Chapter Text
Everyone was waiting for it so it wasn’t really unexpected when it happened.
It was the year 2017 and everyone in BTS has already presented, everyone except for Jeongguk. The maknae turned twenty only few weeks ago and that was the age when everyone officially presented their rank.
Namjoon was, so far, the only alpha in the group. It came as no surprise to anyone with his natural leader and charismatic personality and his rank came in handy when he needed to implement some authority.
Yoongi, Hoseok and Jimin were betas, three anchors of the group that were balancing the dynamic. Betas weren’t as affected by alphas and omegas and their scents, they weren’t acting on their natural instincts like the dominant and submissive ranks and maybe it was thanks to them why the group’s dynamic worked so well. If there were too many alphas or omegas in one group, it could end in disaster.
Seokjin and Taehyung were omegas. The oldest member’s rank was slightly surprising because lots of his personality traits weren’t very omega-like, but he still had the typical caring and loving personality, becoming quickly the pillar of the group. Meanwhile Taehyung was pretty typical omega, he had a very sexy stage presence, but when the group wasn’t performing, he was just the cutest ball of sunshine and the rest of the members were very protective of him, more often than not making it look like he was the maknae of the group.
The actual maknae was an enigma though.
Since the group was formed, members have been guessing Jeongguk’s rank. He was presenting strong personality traits of all three ranks, but maybe that was just the members’ biased opinion because they met him when he was so young, so they all saw him as a baby.
Years went by and Jeongguk’s personality was slowly shaping as he was growing from a teenager into an adult. He was kind and quiet, people were often praising him for being a sweetheart, but there was also something dormant under it all, the aura of charisma and power and strength.
“Just look at this cutie pie, how could he be an alpha?” Hoseok was often saying, squishing Jeongguk’s cheeks, making the younger groan in annoyance and squirm away from him in the dance studio. He went to the corner and after a while started working out, which was pretty much his routine whenever they were waiting for something.
It was few days after Jeongguk’s twentieth birthday and their conversations about the maknae’s rank were now happening on almost daily basis. There was no date when it happened though, it could be tomorrow, it could be in few weeks or even months, no one knew.
“You think this muscle freak is gonna be an omega?” Yoongi snorted: “Just look at him, he is getting bigger and bigger! And he is getting cockier and confident too, he has been presenting lots of alpha traits lately.”
“Jin-hyung is cocky and confident too and he is an omega,” Hoseok snickered, earning a glare from the oldest member.
“I think he might be a beta,” Namjoon shrugged: “That happens most usually when a person has traits of alphas and omegas.”
It was true, Yoongi, Hoseok and Jimin were all somewhere in between, they weren’t as assertive as alphas, but they took no shit either.
“He’s gonna be an alpha,” Taehyung suddenly said quietly, sitting against the wall with knees pulled to his chest, watching Jeongguk do push-ups. He couldn’t tell how he was so sure, but he just knew. Something has changed about Jeongguk in the past weeks and he knew the beta members couldn’t tell because they weren’t sensitive to scents, but Jeongguk’s scent has changed, it got stronger, spicier.
Namjoon eyed Taehyung before he exchanged short look with Seokjin. It was no news to anyone that omegas were very sensitive and responsive to alpha scents and their naturally powerful aura. Everyone in the group, apart from the two youngest members, have noticed that Jeongguk and Taehyung have been lingering around each other lately even more than before. It was almost like they were pulled to each other by some invisible force, Taehyung became very touchy with the maknae, always seeking his presence. It was probably all instinctive, but it told the older members what was going to come and Namjoon as the leader of the rising group was worried that it might cause a lot of mess.
But when it finally happened, no one expected it. It was a day like any other, they were just doing vocal rehearsals after they released an album and award season was coming.
Jeongguk has been grumpy and spent most of time alone in his room for the past days, but no one really thought anything about it because they were all exhausted. Only Taehyung seemed slightly wary, but no one noticed.
They were in the company building, rehearsing their songs, thank god without choreography, focusing more on the vocal training. It was usually a mess, the members were teasing each other in between the songs, but Jeongguk didn’t have any of it tonight. Anytime someone came near him and just touched him, he pushed them away with a glare.
Rap line was just rehearsing one song while the vocal line sat and took a break, watching them.
