Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

If my rap is gold then your rap is just shady.

Suga, Diss

Interviewer: Welcome back to KBS Seventy Minutes. I’m your host, Jung Jae-chan. Tonight I’m sitting down with global superstars Bangtan. The group debuted back in 2013 and have since become the face of K-pop—in Korea and beyond. Their rise has been historic, but the group has also faced their fair share of hardships and controversies. Their impact has extended further than music, changing societal perceptions of what a mixed subgender idol group can achieve. Notoriously tight-lipped, the band has surprisingly decided to sit down with me for an exclusive interview on the eve of their twentieth anniversary to share intimate details about their lives and careers. Stay tuned to hear never-before-heard stories about the biggest triumphs, heartbreaks, and scandals of Bangtan.

[Camera pans to Bangtan sitting between two couches. Jung Jae-chan is seated in a chair facing them.]

Interviewer: Welcome gentlemen. Thank you for sitting down with me for this interview.

Namjoon: Thank you for having us Jae-chan-ssi. We’re big fans of the show.

Interviewer: First off, congratulations on twenty years in the industry. That is an incredible accomplishment. While the last few years have been quieter, I’ve been told you have an announcement to make tonight. You’re really showing no signs of slowing down, are you?

Jungkook: There’s never going to be a last time for Bangtan.

Interviewer: I know your fans will be glad to hear that. But first, let’s take it back to how you all got started. Namjoon-ssi, you were the first to join?

Namjoon: Yes, that call from Si-Hyuk-ssi certainly changed my life forever. But, I wasn’t alone for long.

[Namjoon playfully elbows Yoongi in the ribs, who responds by crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.]

Interviewer: That’s right, Yoongi-ssi joined shortly after. You both have gone on to write and produce an unprecedented number of songs together. So tell us, before you became an iconic rap line in the industry, what were your first impressions of each other?

Yoongi: We knew each other a bit before in the underground rap scene, so when Si-Hyuk-ssi paired us together, we were excited to work together.

[Hoseok chokes on his water, coughing into his fist.]

Namjoon: It was easy to work with hyung from the beginning. And together, we forged Bangtan’s original sound and direction.

Interviewer: And what a direction it was! Tell us more about those early days before debut.

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

Namjoon’s vision was spinning as he exited the stage. His lungs heaved and sweat dripped down his forehead. He wiped it off quickly, knowing he probably stank, but thankfully, the small backstage area was only filled with other alphas waiting for their turn to perform for the crowd.

“Good job, man,” one of the other rappers said, and Namjoon thanked him with a grin. He did feel good about it—his verses were clever and he had kept his composure. The audience seemed to like him enough, too, giving him an unusually raucous applause as he ended his set.

He always felt a bit antsy after a performance—hyped-up from the energy of the crowd, without a proper outlet for his remaining adrenaline. He usually hung around and listened to other sets, but today he felt more anxious than normal, like something was coming. He decided to head home, instead, accidentally bumping into someone while he was heading toward the exit.

“Watch where you’re going,” the person barked. A smaller…alpha? Beta? Namjoon had no idea. There were too many competing smells in the cramped underground space. The man in front of him narrowed his eyes, which looked up at him sharply beneath the fringe of his bangs.

“Sorry, sorry,” Namjoon stammered, taken aback. As a bigger alpha, he wasn’t always fully aware of the space he took up. The other rapper—he definitely had the demeanor of a rapper—sighed in annoyance and shoved past Namjoon before going backstage.

Namjoon’s alpha pushed him to snarl back at this asshole, but he knew it wasn’t worth it to start something when he felt a bit off his game. Even though Namjoon felt confident and untouchable on stage, this brashness didn’t always translate in real life. And there was a lot of ego in the underground scene. While some deserved his respect, many “rappers” were completely full of shit. He didn’t have the energy right now to find out which side this person fell on. Whatever.

On his way out of the building, his phone lit up with an unknown number. He normally wouldn’t answer a random call, but something inside him told him to pick up.

“Hello,” Namjoon said. “Who is thi—”

“Kim Namjoon?” The voice on the other end didn’t give him the chance to finish.

“Uh, yeah—I mean—yes, sir, it is. Who are you?”

“I’m Byun Si-Hyuk from Hive Entertainment.”

“Boom PD?” Namjoon gasped. “Oh my—sorry. Yes, Si-Hyuk-nim. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Si-Hyuk chuckled, “I’m glad to hear it. I want to talk with you about a project I’m working on that I think you’re a good fit for. Can you come to Hive tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course,” Namjoon exclaimed before coughing a bit to try to cover his excited tone. “I can stop by tomorrow.”

“Does noon work?” Si-Hyuk replied. “We’re at 10-31 Nonhyeon—”

“Oh, I know where you are!” Namjoon interrupted, groaning internally again. He was making a complete fool of himself. “Sorry, yes—I’ve got your address. And noon is great. Thank you so much, sir.”

“My pleasure, Namjoon. See you then.” Si-Hyuk hung up curtly.

And so the next day, Namjoon found himself in front of the Hive building, jittery, over-caffeinated, and ready to meet with Byun Si-Hyuk. Hive was a smaller company, but this was the biggest opportunity Namjoon had had since he broke into the underground scene a couple of years ago. He rolled his shoulders back, mustered up his courage, and stepped into the building.

Byun Si-Hyuk met him at the front entrance. “You’re early,” he said. “I like that.”

“Thank you,” Namjoon bowed to the beta producer and founder of Hive. “It’s great to officially meet you, Si-Hyuk-nim.”

“Likewise,” Si-Hyuk nodded. “Follow me to my office.”

Hive was headquartered in a small building, and the fluorescent overhead lighting was a bit distracting, but still—Namjoon was filled with hope as he walked down the hall to Si-Hyuk’s office.

Si-Hyuk gestured at the chair opposite his desk. “Please take a seat.”

Namjoon’s long legs hit the front of his desk as he struggled to settle himself in the seat. “Sorry, I’m—” he sheepishly waved down at his larger alpha stature.

“Oh, it’s alright. It’s a good thing, actually. We need a strong alpha to lead our newest rap group, and we think you’re—” Si-Hyuk paused, grinning at Namjoon’s awkward slouch in the chair, “the perfect fit.”

“A rap group?” Namjoon tried to contain his excitement.

“Yes,” Si-Hyuk continued. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Namjoon-ssi. You’ve made quite the impression with your rap. Impressive, for how young you are. Nineteen, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We are really interested in having you sign with us, Namjoon-ssi.”

“Wow, I—” Namjoon tried to keep it together. “That would be an honor, Si-Hyuk-nim.”

“But to be clear, it would be a group. With other members. I know you’ve been rapping solo…” Si-Hyuk appeared lost in thought before letting his gaze fall back on Namjoon. “But, are you interested?”

“I am,” Namjoon nodded quickly. “I can work well with others—promise.”

“Not all alphas do,” Si-Hyuk mused.

“I’m not like that,” Namjoon protested.

“I know,” Si-Hyuk said. “That’s part of why we want you. You look the part, for sure, but you’re more…marketable. And you’re a genius, kid.”

“Thank you, sir.” Namjoon bowed at him again from his seat. He couldn’t believe how well this conversation was going.

“But does that mean you’re ready to lead a group?” Si-Hyuk questioned, “Maybe even a pack?”

“Yes,” Namjoon assured. “If you put your faith in me, Si-Hyuk-nim, I won’t let you down.”

“I have a good feeling about you,” Si-Hyuk responded after a moment. “But talent isn’t enough in this business.”

“I know, but I am ready to give you my all.”

