Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a summer day when everything changed for Jung Hoseok. During one of the library’s monthly summer reading events, he met the love of his life.

The library put on summer reading events to help children learn how to read, and to keep them interested and engaged in reading. The events generally began with storytime, progressed into a game based upon the story, and then devolved into general chaos towards the end. The same was true for this month. The story chosen to be featured was Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and the game was a sort of animal-themed pretending game, which had turned into a great big game of zoo, which included children of all ages running around and jumping off of various pieces of furniture whilst screaming animal noises at the tops of their little lungs.

But, amidst the chaos, one child sat sniffling on the circle carpet on top of the purple letter Z.

As one of the librarians who had helped coordinate the event, and as a generally good human being, Hoseok felt compelled to check on the tot. He knelt down on the yellow letter B. “Hello,” he said with a smile, softly, so not as to startle the child. “I’m Hoseok. What is your name?”

The child looked up with wide, shiny eyes and a trembling lower lip. “Min J-junsu,” the boy mumbled. His voice trembled, and he sniffled and returned his gaze to his knee, which looked bright pink under his little navy blue shorts.

“That looks like it doesn’t feel good,” Hoseok said, gesturing to the knee, which had likely been rug-burned as a result of a tumble during the game. The little boy nodded, his little cheeks red and his little doe eyes welling up with tears.

“Do you want me to help you make it feel better?” Hoseok asked. The little boy nodded, his fluffy bowl-cut bangs ruffling with his movement. Hoseok nodded back, and pushed himself into a crouch, and then put his hands under the little boy’s armpits and, mindful of the little pink knee, picked him up, resting him against his chest. He could feel the boy’s face press wetly against his shoulder, and the little sniffles he made. The sound nearly broke Hoseok’s heart, and so he stood and made eye contact with his co-worker, Namjoon, who widened his eyes and gestured for Hoseok to go and take care of the little boy.

Hoseok shifted the child in his arms as he walked towards the office he shared with the other children’s librarians. He opened the door with his hip, careful not to jostle the boy, and made his way over to his desk. He set Junsu onto his rolling chair and made sure that he was situated before opening his desk drawer to fish out a box of band-aids with smiling bear faces on them. Setting the box onto the table, he grabbed the first aid kit off of the wall.

Children’s librarians tended to deal with various boo-boos, and as a result each kept little first aid kits to take care of them. Hoseok was no different, and much like his coworkers, had personalized his first aid kit to make it less frightening to children.

Namjoon’s was decorated with Pokemon characters, Jimin’s featured different Disney characters, and Taehyung’s had Doraemon all over it. Hoseok’s was white, and decorated with Paddington Bear, the main character of his favorite children’s book.

Junsu’s sniffles halted at the sight of the little plastic kit. The edges of Hoseok’s lips quirked up; it seemed that Junsu was fond of bears. Junsu’s little doe eyes were zeroed in on Paddington Bear’s red hat and his blue coat. Hoseok took advantage of the boy’s distraction and opened up the kit, pulling out a tube of Neosporin and some cotton rounds. He preferred not to use alcohol on scrapes and cuts, because he knew that it made them sting and throb. He did want to wash the rug burn with soap and warm water, though, and so picked up the boy who protested at the movement and took him into the staff bathroom. He set Junsu onto the counter and doubled back to grab the first aid kit.

“Can I roll up your pant leg, Junsu?” Hoseok asked, making eye contact with the little boy. “It will help me to clean up your scrape, and then I will put it back to normal.” He waited for Junsu to nod, and then folded the left leg of his shorts up two times. Turning on the water, he waited for it to get warm and then pumped some of the mild, scentless soap into his hand. Hoseok did his best to be quick and gentle, and then dried off the scraped knee with his own washcloth. Junsu didn’t seem to like this, whining and kicking at the action, and so Hoseok stopped, and blew lightly on the scrape instead until he deemed it dry enough. Then, he finally dabbed a bit of Neosporin onto the scrape, and stuck a yellow band-aid decorated with smiling bear faces on top.

“Finished!” Hoseok cheered, smiling at Junsu. Junsu pouted and looked at his knee, bending and straightening it a few times as if to test its healing, sent a shy, toothy smile to Hoseok, and held his arms out to be picked up.

Hoseok’s heart just about melted as he obliged the child, setting him onto his hip, and waited for him to circle his tiny arms around his neck before taking him back to his desk. The desk was clean, with papers in a basket and a few of his favorite books propped up with a bookend that his coworkers had gifted him for his birthday. The bear theme held strong throughout Hoseok’s things, and Junsu seemed to be interested in them, as he peered over from Hoseok’s shoulder. He tried to set the boy onto the desk, but the boy held tight round his neck, nosing at his shoulder.

“Do I smell good, Junsu?” He asked, and was happy to receive a nod against his shoulder in response. “What do I smell like?”

Junsu took a moment to think, and then said “Flowers.” Hoseok nodded and cheered, causing the little one to giggle. Hoseok smelled like jasmine flowers and bergamot, and had been very pleased at the development following his presentation as an omega. He had always preferred fresh, clean scents to sugary, cloying ones. Despite his sweet disposition, Hoseok had never been a fan of sugary desserts, and had been relieved that when his scent began to change during puberty he didn’t smell of vanilla, or brown sugar, or anything too strong.

“You smell good too,” Hoseok said, and the little boy did. Junsu was a little alpha, and smelled like pine and fresh air. Most children smelled like a combination of their parents’ scents and milk in the first few years of their lives, and it wasn’t uncommon for parents to enjoy sniffing babies’ heads following their births. Of course, the milky scent faded as time progressed, but children generally still kept a milky-undertone until they started to spend more time apart from their parents as they entered school. Junsu kept some of this scent too, and Hoseok could hardly resist pressing his nose into the little boy’s silky black hair.

Nevertheless, he endured, armed with the knowledge that such closeness to someone else’s pup without permission would be completely inappropriate. In the back of his mind, he felt mildly alarmed at how bad his pup-fever was. He would have to talk to his boyfriend about it soon, or it was going to make being a children’s librarian into a mighty difficult career indeed.

“Junsu, did you come here by yourself today?” Hoseok asked instead of giving into his desires to scent the pup.

“No,” the boy said.

“Did you come with your mama or papa?”

“My daddy,” the boy answered, his arms still round Hoseok’s neck, but his attention focused on the different colorful books on the right side of the desk.

“Junsu, I think your daddy must be worried about you. Do you know your daddy’s name?” Hoseok asked.

“Daddy,” said Junsu, unhelpfully.

Hoseok grinned. “Okay, sit tight, and I’ll call your daddy, okay?” The boy did not respond; he was reaching for Paddington in the Garden. Hoseok handed him the book, wheezed as the boy stepped on his stomach while turning around to sit with his back to Hoseok’s chest, and then picked up the phone. He pressed the button for the loudspeaker and said “Min Junsu’s father, your son is in the librarian’s office on the third floor. Min Junsu’s father, please come to the office on the third floor, thank you.”

He returned the phone to the hook and looked where Junsu was peering down at the pictures in the book. “Junsu, do you like bears?” Junsu nodded. “Can you read?” Hoseok asked. Junsu shook his head, and then peered up at Hoseok with wide eyes, pointing to the book. “Do you want me to read it to you?” Hoseok asked, and Junsu nodded, turning back to look at the colorful illustrations.

Hoseok obliged, and they made it through four pages before there was a knock on the door and Taehyung strode in with a handsome-looking alpha following behind him.

“Hoseok, this is Alpha Min, Junsu’s dad.” Taehyung said with a big grin. He was the sort that children loved to play with, since his personality was so sunny. “I’m going to head back downstairs and make sure Namjoon has everything under control. Goodness knows he tends to get overwhelmed.”

Hoseok thanked Taehyung and waved him goodbye as he strode out of the office, leaving himself, Junsu, and Min Yoongi.

Junsu’s head whipped up and he scrambled out of Hoseok’s lap, leaving it feeling cold and sort of empty in contrast to the warm weight he had been supplying earlier.

“Daddy!” Junsu yelled and ran over to hug the man’s legs. The man had appeared short next to Taehyung’s lithe, willowy frame, but next to Junsu he was tall, and the little boy was dwarfed in comparison, his head not even reaching the man’s waist.

Alpha Min was clad in black slacks and a white, collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His black hair was fell across his forehead in a way that looked tastefully lazy, yet still somehow put together. He was most definitely an alpha, if Hoseok went off of his scent alone, which smelled of pine and fresh air, just like his son. He seemed a bit distressed, the otherwise wintery scent tainted with the sourness of smoke. He picked up the little boy and pressed a long kiss to the top of his head, before taking a whiff of the little alpha’s milky scent.

Hoseok stood from his chair, and held out his hand, cautiously, so not to startle the alpha who had, until moments before, likely been frantically searching for his child. “Alpha Min, I’m Jung Hoseok, one of the children’s librarians. Junsu fell and hurt his knee, so I helped him put a Band-Aid on, and we started reading Paddington in the Garden. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” said the man, shaking Hoseok’s hand, “I am Min Yoongi. Thank you for taking care of Junsu.” His voice was deep and smooth, and he had a slight lisp. His scent seemed to settle now that his pup was in his arms. Hoseok smiled at the sight. The boy was practically the spitting image of his father, his little button nose mirrored on the elder’s face. It was endearing to see such a strong resemblance. The similarity in their scents was remarkable, too. For a pup to smell so completely like their sire was uncommon. Hoseok wondered if the child’s dam was working overseas, or something, for their scent to be so incredibly absent from the boy.

“It was no problem. Junsu and I are good friends now. Right, Junsu?” Hoseok asked, his voice taking on a playful tone as he addressed the pup.

Junsu nodded and wiggled in Yoongi’s grip, holding his arms out for Hoseok. Hoseok blanched, and glanced at Yoongi to see his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The boy whined and kicked until Yoongi handed the boy over to Hoseok, where he promptly buried his nose below Hoseok’s jawline, near the omega’s scent gland. Hoseok let out a startled laugh.

“I guess we are better friends than I thought!” Hoseok said smiling sheepishly, looking over at the alpha.

“It seems that way,” Yoongi replied frostily, crossing his arms over his chest. Hoseok’s smile faltered. Although the pup had initiated the scenting, Hoseok was a strange omega, and a parent’s instincts tended to be hyper-vigilant regarding who was allowed to scent their child. It was for good reason, too, as scenting played a major part in a child’s development. Hoseok himself wore scent dampeners, so it was surprising that the pup was reacting to his scent as more than a mild soother.

Hoseok tried to gently pry the pup away from his neck, and received a displeased whine in response from the boy. He glanced over at the alpha with a slightly worried expression, meeting the man’s eyes, seeing his own expression mirrored there.

Hoseok turned his attention back to the boy. “Junsu, I think your daddy missed you after you were away from him for so long today. Don’t you want to give your daddy a big hug?”

“Already gave him a big hug!” was the reply, stated in a whiny, bratty tone.

“Junsu,” Hoseok said, bringing his hand to the pup’s silky hair, “why don’t you give your daddy a hug? You’re making your daddy sad; he came all this way just for you.”

The boy didn’t look up from his spot against Hoseok’s neck, but held out his arms to his father nonetheless, and once again the child was transferred into the alpha’s waiting arms. Junsu immediately turned his nose to press against his father’s scent glad, hiding his face away from Hoseok’s eyes.

Hoseok felt his heart break at how empty his arms felt once relieved of the pup. He fiddled with his fingers, unsure of what to do with them now that they were no longer supporting the little boy.

“Junsu, say thank you to Omega Jung for taking care of you, and say bye-bye,” said the alpha. Junsu kicked his legs and struggled in the alpha’s grip.

“No!” he yelled, his voice going up towards a shriek. “Not leaving!”

“Junsu,” the alpha said, his voice taking on a warning tone, “we need to go home. We promised grandma and grandpa we would eat dinner together with them. Say bye-bye to Omega Jung.”

Hoseok grimaced as the little boy began to have a meltdown, the pup’s loud sobs sending Hoseok and Yoongi alike into states of distress. He quickly reached out to wipe at his runny nose and pudgy cheeks. “Junsu,” Hoseok cooed at the boy, “it’s okay, I am here every day. We can play together soon and I will read you another story, does that sound good?” The boy’s meltdown paused and he whimpered a few times, looking at Hoseok with sad eyes. Hoseok stroked his hand down the back of Junsu’s head and scratched a few times at the nape of his neck, and watched satisfaction as the little boy’s whines quieted down into sniffles as he nodded. Hoseok smiled. “Bye-bye, Junsu. Please come back soon!”

Hoseok was startled out of his conversation when the alpha finally spoke again. “Thank you, I’m going to take Junsu home now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Omega Jung.”

“Call me Hoseok,” the omega replied, absentmindedly wiping another stray tear from Junsu’s cheek.

“Then, you can call me Yoongi,” Junsu’s father responded, “it was a pleasure to meet you, Hoseok. I hope you have a good rest of your day.”

And with those final words, the love of Hoseok’s life was carried away in the arms of the most handsome alpha he had ever seen.

Chapter Text

After a long day of rounding up rowdy children, the four children’s librarians were completely exhausted. Namjoon, in particular, was sweaty from giving kids piggy-back rides around the play area. Taehyung looked similarly disheveled, but his expression was peaceful and satisfied. Jimin looked immaculate as usual with not a single hair out of place, and Hoseok once again pondered whether or not Jimin was a witch or something, because no normal human looked that good after spending the entire day with children. Hoseok did not know what he looked like, but he doubted it was anything near as put-together as Jimin. He could already feel a nasty bruise forming on his calf where a particularly hyperactive child had jumped on him. Ah, the joys of working with children.

  “So, how did things go with that alpha earlier?” Taehyung asked, breaking the tired silence between the four of them. Jimin’s eyes lit up in interest and locked onto Hoseok.

  “What alpha?” Namjoon asked, flopping down bonelessly into his rolling chair with a loud thump . Hoseok followed suit moments later, pulling a handkerchief out of his desk drawer to mop underneath his bangs and at the back of his neck.

  “Earlier, when that little boy hurt his knee, I took him back here and patched him up and then called his father to come and get him,” Hoseok explained. Namjoon made a grunt of understanding.

Taehyung continued “Well let me tell you, that alpha was maybe the most gorgeous alpha that I’ve seen on this side of the city. He was so worried about his pup, too. His scent was so strong, it made me want to bear my neck or something.” 

  Jimin scoffed, “An alpha, submitting? Please.” 

Taehyung sniffed and replied “I may be an alpha, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy being taken care of every once in a while.”

Jimin looked thoughtful at that statement, peering over at Taehyung with unmasked interest. Hoseok and Namjoon made exasperated eye-contact. Jimin and Taehyung, both alphas, had been dancing around each other since they had been hired several years prior. Of course, Jimin was a very traditional alpha, while Taehyung seemed to take his secondary gender as a suggestion, and so they clashed in opinion more often than not. The sexual tension was unbearable, but neither one of them would act upon it. Though, that was likely more the fault of Jimin than anything else; Taehyung had made his interest very clear multiple times, though Jimin had yet to pick up on it.

“Okay!” Namjoon clapped, breaking the odd aura that had settled over the room, “Hoseok, tell us more about your hot alpha daddy.”

Hoseok’s cheeks went pink. “Ugh, don’t say it like that! He just wanted to retrieve his child from me, nothing else.”

Taehyung smirked and said cheekily “Well, I’ve never seen you react that way around any other alpha before. And, now you’ve shown him that you’re good with pups. He won’t forget about that for a while.”

“He’s obviously got a mate!” Hoseok protested, embarrassed, “and I’ve got a boyfriend already!”

“I didn’t see a mark,” Taehyung shot back with a teasing lilt in his voice, “and you and Yongho are about the least coupley couple I’ve ever seen. I can’t even smell his scent on you. Maybe you need a new love interest to spice things up a bit!”

Hoseok groaned and put his head into his hands as his coworkers took pleasure in his embarrassment. The tips of his ears felt hot. Yongho and he had been together for four years, having met each other through a mutual friend during their undergrad. Hoseok had been studying elementary education, and Yongho had been on the fast-track to medical school. Now, Yongho was in the first year of his residency, and as such, it was rare for their schedules to line up. Hoseok was lucky if he saw him once a week, let alone frequently enough for him to carry the beta’s scent. 

  Namjoon reached out to pat Hoseok’s shoulder. “Well, Yongho is really busy with his medical stuff. Of course Hoseok isn’t going to smell like him. He probably hasn’t left the hospital in weeks.”

“Stop,” Hoseok groaned, interrupting what would likely turn into a debate about the merits of his relationship. He loved his friends, and they were all close, but he didn’t need to be prodded where it stung. Hoseok already felt self-conscious about how little he smelled like Yongho and vice-versa. It didn’t help that the topic had become more and more frequent, as the three of them tended to be nosey.

Jimin finally broke his silence. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that we have a month before our next event.” 

And thus, the spotlight was off of Hoseok, for now. He sighed in relief and pulled out the forms to begin evaluating the success of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile day.  

----  

Hoseok waited at a table in the hospital coffee shop, cradling an icy cold glass of grapefuit-ade in his palms. A rapidly cooling cappuccino in a paper cup was placed in front of the empty chair across from him. He checked the time. 15 minutes late . Hoseok sighed. Waiting for Yongho had become common place. 

An omega-beta pair walked into the coffee-shop with their pup between them; a cute little beta girl in a puffy pink skirt and matching light-up sneakers. His heart ached at how sweet the trio was, with each parent holding one of the little girl’s hands. That could be him and Yongho, someday, he thought longingly. He had always wanted a pup, or two, or three, or four. It was one of the reasons he’d decided to go into a childcare field. Yongho had expressed similar sentiments, but had wanted to wait until he was done with med-school, which Hoseok understood. It wouldn’t do for Yongho to miss out on their pup’s early years because of work.

Another ten minutes passed before Yongho showed up. He wore green scrubs, and terribly hideous clog-shoes. “They’re comfortable,” Yongho had said when Hoseok teased him about the leopard-print monstrosities. “I am on my feet for over twelve hours a day; I don’t care if my shoes aren’t haute couture, babe.”  

He sat at the empty chair across from Hoseok, and took a sip of the cappuccino, made a noise of appreciation, and then leaned back in his chair. “Hi,” Yongho said, with a weak smile. He looked tired. Hoseok felt tired just looking at him.

“Hi baby,” Hoseok smiled, reaching his hand across the table for Yongho to hold. “Look over there, how cute” he grinned, gesturing towards the family from earlier. Yongho glanced over and hummed, but he didn’t make any other comment like he normally would have. 

Hoseok drew his hand back when Yongho took a sip of his coffee instead of reaching out to hold it. He cleared his throat. “How are your rotations going?”

“Ugh, they’re exhausting. I barely get 2 hours of sleep here and there before I’m pulled into something urgent. I was going to take a nap, but then I remembered that we were going to meet. I’m so tired,” Yongho complained. Hoseok’s scent soured slightly and he squirmed in guilt at having made his boyfriend’s life more difficult. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Hoseok said, concerned, “do you want to reschedule?” Yongho looked like he was about to collapse. The man’s normally bright eyes were dull and looked red, and carried bright purple bags underneath them. His hair was sort of greasy, and pulled back into a haphazard, slicked-back style. He wore glasses instead of his normal contacts. His scrubs were clean, but looked wrinkled and slept in. Hoseok ached at the sight. His poor beta was clearly overworked, and he had no idea what to do to help him.

  Hoseok’s heart swooped low in his chest as Yongho nodded. “Yea, I think that would be best. I’m sorry you came all this way.”

Hoseok ignored his disappointment and pasted on a tight smile. “Go on, get some sleep. We can meet during my lunch break tomorrow?” His voice went up hopefully at the end.

Yongho shook his head. “I’m supposed to shadow Doctor Lin during that time. I’ll check my schedule and send you a calendar invite when I can meet?” 

Hoseok nodded and watched with a sinking feeling as Yongho stood up, grabbing the cappuccino. He ignored the feeling and waved as Yongho shot him a tired smile and turned to leave. He sat there for much longer, staring at the drops rolling down the side of his glass, and pretended that he hadn’t noticed that Yongho hadn’t once touched him.

  -----

Min Yoongi liked to think of himself as successful. Sure, he had encountered bumps along the way, but the end result was not disappointing. He had a decent apartment, and a stable career. He was able to support his parents. He was good at his job; he enjoyed his job. He had a son. 

  Min Yoongi had a three-year-old alpha son, and he was proud to call himself Junsu’s father. 

Junsu had been born when Yoongi was 26, five years out of his undergrad degree and four years into his first job at a consulting firm. Yoongi had worked his way up, staying late to crunch numbers and ensure his clients’ satisfaction. He had been celebrating his promotion to department manager with his girlfriend, had forgotten to wear a condom, and that was that. His girlfriend’s birth control had failed, and two months later they sat in the doctor’s office in shock at the news. 

“Congratulations,” the doctor had said, and his girlfriend had promptly burst into tears. She was still young, 22 years old, having just graduated from undergrad and was working on her graduate degree.

  The events that had followed were ones that Yoongi didn’t enjoy remembering. 

  As a female alpha, carrying a child had never been on her radar. In fact, it was something she had explicitly expressed desire against. The reason the two of them had been together in the first place was their mutual desire to not have any children. 

As her stomach grew, alongside it, so did her distance from Yoongi. He did his best to provide for her in the ways he knew how, but he knew that she wasn’t happy; feeling like a prisoner in her own skin. One night, early in her third trimester, Yoongi had caught her pouring herself a glass of wine. He had exploded, screaming at her about the health of their child, and asking her “Do you even give a shit?”

She had left soon after that to live with her parents. Yoongi didn’t see her again until the day of Junsu’s birth, where the woman had refused to even look at the baby as it screamed from the pain of being brought into the world. She wouldn’t hold him, or nurse him. Her parents looked on in concern, but couldn’t force her to bring the child to her scent gland to bond with his mother. 

  Yoongi had taken the boy, and hadn’t heard from her since. 

Three years had passed since then, and Yoongi had worked hard to provide a life for his son. He was grateful that he had been promoted. His larger salary allowed him to buy luxuries which had become necessities in the absence of Junsu’s mother. Special formula to replace breast milk, medication to soothe the ache that occurred from the absence of his mother’s scent, and so many more complications that arose as a result of the abandonment of the child. 

He came home to his beautiful baby boy after work each day, thanked his parents for watching the pup, and pressed him up against his neck to scent him. Junsu had developed well despite the absence of his mother, and Yoongi thanked every god he knew for the small miracle that that was. 

Junsu had never raised the issue of his mother before, and Yoongi was dreading the day that Junsu would enroll in kindergarten and start to realize what he was missing. Until then, Yoongi would do the best that he could to be a successful parent, and to make his child happy. 

For that reason, Yoongi found himself driving back to the library, Junsu strapped in tightly to his car seat in the back. 

----- 

Junsu had asked every day when they would return to the children’s library to see “Hoseok, Daddy, Hoseok!” and Yoongi had held out for a solid two weeks before finally giving in to his demands. Junsu had been babbling on about the nice man “with the bears!” He reasoned that taking his child to the library would be a positive experience, and that it was important to foster good habits early on. Yoongi hadn’t cared much for reading, being much more interested in numbers and stocks, but he would be damned if he didn’t provide his pup the opportunity to learn to love reading. 

  Junsu kicked his feet excitedly in the backseat of the car, squealing in delight as they pulled into the parking structure across from the brick building painted with different book characters. Yoongi found a spot, paid for an hour, and then freed Junsu from his restraints.

“Daddy, can we bring Hoseokie to lunch with grandma and grandpa please?” Junsu asked. Yoongi smiled at his polite little boy. His mother had done a good job of teaching him manners.

“Not today, baby.” Yoongi replied, and watched Junsu scratch his button nose in annoyance.

Yoongi picked up the child and set him on his hip, but Junsu squirmed and began to whine, so Yoongi set him down and bent down to grab his son’s tiny hand. They likely looked ridiculous, but he knew that the boy would tire soon, and that he would carry him anyways, and so he remained bent over as he locked the car and pulled the little alpha towards the elevator. 

“Whee,” Yoongi said to Junsu as the elevator went down, and laughed as his little boy giggled. 

He picked up Junsu with minimal protest once they got to the crosswalk, as Junsu’s breath became more labored at the effort of trying to keep up with his dad’s long strides. They waited for the “little green man” to appear and then looked both ways before crossing the street. 

The library was several stories high, and painted with colorful depictions of different book characters from classic literature and children’s books alike. A monster from Where the Wild Things Are danced around on an island with Captain Hook from Peter Pan . Near the top of the building, there was what must have been the Bennet girls sitting at a table sipping tea with Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice . A great big lightbulb was painted in the lower left corner of the building. Anthem, maybe , Yoongi thought as the pair made their way towards the entrance.

