I'm still on a break. If you had seen my Twitter you'd know I've been sick. I managed to sneak this when I felt a bit better.Updates will be slow.

***

When Taehyung came back to Jimin's room with the snacks he asked for it was to see him in tears. The omega was in the middle of his incomplete nest, crying his heart out, something clutched between his small palms.

He dropped everything on the table unceremoniously and climbed inside with a racing heart.

"Minnie...baby..." He grabbed the omega, pulling him over his lap. "What happened?"

Jungkook's scent teased his nose.

"Did JK visit you?" He eyed the shawl, wondering what it was doing here.

Jimin nodded.

"Is it because of something he said?" he asked carefully.

Jimin nodded again.

Taehyung clenched his jaw and allowed his wolf to calm down a bit. Though Jimin was crying he couldn't smell his sadness or distress. Also, Jungkook wasn't someone who would say something rude enough to someone like Jimin to make him cry.

"Tell me everything."

"H-He asked for my consent," Jimin sniffled.

Taehyung rubbed his back soothingly as Jimin brought the shawl to his nose, inhaling Jungkook's scent and crying a little more.

"He asked if it was okay to touch me, TaeTae," he cried. "H-He gave me this." He lifted the shawl in front of him. "Told me we should get familiar with each other's scents. T-Then asked me for my permission to touch me in public."

Taehyung wiped his tears as his own eyes filled with tears. Jungkook might not know the weight of such simple words or the effect they had on Jimin. But he knew. He knew how much this meant to the omega whose consent was never mattered to anyone before. He'd been there to witness people overstepping their boundaries and having to step forward to put them in their places.

Be it a photo shoot or an event, fans or professionals sometimes didn't know to respect his boundaries. There were people who all wanted a piece of him. Wanted to see if he was real. Wanted to touch him in any way they could. They never cared how their actions would affect the omega.

He pulled Jimin to his chest and fondly kissed the top of his head. "Told you," he whispered. "He will treat you the way you deserve."

Jimin nodded in agreement. "I don't know what to expect but I like his scent."

"That's good." He rocked them back and forth. "That's really good."

"He is scary," Jimin murmured. "But his touch was so soft."

"You allowed him to touch you?" Taehyung smiled against his hair.

Once again, only he knew how big of a deal it was for Jimin. After what happened to him in high school, it was even a miracle he came back from the trauma. Easing him back into the community wasn't that easy.

New scents distressed him and caused him to panic. Alphas scared him and just being near one was enough to give him a panic attack. But Jimin healed and recovered. Mostly out of necessity. They were starving in the streets and whatever meager amount they were earning wasn't enough.

When Taehyung fell sick for a week due to someone unknown virus, Jimin had stepped out of his comfort zone and did his first modeling gig for a local clothing brand. He'd saved his life that day with that money.

Unexpectedly the gig was a success and landed him with more jobs. Jimin had accepted them all out of necessity. While Taehyung recovered, the omega worked. When Taehyung began accompanying him to the shoots, the people who saw his beauty offered him a gig. The rest was history.

Jimin never accepted a campaign that required him to work with the others who weren't Taehyung. Turned down many opportunities because they demanded that he reveal more skin. Preferred to do his own makeup if there wasn't an omega stylist.

So he knew how big it was that he allowed Jungkook to touch him.

"I didn't realize I was crying," Jimin said in a small voice. "He asked for my permission to wipe my tears."

Taehyung wanted to pinch Jungkook's cheeks then. He was proud of his childhood best friend.

"Why are you crying then, Minnie?"

Jimin lifted his head, sniffling a little. "I guess I'm just so happy."

Taehyung grinned. "I know I made the right decision when I proposed this idea." He wiped his face with his sleeves. "It's going to be okay."

Jimin nodded.

"I brought your snacks. Why don't you sit back and eat while I finish your nest, hmm?"

Jimin beamed. "Okay."

He scooted back to settle against the pillows as Taehyung climbed off the bed. An omega's nest was the most important aspect to them. He still remembered Jimin's tears when they finally moved into a proper shelter and Taehyung used all their clothes to build him a nest that night to make him feel comfortable.

Jimin hadn't known how to build a nest. Taehyung had seen his mother building her nest since childhood and taught him how to do it. Since then it had become a ritual for the two of them.

Taehyung smiled at the omega who was sitting covered by blankets and big eyes watching him finish the nest. He looked smaller than his usual size and realized how fortunate Jungkook really was to have someone like Jimin in his life. The alpha may not realize it now, but he hoped soon he would start seeing Jimin's worth.

He also made a mental note to thank Jungkook later as he grabbed his laptop before climbing inside the nest with Jimin for their much-needed movie night.

***

Moving back home wasn't much different from before. It was like he was never gone in the first place. Taehyung strode through the long corridors, whistling low, and nodded curtly to the bows he received from the guards.

Finding Jungkook in this huge ass mansion wasn't that hard. Even after years, his best friend had such a predictable routine. He found him in the massive gym and whistled even louder when he noticed the modern equipment. The place had definitely gone through an impressive upgrade and he appreciated a fine workout space any day.

Grunts and punching sounds greeted him even before he stepped inside the gym. The rich scent of sandalwood wrapped around him and Taehyung inhaled deeper letting it soothe his wolf. He missed this.

He found Jungkook by the boxing dummy, drenched in sweat and a very transparent gym sleeveless t-shirt, clinging to him like a second skin. The alpha had more tattoos than he'd last seen him. Taehyung was happy to see Jungkook fulfilled his dreams of inking his skin just the way he wanted.

