The air outside was colder after dinner, the day dissolving into a soft, silvery stillness as the crickets chirped faintly in the bushes, and the moonlight painted soft shadows over the ground.
Everyone else had gone to their rooms, but Jungkook had stayed behind. He sat quietly on the porch with his arms wrapped around his knees, gazing out at the dim glow of garden lights scattered across the courtyard.
He was restless in a way he couldn't name, his skin was growing feverish against the cool night air, as if the coiled-up need had been subtly, persistently awake for days and was only now demanding his attention.
"Wanna go on a walk with me?"
Taehyung leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, wearing a lazy smirk that always did something inconvenient to Jungkook's pulse.
And it was Jungkook's omega that noticed it immediately as his treacherous gaze locked onto the line of Taehyung's bare throat in the dim light.
And only then did he realize that the alpha had changed out of his work clothes into nightwear with his collar open.
"Isn't it too late for that?" Jungkook asked, glancing out at the thick darkness beyond the garden lights.
"I think it's the perfect time," Taehyung leaned forward, voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down Jungkook's spine. "To take advantage of the dark."
Jungkook narrowed his eyes. "Speaking from experience?"
"Are you doubting me?" Taehyung pointed to himself with exaggerated innocence. "Or are you jealous?"
"Jealous?" Jungkook scoffed, wrinkling his nose. "Why would I be?"
"Oh no…" Taehyung gasped dramatically. "Are we already having a couple fight before even stepping outside?"
"Fine. Let's just go to the bedroom instead." He walked past Jungkook toward the hallway, tossing a glance over his shoulder.
"Tae..."
But the alpha had already disappeared inside, temptation trailing behind him like a second scent.
Jungkook sat for a moment longer.
The night air brushed against his skin, a welcome relief. He wanted that walk outside for a change, a freedom he could finally enjoy here without the binding rules of society.
He knew his alpha would be by his side no matter what. Yet his omega instincts, remembering what the darkness had once cost him, pulled him firmly back toward the safety of the house. Toward the scent of the trouble waiting just inside.
He padded barefoot upstairs with a grumpy pout that convinced absolutely no one, least of all himself.
The dim room smelled like chamomile and Taehyung. That specific, particular Taehyung... warm and deep, Jungkook's steps slowed in the doorway as his senses tried to process the atmosphere.
Taehyung was sprawled across the bed, draped over the mattress with an effortless, wicked grace.
"Why are you on the bed?" He muttered, unable to hide his grumpy tone.
Taehyung propped himself up on his elbow, chin in his palm, looking at Jungkook the way he sometimes did when he thought Jungkook wasn't paying attention... like he was something worth memorizing.
"Why? Can't I lie on my own bed?"
"It's my turn tonight. You had it yesterday."
"I'm not sleeping on the couch."
"Why not?"
"Because…" Taehyung's eyes traveled over him slowly, taking in the oversized shirt, the long legs, the collarbone visible at the loose neckline.
His voice dropped, the teasing gone. "You look really pretty tonight."
Jungkook's mouth parted slightly. "P-pretty?"
"Mm." Taehyung pushed himself upright. "That's why I didn't take you outside. Someone else might've seen you like this." His gaze lingered, heavy. "And I wouldn't like that."
Heat crawled up Jungkook's neck, but he ignored it as the anger of not going outside came back.
"You're using flattery to avoid the couch."
"Is it working?"
"Not even a little." The pout remained.
"Then maybe I need to try harder."
Taehyung rose from the bed. His pheromones, usually kept carefully restrained, rolled out warm and thick and intentional. Rain-kissed earth deepening into something darker, something that bypassed Jungkook's logic and went straight to his instinct.
Jungkook's omega responded instantly, recognizing its alpha with visceral intensity. He stepped back anyway, desperate to cling to the anger until his shoulders hit the solid wood of the dresser
"I said... go to the couch," he tried weakly.
"And I said..." Taehyung stopped in front of him, close enough that Jungkook could feel the warmth radiating of his skin, "...just give me a little space beside you."
"It's been three months, three months of living under the same roof, sleeping in the same room..." his voice took a somber edge, "...and not being able to hold you... pretending I don't want you."