Sitting right inside the doors was a big bench in the shape of a book, and Yoongi waited patiently for Junsu to climb onto it, jump off, and then continue on in towards the elevator. The first floor was a common meeting area with lots of tables and a cafeteria, and the second floor was home to various classrooms and conference rooms. The children’s section was located on the third floor, and each floor above that was a different section of the library, with the floors growing quieter each level upwards.  

Yoongi rarely progressed past the third floor, as he more often looked at financial analyses than any sort of reference book, but he did know that the sixth floor was home to maths and sciences, and had been there once or twice and was impressed by how extensive the library’s collection was. He supposed that a library in any big city would have an extensive collection, but regardless, liked to think of this library as the best . But, perhaps that was just due to him having pride in his city.

  They arrived at the third floor smoothly and without any interruptions, and Yoongi immediately caught the eye of the librarian who had helped him find the Children’s Library office. He sent him a bright grin from where he sat behind the circulation desk.

  “Hello Alpha Min, and hello Junsu!” the slender alpha greeted sunnily, and seemed pleased when Junsu peered out from where he stood behind Yoongi’s legs. “Can I help you find anything?”

  Junsu wasn’t shy at all when it came to getting what he wanted. “Please find us Omega Hoseok, please,” he demanded in his squeaky little voice. 

The man grinned over at Yoongi and picked up the phone from the hook. “I think that we could do that.” Yoongi sighed and shot a look towards the ceiling. He couldn’t understand why Junsu was so incredibly taken with the omega, but he supposed that this was his chance to find out.  

---- 

Hoseok had been up in the stacks, trying to figure out who was mixing up books about Patent Laws and Antitrust Policies . The disorganization on the shelves was getting to him more than usual; the result of Yongho leaving him on read for the better of the morning. When he had responded, it had been with a thumbs up. The nerve, Hoseok thought, as he continued to channel his frustration into reshelving. No matter how busy Yongho was, couldn’t he at least shoot a quick text once a day?

Patent Laws and Antitrust Policies ! Honestly, the two were completely different topics! Hoseok knew this and he didn’t even work in the law reserves! “Kim Jongdae needs to do his job,” he mumbled to himself in irritation as he moved KF1649.S342014 away from the Legal Ethics section over to where it should have been by the Antitrust books. As he wheeled his cart through the rows and rows of shelves, he made a noise of affrontation as he spied a colorful hardcover copy of The Berenstain Bears in between books about International Human Rights . 

“This is ridiculous!” Hoseok declared, rescuing the poor book from the dark, metal shelves. “How did this even get up here?” Bears again. He thought back to a yellow bandage and reading Paddington Bear . He vaguely wondered how the little pup, Junsu, was doing. Smiling fondly at the book, he placed it carefully onto the metal cart. 

He began to push the cart towards the elevator, having finally finished shelving all of the returns, when he heard a soft ping come from his phone. He pushed the cart into the elevator, pressed the button for the third floor, and then went to check what notification had popped up. His heart raced at the prospect of a text back from Yongho. Maybe he was on his break and they could even have a quick phone call.

The text was not what he expected, but it didn’t make his heart beat any slower. Hot alpha daddy is back, and he wants to see you! ;) A text from Taehyung read. Hoseok’s cheeks went pink and he quickly brought his palms to cradle his face to try and cool himself down. Sooner rather than later, the elevator arrived at the third floor. He checked the elevator doors to make sure no small children would be run over, and then pushed the cart out and in the direction of the offices. After putting it away, he pulled his phone back out and replied Where?

Taehyung’s reply was nearly instantaneous. circ desk on the third floor .

Junsu must be there, then. Hoseok quickly checked his appearance in the staff bathroom mirror, smoothing his chocolate-colored hair out of his eyes, and turned to leave. On his way out the door, thought for a moment, grabbed The Berenstain Bears off of the cart, and then turned back to make his way to the children’s reading room.

Hoseok pushed open the doors to the reading room and was quickly assaulted with a cacophany of scents. Although the ones that he latched onto were the smells of pine a fresh air and milk . His head whipped over to the circulation desk, and there stood Junsu and his dad. Hoseok couldn’t help the grin the split across his face and he dropped into a crouch. The little boy, having escaped the clutches of his father, shrieked and threw himself into Hoseok’s embrace.

 “Hi Junsu!” Hoseok greeted excitedly. “You’re back!” The little boy giggled and squeezed his arms around Hoseok’s neck as tightly as he could, and shoved his nose into Hoseok’s scent gland. The omega stood and looked over to his coworker and the pup’s father.

“Hello, Alpha Min,” Hoseok said in a much more casual tone. The alpha was looking at him a bit strangely, and it sent shivers up the omega’s spine. Yoongi was really handsome.

“Hello, Omega Jung, though I believe I asked you to call me Yoongi,” the alpha replied. He took a step towards Hoseok and rested his hand on Junsu’s soft hair. “This one has been talking about you non-stop since the last time we saw you.”

Hoseok felt a strange sense of pride swell up in his chest. He dropped his nose briefly against the child’s head to get a whiff of his milky scent, and then turned his gaze back towards the alpha. “I’m flattered to know that I left such a big impression,” he said shyly. Theoretically, the way that he was acting towards the pair was a bit odd. It wasn’t like him to become attached to any one child so quickly. 

The alpha cleared his throat, breaking Hoseok from his thoughts. “I’m sorry, I know that you must be busy with work, but Junsu wanted to see you.”

“Of course!” Hoseok said, turning his attention to Junsu. They locked eyes and Hoseok made his own extra wide and grinned in triumph as Junsu laughed and brought his hand to Hoseok’s cheek, pulling at the skin there. “Ow!” Hoseok pretended to be hurt and made a face at the boy, even though Junsu’s grip was weak. Junsu laughed even as his father sighed in exasperation. 

“In fact, I have a book I think you might like. Tada!” Hoseok sang as he picked The Berenstain Bears up from where he had set it onto the circulation desk counter. “Have you read this one before?” Hoseok asked, walking over to the couch in the corner, glancing behind to make sure that Yoongi was following. He was.

“Are you sure it’s alright for you to be doing this? What about your job?” Yoongi asked, just as Hoseok had managed to situate himself and the little alpha in a prime reading position on the over-stuffed sofa.

 Hoseok nodded, shooting a mischievous look at the alpha. “Yoongi, helping children to develop an interest in reading is my job, and I picked out this book just for Junsu.” 

 Yoongi held his hands up in a placating gesture and stood awkwardly in front of where Hoseok had situated himself and the pup. Hoseok sighed in fake exasperation and patted the spot next to him. “Come on, Yoongi, we can take turns reading.” He swallowed down the warmth that erupted in his chest as the alpha obliged, and opened the book to the first page and began to read, “It was a special day in a treehouse down a sunny dirt road deep in bear country. It was brother bear’s birthday…”

-----

The car ride home from the library proved to be much less interesting than the one over. Hoseok had managed to get through quite a few bear-related titles before Junsu nodded off in his lap. Yoongi had taken that as his cue to leave and bid the kind librarian farewell on the behalf of both of them.

Yoongi glanced at his pup in the rearview mirror, and saw that the telltale bobbing of his head, letting him know that Junsu was fast asleep in his carseat. He turned his gaze back towards the road just as the light turned green.

After pulling into his parking space in his apartment building’s garage, Yoongi opened the door to the backseat as softly as he could in hopes of letting Junsu sleep a little longer before dinner. Much to his surprise, Junsu stayed asleep, and Yoongi huffed a soft laugh. All that reading must have tuckered his little boy out more than he had thought.

Yoongi began to make the trek towards the apartment entrance, when he heard his phone ding from his pocket. He made quick work of unlocking the door with his badge and shuffling inside before attempting to free up a hand to check his notifications. 

There was a text from his friend Jin, from university. Drinks tonight, normal spot?

Jungkook, his junior from university, was swift in his response. Yes!! What i wouldn’t give for a pitcher of beer rn T^T

Sorry, Yoongi texted, I don’t know if I can get a sitter on such short notice. 

Oh shit, said Jungkook. Can you see if Beta Dang from down the hall can watch him? 

Maybe, let me check, said Yoongi. 

He put his phone back into his pocket and finally opened the door to his apartment, just in time for Junsu to grumble about being hungry. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” he cooed as Junsu rubbed at his eyes. “What are you hungry for?”

Junsu kicked his legs consideringly, and then chirped “Pizza!” 

Yoongi chuckled. “Okay,” he said, setting Junsu onto the counter so that he could pull his phone out to make a call. Junsu, absolutely thrilled at being on the counter let out a delighted squawk. 

“Daddy! You put me on the table!” He crowed, clapping his tiny hands.

Yoongi gave him a grin, booping his nose. “Just for right now. Not in the future, though, okay?”

His statement went ignored. It was likely for the best, the pizza place had picked up the phone. 

---

After a greasy dinner and a bath, Yoongi smoothed out Junsu’s blanket and kissed the pup’s forehead. “Goodnight Junsu,” he said softly, “Daddy loves you. Be good for Beta Dang, okay?”

“Night night, Daddy,” Junsu mumbled, his eyes already halfway closed. Yoongi smiled and thumbed at his cheek, then stood to go out into the living room where his neighbor sat on the couch, cross-stitching. 

“Thank you so much for watching him on short notice, Beta Dang,” Yoongi said. The elderly beta woman glanced up from her cross stitch and waved her hand dissmissively. 

“You know that I love the little dear,” she said with a grin. “Just make sure to come back before midnight! The last thing I need is a sore back from sleeping on your couch again,” she said pointedly over the top of her glasses. 

Yoongi blushed and laughed awkwardly. “I’ll be sure to do that. See you soon.”

---

It wasn’t difficult to spot Jin and Jungkook upon arriving to the bar. Jin was his own honing beacon, what with how much he flailed his arms, and how his laugh seemed to float on top of any noise. His clothing was undoubtedly expensive, given the quality tailoring of hs tweed suit, and if that hadn’t given away his status, the designer watch on his wrist surely would. 

In contrast, Jungkook looked like he was ready to throw a molotov cocktail at all times. His hair was dyed a soft pink, and had clearly been cut with a razor in someone’s bathroom. This paired with his tendency towards all black homemade outfits and many piercings and tattoos made the two of them an odd pairing. Next to the both of them, Yoongi was boring in comparison.

Jin waved excitedly as he noticed Yoongi walk in the door. “Yoongles!” He cried. A sure sign he was on drink two or three. Jungkook turned and offered a more subdued greeting of a smirk and a peace sign.

Yoongi groaned as he collapsed onto the booth seat next to Jungkook. Jin tended to prefer being the center of attention, and that often meant Yoongi and Jungkook smooshing up next to each other so that they would both be paying Jin their full-attention. At least, this was the protocol set into place by Jin. It was a good arrangement for the three of them, since Jungkook tended to be a clingy drunk and Jin didn’t enjoy touching all that much. 

Jungkook patted his shoulder consolingly. “Long day?” He asked.

“Actually, not really,” he said, flagging the waiter over to order a whiskey sour. “How about you two?”

Jungkook grimaced. “I had an exam today.” 

“And?”

“I passed, but it was a close call.”

“Good pup,” said Yoongi, patting him on his thigh. “What else besides school?”

Jungkook crinkled his nose. “I went on a shitty date.” 

Jin barked out a surprised laugh. “You, the shiest person I know, went on a date? With who!”

“This alpha from my art class asked me,” Jungkook sighed, fiddling with one of the many rings adorning his slender fingers. “We went to the art museum downtown and I was having a good time and she smelled pretty nice and I had a lot of pent-up energy after my exam, so I was gonna give her head in the bathroom, and then she tried to tell me how much better I am than her exes, who were all crazy, so I asked her what that was supposed to mean, and she said that all of her ex-omegas were psychos. One crazy ex, I can believe. Every ex is crazy? Red fucking flag. So I left her with her pants down in a bathroom stall and told everyone in my art class that she had crabs.” 

“As you should,” said Yoongi with a smirk, as he let the malt sit on his tongue.

Jungkook stuck out his tongue playfully at the alpha, and then they both turned to Jin.

“Well, as you both know, I am jetlagged as all hell from my trip to Belgium.” Jin said smugly.

“Fuck you,” Jungkook said. “How dare you humble brag about your travels.”

Jin tsked and shook his head. “It’s not like it was fun and games, JK,” Jin said, “We’ve been having an issue with one of our distributors and I got to deal with that. Then, I had to go and schmooze around to make sure we kept our clients after the issue had been taken care of. It really sucked considering that every time one of those sleazeballs got a whiff of me, they all thought they could pull some shit on me, like making suggestive comments about how I was doing my job and shit.”

Jungkook looked sufficiently cowed. “Sorry,” he said.

“Not your fault, sweetheart. I just wanted to complain. And speaking of complaining, you will not believe it! I got matched with a potential match for the… you know... and I met him, right? And he was such an asshole! He started changing up what he wanted at our meeting. He said he wanted to mate before having kids, and he would want me to leave my job to raise the baby full-time, which is not what he said in his profile. Like nevermind! I would literally rather have a one night stand and hope for the best.”

“Shit,” said Jungkook. “So what are you going to do? Didn’t you say this agency was supposed to be really good?”

“The best, ” Jin whined, allowing his forehead to drop and press against the sticky tabletop. “And if this is the best, I’m worried about moving to another agency.” He let out an agonized groan. “I am never going to have a pup at this rate!”

Jungkook gave him a sympathetic look. “Maybe a one-night stand isn’t such a bad idea?” He offered. “At least that way you wouldn’t have to worry about some asshole alpha during your pregnancy.”

“Ugh, I totally would,” said Jin, “but it’s just not safe. I want to know the donor’s medical history in case my pup gets sick.”

Yoongi nodded and decided to chime in. “That’s true. And, if the one-night did find out, then they could fight Jin for custody if they found out that they had a kid. Plus, given how much Jin makes, they would probably also try to get child support from him.”

“Fuck my life,” said Jin as he downed the rest of his sangria. “I’m ordering another pitcher for the table. Now Yoongles, how is my favorite darling nephew?”

“I took Junsu to the library today. He seems to be taken with one of the children’s librarians there.” 

Jin hummed, stirring at his sangria with his straw. He sighed as the paper at the top began to unravel. “Ugh, would it kill people to make eco-friendly straws that don’t dissolve in liquid?” He grumbled. Jungkook wordlessly pulled a metal straw from his left boot and offered it to Jin, who scruched his nose in disgust. 

“No thanks,” Jin said, “I’m not one for smelly feet.”

“You asked, I delivered,” Jungkook countered, sliding the straw back into his shoe. Yoongi rolled his eyes.

“You know, I seem to recall gifting you some nice bags over the years,” Jin said.

“Yea, but they were too… adult.” 

“Jungkook, you are an adult.” 

“Oh yea? Well could an adult do this- ”

“Hello, I thought we were talking about me and my stuff,” Yoongi complained before Jungkook could do something that would draw any more attention to their table.

“Yes, sorry,” said Jin, abandoning the disintegrating straw into the empty beer pitcher at the end of the table. “So, is this librarian an alpha, beta, omega…?”

“He’s an omega,” Yoongi said, throwing back the dregs of his first drink and flagging the waiter for a round two. “Junsu loves him. It’s almost scary how fast he got attached to this omega. Junsu even smells like him now.” 

At this, Jin and Jungkook both turned to stare at Yoongi in shock. 

Jungkook bit his lip and timidly asked “Um, do you think that it’s safe for Junsu? Like, is this omega an okay person?”

Yoongi shrugged. “He seems like he’s in the perfect career,” he admitted, offering a brief thanks to the waiter as his second drink arrived. “He’s amazing with Junsu. Gets him to sit down and read, which is something I’ve never managed.”

Jin nodded in consideration, and Jungkook looked slightly reassured. “That’s good,” Jin said. “But even if this librarian is an amazing person, they still shouldn’t just be scenting anyone’s pup.”

“That’s the thing, Omega Jung didn’t do anything. It was Junsu who keeps sticking his nose up against Omega Jung’s scent gland.”

“Oh,” said Jin. “Well, not much you can do about that.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi sighed. “I’m just worried. Maybe Junsu needs to be around more omegas that I know for sure he can trust and try to scent with them. The doctors said he should be fine without a mother’s scent, but that he might be instinctively looking for a mother-figure to supplement my scent with.”

Jin and Jungkook traded glances. “That’s interesting, so tell us more about this Omega Jung. Is he cute?” said Jungkook with an impish grin. 

Yoongi rolled his eyes for the second time that night. “I barely know him.” 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Jungkook sang tauntingly while Jin laughed into his sangria glass, which over the course of the conversation had steadily emptied.

Yoongi blushed, which seemed to be answer enough for the two omegas as they burst out into voracious laughter.

“Who knew Junsu would be such a little matchmaker!” Jin said, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes. 

“Seriously guys, would you mind trying to scent him and see if it goes well?”

Jungkook nodded lazily, and Jin cried “Of course!” Then, their second pitcher of beer arrived and things quickly devolved from there.

----

It was just Yoongi’s luck that not only did Junsu completely ignore any attempts that Jin made to try and scent him, but also that Jin was close to his heat and Junsu’s rejection made him teary. On his couch . 

Jungkook’s attempts were similarly rebuffed, which at least saved them all from a full Jin meltdown. Given how badly the omega wanted a pup, even the slightest of indicators that he might not be dam material could throw him into despair.

Yoongi sighed and shook his head as he watched Jungkook and Junsu tussle on the living room rug in his apartment, and then handed Jin another tissue.

“This Omega Jung must be something if Junsu prefers him over me, Kim Seokjin.” Jin sniffed, dabbing under his eyes carefully so as not to disturb his mascara.

Yoongi bit his lip. “Sometimes,” he murmured, “I wonder if just having me isn’t enough for him.” 

Jin scoffed. “Yoongi, you spoil that pup so much, you’re worth two parents all on your own. Though I do wonder why he scents the librarian, but not me or Jungkookie. After all, we’ve known him since he was born.” 

Junsu bit Jungkook’s leg and scrambled out from under him as Jungkook yelped in surprise. Junsu’s teeth couldn’t really do any damage, luckily, but Yoongi frowned all the same. 

“ Junsu…” Yoongi warned, putting his hands on his hips. “What have I said about biting?”

Junsu pouted. “Not to.” 

“And what did you do.”

“... I bit.”

Jin snickered and scooped Junsu up by his armpits, resulting in the pup squealing and kicking his feet. “This little rascal just wanted a taste!” Jin crowed, swinging Junsu around playfully.

“Wait Jinnie! Daddy talked about Hoseokkie.” Junsu giggled as he tried to wiggle his way out of the omega’s grip. “When are we seeing Hoseokkie!” He demanded.

Yoongi sighed, taking his hands off of his hips as he realized that trying to instate some level of discipline while Jungkook or Jin was around would be impossible. The pair of them tended to feed off of each other’s chaos.

“We can go tomorrow, IF,” Yoongi said sternly, “and only if you apologize to Kookie and promise not to bite him again.”

Junsu’s apology did not seem very sincere, but Yoongi was nothing if not a pushover for his pup. They would be seeing Omega Jung soon, then.

Soon, he thought.

Chapter Text

Two days following his meeting with Junsu and Alpha Min, Hoseok found himself once again waiting for Yongho in the hospital coffee shop. He had rushed there after a long shift, barely managing to call out a goodbye to his coworkers and shove his arms into his jacket sleeves as he left. 

As he sat at his usual table in the corner near the window facing the street, Hoseok’s mind wandered. He bit at the inside of his cheeks as he recalled how he had acted around Min Yoongi earlier during the week. He had been nearly giddy at impressing the alpha, showing off his child rearing skills for a taken alpha with a pup. It was humiliating to even think of.

Biological imperative, however, was much stronger than Hoseok had ever imagined. He could scarcely keep himself from refusing to put down the little pup when Alpha Min announced they were going to leave. 

The cuticles of Hoseok’s nails had become more and more reddened and chapped throughout the week. He was quickly becoming attached to Junsu. It was practically unheard of for pups to go near an unfamiliar scent gland due to the sensitivity of their developing noses. It was even more unusual for a pup to seek comfort in an adult who didn’t carry any scent of their parents’.

Condensation rolled down the side of Hoseok’s glass. In his distraction, he had ordered an iced tea despite his dislike for it. Yongho’s usual caramel macchiato was in a mug with the cafe’s logo on it. He had offhandedly hoped that the mug would compel the beta to stay and finish his drink at the table with him before he had to return to his rounds. That hope was becoming slimmer as the ice cubes in his iced tea became less and less.

It was 20 minutes past the time they had agreed to meet when Yongho shuffled in.

He looked much better rested, though no less stressed. He still wore his glasses. This time, he had given up at any semblance of a hairstyle and let his bangs fall across his forehead.

Hoseok flashed the other man a small smile. He knew it didn’t measure up to his usual brightness, but it was the best he could do. “Hi, baby.”

Yongho plopped down into the chair across from him. “Hi, Hoseok,” he said with a weak smile.

Hoseok’s brows furrowed but he quickly smoothed them out. The lack of a pet name was unusual, but not necessarily indicative of anything. Hoseok was likely reading too much into things. 

“You never called me back yesterday,” Hoseok said lightly, playfully. Or, at least he tried to come across as playful. Yongho’s pursed lips told him that perhaps he wasn’t as successful as he’d have liked.

“I was busy,” Yongho replied, “You smell different.” His eyes locked onto Hoseok as he brought the mug to his lips, taking a sip of the sugary drink.

Hoseok bit his lip and looked down at his glass. “There’s a pup that I’ve gotten close to at work.”

Yongho hummed and took another sip. “A pup, huh? That’s great.”

Hoseok nodded. “You know I love kids,” he said, and it was true. There was a reason why Hoseok was a children’s librarian. It was one of the things Yongho said he loved about him, and one that they had discussed at length in regards to their future.

“A pup, is that why you’ve been distant lately?” Yongho asked, his expression calm and nonchalant but his gaze focused.

Hoseok sputtered. “Me? I’ve been distant?” He winced at his tone, and at Yongho’s subsequent darkening of his expression. “I mean,” he continued, unable to stop his word-vomit, “you haven’t exactly been making an effort.”

“I am busy,” Yongho hissed, setting his mug onto the table with a loud clack . “You know that this is my dream. You knew that I would be busy.”

“I know,” Hoseok said weakly, already regretting his earlier accusations, “I’m sorry. It’s just that, when I come, you barely stay for half an hour. We never hold hands, or talk. My friends tell me that I smell like I’m single now. You promised you would do your best to make time for me.”

Yongho kept his gaze, and then sighed and looked down at the table. “I thought that after so many years, you would just know how I feel about you. I didn’t realize that I had to spell it out for you.”

Hoseok’s eyes welled up with tears. “Yongho, I didn’t mean it like that--“

“Then what did you mean?”

“I just want to be able to see you more, or to at least make the most of the time we do spend together.” Hoseok pleaded, placing his hand on top of Yongho’s, desperate to lessen the space between them.

“Don’t we see each other enough?” Yongho said, his voice tired. The vibrant, lemony scent that Hoseok had fallen in love with smelled bitter and rotten. He pulled his hand out from under Hoseok’s to scrub across his face. “I mean, help me out here, babe, I’ve been working hard so that I can support us in the future, and then when we see each other, we fight? What is this? What happened to us?”

Hoseok let out a small sniffle and stared firmly down at his iced tea. All of the ice cubes in it had melted, and the sweat on the outside of the glass had dripped like fat tears onto the table in an absolute mess of water. “I just thought we would be mated by now,” he confessed, and then, to save himself the embarrassment of crying in public, grabbed his jacket and his bag and escaped out towards the bus station.

-----

Hoseok was sure that everyone could smell how sad he was at work. Despite his incredible acting ability, and his liberal use of scent dampeners, controlling his emotions had never been something that Hoseok was very skilled at. So, his coworkers watched as he went about his day with a bright smile, and grimaced at the scent of dying flowers that polluted the air around him.

Finally, the time came for the four of them to take their lunch break, but instead of accompanying the others to the cafeteria, Hoseok pretended to get an important phone call and took his packed lunch out to the park across the street from the library building. He sat on a bench underneath the shade of a large tree and unwrapped his salad and sandwich.

Stabbing his fork into the wilting greens he sighed. His meeting with Yongho had been a complete disaster, and more and more lately Hoseok was finding it difficult to muster the courage to bother the beta. He missed the days at the beginning of their relationship, when Yongho would use any excuse to visit him, often bringing Hoseok’s favorite snack and a warm hug for the omega. 

Things had slowed down after the beta had entered medical school, but they had made it work. Was residency going to break them? Was it even because of the residency, or was it something else?

