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Spring was just about to lick away the icy tears of winter when Jungkook first saw a live, full-flesh angel on the face of his own very earth.
It was the bi-yearly get-together of all the North, South, East and West tribes of the forest, and he'd only laid eyes on the small child of the gods when his brother had lewdly pointed him out in the midst of the banquet, loins ablaze from the severe lack of omegas in the Jeon pack.
"Something I sure wouldn't mind sticking my cock into," his brother drawled while pointing towards the only seat of the banquet placed under the lazy fingers of a hanging willow, laughing through a hearty sip of mead that was already half spilled down his chest.
Under the willow sat a boy of short stature, blonde hair crowning his head and gracefully curling in the direction of a pair of pouty lips. As with all tribes south of the mountain ridge, two red streaks of paint lined down his cheeks from under his eyes. Some ungodly impulse prompted Jungkook to see the disturbing image of his brother fucking the boy's mouth, and he stared for a few seconds in shock before the boy made eye contact with him and he swiftly turned away in a deep, shameful blush. The worst part was the knowing look of his brother on him the entire time he attempted to finish his veal, causing the people around them to appear like obtrusive walls growing closer and closer until Jungkook could finally breathe when everyone started getting up from their spots. He'd never gotten up so fast from the ground in his life, like it would sear him.
He failed at aiming his eyes far away enough for his brother to leave him alone, and soon said brother's hairy arm was slung over his shoulder as he once again caught himself staring at the blonde-haired omega from the willow-spot with a weird buzzing around his chest. Junghyun slapped his shoulder in good spirit, trailing his line of sight and speaking to him with pungent alcohol-breath.
"Get some hair on your chest. It's a party," his brother urged, pointing towards the small omega who was currently bent over to pick up more sticks for the fire, ass almost peeking out behind the sheepskin cloth and a soft, white tail. "Dip your toes into the southern honey. I hear they taste sweeter than seckel pears. Or be generosity's son and invite me for a slice, too."
"But what-- what if he doesn't want to?" Jungkook heard himself say amidst the cavalcade of thoughts interfering with his regular line of thinking. The omega was gripping onto someone and whispering to them now, someone taller and definitely built like an alpha, making something deep in Jungkook's chest drown in the seven seas.
"I swear sometimes you don't sound like an alpha, brother. I worry for you this mating season."
Junghyun's words just passed right by Jungkook as his shoulders slumped in withdrawal, eyes unwillingly watching the unknown alpha rest a protective hand on the small of angel omega's back. Deep brown eyes rose from the tall alpha as if in warning, cutting past all commotion and meeting his own. Jungkook's spine shivered with an impulsive urge to stand up straighter and taller, to assert himself and bare teeth in order to meet the challenge. Instead, he whimpered, falling back with wide eyes until more than one pair were on him, watching him cower.
"Jungkook, what the hell?" Junghyun's voice sounded distant, far too much so for him to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. The cold eyes of the man holding the angel boy still disturbed him; it was like he had everything to lose and Jungkook had threatened that just by standing there. "That's just a fucking beta, why are you backing away?" Junghyun grabbed his face and forced him to look back at the blonde omega, the guy standing close to the omega suddenly seeming less intimidating now that both of them were looking at him. Just a beta. Betas weren't even good fighters. He didn't have to assert himself in front of a beta. "We all know betas and omegas can't mate, so it's still free game."
"I don't wanna go over there..."
Honestly, Jungkook had no intention of making any sort of move on the omega. He was curious above all. Curious and hopelessly spellbound for some unidentifiable reason. Maybe it was the fact that he never got to get out of his own camp and intermingle with omegas, as his pack mainly coveted alphas for their conquering power and avoided sickly deaths during the winter by keeping omegas out. Usually they'd find omegas from other packs to bear their cubs in spring, typically someone likely to pass down favourable traits like a healthy body.
He cursed, blinking hard and storming off in order to stop feeling the clammy hold of his brother, mind reeling about how to impress the pretty omega before mating season started and the omega would undoubtedly be sought after with long lines of salivating pursuers. Rustles in the leaves alerted him to the small creatures in the grass salivating at the smell of their feast, scurrying around the ground with fluffy ears and tails.
He sucked in a deep breath. He'd hunted before. He wasn't the best at it, but he could certainly make do. Only he was used to larger animals, getting maybe a right hook claw in before his brothers in the pack took care of the rest. But he didn't have time for extravagance this time. He didn't know when he'd be allowed to visit the southern border next, and the sun was already setting. Skittish and desperate, he clawed at the ground, missing a rabbit by the hair, though slicing off an ear. He kept at it, following it deeper into the forest. He hacked and ran until finally he had the soft thing crushed in his hand, glancing around wildly as he forgot where he'd come from.
"Who goes there?" Came a soft voice from behind a tree. Jungkook looked up to see blonde angel omega peering at him cautiously, tail between his legs. He froze, realizing the omega was actually talking to him and watching his pathetic attempt at impressing him.
"I-- Jungkook. My name-- it's Jungkook."
This seemed to warm the omega up a little, stepping a small foot away from the tree to look at him closer. Jungkook looked down at the grass, trying to count each straw before he convulsed from the heated feeling in his body.
"Jungkook of the North, why are you in my bath?" The omega asked, voice accusatory but soft with interest.
He glanced down, realizing he was standing in a small stream, his ankles stroked by faint water currents and his toes lodged in a bed of mud and grass roots. Not exactly the impression he'd been hoping to make. His pungent alpha smell must be muddying the waters already.
