Chapter Text
It’s a sort of warm contentedness that rouses Hoseok into waking.
His thoughts are gooey and slow, and he has no idea how much time has passed. He almost physically startles when he realizes he’s still lying on the firm chest of one of the alphas. His anxious beta instincts whisper to him, urging him to keep still, submissive and lax.
The alphas are once again talking quietly, but not to Hoseok.
“I didn’t know omega’s could be so little!” One of them says too loudly to be a whisper, and Hoseok almost winces, even as the excited exclamation gets shushed.
“All omegas are small Jungkookie, but ours is underfed. Omegas need lots of protein and fats in their diet. This little one clearly hasn't been fed properly in months.”
“We’ll go hunting early this week then! We’ll catch him a deer!”
There’s an exasperated sigh. “For now Jungkookah, please go heat up the food. Jimin, go with him. We should get something warm into him as soon as he wakes up.”
There’s a whine. “Can I play with the omega after then?”
Play with him? Hoseok doesn’t like the direction their conversation is heading. He should probably pretend to wake up to put an end to it.
He lets out a soft, sleepy murmur, his eyes fluttering open just enough to take in the room around him. The alpha they called Seokijn is holding him, his face puffy with sleep and his dark hair slightly more out of place than before. He smiles down warmly at Hoseok before he speaks.
“Morning, little one,” he says, voice soft as he brushes a few strands of hair from Hoseok’s face. Hoseok holds still, making sure to accept the gesture, hoping the alpha doesn’t sense the slight tension of his muscles while he makes sure he doesn’t flinch back.
Hoseok blinks up at the handsome man. “Morning,” he whispers, his voice a little raspy. He stretches slightly, letting out a small noise that he hopes they find endearing.
When he yawns, he covers his mouth with his hand and then rubs his eyes, trying to look as sleepy and harmless as possible as he subtly looks around the room. He doesn’t see his backpack, jacket or shoes anywhere. He notes the only exit, a door to his left that leads to what looks like a hallway, and another door to his right, slightly ajar, revealing a glimpse of a bathroom. The pack alpha is the only other one in the room besides Seokjin, but if Hoseok were to make a run for it now, there’s no way he could get past him.
“Did you sleep well?” Seokjin asks, gently rubbing circles on Hoseok’s back as he sits them both up in one fluid motion. The alphas hands keep Hoseok pressed close to his chest, as though Hoseok were a frail thing incapable of sitting up by himself.
“Yes, thank you,” he says passively. He doesn’t tell the alpha that his head is pounding, that he still feels exhaustion deep in his bones. The alphas back at his old compound punished ungratefulness. He doubts these ones are any different.
Seokjin’s smile widens, clearly pleased with his response. “Good!”
Hoseok offers a small, shy smile in return. He feels a flicker of satisfaction, but he knows he must look ridiculous. He’s never been cute, never been praised by his old alphas. He wants to shrivel up. He must be putting on a pathetic attempt at pretending to be an omega, but at least it seems to be working for now. .
He jolts, startled when the pack alpha reaches for him. He gets lifted from Seokjin’s arms, his head spins with the sudden motion of being so manhandled, and he winces as his knee throbs with pain. The alpha adjusts him, firmly holding his thigh so that his knee has no pressure on it.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” The alphas voice sends low vibrations through Hoseok, and he can’t help but shiver slightly in his hold, cold now without the blanket that had fallen from his shoulders. Hoseok doesn’t understand how the alpha is so warm. As a beta, Hoseok’s bodily heat retention is almost as bad as an omegas.
He gets carried out of the room, Seokjin getting up and following closely behind. Hoseok lifts his head just enough to take in his new surroundings. They’re in the kitchen now. It seems… cozy, warm. Significantly more clean and dry than the large industrial type kitchens back at his old compound.
There’s a large wooden table off to the side of the space, surrounded by enough chairs to sit at least ten people. The other alphas are there too, quickly and fluidly navigating around each other and the space. They’re all talking to each other, engaging in overlapping conversations that Hoseok struggles to follow as they set the table.
