Chapter Text
Jeongguk feels eyes on him the moment he shuts his car door.
He fights the urge to freeze and swivel back and forth to catch sight of the threat. Instead, he ambles into the small-town liquor store behind his friends with a marked air of studied indifference. The door buzzes in feeble complaint as it slowly rumbles open.
Taehyung, sunflower tall and sunflower lean, immediately ruins Jeongguk’s performance with a bright exclamation, head dipping and darting like the full blossom in a gust of summer breeze, "Wow! Was this the place they shot that movie?"
Jeongguk follows Taehyung's eye line and outflung arm to see a curled sign on the wall, grimacing at the implication. Tired. Worn out. Dilapidated. "Tae," he murmurs in warning, ignoring the other Omega's eager grin. Tries to layer the name with a suggestion: Do not explain what you mean . Yoongi, their unofficial leader, heads straight to the rear chilled section, eyes forward, shoulders carefully relaxed in his slim black bomber jacket. Namjoon towers over him as he scuttles behind, a giant baby duckling, hands drifting to catch the back of Yoongi’s clothes.
The door behind them finally quits its weak buzzing as Taehyung drifts past Jeongguk to the international spirits. There is a surprising number of customers in the store in the early afternoon, five of whom do not include Jeongguk and his little pack, but maybe Jeongguk just doesn’t know when people typically shop for alcohol. Maybe they’re not even shopping for alcohol, he thinks as he wanders past a shelf of hand-painted tile art pieces nestled against a stack of figurines made of melded beer caps. Curious.
Jeongguk meanders past a sawdust-laden local Alpha, making a beeline for the row of snacks near the counter. He rubs his tummy absently, queasy from the four-hour drive. "We're going to the supermarket after this," Yoongi chides him from across the shop but gestures Jeongguk over to the baskets. He knows better than to get in the way of Jeongguk and his snacks, especially after such a long drive. “I’m going for the whiskey.”
“Gross.” Jeongguk wrinkles his nose and trails a hand along the brightly packaged chips, trying to convince his stomach that it might want more processed crap instead of an actual meal. He wants meat , damn it, and salad, something dense and filling. Something fresh and real.
Pouting, he throws some dried octopus in his basket and veers away, skirting past one of the locals, an older Omega with waist-length hair and an open face. She flashes him a sympathetic grin and points to a small wooden table near the window. Little paper plates fill the surface, covered in plastic wrap. And inside…
He gasps and turns back, delighted. “Muffins! Life saver!”
“We’ve gotta feed you up,” she teases, gesturing to his slim physique. He flushes as he scurries over to the homemade baking perched in its little corner, peeking over at her again once she's distracted, pinching at his waist self-consciously.
It’s not like he’s hiding that he’s a city wolf. He has all the markers of a modern Omega. Flashy hair that announces itself everywhere he goes, piercings that glint in the sun. More importantly, his body features a loud explosion of tattoos that cover most of his body, disguising his traditional familial markings. Next to a local township Omega, he knows he must look too lean, too harsh. The older Omega's familial mark decorates just her arm, reflecting the town where she was born, the local flowers, the meadow, and the forest. Bees and honey.
Jeongguk's also reflects his upbringing, but the stories couldn't be more different. He grew up in a large city filled with colour, noise, and a mish-mash of myriad cultures. His tattoos cover him almost entirely, leaving only his belly, face and neck bare, as is the custom for city Omegas. The township Omega cradles her basket on her hip as she walks, looking soft and lush. Her hair is the colour of nature, a rich sable.
Jeongguk attempts to jut his hip out, but his basket slides right down, scraping his bare skin. Flushing again, he pats his carefully styled hair, a sharp, icy blue. Shaved sides, the rest only just long enough to tie back when needed.
Four hours drive apart. Almost different worlds entirely.
“Muffins!” Taehyung startles Jeongguk out of his reverie and bounds over, followed quickly by an eager Namjoon, leaving Yoongi to complain loudly from across the store about their current mission being overturned by baking.
“I don’t think these have been baked in a commercial kitchen,” Namjoon frets, picking up a paper plate filled with uneven lemon tarts. They look delicious. Jeongguk places them in his basket.
“Hey! We can just get some from the—”
“The other Omega recommended them,” Jeongguk gestures with a nose tilt, and they follow his gaze.
“Oh. Well, that’s fine, then. She looks like she has good taste.”
