Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

“—and it’s not even like it matters, you know, hyung? Like at the end of the day, Charizard is always going to be cooler than Pikachu, but everybody’s just so far up that little electric rat’s ass that they can’t even see it.”

“Preach, Jeonggukie,” Hoseok calls from across the patio table, the blunt between the beta’s fingers glowing as he takes a pull.

“No, don’t encourage him,” Seokjin says. “He’s wrong and he needs to know it.”

“He’s not wrong!” Namjoon defends.

Taehyung rolls his head from where it rests lazily on Jimin’s shoulder to add his own two cents.

“He so is. You know, I’d even pick Squirtle over Charizard, all day, everyday.”

That earns a chorus of groans and objections from nearly everyone at the table. Jimin only smirks, leaning back in his seat because he knows Taehyung well enough to see that mischievous glint in his eyes. The omega lives for this kind of chaos. 

Taehyung sits up fully, waving his hands around as he launches into a tangent about how underappreciated the blue turtle is in the Pokémon hierarchy, citing his speed, his loyalty, and his it factor. 

Across the table, Namjoon finishes off the rest of his beer in one go, then slams the empty bottle down like he’s preparing for a duel. In the alpha’s lap, Yoongi just rolls his eyes even though there’s a fond smile tugging at his lips as he watches his boyfriend get heated over Pokémon lore.

Seokjin, the proud instigator that he is, looks as smug as ever. The beta hugs his beer against his chest like it’s a trophy and takes his time sipping from it, clearly enjoying the mess he’s created. While still laughing, Hoseok leans across the table and tries to pass the blunt to Jeongguk. But Jeongguk only waves him off, motioning to his half-full beer in hand instead.

Jimin feels lighter than he has in weeks. It’s been three weeks since the last time they were all able to get together like this, but to him it might as well have been years. Between rehearsals and prep for the showcase, he’s been so stressed trying to make sure it’s all perfect, but now with his best friends around him and alcohol buzzing in his veins, it all eases for the first time in a long while.

He lifts his beer to his lips, only to find it empty. It’s his fourth of the night and judging by the noise level around him, everyone else is either tipsy or, in Hoseok’s case, high… or maybe both. 

“I’m grabbing another. Anyone else want one?” Jimin asks as he pushes up from his chair. 

Almost everyone drinking raises a hand or calls out me me me!

“Got it, got it,” he hushes, waving them down as he slips back inside.

He detours through the bathroom first, flicking on the light as the mirror greets him with his own reflection. He’s just recently dyed his hair back to blonde and his cheeks are flushed pink from the alcohol, and he finds he doesn’t mind the way it looks on him. He leans closer inwards and runs a hand through his hair to tousle it further, then he bites at his lips until they look a little plumper. He’s got nobody to look good for tonight, but that’s no reason to not primp a little bit. 

For a second, he regrets not going out tonight, not finding some alpha to press him into a mattress and fuck him until his stress is gone and he can’t think straight. But ditching his friends hadn’t really even been an option, not after Namjoon’s insistence that they all needed a night together and Jimin’s own sad texts to their group chat over the past few weeks had gotten a tad too depressing to go on any longer. 

He sighs and shakes himself out of it, then heads toward the kitchen. He gathers as many beers as his arms can carry, the bottles clinking together as he makes his way back. By the time he slides open the glass door to the patio, careful not to drop anything, the conversation has shifted from Pokémon. 

He sets the bottles down on the table, earning a round of thank you’s and you’re the best’s from the group.

“What’d I miss?” he asks, sliding back into his seat beside Taehyung.

Seokjin perks up immediately, more than ready to fill him in. “We’re talking about knots now.”

Jimin blinks. “Knots?”

“Yeah, how many times have you had an alpha knot you outside of your heat?” Seokjin clarifies, the beta’s eyebrows raised with that same teasing glint he always gets when the conversation takes a sharp left turn.

Jimin laughs, a little caught off guard, but he plays along nonetheless.  

“Me specifically or are we talking omegas in general here?”

“You specifically,” Seokjin says.

Jimin leans back in his seat, taking a moment to actually think about it. His mind flips through the memories of all his messy hookups that blurred into one another. He takes a sip of his fresh beer before answering.

“Uh, probably once or twice.”

“That’s it?” Hoseok asks, exhaling a lazy puff of smoke that curls toward the stars.

“I mean, yeah.” Jimin just shrugs, it’s not really a big deal. He lifts his beer again, feeling everyone’s eyes on him now, and suddenly the night feels a little warmer. “Well, if we’re talking about knotting without a cycle involved, then yeah just once. The other time was when I was helping out a friend during his rut.”

That earns a round of nods from the group. Namjoon leans forward to grab a new beer, the alpha’s arm looped around Yoongi’s waist. 

“That makes sense though,” Namjoon says, jostling the omega a bit in his lap when he leans back. “It’s not easy for an alpha to knot outside of a rut or an omega’s heat. Our bodies just don’t push it like that unless the hormones are spiking.”

Yoongi turns his head with a smirk. 

“So you’re saying all that bravado you usually pull is just for show?”

Namjoon huffs but doesn’t deny it. “Not bravado, it’s biology. I could want to knot you all day, but without the right trigger, it just doesn’t happen.”

At Jimin’s side, Taehyung stretches, the omega’s head falling back briefly before he sits up a bit straighter. 

“I’ve taken a ton knots outside of a cycle.” His boxy grin is lazy and a little proud. “You just have to know how to sweet talk an alpha into it.”

That piques Jimin’s interest. He tilts his head, sipping his beer slowly. 

“Sweet talk them how?”

Taehyung props his chin in his hand, his eyes gleaming with drunken mischief. 

“You really have to play it up and make them believe you’re desperate for it. Talk about wanting to be bred, about how good their knot is going to feel inside you. You get in their silly little heads and once their instincts catch on, the knot will pop just like clockwork.” He punctuates the word with a sharp clap of his hand. “Pop!”

The table breaks into laughter and Hoseok breaks out into a coughing fit around the smoke in his lungs. Jimin smiles, but his curiosity lingers. The thought loops round and round in his head, treading heavier in there than he had expected it to. He’s never really given much thought to knots, his omega never really craved one outside of his heat. 

That’s when Jeongguk finally speaks, his voice light as he leans back in his chair. 

“Tae’s got a point. An alpha can be pushed into knotting if you know what you’re doing, but it’s not easy.” His eyes flick toward Namjoon. “Well, maybe not for most.”

“Yeah,” Namjoon adds, rubbing his hand down his omega’s side. “You have to be in the right mindset and the omega has to push the right buttons, otherwise, nothing.”

“But when it works, it works,” Jeongguk says as he lets his gaze drift across the table, catching Jimin’s for just a second too long. “Doesn’t matter if it’s heat or rut or any other time outside of that. If the right omega says the right thing, the body follows.”

“You sound like you speak from experience,” Jimin finds himself saying, curiosity itching at him until he lets the words free. 

“Yeah, I mean I’ve had a handful of times where I’ve knotted outside of a cycle.” Jeongguk shrugs, taking a sip from his beer with his eyes still lingering on Jimin. 

“So what does the right omega say then?” Jimin leans back in his chair, his fingers tight around the neck of his beer as he tries to make his words sound casual. “What actually makes an alpha knot?”

Jeongguk doesn’t answer right away, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek as if he’s deciding how much to say. 

“It’s the way they say it,” he explains. “Begging to be bred full, telling you they want to carry your pups, that they need you to fill them until they can’t take any more and your seed takes… it flips a switch in your brain and it doesn’t matter if you weren’t thinking about knotting before, those words make your alpha want to lock down and make it real.”

The words slide under Jimin’s skin like wildfire. His eyes glaze over and he thanks his lucky stars for remembering to put on his scent blockers this morning because he can almost feel how his honeyed scent sweetens beneath them.

“But the sound of their voice breaking when they beg for it… God,” the alpha says, throwing his head back but his dark eyes never leave Jimin’s face. “Or when they’re already dripping and they tell you it’s because they need your pups. You hear that and it’s like… nothing else matters. Your body just wants to give it to them.”

Jimin’s thighs tighten together under the table, the pressure barely grounding him as he drags his eyes away from Jeongguk’s. He forces his hand around the neck of his bottle and takes a long pull from his beer. The carbonation burns his throat, but it’s easier to deal with than thinking about how Jeongguk’s gaze hasn’t shifted, not once, not even to acknowledge the rest of the group. That heavy stare is locked on him, holding him in place even though Jimin’s desperately torn between wishing it would never end and for him to look anywhere else. It’s a compelte mindfuck. 

The conversation continues around him, but Jimin barely registers any of it. He talks himself down inside his own head, repeating silent mantras to keep from slicking up right there in his seat around his best fucking friends. His thoughts betray him though, traitorously circling back to the way Jeongguk’s eyes had darkened as he spoke about breeding an omega full of pups. It hadn’t sounded theoretical, not even close. It sounded like a confession pulled straight from his chest.

And that isn’t the Jeongguk Jimin knows. Not the sweet little Jeonggukie from back in Busan who used to run down the block to show him every new Pokémon card he bought with his allowance. Not the Jeongguk who argued that Charizard was basically god's gift to the world and would hear no rebuttal. This Jeongguk, sitting across from him now, is someone else entirely. 

This Jeongguk—his sweet little Jeonggukie—has a breeding kink, and now Jimin can’t stop thinking about it.

Heat prickles up Jimin’s neck and pools pink in his cheeks. He stares down into the golden liquid of his beer and tries desperately to will the thoughts and unwarranted images away. Around him, Hoseok’s going on about the upcoming showcase at their dance studio and laughing about how he choreographed something for the under-five class. 

“Thank god they’re cute,” he says, shaking his head. “Because they suck so bad. Literally none of them can stay on beat and it’s absolute chaos.”

The table erupts in laughter, but Jimin lets the noise fade into the background as his eyes slide over to where Jeongguk sits so casually with one arm hooked over the back of his chair, his long fingers tracing along the metal of it as his other hand sits curled around his beer in his lap. His hair has grown out in wavy strands that brush against his shoulders, the dark locks catching light from the patio bulb. His skin glows, healthy and soft in a way that makes Jimin wonder if he’s sneaking secret skincare into their shared bathroom cabinet. His arms bulge under the short sleeves of his shirt, the veins there bulging as they flex with each movement under the tattoos that sit stark against his tan skin.

Jimin has told him before that the ink is sexy, laughing it off like he always does, but now it feels different. Now it’s the first thing he thinks of when his eyes trail over Jeongguk’s body. Sexy, all of it. His sweet little neighbor from Busan has grown into something else entirely. He’s not the little nerdy kid with the bowl cut anymore, no longer scrawny and lanky and awkward in all the most endearing ways. He’s not only just his best friend and roommate. Jeon Jeongguk is a gorgeous alpha, through and through.

And then his mind betrays him again as it devolves into thoughts of what the alpha would look like above him, pumping into him heavy and relentless, filling him until there’s no space left inside him and his body has no choice but to take his seed and fill him round with pups. Then his brain tries to conjure up what those pups might look like—dark hair and wide eyes and soft pink cheeks, full lips and sweet little button noses. 

The fantasy hits him quick and he feels the damp heat of slick between his cheeks and swears under his breath, hiding his face behind his bottle as he gulps another drink. He feels sweat beading at the nape of his neck. 

He only snaps back to reality when Jeongguk’s voice cuts through, quieter than the rest of the table but directed right at him. He blinks, realizing the alpha has said something, though he missed the words entirely.

“Sorry, what?” he blurts, cheeks hot as he turns to him.

Jeongguk repeats, “I asked if you’re ready to head home.”

Jimin nods too quickly, too aware of the slick dampening his panties and the flush dusting high upon his cheeks. Going home and sleeping this all off is his best option right now. By morning, he’ll be able to laugh about it. He’ll forget all about his sweet Jeonggukie and how he pops a knot at the thought of breeding an omega full.

Won’t he?

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

He absolutely doesn’t. 

If anything, it’s the only thing he can think about and it’s driving him insane. 

He’d woken up the next morning with his cock hard as a rock and his slick hole wetting the sheets. He dug his face into his pillow and tried to will away the arousal that snuck up on him during the night, but all to no avail. He’d shamefully rut against the mattress as his hole clenched, missing out on being filled. 

He hated that he saw Jeongguk’s face flash in his mind as he chased his orgasm. He hated that he thought of what Jeongguk had said about filling a wanting hole full of his knot, and Jimin whined into the pillow as his omega yearned to be full of the alpha’s knot until he was successfully bred and miserably pupped. 

Jimin came with the thought of Jeongguk’s knot buried deep into his slicked up hole, and for the first time in his life outside of a heat, he’d not been repulsed at the idea of getting pupped. It must be his omega’s sick sense of humor latching on to Jeongguk’s words about breeding because this was absolutely not normal for him. 

He’d rolled out of bed and made quick work of cleaning himself up in the shower before hiding out in his room for the rest of the weekend. Jeongguk had knocked on his door a couple of times checking in on him, but Jimin was too embarrassed to face him, just blaming it all on not feeling well. He felt guilty for lying when Jeongguk made some stew to help make him feel better and when Jimin finally ventured out of his room to come eat, he regretted it immediately upon seeing Jeongguk standing in the kitchen shirtless with his hair still wet from the shower. 

He’d eaten quickly and thanked Jeongguk for being so thoughtful, then he dipped back into his room. 

Now on Tuesday, Jimin doesn’t know how much longer he can go with avoiding Jeongguk. His last class ended about half an hour ago and all his students have long since left, so he has no real reason to stay at the studio any later than necessary. He’s laying flat on his back in the middle of the floor in the back practice room when Hoseok walks in and shuts the lights off then immediately back on again as he shrieks. 

“Ah! Park Jimin, what the hell are you still doing here?”

Jimin tilts his head over to look at Hoseok holding his chest in fright. He must be trying to close up to head home. 

"Sorry, hyung," Jimin says, though he makes no move to get up. "Just thinking."

Hoseok walks over and nudges Jimin's limp body with his foot.

"You're thinking? On the floor? After hours? Why?"

Hmm, that’s a lot of questions Jimin can’t (won’t?) answer. 

"I was just, uh, choreographing in my head," Jimin says, staring at the water stains on the ceiling tiles.

Hoseok snorts. "Right. And I'm secretly a world-famous rapper." He extends a hand to pull Jimin up. "Come on, I need to lock up. Some of us have homes to go to."

Jimin reluctantly takes the offered hand and allows himself to be pulled to his feet. His body feels heavy, like his limbs are actively being weighed down with all the lewd thoughts he's relentlessly been trying to escape.

"You've been acting weird lately." Hoseok tilts his head. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just tired from all the showcase prep," Jimin says, reaching for his bag by the wall. He can feel the beta’s eyes on him, but he tries to keep his movements casual.

