My gut was right. As soon as I got home from the training all the boys gathered around the table in the kitchen and Namjoon took down the list of rules from the fridge. I figured this would happen.
"Alright," Namjoon says and lays down the list in front of me on the table. "Some of us know why we're here and some of us don't. Jungkook could you please read out the rules for us?"
Is this some kind of plan to embarrass me even further? I've seen these rules several times a day for three years. I know them by heart, and in my defense I've basically never broken one of them before. I already know what I did wrong. It annoys me, but I start reading the rules out loud for everyone to hear.
"Main rules of this household. 1: Everyone in the house must help with dishes and other necessary things around the apartment. 2: No smoking or drugs in the apartment. 3: Don't invite people over without the others' permission. 4: If you're up late try to be as quiet as possible so the rest can sleep. 5: Don't use other peoples' things without permission. 6: For the sake of everyone living here, please do the private things... in private..."
After reading the last rule I feel my face visibly become red as a tomato, so I put my arms up on the table and hide my face. I might look like I'm crying or something, but honestly I might as well because I've never been this mortified in my life before. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from ever looking at those pictures in Seokjin's car to begin with.
"Hey, are you OK?" Jimin asks and pats me on the back.
I don't answer because the truth is that I'm not OK, but if I say that they'll all feel bad and I don't want that.
"Actually, he's the reason we're doing this," Namjoon explains. "It's a good time to look over the rules again."
"Why? What'd he do?" Hoseok asks.
"Taehyung, if you would," Namjoon says and as if this is some kind of business meeting I hear Taehyung standing up at the other side of the table.
"Yes, sir! At approximately 10.30 AM I walked into the shared bedroom of Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook to look for one of said residents who ditched me this morning and let me go to school all on my own. Quite mean if I may say so myself."
"I said I was sorry," Jimin mutters.
"Yeah well, anyway... I walked into the room and saw Jungkook openly beating his meat on his bed. A sight that might've scarred me for life. This clearly breaks rule number six of the house rules and I suggest a reasonable punishment would be to kick him out."
I snap my head up and look at him with big eyes.
"What?! But this is my first criminal offence!"
Taehyung giggles at my reaction and sits back down at the table.
"I'm joking, I'm joking~ We wouldn't want to kick you out, Kookie!"
Yoongi pinches the bridge of his nose and looks very done with this whole situation.
"OK, so have I understood this right? We're having a meeting because Taehyung walked into their room without knocking and saw Jungkook jacking off when he was alone? Isn't Taehyung the one at fault then? If Hoseok and Jimin weren't there then what's the problem?"
"Yes, Taehyung, shouldn't you have knocked first?" Jimin asks.
Taehyung looks flustered by the sudden blame.
"B-but he shouldn't be doing it there in the first place!"
"Exactly," Namjoon chimes in. "What rule number six means is that you should only do it in private, in other words: The bathroom. It's the only place around here that has a lock so no one can walk in like Taehyung did today."
There's a long silence as the other guys take in what Namjoon said.
"Wait... we're not allowed to do it in our rooms?" Yoongi asks. "That's news to me."
"Yeah, honestly I've been doing it as soon as the other two leave," Jimin says with a shrug.
"Since we're all confessing I can admit that I've been doing the same," Hoseok says.
Namjoon and Taehyung look at each other, slightly shocked.
"So we're the only ones with that rule?" Taehyung asks.
"I-I guess so..."
What is even happening right now? Are we really sitting here talking about if it's OK to masturbate in our bedrooms? Everyone's been talking except Seokjin. I glance over at him to see his reaction to all this, but he notices my gaze and smiles at me. It freaks me out and I stare down at the floor instead.
"As long as we knock I don't see the problem with doing it in our bedrooms," Hoseok says. "It's boring to jack off in the bathroom all the time."
"Yes, and uncomfortable," Jimin adds. "If the roommates agree on it then why not?"
Taehyung looks at Namjoon with pleading eyes.
"Yes, please! I'm so done with staring at the bathroom wall all the time! If you're not there you'd never know I did it."
Namjoon considers the suggestion and eventually picks up the list of rules and writes something on it. He puts it back on the fridge and I lean forward to see what it says.
6: For the sake of everyone living here, please do the private things in private. ~Now includes bathroom and bedroom when the roommates are not present. Remember to knock!~
"Meeting dismissed I suppose," Namjoon says and everyone starts getting up from the table.
I get up as well and plan on going to my room, but Jimin grabs my arm and pulls me into the living room with an excited look on his face. He sets me down on the couch and his eyes shine with curiosity.
"...What?" I ask.
"Did Tae really walk in on you when you were-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there. Yes, he did. Why do you ask?"
Jimin throws his head back and laughs evilly at my answer.
"That's hilarious!"
"I wouldn't say that."
"How did he react?" he asks.
