Work Text:
petrichor;
(n.) the smell of the first rain after a period of warm, dry weather
The bus squeaks and jolts to a stop, knocking forward so hard that Jimin has to hold the seat in front of him in a death grip to avoid flying forward. Luckily, everything is still a moment later when the telltale sound of the bus driver’s intercom cuts on.
“All those getting off at Paradise Falls, this is your stop.”
Jimin waits a moment for others closer towards the front of the bus to get off before him, but no one stands. Anxiously, he glances around as he rises to his feet, uttering small apologies while shuffling past everyone else. Slightly unnerved at the confused stares he gets, Jimin exhales loudly, grabs his suitcase from the overhead area, and steps off the rickety bus with a polite, “Thank you.”
It takes Jimin four tries to work the long handle of his suitcase loose before it finally extends. When it does, he grips it tightly in his fist and walks forward, eyes big and curious as he takes in… nothing.
There’s hardly anything for him to look at. The bus takes off down a road so old and unused that it’s made of only gravel and dirt. Jimin steps outside of the overhang of the bus stop where the bench is and his feet meet grass. Across the road is a single, worn-down building that looks like a mix between an old ticket station, and a place for people to wait inside for the bus. The only other thing in sight is an older pickup truck across the road, parked in front of the aforementioned brick building. It’s a blue chevy—one that's several decades old. Leaning against the driver’s side door is a tall, built man with denim overalls over top a long-sleeve, plaid shirt. He has on sunglasses and boots, and Jimin glances down to see the bright, white sign in his hand. He squints and realizes that it reads ‘PARK JIMIN’.
He looks up and down the road, not seeing anything outside of the retreating bus and the stranger against the truck. So, Jimin bites the bullet and walks across the dirt road, dragging his suitcase with him. He comes to a stop several cautious feet from the man. He still hasn’t moved and Jimin can’t tell through his sunglasses if he’s even looking at him or not.
“Um. I’m Park Jimin.”
The guy looks down at his sign, then lifts his head back up to Jimin like it’ll confirm something even though they're probably the only two people around for miles. After that, he turns around and tosses the sign into the truck through the open window. When he looks back at Jimin, he says, “Your bag’ll have to go in the bed.”
Jimin’s brows pull together. “Uh… sorry?”
Instead of repeating himself, the stranger steps forward and grabs the cool metal of the handle just below where Jimin is holding it. He waits for Jimin to let go before he pushes the handle down and grabs the strap, lifting the heavy suitcase that Jimin was struggling to walk with clean into the air like it’s nothing, and gently setting it down in the open back of the truck. Jimin’s mouth forms a small ‘o’ and his cheeks go pink. The bed.
flowers in your hair - the lumineers
Feeling embarrassed and awkward, Jimin walks around to the other side of the truck and climbs up to get into the passenger side. He shuts the door several seconds after the stranger gets in and closes his own side. Without a word exchanged, they put on their seatbelts and the man revs the vehicle to life with a clean roar, pulling onto the road and driving.
Jimin takes in the open expanses of land and the mountains in the distance, trying to ignore how tense the air is. For a moment, he thinks the man might be annoyed for some reason but, with one whiff of his scent, he understands two things: This man is an alpha, and he’s not upset. His scent is earthy and familiar—though Jimin can’t seem to place exactly what it smells like—and it’s perfectly neutral. There isn’t a single trace of frustration.
So, when they start driving through trees that cast shadows into the truck, Jimin dares to look over and ask, “You must be Jeongguk?”
He receives a single nod in response.
Despite the lack of an attempt at communicating, Jimin tries again.
“You own the farm that we’re going to?”
Another curt nod. The omega assesses him for a moment, wondering if more of an answer will come. None does, but he takes time to admire the romantic curls of Jeongguk’s hair and the tattoos on his hand. There might be more but, if there are, they’re hidden away by the sleeves of his shirt.
Jimin purses his lips, looking back out of the window since it’s clearly the safer option. He has known Jeongguk for a total of five minutes and learned a total of two things about him: He is in fact Jeon Jeongguk, the man who Jimin is supposed to be staying with for the next year and, two, he is not a conversationalist.
The ride to the farm seems to last forever but it is, in reality, only about thirty minutes. Most of the views on the way consist of trees, dirt, and nothing. The only remotely interesting thing that they do is pass through a little strip of a town; old and classic looking. Jeongguk has his window down and his elbow propped, and he lifts his hand in a casual greeting to those that they pass. All of them seem to know him, just as he seems to know each of them. It doesn’t take a mastermind to realize how small of a town Paradise Falls must be.
Jimin thinks he might be falling asleep by the time the truck finally turns down another, much narrower dirt path. He sits up just as the trees disappear into a clearing and—
“Wow,” he whispers in awe.
The farm is beautiful. There is a lake in the distance on the left, a barn to the right, a gorgeous wood cabin is centered in the middle of them and, just beyond that, lies rows and rows of healthy farm land. Mountains seem to border the clearing, making it appear as some kind of haven in the middle of nowhere.
When Jimin turns to look out at the lake from Jeongguk’s side, he sees the alpha’s lips turned up on one end.
The truck pulls to a stop under a carport on the back end of the cabin, where Jeongguk is the first one to get out. He retrieves Jimin’s suitcase unprompted and waits for the other man to get down from the chevy before he guides them around to the other side of the house and up the steps of the porch. Jeongguk pushes the door open, indicating to Jimin that he didn’t even lock it—something he could never get away with living in the city. Jimin hardly has time to take in the pretty kitchen and lush rug in front of a fireplace in the living room before Jeongguk is walking down a hallway—clearly expecting Jimin to follow.
There are four doors in the hall. Jeongguk explains them with half-hearted gestures.
“Last door is my room. Door next to it is the bathroom. That one is the linen closet. And this one—” He walks to the final door in the hallway and nudges it open, revealing a plain, modest bedroom, “—is your room.”
With hesitant steps, Jimin takes Jeongguk’s offer and walks past him and into the room, taking in the double bed with plain sheets, the wooden nightstand and dresser next to it. On the other side of the room, there is a desk and a painting of some pretty landscapes that look very similar to the mountains outside.
It’s soft and quaint, and smaller than any bedroom Jimin has ever had, and it’s where he’ll be living for the next year.
“It’s perfect,” he whispers.
There is a gentle thud and, when Jimin glances over, he sees his suitcase placed on the floor and Jeongguk standing back up straight, looking too broad for the small doorway. “You can put your clothes in the chest of drawers. I’ll let you know when supper is ready.”
Jimin nods, reaching for the suitcase to start unpacking. “Thank you.”
The alpha is already stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him without a word. A little startled at the odd behavior, Jimin blinks at the wooden door for a minute or so, until he hears small movements in—what must be—the kitchen. With a tiny sigh, he shifts his suitcase onto the ground and unzips it.
For the next hour or so, Jimin meticulously puts his clothes away and shifts some things around in the room. His omega is a little restless over the new environment and resisting the urge to nest is not easy. So, instead, he puts some of the little belongings he brought with him into the space and scoots some furniture over, stepping back afterwards with his hands on his hips to assess the situation. Satisfied, he looks around and nods once.
“Much better.”
A moment later, there are knocks on the door. Jimin draws the door back to find Jeongguk standing there with one hand shoved into the pant pocket of his overalls. His sunglasses are finally gone and it’s the first time Jimin can properly see his whole face.
And he’s gorgeous.
His features are delicate yet cutting; a strong jaw, pronounced cupid’s bow, and a romantic droop in his nose. And his eyes. Wow, his eyes. Dark and big, observant yet there’s something inherently innocent about them.
Jimin can’t stop staring. All the while, Jeongguk is awkwardly waiting in the hallway. Finally, the alpha just says in a gruff voice, “Uh, supper’s done.”
Without another word, he walks away. Jimin is left standing in the doorway with his mouth parted like an idiot, until he finally clears his throat and steps out of the room, shutting the door with a gentle click. Hugging his arms to himself, he makes his way into the main room where the kitchen, dining room, and living room are all visible at once. In the corner, he sees the four-person wooden dining table and Jeongguk standing at it, gently setting down two plates.
Jeongguk walks around to one side of the table and hovers next to a chair, waiting until Jimin approaches the other side and sits down before he does the same. Definitely not a city wolf, Jimin notes.
The food is full of color and smells incredible. There are fresh vegetables and seasoned meat. Jimin assesses it for a minute, slightly embarrassed over his initial shock at Jeongguk being a good cook.
He waits to eat for a minute, thinking Jeongguk might be the type to say grace or something and not wanting to be rude, but the alpha digs in immediately, acting like he hasn’t eaten anything all day. With a small smile, Jimin follows his lead and starts eating, too.
The food tastes even better than it looks.
Jimin has been living off of gas station snacks and fast food for days on his bus journey and the taste of a fresh, home-cooked meal is enough to make him salivate and moan quietly, savoring the flavors on his tongue.
Jeongguk glances up at him at the reaction and his eyes are intense enough for Jimin’s cheeks to dust pink. He shyly looks down at the food as he shifts his fork around. “This is incredible. You’re a good cook.”
Given the lack of responses thus far, Jimin isn’t expecting much of anything from Jeongguk. So, it shocks him a little when he peeks through his bangs to see the alpha’s ears are red when he quietly mutters, “Thanks.”
The rest of dinner is a quiet ordeal. Both of the men finish eating, and then Jeongguk is standing up and clearing off the plates before Jimin can protest about doing it himself. Instead, he slips into the kitchen behind Jeongguk and a sponge and soap, taking the dishes from the alpha. Jeongguk stands there with his empty hands out for a moment, blinking, and the sight of his bewildered expression is enough to pull a giddy laugh from Jimin.
Jeongguk, who seems to feel awkward with Jimin doing dishes, shuffles off to the side and busies himself with cleaning off the table and counters instead. There is a window just above the sink, allowing Jimin to admire the pretty shades of the sky as the sun sets.
“So, what is this going to look like?” He asks a while later after getting ready for bed. He’s leaning on a counter and behind him clean dishes are towel-dried and put away after some direction earlier from Jeongguk on where they go—direction meaning Jimin asked and the alpha silently pointed to the cabinet it belonged in for each individual one.
“You talkin’ about you stayin’ here?” Jeongguk confirms, his honey smooth southern accent coming out.
Jimin nods and Jeongguk continues stoking a fire in the fireplace as the late Winter night brings in chilling temperatures.
“You’ll work the farm with me startin’ tomorrow. I’ll show you how to tend to the animals and care for the plants. In exchange, you stay here for free and take some work off my back,” Jeongguk explains. “We’ll get up early. No sense in startin’ late.”
Jimin could melt in the warmth of his voice. That would be ridiculous though so, instead, he clears his throat and crosses his arms. “So… how did you start this whole thing? Taking other alphas in and letting them work here for a year?”
Jeongguk has a fire poker directed at some bigger logs that he’s shifting over when he answers. “I didn’t start it. My grandma did. I was the first one she brought out here.”
Nothing more comes but curiosity gets the better of Jimin, so he presses a little further. “And it helped you? Coming here?”
Jeongguk nods once. He hasn’t looked at Jimin since the conversation started and the omega begins to wonder if it’s genuine bad manners or if he’s a shy talker. “I came from a big city. Got in a lot a’ trouble. My dad thought it was best for me to get away from it, so my grandma offered to take me in.”
Jimin hums in understanding. “She saw how well it worked for you and started the program, huh?”
Another simple nod.
Jimin stares at Jeongguk as he rises to his feet and tries to imagine him getting into trouble as a city kid but he can’t picture it. A strong build but careful steps, calloused yet gentle hands. A blank expression but the tiny crows feet etched on his face indicate that he must smile sometimes. He’s a little standoffish, sure, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders.
Figuring that’s the end of the conversation, Jimin pushes off of the counter and heads to the hallway. He stops just short of disappearing and looks over his shoulder at Jeongguk. “I’ll go to sleep now since we have to be up early.”
Jeongguk nods, expression neutral.
Jimin purses his lips, hovering for a second. “Uh, well… goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Jimin,” he offers in return.
Tucking his bottom lip between his teeth, Jimin nods and walks down the hall and into his new room, closing the door behind himself. He slips under the sheets of his bed for the next year and stares up at the ceiling, listening to the hushed sounds of Jeongguk closing up the house for the night and getting ready to turn in.
His heart is racing so hard that it feels ready to jump out of his chest. Jimin presses a hand over it, willing it to calm down.
That was the first time his name passed Jeongguk's lips and it sounded heavenly.
Jimin wakes up the next day because of multiple, firm knocks on his door. He shifts, getting out of bed and wandering over to the bedroom door with a slight stumble. He is rubbing a curled fist at his eyes to will the sleep away when he draws back the door and asks, “Yes?”
Jeongguk is standing on the other side with eyes slightly wider than usual, already dressed in loose cargo pants and a big shirt that’s tucked in. There is an apron thrown overtop of the ensemble that outlines the smallness of his waist in proportion to the rest of him—which is massive. A solid few seconds of them both just staring at each other goes by before Jeongguk finally drops his mouth open and says, “Breakfast.”
“Hm?” Jimin presses, confusion pressing his brows together as the hand that was rubbing at his eyes drops to his side. “You made breakfast?”
“Um, yes,” Jeongguk says eloquently. “When we’re done eatin', we’ll go out to feed the animals.”
Jimin nods, still frowning from being woken up so early. Without another word, Jeongguk walks away, leaving Jimin to stand in the hall and blink at his retreating form.
He makes quick work of getting dressed, trying to find clothes that he won’t mind getting dirty. He goes back and forth in his head for a minute before picking something that he thinks will be comfortable and functional at the same time. When that’s done, he opens a small, decorative box that he brought along and retrieves some of the crushed up herbs inside. He rubs them around on his fingers, coating them in the dust-like material, before reaching up to his neck and watching in the little mirror on a wall in the room as he smears the herbs over his scent gland, dousing it. He does the same to his wrists, effectively smothering his sweet, floral scent, muting it and replacing it with something grassy and neutral. He dries his hands off afterwards and sniffs himself one time, double-checking for a job well done.
Once he has combed through his hair and brushed his teeth, Jimin finds his way to the dining room, dressed in simple jeans and a sweater. He takes a seat just as Jeongguk is dropping off the plates. He thanks him quietly and looks at the food, his mouth watering instantly. Just like last night, it’s homemade and fresh, and smells otherworldly. Jimin has the decency to wait for Jeongguk to sit across from him but, once he does, the omega digs in, savoring each bite.
The meal is quiet but, the entire time, Jeongguk is frowning at him as he eats. It almost looks like he is trying to be subtle about it, but he’s clearly staring at Jimin’s body in disapproval. Feeling self-conscious, Jimin eventually gets tired of the look being thrown his way and squirms in his seat, asking between bites, “What is it?”
Jeongguk’s eyes shoot up to him. “Hm?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jimin asks, laughing awkwardly.
Jeongguk blinks at him for a few more moments before he finally catches up with the question and goes back to frowning at Jimin’s body. “Your sweater'll get snagged like that.”
“What?”
“It’s not good for your clothing to be that loose. It’ll get stuck on something and get ruined.”
“Oh. Okay…” Jimin looks down at himself, then back to Jeongguk. “Should I… find something else to wear?”
“Did you only bring clothes like that?” The alpha asks.
“Like what?"
“Nice ones?”
"Um… I guess so? If this isn’t any good, I’m not sure if anything else I brought would be better. So, I guess I’ll just wear this until—”
“I can give you somethin' of mine.”
Jimin’s mouth gapes. “Sorry?”
Jeongguk doesn’t look at him when he repeats himself. “I’ll find somethin' in my closet for you. I have some shirts and pants that have gotten too small for me over the years. I don’t want your nice clothes to be ruined.”
“You don’t have to—“
“It’s no trouble. I’ll get somethin' for you when we’re done eating.”
Not knowing what else to say, Jimin just goes back to getting another bite of food and mutters, “Thank you…”
Jeongguk, as expected, only nods.
“That’s the pen for the pigs. They get fed first, otherwise they’ll oink while we feed the others because they’re jealous,” Jeongguk explains loudly, pointing to a giant fenced area with mud and grass, with an inside unit for housing during bad weather. He has a massive bucket gripped in his other hand, giving Jimin a tour of the farm. “Over there is the horse stable. After they eat, I’ll introduce you to them. They’re not like the other animals here. They don’t care much for strangers.”
Smiling, Jimin nods and follows along as best as he can, trying to steer clear of touching anything and stepping in mud. His sweater has been replaced by a shirt that falls to his thighs—or, would, except Jeongguk had him trade in his jeans for a pair of worn overalls, so now the shirt is tucked in and carefully out of the way. He might look a little silly in the outfit but he doesn't care. And, for some reason, he also doesn’t mind Jeongguk’s scent. He still can’t place exactly what it reminds him of, but it’s deep and earthy, and nice enough to have Jimin ducking his chin down every so often just so he can sneakily breathe it in.
“And this is where the cows live,” Jeongguk offers as an explanation, despite Jimin clearly staring at a massive field with tons of different colored cows walking around and resting in the grass. The sun is just low enough for it to still be cool outside, so Jimin wraps his arms around himself as they approach, in awe at seeing these kinds of animals up close for the first time.
Jeongguk slows his steps as they approach, setting the bucket down and extending his hand out as an offer to the cows. “Good mornin’.”
One approaches him with a soft 'moo' and Jeongguk places his hand on their head, petting them softly. Jimin beams at the sight, eager to experience the same thing.
“They’re so friendly.”
Jeongguk nods. “They’re sweet creatures.”
Jimin lingers back, smiling at Jeongguk as he quietly greets each cow, petting the ones that seem willing to accept the affection. Some are bigger or move slower, while others look like they’re still learning how to walk. He treats them all with the same level of kindness and, once he has made his rounds, he glances over his shoulder at Jimin and gestures his head in the direction of the cow he is petting. “Come on. Don’t you wanna try petting ‘em?”
Jimin’s eyes glimmer with excitement. “I can?”
For the first time ever, he sees the alpha’s lips turn up on both sides as he nods. “Don’t be shy.”
The omega takes a single, hesitant step forward before he stops, looking between Jeongguk and the cow like he’s waiting for something to happen. The alpha lifts a brow in his direction, still wearing an amused smile that’s far too charming for his own good. “Nervous?”
Jimin's eyes must be big when he nods at the alpha, because Jeongguk laughs. An honest, good-natured laugh. Jimin is so stuck on how pretty the sound is that he doesn’t even realize what’s happening when Jeongguk reaches out, taking Jimin’s hand when the omega offers it, before helping bring him closer to the large, brown cow.
“There you go,” Jeongguk guides in a soft tone, right behind Jimin as he cups his massive, tan hand over the omega’s smaller, pale one, placing it gently down onto the head of the cow. The cow’s ear flicks and Jimin sequels but keeps his hand on the creature. His reaction pulls another smooth laugh from Jeongguk and Jimin is speechless now—probably for multiple reasons.
The alpha helps encourage him to stroke his hand slowly up and down the cow’s fur and, once Jimin starts doing it on his own, Jeongguk pulls back and allows him space to pet the animal alone.
Jimin’s mouth is still parted, a smile gracing his features as he strokes the cow’s fur. When he grins over at the alpha, he finds Jeongguk looking between him and the animal, his own soft smile on display.
“See? Not that hard, is it?”
Shaking his head, Jimin continues petting the animal. “This is amazing.”
Jeongguk hums in agreement, before turning and starting to walk away. “Come on. I promise you’ll get more chances to pet ‘em. For now, it’s feeding them that we’ve gotta get out of the way.”
“Bye, Mr. Cow—Er… Ms. Cow?” Jimin sputters, waving to the animal and jogging to catch up with Jeongguk.
For the next twenty minutes, Jeongguk has Jimin help him fill a massive tub with water, cut away wrapping on a roll of hay that’s taller than both of them, and watch over the cows as they start eating for the day. Once they’re done with that, Jeongguk picks up the bucket again and starts walking away, Jimin trailing behind him as they move over to the chickens, goats, pigs, and horses to feed them as well.
It’s difficult to keep up with everything Jeongguk is explaining, despite the alpha speaking slowly and showing him step-by-step how to do things. Jimin blames it on too much information at once and because of how distracting it is to watch the alpha talk. He’s still on the quieter side but, now that he’s forced to elaborate on things, Jimin is finally getting a taste of how velvety his voice is and how handsome he looks when he talks. Safe to say, the whole thing is not helping him pay attention.
“What’s the bucket for?” Jimin asks once they’re done making their rounds and the sun at it's precipice in the sky.
Jeongguk is walking ahead of him as they go back to the cows in the field furthest from the other animals. He steps carefully, leaving Jimin to wander over to the cows as he crosses the field to a little shed. He pulls the shed open, grabs a small shovel, and then starts walking back to Jimin and the cows. “To collect fertilizer for the plants. We wait for the cows to finish eating, collect, turn it into compost, and use it for the soil in the farm.”
Jimin’s brows pull together. He spots the brown cow he pet earlier and gets closer, eager to pet it again. “Sorry, collect what? Did you say fertilizer?”
The second the words leave his mouth, he takes a steep step and feels something that is definitely not dirt under his feet. His face contorts into disgust when he looks down.
When he glances back up, Jeongguk has a shit-eating grin on his face that he’s doing a poor job of concealing. Visibly holding back laughter, he tilts his head and points to the ground. “That is fertilizer.”
Getting used to working on the farm is difficult.
The first few weeks are the roughest—not only for Jimin, but Jeongguk too. As well as learning to live together, they are having to navigate working together.
And Jimin isn’t the fastest learner when it comes to laborious tasks, especially when the man teaching him looks so sun-kissed and stunning in natural sunlight that it’s ten times harder to pay attention to the words coming out of his mouth. So, Jeongguk has continued to correct Jimin on small mistakes, helping him where he needs to.
The whole thing makes Jimin feel a little useless.
A few days in, Jeongguk left him on his own to feed the chickens while he went to the goats. It took less than five minutes for disaster to strike when Jimin got distracted by passing out the mixed variety of food, and failed to notice that he had left the gate to their enclosure open. In consequence, Jeongguk and Jimin spent the better part of an hour running around the fields, chasing after squawking chickens and bringing the flailing birds back into the pen. After the ordeal was said and done, feathers were everywhere and they were both exhausted.
Jeongguk was silent for most of that day, only looking at Jimin to sigh at him.
Two or so weeks after that, Jimin had mastered the art of giving all of the animals their breakfast and helping to milk the cows and goats with Jeongguk, so the alpha entrusted him with the duty of hosing out and cleaning the horses' stalls. Jimin was doing a decent job in the beginning; taking out all of the hay and using the spray nozzle on the hose to deep clean the inside of the stalls.
That’s when he heard a loud buzzing sound by his head.
With a squeal, the panicked omega ducked and looked around wildly, searching for the source of the noise. After a few seconds, a speck of black flew by his face and he screamed, shifting back and spraying the hose around blindly, trying to kill the vile wasp that was hunting him down.
It was only when he stopped hearing the flapping of villainous wings that he opened his eyes to find Jeongguk standing a few feet away, soaking wet and unimpressed. He had gloves on and his unruly black hair tied back, and was clearly in the middle of tending to the plants whenever he heard Jimin’s loud cry and ran over to help. Instead of being able to do that, though, Jimin sprayed him down with a hose in the middle of his tirade.
Sheepishly, Jimin turned off the nozzle to the hose and laughed nervously. “Ha. Uh, there was a wasp…”
Jeongguk sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, getting it out of his face from where it fell when he was sprayed. In a deep, strained voice, he repeated, “A wasp.”
The only talking done for the rest of that day was from Jimin in the form of repeated apologies, which were all met with head shakes from Jeongguk.
Several days after the wasp incident and many cold shoulders later, Jimin is determined to prove his worth. He knows Jeongguk is waiting to let him get involved in the farming duties. He gives Jimin routine tasks and leaves the more difficult and skill-oriented things to himself. But Jimin wants to show Jeongguk that he wasn’t some useless, pampered city wolf.
So, he stands up in the middle of breakfast a few mornings after the accidental-shower incident and loudly requests, “Please let me collect the fruit from the orchard today.”
Jeongguk, who is startled at the sudden display, relaxes and lifts a brow at Jimin, not moving from his spot at the table. “Why do ya’ wanna do that?”
“I can. I know you always do it, but I’ve watched you do it for a few weeks now and I think I can do it.”
The alpha blinks at him. “I do it just fine on my own.”
Jimin’s shoulders fall and his bottom lip curls into a pout. “Maybe but I’m here, right? So, I should help.”
He waits for a response from the alpha, but Jeongguk just searches his eyes, as if waiting for Jimin to reveal that his request for more work than he’s already doing is a joke. The determination in the omega’s face must give away something though, because Jeongguk finally sighs and goes back to stabbing his fork into another bite of food. “Fine. I’ll let you go just this once, but if it causes any trouble—”
“It won’t!”
Jeongguk silences him with a single look. “If it causes any trouble, you’re sticking to the animals.”
Jimin nods, smiling. “I can accept that. Plus, it’s not like I mind them anyway.”
“Okay,” Jeongguk says slowly. “Now sit. We’ll go after breakfast rounds are done.”
The omega has a hard time staying in his seat with how much his excitement is making him hop around. He's determined to prove himself—for his sake and for Jeongguk's.
The orchard is gorgeous, really.
It’s rows and rows of full-grown, perfectly maintained trees. The fruit they produce is bountiful and colorful, too. It's not quite Spring yet but Paradise Falls isn't freezing, even in Winter, so the plants do well here year-round. Apples, pears, cherries, peaches, plums, and oranges all grow here. Jimin has been staring out at them in awe from his bedroom window since the day he arrived.
Seeing it up close is an entirely different experience.
Jeongguk hands him a giant, woven basket, which Jimin accepts gingerly.
“That’s pretty much it. Go collect all of one variety, bring it back and dump it into the barrels in the barn, and come back out for the next kind. Only grab the—”
“Ripe ones,” Jimin interrupts with an easy-going smile. “I know.”
Jeongguk eyes him skeptically. “When do you know if it’s ripe?”
“If it falls off the stem easily.”
The alpha assesses him for a second longer before nodding in approval. “Okay. Be careful and get finished before the sun gets low. If you need anything, I’ll be in the horses’ stable changin’ out shoes. Got it?”
“Got it.” Jimin nods, still holding the basket.
With that, Jeongguk walks away from the orchard, only looking back with the occasional concerned glance. Jimin stands there the entire time and waits for him to go away, determined to prove himself. Once the alpha is out of sight, the omega turns to the first tree and claps his hands together, releasing a loud breath.
“Okay. I’ve got this. How hard can picking some fruit really be?”
As it turns out, picking fruit is more difficult that people might suspect.
Jimin struggles to reach the higher parts of the trees, not wanting to waste perfectly ripe fruit. He starts out with the apples first and that turns out to be a mistake, because they’re the most stubborn to get off the branches—even if they are ripe. Plus, they're heavy to carry. He scrapes his hands and cuts up his arms from sharp branches. He falls out of several trees and lands flat on his ass in his cock-sure determination to prove a point to that rugged, big alpha. It’s not like Jeongguk has said anything or even shot Jimin a nasty look, but the omega knows he isn’t impressed by his handiwork and, as valedictorian of his graduating class and an attention-seeker since birth, Jimin simply can’t accept someone not telling him that he did a good job.
So, he pushes himself.
He finishes with the apples, ignores the ache in his body and dirt on his pants, and starts dragging the massive basket behind him and through the long, winding orchard. He is tired but confident, and everything is going alright.
Until it’s not.
After several turns and not paying much mind to where he is going, Jimin doesn’t know where he ended up in the orchard and, because of that, has no idea which way it is to get out.
He starts getting nervous when the sun begins dipping into the treeline, indicating that daytime isn’t going to last for much longer.
Really, there’s no telling what does it first. Maybe it’s the fact that Jimin finally accepts that he’s lost, or the fact that his body is sore and all he wants to do is take a bath and sleep, or maybe it’s the knowledge that he failed yet again.
Whatever it is—
He starts crying.
The paths of the orchard blurs and Jimin’s head spins, his chest clenching.
He drops to the ground and chokes down tears, pressing his back against the nearest tree. He holds the basket next to him, the only proof that he put any effort in today, and cries for so long that his face starts to hurt and his head can’t stop spinning.
It’s nearly dark outside when he smells that familiar, earthy scent and hears the scuff of boots on dirt. Jimin is so exhausted that he can hardly pay attention to it, and only registers Jeongguk kneeling right in front of him with a lamp once the alpha is already there.
“J-Jeongguk.” Jimin sniffles at the sight of the handsome alpha’s worried expression. There is a deep line between his brows and a frown on his face.
“Jimin,” he says in a voice so gentle and soothing that Jimin’s bottom lip quivers instantly, the kindness threatening to make him break down all over again. The alpha extends a hand, looking like he might touch Jimin before he holds back at the last second, keeping the distance between them. “Are you alright?”
Slowly, the omega nods. “I-I’m not hurt or anything. I just… I got lost.” He chokes up at the end, warm tears brimming in his eyes. “I’m s-sorry. I let you down again.”
Jeongguk’s expression softens. “Come out from there. Let’s go home.”
Jimin sniffles and gets up from the ground, dragging himself out from the tree while Jeongguk gathers the basket. It’s been a pain to trudge around all day, giving Jimin the worst back ache of his life that only worsened the more he filled it up. Now, Jeongguk picks it up like it’s nothing, passing the lamp off to Jimin for him to hold instead. In near silence, they walk back with Jeongguk leading the way.
By the time they get through the orchard and back to the cabin, the sun has set below the horizon.
Jimin gives the lamp to Jeongguk, who discards it on the counter in favor of looking at the omega standing in the middle of the living room with dirt and sweat covered clothes, and a permanent scowl on his porcelain face. With the light of the house now, Jimin can see the tension in Jeongguk’s shoulders and the slight frown to his lips. He keeps looking at Jimin—not with disappointment, but with anger.
The omega’s eyes, which have hardly had a moment to dry, suddenly grow wet all over again. He blinks the tears away and ducks his head out of view, hiding behind his hair.
“I-I’m sorry. I really wanted to prove that I could help.”
“Why do you keep apologizing?”
Jimin’s gaze shoots up to Jeongguk. The alpha has his hands on the counter separating them and they’re balled into tight fists, nearly white at the knuckles. The line between his brows hasn’t disappeared.
“Because I… I wasn’t able to collect all of the fruit from the orchard? I got lost and you had to come get me.”
Jeongguk sighs, looking away. “None of that matters.”
Now, Jimin is confused. He blinks at the alpha, head tilting. “Of course it matters. I’m here because I’m supposed to learn. You’re teaching me and I just—I feel like I’m not getting better. I’m just getting in your way.”
“What are you talkin' about?” Jeongguk asks in his low, velvety voice. He’s looking at the omega now, his expression slightly bewildered. Today officially marks the first time Jimin has seen that look on his face and it’s nearly as interesting as the day he first smiled at Jimin.
Jimin tugs at the fabric of the overalls he has taken a liking to, anxiously fiddling with a loose string. “I came here to learn from you and I feel like I’m just causing you more trouble. I understand that you’re angry with me…”
Jeongguk stares at him for a moment, then another. It makes a stretch of silence drag between them and causes Jimin to drop his gaze, thinking he overstepped by pointing out what’s been happening.
Then, in an unexpected moment, he hears a laugh.
It’s a full-bodied laugh, even if there is a bitter twinge to the edge of it.
It has Jimin snapping his head up to see the alpha leaning over the counter, face broken out into a smile.
“Angry at you?” Jeongguk repeats, shaking his head at the omega. “I’m not angry at you. And you’re not gettin' in the way.”
Jimin’s brows knit together. “Then… what…?”
“I’m angry at myself, Jimin,” the alpha explains. Jimin’s breathing catches in his throat. “I shoulda’ been out there with you, should’ve walked you through it. Of course you wouldn’t know how to navigate the orchard on the first try. I was bein’ negligent and I apologize for that.”
Jimin opens his mouth, ready to disagree but Jeongguk must sense it because he cuts in first.
“I know you’re more than capable of doin’ things on your own. That’s why I don’t mind teachin’ you. I’ve had some alphas out here—pups, more like. They didn’t listen, didn’t try. They’d argue and bitch with me. Hell, I scraped with them sometimes, even.” Jeongguk shakes his head. “You’re nothin’ like that. You’re honest and you care about things. I can see that you’ve been putin’ your best foot forward. I recognize that and I appreciate it. I’m sorry that it’s taken this long for me to say that, sorry that I made you think you had to go through all this effort.”
A weight drifts off Jimin’s shoulders but it shifts into his heart, burrowing itself inside. It’s not the same heaviness he felt before. It’s different. It almost feels like…
“It’s okay,” Jimin says airily. “I… Thank you—for saying that… but, please, don’t be angry, either. It’s not your fault. I said I could do it on my own, so I should have been able to. It’s not like you could’ve known I’d get lost.”
Jeongguk looks like he wants to disagree—looks like there’s a lot of things he wants to say, actually—but he bites his tongue. Jimin is grateful that he concedes—at least, for now—but, still, it’s not as if he would have minded hearing more of that soothing, southern tone. Of all the weeks he’s been here, that’s the most Jeongguk has said to him in one sitting.
“Okay,” Jeongguk eventually says. He gestures to the hallway. “Now, go and wash up. I’ll make supper for us. I think we’ve earned it.”
That makes Jimin smile. The omega nods and starts walking into the hallway. Just before he disappears around the corner, he ducks his head and finds the alpha starting to pull out ingredients for their meal.