"If you say so." Hoseok doesn't push, just shrugs and twirls his keys around his finger. "Though I've never seen you this... I don't know, spacey? Even during showcase season."

Jimin forces a laugh that sounds hollow even to his own ears. "I'm fine, hyung. Just a lot on my mind with all the choreography and stuff."

“And stuff…”

“Hyung.”

"Alright, alright. But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Hoseok's voice is light, but there's genuine concern there.

"I know," Jimin says, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks."

They walk out together, Hoseok locking up the studio behind them. The cool evening air hits Jimin's face, and he realizes he's been inside all day. The thought of returning to the apartment— to Jeongguk—makes his stomach twist with both anticipation and dread.

"Need a ride?" Hoseok asks, already heading toward his car.

"I'm good. The walk will clear my head," Jimin replies, giving a small wave before turning in the direction of his apartment.

"Text me when you get home!" Hoseok calls after him. "And get some rest, you look like shit!"

Jimin flips him off without looking back, hearing Hoseok's laugh echo in the parking lot. As he walks, he pulls out his phone, checking for messages. There's one from Jeongguk.

Googie 🐰

grabbing dinner with jin hyung

want me to bring you something home?

Relief floods through him. He has a reprieve, at least for a little while. He types back quickly.

Me

I already ate at the studio.

But thank you though ♥️

Another lie. His stomach growls in protest, but the thought of food doesn't really appeal to him right now. Nothing does except maybe a long, hot shower and the privacy of his room away from the source of his current crisis.

By the time Jimin reaches their apartment building, the evening has fully settled in. The walk did absolutely nothing to clear his head, and if anything, the solitude has only allowed for his thoughts to spiral even further. He climbs the stairs slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last, until he's standing outside their front door. At least he knows Jeongguk won't be home yet. Small victories.

The apartment is quiet when he enters and the familiar scent of home washes over him—except now he's hyperaware of the underlying notes of Jeongguk's woody pine and amber that seems to permeate every single corner. Has it always been this potent? This… enticing?

Jimin tosses his keys on the catchall by the door and drops his bag in the entryway, heading straight for the bathroom. A shower. That's what he needs. He’s just got to wash away the day, the thoughts, and the persistent, troubling ache that's been haunting him since Friday night and he’ll feel all better… Right?

The water hisses as he turns the knob and steam quickly fills the small bathroom. He strips mechanically, trying his hardest to avoid his reflection in the mirror. Under the hot spray, Jimin closes his eyes and tilts his head back, letting the water cascade over his face, his neck, his shoulders. The tension should be melting away, but it isn't.

Instead, his mind traitorously drifts. To dark, wavy hair. To strong tattooed arms. To a voice, low and confident as he relayed just how Jimin needed to beg in order to trigger his knot. 

"Fuck," Jimin whispers, pressing his forehead against the cool tile. His body betrays him almost immediately and a familiar warmth pools in his belly, his cock stirring to life between his legs.

He tries hard to think of literally anything else. The upcoming showcase, the bills he needs to pay, the grocery list on the fridge of things they're running low on. But it's no use. His thoughts simply circle back to Jeongguk like a compass finding its true fucking north.

"This is so stupid," he mutters, even as his hand slides down his stomach and his fingers wrap around his now aching length. He's already fully hard, already leaking at the tip.

He strokes himself slowly at first, still trying to fight the inevitable, still trying to pretend this isn't happening, that this is about anyone but his best friend of all people. But when slick begins to trickle down his inner thighs and mixes with the shower water, he gives in.

He imagines Jeongguk crowding him against these very shower tiles, one strong hand pinning both of Jimin's wrists above his head while the other explores the wet, sudsy expanse of his body. He imagines Jeongguk's lips at his ear, whispering filthy promises about filling him up until he’s miserable and leaking.

"Fuck," he gasps, his strokes becoming faster, more desperate. His free hand reaches behind him, his fingers circling his slick entrance before pushing inside. The stretch burns in the best way, and Jimin has to bite his lip to keep from moaning too loudly.

He works himself open quickly and almost desperately, adding a second finger, then a third, chasing the phantom sensation of what Jeongguk's cock might feel like instead of his short, chubby fingers.

"Alpha," he whimpers, the word slipping out unbidden as he crooks his fingers to hit that hard to reach spot inside him that makes his vision blur. "Please, alpha."

His mind helpfully supplies the image of Jeongguk's knot swelling to its full potential, locking them together and pumping him full of cum until his belly grows with it. In his fantasy, he begs him for his pups, pleads to be bred just like Jeongguk had described, and in Jimin’s traitorous mind, he sees those big round eyes he’s always been so fond of darken with desire.

It's that image of Jeongguk's face twisting with lustful pleasure as his knot pops inside Jimin that sends him over the edge. He comes with a half-choked cry, spilling over his fist and onto the tile wall, his hole clenching desperately around his fingers as if trying to milk a knot that isn't there.

For a moment, there's only the sound of the shower raining down on him and his ragged breaths, but then reality crashes back in, and with it comes a wave of shame so intense he feels dizzy with it.

He just knowingly got himself off to the thought of his roommate. His best friend since the third fucking grade. The kid he used to build blanket forts with, for fuck’s sake. 

"Shit," he hisses as he hastily scrubs down his body. The water has started to run cold and it’s a perfect match for the dread settling deep in his stomach. He turns off the shower with more force than necessary and steps out, wrapping a towel tightly around his waist.

His reflection in the semi-fogged mirror is a mess. His cheeks are flushed, his eyes are glassy, and his lips are bitten raw. He looks... well, he looks exactly like someone who just had a mind-blowing orgasm thinking about their best friend knotting them.

Jimin groans and buries his face in his hands. How in the world is he supposed to face Jeongguk now? How is he supposed to sit across from him at breakfast or watch movies with him on the couch or do any of the normal things they've always done without thinking back to this shameful lapse in judgement? Fuck. 

He needs to get over this. It's just some passing phase, right? It’s just his omegan biology responding to an attractive alpha who just so happens to be in close proximity. It doesn't mean anything. It can't mean anything.

He dries off quickly and pulls on a clean t-shirt and sweatpants. He'll just hide out in his room again tonight as some sort of safety measure. He can’t run the risk of seeing Jeongguk too soon, the shame alone would eat him alive. 

Tomorrow will be better. It has to be.

But as he opens the bathroom door, letting out a cloud of steam, he freezes. There, standing in the hallway right outside the door, is the man himself..

"You're home," Jimin says stupidly as he clutches his dirty clothes to his chest like some poor excuse for a shield.

Jeongguk’s gaze drifts over Jimin's damp form. "Jin-hyung got a call from his boss about some project emergency so dinner got cut short."

"Oh." Jimin shifts his weight, hyperaware of how the t-shirt clings to his still-damp skin. "I was just... showering."

"I can see that." There's a playful tilt to Jeongguk’s smile in response to Jimin stating the literal obvious, though there’s a slight roughness in his voice that wasn't there before.

They stand there quietly for a beat, and to Jimin, the hallway is suddenly far too narrow. He can smell Jeongguk's scent in all its earthy goodness, rich with undertones of amber, and he wonders if the alpha can detect anything on him despite the shower. Can he smell the lingering arousal? The shame?

"You feeling any better?" Jeongguk takes a half-step closer. "You've been avoiding me."

"What? No, I haven't," Jimin says too quickly to sound like anything but a lie. He clutches  his dirty clothes shield tighter to his chest. "I've just been busy with the showcase."

Jeongguk's eyebrow arches. "You literally ran out of the kitchen yesterday when I came in."

"I was late for class," Jimin replies lamely, knowing how pathetic the excuse sounds. Jimin’s never late for class. Jeongguk knows that.

The alpha leans against the wall with a slight smirk forming on his lips. 

"Right. And I suppose you also had urgent studio business every night this weekend? Important dance meetings in your bedroom with the door locked?"

Heat creeps up Jimin's neck. 

"I told you, I wasn't feeling well."

"Hmm." Jeongguk tilts his head, eyes filled with amusement. "Is that why you've been scurrying around like a scared little bunny every time I enter a room? Because you're not feeling well?"

"I don't scurry!" 

"You absolutely do." Jeongguk's smirk widens. "It's cute, actually. Like watching a startled deer in one of those nature documentaries."

"Oh my god, shut up," Jimin groans, attempting to push past him. But Jeongguk doesn't budge, his warm, firm chest effectively blocking his escape route. 

"No, but seriously, hyung.” Jeongguk’s voice is more serious now. “Is it something I did or something I said at the hyungs’?” He frowns.

Jimin's heart nearly stops. "What? No! Why would you—that's not—"

"Because you've been weird ever since," Jeongguk continues, studying Jimin's face with an intensity that makes him squirm. "If I made you uncomfortable—"

"You didn't," Jimin interrupts too quickly.

Jeongguk's eyes narrow slightly, but then his expression softens. He looks like he feels guilty. "Are you sure?”

Jimin hates that his actions have now affected Jeongguk, hates seeing that sad look painted across his handsome face. It makes the guilt in his stomach sour.

“I’m sure, Gguk. I promise it really is just the showcase stressing me out.”

Jeongguk’s brows are furrowed like he’s trying to decide if he actually believes him, but then he’s stepping aside and Jimin’s escape route is back within reach. "If you say so, hyung."

The sudden surrender catches Jimin off guard. He expected maybe a bit more teasing or at least a little more prodding, not for Jeongguk to give in so easily. 

"I submitted all the completed art for that commission today," Jeongguk says, changing the subject entirely. "The client loved it, so I'm officially free for the evening."

"Hey, that's great, Gguk," Jimin says, relief flooding through him at the shift in the conversation. His voice is still a bit airy and forced, but he’ll take the reprieve given. "I know the concept was giving you some trouble, so I’m proud of you for powering through."

"Thanks, hyung." Jeongguk runs a hand through his dark hair and Jimin tries not to let his eyes track the movement. "I was thinking about watching that new horror movie on Netflix. You know the one with the haunted subway station? It looks like it’ll be horrible.” He smiles excitedly. “Want to join?"

The invitation is so casual, so normal, so exactly the kind of thing they'd have done without a second thought before Jimin's world tilted sideways on Friday night.

But Jimin hesitates. 

Part of him wants to retreat to the safety of his room where he can't smell Jeongguk's suddenly alluring scent or notice the way his shirt stretches tight across his pecs. But a stronger part of him feels terrible for how he's been acting. This is Jeongguk—his sweet little Jeonggukie—and he deserves better than to be avoided in his own home because of Jimin's inconvenient (and don’t forget inappropriate) feelings.

"Sure," he finds himself saying. "Just let me put these clothes away and dry my hair."

Jeongguk's smile is bright and immediate, and it makes Jimin's heart do a dangerous little flip. 

"Cool. You want ramyun or popcorn?"

"Popcorn please," Jimin replies, attempting a smile that he hopes looks natural. “Extra but—“

“Extra buttery, I know.”

As Jeongguk heads toward the kitchen, whistling something that sounds suspiciously like the Pokémon theme song, Jimin slips into his bedroom and closes the door a little harder than intended. He leans against it and lets out a long, shaky sigh.

"You can do this," he whispers to himself. "It's just a movie. With your best friend. Who you're definitely not thinking about in any inappropriate ways whatsoever."

He tosses his dirty clothes in the hamper and runs a towel roughly through his damp hair. After blowdrying it and trying (unsuccessfully) to tamp down the frizziness, he checks his reflection in the mirror. 

He looks like he’s nervous. Shit, he feels nervous. He smoothes out a wrinkle on his shirt and applies just a little bit of tinted lip gloss before he catches himself. Is he seriously primping right now? For his absolutely platonic best friend? He throws down the gloss onto his dresser and sighs. 

"For fuck’s sake, Jimin," he tells his reflection sternly. "Be normal."

By the time he emerges after his pep talk, Jeongguk has transformed their living room into their regular movie-watching setup. The lights are dimmed, a large bowl of buttery popcorn sits on the coffee table, and two beers stand beside it with condensation already forming on the bottles.

"Ready for some good old-fashioned nightmare fuel?" Jeongguk asks from his usual spot on the couch, remote in hand.

Jimin chuckles nervously. "Born ready.” 

Jimin settles himself at what he hopes is a friendly but not too intimate distance on the couch. Jeongguk hits play and the movie begins with an ominous shot of an empty subway platform at midnight. The tension builds slowly and Jimin finds himself actually getting absorbed in the plot despite his earlier anxiety.

It helps that shitty horror movies have kinda always been their thing. Since high school, they've had a standing tradition of watching the scariest new releases together, usually with Jimin hiding behind a pillow for half the movie while Jeongguk laughs at him and the obvious plot holes. Tonight is no different and it’s helping Jimin feel a little bit back to normal. When the first jump scare hits, Jimin yelps and instinctively grabs Jeongguk's arm.

"C’mon hyung, that one was so predictable," Jeongguk says, but there's fondness in his voice as he glances at where Jimin's fingers are digging into his bicep.

“Shut up.” Jimin quickly releases his grip and shuffles a bit farther away. “It just caught me off guard."

"You say that every time," Jeongguk teases as he reaches for the popcorn. 

“Well, maybe they just so happen to catch me off guard every time.”

"And yet you always insist on still watching these movies." Jeongguk tosses a piece of popcorn in the air to catch in his mouth. He misses. “We could’ve watched something else, you know.”

“Scary movies are fun to watch with you, though. I know that you’ll be here to protect me if any crazy monster or demon or whatever somehow finds a way to crawl out of the TV.”

A soft look passes over Jeongguk's face, but it’s gone too quickly in the dim light of the TV. A quirky smile replaces it fast enough, his eyebrow lifting in what Jimin knows only bodes teasing.

“The Ring really messed you up huh, hyung?”

Jimin rolls his eyes and tries to scoot away. There goes his attempt at being sentimental. Jeongguk laughs and reaches over, tugging Jimin across the couch and into his side.

"Aw come on, don’t be like that," he murmurs, his arm wrapping around Jimin's shoulders. "I’ll protect you, hyung. You know you'll just end up here anyway when the real scares start."

It's true. This is their routine and has been for years. Jeongguk's arm around him during horror movies is just as familiar as the taste of the extra-buttery popcorn, as expected as Jimin's inevitable screams at the ever-predictable jump scares. But still. Tonight it feels different.

Jimin doesn’t have the wherewithal to even fight back against the alpha’s poking fun, his breath catches in his chest as he feels the solid muscle of Jeongguk's arm against his back and the firm press of his side against Jimin's own. Has Jeongguk always been this... substantial? This warm? The strength in the way he pulled Jimin effortlessly across the couch makes his omega stir, a quiet purr threatening to rise in his chest.

