Chapter Text
Jeongguk shouldn’t be here in the storage hut. Not with his hands on Jimin’s waist, and not with his lips pressed against Jimin’s skin. Still, Jeongguk has never been one to follow the rules set out by his father. Being the pack alpha’s son has always left him in a bind, an impossible position to fulfil from what rowdy pup he once was, and now, an alpha who still isn’t quite yet sure of himself. But what he wants, he gets. Handsy when he’s alone with Jimin, seemingly drunk on the omega’s scent and touch and lips right on his own. He’s greedy, and Jimin wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Jeongguk,” Jimin whispers, trying to push Jeongguk back, but he barely tries— it’s as feigned as the bite in his voice. His fingers push against Jeongguk’s chest, staying there to linger, to feel and commit Jeongguk’s body to memory. Still, Jimin has always been the voice of reason between the two of them. Quiet, having had to grow up far quicker than he ever wanted to, learning his mother’s role under her careful hand. Now, he’s close to working alongside her, healing those in the pack he calls his home. The pack that took him under their wing when he was barely old enough to babble, and yet, somehow, he’s never been immune to Jeongguk’s charm, even when they were both pups. “I said not here— imagine if anyone sees us.”
Jeongguk huffs, letting his nose bury in the crook of Jimin’s neck. He inhales once, then kisses Jimin’s skin, only to inhale his scent again. Jimin knows a whine is to follow, and as Jeongguk pulls back, his eyes are wide, sweet, soft and adoring, but also painfully hurt. He wants Jimin close; he always does. But being the pack alpha’s son comes with training that pulls Jeongguk away from the rest of the pack, hunting into the night for the upcoming winter, all to one day fill the shoes of his father.
Jimin, too, trains. He forages with his mother, learning what herbs heal and what plants soothe, and now that he’s of age, listening to the omegas’ advice about the upcoming mating run. Then, Jimin is set to find a mate. But it’s hard when Jeongguk’s hands begin to wander, and when Jimin’s heart screams for the alpha who still stands before him. He just wants Jeongguk. To love him, to hold him, and every time Jimin tries to pull back, it only makes that part of him yearn that little harder.
So, like always, he gives in. Not because Jeongguk wouldn’t step away; Jimin knows he would, but because a much bigger part of Jimin can’t hold back, and Jeongguk is always there, waiting for him to take the leap.
“Easy, alpha. Be quiet,” Jimin begins, breathless as he feels Jeongguk’s lips against his skin again. They’re tugged up into a smile between kisses, and Jimin can’t help how his mouth follows. “Does anyone know you’re here?”
Jeongguk hums, and Jimin just about hears a soft “no” before Jeongguk’s hand slips a little higher, holding his spine. “They won’t look for me, not for a while at least.” Jeongguk barely pulls back enough to speak, his breath hot on Jimin’s skin. His fingers climb higher, nails digging in just a little, and as his scent thickens with want, Jimin finds it hard to keep his composure.
“What do you do to me, Jeongguk?” Jimin whispers through a breathy whine. Because he, not Jeongguk, is the first to crack. Even if the threat of the upcoming run lingers in his mind, and even if the rest of the pack is only obscured by a door, he can’t seem to pull away from Jeongguk’s touch. There’s a warmth in his hold, like Jimin is the only omega to ever exist. He’s cherished, safe, adored by gentle hands and lips and needy breaths that consume him. Above all, Jimin feels like he’s Jeongguk’s. Before the run has even taken place, the silent promise that Jeongguk will catch him, despite other alphas begging for Jimin’s hand, Jimin feels like Jeongguk has already claimed him.
And by the graze of Jeongguk’s teeth on his neck, and the warmth simmering in Jimin’s chest, maybe Jeongguk already has.
