Despite having mentally prepared themselves for several days, their walk to the other pack was still a nerve wrecking affair.
Yoongi and Joon took the lead, both discussing how they should handle the situation whileTaehyung, who followed closely behind them, was unusually quiet and seemingly lost in his thoughts.
Finally, with some distance between them, Jungkook and Jimin formed the end of their group. The injured Alpha used a thick, long stick for stability but Jimin still wouldn't dare leave his side, not while they walked on such unstable terrain. The wet earth beneath their feet constantly seemed to slip and give way to a dangerous slide.
A trail of smoke was the first sign of life that appeared on the horizon, followed by endless grain fields and finally wooden village walls. All in all, the scene could only be described as serene but Jimin's stomach still clenched uncomfortably as they got closer.
It was familiar, that view. It was the same when he returned to his own pack only to find his life had been burnt to ashes.
Noticing how pale Jimin had become, Jungkook laced their fingers and squeezed his hand harder. His tone was a soft mix of his own and his Alpha voice when he mumbled, "Don't worry. It's just a campfire."
Jimin flinched, embarrassed to be read so easily, but then swallowed hard and nodded slowly.
"Yes… I hope so."
"I know so. I can smell the food they're roasting."
True. Distracted by the rising panic, Jimin hadn't noticed the delicious smells that filled the air but now that he did, he was finally able to breathe. His clenched muscles relaxed.
The rest of the way was a breeze, mostly thanks to the man-made paths that made walking so much easier, even for the handicapped wolf who released a very audible sigh of relief. When Jimin supportively bumped against his side to praise him for doing so well, everyone around them chuckled as their youngest shyly ducked his head, clearly very happy to get a compliment from the Omega he adored so much.
As soon as they came to a halt in front of the huge wooden gates, the entrance magically opened and two friendly looking guards waved them inside where the whole pack seemed to instantly stop whatever they're doing in favor of staring curiously at what's going on.
Even though he knew the brown wolves were supposed to be a rather docile bunch, Jimin still couldn't help but be surprised at the lack of hostility they were greeted with, especially after seeing how Hoseok reacted in the past.
Sure, some of the older ones looked a bit irritated upon seeing their black counterparts, but even those glares soon changed into shocked surprise when seeing Tae and smelling his scent.
They were quickly ushered towards the center of the village and into a huge house where a very old man with white hair and a long beard sat on a wooden stool with a bunch of pups playing around him. Hoseok was just about to chase the kids around a table when Jin grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"Those are the strangers we found in the woods, Leader-nim" The healer explained.
The old Alpha lifted a huge stone cup, a bright smile on his face when he yelled, "How wonderful! Let's celebrate the excitement of meeting new people!"
"But sir!" Hoseok cut in. "Don't you want to make sure they don't plan to hurt us?!"
The old man paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Oh… Do you plan to attack us?"
"No." Yoongi replied and again, the old man's face lit up like a light.
"Wonderful! Let's celebrate their good intentions!"
Hoseok and Jin shared a glance, then they sighed and shook their heads before positioning themselves on both sides of their leader and pointing at Tae.
"Sir." Hoseok tried once again. "Do you remember the Kim family? We lost them during the riots but, apparently, their child survived. It's Kim Taehyung."
"The Kims…." their leader repeated slowly, eyes moving from left to right as if he mentally returned to the old days but struggled to do so with the horrible pain that was connected to it. But then, suddenly, all eye movements stopped. His expression filled with anguish.
"Oh…but of course. I remember your parents well, child. I worried a lot about them when they were young since they kept distracting each other and they would always run around with their heads in the clouds, thinking of nothing but each other. I even warned them that I wouldn't allow them to mate if they didn't focus on their tasks."
He chuckled.
"But then again, what can you do when two children are so infatuated with each other? It was impossible to keep them apart. And well, we always get the most attached to the biggest troublemakers. Losing them was a huge loss. I'm sorry you had to grow up like this, pup. It must've been rough."
"It really wasn't so bad... I had lots of friends and people who took care of me. I was very lucky."
Despite Taehyung saying that, his expression told a different story. He seemed conflicted, almost confused. Hearing all those fond memories about the people who raised him was hard. It only made them more real and the memories more painful.
If he had the choice, Tae would rather not know what he missed.
Probably realizing the exact same thing, the old man simply nodded his head and started stroking his beard before waving for Taehyung to come closer. Once the young wolf kneeled by his side, he ran a hand through his silky, brown hair and smiled.
