Chapter Text
CHAPTER ONE
DON'T TRIP
“How much do you want to bet I’ll trip and fall on my face while walking down the red carpet tonight?” Jin asked, nudging Namjoon with his elbow and laughing a little under his breath afterwards.
He glanced at the composed alpha, an amused grin spreading across his face though it was only there to mask his nerves as he nudged him again, “Come on, how much?”
His second question was met with a raised brow this time, Namjoon closing his eyes and sighing passively before he muttered back in response, “What do you want me to say? I bet all my money?"
“Well yeah,” Jin shrugged, “That way I’ll make sure not to trip and then become rich off of you.”
Namjoon rolled his eyes and looked out the window at the crowd of people gathered around for the academy awards of Seoul. The nominee for best actor was sitting right beside him in this very car, currently trying to crack jokes about how he was going to fall on his face in front of everyone to get rid of nerves, and Namjoon? He had the honor of being this highly important yet also highly eccentric actor’s body guard.
He fought a smile as he looked away from Jin, not wanting to break the character of the stoic and intimidating alpha bodyguard he was supposed to play when he and Jin were in public, but he couldn’t help but mutter through a soft exhale of breath that was half of a laugh, “You’d have to pay me a lot more than you do now to become rich off of me,” he turned to Jin with a smirk, “Or should I purposely trip you to win the bet and finally retire from this job?”
Jin’s eyes widened for just a moment in shock from Namjoon’s threat, but his expression quickly melted into a laugh, and he hit Joon playfully, “Shut up, you love working for me.”
“Hmmm define ‘love’?” Namjoon turned to Jin with his lips puckered up as if the taste those words left in his mouth was sour.
“You love me,” Jin crossed his arms, about to pout until Namjoon laughed, “Well that, I can’t argue with. But working for you? I’d say that’s a solid ‘like’.”
“I’ll take that,” Jin laughed a little and tilted his head side to side, “Must be hard pushing away the raging fans, yeah? Events like these are a little easier,” he wiped some sweat from his forehead, “It’s really just the raging news reporters we have to worry about.”
Namjoon grabbed a tissue and dabbed the sweat off Jin’s brow, “Nervous?…” he leaned in close to see if Jin’s makeup had been smudged, but it seemed to be fine. He’d never hear the end of it from his makeup artists if Jin’s face was anything but perfect on live television. “You’re going to win.”
“I don’t want to win,” Jin muttered, “Losing sounds much better than going on stage and giving a speech in front of everyone about how much I’m thankful for an award that means nothing.”
“It means you’re actor of the year,” Namjoon leaned back towards where his seat was, “And I think that’s amazing.”
Jin couldn’t help but give a soft smile when Namjoon’s words found their way to him. He looks down at his hands and nodded awkwardly, “I guess that is pretty amazing to think about,” he grinned and looked up to Namjoon, “See, and this is why you’re my best friend! Always hyping me up,” he laughed a little, his laugh sounding like a beautiful melody though his words were bittersweet in Joon’s heart.
Best friend had been what he was to Jin since they were in elementary school, both of them coming together through their love of music on the playground. Their friendship had blossomed from there, but when they found out their classes, something in Namjoon changed.
Jin was an omega and he was an alpha… he knew alphas and omegas were supposed to be together, so how perfect would it be if they ended up together?
He crushed on Jin for years, but it was obvious the omega had friendzoned him by then, always falling for other guys or focusing on school which was always understandable.
And now here he was, working for his famous best friend as his bodyguard and still… still pining on him.
And now Jin was more attainable than ever.
But that was ok! Jin was an A-list actor and Joon was his protector. Jin was happy and Namjoon kept him safe. That was what mattered. That was what he had wanted their relationship to be like ever since they were kids, so he was fine with the way things were now.
When silence fell between them, Namjoon looked out the window again, noticing how their car had moved up closer to the red carpet where all the flashing lights of the cameras and interviewers were waiting for Jin to arrive.
