Bts Poly Ot7 - Tumblr Posts

Master List

Ten

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: Yoongi brings you home and makes you an offer you can't refuse.

Warnings: do not call the cops, I really did write this softness.

WC: 7.8k

You nuzzled your forehead against his chest and murmured back, "Alpha."

Yoongi's whole world stopped on a dime. He'd been called alpha by many people, but none of their acknowledgement felt as sweet as yours. He tucked you under his chin and marked the top of your head with his suddenly sweet tangerine scent. You breathed him in, finally feeling some comfort as your inner voice purred through your mind. Everything else was still and irrelevant for a long moment, until Jungkook came around the desk.

"Can I take her home now?" Yoongi asked over your head. 

If it weren't for the gravity of the scene you'd all witnessed that night, Jungkook would have expressed unbridled pleasure in telling him yes. "She's free to go," he nodded.

You pulled away and swallowed as you looked up at Yoongi. "Is he…"

Yoongi lifted his hand to stroke your cheek. "He lost a lot of blood. He's getting a transfusion. I don't know what other trauma there might be, but when I left him, he was still alive."

He still wasn't sure if that was the desired outcome. If that alpha had hurt you, Yoongi might have preferred to let him bleed out in the street. But he also didn't want to see you suffer.

"I'm going to take you home," he added, and to his surprise, there was no sign of hesitation in your eyes, only exhaustion. You simply nodded. "When are you coming?" he asked, addressing Jungkook.

"I still have two more hours. We can talk then," Jungkook answered in a way that let Yoongi know there were important things for him to know. 

He pushed it to the back of his mind for now in order to focus on you. He loosened his hold on your waist only to slide one hand up to your shoulder to keep you close and protected. Jungkook didn't like PDA in front of the other officers, even if he wasn't on duty, which everyone respected, so Yoongi merely gave him a smile and escorted you out of the station. He knew he should probably try to cover his feelings in the face of all that had happened, but sue him, he was thrilled to have you in his grasp again.

Yoongi unlocked and opened your door to help you in before he jogged around to his own side, making sure to look both ways before he got into the street. He got in the driver's seat and brought the engine to life, putting the heater on high since he noticed how you were still damp when you hugged him earlier and had only gotten more so since you walked out in the pouring rain, heavier now than it was earlier. He could curse Jungkook for not getting you into something dry earlier.

"Hold on a second. Stay there," he said softly as he popped the trunk and opened his door again. He reached into the back as heavy drops drummed against his raincoat. He found what he was looking for and tucked it under the flaps of his jacket until he got back in the cab, not wanting it to get wet. "Take off that sweatshirt," he instructed when he was beside you again.

"Oh," you mumbled before you pulled your arms in and pushed his hoodie over your head. "I'm sorry for taking it," you said as you handed it back. 

Yoongi stopped you. "I'm not asking for it back. I want you to keep using it. It's just damp and cold, and I wanted you to have this blanket so you can warm up faster. It might be a while before we get home with all this rain."

It was dark inside the car. Even the street lights hardly illuminated his face, yet you were still able to lose yourself in the depths of his gentle black eyes. "Thanks," you said softly before pulling the blanket over your bare arms exposed by the tank top you had worn for bed.

Yoongi smiled to himself as he watched you admire it. That was meant to be a courting gift for you, and he guessed it still would be in a way, but he was just glad you liked it. He had bought it from a shop that made products especially for omegas' sensitive skin. When he finally forced himself to tear his eyes from you, he pulled out his phone to tell the pack that you were both heading to the house so that Hoseok could have your room ready. He and Jungkook had let them know about what happened as soon as they were able, but no one knew exactly if you would be coming to the house. Still, even though it was already the middle of the night, no one was sleeping.

All the things Yoongi had on his chest to say to you, that he had imagined saying to you for the last several weeks, couldn't be said tonight, which was for the best because within minutes of pulling away from the police station you were asleep in the seat next to him. He turned off the radio, not so he wouldn't disturb you but so he could listen to your steady breaths as he drove. He was taking you home at least, and asking to formally be your alpha was a conversation that could wait until you were well rested.

The front door of the house opened as soon as Yoongi's car pulled up, as if Jimin had been waiting in the window seat looking for him. You didn't stir when he turned off the car, so he climbed out quietly, holding a finger to his mouth to tell Jimin and the others to be quiet. He opened the door, and the cool air from outside made your face scrunch in discomfort, but it wasn't enough to wake you. He managed to get you unbuckled and you pulled the blanket closer to you as he lifted you bridal style from the passenger seat. With a simple utterance of his name, Jimin was bid to grab your things from the car and lock up. No one said a word to Yoongi as he carried you up the steps and through the front door that Jin held open. No one but him noticed the way you clung harder to him as you passed by the pack alpha. 

He took you up the stairs and to the end of the hall to your room. Hoseok had prepared a small, cozy nest for you, and Yoongi deposited you directly in the center. He tried to take the blanket he had given you earlier from your body in favor of the ones Hoseok's offered, but you held on tight, refusing to give it to. Yoongi smiled a smug, tilted little smile, but it faded fast when he saw the bruises on your wrist. He resisted touching them to examine them more closely, but he could feel his blood begin to boil as a furious voice rang through his mind.

Who dared to put their hands on my omega?

Yoongi hoped that if it was that alpha then he would die slowly.

"Is she okay?" Jimin asked, stepping cautiously through the doorway as Yoongi tucked the blanket around you.

"She's out like a light, but we should talk outside," he replied, getting up to walk Jimin out and closing the door behind him.

The rest of the pack except Jungkook were all waiting in the hallway. Yoongi stood quietly for a long moment, not sure what to say or where to begin. He was such a mess of emotions. He could feel the pure joy of finally having you with him and accepting him, but it was significantly dampened by the events of the evening. Your exhaustion drained him too. Everyone's heavy stares didn't help, either, when he knew he didn't have any real answers to their questions. He wanted to know just as badly as they did. Instead of meeting their waiting stares, Yoongi sank to the floor and leaned against the doorframe. Hoseok took this as an invitation. "What happened?"

Yoongi rubbed his fingers into his tired eyes. "I don't have the full story. Jungkook said he'd have some information when he gets home." He sighed as he finally looked up at the five pairs of waiting eyes. "You all should get some sleep."

"So should you. You look exhausted, Yoongi," Jin told him. 

"I'll stay here," Yoongi replied resolutely. Jimin sat on the floor beside him and scooted close to rest his head on the alpha's shoulder. "You should go get some sleep, Jimin. You have work tomorrow."

The beta shook his head. "I'll sleep here with you."

The others moved to get into the nest and Taehyung brought them a couple of pillows and blankets. 

"Shouldn't we go in and cuddle with her? Is it okay to leave her alone?" Jimin asked softly after everything had gone quiet.

Yoongi shook his head as he brushed back Jimin's bangs. "Not tonight, love. Not until we've had a chance to talk through everything. She's been through so much, I don't want to traumatize her more by forcing something she's not ready for. We'll wait to be asked, okay?"

Jimin looked up softly at him and nodded. "Whatever you think is best, alpha."

Yoongi smiled down at him. "Try to sleep."

As Jimin dozed on his thigh, Yoongi tried to relax. You were safe now, physically at least, and that was a big improvement, which he tried to appreciate. But his alpha needed constant assurance that it was true. He wished you snored, just so he could hear it from the hallway. Instead, he opened the door every ten minutes or so, just to check that you were still sleeping peacefully.

When Jungkook came home an hour later, Yoongi was still wide awake. Jin and Hoseok too had been lying quietly in the dark while their younger mates slept. On a night like this, they wouldn't be able to sleep until Jungkook came back. When they heard him greet Yoongi in the hallway, they got up to join them. Jimin stirred slightly as Jungkook sat beside him.

Yoongi looked at him with eyes full of questions, not knowing where to start. "Is she in trouble?" He finally asked.

"If she were, she wouldn't be here with you, hyung," Jungkook answered somberly. "The driver was drunk. If he dies, they'll pin the blame there first."

"But she's sap," Yoongi mumbled, knowing how incongruous the legal system could be when Lykos were victims of Saps. 

Jungkook sighed because he knew it, too. "And he's an alpha. It might not come to anything regardless."

Hoseok couldn't hold his concern anymore. "What happened, Jungkook?" He demanded.

Jungkook looked at Yoongi when he spoke. "Y/N was staying with her brother, Eli, and he kicked her out tonight. She didn't say why, but that's why she was out so late. While she was walking she ran into an alpha…h-her alpha. From before. He grabbed her and was trying to get her to come with him. She struggled with him and pushed him. That's when the car came and hit him."

"Hyung," Jimin whispered, laying his hand over Yoongi's fist where it was wrapped around Jimin's shirt. Yoongi loosened his fingers instinctively at the beta's soft tone, but his fingernails still pressed pink crescents into the palm of his other hand.

"I could have just left him there to bleed out," Yoongi breathed, staring into nothing.

"Don't do that to yourself, hyung," Jungkook replied. "You did your job. And if you hadn't she would be feeling guilty."

"He doesn't deserve to keep breathing."

"I know, Yoon, but it's not up to us," Jungkook soothed. "And even if he were dead, it wouldn't change all the things that have already happened."

"He'll never be allowed to touch her or hurt her again," Yoongi growled low.

"She has you now, Yoongi. That's what matters. You can protect her now," Hoseok assured him.

"I'm going to," he agreed, looking Jin in the eyes, "whatever it takes."

Jin nodded. "I'm not going to interfere," he promised. "Whatever you need to do, we'll support you. She's all yours." 

"Do you think she'll stay?" Hoseok asked.

Yoongi shook his head. "I think so. I hope so. I'll do anything to make her not want to leave."

You felt surprisingly well rested when you woke up in the nest Hoseok had made for you. You hadn't even gotten a full night's sleep but what you got was uninterrupted. Was it the faint scents of the pack that kept you calm all night long? Or was it just the bone deep exhaustion and shock? It was the strength of Hoseok's warm brown sugar that let you know you were in their house despite the room being unfamiliar. They had moved, you remembered.

They moved without telling you for a reason.

You covered your head with the soft, fuzzy blanket on top of you and burrowed into the nest. After a minute, you forced yourself up. You didn't know what time it was or where you were, so you couldn't lie around all day. You'd have to get ready for work and pretend like this was any other day. Looking around the room, you noticed there's only one door, so the bathroom must be outside. On one side of the room stood a white armoire with mirrored doors and on the other side, a chest of drawers. The morning light filtered through the sheer curtains gave the walls a soft green glow. You thought briefly about laying back and going back to sleep, but you could hear noises in the house, so you forced yourself up.

When you opened the door, you found Yoongi sitting against the wall across from the room with a cup of coffee in his hand. 

Alpha has been waiting.

You felt the urge to go to his side, to nuzzle him and brighten his tired, worried scent, but you held back. The restraint you lacked last night had returned even if your impulses felt the same. It was difficult though when he looked up at you with his feline eyes.

"How did you sleep?" 

"Great, actually. I haven't slept that well in a really long time," you admitted.

"Hobi will be happy to hear that," he smiled.

"Did you sleep at all?" You wondered, looking at the bags under his eyes. 

He gave you a sheepish smile before he got to his feet. "I have the day off. I'll be fine. I'm used to long nights. Do you want to sleep some more?"

You shook your head. "No, I'm fine. And I have to go to work. What time is it?"

Yoongi frowned and took out his phone. "It's a quarter to nine. What time do you have to work?" 

"Ten."

Yoongi hesitated for a moment, as if he wasn't sure if he should say what he wanted next. "You don't have to go. You can call in sick. You had a big night last night and it's okay if you take some time to recover." 

You shook your head slowly. "I want to have a normal day. Work is a good distraction."

You could see that he understood that logic, even if he didn't want to agree. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Where do you work? I'll drive you."

"The library."

"Downtown?" You nodded and something seemed to distract him, but after a moment he shook it off, clearing his throat once more. "Go ahead and get ready, then come get something to eat before I take you."

You sensed those were each commands, not invitations, even if they were gently given. "I have cleaning clothes at work, but I don't have anything else. Do you know where my–your hoodie is?" You self consciously crossed your arms as your voice died in the realization that you were asking for something that didn't belong to you.

"Hobi is washing it, but I'll get you a different one for now," he offered and before you could even try to deny him giving you another article of clothing, he disappeared into an adjacent room. He came back a moment later with another thick sweatshirt, this one mustard yellow and smelling heavily of lavender and citrus. You thanked him quietly before heading into the bathroom across the hall.

When Yoongi got downstairs, Hobi was sitting at the table with a strange sort of smile on his face. The alpha eyed him suspiciously as he refilled his coffee cup.

"Out with it," Yoongi demanded after the omega did nothing but share back at him coyly. 

Hoseok's smile widened and he leaned forward, sliding something across the table under his hand. "I found something when I was putting your hoodie in the wash just now."

Yoongi looked up with interest, licking his lips. He was curious but also nervous about what it could be. "What?"

Hoseok lifted his hands off the small, tattered cardstock that carried Jimin's contact information. "It looks like she's been keeping it close."

Yoongi picked up the worn business card and held it like a delicate treasure. He turned it over to see Jimin's familiar handwriting and studied the edges where you had spent hours contemplating making contact.

"I don't think she forgot about you at all. I think she might've wanted to come, but was too scared."

Yoongi frowned. "I wish she hadn't been so scared."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Yoongi. Show her she doesn't have to be afraid again. Everything is good now."

"I still have to ask her to stay. I want to do it today. I don't want to waste time and risk losing her again," Yoongi said softly. Hoseok gave Yoongi's hand a reassuring squeeze and held it there for a minute until you came down the stairs and found your way to the kitchen. 

Both of them perked up as soon as they saw you.

"Do you want some coffee?" Hoseok asked, standing up.

"No…thanks. It makes me jittery," you answered timidly before you turned your eyes on Yoongi. He didn't know quite how to describe the way he felt when you looked at him. It seemed cliche to say that time slowed and everything else seemed to fade, but that's how he was feeling, looking and seeing nothing but you swallowed up by his big yellow hoodie, already looking claimed. "Is something wrong?" You asked, following his eyes down to your body.

Yoongi shook his head. "That color looks nice on you," he said through the lump in his throat.

You let out a surprised 'oh' and wrapped your fists around the long ends of the sleeves. Yoongi pulled out a chair beside him and did his best not to stare at you, but it wasn't easy.

"I can make you some breakfast," Hoseok offered, hovering awkwardly without anywhere to go.

Yoongi cut you off before you could eke out a refusal. "You should have something," he urged softly. 

"I can make you eggs or just toast…" Both men followed your eyes up to the top of the refrigerator.

"Are those…cocoa puffs?" You asked with a small, cute smile.

"Yeah, Taehyung likes to believe he's still a child sometimes," Hoseok replied with an endeared smile. "Do you like them too?"

You shrugged. "I've never had them."

"Really?"

"My mother didn't really let us eat sugar. Especially not chocolate for breakfast," you admitted.

"Then you should try them." The omega reached for them and gathered the other things you would need.

You turned your head to look at Yoongi and he thought he saw you asking for his approval with your eyes. He shrugged. "It's something," he answered with the same smile Hobi had before. He puts a bowl, milk, spoon and the box of cereal in front of you for you to serve yourself. Neither of them seem to be able to tear their eyes away from the innocent smile you can't even hide as you assemble your breakfast. They remain silent as you eat.

"What do you plan to do today?" Hoseok asked as you slurped down the sweetened milk in your bowl. He didn't bother to ask if you liked it since it was obvious in the way you ate. 

"Yoongi is going to take me to work," you answered. When you looked at the man in question he was chuckling almost silently, his eyes focused on your lips. You felt your cheeks heat and wiped the milk mustache with the back of your sleeve.

Hobi's face twisted. "Why do you want to go to work? You could stay here and work with me!"

You shrugged. "It's kind of nice to work. It's nice to get out of the house. And I need the money."

"You don't need money. That's what alphas are for," Hoseok laughed lightheartedly.

Yoongi watched you squirm and wondered which part of the omegas remarks unsettled you. You got quiet, and he would've paid you a day's wages for you to tell him what was on your mind. He hoped that some day soon he would be able to just ask you what you were thinking and expect you to answer him honestly. At the moment he was afraid of saying too many things and spooking you before he and Jimin could both talk to you in the afternoon, as they'd discussed. 

When the silence stretched into an awkward one, you hopped out of your chair and took your dish to the sink, refusing Hoseok's attempts to tell you not to.

"You haven't taken your eyes off her once since she walked into the room. I don't even think you've blinked," Hoseok remarked in a whisper.

"I can't help it. I literally don't think I can stop looking at her." The urge to watch everything you did was overwhelming. He noted the way you moved quickly, anxiously from one activity to the next, the way your eyes scanned your surroundings. He cataloged your little nervous ticks, like how you bit your lip or picked your nails without noticing. He observed the way you seemed to stare into space when choices were presented to you and then went silent, disappearing into yourself. he needed to see everything so he could unpick you like a knot, so that someday he would be able to look at you and know what you were thinking and give you what you needed before you could ask. He needed to know how to be your alpha, not just a good one. 

"Are you ready to go?" You asked Yoongi after you'd washed not just your dish, but the others that were waiting in the sink as well. He simply nodded and gestured for you to lead the way to the front door so that he could continue to keep his eye on you. Would he ever feel secure enough to give you his back?

You went out to find Yoongi's car parked by the curb. It was a vintage Impala, the kind with the bench seats. Yoongi wasn't huge into cars, but this one had been left to him by his grandfather and he was determined to take good care of it. It also had the advantage of seating seven, when Jimin sat in someone's lap. He opened the door for you, thinking how easily you would fit in any of his packmates' laps, but he didn't know if you would be willing. The doubt was crushing him.

"How long have you been working at the library?" Yoongi asked as he drove, trying to fill the silence but also genuinely curious to know what was happening in your life.

"Since the day after I went to see Jimin," you admitted softly. "So almost a month."

"Do you like it?"

You nodded meekly. "Most of the time it's nice. I like cleaning. Some days are not so great, but all jobs suck sometimes."

Yoongi nodded in agreement. "I'm glad Jimin was able to help you. It's good you went to him."

"Did he tell you?"

"Of course."

"Oh."

"Hobi found Jimin's card in your pocket. Why did you hold onto it?" That card was in his own pocket now, tucked safely away in his wallet, and he'd hold onto it at least as long.

You shrug. "I thought about calling him a lot. I almost did, a couple of times. I just…I didn't want to bother him."

"We wouldn't have minded."

You turned your head to look at him. "We?"

"Jimin and I are kind of…a set."

"I thought your whole pack was a set?" You wondered.

"Yeah, but it can be split into pieces. Jimin is mine though. We have to be taken together."

You looked out the window to your right as he continued to drive and once again he wished he would just ask what was on your mind, but he didn't. When he pulled into a parking spot in front of the library you quickly moved to get out even though there were still ten minutes before the start of your shift, but then you paused. Yoongi followed your gaze to a man standing in front of the library.

"Who is that?" He asked urgently.

You swallowed. "That's my brother."

"Eli?" You looked at him, surprised at first but then the understanding that Jungkook must have told him dawned on you and you nodded. Yoongi's eyes softened on you. "What happened? I mean, why did he kick you out all the sudden?"

You began to pick at your cuticles with your nails as you explained. "I was staying with him and his fiance. She doesn't like Lykos, so he told me I had to pretend. I tried, but yesterday I just felt like shit and I tried to nest, but she found out, and everything fell apart so fast."

"You made a nest?" Yoongi asked softly, his whole chest warming at the thought.

"Yeah, it was stupid."

Yoongi put his hand over both of yours and stopped your fidgeting. "It wasn't stupid. Your instincts told you what to do to feel better and you followed them. That's so good of you. It's sick that they wouldn't want that for you. They're wrong, not you."

You looked up at him and tried to blink back the moisture in your eyes. "I'll help you with Eli. What do you think he wants?"

You shrugged. "If she kicked him out, he might be here to yell at me."

Yoongi looked puzzled. "Why would she…is he Lykos too?"

"He's a beta."

Yoongi looked thoughtful for a moment. "What do you want to do?" When you looked confused he elaborated. "Do you want to talk things out with him? Or would you rather have him out of your life?"

He watched your face as you thought it over silently. It seemed as though you were wrestling with various thoughts, only to utter, "he's my brother."

"I know that, but people who hurt you don't deserve a spot in your future just because they were a part of your past. If you never want to see him again, I'll make sure of it."

You gasped softly and raised your eyebrows. Yoongi chuckled, "not like that! I just mean I will protect you from him and make sure he doesn’t bother you again."

"Why?" You wondered innocently. 

You'd forgotten his hand was holding yours until he gave them a squeeze. "Because your future safety and happiness are important to me."

It took a moment for the shock of his sincerity to clear from your eyes but when you did you answered, "yes, I think I'd like that. To have him out of my life, I mean."

"Lets go talk to him then," Yoongi agreed with a small smile.

You both got out of the car and Yoongi told you to stay behind him as you approached your brother. You did as he said, only peeking at Eli from around Yoongi's arm.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Eli asked, trying very hard to look at you and not the alpha in front of you. 

"Do you even care?" You asked in return. 

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to throw you out last night but I had no choice. It's my life. You have to understand," he pleaded.

"If you want to protect it so badly then I don't know why you brought me into it," you spat back. "You could have left me alone if that was how it was going to end. I told you I don't need you and I meant it."

"Maybe you're right. I was just trying to be nice. You're still my little sister."

You shrank to hide yourself more behind Yoongi and he took his cue. "Not anymore. She doesn't want to see you again. Just stay away from her," he said evenly, with no obvious threat, but his seriousness was evident.

"Who even are you?" Eli scoffed.

Yoongi glanced back at you briefly. He wished he could say he was your alpha, but he didn't have that authority. Not officially. "I'm just helping her. So she doesn't need you in her life anymore. Please leave."

Eli shook his head. "Are you the alpha she went looking for last week who wasn't there? Is that how you're helping her? By disappearing?" Eli smirked at the slight flinch of Yoongi's upper lip. "At least you're real. I half thought she made the whole thing up."

Yoongi felt you lean into his back and stood firmer. "You don't need to worry about it. Just go."

"Fine. I honestly don't fucking care. I just came to bring her stuff. If she wants to act like a dog, that's on her." Eli shoved your bag into Yoongi's chest, and only that and you behind him kept him from throwing a punch. 

"I hope she throws you out, too," Yoongi called to Eli's back as he walked away. "Asshole," he muttered before turning to you. "You okay?" You nodded and reached for the bag, but he held onto it. "Get to work. I'll keep it for you and pick you up after work."

You looked at him strangely, but didn't refuse, simply turned and walked into the library, giving him one last look over your shoulder before you disappeared through the automatic doors.

When you got to the custodian's closet, you quickly changed into the set of clothes you left there and then gathered your things to begin your work. You made the rounds to all the bathrooms to make sure they were full of toilet paper and soap before you went to check the trash cans. You didn't think you were going to find Yoongi in the graphic novels section. 

"Are you going to stay here all day?" You asked in a whisper as you wiped the table he was at.

Yoongi looked up at you from the manga he had picked off the shelf. "One of the great things about the library is that it's one of the last places on earth that you're allowed to loiter."

He had you there. That's why so many homeless people spent the day there. "You plan to loiter for six hours? Don't you have work?"

"Nope. I'm off until tomorrow. But I won't stay all day if it makes you uncomfortable. I just wanted to see what it was like where you work. I'll leave in a bit."

You shrugged. "It's a free country."

"What kinds of books does Jin get when he comes here?" Yoongi wondered, turning the page as if the question meant nothing. 

Your eyes widened at the abruptness of the question, but you thought carefully. "I've never seen him check out any books. He's usually over in the dvds until he goes to meet up with the other one."

Yoongi smirked. "Namjoon." You nodded as if you knew that. "And what kind of books did Namjoon get?"

Again you thought it over before you answered. "He's usually in the fiction section, unless he's over in the 800s."

"Poetry," Yoongi supplied.

"I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. How many times have you seen them here?"

"Two or three times. Namjoon came once without Jin."

"Did you ever talk to them?" You shook your head emphatically. "Why not?" You ducked your head, avoiding his eyes. "What is it?" He pushed. 

"They're…scary. They're so big and mean looking," you admitted very softly. 

"And I'm not scary?"

"Not the same."

"Why?" He smirked.

"Because you don't look like you could kill me by accident."

His smirk fell into a frown and he swallowed the quickly forming lump in his throat. "They wouldn't either. Namjoon is big and clumsy sometimes, but he's just a giant puppy. He's harmless."

