Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I swear I’m going to throw myself out of the window.”

Park Jimin had just returned from an impulsive morning run when he received a message from his mother. Although considering its length, it was more like a letter. Jimin let his phone screen fade to blank, without opening the message. There was only one thing his mother could be talking about and he wasn’t in a hurry to deal with it. 

“Good morning, my Munchkin!”

Kim Taehyung was sitting on the living room sofa with the morning news switched on as background noise while he scrolled through his phone. He greeted Jimin with his signature bright boxy smile that made Jimin feel instantly better. It always had.

The two of them met as university roommates and became inseparable ever since. Both of them being omega wolves only brought them closer on another level. Being able to understand each other’s problems intimately, there was no secret between them.

Hence, Taehyung could immediately tell what was making Jimin look so down on a Saturday morning. 

“Let me guess. Mrs Park woke up at early o’clock in the morning to send an essay to you?” Taehyung asked, patting the space beside him for the other omega to sit down.

“What else?” Jimin sighed as he threw himself onto the sofa. He loved how much warmer it was with Taehyung to cuddle with.  

The two omegas loved mornings like this. If they could help it, they would spend every morning snuggled up to their heart’s content while being surrounded by soft pillows. However, as life got in the way, they had to settle with sleeping over at each other’s houses on weekends. This time, it was Taehyung who had come over on Friday night with a plastic bag full of soju bottles. 

“What did the mama chick say?” 

“Don’t call her that while she’s tormenting your best friend! It makes her sound cute!” Jimin groaned as he picked up his phone to finally read the dreaded message.

It took an entirety of five minutes to finish reading his mother’s message. Of course, it would have been much shorter if she wasn’t gossiping about her neighbour. The lion alpha was caught cheating on his omega with a snake, a literal snake omega, who was young enough to be his daughter.

Besides the irrelevant but immersive gossip, the gist of the message was to remind Jimin yet again that he needed to bring an alpha to the wedding. 

The fucking wedding.

Jimin disliked weddings on a normal basis. Weddings were too pompous and ostentatious — too many people posturing to be living happily ever after. On top of all that, the upcoming wedding was going to be a thousand times worse. According to what he had heard from his mother, his cousin was getting hitched to a company CEO. Growing up, the omega had never liked his cousin’s flaunty nature so he knew she was going to be unbearable now that she was marrying into wealth. 

“Is it about the wedding again?”

Taehyung knew Jimin too well. It wasn’t surprising at all because one of the previous “wedding” texts from Jimin’s mother had sent the omega stomping to his best friend’s house, head steaming with anger. Taehyung had to physically restrain Jimin from texting his cousin to cancel his attendance. Jimin was still thankful for that — as much as he would rather lie down on a busy highway than attend the wedding, he couldn’t let his impulsion win. He would be the headline gossip of the month amongst the relatives if he did — that was akin to a death sentence in an Asian household.

“The mama chick was just reminding me to bring an alpha because god helps us if an omega is happily single! No! Impossible! I would look too sad if I attended a wedding alone at my big age!” Jimin grumbled, exasperated at the situation.   

“My poor baby!” Taehyung cooed, patting his best friend’s head gently with his big hands, ruffling the glossy locks of pink hair teasingly.

“Look at you! This is adding more creases to your little forehead! This won’t do. Why don’t you just say fuck it and attend alone? What’s the worst that could happen? Are they going to hunt you down with pitchforks?”

The mental image of his doddery aunts and uncles chasing him down the street for daring to be a single omega had Jimin giggling despite his sulky mood. 

“No, Tae. I’d honestly rather they do that,” Jimin replied as he snuggled further into Taehyung’s arms. Jimin prided himself on being a strong, independent omega but when he was with his best friend, he felt at ease. Taehyung was his safe space. 

Jimin had attended a wedding alone before. 

He had decided enough was enough after one too many horrible alphas that his mother had set him up with. It was almost a wonder in itself how his mother always managed to find the foulest alphas in town for him. So, with an iron shield around himself and the blinding spark of youthful pride, Jimin had dared to attend a wedding alone. 

As he should have predicted, it went horribly. With the lack of a beefy alpha to sink their teeth into, his inquisitive relatives’ attention switched to him — which was never a good thing. With relationship and social status being the only things their blinkered minds put importance to, the conversation steered towards Jimin’s job.

Jimin loved his job as a tattoo artist — nothing else could bring the immense joy that he felt when he was working on tattoos. Against all the opposition, even from his own parents at the start, he put his heart and soul into it and managed to make enough to even own a studio for himself. The omega was extremely proud and content for what he had achieved by doing what he loved.

Predictably, it was barely recognised as a job by his relatives.

“Jimin-ah, there’s a vacancy at the company my son’s working at. Would you like him to put in a good word for you?”

“Jimin-ah! You ought to stop drawing those silly pictures on yourself too! How is an omega going to meet a respectable young alpha if you look like this?”

Needless to say, Jimin didn’t stay for dessert.

“They’re like vultures, Tae! I can’t go in there alone. I need a human shield with me,” Jimin explained. 

Jimin was well aware that the best solution would be to get a permanent shield — a long-term partner. However, his past attempts had been nothing short of a disaster, leaving him only with battle scars in his heart and a growing dislike for alpha wolves. 

In his desperation, Jimin had even tried dating other predator hybrids but quickly realised that most alphas were just purely assholes no matter what kind. Just like his relatives who were all mainly wolves. 

“Why don’t you just hire one then?” 

Taehyung’s suggestion came so out of the blue that Jimin found himself sitting up. Despite the absurdity of the idea, Jimin wasn’t all that surprised. His best friend had always been unorthodox and his suggestions had helped Jimin more times than he could count — even if his ideas could be a little quixotic sometimes.

“Hire them? Like in that movie, Pretty Woman? I own a tattoo studio, Tae. I’m not that rich!” Jimin laughed as he tried to imagine himself as the rich CEO protagonist from the movie. He wished he could find love as easily as the people in romance movies but the modern-day dating scene was dreadfully distressing.

“Well, one of my models told me about her side hustle of being an omega for hire. It sounded pretty legit!” Taehyung explained further, undeterred by Jimin’s instant dismissal. Taehyung was a fashion photographer so he was usually surrounded by models who were also the best source of trending affairs in town. 

The serious glint in Taehyung’s eyes made Jimin consider the idea. Perhaps, it was worth a shot. The wedding was just a week away so Jimin was grasping at straws at that point. He couldn’t risk throwing away any idea that might help him.

“Ugh, Tae. I don’t know. It sounds like a potential disaster,” Jimin leaned back down on the sofa as he pondered for a moment before he continued, “But, I’m desperate enough that I’m interested.” 

“Great! I’ll ask my friend for the website,” Taehyung cheered as the two omegas resumed their cuddling session. Jimin sighed as he disengaged himself from his worries and drowned himself in the calming pine scent of his friend. 

“You’ll be fine, Minnie. It’ll work out in the end,” Taehyung murmured as he placed a soft, comforting kiss on Jimin’s temple. 

Jimin certainly hoped so because he would rather go through the nine circles of hell than attend the wedding alone. 

… … … … …

It took two restless days before Jimin received the website link from Taehyung — models were busy people after all. The omega had been lying on his bed, seconds away from falling asleep when he received the message. 

Not wasting a second more, Jimin clicked on the link after a quick reply thanking his best friend. The website was simple to navigate, much like the dating agency sites that Jimin had ventured into before. It didn’t take long for Jimin to sign up for a new account. It felt much like shopping for new shoes as the omega filtered out alphas for hire. Of course, as every online shopper would do, Jimin then proceeded to sort out the results according to ratings.

Jimin groaned, rolling around in his blanket with sleep long forgotten as he realised the filter didn’t do much help. There were still over fifty pages of eligible alphas to choose from. 

It was rather discouraging to see that the first ten results were all occupied by wolf alphas. It wasn’t a surprise that wolves were popular but Jimin couldn’t resist his urge to roll his eyes. Every omega, no matter what kind, loved a strapping, dominant alpha, and wolf alphas, with their unflinching ego and naturally strong build, excelled at that — a little too much, in Jimin’s opinion. 

With an exasperated sigh, Jimin moved on to the next page. He didn’t need the alpha to be a wolf, any predator hybrid would be good enough. Jimin was on page nine, scrolling down an endless list of profile photos, when an alpha caught his eyes. 

From his photo, Jimin could see the man had a lovely gummy smile and kind eyes. The simple profile photo of him, just sitting on a bench stood out amongst other alphas and their gym selfies. However, Jimin was disappointed when he clicked on the man’s profile and realised he was a cat alpha. 

Jimin had nothing against prey hybrids, but his relatives did — the very reason why he had never even dated outside of the predator hybrid circle before. His family line only consisted of predator hybrids and everyone seemed to hold a certain prestige over it. Besides, Jimin was looking for a human shield, he wasn’t going to spend his hard-earned money to hire someone, only to end up fortifying a poor unfortunate prey from getting pounced on by his predator relatives. 

Sadly, the cat boy had to go. 

So, Jimin scrolled further. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time he made it to page thirteen. A layer of tears blurring his vision after the umpteenth yawn certainly confirmed that it was past his bedtime. 

Just as he was about to give up for the night, an alpha came to his attention. 