He glanced back at Jin and asked softly, “Hey, you took your scent suppressors, right? I should have asked you before we left, but if you forgot-!”
“I didn’t forget,” Jin answered with a slight frown, “I’ve been hiding my class since college; taking those pills is second-hand to me now.”
“Ok,” Namjoon nodded and let out a slow exhale of breath as he watched their car finally pull up to the red carpet. He was probably more nervous than Jin was… He placed his hand on the door handle, “You’re going to do great out there. You always do.”
“I know,” Jin smiled, and their car pulled to a stop.
Namjoon quickly got out and held the door open for Jin, trying not to pay too much attention to how the world seemed to light up as soon as the omega stepped out of the car behind him. Cameras flashed from all around, the noise of the crowd grew louder with journalists, reporters, and fans all trying to compete for the famous actor’s attention.
It was strange how Namjoon knew he wasn’t the only one in the world in love with Jin. He was just one of millions. Million who seemed to get more of Jin’s attention than he ever would.
Jin glanced at Namjoon for a brief moment, a small nervous smile playing on his lips as he took in a breath and prepared himself for the storm that would sweep him up throughout the rest of the red carpet and spit him out without mercy only at the end.
“Stay close to me?” he asked softly, knowing that that was Namjoon’s job, though he wanted to make sure he’d be right there the whole time.
Joon nodded and gave him a soft reassuring smile in return, “Don’t trip.”
Jin’s nervous smile grew into a confident grin when he heard those words, and he pulled away from the car to finally walk down the red carpet and through the sea of lights and mixed voices shouting his name.
Namjoon followed after him, trying to stay close as much as he could though he would always be pushed to the side when someone wanted a moment with Jin. He supported Jin in between every photoshoot and interview, making sure to tell him he did amazing after each one. Jin was nervous, but he was also a natural, having a certain charm when he was in front of a camera that made fans fall in love with him every single time.
Maybe it was the way he laughed at his own jokes, or the way his cheeks raised when he smiled, or how his eyes glistened like a bunch of tiny stars in a galaxy. Namjoon tried to pinpoint the one thing about Jin that the fans probably loved more than anything else, but he was always at a loss when trying to find it. Maybe it was because he was in love with it all. From the way Jin always hummed when eating food to the way his whole face turned red when he was embarrassed, Namjoon felt his heart swell at the thought of Jin.
He enjoyed watching every little quirk and habit his best friend had when posing for photos or answering interviewer’s questions about how he felt about being nominated for such a prestigious award until the end of the red carpet when Jin finally let out a breath he had been holding in and turned to him to say, “I think I embarrassed myself about fifty times in the span of the last hour.”
“I was watching, and I thought you did great,” Namjoon assured him, glad he could finally stand by Jin’s side now as they walked into the grand theater where the award show was being held.
Jin shook his head, “Just tell me the truth; I know I definitely told one too many dad jokes.”
“You can never tell too many dad jokes,” Joon argued with a soft laugh under his breath, and Jin couldn’t help but agree, “You’re right, they are pretty funny. It is also part of my natural charm,” he grinned and looked up at Namjoon, wiping sweat from his forehead again before quickly looking down and asking hesitantly, “Joon, is it stuffy in here to you?”
“I feel fine,” Namjoon answered, trying to pay more attention to how the air around them felt so he could give Jin a correct answer. It was a little crowded where they were right now, but the air was cool enough for him to feel comfortable even in a suit. He glanced at Jin and watched him wipe sweat off his brow again, “Jin, are you ok?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jin muttered out through a shuddered breath, “Just…” he bit his lip and looked down again, “I think I’m going to go to the restroom actually,” he glanced around for a sign pointing him to the restrooms and hurried away before Namjoon could say anything in response.
Namjoon tried to follow behind Jin towards the restroom, about to ask him again if he was truly ok, but before he could, Jin ran in and closed the door behind him without another word, leaving Namjoon outside in the crowd of celebrities slowly making their way to their seats.