"Either way, you grew up well. I'm happy to have lived long enough to see you come home."
He paused and got up slowly. Then he clapped his hands and exclaimed loudly, "Well, this is indeed a perfect occasion to-"
"Celebrate!" Hoseok and Jin completed the sentence, both laughing out loud when the older stared at them in confusion but eventually nodded his head and laughed.
"That's right, young ones. Let's prepare a big feast to celebrate the return of a lost child, new friends, and hopefully a better future."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Everyone here is really nice." Jimin whispered to Jungkook who quietly replied, "They are. I honestly didn't think it would go so well."
They sat around one of the wooden tables set up in a huge building that was built for big celebrations. The place was loud and filled with excitement. People ate and drank, some did it while sitting down, others leaned against the walls, chatting happily with their friends. A lot of them surrounded Taehyung, as well, who was clearly the main attraction of the night. The children especially couldn't wait to hear his tales of how he survived after being separated from their pack.
At first, Jimin had been a bit worried as to how he would react to the sudden questions about his past but the boy seemed to do fine. In fact, he seemed rather pleased with the amount of attention he got. Yoongi didn't seem particularly worried either but only smiled at his excitedly waving mate from time to time.
It made Jimin wonder about what they would do if Taehyung wanted to actually move here instead of living out in the wild.
Would they all move with him? Or maybe only Yoongi would stay with Tae while the rest of them live by themselves.
He honestly wasn't sure how to feel about either of those options.
For now, however, he tried not to think about it and enjoy his time instead which, to be fair, wasn't all that hard with the amount of alcohol he had in his system after an hour of constantly being served more and more drinks.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was dancing in the middle of the rhythmically moving crowd, to the beat of the drums and whatever other instruments they pulled out of nowhere as the night moved on.
The music, the flickering lights of the candles, the heavy Alpha scents wafting around him, it made him feel dizzy and clouded his mind.
He didn't even notice when Taehyung slowly drifted away and was replaced with an Alpha who was more than willing to grab and whirl Jimin around instead.
He wasn't the only one either. A whole bunch of them showed interest in the pretty fox, all of them surrounding him like moths circling around the light,
In the middle of another pirouette, someone suddenly grabbed Jimin's arm and pulled him away. He stumbled for a bit, swayed, but eventually leaned against the person's chest, enjoying the comfortable warmth of it. The world around him finally slowed down and he felt like he was right at home.
"You're drunk."
Jungkook's voice echoed strangely in his ears but at least it gave Jimin something to focus on.
" 'm not…" he giggled and wrapped his arms around the Alpha's middle, cheek rubbing against his shoulder.
"You can barely stand, Miracle. I think it's enough for today."
"Hey, just let the pup party if he wants to." A stranger yelled and grabbed Jimin's shoulder but Jungkook instantly chased him away with a growl. A raw, aggressive sound that made Jimin shudder and his mouth water. His eyes looked glassy when he looked up. The twitching lights of the torches reflected beautifully inside of them.
"Jungkookie… Are you jealous?"
"I'm not. It's annoying that I can't keep you safe, that's all."
"But you can. Just stay with me."
As Jimin put his hands on his shoulders, the music slowed and so did the noise.
"Lean on me." He said and Jungkook did. His eyes never left Jimin's while they swayed to the beat. Once the song ended, the fox tiptoed to press a kiss on his Alphas lips only for Jungkook to pull him back in and kiss him harder as soon as Jimin tried to pull away.
For barely a second, the world around them fell silent before everyone started to cheer, delighted by the affection that was put on display. Even Yoongi could be heard chuckling somewhere close to them.
"You know what?" Jimin then whispered, leaning closer.
"You're right, I'm definitely drunk and I want you to take me home."
After calling out to their friends, they did just that. Going home.
It took them a while considering it's both of them now who are unstable on their feet but even so, they eventually reached their shelter in one piece.
Barely a second after laying down, Jimin was already kissing Jungkook again. He was pretty excited, Jungkook could tell that much from his scent, but the Alpha hesitated despite it all. He couldn't help but think this wasn't exactly a good idea.
"You should sleep it off first, you know. The alcohol, I mean." He said. "I don't think you know what you're doing."
"I want to kiss right now, that's all I need to know."
"We can still do that when we're sober, though."
