Jungkook hates his life.

And not in a “oh I’m just going through something right now and life boo-hoo” dramatic moment. Oh no, quite on the contrary. He literally hates his life. 

He hates whatever god is up above him dictating the course of his existence, he hates the class system his world has been presented with, and he especially hates that after twenty-two years of being mocked and laughed at for being a late bloomer, when he finally does present he’s an omega.

A ing omega.

Jungkook knew, just knew in the pit of his gut when he woke up with a fever this morning that it wasn’t a normal run of the mill cold inducing him to sickness. Oh no, the temperature of his fever could rival that of hell itself. He’d woken up to his body covered in all amounts of sweat possible with his head pounding and limbs aching- and the scent of sickly sweet honey wrapped all around him, covering every surface of his apartment possible.

Not something like wood, or pine, or any other dark and musky scent like him and everyone else he’d every come into contact with thought it would smell like when he presented. Nope, his scent smelled like ing honey. As sweet as any scent he’s ever come across.

Jungkook hates that he’s at the doctors getting suppressants for himself. he hates that the doctor is talking to him in such a controlled voice, like Jungkook is some child and not a college weight-lifting muscle of man who could pummel him with one swing. He hates that this doctor is sending pheromones to ‘calm his omega ’ down and stopping him from getting worked up.

And he really, really hates that it’s actually having an effect on him. He wants to resist his alpha doctor’s instinctual needs, wants to resist with all of his might, because it isn’t right. He should have never presented as an omega. All the signs pointed to him being an alpha. Ever since he was a kid he's always acted like every other alpha in his family, in his community. He should be snarling and challenging his doctor for attempting to try and calm him down about the whole situation. And believe him, he is angry, except it’s for all the wrong reasons.

It’s not alpha hormones that’s making him so moody and irritable, it’s the lack of them. Jungkook is resisting his omega instincts to placate the alpha in the room with every fiber of his being. He’s never bowed down to an alpha of any kind before and he’s definitely not going to start now, whether his biological makeup likes it or not.

Jungkook leaves the room with his suppressants in hand, hurrying out of the hospital and away from all the overbearing scents. The nurses all cozied up to him during his session, overly friendly now that his scent proves he's like them, that he's one of them now. Jungkook swears every one of the nurses had sighed in relief as the first whiff of his scent filtered in the room when he walked in. 

They’d all assumed when he presented he would be an alpha, and had always been a bit more wary of him, but now- now they are as friendly as ever, and Jungkook hates it.

He hates the way others look at him as he walks down the street. He’s always gotten stares from people, more so curious glances than anything, because since he had yet to present his scent was always an anomaly- a toss up between an omega’s scent and an alpha’s.

Now though, all he was getting- all he could feel, were hungry eyes roaming him up and down. It made him sick to his stomach, made his skin crawl all over.

If he hasn’t said it enough already- he hates it.

When Jungkook gets to his apartment, he sees a note taped to his front door, a box of what looks like chocolates placed below it. The note is from his landlord, his omega landlord, letting him know that if he needs anything, anything at all, just to let her know and she will help out in any way she can. The sweets are a gift for ‘presenting finally’. She also makes it a point to list off some residents on his floor- all alphas, all of them single according to her.

Great, if his landlord knew he presented then his entire ing building must know too.

Jungkook snatches the box of chocolates from the ground and unlocks the door, crumpling the note into a ball and walking inside. Jungkook eyes the box for a second before chucking it as hard as he can down the hall and into the living room. It lands with a thud against the wall and falls open, spilling the sweets onto the floor. The action does nothing to quell the frustration that thrums in him still. 

“Jungkook, is that you?”

Jungkook stills, not realizing that there was someone else in the apartment. But now that he stops and listens, he can hear shuffling coming from one of the rooms. He sniffs the air, sifting through the completely overwhelming smell of honey that still remained and finds another scent- hard cider and a hint of apples.

Jimin.

As soon as the others name pops in Jungkook’s head, he’s stepping out from around the corner and standing at the end of the entryway. He’s got a towel in his hand and his hair is brushed back. He gives Jungkook a hesitant smile.

“I-um- I came to drop off that dvd you let me borrow and… smelled what happened.”

Jungkook sighs, unlacing his shoes and kicking them aside. He shrugs his coat off and hangs it up, taking a step towards Jimin. 

“So, you’re an omega, huh?”

Jimin’s hands ring around the towel in his grip, an action Jungkook wishes someone would do to his neck and end his misery. Jungkook walks past him and to the kitchen, grabbing himself a bottle of water.

Jimin follows him, right on his heels, “Kook, it’s not a bad thing. For what it’s worth you finally presented! That’s gotta count for something right?”

