jeongguk came back after a full hour of calming down his wolf and sobering up the alcohol left in his blood stream. regret flooded up his system while the coldness numbed his sadness. fighting when they were tipsy was the worst decision he'd ever taken. the situation had already been bad before he turned it worse.

for the last hour, he had been walking and walking. mind buzzing with unwarranted thoughts while at the same so empty he didn't know what he was even thinking. his heart hurt from pounding too hard inside his ribcage. the wolf within him was torn between calling up his mate and feeling angry with jeongguk's insecurities out in the open.

he was a possessive man, he knew that, constantly feeling like he wanted to show everyone how perfect his mate was, demanding attention and affection whenever and wherever he was. he would get irritated and insecure when his mate refused to indulge him. he felt childish and annoying. he had been selfish and disregarded his mate's feelings.

why had he asked taehyung if he had loved him? of course taehyung loved him, jeongguk knew it, it was just his possessive side that needed constant reminder. he was the type of person who needed to vocalize his feelings while taehyung was the opposite, showering his love with little gestures. he felt beyond stupid for throwing such tantrums.

he swore to himself he would make up to his omega, pampering him everything he wanted when they get home. he wouldn't care how long of a time taehyung needed to finally be brave enough to tell everyone about their marriage, because jeongguk would wait. he had spent six years courting taehyung, and eight years trying to solve this enigma namely taehyung; if taehyung needed another eight years, jeongguk would be willing to give him.

as jeongguk arrived at the motel like a kicked puppy, a thunder suddenly stroke from the outside, surprising everyone on the lounge room from the loudness.

the alpha found his brother-in-law sitting in one of the cushion with a frown painted on his handsome face. jeongguk approached him.

noticing the arrival of jeongguk, seokjin perched up, his worried expression becoming more apparent. "jeonggukie, do you know where taehyung went? he hasn't come back. the weather said there's going to be heavy rain and storm tonight. I'm so worried."

jeongguk went pale. "did you try to call him? I haven't seen him since an hour ago."

"I tried but he turned off the phone," seokjin looked teary. "I thought he was with you so I waited here."

jeongguk felt his legs went weak. "it was my fault," he grimly said. "we fought a while ago then I left him to cool off." as another thunder stroke down, panic seeped trough his mind. "shit, taehyung couldn't stand thunders. I'm gonna go search for him."

before jeongguk could take off, seokjin frantically grabbed his hand. "I'm going with you!"

"no, hyung, it's dangerous. you should wait here in case taehyung comes back," jeongguk insisted, pushing seokjin to sit on the cushion. but seokjin still retaliated.

while jeongguk was trying to calm seokjin down, namjoon and jimin arrived with clothes and hair wet from rain. "the restaurant we had dinner at called me while I was searching for taehyung. apparently he forgot his phone. now we really have no single clue where he went," namjoon sighed, giving seokjin his brother's phone. "I met jimin and told him to go back with me, yoongi-ssi and hoseok-ssi are still outside searching for taehyung."

"let's search him now," seokjin had become more frantic, tears descending his cheeks. "we can't waste a single second!"

"no, jin," namjoon strictly said, voice soft. "you need to stay here. we will find taehyung, I promise you. let's not panic, it wouldn't be good for them." jeongguk's eyes bulged out in surprise when namjoon stroked his mate's stomach. "and when we come back, you will help tae and warm him up, you understand?" seokjin finally nodded after inhaling his mate's calming scent.

"jimin-ssi, you should warm up, too," namjoon turned his attention to the younger beta teacher. "I trust you to take care of seokjin, yeah?"

jimin determinedly nodded, he was also crying. "please find my best friend, hyung."

with that settled down, the two alphas disappeared from their sight.

---

the temperature was frigid as jeongguk ran trough the street, shouting taehyung's name every second. even under the coat, it served little help to store heat in this kind of weather. the umbrella also did no justice to protect him from the freezing rain bullets, he was already drenched to the bone. his situation scared him out of his wits, where on earth was taehyung?

he went back to the place where they fought. the rain had unfortunately washed off his husband's scent so the only thing he could do was chopping off options of which direction taehyung could go off to. he better found the omega soon or he would have been frozen.

 he was so worried but his mind was clear with a sole purpose that was to find his mate.

after searching for ten minutes from that place, jeongguk's more sensitive ears suddenly picked up the sound of sniffling and whimpering coming from an alley. he immediately ran to where the sounds came from, praying hard inwardly that he finally found taehyung.

