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There are plenty of upsides to being the only omega in a world famous pack of alpha idols. Seokjin gets forgiven for every little mishap, all he has to do is tremble his lips, widen his eyes and whisper out a sweet apology. Within seconds he'll have at least three different sets of arms wrapped around him scenting his distress away. When he wants a tasty treat, he just has to hold his mouth open and a packmate will gently deposit a choice morsel on his tongue along with an endeared coo and a squeeze to his cheeks. On red carpets when the camera flashes hungrily consume his sight, his pack strategically surrounds him on all sides, softly covering him in their scents, placing calm touches on his hips and a murmured "you're doing so good, hyung" in his ear that straightens Seokjin's shoulders instantly and lifts his chin up high, proud to be the most coveted omega in the country's entertainment industry.
Some days though, he is exhausted from his pack's constant watchfulness. On those days all he wants is to slip away somewhere dark and quiet, and curl himself into an unmoving ball. When he emerges after such sequesters, it's always with a guilty heart and a fearful conscience. He has rebuffed his pack's comfort, surely that meant he was an ungrateful, selfish omega, right? But over the years, his mates slowly teach him to shed away such insecurities. Even his youngest alpha mates, the hot-blooded impulsive ones who used to whine with separation anxiety the moment Seokjin climbed out of their laps, start to grow out of their own immaturity, helping Seokjin to fight back against his self-flagellating thoughts. They impress on him that Seokjin has every right to step away from the pack's needs sometimes, that being the only omega to six alphas is a role that is quite daunting and heavy.
Then there are those days where Seokjin is unsettled and almost frightened at how acutely his pack knows him, better than he knows himself even.
Today is one such day.
Seokjin wakes up in his four poster bed with an itch under his skin. The sun is too bright through the parted curtains but the air is uncomfortably cold and prickly on his skin. His RJ doll somehow rolled over past his reach during his sleep and Seokjin's limbs feel heavy and uncooperative enough that he doesn't want to lean over and snatch it back to his bosom. For one clear moment he recognises that he is going to have a Bad Day and is thankful that no packmate had snuggled into his bed last night, otherwise dealing with a clingy horny alpha early in the morning with a brain like this would have made the Bad Day worse. Then Seokjin's mind sort of blanks out after that thought and he starts moving around on auto-pilot.
He scrolls through the official group chat and finds today's schedule. Not that hectic, a meeting with the managers today at the 12th floor, then a quick pictorial for Naver after which they have the rest of the working hours to themselves in their respective studios. Seokjin waddles to his washroom and then loses time. His brain feels like it's running on rusty wheels and there is a burn in his muscles, as though he spent the last three days jogging up a hill. Somehow he remembers to apply his scent dampeners after his bath. His arm thunks heavily by his side when he considers patting on some makeup, so he leaves his face bare. In the mirror over his vanity table he looks sleepy and rumpled, his eyes fever bright and his cheeks a furious red. Slowly he lifts the back of his hand to his neck to feel for his temperature. Hm, hot as a furnace.
His driver arrives to pick him up and the kindly man's startled eyes at his appearance should have been the first clue that something was amiss.
Are you alright, Seokjin-ssi? Do you want me to call any of your mates?
Seokjin only shakes his head at the questions, sighs in pain and curls himself into the backseat, groaning out a greeting.
Seokjin should have known when Hoseok and Taehyung met him in the parking lot, climbing out of their own vehicles. Seokjin moves to them with in-built muscle memory, seeking their scents, and misses the concerned looks that get exchanged over his fluffy uncombed head. He misses the urgent whispers his packmates share between themselves as the seven of them greet each other in the lobby. A tiny part of him wonders why he isn't getting swarmed right now. Usually he'd just be one foot over the threshold before his pack would descend on him, scenting his wrists, snuffling into his neck, asking after his health and the alpha that had the privilege of spending the night in his bed would gloat and brag to the other's put-on annoyance. Now, nothing of that sort happens. Seokjin stands sluggishly in the centre of six tensed up alphas. Some instinctual need shifts his focus away from the niggling doubt, his skin is itching and the mere idea of anybody touching him makes his hackles raise.
Seokjin remembers the first two minutes of settling in the meeting room, after which he sinks down into a deep cosy sleep, right there on the comfy chair facing the conference table. When he wakes up gently, it's to the sight of his six mates standing in a loose circle around him, eyeing him protectively. Namjoon's coat and Taehyung's scarf are draped over him, and their scents make Seokjin feel even more floaty. He thinks he hears someone say the meeting is over, hyung. Do you want to leave? Seokjin doesn't know if he replies. Because the next thing he becomes aware of is laying on his back in the middle of his nest in his own studio.