Namjoon was in the middle of his verse, when suddenly loud voice interrupted him.
“I said leave me alone!” sharp and deep, powerful timbre pierced the practice room air, followed by an angry growl.
All heads snapped to Jeongguk and Jimin, the elder has been teasing the younger for the past few minutes, playing with his hair. Now Jeongguk was standing on his feet, panting, his shoulders falling and rising slowly as he was glaring at his second youngest hyung.
“Jeongguk,” Namjoon took a step towards the maknae slowly, but Jeongguk jerked and another growl bubbled in his chest. Just few second ago, when Jeongguk yelled at Jimin, it was unmistakeably an alpha voice, so right at that moment it was clear what was happening.
Everyone in the room was quiet, staring at Jeongguk, wary of his next reaction.
Jeongguk was panting, suddenly feeling slightly hotter than before and still angry, feeling that anger radiate from him.
Seokjin covered his mouth and nose due to the increasing strong and slightly threatening scent. Omegas were always influenced by the alpha scent more than any other rank.
Jeongguk’s eyes started roaming over the room, stopping at every member with slightly challenging gaze. Then his eyes stopped at Taehyung and new powerful wave of scent escaped from his glands.
Taehyung choked on air, all of sudden feeling dizzy from the strong spicy scent mixed with something like a sea breeze that hit his nostrils and filled his nose and then brain. He stared back at Jeongguk, unable to look away even if he wanted to and his knees suddenly felt too weak.
He let out an involuntarily whimper and his knees buckled as his body on its own accord wanted to show submission to the newly presented alpha of his pack.
Jeongguk’s eyes turned red and his breathing became deeper, sucking in the sweet scent of lilac that he has been familiar with for almost two years but that somehow became stronger now. Then he just surged forward with his eyes fixed on his best friend, but he was stopped by two pairs of hands on his forearms.
“Jeongguk, no,” Namjoon said strictly, being the one holding the maknae along with Hoseok. Jeongguk looked at the leader and growled, trying to get from the hold to go where he wanted to.
When alphas and omegas first presented, it was accompanied by rut or heat. Sometimes it took days for it to start, but sometimes it kicked in immediately and it looked like with Jeongguk it was the latter.
“Hyung,” Namjoon looked at Seokjin who was uncharacteristically quiet. Any unmated omega was influenced by alpha’s scent, especially young alpha in rut because their pheromones were the strongest.
“Hyung,” Namjoon said louder, finally getting Seokjin’s attention: “Get Taehyung and get out of here.”
It was already risky for betas to be around freshly presented alpha, but it was nothing compared to omegas, that was why Seokjin and Taehyung had to get as far from Jeongguk as possible.
“Y-yeah, yeah, okay,” Seokjin blinked and nodded, snapping from his short daze. Since he presented a long time ago, he could control his instincts and emotions quite well. The same couldn’t be said about Taehyung though, he was still a young omega, it usually took at least three years to get a grip and him reacting so strongly to Jeongguk just proved it.
“Come on, Taehyung-ah, let’s go,” Seokjin took the younger’s shoulders and led him to the door, which just earned him an angry growl from Jeongguk. Taehyung compliantly followed Seokjin, too dizzy to really think about anything, while Jeongguk kept trashing and protesting. No one could really blame him, newly presented alphas were known to be wild and almost uncontrollable when unmated omega was around and considering Taehyung’s and Jeongguk’s tight friendship, it didn’t come as a surprise at all that the alpha reacted so strongly.
“Okay, we get it, kid,” Yoongi said, getting Jeongguk’s attention, when the door closed behind Taehyung and Seokjin and their scents got significantly weaker: “You are big, bad alpha now, you proved your point, now will you stop trashing and growling?”
Jeongguk just grumbled something under his breath.
“Don’t be a brat, we are still your hyungs,” Yoongi retorted, completely unfazed.
“You know I don’t like using my alpha voice, but if you will act up, I will,” Namjoon warned the younger. He knew taming another alpha was a lot harder than betas or omegas, but he was the leader not just of their group, but of their pack too, so he still held the authority. He was nervous that it might become a problem with him not being the only alpha anymore, but those were worries for some other time, now they had to deal with twenty year old fresh alpha whose rut was kicking off.