Jeongguk’s arms barely strain as they lift Jimin onto the bench, but his lips never part from Jimin’s skin, and his scent consumes Jimin’s in a way that leaves Jimin feeling dizzier by the breath. His nose dips into the crevices of Jimin’s collarbones, committing his scent to memory, letting it sink and entwine into his own to keep a part of the flame alight for when they’re alone. They both know time together is fleeting; it always is. Even if Jeongguk wants to stay and hold Jimin until the morning, and even if Jimin feels cold and alone wrapped up in his nest, with nothing but the memory of Jeongguk’s touch against his skin.
“I want to knot you,” Jeongguk whispers, his fingers tracing the moons that adorn Jimin’s spine. The marker of a healer, kissed by the Moon Goddess herself, and somehow, Jeongguk knows exactly their shape. “I mean it. I want you, Jimin. Do you know how hard it is? Spending time away from you? When I hunt, all I do is think of you,” Jeongguk pauses for a breath, pulling apart just enough to look into Jimin’s eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
Jimin can’t help but smile a little wider, shy and warm and hopelessly in love.
“I hadn’t noticed, alpha.”
A whine parts Jeongguk’s lips. It’s faint, and a huff follows, but Jeongguk, too, fights a smile. “Don’t tease me. I want you— I need you so bad.” And truthfully, Jimin needs Jeongguk just as much. “We don’t have much time; the pups are feeding and then…” Jeongguk trails off, his eyes flitting to Jimin’s lips. Neither does he finish his sentence, kissing Jimin again and again until Jimin’s lungs begin to burn.
Like this, with Jeongguk so wide-eyed and needy, so eager to please and prove, Jimin wants nothing more than to pull him into his nest. But he can’t; his path is already set. So, these stolen moments are all they can grasp until Jeongguk chases him, pulling him down and smiling before letting his teeth sink into his neck.
Or so Jimin hopes.
“Jimin,” Jeongguk hums, his lips trailing down Jimin’s neck. “It’s okay, focus on me. I’ll make you feel good, yeah?” Jimin can’t help but sigh at the way Jeongguk’s teeth graze his neck again, right where a mating bite will one day be. Maybe Jeongguk can hear his thoughts, or maybe they’ve always just been too in tune with each other, but Jeongguk’s thumb smoothes over the glistening sheen of saliva left by his tongue on Jimin’s scent gland. “Soon, I’ll mark you here. And I’ll always take care of you, I promise, I’ll do anything for you—”
Jeongguk’s words are halted before he can finish, before Jimin can let himself believe that everything he’s saying will come true. Because it could, but there’s a chance that another alpha will be the one to catch him, and the very life he’s dreamt of will be ripped away. So, Jimin’s lips are hungry. He kisses Jeongguk as if it’s his last, just as he always does. He lets his hands grab and grab, greed settling in his veins, digging into Jeongguk’s skin, nails trailing down his back, and pulling him closer. Somehow, it doesn’t seem close enough, and maybe Jeongguk, too, feels it. Jimin can tell he wants to take his time. He always does; there’s a devotion born from his tongue that Jimin always relishes. It’s the same adoration as the glimmer in his eyes whenever they catch Jimin’s in the pack, and bleed from his lungs when his lips try so hard not to mark Jimin’s skin.
Still, Jimin makes himself pull back.
“I want you in my nest,” he breathes out, his lips catching on Jeongguk’s, those so hungry to taste Jimin. “But— but we can’t—”
“Soon,” Is all that Jeongguk can muster, and then, as his eyes soften, he whispers, “We can stop if you want.”
Jimin laughs. It’s breathless, in disbelief, and leaves Jeongguk to follow. “Stop? Alpha, when have I ever wanted you to stop? I want you, I need you, I just,” Jimin pauses, letting a whine slip from his tongue now that Jeongguk’s teeth nip up his neck and jaw. “I don’t want anyone to find us. I can’t lose you. I need you to fuck me.”