"I don't really...think I have a good answer for you," he admitted, shame itching up all of his limbs and almost making him drop the bunny. He hadn't dared to raise his eyes yet, part of him fearing he'd be overwhelmed by the sight in combination with the fragrant smell of a fertile omega. "I--" he started, squeezing the bunny in his hold until it oozed blood and guts. He held it out carefully, eyes still lowered even as he placed it down by the river bank at the omegas feet. "It's for you."
The forest was silent around him for a few heartbeats, the wind keeping his ears occupied as he waited for any sort of response. When he didn't get any, he looked up, meeting the omega's eyes directly. Soft yet unwavering, they analyzed him, seeming to see everything in him until it was the omega's turn to cast down his gaze. He looked melancholic. Mournful even.
"Are all alphas barbaric?"
The question came fast and harsh, prodding at something disagreeable deep inside Jungkook's head.
You should know. Your guard dog probably kills at any chance he gets, he thought bitterly, reminiscing back to the man towering over the omega at the feast until he remembered it had been a beta. He really was out of touch with himself. Out of touch with everything.
"In my pack, a kill is a sign of respect and hospitality," he tried, trying to think of what his brother might say were he in his place. The problem was that his brother would never find himself in such a humiliating position, something which he constantly reminded him of.
"Our pack is no different, I simply find it very sad to see something so defenseless and small slain for the purpose of a gesture."
Jungkook's chest tightened, glancing down at the bloody rabbit with a frown. One of its beady eyes had fallen out in his hurry, and it looked even sadder now that the omega had pointed out his zealous aggression. Frown still in place, he leaned down and tried to patch the rabbit up as best as possible, feeding the strings of organs back into the carcass and attempting but failing to smooth away some of the red colour from the pretty, white fur. I only got worse, muddying the creature and making him frantically rub it on the grass until he felt a warm hand covering his, calming him.
"It's okay-- thank you," the omega said, all of a sudden merely inches away from his face. The smell was overwhelming and sweet, calming all nerves under his skin. He smelled of plums, honey, and milk-- all at once but separately at the same time. A sudden dizzy spell made his knees weak. "For the gesture. I'm Jimin, by the way."
He allowed his eyes to drink up every inch of the face looming above him, the brilliant, shy smile and the mellow eyes, feeling like the sun was upon him, clearer than the moon had ever been. Jimin smiled with his eyes, kind and genuine, and Jungkook was transfixed, his hands aching to touch just ever so slightly. Aching to nurture and protect that face from anything the world might pit against it. The face above him had turned slightly pink, and he realized he was holding onto the omega's hand, stroking it with his disgusting, calloused fingers.
He let go instantly, retreating his arms behind his back as if burned. Jimin only laughed, leaning towards the left to pick up the bunny. Jungkook remembered saying one last thing before they departed, and it was enough to consider his chances with Jimin completely shot.
"Do you know you're the sun? The entire sun in one person?"
*
He did see Jimin again, surprisingly. Or unsurprisingly, as he was one of the few omegas without a mate in the entire forest and Jungkook was due to find one. Unsurprisingly, he got first claim because of his status, and his brother laughed as he pointed at the busy omega who had his back turned, weaving a basket in the nude next to the fireplace. Another feast over, only this time it was all business.
"I said have fun with him, not mate him," his brother cackled, sharing a look with their father. "Omegas like that are no good, brother. I can smell others on him already. Spoiled pick."
He heard a few alphas from his pack groan behind him, all probably saved a spot in their picks for sunshine omega. His father grunted, shrugging what he hoped was a dismissive approval and almost urging him forward. Anything to get him laid, probably.
Without warning the omega seemed to walk off, slipping into a thick of trees and retreating from the festivities. He toed after him in a haste, unable to stomach the idea that Jimin wouldn't be a part of the mating pick ritual, because for some reason the thought of considering another made him feel ill.
"Hello again," he said carefully, before Jimin could wade into a creek behind the holding of their camp.
The omega turned around, covering his nethers with his basket. Jungkook blushed, scratching the back of his head as Jimin eyed him with a cautious squint.
"So I've...I thought I'd let you know that I've decided to court you," Jungkook continued, trying to smile at the omega gently to show that he meant no harm. "And that I hope you'll accept me. I know my previous gift was...not very well thought out, but my heart is in the right place and I would protect you with my life."
Jimin blinked at him, before crossing his arms, seemingly unimpressed. Jungkook frowned, trying to stand up a little taller and straighter. He knew he wasn't the biggest alpha around, nor the proudest. But surely he had other redeemable qualities. Surely Jimin wouldn't dismiss him based on first impressions alone.
"Why would you tell me about that? A real alpha just takes what he wants," Jimin's soft voice said, a stark contrast to his wish. Jungkook had to admit he'd never heard any omega advocating for the aggressive and ruthless nature of alphas, and it took him aback. It definitely didn't line up with his view on animal cruelty. Jungkook tried not to look down at Jimin's body despite the implications and the vast, uncovered expanse of skin that leaked omega pheromones.
"Is that what you'd want?" He tried, voice unsure. Images in his head of Jimin being grabbed and forced down by large hands invaded his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. The alpha in him keened in agreement, but the thought of it made his stomach churn uncomfortably. It wasn't like him to do something like that. "To be...taken?"
Jimin's face faltered, and for the first time Jungkook could smell a hint of strong fear in him, watching goosebumps travel up Jimin's arm as the omega hunched forward a little.
"No."
Jungkook nodded slowly, mostly relieved. Jimin seemed to turn around again, adamant about heading off.
"Then what ails you? Why the cold shoulder?" He tried, voice almost breaking. Jimin turned his head back, lips pressed into a thin line as he clutched his arm.
