Jimin groans and rolls onto his side. The couch he's on is not the same as a nest. He doesn't have soft furs surrounding him that he can wrap around his body. He doesn't have familiar scents or comfort. The fabric is scratchy against his skin and he frowns slightly. His nose catches scent of something delicious and he opens his eyes slowly. The sight of Jongin's den (or rather apartment as he's been informed) brings him no comfort.
Jimin sits up and looks down. Taemin offered to sleep on the floor since Jimin's bullet injury is still healing. Jimin had protested at first, insisting that he would be fine since the bullet had only grazed him, but Taemin wasn't the type of person to take no for an answer. Taemin doesn't look terribly comfortable where he lays curled in on himself and Jimin wishes there was room for both them on the couch at least. Jongin gave them both blankets and pillows, some of which they used to make Jiah a small nest of her own to rest in. Jimin's fur has been strewn with the other blankets. It seemed to finally give the child some comfort when she wanted to sleep.
Jimin follows his nose to where Jongin is preparing food. He watches curiously, unused to how this kind of food is made. He's used to roasting meat over a fire after skinning and gutting them. Pulling out machine made food from an ice box seems less time consuming, but unfamiliar nonetheless.
"What is that?" Jimin points to a white and yellow food in a hot pan. There's no fire needed to make it warm however. He catches Jongin off guard and the human startles slightly.
"Hm? Eggs," Jongin answers. "Good morning."
Jongin instructs Jimin how to make a bottle of milk for Jiah. It's strange to Jimin that even mother's milk can be made artificially. It certainly doesn't smell like breast milk, but Jimin hops Jiah will accept it. He doesn't know what else they would feed her.
Jimin tests it on the pup. Jiah is confused by the bottle at first, but after a few attempts she understands and starts to drink. Jimin sighs in relief. He isn't sure if Jiah likes it or if she's too hungry to care that the milk isn't Taehyung's.
Jiah finishes most of the bottle by the time Jongin says that breakfast is ready. Jimin gives Jiah some toys to keep herself entertained and heads to the table. He sits so that he can see Jiah without having to turn his head. His motherly instincts are strong considering all that's happened. He would be surprised if he let Jiah out of his sight anytime soon.
Jongin explains what all the food is to Jimin and Taemin. Eggs and bread and fruit. Definitely not what the wolves are used to. It's tasty nonetheless. Especially the sweet fruit and the jam put on bread.
"I have to work today," Jongin says half way through the meal. "But you're free to stay here while I'm gone."
"I want to try going out to the forest. See if I can track anyone down," Taemin says. He glances to Jimin. Jimin can see all the mixed emotions in the omega's eyes. Taemin is afraid but he isn't a coward. He'll go running back into their woods even if he knows he'll only find fresh blood and broken bodies.
"You want to go back there? Even after..." Jongin trails off.
"I have to. What if some of our pack is hurt? Not all of them would've found help." Taemin takes a drink of fruit juice. He stares at a spot on the table, voice dropping. "Besides, Jiah's parents need to know she's okay."
Jimin looks at the pup. She has a circular toy in her mouth as she throws around a stuffed wolf. She seems happy enough for the time being, curious at the very least. But her parents don't even know if she's alive. Or if Jimin's alive. They must be worried to death. Jimin's scent sours as he thinks of them.
"If you find anyone, you can bring them here," Jongin offers. "I'll try to see if I can find any support shelters for you guys. They'll be able to help you more than I can. And some of your friends might have found their way there."
Taemin nods. "Thank you. You've done us a service we can't repay."
Jimin stays in Jongin's apartment while he and Taemin head out for the day. He showed Jimin how to make food for himself and how the tv works before he left. Jimin has it on some kids channel for Jiah to stare at while he looks around the den. It's a large living space compared to what Jimin is used to. The sleeping area is separated from the rest of the home. There's a bathroom, something very foreign to him along with washing machines. Jongin put Jiah's cloth diapers in there to be cleaned and put on some they bought at the store. Ones that can be thrown away after use. When they changed Jiah, Jongin had been a little surprised by the pup's privates. Jimin had forgotten that subspecies weren't a thing humans had. Gender is mostly determined by smell rather than presenting genitalia among wolves.
There are some books that Jimin entertains himself with. He keeps the balcony doors open, in case he might hear a wolf howl. It cools down the apartment, but Jimin is used to chill air anyway. It reminds him of the forest even if the smell is all wrong. He can fool himself into thinking he's in the woods again if he closes his eyes and breathes through his mouth.