The air between them practically hummed with a sudden, magnetic heat.
"You may have managed just fine, Jungkook, but I am done pretending. Because I do." He closed the distance by a step. "I do want you in ways that even baffle me."
"I'm not... pretending?!"
"No?" A low, dark rasp bled into Taehyung's voice, "Then why are your hands shaking?"
"They're not."
Taehyung reached out, caught his wrist gently, and raised it between them. His thumb pressed over Jungkook's pulse point... racing, frantic, giving him away completely.
"Liar," he whispered and pressed his lips to Jungkook's knuckles.
"You said we'd take turns," Jungkook tried to change the topic again, voice unsteady.
"I did say that." Taehyung nodded, not releasing his hand. "And I also said... the day my exams ended, yours would begin."
He slowly drew Jungkook in by the waist, giving him every opportunity to step back.
Jungkook didn't, not even when Taehyung's lips brushed the shell of his ear.
"Come on, omega," he husked, pheromones filling Jungkook's lungs with every inhale. "Your alpha wants to feel you… all of you. Let me give you everything."
Jungkook whimpered, a sound that was barely a breath... small and overwhelmed and entirely honest. His scent spiked, lavender blooming into something headier, desire threading through the familiar sweetness.
Taehyung felt the shift before he saw telltale signs. The scent hit him like a wave, his alpha registering the surrender before his mind could form a thought. His hand came up slowly, finding Jungkook's jaw and tilting his face upward.
Jungkook's breath caught. This time Taehyung didn't give him a chance to pull away.
He surged forward, trapping Jungkook as he claimed his mouth. It was nothing like the soft, tentative kiss from before. This was three months of restraint arriving all at once, unhurried but consuming.
Jungkook's lips parted beneath his, a sound escaping him that was half surrender, half relief. And Taehyung took the opening without hesitation, his tongue sweeping inside to map the sweet, hidden warmth of Jungkook's mouth.
Jungkook, who had never been kissed, had no framework for what to do with his mouth or his hands or the fact that his knees had apparently stopped working entirely... simply held on. Let Taehyung lead. Let him take his time with it, learning him in a way that made coherent thought impossible. His hands found Taehyung's shirt and gripped the fabric tight.
Taehyung slowly pulled back, his lips dragging reluctantly against Jungkook's before finally breaking the contact. He didn't go far, forehead dropping forward to rest against Jungkook's, both of them breathing the same charged air.
Jungkook remained perfectly still, unable to move, speak, or even look up at the alpha. His eyes anchored tightly onto Taehyung's collarbone, as if looking any higher would cause a complete and total system failure. His cheeks burned a deep pink, his lips slightly parted while he struggled to catch his breath.
Taehyung's chest rose and fell heavily as he smiled, wearing that deeply private look he saved strictly for the eyes of his mate. His hands shifted in one fluid motion, sliding from the back of Jungkook's neck and waist to scoop beneath his knees and wrap around his back, effortlessly lifting Jungkook up.
Jungkook gasped, clutching at his shoulders.
"You're so light," Taehyung's gaze locked onto Jungkook in total fascination.
"Put me down," he uselessly protested, hiding his face in the crook of Taehyung's neck.
"Not a chance."
He was so gentle about it. That was the thing Jungkook hadn't expected... or maybe had expected and hadn't let himself believe.
Taehyung laid him down slowly, one hand cradling the back of his head, the other braced beside him, and just... Kept looking. He didn't rush. He just looked at him, savoring the moment.
"You can tell me to stop," he murmured. "Any time. For any reason."
Jungkook shook his head. His omega almost going feral... how can his alpha even suggest that after three long months of longing?
"Words, baby. I need to hear them."
"Don't stop," Jungkook whispered, face flaming as he surrendered entirely to the feeling, meaning every single word.
Something released in Taehyung. The last thread of restraint snapped. He lowered himself slowly, his lips finding Jungkook's again. It started soft this time, patient and gentle. It was a question.
Is this alright?
Yes, please.
Jungkook's hands found the fabric of his shirt again and held on tightly, an answer that Taehyung accepted without hesitation.
He kissed him until the tight, frightened line of Jungkook's shoulders began to ease. He waited until the hands gripping his shirt loosened and found their way to his jaw.
