Hot.

It was burning. Jimin is burning. His chest heaved up and down with the puffs of air leaving his open mouth, along with sounds of pleasure.

No, it wasn't him that the sounds originated from. A particularly loud moan triggers Jimin's hip to forward with a shudder.

He's never done this before. His body is not meant to function this way in the first place. An omega shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't be doing this, especially to someone just like him.

If that's so, why does the burning sensation in his chest and pelvis feel so addicting? It still didn't feel right, but it didn't feel wrong either. This new pleasure drives him into pushing the man below him deeper into the mattress, determined to make him forget his pain. Jimin connects their lips and lets the man slip into his mouth. He wants him to taste this new drug that both of them had never tried before. It'll help ease both of them, make them euphoric, even if it's just for a while.

Even if there will be consequences later.

Jimin realizes that he had his eyes closed the entire time. He had forgotten why. 'Just open them now,' he told himself, yet his eyelids remained shut.

A hand tugs his hair, the long fingers curled around the soft locks as he felt the velvety walls pulse around him, relieving him from the tension he had. The gentle moonlight exposes the thin layer of sweat that builds on his back.

Was he too scared to see the whole truth? He didn't want to leave this state of happiness yet when it could still last longer and there is still more to offer.

The legs that desperately clung around his waist were removed, only for them to be pressed into the latter's chest and draped over Jimin's shoulders. A shock of electricity shot up their spines. He gets faster, craving for the best saved for last.

Please, don't make it end yet. Just a bit longer. Let him keep the blindfold on, don't take it off. Reveal the whole picture and this sweetness will rot into pure bitterness.

Or so he thought.

Perhaps, too tempted by the alluring voice, he allowed himself to open his eyes. He had heard it before, no doubt, but never was it this sweet and laced with desire.

The sight of Seokjin so close to him is the pure definition of beautiful. Jimin would have backed away if it wasn't for the pretty lashes, wet lips, and sweaty skin against his own sticky body; that was the end for him.

He released everything, except for Seokjin's hands, which he pinned above his head tightly as the sensitivity heightens. Soft groans mingled together as they slowed, trying to catch their breaths as they come to a halt.

The other omega's neck came into view, and Jimin didn't know what took over him. He buries his face into the soft skin, relishing in the sweet and comforting scent. He nibbles at the smooth skin before gazing up to see Seokjin's hooded eyes and his hair, slicked back from sweat.

Not once had their eyes met. Unlike Jimin, the older omega remains blinded. Maybe it's for the best. Just thinking about Seokjin's lusty eyes is dangerous.

A final, breathy sob escapes from his pretty lips...

"Tae..."

..ending the magic of the night.

~~

The room is cold from the new and fresh batch of snow that again reminds everyone that it's finally Christmas. In contrast, the bed is particularly warm.

Seokjin is the first to wake, groaning at the light headache he currently has. He stares at the blank ceiling first, slowly letting his eyes adjust to the brightening room. Noticing how the blankets were wrapped up to his chin, he realized how cold the room had gotten and automatically snuggled closer to the body on him.

This is how he likes his Christmas mornings. With him. Each year, together like this, limbs tangled and just absorbing the warmth of each other. A smile has already formed upon his lips without his knowing. It's the little moments like these that remind Seokjin of why he's so in love with this man.

Soft hair brushed against his jaw, tickling him. Seokjin hums out a giggle, his hand reaching up to play with the blonde hair, "Merry Chri-"

Blonde hair...

Forget about the previous warmth. The realization slaps him cold, fully awake, eyes wide and his muscles tenses. There's a few seconds of confusion as he tries to recall where he is, what time it is, and what he did.

 He looks right at the ceiling again, panicking and trying to recall last night's events, his mind scrambling for answers. In frustration, he lets out a mental groan, rubbing a knuckle to his head.

Jimin shifts a bit, wrapping a leg around Seokjin, a bit too close to his groin-

Seokjin remembers.

Not every detail (luckily) but he remembers with a beet-red face, hastily removing Jimin's head from his chest and his invading leg near his waist.

He isn't feeling too good, his stomach churning more with each passing second. Seokjin gags, covering his mouth and ripping himself away from the bed. He rushes into the connecting bathroom and lurches over the toilet, emptying his stomach.

Gripping the seat tightly, he mentally curses at himself for letting his heat get out of control. It has subsided for now, but being reminded again what it had caused between him and Jimin made him puke once more.

'An omega... an omega!'

"Oh my god, Seokjin," a voice came from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

" NO!" He spat out, thick saliva and a bit of vomit dripping down his chin.