Predictably, it was a gym mirror selfie. But at least he wasn’t topless like many of his fellow alphas. The photo showed only his top half and he was wearing a loose black T-shirt. Jimin loved that it created a little mystery of what was underneath it. The alpha had wavy bangs that fell on his forehead effortlessly, complementing the rest of his long, black hair that framed his face. Jimin was a little jealous to be honest because he didn’t think he could ever pull off such a hairstyle. The alpha was smiling, showing off the two lip rings that adorned the right corner of his lips. 

The omega clicked into the alpha’s profile. Jeon Jungkook was his name. Jimin quickly scrolled down to see more of his photos, in hopes that he might see more of the alpha in other settings. He wasn’t disappointed. The first one was a photo of the alpha at a restaurant, a snapshot with his cheeks full and eyes wide in surprise. Jimin had never seen such round eyes before. They were like sparkling, round boba balls. The next photo was a full-body shot of the alpha on a platform of a busy street. The alpha was in all black, posing with his tongue stuck out and both his hands up, gesturing the signature millennial peace sign with his fingers. Jimin thought it was cute that an alpha wasn’t afraid to be silly.

Jimin scrolled through more photos, stopping at each one to observe the alpha. By the time he had reached the end of his photos, the omega caught himself with a fond smile. He could feel his heart beating a little too fast and his caramel scent spiking up a note sweeter.

It caught Jimin a little bit off guard because the omega had never fawned over an alpha before. Especially when he didn’t even know the man. 

Alarmed by how affected he was just by a few photos, Jimin quickly locked his phone and put it down on the mattress. The alpha was getting under his skin a little too easily. 

However, as minutes passed by in the quietness of the night with nothing but his thoughts, Jimin couldn’t stop thinking about the alpha. His heart raced at the possibility of witnessing that bright smile from the photos in real life, directed at him. The alpha was dangerously dashing and it excited the omega. 

As he allowed his thoughts to wander freely, he reminded himself that Jungkook was certainly what he was looking for and more. He just needed someone to attend the wedding, preferably with good company. Jeon Jungkook fit the bill.

Fuck it, Jimin concluded. 

He would give it a shot. 

At worst, Jungkook would reject his request. 

At best, Jimin would attend the damn wedding with someone nice. A human shield, nothing less, certainly nothing more. 

The omega’s hands were moving even before he had made up his mind. It took merely a few seconds to unlock his phone and send in a request for the alpha’s presence at the wedding on Saturday. 

Jimin double-checked the date and time of the event, his cold, sweaty hands trembling a little in excitement before he closed his eyes and pressed submit. 

That was it. There was no going back now that his phone screen was flashing a page with the message of acknowledgement. All he had left to do was wait. A long, lovely, excruciating wait — that should be easy.  

Jimin finally dropped his phone on his bed for good, resting his hand on his forehead in a futile attempt to cool his brain down. The omega felt like a kid on a sugar rush as he restlessly shook his leg while his brain continued to churn out thought after thought about Jungkook. He turned his head towards his phone and wondered if he had received a reply while knowing fully well that it was impossible.  

When sleep finally came to the omega, the last thing that flashed across his mind was the alpha’s charming smile before his world slowly turned black.

… … … … …

The day of the wedding came faster than Jimin could catch up. In the blink of a moment, Jimin found himself pacing back and forth in his living room. The clock on the wall indicated that it was four-twenty-three in the afternoon — plenty more time for the omega to freak out. The cocktail reception was still about an hour away and it would only take half an hour for Jimin to drive there. 

Jimin wasn’t worried about time. He would be fashionably late if he had to. The main cause of the omega’s anxiety was Jeon Jungkook. To Jimin’s absolute delight, he had received a reply the very next morning after the request. With a few phone calls from the agency itself for authentication purposes, the omega was set with a very agreeable alpha for the wedding by the end of the day. 

It was a big relief for Jimin. 

However, as the wedding drew closer, the anxiety stormed back tenfold. He was starting to doubt if Jungkook would even show up. The whole thing could easily have been a very elaborate scam. The agency negotiated all the terms and conditions on both parties’ behalf so Jimin didn’t even have the chance to talk to Jungkook. 

Jimin looked at the clock again: four-thirty-two. 

“Ughh,” the omega groaned in frustration. He hated the wait. Jimin had been fretting about in the room so much that hot sweats were starting to roll down his back. It didn’t help that he was in a ridiculous turquoise waistcoat. He would take it off if it hadn’t taken a whole hour to get the buttons right. 

Again, Jimin had his cousin to thank for looking like a clown. 

Jimin’s cousin was an ardent fan of Regency-era TV shows. The modern media’s presentation of the rather flamboyant theatrics of the fashion of that era was certainly right up her alley. It was just a harmless obsession at first and Jimin was indifferent to it until she decided to make it into her wedding theme. 

The omega wasn’t planning to bother with following the theme until one day, his mother barged into his house with a merry little smile. The omega loved his mother, the woman had done so much for him and he wouldn’t trade her for anything else. But sometimes he wished he had never told her the passcode to his house. 

As it had turned out, Jimin was the only one who hated the regency theme (surprise, surprise). His mother, of course, never one to consult Jimin on such matters, had bought the outfit for Jimin to wear. She didn’t spare any expense — the whole set was planned out: a silky cream blouse, fitted high-waist black trousers, the turquoise waistcoat and most shocking of all, a rather long top hat. 

Jimin would ask where she managed to find a freaking top hat in this day and age but he wasn’t sure if he was ready for the answer. 

So it was how Jimin found himself looking like a mad clown. At least, his pink hair, which was parted to casually frame his face around his temples, looked decent enough. No, Jimin was not going to wear the damn top hat. 

Just then, Jimin heard a knock on his door. 

The omega practically ran to the door before stopping himself with his hand on the doorknob. Perhaps, the waistcoat wasn’t such a bad idea because, at that point, it was the only thing that was preventing his heart from jumping out of his chest. 

Jimin wasn’t even sure why he was so nervous. He had dealt with his fair share of alpha wolves in his life, arguably the worst kind of alpha. Jungkook couldn’t be that bad, Jimin reassured himself. He didn't even receive any objections when he sent him some photos of actors from Regency-era movies for outfit reference. So, Jungkook was either very obliging or he simply didn’t care and had turned up in a t-shirt and jeans. Knowing how annoyingly stubborn some alphas were, Jimin was afraid it was more probable for the alpha behind the door to be standing in the latter. 

Wait. 

Jimin paused. 

A sudden realisation hit the omega that he didn’t know what hybrid Jungkook was. The omega was sure he checked before choosing Jungkook — he spent a good amount of time scrolling through the alpha’s profile. Well, he did mostly spend his time ogling at the alpha’s photos, but still, he was sure he checked. Perhaps, the anxiety had eroded Jimin’s brain cells away because he couldn’t remember it for the life of him at that moment. 

After a moment of brain-racking, the omega concluded that it didn’t matter anymore. The alpha was standing just a few feet from him. He would just have to see it for himself. 

With one last deep inhale, Jimin turned his doorknob and opened his door. 

Jimin was hit with the alpha’s scent even before the door was opened all the way. The delicately sweet, floral scent of freesia, with a faint note of fresh orange blossom flooded Jimin’s senses before he could lay his eyes on the alpha. As the fresh, floral scent mingled with Jimin’s rich, buttery caramel scent, the omega’s eyes fluttered, overwhelmed by the strong urge to get lost in the heavenly mixture of sweetness.

“Hello, there. I’m Jeon Jungkook.”

Jimin snapped back to reality to finally set his eyes on the alpha in front of him. The omega was glad to see that he did not get catfished at all. Jungkook looked even better in real life if that was possible. His round, lively eyes were even more endearing and as the alpha’s lips stretched into a shy smile, Jimin’s heart skipped a beat as a glimpse of dimples made their debut. 

Jungkook’s hair was wavy, just like in the photos. The dark strands framed his face, highlighting his charming features even more. He was wearing a baby blue vest over a white button-up blouse, tucked in a simple dark pair of pants. The alpha had certainly received his Regency photos and tried his best. Jimin’s heart fluttered at that. 

“Hi, I’m Park Jimin. Nice to meet you,” Jimin greeted back, face blossoming in a genuine smile as he extended his hand for a handshake. He had been complimented for his nice smile many times before so the omega made sure that the alpha was hit with the full force of it by mustering every ounce of sweetness in his smile.

Two things happened at the same time at that moment. 

Firstly, Jungkook’s cheeks tinted a shade darker as he stared at the omega. Secondly, a cloud of pink smoke burst on top of Jungkook’s head, followed by a faint poof sound.

The cloud cleared up before Jimin could utter a word, disappearing magically just as quickly as it appeared. The omega might have thought it was just a fraction of his imagination if not for what the vanishing clouds left behind: a pair of pink, fluffy ears, growing right out of either side of the alpha’s head. 

Jimin blinked once, wondering if his earlier anxiety had finally managed to damage his brain cells and he was starting to hallucinate. He blinked twice, yet the ears were still there, twitching a little even.

“Ears…you have bunny ears…”

Jimin managed to form some words. 

“Oh, yeah, they tend to come out when my heart beats a little too fast. It should go back in soon enough. It’s not a problem, is it? It’s just a little harder for us bunnies to control our jumpy hearts,” Jungkook was a little sheepish but otherwise unfazed as he stroked the fluffy ears, still standing on alert. 

“You’re a bunny?!” 

Jimin didn’t mean to yell but he was not expecting a bunny — yelling was the calmest reaction he could have given. 

“A bunny alpha,” Jungkook emphasised in the latter part, looking a little alarmed by Jimin’s reaction.  