"You trust me?" Taehyung asked softly.
"I do." the words landed like a breath against his lips.
Taehyung's lips drifted down, pressing soft kisses to his cheek, trailing over his jaw, and pressing into the soft skin below his ear until they brushed against the mating mark. Jungkook purred and tilted his head, his omega instincts baring his neck.
Taehyung nuzzled closer into his neck, he didn't bite. Just pressed his lips there, trailing down the column of Jungkook's throat, nosing along his scent gland, breathing him in.
Jungkook's shivered slightly as Taehyung's fingers found the top button of his shirt. The alpha undid it with agonizing patience, his knuckles brushing hot against Jungkook's collarbone.
"Tae..." His breath hitched.
"Yes baby... Don't hold it in." his fingers already moving to the next button. "Let Alpha hear you. I want you to enjoy every second of this. I want to remember exactly how you look right now."
Each loop slipped free. Taehyung's fingertips traced the newly revealed skin, feather-light. Jungkook lay perfectly still until the final button parted. He lifted his back slightly to help, allowing Taehyung to slide the fabric down and sweep it off his shoulders.
Jungkook let it go with only a sharp intake of breath, his eyes squeezing shut as he turned his face away, unable to bear the weight of the alpha's gaze on his chest.
Taehyung's lips found his shoulder, drifting softly over his collarbone in a string of reassuring kisses, intentionally letting him have a moment to adjust.
"Look at me," Taehyung requested quietly.
Jungkook shook his head, a flush spreading down his neck.
"Please, Jungkook. Look at me."
The quiet plea undid him. Jungkook's eyes opened slowly, meeting Taehyung's gaze. He found hunger there, yes, but it was threaded with something that looked like adoration.
Taehyung's palm slid up his side, his touch warm and steady, purposely avoiding his nipples for now.. until his fingers curled gently around Jungkook's waist. Suddenly, Jungkook's hands shot down. Both of his hands came down in a vice-like grip over his own waistband.
Taehyung paused instantly. He looked at the death grip on the fabric, then back to Jungkook's face. The omega's eyes were squeezed shut, his lower lip trapped between his teeth.
"Baby, I can't do much with these in the way..." Taehyung teased gently, tugging at the waistband.
But he didn't push. Instead, he sat back on his heels and pulled his own shirt over his head, casting it aside.
Jungkook's eyelashes fluttered open at the shift in weight. His doe-eyes went wide as he locked onto the alpha's bare chest.
Taehyung kept going though. With the same hypnotic calmness, his hands slid to his waistband, pushing the fabric over his hips until he pulled them off entirely.
"It's okay," Taehyung said casually, as if the lack of underwear wasn't putting his naked glory on full display. "See? Nothing to be afraid of."
And Jungkook... whose face had reached a color previously undiscovered by science... made a strangled sound and flung his arm over his eyes.
"I'm not... I can't... don't look at me looking!"
Taehyung laughed, a low, genuine sound. He reached over and clicked the bedside lamp to its lowest setting, dissolving the room into a soft amber glow, bright enough to see by, yet dim enough to feel like a shared secret.
"Better?" he asked.
Jungkook peeked out from under his arm, and nodded quickly.
"Good." Taehyung leaned back over him, his lips finding Jungkook's again to coax him back into the rhythm of their shared breathing.
This time, when his hands found Jungkook's waistband, the grip that met him was noticeably looser. It was still there, buzzing with a sharp nervousness, but it was yielding.
Taehyung didn't rush, he waited until Jungkook's fingers fully uncurled, completely surrendering the last of his hesitation to the dark.
"We don't have to..."
"I want to." Jungkook's voice broke in, breathless and trembling.
Taehyung stilled, searching his face. He nodded once and returned to the worship of Jungkook's skin.
His palms slid beneath the fabric at Jungkook's hips, hooking into the waistbands of both pants and underwear. The warmth of skin on skin sending a shiver through the omega's frame as he guided the layers down inch by careful inch.
The fabric slipped away completely, and Jungkook felt the cool air kiss every inch of newly exposed skin. His entire body tensed, every muscle coiled tight with vulnerability, but Taehyung's hands remained steady on his hips as Jungkook lay bare beneath him for the first time.