“You already know the drill, you will stay here for few days, I am gonna talk to the company and tell them you presented so someone will be checking up on you,” Namjoon said when the younger finally calmed down little bit.
The company had a small apartment for ruts and heats right in the building because the members shared one apartment and it was impossible for all of them to be together when rut or heat came. Especially alphas in ruts were ruthless, they couldn’t control so it was dangerous for anyone else than another alpha to be around them. Unless, of course, it came to mating, but their company had strict no mating policy between the members.
It was no secret that Namjoon and Seokjin were spending their heats and ruts together, helping each other out, but they started doing that only when they had full control of their minds and bodies so they knew they wouldn’t do anything stupid and it was just about sex and relief. Namjoon was sure that Jeongguk wanted more than anything to jump at the other omega of their group, but that was completely out of question, not just because neither could control at this point, but also because of what he’s been afraid since the group was formed – Jeongguk and Taehyung have always had very tight bond that became almost questionable over the years. He was secretly hoping for Jeongguk to present as beta or omega only to avoid what he thought was inevitable – them getting together. But now Jeongguk presented as an alpha and Taehyung was an omega and their reactions just few minutes ago proved that the group had some tough times before them.
“Come on, let’s go,” Namjoon nudged Jeongguk: “You’re gonna be fine, not gonna lie, ruts are pain in the ass, but omegas have it worse.”
He knew they were going to have to lock Jeongguk in, he didn’t like it, but it was the only way to make sure he didn’t get out and do anything stupid. He’d talk to the company and tell them what happened so the young alpha was going to have meals brought to him and the small apartment was fully equipped with furniture, bathroom and even some electronics, even though Namjoon knew from his experience that was the last thing alphas in ruts cared about.
Namjoon and the three betas came home, instantly welcomed by a strong smell of anxiety.
“How is Jeonggukie, is he alright?” Taehyung ran to them with big, worried eyes.
“He will be fine, Taehyungie, presenting is natural process, we all went through this,” Jimin reassured him, ruffling his hair.
“Easy for you to say when you guys don’t have ruts and heats,” Taehyung grumbled, addressing his best friend and Hoseok and Yoongi. It was harsh but it was true, betas had no idea what certain things felt like, sometimes Taehyung really envied them because they just seemed so cool all the time, not influenced by scents or harsh tones and they didn’t go through annoying heats twice a year, almost dying in agony, fever and terrible, consuming arousal.
“Well, at least we finally got the answer to our question, out Jeonggukie is an alpha,” Hoseok grinned proudly to lighten up the atmosphere.
“Yeah, at least we are balanced, we have two alphas, two omegas and three betas,” Seokjin nodded, even though he knew things were going to be slightly tougher now.
“I am just worried that two alphas in the group could cause problems, not that I’d like to ever use my rank on you, but still,” Namjoon bit his lip worriedly.
“Please, Jeongguk is a good kid,” Yoongi rolled his eyes: “Some things are going to change and some personality traits will get stronger, but just because he presented doesn’t mean he is gonna turn into an asshole. He has always been an alpha, now it’s just official, and there were never problems, you are still our leader and he knows it.”
“Yoongi-hyung’s right,” Jimin nodded: “Jeonggukie grew up well, he is not some cocky idiot, he has a good heart, that is not going to change.”
“You’re right,” Namjoon nodded before he silently eyed Taehyung. Jeongguk’s rank might not cause trouble in power dynamic within the group, but he had a feeling it was going to cause different problems.
*
Taehyung was anxious for days, he never liked being separated from Jeongguk and even though Namjoon reassured him that the maknae was fine because he went to see him few times, he still couldn’t wait for him to come home.
First rut after presenting usually took longer than usual so it was only a week later that Jeongguk finally came home.
“Look who’s here,” Hoseok grinned because he was just in the company so he came back with the youngest member.
“Jeongguk-ah, finally,” Seokjin grinned: “How do you feel?”
“Good, just hungry,” Jeongguk grumbled.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else, I am gonna cook you something,” the eldest chuckled, immediately going to the kitchen. Spending ruts with Namjoon taught him that alphas in ruts barely ate, which was the same for omegas in heat, food was usually the last thing on their mind.