"You're a Jeon, right?" Jungkook nodded, confused. He said the name as of it was dirty; might leave a bad taste in his mouth. "I don't know why they still invite your clan to these things," Jimin continued, voice smaller but firmer. "It's like they want all our apples to be bad. All the peace we've tried to build up to sour."
"What's so wrong with our pack?" Jungkook tried, his heart feeling like it had just been pierced with a thousand flint arrows. He stared at Jimin's lips while the latter spoke, focusing on their shapely pinkness in lieu of their harsh words.
"You worship the moon instead of the sun, which is absurd, because the moon does barely anything. You're more predisposed to violence, and you don't care for much but yourselves. I could go on, but then you'd miss the festivities."
Stunned into silence, Jungkook held back any dispute as he mentally combed over every member of his pack. Sure, most of them were slightly hotheaded alphas praying to the moon for a decent mate to fuck, but they weren't all like that. He wasn't like that. And any of the knuckleheads ready to fight for Jimin's affection couldn't be guaranteed to be any better. Suddenly Jimin's red face paint stood out to him, because his pack had stopped such superstitious rites decades ago, and there Jimin was lecturing him about spirituality.
Almost without alerting him, Jimin slipped off again, splashing through the water to head deeper into the forest with droplets dancing after his heels. Jungkook bolted at his trail, legs hurting as he stepped wrong trying to climb up from the creak, but running with the strength of his haunches nonetheless.
"Wait! Please!" He yelled, tapping in to his alpha strength in order to run faster than the little omega, catching up with him in record time. Trees passed them in multiples, branches hitting his face as his tall stature reached far enough up to get in the way. "I'll prove to you that I'm not like that!"
He managed to grab the omega's thin arm, stopping him in his tracks and almost spinning him backwards into his chest before the two of them stumbled to the ground from sheer velocity. He felt something in him snap painfully, his face shoved in the mud under them. The tiny omega squirmed under him, crying out in pain at the weight on him and beginning to tremble.
"Let go of me!" Jimin howled, eyes blown wide with fear. Jungkook tried to raise his hand up to stroke the omega's hair in assurance and apology, but he couldn't move. His right leg sent jolts of agony through his body, rendering him helpless to gravity.
"I'm sorry. Please stop trembling; I didn't mean to scare you--" he tried, panting into the ground and attempting to lift himself up, but failing miserably. He groaned with effort, knowing every second he lay on Jimin was another mile away from finding his affections. He started to cold-sweat, adrenaline giving him strength but not enough to push up on what felt like his sprained wrist and bad ankle. "M-my leg, it's...I-I think it's broken. I can't move."
Jimin sniffled, face turned adamantly away from him as his chest lifted shallowly for tiny intakes of air. Jungkook hunched in remorse, breathing onto Jimin's cheek in his current unfortunate position. Jimin stopped trembling gradually, his face untensing as the minutes passed with the two of them stuck on the wet ground.
"I'm sorry," Jungkook whispered, knowing fully well this would be his last time in any proximity to the sunshine omega. Jimin stared down at his leg, probably able to see more than him. He wondered if it was as bad as it felt. Maybe he was disabled now forever. And nobody would want him. "Please don't look at me."
"That's kind of hard when you're on top of me," Jimin mumbled, still avoiding eye contact. The sun had started to set on the horizon, and Jungkook knew they wouldn't survive the night in the cold. And he wouldn't survive the waves of omega pheromones from his favourite source of scent without acting out.
"I can treat your leg, just let me free my arm," Jimin claimed, squirming under him. Jungkook practically whimpered at the movement, Jimin's knee ever so slightly brushing over his crotch while simultaneously jerking his pained leg.
"This isn't a good idea," he clenched out, terrified of sporting an erection while in this position. That definitely wouldn't help his case, but he could already feel it coming.
Jimin ignored him, curling to the side ever so slightly and placing a warm palm over his wounded leg. Jungkook yelped, the yelp morphing into an angry growl and sending his body out acting on its own. His arm swung up to hit Jimin's chin, the omega whimpering in pain, but still refusing to let go of his leg.
"Calm down. Please," Jimin begged, Jungkook's pain receptors so overwhelmed that he barely registered his voice. He could feel Jimin pressing on the bone, attempting a realignment. "Jungkook."
Another jolt of pain made him thrash violently, this time wrapping a hand around Jimin's throat and squeezing as instinct took over, responding to the severe pain.
"H-hold on," Jimin sputtered, face turning pink as his fingers clenched into the omega's soft skin. The mixture of pain and an overwhelming sense of dominance lead Jungkook to tighten his grasp, finally causing Jimin to relinquish his leg. The smaller boy flailed, free arm reaching up to attempt to pry Jungkook's iron grip from his throat. His eyes grew wet, body bucking up in desperate effort.
That was when everything changed. Jimin grew limp as he bared his neck, his lips trembling. There was a change in his smell, suddenly calming the frazzled Jungkook and making him want to release his hold on Jimin's neck. Beads of sweat started rolling down Jimin's face as Jungkook let go and watched the omega cough for air, cheeks stained red.
"Jimin, your smell..."
He sobered up somewhat, only to be pulled back into a trance, more intense this time, only not filled with anger but with a placating lust. He lost control of his immediate actions, leaning in to Jimin's throat to sniff his scent, endorphins soaring as he got a whiff of the most potent heat-pheromones he'd ever smelled.
"This is bad," he murmured, jerking away from Jimin's neck. "My strength must have triggered your heat somehow." Or maybe the pain did. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that Jimin was currently rapidly descending into a state of helpless heat, currently trapped under a rather young alpha with a weakness for his particular existence.