Knowing that the other omega is now awake, staring, made Seokjin shake in shame and disgust as he hugs his knees.

He knew that it was normal for omegas to help each other during times like this, but not in this kind of way. They're not meant to substitute for an Alpha or Beta.

Touching his mate mark, he is strangely relieved that his affair with Jimin didn't have much effect on his already straying bond with Taehyung.

"Seokjin, I-" Jimin stumbles over his words. "I didn't mean to, I just wanted to help-"

He stops himself. The sight of Seokjin trembling on the cold bathroom tiles as he clutches his body made Jimin silent. He didn't want to press into the situation any more at the moment.

Taking a towel nearby, Jimin approaches the other omega. He gently drapes it over Seokjin's shoulders, making sure not to linger close for too long.

Although Jimin viewed it differently, he knows that Seokjin is more sensitive to same-role relationships.

"I'm sorry."

He leaves Seokjin alone to his thoughts without another word.

Their society looked down upon relationships between Alpha/Alpha and Omega/Omega but Beta/Beta was not much of a problem (doesn't mean they don't have other problems though). Seokjin knows this. He never made an official statement agreeing or disagreeing with this since it was a topic he never quite cared or thought about until it affected him.

Once Alpha Taehyung left him for Alpha Jungkook, Seokjin became quite bitter.

First off, he preferred these traditions as they were the social norms. However, maybe it wasn't just the fact that they were both alphas that bothered him. He's still mad about it but there was something else. Seokjin hates to acknowledge it but the more he thinks about it...

Maybe it's also because it made him hate himself, made him start to think that he isn't enough for anyone, an undesirable mate, which is why he had been thrown away.

~~

A couple of days later, Seokjin's heat ends. It was a real bummer for ruining his Christmas, but he managed the last days by himself. His workers have ree by one with smiles plastered on their faces as they talked about their fun celebrations with family.

Seokjin sat at the long dining table alone, eating his breakfast, unable to relate. He needs to head to work soon to discuss the possibility of expanding or relocating his restaurant to another city.

As he slips on his long coat, heading out of the mansion, he bites his inner cheeks as he sees Jimin standing next to the car in his uniform.

Seokjin holds back a loud sigh, not wanting to sound even more stressed. He has not spoken to Jimin since he left him in the bathroom. The days between then and now consisted of Seokjin tiptoeing around Jimin, dodging him to try to quit thinking about what happened. Now that he needs to go back to work, it's gotten to the point where ignoring each other is unavoidable, and knowing Jimin, Seokjin is sure that they'd be having some sort of talk once they are left alone in the car.

That expectation turned into worry when Jimin doesn't say anything at all. He simply bowed to greet him before opening the door for him. Both of them were too scared to look at each other, not wanting to be the first and get caught doing so.

The ride was quiet and awkward, accompanied by thick tension. Seokjin couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, mind tracing back to that specific night... again.

Knowing that they had felt each other like that... makes him uncomfortable. Even if Jimin wasn't an omega, Seokjin would still be bothered by the situation. It's an unfortunate event, of course, but in a way, he's lucky that Jimin is simply an omega. If he wasn't, there could have been more possibilities containing the worst consequences.

He wondered to himself how Jimin would even bring himself to have with him. It was only the older omega in heat, so what even encouraged Jimin?
 

"You looked like Jungkook."

Seokjin looks up at Jimin, whose head is still facing forward.

"And that night... you called me Taehyung," he says flatly.

A frown forms upon Seokjin's face. That was something he didn't recall. But hearing that made it make more sense.

However, if that was true...

Seokjin's expression clouded over. He felt ashamed knowing that he had wanted his ex-husband. Sure, he could blame the heat, but it's still proof that letting go is going to be more difficult than he thought.

Concluding that he wasn't going to get a single word out of Seokjin anytime soon, Jimin went back to being quiet.

Seokjin can see his sad eyes through the rearview mirror, filled with guilt. With his lips pressed tightly together, he thought to himself, 'Maybe I shouldn't be like this. I never gave Jimin the chance to explain. I can't even remember the night clearly... what if I did something, not him?'

The car soon stops to drop Seokjin off. The tall man opens the door before Jimin could do it for him. 

"Seokjin, wait-"

The door closes, cutting Jimin off. 

There's a lump in his throat, which he forced back. He can't deal with this now, ignoring the guilt bubbling inside him and adjusts his coat, walking to his workplace.

~~

Jimin exhales, deflating like a balloon as he presses his forehead against the top of the steering wheel. His heart is beating fast from the previous atmosphere and he hoped that Seokjin didn't notice his nervousness.

