, of course."
A choked sound escaped him. His eyes darted immediately to the ceiling. "What if I say no?"
"Ahh…" Taehyung exaggerated a mournful sigh. "Then I guess I'll have to take someone else."
Jungkook's eyes snapped back. He stared at Taehyung for one long, betrayed second. "You mean… the company doesn't matter to you?"
"Are you jealous, Kookie?"
"Me? No!" He turned his gaze firmly toward the wall over Taehyung's shoulder.
"Hm." Taehyung's brow arched. His knee shifted — just slightly, and very deliberately — pressing into the space between Jungkook's thighs.
He stilled and then a wicked smile spread across his face.
"You're…" Taehyung tilted his head, voice dropping into something low and devastatingly amused as his eyes traveled down and back up again, "...surprisingly well-endowed for an omega."
Jungkook's brain stopped functioning entirely.
It took him a full three seconds to understand what was being said about him... and then all the blood in his body relocated to his face simultaneously.
"H-huh—I—" he sputtered, hands flying down instinctively.
Taehyung's knee shifted again in slow movements... Like he had all the time in the world and intended to use every second of it.
The sound that escaped Jungkook was very small and very damning... a sharp intake of breath that he immediately tried to swallow back, cheeks blooming red all the way down to his collarbone. He looked away so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.
"I really can't wait for our bond to be complete," Taehyung whispered near his ear, voice dropping into something earnest beneath the teasing. "To feel exactly what you're feeling right now…" His lips brushed the shell of Jungkook's ear, barely touching. "It's unfair, you know... Every feeling. Every want." A weighted and warm pause. "But you get to keep me out."
It was true — the partial bond flowed one way. Jungkook could feel Taehyung's desire humming through the tether between them, warm and insistent and very, very real. And Taehyung could feel none of his in return.
Which meant Taehyung couldn't feel the slick that had betrayed Jungkook in that exact moment, sudden and soft and absolutely mortifying, pooling warm against the fabric of his clothes while his entire body went rigid with the effort of pretending it hadn't happened.
But Jungkook could feel it.
Every. Single. Second. Of it.
With a whimper that he would take to his grave, he shoved Taehyung gently back, rolled over, and buried his entire face under the pillow with desperation, trying to physically leave his own body.
Taehyung sat back.
Bit his lip.
Hard.
His heart was hammering so loudly in his chest he was certain the whole house could hear it.
God, he loved him.
--------
And that was how the days passed...
Jungkook found himself seeking Jimin out in the in-between moments... the quiet afternoons, the kitchen raids.. and surprisingly, Jimin, sharp and warm in equal measure, let him.
Meanwhile, Taehyung finding new ways to make him combust and Jungkook finding new ways to pretend he wasn't, while somewhere in the quiet in between, without either of them marking the moment it happened, the distance between them kept shrinking.
"Kookie!" Taehyung's voice rang down the hall, full of excitement. He burst into the room like a whirlwind, eyes shining. "Kookie!"
Before Jungkook could even register the sound of footsteps, strong arms wrapped around him and lifted him into the air.
"Ah... Taehyung!" Jungkook laughed, clutching onto his shoulders as he was spun around. "Put me down!"
Taehyung set him down gently, grinning wide.
"What's gotten into you?" Jungkook asked between soft giggles, his cheeks flushed from the sudden affection.
"I got a job!" Taehyung beamed, waving an official-looking letter in front of him. "Look... my appointment letter! One of the top investment firms in the country."
Jungkook's eyes lit up as he touched the paper with gentle hands, "Taehyung…" warmth and proud moving through his voice. "Congratulations."
"Can you believe it?" Taehyung chuckled, his joy almost boyish. "I just finished my last paper and... bam!"
Jungkook went still.
"La…" He swallowed. "Last paper?"
The words landed and the memory followed immediately.
Taehyung's voice low against his ear weeks ago, thick with promise. Once my last exam ends, your real test begins. And trust me, I won't let you slip away.