Seokjin was the last of the group to request for a personal studio from the company. Before that he had been satisfied with spending his days in his mates' studios, shifting from one room to another based on some schedule his inner omega strictly followed. Over the years, he started to have a designated corner in each of their studios where he'd construct some sort of temporary nest and hoard that member's belongings.
Sometimes they'd specifically call for him when they wanted comfort. So Seokjin would happily amble into their studios, hop onto their laps and scent them lazily. Sometimes they wanted a different kind of comfort. Yoongi liked to call it 'searching for inspiration' . Seokjin would joke 'you find inspiration in my ass?' but the jokes would be for show cause there was nothing Seokjin loved more than being his pack's muse. So he'd bend over their tables for their knots, beckon them towards his corner and into his nest, spread his legs open so they could eat him out while they frowned over lyrics and melodies and beats. Seokjin was the pack omega and it was his duty to keep his mates happy and satisfied, strong and productive. Helping them out in this manner made him happy and proud in return.
As the years passed though, Seokjin wanted a space for himself to develop his artistic sensibilities. His mates fought over his proximity, wanting Seokjin to choose a room next to their own. In the end, Seokjin selected a studio that could be easily accessed by all his mates on the sixth floor, sandwiched between Yoongi's Genius Lab and Jungkook's Golden Closet and directly opposite Taehyung's Vault. Seokjin spent a week renovating the room to his taste, stealing his favourite items from each member and decorating the space with them. He chose a soft sunset pink for his door frame and hung a simple sign saying 'Jinnie's Nest'. Instead of Seokjin roaming between their studios, his mates started to visit him at the slightest excuse. Not a minute passed where Seokjin was left alone in his new studio, a needy alpha always at his door begging to see him. Finally, Seokjin put his foot down and fixed a schedule for their visits, sticking it on his door and warning his pack that they better follow it lest their knotting privileges get taken away.
Now, Seokjin curls up in the huge nest in the middle of his studio and dozes off, shivering slightly even though he's covered in three different coats.
When he stirs awake for the umpteenth time, his nose recognises his pack alpha's presence first. Dill and crisp ocean air. Judging by its intensity, Yoongi has been in Seokjin's studio for more than a couple of minutes. Instinctually Seokjin feels the urge to snarl because Yoongi's not supposed to be here, he wants to nest in peace but Yoongi choses that moment to reach down and gently squeeze his fingers around his neck. Seokjin's trembling limbs sag down immediately and through parted lids he sees Yoongi looming over him, his face looking round under his favourite beanie but his feline eyes alight with worry.
What is it? Seokjin wants to ask but his teeth start to chatter at that moment.
"We're leaving for the pack home in half an hour," Yoongi's low gentle rumble reaches his ears, "just hang in there for a while, baby."
And oh , a tiny window of clarity opens and everything suddenly makes sense. His strange discomfiting feeling since waking up, his irritation at any physical contact, the cautious way his packmates lingered around him in concern and care — he was in pre-heat and how funny was it that he was the last to realise!
"Baby." His pack alpha murmurs again, thumb hypnotically caressing the dip of Seokjin's throat. Seokjin whines and arches his neck, but holds his limbs close, refusing to let Yoongi touch any other part of him. Yoongi notices how Seokjin's trembling has increased and silently shucks off his jacket, adding it to the little pile that Seokjin has half-buried himself under.
Seokjin greedily eyes his alpha's exposed biceps, a rare sight outside of their private time. There is yet no undercurrent of the furious mating urge but Seokjin is always appreciative of his mates' strong virile bodies. Yoongi smirks when he catches Seokjin's admiring gaze.
Right before his mind gives in completely to his instincts, Seokjin blinks his eyes open and meets Yoongi's sharp gaze. "Take care of me." He says, more an order than a plea. Yoongi gives him a fond, languid smile. "Always, hyung."
In the car ride to Namwon where their pack home is located, Seokjin nestles in the backseat of the van, comfortably bleary with the blanket of his mates' scent covering him and one eye peeking open routinely to check that all six of them are close by but not too close. His preheat is a difficult three days period that Seokjin is barely consciously aware of but he knows will be a fatiguing experience for his pack. He feels sorry that they will have to deal with his irate, sulky, hard-to-please preheat self but they'll be rewarded for their efforts afterwards when a squirmy needy heat-addled Seokjin will happily let them do whatever they want to him.