Taehyung didn't move immediately. Just looked at him the way he had at the beginning.
He was in fact something worth memorizing.
"So beautiful," he whispered.
Jungkook let out an embarrassed whine and tried to curl inward. But Taehyung caught his hands gently.
"Don't," he said. "Let me see you."
"Taehyung..."
Taehyung pressed a kiss to each of his palms before releasing them. His own hands mapped a slow path along Jungkook's sides, learning the curve of his waist, and the way his breath hitched when fingers ghosted over his nipples.
"Tell me what feels good," Taehyung murmured against his collarbone.
Jungkook couldn't form words as Taehyung's mouth drifted down, pressing open kisses to his sternum, the curve of his ribs, the soft skin just above his navel.
Taehyung glanced down at the evidence of Jungkook's arousal. The omega's length was already weeping pre-cum, contradicting every protest his mouth had made.
Something flickered across his expression.
Jungkook blinked at him. "What?"
"Nothing." Taehyung's mouth curved. "Just thinking about what I said to you the other night."
It took Jungkook exactly two seconds to remember...
surprisingly well-endowed for an omega...
"TAEHYUNG—"
"I was right," Taehyung said, with the serene satisfaction, his point had been proven.
"Stop LOOKING..." Jungkook squeaked, his voice thin as he tried to cover himself again.
Taehyung lunged forward with fluid grace, catching both of Jungkook's wrists before they could cover anything. He pinned them to the pillows, his larger frame casting a warm shadow.
"Baby, I'm your husband. Your mate," his voice a low rumble that vibrated through Jungkook's chest.
"That doesn't mean you get to..."
"What? Look at you?" Taehyung's thumbs traced soothing circles against the tender skin of Jungkook's wrists before letting go.
The alpha shifted, his weight pressing Jungkook deeper into the mattress with a quick smooch on his lips, before moving down.
"Touch you?" Another kiss landed at his thigh, hot and demanding.
Taehyung eased Jungkook's legs apart, his fingers sliding into the slick, creamy heat already gathering between the omega's thighs.
"Learn what makes you fall apart?" The alpha didn't wait for an answer. He dipped his head, licking a wet, searing stripe from the base of Jungkook's cock to the very top.
"OH..." Jungkook's entire body jerked. A broken, high-pitched moan tore from his throat. His hands flew to Taehyung's hair, fingers threading through the dark strands, gripping tight.
Taehyung chuckled against his skin. He shifted his grip, palms cupping Jungkook's thighs and spreading them wide. With one swift, hungry motion, Taehyung took the entire length of Jungkook's cock into his mouth.
Jungkook gasped, his back arching off the bed. He felt the heat of Taehyung's tongue swirling around the sensitive head, the wet slide of saliva coating the shaft.
"Tae... ah, please..." Jungkook shuddered, his voice cracking.
Taehyung looked up, eyes gleaming with possessive hunger, before returning to his task with renewed vigor. He sucked harder, his cheeks hollowing, creating a vacuum that pulled a low, guttural moan from Jungkook's lips. The scent of arousal spiked, filling the room with an intoxicating musk.
Jungkook's fingers tightened in Taehyung's hair, torn between pulling him closer and pushing him away from the intensity. His thighs trembled on either side of Taehyung's shoulders, and he couldn't stop the small, helpless sounds escaping his throat with each movement of the alpha's mouth.
He spasmed, a heavy, scalding rush of slick spilling from his hole over Taehyung's chin... a clear, undeniable warning that the omega was dangerously close to the edge. The sheer heat of it tore a low growl from Taehyung's throat.
He finally pulled back slowly, releasing him with a wet sound that made Jungkook's face burn hotter. Instead, his lips traveled lower, pressing open-mouthed kisses to the crease where thigh met hip, nosing into the space where Jungkook's scent was strongest.
"You're so wet for me," Taehyung's voice roughened with barely restrained need.
Jungkook turned his face into the pillow, another broken sound escaping him as Taehyung's fingers traced his most sensitive area.
"Look at me," Taehyung requested again, his free hand guiding Jungkook's face back. "I want to see your eyes when I touch you here."
