Chapter Text
“Aaand that is a wrap!”
Jimin’s voice rang loud and clear through the studio as he spoke and he was met with cheers and applause from his crew at his announcement.
They had successfully reached the end of a 5-day shoot for a music video that Jimin was directing for a reasonably successful indie band, and the whole production had gone off without a hitch.
It proved to Jimin once again that not only was his crew made up of clever and skilled people, but they thrived when they worked together in a team, and he had managed to lead them steadily to another victory.
Jimin generally wasn’t one to toot his own horn, but this was his passion after all. He loved to lead, to be in charge of the creative vision and to direct his crew to get his desired outcome, and his company was proof of that.
Of course, the company wasn’t his alone.
Sooyoung always made it clear that Jimin was the true driving force being the company and she was really just there to crack all the numbers and do the boring stuff that allowed Jimin to make them successful.
That specific conversation always ended in at least 20 solid minutes, where in the two of them just took turns boosting the other’s ego, claiming that they would be nowhere if the other had not taken the lead at one point or another.
But on days like these, where they wrapped up yet another successful production and Jimin knew for a fact that the end product would be damn near perfection, he always let himself be proud of what he had done.
LP entertainment was a small but successful production studio that Jimin had started along with a classmate when they were both fresh out of University, all green and eager to make it in the industry.
Jimin, with his creative mind and passion for making films and telling stories, and Sooyoung, with her talent for numbers and business, had started their own company, focusing on small indie films and music videos, and before long, they had started to gather a talented crew.
Within 2 years they had been booked for months ahead, seeing the success of their hard work and long nights which they had both invested into the company.
Now, a full 3 years after they first started, they were only growing each day, taking on bigger and bigger projects each month and finding new additions to their talented team of employees.
Another important factor was that Jimin truly loved working. He loved the long hours and the new challenges that he was met by with each new job, and when creativity struck him, he would spend days in his office if he wasn’t pulled away from his laptop.
The long hours left him with deep satisfaction that he felt in his tired muscles and in the way his bones ached after a long week, and Jimin could not imagine another job that would have brought him any more joy.
He also refused to let the fact that he was an omega stop him.
While the sub genders of alpha, beta, and omega meant less and less in society with each year that passed, there were still certain expectations that were put upon the different genders, and as an omega Jimin had encountered quite a lot of these expectations during his 3 years in the professional world.
It didn’t bother Jimin much as it was completely harmless most of the time. Older people would let comments slip here and there, but would quickly apologize for what they had said and be on their way.
But sometimes people were just stupid and completely disregarded the fact that Jimin had been the one to make up all the initial ideas for starting the company. He had built the framework and then convinced Sooyoung to take part in his adventure.
But Sooyoung was an alpha, and while people would ask her about quarterlies and investment opportunities, they would ask Jimin how it was going at home. Did he have an alpha looking after him? Was he settling down? Was he looking to cut down on work to focus on preparing for life as a parent?
Jimin’s answer would usually range from somewhere between “Fuck off you dusty old dickhead” to “oh we’ll see with time” depending on how important the people asking were for his future opportunities in the business. No matter what, he never let it bother him too much.
On days like this where all his employees were moving around in the studio, chatting happily as they cleaned up the set, those snarky comments were far away and he could simply enjoy the good atmosphere.
“Good job today boss, see you tomorrow!”
Jimin slimed widely at the coworker who had greeted him as he passed by, leaving the studio with a case full of equipment.
It brought Jimin back from his thoughts and he proceeded to gather his things before he made his way back to his office so he could finish the last paperwork, signing off on the completion of their shoots.
Two hours and a small mountain of paperwork later, Jimin was sitting outside a small café waiting patiently for the now delayed arrival of his best friend.
Jimin looked at his phone again, hoping that there would be an update, but he had only just unlocked his phone when he was distracted by aloud shrieking noise, followed by light curses and a string of apologies.
“I am SO sorry sir, I really did not mean to run into you like that, I do apologize, but I am in the middle of an emergency I really do have to run!”
Jimin recognized the noise even at a distance and shook his head.
He looked up to see Taehyung running down the street, shouting apologies behind him to a flustered looking older man.
Jimin did his very best to keep a judgmental look on his face as Taehyung ran to the table and slumped down in the seat across from where Jimin was sitting.
“And exactly which emergency warrants the need to take out senior citizens on the street like that?” Jimin asked, giving Taehyung his best scolding look even if it was fake as could be and Jimin was only a few moments from cracking. He never could keep a straight face at his best friends antics.