Seokjin takes a seat at one end of the table, and to Hoseok’s surprise he gets placed back in the alphas warm lap. He wonders why he wasn’t placed in one of the empty chairs. Despite what he had overheard earlier, maybe it wasn’t his time to eat yet.
In his old compound, from where he had sat at the beta tables in the dining hall, he had sometimes seen omegas, sitting like little dolls in their alphas laps. His beta had always been jealous. He understands why now. It’s comfy sitting in an alphas lap. Hoseok weakly rests his head to the side, already overwhelmed by the contradictory waves of fear and contentment rushing through him.
The young alpha with the big eyes places a bowl of soup in front of them. The soup is fragrant, and Hoseok can’t help but stare longingly at it, eyes tracking the slow movement of the rising steam while he wonders if he’ll be allowed to have some once Seokjin is done.
A pang of hunger strikes through his stomach so sharply it’s painful. Maybe if he stays still in Seokjin's lap while he eats, he’ll get rewarded for being good and get to have some of his leftovers.
Hoseok hopes so. It looks so yummy. The broth is a rich golden brown, flecked with bits of herb and tiny droplets of oil. He sees chunks of what he thinks are carrots, leeks and cubes of potato. And meat. These alphas must have way better crops than the ones at the compound. Hopefully their irrigation system is similar though, Hoseok doesn’t want to annoy them with his stupid questions when they assign him daily tasks.
Hoseok pointedly ignores the alpha reaching for the spoon. He doesn’t want to get in trouble so soon for begging. He doesn’t notice when Seokjin lifts a spoonful of the soup to Hoseok's face. He startles when the alpha bumps the spoon gently against his lower lip.
He stares down at it dumbly.
“Sorry, just soup for right now, little one. We don’t want to upset your tummy with something too rich.”
Hoseok continues to stare. Seokjin looks down at the spoon too. “Oh!” he says, and lightly blows on it. “There we go, less hot now. Say ah little one!” Ah!”
Hoseok's eyes widen in confusion but he opens his mouth obediently. His eyes close on their own accord as soon as he tastes it. It is yummy. So yummy.
His mouth is open and waiting for each of the following spoonfuls the alpha lifts to his mouth. Hoseok gets so distracted by the soup that he’s slow to notice that the other alphas at the table are barely talking, seemingly intently focused on watching one of their own hand-feeding Hoseok.
He spends the rest of the meal mentally trying to come up with a story he can tell the alphas. They’ve been nice so far, but they’ll have questions. He tries to piece together something plausible, but his mind is too frazzled, too tired and caught off guard by how the alphas continue to treat him, to come up with anything he thinks will work.
Too soon, the bowl is empty and the short, dark haired alpha is clearing away the table. When Hoseok tries to weakly stand from Seokjin’s lap, he’s lifted before his feet touch the ground.
Seokjin tsks, lightly patting his bum as he carries Hoseok into the adjoining room, “No walking on your knee until it’s healed.”
This new room is large and cozy, with higher ceilings than the kitchen and a large, comfy-looking couch, which Seokjin takes a seat on while keeping Hoseok in his arms. Hoseok glances around nervously as the other alphas settle around him.
The pack alpha crouches down in front of him, giving a warm, dimpled smile. “I’m Namjoon,” he says gently, introducing himself for the first time. He reaches out to hold Seokjin’s knee as he continues, “And this is Seokjin, Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook. Yoongi is the one cleaning up in the kitchen. This is our pack.”
Hoseok repeats their names frantically in his head. He’s never met so many new people at once, and he doesn’t want to imagine their reactions if he screws up and gets a name wrong.
Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook are the ones sitting closest, flanking Hoseok protectively. He’s guessing they’re the youngest, with the least pack authority. They seem to accept direction willingly from Namjoon and Seokjin. Yoongi is the one he hasn’t heard a word from yet. The one who had been staring strangely at him when he first woke up.
“What’s your name?” Namjoon asks.