"And I'm an ant next to him," you pouted. The sight seemed to amuse him and you didn't know why that made your stomach flutter.

"Do you believe I would protect you from him, if you ever needed me to?" Yoongi asked carefully. 

You considered it for a moment. Namjoon was part of his pack. They'd known each other for years before you came along. And yet somehow you knew to your core that there wasn't anything Yoongi wouldn't protect you from, even if that was himself. "Yes. I believe that."

"Good," he replied, seeming satisfied. "I will leave and let you work in peace. What time do you get off?"

"Four," you answered without hesitation. 

"Then I'll be outside at four o'clock," he said, smiling as he walked away. 

Yoongi went back to the house to help Hobi make some adjustments so you would be more comfortable. He still hasn't cleared things up with you, but he felt hopeful. And restless. Hobi suggested he take a nap but he couldn't even close his eyes. So in the afternoon he decided to go to the shelter to play basketball with the teens and burn off some of the energy. It half way worked, in so far as he made himself tired, but not much less anxious for four o'clock. When the time came, Jimin left work early with him to go pick you up. 

You honestly didn't expect him to be there when you got out of work, but he was parked in exactly the same spot as before. You wondered if he'd been there all day until you got in the passenger seat. You were surprised to see Jimin, and by the fact that citrus could smell so heady, but the exercise had managed to make Yoongi's scent thick and rich. You could taste it. 

"Hi, Jimin," you greeted timidly.  "What are you doing here?"

Jimin cleared his throat and draped his arms over the back of the seat between you and Yoongi. "Yoongi and I have a proposal for you. If you accept it, then we'll take you home. If not, then we'll take you anywhere else you want to go."

You looked at Yoongi, who was nervously biting his chapped lower lip, and swallowed. "What's your proposal?"

"Well, that's just it," Yoongi replied. "We want to court you."

"Court me?" You asked in confusion. You had heard the words before, but it held no concrete meaning for you. The word meant different things in the Sapien and Lykos worlds, but you got them muddled since they'd never meant much to you. "Like date me?"

"Not exactly. I mean, we can go on dates, but it's more than that," Yoongi began to explain. 

"Didn't your last pack court you?" Jimin wondered. 

You shook your head. "Not really. I don't know. They took me in off the streets and the next thing I knew, I just…belonged to them."

Yoongi took a deep breath to soothe the anger flaring in his chest. He wanted, needed to get into all the ways your previous pack—if you could even really can them that—had gotten it wrong, but that wasn't what he needed to communicate at the moment. 

"What we mean, Y/N, is that we want you to be a part of our pack. We want to be yours as much as you would be ours," he said carefully.

"Oh," you breathed, picking at your fingernails.

You know it will be like last time.

It won't. I trust Yoongi.

It's dangerous. Listen to me for once, please. Do you want to end up at another alpha's mercy? I thought you were done with that. Are you ready for heats and ruts and being breed senseless again?

"I don't think I can do that," you admitted softly.

"Why not?" Yoongi asked without inflection, as if he wasn't terribly interested in the answer although he was burning with the need to know.

You turned your face away from them and shrank in your seat. "I know what you want from me, but I can't give it to you. Please don't ask me to." The tears in your voice broke Yoongi's heart. He wanted to reach out for you, but he knew he shouldn't. 

"What do you think we want from you, princess? We haven't told you yet."

You wiped some of the moisture away from your eyes and made your voice firm, even if you still couldn't look at him. "I can't give you pups and I can't do the heats and ruts. It's too hard for me, okay? So find someone else."

Yoongi's intake of breath managed to sound both disappointed and insulted, but Jimin spoke before he could. "Yn, that isn't what we want from you. Where would you get an idea like that?" 

"I know Hoseok is struggling to have a baby. But you can't use me. Please, don't use me. I can't do it." There were thick tears coming down your cheeks now and Yoongi was going to lose his mind. 

"This is not how I thought this was going to go," Yoongi groaned. You looked at him with despair, and he honestly didn't know what to do except pull you closer to him across the seat. He wiped your cheeks even as you faced him with fear. "Yn, no one is going to breed you. Especially not me. I'd kill them if they even thought of it."

You hiccupped, trying not to sob. "Then what do you want?"

"Silly girl, we want to take care of you. Would love to take you home and keep you in the house where nothing could ever hurt you again. But mostly I just want to be your alpha and know that at least I have the right to stand between you and everyone else in the world. That's all I want." His hands held your face still as you stared dumbly into his eyes. 

"That's it?"

"There are a few details to be spelled out, but essentially, yes." Jimin answered. 'We want you to be our omega because we want you to be protected and taken care of."

"What's the catch?"

"There's no catch," Yoongi whispered. 

Doesn't make sense. You're a shit omega, why you? 

"But why me?" 

"Because everything in your life up to this point has been wrong, and I'm here to put an end to that," Yoongi said confidently. 

"And because it's fate," Jimin added. 

"Fate?" You questioned. When had fate ever been kind to you? 

"Don't worry about that," Yoongi mumbled.

"Well…what would I have to do? To be your omega?" You hedged. "And what about the rest of the pack? I doubt they want someone like me."

Yoongi shook his head. "The rest of the pack isn't important right now. This is me and Jimin. Not because they don't want you. They're more than willing to accept you, but I think that might be a bit much for you. I want you to learn to trust me, first. If it would make you more comfortable, we can even get our own place so it's just the three of us."

"But–" you bit your tongue. Yoongi raised an eyebrow. "What about Hoseok?"

Yoongi smiled softly. "Hoseok has spent weeks preparing your room at the house. He wants you as much as we do."

"I went to your old house," you admitted quietly. 

Yoongi felt his heart skip and then race. "When?"

"Last week. The day I ran into Eli. He wanted to drive me home and instead of taking him to the shelter at first I took him to your old house and saw the sold sign." The embarrassment still burned.

Yoongi's thoughts turned almost violent, but he quelled them. "I'm sorry. I wish more than anything that we had been there."

"I figured you did it on purpose because you wanted to hide from me, so I couldn't find you."

"That will never be the case, Y/N. I promise, from now on you'll always know where to find us," Jimin vowed.

You sniffled. "Tell me, then. What are the details?"

"For starters," Yoongi reached into the back seat and pulled out the bottle of heat suppressants from your bag. "You have to stop these."

"But you said–"

Yoongi held up a hand. "I meant want I said. No one is going to try to breed you. If you don't want to mate in or out of heats and ruts, that's fine. If you're worried about becoming pregnant, there are other forms of birth control you can try. But these things are literally killing you. They just published an article last week about heat suppressants being linked to cancer. I won't let that happen to you."

You frowned. "It's the heats that I can't stand though. They…I don't know how to say it. They hurt me. I don't like them."

Yoongi's face matched yours as he reached for your hand. "We'll help you. Hoseok will help you. We'll find a way to make them better until they don't hurt so much anymore. But I can't let you do something I know will hurt worse in the long run."

"Fine," you nodded. "What else?"

"I need to know where you are at all times. You don't leave the house alone or come home alone. Someone will take you and pick you up from work. Whenever possible, Jimin or I will be there with you, but it could also be Tae or Jungkook."

"You're not going to tell me not to work?" 

"No," Yoongi sighed. "I don't love the idea of you being out of the house so much, but I won't lock you up either. I hope that eventually you'll see that I can provide enough for you that you don't have to work, but I'm not worried about it now. But that's another point. You have to allow me to provide for you. It's my duty and my pleasure."

You shook your head slightly. "I don't want to be a burden. Your pack is already big and I don't want to be another mouth to feed without helping out."

Jimin scoffed. "You will never be a burden. We have plenty to share. That's the whole point of having four alphas, doll." 

You sighed. That wouldn't be an easy concept to adjust to but you'd give it time. "Fine. What else?"

"I need you to be honest with me. I know you have a lot of scary things in your past. I will probably mess up as your alpha, but if I do something that hurts you or scares you, it will always be unintentional. I need you to be open and specific about your triggers so that I can be a good alpha to you."

"Okay," you nod.

"There's something else that I want to help you with," Jimin interjected. You turned your head to look at him. "No one will ever force you to have sex or anything that doesn't make you feel good. But you need physical touch. It's an important part of health for Lykos. Cuddling, touching, scent marking, they've all been proven to increase overall well being."

"We also think that's why you're so tiny. I'm guessing you didn't get held much as a child," Yoongi added. You confirmed his thoughts with a shake of your head. "Growing up without a pack or in neglect has been shown to lead to smaller sizes. That's why Jimin and I are smaller than the others, too."

"I like that you're smaller," you murmured. 

"You do?" Jimin had always felt insecure about his size since many people thought he was an omega at first glance. You nodded. 

"She thinks we're less deadly than Namjoon," Yoongi smiled. 

"That guy? He won't even kill spiders." Jimin laughed. You weren't sure if you'd ever heard him laugh before, but it was a lovely sound. It made Yoongi smile a gummy smile that took the weight off your chest. 

"I guess those things sound okay. I don't really know what you want, but I trust you." 

That sentence made Yoongi's smile stick. "Is there anything you want from us?"

You shrugged. "I don't really know what to expect from packmates, so I don't know."

"Then you'll just have to let us know if there's something you don't like or that makes you uncomfortable. Can you do that?" Jimin asked, and you nodded. 

"Are you ready to go home then?" Yoongi asked. 

"Wait. What about your other packmates?"

Yoongi pursed his lips. "For now, just think of them as people we live with. They won't have the same privileges as Jimin and I do. You don't have to do anything for or with them if you don't want to. Hopefully, in time, you'll all become more comfortable with each other."

"And if we don't?" You questioned.

They'll just toss you out like always.

"Then we'll move. If the eight of us can't blend, then we will separate. It will be you, me and Jimin, no matter what," Yoongi promised. 

"Why would you do that for me?" 

"Because you're a part of us now. We won't lose you. They can take care of each other, but you need us, and I've never wanted anything in my life as much as I want to take care of you," he admitted. 

You absorbed his words. They didn't feel right at first, chafing against the belief that you could take care of yourself. But you'd already realized weeks ago that wasn't really working. You did need him, as much as you hated to admit it. But he did seem like the perfect alpha for you. "Okay, then. Take me home."

Jimin and Yoongi smiled at each other and then at you. The alpha started up the engine while Jimin got out and came to the front seat. He pulled you into his side and you could feel his warmth and let it move through you as you finally set off for home.

Permanent taglist: @lilacdreams-00  @wholockian1 @babycoffeefire @theatren3rd @bri-mal @jikooksgirl19 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @marvelfamily3000 @borahae-reads @yoongiigolden   @staerryminimini @valhallawhispers @m4gg13-g @i-have-no-life-charlie @hellokittiesxbae @pamzn

Taglist: @ellesalazar @rinkud @osakis-gf @scuzmunkie @queen-in-the-shadows @toughbook @zariaskz @chansbaybygirl @cryingpages @coralmusicblaze @alex--awesome--22 @singukieee @welcometomyworld13 @juju-227592 @bangtanflirt @wittyreader @nyrovieeie @welcome418 @guinhosletters @lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime @moon-cupcakes @passionandsuga @zvrjkb @m0v3m3ntsblog @kykyxstandler @writingwithmai @moocow778 @ladyalicesbookstore @yoonseokerist @deejay08 @momoasenthusiasticreader @littlestarstinyseven @bittersweetbaylee

@im-sinking-in-mud @iloverubberduckiez-blog @someshinesomedont @kungsoonie @neverthefirstchoice @kameko-ko @sehun096rainbow

💜💜💜

Before I Leave You (Pt.50)

(Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)

Summary: two different first times, two different outcomes.

Tags: Dom! Yoongi, Dom! Tae, Sub! reader, Trans! Taehyung, Mommy! tae, Mommy kink, Omega Space, KNOTTING, breeding kink, belly bulge, implied cervix fucking (it’s my universe and i can do what i want with it), marking kink, nipple play, threesome, sloppy seconds, dacryphilia, cumplay, cum marking, dirty talk, body worship, discussion of past eating disorders, talk of the m/c gaining weight, dysphoria mention, Near death Experiences, First kisses, Dead bodies, stupidity 

W/c: 15.2k

A/n: suspend your disbelief for this one please <3 Let’s have a big round of applause for the 50th chapter 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 if you told me 2 years ago that i’d still be writing bily i don’t think i would have believed you! Please give this chapter lots of love  <3 it took a lot of hard work to get to this point!! the lovely @imperiussexrex​ has made a little bily discord server over here- it’s basically just a very casual group chat. I also have the recipe for the mug cake that the m/c makes if anyone wants it! 

Previous Chapter - Masterlist

The bruise on Tae’s hip from her first two weeks of estrogen shots has spread like the ink from watercolors. The pink and purple bruise lies over the cusp of her hip like blooming peonies. The ache there turns tender with her showers. A constant reminder of what she’s lost, and what she has to gain.

It’s the end of the day already, and Namjoon’s not home yet.

Keep reading

💜💜💜

Before I Leave You (Pt.70)

(Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)

Summary: The one where the pack goes on a group bender. 

Tags: Fluff, only a little hurt mostly just comfort, scenting, bathing, drinking, drunk characters, recovery from past abused, nightmares, trans! tae, dress up, girl on girl fluff, omegaspace, themes of forgiveness, vomiting, eating disorder mention but everything's good, Brief implied sexual content, Talks of mental disorders, murder,

W/c: 12.6k

Note: The part where it links to a playlist on youtube may be a little distracting if you do not like to read with loud music on! feel free to skip it and then go back to listen to it <3 although it is not the first song in the playlist- hot to go by chappell roan is the unofficial official song of the chapter <3

Previous part - Masterlist - First part

The pack spends the next three days getting drunk off their asses and trying their hardest to forget the last 3 weeks. Everything since you and Hobi found that body at the beach all those weeks ago.

There are no police officers at the door, no red and blue lights that cloud the air, or tense words spat between you. No plans devilish or delightful. Sometimes there are thin bands of sunlight that slip through the blinds and that's a big event. Other times- the big kitchen light shines brighter than any sun. Daytime and nighttime blend and blur together until you’re not sure what day it is or how many days it’s been since all of you became free.

Freedom. It feels like a dirty word.

Young, drunk, and honest, the days blend together. Drinking away the last few weeks might not be the best move, neither the healthiest nor the most productive decision to drink yourselves dizzy until it doesn’t matter that there’s a person buried in your basement, that Jin shot Jimin, or that you almost left them. The truth of love is clean compared to what you might do, what you have done- for the people you love.

For once no one judges, no one cuts you off after one or three or five drinks because it's too much for a pup like you. No one even stops Jungkook from getting giggly from champagne and drinking more than his seizures would normally allow. You deserve it, a few nights of fun, a few nights to live like the 20-somethings that you all are without the weight of trying to survive and secrets weighing you down.

It’s okay, if Jungkook has a seizure that will be the least of your worries.

The hours blend and blur. Jin submits his resignation paperwork for the FBI and has a quick video call with the director, the rest of the pack tries to be quiet but fails several times (once when namjoon pops a bottle of champagne and hits himself in the face with a flying cork, and again when he and Yoongi clink their glasses and predictably break them on accident sending champagne all over the floor. it's not the first glass that breaks that night but it is the first one that makes Jin laugh.)

You and Jungkook lay sprawl across his lap, just out of sight and giggling every few minutes. nuzzling under Jin's shirt to scent his sensitive stomach. Your fingers play with Jungkook's on Jin's hips, and you teeth listlessly at the soft skin just above his belly button, just so that you don't speak or let out an embarassingly needy whine. His hands and long fingers card through your hair and shushing your laughter just barely. Jin doesn't have the heart to tell anyone not to laugh, especially after the last few days no- Jin will drink down every bit of it.

The glass of very good and expensive wine in his hands just out of view of the camera lens, also gets drunk down, and very quick. Yoongi pauses to refill it once Jin's done, he drinks the second glass slower.

Hobi and Namjoon fill out their paperwork for emergency rut leave. Jimin doesn’t have to, already on emergency medical leave and cleared for his bodyguard job till the end of the month when spring will turn the ground lucid and heavy sweet. The winter won't be long now, although the cold pushes at the window and makes Yoongi put the thermostat up high just so that you can all lounge around in your pajamas and fuzzy socks.

Heat and rut leave, even though no one's in a rut or heat. You don't mind lying and abusing the system just this once. You just can’t think about leaving the house just yet. You need a few days to settle all of your instincts and remember that being alive- that surviving is a good thing. That surviving and being together is even better.

It feels like a good thing. It feels like this is the first deep breath you’ve taken in a long long while. Since long before Yoongi maybe- if you’re being honest.

You know you must be irritating your neighbors with the music- but it’s worth it when you get to sit on the counter and watch Yoongi and Hobi bicker over the playlist. Which song is better, which one has the better backtrack, the better lyrics, and the better vibe.

A big black block speaker sits on the kitchen island bumping and although Hoseok and Yoongi might be fighting, they're leaning further into each other with every over-exaggerated scoff like a pair of magnets. it might be midnight, it might be 4am, but no ones sleeping yet. you know too well what waits you when you close your eyes. The nightmares that will plauge all of you, so you keep them open.

It's kinda fun to watch them flirt, It's kinda your favorite thing to watch actually. sitting there on the counter sipping at your drink.

You stay close to Hobi just incase. He hasn't showed any sort of evidence of falling apart from seeing moonbyul yet, but you're ready and waiting if he needs you.

The long socks you wear have trouble staying up to your mid-thigh, thick and cozy, and falling down around your knee as you sit on the countertop, feet dangling and swinging as you look between Hobi and Yoongi. Jimin toys with them, pulling up and pulling down. Happy with the sensation of it. He's equally as entertained by the way that Yoongi and Hobi fight, half joking- half really not.

After the kind of fights you've had recently, you'll take it.

“Fuck you and your love for fucking tambourines- this song is not that good-” Your feet swish and Hobi bens in to peck your forehead and sneak a sip of your drink. You like them sweet and Jin's made each one extra sugary for you.

You don't know where Jin got the mini paper umbrellas from- but Hoseok has a red one tucked behind his ear and a green one in his drink, the same as your yellow one. They litter the kitchen counter along with the juiced rinds of lemons and limes and other mixers that the pack is chasing with their alcohol.

"Oh! Try it Tae, this is like- so you and so so pink" Tae tries your drink too, bending down to sip at it counter level and you watch Jimin swallow hard and fidget. he's so enthralled with the sight of her bending over and sucking that he misses her sneaky hand creeping around to his backside, pinching so hard he jumps.

Hoseok laughs and then does the same to Yoongi. "Oh my god what the fuck-" He's indignant, but Hoseok tugs him back to his side by his belt buckle.

Tae's eyes are nearly comically wide, she asks you what you're drinking, hand on your knee, fiddling with the ribbon on your socks. “I’ve never had a Miami vice before.”

Jimin’s growl is a near thing, a near purr, makes you giggle and tip into him, happy. “I’ll make you one babygirl.”

"Wait!" Tae snags Jimin around the waist before he sinks off to get her one, and even you can see the blush on his cheeks. It's a good sign, Jimin is recovering well from all the blood he lost.

"Help me sit on the counter first?"

Jimin had in fact, heaved you up there when you'd asked to sit, not that you couldn't get up there on your own- but the alpha’s like to do little things like that for you. Tae can definitely do it herself too but Jimin stoops to grip under her thighs, eye contact with her never ceasing, and almost drops her when she takes the chance to kiss him fully on the mouth and you giggle again.

Yoongi glances over at you, at the sound, and your giggle cuts off. cheeks the mirror of Jimin's.

The discomfort passes like it was never there, like he didn't look for the sound, like he's not keenly aware of just how many steps it would take to cross the room and kiss you firmly on the mouth. Yoongi's thinking all sorts of silly things like that.

It's not silly, it's not silly at all- Yoongi is just not quite sure how angry he is.

Yoongi’s all puffed up, swaying but somehow holding onto his whiskey. The counter digs into his hip where he leans and flips his hair like he doesn't know that Hobi's watching. Like Hobi's not biting his lip and staring. It's easier to look at Hobi than it is to look at you- easier to want Hobi than it is to want you right now. Easier to bicker and flirt than to actually initiate anything.

(Yoongi never did like sex or love when he's drunk, he's only ever loved love sober, drinking makes him- stumbly- less articulate than he likes, more rambly. Like his body and his mind are at two seperate tempo's and they won't mix).

“Like you’re any better with your fucking cowbell fixation. It does not add that much to a track."

“Hey! I am a millennial thank you very much, that was like such a meme when I was in high school- like people had shirts with that on it” 

their bickering is funny and it’s so much nicer than almost drowning, than fighting. Jimin’s stitches are still tender but you burrow into the front of his chest, hiding your face from view. Peeking over his shoulder to watch Yoongi and Hobi. 

Your mate tips his head, spits it almost vicious and slurry, “And I bet you had one of those fucking shirts, You and your fucking memes, just because a song has cowbell in it doesn't make it a good song-” 

Hoseok grins, teeth sharp looking and smelling so heady and rich that you tip your neck to the side, presenting your scent gland for Jimin and Tae to burrow into, between the two of them in a alpha sandwich. 

"You thinking about my shirt hyung? It's made of boyfriend material you know." 

Jin laughs from the couch in approval and tae groans but Yoongi's hand tangles with the front of Hoseok's shirt, black, generic. Pulling him closer so harshly that hoseok genuinely looks startled for a second. "I am thinking about your shirt- how it would look on my fucking floor." 

Jungkook swishes around his Miami vice from the couch, calling over to your little cuddle puddle, "Does anyone know what they're talking about?" 

Jin pipes up, almost undistinguishable from where he's pressed between Joonie and the couch cushion. "Are they angry at each other or trying to fuck?"

"Both?" 

"Both." 

You sigh at the same moment Tae nearly swoons, "Let them be."

"It's sort of hot to watch them argue," you agree.

“You and your fucking memes” Yoongi spits again, half a laugh, so in love that he purses his lips to keep from saying it and ruining the (admittedly fake) argument.

He pushes hoseok up agains the center island, lips colliding with his so sloppy and yet with so much love behind them that you see Hobi's knees go weak a little, watch your mates lips work in the way you are only too familiar with blushing and still peeking. As Hoseok's red hair mizes with Yoongi's black and Hoseok kisses back with just as much tension, finally snapping. Yoongi's hands on his hips. Kissing just to kiss. Pulling apart with a laugh because,

"Did you just fucking bite me?"

"And i'll do it again if you don't admit that my song is better than yours." They go back to kissing, and no one pays them heed.

Jimin’s scent swells sweeter and Tae touches the top of your head, long fingers threading through and long nails scratching gently behind your ears. 

"Feeling small pup?" She asks, all quiet and fond with it. Prepared to wisk you away upstairs or into the library room if you need a second of quiet, a second of less stimulation so settle you. you're a little quiet, a little less verbal- something she's come to expect from you in omegaspace.

You shake your head, words escaping you, eyes stuck on her fluffy sweater, the kind of mohair that leaves a pretty white halo, her shorts are more bloomers, ruffled at the hem and dove colored, the same color as your socks. Coordinating. Tae dressed you and she wanted couples outfits. Your hands fix on her sweater sleeves and you pet them once, twice, still shaking your head. 

"You sure?" Tae's lips quirk and you know that she doesn't believe you in the slightest. You press a kiss to her lips, slow soft, near reverent with how gentle you are with it. Her pupils dilate, and Jimin's' growl rumbles all the way to your fingertips.  

"M'okay, just a little sleepy but not like- sleepy sleepy yet." it is nearing 3 in the morning. Jimin's arms tighten around you protective and a little possessive, Tae's eyes go from your face to his. Apparently, she's learned a thing or two from Yoongi and Hobi because her tone is dripping with false displeasure.

“Stealing my pup from me Minnie?” She taunts, and you shiver at the sound of her voice, low, the most normal it’s sounded in days. You’d almost forgotten what it sounded like when Tae teased.

Jimin seems to have forgotten too, because he doesn't seem to understand that she's teasing, bullying you, nearly pushing you further into her with how quick he seeks to hand you over.  “Never.” He says softly, quietly. Like every syllable she says is treasured. It is. 

“Hey!” Jin flops over the edge of the couch. Jungkook and Namjoon near his feet. All but kissing up his thighs. Namjoon says something low and Jungkook giggles, almost tossing himself into the pack alpha’s shoulder. “Hey! If anyone is anyone’s pup, they’re- hic- mine!” 