“Jeongguk?” He says softly. When dark eyes fall on him, he adds a shy, “Thank you.”
He’s gone from view before the alpha can respond.
“This might come as a shock, but I’ve never done manual labor before this,” Jimin admits with a smile as the two eat at the dining table later that night. His hair is still damp from his shower but he’s never felt cleaner, even with the fresh herbs he had to put on after the rinse-off to mute his scent.
Jeongguk’s lips turn up on one end. “You don’t say. Wouldn’t’ve guessed.”
Playfully, Jimin kicks his foot under the table. It pulls another honest, pretty laugh from Jeongguk, who looks over at him as he smiles back.
For a moment, Jimin gets lost in the expression the same way he has done every time he’s witnessed Jeongguk smile since he arrived—which is on the rarest of occasions. He really is gorgeous, and his smile is something otherworldly on its own. He’s easily the most attractive person Jimin has ever seen and here he is, living on a farm in the middle of nowhere like some undiscovered gem.
After ogling him for an indecent amount of time, Jimin clears his throat and continues eating. “How old are you, anyway?”
Jeongguk doesn’t even blink. “Thirty-one.”
The omega’s mouth drops open, his eyes big with shock. He must stay silent for too long because Jeongguk finally glances up from his plate, lifting a brow at Jimin’s reaction.
“That shockin’ for some reason?”
“I—No, I just…” Jimin blinks rapidly, shifting the food on his plate to pull himself back into some semblance of normalcy. “You look younger than that, I guess. I knew we must have been a few years apart but… eight years. I just didn’t expect that.”
“You’re… twenty-three?” Jeongguk asks, sounding like he’s checking. Jimin confirms with a small hum and the alpha nods his head once in response, humming as he returns to his food. “Yeah. Same age as most of the others that come out here, then. Youngest alpha I had was a nineteen-year-old about four years ago. Oldest was twenty-six when I was twenty-five. We actually got along well. He still comes to visit now and again.”
Jimin smiles at the thought. “You guys are friends?”
Another nod, as expected. “Name’s Taehyung. He didn’t have anger issues like most of the others. His vice was alcohol. He came out here to get clean and he did a’ hell of a job.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“He’s a good guy,” Jeongguk states. “I’m happy to’ve met him.”
For some reason, hearing the alpha talk about someone else in such a positive light makes Jimin sappy, and he smiles to himself down at his plate, sharing, “I grew up in a city on the other side of the country with my parents. They’re the ones that wanted me to come out here but… I’m happy I did. I get why the program exists. Living in the city always felt suffocating but… I finally feel like I can actually breathe out here.”
“That’ll be the lack of pollution.”
Jimin looks over at Jeongguk, his brows high above his bangs and a smile slowly creeping onto his face. The alpha stares back, expression as neutral as ever, but there’s something underneath it. It has Jimin grinning and bursting out into laughter before he can stop himself.
“Did you just crack a joke? You? Mr. Brooding?” Jimin teases, out of breath.
That is enough to make Jeongguk’s lips pull into a charming smile. He raises a single brow. “Mr. Brooding? Is that what you’ve been callin’ me behind my back?”
Jimin shrugs, giddy. “Only sometimes.”
Jeongguk shakes his head and they both return to eating. For a few minutes, Jimin fears that that’ll be the end of the conversation—that the lightness in the air between them will disappear and they’ll go back to having this invisible barrier between them. But then—
“No one’s born knowin' things.”
Jimin looks at him, taking in the sincere expression on the alpha’s face. Without prompting, Jeongguk continues.
“I didn’t always know how to run a farm that’s several acres wide all on my own. That’s somethin' I learned with years and years of experience. I had my grandma to help me back in the beginning.” Jeongguk throws a glance his way. “I made a lot of the same mistakes you did back then.”
Jimin’s brows rise. “Really?”
Jeongguk nods. “Oh, yeah. Gettin’ lost, lettin’ the chickens out, steppin’ in… fertilizer—”
He’s cut off by Jimin's bell-like laughter as he leans over the side of the table, enjoying the ridiculous memory of him whining at Jeongguk as the farmer hosed off his shoe for nearly a half-hour that day. The look in Jeongguk’s eyes is playful and his smile is mischievous. That’s a good look on him, too, but Jimin is starting to suspect that everything is.
“Now, spraying someone down with a hose in the middle of a life or death battle with a wasp—can’t say I ever made it to that one—”
Jimin gasps and makes an offended noise, throwing a hand towel at the alpha, who catches it easily, chuckling at the omega’s reaction.
The laughter eventually subsides but the gazing at one another doesn’t. Jimin is still softly smiling when he picks up his plate—along with Jeongguk’s, despite the alpha’s noise of disagreement—and takes them into the kitchen to clean.
“So, I’m not doing that bad? Is that what you’re saying?”
Jeongguk stands, offering Jimin another gentle look.
“I’m saying that you’re doin’ great.”
The omega’s cheeks are pink when he looks away, pretending to focus on the sink.
“Yeah, well, I have a good teacher.”
Jeongguk doesn’t say anything but, from the corner of his eye, Jimin catches his shy smile.
Slowly but surely, Jimin improves.
The work on the farm gets easier and, in equal measure, Jeongguk delegates out more tasks for him. Unlike before, he walks Jimin through everything by way of explaining as he does it. The day after Jimin got lost in the orchard, Jeongguk said that he thinks Jimin is a visual learner, so the best way for them to work together is if Jeongguk gives him detailed instruction.
And it works.
By the time Spring has come and nearly gone, Jimin is all-but an expert in his duties. Some mornings, he gets up before Jeongguk does and works outside until the alpha calls him in for breakfast. He feeds the animals and tends to different parts of the farm, and both men divvy out the work in equal measure. It’s efficient and fulfilling work and, honestly, Jimin finds himself enjoying it.
It’s rewarding to see the plants that he tended to grow, exciting to witness young calves get bigger after he bottle fed them for weeks. Some days are harder than others; facing things like the weather, which always seems to be dry and warm now, and dealing with issues that arise like tools breaking on occasion or Jeongguk having to make last-minute runs to town when they need something replenished.
But, all in all, Jimin enjoys it.
Admittedly, though, it’s not the farm that’s his favorite thing about being here and putting in the work.
It’s Jeongguk.
Every time Jimin surprises him or does something particularly well, he’ll nod and look at him, an then say in his smooth, honey-sweet voice, “Good job, Jimin.”
The whole thing makes the omega a little weak in the knees. He’s a sucker for praise and when it’s coming from the most impressive, handsome alpha he’s ever seen—
Well, at that point, he’d do anything to hear it.
Jeongguk, of course, doesn’t know that. He’s just being a good person like usual, handing out praise and carrying on his merry way like it means nothing. He’ll head into the little town nearby every week to deliver the fresh produce grown on the farm and, every time he comes back, he brings something for Jimin; a sweet here, a knick-knack there—a reward for Jimin’s work, not realizing how much the omega’s heart flutters every time he’s handed a new gift. Jeongguk doesn’t know he’s an omega, so he doesn’t see the hidden context in his kindness. If he did know how close to courting it looked like, there’s no world in which he’d be doing it.
He buys new books for himself when he goes into town, too. Jimin notices after the third or fourth time. It makes sense, given the massive bookshelves placed around the home; in the living room and hallway. He knows there are more in Jeongguk’s room, too, but he hasn’t stepped foot in there since it would be impolite.
He’s curious about what the alpha reads. He’s curious about what he thinks throughout the day. Curious, too, about what Jeongguk’s dreams might look like; what he wants for himself, what he desires. He’s just… curious about him.
Of course, Jimin knows himself well enough to recognize that it’s not pure curiosity. No, it’s something more dangerous.
Somewhere in him, a crush is a budding flower, and Jimin feels powerless to let it do anything other than bloom.
So, he doesn’t try very hard to stop himself when he’s gazing at Jeongguk a little too much throughout the day. Almost like it’s second nature, his eyes find the alpha’s and linger, dancing along his features and build, wishing he could be closer.
The wind is wiping one day when Jimin is just outside of the cabin, hanging laundry over a clothesline to dry. He’s working on straightening the sheets whenever he glances up and catches a view of Jeongguk’s bedroom window. Inside, the alpha’s chest is bare and he has a shirt in his hands, flipping it around to the correct side so he can get it on. Jimin’s mouth goes dry at the sight.
He’s all earned muscle and tan skin, a wide back that dips into a slim waist. What catches Jimin’s gaze the most, however, is the entire sleeve of tattoos up on arm. Jeongguk is a fan of long-sleeved shirts during the day to protect himself from sharp blades of grass and any bugs that might show themselves. Jimin is realizing right now how unfortunate that reality is.
Luckily, the view of the window stops at his waist, otherwise Jimin would be curious about whether or not he had pants on. For the sake of his sanity, he assumes the alpha does.
Jeongguk tugs the shirt over his head, giving Jimin an eyeful of rippling and tensed muscle, before hiding it all away again.
He forgets to breathe until Jeongguk turns his way and he gasps sharply, ducking behind a sheet and pretending to adjust it over the clothesline. His cheeks color at his own behavior but he can’t help the deep attraction to the other man that he has. The best he can do is politely pretend it doesn’t exist in Jeongguk’s presence.
So, that’s what he’ll do. For the better part of the next eight months, he’ll pretend he doesn’t have a crush on Jeon Jeongguk.
Simple enough.
“Hey, can I go somewhere if I finish up early today?” Jimin asks a couple afternoons later.
Jeongguk, who is currently in the middle of building a wooden wheelbarrow from scratch so that Jimin has easier transport around the orchard when he harvests, stops sanding down wood and looks over at the omega, a frown to his face that Jimin now knows means he’s confused and a little worried.
“Go where?”
Jimin leans against the open doorway of the shed and points to the other side of the lake in the distance—a place further than he’s gone before. “Just over there. I can see the flower fields from here and I’ve been itching to check them out since I got here.”
Jeongguk leans his body over, staring at where Jimin is pointing like he forgot that area even existed. “Yeah. Alright. Go now, though, before it gets dark.”
“But I still have to—”
“I’ll do it.” Jeongguk waves him off, already standing up from his workbench and putting everything up for the day. “‘M not doin’ anything anyway.”
“Are you sure?”
“Just go. Have fun.”
Jimin bites back a smile, already backing away from the shed. “Okay! I’ll be back soon. Promise.”
Jeongguk nods, an expectant look on his face. Jimin turns away and jogs back to the cabin. He comes out a few minutes later with his satchel and a tiny woven basket—one of the many gifts Jeongguk has brought him from town. He waves to Jeongguk once more and then walks all the way out of the farm and even further—at least two or so miles—before he finally makes it to the flower fields. He’s smiling the entire time, taking in how pretty everything is up close.
Sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, lavender—even some flowers Jimin doesn’t recognize—all reside together here. They cross pollinate and sometimes congregate, creating a rainbow assortment of different breeds. He retrieves his book from his satchel, flipping through pages as he walks, trying to find out what the names are for the types he doesn’t recognize.
He's hand this little hobby since he was a kid. He really likes flowers. He likes learning about them, collecting them, and he enjoys making things with them, too.
When he finds one he wants, he gently plucks it and takes out his empty notebook from the bag, placing it between the pages before closing the book, effectively pressing it into place. For the other ones he wants, he gathers them up in the woven basket, creating a small bouquet of sorts.
He takes notes on ideas for what to create with them while he’s in the field so that he won’t forget, and spends far too much time admiring how pretty each breed is up close. By the time the sun is setting, Jimin is deeply invested and it takes all of his patience to will himself to turn in the direction he came and start walking back through the path he created in the flower field.
Just as the sky turns a deep blue, Jimin’s feet hit the steps of the porch to the cabin and he walks up, hauling through the front door with a massive grin on his face and a basket overflowing with flowers. Jeongguk is working on dinner in the kitchen when Jimin places his basket on the counter and shifts around the alpha, retrieving an old vase and a pair of scissors. Jeongguk watches him from his place at the stove, hair damp from a shower and dressed in only a short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants—an outfit more revealing than anything else he's worn so far.
Jimin tries hard not to stare at his arms while filling the vase with water. Once he deems it full enough, he trims the stems of the flowers and puts them into the vase, moving them around until he's happy with their positioning.
“You were out there for a long time,” Jeongguk says observationally.
“I just couldn’t stop picking them. They’re pretty, aren’t they?”
The alpha looks between Jimin and the flowers he is currently arranging. His gaze goes back to the pan on the stove. “Very pretty.”
Jimin’s eyes go wide and he looks back down at the vase, ignoring how warm his face is. He knows Jeongguk was just talking about the flowers—He knows that. But, still…
“I’ve always liked gathering them. Some, I press into bookmarks. Others, I can turn into flower garlands or put into homemade soap,” Jimin divulges, stepping back to admire the bouquet. Then, he glances back at the alpha, who is working on plating their food. “Useless, maybe, but at least it’s fun.”
Jeongguk’s brows pull together. “If you enjoy doing it, then it’s not useless.”
Without another word, he walks the plates to the table, leaving Jimin to stare at nothing, his heart pounding hard in his chest.
Slowly, he exhales. “Right.”
“Jimin?”
“Hm?”
“Supper’s done.”
“Right,” he says again, blinking and pulling himself from his daze. He puts the flowers on the middle of the dining table and sits down across from Jeongguk, happy that he can still see him even with the bouquet in the way.
Politely, Jeongguk doesn’t point out how weird he was acting and just starts eating, so Jimin does the same. As always, dinner is a quiet event aside from the times that Jimin decides to force the alpha into conversion.
“How come you never go over to the lake?”
Jeongguk shrugs. “Don’t need it for anything except sourcing water to the land.”
“That’s where the plumbing comes from?”
A nod. “Filtered, of course. Grandma used to use water from the well back in the day, but using the lake meant we could use more water. More water means the farm can be better.”
“Hm,” Jimin offers as an eloquent response. “And you did it all yourself?”
“If you know how to do something, you don’t have to hire anyone when somethin’s broken.”
Jimin smiles at that, lowering his face to hide it.
A few minutes go by before he asks, “Can I go to the lake?”
Jeongguk lifts a single, dark brow. “For what?”
“To go swimming.” Jimin shrugs. “It’s starting to get hot outside. Might be nice.”
The alpha studies him for a minute. It lasts long enough for Jimin to squirm in his seat, wondering if it was a stupid question to ask. Eventually, though, Jeongguk answers.
“Alright. I’m goin’ with you, though.”
Jimin’s eyes get big, his pulse jumping at the idea of being mostly undressed and wet in front of the alpha. “O-Okay. Why?”
Jeongguk shakes his head, shifting the food on his plate around to scoop it up. “Big lake. ‘S not safe for you to go alone.”
“I know how to swim,” Jimin defends, narrowing his eyes.
Jeongguk scoffs at that, causing an offended squeak to escape the omega.
“I really do know how!”
“Sweetheart,” Jeongguk starts, leaning an elbow on the table and tilting his head at Jimin, “you look like you weigh about ninety pounds soaking wet.”
Jimin’s mouth drops open.
“You could find a way to drown yourself in a pup pool. I’m comin’ with you.”
Jimin only manages to sputter in response, too distracted by Jeongguk’s casual use of the word ‘sweetheart’ in relation to him to do anything else.
And Jeongguk, for his part, does his best to hide his amused smile.
True to his word, Jeongguk brings them to the lake the following day when they’re done tending to the farm for the morning. They go when the sun is at its highest point. Jimin makes sure to bring towels and a basket with snacks like bread and fruit. The walk to the lake is longer than Jimin anticipates. He thinks they’ll just go down to where it kisses the end of the hill that the cabin sits on, but Jeongguk shakes his head at the omega when he stops there and directs them to carry on.
Jimin’s look of confusion must be obvious because Jeongguk calls back over his shoulder to say, “Too deep there. It’s shallow on the other end.”
Jimin knows the alpha is doing it for his sake but he still teases, “Can’t swim well?”
Jeongguk turns his head, a single brow lifted. There’s something amused and confident about the look in his eyes and it’s enough to make Jimin purse his lips, making him instantly shut up.
When they get to the lake, Jeongguk crouches down and dips a hand into the water to test the temperature while Jimin sets their belongings down on a towel he brought.
follow the sound - the backseat lovers
“Is it cold?” Jimin asks, trying to sound as casual as possible while he takes his shirt off, slipping the fabric off his arms and fiddling with it in front of his body as if trying to untangle it, but really the whole thing is an excuse to be covered for a moment longer. He tosses his shoes off, too, trying not to be self-conscious about the way his body looks right now.
Jeongguk stands from his spot at the edge of the grass, shaking the water off his hand. “It’s warm enough to swim in. Might take a second—”
He stops midway through, coincidentally at the same moment that he turns to face the omega. Jimin carefully avoids meeting his gaze as he sets his shirt aside and works his pants off. His cheeks are warm the entire time he pulls them down his legs, leaving only a small pair of shorts that he brought along in his suitcase. He didn’t think to bring a swimsuit on the trip, so this is the closest thing he has. At least the material is similar.
By the time he has set his loose sweatpants and shirt aside, Jeongguk still hasn’t spoken. So, Jimin looks over at him, standing there in nothing but a tiny pair of shorts. “Might take a second…?”
Jeongguk’s lips are parted, his eyes set firmly to the mountains in the distance, almost like he’s forcing himself to look away. “Um… Uh. It might take a second for the water to feel warm when… when we get in.”
“Right,” Jimin agrees, clearing his throat as he walks closer, observing the water. It’s a deep blue, the small ripples on the top caused by the wind sparkling in the sunlight. “The lake is pretty. It’s a shame you never use it.”
Jeongguk lets out a breath, stepping over to where Jimin discarded his clothes on the towel. Jimin hears the sound of rustling fabric and pointedly doesn’t look over his shoulder. He already knows he’ll be met with the sight of the alpha taking off his clothes and, at that point, he might just drown himself on purpose.
“I use it every day.”
Jimin snorts, shaking his head. “For clean water sourcing. That doesn’t count.”
“Seems like a pretty good use to me,” Jeongguk mutters under his breath.
The omega breaks into a smile, carefully walking forward and placing one foot in the water. It’s cool for a moment, then warm as his body adjusts. Once he sees that it won’t be a problem, Jimin drops his other foot in and slowly ventures further into the water. The feeling of the earth under his feet and water wrapped around him is foreign but welcomed.
“Woah,” he says when he’s up to his waist in the lake. He laughs, waving his hands in the water. “This is so cool.”
“Why’re you actin’ like you’ve never done somethin’ like this before?” Jeongguk asks, voice much closer than Jimin expects.
When the omega glances over his shoulder, the alpha is already in the water up to his thighs, standing there with nothing but black swim trunks that hug his hips—bare chest and sleeve of tattoos on display.
Jimin can’t keep his gaze from shifting down as he tries to talk to the other man. “I haven’t. I mean, I’ve been in a pool before but not something like this.”
Jeongguk hums in understanding, stepping closer when Jimin turns to face him. They stay arm's length away by the time they’re both up to their chests in the water. Jeongguk shifts around Jimin like he might go further, but the omega stays where he is, not wanting to go any deeper. It makes Jeongguk’s lips turn up on one side, a single brow shooting up.
“I thought you were gonna prove what a good swimmer you are.”
“I can do that from here,” Jimin teases, lifting his feet from the ground and floating around, careful to keep his scent gland above the surface. The herbs he meticulously scrubbed in this morning wouldn’t completely come off with a little time in the water, but they’d certainly be less effective, and that’s enough for Jimin to know he probably shouldn't test it.
“Can you?” Jeongguk huffs, clearly amused. “Because it sounds like you’re admitting you’re all talk to me.”
Something competitive flares inside of the omega. He straightens up in the water. “Oh, yeah?”
The alpha smirks playfully, tilting his head to the side and raising a brow. “Yeah.”
Jimin doesn’t hesitate—He just can't help himself. He narrows his eyes and cups his hand over the surface of the water, pushing through it and then tossing it up, effectively splashing the alpha. Jeongguk laughs and blocks most of the impact with his arms, but Jimin gets him good enough to soak his hair.
The omega is already backing away with a squeal, noting the mischievous glimmer in Jeongguk’s eyes as the alpha shifts forward, arms ominously dropping into the water.
“You wanna play? Is that it?”
Jimin bites back a smile, shaking his head. “No.”
“Really now? ‘Cuz it seems like you do,” Jeongguk tells him, slowly but surely gaining on the omega as Jimin tries fruitlessly to swim backwards, struggling to keep his eyes on the alpha so he can gauge his movements. It’s the best strategy but it still makes him move slower than he’d like to.
“Jeongguk,” Jimin says carefully, hands out like he’s trying to coax a cornered animal. “Jeongguk, think about this…”
The alpha chuckles at that, crossing the careful distance between them. “Don’t beg now, sweetheart. You started it.”
Jimin shrieks when he sees big hands reaching out of the water but, before he can turn around in an attempt to avoid the impact, Jeongguk is flinging entire waves of water at him, properly drenching him. He sputters and cries out, laughing and trying to push up the water back at Jeongguk but, compared to the alpha’s non-stop attacks, his attempts are futile.
Outside of his own giggling and playful squeals, he can hear the addictive sound of Jeongguk’s laughter as they splash the water back and forth. At some point, Jimin gets the water into the alpha's eyes and it throws him off just long enough for the omega to reach out and thread his fingers through the curls on top of Jeongguk’s head. With great effort, he shoves the alpha’s head just below the surface of the water, celebrating his victory for a few seconds, until those tanned hands grab his wrists and pull him off, giving Jeongguk an opportunity to lift his head from the water.
With soaked, curly black hair and his tongue prodding the side of his cheek, Jeongguk looks down at Jimin, still holding his wrists, and says in a low, slow voice, “You shouldn’t’ve done that.”
Jimin squeals, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much. He gives Jeongguk his best pleading eyes and attempts to tug his wrists out of the alpha’s hold. “No! No, no. Please, don’t! I’m sorry!”
“Yeah, I bet you are,” Jeongguk mocks, letting go of Jimin’s wrists only to dive down and lock his arms around the omega’s hips, using his upper strength to easily pull the smaller man up and out of the water. He pulls him close into his side just to gather momentum because, a second later, he’s letting go and sending Jimin to fly back into the water.
Jimin gets a screech and quick breath in before he’s submerged in water, waving his hands to steady his body and swim back up to the surface. When he emerges, it’s with a gasp and a laugh. Everything is made better by the sound of more laughter coming from Jeongguk, who is purposefully several feet away from the omega now to keep himself out of range, staring at Jimin with a blinding smile.
“Got it out a’ your system yet?” Jeongguk teases. “Or did you need more?”
“I’m satisfied now,” Jimin promises, eying the alpha skeptically. “And you? Are you going to throw me around again?”
Jeongguk shrugs nonchalantly. “Not unless you earn it.”
Jimin’s mouth parts but no words come out. He glances between the alpha and the rippling water on the lake, trying not to blush. Jeongguk doesn’t even react. His expression remains unaffected and he swims backwards, dropping his head back and enjoying the water. It’s like he doesn’t even understand the double-meaning in his words, and here Jimin is gawking once again.
The omega clears his throat and sways around in the water for a while longer, enjoying the cool breeze that the wind carries in. It’s a striking contrast to the sun beaming down on them. He keeps his neck above the water for the rest of the time, knowing how bad he already pushed his luck despite trying to keep the herbs from washing off while they play-fought.
Once he’s gotten his fill, Jimin is quick to make his way to the edge of the lake and carefully get out, avoiding any incidents with his shorts slipping down because of the sudden shift of weight. If he stays in any longer, his scent will start seeping through the dulled effects of the herbs.
“We leavin’?” Jeongguk calls out from the water, drifting closer.
“I’m satisfied for now.” Jimin pats his shorts, trying to get all of the excess water out as he walks over to where the towels are. He picks one up and wraps it around himself, drying off when he hears water shifting and looks over his shoulder to find the alpha climbing out of the lake. He darts his eyes away because Jeongguk is dripping in water, which somehow only manages to amplify all of his tan muscles. Even when his gaze falls to the nearby flower fields, Jimin can only replay the way the droplets fell over the defined parts of his abdomen.
Jeongguk huffs a laugh at his statement. “For now. Does that mean I’ll be dragged back out here another day?”
Jimin tosses his towel aside and grabs his clothes instead, working them on at the same time that Jeongguk settles next to him, retrieving his own towel. The omega tilts his head, smiling innocently. “Not unless you earn it.”
The words come out just as he picks up his shirt and tosses it over his head. The material is loose and reaches his thighs, covering just below where the shorts stop. He decides against the pants. His shorts are still damp and he only wore the pants over here because he was nervous about being so exposed in front of Jeongguk when his clothing has been mostly modest so far, but the alpha already got an eyeful of the plush, pale skin so it shouldn’t matter anymore.
Shamelessly, Jimin bends over and begins collecting their things while Jeongguk redresses. He does it to tease even though he doubts Jeongguk will catch that he’s trying to flirt, so he doesn’t think much of his action. And he is quickly distracted when he picks up the basket of forgotten snacks and says chipperly, “Oh! Do you want anything to eat, Jeongguk? I forgot that I brought these.”
He turns, opening the basket to show off the strawberries, oranges, and bread that he brought. There’s no response and, when he glances up, he sees the alpha standing there with his tongue in his cheek again and his pants back on, his shirt still clutched in his hand. He’s gripping it so hard that his knuckles are white. His eyes, though—His eyes are what catch Jimin off guard.
They're dark and he’s staring right at Jimin, his gaze falling back and forth from the omega’s bare thighs and his face. His jaw is tense, too, as if he’s frustrated. The omega frowns, head tilting as he tries to make sense of the reaction.
“Jeongguk…?”
“No, thank you,” comes the response. Jeongguk tugs his shirt over his head and hides away his firm chest and slim waist—much to Jimin’s chagrin. Once it’s on, he combs his fingers through his hair to keep the damp strands out of his face. “It’ll be supper time soon, anyway.”
Jimin is so busy admiring him that he hardly notices when Jeongguk takes the stack of towels from him and begins walking away from the lake. He has to shake his head to clear his indecent thoughts, and then jogs to catch up to the alpha, only the basket in his hands now.
“Hardly. It’s still the early afternoon.”
“Explains why I’m not hungry then.”
Jimin pouts. “My treats for us will go to waste.”
The alpha lifts a brow at him. “I don’t see you snacking.”
The pout deepens.
Jeongguk sighs and reaches over, popping open the basket and retrieving an orange. Jimin beams at him and Jeongguk just shakes his head, peeling the outer part of the fruit. Under his breath, he mutters, “Brat.”
And Jimin is in such a good mood that he lets him get away with the little comment.
“Hey, I’m going into the woods for a little while. I’ll be back soon,” Jimin pops his head into the carport to tell the alpha, who has half of his body underneath his truck.
He’s wearing low-rise jeans that are coated at the knees with dirt, and a white tank top because, apparently, summer means Jeongguk adorns less clothing—a fact which Jimin has yet to decide whether or not is a curse.
There’s something with wheels propped up against the alpha’s back and, when he hears Jimin speak, he sighs and uses the wheels on it to roll himself out from under the truck, still resting on his back with one hand gripped on the edge of the truck as he stares over at Jimin.
There are oil marks on his arms and his black hair is mussed. “Where are you goin’?”
“Just… wanted to explore…” Jimin shrugs, trying to feign casualness.
"If you wanted to explore, you could've come to town with me yesterday when I sold those barrels of corn and potatoes."
"Yeah but... I want to explore here, I mean. I've hardly gotten the chance to take a look around," Jimin tells him, lying through his teeth. He's been here for six months—he's had several chances to look around and he's thought about tagging along with Jeongguk to town many times.
Jeongguk’s eyes narrow skeptically. "...Okay."
“Alright.” Jimin taps his hand against one of the wooden posts. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He pushes off the beam of the carport and starts walking away, only to be halted by the sound of Jeongguk’s voice.
“Jimin?”
“Yes?” The omega says, glancing over his shoulder.
“A storm’s comin’ soon,” the alpha warns, nodding to the sky. “Make it a short outing.”
Jimin looks up at the massive clouds looming over them, ones he didn’t notice until just now. A gust of wind surges by and Jimin inhales, smelling the oncoming rain. He offers the alpha a reassuring smile, understanding that he’s serious. “Okay. I’ll be back.”
With one final look, the alpha ducks down and rolls back under the truck, continuing to work on it.
Jimin double-checks that he’s in the clear before heading into the treeline close to the cabin.
He’s not really going to explore. The truth is, he’s found a few days in the couple of months that he’s been here to sneak off into the woods and he’s already familiarized himself with what he needs: Pathos, one of the two ingredients he uses in his crushed herbs to smother his scent. It grows wild in the woods here—if a little rare—and is used to eliminate scents, including his own. Its counterpart in his recipe are peace lilies, which he already has stored in his room from his many outings to the flower fields.
He brought enough of the herbs from his collection back home to cover his scent for at least half the year, and he’s finally ran out. It was when he could smell the lavender and lilac on his sheets this morning that he knew he desperately needed more. All day, he’s been carefully avoiding being more than a few feet from Jeongguk out of fear that the alpha would pick up on his scent. So, that’s why the moment he was done with his rounds for the day, he asked to head into the woods.
Now, he’s walking a strict path, searching for where he saw them the last time he ventured this way.
“Was it over here?” He mutters to himself, straying further and shifting his walk to the left, wondering if he got it wrong the first time.
Minutes later, he’s confused and frustrated, aimlessly wandering and second-guessing himself, doubling back when he thinks he went too far. With each passing moment, the clouds in the sky get darker and Jimin grows more worried that he won’t find it in time.
Having the herbs isn’t just something to muffle his scent. He’s been taking them for months now, so what if he stops taking them? His omega will probably grow tireless and his scent will be all over the place—completely out of control. It could even send him into heat early. Only a few weeks ago, Jimin lied to Jeongguk and told him his "rut" was coming and holed himself up in his bedroom with his scent-block and tons of snacks. He'll be pissed if he has to go through another week of nothing but coming on his own fingers while he shoves his face into a shirt he stole from Jeongguk's laundry, trying hard to muffle his moans. The alpha, thankfully, only cleared his throat and looked away when the omega told him, and respectfully didn't try to knock once during that week.
Just the peace lilies and avoiding Jeongguk won’t solve anything. He needs those pathos. He never bothered collecting them before because he knew he had plenty in stock, but now he's waited too long. This morning he used what he had left and it was hardly anything compared to what he normally puts on.
“Damn it,” Jimin swears when he hears a loud rumble of thunder, the noise so intense that it shakes the very earth beneath his feet. He looks up at the sky, dreading how dark it already is. The wind blows by and he knows that, within minutes, it’ll start raining.
He makes quick work of jogging through the woods, searching at the base of trees and in patches of bushes, desperately looking out for any signs of pathos.
When the next loud crack of thunder breaks through the sky and the pitter patter of rain droplets hit the ground, he finally spots it.
Jimin darts over, kneeling on the dirt and carefully collecting the patch of greenery from around the base of a great oak. He stuffs as much as he can into the basket he brought—the same one he’s been using to collect flowers—and squeaks when the rain starts pouring down from the sky, soaking him instantaneously.
He rises to his feet and runs back the way he came, holding his hand over his head in a poor attempt to prevent the downpour from getting on him. The sound of the rain and thunder is nearly deafening but, in the distance, he swears he can hear something.
It’s only when he is a little closer that the noise becomes clear.
It’s Jeongguk. And he’s calling out for Jimin.
“Jeongguk!” The omega calls back, panicked and directionless.
“Jimin?” Comes the response. The omega runs closer to where he thinks the noise is coming from, dodging low hanging branches and trying to find the source of the voice.
Then, his foot snags on an exposed root and he hits the ground. A sharp pain flares at his ankle and shoots up, and the omega cries out, dropping the basket in favor of curling in on himself and clutching his ankle, feeling a sting at the slightest brush of his fingertips.
“Jimin!”
Jimin blinks rain out of his eyes and, a second later, sees a broad figure appear between the trees. Relief floods him. “Jeongguk…”
The alpha doesn’t hesitate.
He drops to his knees—soaking his pants in mud—and scoops the omega into his arms, taking the basket with him. His arms carefully hold Jimin under his neck and knees, and he pulls the omega’s body as close into his as he can, leaning over Jimin like he’s trying to block him from the rain. In the midst of his efforts, Jeongguk gets drenched; black hair falling from its topknot and into his face, his white tank top transparent and sticking to his skin.
“Jeongguk…” Jimin mutters, voice pained. He wraps his arms around the alpha’s neck and shoves his face into his chest, not thinking about anything except for how relieved he is.
“It’s alright. I’ve got you,” Jeongguk mutters close to his ear. He pulls the omega impossibly closer. “Are you hurt?”
Jimin nods. “Twisted my ankle.”
He hears the alpha’s rumble of displeasure. It’s the same noise Jeongguk makes when one of the plants in the crop field dies, or when one of the animals gets a cold and he starts worrying about them. Jimin’s cheeks color at the sound being used in relation to him.
The house isn’t far off after Jeongguk finds him. Easily, the alpha navigates them back to the open field and up the hill, bringing them to the cabin where he gets the door open despite Jimin and a basket in his arms. Once they’re shielded from the rain, Jeongguk is quick to set the basket somewhere on a counter and walk the omega to the living room. Jimin mutters his insistence about how he can walk by himself but, when he tries to get down, Jeongguk huffs at his belligerence and the omega goes still, deciding it best to just listen for now.