Taehyung was sitting curled up on the sofa, but as soon as Jeongguk came home, his attention turned to him and for the past two minutes, he was just staring at the newly presented alpha while the other members huddled around him.
Was Jeongguk always this tall and fit? He saw him only a week ago, but he could swear that Jeongguk looked different now, somehow manlier and stronger. Was it possible for someone to change so quickly or was that just Taehyung’s sudden perception?
But then Jeongguk smiled and it was still the same familiar bunny smile, it was still the Jeonggukie he knew, yet not quite, now that smile seemed different, almost sexy.
Then Jeongguk took few steps to the apartment and Taehyung nearly choked. His scent was so strong, it used to linger there before as well, but it always got stronger after one presented and Taehyung had a hard time to even breathe. It was the most entrancing scent he’s ever smelt, it made him want to curl up on Jeongguk’s lap and bury his face in his neck, but at the same time it made him want to turn around and bent over, show submission and devotion…
“Are you okay?” a voice brought him from his reeling thoughts.
“Y-yeah,” Taehyung looked at Jimin who was sitting by his side, watching him with curious look.
“Hyung,” someone stood in front of him and he slowly looked up, gulping. Jeongguk was staring at him intently for few seconds, but then his lips stretched in a smile: “How have you been?”
“I should be the one asking,” Taehyung got out, nearly unable to speak with the thick scent filling his nose. He took a deep breath and added: “So you’re an alpha, congratulations.”
“Yeah, I am glad,” Jeongguk smiled and Taehyung could see a bit of relief in his gaze. He remembered their conversations from years ago, when they were still teens and there were still years left until they’d present. Taehyung never really cared what he’d present as, he knew he was most likely going to be an omega and he was fine with it, but Jeongguk always seemed concerned about his rank. There has always been lots of pressure on him and he lacked confidence in many ways and lots of people were expecting him to be an alpha and he was scared that he’d disappoint them, he shared that with Taehyung once. So it was no surprise that he was relieved now, his wish came true after all.
Taehyung would never admit it, but if he was being completely honest, it was his wish as well, especially after he officially presented as an omega about year and half ago. He somehow knew all along, maybe it was his omega instincts that felt the sleeping alpha in Jeongguk, but he knew the maknae’s rank. He knew it was stupid, why should he care what Jeongguk’s rank was?
He didn’t want to admit that it was because he knew if Jeongguk was an omega, they wouldn’t be compatible. It was useless though, it didn’t matter because they were together in the group and they could never be together like that.
“Hyung?” Jeongguk’s voice brought him back from his thoughts. Everyone was used to him zoning out by now, his mind did that a lot.
“I am glad you are okay and I am happy for you,” Taehyung looked at the younger with sincere smile.
He nearly shrieked when Jeongguk suddenly bent down and hugged him, the strong scent enveloping him whole and nearly choking him. He wanted to pull away because it felt like too much, but at the same time it just felt so good, the arms holding him, the chest pressed against his, the feeling of safety and comfort…
Jeongguk pulled back, looking shortly at Taehyung with unreadable expression before he turned to Seokjin who was cooking a dinner and said: “I am gonna take a shower and eat afterwards.”
“Don’t be in rush, it will take some time to make,” Seokjin reassured him and came to him, pinching his cheek: “Our little Jeongguk is all grown up now, our alpha.”
Seokjin and Jeongguk often teased each other, but everyone knew they had special relationship. Seokjin basically raised him up and especially in their early days, his caring omega instincts were the strongest when it came to the maknae.
Taehyung watched Jeongguk leave the living room, feeling like he could breathe again as the scent left with him.
*
Taehyung hoped it was just the lingering scent of rut still clutching to Jeongguk that made it hard for him to be in the same room with the newly presented alpha. But as days went by, he realized he was wrong.
It just became so hard for him to be around Jeongguk all of sudden, his scent was so alluring, yet at the same time suffocating, making him want to do all sorts of things he knew he couldn’t do.
About three weeks after Jeongguk presented, the group was in the dance studio, rehearsing choreography for performances and one of the songs was DNA. Taehyung was dreading the song because there was the part he and Jeongguk had the small dance solo together and even though they weren’t even touching or anything, dancing around sweaty Jeongguk turned out to be pretty much unbearable. The sweat was making the scent stronger, muskier and Taehyung had hard time to breathe and it had nothing to do with stamina.