With his job done, for now, he drives back home to see if his assistance is needed. It'll be a couple of hours before it's time to pick Seokjin up, a lot of time to go over his head on how to approach him again. He wants to be careful, the man threw up last time because of him.

He parked his vehicle but doesn't get out just yet. It's quiet, as he is all by himself now. For these past couple days, he had been avoided like the plague. He understands why, it wasn't his place to do what he did to the omega, but it makes him feel so awful. And since there's no one around...

Jimin lets out soft cries, tears that he had been holding back finally run down his cheeks. Before the droplets could reach his chin, his hands come up to hide his face.

Things were finally starting to go well with him and Seokjin, the first few steps to friendship had just bloomed and now it's filed down to a pile of mess.

He truly is regretful of what he had done, he admits to himself that he is in the wrong and deserves the silent treatment that Seokjin is giving him. However, he can't help but feel hurt by the rejection.

~~

Hours later...

"So it's settled then," Seokjin wraps up the meeting. "We've got the locations, we'll discuss details tomorrow." It was only him and a few business partners. They all exchanged formal farewells before gathering their things and leaving.

Seokjin stays behind for a few minutes, contemplating whether or not he wanted to go home yet despite it being several hours since he arrived. To be more specific, he isn't sure if he wanted to be in another awkward car ride with Jimin again.

Just as he was going to call home to inform his staying at work longer than usual, he receives another incoming call from the said place.

"Hello?"

It was one of his maids who called, letting him know that another driver is on his way to pick him up. 

Immediately, Seokjin asks, "Where's Jimin?"

"He's not feeling well," she explains, quickly adding, "It's nothing too worrying, sir. We're already taking care of him. Please take care too."

Seokjin ends the call, standing up to grab his coat, slipping it on then leaving, his briefcase in one hand.

He makes it onto the wintry street in no time, not even stopping by to check in with the manager. He taps his foot against the icy cement, anxious about Jimin. He seemed fine today... if  he doesn't count the depression surrounding Jimin this morning. Maybe he got ill after dropping him off.

The omega gets impatient after a few minutes, a puff of air coming out from his mouth rashly. Even when the familiar car comes into view, he couldn't cool his head completely.

He scolds when the driver steps out to open the door for him, "What took so long? Why are you so slow?"

The driver looks down, slightly ashamed and embarrassed. "S-sorry, Mr. Kim."

Once he's seated, he checks his phone only to see that the driver is right on time, precisely seconds earlier even. Seokjin felt bad instantly, apologizing to the young driver once they drive off.

"I'm just a bit nervous," he explains. The driver assures him that he understands.

Seokjin leans back, eyes closed and fingers rubbing his temples. 

~~

He didn't waste another second as he leaped out of the car and into the mansion, heading to the employees' quarters. He barely comes there, and if it wasn't for a maid who had just exited a certain room, he would have no idea where Jimin is.

The maid had already shut the door behind her when Seokjin asks her about Jimin's health, "Excuse me, how is he?"

She seems puzzled but answers regardless, "Mr. Kim, he's fine with perfect health."

Now it's Seokjin's turn to look confused.

The maid turns to the door, glancing at it before looking back at her boss. "Sir, besides saying that he's just tired, he's not speaking. We can't talk to him, we're worried. As our boss, do you think..."

Seokjin sees where she's heading: Talk to Jimin. 

"Don't worry. You can leave now. I'll take care of it."

Once Seokjin is alone in the hall, he presses his ear against the door. It's quiet, no movement. He's guessing that Jimin is probably sleeping.

A sigh.

A sigh resonated behind the door, with shuffling of blankets after it. The omega could be awake as well.

Seokjin gulps, feeling the nerves coming back. Yes, he's concerned with Jimin, wondering if he's truly okay. He still has to remember that Jimin is also suffering from heartbreak. That's what tied them together in the first place and were supposedly going to help each other through the pain.

They still have two broken hearts to mend.

'So talk to him, go in,' a voice says to him. Seokjin's hand bumps into the doorknob.

What does he say? Apologize? Yes, apologize. Then what? Can they address what happened between them? How does he do that?

"I... I can't."

He just can't go in. Not yet. He can't talk to him right now.

He's too afraid.

Seokjin shuts his eyes and turns back.

Just as his hand leaves the doorknob, it turns.

The door opens.

Seokjin freezes like a deer caught in headlights. He could feel the eyes behind him, hear the person take a small step closer to him.

"Seokjin?"

Shallow breaths were all he could let out for a moment. His legs become stiffly, unable to walk away even if he wanted to. His tense lips part, wanting to say what he needs to say but the words seem to be stuck at the back of his throat.

"I'm so sorry."