He’s slowly laid down on the couch and Jeongguk grabs a pillow, looking at him. In a gruff voice, he asks, “Which ankle?”
“Right one.” Jimin winces as he tries to shift the ankle up to make room for the pillow. It’s not quite that swollen yet, but he’s certain it’s only a matter of time.
Jeongguk stops him with a firm but steady hand on his calf. He guides the omega’s foot down onto the pillow, propping it up and adjusting it until it’s comfortable. Then, he quickly walks out of the room and retrieves a towel, handing it off to Jimin, who insists he doesn’t need it since he’s already gotten the couch wet.
“You’re shivering,” Jeongguk points out, still holding out the towel.
The omega looks down at his own body, realizing that he is, in fact, shivering non-stop. He gingerly accepts the towel, throwing it over his body and attempting to dry most damp parts of his clothes.
Jeongguk goes over to the fireplace, throws some logs in and starts a small but warm fire that aids in Jimin’s temperature soon climbing back up.
The rain continues its descent outside, droplets knocking hard and persistent against the roof, and thunder roaring every few minutes. The pair stay inside, drying off and trying to get warm. After resting his ankle for a little while, Jimin is guided to stand by Jeongguk, who walks him into his bedroom and tells him to change while he disappears down the hall to do the same.
Once they’re both in dry clothes, Jimin assumes he will stay in his room, but Jeongguk knocks again and—very unnecessarily—picks Jimin up again, returning the omega to the couch which he has dried off for him. The alpha wraps a blanket around Jimin and gets some warm tea for him, watching him carefully for any signs of distress. Once the tea is gone and the fire is properly stoked, Jeongguk sits on the couch beside the omega and, without speaking, pulls Jimin into his side, tucking him under his arm.
Jimin goes still, his cheeks crimson despite the chill continuing to course through his body. He doesn’t draw back, though, and instead shifts closer and grips Jeongguk’s shirt, putting his nose into the alpha’s chest. It makes sense for Jeongguk to keep him close—alphas run hot. But that doesn’t mean Jimin doesn’t take advantage of the moment by soaking up every inch of the alpha’s scent and warmth while he can.
They sit there quietly while the rain carries on, warming up by the fire and staying flush against each other.
Jimin, exhausted from the day and ridiculously comfortable, grows sleepy.
In his haze, a realization comes.
Jeongguk’s scent is reminiscent of the distinct smell outside right now; the pleasant scent that accompanies the first rain to fall on dry soil.
“You smell like petrichor,” Jimin mutters.
Jeongguk stiffens. Then, a second later, relaxes. The alpha hums and the sound comes out as a low rumble, almost pleased.
“Yeah.”
And, just like that, the omega falls asleep.
Grogginess is the first thing Jimin’s brain acknowledges when he wakes up. He groans and blinks his eyes open, sore all over but, otherwise, well-rested. He’s warm, too—uncharacteristically so. When his vision adjusts, he’s met with darkness. It would be difficult to make out where he was if not for the low moonlight bleeding into the room from the window, offered up by the drawn-back curtains.
He’s still on the couch, he realizes—except it’s nighttime now and the rain has pitched down to a calm drizzle. When he sits up, a thick blanket slips off his chest and forms a messy pile on his lap. Blinking away the sleep, Jimin glances around the room and calls out in a gruff tone, “Jeongguk?”
The alpha is nowhere in sight. Remnants of his scent linger, but he’s not in the living room.
Jimin inhales deeply, gathering his bearings and replaying how tightly Jeongguk was holding him in his arms a few hours ago over and over until the memory is engrained.
Shakily, the omega rises to his feet, taking the blanket with him since—now that the fire is put out—it is considerably colder in the cabin. The beginnings of summer are upon them but it’s not so far in that the night stops being chilly yet.
He plans on just going into his room—assuming the alpha went off to bed without him—but then Jimin sees movement from the corner of his eye. When he looks over, he catches a figure standing on the porch, leaning against the wooden railing.
His brows knit together. “Jeongguk?”
Obviously, the alpha can’t hear him, so Jimin wanders to the front door instead, pulling it open with a soft click. He steps out, slowly approaching the alpha.
“Jeongguk?”
He’s dressed in his sweatpants and shirt from earlier whenever he cleaned up after helping Jimin back to the house. He doesn’t turn around when the omega calls his name—doesn’t even move.
Figuring he might be tired or that something may be wrong, Jimin purses his lips and leans against the railing beside him, looking up at the alpha. The night air is cool and low, and the moonlight casts a pretty blue haze over his handsome features. The expression on his face is unreadable.
A breeze drifts by and Jimin inhales, picking up on notes of Jeongguk’s scent like always; earthy, deep, wonderful.
But then… he picks up on another scent, too.
And it’s not Jeongguk’s.
Floral. Lavender. Strong.
Suddenly, it’s all Jimin can smell.
His eyes get big and his breath catches. His fingers tighten until they’re knuckle-white on the railing as fear and dread petrify him.
It's his scent.
“Jeongguk… I—”
“I knew I wasn’t goin’ crazy.”
Jimin blinks at him, still panicking internally. “What?”
When Jeongguk shifts, the omega finally sees how tense his jaw is. “I thought a few times before that you didn’t act like other alphas your age that come from the city. Usually, when they come to me, their wolves are trying to control them and they’re not able to get a reign on them quite yet. They’re driven by instinct, emotion, anger.” Jeongguk shakes his head. “But not you.”
Jimin hears how betrayed he sounds when he says it and is quick to try and jump in, not able to handle the infliction in the alpha’s words, the hints of hurt visible on his face.
“Jeongguk, please let me explain—”
“You’ve had months to explain, Jimin,” Jeongguk counters, finally turning to look at the omega. His usually gentle dark eyes have hardened and it’s almost enough to make Jimin wish he didn’t look over after all. Jeongguk’s jaw locks and he keeps his words level when he asks, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
That… shocks Jimin a little.
He expected the first words out of his mouth to be “Get out of here” or some more southern, polite version of “Go fuck yourself”. What he didn’t expect was for him to seem more frustrated that Jimin didn’t trust him enough to tell him—over the simple fact that he lied at all.
“I—I couldn’t tell you,” he insists, looking at the alpha and hoping that Jeongguk sees how earnest he is. “I knew you wouldn’t have taken an omega in—”
“No,” Jeongguk says, “I wouldn’t’ve.”
“So, there you go,” Jimin exasperates, holding his hands in front of himself as he races to catch up to his sudden reality. “I don’t know what to say, Jeongguk. I mean, there’s no excuse, but—”
“There’s not, no, and I don’t really wanna hear your attempt at one,” the alpha states bluntly, giving Jimin the most scorned expression the omega has ever seen. In that moment, there’s more distance between them than when they first met. Jimin crumbles under the weight of his stare. “I drove off the property a lil’ while ago and saw where the road ahead is blocked off by debris that fell in the storm. It’ll take me a few days to clear it all but, the second I do, we’re sendin’ a letter to town for your parents to let them know you’re goin’ back early. Did they know about you doin’ this?”
The omega’s head drops and his eyes close as frustrated tears well up behind his eyelids. “They knew I was coming here but… they didn’t know the program was only for alphas, no.”
“So, we’ll make them aware of the situation and, once they respond, you’re gettin’ put on the first bus back to where you came from,” Jeongguk tells him decidedly.
Pain squeezes like a vice around Jimin’s heart and the omega raises his head, not caring about the tears falling when he pleads, “Jeongguk, please, I’ve already been here for months. There’s been no issue so far—”
“I don’t think you understand, sweetheart,” Jeongguk cuts him off, eyebrows lifting as he gestures between the two of them, “this is an issue. A big one.”
“Why, though?” Jimin asks, desperate to get him to understand. “I know I lied. I shouldn’t have done that—I know. But I wanted to come here and it has been helping me. Jeongguk, please, you have to know that—”
The alpha shakes his head, stepping back. “No. We can’t solve this with an apology, Jimin. I don’t know how you’ve been doin’ it, but you’ve been covering your scent for months. You’ve been lyin’ to me for months. It’s done.”
Jimin’s voice gets shaky. “Jeongguk…”
The alpha’s jaw works. He looks off to the side, still shaking his head. His scent is distressed and pained in the same way that Jimin’s is. The omega is begging to be heard and the alpha looks like he’s resisting as best as he can. Somehow, that hurts even more.
In a quiet, level voice, Jeongguk says, “Go inside.”
The demand hits Jimin. He takes a wobbly step back, blanket slipping further down his arms. Pain shoots through his chest. He narrows his eyes at the alpha. “I’m not some pup.”
Jeongguk scoffs and, all at once, Jimin’s despair turns to anger. He stalks closer, getting right in front of the alpha. “I’m not a fucking pup, Jeongguk. You're talking about telling my parents like I'm not an adult who's fully capable of making my own decisions, and now you're waving me away like I'm a child and I'm not. Don’t talk to me like that.”
With his tongue pressed into his cheek, Jeongguk finally looks down at him, his gaze holding Jimin in place. Several seconds pass and, finally, the alpha sighs through his nose. Still tense, he agrees, “No. You’re not. I apologize. Please, just go inside.”
“I’m not done talking about this.”
“Well, I am," he warns through gritted teeth.
“Jeongguk—”
“I’m not fuckin’ immune, Jimin.” The alpha takes a broad step forward out of nowhere, making Jimin gasp and stutter back. His back presses into the wooden railing just as one of Jeongguk’s hands closes in, gripping tight on the very same railing. He searches Jimin’s eyes. “Your scent’s been smothered for months and it’s as ripe as it’s ever been right now. On top of that, both of us are worked up and our pheromones are too strong for each other. For both of our sakes, please, go the fuck inside.”
All of the air leaves Jimin’s lungs. He stands there with the wind whipping by them, staring up at the most attractive man he’s ever met, his spirit crushed and his heart racing. He notes the mix of desperation and barely-contained hunger in Jeongguk’s eyes, understands how serious he’s being, and finally chooses to relent. His shoulders drop.
“...Okay. I’ll… I’ll go.”
Jeongguk’s sigh is one of relief. The alpha lowers his head and leans to the side, allowing Jimin to slip by him.
Slowly, the omega walks to the front door. When his hand meets the cool handle, the tears finally start falling again. They trail down his face, hot and thick, and he sniffs when he pulls the door open. Just before he steps inside, he glances over his shoulder. Jeongguk’s back is facing him and the alpha’s shoulders are tense, his hands grabbing the railing so tightly that Jimin is shocked he doesn’t break it.
Jimin’s lip wobbles. “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
The wind pushes a fresh breeze their way and, as the door closes behind him, Jimin just barely catches the anguish in Jeongguk’s scent, and the smell of it is easily the most heartbreaking thing he’s ever experienced.
The morning after, Jimin holes himself up in his room.
He refuses to leave. He ignores Jeongguk’s tentative knock on his door and the muffled mutter that breakfast is ready. He ignores his duties on the farm and leaves the work for the alpha to do. Rolling around in his bedsheets, guilt gnaws at him the entire time, but he refuses to give in and go help. Part of him thinks that Jeongguk deserves to do the extra work for being so stubborn. He’ll be doing all the work on his own again when I leave, Jimin thinks to himself, and isn’t that what he wanted?
Still, his heart aches over it all and he spends most of his morning crying and pitying himself. He thinks about how much he’ll miss the animals, and about how much he’ll miss the sights on the property. Most of all, though, he knows he’ll miss Jeongguk.
And that hurts so much worse than anything else could.
It felt like something was finally unfurling between them, like they were getting closer—just for the rug to be ripped out from under him. Worst of all? He knows it’s his fault. He left his parents’ home in a city far away with his suitcase and the box of herbs, knowing full-well that the program his parents received the flyer for was only for alphas after less than five minutes of online sleuthing. Of course, neither of them cared enough to look into it. As long as he left, they were happy. In turn, Jimin was ecstatic to get away from their constant ridicule and disappointment—so much so that he’d do almost anything, including lie about his subgender and take off to the middle of nowhere to stay at some random alpha’s cabin. Stupid? Yes, but that clearly didn’t stop him.
And he ended up here; crying in bed and feeling sorry for himself despite his actions.
Jimin groans, rubbing at his eyes while trying desperately to get a hold of himself.
The entire room smells like lavender now—tinted with an omega’s distress.
Finally having had enough of it, Jimin sighs and struggles to untangle from his sheets. He gets dressed in simple clothing and steps into the bathroom to tend to himself. He knows Jeongguk is probably on the other side of the property laboring away, so he makes quick work of slipping on his shoes and satchel, and exits the cabin through the side door. He heads off in the direction of the flower fields, refusing to look over his shoulder to see if Jeongguk is nearby.
He keeps his chin high and breathes in the fresh air, already feeling lightyears better than he has all day.
Jimin stays out there until the sun is low. He writes in his journal for a while and presses the prettiest flowers he finds into his book. When he tires of doing that, he lays back in the field and closes his eyes, listening to the birds sing in the distance and the delicate sound of the stems of flowers swaying with the wind.
Before he knows it, he’s falling asleep.
When he wakes up, it’s a lot darker than when he arrived and the sun is nearly gone from the horizon. He shoots up, disoriented and half-aware. Suddenly, big, calloused hands are on him, holding him steady at his shoulder and back.
“Woah, woah,” Jeongguk’s voice comes, deep and gentle. “It’s okay. You’re alright. I think you fell asleep.”
Jimin is quick to stand and shove his way past the alpha, irate in an instant. “And you what? Came to get me?”
He can hear Jeongguk walking back towards the house with him, but the alpha stays several feet back in an attempt to maintain the boundary that's been placed.
“Yeah, ‘course I did. Can’t have you sleepin’ out here. ‘S not safe.”
Jimin scoffs. “Didn’t realize you cared about me.”
It’s a low blow, he knows. His face twists up the moment the words leave his mouth. It’s petty and uncalled for. There he was preaching to the alpha just a day ago that he's an adult, and now he's acting childishly. He wants to take it back but it’s already done.
A split second later, there’s a hand on Jimin’s wrist and he’s being spun around to face the alpha. Stubbornly, he tries to tug out of the hold but Jeongguk is having none of it. He lifts Jimin’s arm higher in the air and pulls the omega closer, looking down at him.
Jeongguk’s next confession comes out soft and honest.
“Yes, Jimin, I do. Despite what you might think right now, I care about you. A lot.”
The omega swallows hard, trying to shovel down the emotion swelling in him all over again. It’s hard to contain the shakiness in his voice when he asks pitifully, “Then why can’t I stay?”
Jimin’s arm tires and slips down. Jeongguk loosens the grip until his hand is cupping the omega’s hand instead of his wrist. He tilts his head, insisting quietly, “You know why.”
“I don’t,” Jimin fusses. “You know why? Because you haven’t told me anything! You won’t explain to me why my being an omega is so bad. I get it. I lied—I know I shouldn't have, but we work well together, Jeongguk. And I was beginning to think you liked having me around…”
His voice trails off at the end, the last sentence hitting a little too close to his true feelings. Jeongguk flinches, looking away. The sky framing him is varying shades of red and orange, and Jimin distantly notes how unfair it is that he looks handsome even in moments like this. “That’s not the point."
Jimin tries to yank his hand out of the alpha’s hold again and, this time, Jeongguk lets him go. He shakes his head. “Then, enlighten me, what is the point?”
He sees the alpha’s jaw work. “It’s not appropriate.”
That makes the omega snort. “This isn’t the goddamn eighteenth century. Who gives a shit if an omega and alpha live together when they’re unmated? It happens all the time.”
Jeongguk looks over at him again, his eyebrows raised. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you, you know. I never realized. You were so polite when you first got here.”
“Yeah, well, not anymore.” Jimin takes a daring step closer. “Maybe I’m just trying my best to act more like the unruly alpha you’d clearly prefer I was.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then, tell me what the truth is, Jeongguk.”
“Damn it, Jimin.” The alpha turns away, one hand on his waist while the other threads through his own hair, tugging.
intro (end of the world) - ariana grande
The omega doesn’t let him get away with it. He shifts around, making Jeongguk face him with a hand pressed against the man's broad shoulder. He glares up at him, a spitfire. “Tell me.”
Jeongguk’s eyes narrow in return. “There’s nothin’ to tell.”
“Bullshit.”
“For fucks’ sake, Jimin—”
“No, because you’re lying,” the omega cuts in. He grips the fabric of Jeongguk’s loose shirt, getting the alpha’s attention and making him look at him as he carries on, projecting and deflecting. “I don’t know if it’s to me or yourself, but you’re lying. I bet there’s not even a reason. Maybe you’ve just wanted to get rid of me this whole time and finally have a good enough excuse—”
A rumbling sound comes from deep in Jeongguk’s chest, like the beginning of a growl. A moment later, there is a hand cupping the nape of Jimin’s neck and pulling him in while Jeongguk’s other arm snakes around the omega’s waist and steadies him. Jimin hardly has a moment to suck in a breath before lips are pressed hard against his own.
All at once, he melts and his eyes slip closed. He goes lax in Jeongguk’s arms and allows himself to be kissed. Jeongguk’s lips are soft and warm. and he moves with a practiced precision; tilting his head to deepen the kiss and working his mouth slow and steady against Jimin’s. He takes the omega apart, kissing him like he’s been dying to do it the entire time.
Jeongguk tastes like the mint he grows on the farm. Jimin’s seen him walking around before with a leaf of it between his teeth, absently rolling the plant against his lips as he does chores outside. He has always imagined how it would taste on his lips, but it's even better than anything he ever pictured.
Jimin starts kissing back with everything he has. He pours all of the want and desperation he has felt for Jeongguk into the kiss, and mixes it with his longing and his frustration. He kisses hard and parts his lips, sucking on the alpha’s bottom lip long enough to make Jeongguk groan before he takes it between his teeth and draws back slowly, tugging on it. Jeongguk dives down, seeming to chase his mouth. He catches Jimin’s lips against his own again and hums into the kiss, his grip on the omega tightening. They're so close that their bodies are flush together and, yet, it still feels too far.
It’s not Jimin’s first kiss. He’s shared secret moments with an omega under the bleachers at school, pecked a beta or two at a bar before.
It’s not his first kiss but it’s by far the best one he’s ever experienced.
For months he has imagined this very thing. The mint taste, the rainy scent, the warmth of his body—all of it puts anything Jimin fantasized about to shame.
They remain like that for a long time; kissing each other thoroughly, exploring and indulging. When Jeongguk does finally pull away, it feels too soon. Jimin follows after his mouth but Jeongguk draws back further, insisting that they look at one another. So, with hooded-eyes, Jimin does.
He thinks that this might be the turning point. Jeongguk has changed his mind. His scent certainly screams 'pleased' after their kiss, and Jimin’s not so dense that he can’t feel the shift in the tension between them.
Then, the alpha speaks. His voice is low, his words quiet.
“I don’t want you to leave,” he promises, searching Jimin’s eyes. “I’ve never wanted you to leave. But you can’t stay.”
Jimin flinches as he physically feels his heart rip into two.
He wobbles back, straying away from the comfort of Jeongguk's arms. The alpha lets him go because he must know how delicate Jimin is right now—how delicate everything between them is right now. Hot and thick tears brim in the omega’s eyes. He rapidly fights to blink them away but the tightness in his throat makes it hard to focus on much else.
“Jimin—” the alpha tries to start saying but Jimin shakes his head, beginning to walk away.
“No. I get it,” he tells Jeongguk, voice cracking. “I’ll leave.”
Without another word exchanged, he continues exiting the flower field. Jeongguk doesn’t walk with him this time. The alpha remains where he is, watching him as the sun sets in the distance.
Jimin wonders if the sun knows it’s setting on his final shred of hope, too.
Jimin is trying to convince himself that he’s fine and he's failing terribly.
The two men hardly speak—something done in equal measure by both of them. Outside of delegating duties and the usual call for meal breaks, they don’t interact. Jimin avoids passing Jeongguk in the narrow hallway between their rooms, pretends not to see Jeongguk from the corner of his eye when they’re both working across the field from one another, and all-around attempts to forget about his existence. It is, however, an impossible feat. No matter what he does, Jeongguk seems to invade his every thought.
The entire cabin smells like the alpha—despite Jimin’s scent naturally marking onto things now that it’s exposed and there’s no point in covering it. He still has to sit across from the alpha at breakfast and dinner, and constantly crosses paths with him when they’re working on their own tasks outside. And, painfully, Jeongguk keeps looking at him.
It’s not the sort of look Jimin wishes it was; longing, hopeful, regretful.
No, he looks at Jimin like he’s concerned the omega is going to fall apart at any second, and that’s only serving to further piss Jimin off.
He’s fine, and it frustrates him that Jeongguk is ignoring just how fine he is and looking at him from across the room all the time like the omega is some lost puppy.
Each passing day, Jeongguk takes an hour or two out to travel down to the road, where he works on picking up debris and sawing apart large branches that fell. Piece by piece, the wake of the storm is reduced to a memory and, the moment that that’s all it is, Jimin’s time in Paradise Falls with Jeongguk will become the same thing; nothing but a memory.
And that’s fine.
He’s fine.
Fine in the way that he’s sort of felt numb since their kiss. Fine in the way that it hurts every time he smells petrichor, or notices the alpha looking at him. Fine in the way that he feels like a piece of his heart is being carved out each time he thinks about leaving. Fine in the way that he worries he’ll never feel as alive as he felt the moment their lips touched that evening in the flower fields.
So, again—He’s fine.
They’re not talking and he’s leaving and it’s all… fine.
He fills his days by tending to the animals, pulling away weeds that are growing in the garden, and by working on crafting little things from the flowers he continues to collect. Using some ingredients from within the cabin and gardenias that he pressed, Jimin makes a few fresh bars of homemade soap, and smiles to himself when he uses one of them during his bath that night. On a windy afternoon on another day, he creates a few differently designed bookmarks and, on another evening, he even tries his hand at wreath-making. The second project takes some effort but, after several tries and abandoned stems and petals on his desk, he eventually perfects it on the fourth attempt.
Indulging in his hobby assists in curing the numbness stewing within him, but nothing ever makes it disappear completely.
To make matters worse, Jeongguk seems to be carrying on with life as usual.
He still wakes up early and cooks for the two of them before heading outside to work for the day. He speaks in his usual soft, low drawl to Jimin. If Jimin thought he didn’t speak much in the beginning, though—Jeongguk really keeps the words exchanged to a minimum now. It’s getting to the point where Jimin is craving to hear his voice after a length of time without it—a desire he consistently scolds himself for. And nothing he does seems to seize the rapid thumping of his heart when he hears Jeongguk’s footsteps around the cabin, or sees him with a tank top on as he works on grooming the animals. His brain understands that he’s upset with Jeongguk, but his heart seems to have missed the memo.
So, he’s convincing himself that he’s fine and, again, he’s failing.
Two weeks after the storm, as the sun is setting, Jimin is propped up on his bed reading whenever there's a knock at his door.
“Supper’s done,” comes Jeongguk’s usual line, gentle and quick. He doesn’t wait for a response from Jimin before walking away, because he knows that one isn’t coming. If Jimin is anything, it’s, unfortunately, stubborn to a fault.
So, the omega waits until he stops hearing the sound of retreating footsteps before he finally gets off the mattress and steps out of the bedroom. When he gets to the main area of the cabin, he sees Jeongguk with damp hair fresh from the shower moving around the kitchen. He’s dressed in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, and he's gathering their plates for dinner.
Just as Jimin pulls his chair out and sits, Jeongguk places the dishes down and pushes Jimin’s glass of water closer to him. The omega’s lips form a small pout at the sight in front of him, feeling bitter over how thoughtful Jeongguk is always being—despite them being in what is, essentially, a fight. So, he offers a quiet but genuine, “Thank you,” before beginning to eat his food.
He expects dinner to be as it has been since the night of their kiss; tense and silent aside from the scraping of metal on glass. So, safe to say, he’s shocked into a stupor when, five minutes into the meal, Jeongguk’s voice comes—deep and hesitant—from the other side of the table.
“I, uh, finished clearing the road today. There’s still a few things out there but nothin’ that can’t be driven through.”
The silence that follows the statement is deafening.
Jimin chews slowly, swallows, and then finally says, “...Okay.”
“I already wrote the letter to let your folks know. I’ll head out to town tomorrow to drop it off."
“Can I come with you?”
The alpha glances up and dark eyes catch Jimin’s gaze. “You want to?”
In response, the omega shrugs, picking at his food. “Why not?”
“You never wanted to before. Always kept your nose in a book or worked on your floral crafting. Now you wanna come?”
Floral crafting, he calls it. Jimin’s heart skips a beat in an annoyingly familiar way. His parents always used to call it a waste of time and energy, and here Jeongguk is referring to it like it’s something formal—something with value.
“Are you trying to say that I can’t come?”
“No,” the alpha responds easily. He looks back to his plate. “You can. Just didn’t think you’d want to.”
“I always wanted to visit the town eventually,” Jimin confesses. Then, a little quieter, he adds, “I just assumed I’d have more time to do it.”
Another long beat of silence passes between them. They both finish eating and, the moment Jimin stands and takes their plates to clean them at the sink, Jeongguk gets up too and finally breaks the quiet atmosphere by adding, “We’ll leave after first rounds in the morning and be back by the time for second rounds. Does that sound good?”
“That’s fine.” Jimin focuses his attention on scrubbing everything off the glass plates and, in doing so, veers his attention away from the aching pain in his chest.
“And, um… since we’ll already be out there,” Jeongguk starts, peaking the omega’s attention and getting Jimin to glance over his shoulder at him. The alpha has both hands on the opposite counter and is looking at Jimin with an unreadable expression on his face, “maybe we can do some sightseeing. I can show you around town since, like I said, we’ll already… be out.”
And the thought does, admittedly, make excitement stir within Jimin. He already had days where he was a little restless on the farm but it was manageable and fleeting—but that was when Jeongguk and him were talking and on good terms. Now? He’s just about gone insane these last few weeks and he’s desperate for a change of scenery, desperate to speak to someone without having the ridiculous compulsion to stare at their lips because he wants to kiss them and can’t. He can’t think of anything greater than distracting himself in a new town, even if it is a small place.
His eagerness is evident in the sweetening of his floral scent and the way he rolls on his heels, saying, “Okay. Yeah, we can… do that.”
Jeongguk’s eyes widen just a smidge—enough for Jimin to know that the alpha has picked up on his pheromones. Despite seeing his reaction, it still comes as a shock when Jeongguk breaks into a smile and nods, backing off of the counter with a casual and light, “Alright, then. Get some sleep for tomorrow.”
“O-Okay. Goodnight,” Jimin awkwardly stutters, too distracted by the sight of that blindingly charming smile—something he hasn’t caught a glimpse of since before their kiss, something his pulse jumps at the sight of now.
When Jeongguk disappears around the corner and into the hall to get ready for bed, Jimin sighs and slumps over the sink, blinking a few times in a row.
Just like that, Jeongguk has gotten him to speak more to him in a single night than he has in the last two weeks. And, just like that, Jimin is wrapped right back around his finger.
Paradise Falls is a quaint town in every sense of the word.
Jimin can see the start and end of it all at once. It’s just a few strips of roads that trail out at some point with a community of buildings in the center, squished together as if there isn’t a vast expanse of space surrounding the town. Brick and wood remain in their authentic colors, the intersections have no lights and are, instead, all four or three-way stops. All of the basic amenities reside in Paradise Falls; a post office, a bar, a motel, grocery store, mechanic, and so on. On the outskirts, there seem to be some small houses for the residents that want to work close to home. A fair idea, Jimin thinks to himself, considering the closest building to the town is the bus stop, which is still a few miles off.
When they drive into town, Jeongguk rolls the window on his truck down and waves to those passing by or sitting out front of local shops, saying a polite hello. Just like the first day Jimin arrived, it seems everyone knows who Jeongguk is and, judging by the smiles of their faces as they pass, likes him quite a bit, too.
The tires roll onto dirt as they pull into a small, fifties-style diner. Jeongguk gets out and rounds the truck quickly to get the door for Jimin, who shoots him a strange look and gets out slowly, confused at the act of service. Jeongguk just brushes off the expression Jimin gives him and leads the way into the diner.
When they step in through the entrance, a bell sounds to indicate their arrival. Fans are spinning overhead and some older song is quietly playing from a jukebox in the corner. The place is older but neat, and there are two older men a few seats apart at the counter, and a small family sitting in a booth on the other end of the restaurant. Everyone including the cook and a waitress look up when Jeongguk steps in with Jimin trailing close behind. Instantly, warm smiles and greetings are sent their way.
“Jeongguk! It’s been too long since you came in here to see me,” the waitress teases, an older woman—a beta from what Jimin can tell.
“Yeah,” one of the men at the bar says, his coffee cup lifted to drink from. “Where've you been, son?”
“Sorry for skippin’ out. I’ve been workin’. It’s growin’ season, you know.” The alpha smiles kindly at them, leading the way to a table in the middle of the diner. He pulls a chair out and waits expectantly for Jimin to sit as he speaks—the omega doesn’t get the hint at first and just kind of blinks at Jeongguk again, only sitting once the alpha glances his way. “Nothin’ personal, I promise.”
“And who is this?” Comes the waitresses’ cheery voice again. She rounds the counter and stands beside the table with her hands on her hips while Jimin is adjusting in his seat, Jeongguk walking around to take his own seat at the same time. The woman beams at the omega. “You’re quite the pretty one, aren’t you?”
Jimin sputters, putting a hand over his face to cover his flush. “T-That’s really too kind of you.”
“This is Jimin,” Jeongguk cuts in, looking up at the waitress. “He’s here for the program.”
At that, the waitresses’ eyebrows climb up above her bangs. Slowly, she points over at Jimin. “Him?”
Jeongguk nods.
“Is my nose already failing me at this age?” The waitress looks at Jimin. “Honey, you are an omega, aren’t you?”
Embarrassed, Jimin purses his lips and looks down, unsure of how to explain the situation. In his lapse, Jeongguk elaborates instead.
“He is. There was some miscommunication.”
Jimin’s flush deepens. That’s one way to put it.
“Oh.” The waitress nods. “But he’s been here for months? Or did he just arrive?”
“He’s been here, Kay. You ain't see Jeongguk bring him over from the bus station a few months back?” The man at the counter who spoke earlier says. “Everyone was talkin’ about it.”
“I probably didn’t notice because I was busy workin’ and mindin’ my business, Mr. Harp,” the waitress replies with sass. “Maybe you oughta give it a try sometime.”
The man scoffs and goes back to sipping his coffee and the waitress stares after him, shaking her head. Jimin glances over at the alpha across the table from him, wondering if this is normal. He sees Jeongguk sitting with one elbow to the table, his hand covering his mouth like he’s trying very hard to suppress a laugh. He must feel Jimin’s stare because he looks up at that exact moment and lifts his brows, a playful glint in his eyes. Jimin snorts at that, quickly scrambling to slap his hand over his mouth and failing to mask the sound. Jeongguk grins at him.
The waitress sighs and looks back at the pair. “Ignore him. He’s old and bitter. What can I get you boys to eat?”
Jeongguk opens his mouth and Kay steps back, holding her hand out. “Actually, forget I asked. Like I don’t already know what you want. I’m only gonna ask Jimin what he wants.”
The alpha’s mouth snaps shut and he’s definitely trying not to laugh now. He and the waitress look over at Jimin expectantly, and the omega squirms under the sudden attention. “Uh… just a salad or something, maybe?”
Lightheartedly, the waitress laughs. “Honey, if I know Jeongguk and those crops of his, all you’ve been eatin’ for months is veggies. Let me get you something sweet.”
Jimin straightens up, liking the sound of that. Before he can even express his enthusiastic agreement, the waitress is walking away with another laugh. “I already know. I’ll bring y’all something to drink, too.”
When she disappears back into the kitchen to presumably talk to the cook, Jimin relaxes back into the chair and looks around, picking up on small details and admiring how pretty Paradise Falls looks from outside of the windows lining the diner. They left just before lunch so there are quite a few people walking around town by now, and Jimin can hardly contain his excitement for walking around later.
“Sorry about them,” Jeongguk says.
Jimin looks over at him, confusion etched onto his face. “Why?”
There’s a half-smile on his face when he explains, “There’s hardly anything to do ‘round here so no one has any manners and they’re all nosy.”
The omega huffs a laugh and shakes his head. “I don’t actually mind it. I think it’s sort of sweet. No one acts that way where I’m from. In big cities, it’s kind of everyone for themselves. People don’t care about one another. There’s no… sense of community? I guess. So, this is a nice change of pace.”
Jeongguk looks at him for a moment, seeming to take in his answer. Wondering if he said the right thing, Jimin fidgets with his hands on top of the table and looks away. After a long minute, the alpha’s soft voice comes again.
“Well, we’re about to see a lot of people that act like them,” he prefaces. “So, if it ever does seem like too much, just say the word and I’ll take you home, alright?”
Jimin looks at him, his eyes big.
Say the word and I’ll take you home. He didn’t say back to the cabin, or back to the farm. He said, I’ll take you home.
Emotion floods the omega and he clears his throat, nodding as he shifts in the seat. “Okay. Yeah, that’s… okay.”
It’s not long after that when the food comes. Kay, the waitress, brings out a sweet dessert cake for Jimin. It’s light and melts on his tongue. He’s so distracted with the wonderful taste of his own meal that he only looks up once he hears glass scraping against the table. What he finds are several plates in front of the alpha on the other side of the table—the alpha who, for his part, looks unsurprised at the feast laid before him. There is a plate with a salad, another with a burger, one with a slice of pie, and a few portioned side dishes.