“Okay, then.” Si-Hyuk slid a contract in front of him. “Take your time to look through this, and let me know if you have any questions before you sign. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

Yoongi sipped from his cup of black coffee, peering out the window toward the Hive Entertainment building across the street. He curled his feet around the legs of his high-top chair, trying to keep them from anxiously bouncing. He had about an hour left before he was set to meet with Boom PD, and he was nervous. An emotion he didn’t like to show and one he absolutely had to keep in check as an omega in this industry. He arrived early to the cafe before the meeting to mellow out and keep a cool head.

The last few years had been…hard. So the call from Boom PD could not have come at a better time.

During his last performance—for an entirely alpha crowd—the audience had thrown jeers at him even though he had out-rapped every performer there. He was sick of it. While his suppressants and overuse of scent blockers often made his subgender ambiguous to those who didn’t know him, his reputation had grown enough in the scene that almost everyone knew by now that he was an omega. And they never let him forget it. What sucked the most was that he knew he was better than them—they knew he was better—but their egos couldn’t handle it. An omega, better than all of them. Fucking insecure losers.

He almost wanted to give up, at times, but he was stubborn. So he continued, despite being turned away from some shows and laughed off at others, his lyrics and flow got better and better. Little by little, he started getting taken more seriously, but he didn’t think it would ever be enough on his own because he was an omega. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, a company would give him more legitimacy. And his perseverance served him in the end because he ended up on Boom PD’s radar.

He finished his coffee and sprayed himself in the bathroom with more scent blockers for good measure before heading across the street. Even though he knew Boom PD was a beta, he hoped it would help keep the conversation centered around his skill.

“Gloss!” an excited voice greeted him in the lobby. Certainly not Boom PD. A younger alpha beamed at him with a deep dimpled smile before bowing at him.

“Min Yoongi.” Yoongi corrected his excitement. “And you are…?”

“Yoongi-ssi, okay! I went by Runch Randa, but that’s up for negotiation now. I’m Kim Namjoon.”

Yoongi knew exactly who he was. In fact, he had used Namjoon’s beat in his audition for Hive. He had heard through the grapevine that Namjoon was being scouted by the company, and he had wanted to show the producers that not only could he go up against Namjoon, he could beat him.

“Namjoon.” Yoongi nodded at him coolly. “So…?”

“Oh, right! Si-hyuk-nim sent me to grab you for our meeting. We have so much to discuss.”

“Our meeting?” Yoongi asked, puzzled.

“For the rap group? He told you about it, right?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi responded. That’s what Si-Hyuk had mentioned over the phone—that he was interested in bringing Yoongi in as a rapper and producer for his rap group. He didn’t know for sure that there were already other members involved, though.

“I’m going to be the leader,” Namjoon continued, and Yoongi clenched his fists. Of course, an alpha would be the leader. Not him—with more production and writing experience. Never an omega.

But he didn’t want Namjoon to know that he was upset. Not before he had even been offered anything. And so Yoongi just gritted his teeth and nodded, following Namjoon back to Si-Hyuk’s office.

“Min Yoongi,” Si-Hyuk greeted him. “Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for having me, sir,” Yoongi responded calmly, taking a seat.

“As I told you earlier, we’re looking to fill spots in our rap group and we think you’ll be a strong addition to it.” Si-Hyuk eyed Namjoon, who was standing off to the side, fiddling with his hands. Yoongi caught a whiff of his alpha scent, deep oak and pine. He was nervous. Interesting.

“Is it just the two of us?” Yoongi attempted to tone down the apprehension in his voice.

“For now,” Si-Hyuk nodded. “But we’re planning on bringing in more members. It’s just a matter of who and when.”

Thank god. The thought of being in a rap duo with an alpha made his stomach churn. Yoongi kept his face neutral. “Okay.”

“You’re an incredible rapper, Yoongi-ssi,” Namjoon added. “I think we could make great music together.”

Yoongi nodded at him in return, unsure how to respond to his level of enthusiasm.

“And a natural-born talent,” Si-Hyuk said. “Not everyone has what it takes, but I feel a certainty about you both.”

Si-Hyuk provided Yoongi with more details about the opportunity and training for the group. Yoongi kept cool most of the time, wanting to seem valuable to them, but in reality, he knew he was going to sign the contract. This could be his way out—his way to finally earning some well-deserved respect.

Yoongi took the contract and put it in his bag. “I’ll look it over.”

“Please consider us,” Namjoon urged as he walked Yoongi out. “I think you’d be perfect for the group.”

Yoongi widened his paces to move ahead of Namjoon, whose scent and presence was overwhelming him. He’s the one who should be using blockers. But, of course, alphas rarely thought to. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“Please, Yoongi-ssi,” Namjoon grabbed his arm.

Yoongi pulled his arm away, glaring. “Don’t touch me, alpha.” He spat the last part like a slur.

“Sorry, ah—” Namjoon ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Yoongi-ssi. Can we start over? I’m just so excited, and you’re so good…I think we’d work well together. And I won’t let my alpha-ness,” he chuckled, clearly embarrassed, “get in the way of being a good leader. I know I can be overwhelming sometimes, even to betas.”

Was this kid stupid? A beta?

Yoongi didn’t correct him, but he didn’t affirm Namjoon’s misjudgment either. He only sighed. “It’s fine. I promise I’ll think it over, okay?”

“Thank you, Yoongi-ssi.” Namjoon said.

“See you around,” Yoongi nodded, before leaving the building.

Once outside, he stopped against the wall of the building, pressing a hand to his beating chest. He couldn’t stop the smile that came out. This could be it.

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

Yoongi was expected to move into the Hive dorm on a Tuesday morning. When that day rolled around, Namjoon was sweating from the poor airflow in the apartment, so he tried to air it out a bit before he arrived. Yoongi was a beta, so he wouldn’t necessarily be as sensitive to Namjoon’s nervous scent, but he was still anxious about the impending arrival of his roommate.

And Yoongi…Yoongi freaked Namjoon out. He was twenty, so his hyung, but he had yet to give Namjoon the impression that he actually wanted to be friends. From the moment he signed with Hive, he countered Namjoon on every decision, every choice.

“Why would you write it like this?” Yoongi had said, looking over one of Namjoon’s songs. “It doesn’t make sense for our group to take this direction.”

“Well then,” Namjoon had retorted. “What direction do you think we should take?”

“I don’t know, Namjoon,” Yoongi had rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, clearly irritated. “You’re the leader. So lead.”

It was going to be a rough adjustment.

As Namjoon was scrambling to finish cleaning off the counter, the front door opened.

Namjoon acknowledged him, shoving his clammy hands in his pockets. “Yoongi-ssi.”

“Quit the nonsense, we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Just call me hyung.” Yoongi dropped a duffle bag down on the floor with a thud.

“Sure, hyung,” Namjoon smiled at him, moving closer. “Do you need help with your stuff?” Namjoon reached for one of his bags.

Yoongi shooed him away. “No.”

They looked heavy. Namjoon eyed him suspiciously. “You sure?”

“Of course not. I don’t need an alpha to do the heavy lifting for me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“Whatever,” Yoongi said, huffing as he threw his duffle over his shoulder. “Where’s my room?”

“This one.” Namjoon pointed him toward one of three bedrooms, divided by subgender.

“Why does it say beta on the door?” Yoongi asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Oh, that,” Namjoon laughed. “Boom PD-nim’s idea. He thought it would be easier on us, especially once we have more members. The omega room is the only one empty now.”

Yoongi’s upper lip curled, a flash of something like anger or frustration showing on his face. “How old-fashioned.”

“Change is slow,” Namjoon shrugged. He had thought it was progressive, even, when Boom PD told him that their subgender diverse group would be sharing a dorm. Only just a few years ago, it was rare and often frowned upon for alphas, omegas, and betas to be mixed together in the same group.

Yoongi glared. “It’s still stupid.”

