"Jinnie?" The apartment was exactly how he had left it, dark and gloomy and filled with the rancid scent of vanilla that had soured and gone bad.
"Did you talk to him?" Seokjin practically came flying out of his room, clothes hanging loose off his frame, wrapped in one of the hoodies he had stolen from Jungkook's closet, clinging to whatever scent remained embedded in the fabric. When Yoongi had finally stood up and declared he'd had enough and he was going to go fix this, he'd felt the first glimmer of hope in actual days.
"Where else did you think I was?" Holding up the little bunny, the soft brown fur standing out against the stark white and pink that made up it's features as he spoke. "This look familiar?"
"I got it for him while he was in the hospital. I always scent if for him." His scent got even worse at that, his voice trembling before descending into sobs. "Does... does he not want it anymore?"
"Oh sweetheart, no." Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around the other, drawing him in close and nuzzling down into his neck, trying to get that sweetness to come back. "Your alpha needs your scent baby. Can you do that for him?"
"Yes!" It was so quick that it came out practically before Yoongi had finished talked, snatching the little stuffie from his hands. There was a moment where he clearly struggled to bring his scent back to life, to get to sweeten and bloom, instead of the deep woodsy notes that it was currently compromised of. And he did a relatively good job, rubbing his nose all over the light fur, before sweeping it down his neck, making sure the scent would sink deep into the material. "Can you..."
"Of course, Jinnie. I'll get him to do the same."
...
It should have been embarrassing, the way he'd snatched the little stuffed animal out of Yoongi's hands and held it against his chest. The way he's buried his face down into it's soft fur and breathed in so deeply. The scent was off, just a little, a tribute to just how upset Seokjin currently was. But it was enough to sooth him, to make his heart stop beating so incredibly fast and for the pain to subside.
He gave one of his hoodies in return, rubbing against it slowly, long swipes against his scent gland until it smelled like it had spent weeks laying on a beach somewhere.
"When you're ready I'll bring him to you." Yoongi's fingers hand been back in his hair, gently massaging against his scalp as he settled back onto the couch, the little bunny wrapped tightly in his arms, a blanket tucked around his form. Maybe he would actually be capable of restful sleep for the first time in days.
...
The exchange took place twice more, once with Yoongi and once with Taehyung.
And if the two of them took the chance to sneak kisses in the hallway, then that was their own business.
...
"I want to see him." Seokjin sounded broken and desperate, like a record that had been scratched beyond repair. He was practically clinging to Taehyung's front, hands gripping the fabric of the shirt he wore as he sunk down onto his knees. "Please let me see him. Please."
"Jin I -"
"Please." It was a high pitched wail, and Taehyung felt his resolve wavering, eyes glancing up at Yoongi as if he would somehow have the answers.
"Stay here." It was nothing more than a whisper as he passed, leaning in to press a kiss against the side of his son's head before slipping away.
....
But the door was already open and Jungkook was already half way out of it when his own opened, making them practically run head long into one another. Those eyes darted past Yoongi to where Taehyung currently stood with a sobbing Seokjin at his feet.
"He wants to see you." Yoongi tried to be quiet. Tried not let Seokjin hear who he was speaking to. Just in case Jungkook wasn't actually coming for him and was trying to get away from the noise instead. Everyone could hear him. The entire floor seemed to have fallen deathly silent in the wake of the little omega's cries, the scent of rotten trash permeating everything, leaving them all feeling nauseous and weak.
"It's okay." His own voice trembled just a little, despite how he tried to keep it steady. "I'm ready."
There was only a nod in reply, followed by Yoongi slipping out of the way, leaving the doorway open for him to enter. Instantly the air changed from bitterness to fresh air, sea breeze blowing across the surrounding expanse, cleansing it like summer rain. A soft whimper exploded from where Taehyung currently stood, and the beta barely managed to untangle himself from the little omega, watching as he couldn't even find the strength to hold himself up anymore.
All along they had all thought it was Jungkook who needed Seokjin. No one would ever have suspected that he would be just as useless without his alpha.
He could feel himself falling forward and it didn't even matter. For whatever reason Taehyung was gone and there wasn't even that soft hint of melon to keep him steady anymore. All that remained was open space and he let himself sink into it, half expecting the harsh surface of the wooden floor to come in contact with his upper body. Only to have arms wrap around him and tug him back, secure around his shoulders and leaving him leaning against the solid mass that had caught him.
Sea salt assaulted his nose and he let out a sob so broken it was almost impossible to believe it came from a living being. But he sunk back into the warmth that had surrounded him, let his head fall to the side without a second thought, offering himself up in total submission.
"Alpha." His own arms wrapped around whatever part he could reach, lifted to bring it around Jungkook's neck and draw him down, trying to feel as much of his body against his own as he possibly could. Tried to nuzzle against his throat, to find his scent gland and make it bloom even brighter, until the rancidness of his own was gone, covered up by fresh sea air.
"Alpha is here little one." All of this felt so ridiculous in the face of the pain they had both suffered, and he realized in that moment that they were truly both the architects of their own misery. None of this ever needed to come to pass. All of it could have been avoided if only they had allowed their hearts to guide them instead of their minds.
Your mind was a powerful weapon which could be the source of endless happiness and boundless disaster. A tool which looked at things as they were, rationally and without the cloud of emotion.
But your heart was what felt, was the source of limitless love and light or unceasing agony and destruction.
And it was their hearts that were connected, their very souls which were tied to one another by invisible strings. He felt it now, the way his entire being seemed to meld against the omega, seemed to conform around each beautiful curve and each sharp edge.
He was desperately in love with all of them.
"Alpha." His omega called out desperately, tears falling from behind thick lashes as his eyes fell closed, as his head rolled back and he bared the flesh of his pretty neck. "Please."
Did he even truly know what he was asking for? Did he even understand that once their bond was solidified there was no turning back? There was no breaking something that deep, that strong or powerful. Doing so would surely be the end of them both.
But his heart cried out, his barely controlled alpha surging forward, telling him to do it. To stop using his mind which only ever worked against him and take what was his.
Take what was his. Claim it. Make it so no other alpha would ever dare to come near.
And he did.