Warmth flooded his cheeks so fast it was almost dizzying.
Taehyung caught the expression and his grin turned... knowing. He stepped closer. "Mhm," he hummed, voice dropping as he leaned in, eyes full of sly glint.
His face tilted, lips only inches from Jungkook's.
"I... I think you should tell your parents this good news," Jungkook stammered, stepping back, eyes wide. "Before they hear it from someone else..."
"I think," Taehyung said, stepping forward for every step Jungkook retreated, "we should give them two pieces of good news..."
Jungkook's back met the wardrobe.
Taehyung's hand caught his wrist and pulled him back.
Jungkook stumbled forward, one step, just one... and then there was no more distance left. And just like that their lips met.
It was brief. Tender. Barely a breath long. And Jungkook froze... completely, utterly, as if his entire nervous system had received something it had no existing framework to process. His heart slammed against his ribs. His mind went perfectly but terrifyingly blank.
Taehyung felt the stillness and began to pull back.
Jungkook didn't move away.
He didn't kiss back. He didn't close his eyes. He just... stopped retreating. Let it be. For one quiet, devastating second.
His first kiss.
Then it was over.
Just then...
"Taehyung, Yoongi Oppa is—"
The door banged open. Hana stopped mid-step, her words dying as the scene assembled itself in front of her... Taehyung's lips on Jungkook's, one arm securely around his waist. Her scent shifted sharply... surprise, disbelief, something brittle moving through her expression before she locked it down.
Taehyung didn't even flinch. He glanced over his shoulder, pulling Jungkook even closer. "Yes?"
"Beom is here," she said at last. Voice controlled. Barely. "He's calling you."
"You know," Taehyung said, tone calm and pointed, "walking into someone's room without knocking is considered rude."
"Taehyung," Jungkook whispered, hand light on his arm. "Maybe she just wasn't paying attention…"
"Which is exactly why I'm reminding her," Taehyung said, without breaking eye contact with Hana. "So next time, she does."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She blinked once, fast. Then turned and walked out, footsteps sharp against the floor.
The door clicked shut.
Taehyung turned back immediately, expressions carefully dissolving. He pressed a light kiss to Jungkook's forehead, hand moving in slow circles on his back.
"Some people don't deserve your kindness, baby," he murmured. "But don't worry, alright?"
Jungkook gave a small nod, resting his head briefly against his shoulder.
"Beom has some business here in Daegu," Taehyung added quietly, lips brushing Jungkook's temple. "Me and Yoongi hyung are going out with him for a while." A smile Jungkook could feel against his skin. "Be ready for me when I get back, yeah?"
Jungkook pulled back just enough to look at him.
Something in Taehyung's eyes told him very clearly that he did not mean dinner.
His face went scarlet.
Taehyung's smile widened, boxy and unrepentant, and then he was gone, footsteps already fading down the corridor.
Jungkook stood in the middle of the room. Alone.
Still warm where Taehyung's lips had been.
And completely, helplessly unable to think about anything else.
----------
The sun had lowered slightly, casting a warm glow through the kitchen windows as the staff quietly worked in the background. Jungkook padded down the stairs after Taehyung had left with Beom, still feeling flustered from the earlier kiss... still warm where Taehyung's lips had been, still entirely unable to think about anything else.
He paused at the kitchen door when he saw someone already sitting on the counter, swinging his legs lazily, licking something sweet off his fingers with complete and utter shamelessness.
"Jimin-hyung!" Jungkook's face lit up.
Jimin turned with a smirk. "Kook-ah! You finally remembered I exist."
Jungkook giggled and walked in, bowing slightly. "I didn't know you were here."
"Yeah, Yoongi dragged me out of the room. He's in some meeting with the other alphas." Jimin yawned dramatically. "So I decided to raid the kitchen."
"You always do that," Jungkook teased, leaning his elbows on the counter beside him.
"Old habits die hard, sweetie." Jimin winked. Then paused, one hand drifting to his stomach. "Ugh…"
"You okay, hyung?" Jungkook straightened immediately.