“I mean, since you’re a beta you might not fully get it, but our hormones and cycles suck sometimes.”

“I get it enough.” Yoongi slammed the door behind him, and Namjoon sighed. It seemed that he was always putting his foot in his mouth with Yoongi.

After the afternoon sun sank below the horizon, Namjoon’s stomach growled. As he made his way toward the kitchen, hoping he could throw something at least vaguely edible together, he heard Yoongi’s door open.

“I’m not cooking for you, just so you know,” Yoongi said, almost like he had sensed Namjoon’s hunger. He knew some betas could be more perceptive with their sense of smell than others, and Yoongi appeared to be an overall intuitive person.

“I wasn’t going to ask you to.”

“Sure.” Yoongi tsked.

“I can cook for you, if you want, Yoongi-ssi,” he said before fixing his slip-up. “Yoongi-hyung.”

“You can cook?”

“I’ve been living by myself for a while,” Namjoon said. “I’m not completely helpless.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Namjoon felt anger rise, but he did his best to push his alpha down. They had to get along. For the sake of the group. He didn’t know what problem Yoongi had with him, but he hoped that with time and trust, they could find a common ground.

So he took a breath and stayed quiet—he would prove Yoongi’s assumptions wrong instead.

As he began preparing dinner, he expected Yoongi to leave, but he didn’t, choosing to linger in the kitchen instead. He even came over to the counter, resting his head in his hands, surveying what Namjoon was doing.

Namjoon turned to him. “You don’t have to help me cook.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Yoongi said. “Just watching.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Namjoon scoffed, reaching over him to grab an egg.

And, like a cruel twist of fate, Namjoon dropped it. Right in front of Yoongi on the counter. Fuck.

“Really?” Yoongi smirked.

Namjoon blushed, embarrassed. He hurried to clean up the broken egg, and in the process, he banged his head against the cabinet with a muffled groan. He was too big for this small kitchen.

“Let me get it.” Yoongi rolled his eyes, cleaning up the mess and tossing the egg shell in the trash.

“Thank you,” Namjoon said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yoongi sighed. “I just hope the food is better than what I’ve seen so far.”

“Hey,” Namjoon scoffed. “You’ll be surprised.”

“We’ll see.”

“Like when I proved my rap skills to you?” Namjoon grinned, recalling one of their earlier conversations that week. When they had met in the studio after Yoongi had signed his contract, Yoongi had been dubious, making snide comments about Namjoon’s lyrics. But after going over the verses with him, the beta had quieted for the first time since they had met. He had even begrudgingly offered Namjoon a compliment by the end of their session.

“You still have a lot of work to do,” Yoongi said. “Don’t get too cocky. You’re what, like nineteen?”

“Aren’t I good, for nineteen though?”

“I was better when I was your age.”

Namjoon stifled a laugh. “And you’re like what—twenty?”

“I’ll be twenty-one in March,” Yoongi snapped back. He was so serious that Namjoon couldn’t hold in his laughter.

“My elder,” Namjoon chuckled.

“I’m not your anything,” Yoongi scowled. “Except your bandmate, got it?”

And there they were again, back to square one. Namjoon sighed. “Don’t worry, hyung, I got it.”

Yoongi narrowed his eyes and left Namjoon to his cooking after that.

He ended up semi-successfully pulling a meal together, and while he was a little too riled up to eat, Yoongi ate it all. Although he was silent for all of dinner, the fact that he finished his food was compliment enough. Namjoon felt particularly pleased. In fact, his alpha was pleased, coiling happily after successfully taking care of his…bandmate? He still didn’t know exactly how to make sense of Yoongi in his head.

That night, he laid awake in the alpha room, overthinking as usual. He groaned and tossed onto his stomach. Maybe he just needed to masturbate to let off some steam. His alpha had been feeling restless for days.

Slowly, he began rubbing his cock against the mattress until he got it semi-hard, but it just felt like he was going through the motions. What the fuck was wrong with him? He wondered. He was stressed, and living with another person for the first time in a while. Another person who seemed to judge him every time he took a breath. It was all just getting to his head, that must be it. He masturbated quickly, thankful the peak in his scent wouldn’t be too noticeable to Yoongi in the other room. After a few more hours, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

“Rap Monster?” Yoongi mused a few days later in the studio. Boom PD had just left the two of them to deal with some business matters while Namjoon and Yoongi worked on finalizing a few more demos.

Namjoon looked down at his feet, unable to meet Yoongi’s eyes. “It’s just a stage name.”

“Big, scary, alpha Rap Monster,” Yoongi taunted, rolling the r on the tip of his tongue.

“You can’t say shit,” Namjoon shot back. “You don’t even have a new stage name yet, Gloss.”

It had been Boom PD’s idea—for them to reinvent themselves for the rap group. “You both have reputations,” he had told them, implying that this would be non-negotiable. “And I want a clean slate. Got it?”

“Actually, I do,” Yoongi replied.

“Really?” Namjoon snorted.

“Why would I lie about something as stupid as that?”

“Are you implying you lie about other things?”

Yoongi shrugged, glaring slightly. “Who doesn’t?”

“I don’t.”

“Please,” Yoongi laughed sarcastically.

“I’m serious,” Namjoon insisted. He was a bad liar, so he didn’t do it often. He knew his emotions showed clearly on his face, not to mention that his scent usually gave him away first. “I’m too obvious.”

Yoongi clacked his teeth. “That, I’ve noticed.”

“Not everyone can be so…” Namjoon trailed off.

Yoongi caught the end of his words. “So what, Namjoon? Finish your sentence.”

“Aloof,” Namjoon said simply, hoping to just get Yoongi to shut up.

“Hmph.” It clearly didn’t work. “Maybe I should have been the leader, then. A rap group needs someone who can keep their cool.”

“I can keep my cool.”

“You haven’t been good at it, so far.”

“That’s just because—” Namjoon sputtered, “you’re unbelievable.”

“How cute,” Yoongi teased, but his tone was harsh, slightly threatening, perhaps. “Even your insults are weak. Get it together, alpha.”

His alpha was not happy to hear that, especially from someone he knew was supposed to submit to him one day if they were ever going to form a functioning pack. But Namjoon had to keep it together to prove Yoongi wrong.

He bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, and the pain calmed him down to the point where he could take a deep breath. It felt like Yoongi was trying to get Namjoon to crack, to unleash his alpha rage and fully assert dominance or whatever alpha stereotypes he presumed about Namjoon. He wouldn’t let Yoongi get to him. He couldn’t.

“Okay, insult expert,” was all Namjoon said, albeit sarcastically. “You can take charge of writing them into our verses then.”

Yoongi grabbed Namjoon’s notebook out from under him, a patchwork of lyrics he had been workshopping since signing with Hive. “Sounds good to me.”

“Hey—” Namjoon protested but Yoongi held up a hand, silently thumbing through the notebook.

“A lot of it’s bad,” Yoongi said. “But it’s not all bad, surprisingly. We can work with some of the stuff in here.”

Namjoon sighed and toyed with his pen, not looking over at Yoongi as he continued to judge his work. “Can I have my journal back now?”

Yoongi shook his head. “I’m going to take it for the night, play around with some stuff. I’ll give it back when we pick up again tomorrow.”

“Why don’t we just work on it together now?”

Yoongi shuddered. “Fuck no. You stink. Go shower or something.”

Namjoon sniffed at an armpit. Other than his alpha scent, which was heightened from the argument and questioning of his leadership, he didn’t have any body odor. What was Yoongi on about? But still, he acquiesced, leaving Yoongi alone in the studio to head back to their dorm. Sometimes it just wasn’t worth it to engage with him any further. And it would be nice to have the place to himself again, if only for a few hours. Some time alone would be good for the both of them.