"Alpha..." Jimin whimpered, but Jungkook knew better than to listen to him, because omegas in heat were delirious and never knew what they were saying, even though it made his knees weak. He grit his teeth together and rolled slightly to the side, yelling as his wounded leg moved. Jimin was half out of under him now, but Jungkook could feel his hard, tiny cock against his stomach, needing to forcefully bite at his own lip in order to mask the scent with a whiff of his own blood.
"I'm so sorry," he tried again, not sure if he was apologizing for the situation or what he might do if he stayed there for much longer, his alpha instinct roaring at him to fuck into the fertile omega under him and breed him full of pups before he slipped away. The cloyingly sweet scent was impossible to ignore, coating the insides of his nose and mouth until he was practically choking.
With a last move of utter adrenaline and senseless desperation, Jungkook yanked himself up onto his knees, yelling at the pain in his shin. His vision was blurry and skin was feverish, saliva dripping from his mouth and onto Jimin's fucked out face. His resolve wouldn't be strong enough to ignore Jimin begging for an alpha a second time, so he forced himself to crawl off the omega's body, nails scraping in mud.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, realizing in that moment that he wasn't sure whether it was better for him to drag himself the fuck away from there or if a lone omega in heat all by himself in the forest was a death sentence. "I don't know what to do. I want it to stop, but it's hard for me to even see straight."
He decided on attempting to crawl back to the gathering place to ask for help, his pained limbs ignored as he forced himself away from the dangerous area, noose tightening around his neck the further he went, everything in him wanting to be right back with Jimin between the trees.
But he was better than that.
*
The following morning Jungkook found himself back in his own territory, awoken by a commotion that was the sound of a few alphas whistling and roaring, his spine forcing himself up straight as he sensed something off from the usual.
Peeking out of his hut, he saw a gathering of wolves eyeing the edge of their territory, where he could see blonde standing out against black tar and granite rocks, a ray of sunshine in the middle of the thick forest.
Jungkook sprinted over as fast as he could with his broken leg, which had somehow miraculously healed up quite well. Half hiding behind some trees at their West bank stood Jimin, shy and cautious as he surveyed the area. When Jungkook got closer, he saw the protective beta he'd seen before right next to him, standing tall and proud as if daring any of the playful alphas to come closer.
"Jimin?" He said, half in disbelief as he stepped up to them, growling at the other alphas to leave. He had mostly expected the young omega to avoid him forever, which wouldn't be hard considering their gatherings were few and far between. If anything, his heart had told him in his sleep that Jimin had already been claimed by another pursuer, but the omega still smelled unclaimed, though his heat was somehow gone.
"You were out of it yesterday and the day before that," Jimin told him, lines worrying his lips and forehead. "I was hoping to see you, but a healer told me you were still mending. I'm glad you're okay now."
Jungkook stood there silent as pieces filled in for him, eyes checking Jimin up and down for any evidence of struggle or pain. His skin just looked soft and glowing, eyes back to a calm sea.
"You heat..."
"It's okay, I had some help," Jimin assured him with a dry laugh, but it wasn't much of an assurance, and mostly just made Jungkook's blood boil. Now he had to go over all of the alphas from Jimin's clan in his head, desperately trying to figure out who would have 'aided' Jimin through his forced heat. His elated mood quickly dissolved into a twisted stomach, eyes downcast with a fake sense of betrayal. "Anyways, what I wanted to say was...you were right. About not all Jeons being bad. You're actually quite pleasant to be around."
Jungkook lifted his head at that, a smile unable to keep out of his lips.
"Really?"
Jimin giggled, a most heavenly sound, and Jungkook melted once more, any previous ill feeling dissipated. It lasted until that beta who had been protective of Jimin at the initial feast cleared his throat, as if to remind Jimin of something.
"I know, Taehyung," Jimin almost whined, and Jungkook was close to whining too. They were being close for a minute, him and Jimin, away from expectations and social structures and just speaking as two humans in a mutual understanding. "I have to go," Jimin said, a small pout betraying how he felt. "Sorry. I'll see you around?"
"For sure. I mean, yeah," he struggled, smiling all wonky because he also tried to pout, ending up expressing a rather awkward goodbye.
Jimin left him with a big smile and a wave, and Jungkook captured that image in his head and swore to treasure it forever, or at least until he got something better to replace it.
It wasn't until he returned to his hut that it dawned on him: Jimin had just walked up to the Jeon territory to speak to him, endangering himself by being surrounded with alphas, and all to check if he was doing okay. He even said he hoped they'd meet again.
*
Jungkook was well and truly gone now, plagued nightly by thoughts of sunshine omega and when he would see him again. He wondered if he should try visiting him, but he knew that an undocumented alpha treading on foreign lands was usually a sign of invasion.
Thus he resigned to laying on his side in his fur skins, resting his nose into a small clutch of bluebell flowers, the only flowers to bloom so late and the only thing in the alpha camp smelling even remotely like Jimin. He'd be reminded of Jimin's sudden heat, his radiating body laying trapped underneath him.
"Fuck," he gripped his length hard in his hands, squeezing around the hot flesh and groaning loudly. Thinking of Jimin made him delirious with lust and an insatiable urge to immerse himself in everything related to him. He thought of the sun, shining rays of golden light onto Jimin's radiant skin. He thought of the water of the river banks, their drops gliding down Jimin in a slow dance while outlining every inch of him as he bathed.
He swallowed hard, hating himself for this. He barely knew Jimin, and there he was jerking off to his wispy memory, finally succumbed to the monstrous alpha side his brother had always searched for in him.