“Supporting local business. We have to.”
Jeongguk grins and grabs a tray of cupcakes decorated to look like mushrooms. He skirts by an Alpha to find Yoongi, wary of any judgemental looks, but it's a tourist town known for its geothermal pools. The locals realistically see people from all over the world–Jeongguk and his group aren’t as strange or wild as they might like to pretend they are.
It’s the locals who are interesting and new, really. Part of the attraction to their more urbane counterparts.
More attuned to their inner wolves, more grounded, more… just more , somehow. Adhering to outdated traditions, shifting outside emergencies, keeping the romantic folktales of true mates and fated packs alive.
“They don’t seem that dangerous,” Jeongguk whispers when he finally locates Yoongi. He latches onto the smaller Omega’s back, letting the basket bang into their sides. Near the front, the cashier and a customer cackle at something before the customer leaves with his bag of bottles. The door buzzer complains weakly before slowly peetering off.
Yoongi sighs, long-suffering as the taller Omega forces him down an unnecessary aisle, refusing to let go of his back. They waddle together as Jeongguk revels in the security Yoongi’s scent brings him. He’s tired. They all left work early for the trip, but it’s been a long week. He wants to be at their little forest cabin, rolling in blankets on the floor with Namjoon to make the living room smell like home. "No one said they were dangerous, Jeongguk."
“Taehyung said they’d be watching us.”
“They are watching us, Jeongguk. They just don’t care.” Jeongguk laughs brightly at Yoongi’s derision, but it doesn’t shake his lingering feeling since he exited the car. That they were being watched. That someone did care. He glances over Yoongi’s head furtively, trying to catch someone out, but his senses are too dulled by the city; no matter how quick he tries to be, no one is ever looking at him. Or maybe he’s fast enough, and no one in this traditional township thinks Jeongguk is worth noticing.
“Rustle up the boys,” Yoongi announces, shaking Jeongguk off like an errant leaf. “I’m ready for dinner, and we haven’t even gotten to the supermarket yet.” Yoongi saunters to the counter with their overloaded baskets hanging off a single arm. Taehyung skips over to add some sweets to the basket and makes his escape before anyone can suggest he help with the bags. He tugs Namjoon behind him, who at least has the temerity to throw them an apologetic smile.
The Alpha at the counter scans them through with barely a glance at Yoongi’s challenging stare. Unimpressed and probably too old to posture with a young guy. Jeongguk grins at Yoongi’s deflated shoulders once they exit. He’d clearly thought he could get a rise out of the guy. Maybe they aren’t as old-fashioned out here as they’d been warned.
“That cashier didn’t look dangerous at all,” Taehyung complains bitterly, slouching against the car as they head towards him. “None of them did.” The warm air hits Jeongguk like a wall. He takes a long inhale, forcing his lungs to expand. Taehyung flaps his arms at the air grumpily as if to disperse it. “He had long sleeves on, too. He could have been any old guy from the city.” He narrows his eyes. “Maybe he is. ”
Yoongi snorts. “What did you want him to do, knock you over the head and throw you into the forest for a mating run? He was too old to be dangerous.”
“They don’t do that without a formal declaration, even out here,” Namjoon tells them. He yanks his door open too hard. It squawks in protest, and Yoongi gives him a warning growl. Namjoon ducks his head in apology before throwing himself into the backseat with too much force, sending the car rocking. Taehyung folds himself into the other side, edging his legs around their backpacks and the discarded rubbish from the road trip.
“We’re not here for Alphas,” Yoongi reminds them as he rounds the car and slides into the driver’s seat. Jeongguk slips in beside him on the opposite side, and they all take a moment to set themselves up. Jeongguk props a packet of chips between Yoongi’s legs for easy reach and distributes muffins while Taehyung opens bottles of something tangy and chilled. Yoongi and Namjoon argue over whose music will guide them to their rented vacation house for the last ten minutes of drive time.
“I just wanted to see them,” Taehyung complains through a mouthful of baked goods. “Everyone says you can feel it in the air, but I didn’t feel anything. Just hungry.” His knee digs uncomfortably into the back of Jeongguk’s seat, but Jeongguk can’t go any further forward without getting in Yoongi’s line of sight.
Namjoon opens his octopus snacks with a surprised grin of thanks. Jeongguk preens even though he hates the smell already battling the sweet muffin scent. “That’s only for unmated Alphas, though. Right?”