Jungkook's eyes fluttered open, dark and glassy with need, meeting Taehyung's gaze as the first finger breached him slowly. The stretch was foreign but welcomed. His lips parted on a silent exhale.
Taehyung watched every micro-expression cross his face, "Good?"
Jungkook nodded, unable to form words as Taehyung worked him open with patient attention. A single finger slid in first, testing the tight heat, stretching him with slow, rhythmic strokes until the muscle finally began to relax. Only when the initial friction melted away did Taehyung coat his hand in a fresh rush of slick, introducing a second finger alongside the first.
Jungkook's breath hitched at the new fullness, his hips twitching against the mattress. Taehyung held perfectly still, letting him adapt to the weight of it, soothing him with soft whispers until the two fingers could move smoothly and without resistance. Only then, did he gently press a third finger inside, stretching him further to prepare him for what was to come.
The omega's head tipped back, exposing the long line of his throat as sensation built in waves that left him breathless and grasping at the sheets beneath him.
Taehyung's free hand traced up his side, thumb brushing over his cheek, grounding him even as everything else felt like it was coming apart at the seams.
"You're doing so well," Taehyung's voice low and sincere.
Jungkook's breath caught as Taehyung's long fingers curved inside him, finding a spot that sent sparks shooting up his spine. His hips rolled instinctively, seeking more of that devastating pressure, and the alpha hummed in approval.
"There?" Taehyung asked, his thumb circling Jungkook's entrance while his fingers pressed again.
"Taeh... ah..." Jungkook's voice broke into something high and desperate, a breathless admission that he was already on the brink of shattering under the alpha's touch... "T-t.. too much."
Jungkook exhaled a shaky breath as Taehyung slowly withdrew his hand. Taehyung's gaze remained locked on him as he brought his damp fingers up to his lips, that made Jungkook immediately throw his arm over his face.
"Oh my god!"
Taehyung's tongue swept across his glistening fingers, savoring the taste. "Mm.. so sweet, everywhere."
"Don't," Jungkook protested weakly, his voice muffled behind his arm.
"Don't what?" Taehyung's mouth curved as he lowered himself back over Jungkook's body, bracketing him in with both arms. "Enjoy my omega? Why wouldn't I?"
Jungkook dropped his arm just enough to glare at him, though the effect was somewhat undermined by the violent flush still staining his cheeks. "You can't just... say things like that."
"Why not? It's the truth."
Before Jungkook could formulate a response, Taehyung shifted between his thighs, adjusting his position carefully.
The omega watched through half-lidded eyes as Taehyung reached between them, aligning his own hard and throbbing cock with the entrance, skin met skin everywhere they touched, and the contact sent sparks racing along nerve endings Jungkook hadn't known existed.
"Still okay?" Taehyung's voice was rough, his restraint visible in the tension of his shoulders.
Jungkook nodded, though his throat had gone dry. He didn't dare look down - half out of embarrassment, yes, but half out of genuine apprehension. He'd felt Taehyung through layers of fabric before, and the size had made his pulse stutter even then.
"Breathe," Taehyung reminded him gently, his palm settling warm against Jungkook's skin, feeling the rapid flutter of his heartbeat. "We'll go slow. I promise."
The first press was careful, achingly gradual. Jungkook's fingers dug into Taehyung's shoulders as pressure built at his entrance, his body instinctively resisting despite the slick easing the way.
Taehyung pressed kisses to his temple, his jaw, anywhere he could reach while Jungkook struggled to remember how breathing worked.
"Just relax for me." the alpha murmured, one hand sliding beneath Jungkook's knee to adjust the angle slightly.
Taehyung's thumb traced idle patterns on Jungkook's thigh. He noticed the tension in Jungkook's jaw. He looked down at the dusky peaks of Jungkook's chest. He remembered the gasp from days ago.
He blew softly on them.
"N... not there," Jungkook managed meekly.
Taehyung's mouth quirked. "No?" His thumb ghosted across one sensitive peak, barely a whisper of contact, and Jungkook's entire body jerked beneath him.
"That's... Sen...sitive" The protest died as Taehyung's fingers closed around the bud, rolling it gently between thumb and forefinger. As if that was not enough, he bend down and took another one in his mouth.