it was fortunate his prayer was heard when he saw a familiar mob of brown hair on top of a quivering small body huddled on the corner of the wall. smelling his alpha's scent, taehyung looked up and cried out jeongguk's name.

like lightning bolts, jeongguk surged down to hug his omega, hiding the smaller body under his arms from the extreme weather. taehyung was trembling hard, his skin was tingling blue, and he hugged jeongguk so tightly; the view had crushed jeongguk's heart in sadness.

jeongguk hugged the omega back as tightly. "I'm so glad I've found you, let's get you out of here, baby."

jeongguk picked up taehyung, hugging his body close to his to transfer the heat. the omega was in the delirious state, almost passing out as he mindlessly muttered apologizes with unfocused eyes. "baby, please don't sleep, okay? taehyung, answer me."

jeongguk turned impatiently, holding taehyung higher. "baby, please stay focused!"

taehyung slowly nodded. "I-I'm a-awake... c-cold..." he stuttered out, trembling more violently.

jeongguk let out a relieved sigh. "we're almost there, tae," jeongguk ran trough the rain with taehyung clinging tight on his back. "just bear with me, I'll protect you, I'll warm you up, stay awake, tae." the thunders which roared from afar kept frightening the quivering young omega.

the building of the ryokan hotel they stayed in had finally come to jeongguk's sight, he used all the power left to race through, desperate to shelter taehyung.

as soon as jeongguk arrived, seokjin and jimin greeted jeongguk frantically, they threw thick towels to both of them and pulled them to the fireplace. seokjin and jimin immediately called the other alphas to usher them back. not long after, namjoon, yoongi, and hoseok came back drenched and trembling in cold, but with relieved smile on their face.

jimin quickly ran to his mate, hugging him warm him up and blanketed yoongi with thick towels, as seokjin did the same to namjoon after giving hoseok another thick towel, too.

after a while of sitting in front of the fireplace, taehyung looked better, colours had returned back to his face even if he was still pretty much out of it. jeongguk knew taehyung needed distraction from the sound of thunders. the alpha sent a pleading look at seokjin, hoping the omega caught the meaning.

seokjin fortunately did. "hoseok-ssi, yoongi-ssi, thank you very much for helping us finding taehyung. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience," seokjin bowed his head as thanks to the alphas. "and jimin, thank you very much for helping us, too. you guys must be tired, you should rest soon."

"but, hyung, what about taehyung?" jimin said, reluctantly releasing himself from yoongi's hold.

"don't worry, I'll take care of him. you should focus on your mate," seokjin winked. "I'm gonna book jeongguk another room."

yoongi immediately brightened up, looking absolutely delighted as he pulled jimin who was about to refuse to their room.

"hoseok-ssi should go take a rest, too," seokjin said. "you've helped us so much."

"don't mention it, hyung," hoseok smiled sweetly. "I hope taehyung-ssi is alright, please take care of him." hoseok then bowed shortly and retreated to his room, leaving only the four of them.

"jeongguk..." seokjin sighed, he wanted to nag and yell at the young couple for being so stupid but it was clear that this was not the right time. "take care of him, yeah? then sort out your shit. I don't want to see you both hurt anymore."

"yes, hyung, I'm sorry..." jeongguk nodded softly. "I'm going now, thanks for helping and the towels, hyung." the alpha proceeded to put his hands under taehyung's shoulders and tights, carrying the omega to their room.

seokjin turned to his mate, hugging namjoon's waist tightly. "now let's get you warmed up at last."

---

they sat in tranquil silence.

jeongguk had taken off all of taehyung's clothes and put him inside the hot water to warm up. soon after, the alpha joined him, sitting behind the omega so taehyung's back was leaned on his chest. with all the heat from the water and his husband, taehyung could feel himself warming up in short time, feeling his heartbeat returning to normal, and headache slowly disappearing. the thunders were still roaring loudly, but the sound was drowned by the sound of the small fountain inside the private onsen.

memories slowly came back. how he had sat outside to sober himself up from the sake they drank at dinner, how jeongguk sat with him, how jeongguk had asked him if he still loved him, how jeongguk had been so angry and dissapointed at him, how he had felt so sad looking at jeongguk's back who was walking away from him, how taehyung had run away from his problems again like a coward and got himself saved like a useless damsel in distress he always had to be.

taehyung flinched as his mind brought him to the darkest place. jeongguk must be so angry with him. the alpha said that taehyung chalked off his worries, constantly putting himself in danger. he had sworn not to worry his husband but now look at what taehyung did? he made jeongguk run after him and save him again. he must be sick worried.

folding up his legs to his chest, taehyung just wanted to be as small as he could. he stuttered out, "I-I'm so s-sorry, gukkie... I worried you again..." tears had fallen by the time he stopped talking. guilt had taken over his mind, and all he wanted to be now was inside his alpha's hold.