That can’t be right. Jimin’s brain was a blank canvas, bleached clean by the whirlwind of panic storming his head. Jimin knew that he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but there was no way that the burly figure in front of him was a timid prey hybrid. The poor blouse Jungkook had on was barely restraining those building biceps from tearing through the material. 

Jimin wasn’t sure if he had said his thoughts out loud but then the alpha was holding his phone up, facing it towards Jimin. 

“Here, look. It’s stated as bunny alpha,” Jungkook said, eyebrows furrowed, more in concern than annoyance. 

With the sub-gender mentioned in a bracket, right beside the name, Jungkook’s profile did state exactly what type of hybrid he was. It was pretty hard to miss it but Jimin had done the impossible. The omega, in his state of half asleep, had missed it — yes it was the lack of sleep, definitely wasn’t because the omega was too busy scrolling through the alpha’s photos. 

Whatever it was, Jimin knew he had messed up. 

Even if he were to contact the agency, there was no way they would be able to send a replacement on time. On the other hand, he had informed his mother that he would be bringing an alpha as a plus one which meant everyone at the wedding would be expecting it — his mother wasn't the best at withholding information to herself. 

Jimin studied the alpha before him — the alpha was certainly built like a predator hybrid. He towered over Jimin and he looked like he could easily pick the omega up at any given minute. If not for his curious round eyes, the omega would have been intimidated by the sheer size of the alpha's biceps. In fact, Jungkook was bigger than most alphas Jimin had ever met. 

It could work. 

Jungkook was Jimin's best option at that moment. The only thing that gave the alpha away was the ears — the very same fluffy things that had relaxed, resting on the side of the alpha's head like two soft blankets. Sure, the ears would disappear soon however, Jimin couldn't risk them popping back out in the middle of the wedding. If Jungkook couldn't control it when dealing with just Jimin, there was no way the ears would behave for a whole evening, especially when the bunny was going to be surrounded by a herd of wolves. 

The omega just needed something to hold those fluffs. Perhaps something cylindrical to fit all of it inside; something sleek and firm so that it wouldn't come off easily. Something like a—

"Ah-ha!" 

Jimin knew exactly what he needed.

At his sudden unfiltered excitement, the startled alpha jumped in surprise, causing him to stumble backwards, until he was plastered up against the corridor wall. 

"Gosh! I'm terribly sorry! Are you ok?" Jimin could swear he was a better host to his visitors on normal days. The whole wedding thing had him so all over the place that all his manners had dissipated along with his brain cells. The omega belatedly realised that they were still standing at the door, with the alpha staring at him owlishly while Jimin was lost in his thoughts. 

"How rude of me. Please, come in," Jimin pulled the door wider and moved back a little so that the alpha could finally enter the house — although he would totally understand if the latter were to walk away. 

To Jimin's delight and relief, the alpha stepped inside with a small, nervous smile on his face.

"Well, welcome to my humble abode," Jimin said as he held his hands up in impromptu jazz hands. Fuck. He wasn't supposed to do that. He was supposed to act like a majestic, sensual wolf hybrid so that the alpha would still be willing to help him.

Luckily, the alpha was too preoccupied with looking around the living room to be disturbed by Jimin's hands. Jungkook looked almost too big in Jimin’s living room. It wasn’t as if Jimin hadn’t brought alphas back home but most of them eagerly went straight to the bedroom. So it was a little surreal to have an alpha in the living room, just simply looking around. The sugary freesia that tangled with the caramel which had been etched into the room was a nice change. 

The omega then took the opportunity to slip away to his bedroom. 

"Just a second! Please make yourself at home!" Jimin told the alpha as he dashed out of the room. The omega tried not to flinch at his careless remark, asking a total stranger, an alpha at that, to make themselves comfortable. Jimin had been reckless; he knew that the whole idea had been reckless from the start. However, there was something about Jungkook that made Jimin feel at ease. Perhaps, his wolf wasn't intimidated by a mere bunny — call it predator pride but Jimin felt like he could handle Jungkook if needed.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Jimin to find what he was looking for: the top hat from his dearest mother. He had thrown it inside his wardrobe as soon as he had gotten it and had never touched it since. Perhaps it is true that Mama knows best because Jimin didn’t know what he would do if he didn’t have a top hat ready in hand. 

With the hat in hand, the omega made his way back to the living room to find the alpha exactly how he left him. Jungkook eyed the item with curious eyes, tilting his head a little as he noticed the omega back in the room with the hat tucked under his arm. 

"Hi, thanks for not running away," Jimin started — not the best start of a conversation with someone he should be urging to stay but he was trying his best.

"So, as you might be aware, there has been a mix-up. I was trying to find a predator hybrid. You see, my relatives aren't the best bunch of people. They are nosy and prideful. There’s a strange pride in them about being wolves. They would probably try to eat you alive if they knew that you're actually a bunny. So, I just came up with a brilliant idea for you to wear this dreadful thing of a hat. It even fits the theme, you see! Because my cousin is crazy about the Regency era and the wedding is themed after it. That's why I sent those photos to you. I hope you didn't think I have a weird kink or anything. Of course, all of this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Just one whiff of strong wind and we're done. So, I completely understand if you think I've gone mad and want to leave," Jimin rumbled on. He felt like he owed some explanation to the alpha before the chaos he was going to put him through.

The room fell into a pin-drop silence as the omega finished explaining, panting a little from how much he had rattled on. The alpha was completely frozen on the spot, except for a little twitch of his left bunny ear, as he comprehended the load of information hurled at him.

Jimin unconsciously held his breath as seconds slipped by and neither of them uttered a word. 

When the alpha finally spoke, it was Jimin who jumped a little because he had fully expected the alpha to turn on his heels without a word.

“Jimin-ssi, first of all, no I didn't think that was a kink," the alpha smiled in amusement as he said it and Jimin was positive he was going to start a fire from how much his cheeks were burning up. The alpha's eyes came alive even more as he talked and Jimin wasn't sure if he could survive the evening without getting drunk in those deep, brown eyes.

"I'm a broke Uni student so I'm pretty much willing to do anything for the bucks. I have been doing this for only a month now and trust me when I say this is far from the weirdest evening I've had. From how I see it, it's free dinner and booze for me so I don't see why I should be backing out," the alpha said so calmly that Jimin could feel an infectious wave of calmness washing over him too.

"Are you going to be comfortable being surrounded by wolves?" Jimin asked, despite the alpha's effortless calmness, he needed to make sure he knew what he was getting into.

"Well, I can handle myself," Jungkook smiled, eyes twinkling in excitement before he added innocently, "You’ll be there to protect me too, won't you, Jimin-ssi?"

That was it. Jimin felt his soul leave his body, jumping straight down to hell. The omega wasn't sure if the alpha had noticed it but the sickly sweet pheromones that surrounded the two had thickened around them, creating a cocoon of clouds which had Jimin lightheaded. But he was not one to back down from a challenge. The alpha definitely knew that wolves were extremely sensitive to smell and he knew what his scent was doing when he released all those pheromones.

"Of course, the big bad wolves will have to get through me first," Jimin replied, eyes fluttering as he tried to swim back to the surface before he was too overwhelmed by the sticky mix of pheromones around them.

"In that case, lead the way," Jungkook replied as he grabbed the top hat from the omega's grasp and put it on. The ears easily slotted themselves under the hat, fitting perfectly as if it was made for Jungkook. If Jimin wasn't too lost in checking the alpha out, he would be offended by how good he looked with the top hat. 

As the two of them finally made a move to leave for the wedding, Jimin took the chance to adjust the hat on Jungkook one last time although it was completely fine on its own — he would deny this but he just wanted Jungkook's eyes on him one last time before they crossed the threshold of his house. The alpha didn't disappoint as he bent down a little for Jimin and gave him a final nod of encouragement.

With that, the two of them were out of the house to face what Jimin was sure would be an interesting evening.

… … … … …

“Jimin-ah. When were you going to tell me that you had such a nice alpha hidden away, hmm?”

The wedding was in full swing and Jimin was taking temporary shelter at the open bar, gulping down a shot of something he was too poor to recognise when his mother approached him. 

Despite how big the venue was, the omega knew it was only a matter of time before his mother cornered him. Her petite self was mainly made up of relentless determination that even the vast plain of the courtyard, where the wedding was taking place, couldn’t contain. 

“Hello, mom. Nice to see you too. I’m having a nice time. Thanks for asking,” Jimin replied, teasing his mother with a smile. He was prepared for her questions but as a dutiful son, he couldn’t miss his opportunity to rile her up a little.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Jungkook, dear? I could’ve cancelled my monthly subscription to the match-making agency!” his mother admonished him as she jumped onto the bar stool that was too tall for her. She liked to be taller than Jimin during their banter to assert dominance. 

“What? That’s how you’ve been finding all those people?” 

Jimin couldn’t believe his mother was spending money just to set him up with horrible alphas. The omega turned towards his mother and was about to explain to her how dating agencies were a modern-day scam when he realised it would be hypocritical of him — he was in the middle of using such a service. After all, it was all thanks to the service that he managed to find a certain round-eyed alpha. Perhaps not all dating services were scams. 

Right on cue, Jimin spotted the bunny alpha walking back towards him. The omega found himself sighing in relief. He tuned out his mother’s continuous rambling to keep the alpha in his line of sight — that was the least he could do after letting a bunny loose onto a field of predators. Although Jungkook didn’t seem too bothered, Jimin couldn’t swallow his worries for the bunny’s safety. 