“You.” Taehyung answered with an equally straight face and heavy breathing as he caught his breath. “I was seriously afraid that you might rip me a new one if I was another 5 minutes late”
They both cracked up at this, unable to keep up their fake serious attitudes.
“Also he totally did not count as a senior citizen! He had more of a well-seasoned daddy vibe going on.” Taehyung added, now with his signature wide grin on his face.
“Taehyung he was literally balding!”
“In a hot way!” Taehyung exclaimed laughing.
“So I should call up Jin-hyung and tell him to buzz off his hair?” Jimin asked with a smug attitude and reached for his phone
Taehyung instantly lost his attitude. "Oh god no! Don’t you dare, that hair was created by the gods themselves!”
Jimin snickered, finding Taehyung borderline offended face deeply amusing.
He was well aware of how fond Taehyung was of Seokjin’s hair, and when Taehyung had first started dating the Kim pack, Jimin had had the pleasure of listening to Taehyung ramble about how Seokjin had to be fake for how perfect the man was.
Jimin and Taehyung had a long history after all.
Jimin had known Taehyung since his first day at university. The two omegas had been assigned each other as roommates in the campus omega dorm, and they had bonded instantly.
Throughout their time at university, the two had practically been attached at the hip and had been there for each other when they both started dating seriously. Jimin had watched with pride in his heart as the newly established Kim pack had started courting Taehyung, and Taehyung had been there to support Jimin when he met Hyunwoo.
Back then the Kim pack had 4 members, making Taehyung the 5th and the only omega of the pack. A year ago the pack had expanded again when adding Jeon Jungkook, a beta on the submissive end of the spectrum, and that had helped balancing out the dominant pack.
Not that Taehyung had ever complained about the imbalance of the pack which had a total of 3 alphas and a dominant beta when he had joined.
But then again, Jimin had seen Taehyung’s heats first hand and had no doubt in his mind that the pack had their work cut out for them, and that all of the dominant members got a chance to put their talents to use.
Jimin met Hyunwoo just a month after Taehyung had officially started his courtship with the pack and Taehyung had been nothing but supportive. Taehyung was well aware of how Jimin had been raised in a traditional pack and was not exactly keen on how the traditional packs were usually deeply dependent on dynamics based on sub gender.
Jimin was scared simply because he knew he could never fit, so there was no reason for him to try to fit into that dynamic. He might look like the picture perfect omega, but he had never really fit the role.
And he truly did look like the picture perfect omega and was often told so by strangers and acquaintances alike.
Jimin had been blessed with soft curves, a sweet honey scent, and just about every other physical feature that was associated with being an omega.
But he wasn’t always submissive in everyday life. He had no desire to be protected and he most of all despised the thought of spending his life locked in a house, looking after pups that he had given birth to.
So Jimin had found an alpha that was as career-focused as he was, and they had been happy with each other for years now.
Most importantly for Jimin, the start of the two omegas' dating life had not been enough to put a dampener on their friendship. Yoongi and Hoseok from Taehyung’s pack had been friends with Hyunwoo even before Jimin started dating the alpha, and they all soon found themselves to be members of the same small friend group.
The group consisted of Jimin and Hyunwoo, Taehyung and the Kim pack, Sooyoung, and two omegas named Jihyun and Yujun that Jimin and Taehyung where close with from university.
Taehyung and Jimin talked for hours over their lunch, filling each other in on their upcoming plans and working out a few details for their next group meetup which was coming up soon.
It was their usual dinner and games night where they would take turns hosting and cooking. This time they were going to meet up at Taehyung’s pack house again, and Jimin was looking forward to seeing the whole pack.
He had always gotten along with all of them so well and considered all of them his close friends and had done so for years. The alphas Yoongi, Seokjin and Namjoon where all some of the sweetest but also most powerful alphas that Jimin had ever met. He always admired their calm attitudes that paired perfectly with their natural dominant auras. Hoseok was a beta, but he was well on the dominant side of the spectrum. It combined into Hoseok having the aura of an alpha but the control of a beta, and if things had been different, Jimin just knew that he would have fallen for Hoseok's cool charm. Lastly, Jungkook was a sweetheart in the body of heartbreaker, and the submissive beta had stolen Jimin's heart at first sight. Jimin had no way of denying the sweet boy and his puppy eyes anything, and if not for Jungkook's slightly more mellow scent, Jimin would have guessed that the pup was an omega.
all in all the pack was made up of some of Jimin's closest and most treasured friends, and he loved nothing more that spending time with them all.
Jimin was absolutely exhausted when he finally entered his apartment in the evening. The meeting with Taehyung had dragged out, as expected, and it was now well past 8 pm and Jimin was finally feeling just how tired his muscles and mind were after his long day.