He almost wanted to step out of the role of bodyguard and into his best friend position for a moment to follow Jin into the restroom to make sure he was really ok, but the only thing that kept him from doing that was a familiar voice singing out his name as someone wrapped their arms around him.
“Joon!” Namjoon turned around quickly in the omega celebrity’s arms when he heard his name. He was shocked at first, but when he realized who it was, he laughed and pulled back, “Hey Jimin, how are you?”
Jimin looked dejected for a moment when Namjoon didn’t hug him back, but he then sighed and put space between the two of them, “Oh right, you’re on bodyguard duty,” he jokingly huffed before continuing to respond, “I’m good! Yoongi’s still stuck answering interviewers about his next album, so I’m just waiting for him to escape and meet me here.”
“You guys are sitting with Jin, right? He’s pretty nervous about tonight,” Namjoon spoke, relaxing a little as he talked with Jimin since they had been friends since college.
They had all become friends back then when Jimin started dating Yoongi who was roommates with Jin who was constantly hanging out with Namjoon even though he didn’t even go to the same school as them. The four of them had been close since then despite how much their careers had taken off, and Namjoon always loved seeing the familiar faces of his friends when he accompanied Jin to events like this one.
“Where is he?” Jimin asked, looking around for Jin though he knew if Jin was anywhere, it would be right by Namjoon’s side.
“He’s in the restroom,” Namjoon answered, glancing back at it to see if Jin had maybe come out yet. Jin was nowhere to be seen though and no one was walking out of it, so he turned back to Jimin, “I’m worried if he’s ok or not.”
“You’re always worried and yet he’s always fine,” Jimin assured him, “Stop being such a mom or else you’re going to keep getting gray hairs.”
Namjoon’s eyes widened, “Keep? Am I starting to gray?”
Jimin laughed and stepped back, “Are you? I didn’t say anything,” he glanced around and saw Yoongi about the leave the carpet, “Oh hey wait, I’m going to get my boyfriend before he gets lost in the crowd and I never see him again. Wait right there!” he ran away, his words mixing in with the noisy sea of celebrities around him before Namjoon could hear the last of what he was saying.
He didn’t have time to try to make out what Jimin had said though before a hand gripped his shoulder from behind and Jin’s familiar voice spoke in a low tone from behind him, “Namjoon can you pull the car around? I need to go home.”
“Huh?” he turned around to Jin quickly, the omega’s trembling voice causing him to worry more than he already had been.
When he turned, he saw how Jin’s eyes were now glossy and more sweat had accumulated on his forehead. His eyebrows strained with worry, “Hey, are you sick? What’s going on?”
Jin’s lips tightened into a line, and he nodded his head awkwardly, “Get the car,” he glanced around himself warily at all the other celebrities and guests of the award show filtering around them to get to their seats. He looked back up at Namjoon, “Quickly Joon, I can’t stay here.”
“What about your nomination-!” Joon started to ask, but Jin cut him off, “I don’t give a fuck,” he shut his eyes and inhaled deeply, “Fuck…” he pressed his head into Namjoon’s chest, “I didn’t want it anyway.”
Namjoon felt his heart skip a beat when Jin pressed his face into his chest. He wanted nothing more than to hold him close and be the support that Jin needed right now, but after seeing a few heads turning their way to curiously watch what was going on with Jin and his bodyguard, Namjoon stepped back and pulled out his phone, “Stand up straight for now and act like your fine. You don’t want people gossiping about you later, right?”
“No,” Jin let out a shuddered breath, “You’re right,” he stood up straighter and ran a shaky hand through his hair. He kept glancing around himself as if he felt like he was being watched, but his eyes always found their way back to Namjoon so he could watch him and make sure he was contacting their driver.
Namjoon glanced away from his phone every few seconds to make sure Jin was ok, noticing how his breaths were uneven and quicker than normal. Seeing Jin so uncomfortable made him feel just as desperate to get out of there as Jin probably did. He just hoped that he wasn't going to faint before Joon got him back to the car and then safely to his home.