Yoongi was in a worse mood, however, when he returned to the dorm later that night. And as the days turned into weeks with just the two of them, tensions continued to rise. Namjoon tried his best to keep the peace, but there was so much work for them to do—writing, producing, practicing, trying to find their identity as a group—that there were endless topics to fight over. And Namjoon and Yoongi could not agree on anything.

Every time Namjoon thought he came up with a good lyric, Yoongi ripped it to shreds. And when Yoongi presented some of his ideas, Namjoon pushed back that they were too complicated for a debut track.

“We need to reel the public in,” Namjoon had told him. “Not confuse them.”

“What do you know?” Yoongi had scowled.

Boom PD searched for additional members, promising the both of them that he was close to bringing someone else on board. Namjoon was not religious, but he prayed that another member would join and move into the dorm as soon as possible. He desperately needed a friend, or at the very least, someone to distract him from Yoongi launching all of his boundless aggression at him. He was sick and tired of this tug-of-war. He wanted to feel like a leader, but Yoongi was only good at making him feel small.

“Okay, calm down, alpha,” Yoongi taunted one afternoon in the studio after Namjoon raised his voice, barely, during a near-physical confrontation over a singular note in a song.

If only Yoongi knew how badly his alpha wanted to yell, to scream, to command Yoongi into submission. But no matter what, he wouldn’t be that alpha. He wasn’t.

And as much as Yoongi heckled Namjoon about his subgender, Namjoon never resorted to bringing up Yoongi’s own. Because at the end of the day, no matter how much Yoongi infuriated him, Namjoon knew that Yoongi was punching up, not down. He knew that he benefited from being an alpha, not only in society, but especially in the rap scene.

He loved the scene, but he knew that it was riddled with disgusting and old-fashioned stereotypes about betas and omegas. Asshole alpha rappers were always making easy jabs, asserting their status as superior. Namjoon never did that, and he wouldn’t. He could only hope that with time Yoongi would realize that he wasn’t like those other alphas he was sure that he was remembering every time he threw an alpha stereotype in his face.

But God was Yoongi annoying about it.

“I am calm,” Namjoon hissed through a clenched jaw. “I just think it should be a C#.”

“C by itself works just fine,” Yoongi snapped. “Besides, didn’t you say we should keep things simple? Not to confuse the public?”

“The public generally doesn’t know the difference between a C and a C#.”

“They aren’t as dumb about music as you think.”

“Do you honestly think the average person would notice?” Namjoon was exasperated.

“You never know,” Yoongi said. “It’s not good to underestimate people, Rap Monster,” he curled his tongue around the stage name.

Namjoon groaned, “I told you not to call me that. We decided on RM.”

“You don’t tell me what to do.”

“Okay, Suga,” Namjoon attempted to spit out Yoongi’s own stage name, which he had finally shared with him the day before after keeping it to himself like some sort of secret. He had asked Yoongi why he didn’t tell him, but Yoongi had just shrugged, claiming it was a need-to-know situation and that Boom PD had helped him come up with it. Namjoon didn’t know Boom PD and Yoongi were meeting together without him and that made him nervous.

But Namjoon’s taunting didn’t have quite the same effect—the sweet-sounding name coming off as cool in reference to Yoongi. Even worse, Yoongi must have found it amusing because he chuckled quietly in response.

Namjoon just slammed his forehead against the table and sighed.

Most of their arguments happened in the studio, butting heads over music writing and production because Yoongi usually kept to himself in the dorm, spending a lot of time alone in his room. Namjoon attempted to break the ice a couple times, suggesting they watch a movie together or play a game. But Yoongi always said he didn’t like games or movies and would just go back to his room.

Even worse, Yoongi was—well, Namjoon would have called him a neat freak—but to stay civil, he would just say that Yoongi liked to keep things clean. Namjoon generally wasn’t that messy, but with countless hours at the studio and sleepless nights, the dishes sometimes piled up. He didn’t mean to, but he had also created a mountain of stuff in the living room after getting into the habit of dropping all of his items into a chair upon entering the apartment.

And after one particularly exhausting evening in the studio, Yoongi finally confronted him about it. He flung open Namjoon’s bedroom door. “Get up.”

“What the—what the fuck, hyung?” Namjoon struggled to cover himself. He had already gotten ready for bed, so he was just lounging around in his boxers and a thin tank-top. Not naked, but he didn’t need Yoongi to see him in this state.

“You’re disgusting,” Yoongi said.

“Okay, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Namjoon scowled.

“I don’t mean you as a person.” Yoongi rolled his eyes. “But your living habits are disgusting. It’s like you’ve never shared a space with anyone else before.”

“I grew up with a sibling,” Namjoon protested.

“Were they also an alpha?” Yoongi asked, head cocked to the side, waiting for an answer.

“Uh, no. She’s an omega. But what does that have to do with—”

Yoongi interrupted him. “The only alpha child, hm?”

“Yes, but—”

Yoongi held up his palm to shut Namjoon up, stepping across the threshold into his room with a bundle of Namjoon’s clothes in his arms. “Exactly. You’re not used to respecting other subgenders and their space. You certainly aren’t respecting mine.” He snarled.

“You’re making a lot of unfair assumptions, hyung.” Namjoon closed his eyes, reminding himself to keep it together. Keep it together. Keep. It. Together.

“Am I?” Yoongi stepped forward, again. A sign, at least to Namjoon’s alpha, that he was not backing down.

And Namjoon did try to keep it together, for the most part, but he couldn’t help himself from standing up from his bed and walking closer to Yoongi. At his full height, he towered over Yoongi. “You’re such a…” he hesitated, torn between his alpha, ready to rile Yoongi up, and the logical side of his brain that begged him to shut up and let this pass.

“Such a what, Rap Monster?” He had expected Yoongi to recoil from this, but of course he didn’t, only puffing out his chest and staring up at Namjoon, steel-eyed.

“A dick,” Namjoon asserted.

Yoongi cackled, an icy sound that sent a jolt down Namjoon’s spine. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

“It’s not worth it.”

“What?” Yoongi taunted, finally throwing one of Namjoon’s own sweatshirts at him and hitting him square in the chest. “The big, bad alpha doesn’t have a comeback? How sad.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Namjoon clenched his fist, gripping at the sweatshirt that Yoongi had just thrown.

“I’m just asking you to pick up your clothes.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” Namjoon huffed, realizing he was about to rip his sweatshirt if he kept pulling it like this.

“Your best isn’t good enough, then,” Yoongi snapped, tossing a few socks his way. “Your shit reeks. Keep it out of the living room.”

Namjoon let the socks hit him and fall to the floor. He tried to breathe in and out but he couldn’t, not really. His vision was getting blurry, his pulse quickening, and there was a small part of him wondering if this was it. Was he going to break?

“Leave me alone.” Namjoon was barely breathing.

“I tried that approach,” Yoongi clucked his tongue. “Didn’t work. So here we are.”

He looked like he was about to throw another article of Namjoon’s clothing, and if he did, Namjoon was going to lose it. “Leave me alone, hyung.”

“I will when you clean up your fucking shit!” Yoongi stepped further into the room, throwing another sock at him. He was close enough now that Namjoon could see the pink of his cheeks, the absolute glare in his eyes. But more surprisingly, he was close enough that Namjoon got a whiff of…of something. Yoongi’s scent. A hint of citrus—tart but sweet. Sweet? From a beta? But betas aren’t…

The proximity and smell riled up Namjoon’s alpha even further to the point that he couldn’t think beyond how furious he was. Yoongi threw another t-shirt at him, which caught Namjoon's head, blocking his vision. He didn’t even realize what he was doing as his alpha took control, and he shoved Yoongi up against the wall in his room.

“Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone.” Namjoon snarled, voice low and heavy, his hand on Yoongi’s collarbone to hold him still.

“You think you’re so strong,” Yoongi bared his teeth and pushed back at Namjoon’s chest, without much success. “But you don’t scare me, alpha.”

He always said it like a slur, refusing to submit to Namjoon’s alpha, which only made things worse for Namjoon now. Namjoon caged him even further against the wall using the hand on his collarbone to press his thumb hard against Yoongi’s scent gland to still him.

Namjoon’s grip tightened on Yoongi’s scent gland. “And yet,” he growled, “You’re the one leaking like an omega.”

And oh. That’s when it hit him. The scent. Yoongi was an omega? What the actual fuck? He could feel it, the smell of Yoongi’s omega completely enveloping him, instinctively attempting to calm down his agitated alpha.

Fuck. He removed his thumb immediately from Yoongi’s scent gland.

“Wait, hyung, what—” Namjoon stuttered, completely unsure of what to say at that moment.

Something in Yoongi seemed to deflate then. His knees buckled under Namjoon’s hold, and he dropped the rest of the clothes. The shift affected Namjoon too, slicing through his angry alpha with the overwhelming smell of omega omega omega. Namjoon staggered backwards, creating as much space as he could between him and Yoongi in the small bedroom.

“Just clean up your shit,” Yoongi said quietly, barely a whisper. And then he closed Namjoon’s door behind him. He didn’t even slam it, which was worse than if he had, somehow.

Namjoon was left aghast, shaken, and to his horror, a bit turned on after being so close to the omega pheromones.

This situation was made even more disastrous by the fact that he knew Yoongi could smell his arousal. Holy shit. He must have been able to smell him every time he jacked off, thinking he was safe with a beta in the dorm? Why didn’t he tell him? What the fuck!?

But as Namjoon held his head in his hands and slowly came down from his anger and frustration, he knew why. There were, quite literally, no successful omega rappers at this point. A few betas, here and there, but it was an alpha’s world, particularly in the underground scene. He had already been impressed seeing how far Yoongi had made it as a beta rapper, but now knowing that he was actually an omega rapper? He was speechless.

Yoongi’s defensiveness and immediate disdain toward Namjoon’s subgender made even more sense now. And so once his alpha had finally settled, Namjoon felt like complete and utter shit. But he was also pissed at Yoongi for hiding this from him for so long, even if he understood why. Yet, he couldn’t shake the voice in his head that asked, how could he ever be an effective leader if he didn’t even realize his singular bandmate was an omega?

Shame rolled over him, and it got worse the more he realized that, as an omega, the subgender most sensitive to scents, Yoongi could definitely smell his intense emotions. Fuck. He threw a pillow over his head and screamed into it.

He knew he wasn’t getting any sleep tonight. On top of this revelation, he also began to realize for the first time since Yoongi arrived that he could smell him. Yoongi must have been using scent blockers, and they either wore off for the night, or maybe now that Namjoon had caught his scent, he could sense Yoongi through them. Either way, it was excruciating. Yoongi smelled so fucking sweet, which was unexpected, but there was a bitter feeling to his scent when it hit his nose.

Namjoon had a hard time discerning what Yoongi was feeling across the dorm, but whatever it was, it was tumultuous and dark. And there was a sadness underlying it that almost made Namjoon want to cry. Yoongi was probably just as upset as he was, but he must have eventually fallen asleep because his scent finally starts receding away from Namjoon’s senses later into the night.

Once he could only smell the faintest hint of citrus and Namjoon still couldn’t fall asleep, he decided to prove Yoongi wrong and clean the entire living room and kitchen. More than just his stuff—which he tidied up—but he also dusted, polished, and did the dishes. He even used window-cleaner, something he hadn’t even known they had in the apartment until he rummaged through the cabinets and saw that Yoongi must have brought it.

Morning came without warning, sunlight streaming through the now exceptionally clear windows, and Namjoon collapsed on the floor, exhausted. He did it, though. The place was spotless.

He smelled Yoongi before he heard him. Tangerines, that was what Yoongi smelled like. It was refreshing, and it felt like it could give Namjoon the energy boost he needed to get through the day after a sleepless night. But it was also a bit…distracting, his wolf stirred a little too much at the smell. Meaning, this was going to be a problem. Namjoon held his breath.

“You missed a spot,” Yoongi said.

Namjoon gazed up at him from the floor. Yoongi looked relatively put together after the night before. He wouldn’t even have known he had been distressed if it wasn’t for the dark circles under his eyes.

“No. I didn’t,” he responded slowly, measuring out each word.

“You did.” Yoongi ran a hand along the counter and then showed Namjoon his pointer finger, showing him the dust residue. “Here.”

Namjoon scowled. “Let me get it.”

Yoongi sighed. “Go to bed, Namjoon.”

“It’s the morning.”

“Well you didn’t sleep, clearly.” Yoongi grabbed the feather duster from Namjoon.

“I thought you didn’t want to clean for me,” Namjoon mumbled.

“I don’t,” Yoongi said. “I’m cleaning for me. You did enough. Go to sleep.”

“But we have rehearsal—”

“In a few hours,” Yoongi noted. “Enough time for you to get a whole REM cycle in, actually.”

“Yoongi-hyung…” Namjoon half-protested, body feeling weak.

“Just because you’re an alpha and I’m…” Yoongi coughed, “an omega, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t listen to me.” Yoongi shuffled his feet, clearly anxious about the recent revelation. It was the first time he had seemed nervous about anything, Namjoon noticed.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Namjoon said quietly after a few moments of awkward silence.

Yoongi kept a straight face before narrowing his eyes in a glare. “If you treat me any differently because of this, just know you’ll regret it.”

“I won’t,” Namjoon reassured. “I just…I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

“It wasn’t a secret.”

“But you…” Namjoon sighed. “I assumed you were a beta.”

“Because I wore blockers. Like most omegas in this industry do.” Yoongi snorted. “Clearly you aren’t around enough of us to know.”

“I have omega friends! And an omega sister that I’m very close with.”

Yoongi threw up his hands, a funny sort of motion with a feather duster in one of them, but Namjoon kept from laughing. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter because you won’t be treating me like an omega. I’m your equal,” Yoongi paused. “Actually, I’m your elder.”

“Yes, hyung,” Namjoon agreed, wanting to lace sarcasm into his tone, but he refrained. He was the leader, but he knew things were hard enough for Yoongi. And, as annoying and frustrating and infuriating as Yoongi was, he was sometimes right. Sometimes. There was a small part of Namjoon—maybe an ever-growing part—that looked up to him and respected him.

“Good,” Yoongi said. “Now listen to your hyung and go the fuck to bed.”

And so, Namjoon did. And he slept like the dead for three hours until Yoongi was waking him up so they could go to the studio. His scent was more subdued this time, meaning he must have put his scent blockers back on. Namjoon could still sense it, vague tangerines and sweetness, now that he knew what he smelled like.

Their time at the studio that afternoon was surprisingly peaceful, and Namjoon found that he and Yoongi had entered an uneasy, unspoken truce.

They argued less and made some real progress on their debut tracks. Yoongi still wore suppressants most of the time, and when he didn’t, he stayed away from Namjoon, locking himself in his room. He never talked about his subgender, and it wasn’t like they had any reason to, but Namjoon still felt bad. Like he could wield unwanted power over Yoongi if he wasn’t careful. He knew Yoongi forgave him—at least mostly—and that he had forgiven Yoongi for keeping his subgender from him, but it was a subject better left untouched. Anything more serious than their rapping, their lyrics, or the direction of the group felt like it could destroy their fragile truce.