“Hoseok.” he replies automatically. Fuck. Is Hoseok even an omegan-sounding name?
He expects some expression of scepticism, but they just coo. The last alpha, Yoongi, joins them silently, taking a seat in a round chair further back. Hoseok ducks his head down, avoiding his gaze.
Namjoon continues to lead the conversation. “Where did you come from, Hoseok? How did you end up out here?”
Hoseok hesitates, his mind scrambling for an answer that will satisfy them without giving away too much. “I... I don’t know,” he stammers, eyes wide with feigned confusion. “I just ran.”
The alphas exchange concerned glances, but don’t challenge his vague explanation. The last thing he needs is for them to start questioning which compound he came from. Hopefully he can convince them he’s as dumb as everyone always told him he is.
“Do you have an alpha, sweetheart? Someone who might be looking for you?”
Seokjin cuts in smoothly before Hoseok can answer. “Don’t ask him something like that. He’s clearly been abused and neglected if he ran away.”
Namjoon’s body language had been relaxed and open throughout the conversation so far. Now, something tightens in his expression, and Hoseok feels frozen, heading pounding with sudden anxiety at how he should respond.
“We have to ask these questions.” And it’s Yoongi interjecting, his gaze steady and locked onto Hoseok. His voice is rough and deep, and Hoseok’s beta startles out the sated state it’s been in since Seokjin had fed him.
“No, we don't. We don’t have to do anything except keep him healthy and happy. We’ve already decided he’s staying.” Seokjin's voice is agitated, his grip tightening so that he’s harshly holding Hoseok’s upper arm. Hoseok holds in his sound of discomfort. He knows better than to draw attention to himself when an alpha is upset.
“And if he does have an alpha? And that alpha comes knocking on our door? What then, hyung?” Yoongi responds, tone flat despite the challenge inherent in his words.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Seokjin hisses, “As though I’d ever let them come near my baby again.”
“As though you’d let them? You’re letting your instincts get the best of you again.” Yoongi states it like a fact. They must have a deep history together, and this seems like a sore spot that they’ve fought over before. Fuck.
Hoseok's own instincts are going crazy, unsure how to respond to the power dynamics at play here. His nose is too weak to smell what kind of upset Seokjin is, and he can’t see his face without moving and drawing attention to himself.
Yoongi seems to draw himself up, opening his mouth to say more when Namjoon interjects, holding up his hand for silence.
“We don’t need to know the details right at this moment. Jin’s right, what’s important right now is that he’s safe with us.” Hoseok can tell he must be releasing some sort of alpha pheromones, though he can barely sense them. The air feels heavier with his authority. But this doesn’t make sense. Any pack alpha would consider conflict with another compound a devastating price to pay, regardless of if it was for an omega or not.
There’s a tense beat of silence, Seokjin’s grip on his arm barely loosening.
“W-what happens now?” Hoseok blurts out, tone as nervous as he actually feels.
“Whatever is best for the pack,” Namjoon answers, seemingly collecting himself, forcing a calmness back into his voice. “And that means taking care of you. We haven’t had an omega since forming the pack. We’re very excited to have found you. A pack omega is exactly what we’ve all been needing.”
Namjoon pauses for a moment, “Everything will fall into place,” he concludes with finality.
Pack omega? He doesn’t even know what that means. Hoseok's head feels like it's spinning as he tries to remember what it had been like for omegas back in his old compound. All he can recall is that once an omega was of age, they were paired off with an alpha, were briefly courted and then had their work shifts halved. Sometimes there had been mating ceremonies that Hoseok was never allowed to attend.
“Do I… have to do anything?” Hoseok asks, cheeks flaming. He knows this is a dangerous question to ask. But he can’t pass up the opportunity to find out what exactly these alphas expect from him.
The alphas share a confused look before they notice his blushing cheeks. Seokjin looks surprised, then tsks. “Is that what your old alpha’s were like? We can control ourselves until you’re healed, darling.”
“Our little omega is eager!” Jimin says to Taehyung, giggling happily.
Oh no.
“What about courting?” he asks, desperately.