He forces himself to focus on the screen to where a woman is foolishly investigating strange noises in an abandoned subway tunnel. But all Jimin can think about is how easily Jeongguk had moved him and how easy it would be for him to manhandle him a thousand different ways to Sunday.

When the next jump scare hits, Jimin’s not really paying attention, but he still flinches and instinctively burrows closer into Jeongguk’s chest. The alpha’s arm tightens protectively around him, his hand coming to rest on Jimin's upper arm as his thumb absently strokes over the fabric of his shirt.

"You good?" the alpha whispers, his breath warm against Jimin's hair.

Jimin nods, not trusting his voice. He's hyperaware of every single point of contact between them. He's sat exactly like this with Jeongguk a million times, but never has he noticed just how good the woodsy musk of his skin smells directly through the fabric of his shirt, or how the steady, strong beat of his heart so close to Jimin's ear makes him want to sync the rhythm of his own.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen," Jeongguk comments as the main character on screen separates from her friends. "Now why the hell would you go off alone?"

Jimin hums in agreement, but he’s more so distracted by the way Jeongguk's chest rumbles when he speaks. His eyes drift to Jeongguk's hand resting on his arm—the same exact hand he'd imagined pinning his wrists during his shower fantasy earlier. His fingers are long, veins prominent beneath the tanned, inked skin, his nails trimmed short and neat. They’re artist's hands. Alpha hands.

A particularly piercing scream makes Jimin startle and Jeongguk chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest.

"You're extra jumpy tonight," he says as he squeezes Jimin closer to his chest. "Sure you're feeling better?"

Jimin manages a rather convincing hum in agreement, though he's anything but. His body feels like every nerve ending is on fire just from the alpha’s touch.

The movie continues, but Jimin barely registers any of the plot. Instead, he's mapping the muscles of Jeongguk's arm with his peripheral vision and remembering how they looked when Jeongguk had helped him move equipment at the studio last month—the way his veins popped out as he lifted heavy speakers, the strong flex of his biceps under his thin t-shirt.

When the movie's main ghost appears suddenly with yet another bone-chilling scream, Jimin gasps and turns his face fully into Jeongguk's chest without thinking. Jeongguk's other arm comes up immediately, his hand coming to cradle the back of Jimin's head in a protective gesture that makes Jimin's omega nearly explode with contentment.

"Hey, it's okay," Jeongguk soothes, his voice low and rumbly against Jimin's ear. "It's just CGI, Jiminie. "

The nickname, always so soft and familiar and affectionate, makes something twist painfully in Jimin's chest. This is Jeongguk comforting him like he always has, there’s nothing more to it. But now Jimin's body reacts with a treacherous heat that pools low in his belly, and his omega responds to the alpha's protective hold with an unmistakable interest. It makes him feel sick to his stomach. 

Jimin pulls back slightly and tries to put some distance between them before his body betrays him any further, but Jeongguk's arm remains firmly around him.

"Don't chicken out now, the best part has got to be coming up."

On screen, the stupid main protagonist is descending into the deepest part of the subway system, where the ghost supposedly died decades ago. The music grows increasingly tense, and despite himself, Jimin finds his fingers clutching at the fabric of Jeongguk's shirt.

"I'm not chickening out," Jimin protests weakly, even as he presses closer when the screen goes momentarily dark. "I just don't understand why anyone would go deeper into a haunted subway tunnel alone and without any cell service. It’s so dumb."

Jeongguk laughs. "Because then we wouldn't have a movie, hyung."

His hand slides from Jimin's head to his shoulder, fingers absently playing with the collar of Jimin's oversized shirt. The touch sends shivers down Jimin's spine, and he hopes desperately that Jeongguk can't feel just how fast his heart is racing.

"True," Jimin concedes, struggling to keep his voice even. "But still stupid."

Yet another predictable jump scare has Jimin burying his face in Jeongguk's shoulder, and this time he catches the slightest hitch in Jeongguk's breath. Jimin freezes, suddenly aware of just how close his nose is to the alpha’s scent gland.

The rich, woodsy scent intensifies as Jimin's breath fans against the sensitive spot below Jeongguk's jaw. It's intoxicating. It’s pine and amber and something so distinctly alpha that it makes Jimin's mouth water. He inhales deeply in search of more, more, more.

Jeongguk's hand, which had been lazily draped over Jimin's shoulder, suddenly tightens its grip. His fingers dig into the soft fabric of Jimin's shirt and press into the flesh beneath.

An involuntary whine escapes from Jimin's throat. It’s a quiet, soft and needy sound, one that’s distinctly omegan.

Time seems to stop. The movie fades to background noise as Jeongguk slowly turns his head, his dark doe eyes meeting Jimin's. There's a question there and Jimin can't seem to look away, can't even breathe as Jeongguk's gaze drops to his parted lips.

The distance in between them feels electric. Jimin's omega is screaming at him to close the gap, to press his lips against Jeongguk's, to finally taste what he's been craving for agonizing days now.

“Hyung—”

A bloodcurdling scream erupts from the TV as the movie's ghost lunges at the screen. Both of them jump and the spell is broken instantly.

Jimin scrambles backward, putting a deliberate cushion of space between them on the couch. He clears his throat and fixes his eyes determinedly on the screen as if the last thirty seconds never happened. 

"That was a good one," he says, voice unnaturally high and breathy as he reaches for his beer. "They really got me there."

Jeongguk blinks, looking slightly dazed. "Yeah," he agrees after a beat too long, still not looking at the TV. "Really effective."

Jimin takes a long pull from his beer and prays the cool liquid will douse the fire burning in his cheeks. He can still feel the phantom pressure of Jeongguk's hand on his shoulder, can still smell the pine and amber on his skin from being so close to its source.

"Pass the popcorn?" he asks, desperate for something—literally anything—to even somewhat normalize the moment.

Jeongguk hands over the bowl and their fingers brush briefly. Even that small touch sends sparks skittering across Jimin's skin. He shoves a handful of popcorn into his mouth to keep from saying or doing something stupid.

On screen, the dumb protagonist has discovered the ghost's remains in a hidden maintenance tunnel. The tension in the movie is building toward its utterly predictable climax, but it's nothing compared to the tension between them on this fucking couch.

Jeongguk shifts and leans back against the cushions. His posture is casual, but Jimin knows how to read him well enough to see the slight furrow between his brows and the way his jaw works as if he's considering saying something.

"So, um," Jeongguk finally speaks, eyes still on the screen, "about Friday night—"

"Look, she found the necklace!" Jimin interrupts way too loudly, pointing at the TV where the main character is indeed discovering the expected crucial plot item. He doesn’t give a fuck about the necklace. "That's what's keeping the ghost tied to the subway, right?"

Jeongguk gives him a sideways glance, clearly aware of the deflection. "Yeah," he says slowly. "That's what they've been looking for."

They fall silent again, the only sounds in the room coming from the movie and the occasional crunch of popcorn Jimin doesn’t feel like eating but keeps shoveling into his mouth anyways. He is keenly aware of the space between them on the couch. Space that hadn't existed minutes ago that feels equally both necessary and wrong.

When the movie finally ends with the ever so unsurprising resolution of the ghost finding peace and the survivors escaping, Jimin stands up too quickly.

"That was good.” It wasn’t. He starts gathering the empty beer bottles and the popcorn bowl. "I’ve got an early class tomorrow so I’m just gonna go hit the hay." 

He doesn’t have an early class and he certainly doesn’t say shit like hit the hay, but he’s uncomfortable and feels weird and desperately needs to decompress in his bedroom and probably scream into his pillow a little.

Jeongguk watches him with a raised brow, his tattooed arm slung around the back of the couch. "It's only ten, hyung."

"I know, but I'm still catching up on sleep from the weekend." He backs up toward the kitchen. "You know how it is before a showcase."

"Right," Jeongguk says, though his tone clearly suggests he doesn't believe a single word the omega’s saying. "Well, thanks for putting up with that shitty movie. I thought it would be better, but it was kinda nice to watch a flop just like old times, right?"

The words sting more than they should. Just like old times… like before Jimin's mind and body decided to betray him with inappropriate attraction and urges toward his best friend. Yeah, the good old times. 

"Yeah, it was," he agrees, forcing a smile. "Night, Jeonggukie."

"Night, Jiminie."

In the safety of his bedroom, Jimin leans against the closed door and slides down until he's sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. His heart is still racing and his omega whines with confusion and want.

The scent of Jeongguk lingers on his clothes and Jimin buries his face in his hands. 

"I am so fucking screwed," he whispers to the empty room. 

Because all he can think about is the heat of Jeongguk’s solid body and the enticing scent rolling off of him and how even now it’s making Jimin slick up in his sweatpants. He feels tears beading at his waterline and a stone of shameful want sink into his gut. 

He knows that this isn’t going to be something that he can pass off as some kind of one-off biological response or weird kink exploration. This feeling is much deeper and feels much more dangerous, his omega recognizing something within Jeongguk tht extends further than the kind of gentle love Jimin’s always held in his heart for the alpha. 

There, with his back to the door and a growing hard-on, Jimin cries into his palms. 

He knows he can’t come back from this. 

And there's nothing he can do about it. 

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Days blur together, and somehow Jimin survives.

By Saturday, the memory of that almost-whatever moment on the couch has faded to something he can almost convince himself he imagined. Almost. They've fallen back into their usual routines—Jeongguk works on commissions at his desk in the living room while Jimin tries to come up with new choreographies with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth in the open space directly behind him. They eat takeout side by side on the couch while they catch up on old drama reruns, then they proceed to argue about whose turn it is to do the dishes.

It's normal. Or at least, a reasonable facsimile of normal.

The studio is quiet this afternoon as most of the weekend classes finished hours ago. Jimin stays behind and savors the solitude of the empty practice room as he works through his cool-down stretches. The familiar burn in his muscles grounds him as he folds forward and wraps his fingers around his ankles, pressing his forehead against his knees.

His mind is blissfully empty for once. He doesn’t know how he’s done it, but there are no inappropriate thoughts or fantasies about his best friend, no jarringly enticing thoughts of knotting or anything untoward, just the steady rhythm of his breath and the pleasant ache of a good practice.

As he shifts into a side split, he lies his palms flat against the floor and eases deeper into the stretch. The showcase is only three weeks away now, and his staff solo needs to be perfect. All his students are so excited to see him dance, and it’s really the only time that he truly gets the opportunity to perform a full piece in front of an audience. For him, it's easier to focus on all the technical aspects and necessary precision of each movement and the emotion he wants to convey rather than to dwell on the confusing tangle of feelings he's been battling recently.

"Wow, that looks painful."

Jimin's head snaps up at the sound of a familiar voice. Jeongguk is leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile playing at his lips. He's wearing a simple black hoodie and jeans, and his dark hair slightly tousled as if he's been running his fingers through it.

"It's not," Jimin replies, willing his heart to stop its sudden racing. "Not when you've been doing it since you were six."

Jeongguk pushes off the doorframe to step into the practice room. "It’s still impressive. I think I'd snap in half if I tried that."

Jimin laughs despite himself and the sound echoes in the empty room. "You're not as inflexible as you think. Remember when I got you to do a backbend for the first time?"

"Yeah, after like two hours of torture," Jeongguk counters, moving closer. "I couldn't walk right for days."

"Drama queen."

Jimin eases out of the split and transitions smoothly into a butterfly stretch. He looks up at Jeongguk, who's now standing a few feet away and watching him with that same small smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still working on that commission for the gaming company today."

"Yeah, I managed to finish it a bit earlier than expected and the client approved everything," Jeongguk shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets, "so I thought I'd walk you home since it’s getting dark earlier these days."

The gesture is so quintessentially Jeongguk—so thoughtful and protective without being overbearing—that Jimin feels a rush of affection that has nothing to do with his recent inappropriate feelings. He’s so lucky to have Jeongguk as his best friend.

"Thank you, Gguk, that’s sweet of you," he says softly with genuine gratitude in his voice. "Give me five minutes to finish stretching? Don't want to be sore tomorrow."

"Take your time." Jeongguk settles onto the floor nearby and crosses his legs. "I'm in no rush."

Jimin continues through his stretching routine and tries to ignore the weight of the gaze he feels lingering on him. It's not exactly uncomfortable, since Jeongguk has watched him both dance and stretch countless times over the years, but there's a new awareness that prickles along his skin.

"How was class?"

Jimin transitions into a cobra pose, chest lifting off the floor as he feels the stretch along the front of his body. 

"It was pretty good, more productive than I was expecting, honestly. The little ones are finally getting the hang of the routine for the showcase."

"Ooh, the Pokemon-themed one?" 

"Ugh,” Jimin dramatically groans, though he smiles fondly through it at Jeongguk’s excitement. “I still can't believe you talked Hobi-hyung into choosing that as the theme. These kids are too young to even really understand the nostalgia of it all. Hell, some of them don’t even know what a Pokemon really is, they’re just into the costumes.”

“Hyung was high out of his mind when I brought it up! Who was I to know he’d actually take it seriously?” Jeongguk laughs, then seems to remember something. "Oh! Speaking of which, I saw a super rare Empoleon card online today."

“Let me guess,” Jimin laughs, rolling his eyes as he sits up, "they overpriced it?"

"They did! There’s absolutely no reason it should have been that expensive. It’s a cool card for sure, and its rarity is impressive too, but no way in hell it should have cost that much. Scalpers always ruin the fun."

"Some things never change, Gguk," Jimin stretches his arms above his head in one final reach and lets the relief in his muscles wash over him. "Scalpers ruin a super niche market and you lose your mind over a kid’s card game."

"Hey! Only the cool ones.” Jeongguk pouts for only a second before jumping to his feet and offering Jimin a hand. "Ready to go?"

Jimin hesitates for just a fraction of a second before taking the offered hand, allowing Jeongguk to pull him up. However back to normal they’ve gotten, he’s still a bit wary of touching. The alpha's grip is warm and firm, and he pulls with just enough force that Jimin finds himself momentarily closer than he intended, nearly chest to chest before he takes a very deliberate step back.

"Let me grab my stuff," he says, turning quickly to hide the flush he can feel creeping up his neck.

He gathers his bag and water bottle, and slips on his jacket as Jeongguk waits patiently by the door. Once outside, the evening air is crisp with the promise of winter, the sky painted in shades of orange and purple as the sun begins its descent.

They fall into step side by side. Jimin zips his jacket higher up to his chin as a rather chilly breeze hits him, and Jeongguk moves as expected to the outside of the sidewalk. It’s a protective gesture that Jimin has noticed but never commented on, chalking it up to it being an alpha thing. The streets are busy with Saturday evening foot traffic as couples head to dinner, groups of friends laugh as they spill out of cafés, people rushing home after a long day.

