｡꙳☼moon jar｡☽ ｡꙳|| jikook ||

｡꙳☼6｡☽ ｡꙳

When Namjoon comes home from the morning hunt, Yoongi is hiding again.

His scent lingers in the hanok as Namjoon steps into it, so he knows he's there. He shuts his eyes and listens, concentrating on the low noises of his home and the surrounding forest.

He can hear the soft sound of movement in the bedroom in the far corner, the one he had handed over to the stray omega. As Namjoon focuses he can also hear the omega’s heartbeat and stuttering breaths. Yoongi’s heart flutters like a small bird.

Namjoon isn’t really sure what to do with him. He’s a warm person, naturally kind hearted and easy to get on with, but he isn’t known for being delicate or tactful and he doesn't feel like he’s the best person to deal with a flighty, traumatised omega.

But then, there isn’t anybody else, especially not when Yoongi made it very clear he didn't want to live with the other omegas, if anything he seemed more frightened of them than of Namjoon.

'I'm, uh, back,' he says into the quietness, loud enough for it to travel around the hanok.

He stopped just before saying home. Even if it’s his home, it suddenly felt quite a domestic thing to declare. 'You don't have to come out. I was just…saying hi. And I'll cook now. I'll make enough, if you do want some.'

He scratches the back of his neck and sighs. As he turns to the kitchen, stepping down the few steps from the main room, he hears the door to the bedroom slide open.

He tries not to react too much as he hears Yoongi creep out and pad across the wooden floors, then stop on the steps down to the kitchen.

‘You want some breakfast? I brought some meat home.’ Namjoon smiles as he reaches for a pan without turning around.

‘Can I, uh, help?’ Yoongi utters.

‘Um,’ Namjoon leans down, opens the door to the agungi and peers at the embers, ‘uh, yeah, pass me some wood? From there? I’ll stoke this up. You want tea as well?’

After passing some wood over, Yoongi settles on the kitchen steps while Namjoon grills some meat and cooks rice, a little pot of tea simmering on the back.

It’s a somewhat awkward breakfast when they settle around the table in the main room. Yoongi doesn’t talk much and Namjoon is the sort to want to fill silences.

Not to mention that he’s bursting with questions for the stray. Yoongi came from a pack in the North West, that was all he would say, but that leaves only three that Namjoon can think of. The area is notoriously traditional and incredibly secretive, but horror stories of chained omegas and practices outlawed almost everywhere else still reach this pack sometimes.

Yoongi isn’t the first runaway from the area, once he’s settled Namjoon should probably connect him with some of the others that have made their homes here now. Maybe they were even pack-mates once.

But he says nothing. Just glances up occasionally to see the omega chewing slowly, the sleeves of his shirt half pulled over his hands so that only two fingers and a thumb poke out to work his chopsticks.

Cute.

He can give him time, if that’s what he needs.

☽          ☽          ☽          ☽          ☽

Despite his exhaustion, Jungkook had found it nearly impossible to sleep after Jimin dropped him off again. His brain wouldn’t switch off and everything felt wrong. The tent that was now his home, at least temporarily, wasn’t exactly uncomfortable but it also wasn’t somewhere Jungkook could relax.

He had to sleep huddled up with a dozen other people and he might not have the senses of a wolf yet but he was still sensitive to every little sight, scent and sound. To him, the other omegas were insufferably loud and the night was filled with their soft growls and mumblings.

He hates being in such close proximity to others; hates sharing, being touched and having others in his space. Maybe if he really had grown up in an orphanage, like he had told Jimin, he would be more used to it - but obviously that was a lie.

Pretty much everything that had come out of his mouth so far had been a lie. Aside from the scorn and anger, that was very real.

Jungkook stays curled in his bedding long past when everybody else in the tent leaves. Eventually, he grudgingly gets up and joins the other omegas for breakfast, though he knows it’s still early.

As soon as he leaves the tent, he feels awkward and unsure how to behave.

Someone hands him a bowl of rice and broth and then he shuffles up to Miyoung’s side and crouches beside her. He figures everybody seems to respect her enough that they will stare a little less if he sticks by her side.

It’s pretty obvious nobody really keeps time here, so he doesn’t bother asking, but it seems like it’s around eight or nine in the morning. Even a city boy can tell that from the way the sun hasn’t even broken over the tops of the trees yet.

The day has only just begun - and Jungkook is already grumpy.

He slept badly. He’s an object of curiosity - something he would hate even in his old life, but fucking despises in a context where he feels uncertain, rudderless and unsure how to behave - then, on top of it all, he has to wait around for Jimin.

Jungkook has to go register at the main pack buildings and Jimin said he would pick him up and take him there.

That’s literally his one purpose for the day and it makes his skin crawl.

The whole system fucks him off.

He doesn’t even really know what registering entails yet and it isn’t like he’d had enough time to think about what else he would want to do - his first goal had just been getting here and he hadn’t plotted much further yet - but, regardless, waiting around for an alpha was absolutely not what he had in mind.

He drops his bowl into his lap and scowls, appetite gone.

‘Early in the day to already be frustrated, pup,’ Miyoung murmurs, not even lifting her head from her own bowl.

Of all the people here, Miyoung seems tolerable and he doesn’t want her to hate him, so he doesn’t snap at her.

‘I’m…just tired.’ He sighs.

‘Was your journey to get here long?’ She asks.

‘Only two weeks, I think. Not too bad. But I’m…inexperienced with the wilderness.’

‘Hmm. It’s going to be hard for you here, isn’t it?’

‘Probably…but I’m strong, tough. I’ll adapt.’

Miyoung grins, finally looking up at him. She reaches out and chucks under Jungkook’s chin, gently and briefly, he flinches at the contact and leans back instinctively.

She nods, knowingly.

‘Out here, strength is more than physicality. We’re strong when we are united, strong in our bonds. Every wolf in this pack depends on another. You could beat our strongest warrior tomorrow, but that won’t help you survive winter. Bear that in mind.’

Jungkook pokes at his rice, sullen.

Her words might make sense, if he planned to stay - but he doesn’t. So it certainly won’t matter whether he survives the winter or not. What purpose does he have to live through it?

Miyoung lets the silence fall between them. Not long afterwards another of the omegas comes rushing out of the infirmary tent calling for help and Miyoung responds at once.

Jungkook can hear distressed noises coming from inside and even to his human ears he can hear the pain in them, not physical pain but emotional.

They might be the cries of a wolf, but Jungkook feels like he can understand them - they sound like grief.