“So every one of those Alphas was mated? There were like seven of them in there!”
“They mate young, out here,” Yoongi reminds him. “They like to pin the Alphas down early so they don’t get themselves into trouble.”
Another car eases into the carpark and sidles up beside them. It’s an older model with faded paint and the rumble of an older gas engine, but it's clean. Whoever is driving manages to align their front and back wheels the exact same distance between the lines, a pet peeve Jeongguk is always working on and failing.
Three car doors open, and Jeongguk immediately looks away, pretending to fiddle with a fan on the console. Namjoon lets out a low whistle. "Well, well, well," he whispers from the safe confines of the opposite side of the car. Two men brush past their vehicle, and another meets them from the other side. Collectively, wordlessly, the Omegas pretended they weren't just in a rush to leave.
“What do you reckon?” Taehyung barely whispers. As if they’ll hear him. They might, Jeongguk realises with a small start. If they're township Alphas, unmated, with senses attuned to sense threat.
“Impossible to say just from looking at them.” Yoongi adjusts his mirror to mask the deep, assessing look he takes as a taller man shimmies back to the car to fish something out from the open car window and heads back to the footpath.
They could be anything, Alpha or Omega, or neither at all. It’s impossible to know from the size of them. They’re all lean and well-muscled. In the city, that would mean nothing.
But still.
Yoongi doesn’t start the car, and nobody complains.
Jeongguk finally steals a proper look. The three men are dressed in casual T-shirts and work pants. Their arms are bare , skin sun-kissed and empty . Jeongguk’s pulse picks up. The only ink marking them is the familial pack brands behind their ears. They could be Omegas who have bucked against cultural norms, foregoing marks entirely from an early age.
But they could be Alphas. Jeongguk’s fingers twitch to smooth his inked hands over smooth, unblemished skin. He wants to see the contrast between his resolve to withstand pain and an Alpha’s unmarred purity.
One of the Alphas tilts his head, visibly scenting the wind. Namjoon scoffs at the archaic gesture, basically unheard of in large cities where the population density requires a certain amount of polite and purposeful ignorance.
The Alpha’s head snaps to their car, and the occupants flinch, suddenly finding things to busy themselves with. Jeongguk, caught under his gaze, freezes, unblinking behind the tinted glass. “Our windows are shut,” Yoongi murmurs, starting the car with carefully unhurried movements. “He can’t be scenting us from over there. He probably just doesn't recognise the car.”
The words are meant to reassure them, but none of them can deny the thrill of tension running through the vehicle at the overtly Alpha behaviour. They reverse out of their parking spot, and the other two Alphas slip into the store, leaving their friend behind. The last Alpha watches with sharp eyes until the last moment, elongated teeth glinting in a sharp, considering smile.
“He was a bit weird,” Taehyung grumbles, salacious anticipation all muted and nervous at the sight of a real-life, traditional Alpha pack.
Jeongguk has to crane his neck to maintain eye contact as they pull out of the carpark, but once it breaks, the moment disappears from his mind. He wants food, he wants blankets, and he wants the promised bathhouse to melt his bones for an entire weekend. No Alphas needed.
“Heat?!” Taehyung screeches, whirling to face down an unapologetic Yoongi. “There’s how many bath houses here and you went for the one called Heat?!”
“What’s wrong?” Jeongguk grins, purposely obtuse. He's always gotten a perverse pleasure from flustering Taehyung. “The baths are hot, but I’m sure they’ll have cold ones, too. Right, Yoongi?”
Yoongi shrugs neutrally. "It had the best reviews." He manages to hold his twitch of amusement until Taehyung storms off after Namjoon, who had already left them behind in his eager pursuit of the promised baths.
“You loved that, didn't you?" Jeongguk teases as Yoongi takes his arm, squeezing it appreciatively. "You picked it just for that moment."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Yoongi squeezes Jeongguk back and drags him towards their long-awaited treat: the bathing house.
The bath house squats on the side of a winding road, nestled into the deep vegetation barely held back by the claws of civilisation. The front of the building is rustic and wooden, but the signs gleam in shiny stark white, desperately announcing its presence to any confused tourists who might wander off course and end up at a bathhouse further down. Steam unfurls in huge clouds behind the entrance, advertising the services they travelled all this way for: geothermal pools.
They enter the building arm in arm.