"I was thinking we could order from that new Thai place tonight," Jeongguk suggests, stepping around a puddle. "The one Tae-hyungie wouldn't shut up about last week."

"Mmm, that sounds good," Jimin hums as he adjusts his dance bag on his shoulder. "I'm starving. I haven't eaten since—"

A sharp impact cuts him off as someone barrels into his side rather harshly, knocking him off balance. He stumbles and his bag slides right off his shoulder and onto the wet concrete as he tries to regain his footing.

"Watch it!" a gruff voice calls out, already moving past without stopping.

Before Jimin can even process what's happening, Jeongguk’s hand shoots out to grab the stranger's shoulder. The man—an alpha, Jimin guesses based on his smokey ashtray-adjacent scent—turns with a scowl that quickly falters when he sees the hard expression on Jeongguk's face.

"Apologize," Jeongguk says, his voice low in a way Jimin has never heard before. His shoulders are squared, and his stance has widened as he positions himself between Jimin and the stranger.

"Dude, it was an accident." The man tries to shrug off Jeongguk's grip, but his fingers only tighten. 

"You slammed into him and didn't even stop. Apologize. Now."

There's something in Jeongguk's tone that Jimin has never experienced, a sharp edge of authority that makes his omega instinctively respond with a shiver. The air around them suddenly feels tense and it’s heavy with Jeongguk's woodsy scent raging against the other alpha’s sickening smokey one. It’s almost overwhelming and Jimin has to swallow down a whimper.

"Jeongguk," he says softly, reaching for his arm. "It's fine. I'm not hurt."

But Jeongguk doesn't budge, his dark eyes are fixed on the increasingly uncomfortable alpha. People are starting to stare now, a few passersby even slow down to watch the confrontation.

"See? He said it’s cool, man," the alpha says as he raises his hands in surrender. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to knock into your omega."

The assumption makes Jimin's cheeks burn, but before he even thinks to correct it, Jeongguk's scent spikes again in a protective and possessive manner that makes Jimin's knees feel weak.

"Just watch where you're going next time." Jeongguk finally releases his grip and shoves the other alpha. “Asshole.”

The man scoffs and turns away before disappearing into the crowd. Jeongguk remains tense, his eyes tracking the alpha until he's completely out of sight.

"Hey." Jimin tugs at Jeongguk's sleeve. "Gguk, look at me. Really, I'm fine."

When Jeongguk finally turns to him, there's a wild look in his eyes and it makes Jimin's breath catch. He’s never seen Jeongguk like this. Ever. 

The alpha reaches down to pick up Jimin’s gym bag that had fallen to the wet concrete and slips it onto his own shoulder, then his hands come up to Jimin's shoulders, thumbs brushing over the fabric of his jacket as if checking for damage.

"He could have hurt you.”.

"It was just a bump," Jimin reasons, though he's touched by the concern. "Come on, let's keep walking. People are staring."

He gently pulls at Jeongguk's arm, guiding him away from the spot. Jeongguk allows himself to be led, but his body remains rigid, his scent still broadcasting his agitation to anyone within twenty feet.

"That was kind of an overreaction, don't you think?" Jimin asks once they've gone a block, his tone gentle to take any sting out of the words.

Jeongguk runs a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture that does nothing to tame the dark locks. 

"Maybe," he admits, though he doesn't sound convinced. "I just... I didn't like the way he talked to you."

"Your scent is still really strong, Gguk. Are you sure you’re okay?"

“Yeah.” Jeongguk's pace slows and he looks slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, I... maybe my rut's coming soon. It usually makes me a bit..."

"Overprotective?"

"Yeah, something like that." Jeongguk shoves his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunching slightly. "Sorry if I embarrassed you."

"You didn't," Jimin assures him, though the incident has left him feeling oddly flustered. No one has ever defended him so fiercely over something so minor. "It was kind of sweet, actually. In a caveman alpha sort of way."

That earns him a small laugh and a bit of the tension in his shoulders finally lessens from his frame. "Caveman, huh? Is that what I'm reduced to? Just grunting and beating my chest?"

"Pretty much," Jimin teases, nudging Jeongguk's shoulder with his own. "Next you'll be dragging me back to your cave by my hair."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Jimin regrets them. The image they conjure is far too close to his recent fantasies, far too close to dangerous territory that he doesn’t know if he can pull himself out of again.

Jeongguk's step falters almost imperceptibly and Jimin catches a brief flash of a dark look in his eyes before it's quickly masked.

"I'd never treat you like that," the alpha says, his voice oddly serious.

The words hang between them and Jimin swallows hard, suddenly very aware of how close they are.

"I know," he says softly, looking away. "I was just teasing."

They walk the rest of the way in a charged silence, the earlier easiness replaced by a heavier, more complicated tension. By the time they reach their apartment building, Jimin's mind is racing with things he wants to say but doesn't dare.

Inside their apartment, Jeongguk immediately heads for the shower while Jimin pulls up the delivery app on his phone. He orders their usual—pad thai for himself, green curry for Jeongguk, and enough spring rolls to feed an army—and then collapses onto the couch, exhaustion from the day's classes finally catching up to him.

When Jeongguk emerges from the bathroom with hair damp and dressed in soft sweats and a loose t-shirt, he looks marginally more relaxed. "Food ordered?"

"Yeah, should be here in twenty," Jimin confirms, scrolling through Netflix. "Movie night? I think it's my turn to pick."

"As long as it's not another one of those depressing indie films where everyone dies at the end," Jeongguk says, dropping onto the opposite end of the couch.

Jimin rolls his eyes. "That was one time. And it was critically acclaimed."

"It was critically depressing."

"Fine, I'll pick something with explosions and no plot. That better?"

Jeongguk grins. "Much."

They settle on an action comedy neither has seen before, and by the time the food arrives, the awkwardness from their walk home has mostly dissipated. They eat straight from the containers, passing them back and forth just like they always have. 

But Jimin can't help noticing that Jeongguk still seems on edge. His movements are stiff, his laugh is a beat too late when something funny happens on screen, and his scent keeps spiking subtly and filling the small living room with unhappy notes of pine and amber.

“Gguk?" Jimin breaks the silence during a lull in the movie, setting his empty container on the coffee table. "You okay?"

The alpha startles just a bit, seemingly shaking himself out of it before he breaks his stare on the TV to look over at Jimin. There’s a crease between his brows and a forced smile on his lips. 

“I’m fine, hyung.”

Jimin frowns. “You don’t smell right.”

“Ouch.”

“You know what I mean.’

Jeongguk sighs and runs a hand through his now-dry hair. "I don't know. Just… after what happened earlier I feel… wound up."

“With the alpha on the walk home?” 

Please let it be that and not the weird caveman joke. Please. 

“Yeah, my alpha couldn’t stand seeing someone treat you like that. I guess I’m just still a bit off over it.”

Jimin’s frown turns sad. “Gguk…”

“Has something like that happened to you before?”

The omega’s lack of immediate response is enough answer in and of itself. 

“Fuck.”

"Jeongguk, it's not that big of a deal," Jimin says quickly, sliding closer on the couch. "Really. Sometimes people bump into me or say things. I'm an omega in this shitty social climate, it’s bound to happen sometimes."

"It shouldn't happen," Jeongguk growls, his jaw tightening. "Not to you."

"I handle it," Jimin insists, reaching for Jeongguk's arm. The muscle beneath his touch is rigid with tension. "Most of the time people are harmless, just rude. And it doesn't happen that often."

But Jeongguk shakes his head, his scent growing sharper with distress. "The fact that it happens at all... that you've normalized it..." He clenches his fists in his lap. "I hate thinking about you dealing with that shit when I'm not around."

"Gguk, look at me," Jimin says firmly, waiting until those dark eyes meet his. "I'm an omega, yes, but I'm not helpless. I've been taking care of myself for a long time."

"I know that," Jeongguk says immediately, his expression softening. "God, hyung, I know. You're the strongest person I know." He runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every movement. "I believe in you completely, I do. It's just—" He pauses and tries to find the words. "I have this... this need to protect you. It's driving me crazy right now."

Jimin's chest tightens at the raw honesty in Jeongguk's voice. The alpha's scent is a tumultuous storm of protective instinct and distress, filling their small living room with an intensity that makes Jimin's omega respond with sympathetic whines that he physically has to force down.

Jeongguk looks genuinely upset now, his breathing slightly uneven, his hands still clenched into fists. It hurts to see him like this—his sweet, gentle Jeonggukie so wound up and agitated.

Jimin hesitates, chewing his lower lip as he considers what he's about to offer. It's something they've done countless times before, a normal, platonic gesture between friends, especially ones as close as them. But given his recent feelings, he's not sure if it's wise.

Still, seeing Jeongguk so uncomfortable tugs at something protective in him.

"Would it..." he hesitates, his heart suddenly pounding. "Would it help if I scented you?"

Jeongguk's eyes dart to him, something unreadable flashing in their depths. "What?"

"It might help calm your alpha down.” Jimin’s cheeks must be beet red. “If you want.”

"You don't have to," Jeongguk says quickly, but Jimin can see the way his nostrils flare slightly.

"I want to," Jimin says softly. "If it'll help you."

For a moment, Jeongguk just stares at him, his expression conflicted. Then he nods, a small, almost imperceptible dip of his chin. 

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. Thanks."

It's such a familiar routine. Jimin moves closer and positions himself beside Jeongguk on the couch. The alpha tilts his head slightly, exposing the scent gland on his neck. Jimin leans in, his nose brushing against the sensitive spot just below Jeongguk's jaw. He inhales deeply, letting the rich scent wash over him before he begins rubbing at the gland gently. The familiar motion is soothing, intimate in the way that only pack-bonding can be—or at least, that's what it's supposed to be.

But something feels different this time. Maybe it's the way Jeongguk's breath hitches when Jimin first makes contact, or how his hand comes up to rest lightly on Jimin's waist, fingers pressing into the fabric of his shirt. Maybe it's the way Jimin's omega responds in the form of a purr building in his chest as he nuzzles deeper into Jeongguk's neck.

"This okay?" Jimin murmurs, his lips accidentally brushing against Jeongguk's warm skin as he speaks.

"Yeah," he breathes, the word barely audible. His grip on Jimin's waist tightens almost imperceptibly. "S'good."

The movie continues playing in the background, forgotten, as Jimin works his scent into Jeongguk's skin. He can feel the tension gradually leaving the alpha's body, his muscles relaxing under Jimin's ministrations. Normally, this would be where they stop. Just a quick scent exchange to calm nerves or provide comfort, and nothing more.

But Jimin doesn't pull away. Instead, he feels driven by an impulse he doesn't fully understand. He lets his lips press more intentionally against the column of Jeongguk's throat.

The reaction is immediate. Jeongguk's hand spasms on his waist, and a low rumble—not quite a growl, but close—vibrates through his chest. The sound sends a shiver down Jimin's spine, and his omega responds with a soft whine that he can't even begin to suppress.

"Jimin," the alpha rasps. "What are you doing?"

He should stop. He knows he should pull back, laugh it off, pretend this moment of weakness never happened. But the alpha's scent is intoxicating, growing headier by the second, and his body feels so warm and so solid against Jimin's.

"I don't know," he admits, the words coming out muffled against Jeongguk's warm, soft skin. "Just... feels nice."

Jeongguk's other hand comes up to cup the back of Jimin's neck, his touch gentle but firm. For a moment, Jimin thinks he's going to be pushed away, and part of him knows that it would be the sensible thing to do. But instead, Jeongguk holds him there, neither pulling him closer nor pushing him away, caught in some internal struggle Jimin can only guess at.

"We should stop," Jeongguk says, though it sounds weak and he makes no move to enforce the suggestion. His thumb traces small circles at the nape of Jimin's neck, sending shivers down his spine.

"Probably," Jimin agrees, even as he presses another, more deliberate kiss to the spot where Jeongguk's pulse thrums rapidly beneath his skin.

That seems to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The alpha's control snaps and with a low growl, Jeongguk's arms tighten around him. Suddenly Jimin finds himself being lifted and settled onto Jeongguk's lap, straddling his thighs. The new position brings them face to face, and Jimin's breath catches at the intensity in Jeongguk's eyes—dark and hungry with pupils blown wide.

Their faces hover inches apart, and for a moment, time seems suspended. Then, like a force beyond his control, Jimin's drawn back to Jeongguk's scent gland, burying his face in the crook of the alpha's neck. His lips press against the warm skin there, no longer pretending this is just some friendly scenting. He kisses the spot where Jeongguk's scent is strongest, letting his tongue dart out to taste the saltiness of his skin mixed with that intoxicating woodsy aroma.

Jeongguk's hands tighten on his waist hard enough that Jimin thinks they might leave marks. The thought sends a thrill through him. The alpha's breathing comes in short bursts, his jaw clenched so tight that Jimin can hear his teeth grinding together.

"Jimin," Jeongguk warns again, but his voice has dropped an octave, rough and strained like he's fighting a battle he's already losing.

Jimin can't bring himself to respond. The scent is overwhelming him, clouding his mind until nothing exists but pine and amber and the desperate need to consume him. He licks a stripe up Jeongguk's neck and savors the way the alpha shudders beneath him.

His body moves on instinct, hips rolling forward without conscious thought. It's only when Jeongguk lets out "Fuck, Jimin" that he realizes what he's doing. But he can't stop. His cock is painfully hard in his sweatpants and he can feel himself leaking from his hole, the fabric of his panties already damp with copious slick.

Beneath him, Jeongguk is equally affected. His hard length presses against Jimin's own through their clothes. The grip on Jimin's waist tightens further, almost painfully so, but the pain only heightens everything else.

Words fail him completely, so instead of trying to speak, Jimin grinds his hips down harder against Jeongguk's lap. The movement pulls a deep, guttural moan from the alpha's throat as his head falls back against the couch.

It's a sight Jimin has never witnessed before—Jeongguk completely lost to pleasure. His eyes are squeezed shut, lips parted as ragged breaths escape him, the corded muscle of his neck standing out and begging for Jimin’s lips to return. He’s seen him crying out with snotty tears over a scraped knee, plastered drunk after finals week in college, but never like this. Never blissed out and beautiful, succumbing to the pleasure that Jimin’s giving him. His omega sings with satisfaction.

One of Jeongguk's hands slides down to cup Jimin's ass, fingers digging into the soft flesh. He freezes momentarily when he feels the wetness there, his eyes flying open to meet Jimin's.

"Fuck, Min, you're soaked.” 

The words make Jimin whine, a high, needy sound that escapes from deep in his throat as he buries his face back in Jeongguk's neck. He feels the alpha's hand squeeze his ass, guiding his movements now, helping him grind down harder.

