comfort zone

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/39412761.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Relationship: Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin
Character: Park Jimin (BTS), Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung | V, Kim Namjoon |
RM, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope
Additional Tags: Beta Park Jimin (BTS), Alpha Jeon Jungkook, Alpha/Beta/Omega
Dynamics, Angst, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Rut Sex, Scenting
Language: English
Series: Part 23 of commissions
Stats: Published: 2022-06-03 Completed: 2022-06-26 Chapters: 3/3 Words:
35087

comfort zone
by tinymiminie

Summary

alpha jeongguk is having a hard time trusting people again, even after all these years. beta
jimin is the only one who's managed to make him bring down his walls.

Notes

hello!! here's a new commission that i'm finally getting around to posting. i'm sorry it's
taken me so long and yes, this chapter is short, but the ones that follow will be so soft and
longer :c thank you to my wonderful commissioner for being so patient and understanding
all over again. i know it's taking me a while, but i'm so grateful you wanted to work with
me again!

tw// please also take into consideration that jk was taken by a group of people that forced
alphas to fight illegally. if this is something that could trigger you in any way, don't
continue reading! it'll be mentioned through the fic, although i won't dive into it too much.

See the end of the work for more notes

 Chapter 1

“Last night wasn’t too good on him,” Taehyung’s voice pulls Jimin’s gaze away from the chart
he’s looking at.

It’s a report from what Taehyung is mentioning. I also talks about this morning. Of course, hearing
it from Taehyung gives him much more information.

“He had a nightmare?” He asks, putting the papers down and focusing on Taehyung.

“Yeah,” Taehyung responds. “Of course, he hasn’t talked what it was about. He hasn’t talked at all
this morning, actually. Not even to Namjoon. You know how he always says at least hello to him.
He just nodded and turned his face to the other side. Like he was lost in his thoughts.”

“Was the nightmare too bad?” He asks, pained that Jeongguk is struggling so much even after all
this time. He wishes he could make everything better for him, take away his pain.

Taehyung nods, looking just as heartbroken as Jimin feels. “We had to sedate him. He was yelling
and hitting the walls.”

Jimin sighs. It’s not a setback, but just the same, it feels like Jeongguk has been stuck in the same
place for a long time. Jimin has only been assigned to him for two months, many came before him
that Jeongguk didn’t ever trust, didn’t ever allow close enough to himself. But, apparently, he’s
opened up to Jimin. Somewhat. Enough that he was assigned to him. He was brought in to see how
it went, Jimin is the beta with most experience in the facility, the one who’s helped out many
alphas and omegas going through things like what Jeongguk is going through.

Within a week, Jeongguk had shown more progress than he had in months with other betas.
Naturally, he was permanently assigned to him. Learning about his story was painful. Even though
Jimin thinks he does well in his job, he tends to be too emotional and the stories are always sad,
always make him wish he could do more, even though he’s already doing something .

“I’m gonna go in there,” he murmurs, gently patting Taehyung’s shoulder as he brushes past him.
“Thank you for looking out for him during the morning.”

“No problem, Min,” he responds, smiling. “Be careful in there.”

“He won’t hurt me,” Jimin says instantly.

Taehyung smiles knowingly. “That’s not what I meant. I meant you . Your emotions. It’s not your
fault.”

Jimin nods and looks away.

“I know that,” he mumbles. “I still wish I could do something to help more. It’s been three years.”

“He’s done a lot of progress with you, Jimin. He’s doing so much better. He talks to you.”

Jimin knows that Taehyung isn’t the only one who thinks that. He knows Jeongguk seems to trust
him more than he trusts anybody else. But that doesn’t mean much. Not enough, at least. Jeongguk
deserves to be out of the facility, to be back in society, to live the life he was supposed to live.
Instead, he’s stuck here, trying to move on.
“I know,” he whispers.

Taehyung doesn’t say anything else and Jimin is grateful that the conversation ends. He leaves the
lounging room and heads down the corridor towards the elevator. Jeongguk’s mini apartment is on
the third floor. Each alpha and omega gets their own apartment, something small enough that it has
a room, a small kitchen and a living room that fits at least three people.

He knocks on the door and waits. It’s easy to hear shuffling around the place, someone coming
closer to the door and then it opens. He’s met with a distressed looking Jeongguk. His hair has
gotten long and it’s sticking out in several places, a mess of curls and waves.

He looks exhausted. Jimin shows him a small smile.

“Hi, Jeongguk,” he greets him softly.

Jeongguk doesn’t smile. But he nods.

“Hi, Jimin.”

He doesn’t offer more, but that’s understandable. Jimin doesn’t press for more just yet. He watches
Jeongguk retreat back towards his bedroom and he steps inside, knowing it’s his way of letting
Jimin know he’s welcome to come in. He gently closes the door and follows suit. Jeongguk is
sitting on his bed when he steps in. Shoulders slumped, head lowered, legs crossed and back
against the wall.

It’s obvious that he’s still bothered by the nightmare and Jimin wants to soothe away the memory.
There’s not much he can do but talk with him and hope it’ll help Jeongguk in some way.

Jimin takes a seat on the edge of the bed, making sure to twist his body towards Jeongguk.

“How are you feeling?” He asks.

Jeongguk doesn’t answer for a long time. Jimin almost thinks that he won’t respond, that he’ll
prefer to keep his thoughts to himself, but finally, he clears his throat and plays with his fingers. He
doesn’t lift his head when he replies.

“Not so good.”

Taehyung is right. Jimin doesn’t know why, but Jeongguk trusts him. He doesn’t say all that much,
but he evidently tries to. Baby steps. Jimin has never pressured him to open up and Jeongguk
always seems so grateful that Jimin doesn’t ask more when Jeongguk gives him a little bit.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Jeongguk immediately shakes his head.

“Not really.”

His voice is always a mixture of sadness and fear. His expression never gives away much. Jimin
makes sure not to ask too much, to let him decide how much he wants to say.

“That bad, huh?” He tries to be lighthearted. Jeongguk nods, a small jerk of his head. Jimin decides
to change the subject. “How about your week? What have you been up to?”

Jeongguk’s whole body sags, as if he’d been incredibly tense and now he can relax.
“Not much,” he mumbles. He tilts his head back and lets it lean against the wall. His gaze falls to
Jimin and it feels strangely heavy. “I went out a couple of times.”

“That’s great,” Jimin quickly says, latching onto that to continue the conversation. “What did you
do?”

“Nothing different to what I usually do,” he replies. He’s always encouraged to go out at least once
or twice during the week, even if it’s just to get some fresh air, walk around for a bit.

“Did you get a new book?” Jimin asks, knowing this is a safe zone.

Jeongguk likes talking about books. He likes that they take his mind away from real life and that
they’re quiet. Jimin had understood what he meant even before he explained. It’s one of the best
conversations they’ve had. It went on for a long time, Jeongguk seeming the tiniest bit excited
about the fact that Jimin is a writer.

"No, I just sat down to read for a while,” he replies. “I did go to the park for a while. Just sat down
and…” he trails off.

Jimin’s lips tilt up into a smile. “Just…existed?”

Jeongguk’s eyes close. He doesn’t smile, but he whispers a soft: “yeah.”

“I hope it was nice,” he whispers sincerely. “I might have to join you one of these days. I’ve been
stuck with my writing for a while.”

“I didn’t think you could get stuck,” Jeongguk says. His eyes remain closed, but his expression
looks serene.

“Of course, I can.” He’s gotten stuck several times before. It’s not something he can control.
Sometimes there are reasons, sometimes there just aren’t. It just happens. “I guess it’s because right
now I’m kind of not struggling with deadlines. After all that writing, I now have to think about a
new idea. Or work on something I left unfinished before,” he tries to explain.

“You have unfinished books?” Jeongguk asks, curious.

“Not unfinished books,” Jimin responds. He always finds that Jeongguk speaks up more when he
hears Jimin sharing more about himself―even if it’s just the small things, the things that don’t feel
too important. “Mostly ideas I never carried out or stuff I wrote for a long time and ended up not
liking anymore. I think one of those I’m going to work on for my next book.”

Jeongguk’s eyes open and he spots Jimin. Even though he gets caught looking at him, he smiles
warmly. It’s just often hard to pull his eyes away from Jeongguk. He’s beautiful, but it’s not about
that. When he starts to relax, it’s like his face becomes an open box of emotions. He guards himself
so much normally, but when he doesn’t, Jimin can’t look away.

“I’m going to ask for one of your books the next time I go to the bookstore,” Jeongguk says. He
doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that he caught Jimin looking at him. “You keep telling me
you’re not famous, but I think you are.”

Jimin laughs and shakes his head. He’s not famous, but he’s not unknown either. People buy his
books, they send him messages on his social media accounts. He gets recognized on the streets
sometimes. But it’s nothing major, it’s nothing that feels life changing. He likes the way things are
right now.
“I’m really not,” he assures. When their eyes meet, he finds that Jeongguk’s expression is different.
Gaze sparkling, humor dancing in his features. He doesn’t smile, but Jimin almost thinks he will.
“I can bring you one of my books, you don’t have to buy one.”

Jeongguk tilts his head to the side. He looks away a second later, as if realizing that he was letting
his guard down. He seems to tense up all over again, playing with his fingers nervously.

“If that’s okay,” he mumbles.

“Of course, it’s okay,” he reassures. “I’ll bring one next week.”

Silence falls around them. Jimin isn’t sure of what more to say and Jeongguk doesn’t respond to his
words. Raking through his brain for a new question, he wonders if there’s a way for him to ask
more about how Jeongguk is feeling without making him feel pressured.

But Jeongguk speaks up not too long after. He ducks his head, looks at his hands as if they’re the
most interesting thing in the room.

“Are you only allowed to come once a week?” He asks.

His voice is so low, Jimin almost thinks he’s imagined what he just said. But Jeongguk’s gaze lifts,
nervous and shy and something warm stirs in Jimin’s chest at the sight. It’s always shocking to see
Jeongguk show this, show these emotions that he normally keeps hidden.

“No,” he replies softly, a little bit scared of shattering the moment, something that’s clearly
important because Jeongguk isn’t holding back his emotions. “I mean. I come in once a week
because that’s what the facility thinks is best for you, but I can come as many times as I want. If
you want me to come more frequently, I can do that. Of course, I’ll come, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk looks away, but his expression still shows the same vulnerability.

“It’s just,” he starts, his hands closing in fists. “It’s easier,” he finally whispers. “When you come,
the nightmares aren’t as bad.”

There’s something about the way in which he says it that makes Jimin’s heart jump. It sounds so
sincere and like he genuinely wants Jimin to come more often because it helps him in a way. And
Jimin wants to help. He always does. He’s glad that he can.

“Then, I’ll come more often,” he reassures. “I can come twice a week. Or three times. I’m glad I
can help a bit, at least.”

Jeongguk shifts, pulls his knees to his chest and hesitates for a second before he responds. “You
help a lot.”

That’s it. He grows quiet, doesn’t seem to want to say more. Jimin doesn’t push it. Jeongguk has
already said so much more than he could have ever imagined him saying. And he’s told him
there’s something that makes things better. That’s so much more than Jimin expected from today.

“I’m glad,” he whispers.

Jeongguk doesn’t say more, as if opening up about that has already been too much for him. He
clears his throat and presses his forehead to his knees, hiding himself from Jimin. And for the first
time since they met each other, Jimin itches to reach out and touch him, give him comfort with
gentle hands. Betas assigned to alphas and omegas do that a lot. It’s a great way to build trust and
to give comfort.
When it comes to Jeongguk, Jimin hasn’t tried. Because he knows other betas have tried it and
Jeongguk has always asked them not to. It’s all in the reports. And yet, Jimin wishes he could slip
his fingers into his hair and scratch his scalp, sooth him, maybe ruffle his hair until he falls asleep.

Instead, he keeps his hands to himself and lets the silence drag on for a little bit longer because he
can tell it’s something Jeongguk needs after saying everything he’s said.

The silence isn’t uncomfortable. It drags on for a long time. Until Jimin finally asks Jeongguk
when he would like him to come and Jeongguk asks him to come again as soon as he can and
wants to.

Needless to say, Jimin comes back the next day. And Jeongguk tells him, again hesitant, again shy
and worried, that he slept better and longer than he has in days.

↢↣

There are so many layers to Jeongguk that Jimin wishes he could uncover all at once. Everything
he hides behind his gentle gazes and the way in which he pulls back whenever he realizes that he’s
saying a little bit too much. Jimin wishes he could help more. He knows he’s doing something , but
it never feels like enough.

Today Jeongguk is strangely relaxed. He’s laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, seeming a
little bit lost in thought. Distracted. But he’s talking. He’s saying so many things that Jimin is too
scared to speak up and make him realize and stop.

“I worry a lot about my instincts,” Jeongguk mumbles. “I never want to give in to them because
I’m scared I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing. I’m scared I’ll lose control.”

“Being connected to your instincts is perfectly okay,” Jimin reassures. “You don’t have to give into
them entirely, but they can help out in lots of ways. It helps you be connected with your wolf, with
your emotions. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll know when you need to control yourself
because that’s also part of your instincts,” he explains.

Jeongguk hums. He’s quiet for a few seconds, as if thinking about Jimin’s response. Finally, he
says something new.

“I always wonder what I’d be doing now if I wasn’t stuck here, pulled down by what happened,”
he says. “I know what I wanted to do, but it’s kind of hard thinking about doing all of those things
now. I don’t know if I can.”

“I know it feels that way now,” Jimin gently replies. Jeongguk’s gaze remains on the ceiling, but
he doesn’t seem to tense up, his guard doesn’t pull up. He’s still relaxed. “But these things can help
you. It can be scary, but you can try. I’m here too, if you ever want to and want me to be there.”

He braces himself for Jeongguk to close up and stop talking, change the subject. But he doesn’t. He
sits up and pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He’s tall and toned, but
when he holds onto himself like that he looks small and fragile.

“I’ve been meaning to buy a camera,” he murmurs. It’s shy and hesitant. He clears his throat and
leans his chin on his knees. “I used to enjoy taking pictures. I haven’t held a camera in a long
time.”
“Do you have one?” Jimin asks. “If not, I have one. I can lend it to you if you’d like to give it a try
again.”

Jeongguk’s eyes gleam with excitement, but he does a good job at concealing it before he nods
softly.

“You’re always bringing me things these days,” he points out, although he doesn’t sound bothered
by it.

If anything, his lips twitch, a small smile taking over them. Jimin is so taken aback by it that he’s
left mesmerized, unable to reply. He doesn’t think he’s seen Jeongguk smile in the time he’s
known him. And it’s such a pretty one. He should be able to smile all the time, whenever he wants,
without having bad things clouding over his happiness.

He was only eighteen when he was taken away. Forced to fight other alphas for money he barely
got to see. Jimin doesn’t know about every detail, but he knows enough to be aware of how hard it
must be for Jeongguk to move on, to continue on with his life after what happened.

“I don’t mind bringing you things,” he reassures. “As long as it makes you happy.”

Jeongguk’s gaze meets his and Jimin feels his cheeks grow warm when he realizes what he just
said. He’s not here to make Jeongguk happy, but to help him move on, to help him feel better and
be ready to go on with his life. Sure, happiness is great. But that’s just a personal goal he has. He
wants Jeongguk to be happy again.

“Thank you,” Jeongguk whispers. “If it’s really okay, then…yeah. I would like to try it out. Take
some pictures. Can I take it outside?”

“Of course,” Jimin quickly replies. “I’ll bring it over next time,” he promises.

“Okay.”

Jeongguk’s voice is low now, his expression a little bit lost. Jimin can see the way in which his
expression changes. How he starts to grow tense and serious, maybe remembering something that
happened three years ago. And Jimin isn’t really thinking. It’s a mistake, he knows the second he
reaches out, but by the time he wants to stop himself, his hand is already touching Jeongguk’s.

His body tenses up almost immediately. Jimin can’t help but notice how Jeongguk flinches. It’s a
subtle movement. A second later, Jeongguk lets go of his knees and sits cross-legged. He turns his
hand around, placing it palm up for Jimin to touch. It feels like a sign of trust, as if Jeongguk is
giving him a little bit more.

He’s gentle about it. Slowly, he presses his fingertips to Jeongguk’s palm, traces the skin gently,
hoping it’ll give Jeongguk some calmness. Hoping it’ll help somehow. Then he holds his hand
more firmly, presses his thumb into his skin, rubs back and forth for a few seconds. When he looks
up, he finds Jeongguk’s eyes closed, lips parted, expression relaxed.

Jimin takes his time touching his skin, moving closer and closer to his wrist. Even though he goes
slowly, even though he’s sure he’s being obvious about where he’s heading, when his thumb
presses to Jeongguk’s scent gland, his body tenses up all over again. This time, his eyes snap open,
he pulls his arm back and stands up, walking all the way to the other side of the room.

“Jeongguk,” he tries, standing up and lifting his hands in front of himself to show Jeongguk that he
means no harm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to―”
“No, I―” Jeongguk interrupts, shaking his head, reaching up to tug at his hair desperately. Jimin
has been so careful. It feels like it’s all crumbling down. “I’m sorry. Please, go. Please leave,
Jimin.”

“I didn’t mean to do that, okay?” Jimin quickly says, taking a small step forward. Jeongguk’s
expression fills with panic so Jimin takes a step back immediately. “I’m so sorry. I really am.”

Jeongguk shakes his head and turns around. “Please, Jimin. I’m sorry. I just can’t―I can’t .”

“Don’t apologize,” Jimin whispers, stepping back and heading towards the living room. “You did
nothing wrong. I’ll go. I’m sorry,”

He leaves the apartment before Jeongguk starts to panic even more. He doesn’t want that. They’d
done so much progress, he’s terrified they’ll go back to the beginning. He’s scared Jeongguk will
be hurting because of him. He’s worried. But all he can do is do what Jeongguk wants. So, he
leaves and decides to give him a few days to settle down, to calm down, give him the space he
must need.

Jimin has grown used to spending a lot of time with Jeongguk. When he’s not writing, he’s here.
Despite everything, despite knowing he shouldn’t get attached, Jeongguk has become a part of his
life, has become someone he wants to see all the time. Not seeing him for a couple of days will be
hard, but he’ll always put Jeongguk’s wellbeing first.

↢↣

Jimin waits rather impatiently for Jeongguk to open the door for him. He’s nervous. It’s been a
week. He’s been giving Jeongguk space because of what happened the last time they saw each
other. And, anyway, Jeongguk hasn’t asked him to come around. Sure, even though Jimin asked
him to tell him if he wanted him to come on days that weren’t his weekly visit, he hadn’t done it.
But this time around, Jimin was worried Jeongguk wouldn’t be happy to see him just yet.

He probably needed time, space.

Yet, when the door opens and Jeongguk spots him, the reaction is not one he could have ever
expected. Jeongguk looks bothered for a moment―angry, even. But then he realizes it’s Jimin and
his expression changes entirely. His eyes widen and he takes a step forward, stops himself and then
steps forward again. Jimin doesn’t even get a chance to say anything before having his strong arms
wrapped around his body. They stumble with the force of the embrace, Jimin almost loosing his
balance.

It’s a hug full of fear and worry and anxiousness. Jeongguk’s emotions are all over the place, Jimin
can smell his distress and can feel him shaking as he holds onto him. He slips his arms around
Jeongguk’s waist a little too late, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem anywhere near ready to let go. He
isn’t crying, but the moment feels so intense once would think he is. Jimin rubs his back up and
down, but it’s mostly instinct.

Because he can’t really believe that Jeongguk is touching him, that he’s holding onto him like this,
especially after the last time he was here.

“Jimin,” he says, pleading, although Jimin doesn’t know what he’s pleading for. “Jimin. Jimin. I’m
so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he whispers, a little bit distracted with how close Jeongguk’s
breath is to his scent gland, how tightly he’s holding onto him, how desperately the whole moment
feels. “It was my fault, I shouldn’t have―”

“No, no,” Jeongguk interrupts, shaking his head, his forehead pressing to Jimin’s shoulder. “You
didn’t do anything I didn’t want.”

The words take a second to register. Jimin blinks and pauses and realizes what Jeongguk means.
Slowly, he tries to lean away, to talk properly. But Jeongguk makes a sound of protest, desperate.
He tugs Jimin closer, tightens his arms around him. It should be painful because he’s bigger and so
strong. But it doesn’t. It does make them stumble again.

They step into the apartment, Jimin tries to close the door with his foot. It clicks shut, but then the
world tilts and he falls. Jeongguk’s arms take most of the fall and Jimin is left hazy, confused.
They’d stumbled again, so that’s how they fell. He’s not scared now that he has Jeongguk’s body
on top of his. His face is now pressed to the crook of Jimin’s neck. Jimin can sense his fear.

He’s not sure why Jeongguk is scared, but he slides his hands up and down his back to continue
with his soothing pattern.

“Jeongguk,” he whispers, unsure of what to do. He doesn’t know how much he can touch. He’s
scared of stepping over a line again and having Jeongguk recoil once more. “It’s okay,” he
promises softly. “Calm down. I’m here. It’s okay.”

“It scared me,” Jeongguk blurts out. “When you touched my scent gland, you were suddenly all I
could smell and it scared me,” he explains, breathless. Jimin listens, even more surprised that
Jeongguk is saying all of that, opening up about what happened.

Maybe it’s because Jeongguk’s senses are heightened. Having been continuously exposed to
violent alphas, to intense pheromones, to situations that made his instincts go wild. It’s no surprise
he can smell Jimin so well. His scent is faint because he’s a beta, sometimes others don’t even
smell it.

He clears his throat, trying to calm his breathing and the rapid beating of his heart. “Why?” He
asks softly. “Why did it scare you?”

They have to talk about it. Jeongguk is showing a side of himself that Jeongguk would have never
expected to see. Talking about this is the best thing to do.

“Because it made my alpha react,” Jeongguk confesses. “I wanted it. I wanted you to scent me. I
just don’t remember the last time―it’s been so long,” he explains.

“Scenting can also help,” Jimin whispers. “I know you might be sensitive to scents, or to being
touched. I know it’s hard for you. You don’t have to work through it. But you could. It could
help,” he says. “Whatever you want is good. Don’t ever feel like you have to force yourself or―”

“I want to try,” Jeongguk interrupts. “I want to try with you. You always calm my alpha down. I
trust you, Jimin. I―” he stops himself, as if realizing how much he’s giving away, how much he’s
saying.