Jin only manages to be serious for a second before he flinches, laughing and hiccuping again as Namjoon’s fingers dig into the meat of his heal. A carefully orchestrated reminder as the pack omega squirms and shrieks at the ticklish feeling. Swaying and almost toppling from the couch. You don’t think you’ve seen Jin look so young, act so young- in weeks. He ends up on the floor with Jungkook on top of him, blowing raspberries against his neck with a loud rippling noise. 

Your hands are healing slowly and Hobi’s bruises around his neck are beginning to yellow. The bruises on the back of Tae’s head have faded from painful to touch tender. You touch her there, oh so gently. Touching her hair as she touches yours, leaning into each other and giggling, touching, loving gently. Jimin watches blinking owlishly. Fingers flexing on the countertop.

Other wounds have faded that way too. Yoongi scoffs and turns to you. They've been lost in their own little world. Yoongi has his long hair in a top knot, his white teeshirt is so long it almost hides his shorts below. If basketball shorts could be coquettish- Yoongi would pull it off. The loose pieces of his hair fluff softly over his forehead as he huffs. 

“Okay. You can be the tiebreaker- which one’s better? This one or the song I showed earlier?”

Both of them look at you expectantly- watching and waiting, Tae curls a lock of your hair around her finger syrupy slow as you pause for a second. You turn to Yoongi already apologetic, “Okay- but Russian house music is like- kinda really really cool-” 

Your mate groans and all but smacks his head on the counter. “Oh come on!” Hoseok pumps his fist and almost hip-checks Yoongi across the kitchen. Your mate pouts, crossing his arms.

“Come on- epic high is a classic.” 

“Admit it hyung- she likes my playlist better than yours.”

At least Yoongi is sort of talking to you again. Sort of getting over it minute by minute. It’s hard. Namjoon watches you from where he's sprawled on the couch, holding a near-empty bottle of champagne by the neck while Jungkook and Jin wrestle on the floor, sort of making out, sort of scenting each other as they go. Jimin requests a song that Tae would like- and then Yoongi and Hoseok lean over Yoongi's phone to make her the perfect playlist. Happy to have something new and mundane to bicker over.

(Happy Pink Pup Time ▷ Play playlist?)

Morning is just cresting over the rooftops and the music is just turned down when Namjoon gets up from the couch, slowly, dizzy. You're perched on the counter in your pj's watching Jimin and Jungkook chase each other around the room. The need to scent and wrestle and get all your restless energy out near palpable.

Hoseok and Jungkook have a tiny paper drink umbrella tucked behind their ears, the same one that Jin stuck in your drinks so that you can keep track of whose drink is whose. He and Jungkook gang up on Jimin to stick one into his hair, the tiny little baby bun that Tae tied to match Yoongi.

You giggle as Jungkook gives up and just loops his arms around Jimin's neck, no technique to it and all body weight dragging the three of them to the floor. Sprawled next to the library room door, now open. Tae’s makeup collection spread out on the green shaggy carpet like the fallen petals of some red flowering tree. Nothing hidden in the room anymore, the lock will go unused forever. 

It changes from wrestling to tickling and then the three of them are getting up and surrounding Yoongi, a paper umbrella in their fingers, he takes it all with a huff and a surprisingly whiney, “guys.” 

You still when Namjoon walks over, the same way you'd still if a wild animal were approaching. He doesn't settle close, just stands next to you and pours himself the last melted bit of the drink in the blender. Pink and yellow swirling delicately. He makes a noise in his throat and looks at you like he hasn’t barely said a word to anyone in the whole last 24 hours, hasn’t barely said a word to you since you got off the phone with him and Moonbyul left the house. 

You sip at your drink, lips pursed around the straw and when you're done, Namjoon takes it from you and puts it on the counter. You think at first that he might be cutting you off but then he stares at the gauze around your hands.

"I should probably check these." You nod obedient, wordless, unsure what to say, you let him take your hands. 

Fingers prodding at the red skin, delicate but knitting itself together slowly. “How much do they hurt?” He asks. Eyes downturned, looking at them, not you. 

“Probably a two,” you rate, almost without thinking. His eyelashes still cling together from salt. Face glossy. You want to wash his face, blot across his cheeks gently the way that Jin does after you've been crying (something that you admittedly do a lot- the pack's resident crybaby). 

Namjoon sighs heavily, "So should I consider that a four or-" 

"No, this time I'm being honest." Namjoon stills, "It doesn't hurt when I touch stuff unless I'm not careful." Being honest about your hurts and pains has never been easy for you. But Namjoon has shown you time and time again that he's willing to take your hurts and fix them. You have no reason not to tell him the truth. 

Namjoon grips your palm, turning it over his hands again and again, looking down at your love line lifeline all tangled there before leveling you with a look that is neither angry nor resigned.

He holds your hand, “Do you notice?” He asks. You swallow, eyes itchy. 

“Notice what?” His finger presses to the center of your palm, the hollow there. 

“Still dry,” He says. 

You think of the mice. Of drowning. You don't pull your hand from  Namjoon's grasp, but you know he wouldn't Let you anyway. 

You think about the mice. Of dying. Of trying to stay dry despite the things that try to swallow you whole. Water is not gentle, water is hungry. The rain pitters against the dark glass and melts the snow outside. But you and Namjoon and the rest of the pack are dry and warm and safe in here. 

Your breath hitches, but you close your fingers around his hand and nod. Your heels hook around the back of his knees, pulling him closer to you. “Still dry.” You agree. 

Namjoon closes his eyes and breaks the tension and this distance between you. Letting you pull him between your thighs properly where you sit on the kitchen counter. Wrapping his arms around your shoulders to tug you to his chest, and breathing deep in the hollow of your throat. 

He pulls back just as abruptly. Hands resting on the counter on either side of your thighs. All up in your space and sour-smelling. It takes great effort for you not to turn away and keep his piercing eye contact. 

“Don’t do something like that again. Ever.” His jaw rolls and his scent spikes angry. But it's all temporary as you nose under his jaw to soothe him. Namjoon has every right to be angry with you for leaving, the same way Yoongi does. 

“Never. Promise.” You hold out your pinky and you mean it. 

Namjoon looks at you for a second, staring you down, waiting for you to look away. But then after a pregnant second, he loops his pinky through. 

~-~

Eventually, you get drunk enough to play dress up with Tae’s collection of designer clothes. You wake up sleepy and pupish, Namjoon and Jungkook guide you to the dressing room before youre really awake.

"Sorry to wake you, Tae just needed-" you make a sleepy soft noise, nuzzling into Namjoon's throat when they hand him off to you.

Instead of getting pulled into pajamas you get Tae and the dressing room, almost her whole collection of dresses taken out of their careful organization. piles and piles of clothes on the floor, and a silk scarf keeps her hair back from her face.

Gold eye patches on her under eyes that slide off when Jin tries to drag her in for a morning scent mark to soothe her. Tae's anxious, you can smell it on the air, distracting and sharp, you squirm and Namjoon sets you on the floor. "Sorry pup, Tae's just-"

Tae's cheeks were wet, frustrated holding a slip in her hands. sniffling softly. She'd looks at you a little guilty, looking down at you in the middle of her tornado and nearly burst into tears,

"I don't have anything to wear."

Hugging Tae is always so easy, easier when she needs your comfort. you're sleepy, but this is something you'd know how to do even in your sleep- loving her properly has always been so easy. Jimin stands silent and fidgety in between the hollow of her closet obviously having handed her dress after dress to try and soothe her.

"Jimin, give me that dress and that Crinolin."

"The blue one?"

"The one thats purple and pink, stat." You know better than to think this is just Tae having nothing to wear, this is dysphoria, the way it clings to her shoulders, makes her turn away from the mirrors. You straighten up and turn to your pack in the door each of them standing at attention.

"Namjoon, go downstairs and bring me up the case that's under Tae's makeup vanity, not next to it, the one under it. It's got her favorites." You turn to Hobi, "find Noodle, she needs a cat in her lap asap."

Tae sniffles, wiping her cheeks, grimacing but then admitting, "a cat would help."

They scatter. "What should I do?" Yoongi asks, rubbing the back of his neck with his hands.

You pause, hover. But Yoongi waits, willing to be ordered around. "you could make us a drink?"

Of course, you don't need to be drunk to play dress up on a good day, it's just that Tae needed a bit of liquid courage after Moonbyul's words, you expect that they've gotten under her skin a little more than she's let on. But if that's under her skin, you're happy to help her put something more fitting over it.

Skirts of tulle and beaded flowers and stars that glitter brighter than the whole sky. Fancy tambour embroidery that must be worth its weight in gold. Pulled gently, mother-of-pearl buttons get stuck in your hair. Expensive draping and diamond collars stitched high against scented throats. Velvet bows and metal boning are hidden by the softest silk.

It's fun to be a girl sometimes, most of the time. Especially when your alphas ask for you to twirl for them.   Which is how Namjoon ends up breaking the lamp by your couch by tripping over the floor-length bright pink dress that Tae’s put you in. fluffy tiers of it, bright and flamingo pink. Tae's feeling alot better now, after you'd done her makeup and let her swatch colors of lipstick up and down your arms. Let her choose your outfit and change you a dozen times to find the right dress for you.

You'd done the same with her, you'd put her in the red dress and blushed, and immediately asked her to change. And had pointedly not looked at the delicate daisy print bralette she wore under it, the white and yellow flowers that did everything for her skin.

You remember when that bralet was just hidden in her makeup room. Remember when she'd never worn it, too risky, too much of a confession to the nature of her soul underneath. When it had stayed just there- hidden in the library room, ready to be savored. Now- the yellow on the straps wears off white instead of lemony and you pull them up her shoulders, a kiss to the spot where it sits on her shoulders.

Hoseok sits on the edge of the couch- because all of them had tried and failed to fit on the pink tufted bench upstairs in the dressing room almost breaking it so you had to relocate back to the first floor. Hoseok buries his face in your hip, disappearing into the pink glittery fabric. Laughing and smiling up at you. "You should wear this all the time, you look like a fucking peony,"

"That would be like so impractical." Hobi's cheeks are dotted with kiss prints, "if you want to put makeup on me you better kiss it on" he'd teased, getting drunk quicker than the rest. his cheeks have several small kiss prints four from Tae and five from you.

All of you bear her touch, either by kisses on your cheeks, pink and mauve, or by the glitter that tae's demanded you all wear. You’ve giggled and dotted it across their cheeks to match. Tae has a lot of glitter to go through in her makeup collection, more than she ever logically will in her lifetime or even before they expire. It's okay to use them now.

She sits with Jin, the pack omega's arms full of swatches the same way yours were all those months ago, as Tae explains the merits of each and Jin chooses which glitter he wants on his cheeks. The reflects in this one that's green, not purple- or the pink one with extra little heart glittery bits- her favorite. Jin listens on an astute student, Jimin close at his hip, absorbing her words like they're gospel.

They are gospel. After spending the last few days debating survival strategies- debating glitters is so much better.

Jin lets Tae put his on (white, with extra chunky stars) while you put some on Namjoon's cheeks (champagne colored, almost translucent with how it blends into his skin) and Jimin’s fingers draw idle circles over Tae's back. Between the velvet ribbons that crisscross and tie her corset.

Tae's corset is a deep plumb, but the color of her silk dress fades to pink around her waist and then gauzy white on the floor. Her red toenails are only visible when she sways, "Minnie i'm ticklish there." Jimin just growls in response. Half a pur and half a plea.

Are the others thinking about it like you are? Thinking about Tae in a big white dress, a veil across her face? Are they thinking about how lovely she looks in white? Or how much they'd like to see her in a white dress for them? Just like you are?

Namjoon leans close, between your thighs too. All of them- all of your packmates sit in a line across the couch, ready to be glittered and made up because Tae had requested it. Doing all of their makeup. They'd been so willing, so loving about it. They'd even washed their faces and you'd gotten to clean the salt from Namjoon's cheeks just like you'd wanted. But now-

Now the 4th finger on your hand hums sensitive, Tae has glitter across her knuckles. You haven't thought about your wedding ring since you took it off, and haven't thought about marriage at all. Jimin well- Jimin will be Tae's mate- same way you're Yoongi's. But Tae's ring finger is empty, she doesn't wear a lot of jewelry but-

You don't think about your wedding alot, not at all really. Such a brief little bit of time that started easily the worst time in your life, but you remember the feeling of the dress, tight on your hips- how you couldn't move a full step without help.

Hoseok burrows into the fluff at your hip, really- it must have taken a mile or two of tulle to make a skirt so poofy. It sort of feels like you're wearing a cloud. With Tae's ribcage size and your chest- most of her dresses fit you comfortably. This one is probably the closest, and Tae chose it for you.

Tae chose it for you.

You sneak furtive glances over at Tae while you do Namjoon's makeup. Not much, just a bit of eyeliner and mascara for his sparse lashes. He looks up at you from the couch, eyeliner on one eye, almost masculine in the way it makes his eyes look sharper and dragon like. Concealer for the bags under his eyes.

"Your scent went a little sour then sweet, what were you thinking about?" You continue to put it on him, pat pat pat- quiet for a moment where you choose your words.

"I was thinking about my wedding dress."

Hoseok quiets where he's still burrowing into your hip, maybe more a little alpha-puppyish than you've seen him. You don't blame him, the stress of yesterday has you needing a bit of omegaspace yourself. Your back and shoulders all tense in the way that only ever relaxes when you're brought low and sweet by their care.

But not now- not tonight- maybe tomorrow you'll indulge in omegaspace. Tonight, none of you will sleep or be sensitive just in case something bad happens. Just in case Moonbyul's promises were too good to be true. It might be a good night (verging on morning) but none of you trust the quiet. The rain still pittering on outside. Creaking under the doors with cold damp fingers.

Namjoon's fingers dig warm into the spot under your thighs, the squishy bit of skin between your knees and your mid-thigh. Under the dress but firm, keeping you there in the moment and not sinking back through your memories. 

Hobi's eyes are shiny when they look up at you, pinching a bit of the pink tulle between his thumb and forefinger. "What was getting married like? What did you wear for your wedding dress?" Was it everything you dreamed of or could you want that dream again. Who would you want that with, could it be me?

(Hoseok won't have to wonder for long, although he will be disappointed, just a little)

"It was so- so not me- I'd much rather have worn something like this." The dress might be a monstrous concoction of tulle but it's still so cute- so much more- you than anything Geumjae ever put you in.

"Getting married was kinda a blur, alot of people, a lot of talking but- I have pictures of me in it somewhere, do you want to see?" Namjoon nuzzles into your waist, your sternum, and nearly your chest, but you let him. He answers in a purr before Hobi has a chance too. 

"No, I don't need to see, you look lovelier in this, I'm sure."

"I never thought a bit of whiskey would draw compliments out of you alpha," You tease, it's a bit of a change from how firm with you he was yesterday but you're not going to look gift horses in the mouth. Namjoon just shakes his head, rubbing his cheeks across your bodice more thoroughly, almost clumsy in his scenting.  

"I clearly haven't been doing my job if you think you need to get me drunk to compliment you- I'll happily do it again when we all get sober."

"Like that will ever happen again," Jin snorts, then ducks away from Namjoon's /////' We really shouldn't have that kind of mentality look. They can avoid their pack alpha and pack omega responsibilities and sensibilities for a few moments more. a few days more. 

Tae had decided you'd wear this, had picked it out from where it had hung towards the side and she'd even said please. Even if the skirt is so long that you nearly trip over it every time you take a step you'll wear it all night if that's what she wants. Walking is what heels and alphas are for anyway.

You don't look at Hoseok and Namjoon, you just look at Tae, thinking of your wedding. 'I'm gonna marry her one day.' You think.  

The whole pack bursts into laughter, and you realize that you've spoken out loud the same second that you trip, hands jerking to catch yourself on Namjoon's shoulders, regardless of the container of glitter that you hold in your hands. 

When you look Yoongi has more glitter covering him than a stripper would at Mardi Gras. More than they put on Edward Cullen in Twilight. Their laughter redoubles, and when Yoongi breathes out in a huff, his breath sparkles. 

"Jesus fucking Christ."  

Your cheeks are brighter than your skirt while Jin tries to clean off his thighs swatting the glitter onto the floor but everyone's laughing too hard to properly help. Yoongi repays their laughter by shaking his hair out over them much to their dismay.

Jungkook is hiccupping with how hard he's giggling, and you're all drunk and in love, and just- there is no harm in it, even as Yoongi sighs and Hobi teases, "You're like fucking Tinkerbell hyung." 

Tae doesn't do anything about your confession, doesn't do anything but laugh and tip her hip into yours, it's so much squishier, so much curvier than it once was. The hormones that have been doing her job in making her soft and supple. Curves that you can't help but feel a little bit later when she pushes you into the side of the couch, your dress and her dress mixing their colors.

"So, you wanna marry me huh?" She's so much taller than you, especially in the Versace pumps she put on. So tall and willowy it has you stammering. 

"Yeah," you say, a little breathless looking up at her. Gulping as she leans, pinning you there. "If Jimin will let me." 

Jimin hasn't seemed to notice that you're having any sort of conversation that should involve him at all, hasn't registered your words at all, too busy staring at Tae with an expression that can only be described as lovestruck, maybe utterly devoted. Your sentiment and want to marry her- hasn't struck him as strange at all. You guess you'll have to ask Yoongi first but when you turn, his cheeks are as pink as your dress. 

Jin lunges forward, miming the neck of a champagne bottle as a microphone, doing a silly voice. "Anything to report? any comment Yoongi- knowing that your mate wants to marry someone thats not you?" 

Yoongi huffs and it casts a new puff of glitter into the air, "she can marry whoever she wants. She's my mate but- if she wants to yeah-" His shoulders shiver, "we'll not anyone- obviously she's limited to the people in this room but-" 

Jin is giggling and so are you, rolling your eyes, "Obviously- not like I'd wanna marry anyone else than you guys-" Hoseok looks away and then back at you but it's a missed moment. Jimin tugs on the laces of Tae's corset and her slight intake of breath has you looking back up at her. 

“Did you have to do it so tight?” He asks, eyes on you. 

“That’s kinda the point of a corset alpha.”

And then- Hobi slaps the couch. A loud sound but a look says he's not angry, he's running his fingers through some of the glitters there, a little pile, uncovering the faint stain below. 

It's a blood splatter. Faded from where Jin poured a whole bottle of hydrogen peroxide over it, but it's faintly there still. Soaked through the fibers and the foam below probably. Maybe all the way to the base and the springs. 

They washed it as much as they could, but they still couldn't get it out all the way. The couch, like a few other things in the house like the curtains- will have to be dealt with and disposed of one day. It is a kind of evidence. There's probably enough DNA to pull from it to be worrisome. 

“Can we like- burn this fucking thing already?”

He’s progressed past normal drunk to not quite able to stand on his own, might fall over, drunk. The glass in his hand sloshing with every movement as he leans over the edge of the couch. Hobi’s already got some on his cheeks, bright yellow gold that crests the highpoint of his cheekbones and the inner corner of his eyes. It looks like sparks a bit- especially with his red hair. 

Jin grimaces, “It was like totally soaked with blood. I did the best I could." 

"No one's blaming you hyung-" 

"Yeah you did like such a good job. It's just- still kinda covered." Namjoon's always trying to ease Jin's discomfort, encourage him, and that's still true even drunk.

“It's probably still got Namjoon’s cum in it from his last rut too.” Half the pack cringes and scolds Jungkook, but he's recalcitrant. "What? It's probably got your cum on it too- we kinda ruined it before the whole murder thing just saying." 

Jungkook hasn’t been drunk in years, he has the lowest tolerance among the eight of you. He bounces giggly, jumping from packmate to packmate, looping his arms around your shoulders and leaning so much of his body weight that you almost topple over, just giggling. Yoongi huffs, a little endeared and a little worried that Jungkook will actually make you fall over.

Jungkook does this to you alot. He likes to overpower you sometimes- not that the hierarchy still needs settling Jungkook just likes to hassle you.

“Hey!” Namjoon chirps from the floor as Jin carefully sweeps up some of the glitter and a few shards from the lamp that Namjoon broke. He’s too drunk to be properly scandalized. 

Yoongi sits back against the cushions, drink in his hands swirling. Ice clinking. “Yeah, let’s burn it.”

And burn it you do. The alphas try to lift it all together and almost fall over themselves, barely moving it even an inch before Yoongi decides to cut it up with his power tools and carry it out piece by piece. It makes a fucking mess in the Living Room before you lug it out to the squishy backyard.

Piles of stuffing litter the living room floor like dust bunnies and noodle swats at them, playing.

Yoongi's got the kerosene and you've got the match and the whole thing goes up in seconds, much to Hoseok and Jungkook's whooping delight. Jin's bundled in a blanket, but even he grins at the flames and the bad memories that burn away with it.

Hobi almost throws his car keys into the fire too but doesn’t. Whooping and waving his arms as the flames climb higher and higher. Yoongi squirts more of the lighter fluid until Namjoon says "That's enough" because a trip to the burn unit isn't what any of you want tonight.

The eight of you stand around it and watch it burn and then when you go back upstairs, Seokjin drags the mattress from your old bedroom into the big room- just like you did during Namjoon’s rut. Jungkook’s reallocating all of the pack's nesting materials to make a fort on the ground floor. Yoongi gets up on a chair to measure out where the studs should be so that he can use nails to secure a sheet to the ceiling like a big circus tent.

“It’s a fort hyung! It doesn’t need to be structurally supportive.”

Yoongi just pecks at Jungkook's head from where he stands on one of the pack's dining room chairs, "Not gonna let the world fall down on top of you bunny."

Tae asks Hobi to play bubblegum pop and they’re just so happy to see her smiling and acting anything like herself that they acquiesce to even her most ridiculous requests.

Hoseok turns the music up loud and you all fucking dance. You and Tae twirl and bounce, your big long skirts heavy and all big. Stained with a bit of mud at the bottom of the backyard. Namjoon makes both of you twirl and snag around your waists as you spin past.

You and Tae hop up and down, screaming along to the lyrics so loud that when it quiets- your voices are rough and raw. Chests a bit lighter with each screamed lyric, something awful working its way out of you with every laugh, something necessary in it as you grip each other's arms and yell out your frustrations against the speaker.

And by then Jungkook asks to wear a dress too- and then you’re really all having fun.

Yoongi is wearing a pair of Tae’s fuzzy knee socks and is dancing slowly with Noodle who chirps in his arms- apparently recognizing that your mate is too soft and squishy at the edges to be worth the hissing. Hair mused from some very involved kissing that you know Hobi dragged him away for.

Noodle keeps his claws sheathed for now as Yoongi dances although he does look vaguely annoyed. Like he doesn’t want to enjoy Yoongi’s touch but does. Watching you and Tae show Jungkook how to walk in high heels with beady yellow eyes. Jungkook gets it quick, quicker than you did.

Tae just nips at his cheek, a little bitey and a lot drunk. Jin and Yoongi have run out of frozen fruit so the drinks are a little stiffer. You’ll probably run out of alcohol by morning.

Someone will offer to drive to the nearest liquor store which will immediately be met by shaken heads and refusals, just this once- you can have alcohol and food delivered. Leaving the house right now still feels too scary. Too nerve-wracking.

Why would you ever leave when you have everything you could ever need, everyone you’ll ever love right here in this room? Wearing glitter and dresses and matching pajamas worn at the edges from love and cuddles.

Namjoon is wearing your bottoms. The very first courting present he ever got you, pink with red hearts. They're a bit tight in the ass and more capris, but they fit him either way. You watch as Namjoon’s fingers toy underneath Seokjin’s hem, splaying and petting a little higher. High enough to show a bruise that you didn’t know existed that lies against Jin’s ribcage.

For now, you’re all safe, and Tae tugs Jungkook upstairs in the direction of your dressing room. “Come on kookie I’ve got the perfect thing.” You know she's not tired of playing dress up with just you- she's just happy to have another canvas.

Tae has 7 other canvases actually, once Jungkook gets in on the dress-up, Jimin follows like the puppy alpha he is, and then Hobi and your mate, Jin, and Namjoon because they want to know what you're shrieking about upstairs. And come up to find Yoongi sprawled out on the floor, a fluffy something stuck over his head kinda making him look like a lampshade.

"It's not my fault your waist is like- super tiny. My head's just big."

And that’s how everyone gets in on it. Dresses and fancy shirts, bedazzled belts strung low over Hobi’s hip, and a silk scarf tied around Namjoon’s neck in a big bow. Jin ends up in a silky shirt that actually makes your heart stop, a glittery broach at the collar that Jimin toys with and Jin lets him touch to his heart's content. Dancing and dancing and falling onto the nest that you’re all building so so sloppy. Earning your first real laugh you’ve let out in days.

