"Bub I'll be back before you wake up I promise." Jungkook whispered in the ears of the clingy boy who had his face buried in his chest while his hands lay lazily in his lap.

"Taetae sick." Taehyung reasoned as he lifted his hands to loosely fist the latter's shirt.

"I know baby, but Jimin Hyung is here to take care of you isn't he? Just go to sleep and I'll be back before you wake up, so you wouldn't even know I was gone." The blonde beauty just shook his head, as his lips started to wobble, a threat that he'll cry if he didn't get his way.

"I swear you'll make me loose my job, that is, if I'll be left with one tomorrow." Jungkook muttered under his breath as he gently rubbed Taehyung's back. The boy had fallen sick, by some reason unknown, although Jungkook assumes it's just some flue, and now he won't leave him even for a second. Even bathroom breaks are spent with Taehyung waiting by the door, wanting to be picked up as soon as he's out. Jungkook is pretty sure that he'll fall sick at this rate too, but then he has placed his trust on his Alpha blood and prays that he won't be on bed tomorrow because he doesn't want to miss his work again.

"Taetae sick." Jimin had told the boy that he was sick today and ever since then he's been repeating the same thing. Jungkook is positive that he's only using this opportunity to cling to him, but when he feels the way the latter's body is burning up, he starts to have second thoughts. The only reason why he hasn't separated his body forcefully is because it's Taehyung who's attached to the hip to him. Ever since the boy woke up with a burning body he hasn't given control to any of his alters, even once. And Jungkook frankly wants to savour this moment as much as he can.

"Jungkook I brought cloth and water. Lay him down please." Jimin declared, coming in with a cotton cloth in his hand and a bowl of moderately cold water.

"Yeah, sure. Baby please lay down." Jungkook softly whispers as he tries to detach the clingy boy from his lap and gets successful in doing so after many tries.

The wet cloth is soon placed on his forehead and the way the younger holds onto his pointer finger, breaks his heart with gnawing concern. His mate was suffering and he didn't want that. It wasn't a common affair for werewolves to fall sick, since their wolves always provided them with much stronger immunity than any average human being. Of course things were never the same when it came to Taehyung. It took his body two whole weeks alone to accept any food other than porridge or any kind of soup. Taehyung was still weak. Exceedingly so. And it already eats his inside that his wolf has never felt the presence of Taehyung's wolf. His mate was damaged and they still haven't completely explored the extents of it.

"How much is it?" Jungkook asked as soon as the thermometer was pulled out of Taehyung's mouth.

"104.2" Jimin answered in an almost inaudible voice, but even the feeble answer was enough to spring him to his feet as his face morphed into a look of shock and corner.

"104?! I'm taking him to a hospital. I don't care if it's just a flu, I can't just let him burn all day." In a panic stricken state, he strode towards his closet taking out any outfit he could get his hands on and rushed inside his bathroom to change into them, leaving behind a whimpering Taehyung who wound his arms around Jimin's hand, since his mate had very much abandoned him despite all his pleas.

"Jungkook don't you remember that they were parading the hospitals a few days ago? It's not safe for him to go out yet. It's just a fever anyway. Nothing else. It'll go down with a paracetamol." Jimin counseled with equal dread eating at his insides.

"Jimin, Taehyung has already spent 18 years of his life in a cage, and the same is happening now. Months of him being here and only time he goes out is on his visit to a psychologist. He was caged then, he is caged now, ours just so happens to be more fancy and convenient." Having the last word Jungkook picked up Taehyung from the bed and in his embrace, before making his way to the garage. Yoongi had already taken his car to his office, so he decided to take Namjoon's before sending him a quick text. The response was also an immediate 'yes'. They kept all the keys in the garage itself and not in the house, so that anyone could take a car without having to worry about keeping it elsewhere or in someone's possession. Living in a pack had some of its perks.

Soon they were driving to a hospital that was pretty far from their place as he still wanted to be cautious.

"Wan' kookoo." A cry was heard from beside him as the boy wanted to curl back into his mate's embrace and go back to the comfort of his home. Yet none of his pleas were answered.

