Life wasn't fair.
But at the moment it almost felt like he was winning.
...
"Isn't there supposed to be a cute little omega around here somewhere?"
"Aren't you not supposed to have a crush on your best friends future mate?"
"For your information, literally everyone who's met him has a crush on Jin. I'm pretty sure it's actually illegal to stay in his presence for more than five minutes and not develop one."
"Not gonna lie and say you don't have a point because you do."
"Exactly. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm not the one you'd have to worry about."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You ever see that alpha he hangs out with?"
"What alpha?"
"Did he like, not tell you his bestie is an alpha?"
"Sure didn't."
"Whoops."
...
There was nothing to worry about.
Rationally Jungkook was aware that there was nothing for him to worry about. That his soul knew Seokjin's so deeply, so completely that he would feel the disconnect before it even began to take place. Before it would take root and fester and drive them apart. All he had felt was a deepening of the threads that bound them, embedding down into their hearts until their was no longer any telling where one ended and the other began.
But there was still another alpha that he hadn't been made aware of, and jealousy was a dark ugliness that played around the edges of his mind. It was Jimin's doing, but he was having an even harder time finding it in his heart to actually place any blame upon the other. There were so many things they each could have done differently. If only he had done this or that, been a better, stronger alpha.
Despite how desperately he tried to convince himself that Seokjin wasn't Jimin it still remained, a deep ugly wound threatening to grow, to become infected and spread.
He needed to cut it off at the source before it was allowed to ruin everything.
...
"They still letting you out tomorrow?"
"You make it sound like I've been in prison."
"Too bad they couldn't have fixed your personality while you were in here."
"Yeah? It isn't too late to do something about your face. I've heard they can work miracles now."
"Does Jinnie know you're like this?"
"That's Seokjin to you."
"Well excuse me. Next thing you'll be telling me to call him Mr. Kim."
"Why bother when it's gonna be Mr. Jeon soon?"
"Fuck you are serious."
"As a heart attack."
"What happened to 'wah my omega is too young and beautiful and has such a nice ass I'm such a poor alpha woe is me sob whine cry'?"
"Did I say you could look at my omega's ass?"
"Would you rather I look at yours?"
"Like you don't already."
"Look, okay, I would be lying if I said I didn't. But it's an exceptionally good ass. Actually, everything about you is exceptionally good. Especially that dick. I'm sort of jealous Seokjin gets to have it and why in the name of fuck am I still talking?"
"Well, this has been a fun talk, but I have to go find a way to make myself unhear that."
...
One more night.
There would be weeks of therapy to regain full movement in his arm ahead, and days filled with bandage changes and doctor's appointments and not doing any of the things he actually wanted to do. But the shoulder wound had long since closed, leaving behind a stiff soreness when he awoke in the mornings, and some difficulty regaining the strength he'd once had. While his stomach was still held together with stitches, the skin mending slowly, fading from a deep angry red to light pink as the flesh healed.
But he could wear his own clothing and actually stand beneath the spray of a hot shower and wash the tangled mess of his hair and move freely as he wanted. It was time to finally get back to some sense of normalcy, to move on with his live and attempt to leave this behind.
There would be literal months of counseling, a requirement of his job, but he was actually quite thankful for it. Sometimes, it the recesses of his dreams, the images would come to him unbidden, and he would live through them all again. Would watch as his partner walked through those sliding doors and was taken out like he was nothing. Would feel the searing, jolting, indescribable pain of metal hitting his flesh as he ducked forward. Would hear the screaming and pain and fear. Feel it himself as the second bullet hit and he knew his own life was likely at it's end.
Seokjin had kept them at bay, pumping his scent into the air thick and heavy when they would sleep. But that was a burden he didn't wish to place upon the omega. Wanted to work through his demons properly so they didn't become worse. Seokjin made him want to be a better person simply by existing.
...
"Shouldn't Seokjin be here?" There was a bag slung over his shoulder, containing all of the clothing that Jungkook had worn while in the hospital. A pillow was tucked under his arm, fingers wrapped around a stuffed bunny that smelled exactly like a vanilla bean from how heavily it had been scented by said omega.
"He's taking care of something for me."
"Man, asking for favors already?"
"Not that you would understand, but that's what mates do for each other."
"Okay, first of all, ouch. I come here, out of the goodness of my heart, and this how you repay me?"
"Sorry. That was harsh. I guess I'm just a little on edge."
"Worried about leaving?"
"A little." It would be a lie if he said that leaving the hospital wasn't a little bit nerve wracking. But he would have Seokjin and he knew that they would take care of each other. "What if this is all too much for him?"
"Kook, if Seokjin didn't want to be here, he wouldn't be."
"Yeah but -"
"Jungkook." Taehyung may have lacked the commanding tone of an alpha, but being a beta wasn't without it's advantages. Especially considering all he ever had to do was drop his voice an octave and add that warmth and smoothness to get someone to listen. "I get it. You're asking him for a lot. All of this is a lot. And you can't give as much back to him right now. But you know what? That's fine. Maybe you can't be the perfect alpha for him right now, but there will come a time when he's gonna need you. Where something will happen and it will be your turn to stand for him, to care for and love him. It's exactly like you said, that's what mates do for each other."
"You're right." Taehyung words played over and over within his mind, carefully sinking in and soothing the nerves that had unknowingly kicked up. And he was. This was exactly what mates did for one another. "When did you get so wise?"
"What can I say? I've been taking care of my idiot alpha for a long time. It's gonna be kind of nice to pass him off to someone else for a change."
"Oh, you're not getting rid of me that easily."
"Honestly I'd be disappointed if it was."