“Taehyungie, you are stiff today, are you okay?” Hoseok looked at omega worriedly after he messed up the easy choreography with Jeongguk for the fourth time.
“Yeah, I am just…tired,” Taehyung nodded, not wanting to reveal the real reason because it just sounded so stupid.
“It’s the last song today, come on, let’s focus and finish it so we can go home, yeah?” the main dancer smiled encouragingly at him and Taehyung nodded. He didn’t want to hold others here until late night just because he couldn’t hold it together. This was just normal dance practice with his group mates and Jeongguk, Jeongguk who smelt so heavenly he might cry…
They started again since the beginning with him starting the song and it was moving smoothly. Then his part with Jeongguk came again and he took a deep breath, trying to breathe as least as possible around the younger.
It was going well until the last moment where he and Jeongguk highfived as the part of the choreo and as their palms touched and their bodies came closer, it felt like he was knocked down by another powerful wave of the damned scent.
He bent over, palms resting on his thighs, taking couple of deep breaths.
“Taehyungie-hyung, are you alright?” Jeongguk asked worriedly, putting hand on his back and rubbing it.
“I’m fine,” Taehyung gasped and moved away from the touch. When he looked up, he was met with the doe eyes looking at him confusedly and with a hint of pain.
“I just need to…get some fresh air,” Taehyung said to no one in particular and before anyone could even say something, he stormed out of the practice room to the hallway.
“Tae,” Jimin called after him and moved to go see what was happening, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“Let me talk to him first,” Seokjin said before he moved to the door. He had a feeling Taehyung needed some omega to omega talk right now, he has noticed how jumpy Taehyung has been lately and he had quite good idea what the reason was.
He found Taehyung sitting at the dark stairs that were hardly ever used because everyone just used elevator and he quietly sat next to him. The younger was breathing slowly and deeply as if he hasn’t taken proper breath for hours, but Seokjin understood why it was happening.
“So, what exactly is the matter?” Seokjin broke the silence after a while when it was clear the younger wasn’t going to speak.
“What matter?” Taehyung mumbled.
“Well, I know you being so tense has something to do with Jeongguk and him presenting a while ago, so I am just curious what exactly is it about?” Seokjin explained: “I am an omega too, you know, there are lots of things I can relate to and maybe give you advice or something.”
Taehyung looked at his hyung. He felt stupid talking about it, but Seokjin looked so calm and collected and Taehyung instantly knew that he wasn’t going to make fun of him. It was true, Seokjin was an omega too, the only other omega in their team, so if there was someone who could relate to him, it was him.
“It’s just…his scent,” Taehyung got out, slightly embarrassed.
“It’s stronger now, that’s normal,” Seokjin shrugged: “You don’t like it?”
Some alphas’ scents could be too strong, threatening even to some omegas, everyone had different taste and everyone had different sensitivity of smell.
“No, that’s not it!” Taehyung shook his head: “I like it, it’s…really nice and…”
“And that is the problem,” the elder finished for him, nodding in understanding: “It just takes a while to get used to it, it will get better.”
“But you’re not affected, right?”
“No, but it’s different,” Seokjin lectured him: “I am not influenced because it’s been five years, I got used to everything, you are still fairly young omega.”
“But I wasn’t that influenced by Namjoon-hyung and he is an alpha too!”
“That’s because he was already presented when you did,” Seokjin chuckled, but he remained patient: “You were already used to his scent, it wasn’t as strong because your sense of smell wasn’t that developed, but still, you had over a year to get used to it.”
“So you weren’t influenced by hyung’s scent either?” Taehyung wondered.
“No, I was already presented so when he did, it didn’t hit me that much,” Seokjin shrugged.
“Okay, but I have been presented for over year and half ago so that means I should be fine!”
“Not necessarily.”
“Why not? What do you mean, hyung?” the younger asked almost desperately.
“It’s just…well, it’s you and Jeongguk,” Seokjin said with a soft smile.
“And?”
“Well, I’m just saying that…maybe you are influenced by his scent a lot because it’s very nice to you.”
“It is, I said that, but it’s almost suffocating.”
“That means you have strong reaction, it is natural, it happens sometimes between an alpha and an omega.”