Jungkook had left a while ago to use the washroom. He had been gone for longer than expected and Jimin was starting to get worried. He was just a drink away from going back out there to look for Jungkook when he was intercepted by his mother. 

The alpha eyes were rounder than ever as he kept his eyes focused on Jimin and strode towards him in decisive steps. In the short few hours that he had met Jungkook, he had never seen his relaxed dark brown eyes hardened with so much intensity. The omega’s heart skipped a beat at the way the alpha looked so determined to reach him as if he was the only one who mattered at that moment. 

Jimin found himself taking a step towards Jungkook, lost in a trance where his body was solely overtaken by his omega’s desire. It was rare for a city wolf like him to be so in touch with his inner wolf but at that moment, Jimin felt like he was a second away from howling out loud to let his omega lose. 

However, the alpha was put to a halt before he could reach him. 

Jimin could barely contain his omega’s disappointed whine as Jungkook was stopped by one of his aunts for a chat. 

Fortunately, the conversation was brief and Jungkook didn’t lose his charming smile as he continued on his track. However, the alpha had barely taken a step when he was snatched up by a group of curious wolves again. 

It finally hit Jimin why the alpha was staring at him so intensely earlier — it was a cry for help. Jungkook was being ambushed by his prying relatives who were taking their chance to probe information out of the poor alpha while Jimin wasn’t around to shoo them away. A tiny ounce of guilt flashed through Jimin for his earlier inappropriate feelings when he should have been helping the alpha. He wasn’t sure what was going on with his omega but he needed to calm down. 

“Well, you better get your alpha out of Auntie Haewon’s claws if you want to see him again”, Jimin had completely forgotten about his mother until she nudged his shoulder and spoke to him. 

With a crowd of doddering elderly forming around Jungkook, Jimin hadn’t noticed his aunt standing beside the alpha with her hands twirled around his arms until then. It was the very same aunt who had given him the hardest time for his previous dates who were not wolves. She had even “accidentally” poured a plate of kimchi on a tiger alpha that he had previously brought as a date. 

So it was amusing to see her being unknowingly enamoured with a bunny hybrid. Jimin would’ve laughed at the irony of it all if Jungkook didn’t look like he was one second away from shooting up into the sky to escape the eager crowd and Aunt Haewon’s wandering hands.

“I’ll be back, Mom,” Jimin said as he passed his half-finished drink to her. She was more than delighted to sip on the drink while assessing the scene unfolding before her like she was watching her favourite Saturday night drama. 

While the crowd of giggly, plump middle-aged elderly around Jungkook looked as harmless as a herd of pups, Jimin knew better. Getting pass their line of defence was more akin to walking into a wolf den. The omega dawdled at a distance as he considered the best approach to breach the wall of pudgy admirers to extract the bunny. 

But then, Aunt Haewon made a move to adjust Jungkook’s top hat and Jimin knew he had to get the alpha away from danger immediately. 

“Honey boo! There you are!”

With the lack of a strategic approach, Jimin spoke before his brain could comprehend his own words.

Jimin had upheld a reputation amongst his relatives as the standoffish one for many years — a deliberate front he put up to minimise interactions with them. So, it was understandably shocking for Jimin to bring all the attention to himself. The shock of it all was enough to bring everyone in the vicinity to a halt. 

That was good enough. He will sit down and have a deep talk with himself about why honey boo was the first thing that came to his mind later. 

“Jimin-ah! Hello! I didn’t see you there,” Aunt Haewon broke the silence with her squeaky voice. 

Jimin suppressed his urge to roll his eyes at her shrilled, grating voice — the very familiar tone she used whenever she was pretending to be a loving aunt. With her prying, nebby eyes, there was no way she missed Jimin approaching. 

“Hello Auntie, hello everyone,” Jimin greeted, stretching his lips into a smile as much as possible as he swallowed down his annoyance. He needed to focus on his goal, which was to get Jungkook as far away as possible from his relatives. 

“My lovely nephew! How could I have missed you standing there when you’ve gotten so chunky!” Aunt Haewon exclaimed with a lovely smile plastered on her face.

Growing up at the receiving end of such comments, Jimin had learnt to build armour around himself. It usually didn’t faze him anymore. However, the omega felt a little pinch in his heart as he noticed Jungkook furrowing his eyebrows at his aunt’s comment. His omega whined in embarrassment at being so helpless to insults in front of someone who he swore to protect. He was supposed to be the strong, impeachable wolf but he could feel his walls crumbling with one concerned look from the bunny. 

Jimin tried to calm his abashed omega down before he ended up releasing bitter pheromones around him — it would be a sign of ultimate defeat. He would rather grow wings and fly away than allow his relatives to catch him in such a vulnerable state. 

However, the omega saw the bunny alpha scrunching his nose to take small sniffs and he knew the alpha could smell the bitter caramel in the air. After all, bunny hybrids had sensitive noses. 

Before Jimin could wallow in shame any further, he heard the alpha speak.

“Well ladies, you’ll have to excuse me. I would love to take my omega for a dance.”

His easy smile didn’t falter even as he had to pull himself out of Aunt Haewon’s firm grip. If Jimin wasn’t aware of the pink fluffy ears tucked under his hat, he too would think that Jungkook was a cool, collected wolf alpha. He was certainly charming like one. 

Jungkook was still smiling as he approached Jimin, although his smile was softer than the ones he gave to his admirers. His vast shoulders squared up as he stopped before Jimin, creating a barrier between the omega and his relatives’ curious eyes and sharp mouths. 

“Ok, let’s get away from this madness,” Jungkook whispered as he grasped Jimin’s wrist gently as they walked away. The omega was sure he had the eyes of half the wedding burning at their back but he chose to focus on the tingling warmth of the alpha’s hand on his wrist instead. 

As a headstrong wolf, Jimin should loathe being protected by a mere prey hybrid but the omega couldn’t stop his heart from picking up a pace. What Jungkook had done was merely a basic, decent thing to do — he noticed Jimin’s discomfort and steered him away from it. But he knew from experience that other alphas would never have noticed even the most obvious shift in his scent. 

Despite Jimin’s slight reservation to fully allow himself to bask in Jungkook’s sweet attentiveness, his omega was unboundedly pleased. By the time the two of them stopped at a more secluded corner, the bitterness in the omega’s scent had completely dissipated, settling back to the usual sugary caramel. 

If the alpha noticed the switch in his scent, he didn’t mention it. 

“Sorry about them. They’re a handful.”

Jimin felt like he had been apologising to Jungkook for the whole evening but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was taking advantage of the alpha. 

The two of them had exchanged some personal information on the way to the wedding. They needed to know some basic facts about each other if they didn't want to be busted in front of Jimin's inquisitive relatives. 

Jungkook was in his final year of photography major — as most misconceptions born by the generation gap between parents and children, his parents refused to fund him if he weren't pursuing a medical or engineering major. So Jungkook ended up doing odd jobs that his schedule would allow, to keep himself in school.

Jimin was surely glad that he decided to change his career only after getting his accounting degree to appease his parents. When they no longer had financial control over him, there wasn't anything they could threaten him with to discourage him from quitting his accounting job to become a tattooist. In a way, Jimin thought Jungkook was brave for facing his adversity head-on.

"I know I only said it to get us out of the situation earlier but don't you think it'd be a waste to forgo our chance for a romantic ballroom dance?" Jungkook said, looking over at a few couples who were swaying along to the music on a huge dance floor that was set up in the middle of the courtyard. 

There was a trio of violinists playing an orchestrated rendition of a modern love song and Jimin could not help but tap his feet along to the familiar melody. Jungkook's offer was certainly appealing. Growing up watching fairy tales and princess movies, Jimin couldn't say that he had never imagined being swept away to dance all night with a charming prince. Jungkook was no prince but he was certainly charming. 

"You're right. When will we ever get a chance like this, hmm?" Jimin replied as he reached for the bunny's hand and headed towards the dance floor. 

They quickly realised that the difference between watching from afar and actually dancing was worlds apart. Their first obstacle was the battle of hands — the two of them fiddled with their hands as they figured out where to place them. The alpha was too polite to place his hands on Jimin while the omega was momentarily dazzled by all the sparkling spotlights shimmering on the dance floor. 

It was Jimin who finally grasped Jungkook's wavering hands and placed one on his shoulder and his waist respectively. He felt exposed under the lights and couldn't risk their awkwardness being spotted by his relatives. No, he wasn't in a rush because his omega was threatening to jump out of his chest if they didn’t start dancing — not at all.

The two of them barely noticed the crescendo of hummed conversation that filled the silence of a brief interval between songs, until they were startled by the first note of the next song. The shock of the synchronised movement that resumed around them pushed them to start swaying to the rhythm as well. 

The two amateur dancers then experienced first-hand that ballroom dancing was an acquired skill. They fumbled around the dance floor with the elegance of two stumbling elephants. The little hope of romance that Jimin wished for was the last thing on the omega's mind as they focused more on looking down to ensure their steps were in sync.

It took a while but then the omega started gaining more confidence as they fell into a rhythm. Perhaps ballroom dancing wasn’t so hard after all — or so he thought. The very thought hadn’t solidified in his head when the omega’s next step was taken by fully stomping on the alpha’s feet. 

Panicked, a string of apologies was at the tip of Jimin’s tongue. But then, he heard a giggle. 