Seokjin sleeps thinking about their pack home, its wide beautiful safe corridors where there's a cosy nest in each room and he gets tumbled into a warm pile of limbs without any pressure of outside eyes.
In the beginning when they started off as a rookie group from a struggling company, they didn't have the privilege of even a separate nesting room. Seokjin tolerated the worst of their circumstances because heats occured every four months compared to alpha ruts that usually happened once a year. Prior to accepting his bandmates' mating bites, Seokjin stubbornly refused any of their help with his heats. So he had no choice but to stay in the corner of one of the rooms in their shabby dorm and painfully eke out his heats alone. Those early experiences were probably the reason why later Seokjin developed aversive responses during his pre-heats as the years progressed, his inner omega determined to give him a satisfying breeding experience hence harshly evaluating his environment in pre-heat.
Gradually, as they rose to fame and started earning money and popularity, they were able to move into a larger safer dorm. Then as their twenties approached, and after a particularly gruelling month when all six alphas synced their rut in November right as they were winding down from hectic comeback promotions, a bruised and wobbly-limbed Seokjin called for a meeting and demanded the company purchase another home for them, a pack home far away from the bustle and spotlight of Seoul, somewhere in the lush countryside where Seokjin could take care of his pack and be taken care of in return.
The pre-heat cramps start assaulting his insides the moment they drive through the gate of their villa. He senses his alphas on high alert, desperate to reach out and soothe him but Seokjin has coached them about this — no sudden touches or they'll have a snarling omega viciously biting their fingers off.
Hoseok's lime and fresh rain scent calls for him so Seokjin trills in his direction, arms reaching out. A soft kiss lands on his forehead and slim fingers quickly squeeze his nape, Hoseok murmuring sweet nothings in his ear. Seokjin sighs as his cramps ease up and strong wiry arms lift him out of the van. He dozes off again with his mates around him, conversing in low hushed tones and carrying their luggage into their home. Seokjin's nose twitches as he sifts through their scents, unconsciously checking for any trouble. All six of them smell calm and eager, but their excitement over his heat is palpable. If Seokjin had more of his wits about him, he'd have snorted at their fervour. As it is, he only snuggles deeper into Hoseok's neck and purrs from the depths of his throat.
*
Debuting omega members in groups is an unpopular decision in the idol industry. They are considered too unpredictable and high-risk, capable of disrupting a pack's hierarchy, capable of stirring up primitive instincts and causing irredeemable damage to not only the group but the label's reputation. Besides, omegas are expensive to manage in the long run, their frequent heats and all the consequences arising from them costing labels far more resources than handling betas and alphas. Racy scandalous tales of idol groups viciously disbanding due to their alpha members fighting over an omega bandmate are commonly bandied about as warnings or juicy gossip.
So when BTS debut with not only an omega but an omega in a group with six alphas, the response is unanimously negative. Terrible rumours abound. The group member's pasts are scoured, netizens searching for secrets to expose. Who in their right mind would agree to debut with such a group? Accusations of the group's label employing bad publicity stunts and taking advantage of young desperate boys are lobbed. Nobody expects the group to make it past the first year. They certainly don't expect the group to survive year after year and gradually soar past their peers, reaching heights that everybody else dreamt of.
Seokjin is the omega at the centre of this strange scandalous idol group. He goes from being the subject of nonstop salacious bad-mouthing to being gradually upheld as a new pillar of an ideal omega.
Not a day goes by where a video of his doesn't go viral — some random moment captured by the camera where Yoongi, his pack alpha slips a proprietary arm around his waist and Seokjin instinctively leans in; a ten second clip cut from a longer interview video where Seokjin is sandwiched between Jungkook and Taehyung, the pack's youngest alphas, their big hands casually settled on his thighs; a shaky video filmed by a panting fan capturing Seokjin lounging in the laps of Hoseok and Jimin, getting gently and thoroughly scent drunk on his alphas; a livestream clip where Seokjin scolds Namjoon and the alpha easily bares his neck, letting his omega hyung boss him around.