And thankfully, about a month after they had moved in together, Boom PD sat both of them down and told them about the third person who would be joining their group—a dancer and up-and-coming rapper trainee named Jung Hoseok. He was a beta, a real one this time. And he was born the same year as Namjoon, which was incredibly relieving to the alpha. “He’ll whip you into shape,” Boom PD had joked. Namjoon and Yoongi had even shared a glance, amused. Progress.

They still had a few more days before Hoseok was set to move in, and an invaluable brief moment of downtime. Namjoon and Yoongi both took time to relax for what felt like the first time in forever.

“What do you think he’ll be like?” Namjoon asked, pausing the video game he had been playing.

“Hmm?” Yoongi lifted his head up from the couch where he had been laying, glued to his phone.

“Hoseok,” Namjoon repeated. “Do you think we’ll all get along?”

“We barely get along,” Yoongi grumbled, looking back at his phone. “So it can’t get any worse.”

Namjoon groaned. “I’m serious, hyung.”

“I’m also serious. I’m sure it’ll be better adding a beta into the mix.”

Namjoon chuckled. “You would know, I guess.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yoongi was frowning at his phone screen now.

“Weren’t you the one who pretended to be a beta?”

“I didn’t pretend,” Yoongi curled his lip, scowling. “I just didn’t correct you when you guessed wrong. It’s not my fault Boom PD assumed you knew and that you were stupid about it.”

“I’m not stupid,” Namjoon said weakly.

“Hmm, okay.”

Namjoon couldn’t meet his eyes. “You let me assume you were a beta, so I…”

“You, what? Namjoon, use your words.”

Oh, he hated this. But also…fuck. Namjoon couldn’t think about it—the heat pooling in his stomach. “I just—I did things I probably wouldn’t have done if I knew you could smell me. Okay? That’s it.”

“Oh, that,” Yoongi laughed. “We all jerk off. Be normal about it, please.”

“I would’ve done it when you weren’t home!”

“I don’t care,” Yoongi said. “Not when you stink so much worse when you get mad after I fix one of your bad lyrics.”

“My lyrics aren’t bad,” Namjoon hissed.

“Some of them aren’t.”

“Come on, hyung.” Namjoon exhaled, maddened.

“Oh, boo-hoo.” Yoongi was still looking at his screen. “It’s okay if an omega is a better rapper than you. Grow up about it.”

“We’re both good rappers.”

“Sure, you’re good. But I am better.”

Namjoon sighed loudly enough for Yoongi to flinch slightly. “We’re in a group, this doesn’t have to be a competition anymore.”

“You’re right,” Yoongi acknowledged. “We’re not competing. Because I’m better.”

“God, hyung,” Namjoon groaned.

“Stop whining, Namjoon,” Yoongi smacked his phone down on the coffee table beside him. “Do you not realize how easy you have it?”

“You haven’t exactly made anything easy for me.”

Yoongi squinted at him. “I didn’t make it easy for you?”

“You’ve never listened to me,” Namjoon said.

“Please, be serious, alpha.” Yoongi laughed bitterly.

“It’s not about me being an alpha—I’m, I’m the leader.”

“A bad one,” Yoongi muttered, under his breath, but Namjoon still heard it, and he stiffened.

“Okay, I get it, you hate alphas. And you think I’m a bad leader. Whatever,” he snapped.

“I don’t think you’re a bad leader,” Yoongi replied, locking eyes with Namjoon, expression infuriatingly neutral. “Just the wrong one. What I think you’re bad at,” Yoongi added, “is being an alpha.”

His alpha grumbled, rolling under his skin, and Namjoon tensed. Thankfully, Yoongi’s suppressants had yet to wear off from earlier, so it was easier to keep himself in check, at least for now.

“Isn’t that a good thing, according to you?” Namjoon eventually sputtered out in response.

“In some ways,” Yoongi shrugged. “But you’re too easy to mess with. There’s no challenge. And I don’t know about Hoseok, but you’ll never get me to submit,” he hissed, “so how can you lead an entire group? Or a pack?” he tsked.

Namjoon bit his tongue and closed his eyes. “You throw around a lot of alpha stereotypes.”

“Do I?” Yoongi arched an eyebrow at him. “Must be a bit of truth to them, then.”

“It’s funny how you push back against omega misconceptions but then assume so much about me. Just because I’m an alpha.”

“What’s funny,” Yoongi said, “is how clueless you are.”

“What are you getting at?” Namjoon snarled, sort of. He was trying to contain himself, and it was only half-working.

“Holy shit, you don’t even realize?” Yoongi chuckled, voice raising. “Sorry if I don’t throw you a pity party for how hard it is being an alpha.”

“It can be challenging, sometimes,” Namjoon insisted, but he knew he was wrong for continuing this conversation.

“What?” Yoongi purred, reaching from across the couch to push a finger into Namjoon’s chest. “Does your poor knot get too hard? Hm?

“I—fuck, Yoongi-hyung,” Namjoon muttered. “Don’t talk about my knot.”

“Why?” Yoongi held his gaze. “Because it’s so difficult and so embarrassing being an alpha?”

“Why are you like this?”

“Do you even have a fraction of an idea of what it’s like to be an omega,” he spat his subgender out, disgusted. “Especially in this industry? Do you?”

“No, I don’t,” Namjoon admitted, but he was still angry, so it came out wrong and twisted, instead of apologetic.

“Then shut the fuck up once in a while.”

“I would if you ever let me,” Namjoon said, though he wasn’t quite making sense at this point. He wanted to say something about how Yoongi never let him get a word in edgewise, but he was stumbling over his speech. His alpha was stirring around, quickening his heartbeat. He felt his scent spike, something Yoongi definitely picked up on because he flinched unmistakably.

“Let you? What a sorry excuse for an alpha.” Yoongi shoved him lightly, hand flat against his chest.

Namjoon closed his eyes and bit into the side of his cheek, heat coursing through him. Not again.

“Come on, alpha,” Yoongi repeated, acridly. “Take charge for once. You can do it.”

“I’m not playing this game, Yoongi.”

“Dropping the honorific. Wow, how alpha of you,” Yoongi pushed. “But you can do better than that, can’t you?” Something angry and dark flashed across his eyes. “Make me submit. Be a leader.”

Namjoon took a deep breath. “Maybe you should just be the leader, omega.”

Yoongi stiffened, but instead of storming off like the last time tensions had risen this high, he placed a second hand on Namjoon’s chest, standing over Namjoon who was still seated on the couch. “Don’t. Call. Me. Omega.” At this, Yoongi’s scent spiked stronger than Namjoon had ever smelled it. It made him completely lose touch, his alpha roaring inside of him. Fuck it.

“But I can smell it, you’re leaking again, aren’t you, omega?” He taunted Yoongi.

Yoongi’s smaller hands curled into Namjoon’s chest. He was no longer shoving him, and he wasn’t moving away.

“Omega,” Namjoon said again, and Yoongi’s breath hitched. Namjoon snaked a hand around Yoongi’s hip, gripping into the soft flesh. So soft and warm. And Yoongi smelled so good that Namjoon wanted to breathe him in, take a bite—but he shouldn’t. He shouldn’t, and yet.

“Alpha,” Yoongi slurred, pupils blown, and it was the first time he said it like that. Like a plea, rather than an insult. He shook his head, muttering a soft “fuck” under his breath—almost like he was trying to break out of a haze, but Namjoon could feel his omega. It called to him.

Namjoon’s alpha roared again, and he couldn’t think clearly after that, ignoring any logic that told him it was a bad idea to pull Yoongi down onto his lap and crush their lips together. Yoongi moaned into his mouth, eager, sliding his tongue against Namjoon’s with rising heat growing between them. Yoongi bit at his bottom lip, and Namjoon growled in response, trying to maintain dominance, but Yoongi was a good fucking kisser, and strong too. His tongue fought with Namjoon’s and their teeth clacked together and God, it felt good. Yoongi’s hands settled in Namjoon’s hair, and Namjoon pulled at Yoongi’s hips. He was hard against Namjoon, but there was also the growing scent of slick that was unmistakable now. There was a wet spot quickly pooling in the back of Yoongi’s pants.