The omega looked up, in disbelief that an alpha would be amused by his clumsiness. It didn’t matter that Jungkook was a bunny — he was an alpha still, and they were not the most indulgent kind. However, surely enough, Jungkook was smiling at him, eyes glistening under the warm spotlight with chords of chuckles still escaping his lips.

Their eyes met for the first time since they had entered the dance floor and Jimin couldn’t look away. The omega failed to account for the intimate distance that the situation demanded until he found himself drowning in the alpha’s eyes. The bunny alpha’s presence was colossal as he towered over the wolf omega, effectively hiding Jimin away from the rest of the world for the time being. Jimin didn’t miss the opportunity to bask in the serenity that the alpha provided as his mind roamed about the twinkling stars inside Jungkook’s doe eyes.

“This is nice.”

Jimin found himself thinking out loud, all the bustling that surrounded him faded to nothing but a distant blur as he focused solely on the handsome alpha. The alpha seemed equally fond of their shared moment as he nodded in agreement, eyes dazed while he studied every little detail on the omega’s face. 

A cocoon of warmth from their shared body heat enveloped them as they twirled around the polished dance floor. Jimin felt like he was floating as Jungkook glided his hand on the omega’s waist towards the small of his back to navigate them better. 

A tiny gasp left Jimin’s lips as the alpha’s action brought their body an inch closer and a whiff of the alpha’s fresh floral scent swirled around him. Jimin was never one to love sweet things but he had to admit that he was starting to get hooked on the sweet freesia scent. His omega, on the other hand, was long gone — he would’ve been purring in satisfaction as he inhaled gulps of the alpha’s scent if he had allowed his omega to take over. 

Jimin had expected the evening to be nothing short of absolute chaos but it surprisingly was turning out to be a pleasant night. One week ago, as he was pacing around in his room, he would not have expected himself to end up in the arms of an alpha, and enjoying it. 

Jungkook was the embodiment of emotions as waves of tenderness and warmth exuded from the depth of his starry eyes that put the night sky to shame. Yet, he was an enigma to Jimin. Previous experiences had taught Jimin to be sceptic towards even the slightest emotion from an alpha. But the alpha before him at that moment was pouring out a cascade of unadulterated emotions. It certainly put the omega in uncharted territory. 

It was a little alarming how fast he was losing control but Jimin couldn’t find himself caring much. Perhaps it was the booze or the continuous twirling around but Jimin was starting to feel a little lightheaded. The haze of bliss that engulfed them wasn’t going to last forever so the omega decided that he would enjoy it to the fullest while it lasted. 

“For amateur dancers, we’re doing quite alright, don’t you think?” Jimin asked, noting the fact that he had to crane his neck to look up at Jungkook in such proximity. 

“Ah, yes. We’re looking top-notched,” the alpha replied, his eyes glistening as his lips stretched into a playful smile before he continued, “Except for the fact that we’re moving like we have two left legs.” 

The two of them fell into a fit of laughter at the alpha’s joke — their senses, so overwhelmed by the radiance of joy that bounced off each other that even the violin sound dwindled to a faraway noise. Instead, their bodies swayed along to the synchronised beat of their hearts and their feet moved as if they were drifting along the clouds.

Intoxicated by their closeness, Jimin was like an addict who couldn’t stop himself from wanting more. He winded his hands around the alpha, hands smoothening along his firm shoulders until he was clasping his hands at the back of Jungkook’s neck. They were impossibly close now, so close that the omega could feel the alpha’s breath fanning against his forehead. The steady puff of breath caressed his skin, sending a hot wave of quaver right down to his toes. Jimin knew that he only had to tip his toes a hair width to feel the touch of the alpha’s lips on him. 

The omega was never one to shy away from what he wanted but with Jungkook, everything felt different. He didn’t want to scare the bunny away with his impulsive omega. 

Just then, Jimin felt a plop of wetness on his forehead. 

In the heat of the moment, his dazed mind had a fleeting thought that it was the alpha's lips. However, his excited omega was quickly tamed when more droplets of wetness fell on his face. The omega then came to his senses and realised it had started raining. Jimin loved the rain but at that moment, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at its interruption. At the same time, he tried not to think about the scandalous fact that he would've let it happen if the alpha were to have kissed him. 

The serenity of the dance floor was cut short as everyone made a beeline for shelter — nothing short of chaos surrounded them as the heavily dressed guests struggled to run in their heels and long dresses. However, Jimin didn't feel like joining the chaos yet as he enjoyed the heat of the alpha’s arms around him, keeping him warm despite the chilliness of the rain. Jungkook too was unfazed by the rain as the two of them stood under the showering rain, which had curtained the rest of the world from them.

Everything moved in slow motion as Jimin looked up at Jungkook's face through the grey filter of the rain. He wasn't surprised to note that the alpha looked better even with his hair plastered on his face under the weight of the raindrops. 

Not even when the black top hat on his head was starting to melt like lava on his head.

Wait. 

What?! 

Jimin did a double take to make sure that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. 

Surely enough, the top hat that Jungkook was wearing was caving in under the weight of the rain. How can a freaking hat be so flimsy? Aren’t they supposed to withstand things like rain, and in Jungkook’s case, the stare of a thousand wolves? Jimin’s head started to ring with unanswered questions. 

The romantic filter of the rain suddenly turned into a fortunate camouflage for them — there was nobody around to witness the pink bunny ears peaking out from the top hat which was close to just a pulpy mess at that point. 

The alpha finally seemed to notice the situation on top of his hat as his fluffy ears were exposed to the rain. He reached up to poke the gloop on his head, a little apprehensive of what he might find.

“Cardboard…the hat was made of cardboard,” Jungkook regarded the bits of paper in his hand with equanimity, eyes wide in disbelief.

Jimin couldn’t control the booming laught that escaped his lips — the situation was so ridiculous that all he could do was laugh. It was either his poor mother had been scammed by some shady salesman or she bought the hat from a children’s toy store. 

Either way, the omega didn’t have the time to dwell on an explanation of their ridiculous predicament — he had to get Jungkook out of the wedding before anyone could see him. 

Without another word, Jimin grasped onto Jungkook’s hand and started running towards the exit. Jimin wasn’t one to like romantic movies but at that moment, he felt like he was in one. As they sprinted across the courtyard, everything around them slowed down — the beads of raindrops glimmered like tiny orbs of light before gravitating onto him. They were both completely drenched at that point, but Jimin’s nerves were on such a high alert that he could feel every raindrop cascading down his body. 

Even with all the commotion of thoughts in his head, Jimin felt his omega cooing at the fact that the alpha had readily followed him. The rational part of Jimin reasoned that Jungkook also knew they had to leave before blowing their cover but his infatuated omega refused to settle on that. Instead, his omega was attuned to the sound of Jungkook’s boots that followed him trustingly. 

The rain was still falling with a vengeance as they reached the car park. The two of them came to a stop in front of Jimin’s car, chest heaving up and down from the impromptu exercise. 

As Jimin panted, waiting for himself to catch his breath, he started to shiver under the cold rain. Waves of quivers washed over the omega, spreading all over his body, only to die down at his left hand — the very hand which was now intertwined with Jungkook’s. Somehow, during their great escape earlier, they had gone from simply holding hands, to their fingers being perfectly laced between each other’s. 

Shocked, Jimin yanked his hand back to himself. 

The alpha seemed to come to the same realisation only when the heat of their entwined hands was taken away from him. The alpha looked a little upset at that, looking down at his hand as he clenched and unclenched it like he was trying to capture their shared warmth again. Jimin immediately wanted to hold the alpha’s hand again but he stopped himself. He decided it was time to keep his needy omega in check before he did something to discomfort Jungkook.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Jimin said instead, opting to step away from the alpha. 

As they both finally sat inside the car, Jimin’s head was too clouded with thoughts to dwell on the fact that their doused bodies were dripping puddles of water in his car. Without much thought, he started driving out of the car park. 

“I’m sorry for dragging you along into this mess.”

Jimin found himself apologising after a moment of silence settled in the car. As he finally sat in the safety of his car with the dreaded wedding behind him, Jimin wondered how the evening went for Jungkook. He was hesitant to ask the alpha, a little afraid it might have been a hellish evening for the latter. 

“Are you kidding me?”

Jungkook replied as he turned towards the omega. He stared at Jimin with his big brown eyes. His hands, which were patting down the fur on his soaked pink ears, remained the only movement in the car for a second. Jimin held his breath, swallowing down a whine as his omega withered a little inside at the thought of the bunny being discontented. 

“It was the best night of my life!”

Jungkook’s face broke into a gleeful smile, the edges of his eyes crinkling up as his lips widened in a smile. 

“Did you see one of the guests shoving the free-flow fortune cookies into her purse? Oh! And I saw one guy who just unzipped his pants while he was eating. It was priceless! Weddings are fun!”

Jimin was stunned. 

He did see those people Jungkook mentioned. In fact, he was annoyed by them. He was so appalled by their behaviour that it angered him even though he had nothing to do with them. 

Jimin had always been very aware of his surroundings and behaviour because that was how society had raised him. The anxiety of public scrutiny stayed attached to him even as he navigated the world as an adult. The fear of ridiculing himself and by extension, bringing shame to his family, had always anchored him down. 

So much so that he didn’t realise until now that he was slowly turning into the likes of the people he loathed. 

Jungkook’s ability to easily see the humour in the situation felt like a breath of fresh air to Jimin. At that moment, he and his omega were one — his heart was thawed with fondness as he listened to Jungkook chittering away about the wedding which felt different from the one he attended. 