He wondered if Jimin leaked a lot when he was in heat. Did it smell like the rest of him? Was it scorchingly warm? What would it feel like to have it coating the insides of his mouth after eating Jimin out? He tugged faster, whimpering with every new image to come into his head and swearing he could see his brother laugh at him across the room. He was weak, and he admitted that. A coward and a shame to his kind. Instead of finding an easy lay he was stuck in the black darkness of his hut, tugging himself desperately to the imagined image of a south tribe omega taking a good pounding from his still-growing cock.
A low growl managed to find its way out of his throat, surprising him. He closed his eyes, tugging harder and watching the omega's mouth drool in his head, whimpering cute little noises his way that he had no idea of knowing if he actually really made.
"Shit." The image of Jimin coated in his semen did him in, making him empty out all over his bear skins while he watched the white land in trails over his pretty, red face-paint stripes.
He couldn't let anyone touch Jimin during his heats, he decided. Even if the image of Jimin in heat that he had was off-base, the thought of anyone else taking a part in them almost made him sick to the point of his heart hurting. Some nights it was all he could think about, and he wondered if maybe...maybe nature had cursed him with the most cruel fate of them all, something beyond a yearning to bond.
*
"I'm here for Jimin? The short...the one with the hair? Like the sun?"
The old lady squinted at him as he tried to describe Jimin and how he was somewhat invited to their lands, almost pulling his hair out in frustration when she scoffed at him. Luckily, the brooding beta Taehyung seemed to find himself there at the exact same time more than once, whispering something to the lady before beckoning Jungkook in.
Though apprehensive, Jungkook learned that Taehyung was sunshine omega's best friend, and as Jungkook started to make trips to the southern pack a habit, Taehyung still gave him stink eyes whenever he trailed behind Jimin and into his hut, but Jimin assured him it was just because he was overprotective.
Him and Jimin had somehow become a thing. Not a particularly defined thing, but enough of one to stay up until dawn talking in Jimin's hut, exchanging stories and tales of anything from gods to gossip, finding common ground in the hatred for the old ways and the hope brought in the new.
His heart ached in longing and a forced sorrow every time he dragged his feet in, feeling unwanted, until Jimin kissed him one night, lightly on the mouth but heavily all the same, his sun-kissed gaze brighter in the shadows of the darkness than on any sweltering day. Jungkook's spine electrified, finally feeling like he was coming home as he touched faces with the sun, landing somewhere in space where there were lush gardens and nothing but Jimin's soft voice telling him how he cherished their time together.
"I thought I'd end up alone," Jimin laughed curtly, playing with his soft hair and speaking words as if they were pulled right from Jungkook's lips. "But you make me feel like I don't really want to be. Alone..."
"If we only ever think of the sun and moon we all feel alone, because they never get to meet in the sky," Jungkook comforted him with, well aware that Jimin's heart followed the sun. "But the stars are always out dancing, just dimmed by their bright light."
"We're two stars then?" Jimin chuckled, holding out his hand bashfully. Jungkook couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. He didn’t understand how they could sparkle all the same while reflecting no light. "Dancing?" Jungkook took it his hand, relieved that worshipping the moon had taught him at least one thing.
"Dancing," Jungkook confirmed, spinning them in a dizzy twirl until they couldn’t stop laughing, the gap between the sun and the moon suddenly bridged by two unsuspecting stars. "Growing," he twirled them faster, until they tumbled to the floor again, no broken bones this time. "Exploding."
*
"Jimin wasn't always the sun," Taehyung told him when he walked him into their territory for the hundredth time, their walks usually spent in silence and a sudden mutual admiration for the foliage around them. "It's taken a while for his smile to come back. I like to think you're partly to blame, despite your origins."
Jungkook halted, sending Taehyung a sceptical look. The older seemed sincere enough, but there was something beneath the surface, something Jungkook felt he'd never been able to scratch. With much contemplation, Taehyung continued his thoughts slowly, as if urging Jungkook to listen with all of his patience.
"Jimin hates the moon and her children so because…someone from your pack forcefully sterilized him when he got his first heat too close to the borders of your territory," came Taehyung’s statement, eyes unblinking as he gauged Jungkook's reaction.
"Sterilized?" Jungkook whispered, his heart dropping in his chest as his brain worked over the words Taehyung had just spoken, trying to process them. They didn’t make sense. “Why would…for being close to our territory?”
"Jimin came back one night on trembling legs, bleeding and distraught. When he told me what had happened, I knew I had to hide it from the rest of the pack. Bad things happen to infertile omegas, Jungkook. They're seen as void of value outside of casual sex, and become victims or rape and battery or worse. Are you following me?" Jungkook nodded. Eyes swimming with emotion as his inner wolf howled with a need for vengeance. Suddenly everything made sense. Jimin's fear of his pack, his apprehension of alphas and closeness. Yet, Jungkook could not remember a time when Jimin hadn’t smelled spell-bindingly fertile. Jungkook felt faint, slumping to his knees on the mossy ground as Taehyung continued above him. "Fearing exposure and being close with anyone from that point on, only I could really help him with his heats and everything else. But as a beta, I'm mostly a passenger to whatever happens in the lives of alphas and omegas. I do not form knots and I haven't enough pheromones to ease the pain, only lick the inkling. That's why I'm glad he found you. That's why I want to beg you to stick with him."
The shock of it all caused Jungkook's wolf to fixate on the one sour thing, the thing he shouldn’t be caring about in the midst of all of this, but he couldn’t help that his chest rumbled with caution.