Jeongguk shushes Jimin. Soft and sweet, his fingers entwining with Jimin’s own between their chests. Somewhere in the back of it all, beneath the need and the simmering warmth in Jimin’s stomach, he thinks that Jeongguk would make a perfect father, yet that want feels consuming now, and Jimin tries to focus on how warm hands circle his waist again. Jeongguk’s nose trails down Jimin’s neck, just as hands pull apart the cotton against his skin. It’s still too warm to wear furs, the winter not yet on the horizon, so as the night dawns and the sky deepens, they know this is their only chance.
“You won’t, I’ll make sure of it.” The words lay on Jeongguk’s tongue, tasted by Jimin’s— as sweet as honey, and as hopeful as spring. And maybe it’s the very thing that spurs Jimin on to get out of his head, kissing Jeongguk harder, letting his ankles cross at Jeongguk’s spine to pull him closer. Because, although Jimin has always been the more rational of the two, in moments like these, Jeongguk is the only one to calm the thoughts that seemingly never stop.
So Jimin purrs. It’s faint, but Jeongguk still hears it, feeling it against his skin. Jimin buries his head in the juncture of Jeongguk’s neck, every movement leading to a gasp, cotton bitten between his lips to stifle each sound that follows. Now, Jeongguk can’t wait. It’s too risky to take the time he so desperately craves in adoring Jimin. Here, he wants to kiss him breathless. He wants to mark every inch of Jimin’s skin, scent him so that everyone knows who he belongs to. But he can’t, so he settles on kissing where his teeth ache to sink into, and letting his fingers find the places where his lips can’t reach. Jeongguk growls in possession as his hands begin to sink lower, cupping Jimin’s ass, kneading it apart as the honeyed scent of slick begins to fill his lungs.
This, Jeongguk thinks, is ecstasy.
He also knows that their scents will bleed into the storage hut if they aren’t careful, and so, he lifts Jimin off the bench.
“Turn around, I’ll keep watch in case anyone comes near. I need to taste you. You’re so sweet— I’m addicted, I swear.” Jeongguk’s breath is heavy, and his voice is low, a deep rumble in Jimin’s ear as his lips graze it. Jimin doesn’t need to be told twice, but he trembles, his body high on adrenaline and needing Jeongguk’s body close once more. He gets it, of course. Jeongguk stands behind him, his arms caging Jimin in, palms splayed on either side of the bench, and as his waist presses against Jimin’s spine, the omega can’t help but let out a little whine.
Really, it’d sound pathetic if he weren’t so needy, but he pushes back, his ass grinding against Jeongguk’s front. He can feel it, the alpha’s knot already beginning to form, and if they weren’t so short on time, sneaking around and stumbling through breathless nights without anyone knowing, maybe Jimin would tease him for already being this far gone. It’d be futile, though; Jimin is no better. In fact, he reaches back and pushes down his trousers, those held up by a string, and as Jeongguk moves a hand from beside him, Jimin knows Jeongguk is doing the same.
“Fuck, you’re leaking,” Jeongguk growls. As the scent hits him harder, that possession only grows. He can’t help but kneel down, let his lips taste the sliver of skin of Jimin’s lower back, nor can he help how his hands spread Jimin’s cheeks, and the urge to reach forward and taste.
Jeongguk always savours this, even if time barely lets him. He always lets Jimin’s slick linger on his tongue, making that haze in his mind stronger with every lick. It’s depraved, Jeongguk knows. But he also knows that he can’t live without it. If he could collect it, he would. Maybe tonight, he might try with the way it drips off his tongue. He’d bathe in it if Jimin would somehow let him, so his fingers sink into the plush skin of Jimin’s ass as he takes and takes, drinking the nectar straight from the source as Jimin tries to muffle every moan that begins to slip out. His cock is hard, and the edge of the bench provides too little in the way of friction to find any relief.
“Please,” Jimin begs, his voice trembling much more than he intends. But Jeongguk understands, and although greed lines his veins for the taste of what he shouldn’t yet have, he can’t push Jimin too far, not when the threat of being found looms over them.