“Welcome to Heat,” a merry voice chirps from behind the counter. “Are you a part of their booking?” The Alpha gestures to Namjoon and Taehyung, her smile a wicked curve. There. There it is. The feeling of danger they’d been anticipating since they entered the township yesterday. She’s maybe their age, somewhere in her 20s, perhaps a bit older. Hair as rich and light as burnished wood, eyes like arrows as they dart from the fresh city Omegas, pinning them to the door as it closes behind them.
Her smile sharpens as Taehyung’s scent reacts to the close space. Jeongguk catches Taehyung’s nervous look and smiles in reassurance. Nothing will happen here. This is a business. They’re safe.
Yoongi takes on the same countenance, sauntering forward to lean against the counter, all casual confidence and effortless swagger. “Yes, thanks. Min for four? I have the booking number here.” Despite the act, Jeongguk can sense the tension rising as the Alpha finds their payment with dramatic slowness. She hands over their loungewear and locker keys before explaining the rules.
“Omega changing rooms through there,” she gestures to one door, ignoring the other entirely. Jeongguk relaxes a little. He'd been unsure how she’d behave in a smaller, more traditional town when Namjoon clearly smells like an Alpha. Namjoon’s smile widens like a flower unfurling before the sun. Body marks or not, it's not always the easiest in a culture so led by scent. As one, the Omegas all relax as the worker goes through her spiel, easing back into her role.
Of course, it was never going to be that easy.
The door opens behind them, bringing a gust of warm wind, and Jeongguk can feel it immediately. That tickle at the back of his neck suddenly narrowed to a fine point and dialled up to a hundred. He tucks his hair behind his ear and glances behind him as the same cluster of Alphas from the liquor store pour through the door. Despite the creeping sensation covering Jeongguk’s body, they seem relaxed, oblivious to Jeongguk and his friends as they wait patiently for the Omegas to move away from the desk.
All except one. Those sharp eyes narrow in on Jeongguk to the point of rudeness. Dark and heavy, they pin Jeongguk down where he stands until an awkward cough lifts the spell. Jeongguk stiffly turns to follow his friends to the Omega locker room and hears a quick slap behind him, a mumbled ‘the fuck is wrong with you?’ before the door shuts behind him.
Yoongi turns abruptly. “Were those the—”
“Yes.” Jeongguk is surprised to hear his own quick answer.
“Studying them, were you?” Taehyung's teasing voice doesn't quite manage to cover his nerves. He turns to an open locker and begins to disrobe.
“I was closest to them, that’s all.” Jeongguk picks the locker next to him, grimacing as Taehyung tosses his clothes haphazardly, taking care to fold his own before swapping his shoes out for thin rubber slippers. He clips his token card for the cafe onto his wristband and tries not to think about how it will feel to see that strange Alpha watching him again. Arousal blooms in him, hot and intense. Panicking, Jeongguk reins it in with desperate force, unwilling to step out into a communal area while communicating interest of any sort.
Despite the name, this is a family-friendly establishment. There will be parents, grandparents, children. Maybe not many because it’s later than a small child might be awake, but Jeongguk is never sure how any of that works, having never been around pups for any length of time. Regardless, he is not going to smell horny in front of children.
With that thought, the feeling dissipated as fast as it arrived. Jeongguk breathes a sigh of relief. Once ready, they leave the changing rooms and enter the bathhouse. It’s less of a house and more of a series of open-air pools. Large, expansive trees droop their heavy leaves over the entire area, shielding the bathers from the outside world. Smooth wooden decking wraps around the outer building, with a pocket of squat showers tucked away to the right. A small cafe provides the bathers with drinks and easily cooked snacks on the opposite side. A small family perches there at a rickety table, children smeared in sauce and being scolded by an older Alpha.
Bare skin. No markings to speak of.
It's jarring.
They head over to the showers, grabbing cloths to lay on the stools and wash themselves of the outside dirt before they share the pools with others.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for months,” Yoongi sighs. He tips his head under the pitiful water pressure and lets it stream down the back of his head. Jeongguk leans over to scratch his scalp, and Yoongi groans, leaning into his touch.
“We booked it three weeks ago,” Namjoon snorts. He scrubs himself with alacrity, impatient as always, missing his back and leaving wakes of fervent red from his rough ministrations. “Even the air is hot. Do you think the cold pools are actually cold or just cold compared to the thermal pools?”