Jimin gawks as the waitress walks away with a final comment about how she hopes they enjoy the meal.
Jeongguk, who is busy scooting his chair closer and staring down at the food with a hunger Jimin has never seen, glances up at the omega. He outright laughs at the sight of Jimin’s dropped open mouth and paused fork.
“What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. She just gave you enough food for, like, six people.”
Jeongguk shrugs, starting to dig in. “I’ve been comin’ here for years. The food’s good and Kay knows I’ve got an appetite.”
“I mean, I’ve seen you get seconds at dinner but this is…” Jimin shakes his head at the absurdity, his lips tugging up at the corners as he watches the alpha easily devour the food.
Between bites, Jeongguk manages another amused huff. “I didn’t start cookin’ more food when you arrived, you know.”
The omega’s brows pull together, his head tilting. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I just started sharin’,” Jeongguk explains, something mischievous swimming in his eyes. When Jimin’s mouth drops back open in shock, the alpha laughs and looks back at his food. “Like I told you, Kay knows I’ve got an appetite.”
“Unbelievable,” Jimin mutters with a headshake. He hears the alpha snicker and ignores it in favor of returning to his dessert. “Alphas and their ridiculous metabolism.”
Jeongguk hums sweetly. “A sentiment you don’t share since, ya’ know, it turns out you aren’t an alpha.”
The deadpan expression Jimin shoots his way makes the alpha laugh out loud again—a sound Jimin tries to ignore but it’s difficult when it hits his ears like a sweet melody, seeping into his body and making him all warm and fuzzy. In the back of his mind, he wonders when it got to the point that Jeongguk is okay with making jokes about the situation—wonders, too, if that means anything for him. Rather than voicing that though out of fear that it’ll pop the invisible bubble holding them in, he settles on saying a grumbled, “Low blow.”
Another huff of amusement is sent his way and then the two carry out the rest of their meal in a comfortable silence.
Except for one moment, anyway. At some point, Jeongguk's brows draw together and he leans back in his chair, looking over the table at Jimin.
The omega finishes his bite of food, looking at the alpha with big eyes. He asks, "What is it?"
"So, let me get this straight. When you stayed holed up in your room in March for five says, sayin' it was because of your rut..." Jeongguk says, piecing it together.
Jimin's entire face gets hot and he clears his throat, staring down at his plate like it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen. He mutters, "The herbs I had smothered my scent but they weren't suppressants, so..."
There's a long stretch of silence, and then Jeongguk shifts. His head is down when he goes back to eating his food. Jimin thinks he must be mistaken but he swears he smells petrichor all of a sudden. He brushes it off, however, when Jeongguk waves it off with an amused, "Of course."
Once Jeongguk has finished his seven-course meal and Jimin has sat across from him watching him finish said seven-course meal with one lonely, empty glass plate in front of him, Jeongguk pays and the pair say their thanks and a friendly goodbye to the waitress and the cook, before heading out.
A creaking sound accompanies the passenger door opening. Jeongguk waits there with one hand on the door handle, the other in his pocket, casually looking around. This time, however, Jimin doesn’t let it slide. He narrows his eyes and tilts his head, waiting by the open door as he asks, “Why have you been doing that?”
“Doin’ what?” Jeongguk asks, a small frown forming on his lips like he’s genuinely lost.
Wordlessly, Jimin points to the door.
The alpha shifts on his feet and looks off to the side, clearing his throat. “It’s the polite thing to do.”
Jimin levies a glare at him. “Why? Because I’m an omega?”
Jeongguk’s tongue prods into the side of his cheek and the gesture alone gives Jimin his answer. He scoffs and crosses his arms, attitude lacing his words when he asks, “Are you kidding?”
“It’s not that I don’t think you can get the door on your own—”
“I should hope not.”
“I’m not tryin’ to demean you—”
“You’re doing a shitty job.”
“Can you give me a damn minute?” Jeongguk asks, tone stern. Jimin’s mouth clamps shut and he stays purposefully quiet, feeling a little embarrassed over his own attitude but also how quickly he gave in. He can’t help that it shocks him—these little moments where Jeongguk’s voice leaves its usual soft drawl, where he swears freely. Even in a moment of tension, a small, shameful part of Jimin can acknowledge how… hot of an appeal it has. He tries not to think too hard about what that might say about him.
Jeongguk watches him for a second like he’s waiting for another sassy comment. None reach his ears so, in the end, he settles on a sigh and defends, “It’s not to disrespect you, Jimin. ‘M not sayin’ you aren’t capable of doin’ this stuff on your own.”
“Then, why? You didn’t do it before—when you thought I was an alpha? It’s like you’re saying I’m not an equal anymore.”
“You’re not an equal.”
Jimin’s mouth drops open and he tenses, ready to go ballistic because he knew he was in an older town but that doesn’t mean they’re living in the olden days. However, just as he’s gearing up to start swearing in the face of the man that kissed him a few weeks ago, Jeongguk quickly speaks up to explain.
“You’re more than that.” Jeongguk takes a step forward, leaving the door open as he approaches the omega. Naturally, Jimin shifts backwards and, before he knows it, his back is pressed to the side of the truck and Jeongguk is right there; one hand leaning on the steel body of the chevy. He looks right in Jimin’s eyes, every word steady and assured. “Like it or not, you’re on a pedestal now. I know that’s not how things work in the city, but I was raised to treat an omega with respect—to treat them like royalty. Especially when…”
He trails off. Jimin can’t breathe. The alpha’s expression is so sincere, so serious. It reminds Jimin of when he first got up to help clean the kitchen on his first night at the farm. Jeongguk looked physically pained to not be helping—and that’s when he thought Jimin was another alpha. The southern hospitality, the chivalry—it’s so ingrained in him that he didn’t even think about how much he’d been opening and closing Jimin’s doors, how he was pulling out chairs for him. He looked confused when Jimin pointed it out.
Breathlessly, Jimin presses, “Especially when…”
Jeongguk’s eyes dance over his face like he’s trying to commit every faded freckle to memory. He shakes his head, as though in disbelief. “Especially when they’re as gorgeous and as worthy of being taken care of as you are.”
Jimin’s brows pull together and he stares up at Jeongguk. The heat between them that began as friction from the bubbling of an argument has boiled to a roar of romantic tension, and Jimin can smell it now; the petrichor and his own lavender blending together in the open air. Absently, the omega’s lips part and his gaze drops down to the alpha’s mouth.
Jeongguk shifts forward and Jimin watches as his jaw works. When he finally manages to drag his eyes back up, the alpha’s dark orbs are set on him. For the first time, the hunger in them is poorly-veiled and ever-present.
The alpha sucks in a breath and then shakes his head again. “Jimin…”
“What?” Comes the omega’s quiet reply.
“It was easier to ignore when your scent was covered.”
A frown forms. “What was?”
Jeongguk's gaze carefully falls down and settles at Jimin’s lips. “Nothin’.”
The omega’s heart flutters. He swallows hard. “You’re the one who just confessed to thinking I’m gorgeous.”
A huff of laughter escapes the alpha. His dark brows lift. “Is it a confession if it’s common knowledge?”
And damn it, Jimin wishes he would stop being charming when he’s trying to be mad at him. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because, unfortunately for both of us,” he prefaces, sounding slightly annoyed but it seems directed at himself, “it’s dawnin’ on me that I can’t stand the thought of you bein' upset with me.”
“So, you’ve been overly chivalrous?” Jimin asks, trying to put the pieces together.
“No, so I’m telling you why I’m being overly chivalrous.”
“And now you plan on stopping?” Jimin adds expectantly.
That earns a hidden smile from the alpha. Jeongguk leans down until his lips brush Jimin’s ear, and his smile only widens when the omega shivers at their proximity. “Not a fucking chance, sweetheart.”
Before Jimin has time to process his body getting a million degrees hotter, Jeongguk is stepping back and out of his space, returning to the side of the open door. He grips the handle and tugs it as far back as it’ll go, pinning Jimin under the weight of his gaze. A dark eyebrow lifts. “Now, get in the truck.”
Jimin looks back and forth between Jeongguk and the open truck door, weighing his options. In the end, he decides against continuing to go back and forth with the alpha and climbs into the passenger seat. With a gentle thud, Jeongguk closes the door behind him and travels around to the other side, getting in and starting the truck.
The trip is a short one—no more than a couple of minutes. That time is spent with a quiet tension festering between the two. Jimin chooses to stare out of the passenger window, pretending Jeongguk and his overwhelming scent isn’t there—trying to pretend that his own unresolved feelings aren’t there either.
With a deep squeak, Jeongguk tugs on the gear shift and pulls the truck to a stop. Jimin knows what he’s going to do, so—deciding to be difficult—he swings his door open and jumps down before the alpha can even get his side open. Jimin can’t help the way he smiles and glances over at Jeongguk as they both round the vehicle to meet in the front.
The alpha’s tongue is jabbed into the side of his cheek and he’s narrowing his eyes at Jimin in challenge but, when he catches the omega’s shit-eating grin, he can’t help but break. His demeanor changes and, in a second, his lips are turning up at the sides and he’s shaking his head, laughing under his breath. Their shoulders knock together as they walk in the direction of the sidewalk in front of the line of shops expanding more than half of the street.
They pass a couple of people. All of them wave to Jeongguk or offer passing greetings which the alpha returns. Jimin is given a few glances of curiosity but he just smiles and nods, or turns his head to shy away from the attention. He doesn’t get stared at in the city but he’s new here, so he figures that’s why he’s getting constant looks.
When they walk into a little local shop with household items and knickknacks, the three people in the store—including the cashier—all look at Jimin and Jeongguk as they enter but, even after the alpha exchanges hellos, Jimin can still feel eyes on him.
He’s blushing as he looks at the decorative bowls and plates on one shelf, feeling strange with so much attention. There’s warmth behind him a second later and then Jeongguk is next to his ear, muttering, “I can tell them to stop.”
Jimin turns to look at him, blinking at Jeongguk’s serious expression. “What?”
“If the starin’ from everyone is botherin’ you,” he says, assessing the omega’s face like he’s searching for signs of distress, “I can tell ‘em to knock it off.”
“No, I…” Jimin swallows, looking at some antiques like he’s invested in them. “It’s fine. I just wish I knew why they were staring so much. It can’t just be because I’m a new face.”
“You’re right. It’s not just because of that,” Jeongguk agrees, grabbing a kettle off a shelf—a replacement he has been mentioning needing while making tea at home for weeks—before walking past Jimin to head to the register. It’s a throwaway comment when he says over his shoulder, “It’s because you’re a pretty new face.”
Jimin is red up to his ears by the time they leave the shop.
Jeongguk wears a soft smile as they put the bag with the kettle into the back of the truck and move along to the next shop. It’s a bookstore with rows and rows of older books. They’re all well taken care of and neatly organized. Jeongguk and Jimin are in there for a while—Jimin attempting to recover from his embarrassment and Jeongguk casually enjoying his afternoon—when they eventually end up in the same aisle. Jeongguk has a book in his hands and is flipping through the first few pages. He looks adorably interested.
That's why Jimin can’t help it when he is running his finger along the spine of a few books, glancing at the alpha to ask, “Are you going to get that one?”
Jeongguk exhales through his nose, pulls a face, and then shakes his head, gently closing the book as he puts it back on the shelf. He sighs. “I shouldn’t. There’s too many at home already. I should start re-reading the ones I’ve got.”
Jimin scoffs and lifts a brow, teasing, “Resourceful to a fault, huh?”
The alpha shoots him a deadpanned look and leaves the aisle to turn down another one.
The omega calls after him, “It’s okay to spend money on something just for fun sometimes, you know.”
There’s no response.
A huff of annoyance. Jimin walks to the end of the shelf Jeongguk was at and picks the same book up, carefully tucking it under his arm to avoid the alpha seeing him. With careful steps, he walks to the front of the shop and pays for the book, slipping outside when he’s done. He waits for a few minutes, enjoying the fresh air and nodding politely to people that walk by on the sidewalk as he stands there.
Finally, the bell above the door to the shop dings and Jeongguk walks out. Jimin shoves the book into his stomach, earning a gruff noise of shock. He makes the alpha take the book and, confused, Jeongguk does. He assesses the cover and then looks over at Jimin. “Why did you—”
“You were clearly too stubborn to get it, so I did it for you. Boom. No guilt over doing something for yourself. You’re welcome.” Jimin starts off down the sidewalk, chin held high.
When he glances over his shoulder a moment later, the alpha is still looking between him and the book, seemingly awestruck by the gesture. Jimin stops, waiting for Jeongguk to catch up with him. By the time he does, Jimin has a brow lifted. “Why are you making that face?”
Jeongguk’s words are quiet. “It’s been a while since someone’s gotten somethin’ for me.”
Jimin frowns, watching as something soft melts into the alpha’s features, his hand holding the book tight, fingers of his other hand gliding over it gently. When Jeongguk’s eyes meet his, Jimin glances away, blushing. “Don’t mention it.”
They go to a few more shops and say passing hellos to some more local people in the town. Jeongguk doesn’t chat with anyone for longer than a minute, making it clear that he intends on spending his time in town with Jimin. They find a group near the center of town and a bunch of kids gathered around with their parents nearby, giggling and playing as they use face paint to create designs on one another. Jimin is smiling at them—scrunching his nose at how cute they are with Jeongguk by his side—when one of the pups spots him and runs over, sweetly asking if he can paint Jimin’s face.
With wide eyes, the omega glances at Jeongguk like he’s asking what he should respond with. There’s something undeniably fond in the alpha’s expression when he just shrugs and gestures to the kid. “Go ahead.”
Trying to muffle his excitement and nerves, Jimin goes along with it. He sits crisscross on the concrete and lets some of the young pups paint his face in cute, small designs. They compliment him and try to talk to him as they do it, and Jimin can’t stop smiling over how cute they are the entire time as he tells them that he’s from a city far from here.
With a flower, strawberry, and stars of some variety painted in various places on his face, Jimin and Jeongguk eventually leave. As they go, the pup that first asked Jimin if he could paint his face calls out, “Bye, pretty omega!”
Jimin’s face goes bright red and Jeongguk’s entertained laughter accompanies them the rest of the way back to the truck.
Of course, the alpha gets the door for him and, this time, Jimin willingly climbs into the truck with the invite. Jeongguk walks around and gets in on the other side and, with a roar of the engine, they start reversing out of the parking lot. The adrenaline of the active day still has Jimin’s blood pumping as they drive down the main road of the small town. However, after a few minutes of driving, he catches the white, sealed envelope on the dashboard that’s been sitting there all day and his mood sours.
Without meaning to, his scent dulls as well—something unpleasant curling in his stomach. He turns away from Jeongguk and looks out of the window, waiting for them to stop at the post office before they head home.
Jeongguk must notice the shift in his mood but he doesn’t say anything.
Jimin is pouting and thinking about how much it sucks to have such a bitter end to such a fun day, whenever he spots the front sign of the post office. He leans further back in his seat and purses his lips, barely holding back tears.
The building comes more and more into view and then—
Jeongguk drives right by it.
Jimin’s head swivels around to face him. His eyes go wide, his lips parting. The alpha is staring straight ahead at the road with one hand on the wheel, not saying a word.
For a moment, the omega is unsure of what to do. Did he just not realize that he passed it? Should Jimin pretend he didn’t notice? But then it would just take a simple U-turn for them to come back to drop it off, and then Jeongguk would just know that Jimin chose not to say anything.
These are the things running through the omega’s mind when, finally, Jeongguk glances at him before turning back to the road.
“We’re not dropping it off.”
Jimin’s breath catches. His heart lurches in his chest. After a series of opening and closing his mouth, he finally asks in a strained tone, “What?”
He sees Jeongguk’s hand tighten on the wheel. “You were right when you said that you haven’t been causing any harm and, whether I understand the reason or not, you told me once before that comin’ here has been helping you, so, if you still want to… I’m okay with you staying for the rest of the year that you were supposed to be here.”
Tears blur Jimin’s vision. “Are you serious?”
Jeongguk glances at him again for a minute, then focuses back on the road. “Yes. I am.”
A beat of silence.
The alpha swallows and then flexes his grip on the wheel again. “I know I probably should’ve told you that I changed my mind earlier, but I didn’t know how to say it. Like I said, you don’t have to stay but, if you want to—”
“Yes!” Jimin cheers, throwing himself over the center console and wrapping his arms around the alpha’s shoulders as best as he can from this awkward angle. The wheel jerks but Jeongguk steadies it, making a shocked sound at the omega suddenly hugging him. “Yes, I want to stay. Are you kidding?”
Jimin has his face squished against the alpha’s arm and he can hear it when Jeongguk smiles. The alpha shakes his head, lifting his free hand to rub Jimin’s arm, trying his best to return the affection. “Then, it’s decided.”
Through the elation, Jimin sobers at the knowledge that he’s very close to Jeongguk when he’s suddenly hit by the thick smell of petrichor. With flushed cheeks, he clears his throat and draws back, shifting to get comfortable in his own seat again. He avoids eye contact for the rest of the ride but he’s smiling as he stares out of the window, his floral scent christening the air in pleasant waves as he rides this high for the remainder of the night.
If this isn’t the best day he’s ever had, it’s got to be close competition at the very least.
Sneaking a glance at the alpha’s soft smile as they drive home, the omega wonders if he feels the same.
“We should establish some ground rules.”
It’s said in the early morning the day after they come back from the town of Paradise Falls. Jeongguk is standing in his sweatpants and tank top at a kitchen counter, with a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. A second ago, he passed Jimin his own mug and now the omega is sitting on the couch with his legs up, his hair still a mess from sleep. His brows knit together and he draws back from a first tentative sip of the drink, looking over at the alpha.
“What do you mean?”
Jeongguk runs a hand through his hair. “Since you’re stayin’, we should lay down some rules.”
“Weren’t there already rules?” Jimin asks, wiping the sleep from his eyes with a balled fist.
“Yes and they’ll still apply, but I mean that we need rules considerin’ our… difference in status now.”
Jimin cups his mug on either side, lifting an unimpressed brow. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re going to dictate what I do now because I’m an omega.”
“No, that’s not what I’m sayin’.” Jeongguk sighs. “The rules are really more like… guidelines that I think should be in place. And not just for you—for both of us.”
The omega’s brows pull together. “Like what?”
“Well,” the alpha starts, mindlessly turning his cup on the counter so that the handle is facing a different way each couple of seconds. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to talk about this so Jimin tries his best to stay quiet and offer him a chance to speak. After a moment, he does exactly that. “I think that we should make more of an effort to keep some… distance between us.”
Jimin frowns. “Like, don’t touch and stuff like that?”
“Yeah.” Jeongguk nods, staring at his coffee rather than the omega. “Physical distance. Anything else would be inappropriate.”
The omega’s mind flashes to them playing in the water together a few months ago, and to Jeongguk holding him next to the fire on the night of the storm. He thinks of the alpha walking through town with a guiding hand on the small of his back, or Jimin playfully smacking his arm and chest. Something unpleasant settles in his stomach at the thought of them not getting those little intimacies anymore.
“But we…” Jimin swallows, thinking back to their kiss under the moonlight. He shovels the thought, heart racing. “You let me hug you yesterday.”
Jeongguk glances up at him. Very slowly, he says, “It’s not that I don’t enjoy…”
He doesn’t finish the thought. There’s another sigh and then the alpha looks off to the side, his tongue momentarily prodding into his cheek. “I’m just thinkin’ that we should be more conscious about the way we’re interacting now that we know.”
Jimin looks down at his cup of coffee. Hollowly, he agrees, “Right.”
“I also think that…” Jeongguk starts and then clears his throat. “For, um, our cycles—”
That has the omega’s head whipping around. His eyes get wide, all of his focus drawn to the way the alpha’s jaw is working as he tries to form the words.
Jeongguk really won’t risk looking at him now. “My rut and your… heat…”
He seems to sit with the word as he says it, like Jimin’s heat is something he hasn’t thought about—or, more like, it’s something he’s trying very hard not to think about.
“I’ll rent a room at the hotel in town whenever one of us… needs it. They can stay there until it blows over.”
Jimin’s frown deepens. “I can’t do that.”
The alpha’s gaze flickers to him, his dark brows lined with confusion. “Why not?”
“I’m not an alpha, Jeongguk,” he emphasizes. “I need a nest and familiar scents. I can’t just go stay in some hotel for days on end.”
“We can bring clothes and blankets and things for you,” the alpha reasons, clearly searching for a compromise.
Jimin’s pulse quickens at ‘we’ in this context but he ignores it. “Yeah, maybe, but there’s also…”
He looks away, face flushing at the thought of what he was about to say. Jeongguk latches on anyway, sounding lost. “Also what?”
The omega’s bangs fall into his vision as he tucks his chin, feeling deeply embarrassed. “It would be hard to be… quiet, and I’d… I’d end up s-soaking through the…”
He really can’t finish it this time but he doesn’t need to.
Suddenly, he can smell petrichor coming over in waves, thick and heady. Jimin dares to glance up and finds Jeongguk staring straight at him, jaw tense. When they make eye contact, the alpha looks away, muttering something that sounds a lot like a swear.
After a moment, he breathes in deep and nods. “I’ll take the hotel, then—for both cases. You’ll stay here and, when it’s your… cycle, I’ll just stop by to check on the farm. I won’t even come inside.”
Jimin swallows thickly, trying not to pay attention to how suffocating Jeongguk’s scent is. He wants to linger on what it means but he knows it’s futile. "Since I suppressed my scent for so long, it's likely I won't have another heat for a while anyway, so that's... fine."
“Okay. Then, it’s settled.”
The omega nods. “Right. Settled.”
Jeongguk opens his mouth like he’s going to say something else and then picks his coffee up and promptly leaves the cabin, walking right out of the front door like he can’t take the tense atmosphere anymore. If Jimin didn’t feel exactly the same sort of suffocation, he might have found the moment funny.
Jimin finally gets to meet some of Jeongguk’s friends near the end of summer.
They show up in two separate cars, and bring overnight bags and alcohol with them. The omega was told they were coming but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t startled whenever he’s sitting on the couch inside, enjoying the air conditioning in the early afternoon and reading a book, when he hears several loud voices, and then jumps up at the sound of the front door barreling open.
Jeongguk, who was outside to do some last-minute chores, is the first to walk in. He has arms thrown over him and a random hand petting in his hair, a small smile on his face as he hauls in three different people with him.
Jimin stands slowly from the couch, watching with wide eyes as tall, handsome men come barreling in behind Jeongguk—all alphas, all talking over top of one another.
“Your hair’s gotten too long, Gguk!”
"Seriously. It’s time to cut it man. The caveman look is not in.”
“Ah, the place is clean!”
“Oh! Look, he got a new rug!”
“No, that’s the one Seokjin got him for his birthday last year.”
“Yeah, obviously it’s the one I got him. Don’t you see how perfectly it matches the curtains? Jeongguk could never do that.”
“Jimin,” Jeongguk starts, ignoring his friends talking over him and looking right at the omega with a rare glee in his eyes. “These are my friends. Meet Taehyung, Seokjin, and Hoseok.”
Suddenly, all of the other men step in properly, the door closing behind them, and they all get quiet, exchanging looks with one another before eventually letting their gazes fall to Jimin and stay there. The omega awkwardly clasps his hands together, shifting back and forth on his feet. They’re all good-looking and seem outgoing and, suddenly, there’s too much attention on the omega.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m Jimin.”
“An omega,” one of them mumbles to the others in surprise. He has a strong jaw and similar build to Jeongguk. He reaches over after a moment, extending a hand to Jimin while blinking like he’s still baffled. “I’m Taehyung.”
Jimin smiles politely and shakes his hand, moving to retreat but then another one of the alphas is catching his hand to introduce himself.
“I’m Hoseok,” one with a bright smile and short black hair says. “I sort of thought Gguk was messing with us when he said he had an omega living with him now.”
“Platonically, at that,” the third alpha mutters under his breath, shooting a skeptical look between Jeongguk and Jimin. He seems to decide something and then shakes Jimin’s hand like the others, offering a friendly smile. He carries himself with a certain air of confidence and is gorgeous enough to model. “I’m Seokjin. Nice to finally meet you. Jeongguk always talks about you.”
The alpha in question is looking away, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck like he’s embarrassed. Jeongguk sighs. “We made it two minutes this year before I started regretting inviting y’all over.”
“You love us,” Taehyung snickers, moving to bring the beer to the kitchen.
At the same time, Hoseok and Seokjin set their overnight bags in a corner of the living room and Hoseok insists, “Your favorite time of the year is when we come by.”
“Be grateful that you’ve been graced with our presence,” Seokjin grumbles, tossing an arm around Jeongguk and ruffling his hair to mess it up. There’s a groan and then Jeongguk slips out of his hold, flipping the situation around on Seokjin and doing the same thing to him, earning a bickering match from the other alpha.
Hoseok and Taehyung add commentary while putting things away and getting settled in, and Jimin watches on with a smile on his face, watching how carefree Jeongguk looks right now. He always has so much weight on his shoulders and is constantly making the responsible decision. Like this, he looks so much younger. A pup with friends, a young man just wanting to have fun.
When Jimin and Jeongguk’s eyes meet, Jeongguk’s smile only grows.
There’s a barbeque that evening because the friends are only here for the night, and they want to make the best of it.
All five of them are sitting outside with the porch lights on and a firepit going in front of the cabin. The stars are beginning to come out now, and Seokjin is at the grill, cooking and chatting. The others are sitting around the firepit and casually drinking the beer that was brought, catching up with Jeongguk and getting to know Jimin a little bit.
Jimin mostly observes. He has his legs pulled up in a chair and is watching the friends with that fond smile still on his face. Jeongguk has a t-shirt on and is sitting across from him, telling the others about the calf that they’re taking care of right now since one of the cows recently gave birth. The others are listening and seem genuinely interested in what’s been going on at the farm. Jeongguk asks how they’ve all been and the others catch him up on what their lives have been like recently.
Apparently, Seokjin and Taehyung are mates and live in the city. Hoseok has been lifelong friends with them. Jimin recalls Taehyung’s name as the name of the person who stayed on the farm years ago under the program, and recovered well. Jeongguk mentioned staying in touch with him, but that was a gross under-exaggeration of how close the two seem as friends. They talk easily and seem to know everything about each other. Through context, Jimin learns that Jeongguk and Taehyung met first, and then Seokjin came into the picture when the two alphas started dating. Hoseok moved to their town—a place about a few hours away that Jimin’s never been to—and he met Jeongguk at some gatherings that the mated pair had over the years, and then they all became a group. Every year, they make the trip out to see the alpha on the farm before going further south to see another mated pair that they’re friends with; an omega named Yoongi and a beta named Namjoon.
Despite only hearing from Jeongguk and seeing him a couple times a year, they all seem to jump into conversation like no time has passed since the last visit. They include Jimin in conversations, and crack jokes that have the omega nearly falling out of his chair. The visit was intended for the friends but Jimin finds himself having a wonderful time, glad to have some extra human interaction outside of their infrequent chances to go into town.
Dinner goes by without a hitch and, afterwards, everyone is a little drunk and talking as the fire rages on, enjoying the conversation and s’mores that Taehyung concocts for dessert.
Jimin is sitting back in his chair, blinking slowly from how tired he is starting to get, and smiling at the friends as they shove marshmallows onto pokers and accidentally keep burning them to a crisp over the fire, when he sees Jeongguk stand up from his chair on the other side of the pit. Naturally, his eyes fall to the alpha as he stands with a sigh, rolling his neck and cracking it after sitting for so long.
“Tae, you still smoke?”
michigan cherry - river whyless
The alpha looks at Jeongguk with his cheeks comically stuffed full of s’mores. “Mhm. Wan’ one?”
Jeongguk nods, accepting the cigarette and lighter that Taehyung passes to him before the alpha returns to eating his food and attempting to help Hoseok save his burning marshmallow.
“I’ll smoke and come back,” Jeongguk announces, turning and walking off.
“It’s a shit habit to form!” Seokjin berates him as he goes. When he just receives a casual middle finger in return, he snickers and the other friends break out into a fit of scattered laughter.
Jeongguk walks up the porch and heads to the far side of it, nearly out of view. Distantly, Jimin watches as he flicks the lighter on and holds it to the cigarette, lighting it. He pockets the lighter and brings the cigarette up to his lips after a moment, taking a long, slow drag before releasing.
There is still talking and more marshmallow fires coming from the friend group but Jimin stands, walking in the direction that Jeongguk went. “Be back in a minute.”
The others watch him go with curious stares and raised brows but they don’t say anything. Jimin heads up the steps of the porch and rounds to the other side where the alpha is. He’s leaning over the railing, taking another drag of the cigarette as he looks out at the distant lake—moonlight reflecting prettily over the surface. With the wind maintaining a steady breeze, it’s no surprise whenever Jeongguk glances over his shoulder, casually watching as Jimin approaches and slides his hands around the railing. He probably picked up on his scent.
The alpha gives him a small up and down, not speaking as he blows out smoke.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” Jimin says.
“I don’t,” Jeongguk responds. He flicks ashes off the end of the cigarette and brings it up to his lips for another drag. “I used to, though. I steal one from Tae whenever they’re in town.”
Jimin’s brows pull together. “Why?”
“Remind myself why I stopped smokin’,” he says and then presses the end to his lips again. On the exhale, smoke pierces the air and Jeongguk looks over at Jimin. “Why’d you come over here?”
“Felt like it.” Jimin shrugs. He looks over at the lake. “Your friends seem really wonderful.”
“They are,” Jeongguk agrees, mirroring Jimin’s gaze.
“Do you wish you could see them more?”
“Of course.”
The omega frowns. “Then, why don’t you?”
Broadly, Jeongguk nods his head out to the field. “All of this comes first.”
“It doesn’t have to,” Jimin insists.
Another head shake comes from the alpha. “I don’t wanna live anywhere else. Don’t wanna do anything else, either.”
“You wouldn’t ever move?”
“Not if I could help it.” Jeongguk looks at Jimin. “This is my home. It doesn’t look like what most other people’s homes look like, but it’s where I decided I was supposed to be a long time ago.”
Something flutters in the omega’s heart at how earnestly he says it. His love for the farm is so honest and all-consuming, and he always knew Jeongguk wanted to be here but seeing him express it like this is… captivating.
Jimin sighs and leans his forearms on the railing, admiring the pretty scenery of the land under a clear sky and bright moon. “I respect that a lot—knowing where you want to be, I mean. I didn’t ever feel like that where I grew up.”
There’s a passing moment of silence. Jimin’s mind drifts to memories of his life back home and, all the while, Jeongguk is taking another drag and peering over at him observantly.
After another puff of smoke blows by, the alpha’s smooth, soft voice comes again, “Can I ask somethin’ that’s been botherin’ me since the day of the storm?”
Jimin looks over at him and then shrugs again. “I don’t see why not.”
Jeongguk seems to quietly study him. “Why did you wanna leave home in the first place? And why come here, of all places?”
The omega taps the wooden top of the railing with a single finger, working his bottom lip between his teeth as he thinks. “Honestly? It was my parents’ idea to come here. They didn’t realize it was for alphas only and… when I noticed, I just sort of didn’t say anything.”
The alpha’s brows pull together. “What kind of parents don’t notice somethin’ like that? Especially when they’re sendin’ their kid somewhere to live for a year.”
“The kind that are eager to get rid of their kid,” Jimin responds, bitterness laced in his words. He looks back out at the lake, feeling fresh bouts of anger as the memories wash over him. “I knew it was wrong and I still went with it, and I want to apologize for that again, but… it just seemed worth it at the time.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jimin turns his head to look at the alpha when the words hit his ears. He finds Jeongguk standing there with a deep frown etched into his features, clear annoyance and pity on his face. “No one should be made to feel that way. Not by their parents—not by anyone.”
It’s barely a whisper when Jimin responds, “Thank you.”
Jeongguk takes another hit of the cigarette and turns his face away to blow the smoke out so that none of it hits the omega. “No reason’s good enough but… can I ask why they treated you like that?”
A shrug. “I’m an omega. They wanted an alpha. My dad owns a corporation and they always wanted their child to take it over one day, but they didn’t want me to be the one to do it because of my status. Luckily, I had no interest in it anyway but I guess they still wanted to make some use out of having me as a kid, so they told me before I left that…”
Jimin swallows down the lump forming in his stomach. Politely, Jeongguk waits for him to finish and, eventually, the omega works up the nerve. He looks down and takes a deep breath, before muttering, “They told me that, when I come back home after this year, they’ll marry me off—to the alpha heir of some wealthy connection that they have, I’m sure. Whatever they think will be useful.”
Petrichor suddenly overpowers the smell of smoke in the air around them, but it’s not pleasant like Jeongguk’s scent usually is—His pheromones are ones of anger and disgust. It has Jimin looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction. The alpha’s jaw is tense and his irises full of pure, unadulterated rage.
He’s never seen him so pissed off before.
Frowning, Jimin says, “It’s fine—”
“No, it’s really not,” Jeongguk cuts him off, standing up straight and flicking the ashes from the cigarette. “You don’t have to put up with that. No one should make major life decisions like that for you.”
“I sort of don’t have a choice, Jeongguk—”
“You always have a choice.” He shakes his head. “Why don’t you just leave home—go somewhere else?”
“And do what?” Jimin asks with a bitter laugh. “Work some boring job in the city? Live a middle-class, stiff life? Die tired and regretful?”
Jeongguk’s brows draw further together. “No one said you had to do that. Why not do something that you want to do with your life? Make a business with your floral crafts, move somewhere new. You can do anything.”