So, Jeongguk tugs Jimin closer, rising up and letting his lips trail up his skin. It’s clumsy. All teeth and tongue and bruised skin against wood, but Jeongguk manages to turn Jimin around in his hold again, and push him up against that very bench from before. It’s the only place he knows, that or the wall, and Jeongguk knows his arms will give out before he can fully sink into the warm heat of the omega. Just like a flower blooming in his palm, Jimin unravels, and Jeongguk can’t help but to keen at the shift in Jimin’s scent. His eyes are soft, trusting, the faintest vision in the darkness of the storage hut, yet Jeongguk sees him clearly. Even if he stubs his toe on the way to haul Jimin up on his hips, and even if sounds come a bit too close for comfort outside of the door, Jeongguk wastes little time in pulling Jimin’s cheeks apart, and lets his cock begin to breach.
Covered in honeyed slick, the warmth of the omega is dizzying. Jeongguk sighs, his voice thin and wavering, and Jimin’s head finds its way back to Jeongguk’s neck, this time with teeth threatening to pierce his skin. He knows he can’t, but god, Jimin’s gums ache to claim. He aches to be beneath the alpha, for his broad arms and chest to pin him down and breed him— it never feels enough. Not when Jeongguk begs in his ear, promises him the world, all of the pups he knows they’ll one day have; Jimin needs more. And Jeongguk does, too. But this is all they can do. When the pack is busy and need claws at their skin, and when the sounds of cicadas begin to drown out the breathless whines, Jeongguk lets himself fully push in, even if Jimin hisses against his skin. Jimin can’t think of how their scents will cling to the walls when they’re done, nor can he think of anything else; instead, his mind is dazed, clouded by the sweet whispers Jeongguk’s lips press against his ear, and the steady rhythm of his hips. It’s quick. It has to be. Jeongguk’s hips move with the same fervour they always do.
He never knots, though, always lucid enough to pul out and knot his hand. Or Jimin’s— whoever’s is closer. It’s a threat that always falls from his tongue, a plea that Jimin indulges. I need to knot you. Jeongguk is good at that; he’s good at keeping control of the wolf within him, all of those instincts that claw at his throat, those to breed and claim and satiate. Every time, Jimin wishes he would, though. Especially tonight, and Jimin doesn’t even dare to question why he needs it so badly.
Today, that control dwindles, yet Jimin doesn’t feel it. He doesn’t notice how Jeongguk’s knot begins to catch with each thrust, not when Jeongguk’s hand slides down to Jimin’s cock to tease, precum leaking on his stomach. Nor does Jimin notice how Jeongguk’s sounds turn possessive, all raw and growling and fierce. Because this is his omega, and with the threat of the run so close, with the pack outside cleaning up after dinner, and Jimin falling apart in his grasp, Jeongguk can’t hold back. Teeth break Jimin’s skin, not at his neck, but he still bleeds the same, and as Jimin whispers Jeongguk’s name— as much in desire as he scolds him— Jeongguk can’t seem to stop.
Jimin doesn’t want it to stop, and he, too, is fighting his omega’s call to pull Jeongguk into his nest and let whatever rut is simmering beneath Jeongguk’s skin take him. He doesn’t know why, but there’s a tug in his mind that only seems to grow as Jeongguk hauls him on his hips, the edge of the bench digging into Jimin’s spine, hands bruising and breaths shallow. His own nails scratch Jeongguk’s skin, whines begin to slip, and he finds himself completely at Jeongguk’s mercy. Truly, there’s no place he’d rather be.
“You smell like fucking nectar,” Jeongguk growls, a particularly forceful thrust leaving Jimin to groan, jolting further up in Jeongguk’s hold. “Honey— so sweet. What are you doing to me, omega? I swear, I can’t get enough of you. Especially today— fuck— I’m addicted to you, you know that?”
Jimin can only whine again, letting his teeth just barely graze Jeongguk’s skin to stifle every sound that follows. He breathes him in, dizzying as his scent consumes him, a hand slipping down to where his cock breaches just so that he can cover himself in slick.
