@Aamyungv: Power-play; a/b/o #taekookau ...

Power-play; a/b/o #taekookau

“You are an omega?”

Jungkook feels the question snap something in him.

He glares up at the man standing in front of him, “yes?”

He waits for the jab. Waits to listen to the mocking words about how he looks nothing like an 'omega' is supposed to.

The flowery scent of jasmine turns into something rotten as he waits, and the man's nose scrunch up.
Jungkook waits for more. He knows there has to be more.

There always is.

The man points at himself, “I am Taehyung. Hi! Can you take me to the omega-rights club?”

"You are-" Jungkook sniffs, the heady scent of soil, soaked after a drizzle, fills his nostrils, "you are an alpha."

Taehyung nods, "my friend, Yoongi? He is in the club. I am trying to find the club and got lost. I am new here. Sorry, if it's not too much of a problem?"

"You are not going to," Jungkook gulps, "tell me how I don't look like an omega?"

The man, Taehyung, blinks at him, "what…" he frowns, "what does an omega supposed to look like?"

The question throws Jungkook off, "you know-"

Taehyung grins, "No, I don't. I don't know."

Jungkook starts walking, bag slung over his shoulder. Taehyung follows silently.

Jungkook watches as the man looks around, those large eyes taking in everything.

Taehyung has a smile on his face as he inspects the university as they go, eyes taking in everything.

"Careful!" Jungkook's arm grasps at Taehyung's elbow when the alpha almost stumbles on a step, "look where you are going."

Taehyung has the decency to blush, smiling awkwardly, "sorry. I was just…" he shrugs, "this place is so nice! I just got transferred here. So…"

Jungkook listens as they walk down the hallways. Taehyung is from Daegu. He is majoring in literature and is going to room with Yoongi.

They are childhood friends. Even though Yoongi is his senior.

Jungkook hums absent-mindedly as they finally round the corner for the club.

Jungkook looks up to see Jimin and Yoongi standing by the door of the club.

Jimin has a gift in his hand and Yoongi is glaring at the alpha.

Jungkook sighs, "there is your friend."

Taehyung looks at the man and a grin breaks on his face before he is running with a shout.

Jimin flinches when Taehyung collides with Yoongi and pulls him in a bone-crushing hug.

Yoongi is too shocked to response, but then a smile breaks on his face and his arms wrap around Taehyung's waist.

"Hyung!" Taehyung sighs, "I finally found the club!"

Yoongi nods with a smile, "I see you did! Awesome, Tae!"

Jimin and Jungkook watch as they pull back with the widest grin on their faces.

Then Taehyung turns to point at Jungkook, "all thanks to him. He got me here. Thank you," he pauses, "you-"

Jungkook nods, "Jungkook."

Yoongi nods at Jungkook, "thanks, Kook," then his eyes shift over to Jimin, "excuse us."

Taehyung bows, "thank you, Jungkook, for showing me the club."

Jungkook waves it off, "it's okay."

Jimin blinks, "wha-"

Yoongi closes the door of the club and tugs Taehyung away with him.

"What just happened?" Jimin slaps Jungkook's back with a frown, "who is that guy and why is he with Yoongi and why he gets to hug him like that and-"

Jungkook curses, "will you stop obsessing over Yoongi hyung? He doesn't like you! And that's Taehyung. His childhood friend."

Jimin blinks, "are they-" he gulps, face pale, "is he that guy Yoongi talks about? Is he the one Yoongi is rejecting me for?"

Jungkook holds Jimin's hand, tugging him away, "you got rejected for proposing too many times! He is not interested. Come on."

===🤍===

Taehyung is a dork.

Jungkook finds out soon.

He would wave enthusiastically whenever he sees Jungkook. He would come over to talk to him in the classes they share. He would manage to ramble without offending Jungkook like most of the alphas do.

"Here," Taehyung says one day, holding out a box of chocolate, "good for omegas in heat. It reduces the exhaustion."

Jungkook blinks, "do you go around offering treats to every omega you meet?"

Taehyung grins, "no. You are my friend."

Jungkook doesn't know when that happened.

He takes the chocolate, nods, "thank you."