“Hoseok!” a voice called from somewhere nearby. Hoseok looked up from his salad and glanced around before spotting Min Yoongi walking towards him. The alpha was wearing a crisp navy pinstripe suit with a lighter blue collared shirt underneath. He even had a pastel purple pocket square to match the pastel purple and navy striped tie he wore. Hoseok had always been appreciative of skillful tailoring, so no one could begrudge Hoseok for noticing how well Min Yoongi’s suit fit him.

“Alpha Min,” Hoseok greeted as the alpha sat down next to him on the bench. He scooted over to give the alpha some more room, and noticed with shy pleasure that the man followed his motion and scooted towards him. “What are you doing here?”

The alpha smiled, and Hoseok’s stomach swooped. It was small and gummy and perfect , and made Yoongi look so much more friendly than he did without it. The alpha’s eyes were rather dark in color, which made his resting face intimidating. With a smile, he looked younger and so much like Junsu .

Or rather, Junsu looked like him.

“What, did you forget that you agreed to call me Yoongi?” asked the alpha, as he teasingly nudged Hoseok with his elbow. Hoseok squawked at the assault. "You were calling me Yoongi the entire time Junsu and I came to visit, remember?"

Hoseok shyly said “Yoongi,” and ducked his head so the alpha wouldn’t see his blush. He cleared his throat and continued, “But you never answered my question.”

“I work around here,” the alpha replied, pointing in the general direction of the finance district. “I usually come out here to grab lunch and stretch my legs before sitting at my desk for another few hours. I haven’t seen you eating out here before, though.”

Hoseok nodded. “Yea, I usually eat in the cafeteria with my friends.” He brought his fork up to his mouth and took a bite of the salad, then kept his hand there to cover his chewing. “I just felt like being outside today.”

The alpha’s head bobbed, and his hair flopped with it. Just like Junsu , Hoseok thought, and shoveled another bite of lettuce into his mouth before he could do something stupid and relay this thought to the other man.

 “It is a nice day outside,” the alpha replied, and leaned back against the back of the bench and crossed his ankle over his knee.

 Hoseok swallowed his salad and brought his hand away from his mouth. “How is Junsu?”

 “He’s good! He’s been making me read him The Berenstain Bears every night. Can you believe that?” The alpha laughed. Hoseok laughed with him.

“Yea, he’s a sweetheart,” Hoseok sighed wistfully, taking another bite of salad. “What do you do for work?”

“I work for a consulting firm in that building over there,” Yoongi replied, and Hoseok’s eyes widened.

“Wow, impressive!” the omega praised, and was rewarded with the sight of Min Yoongi red-cheeked. 

The alpha rubbed at the back of his neck; “I guess so…”

“So what do you do there?” Hoseok inquired politely. 

“I’m the team leader for the market research team. I used to do client work, but this position allowed me to spend more time with Junsu, and came with a fancy office and an even fancier paycheck,” Yoongi said with a teasing smile.

Hoseok clapped as best he could while holding a fork and did his best to keep a straight face. The alpha scrunched his nose and scoffed before laughing. It was so endearing and reminded Hoseok so strongly of Junsu that he laughed along with him.

“Listen, Hoseok,” the alpha began, and Hoseok set his fork down, turning his torso towards the alpha to signal his full attention. “Junsu really likes you. I don’t know what it is, but he will not stop talking about you at home, and I was just thinking that maybe we could exchange numbers or something, in case you and Junsu wanted to meet.” Hoseok blinked. Yoongi matched his gaze with a sort of intensity, but didn’t look shy or nervous at all.

“Of-of course,” Hoseok said, and pulled out his phone, handing it over to Yoongi. He watched the movement of Yoongi’s long, elegant fingers inputting his number into his contacts. As the alpha handed his phone back to him, Hoseok couldn’t help but to grin as he saw the little emoji of a bear next to Yoongi’s name.

Hoseok sent him a quick text ( hello!!) and watched as Yoongi’s phone screen lit up in response. Yoongi smiled at Hoseok, slapped his palms onto his knees and said “Right,” before standing up and offering his hand to him. Hoseok took it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet, noticing that his own hand was dwarfed by the other’s. 

“Will you be back here on Friday? Perhaps we can eat lunch together again,” Yoongi offered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his perfectly tailored slacks.

“Yes,” Hoseok replied before he could think too hard about it. “I’ll be here.”

---

It became a new weekly routine for Hoseok. Every Friday he would walk down the stairs with his friends, but while the three of them would head for the cafeteria, Hoseok would wave his goodbye and head outside to sit next to Yoongi under the tree. 

It was peak summertime, with the sun beating down hot, but Hoseok never once complained. He felt nervous and shivery around Yoongi, but in a good way. It was a feeling he didn’t quite recognize, but also did not dislike.

Hoseok had learned a good deal about Yoongi. There were the things that he had been told: the alpha was 29 years old, he had majored in business with a focus in finance, he used to play basketball, he had been scouted by a modeling company when he was 16, his favorite colors were white and black, he loved living in the city, his first car was a Toyota, and so on. 

Then there were the things that he had not been told: Yoongi’s eyes formed little crescents when he smiled, he had the bad habit of biting his lip, he sucked in his cheeks to show that he was interested, he hated sunflower seeds and picked them out of every salad, he loved his career and his team members, he hated the heat and dabbed himself frequently with a cotton handkerchief, his skin was naturally that pale, his veins were visible on his arms and his shoulders were beautifully broad.

Yoongi had in turn learned quite a bit about Hoseok as well. The omega found himself sharing things about himself he would normally be quite reserved about, but he found it easy to open up around the elder. 

They had discussed at length Hoseok’s educational career (he had studied elementary education in undergrad and then library science in graduate school), and Yoongi had seemed impressed at the omega’s dedication and grit. 

Hoseok was sure that Yoongi must have picked up on other things about Hoseok as well, but he was nervous to ask what those things might be, afraid that drawing attention to himself would affect the way that the alpha saw him.

One topic that the pair often returned to was Junsu. Every so often, Hoseok would bring down a book that reminded him of the pup, and Yoongi would smile and slip it into his briefcase, and then bring it back the next week in exchange for another. 

Sometimes, Yoongi would show Hoseok pictures of the pup, and they would coo over how cute he looked in his water wings or petting a dog that the alpha pair had run into at the playground. Hoseok was positively enamored with the little boy, and was not afraid to admit as such.

Friday lunch time quickly became Hoseok’s favorite part of the week. A small part of him hoped that it was Yoongi’s favorite, too.

---

Several weeks later, Yoongi and Hoseok sat again on the bench under the shade of a tree in a poor attempt to escape the blazing August heat. 

“I regret everything,” Yoongi groaned, tugging roughly at the knot of his tie and unbuttoning the top buttons of his collared shirt. Sweat beaded at the back of his neck, and it was making the ends of his hair clump together wetly. 

“Poor alpha,” Hoseok simpered exaggeratedly, batting his eyelashes and pouting. He was much comfier in his own light blouse, having left his usual cardigan at his desk, and he was feeling very smug about it. At least, smug enough to rib at his lunch partner’s misfortune that accompanied being in a high-positioned job.

 “You’re a menace,” Yoongi complained, frowning as he wiped sweat from his forehead as best he could. 

Hoseok just grinned and took a bite of the sushi that Yoongi had picked up nearby. They had started to take turns bringing lunch each week, and had made it a competition to see who could bring the best food. This manifested in Hoseok bringing more and more elaborate bento boxes, and in Yoongi bringing more and more exciting takeout. 

Today, Hoseok was especially appreciating the delightful coolness of fresh fish spread in a beautiful sashimi platter that was kept cool on a block of ice. Wherever Yoongi had gotten it from, it was certainly expensive. It definitely tasted expensive, and Hoseok savored every bite. He hummed happily after a particularly tasty morsel of unagi.

Yoongi was in the middle of taking a bite of salmon when Hoseok said with a grin, “By the way, you’ll be fending for yourself next week. I’ll make it up to you in two weeks, though!”

“Oh?” said the alpha after he finished chewing the fish, and had washed it down with cool green tea for good measure. “You got a hot date or something?” he said, gently elbowing Hoseok’s side.

“Yea,” Hoseok said. He grabbed a piece of tuna with his chopsticks. There was a lot left -- Yoongi seemed to prefer squid. Funnily, that was Hoseok’s least favorite. Well, more tuna for him. “I’m going to have lunch with my boyfriend. That was the only time he could get away from rotations.”

“Oh,” the alpha said, and shoved another piece of squid into his mouth. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

“Yea, I know I don’t really smell like him,” Hoseok said, a poor attempt at a smile gracing his lips. It was a small, self-deprecating thing, and Yoongi hated it. The alpha much preferred Hoseok’s wide, heart-shaped grin. 

“He’s really busy with med school,” the omega said, and continued to prattle on about how his boyfriend, Yongho, was so sweet to be making time for him.

Bitterly, Yoongi did his best not to think about how much time he would make for Hoseok if he was his boyfriend. It wasn’t his place, Yoongi thought, to be having any sorts of feelings beyond friendship for someone as good as Hoseok.

In complete discordance with the irritation that threatened to overflow from his chest, Yoongi forced the corners of his lips into some semblance of a smile. “I guess I’ll be eating at the office next week.”

“Oh yea? That will be nice to eat with your team members for a change, right?” Hoseok teased. 

“Yea, they’re gonna give me hell for what I bring for lunch, though,” the alpha chuckled.

Hoseok’s head tilted and his brows furrowed. “What? Why?”

“It’s going to be cubes of cheese, ham, and grapes, since that’s what I usually pack for Junsu,” Yoongi explained, his smile becoming more genuine at the thought of his pup. 

It was worth the semi-embarrassment at the low-effort, pup-tailored lunch that Yoongi felt to see Hoseok’s face light up in laughter.

---

The week passed much too slowly for an impatient Hoseok. As Friday neared, he would look at his calendar and smile at the words “Date with Yongho!!!” scrawled next to two cute, cartoon bear stickers. 

After hours of scrolling on different blogs and through social media, Hoseok had picked out the perfect restaurant. It wasn’t too fancy, but it had great reviews and an extensive menu so they could both enjoy their meal. 

The omega grimaced as he thought of the vegan cafe he had originally suggested. It was in a nicer part of town so it would have required a change of clothes, and it was not very close to the hospital, so Yongho would have had to take the bus. Plus, Yongho didn’t care for vegan food. It was a selfish suggestion, and Hoseok felt embarrassed for even having brought it up.

He had learned from his mistake, and had made sure to find somewhere within walking distance to the hospital that served meat and wouldn’t require Yongho to change out of his scrubs. It was better, Hoseok thought, because that way they could spend more time together.

 Finally, Friday arrived and Hoseok bid goodbye to his friends and booked it for the bus stop. It was about a ten minute bus ride from the library to where the hospital was, so Hoseok had left for lunch a little bit early. 

He twisted his hands in his lap on the bus, having been lucky enough to get a seat. Given that it was mid-day, though, this wasn’t a surprise. 

The restaurant he had chosen was packed, and Hoseok was glad he had called ahead. The hostess and he exchanged hellos and some quick banter on the way to a booth near the back of the diner. He ordered them both waters and pulled out his phone to let Yongho know that he had arrived. 

I’m here!!! Hoseok typed. So excited to see you~ <3

He opened the menu, and flagged the waitress over, putting in an order for a salad for himself and a reuben for Yongho. He was sure the beta had worked up an appetite at work and would want to eat as quickly as possible.

The waitress dropped the waters off with a smile, and Hoseok glanced back at his phone. The screen read that his text had been read five minutes ago, but Yongho hadn’t responded. 

I ordered you a sandwich , Hoseok typed, feeling something suffocating settle at the back of his throat. I wanted to make sure you’d have time to eat. I hope that’s ok!

His texts were marked as read immediately after sending. He picked at his thumbnail as the typing bubble popped up, disappeared, and then reappeared.

Finally, he got a response. I’m sorry baby, it read, and Hoseok’s heart sank. I don’t think I can make it. I’m just completely swamped :( raincheck? 

Yea, that’s fine! Hoseok responded, nodding politely at the waitress as she set down the two plates in front of him. 

“Enjoy,” she said, turning to go. 

“Wait,” Hoseok said, and smiled sheepishly as the waitress turned back to look at him. “I’m sorry, could you please box these up? It looks like I’m needed back at work straight away.” 

“Of course,” the young lady replied, taking the plates back towards the kitchen. She looked about college-aged, Hoseok thought wistfully, the same age he had been when he’d first met Yongho. 

After paying and a much less enthusiastic bus ride back downtown, Hoseok found his legs walking towards the park on autopilot. He couldn’t bear to try and face his friends, and have them know that he’d been stood up yet again. Not while the wound was so fresh and raw, and not when they were already not very fond of the beta.

As he grew closer to the spot at which he and Yoongi met each week, his breath hitched in surprise. Sitting there, under the shade of a large tree, was Min Yoongi, with two bowls of curry from a new Indian restaurant that Hoseok had mentioned wanting to try, and two metal cups of ice water, the orange one Hoseok knew was his.

The tears that the omega had valiantly held back the entire bus ride back burst forth, and he made a wounded sound that made the alpha look up in alarm. 

“Hoseok?” Yoongi said softly, with the most gentle and concerned expression that Hoseok had ever seen. 

The omega shook his head, squatted down and buried his face into his arms, his body shuddering with quiet sobs. 

And Yoongi, steady, reliable, caring Yoongi, crouched down next to him in the grass, uncaring that his suit might get wrinkled or dirty, and gathered Hoseok into his arms.

Chapter Text

The rest of Hoseok’s Friday passed like thick, sticky molasses. Taehyung, seeing his puffy eyes and red nose upon his return to the office, had given him a supportive squeeze on his arm and offered to switch duties for the rest of the day. So, Hoseok found himself holed up in the office working on checking in the giant box of returns.

It was exactly the sort of repetitive, mind-numbing task that Hoseok needed after such a dramatic lunch hour.

Hoseok hadn’t been surprised that Yongho had cancelled on him. In fact, he’d almost expected it.

What he hadn’t anticipated was crying all over Min Yoongi’s expensive blazer. After he’d stopped crying, he’d clumsily offered to pay for the alpha’s dry cleaning, but Yoongi had refused.

“How could I charge you for needing a shoulder to cry on?” Yoongi had scolded, and then offered his silk handkerchief to dry his tears.

Hoseok groaned and let his forehead fall onto the desk at the memory. The now-soiled handkerchief was sitting in his desk drawer, as he couldn’t bear to look at it. He really would have to make it up to his lunch partner. 

Maybe , a snide voice whispered in Hoseok’s mind , he knows that you won’t be able to afford having the suit cleaned to his standards.  

The omega groaned again and kicked his feet under the desk. He allowed himself a few more minutes of wallowing before forcing himself back to work. 

As closing time approached, the other librarians filed in one by one. They were quieter than normal, and Hoseok grimaced at their obvious avoidance of bringing up the disastrous lunch date.

He cleared his throat. “Do you guys want to get drinks tonight?” He swallowed. They probably wouldn’t say yes; they could probably tell that he wouldn’t be very good company.

To his surprise and relief, all three of his co-workers agreed enthusiastically chiming in with “of course”s and “yes, please!”s. 

Namjoon’s warm smile was a balm to his haggard soul, and he found himself perking up as they all packed up to leave. Taehyung’s antics (dumping an entire bowl of mints into his tote bag in preparation for everyone’s beer breath) were also especially effective in returning his stomach to some form of stagnancy.

---

After a quick, quiet bus ride that Hoseok spent cuddling against Namjoon’s shoulder, the librarians giggled all the way to their favorite after-work spot. 

The librarians’ usual haunt was a dive bar in midtown. Its centralized location meant that none of them would need to change buses or trains to get home, and its run-down facade and divey interior meant that beers would never get too expensive. 

Hoseok was particularly fond of the cracked red vinyl seats of the corner booth they had claimed as their own over the past several years, and he found the scratched black table top to be charming. 

He had taken a seat towards the center of the booth, so that he wouldn’t constantly be standing up to let people out to use the restroom. Much as he loved Taehyung, letting him sit in the center was a disaster. For that exact reason, Hoseok claimed the center seat. 

To his left, Namjoon was chattering excitedly about a new book by his favorite author that was coming out in a month’s time. Hoseok gasped as Namjoon divulged that the author had almost not published the book due to a copyright lawsuit, but just as he was about to prod the beta for more details, Taehyung set the two pitchers of beer onto the table. He moved painstakingly slowly so as not to spill a drop, though the table was already so sticky that it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Jimin followed close behind with an impressively tall stack of glasses.

Taehyung slid into the booth on Hoseok’s right, with Jimin taking a spot on the end, sandwiching him in. Hoseok in the meantime made quick work of pouring out glasses for everyone. The first full glass was quickly snatched up by Taehyung, who chugged the entire thing, slammed it onto the tabletop, belched loudly, and then sighed in satisfaction.

“Thank GOD for IPAs,” said Taehyung. It was clear that chugging a beer had made him gassy, as he let out little mini-burps throughout his declaration. Jimin’s nose wrinkled at what was likely burp-smell, and Hoseok took a moment to appreciate that he, unlike Jimin, was not attracted to such a ridiculous human being. 

“So,” said Hoseok, trying to restore the table to semi-order, and also prevent the conversation from coming anywhere close to the lunch that he had vowed not to think about. “I noticed that Taehyung hung a photo of Jimin on the office fridge. What’s going on with that?”

Jimin’s cheeks went a dark pink that spread down to his collarbones, and he took a large gulp of his beer to avoid answering. Luckily, Namjoon elected himself to speak in his stead. “Well, Taehyung has decided to enter Jimin in the city employee’s beauty contest.”

The tall alpha looked entirely too smug with himself, and Jimin looked about five minutes away from throttling him. 

“That contest is not meant for alphas.” Jimin grumbled. 

Taehyung raised a brow in response. “There were no rules against alphas entering.”

“It is implied!” Jimin hissed.

“I think it’s great that Jimin was entered,” Namjoon said, pushing his glasses up from where they had slipped down his nose. “The idea that alphas cannot be “beautiful” is a harmful stereotype and should be challenged in any official capacity possible. Plus, the winner’s team gets lunch at Harvest Moon paid for by the mayor of the city, and Jimin will definitely win.” he finished with a sly grin.

“ Harvest Moon !” Hoseok exclaimed, grabbing Jimin’s hand, meeting his eyes with great passion. “A meal there is half of my monthly rent! And thanks to Jimin, I’ll finally be able to try it!”

Taehyung’s smug smile just grew smugger.

Jimin swatted the back of his hand, but his cheeks had dimmed from their angry red to a pleasant pink, and the slight upturn to his lips revealed that he was secretly pleased, but too proud to admit it.

“Jimin will definitely win,” Taehyung agreed, and was rewarded with a bashful look from the smaller alpha. “I’ve always thought he was exceptionally gorgeous.” 

Jimin was a very pretty alpha. His eyes tended to glitter in the light, and his cheeks were round and soft-looking. His hair also tended to look red in the sun, which in combination with his muscled build and pouty lips helped him rake in admirers of all sorts. Hoseok was already searching up the menu of Harvest Moon online.

Jimin looked like he was ten seconds from imploding, when Hoseok looked towards the door at the arrival of a familiar scent. “ Yoongi? ” he murmured, and then winced as Taehyung whipped around to face him.

“Did you say Yoongi? You mean hot alpha daddy Min Yoongi?”

“Ugh,” Hoseok replied, burying his head into where his arms were folded on the table top.

“It is him!” Taehyung proceeded to stand on the booth seat, and wave his long, noodly arms above his head obnoxiously. 

“Oh, Alpha Min!” he sang, blissfully unaware (or perhaps uncaring) of Jimin’s frantic tugging at his pant leg in an attempt to get him to sit back down.

He soon plopped back down in the booth, Jimin having grabbed his waist and manhandled him back into civilization. Hoseok offhandedly noticed that the taller alpha’s face was red, and that he was gazing at Jimin with an expression that was no less than awe. Making meaningful eye contact with Namjoon, Hoseok took another big gulp of beer. 

“Hello, Alpha Kim, Hoseok,” said a familiar, lisping voice. In front of their booth stood Yoongi and two other omegas. They were both very tall, and very gorgeous, but whereas one was in an expensive-looking lavender pantsuit and dripping in pearls, the other was wearing platform combat boots, had at least three facial piercings, and a sleeve of tattoos. 

Of course, Yoongi had changed into another suit after getting his dirty at the lunch that Hoseok seemed to keep thinking of despite his best efforts. The alpha filled this one out particularly well. It was a deep, wine color, and made him look suave and slightly dangerous. His hair was styled up off of his forehead again, and his slacks looked like they were painted on, and Hoseok stopped his thoughts before they got carried away. 

Belatedly, Hoseok realized that he needed to respond to Yoongi’s greeting. “Hello, Yoongi,” he said politely. 

“Sit with us!” demanded Taehyung, and proving Hoseok’s long-held belief that Taehyung on the inside of a booth seat meant disaster, pushed Jimin out of the booth hastily to make room for the newcomers. Had Jimin’s reflexes been any slower, he would’ve been on the floor. Luckily, he caught himself, and only scowled at Taehyung who had shuffled out of the booth after him. Taehyung grinned at the other alpha sheepishly, and then maneuvered Yoongi into his previous spot. 

“You sit next to Hobi! You two, come sit!”

Namjoon had somehow stood up during the commotion, and had begun introducing himself to the two omegas, who looked rather amused at the whole spectacle. 

“I’m sorry,” the beta said, “he’s a bit drunk, so he’s more excitable than usual. My name is Kim Namjoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It certainly is,” said the omega in the lavender ensemble, tilting his head coquettishly. “I’m Kim Seokjin, but call me Jin.” He offered his hand in a manner that would be more befitting of a knight’s kiss than a hand shake. Namjoon grasped his hand and shook it firmly, much to Seokjin’s apparent dismay. 

The tattooed omega wheezed in laughter, and held out his own hand for Namjoon to shake. “I’m Jeon Jungkook.”

Seokjin shot him a glare, sniffed, and slid into the booth on the other side of Hoseok, followed by Namjoon, and then Jungkook on the end. Similar introductions proceeded around the table. 

The seven of them in the booth were a squeeze, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Hoseok could feel Yoongi shift from where their arms were pressed together, and shot him a small smile, which grew as the alpha returned it.

As the night progressed, and the two beer pitchers grew emptier, the table grew progressively louder. Seokjin brought up an embarrassing story about Yoongi in high school, which had everyone in fits.

Yoongi leaned over and said quietly to Hoseok “I’m telling you now, that anything these two say about me is not true.” Hoseok laughed and swatted the alpha on the arm playfully. Yoongi smirked.

“So,” said Taehyung, clapping his hands, “is everyone down for another round?”

“Fine with me,” said Jungkook, as he emptied the last drops of beer into his glass. He frowned, and stuck his hand out in front of Seokjin’s face rudely. “Jin, gimme your credit card.”

Jin handed the other omega his entire purse. Hoseok nearly choked on his drink when he saw the logo of a notoriously expensive brand monogrammed on its leather exterior. “Get us two pitchers of sangria! And more beer! Ooh, and maybe some shots!” He called after Jungkook, who was already halfway to the bar, and clearly not listening.

Somehow, as if by magic, Jungkook had managed to return with everything that Jin had requested, and a round of shots was had by all.

“Now, Hoseok, are you the same lovely Omega Jung that I’ve been hearing so much about from Yoongi here?” Jin asked, after chasing his liquor with more liquor. This was a trait that would have impressed Hoseok, if he hadn’t been so embarrassed.

“Ah, I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly lovely,” Hoseok began, but was cut off by Jimin.

“Yes, he is,” Jimin said loudly. “Is this the hot alpha daddy I’ve been hearing so much about?” 

Hoseok covered his face with his hands and whined. “Taehyung’s the one who’s been calling him that!” He peeked at Yoongi, who was mouthing the words hot alpha daddy with an amused sort of smirk.

“Yes, he is,” said Jin. “This is excellent news. Hoseok, are you single?”

“Ah, no,” he mumbled, taking a sip of sangria from a cup that was unlikely to be his. The table was a mess, and he had lost track of his own. “I have a boyfriend.” 

Jin and Jungkook exchanged surprised glances, but it was Jungkook who asked “oh, are you long distance?” 

Hoseok smiled weakly. “No, he lives here, but we don’t get to see each other that much because of his residency. That’s why I don’t really smell like him.” 

“More like you don’t see each other at all ,” Jimin snarked, emptying his glass. “You deserve so much better than Yongho. ” 

“Ah, no, he’s a good boyfriend. He does a lot for me,” Hoseok said. 