Jimin gently slips one hand into Jeongguk’s hair. He scratches his scalp. He doesn’t pause to think,
but he has a feeling this time Jeongguk won’t mind it. Sure enough, Jeongguk makes a soft sound,
as if pleased and shudders, body relaxing again.

“I’m glad,” he murmurs. “I can help with whatever you need. But you have to talk to me. Tell me
what you’re fine with, what you’re not. I don’t want to do something that will scare you like that
again.”

Jeongguk is quiet for a long moment. Long enough that Jimin starts to think that he’s hiding
himself away again. But then he whispers softly, his breath tickling Jimin’s skin.

“I will.” And then: “don’t leave again,” he pleads. “You were gone for a week. I thought―” he
stops himself, shaking his head, hugging Jimin tighter. “Please don’t disappear again. I missed you
so much.”

It’s almost as if now that he’s opened up a little bit he can’t stop. Jimin’s heart warms at
Jeongguk’s words. I missed you so much . Jimin missed him too. He didn’t know that Jeongguk felt
that way, too. He didn’t know that he trusts him. All of a sudden, it feels like maybe they’ve done
more progress than he thought. Maybe Jeongguk is doing better than he expected, only he’s had it
hidden away, he’s been too busy protecting himself to show everything he has in his chest.

“I missed you too.” The words are easy to voice out. “I was trying to give you space,” he explains.
“I didn’t―I was worried you wouldn’t want to see me.”

“I always want to see you,” Jeongguk says, almost instantly. “Everything is better when I see you.”

Jimin doesn’t want to feel this way, but he can’t help liking Jeongguk’s words. It’s only been a few
months and yet he’s grown so close to him, he’s grown so attached, he thinks about him a lot,
about finding ways to help him, about being there for him. He tries not to think about what all of
that might mean. Still, it’s impossible to stop himself from feeling that tingling sensation in his
chest.

“I thought you were angry,” Jeongguk whispers. And he sounds so broken, so terrified.

Jimin tightens his arm around him, slides his other hand from his hair down to his nape. Jeongguk
‘s body slumps against him, he absolutely melts into the touch.

“I could never be angry at you,” Jimin reassures. “All I want is for things to be better. I want to
take care of you, Jeongguk.”

Maybe he’s saying too much, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem to mind. He rubs his forehead over
Jimin’s shoulder, not scenting, but close enough as it is. It seems to be calming enough for him
because he settles down with a sigh and murmurs a soft thank you that somehow makes Jimin’s
inside feel warmer.

They stay there for an awfully long time, wrapped around each other. Jimin shifts after a while and
Jeongguk apologizes for keeping him on the floor, instantly gets up and helps Jimin up as well. He
lets go a little too fast and hesitates before turning around to head towards his bedroom.

Jimin takes that as his invitation to follow. He finds Jeongguk hesitating next to the bed. When
Jimin settles beside him, he clears his throat and gently places his hand on Jeongguk’s arm.

“What is it?” He asks softly.

Jeongguk shakes his head.

“Can we just―” he starts, taking a deep breath, as if it’s something that’s too difficult to say. “Can
we lay down for a little bit?”

Even though it surprises him, he pretends it doesn’t and nods.

“Of course, Jeongguk.”

After Jimin says that, Jeongguk quickly slides onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, making sure
to stay as close to the wall as possible, leaving as much space for Jimin as he can. And Jimin is
careful not to invade his space as he settles beside him, also facing the ceiling.

They lay beside each other. The bed is big enough to fit one person comfortably and Jeongguk is
on the big side, so they fit rather tightly. It’s awkward for a moment, but then Jeongguk takes a
deep breath, his body relaxing, as if some sort of weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

“You didn’t bring your camera,” Jeongguk mumbles, after a long time.

Right. He promised that. With what happened, it completely slipped his mind. All he’s thought
about this whole week was Jeongguk’s reaction, all the things Jimin should have done differently.
He didn’t even remember about the camera. When he turns his head to the side, he finds Jeongguk
smiling. It’s a small smile, a barely there one. But it’s enough for Jimin to know he’s teasing.

“I’ll bring it to you next time,” he promises, playfully pushing his elbow against his.

Jeongguk’s smile slowly fades away and his eyes close.

“Tomorrow?” He asks softly. “I mean, you don’t have to bring it tomorrow. But…will you come
tomorrow?”

“I’ll come tomorrow,” he promises.

The bed shifts, Jeongguk moves. Jimin stays exactly where he is, but he can feel Jeongguk’s
forehead pressing to his bicep. Nothing more is said, both of them remain quiet as the minutes go
by.

Jeongguk falls asleep. Jimin hears it happening, his breathing slowing down, his body relaxing
entirely. He shifts at some point, presses closer, rubs his forehead briefly against him before he
settles down again.

It takes him a couple of minutes to feel like he can move without waking him up. He does it
slowly, wincing when the bed dips and Jeongguk shifts. But he doesn’t wake up and Jimin ends up
being able to slip away without him doing so. It downs on him that all the emotions Jeongguk felt
and expressed so freely took a toll on him and that’s why he fell asleep so easily, so quickly.

He’s glad. Even if it tired him out, he’s glad that he could let out everything he was feeling. He
heads downstairs to see Taehyung before leaving. He wants to ask about how Jeongguk’s week has
been. What he’s done. If he was okay.

Jimin steps into the lounging room and texts Taehyung if he’s free. Ten minutes later he walks
inside, showing Jimin a smile.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a very long time,” he states, dropping down beside him on the
sofa. “You went from coming almost daily to disappearing for a whole week.”

“I know,” he mumbles, shaking his head. “I had to give him space.”

“It didn’t seem to me like he wanted space,” Taehyung replies. “He kept asking about you. Asking
if you were okay, why you weren’t coming in.”

“He did?” Jimin asks. Today has really been filled with surprises from Jeongguk. Jimin was
worried this would be a setback for him, that he’d end up losing Jeongguk, that he’d be all the way
back to cero and that he’d hide himself away.

“ Yes , he did,” Taehyung states. “Every time someone came in, he’d ask if you were okay or if
they knew when you’d be back.”

He had my number, though , Jimin thinks. Maybe Jeongguk was also worried about texting Jimin
and being met with silence, of learning he didn’t want to talk to him. After all, Jeongguk made it
clear he thought Jimin was angry about what had happened. “What did you tell him?”

“That we didn’t know.” Taehyung shrugs. “I think not seeing you for a week was…painful. For
him, I mean. He looked so sad.”

His words break Jimin’s heart. He didn’t know Jeongguk wanted him around so much. He knew
that Jeongguk had connected with him somewhat, but he didn’t know it was something so big, so
important for him.

“I noticed,” he murmurs. “He was panicking so much when he saw me. It was as if a million
emotions washed over him all at once. He was so exhausted he fell asleep.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really? He’s been sleeping so poorly this week. I can’t believe he
fell asleep so easily, but I’m glad he did. It was starting to take a toll on him.”

“I shouldn’t have stayed away.”

He sighs and cards his fingers through his hair.

“It’s not your fault. You thought you were doing the right thing and, honestly, maybe it was a good
thing. He missed you, but space is always good,” Taehyung reassures. “Come on, don’t beat
yourself up about it. Just be glad that he’s fine now. Tell me about you, Jimin. How are you? What
have you been up to this week?”

He smiles. Taehyung always has a way of taking away whatever bad feeling Jimin has in his chest.
They’ve known each other for a long time and they’ve grown close over the years. Taehyung can
always tell when Jimin needs to talk, the same way Jimin always knows when Taehyung needs a
shoulder to lean on.

So, for a few minutes, they talk back and forth about their week before Taehyung has to go back to
work.

↢↣

“You’re leaving already?” Jeongguk asks.

Jimin has been here for almost four hours already. And he’s supposed to go downstairs to talk with
Management before he leaves―something about Jeongguk. Even though it worried him from the
second the message came through, Jeongguk has done a great job distracting him.

Talking and talking and talking so much. Saying so much, even if not everything was laced with a
lot of importance, even if some things were small, like his favorite colors to mix on a painting, the
pictures he took when he went out last week, the books he’s been reading. How much he liked
Jimin’s last book. How much he liked the manuscript that Jimin has never given in.

“It’s getting late,” he replies softly. “And I still have something to do before I leave,” he adds,
when Jeongguk seems ready to protest.

Jimin has been staying longer, has found it harder to leave these days. Jeongguk sometimes asks
him to stay a little bit longer, although he never presses too hard, he gives up after an attempt or
two, but he looks disappointed as Jimin leaves. Jimin doesn’t mind spending more time here. He’s
a full-time writer. He can work on his own schedule and, anyway, his inspiration is flowing nicely
these days, so he has nothing to worry about.

Jeongguk tilts his head to the side. He’s already standing close to Jimin, but he takes a step forward
and it suddenly feels as if he’s invading his space. It doesn’t feel wrong, though. Jimin’s heart
jumps, especially when Jeongguk suddenly leans down, nose hovering over his neck. He sniffs,
stays there for a little bit before he leans back. He seems hesitant before he starts speaking.

“You always mostly smell like yourself, but…” he trails off. His hesitance turns into something
different. Something Jimin can’t quite pinpoint. “I’ve never asked, but I keep wondering. Are you
working with someone else?” He asks. He only allows a second between his question and his next
words and Jimin gets nowhere near responding. “I mean, I’m not sure how it works here. Are you
just assigned to one person? Or…”

“Hey,” Jimin whispers, reaching out and placing his hands on Jeongguk’s shoulders. He’s still too
close, enough that Jimin can smell his nice and intense scent, but Jimin tries to stay focused. “It’s
just you,” he says.

Other betas tend to take up more patients at a time. There are so many wolves here at the facility
that it would be impossible to have a beta for each other. Jimin doesn’t do that, though. He thinks it
better to bond with one, to focus on one, for things to work out better. Because his success rate is so
high, he’s allowed to do that.

And he should say more, probably, but he has a feeling that’s all Jeongguk needed to hear. As if he
was worried there was someone else taking away Jimin’s time.

Jeongguk exhales softly, his expression turning apologetic almost instantly.

“I’m sorry.”

Jimin’s eyebrow furrow. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I just―” Jeongguk stops himself, looks away. “I don’t know.”

He has a feeling that Jeongguk isn’t being one hundred percent honest right now, but he doesn’t
press for more. Instead, he slides one hand down and presses his thumb to Jeongguk’s wrist.
Instantly, Jeongguk relaxes. He sighs and drops his forehead to Jimin’s shoulder. It’s so sudden and
something Jimin wasn’t expecting. So they stumble for a second, Jeongguk’s hands reaching up to
steady him. They settle on his hips and they burn. At least it feels like they’re directly touching
Jimin’s skin. It’s a nice feeling.

“I have a meeting,” he explains softly, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Jeongguk mumbles something that Jimin doesn’t really hear and suddenly he wraps his arms
tightly around Jimin’s waist. His face drowns in his neck, nose inches away from his scent gland.
So far, Jimin has only ever scented Jeongguk by the wrists, touching gently, comforting. Nothing
too intimate―even though this hug feels so intimate already. He has a feeling Jeongguk isn’t ready
for Jimin to come near to his neck. Probably because of the vulnerability that comes with it.
Jeongguk also doesn’t cross that line, but he doesn’t really scent Jimin all that much either. A brief
brush of his fingers across his wrist, tapping the skin to grab his attention.

He places his hands on Jeongguk’s back and rubs gently. This isn’t something infrequent, either.
Jeongguk has been hugging him a lot ever since that first time. Always eager to hold onto him,
always sighing happily when Jimin touches the skin of his wrist. Like a puppy. It’s cute and Jimin
wants nothing more than to give him what he wants, what makes him happy.

Soon enough, Jeongguk lets go with a shy smile and reaches up to card his fingers through his hair.

“Thank you for coming today,” he whispers.

Jimin reaches up and ruffles his hair. Jeongguk leans into his touch, tilting his head down, closing
his eyes. Puppy , Jimin thinks, he really does act like one sometimes .

“You have nothing to thank me for,” he reassures. “I’ll see you again soon, Jeongguk.”

“Okay,” he murmurs, not the usual ‘you’re not coming tomorrow? ’

Jimin doesn’t question it too much. He pulls his hand away and smiles, saying goodbye and
heading out. Jeongguk says goodbye with a smile, too. The door closes behind Jimin and he stays
there for a second too long, unable to push away the thought that Jeongguk’s expression has
seemed sad as he left. He knows they spend a lot more time together these days, he’s grown used to
being with Jeongguk all the time, but he didn’t know he felt just as sad when having to leave.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he moves towards the elevator and heads down to the main
office. Because he’s a volunteer here at the facility, he’s let in with a smile and he makes his way
towards the Management sector. It’s towards the end of the floor and once Hoseok spots him, he
waves him over, standing up as he reaches his side.

“Jimin,” he greats him, pulling him in for a hug. “It’s been such a long time since I last saw you.
How are you doing? How’s everything with Jeongguk?” He asks.

He’s right. The last time they saw each other, it was during a meeting for Jimin’s assignment to
Jeongguk’s case. Hoseok is the one who has the information of all the alphas and omegas staying
at the facility and the betas they have assigned. They talked with Namjoon, the head doctor of the
facility, also the one who looks after the wolves, focuses on their mental and physical health. The
one in charge of letting them go when they’re ready to be on their own again.

Taehyung was also at that meeting. He was the last beta to be assigned to Jeongguk. Needless to
say, things hadn’t worked out well enough. And Taehyung had been the one to suggest Jimin as the
person to take over.

“Everything is going good, actually,” he replies, showing him a smile once they step away from
each other. “He’s progressed a lot and he smiles more.”

“I’m glad Jeongguk connected with you,” Hoseok says sincerely. “I know how much he’s
struggled since he got here. That’s actually what Namjoon and I wanted to talk to you about.”

Jimin’s eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean?”

For a brief moment, he wonders if they’re going to tell him Jeongguk is ready to leave the facility.
It’s only been about four months. It’s good . That Jeongguk could be ready to move on, even
though it’s only been a few months. He’s been here much longer, he’s been here before Jimin was
assigned to him. But leaving the facility would mean Jimin wouldn’t see him anymore and that
makes him sad.

“Come on, lets head into a meeting room,” Hoseok says, gesturing for him to follow.

He guides him to the same room they were in the day they told him about Jeongguk. And as he
takes a seat on one of the chairs, Hoseok takes his phone out and sends out a text to Namjoon.

Hoseok settles in front of him in another chair.

“Namjoon is on his way, but in the meantime, let me explain a little bit,” he starts. “You know
how we’ve had a large influx of alphas and omegas in the past months, a lot of them staying for a
long time. The place is big, but space has been running out.”

“Really?” Jimin asks, genuinely surprised. The facility is big, space has never run out. It’s good, on
one hand, because they’re taking care of more wolves. But it’s not good that they’re running out of
space.

“Yeah,” Hoseok replies, nodding. “It’s great, but it also puts us in a tough spot. We’ve been having
meeting after meeting trying to figure out what to do.” Jimin nods in understanding, prompting him
to go on. “Poor Namjoon has been struggling with keeping up with all the patients, but we finally
have a better idea of what we’re dealing with. Basically, we’ve decided to add a new stage to the
recovery process for the wolves.”

“Okay, I’m here!” Namjoon exclaims, almost bursting into the meeting room. He squeezes Jimin’s
shoulder as he walks in and settles beside Hoseok, dropping down on the chair. He seems ten times
more exhausted than he did the last time he saw him. “Sorry, I was caught up with a patient. What
did I miss?”

“Not much,” Hoseok reassures. “I was explaining the situation to Jimin and you got here just on
time. I was explaining about the new stage in the recovery process.”

Namjoon nods and puts aside the papers he has in his hands.

“Right, that new stage is basically for wolves that don’t really needed to be in here anymore, but
aren’t fully ready to be out there interacting with new people on their own. There are a lot of them
here at the facility that are already going out a lot, spending their days outside. We think it could be
an adaptation phase of some sorts,” he explains. “It wasn’t too hard to convince the higher-ups.
They thought it was a good idea, too. So, we’re going to be sending away some of the wolves with
their assigned betas.”

It takes Jimin a couple of seconds to understand what it means. Unsure, he tilts his head to the side.

“Like, to live with the betas?” He asks.

Namjoon nods. “Of course, it’s not an obligation. We’re trying hard only to consider cases where
we think this will work and where we’re completely sure that the wolves are ready for it. Betas are
allowed to say no, too. It’s happened. But a lot of them have agreed and we’re already doing the
paperwork to get that to happen.”

This isn’t what Jimin was expecting when he came down here. Honestly, he thought he’d be told
Jeongguk didn’t need him anymore. But, apparently, they think Jeongguk need to spend more time
with him, that he should live with him.
“For how long?” He asks. “How does it work? The new stage, I mean. They just live with the beta
and that’s that? Or is it the same as it is here, only at the beta’s home?”

Hoseok laughs. “Told you he would have a lot of questions.”

Jimin smiles.

“You know I always want to know everything,” he replies, shrugging.

“It’s okay, I’m glad you have questions,” Namjoon says. “The length of the stay doesn’t have to be
an established one. It can last as long as it takes for the wolf to be comfortable enough to be on
their own. I’m thinking it’ll only be a couple of months, maybe three or four. The wolves that will
be sent out will be on the final stages of recovery, so it shouldn’t take too long,” he explains. “It
works the same as it does here. The wolf should come here for check-ups every two or three
weeks. And, all you have to do is be there for them, help them move on and adapt.”

Jimin takes in all the information. He thinks about it for a moment, even though he already half
knows he’ll say yes. He doesn’t hate the idea of having Jeongguk around more, it’s actually
something that he knows he’ll like. It’ll give him a chance to help him even more, it’ll make them
grow closer. It could make Jeongguk trust him more, finally let go entirely and be ready to move
on.

“I take it you think Jeongguk is ready for this stage,” he starts. When he gets a nod in confirmation
from both of them, he nods to himself and leans back in his chair. “Jeongguk can stay in my house
for as long as he needs. And, as long as it’s something he’s fine with, too. Don’t tell him what I’ve
said. First ask him how he feels about it. If he’s okay with it, then yeah. We can do that.”

“Great!” Hoseok exclaims. “I had a feeling you’d say yes. I know how much you care about the
wolves that get assigned to you.”

Jimin laughs. “Yeah.”

“Then, we’ll talk to Jeongguk and contact you soon, Jimin,” Namjoon says. “Thank you so much
for everything you do for the facility.”

“Please, thank you guys for all your hard work. This place has grown because of you,” he replies
with a smile. “Let me know what Jeongguk says.”

They say quick goodbyes and agree to talk soon before the three of them part ways. As Jimin
drives back home, he wonders if Jeongguk will say yes. He knows that Jeongguk has grown to like
the time they spend together, he never hesitates to tell him that he makes things better, but living
with him might be too much. Maybe he’s not ready.

He hopes Jeongguk will go for whatever is better for him, for whatever he’s the most comfortable
with.
 Chapter 2
Chapter Notes

i am sooo overwhelmed with all the love you've given to the first chapter. i'm so glad
you liked it! i hope this chapter will be great too. i enjoyed it a lot and exploring about
these two through the plans i have. be on the look out for chapter 3, it'll be smexy and
also cute.

thank you so much!

Jimin doesn’t know what to expect as he makes his way towards Jeongguk’s place. Hoseok let him
know that Jeongguk had also agreed to going home with Jimin.

He said the same thing you did. If you were okay with it, than he was too.

That’s what Hoseok texted him. So, paperwork was done, the process took about a week to be
completed and now he’s here, actually about to take Jeongguk home with him for a while. He
doesn’t know how long it’ll be, but whatever long it takes is fine by him. He likes spending time
with Jeongguk and even though living together is different to what they’ve been doing these
months, he has a feeling they’ll get along just fine.

When the door opens, Jimin is so distracted that he startles. Jeongguk doesn’t seem to notice,
though. His lips pull up into a small smile and he’s quick to wrap his arms around Jimin. It’s a
quick hug, a tightening of his arms before he lets him go and steps into his place.

“I’m almost done with packing,” he says, slipping into his bedroom.

Jimin comes inside and closes the door, following Jeongguk into his room. He doesn't have much,
so it’s no surprise he has only one big suit case, a big duffel bag and a backpack. 1 box Jimin
suspects has books and other things he didn’t want to fit with his clothes.

Everything else Jeongguk had and didn’t fit in this place was sent to a storage room the moment he
was found and put to safety, admitted to the facility. Jimin has a feeling Jeongguk isn’t ready to
look into that yet. It was mentioned to him while the paperwork was going through, so whenever
he’s ready, Jimin is hoping he’ll tell him about it and they’ll go to check that out.

He didn’t have all that much to begin with. He lived on his own in a small apartment, even though
his parents had left him a lot of inheritance money after their passing. It’s all money that he still has
in the bank account they left. That’s something Jimin doesn’t want to ask about yet either. He
wants everything to go at Jeongguk’s pace. Those things will have to wait until he’s ready.

“Have you been waiting long?” He asks, taking a seat on the edge of the bed as Jeongguk finishes
putting a book into his backpack. “I know I’m a bit late.”

He was supposed to be here an hour ago. But he got distracted making sure Jeongguk’s bedroom
was ready. His place is big enough that they’ll be perfectly comfortable living together, it has
another spare bedroom, a bathroom Jeongguk can use for himself. A room full of books, Jimin is
sure Jeongguk will enjoy a lot. It’s a small house, just one floor. But it’s big enough for two
people, it’s always been big enough for Jimin himself. And it has a backyard, a place Jimin spends
a lot of time in because it’s soothing and whenever the sun is up high, sitting down to read a book
is just perfect.

“It’s okay, I’m only just finishing up, don’t worry,” he replies.

Jimin wonders if Jeongguk is nervous. It’s one thing living here, at the facility. It’s a whole
different thing living with Jimin, at his place. He clears his throat. “Are you sure this is okay?” He
asks softly. “This isn’t something you’re obligated to do, you know that, right?”

Jeongguk straightens his back. He’s standing up, already having finished with what was left of his
packing. He seems hesitant for a moment, but finally reaches up to card his fingers through his hair
in what Jimin is starting to realize is a nervous gesture.