Jimin scoffs, shaking his head as he looks out at the moon. “It’s like you said, Jeongguk. I decided a long time ago that that’s not where I was supposed to be. I might not know exactly what I want, but I do know that, when I picture my future, living a life in the city alone isn’t what I see making me feel at home.”
“What makes you feel at home, then?"
The omega purses his lips and contemplates whether or not he should be honest. He avoids eye contact with Jeongguk and swallows, dropping his head when he eventually confesses in a small voice, “This is the only place I’ve ever felt at home. With you is the only time I’ve ever felt at home.”
The silence after is thick and tension-filled.
It’s not so much what he said, but everything that he didn’t say.
I want to stay here. I want to stay with you.
He doesn’t have to spell it out for it to be obvious. He knows that Jeongguk understands—knows it even more when the alpha speaks again after a long silence. It happens after he puts his cigarette out and tosses it in a close-by trash can.
“It’s a lonely life out here, Jimin.”
Jimin doesn’t hesitate when he looks over at the alpha who has already turned his back, prepared to walk away. “It’s lonely in the city, too.”
Jeongguk pauses in his steps, head turned so that he can just barely see Jimin in his peripheral vision, but it’s obvious that he’s listening.
“There can be thirty people in the room or there can be two, and you can still feel lonely. Population doesn’t make a single difference,” Jimin continues with conviction. He tries to hold back the longing in his own voice when he says, “It’s having someone to share the loneliness with that matters.”
A moment passes. A breeze blows by, shifting Jimin’s bangs on his forehead.
The end to their conversation is decided in the next second by the sound of Jeongguk’s retreating footsteps knocking along the sturdy wood of the porch.
Hoseok, Taehyung, and Seokjin take the living room that night to sleep in. Jeongguk pulls a blow-up mattress out from a closet and they set it up in the middle of the floor in the living room, shoving the coffee table out of the way. The mated couple takes the makeshift bed while Hoseok sprawls out on the couch. After their night of food and fun, everyone goes to bed late.
Despite that, Jeongguk is up as early as every other day the next morning, letting Jimin sleep in with the others while he heads outside to tend to the farm.
Late in the morning, whenever Jeongguk is done with his morning rounds, the smell of him cooking breakfast in the kitchen is what wakes everyone up. Slowly, they all trail into the kitchen and dining room, dressed in pajamas and wearing matching disheveled and hungover demeanors.
Jimin’s lips are pouty and swollen from sleep, and he has a massive case of bed-head when he walks into the kitchen and accepts a mug of coffee from Jeongguk with half-lidded eyes and a tired, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Jeongguk offers back in an amused tilt to his voice, a dark brow raised at Jimin. The omega ignores him in favor of taking a spot at the table and sipping slowly at the fresh coffee.
“We’ll be heading out soon,” Hoseok says, voice gruff with exhaustion. He’s grabbing a plate of food with the other alphas, all of them moving slowly, probably trying not to irritate the headaches they must have.
Jimin is zoning out at the table, trying to wake up as they all talk. His stomach grumbles but he pays it no mind. He doesn’t have the energy to get up and get a plate right now. He’ll give the coffee a minute to kick in and then go back for some.
At least, that’s the mindset he has when, out of nowhere, Jeongguk suddenly walks over appears with two plates in his hands, gently setting one down on the table in front of Jimin before rounding to the other end and sitting across from the omega with his own. Blinking between the food and the alpha, Jimin is confused at first. Then, Jeongguk picks up his fork and nods to the omega’s plate. “Eat.”
Too tired to do anything but be grateful, Jimin complies. He puts his coffee on the tabletop, picks up a fork, and starts eating the food on his plate. Unbeknownst to him, the guests in the room have all taken their own seats at the table or on the couch in the living room, and are passing looks between each other at the interaction, smirking knowingly.
Eventually, the conversation continues and Jimin tunes it out, eating quietly until all of the food on his plate is gone and he’s a little more energized for the day ahead. Once he’s done, Jeongguk stands and clears his dishes away, going to the kitchen to pick up after everyone.
After some more talking, Jeongguk retreats back outside to show something to Taehyung, hoping the other alpha can help him lift a heavy object that’s been in the way for weeks—something he and Jimin haven't been able to sort out on their own. Hoseok and Seokjin stay inside with the omega, and all three of them continue waking up and relaxing.
“So,” Seokjin starts after a few minutes of silence, “Jimin, does Jeongguk always do things like that for you?”
With the attention suddenly on him, Jimin looks over. He blinks. “Like what?”
The alpha is making a face like he finds the whole thing funny. “Bring you food, do little things for you to make your life easier. Stuff like that?”
“Yeah, I suppose so. Isn’t he always like that?”
Hoseok snorts. “No.”
The omega’s lips pull down. “He’s not?”
“Don’t get us wrong, Jeongguk’s a sweetheart—always has been. I think it’s the way he was raised,” Seokjin explains. He gestures to the general direction of the kitchen. “But he doesn’t do things like that for just anyone.”
“Do you think…” Jimin nervously rubs at his arm, “Do you think it’s just because I’m an omega? Like another one of those traditionalist things?”
“No way,” Hoseok tells him with a simple shake of his head. “I’ve seen alphas do what he’s doing now with other omegas, but it’s not something they do for all omegas.”
“Then, why?” Jimin asks, feeling a little ridiculous for being so curious now that they’re saying this. For months, he’s convinced himself that Jeongguk must just be like this, and now he’s being told that he’s some kind of exception. Considering the way he feels about the alpha, is it really so wrong for him to be a little eager to know?
Seokjin lifts a brow. “He’s courting you, obviously—even if he doesn’t recognize it for what it is.”
Courting. Jimin’s heart races. He doesn’t stop repeating the word in his head for the rest of the morning.
Even when Taehyung and Jeongguk come back, even when the alphas pack their things and say their goodbyes, even when Jimin and Jeongguk step out onto the porch and wave them off as they drive away from the house—Jimin can’t stop thinking about it.
He’s courting you.
Jimin looks up at Jeongguk, watching the smile on the alpha’s face and the tenderness in his expression as he waves his friends goodbye with his other hand in his pocket. He must feel Jimin’s stare because he looks down at the omega, and the fondness in his eyes only seems to grow.
Jimin’s breath catches when Jeongguk opens the door on their way back into the house and lets the omega go in first. His heart races when Jeongguk hands him the book he’s been reading from off the shelf, in order for him to enjoy it by the window in the living room for the afternoon like he usually does. He’s thinking about what Seokjin said whenever he mentions wanting to take a bath later that same night, and then walks to the back of the cabin to find Jeongguk leaning by the tub with a hand under the running water to ensure that the temperature is good for him.
He’s courting you—even if he doesn’t recognize it for what it is.
A few days after the trio of alphas leaves, Jimin convinces Jeongguk to go out to the lake with him again. He puts on his best puppy-dog eyes and whines that it’s still too hot, and that they could use the break. After a lot of dismissive hand waving, Jimin brings the topic up enough that Jeongguk eventually assesses his pleading eyes and sighs.
“Fine, we can go to the lake.”
So, on a late morning after tending to the farm, Jimin is humming happily while walking onto the porch with snacks and towels to take to the lake for their outing, when he goes slack-jawed at the sight of something just in front of the cabin.
“You’re kidding, right?”
The alpha grins wolfishly, a massive, homemade canoe in the grass next to him. “Not even a little.”
“Jeongguk,” Jimin complains, pouting as he walks down the steps and pulls himself to a stop in front of the alpha. “I said I wanted to swim.”
“No, you said you wanted to enjoy the lake,” he argues with a raised brow. Then, he gestures to the wooden raft. “This is how we’re doing it.”
The omega’s pout deepens. “Why?”
“Because you started roughhousing in the water last time. Consider this me making certain that doesn’t happen again.”
“You’re the one that started teasing me first!” He argues.
Jeongguk shrugs. “Semantics.”
The omega’s mouth falls open in shock.
Without another word, Jeongguk grabs the end of the canoe and walks it in the direction of the lake, the muscles in his biceps bulging through his t-shirt and the veins prominent on his forearms as he handles the heavy canoe. He doesn’t look strained and doesn’t break a sweat the entire way there, moving at a steady pace. Jimin is in a state of shock until they reach the lake—and even after.
He glares at the canoe as Jeongguk angles it at the edge of the water, getting the paddle ready and easily taking the basket of food from the omega to place it in the middle of the small raft. He knows what this is. They got very touchy in the water last time and it's obvious that Jeongguk is doing this to ensure they maintain a respectful distance this time. Of course, he knows this is what he agreed to but it's still pissing him off anyway.
“Come on,” Jeongguk tells him, hands on his hips as he stands near the canoe, waiting for Jimin.
The omega huffs, crossing his arms. He’s dressed in a small pair of shorts again—t-shirt still on—because he planned on swimming today. He still plans on doing that. After all, who is Jeongguk to boss him around? So, the omega raises his chin and states, “I’m not getting in that thing.”
Jeongguk’s expression doesn’t change outside of the slight, subtle hiking of one brow. “Yeah, you are.”
Jimin directs his glare to the alpha now. “No. I’m not.”
A staring match ensues. The wind blows by, pushing the omega and alpha’s hair to the side. Their shirts wave in the breeze.
Jeongguk pockets his hands into his shorts. “You sure you wanna be stubborn right now?”
“I’m an adult, Jeongguk. I can do whatever I—”
Jimin’s little rant is cut off by the sound of his own startled gasp because, in seconds, Jeongguk walks over, wraps his arms around Jimin, and picks the omega straight up into the air, tossing him over his shoulder like it’s nothing. The omega squeals and struggles, firmly held up by a hand on the back of his thigh and another at his back.
“Jeongguk! Jeon Jeongguk! Put me down right now or—”
“Or, what?” Jeongguk tests. Jimin’s lips purse and he goes silent, now asking himself the very same question. Because, damn, what can he do? The omega thinks for a long moment, but turns up empty-handed.
The alpha picks up on his lack of response and snickers. “I gave you a warnin’, sweetheart, and you ignored me.”
“You made a suggestion and, yes, I ignored you,” Jimin grumbles. He gives up on kicking his feet around, sees the ground moving underneath them, and knows that Jeongguk is actively manhandling him to the canoe. He folds his arms around the alpha’s neck and shoulders, trying to hold on so he doesn’t fall. “You can’t just—just—”
A moment later, he’s sucking in a panicked breath as he's deposited into the canoe. It wobbles and he sits on shaky legs, staring wide-eyed up at Jeongguk, who still has the ghost of his touch on the omega’s waist and leg.
The alpha tilts his head, appearing amused. “Can’t what? Move you? Because I think I just did.”
Belligerently, the omega crosses his arms. “I want to swim, Jeongguk.”
“Not happening,” the alpha says, getting into the canoe alongside him and picking up the oar, before using the handle of it to shove against the grass. Despite being met with a little resistance, they push off, slowly slipping off the shore. The alpha sits down and uses the oar to row, carefully leading them deeper into the water.
To his annoyance, Jimin does find the trip to the middle of the lake enjoyable. The breeze is refreshing, the winds cool, the water calm. Plus, the view of Jeongguk working hard to row while he looks around, clearly relaxing, is a sight that makes warmth bloom in Jimin’s chest. Despite it, he keeps the appearance of frustration up; his arms still crossed even while his shoulders drop subconsciously. His frown is gone but he’s still levying a glare at the alpha.
When they reach somewhere around the center of the lake, Jeongguk rests the oar flat across the top of the canoe and lifts a brow at the omega. “Say it.”
“Give me one good reason not to push you into the water right now.”
The alpha smirks. “Because I’ve got about thirty more pounds of pure muscle on me and you couldn’t push me even if you wanted to.”
“Fuck you.”
Jeongguk’s grin is wolfish enough to make Jimin’s heart flutter. “Mouthy.”
Attempting to hide his flush, the omega sighs and turns to look out at the lake.
A few moments pass before the alpha finally relents the omega’s pouting.
“You’re stubborn,” Jeongguk states, persuading Jimin to glance at him. There’s a small, sincere smile on the alpha’s face. He nods his head to the water. “I noticed last time that you kept lookin’ out here like you wanted to come further, so I wanted to bring you over here at least once. ‘S not ideal to swim back and forth to, though. It takes a lot of energy to do that. By the time we’d get back, you’d be exhausted.”
Jimin’s frown deepens as he looks at the light reflecting off the water. He rubs awkwardly at his arm. “You… knew I wanted to come out here?”
“You’re not the most subtle when you want somethin’.”
Their gazes meet.
The wind blows by. Jimin sucks in a breath, admiring how handsome Jeongguk looks right now; sun-kissed, smiling, looking at Jimin like he’s important.
“No,” Jimin confirms. “I’m not.”
As the weeks go by, Jimin’s heart continues to exist in a constant state of disarray. It’s a difficult thing; coming to terms with the way he feels while expecting nothing to come of it. Jeongguk set a clear boundary and, in a few short months, Jimin will be gone. The farm will be quiet again, and Jeongguk will still be here—just... without Jimin.
Everything reaches a peak with one simple sentence from Jeongguk on a hot afternoon spent outside.
“You know, tomorrow when we go to town to drop these off, there’s actually supposed to be a festival.”
They’re both in the garden with gloves on, pulling out weeds and picking ripe fruits to put into their respective sacs. After quietly working for the better part of an hour, Jeongguk says it.
Jimin’s eyes get big and he looks over at the alpha. “Wait. Did you just say a festival?”
He receives a nod in reply. Jeongguk continues working down the bushes of fruits while Jimin stops to stare in shock. “Some celebration of the history of the town. It’s the busiest time of year. Tourists come out, there’s carnival rides—all that stuff.”
“You’ve gone?” Jimin asks, surprise coloring his question.
The alpha huffs a laugh at that, glancing over at the omega. “There aren’t many things to do around the year. It’d be strange to sit out on somethin’ like that.”
“I guess but… you really want to go together?”
Something flickers in the alpha’s gaze. “Do you… not want to go?”
“No, I do!” Jimin immediately confirms. Then, he catches how eager he sounded and purses his lips, going bright red. “Um, I just meant… It might be a nice break.”
“Okay.” Jeongguk pulls a vibrantly-colored strawberry off its stem and assesses it. It’s then that Jimin notices his cheeks are sort of pink, too. “Then, we’ll go.”
The festival is not at all what Jimin expected.
Despite what Jeongguk said, Jimin anticipated a small get together of townspeople. He imagined a few little rides and games—maybe someone barbecuing. But, as they drive through the town after dropping off the produce at the local grocer, it finally dawns on Jimin that the festival is going to be much more fun than he thought.
The first thing he spots over the trees and buildings is a giant, multi-colored Ferris wheel. There are roller coasters set up, dozens of game booths and food stands lined up, and there's a stage in the middle of the center of town where a band is playing live music. And the most shocking part? It’s crowded.
If they passed thirty or so people while in town last time, there are easily three hundred or more now—and that’s just from the sea of people that Jimin can make out on the drive over.
“Woah,” he mumbles in awe.
He hears Jeongguk chuckle from the driver’s seat and chooses to ignore it. The brakes on the truck squeak as they pull into a spot in the packed parking lot. Jimin is so distracted by staring out of the front windshield at the rides and games and people that he doesn’t even move until Jeongguk comes around and opens his door. Instinctually, he gets out and falls into step beside the alpha as they go over to the entrance of the festival.
Jeongguk buys their tickets, there are wristbands put on them which say they can go in and out, and then they head in. Jimin’s eyes are big and the wonder on his face is clear. He’s looking everywhere, trying to take in all of the sights. Where there was a concrete town center and open field before, every square inch is now covered with activities and people. The space is so full of life. The sun is high, as so is the energy.
The alpha is smiling fondly down at him whenever Jimin finally turns to look at him. Jeongguk nods his head in the direction of a churro stand that Jimin was eyeing. “Come on. Let’s get some.”
Jimin’s face breaks out into a grin and he nods, following Jeongguk as their fun begins.
They get churros and walk around while they eat them, pointing at rides and games and discussing which ones they want to do. Jimin has picked up on Jeongguk’s slight competitive streak over the last few months, so it’s no surprise whenever the alpha wants to challenge him to games. They play a water shooting game that Jeongguk wins twice before Jimin gives up, bob for apples—which Jimin wins, much to his chagrin—and go into a haunted house that Jimin backs out of halfway through because it’s too scary. Jeongguk has his hands in his pockets and is smirking—looking way too relaxed and smug—when he goes through the attraction and greets Jimin on the other side after.
As the place gets more packed, Jeongguk naturally starts crowding closer to Jimin. For the first half of the day, he was strictly avoiding touching the omega but, by the time they’re in line for their first roller coaster, Jeongguk has a hand on the small of his back and is just keeping it there, subtly maintaining contact. When they finish that rollercoaster and go to the next, Jimin is laughing and talking animatedly about how fun it was and Jeongguk is listening with a soft smile, whenever the omega accidentally bumps into a passing alpha. Immediately, there is an arm around his waist, tugging him back until he knocks against Jeongguk’s side. Jimin squeaks and apologizes to the stranger, who just gives Jeongguk and him a slightly scared look before walking away. Jimin smells petrichor in the air around him and glances up at Jeongguk, shocked to see the way the alpha’s eyes are narrowed in the direction of the stranger.
“I bumped into him, Jeongguk,” Jimin softly explains, his brows drawn together and a confused pout on his face as he tries to understand that reaction.
Jeongguk’s jaw works and Jimin sees him swallow. He slowly relaxes and lets Jimin go—still touching along his waist and back as they walk in the direction of the next ride. “I know.”
Jimin eyes him. “Right.”
Deciding to brush it off, they continue to the next ride. This time, it’s a tilt-a-whirl. Once they get through the line, Jeongguk and Jimin sit in a small, strawberry-shaped pod and wait for everyone else to get on. They have room for four or so people but, when another pair tries to come sit on Jimin’s side, Jeongguk tenses and scoots down, guiding them to sit on Jeongguk’s side instead. Jimin smiles politely at them and then looks up at the alpha, confused by his behavior.
“Are you okay?” Jimin mutters.
Jeongguk looks down at him and then brings an arm up to settle over Jimin’s shoulders, holding onto the handle on the edge of the pod. He still sounds on edge when he says, “Fine.”
Jimin’s lips purse. He knows for a fact that he’s not fine but there’s only so much he can do if Jeongguk won’t tell him what’s going on, so he accepts the answer at face value for now, while still glancing at him every so often to check on how he’s doing.
During the ride, they spin in their pod and hold on, laughing as they’re spun. When Jimin looks over to see how Jeongguk is, the alpha is smiling sweetly but there’s still something a little tight in his expression. His whole body is tense and he seems to get impossibly closer to Jimin as they go around and around.
By the time they get off, Jimin is dizzy and filled with adrenaline. He doesn’t even think about the physical contact when Jeongguk takes his hand and leads him out, away from the line of people waiting for their turn on the ride. They get something for an early dinner at some point and spend another hour getting on different rides. With each one, Jeongguk seems to get closer and closer.
As the sun begins setting beyond the horizon and people get more rowdy, Jeongguk grows visibly antsy. He keeps looking around and poking his tongue into the side of his cheek in the way he does when he’s annoyed. Finally, Jimin has had enough. So, he takes Jeongguk’s hand and tugs him between two game booths, away from the crowd. He looks at the alpha, worry and annoyance on his face.
“Okay, enough. Tell me what’s going on. Are you just ready to go? Because it’s okay to say that. We've been here all afternoon already, and we've pretty much done everything that there is to do. You don’t have to keep pretending like you’re fine when you’re clearly not.”
Jeongguk sighs, his shoulders tensed as he looks off to the side. “I don’t wanna to go until you’re ready.”
“Jeongguk…” Jimin takes a small step towards him, getting increasingly concerned. The alpha’s scent has been growing more intense throughout the evening and, up close like this, Jimin can smell how anxious he is. “Just tell me what’s happening.”
The alpha looks down at him, searching the omega’s face. After a moment, the confession finally comes.
“My rut’s close.”
Jimin’s eyes get wide. His whole body goes rigid.
“What?”
Jeongguk’s jaw works. “My rut. It’s gonna to hit in a day or so. I knew it was supposed to be soon but couldn’t tell exactly when. I can feel it now. And I’m havin’ fun with you, I really am. It’s not often we can take a break and do things like this, and seeing you smile so much…” he trails off, looking off to the side again. “All of the mixed scents and the people—it’s just putting me on edge, that’s all. I’ll have to drop you off at home and come back out to stay at a hotel, and I just don’t want to end the evenin' early and ruin it for you—”
Jimin stops listening. He reaches out and grabs Jeongguk’s hand, before spinning around on his heels and dragging them back through the crowd. The alpha is nearly twice his size and much sturdier, but he goes easily. He lets Jimin pull them through the festival grounds, narrowly avoiding knocking into people, and dodging food and game stands until they get all the way back to the truck.
Once they get there, Jimin gets in the vehicle, closes his door, and then watches Jeongguk, waiting for the alpha to get into the truck, too. Instead, Jeongguk looks at him and walks over to Jimin’s side, waiting for the omega to roll the window down. Once Jimin has, Jeongguk rests his arms on the truck and assesses the omega’s features, looking contemplative.
In a low voice, he softly asks, “You’re sure you’re okay with headin’ out now?”
“I don’t care about the festival, Jeongguk,” Jimin insists with raised brows. “We had our fun. Now, I’m worried about you. So, let’s go.”
Dark eyes search Jimin’s own. Then, in a move so subtle that Jimin nearly misses it, they drop down to the omega’s lips. Jeongguk tucks his bottom lip between his teeth, waits for another second, and then sighs through his nose. He pushes off the truck. “Okay. We’ll go.”
When he gets into the driver’s side and closes the door, the vehicle is immediately filled with the pheromones of an alpha close to rut. Jimin keeps his window rolled down so the soft waves of Jeongguk’s arousal don’t put him in a spiral on the drive.
They stop at the only hotel in town. As expected, it’s on the smaller side. When Jeongguk gets out, muttering about booking a room in advance before they go back to the farm to drop Jimin off, the omega gets out and comes with him. The alpha glances at him over his shoulder but doesn’t say anything. If anything, he relaxes at Jimin’s added presence and the omega knows why. Alphas close to rut get territorial over omegas—even if they aren’t together.
Something hot twirls in Jimin’s stomach at the thought of Jeongguk caring about him enough to be possessive near a rut, but he tries to push the thought back at the acknowledgement of how inappropriate it is.
The entrance of the hotel is quant and organized. There’s low lighting and a single employee behind the counter, whose eyebrows shoot up at the pair when they walk up to her. Based on the way she keeps side-eyeing Jeongguk, there’s no doubt that she can smell him too.
“How can I help you?”
“I need to book a room. For tonight, please,” Jeongguk tells her.
The woman gives him an empathetic expression. “Because of the festival, all of our rooms are completely booked for tonight, sir. My soonest openings are three days from now.”
Jimin’s shoulders fall at the news. He looks over at the alpha and sees how unphased he looks on the outside, but Jimin has known him for long enough now to see the strain in his back and the concern in his eyes.
“And if someone cancels?”
The woman shakes her head slowly. “There are people on the waitlist already, too. Of course, I can still add you to it, but…”
“That’s—That’s alright,” Jeongguk tells her. He nods once, starting to walk away. “Thank you.”
The atmosphere in the truck on the way back to the farm is stiff. Jeongguk’s hands are gripping the wheel too tight and Jimin can’t stop looking at him, wondering what he’s thinking. He doesn’t ask what they’re going to do, and he doesn’t have any solutions to give, so he stays quiet.
Jeongguk does too. It’s obvious the gears are turning in his head. He’s stressed and close to a rut—which isn’t ever a good combination.
When they pull into the driveway back home, Jeongguk is quick to round the vehicle to open Jimin’s door. The omega wants to scold him for bothering with something like that when they have bigger issues right now, but seeing the subtle semblance of normalcy it seems to offer Jeongguk, he opts for just letting him do it.
It’s when they’re back in the house—the last of the day's sunlight disappearing just beyond the kitchen window—that Jimin knows Jeongguk isn’t going to unwind until this is resolved.
Jimin stays in the room with him; finds a spot on the couch, pulls out a book to distract himself with, and waits for the alpha to think of something. To Jimin, the answer is obvious: Jeongguk should just go through his rut in the house. They don’t really have another solution right now. But, if that was something the alpha was okay with doing, he would’ve said it already.
Every so often, Jimin will look over at him to check. The silence in the room is deafening and the tension isn’t helping. Despite being on good terms now, it’s reminding the omega of how strained their relationship was a few weeks ago; they didn’t speak to each other and only had the quiet as a comfort.
On top of that, Jeongguk’s pheromones are getting stronger by the minute. Jimin keeps inhaling petrichor that’s laced with a needy desire and lust, and honestly? Honestly?
The whole thing is driving him crazy.
It’s nearly thirty minutes later and Jeongguk is still standing there with both of his arms on the counter—every muscle in them tense—and his tongue poking into the side of his cheek as his jaw works. He’s looking off to the side, seemingly lost in thought.
From the couch, Jimin glances over, the book in his lap temporarily forgotten. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinkin’ ‘bout how practical hay is when it’s used as a cot,” Jeongguk offers easily.
The omega scoffs and rises up from the couch, flipping his book upside down on the coffee table as he walks closer to where the alpha is standing in the kitchen. “Okay. Enough.”
Jeongguk’s dark eyes flicker to him but he doesn’t say anything, probably recognizing the tone of Jimin’s voice as him being deathly serious.
“What are you going to do? Sleep in the barn?” Jimin crosses his arms, brows pulled together in frustration. “You’re not some animal, Jeongguk. Be serious. There’s no way you’re doing that.”
“I’m bein’ perfectly serious—”
“And that’s the problem,” Jimin cuts him off.
A moment passes where both men just look at each other, tension building in the space between them.
After a second, Jimin sighs and lets his shoulders relax. In a more gentle tone, he finally says what he’s been wanting to this entire time.
“Just stay in the cabin. It’ll be fine.”
He watches the way Jeongguk’s throat bobs as the alpha swallows hard. “I can’t.”
Jimin sighs. “That’s—”
“I can’t, Jimin, and you know it.”
“Oh, please,” Jimin dismisses with a scoff. “Do you really think it’s going to bother me? Or, maybe it’s not that you think I’ll be uncomfortable—What? Do you think I’m going to smell your rut and come crawling like some—”
“No, no.” Jeongguk drops his head, shaking it. “You’re gettin’ the wrong idea.”
“Then, enlighten me,” the omega insists, approaching the alpha in slow, calm steps. With every step closer that he gets, Jeongguk’s pheromones seem to grow stronger. “Tell me what’s going on, Jeongguk. You want me to be honest with you, so you need to be honest with me.”
“I can’t, Jimin.”
Standing right next to him in the kitchen now, Jimin is frowning when he asks, “You can’t be honest with me?”
“Not that—” Jeongguk releases a gruff sigh and lifts his head, staring right at the omega now. His jaw is tense and his eyes seem darker than usual—pupils blown wide. Through gritted teeth, the alpha admits, “I can’t stay in the same home as you durin’ my rut. You can’t ask me to smell you, hear you—to know that you’re only a room away—and to ignore you.”
Jimin’s breathing catches.
“I’d never do anythin’ to hurt you—I hope you know that by now.” Jeongguk shakes his head, looking around Jimin’s face like he’s committing the image of it to memory. “But I don’t have full control over myself durin’ my rut. My wolf calls the shots and—”
He cuts himself off, tongue protruding the side of his cheek again as he looks away.
Beside him, Jimin is still reeling from the admission when he presses, “And?”
Jeongguk sighs again and glances at Jimin. He seems like he’s tired when he finally admits, “And it wants you. Badly.”
Something burns inside of Jimin. It starts low and spreads like a wildfire, growing with every confession that passes Jeongguk’s lips. Because he didn’t say that he wanted Jimin—he said his wolf does. Even so, it’s not nothing.
Jimin’s lips are parted and he’s trying to think of something to say—anything at this point, but he’s still reeling.
“I can’t guarantee I’ll be in control enough to stay here, so it’s not happenin’,” Jeongguk says with a level of finality. He pushes off of the counter and starts walking past Jimin, clearly done with the conversation.
But Jimin’s hand is reaching out and tugging on the fabric of his shirt, causing the alpha to pause in his stride and glance down at Jimin’s small fist, and then up to the omega’s face. His eyebrows are raised expectantly and, realizing he really has to speak or Jeongguk will walk away again, Jimin sputters out the first thought he has.
“Spend your rut with me.”
All of the cicadas outside seem to have stopped chirping. Inside, the tension in the air is palpable. Jimin is perfectly still, in a state of shock over his own words. Inside, he’s experiencing turmoil as he stares at Jeongguk. The alpha’s expression is indeclinable, so Jimin can’t gauge what the reaction is going to be.
Jimin’s mouth opens as he prepares to say something— whatever he can think of—that might turn this conversation around. But it’s too late.
Then, Jeongguk sucks a breath in.
“What?”
The omega’s face gets warm and he scrabbles, “I don’t—I just meant…”
Jeongguk stands there staring at him, not saying a thing. He doesn’t try to help Jimin out of it, doesn’t say something quick and light to blanket over it. He looks at Jimin and waits.
And Jimin can’t think of anything to say. His brain has completely shut down. All he can think about is how good Jeongguk smells and about what the alpha said moments prior.
My wolf wants you. Badly.
All he’s thinking about is why wouldn’t it work? Why should he not spend Jeongguk’s rut with him? Other than the obvious tension and awkwardness that will face them after. Jimin likes him and Jeongguk wants him so… what’s the harm?
Running with that, Jimin straightens up and clears his throat, only hesitating for a second before repeating, “I just mean that your rut would be easier with a partner, and it’s obvious we don’t really have other options… It just seems like the best idea to me.”
Jeongguk blinks at him. Then, he points a long, slender finger to the floor, lifting his brows. “This seems like the best idea to you?”
Jimin doesn’t let the obvious apprehension in his tone deter him. He doubles down. “What would be so bad about it?”
“What?”
“What would be so bad about it?” The omega repeats.
Jeongguk turns to the side, one hand coming up to comb through his hair—a move Jimin has noticed he pulls when he’s stressed and thinking. He gives the alpha a moment to genuinely think about it. Eventually, Jeongguk shakes his head. “It’s… we can’t."
“And I’m asking you why?” Jimin presses. “If it’s just because you don’t want to then… that’s fine, but… if it’s some other reason—”
“For starters, I’m eight years older than you.”
“So what? If age was going to be a dividing factor between us, it would’ve happened already,” Jimin reasons.
Jeongguk glances at him. His scent only seems to be growing thicker and his tongue is pressed into the side of his cheek now, his jaw working as he looks the omega over. “We’d have to keep livin’ together after.”
Jimin swallows. He nods and, slowly—very slowly—he takes a step forward. Following that, he takes another. “I can handle that. Can you?”
The alpha watches him as he comes closer but he doesn’t move back when the omega comes to an eventual stop right in front of him. In a serious tone, he admits, “My ruts last days. They’re intense when I’m alone so I can’t even imagine how they’d be with someone else. I haven't spent one with someone else in years.”
“That’s okay.”
“I might get rough.”
“That’s nothing new to me,” Jimin says breathlessly.
Jeongguk’s jaw tenses at the glance into the omega’s sexual history. “I won’t be in full control of myself and I’ll probably black out at some parts of it. My wolf might get possessive over you. I won’t be able to let you go far without me—I’ll pin you down.”
“I can handle that.”
The alpha takes a small step closer, looking down at Jimin now, giving him a look like he’s trying to figure him out. He’s talking like he’s trying to convince Jimin not to do it but something tells the omega that if he feels the need to convince him not to do it, that means Jeongguk is teetering on the edge of being onboard. He seems like he’ll agree to it, but Jimin has to convince him that he can take it.
So, Jimin lifts his chin and gives the alpha his most convincing face.
Jeongguk’s eyes narrow. “Tell me now that you don’t mean it.”
“That won’t happen because I’m being perfectly serious with you,” Jimin says firmly.
“In that case,” the alpha starts, leaning down just a little before stopping himself as if he’s holding back. His voice drops, “tell me what you’re okay with.”
“This isn’t about me.”
Jeongguk huffs and it’s a little sound of disbelief. He leans closer and now Jimin can feel the warmth of his breath on his lips with how close their faces are. Dark eyes search Jimin’s own before dropping down to his lips, seemingly entranced. In a near whisper, he says, “It’s always been about you.”
Jimin’s eyes slip shut. His heart is racing. “I’m okay with anything you’ll want.”
He can feel it when Jeongguk softly shakes his head. “You don’t know that.”
“Trust me,” Jimin tells him. He reaches out and lays both of his palms flat against the alpha’s firm, clothed chest. Jeongguk’s heart is pounding just as fast, and something about that simple acknowledgement is reassuring. “If I don’t like something, you’ll know.”
“What if I’m not in control?”
“Trust yourself.” Jimin’s breath hitches when big, warm hands settle on his waist. “I trust you.”
One of them moves closer—Jimin’s too deep into the moment to notice anymore who it is—but he feels it when their noses brush together. Jeongguk mutters, “Stop sayin’ things like that.”
Their lips are separated by a hair’s breadth when Jimin questions, “Why?”
“Because it makes it difficult.”
“Makes what difficult?”
Jeongguk sounds like he’s barely holding back when he responds, “Not kissin’ you.”