Hundreds and thousands of people furiously comment on every little part of him the second he appears in public sight, discussing the dress his stylist chooses for him, the alpha packmate he touches the most that day, the perfume he uses to cover his natural omega scent of peaches and caramel. Opportunistic superfans start selling fragrances that they swear smells just like the bottled essence of Seokjin's scent. Gossip and tabloid papers are filled with articles and columns discussing Seokjin's sex life, his promiscuity, how often he must let his alpha bandmates knot him. Advice columns are popular hotspots for people wanting to know how to get a bit of Seokjin-luck themselves, what are the ways he managed to snag not one, not two but six alphas for himself. Whenever he accidently blurts out the brand of slick pads or heat patches he uses, the items get sold out within minutes.
Does he look happy? The public and their fans yearn to know everytime the group appears for a public event. Does he look satisfied? Is his pack taking care of him? Is he taking care of his pack? Are the six different claiming bites littered on his body fake or did Seokjin really tie six alphas to himself? Didn't that make him a slut? Or did that make him a poor trapped omega being abused by a ruthless powerful industry for fame and money?
In the first few years after their debut, Seokjin struggled immensely in the face of the fervent hyper-scrutiny that only he seemed to be receiving. During press events his alpha bandmates would get questions asked respective to their music and their worldviews and their opinions on the entertainment industry while Seokjin would be stuck answering leering assumptions about his "actual" role in the pack. It took two years for Seokjin to land an interview where his opinions were taken seriously and the questions that were asked centred his experiences rather than his bandmates'.
The only saving grace was that his six members quickly took up the role to shelter and protect him from the worst of idol life. Seokjin would have left the group within a couple of months had it not been for the support and gentleness with which his bandmates' approached him. His inner omega swiftly imprinted on all six of them and the mere thought of leaving them caused him great pain. Still, the decision to officially accept their mating bites and form a pack took a long time of deliberations and second-thoughts. Right from the start, Seokjin was assured that it would be his decision that would reign supreme and all six alphas would gladly follow whatever path he chose.
In the end, Seokjin listened to himself.
Three years after their debut, one breezy night in October while they relaxed in their dorm after an award show performance, Seokjin climbed into the middle of their lazy pile and announced that he was ready to wear their claims. In celebration, he graciously allowed them to fuck him one after the other. He had helped with their ruts of course but had never before taken all of them in one night. For future practice, he reasoned with himself, as his thighs shook with their passionate hands and his slick puddled in the bedsheets, I'll have to offer myself to them in this way. Better get started from now on. He was sore beyond imagination for the entire next week but it was worth it to see how bright and happy and settled his six alphas smelled after that night.
Consulting with the company, they decided to schedule the mating during Seokjin's upcoming heat. Quickly, they finished up with their next album preparations and teased the fans to expect a new side of BTS for their next comeback. Most of their fans quickly guessed that they were going to officially come back as a mated pack and the excitement for their return just heightened that much more.
The mating itself was tedious and painful, and Seokjin bore through it with a half-rational mind. Seokjin was only able to take two claiming marks each day so he let the alphas bicker and fight among themselves to establish a hierarchy. Finally, Hoseok stepped up and opined that they go in age order, and after a round of sulky tantrums thrown by the three maknaes, Seokjin welcomed Yoongi and Hoseok into his nest for the first night, shy and eager to accept their bites and knots.
After the frenzy of the mating sank away three nights later, Seokjin was left bed-ridden, moaning in pain, his body a beautiful patchwork of his alphas' marks. Yoongi and Hoseok bit him on either side of his neck, Namjoon on his left shoulder, Taehyung and Jimin on the juts of his hips and Jungkook on his right inner thigh. Deep impressed bites that slowly scarred into neat marks that Seokjin loved caressing from time to time.
While Seokjin languished in bed getting generously pampered by his mates, the alphas had their own decisions to make. For a pack to successfully exist, a strong alpha was needed at the top. Seokjin was a little anxious that his six boys might descend too far down into their instincts and start aggressively fighting each other, his omega was battling inside him to sit up and take charge, to smooth out the tension and scent his alphas into calmness. But he needn't have worried. Within an hour all six of them unanimously bent their necks for Yoongi, accepting him as pack alpha. Surprisingly, it was Namjoon, the group's official leader who volunteered to take Yoongi's first bite. There was a tiny bit of tension as Taehyung and Jungkook struggled to settle their territorial instincts but a steady look from Yoongi and a soft whine from Seokjin quickly melted away their protests. Happily they butted Yoongi's head, nosing at him like puppies then bounded over to Seokjin for some much -needed snuggles.