“Take them off,” Namjoon whispered, biting at Yoongi’s ear. And Yoongi, mid-shudder, obliged a request from Namjoon for the first time since they had known each other, slipping out of his pants and briefs with ease. His cock was well-sized, red, and leaking, and Namjoon wanted nothing more than to put his mouth on him. With his bottom half naked, the scent of slick poured into Namjoon’s nose, and he hissed, biting at the side of Yoongi’s neck, right above his scent gland.

“No visible marks,” Yoongi snapped.

“Fuck, yeah, you’re right,” Namjoon groaned, wrapping a large hand around Yoongi’s cock. Yoongi bucked up into his grasp.

Yoongi fell forward onto Namjoon’s chest. “I’m gonna have to wear a turtleneck to meet Hoseok if you don’t stop that.”

Namjoon laughed through his daze. Even like this, Yoongi was still utterly Yoongi.

“You can borrow one of mine,” Namjoon said, nipping at Yoongi’s collarbone, unable to completely help himself, licking at his pulse at the front of his neck while he started flicking his wrist to jerk Yoongi off.

“Fuck no,” Yoongi hissed. “I don’t want to smell like you.”

“You’re gonna smell like me anyway,” Namjoon smirked, eliciting another moan from Yoongi with a rougher tug to his cock. “Besides,” he sucked at the tender skin behind Yoongi’s ear. “I want you to.”

“Fuck,” Yoongi moaned, “you.”

“Working on it,” Namjoon taunted back.

“We shouldn’t do this,” Yoongi attempted to say, in a moment of almost-clarity. But as he was speaking, he was wrapping his legs around Namjoon’s waist and ripping his shirt off of him, before diving his own head into Namjoon’s neck and breathing him in.

Yoongi’s scent—citrus, tangerine, cardamom, fiery and sweet—blossomed around Namjoon, and he had to ground himself by gripping Yoongi’s thighs. “I know.”

“But you’re going to fuck me, aren’t you?” Yoongi asked, a murmur into the crook of Namjoon’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Namjoon huffed. “I am.”

Yoongi’s cheeks were red, his hair a plastered mess, and he grabbed one of Namjoon’s hands before guiding it around his body and behind him until Namjoon felt the slick pooling and dripping down the back of his thighs. “Then fuck me, alpha. If you’re man enough.”

In this state, any pushback against his alpha status was enough to make Namjoon howl. In an instant, he had Yoongi bent over the arm of the couch, face down, ass up. Yoongi chuckled into the couch cushion, as if he were in control, and maybe he was—but Namjoon’s alpha couldn’t stand it. He shut Yoongi up with the quick press of a finger inside him, barely circling his rim before fucking it inside him. Yoongi arched up into the feeling, and Namjoon smirked behind him, pleased. Yoongi was so wet, and it took everything in his willpower not to fuck him right then and there. His own cock was aching, knot threatening to pop from the sight of Yoongi, leaking, dripping, desperate—for him.

He held Yoongi down with one hand and continued fucking him with the other, adding a second finger, and then a third, to loosen Yoongi up. It was easy, with how wet Yoongi was, and when he hit Yoongi’s prostate, Yoongi whimpered, a soft, light sound that Namjoon would never have guessed could have come from Yoongi if he hadn’t heard it himself.

Namjoon stilled his fingers for a moment, and Yoongi practically fucked back on them, eager. Namjoon chuckled, happy with the pendulum of power-and-control between the two of them swinging back to him, for now.

“Just fuck me,” Yoongi groaned. “Please.”

And Namjoon couldn’t help it. He said, “Please, what?”

“Please, Namjoon.”

“Hm,” Namjoon huffed, pulling his fingers out. “That’s not what I meant, omega.”

Yoongi seemed to scowl, but his body arched backward, aching for stimulation. Namjoon held him at arm’s length, teasing. “Fuck off.”

“Is that what you want?”

“No,” Yoongi hissed. “I want you. Fuck—you’re exhausting.” Yoongi stifled a scream with the couch cushion when Namjoon thrusted his fingers back in, finding his prostate. “Okay,” he exhaled. “Please, alpha.”

“That’s better,” Namjoon hummed, and then he lined his cock up with Yoongi’s slick-drenched entrance and pushed in. He bottomed out, and his vision blurred—the feeling, so wet and warm. Everything around him and within him was just Yoongi Yoongi Yoongi. “Oh my, fuck.”

Yoongi reached an arm behind him to tap Namjoon. “Harder.”

And Namjoon wasn’t going to say no to that. He wrapped an arm around Yoongi’s head, letting Yoongi moan into his skin, and he used his other hand to steady Yoongi’s hip, holding him flush against his pelvis, as he pounded into him relentlessly. The stretch of Yoongi around him was heavenly.

“Fuck, Joon-ah,” Yoongi hissed, almost endearingly.

“Joon-ah,” Namjoon teased, breathless, picking up his pace, harder and faster, until he was fucking right up against Yoongi’s prostate over and over and over. “Cute.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Yoongi groaned, nails scraping into Namjoon’s arm. He arched his back, leaning into Namjoon’s hold and embrace.

And fuck, despite Yoongi’s attitude, it was so good. Namjoon realized he wanted to see him—to see Yoongi’s face, to catch the moans of pleasure he had been drawing out of his rival. “Flip over,” he growled in Yoongi’s ear.

Yoongi groaned. “I’m not going to do the work for you.”

“Fine,” Namjoon agreed, and then he tossed Yoongi onto his back in one simple motion. He pulled Yoongi to him by his legs, holding them high against his shoulders as he started fucking into Yoongi again from the side of the couch. “You’re more flexible than I thought, hyung,” he chuckled.

Yoongi rolled his eyes, and Namjoon saw him bite back a retort, teeth grinding into his bottom lip, definitely trying to hold back a moan as Namjoon fucked him at a deeper angle. Namjoon wanted to be even closer to him, so he pushed them both back toward the other end of the couch until he was fully on top of Yoongi, caging him in completely beneath his arms. Yoongi wrapped his legs and arms around Namjoon and bit lightly into his shoulder.

“Ah.” Namjoon felt his orgasm rise, along with his knot, swelling at the base of his cock. “Getting close,” he exhaled, licking into Yoongi’s ear. “Can I—can I knot you?”

At that, Yoongi raked a sharp hand down Namjoon’s back.

Namjoon hissed at the sting. “Ouch.”

“That was for even asking. Fuck no.”

“No knot. Got it. Can I come on your stomach?”

“If you must,” Yoongi said, trying to maintain an air of nonchalance, but he was moaning, writhing under Namjoon. And as his own cock kept rutting against Namjoon’s stomach, faster and faster, Namjoon could tell he must have been close too.

Namjoon pushed back in and out a few more times, and then he was coming, spilling hot and thick across Yoongi’s stomach. As he came, he thumbed at Yoongi’s cock, tugging until Yoongi was coming right along with him.

When they both came down from the high, Namjoon slumped against Yoongi’s now-sticky body. It felt like hours before either of them caught their breaths or spoke.

“So…” Namjoon unraveled himself from Yoongi, a string of his own semen catching between them. He had come…a lot. “I should clean you up.”

“Duh,” Yoongi looked up at Namjoon, eyes half-closed. His gaze had cooled to its usual neutral expression, which left a bitter taste in Namjoon’s mouth.

Namjoon brushed himself off and hurried to grab some towels, cleaning Yoongi off as Yoongi lay there, silent. “I hope that…that was okay,” Namjoon stumbled over his words.

