Scentless

NOT FOREVER

"Only the smell of you can complete me. Hold me now" – Hold Me Tight – BTS

Jimin sits unnaturally still, his face blank of emotion as he gazes at Yoongi from the coffee table. Taehyung's body shakes with tears, the younger omega's body curled tightly against Yoongi's side. Yoongi quietly strokes Taehyung's head, trying to filter through the mess of emotions swirling through the pack bonds. Not for the first time, he wishes the bond could tell him what Jimin is thinking. He'd honestly expected the older omega to be the one curled against him right now, not Taehyung.

"I told you not to leave," Jimin's voice is taught, full of restrained emotion, edged with anger. "I said you'd never come back."

"I did," Yoongi protests, only to be silenced by a glare. He's never seen this side of Jimin, and the wave of anger flooding the bond is frightening.

Panic flares in his chest, his fingers curling into Tae's hair.

Please tell me I didn't lose him.

"Only to tell us you're taking off with a couple of alphas you've only just met and leaving us here."

"That's not what–", another glare shuts him up. He looks to Namjoon for help, but the alpha is gazing intently at a spot on the wall somewhere above Jimin's head. Taehyung slides down until his head is on Yoongi's lap, sniffling as his tears subside.

"You have to understand, this feels too familiar," he offers, his deep voice raw from tears. "We've been abandoned before."

Fear spikes in Yoongi's chest as his inner alpha and omega both react to Taehyung's statement.

'Don't worry,' Hoseok's voice soothes him. 'I've got them under control.'

"I'm not abandoning you," he growls in response. "I'm trying to protect you. Trying to deserve you. Why can't you see that?"

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Sure, he hadn't expected the omegas to be happy about him leaving, but he'd hoped they'd understand. Only, he'd failed to consider their own scars. Being part of a family is hard.

Taehyung looks up at him, the split in his lip now scabbed over, and offers a smile of understanding. "I know that's not what you're doing," he whispers, "but Jimin doesn't see the world the way I do. He can't see your honesty. Your good."

Yoongi wonders about that. Wonders where in Taehyung's ancestry he had acquired the ability to read people the way he does. But it's a mystery for another day. Right now, he needs to get through to Jimin.

"Jimin, come with me," Yoongi says, his voice stern but not commanding as he stands, dislodging Taehyung.

Jimin glares at Yoongi, and for a moment he thinks the omega will refuse, but an encouraging look from Taehyung sways the older. He stands, following Yoongi, who makes his way out of the house. Ignoring the pain in his left leg, he walks right past Hoseok who is now sitting on the bottom step and makes for the trees. Jimin follows, and they walk for a good five minutes before stopping. Jimin stops a few feet away, eyeing Yoongi with trepidation.

"Hit me," Yoongi says, relaxing his shoulders and staring Jimin directly in the eye, despite how uncomfortable it makes him.

Jimin's eyes widen comically. "What?" he squeaks.

"Hit me. It'll make you feel better. Let the anger out. You won't be able to believe me until you do."

Jimin just gapes at him, his mouth working around words that refuse to materialize. His fists clench though, and Yoongi can still feel his anger even amidst the confusion.