Taehyung is sitting beside him, munching on a bag of chips, "I got you a few tickets for the detoxication salon. After your heat, you can go there. It's good to relax after such physical-"

Jungkook is burning, his face red, "I don't have a partner to exhaust me."

Taehyung gapes, crumbs of chips all over his lips, "you don't have a partner?" he blinks, "someone as handsome as you is still unmated?!"

Jungkook has never faced a situation like this. He laughs.

He doesn't know why, but reaching out and wiping Taehyung's mouth is a reflex to him.

He feels the soft skin under his touch, focuses on it before he looks up at the alpha.

"Do you always speak this bluntly, or I am a special case?"

Taehyung grins, "you are special!"

Jungkook retreats his hand, a soft smile on his lips, "I am?"

Taehyung nods, curls bouncing with the movement, "you are so cool. You are so handsome, so strong, so neat and clean. You dance so well. Your grade is top-notch. You paint so well. What are you lacking?"

Jungkook has never let his omega take pride in any alpha's word. He knows there is always a motive for them to say sweet things.

He never lets himself feel any of those words.

But Taehyung's eyes speak volume. They are honest, and Taehyung rambles mindlessly.

His scent never spikes up with a tinge of arousal. His eyes never wander all over Jungkook as if he wants to devour him. Those smiles hold nothing but pure happiness and warmth. His gestures are so subtle. Unlike those alphas who point out that they are trying to court him.

"I am not an omega they want," Jungkook sighs, "I don't want to get mated anytime soon, and I don't drool over knots as the alphas think we omegas do."

"Those alphas don't deserve you," Taehyung shrugs, throws another chip in his mouth, "find someone who cares. Yeah?"

Taehyung's eyes are on him, "never settle for those dumbheads. They know nothing! They drool over their own knots, and I am pretty sure no one else would ever."

Jungkook smiles, "you know any alpha better than those?"

Taehyung hums, frowning, "how about Jimin?"

Jungkook's face twists, "he is my childhood friend. I have seen him whine over Yoongi for two years now. I don't need to even think about him like that!"

Taehyung pouts, "then…"

Jungkook shrugs, "I will find someone. First, tell me, what is in your bag? It looks so heavy!"

Taehyung grins, pulls out a shawl, "I made this for you. How is it?"

Jungkook's breath catches in his chest, "what?"

Taehyung nods, "what? I made this. For you. How is it? It took me four weeks! Tell me how it looks?"

Jungkook lets out a breath, "for me? Why?"

Taehyung shrugs, "I don't know. I was making it when I suddenly thought you should have it."

Jungkook sits still while Taehyung wraps it around him. The scent of the alpha wraps around him, warmth seeping through his skin.

Jungkook shivers nonetheless.

"How is it?" Taehyung asks, eyes glinting with happiness as he watches Jungkook in the shawl.

Jungkook nods, gulps, "thank you. It's warm."

It is warm. Too warm. Too cosy. Too safe.

Jungkook shrugs out of it, folds it up, "I will keep it safe. Thank you."

So it starts.

Taehyung brings things he makes from scratch and gives them to Jungkook.

Jungkook can't say no. He can't refuse when the alpha holds out the things with the purest smile and with those glistening eyes full of admiration.

"He knows these are courting gifts, right?" Jin wonders, looking at the gifts scattered on Jungkook's bed, "these are the gifts a potential mate gets for his omega."

Hoseok giggles, "like Namjoon used to get for us."

Jin smiles, "right?"

Jimin sighs, "only if Yoongi would accept any of my gifts."

"You are still on him?" Hoseok sighs, "you know how he is. He-"

"Move on," Jin squeezes Jimin's shoulder, "you know by now that he doesn't like you. You have to accept that."

Jimin looks away.

"He doesn't know," Jungkook murmurs, fingers caressing the shawl, "he doesn't know how these are taken. He doesn't understand how I feel when he hugs me and his lips press against my scent-gland. He doesn't know how his scent makes me feel. He doesn't feel it."

"How do you know that?" Jimin frowns, "did you ask-"

Jungkook chuckles, "he tries to set me up on dates. He points out hot alphas and betas, even omegas for me," his fingers curl over the shawl, "he encourages me to find someone. He is not courting me. He is just nice."