Later that final night as the group slept their first sleep as a mated pack, Seokjin shyly beckoned a wide-awake Yoongi into his nest, coaxing him inside his sore body and taking his knot as pack alpha for the first time.
It was Seokjin's idea to publicly announce their mating instead of letting trashy stalkers and tabloid papers run outrageous mean-spirited rumours at their expense. So he asked for a photoshoot and a perfunctory ceremony that would be held in an arena in the presence of their fans. For the photoshoot, Seokjin stepped out of his comfort zone and posed seductively in strategically revealing robes, peach lace and baby blue tulle, the fabric softly falling over his curves and presenting his fresh mating marks for the world to see. His alphas sprawled around him, bare-chested and clad in tight leather, their own marks displayed, looking menacing and possessive as they surrounded their omega. The photoshoot quickly went viral and accrued a sort of editorial concept in the idol industry, where labels began photographing their artists with claim marks, fake or real.
The mating ceremony was merely a symbolic celebration for BTS' return as a mated pack. To the great delight of their fans, Seokjin dressed up like a bride in a white mermaid gown and exchanged flower rings with his six alphas. The real manner in which he received his claiming marks was an open secret but it was hardly possible to showcase such intimate exchanges on a public broadcasted stage so this sweet ceremony was an innocent alternative.
After this, the group reached newer heights of success, more fans flocking to them out of curiosity, because fully mated idol groups were unheard of.
Regardless of how public their lives became, how intrusively people expected to learn about them, Seokjin knew that the world would never truly know how deeply the seven of them cared for each other. It was their secret, something nobody could touch, and Seokjin, as his pack's omega, vowed to always keep it that way.
*
The six of them track their omega's movements as Seokjin shuffles through the hall, looking so enticing and vulnerable in his soft, over worn Kore sweater. His peach and caramel scent is slightly dark and sticks in the backs of their throats. For the older alphas it's easier to curb their responses but Taehyung and Jungkook, still hot-blooded and comparably less in control of their instincts, are vibrating on the balls of their feet, eyes fixed on the omega who is slowly peeking through the rooms on the ground floor, looking for the perfect one that will serve as his nesting spot for his heat.
Yoongi gives a low growl in warning and the two maknaes begrudgingly wind down, but Jungkook's amber and Tiger Lily musk is spreading fast in the air and Taehyung can't quite manage to stop his deep rumbles. Seokjin's spine straightens the second he senses their pheromones. He whirls around, his eyes flashing in anger, red lips pursed furiously. It's strange and exhilarating to experience a pre-heat Seokjin. Normally, their hyung is the picture of sweet tender affection. It takes a lot to muster real anger from him and the most he'll do out of it is rant loudly and thump his feet and probably kick them out of his bed when they come begging for some cuddles. But a pre-heat Seokjin is a different creature altogether. Those soft liquid almond eyes sharpen into daggers, his scent turns dangerous and it's very obvious that he isn't the same loving malleable hyung of BTS. Maybe deep down he is, but on the surface he is a purely instinctually driven omega who views every alpha in his vicinity as a threat, regardless if they're his mates. Especially if they are his mates.
("My omega wants you to prove that you're the one, that you'll be able to take care of me during my heat, fulfil all my demands no matter how impossible they seem, that you can breeding me to my satisfaction and support our future pups, Seokjin had once explained to Yoongi during one of their fishing trips, my omega is quite dramatic, as you might have noticed." He had added with a self-deprecating smile.
I love you and all your dramatics, was Yoongi's sappy reply and Seokjin had gone beet red in the face and flicked a handful of water at him, squawking like a ruffled duck).
Taehyung's strawberry and mint scent sours the more Seokjin glares at him. The six of them remain stock still, careful to not make a single movement. After what feels like an eternity, angry preheat Seokjin scoffs and ignores the remaining rooms on the ground floor as though the maknae's interruption has soured them all. Instead, Seokjin flounces off up the stairs, his normally light delicate steps thundering with pronounced stomps.
They all exhale deeply the moment he's out of sight. Jimin cuffs the two maknaes lightly, "You two never learn!" He scolds them and pushes them towards the kitchen. "Go help Yoongi hyung prepare the meal packs."
Taehyung, who's hardly a cook, whines in complaint but one look from Hoseok sends him scrambling obediently. Jungkook, who is the second best cook in the pack, is already several steps ahead, removing the packets of fresh meat from the covers and slotting them in the freezer.