“Why don’t you go in the cold first and tell us?” Namjoon splashes Yoongi with his shower water and gets up to leave. He tosses his used cloth and grabs a new one, carefully folding it before placing it on his head and heading to the pool.
Something loud bangs against the wall the showers butt up against. They hear a shout and then laughter. “I’ll be fine!” The voice is muffled and annoyed. Giggles follow, and more roughhousing, from the sounds of it. Cute. Just a bunch of silly Alpha boys playing around.
“I want a slushie,” Taehyung whines. “I want an ice-cold slushie while I’m in the thermal pool.” He’s not using his cloth at all; just sitting there under the water stream. The savage. Jeongguk rolls his eyes but speeds up his cleaning. It’s nice to sit under the shower with the thick steamrolling over them, but he could be in a thermal pool right now , letting the ginseng and caustic sulphur seep into his pores and give him some much-needed healing.
And also. Jeongguk could have a slushie. He abandons Taehyung and Yoongi and repeats Namjoon’s process just as the Alphas from earlier exit their locker room and head to the showers. Jeongguk forces himself to ignore them, grinning as the children from earlier fix the Omega with curious gazes. Other tourists dot the large pools, similarly marked to Jeongguk, but kids will stare at anything different, and he supposes his hair and bright tattoos must be fun to them, as well.
Yoongi and Taehyung rush up behind him, miraculously ready after being joined by the Alphas in the showers, and they all head straight for the largest pool where Namjoon resides, head tipped back against the edge, eyes closed. Jeongguk crouches and dips his toes in, gasping at the immediate flush of heat.
“Good, right?” Namjoon’s voice is raspy and deep with relaxation. Jeongguk wants to feel exactly like how Namjoon sounds, so he slips in beside him and tilts his head back, closing his eyes. The steaming water envelops him like a hot hug. Ohhhh, yes.
The hairs rise on the back of his neck. He becomes infinitely more aware of his exposed neck. He tries not to look; he really does.
“Are you okay?” Jeongguk startled, unaware he’d made a squeak of noise until Namjoon prodded his side. Jeongguk grins lazily. “Yeah, I’m good, why?”
“Those Alphas are being a bit toxic. We’ll keep an eye on them, right?”
The Alphas aren’t being toxic at all, at least, not all of them. Jeongguk’s shocked noise had been from surreptitiously looking over through lowered lashes and finding that same Alpha crouched low over his shower chair, head dipped to the ground but raised just enough to keep Jeongguk in his sights as one of his friends scrubbed his back and muttered in his ear.
Jeongguk swallows. “It’s fine, honestly.”
“You’re just too pretty for these country boys,” Namjoon jokes, lazily stroking Jeongguk’s neck, scenting him in reassurance. It won’t keep, not in this thick steam, but he appreciates the gesture. Jeongguk leans into it and lets his eyes close again, letting himself melt into the water. Around him, his friends make quiet conversation. Taehyung wades back and forth in lazy circles, insisting it will help the ginseng soak into his skin. People arrive, and some leave, but for Jeongguk, it’s all just background noise. A pleasant droning ambience as a gust of wind sends the trees into dance, protecting them from whatever the weather is doing outside their little piece of peace.
Generally, in this kind of public space, Jeongguk feels anxious and wired. But tonight? Safe. It doesn’t make much sense, not with that particular local Alpha fixated on him, but it doesn’t feel malicious for some reason. Maybe he’d even muster himself for a conversation if the Alpha headed his way, friends be damned.
The evening passes in the exact bliss they’d imagined. They transfer into the cold pool for a spell, squealing under their breaths and holding each other close. They crowd around a small table and consume enough slushies and hot snacks that the next dip into the hot baths sends Yoongi to sleep. Taehyung cradles him affectionately until he gets restless, and then Jeongguk and Namjoon take turns holding him between them, peppering him with nose nuzzles and cooing as the Omega dozes in their arms, back pressed against their chests, legs floating close to the surface.
Across the long bath, the local Alphas sing a small birthday song to one of their group. The smaller Alpha, already red from the heat, reddens further, pushing at them shyly and then yanking them close for some aggressive scenting. Jeongguk tries not to watch, but he can’t avoid it because of the way his head angles to stop his nose from bonking the back of Yoongi’s head. Through slitted eyes, he watches the strange Alpha shake himself. Even with them crowding the birthday Alpha, his body faces Jeongguk. Jeongguk shivers, sweat trickling down his damp neck. There’s just something about that guy.