Jin makes a face, "he offered me a ride yesterday."

Hoseok nods, "painted a jacket for me."

Jungkook snorts, "see? I am not special. He does this for everyone."

They are all looking at him and Jungkook is looking at the shawl.

He lets out a breath, "I am not special to him."

The thought cracks him, echoes around his omega, and Jungkook has to bite back a painful shiver.

He doesn't understand why his omega is expecting anything out of this anyway.

He thought he was better than an omega who bares his neck to the first alpha who shows him respect.

=== 🤍 ===

Taehyung doesn't come to the university for five days and then shows up smelling of an omega.

Jungkook knows where he was and what he was doing, but the thought is not easy.

Knowing it and accepting it are two different things.

He can't accept it.

It frustrates him that he cares.

It makes his skin crawl that he can pick up that omega's scent on the alpha's skin.

It upsets him that he started hoping.

It makes him weak because Taehyung never promised him anything.

The alpha never gave him false hope.

Never lied to him.

"Gukkie!" Taehyung's arms wrap around Jungkook, "God, I missed you!"

Jungkook feels suffocated, his eyes squeezed shut, "Tae-"

Taehyung lets out a sigh, "how have you been, Gukkie?"

Jungkook steps away, "I am fine. Why? What was supposed to happen to me?"

Taehyung grins, "nothing. I just missed you. So I thought you would-"

"You are not important enough for me to start missing you," Jungkook blurts out, lips pressing in a hard line as he steps back, "excuse me. I have a class."

He turns away. But not before noticing how Taehyung's face falls.

Jungkook is not used to this feeling of longing.

He is not used to this feeling of heartache and jealousy for a faceless person.
It drives him mad.

He doesn't understand this animalistic urge in him to just confront Taehyung and ask who he was with for his rut.

Who he prefers.

He finds himself in the gym. Exercise and boxing helps for a bit before he is out and thinking about the same thing.

He finds himself in Jimin's dorm, where the alpha is getting ready for his date with an omega Hoseok fixed him up with.

"Have you ever shared your rut with someone?" Jungkook asks, "do you alphas have to have someone, or it's a choice?"

Jimin makes a face, "it's a choice. We can choose not to be with someone. I haven't in two years."

Jungkook looks at his best friend, "You love him, don't you?"

Jimin's expression doesn't change, but Jungkook notices how his fingers tremble, and he misses a button on his shirt.

Jimin starts fixing it, "it doesn't matter. Sometimes," he gulps, "no matter how much we want someone, we have to let them go because they don't feel the same."

Jungkook snorts, "I never tried to hold him back. It was him," he closes his eyes when he feels them burning, "he just came barrelling in my life and messed it all up. I never wanted to feel-"

Jimin's arms wrap around him, "kookah, it will be alright. You will move on. Okay?"

Jungkook snorts, "I don't love him. There is nothing to move on from."

Jimin pulls away, his face tender, "acceptance is the first step, kookah. Accept it, acknowledge it and move past it. Yeah?"

Jungkook blinks up at him, "you did?"

Jimin looks away, "it takes time."

Jimin forces a smile on his lips, the playfulness so forced Jungkook wants to laugh, "if nothing works out, we fool around. Huh? How does that sound?"

Jungkook shoves Jimin away, "please go on the date. Oh, my God!"

Jimin laughs, "we will be fine, okay? We will find a way."

=== 🤍 ===

Jungkook is sensitive to scents. It bothers him when people use too much of cologne or spreads too much of their pheromones.

The alpha is looking up at him with wide eyes and a bruised face as Jungkook catches his breath looking down at him.

"Never touch me," Jungkook grits out, "without my permission ever again."

The alpha's pheromones spread around him, heavy in the air, trying to make his omega submit.

Jungkook leans down to glare at the alpha, "I will beat you up all over again. Your scent doesn't work on me!"

As he walks away, Jungkook ignores the curses and choice words thrown at him.

He ignores how his hands feel cold and his muscles contort because of the anxiety the whole situation caused him.

He hurries his steps, ignoring how his omega is terrified in him right now.

He finds himself on a bench near the science building. Sitting with his hands resting on his knees.