"Would you have mated him if you could?" Jungkook heard himself ask, though it didn't carry a shred of importance, not compared to what Jimin had been through. He knew that. Taehyung seemed to understand his reaction either way, staring down at him with what Jungkook felt was pity.
"A childless mating is to fail the gods, to spit on their divinity," Taehyung assured him, reaching out a hand to help him back up. Jungkook just stared at it.
"That doesn't answer my question." He took Taehyung's hand nonetheless, pulling himself up with a firm grip, enough for his alpha to be felt clear and proud. Taehyung retreated his hand, showing no sign of pain.
"So be it."
And so it would be. Jungkook's pack had done this, and Jimin had coped and would grieve however was best for him.
His walk to Jimin's hut was long and arduous, barely sure he could let Jimin see him after knowing what he knew. Perhaps it was easier like this for Jimin, for him to find out from someone else. Perhaps it was a warning or a step in the right way to mate the sunshine omega. Jimin wasn't just anyone, he was special. He couldn't keep promises of tradition and if that had been a deal breaker for Jungkook that would have been the moment when he left.
Instead, he sought him out, hands heavy with care and compassion as they stroked over his soft hair to rouse him from his napping state.
"Back so soon?" Jimin murmured, voice still laced with sleep as his eyes fluttered open. A smile stretched over his pretty lips, hands reaching out for Jungkook's sturdy figure. "Couldn't stay away?"
"Never," Jungkook confirmed, kissing his shoulder and letting Jimin play with the hair at his nape. "Moon always calls me to you."
Jimin stretched, more like a kitten than a wolf, looking up into his face with endless adoration. Jungkook tried to smile back, though all he could see was the pain he'd been told about, leaving invisible marks all over Jimin's pretty exterior. He'd been hurt and terrorized, and by their hands no less. They were the dark night of the moon, the harsh reality of her light that only ever mimicked the sun. He had so many questions, but he was afraid to ask any of them.
He sighed, carefully stroking over the red paint on Jimin’s cheeks, trying to peel it off. He wondered if things would have been easier for Jimin’s heart had he not followed the sun so dutifully. He wondered if Jimin felt like a failure in her light, like he was only ever mimicking the sun, too.
"You're sad," Jimin commented, reaching up a hand to touch his cheek and jerking him out of his reverie. Jungkook leaned into it, almost consoled. He breathed out harshly, feeling his head ache as he once again saw hallucinated images of blood pooling down Jimin's legs, red and raw and accompanied by screams. "Why?"
Jungkook shook his head, not sure he could talk about it. How would Jimin even feel if he brought it up? Would he be able to look at him? Jungkook wasn't the kind to care for pups, but for an omega to have their seraphic natural purpose stripped from them, at least according to the sun's divine ways, was destroying. He wasn't sure how Jimin was still able to smile so brightly.
"Have you found another?" Jimin asked, voice small. Jungkook growled, eyes narrowing at the fact that Jimin would even suggest such a thing.
"Of course not,” he reprimanded him, leaning down to kiss his plush lips, wishing he had to power to lick away sadness. Jimin must have tasted his instead, holding onto Jungkook’s face
“Why do you taste of tears?” He looked so concerned Jungkook could hardly handle it, allowing the smaller to peer up into his traitor eyes.
“Taehyung told me why you hate us so,” he said quietly, stroking a hand down Jimin’s cold arm, still looking at him upside down.
Jimin sat up with a start, reaching for his skins to cover up with. Jungkook spine sagged at the apprehension, reaching out for Jimin’s hand, but being denied it. Instead, Jimin’s lower lip trembled, stature shrinking. Jungkook had known he would regret this, but how could it be avoided? How could he lie?
“Are you…are you leaving me?” Jimin's eyes were wide, but no longer shining in the darkness.
“What? No! Of course not. I—I don’t follow the moon anyway. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Jimin seemed disbelieving, but allowed Jungkook to touch his white-knuckled hand in solidarity. Jungkook’s throat burned at his next question, but he didn’t think he could live with himself if he didn’t know.
"Jimin...who?" he asked, water stirring his vision already. Jimin fared no better, clenching his eyes shut and pulling away from his hand. Jungkook hated himself, but needed then knot in his chest to leave. He tried to get up, but Jungkook held him back, praying he wasn't scared off. Jimin swallowed thickly, holding a hand to his chest.
"You look just like him," Jimin sobbed, standing and backing up away from him, face shadowed with darkness. "That's why I was scared when you chose me."
Jungkook was stunned silent, watching Jimin hesitate at the door before slipping outside. He couldn’t gather his legs until it sank in for him, and bolted out after the distressed omega, using his alpha senses to locate the trail of Jimin’s distinct scent. He followed the scent of sweet sweat and bitter tears, tapping into all of his strength as he sprinted past huts until he reached the edge of southern territory, continuing out while blindly following his nose.
“Jimin!” his voice squeezed out, but fizzled there in the vast forest, panicking as he seemed to lose his trail. His head was still distracted with spinning thoughts of his family, unsure of who to hate more and how to manifest that hatred into realistic modes of retribution. “Jimin, please!”
By a streak of luck, he picked the scent up again, stronger this time. He turned back and followed it to a small clearing under a willow tree. The hunched figure of Jimin sat there crying, but his scent was different again, one Jungkook had only smelled once before. Heavy and creeping, tantilizing every sense; impossible to ignore.
He was in heat.
Approaching him cautiously, Jungkook held his breath, stunned into yearning as his legs felt paralyzed by the onslaught of pheromones.