“Don’t worry, alpha.” Yoongi was clearly back to his usual self, throwing the term at him like an insult. “You didn’t take advantage of me or anything.”

“Okay, uh, that’s good. I wanted it too.”

“But that was a one-time thing,” Yoongi said, and Namjoon should have expected that. He knew they shouldn’t do this again, but a part of him, his alpha, deflated at hearing that from Yoongi.

Namjoon pulled his pants back on and tossed Yoongi’s to him. “I know.”

“Perfect. Let’s forget this ever happened.” Yoongi paused like he was about to say something else, but at that exact moment, there was a knock at the front door of the dorm. Namjoon was still shirtless, and he couldn’t find where his shirt had gone. He looked frantically at Yoongi, but he just shrugged as the door began to open. It had to be their new group member and roommate who of course had a key.

“Hello, new friends—” Hoseok exclaimed, suitcase in hand, mouth forming a curious “oh” mid-sentence when his gaze fell on a semi-dressed Namjoon and flushed Yoongi. They both definitely reeked. Thank God he was actually a beta, Namjoon thought.

“Uh, Hoseok, hi,” Namjoon stammered. “You’re early.”

“I texted you I was coming,” Hoseok said. He didn’t sound upset, though, just intrigued. “Did you not see it?”

“I was busy,” Namjoon replied.

“Hm.” Hoseok smirked and set his suitcase to the side. “Looks like you both were.”

Yoongi glared, and Namjoon whipped his head back at him, mouthing play nice. Yoongi sighed and waved at Hoseok’s suitcase. “Do you need help with that?”

“Yes, actually, I would love some help!” Hoseok grinned.

Namjoon was surprised by Yoongi’s offer, since he rarely offered to do anything for him, but Hoseok wasn’t an alpha, or a rival, or…a lover, Namjoon guessed, like he had become.

“Sure,” Yoongi agreed, and he didn’t sound sarcastic, just matter-of-fact. Hoseok’s presence was calming, and Yoongi must have been feeling it, too. The beta’s cedarwood scent, although more subdued than an alpha or an omega’s, was strong, bringing both Namjoon and Yoongi down from the height of their emotions. This would be good, Namjoon realized. Boom PD had done well.

“Which room is mine?” Hoseok asked, waiting in the hallway as Yoongi followed behind him and Namjoon, pulling Hoseok’s suitcase with great exertion.

“What the fuck do you have in here?” Yoongi grunted. “Bricks?”

“Basically my entire life—maybe we should have the alpha over here carry it.”

“Absolutely not,” Yoongi said through gritted teeth. “I’ve got it just fine.”

Namjoon changed the subject, “This one’s your room.” He patted at the door labeled for betas.

“No it’s not,” Yoongi interjected. He pointed over at the empty room that had originally been designated for omegas. “That’s mine. Beta, you’re here.”

Hoseok shrugged. “Whatever works for me. I don’t mind. As long as there’s room for my stuff.”

“There’s a closet,” Namjoon said.

Hoseok took a look at the small space for his belongings and sighed dramatically. “Well. It’ll have to do.”

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

Now, Hoseok knew that as a beta, his sense of smell wasn’t particularly sharp when it came to scenting out his new roommates, but he still felt something—kind of overwhelming, and a little gross—burgeoning between Namjoon and Yoongi. It was like a cloud, fogging up the entire apartment at times.

“What are you opening the windows for, Hoseok-ah?” Yoongi asked him one day, a week or so after his arrival. They had quickly grown a friendship of sorts. Namjoon was often away from the dorm, stressed about leading the group, and fulfilling his role as an alpha for their possible pack. Whatever that meant. So he and Yoongi had been spending a lot of time together.

“The stench,” Hoseok responded.

Yoongi sighed. “But it’s December.”

“Then put on a jacket, babe,” Hoseok laughed. “If a beta can smell the absolute stink you two are producing from all your arguing, you’ve got some work to do before we get more members.”

Yoongi ignored him, drawing out an eye roll. “You think we’re getting more members?”

“I heard Boom PD chatting with Joon the other day,” Hoseok said. “It certainly seemed like it.”

“Maybe Joon should share that information with the rest of us,” Yoongi hissed.

“Maybe I should do what?” Namjoon said, joining the two of them in the kitchen.

“Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you should be keeping stuff from us,” Yoongi said, a bit more harshly than Hoseok would have liked or thought necessary. He rested a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, an attempt to calm him down. Yoongi didn’t recoil, but he didn’t seem happy about it either. It seemed to work, slightly, and his back relaxed.

“I’m not—what?” Namjoon looked at Hoseok, urging him to help.

Hoseok sighed. It had only been a week, and he found himself continuously cleaning up their messes. “Namjoon-ah, just share with us what Boom PD was talking about. You know, with the group.”

“Oh, that,” Namjoon said, eyes downcast. “I was meaning to bring it up to you…I’m just nervous.”

“Why?” Yoongi prompted.

“Because…” Namjoon started. “Boom PD wants to…change the direction of the group. Just a little.”

Yoongi inched toward Namjoon. “What the fuck do you mean?”

“He wants to add a singer.”

“So we aren’t going to be a rap group anymore?” Yoongi crossed his arms across his chest, scent rising enough to be noticeable to Hoseok. Bitter tangerine.

“I guess not…” Namjoon bit at his lip nervously. “I’m sorry, hyung, I…”

“Fuck you,” Yoongi said, storming away into his room and letting the door fall back behind him with a slam.

“So,” Namjoon gazed at Hoseok, breaking the silence. “How are you feeling about it?”

“Honestly, I don’t care,” Hoseok stated truthfully, “but you better fix things with him,” he pointed at Yoongi’s room, “before this singer arrives.”

“Okay,” Namjoon agreed.

“What even happened between you two before I got here?” Hoseok asked as he pushed Namjoon toward Yoongi’s door. “Actually, don’t answer that, I don’t want to know. Just smooth things over and leave me out of it.”

Namjoon hesitated. “I should give him space.”

“That’s not what his scent’s saying.”

“You can smell him?”

“I can smell both of you way more than I should. You need to get over whatever this is so we don’t fail before we even get a chance to begin. Go talk to him.”

And so Hoseok watched Namjoon enter Yoongi’s room, sensing their scents rise and crash until things eventually mellowed out a couple hours later. Finally, both Yoongi and Namjoon headed out of the apartment together, stating they were going back to the studio to work on music. He waved them off with a sigh of relief, and began working on a few lyrics of his own to go along with the choreography he had created. With this new singer joining, he had an inkling that dance was going to become much more important for their group.

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

Interviewer: Wow, it sounds like you had a busy first month as a group. It’s nice that you two had each other to rely on.

Namjoon: I may have been the leader and pack alpha, but I couldn’t have done it without him—without any of them really.

Yoongi: [Chuckles] He really needed the rest of us around to keep his head straight. I mean, he thought I was a beta when I first joined.

[Jae-Chan’s eyes widen in shock as Bangtan laughs and Namjoon blushes.]

Interviewer: A beta? But, how, Namjoon-ssi?

Namjoon: [Blushes] Uh, I haven’t always been the most perceptive. But, our Hoseok-ah joined us soon enough.

Interviewer: Yes, Hoseok-ssi, your entry into the group solidified the infamous trio. But I’ve heard whispers from people in the industry that your fellow rappers didn’t get along as well as they would like us to believe.

Hoseok: They butted heads a bit; we all did at first. It’s hard to build a pack as trainees, when you're all exhausted and unsure if your group is even going to debut.

Interviewer: Well clearly you managed to create a strong bond eventually. Let’s continue to explore how Bangtan was formed. Jungkook-ssi, you joined next, right?