Jimin consults with Yoongi and is sent off upstairs to keep a sneaky eye on their precious omega. He is the lightest alpha in the group and was born in a nomadic pack who hunted for a living and his scent is mild for an alpha, a lightly sweet concoction of honey and ginger. Out of all of them, he would be the hardest for Seokjin to sense in his vicinity.
Hoseok whisks away to take care of the laundry, making sure all the sheets are scent free and clean so they don't irritate their omega anymore than he already is.
Namjoon, as group leader, settles down on the living room couch with his laptop and speaks to their head manager for a while, cross checking their schedules again. There are still two months left for their next comeback and they are in that stage where they're slowly gearing up into full activity, making this the perfect time for Seokjin's heat to arrive.
At noon, Jimin finally slinks down and informs them that Seokjin has nested in the third bedroom upstairs.
"Fast asleep," Jimin informs them, "but he smells stronger. I think he's slipping into heat faster this time."
None of them voice it but they are secretly relieved. It's not that taking care of a sulky angry omega is hard work for them, the six of them can handle Seokjin joyfully in all of his little moods. But pre-heat brings out the worst emotions in Seokjin. Sometimes, right before he slips into heat, they have to sit by and listen to their precious omega sob for hours, crying from a pain that he can't even put into words, while they can do nothing to soothe him but stay close by, letting him scent their presence. It's a keen sort of torture that all of them dread and no matter how much Seokjin gently coos their guilt away later, they can't ever stop feeling despondent when their omega weeps like that, alone and aching. So a quick pre-heat is always preferable. They can handle two days of a sulky moody irate Seokjin before the heat takes full control of him and melts him into happy trills and needy whimpers and grabby hands.
While Seokjin is upstairs, the six of them make their preparations downstairs. The trickiest part is feeding Seokjin while he is in pre-heat. Through trial and error, they've learned that just leaving the food trays outside his closed door lures the omega out after a while. He'll snap open the door, peer this way and that and only after making sure that there's no sneaky alpha spying on him will he drag the trays inside and devour the food. If he spots even a flicker of an alpha, the door gets slammed closed and the food is ignored.
Strangely, in pre-heat Seokjin desires the food he normally dislikes — slabs of crunchy chocolate and strawberry flavoured muffins, toasted bread with heaps of whipped cream. Yoongi, who is in charge of the meals, carefully arranges every plate and sends it up through Jimin. Then the six of them wait with bated breath at the foot of the staircase to catch the tell-tale click of Seokjin opening the door and dragging the food inside like a feral little rodent.
Satisfied that their omega is chomping his way through his meal, they finally sit down for their own lunch, eating with the single-minded thought of servicing their omega in full strength.
Jimin sneaks up after a while and informs them that Seokjin's asleep again, his scent sated and drowsy with a satisfied stomach. They giggle a little in endearment then get back to their work, making as little noise as possible.
Predictably, the two maknaes try sneaking off upstairs, unable to bear their separation from their omega hyung any longer. Their scents are the strongest in the pack, on par with Yoongi and any little inflection is immediately discernible. They take two steps up the stairs before Hoseok and Jimin arrive to sternly drag them back down.
To soothe their agitated instincts, Hoseok coaxes them into folding laundry along with him. They are heaps of sheets and blankets and pillow covers and as the three alphas methodically work through the freshly washed pile, their mingling scents finally settle down peacefully.
Jimin, who was a little strung up from tip-toeing around their omega since the morning, curls up with his head in Hoseok's lap and gently drifts off to sleep.
Namjoon and Yoongi occupy themselves in the small studio at the far end of the house, working on their individual projects. After Jimin, it's Namjoon's scent that is the lightest in the pack, eucalyptus and fresh cotton and Yoongi finds that it melds with his own scent the best. Mostly, just their silent companionship is enough for each other, and working on music side by side is usually the only time they get to be completely away from their respective duties, two leaders of the pack but in quite different ways.
They listen as Seokjin paces upstairs, shifts between his sheets and slips out of his nest to visit the washroom. They smell the subtle changes in his scent and note the shifts in his whimpers, their senses acutely intune with their omega.
In the evening, they jump out of their skins when Seokjin stumbles down the steps, beautiful eyes puffy with tears and lips trembling softly. It takes everything in them to not give in to their instincts and rush to him, to envelope his shaking frame in their arms and soothe his distress away, kiss his cheeks and caress the dip of his waist and lift him into their laps and scent him to sleep—
It's a while before they notice that Seokjin's long curvy legs are bare and his kore sweater barely covers the tops of his milky thighs. When he shifts on his tiptoes and hides his face behind his sweater paws, they catch glimpses of Jungkook's claiming bite on his inner thigh.