Jimin tries to keep himself busy, but without the normal pack chores he feels bored. And boredom only gives him the chance to overthink.
Why hasn't he heard any of his pack mates calling? The pack leaders especially? The only reason they wouldn't come for Jiah is their death. Surely he and Taemin weren't the only wolves to make it to safety? And if they were what were they going to do? They couldn't go back to their territory. They couldn't find somewhere new either. Just the two of them woudn't be able survive, they need a pack. Unless they stayed in the city, but they don't know anything about how human life works. And Jiah would grow up without her culture and without a pack. But in that scenario Jiah also wouldn't have her parents. Jimin thinks he can raise the pup if he has to, but how is going to provide for her? How is he going to explain to her what happened to her parents when she grows up?
Jimin himself feels the loss of the leaders strongly. He'd grown so close to them. Now he was alone again.
***
"Don't move. I'm too comfortable," Taehyung whines. Jimin chuckles at the omega with his head in Jimin's lap. The younger had curled up with Jimin's leg contently when he arrived in the head den and so far Taehyung hasn't moved. The omega's scent wafts up to Jimin's nose. Vanilla and peach. Sweet and soothing just like the omega himself.
"Let him breath Tae," Jin scolds. The beta is trying to teach Jiah how to say 'appa' although the newly turned seven month old hasn't made a single sound that resembles the word. They expect her to start saying it soon, but for now she is content with giggles and gurgles.
Jimin doesn't really mind having Taehyung lay on him. He's gotten used to it lately after all. However, Jimin doesn't expect Taehyung to pull him close and kiss him dead on the mouth. It doesn't last long, just a quick peck, but Jimin's eyes are wide.
"Sorry," Taehyung says. "You just looked cute."
Jimin flushes. That's first time he's been kissed in a long time. Taehyung's lips are soft and plush too, which only makes him want to lean down and kiss him again. He wants to take his time. Wants to see if Taehyung tastes as sweet as he smells. But Jimin refrains. He decided a while ago to keep things slow. He thinks it's appropriate considering that the six leaders are mated. He doesn't want to overstep. But he can see Jin just smiling at the two them, something like contentedness in his eyes.
The beta leans over quickly and kisses Jimin's cheek before going back to talking to Jiah like it never happened.
It's a week after that that Yoongi kisses him. It takes Jimin by surprise again. It's as he's leaving the head den after a night of calm conversation with the leaders that the alpha kisses him goodbye. It lasts for a few seconds and Jimin relaxes into the feeling of Yoongi's lips. It's easy to melt underneath Yoongi. The alpha has an aura around him that screams 'mate-material.'
When Yoongi pulls away, Jimin is sure his entire face is bright red. Embarrassed as he is, he doesn't regret it and he wouldn't mind doing it again. Yoongi's scent is the most calming one he's ever smelled. It's mild and reminds him of the woods. Definitely something Jimin can get used to.
The other alphas kiss him on the cheek to say their goodbyes. Jimin isn't sure if he's disappointed or not. He'd love to taste them too, but if kissing only Yoongi makes his flustered then kissing all of them would surely leave him a mess. Still, he can't help but entertain the idea. All six of them taking their turns exploring his mouth. It would be amazing.
Even if he can't have their kisses, at least he can appreciate their scents. Jungkook's is the strongest but it will grow less intense as he ages. It's a tangy scent compared to the rest, an indication of his youth, just the right amount of spice to his chocolate smell. Hoseok's is more fruity. Something sweet yet citrus that always lightens the air. Namjoon's is warmest. His scent is sugary sweet but not sickeningly so. It's just the right amount that reminds Jimin of his sweet heart.
They all have scents that Jimin wouldn't mind smelling the rest of his life. He has hopes for them. All of them together.
***
Trying to put a time frame in place is harder than Jimin expected. He gets his stitches out in two days. His heat is due in a week or two. Jiah turns eight months just after that. He needs to decide what to do.
Investing time in looking for their pack mates may be a waste of time. They don't know if anyone's alive or if they will bother to stay close and regroup. Any survivors may have already scattered in hopes to save their own lives. Looking for them may waste time they could use to get on their feet.
If they're going to stay in the city, they can't stay with Jongin forever. If they want a den of their own they'll need money. And for that they'll need work. Maybe it'd be best to wait until after Jimin's heat to find work. But then Jongin would be stuck with them for all that much longer, and Jimin is sure the human isn't used to dealing with things like heat cycles. And since they're in a strange place, Jimin's heat may be delayed for up to a week more as his omega adjusts.