Jimin’s hands on his chest suddenly press their weight down, making sure Jeongguk feels how real and warm Jimin is against him. Judging by the shaky inhale, the alpha gets it. “I’m not stopping you.”
Petrichor is rich in the air and it unfurls whenever the words pass Jimin’s lips. Without an ounce of hesitation lingering, Jeongguk brings one hand to cup the back of the omega’s neck and holds him in place as his own lips come crashing down against Jimin’s. Despite anticipating it, Jimin’s breath still catches in his throat, sharp and hard. He struggles to keep pace with Jeongguk as the alpha works their mouths together, slick and rough. He doesn’t ease them into it, hardly gives Jimin time to prepare. He just takes as they kiss, slipping his tongue into the omega’s mouth the moment Jimin’s lips part to release a high, surprised little huff of air.
His tongue is hot and wet and snakes against Jimin’s, exploring his mouth. Jeongguk tastes like mint and the lemonade Jimin freshly mixed and put in the fridge yesterday. The omega sinks in his hold, allowing Jeongguk to take, and loving the way the alpha strips him apart; kissing him deep and thoroughly—leaving him breathless in exactly the way he has been craving.
Jimin’s hands ball into fists in the material of his shirt, and then Jeongguk’s hands are slipping down and cupping the plush underside of the omega’s thighs, gripping firm and persistent until Jimin eventually gets the hint. Whenever he does, the omega makes another pitched noise and separates his mouth from Jeongguk for but a fleeting moment in which he tosses his arms around the back of the alpha’s neck and jumps, his legs catching around Jeongguk’s waist, his weight held steady by the alpha. Like it’s the easiest thing in the world, their lips reconnect and Jeongguk walks them backwards without looking where he’s going.
He knows the cabin like the back of his hand so it’s no surprise that he easily walks them back and around the kitchen. Jimin is so in awe at his strength and the way their mouths keep working together at a hasty pace, and hardly notices it when he’s suddenly set back down—thick thighs and ass connecting with the firm, solid wood of what can only be the table they eat on together every day.
Neither of them seems to care, however, as Jeongguk’s hands go flat on the table and he slowly works them back, in turn forcing Jimin to dip back until his back is eventually flush with the cool wood. His short fingers wander up, threading into that unruly, black hair that’s always driving him insane with the need to touch. He’s had his hands in it once before during their little play fight in the water a few months back, but this is nothing like that. At that time, Jimin’s touch was innocent. Now? He curls his fingers and tugs experimentally, heat stirring low in his stomach whenever Jeongguk elicits a groan in response.
The alpha is between his legs that Jimin still has loosely thrown around him and he’s towering over him, pressing him to the table and ravaging his mouth like it’s his right. Jimin is squirming against the table, shifting and leaning up, not really being able to help it with how turned on he is. In turn, Jeongguk brings one hand down from where it was beside the omega’s head and grabs his hip in a bruising hold, pinning him to the table.
Jimin inhales quickly through his nose and all he can smell is petrichor and, in the distance, his own floral scent blossoming with heady arousal. Where Jeongguk’s scent is already wild and uncontained, Jimin’s is more like a steady pulse that’s slowly growing.
They lick and nip and suck at one another’s lips, teasing and pushing. Jimin never thought Jeongguk would kiss the way he does now. Their first kiss was deep and passionate, sure, but it was nothing like this. Here and now, the alpha kisses him like he’s indulging in a final meal. He kisses Jimin like he’s dying for it, and like he needs Jimin to want it as much as he does. And Jimin does, so he kisses him back just as hard.
It’s only in the little moments that they’re forced to break off for air that they get a break from taking each other apart. And, even then, Jimin is left panting hard on the table as the alpha shifts down to focus on marking up his neck, kisses hot against his skin, teeth painful in the most delicious way as they scrape along, nipping every so often. Jeongguk’s breathing is irregular too but he’s still moving like he needs more.
“When will it hit?” Jimin asks, voice slightly slurred around the edges of vowels, eyes fluttering at every deep mark sucked into the side of his throat.
“Don’ know,” Jeongguk mutters, trailing to the other side of Jimin’s throat to lick a broad stripe up it that causes the omega to shiver in his hold. “A day or so. Maybe less.”
“W-We should…” Jimin trails off, failing to make his point with the distraction of the finest alpha he’s ever seen between his legs and sucking a hickey into his collarbone. “Uh… We should…”
Jeongguk breaks off just to huff an amused laugh. When he kisses Jimin’s skin again, he’s smiling. “We should finish our sentences?”
Jimin groans in irritation, pulling at the alpha’s hair. Jeongguk growls playfully, biting down on his neck. He doesn’t stop until the omega is keening high in his throat at the pleasurable pain. When he pulls off, he’s warning, “Don’t start somethin’ you can’t finish.”
“That’s why we should take a pause,” Jimin suggests, trying to open his eyes but it’s unbelievably difficult when they keep naturally slipping shut with how overwhelmingly good he feels with Jeongguk’s lips on him. “Have to… get ready.”
That makes Jeongguk lean up on his arm, finally stopping his assault on Jimin’s neck long enough to look down at the omega. Jimin bites back a gasp at the sight of him above him. His hair is falling into his face and his pupils are blown wide with lust swimming in them. His lips are bitten red and swollen from their kissing. Jimin knows he can’t look much different but he still can’t stop staring. Jeongguk always maintains a certain level of composure and, like this, he’s vastly different. The alpha’s eyes skim around his face and he’s quietly observing for a moment, almost looking like he’s thinking the exact same thing that Jimin is.
“We have to set the automatic feeders up,” Jeongguk tells him. He’s thinking now, looking off to the side as he runs through every responsibility that they have to take care of before they’re out of commission. “Gotta water the plants. Put more mulch down. Tarp over the berries that are growin’.”
Just like that, he’s composed again. He’s level and calm but, behind his cool exterior, he’s still holding Jimin’s hip with a certain need and there’s still something tensed in his jaw. If it were anyone else, they might not notice, but Jimin has known him for long enough now to be able to read between the lines.
“I can take the horses for a few laps while you do that. I’ll make sure the pens are cleaned and locked, too.”
"Also, um," Jeongguk awkwardly clears his throat, looking off to the side while poking his tongue into his cheek. From this angle, Jimin swears his face warms to a different shade. "We need to be safe during, uh..."
Jimin blinks. "Oh. Right."
"I should, um... I guess I should go into town before it gets dark and..."
Condoms. Jimin's brain helpfully notes. He warms at the mere thought of Jeongguk in that regard. He shakes the inappropriate idea from his head and speaks before he can think better of it. "There's no risk of pregnancy since I'm not in heat and, um... I don't, uh, mind..."
Jeongguk's scent spikes with a fresh wave of lust. He turns to look at Jimin, jaw tense. "What?"
Nervously, the omega darts his gaze away, pretending to find interest in a nearby wall. "I'm just saying that I don't mind, and that it seems sort of silly to try and use protection like that during a rut. We'll either... run out, or ditch them later anyway. So..."
Jeongguk blinks at him. Then, with a hard swallow, he says, "Okay."
Jimin blushes. "Okay."
A long moment passes and, with the tension there, Jimin thinks they might just forget everything they just agreed on and go right back to making out.
But then, slowly, the alpha backs off the table and steps back, holding his hands out like a gentleman to help Jimin down from the piece of furniture that he placed him on only minutes ago. At the very least, Jeongguk has the decency to glance away as the omega takes his offered hands and hops down, seeming a little sheepish when he mutters, “Sorry for, um, putin’ you up here. Should’ve asked if that was alright.”
“I told you,” Jimin starts, catching Jeongguk’s gaze as he drops his hand, “if I don’t like something, you’ll know.”
“You keep sayin’ that but…” Jeongguk shakes his head, tongue finding his cheek.
Narrowing his eyes, Jimin grabs either side of the alpha’s face between his fingers, palm cupping his chin, and forces him to look at him. The whites of Jeongguk’s eyes show as they go wide in surprise at the bold maneuver but, with a racing heart, Jimin persists. He asks in a firm tone, “Did it seem like I didn’t like what we did just now?”
The alpha stares at him for a minute. Then, slowly, his shoulders relax. “No.”
“Exactly,” Jimin hums, releasing him and taking a step back. “So, stop worrying about me.”
Jeongguk swallows. “Right.”
Jimin spins on his heels and heads for the front door, ready to work. His hips sway as he moves, emphasizing how light and confident he feels after their little interaction just now. When he doesn’t hear heavy footsteps following closely behind him, though, he stops at the door and glances over his shoulder. He finds Jeongguk standing there and staring after him, his dark eyes stuck on Jimin’s ass.
Ignoring his racing heart, Jimin calls out, “Going to stare or are you going to come work so that you can touch later, instead?”
The alpha seems to straighten up at that, his shoulders broadening as he raises to his full height. Still seeming a little far gone from his incoming rut and obvious desire, Jeongguk simply nods and starts walking his way.
Jimin snickers and pulls the door open. “Come on, lover boy. It's already dark out so this might take a while.”
The moon is high in the expansive sky by the time they’re both done on the farm.
Jimin heads back inside before Jeongguk does, eager to shower and wash away all of the dirt and grime from cleaning out the animals’ pens. He leaves his muddied boots on the porch by the door and hurries in, rushing to the bathroom with a desperate need to get clean.
He sighs when he strips out of his messy clothes and steps over to the shower in the corner of the room. He quickly rinses off to rid himself of any dirt that there can be, and then shifts over to the porcelain, lone-standing tub. He allows the water to fill and, as it does, he tosses in some herbs and pressed flowers that he keeps tucked away in a cabinet under the sink. They help with drawing more of his natural scent out—something that might come in handy with Jeongguk’s rut—and they also have a soothing effect, helping him to some much needed relaxation before the aforementioned event.
He dips into the bath and drops his head back, legs graceful crossed over the edge as he soaks, enjoying himself.
Distantly, he hears the sound of the front door opening and heavy steps walking through the cabin. He tenses slightly at the knowledge that the alpha is in such close proximity. It’s not because he’s nervous or uncomfortable, but because he knows what they agreed to do later and the anticipation of everything is…
Jimin tucks his bottom lip between his teeth, gazing to the ceiling absently as he remembers the way Jeongguk felt on top of him. He was warm and strong, capable of pinning him against the table while he ravaged him with kisses. The omega had glanced at the mirror before he got in the shower. His neck is covered in dark purple and soft red marks. His body grows hot at the thought of it.
A gentle but persistent knocking against the door of the bathroom pulls him from his thoughts.
Picking his head up and staring at the oak wooden door, Jimin cautiously calls out, “Yes?”
Jeongguk’s voice is muffled and deep from the other side. “I think it’ll hit sooner than I thought.”
Jimin blinks at the door. “When?”
“Uh… Within the hour, I’m startin’ to think…”
The omega sucks in a breath, steeling himself before replying, “...Okay.”
“I set food and water out for when… for later.” Jeongguk clears his throat. “Everything should be done but I, uh, I’ve still gotta shower and—”
“Oh,” Jimin says, the water swishing as he starts to sit up, his cheeks going crimson. “I’m sorry. I’ll—”
“No, no,” the alpha quickly says. Jimin halts his movements, looking at the door and waiting for when Jeongguk explains, “I’m sure, uh, I’m sure you’d like to clean up and I’d hate to rush that for you. I was thinking… Um, I was actually thinking that maybe…”
Jimin can’t see him but he can still picture it; Jeongguk’s hand at the back of his neck, his jaw working as he tries to find the words. With anticipation swelling like a frog in his throat, the omega waits.
Finally, Jeongguk says, “If you’re alright with it, I thought I could just shower while you bathe.”
Suddenly, the omega’s heart starts pounding in his chest. Images of them both dancing around each other—bare and dripping water—flash through his mind without him meaning for them to.
Silence stretches on for a few seconds.
“You can say no.”
And Jimin—
“That’s… That’s fine,” the omega says with bated breath. Behind the door, Jeongguk says nothing. So, trying to be convincing, he adds, “You’re right. We should, um, probably hurry things along since you think it’ll hit sooner. It just makes sense for you to… shower now.”
Another moment passes. “You’re sure?”
Jimin leans up, positioning himself so that he’s covered everywhere that’s important, body hidden by the herbs and dried flowers. “Yes. You can… come in.”
There’s nothing for the first few rapid beats of Jimin’s heart. It’s like Jeongguk is waiting for him to vocalize his recension of the offer. Very purposefully, Jimin purses his lips shut and waits.
The telltale sound of the doorknob turning and clicking is enough to have Jimin sitting in anticipation, his breath catching when the door finally opens slowly. With his gaze lowered, Jeongguk steps in and softly shuts the door behind him. His jeans and t-shirt are lined with dirt, his face marked in places where he got some dirt on himself as well. His hair is tied back in a top knot and the muscles in his arms tensed.
“If you change your mind at any point, just let me know and I’ll leave you be,” Jeongguk promises with quiet conviction.
Jimin mutters, “I told you that it was okay. You can shower.”
The omega swallows. “You can look at me, too, if you want.”
Dark eyes flicker up to meet his gaze. The omega stills under the weight of that stare. It’s so full of desire and that wildness from earlier—once vague but now hardly concealed with the impending rut—and, even so, there’s so much gentleness in his eyes.
“I don’t just mean now,” Jeongguk states slowly. “I mean for later, too.”
Behind the lust, something warm stirs in Jimin. His expression softens. “I know.”
Jeongguk looks at him for a moment longer and then nods. He’s very careful to not let his eyes wander down to Jimin’s exposed, pert nipples or his long, smooth legs that are dangling prettily over the edge of the tub. He’s respectful in his gaze, even as his wolf fights to claw to the surface.
With one last look, Jeongguk shifts so that his back is facing Jimin and reaches a hand behind himself, easily tugging his shirt up and over the back of his head, tossing it off in a swift motion. The omega’s eyes go wide at the sight of his slim waist and broad back where his muscles flex and work as the article of clothing is thrown to a hamper in the corner of the room.
He’s seen the alpha shirtless before but now the context is entirely different. Jimin should look away when Jeongguk starts unbuttoning his pants—he knows that.
But still…
His gaze lingers, eyes tracking every inch of tan skin that appears as Jeongguk takes the jeans off. Just like he did before, he haphazardly discards them into the hamper, standing in only his boxers.
Black and clinging to his hips and strong thighs, Jimin has to physically stop his jaw from dropping at the sight of Jeongguk in his underwear. He’s still facing away, offering Jimin a splendid view of his ass—and it’s a very nice ass.
The omega leans closer, water shifting around him as he moves. It’s drowned out by the sound of the shower turning on when Jeongguk walks over and sticks his hand past the curtain to turn the knob.
He waits there for a second—presumably for the water to get hot—before he’s hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs and tugging down. Jimin’s whole body heats as he watches the fabric slip down the alpha’s body and off, tossed aside like everything else.
The alpha shifts to the side to tug the curtain of the shower open, clearly about to step in, and that’s when Jimin sees it.
His cock hangs heavy between his legs. It’s not entirely flaccid, Jimin notes, but it is mostly soft. Despite that, it’s big and imposing.
Jeongguk stops at the front of the shower with the curtain drawn back, not stepping in.
Jimin is still off in his own little world, blatantly ogling his dick and thinking about it hard and imagining what it could do to him.
He’s pulled from his stupor by the low, smooth voice of the alpha.
“I think you forget that I can smell you now, omega.”
Jimin’s eyes dart up, a sharp inhale tearing through his chest. His face heats in embarrassment as realized shame over his own aroused scent and half-hard cock hidden under the water dawn on him.
Jeongguk looks right at him. “That means I can smell it when you’re turned on, too.”
The omega swallows, heartbeat lurching in his throat. His cheeks must be a vibrant red by now so he finally looks away, pursing his lips because he isn’t quite sure what to say to excuse himself.
“Never learned it’s impolite to stare?” The alpha questions, something teasing in his tone. It prompts the omega to glance over and he finds Jeongguk’s brows lifted, his lips tugged up on one side in a playful half-smirk.
Jimin could apologize. He could ignore that he’s being made fun of and go back to relaxing in his bath until Jeongguk leaves. There’s a plethora of options, really.
But he’s buzzing with anticipation and arousal, and they’ve been dancing around each other for who fucking knows how long at this point. And they’re going to be tangled up in bed together before the night is over. So, Jimin leans back in the bath, holds Jeongguk’s gaze, and says the most impolite thing he can.
“Your cock is big.”
Jeongguk snorts with laughter. He shakes his head, looking over at the omega with shock and mirth lined in his expression. Jimin remains perfectly impassive as he guffaws and, eventually, Jeongguk says to him, “Yeah. It is.”
There’s a moment where neither of them move. The hot shower water has been running for long enough now that the steam is beginning to fill the room.
Jeongguk raises a brow. “That gonna be a problem?”
Jimin bites down on his bottom lip and, very slowly, he shakes his head.
“Alright, then,” Jeongguk starts. He pushes the curtain back a little more and stares at Jimin for a second longer, before starting to step into the shower. Just before he draws the curtain closed again and conceals his body, he says, “Good.”
Once the alpha is behind the curtain, Jimin can no longer see him or his silhouette. He relaxes into the bath and lets his eyes slip shut, trying to calm down. The prospect of what they’ll be doing later is setting expectations alight inside of him. He can’t stop thinking about touching Jeongguk and Jeongguk touching him. He’s still turned on and, even under the water, he knows that there is slick starting to form.
Somehow, Jeongguk not seeming nervous is making Jimin squirm even more. Sure, he can see the alpha’s desire from a mile away right now, but he’s not nervous, it seems. It’s giving the omega the impression that he has nothing to be nervous about—that the alpha knows sex will be good and pleasurable for both of them. In that way, he exudes a natural confidence, and that’s only serving to help turn Jimin on more.
Jeongguk’s scent starts permeating the air even more, carried through the air by the mist from the shower. He’s getting closer to his rut with every passing moment and it looks like Jimin’s strong lavender and lilac scent is heavy around them and, like Jeongguk’s, is only growing more potent. It’s certainly not helping to calm down the alpha who is bordering on the cusp of his rut beginning.
It seems like the minutes that go by drag on as both men clean themselves and soak, all while actively trying to ignore the other’s arousal. It’s nearly impossible. Jimin only prevents himself from hopping out of the bath and slipping into the shower with the alpha because of the sheer embarrassment he knows he would feel after everything is over—baffled at his own desperation.
When the running water cuts off, Jimin’s breath hitches.
He doesn’t even try to feign disinterest. As the alpha steps out and reaches for a nearby towel to dry off with, Jimin watches him.
The alpha’s lean, strong body is dripping water. His black, unruly hair is more curled than usual as he drags the towel up to shake the soaking water out of it. When he turns around to face Jimin, their gazes meet.
Jimin can’t help it. His eyes slip down the length of the alpha’s body and he has to bite hard on his plump lower lip to contain a whine when he spots that Jeongguk’s cock is fully hard now. It’s curved and thick, flush at the top and pressing against his navel because of the way it curves slightly at the tip.
His mouth drops open around a stuttered gasp and his floral pheromones grow tenfold, sending a fresh wave of arousal through the small room.
When he hears a low rumble, Jimin glances back up to find Jeongguk still staring straight at him. There’s barely contained want and desperation in his dark eyes, and his jaw is tense again.
“Come here,” Jeongguk commands in a low, firm tone. “I’m sure you’ve soaked long enough.”
Before the alpha is even through the sentence, the water is already sloshing around as Jimin unplugs the stopper at the bottom and starts rising slowly from the tub. He looks at Jeongguk the entire time he moves, standing up as fluidly as he can.
Water droplets roll down his body as he stands from the tub and he doesn’t have to look down to know that his own cock is hard now. The alpha’s scent flares in the air at the sight of the omega’s bare body even if he’s putting in a valiant effort to keep his eyes on Jimin’s own.
With careful precision, Jimin steps out of the tub and walks over to him. Jeongguk extends a fresh towel—his own discarded now that he’s mostly dry. He spreads the material wide in a gesture, so Jimin steps into his arms, allowing the alpha to cover him in the towel. They don’t speak as Jeongguk dries him off; hands covered by the fabric but still gliding over the omega’s body. He doesn’t try drying between the omega’s legs but he supposes they both know that there isn't a point. He’s wet down there already for entirely different reasons.
Jimin’s hands go to the alpha’s warm, naked chest and they hold eye contact as Jeongguk shifts up, gently drying the omega’s damp hair.
The tension between them is palpable.
Even so, they don’t talk. The moment is so close, so intimate.
Once Jeongguk is done drying his hair, he kneels down—towel still in hand.
Jimin elicits a soft, choked sound at the sight of the alpha on the floor before him, dark eyes still looking right up at him as he runs the towel up the length of his thighs and down to his calves and ankles, before coming back up.
The omega’s cheeks color when Jeongguk gently grabs one of his ankles, dragging it up to settle on his thigh as he dries his foot off. He’s sweet in how he settles Jimin’s foot back on the floor before doing the same with the other. It’s so romantic despite the situation, and it has Jimin’s heart racing.
Whenever Jeongguk is done with that, he tosses the towel aside without a care and settles his hands on Jimin’s legs. Still staring up at the omega, he leans in and lets his lips brush the delicate place where his thigh and hip meet on one side. He kisses soft and tender against that spot, before shifting over to kiss Jimin’s hip.
They’re both still hard. Jeongguk’s rut is close but, even now, the alpha is taking time to worship Jimin’s body, leaving little kisses along his thighs, switching sides to ensure they both get equal amounts of attention.
At some point, Jimin’s hand finds its way into Jeongguk’s hair and the alpha’s eyes slip closed, a hum escaping him as nails scrape along the top of his scalp. Jimin’s bottom lip is tucked between his teeth as the alpha peppers kisses on his hips and thighs and then the side of his stomach, shocking a high gasp out of the omega whenever he sucks a mark into the sensitive skin of his navel—close by to his cock.
Heat is coursing through Jimin and he needs more.
Feeling like he’s coming apart at the seams, he tugs on Jeongguk’s hair until he gets the alpha’s attention. Jeongguk looks up at him, lips still marking up his skin, his eyes big and dark.
“Kiss,” is all Jimin says but it’s enough.
Jeongguk grabs the backs of Jimin’s thighs and surges up, taking the omega with him. Once again, Jimin is suddenly in his arms, but they’re both completely nude this time. Jeongguk’s lips find Jimin’s just as the omega wraps his legs and arms around him, holding on as their mouths move in tandem.
With skilled precision, Jeongguk walks them out of the bathroom and down the hallway. Jimin is worked up from all of the intimate little touches and kissing, and he’s desperate for it. He tilts his head and kisses Jeongguk deeper, letting his hands tug and tangle in the alpha’s still-damp hair.
One hand leaves Jimin’s hip but only to work on the door handle of Jeongguk’s bedroom. In quick, fluent motions, the door is opened and they step through, the alpha casually closing it behind them.
It’s dark outside now and, when they break off from the kiss to breath, Jeongguk’s lips find Jimin’s neck and the omega’s eyes find the moonlight casting into the room from an open window above a huge, comfortable looking bed off to the side. He notes a desk and dresser—all homemade wood—and the deep merlot red of Jeongguk’s comforter and sheets.
The entire room smells like petrichor and Jimin’s entire body warms at how cozy and home-like the space feels. All of the cabin has hints of Jeongguk around, obviously, but this space feels so intimate and cherished that it’s assuaging something inside of him just to be in here.
For all the months he’s resided here, he’s never seen Jeongguk’s room. Now, the first time he’s inside, he’s here to get marathon fucked.
Funny how life works out.
He’s yanked from his thoughts by the world suddenly spinning as he’s let go off, his back bouncing into a soft, plush mattress. His hands go to the sheets by his head, his legs spreading unconsciously as he looks up at the alpha looming over him. Jeongguk’s hands clench into fists—tensing the muscles in his arms—and he stares down at the omega, pupils blown so wide that Jimin can hardly make out the deep brown of his irises.
Jeongguk’s eyes fall down to where the omega’s legs are spread and arousal stirs low in Jimin’s abdomen. The hunger in Jeongguk is hardly contained now.
Jimin wants him so badly.
So, he spreads his legs a little further and pouts his lips, pleading, “Alpha…”
Dark eyes snap up to meet him.
“Please?” He asks in a sweet voice, expectantly waiting.
Jeongguk looks like he’s trying to physically hold himself back. His voice strains when he says, “I can feel it.”
Jimin’s expression softens. “I know.”
“Doin’ all of this…” he shakes his head, reaching out to place one hand on the omega’s bent knee, “it’ll just make it harder to control.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” Jimin tells him.
That makes Jeongguk pause. There’s a very still moment where the alpha looks at him assessing, before he’s putting his other hand on Jimin’s other knee, standing right above him. His jaw works. “Is that what you want? Is that why you've been sayin', doin' all of that stuff? You wanna drag my wolf out on purpose?”
Jimin bites his lip, nodding.
The alpha shakes his head. “You don’t even understand what you’re askin’ for.”
“Stop assuming that you know what I want,” Jimin tells him. He searches the alpha’s face. “I told you to trust me.”
“And I told you,” Jeongguk starts, sliding the hand on the omega’s knee up to the delicate, bare skin of his thigh, “it’s not you that I don’t trust.”
Jimin’s breath hitches at the feeling of calloused fingers dragging up and down his soft leg, exploring and teasing. “I asked you to let me do this knowing that this was going to happen. It’s natural for your wolf to make itself known. Let yourself feel everything.”
The alpha’s eyes trail over his body, drinking in every inch of smooth, supple, enticing skin. “If I let myself feel everything that I wanted with you, we’d be here a lot longer than a few days.”
The omega’s pulse jumps and his scent sweetens even more in the air. Fingers curl into the sheets. He doesn’t even know how to respond to that.
Luckily, Jeongguk doesn’t give him time anyway. The alpha leans over Jimin like he did in the kitchen; letting one hand glide to his hip while the other steadies himself by the omega’s head. Dark eyes search Jimin’s. “For the record, I wouldn’t be doin’ this if I didn’t think we had mutual trust.”
Jimin lets his hands clasp over the back of Jeongguk’s neck, keeping the alpha close as he looks at him. “Me either.”
Jeongguk’s gaze falls to the omega’s plump, pink lips. “I wanna kiss you again.”
“You can when you agree to stop worrying about me—something you already said you would do earlier.”
The alpha hums, brushing their noses together. “I’ll always worry about you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What makes you think you’ll hurt me?” Jimin asks in a quiet voice.
Matching his tone, Jeongguk murmurs, “You’re delicate. Soft. Should be taken care of.”
It brings Jimin back to their first outing to town together.
Especially when they’re as gorgeous and as worthy of being taken care of as you are.
Jimin bucks his hips up—or tries to, but Jeongguk is still holding him down, not letting him get away with another slick move like the one in the kitchen earlier. Despite the failed attempt, it seems like the gesture is enough. The omega bites his lip and looks up at Jeongguk, letting the alpha see the desire in his eyes.
“You should give me what I want then, right?”
Jeongguk’s gaze falls to his lips and comes back up, and petrichor is drowning out everything else in the room. “And what do you want?”
Jimin holds his gaze. “For you to fuck me into this mattress. I want you to give me everything you can until all I can think about is your cock making space for itself inside of me. I want you to ruin me—”
He’s cut off by lips pressing against him. He sighs into it, feeling Jeongguk lean more of his weight on top of him. The alpha is rough with the way he kisses Jimin; tugging at his bottom lip with his teeth, coaxing the omega’s mouth open only to suck unforgivingly on his tongue, and all the while keeping a vice grip on his hip so that Jimin can’t shift his hips up for some much needed friction the way he wants to. It’s frustrating and satisfying all at once. The omega feels like he should’ve known that Jeongguk’s touches match everything else about the alpha; grounding, warm—hot enough to light a fire in Jimin’s core.
“You’re talkin’ like you’ve been fuckin’ thinkin’ about it,” Jeongguk manages between a rough and sloppy exchange of kisses, his voice gruff.
Jimin feels the conviction in his tone—the honesty—when he replies, “Haven’t you?”
It’s an answer and a non-answer all in one. He’s so beyond needy for the alpha’s touch that he really doesn’t care if his crush is obvious at this point. His shame left the second Jeongguk kissed him in the kitchen earlier on today. If nothing else, at least he knows that the alpha wants him back in this way. And he’ll take that.
There’s a groan and then Jeongguk breathes the answer against Jimin’s parted lips. “How could I not?”
And Jimin’s mind blanks at that. He hooks his arms around the back of the alpha’s neck and pulls him impossibly closer, panting out, “Tell me.”
“Of course that’s what you want,” Jeongguk mutters, all the while his mouth trails down from Jimin’s own and, just like in the kitchen, he’s back to licking and sucking marks into the omega’s neck. “Want me to tell you how hard it’s been walkin’ around here for months and pretendin’ not to notice you.”
“For m-months?” Jimin repeats, words laced with surprise.
Jeongguk nips at his collarbone, dragging a whine from the omega’s throat. “What? You thought everything started because you wound up bein’ an omega?”
Jimin’s lips draw into a thin line. No words come but it’s enough of an answer for the alpha to hum, kissing softly up the side of his throat. “No, no… You’ve been fuckin’ distracting since you first got here.”
There’s a nip at the omega’s ear, Jeongguk teasingly tugging on the lobe and drawing a shiver from Jimin as he continues, “Pretty without even havin’ to try. Sweet, clever. Stubborn as hell, too—always quick to tell me exactly what you’re thinkin’.”
Jeongguk shifts and finally—finally—their hips brush together again. Jimin is still half-hard—Jeongguk fully, driven by the racing hormones from his impending rut—and the friction is downright perfect. The omega gasps and stutters on a moan, hips twitching for more but firmly held down by the alpha. Jimin’s head falls deeper into the bed. “Those are all good qualities?”
“Yes,” comes the response, the letters rolling on his tongue on the way out, making it hit Jimin’s ears with an air of conviction. There’s a delicate kiss pressed to the omega’s jaw and then dark eyes find him again. Jeongguk’s pupils are blown wide and his scent is heady and thick in the small room. Jimin slips his hands into the hair curled sweetly at his neck, caressing absentmindedly as the alpha looks down at him. Jeongguk shakes his head, looking over the elegant slope of the omega’s nose, the high arch of his cheekbones. “I’ve been tryin’ to stop myself from thinkin’ about you like this since you got here. Even when I thought you were an alpha, I wanted you. Now?”
Jeongguk brushes their noses together and then teasingly ghosts kisses on the hollow of Jimin’s cheek, the corner of his lips. He mutters, “It’s just been harder tryin’ not to look at you, think about you. I can smell you now. I can sense you—”
Worked up and tired of the peppering touches, Jimin raises his head and catches Jeongguk in a surprise kiss. The alpha groans and drops down, pressing the omega’s head back against the mattress, holding him steady. Their mouths work together in a fast, rough moment of passion. A second later, Jeongguk seems to come back from the sudden move and he breaks off, his breathing more shallow than the moments prior. The usually dark brown of his irises is all but replaced at this point. Jimin bites down on his swollen bottom lip, finding himself wanting more—he wants to see Jeongguk in rut. He feels like he’s drowning for it and he can’t even place why.
He smells it the second that his floral, ripe scent thickens in the air, desperation tinting it.
Jeongguk searches his eyes and Jimin watches as he inhales deeply. Then, at a near whisper, he confesses, “You’re drivin’ me fuckin’ insane.”
“Jeongguk—” he starts but is cut off by his own squeal when, out of nowhere, he’s yanked down the bed. His lower half is nearly off the mattress and he would be slipping, except he’s not because Jeongguk is right there; kneeling beside the bed, grabbing hold of the sensitive underside of Jimin’s thighs, gripping into the flesh and holding him up, legs spread. A flush colors Jimin’s cheeks as his eyes go wide. He instinctively tries to close his legs but the alpha keeps him there. “J-Jeongguk! This is—I’m—”
“Don’t get embarrassed now when you’ve been shameless this whole time.” The alpha maintains eye contact but he breathes in again and his jaw works, those calloused hands squeeze once around Jimin’s thighs. “Tell me again what you said earlier.”
Jimin is sitting up on his elbows now, hands balled into fists in the fabric of the sheets. “That you should give me what I want. What we both want.”
He’s so exposed in this position. He can feel the slick beginning to leak between his legs and knows that it must be getting the sheets wet. It’s embarrassing to a certain degree—being so vulnerable—but, even so, whenever Jeongguk’s gaze flickers down and all he finds in his expression is want and desire, Jimin doesn’t even think about trying to close his legs again. He wants it too much.
The alpha’s voice is pitched down when he asks, “And remind me what that is, sweetheart.”
“Right now?” Jimin asks, trying to be subtle as he spreads his legs a little more, pushing further into the alpha’s grip. Judging by the way Jeongguk swallows, it’s not as subtle as he wants. The omega darts his tongue out, running it along his bottom lip. Then, with a stuttered breath, he admits, “For you to fuck me until I’m soaking through the sheets.”
A suppressed growl introduces itself in Jeongguk’s throat and that’s all the warning Jimin gets before the alpha is between his legs. There’s no easing him into it, no teasing—no, nothing like that. In an instant, Jeongguk is at the omega’s entrance, licking a broad stripe to try and taste all of the slick that he can. And he must like how it tastes because he groans and dives in for more, pushing Jimin’s legs back to make more room for himself between them. The omega gasps at the feeling of a persistent, adventurous tongue on the most sensitive part of his body, not breaking off for a single second.