Jimin blinked and then grinned and licked his lips. "Just a bit nauseous. Probably because of something… I had this morning."
Jungkook tilted his head innocently. "Something?"
Jimin leaned in. "Let's just say… I woke up hungry and Yoongi hyung made sure I was fed well..." he shook his head at the naive omega, "Not talking about breakfast."
"HYUNG—"
Jimin burst out laughing so hard the counter shook. "Oh my god, you're too easy, Kook!"
"You shouldn't say things like that!" Jungkook sputtered, covering his face.
"I absolutely should. You need training, baby omega." Jimin winked again, then softened, hand resting gently on his stomach. "Besides… I've got someone else to feed now."
Jungkook froze. His jaw dropped. "Wait... are you…?"
Jimin nodded, the most private smile lingering on his lips. "Yep. Four weeks. Yoongi's been insufferable... won't let me carry anything heavier than a spoon."
"Hyung…" Jungkook breathed. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, baby." Jimin flicked his forehead affectionately. "And now that you're bonded to Tae, it's only a matter of time for you too."
"I... what — no..." Jungkook's voice did something complicated.
"The honeymoon will ruin you," Jimin said serenely.
"You're terrible." Jungkook turned his gaze.
"I know," Jimin said proudly. "Now come. Sit. Let me give you some very important omega wisdom."
They moved to the small kitchen table, Jimin pulling Jungkook down beside him with the proprietary ease, already decided they were friends whether Jungkook liked it or not.
"First things first," Jimin said, folding his hands on the table with the gravity of a professor opening a lecture, his favourite role. "Heat."
Jungkook's ears went pink immediately. "H-hyung—"
"Don't hyung me. You're bonded to an alpha. This is a necessary conversation." Jimin pointed at him. "When did you last have one?"
Jungkook stared at the table. "...it's been a while."
"Define a while."
"...irregular," he mumbled.
Jimin's eyes narrowed. "How irregular."
"Very."
"Jungkook-ah." Jimin's voice gentled, foregoing the tease for now. "That's actually not uncommon for omegas under stress. Or omegas who have been..." he paused, choosing carefully, "...in difficult environments. But now that you have a bond, your body is going to start regulating.... Which means Taehyung needs to be prepared. And so do you."
Jungkook's face was the color of something... catastrophic. And Jimin absolutely loved geting that reaction from him, "Can we talk about something else..."
"No," Jimin said pleasantly. "Do you know what slick is?"
"I KNOW WHAT IT IS—"
"Do you though?" Genuine concern. "Because your face just now suggests..."
"It already — I already—" Jungkook pressed both hands over his warm cheeks. "I don't want to talk about this."
Jimin stared at him for a moment.
Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. "It already happened, didn't it."
"No."
"Jungkook."
"Absolutely not."
"Was Taehyung there?"
The silence was deafening.
"Oh my god," Jimin whispered reverently.
"HYUNG..."
"Okay, okay..." Jimin grabbed his hands, pulling them from his face, barely containing himself. "I won't say anything. I promise. Look at me. Calm." He composed his expression with visible effort. "Now. The bond completion."
Jungkook made a sound like a wounded animal.
"It's not scary," Jimin said, voice dropping into genuine comfort. "I know it feels that way. But it's not." He looked at Jungkook properly. "You know how you can feel Tae through the bond right now? His emotions, his want?"
Jungkook nodded, still pink.
"After completion, he feels you too. Everything." Jimin's voice was serious now, the teasing almost gone. "And for the first time, someone will know exactly how you feel without you having to find the words for it." He tilted his head. "Doesn't sound so scary now, does it?"
Jungkook was quiet for a moment.
"What if he doesn't like what he feels?" he asked. Very quietly.
Jimin looked at him for a long moment. Then he reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Jungkook's ear.
"That boy," he said simply, "looked at you at dinner last week like you personally hung every star in the sky." He raised an eyebrow. "He's going to like what he feels, Kook-ah."