He glares down at his hands, fingers still shaking with the tension and nerves.

Jungkook starts the breathing exercise he learnt ages ago to calm himself.

The crispy air fills his lungs and his omega breathes it all in.

He closes his eyes, counts the numbers backwards from 100 and when he is around 67, he smells it.

The whiff of soil after a monsoon drizzle. The scent of fresh air.

Jungkook's eyes burn with helpless tears as he feels his omega starts to calm in him.

The scent brushes away the lingering scent of that alpha.

The scent wraps around Jungkook like the warmth his body craves, and then he feels it.

The alpha's presence in front of him.

"Gukkie?"

Jungkook's omega snaps in him. After so many derogatory words, a single word from that mouth makes his omega swoon.

Jungkook glares down at his feet, willing those tears to stop hazing his vision.

He closes his eyes when Taehyung kneels in front of him, "Gukkie?"

Taehyung doesn't touch him, his hands hover over Jungkook's knee, "you okay?"

Jungkook's jaw snaps close, he blinks up at those worried eyes, "do I look or smell okay?"

Taehyung's hands tremble, he gulps, "may I?"

Jungkook gives a curt nod, "yeah."

Those hands touch him.

Warmth seeps through Jungkook's veins from his knees and carries all over his body.

His omega calms in him as he looks at the alpha who is looking at him with so much worry, "what happened?"

Jungkook snorts, "got in a fight."

Taehyung's eyes widen, "what?!"

Jungkook shrugs, "not the first time. Those assholes deserve it for thinking we omegas would love it if they just touch us without our permission or say shit thinking we can't fight back. I am fine. Stop looking at me as if my cat died. I am tota-"

Those arms wrap around him.

Taehyung pulls Jungkook in his arms, nose rubbing against his scent gland, "you smell so sour."

Jungkook hisses, "thanks!"

Taehyung sighs, "I didn't say it as something bad. I just," his lips press against Jungkook's throat, "calm down. You are fine. You took care of it."

"I am so proud of you," Taehyung's voice is deep against Jungkook's ear, "you stood up for yourself. You took care of it."

"I feel dirty," Jungkook hisses, eyes squeezed shut, "those words," he shakes his head, "I feel cheap. He just slapped my butt. It's not like it was much-"

"It is too much!" Taehyung pulls away to frown at him, "how dare anyone get in your personal space? How dare they touch you in any way you didn't want? You are not wrong in feeling bad. You are right! How dare that guy touch you without permission. Do you want to report him?"

Jungkook lets out a snort, eyes skimming over Taehyung's face, "why don't we have more alphas like you?"

Taehyung's eyes widen, "I-"

Jungkook's vision blurs, he blinks back tears, "the person you choose will be so lucky to have you, Taehyug. I am so happy for them."

Jungkook gets up from the bench, "I will report him. Thank you for your help. See you around."

He turns to leave but stops when Taehyung grabs his elbow to pull him back.

Jungkook looks over his shoulder at the alpha, and Taehyung is already looking at him.

"Can we talk?"

Jungkook nods, "about what?"

Taehyung lets go, hands clasped together, "what happened, Gukkie? Why are you suddenly avoiding me? Did I do something?"

Jungkook looks at the alpha, a small smile on his lips, "you didn't do anything. I can't say you did something."

"I went on a trip and I came back to you being odd with me," Taehyung murmurs, "is there something I am missing?"

Jungkook frowns, "a trip?"

Taehyung nods, "a friend of mine just broke up with his boyfriend. I was with him. I," Taehyung blushes, "I kind of like him."

Jungkook grips the strap of his bag, looking at the alpha, "oh?"

Taehyung chuckles, "he said he might need some time to think, you know?" he scratches the back of his head, "I wanted to talk to someone and Yoongi is busy. You are not talking to me. I don't know..."

Jungkook gulps, smiles, "I told you, Taehyung. Any omega will be lucky to have you. He will understand it. Yeah?"

Taehyung's eyes are hopeful, "you think so?"

Jungkook nods, the smile he hopes looks genuine, "I know so. You are the best, Tae. Just hang in there."

Taehyung waves him off, "I will handle it. But, look, what I got you from the trip."