Jungkook's back arched involuntarily. The shift in angle changed everything. Taehyung felt the resistance give way. He pressed forward again, entering his mate with agonizing care. The thick head of his cock finally breached the tight ring of muscle.
Jungkook's mouth opened in a loud gasp. His fingers scrambled for purchase against Taehyung's back.
"Shhh, I've got you," Taehyung assured, exhaling a slow, steady breath against his temple. "Just breathe with me. In... and out."
After several shuddering breaths, Jungkook shifted his hips experimentally, and Taehyung took it as permission to move deeper. He slid forward another inch, then another, pausing between each careful advance to watch Jungkook's face.
"S-so tight, baby," Taehyung winced. "You're squeezing me so hard."
"I can't... I don't know how to..."
"Just breathe," Taehyung mumbled against his collarbone..
Each breath helped dissolve another fraction of tension, until the omega's grip on his shoulders loosened, accommodating the intrusion, his slick continued to ease the way, to soothe what nerve endings protested.
"So f-full.." Jungkook's voice broke on the words, unable to finish the thought through the overwhelming sensation of being completely joined with his alpha for the first time.
Taehyung pressed a kiss to the racing pulse at his throat. "Tell me when."
Jungkook's legs wrapped around Taehyung's waist without conscious thought, drawing him impossibly closer.
"Y-you can move, p-please," he whispered.
Taehyung withdrew with aching slowness, the drag of sensation making Jungkook's vision blur at the edges, before pressing back in with the same measured care.
He set a steady pace after that, cradling Jungkook's hips as he rocked back and forth against him. Every single thrust was deep yet tender, stretching a breathless gasp from Jungkook's throat.
The alpha's name fell from his lips like a prayer, broken and desperate with every thrust, and Taehyung responded by capturing his mouth in a kiss that swallowed every sound.
Finally, when the knot began to form, Taehyung felt Jungkook tense... instinct over-riding the want for just a moment, body uncertain of something it had never experienced.
Jungkook's eyes found his... Wide, glassy, overwhelmed.
"you want to stop?" Taehyung asked, his voice strained.
"I want you," Jungkook shook his head, certain. His chest rose and fell with quick breaths.
Taehyung's throat worked as he swallowed hard. He began to move again, impossibly gentle as the swell at his base grew.
Jungkook's fingers clawed at his shoulders, his nails scratching deep into the skin to anchor his mind against the overwhelming fullness as Taehyung drove forward one last time, forcing the widening crown of his knot past the tight entrance.
Jungkook stretched around the massive heat of it, his walls yielding completely as the knot seated fully, locking them together. Jungkook made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sob, his body trembling as sensation overwhelmed every other thought.
"I've got you," Taehyung breathed against his mouth, holding completely still despite the needs of his alpha screaming through every nerve.
"I've got you, pretty boy."
"Tae..." A tear fell from his eye, dissolving into the pillow beneath.
"It's okay. Just feel me. I'm right here."
Taehyung's fingers found the base of the knot, where they were connected, massaging gently to ease the pressure. He kissed Jungkook through the tension, catching the sharp inhale, his thumb brushing a tear from Jungkook's cheek.
Jungkook's whole body went rigid as his internal walls spasmed, clenching helplessly around the knot. He whined into Taehyung's mouth, a ruined, breathy sound as pleasure finally shattered the ache and his own cock spilled onto their stomachs. Taehyung leaned his forehead against Jungkook's, anchoring him, whispering soft praises as Jungkook's muscles gradually... let go.
His scent detonated... lavender and sweetness and heat, the most complete version of it Taehyung had ever experienced, flooding every corner of the room and wrapping around his senses.
Taehyung closed his eyes, his lips finding the mating bite on Jungkook's neck. He waited, feeling the tremors of the omega's body.
Jungkook's omega screamed. He was fuller than he had ever been. He pressed his face into Taehyung's shoulder, his mind spinning. He wanted to bite back. He wanted to mark Taehyung, to give him this last piece of himself.
But the thought of biting dissolved into pure, raw sensation when Taehyung ground his hips down, the knot pulsing ruthlessly inside him. And Jungkook's entire world tilted sideways.
"Tae... Taehyung!" He cried, the name muffled against Taehyung's shoulder.