As soon as their driver texted him back with a location to go to, he touched his hand to the small of Jin’s lower back and started leading him towards one of the side exit doors to sneak him out of the venue and to where their car was waiting for them.
Jin let out a small hum of a noise when Namjoon touched his back, and he quickly moved away from the feeling of the alpha’s hand, “Ah… I can walk on my own.”
“I know,” Namjoon looked over him with a shocked stare, wondering what made that noise escape from Jin’s mouth.
Was Jin?… No, no he’d be able to smell that on him from a mile away.
Jin was probably just sick or nervous or both… He just needed to get him home and help him through it away from here because it was obvious Jin was just overwhelmed and needed space from a crowd this big. That was all.
He made sure to keep his hands off Jin for now as he led him to the car that was parked in the back of the building where no fans, journalists, or cameras were waiting to attack him with questions or requests for a photo.
Neither of them exchanged anymore words as Namjoon opened the car door for Jin and he climbed into the car to scoot all the way to the other side and lean against the window. Tears formed in Jin’s eyes and his hands were fighting each other for dominance in his lap as Namjoon climbed in after him and closed the door. His bottom lip trembled as he finally muttered out, “No questions on the ride home, ok?”
“Ok,” Namjoon agreed in a soft mutter, motioning for the driver to take them back to Jin’s penthouse that was thankfully just a few miles away from the theatre. Namjoon hated not being able to know what Jin was going through, but if it was space and silence that Jin wanted, space and silence was exactly what Joon was going to give to him.
Ten minutes felt like an hour as they sat in the car, both staring out their separate windows though Namjoon was more focused on how Jin was panting under his breath and mumbling out in pain every few minutes. He couldn’t help but worry about the pain his best friend was going through, hating that he couldn’t stop it or help him in any way. He didn’t even know where it hurt or to what extent.
He felt helpless.
No words were uttered though until their driver pulled up to the tall building Jin lived in on the top floor. Namjoon’s lips tightened into a flat line as he watched Jin fumble with the door handle and hurry to get out as if his life depended on it.
Maybe it did, but Namjoon still wasn’t sure what was going on.
He watched as Jin stumbled over, just barely catching himself by grabbing onto the door in time before looking back at Joon and muttering, “Fuck… help me.”
“Ok,” Joon quickly muttered and stepped out of his side of the car before hurrying around to the other side to help Jin stand and step away from the car. He shut the door for the omega and motioned to the driver that it was alright to leave before turning back to Jin and assuring him, “I’ll get you upstairs to your room, and you’re going to tell me what’s going on, ok?”
Jin shut his eyes and shook his head, “No… Joon, I don’t think,” he cut himself off with a huff before grabbing Namjoon’s hand and muttering, “I trust you… I need you.”
“Ok, and I’m here for you,” Namjoon replied, glancing down at their hands for a moment in surprise that Jin really took it with such desperation. Out of context, Namjoon could almost find himself replaying Jin’s words over and over again in his mind, but he tried not to now. Not when Jin was obviously still in some kind of pain.
He wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him up the stairs to his building, not sure what else to say as he navigated Jin through the lobby away from curious eyes and people that could possibly talk about the current state Jin was in to the press or the public. Jin kept his face down too, knowing that the only time he was safe to be vulnerable was behind closed doors where nobody could find him. Nobody except Namjoon at least.
They hurried into one of the elevators near the entrance and let out a breath when the elevator doors shut and they were finally alone.
Jin grabbed onto one of the metal bars behind him and breathed out, “I wasn’t prepared for this…” he grit his teeth and grabbed onto Namjoon’s hand again, tighter this time, “Are you sure you’re fine taking care of me tonight? I know we should talk about this first, but-!”
“Jin it’s ok,” Namjoon assured him again, grabbing his hand back, “You’re my best friend. I’m not going to leave you alone.”