Who will take care of Jiah if they work? Jimin doesn't know much about human jobs, but he doesn't think pups usually go with their parents to work, and Jiah technically isn't Jimin's. Maybe he can find somewhere that makes an exception?
Jongin did mention shelters. Places that offer support for all kinds of people. Surely there's one for werewolves. One that would understand the circumstances he's in. But Jimin doesn't want to rely on strangers so heavily. He's always considered himself capable of doing things on his own. But he should be open to help when his world has been flipped upside down.
Jongin and Taemin come home before nightfall. Jimin hadn't gotten his hopes up that Taemin would find anyone and he was right to do so. Apparently he couldn't find any scents or even get a howl in replies to his own. He didn't stray very deep into the territory. He figured that the humans responsible for this would be keeping an eye out for any wolves that dared come back and didn't want to risk it.
Jongin had called the two shelters that accept werewolves but they hadn't gotten anyone new in last night. They promised to call if anyone lost from a pack showed up, but none of them were hopeful.
"Did you eat?" Jongin asks Jimin.
"I wasn't hungry," Jimin answers. He had been sure that Jiah was well fed. She is a growing pup without stress to make her lose her appetite. Jimin knows she misses her parents. She's been searching for their scents all day, getting more and more frustrated when she only finds them on the fur. Jimin doesn't know what he'll do when the scent wears off.
"I'll make dinner," Jongin says. "I hope you try to eat something."
Jimin nods but he doesn't make any promises. Taemin sits with him and Jiah. The pup is interested by his presence, but she likes the tv more.
"How you doing?" Taemin asks.
Jimin shrugs. "I'll survive." He always does.
***
Jimin finds human clothing... strange. It's rough against the skin and has weird patterns on it. These particular clothes smell like Jongin. His scent isn't unpleasant but it is human and unfamiliar. Still, Jongin had insisted that Taemin and Jimin change out of their old clothes. They were too bloody and torn up to save. Jimin feels bad about tossing them out. There a part of his home, one of the only things he has of it. In the end he tells himself they're just clothes.
Jiah is just as protestant about wearing new clothes as she is about diapers. Jongin finds a company that makes both specially designed for wolf pups. The materials are gentler on the skin and after they put Jiah in those she finally stops crying.
It's been five days since they came to Jongin's apartment and they still have no indication to their pack mates whereabouts. They wonder if they haven't heard any calls because of the city noise or if there really haven't been any.
Five days of nothing. Fours nights of sleeping on a couch. Five days of new foods and new experiences. Jimin grasps the concept of humans a bit better, but he still knows very little. He's had nothing better to do beside learn, lest he start thinking of how much he misses his pack mates or the images of Heiren and Jiyoo's blood returns to his mind. Five days.
Sungwoon has come by a few times. He brings them food and clothes and offers them company. Jimin thinks he still feels bad about hitting Taemin with his car, but the human still genuinely wants to help. He's over for dinner one day when Jongin suddenly yells for all of them to come listen to the tv.
"A recent local outrage has overtaken nature activists in Seoul with the news of the massacre of a reservation of werewolves. The pack was reportedly living on land that many developers wished to buy, however the presence of the werewolves prevented from any building on the land. According to our sources, a group of outsource hunters was illegally hired to remove the people from their land, which resulted in the loss of at least one hundred and seven lives. It isn't yet known how many have survived this event, but the reservation is now empty and up for sell to city developers despite activists protests."
"I can't believe this," Sungwoon says. "All that just for industrialization."
"Sssh," Jongin says. "I want to see if they say anything about any survivors."
The newscaster continues to say that bodies of women, children, and pregnant omegas were found and Jimin doesn't want to listen anymore. He forces himself to however.
"Any survivors of this incident have been invited to the Canine People of Seoul resource shelter who say they will provide to aid to any wolf who steps forward."
"Do you want to go?" Jongin asks.
Jimin thinks for a moment. They've already taken so much from Sungwoon and Jongin. He doesn't know if they can ask for much more. Jimin doesn't even want to guess how much this hospital bills were, even if his arm is already healed and his stitches are out.
"I think it might be best," Jimin answers quietly. "You won't have to worry about us anymore."
"Of course we'll still worry," Sungwoon says. "But hopefully some others from your pack will be there too."
"It's worth a shot," Taemin suggests. "What other chances have we got?"
"We can take you tomorrow then."