“Courting is to prove an alpha’s worth darling. I think we already have by rescuing you,” Seokjin chuckles. “But of course we can get our little one some nice presents, if that’s what you want.”
“No! No, I don’t need presents, I mean-” but the younger alphas are already excitedly whispering to themselves.
Hoseok continues, frantically trying to establish some ground rules while they’re still being nice. “Can we wait? Until we have bond bites? Please? It’s just a lot. My uh, my omega takes a long time to trust.”
He sees Yoongi glance sharply at Namjoon, and they exchange a look Hoseok can’t quite decipher. Yoongi’s drawn eyebrows, the serious downturn of his mouth. It’s starting to really concern Hoseok.
Oh no, oh no. Are omega’s usually more trusting? He wracks his mind for some omegan thing he can do or say. He tries to make himself smaller, hesitantly shrinking into the protection of Seokjin's lap.
“We’ll take it as slow as you need,” Namjoon says, caressing his uninjured knee.
“Okay,” Hoseok responds passively, his voice weak without trying. He doesn’t know what Namjoon might define as slow.
“Poor little baby.” Jimin comments, shimmying closer, then lightly petting the brace on Hoseok’s knee. “He must have hurt it while he was out by himself.”
Hoseok knows better, but stays quiet. It was the trap that had caused his injury. And it’s likely this pack were the ones who had set it. What he isn’t sure about is if these alphas are just delusional, thinking they’ve miraculously rescued an omega, or if something else is going on.
“Yes. And he needs lots of rest.” Seokjin says firmly. “He’s overexerted, with clear signs of an omegan stress disorder. Omegan bodies aren’t made to withstand long term emotional or physical strain. You’re very tired, aren’t you baby?”
Hoseok just nods, far too overwhelmed to craft a response. He is very tired. He can’t help but squint from the headache that’s been building throughout this conversation, and his nerves are frayed beyond what he can conceal anymore.
“See?” Seokjin says, glaring meaningfully at Yoongi, who’s once again slumped down in his chair, silently observing the conversation, “What he needs is rest. Not an interrogation. Let’s get you to the nest little one.”
Hoseok can’t force himself to respond. But he likes that idea. Maybe they’ll let him just curl up and sleep again. Then he’ll have more time to think about his strategy and gain back some strength.
Beside him, Jimin and Taehyung start arguing as they tussle over who gets to carry him. Hoseok tenses at their raised voices, but when Taehyung wins, Jimin just pouts and laughs.
Taehyung grabs Hoseok clumsily but Seokjin rearranges Taehyung's hands so that Hoseok’s injured knee is properly supported.
“Are the motion sensors armed? The main gate locked down?” Hoseok hears Namjoon quietly ask Jungkook, who nods. “Okay, let’s settle him in.” They have motion sensors?
The rest of the alphas get up and follow Taehyung as Hoseok gets carried down the hall. He holds onto Taehyung's shoulders tightly, momentarily more scared of getting dropped than of annoying the alpha.
Hoseok is confused when they pass the room he woke up in. As they go deeper into the bunker, the lights grow dimmer and the hallways narrow. Hoseok wonders how deep this bunker goes, but he gives up trying to make a full map in his head. He remembers the way to the kitchen, that’s what’s important. He’ll sneak away to steal rations as soon as he can stand on his knee.
“We’ll have to switch to the halogen bulbs we have in storage room 3,” Seokjin says to Namjoon. “Now that we have an omega, we can’t subject his sensitive eyes to harsh lighting.”
Namjoon hums in agreement. “We’ll have to trade for more soon then. Jungkook will swap them tomorrow, but only in the living areas we’ll keep Hoseok in.”
They enter a room that feels entirely different from what Hoseok has seen of the bunker so far. There’s a large bed, recessed in the middle of the room, definitely large enough for the whole pack of alphas to stretch out, and instead of the metal he’d seen in the hallways, the walls are padded.
Is this the pack nest? It must be.