For the rest of their drive back to the city, Jimin enjoyed the alpha’s joyous recount, humming at the right pauses to urge Jungkook on to continue. Unknowingly, the omega’s lips had curved into a soft smile with contentment at the verdict that the evening was indeed an enjoyable one for the alpha too.

The journey back felt much shorter as they were back in front of Jimin’s house in the blink of an eye. Despite the omega’s offer to drive the alpha back home, the latter insisted that he could just take the train back. I’m a big alpha, Jimin-ssi. You don’t have to protect me anymore for today. Those were his exact words but Jimin decided he would dwell on his words and the flirtatious tone later when he was back in the safety of his house.

Before they stepped out of the car, Jimin had said his apologies and thanks multiple times and Jungkook could have walked away as soon as they alighted the car. Yet, they somehow found themselves standing on the steps in front of Jimin’s apartment building. 

Neither of them was in a hurry to move as both dwelled on the little time that they still had together before the night had to come to an end. Jimin’s head was a mess while his heart steadily throbbed in delight. His heart had never felt so light before. Yet, the omega was in a dilemma. He couldn’t shake off the doubt that the blooming euphoria in his heart was just a result of an exciting evening. 

Besides, he had to keep in mind that Jungkook wasn’t a random blind date — he was an alpha for hire, doing his service at Jimin’s request. So, the blissfulness of the whole evening might as well just be a cloud of his imagination. 

Jimin couldn’t be acting like a little omega in love every time an alpha was nice to him. Especially not to a younger alpha he had paid to do so. 

The omega made up his mind to wrap up the night before he did anything foolish like going up on his tiptoe and kissing the alpha on the cheek. No, he hadn’t been thinking about doing that during the whole car ride — not at all. 

So Jimin pulled himself together, and put on his calm and collected omega front as he extended his hand for a handshake. 

“This is it. Thank you for your service, Jungkook-ssi.”

Jungkook looked down at Jimin’s hand and paused a tact longer than Jimin’s beating heart could take before they were shaking hands. 

This is it — the omega thought as they shook their hands one final time. It was the end of their business transaction and they were never going to cross paths again. 

… … … … …

A few weeks later, Jimin found himself standing in the exact spot with very different emotions in his heart. Gone was the jittery excitement of the eventful night with the bunny alpha, only to be replaced with a familiar exasperation and hopelessness. He could still see the back of his blind date walking away and only felt relief.

It had been over a month since he saw the googly-eyed bunny alpha. But Jimin found himself creating more vivid memories about the alpha rather than letting them fade away. Jimin held the alpha's gaze for just a few hours, but it was so etched in his mind that Jimin could still remember the exact colour of his eyes. The freesia scent of the alpha seemed to follow Jimin around wherever he went, making him look over his shoulders ever so often to wonder if the alpha was in the vicinity. 

All of it was just a fruit of his imagination of course, because Jungkook was long gone. Jimin didn't even have a phone number or social media account to contact him.

So all things considered, Jimin should move on with his life. Perhaps Jungkook was just a fixation because he was a part of one of the most pleasant nights in Jimin's life. Jungkook was merely a stranger; just an alpha he spent a few good hours with. 

Jimin did try to move on — in fact, going on blind dates was his attempt to do so. However, it had been an epic failure. All Jimin could think about was a dinner date that he didn't get to have with Jungkook and how he would enjoy the date so much more if it were Jungkook sitting across from him.

The omega had never felt this way before.

Jimin wondered if he was just beguiled by the idea of the Jungkook that he had built in his head. But then, he remembered the way the bunny alpha smiled at him even when he was making a total fool out of himself on the dance floor; he remembered the way Jungkook tried to diffuse the tension between Jimin and his relatives without exerting dominance like most alphas would. No, Jungkook wasn't just a fragment of Jimin's imagination — he was very much real and Jimin just let him slip away.

"Tae!" 

Jimin brightened up immediately as he spotted his best friend standing outside his apartment — he had texted his best friend to come to his rescue at the end of the date, knowing that he was going to need some cuddles with the omega. 

“My Munchkin with cherry on top! I was just about to let myself in!” Taehyung replied as he turned to his best friend with open arms, knowing the latter was running towards him. 

With the weather turning colder in preparation for a white Christmas, the two omegas didn’t mind the warmth that engulfed them as they embraced. 

“Ugh, the date ended early. We just had dinner and left,” Jimin replied as he reluctantly uncurled himself from his best friend to punch in his house security code. 

“Well, that’s a record. You left your poor date halfway through the dinner last time,” Taehyung pointed out. 

“That’s because he was an asshole. Try sitting through an evening listening to an alpha giving you a detailed explanation of his gym routine,” Jimin replied, shivering a little as he recalled the horrible date. The omega basically had to resort to the oldest trick in the book: using the toilet break as an excuse to get his ass out of the restaurant. 

“The dating pool right now is truly horrendous,” Taehyung admitted as the two omegas entered Jimin’s house. 

“I’m so tired of it, Tae. I can’t keep putting myself out there only to expose myself to the horrors of modern-day alphas!”

Jimin declared as he threw himself onto the sofa. It was a grim reality that his old sofa was able to provide him with more warmth and comfort than any alpha out there — well, almost every alpha. 

“I should have asked for the bunny’s number! I’m such an idiot, Tae! Maybe I’m just destined to be alone forever,” Jimin sighed as his thoughts started to spiral. The omega wondered how finding a life partner seemed to come so naturally for other people. The process of finding someone he liked, who reciprocated his feelings and asking the person out remained a daunting task for Jimin even as an adult. 

“There are still plenty of fish in the sea, Jimin-ah! It’ll be fine,” Taehyung tried to placate his distressed best friend as he lifted the omega’s leg up to join him on the sofa. 

“But Tae! The only ones left behind are the sharks. At least, you have that dimpled fox alpha from work locked down,” Jimin whined as he let his legs fall back onto his best friend’s lap.

“Well, Namjoon hyung and I are still in the pool, we’re still testing the waters,” Taehyung smiled, feeling giddy at the mention of his crush from work.  

Jimin smiled at that — despite his dire situation, he was happy that his friend was able to find a six-foot-tall gentleman who stumbled at the mere sight of him.

“Talking about Namjoon hyung, he invited me to his Christmas party. Will you come as my plus one?” Taehyung asked.

Being in the fashion industry where the party never stopped, an annual lavish Christmas party was inevitable in Taehyung’s circle. Jimin, being the designated plus one, was no stranger to these parties as well. 

“Of course, Tae. I would have to sign up for Christmas special speed dating events if not for your parties, just so that I could have an excuse to skip Aunt Haewon’s annual Christmas gathering,” Jimin replied. 

Taehyung laughed, being all too familiar with Jimin’s aunt’s antics just from hearing his best friend’s complaints.

“Who knows, my sweet Munchkin with cherry on top, maybe you’ll end up kissing someone under the mistletoe this year!” 

Jimin only rolled his eyes at that. As a self-declared lover of big romantic gestures and the victim of the modern-day loneliness epidemic, the omega had learnt not to keep his hopes up. No matter how badly he wanted to be swept away by a charming prince, it just wasn’t going to happen in real life. 

Not in Jimin’s life, anyway.

… … … … …

The Christmas party was in full swing by the time Jimin arrived. 

As with most things in the world of fashion, the party was the epitome of extravagance. The long, but fully decorated hallway was covered in (cotton) snow, making the omega feel like he had been transported to the North Pole. There was no Santa in sight but the countless models in Regina George-inspired costumes were enough to keep the theme of the party alive. 

Jimin was glad he had opted for his best leather pants that hugged his thighs like a second skin, paired with a red low-cut sweater that hung off his left shoulder — seemingly effortless was his go-to fashion.

It didn’t take long for the omega to spot his best friend. Even in a room full of models, Taehyung shone brightly as he commended everyone’s attention with his bright smile and boisterous laugh. 

“You made it!” 

Taehyung turned to Jimin as soon as he spotted him before gathering him into a bear hug. 

“Sorry, Tae. Got held up by a client.”

“In our world, we call it being fashionably late, my sweet ice cream stuffed Munchkin with cherry on top. Help yourself to the drinks. The cocoa cocktail is really good!”

Jimin snorted at his best friend and his sweet tooth as he made his way towards the bar. 

The bar was the most eye-catching station of the party, aside from the gigantic Christmas tree in the middle of the room. A huge cardboard cut out in the shape of a Polar Express train covered the front of the bar. The bartenders who were, of course, topless with just tiny Santa hats on their heads were serving out of the window of the train. 

The enthusiasm behind Christmas decorations never ceased to amaze Jimin. The magic in the air during Christmas time always brought out the deepest and most earnest sentiments in people.

“A cranberry mimosa, please,” Jimin ordered his drink as the bartender flashed him a handsome smile before proceeding to make his order. The omega would have melted right there and then if only he was still a few years younger, easily flustered and inexperienced. 

He did, though, think about how young the bartender was, just around the age of a certain alpha who refused to leave his head. Gosh, Jimin couldn’t believe he was in a room full of the most beautiful people in town and still had the audacity to think about the bunny alpha. The more he looked at the bartender in front of him, the harder his brain visualised the alpha in his head. 

His thoughts were so vivid that his nose started to pick up a sweet fresh freesia. 