“Joonie? Can you please- I’ve waited forever to get my ears pierced and you’re like a surgeon- and you just look it up on YouTube and do it,”

You slip on someone's spilled drink almost tumbling into Hobi who goes to snatch your waist but misses. Giddy and giggly, “I can do it! I pierced mine once in elementary school but they healed over!”

“I don’t know if drunk piercings are the best idea.” Jin says, at the same moment that Jungkook chirps, “I’ll do my belly button if you hold ice to it."

Namjoon is the one who ends up doing it, with his gloves and antiseptic and numbing cream. You check to make sure Tae’s are symmetrical and then Jimin’s because of course he wants to be matching with her, then Jungkook and Jin, because they can be giggly and ridiculous too.   They’ve got high-quality surgical steal and fancy earrings upstairs that Jimin bought Tae during his mad dash to get her all the girl things after she came out (you're still honestly going through all of it). You give Tae the hoops because you know they won’t tug and pull on her hair and Jimin these little studs with a star on them.

Namjoon does it with a kiss on her cheek and a tiny gauze pad with barely a drop of blood on it folded and thrown away. “Good baby girl, was I gentle enough?” he was, he always is gentle enough.

By the end of the night, you’ve got a secondary piercing, and Tae’s already dreaming about getting more. One at a time Namjoon says, the edge of a pack alpha command in his voice. 

~-~

You wake with a pounding headache and to mimosas and a mountain of pancakes that Hobi practically forces down your throat to keep off the worst of the hangover. Until you feel like you might be sick and the pack piles in around where you sit in the bathroom to keep you company through your nausea. A bit more panicky and serious and sober than you have been. 

They stroke your back and pile the big blue blanket around you to keep off the shivers. But you don’t vomit somehow, drinking the electrolyte drink that Yoongi practically shoves down your throat. Quieter now that he’s sober but still unable to watch you suffer. Hand on your chin making you drink. You fall asleep soon after that again, overly full.

You sleep for 12 hours, and wake to the sound of retching, but it's just Yoongi- in a similar position as you are. Apparently he Jin and Namjoon stayed up while the rest of the pack went back to bed and decided to play drinking games that have turned into a bad decision. he'll need a shower before long.

He's not the only one whose in a bad way. Hobi wakes from the nest room staring at the ceiling listless. Still wearing the fancy designer clothes that Tae put him in under one of his hoodies. and you know without having to ask that he's thinking about her, about Moonbyul. 

But getting over this is going to be a work in progress. Everyone is good one moment and then bad the next, only to be good in an hour, laughing like you were never crying. 

Hobi doesn’t want to move, staring blankly at the ceiling Noodle purring against his hip and kneading him, putting holes in his pants. He can’t move from the nest fort in the living room, half open like a clamshell curled away from the entryway. Can't move until Jungkook gets you and you come close and he finally tears his eyes from the ceiling to look at you. You don't have to say a word to him you just guide him into a sitting position and let him rest his face against the crook of your neck. 

You help him take off his sweatshirt and when he nods that he's  ready, guide him up to the upstairs bathroom where tae is already showering off the scent of fire and glitter. You helped her take off her corset just the same, tugging at the ribbon until it fell loose because Jimin complained that he didn't know how to take it off without hurting the dress.

You strip all of them- Hobi and Yoongi and tae, and get them side by side in the bathtub. A firm layer of foam on the top from Jungkook's favorite purple bubble bath, and have a go at grooming them with Jin and Jungkook. Every inch of your alphas is inspected and tested with teeth and purrs. Hoseok closes his eyes to listen to the sound of them, just after Jungkook man handles the rest of the pack into the deep tub that Yoongi installed for this specific purpose.

Jin's purr is deep, yours is musical almost, and Jungkook's is really similar to noodles. He feels a hand on his cheek and knows without opening his eyes that it's yours rubbing away the wetness there. 

"Not crying cuz I'm sad just-"  he doesn't have to explain, doesn't have to do anything but close his eyes and let you make it better. If hurts could come out in the wash- you'd be able to get them out. You of all people know how hard it is for him to feel clean, the grubbiness of bad memories and old hurts that stains his bones.

And yet, you still wash him.

You rub a cloth over his shoulders, the tense part of his neck, his spine all gentle. Again and again until he starts to squirm- nothing about the touch, nothing about the grooming selfish. You ask him if he's done and he says not yet so you keep going until the waters gone cold and everyone else has gotten out of the tub.

Namjoon forces about a gallon of water down yoongi's throat, but the worst of the vomiting seems to be over. yoongi sleeps too- out of sync.

Love feels so tight in his chest that Hoseok can't open his eyes. He falls asleep there until Jin starts to tug at him, and when he opens them, he finds that you're in one of Tae's slip dresses- the kind that she likes to sleep in, translucent and soap sudsy at the hem where you got wet washing him.

His voice is croaky but he asks, "Have you eaten?" The answer, of course, is no. But he remedies it easily for you once he's dressed and scented sweet. An eye for an eye, a hurt for a hurt, and a heart for a heart. 

You order a new couch somewhere on the third day, blue this time instead of grey- to match the tile backsplash in the kitchen. With fabric that’s comfier this time and actually designed to be turned into a nesting nook when you need it. 

Yoongi puts it together sober and then takes it apart just to put it back together again- claiming that one of the legs is squeaky and the middle edge isn't flush. He's feeling better, less hungover and less angry. Happy to have something for his hands to do.

He still doesn’t talk to you more than a few words but he does ask “Hold the flashlight for me?” While Tae is upstairs putting away her torn-apart dressing room with Hobi and Jungkook. 

And you do help your mate- standing in your matching pj’s with clean hair and clean minds for the first time in days. Thoughts unclouded by terror or anger or alcohol. 

You hold his phone while he tamps down on the leg screws. the sound of the others laughing upstairs, both of you quietly accept for the clink click of the socket wrench. You hold the flashlight, hold it even when Yoongi drops his hands, not looking at you, squatting. It's quiet, Noodle sleeps in a puddle of mid-afternoon sunlight by the front door but it's morning for you- all of you slept till noon. 

“I need a moment okay just- give me a second, give me a few days.” You gulp and look at him. But it's as much as Jin has said to you too. As much as any of them have warned. “Give him time pup, he’ll come around.”

“Let me know when you want the next screw.” He turns around, still kneeling before you, hand on your ankle. Circling it slowly and simply. Petting over the ball of your bone and your Achilles tendon. Looking up at you and not saying a thing until you speak.

“You know I’m sorry for it right? That I regret it right?”

“Yeah,” he says, lips downturned “I know. Wish it hurt less that way.”

“If there was something I could do- something that would make it better- you’d tell me right?”

Yoongi pauses, his lips part for a split second and then go closed, and this time his cheeks go pink. But he sounds stronger when he says,

“Yeah, I’d tell you.”

~-~

But it does hurt less this way. All of your secrets and all your shortcomings are out in the open. Day drinking is either a fantastic idea or a terrible one depending on how you look at it. Because for the first time ever you all talk about it instead of keeping it bottled up.

The eight of you are piled into the kitchen, a second food order sits on the fringes in brown paper bags that Hobi doodles on idly with a sharpie, drawing bunnies and noodle and diamond rings and flowers- endless daisies. and then moves to doodling on Yoongi's jeans. Five days in and still completely unwilling to leave the house- still too scary, too many unknowns that linger just outside your door.

The 7 of them sit stretched between the cabinets while you bounce around above them mindful of not tripping on their sprawled legs, cooking up your tiramisu because Hobi had bragged about it and now they all want a taste.

You spin and turn, ducking and dodging needy hands. Jimin leans forward to sneak a quick peck against your knee when you’re mixing some of the egg whites. Jin gets up eventually to help, disliking the way that you teeter too pupish without a reassuring touch and your favorite baking companion at your elbow. Jin ties his apron around your neck and says. “Tell me what to do” Cooking with him is the most normal thing you’ve done in months. You have enough energy for it once.

“You’re making like a double batch, right?” You’re drinking less, all a little less intoxicated, you’d woken up this morning with a headache that faded and now you don’t want to drink anymore, done for the week and maybe the month. Maybe your whole lifetime after almost vomiting- was that yesterday? Or the day before?

“Hyung when I tell you you’re gonna wanna have the whole tray it’s like- so fucking good-”

“You talk a big game Hobi.” Jungkook looks like he wants to be a part of Hobi's big game. Scent swelling sultry and sweet.

There has been surprisingly less sex than you thought there would be although you know that Tae dragged Jimin upstairs late last night for a bit of privacy. It’s nothing like Namjoon’s rut. Without the alcohol, the pack is getting touchier. It’s strange- you almost would have expected them to want more while drinking but it didn’t happen that way.

Now Namjoon’s hand skims your hip whenever you walk past. Stepping over his thick thighs, squishy where they're pulled together to give Yoongi enough room. His hand comes up to toy with the edge of your shirt, A casual yet claiming touch that you pay no mind. Pinching the chub there and murmuring a quiet "fuck."

You raise your eyebrow at him, a bit self-conscious but still willing to let him do what he wants, "having fun Joonie?" You taunt. He leans forward, nose nudging under your shirt, dragging his teeth over the small swell of your stomach in reply. It's nothing new (well you being a bit chubbier is- but you're learning to live with it).

the mood is light until Jin asks you how you did it, how you killed the don and his beta. 

Your recipe book is open in front of him- and that has to be part of the reason why it comes to him. It’s not a secret anymore. Yoongi doesn’t look bothered as the pack quiets down and you tell them everything.

How Moonbyul convinced you to help her do it, how you actually killed them, how she disposed of the evidence. All of it. Jungkook's fingers come up to skim over the scars on your back and you catch his hand gently, taking it away from them because you don't want him to touch them now. 

It's the first time you've addressed the elephant in the room in 5 days and it feels- 

It feels good to talk about it. To get it off your chest. 

You've always told yourself that you had to kill them, it was either them or you, and they were bad people anyway. Who knows how many innocents had fallen under their hands- certainly more than have fallen under Moonbyuls. 

You did what you had to do to survive and there was no way out. But part of you has always wondered if that was true. 

The pack makes you feel like it is the truth. That killing to survive was all you could do. 

But it’s Hobi who bends forward along with Jin, “hang on hang on- fucking cupcakes? You poisoned the head of the fucking mafia using fucking cupcakes?” 

You blush, and Namjoon drags his finger through some of the whipped cream you’ve already made for the tiramisu. You gave him the bowl after you were done with it and he lifts it up to lick at the bottom, practically putting his face in the metal bowl. Jungkook licks the spoon and Tae tries not to watch his lips pucker. He fidgets, Thigh-shimming where he squirms tucked into Hobi's side. 

Jin's hand on his chin guides the alpha to look up, checking to make sure that he's alright. You don't have to wonder why because last night- Hoseok woke up from nightmares again. 

It was just like your nightmares. One moment you'd been nuzzling into him in sleep, and the next moment his hands had been shaking pushing you off of him. Smelling angry- his caramel scent going burnt and off the more he woke, you'd stayed up with him and piled blankets into the bathtub until he'd fallen back asleep again. Yoongi waited on the fringes with water until Hoseok had fallen asleep fitful- but asleep. 

He'd woken up without an appetite, but when you'd asked him he'd said the only thing he might be able to eat was your tiramisu, so here you are. Nightmares are easy to deal with, Hoseok's nightmares are something you can handle. 

“I bet they were fucking delicious.” 

“Thank you Joonie, they were.” 

Jin and Jimin are staring at you open-mouthed. But there are more questions- clarifications that everyone needs to ask. It feels good to finally talk about this freely. 

“Wait wait wait let me get this straight- Jin’s been working for the FBI for how many years?” 

“Only 6” Jin says at the same time Yoongi says, “6 and ½” and they shoot each other looks before Jin nods, and agrees. Eyes still on Yoongi. Jin and Yoongi are looking at each other with more love than is necessary. And Yoongi answers everyone’s unsure glances.

“I knew from the beginning and it didn’t matter.” Jimin bristles like it should certainly matter but Yoongi squeezes his good shoulder. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” Yoongi furrows his eyes, looking at Jimin's shoulder, and asks Namjoon if Jimin's stitches are ready to come out. 

They are, so Namjoon gets his medical bad and Jimin takes off his shirt. A pair of forceps and medical scissors in his hands as he snips through Jimin’s stitches and carefully pulls them out one by one, wearing sterile rubber gloves but pausing to let Jin feed him more spoonfuls of whipped cream. 

“Yeah,” Jin says, contemplating. “It doesn’t matter. They were so like bureaucratic anyway." 

"You're not gonna miss it?" Jungkook asks, and Jin shakes his head.

"It's not worth it, I'll find something else to do, I've got like a stellar recommendation from them anyway." 

It’s not just that secret that you talk through; you also talk through jimin and yours. nothing hidden anymore. No reason to hide it.

“Of course, I recognized you Minnie- I met you before I met anyone else- Before I even met you Yoongi.” Now that- Yoongi really doesn’t understand. But Jimin is already explaining before he has a chance to ask. And by the end of it- Yoongi wants to drive hoseok's car into the wall, trembling with how angry he is at past you for being so stupid.

“A fucking bar? You met Jimin at a fucking bar and you didn’t even try and hide the fact that you wanted to kill my brother?”

“Well I wanted to hire an assassin and he was there so-“ 

“Of course, she was gonna hire an assassin hyung, her ex-husband was like a total dick- like even more of a dick than Moonbutt or whatever her name is.”

“Moonbitch Kookie.” 

You skim your fingers through Hobi’s hair, checking to see if he’s alright and he nods, catching your hand and pressing a fleeting kiss there. You need your hands to bake but Hoseok holds onto them a moment longer than is necessary.

“God that's so dumb” Jin slaps Namjoon's arm and he realizes what he just said, his shoulders curling in, “wait you are not dumb and I am just stressed because I’ve never made ladyfingers before- please don’t think I actually meant that-” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes, he’s well aquatinted to how punchy Jin can get when he's tired. That’s nothing new. Jungkook spills across Yoongi’s thighs in mock misery, but he doesn’t react beyond skimming a hand up Jungkook’s back, first over his tee shirt and then under it. 

Yoongi turns to you, where you hold a piping bag filled with creamy batter, taking even deep breaths as you pipe out the first few ladyfingers, showing Jin how to do it without getting bubbles in most of them. “You knew didn’t you?” He’s not accusatory. Just surprised. “That it was dangerous, you knew you could die and you did it anyway.”

You nod without pause, “I’d done more dangerous things by then, It was only a matter of time before someone figured out I’d killed the don and I wanted to make sure I got to see him die before they got to me.” 

Yoongi takes a sip of his glass, angry at you for making poor decisions back before he even knew you. Angry even though his anger has nowhere to go that's good. 

“You have to be more careful.” 

“All of us have to be more careful,” Hobi replies he doesn’t like the reproach in Yoongi’s voice. Doesn’t like the way he’s been talking to you. But all the anger and all the pain is healing (it's all just love with nowhere to go. All you have to do is give it time.)

The wounds on your hands are closing slowly- healed enough already that it doesn’t hurt when you hand over the piping bag to give Jin a chance to try. You've done the first 12 ladyfingers and he does the next two dozen to get the hang of it. When Tae asks, you show her how to pipe out a little heart, and then JK wants to make a dick-shaped one and you let him. He gets more of the batter on his sleeve, but you made extra just in case something like this happened. 

Jungkook sits up abruptly, wide bunny eyes dark and glassy upturned at you, glancing between you and Jimin, “What did- what does killing feel like?”

“Oh my god Jk you can’t just ask that.” 

“No, he can ask I just-“ Jimin swallows, and puts his hand down. He's holding a piece of gauze where Namjoon puts the small cut pieces of the suture. Tinged pink from a little bit of blood. His chest shines in the half-light, the little bit of antiseptic glimmering around the freshly pulled stitches on his shoulder catching the light. Jimin’s face twists in pain, but you know it’s not his incision that’s bothering him. Namjoon's gentle as he pulls the last one.

“I don’t want you to think less of me.” 

Everyone’s silent, no one rushes to reassure him, because the truth is that you don’t know. You put your hand over his squeezing- the best that you can offer. Jungkook pushes on, undeterred, “Tell us about the first time.”

“The first time was an accident- it was- before you guys just before Tae went to school- right when she started and I wasn’t thinking. Someone rushed at one of my private clients and I just-“ Jimin's eyes go dark and he picks at one of the stures until Namjoon pushes his hands away.

"You did what you were hired to do," Namjoon asks, and Jimin nods. You and Jin finish the tiramisu and Yoongi reaches out a hand to help you sit with the two big trays of it, portioning them out onto the plates.

"I protected them at a cost." Jimin stares down at his plate, the perfect square on it. and you nudge it until he eats it.   “That music executive” Tae blurts, eyes shining, connecting the dots “you were really quiet after you came back but then you got buys, I just thought-” She goes quiet when you feed her the first bite, letting out a surprised but appreciative hum, distracted by how good it tastes, "This is really good."   Yoongi huffs, rueful in his understanding. “All they really need is one kill on you and they’ve got you for good.” But that's all in the past now, Jimin is never going to have to kill someone again, even if he did get paid for it.

He lifts a fork to his mouth, pulling back after a second and furrowing his eyebrows. licking the cream from his lips slowly, eyes narrowing.

"Okay now I'm really angry, how have you never made this for me?"

"You never asked Yoongi."

"We'll I'm asking now, I can't believe you kept this from me for so long. Can you make it on my birthday?" You blush, bright red, and Jungkook leans over to press his nose into your flushed cheek.

Jimin answers Jungkook's question after a few bites. “It didn’t bother me, after a while it didn’t bother me at all" Jimin turns to Jin, eyes shining with unshed tears, "hyung, does that make me crazy? Does that make me a psychopath?”

Jin swallows softly around his bite of tiramisu, it really is quite good, top 5- if not top 3 on his list of favorite desserts you've made. “I’m not sure. There is an assessment as a part of the DSM-5. I could test you if you want. Although I’m not sure I could be totally impartial.”

Jimin looks winded, desperate from the line of hope that Jin dangles in front of him, a chance at salvation. Jimin has always wanted to know- in that same twisted way he’s always wondered if he and Tae were going to go to the same place when they died- if he was honest to god crazy. Jimin’s always wanted to know what makes him so different than other people. always looked for a reason and now jin might give him one.

“What do you mean by impartial?”

Jin sets down his fork. “Jimin, do you think any of us wouldn’t do what we had to do to survive I mean- Tae and Y/n killed someone over there 6 days ago. Do you think that makes them psychopaths? Do you think that makes them damned?”

Jimin’s chest heaves and he can’t answer Jin, But after a second, Jimin asks again, “You’ll assess me then?” Tae's fingers rub mindless patterns over the back of Jimin’s hand, her knuckles are still bruised.

“The next day we’re both alone in the house.” He grimaces, “It’s the least I could do after shooting you.”

Jimin whines, mood lightening. “Come on, you know I don’t take it personally.”

At the end of the day, the fact that Jimin’s a killer hurts less than you might think, although their pack has their own questions about it, Tae too, although her questions are limited, Jimin answers each of them truthfully and honestly. He'd never think of lying to her about this, not anymore, not again.

When it comes down to it there is a lot you’re willing to justify when it comes to the people you love and the people you choose. You’re all killers and liars and secret keepers. No true sinner and no true saint between the eight of you. It’s a good thing that you have more than enough love to go around.

Enough for a lifetime you think. You’ll have to wait and see.

“You realize everything you’ve said is insane right” Namjoon’s not angry, just tired and full as he sprawls out. Uncaring of everything that’s been said, unthreatened. “Like- actual mafia movie insane right? Are your names even your real name?”

Yoongi can’t keep in his snort. “Of course? What kind of question is that?”

You give them a look, “Actually…” The uproar is immediate, and everyone shouts their indignance and disbelief. All but roaring in shock, your laugh rings high and loud.

“Kidding! Just trying to lighten the mood!” Jin playfully drags you over his lap, swatting your ass playfully in punishment. Your laughing only gets louder. He leaves a coco-colored hand print on your white shorts.

Tae’s in more of a joking mood now, “am I allowed to use this for my next storyline?”

“Yes” and “Definitely not!” are mutual cries.

Maybe you don’t need to know everything about the person you love. Maybe love is just understanding someone’s secrets and loving them anyway. Maybe the biggest lie that Namjoon can tell himself- to preserve their family that they’ve forged through fire and fucking blood is that Jimin only ever had to kill when he needed to. He parts his thighs after he throws away his gloves- not even bloody, and Jimin slides in between them relieved.

His back resting against Namjoon’s chest, a happy growl grumble slipping out as he tests his hands, and Namjoon tests how far Jimin’s fingers can bend. “Pt starts tomorrow” Namjoon intones, a warning in his voice. Jimin nods, perfectly obedient.

“The rest of our lives start tomorrow too.” No one disagrees.

Jungkook is giggly and sits between Yoongi’s thighs, whipped cream on his cheek, they’ve already finished the first tray of tiramisu that you’d made and are making a serious dent in the second one. Cooking for them fills you with that same warm feeling as it always does. Cooking is a love language. food too. Your stomach is full of it.

“Hang on hang on- let me get this straight-“ Jungkook ticks them off one by one on his fingers. “Jin’s an FBI agent. Jimin’s an assassin. And you almost were one too?”

You roll your eyes, but nod anyway. It's truth enough- it's pretty obvious to you that's what Moonbyul and Hyejin had to slated for (privately Jimin wonders what your moniker might have been. Would you have been the flower to his snake? The dove to Hyejin's bumblebee?)

Jungkook points his finger at Hoseok next to you, the two of you share a fork and a plate smudged with chocolate and whipped cream. Namjoon has completely given up on portioning out his onto a plate and goes at the tray with Jin, a fork between the two of them.

“Hobi’s exes are the current head of a fucking crime family- and Yoongi’s like the heir to some fucked up advice column throne thing- that I still don't quite understand but- Has everyone been keeping something from each other this whole damn time?”

“Does mine even count? It’s not like I knew my ex was like- a fucking mafioso or whatever-”

“I mean- I kept the secret that I was a girl for like- my whole fucking life so I feel like everyone else gets a pass.”

Jimin combs a hand through Tae’s hair, looking down at her and rubbing away a smudge of tiramisu with his thumb. And you hit Namjoon’s knees with your socked feet. Your socks have strawberries on them and a hole at the toe. “You definitely get a pass baby girl.”

“What about you Joonie? Any secrets up your sleeve?”

Your pack alpha shrugs. Eyebrow's furrowing as he thinks hard about it. “I think the only secret I’ve ever kept from you guys was throwing out the lease that one time-“

“Oh my god I completely forgot about that-”   “Yeah, Jin hyung was so so mad. Almost as mad as Yoongi is.”

Your mate spills his plate with you quick he leans over to pinch Hobi’s scent gland. “Hey, I’m working on it!” 

His last bite slips off his plate and plops onto the ground. Noodle darts forward, trying to get to it before you snatch him back. Unfortunately, no one thinks to do the same with Jungkook.

The hardwood floors have seen worse things in recent days than some whipped cream and everyone lets out belated 'No!' and Gross Jk' as Jungkook leans over to lick it up. You laugh as Hobi snatches Yoongi’s plate and holds it over his head, almost dropping it on himself with how Yoongi lunges. And Jin holds his plate of tiramisu out of reach of their roughhousing.

You rest your head on Tae’s shoulder and watch your pack bicker and then shoot it out for the last slice of tiramisu. Yoongi wins and licks the tray clean, getting a tiny spot of cream on his nose that Jin kisses off. She laces your hand with hers.

Both of you have lipstick swatches from yesterday still on the back of your palms, the faint imprint of the colors of your kisses that her fingers trace idly, gently. The memory there for now but not for long.   “What about you Kookie? Any secrets tucked up against your sleeve?”

Jungkook presses a finger to his lips, almost coquettish with how wide his eyes go. “What hyung? Me?”   Yoongi leans into his space, wrapping his arms around his knees. “Yeah, seems like everyone’s got a secret but you.”   “Hyung, you know if I’ve got a secret- it’s one I’ll never tell.”

~-~

Please Like, Comment, and Reblog! Every bit of encouragement helps me write the next chapter!

Come tell me what you liked about this chapter!

Series Masterlist ~ Donate ~ Twitter

~-~

Notes:

Trying my hardest <3 I'm admittedly having a tough time right now, this chapter felt very nice to write because it's all about the beginning of the packs happy ending <3

i personally think they should have all fucked on the floor in tae's dresses, but thats just my personal thoughts about it all. this is one of the few times that i have pictures in my head of the dresses that tae and the m/c wear but i cannot find pictures online that match for the life of me!!!