“Darling is that you?” The voice came from the kitchen and was followed soon after by Hyunwoo himself.
He greeted Jimin with a warm smile and a tender kiss, taking the bag from his shoulder and leading him into the apartment by an arm around his waist. Jimin leaned into him, enjoying his warm scent. Hyunwoo must have showered after coming come from work since his scent was no longer blocked like Jimin's was.
“Sorry I’m late hyung, It dragged out with Taehyung.” Jimin explained and made himself comfortable on the barstool in front of their small kitchen island. He gladly accepted a small scent marking from Hyunwoo as he placed a sturdy hand on the back of Jimin’s neck.
Jimin had never been one to rely too much on scent and always used blockers while he worked. It was not unusual for people who worked closely with others, and allowed for a more open work environment. But Hyunwoo liked to scent Jimin, especially when he had just come home from work and smelled like a mix of other people. Jimin always let him. Even if he had never relied on it much, it was still enjoyable and assuring to carry the scent of his lover.
“No worries, I expected nothing less from the two of you. Are you still hungry or did you grab dinner as well?” Hyunwoo asked with a smile. He was more than used to the two omegas and how they seemed to live in their own little world when they were alone together.
“We didn’t have dinner so i would love some.”
“Good, ill fix something up real quick and then we should sit down and talk for a bit.” Hyunwoo said and turned to start making their meal.
It could have sounded ominous, but Hyunwoo had said it with a soft look in his eyes and a smile on his lips, so Jimin just hummed in agreement and started to set the table for the two of them.
“So.” Hyunwoo said after they had mostly finished eating, declaring that he was finally going to bring up the topic that he had wanted to talk about.
Jimin had waited patiently, enjoying the easy conversation they had exchanged so far. It was one of the things Jimin truly loved about his relationship with Hyunwoo. It was easy and simple, never rushed or pressured.
“I wanted to talk a bit about our future since some things came up at work during our monthly meeting today.” Hyunwoo continued, still looking happy but relaxed as he spoke. “I am up for a promotion soon.”
“Hyung! That’s great!” Jimin exclaimed and reached out for Hyunwoo’s hand across from the table.
Hyunwoo worked in a bank and was an investment advisor. Jimin knew that Hyunwoo was good at his job and he felt the pride swell up in his chest at the knowledge that Hyunwoo was rising in the ranks at his firm, gaining more independence in his job.
Hyunwoo smiled proudly and Jimin enjoyed the pleasant smell of Hyunwoo’s pride and joy. “I’m excited about it, and it also comes with a pay raise so I think this is a good opportunity to start thinking about our future, and implementing some of the changes that we need.”
"Changes? What exactly where you thinking of?" Jimin asked, curious as to what Hyunwoo had in mind. They already had a decent sized apartment which was close to both of their jobs, they had separate savings and a joint vacation account that was looking good. They didn’t have a car, but with living in the middle of the city with great public transportation, there simply was no need for one at the time.
"Well I'm obviously not getting any younger, and with this promotion, I will be able to provide for us as a family. I think it's about time we start thinking about taking the next step to making that family. You can't keep working these long hours when we have pups. " Hyunwoo explained, looking proud as ever, his wide smile still in full effect.
"I.. Pups? " Jim in asked, feeling confusion starting to rise and his face falling. This was not going in any sort of direction which Jimin could ever have predicted.
Hyunwoo tilted his head slightly as if he was trying to read Jimin’s expression. Jimin guessed that he was probably also trying to scent, but since Jimin had not yet showered, the scent blockers he wore for work were still in full effect.
"I'm turning 28 soon and I think having pups before I turn 32 would be beneficial to both of us. I think 2 would be perfect, so if you completely stop working we could have them both within a year or two of each other. "
"What? Where is this coming from?" Jimin asked confused, thinking that he must have misunderstood Hyunwoo or be the victim of a bad prank.
Hyunwoo just looked at him as if everything was perfectly clear and simple, still smiling. "What do you mean? I know that you provide the majority of our income at the moment, but with this promotion, I will be able to provide for us as I said."
"Hyunwoo-hyung… You know I don't want kids…" Jimin said slowly, but even as he tried to sound calm, a bit of desperation seeped into his words. It was getting more and more difficult for Jimin to control the confusion he was feeling. Hyunwoo knew how he felt about pups and there was no reason for him to bring this subject up and especially not in the way he had.
Hyunwoo sighed deeply. His scent took on a sour note that was uncomfortable to breathe in, but Jimin’s own scent was still blocked which just made Hyunwoo's scent even more overpowering.