Everything around him narrows to base sensations. All he can feel is the hardness beneath him, the hands gripping him, the scent enveloping him completely. Pine and amber and honey fill his lungs with every desperate drag of breath. The slick between his cheeks makes obscene sounds as he moves, but he's too far gone to feel embarrassed.

Jeongguk's hips thrust upward to meet his movements and deliver delicious friction that has Jimin seeing entire constellations. Curses fall from the alpha's lips between moans and growls, each sound driving Jimin closer and closer to the already very near edge.

"So pretty," Jeongguk gasps, one hand tangling in Jimin's hair. "Sound so fucking gorgeous, angel."

Before Jimin can even begin to process those words, Jeongguk's mouth finds his scent gland, lips pressing hot against the sensitive skin. When teeth gently scrape over the spot, Jimin's entire body seizes. The pleasure is too intense, too sudden, and he comes with a broken cry, his release soaking through his panties as his body shudders uncontrollably. He collapses against Jeongguk's chest, gasping for air as the aftershocks ripple through him.

Jeongguk follows almost immediately after, his grip turning bruising as his hips jerk upward and a deep groan rumbles through his chest. The alpha's arms wrap around him tightly, holding him close as if afraid he might disappear. Jimin can feel Jeongguk's heart racing beneath his cheek.

For a moment, they stay frozen like that, clinging to each other as they catch their breath. But reality creeps back in slowly, bringing with it a dawning horror as Jimin realizes the sheer magnitude of what they've just done.

Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God.

He just dry-humped his best friend to completion. He literally just came in his pants, grinding against his best friend on their living room couch with some stupid action movie still playing in the background.

Jimin scrambles off Jeongguk's lap and nearly trips over the coffee table in his haste to create distance. Without a word, he bolts for the bathroom and slams the door behind him, twisting the lock shut.

The harsh fluorescent light is unforgiving as he stares at his reflection. Flushed cheeks, swollen lips, hair a mess from Jeongguk's fingers. There's a red mark forming on his neck where Jeongguk's mouth had been. All of it is evidence. Undeniable evidence of what they'd just done.

"What the fuck," he whispers to his reflection, gripping the edge of the sink so hard his knuckles turn white. "What the actual fuck."

He can feel the uncomfortable stickiness in his panties, the rapidly cooling remnants of cum. Worse, he can still smell Jeongguk all over him, mixed with his own scent in a combination that his traitorous omega finds deeply satisfying.

From the living room, he hears the TV go silent as Jeongguk mutes the movie. Then footsteps, hesitant at first, growing more determined as they approach the bathroom door.

There’s a soft knock then a quiet, "Hyung?"

Jimin stares at the door in the mirror, his heart hammering against his ribs. What is he supposed to say? What is he supposed to do? How can he face Jeongguk after what just happened?

"Jimin, please. Can we talk about this?"

"I—" His voice cracks. He clears his throat and tries again. "I need a minute."

"Okay," Jeongguk says after a brief pause. "I'll be right here when you're ready."

Jimin turns on the faucet and splashes cold water on his face as if it might somehow wash away what just happened. But it doesn't, it can’t, nothing will. They've crossed a line that can't be uncrossed and changed something fundamental about their relationship.

He changes out of his soiled underwear, cleaning himself with a damp towel before pulling on the fresh pair he keeps in the bathroom cabinet. His hands shake as he straightens his clothes, trying to make himself look less like someone who just had the most intense orgasm of his life on his best friend's lap.

Taking a deep shaking breath, Jimin unlocks the door and pulls it open to reveal Jeongguk leaning against the wall in the hallway.

Before the alpha even has a chance to speak, Jimin blurts out, "I'm sorry. That was—I shouldn't have—"

"Don't, Jeongguk interrupts. “Don't apologize. It wasn't just you."

Jimin's throat constricts. His scent sours with shame, the honey notes twisting around him burnt and acrid. He feels his face burning hot with embarrassment as he stares down at his bare feet on the hardwood floor, unable to meet Jeongguk's gaze.

"I know it wasn't just me," he whispers, his voice barely audible. "That doesn't make it okay."

His eyes remain fixed downward, but he can't help letting his gaze travel up just enough to see the dark, damning stain on the front of Jeongguk's sweatpants. The evidence of what they've done makes his stomach lurch. God, he's ruined everything.

"I'm so sorry," he says again, feeling tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. "This is all my fault."

"Hyung, please stop apologizing.” The distress in his scent mingles with Jimin's, filling the hallway with a cloud of discomfort. "If I hated it, I would have stopped you."

Jimin's brain screeches to a halt. Wait, what?

"You... didn't hate it?"

"No," Jeongguk confirms softly. "Not at all."

Jimin's heart pounds against his ribs, but he still can't bring himself to look up. The floor suddenly seems like the safest place in the world to focus on.

"Jimin." Jeongguk's voice drops lower, a pleading note entering his tone as he forgoes honorifics. "Please look at me."

It takes every ounce of courage Jimin possesses to lift his head, to finally meet his eyes. What he finds there isn't disgust or anger or even annoyance. Instead, Jeongguk himself looks guilty, his brows drawn together in concern and his lips pressed into a thin line. He runs a hand through his already disheveled hair.

"I feel like I took advantage of you. You were just trying to help me calm down and I... I shouldn't have let it go that far."

The words don't make sense to Jimin's spinning mind. Took advantage? Of him? But he was the one who started it, the one who kept pushing.

"You didn't take advantage of me," Jimin says, shaking his head slightly. His brain keeps circling back to what Jeongguk said before. He didn't hate it. He didn't want to stop. "Did you... did you like it?"

Jeongguk's eyes widen slightly, and he swallows hard enough that Jimin can see his Adam's apple bob. 

"Yes," he admits quietly. "I liked it. A lot."

"Oh," Jimin whispers, feeling like he's standing on the edge of a cliff. His heart is racing so fast he can hear the blood rushing in his ears. "I, uh, I liked it too. I've... I've been thinking about you. Like that. Recently."

Jeongguk's expression transforms into one of pure shock, his lips parting slightly as he stares at Jimin. The silence stretches between them and Jimin begins to panic.

"I'm sorry," he blurts out yet again. "I know it's weird, I—I've been trying so hard not to feel this way, but ever since that night on the patio when you were talking about knots and breeding, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it and about you and—"

"Jimin," Jeongguk interrupts, his voice strangled. "You've been thinking about me... breeding you?"

Jimin shrugs halfheartedly, more embarrassed than he thinks he’s ever been in his whole life. Jeongguk takes a step closer, close enough that Jimin can feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Is that what you want, Jimin?" His voice has dropped an octave. "My knot?"

Jimin whines and feels tears threatening to spill, but he nods.

Jeongguk's hand comes up slowly, giving Jimin every opportunity to pull away as he cups his cheek. His palm is warm against Jimin's flushed skin, even though it trembles.

“Fuck, hyung.” He drops his head onto Jimin’s shoulder.

Jimin stands frozen, feeling utterly lost. The hallway seems to narrow around them as Jeongguk's head rests heavy on his shoulder. His best friend's confession hangs in the air between them—he liked it, he wanted it—but Jimin can't read his expression now, can't tell what he's thinking with his face buried against him like this.

"I’m sorry," Jimin whispers once more, his voice catching as the shame causes tears to spill. The weight of his confession crushes against his chest. He just told his best friend since childhood that he wants his knot. What the fuck was he thinking?

Jeongguk lifts his head slowly, then wraps his arms around Jimin, pulling him into a proper hug. The alpha's scent envelops him in a mix of pine and amber and something just uniquely Jeongguk that makes Jimin's heart ache. He presses his face into Jeongguk's chest, unable to hold back the tears that now slip down his cheeks.

"We can forget this happened," Jimin mumbles against the fabric of Jeongguk's shirt, his words tumbling out in a desperate rush. "It doesn't have to change anything between us. We can go back to normal and pretend we never did anything and—"

"Shh," Jeongguk soothes, his hand coming up to stroke Jimin's hair. "It's okay, Jimin-ah. We're okay."

Jimin's breath hitches as Jeongguk's fingers thread gently through his hair.

"Everything's going to be okay, I promise.”

The reassurance slowly eases the tightness in his chest. He focuses on the steady beat of Jeongguk's heart against his ear, letting it anchor him as his tears gradually subside.

"Come on” He takes Jimin's hand. "I'll make us some tea."

The alpha leads him through their apartment, his warm hand wrapped securely around Jimin's. In the kitchen, he lifts him easily onto the counter, the casual display of strength making Jimin's stomach flip despite everything.

Jimin watches as Jeongguk moves around their kitchen, filling the kettle and retrieving their favorite mugs from the cabinet. He twiddles his thumbs in his lap, anxiety building as he anticipates the questions he knows are coming. The silence between them isn't entirely uncomfortable, but isn’t exactly pleasant either.

The kettle whistles, breaking the quiet. Jeongguk prepares their tea just the way Jimin likes it—with honey and a splash of milk in his, and plain for himself. He hands Jimin the steaming mug, then leans back against the counter opposite him, cradling his own mug between his palms.

"So," Jeongguk finally says, his eyes meeting Jimin's. "This is why you've been avoiding me all week."

It's not a question, but Jimin nods anyway, his fingers tightening around the warm ceramic. "I didn't know how to deal with it. It was easier to just... avoid the problem, I guess."

"And the problem was me," Jeongguk states flatly.

"No!" Jimin rushes to correct him. "The problem was me and these new feelings I didn't understand. I've never..." He pauses, searching for the right words. "I've never reacted like this before… To anyone."

Jeongguk takes a sip of his tea, his expression neutral. "What exactly was it? That set you off, I mean."

Heat crawls up Jimin's neck as he stares into his mug. 

"The breeding talk," he admits quietly. "I've never been affected by it before. But the way you described it—how an omega would beg for it, how it makes an alpha feel—it just... woke something up inside me." He risks a glance at Jeongguk's face. "I couldn't stop thinking about it. About you."

Jeongguk's eyes darken, but his expression remains frustratingly unreadable. "Is this just a passing fantasy for you, Jimin-ah? Something you're curious about and want to try?"

The question makes Jimin pause. Is it? He honestly doesn't know, but the thought of exploring this with anyone else makes his stomach twist unpleasantly.

"I don't know if it's just a passing thing," he answers truthfully, setting his mug down beside him on the counter as he chooses to ignore Jeongguk dropping honorifics again. "But I can't imagine finding out with anyone else." He swallows hard, suddenly shy again. "You're my best friend, Gguk. Who else would I trust with this?"

At the words 'best friend', Jeongguk's jaw tightens and there's a flash in his eyes. He sets his mug down with a bit more force than necessary.

"What exactly do you want out of this, hyung? Do you just want my knot? Just want to fuck?"

Jimin's face flushes hot. He stares down at his hands wrapped around the mug, unable to meet Jeongguk's intense gaze. Does he just want Jeongguk's knot? Just want to fuck? The answer should be simple, but the words tangle in his throat.

"I—I don't know," he whispers, hating how small his voice sounds. He wants Jeongguk physically, that much is painfully obvious after what just happened on their couch not even half an hour ago. But their friendship is everything to him. It’s been the only steady constant in his life since they were kids. The thought of risking that makes his stomach twist into knots.

Jeongguk sighs heavily and moves toward Jimin, stepping between his dangling legs. The sudden proximity makes Jimin's breath catch, his omega instinctively responding to the alpha's presence.

"Look, Jimin-ah." His voice is gentle but serious. His hands come to rest on the counter on either side of Jimin's thighs, not quite touching him but close enough that he can feel the heat radiating from his body. "This is a big decision for both of us. It's not something I want us to dive into without giving it at least a night's sleep to think it over."

Relief and disappointment war in Jimin's chest. Relief that Jeongguk is being so careful and mature with their relationship, and disappointment that he's not being pinned against this very counter right now. He finds himself nodding along with Jeongguk’s suggestion.

"Jimin-ah." Jeongguk's voice drops lower. "Look at me."

It takes all of Jimin's courage to lift his gaze.

"You know how much you mean to me. And I know how much I mean to you. This is... this is scary. For both of us."

Jimin swallows hard. Scary doesn't even begin to cover it. This precipice they're standing on feels like it could shatter their entire world if they take one wrong step. And it's all his fault. He's the one who couldn't control his omega, who let his sudden desires overtake his common sense. He's put Jeongguk in this impossible position, forced this choice on him.

“But if you want us to be more—”

"It would just be friends with benefits," Jimin blurts out, the words tumbling from his lips before he even can think them through. "We don't have to bring any feelings into it. Just... keep physical, you know? To help each other out." He forces a smile that feels brittle on his face. "No big deal, right?"

Something flickers across Jeongguk's expression, a quick contraction of his features that Jimin can't quite decipher before it's gone. The alpha blinks, then nods slowly.

"Yeah, of course," he agrees, his voice oddly flat. "I wouldn't even think of adding any feelings into it."

Jimin ignores the strange twisting sensation in his gut at those words. This is what he wanted, right? A clean arrangement with no messy emotions to complicate things further? God, his head hurts.

Jeongguk steps back, and Jimin immediately misses his warmth of the comforting piney-amber scent that had enveloped him. The distance between them manifests like a physical ache.

The alpha glances down at himself and lets out a small, awkward laugh as he gestures to the now-dried stain on the front of his sweatpants. "I, uh, should probably go shower."

"Oh," Jimin says, his own face heating again at the reminder of what they'd done. “Yeah you should go. Do that. Yeah.”

"We can talk more about this tomorrow," Jeongguk continues, already backing toward the hallway. "Don't stress about it tonight, okay? Just... really think about if this is what you want to do."

Jimin nods, not trusting his voice as he watches Jeongguk retreat. When he hears the bathroom door close and the shower turn on, he slides off the counter and leans heavily against it, his legs suddenly weak.

What has he done?

He makes his way to his bedroom on shaky legs, closing the door softly behind him. The room feels too quiet, too empty as he sinks down onto his bed. His mind replays Jeongguk's words over and over.

I wouldn't even think of adding any feelings into it.

Why does that hurt? It's exactly what he suggested, what he asked for. A physical arrangement, nothing more. Simple and clean and safe.

Except it doesn't feel safe at all. It feels like he's just lit a match next to a pool of gasoline and is praying with his fingers crossed that it won't ignite.

He lies back on his bed, staring at the ceiling as the shower continues to run down the hall. The thought of Jeongguk naked under the spray, washing away the evidence of what they did together, sends a fresh wave of heat through him. His body clearly hasn't gotten the memo about taking time to think things through.

Tomorrow. They'll figure this out tomorrow. Either they'll decide it was a one-time mistake and try to move past it, or they'll set ground rules for this new... whatever the hell this is.

Jimin turns onto his side, curling around his pillow as he tries to ignore the persistent ache in his chest that feels suspiciously like longing. 