Jeongguk’s eyes go hooded and gets his entire mouth on Jimin, sucking and kissing and licking right over his winking opening. The smell of petrichor is so rich in the air now that it’s nearly suffocating. There’s a rumble from somewhere deep within the alpha—a carnal sort of sound—and then his tongue is prodding the omega’s entrance. Jimin moans and his legs twitch, but Jeongguk holds him open, slowly pressing in as the tensed muscles relax with every lick. His tongue is hot and maybe it’s slick, but it also feels like the alpha is fucking salivating, and all of it is making Jimin’s head spin so much that he has to drop back down into the bed, abandoning his elevated position entirely. From here, he can still see Jeongguk’s eyes when the alpha glances up at him, pinning the omega under the weight of his stare.
He looks like he’s eating the best meal of his life. He looks desperate for more—almost needy, in a way. He looks somehow satisfied and greedy for more all at once. Jimin whimpers and allows his mouth to drop open when his tongue shoves deeper in, Jeongguk rocking it in and out until he’s as deep as he can go and his nose is pressed against the omega. Once he’s there, there’s a filthy slurping sound as he drinks up the omega’s slick. Jimin squeals and clamps a hand over his mouth, going bright red down to his chest at the vulgar noise.
Jeongguk doesn’t care. He’s working his jaw so much that Jimin can see the muscles tensing, and he has a vice grip on the omega’s thighs that Jimin knows will bruise. When their eyes meet again, it hits him that Jeongguk has officially been pulled into the depths of his rut. His eyes are nearly all black and he’s focused on nothing but tasting the omega laid out in front of him on a silver platter. He’s beyond gone—running on instinct alone.
Maybe that’s why Jimin shouldn’t be surprised when Jeongguk’s hold changes and he’s randomly tugged further down the bed. For a fearful second, he thinks the alpha is going to drop him. However, at the last second, arms go around Jimin’s waist, clasping together at his belly button, and Jeongguk is lifting from his knees and pulling Jimin with him. A startled gasp tears from the omega’s throat and his eyes go wide as his entire lower body is brought straight into the air with only his upper back and head still on the edge of the bed. Jeongguk is standing now with his firm chest pressed flush to Jimin’s low back, and he’s still eating the omega out like his life depends on it. If anything, the position change seems to have given him a better angle, because he groans again and sucks around Jimin’s rim, steadily fucking him with his tongue.
“Oh my god,” Jimin whispers in shock—more to himself than anyone else—when he processes the insane position the alpha has put them in. He’s treating Jimin like a ragdoll, adjusting him as needed, pulling him as close as he wants. Jimin’s hands ball into the sheets again and he can’t stop looking at Jeongguk like this. They’re both hard and the alpha is in the beginning of his rut, and here he is; strong arms holding Jimin’s ass up to his face so he can tongue-fuck him and drink up every bit of slick that leaks out.
And it’s a lot of slick. Arousal is a thick knot wound in the omega’s abdomen and he’s dripping with it. He’s never felt this much pleasure from being eaten out before, and he thinks that’s because Jeongguk’s skill and enthusiasm are making everything more intense. He thrusts his tongue in and, when he’s not doing that, he’s dragging it along Jimin’s walls, taking all that he can and leaving Jimin with nothing but all-consuming, shaking pleasure.
“J-Jeongguk,” Jimin whines, seeing his own cock twitch hard against his stomach from the position he’s in. He doesn’t even know what he’s trying to say—isn’t entirely certain he can actually form a coherent sentence right now anyway.
Somehow though, like always, Jeongguk seems to understand.
Dark brows knit together and the alpha stares down at him and, before Jimin can utter a word, Jeongguk is holding him up with one strong arm around his waist and bringing the other up, easily slipping a finger inside of the puckered hole to replace his tongue, which continues to lap wildly at the slick nearby like he’s determined to not waste a single drop.
“A-Ah, fuck,” Jimin moans airily, his eyes rolling back at the deep angle the alpha takes immediately. Seeming to pay close attention to his reactions, Jeongguk rocks his finger in and out steadily, aiming to go harder and deeper when that earns him more of a reaction from the omega. Something unfurls inside of the omega at the understanding of what a quick learner the alpha is. He’s known the entire time he’s been at the farm that Jeongguk is intelligent, but seeing it utilized in such a way is—
Well, it’s—
“So hot,” he whines in a mindless babble, bringing one hand up from the sheets to tug at those curly, black bangs. Jeongguk finally breaks his mouth off, only to direct it to the delicate inside of Jimin’s thigh, nipping and sucking marks with abandon as his finger continues thrusting into him. “Fuck, Jeongguk. That’s s-so good.”
Those dark eyes find him again. Jeongguk seems to be taking in the sight of the omega as he pauses his thrusts, only to rub another thick finger at his dripping entrance. When he’s met with little resistance, he slowly—carefully—pushes it in alongside the first. This time, there is a small bit of pain as the omega is stretched but, even then, it’s the sweet sort of ache that makes him suck in through his teeth and then exhale on a broken moan, basking in the delicious sensation of being slowly spread out—prepped to take something bigger.
Jeongguk lazily kisses along his inner thigh. A dark brow lifts when his two fingers start slowly rocking in and out together. “‘M gonna fuck you. Gonna split you open on my cock—make you drip slick until you’re whored out enough for me to lock my knot inside of you.”
Jimin’s legs shake with anticipation, his hole clenching around the fingers inside. He bites down on his bottom lip, trying desperately to hold back the moan that wants to slip out. His mind is fogged with arousal and it’s making him feel a little bit like he’s going crazy. His body is hot and his vision blurring, and Jeongguk isn’t even inside of him yet. That’s when it hits him.
The omega whines, the hand in Jeongguk’s hair dropping back down onto the bed. “Y-Your pheromones, Jeongguk. I think I’m—I think—”
“Scent drunk already?” The alpha asks with a little condescending head tilt. He rocks both of his fingers out faster now, rubbing along Jimin’s rigid walls and spreading them every so often, trying to stretch the omega out. “I thought this is what you wanted, sweetheart. Are you really gettin’ overwhelmed this early?”
Rough, long fingers curl up and then Jimin’s mouth drops open, a long, drawn out moan tumbling past his lips as his eyes roll back. His body tenses as he’s set into the throes of pleasure. Jeongguk fucks his fingers out quick and deep now, purposefully hitting the omega’s prostate every single time.
From above Jimin, the alpha smirks and the move puts his canines on display. “Can’t talk anymore?”
“F-Fuck you,” Jimin tosses back, the words too breathless to hold any bite but it’s good enough for him.
Jeongguk just chuckles and, in the next moment, the fingers inside Jimin are gone and he’s been gently laid back down on the bed. There’s no conversation, no talk about what to do next. Jeongguk is driven by pure instinct and that’s how he operates. He grips the omega’s hips and flips him around so he’s on his knees and elbows with his ass in the air. Jeongguk groans at the sight, grabbing two handfuls of the plump fat and squeezing. Jimin squeals a second later when sloppy kisses and small nips are placed around his ass, the alpha rubbing his cheek on the flesh while he kneads it like he can’t help but worship it.
“This fuckin’ ass. God, I’ve wanted to touch you like this for months. Walkin’ around in my clothes, showing off your pretty fuckin’ body.”
Warmth spreads through Jimin’s body at the confession and the praise alike. He didn’t think Jeongguk was looking at him—certainly didn’t think the alpha was imagining things like that this entire time. He bites down on his lower lip, not-so-subtly shaking his ass in response, which earns him a quick, sharp slap that leaves a lingering sting on the plump flesh. He drops his chest into the bed, the side of his face in the sheets and arches his butt higher, keening high in his throat at the feeling of Jeongguk grabbing his ass hard after having just spanked him. It hurts so, so good.
He’s still reeling over the feeling when the alpha’s hand suddenly finds its way back between his legs. Jeongguk gathers the excess slick dripping there and then rubs three calloused, thick fingers over Jimin’s entrance. The omega gasps and curls his hands into the sheets, pushing back into the sensation. Jeongguk palms his ass with his free hand, holding Jimin open with his thumb so he can see what he’s doing. When he isn’t met with much resistance, he slowly pushes in. Both of them groan in tandem as Jimin’s hole greedily sucks the fingers in with little more than a lingering burn.
The uncomfortable pressure subsides as Jeongguk sinks them in deeper and, before long, he’s knuckle-deep inside of the omega again. Jimin’s entrance maintains a vice grip on his fingers, making things difficult when the alpha starts slowly drawing them back out again.
Despite the alpha’s rut taking over his senses, he preps Jimin, kisses him, whispers filthy things against his ear—like he has all the time in the world. Like he’s been picturing this. Like he wants it just as badly as Jimin does.
With the omega whining and rocking back against his fingers, dripping down the bed and drooling from his mouth, Jeongguk finally takes his fingers back out. And maybe it should deter Jimin—the way the alpha looks at him, dark eyes taking in his bare form, all while Jeongguk uses his glistening wet hand to grab his thick, veiny cock and coat it in slick. But instead, he arches as much as he can—chest flush with the bed, ass high in the air—and presents himself to the alpha.
The low pitch growl that comes from Jeongguk startles the omega to the point of forcing a shiver to run down his spine. “Spread yourself open for me.”
At this point, Jimin hardly thinks about how humiliating it is. His face is hot but he doesn’t care anymore. He listens; the side of his face presses into the bed and he brings his hands back, gripping either side of his plush ass and spreading himself, showing off his winking, wet hole to the rut-induced alpha.
Jeongguk swears under his breath and, a moment later, he is shifting as he moves closer. Jimin feels the blunt tip of his cock against his entrance at the same time that Jeongguk’s other hand goes to his waist. “Stay there.”
Something hot courses through Jimin’s veins. He bites down on his bottom lip to try and contain desperate little sounds that want to come out and strains to look back at Jeongguk, looking at the dark expression in the alpha’s eyes as he slowly rubs the head of his cock up and down over Jimin’s entrance, effectively teasing both of them. He feels thick and real against the omega like this and it’s causing more slick to gush out from his hole. He can’t even find it in him to shy away from it happening right in front of Jeongguk because, following the alpha seeing it, his scent is only further doused in arousal.
Applying the slightest bit of pressure, Jeongguk presses against Jimin’s opening. It’s not enough to push in—it’s hardly enough to feel his hole stretch open to accommodate him. It’s just another way to tease both of them endlessly.
And Jimin is going to go insane if he keeps it up. He’s reaching the peak of his desperation and he’s not sure he can take it anymore. He wiggles his hips, trying to entice the alpha to push in. He squeezes the fat of his ass where he is still gripping it, pleading out loud, “Come on, Jeongguk. Don’t t-tease.”
The hand that found its home on Jimin’s waist slips around and up, and Jeongguk presses down on the dip of his back, forcing him to arch as much as possible, encouraging his ass higher into the air. Jimin’s arms and back strain with the effort but he holds still. Jeongguk’s hand is big splayed across his back and he’s hot to the touch. The alpha drags the tip of his dick down until Jimin is gasping when it touches the sensitive underside of his balls, and then back up and down again, not listening at all.
“Beg for it.”
His words are low and commanding. He speaks with a certain reverence—acting like, despite the overpowering rut, he has all of the time and patience in the world to drive both of them crazy before slipping inside the omega’s heat.
Their eyes meet. Jeongguk has half-damp, loosely-curled strands of hair falling into his face. His eyes are dark and intense. He looks downright predatory. Jimin has never been so turned on in his life. He knows he must look like a flushed, wiggling mess. He knows that, in rut or not, they’ll both more than likely remember this moment.
Aware of all of these things, Jimin swallows once and adjusts his hands to spread himself out further, lifting his head off the bed just far enough to get a good look at the alpha, pout, and say, “P-Please, alpha? Do what you promised and spread me open until you can lock your knot inside. I need it—”
Jeongguk doesn’t hesitate for a moment longer. The moment the words cross Jimin’s lips, there’s pressure of the blunt head at his opening and, this time, it’s pressing in. Slowly, Jimin’s hole stretches open, quivering and tightening as it tries desperately to accommodate the massive length.
“Fuck,” Jeongguk swears as he carefully slides in, drawing the word out. He has a vice grip on the omega as he feeds his cock into him, pausing when Jimin whimpers or squeaks at being filled up a little too quickly, gasping against the sheets as he takes it. The alpha’s thumbs stroke reassuringly along the omega’s back. “That’s it, sweetheart.”
When his hips come flush against Jimin’s skin, the alpha leans down, his firm chest against the omega’s back. He kisses the side of his head and mutters, “How could I not fuck you after you beg that pretty for it?”
Jimin is shaking under him, his eyes rolled back behind closed eyelids. He feels hot all over as he hones in on where he’s being stretched out. Jeongguk feels impossibly big. He’s never been this full before. Everything seems to come crashing to reality at once. After months of lingering stares and small touches, months of longing and hunger—they’re finally at this moment. Pleasure floods through him in an intense wave and Jimin whimpers, head dropping as he pleads, “Please. N-Need it.”
And Jeongguk must be as desperate as he is, because he immediately starts drawing back out. There is no more waiting, no more teasing—there’s only them in their pursuit to get what they’ve been craving. The alpha pulls back until Jimin feels his tip snag at his rim and selfishly squeezes, determined to keep the alpha in. Jeongguk groans at this before dropping his face into the crook on Jimin’s neck and chuckling. Under normal circumstances, Jimin would make a snippy comment or ask what he’s laughing about, but he’s too far gone already and so in the seconds that follow—where Jeongguk starts pushing back in deliciously slow—he’s powerless to do anything but moan and fall deeper into the bed.
Every inch feels like too much and not enough at the same time. Jimin saw Jeongguk’s cock when it was hard earlier and he knows how big it is, but he still feels this need to know exactly how wide he’s being spread. So, without thinking, he slips a hand under his body and lightly touches around his hole where they are connected. He feels how soaking wet the area is from his slick, as well as how stretched his tight rim is—puffy from the abuse and they’ve hardly begun. A slutty sound passes his lips and Jeongguk reaches around, gripping Jimin’s arm and realizing what the omega is doing. When he notices, he grunts low and long.
As the alpha sets a rocking, torturously steady pace, Jimin thinks he might have his arm yanked away, but Jeongguk just holds him in place and keeps thrusting, lifting his chin enough so that his lips brush the shell of the omega’s ear when he says, “Feel how wide your little hole is stretched to fit me? You take it so well, sweetheart.”
Jimin is losing his mind.
Jeongguk nips at his ear lobe, gripping the omega a little harder as he puts more power into his thrusts, increasing the pace bit by bit like he’s working Jimin up to speed, slowly bringing him closer to where he wants him—testing what he can handle. And the omega is loving it. He feels around where they are connected, obsessed with the effort Jeongguk puts in to get more slick dribbling out of the omega and slipping down his legs.
Unable to do anything but succumb to it, Jimin goes back to gripping the sheets between his fingers and rocks his hips back against the alpha’s thrusts, obsessed with the stretch and the way his heat tightens around Jeongguk like his body knows that this is what he’s made for and it’s trying desperately to earn the alpha’s knot.
With his cheek against the bed, pathetic little sounds pass Jimin’s lips as he’s fucked. Jeongguk holds his composure better, despite being the one controlled by his wolf at the current moment. Jimin thinks he might as well be in heat with the level of desperate need clawing inside of him, poorly veiled by his attempts to get Jeongguk impossibly deeper. The alpha laughs at his attempts to rock back and shifts their position in a split second.
One minute, Jimin is able to move freely as he’s pounded from behind. In the next, his body is moved so that he is pressed flat to the bed—his dick pinned between his abdomen and the mattress, his knees useless to hold him up with Jeongguk’s weight keeping him down—as the alpha brings one arm around the front of his neck and holds his shoulder, while the hand of his other arm grabs Jimin’s hair, both working in tandem to keep him perfectly still as Jeongguk mounts him and slips back inside easily with all of the slick coming from the omega.
The thrusts are deeper now and Jimin is somehow tighter in this position, and they both groan at how it feels. The alpha’s breath is hot against the side of Jimin’s head when he asks in a gruff voice, “Gonna be still now?”
And that’s when it hits Jimin that Jeongguk just put him in a goddam breeding lock.
“Oh my god,” the omega breathes out, the words breaking off on a whine at the end as Jeongguk picks up the pace. By now, he’s pumping steadily into Jimin, making sure that he takes every inch on every single thrust. He practically drops his weight down onto the omega, creating the most filthy slapping sound whenever his hips collide with Jimin’s plump ass.
Jeongguk releases an amused huff. “That’s not an answer.”
Jimin squirms under him, still trying to move his hips as best as he can. Mostly, it’s so he can feel Jeongguk even better, but it has the added bonus of meaning he gets friction to his neglected, reddened cock which is still trapped between his body and the sheets. Jimin can’t think enough at this point to offer an answer, so he just cries out on a particularly hard thrust and shifts back against the alpha, trying to convey how badly he wants this.
The alpha understands, though. Jeongguk always seems to understand. He kisses Jimin’s head through his hair and mutters filthy shit into his ear as they both give way to their desires.
“Needed you like this for so long. Don’t think I’ll ever get enough now that I’ve gotten a taste of you.”
“It’s dangerous a’ you to let me take you like this. What’re you gonna do if I wanna keep you on my cock forever, hm?”
“P-Please,” is all Jimin can manage and it comes out broken, but Jeongguk knows. He makes a low, gruff sound that sounds suspiciously like a growl and tightens his hold on Jimin to a possessive degree. And Jimin is fucking obsessed with it. “Unh, please?”
Jeongguk makes a strained sound and drops his head onto Jimin’s shoulder. “Fuck, Jimin.”
The omega whines in acknowledgement, purposefully squeezing around the alpha’s cock as he picks up the pace, rocking hard and fast in and out, using Jimin’s hole. The sound of skin slapping together mixes filthily with the sick squelch of lube, but Jimin is past the point of shame and the only reason for the flush coloring all the way down his chest is because of how hot he is all over.
Jimin should have known Jeongguk would put as much effort into sex as he does anything else. He’s a quick learner and he’s thorough in everything he does. Whenever he starts kissing down the back of Jimin’s neck and brushes a particular spot that causes the omega to whimper, he latches onto that spot and sucks hard enough to leave a deep bruise.
And when the alpha finally has enough of holding the omega still in the breeding lock, he lifts up and grabs Jimin’s hair roughly, before shoving the omega’s face back down into the sheets. When Jimin lets out a slutty moan at the treatment, the alpha grunts and keeps Jimin’s hair threaded in his fingers, tugging at the strands while he fucks the omega within an inch of his life. Based on scent and reactions alone, Jeongguk picks up on everything Jimin wants and gives it to him.
Jimin stops thinking.
He lets go. He loses himself in the sensation of being completely owned and used, allowing himself to fall into pleasure alone. Petrichor comforts him as much as the hot, heavy alpha over him does—in the same way Jeongguk stretching his tight heat around his cock becomes a comfort, too. It gets to the point where Jimin wonders how—and if— he can ever return to normal after this. He wonders if he can ever stop thinking about how Jeongguk is in bed once this is over.
But that’s an issue for Jimin later on. Jimin now just drifts off and lets himself be fucked the way he didn’t even realize he needed so badly.
Jeongguk keeps him where he wants him for as long as he wants and, once he’s had enough, he slips out—much to Jimin’s protestations. With slick dripping everywhere, the alpha flops down on the bed beside him and then tugs the omega on top. Jimin sits with his legs on either side of Jeongguk’s hips—shaking from exertion despite doing nothing but taking it—and splays his hands out over the alpha’s firm chest. He pouts down at him, complaining, “I d-don’t have the energy.”
A hand finds the back of his head and brings him down. The alpha places a slow, sweet kiss on his lips. It’s deceptively romantic because, at the same time, his other hand is behind them, guiding his cock back into the omega’s gaping hole. The moment Jimin greedily sucks him back in, both men moan into each other’s mouths. Once he’s all the way back inside, Jeongguk shifts so that his legs are bent. He kisses Jimin again and mutters, “Never said you’d have to work, baby.”
He emphasizes the statement by wrapping an arm around Jimin’s lithe waist, holding him in place as he starts pounding up, fucking Jimin with deep, pointed thrusts. The omega cries out and moves so his elbows are above Jeongguk’s shoulders, and tangles his fingers into the alpha’s hair, dropping his forehead onto his own forearm as he lets out unabashed moan after moan, shameless in his enjoyment.
Jeongguk keeps him as close as he can, using the hand on the back of Jimin’s head to cradle him while he doubles-down, thrusting into him at twice the speed as before. When Jimin keens high in his throat and clenches tight around him, Jeongguk’s hips stutter and he groans, “Fuck.”
And Jimin feels it. Sticky with sweat and slick, hot and hard between his legs, he feels something thick forming at the base of Jeongguk’s cock, expanding with every thrust. He whines and nips the alpha’s ear, quietly pleading, “Fill me. God, J-Jeongguk, please? G-Give me it.”
“I won’t be able to focus after the first, sweetheart,” Jeongguk confesses in a warning tone. He’s practically panting at this point, working overtime to give them what they both want. “I’ll be in too deep. I-I won’t be able to—control—”
“Please, alpha,” Jimin whines, tears welling up in his eyes. He cries out, “P-Please, fuck. You p-promised. Please—”
“Shit,” the alpha growls out, his hand at Jimin’s waist tightening until the omega is sure it’ll leave dark bruises. He bucks his hips up harder, deeper, faster, trying to prep the omega for his knot. “I’ll give it to you, sweetheart. Fuck. You’re sure you’re ready?”
Desperate and trying to prove a point, the omega finally raises up and props his hands on the alpha’s chest, swirling his hips and starting to rock up and down on his cock, meeting Jeongguk’s thrusts halfway. “Need it now. Give it to me, alpha. W-Want to be knotted.”
With a strangled sound, Jeongguk’s hands find Jimin’s waist and he holds tight, encouraging the omega’s sultry hip rolls and pathetic bounces. Jimin gets dizzy at the feeling of where Jeongguk’s thumbs nearly touch in the middle, and he can’t help but look down. When he does, the noise he makes is downright obscene.
One of Jimin’s hands slips down his own body, lightly touching until he gets to the spot just above where his reddened, dribbling dick is bouncing with every thrust. He presses down hard on his stomach, moaning. It directs Jeongguk’s curiosity and the alpha looks down at where they’re connected. When he sees what Jimin sees, he chokes on a groan.
Jimin’s abdomen is bulging out with every single thrust, Jeongguk’s cock literally prodding into his stomach.
“Oh my god,” the omega breathes out, blinking as tears start flowing freely down his face. “I’m gonna cum.”
“Fuck, that’s—” Jeongguk cuts himself off, biting down hard on his swollen bottom lip as he shakes his head, speechless at the sight. Seemingly unable to take it, he tilts his head skyward. “A-Ah, I’m—Shit.”
He doesn’t even have to say the words. Jimin feels it. Still pressing down on where he can feel the tip of Jeongguk’s dick through his body, he rolls his hips around and entices the alpha’s swollen knot into his tight heat, trying to get it to take. After some coaxing and a lot of slick, Jimin’s body finally opens up. Jeongguk’s knot pushes past his rim and the omega sucks in a sharp, pained breath, eyelashes fluttering and vision blurring with tears. He’s overwhelmed by how intense everything is; the pleasure, the pain, the desire.
“‘M coming,” Jimin sobs, sniffling and scraping his nails down Jeongguk’s chest right as the alpha’s knot locks inside. The moment the omega feels the intense stretch, he chokes out a cry and falls forward, twitching and shaking as his orgasm washes over him.
Meanwhile, Jeongguk is holding him and rolling his hips like he’s trying to work his knot deeper despite it being stuck already. He’s panting into Jimin's neck, letting out soft moans every time the omega’s heat squeezes around him, actively trying to coax the alpha’s cum out through the knot trapped inside. And it works. Despite all of his efforts to hold back, Jeongguk can’t stop it anymore.
Jimin sobs brokenly when he feels the alpha’s cock twitch inside of him, whining long and loud as hot, thick ropes of cum begin to fill him up at the same time that his own cum is splattered between both of their stomachs.
The high of their orgasms seems to last forever. Jeongguk sucks lazy marks into the side of Jimin’s neck while the omega hums and hugs himself to the alpha, steadily circling his hips, trying to milk as much cum out as he can. He doesn’t even realize what he’s doing at first. It isn’t until Jeongguk groans and nips just above Jimin’s swollen scent gland that he understands. The alpha mumbles, “Careful, omega.”
Omega. Not sweetheart, not Jimin. He called him by his title. Jimin hums, pleased to know that Jeongguk has, finally, fully embraced his rut. He kisses the alpha’s temple and stills on top of him. He wants to keep going but he’ll try to be calm for the time being—if only for the simple fact that he knows they’ll have plenty of time for him to be more greedy. Jeongguk might be the one in rut but Jimin is the needy one. He’s been given an opportunity to quell the ache that has plagued him for months, and he’ll certainly take it.
He quietly asks, “Why do I have to be careful? I’m not going to get hurt if you’re already inside.”
Jeongguk’s scent spikes at the words as Jimin re-ignites his hardly-contained, temporarily satiated lust. The alpha huffs and, once he’s done sucking a fresh mark into the side of the omega’s sensitive throat, explains, “Not that.”
“What, then?”
Lips tease over Jimin’s hot skin. “Every lil’ thing you do makes me wanna bite you right now, so you need to be very careful.”
The omega gets hot all over again out of nowhere, a shiver running down his spine. Without thinking, he releases an airy whine and rocks down onto the alpha’s knot again. Of course, Jimin knows they can’t and shouldn’t mate, and that this is only because of his rut, but that doesn’t stop him from going crazy at the thought of it. The pheromones in the small room are too much and, fuck, he wants—
“Omega,” Jeongguk growls in a warning tone. He reaches down and grabs a handful of Jimin’s ass, squeezing the plump flesh. “If you don’t stop right now, you’re gonna get me hard again before this knot goes down and, if that happens, I promise you I’m gonna pin you to the floor in here and fuck my knot in and outta you until you’re gaping, and your pretty hole can’t hold my cum in anymore. So, give us both a second to breathe, and knock it off before you regret it.”
But Jimin only takes it as a challenge because that sounds like a wonderful time. So, he hums and sits up, his bangs falling into his flushed face as he looks down at the alpha, making sure to give him his most sensual expression. He tucks his swollen bottom lip between his teeth, squeezing around the knot plugging him up, and mutters, "I want everything, alpha."
Before he can even get a strangled gasp out, Jeongguk is picking him up with strong arms around his body to hold him up, and is taking him off the bed, trading in sheets for the rug on the floor. True to his word, the alpha towers over Jimin and, with his cock hard again, begins trying to work his knot in and out. He's met with obvious resistance as Jimin's body attempts to keep him in, but the omega can feel his entrance beginning to wane against the pleasurable tug. There is something dark and wild in Jeongguk's eyes while he looms over Jimin, watching the way the omega beneath him shakes and whimpers.
When, after several minutes of strain and effort, Jeongguk's slowly deflating knot finally pops out with a slick squelching sound and tons of hot cum dribbling between Jimin's legs, they both moan in sync. Jeongguk dives down and catches Jimin's mouth in a kiss, merciless in the way he starts rocking his hips back and forth, fucking his knot in and out of the sore, gaping hole. Jimin sobs into his mouth, his own cock quickly coming back to life as he's used beyond comprehension. Jeongguk's voice is low, words gruff when he says in mock sympathy, "I warned you, sweetheart. Kept tryin'a give you a chance. Do you know what's gonna happen to you now?"
Jimin shakes his head, fresh tears springing to his eyes when the alpha's hand reaches down between their bodies, gripping Jimin's swollen cock tight and jerking it fast and hard to match the pace of his brutal thrusts.
"Now, you're stuck with me until my wolf is satisfied. Whenever I want, whatever I need." The alpha kisses him sweetly, a stark contrast to his words. He draws back just enough to whisper to the omega, "And my alpha is crazy about you, so I'm gonna be greedy. I'm gonna keep you spread open, knotted full. I'll keep you comin' until you run dry, and then even after. Do you understand?"
A fresh wave of heat rushes through the omega and he whines, nodding. His fingers thread into the hair at the back of Jeongguk's head. "P-Please, alpha."
"God, you're perfect," Jeongguk says, breathing hotly against the omega's mouth. Their lips connect in another messy, wet kiss. Jimin hums into it, his heart fluttering at the words despite the wildly inappropriate timing. Jeongguk works his hips slower and deeper, his knot stubborn and intense. With every thrust, more slick and cum mixed together dribbling out, getting the rug beneath them dirty. Neither of them care. Eventually, the dry cum and sweat clinging to their skin is going to be gross enough to warrant a long shower. For now? It's all hot and fueling the fire burning between them.
Jeongguk cups Jimin's face with the hand that isn't propping them up and tilts his head to deepen the kiss. After a while, he pulls away again to mumble, "Perfect omega."
Jimin leans up to kiss him again. Then, he says, "Best alpha."
The way Jeongguk groans and bites Jimin's bottom lip while he fucks him into the floor is possessive and greedy in a way Jimin adores. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle—slotted together to fit. The omega is dizzy with the realization of how real this all is. He can feel himself slipping into a primal state of give and take, of lust and desire. Jeongguk isn't faring any better. At some point, after his knot deflates and he's left hard and rutting, he winds up shoving his nose into Jimin's neck and breathing in deeply as he works his lips over smooth skin, like he's trying to devour Jimin with scenting alone.
They stay like that for a while. Jeongguk pumps Jimin into his next orgasm, and then switches positions so that they're both lying on their sides with Jeongguk buried deep inside of the omega. Jeongguk holds him there and whispers words of filth into Jimin's ear while he steadily jerks him off, trying to coax another orgasm out of the omega like it's his only goal. Moonlight is shining into the room when Jeongguk locks another knot inside of him in that position, and that's also when Jimin comes again. The omega is shaking and crying, holding Jeongguk's forearms as the alpha tugs at his reddened, wet cock and teases his nipples. Jeongguk purposely stays against Jimin's prostate the entire time they're both coming, determined to milk every bit of the omega's orgasm.
Jimin cries out and tries to shift his hips away, unable to take the intensity of it. But Jeongguk just growls into his neck and holds him in place. By now, he's hardly talking; only speaking in broken phrases, running on instinct alone.
"Be still, omega."
The omega ignores his warning and whines loudly, trying to push the alpha's stubborn hand away from his worn dick, but Jeongguk nips at his throat and shushes his cries. "You're mine."
And those words alone tell Jimin what he means. 'You're mine and that means your body is, too. I decide what happens. Be still.'
Jimin shivers and tries to steady his breathing and stop moving, but he's unable to prevent the little sobs and hip wiggles while Jeongguk's hot cum shoots into him, the alpha working him into another orgasm the entire time. Jimin comes with a cry and shakes in Jeongguk's arms, feeling like he's on some type of high with how much pleasure he is feeling. Everything is too much and not enough.
Jeongguk's thrusts are small and steady as he slowly winds them down from their orgasms. The entire time he's praising Jimin. "Good omega. Took alpha's knot n' cum. Gonna let alpha pup you."
Jimin relaxes in his arms and works to catch his breath, basking in feeling so cared for and adored. He knows it's just Jeongguk's rut but hearing things like that allow him to indulge in his delusions of something more. And, for now, he'll happily take it.
The alpha slows to a stop and peppers kisses all over Jimin's face and neck, whispering sweet nothings. Unable to help himself, the omega grows heavy in his hold and feels himself beginning to slip off to sleep. Maybe he can get some shut eye before the next wave comes.
That's what he's thinking until he feels one of Jeongguk's arms shift back down, eager to wrap back around the omega's flaccid, tired cock. Then, Jimin notices how Jeongguk hasn't gone even a little soft while inside of him, yet.
Jimin whimpers and forces himself to shift. He guides them very carefully into a different position; Jimin on top of him again but facing away this time. He's leaned down with his hands planted into the rug, his legs shaking as he slowly rocks back and forth on top of the alpha's thick knot. Jeongguk groans appreciatively at the sight and, luckily, is distracted enough to remove his hand from Jimin's pleading dick and grab his ass instead, groping the fat as the omega works. Jimin sighs, both in relief and out of pleasure, and rocks a little harder, trying to entice the alpha.
It works.
Jeongguk bends his knees and grips Jimin's hips hard, keeping the omega steady as he thrusts impossibly deeper, his knot locked inside.
Jimin cries out, his eyes rolling back as the room fills with the aroma of fresh lust from both of them.
It's going to be a long next few days.
They don't leave the cabin for a week.
There are small breaks. When the waves settle, Jeongguk's rut is yelling at him to take care of and nourish Jimin instead of fuck him into the nearest available surface—though they still do plenty of that. By the end of the week, Jimin knows the ridges and pattern of their bathroom and kitchen counters intimately, has spent more time with his back pressed against walls and floors than is usual, and has more of his scent in Jeongguk's room than in his own.
Jimin builds a nest in Jeongguk's bed using their blankets and a fair amount of Jeongguk's clothes, and the alpha watches him do it with a proud expression on his face. The moment Jimin is done, the alpha gets up and politely asks Jimin if he can join him in his nest. After the first time Jimin says yes and allows him to climb into bed, the rest of the rut is spent with the nest getting messy and ruined and Jimin meticulously fixing it when he has a moment between waves.
Lengths for their breaks only last as long as their resolve does, which apparently isn't long. Jeongguk carries Jimin into the bath every day or two to rinse their bodies clean just to dirty them again. The alpha keeps small snacks and water close by at all times so that, while his knot is buried deep inside of Jimin, he can feed the worn, satiated omega and himself. They even get a few hours one night to just lie in bed next to one another, kissing softly and caressing sweetly.