"I know baby just a few more minutes." Jungkook cooed, as he brought his free hand to brush off Taehyung's locks that were covering his forehead, and bent down to place a gentle kiss on the same burning temple. He felt Taehyung leaning into his touch, and soon his hand was sandwiched Taehyung's smaller ones as the latter refused to left go.

~~~

"He's most probably in his heat, but he just hasn't shown all the symptoms. It could either be because his wolf is too weak so he currently can't properly fulfill is Omegan roles which includes getting impregnated, but it could also be  because of some kind of trauma, that his wolf is refusing to let his heat surface completely. It's not just your normal fever though. The heightened scent tells otherwise." Only now that the doctor mentioned it, did Jungkook notice the change in Taehyung's scent. It didn't have a new fragrance but it indeed smelt stronger. Amidst everything that has been happening they had completely discarded the thought of Taehyung's approaching heat. The boy had turned 18 not many months ago, so they should have been foreseen and even anticipated this. But unfortunately it would have been wrong for Jungkook to have anticipation. Not that it made him sad or anything. He had never really weighed sexual need as an ultimate need in a relationship. Yes, it made a bond stronger but it should definitely not make a bond weaker.

"So umm do you have meds for this?" Jungkook asked with unsurety, not wanting to come out as rude to the doctor, who was an Omega herself. Although she did not look like someone who would take offense at such small matters, but the case of Omegas trending various twitter tags against Omegan discrimination was pretty high, so he did not want to take any chances.

"Heat suppressants are normally taken in heats but since this is not a proper heat, then you can simply use the traditional techniques like nesting, scenting and laying skin to skin with an Alpha or Beta. If he has a mate then any of these would be even more effective." Apart from the last method, he did not know how any of those process worked, so with a scratch on the back of his nape, he opened his mouth to ask his doubts.

"How exactly does nesting and scenting works?" The doctor smiled at him before giving him an answer.

"For nesting you just have to use an Alpha's worn clothes, scatter them all across the bed and then lay him in between them. Just like a nest. As for scenting, well he's pretty much doing that right now." There was a slight tease in the doctor's voice which cause a crimson hue to paint across Jungkook's face. Taehyung, like every other time was sitting on his lap right now, and continuously rubbing his nose along Jungkook's neck. Yes, the action did leave goosebumps in its wake, but he still had a firm control on himself. The doctor's comment just now did not help his case though.

"So this place is where our scent gland is present and by rubbing that place with their nose, our mates scent us. They mask our scent with their own. It's a typical way of marking someone without actually marking them. Just do what Taehyung is doing and you'd be good to go." Jungkook did not know if he would take up the last suggestion, but he would definitely try the first one. Finding his dirty clothes would not be an issue since he hated doing laundry, so all he would have to do after going home, would be to scatter them on his bed.

~~~

"What did the doctor say?" Was Jimin's first question as soon as they set their foot inside the pack house.

"He's apparently in heat." Jungkook explained whilst going through his closet and picking out his used clothes.

"Heat! Umm, what he-" With no idea how to approach this situation, Jimin just ended up stuttering his way out.

"It's kinda like partial heat. He'll have a high temperature and he'll crave scents. But he fortunately won't get aroused." He stopped rummaging when he was sure that he had enough scattered clothes to be declared as a nest. He bit his lips when he saw how Taehyung immediately took one of his hoodie and put it on himself, then proceeded to snuggle with more of his clothes.

"What's this?" Jimin asked referring to the mess he had made on his bed. Jungkook narrowed his eyes at the latter, as to how he didn't know what he was doing since he was an Omega himself. Nonetheless, he proceeded to explain the process to him while turning the temperature of the AC a few degrees lower.

"Oh! Wait then I'll bring Namjoon's clothes too." Jungkook did not if he was serious or just trying to agitate him.

"Why would you bring his clothes?" Jungkook asked with a raised brow.

"Well did you forget? He's an Alpha too. The more the merrier." Jungkook was pretty sure he was just pulling his leg at this point. There was no way he could be serious about his suggestion.

"His mate's scent is more than enough for him Jimin, he doesn't need any other Alpha for that. Now please proceed to see yourself out. You're clouding the room with your undesired Omegan smell." Jimin suppressed a giggle, having managed to piss Jungkook off just like he wanted to.

"Sure sure, stay in your limits okay. Make sure you keep your wolf in a leash." A pillow was thrown at his face as an ultimatum, and soon he was sprinting out of the room.

"Come here my love." And Taehyung was quick to do that. Quick to throw himself in Jungkook's arms as soon as he lay beside him. Quick to rub his nose all over Jungkook's neck, scenting him to his hearts content. This caused a titter to leave Jungkook's lips as the feeling was tickling him to no bound.

Laying there skin to skin wasn't something they could afford yet, but what he could do, was pull Taehyung in his arms and never let him go. Yes there were things that Taehyung still didn't understand, that he still wasn't taught, but no human in this world needed education to feel love.