He’s not getting much sleep tonight.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

For the fifth time in the last ten minutes, Jimin’s eyes dart over to the clock on the wall.

2:47 PM.

The beginners hip hop class should be ending any minute now and then he'll have a short break before his own beginners contemporary starts at 3:15. His phone buzzes in his pocket and his heart leaps into his throat, hoping it's Jeongguk.

But it's just Hoseok checking in again.

Hobi Hobi ☀️

Sorry again about dumping all my Sunday classes on you Minnie 😭 This seriously is the stomach bug from hell

How's it going?

Jimin sighs, typing back a quick response.

Me

All good, the kids are even somewhat behaving today

You feeling any better?

He slides his phone back into his pocket just as the music ends. The group of twelve children, ranging from ages eight to fifteen, stand in their final poses with chests heaving with exertion.

"Great job, everyone!" Jimin claps, forcing enthusiasm into his voice despite the anxiety churning in his gut. "Remember to practice those eight-counts at home. I want Mr. Jung to see clean transitions next week!"

As the students file out, greeting their waiting parents, Jimin's mind drifts back to this morning. He'd woken up early, his nerves making it nearly impossible to sleep even one minute past 7 AM. He'd lain in bed, rehearsing what he wanted to say to Jeongguk, how he wanted to approach their arrangement.

But then his phone had rang with Hoseok on the other end of the line sounding as miserable as Jimin had probably ever heard him, asking if Jimin would be so kind as to cover his Sunday classes. And because Jimin is a good friend (and because part of him was grateful for the excuse to postpone the inevitable conversation), he'd agreed immediately.

He'd left a note on the kitchen counter for Jeongguk to find hopefully soon after waking. But that was seven hours ago and he’s not heard from him yet. Now he’s regretting delaying the inevitable. Seven hours of teaching back-to-back classes with only his spiraling thoughts for company. If Jeongguk doesn’t text him back soon, he’ll—

His phone buzzes.

Googie 🐰

hey i got your note

everything ok with hobi?

Jimin puts a pause on his crash out. Okay, Jeongguk’s alive and texting him back normally. Maybe it’s not the end of the world and he still wants to talk to him.

Me

Yeah! It’s just a stomach bug.

 Just finished up with his last class.

Should be home by 5

He hesitates for a moment, biting at the skin of his thumb, then adds:

We can talk then?

The three dots appear immediately, then disappear. Reappear. Disappear again. Jimin watches, holding his breath. 

Googie 🐰

sure i'll make dinner

Just four words, but they send a flood of relief through Jimin. At least Jeongguk still wants to talk. Still wants to see him.

"Mr. Park? Are you okay?"

Jimin looks up to find one of his contemporary students, a twelve-year-old girl named Soojin, watching him with concern.

"I'm fine, Soojin," he says, pocketing his phone. "Just a little tired from teaching all day."

"My mom says you look lovesick," she says matter-of-factly. "Like in the dramas she watches."

“Lovesi—”Jimin chokes on air. "What? I'm not—that's not—"

"It's okay," Soojin says, patting his arm with surprising maturity. "The alpha in the dramas always feels the same way."

Before Jimin can even begin to formulate a response to that bombshell, more students start filing in, saving him from having to explain to a twelve-year-old that he is absolutely not lovesick over his best friend. Because he's not. This is just physical attraction. A biological response. Nothing more.

The rest of the class passes in a blur of counts and corrections, Jimin operating on autopilot as his mind continues its circular worrying. By the time the last student leaves, he's mentally exhausted from the effort of compartmentalizing.

He locks up the studio, the weight of his dance bag unusually heavy on his shoulder as he heads to the subway station for the quickest way home. The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the sidewalk, the early winter air crisp against his flushed skin.

On the train, Jimin pulls out his phone again, scrolling through their message history. The last exchange stares back at him, innocent yet loaded with implications.

sure i'll make dinner

What kind of dinner? Is this a date? No, that's ridiculous. Friends make dinner for each other all the time. He and Jeongguk have shared thousands of meals over the years. This is no different.

Except it is entirely different, because last night they dry-humped each other to completion on their couch and then had a serious conversation about potentially initiating a new facet to their relationship wherein they fuck each other with no strings attached.

Jimin drops his head into his hands, earning a concerned glance from the elderly woman sitting across from him. He offers a weak smile of reassurance before returning to his internal crisis.

What if Jeongguk has changed his mind? What if he's spent all day thinking about it and decided it's a terrible idea? Or worse, what if he wants more than just sex? What if he's hoping for something Jimin isn't ready to give? Is he? No, Jeongguk even said he wouldn’t involve feelings. That’s something, right?

The questions chase each other around Jimin's mind until the train arrives at his stop. He walks the three blocks to their apartment building in a daze, his feet carrying him on autopilot while his thoughts continue their frantic spiral.

Outside their door, he pauses and takes a deep breath to steady himself. He can smell something delicious wafting through the crack that makes his stomach growl in anticipation. Jeongguk really is cooking and not just ordering in.

Jimin slides his key into the lock, takes one more steadying breath, and pushes the door open.

The apartment is warm and filled with the rich aroma of simmering meat and spices. Soft music plays from the bluetooth speaker on the counter—one of those lo-fi playlists Jeongguk likes to work to. And there, standing at the stove with his back to the door, is Jeongguk himself, wearing a black apron over a simple white t-shirt and jeans.

"I'm home," Jimin calls, setting his dance bag down by the door and toeing off his shoes.

“Hey, perfect timing,” Jeongguk calls back "Dinner's almost ready."

"Smells amazing.” It really does, Jeongguk is such a great cook. Jimin saunters into the kitchen and peers around the alpha’s shoulder at the simmering pot. “What’d you make?"

"That beef stew you like. The one my mom taught me." Jeongguk turns to grin at him, then back to the pot, giving it a final stir before switching off the heat. "There's rice in the cooker and I made some quick kimchi too."

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, Gguk."

Jeongguk just waves him off and gestures toward the table.

"Sit down, it's no trouble. I wanted to cook something nice."

Jimin slides into his seat at their small kitchen table, watching as Jeongguk moves around their kitchen. His movements are fluid and practiced as he ladles the rich, fragrant stew into two bowls, the steam curling upward in delicate wisps. He doesn't seem nervous at all—no trembling hands, no averted eyes, no awkward shuffling. Maybe Jimin really is the only one going crazy over this whole situation.

Jeongguk brings over a bowl for Jimin, setting it down carefully before returning to grab his own. The stew smells incredible, chunks of beef and vegetables swimming in a dark, savory broth that makes Jimin's stomach growl embarrassingly loud.

“God, this looks amazing, Gguk.”

Jeongguk drops into the seat across from him, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Thanks, hyung. How were Hobi-hyung's classes? Did the kids behave?"

Jimin takes a spoonful of the stew, savoring the rich flavor as he considers how to answer. "There's a reason I don't teach hip-hop. I honestly don't know how hyung does it day after day, it’s so high-energy that the kids go insane."

"That bad?" Jeongguk laughs.

"The eight-year-olds were fine, actually, just a little too hyper if anything. It was the teenagers that nearly broke me. One girl spent the entire class texting, and when I asked her to put her phone away, she rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might fall out of her head."

“And you’re surprised about that?”

“Ugh, no, but still!” Jimin whines. “My contemporary students are so well behaved.” He thinks about Soojin… “Well, most of the time.”

Jeongguk snorts into his stew. “You’ve got them on a tight leash, hyung.”

“Yah!” Jimin exclaims with a mouth full of soup. “Their leashes are very lax, thank you.”

The alpha just laughs in response.

“What about you?” Jimin asks, desperate to keep up the lighthearted conversation. “How was your day?”

"Honestly? I was basically glued to my desk the entire time," Jeongguk sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. "This client is being super pissy about some tiny details in the commission I submitted. I had to redo the shading on this one character's face like four times because apparently the 'emotional resonance wasn't hitting right.'" He rolls his eyes. "That's why I didn't see your note until super late. I was in the zone with my headphones on."

"Whatever the hell that means," Jimin says, rolling his eyes in solidarity as he sips another spoonful of the delicious stew. "But at least you're almost done with that project entirely, right?"

"Yeah, should be wrapping up in the next couple days if this client stops with their nitpicking." Jeongguk reaches for the water pitcher between them, filling both their glasses. "The pay is good though, so I can't complain too much."

They fall into a comfortable rhythm of eating and chatting about their days, and for a moment, Jimin allows himself to believe that everything is normal between them. That last night never happened. That they're just the same old Jimin and Jeongguk, the same old best friends sharing dinner like they have hundreds of times before.

But as their bowls get emptier, anxiety begins to crawl back up Jimin's spine. The elephant hanging out in the room grows larger and larger with each passing minute, becoming impossible for him to ignore. They need to talk about what happened. About what might happen next. His leg starts bouncing under the table and he’s gnawing something awful on his lip.

Jeongguk doesn't seem to notice Jimin's growing anxiety as he continues talking, scraping the last bits of stew from his bowl.

"Oh, and Namjoon-hyung called earlier. He wanted to tell me about this art convention coming up pretty soon. Apparently there's going to be a whole section dedicated to digital illustration, and he thinks I should submit some of my work. He said the exposure could be really good for—"

"I still want you to fuck me," Jimin blurts out, the words escaping before he can filter them or pick a better time. 

Jeongguk freezes mid-sentence, his spoon hovering halfway to his mouth.

"I— what?"

Jimin wants to die. He wants the floor to open up and swallow him whole. But he's started this, so he might as well finish it.

"Sorry, that was... blunt." He sets down his own spoon, hands suddenly shaky. "But I've been thinking about it all day, and I just... I still want to. If you do."

Jeongguk carefully lowers his spoon, his expression unreadable. For a terrible moment, Jimin thinks he's made a catastrophic mistake, that Jeongguk has changed his mind and now their friendship is ruined forever.

Then Jeongguk's lips curve into a small smile. "I still want to fuck you too, Jimin."

Relief floods through Jimin so intensely he feels lightheaded with it. 

"Oh. Good. That's... good."

"Yeah," Jeongguk agrees, his smile widening slightly. "It is."

They stare at each other across the table, the air between them electric with possibility. Jimin's heart hammers against his ribs, his omega practically purring with satisfaction at the alpha's response.

"So," Jimin says, finding his voice again. "How do we... I mean, if we're really going to do this, we should probably set some ground rules, right?"

“Definitely, yeah.”

"Right." Jimin takes a deep breath, trying hard to organize his admittedly very disheveled thoughts. "So, I was thinking... this should be just physical, right? A friends with benefits type-thing, you know? No complicated feelings."

Something flickers across Jeongguk's face far too quickly for Jimin to interpret, but he nods. 

"Agreed. Just sex. Nothing that might mess up our friendship."

"Exactly." Jimin feels both relieved and oddly disappointed, which makes no sense. This is exactly what he wants. An uncomplicated physical relationship with someone he trusts. "And I think... no kissing."

Jeongguk's eyebrows rise slightly. "No kissing?"

"On the lips," Jimin clarifies, heat creeping up his neck. "It's too... intimate. Too couple-y, you know? I think it’s best if we just keep that off limits."

"Right, okay," Jeongguk agrees after a moment of staring straight at Jimin’s mouth, though he doesn’t look too happy. "No kissing on the lips.” 

“Yup.” Jimin gulps.

“Alright, what else?" Jeongguk leans back in his chair. "Any other boundaries I should know about?"

Jimin considers this, tapping his finger against the rim of his water glass. For having obsessed about it all day, his mind is so fuzzy when he needs it to be clear the most. 

"Uh, maybe we should have a safeword? I— we can talk more about what we’re into and, you know… kinks and stuff later too."

"And stuff.” Jeongguk smirks and Jimin can feel his cheeks heating up. “But yeah, that's smart. What about Charizard?"

A startled laugh escapes Jimin. 

"Charizard, Jeongguk? Really?"

The alpha shrugs, a playful smile tugging at his lips. 

"What? It's memorable and neither of us is likely to say it accidentally during sex."

"Ugh, I hate that you’re onto something there." Leave it to Jeongguk to choose a fucking Pokémon as their safeword. "Fine. Charizard it is."

Jeongguk grins across the table like he's just won some invisible competition, his arms folding across his chest in that way that makes his biceps bulge beneath the thin fabric of his t-shirt. The tattoos peek out from under his sleeve, the dark ink against golden skin that Jimin suddenly wants to trace with his fingertips—or maybe his tongue.

Heat pools in Jimin's gut as he watches that shit-eating smirk spread across Jeongguk's face. He really is so handsome, so effortlessly sexy. The alpha radiates a confidence that makes him look like the quintessential fuckboy even though Jimin knows he's the same guy who cried watching Up last month and still sleeps with his childhood stuffed bunny when he's sick.

Jimin swallows hard. He doesn’t know how many years he’s spent pretending not to notice the sheer sex appeal of his best friend. Years of averting his gaze when Jeongguk emerges from the shower with just a towel around his waist. Years of ignoring how his stomach flips when Jeongguk laughs with that full-body laugh of his.

But now… now he doesn't have to pretend anymore.

Gathering every ounce of courage he can find, Jimin lets that heat in his belly drive him forward. He leans across the table, resting his weight on his forearms, trying to appear casual even as his heart threatens to beat right out of his chest.

"Can I ask you something?" he says, his voice coming out softer and more demure than he intended.

Jeongguk's eyes flick to his, dark and curious. "Yeah, of course."

Jimin wets his lips, noticing how Jeongguk's gaze tracks the movement. 

"What you said at Yoongi and Namjoon's place... about knots. Is it true that yours can pop outside of your rut?"

The implication hangs heavily between them. Jeongguk's scent shifts subtly, becoming spicier and richer, and Jimin knows he's affected by the direction their conversation has taken.

"It can," Jeongguk confirms, his voice rougher than before. "It doesn't happen often, but with the right... motivation, it's definitely possible."

“You said you’ve done it before? With other omegas?"

Something possessive flashes in Jeongguk's eyes. "A few times. Why? Are you thinking about trying to make me knot you, Jiminie?"

The directness of the question sends a shiver down Jimin's spine, but he doesn't back down and meets Jeongguk's intense gaze across the table.

"Maybe I am," he challenges. "Would that work for you?"

Jeongguk's nostrils flare slightly, taking in Jimin's gradually sweetening honey scent. 

"It would more than work for me," he admits. "But like I said before, you'd have to really want it. Really beg for it."

Jimin's breath catches, his omega responding instinctively to the alpha's tone. "And if I did? If I begged you to knot me?"

"Then I probably would," Jeongguk says simply, though there's nothing simple about the heat in his eyes.

“And what if I begged for you to put a pup in me?” Jimin asks, looking up at the alpha through his lashes. “Would that work too?”