Jungkook bit his lip.
"And one more thing," Jimin added, back to business. "Nesting."
"...nesting?"
"When your heat comes... and it will come, probably soon now that the bond is active... you're going to want to build a nest. Don't fight it. Don't be embarrassed about it." He pointed firmly. "And tell Taehyung. He needs to know so he can give you space and materials and..."
"Materials?!"
"Blankets, Jungkook. Soft things." Jimin rolled his eyes. "What did you think I meant?"
"I—" Jungkook covered his face again. "I don't know anything."
For a moment Jimin decided to tease bim with that peace of information but so.ething tugged at his heart so instead...
"That's why I'm here," Jimin said warmly, patting his head. "Consider me your omega education."
Jungkook lowered his hands slowly, something shining in his eyes that wasn't quite embarrassment anymore.
"Hyung," he whispered softly. "Did anyone ever tell you these things? Before your first heat?"
Jimin smiled... the real one, the unguarded one.
"My omega father did," he said. "For three hours. With diagrams."
"DIAGRAMS..."
"I'm kidding." A pause. "Mostly."
Jungkook dissolved into helpless giggles, leaning into Jimin's shoulder, and Jimin laughed too... So bright and real, his arm coming around the younger omega with easy, unthinking coddling.
"You're going to be fine, Kook-ah," he said, still smiling. "More than fine."
"Really?" Jungkook's voice was small but hopeful.
"Really," Jimin said firmly.
"And one more thing," Jimin said, holding up a finger as if about to deliver life-changing information. "The bond completion... the timing matters."
Jungkook nodded, trying to look mature and informed about this.
"You have to return the bite," Jimin said.
"I know that..."
"During," Jimin said pointedly.
"I— yes, I assumed—"
"Specifically," Jimin continued, completely unbothered, leaning in to his usual clinical focus of a professor, "you have to bite him when he is still knot deep in y..."
"HYUNG." Jungkook's hands flew to his ears so fast he nearly knocked himself sideways. "STOP. PLEASE. HYUNG..."
"I'm just telling you the OPTIMAL TIMING..."
"I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE OPTIMAL TIMING..."
"Jungkook-ah, this is IMPORTANT INFORMATION..."
"LA LA LA LA—" Jungkook was full-on humming now, hands pressed flat against both ears, eyes screwed shut, tears of laughter and mortification streaming freely down his cheeks.
Jimin grabbed his wrists and tugged his hands down firmly. "LISTEN..."
"PLEASE," Jungkook wheezed, barely breathing, tears rolling. "Please, hyung, I am BEGGING you, I will do ANYTHING, please just STOP..."
Jimin looked at his completely destroyed face.
And burst out laughing. Properly. Doubled over, hand on the table, the kind of laugh that had no dignity left in it whatsoever.
"You are," he managed between gasps, "the most... I can't — you are PRICELESS..."
"It's not FUNNY—" Jungkook wailed, still crying from laughing, face buried in his own hands now.
"It's a LITTLE funny.."
"It is NOT."
"Okay." Jimin straightened up, wiping his own eyes, composing himself with tremendous effort. "Okay. I'll stop."
A pause.
"Just remember. Knot dee..."
"JIMIN-HYUNG!"
Outside the kitchen doorway, unseen, Hana stood still.
She had only meant to pass through. She hadn't meant to hear any of it.
But she had stood there, fingers curling slowly into fists at her sides, listening to Jungkook's laughter spill through the doorway... bright and unguarded and so entirely at home in a house that was supposed to be hers.
Jimin's voice. Easy and warm, giving Jungkook things she had never thought to give anyone.
The laughter again. That soft, delighted Really?
Something cracked very quietly somewhere behind her ribs.
She turned away from the doorway. Her footsteps were silent down the corridor. Her face was composed. Her scent was controlled.
Only her hands, still curled at her sides, gave her away.
"Mine," she choked on her sobs, "this was supposed to be mine... Mom is right... He needs to go back where he belongs.."
"I'll make sure of it."
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