“Like what?” Jin asked.

“Just a lot of things,” Hoseok said, “He always tries to make time for me even though he’s busy, and he always teaches me how to be more empathetic when I’m being selfish. He always puts up with me when I make mistakes. He’s a good person.”

Jin hummed and slid a shot over to Hoseok. “Hoseok, I have known you for one night, and I will tell you now, that you’re not someone anyone has to put up with . You are a remarkably fun person to be around, and if this Yongho guy doesn’t get that, then he’s an idiot and I don’t know how he got into med school.” 

He then raised his own shot glass and looked around the table. “Everyone, a toast, to Hoseok!”

“To Hoseok!” the rest of the table, sans Hoseok, echoed. 

Feeling slightly emotional, Hoseok decided the best course of action was to take the shot and change the subject as quickly as possible. He tapped the bottom of his glass against the table, threw the shot back, and felt the liquor slide down his throat to sit warm in his belly. Wincing at the taste, he looked around the table desperately for a chaser. 

Yoongi nudged him gently, and offered a glass of what looked like cola with a small smile. Hoseok took a few gulps gratefully, and then smiled back. 

“You don’t like the taste of tequila?” Yoongi asked and chuckled when Hoseok shook his head vigorously in the negative.

“Only with lime and salt, never straight.”

“I’m more of a wine type myself,” Yoongi said, grabbing Hoseok’s glass to refill with beer. 

Hoseok took a sip. “So where is Junsu?” He asked.

Yoongi grinned. “He’s staying with my parents tonight. He was very excited about it.” 

“I bet,” Hoseok said, picturing Junsu being showered with affection. “I miss Junsu. You should bring him by more often.”

“What, should I set up a standing meeting for us like our lunches?” Yoongi teased.

Hoseok, who was feeling bold from the tequila, smiled impishly. “Maybe. Wouldn’t Junsu like to see his favorite librarian every week?” 

Yoongi bumped their shoulders together. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

They shared a smile, and Hoseok offhandedly wondered how drunk he was for his face to feel so warm. Then, they tuned back into the rest of the table’s conversation, which had continued on the topic of relationships, though the victim had switched from Hoseok to Jimin.

“I’m serious!” the small alpha complained. “I really want to be in a relationship. I have so much love to give,” He lamented, and flopped onto Taehyung’s shoulder and whined. Taehyung looked at the other alpha with soppy eyes.

“I would date you,” Jungkook said. 

Jimin lazily opened his eyes, but didn’t move from his spot, pressed against Taehyung’s side. “Oh?” He purred, lips curling up into a smirk.

“Yea. But, um,” Jungkook took a deep breath, “what about him? I think he should come, too.” he finished, pointing at Taehyung.

Yoongi choked on his beer, and Hoseok blinked at Jungkook in surprise. 

“Jungkookie!” Jin shrieked, “You cannot proposition our new friends for a threesome during our first meeting!” 

“Why not? It’s obvious that they’re into each other.”

“Well, because-”

“Yes,” Taehyung interrupted. The whole table turned to look at the tallest alpha. He swayed in his seat, and his cheeks were flushed. The beer pitcher, which had been full only moments ago, sat empty in front of him. “I am into Jimin, thank you for noticing.” Jimin turned beet red, and removed himself from Taehyung’s shoulder to curl into an impossibly small ball on the seat. 

Hoseok snorted as he saw Namjoon nod at this in agreement. The beta had previously attempted to get Jimin to recognize Taehyung’s affections, but despite his keen eye for everyone else’s feelings, the small alpha was surprisingly oblivious when it came to Taehyung.

“But we’re both alphas,” Jimin protested, emerging from his ball, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“So?” Taehyung challenged, and Jimin looked so bewildered that Namjoon couldn’t help but take pity on the poor, puzzled alpha. 

“Well, I, for one, am looking for something more serious,” said the beta, actively throwing himself into the line of fire. He peered at Seokjin as he did so, and though he had likely intended it to be subtle, it was missed by nobody. Good old Namjoon. 

“Yea?” Jungkook asked. “Which way do you swing?”

Namjoon hummed. “I prefer omegas, but I don’t have a lot of luck with dating them.”

Hoseok reached across the table and patted Namjoon’s hand clumsily, and likely with a bit too much force. “You’ll find someone. Any omega would be lucky to have you.”

Namjoon blushed and brought his hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Ah, no, I’m not…” 

“None of that!” Jimin frowned. “You’re a whole snack! Smile!”

Namjoon smiled. 

“Look at those dimples!” Jimin shouted leaning over the table to pinch Namjoon’s cheeks. “These dimples are the 8th wonder of the world!” 

“Fuck yea!” Taehyung crowed, and raised his glass. “Dimples!”

The table echoed him in his toast and another round of shots commenced.

Jin, looking frustratingly impeccable after his fourth tequila shot of the night, was gazing intently at Namjoon’s left dimple, with great interest. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he began, and then paused, as if unsure of what exactly he wanted to know. 

“I don’t mind,” Namjoon offered, and Seokjin offered him a smile. 

“Why do you say you don’t have luck with omegas? I think any omega would be pleased with your appearance, and you seem nice enough.”

“Ah, well, a lot of times I get into a relationship easily, but then staying in one is what’s difficult. My ah…. Aspirations , or perceived lack thereof, don’t usually align with theirs.”

Jin gazed inquisitively at the beta, but did not ask any more questions. Instead, Jungkook decided to chime in. 

“Hey, that’s crazy! You know, Jin is actually super into dimples--” Jin smacked his hand on top of Jungkook’s mouth, effectively halting that line of conversation in its tracks. 

“Jungkookie,” Jin said with a grin that was slightly too wide to be genuine, “if you want me to keep buying you drinks, you should stop there.”

Jungkook nodded nervously, and gripped tighter onto his sangria protectively. 

Taehyung, in an attempt to assuage the awkward atmosphere that had settled, demanded that everyone do more shots, and the night devolved from there.

Hoseok had at some point slumped onto Yoongi’s shoulder, and watched lazily as Jin and Namjoon whispered about parenting and gender norms in puphood, drifting closer and closer to each other with each idea they had in common, and as Jimin glanced helplessly between Taehyung and Jungkook, who both made eyes at Jimin each time he looked away. Meanwhile, the short alpha worried his lip between his teeth at the obvious game of footie that the two were playing under the table. 

Hoseok felt the ability to keep his eyes open leave his body, and felt Yoongi chuckle at something one of the three terrors had done. He could hear the noisy din of the bar, but it felt far away in his drink-addled mind.

“Yoongi,” he mumbled. 

“Hm?” the alpha replied.

“I’m gonna ruin another one of your suits.”

“You haven’t ruined anything yet, and I don’t think you will.” 

Hoseok giggled. “I ruin lots of things.”

“You don’t,” Yoongi said, and Hoseok hummed.

“Yongho says I do.”

“Well, Yongho’s a jerk who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I think you’re amazing.”

“You think so?”

“Yea, I do.”

He knew he would regret it later, but loose-tongued and his head filled with cotton, Hoseok said laughingly, “Then maybe I should date you instead.”

He heard and felt the alpha inhale, and then let out a deep, whooshing sigh. “I think it’s time to get you home,” Yoongi said. Hoseok did not respond. He was so tired. His limbs felt heavy and his mouth felt dry. He could hear his friends talking to the alpha, and he could feel himself being moved, but soon enough that faded away into deep, heavy sleep.

---

Blearily, Hoseok blinked his eyes open. They stung from the light spilling in from the window, beaming directly onto his tired face. He brought up his hands to scrub at them, relishing in the momentary relief of the feeling.

Inhaling, he relaxed at the soothing smell of his bed at home. The gentle smell of fabric softener and the sun from when he dried his comforter on the balcony was soothing, and he could hear the familiar hustle and bustle of a Saturday morning on his street. 

He relished the slowness of a morning after drinking, and then sat up quickly with a sharp inhale as he realized that he couldn’t remember getting home.

Snatching his phone off of the desk next to his bed that doubled as his nightstand, he immediately went to check if he had received any texts.

There was the usual fare; the group chat with his friends. But what caught his eye was a new group chat made with Yoongi’s friends, a text from Yoongi, and a text from Yongho. 

He first checked the group chats. There were images from the night before, and he gasped as he happened upon a picture of him, passed out, being carried home on the back of none other than Min Yoongi. 

Hoseok swore and brought his hand to his mouth in disbelief. He sniffed his shirt, and sure enough, there was the lingering scent of pine trees and crisp, mountain air. 

Exiting the group chat, he navigated to the new messages from Yoongi. 

Junsu loves the idea of a standing meeting. It sounds like you’re the least busy on Tuesday evenings. We will be there to pick you up :)

In the excitement of the moment, Hoseok kicked and screamed into his pillow. 

The text from Yongho was left unread all morning.

---  

True to his word, Hoseok’s phone dinged with a text from Yoongi just as his shift on Tuesday ended. 

We are waiting in the lobby :)

Hoseok grinned at the thought of the two who were becoming his favorite alphas. They were early to pick him up, and he didn’t want to make them wait any longer.

I’m on my way down, he typed, then locked his desk and made for the elevators.

The entire ride down, Hoseok felt jittery, watching as he grew closer to the first floor. Finally, the metal doors slid open and he stepped into the library atrium, loafers clicking on the stone floors. 

The atrium was crowded, which was usual for a Tuesday evening. Students were cramming for exams, and others were stopping in after work to do their returns or pick up their holds. But, Yoongi and Junsu were quick to spot, given the littlest alpha’s bright yellow school uniform hat. As Hoseok locked eyes with him, the toddler squirmed until Yoongi set him down, and began running towards Hoseok. 

Hoseok had dropped into a crouch and opened his arms. A bright grin split across his face as the little alpha landed safely in his embrace. 

“Oh, puppy!” he cooed, hoisting the pup up and nuzzling his cheek. “I missed you so much!”

“Hoseokie!” Junsu squealed in response, adjusting himself so that he could be close to Hoseok’s scent gland. 

A large, warm hand landed on his shoulder, and Hoseok startled, then quickly relaxed. It was Yoongi. The alpha wore a warm grin (and a very nice suit, surprise). 

“What, no greeting for me?”

“Hmm,” Hoseok hummed with a teasing grin as he fiddled with Junsu’s hair. “I don’t know, aren’t you just the chauffeur for my favorite pup?”

Yoongi clutched at his chest in mock pain and then fussed a little at Junsu. The pup complained as the alpha pinched his chubby cheeks. He stood so close that Hoseok felt his heart start to race a litte, but Yoongi quickly stepped back after Junsu started trying to nip at his fingers.

“ Junsu , what have I said about the biting?” Yoongi said, though there was little conviction in his voice. 

Junsu giggled and hid his face in Hoseok’s neck.

Hoseok grinned at Yoongi, who was grinning back. 

“Shall we?” the alpha said in an exaggeratedly posh accent, gesturing towards the door. 

“We shall,” Hoseok responded, and strode out towards the door. 

The trio made their way to the garage that Yoongi tended to park in, and Hoseok slid into the backseat to keep Junsu company. He complimented the interior, impressed by the leather seats and the color changing lights in the doors that glowed pink and blue and purple. 

“Any requests for dinner?” Yoongi asked, and Junsu cried “Pizza!” before Hoseok could even begin to brainstorm.

“Junsu,” Yoongi sighed, “Hoseok is our guest, you should let him choose.”

“Oh,” said Junsu, and he turned to Hoseok. “Hoseokie wanna pizza?”

“That sounds great,” Hoseok assured the pup, and met Yoongi’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Driver, won’t you take us to the finest pizza establishment in town? And step on it.” 

“As you wish,” Yoongi teased, and pulled off onto the road from the parking garage. 

After a semi-chaotic dinner where Junsu refused to eat unless he was sitting next to Hoseok and managed to spill soda on the table in his demands to do so, Hoseok stroked at the little alpha’s hair as he was rocked to sleep in his carseat. 

The alpha in the front seat cleared his throat. “You know,” he began, and then swallowed loud enough for Hoseok to hear in the quiet darkness of the car, “Junsu’s been wanting to go to the amusement park, and I don’t have the energy to keep up with him by myself.”

Hoseok tore his gaze from Min Junsu’s perfect little button nose and raised a brow at the older man. “Are you implying that I am invited?”

“I’m not implying, I’m outright asking. Do you want to come?” Yoongi said, drumming his thumbs against the steering wheel. 

“Well, if you insist,” Hoseok teased, and leaned over to nuzzle at the pup’s forehead. Junsu huffed a little in his slumber, and Hoseok melted at the sound.

They pulled up to Hoseok’s apartment far too soon for Hoseok’s liking. Planting a soft kiss onto downy hair, Hoseok slid quietly out of the backseat, offered Yoongi a wave goodbye, and made for his apartment. 

He went to the window as he entered, and was surprised to see that Yoongi’s car was still there, and that the alpha was looking to make sure he had gone inside. Even Yongho didn’t do that for him. What a great friend , he thought, as he turned on the light and waved. The alpha smiled and waved back, pulling off onto the street.

Hoseok watched through the window long after the car disappeared into the darkness of the night.

---

He met Jin for lunch the next day, the elder having texted him earlier that morning, insisting “ My treat.” Jimin, upon hearing of the possibility of a free lunch, decided to tag along. Secretly, Hoseok felt a little relieved that Jimin would be coming, just in case he and Jin had nothing to talk about without the social lubricant of a larger group and alcohol.

The pair met the elder man at a popular bistro a few blocks away from the library. Jin stood outside, and there was an alpha talking to him. Jin was nodding politely with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. Wary of strange alphas, Hoseok glanced over at Jimin, whose brows were furrowed at the sight of the alpha continuing to talk to Jin despite his clear disinterest.

Hoseok tugged on Jimin’s sleeve, motioned meaningfully at Jin and the alpha, and then began walking forward towards them.

“Hey!” Hobi waved, plastering on a grin. “Sorry we’re late. Who is this?” 

Jin bit his lip. “Ah, just someone I know.” He turned to the alpha. “Well, it’s been nice catching up, Alpha Choi, but I hope that you will contact me through the agency next time, as per regulations.”

With that, Jin grabbed Hoseok’s elbow, widening his eyes at him and Jimin minutely, in that way that any socially-apt person would recognize, and hustled into the restaurant, Jimin following closely behind.

“Table for three, under Kim Seokjin,” said Jin to the hostess. She put together three menus, and guided them to their table. 

After they had all settled into their seats and ordered drinks, Jimin asked “Who was that?”

Jin sighed. He was ripping his straw wrapper into tiny bits that fell into a messy pile on the tabletop, and it was making Hoseok anxious for him . “He was one of the alpha’s that had been selected as a potential match for me at a mating agency.”

“ You’re using a mating agency?” Jimin gasped, “ You? ” He made a hand-wavey gesture at Jin and sputtered in lieu of elaborating.

“That’s the problem,” Jin sighed as he let the last two pieces of straw wrapper join their brethren in the pile. “I’m intimidating. Not to mention, a lot of the potential mates that I’ve talked to are either/or. People keep saying that I should choose between my career and pups. I thought that the mating agency would help at least vet some of that, but so far it’s been a bust.”

Hoseok placed his hand atop Jin’s in solidarity, and brought a closed fist to his chest. “The beginning stage sucks,” he said, “but I know you will find someone for you.”

“Dating as omega particularly sucks,” Jin complained, waving Hoseok’s hand away. “If I had been an alpha, no one would have said anything about me leaving my career to raise my pups. Even my coworkers give me shit for being an omega. The company was so hesitant to promote me because, according to them, I would be having pups and quitting soon.”

Jimin nodded, adding “I know what you mean. It’s tough to work in a field dominated by a different dynamic. I get shit for being an alpha in childcare all the time. People think you’re less capable, or something.” 

Hoseok hummed and tapped the side of his glass idly. “It’s amazing that you’re able to do that, though. I don’t think I could do what you both do.” 

“Well, I could never do what you do,” Jin said, not unkindly. “I’ve never been great at fitting the mold of a traditional omega. You fill it well.” 

“Ah, thank you. But I do really admire you, Jin. I think anyone would be lucky to be your mate.”

Jin shrugged, and began pulling apart Jimin’s straw wrapper in response. “So, what about you? Have you and your Beta talked at all about the future?”

“Yes, but, I think that I would probably stay home with any pups that we have, since he will be a doctor by that time.”

“Is that what you want?” 

“I mean, I don’t really mind. I love working at the library, and I would probably want to continue at least part-time, but daycare is so expensive, and Yongho doesn’t like the idea of having strangers around our pups. He says it’s bad for their development…”

“That’s ridiculous!” Jimin cried. “You can’t leave us! The stacks would be chaos without you. If Yongho is spending all of his time at the hospital, he’ll practically be a stranger to them, too.”

“Pups also need socialization,” Jin added gently. “They need to be around other pups their age so that they can learn to interact well with others outside of their family. It sounds like there could be a slight incompatibility between what you both want.” 

“Well Yongho would still be their sire even if he was at work for a long time, and plus, he’s studying medicine, so I’m sure he knows more about pup development than any of us.” Hoseok huffed. He could feel his face growing hot, and an uncomfortable tightness in his throat when confronted with the reality of a future with Yongho. 

His stomach turned at the realization that he hadn’t really given much thought about the implications beyond a happy marriage and family. Maybe he was incompatible with Yongho. Had everyone else noticed something he hadn’t? Why hadn’t he noticed it? Was there anything to notice?

He pulled the sleeves of his cardigan over his hands. “Can we talk about something else?” He pleaded, hoping that a change in subject would stop his mind from spiraling into despair, despite knowing that it was unlikely that he would think of anything else for the entirety of the day. 

Jimin and Jin exchanged glances and Jimin cleared his throat. “Well, then, I guess now is a good time to mention that I am considering dyeing my hair.”

---

To Hoseok’s dismay, but not his surprise, he ended up being right in his prediction that he would not be able to think of anything else for the day. He was still unsettled by his conversation with Jimin and Jin over lunch even after returning home.

After cleaning his entire apartment and reorganizing all of his drawers in the kitchen, Hoseok relented, deciding to call Yongho and get some answers. 

He listened to the phone ringing, and was finally greeted with Yongho’s answering machine. He dialled again. No answer. Inhaling shakily, he tried to call a third time with the same result.

“Fine,” Hoseok muttered, making his way over towards his tiny kitchen. “I guess I’ll just have to corner him.” 

---

The next day at noon, Hoseok skipped out on lunch with his friends and took the bus back over towards the hospital. Armed with a painstakingly prepared bento lunchbox, he steeled himself for the inevitable disappointment he couldn’t help but anticipate. Yongho was so busy, and Hoseok knew that he was overstepping by confronting him at work, but Jin’s words had inspired fear within him. What if they were incompatible? What if it was Hoseok’s fault? They used to be like two peas in a pod, but these days, they barely spoke.

Stepping off of the bus, he strode purposefully towards the hospital. In his nervousness, the building seemed sinister in its size, looming over him and casting him in shadows. 

He entered the lobby, and approached the guest services desk with a friendly smile. “Hello, I came to deliver lunch for my Beta,” he said in the sweetest tone that he could muster. Hopefully, endearing himself to the guest services desk would increase his chances of seeing Yongho. “His name is Lee Yongho, and he’s a medical student here.”

The female omega at the desk smiled back, clearly having noticed his carefully prepared lunchbox and thermos. “I’ll page him. He should be down shortly. Feel free to wait over there,” she said, gesturing towards the groups of armchairs near the revolving glass doors. 

Thanking the woman, he perched in the chair closest to the windows, gazing at the traffic as it passed by. Around ten minutes went by, and then he heard his name being called.

He stood and turned to face his boyfriend with a smile. He set the lunchbox onto the chair and pulled the other man into a quick embrace. “I brought you lunch,” Hoseok said in lieu of a greeting.

Yongho sighed, and Hoseok’s smile faded. He gazed at the beta in concern. “Is everything alright?” Hoseok asked, scanning Yongho’s face for signs of fatigue or pain. 

“Hoseok, I thought I told you not to interrupt me at work.” 

At that, Hoseok’s stomach grew tight. Yongho had told him that, but Hoseok had selfishly pushed ahead with his own agenda. “I know,” he mumbled, casting his gaze towards the floor, “but I just really missed you, and I needed to talk to you about something important.”

The beta sighed, and bent down, almost reluctantly, to pick up the lunch off of the chair behind Hoseok, which made something hot flare up in his chest. Yoongi was always so excited and grateful for the lunches Hoseok made. He quickly stamped the feeling down as Yongho said with a frown “You smell like pup.”

“I always smell like pup. I’m a childcare provider.” 

“Not like this you don’t. You smell like you have a pup.” Yongho said, his body language and tone oozing so much nonchalance that it immediately set Hoseok on edge. 

“Well, it’s not like I gave birth since you saw me last week,” Hoseok bit out, crossing his arms.

Yongho's scent soured, and he took a step towards him. Hoseok stepped back nervously, ducking his head.

Yongho sighed and stopped approaching. “What did you want to talk about?”

Hoseok, wringing his hands in each other, shook his head and met Yongho’s eyes briefly, before continuing to stare at the floor. “You know what, it’s nothing, really. You’re right, I should’ve been more considerate. I’m sorry.”

He numbly allowed his boyfriend to give him a loose hug. “It’s okay, I forgive you. How could I stay mad when I have this to look forward to?” Yongho teased, giving him a crooked smile as he held up the lunch bag. “We can talk later, okay?”

Hoseok grinned past the lump in his throat and nodded, knowing that later wasn’t going to come.

---

On Friday morning, Hoseok stood next to Namjoon as they sorted the new arrivals. Without meeting Namjoon’s eyes, he asked “Joon, yesterday I brought Yongho lunch and interrupted him at work. I want to make it up to him, but I don’t know how to do that without bothering him.” 

He chanced a glance at the beta, who had set down the books and was looking at him with concern.

“Ah,” Hoseok muttered, “nevermind. I’m sure I’ll think of something.” 

They continued with their work in uncomfortable silence, only speaking when they needed another pile of RFID tags or help with manual entry.

---

Thursday afternoon’s lunch debacle had awoken something in Hoseok. The contrast between how Yongho had treated his lunch box and how Yoongi treated his lunch box kept replaying in his mind.

After his awkward encounter with Namjoon that morning, Hoseok had anticipated lunch with Yoongi as an escape from his turmoil, only to find himself in the midst of more confusion.

It had felt laughable to carefully cut up vegetables and shape rice balls in what felt like a mimicry of the intimacy he craved from Yongho. He loathed himself with every star-shaped carrot he placed into a bath of gyudon sauce pooled around floating rice bears, knowing that he hadn’t put half of the effort into Yongho’s lunch.

But it was only because he knew that Yongho wouldn’t appreciate it like Yoongi would. 

He watched eagerly from his usual spot on the park bench as Yoongi’s eyes widened as his slender fingers pried the lid of the bento box from its container. 

The alpha carefully set down the container onto the bench on the side opposite of Hoseok, and then turned to face the omega. 

“Hoseok,” Yoongi stated, his face the picture of business, “you have truly outdone yourself today.” He held out his hand for a handshake, and Hoseok giggled as he took it. He shook Yoongi’s hand with alarmingly little conviction, overcome by his amusement at Yoongi’s seriousness at such a small thing.

“I am serious!” the alpha complained, nudging Hoseok’s shoulder with his own. He then fished his phone out of his jacket pocket, snapped a photo of the lunch box, and grinned. “Can I take a picture of the chef with his masterpiece?” 

Hoseok swatted him. “No! Are you crazy? I look like I crawled out of a sewer this morning!” Admittedly, he had spent too much time on the bento, and hadn’t had time to style his hair. Instead of its usual tasteful fluffiness, his hair looked clumpy because he had rushed the gel before running to catch his bus.

Yoongi ducked his head down, but Hoseok could see the beginnings of a smile. “Maybe I like that. Sewer-chic,” he said, forcing the bento into Hoseok’s hands anyways. “Now say cheese.”

Hoseok laughed in surprise at the unexpected joke, only to scowl upon realizing that Yoongi had taken the photo before he had prepared himself. 

“Yoongi!” He groaned, setting the lunchbox down on the bench, making sure it wouldn’t spill, and then swiped the alpha’s phone from him. “Open this so I can delete it!” He demanded.

Yoongi shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

“This is so unfair.” 

“That’s too bad,” Yoongi said, with a tone that implied that he really didn’t think so at all, and leaned over Hoseok to pluck his lunch off of the bench. Hoseok could feel his face heat at the proximity, and the lungful of pine forest that invaded nose at the movement. He bit the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from making an embarrassing noise at the situation.