"Don't tell me you are still stuck in that mind set Jimin-ah. We are much older now than when we first started dating and we need to be realistic. If you stop taking your heat regulators we should be able to sync up without any trouble before the year is over."
"Mind set? Hyung, I don't want kids. You know that. That hasn't changed and it's not going to. And you know I don't want to stop working! Why are we even having this conversation? is this a prank or some shit?" Jimin exclaimed. Jimin had been taking his heat regulators since he was 20, keeping him protected from pregnancy but also dulling his heats so that they were shorter, only one day at average. Never had he ever considered going off them…
Hyunwoo was visibly loosing his cool. “Jimin-ah, don't be selfish! This relationship is about both of us and we have to be realistic. I know that it might seem scary right now, but remember that this is instinctual for you. Your omega needs this to be fulfilled. I know you value your career so we should start now and that way you can be working a minor job again by the time you are in your thirties!” Hyunwoo was raising his voice now and both of his hands were planted on the table.
Jimin hadn’t noticed that he had already gotten out of his seat.
“A minor job!? Hyung, I own a production company, I’m not going to quit!”
Hyunwoo looked about a second away from rolling his eyes and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face with his hands.
“No, Jimin. You are part of one. Sooyoung is the CEO. But I think that it is good that you have had a creative outlet to have an outlet for all of your energy, but you won’t need that anymore after you give birth!”
Jimin could no longer believe what he was hearing. It wasn’t just confusing but straight-up unbelievable that he was actually having this conversation right now. “How can you even say that! You have seen the god damn contracts, you know that Sooyoung and I own equal shares, why are you acting like this!”
“Jimin just stop! Stop being so god damn selfish!” Hyunwoo yelled, getting out of his seat to stand right in front of Jimin, towering over him and Jimin could practically feel the air thickening with tension but also Hyunwoo's dark and angry scent.
“Selfish?! How am I being selfish!?” Jimin exclaimed. He wasn't about to back down on this ridiculous conversation.
“Jimin…. Calm down, you are acting like a child, raising your voice like that…. Have you not even considered my perspective on this? I have needs as an alpha too. I need to be able to provide and protect and I need to have a pack of my own, and that pack will be you and our pups. You will want pups one day, and I think you will realize that when you get pregnant. It’s simply a part of you as an omega and it is incredibly unhealthy of you to suppress your instincts like this.”
“Calm down!? I am not acting like a child, you are treating me like one, trying to make decisions on my behalf! I don’t want kids! I don’t want to be pregnant and I want to keep working! Kids were never part of the plan! We agreed on that years ago when we first started dating!”
They were both standing now, staring at each other head-on, but while Jimin felt shaken, confused and frustrated, Hyunwoo looked frustrated in the way as if he was exhausted by the conversation. He almost looked annoyed. Jimin could feel that he was shaking from everything but also from how all the domination pheromones where affecting his body.
“Seriously hyung, you are being so stupid right now -”
The slap hit Jimin’s cheek before he realized what was about to happen, and the first things he registered was the stinging sensation on the side of his face and the fact that he was no longer looking at Hyunwoo but at the fridge to the side of him.
Before he could even react or process what had just happened, Hyunwoo was there. Soft hands held his cheeks and turned his face while soft kisses were being placed on his forehead.
“Jimin-ah, my Jimin-ah, I’m so so sorry, oh my god I don’t know what came over me.”
Jimin’s thoughts slowly started rolling in his head.
Hyunwoo had just hit him.
Hyunwoo had hit him in the middle of a discussion and called Jimin childish. Hyunwoo had hit him?
“Hyung” Jimin whispered, his voice weak and trembling. He no longer had any fighting power left in him. Everything had completely drained him, from his long day at work to the discussion. The physical ending to the argument had been the drop which made the cup overflow, and Jimin felt almost paralyzed as he continued to try and grasp what had just happened.
“Min-ah, baby I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I did that baby, I lost my temper.” Hyunwoo murmured with his lips pressed against Jimin’s forehead. His scent changed, sweetening and thickening with calming but still dominating pheromones, making Jimin feel more relaxed but sluggish and he leaned into Hyunwoo’s chest.
His nose was no longer stinging and his head was swimming lightly. Jimin wanted to step back. Wanted to continue the conversation and demand a proper apology. But Hyunwoo was holding him so softly, still murmuring apologies and releasing those calming pheromones.