“I know that,” he murmurs. “I actually wanted to,” he adds, even softer. So soft Jimin almost
misses it. “Everything really is better when you’re around. And I want to try more, I want things to
be better and easier.”

His words are genuine and they make Jimin smile. He stands up and reaches out, slowly, making
sure that his intentions are clear so as to not startle Jeongguk. It’s not something that happens these
days, but he still likes to be mindful. When his fingers thread into Jeongguk’s hair, the alpha leans
down, tilts his head towards him. It’s such a cute gesture it makes Jimin’s lips curve into an even
bigger smile and he tugs gently, knowing that it’s something Jeongguk likes a little bit more.

He sighs and steps closer, drops his forehead on Jimin’s shoulder, He just stands there, letting
Jimin play with his hair until too much time has gone by and Jimin realizes they should get going.

Together, they make their way down to the underground parking lot, where Jimin’s car is.
Jeongguk grows quiet as they put everything in the trunk and get in. As Jimin drives away from the
facility, it becomes obvious that it’s only just downing on Jeongguk that he’s not going to be
coming back here. Not unless, of course, things don’t go well and it’s decided he’s better off in the
facility. But Jimin is sure that won’t happen and maybe never coming back is something that’s
making Jeongguk nervous. He hasn’t been away from the facility for a long period of time. Mostly
a couple of hours. Now he’ll be living somewhere else.

“I was thinking we could stop by the supermarket first,” he mentions. His house is only twenty
minutes away, the supermarket is on the way. “Is that okay? I just want to buy a couple of things
for you to feel more comfortable at my place.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jeongguk quickly says, his gaze meeting Jimin’s. “I mean, it’s really
okay. That’s not―”

“It’s okay,” Jimin reassures, shaking his head. He turns on a corner before going on. “I want to.
Don’t worry about it.”

Jeongguk hums softly, but he grows distracted again pretty quickly. It’s a silent ride towards the
supermarket. It’s not uncomfortable and Jimin figures it’s best to let Jeongguk have the space he
needs. He turns on the radio and lets it play on the lowest volume.

The supermarket is mostly empty. It’s already eight, so it’s not surprising. It hits Jimin, as they
make their way in between aisles, that even though there’s not that much people around, it’s a bit
overwhelming for Jeongguk. The times he’s gone out, he’s mostly found quiet and lonely places. It
takes him a while to notice that Jeongguk is walking basically glued to his back, close enough that
he can hold onto the back of his shirt softly, as if he needs to remind himself that Jimin is there, that
he won’t disappear.

He doesn’t say anything about it, just makes sure to keep his steps paced as he moves around.

“Is there something particular you’d like?” He asks, stepping into a new aisle. “I think you liked
banana milk, right? You always had empty milk boxes in your room.”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk mumbles. He doesn’t sound uncomfortable, mostly nervous and hesitant. “You
really don’t have to buy me stuff. I have the money from my inheritance and the government has
also been depositing a monthly amount.”

“I really don’t mind, Jeongguk,” Jimin replies, turning just enough that Jeongguk can see his smile.
He feels his fingers tightening around his shirt, but he doesn’t protest. “I know you do, but you can
use that whenever you need to. Right now, I just want to do this for you. I want to make sure you
have everything you need.”

Jeongguk is quiet for a couple of seconds. Finally he drops his forehead to Jimin’s shoulder, rubs
back and forth a few times and leans back, clearing his throat.

“Thank you, Jimin.”

Jimin smiles to himself. He tells Jeongguk it’s not a problem and they put a few more things into
their shopping cart. They go back and forth a couple more aisles before finally heading to the
cashier.

This time, while Jimin is driving home, Jeongguk doesn’t seem as distracted as before. He actually
seems nervous. He’s moving his leg up and down, staring out the window, hands on his thighs,
fingers flexing. It’s like he’s anxious. Because he just can’t help it, he reaches out and gently places
his hand on Jeongguk’s. Instantly, his leg stops bouncing up and down. He relaxes against the seat
and lets Jimin hold his hand like that the rest of the way to his place.

He’s glad he can help Jeongguk calm down, somewhat. He knows it must be hard for him, but he’s
been doing so much better and Jimin is sure that this part of the process won’t last too long.
Jeongguk will be out and about soon.

Jimin parks his car in his garage and together they step into the house with bags in their hands.
Once more, Jeongguk walks close to Jimin, as if there was a chance he’d get lost if he loses him
from his sight. Jimin doesn’t protest, he guides Jeongguk to the kitchen and they set the bags down
on the counter.

He points out where everything is as they put what they bought away and then asks Jeongguk to
follow him so he can show him around. First they go back for Jeongguk’s things and leave
everything in the living room because they don’t have enough hands to take everything at once.

“So, just some things for you to take into consideration,” he says, as they walk down the corridor
towards the rooms. “You’re living here now. If you want to eat something, you can do that. If you
want to do something, you can do that. I know it might be temporary, but this is your home now
too, Jeongguk. Okay?” He asks.

When he’s met with silence, he pauses, turning to find that Jeongguk has stopped walking. He
frowns and steps closer. Before he can ask what’s wrong, Jeongguk wraps his arms around him and
presses his forehead to Jimin’s shoulder.

“Jimin,” he whispers. “I’m so happy I can be here with you. Whenever you left, I always felt so
sad. I never wanted you to leave. Thank you. Thank you so much. I can’t―”
“Jeongguk,” he interrupts, placing his hands on Jeongguk’s back, trying to comfort him. His heart
does this thing he’s been trying to stop it from doing. It beats faster, his body feels warm and he
wants nothing more than to wrap Jeongguk up in his arms forever, tell him he felt the same way, all
he wanted was to spend time with him, take care of him. “You don’t have to thank me. I want to be
here for you. I want to take care of you, okay? It’s okay,” he murmurs, sighing when Jeongguk
squeezes tighter, pressing their bodies together, as if they’re not close enough even though there’s
no space to even breathe.

Not that Jimin is complaining. Jeongguk always has such a desperate way of holding onto him, as
if he’s scared he’ll disappear. So, Jimin lets him do it, even though minutes tic by and it’s getting
late, he lets Jeongguk hold onto him. He rubs his back up and down, trying to calm him down. His
emotions are all over the place again, but it takes him less to settle down.

After a while, he sighs and gently peels himself away from Jimin.

“Sorry, I just―” he stops himself, clearing his throat. His voice sounds so full of emotion, Jimin
just wants to hug him all over again. “I know it’s only temporary, but I’m so glad I can be here.
And you said home and I…” he trails off, shaking his head.

“I understand,” Jimin reassures, reaching out and placing his hand on Jeongguk’s wrist. He rubs
back and forth over his scent gland, just a gentle touch that has Jeongguk melting, closing his eyes.
“I mean it. This is your home, so please feel comfortable to do whatever you want. And, talk to me,
okay? It’s the same way it was back at the facility, only now we get to talk all the time.” Jeongguk
nods, a little bit hazy. It makes Jimin smile. He lets go and gestures for Jeongguk to follow. “Okay,
so down the corridor is my bedroom. And this one right here is the bathroom.” He opens the door
to his left and shows Jeongguk. “You can use this one for yourself. I have one in my room. And
this,” he adds, walking further down until he reaches the door to his right, “is your bedroom. You
can feel free to decorate however you like, I just made sure to put on some new sheets for you.”

“It’s perfect,” Jeongguk whispers, stepping into the room. He looks around, his expression so in
awe Jimin’s heart aches. He deserves to much, Jimin wishes he could give it all to him, make life
better for him. “I like it a lot.”

When he turns around, he’s smiling so wide Jimin is frozen in spot by surprise. He breaks out of it
a second later, but Jeongguk’s big smile remains engraved in his head even as he turns around to
continue exploring.

“I got you a bookshelf,” he mentions, pointing towards the corner. It’s big enough to fit fifty books.
And there’s space for another one if Jeongguk has more books. “There’s also something I wanted
to show you.”

Jeongguk turns around, looks towards the bookshelf, then looks at Jimin. He seems unsure of what
to do and that makes Jimin laugh. Jeongguk shows him a small smile, shy.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs, stepping towards the book shelf and tracing it with his fingers before
turning to follow Jimin. “Thank you.” He settles right next to him, always so close. “What do you
want to show me?”

“Here,” Jimin says, stepping out of the room and moving down the hallway. Directly in front of his
room is another door. He opens it and invites Jeongguk to step inside. “You can spend as much
time as you want in here,” he mentions. “There are a lot of books. I put a bookshelf in your room so
you can have your own books, of course. I thought you would prefer that, since it’s just temporary.
But you can come here whenever you want, really,” he explains. He grows quiet as Jeongguk takes
the room in.
He turns in a whole circle, pausing to look at the spines. He traces some of them with his fingertips,
moving around the room. When his gaze meets Jimin’s, they’re full of emotion. There’s a hint of
sadness to his gaze, mixed with excitement and awe. Jimin opens his mouth, but he’s not sure
there’s anything more for him to say. Jeongguk clears his throat and looks away, looking at the
stands again.

“So many books,” he whispers. “I might spend a lot of time in here,” he adds, turning to the sofa
and slowly making his way towards it. He hesitates, but finally sits down.

Jimin smiles.

“You can,” he reassures. “Whenever you want.”

Jeongguk nods and leans back. He sighs and closes his eyes. Jimin watches him quietly, letting him
drink it all in. He can’t help but wonder how this must feel for him. He’s been stuck in the same
place for so long, trying to move on, but unable to. And, finally, things are going better for him.
Jimin hopes he can help make that process faster for him.

“Are you tired?” He asks, when Jeongguk sleepily opens his eyes. He nods, seeming embarrassed.
“Okay, lets take your things to your room so you can rest.”

Jeongguk nods again and they head towards the living room. It takes them two rounds to get
everything into Jeongguk’s room. When they’ve put everything inside, Jimin clears his throat and
tells him he’ll leave him to it so he can sleep soon.

“Wait,” Jeongguk stops him. He reaches him within a couple of steps, wrapping his arms around
him.

It’s like, since the first time, he can’t stop hugging Jimin. He does it all the time, it doesn’t seem as
difficult for him anymore. And when Jimin places his hands on the low of his back, Jeongguk
tightens his hold around him, pressing his nose to his neck. He stays away from Jimin’s scent gland
and maybe Jimin enjoys this type of torture because for a while now, there’s nothing he’s wanted
more than to have Jeongguk’s nose on his scent gland.

Jeongguk’s pheromones are usually very strong, but feeling them like that is something that’s
strangely exciting to think about.

“Thank you, Jimin,” Jeongguk whispers against his skin. “You don’t know how much you’ve
helped me.”

And Jimin chokes up. It makes his eyes fill with tears that he’s quick to blink away because there’s
something so devastating about how much Jeongguk is always hurting. He’s glad he can help. He
wants to help as much as possible.

“I’m glad I can help,” he whispers, once he’s sure that he’s calm. “I’ll always be here, I promise.”

Jeongguk nods and squeezes tighter and then suddenly lets go. He clears his throat and turns
around, gesturing for his things.

“I’m going to um,” he mumbles, “put my stuff away.”

“Okay,” he whispers, stepping back. He feels strangely overwhelmed. It’s been a long day, maybe
it’s time for him to sleep, too. “I’ll be in my room. If you need anything just…let me know.”

“Thank you,” Jeongguk replies, turning to show him a small smile.

Jimin nods, smiles back and steps out. He closes the door to give Jeongguk privacy and heads to
his bedroom.

He takes a quick shower, drops down in his bed face first and groans softly. He can’t believe that
Jeongguk will actually be living with him for a few months. Seeing him almost every day at the
facility was one thing, but having him around like this is bound to make his heart beat faster and
faster as time goes by.

↢↣

It’s easy settling into a routine with Jeongguk. They fit well together. Jimin doesn’t go out much.
All the time he spent out of the house was to see Jeongguk or to go to bookstores, to write, to find
inspirational spots around the city.

Jeongguk doesn’t go out often, either. He does so a few times a week, encouraged by Jimin trying
to get him out into society again. But mostly, they both spend a lot of time at home. Sometimes,
they even sit in perfect silence, each doing their thing. And it’s nice. It’s comfortable.

Jimin grows used to it.

But Jeongguk keep having trouble to sleep. For the first couple of weeks, Jimin listens. He wakes
up to hear Jeongguk padding along the living room, going to the kitchen, settling down. He doesn’t
go back to his room for hours. And yet, every morning, Jimin wakes up and doesn’t find him out
of his room.

One night, he wakes up to the sound of his footsteps shifting down the hallway. He waits for a
while, hoping that he’s just going to get water, or maybe food. But the footsteps aren’t heard
anymore. He stands up and leaves his bedroom to see what’s wrong. He knows Jeongguk’s
nightmares are bad, but hearing him awake, seeing how little he sleeps, it breaks his heart and he
wants to help.

He finds Jeongguk sitting in the living room, knees pulled up to his chest, eyes focused forward,
even though he’s clearly lost in thought. He doesn’t even notice Jimin until he settles down beside
him. He startles, turns his head to look at him and then looks away, seeming embarrassed.

“Is everything okay?” He asks softly. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Jeongguk clears his throat, propping his chin on his knees. He closes his eyes and sighs.

“Yeah, I had one,” he mumbles. “And then I was just too scared to fall asleep again.”

He hides his face behind his knees. Maybe he embarrassed or maybe he’s just frustrated. Jimin just
wants to take that away so he can sleep properly. Gently, he cards his fingers through Jeongguk’s
hair strands. He scratches at his scalp, slides down to his nape and then back up, tugging gently at
the strands that slip between his fingers. His hair is so soft it feels like silk against his hands.

After a few seconds, Jeongguk seems to start relaxing. He tilts his head towards Jimin and slowly
lets go of his knees. They shift around and Jimin lets his lay his head on his thigh, curled on his
side because he wouldn’t fit on the rest of the sofa otherwise. He continues to card his fingers
through his hair. He hears as his breathing starts to even out.
“Do you want to go back to your room?” He asks softly.

Jeongguk reaches up and circles Jimin’s wrist with his hand. “I don’t want you to go.”

The words are whispered so low Jimin almost thinks he heard them wrong. But Jeongguk makes a
soft sound of protest when Jimin starts to pull his hand away and holds onto him stronger.

“Okay,” he murmurs. “Then, how about you lay down in bed and I’ll stay with you until you fall
asleep.”

Jeongguk doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. He holds onto Jimin as if scared he’ll
leave―not that he could because he still has his head on his lap. And he doesn’t want to go,
anyway. He just wants Jeongguk to sleep peacefully.

“Okay,” Jeongguk finally agrees.

He stands up slowly and Jimin follows. Jeongguk’s fingers never leave his wrist, as if that calms
him down, as if he needs to be holding onto him to make sure he’s still there. It’s heart breaking.
Jimin’s heart aches for Jeongguk.

Jeongguk slips under his sheets and makes space for Jimin, so he settles beside him, propped up
against the wall and in a sitting position. Jeongguk’s head is on the pillow, right beside him. So, he
reaches out and touches his hair again. Jeongguk curls into himself, as if he wants to make himself
smaller.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks after a couple of seconds of silence.

He can still feel the tension in Jeongguk’s body. He’s not sure why he’s not relaxing just yet even
though he’s clearly exhausted. Silence follows. But again, it doesn’t last too long.

“I dream about the fights,” he confesses softly. “The pheromones, the violence. It was―” he cuts
himself off, shaking his head and sliding closer. His forehead presses to Jimin’s thigh. He slides his
fingers down to Jeongguk’s nape and massages the skin, hoping to soothe the tense muscles. “I
hated it so much. That’s why I’m scared. I know I should trust my instincts more, but they scare
me. I’m worried I’m going to lose control.”

“You won’t,” Jimin replies instantly. Jeongguk is actually so in control of himself. He knows that
he could control himself even if he lets himself go to his instincts. He needs to learn to connect to
them again, to do it happily, to enjoy it. “I know it’s scary because of everything that happened.
But you’re not there anymore. You can trust your instincts. I know you can control yourself.”

Jeongguk’s eyes are closed and his body is still tense. But it starts to relax after a few seconds.

“I know I’m not there anymore,” Jeongguk whispers. “I’m so glad I’m here now.”

Jimin isn’t sure of how he knows, but he knows that Jeongguk is referring to here, this moment,
this place. It warms his heart. He squeezes at his nape and slides into his hair again, tugging
gently.

“We’ll figure it out,” he reassures. “We’ll find a way for you to connect to your instincts more, to
feel better about it.”

Jeongguk nods, but doesn’t say anything else. Soon, Jimin realizes it’s because he was too sleepy
to reply. He falls asleep, with Jimin’s hand in his hair, his body relaxing. And Jimin tells himself
he’ll leave soon, just wait for a couple of minutes in case Jeongguk wakes up, but he ends up not
leaving.

Some time during the night he gets comfortable and falls asleep. And he sleeps better than ever,
wrapped up in Jeongguk’s warmth, content to be next to him.

↢↣

Jimin wakes up with Jeongguk’s body pressed to his. They must have shifted through the night
because Jeongguk’s back is to him and Jimin’s nose is pressed to his nape. He holds his breath,
overwhelmed with the closeness. He’s not sure how he fell asleep, even though he was supposed to
go back to his room, but it’s probably best that he leaves before Jeongguk wakes up.

He doesn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.

But the second he leans back, Jeongguk tenses up and turns.

“Jimin,” he whispers. His voice is hoarse because of sleep and his eyes are still half closed. He
doesn’t seem uncomfortable. If anything, panic settles on his features. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I
think you fell asleep. I just―I didn’t want―” he stops himself, seeming frustrated.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he croaks out. Jeongguk rolls onto his back and then fully turns to face Jimin.
They stare at each other for a few seconds. “Why are you apologizing?”

Jeongguk sighs and closes his eyes. “Because you fell asleep here. I should have let you go back to
your room. I just didn’t want to be alone.”

He looks so small right now. It’s his messy hair and his sleepy expression. Jimin wants to reach out
and touch him but he also wants to focus on this, on talking, on understanding what Jeongguk is
feeling.

“It’s okay to not want to be alone,” he reassures. “If you ever can’t sleep again, you can wake me
up,” he suggests.

Jeongguk shakes his head. “I don’t want to wake you up all the time, you’re too kind, Jimin.”

“But I want you to,” Jimin replies. “I want to be there for you. You can just…” he trails off,
hesitating. Finally, he says what he has in mind. “If you want, you can just slip into my bed. If you
don’t want to wake me up. Just―so you sleep better. You can go to my room, I don’t mind.
Okay?” He asks. And when Jeongguk stares at him, doesn’t reply, Jimin panics. Maybe that’s not
something he should have suggested. He starts talking again. “I just don’t like the idea of you
struggling so much and if I can help in any way―”

“You help a lot,” Jeongguk interrupts, his voice low. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and
continues. “Whenever you’re around, my alpha feels so calm and everything bad just goes away. I
can focus. I can sleep. I slept through the night, Jimin.” There’s an urgency to his voice that makes
Jimin’s heart beat faster. “It’s been so long since I last slept so many hours without waking up with
nightmares. So, yeah. If you’re sure you’re okay with that, then…” he trails off.

“I’m sure,” Jimin whispers, Jeongguk’s words engraved into his brain. My alpha feels so calm and
everything bad goes away. Jimin reaches out and pushes a strand of hair away from Jeongguk’s
forehead. “You can do it, Jeongguk. I want to help. I want to take care of you.”
Jimin has a feeling he’s said that far too many times already. But Jeongguk doesn’t seem to mind.
He leans closer. It feels like he’s everywhere, his warmth surrounds Jimin even though they’re not
touching.

Jeongguk places his hand in between them, closed in a fist.

“I want you to take care of me,” he whispers. “Please, scent me?”

It’s the first time Jeongguk has directly asked Jimin to scent him. The way he asks makes Jimin’s
body feel too warm. As if Jeongguk has asked him something intimate. And, maybe he has.
Because they’re in his bed, both under the covers―he’s not sure when he got under them, probably
somewhere along the night― and they’re so close,

He doesn’t hesitate, though. He reaches out and presses his thumb softly to Jeongguk’s wrist. It’s
gentle, the way he presses against his scent gland. Slow and steady, back and forth. Jeongguk sighs
and closes his eyes.

“You can ask,” he murmurs. “You can tell me anything, okay? Just know that you can.”

Jeongguk nods and they settle into silence. They fall asleep for a while longer and when they wake
up, they’re in the same position, Jimin’s thumb pressed to Jeongguk’s wrist.

↢↣

The following day, Jimin wakes up with a startle, his bed dipping. Jeongguk doesn’t seem to notice
Jimin woke up and Jimin doesn’t say anything as Jeongguk slips under the covers. He keeps his
distance, curls up on his side, close enough that his hair brushes Jimin’s bicep. A beat of silence. A
few seconds go by. And then he feels the press of his forehead to his skin.

He sighs, exhales softly and it takes him just a few minutes to fall asleep.

They don’t say anything when they wake up the next morning. Jimin just asks him how he slept,
Jeongguk tells him that good, better than usual and then they go about their days.

The next day it’s the very same thing.

And the next.

And more.

It becomes part of their routine as well.

Then they start waking up curled around each other, Jeongguk in the same position, his forehead
against his arm, a leg hooked over his legs. Jimin pressed to Jeongguk’s back, arm around his
waist, fisting the fabric of his shirt.

That, too, becomes part of the routine.

And Jimin doesn’t mind. He doesn’t mind at all.

 ↢↣

Yes, it’s easy. It’s so easy being around Jeongguk, Jimin is starting to worry about how hard it’ll be
to let him go. All the little things, the small things, the gestures and the smiles. They all become
something he’s growing accustomed to.

And then he comes home one day to find him shirtless. Sure, he told Jeongguk he should feel
comfortable here, that he could do what he wanted. Maybe he should have paused to consider this
possibility. Because suddenly, all he can do is stare .

Under all the oversized shirts Jeongguk likes wearing he’s had all this muscle hidden. Beautiful
and wet skin that Jimin can’t pull his eyes away from. He must have just gotten out of the shower
because there are droplets of water clinging to his shoulders and chest.

His gaze travels south and he’s met with well toned abs. Realizing he just got lost in Jeongguk’s
body, he clears his throat and looks up. Jeongguk is looking at him, shyness written all over his
face.

“Sorry, I was just done showering,” he mumbles, looking down at his feet.

“That’s okay,” Jimin reassures, lifting his hands in the air. “I meant it when I said you should feel
comfortable here. It’s fine, really.”