Jungkook watches Taehyung rummage through his bag and pull out a bracelet.

Taehyung grins at him, "I made it myself!"

Jungkook stares at the bracelet, "oh."

Jungkook lets Taehyung loop it around his wrist, the bracelet shines under the late-afternoon sun. It hurts Jungkook's eyes.

He looks up at the alpha, "can I ask you something?"

Taehyung nods, happy smile on his lips as he stares at the bracelet, "yeah?"

Jungkook steps away, his hand dropping beside him, "don't make me gifts anymore. I don't want them."

Taehyung's smile dims, "what?"

Jungkook nods, chuckles, "you know our biology, right? My omega confuses it as a courting gift and it gets weird. I am sure your omega will feel the same. I-"

"It's just gift," Taehyung frowns, "I give gifts to everyone I adore."

"𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝘩𝑖𝑚. 𝐻𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒."

The words echo in Jungkook's head. His omega whispering it to him.

Jungkook shrugs, "I know. I get it. But I would like you to stop. I don't want these anymore."

He leaves.

"I will throw him off a cliff!" Jimin thunders, "I will kick his ass. I will-"

"You will sit down and stop shouting," Hoseok sighs, "can we not curse him? He is not wrong. I mean, he doesn't know how Jungkook feels. He is good to everyone. He is friendly. Not his fault that-"

"Jungkook likes him," Hoseok rubs his temple, "Kookie, you are right in your point but he is not wrong either. He is just being himself. Friendly. Nice. Taehyung. You know?"

Jungkook sighs, looks up from his book, "I am not blaming him. Okay? I am fine too. I am totally fine."

He gets two sets of eyes staring at him with a deadpan expression.

Jungkook huffs out a chuckle, "It's just a crush. Okay? It will go away. It has to. I will move on and get back on track. I don't need you to make him a villain when he is not. We are friends still. Okay?"

Hoseok pats Jungkook's head, "you will be okay."

Jimin hugs him, "feel it and overcome it. Yeah? You will be fine. This too shall pass."

Jungkook hopes so.

He lets his friends hug him from both sides. He hopes this passes soon.

He hopes he gets back on track soon.

Things don't get back to normal.

Because for Jungkook, moving on would be easy if he could hate Taehyung.

He can't.

No one can hate Kim Taehyung.

Jungkook finds himself falling deeper as days go by.

Now that Taehyung can't bring him gifts, his gestures speak of his warmth.

He walks with Jungkook to his building. He has a bicycle, and he almost always picks Jungkook up from his dorm.

He gets Jungkook the coffee he likes after his classes.
Taehyung remembers Jungkook's orders when they eat out.

He goes to Jungkook's rehearsals to watch him dance.

He cheers the loudest when Jungkook gets on the stage.

The compliments are thrown at him almost always.

Taehyung makes playlists for him, shares them with him.

He finds those videos for omegas in stress or omegas who need calming sounds for sleep and sends them to Jungkook.

"Tae, it's almost four in the morning," Jungkook smiles, "you realize the sun is about to rise, right?"

Taehyung chuckles over the call, "hey, Gukkie?"

Jungkook hums, "this call started around one! We talked for four hours!"

Taehyung sighs, "come out to your balcony."

Jungkook whines, "it's freezing outside. No!"

Taehyung giggles, "lazy-ass, come on!"

Jungkook sighs, gets out of the bed to walk onto his balcony, "what?"

Taehyung lets out a breath, "the sun is rising, Gukkie."

Jungkook watches the horizon fading into the soft glow of dawn.

"It is," Jungkook yawns, "I see. What about it?"

Taehyung lets out a breath, "I have always wanted to watch the sunrise with someone."

Jungkook pauses, "Tae-"

Taehyung chuckles, "look down."

Jungkook blinks, peering down, and he gapes, "Taehyung!"

Taehyung smiles up at him, phone pressed against his ear, "want to go on a walk, Gukkie?"

Jungkook's breath hitches, he shakes his head, "you get up here. I will make us coffee."

Taehyung makes a face, "I hate coff-"

Jungkook curses, "it's too cold. Get up here, you idiot!"

That's how Jungkook finds himself on his balcony.