Admittedly, the omega had it bad for the bunny alpha. With a weary sigh, Jimin rubbed his nose with the palm of his hand in an attempt to keep his delusional olfactory functions in check.

“Mingyu! Busy night, huh?”

Jimin’s ears perked up as he caught the voice behind the bar counter. Jimin was certain he was living in a hazy cloud of delusion when he recognised the voice — the smooth, melodic voice sounded just like Jungkook’s. The omega wondered if he was finally leaving his sanity behind. There was no way he had manifested the bunny out of thin air, based solely on his desperate heart, was there? 

Frustration started bubbling up in Jimin’s heart as he tried to calm his betraying heart from accelerating in excitement. Despite his doubts, his omega was a gullible little thing, prancing about happily at the slightest possibility of meeting the bunny alpha again. 

After taking a few moments to calm his heart down and eventually giving up because there was no way of that happening, Jimin looked up from the bar to face the source of the voice. 

Surely enough, there he was — standing in all his glory was none other than Jeon Jungkook. 

Literally, in all his glory, as he too was topless like the rest of the bartenders, with a tiny Santa hat clipped onto his black wavy hair. 

Fuck.  

That was the most eloquent thought Jimin could come up with at that moment. 

Jungkook seemed to have sensed his eyes on him as he turned around and their eyes met. The round eyes were coloured in surprise but it still sent a chill down Jimin’s spine. The omega was aware that he was acting like a modest virgin but he couldn’t help the fever that overwhelmed him whenever the bunny was in his vicinity. 

“Oh wow! Jimin-ssi! Fancy seeing you here!” Jungkook’s eyes warmed in recognition as he walked right up to the omega, uncaring about his state of undress. Jimin wasn’t surprised with the fact that the younger was confident with his body. He was a young stud after all — a very sculpted and toned stud.  

When the alpha stood right across him, Jimin found himself clinging onto the wooden bar countertop — his only line of defence. With the omega sitting on the stool, the small distance of the counter seemed to have dissipated as he found himself shoved in the face with a pair of bulbous, hard pecs. 

So before he did something he might regret, Jimin raised his head to focus on the bunny alpha’s face. While the chocolate brown eyes and endearing bunny teeth weren’t going to help to calm his heart down, they wouldn't be making him implode on the spot — Jimin could still handle cute. 

“Hyung,” Jimin replied, mind still clouded in thoughts, only to belatedly realise that he was going to have to speak in sentences.

Meanwhile, Jungkook was looking at him in confusion, with his head tilted. It almost made Jimin coo out loud but he was glad to still have some sort of control over himself and his omega. So much for being able to handle it. 

“You can call me hyung now, you know. You’ve met my whole family. I think you’ve unlocked the right,” Jimin continued with a smile, hoping it to be a friendly but coy one. Despite his very blatantly smitten omega, he still wasn’t sure where he stood with Jungkook. The younger was a friendly, sociable alpha after all. 

“Ah, I see,” Jungkook replied before adding, “Jimin hyung,” as if he was trying out the feel of the words on his tongue. His friendly smile arched into a coquettish smirk as his eyes darkened a little. 

“Here’s your drink.”

The omega almost jumped out of his seat as a cocktail glass slid in front of him. Both Jungkook and the bartender from earlier, Mingyu, watched him in worry as they were both equally startled by him as well. 

There was not just one, but two pairs of concerned, round eyes focused on him and Jimin wondered if the ground underneath him would open up and swallow him if he wished hard enough. 

“Are you ok?”

“Is the drink not to your liking?”

The questions poured on him like a rare occurrence of rain in the desert, followed by more doe eyes thrown at him. Jimin would have been a mere puddle on the floor if he wasn’t so good at pretending to have his shit together. Indeed, there were perks to being older, after all. 

“The drink is perfect, thank you,” Jimin managed to utter a reply as he took a sip of the cocktail. The sweet and sour cranberry taste on his tongue came as a surprise — it felt like he had ordered the cocktail a lifetime ago. 

Luckily, Mingyu was called over by another customer. But that still left Jimin with one pair of doe eyes on him. The very one that was piercing into his soul. Despite his bravado, Jimin was a little scared to feel the full force of it. So he forced his eyes on Mingyu’s retreating figure, keeping his face turned away from the bunny in front of him. 

“You’ve changed Jiminie-hyung.”

Jimin’s face snapped right back towards Jungkook at that. The bunny alpha was pouting. A full pout with his lower lips jutted out and all. Jimin had never seen an alpha pout before, nor speak in such a soft, whiny tone. It made his heart race more than ever. 

“Changed? Jungkook-ah, what is it that you think you know about me?”

The two of them had only met for one night after all. The omega was genuinely curious to learn more about the impression he had left on Jungkook. 

“Ah, hyung…aren’t you glad to see me?”

The alpha whined as he hid his face in his large hands like a kittenish little rabbit, voice nothing more than a soft whimper. Jungkook was the first alpha in Jimin’s life who wasn’t afraid to show his vulnerability and the omega wasn’t sure how to handle it. The rush of adrenaline that empowered him felt dangerous. 

“Are you?” Jimin asked, his own voice, provocative and flirtatious, was barely recognisable even to himself. The feverish rush that scorched through his body only added to the excitement that bubbled under the omega’s skin.

“I am. Very,” Jungkook slowly enunciated his words, stressing them so that every word shot through Jimin’s armour of pretence like a bullet through a wall. 

“Why?” the omega pressed, unwilling to unhand the control that he had over their conversation.

“Hyung…”

Fuck. Jimin felt his whole body shudder at the soft groan. The omega loved how breathless Jungkook sounded — he would bask in it like warm rays of sunlight on a green field if he could. The wolf, aware of the fact that he was right in the middle of a Christmas party, was barely holding onto the little self-control that he had left. Despite that, a whiff of sweet caramel came to him like a sweet betrayal, following the treacherous blob of wetness that daubed his underwear. 

“Tell me, bunny. I won’t know if you won’t tell me.”

Still, wolves were anything but stubborn so Jimin ignored his own dilapidating heart and replied coyly. His grip on the countertop was so tight that his knuckles were turning white but the omega would not be the one to break first. 

“You know, I even quit my job. Couldn’t do it after that night…felt wrong…”

Jungkook was looking at him with those doe eyes again and Jimin knew he was slipping — fast. It appeased his omega immensely that Jungkook hadn’t, couldn’t, continue with his job after Jimin. Perhaps he hadn’t been delusional and the alpha had felt the electrifying attraction between them as well. 

“Couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Jungkook’s voice was merely a whisper. He was leaning over the counter more now so that the distance between their faces was almost non-existent. Entrapped by the alpha’s gaze, the omega gave in to an illusory world where there were just the two of them. 

Jimin steadied his breath as his eyes fell on the alpha’s lips. They were toeing a dangerous line but neither of them cared at that point. It would be scandalous if any of his relatives were to see him but the omega couldn’t give less of a damn. He liked the alpha and he wanted him.

“Jungkook!”

The loud call of the alpha’s name almost wasn’t able to penetrate the thick cloud that consumed them but it did put a stop to them from gravitating towards each other. Their foreheads were almost touching, and Jungkook leaned further to close the distance with a shaky sigh so that their foreheads were touching. 

“Damn…why am I always on the clock when I’m with you, Peach?” 

Jungkook was smiling, the pretty mole below his lower lip and his bunny teeth on display generously. 

Peach. Jimin’s heart raced at the nickname but he would not be the first one to break. He would scream into his pillow later at night but not in front of the bunny. He needed to uphold his stern and mysterious predator hybrid aura although Jungkook had seen right through it many times. 

“Well, we need to stop meeting at your place of work, Bunny,” he replied, hoping that his voice wasn’t too shaky.

“Ugh, it hurts to be a slave of capitalism, isn’t it? Ok, just give me a second. I’ll be right back.”

With that, the alpha was gone, taking the cloud of sweet freesia with him. Jimin felt like he could finally breathe in some oxygen to his lungs but immediately missed the sweetness of Jungkook’s scent. 

From his seat, Jimin could see the alpha mixing drinks and tending to other guests. He didn’t miss how there was practically a queue in front of the alpha’s station, a whole line-up of predator and prey hybrids alike, waiting for their turn to be served by the charming bunny. 

Jimin didn’t blame them. Jungkook was a total hunk and a sweet one at that — the best of both worlds. Just then, Jungkook turned towards him to flash a smile at him and Jimin’s heart melted. While the whole room had their eyes on the bunny, he only had his eyes on Jimin. The omega flushed at the thought as he picked up his watery mimosa and left the counter.

He needed his best friend. 

“Tae!” 

As expected, Taehyung was surrounded by other guests but it was an emergency so the omega dragged his best friend away from the crowd. 

“Don’t Tae me! I saw your little sneaky ass almost climbing over the bar counter to sit on that muscle boy!” 

As observant and sharp as ever, Taehyung was always a step ahead. 

“He’s the bunny!” 

“THE bunny?!”

“Yes!”

“Then why are you here instead of sucking face with him?”

“Tae!”

“Don’t you want to?”

“Well, yes. Respectfully.”

“Right, so go and respectfully suck his face!”

“But, Tae! He’s...he's different. I've never even been with a prey hybrid before. What if I scare him away? On top of that, he's much younger than me!”

“I’m sure his dick would make up for that,” Taehyung smirked as Jimin slapped his arms in embarrassment. 