But it’s not all that fine because Jimin is sure he won’t be able to stop thinking about this anytime
soon. It’s not like he didn’t know Jeongguk is fit. He’s been sleeping next to him for basically a
whole month. He’s woken up pressed to him so many times, his hands on his abdomen, on his
back.

When Jeongguk doesn’t say anything and Jimin realizes that he hasn’t said anything in a long
while, he clears his throat and gestures towards the kitchen. “I’m gonna cook something. Are you
hungry?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk replies. “Thank you. I’ll put on a shirt and help you.”

“Okay,” Jimin says, turning around and heading for the kitchen.

They work in silence and Jimin gets something quick ready for them to sit in the living room to
eat. They watch a movie as they do and end up staying there until the movie is over.

It’s late, but Jimin wants to get some writing done today. He’s inspired and he doesn’t want to let
the moment go by. Jeongguk looks sleepy, his head tilted back against the backrest of the sofa. His
eyes keep fluttering shut as the credits roll up the screen.

“You should sleep if you’re tired, Jeongguk,” Jimin says, lips tilting up into a smile. “Go to bed.
I’m gonna stay up for a bit longer. I want to get some writing done.”

Jeongguk hums. It takes him a while to gather the strength to stand up, but he finally does with a
groan.

“Enjoy your writing, Jimin,” he mumbles tiredly. “Good night.”

“Good night, Jeongguk,” he replies with a smile.

Jeongguk disappears down the corridor and Jimin heads to his room full of books. He settles down
in the corner, a small desk placed close to the wall.

He writes a lot. By the time he realizes how long it’s been, he’s written almost two thousand words
and his eyes hurt because he’s been focused for too long. He forgot to put his glasses on
again―which isn’t all that surprising, since it happens all the time. He sighs and leans back,
rubbing his eyes briefly before turning his laptop off and heading to his room.

Jimin pauses when he finds Jeongguk fast asleep under his covers. He’s on his belly, face squished
into the pillow. He looks so cute, Jimin just stares at him for a long moment. Trying to not make
noise, he slips into the bathroom and gets changed.

Jeongguk doesn’t wake up until Jimin starts to get into the bed. He lifts his head from the pillow,
eyes falling on Jimin with confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Jimin says, sliding down onto his side. and getting comfortable “I didn’t mean to
wake you up.”

Jeongguk stares at him with a funny expression on his face. He seems confused for a couple of
seconds, until his eyes finally open up wide.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts out, sitting up instantly. “I wasn’t even thinking, I just came here,” he
explains.

Jimin laughs because Jeongguk’s hair is sticking up in several places and he looks so adorable.
“It’s fine, Jeongguk,” he reassures, gently patting his hand and gesturing for him to lay back down.
“You sleep here almost every day. Lay down, it’s okay.”

He doesn’t move for a couple of seconds, but then he lays back down and settles on his side. It was
a little bit mindless, Jeongguk coming here directly even though he’s always slipping in after both
of them have already gone to sleep. And Jimin didn’t question it, either. He really doesn’t mind. He
doesn’t mind at all.

It’s only a moment later that he feels the bed dip, Jeongguk shifting and then he’s pressing closer. It
takes a few seconds to register. Jeongguk’s closeness, the way he’s pressing his face to his neck,
arm hooked over his waist. They never fall asleep like this, holding onto each other. It’s something
that just happens through out the night. But it’s nice. Feeling how Jeongguk presses closer to him,
seeking his warmth, how he holds onto him. How he fits perfectly against him.

He doesn’t hesitate to slip his fingers into Jeongguk’s hair, keep him pressed to his neck. Jimin
closes his eyes and leans down, nose against Jeongguk’s hair. He smells nice. His scent always
manages to slip under his skin, it surrounds him, so strong and so intense. He smells like a forest, a
hint of sweet towards the end, as if it’s a forest full of flowers.

It makes Jimin feel strangely warm. And he likes it far too much.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk whispers, his breath brushing against Jimin’s skin. It’s hard to breathe, but he
doesn’t dare move.

“Yeah?”

A moment of silence. And then: “can I scent you?”

“Yeah, yes,” he blurts out, a little too quickly. “You don’t have to ask. I scent you all the time. You
can just do it. Do it, Jeongguk.”
He sounds so pleading but he couldn’t care less. He wants it so badly. Up until now, he’s wanted it
so badly. So many times, he’s wanted to ask but he didn’t want to ask for something Jeongguk
might not want.

Now that it’s been mentioned, he can’t help the desperation he feels.

Jeongguk doesn’t beat around the bush. He tilts his head back, angles his face to the crook of
Jimin’s neck and presses his nose to the sensitive skin. His scent explodes all around Jimin. It feels
better than anything he’s ever felt before. It’s overwhelming but in the best type of way. His
fingers tighten in Jeongguk’s hair and he tugs, warmth settling all over his body. It’s like the world
stops spinning and there’s nothing he can think about other than Jeongguk’s nose on his scent
gland.

A sigh leaves his lips and he tilts his head back, trying to give him more space, even though it’s all
there for him to take.

“ Jeongguk ,” he breathes out, eyes shut tight, toes curling with the nice and pleasurable feeling.

He doesn’t remember the last time he was scented like this, slow and gentle, tentative, nervous. It’s
never felt this way, either. Jeongguk leaves his scent all over Jimin’s neck, pauses when he seems
to be satisfied and tightens his arm around his waist. He presses his face to his skin and stops
moving. Jimin’s heart is going crazy in his chest, everything is spinning and it’s hard to breathe.

“Did it feel good?” Jeongguk asks, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

Jimin swallow down the lump in his throat and keeps his eyes closed. He tries to collect himself,
but his voice comes out hoarse when he responds.

“Yeah.” That’s it. He can’t say more because he’s worried he’ll end up begging Jeongguk to do it
again. And again. All night. He never wants him to stop. “Good,” he mumbles.

If Jeongguk finds it funny that Jimin can’t even speak, he doesn’t mention it. He snuggles closer
and sighs happily and sniffs, as if trying to smell his scent on Jimin. Jimin is feeling too many
things, but he hopes it’s not too obvious in his faint scent. Jeongguk doesn’t speak again, doesn’t
move. He falls asleep.

And Jimin doesn’t take long to follow, his body overwhelmed by Jeongguk’s thorough scenting.

↢↣

Things have changed, even though it feels like everything is exactly the same. The sleeping
together, the familiarity between them, the way they easily fit into each other’s lives. It’s all
starting to mean so much more for Jimin.

In reality, Jimin has known it’s been growing for a while now. It’s always been there, this urge to
be there for Jeongguk, this desire to be by his side and take care of him. The way his heart reacts
whenever he’s close, the way his wolf feels around him, so pulled.

He’s not sure Jeongguk feels the same way and he hasn’t said anything because maybe Jeongguk
isn’t ready for that. He’s supposed to be focusing on himself. It’s been two months and Hoseok and
Namjoon have told him he’s doing great, so much better than the last time they talked to him. He’s
almost ready to go.

And it hurts. Thinking about him leaving. Jimin knew it was growing, this feeling inside his chest,
but he didn’t know it was this bad, this big.

A book appears in his field of vision and he looks up, spotting Jeongguk standing beside him.

“You forgot this inside,” he says, handing it over to Jimin. He takes a seat beside him, leaning back
and staring ahead of himself. “You were right. This place is so…beautiful. And the silence, the
calmness. It’s all so nice.”

Jimin smiles to himself. He sets the book on his lap and turns his head towards Jeongguk. He’s
smiling, seeming so lost in the beauty surrounding them. This is why he suggested they come here.
It’s a cottage his parents own and it’s right in the middle of the forest, a place meant for connecting
with nature, for spending time alone.

He told Jeongguk it would be a good way to connect with his his wolf and his instincts. He agreed
instantly, said he wanted to see how it would be away from the city. They only have the weekend
and tomorrow they’ll be going back home, but Jeongguk looks so happy and carefree that Jimin
wishes they didn’t have to ever go back.

“I told you this would be a great way to connect with yourself,” he says.

Jeongguk’s smile is small and warm, a bit distracted. His eyes close and he nods.

“I’m glad we came.”

Jimin watches him, taking advantage of the fact that his eyes are closed. The difference between
his Jeongguk and the one from before he left the facility is so obvious. This Jeongguk is so happy,
smiles easily and doesn’t seem as scared. He still has nightmares every once in a while. He still
gets sad and sometimes pulls away, asks to be alone.

But, mostly, he’s better. He’s doing great.

“Me too,” Jimin whispers.

Jeongguk opens his eyes and turns his head towards him.

“Are you hungry?” He asks. When Jimin nods, he stands up. “I’ll cook for us. You stay here.”

“Jeongguk,” Jimin tries, smiling to himself. “I can help.”

“No, you’re always cooking for me. Let me, please,” he replies.

Jimin shakes his head but accepts. “Okay.”

Jeongguk grins and goes back inside. Jimin picks up his book and starts to read while he waits for
Jeongguk to finish making dinner. It’s getting late and daylight is fading, so he’ll have to go back
inside in a while. Jeongguk is a great cook, a natural. He’s learned and taught himself a lot in just
these few months.

They eat together in the living room table. Jeongguk talks more these days, about how he feels,
about what he’s thinking. Jimin listens and smiles. He knew things would go better for him and
he’s happy to see it happen.

“I’ll clean up, since you cooked,” Jimin says, quickly standing up and picking up their empty
plates.

Jeongguk protests and follows him into the kitchen

“Come on, let me,” he says, a pout on his lips.

Jimin stares at him and shakes his head. He puts the plates in the sink and turns to look at
Jeongguk. He stares at him for a little bit too long, but he can’t help it. He’s in awe with how much
he’s changed. Pouting? He’s never seen him pouting before but it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

It seems that he stares at Jeongguk for too long because he tilts his head to the side and stops
smiling.

“What?” He asks softly.

Jimin reaches up and touches Jeongguk’s chin.

“You were pouting,” he mumbles. His fingers brush upwards, touch his bottom lip. Jeongguk
stares at him with wide eyes. “It was cute.” The words leave his mouth without him really
realizing, they just come out on their own. Jeongguk blinks back at him but doesn’t say anything.
Jimin’s eyebrows furrow. He steps closer but Jeongguk pulls back. He turns around, giving his
back to Jimin. “Hey,” he calls him. “What is it?”

Jeongguk shakes his head. He covers his face with his hands. Jimin gently turns him around and
wraps his hands around his wrists, tugging at them softly. Jeongguk lets him, but his gaze remains
on the ground.

“You’re worrying me,” he whispers, searching for his eyes.

“I just―” Jeongguk tries, finally looking up. He gently pulls his wrists away, absentmindedly
touching the insides, touching his scent glands, as if trying to soothe something, whatever it is he’s
feeling. “It’s overwhelming. Everything is so intense. I can’t―” he cuts himself off, shaking his
head.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin whispers, gently cupping Jeongguk’s cheeks. Jeongguk flinches, his body
tenses up. Maybe it’s because of what he’s feeling. But Jimin is undeterred, he brushes his thumbs
back and forth over his cheekbones, reassuring, calming. “It’s okay, you know?” He asks. “I know
you’re not used to it, but it’s okay to feel this way, it’s okay to be overwhelmed about everything.
There’s nothing wrong with feelings and emotions.”

His eyes flicker up, meet Jimin’s. They gloss over, but he doesn’t cry. He releases a shaky breath
and shakes his head again. His hands are closed in fists by his sides and his expression is so
conflicted. Jimin wants to solve it. He wants to take it all away, whatever it is that’s bothering him.
He wants to make it disappear.

“Talk to me, Jeongguk,” he pleads, trying to catch his gaze even though Jeongguk doesn’t let him.
“Everything was going better, wasn’t it?” He asks. “You can talk to me. You can always talk to
me. You know that.”

“I can’t,” Jeongguk says, his voice so pained it breaks Jimin’s heart.

“Why not?” Jimin asks softly.

There’s a long beat of silence but then Jeongguk is leaning forward so suddenly it startles Jimin.
He manages to stay still, painfully aware of Jeongguk’s nose pressing under his jaw. It’s subtle,
gentle, tentative. As if he’s testing the waters, trying to figure out if it’s fine. Jimin doesn’t
understand why. He’s scented him a lot of times already. Despite this, it feels just as intense as it
did the very first time.

When Jeongguk’s lips press to his skin, he freezes. That , he wasn’t expecting. The scenting
between them has always been gentle, tentative, taking their time, nothing too intimate, but intimate
enough it has helped Jeongguk’s alpha settle, forgive the world for the things he went through.
This feels like a lot more and Jeongguk isn’t even moving. His lips are just brushing against his
skin, frozen there as if he can’t quite believe he just did that. Almost instantly, he starts to pull
away, but Jimin moves faster. He reaches out for his biceps and holds onto him, keeping him in
place.

“No,” he says, a little too breathless. He clears his throat and tilts his head to the side. A low
rumble settles in the back of Jeongguk’s throat. “It’s okay.” Jeongguk doesn’t move. “It’s okay,
Jeongguk.”

It takes him a moment, but he suddenly wraps his arms around Jimin, so tight that it’s painful. Not
physically painful, but emotionally. Jimin’s heart aches for Jeongguk. He’s holding on so tight that
he’s shaking, fingers fisting the back of Jimin’s shirt. He presses his lips to his skin again, but this
time, he leaves a flutter of a kiss. Gentle. Still tentative. As if he’s not sure of how it goes. And,
maybe he’s not. After all the violence and having to share a small space with alphas going through
the same thing as him.

“Is it, really?” Jeongguk asks, his voice shaky, his whole body shaking. “Because I’m not sure―it
feels so strong,” he confesses. “I’m scared I’m going to do something I’m not supposed to.”

“I’m here to help you,” Jimin whispers, closing his eyes when Jeongguk’s lips trail down, moving
for his scent gland. His scent might be faint, but Jeongguk whines softly in the back of his throat, as
if it’s the best thing he’s even smelled. “I’m here for everything, Jeongguk. Don’t be scared.”

Jeongguk hesitates over his scent gland, his breath brushing over the sensitive skin, driving his
heart mad. He’s holding back, still. And Jimin has only known him for four or five months, maybe
half a year already―he’s not sure because he’s too distracted with Jeongguk at the moment. But he
knows Jeongguk would never hurt him, would never do something he’s not supposed to, will ask
and make sure before doing anything.

So, he doesn’t hesitate. He tilts his head to the side further, enough that it makes Jeongguk’s low
rumble turn into a growl. It makes Jimin’s body feel warm, tingly.

“If you do that, it makes me want to―” he cuts himself off, shaking his head, as if that will clear
his mind from what he wants to do. “I’m scared,” he confesses.

He sounds so overwhelmed again. Jimin shakes his head and slides his hands into Jeongguk’s hair,
scratching at his scalp, hoping it’ll soothe him somewhat. And it works. Like a puppy, Jeongguk
sighs and softly pushes his head back against Jimin’s hands, doesn’t seem to remember that he was
just scenting him, that he just had his lips on his skin.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Jimin whispers, marveling at how Jeongguk stops shaking, instead starts
relaxing. “Everybody gets scared every once in a while.”

“I just don’t understand this feeling,” Jeongguk keeps confessing, as if now that Jimin has
reassured him it’s easier for him to continue talking. “This other feeling,” he clarifies. “It’s
overwhelming, but I like it. I like it a lot.”
Jimin turns his head to the side, his nose pressing right under Jeongguk’s ear. It makes Jeongguk
take a deep breath, a shudder trailing down his body. “What feeling?” He asks.

Jeongguk doesn’t reply for a long moment, apparently too distracted with Jimin’s hands in his hair,
scratching at his scalp. Jimin stops and Jeongguk makes this soft sound of protest that has Jimin’s
heart warming. Jeongguk might have been quiet most of the time, but there’s this cuteness to him
that’s undeniable and that will show up whenever he allows himself to just be who he is without
worrying.

“What feeling?” He asks again, softly, rubbing his nose back and forth over the skin under
Jeongguk’s ear, trailing down under his jaw.

“I don’t know,” Jeongguk mumbles, still seeming distracted. “I’m scared of it, but I like it. I
just―it makes me want…” he trails off.

Jimin leans back and Jeongguk makes another sound of protest, arms tightening around his waist.
“It’s okay, Jeongguk,” Jimin whispers, a small smile forming on his lips. “I just want to look at
you. Can I look at you?”

Jeongguk lets Jimin lean back enough that their eyes meet. He looks down quickly but Jimin places
his hand on his cheek and gently makes him look up again. There’s a chance, even if Jimin doesn’t
quite believe it, that Jeongguk isn’t talking about what he thinks he’s talking about. There is. He
hopes that’s not the case. He places his thumb on Jeongguk’s lower lip, applies pressure until his
mouth opens, just enough for him to release a soft exhale. His eyes flash with something Jimin
can’t quite pinpoint.

“I feel it too,” he whispers.

There’s something so beautiful about Jeongguk’s gaze. Even though he always tried hard to keep
everybody at arm’s length, there’s no mistaking the emotions flickering through them, making him
look so…young. But he’s twenty-two and he’s lived things that have made him look at the world
as a dull place. It was a year that he was held against his will, forced to fight. And yet that year
was enough to have him in the facility for another three, not trusting anyone, not wanting to talk to
anyone.

Jimin wonders if these small glimpses he gets are what Jeongguk used to be. He wishes he’d never
lost that.

It takes Jeongguk a couple more seconds before he leans forward, but when he does, Jimin makes
sure to tilt his head back and part his lips to meet him. Despite his worry and his reluctance,
Jeongguk kisses confidently―or maybe it’s just his eagerness. He goes slow, taking his time to
explore Jimin’s mouth with his lips and his tongue and his teeth. He nibbles and swipes his tongue
across Jimin’s lower lip, groans when Jimin slides his hands down to the low of his back and
presses him closer, bodies coming together tightly.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk whispers against his mouth, a gentle sound that mixes up with their moving lips,
that quickly gets lost in between their sighs and the wet sounds of their kissing.

Jeongguk is still fisting Jimin’s shirt, but his other hand travels south, touches the skin that’s
exposed because of the pulling of his shirt. His fingertips trace the low of his back before he settles
on his hip and squeezes, holds onto him as if it’s the only way to ground himself. Thighs press
together, arms lock around each other, breaths mix together. Jeongguk’s tongue licks into his
mouth and Jimin whines low in the back of his throat.
As if it’s not enough, Jeongguk continues exploring, slides across Jimin’s jaw, traces down his
neck, settles on his scent gland. It happens so quickly Jimin isn’t ready for the feeling that takes
over him the second Jeongguk’s mouth closes around his scent gland. He sucks and Jimin’s head
lols to the side instinctively. A rumble picks up in the back of Jeongguk’s throat, pleased. One of
Jimin’s hands moves to Jeongguk’s hair. He slips his fingers in between the long and soft strands,
keeping him in place, wanting more of his mouth on his scent gland.

He smells so strong. Musky because of his want―he wants Jimin, in every sense of the word.
Arousal flares in his belly, but he keeps it down. For now, all he wants to focus on is the way
Jeongguk is touching him, kissing him, scenting him, spreading his scent all over him. He’ll smell
like Jeongguk for days, he knows. He likes the thought. He likes the smell of their scents mixing
together. Likes how it surrounds them. He nudges his nose against Jeongguk’s jaw and Jeongguk
instantly tilts his head to the side, too. He whines, a soft sound that makes it harder for Jimin to
hold back.

Jeongguk shudders when Jimin’s tongue swipes across his scent gland. It’s like his scent bursts in
his mouth. He’s everywhere . Jimin closes his mouth around the skin and sucks just like Jeongguk
did before. And Jeongguk makes a sound, something between a grunt and a moan. He presses
closer, hips moving subtly, his hand slipping under Jimin’s shirt, touching more of his skin. They
stumble with the urge in his movements and Jimin suddenly finds himself pressed against the
kitchen counter.

He goes when Jeongguk lifts him and sits him down, lets himself be pulled closer to the edge and
sighs when Jeongguk’s hips press to his again, the angle different now that Jeongguk is in between
his legs. It’s hard to focus when his hand is under his shirt, tracing the line of his spine. When his
mouth is back on his, kissing him so desperately one would think he believes something bad will
happen if he stops.

His hands move on their own, reach Jeongguk’s ass. Jeongguk groans and stops kissing him, as if
distracted by Jimin’s touch. Jimin pushes him forward, rocks his hips against him as he does.
Jeongguk trembles, his forehead falls to Jimin’s shoulder and he takes a deep breath. His hands fall
to Jimin’s sides, on the counter. It’s like whatever moment they got lost in breaks and they can
suddenly settle down again, calm down, push away the sudden need. They were getting carried
away.

When Jeongguk lifts his head, his eyes are a golden color that strikes him as breathtaking. His
nostrils flare, his body is still shaking.

“Your eyes,” he murmurs, reaching up, cupping his cheeks.

Jeongguk’s eyes flutter closed and Jimin misses the sight immediately.

“I want you to keep touching me,” Jeongguk confesses, his voice so low that Jimin would have
missed what he said if he wasn’t right there in front of him.

“I’ll keep touching you,” he promises, already sliding his hands down his neck, over his shoulders.

Golden eyes stare back at him, expression still hazy.

“I just need to calm down,” Jeongguk whispers. “It’ll go away in a second, I just―you make me
feel so…” he trails off, shaking his head, as if he can’t find the words to explain it.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Jeongguk,” he reassures, cupping his cheeks again, looking into his
beautiful and mesmerizing eyes. “You make me feel a lot of things, too,” he adds, showing him a
small smile. He feels drowsy, all the scenting and kissing makes him want to lay down with
Jeongguk wrapped around him, cuddle, warm up, just be there, existing . Together. The thought
makes his lips tilt upwards furthermore. “They’re beautiful,” he adds. “Makes me want to look at
them for hours.”

It’s not often that these type of things happen. The golden eyes belong to those of a werewolf.
They only appear in a wolf state, never in human state. But some are so in touch with their
instincts, get so lost in them, that the eyes can come out, can glow . It’s nothing wrong. It’s actually
something good for Jeongguk, to help him trust his alpha more. He’s in control, even if he’s letting
his wolf take over for a moment.