The moonbitch moment made it into the chapter- idk who it was that commented that but 😂 i lowkey loved it so it made it in <3

What i've been trying to get at with most of the yoongi/m/c healing arc in this chapter is that they both need to be fully actualized and fully realized players in their relationship. yoongi does not and has not told her his wants and needs very often in the story- and that changes after this chapter- because in the moment they're putting together the sofa he realizes 'oh i actually can tell her what i need' it's important to note that the mc has healed to this point like- earlier in the story she might have taken any request from yoongi as criticism.

idk if anyone saw where i was talking about the eventual like 50 year end for the story like- where i think they all end up. but knowing that tae, hobi, and the m/c are the last packmates left alive into their 80's makes the conversation about the m/c marrying tae and not hobi all the more like...ah, sad maybe? i originally planned for tae and the m/c to be the last alive but maybe it should be the m/c and hobi- do you think they'd get married after tae died?

i love that tae and the m/c fit the tall and short lesbian niche that i am so so into like- i know i went on a bit about them but they are very in love and their love story has been some of my favorite in this book. i felt like this chapter needed a bit of glitter.

idk if i mentioned tae having her ears pierced before- but just pretend that i haven't!

i added the part with the m/c washing hobi at the last minute but let me tell you that part did almost make me cry so...

i ended up having to cut the after part of this chapter, but i kinda like it better that way because then yoongi doesn't forgive her right away. idk, that was the main part i wanted to work on for this chapter so its kinda good that i get to wait a little bit.

i've been...admitedly, dangerously depressed for the last two weeks, and i think working on this chapter made me realize that working on bily, writing stuff, is legitimately the only time i am happy and one of like 3 things that makes me feel okay, i hope it makes you feel okay too <3

Until next time!

Eleven

Master List

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: You get close with Jimin. Hobi teaches you about nesting.

Warnings: um, a super high likelihood of you dying of cuteness, crying, screaming, throwing up. A tiny bit of angst.

WC: 8k

"It's a nice house," you murmured when Yoongi stopped the car out front. 

Something quiet and grumbly started low in Yoongi's chest. "It wasn't our choice."

You looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

Jimin gave him a playfully disapproving look and then turned his eyes on you. "Hobi and Jin kind of…blindsided the rest of us with the move. Believe me when I say Yoongi and I really wanted to be there and wait for you to come like we hoped you would. But Hobi thought this house would have a perfect room for you, and at least in that way he was right. Are you ready to go inside?"

You looked up at Yoongi, but his expression betrayed no expectation. He would wait out here with you all night until you were ready to go in. But you swallowed and nodded. Might as well get it over with. "Is everyone home?"

"It looks like everyone but Jungkook," Jimin answered as he got out and held out a hand for you. 

"He must be mad at me," you said softly.

"Why would he be?" Jimin asked, genuinely unaware of your worry. 

"Because of last night." You hesitated on the sidewalk, waiting for Yoongi to come around the car before you went any closer. When he got to your side, he had your bag over one shoulder and his hand casually brushed yours away when you tried to reach for it.

"He's not mad. No one is. He was just doing his job," Yoongi told you with a reassuring hand on your shoulder. 

Jimin gave you an encouraging smile and led you up the steps to the front door. The door had been unlocked, but as soon as the three of you walked through you heard Yoongi shut it and turn deadbolt. You followed through the hallway back to the kitchen and living area until you saw Hoseok and Taehyung in the kitchen. The omega looked up and between the three of you expectantly, and when his eyes came to rest ultimately on you, you guessed that he was waiting for some information. 

"I guess I'm staying," you said quietly.

Hoseok put down the knife he was holding and started to come around the counter, but he stopped a few feet away and looked at Yoongi. "Permission to hug the shit out of your omega, alpha?"

Yoongi tried to suppress his smile, but it was evident in his sparkling eyes. "Sure. Be careful, she's very delicate."

"I am n–" Your protest was cut off by the bone crushing grip the other omega caught you in while the other three men around you laughed.

"I'm so happy you're staying. I missed you," he said quietly. The admission left you with an odd mixture of guilt and joy.

"I'll go put your bag in your room while you help Hobi with dinner," Yoongi said as your feet touched the ground again. You nodded obediently, and he rewarded you with a pat on the head.

"What are we making?" You asked, walking deeper into the kitchen.

"Do you like spaghetti?" Hobi asked and you nodded. Jimin joined Tae at one of the barstools and they watched their omegas attentively. "Then you can brown the meat and onions," he smiled.

Yoongi ascended the stairs, but instead of going straight to your room, he left your bag on the floor of the hallway and entered the pack's nest room. Namjoon and Jin must have gotten home just before your trio, because the two of them were both in the process of changing their work clothes for something more comfortable. Yoongi ran a finger over the back of one of the books on the nightstand by Joon's side of the bed. The man read two to three books a week, on a slow week, and he had the habit of turning the ones he completed on their covers in a separate stack. Today, there were two turned over next to another one laying face up.

"Do you want Y/N to take these to work with her tomorrow?" Yoongi asked nonchalantly. 

Namjoon looked over at him from the walk in closet between the bedroom and the bathroom. "If she doesn't mind," Namjoon shrugged.

"Where does she work?" Jin asked innocuously. Namjoon froze.

"Joon?" Yoongi prompted. The other alpha merely shook his head. "Jin?"

"I asked. How would I know?" The leader responded. 

"She works at the library, Jin," Yoongi explained. "How come Joon knows that and you don't? And more importantly, how come no one told me?"

Jin's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. "I didn't know, Yoongi. I swear I didn't. I would have told you, if I did," he defended. Yoongi nodded, wanting to believe him. Both men turned toward the closet. "Joon?"

The youngest of them shrugged. "I have a better sense of smell than Jin does. Maybe that's why he didn't notice."

"Namjoon, don't beat around the bush. Why didn't you say anything? Even to me?" Jin's genuine confusion did the job of convincing Yoongi of his ignorance. 

Namjoon looked like a deer in the headlights as he struggled to come up with a reason. "I-I just…I don't know," he stuttered.

"Try again," Yoongi said, his face as stoney as his tone.

"You knew Yoongi was desperate to find her," Jin said when Namjoon continued to flounder.

"I was afraid that if they found her, Yoongi and Jimin would leave us for good," he said quietly.

Yoongi scoffed. "Please, if anything that only would have made you tell us sooner."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Namjoon fired back. 

"Keep your voice down," Yoongi growled quietly. "What I mean is, I'm sure you wouldn't miss a chance to get rid of me."

Namjoon looked genuinely wounded by that notion. "I don't know why you would think that, Yoongi, but it isn't true. I don't want you gone. I would never…"

Yoongi shook his head. "Maybe not. But that's not the reason you didn't say anything, is it?"

"Hobi–"

"Don't even! Hobi has wanted another omega more than any of us. Again," Yoongi ordered. 

"Just tell us the truth, Joon," Jin added, more softly. 

"Fine," Namjoon sighed. "I didn't want another omega distracting Jin!"

The man in question scrunched his face. "What do you mean?"

"I just…after the last year I wanted more of your attention, not less, okay? And things have been so much better recently for you and me. I didn't want to ruin it by bringing her into the mix. What if she gives you pups? What if she changes everything?"

"Namjoon, that isn't going to happen." Jin approached the other man in a soothing gesture. 

"Damn right it isn't," Yoongi interjected, stopping him in his tracks. "Both of you listen to me. Y/N is staying here for as long as she wants. If she chooses to go, then Jimin and I will go with her. I hope she'll choose to stay here, and we can be one big happy pack. But for now, she's my omega and she's Jimin's omega, and until she decides, until she asks for that to change, you'd better remember that. She's terrified that either of you could kill her without batting an eye, so I recommend you don't even look at her the wrong way. And as far as pups goes," Yoongi paused to stare Jin directly in the eyes, "I gave her my word that no one in the house would breed her, and if I catch you even thinking about it, there will be hell to pay. No one lays a hand on her without her explicit permission. Is that understood?"

The other two alphas only managed to nod sheepishly, but Yoongi felt assured he had made himself clear. Still, he stepped closer to Namjoon so he could speak directly to his face. "If you ever keep something important about her from me again, or if you ever try to get rid of her, I will never speak to you again."

"Yoongi," Jin's voice came out low and commanding, but gentle as he placed a hand on his chest, "don't say things you don't mean. I know you're angry and you want to protect her. I get that. I already told you I'll respect whatever you want to pursue with her, however you want. But you're still part of this pack, and Namjoon is still your packmate. Go take care of your girl and cool off for a bit."

Yoongi huffed and turned away to leave, but Namjoon's voice stopped him. "I'm sorry, hyung. If I had known she would get hurt…I should have told you."

Yoongi bit back another sharp remark and left the room. 

You should be doing that. 

"Tae and Jimin always do the dishes together," Hoseok told you as he watched you shift nervously at the edge of the kitchen. "It's one of their ways of spending time together."

You let out a soft whine, which had Yoongi's ears perking up. "Alphas don't do dishes," you whispered. 

Hobi scoffed. "Mine do. Who told you that?" When you didn't answer, he could only guess. "You'll get used to it. Our alphas aren't like others, I promise you that." When you peered up at him uncertainly, he took your hand and tugged you to the stairs. "Let's go get you settled in your room."

Yoongi hesitated as he watched the two of you head upstairs. He still didn't want to let you out of his sight. But he didn't want to hover, and he wanted to give you the chance to nest in peace with Hobi's help, if that's what you wanted. He resigned himself to sitting on the couch with Jin and Namjoon to watch TV.

In your new room, Hobi turned on several lamps with the click of a remote and you were able to take in the room in the soft light he had designed for you. The light greens and creamy whites combined for soothing vibes. 

"You took apart the nest," you observed softly after taking a look around the room. 

Hoseok went over to lift the lid on a chest at the end of the bed. "I thought you might want to do it yourself," he said when he revealed the blankets that were stored inside like treasures. 

You recoiled slightly at the thought of how badly you wanted them. "I'm no good at making nests."

Hobi frowned and walked closer to you. "Yoongi told me what happened last night. I don't think you're bad at it. I think you just need more practice in a safe environment. You'll always be safe to nest in my house, Y/N. In fact, it's strongly encouraged."

You knew he meant it, but you couldn't help feeling uneasy. "Don't you need these blankets?"

He shook his head. "We've gone tons. I could make each of them their own nest. But these should be enough for you. Besides, this one is yours," he said, lifting a light purple one off the top and holding it out to you.

"Mine?" You gripped the soft fabric under your fingers. It was softer than the one you had coveted last night at Kate's. 

He nodded. "It's the one Yoongi gave you last night, but you probably couldn't see it. He said it's a courting gift, or it was supposed to be but he wanted you to have it last night regardless. He'll definitely get you more though if you like it. Do you want pillows for nesting? You'll have to tell him. He'll get you anything you want."

"I don't really know," you mumbled. You wanted to start trying, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it. The voices in your head had been mostly quiet since your conversation with Yoongi and Jimin earlier. Not gone completely, just quiet, like whispers you can't make out when someone is talking about you behind your back. Then again, maybe it was just that Hoseok made you nervous in the way it was intimidating to be in the kitchen with a master chef. You had no idea where to start, and he was a pro. Would you do something silly and end up looking foolish to him? 

He'd never think so. Each nest should be whatever the omega who made it wanted. But he understood that it was intimate and maybe given your difficulties, him being there only made it harder for you. "I can leave, if that would help you feel more comfortable."

"Maybe," you breathed, afraid of being rude.

Hoseok smiled brightly, hoping to put you at ease. "Oh! Before I go," he moved to the other side of the room to the armoire. "You can hang your stuff in here or put it in the dresser. Make yourself at home. This is your home now."

Your bottom lip trembled so you bit down on it and took a deep breath through your nose. "Thanks, Hoseok."

He reached down to tousle your hair gently. "I'm glad you're here, pup. And you can call me Hobi." He offered you another shining smile before he left you on your own. 

You decided to unpack your things first, casting sideways glances at the blankets waiting to be arranged for comfort. The problem was, you didn't have much. One small bag of worn clothes that you'd bought at the second hand shop at True Life Ministry. You'd never tell anyone but most of it was found in the children's section. After you changed, there wasn't anything left to distract you from the task you had subtly been given. 

You did your best to recreate what you can remember from the previous two nests that Hobi had made for you. You'd slept better those two nights than any other time in your life. And if that was what Yoongi was used to sleeping in all the time, then it was the standard you'd have to aspire to.

Not that Yoongi would want to sleep in your nest. 

Maybe the voices were coming in a little louder than before. It wasn't so hard to let them in when you are alone and it was quiet. You were just debating with yourself about stuffing Yoongi's mustard yellow hoodie somewhere in the folds and wondering about pillows when a knock on the door pushed it from cracked open to just wide enough for Jimin's head to pop in.

"Hey, Y/N. Are you okay?"

You coughed and shoved the sweatshirt into the mess of blankets. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"I was hoping maybe you'd be interested in some cuddle time. Yoongi said not to push, and I don't want to overwhelm you on your first official day with us, but I think it would be nice." 

Yes yes yes

Did he know his smile was so charming? You cleared your throat. "Now?"

Jimin nodded. "We're about to watch a movie downstairs. There's a big chair in the living room. I think the two of us could get very cozy there. We'd be separated from the others."

You agreed, though he could see you were visibly nervous. You joined him at the door, but he didn't move. 

"You can bring your new blanket if you want," he offered softly. You agreed and grabbed the fluffy purple blanket you had been saving for the top of your nest before following him down to the living room. 

Downstairs, Hobi and Jin were cuddled up on a puffy leather loveseat. Namjoon and Yoongi sat at opposite ends of a long couch where Taehyung had taken advantage of Jimin's short absence to lay his head in Yoongi's lap while his feet stretched into Namjoon's. All five sets of eyes followed the two of you as you passed by the tv to get to the oversized chair on the other side of the room. Jimin sat down with just enough room to his side for you to sit, but you hesitated. Instead of waiting for you to figure it out, he simply grabbed you by the hips and pulled you down. 

"Jimin, behave yourself," Yoongi warned when you let out a surprised yelp.

"I am, hyung," Jimin grinned as he manhandled you into a comfortable position. You weren't quite sitting on him, but when he pulled your legs over his and your thighs were touching, you weren't exactly not sitting on him either. He helped you spread the blanket over your legs and wrapped an arm around your waist. Your chests were pressed together just barely. "Breathe," he whispered to you when he noticed you were holding in your breath. You did as he said, taking in his faint lavender scent as you breathed deep, and you felt yourself relax into him. You thought you would feel uncomfortable, but it was the opposite. You fit perfectly into him and he seemed perfectly content to have you there. 

For several minutes after the movie started, he simply let you rest there and get used to the closeness. Soon his thumb began to stroke softly where he held your side. You were facing the TV, so you couldn't see, as Jimin could, the way Yoongi watched the two of you with envy. Jimin knew what he was thinking as clearly as if he could read the alpha's mind. There was room enough on the chair for all three of you, if Yoongi were in the middle and the two of you on his lap. 

After about fifteen minutes, your focus was solidly on the plot unfolding on the screen, and although Jimin's thoughts had been almost completely on you, he could tell you were no longer thinking about the ways your bodies were touching. You seemed fully comfortable, and he decided he could push it a little further. He knew Yoongi disagreed by the dark stare and slight shake of his head that he gave, but Jimin was undeterred. He leaned into you, pressing his forehead to your temple to get closer to your scent. 

"Do you know you have such a nice scent, pup?" Jimin whispered into your ear, smiling when he felt the chill go down your spine. 

"I think it's just okay," you breathed back. Barely making a sound, you held completely still.

Jimin shook his head. "It's so fresh and crisp. But it's even nicer when you get warm and sweet." He snapped his teeth close to your scent gland, and to your surprise, you giggled.

"Jimin," Yoongi warned in a deep voice, not quite a growl, but very commanding. 

"Trust me, hyung," Jimin responded quietly. "You're alright, aren't you, pup?" 

Jimin's nose nudged at your ear, and you began to feel fuzzy and warm around the edges. As he nosed at your hairline with soft sniffs, you felt yourself go from relaxed to boneless. His lips unintentionally skimmed your jaw as you turned your head to look at Yoongi. 

"S'okay, alpha." Those little words and the deep dark look in your eyes were all the reassurance he needed. 

Jimin loved to sweeten his partners' scents. All it took was some careful touching, some gentle prodding to get them soft and warm. Doing it to Hobi was one of his favorite things to do before bed. To get Hobi all warm brown sugar sweet made the nest perfect for falling asleep. The omega always got particularly hazy when Jimin got his way, but it worked for the alphas, too. Taehyung especially got cute and giggly whenever he and Jimin cuddled and the beta got access to his neck. 

Now, he pressed his lips into the soft warm spot under your chin. It wasn't quite a kiss, but only because the intention was clearly not sexual. It was no less intimate though. You'd never known anything like this kind of touch. You knew, or instinctively trusted, that his actions were intended to soothe you. You let him nuzzle into your neck and smiled as you sank further into him. 

"You smell as sweet as apple pie, pup. Like pup pie," he cooed, and you giggled in unison. 

Yoongi deserved an award for the self-restraint he was showing in letting Jimin have you all to himself, but he wasn't alone. Hoseok also watched your every move while wanting to pick the two of you up together and plant you in his nest so that your warm apple scent could soak into every layer. 

"She almost smells as good as she did in heat," Taehyung remarked to Yoongi, which earned him a pinch on the side. 

Jimin settled a little, wrapping his arm around your legs and pulling you closer. He tucked your head under his and let you rest against his shoulder. "Do you feel happy?" He asked so only you could hear as he scent marked the top of your head. 

You hummed contentedly and nuzzled into him in response, and that's where you stayed until the end of the movie. 

"Time for bed, princess," Yoongi said softly with his hand on your shoulder. You hadn't quite fallen asleep, but you hadn't been paying much attention to the movie after Jimin had gotten you all gooey and warm. You blinked up at the alpha just as the lights came on and stung your eyes. "Do you need me to carry you upstairs?"

You were still too fuzzy to feel any real shame, but you denied his offer nonetheless. You accepted his hand to help you up and off of Jimin and found your legs a little shaky, but you insisted you could make it on your own. Slowly and carefully, you made your way up the stairs and went to brush your teeth while the others cleaned up downstairs. Yoongi met you in your room shortly after you emerged, holding your blanket. 

"Hobi said it was a courting gift," you said softly when you took it from him. 

Yoongi cleared his throat nervously. "Well, yeah, that's what I had wanted it to be. I didn't think it would be a good idea to bring it up last night though, and you needed it then, so…" he trailed off shyly. 

"I love it. Thank you." You stepped closer to him and reached on your tippy toes to kiss his cheek, but barely made his chin. "I'll definitely use it in the nest," you added to cover your awkwardness. 

"You made a nest?" He smiled. 

"I tried."

"It's great," he assured you. He couldn't tell you just how lovely it looked and how much he wanted to give it a try. Even if Jimin thought you could use a little push—even if he had been right—Yoongi wouldn't push his way in with you. He would court you properly and wait for you to set your boundaries. "I hope you sleep well and have sweet dreams," he said as he stepped in and gave you a hug with a subtle mark to the top of your head, so you'd feel at least a little claimed. "Goodnight, Y/N."

With that he left you on your own. You stood by the bed for several minutes, listening to the pack turn off lights and shuffle upstairs before you finally heard their bedroom door click closed. 

We told you he wouldn't want your stupid nest. 

With shaking hands, you grabbed the bottom of the blankets on your bed and pulled them onto the floor. 

It's really pathetic that you even tried. 

You pulled your purple blanket over your head to muffle the voices and sank to the ground beside the ruins and tried to keep your tears silent.

The house was quiet and still when Jungkook got home, but something about it felt off. After he removed his shoes, he checked each room on the first floor carefully for anything amiss before he ascended the stairs. He could hear Namjoon's snoring through the bedroom door and assumed all was well, but the light from your bedroom poured into the hall still. Within your room, he found your figure hunched on the floor, draped in soft lilac while multicolored mounds of fabric lay beside you. 

"Y/N?" He asked and you turned your head over your shoulder just long enough for him to see your red puffy face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

But you only hid your face from him, and he knew that whatever was wrong with you was beyond him. So he went to get Hoseok. 

The omega nearly jumped out of the nest when Jungkook grabbed his foot, but he didn't want to have to go over the other packmates to get to Hoseok in the very center. 

"What's the matter with you?" Hobi hissed when he recognized the person who intruded in his sleep was only Jungkook. 

"Sorry. I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with Y/N. I think she needs your help," Jungkook whispered back. 

"What's wrong?" Yoongi asked, his concern not disguised by the sleepiness in his voice. 

"I'm not sure. She was crying."

There was suddenly a lot of movement around the room as several packmates got up from the bed and tried to locate a decent amount of clothing. Hoseok led the way, but Yoongi wasn't far behind. Jungkook and Tae lingered closer to the door while the omega crouched down beside you and gently tugged the blanket down from your head. 

"What's the matter, pup? What happened to your nest?"

"Bad nest," you muttered, turning your face away from him. 

"No, sweetheart. I'm sure it was a fine nest. Would you like me to help you fix it?" He stroked softly down the back of your head to soothe you.

You shook your head vehemently. "No point. Nesting is bad. No one wants my stinking nest."

Hoseok felt his heart breaking at those words, so hideously wrong. "That's not true. You need a nest. It's very good. I'm sure your alpha–"

"Alpha hates it. Took one look and walked away," you muttered. 

Hoseok looked over his shoulder at your alpha, who appeared stunned. "That's not true. I didn't–I…" Yoongi took a step further into the room, but Hobi held up a hand to stop him. He sat fully on the floor and pulled you against him.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure he doesn't hate it. He would never. Did you ask him if he would like to come into your nest?" He wondered.

You scrunched up your face. "No."

"Ah," Hobi replied, understanding where you had gotten mixed up. "Then you see, he didn't reject it. You have a very good alpha. He has good manners. A good alpha knows they have to be invited into an omega's nest, at least the first time. I'm sure Yoongi would have loved to get in your sweet little nest, but you'll have to ask," he explained gently.

You looked over your shoulder at the man in question. "Do you want to sleep in my nest?" You asked abruptly. 

"O–" 

Hoseok redirected your attention with a hand on your cheek so you looked him in the eyes. "Not tonight, little one."

"But–"

"Shh," he soothed you while he wiped your cheeks. "He will say yes, anytime you ask. Don't worry. But I think I should teach you about nests from scratch. You don't know anything, right?" You shook your head shamefully, but he smiled at you. "I'll teach you everything I know about making nests and you'll be a pro. I promise. How is that?"

"Okay," you breathed tiredly. "You'll make me a good omega?"

"I think you'll be the best. Even better than me," he cooed.

"Nooo," you pouted, looking particularly puppish.

"Yes, you will. Look at you. So small and cute. You'll be so good. You just need to learn a few things."

"I'm kinda dumb," you whispered, and if you were a little quieter you might have heard the hearts around you break. 

Hobi shook his head. "Not at all. You've been taught too many wrong things, but that isn't your fault. You'll unlearn them soon, and everything will be okay," he promised as he wiped away the last tears. 

"Y/N, I'm so sorry," Yoongi stepped forward to apologize. You couldn't see just how much his heart was in your hands, but you looked from him to Hoseok, who shook his head slightly.

"It's okay, Yoongi. It wasn't your fault," you murmured.

"It wasn't yours, either," he frowned. "Can I at least give you a hug?"

This time when you looked at him, Hoseok nodded, and you rose to your feet, bones cracking after sitting crouched for so long. You shuffled closer to him, your safety blanket dragging the floor behind you. You were so cute it was almost enough to heal the hurt inside of him. He closed the distance and pulled you into his chest. You wrapped your arms tightly around him and nuzzled into his warmth.

"Remember to tell me when I upset you," he whispered after inhaling from the top of your head. You weren't as sweet as you had been earlier and he had half a mind to drag Jimin half asleep from the other room to make you so again.

"I'm sorry," you answered, realizing you hadn't done one of the few things he had asked of you. "Can we talk about it tomorrow?" You asked sleepily.

He kissed your forehead. "Of course, princess. You need to sleep. It's late. We'll fix it all tomorrow."

You nodded and he let you go, wandering back to Hoseok. The omega had been placing the nesting materials you had used before back in your bed, arranging and fluffing each one carefully. 

"I thought it would be easier if I did it for you one last time, since you must be exhausted," he said after everyone left the room. 

"I always sleep better in yours anyway."

"Have you ever slept in one of your own?"