And then Yoongi stiffens in his grip. “Did you wake up?” Jeongguk asks, amused.
“They’re coming over,” Yoongi hisses, finding his feet.
“Were you awake this whole time?!” Namjoon hisses back. Yoongi gives him a guilty look but prods Namjoon with a pruney finger. “Not important right now.”
It’s the birthday Alpha. He’s smaller than Jeongguk, finely muscled and tawny-skinned, clearly used to physical labour. His eyes are bright, and his smile is wide, as though he’s just caught sight of a neighbour at the market. “Hi, I’m Jimin,” he says with a soft, mellow voice once he joins them. Taehyung drifts closer from where he’d been wandering. “Are you guys just visiting?”
“Just a friend trip.” Yoongi’s tone is wary. The Alpha gulps, smile faltering.
“That’s cool. I’m with my friends, too.” Beyond him, the other Alphas are crowded around the strange one, whispering in his ear. One of them rubs his nape with excessive force. Jeongguk catches a hint of red in the Alpha's eyes before he pulls his gaze away and returns to the conversation.
“So, where are you guys from? How long are you in town for?”
“We’re not looking for any local fun,” Yoongi's tone is no-nonsense. “We’re not your birthday present.”
“No, of course not!” To his credit, the Alpha looks horrified. “I just thought I could recommend some things you might like to do, and–”
“We have it all planned. Thanks.”
“Well.” Namjoon, who had been furthest away, edges closer.
Jimin takes his nervous eyes off Yoongi, and they widen at the tall Omega, his lips parting in wonder. “Maybe you’d know if any local galleries are open during the weekend?”
The Alpha looks devastated. “Ah, no. I don’t think so, there’s only–”
Yoongi wrinkles his nose abruptly, then Taehyung, then Namjoon. “That’s not you, is it?”
“What? Me?” Jimin inhales deeply and then stiffens. He almost turns and then catches himself, smiling brightly. “I don’t know what you mean. If there was a scent, it wasn’t me.”
“What is it?” Jeongguk asks, confused. Everything just smells… nice. He snuffs curiously, trying to catch it. Under the thick layer of sulphur and ginseng, the bathhouse inhabitants have all dulled their scents in the water. There shouldn’t be anything to smell.
“You really can’t smell that?” Taehyung frowns. He wades over to Jeongguk’s side, inhaling more and then coughing roughly. He pinches his nose. “Someone smells really strong.”
“That’s rude to mention, though,” Jeongguk interjects, affronted. Even if he can’t smell it, he won’t accept that kind of talk from his friends!
“Not like that. They smell…” Namjoon’s voice drifts off. “Wrong. Like they’re really angry or something.” They all look around the bathhouse, checking for an aggressive Alpha storming around, all wet and naked. There’s no one. An older family pack are packing up very quickly, though, repelled by the apparently strong smell. Jeongguk still can’t smell anything.
Jimin’s voice takes on a desperate air. “So, are you all single?”
“Wow.” Yoongi laughs, sharp and derisive. Anger starts to colour his own muddied scent. “We’re not here prowling for country Alpha dick, okay? I already told you this is a friend trip.”
Jimin flushes, embarrassed but persistent. “Of course, no, of course not. I was just making conversation–”
“Didn’t you bring your own friends to have a conversation with?” Yoongi’s tone leaves no gap for misinterpretation. Whatever Jimin had wanted, it has been shut down. To his credit, the Alpha looks truly mortified by his own questions. He retreats in quick strides, shoulders tucked, while Namjoon watches his back with longing in his gaze.
“That was kind of rude,” Namjoon murmurs afterwards. “He was just being friendly. It’s not his fault someone smells like they’re going to eat a mammoth.”
“Well, he can be friendly when we’re not huddling naked in a bath.”
“Fair,” Jeongguk agrees distantly, distracted by the huddle of Alphas whispering on the opposite side. They try to settle back into their relaxed balance from earlier, but the spike of scent lingers in the air, leaving them looking over their shoulders every few seconds. They’re not the only ones. An older omega rustles up her cluster of smaller children and heads for the exit. Everywhere Jeongguk looks, he sees people frowning in confusion or getting ready to leave.
He ignores the feeling of eyes on the back of his head.