Jeongguk wants to be marked. He wants to smell just like the sweetest honey that drips down Jimin’s thighs. And like a man possessed, a wolf with its prey, he never lets Jimin go, not even when Jimin’s whines turn headier and his head slumps back in bliss.
“Gguk,” Jimin just about manages, panting as Jeongguk keeps a steady rhythm. “Gguk, please, I need—”
Jeongguk doesn’t have to be told, and with the slick on his fingers, he wraps a hand between them, right against Jimin’s cock. That too, is steady. A rhythm so easy to follow, so easy to get lost in, one that Jeongguk has learned from the snap of his hips and wrist, and the nip of his teeth, leaves Jimin completely mindless against him. Jeongguk feels the similar haze, and against the soft grunts and growls and whines that stumble from their tongues, that pace only quickens— a staccato of both breaths and thrusts that push Jimin further into his hold.
Jeongguk couldn’t wish for anything else, he has everything he’s ever wanted right at his fingers. The composure begins to fall, his mind is dazed with the sweet cloying scent that envelops him, something unlike anything he’s felt before, almost driving a primal need to breed and stake his claim. He’s just an alpha, he can’t fight it, not when Jimin begs so prettily. Begging for his kisses, for his knot, for his seed to swell inside and take. It falls from Jimin’s lips in a flurry, and who is Jeongguk to deny the omega he loves? It’s new, but Jeongguk doesn’t have the right mind to question why Jimin is pleading for it all. Nor does Jimin, whose eyes are glazed and scent only sweetens by the breath, completely drunk on everything that Jeongguk gives him..
Jimin only realises when Jeongguk’s knot finally locks them, that his body feels painfully hot, feverish with the need for more.
“Fuck,” Jeongguk manages, a half-groan as he spills inside. “You’re so— fuck. You’re so full. So perfect. I love you, I love you so much. I can’t get enough of you.” It falls from his tongue too easily, and just as Jimin finds himself succumbing to the feeling shuddering through him, his orgasm taking him— guided by Jeongguk’s knot and hand— that thought never leaves his mind.
His heat.
He’s shaking as Jeongguk holds him, whose thumbs mindlessly soothe over the slight swell beneath his navel from his cock and knot and seed still spilling inside.
Eventually, a whine spills from Jimin’s lips as Jeongguk tries to set him down. The alpha’s kisses are searing, no longer the feeling of safety that he usually commands, because deep down, Jimin knows they’re fucked, completely and utterly so. For a moment, whilst he regains his breath, and whilst Jeongguk’s breathless pants turn to open-mouthed kisses on his skin, Jimin debates whether he should confess.
He feels dizzy— faint.
His body thrums with the need for more, and the familiar ache that begins to claw at his skin.
He didn’t know; that’s what settles the guilt in his stomach, that sickening feeling that begins to consume him. He’s been more tired, but as the weather begins to turn, all of the omegas have been. But it’s the feeling of unease, both insatiable and satisfied in the same dizzying breath, and the sharpness of need in Jeongguk’s scent, that pierces the blissful haze in Jimin’s mind.
“Jeongguk,” Jimin’s voice is small, wavering and thin. “Jeongguk, I—”
“No one heard us, I promise.”
Jimin tries to smile, each movement leaving Jeongguk to quietly groan. His knot isn’t deflating, locked and leaving bodies pressed together. Their clothes are still half-on; only their trousers are kicked somewhere beside the spare firewood in the corner of the hut.
“You knotted me,” Jimin says, noticing the subtle shift in Jeongguk’s scent. He’s proud. And if Jimin weren’t deep in a crisis, he’d be, too— he’s full. But that pride gives way to something more soured, more guilty.