Sitting on a mattress Taehyung dragged out, and a blanket wrapped around them as they hold the steamy mugs of hot-chocolate in their hands.

They are pressed together, smiles wide and foolish on their lips as the sun rises.

"You will get the mattress back in there," Jungkook warns, presses closer to the alpha, "this is not worth the hype it gets. It's just the sun-"

"It's about starting the day with someone you love," Taehyung sighs, "it's about having a person beside you when no one is around."

"Except you don't love me," Jungkook smiles at the sun, fingers grasping the mug closer to his chest, "and I am not the person you probably wanted here."

Taehyung's eyes are on him, and Jungkook looks at the alpha. He takes in how Taehyung's face glows with the soft glow of the dawn.

He takes in those tender orbs staring at him.

Jungkook smiles at the alpha, "Jihoon," he smiles, "that's where you should have gone, idiot."

Taehyung looks at the horizon, "he doesn't like early mornings. He doesn't like when I wake him up. He doesn't like these things."

Jungkook sighs, "neither do I," he yawns, "but if you love someone, you bear through it. He would have too. You didn't ask. Did you?"

"I am just not sure of his love as I am of yours," Taehyung chuckles, looks at Jungkook, "I am not as confident of him as I am of you. I can't make demands this stupid to him like I can to you. You know? You are my safe-place, Gukkie. The one I can be an idiot with."

Jungkook watches as Taehyung lies down on his thigh, looking up at him.
His fingers comb through Taehyung's curls, eyes stuck on the alpha who is looking up at him.

Taehyung lets out a sigh, "my alpha instinct act up when I don't see you for a day. I didn't yesterday. Remember?"

"You had your first date," Jungkook murmurs, watches how unconsciously Taehyung takes a hold of his wrist and noses his pulse-point, "you were busy. We are fine."

Taehyung's lips press against Jungkook's wrist, "I kept thinking how you are doing. It's stupid, really."

"I ordered your favourite dishes out of habit," Taehyung breathes out a laugh, "he hates them, by the way. Was staring at me like I am crazy. I don't know, Gukkie, I know his orders too, but I just rambled on what you like, and then it was so awkward."

"I ate it all but those dishes don't taste as good as they do when we share it," Taehyung looks up at Jungkook, "I kind of messed it all up. You know? Bought him gifts when my handmade ones turned out trash. The whole date," he sighs, "it was a fail."

"You smell sour," Jungkook whispers, "you need to stop worrying. He will understand, okay?"

"Scent me?" Taehyung blurts out, eyes wide, "I mean," he coughs, "I feel so stressed, and the whole thing blew off and now," the alpha shrugs, "it's totally okay to say no. Of course-"

Taehyung comes to a stop when Jungkook's lips press against his wrist, lips warm against his racing pulse.

Taehyung watches the omega rub his cheek against his wrist, and his hand cups Jungkook's face.

His eyes are on Jungkook when Jungkook smiles at him, "it will be alright."

Taehyung watches, mesmerized, as the first rays of the sun hit Jungkook's face. Those eyes shining with the glow of the dawn as Taehyung sits up.

Jungkook lets Taehyung pull him on his lap.

Taehyung hugs the omega closer, leans against the door of the balcony and sighs.

"What if we pretend this door leads to the actual world," Taehyung murmurs, arms tightening around Jungkook, "and this balcony is another universe where just we two exist. Our world? What if we never open that door and face that world again? Can't we stay like this forever?"

"Because that world is so complicated," the alpha noses against Jungkook's nape, "so tough. That world scares me, Gukkie. Can't we just stay here, watch the sunrise and sunsets forever?"

Jungkook closes his eyes, tears prickling his eyelids, "our worlds are different, Tae."

Jungkook looks at the sun, just rising over the horizon, "you have someone waiting for you in that universe. You have someone who you love in that universe. You have to face it. It's tough, but it's okay. You will figure it out. Just stop running away when it gets hard."

Taehyung lets out a deep breath, "I don't want to. For now, let me stay here. Let's call it our universe. This place. This balcony. You and me. Just us."

Jungkook chuckles, "two people in a universe, we will be the worst one. I swear."

Taehyung shrugs, "I don't mind."