You shrugged. "A couple times. I used to try. Before, with my old pack, but they didn't like it when I nested, so I stopped."

He fluffed the last blanket just right and gestured with his hand for you to get in. You settled yourself in the middle and let him tuck your blanket in around you. 

"Can I tell you a secret about nests?" Hoseok asked. You nodded eagerly, if tiredly. "Nests don't really matter to alphas." He smiled when you cocked your head in confusion. "They'll sleep in them…most of the time. But what alphas like is sleeping with omegas, they don't really care where. Nests are for omegas. It's about you feeling safe, not them. You're going to learn to make them for yourself, and when you've got it just how you want it, then you ask your alpha in."

"What if I don't feel safe? What if I can't get it right?" You yawned.

"You will," he assured you. "And when you do, Yoongi will get in without hesitation."

Hoseok stayed on the edge of the bed until you fell asleep, which didn't take more than a few minutes, and then he went back to his own nest. His alphas would get grumpy if he wasn't there all night, and he needed sleep, too. 

"Is she okay?" Yoongi asked as Hoseok shuffled back into his spot between Tae and Jin, except now it was Tae and Jungkook. 

"She's sleeping," Hobi answered. "It's a good thing you came to get me," he said to Jungkook. 

The beta cuddled closer. "It seemed like an omega problem." 

Hobi hummed. 

"I really was trying to do the right thing, Hobi. I didn't know that I'd hurt her," you said, his voice thick with emotion. 

"I know, Yoon. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I told you, hyung," Jimin mumbled, his head on Yoongi's chest. 

"Told me what?"

"You gotta push her boundaries a little more than you would because she doesn't see them."

Yoongi's silence was curious, but he said nothing. 

"He's right, Yoongi. She doesn't know any of the rules. It's good for you to be respectful and easy with her, but she can't appreciate it if she doesn't know why. She's kind of like a child, or maybe that's how we need to approach it. She's really like a pup who needs to be taught the right ways. There's so much to undo, but we can do it."

"Do you think we can make her happy?" Yoongi asked, and Jimin cuddled closer to comfort him. 

"Of course we can. She was happy earlier. We'll just teach her how to do that too," he mumbled before drifting back to sleep. 

You woke up early the next morning, before Jin, Namjoon and Jimin had left for work, and you helped Hobi make breakfast and lunches for them to take. You let Jimin get you smiley and sweet–not as much as the night before—before he demanded a scent mark to send him off "so everyone will know I have a sweet new omega."

Not long after, Yoongi came down to the kitchen for his first cup of coffee looking like he hadn't slept too much after you'd woken them up last night. You told him to sit at the table, to let you get his coffee for him, and seeing your eagerness to care for him, he couldn't refuse. He just couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch as you moved around the kitchen that you were still getting used to.

"Will you come sit with me?" He asked when you set a mug of steaming coffee in front of him. 

"I'll make you breakfast," you offered instead.

"In a minute," he argued and reached for your hand, which you gave him. You moved to sit in the chair beside him, but he pulled you to sit on his lap instead. "Can you sit here?" You nodded meekly, unable to meet his eyes as your cheeks heated. He sighed. "Jimin thinks I need to push your boundaries a little, the way he does." He dropped your hand, so it was clear you could get up if you wanted to. "But I don't want to act like that. I won't force closeness on you that you don't want, and that's why I didn't get in your nest when you didn't ask."

You turned in to face him and looked into his sincere eyes. "I know that now. I'm sorry for getting so upset. The truth is, I expected you to reject my nest, like the others did. My past alphas, they never wanted me to nest. They said it made me lazy and dirty. They would tear up my nests if I chose to sleep there instead of with them, and so I stopped trying. It's never been…easy or safe for me. I wanted to make a really nice nest for you, but Hobi said it's best if I learn to make them for myself before I let you in. Is that okay?"

Yoongi smiled, and tucked your hair behind your ear. "Hobi knows best when it comes to omegas, but I will wait as long as you want or need. I just want you to feel safe and happy. I hate that you were treated that way in the past, but I appreciate you telling me. You can rest assured that the moment you ask, whenever that is, I'll be there."

You smiled back at him cheerfully. "And I like the way Jimin treats me. He's right. I can use a little pushing. I liked what he did last night. I didn't know that was a thing I could have and I wouldn't have been able to ask for it. I don't know what's normal, Yoongi. I have all these–"

You stopped yourself abruptly, but that only made him curious. He wrapped an arm around your waist and held you securely. "All these what?"

You swallowed and looked into the narrow space between your bodies. His warmth radiated around you with a light orange blossom scent, like he was trying to soothe you on purpose. 

"I'm not crazy. I just–" you hesitated and he chuckled lightly, but waited patiently. "It's not like I'm hearing voices. I just hear…it's like people from my past, talking to me, telling me that things are right or wrong, but they're always against me. They tell me nesting is bad, they tell me not to trust you, they tell me I'll get hurt if I'm part of a pack. It's like they're trying to protect me and I've listened to them for so long. But now I don't think I trust them anymore. But they're still there."

Yoongi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Did they tell you to leave before?" You nodded. "What are they telling you now?"

"Nothing. They get quieter when I'm talking to you," you admitted.

His grip on you tightened the tiniest bit. "Then it's a good thing I'm here. Whenever you hear them, you can ask someone and we'll let you know if it's right or wrong. You don't have to figure it out alone anymore."

"Okay," you agreed softly. Unexpectedly, Yoongi pulled you tighter against him in a hug. After a moment of shock, you let your arms wrap around his shoulders and rubbed your cheek against his neck. "Do you still want breakfast?" You asked after a minute.

"I think we have some time before I drive you to work," he murmured into your hair, but didn't loosen his grip for you to move away. 

"Are you going to pick me up too?" You asked with a smile.

He sighed and pulled back. "I have to work. It's a long shift. I won't be home until morning. Would it be alright if Taehyung and Hobi pick you up?"

You tried not to pout your lips and nodded. "I'll make you some food for later in your shift, too," you told him before getting up to do just that. 

It was probably a good thing he wouldn't be home tonight, you decided after some consideration. It would give you lots of time and freedom to work with Hobi on your nesting without the temptation of having Yoongi in your nest, since it wouldn't be a possibility anyway.

You didn't know what you were expecting, but it wasn't Tae and Hobi pulling up in front of the library in a minivan. 

"Sorry we're late!" Tae called out the rolled down window.

"Have you been waiting very long?" Hobi asked, clearly worried. 

You shrugged as you approached and the door to the back slid open on its own. It was only like five minutes, but you would be lying if you said you hadn't spent most of that time wondering if they were going to leave you there. "It's fine."

Once you were in your seat and buckled in, Taehyung turned around to look at you seriously, pulling down his sunglasses so you could see his eyes. "Hey, Y/Nie."

"Hi, Tae," you responded, feeling flustered. You hadn't received such focused attention from him since the first time you met and it made your palms sweat and your heart beat fast.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked. 

"I can try."

"It's nothing just…don't tell Yoongi we were late? It's just that neither Hobi or I have ever been to this library and we got a little lost. We didn't mean to worry you."

You sighed in relief and smiled. "There's nothing to tell," you agreed. 

"So, Y/N, how are you?" Hobi asked, turning to look at you as Tae put the car in drive. "You look tired. No offense."

"None taken. I'm exhausted actually," you admitted. 

"I can't imagine. You couldn't pay me enough to get a job," he groaned. 

"House work is…well, work. I'm cleaning all day too, it's just somewhere else."

"Yeah, but I can stop and take a nap whenever I want. And all the scents. Honestly, never mind all the strange alphas and betas, I just think saps smell so off. I couldn't be around it all day."

You frowned as you considered it. "I guess I've never really thought about it. I kind of learned to tune it out. Like, sense of smell is one of the things we have since we're young right? And it sets us apart from saps, so like, when I figured out that it wasn't normal, I learned to shut the hell up about it, yknow? And I guess I'm just so used to being around saps that I don't notice it as much."

Hoseok turned around again to look at you. "Y/N?"

"Yeah?" You'd gotten a little lost in your train of thought but he pulled you back. 

"There's nothing abnormal about our sense of smell."

You stared at him innocently, slowly blinking. "Right."

"I know you were raised with them, and they probably taught you that you were different, but it goes both ways. To us, they're different," Hoseok told you pointedly.

"Yeah. That makes sense." You felt tears warm your eyes, so you looked down at your knees. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Hobi reached a hand out to touch yours while you picked nervously at your fingers. "Hey, it's alright. I'm gonna teach you everything you need to know. It's a clean slate, Y/N. From now on, you're one of us."

But what if I'm no good at being one of you?

"Anyway, it's good that you're tired. The nesting will come more naturally that way," he said after turning to the front. 

"The nests I've been making for you have been meant for emotional comfort, because you needed that," Hobi explained as you stood in your bedroom. "It's okay if you want to keep sleeping that way. But if you want to get more comfortable and confident and eventually let Yoongi and Jimin sleep with you, you'll have to figure out how you want your nest on a day-to-day basis. Personally, I'm all about textures and scents, but you might find other things comforting."

You stared blankly at the bare mattress like a blank canvas before you. "Then where do I start?"

Hobi thought about it. He'd never actually taught someone to nest before. He couldn't say anyone had actually taught him, step-by-step. He'd just picked things up from the nests he had as a child and his own experimentation and then tried new things as his nest always seemed to expand for new packmates. "Well, I like to have a nice thick blanket or a comforter as a base. It gives you something to sort of…I don't know, wiggle into? But a future tip: Jimin is a furnace so it's best to avoid fleece when he's around, unless you want to be drenched in sweat."

"Mmm…won't you miss them in your nest, if they come over to mine?" You pondered shyly. 

Hobi patted your head. "Believe me, I have plenty of boys to keep me warm at night." He went into the chest at the foot of your bed and brought out a light blue comforter. "Here, give this a try."

You laid it over the bed and looked to Hobi for what's next. 

"This might be a personal preference, I don't really know, but this would be when I build a perimeter. The perimeter determines how big your nest is. It doesn't have to be defined, necessarily. You can just say, 'this whole bed is my nest, and that's the end of it.' But I think that's kind of the part that's most important to alphas if they're sleeping in the nest. They need to know what's inside and outside the nest and who can and can't pass through. Especially during heats and ruts. Even during your heat, Yoongi might get antsy about the security of your nest."

You blushed at the idea. 

Would Yoongi be coming into the nest by my next heat? 

It could happen anytime, since he made you go off the pills. 

They're bad for me. 

"Y/N?" 

"Uh, sorry. What would make a good perimeter?" You pushed your voices aside to focus. 

"Anything you want. I usually do bunched up blankets and things that have been scented by the boys, including clothes, especially if Jungkook or Yoongi is going to be out when we go to bed."

You twisted up a thinner blanket and arranged it near the edge of the bed, but Hobi could see your uncertainty. "Here's how I do it," he offered, and showed you his technique. 

"Why don't you get in and see how it feels?" He said after you had set your perimeter. You climbed into the middle and laid on your back, looking up at the popcorn ceiling. "How does it feel?"

You shouldn't be doing this. 

"Fine."

"Pup, there's no point in being vague or dishonest. It's your nest, not mine. Make it for your comfort. Take a minute and think about how it feels," he instructed. 

Empty. 

"It feels empty," you sighed. 

Hoseok nodded. "You can pull in the perimeter, and it probably won't feel so empty if someone else is with you. But honestly…"

"What?" You wondered when he hesitated. 

"I think you might just be a pillow girl," he shrugged. 

"A what?" 

"A pillow girl. I think you might just need lots of things to cuddle with. Lucky for you your tiny pack is very into that, but in the meantime, you need pillows."

"Tiny pack?" You questioned with a lifted brow. 

"Yeah. The three of you," he brought his thumb and forefinger close together. "Tiny."

"I mean, yeah I know I am, but they aren't," you defended. 

Hobi looked at you adoringly. "Sure, pup. You sit tight. I'm going to get some pillows." He rushed out of the room. You stayed in the nest and listened to his footsteps rush down the stairs and around the house. Eventually he came back and dumped several pillows on you.

"Sorry, I know they smell like the pack. But just test them out and if the feel is right we can wash them."

You felt the fabric under your fingertips and puffed up one of the pillows. "I don't want to take all your pillows."

He waved his hand at you. "Most of these are from the couches downstairs. Oh! Wait!"

He left again and you began arranging the pillows around you in an oval shape. Ones that smelled more like Yoongi, Jimin or Hoseok you put toward your head, while the others you put toward your feet. You already felt more comforted by them, less empty. You were about to start snuggling into them when Hobi returned.

"Here," he said, holding out two pillows. "They're Jimin and Yoongi's."

"But they need pillows."

"Give me yours and I'll replace them."

You frowned. "But then my scent will be in your nest…"

Hobi smiled. "Duh."

Your cheeks heated as you took the pillows and exchanged them for yours. He took them and hugged them to his chest as he watched you settle in. You wiggled around a bit, fluffing pillows and adjusting them just right. It didn't take long for Hobi to see that it was working. You made small rumbly noises and little chirps as you got everything perfect for you. Pretty soon it seemed you had forgotten he was there entirely as you rubbed your face into Yoongi's pillow and relaxed against the nest.

"That's a good lil pup. I'll make sure to tell your alpha you need pillows, not blankets. Rest for a little while," he said softly, not really wanting to disturb your peace. You smiled at him hazily before he left the room, and in minutes you fell asleep.

Permanent taglist: @lilacdreams-00   @wholockian1 @babycoffeefire @theatren3rd @bri-mal @jikooksgirl19 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @marvelfamily3000 @borahae-reads @yoongiigolden   @staerryminimini @valhallawhispers @m4gg13-g @i-have-no-life-charlie @pamzn

Taglist: @ellesalazar @rinkud @osakis-gf @scuzmunkie @queen-in-the-shadows @toughbook @btskzfav @chansbaybygirl @cryingpages @coralmusicblaze @alex--awesome--22 @singukieee @welcometomyworld13 @juju-227592 @bangtanflirt @wittyreader @nyrovieeie @welcome418 @guinhosletters @lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime @moon-cupcakes @passionandsuga @zvrjkb @m0v3m3ntsblog @kykyxstandler @writingwithmai @moocow778 @ladyalicesbookstore @yoonseokerist @deejay08 @momoasenthusiasticreader @littlestarstinyseven @bittersweetbaylee @im-sinking-in-mud @iloverubberduckiez-blog @someshinesomedont @kungsoonie @neverthefirstchoice @kameko-ko @sehun096rainbow

Master List

Twelve

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: Yoongi takes you on a date

Warnings: slight angst (mostly talking about her past), mentions of past abuse, homelessness, fear of abandonment

Honestly yall its a lot of yoongi and oc being freakin soft 😩

Yoongi was only slightly disappointed to find you awake and making breakfast with Hobi in the kitchen when he came in after eight in the morning. He'd kind of been hoping to be able to take a peek at you in your nest, just to see for himself that you were as safe and cozy as his other omega had promised (many times) that you were last night. Although he hadn't been gripped by the same agonizing fear he had known for the month you were gone, he still hated being away from you so long last night, and he'd texted both Jimin and Hoseok multiple times last to assuage his anxiety (and his guilt). They'd promised him that you had nested just fine, had eaten well and seemed perfectly happy with Jimin's company before peacefully going to sleep. It was cute just how much he worried about the details. 

"Yoongi!" You said his name brightly when you saw him and rushed over to give him a hug. You were too energized from a good night's sleep and the cup of fresh squeezed orange juice Taehyung gave you to be self conscious about it. You didn't seem to notice the flour on your cheek until Yoongi brushed it off with a smile. "Oh sorry. I'm probably getting you dirty," you said as you tried to pull away. He held you close. 

"I don't mind. Good morning," he hummed as he rubbed his chin over the top of your head. 

"M-morning." Yoongi's arms tightening around you turned to jelly when you'd been solid only moments ago. 

How can he be so warm? He must be tired and hungry.

"Can I get you some pancakes?" You offered, and he finally loosened his hold.

"Only if you eat some with me. Have you eaten yet?" 

You shook your head. "But I need to help Hobi."

The omega waved a hand at you without looking back. "I can handle it. If your alpha says eat, then it's time to eat. Which you know. She kept saying she didn't want to eat until you got here," he added just to make you squirm. A small whine escaped your throat, drawing the attention of all the men, whether they intended to look your way or not. "Careful, girl. Your whines have power here," Hobi smirked as he set two plates in front of you and Yoongi on the counter. 

You sat down and ate quietly for a few minutes while Yoongi tried and failed to pretend he was paying more attention to the food than to you. Jin and Jungkook were laying on the couch, nearly falling back asleep after stuffing themselves before anyone else got up. Jimin had gotten up to take your place helping Hobi while Taehyung and Namjoon sat at the table sharing the newspaper. 

"What do you want to do today?" Yoongi asked after several minutes. 

You swallowed and cleared your throat. "I have to work later."

Yoongi's fork froze halfway to his mouth. "What? why?"

You shrugged. "I work Saturdays."

"You work six hours a day, six days a week?" You nodded. "That's too much."

"I-I thought you d-didn't mind me working…"

Screwed it up already. Now you'll see how he really feels. The pancakes in your stomach turned to lead. 

Yoongi could see you getting nervous, watched you grow even smaller. "No. No, I don't," he managed, forcing his voice to be calm. "I don't mind you working if it's what you want.  But that's a lot. Thirty-six hours is almost full time but no benefits. That just seems…sketchy."

You tilted your head at him. "What do you mean?"

"Just that it seems like your employer is taking advantage of you. Do you get any benefits?"

"Well, I get heat leave."

"But what about health insurance? Vacation? Extended sick leave? What if you get pregnant?" Yoongi could feel all the air leave the room and wished he could take the words back.

You shook you head and spoke softly, "Yoongi, I'm not–"

"I know. I didn't mean that. I'm an idiot. I swear I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying, those are things you'd expect in a full-time job."

You shrugged. "It's not like I have a lot of options, Yoongi."

"I know," he sighed. "I just want you to be treated fairly."

You stood from your stool and walked toward the stairs. "People like me don't get treated fairly."

Yoongi got up and followed you, catching your arm as gently as he could. "I'm sorry. For what I said and how I said it. I know that you've been doing the best you could, and I have no right to judge that. Everything is okay." His hand laid hot against your neck, thumb stroking just the bottom edge of your scent gland. When he felt your shoulders relax, so did his. "Come finish your breakfast, and when you're ready I'll take you to work."

You turned worried eyes up at him. "You worked so hard, alpha. You must be tired. I'll finish, but then you need to go to sleep. Jimin and Tae will take me."

The corners of Yoongi's mouth turned up in a placating smile. "Okay."

He watched you walk back to your seat at the counter and pick up your fork, ignoring the eyes of the others as he joined you. He wanted to talk it through with you more, but he wasn't going to make you do it in front of everyone, and he didn't want to get into an argument before you went to work all day. Instead, he asked you how your night was and what you did the day before, and you plastered on a smile that slowly became more natural while you told him all about nesting and your newfound love of pillows.

When you'd both finished eating, you took your plates and washed them along with the others, no matter what Hobi said. You couldn't sit down and relax now. Doing so would only create nervous energy you wouldn't be able to dispel. You'd have to spend the rest of your day in motion. Yoongi followed you again when you went up the stairs to change for work, and you'd be lying if you said it wasn't a little annoying.

At the top of the stairs you turned to look at him. "Are you going to follow me around all day?" You snapped. 

Yoongi took a step back. He honestly didn't even realize how close he was. "I'm sorry. I wasn't intending to." He rubbed a hand over his eyes and you could see how tired he was. 

You crossed your arms over your chest. "What are you doing?"

He sighed. "I was going to sleep like you'd suggested. I think I was following you because…"

He wants to sleep in my nest. 

The realization dawned on both of you. "It's not time yet," you said softly, but eased your defensive stance. 

Yoongi met your eyes with equal tenderness and smiled a little. "Yet?"

"Yet," you confirmed.

Somehow the idea that there was a future nest he would be invited into was enough for him. "That's alright."

You turned on your heel to walk to your room, but he called you back. "Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?"

"A date?"

"Yeah. If you don't have any plans."

You raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

He chuckled. "Well, I told you we could date as part of our courtship, and I would like to get to know you better."

"But…" you looked at him with an expression of such utter confusion that he wished he had a camera to document it. 

"But what?"

"I just…I don't want you to force yourself to take me on a date if you aren't attracted to me."

It was Yoongi's turn to be utterly lost. "Whatever gave you the idea that I'm not attracted to you? I'm your alpha."

"Yeah, I know, but I feel like you're just doing this, taking me in because you want to protect me, because I'm so helpless and pathetic. And you were so cool about not breeding me. Plus you have all the guys, and so I just guessed you weren't thinking of me that way." You wilted under Yoongi's amused gaze. 

He snorted. "Princess, I do want to protect you because you are incredibly vulnerable, but that doesn't change my attraction to you one bit. And there's a whole world of intimacy between protecting you and breeding you. It's vast and we should go slow, but a date is a good start. That is, unless you aren't attracted to me."

Blood rushed to your face as you felt put on the spot. What kind of omega wouldn't be attracted to the alpha he was? What person wouldn't fall for his gentle, caring demeanor? But you couldn't possibly admit to it.

Yoongi stepped closer to mark the top of your head with his scent. The embrace only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, but it still left you weak in the knees.

"I don't have anything to wear."

Yoongi shrugged. "It will be very casual. No one will see you but me. You can wear pajamas for all I care. Bonus points if you wear one of my hoodies."

You smiled at that thought. "Okay then."

"Good. Then I'll see you tonight," he told you before he turned and went into the pack bedroom to sleep. 

Yoongi was pleasantly surprised to find an apple-scented pillow in his usual spot and let himself enjoy it for a few minutes before his memory from last night came back to him. 

He had brought a patient to the emergency room of the hospital he had brought your ex-alpha to a few nights ago. After they filled out some paperwork, Yoongi and his partner took a break. His motivation was unclear, even at the time, but he found out what room the alpha was staying in from a nurse that liked to talk to him whenever she got the chance. She told him that he was still in the ICU, but that he was in a coma, and hadn't woken up since the night he was brought in. When he found the room, there was a woman inside. A tall redhead, an alpha as well, if Yoongi wasn't mistaken, so he steered clear, but it had stuck with him the rest of the night.

When he heard you, Jimin and Taehyung leave the house, Yoongi got out of bed and went to the living room where Jin and Jungkook were still on the couch.

"Is everything okay, Yoongi?" Jin asked when the alpha only stood over them without saying a word. 

"I need to ask you some questions. Legal questions," he clarified and sat on the coffee table opposite them. 

"What's on your mind, hyung?" Jungkook sat up to give him his full attention. 

"I found out last night that her ex-alpha–"

"His name is Sebastián," Jungkook added. 

Yoongi growled. "He's in a coma. And I just need to know what's going to happen to her if he never wakes up. And I guess, what happens if he does?"

Jin sat up and shared a look with Jungkook before he spoke. "If he doesn't wake up, there would most likely be a grand jury investigation, which would determine who, if anyone, was responsible for his death."

"In that case, the blame would likely fall on the driver, since she has already been charged with drunk driving. It would be manslaughter," Jungkook added. 

"But she said she pushed him, in her statement. That won't matter?"

Jin shook his head doubtfully. "She could get charged, but in my experience, if you put that girl in front of any judge or jury, there's no way they wouldn't chalk it up to self defense. If he does survive, it wouldn't even make sense to press charges for assault. He wouldn't look very sympathetic. But whether or not she's charged criminally, if he dies, his family could bring a wrongful death suit to civil court. But again, it will be hard to make her look like a perpetrator, especially since they're both Lykos."

"You seem confident that she'll be okay?"

"I am," Jin assured him. 

"But what if she had a motive?" Yoongi worried. 

"You mean because they knew each other?" Yoongi nodded. Jin thought it over, rubbing his finger along his lower lip. "The prosecution would have to prove she meant to push him into traffic and not just to get him off of her. In that case, she'd just need to be coached not to take the bait."

"Could you do it? Would you take the case? If it came to that, I mean." Yoongi didn't know any other lawyers, and he certainly didn't know any he thought he could trust with something like this more than Jin. 

He must have been able to read that emotion in Yoongi's eyes because Jin nodded. He wouldn't take that trust for granted again. "If she needs me to, of course, Yoongi. I'll do anything for you."

You were surprised when Yoongi said he was taking you to a drive in theater. You'd hardly been to any movie theaters at all in your life, and never a drive-in, but you liked the idea of it. There were lots of benefits to it. You got to go out to a public place, but sitting in his car was relatively private. The movie removed the pressure to make conversation, but on the other hand, if the movie wasn't very interesting, you could talk through it without disturbing anyone else. It was really a perfect idea for a first date. 