“I thought you—“
“I wanted it,” Jimin assures him, because he did— he always does. He wants nothing more than to sit on Jeongguk’s knot forever now that he’s had his first taste. It fills whatever hole was buried deep inside him; beyond the panic that sets in, he feels light, like he’s right where he’s always meant to be. “That’s not— I mean…” Jimin swallows the words before they fall, and now, as Jeongguk cups his cheek, Jeongguk’s thumb grazing his skin in the gentlest touch, Jimin realises the concern in the alpha’s eyes. It’s there despite the darkness, his gaze finding Jeongguk’s through it all.
“Tell me,” Jeongguk begs, and it leaves Jimin to whine, a kind of hurt sound that rips from his throat.
“I don’t feel well. I feel hot, I feel like I’m… it feels like my heat is—”
“It’s okay, yeah? I’ll take care of you. I’ve got you.” Jeongguk’s voice bears a croon, and he steadies Jimin before he can finish, soothing the bruise beneath his collarbone with the pads of his fingers. Specks of blood are dry on his clothes, the alpha’s mark clear against his skin, yet hidden where no one will ever see. It isn’t a claiming mark, not something that will stand the test of time, but with the way Jeongguk can’t help but keep grazing it, it might as well be.
Somehow, Jimin knows Jeongguk understands. His scent is softer, warmer, the kind Jimin always comes to seek comfort from.
“I’m sorry,” Jimin whispers, and at this, Jeongguk cracks. He growls, not threatening, but possessive, like his knot has already taken, like Jimin is already his. He growls in Jimin’s ear, kisses Jimin’s skin, and lets his fingers hold Jimin’s waist.
“Don’t,” he says, nuzzling at Jimin’s jaw. “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t know, yeah? I didn’t know— I just knew I needed you. I still do. Let me take care of you, let me stay with you.“
Jimin shakes his head. “You can’t. Jeongguk, if anyone sees…” Jimin doesn’t have it in him to finish, but there’s a fire in Jeongguk’s gaze that tells him he isn’t taking no for an answer. He will take care of Jimin. His omega.
“We’ll stay here until it goes down, then I’ll get you in your nest. I’m not leaving you.”
Jimin can’t help but laugh, more of a scoff than anything else. But a whine follows, heat simmering in his chest again, clawing at his skin with the weight of need. “Someone will find us, alpha.” It falls too easily, the name slipping from Jimin’s tongue, and it makes Jeongguk preen a little.
“The cupboard—“
“I am not hiding in the fucking cupboard while your knot goes down.” Again, Jimin’s voice is broken by a whine, this time painful, and only soothed by Jeongguk’s lips on his skin. His scent is thick, and they both know there’s little hiding their mark in the storage hut. Still, for a while until the coast is clear, maybe it’s their only option.
A sound makes the decision for them both: footsteps closer to the hut, before a distant shout stops them from getting any closer.
“Fine,” Jimin whispers, unable to keep himself up any longer. The ache feels consuming, even if Jeongguk is still buried to the hilt. So, Jimin has no choice but to lean on the bench, Jeongguk’s hands helping his legs find their way around his hips, each movement only spurring Jeongguk’s cock to throb again and again, leading to keening whines and soft shushes.
Jimin feels dizzy, and Jeongguk fares no better, stumbling to the cupboard tucked in the corner of the hut, clothes kicked in wicker baskets with shallow breaths.
“You okay?” Somehow, Jeongguk’s voice is impossibly gentle, as are his fingers, brushing back the strands of hair that stick to Jimin’s forehead. Jimin simply nods, letting his eyes close, sinking further into the alpha’s hold, and buries his nose right against his neck. It soothes him. His omega is spent, tired and aching for more relief. Yet, in the back of his mind, a newfound worry rears its head.
“What if it takes?” Jimin’s voice wavers. “What if your stupid knot gets me pregnant?”
Jeongguk whimpers— not hurt, but like he’s trying to stop his knot from forming again at the prospect of breeding the omega. “S’not stupid, you liked it,” and then, much softer, “we’ll figure it out, I promise. We always do, yeah?”