His thighs trembled where they wrapped around Taehyung's waist, shaking with the effort of holding on. His eyes rolled, oversensitivity crashing through him in waves that had no mercy and no end, his body wrung out and overwhelmed as he came for the second time in just two minutes.
Taehyung felt the vicious crush of it... the way Jungkook's thighs clamped around him, his internal walls spasming and clamping down around the knot. It was too much for his overstimulated senses. The dam broke, and a low, broken groan tore from Taehyung's throat, buried deep in the crook of Jungkook's neck. Inside, his knot swelled to its absolute limit, locking them flawlessly together as he finally came, pouring his warmth deep into his omega.
His body shuddered as he released, through the haze he felt the awareness slip from Jungkook like sand through fingers. The omega's head dropped heavily onto Taehyung's shoulder.
"Jungkook?" Taehyung's voice was rough. "Baby? Are you with me?"
Jungkook made a small sound, something overwhelmed that vibrated against Taehyung's collarbone. His fingers twitched weakly on Taehyung's chest, but he couldn't coordinate them. The knot still locked them together.
"Hey," Taehyung tried again, his thumb stroking the nape of Jungkook's neck.
Taehyung's arms tightened around the boneless weight of his omega. Jungkook had gone completely limp, his breathing evening out into something slow and deep, shutting down from overstimulation.
A small flutter of panic tried to take root before logic reminded him that this wasn't uncommon, especially for an omega's first time knotting.
He checked Jungkook's pulse. It was strong and steady. Relief flooded him. He carefully adjusted their position, settling them onto their sides. He tucked Jungkook's head beneath his chin, one arm wrapped securely around his waist.
Taehyung watched the play of shadows across Jungkook's peaceful face, tracing the delicate curve of his eyelashes where they rested against flushed cheeks.
The knot took time to subside. They remained locked together for almost twenty more minutes. Taehyung didn't mind... holding Jungkook like this felt right, like a dream come true.
When the knot finally released, Jungkook remained deeply asleep. Taehyung extracted himself with painstaking care. He padded quietly to the bathroom and dampened a washcloth with warm water.
He returned to find Jungkook exactly as he'd left him, curled on his side. Taehyung sat on the edge of the mattress, the warm cloth held carefully in his palm as he studied the vulnerable form before him. Starting with Jungkook's face, he wiped away the salt tracks of dried tears with featherlight touches.
Taehyung's hand trembled slightly as he moved the cloth lower, over the omega's chest and stomach, cleaning away the evidence of Jungkook's release with methodical gentleness.
He hesitated when he reached the apex of Jungkook's thighs, his breath catching at the sight that greeted him. The omega's entrance was swollen and pink, where a slow trickle of his own release gathered, beading against the skin like white pearls.
Something primal and possessive stirred in his chest at the visual proof of their joining, his alpha preening at having marked his mate so thoroughly.
He forced himself to breathe through it, reminding himself that Jungkook needed care, not his instincts running wild. The cloth made contact with tender flesh, and even unconscious, Jungkook's body flinched from the sensitivity. Taehyung immediately lightened his touch, using barely-there pressure as he cleaned the mess they'd made.
More of his release continued to leak out as he worked, painting the inside of Jungkook's thighs in a way that made concentration difficult.
"sorry," he murmured, though Jungkook couldn't hear him.
The apology was for the soreness Jungkook would inevitably feel come morning, for taking him so thoroughly.
Taehyung set aside the cloth once he'd finished, reaching instead for the healing balm he kept in his nightstand - something Jimin had given him as a joke weeks ago that he'd never thought he'd actually need.
He warmed a small amount between his fingers before applying it with excruciating gentleness to Jungkook's abused entrance, the omega's brow furrowing slightly in sleep at the contact, but he didn't wake.
Once the balm was applied, Taehyung returned to the bed. He pulled the sheet up over them both, creating a cocoon of warmth. He reached for Jungkook, pulling the omega back against his chest.
Jungkook made a small, contented sound in his sleep, instinctively burrowing closer to the alpha's warmth.
"I love you, Jungkook," Taehyung whispered into the silence of the room.
Jungkook didn't answer, but he gripped Taehyung's hand, holding on tight even in his sleep.