Jimin paused and frowned as if he already thought about arguing back but then, as exhaustion took a hold of him, he reluctantly agreed and rolled back on his side of the bed, lips puckered and eyes wide as he turned his head to the side
"What about a goodnight kiss…?"
Jungkook chuckled. Jimin really wasn't one to give up easily and, fortunately for him, Jungkook wasn't one to deny him either.
For what he thought would be the last time, he leaned over the Omega and kissed his cheek but Jimin quickly wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him back down so he could kiss him on the lips instead.
With the fox holding onto him so tightly, Jungkook couldn't do much but give in.
Very slowly, he let himself sink on the Omega's welcoming body, making it easy for them to embrace each other, for their bodies to melt in the heat of the moment.
Only when Jimin realized what he was doing, how his hands were splayed out on Jungkook's chest and slowly slipped downwards, did he pause.
It still seemed a bit foreign to them. Being free to touch without any rules, without any confusing second thoughts or deadlines attached to it.
"You don't have to do this." Jungkook said as if to put their jumbled thoughts into words but Jimin instantly shook his head, his tone turned defensive.
"I know that… I don't feel like I have to. It just feels different compared to before."
"It does."
"But… It's a good kind of different."
Jungkook smiled and leaned closer to kiss the fox on the forehead in that gentle, affectionate way that made Jimin want to cry, made him want to hold on. Only the fleeting whisp of a voice left the younger's lips.
"The best kind."
By the time the sun rose, the rest of their group had returned as well. Taehyung instantly fell into his bed while the two Alphas took one last walk around the camp to make sure it's safe before taking a curious peek into the shelter where Jimin and Jungkook were all curled up around each other, limbs tangled in a mess of arms and legs, hugs and touches.
"They're still clothed." Namjoon whispered almost in awe, as if he couldn't believe they had that much self-control. Yoongi, on the other hand, wasn't as easy to please.
"They better are. Neither of them is on their cycle. There's really no reason for them to go crazy."
"Oh, please. The reason would be that they're young and in love. Sometimes I can't believe you actually have a mate of your own, Yoongz. Taehyungie must be bored out of his mind."
"He's pretty satisfied from what I can tell, thank you very much."
Joon laughed, "I know, I know. I'm just kidding. Still, don't be too hard on them. You of all people should know how difficult it is to love someone but not being able to touch them or be close to them. I truly think it'll be good for them to have some sense of normalcy in their relationship."
After humming thoughtfully, Yoongi stepped away, not wanting to disturb the pair's sleep. Namjoon quickly followed after him and then, finally, the camp was left in peaceful silence. Well, that was until, hours later, a single scream ripped through the air.
Hidden under fur blankets, Jimin tried to escape from a completely stunned Jungkook who still held his burning cheek.
"Why did you slap me?"
Jimin instantly turned the question around, voice as accusatory as it can get.
"Why did you kiss me?!"
"Because last night you told me to give you a good morning kiss when you wake up. You wouldn't sleep otherwise."
"Huh…? I didn't say that!"
"You wanted a goodnight kiss too."
"What?!"
Looking completely lost, Jimin finally popped his head out from under the blanket, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I don't remember any of that… are you sure you're not just being a creep…?"
"I'm sure. You would remember it too if you hadn't been too drunk to function."
Oh. Right. Now that he thought about it, Jimin did realize that the last night as a whole was a complete blur.
He remembered dancing, remembered Jungkook being protective and how his own heart fluttered because of it.
And then… they went home together.
With a gasp, Jimin finally sat up properly. He pulled on his shirt and looked down on himself, searching for marks or any other clues as to what the hell they had been doing. He couldn't find anything, though.
"Did we…" he paused and hesitantly glanced up at Jungkook, cheeks filling with heat as he did.
The younger quickly eased his worries by shaking his head. A few kisses was the only thing they shared, he promised. If there had been more, he'd surely know. His body would remember.
Feeling embarrassed, Jimin scrunched his nose and threw his blanket in the wolf's face.
"No, no, no! Please, just shut up! You're so annoying!"
He jumped to his feet and ran out of the shelter, towards the lake where he took a leap and disappeared in the deep blue of the water with a loud splash. Jungkook's utterly confused gaze followed after him. For a split second, he almost wanted to follow Jimin just to make sure he's okay but Taehyung was faster and happily joined the fox for a swim.