Taehyung understood what Seokjin was hinting at, but he didn’t want to say it out loud or confirm anything, what would even the point be? There was the stupid company policy anyway.
“Look, honey, it’s gonna get better,” Seokjin rubbed his shoulder comfortingly: “You and Jeongguk have always been very close so it is natural that there might be some attraction and that you react to his scent like that, but you are gonna get used to it and it will be fine.”
“I hope so,” Taehyung sighed. It’s been only a while but he was already tired, it was so hard being around Jeongguk, but he hated it because they were friends. He didn’t want their stupid ranks to come between them.
“It’s up to you, but…maybe it would help if you kept your distance from him for a while, not close physical contact, just keep your interactions on work basis, I think that will be enough for now and then slowly just get back to him and you’ll see it will be fine.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s the best option,” Taehyung nodded. He has already thought about this before so it wasn’t like Seokjin gave him new idea. Maybe distancing himself from Jeongguk for a while was for the best until his stupid omega side got used to the fact that his best friend was now an alpha.
*
Taehyung went along with his plan and started avoiding Jeongguk. He was happy to even survive being in his presence when they worked or were home, he didn’t need to hang out with him in his free time. He missed him though, he missed barging into his room just to annoy him or chat or play games. He missed his friend.
Everyone in the group noticed that the two youngest members suddenly became awkward around each other, but they didn’t comment on it. Instead they were respecting it and they were helping them by putting distance between them at award shows or in practice rooms or group meetings.
Jeongguk was quieter than usually, he closed himself off in his shell, barely talking to anyone. He kept glancing at Taehyung with pouts and sad eyes and Taehyung hated it, but he needed to do this, not just for himself but for Jeongguk too. Because he has noticed how stiff the young alpha became around him too, he was positive that his scent too had different impact on Jeongguk than before he presented and his sense of smell became stronger.
Weeks went by and they drifted apart.
Then the beginning of 2018 came and the group had a big meeting with the company regarding their contract and the question if they should prolong it. The group then had a meeting, just the seven of them and most of them were actually thinking about disbanding because they were exhausted after years of relentless, hard work.
Part of Taehyung was for the disbandment simply because it meant, he and Jeongguk wouldn’t be group mates anymore and if they weren’t group mates, then they might get a chance to explore what was between them. Because there was something, he could feel it and he was sure Jeongguk did too. But another part of him didn’t want to break up at all, the thought scared him, he had no idea what he’d do without the six guys that became his family.
The atmosphere in the group became grim, all the members were thinking about the future because they had to make the decision as soon as possible. They still had one year left, one year in which they’d release their last two albums, but the decision had to be made quickly so the company could start working on the disbandment.
Just like most nights lately, Taehyung was lying in his dark room, staring at the ceiling, there were too many things on his mind for him to fall asleep.
There was a quiet knock on the door and as soon as it opened, Taehyung knew who the visitor was since the scent has been hunting him for months now.
“Hey, can I join you?” Jeongguk asked quietly when he came to the bed.
“Why?” Taehyung got out with slight panic in his voice. Did Jeongguk want to come to his bed? What for?
“I just…I can’t sleep, I have been thinking a lot about the group meeting and…yeah,” the younger mumbled and Taehyung understood. And he felt suddenly stupid and insensitive because Jeongguk probably just wanted some consolation, he probably wanted to talk to someone and Taehyung’s always been the one he went to and opened up.
“Come here,” he pulled back the cover and invited the alpha in. He was enveloped in that maddening scent, but he pushed that to the back of his mind, Jeongguk needed him now and frankly, he needed Jeongguk too. He was a lot more opened than the maknae and he had Jimin to talk to, but certain conversations were easier to have with Jeongguk. They knew they could rely on each other and not be afraid or embarrassed to speak about anything, especially their insecurities.
Jeongguk lied next to him, keeping respectful distance between them and for a while neither of them said anything before Jeongguk finally whispered: “So the disbandment, what do you think about it?”
“I don’t know, maybe…maybe that’s what we all need,” Taehyung replied after few seconds of silence.
“Seriously?” Jeongguk asked and even in the darkness Taehyung could see his frown: “You really think we should break up, just like that? After everything we’ve achieved and could achieve in the future?”