“Be serious!” Jimin was as red as a tomato. He wasn’t usually a prude — wolves were sexual creatures after all. However, there was just something about Jungkook that made him feel like he was experiencing everything for the first time again. 

“Ok, fine. My sweet rainbow sprinkled ice cream stuffed Munchkin with cherry on top, look. The two of you are obviously attracted to each other. It’s not like he’s a decade younger than you. He’s in his mid-twenties and you're twenty-nine, technically still in your twenties. So, go for it!” Taehyung said as he cupped Jimin’s face in his large hands, squishing the omega’s cheeks. 

Jimin didn’t know what he would do without his best friend. It was exactly the pep talk he needed because he tended to get in his head sometimes. 

“Ok. Alright. I’m going in. I’m gonna go get that dick!” Jimin murmured as his cheeks were still squished up in Taehyung’s hands. 

“That’s the spirit! Go get him, bestie!” Taehyung gleamed as he finally released the latter before turning the omega around by his shoulder. 

Jimin let out a determined sigh. It scared him still because the alpha might still turn him down. But the omega wasn’t going to let the chance slip away. God knew he deserved a nice alpha. So with all his courage gathered in his heart and the spirit of a Christmas miracle in his mind, Jimin marched towards the bar. 

The omega's head was filled with all the possible scenarios. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do it. His weekly binge-watching of romantic movies wasn’t helping because all he could think about was the big romantic gesture confession scenes at the end of the movies. But he wasn’t in a movie and it certainly wasn’t the end of a movie. His love story had barely even started. 

But then, as he approached the bar, he knew that none of the scenarios in his head were happening, because Jungkook wasn’t even at the bar anymore. 

Undeterred, Jimin stood by and waited as he sipped on the mimosa which was somehow still in his hand. 

One minute turned to two. Eventually, as Jimin gulped down the last drop of his drink, the alpha was still nowhere in sight.  

Just then, Mingyu, the tall bartender who served him, spotted him from the counter. 

“Hey, you’re still here?” Mingyu looked surprised to see him.

“Umm, yeah?” confused, Jimin walked closer to the bar and set his empty cocktail glass down. 

“Oh. I thought Jungkook went after you…” Mingyu replied as he scratched his head, before continuing, “He even paid me twenty bucks to cover his shift…” 

The bartender fished around his pocket for the cash to show it as proof. But then, Jimin didn’t wait another second before turning on his heels and heading straight back to the middle of the room. He couldn't let the bunny slip away again. Jimin wasn't sure why Jungkook was nowhere to be found if he had gone after him but he wasn't going to rest until he found the bunny. However, the party was getting impossibly crowded and despite the alpha’s height, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. 

Fuck. Jimin cursed in his head. He should’ve asked for Jungkook’s number at least. 

Just then, the front door opened up and the final guest of the night appeared.

“HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!” 

A guy, wearing fluffy red and white from head to toe and visibly stuffed with pillows all around his body, walked in with a loud bellow of the famous Santa Claus greeting. Everyone cheered as they focused on the stout figure. 

However, what caught Jimin’s eyes was the pink fluffy ears of the guy sitting on the steps of the front porch outside. It was only visible for a second as the door swung shut again, but Jimin was certain of what he saw. So without a second thought, the omega walked past the Santa and dashed outside before he lost sight of the fluffy ears again. 

A whiff of cold wind twirled around Jimin as soon as he stepped outside. The world on the other side of the party was different. The neighbourhood had turned into a frozen canvas under the steady snowfall. The cold crystal fluff blanketed every nook and cranny of the area, matching the tranquillity of the outside world that was closed off from the parties happening indoors. 

And sitting on the steps with his knees pulled up to his chest, was the man Jimin had been looking for. He was clothed now, wearing a blue sweater and the same jeans from earlier. His pink fluffy ears had sprouted out and laid droopy on the side of his head. Despite the huge, board size of the alpha’s body, his back looked sad. 

They were having such a good time earlier at the bar, so Jimin wondered what had happened.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Jimin asked softly, afraid that he might spook the bunny as he approached from the back and sat down next to him on the steps.

“Oh, hey,” Jungkook replied, eyes wide in surprise as if he wasn’t expecting to see Jimin again.

“I…I was going to go home…but then I didn’t want to leave yet…” the alpha replied, eyes wavering as he tried to focus on anything but Jimin. 

“Oh…” Jimin wasn’t sure what else to say. He thought their flirty conversation earlier was a clear indication that the alpha was interested in him too. 

“I followed you just now…and saw you with that tall blond man…so I thought…yeah. I didn’t want to intrude…” Jungkook continued, turning away as he looked straight ahead. 

Only then, did it hit Jimin what it might have looked like to Jungkook. Jimin and Taehyung had always been affectionate. It had been pointed out as a problem by both of their past partners before but the two of them remained the same. 

But then, Jungkook wouldn’t have known that the two omegas were just affectionate. 

“Gosh! Jungkook-ah! That was just Taehyung! My best friend!”

The omega laughed as he raised his hand to cup Jungkook’s cheek before turning his face towards him so that the alpha was looking at him. 

“Oh…” was the only thing Jungkook could utter as their eyes locked. Jimin could feel the heat of the bunny’s cheeks under his fingers. 

Adorable, Jimin thought. 

"Yes, oh. What am I going to do with you if you keep running off? Hmm?"

Jimin felt his skin heating up from his own daring words but his omega was delighted at the way Jungkook's cheeks tinted red so prettily. Despite the white Christmas around him, Jimin's sweater felt like a furnace as his body felt feverish from the intensity of their locked eyes.

Jimin didn't want to wait for another second to fulfil the screaming desire that burned in the depths of his heart anymore. 

"You know, there's a mistletoe hung up, right there at the door," Jimin teased, the mistletoe was a few steps away from them and technically, they had to be under it to use it as an excuse to do what Jimin wanted to do. However, the omega didn't care much about the technicalities at that moment. He wanted to feel Jungkook's soft lips against his and he was going to come up with the most ridiculous excuse to ease the tension between them to do it. 

"Hmm...I guess we can't deny the tradition, can we? Santa might get angry with us otherwise and he's just a few steps away," Jungkook teased back with a mischievous glint in his eyes as the previous shyness slowly cleared away.

Jimin could only nod his head in agreement as their faces gravitated towards each other. 

That was it. It was finally happening! There was only a breath of space left between their lips. The omega didn't know what to do with himself as his stomach knotted up and his heart did a somersault.

When their lips finally touched, it felt as if Jimin was on cloud nine, only that the clouds were made of cotton candy and everything sweet in the world. Jungkook tasted sweeter than a hundred candies and Jimin was immediately addicted. 

Jimin ran his hands up from the alpha's cheeks into his soft, curly locks and couldn't help but comb his fingers through the smooth strands. The alpha let out the sweetest moan at that and the omega took the opportunity to slip his tongue into Jungkook's mouth. Their tongues found each other, tangling like wild vines as the cloudy mix of flowery freesia and cloyed caramel engulfed them in their little bubble of sweet paradise. 

Even as their lips locked and the oxygen between them scarce, Jimin only kissed the alpha harder. Doused in the sweet ecstasy of the alpha's pheromone, all he wanted was more. 

Suddenly, as if Jungkook could read his mind, Jimin felt the strong arms of the bunny caged around his slim waist. Before he could even bask in the euphoria of feeling the alpha's thick arms wrapped so delicately around him, the omega found himself being lifted right up onto the alpha's lap. Jimin had always loved being on top. He was looking down at the alpha from above while being completely exposed with his legs wide open on either side of the alpha's thighs — the rush of dominance and vulnerability was dazzling.

Jimin bent down to resume their kiss. The omega resisted the constriction in his lungs from the lack of respiration as he continued to dive further into the alpha's warmth. The omega had his fair share of kisses in the past but none of the other alphas had made him feel so insatiable. 

Jimin wasn't sure how much time had passed when the alpha finally broke the kiss for the wellbeing of both of their burning lungs. Still, the omega followed the alpha's lips with discontented whines and it earned him a few extra pecks on his blossoming lips.

"Been wanting to do that for a while," Jungkook whispered, his chest heaving up and down as they both tried to catch their breaths. 

"Well, now you get to do it all the time," Jimin giggled as he rested his hands on Jungkook's broad shoulders and pushed himself back a little to get a better look at the alpha under him. Jungkook was looking up at him as if the glittering stars were in Jimin's eyes instead of the night sky behind the omega, while the only stars Jimin saw were the shimmering glint in the dark orbs of the alpha's eyes.

Mine. Jimin's omega chanted in his head. Despite knowing that it was still too early to call the bunny his, Jimin was inclined to agree with his greedy omega. He had only had Jungkook in his arms for a few minutes but he certainly was going to try his damnest to keep his round eyes in his life for a long time, and ideally forever. 

Looking back at the year, Jimin certainly wasn't looking for love. In fact, he had given up on it. However, love found him anyway. Jimin would've laughed it off as an absurd joke if someone had told him that he would be sitting on an alpha's lap, so brazenly affectionate like the couples he used to ridicule. However, there he was, blissfully uncaring about what others might say to their proud display of affection, sitting snugly on his alpha's lap, and he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Jimin knew that they had a long walk ahead of them — they were only at page one of their journey together. But the omega couldn't wait to see what was in store for them. He couldn't wait for their love to grow, to learn the little things about each other, to have their first fight, their first make-up and many more firsts to share. 

Jimin looked forward to everything that love could offer. For the first time ever, he didn't mind that his life might have just become a little too sweet.