It settles a different kind of warmth in Jimin’s chest. One of hope, of understanding, of finally belonging. If he purrs, it’s as quietly as he can, barely above a whisper, tucked right against Jeongguk’s skin, who lets himself smile as he pulls Jimin closer. Although bearing the alpha’s pup doesn’t seem too bad; in fact, Jimin has always longed for a life alongside Jeongguk and a pup. He can’t think of anything better than being tucked up in the nest, small hands around his fingers, and Jeongguk’s arms keeping them safe. Not that he can think of that now, when Jeongguk’s nails graze his spine, and scent envelops him with want. He’s just as insatiable as Jimin, it seems.
A sound breaks their trance, leaving them still, breaths caught in their throats, and eyes turned towards the crack in the cupboard door. Footsteps inch closer, and the door to the storage hut opens, and then, as a cough and a rustle for some firewood follow, Jimin’s fingers sink into Jeongguk’s skin. The door closes as quickly as it opens, and the sounds of an alpha begin to wane. A close call, much too close for comfort, yet Jeongguk can’t help but laugh.
“We should’ve chanced your nest,” Jeongguk giggles, letting his lips nip Jimin’s jaw. “You were right; it’s too risky here. You’ll let me stay with you a bit longer, though, won’t you? I need to make sure my omega is okay.”
Again, Jimin purrs. He can’t help it, not when the words are so sweet from Jeongguk’s tongue. The alpha is softer, cuddlier, letting his fingers wander once more up and down Jimin’s spine. They trace the moons on his skin, the freckles that smatter on his shoulders, and the scars from trying to tussle as a pup; above all, Jeongguk just doesn’t want to let Jimin go. His knot slips out now, setting Jimin down on aching legs. Then after a peek, he opens the door of the cupboard and helps Jimin step out. His hands don’t stray long, though. They find their way back on Jimin’s skin, right at his waist, steadying wobbly steps into the darkness.
“Would you be happy?” Jeongguk asks, turning to where he kicked their trousers. “To have a pup, I mean. With me. If my knot took, and all.” He stammers, cheeks ablaze but hidden by the dim light of the storage hut. Jimin can hear it in his voice though, and his scent leaves little to the imagination. He wants it so badly, Jimin can tell.
“Yeah, I would,” Jimin says as he bites his lip, trying to stave off a smile now that Jeongguk kneels down, kissing his thighs. He steps into each leg with Jeongguk’s help, holding his shoulder for support, and as Jeongguk begins to stand back up, he lingers at Jimin’s navel before pressing a kiss just below it. “I’ve always wanted a pup, alpha. Always with you.” Jimin’s voice is whispered, and his breath gets cut off when Jeongguk kisses him. He can’t help it, though; it feels too much like coming home whenever Jeongguk’s lips find his.
“Then, I hope my stupid knot did take.” There’s no bite behind the words, just a smile, so wide and bright that even the darkness can’t dare to dull it. “I mean it. I don’t want you to do the run; I want you mated with me. I want you pupped and full and mine.” Jeongguk stops himself mid-growl, huffing a laugh. “Sorry, I said you make me crazy. You do; now I know it’s because your heat is starting. But I mean it, I love you, Jimin. I always have. I really do love you.”
“I love you, too, Jeongguk. You’ll be there for me, right? If it does take. I… I don’t want anyone else; I just want you. If the Moon Goddess blesses us then—”
“I’ll pray to her every night. She’s already blessed us with you,” Jeongguk says, stepping closer, a hand fumbling with the string of his trousers as the other finds its way back against Jimin’s waist. “C’mon, let me get you back before anyone notices we’re gone. You okay? I might have time to take us to the river to wash up.”
But Jimin knows it’s risky. He’s also selfish, wanting nothing more than to spend a bit more time in the alpha’s arms before he has to slip away. Until Jimin’s heat truly rears its head and he feels the ache of what he has now lost, and until Jimin begs and begs the moon to give him his alpha back, Jimin knows he can’t stray for a moment away from Jeongguk. No matter how gross he feels. So, he shakes his head and allows Jeongguk’s arm to carry most of his weight as they stumble back towards the dens.