There are warm white string lights strung around the room, casting a soft glow that helps ease his headache. Low shelves line one side of the room, filled with what Hoseok is guessing are personal items. Blankets and pillows are haphazardly strewn about the massive mattress.
Taehyung deposits him carefully onto the bed, which sinks under their weight. “There you go,” he says softly, a boxy smile lighting up his face.
Through the doorway Hoseok sees Yoongi looking like he’s about to slip away, and Namjoon reaching for his arm, holding him there. A silent look is exchanged before Yoongi relents, and a moment later they both enter the room, and the mattress dips slightly as Namjoon sits down beside Hoseok, placing a large hand on the nape of his neck. It sends tingles down his spine, feeling the alphas warm skin against his vulnerable neck.
“Isn’t this nice?” Namjoon asks, sounding proud. “Your omega will feel safe here. You can nest all you like.”
The other alphas, directed by Seokjin, start to pile blankets and pillows around him on the mattress. They’re arranging some of them in their own little areas, like they know each other's preferences and how they like to sleep. He wonders how long they’ve been a pack for.
“Go on, little one,” Seokjin says from behind him, “Use whatever nesting materials you feel drawn to. You’re not used to our scent yet so these are all freshly washed.”
Nesting? They’re expecting him to build a nest? Okay. Okay, he can do this. You’ve spent your whole life doing what you were told, Hoseok sternly reminds himself, now, instead of turning over soil or manually working the water pump, you just have to arrange some pillows.
Except, he’s never seen an omegas nest before. Nesting was something only mated omegas did in the sanctuary of the private upper rooms. Rooms that Hoseok, as a beta, was never, under any circumstances, allowed near.
But still, this shouldn't be hard. Just move the pillows around and make a nest like a good omega. Convince these alphas that he has omegan instincts. Convince them that he’s good and capable, and can do a task as simple as this. That they aren’t wasting their time helping him, that they won’t regret being as kind as they have been.
So Hoseok moves the pillows around, trying to mimic what he imagines a nice omega nest would look like. To his dismay, there's nothing inside him guiding him, nothing instructing him on how to make it cozy and safe. His beta feels at a loss. Nothing feels right. The soft nesting materials slip, his trembling hand refusing to cooperate.
He isn’t good and capable. His frustration builds, each attempt more futile than the last. They’re going to start noticing soon that Hoseok doesn’t know what he’s doing, that he can’t do what they want him to. They’re going to start yelling. They’re going to be so mad.
He feels tears well up in his eyes and his heartbeat jackrabbit in his chest. He’s so tired, and they’re going to find out now that he’s not an omega, and he won’t be able to sleep in this comfy bed just because he doesn’t know how to arrange some dumb blankets.
“He’s worried he won’t build a pretty enough nest for alphas,” he barely hears Seokjin say, until he’s right up behind him, speaking gently in his ear.
“Baby, alphas are going to love whatever you make.” Seokjin's voice is so gentle it tickles. Hoseok can’t help but sniffle, even as he tries to lean away.
“Oh baby,” Seokjin coos, grabbing for a blanket. The one with the little white stars. He carefully drapes it over Hoseok’s shaking shoulders, then reaches around him and starts arranging the pillows in a soft semi circle.
He pats the bed and it takes Hoseok a second to understand. He shimmies himself over, still sniffling, but lays down in the spot Seokjin indicated and watches through blurry, tear filled eyes as Jungkook silently handles Seokjin more blankets.
He can’t smell what they’re feeling, but none of them look upset? He doesn’t understand why they aren’t upset with him. Why aren’t they all as suspicious as Yoongi, who has been sitting in silence, watching Hoseok fail? He hadn’t been able to do what an omega should be able to do.
Hoseok’s confusion is muddled in his mind, but he can’t help but accept that somehow everything is okay for now. The alpha’s are still nice. And the pillows are so soft beneath him, and the room is nice and warm. In between sniffles his blinks get slower, even as his eyes continue to follow Seokjin's methodical nest-building movements.
Hoseok drifts off to sleep just moments before Seokjin places the final pillow.