“Jimin…”
“My heat is fucked up,” Jimin admitted, looking back at him with a tearful glance. Jungkook could make out the utter defeat in his voice. “M-my body probably misses fertility so much it becomes desperate at the memory of an alpha ruining my reproductive system. So whenever you get upset with me…get angry…” Jungkook's gut clenched, stopping Jimin in his tracks.
“I think you’re wrong," he said, daring to move ever so slightly closer. "I’m not angry. I think you’re scared right now but I trigger your heats because…b-because there’s a bond between us and your body recognizes that. Ever since I saw you…I’ve felt it constantly. I strangles me if I fight it. You smell like all I could ever want in this world, even without your heat.”
Jimin wiped his eyes, looking back up. He seemed a bit calmer, shoulders trembling less. There was a layer of sweat covering his soft skin, and Jungkook had to consciously and with great effort prevent himself from touching it.
“Prove it to me, then," Jimin said, almost a whisper. It carried in the wind, straight into Jungkook's waiting ears. "Show me how much you love me.”
Jungkook stumbled forward with uncertainty, reaching out for Jimin’s face to stroke it. He was warm, body flushed and teeming with urgent need. Allowing his own body to react to Jimin’s heat, he met their mouths in a careful kiss, but hesitated at the thought of Jimin’s fear. Being touched by someone who resembled his attacker couldn't be any good. Jungkook pulled back, but Jimin quickly stopped him.
“Prove it,” Jimin urged, sounding almost desperate, eyes begging. His tiny fist tightened almost painfully around Jungkook's wrist. “If we're meant to be, then prove it!”
Jungkook leaned in closer and kissed away Jimin's tears, pushing his body down to the ground and fitting them close together, fully submerged in Jimin’s heat now. His body took control and touched as much of Jimin as he could, marking him as his all up his torso and down to his hips, tongue dragging and wet with punishing lips close behind. Jimin whimpered, pulling Jungkook closer and opening his legs, his slick entrance wetting Jungkook’s lower thigh. The high he got from the scent was unbearable, the feeling even worse. Suddenly he felt like he was being choked by lust, head exploding in a throbbing pressure.
“M-mate me…” Jimin whined, bucking up against Jungkook’s hardened cock. He hated that he was so hesitant, but he didn't know what would happen if he allowed his body to surrender to the alluring pheromones. Not that he'd be able to stop himself for much longer, his resistance already worn thin. “I’m ready. I want you...”
Jungkook growled, reaching a hand down and inserting a ready digit straight into Jimin's slick opening. Jimin moaned, rocking back against him, and Jungkook salivated onto Jimin's bare chest. He wormed in another, coaxing Jimin slacker with his slow fingers, despite the omega’s protests and rocking body.
“I love you,” Jungkook panted, steadying his cock next to Jimin’s wet, trembling entrance. He could almost taste being inside him, his vision blurring. Jimin wrapped arms around his neck, urging him on until Jungkook could no longer hold himself back, eyes rolling back into his head.
He pushed in, kissing Jimin hard on the lips until the smaller accomodated and he managed to set somewhat of a pace, Jimin keening at the breach and mewling at each thrust. He was tight and clenching, sucking Jungkook in and almost wanting to keep him there, greedy for him. He gave Jimin's hole what it wanted, thrusting until his heavy balls slapped agaisnt the omega's plush bottom. They moaned in unison, breaths intermingling as their lips danced just above each other, urging on the rough movement. Jungkook kissed Jimin's neck, teeth dancing over the skin as he prepared to bite, waiting for Jimin to climax.
When he did, Jungkook punctured the skin, lapping over it with his tongue and groaning at the pleasure of them mating, his chest finally feeling whole instead of sordidly shallow. Jimin moaned, too, arms going lax at the force of both the bite and his climax hitting him at once.
It didn’t take long before Jungkook’s knot formed, and soon he was carefully rocking back and forth with his large knot holding them together, Jimin's warmth beginning to feel like a home to him. Tiny arms wrapped around his neck again at the stretch, holding him impossibly closer, and he watched Jimin's mouth beg for him silently while his eyes remained closed, chin lifting up in earnest. Jungkook smiled, complying and leaning down to engulf Jimin's sweet mouth with his own, licking into him and enjoying his pleased whimpers while feeling himself empty inside of his tight hole. The wind was barely even there now; even the grass under his knees didn't itch. He stroked Jimin's hair back nurturingly, dizzy with the feeling of them finally being one.
Right before he could cradle Jimin's head in his arms to prevent his neck from hurting, something large and heavy collided with Jungkook's side, winding him and hurling him sideways, enough to make Jimin scream in pain as the knot snagged on his sensitive muscle. Disoriented and bleeding from somewhere enough to have it drip into his eyes, Jungkook struggled to recover, seeing the shape of something large yet oddly familiar standing before him, forcefully grabbing Jimin's hair.
"Father told me about the dead end," Junghyun growled, the voice eerily recognizable as it taunted Jungkook on the ground through some sort of distorted film. He blinked rapidly in order to attempt to see again, his legs numb without a cause until he realized Junghyun was standing on them. "You're not ending up with some defective bitch. This is your fault now. He has to die so you can find another and continue our line."
That was the last thing he said before he yanked Jimin hard by the hair, the muscles in his right arm buldging and a sick tearing sound erupting into the forest. Jungkook felt coldness hit his groin, and Jimin's scream was loud and agonizing as he realized what had happened. He could taste blood in his mouth but he knew he wasn't bleeding.
Body shaking with ire, Jungkook tried to force his body up, only to be stopped by a broken leg and arm on the side his brother had collided with him. He roared, pupils narrowing dangerously at the pain of his most precious person, his claws elongating agonizingly as the growing pains of trauma finally kicked in, spinning his body with adrenaline.