He'd urged you to take a nap when you got home since the movie wouldn't start until later, and you were glad you'd taken his advice. You didn't have much to choose from when it came to clothing options, so you simply put on a clean pair of jeans and the mustard yellow hoodie he had loaned you a few days ago. Yoongi seemed pleased enough with your ensemble, repeating his compliment of how nice you looked in that color. He wasn't dressed up at all either, wearing a pair of ordinary jeans and a baggy long sleeve shirt. You wouldn't know it because he wouldn't say such a thing, but there wasn't anything you could wear that would look more appealing to him than his own clothes, because they made you look like you were his. He beamed at you when you came down the stairs to leave with him. 

"Do I look okay?" You whispered to Hoseok. 

He pinched your cheek. "You look adorable. He loves it. Believe me." He winked at Yoongi over your head and the alpha held out his hand to take you to the car. "Don't come home too early," he instructed as you went out the door together. 

Once you got settled in the front seat, Yoongi cleared his throat before he started the engine. "This is for you," he said as he handed you a brand new Samsung phone.

"Oh, I–"

"Before you say you don't need it, just consider that it's for me. I want you to make sure that you have it with you and it's on all the time. I told you that it's important for me to know where you are, so I can keep you safe, so you need a phone. And don't worry, it's not like the newest model or anything. Besides, remember you're agreed to let me provide for you. So just accept it. It has all of the pack's numbers saved already, in case you ever need one of them, and they all have your number already. I'm your emergency contact," he rambled.

Instead of offering any protest you smiled softly and unbuckled your seat belt to lean over and kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you, alpha," you said before you leaned back into your spot. You may have wanted to refuse, but he was right, it was for him and not you, not really. If he needed you to carry this thing around in order to feel more secure, that shouldn't be hard for you. 

You weren't prepared for more gifts when you got to the drive-in. When you found a spot to park, Yoongi told you to wait while he got out of the car and went to the trunk. You looked anxiously through the back window, but couldn't see anything that gave away what he was doing. Eventually he pushed a large gift bag and picnic basket through his open car door before he joined you again. 

"What's all this?" You wondered, looking at the tissue paper sticking out of the huge bag at your eye level.

"Why don't you open it and see?" He teased. 

You narrowed your eyes at him as you got up on your knees to be able to look over the bag, but your scrutiny only made him smile. Pulling out the paper piece by piece revealed two soft round pillows inside, one lavender and one orange.

"I figured you needed some pillows for your nest. I thought these could remind you of me and Jiminie."

Your cheeks and your eyes burned as you pulled out the two pillows, almost ball-like except for how plush they were. They squeezed nicely in your arms when you held them to your chest.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Yoongi asked, beginning to feel nervous when you didn't say anything. 

You buried your head in them to hide your wet eyes. "They're perfect." Your words were muffled, but they still warmed Yoongi's heart. When you collected yourself, you placed the pillows safely back in the bag and set it aside. "What's in the basket?"

"Oh, I asked Hobi to put together some snacks for us. But if there are any other treats you want, I'll go get something from the concession stand." Yoongi opened the top of the basket and you both reached for the box of raisinets at the same time. You whispered an apology while Yoongi plucked them out. He opened the box and handed it to you. "I'm going to go get some popcorn. Do you have a drink preference?" 

You shook your head and he got out once again to go get more snacks. You shoved a few raisinets into your mouth and put the rest away. Then you pulled out the soft orange pillow from the gift bag at your feet and held it close again. You wondered if he'd already scented it, or if it was your imagination that applied the orange aroma. 

The longer he was gone, your mind began to wander. It was hard not to think about all the first things you were experiencing lately. Your very first completely safe, self- made nest, your first drive-in movie, your first date. It had felt like you'd been living for years, in the most raw way possible, but maybe all you'd done was survive, and only barely. These new things seemed so small and insignificant to you when they were only abstract ideas, things you would live without because you didn't need them to survive, but now they felt monumentally important as each one carved a memory in your heart. And each one was available to you only because of Yoongi.

The man at the center of your thoughts broke through them when he returned several minutes later carrying a large bucket of popcorn, which he handed to you, and a large coke that he balanced on the dashboard. 

"Is everything okay?" He asked, taking in your expression, which remained pensive as he settled into his seat. 

You forced a smile, not because you weren't feeling it, but because it wasn't a thing you were accustomed to showing. "I'm fine. I…" you searched for something to say that would take you away from your thoughts. "I didn't even ask what we were seeing."

Yoongi chuckled at himself. "Oh. Yeah. It's actually a horror movie. I was actually hoping we could see the comedy that's playing on the other screen, but it was sold out, so this one was left. But if you don't like horror movies, I was thinking we could just sit and talk. Or we could leave. Or if we're really bored we could turn on the radio station for the comedy and watch it with the horror scenes."

You laughed at his ridiculous idea, but thought it actually sounded kind of fun. "Well, I do like horror movies, but option three also sounds interesting," you admitted with a smile that almost stopped his heart. 

Yoongi cleared his throat as he looked out the window. "There's still like twenty or thirty minutes before the sun sets and the movie starts. Maybe we can still talk?" 

You began to get the feeling that this was what he actually wanted to begin with. He had said he wanted to get to know you, and you supposed he had a right to know the person he was taking in, but at the same time you didn't want to overwhelm him with all of your baggage, at least not in one night. 

"What do you want to talk about?" You hedged, shoving a kernel of popcorn past your lips. 

"Well, I just really want to know more about you, but I don't want to be unfair, so you can ask me anything you want to," he offered, turning in his seat to look at you. 

"I don't know what I could tell you that Jungkook hasn't already. I mean, he must have run a background check on me, right? And he would have told you before he let you take me home?"

Yoongi shook his head. "Jungkook hasn't really said much, actually. I mean, yeah, we do know about, um, where you were before you came to the city," he said diplomatically. 

"You mean jail?" You asked provocatively. "You can say it. Unless it makes you uncomfortable, which I understand." You knew you shouldn't be getting your hackles up with him. He approached the subject gently and here you were, striking back with your claws out like the alley cat that you were. You closed your eyes to try to calm your racing heart.

He placed a hand on your shoulder. "Y/N, it's okay. I'm not judging you. No one in the pack is, either. You're not the only person to get arrested, you know."

You opened your eyes and looked at him incredulously. "Have you been arrested?"

Yoongi nodded his head. "When I was sixteen. A friend and I stole his uncle's car and went for a joy ride. I was just a passenger, and I hadn't presented yet. They dropped the charges."

"Wow, grand theft auto," you chuckled and he did too.

"My point is, we all have a past. I mean, some of us more than others, but you're not the only one."

You eyed him uncertainly. "Did he tell you what I was arrested for? I wasn't just arrested Yoongi. I spent six months in county."

Yoongi nodded. "I know, but I'm not judging you for what you had to do."

You shook your head with a wry laugh. "That's the thing. I didn't do it. I mean yeah, she made me go out there, but I promise you I didn't sell my body. Honest. That was my first night. I may have been naive, but I'm not an idiot. The first guy I talked to was a cop, and I knew it. I could spot him easy, so I offered myself up and I let him arrest me. And when they charged me, I pleaded guilty. Do you know why?" Yoongi shook his head, dark eyes locked on yours. "Because going to jail was better than going back to my alphas."

Yoongi kept his face neutral despite the anger he felt bubbling below the surface of his skin. He'd never ever question your decision, but he would always feel angry that your situation was so bad that jail seemed like a viable alternative for you. 

"You said alphas?" He questioned when he managed to speak. 

"Two of them," you said with a nod.

"And one of them was female?"

"Yeah, they were husband and wife."

"How did you meet them? I mean…he's so much older."

You grabbed the coke from the dashboard and took a long drink to clear the lump in your throat. Yoongi's eyes never left you, but you tried to ignore him. "I met her first. I was on the streets. I was almost seventeen by then, but I'd been on my own for months. She just started talking to me one day when she was volunteering at a soup kitchen…offered me a place to stay. And I was desperate enough to not question it."

"So she just…took you in off the streets?" You nodded. "And then what?" He asked as if your story was the one he had bought a ticket for tonight.

"And then…and then everything seemed normal for like a week. They just seemed like a regular couple. They had a spare room and they needed help around the house, so I would clean and take care of the house in exchange for living there. It was several days before I realized they actually wouldn't let me leave. I hadn't really been on heat suppressants yet, and when that time came around I found out that the real reason they wanted me was because they wanted babies. They couldn't have any on their own, so they would use me. Like some fucked up puppy mill," you choked out.

Yoongi reached over to pat your back, but you flinched away from him, and he could understand that you wanted your space after such a revelation. He took his hand back and tried to think of something to say when all he wanted to do was rage on your behalf.  But he knew it wouldn't do you any good. "It makes sense that you were so frightened when two other strangers took you off the street. You must have been very scared."

You looked him straight in the eyes. "It's only been a few days. Shouldn't I still be scared?"

It wounded Yoongi deeply that you felt that way, but he could hardly blame you. He knew it wasn't about him exactly. "I'm sorry. I know there isn't really anything I could say to reassure you that you're safe with me but–"

"It's okay, Yoongi. I do feel safe with you. It's different. The way I feel when I think about you. When I'm near you…I feel safe but…" you looked out at the narrowing strip of pink sky to your left. 

"But what?"

"I've been taken in so many times when I think I'm at my lowest. When I was abandoned as a baby, when I met those other alphas, when Eli came to play big brother. And never, never has any of it actually made me safe."

"I hope–" Yoongi could feel the tears at his water line, but they would stay there. He bit his lip and looked away as well. "I hope you'll stay long enough to know that you will be safe in our home."

You looked back at him finally and noticed the collar of his unbuttoned button-down shirt was crooked. Reaching over to straighten it, you assured him, "as long as you keep it safe for me, I won't have anywhere else to go."

Yoongi took your wrist gently before you had the chance to pull away from him. With his fingertips against your pulse point, he could feel the strong, steady beat of your heart, not high enough to be panicking, but still a little anxious. "I will do everything I can to make you feel safe," he promised.

Before you could make any kind of response, the lights over the parking lot shut off and images began to play on the screen in front of you. Without another word, Yoongi released you in order to fiddle with the radio, tuning it to the right station for your movie. You both settled back into the seat, facing the screen, with a mountain of snacks in between you. You each tried your best to focus on the movie, but you could feel it every time his eyes slid toward you as he watched your profile instead of the characters on screen. Every time you turned to look at him he recentered his attention, but he was fooling no one. Several times your hands brushed when you both reached into the popcorn for a salty snack, and he would chuckle awkwardly before pulling away. 

You both tried to focus on the movie, but the truth was that it did nothing to hold your attention, not with Yoongi right beside you.

"There's something I don't understand," you said abruptly, causing Yoongi to look quickly between you and the huge screen. The movie had been pretty straight forward, to the point of being pretty boring. 

"What?"

"Why do you like me? Why me?" Yoongi laughed openly while you pouted. You pulled your feet under you and turned to face him straight on, giving up any pretense of watching the movie. "Don't laugh. I'm serious. I mean. I don't know. I guess I'm trying to understand your intentions because I want to believe that this won't be like before but I…I'm scrawny and dumb and there's nothing interesting about me. I'm not even pretty enough to make up for it all. And there are plenty of needy omegas in this city. So what could you possibly want me for?"

Yoongi's humor subsided, and he turned the radio down before moving to face you as well. His expression was serious but his eyes still held light. He reached over to brush back your hair so he could see your face in the scattered light from the projector. 

"I don't think attraction is ever really about those things. Not how someone looks or what they have to say, but how those things resonate with you. It's an elemental, a chemical thing. I just like you. Maybe that's why Hobi and Jin think we're fated mates."

"Fated mates?"

"I don't know. It's kind of…lykos folklore. Sort of what saps think of as soulmates. Like, it just feels right with someone, like you're linked to them even though there's no real reason. There's no proof that it's real. It's just a feeling I guess. But they say it only happens with alphas and omegas. And I don't think I believe it. I don't know if you feel that. But I do feel drawn to you in a way that I never have with anyone else. I don't even think attraction is the right word. I just feel like…I need to be with you."

Yoongi's eyes never left your face while he talked and you didn't realize you were holding your breath until he stopped and you inhaled so you could answer him. "Maybe that's why my omega wants me to trust you even though everything else tells me not to. Like, I should be terrified of you, but I'm just not. I just want to be good so that I can stay."

You didn't know you were leaning toward him, nor were you fully aware of the words you spoke or how they made Yoongi's heart race, but when he brushed his fingers along your cheekbone you suddenly leaned back, blinking rapidly to regain your composure.

Yoongi coughed and pulled his hand away, reaching for candy to occupy his fingers. "I guess I should be honest with you about my intentions," he said with a shrug. "Because I know they aren't entirely altruistic."

You swallowed, but kept your eyes on him. His words made you nervous, but you'd hardly call it fear. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's a little dark. Or maybe all alphas feel this way. I always knew I was an alpha before presentation, because I always wanted people to depend on me. I always wanted to be in charge, to be a provider, to have the people in my life need me even more than they wanted me. In a way, the attraction I have, the love I have for the others, that's the unbelievable thing. With Jimin, with you, I felt from the first time I met each of you that you needed me. You wouldn't survive without me. And I liked that. Do you think that's kind of sick?" He wondered. You couldn't tell if he wanted an answer, or if he wanted you to be a little bit scared. But still you didn't feel it.

I don't think I will survive without you, your inner self echoed. 

You reached out to him, let your fingers graze the back of his hand. "I'm not sure. I'm not the best judge of what's normal and what's not. But it sounds right to me. I think to myself sometimes, I don't know how I've survived this long. I should be dead. Omegas…we aren't built to make it on our own. Sometimes it seemed like my death was right around the corner, but I don't feel that way anymore. The last two days have felt like the safest days of my whole life," you admitted. 

Yoongi's chest felt tight, like his heart would burst through his ribs if you kept talking. He turned his palm up so he could slot his fingers through yours. You sat in silence for a moment, letting him hold your hand while he tried to keep his breathing steady. 

"I don't understand why you're not pack alpha. Is it because Seokjin makes more money?" You wondered after a minute as you brushed back his chin length hair with your fingers. 

Yoongi chuckled. "If we're getting technical, Taehyung makes the most money in the pack."

Your eyes bulged in surprise. "But I thought Tae didn't work."

"He doesn't have a job in the strictest sense, but reclusive artists are often the most sought after. His paintings sell for a high price tag to collectors."

You hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe I picked the wrong alpha." 

Yoongi tugged on your hand playfully, making you giggle. "I always wanted to be a pack alpha. When I was younger I tried to establish my own pack but…it just wasn't right. I didn't have a lot to offer back then. I've never had Jin's resources. And then I met his pack, and I felt very comfortable with them. It was easy to fall in love with each of them so quickly. But they were already complete before me. I felt surprised they even wanted me. So I let go of that dream. It's been over five years now."

"But then you met Jimin, right? Did you think about starting a pack with him? On your own, I mean?"

Yoongi shrugged. "An alpha and a beta isn't much of a pack. You can make a pack without a beta, but without an omega? What's the point?" He looked at you through his eyelashes, but then quickly away. "Besides, Jimin and I both always wanted a big pack, and he clicked with Jungkook and Taehyung right away. It would have been selfish to take him away just because I wanted to be in charge."

"You're my pack alpha though," you murmured, sending a shiver down Yoongi's spine. He could only nod. "Good."

He lets his eyes close and for a minute you just watch him breathe steadily, happy that he seems content with you. But as seconds slip by you begin to feel that it might not be enough. Maybe it was silly, but you felt so much closer to him after all you'd both said, and holding his hand wasn't physically close enough anymore.

"I'm kind of cold," you told him quietly, taking him from his thoughts. 

"I can turn on the heat," he offered, letting go of your hand and reaching for the ignition. 

"Or maybe you could just hold me?"

The corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. He helped you move all the snacks to the backseat of the impala and moved closer so you met in the middle. You huddled into his side as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you legs over his. You let out a quiet, happy sigh you hoped he didn't notice. 

"If you wanted to cuddle all you had to do was say so," he whispered to the top of your head. 

You turned your face into his shoulder. "I'm working on it," you mumbled. 

He smiled and ran his fingers through your hair, dragging his fingernails gently against your scalp. "You're doing great, princess."

You made a noise Yoongi wouldn't only describe as grumpy and turned your face up at him. "Why do you call me that?"

"Because that's what I want you to feel like. Because princesses have everything they need provided for. And because you're special just because you're you. But if you don't like it, I can call you something else."

You nestled into him again. "Well, when you put it like that."

Once again, Yoongi turned up the volume on the radio and you both at least pretended to pay attention. Although the movie in general was pretty innocuous, you took advantage of one lame jump scare to bury your face into his neck. Yoongi held his breath as you nosed at his scent gland, causing his light, happy scent to fill the car around you. He let you stay in his arms until the end of the movie, and although you didn't fall asleep, it was an easy mistake for him to make. He scratched teasingly at your side to rouse you when the screen went dark. 

"Are you ready to go home, princess?"

You tilted your head up to see his features illuminated by the lights of other cars as they made their exits. You'd practically forgotten that there was anyone else there. Your head nodded sleepily, and Yoongi reluctantly moved you over to your side of the seat. When he moved behind the steering wheel you moved back to the center seat and strapped in the seatbelt there so you could stay close to his warmth.

No matter how old you get, the urge to stay up on a Saturday night always remains. Yoongi could tell by the soft footsteps moving about the second floor that the pack are just settling in for the night, brushing their teeth and for the most part discarding unnecessary items of clothing before staking their claim to their spots in the nest. Everyone was home for once, and they'd all sleep soundly. Even you. Even Yoongi, although he knew that it still wasn't time for you and him to share space for that activity. You climbed the stairs sleepily with Yoongi a few steps behind you, making sure you didn't slip as you swayed precariously. His hand went quickly to your hip, grabbing hold of the fabric there when you tripped over the top step. The noise brought Hoseok to the bedroom door.

"You didn't get her drunk, did you, alpha?" Hobi asked from the half open door. Yoongi rolled his eyes, because the omega knew that wasn't the plan.

"No, just sleepy," you yawned as you rubbed your eyes. 

Jimin squeezed past Hoseok to give you a goodnight hug. "You smell like you crawled out of an orange." He giggled, "apples and oranges."

Yoongi blushed while the two of you said your goodnights. 

"Do you need any help getting ready for bed?" Hobi asked softly. He'd helped you take apart your nest earlier today so that you could keep practicing. 

"No, I think I got it. And I have new pillows," you whispered happily.

"Okay then," he smiled back. "Yoongi, I'll see you in a minute," he said, and the instruction to your alpha was clear, just in case he didn't already know where he would be sleeping tonight. He closed the door and the two of you were cloaked in darkness except for a sliver of light from a lamp Hoseok left on for you in your room. 

"Are you going to tell them what I told you earlier?" You asked after a moment passed with nothing but the sound of your breathing. 

"I won't, if you don't want me too. But no one is going to judge you if you're–"

"No. I was just thinking it would be better if you did. That way I don't have to tell it six more times."

Yoongi nodded. It was a vulnerable thing you had shared, and it couldn't be easy to talk about with others. "I read once that if you talk about your trauma repeatedly, like you're telling a story, it can start to feel more like a thing that happened and not something that's still happening to you."

You cringed at the thought. "I think I'd still rather have you explain it. If you don't mind."

"Of course," he agreed easily, anything to make you more comfortable. 

"I had a good time tonight," you admitted after another quiet moment where neither of you seemed to want to leave. 

Yoongi's smile was becoming semi permanent. "I'm glad. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

He took one step closer to you and leaned down to kiss your cheek, but you turned your head up in such a way that you caught his lips with your own. You froze in surprise, and even more shockingly, he didn't move away. Yoongi took another step into you, so your chests were just touching. His hand went around your back to keep you steady despite intensifying the angle of your kiss. Still, it remained chaste even as it went on. His lips were hot and soft and just slightly moist, but he seemed content to press his mouth just gently to yours for another moment longer. Then his lips finally left yours, he whispered his goodnight and disappeared into the pack bedroom. 

😃😃 they kissed! Who wants to scream about it?

Permanent taglist: @lilacdreams-00  @wholockian1 @babycoffeefire @theatren3rd @bri-mal @jikooksgirl19 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @marvelfamily3000 @borahae-reads @yoongiigolden   @staerryminimini @valhallawhispers @m4gg13-g @i-have-no-life-charlie @hellokittiesxbae @pamzn

Taglist: @ellesalazar @rinkud @osakis-gf @scuzmunkie @queen-in-the-shadows @toughbook @zariaskz @chansbaybygirl @cryingpages @coralmusicblaze @alex--awesome--22 @singukieee @welcometomyworld13 @juju-227592 @bangtanflirt @wittyreader @nyrovieeie @welcome418 @guinhosletters @lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime @moon-cupcakes @passionandsuga @zvrjkb @m0v3m3ntsblog @kykyxstandler @writingwithmai @moocow778 @ladyalicesbookstore @yoonseokerist @deejay08 @momoasenthusiasticreader @littlestarstinyseven @bittersweetbaylee

@im-sinking-in-mud @iloverubberduckiez-blog @someshinesomedont @kungsoonie @neverthefirstchoice @kameko-ko @sehun096rainbow

Master List

Fifteen

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: You and Hoseok might be missing each other during his heat, but you get the opportunity to become closer with another pack member.

warnings: mentions of past trauma, fire, death, assault (nothing detailed), tbh aside from some pining, this chapter is pretty fluffy.

wc: 6k

When you woke up on the fifth day of your heat, you felt almost normal. Your limbs didn't weigh quite so heavy, and the ache between your legs was gone. Yoongi laid beside you in bed, his cheek pillowed cutely on his arm. He looked so peaceful, you couldn't help staying a while to watch him. You had few moments to look at him like this when he wasn't looking back at you. You'd never noticed how lovely the dip above his cupid's bow was, even though you'd spent so long admiring his smile. His black hair was disheveled from sleep, cutting dark black shards against his pristine white cheek. It took every ounce of restraint to not brush his hair back, but you wanted nothing less than to wake him. He'd earned a good sleep after giving you anything and everything you needed for the past five days. 

Jimin was absent from bed already, you noted, and after indulging in several minutes of watching your alpha sleep, you decided it was time to attend to your bladder's needs. You slipped off the bed as gently as you could and quietly opened the door. 

After washing your face and brushing your teeth, you went down stairs, hoping you would run into Hobi, but no one was there, not even Jimin. Maybe your brain wasn't working as well as you'd assumed because you could smell every pack member but Jimin in the house, but there wasn't a person in sight. Coffee hadn't even been made. You shrugged it off, guessing everyone was sleeping in like Yoongi. You wouldn't be going to work since your hormones were still above normal, and it could attract unwanted attention even though you were feeling better. So you looked around for something to occupy you until the others got up or Jimin came home.

You found baskets full of laundry in the room connected to the kitchen and debated for a minute whether it was intrusive to do the pack's laundry for them. Ultimately, you decided that Hobi wouldn't mind and got to work. There were towels left in the dryer from last night and you folded them, looking around for anyone before you indulged in burying your face in a particularly soft and fluffy one. It reminded you of how Jungkook smelled, even though you hadn't been particularly close to him since you moved into the house. You weren't afraid of Jungkook like you were the others, maybe because you'd already been close enough to him when you first met to know he wouldn't hurt you or maybe just because he wasn't an alpha. But you were afraid he was going to arrest you anytime you saw him in uniform, and that feeling would take time to fade.

When the folding was done you decided to have a bowl of cereal to fill your grumbling stomach until everyone else woke up. You had to drag a chair from the kitchen table to the fridge to be able to reach the boxes on top. You didn't realize Jimin was home until you heard him laugh. You froze, your hand still reaching for a box of sugary cereal, and turned your head to look at him. 

"I get it now," he chuckled.

You dropped your hand. "Get what?" 

"Why people always laughed at me for being short. This is objectively funny," he explained as he walked over and grabbed the box you were going for with ease.

"I had it," you mumbled as the box floated past your face, and he set it on the counter. 

"Sure you did. Come here before you hurt yourself." Jimin grabbed your waist and lifted you from the chair, and put your feet on the ground.

"Where were you?" you asked softly.

"Did you miss me?" he teased, and you looked away without responding. "I just went to the grocery store. Can you help me bring stuff in?" he asked, and you eagerly nodded. 