He hated calling Jin his best friend. It almost felt like he was friend-zoning him and completely erasing any slim chance he ever had of them moving past their current relationship into something more intimate, but right now, he was sure Jin needed to hear those words. He couldn’t have Jin doubting for even a second that he wouldn’t go to the moon and back for him.
And it looked like his words worked. Jin was staring up at him with wide glistening eyes, almost as if he was shocked Namjoon was calling him his best friend. He seemed touched, more than usual, and suddenly…. suddenly he was now kissing him.
Namjoon’s eyes widened when he felt Jin’s lips press against his, their plush warmth inviting him closer than ever before. For a moment, Joon almost tried to pull away to ask what was happening, but Jin’s hand cupped his cheek and he immediately melted under the warm touch. It was then when he closed his eyes and finally kissed his best friend back, his heart leaping in his chest and his blood rushing throughout his body like a surge of adrenaline was taking him over.
The doors to the elevator opened and Jin pulled away, his breaths coming out fast and short as he looked up at Namjoon and smiled, “Come on,” he held out his hand and stepped towards the door, “Let’s-!” Namjoon grabbed his hand and crashed his lips into him again before he could finish speaking, his body moving before his mind could think with a heat now taking over every bit of him.
He pulled Jin out of the elevator and down the hall to his room, now impatient as Jin fumbled his hand around in his pocket for a key to then struggle even more to get the door open. Namjoon could barely register his movements that followed, not understanding how they got from one side of the door to the other with him now pressing Jin up against it and kissing him, but one thing was for sure, he wanted him pregnant-!
Wait what.
What?
What the fuck was that thought?
Why was he thinking something like that as if he was in some kind of rut?
Namjoon pulled away from Jin for a moment, his eyes wide as he realized how Jin’s shirt was now off and he had him pinned up against the door. Jin’s hair was wet with sweat and his skin was warm to the touch. His face was flushed and his smile was lazy as he looked up at Namjoon and muttered, “Keep going… Take care of me, alpha.”
“I…” Joon was at a loss for words in this moment of clarity, everything from tonight coming back to him and making more sense than ever. The sweat on Jin’s forehead and his complaints about the air being stuffy or the room being too warm… Jin wasn’t in a rush to leave the award show because he felt sick, he was in a rush to leave because he had unexpectedly gone into heat.
How did Namjoon not sense it sooner? Was it because of the scent suppressors?
Namjoon let out a shuddered breath when Jin touched his hand to his face again, looking up at him with sparkling eyes and a warm smile that made Namjoon’s heart do flips in his chest, “Want to go to the bedroom?… I can sense your rut starting,” his hand started to trail down to his chest and he chuckled under his breath, “I’ve always wanted to do this with you… We could start a family, and-!”
“No…” Namjoon muttered out though every other part of him wanted to have exactly that with Jin. He shut his eyes and tried to find the willpower to move away and leave before they did something they regretted, but he only stayed in place and muttered out, “No, Jin, I know you don’t want this.”
“No please…” Jin whispered, “I do, I promise.”
“You don’t,” Namjoon argued, but then leaned in again and kissed Jin, his mind going wild when the omega moaned out against his lips. He tried to pull away again and this time get a grip over himself, but it was too late when he crashed into Jin again. A lifetime of pining was finally paying off tonight and the alpha in him was not going to let him ruin his chances.
Jin’s arms wrapped around Namjoon to keep him close, but Namjoon wasn’t going anywhere anymore. Not with his rut taking over. Tonight was the night he was finally going to get everything he wanted out of Jin ever since they were kids.
He was finally going to be there for Jin as more than a friend. After this, Jin was going to see him as his alpha, his protector, his relief when the heat became too much. Right now, he wasn’t going to allow himself to think about tomorrow when the heat died down and mistakes had been made and a relationship between two best friends had been ruined forever.
No, tonight? Jin was his. And he was going to make the most out of it.