The air between them thickens instantly, Jeongguk's woodsy scent turning overwhelming. A low growl rumbles from his chest as his eyes darken to near-black. 

"Don't," he warns, his voice barely recognizable. "Don't say things you don't mean."

But Jimin can't stop, not when he can see how his words affect the alpha, how they make Jeongguk's control fray at the edges. Something wild and reckless possesses him.

"But what if I do mean it?" he whispers, leaning closer. "What if I want you to fill me up so good that it takes? What if I want to carry your pups, alpha?"

Jeongguk moves so fast Jimin barely registers it. One moment he's across the table, the next he's hauling Jimin up from his chair with bruising force. Jimin gasps as Jeongguk lifts him effortlessly, strong arms wrapping around his thighs as he throws Jimin over his shoulder like he weighs nothing.

"Jeongguk!" Jimin yelps, but there's no real protest in his voice, just breathless excitement as the alpha strides purposefully toward his own bedroom.

He kicks the door open with enough force that it bangs against the wall, then tosses Jimin onto the mattress. Jimin bounces once, disoriented by the sudden movement and the intoxicating scent that surrounds him. Jeongguk's sheets smell like him in its most concentrated and pure form, and Jimin nearly loses himself in it, burying his face in the pillow and inhaling deeply.

But then Jeongguk is there, his weight pressing Jimin into the mattress, his face immediately finding the sensitive spot where Jimin's neck meets his shoulder. The alpha inhales deeply, letting out a rumbling groan against Jimin's skin as he noses at the scent gland there.

"You smell so fucking good," Jeongguk growls, hands roaming possessively over Jimin's body.

Jimin arches into the touch, his body responding instinctively to the alpha's dominance in a wave of slick beginning to gather between his cheeks. His omega preens at having provoked such a reaction.

Jimin gasps as Jeongguk's teeth graze his neck, not biting down but threatening to. The alpha then begins tugging impatiently at his clothes.

"Off. Fuck, need these off, hyung. Need to see you. Need to feel you."

Jimin complies eagerly, lifting his arms as Jeongguk practically tears the shirt from his body. The alpha sits back on his heels as his dark eyes drink in the sight of Jimin's bare torso with undisguised hunger.

"So beautiful," he murmurs, hands tracing reverently over Jimin's chest, thumbs brushing his nipples and drawing a soft gasp from the omega. "Always so fucking beautiful."

Jimin reaches for him, fingers curling into the fabric of Jeongguk's shirt. 

"Please. Want to see you too."

Jeongguk strips his shirt off in one fluid motion, revealing the toned expanse of his chest and abdomen. Jimin's mouth goes dry at the sight.

Of course he's seen Jeongguk shirtless countless times before, but it’s never been like this. Never with the knowledge that he's allowed to touch, to taste, to have.

He reaches out tentatively, fingers tracing the lines of Jeongguk's abs, following the trail of hair that disappears beneath his waistband of his jeans. Jeongguk's breath hitches, muscles tensing under the omega’s touch.

"You have no idea what you do to me, hyung," Jeongguk says, voice strained as he captures Jimin's wrist and brings it down to the bulge straining against the denim. "Feel that? All for you, angel.”

Something warm blooms in Jimin's chest at the petname, but before he can respond, Jeongguk is moving again, hands working at the band of Jimin's leggings. Jimin lifts his hips to help, gasping when Jeongguk's fingers brush against the wet spot forming on his panties. The alpha freezes, nostrils flaring as he catches the honeyed scent of Jimin's arousal.

"Already so wet," he says, voice filled with wonder as he presses his fingers against the damp fabric. "Is this all for me, baby?"

Jimin nods, bucking into the touch as he tries to find his words. "Uh huh… I’ve been thinking about this since that night."

Jeongguk's eyes flash dangerously, his scent spiking so strongly that Jimin feels dizzy with it.

“Tell alpha what you’ve been thinking about.”

“Your knot, alpha…”

“Is that all, pup? Nothing else?”

Jimin whimpers. The alpha hovers over him, running his fingertips up and down Jimin’s inner thighs as the touch burns him alive with want. 

“Been… Been thinking about how strong you are, how you’d be able to hold me down while you fuck me.”

Jeongguk leans down to drop wet kisses along the expanse of Jimin’s neck, the sensitive touch making Jimin’s back arch as he lets out a pathetic whine.

“You want me to do that, Jiminie? Hmm?” There’s a bite below his ear and he shivers as the gruff voice returns to his ear. “Want me to hold you down while I fuck my knot into your pretty little hole?”

“Alpha… please.”

“Yeah? Want alpha to fuck you stupid, angel? Is that what you want.”

Jimin spreads his legs wider in invitation.

“Please.”

“Hyung’s so sweet, isn’t he?” Jeongguk’s fingers press against his soaked hole through his panties and Jimin tries to push down against them, but there’s a hand at his hip stopping him. “Being so polite. But I need to hear you say it, baby. Need you to tell me what you need.”

Jimin’s short cock is straining against the thin fabric of his panties, twitching with every husky word out of the alpha’s mouth. He writhes on the bed beneath him, enveloped completely by pine and amber, and the warmth of the alpha himself. His brain struggles to find the words. He feels pins and needles all over his body, feels the burning need of want coursing through his veins. 

He’s on fire.

“Alpha…”

“Uh-uh, baby.” Jeongguk grabs his jaw, making his full lips bunch outward, then leans down so close until Jimin thinks he’s about to break the only boundary they set. “Tell me.”

“Want— Need alpha to pup me,” he says through his puffed out lips. “Need you to fuck me ‘til I cry. Please, alpha.”

Jeongguk growls and lets his grip on JImin’s cheeks go. He yanks the soaked panties down Jimin's thighs with barely contained desperation. The potently-sweet scent of honey fills the room, the slick rolling out of Jimin in waves. Any other time, Jimin would be embarrassed about just how much he’s leaking, but if the fire in Jeongguk’s eyes as he stares at his pulsating hole and the wet sheets below him is anything to go off of, he’s got absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. 

"Fuck," the alpha breathes. He inhales heavily and runs a digit against the slick-soaked entrance, pink and pulsing and so ready for him. "So pretty, hyung."

A red flush finds Jimin’s cheeks, but he opens his legs wider. Jeongguk drags his wet finger up to trail along the omega’s weeping length, and Jimin moans full-out. 

“Look at you leaking all over the place,” Jeongguk tsks as he lowers himself down his body, his strong hands spreading his thighs even wider as he positions himself between them. “Need to clean you up, baby.”

The first broad lick across Jimin's entrance pulls twin sounds from the both of them—a high, broken moan from Jimin and a deep, satisfied groan from Jeongguk.

"So fucking sweet," the alpha murmurs against his sensitive skin, his tongue continuing to lap greedily at the slick waterfalling out of him. "Taste even better than I imagined."

Jimin's hands fly to Jeongguk's hair and tangle in the dark strands as he arches into the sensation.

"Oh, Gguk, please—"

His plea cuts off into a sharp cry as a finger pushes inside him alongside Jeongguk’s tongue. The alpha works him open relentlessly, alternating between deep thrusts of his fingers and broad strokes of his tongue that gather the honeyed slick before it can drip onto the sheets.

"Never tasted anything so good," Jeongguk mumbles between licks, his voice vibrating against Jimin's sensitive rim. "Could eat you for hours."

Jimin writhes on the bed, overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through him. Each touch sends sparks up his spine, each hungry growl against his entrance makes his little cock leak against his stomach. He can feel himself getting even wetter, producing more slick as if his body is desperate to feed Jeongguk's apparent new-found addiction.

When Jeongguk adds another finger, Jimin nearly sobs with relief. The stretch is perfect, the slight burn exactly what he needs to ground himself as pleasure threatens to sweep him away.

"More," he begs around a moan. "Need more, alpha. Please."

“So needy, baby.” 

For a second Jimin thinks that Jeongguk isn’t going to give him what he’s begging for, but then he complies and adds yet another finger, stretching him open while his tongue continues its relentless assault. The wet sounds of his ministrations fill the room, obscene and arousing in equal measure.

"Look at you," Jeongguk says, pulling back just enough to admire his work— Jimin's entrance now puffy and glistening with slick, stretched around three of his fingers. "So greedy."

Jimin can barely form words, reduced to broken pleas and breathy moans as Jeongguk's fingers find that perfect spot inside him. His thighs tremble, his back arches, his omega whining for more, for everything the alpha can give him.

"Please," he gasps, his hands grasping for anything on the alpha he can take hold of. "Need you to fuck me. Need your knot so bad, alpha please."

Jeongguk's pupils are blown so wide there's barely a ring of brown visible. He surges up Jimin's body, fingers still buried deep inside him, and captures his scent gland between his teeth. He doesn't break skin, but applies just enough pressure to make Jimin see a galaxy of stars.

“Sound so gorgeous when you beg, baby.” The hot breath against Jimin’s gland makes his cock jump. “Want alpha’s knot so bad don’t you?”

“Yes, fuck— Please, need your pups, alpha. Need you to fill me up—”

"You don't know what you're asking for," Jeongguk growls against his neck, scissoring his fingers to stretch him further. "Don't know what it does to me when you beg for me to breed you."

"I do," Jimin insists, clenching around Jeongguk's fingers. "Want it. Want you to fill me up until it takes, until everyone knows you pupped me."

Jeongguk makes a sound like he's been wounded, his control visibly fraying at the edges. He withdraws his fingers, ignoring Jimin's whine of protest, and fumbles with his jeans, pushing them down along with his underwear just enough to free his straining cock.

It's bigger than Jimin expected. It’s thick and flushed an angry red, the head already leaking precum like a fountain. The base is noticeably thicker, hinting at the knot that could form there. Jimin's mouth waters at the sight, his hole clenching on nothing as he imagines being stretched around it.

"Look what you do to me," Jeongguk says, wrapping a hand around himself and giving a slow stroke, dragging the clear fluid down his shaft. "Been hard for you for so long, angel."

There's something in his voice that tugs at Jimin's heart, but before he can examine it, Jeongguk is positioning himself at his entrance, the blunt head of his cock pressing insistently against his slick rim.

"Ready?" 

"Yes," Jimin breathes, reaching up to grip Jeongguk's shoulders. "Please, alpha. Need you."

Jeongguk pushes in slowly, the stretch burning despite how thoroughly he prepared Jimin. The omega gasps, nails digging into Jeongguk's skin as his body adjusts to the intrusion.

"So tight," Jeongguk hisses, his arms trembling with the effort of holding himself back. "So perfect around me."

He bottoms out with a groan, hips flush against Jimin's ass, and they both freeze, overwhelmed by the sensation of finally being connected.

"Fuck, you feel so good," Jeongguk breathes, his forehead dropping to rest against Jimin's. "Better than I ever imagined."

"Move," Jimin urges, lifting his hips experimentally. "Please, I need—"

Jeongguk draws back slowly before slamming back in, the force of it pushing Jimin up the bed. The omega cries out, pleasure shooting up his spine as Jeongguk establishes a punishing rhythm, each thrust driving deeper than the last.

"Is this what you wanted?" Jeongguk growls, hands gripping Jimin's thighs. "To be filled with my cock?"

"Yes— Fuck, yes," Jimin gasps, arching to meet each thrust. "Harder, alpha. Need it harder."

A primal glint flashes in Jeongguk's eyes and he grabs Jimin’s legs, positioning them up onto his shoulders, folding the omega nearly in half. He drives back in with renewed force, the new angle allowing him to hit that perfect spot inside Jimin with each and every thrust. The omega wails, his hands falling from Jeongguk’s shoulders to fist in the sheets, pleasure building up rapidly at the base of his spine, hot and insistent.

"Gguk!" he cries, eyes rolling back as Jeongguk pounds into him relentlessly. The position leaves him completely exposed, completely at Jeongguk's mercy. He feels like every nerve ending in his body is alight with divine pleasure.

"So beautiful.” The alpha presses his lips to Jimin’s knee, pace never faltering. "Taking me so well. Like you were made for my cock. You were weren’t you, hyung?"

The praise sends a fresh wave of slick gushing around Jeongguk's length. His mouth opens to reply but all that comes out are desperate mewls and whimpers. Wet sounds fill the room, and he nearly screams as Jeongguk’s cock continues its beating on his prostate.

“Ungh, ‘m gonna come," Jimin slurs, his cock slapping against his stomach with each thrust, untouched and leaking. "Please— fuck, don’t stop, please—"

"That’s it, baby. Come for me.” The alpha strengthens his thrusts and tightens his grip on Jimin’s waist. "Come on my cock, c’mon."

All it takes is three more brutal thrusts and Jimin breaks, coming with a scream that sounds a lot like Jeongguk's name. His body convulses, hole clenching rhythmically around Jeongguk's cock as ropes of white pearls paint his stomach and chest. The alpha fucks him through it, his pace never faltering even as Jimin's body tries to milk him for his release.

"So fucking beautiful," Jeongguk groans, watching Jimin come apart beneath him. "So perfect for me."

Jimin whimpers, oversensitive but still desperate for more as Jeongguk continues to drive into him. His legs slip from the alpha's shoulders, falling limply to the side as he struggles to catch his breath.

But Jeongguk isn't done with him yet. He slows his pace, grinding deep rather than withdrawing fully, and brings his hands to Jimin's chest. His thumbs find the omega's sensitive nipples, circling the hardened nubs as he whispers into Jimin’s sweaty skin.

"These are going to look so pretty when they're swollen," he murmurs, pinching lightly and drawing a gasp from the omega. "When they're full of milk for our pups."

The words send a shockwave of arousal through his spent body. His cock twitches valiantly, already beginning to harden again as Jeongguk continues to toy with his nipples.

"You'll be so beautiful," Jeongguk continues, his voice a hypnotic rumble as his hips continue their slow, deep grind. "All round with my pups, these pretty tits full and leaking."

"Alpha," Jimin whimpers, arching into the touch. His nipples have always been sensitive, but he’s never had a partner treat them like this, never given him the vision of their potential.

"I'll take such good care of you," Jeongguk promises, leaning down to take one nipple into his mouth, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. "Worship these tits every day while our pups grow inside you."

Jimin moans brokenly, his hands flying to Jeongguk's hair, holding the alpha against his chest as he moves to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment. The dual sensation of Jeongguk's cock grinding against his prostate and his mouth sucking his sensitive nipples has Jimin hurdling quickly toward another climax so impossibly soon after the first.

"That's it," Jeongguk encourages, feeling Jimin's body tightening around him again. "Give me another one. Show me how much you want my knot, my pretty omega."

"Mmph—” His cock now fully hard again and leaking against his stomach. 