The air is cooler than usual on their skin. Jeongguk’s is warm from exertion and Jimin’s scent, and Jimin’s is purely bound by the beginnings of his heat. Still, it’s welcome, and as Jimin lets himself be led towards where he sleeps, careful to take the winding path behind the bushes to avoid being seen, it’s all too easy to slump against Jeongguk again, his nose buried in his neck, and lungs filled with his scent. Somehow, Jeongguk keeps composure. He never gives in, never pushes Jimin against a tree to take him again and again. He wants to— his alpha calls for it. Either in his own den, or Jimin’s nest, or in one of the bushes tucked beside the stream. Jeongguk aches to, and yet, he masks that part of his scent in favour of soothing Jimin’s own, maybe because he already knows that there’s no need to try again. Not now, at least.
From where they stand, smoke rises from the fires. It dances in tendrils, thin curls against the sky, leading them both home. Jimin’s den is close to the fire— all of the omegas’ are, the first to get cold when the weather turns— and so, the ache of goodbye begins to claw at their skin. Jeongguk can’t stay, not too long, anyway. Just enough to kiss him, tuck him in his nest, and maybe a little longer. He can’t afford to get caught, especially not before the run. He has to do it right— chase Jimin down and claim him, just as they’ve always practised. The funny thing about promises is that they don’t always follow their set path; neither does Jeongguk as the pack alpha’s eldest son. So, in a silent plea as he opens the door to Jimin’s hut, Jeongguk closes his eyes only to open them against the moon, hoping that this will change everything. Jimin is quick to settle, grumbling as he begins to feel the bruises on his skin from Jeongguk’s teeth and lips and hands, but he doesn’t mind, not really. And for the next few days whilst he cries for the alpha’s touch again, he knows that he’s marked, and that Jeongguk is scratching at doors to try and be with his omega. That’ll be enough, Jimin thinks.
Because, even without the bite, it’s clear who they both belong to.
“Get me when it’s over, yeah?” Jeongguk insists, his lips grazing Jimin’s as he kneels down into Jimin’s nest. “I wish I could stay— fuck, can’t I stay?” Jeongguk closes his eyes and growls, something akin to a wounded pup’s. “Let me take care of you.”
All Jimin can do is offer a soft smile, feeling the heat simmering in his core once again. “I’m sorry. Soon, alright? After the run, then I’m all yours.” Jimin’s fingers are soft against Jeongguk’s cheek, and as he leans in, the kiss that follows is longer, gentler, full of all the words that still linger between them.
“I love you,” Jeongguk whispers, and it takes everything that is still lucid within Jimin not to pull him down into the nest.
“I love you, too, alpha. And for the record, I also hope your stupid knot takes.”
It makes Jeongguk laugh enough to gather the strength to pull away, even if his inner wolf yearns for Jimin’s touch, to hold him tight and kiss him through every part of his heat. Still, maybe that isn’t too far in the distance, and maybe something much sweeter will prevail from all of this.
“Goodnight, Jimin,” Jeongguk manages, sitting on his heels before he stands. “Let me know, yeah? And— and I’ll be waiting. I’ll be praying, and—”
Jimin giggles, pulling the pillow that Jeongguk’s wrist grazed closer, trying to cling to his scent. “I will, I promise.” He watches as Jeongguk stands by the door, not yet ready to leave. “Goodnight, alpha. Thank you— always, thank you.”
And as Jeongguk slips out, Jimin doesn’t miss how Jeongguk’s eyes flit down to his stomach, right where Jimin rests his hand. One day, Jimin hopes.
One day soon.
Jeongguk’s footsteps draw distant, yet there’s a glimmer of hope in Jimin’s chest that says Jeongguk’s wish will come true. There will be no need for Jimin to run, it’s already settled: Jimin is his, and from such a prized alpha, and an omega already blessed by the moon, they’d be fools to believe that there’d be any different fate.