Jungkook growls, harsh and helpless the moment he sees it, his limbs twitching as though he is already grabbing Seokjin in his arms. Hoseok quickly scruffs him but the damage is done. Seokjin snaps his teeth in response and ducks away, his feet pattering as he runs back up the stairs again.
Jungkook mopes around in guilt afterwards, no matter how much the others try to distract him.
"He came down for some reason."
"Food?"
"Nah, he ate all three plates. I don't think it's hunger."
It's Yoongi who answers, his nose a little better attuned to his pack omega's scent. "He needs nesting materials."
After much deliberation and finally resorting to a round of rock-paper-scissors, they decide to tiptoe upstairs and leave their sweaty shirts at Seokjin's doorstep. If their omega wanted them, he'd take them in, otherwise…
They hear Seokjin open the door after which there is a spell of silence. Then come the unmistakable sounds of a needy omega snuffling in deep breaths of his mates' scents. They are just about to clap each other's backs in happiness when another sound reaches them. A harsh ripping and tearing sound intermingled with the low growls of an upset omega.
"Uh-uh," Jimin mutters, "which of you gave him the wrong shirt."
Namjoon grimaces and scratches his nape. "I uh, might have spilled a bit of ketchup earlier. I guess…he doesn't like it."
Seokjin scampers down the steps again a while later. This time he has on all of their shirts haphazardly, one on top of the other, making him look adorably rotund, his bare legs sticking out from below. He peaks into the living hall where the six of them sit transfixed and glares in Namjoon's direction. Slowly, after swallowing multiple times, Namjoon gingerly takes off his shirt and holds it out. Seokjin makes a gesture in the air so Namjoon swallows again and throws the shirt into the omega's waiting claws. Seokjin sniffs the shirt, finds it unsatisfactory, probably because it was freshly worn and not carrying a lot of his alpha's essence. With a dangerous growl he rips the shirt collar with his teeth and throws it back on Namjoon's face. His peach-caramel scent is ablaze in the air, making the alphas' turgid with anxiety.
Seokjin growls again and Namjoon hurries to shuck off his pants. When Seokjin sniffs them, he seems to be satisfied. With a final glare in the alpha's direction, the omega turns around and totters off, stomping up the stairs.
"You're so dumb ." Hoseok snaps at Namjoon the moment they hear Seokjin's door slam close. "Why the fuck did you give him your clean shirt?"
"I got scared, okay? My mind went blank—" he shudders as the cool air blows against his naked skin, "c-can someone kindly get me some clothes? Please?"
Hoseok huffs and puffs but gets to his feet anyways.
The next day Seokjin is even more restless. His irritation is so palpable that Jimin skips checking on him, fearful that Seokjin might sense him and grow even more feral. The six of them worriedly hang downstairs, almost stuck to the foot of the stairs, their senses tilted upwards where the object of their attention languishes.
The plates get returned half-eaten and low whimpers echo down the steps every once in a while. They tiptoes upstairs and leave him some more of their clothes, boxers and undershirts heavy with their scent. Seokjin claws them inside for his nest but his whimpers and whines just seem to increase.
In turn, their mood is similarly affected. None of them eat properly and just pace around, agitated and unsettled.
The six of them sleep together in the living hall for the second night, wanting to offer some comfort to each other. Yoongi, as always, stays awake, counting as the hours pass, his senses on alert for the omega slumbering directly above them.It's why he immediately catches it when Seokjin shuffles down the steps silently a little after midnight, peaking into the hall and approaching their half-baked alpha nest on shaking legs. Yoongi pretends to sleep, working hard on taming his excited scent but he can't help parting his lids and watching as their precious omega curls up on the outside of the nest and falls asleep, not wanting to be in the midst of his alphas but still instinctually seeking their proximity.
Somehow, Yoongi falls asleep, soothed by the knowledge that his omega is nearby, safe and in his sight. When he wakes up, it's to a bright morning sunlight and a groaning pack of alphas rousing from sleep — but no omega.
Taehyung notices the look on Yoongi's face and points with his chin above. "He went back the moment I woke up." A dopey boxy smile stretches across his face. "Ah, he was such a cute little hawk, watching us sleep."
Jimin snorts from where he is tangled up in Jungkook's sleeping limbs. "You wagged your finger at him and called him naughty. It's a wonder he didn't bite your head off."