"I didn't know you could drive." Although you normally would have tried to carry several bags at once, your limbs were still a little weak, so Jimin only handed you light things like paper towels and bread.

"I can. There are just so many people in this house who prefer to drive. It's never really been my thing, but I can do it when I need to."

"Isn't grocery shopping usually Taehyung's thing? Why didn't he go with you?" You wondered as you walked back into the kitchen.

"Hobi's in heat," Yoongi said from the bottom of the stairs, his hair wild and his eyes still droopy from sleep.

"Oh," you breathed. You should have realized sooner. You couldn't explain why that left you feeling disappointed. 

"He started yesterday. He tried to tell you but you were–"

"Yeah, it always gets deepest at the end."

"How do you feel today?" Yoongi asked. Coming closer, he pushed your hair back to look into your clear eyes. You had to tilt your head back to look up at him.

"I'm fine," you answered as he wrapped his arms around you. You hugged him back, and he hummed happily. "Shouldn't you be with him?" you asked softly.

Yoongi pulled back to look at you. "No, princess. We're yours."

"But…" you huffed air through your nose, trying hard to get a grasp on your own feelings. They should be with him, right? You shouldn't be keeping them from that. Hobi needed and deserved them. "He needs you."

Jimin shook his head. "He doesn't. He has more than enough alphas to get him through it."

Your face scrunched in frustration as you picked at your nails. Yoongi might be able to appreciate how adorable you looked more if he wasn't concerned. "What's on your mind, princess?" He prodded softly. 

"I know you're my pack. But you're his pack, too. And–" you looked at Yoongi and he gave you a nod to go on. "All three of you made my heat better, and I want Hobi to have the best heat, too, so I think you should be with him."

"Sweet thing," Jimin cooed, unable to resist patting your head. 

Yoongi reached for your hand and pulled you close. "It makes me really happy to hear that your heat was better. It's still not over quite yet, so we will stay with you. We want to stay with you. Hobi wants us to as well. So you don't need to feel bad about it. He's just fine."

Your lips still pouted as you mumbled an 'okay.' Yoongi watched you as you tried to blink away the moisture in your eyes, but you had to look away from him. The washing machine sounded like a church bell calling you to service. You turned and wiped the last of the unshed tears from your eyes. 

"Okay. I'll just put in another load of laundry and then I'll make some breakfast, okay?" 

"Baby, you don't have to clean," Yoongi said, but you shook your head at him. 

"Is this my home or isn't it, Yoongi?" You questioned, voice stronger than he expected. 

"Of course it is, but–"

"Then it's my home to clean. It's what I need to do."

He smiled lovingly at you. He couldn't be more proud that your omega instincts were calling you to take care of the house. It was like a special omegan way of claiming ownership, and nothing could have made him happier. "I get it. I only meant you shouldn't overwork yourself. You're still recovering."

"I'll be fine. I like doing housework," you assured him as you pulled away and went to the laundry room. 

By the evening, you had all of the laundry washed, folded and sorted. You'd even been able to iron Yoongi's uniform before he left. He was reluctant to do so, but you assured him that you would be fine with just Jimin for the night. It would feel weird though, to sleep in your nest without Yoongi after so many nights together. But you didn't let it show. 

After dinner, Jimin convinced you to settle down and watch a movie with him on the couch, so that was how Jungkook and Taehyung found you, cuddled and happy in front of Jimin as you both laid facing the TV. When you saw them, you tried to get up, but Jimin held you down, unwilling to let his personal heater go. 

"Is everything okay?" you asked. 

Jungkook nodded. "We just came to get food."

"I made two trays for you for dinner. I wanted to take them up but Jimin said to wait."

"That's sweet, pup. Thank you. But you don't have to," Jungkook said as he went to the kitchen. 

"You're watching Harry Potter?" Taehyung asked as he came to sit on the edge of the couch near your feet. He wore sweats and a sleeveless shirt, and his blonde hair fluffed around his head, making him look softer than ever. 

Jimin hummed. "The pup has never seen them."

"How is that possible?" Tae chuckled.

"My parents were really strict about us not reading or watching things about magic or anything like that. But I read all the books last year," you explained.

Taehyung nodded his head. "Are you enjoying it?"

You smiled and nodded eagerly before Tae reached out to ruffle your hair. He did it easily as if he'd done it a thousand times before, but it left you wide-eyed with heated cheeks. He didn't seem to notice though. He merely leaned over to kiss Jimin on the cheek, lingering a little to appreciate your scent, and then left to help Jungkook in the kitchen.

"You like Tae Tae, little pup?" Jimin whispered in your ear when he was gone. His teeth nipped at your throat and you wriggled away from him, finally escaping his grasp, but only because he let you.

"I hope this is okay," you said softly as you walked into the kitchen. "Do you need me to make anything else? Jimin said light stuff is better, but I'm not exactly an expert."

"This is great, Y/N. Thank you," Jungkook replied as he gathered water from the fridge.

"What do you like to eat when you're in heat?" Taehyung asked. Lucky for him you didn't seem to notice the intense interest of his inquiry. 

"I don't know. I don't usually eat much," you shrugged. Taehyung frowned, remembering the time two months ago when you passed out from not being taken care of. It was packmates' jobs to take care of an omega in heat, and he felt relieved you'd had a pack to help you this time.

"She'll eat anything as long as Yoongi feeds her by hand," Jimin said loudly from the living room. The two men watched as your face darkened with embarrassment. 

"I-is Hobi okay? Does he need anything?" You asked after you were able to compose yourself again.

"You are a sweet little thing, aren't you?" Taehyung said. There was something in the way you lowered your head, maybe to hide a smile, that he found heart-poundingly endearing.

"Hobi is doing fine. Happy as a clam. We'll take all this up, and he'll be even happier," Jungkook answered. 

Seeing that they were short a few hands with all the bottles of water and other drinks, you quickly grabbed one of the trays and took it upstairs. Your steps halted at the top of the stairs and you waited for Jungkook to open the door. When he did, you couldn't help taking a glance inside, to see if you could get a glimpse of Hobi and know he was okay. But when you did, it suddenly felt intrusive, like you shouldn't be there. Even after the two men entered, you could only bring yourself to the threshold of the door and wait for them to take the tray from you. Once he did, you disappeared back down the stairs before Taehyung could thank you and shut the door.

"How are they?" Hobi asked when Taehyung came back to the bed. He was relatively lucid for the moment. 

"They're good, hyung. Y/N made some food for us," Tae told him, helping him get up into a sitting position to eat. "It looks like she's been keeping busy."

Hoseok whined softly, causing Jin to wrap his arm around his back to comfort him. "I'm sure Jimin would come cuddle you for a bit if you asked."

When Hoseok didn't say anything and merely frowned, Taehyung answered for him. "It isn't Jimin that he wants, hyung." 

Hobi sighed. "I didn't know what it would be like to be with her. I've been with my sisters during heats, but it was different. I miss her scent and the way she fits in my arms," he said, sounding bereft.

"Maybe she could give you a pillow or something," Jungkook suggested. 

Hobi looked to Jin, not knowing how the pack alpha would react to an outsider's scent in the nest. "It's your nest, my love," was his answer to his husband's longing eyes.

He turned to Namjoon, who was still lying on his other side. The alpha shrugged. "It's not like we're not used to her scent now. It's all over the house. And it's nice. I don't mind, especially if I would make you happy, darling." 

Hoseok smiled slightly and turned onto Jin, burying his face in his neck. "We need to eat," Jin reminded him with a kiss to his head.

The remaining days of Hoseok's heat left a lingering weirdness. It felt like just at the point when you were wanting to see more of them, especially Hoseok, but even Taehyung too, everyone was suddenly occupied. Even Yoongi was working a lot, taking extra long shifts with only 8 hours in between to get a little sleep and some food before he went back. You felt guilty, knowing he was trying to make up for all the time he'd taken off with you, but you couldn't say that to anyone. He had to do it, and you were grateful he had, but you hated seeing him suffer for it now, even more than you hated not being able to see him much at all.

Jimin has been sleeping with you in your nest every night, but you were finding it hard to sleep without Yoongi, especially when you awoke from your nightmares. Jimin didn't wake easily, and you could cuddle into him without causing any disturbance. But tonight, your nightmare had been so upsetting that you didn't want to go back to sleep, so instead of turning in toward Jimin you rolled toward the edge of the bed, sending a quick text to Yoongi to see if he was busy. 

While there were times when he wouldn't be able answer because of an emergency, there were also long stretches of time when he didn't have anything to do at all. He always told you that you could text him anytime while he was working and if he could answer you then he would, but not to worry if he didn't. You'd been lucky a few nights ago when you woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. You'd texted him and since he wasn't busy he texted with you until you got sleepy again. Tonight, you weren't so lucky. A few minutes ticked by while your message sat unread. Finally, you decided to get out of bed since you were feeling awake and didn't want to lay in the darkness, lest your nightmares should catch up with you. 

You descended the stairs, expecting more darkness, but light filtered softly down the hall from one of the rooms at the front of the house. You knew that was Taehyung's studio. Other than the pack's room, it was the only other room that was omitted from your post-heat cleaning frenzy earlier in the week. You'd never been inside of it, but you found yourself walking quietly down the hall to the cracked open door. Low-fi music played softly inside, quiet enough that you couldn't hear it until you were just outside. Within, Taehyung stood behind a canvas propped on an easel. You couldn't see his face, but even if you didn't know it was him, you would know him by his heady scent that even the smell of paint couldn't smother. 

"You can come in," he said loudly enough for you to hear. Without leaning around the large canvas to see you, he had identified you by your apple scent, too.

You crept cautiously around the door to stand just inside. "I didn't mean to bother you."

His head poked around to look at you, smiling. "You're not. You can have a seat," he told you, pointing to the couch against one wall. You sat and curled your knees to your chest, picking at your nails as you took in the room. Odds and ends scattered about, quite the opposite of the rest of the house. "What's keeping you up, sweet little?"

You blushed at the nickname he had begun to call you a few days ago. "It's 'sweet thing,'" you corrected him the first time with Jimin's pet name for you. "Maybe to Jimin, but to me you're a sweet little thing," he'd argued.

"I had bad dreams."

Taehyung nodded with a thoughtful frown. "Me, too." He applied a careful stroke of paint before he looked at you. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

You shook your head. "I don't really remember it. But you can tell me about yours," you prompted. 

Taehyung shrugged. "Mine are pretty similar most nights. I dream about a fire, and the screaming, and when I wake up it feels like minutes before I'm able to move. When I can move, it feels like I have to get up. So I come here."

"When were you in a fire?" you wondered. 

"I wasn't. My birth pack's house caught on fire when I was away at art school. I wasn't there, and they all died," he explained distantly. 

"I'm sorry," you whispered. 

Taehyung looked at you and smiled softly. "Nothing for you to be sorry for."

You wrang your hands together, not sure what to do with the uneasy feeling in your stomach. "You must miss them a lot," you said softly. 

He nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Is that why you don't like to leave the house much?" you asked before you could stop yourself. You wished you could stuff the words back into your mouth. 

Taehyung huffed and then chuckled. "Yeah, that's part of it. If I go out somewhere for too long, I get worried. Like I won't make it back in time if something goes wrong." He sighed, "I know it's kind of silly. I just–"

"It's not silly," you assured him. "It's good that you have people you loved, who loved you. And now you have more people who love you. Was your birth pack big?"

He shook his head and put down his brush and paint in favor of sitting down with you. "It was just my parents, my mom's sister and her husband. They didn't have any kids, so I was an only child. They spoiled me, but I loved them a lot."

"It's nice you had so many adults to raise you and teach you."

He hummed. "Yeah, but I always wished I had some siblings or cousins to play with. When I first met Jungkook and he introduced me to the others, it really felt like I had gained those brothers I always wanted. It wasn't until almost a year later that I started having deeper feelings for them."

"Jimin told me once that when you joined the pack you were looking for family," you said.

"That was what I needed back then," he agreed.

You fixed your eyes on your knees. "I wish I could have been adopted by a family like yours instead," you said gently. "I could have been your sister."

Taehyung smiled sweetly at you. "That would have been great. But then we wouldn't be together now. And I like you being here now." At his words, you hid your face, but it only endeared him more. "I can be like a brother to you, if that's what you need. But I'd rather–" he cut himself off and shook his head.

You lifted your head just a bit to peek at him. "Rather what?"

He blushed slightly and put on a strange kind of smile. "I would rather be your alpha—one of your alphas. I know you're probably not ready for that, and that's perfectly fine. I'm not like Yoongi or Jin, but I do want to make you comfortable and happy, and I want to protect you as best I can. I know it's not an enticing offer but…" he rambled and you unconsciously put out a hand and touched his arm to soothe him.

"I'm sure you're a great alpha. I…I don't know if I can…one alpha is a lot for me already and Yoongi…I don't know. But I could use an older brother," you admitted. 

Taehyung tried not to show the tinge of disappointment he felt and gave you a boxy smile. It didn't hurt too much though. As long as he got to be around you, he didn't care. As a big brother he could still protect you and help you, and maybe someday, your feelings would open up to something more. The silence stretching between you was broken by a rumbling in your stomach. 

Taehyung's eyebrows rose with a question. "Are you hungry?"

You smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."

He took your hand and pulled you to your feet. "Let's find you something to eat."

He dragged you to the kitchen before you could say a word to stop him. When he opened the refrigerator, he frowned, discovering what you already knew. Supplies were limited. There wasn't even milk for a bowl of cereal.

"There's stuff for breakfast tomorrow," you assured him. "And Yoongi said he would stop by the store on the way home and grab a few things in the morning. We didn't realize how bad things were until we'd finished making dinner. Eight people is a lot of food and–"

"It's okay, sweet little. You don't need to stress about it," he smiled down at you. "But it doesn't exactly help our current situation." By the look in his eyes, you could tell he meant you.

"I'm fine. It's no problem for me to miss a meal or two." You had missed more than that before and been fine. 

His eyes narrowed at you. "Did you skip dinner?"

You shrank from his gaze. "I just wanted to be sure you all had enough. You've been–'

"You don't need to do that for us. Ever. We will always work something out. It's our job to make sure that you are provided for. Not the other way around," he said, an edge of anger in his voice that had you pulling away. 

"You're not my alpha. Yoongi is…"

"And how do you think Yoongi will feel when he finds out?" He continued. 

You grabbed his arms in your hands and shook your head. "Shh. Keep your voice down. You don't have to tell him. It's really not a big deal, Tae."

"How can you say that?"

"Alphas eat first. That's most important," you told him matter-of-factly.

Tae's heart broke, and he took a deep breath before he could respond to you. "The alphas who told you that were wrong. That's not how things work here. You're never going to be last. Do you understand?"

You knew you wouldn't get away with saying no, so you didn't say anything at all for a moment. "Are you going to tell Yoongi?" you asked softly.

"That depends," he answered vaguely.

"On?"

"What do you want to eat right now?"

You shrugged. "I'm really okay."

"Tell me what you're craving," he said, but it sounded like a demand.

Sighing, you closed your eyes and thought. A smile tugged at your lips when an idea came to you.

"Name it," he said. His smile grew as yours did. 

"Mcnuggets and fries," you answered. 

"That's it? You can have anything you want!"

"I'm a simple girl, Taehyung!"

He chuckled, enjoying the way you said his name. "Fine. I think we can still have it delivered."

You scoffed. "It's less than a mile away. Let's just go."

"It's late," he mumbled. 

"It won't take long. I promise we'll be back soon," you said, thinking that leaving the pack was the source of his hesitation. 

"It's not that. I…I don't go out at night," he admitted.

You leaned in to whisper to him. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

He pushed you away gently. "It's not that…exactly." You looked at him, waiting for further explanation. He dropped onto a stool and sighed, looking for the words. "You remember how you knew my painting from the one you saw on the building downtown?" You nodded. "Well, I used to do a lot of stuff like that. Street art. And of course the best time to do street art is in the middle of the night. Once I was out alone and I got jumped by a group of saps. Ended up in the emergency room. Since then, I don't like to go out at night, unless I'm with other people."

You frowned. "That sounds really scary," you admitted. "But I'm other people."

He scoffed. "Hardly. I meant other alphas."

"Psh! You think they can protect you better than I can? I bet Jin doesn't even know how to fight, but I do!" You punched him playfully in the chest. With a laugh he stood and put his hand on your head, holding you at arms length so that your punches only hit air. You pouted at him so easily thwarting you. "No fair. But we'll be safe! We can go through the drive thru. We won't even get out of the car." He looked at you doubtfully. "Pleeease. You made me think about food and now I really am hungry," you whined. 

"Fine," he relented, "but you better make sure you text your alpha and let him know. I don't want him finding out later and getting mad."

"Deal." You followed him to the door and pulled out your phone as you both got your shoes on.

You failed though. 

You didn't see him or smell him as your shift ended, although perhaps you could have been on your guard for it. He usually came in at this time of day, between school getting out and picking Jimin up from work. But you hadn't seen Namjoon at the library since you moved in several weeks ago. He always made sure to go at a time when you weren't working. You couldn't help seeing him now as you waited outside for the purple minivan that almost always picked you up these days. Namjoon strolled casually out of the library, and you hid yourself behind a pillar as best you could, hoping to escape his notice. 

You hadn't recognized his presence inside, but he had noted yours. He knew you would be there, after all. Although you two hadn't ever spoken directly to each other, Namjoon didn't hate you the way you—or anyone else—thought he did. Most of the time he tried not to think about you too much, one way or another. He felt more secure by now that you weren't going to fundamentally change his relationship with Jin, or with anyone else for that matter. But he also didn't want to dwell on the unwanted thoughts you aroused in him when he least expected it. Wonder if she's warm enough in that sweater, he thought over his morning coffee as you moved around the kitchen with Hobi before work. Wonder if she's doing okay today, he thought one day last week during your heat while standing in the hallway as students passed from one class to another. Isn't Taehyung supposed to pick her up? Omega shouldn't be out here all alone, he thought as he watched you duck out of sight. He could've kept walking and pretend he didn't know you were there when you clearly wanted to avoid him. But then again, it seemed he couldn't.

"Hey, Y/N," he spoke softly, coming out awkward and stilted. 

"Hi," you responded so softly he almost didn't hear it. 

He cleared his throat. "Is Taehyung coming? Do you need a ride home?"

You shook your head vigorously. "He's already on his way. They should be here any second."

As if you summoned him, Tae's car pulled up only a few awkward minutes later. He put the car in park on the curb and hopped out. 

"Hyung, what are you doing here?" Tae asked, an edge to his otherwise friendly tone. Maybe it was an automatic response to the way you curled in on yourself, looking scared and shaking like a leaf.

"Just the usual," Namjoon answered, gesturing to the books in his hand. "I saw Y/N, and I thought I'd wait with her."

Taehyung nodded. "Ah. Sorry I'm late, sweet little. Are you ready to go?"

To answer him, you simply nodded your head and walked toward the car. You climbed into the front passenger seat, where Hoseok would normally be sitting and buckled in before Taehyung had even gotten to his door. 

"Where's Hoseok?" You asked as soon as he got in. 

"He's at home resting. He's pretty worn out, but he's excited to see you when we get home." Tae put the car in drive and pulled smoothly out into the street. "Your alpha is there, too."

"Let's go!" You urged, forgetting your mood from a moment ago.

"We'll be home in a little bit. We need to go grocery shopping first." He couldn't help smiling at your eagerness though. 

"Namjoon meant well, you know," he said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

You looked at him briefly before turning forward again and sat on your hands to keep from fidgeting with them. "I know," you admitted reluctantly. Whether Namjoon hated you or not, you believed no one in the pack wanted to tempt Yoongi's wrath. "I'm sorry it's taking me so long to adjust."

"Hey. There's no rush. I just wanted to reassure you since you seemed a little shaken up."

"I'm okay," you replied, a little unconvincingly.

In the grocery store, Taehyung let you push the cart while he loaded it with the pack's usual supplies. As he did, he explained which brands Jin preferred (he was picky), what vegetables each member liked and hated, and each member's favorite snack. You made mental notes and hoped you could remember them all. By the time he was finished, the cart was loaded so full, you had to keep a watchful eye for things falling off the top, and you could hardly push it. You'd never seen so much food in your life. But with seven fully grown men, all of this would barely last a week. When the price was tallied up at the register, you could only frown.

"What's that for?" Taehyung asked when he got inside the car, looking down at your outstretched hand and the bills you offered. 

"For the groceries."

He scoffed and ignored your offering as he put on his seatbelt. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. I don't want to add to your burden. You have enough mouths to feed already," you argued.

"You eat like a bird. Do you think it even makes a dent?"

"Don't be so stubborn!"

He looked down at the money still in your hand. "Do you want me to tell Yoongi about this?"

You groaned, "You can't always use that against me!"

"I can when you're being an idiot," he replied and flicked you in the forehead. You sat back with an astonished look on your face, mouth wide open until it closed into a pout. You stuffed the money back into your pocket. "Wait until I tell Yoongi about you."

"Be my guest," he laughed as he finally backed out of the parking spot.

You walked into the house carrying multiple bags in each hand despite Taehyung's scolding. As soon as you walked in, Yoongi was up off the couch where he had spent the last few hours cuddling with Hoseok.

"Hey, princess," he smiled as he wrapped his arms around you and smelled your head.

"Hi, alpha," you hummed, but you couldn't hug him back since your arms were still weighed down.

He chuckled, "Let me take those before your arms fall off."

"There's more outside," you told him as he pried the bags from your blood deprived fingers.

"I'll get them. You go cuddle with Hobi," he said before you could leave the room.

"It's okay. You can stay. I know you've missed each other."

Yoongi shook his head. "We've had plenty of time. And I think he's missed you more."

The way your eyes lit up and a smile covered your face made his heart swell. You didn't waste any time turning toward Hobi. His hair was a fluffy mess and he looked like he could sleep for another day, but he was waiting for you with open arms. You felt happy and relieved that he still wanted to cuddle with you and it hadn't only been a heat privilege.

"There's my little pup," he grinned lazily as you crawled into his makeshift nest. He was warm when he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his lap.

"I'm stinking from work," you complained, pulling away slightly. 

He stuck his nose in your neck and sniffed deeply. "You smell like pup to me."

You rolled your eyes as he pulled you close again, until your head rested on his shoulder. Taehyung came in carrying grocery bags, followed by Yoongi, but neither of them paid attention to you. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel great, just worn out and a little sore."

You nodded. "That will happen when you have three alphas," you said quietly as the two currently home left the room once again. "I bet you don't get any sleep at all."

Hobi laughed loudly. "Not much, but I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way." You could tell by his smile that he meant it. He looked thoroughly satisfied.

"Then I'm sorry for taking Yoongi from you."

Hoseok clicked his tongue at you. "Never say that to me again," he scolded. "I've got more than I need and I'm happy to share. I know someday we'll be one pack. One way or another."

You know that was what everyone expected to happen, what they hoped for. You wished you weren't making it hard on everyone. If only you could get over your reservations. But you were trying, slowly.

"Taehyung told me he wants to be my alpha last night," you whispered to Hoseok. He already knew this. Tae had told him and Yoongi in the morning after you left.

"Do you want him to be?" Hoseok wondered. You said nothing but turned your face into his neck to hide your heating cheeks. Hopefully Hobi wouldn't notice how hot they were against his own skin. His grin spread ear to ear, and he stroked down your back without forcing an answer out of you. He knew it would come out soon enough. 

a/n: idk about yall but I made myself so soft with this chapter. What do you think about her relationship with tae? we got a little peak in joonie's mind too. Are things coming together?? I kinda felt unsure about this chapter, but I think it turned out okay overall. Please let me know what you think <3

Permanent taglist: @lilacdreams-00   @wholockian1 @babycoffeefire @bri-mal @jikooksgirl19 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @marvelfamily3000 @borahae-reads @yoongiigolden   @staerryminimini @valhallawhispers @m4gg13-g @i-have-no-life-charlie @hellokittiesxbae @pamzn @skyys-universe @nicholedobre-blog

Taglist: @ellesalazar @rinkud @osakis-gf @scuzmunkie @queen-in-the-shadows @toughbook @btskzfav @chansbaybygirl @cryingpages @alex--awesome--22 @singukieee @welcometomyworld13 @juju-227592 @bangtanflirt @wittyreader @nyrovieeie @welcome418 @lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime @moon-cupcakes @passionandsuga @m0v3m3ntsblog @kykyxstandler @ladyalicesbookstore @yoonseokerist @deejay08 @momoasenthusiasticreader @littlestarstinyseven @bittersweetbaylee @im-sinking-in-mud @iloverubberduckiez-blog @someshinesomedont @kungsoonie