Jungkook closes the fridge and leans against the counter, taking a long drink. He wants to scoff. He wants to let out a bark of laughter at Jimin’s words. ‘It’s not a bad thing.’ Of course it is. He’s been told his whole life he’d present as an alpha, even acted like it, and has waited patiently for the day to arrive, and now that hope he had has been squashed to pieces.

“Of course it’s a bad thing, Jimin. You don’t get it, you’re an alpha. Everyone knew you were going to be one. You didn’t get a surprise that totally changes everything you’ve grown up to know about yourself.”

Jimin unfists the towel he’s been holding and wipes at a spot on the counter. He sidles up to Jungkook’s side, resting a hand on his arm. 

“Jungkook, you’re overreacting.”

“I’m not.” Jungkook moves Jimin’s hand off of him, his words snarled. “You’re just saying that ‘cause your alpha is trying to comfort my ing omega’s .”

Jimin absentmindedly keeps wiping at the counter, “That’s not true, Jungkook-”

“Yes, Jimin, it is." Jimin won't look at him, won't meet his eyes. "You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your alpha instincts needing to placate my omega. If I hadn’t presented as this you wouldn’t even have bothered checking up on me.”

Jimin sighs, “Jungkook you’re being ridiculous. Whether you presented as an omega or alpha like we had thought, I would still be here. This is something we’ve been waiting to happen together since we were fifteen. I’m not going to let you go through it alone.”

Jungkook’s arms cross over his chest, jaw clenching. Even though him and Jimin had grown up together, had both watched Jimin present as an alpha, and had waited for Jungkook to do so too, he was still angry about the outcome of it all. Him and Jimin have been by each other’s side since Jungkook can remember, have experienced so many things together.

But Jungkook never presented when he turned fifteen, and Jimin graduated high school and went off to college a year later. He’d found himself a boyfriend, and hardly spoke to Jungkook during his first year away. 

Even though they reunited and made up for lost time, Jimin still was distant with Jungkook. He still had his boyfriend to think about and didn’t have time to worry about Jungkook and his classless life. And Jungkook didn’t want him to. 

A part of him has always been jealous of Jimin. Jealous that he had presented first, and as an alpha of all things. He was jealous of his life, of his boyfriend. Hoseok was a nice guy, but Jungkook could never shake the feeling that something wasn’t right with him and Jimin’s relationship. Jungkook had always held more than a liking towards Jimin, but their time apart had distanced that feeling for him. Jimin always makes attempts to get closer to Jungkook, always acts like how they did when they were kids and teenagers, but Jungkook is still bitter.

Besides, it’s not fair to Hoseok if Jimin gives Jungkook all his time, even more-so now that he’s presented as an omega.

Jimin’s scent becomes stronger, the cider smell that’s started to permeate Jungkook’s things spicing. He’s attempting to comfort Jungkook, but it’s having the opposite effect.

“Jimin knock it off, I’m not in the mood for your alpha pheromones bull.”

Jimin huffs, moving closer to Jungkook’s side. “I’m just trying to help, Jungkook. You’re getting worked up and it’s worrying me.”

Jungkook ignores his statement, pushing Jimin off of him, “Hoseok won’t like it if you go home smelling like another omega, so just leave.”

Jimin steps back, a look of hurt flashing across his features. It’s gone as quick as it comes, though, and Jimin replaces it with a mask of indifference instead.

“Fine, Jungkook. Just, please, call me if you need anything, okay?”

Jungkook doesn’t respond, eyes shifting to the floor. He hears Jimin go and grab his keys from their usual spot on the dining table, hears him put his shoes on, and hears the door shut behind him as he leaves. 

The apartment is silent afterwards. Jimin must have been here for a while, because his scent is everywhere, filling Jungkook’s senses. It mixes with his own honey scent, clouding around him and overbearingly suffocating. Jungkook walks to his room, taking in all the work that Jimin had done while Jungkook was gone. He vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the kitchen counters. His bathroom is spotless. And his bedroom?

An omega’s paradise.

His room has some scented candles placed around on the available flat surfaces, all Jungkook’s favorites. Jimin had even cleaned the entirety of the small area, had wiped everything down thoroughly. His bedding is clean, freshly washed, and piled high with pillows and blankets.

All covered in Jimin’s hard cider scent.

Jimin must have doused his entire room in the overwhelming smell. Even the scarf hanging on his chair smells like the older. Jungkook’s hands tremble as he places the scarf down. Images of Jimin rubbing the fabrics on his scent gland fills his mind, warmth filling his chest. He steps towards the bed, crawling on top of the covers, hesitant to lay down. 

He wants to though. No matter how hard he denies it, his omega wants to lay down and smother itself in Jimin’s comforting scent, wants the alpha’s smell to swallow him whole and comfort the restless feeling inside him.

He wants Jimin here with him, wants his alpha by his side, not with some other omega. And Jungkook hates that the thought even crosses his mind and roots itself there once again.