"He's still my baby omega," Taehyung pouts, "I can still tease him, right?"
Yoongi rolls his eyes at Taehyung's naivete but pats his head when he rolls out of the sheets. Hoseok is already up and about, brushing his teeth with one hand and scrolling through his mobile with the other. His right foot is also kicking in Namjoon's side, urging him to wake up. Truly a multitasker of the highest level.
The third day of Seokjin's pre-heat is usually his last and also his worst. The six of them prepare to handle it with minimum setbacks. Seokjin stops eating and instead stomps around in his room, the rough sounds of him tearing his nest up making them wince. Then comes the part they dread the most. After a weak heartless lunch, they hear the unmistakable gut-wrenching sounds of their omega hiccuping on his tears.
Namjoon sits on Jungkook's lap so the maknae can't go tearing up the steps to rescue Seokjin from his pre-heat distress.
"Just wait for a little while," Yoongi promises them though it's more of a promise to himself. It's eating him up from the inside that he can't be up there spooning his omega, wiping his tears off and hugging his demons away. "You all know what you have to do, right?"
They do.
After an hour while Seokjin's heartbreaking cries gradually fade into a morose silence, Jimin scampers up the steps first. They listen as he sits down cross legged in front of Seokjin's door and begins singing a sweet and soft lullaby.
Jungkook and Taehyung end up falling asleep by the time Jimin comes back downstairs. Namjoon goes up next, armed with the book of fairy tales he had carefully chosen two days ago. His gentle rumbling voice seeps downstairs and swayed by his reading, Jimin also dozes off, right on top of the two maknaes. Hoseok is next in line and he simply sits down next to Seokjin's door and talks to him about any and everything in his light smiling voice. When he is done, he and Namjoon try to keep Yoongi company for a while but Yoongi finally shoos them off to sleep. After his pack has fallen asleep, Yoongi putters about the kitchen and fixes a plate of snacks for his omega.
He'd only meant to deposit the plate on the floor and scurry back downstairs but his weak needy alpha keeps him there right outside the door, inhaling the scents of his omega and yearning to step past the divide and take Seokjin into his arms. He is startled out of his dreaming when he senses Seokjin approaching the door and hurries to get away before the omega can spot him. He fails because the door clicks open and a little gasp sounds behind him. Giving in, Yoongi glances back and finds his darling watching him cautiously, the plate of food clutched in his little hands. Yoongi licks his lips, aching with terrible need and is painfully thankful when Seokjin disappears past the door frame and slams it close.
As evening draws closer, the mood changes. The alphas chatter more, laugh more and rush through the final prep. Seokjin's heat seems likely to arrive tomorrow morning and it feels like a huge accomplishment that they managed to handle another of his preheat with little to no mishaps. All six of them are impatiently waiting for the moment Seokjin will call for them in his sweet heat-drunk voice, slicked up and ready for their knots.
They don't have to wait for morning.
Seokjin's scent sweetens just as they are about to turn in for sleep. Immediately the six of them abandon whatever they are doing and thunder up the stairs, minds and bodies focused on only one thing — their precious omega.
The scent is thicker in the corridor upstairs, sticky with heat, the sign of a ripe fertile omega waiting to get bred. Silently and moving on instinct the six of them get rid of their clothes, dropping their pyjamas right there on the floor as they crowd outside Seokjin's nesting room.
They wait for a few bated breaths.
Then, they finally hear it, the first glimpse of their reward.
Seokjin mewling and whimpering, calling for them needily.
Jungkook kicks down the door, an action that would have had him scolded any other time but just served to amp up their alpha instincts now. They rush into the room, pushing each other out of the way so they can finally look upon their waiting omega.
It's their favourite sight in the world.
Seokjin in the middle of the sprawling nest, on top of their scented clothes, presenting for them in all his sweaty, slicked up naked beauty. His rosy cheek is smushed into the sheets and his fists clenched by his head, his back dipped in a perfect S, his legs spread so they can feast on the sight of his wet sticky thighs.
"Eung?" Seokjin chirps, nose twitching as he gets flooded by the scent of his aroused alphas. He lifts his fluffy head and the shy, pouchy cheeked smile that blossoms on his teary face is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen.
Usually, there is a hierarchy to follow, pack alpha on the lead. But this is the one time where it's every alpha for himself. So when Seokjin chirps needily again, wiggling his butt to beckon them closer, they pounce on him, together .
*