Jeongguk redoubles his efforts, one hand pinching and rolling Jimin's nipple while his mouth works the other, his hips maintaining their deep, grinding rhythm. He shifts slightly, angling to press more firmly against Jimin's prostate, and the omega cries out in pleasure, back arching off the bed.

"Come for me again, baby. Show me how much you need my pups inside you.”

The words unlock something in Jimin, something desperate and hungry and wild that he's never felt before. His omega takes over completely as he wraps his legs around Jeongguk's waist, pulling him impossibly deeper.

"Alpha," he gasps, eyes wild and unfocused. "Please— I need it. Need you to put your pups in me."

Jeongguk growls, his rhythm faltering at Jimin's words, and Jimin can feel how the base of the alpha’s cock is thickening. He pulls back just enough to look at Jimin's face, searching for any sign of hesitation.

"Jimin—"

"No, please," Jimin interrupts, his hands clawing at Jeongguk's back, leaving red trails in their wake. "I need you— Need you to breed me, give me puppies, please alpha."

If it’s even possible, Jeongguk's eyes darken even more, almost pure black now as his nostrils flare as he takes in the desperation in Jimin’s scent. He places a hand flat on Jimin’s belly, and curses under his breath when he feels himself moving from inside.

"Fuck, Jimin-ah.”

"Please, alpha." Jimin’s voice wobbles, absolutely needing his alpha to give in to him, to fulfill this one wish. "I want it so bad. Want everyone to see how well you bred me."

With that, Jeongguk's control snaps. He grabs Jimin's hips with bruising force and begins to pound into him with renewed vigor, each thrust brutal and precise.

"You want my pups that badly?" he snarls, his voice barely recognizable as the base of his cock begins to swell. "Want me to fill this pretty little hole until it takes?"

"Yes!" Jimin cries, tears of pleasure streaming down his face, his words slurring together. "Promise it’ll take, alpha. I'll keep your knot inside me forever, never let a drop spill. Please, I promise!"

The base of Jeongguk's cock swells further, now catching on Jimin's rim with each thrust. The omega sobs at the stretch, his body producing more slick to ease the way as Jeongguk's knot grows.

"Gonna give you that, baby," the alpha promises, his voice strained. "Gonna fill you up so good, angel. Give you a whole litter of pups."

"Yes," Jimin chants, well on his way to delirious. "A litter, alpha. Wanna be so round with your puppies I can't move, want everyone to know how good I was."

“Yeah, baby.” His grip on Jimin’s hips is brutal as he continues his brutal pace. “So fucking good for me. The fucking best. Gonna be the best eomma.”

The words spread over Jimin’s skin like wildfire. He screams as his cock convulses, spilling untouched onto his belly, so intense that his vision whites out at the edges.

With a roar that seems to shake the walls, Jeongguk slams in one final time, his knot locking in place as he begins to come. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Jeongguk chants, his hips making small, grinding motions as his knot pulses, pumping load after load of cum into Jimin's willing body.

The sensation is unlike anything Jimin has ever experienced. No knot he’s taken will ever be able to compare to this. Hot pulses fill him up as Jeongguk's knot stretches him almost to the point of pain. It seems to go on forever, like the alpha's body is fully determined to make good on Jimin's desperate pleas to ensure it takes. He knows that it won’t since he’s not in heat, but his omega seems to think it will.

"So full," Jimin whimpers, his hands sliding down to his stomach, feeling it begin to distend slightly from the sheer volume of Jeongguk's cum. "You're filling me so full, alpha."

Jeongguk's eyes lock onto the sight of Jimin's slightly rounded belly, his pupils blown wide with satisfaction. He reaches down and covers Jimin's hands with his own, pressing gently against the swell.

"Look at you," he murmurs, voice filled with awe. "Already looking so perfect with my seed inside you."

His knot pulses again at the words, drawing a gasp from both of them as another wave of cum spills inside him. It doesn’t take long for that euphoria to wear off and for it to verge on uncomfortable.

"It's too much. It won’t all fit."

"You can take it," Jeongguk assures him, leaning down to press kisses along Jimin's sweaty jawline. "You were made for this. Made to carry my pups."

Jimin whimpers, his body trembling with aftershocks as Jeongguk's knot continues to pulse inside him. He feels stretched to his limit, filled beyond capacity, and yet his omega preens at the sensation, at being so thoroughly claimed.

Carefully, Jeongguk maneuvers them onto their sides and pulls Jimin’s back against his chest, one arm wrapped protectively around him and the other still splayed possessively over the swell of his belly.

"How long?" Jimin asks, his voice small and sleepy as the intensity of his orgasms catch up with him.

"The knot?" He presses a soft kiss to Jimin's shoulder. "Probably about twenty minutes or so, maybe longer since it wasn't triggered by a rut."

Jimin hums, nestling closer into Jeongguk's warmth.

"Feels nice," he admits, his hand coming to rest over Jeongguk's on his distended belly.

Jimin’s eyes close and time stretches on languid and warm, Jeongguk's hands making small, soothing circles on Jimin's stretched skin. 

"It's going down," Jeongguk murmurs against Jimin's ear after some time, his voice stirring him to open his eyes. Slowly, he feels the knot begin to soften and the pressure inside him gradually eases as Jeongguk's body relaxes.

Jimin whimpers at the sensation, feeling suddenly displeased and empty as Jeongguk carefully pulls out. He winces at the immediate gush of warmth that follows, thick rivulets of come sliding out of him and onto the sheets.

"Shit," he mumbles.

Jeongguk doesn't seem bothered at all. In fact, his eyes darken as he watches his release leak from Jimin's body. 

"Let's get you cleaned up," he says, voice impossibly tender as he helps Jimin to his feet.

Jimin's legs wobble dangerously, still weak from having gotten so thoroughly wrecked, so Jeongguk picks him up bridal carry style and heads down the hallway to the bathroom. Jimin hopes he can’t see the flush on his cheeks. 

The warm spray of the water feels heavenly against Jimin's overheated skin once he gets settled in the shower. He tilts his face up into the stream, letting it wash away the sweat and tears. Behind him, Jeongguk's hands are gentle as they soap his back, massaging the tired muscles all the way down to his ass.

"Turn around," Jeongguk instructs softly, and Jimin complies, letting the alpha wash his chest and stomach where his own release has dried.

Then, without warning, Jeongguk sinks to his knees on the shower floor.

"What are you—" Jimin starts, but the question dies in his throat as Jeongguk's hands gently part his thighs.

"Need to clean you properly," Jeongguk explains, looking up at him through wet lashes. "Is that okay?"

Jimin nods, breathless at the sight of his best friend on his knees before him. Jeongguk's hands are light as they guide Jimin to turn around again, to bend slightly and brace himself against the shower wall.

The first touch of Jeongguk's tongue against his sensitive rim makes Jimin gasp. He's still so tender, so open from taking the alpha's knot, but the gentle lapping feels too good to stop. Jeongguk works methodically, his tongue dipping inside to coax out the cum still lodged deep within him.

"Gguk," Jimin whimpers, his cock stirring despite his exhaustion. Each thrust of his tongue sends sparks up his spine as pleasure apparently readily builds where he thought none could possibly remain.

Jeongguk hums against him, the vibration sending another jolt through Jimin's oversensitive body. His hands grip Jimin's thighs to steady him as his tongue works deeper, lapping at his own release as it trickles out alongside honeyed slick.

"Tastes so good," he murmurs against Jimin's skin. 

Jimin moans, his little cock now fully hard again, bobbing between his legs. Jeongguk notices immediately, one hand reaching around to wrap around the length. It fits perfectly in his palm.

"Again?" he asks, sounding pleased and surprised. "Can you come for me one more time, baby?"

"I don't— I don't know," Jimin gasps, even as his hips buck into Jeongguk's grip. He feels impossibly sensitive, but his body responds to the alpha’s touch like it was made for it.

"Let me try.”

Before Jimin can respond, Jeongguk is turning him around, guiding him to lean back against the cool shower wall. The alpha stays on his knees, looking up at Jimin with dark, hungry eyes as water streams over his broad shoulders.

"So pretty," he murmurs, leaning forward to press his face against the crease in his hip, breathing in his scent. "Even after all that, you still smell so sweet."

Jimin's hands find Jeongguk's wet hair, fingers tangling in the dark strands as the alpha noses along his length. The first touch of Jeongguk's tongue against his cock makes Jimin cry out, oversensitive and desperate.

"Too much?" Jeongguk asks, immediately pulling back, concern evident in his voice.

"No," Jimin gasps, tugging him closer again. "Don't stop. Please."

Jeongguk smirks up at him before he leans in again, taking Jimin's cock into his mouth. Unlike the frantic pace the alpha had set earlier, this is slow, almost worshipful. Jeongguk works him gently, his tongue swirling around the head before taking him deeper.

"Oh god," Jimin whimpers, his head falling back against the tile with a soft thud. 

Jeongguk hums around him, the vibration sending sparks up Jimin's spine. His hands grip Jimin's thighs, thumbs tracing soothing circles into the soft skin as he bobs his head, taking down to the hilt with each pass.

It's overwhelming. The hot, wet pressure of Jeongguk's mouth, the visual of this gorgeous alpha on his knees eagerly servicing him has Jimin's hips twitching forward involuntarily.  Jeongguk takes it easily, relaxing his throat to accommodate Jimin's small thrusts. His eyes never leave Jimin's face, watching aptly for every reaction, every flicker of pleasure that crosses the omega's features.

"Close," Jimin warns, his voice breaking as tension builds at the base of his spine. "Gguk, I'm so close."

Jeongguk doubles his efforts, one hand sliding up to press against Jimin's still-sensitive entrance. He doesn't push inside, just applies gentle pressure, circling the puffy rim with his fingertip.

It's enough to send Jimin over the edge. He comes with a broken cry, his sparse release pulsing into Jeongguk's eager mouth. The alpha swallows down all that he’s given and continues to suck gently until Jimin whimpers, his hands pushing weakly at Jeongguk's shoulders.

"No more," he pleads, legs trembling. "Can't take any more."

Jeongguk pulls off with a final, gentle kiss to the tip of his softening cock, and rises to his feet in one fluid motion, his strong arms wrapping around Jimin to keep him upright when his knees threaten to give out.

"I've got you," he murmurs, reaching for the shampoo. "Let me finish cleaning you up."

Jimin can feel Jeongguk’s hard cock pressing against his hip as the alpha suds up his hair, but when he reaches for it he’s swatted away.

“Don’t worry about it, hyung. Let me take care of you.”

The rest of the shower passes in a haze of gentle touches and soft words. Jeongguk's hands are tender as he washes Jimin's hair, massaging his scalp until he’s practically purring with contentment. By the time they step out of the shower, Jimin is so relaxed he can barely keep his eyes open.

"Here," Jeongguk says, wrapping a fluffy towel around Jimin's shoulders before grabbing another for himself. "You okay?"

Jimin nods, a sleepy smile tugging at his lips. "More than okay. Just tired."

"I bet." Jeongguk chuckles, wrapping his towel low on his hips. "Here, I’ll carry you to your room."

But the thought of going to his own bed, alone, after what they just did makes something twist uncomfortably in Jimin's chest. 

"Actually," he says, trying to sound casual and not as needy as he feels, "I was thinking we could watch a movie? If you're not busy?"

Something like relief flashes across Jeongguk's face. "Yeah, that sounds good. Didn’t Frankenstein just drop on Netflix?"

"Oh yeah, let’s watch that," Jimin says, grateful that Jeongguk isn't making this awkward. 

Jeongguk goes to fetch them some clothes and they dress in comfortable silence. Jimin borrows a pair of Jeongguk's sweatpants that hang low on his hips and a soft oversized t-shirt that smells like that addicting piney-amber. 

Jeongguk heads out to the living room to get everything set up, and Jimin hangs back for a moment to try to collect his thoughts.

He looks at himself in the still partially fogged mirror and takes in how utterly disheveled he looks. He's got marks and bruises from Jeongguk's mouth, his cheeks are still flushed, and his lips are bitten nearly raw from his own teeth. He tries to find a sense of discomfort about all of this, but he can't deny just how good it all feels. A warm and satisfied feeling settles in his chest as he traces a finger over a particularly vivid mark just below his collarbone.

Maybe this is what he needed all along. Something uncomplicated and physical with someone he trusts completely. No strings, no expectations, just pleasure and the comfort of established familiarity. He can handle this. He will handle this.

With a deep breath, he decides he's going to just take this as it comes and try not to think too hard about it. Just focus on feeling good with Jeongguk, who clearly wants that too. What's the point in overthinking something that feels this right?

When he walks into the living room, Jeongguk has it all set up for their movie. The lights are dimmed to the perfect level, their favorite blanket is draped over the back of the couch, and there's even some steaming hot tea waiting for him on the coffee table. 

Jeongguk looks up from where he's scrolling through Netflix and smiles, and honestly that's what Jimin thinks he was scared of the most. He was worried that he'd look at Jeongguk differently or that the alpha would too, but Jeongguk just has that same fond, warm look in his eyes as he always does.

"Made you some chamomile. Figured you might be sore."

Jimin feels his lips curve into a smile as he makes his way to the couch.

"Thanks," he says softly, settling down beside Jeongguk and reaching for the mug. The warm ceramic feels good against his palms.

Jeongguk opens up his arms in an invitation Jimin has accepted countless times before, and Jimin settles in beside him just like they have a million times before. The alpha's arm comes around his shoulders, tugging him closer until Jimin's head rests comfortably against his chest. He can hear Jeongguk's heartbeat, steady and strong beneath his ear.

"Ready?" Jeongguk asks, remote poised.

Jimin nods, taking a sip of his tea. The movie begins with atmospheric music and an establishing shot of a gothic castle, and he just knows it’s going to be good.

As the movie progresses, Jeongguk's hand moves from Jimin's sleeve to his hair, gently carding through the damp strands in a way that makes Jimin's eyes grow heavy. The combination of post-orgasmic bliss, warm tea, and the alpha’s soothing touch is lulling him enticingly toward sleep. He's vaguely aware of Jeongguk adjusting their position, sliding down a bit so they're both more horizontal than vertical with Jimin practically sprawled across his chest.

"Just sleep," Jeongguk whispers when Jimin stirs. "I'll wake you when the movie's over."

Jimin wants to protest that he's not that tired, that he wants to watch the movie, but his body betrays him with a yawn. "Promise?"

"Promise.” Jeongguk presses what feels suspiciously like a kiss to the top of Jimin's head.

It's so easy to surrender to sleep like this, wrapped in Jeongguk's warmth and scent. And as consciousness slips away, his last coherent thought is that maybe this arrangement won't be as simple as he's trying to convince himself it will be, but right now, in this moment, he can't really bring himself to care.

We’ll see how long that lasts.