Yoongi opened the compartment in the lid and pulled out the spoon that Hoseok had tucked away. Taking a scoop of rice and sauce, he shoveled the large bite into his mouth. Hoseok watched, enraptured, as the alpha chewed, swallowed, and then sat staring forwards for a minute too long for Hoseok’s comfort.

“So,” the omega prodded, “what do you think?”

“Hoseok,” Yoongi said, that somewhat comical seriousness returning to his face. “I think you need to quit your job as a librarian.” 

Hoseok’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“I think you should leave the library, and open a restaurant. I’ll be your business manager. We’ll run Harvest Moon out of business by next month.” 

A grin split across Hoseok’s lips, and his stomach felt fluttery at the compliment. “Shut up,” he groaned, “that was so bad!”

Yoongi just smiled and focused on creating another balanced bite. 

Hoseok reached for his thermos, took a sip of the cool water inside and shivered. It was the beginning of fall, and he was feeling the chill begin to set in. Soon enough, snow would begin to fall, and he and Yoongi would need to find a new spot for lunch. 

“What should we do when it gets too cold to eat out here anymore?” Hoseok asked, scuffing at the path under the bench with his sneaker. “Should we facetime all of our lunches instead?”

“Sure,” Yoongi said, shooting Hoseok a smile, “or I can come to the library. It is open to the public.” 

“The staff room is the only place where food is allowed inside, and it is not open to the public, unfortunately. Even Yongho hasn’t been there.” He carefully didn’t mention that Yongho hadn’t been there because Yongho had never even visited him at work before.

“Well, you could always eat at my building,” Yoongi offered, “We have a couple of different companies in the building, so there’s a food court on the second floor. I can scan you in.”

“Sure,” Hoseok said, relieved that winter approaching didn’t mean the end of their weekly lunches. They had quickly become his favorite part of the week.

“By the way,” the alpha began, and then paused. He tapped his spoon against the side of the bento box which had become steadily more empty over the course of their conversation. “I wanted to talk to you about what you said last weekend about Yongho.” 

All at once, Hoseok’s mind raced as he attempted to recall when he had mentioned Yongho between the many drinks he’d had that night. He remembered Jin giving him a pep-talk, and he remembered giggling with Yoongi about something , but when…

“You said that Yongho told you that you ruin things,” said Yoongi softly, as if he was attempting not to spook the omega.

Hoseok didn’t respond in favor of fiddling with the clasp of his bento box lid. 

“I don’t mean to be nosy, but are you doing okay?” 

He sighed, and looked ahead at the wind picking up leaves and swirling them across the lawn. “Yongho doesn’t like that I’ve been smelling differently lately. He was mad because he smelled your pup on me the other day.” 

“He’s jealous of a pup?” the alpha asked quietly. 

“No,” Hoseok shook his head, “I don’t know for sure, but I think he’s jealous because I don’t smell like him.” 

The alpha scoffed. “Then he should scent you. He has no footing to be upset with you when he’s not doing the bare minimum.”

Hoseok glanced at him in surprise. Yoongi had been very non-reactive towards Yongho until that point, and  tended to be carefully neutral when choosing the words he used to describe him. This was perhaps the strongest sentiment towards his Beta that he had heard from Yoongi thus far. 

“You think so?”

“I know so.” 

The pair sat in quiet for a moment, and then the alpha patted the tops of his thighs with both hands, straightening his back as he did so. “Well! Junsu, for one, will not stop talking about the amusement park. Do you have any ideas for a game plan?”

“I don’t, but maybe we can make one together,” Hoseok offered with a small smile. Yoongi held his gaze, and the planning commenced.

---

Saturday found Hoseok in the front seat of Yoongi’s car, navigating as the alpha attempted to drive without waking up the pup in the backseat. It was early enough in the morning that it was still dark outside, and it was clear in the way that Junsu’s clothes looked like they had been put on by his daddy with no help from the pup. 

The radio was on, softly playing a playlist of relaxing classical music. Yoongi had brought their thermoses filled with coffee; black for Yoongi, and with hazelnut cream for Hoseok. It was another heart-warming example of the little things that Yoongi did for him, that Hoseok couldn’t help but over-analyze.

“I know that amusement parks aren’t always super fun for adults, but I appreciate you accompanying us today. Junsu was a nightmare to put to bed last night. He’s been wanting to go here forever, and when I let it slip that you were coming too, well…” Yoongi said in a soft tone. 

In contrast to his usual perfectly-pressed suits, the alpha wore a black crew neck sweatshirt under a long wool button up coat with black jeans and sneakers. The low neckline exposed his bare neck, and Hoseok felt both surprise and some other emotion he couldn’t quite place as he noticed the absence of a mating bite. His bangs were left to fall across his forehead instead of being styled back in his usual hairstyle. There were the hints of dark circles under his eyes, likely from rising at an early hour to wrangle Junsu and pick up Hoseok, but his face was bright with excitement that betrayed his words.

Hoseok laughed, glanced towards the backseat at the dozing toddler, and then back to Yoongi. “Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Theme parks are the best, and we have an awesome schedule for today!” He nudged the alpha with his elbow softly, so as not to disturb his driving. “In all sincerity, I am happy to be here.”

The sides of Yoongi’s lips quirked upward at Hoseok’s honesty, and he looked like he wanted to say something else, but they had pulled into the amusement park line and were fast approaching the booths to pay for parking.

Hoseok quickly rooted through his wallet for cash, and tried to hand it over to the alpha who waved him off and pulled out his own credit card before rolling down the window. 

As the alpha paid the parking attendant, Hoseok turned to softly rouse Junsu from his slumber. “Hey, puppy,” he whispered, and cooed as Junsu’s eyelids fluttered open and shut sleepily. His chubby cheek was smooshed against his shoulder from where the little alpha’s head had fallen in his sleep. Hoseok thumbed at his face and smiled as Junsu whined and kicked his feet.

“We’re here,” Hoseok said, a bit louder than a whisper this time, and watched as Junsu’s eyes shot open in delight as he realized that they had arrived at their destination.

They made quick work of parking and getting Junsu out of his carseat. He refused to walk on his own, but also cried when Yoongi wasn’t walking fast enough for his tastes. Hoseok managed to distract him by taking him from the alpha’s arms and letting him sniff his neck, at which Yoongi rolled his eyes. 

As they scanned their tickets and entered the park, Yoongi took Junsu back into his arms and passed his backpack to Hoseok. “Can you put our tickets away and find my wallet while you’re at it? I’m going to look for a bathroom for this little guy just in case.”

As the alpha duo went to find a restroom, Hoseok managed to find a bench and sat with the backpack in his lap. After some rooting around, he found Yoongi’s wallet in the bottom of it and carefully tucked their tickets inside. Then, he placed it in the front pocket for easier access, moving the snacks that had previously been there into the main pouch to accompany their water bottles and other emergency items like rain ponchos.

The alphas soon returned and Hoseok and Yoongi got to work, booking their fast-passes, and set off to begin their day.

---

They began at the far end of the park, with the logic that Junsu would be too tired to do any walking by the end of the day, and it would be less distance to carry him from the front of the park than the back. Junsu had immediately demanded that they ride the roller coaster, and Yoongi found himself with the unfortunate job of delicately breaking the news to his little pup that he was too little to ride the ride. This had, of course, spurred a minor tantrum that could only be assuaged by the purchase of matching headbands.  

Hoseok cooed at the fuzzy ears atop Junsu’s silky black hair, and cackled in delight as he placed matching ears on his own head, and then Yoongi’s. The alpha grumbled, but pulled out his wallet nonetheless. The employee at the stand complimented Junsu’s shoes (little light-up sneakers that Junsu took every opportunity to make light up) and Junsu hid his face in Yoongi’s neck. 

The trio finished up their morning agenda, and when Junsu began showing signs of crankiness, decided to stop and get some lunch. It was Hoseok’s turn to carry Junsu, and he was making the most of it, tickling the pup’s belly and swinging him from left to right and back again. 

“Junsu, do you want chicken nuggets or do you want macaroni and cheese?” Hoseok asked. Junsu gazed intently at the pictures on the screen above the counters. 

“Um… Daddy choose!” He said, turning his wide eyes onto Yoongi pitifully. 

“Can he have the chicken nuggets kids meal with apple slices and milk, and then can we get two orders of the lunch combo? With fries for me, and Hoseok, what did you want?” Yoongi said, turning to the omega. 

“Um, can I get the sweet potato fries, please? Thanks.” 

“Is that all?” The cashier asked. Hoseok and Yoongi exchanged glances, and Hoseok nodded. Yoongi turned back to the cashier and nodded again.

“Yes, that’s all, thanks,” he said, and tapped his credit card against the terminal.

The cashier smiled, and as she handed over their meal tickets to redeem at the food counter, she turned to Junsu, who Hoseok was bouncing against his hip, “Hi sweetheart! Are you having a good time with mommy and daddy today?” 

Hoseok was at a loss for words, and shifted Junsu in his arms. “We’re not-” he began, but Yoongi cut him off with a quick “Yes, he is, thank you!” and steered him towards the tables. 

“What, Yoongi! She’s got the wrong idea!”

“So?”

“I mean, won’t Junsu’s mom be upset?” he protested, weakly. 

“He doesn’t have one.” 

Hoseok was once again rendered speechless. He’d had an inkling, given that his own scent was the only other scent besides Yoongi that was on the pup nowadays, and the fact that Yoongi’s neck was unscarred, but it wasn’t unheard of for an unmated pair to co-parent. It was relatively rare to see a single parent, given that most people’s parental instincts would be too strong for them to overcome. Hoseok couldn’t imagine how Junsu’s mom had managed to resist their own pup.

“Oh,” was all that he could manage, as he plopped down into a booth with Junsu, who giggled at the sudden drop. “This discussion is not over,” he said, but Yoongi was already on his way to grab their meals.

He allowed himself to stare into space for a few more moments, before Junsu began tugging at his hair and he was forced to move on. 

He wanted to confront Yoongi about it, but given Junsu’s presence and the general ambiance of the amusement park, Hoseok was finding it hard to bring up the way that Yoongi had just pretended that Hoseok was the mother of his pup . 

It wasn’t until they all sat at the top of the ferris wheel that evening, Junsu’s nose pressed right up against the glass as he oohed and ahhed at the lights down below, that Hoseok cleared his throat and looked meaningfully at the alpha across from him.

“So, do you want to tell me why you let that cashier think I was Junsu’s mom?”

Yoongi grimaced. “Well,” he said hesitantly, “I didn’t think she needed to know. Plus, Junsu smells like you. There would have been more questions, and we don’t owe her any answers.” 

“Oh,” Hoseok said. His heart jumped at the thought of his favorite little patron smelling like him. He’d noticed it a few times, but had assumed that Yoongi was more liberal with his pup scenting his omega friends than most people. But, his mind supplied traitorously, Junsu never smelled like Jin or Jungkook in the times he’d been around Hoseok.

The lights reflected elegantly onto Yoongi’s delicate features; blue and purple and red, and he felt suddenly overwhelmed in his presence, enclosed in a small ferris wheel car, descending slowly and rising once more. 

The alpha rubbed at the back of his neck in what Hoseok guessed was sheepishness, but he wasn’t sure. Yoongi cleared his throat and pulled something out of his coat pocket. It was a small character keychain, the same bear whose ears the three of them wore. Attached was a picture that had been taken by one of the park photographers of the three of them. 

“I got you this,” Yoongi said. 

“Oh, Yoongi,” Hoseok breathed, and he was sure in that moment that his scent would have been swirling in happiness had he not been wearing blockers, “When did you even get this?”

“I picked it out while you took Junsu to the bathroom after lunch,” he confessed with a small smile. He licked his lips. “Do you like it?” 

Hoseok nodded, his throat feeling tight as he took the keychain from Yoongi and clutched it to his chest. Their eyes met, and Hoseok kept his gaze until the car began to move again and he glanced towards Junsu to make sure he was secure. 

He clipped the keychain onto his bag and refused to put Junsu down on the way back to the car so that he could hide his grin in the pup’s hair, despite his aching arms.

On the way home, Hoseok sat in the back with Junsu, not quite ready to sit next to Yoongi again and breathe in his scent for the duration of the ride home. Yoongi’s earlier declarations had made his chest tighten. He couldn’t stop thinking about Junsu’s mother, and what kind of a horrible person they must have been to leave the alpha pair. Hell, if he had an alpha as good as Yoongi, the thought of leaving would have never even crossed his mind. Not to mention Junsu .  It made him sick to his stomach to imagine leaving Junsu. That thought in mind, he didn’t take his gaze from the pup’s sleeping face the entire ride home.

As they approached his apartment, he tucked his cardigan around the pup and stroked his hair, humming a lullaby that his own mother had sung for him as a pup. “I’ll get this from you next Friday,” he murmured to Yoongi. “Goodnight.”

---

The weekend came and went, and soon enough, it was Tuesday again. Yoongi was glad that he had taken Junsu to the amusement park when he did, as the radio announced a winter storm watch for the upcoming weekend.

Yoongi pulled into the garage underneath his apartment building with Junsu lulled to sleep in the backseat. The pup was obviously tuckered out after harassing Hoseok’s poor coworker. The tall, tanned beta, Kim Namjoon, had looked absolutely bedraggled in the aftermath of giving Junsu a ride on his shoulders. Hoseok laughed so hard at his hair sticking up at odd ends from being clenched in tiny fists that Junsu had also dissolved into a fit of giggles. Even as they sat in what was becoming their spot to read, the omega and pup would end up laughing at varying intervals.

Yoongi couldn’t help the upward quirk of his lips at the memory of Hoseok’s heart-shaped grin. Nowadays, it was rare that he could keep his mind off of the librarian.

Tapping his fingers softly on the leather of his steering wheel, Yoongi maneuvered his car into his assigned parking space on autopilot as his mind turned over the image of a wide smile, and soft cardigans. Junsu made a sleepy sound at the loss of motion, and then another, more petulant one as the car lights turned on. 

The alpha unbuckled the car seat as gently as he could manage, and did his best to move Junsu without rousing him from his slumber. He bent his knees as he hoisted Junsu up in his right arm and closed the car door with his left. The pup pressed his nose against his scent gland and whined.

“Daddy,” the little boy mumbled against his neck, “is Hoseokie my mommy?”

Yoongi nearly tripped over his own feet at those words. The librarian, who his son had met a grand total of seven times, the mother of his child? It was a preposterous idea. 

Although, Yoongi couldn’t help but picture the two together. They looked like such a natural pair, and his chest ached at the sight of Hoseok quietly filling in all of Yoongi’s inadequacies. Hoseok had a way with pups, and he was so pretty . And his scent, gentle, citrusy Jasmine; sweet and delicate to match his lithe frame, was beginning to curl around his pup. If they spent a bit more time together, then maybe--

The alpha shook his head quickly, reprimanding himself for having such presumptuous thoughts. A pretty omega like Hoseok, who could have anybody, wouldn’t want an alpha like Yoongi, no matter how cute his pup was. It would be obvious to anyone that Hoseok was settling. It was best not to get too attached. 

Wetting his lips, Yoongi responded after a beat of silence. “No, Junsu. Omega Jung is a very nice omega, but he has his own friends and family to take care of. And you still have daddy. Okay?” 

“But I want a mommy,” was the boy’s response, a quiver in his voice. “Lady at the amusement park said Seokie was my mommy.” Yoongi’s heart shattered to pieces, and the icy feeling of self-loathing settled low in his stomach. He swallowed hard, and pushed down all of the shortcomings that began returning to the forefront of his mind. 

“I’m sorry, baby.” He said, willing his voice not to shake as he pressed his lips to the top of his pup’s head. He had never once wished that Junsu’s mother had stayed, too well aware of how unwilling parents treated their unwanted pups. But, at that moment, it was a damn close thing. “I wish you had one too.”

------

Monday found Hoseok arguing with Yongho outside of his apartment in the rain. The conversation hadn’t begun that way, but it progressed there quickly enough.

It had begun when Yongho had called him and asked to go to dinner. Hoseok had barely come out his apartment door, when Yongho had smiled and said “Hey, I thought about what you said, and I think you’re right.”

Hoseok smiled and took Yongho’s hand in his. “You’re going to make more time for me?” He asked, excited. In his mind, he was already running through all of the things that they could do together, and all of the memories that they could make.

Yongho shook his head, and with a cocky grin, he clasped Hoseok’s hands more firmly between his own. “Better than that. I thought that we could mate during your next heat.”

Flustered by the suddenness of such a declaration, Hoseok had blinked several times. Yongho, taking this as a cue to keep speaking, continued “We’ve been together for a few years now. I think it’s about that time that we think about settling down. Plus, I know that you want to have pups, and we should think about doing that before it’s too late.” Hoseok blinked again, opened his mouth, and then closed it.

“Maybe this is a conversation that we should be having inside, Yongho,” Hoseok said, and watched alarmed as Yongho pulled a red velvet box out of his jacket pocket.

“What do you think?” Yongho asked as he opened the box to reveal a shining golden collar. Hoseok inhaled sharply. Jewelry was supposed to be the last that one would receive in a series of courting gifts, and it had been a long time since Yongho had given him anything that could have potentially been construed as one. But even then, Yongho had never given him anything more expensive than a blanket, or a candle. To skip over the other gifts was so incredibly brutish that Hoseok could hardly speak.

Plus, it was gaudier than what Hoseok would normally wear. He had never worn large stones before, always having preferred daintier, more understated jewelry. “It might not fit you, but we can get it resized.”

“Yongho, let’s go inside,” Hoseok said again, shell shocked at how the conversation was progressing.

“God, Hoseok, what’s the matter now? You said you wanna mate, so here I am with a courting gift, and you’re still not happy?” Yongho’s angry voice made Hoseok’s stomach sick.

“Yongho please,” he tried again, “it’s raining out and I think we need to discuss this more.”

“What is there to discuss? It’s either a yes or no, Hoseok.”

Hoseok bit his lip, and slowly choked out “Then it’s going to be a no, Yongho.”

Yongho ran his hand through his hair in agitation, sighing sharply. His orangey scent was tainted with the pungent smell of rotting fruit. “Fine. I see how it is.” Hoseok reached out to place his hand on Yongho’s arm to soothe him, but the man yanked his arm away with a sharply hissed “ don’t touch me.” Hoseok bit down on the inside of his cheek hard. “You know, you’ve been smelling like someone else lately. And don’t tell me that it’s a pup from work, because I know that it isn’t. You don’t pick up pup scents like that from work . I’m sure Omega Hwang at the front desk noticed. Do you know how humiliating that is for me?”

“Yongho, it’s not like that, it’s just a friend of mine’s pup — ”

“Yea, uh huh. A friend who’s an alpha? Hm? Have you been hanging off their knot while I’m at work? Is that what’s happening? I’m not around so you think that you can replace me? They’ve already got a pup. What, are you their kept omega or something? Playing house with their kid while their mate’s away?”

“Yongho, stop—”

“No, you know what, I’m tired of this. We were fine, and then all of a sudden you act distant from me, and then you start smelling like some alpha’s pup. How about this fucking keychain that I know that I didn’t get you?” Yongho yanked at the gift that Yoongi had given him only a few days ago, and Hoseok snarled, smacking Yongho’s hand away. This only served to make him angrier, and his voice grew in volume.

“It’s clearly this alpha’s lame attempt at courting, and I know that you are not naive enough to not know that. Is this what four years means to you?”

“God Yongho, shut the fuck up!” Hoseok exploded. “I’m not fucking cheating on you. And this has nothing to do with me wanting a pup, and everything to do with you not prioritizing our relationship.”

“What are you talking about?” Yongho said, bewildered. “I know I’ve been busy, but I’m doing it for us , Hoseok. If I don’t put in the hours now, I won’t be able to support us in the future.”

Hoseok scoffed, angry tears welling up in his eyes. Fuck, he hated crying in public. “It’s not just that,” He said, “It’s that I never wanted you to do that. I want you to visit me at work sometimes, or ask me about how I’m doing. Or even hold my hand every once in a while. Then maybe I wouldn’t pick up other peoples’ scents so easily. You don’t even have the decency to fucking court me. Where are the other courting gifts? You think that mating is going to fix everything? Let’s say we mate and have a pup. Then what? You’re still at work all the time while I’m alone with the baby? Is that what you want, Yongho?”

Yongho looked stunned and hurt, and Hoseok couldn’t bring himself to try to comfort him. He had never felt so disrespected in his life. Maybe Yongho had thought that what he’d been doing was for the best for them, but Hoseok had been feeling neglected, and none of his attempts to communicate had fixed anything. It was hard to communicate when your partner wouldn’t even make time for you, after all. 

“We’re through,” Hoseok said as he turned around and stormed up the front steps, casting one last wounded look behind him before slamming the door. He made it up to his apartment, turned on the lights, shut the door, and then broke down, slid down onto the floor, and cried.

-----

Hoseok gazed wistfully out of the window of the seventh floor of the stacks. He had blown off Yoongi last Friday, unable to face the alpha after the events that had occurred between him and Yongho. Even though he knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong, the beta’s words made him feel guilty for associating with the man.

What could at first be explained by a chance encounter and the necessity of protecting a pup, quickly morphed into something less innocent on Hoseok’s part. Despite not doing anything with Yoongi, Hoseok had been thinking about him. Those emotions he had chosen to overlook had clearly been desire and interest, and Hoseok had been too starved for affection and attention to reign them in. He hadn’t even realized how much he thought about Yoongi until he was actively trying not to think about him. 

There were times when Hoseok felt overwhelming guilt at his actions towards Yongho and towards Yoongi and his pup. Whether he had intended it or not, Yongho was right about being insecure about Yoongi. Hoseok had been emotionally relying on the alpha for quite some time, and it was clear in the way that he smelled and acted. He may not have been initiating anything physical with the alpha, but he was emotionally attached in a way that friends were typically not. He wasn’t sure if Yoongi felt the same way, but recently, he thought that maybe Yoongi always knew that he was unhappy with Yongho. 

It was even likely, he thought, that Yoongi had planned on courting him before he’d even known that Yongho existed. It wouldn’t be a long shot to assume so, given that Hoseok smelled entirely of himself when they’d first met. Plus, as the alpha had continued to buy him lunches and melt his worries away, he had reciprocated in kind, and indicated his own interest. 

The night after his argument with Yongho, Hoseok’s stomach had turned for hours, and he’d lain in bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling wetness drip down his cheeks without really consciously crying. He’d only moved when he felt too wrung out to sleep and tried to make himself a cup of tea to soothe his nerves. It had only made the nausea worse. He’d felt like a whore, throwing himself at the first alpha to show him any affection.

There were other times he felt rage at Yongho. He’d made Hoseok feel like a failure of a partner. He’d insulted his efforts, and blown him off. Even the restaurant that Hoseok chose didn’t meet Yongho’s impossible standards, and so the beta hadn’t even bothered to show up. Had he really been so busy that he couldn’t even call Hoseok to let him know not to waste his time? Hoseok had worked hard to try to salvage what had been. But maybe it had been too late all along.

Eventually, Hoseok thought that maybe they had both just outgrown each other in different ways, and there wasn’t anything that could have been done to prevent it. Neither he nor Yongho had been happy for a while, and Hoseok wasn’t willing to give up what he had built with Yoongi to get it back.

Hoseok snapped himself out of his melancholy, and looked to find Yoongi sitting on the bench under their tree, and felt his chest grow tight. He was ten minutes early; Hoseok’s lunch break didn’t start until noon on the dot.

There were two lunch boxes from what was likely one of their favorite restaurants, and he could see the orange thermos that Yoongi had bought him after Hoseok had forgotten his own too many times. He had off-handedly mentioned that orange was his favorite color on one of their lunch dates, and Yoongi had shown up with the thing and a gruff reassurance that he was just tired of Hoseok running to the vending machine. 

He hadn’t even had to text Yoongi to know that he would be there, because he always was, even when Hoseok hadn’t been last week.

He looked down at his phone, saw that there were no calls or texts from Yongho, and felt peace. He put the cart back in its place behind the circ. desk, and went to meet the alpha for lunch.

Chapter Text

Okay, Yoongi, don’t panic! Yoongi thought as he looked at the number on the thermometer. It was high. Not high enough to go to the emergency room, but high.

 “Daddy,” his pup whined, his voice cracking pitifully. Yoongi’s instincts were going a bit nuts at his pup’s discomfort and pain. “Daddy, it hurts.”

“I’m sorry, baby, if you wait a little longer the Motrin should kick in, okay?” He said as he readjusted the damp towel on Junsu’s forehead. “Is there anything daddy can get you to make you feel better?”

Junsu nodded, and with wide, imploring eyes, said “Mommy.”

Yoongi grimaced. Junsu usually called out for his grandma at times like these, as omega pheromones tended to help soothe aches and pains, but he had never called out for his mother before. “Junsu, you don’t have a mommy.”