"tae..." jeongguk pulled the omega flushed to his body, hugging him tightly and sending calming pheromones. "I'm sorry, too, for getting mad at you. we're both tipsy and I didn't some mean words I threw at you before. I'm sorry for leaving you alone, I'm so sorry..."

taehyung felt happiness bubbling inside his chest as he relished the warmth from the hug. "please don't apologise. I know it's all my fault for being stupidly insecure and dishonest with you, guk... and I understand why you left because we both needed to cool our heads off  before we started throwing more insulting words," taehyung confessed. now when they were both in their right mind, they clearly needed the closure to solve the problem.

"honestly I've been feeling insecure since you started working at the school," taehyung said, watching the water swirling on their intertwined legs. "it reminded me when I used to date him, back in high school, you know. I know it's wrong but I just blanked out... without thinking I asked you to hide our marriage because I hate it when people become nosy... I was scared people would have to see whenever we displayed our affection... and it's not normal, guk, I'm being unfair to you---I-I'm so sorry that I turned out this way---that my ridiculous fear had turned me  irrational, but maybe I was wrong when I thought I was fine. you really don't deserve me, gukkie---"

"hey, hey, stop right there, pup," jeongguk said, cradling taehyung's crying face. he pecked taehyung's cheek softly. "I'll be the one to decide whoever deserves to be with me. and I chose you, didn't I? so stop doubting yourself already."

"I heard what people said about you. I thought about stopping them by finally coming clear but some words got me and I became more insecure..." taehyung continued, looking so miserable.

"baby, I'm sorry for pressuring you," jeongguk consoled. "I shall wait until you're ready, no matter how long it takes, okay?"

"no, jeongguk," taehyung desperately shook his head, determination clear on his eyes. "now I've realised how stupid I've become. I've hurt you by letting those rendering, useless feelings got the best of me. before I used to think that letting people know that I'm owned and tied down would make me weak--"

"baby, you're strong and I don't own you."

"yes, guk, I know. I realise that instead of my weakness, you become my strength and I can't live without you. I realise how selfish I was for not thinking about your feelings. I was too focused with the past that I momentarily forgot about the present... I want to move on and face my fear head on.

jeongguk hugged taehyung tighter. "I can't let you be the only one working hard in this relationship, always accommodate my whims and childish request . I should also try my best to change for the better, to be the prefect mate for you."

"taehyung, you're already perfect for me," jeongguk smooched his mate, making taehyung laugh giddily.

"I've also been thinking... what's even the use of hiding our marriage? people will just ogle my husband more and make me jealous anyway."

"so you understand how I feel when those alpha brats and teachers look at you with heart eyes, don't you?"

"of course, I do! I'm so pissed off, I get way more jealous than you because you have so many admirers!"

"impossible, I'm waaaaaayyyy more jealous," jeongguk claimed, proudly.

"I'm the most jealous," taehyung boosted back, stubborn.

"I'm the mostest jealous, and that's it." jeongguk tickled taehyung's waist, stopping the omega from retaliating back as he laughed out loud and begged the alpha to stop.

"I'm sorry that I make you feel insecure, gukkie..." taehyung softly said, after a few seconds of silence between them. "I love you too much that I don't know what to do with this overflowing feelings inside. you're so precious to me that I want to hide you from everyone."

jeongguk laughed. "hey, I'm the possessive one, I should be the one to lock you up because you're just too pretty for the world to see," he pouted childishly.

taehyung snickered. "yeah, you're such a demanding, possessive alpha."

"your possessive alpha."

taehyung snorted. "so high-maintenance. I think you forget to say something."

jeongguk hugged taehyung tightly, squeezing hard. "ugh~~ I love you, too, my demanding pup." the alpha then turned down to capture taehyung's lips in a searing kiss, completely putting all his feelings in a single, fiery kiss, making both of them breathless.

"so that meant we're fine now?" jeongguk whispered, scenting taehyung's neck intimately.

"yup, we're fine. I'm ready now..." taehyung giggled. "let's date freely."

jeongguk snorted. "did you forget that we're married already?"