“Let’s just go,” Jeongguk says finally, and it’s as if everyone is waiting for someone to finally say the words because they all immediately wade to the shallows and head for the showers to rinse off.
“Do we need anything back at the house?” Jeongguk’s forced casual conversation receives a few distant hums of dissent as they speed through the process. He can’t feel the urgency himself, but his friends’ tense movements have him hurrying, quickening his steps to exit the bath house behind them and head straight into the changing rooms.
Once inside, their shoulders immediately soften. Taehyung’s smile of relief triggers a chuckle in Yoongi, with Namjoon close behind. Jeongguk drags another heavy breath in his lungs, trying to catch a taste of what has made his friends act like gazelles under the amber eyes of a predator.
Still nothing. Restorative spice and tangy sulphur. That's it.
“Rural Alphas, am I right?” Yoongi snickers, shaking his head.
“I really don’t get it, guys,” Jeongguk tells them. His locker door screeches open. He drags his underwear on with his back turned to his friends.
“You have such a sensitive nose, and then when we need it most, nothing!” Jeongguk grins at Taehyung, but only while his gaze is on him. The second his friend looks away, he lets a pout take over because the only thing good about a sensitive nose is being able to brag about it, so now, what is even the point? Taehyung is right. All the burning headaches from scents too strong, and now he can’t even scent an apparent imaginary threat?
He’s about to insist everyone is collectively gaslighting him when a scream breaks out in the outer courtyard of the bathhouse. As one, the Omega’s freeze, eyes darting to the exits in their state of half-dress. It’s not even a second later that another scream erupts, so soaked with pain and panic that they abandon their task altogether, quickly gathering their remaining clothing and heading straight for the exit.
“Jeongguk, this way!” Yoongi turns as he realises Jeongguk hasn’t headed in the same direction.
Jeongguk catches himself turning the handle for the door back into the bathhouse. They both jolt in fright as a roar picks up, harsh and desperate. An Alpha rage. “What are you doing?” Yoongi hisses, shoving Taehyung through the exit. “We need to go. Now!”
Jeongguk frowns. He scents the air again, confused by the instruction. It’s almost there; he can almost catch it. But it doesn’t smell dangerous; it smells… “But Yoongi, he needs help.”
“What are you talking about?!” Jeongguk yanks the door open as Yoongi lets his go and dashes towards the younger Omega. Someone races past in the staff uniform, stun gun in hand, yelling something Jeongguk can’t quite make out. A naked Alpha runs the opposite way, eyes wide, her arm coated in red.
Blood.
Jeongguk exits the changing room and finds himself in chaos. Yoongi pulls at him, but Jeongguk shakes him off. Sound seems to go fuzzy as he takes in the storm unfolding around him. “It’s one of those Alphas from earlier,” he points out, but Yoongi doesn’t want to make conversation.
“They’ve gone fucking feral, Jeongguk, we are in danger. Your taekwondo isn’t going to help here!”
“He just needs a good scenting.”
“Namjoon!” Yoongi screams behind him. He’s got his hands back on Jeongguk, feet planted, trying to stop him from advancing.
Jeongguk hadn’t even noticed he was moving forward.
The Alpha, who had spent the entire evening staring at Jeongguk, now stands in the middle of the bath, steam rising around him in thick curls. The water, rusty orange from blood and ginseng, holds a ring of bath-going Alphas now suddenly trying to take him down. His friend, that Jimin guy, is one of them. One of his other friends is there, too. They’re both bleeding. One of Jimin’s arms hangs loose and heavy—he cradles it by the elbow as he yells something at his friend.
"You all need to get out, or you'll get electrocuted too!" The bathhouse staff member screams, stun gun wavering in their grasp.
In the city, there’s no way people would get anywhere near a feral Alpha. The police would have been called far earlier in the evening just from the dangerous vibes alone. In a rural town, they must be more accustomed to banding together to help. Maybe they’re more used to Alphas going feral in general? Jeongguk has definitely never seen it happen before.
Two Alphas make a move at the same, coming at the Alpha from both sides, but Jeongguk can see it is a mistake the instant it starts. Neither of them wants to be the one to catch the Alpha’s focus, and so they both move too slowly. Their eyes track the Alpha’s gaze; they think he’s distracted. It would be a fair assumption because the Alpha has been staring at the water and panting this entire time.