“Hoseokie,” the little boy cried, coughing wetly. He reached his hand out to touch the cardigan that Yoongi had forgotten to return to Hoseok during lunch that morning. Yoongi stared at his son and felt his adrenaline go through the roof. Yoongi had been smelling more like the omega recently from their lunches together, and Junsu had definitely noticed, but the two of them had not progressed past bumping shoulders playfully yet. 

It was undeniable that Junsu had immediately attached himself to the librarian, and loved his time with the omega, but jumping from ‘close family friend’ to ‘parent’ was unusual. Junsu had never reacted the same way around Seokjin and Jungkook.

But, Hoseok had treated Junsu differently than his other omega friends treated his son. Seokjin and Jungkook had a very different dynamic with the pup. Not a better or worse dynamic, just different. They were more like doting uncles than anything parental. Jungkook was much too young to even think about having pups, and Seokjin, though he wanted his own pups, was constantly traveling for work.

Hoseok, though, was so sweet with the boy, and always talked to him like he was enraptured by what the child was saying. He let the little alpha near his scent gland, and seemed to find it pleasant rather than off-putting. 

That didn’t mean that Hoseok was necessarily ready to be a mom , anyways, and Yoongi didn’t want to give Junsu any hopes that would likely only be squashed. Although , Yoongi began to think, but then stopped himself before that train of thought could take off.

Plus, after Hoseok hadn’t come to lunch last week, he’d inquired with Hoseok’s coworkers who had informed him that Hoseok had been going through a rough spot recently, and to wait for Hoseok to reach out first. Hoseok at lunch earlier in the day had been more reserved than usual, and Yoongi was afraid to call and disturb the omega when he might be going through a difficult time. 

But, Yoongi also pictured Hoseok’s face when (and given the budding friendships between their two groups, it would be when and not if ) he found out that Yoongi didn’t call him about the issue, and so he sighed and pulled out his phone, tapping on the familiar contact.

The phone rang four times before it picked up. Without waiting for even a hello, Yoongi spoke. 

“Hoseok, it’s me, Yoongi. I hate to be a bother, but Junsu is really sick and he really wants to see you. Is there any way that you could come over?”

---

Yoongi paced the floor of Junsu’s room for god knows how long until he heard a soft knock at his apartment door.

“Hi,” he greeted breathlessly as he swung the door open. Hoseok was clad in grey sweatpants and a soft-looking sweater to fend off the chilliness of the early autumn night, and Yoongi vaguely wondered how the omega would look with rosy cheeks, wrapped up in a scarf and hat during the winter time.

“Hi,” Hoseok replied, “how is Junsu?”

“Not well,” Yoongi said, breathing out a long sigh. “He doesn’t have a fever, but he’s warm and uncomfortable. Do you want to go and see him?”

Hoseok nodded, and then held up a blue reusable bag, “I just picked up some things from the grocery store. I thought that I could make Junsu something mild to eat.”

“Oh, thank you,” Yoongi said, heart swelling at the thoughtfulness. He took the bag and peered into it before ushering Hoseok inside, “that’s very kind of you.”

“It’s nothing,” Hoseok replied, a shy smile flitting across his lips, “I’ll just go say hello to Junsu and then be right out.”

Yoongi nodded, and watched as the man took off his shoes, placing them neatly next to the shoe rack, and then stepping up into the apartment. “Junsu’s room is the first one on the left past the kitchen.

Hoseok laughed and said “Yes, I can see the sign,” and indeed, on the door was a red sign that said Junsu!!! in big, clumsy letters. The omega shuffled over, opening the door quietly and slipped inside. 

Yoongi set the bag down onto the counter and Hoseok quickly slipped back out again and into the kitchen next to him. “He’s passed out, the poor thing.”

It was nice to see the other man in his apartment, but he still felt off-kilter at their interactions over the past week. Yoongi didn’t know if he should bring it up or not, and so decided against it. However, Hoseok’s mysterious absence was clearly the elephant in the room, and he seemed to be bracing himself for Yoongi to ask about it. Against his desire to know why the omega had been distant, Yoongi decided to focus on something less touchy.

“So, what did you bring?” Yoongi asked, gesturing to the bag on the counter.

“Oh, just some stuff to make chicken soup. I assume that you have rice?” Hoseok answered. At Yoongi’s nod, he continued on, “Can you please bring me a big pot, a skillet, a spatula, and some cooking oil?”

Yoongi set out to retrieve the goods. “Yes, and feel free to use whatever you need. Make yourself at home.”

Hoseok seemed to take this sentiment to heart, and began opening various drawers and cabinets in search of different materials. His gasp of delight startled Yoongi, who looked over to see Hoseok holding up matching aprons and bandannas, one adult-sized and one child-sized. Hoseok turned to Yoongi with wide eyes, clutching the fabric to his chest and said “Please, please tell me you have pictures of Junsu in this?”

Yoongi nodded, and was rewarded with a pretty smile.

“Can I borrow it?” Hoseok asked, and without waiting for a response, tied the apron around his waist and the bandanna over his hair. 

The apron ties accentuated the slim line of his waist, and Yoongi found his eyes drawn to it immediately. He tore his eyes away after a generous once-over. Hoseok grinned at the alpha, and then went to unload the ingredients from the reusable bag with a hum. He pulled out a package of chicken, an onion, a leek, and a variety of other vegetables along with a can of chicken stock.

“Normally I would make my own broth, but we’re on a time crunch,” Hoseok said casually, as if making broth was something that everybody did.

“If it’s made by you, Junsu will love it,” Yoongi teased, moving from where he was leaning against the countertop to where Hoseok was making quick work of cutting the fat off of the pieces of chicken and throwing them into a snowman-patterned bowl that he had procured from somewhere in one of Yoongi’s rather disorganized cabinets. Hoseok scoffed, and bumped his hip against the other man’s playfully, but didn’t offer a response.

Yoongi hummed and grabbed the leek from the bag and a knife from the block next to the cutting board and turned on the faucet, carefully washing the vegetable and cutting off any brown spots. He set the leek on a towel glanced over at Hoseok, who was doing something on the stove. Pulling a carrot out of the bag, he asked “what are you doing?”

Hoseok hummed, and adjusted the heat of the electric stovetop. Yoongi could hear the popping of oil from inside the pot. “It would be a waste for me to throw the fat away. I’m going to use it and the scraps from the veggies to make a stock.”

 “I thought we were using the chicken broth for this?”

“Yes, but we can put this stock into jars and use it later. It tastes better than store-bought and it helps us use up the scraps.”

Yoongi nodded and pulled out a bowl to put carrot peels in, going along with this new plan. “Sounds good to me,” he said, and went back to his busywork.

After a few moments of chopping vegetables side by side, the pair had gone through the entire bag, leaving nothing left for Yoongi to do. Hoseok had poured the chicken broth and some water into the pot, dumped the vegetables in, and was working on cooking the chicken with garlic and rosemary in a separate pan. Yoongi felt useless looming near the sink. “You’re sure there’s nothing I can do?” He asked.

“Go check on the pup, and maybe replace the towel on his forehead. You gave him Children’s Motrin an hour ago, right?” the omega said, not looking up from where he was flipping the chicken breasts. Yoongi’s heart thumped in his chest at Hoseok referring to his son as the pup . Not your pup, the pup.

He swallowed and said “Yeah, so we have to wait for another couple of hours to give him more. I might go take his temperature again and make sure he hasn’t gotten a fever.”

“Good idea. Now might be a good time to refill the humidifier, too.” Hoseok said, transferring the chicken onto a plate to shred up before adding it to the soup.

After Yoongi had accomplished the tasks set forth by the omega, who looked absolutely lovely in his kitchen, the alpha sat down at one of the chairs at the kitchen table. He’d purchased the three-bedroom after getting promoted, a future family in mind, but it was too big for just him and Junsu. 

The third bedroom had been converted into a storage room, but remained for the most part empty. He’d thought about converting it to a home office, but there wasn’t much use when he was required to use the company intranet for most things anyways. As it was, given that Junsu tended to spend most of his time playing in his room, the apartment felt lonely. There was too much space for only two people. Hoseok’s quiet presence in the kitchen just felt better; less lonely.

Hoseok had already started on the dishes, and Yoongi spent longer than was strictly appropriate admiring the omega’s golden-tanned skin, the gentle slope of his nose, and his mocha-colored hair, which, despite the bandana, fell into Hoseok’s eyes. Hoseok’s jasmine and bergamot scent was pleasant against the salty smell of the chicken soup, and Yoongi in that moment felt that he could understand why Junsu buried his nose in the omega’s scent gland so often.

In a moment of excessive fondness, Yoongi murmured “Thank you for coming.”

The omega looked back over his shoulder at Yoongi and smiled. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”

--- 

Yoongi’s apartment smelled incredible. Pup’s tended to navigate the world through scent, before they grew and became more reliant on sight and sound. Something about Yoongi’s apartment put Hoseok’s heart at ease, knowing that Junsu was surrounded by such cozy and comforting scents at home.

More than that, though, Hoseok had felt the sense of serenity and rightness as he walked over the threshold and into the alpha’s dwelling. It was slightly messy, likely made so with Junsu’s assistance. He tended to be neater in his own apartment, but he’d certainly left it in disarray, having been in a rush to come to the pup’s rescue upon hearing Yoongi’s nervous lisp crackle through his phone speakers.

Yoongi in soft clothes was unbearably handsome. Hoseok had thought himself spoiled with the more casual look that the alpha had sported at the amusement park, but even that couldn’t compare to the sight of Min Yoongi in flannel pajama pants and slippers.

Hoseok somehow managed to keep himself together during their greetings to each other, his instincts heightened at the need to see Junsu, and he’d excused himself as quickly as possible to check on him.

His heart melted at the sight of the pup curled up in his favorite cardigan, and he’d had to take a moment to blink back tears. His scent blended so well with the milkiness of Junsu’s scent, and the crispness of pine. The toddler’s fists were curled around the knit like a blanket or a plush toy, and his nose twitched at the arrival of Hoseok’s scent. He let out a soft huff and snuggled closer to the garment. 

Hoseok watched the gentle rise and fall of Junsu’s chest, entranced, before he smacked himself lightly on the cheeks. There were more pressing matters at hand. 

He pressed the back of his hand against Junsu’s flushed cheeks, and sucked in a breath at how warm they were. Gently, he placed his hand on Junsu’s chest, and sighed in relief at the lack of wheezing.

 Adjusting the cardigan and the blankets around the pup, he softly padded over to the door and slipped back out into the hallway.

He’d quickly found himself in Yoongi’s kitchen, preening at the alpha’s awed look as Hoseok fell into the familiar motions of chopping, stirring, tasting. Soon enough, he’d prepared a meal that would no doubt fill Junsu’s tummy, and maybe soothe his throat a little. 

Smiling fondly at the thought of the pup, he shooed Yoongi away to prepare some milk for Junsu and turned off the stove burner.

The soup smelled divine, and it had only been a matter of time before Junsu woke up and demanded attention. The pup’s whines put both Yoongi and Hoseok on edge, and the pair were at his bedside in a near instant.

The little alpha’s eyes were red and puffy from crying, and his cheeks were pink and splotchy for the same reason. Hoseok reached out to feel his forehead; it was still warm, but not too hot. He sighed in relief. He brushed his fingers against Junsu’s hair as Yoongi replaced the dry towel for another cool damp one.

“Hey, puppy,” Hoseok said softly, and smiled weakly when the pup looked at him with foggy eyes. “I heard that you weren’t feeling good.” His heart hurt seeing the normally rambunctious little boy so defeated, and his stomach clenched uncomfortably at the thought of how much pain Junsu was likely feeling. He wanted to hold the boy against his chest and never let him go, but Yoongi was right next to him, and he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, so he settled for stroking the boy’s hair.

Junsu let out another pitiful whine and nodded, his eyes welling up with tears. His lower lip trembled, and Hoseok grew more antsy not having Junsu cradled against him, where he could protect him. He let out his breath with a woosh as the pup held out his arms and kicked his feet, Junsu’s personal way of signaling a desire to be held. Hoseok looked to Yoongi for any sort of sign, and wasn’t given one, and so decided against his better judgment to act upon his own desires. 

He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned down and gently slid his hands underneath the little boy’s back, pulling him into his chest and neck, and settling him gently against him. He was careful not to jostle the boy too much, for fear of disturbing his head and giving him a headache. Junsu’s grey dinosaur pajamas were damp with sweat, and his nose was runny against the omega’s scent gland.

Settling himself into a more comfortable position on the bed, Hoseok tried rocking the boy back and forth a few times. The pup’s whining calmed considerably, and Hoseok could feel him going limp in his hold. His stomach gave a satisfactory jump.

“Puppy, are you hungry? Hm?” Hoseok whispered to the little boy dozing on his shoulder. “Me and your daddy made something yummy just for you.”

He could feel the boy’s eyelashes fluttering against his skin, and took that to mean yes, I am hungry, please feed me!

Never one to disappoint, Hoseok carefully stood and made his way towards the door, waiting for Yoongi to open it, and then ventured over to the kitchen table. He attempted to put Junsu down into his booster seat, and was met with a broken whimper, and so instead carried the pup over to the stove.

“Yoongi, would you please get us some bowls and spoons?” Hoseok said, transferring Junsu’s weight to his left arm and using his right hand to pilfer through one of the drawers for a ladle. Yoongi didn’t respond, and Hoseok didn’t hear any movement, so Hoseok looked up to where the alpha was leaning in the frame of Junsu’s door. The expression on Yoongi’s face was unbearably fond as he observed the omega and his pup, and Hoseok felt himself blush all the way down through his chest. He tried not to dwell too hard on it, reasoning that any parent looked at their child in the same way. “Yoongi?” He said, instead of allowing himself to get any ideas.

The alpha blinked, tore his gaze away from the two of them, and nodded, moving over to pull down the dishes from a cabinet above the dishwasher. Soon, Hoseok had ladled three portions of soup into two big bowls and one little one, decorated with teddy bears, and the three of them sat down to eat.

Hoseok sat with Junsu in his lap facing sideways, and alternated between feeding himself and the pup, who refused to pick up his spoon. Junsu took a remarkably long time to chew, and Hoseok found himself observing the boy carefully, making sure that he had swallowed before offering him another bite, and wiping the boy’s face with a soft cloth napkin when broth dribbled down his chin.

In between bites for Junsu, Hoseok would take a spoon for himself here and there. The soup was milder because he hadn’t wanted to upset Junsu’s stomach, but it was still deliciously savory. Yoongi seemed to enjoy it too; the alpha went back for seconds and then thirds. Hoseok preened, stealing shy glances at Yoongi’s relaxed and comfortable expression. He felt happy to have done such a good job with the meal.

Hoseok tried to feed Junsu another bite of soup, but the little pup’s eyes were drooping, and his nose was dripping. Hoseok grabbed a tissue from the box at the end of the table and used the hand he had been feeding the boy with to pinch the tissue around his tiny button nose. The pup blew into the tissue, squeezing his eyes shut as he did so, and Hoseok used his other hand on the arm supporting the pup to scratch at the back of his neck comfortingly. He wiped the little nose one more time for good measure, and then threw the tissue into the wastebasket that Yoongi had grabbed from the kitchen.

It was clear that Junsu wouldn’t be eating any more, and so Hoseok left Yoongi at the table to put the boy back into bed. He carefully tucked the child in, and found himself struck with awe at how tiny the little boy was. His fingers and toes were so little, and his face slack with sleep was only a little bigger than the size of Hoseok’s palm.

Suddenly, Hoseok was struck with an epiphany. I would do anything for this pup , he thought as he smoothed his hand over the boy’s forehead, and leaned down to press a kiss there. He tucked the red comforter up under Junsu’s chin, and placed another cool towel on his forehead. He sat for a while  to make sure that the pup wouldn’t awake, and lost track of time watching the rhythmic cycle of Junsu’s breathing. It was only when Yoongi softly knocked on the door that he then returned to the kitchen.

---

“It’s late,” Yoongi said. The two of them were sitting at the table. Hoseok’s hands wrapped around a mug of coffee that Yoongi had made. Junsu had slipped back into the land of slumber, and seemed to be content for the time being.

“It is,” Hoseok replied, and it was. By the time that all the food had been put away and the dishes washed and the coffee brewed, it was nearly midnight. “I should get going if I want to catch the last train.”

“Hmm,” Yoongi hummed noncommittally, tapping at the side of his mug. 

After a moment of no one speaking, Hoseok said “But, I’m also worried about Junsu.”

 “Yeah,” Yoongi sighed, bringing his hand up to scrub at his face, “tell me about it.”

Hoseok pursed his lips. Yoongi held his gaze, blinking slowly. He didn’t seem to have anything more to say on the subject.

“Is it okay if I ask you a personal question?” Hoseok asked, suddenly overwhelmed at the tension of the silence. He wouldn’t look up at Yoongi, and instead was looking down at where his hands gripped his mug. It had Snoopy on it. Hoseok rather liked the mug, and was surprised that Yoongi owned such a thing. But, then again, many of Yoongi’s things looked like they had been purchased with Junsu in mind; there was no real theme or style that seemed to be present in Yoongi’s decorating.

Yoongi didn’t answer for a moment. Hoseok wanted to know what expression he was making, but didn’t want to try and keep that piercing gaze again. Snoopy’s left ear had a crack forming over it. The mug seemed to be well-loved. He wondered if it was Yoongi or Junsu who liked it so much.

 Finally, after a long pause, Yoongi said “Only if you let me ask one too.”

Hoseok let out a shaky breath. Was he ready to talk about himself? He nodded, and then glanced up. Yoongi was still looking at him with a sort of intensity that made him want to hide under the table and never emerge.

“I just wanted to know,” Hoseok began, pausing to figure out how to phrase his question before continuing, “Where is Junsu’s mom?” He had assumed that she worked overseas, or had passed away, but there were no photos of her in the apartment, and after Yoongi’s declaration, it was clear that neither was the case. Junsu never talked about her. It was as if she didn’t exist.

“She walked out on us.”

Hoseok felt his stomach swoop in guilt and anger. Guilt towards Yoongi for making him relive a painful moment, and anger towards Junsu’s mother for abandoning such a sweet and wonderful child.

“Legally, Junsu is mine and mine only. She was there for Junsu’s birth, and hasn’t been around since. She never wanted kids; she was an alpha, and I think that she hadn’t planned on ever being the one in the partnership giving birth if she decided to have them. And she was much younger than me at the time.” 

Hoseok sent the other a sympathetic look and reached one of his hands out to clasp at Yoongi’s. The alpha looked at where Hoseok’s tan hand fit into his pale one and then continued. “When Junsu was born, she refused to hold him, or look at him. I was so angry at her for not trying, but I think that she was just overwhelmed.”

“Can you imagine doing everything you can to try and not have a child, and then still have one? She dated another alpha, she took birth control, we used condoms, she even tried to have an abortion but her parents wouldn’t let her. They convinced her that this was a blessing, that they would raise the pup, and so on.”

“I think that they had been hoping that after she gave birth, she would change her mind and settle down, but she wanted to finish school. She was miserable during her entire pregnancy, and as an alpha there were so many complications that wouldn’t have happened to a beta female or an omega. Looking back, I think,” Yoongi paused to wet his lips, “I think that I wouldn’t have wanted to stick around either.”

Hoseok sniffed, and then drew his hand up to his face in shock. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he said, cheeks burning in mortification, “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Yoongi laughed and brought his other hand to hold Hoseok’s hand between his own hands more properly. “It’s because you’re sweet, Hoseok. You have so much love for others. You let my son scent you during your first meeting.” Hoseok blushed and shook his head at this. “You are. You are so good .”

“I’m not,” he protested weakly. “I’m angry at myself for what I thought about her. When you told me about her, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could leave their pup, and thought poorly of her. I’m so sorry.”

“You are good. The fact that you feel that way speaks towards how good you are as a person.” Yoongi insisted, and then laughed. “And I think it’s my turn to ask you a question, now.”

“Shoot,” Hoseok said with a watery smile. It hadn’t escaped his notice, that his hand was still held tightly between Yoongi’s on the table.

“Where were you last week on Friday? And this week on Tuesday?” Yoongi asked in a much more hesitant tone. Hoseok appreciated that he was being sensitive to Hoseok’s nervousness about the topic.

Hoseok hesitated. He felt even worse thinking about how he had never disclosed his relationship status to Yoongi from the beginning. He worried that Yoongi would think that Hoseok was trying to deceive him.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Yoongi said gently, his thumb beginning to rub small circles onto Hoseok’s.

“No, I can. I just,” Hoseok said nervously, “it’s hard to explain.”

“I’m a good listener.”

Hoseok chuckled weakly. “I know you are; it was so hard getting you to talk at first!” He cleared his throat. “So, what happened was my ex-boyfriend asked me to mate with him.”

Yoongi’s thumb stopped its soothing motion and Hoseok could see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. “Oh, congratulations,” Yoongi said, his lisp more prominent than Hoseok had heard before.

“And I said no.” Hoseok finished. He peered up at the alpha, who was looking down at their entwined hands.

Yoongi hummed, indicating that Hoseok should continue, so he did. “He and I had been dating for around four years. We got together during our undergrad. Everything was fine until around a year or so ago, when he started his residency, and he got really busy.” 

He took a breath. “I would go into the hospital during his breaks to try and see him, and at first it was fine. We would talk over lunch or coffee until he had to go back to work. He was so passionate, and it made me happy to see him living his dream, you know?”

Hoseok smiled weakly. “But over the past year, I would go to the hospital and, instead of spending time with him, I spent time waiting. It was only five minutes at first, but that soon changed. I would wait for half an hour only to be sent home because he was too tired or too busy to see me. He would make me feel really bad, like me wanting to see him was so hard for him, and I would always apologize and agree to reschedule because I knew he was having a hard time. I would apologize, because I felt that I was a burden to him.” Hoseok stopped as he felt his voice break and his eyes grow wet.

“Sorry,” he laughed, dabbing at his eyes with his sweater. Yoongi’s touch was keeping him grounded, and he sent Yoongi a grateful smile as the alpha squeezed his hand a little tighter. “But during our last meeting, he met me outside of my apartment and told me that we should mate. He said it like it was no big deal, and that it was something we needed to get out of the way. That’s when I knew we couldn’t fix it. When I said no, he said horrible things about me, and I couldn’t just take it and apologize anymore so I told him to fuck off and then went inside. I haven’t talked to him at all since, and he hasn’t tried to contact me, so, it’s over. But the worst part is that I feel relieved.” 

“Fuck,” Yoongi said softly, and Hoseok let out a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. 

“I’m sorry,” Hoseok cried. 

Yoongi’s scent grew strong with alarm. “What are you sorry for?” 

“I just feel like such a jerk for standing you up last Friday, and flaking on you and Junsu on Tuesday,” Hoseok confessed, hiding his face in his palm. He tried to pull his other hand away from Yoongi but the alpha wouldn’t let him. 

“Hoseok, you have nothing to be sorry about. Anyone would have reacted poorly in that situation.”

Yoongi’s words made Hoseok cry even harder. “He just got into my head,” he said. “He made me feel terrible for even associating with you, and acted like you were a replacement for him. And I just made it worse by standing you up.”

“Well I forgive you. Hoseok, you’re such an amazing omega and an amazing person. I don’t know how anyone could stay mad at you.” 

“But I’m not! I’m obviously not, because he wouldn’t even fucking scent me, Yoongi! For months he wouldn’t touch me, not even to hold my hand or give me a hug. My friends thought we had been broken up for months because I never smelled like him. It was like he was bored with me or something.”

At this point, the waterworks didn’t seem like they would be calming down. In the back of his mind, Hoseok knew that he should be embarrassed, but Yoongi’s scent and his touch made him feel safe and protected.

“And I felt scared because I realized that I wasn’t willing to sacrifice what we have to try and fix things with him.”

He distantly heard the alpha suck in a breath and sobbed louder as Yoongi let go of his hand. He suddenly worried that Yoongi had finally become fed up with his inability to control his emotions. Instead, he was pulled up from his seat and carried over to the sofa. 

The alpha settled him against his side, and threw his arm around his shoulders and then pulled him into his chest, tucking his head under his chin. He calmed down slightly, Yoongi’s scent and his embrace doing wonders for Hoseok’s hormones. The alpha’s fingers came to scratch at the back of his neck, and he felt shivers travel up and down his spine. He slowly relaxed, but not before thinking wait a minute , that was his trick that he used to get Junsu to calm down.