“We are all tired, Jeonggukie,” Taehyung sighed but then added: “But…I am scared, I don’t know what I’d do without you, but I don’t want to make hyungs feel like I pressure them into staying or something.”
“I know what you mean,” Jeongguk nodded: “If they wanted to quit then I’d feel selfish for saying I don’t want to. I don’t know what I’d do without the group, I don’t want to disband.”
Taehyung heard the pain in his voice, it was clear that Jeongguk definitely wasn’t on board, he wanted to continue even if it meant more hard work.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I was on my own,” the maknae added.
“You’re Jeon Jeongguk, you could do anything, I am pretty sure you could start a solo career and be successful because you are just that good,” Taehyung smiled. It was true, he believed that if there was someone who could make it on their own, it was definitely Jeongguk, he was a born singer and performer, he had it in his blood.
“But it wouldn’t be the same, we’d all drift apart, I would lose you all…” the younger sighed before he added barely audibly: “I already lost you, I can’t handle losing the rest.”
“You didn’t lose me!” Taehyung reassured him with a gasp.
“No? Then why have you been avoiding me for months? We have barely talked or hung out, hyung.”
“I…” Taehyung got out but he didn’t know what to say, how could he tell Jeongguk that he was going crazy just from his scent alone?
“I know when it changed, it was when I presented,” Jeongguk continued: “You hate that I’m an alpha and I thought…maybe if I presented as something else…”
“Jeongguk-ah,” Taehyung cupped his cheek unexpectedly so the younger’s eyes widened. Taehyung hated himself right now and all his decisions, how could he let this happen: “You always wanted to be an alpha, you shouldn’t want to be anything else.”
“But if I was a beta or an omega, it wouldn’t push you away.”
“I don’t mind that you’re an alpha, Jeonggukie, not at all, I always knew you’d be one,” the omega whispered. He stopped himself for few seconds, he knew he had to say something, explain himself, he didn’t want Jeongguk to think that he hated him now: “I just…it is not easy for me to be around you, you know, I am an omega.”
“And? Do you think I’d use my rank against you? That I would start treat you differently now? Hyung, I would never do that, I am not an asshole,” the younger frowned.
“That’s not what I think, not at all, I know you would never do anything to control me or something like that, you are the sweetest person I know.”
“Then what is it?”
“I just…your scent is so strong,” Taehyung breathed out, finally letting it out and once he did that, it was surprisingly easy to continue: “It is hard for me to be around you because your scent is so nice and it just has this effect on me that I never felt, I thought that if I distance myself from you for a while that I would get used to it and then we’d be fine again, but I never wanted you to think that I don’t care about you anymore.”
“You think you’re the only one going crazy because of a scent?” Jeongguk looked at him incredulously: “You think your scent isn’t the best thing I’ve ever smelt? I liked it before I presented but when my sense of smell got stronger, I realized just how beautiful your scent is. And not just the scent…I feel things I haven’t felt before and I don’t know how to deal with it.”
Taehyung just stared at him, shocked by the sudden and honest confessions. Was Jeongguk that influenced by him as well?
“But I’d never think of pushing you away, hyung,” the younger added with hurt expression: “You are my hyung, my best friend, I don’t want our ranks to get between us.”
Taehyung was emotional, he wanted to say that he felt like they might be more than best friends but he stopped himself. Because what good would that be? They couldn’t be together, not until they were in the same group.
“I am sorry,” Taehyung ruffled the younger’s hair: “I never wanted to push you away like this and you’re right, our ranks shouldn’t come between us. We just…have to get used to this and the scents and it will be fine.”
“You know, the whole getting used to things would be easier if you weren’t avoiding me, we could have been fine by now,” Jeongguk snorted.
“Don’t be cheeky,” the omega laughed: “But I promise that I won’t do it anymore and…if you don’t wanna disband then I am on your side, I don’t want that either, we will tell hyungs together.”
“Really?”
“Like you said, I don’t know either what I’d do without all of you,” Taehyung smiled and he snuggled to the younger just because he could and because he missed it. And he realized that it was surprisingly easy and fine, even with Jeongguk’s scent right under his nose, he was fine, because this was his best friend after all.
He decided right then and there that he would make it work, he was going to get used to Jeongguk’s scent and fight his urges no matter what it took because losing the maknae would be the worst thing above anything else.