“Oh Jimin-ah. Let’s get you into a bath and to bed, yeah? Hyung is so sorry. We should have never gotten so upset and we should never have had such a big conversation when I can’t even smell what you feel over the blockers. “
Jimin had half a mind to tell Hyunwoo that he could have just listened to what Jimin was saying instead of relying on scent, but he just could not muster up the energy. Yes, he was angry and he was not going to just let this go, but for now, he would allow them to put a pin in it.
Maybe if Hyunwoo had been able to smell how Jimin was feeling it really would have all gone differently…
When Jimin woke up the next morning, Hyunwoo had already left for work. They hadn’t discussed what had happened so Jimin was honestly a little relieved to have the apartment to himself. He didn't want to have that discussion first thing in the morning, but it also was not something that he could simply left unsaid.
When Jimin finally got himself dragged out from under the comfortable blankets on the bed and went to the bathroom, he noticed two things.
1: The yellow post-it stuck to the mirror, with what was probably a sweet note.
And
2: the red, almost purple, mark on his left cheek from where Hyunwoo had struck him.
Jimin grabbed the note from the mirror and threw it in the trashcan without reading a single word, before he bent over the sink and inspected the bruise on his face.
It coloured across the high point of his cheekbone, and as he gently prodded at it he felt the soreness stretch much farther than where the mark was currently visible.
Jimin sighed deeply as he dug through his makeup bag, looking for some concealer and powder. He didn’t often wear makeup when he went to work just because it barely ever held up well throughout a 10-hour workday where half of the day was often spent on an overheated set. But as much as he didn’t like to wear makeup to work, it was still more important to get through the day without being bombarded with questions.
The bruise was a private matter between Hyunwoo and himself until they had properly talked about the issue, and Jimin was not looking to stir up any kind of workplace rumors.
in the end, Jimin was pleasantly surprised that he still had the ability to seamlessly blend the concealer over his skin, and after a bit of thought, he decided to add a few extra touches to his makeup. Not only did it make him look good and feel much more confident than he had with the bruise still visible, but it also made the initial coverage look more intentional when he added a bit of blush and a light layer of mascara.
For a second Jimin felt more like he was preparing to go out to a nice dinner or perhaps meet up with Tae for drinks, but the reality was a stark difference and Jimin packed his concealer and power into his work bag so that he could touch up his makeup throughout the day.
Work was largely uneventful for Jimin that day. They had finished their latest production on schedule and Jimin therefore mostly had paperwork to take care of, but anxiety kept distracting him from what should have been easy work.
Jimin knew that his bruise was covered well, but he still could not help but feel paranoid whenever he felt peoples looks linger on him a second longer than normal. He also knew that they were most likely looking at him because of the extra makeup he had added as an afterthought, but he still felt the unease crawl up his spine.
On top of that Jimin had 2 unread messages on his phone from Hyunwoo that he had yet to open, and one message from Tae that he, unfortunately, had opened and therefore needed to respond to.
The message in itself was fairly simple and ordinary for the two of them. A simple ‘ Hey Mini, how was your night? Got home safe??’ .
The message was in no way out of the ordinary and normally Jimin would just have answered with a quick sentence or two, asking Taehyung the same questions, but now he had an issue.
He had indeed gotten home safe and sound, but his evening had, mildly put, been shit. So now he had to figure out how best to answer his best friend.
Because the idea of the massage was mostly just that the two of them liked to stay in contact and not a genuine question. Taehyung had no expectation to get a detailed recount of Jimin’s evening…. Unless something had happened… which it had…
Jimin hated lying to Taehyung more than anything in the world, and omitting the truth was the same as telling a lie in Jimin's book.
But the events were still a private matter between Hyunwoo and himself, at least until after they had been able to talk it over and solve their issue. After that Jimin would technically be able to tell whoever he wanted as this was about him and he could therefore decided who to involve into his life.
But it was also about Hyunwoo. His alpha.
And Jimin already knew how Taehyung would react if he ever heard that Hyunwoo had hit him.
The worst part about that was that Jimin could in no way blame him, because if the roles had been reversed and it had been Taehyung who had been hit by anyone in his pack, Jimin would have shown up ready and willing to fight.
In the end, Jimin decided that he couldn’t be honest with Taehyung. Not right now, and not over a text message. He knew that he would not be able to keep this a secret from his friend, but to bring it up over text was just plain stupid.
He would have to wait until they were together so that he could explain everything properly and not have Taehyung freak out over something which was already handled.
Jimin typed out and sent back a simple ‘ got home well and Hyunwoo hyung had made dinner! I’m so spoiled!’
With the lie fresh on his mind, Jimin went to the bathroom to freshen up his makeup, covering up the still blooming bruise on his cheek.