“Really?” He asks, a giddy expression taking over him. Like a little kid excited about something.
When Jimin nods and leans forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, Jeongguk’s lips
widen into a smile. Such a beautiful smile. He leans forward and steals a kiss from Jimin. “I think I
need to calm down, anyway,” he adds, clearing his throat. He seems shy all of a sudden, even
though his hands move to Jimin’s hips. They’re still pressed together. “I um, I’m a little bit
sensitive because of my rut. It’s coming up in a few weeks,” he explains.

Jimin hasn’t smelled it on him yet, but he understands how it can affect Jeongguk’s body. He
smiles reassuringly and slides his hands to his back, wraps his arms around him and presses his
face to the crook of his neck.

“I understand,” he murmurs against his skin.

Jeongguk sighs and wraps his arms around him as well, holding him to his chest, pressing his face
to Jimin’s neck, breathing him in, nuzzling against his scent gland. It’s calming, it’s relaxing. It
warms him up. Jeongguk’s lips find his skin again and Jimin’s eyes flutter closed. It’s easy to get
lost in him all over again.

Now that he’s confident about it, he doesn’t seem to want to hold back. He nibbles on the skin,
licks gently before pressing a soft kiss to his scent gland.

“You smell so nice,” Jeongguk whispers. “It’s like being at the beach. Tropical. It’s hard to
explain, but I can taste you on my tongue, Jimin. You taste so good.”

Jimin’s face heats up upon Jeongguk’s words. He’s never said anything like that before and he’s
always thought that his scent is very faint, nothing from out of this world. And yet, Jeongguk is
saying all of these things, he’s licking his skin as if he can’t get enough of him. It’s overwhelming,
it makes his toes curl. He tightens his thighs around Jeongguk’s hips and slides his hands down his
back.

Without really realizing where he’s heading, he slips his hands under his shirt and touches his skin.
He’s heating up, so hot that it would be worrying if he wasn’t a werewolf. Maybe it should worry
him a little bit. He’s too hot, his rut could be triggered if he’s reacting this way to their kissing. Or
maybe his rut is just closer than they think.

“Jeon―” he tries to say, but Jeongguk’s lips find his mouth and suddenly, he forgets about
everything he was going to say.

With a sigh, he digs his nails into Jeongguk’s skin. He loves the way Jeongguk groans, the sound
so strong against his mouth. He tugs at Jeongguk, tries to press his body to his more. Jeongguk
goes, wraps an arm around him to glue their chests together and then slips his free hand into his
hair. He holds on tight, tilting Jimin’s head back to have better access to his lips.
He kisses in such a way, it’s driving Jimin crazy.

“You’re everywhere, Jimin,” Jeongguk mumbles, licking into his mouth, nibbling on his lower lip,
tugging until Jimin feels a sharp jolt of pain that feels a little bit too good. “Everywhere,
everywhere,” he keeps mumbling.

His intense kissing shifts into something different. A peck, a soft movement of his lips, another
peck. He captures Jimin’s mouth with his own, kisses him for a second or two, then stops. Another
peck. Then he leaves several kisses all at once on his lips, over and over and over again.

Then he steps and burrows his face in Jimin’s neck, nose sliding towards his throat, tilting his head
further back.

“Touch my hair, please,” he whispers, desperate, urgent.

Jimin moves one hand up and does that. Puppy , he thinks again. Jeongguk often acts like this, so
cute and cuddly and urgent.

“Anything you want, pup.”

The words just leave his mouth on their own. But Jeongguk doesn’t seem to mind. He freezes and
then he shudders, pressing closer, hips touching Jimin’s. Warmth spreads across his belly.

“I like that,” Jeongguk confesses.

So, Jimin says it again. “ Pup ? Keep touching me.”

“Fuck,” Jeongguk grunts, kissing Jimin again.

He’s back to being urgent and desperate. And he keeps mumbling. And Jimin is pretty sure he’s
never heard Jeongguk curse, but it’s strangely arousing.

“We’re―” he tries, sighing when Jeongguk’s mouth settles on his scent gland again, his hips
moving in a small wave that somehow makes Jimin feel like there’s no clothes between them.
“Getting carried away again. We’re― Jeongguk .”

Moaning Jeongguk’s name isn’t something he was planning, but it happens without him being able
to stop it. Jeongguk makes a pleased sound and says ‘again’ against Jimin’s skin, his hips grinding
against him. And Jimin can’t help it, he gets a little bit lost in it again, his hands moving on their
own. One of them is still in Jeongguk’s hair, tugging desperately and the other one slides down,
settles right above Jeongguk’s ass.

“Jimin, Jimin, Jimin,” Jeongguk repeats.

He kisses all over Jimin’s face before kissing his lips again. Jimin’s hand moves further down and
finally settles on his ass. Jeongguk stops kissing him. He’s breathing hard, chest heaving, forehead
pressed to Jimin’s. The rest of his body is still moving. His hips, shifting against Jimin’s.

“We’re getting carried away again,” Jimin whispers. Jeongguk’s closeness doesn’t let him think.
Their eyes meet. There it is. The golden eyes. Jimin stares, mesmerized. “You’re so beautiful.”

Jeongguk presses his face to Jimin’s neck again, but he sighs and slumps against him, unmoving,
just holding onto him. Jimin is grateful because he was losing all self control and he wanted
nothing more than for Jeongguk to keep going.
“ You’re beautiful,” Jeongguk says.

Jimin leans his chin onto Jeongguk’s shoulder and closes his eyes, hugging him tightly. He lets his
body settle and relax, focuses on this, their closeness. The rest they can explore later. They can
explore anything they want. For now, all they need is this .

He rubs his hands up and down Jeongguk’s back. A part of him doesn’t know how they got here.
He knows he’s felt something for Jeongguk, it’s been growing slowly inside of his chest. But he
didn’t think it would ever become this, that Jeongguk would feel the same way, that they’d kiss
and touch and that it would become a new way to be there for Jeongguk.

“Do you want to go lay down?” Jimin asks. “Want to cuddle, pup?”

“I really like that,” Jeongguk whispers.

Jimin hums, slipping his fingers into Jeongguk’s hair and scratching at his scalp.

“You’re really like a puppy sometimes.” Jeongguk rubs his nose over Jimin’s scent gland, his
pheromones surrounding him.

Suddenly, Jeongguk lifts him off the counter top. He holds him under his thighs and Jimin clings to
him because he doesn’t want to fall. He easily carries him to the room where Jimin has been
sleeping―yes, with Jeongguk curled up to his side every day. He drops him down and makes him
laugh when he slumps over him with a sigh.

“You’re heavy,” Jimin whispers, but he doesn’t mind. He likes how Jeongguk’s weight feels on top
of him. He continues to scratch at his scalp, his other hand rubbing in between Jeongguk’s shoulder
blades.

Silence surrounds them. Jimin closes his eyes because Jeongguk’s scent is soothing and he’s warm
and everything feels so perfect. But a few seconds later, Jeongguk rolls off him and pulls him
closer, both on their sides. He’s close enough that their foreheads are almost touching.

When his eyes open, they’re not glowing anymore. But he’s just as beautiful, just as perfect. Jimin
reaches up and cups his cheek softly.

“What does this mean for us, Jimin?” Jeongguk ask softly. He seems unsure again, nervous.

Jimin brushes his thumb back and forth over his cheekbone.

“Well,” he starts with a smile. “I like you. And I always want to take care of you. That’s not going
to change. I’ll always be here for whatever you need, so that won’t change.”

Jeongguk presses a soft kiss to Jimin’s jaw, sighs deeply and then squeezes his arms tighter around
him.

“I like you too,” he confesses. “A lot. I’ve liked you for a while. I’ve always trusted you more than
anyone. I was scared. But you’ve made everything better and I want to be with you.” Jimin smiles
and leans forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. They kiss for a long moment, get lost in it until
Jeongguk pulls back and takes a deep breathe. “But I meant….about the facility. Does this change
things?”

“Oh.” Jimin shakes his head and quickly explains. “It doesn’t change much, honestly. You’re not
my patient or anything like that. I’m just a volunteer at the facility. And it’s not the first time
something like this has happened. I have to let Namjoon and Hoseok know, but it’s okay. You
don’t have to worry about it, Jeongguk. I promise everything will be fine.”

Jeongguk nods, seeming genuinely reassures. He presses his face to Jimin’s neck and slips his hand
under his shirt, touching the skin of his back. He doesn’t say anything else, but he doesn’t have to.
Jimin can feel everything in the air around them, in his intense pheromones, in the way he’s
holding onto him.

He presses a kiss to Jeongguk’s head and closes his eyes. His heart is still beating so fast, but he
doesn’t mind it. He’s happy here, in Jeongguk’s arms.
 Chapter 3
Chapter Notes

okay so! the first half of this chapter is angsty. idk if it's VERY angsty, but i felt it like
that. the rest is a lot of shameless smut. enjoy and thank you so much for joining the
ride all the way towards this end! thank you to my commisioner, it means the world
that you trusted me with this wonderful idea and i hope the fic is everything you
wanted!

Jimin wakes up with a startle. It’s not the first time it’s happening, it’s been better these days. But
his heart breaks every single time, anyway. Jeongguk keeps having nightmares. It’s not as frequent
as before and it really does seem like sleeping beside him helps―he’s been sleeping with Jeongguk
for weeks now. And ever since they started growing much closer it’s been even better.

Yet sometimes he’ll wake up like this, Jeongguk holding onto him tightly, body shaking, covered
in sweat. Dreaming of whatever horrible things he went through during that one year. He wakes
him up every single time and much like now, he finds his eyes amber, furiously glowing in the
darkness of the room. His pheromones are spread all over the place, intense and desperate.

It takes a few seconds for Jeongguk to come back to himself. He looks around, frantic, nostrils
flaring, arms tightening around Jimin. But Jimin brings him back gently, touches the heated skin of
his cheek, makes sure Jeongguk’s eyes are on his. He brushes his thumb back and forth over his
cheek bones.

“It’s okay,” he reassures. “I’m right here, Jeongguk. Breathe for me, pup.”

That always does it. Jeongguk takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and presses his face to Jimin’s
neck. He sniffs, as if he’s trying to smell him, as if he can’t catch his scent. He always does. Smell
him, that is. Jimin’s scent has always been so faint, but Jeongguk never fails to point out how nice
he smells, how much he wants to get lost in it always.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk breathes out, his fingers fisting the back of his shirt.

He’s still shaking, but he starts to calm down as Jimin slides his hand under the collar of his shirt.
He touches in between his shoulder blades. His skin is so heated, probably because of all his
emotions. It takes a bit of rubbing, a bit of coaxing Jeongguk’s muscles to untense, but he finally
gives in and sighs, going lax under Jimin’s ministrations.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Jimin keeps reassuring. “I’ve got you, pup. You know I do.”

Jeongguk nods against his neck. He does. Jimin really does have him. Always . He’ll always make
sure to take care of Jeongguk. So, he holds him for as long as it takes, until Jeongguk settles down
fully and his pheromones have dispersed. He cards his fingers through his hair until Jeongguk
makes a content sound and leans back. He puckers his lips, tilting his head back and Jimin laughs
softly, leaning down to peck them. A soft kiss.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” He asks gently.

He never pressures Jeongguk to speak about it, but lately Jeongguk has been opening up more
about it. It’s hard to talk about, so Jimin understands that he sometimes doesn’t want to. He waits,
the silence stretching out for minutes, until Jeongguk finally speaks up.

“Just about the time I was taken,” he mumbles. He’s leaned back from Jimin’s neck, but he’s
staring down at his chest. His eyes aren’t glowing anymore, although they seem very troubled.
“We only fought twice a week, but I remember how much I hated it. Watching time go by so
quickly, fight after fight. It all started to blend together after a few months,” he explains. Jimin
doesn’t dare move, too scared that it will make Jeongguk stop, or that it’ll startle him, scare him.

It hurts. All of these things he’s saying, the thought of an eighteen-year-old Jeongguk having to
fight against his own will. Innocent and young, struggling so much, months going by for him,
losing hope. Jimin hates it so much.

“I hated the fights but if I didn’t fight, I was punished. Even if I was already beat up by my
opponent, I was punished over it. And the pain was too big. I just―” he cuts himself off, his voice
wavering. “If I didn’t fight, I knew I wouldn’t last long. And even though I lost hope after a few
months, I still thought, if I survive for a little bit longer, maybe someone will find us.”

Jimin slips his hand down to Jeongguk’s nape and squeezes gently, hoping to reassure him. He’s
trying hard not to get too emotional, but the truth is, it’s painful to hear all of this and know what
Jeongguk has been through. He knows bits here and there, but all of this is new information, things
that nobody could have told him because Jeongguk has kept it hidden in his chest, has been
holding it in for so long. Even if it hurts, letting it out could help him, could make it better.

“And if you won, you got extra food, you got to sleep in a separate room for a day,” Jeongguk goes
on. He’s taking deep breaths in between the sentences, as if he needs more strength to keep talking.
“So, I tried not to lose. I was bigger than most of the alphas. Even though I was young, I mostly
won. I tried to end it quickly; the fights normally stopped once the other alpha was subdued. And
then I’d lay down in the bed I was given, completely alone and I’d wonder if there was really a
chance I could somehow find a way out of it. If I’d ever be free again. Before I was taken, I was so
careless about things. I missed my parents, I felt so alone. All I did was go to class, go home. I
didn’t go out, I didn’t feel any sort of motivation. I promised myself that I would do things better
when I got out. But then when I did…” he trails off, shaking his head.

His eyes are glistening with unshed tears and Jimin’s heart breaks. It breaks over and over again.

“You don’t have to tell me more, Jeongguk,” he reassures, pulling him closer, holding him tight. “I
understand, I hate that you were hurt. I hate everything you went through because you deserve so
much better. And I’m glad you didn’t lose hope because you’re here now and I know further on
you’ll have the future you imagined for yourself before everything went wrong.”

Jeongguk sniffs and clears his throat, pushing through the sadness and the memories. He doesn’t
cry, but he’s shaking, he’s trembling under Jimin’s hands.

“I’m so glad I met you,” he whispers, so softly that Jimin almost thinks he imagines the words. But
Jeongguk goes on before he can respond. “I want to go on. It helps, not having it in my chest all the
time. I want to let it out.” Jimin nods, encouraging him to go on even though it hurts. It hurts so
much. “When I got out, it was as if I was stuck there. The nightmares and the memories. It
followed me around all the time. Even though I had my own room, I kept finding myself there. 24
alphas stuck in the same room as me, all crowded up. It was bad, especially when ruts were
involved. They took the alpha to another room when that happened, but only once their rut started.
In the meantime, the pheromones drove us crazy. When you’re constantly fighting, constantly in
this state of fear and anger, frustration, it’s hard to control. Instincts come out.”
“That’s why I’m so scared of it, of letting myself go to my instincts,” he explains. “It takes me
back to those days. I hate that I can’t let it go. I wish I could just move on.”

“I know it’s been a long time,” Jimin says, when Jeongguk grows quiet and doesn’t seem ready to
go on. “But it’s okay to take as long as you need. It’s hard to keep going back to it, but I know you
can do this. It might never go fully away, but you’ll learn to deal with it, to push it away, to lose the
fair. And I’ll be here always, for whatever you need. Hoseok and Namjoon too. I know you lost
your family, but you have us. You can meet new people. You can have a new family. Even if it
takes you a long time, you can learn to trust new people, people who will love you and take care of
you.”

Jeongguk’s eyebrows furrow. He makes a soft sound of distress before rubbing his nose back and
forth over Jimin’s scent gland. It relaxes him, pulls a sigh out of him. He hadn’t noticed he was
tensing up, but Jeongguk seems to have been able to catch on easily.

“I like the idea of you being my family,” he mumbles. And Jimin feels his small smile against his
skin. It makes him smile too, eyes fluttering shut under Jeongguk’s ministrations. “I believe that,
too. And I have hope. I want to get there, even if it takes me a long time. I know I’ve been saying
this a lot, but I mean it, Jimin. Trusting you was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I don’t
know why. I just wanted to. When I saw you walk in that day we met, I remember it was the first
time in years that my alpha felt at ease. That’s why I trusted you, because I trusted what my alpha
felt. It was hard, but I’m happy I’m here now.”

That does it for Jimin. His eyes fill with tears and he finds it hard to hold them in so he squeezes
Jeongguk tight and burrows his nose into his hair, trying to calm himself down. He doesn’t want to
cry. He wants to be strong for Jeongguk, give him all his support, especially now that he’s opened
up a bit more. These are things nobody knows, things he hasn’t told anyone because he’s been so
closed up. It must have been hard for him to say it out loud and he’s proud of how much progress
he’s made.

“I’m glad you trusted me,” he whispers, once he’s sure his voice won’t tremble because of his
emotions. He takes a deep breath and kisses the top of his head. “And yes, I’ll be your family. I’ll
always take care of you. I’ll help you trust your instincts. I’ll be here, Jeongguk. No matter what,
okay? I promise.”

Jeongguk nods, but doesn’t say anything. And maybe his emotions are all over the place too. He
trembles and squeezes Jimin tight, face pressed to his neck now. They settle in silence. For a long
time, it’s just them holding each other, them basking in each other’s scents. They let time go by.
Jimin almost thinks Jeongguk will fall asleep again, but then he’s leaning back and pressing his
lips to Jimin’s. It’s tentative at first, as if he’s unsure about it.

Jimin kisses him back with determination, trying to convey everything he feels into that one kiss. It
goes from tentative to slow and sensual, decided. Jeongguk sighs against his mouth and slips his
hand under Jimin’s shirt. He touches his skin on his way up, body pressing to Jimin’s.

It brings such a pleasant feeling to Jimin. His heart beats faster, his toes curl and his hand burrows
in Jeongguk’s messy hair. His other arm is under his head and his fingers are fisting the back of his
shirt. He isn’t really thinking about it when he hooks his leg over Jeongguk’s hip.

Their bodies press even closer and Jeongguk suddenly pulls away, looking embarrassed, panic
takes over his expression as he sits up.

“Jeongguk?” Jimin asks, worried. He reaches for him, but Jeongguk doesn’t budge. He’s so tense
all of a sudden. “Pup?”
At that, he closes his eyes and covers his face with his hands.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

“Hey, no apologizing,” Jimin quickly responds. He rubs his hand in soft circles over Jeongguk’s
back. “You have nothing to apologize for, Jeongguk. Tell me what’s going on. You know you can
trust me, there’s nothing―”

“I just,” Jeongguk interrupts, clearing his throat. He drops his hands and turns to look at Jimin. His
eyes are amber, a strong glowing coming from them. “Because I’m close to my rut, I can’t
help―it’s just that, whenever I kiss you and touch you, I start to get lost in you. I can’t hold it
back,” he confesses.

Oh. Jimin doesn’t need to look down to know that Jeongguk is probably struggling to hid his hard-
on. He reaches up for his cheek and turns his face towards him. He shows him a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “Do you want to do something about it?”

He’s gentle about it, unsure if that’s something Jeongguk is ready for. A rumble settles right in his
throat and Jimin slides his hand down to his shoulder, thumb pressing to his scent gland. He rubs
back and forth, teasing, gently easing into this new territory. So far, all they’ve done is kiss and
kiss until things got a bit too intense and they stopped. But Jeongguk was sad and now he’s
distracted and clearly turned on. Jimin wants to take care of him.

“I’ve never,” Jeongguk begins, shaking his head, “been with anybody. So, I don’t know…” he
trails off.

Jimin leans forward and pecks his lips briefly. “You don’t have to know. Just let your body guide
you, Jeongguk. Come here,” he whispers, laying down and tugging Jeongguk with him.

Jeongguk goes, settling in the space Jimin makes for him, legs parted, thighs at either side of his
waist. Jimin slides his hands down Jeongguk’s sides, moves them to his back, slips them under his
shirt. Jeongguk makes a soft sound, face pressing to Jimin’s neck. He’s holding himself up on his
forearms, framing Jimin’s face with them.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk mumbles against his skin, his hips pressing forward.

Delicious pleasure licks up Jimin’s spine. He arches against Jeongguk, digs his fingers into his
skin. It only makes Jeongguk growl, his nose rubbing up Jimin’s neck until he’s under his jaw. He
kisses there, trails up and across his jaw until he’s kissing his lips. They kiss messily. All the
softness from before is gone, even though their bodies are moving in slow waves. Jeongguk’s hips
press forward, Jimin’s hips lift off the bed. His nails are digging into Jeongguk’s skin, but the
alpha doesn’t seem to mind.

“Is this okay?” Jimin asks. “Is it enough?”

Jeongguk’s eyes open. He still has his mouth on Jimin’s, his eyes are glowing and he looks so…
wild . And sexy. Jimin reaches up and brushes his fingers over Jeongguk’s cheeks, trails them
down to his neck.

“Everything is enough with you,” he whispers, voice hoarse.

He’s still staring at Jimin, holding back again. His fear of letting go is evident in the way he pauses
every few seconds. Jimin licks at Jeongguk’s lips. He does it slowly, noticing the way arousal
flashes in his gaze before he’s kissing him again, almost furiously, desperately. His hips move
again, this time it’s a sharp thrust against Jimin. The pleasure is more intense. And even though it
could be ten times more pleasurable if they were naked, he finds that he likes this.

It’s hard not to like this slow crescendo of pleasure. The way their bodies move urgently, but it’ll
take them a long time to get to where they’re both trying to go. And that’s okay too. Jimin wants to
spend hours like this, touching Jeongguk, exploring inches of skin, learning how to kiss him and
touch him to drive him crazy.

Jimin tries to keep up, but Jeongguk is the one drawing out the pleasure for both of them. One of
his hands snakes down and grips Jimin’s hip. He tugs him up as he grinds down on him. And he’s
loud. He’s so loud about his pleasure. He moans and groans and grunts against Jimin’s mouth.

You feel so good, Jimin. I want to stay like this forever. I never want to let you go.

All of these words are said with hushed whispers after whimpers against Jimin’s skin. It’s
fascinating learning this new part of Jeongguk. Jimin wants to teach him all about pleasure, he
wants Jeongguk to experience it without fear of letting go.

“Jeongguk,” he pleads, although he’s not sure what he’s asking for. He slides his hands down and
grips Jeongguk’s ass cheeks. That seems to do something for him because he groans and drops his
face into Jimin’s neck. He shudders, stops moving altogether and tenses up over Jimin’s body.
“You like that?” He asks against his ear, making sure to let his lips brush over his skin as he
speaks.