He immediately recognized the floral tattoo on his biceps. One of the first tattoos Jungkook drew himself when they were stepping into their teen years. I'll ink this to my skin someday, said that doe-eyed kid.

Jungkook always kept his words. Unlike me.

"Stop stinking up this please," the alpha grunted. "And I don't give a fuck about your remorse."

Taehyung chuckled. His scent must have given him away. "You've grown well, Jungkook-ah."

"It's JK to you," he spat. "What do you want?"

Taehyung ignored the bite in his words. "I'm here to thank you for earlier."

Jungkook grunted, punching the dummy harder. "I don't care for your gratitude."

"I know." Taehyung sighed. "And I'm sorry there's nothing I wouldn't do to earn your forgiveness."

"You had your chance."

Taehyung pushed his hands deeper into his pocket. "You aren't angry because I chose to leave. You are angry because I chose to leave because of Jimin."

"I said I don't give a fuck."

"Jimin is my best friend."

Jungkook stopped with a loud growl and spun on his heel. "I was your best friend too. My ride or die. Or did you forget that little bit?"

Taehyung's shoulders slumped. "I can't change the past."

"Exactly. Now get the fuck out."

"Jungkook-ah...please..."

Jungkook growled again, taking three long strides to slam him on the wall. "You wanna know how badly you fucked up?" he snarled. "I'm not angry because you chose Jimin over me. I'm furious because you betrayed my trust. You didn't even bother to tell me first. You took that decision all by yourself." He poked a finger at his chest. "You.Broke.The.Brother.Code."

Taehyung's throat tightened. "I'm sorry."

Jungkook shook his head. "I fucking hate you, Taehyung. If I didn't owe you a life debt I'd have probably put a bullet between your eyes."

Taehyung snorted though his words sliced through his heart. "You don't mean that."

Jungkook backed away from him. "No. Not anymore." He took a deep breath and composed himself. "Because that would hurt Jimin." His eyes narrowed at him. "Don't try to rebuild whatever you broke, Taehyung. I'll respect you as my mate's blood bond and will honor you for protecting him all these years, but that's all."

Taehyung smiled. "I'll take what I can get."

Jungkook brushed past him without another word, not even bothering to grab his gym bag. The model sighed and leaned on the wall.

"You can come out now," he called out with a soft smile. "I know you followed me, Minnie."

Jimin slipped out of his hiding place from behind an array of equipment in the next section. The area was separated by a partition and was hidden from plain view. His scent was muted because of the scent-blocking tea he consumed earlier. Being among various wolves unsettled his nerves and that left him in a constant state of nervousness. He didn't want the others to know what he was feeling so he'd told Taehyung he wanted to hide his scent until he gets comfortable in the mansion. But that didn't mean Taehyung didn't know what his little soulmate was up to.

"I'm sorry..." Jimin hurried to him, wrapping his hands around his middle. "It's all because of me."

Taehyung kissed the top of his head. "You weren't supposed to hear that, Minnie. Shouldn't you be asleep now?"

"I couldn't." Jimin sighed, nuzzling into his neck and scenting him though his scent was now muted. "I woke when you left my bed this morning. I was anxious." He pulled back to give him a once over. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Taehyung shook his head. "I hurt him, Minnie. He's gonna take it out on me until he thinks I suffered enough. Jungkook has always been like that."

"I'm sor—"

"Don't," Taehyung warned. "This has nothing to do with you." He cupped Jimin's face. "Whenever Jungkook does something he gives it his all. Friendship, rivalry... He was one hell of a friend, you know." He brushed off his silent tears. "Stubborn and fucking loyal. I should have at least told him. Should have given him a chance." He had that distant look on his face again. "Probably he'd have helped me hunt down the bastards and killed them on my behalf. I realize my mistake now. But teenage Taehyung wasn't this wise. He decided everything on a whim and now suffering the consequences." He pulled Jimin to his chest with a loud exhale. "I should have handled everything differently, at least trusted my family to have my back."

"They love you," Jimin whispered. "They're happy to have you back."

"Yeah. I have a lot of forgiveness to earn." Taehyung pulled back and beamed. "I'll make everything right, Minnie. Just watch. Your soulmate is gonna be your mate's best man at the mating ceremony."

Jimin smiled with tears in his eyes. "I'd love that. But who's gonna walk me down the aisle."

"Oh." Taehyung frowned. "I can do both. I can walk you down the aisle and then be his best man too. What do you take me for? I'm Kim Taehyung. I can do anything."

"Of course," Jimin snorted fondly. "Come on. I'm hungry."

Taehyung grinned. "Lead the way, Minnie Mouse."

Asthey both exited the gym, they failed to notice the alpha had returned at somepoint during their conversation or that he'd heard everything. 

I'm still in recovery mode. I can't actively post updates because 1. I'm on  a break 2. I'm gonna be travel for a business trip and God knows how hectic it's gonna be, so I'd rather take a break and take this slow.

Hope you're all doing good. ARMY in LA please enjoy the concert and stay safe. Take care of each other while you have fun. Encourage the boys and shower them with your love on our behalf too.

Also, recently I didn't a small poll on Wattpad and Twitter. [Choose one for me besties, I might cook something when I'm traveling...I'll be stuck on a train so that might give me a chance to work on something I guess...fingers crossed.1. Feral alpha jm x omega jk2. Twin JK x JM]Just to let you know...option number 1 Feral alpha jm x omega jk won. he he...stay tuned.