"I dunno... he screamed I think. Sounded very much like a girl. Then he said he was looking for you and that you were gonna go to school together. I didn't really listen because I wanted him to leave."
Jimin nods and hums dreamily.
"I wish he'd walk in on me like that..."
"What?"
"Nothing~ Thanks for the information, Kookie, you've been very helpful!"
He skips away while whistling happily and I'm very much confused by everything that's just happened. Somehow the rule changed because of me, but I'm never going to masturbate outside of the bathroom again. Too risky and I don't want to get caught. If it'd been Seokjin who walked in on me back then I might've jumped him. Can't risk that.
When speaking of the devil Seokjin comes into the room and sits down next to me on the couch. I feel myself tense up and I look the other way. He clicks his tongue and flicks me on the side of the head.
"Come on, kid, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. We've all seen each other's dicks before. It happens."
"Easy for you to say," I mutter. "You've never had anyone walk in on you in the middle of it like that."
"How can you be so sure?"
I look at him to see if he's joking, but he seems serious about it.
"It's happened to you?" I ask.
"Yoongi and I have busted each other several times. Made for some good bonding moments."
Bonding moments? Does he mean what I think he-
"Not like that!" he says after noticing my stare. "Just like... something to laugh about, you know? We've never- we would never... like that."
Even though he explained it very poorly it makes me feel at ease. If they'd actually done it I might've just torn Yoongi to shreds. Not because I don't like him, I love Yoongi just like I love all the others too, but anyone who lays a hand on Seokjin is a threat. The alpha part of me has decided so.
Seokjin leans back in the couch and smiles at me.
"Hmm, I feel like you need a new nickname," he says, and I already have a bad feeling about where this is going.
"A nickname?"
"Yeah. Or perhaps you've already named it yourself?"
He nods his head towards my crotch and I get what he means. I quickly cover up with my hands and he snorts at me.
"Is it really that embarrassing?" he asks. "Everyone here has seen you dick, JK."
"Yes, but not after I started to become an alpha and not when it's... like that."
"You mean it changed after becoming an alpha?"
"Yeah, it became bigger and on the base I have-"
The smile on his face tells me he already knows and I'm just making a fool out of myself. Fuck, I want to die. Why are we even talking about this?! I still feel bad about what I did and here he is wanting to give a nickname to my dick. This is all too much for one day. Only this morning was the whole ordeal with the smell and the delivery from the strange man- Wait a minute! The smell!
I quickly look up at Seokjin when I remember that his smell is gone. He shies back a bit when I stare at him so intensely. I glance through the room, but there's no one but us here.
"W-what?" he asks.
I move closer to him, but he backs away and ends up lying awkwardly on the couch as I hover above him. I just need to make sure that the smell is gone. I lean in and take a sniff of his neck, but there's still nothing. I feel like I'm going insane. Did I just imagine that he smelled like an omega? Are my senses playing tricks on me?
"What the hell are you doing?" he asks and squirms underneath me.
"It really is gone," I mumble.
I move away and he sits back up while lightly glaring at me.
"Care to explain why you just creepily smelled my neck out of the blue?" he asks.
"Your smell from yesterday and this morning. It's like it was never there," I explain. "Now you just smell like that fruity shampoo again."
He huffs at me.
"So do you a little bit. Did you steal my shampoo?"
"What? No, I didn't wash my hair at all today."
He frowns at me and I can tell he doesn't believe me.
"It's true! I didn't!"
"OK fine. Your hair does look a bit greasy," he says and it makes me self-conscious about it.
"Wait, really?" I ask and try patting my hair to see if it actually is greasy. "It should be clean though? I showered and I've been in the pool twice today."
"I wasn't serious, JK. Your hair's fine, but you really do smell like me. Did you use my soap?"
I try thinking back if I did, and I do remember using a bar of soap I found in the shower. It wasn't mine, so there's a chance it was his.
"Maybe?" I answer. "I used some kind of soap at least."
"That explains it then. Don't steal my stuff, OK? It violates rule number five. That's your second offence in one day, you know."
He gets up and leaves. I didn't even notice that I smelled like him. No wonder the guys at the pool said I smelled weird- Wait!
The alphas were asking me why I wasn't rubbing my scent on everything today. I thought they were just messing with me, but maybe it was actually true!
I run into the shower to test my theory. I throw off all my clothes and let the water rinse me off for like the fourth time in one day. I turn off the water and try smelling my armpit to see if I can smell myself. There's still some residue from the soap, but I can clearly notice my own scent. Even though it's against the rules I grab Seokjin's soap and use it all over my body. After a quick rinse I try smelling myself once again and it's just like I thought. My smell is gone. Not completely, but almost. I stare at the bar of soap in my hand as realization strikes. It's a scent blocker. Seokjin is using a scent blocker.