"can't we date while being married, you dummy? so old-fashioned."

"ugh, can't wait to see their reaction. let's not say anything and just act lovey-dovey. let them figure out everything themselves"

"that's the plan," taehyung giggled uncontrollably but stopped when he felt a wandering hand on his behind. he slapped jeongguk's chest, cheeks burning red. his childish alpha really couldn't hold his hands.

laughing boyishly upon seeing the flustered state of taehyung, jeongguk winked playfully. "bet you're still cold, I know the perfect way to warm up fast."

---

taehyung woke up with the feeling of having a heavy stone crushing his body. he groaned and tried to open his sleepy eyes. as he wandered his hand, he found a fluffy haired head resting on his shoulder and half of a muscular body on top of his own. whining loudly, taehyung tried to wriggle out from under jeongguk's weight. what did he even feed the man to be this heavy? taehyung thought.

"jeongguuuuuuuukkkkkk, get off of me," taehyung whined.

jeongguk growled sleepily, he always slept like a log and waking him up was such a difficult task. some days taehyung wouldn't mind cozying up on the bed with jeongguk, but right now he felt like his bladder would give him up under five minutes.

"if you don't move now, I swear I will pee on you," taehyung threatened, smacking jeongguk's back repeatedly. which finally made the alpha relent and turned on his back, continuing his beauty sleep without care of the world.

"taehyung-ssi, good morning!"

taehyung was startled when he came out of the room, fully freshened up, at the call of his name. soon he found the resident sunshine teacher smiling at him from the other side of the room. one thing they had in common was that they were both a morning person.

"good morning, hoseok-ssi," taehyung sincerely smiled back, then he inclined his head in a small bow. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience I caused last night. I hope you don't catch a cold because of the rain last night."

hoseok cheerfully laughed. "no way, cold is for the stupid ones. I'm glad you look okay now, taehyung-ssi."

"yeah!" taehyung grinned. "it's thanks to you all!"

"you're welcome," hoseok said, smiling brighter. "uh, so... there's still something I want to ask you, taehyung-ssi," by the redness that slowly emerged on the alpha's cheeks, taehyung silently knew where this was going.

"would you like to go sightseeing with me after breakfast as a date?" hoseok hopefully asked, eyes sparkling so cutely. his expression reminded taehyung of a small squirrel so strongly.

taehyung sighed, hoseok was a really good guy, it was hard to do this numerously. "I'm so sorry, hoseok-ssi, I don't think I can go with you... I already have someone I love."

taehyung saw the hope crushed on hoseok's eyes. the alpha stopped smiling and his expression turned sad. "I understand... I think my time is up." hoseok nodded understandingly, shoulders drawn downwards. 

"I'm sorry for not believing you and pursuing you nonstop. you're a great person, taehyung-ssi, I really adore you," hoseok bashfully scratched the back of his head.

"thank you, hoseok-ssi," taehyung smiled gratefully. "you're kind and amazing, too."

hoseok laughed sadly. "you're making me blush, and please just call  me hoseok hyung," the alpha said.

taehyung really wished hoseok to find his own mate that he deserved to have soon. "okay, hoseok hyung," taehyung tried saying it. "just call me taehyung, too."

"so taehyung, friends?"

the omega nodded surely, grinning widely. "friends."

even if hoseok was still sad, he looked more relax now. "I did give up on you but taehyung-ah, don't you think I deserve to know who's this person who has successfully won your heart?"

taehyung kept quiet. he and jeongguk did agree not to hide their affection towards each other again. but to be asked so boldly so soon, taehyung felt the familiar fear kicked in deep within his guts. they did agree to let people find out their marriage by themselves, though. should he tell him or not?

taehyung shrugged inwardly, deciding to tell the truth already. but, before he could even say anything, a veiny, strong arm wrapped itself around his shoulder possessively. taehyung jumped in surprise, but the familiar scent of a certain alpha comforted him so much that he grew lax inside the hold.

"sorry, hoseok-ssi. I'm borrowing taehyung for the whole day," jeongguk smirked mischievously, voice sounding so smug as he looked down on the shorter alpha. "now if you excuse us, we're gonna have our breakfast before going to our first destination. wish you have a good day, bye!"

without waiting for hoseok's reply and with a half-hearted wave, jeongguk turned himself and taehyung back to walk away from hoseok who could only stare at the back of them with mouth wide open and shocked expression.

to be continued...