“Yeah, I like it,” Jeongguk mumbles against Jimin’s neck. He tentatively starts up with his grinding
again, mumbling something that Jimin doesn’t quite catch.

“Hm?” Jimin asks, eyes fluttering shut when Jeongguk starts attacking his scent gland. It feels like
an attack, that is. It makes his heart thump so hard in his chest he wonders if Jeongguk can hear it
or feel it.

“I like it when you touch me,” Jeongguk says softly. He licks long and steady against Jimin’s scent
gland. It makes the world explode with forest and wood and flowers. His fingers dig into
Jeongguk’s ass and that makes Jeongguk groan again. “I like how you smell right now. I like that
you want me. I want you too. So much.”

It’s like his words are making Jimin’s body go crazy. He can’t help but react to everything he’s
saying. Jeongguk is shy and timid all the time, but right now, it’s like another side of him has
popped out. He’s saying all these lewd things and grinding against Jimin in a way that makes it feel
as if he’s actually fucking him.

He gasps and tilts his head back, eyes closing. When pleasure starts to become too intense, his
knees pull up and his ankles dig into Jeongguk’s ass when he moves faster, more desperately.

“It feel so good,” Jeongguk mutters, sucking under Jimin’s jaw, undoubtedly marking his skin. “It
feels so good, Jimin.”

“Does it, pup?” He asks, taking a deep breath, trying to control himself.

They’ve been moving like this for what feels like such a long time already, but he doesn’t want it to
be over. He wants to keep going for hours and hours. He wants Jeongguk like this, holding onto
him, on top of him, under him. In any way he can have him.

“I like that,” Jeongguk blurts out with a grunt. “I like it a lot.”

“Pup?” Jimin asks. “You’re like a puppy all the time. My pup. I like you so much.”

“ Fuck ,” Jeongguk groans, hips stilling, body trembling.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” Jimin pleads, moving his hips on his own, dragging them over
Jeongguk’s in circles.

“Yours,” Jeongguk whispers, moving slower, as if he too wants to drag it out. “I like being yours.”

Jimin slides a hand under Jeongguk’s shirt, drags his nails across his skin as he uses his other hand
to push him against his body.

“Faster,” he whispers into Jeongguk’s ear. When Jeongguk shudders, he licks at his ear. It makes
Jeongguk whimper. He thrusts harder and faster.

A whine is pulled out of him and his back arches off the bed and Jeongguk’s hand is slipping under
his sweats, under his briefs. He squeezes his ass cheek and for some reason, that makes their
movements even sexier, more arousing.

It doesn’t take them long to get there. Jeongguk lifts his head when he’s close. He holds himself up
on one arm. Their bodies are touching everywhere. It’s good. It’s perfect. Jeongguk leans his
forehead on Jimin’s and his lips part. His eyes are hypnotizing, Jimin can’t stop looking at them as
his orgasm starts to build.

There’s something so beautiful about the way Jeongguk moves when he’s close to his orgasm. He
grows a little bit more desperate, his movements jerky and unsteady, they lose their pace and turn
erratic. He gasps and trembles and his lips brush Jimin’s, but they’re parted, not kissing, too
overwhelmed with pleasure to do something about their closeness.

Or maybe he just wants that, to be this close and touching him all over while he comes. And when
it happens, Jimin wraps his arms around him, hands under his shirt, touching his sweaty skin.
Jeongguk releases a sound that’s something between a moan and a whine, his eyes finally fall shut
and his lips tremble against Jimin’s. Jimin can’t stop looking at how beautiful he is.

Pleasure is written all over his face and his eyebrows are furrowed. There are droplets of sweat
clinging to his hair, falling over his forehead. He’s still moving, but he’s going slower, dragging
his hips in circles that make Jimin’s body tense up pleasantly. He’s close too, but he’s holding back
because he wants to memorize every little detail about this moment.

Jeongguk huffs everytime he moves, his eyebrows furrow deeper and he starts to shift into
overstimulation. But when he opens his eyes, Jimin can see determination behind the glowing
amber. He uses the hand he has on Jimin’s ass cheek to push him up as he starts thrusting again.
Whines pour out of his mouth because of the feeling, but he keeps going, seemingly decided to
make Jimin come. No that it takes him much, everything about this moment is arousing enough for
him.

And seeing Jeongguk drive himself into overstimulation just to please him and get him to come is
enough to finally push him over the edge. He gasps because it hits him out of nowhere and his back
arches again, his head falls back, his eyes close.

For a long moment, it’s like a wave of sensations takes over his body. It washes over him all at
once, muscles tensing up, toes curling, arms and legs tightening around Jeongguk. Everything else
ceases to exist and there’s only pleasure, overwhelming, delicious, pleasure licking up his spine,
making his thighs shake and his belly explode with warmth. All the while, Jeongguk licks and
nibbles on his scent gland, draws it out more and more.

It lasts forever, but it also ends too quickly. Jimin is left sated, limbs feeling woozy. But he holds
onto Jeongguk and smiles when he feels him slumping down entirely. He’s heavy, but it’s pleasant.
Jimin closes his eyes and allows himself to enjoy the feeling of Jeongguk’s warm face pressed to
his neck.

They have to change, it’s just a matter of time before it starts to grow uncomfortable, but honestly,
Jimin doesn’t mind this. He could stay here for hours on end.

“Did I do good?” Jeongguk asks, voice so low Jimin almost misses it in between his drowsy state.

His heart aches, his arms tighten around Jeongguk. He wants to reassure him always and everything
in his voice is so unsure, so worried.

“Perfect,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to his head. “But, how did you feel, Jeongguk?” He asks.
“Did it feel good? How are you feeling now?”

Jeongguk lifts his face from Jimin’s neck and their eyes meet. The amber in his has disappeared
and his expression is sleepy, probably because it’s the middle of the night and they just got off.

“It was perfect,” he murmurs. “And I’m feeling…good.”

His lips turn up into a small and shy smile and his cheeks are flushed and Jimin smiles so widely
because he can’t help it. He pecks Jeongguk’s lips and cups his cheeks.

“I’m glad.” Another peck before he leans back. “We should change, though. And go back to sleep.
It’s late.”

“Okay,” Jeongguk whispers.

Jeongguk goes back to his room to get changed and clean off in the bathroom. Jimin does the same
and settles back in the bed face first. It smells like them. Even though his scent is faint, he can
smell it mixed up with Jeongguk’s, all over the bed. He sighs, content. He likes it so much.

When Jeongguk comes back, he finds him like that, sniffing on the sheets. And he laughs so
sweetly that Jimin can’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed.

↢↣

Jeongguk laughs and bumps his shoulder against his before they settle back into their previous
pace. Today has been a great day. Jimin went with Jeongguk to the bookstore and they sat down
with coffee to read. Hours went by quickly, then they had lunch together and then spent the rest of
the afternoon lying in bed, pleasantly cuddling, tangled up in each other.

As the sun set, they decided to get groceries for the week and drove to the supermarket. There’s
more people than usual, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem bothered by it. There’s such a stark difference
between the Jeongguk walking beside him tonight and the Jeongguk that came here with him on
the first night out of the facility. It’s been a few months, things have changed, Jeongguk is doing
better. But it’s still nice to see. It’s nice to know Jeongguk is much better.
“What?” Jeongguk asks with a smile. He grows shy easily and his expression lets Jimin know that
he’s caught him staring, just looking at him.

Jimin smiles and reaches up to ruffle his hair softly. Jeongguk’s eyes flutter shut, an easy smile
appearing on his lips. He smiles so easily these days. Jimin likes it a little bit too much.

“You make me happy.”

Jeongguk’s eyes open instantly and he steps towards him, wraps him up in his arms. He squeezes
tightly, enough that Jimin groans and laughs against his neck. He doesn’t let go for a while, even
picks him up from the floor, does a small spin before setting him down and placing a kiss on
Jimin’s head.

“You make me happier,” he responds.

They walk a couple of steps with their fingers tangled together, Jeongguk tugging, then Jimin
tugging, but it’s too hard to move the cart like that, so they soon let go. They step into a new aisle,
grabbing things here and there from a list they previously made.

“You didn’t put banana milk on the list,” Jimin mentions, waving the paper in the air. “Your rut is
in a couple of weeks, we should be getting you stuff you like.”

Jeongguk’s cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. He’s so shy about it even though Jimin can still
remember the way he pinned him down a few days ago while he scented him thoroughly. It was a
little possessive, the way Jeongguk growled and nibbled on his skin, told him he wanted him to
smell so much like him everybody would know they were together. It left Jimin a little bit
breathless and very drowsy. But so happy. Jeongguk got a little bit lost in it, but Jimin reassured
him. He’s not scared of Jeongguk. He never will be. Because he knows Jeongguk would never hurt
him.

“We don’t have to,” Jeongguk mumbles, but he doesn’t protest when Jimin puts banana milk in the
cart. He also doesn’t say anything when Jimin slips in chocolate. When Jimin reaches for his
favorite cereal, Jeongguk groans. “You don’t have to buy all of those things.”

But he’s smiling and Jimin likes teasing him so he gets on his tiptoes and presses a kiss to the
corner of his mouth. “I want you to have everything you need so you’re well taken care of.”

Jeongguk drops his forehead to Jimin’s shoulder and wraps an arm around him. He tilts his head to
the side, nose brushing under his jaw.

“You’re too nice, I like you so much,” he whispers.

“Hm, I like you too,” Jimin whispers back, placing his hand on Jeongguk’s hip and squeezing
reassuringly. “I’m going to get some coffee, could you finish up with this aisle?”

“Okay,” Jeongguk says with a smile.

Jimin heads two aisles down to look for the coffee. He has it in his hand and he’s turning around
when he bumps into someone. He knows instantly that it’s not Jeongguk because he doesn’t
recognize the scent.

“I’m sorry, I―”

“Watch where you’re going,” the guy interrupts before Jimin can finish talking.
“Excuse me, you’re the one who’s standing in my way,” Jimin shoots back before he can stop
himself.

He’s close to the stand. The guy, for some reason, was walking directly towards where Jimin was
standing. He had so much space, but decided to walk there, specifically.

“You’re the one who turned around and bumped into me, you should be careful,” the guy mutters,
shaking his head. “Now, could you please move?”

Jimin stares at him in disbelief. Apparently this guy woke up on the left side of the bed today. He’s
being an asshole for literally no reason.

“Not my fault you have a shitty mood,” he mumbles, stepping around him to leave.

The guy reaches for his forearm so suddenly that Jimin startles. The coffee falls from his hand and
rolls across the floor and Jimin stares back at the guy, his brain still not catching up to the fact that
this guy just grabbed him like that.

He doesn’t get to say anything about it. The guy doesn’t get to say anything, either. One second
he’s gripping Jimin’s arm and the next Jeongguk is pinning him to the stands, hands fisting the
front of his shirt. He’s furious, his pheromones are so strong that Jimin is sure anybody in the
supermarket will be able to smell them.

“What the fuck?” The guy asks, fear taking over his expression. He doesn’t look all mighty
anymore. He glances towards Jimin, hesitates, looks back at Jeongguk.

“Jeongguk, stop,” Jimin says, ignoring the guy. He doesn’t care about him. All he can think about
right now is getting Jeongguk to calm down, talking to him. “Hey. Look at me, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk doesn’t move. He doesn’t even react to Jimin’s words. He’s staring at the guy, his body
shaking because of his anger. Jimin has never seen him like this before. It’s as if he’s lost all self
control. He pulls his hand back, closing it in a fist and Jimin panics.

“Jeongguk!” Jimin yells, quickly slipping in between them, pushing against his chest and fisting
his shirt to grab his attention. It works because Jeongguk looks down and he’s met with an amber
glow. “Stop. Don’t do it, Jeongguk. Focus on me. Come on, it’s not worth it.”

He’s still shaking and he’s still gripping the guy’s shirt, but he slowly lowers his hand. When he
lets go, the guy scrambles away without looking back. Jimin stares at Jeongguk, too scared to look
away and have Jeongguk crumble down. He knows that this isn’t good, that it’ll affect him in some
way, having lost control so suddenly. Being seconds away from punching someone.

Jimin reaches up and cups his cheek. Jeongguk is still shaking. He takes a step back, stumbles,
even. Jimin tries to reach out again but Jeongguk looks away and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

And he sounds so broken. Jimin wants to reassure him, wrap him up in his arms and tell him that
it’s fine, that he held back, that nothing happened. But he doesn’t get to. Jeongguk turns around and
bolts. He runs away so fast Jimin doesn’t even manage to call out. It’s just as startling as everything
that happened before Jeongguk even got here. He doesn’t understand how everything went bad all
of a sudden.

Yet, there’s nothing he can do now. He wants to be with Jeongguk, hold him tight. But he has a
feeling Jeongguk needs some space right now and he wants to give him that.
He finds his cart just at the beginning of the aisle and he finishes up with the list before heading to
the front to pay. The drive back home feels terribly lonely. Jimin has grown used to having
Jeongguk beside him half the time. But he has a feeling it’s mostly because of what happened. The
whole situation was just so stupid.

Of course, Jimin knows that things aren’t magically fixed because everything has been smiles and
happiness for a while. But this isn’t something he thought would happen. He thought Jeongguk
would continue to get better slowly, get to these type of things in time, when he was much better.

It’s frustrating.

When he gets home, it’s not surprising to find the house empty. Jeongguk is nowhere to be seen.
He sighs and puts everything away before settling in the living room to wait. He puts on a movie
and sits down to watch. Sitting there in silence will only make him anxious and more worried.

As hours go by and it gets late, Jimin’s worry grows even more. Where will Jeongguk sleep?
Where is he? Is he okay? Did something bad happen to him? He tries calling, but Jeongguk doesn’t
answer his phone. He texts him and tells him everything will be okay, that he’ll be waiting for him,
but he still doesn’t get a response.

↢↣

Jimin wakes up with a startle. He didn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep. But he’s on his side and
covered with a blanket. Last he remembers, he was sitting up waiting for Jeongguk.

But he must have fallen asleep at some point. And Jeongguk must have helped him into a more
comfortable position, put the blanket on him. Jimin looks around. It’s already morning. His worry
hasn’t disappeared and he hopes Jeongguk is still home and didn’t decide to go away before he
woke up.

He hurries to Jeongguk’s room and opens the door. The bed is made, the room doesn’t smell like
him at all―which shouldn’t be too surprising since he hasn’t slept in here in weeks now.
Anxiousness builds in his chest as he makes his way towards his bedroom. If he’s not there, then
Jimin doesn’t know what he’ll do. Call him again, but what if he doesn’t reply?

The worry drains out of him halfway when he opens the door and finds Jeongguk there. He’s laying
on his side, curled into a ball, facing the side of the room Jimin is standing at. Even in his sleep, he
doesn’t look peaceful at all. His eyebrows are furrowed, expression bothered.

But he’s here and that’s all that Jimin cares about. He’ll be there for him, they’ll talk about it and,
hopefully, Jeongguk will feel a little bit better.

Gently, he gets under the covers and wraps his arms around Jeongguk. It’s a struggle for a moment,
but then Jeongguk shifts and, still half asleep, he wraps an arm around Jimin. He doesn’t wake up,
but he sighs in relief, hand slipping under Jimin’s shirt. He doesn’t move again, but he sighs once
more when Jimin slips his fingers into his hair and scratches at his scalp. He’s gentle about it, not
wanting to wake him up just yet because it seems that he’s finally relaxed and he wants to give him
more time to rest.

Jimin doesn’t fall asleep. He just focuses on holding Jeongguk and making sure to occasionally
brush his thumb back and forth against his scent gland. His scent is really faint, but Jeongguk
always reacts so strongly to it, always mentions how nice he smells. So, Jimin hopes it’ll help
somewhat so he wakes up feeling calm and safe.

An hour goes by. Jeongguk doesn’t so much as stir throughout that time. He briefly squeezes
tighter around Jimin, but soon relaxes again and keeps sleeping. When he does wake up, it happens
slowly. Jimin feels it happen, the way his scent flares, panic taking over the room. He tenses and
tries to move away, but Jimin holds on tighter, sliding his fingers down to Jeongguk’s nape.

He squeezes gently, holding onto the spot. Jeongguk always slumps down and relaxes when he
does it. This time, it’s no different. He holds his breath and hesitates for a couple of seconds, but he
finally lets go and relaxes. And with that, a wave of emotions seem to take over him because he
instantly starts crying.

And it’s not just crying, it’s full on sobbing, hiccups, face pressed to Jimin’s chest, wetness quickly
covering the front of his shirt. It hurts. Just knowing that Jeongguk is in pain and that he can’t stop
crying, it makes Jimin want to tear down the whole world. Jeongguk deserves so much better.

“Don’t cry,” he whispers, placing kiss after kiss on Jeongguk’s forehead. “It breaks my heart when
you cry.”

He cards his fingers through Jeongguk’s hair, pushing it off his damp forehead. His skin is covered
in a thin layer of sweat and it hits Jimin that he might have been having a nightmare, or a bad
dream. Either way, he’s shaking, he’s digging his nails into Jimin’s skin, hand still under his shirt
and he’s shaking his head, mumbling things Jimin can’t quite get.

It goes on for a while. He tries to calm him down, but it’s too hard, there’s no calming down a
Jeongguk that’s been reminded of the past, a past that clearly haunts him and hurts him. So, he just
keeps quiet and holds him tight and hopes that it’ll help in a way.

Jimin thinks that it does because after another long while, Jeongguk starts to calm down. His sobs
shift into sniffling and he starts to grow quiet, his body losing it’s strength. It’s like he completely
deflates against Jimin and that’s almost just as painful as hearing him cry because it feels like he’s
giving up.

“Hey,” he whispers, cupping his cheek and making him lift his head. It takes a while for Jeongguk
to let him, but he finally does, sniffling and tilting his head back. His eyes remain closed and Jimin
watches a tear slide down his cheek, then another, one more, silently crying. “Jeongguk, look at
me.” Jeongguk takes a deep breath and does as he’s told, red eyes meeting Jimin’s. “Talk to me,”
he pleads. “I hate that you’re in pain, I wish I could just take it all away.”

Jeongguk clears his throat, closes his eyes again. He doesn’t speak, not immediately. He stays quiet
for a couple of minutes, starting to calm down again, the tears slowly disappearing until his sniffles
are also gone. Then, he pulls his hand out from under Jimin’s shirt and instead wraps his arm
around Jimin. It’s tight and desperate and Jimin scratches at his scalp again in hopes of soothing
some of his pain.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. It’s said in such a low voice that Jimin would have missed it if he hadn’t
been this close to him.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Jimin immediately says.

“But I do,” Jeongguk insists, leaning back, distancing himself from Jimin. He doesn’t fight it
because he wants Jeongguk to work through it on his own, without pressuring him. “What if that
happens again? What if I―?” He stops, shaking his head. “I’m so scared I’ll hurt you. It’s been so
long since I lost it like that and it reminded me of everything, I don’t want to―” he stops again.

Jimin tentatively reaches out, his fingers brushing over Jeongguk’s chest. Jeongguk doesn’t move,
he doesn’t even flinch. His eyes close and his lips part. He looks so overwhelmed all of a sudden.
Jimin places his palm flat against his chest, right above his heart.

“You’re not going to hurt me,” he whispers. And he believes it. He knows Jeongguk knows that
too. He hasn’t hurt anyone since he was found. Even though he lost it a few times during the
beginning of the process, he always ran off, distanced himself from anyone around him, just in
case.

But last night, he almost punched someone. And sure, the guy was being an asshole, but Jeongguk
didn’t have to react that way. It’s a good thing he could find it in himself to stop. And yet it’s
triggered all those memories he’s fought so hard to put behind himself.

“I’m scared these things are going to keep happening,” Jeongguk mumbles. “For a while now, it’s
felt like everything is perfect. And I kept thinking, it’s too good to be true. It can’t be. Something is
going to bring that fantasy down. And then yesterday happened.” Jimin slides his hand upwards,
towards Jeongguk’s neck. He places his hand on his collarbone, mindful of not scaring him off,
letting the tips of his fingers brush close to his scent gland.

“Why did you react that way?” He asks softly. Jeongguk takes a while to reply. It feels like a
million emotions are washing over him. Finally, he reaches up and circles Jimin’s wrist. He’s the
one to move his hand upwards, until Jimin’s thumb is pressed to his skin, right above his scent
gland. “Do you want me to scent you?”

Jeongguk nods instantly and Jimin is quick to move his thumb back and forth over his scent gland.
Slowly, making sure to take his time so that Jeongguk can bask in it, so it slowly fills him and
spreads all around him.

“It was fine,” Jeongguk mumbles after a few seconds, though his words now sound drowsy. He’s
distracted, but his eyebrows are still furrowed and he seems troubled. “I know you can handle
yourself, it wasn’t about that. But when he grabbed you like that, I panicked. I thought―I don’t
know. It was as if I was suddenly back in that horrible place. Something similar happened once.
It’s all kind of blurry because I was just out of a fight. But I remember one of the guys grabbing the
other and suddenly punching him and when I saw it at the supermarket, I thought he would hit you.
And I hate the thought of you getting hurt, Jimin. I hate it so much. I want to protect you always, I
want you to be safe. I―” he cuts himself off, eyes closing again and tears slip down his cheeks.

Jimin slides closer, tugging at Jeongguk until he gives in and presses his face to Jimin’s chest. He
holds him tight, pressing a kiss on the top of his head.

“Pup,” he whispers, hoping to calm him down. “You know, I feel the very same way. All the time,
all I want is to keep you safe. I want to keep you in a bubble where nobody and nothing can hurt
you. But that’s something that we can’t control. All we can do is just…be there for each other. And
it’s scary, yeah. It’s so fucking scary, but it’ll be okay,” he reassures. “I’ll be safe as long as I have
you by my side, you know? I like having you around too much, pup. It’s all I ever think about,
having you glued to me. I like it a lot,” he finishes in a soft murmur.

Jeongguk makes a soft sound, snuggles deeper into Jimin’s chest and sighs, arm tightening around
his hip.

“You’re my comfort zone. I wish I could stay with you forever,” Jeongguk mumbles.
Jimin cups his cheek and makes him look up. His heart warms at Jeongguk’s words. He’s also his
comfort zone. Jeongguk is everything he thinks about and who he feels safe with. “Even if you’re
not here, we’ll see each other always. You know that, right?”