“Using my own tricks against me,” Hoseok mumbled, somewhere between a dehydration headache and total relaxation. His nose was tucked into the junction between Yoongi’s shoulder and neck. If he tilted his head and scooched a little closer, he would be able to rub his nose in the Alpha’s scent gland. It was tempting, but too intimate, so he restrained himself. He could still smell Yoongi’s woodsy scent, and it was making him sleepy. He let his eyes flutter closed.

“I think you’d better stay the night,” Yoongi murmured next to his ear. Hoseok hadn’t even noticed that the alpha had rested his head on top of his.

Hoseok just nodded. He didn’t have the mental capacity to argue after just having a meltdown and blurting out his feelings in the kitchen of the guy he kind of liked.

 “Do you want to take a shower?” Yoongi asked.

 Hoseok nodded and then changed his mind and shook his head no. “Can’t stand up right now.” 

“A bath?” Yoongi asked, and Hoseok wanted to purr at the low tone that he was using. Hoseok nodded. 

Yoongi extricated himself from their entanglement on the couch, and Hoseok whined embarrassingly loud and then flopped over. Yoongi chuckled, said “I’ll be right back,” and then went into another room. Hoseok heard the sound of the bath running and the soft opening and closing of doors.

He must have dozed on the couch for a while because he was roused from his impromptu nap by Yoongi gently shaking his shoulder. He blinked and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. Briefly, he wondered if he could hold his arms out and kick his legs and get picked up much like the toddler one room over. Instead, he grabbed the hand in front of his face and blinked a few more times as he was pulled up and off of the couch.

“Bath time,” Yoongi said, steering Hoseok into the bathroom. “I didn’t know if you wanted bubbles, but I went ahead and added them. This is the bubble bath Junsu uses, so it’s good if you have sensitive skin. But, if you don’t want them, I can run you another bath.”

Hoseok shook his head. “No, that’s okay. I like the bubbles.”

“Cool. I also got you some clothes you can wear,” and oh, Hoseok liked the sound of that.

“Thank you.”

“You can sleep in my bed tonight. I’ll wait for you to finish your bath. Call me if you need anything.”

Yoongi offered him a smile and left the room, closing the door with a soft click. Hoseok quickly dropped his pants and shucked off his shirt, and then stepped into the steaming water. It felt like heaven on his skin, and he sunk against the back of the tub with a content sigh. Junsu’s bubble bath had a very light fragrance, not so strong as to bother his nose.

He spent a while in the bath, dozing until the water grew lukewarm, and then washed himself in five minutes using the products that Yoongi had left on the ledge of the tub. He stood, pulled the drain, and wrapped himself in the fluffy white towel set next to the sink. For a long time he didn’t move, so content and warm wrapped in the towel after a hot bath, but eventually went to look at the clothing that had been left for him.

There was a pair of boxers, which Hoseok pulled on with a blush. Did Yoongi wear these? There was also a pair of sweatpants, which looked like they were very well-loved. They were soft and worn, just the way Hoseok liked them. Best of all was a big, oversized, faded red sweatshirt with some bleach stains on the front. It was so fuzzy and warm, the sleeves came over his hands so perfectly, and it smelled like pine sap and crisp mountain air. Hoseok was completely recovered from his meltdown, enveloped in Yoongi’s scent and in a wonderful, floaty mindset as he practically floated out of the bathroom and onto the couch.

“Hi,” he whispered to Yoongi, who had clearly also dozed off on the couch. His hair was ruffled, and it was so incredibly endearing, and Hoseok really wanted to run his hands through it. He didn’t, but he did snuggle up to the man in as modest a manner as possible, taking care not to get too close to his scent gland.

“Hello,” the alpha whispered back. “Shall I put your clothes in the wash?”

Hoseok shook his head from where it was burrowed near Yoongi’s bicep. “No more moving.”

Yoongi laughed, a pretty sound in Hoseok’s humble opinion. “Come on, let’s get you into bed.”

Hoseok whined, but grudgingly went to his feet and allowed himself to be guided into a bedroom, and subsequently into a very soft bed that smelled very much like Yoongi and this was so much better than the sofa. Yoongi was truly one of the world’s brightest minds.

He rubbed his legs together happily as Yoongi tucked him into the quilt like a child. It was so soft, and it smelled so nice, and he was so sleepy. The world could end and he wouldn’t know.

“I came here to help you take care of the pup, not give you more work,” he mumbled.

The alpha laughed softly, and Hoseok felt the light brush of his fingertips against his forehead. “As if taking care of you could be considered anything less than a pleasure for me.” The bed creaked as the alpha stood up.

“Good night, Hoseok,” he heard, somewhere off in the distance.

Hoseok mumbled something that somewhat resembled “night,” and nodded off before Yoongi even turned off the light and shut the door.

 ---

It was still dark out when Hoseok awoke again to the sound of Junsu’s whimpers. His eyes snapped open and he threw off the covers. He made his way to Junsu’s room, quietly closing the door behind him. Yoongi likely hadn’t heard Junsu crying since Junsu’s room was at the opposite end of the hallway from the living room, and Hoseok didn’t want to wake him up.

The pup was flushed and sweaty, and had kicked off the blankets at some point during the night. He was awake, but not happy about it. He immediately put his arms up and kicked his feet as hard as he could at the sight of Hoseok, who wasted no time in picking up the boy and holding him tight.

 “Hurts,” Junsu whined. Hoseok grabbed the thermometer from off of the side table and stuck it under Junsu’s tongue. His temperature was still fine, just a little warm, but Hoseok knew from Junsu’s scent that he was distressed and in pain. He bounced the boy a few times and patted his bottom. It didn’t seem like he needed a change, either.

 “Junsu, can you tell me what hurts?” Hoseok asked in the softest tone he could.

 The pup’s reply was soft, and Hoseok had to strain his ears to listen. “Tummy.”

“Do you feel like you’re gonna throw up?” Hoseok asked, already moving towards the door. 

Junsu nodded. Hoseok dashed into the bathroom, less cautious of waking Yoongi, and held Junsu’s head over the toilet just in time for him to start heaving. He was obviously trying to hold it back, but it was too much for him. 

“Baby, you need to let it out, okay? You will feel better when it’s all done, I promise.” He rubbed the little boy’s back soothingly. “It will hurt for a little bit but then we will make it better.” 

He sighed in a strange mix of agitation and relief as Junsu spewed the contents of his stomach into the toilet with hacking coughs. Hoseok continued to rub his back throughout, cooing gentle nonsense at the pup as he sobbed his way through it.

“Out you go, out, out,” he murmured.

 He heard footsteps and then the door opened. “ Shit. ” Yoongi was awake, then.

 “Yoongi, can you get a cup of water and some paper towels please? And do you have any mouthwash?” Hoseok asked.

 “We don’t have any mouthwash, but there’s a bodega on the corner open 24-hours that might have some. I’ll be right back.” There was a noisy clomping sound of Yoongi trying to jam his feet into his shoes without untying the laces, and then a zipper and jangle of keys.

 “Better get some Pepto, too. Wear a hat! It’s cold outside,” He called.

 “Okay!” There was the sound of rustling fabric and the door opening and slamming shut.

 Meanwhile, Junsu seemed to be finishing up. “Come on baby, just a little bit more and it will be all done.”

 Finally, Junsu finished heaving and rested his head against the toilet bowl, crying. Hoseok gently lifted his head up and grabbed some bath tissue to scrub at his mouth and nose.

“Junsu baby, go ahead and spit in the toilet a few more times, okay?” After that was done he scrubbed at his face again and then stood the both of them up. He set Junsu onto the counter and flushed the toilet.

Yoongi had left a cup of water next to the sink, and Hoseok took some water in his mouth, swished it around, and then spit into the sink. Then, he held it up to the boy’s lips, urging him to do the same. Junsu did so. Hoseok grabbed more toilet tissue and ran it under the sink, then rubbed a couple more times at Junsu’s mouth. “Daddy went to get you some medicine for your tummy and something to get the bad taste out, okay puppy? Does that sound good?”

Immediately after Hoseok had said those words, the door opened and there was the sound of footsteps. “I got Children’s Pepto and some Listerine. Can you have him rinse? I’ll go and see if there’s anything mild we can have him eat with the Pepto so that he doesn’t take it on an empty stomach.”

Hoseok had Junsu rinse his mouth again, this time with the mouth wash, and carried him out into the kitchen. Yoongi was toasting half of a plain bagel. He turned around as the pair entered and held out his arms. “Let me hold him,” he said softly. After a moment’s hesitation, Hoseok obliged, and then went to stand over by the toaster so that he could occupy his mind with something.

 The toast popped up and Hoseok pulled it out, wincing as it burned the tips of his fingers. He grabbed a bread knife and cut the bagel into little bite-sized pieces for Junsu to chew on.

“Let me see him,” he said quietly to Yoongi, tugging him around so that he could see the pup’s face. “Hi, honey, can you eat something for me?” He held up a little piece of bagel to the pup’s lips.

 Unsurprisingly, Junsu whined and buried his head in his dad’s neck. Hoseok pouted and looked up at Yoongi.

Yoongi shifted the toddler in his arms so that such a pose was not possible. “Junsu, you need to eat something, buddy. If you don’t eat, you can’t take medicine that will make you feel better.” Yoongi’s voice was low and gentle, but still firm. Junsu, unwilling to go against his father’s order, reluctantly opened his mouth, and Hoseok fed him the bite of bagel. The pup chewed, swallowed, and made an unhappy face, but opened his mouth for another bite.

“Good job, puppy!” Hoseok cooed, petting Junsu’s hair and thumbing at his chubby cheeks. “Just a little bit more, okay?” With much coaxing from the two of them, they made steady work of the bagel, and then gave the boy the chewable tablet (which he spat out because he didn’t like the taste, but then Yoongi made a frowny face and gave him another and he ate that one).

“Yoon, gimme,” Hoseok said, not waiting for a response before scooping the little boy away from his father and towards himself, guiding the little boy’s nose towards his scent gland and using his favorite trick to make the boy relax. Coming to his senses, he turned to see Yoongi’s mildly flustered face. “Ah, sorry…”

“It’s fine,” Yoongi said, but his voice cracked, which made Hoseok think that it was not fine, but he didn’t want to push the issue with a sleeping toddler in his arms. “I’ll sleep with him for the rest of the night.”

“His sheets need to be changed and that quilt needs to be washed first,” Hoseok pointed out. “You guys can sleep in your room and I’ll take the sofa.” He did not want to take the sofa. In fact, he did not want to have to separate from the pup, but there didn’t seem to be another solution.

Yoongi nodded, so they took Junsu into Yoongi’s bedroom. His scent was the strongest there, which Junsu liked. Yoongi made himself comfortable, and Hoseok tried to set Junsu down next to him.

“Mommy,” the pup whined, clutching onto Hoseok with a surprisingly strong grip. All of Hoseok’s nerves felt like they had been zapped, and he was no longer in possession of a functioning brain.

“Junsu!” Yoongi scolded, pulling the pup away from Hoseok, whose heart broke as Junsu let out a little wail.

“Mommy,” he whined, loudly and drawn out this time.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Hoseok, I don’t know why he’s doing this,” Yoongi said, his face hidden behind his hand.

 Junsu’s whining was bordering on a total meltdown, and Hoseok knew he had to act fast.

 “Okay, baby, I’m just gonna go turn off the lights and be right back, okay?” Hoseok said softly, and Junsu’s whining abruptly tapered off into sniffles.

 He went and turned off the lights in the kitchen and bathroom area, and then returned to the bedroom, turning off the lights there too. He left the door open to help with the air flow. After all of the small tasks were finished, he found himself perched awkwardly on the edge of the bed.

 “Mommy,” Junsu squirmed, wiggling away from Yoongi’s grip and kicking his feet. He didn’t hold out his arms, so he didn’t want to be picked up , Hoseok thought, but he was still kicking and whining.

 “Hoseok,” Yoongi said, and the alpha sounded so incredibly tired. Hoseok pursed his lips. “Hoseok can you please lie down? We can talk in the morning.”

 “Okay,” he whispered, and gingerly pulled back the covers and settled himself next to the pup, who immediately encircled his arms around Hoseok’s neck and stuck his nose there. Hoseok hummed, pleased, and pulled the pup closer to him.

 “Shh, shh, shh, shh,” he mumbled, running his fingertip lightly from the top of Junsu’s forehead to the tip of his nose, then over his eyelids, then down his lips. He hummed absentmindedly, the same lullaby he’d sang to the pup on the way home from their outing a few weeks ago, and watched as the little boy’s face went slack, his frown melting away and his little mouth opening slightly.

 “Sleep,” Hoseok whispered to the pup. He smiled as the little boy’s breathing evened and he stopped moving. He looked past the pup to Yoongi, and saw him staring at the two of them with that same intensity from before. This time, he didn’t shy away, and reached out to tug Yoongi closer, so that the two of them were snuggled up to the boy on both sides. 

Hoseok felt so content knowing the Junsu was safe and protected, in between him and his father, where no one could hurt him, and so he let his eyes slip shut. Bliss.

Chapter Text

The next morning found Yoongi breathing in the smell of bergamot and jasmine and the milky scent of his pup. He stretched through his toes and groaned at the popping of his joints. Bringing his hand to scratch his stomach, he yawned. Yoongi felt well-rested for the first time in a long time.

Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of Hoseok curled around Junsu. He smiled fondly. Hoseok’s nose was buried in the pup’s hair and the pup’s nose was stuck up against Hoseok’s scent gland. Sunlight spilled in from the windows, making the bed uncomfortably hot, but the two of them continued to doze peacefully.

He did his best to lift the covers and slip out without disturbing the sleeping pair, and cursed at his lack of success when Hoseok made a sleepy, affronted noise. He froze, and waited as Hoseok readjusted his arms around Junsu, and drifted back off.

 Quietly, he snuck into the kitchen to get a head start on breakfast. He was nearly done with the eggs when Hoseok stepped out of the room. His hair was fluffed up in the back, and his face was puffy with sleep. Yoongi tore his eyes away and focused on transferring the eggs to a plate.

Yoongi was startled when Hoseok came up behind him and rested his forehead on Yoongi’s shoulder. “Sleepy?” He asked. Hoseok nodded against his back. “Go sleep some more. I’ll wake you up later.” 

Hoseok hummed and shuffled over to the table and collapsed into one of the chairs.

 “Coffee?” Yoongi offered.

“Yes please,” Hoseok said quietly. He was upright, but his eyes were closed and he was swaying a little bit. The corners of Yoongi’s lips quirked up. Cute .

He set a steaming mug on the table, along with a bottle of creamer and a bowl of sugar. “Is Junsu still sleeping?” he asked. 

Hoseok nodded. “I think he’s still pretty tired from last night. I felt his forehead and he seems to have gone back to normal, though, so last night may have been the worst of it.” 

“That’s good,” Yoongi said, his breath whooshing out in relief, “speaking of which, should we talk about last night?”

Hoseok’s nose scrunched and it made him look quite young. It was endearing. “I suppose we could,” the omega trailed off.

“Why don’t we eat first?” Yoongi suggested lightly. He wasn’t in a rush, but he did think that there were things that needed to be addressed.

“Okay,” Hoseok said. He still looked a little sleepy, so Yoongi set two plates of eggs and toast onto the table and let him eat quietly. With each sip of coffee that the omega drank, he looked more and more alert. 

Finally, Hoseok finished his food and set his fork down. “I’m ready to talk now,” he said.

Yoongi had finished just moments earlier, and was in the middle of wiping his face with a cloth napkin. “Okay,” he said, and it was sort of muffled from the napkin, but he carried on, “First, I want to thank you for helping Junsu.”

 “Oh, it was nothing,” Hoseok replied, pink dusting his cheeks. 

“Well, I think that you being there really helped him. Your scent calmed him down a lot. Also, had you not been there, I would have had to bring Junsu to the store with me because he’s too small for me to leave him here alone. I’m glad you were there.” Yoongi said firmly. He had no doubt in his mind that Hoseok tended to think that helping people, especially children, was a matter of course, and wouldn’t take credit for his good deeds if Yoongi didn’t insist upon it.

“I was happy to help,” Hoseok said, and then took a shaky breath, “I just really… love… Junsu, a lot,” he admitted, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Warmth bloomed in Yoongi’s chest at that sentiment, and he tried to catch Hoseok’s eyes to try to convey his gratitude, but the omega was looking at where his hands were twisting together in his lap.

Yoongi chuckled, “Well, I really love Junsu too,” he offered, and Hoseok shook his head. His hair ruffled with his motion.

 “I think that…” Hoseok started, and Yoongi waited for him to finish his thought, but he didn’t.

“You think that,” He urged, using the same tone of voice that he used on Junsu when Junsu was trying to explain something to him.

“Maybe, I’m too attached to your pup,” Hoseok finished. He sat back in the chair to look at the alpha.

Yoongi looked at Hoseok intently. He crossed his arm across his chest and offered a small smirk. “I think my pup is pretty attached to you too,” he said. “It’s normal for you to react.”

 Hoseok bobbed his head a few times. “That’s true, but I think that my instincts react to him a lot more than any of the other pups I’ve met.”

Yoongi nodded, thinking, and suggested “It could be since Junsu doesn’t have a mom, maybe? He really only smelled like me until he met you.”

“That could be,” Hoseok murmured in agreement. “Last night, I felt like I couldn’t be separated from him. I felt antsy when I put him down, or when he wasn’t in my sight. Even when I knew he was asleep, I wanted to stay with him, I think.”

That was news to Yoongi. Those sorts of instincts were the same ones that he felt as a parent. Even his parents didn’t feel that strongly towards their grandson. He was a bit at a loss for words. His mind was overrun with feelings of longing and a sort of ache for companionship all of a sudden. What if Hoseok were to fill that void? While he tried to formulate something to say, the omega started speaking again.

 “It isn’t just Junsu, either.” Hoseok said. “I think that I feel differently around you, too.”

 Yoongi felt the tips of his ears grow hot. Hoseok was once again not meeting his eyes, but he didn’t protest when Yoongi reached over the table and held out his hand for Hoseok to hold. A tan hand was placed in his, and he admired the contrast of their skin. Their scents began to intwine pleasantly.

 “Me too,” he replied.

 The moment was broken by a ferocious shout from the bedroom, and Hoseok slamming his knees against the bottom of the table in surprise. “ Fuck ,” the omega cursed, and Yoongi burst out laughing. Hoseok looked so disgruntled, a bit like a wet cat, and Yoongi couldn’t help himself. Hoseok shot him a look, and then scooted his chair back and hobbled off into the bedroom, where Junsu was putting his lungs to good use.

 “UuuuUAAAhhHHhhhh,” Junsu yelled.

 “What! What!” Hoseok exclaimed back at the toddler.

 Yoongi just laughed and laughed.

 -----

So began the tentative courting process between Yoongi and Hoseok.

Lunchtimes, which Hoseok had admitted were his favorite time of the week, were clearly a favorite of Yoongi’s as well. Tuesday’s were fun, too, due to their meetings with Junsu. The rest of the days of the week began to become occupied by their dates as well. More often than not, Yoongi would call Hoseok when he planned on taking Junsu somewhere. The zoo, or the aquarium, or whatever place Junsu had heard about at daycare and demanded to go to was twenty times more enjoyable with the other, as he was able to match Junsu’s enthusiasm, and Yoongi’s arms got a break from carrying the little alpha.

Not to mention, it was nice to see the two of them interact. Yoongi was constantly amazed by how well Hoseok handled Junsu; from his tantrums, to times when he wanted to sing Teddy Bear’s Picnic for forty minutes straight. Hoseok was clearly very good with children in general, having had lots of practice at his job, but he was especially sweet with Junsu. It was so obvious that the pair were enamored with each other, and he wasn’t the only one to notice.

Yoongi had brought Junsu to the library to visit Hoseok at lunch on one of his rare days off, and the omega immediately swooped down and picked him up, nuzzling at his head with a happy noise. Jimin, who had been shelving books nearby, watched with fascination as Hoseok fussed over the pup.

“I guess you two have gotten pretty close, huh?” Jimin teased, laughing as Hoseok’s cheeks grew pink and Yoongi’s arms crossed over his chest.

Junsu saved them from having to respond, nodding vigorously and nearly clocking Hoseok in the chin.

Jimin smiled, “Hoseok, we will be having words about this during lunch, okay? How could you not update us on this very interesting development?” 

Hoseok huffed into Junsu’s hair, and made a face. “It’s my personal business…” he began, but from the look on Jimin’s face, Yoongi knew that the poor omega would be questioned mercilessly later on. He also grimaced at the thought that Jimin would inevitably blab to Jungkook and Jin, who would also pester him for details. 

“Ugh, c’mon, let’s go,” Hoseok huffed and promptly walked towards the couch where he had first read to Junsu with Yoongi, leaving Jimin cackling at his embarrassment.

Yoongi, unwilling to let Jimin have the last word, said “That’s some pretty big talk from someone pining over a brat like Jeon Jeongguk,” and then followed Hoseok to sit in his usual spot, leaving a beet red Jimin in his wake.

He groaned as he lowered himself to the floor. His knees weren’t what they once were. “I hope you guys aren’t too busy today, I don’t want to get in the way of your work,” Yoongi said. Hoseok waved him off with the hand not supporting Junsu’s seat.

“I always have time for my favorite alphas,” he said, rubbing his nose against Junsu’s. Junsu giggled and squeezed his eyes shut, and Yoongi beamed. 

“Lucky for you, I know just what book to read today!” Junsu, always a fan of bears, cheered as Hoseok pulled out a tattered copy of Corduroy . 

“Mommy, I never sawn that one before!” Junsu babbled. 

“You’ve never seen this one?” Hoseok parroted in a shocked tone, and settled the little boy in his lap. This was not an easy feat, as Junsu had just eaten a snack and was therefore at his peak energy levels. 

“Junsu, sit still so that Hoseok can read to you, okay?” Yoongi tried appealing to his pup, and received an unamused look from the little alpha in response. 

Junsu had become more and more territorial of the omega as of recent, and Yoongi felt a little jealous sometimes, though it was hard for him to know who to be jealous of: Hoseok because Junsu seemed to forget all about his daddy when the omega was around, or Junsu, because Hoseok showered him in so much affection. 

“Junsu!” Yoongi said in mock hurt at the adorably disgruntled pout that Junsu shot him, as if to say stop butting in, dad . He clutched at his chest. “You don’t love daddy anymore, so you glare at him? Hm? Is that what this is?” 

Hoseok laughed and pushed Yoongi’s shoulder lightly. “Hey, stop teasing him, he’s little.”

“’M not little!” Junsu whined, and Hoseok immediately smoothed at his hair, making soothing sounds towards the pup who had begun to squirm in impatience at not being read to right that second .

“No, of course not, you’re very big, one might say large, even” Hoseok placated Junsu, who seemed satisfied at this, and resolutely faced forward in the omegas lap with a pout, smacking his tiny hand against the hardcover of the book. 

Yoongi reached out to scratch the back of his pup’s neck, but the little boy leaned back against Hoseok’s chest flatly so that he couldn’t. Yoongi narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips, and Hoseok laughed at the expression. 

“You look like an angry cat,” Hoseok laughed, and then Yoongi was laughing too, and Junsu was whining about being ignored. Yoongi planted a kiss onto his glossy hair and laughed even harder at the slightly disgruntled look that the pup sent him.

 “Okay, okay. We should start reading before his highness gets upset,” Yoongi teased, pinching at his baby’s cheek, being rewarded with another disgruntled pout.

“Daddy,” the pup whined, “stop!”

Hoseok, quickly sensing a tantrum coming on, pulled Junsu’s little body against his chest and turned his head forward, and began to read. Yoongi’s chest felt warm and fuzzy as he watched the two. His little pup was so cute and small in the omega’s lap, still wearing his light blue daycare smock and navy shorts from earlier in the day.

His yellow hat and bag had long-since been abandoned in Yoongi’s car. 

(The very first time Hoseok had seen the uniform smock, trademark to private daycare facilities, he did a double take and mumbled something like “Oh, so you make money money.” 

As if the luxury vehicle, fancy catered lunches, and apartment in the middle of downtown weren’t enough proof, Junsu’s private daycare certainly was.)

But despite Hoseok’s teasing, Yoongi had found it hard not to preen at the comment; he felt an instinctual sense of satisfaction that the omega he was courting had taken notice of what good care he could provide for his family. This, of course, had made Hoseok snort and roll his eyes in amusement.

But it was Hoseok who reaped the benefits. Yoongi certainly hadn’t been stingy with his courting gifts to Hoseok.

Traditionally, an alpha would court an omega with a series of gifts, but times had changed and so had courting practices. Plenty of young people tended to create their own courting rituals based on their own preferences and needs from a mate. 