“Alphas are so bigheaded,” Jeongguk mutters under his breath, rolling his eyes as the pair are taken down in quick, mindless efficiency. More blood floods the water, and, finally, the brave volunteers fall back, retreating to the water’s edge.
Jeongguk’s feet hit the water.
People reach for him in protest, but the resulting snarl of the feral Alpha is enough to quell their half-hearted efforts. Yoongi is like an anchor behind him, pulling him by the waist, but he’s always been small compared to Jeongguk and doesn’t know how to shift his weight to unbalance someone.
“Hoseok!” Jimin calls. Hoseok? “Look! Your Omega is coming!”
“The fuck is wrong with you?!” Yoongi shrieks over Jeongguk’s shoulder. “He’s going to rip him apart!”
“Let me go!” Jeongguk gripes, rolling his eyes. He can smell the threatening danger now. The fear and the violence. This close, the air is heavy with it. But it slides past him. It’s not meant for him. It seems obvious. Why can’t they see Jeongguk needs to go to him?
"Alpha.” His voice is quiet but firm.
Hoseok immediately raises his head, catching Jeongguk’s scent now that he’s close enough. His eyes are red with Alpha rage, teeth lengthened past the comfortable cushion of his lips. Blood drenches his jaw and neck, presumably from someone getting too close–perhaps the guy wailing and clutching his shoulder somewhere in the distance.
They’ve all been acting like idiots. Have they all lost control of their inner wolves? This Alpha's need to be held is a heavy ache in Jeongguk’s body, dragging him closer through the swirling hot water. Why would they respond with violence when the guy just needs… needs…
Hoseok surges towards him, sloshing through the water in his rush. Distantly, Jeongguk recognises sirens in the background, his friends yelling, and that Jimin guy screaming at someone behind them, but Jeongguk only has eyes for the Alpha and his glowing eyes.
“You were just scared, right?” Jeongguk asks though he doesn’t know if Hoseok can hear him. He doesn’t know how he knows the Alpha was scared, either, but maybe when you leave the city, your senses become more aware of not just your surroundings, but the people around you.
The Alpha’s chest heaves with every breath he takes, sucking Jeongguk’s scent into his lungs.
“—that you were leaving!” Jimin’s voice fades back into focus for a moment. “He freaked out! That’s why I was—” Jeongguk huffs. All of this, because Jeongguk was leaving?
This close, Jeongguk realises he’s slightly larger than Hoseok, both in stature and muscle. The Alpha is lean and corded with muscle, a real rural local. One cheek swells from a glancing punch, and an angry red petal blooms in the water from his elbow. Jeongguk draws close, then even closer, until their chests are almost touching. The Alpha doesn’t attack him or throw him out of the way like he did the others.
He does act, though. Faster than Jeongguk thought possible, Hoseok grabs Jeongguk's arms with bruising force, enough to make his bones scream behind muscle. It’s not anger that fuels the steel behind his actions, but rather the fear that Jeongguk might disappear again. The logic behind the urges is gone, hidden behind Alpha instinct. Clumsily, Hoseok drags his nose along Jeongguk’s jawline, huffing his scent through his bared, sharp teeth. They rasp over tender flesh as Jeongguk tilts his head slightly, giving him the access he needs to calm himself down, to bring himself out of it.
“Get him away from him!” He hears Yoongi yell, but it's distant. Someone must be holding his friend back; it’s the only way Yoongi wouldn’t have followed him into the water. Jeongguk waves Yoongi away or tries to, but the Alpha’s grip is still firm on his biceps—he only manages to stir the water.
“He just wanted to scent me,” he calls back, hoping they can hear him. “It’s fine.”
Why can’t they see it’s fine? Aren’t they all naked and communing with their bodies, understanding what they need on a primal level? It makes total sense that Hoseok and Jeongguk should be here, together, doing this. He can feel it all the way into his bones, in his nerves and in his fingernails.
The sirens flare in strident song just outside. Jeongguk closes his eyes and wishes they’d all just go away. He’s got it under control, doesn't he? Hoseok's teeth press hot against his mating gland, and Jeongguk stirs, blinking away the fog slowly encroaching over his mind.
"—distraction, right?" Out of the corner of his eye, he catches sight of a clothed body. The water stirs against his legs. Hoseok nuzzles Jeongguk's jaw, exposing his neck further, wholly absorbed in his task. Jeongguk makes eye contact with a police officer, arm raised, baton in hand. Jeongguk gasps out a startled, "Wait!"