He wonders, suddenly, if Jeongguk has been dreading that, the fact that he’ll soon have to leave,
find a place of his own. Namjoon has been hinting at it for a while, telling Jeongguk that he’s
doing so well he’ll soon be discharged, okay to go on with his life without having to be monitored.
Sure, Jimin doesn’t want to be away from him either, they’ve gone so close that his life has literally
tangled up with his. But it’ll be good for him and deep down, Jeongguk must know this too.

“Yeah,” Jeongguk mutters. His eyes flutter shut when Jimin leans down to peck his lips. It’s brief
and chaste, but it seems to affect him just as much as any other kiss. He opens his eyes a few
seconds later and seems conflicted again. “I’m sorry you had to pay and put everything away on
your own yesterday,” Jeongguk mumbles. “I shouldn’t have left like that, I just―”

“I understand, Jeongguk,” he interrupts, shaking his head. “It’s okay, really. Don’t worry about
that. All I care about is that you’re okay.”

Jeongguk sighs. “I’m okay now.”

“Next time, talk to me. Don’t run,” Jimin whispers. “Stay with me.”

The words are gentle, reassuring. Jeongguk nods instantly. He tilts his head back and kisses Jimin.
This time, it’s not chaste. It’s slow and so sensual. It’s like Jeongguk is taking his time, but it soon
starts to drive Jimin crazy. Jeongguk has a way with his mouth, with his hands, with the way he
scents Jimin or touches him. It’s all intense and sexy and Jimin can’t breathe.

Still, he keeps kissing Jeongguk, kisses back just as slow. His fingers slip into Jeongguk’s hair,
bunch up the strands as his leg hooks over Jeongguk’s hip. Jeongguk groans, the sound loud
against Jimin’s mouth. It makes warmth spread across his body, arousal settling deep in his belly.
These days, it’s been so easy getting lost in each other, growing distracted by gentle hands and soft
kisses that quickly grow heated.

Part of it is probably because of how freshly new their relationship is. The exploring and getting to
know these little things about each other, the intimate stuff, where to touch and where to kiss and
how to drive the other mad. And there’s also Jeongguk’s rut close by. It’ll start next week,
possibly. It makes him smell so good, his scent making Jimin’s mouth water. Because he’s a beta,
it’s easy to push away those thoughts and feelings, but they affect him just as much as they can
affect any wolf.

It also doesn’t help that Jeongguk already has an addicting scent.

Jeongguk suddenly leans back, a jerk of his head that’s a little too forced. His cheeks are flushed,
his eyes glowing that pretty amber and his lips are red, swollen. His expression is so fucked out it
does something to Jimin, it makes him wonder what he looks like during sex.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk breathes out, snapping him out of his thoughts. “I’m worried.”

There’s fear in his voice and Jimin quicky frowns. “What’s wrong, pup? What are you worried
about?”

“Getting carried away,” he whispers, closing his eyes. He takes a deep breath, as if trying to collect
himself. But when his eyes open again, they’re still amber. “I’m so close to my rut, everytime I kiss
you I feel like I’m going to explode.”
Jimin laughs because he can’t help and even though he looks embarrassed, Jeongguk smiles. He
looks much calmer than before, clearly distracted now and relaxed, despite the worry on his
features.

“Mm,” he hums, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Is that such a bad thing?” He asks softly,
teasingly. He kisses Jeongguk again, slowly, just once, moving his lips against his before pulling
away.

Jeongguk tries to follow, but Jimin doesn’t give him more. When Jeongguk opens his eyes again,
he squints at him, making Jimin’s lips tug up into a wide smile.

“It might trigger my rut,” he mumbles, breathless.

Jimin tilts his head to the side. “Well, we’ve already bought everything you might need. If it
happens, we’ll be ready.”

Jeongguk looks away, seems conflicted all of a sudden. He absentmindedly plays with the hem of
Jimin’s shirt before slipping his hand under and touching the skin of his back. It’s a nice feeling,
his long fingers tracing Jimin’s skin.

“What will we do?” He asks after a while.

Right. This is something they haven’t talked about yet. But it’s something Jimin already knows the
answer to.

“Whatever you want to do, pup,” he responds. “I can leave everything nearby for you, I’ll stay with
Tae until it’s over, if that’s what you’d like.” Jeongguk immediately looks like he hates the idea
and that makes Jimin’s heart beat faster in his chest. It’s something he’s been thinking about a lot.
He wants to take care of Jeongguk. Always. That feeling also applies to this. If Jeongguk wants it.
If Jeongguk wants him here. “Or…I can stay. I can take care of you. Or I can just be here. You’ll
smell nice and mouthwatering, but I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

Jeongguk’s lips curl at his words and Jimin is glad that it seems to ease him a little bit. He cups his
cheek and reassures him again, lets him know that whatever he decides is okay with him, that he’ll
do whatever Jeongguk wants.

“I’ve never…” Jeongguk trails off, clearing his throat. “I’ve never spent my rut with anyone,” he
says. “And the memories from my previous ruts aren’t nice. The ones I had at that place were
horrible. All the alpha pheromones drove my alpha crazy. And then the ones at the facility only
brought up all those memories.”

Jimin hates that that’s all Jeongguk has ever known. He can’t even imagine how scary it must be
for him. Ruts and heats are always intense and tiring, but the added memories surely make it worse
for him. He cards his fingers through Jeongguk’s hair, pushing it back and out of his forehead. He
closes his eyes, letting Jimin take care of him.

“Are you scared?” He asks softly.

“Yeah,” Jeongguk mumbles. “I don’t really get too lost in my ruts, but what if my instincts take
over? What if I―”

“You’ve worked on them,” Jimin interrupts. “Trust your instincts on this too. And, if you want that,
I can be here. I can keep you centered. I can help.”

“I want you here,” Jeongguk responds. “I just don’t know…” he trails off again, sighing. He seems
so frustrated and Jimin hates it. “It’s always been so bad,” he confesses in a soft whisper. He
sounds pained again and Jimin’s heart breaks. “The symptoms have always been the same, it’s
exhausting. But the memories are what I hate the most. I hate being reminded of that year.”

“If you’re sure, pup,” Jimin starts. “If you’re sure you want me to be here, then I’ll stay with you.
And I’ll take care of you,” he promises, sliding his hand down Jeongguk’s back, slipping it under
his shirt. He touches heated skin. His temperature is already higher than usual and it’ll stay like
that until his rut ends. “We’ll work through it together. I’ll be here for whatever you need. Just ask.
Don’t hesitate to ask, okay?”

Jeongguk closes his eyes and presses his face to Jimin’s neck. His lips press to Jimin’s scent gland,
kisses for a few seconds before he settles for just holding onto him and being drowned in his neck.

“Okay,” he whispers against his skin.

They don’t talk more for a while, just settle down together and hold onto each other. Jimin is glad
he could talk to Jeongguk. He’s glad he could reassure him. He wants to stay here with him
forever, too.

↢↣

When Jimin comes home on friday afternoon, the place smells so strongly of Jeongguk it makes
him stop short on his tracks. The thing is, Jeongguk has always had a strong scent and Jimin has
slowly grown used to having it around him all the time, surrounding him, literally on every surface
of the house. But right now it’s so strong he can taste it on his tongue.

It’s musky and filled with arousal and Jimin closes his eyes for a second, taking it all in. He had a
feeling he’d come back to this. He left Jeongguk on his bed, sleeping, skin covered in a thin layer
of sweat. That was after lunch. He went to get a couple more things they might need during
Jeongguk’s rut and he figured it would just be a matter of time before Jeongguk’s pre-rut started.

Even though he was prepared for it, it takes him a couple of seconds to take it all in and settle
down. He makes sure to put everything on the kitchen counter, within easy reach. He grabs water
and protein bars before heading towards his bedroom.

And his heart breaks when he spots Jeongguk because he’s awake and he looks so small like this.
He’s on his belly, hugging a pillow tightly under himself, face pressed to it. His eyes are glistening
with tears and he looks so exhausted. He’s been tired since the beginning of the week, but it seems
to be hitting him even more right now.

He sets everything down on the nightstand and crawls onto the bed. He sits cross-legged close to
Jeongguk, slipping his fingers into his hair. He scratches at his scalp, hoping to soothe the
emotions that are starting to build inside of him. He looks so terrified. Jimin hates it.

“Hi, pup,” he whispers. Jeongguk’s eyes close and he releases a shaky breath. “Want to tell me
what you’re feeling?”

“I feel like I just ran a marathon,” he mumbles. Jimin’s lips lift into a smile and Jeongguk smiles
back tiredly. “I’m also scared,” he adds, softly, so soft Jimin almost misses it.

“I’m right here,” he reassures, sliding his fingers down to Jeongguk’s nape. He massages the tight
knots of his muscles. “Don’t be scared. I’ll take care of you.”

Jeongguk opens his eyes again and looks at Jimin.

“I know,” he whispers. “You always take care of me. I’m always conscious during my rut, but I
can’t help being scared of my instincts. I’ve never spent my rut with someone,” he explains.

All of this Jimin already knew. They’ve talked about it a lot over the past week while they waited
for the day to come. Jeongguk has told Jimin about his fears, about not wanting to fully let go.
He’s told him about how his other ruts have been. Mostly, from what he’s said, it doesn’t seem like
it’s something he’s enjoyed at all. It’s understandable. Being plagued with all of those terrible
memories can’t help. And, on top of it all, his ruts are the tiring ones, the ones that make his body
feel like it’s been run over.

It’s obvious in the way he scrunches his nose as he shifts, tries to find a more comfortable position.
He gives up easily, turning his head to press his face to the pillow.

“Well,” Jimin starts, sliding his hand down and settling it in between Jeongguk’s shoulder blades.
He rubs up and down. Jeongguk makes a pleased sound. “I’ve never spent a rut with an alpha
before,” he confesses. He knows what to expect, of course. And he might be nervous, but he’s not
scared. He trusts Jeongguk. He knows that everything will be okay and that their instincts will
guide the way. “I’m a little bit nervous, but I trust you. We’ll figure it out together.”

Jeongguk turns his head to the side again to look at Jimin.

“I want that,” he replies softly.

Jimin smiles and leans down, pressing a kiss to Jeongguk’s nape. Jeongguk’s head lulls to the side,
undoubtedly a sign of submission and it makes Jimin feel a certain kind of way. He slides to the
side, reaching Jeongguk’s scent gland. The angle isn’t the best, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem to
mind. He groans. It’s a loud sound that makes warmth spread all over Jimin’s body.

Another thing that always happens to Jeongguk is that his body turns more sensitive. So when
Jimin opens his mouth and sucks, Jeongguk squirms and makes another loud sound.

“ Fuck ,” he breathes out, the words muffled by the pillow.

Jimin can’t stop himself from nibbling on his skin. Or more like, biting down. Not hard enough to
break skin, but enough to make Jeongguk’s body freeze. There’s something so strangely sexy
about the way his fingers squeeze the sheets above his head, one arm stretched upwards now, the
other still under the pillow.

He leans back and Jeongguk whimpers. He turns around so suddenly that it startles Jimin. He
blinks back in surprise and finds that Jeongguk’s eyes are amber, glowing so much that Jimin
would think his rut has been triggered if it weren’t for the fact that it doesn’t smell like it. He looks
so lewd, lips parted, cheeks flushed.

It’s hard not to stare. He gets distracted for a while, until Jeongguk reaches out and fists the front of
his shirt, pulling him down. Jimin goes, lips meeting his. It’s messy, desperate. Jeongguk’s tongue
slips into his mouth and he licks and sucks and whines when it doesn’t seem to be enough.

Jimin smiles against Jeongguk’s mouth.

“Eager, pup?” He teases.

He gently places his hand on Jeongguk’s chest and presses down, makes him lie down. His smile
grows when Jeongguk tries to pull him down again, closes his eyes as if he’s too overwhelmed just
by the kissing.

“Jimin,” he pleads, slowly letting go of Jimin’s shirt, dropping his hand, seemingly too tired to
keep it up any longer.

He gives him a little bit more, leaning down to peck his lips. Just a small one. It pleases Jeongguk
because a small smile tugs at his lips. He keeps his eyes closed and settles down.

“Are you sleepy?” Jimin asks, carding his fingers through Jeongguk’s hair again, only this time
he’s on his back, facing the ceiling. He looks so beautiful. Jimin could stare at him for hours.

“Little bit,” Jeongguk responds.

It seems like the short scenting and their kissing has tired him out because his peaceful expression
quicky grows more relaxed. His breathing slows down, a loud sigh leaves his parted lips.

“Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you wake up,” he promises.

“Mhm.”

That’s it. Jeongguk falls asleep instantly. It makes Jimin smile wider and he gently stands up to get
to work. There are a few things that he wants to leave ready before Jeongguk’s rut officially starts.

First he makes sure that all the food they might need is out for them to just grab. Banana milk,
chocolate, protein bars, lots of water. He double checks his email in case something new has come
in, but he’s met all his deadlines and he made sure to let everyone know that he’d be busy for a
week or so. He places the lube and condoms on the nightstand, feels a little bit hot in the face as he
does because he can’t help it.

The exploring touches and heated kisses will become more.

With a smile, he goes to his bathroom and prepares the tub with hot water for Jeongguk to get into
when he wakes up. It’ll soothe his muscles and it’ll also be just nice, a moment to relax.

Finally, he grabs his phone and calls Namjoon.

“ Jimin ,” Namjoon greets him when he picks up.

“Hi, Namjoon,” he replies. “How are you?”

“ I’m alrigh t.” He can hear in the background when a door closes and he groans as he sits down. “
Kind of tired. It’s been a busy week. How are you guys doing? Everything alright? ”

“Yeah, we’re good,” he responds. “I actually wanted to let you know Jeongguk won’t be able to
make it to tomorrow’s appointment. He’s in pre-rut.”

“ Oh. Yeah, I had a feeling he wouldn’t make it, ” Namjoon says. “ Is he okay? How’s everything
going? ”

“He’s okay. He’s a bit scared, but he’s okay. I’ll take care of him.”

“ You’ll be spending it with him? ” Namjoon asks.

“We talked about it and yeah, that’s what he wanted. And I like him so much,” he confesses. “I
want to take care of him in everyway he’ll let me.”

“ I’m glad he has you, Jimin ,” Namjoon tells him. “ You’ve helped so much in his whole healing
process. He’s done so much better ever since he met you. I’m rooting for you guys. I expect to be
invited to the wedding. ”

Jimin snorts. There’s still a long way to go, but the thought of being with Jeongguk forever actually
makes him very happy. “You and Hobi and Tae and everyone at the facility will be invited.”

Namjoon laughs.

“ Great then ,” he says. “ I’ll leave you to it. Please keep me updated. When it’s over it would be
good for him to come in so we can talk and figure out how he’s feeling. ”

“Will do,” he reassures. “Go home, Namjoon It’s late.”

“ In a while, ” Namjoon promises, but he probably won’t any time soon. “ Bye, Jimin. ”

“Bye.”

He looks around and pauses to think for a little bit to figure out if there’s anything else that’s left to
do. He ticks off things in his head until he’s 100% sure that everything is ready and finally heads
back to the room.

He finds Jeongguk curled into a ball, body burning up and a thin layer of sweat covering his skin.
He looks so small again and Jimin’s heart aches. He gently wakes him up. Jeongguk’s eyes are
amber when they snap open and Jimin startles. But Jeongguk blinks a couple of times, as if coming
back to himself and groans.

“Everything hurts,” he mumbles.

According to what he’s told Jimin, his body always hurts before his rut starts. That pain slowly
turns into an ache that’s supposed to feel somewhat pleasant, but has only ever been followed by
memories that haunt him.

“I know, pup,” he says, ruffling his hair softly. “That’s why I filled the tub for you. Come on I
promise it’ll feel better then.”

Jeongguk scrunches his nose, but he helps when Jimin starts to tug at his wrists. He sits up and
sighs. It takes him a few more seconds to actually come back to himself and then he stands up on
wobbly legs. Jimin slips an arm around his waist to help him walk towards the bathroom.

The water is still hot when Jimin dips his fingers into it and he turns to Jeongguk.

“Want me to help you undress?” He asks. It’s not meant to be teasing, but Jeongguk’s expression
turns shy and he hesitates. “I can leave you to it if you want, baby.”

“No, I―” he starts, shaking his head. “You’ll see me naked later, anyway.”

Jimin’s lips tug up.

“Mm, I’m looking forward to that,” he whispers, this time actually trying to tease.

Jeongguk drops his forehead on Jimin’s shoulder with a groan.

“Don’t tease me, it’s making me horny,” he pleads, but he actually sounds like he wants Jimin to
keep going. His hand is hot against Jimin’s hip when he places it there, burning through his clothes.
It’s because of his rut, but maybe also because that’s just what his touch does to Jimin.

“Stop being cute, then,” he replies, reaching up to scratch at his scalp. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

They do quick work of it. Jeongguk seems too exhausted to grow any more embarrassed. Jimin
helps him out of his shirt and helps him pull down his sweats and boxer briefs. He pointedly
doesn’t look downwards because he wants this moment to be calming for Jeongguk. He’ll get a
chance to rile him up and tease him later.

Sure enough, when Jeongguk steps into the bath tub and sinks down, he sighs happily, head tilting
back against the edge. He’s a little bit too big, but he fits almost entirely, knees bent a little.

“Does it feel good, baby?” Jimin asks, sitting on the edge and tilting his head to the side.

Jeongguk’s eyes open. “Everything sounds so dirty coming out of your mouth right now.”

Jimin snorts and shakes his head.

“Come on, I’m being serious,” he replies. “Stop being horny.”

“I can’t ,” Jeongguk says.

But he’s smiling and he seems so calm and that’s everything Jimin wants for him right now. He
wants to give him new memories to remember whenever he’s in rut. He doesn’t want him to ever
be scared again. He wants to reassure him. He reaches out and pushes Jeongguk’s hair out of his
forehead. For a moment, he just allows himself to look at him, take him in.

“What?” Jeongguk asks softly, obviously confused by Jimin’s lack of response.

“Nothing,” he whispers. He leans down and pecks his lips. “I just like you a lot.”

Jeongguk’s expression shifts. He reaches out and presses wet fingers to Jimin’s cheek.

“I feel the same way.”

It feels like he’ saying more than just that, as if he gets what Jimin is feeling, what’s building
inside his chest. Maybe he does. He smiles and pulls his hand away.

“Want me to shampoo your hair?”

Jeongguk’s eyes light up at that.

“Yes, please.”

He’s so cute. A whole puppy. Jimin’s heart swells. He disappears for a moment to get a small
stool, a clean set of clothes for Jeongguk and goes back to the bathroom. He puts the clothes down
on the toilet lid and sets the stool right behind Jeongguk’s head. He takes a seat and reaches into
the water, splashing some on Jeongguk’s hair. His eyes have fallen closed and he seems perfectly
relaxed. His scent is turning spicier, though and Jimin knows it’s just a matter of time before his rut
actually starts.

So, he gets to work. When his hair is wet enough, he pours some shampoo and starts massaging his
scalp. He doesn’t mind if the floor ends up getting wet. Everything is going to be pretty messy
later, so it’s fine. He’ll clean up when everything is over.
Jeongguk makes these soft sounds as Jimin scratches his scalp. He groans and grumbles and shifts
in the tub. When his eyes open, they’re amber and looking at Jimin with overwhelming emotions.

“Jeongguk,” he whispers, leaning forward to press a kiss to his exposed forehead. “Feeling okay?”

“Mhm.”

He seems too distracted to say more, so Jimin just smiles and keeps going. When he’s done, he
grabs a small plastic cup and gently helps Jeongguk sit up to wash off the shampoo from his hair.
Jeongguk leans back again and Jimin settles behind him to massage his shoulders. He starts with
the soap to clean him up, but quickly finds that Jeongguk enjoys the way his fingers are digging
into his muscles.

So, he squeezes and massages and rubs his thumb back and forth over the tight knots until
Jeongguk starts to squirm again.

“Want this, pup?” He asks, stretching out the soap towards him.

Jeongguk shakes his head. “I want to lay down.”

Well, it doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t clean up his body because he’ll get all sweaty soon,
anyway. Plus, he already was in the water for a while. Jimin nods and reaches for a towel.
Jeongguk steps out of the tub and grabs the towel. He dries off, although he’s sloppy and quick
about it.

Jimin hands him boxer briefs and an oversized shirt. Jeongguk told him that his skin was so
sensitive that he often hated the feeling of clothes brushing against it. He had a feeling Jeongguk
wasn’t ready to be fully naked yet, so he grabbed the softest shirt he could find.

When lets the water drain and gestures towards the bedroom.

“Let's go?” Jeongguk nods and follows him out. He latches onto Jimin’s back, arms wrapping
around his waist and face burrowed in his neck. He smiles, stopping short on his steps. “Everything
alright, baby?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk whispers against his skin.

He squeezes and they stumble on their way to the bed, but when they reach it, Jeongguk lets go
quickly and crawls onto it. He sits cross-legged hands pressed to the bed, in between his legs. He
looks shy and embarrassed again. Jimin sets his phone down on the nightstand and Jeongguk’s
eyes follow, as if he can’t look away. His cheeks seem to turn a deeper shade of red when he spots
the lube and the condoms.

But he keeps looking at Jimin as he walks towards his wardrobe. He wants to get changed into
something more comfortable as well. He discards his sweats, painfully aware of the way
Jeongguk’s eyes are following his every move. He takes off his shirt and puts a bigger one on.
Satisfied, he makes his way to the bed again and climbs onto it.

Jeongguk startles, even though he’s been looking at him since they exited the bathroom. Jimin
settles in front of him and tilts his head to the side. Jeongguk’s scent is so strong right now, there’s
no doubt he’s somewhere near starting his rut. Or maybe he’s already started. His eyes trail to
Jeongguk’s face and he spots his golden eyes. They’ve been like that since he woke up, but there’s
a fierceness in them that makes Jimin’s body warm.

“How are you feeling?” He asks softly, reaching out to touch Jeongguk’s cheek.
Jeongguk’s eyes flutter shut, but his body is tense and frozen in place.

“Okay,” he mumbles, strained.