Yoongi categorized his family as more traditional in terms of courting practices: his father had actually provided a fur coat for his mother as a courting gift, which was about as traditional as one could get. It was a physical representation of shelter, warmth, provision all in one.

Although he didn’t categorize himself as a very traditional alpha, there were some courting traditions that Yoongi had always pictured himself doing. He wanted to give Hoseok a fur coat. He wanted to agonize over picking the most excellent piece of fur, and having it tailored to perfection. He wanted to see how beautifully it draped over the omega’s shoulders, how it would envelope Hoseok in his scent and serve as a physical reminder of his devotion. 

He wanted to give, and give, and give, until Hoseok was completely spoiled rotten. 

He’d given two gifts so far. He’d started small, despite his own desires. However, it was for good reason that he’d done so. The first gift generally was small. How inconsiderate it would be to burden a potential mate with your interest without first confirming that such interest was reciprocated.

The keychain from the amusement park had been the first of his courting gifts. Hoseok had smacked him on the arm once Yoongi had confessed that this was so, as he’d given it to the omega before he’d officially broken things off with Yongho. The alpha hadn’t protested the treatment. Such an action was in poor taste. Luckily, Hoseok liked him enough to forgive him for the romantic faux pas. 

The second gift was meant to be something useful, to show that the pursuer took notice of their potential mate, and knew enough about them to begin the courting process. Yoongi had decided to give Hoseok a soft, baby blue cardigan to keep at work, since the omega often complained about the chill of the air-conditioning in the library and was unlikely to have his old one returned by Junsu. It had been the least he could do, given that the toddler refused to relinquish Hoseok’s previous favorite cardigan, and slept with it frequently in lieu of his baby blanket.

The omega in question looked so pretty, wearing Yoongi’s gift over a dress shirt tucked into slacks, and had he had forgone wearing contacts in favor of a pair of wire-rimmed glasses that brought out his brown eyes in the most beautiful way. His lashes were long and brushed against his cheeks softly with each blink. His nose was so cute and narrow, and his hair which had been styled back in the morning fell into his face after a day of chasing kids around. He looked so lovely and so soft in the gift that Yoongi had given him, and he was taking such good care of his pup, that Yoongi was sure that his besotted expression was apparent to anyone who even glanced their direction.

His stare was broken by his phone ringing. He made quick eye contact with Hoseok and signaled that he would go and take the call in the hallway, and received a nod in response. 

After a brief call with one of the interns working under him (who was apparently incredibly talented at Excel, and had found a way to streamline their client data analysis process), he pocketed his phone and was about to go back into the reading room when he was stopped by an elderly female beta and her omega granddaughter.

“You and your mate are very sweet,” the woman said, her wrinkled face smiling up at him. “I wish that my daughter and her mate were that good with little Hayoung here.” The granddaughter in question seemed completely uninterested in the conversation, and was instead intensely interested in a poster of ladybugs on the wall by the elevators. 

Yoongi, sort of proud that he and Hoseok had been mistaken for a mated pair, smiled and decided against correcting her. “Thank you,” he replied instead. “How old is your granddaughter?” He asked politely, offering a wave to the little girl who had ordained him a glance away from the ladybugs. She turned back quickly upon realizing she’d been noticed.

“She’s just turned four,” the old woman replied. “I look after her most of the time, since her parents are so busy. Both of them, working women, I suppose. She loves the library, especially since all of the librarians who work here are very friendly. She’s very close with all of them, you know, but I never knew that that one was mated with a pup already. He looks very young! How old is your pup?” 

Yoongi nodded and hummed. “My pup is three,” he paused, decided fuck it, he and Hoseok were courting anyways , and continued, “my mate really loves pups. So, that’s why he wanted to work here in the first place. It worked out well. Junsu loves it when he reads to him.” 

“Oh, now that is how it should be. Parents need to read to their children when they are young so that they learn to love reading. That’s why I bring Hayoung here every week. Right, Hayoung?” Hayoung did not respond, busy kicking her feet so that her little sneakers would light up. “I should let you get back to your family. It’s so great to see parents taking an active role in their childrens’ education – especially alphas!”

The elderly woman continued to prattle on for another few minutes, and Yoongi, unwilling to interrupt an elder, listened politely and nodded at the appropriate moments. Finally, Hayoung became fed up with waiting around, and took off for the elevators, leading to the conversation’s swift ending.

“Yes, I hope to see you back here soon,” Yoongi responded with a smile and polite bow as the woman darted off behind her errant granddaughter. He turned to finally go back into the reading room, and then yelped as he found himself face-to-face with Jimin.

 “Your mate, hm?” the short, dainty alpha smirked, his arms crossed elegantly across his chest.

Yoongi started with an expression akin to a deer caught in headlights. Jimin was not known for keeping juicy information to himself.

“I won’t tell Hoseok if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said, tilting his head innocently, though the glitter in his eyes spelled trouble for Yoongi .

“Thank you,” he said, with a suspicious glare. There was no way there wasn’t a catch to that.

“But I will tell Namjoon and Taehyung,” he sang, and skipped back into the reading room leaving a flustered Yoongi behind with a practical death sentence. Goodness knew that Namjoon, as kind as the man was, couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. Hoseok would know by the end of the day, if not the hour at least .

“Shit.”

 ----

The office was in complete chaos as Hoseok stepped in to do some administrative work after the library had closed to its patrons. 

His fellow childrens’ librarians along with a better portion of the law librarians and teen librarians were all clustered around the bulletin board on the wall. Pushing his way to the front of the crowd, Hoseok gaped at a large poster of Jimin’s face that had been tacked to the center of the board.

Congratulations Jimin, City Employee Beauty Contest Winner! The poster read in bright pink letters. 

He gulped as his mouth began to water at the thought of a meal at Harvest Moon.

“Jimin-ah!” He cried, his head whipping back and forth until he spotted the alpha standing between Taehyung and Namjoon. He skipped over, yanking the city’s most beautiful city employee into a tight hug. “I knew that you would win! Congratulations!”

Jimin’s face was pink in embarrassment, but his eyes were glittering and a beaming smile split across his lips. “I didn’t think they’d pick an alpha. I so was surprised when I got the email,” he said shyly, and was met with raucous disagreement from the rest of the room, who were hasty in their assurances that there had been no chance that he wouldn’t win. 

The hubbub continued on, and a cake had somehow found its way into the office. Hoseok’s administrative work remained untouched for quite some time as he celebrated. He was overjoyed at the prospect of Jimin’s winning, so incredibly happy for his friend, and also that he would be able to eat the lobster bisque at Harvest Moon that had gotten raving reviews online. 

As the party died down, and the librarians filed out to finish their work on other floors, Hoseok pulled Jimin into one last hug, and grinned as Taehyung bounded over and wrapped his octopus arms around the both of them. Namjoon was quick to follow, though much less forceful in the strength of his grip.

They giggled together and cooed over Jimin, who basked in the attention despite his best attempts to remain aloof. It was wonderful to see him so pleased with himself. 

Finally, the quartet found that they could put off their work no longer, and migrated back to their desks. 

They worked in silence, only the clicking of keyboards and scratching of pens audible in the room, until Namjoon, who had been squirming more and more by the minute, blurted out “Yoongi called you his mate today!” and then promptly gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.

Hoseok gaped, his fingers pausing mid-keystroke, leaving a line of m’s trailing across his word document. 

“Jimin told me and I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t hold it in any longer! Especially after smelling you in our group hug and you smelled really strongly of him! It was really hard not to say anything and-” Namjoon prattled on, but Hoseok’s ears were ringing and drowning out whatever it was that he said.

It turned out that knowing that Yoongi thought of him as a potential mate really did something for Hoseok. Namjoon, bless his heart, had really tried not to spill the beans, but the beans were spilled, and now Hoseok was either blessed or cursed with the knowledge that Yoongi called him his mate , and implied to a stranger that he was the mother of Yoongi’s child . 

He’d known that what the two of them had was special, but still, Yoongi called him his mate . Yoongi was excited enough about mating Hoseok that he talked about it with other people .

Holy shit .

He was vaguely aware of a hand waving in front of his face.

“I think you broke him,” Taehyung muttered, as Hoseok continued to stare blankly ahead with reddening cheeks.

 “I didn’t mean to,” Namjoon hissed, pulling the sleeves of his sweater over his hands in guilty agitation. “Jimin, you know I can’t keep secrets. You should never have told me!”

“And miss this reaction?” Jimin smirked, sipping at his drink. It was some obnoxiously pink, whipped cream-laden something or other that matched his princessy personality.

 Hoseok made a noise of distress and planted his face against his desk, basking in the coolness of the wood laminate against his hot cheeks.

 “Aw, baby,” Taehyung cooed and petted his hair, “look at you, snagging the hot alpha daddy! We’re so proud.”

 He whipped his head back up just to glare at her. “We’re still courting!”

 “Courting!” came three responses, one exclaimed in delight, one crowed in smug triumph, and one yelled in shock from Taehyung, Jimin, and Namjoon respectively.

“When did this happen! Is that why you’ve been smelling like a Christmas tree farm?” Namjoon asked, his eyes wide and unblinking. His bleached hair was in disarray, though Hoseok didn’t know how that had happened. It wasn’t like he was the one being grilled by his coworkers. Though, maybe it had something to do with giving children rides on his shoulders all the time.

“It was a few weeks ago,” Hoseok mumbled, looking at his copy of Paddington Bear instead of making eye contact with anyone.

“Ha! Didn’t I call it?” Taehyung grinned cheekily, resting his chin in the cradle of his interlaced fingers. “If you didn’t have a claim on him, Hoseok, I would climb that man like a tree.” 

Jimin made an affronted noise, and Taehyung looked at him innocently. “What? A broad-shouldered man like that needs to be appreciated.”

“Oh, so you’re into broad shoulders now?” Jimin spat, tapping his long nails on the desk. They were painted a pale pink, and had obviously been manicured professionally, which was new. Maybe the beauty contest had had more of a positive influence on Jimin than Hoseok had thought.

“Hey, I’m into slender frames, too. What, do you need me to compliment you, Jiminie? Don’t worry, your shoulders turn me on just as much as Yoongi’s. Actually, they turn me on more, because they are your shoulders, and not Yoongi’s shoulders.”

Taehyung stuck his tongue out at Jimin, who scoffed and replied “As if!” But his cheeks were pink and a tentatively pleased smile played at his plush lips.

Namjoon sighed and shook his head at the two, and made stealthy, knowing eye contact with Hoseok. Those two were hopeless. They could only hope that Jeongguk would finally knock some sense into them.

Hoseok slapped his hands onto his thighs and declared “Well, I’m going to put my headphones in and get some work done so that I can go home!”

 “To your mate?” Taehyung said, his eyes twinkling playfully.

 “Maybe,” Hoseok sniffed, and shoved his earbuds into his ears, turning up his phone volume to drown out Taehyung’s yell and Namjoon’s seal-like clapping and laugh.

—

After work, Hoseok had hopped onto the bus and headed home. It had been a while since he’d been to his own apartment. It certainly wasn’t as nice as Yoongi’s and often trips to his own place were for the purpose of retrieving things to bring over to Yoongi’s place anyways. 

He wondered at his attachment to the alpha. It all seemed to happen so fast. But he had long since reconciled his feelings for Yoongi. 

It was easy to put things into perspective when he compared how happy he was to how he’d felt in his last few months together with Yongho. 

There were moments where the beta’s words haunted him, creeping into his mind at inopportune moments, making him doubt that things with Yoongi would stay this good, but all the alpha’s actions slowly chipped away at his doubts. 

Yongho was always late for meetings, and frequently canceled at the last minute. When he did show up, he was often disinterested, or even combative. Yoongi was always early, and greeted Hoseok with a warm smile and a kiss, and then he helped him out of his coat and pulled out his chair for him. He remembered small details and brought them up in later conversations.

Yongho had gotten angry with him for bringing him lunch at work. Yoongi had been overjoyed at the sight of Hoseok standing nervously in the lobby of his office with a prepared lunch. He’d even taken him upstairs and introduced him to his team, where they ate together and ribbed Yoongi for not telling them sooner. 

Yongho had reluctantly offered to bond after months of Hoseok asking and waiting, and then hadn’t even paid attention to Hoseok’s taste when choosing a courting gift. Yoongi had been proactive in asking Hoseok to mate him, and had chosen gifts that Hoseok treasured and couldn’t bear to part with. 

Yoongi was invested in him, and it felt so good to not have to convince himself that he was happy, because he already knew that he was.

His phone dinged with a text.

Come over? It read.

He grinned, and rolled onto his belly.

Ok :)

—

“I’m going to puke,” Taehyung moaned, swaying where he sat on the end of the vinyl seat of their usual booth at the dive bar. 

He veered dangerously over towards the bar floor, but luckily was caught by Jungkook, who hauled him up by his bicep. Taehyung cooed thank yous at the youngest, while wiping his face against his shoulder in what was likely meant to be an affectionate gesture. Hoseok grimaced at the snot that glistened on the black fabric of Jungkook’s hoodie. Jungkook just sighed. 

It had been a while since they’d all met up at the bar. Hoseok and Yoongi had been relatively busy with each other, given the newness of their relationship and the tantrums that occurred when leaving Junsu with a babysitter nowadays. 

The little alpha had gotten spoiled by sleeping with Hoseok and Yoongi while sick, and had begun to demand it every night. Neither of them were very good at saying no to the pup, and so, often the three of them snuggled up together in Yoongi’s massive bed.

They’d only managed to get to the bar after waiting for Junsu to sleep, and then calling in Beta Dang.

Nonetheless, while Hoseok loved spending time with the alpha pair, his alphas , he had missed the chaos of their group of seven. 

He and Yoongi sat at their normal spots, pressed up against each other in the middle of the booth. Yoongi’s arm wrapped around his shoulder possessively, and Hoseok found himself snuggling more and more into the alpha the tipsier he got.

“So Hoseok,” Jimin smiled slyly over the rim of his tumbler, “I heard Junsu call you his mommy at the library yesterday.”

Hoseok choked on his drink. Jungkook whacked him on the back, which was ultimately rather unhelpful, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

Upon his recovery, he glanced up and was met with five sets of eyes, staring him down. 

“And what of it?” He said, attempting to sound aloof, but instead sounding rather strangled. 

Had he thought that he’d missed the chaos of their group? That had been a lie. 

“Nothing,” Jimin said, adopting an innocent facade, “I just think it’s cute.” 

Yoongi chuckled and pressed a kiss to Hoseok’s temple. “I think Hoseok has pretty well earned the title.” 

Jin whooped and chimed in “Hear, hear! Yoongi has finally recovered from his poor taste in partners and has snagged a perfect mate!” 

The others cheered, but Hoseok just blinked. Yoongi’s ex was someone he hadn’t really been thinking about, but now was. From all that he’d heard from Yoongi (and Jungkook, and Jin), Junsu’s biological mother had, for all intents and purposes, abandoned the alpha pair which was why Junsu had taken to him so strongly in the first place.

His and Junsu’s bond was something special, for sure, but what if Yoongi’s ex came back ? Would her scent override his bond with Junsu due to their biological relation?

Was his motherhood hingent on Yoongi’s mom not returning? 

He stared vacantly at his long island iced tea, and was only pulled out of his funk at the ruckus of Jungkook lunging across the table to plant one right on Jin’s lips after the eldest omega promised to free up his schedule for an “omega’s night” between the three of them in the near future.

Jin squawked in indignation. “You brat!”

“Hoseok can host since he lives in the middle of us, and he can tell us all of your secrets !” Jungkook crowed at Yoongi, who gave a long-suffering sigh and muttered about nothing being sacred from a nosy Jungkook or something along those lines.

Hoseok blinked again, his empty fridge jumping to the forefront of his mind. He’d need to make a run to the store.

—

“Do you know anything about Junsu’s mom?” was the first thing Hoseok blurted out as Jungkook entered his apartment. 

Hoseok had invited him and Jin over after the youngest omega’ plethora of hints via text about having an “omegas night in” after they’d discussed it at bar night earlier in the week. 

The younger omega froze in toeing off his shoes, hand still braced on the door frame. 

“Uhh,” Jungkook laughed nervously. “Yoongi hasn’t told you about her yet?”

Hoseok pushed his hand through his hair and shook his head. “Ugh, sorry – he has. I’m just feeling…”

Jungkook nodded, and finished kicking off his clunky platform boots, leaving them strewn across the floor in what was most definitely a tripping hazard. “What, like, are you worried that she’s gonna come back or something? Because she won’t…” 

“I know, Yoongi said that too, but what was she like?” Hoseok pleaded, sitting down on the edge of the couch and wringing his hands. “Don’t you think I should know in case Junsu asks?” 

Jungkook snorted, and flopped onto the couch next to him, legs sprawling. “Trust me, he won’t.” 

“He might, when he gets older,” Hoseok fretted. He bit his bottom lip.

“And you can tell him the truth then. She didn’t want a pup.”

“Jungkook!” Hoseok whined. “Be serious!” 

“I am! It’s true–” 

There was a knock from the door. Jin had arrived. Jungkook huffed and stayed put as Hoseok shuffled over to let Jin inside.

“Guess who brought sustenance! Spoiler: it’s me.” Jin, clearly in an infectiously happy mood, strode into the entryway and nearly tripped over Jungkook’s boots. He glared at the younger omega who gave a sarcastic grin in response. Rolling his eyes, he held out a paper grocery bag filled with snacks to Hoseok.

“Jin help,” Jungkook complained, “Hoseok is asking about Yoongi’s ex!” 

“What!” Jin exclaimed, whipping around to face Hoseok, who had attempted to make himself look busy by arranging the snacks Jin had brought onto a fancy platter. 

He grinned sheepishly. “I was just wanting to know so in case Junsu asked about his mom…” 

Jin raised a brow. “You are his mom, Hoseok. Unless you want to tell us something?”

“No, no,” Hoseok said, his hands held up defensively in front of his chest, “you know what I meant.”

Jin swatted Jungkook on the thigh. “Budge over.” Pointing at Hoseok, he said “You, open a bottle of wine. Jungkookie is getting his wish to have deep talks!” 

“Fuck,” Jungkook groaned, but scooted closer to the armrest anyways. Jin promptly sat down in the middle, leaving the other end for Hoseok.

Hoseok made his way over to the couch, holding a pseudo-charcuterie board in his left hand, and a bottle of Moscato and three wine glasses in his right. He grinned as he managed to set everything down on the coffee table without spilling.

“Impressive,” Jin clapped, and then reached over for a piece of cheese. 

Hoseok shrugged. “I waited tables in school.”

“Can we please get started on the wine before we get started on the heavy stuff?” Jungkook complained.

The other two omegas agreed readily, and steadily, the trio made their way through the first bottle. 

“Ooh, this is a sweet one! Almost like a dessert wine,” Jin had said upon first sip. They chatted for a while about the wine, and then the snacks, and then about the television show that all three of them had been watching, until finally they had finished a bottle apiece, and the conversation returned to what Hoseok had wanted to talk about all along.

“I think,” hiccuped Jungkook, “that the whole thing is though, not everyone who can carry children wants to be a mom. I don’t wanna have kids ever . Jin has actually been helping me with getting appointments so I can get sterilized. No more heats for me, bitches!” 

“Shit,” said Hoseok, “Congratulations! Any way I can support?”

“Aww,” Jungkook cooed, clumsily bringing his hands up to smoosh Hoseok’s cheeks. “Seokie is worried about little old me? Just buy me dinner, and let me play with my favorite little pup sometimes.”

Hoseok whined and pulled Jungkook into a hug, swaying them back and forth. “Jungkookie!” He cried. Jin excitedly latched on as well, encircling the both of them in a comforting (and sweaty) group huddle.

“It’s true!” Jin interjected, “Poor Jungkookie, slave to painful biology no longer!”

Jungkook nodded, though it did look a bit silly as his inebriation caused his head to bob farther up and down than normal. “Better to regret not having kids than to regret having them. Don’t wanna end up like Yoongi’s ex.”

“Hey,” said Jin, “That’s true, but Yoongi’s ex had never wanted to be Junsu’s mom, right? She like, actively chose not to put her name on the birth certificate! She has no legal standing, and ! No sane, logical judge would ever separate a pup from an omega mother that they’ve bonded with and scented.” 

“Emphasis on sane and logical. But! Also like… she definitely did not enjoy being pregnant, and she didn’t bond with Junsu’s scent after he was born either. That alone shows how special your bond with Junsu is, Hoseok.” said Jungkook.

“Don’t you ever think that Junsu chose to bond with you for a reason? Jungkookie and I have been helping raise him since birth, but he didn’t really react to us that much.”

Jungkook hummed, and Hoseok watched intently as his face cycled through several expressions while he thought. “I think the biggest difference is that Hoseok wanted to be Junsu’s mom, right? He chose to be. Hoseok has always wanted a pup, and has always been nurturing and caring to Junsu in a way that we weren’t. For a pup with only one parental scent-bond, he probably picked up on it.” 

At Hoseok and Jin’s pensive silence, the youngest continued to speak. “In my case, I’ve never wanted to raise a pup, and Jin has never seen Yoongi as a potential partner. There was no way that Junsu would’ve tried to scent-bond with me because I didn’t feel like mom to him. Pups are sensitive to that kinda stuff, even if they don’t know it.

But you, Hoseok, are the happiest when you’re with your pup. You love to nurture, and to you, motherhood is something that you’ve wanted forever. It just makes sense that you, who wanted to be a mother, would instinctively be drawn to a child who needed one. Not to mention you clearly want to fuck his dad, so.”

“Facts,” said Jin, chugging the rest of his glass. After another brief silence, he coughed. “So, should we open another bottle?”

—

Omega night found Hoseok nursing the worst headache he’d ever had in his life the next morning as he listened to someone retching in his bathroom. Blinking blearily, he saw Jungkook’s trademark black-clad figure sprawled across the couch, and deduced that poor Jin must have been the victim of hangover nausea. 

He groaned and pushed himself up from his less-comfortable spot on the rug. He could already feel the beginning of nausea setting in, and he hastily made his way to the kitchen to make a spot of breakfast in an attempt to settle his stomach before he puked in his sink for lack of access to a toilet. 

Scrambled eggs, leftover cheese from the night before, and toast would have to suffice. After staying at Yoongi’s for a majority of the past week, his fridge was looking pretty empty. 

He could hear rustling coming from the couch, which was a sure sign that Jungkook had awoken. A pained groan confirmed this suspicion, and shortly after, the youngest of the trio shuffled into the kitchen. 

His hair was in a great disarray, sticking up in the back, and there was an imprint from the arm of the couch on his cheek. “Kill me,” he rasped.

“Me first,” Hoseok grunted, plating the eggs and handing it to the other. “I’ll go find us some painkillers and then go check in on Jin.”

True to his word, Hoseok managed to shove his way into the bathroom armed with some paper towels, a glass of water, and two pills for Jin, who looked absolutely miserable hunched over the toilet. His hair was clumped and sweaty on his forehead, and his hands were trembling. 

Hoseok cooed and tied his damp bangs back with a little rubber elastic as the eldest continued to cry with each heave. “Jin, I’m gonna get you some clothes so you can shower, okay? There’s mouthwash on the counter when you’re ready.” 

After checking in on Jin again and dropping off a fluffy towel and some soft clothes for him to change into after his shower, Hoseok finally sat down to eat his breakfast. The eggs and toast had gone cold, but with each bite, he could feel his stomach stop rolling so precariously, and the throbbing in his head receding. 

Jungkook had migrated back to the couch, and had covered his head with a blanket, but the pills that Hoseok had left for him were gone.

Hoseok, feeling stiff from sleeping on the floor, and grimy from not doing his nighttime routine, sat at the table and stared into space. 

Once Jin shuffled out of the shower, Hoseok gladly went to rinse himself off and dress himself in a nice pair of shorts and a sweater that he’d stolen from Yoongi the last time he’d slept over. He grabbed his phone – thankfully he’d managed to plug it in last night – and began to check his notifications.

There was a text from Yoongi.

A grin split across his lips as he opened the messaging app. 

You got plans for today? It read.

Just started getting around. Planning to try and recover from my hangover today. He responded.

Come over – Yoongi’s reply was near immediate. I’ll take care of you.

Jin and Kookie are still here

Come after they leave

Okay :)

“What are you smiling at?” Jin asked around a bite of toast. “That alpha of yours say something?”

Hoseok blushed. Perhaps he was more transparent in his adoration towards Yoongi than he’d thought. “He said to come over so he could help take care of my hangover.” He admitted.

Jin nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. Jungkookie and I can’t lie around here all day anyways. Why don’t you go get ready, and I’ll drop you over there on our way home.” 

Hoseok smiled. His heart warmed at how his circle of friends had grown, and how excited he was to see his future mate and pup.

He had never been happier.