The Rules of Courting | nj

Five

Seokjin sat at his normal table in the dining hall, once again ignoring Taehyung's recounting of his most recent date with Jungkook, only this time it was because he was too focused on watching the people entering the hall. "And then I commented on how pretty all the flowers in the meadow were, and he told me that I was the prettiest flower of all." Taehyung sighed dreamily, playing with the bracelet that had only left his wrist when he was in the shower. "Isn't Jungkook perfect?"

"Yeah, yeah, just great~" Seokjin responded absently, perking up as he saw a certain alpha finally entering the hall for dinner. "I'll be right back." He shot up from his chair and made his way across the hall to the table Namjoon was now sitting at, leaving behind a protesting Taehyung.

"Okay, yeah, just leave me here, all alone, with no one to entertain me until Jimin returns from whatever he and Yoongi are doing." Taehyung picked up a piece of meat and took a bite, chewing while pouting.

Namjoon had just finished filling up his plate when his nose was attacked by that scent of vanilla. He looked up just in time to see Seokjin sitting down across from him. "Hi~" The omega greeted, resting his arms on the table.

"...Hi?" Namjoon asked, both confused by Seokjin's sudden presence and worried about how the pack would react to Seokjin and him interacting like this.

"We're not alone, we're literally in a room full of nearly the entire pack, so there's no need for you to be worried." Seokjin stated as he reached across the table and stole some food from Namjoon's plate. "Before you ask, I can smell the anxiety starting to come off of you."

Namjoon nodded slightly. "So, we can smell emotions too. Noted."

Seokjin chuckled quietly. "You really have a lot to learn, don't you?" He asked, earning a nod from Namjoon. "Well, don't worry, Yoongi is the best teacher you could have asked for. And you have Jimin and Hoseok and the rest of them to help out too." Seokjin was obviously referring to the circle of friends that Namjoon's roommates belonged to. "And I'll also answer any questions you have too."

"Any questions?" Namjoon cocked his head slightly as the omega nodded. "Why aren't you in a courtship yet?" The alpha blurted out, regretting it almost instantly, but when Seokjin showed no initial reaction to being asked that, he stuck with it. "I mean, from what I've seen just in my first few days here, a lot of alphas seem to be interested in you."

Seokjin shook his head. "They're not interested in me; they're interested in being the next pack alpha." The omega deadpanned, his bluntness shocking Namjoon slightly. "None of them actually care about nor do they want to get to know me, they see me as some prize that they can win and have bragging rights over. There have only been three alphas to have ever talked to me as just Seokjin, not the pack alpha's grandson, and those are Yoongi, Jungkook, and my father."

Namjoon's interest was piqued by the mention of Seokjin's father, and he realized that he had yet to hear or see anything about the male. And based on what little he knew of pack dynamics, shouldn't the omega's father be the current alpha? Not his grandfather? "Where is your dad?" Namjoon asked Seokjin, the omega's eyebrows raising in slight surprise as he hadn't expected the alpha to ask that question. "And why isn't he the pack alpha? Isn't that how it works? The heir takes over once they're mated or something?"

Seokjin nodded, his scent starting to thicken in a way that Namjoon could only describe as sadness. "He was, at least he was transitioning to be, but then he died protecting our pack." Namjoon didn't get the chance to ask what he meant before he was already explaining. "Rogue wolves aren't a common thing, but we do get threats occasionally. Back when I was a pup there were a couple that had teamed up to try to attack us and being in the process of becoming the pack alpha, my dad decided it was his duty to protect us by himself. He succeeded in getting rid of the rogues, but he didn't recover from his own injuries."

"I'm sorry," Namjoon said quietly, biting his lip lightly before asking another question. "What about your mom? Or other dad, if that's the case?"

Seokjin let out a small laugh at the slight awkwardness Namjoon had when he asked the last question. "He died while giving birth to me, so I never got to know him." Seokjin looked down at his hands. "All I really know is that my personality is a lot like his. At least that's what my alpha father used to say."

Namjoon watched Seokjin quietly for a bit, trying to figure out the best way to either comfort him or change the subject smoothly to bring the omega's mood back up. Instead, he blurted out, "My parents died too." Seokjin looked up at him. "I was 12, they were out on date night and I'd fallen asleep on the couch while waiting for them to come back. I woke up to my grandma telling me that they had been hit by a drunk driver and were already gone by the time they got to the hospital."

"So, you didn't get to say goodbye either..." Seokjin said quietly. Namjoon nodded slightly, and the next thing he knew, Seokjin's hand was on top of his on the table. "Make that four alphas~"

Namjoon slowly lifted his gaze from their joined hands to Seokjin's face, unable to help the small smile that began to stretch across his own. The smile quickly dropped as someone spoke up from behind them. "Hey, Namjoon, I see you're making friends." Namjoon quickly pulled his hand away from Seokjin's and turned to Yoongi as he sat down with them. "That's great~"

"Well, I'm going to go save Jimin from Taehyung's gushing." Seokjin said, not tearing his gaze away from Namjoon. "It was nice talking to you, Namjoon, I hope we can do it again soon."

Namjoon watched Seokjin walk back to his table, flinching when he felt a bony elbow in his side. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being an idiot!" Yoongi exclaimed. "Do you not remember me specifically saying that omegas and alphas aren't allowed to have any physical contact until a courtship has been established?"

"He initiated it!" Namjoon defended himself. "Plus, it was just handholding!"

"Yeah, and 'just handholding' is all the pack alpha will need to send you packing." Namjoon stayed quiet as he knew Yoongi was right, but he couldn't help but continue sneaking looks at the omega as he ate his dinner.