Jimin takes advantage of the fact that he’s closed his eyes and trails his gaze downwards. He’s
clearly trying to hide it, but Jimin notices, anyway. With a small smile, he slides his fingers
downwards, pressing them to Jeongguk’s scent gland along the way. It’s only for a moment, but
Jeongguk groans and tenses up even more. Jimin wants to be gentle about it, wants Jeongguk to
slowly let go of his fear and allow himself to feel. So he stops touching his scent gland and trails
down to his chest.

“Yeah?” He asks, using both hands now and wrapping them around Jeongguk’s forearms, closer
and closer to the spot he’s hiding. “Just okay, pup?” Jeongguk nods, a sharp jerk of his head.
Jimin’s smile widens as he settles his hands on Jeongguk’s naked thighs. Strong muscle that
clenches under his touch as he slips his hands further up until they disappear under the oversized
shirt. Closer and closer. “ Horny ?”

Jeongguk’s eyes snap open.

“ Jimin .”

It sounds pained. Jimin’s eyebrows furrow. “Hey,” he whispers, letting go in favor of cupping his
cheeks. Their eyes meet. “It’s okay. I’m right here, everything will be alright.”

“I’m scared,” Jeongguk murmurs, eyes closing.

“Don’t be,” Jimin says, brushing gentle thumbs back and forth over his cheekbones. “Let me take
care of you, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk takes a deep breath and nods. He hesitantly lifts his hands and places them on Jimin’s
knees. He gives in slowly, at his own pace, trailing up and up, exploring skin. He focuses on
Jeongguk, watching the way his expression morphs and his desire starts to grow as he lets it take
over him. He looks pained again, but for entirely different reasons.

“Please,” he whispers, golden eyes meeting Jimin’s with a desperation that makes him want to tear
down the world.

“Want me to touch you?” He asks gently. “Make you feel good?”

Jeongguk nods, fingers digging into Jimin’s thighs, chest heaving. Gently, he pushes against his
chest until Jeongguk las down on his back. He settles on his thighs, straddling them and pushes
Jeongguk’s shirt upwards, enough that his hips are on display, the skin above the waistband also
visible. Slowly, he traces over it, presses gentle fingers to the skin while Jeongguk squirms and
hides his eyes in the crook of his elbow.

They’ve gotten closer intimately, but it’s all been limited to dry humping each other, touching over
clothes. So, Jimin makes sure to go slow. He knows it’ll help Jeongguk and he also wants to
engrave it all in his memory so he never forgets.

“ Jimin ,” Jeongguk says urgently.

His lips tug up into a small smile and he hooks his thumbs under the waistband, slowly sliding
them down. Jeongguk is already fully hard and his cock springs free the second Jimin pulls his
briefs down. Jeongguk covers his face with both his hands now and Jimin can’t help but smile
wider at his shyness. There’s just such a stark different between the Jeongguk that kissed the living
hell out of him and lifted him onto the counter top that first time, and this Jeongguk. Jimin wonders
how long it’ll take him to snap and turn into that urgent and eager Jeongguk.

Jimin wraps his fingers around Jeongguk’s cock and instantly, Jeongguk groans, thrusting up. He
wasn’t lying when he said he grew overly sensitive during his ruts. Jimin keeps his touch light at
first, slowly moving his hand up and down, watching Jeongguk intently. He isn’t covering his face
with his hands anymore. He’s dropped his hands down to the sheets beside his body, fisting them
tightly, hips moving on their own.

For a while, Jimin doesn’t speak. He wants Jeongguk to get lost in it, he wants pleasure to be the
only thing he can feel and think about. He squeezes tighter, twists his wrist when he reaches the
head of his cock and focuses longer on the base when he comes down. He can see the muscles of
Jeongguk’s abs tensing, can see the way his knuckles turn white with how hard he’s gripping the
sheets.

When he slips his free hand under Jeongguk’s shirt and touches his skin, Jeongguk groans. He sits
up and takes his shirt off so quickly that Jimin startles. An arm snakes around his waist and lips
meet his neck, kissing softly, trembling. He’s shaking all over, even though it hasn’t been long
since he started touching him.

“Jimin, Jimin, Jimin.”

Jeongguk says it like a mantra against his skin. Jimin has lost count of how many times he’s said
it, but it strangely seems to express everything he’s feeling. With the newly exposed skin and their
new position, Jimin wraps an arm around Jeongguk’s shoulders and slides his fingers down his
back, touching sweaty skin.

“Jeongguk,” he whispers back, pressing a kiss to his hair. “My pup.”

Jeongguk moans. rubs his forehead back and forth over Jimin’s neck.

“Yes, yours,” he mutters. “Always yours.” Jimin leans down and presses a gentle kiss to
Jeongguk’s scent gland. Instantly, Jeongguk tilts his head to the side in submission. “Scent me,
please. Take everything bad away.”

“I always will,” Jimin promises, opening his mouth and sucking on Jeongguk’s scent gland.

A shudder travels down Jeongguk’s body and he stops moving altogether, body tense. Jimin stops,
almost sure Jeongguk’s reaction isn’t exactly a positive one. But Jeongguk whines and shakes his
head and squeezes his arm tighter around his waist.

“No, no,” he says. “Please, more. It feels good, Jimin. It feels so good.”

Jimin nods and slips his free hand into Jeongguk’s hair, scratching at his scalp.

“Relax for me, baby,” he murmurs, pressing featherlike kisses to his scent gland until Jeongguk
does as he’s told.

He slumps against Jimin’s shoulder and wraps his other arm around him just as tight. It makes it
harder to properly jerk him off, but Jimin makes do and focuses on scenting Jeongguk, knowing
that it’ll give him just as much pleasure.

Jeongguk’s hands wander as Jimin kisses and sucks on his skin. The slip under his shirt and touch
his back, they distract him, but never too much. It’s like he’s taking it all in. When Jimin licks on
his scent gland, Jeongguk’s body shakes and his nails dig into Jimin’s back.
“ Jimin ,” Jeongguk whines. He’s so loud about it, Jimin’s head is spinning. He loves feeling
Jeongguk like this, right against him, holding onto him for dear life. He loves the way he has an
arm wrapped around his waist, his other hand now fisting his hair, face pressed to his neck.
Overwhelmed. “It feels so good.”

That’s good. It’s what Jimin wanted. He wanted to make sure all Jeongguk could feel through out
his rut was pleasure. Anything but fear and sadness. He doesn’t want to leave space for the
memories. He wants them to make new ones.

“Yeah?” He asks, tightening his hand around the base of his cock, twisting his wrist and focusing
on the sensitive spot. “How about here, pup? Sensitive?”

“Please,” Jeongguk mutters, squirming, hips moving.

He’s breathing so hard against Jimin’s neck. His breath is hot and his body is shaking. It’s so sexy.
When Jimin leans back and spots Jeongguk’s gaze, it’s even more of a turn on. His beautiful
golden eyes stare back, lips parted, cheeks flushed. He looks so fucked out Jimin can’t stop staring.

“You like it here,” he whispers, smiling when Jeongguk kisses his lips eagerly. Once. Twice. A
third time. It’s like a silent plea. “Because of your knot? Does it feel so good you’ll come?”

“I’m close,” Jeongguk blurts out, rubbing his nose back and forth across Jimin’s scent gland.
“Don’t stop touching me, Jimin. I want―” he cuts himself off, groaning loudly.

He suddenly lets go of Jimin and, even though he immediately misses his warmth, Jeongguk’s new
position is ten times sexier. He’s leaning back on his hands, damp hair falling over his forehead.
He uses the leverage to move his hips and he thrusts up into Jimin’s hand. Over and over and over
again.

“Look at you,” Jimin mumbles, using his free hand to slide it down Jeongguk’s chest. All this tight
muscle just for him to touch and explore. He settles his hand on Jeongguk’s hip bone and holds
down his hips. Jeongguk whimpers, huffing in frustration. “You’re so sexy, pup. Especially when
you’re so desperate. Makes me want to give you absolutely everything you’re begging for.”

Jeongguk nods and his golden eyes meet Jimin’s. “Please.”

It seems like all of Jeongguk’s words have reduced to Jimin and please. He doesn’t tease him about
it because he wants Jeongguk to focus on the pleasure. Jimin uses both hands now, wrapping his
fingers around his hard cock. Jeongguk throws his head back in bliss. He moans and says ‘thank
you’ and that strangely makes Jimin’s whole body turn into fire. He squeezes tight and twists his
wrists on his way up, then does the same on his way down. One hand focuses on the base of
Jeongguk’s cock, the other one trails up and his thumb rubs over the head.

Jeongguk’s thighs tremble.

He wants to say more, but he honestly doesn’t know what more there is to say. Instead, he focuses
on the way Jeongguk reacts to his touch. He barely seems to have the strength to keep himself up.
His skin is covered in sweat, abdomen tight, muscles on display.

It doesn’t take Jeongguk much longer to come after that. Jimin only has to press his thumb right
under the head of his cock for Jeongguk’s arms to finally give in. He falls to his back and shakes
violently through his orgasm, eyes closed tight, fingers digging into Jimin’s thighs.

His high seems to last forever. Jeongguk doesn’t say anything, doesn’t stop shaking for a long time.
When it’s over, he slumps down, eyes still closed. But his body is relaxed and his chest rises and
falls evenly as it all washes over him.

Jimin was so focused on him he didn’t even feel cum dripping down his fingers when Jeongguk
came. He gently pries his hands away and hesitates, realizing that he actually forgot about
something. A towel to clean off his hands. It’s not like he thought this would be the first thing
they’d be doing, but a towel would have been helpful no matter what they did.

Finally, he decides that there’s no point in keeping the sheets clean since they’ll get dirty later on,
anyway. He cleans them off rapidly and turns his gaze to Jeongguk again. He finds him looking up
at him, eyes still amber, a blissful expression on his face.

“Hey, pup,” he whispers. “How are you feeling?”

There’s a beat of silence. Jeongguk doesn’t move nor speak. He just stares. And then suddenly the
world tilts and Jeongguk finds himself on his back, Jeongguk hovering on top of him. His hands are
on either side of his head and his hips press to his. Clearly, coming once hasn’t satisfied him and
it’s not so surprising. He smiles and tilts his head to the side. Jeongguk’s chest rumbles.

He doesn’t lean down, though. Jimin blinks back at the empty space in front of him until Jeongguk
comes back with a towel. His heart swells as Jeongguk quickly brushes it against his hands to clean
him up fully. It’s then that Jimin realizes he’s taken his boxer briefs off―he must have done that
when he stood up to search for the towel.

“Good,” Jeongguk murmurs after putting the towel on the nightstand. He lowers himself in
between Jimin’s legs and sighs happily as he presses his face to Jimin’s neck. “I want you, Jimin.”

Jimin hums and slides his hands down Jeongguk’s back, fingertips touching his skin softly on their
way down.

“I’m right here, pup,” he promises.

When his hands grip Jeongguk’s ass cheeks and press him closer, he groans and pushes his hips
forward, dragging his cock against Jimin’s boxer briefs. He wishes he were naked, but he also
doesn’t want to move. Everything about being here with Jeongguk makes him so happy.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk mumbles against his skin, moving his way up until he’s nibbling on Jimin’s
earlobe.

“Yes, baby?”

He’s distracted by Jeongguk’s soft skin, the way he’s grinding against him, the way he sighs and
moans softly and doesn’t seem at all embarrassed by it. He’s lost in this moment, completely
focused on it. It’s all Jimin wanted.

“Do you think you could fuck me?” He asks.

His voice is so soft and so sweet and Jimin’s heart does this thing where it stops beating for a
second too long. He closes his eyes and groans and presses his lips to Jeongguk’s shoulder. He rolls
around until Jeongguk is under him, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“How do you want me, pup?” He asks, wrapping his hands around Jeongguk’s wrists and pressing
them down to the matress above his head. He presses his thumbs to his scent glands just because
and Jeongguk all but moans, tilting his head back, squirming under Jimin. He’s stronger. He could
easily free himself, but he doesn’t. He seems perfectly content with having Jimin hold him like
this. “Want me to fuck you like this, looking into your eyes?” He asks, leaning down and pressing
a kiss to his jaw. Just gentle and soft, pulling away almost immediately. “Or on all fours, ass up?”
He goes on, trailing his soft kisses down, towards his scent gland. “Want it slow or fast? Or do you
want to ride me?” Jeongguk keeps moving, keeps huffing and getting more aroused as Jimin
continues to list off possibilities. He’s rubbing his cock against Jimin’s clothed ass, seeking out
pleasure. “Anything you want, I’ll give you.”

It’s a promise. And Jimin doesn’t mean it just for this, for now. He means it always. He wants to
give Jeongguk the whole world.

“So, what will it be?” He asks, when Jeongguk fails to respond.

He frees his hands easily and grips Jimin’s hips tightly, looking up at him with desperate amber
eyes. “Fast,” he breathes out. “On all fours.”

Jimin leans down and presses a quick kiss to his lips before nodding and smiling.

“Turn around, baby.”

“Wait,” he mutters. “I want to see you.”

His hands trail up Jimin’s body, slip under his shirt. The move up and up, exploring his skin until
he takes it off his head. Jimin sits there, letting Jeongguk take him in. Then, he moves away and
stands up to take off his briefs. He lets them dangle from his fingers for a moment before letting
them drop. Jeongguk stares some more, eyes moving down his body, making Jimin’s skin burn at
the attention.

Then, Jeongguk is quick to get on his knees and Jimin reaches for the lube on his nightstand to
pour some on his fingers.

It turns out, Jeongguk really is sensitive all over his body. All it takes if for Jimin to press one
finger into him for him to start groaning, pushing his ass back for more. The thing about this
Jeongguk is that he’s so eager to take what he needs, he’s not afraid, he’s not shy. He lets Jimin
take the lead and lets himself feel everything he should be feeling.

The pain and the fear, they all disappear. Jimin wants this Jeongguk to always be present and he’ll
do everything in his power to make sure it stays like that. It takes a while before Jimin can push a
second finger in. When he does, he quickly curls them inside, searching for Jeongguk’s prostate.
He doesn’t seem to be in pain, but he huffs and fists the sheets, body covered in sweat.

It’s hard to keep his hands to himself and Jimin quickly uses his free hand to touch everything he
can. Jeongguk’s lower back, his ass, his thighs. He’s fit but the skin is so soft.

Jimin finds his prostate and Jeongguk whimpers, suddenly dropping down, his arms no longer
holding him up. He sounds so overwhelmed, even though Jimin immediately pulled his fingers
away from the spot. He’s still holding his ass up on his knees, but he’s twitching, thighs trembling.

“Did that feel good?” He asks, gently opening him up, making sure to keep his fingers away from
his prostate until he responds.

It takes Jeongguk a while, but finally, he nods and mumbles in a soft voice. “ So good .”

Jimin’s whole body burns. So he curls his fingers against his prostate again and marvels in the way
Jeongguk clenches around his fingers, whines and pushes his ass back. He goes back to opening
him up, but occasionally, he does the same thing and smiles at Jeongguk’s gasps and moans.
Soon enough, Jimin pushes in a third finger and this time, Jeongguk’s only reaction is a moan, ass
pushing back.

“Please, Jimin,” he begs, arms stretched above him, one hand fisting the sheets, the other one
fisting the pillow. He tries to turn his head, but the position is obviously not helping him. So he
ends up hiding his face in the sheets again, pushing his ass back. “ Fuck me .”

Jimin bites down on his lower lip and pulls his fingers out. He cleans the up with the towel and
reaches for a condom. Even though he hasn’t touched himself at all, he’s hard. Everything about
Jeongguk is arousing at the moment. So, he’s quick about putting the condom on and spreading
lube on his cock. He positions himself behind Jeongguk, spreads one cheek aside and slowly starts
to ease in.

He’s tight. And it feels good and Jimin doesn’t remember anything ever feeling this way. Jeongguk
is the best thing that could have ever happened to him. What he feels has grown so much, there’s
no denying he wants Jeongguk in his life forever.

“Okay, pup?” He asks, pressing his hand to the low of Jeongguk’s back, continuing to slowly push
into him.

Jeongguk clenches around him, groans and mumbles things he can’t really understand. But he
pushes his ass back and takes more of Jimin in. Slowly, until he’s all the way inside him, hips
pressed to his ass.

Jimin closes his eyes.

“You feel so good,” he murmurs, moving his hand up Jeongguk’s spine, tracing the beautiful skin.
“So good, my pup.”

Jeongguk moans and moves his hips in a slow circle, as if testing the waters, figuring out how it
feels and if he likes it. Apparently, he does. Because he’s quick to do the movement again.

“Yes, yours,” he mumbles, reaching back with one hand and gripping Jimin’s ass cheek. He pushes
him against him, moving his ass back. “Please, it feels good. More, Jimin.”

So, Jimin gives him more. He pulls back enough that he can slam back in. Jeongguk said fast. So,
Jimin is going to give that to him.

“Like this?” He asks, thrusting over and over again, pushing his hips against him, gripping his hip
with one hand to keep him in place. “Is this how you want me to fuck you?”

“Yes, yes yes,” Jeongguk mumbles.

He’s still gripping Jimin’s ass, but that’s not really something he’s fully aware of right now. All he
can think about is how sexy Jeongguk looks like this. On his knees, ass up in the air, arms fisting
everything above his head. His back arched so beautifully, presenting himself to Jimin. It drives
him a little bit crazy.

Jimin starts moving faster, snapping his hips forward. Back and forth, back and forth. Their bodies
move in waves, but it’s fast. Either way, it feels good. Jeongguk is so tight and his knees start to
give in, his legs start to slide down. He ends up almost completely lying on the bed. But he lifts his
ass whenever Jimin thrusts, clenching and unclenching, moving his hips in circles.

He’s no longer holding onto his ass because he doesn’t seem to be able to. All he’s doing is fisting
the pillow, the sheets, moaning into the mattress, groaning and mumbling things that Jimin finally
starts to understand. Good. So good. I like it. Come on, Jimin. More.

It’s easy to give him more. When he finally finds his prostate and thrusts into him, angling his cock
towards it, Jeongguk moans so loud Jimin startles. But the sound makes warmth spread all over his
lower belly and he’s quick to repeat the same motion. Over and over again, now that he’s found the
spot to make Jeongguk go crazy.

Jeongguk comes with a loud grunt, body stilling, clenching so tightly around Jimin that it finally
pushes him over the edge, too. For a long moment, it’s just the both of them trembling, bodies
jerking with the waves of their orgasms. They don’t move, just stay there. Jimin’s face presses to
Jeongguk’s neck and he slides his hands up to grip his wrists, just because he wants to hold onto
him.

And for a while, they stay like that, just enjoying the aftermath of their orgasms. But then suddenly
Jeongguk rolls him over, quickly settles in between his legs and his eyes meet Jimin’s. They’re still
hazy with lust and he’s still hard, Jimin can feel him against his hips.

He reaches down, takes off the condom and ties it before throwing it away. Then he reaches for a
new one and looks down at Jimin.

“Can I fuck you now?”

Unsatiable. Jimin smiles and opens his arms. “Come here and fuck me, pup.”

↢↣

Jimin smiles at the feeling of Jeongguk’s hands sliding over his body. Everything is wet and the
touch is slippery, but it feels just as good as any other touch of his.

He’s not even sure of how many days have gone by. Probably three. Maybe more or less. It’s hard
to think when Jeongguk is glued to his back, touching him so much. He’s not horny anymore, but
he keeps touching and riling Jimin up.

“I thought your rut was over,” he says, smiling to himself. He’s trying to shampoo his hair, but
Jeongguk is proving to be a great distraction.

“It is,” Jeongguk replies, pressing a kiss under his earlobe. “But I can’t get out of my head how
good it felt to have my knot inside you, Jimin.”

Jimin feels his skin heat up at the words. He can’t stop thinking about it either. Not that it was the
most pleasurable thing for him. It hurt a bit at the beginning, but then he just felt full. What he
found pleasurable was Jeongguk’s reaction. He was above him, looking right into his eyes as he
came, knot forming. And his face turned into such bliss, his amber eyes seeming to glow stronger.
He shook and gripped Jimin’s wrists above his head, held onto him for dear life as he experienced
that immense pleasure for the first time.

“I’ve never knotted someone,” he’d whispered, body shaking with the effort of holding back.

“It’ll be okay,” Jimin reassured him, moving comforting hands up and down his back. “You can
knot me, pup. I’m all yours.”
 That was what drove Jeongguk to his orgasm.

“What are you thinking about?” Jeongguk asks.

Jimin turns around and lets the water fall to his head, taking shampoo away with it.

“Nothing,” he whispers. “Come kiss me.”

Jeongguk doesn’t need to be told twice. He’s quick to lean down and kiss Jimin. It’s sensual and
slow and tired. It’s been days and Jeongguk’s rut turned him into a horny dog. They stopped very
few times to eat and drink water and just to give each other a break, but Jeongguk’s desire kept
coming back until his fever broke earlier today.

When they lean away, Jimin shampoos Jeongguk’s hair because he knows he liked that when they
did it before his rut started. They shower in silence for a while, until it’s time to soap up their
bodies. Jimin is careful about it, drags his hands up and down Jeongguk’s body. He touches him
all over, spreads foam across his tight abs. Jeongguk’s muscles clench, his hands settle on Jimin’s
hips, fingers long enough to brush over his ass cheeks.

Eventually, he just slides his hands back and touches his ass. He squeezes, pushing him forward,
pressing his face to Jimin’s neck, uncaring of the water falling over them.

“You’re distracting me,” he mumbles, but he’s not protesting.

He’s happy about being here. He loves having Jeongguk’s hands on his body, his body pressed to
his. He never wants to let go.

“Jimin,” Jeongguk mumbles, leaning back and pressing his forehead to Jimin’s.

“Yeah?

“Did I…?” Jeongguk trails off, closing his eyes. “Did i do good?”

Jimin cups his cheeks and nods. “You’re perfect.” He’s not so sure Jeongguk is seeking out
reassurance. Maybe he just likes being told he’s done good, as if there was a chance he wouldn’t.
“Always so perfect.”

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” Jeongguk confesses softly, hiding his face in Jimin’s neck,
wrapping his arms tightly around him.

He places his hands on Jeongguk’s back and closes his eyes, allows himself to enjoy his warmth.

“I think I might be in love with you already,” he responds.

There’s a moment of silence, neither of them moves and then, Jeongguk kisses him once more.
This time, Jimin finds it too hard to keep the shower going. He lets Jeongguk take over and forgets
about the rest of the world.

End Notes

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