"The only thing you're good for is a fun time, but Jungkook just doesn't understand the concept of 'fun', does he? He has to go and make anything that triggers his dick so fucking sappy serious," Junghyun muttered down at the bleeding omega, placing an almost gentle hand on his naked thigh. Jimin's cries intensified, and Jungkook roared again, convulsing with effort as he tried to force himself to rise, his eyes seeing nothing but his brother's head being ripped off by his own bare hands a thousand times over. "Shh, don't worry. I know what you need. I know you don't deserve to be knotted as if you were able to bear pups. Father was supposed to make sure you'd never get knotted again."
The hand on Jimin's thigh shifted, Junghyun leaning down between his Jimin's blood-soaked legs and making motions around his own bear-skin coverings, Jimin hitting and kicking at him desperately, his tiny fists no match for the large alpha as he was pinned down.
Jungkook ripped himself up to his knees with a fist using the grass and soil for leverage, leaning onto his crushed leg without a second thought and springing himself forward on pure instinct. Still heavy and still alpha, his bodily force managed to knock Junghyun out of the way, his eyes surprised and almost carrying a glint of excitement right before he was slammed to the ground.
"Little brother," Junghyun said through pools of blood visible in his mouth, beaming up at him and laughing. Jungkook hovered over him dangerously. "There's the alpha. There he is."
Jungkook's claws collided with his face, first from the left, then from the right, then back again, a pattern of continuous destruction that glitched itself into Jungkook's brain through rogue nerves. He could feel himself removing hair, flesh, and face. Hot blood flecked his front, his claws stuck destroying until something in him picked up on Jimin's strained voice from behind him.
He flinched back, zeroing in on Jimin's limp form and readjusting his focus and priorities. Willing his bloody hands to lower, he retreated from his brother's body and dragged his aching legs back to his precious omega, still body now passed out from the bleeding. Alpha instincts told him to lick and nurse his omega back to health, but his brain knew he wasn't what Jimin needed.
As quickly as he could while taking care to not hurt the smaller, Jungkook picked Jimin up on his arms, breathing heavily for a while and coming close to panicking as he tried to go over the path they had taken here in his head. He needed to get back to Jimin's camp, both before sunrise and the odd chance that his brother would wake up and follow them. Taking a leap of faith, he started sprinting what felt like south-east, trying to cradle Jimin's head with every thundering step his calves dragged him forward. The sun was disappearing behind the trees, winking at him almost cruelly as he scrambled for help, throat calling out for anyone to hear him.
By some streak of a miracle, he was met near an open river by Taehyung, who must have heard his lengthy cries. Taehyung's face was stern and horror-strikken, eyeing Jimin's bloodied body.
"Taehyung, thank god," Jungkook breathed, breath short from his desperate sprinting. Taehyung shut him up with a warning look, demeanor colder than Jungkook had ever seen it.
"What have you done?" Taehyung boomed, preventing Jungkook from walking any closer. "I trusted you--"
"Please," was all Jungkook could muster, handing him Jimin’s limp body. Taehyung took it without hesitation, eyes oddly questioning. “Just fix him."
Jungkook expected them to sprint the last mile back to the camp to find Jimin good supplies for help, but as soon as he started running, Taehyung stopped him. Jungkook, too panicked to have this confrontation, returned Taehyung's steady glare.
"Only I know what happened," he said, gesturing down at the mess that was Jimin's recently bitten neck and ripped up lower body.
Taehyung must have cloncluded this too, combined with the fact that they were running out of time, and thus didn't try to stop Jungkook when he began sprinting next to him the next time around.
*
Jungkook was allocated what smelled like a barn to sleep in, head shoved in animal feces as he whined about not being allowed in to supervise his omega. Taehyung came in to him with shallow updates, but only after he'd managed to convince him that Jimin's suffering wasn't his doing, which was a whole endeavor on its own.
Jimin didn't awake until the second moon, asking for Jungkook before he would accept any water or even food. Naturally, Jungkook was by his side instantaneously, crying in relief as he saw him alive and in one piece with colour dusting his pretty cheeks once again. Gone was the harsh, red paint from his face, his skin looking like he hadn't seen the sun on a few days. Maybe it was for the best.
He sat there hesitant next to Jimin's bed, hoping his alpha smell wasn't too alarming for the injured omega. Everything about him being there was invasive, and the only thing stopping him from leaving was his own selfish need to be close to his mate. His skin tingled with satisfaction at finally being able to be close to him. The realization of this was unbecoming but almost ironically expected, his hands suddenly hoping they'd never touch Jimin again.
"Y-you were right...about my pack," Jungkook lamented into the silence, fists tightening at the thought of how two of his closest family had managed to cause Jimin physical and emotional harm, all while never paying the price. He wasn't able to look Jimin in the eyes, despite the fact that they were open. To think he had dismissed Jimin's hatred as selfishness-- he wasn't sure he could forgive himself. "Vile...we're selfish and vile. You were right."
Jimin reached for his face, managing to turn his chin so that they were eye to eye once again, peering deep into his soul. The omega shook his head, eyes watery with emotion. Jungkook wondered if he could feel the dried blood on his skin, how heavy it was. He rested a cautious hand on Jungkook's arm, where the dried blood of his brother still peeled. Jungkook hadn't tried to find out what became of his brother, and he didn't want to. Chances were he wouldn't be allowed back into his own territory anyways, after what he'd done.
In spite of everything, Jimin smiled. It seemed the sun had yet to leave him.
“The fact that you're here with me proves I wasn't.”