Later, hidden under the leaves of a halfway collapsed tree that had become a small hideout at the shore of the lake, the two Omegas excitedly chatted away. It was then that Jimin told him what Jungkook had said that morning but Taehyung only snorted at the fox's flustered expression.
"Oh, Jiminie… he's not wrong, though. I can always tell when Hyung and I slept with each other, especially when he knotted me. And I'm a wolf, my body was literally created to take it. I can't imagine what it would be like for you but I imagine it must be difficult. At the end of the day, you're made to deal with Alpha foxes, not wolves. I remember that Jitae Hyung struggled a lot with that, too. He always said it's fine and he's not in pain but I don't know… it really did seem like it was a lot to deal with. I can understand why Jungkookie might be a bit apprehensive when it comes to the sexual stuff. It must be scary for him, too."
Pursing his lips, Jimin let go of the hanging tree branches and let himself float further towards the middle of the lake.
"Well, I'm not Jitae." He then said defiantly, expression a full on pout.
"I'm strong. A stupid Alpha can't knock me out that easily."
"He might not knock you out but knock you up instead if you're not careful." Tae giggled sneakily. Jimin replied with an embarrassed shriek before he started to splash the wolf with water while whining at him to be quiet.
"You're so adorable, Foxy. It's no wonder that Jungkook loves to tease you, it's just too much fun. There's no need to be embarrassed, though, you know? If anything, you should be excited about the future! I love pups… if I was you, I'd start trying for them right now!"
Jimin tilted his head and blinked in confusion. Then he asked, "What do you mean? You don't have to be me to try for pups. You could literally do it right now. I'm sure Yoongi would be more than happy about it, too."
In a matter of seconds, the atmosphere around them seemed to change. The air turned chilly and Taehyung's expression turned darker, he almost seemed like a different person. As if he lost a part of himself.
"No. I don't think I can." He finally whispered, arms wrapped around himself. Only his legs kept moving underwater.
"Why…? You can't possibly know what the future brings."
"Maybe not but the thing is, Hyung and I have spent several of our heats and ruts with each other, even before we mated, and nothing ever happened. At first, I was relieved about it because getting pregnant while living with our old pack could've gotten us in a ton of trouble. But as time moved on… I started to get anxious. During heats especially, our chances of not getting pregnant are so tiny… And it happened to me several times. It just doesn't seem like a coincidence or sheer luck."
"Tae…"
In the blink of an eye,Taehyung's expression returned to it's normal, cheerful state. He splashed some water at Jimin and smiled, then he swam in circles around him.
"Whatever, I don't care. It just means that you have to get enough pups for both of us to take care of!"
Jimin shook his wet hair but laughed. The water pearled down his face, gathered on the tip of his nose and his chin, even his lashes.
"Don't put all the responsibility on me… I don't even know where Jungkook and I go from here. We might never mate."
"Oh, come on. You can't fool me. If you guys don't mate during the next two seasons, I'll clean the camp all by myself for a whole damn year. There's no way that you manage to keep your hands off each other for that long."
Their playful banter was soon put on halt when several unknown Alpha scents wafted across the lake and towards them. As fast as they could, the two returned to the shore where Hoseok and a few other guys from his pack were already waiting.
Weighed down by the wet clothes he was wearing, Jimin stumbled, almost fell, but Hobi caught him just in time and pulled him back up. He would keep his hand on Jimin's back, just in case, but it was too long for Jungkook who came over to see what's going on.
With a growl, he slapped Hoseok's hand away, much to the surprise of Jimin who gasped and instantly hit Jungkook's chest to scold him.
Hoseok himself, on the other hand, just laughed and shook his head, telling Jimin not to worry about it.
"Young Alphas like him are always a bit more possessive." He said with a shrug and a smirk. "Especially when they aren't mated but fear the Omega they like might be taken away from them."
"It's not like that…" Jungkook mumbled but there wasn't much strength behind his words, causing Jimin to feel flustered all over again while everyone around them laughed.
"Anyway, we're here to save your asses from freezing. As long as Tae is with you, I won't allow you to live like a bunch of homeless rats."
With a wave at his pack mates, he yelled, "Start working, guys!"
And just like that, in front of their eyes, three tiny huts were built. It took them a few days and even then, they were neither big nor fancy. One small room, that's all.
Still, it was their own.
After all this time, they finally saw the beginnings of a normal life and as Jimin looked up at the sparkling night sky, he paused for a moment because, for barely a second, he could swear there was a pink sheen covering the pale surface of the gentle moon.