Jeongguk doesn't speak much after that first day. His wolf is so prominent that, when he has to communicate, it's little more than gestures and grunts. When he has to speak, it's short sentences and phrases that get the point across. He wants them to get up and brush their teeth? "Up, omega," and then he carries a sleepy Jimin to the bathroom. Jimin is too sore for another session but still wants Jeongguk to be able to use him to get off? He'll offer his mouth and be met with a simple, low, "Kneel," that he happily abides. And when Jimin is more than eager to present himself for another knot, to the point that he starts rutting against the alpha? "Present," and Jimin does.
It's the best sex Jimin has ever had. It's intense and no doubt as exhausting as his own heats are—if not, more. But, by the end of the seventh day, when things are drawing to a close and Jeongguk's scent is more relaxed than the past several days, when the omega is tucked under the sleeping alpha's arm, all he can think is that he wants this forever. And when Jeongguk pulls him a little closer and kisses over his scent mark, Jimin deludes himself into thinking that he might be feeling the same way.
But ruts are feverish, and the haze of them doesn't last forever.
It's only natural that, when summer leaves, autumn comes.
Just as naturally, whenever Jeongguk’s rut is over, there’s a sort of silence that hangs in the air between them.
It’s not like it was before when they weren’t talking to one another much and sort of danced around the other’s presence, every interaction like a game of Russian roulette. No, this silence lingers in the words that remain unsaid in their continuing, regular conversations. Because, when Jeongguk’s rut is over, things resume as normal—on the outside, anyway.
They shower separately the morning after it passes. Jeongguk makes breakfast and tends to the farm, putting the automatic feeders away and catching up on neglected work. Jimin joins him and, in the following days, spends so much time quietly thinking that he makes an entire stack of new, chamomile-scented soaps.
They aren't upset with one another—nowhere close. They still speak. Jeongguk asks Jimin if he wants to ride to town with him to get some supplies, and Jimin says yes, and the trip is a pleasant outing. Jimin asks Jeongguk to teach him how to make a dish that he saw in a recipe book that he pulled from a shelf in the living room, and they laugh that night while making it when Jimin overcooks the meat.
They sleep in their own rooms. Jimin tries to ignore how cold he feels on the lonely, chilly nights after he had gotten so used to being near an alpha that runs at the temperature of a sauna. He ignores it in the same way that he can see Jeongguk ignoring that his own bedroom still smells so intensely of their scents tangled together; of lust and want and joy.
Things are back to normal from the outside looking in.
But it’s not the same.
Their looks linger for longer. Them accidentally touching or brushing against one another is enough to send lightning tingling. They aren't talking about what's going on, but they both know it is.
It's present in everything. When Jeongguk hands him his cup of coffee in the morning, the brush of their fingers is a lingering sensation. Sometimes, when Jimin is working on tending to the farm animals or watering plants in the garden, he’ll glance up to steal a look at Jeongguk in his white tank top and find the alpha quickly looking away from him like he was already staring.
And then there’s the tension. It’s ever present and suffocating, it finds them in any space they share, it puts itself in the breaths between their sentences. Sometimes, Jimin thinks he can choke on it with how potent it is.
He thinks they can ignore it. And they do.
Until they can’t anymore.
In mid-autumn, the atmosphere in the cabin is thick and ripe with tension as the pair continue to dance around one another as they have been for the past several weeks. There were a few words exchanged in mumbled, casual conversation building up to this moment:
“Anythin’ specific you want for lunch?” Jeongguk asked, opening a cabinet to check what they had to cook with.
Jimin looked at him from his spot in front of the coffee table where he was crafting a new bookmark from a variety of pressed flowers. “Whatever you make will be good.”
Jeongguk was quiet for a moment. Then, he cleared his throat and grabbed a pan. “Alright then.”
Now, with the smell of pesto alfredo in the air and their appetites quelled, they’re both in the kitchen, Jimin cleaning the counters as Jeongguk washes the dishes with his sleeves rolled up. Jimin is trying to scrub out a stain on the stove and not think about the muscles in the alpha’s arms working as he cleans. Those same arms were bare and strained, holding Jimin down as he was fucked, or keeping Jimin up while he was bounced on the alpha's cock. It's admittedly difficult for him not to think of those things at times like this.
Jeongguk, for his part, is pretending not to notice Jimin’s inner turmoil.
Once the counters are sparkling and the dishes are done, Jimin tentatively moves to stand beside the alpha at the sink, cleaning his hands while Jeongguk dries his own, using the same towel to dry up the wet spots on the counter around. When Jimin is finished, he says, “Thanks for lunch. It was good.”
Jeongguk clears his throat, nodding once. “Of course.”
Awkwardly, the alpha begins walking out of the kitchen with Jimin following close behind, doing the same. The omega is fiddling with the strings of his pants, for some reason not feeling quite ready yet to separate from the scent of petrichor. Being distant from Jeongguk has been… considerably hard—especially considering just how entangled they were just a couple of weeks ago.
“Actually—” Jimin starts abruptly, making Jeongguk glance at him over his shoulder. He flushes at the eye contact and looks off to the side. “Maybe I could cook tonight? I mean, I know I burnt the food last time, but... I just feel like it’s always you and I know I'm not that great at cooking, but I could try—”
He’s distracted, busy rambling, and hardly notices Jeongguk turning around and approaching him until there are arms scooping him up and a hot, greedy mouth against his own.
In a split second, Jeongguk picked him up, walked him back against a counter, and kissed him with every ounce of desire and built-up tension that they’ve both been drowning in.
A sharp gasp cuts through Jimin’s throat, instantly replaced by a needy whimper as they work their mouths together. Jeongguk kisses him like he’s trying to ravage him. It doesn’t have as much of that desperate edge as it did when he was in rut. Instead, he has a commanding dominance in the way he kisses now; controlled, leading, perfect.
Jimin doesn't know where it came from—doesn't know what made the alpha snap. But, either way, Jimin is right there with him.
He doesn't hold back and Jeongguk doesn't either. Once the first kiss happens, the rest comes easy to them.
They still remember the way each other's bodies felt. Jeongguk easily multi-tasks, keeping his mouth on Jimin while he works the omega's clothes off, his own following. They only part for brief moments where their shirts are being tossed over their heads, and whenever Jeongguk is setting Jimin on top of the counter.
There's no rut but, just like in rut, they have sex like they're desperate to feel one another. Once their clothes are off—banished to random parts of the hardwood floor and counters—Jimin is wet and moaning into Jeongguk's mouth while the alpha works him open on his fingers. After the first session or two during his rut, Jeongguk didn't have to prep Jimin to take him anymore, and the omega nearly forgot how incredible his fingers feel. The alpha is quick to remind him, though.
Jeongguk sucks marks into Jimin's neck that has only just cleared of the old ones, newly branding him—no rut to excuse it this time. He listens to every whimper and whine as the omega greedily sucks his fingers in, clenching around them like he's scared Jeongguk will stop.
But he doesn't. Once Jimin is stretched and dripping slick onto the counter, the alpha manhandles him by flipping him over on the counter; ass up, toes hardly touching the floor. Jimin's chest is cold against the tile but he's never been hotter before. He feels needy for it when Jeongguk starts teasingly running the fat head of his cock up and down, rubbing over his hole and starting to press in, before going back to taunting both of them.
Jimin whimpers brokenly and presses his ass back against the alpha, a silent plea. And Jeongguk must be as desperate as him, because he's quick to indulge the omega's request.
He slips in easily, like Jimin was made for him to fit into specifically. He pushes in to the hilt and they both sigh in relief at the familiar, exquisite pleasure.
Jimin flattens his palms on the counter and rocks his hips back while Jeongguk starts thrusting forward, and they time it perfectly so that, after the first few thrusts, every single one is hard and deep. Jeongguk angles up—one hand at Jimin's hip, the other gripping the omega's shoulder—and starts hitting Jimin's prostate ritualistically like he never forgot where it was.
They don't talk. It's all emotion and action, silent communication—something they always seem to be in-tune with, more than ever now after several days together in this same intimate way.
Jeongguk buries his head in Jimin's neck when he comes, jerking the omega off and digging his thumb into Jimin's slit so he can be pushed over the edge at the same time. They're sweaty and panting, trembling as they work through their orgasms.
The clean up after is a blur. It's quiet outside of their shuffling and fabric rustling together as they put their clothes back on—Well, really, as Jeongguk puts his clothes back on and then gently holds Jimin up, letting the omega rest his weight on him as he helps him re-dress, too.
With sunlight coming in through the kitchen window and the chickens squawking in the distance, Jeongguk and Jimin stand in the kitchen, looking at one another.
Then, after a long moment, Jeongguk leans an arm on the counter and says with disheveled hair and blown pupils, "You can cook if you want. Later. I'll help teach you."
Jimin nods, swallowing and trying not to think about how he can still taste Jeongguk on his tongue. "Okay."
It doesn’t stop with that single incident.
Things only seem to spiral more from there. They have these bouts of pretending to act casual and then, in the next moment, they’re kissing in a heated act of passion.
Quickly, they make use of their surroundings—just like they did during Jeongguk's rut.
After the incident in the kitchen, Jimin is sitting on his bed and reading one evening. The door is open but Jeongguk knocks at the doorway anyway, beckoned in by Jimin’s slightly confused expression. With poorly veiled hunger in his eyes, the alpha approaches Jimin’s bed and picks his book up out of his hands, gently placing his new bookmark in it—of which Jimin gave Jeongguk a matching one—before setting it aside on the nightstand. Jimin is already leaning up whenever Jeongguk climbs into bed on top of him, catching his lips in a deep kiss.
With practiced intention, Jeongguk takes Jimin apart bit by bit. They undress in quiet, persistent fashion, touching and caressing one another more with every bit of bare skin unveiled.
Jeongguk fingers Jimin open while their mouths are connected, seeming to bask in every hitch of the omega’s breath right against his lips. Once Jimin is opened up and dripping wet with need, the alpha slips inside of him and it's like they have pleasing each other down to an art at this point.
There are no words exchanged again this time around. Jeongguk sets a pace, filling the omega over and over. They are just two bodies tightly wound, kissing and unraveling slowly together. Jeongguk fucks him deep and slow and it's much different than the other afternoon in the kitchen. He cups Jimin’s face with one hand, working his dripping, red cock between his fingers with the other, watching closely as he falls apart under his ministrations.
They hold eye contact, touch, kiss like lovers. But they don’t talk. And Jeongguk doesn’t stay after. Once Jimin is thoroughly satisfied and freshly cleaned, the alpha holds him for a few more minutes, before leaving with a single peck on the forehead and not a single conversation exchanged. Later that night, they read together on the living room couch like nothing happened and there's only one sign that things aren't the same as they were before: Jeongguk is sitting on one end, Jimin on the other with his legs outstretched over the alpha's lap, and Jeongguk's hand won't stop caressing his calf.
The next time they're together, their developing pattern of not talking finally changes.
It's a few days after they have sex in Jimin's bedroom. Jeongguk is outside with a white tank top and baggy pants on. He’s changing the oil on his truck and, naturally, Jimin is a few yards away, organizing flowers into his pressing book and pretending to be invested when, in reality, he’s positioned himself perfectly under a tree to sneak glances at Jeongguk while he works. Whenever Jeongguk is done, he comes up from under the truck, sets some items aside on the front of his truck, and tugs the end of his shirt up to wipe his face off, exposing the hard lines of his abdomen.
Jimin bites down hard on his bottom lip, trying not to drool over the sight—all while still pretending his intentions for sitting here are innocent.
That’s when they make eye contact.
Dark eyes fall to Jimin and the omega stiffens and clears his throat, awkwardly looking out at the field. He hears a huff of laughter, dares to glance back, and finds Jeongguk shaking his head, an entertained smile on his face.
“Jimin,” the alpha says a few seconds later, wiping his hands off with a damp, clean rag that he keeps nearby.
“Hm?” The omega asks but he’s already rising to his feet, leaving the book and small basket of flowers underneath the tree, operating under the assumption that Jeongguk wants his assistance with something pertaining to the truck.
However, when Jimin approaches, Jeongguk startles a squeal out of him as he picks him up with a grip under his thighs and easily presses his back against the side of the vehicle. The omega’s legs and arms naturally wrap around him and he gives Jeongguk a wide-eyed expression.
Jeongguk’s gaze falls to his lips. He softly advises, “Don’t look at me like you want me to fuck you and then act surprised when I’m temped to do exactly that.”
And Jimin—
He crashes their lips together.
It’s freezing outside but their bodies are hot with desire, so the wind is like nothing but a breath of fresh air against their skin as they shed layers of clothing. After rushed prep and rough kisses, Jeongguk undoes his pants just enough to get his cock out, lines up with Jimin’s already slicked-up hole, and slowly pushes in.
Being fucked so thoroughly on a consistent basis for weeks means that Jimin hardly feels the burn of the stretch whenever the alpha slips in. With how slick and stretched he is, he fits snuggly in Jimin’s heat. The omega enjoys the way he fills him up nice and slow, letting him squeeze and pulse around every thick inch.
Jeongguk holds Jimin up with an arm around his waist and caresses him everywhere he can touch with the other, toying with his nipples and grabbing his plush thighs hard enough to bruise. Jimin slips his fingers through those black curls and throws his head back against the metal of the truck, crying out as the alpha quickly sets a brutal pace.
Jeongguk is different today. More restless.
Jimin has noticed that he exists during sex the same way he exists in all facets of life; a quiet demeanor and good intentions, disguising expert skill and a wicked tongue. And that fact is especially true today.
He fucks Jimin thoroughly, paying attention to every little part of him, all while muttering filthy shit against his ear.
During the rut, Jimin could excuse it as his instincts had taken control. Outside of it, though? He's realizing that this is all Jeongguk.
“Cute fuckin’ whimpers—You just can’t get enough, can you?”
“Pretty thing hangin’ off my knot.”
“Gonna fill you up. Might pup you. Oh, you tightened up. You like the sound of that, don’t you?”
And he’s right. He’s so right that it makes Jimin’s head spin. He wants him so badly—and even more than ‘wants’ him. Part of him foolishly believed that he’d have sex with Jeongguk and get the thought of wanting him out of his head, but the want for him has only festered into a burning need.
It’s difficult to think about, so he tries not to. He feels this ache in his chest constantly, now. It’s a feeling that’s steadily grown for the duration of time he’s spent at the farm. Anytime they’re together this way, the feeling dulls for a short period, and then it’s back again.
And he doesn’t want to say what he feels out loud, because he knows Jeongguk isn’t thinking the same thing. If Jimin said everything he wanted to, it would only complicate the short time they have left together.
So, he just wraps his arms tighter around the alpha and buries his face in his neck, happy to satiate the ache for a while.
Physically, they’re the closest they’ve ever been. Emotionally? Jimin’s never felt more far apart.
He feels like he’s swimming in a sea of emotions, weighing himself down more and more by keeping them in and, as the end of the year approaches, he’s starting to worry that he’ll eventually drown.
The friction has been present for months; building, festering—lingering, no matter what, in the background.
Because they both know.
They know that, whatever happens or doesn’t happen between them, the end of the year is an expiration date on their time together. Jimin is leaving, returning to his life in the city with his parents where he’ll get married off to some alpha, and Jeongguk is staying here. Someone else will be occupying Jimin’s room in a few weeks and that’ll be that. He’ll get back on the same rickety bus he took here and they’ll never see one another again.
And with November coming and going in the blink of an eye, it gets down to Jimin’s last two weeks at the farm.
There’s far less to do as far as duties go considering the harsh weather outside; consistently bitter and cold. So, the mornings are quick with short rounds to check on the animals and feed them. Most of the day after is filled with lounging, reading, and spending time by the crackling fireplace. In the evening, they bundle back up in thick coats and beanies, and go outside to rally the animals for the night and feed them again.
Despite them both sitting with the fact that these are Jimin’s last days here—and despite the unrelenting tension—they still spend time together. When Jimin holds the lamp for Jeongguk while the alpha puts the feed out for the chickens, the omega cracks a joke or two that makes Jeongguk huff a laugh. Whenever they’re inside and sitting together on the couch, enjoying the fire from a respectable distance away from one another while they read, one of them will eventually move closer. It’s slow and done without words but, one way or another, they always end up pressed together; Jeongguk’s arm around Jimin, Jimin tucked into his side. One morning, a week before Jimin is set to leave, they’re cooking together like Jimin wanted to—something they have found a few moments to do off and on in the last few weeks. The alpha is trying to show Jimin how to make pancakes from scratch and Jimin accidentally gets some flour on his face while he’s demonstrating. Five minutes later, loud laughter can be heard as they chase each other around the kitchen, trying to smear flour on each other’s faces.
Jimin has never felt more alive. And for that exact reason, all of the happy, normal interactions leading up to the day of his departure just hurt that much more.
And he doesn’t know much, but he swears that Jeongguk feels it too. The alpha didn’t smile much when he arrived—he hardly spoke, for that matter. Now? Jeongguk grins while flinging flour at him on a chilly, bright morning spent together. Jeongguk holds Jimin on the couch and reads aloud to him by the fire. Jeongguk laughs easily at his jokes and, on occasion, tells some of his own just to see the omega smile.
Jimin doesn’t know that it’s hurting Jeongguk for certain because it’s never spoken out loud—And that just serves to hurt him all the more, too.
Jimin’s year in Paradise Falls sort of felt like one long, fairytale sunset. It was gorgeous and the chance of a lifetime to experience. Witnessing it, living it, basking in it—all of those things made him feel alive. The entire time, they could see that the sun was setting. Yellows and reds turned to pinks and purples, turned to dark blue. They knew it was coming. The avoidance of the subject of him leaving hung in the air for months, and they still refused to address it.
Despite all of it, the day of his departure still seems to sneak up on them. Just like the sunset, in one moment it’s there, in the next it’s gone—disappearing beyond the horizon.
While checking his room, while watching Jeongguk pack his things into the bed of the truck, while looking back at the cabin for the final time—none of it feels real. He’s quiet. Jeongguk is, too. As the truck’s engine rumbles to life and they start off down the long driveway, kicking up dirt as they go, both men seem to be in a state of shock.
As they leave the property, Jimin stares out of the window, trying to take in all of the mountains and the lake and the flower field one last time. Thunder roars overhead and his eyes travel up, noticing the way the sky is rapidly darkening.
The drive is silent and tense.
They were on the cusp of him leaving for so long, existing in that moment like there would always be a chance to talk about it—to talk about them— and now it’s here.
And Jimin is leaving.
The reality of the setting sun starts dawning on Jimin when they reach the town of Paradise Falls. They pass the buildings and businesses that have grown familiar to him over the last year. As usual, the people on the sidewalks wave to Jeongguk but, this time, the alpha drives right by them like he didn’t even notice. When Jimin glances over, he notes how tense his jaw is, and how lost in thought he looks.
They drive past the town and further down the road. As they make their way through a dense forest, rain drops begin to hit the truck. It starts slow with a few drops here and there. The sky gets darker and, in minutes, the storm is right above them and the rain is barreling down, knocking loud and constant against the metal of the vehicle.
Jimin closes his eyes and inhales.
Even with his windows rolled up, he can smell petrichor all around—rich and pleasant.
Tears sting in his eyes and he quickly blinks them away. No matter how fast he tries to disguise it, though, his floral scent is quick to sour. He breathes in and out slowly, attempting to stop himself from getting choked up. He’s so caught up in how he feels that he almost misses it when, next to him, Jeongguk’s jaw works and his own pheromones turn unpleasant.
Jimin clears his throat and turns his face away, trying not to think because ignoring the pain he feels seems to be the only way to help get past it.
The brakes of the truck screech whenever they come to a stop across the street from the bus stop. When Jeongguk parks, the only noises in the vehicle are the continuing sounds of heavy rain falling.
Then, finally, Jeongguk speaks. His voice is quiet, his words low.
“You can take my umbrella with you.”
Jimin shakes his head. He sniffles when he says, “It’s only a few yards. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want you to get sick.”
The omega’s heart clenches and his face twists up in pain. His bottom lip trembles and he purses his lips, trying so hard to hold back the tears threatening to spill over. He can’t even look at Jeongguk, let alone try to respond. It’s too hard. All of it hurts.
A minute or two passes. Jimin looks through the front windshield and, past all of the darkness and rain, he can see the headlights of the bus as it approaches.
“Jimin—”
“My bus is here,” the omega quickly says. He wipes a stray tear from his eyes and leans down, grabbing the backpack of things he got while in Paradise Falls. There are books that Jeongguk gave to him, trinkets and little items the alpha bought him on his trips to town, and books filled with flowers that Jimin collected in his time here.
Jeongguk recovers from being cut off quickly and leans back, retrieving his umbrella from the storage area behind their seats. Jimin already knows that he’s going to try and get out of the truck, help him with his bags, and hold the umbrella up for him—and he just can’t handle that right now. So, Jimin quickly takes the umbrella from him with a quiet word of thanks, gets out of the truck with his things, and pops it open to place above himself. Jeongguk’s hand is still out from where he was gripping the umbrella and he looks stunned.
Overrun with emotion, Jimin shuts the passenger door and walks around to the bed of the truck, straining to grab his suitcase while keeping a careful hold on the umbrella with one hand. He finally gets it after a few tries and sighs before extending the handle and rolling it on the ground behind him. The dirt of the road has turned mucky but he doesn’t care. All he’s thinking is that he’s grateful his suitcase is waterproof, and that he’s happy to finally be leaving—if for no other reason than because it will give him physical distance from Jeongguk, which is apparently only capable of bringing him to tears right now.
Walking across the road, Jimin stays out of the way of the bus as it crawls to the bus stop, before parking. His head is down and the sound of the rain is drowning out nearly everything as he approaches the white and blue vehicle.
It’s almost funny. He’s getting back on the same bus that brought him here a year ago, and he’s a completely different person to the one that was dropped off.
Jimin hardly registers the slam of the truck door as it’s closed. His reaction is the same when there are urgent footsteps behind him.
Then—
“Jimin!”
The omega stops in his tracks. A few feet away, the bus driver opens the door, waiting for him. Jimin blinks, listening for a second, before shaking his head, convinced that he imagined the noise. But it happens again—closer this time.
“Jimin!”
He turns around, his mouth in the shape of a small frown. His eyes go wide whenever he sees Jeongguk jogging through the downpour with nothing to cover him but the clothes on his back. His hair is rapidly getting soaked, and the white t-shirt he put on is clinging to his shoulders and chest like a second skin.
“Jeongguk?” Jimin asks, voice loud to be heard over the rain. He lets go of his suitcase, allowing it to stand on its own as he focuses on the odd sight in front of him. “What are you doing? It’s freezing—”
He’s cut off when the alpha comes to a stop in front of him, gently takes his face into his hands, and dives down to place a deep, passionate kiss on his lips. Jimin’s eyes widen and then slips shut as he melts into the warm embrace—something he has always been weak to when it comes to Jeongguk.
It’s cold outside and the thin sweater Jimin has on isn’t enough to shield from the wind whipping by. The rumbling of the engine from the bus is a constant noise to accompany the rain in the background. He has mud on his shoes and a heaviness in his chest.
And despite all of it, he loses himself in Jeongguk’s lips. Everything else blurs around them. The sounds go mute and he’s just here with Jeongguk. Warm, content.
The alpha tilts his head and kisses him deeper, as if he’s been robbed of a thousand of them. Jimin’s fingers twitch and slip, and he drops the umbrella. It goes careening to the ground and meets the mucky dirt with a muffled clunking sound. The rain starts coming down on both of them hard, but neither one stops. They continue kissing, refusing to acknowledge anything but one another.
Realistically, it only lasts a matter of seconds, but to Jimin it feels like a lifetime. Jeongguk cradles his face and kisses him like a starving man. He tastes Jimin like he’ll never have the chance to do it again, and he doesn’t care about the bus or the rain or the world— It’s just them.
Whenever Jeongguk finally does pull away, it’s only far enough to look at the omega.
With rainwater soaking his black hair and causing water to run down his face, he looks deep into Jimin’s eyes and says, “I’ve been stupid and selfish, and I don’t deserve you.”
Jimin’s brows pull together and tears well-up again, blurring his vision. “Jeongguk—”
“But you’ve taught me to be alive.” Jeongguk shakes his head. “And I’m sorry but I love you.”
The omega gets choked up again, feeling overwhelmed as he’s flooded with several different emotions at once. “W-What? What are you saying?”
“Don’t go,” the alpha tells him, leaning in until it’s a near whisper. “Stay with me. Please, let me show you that I can love you right—the way you deserve.”
“Jeongguk, I…” Jimin sniffles, the tears streaming down his face and mixing with the rain droplets until he can’t tell which is which anymore. “I… d-don’t know what to say. That’s a big… a b-big decision.”
“You don’t have to make any final decisions right now. If you still want to go, we can get you on the first bus tomorrow,” the alpha promises, thumbing the tears and rain away from Jimin’s cheeks like he can’t help it. He searches the omega’s face. “Just say that you’ll stay for now. Say that you’ll give it a chance—that you’ll give me a chance.”
Jimin stares at him, an onslaught of thoughts sending him into a tailspin.
"You have to talk to me about things."
"Happily," Jeongguk promises, caressing Jimin's face, looking down at him like he holds the key to the world. "I've learned my lesson. I'll do well for you, Jimin, I swear."
Behind them, the bus driver honks the horn. When Jimin glances over his shoulder at them, the same driver from the year before is waving to him, gesturing for him to get on the bus. The omega looks between her and Jeongguk.
In the end, he says to the alpha, “I’ve loved you for months, Jeongguk,” and pulls him down into another kiss. When he draws back, the alpha looks dazed and smitten, and ready to kiss him again. Before he can, he looks at the bus driver and waves his hand, telling her that it’s okay to go without him. He sees her smile and shake her head, before shifting the vehicle back into drive and slowly driving away from the rickety bus stop.
After watching it go, Jeongguk cups the back of Jimin’s neck and moves to pull him into another kiss. Right before their mouths connect, Jimin stops him and raises a brow. “So, I’ll stay. On one condition.”
The alpha’s dark brows pull together. “Anything.”
“I refuse to clean up any more… fertilizer," Jimin tells him, his nose scrunching in disgust.
Jeongguk breaks into a breathless, disbelieving laugh. When he pulls Jimin into the kiss, they’re both still smiling. “Fine. Alright. No more fertilizer. Just you. All I need is you."
where the skies are blue - the lumineers
One Year Later
"Sweetheart," Jeongguk calls out through the open front door of the cabin, "come here, please."
"Coming!" Jimin sing-songs, walking up from the clothesline on the side of the house and taking his sun hat off. It's one Jeongguk made for him a few months back because it was getting too hot during the summer, and Jimin was complaining about hardly being able to see because of how bright it was.
The porch creaks when he steps onto it, quickly crossing the length and bounding into the cabin through the front door. It's midday, so he expects to see Jeongguk cooking dinner or re-organizing the bookshelves like he has been doing during his downtime for the last few days, telling Jimin that sorting through and donating the books they don't read is the only way he can justify them purchasing new ones. However, he isn't there. Jimin's brows furrow, his head tilting as he takes his dirty boots off at the front door. "Jeongguk?"
Jeongguk leans around from the hallway, something soft and excited in his expression. He smiles, offering a hand to the omega. "Come here."
Still lost but interested in that face he's making, Jimin takes his hand with a grin, his eyes narrowing at the alpha as he walks them down the hallway. "What's going on?"
"You'll see, won't you?"
"Jeongguk," Jimin laughs, waving their intertwined hands. "What is this?"
The alpha just shakes his head, biting back a smile. He stops walking and Jimin is confused when he finds himself face-to-face with his old bedroom door. It's pretty much been out of commission for the last year. After Jimin stayed, they put the program on pause so that they could settle into life together. Jeongguk said he wasn't sure if it was in the cards for them in the future, since he wanted to focus on Jimin and their relationship. Since last December, it's remained as it was since they started sharing Jeongguk's room—which is now, of course, their bedroom.
Jimin gives the alpha a strange look as they stand in front of the oak door. "What are we doing over here?"
Jeongguk looks eager and nervous all at once. He gestures to the door with a nod. "Open it."
With a pout and wide-eyes, Jimin does as asked. He doesn't know what he's expecting as the door slowly draws back with a squeak, but it certainly isn't what he ends up seeing.
He gasps, the hand that isn't intertwined with Jeongguk's shooting up to clap over his mouth. "Oh my god."
Jeongguk is grinning, leaning over to try and get a better look at the face Jimin is making as they slowly walk in the room together. "Can I take that as a good reaction?"
"Jeongguk..." Jimin starts, trying to find the words as he takes everything in. The bed is no longer in the room but the wood-crafted desk and dresser are still there. The only difference is, now, their use is different. The drawers of the dresser are pulled open, revealing neatly organized stacks of Jimin's floral crafts. He has been making them for months and storing them in random little containers and boxes around the cabin, and now they are all displayed like inventory. On the desk, his supplies for crafting that were splayed out on the coffee table in the living room are now resting there like it has always belonged. It's a perfect work station.
Tears spring to Jimin's eyes. "This is..."
The alpha rubs the back of his neck as the omega lets go of his hand so that he can freely explore the room, looking into the drawers and inspecting his craft supplies on the wooden desk. Flowers are hanging above, drying out, and the entire room smells incredible. "I know we've been talking about it, and that you had a nice time sellin' that box of soaps and journals durin' the festival this past year, but I wanted your dream to finally become a reality. So, this is the workroom for your crafts. I'm still gettin' a hold of the licensing for you, so we can't mail anythin' quite yet, but it's good to get ahead, right?"
Jimin shakes his head, sniffling as a stray tear slips down his cheek. He's in complete disbelief looking around the room. He chokes out, "I..."
Jeongguk approaches him, cupping Jimin's face in his hands and wiping away the few tears starting to fall. There's a line between his dark brows, a frown on his handsome face. "Talk to me, sweetheart. Is this... what you wanted? Did I read it wrong? I didn't mean for you to cry."
"I j-just—" Jimin sniffles, laughing in disbelief. "Jeongguk, this is perfect. T-Thank you. I just—I'm so mad that you stole my thunder."
The alpha tilts his head, looking completely lost. "What are you... talkin' about?"
"I was going to tell you after dinner later but..." The omega laughs again, his floral scent overflowing with happiness. He reaches out and grabs the fabric of Jeongguk's shirt, tugging the alpha close. He brushes their noses together and says softly, "I'm pregnant."
A plethora of emotions cross Jeongguk's face; shock, relief, overwhelming joy and excitement. He exhales harshly and says in disbelief, "You're—"
"Yes," Jimin confirms, nodding, sounding ecstatic. "I'm pregnant, alpha. I took a test when I went to visit Kay last week just to be sure. We're having a pup."
"Oh my god," Jeongguk rushes out and then surges forward, kissing Jimin breathless. They both laugh into the kiss, and it's sloppy and perfect as Jeongguk picks Jimin up by the underside of his thighs, easily carrying the omega out of the room and in the direction of their own bedroom. Between kisses, he repeats the words like he still can't believe it. "We're havin' a pup. Holy shit. We're gonna have a pup together."
"Mhm." Jimin kisses him deeply. Whenever his back collides with the soft plushness of their mattress, he teases, "I was going to ask if we could turn that room into the nursery for the pup."
Jeongguk tugs his shirt off with one arm and then does the same with Jimin's, throwing them to the side with little regard. He climbs into the bed over top of the omega—slow as to not to mess up the carefully crafted nest Jimin made this morning when they woke up—and starts kissing wildly down the side of his marked neck, lowering his hips to grind their hips together in a way that has Jimin's breath hitching as his fingers lift to tangle into the alpha's hair. "I can fit a crib into that room. I'll build a third room. Hell, I'll make a bigger cabin—whatever you need, sweetheart. Anythin' for you, anythin' for the pup."
Jimin sighs, turned on and spoiled. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too, baby. I'm gonna take such good care of you both."
Distantly, thudding begins against the window near the bed. It's small and periodic at first, and then it grows heavier and more consistent. When Jeongguk finally lets off his neck, they both glance up and take note of the dark skies outside, and the rain now beating down against the glass.
“We put the animals back into their pens?" Jeongguk asks, his pupils blown wide with lust, clearly distracted.
Jimin hums and answers with a small, “Yeah," before pushing against the alpha's chest and guiding his back to hit the bed instead. The omega climbs on top of him, thick thighs splayed over Jeongguk's hips. The alpha groans and grabs his hips, grinding the fat of Jimin's covered ass against his slowly growing erection.
With a moan, Jimin leans down and connects their lips again. Their kiss is a reflection of their love; passionate and raw, real and intense.
If someone asked Jimin two years ago where he would be now, the last thing he would have said was a desolate town on a farm with the alpha of his dreams. And yet, life doesn't always turn out as expected. Here, in this moment, Jimin couldn't imagine a better place to be than tangled in Jeongguk's arms.
With the rain outside gearing up, thunder rumbles overhead and, inside, the smell of petrichor slowly grows stronger.
Jimin is so glad that he took the chance. He's so glad he let Jeongguk throw his suitcase into the bed of his truck that day. So glad he stayed.
"Alpha?"
"Hm?" Jeongguk asks in question, caressing every inch of Jimin's bare skin as they kiss and grind, completely lost in one another.
"This is our home now, isn't it?"
Jeongguk makes a sound of agreement, sliding one hand to the back of Jimin's neck to tug him impossibly closer as their mouths connect over and over. "Yeah, sweetheart. Our home."
fin.