Upon reaching home, they remove their wet jackets and shoes, and Jeongguk shakes off the umbrella before entering the house. Jimin gives him a grateful smile. Despite his initial reluctance, he has not soaked to the bone, thanks to Jeongguk.

Jimin rushes ahead to Jaehyun's room. The house is strangely quiet. Apart from their footsteps, not a sound can be heard, which gives Jimin a queasy feeling. It's almost dinnertime, and their parents should be on their way home. His guess is that Jaehyun is probably asleep or playing on his phone. Either way, should he really disturb his rest?

Jimin stops in front of Jaehyun's closed door and knocks gently, casting a sidelong glance at the alpha, who comes to a stop behind him. Jeongguk manages to make Jimin feel both jittery and tense in a way that he can't pinpoint. His presence just has an effect on him like no other alpha has. Yet, in some strange way, he feels safe with him.

Jimin hesitates briefly before knocking again, this time a little louder. His nervousness increases as he waits for an answer. Jeongguk's presence behind him makes him even more uneasy as he looms over him.

Relief washes over Jimin's features when the door is pulled open and Jaehyun welcomes him in casual sportswear. He has obviously changed his clothes after Jimin left the house. Because instead of his blue pyjamas, he's now wearing jogging pants and a grey, long t-shirt. His posture is no longer slumped and his face, once drained of colour, now holds a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Ehm- I knocked because Jeongguk wanted to talk to you. Are you feeling any better?"
"Sure, come in, Jeongguk." Jaehyun nods and opens the door wider, letting him step into his room. "I'm feeling much better. Still got a little headache but it's nothing compared to in the morning. Could have been the weather."

This doesn't surprise Jimin. He has not felt good in the past because of the weather, especially if it was oppressive. Jaehyun felt the same way.

"Alright, then, I hope you have drunk lots of water today." Jimin steals a glance at the bottle of water which their father had placed on his side desk in the morning. It's half full, which makes him worry Jaehyun might only pretend to feel as fine.

"I did, don't worry. I also went to the kitchen to refill the bottle." Jaehyun chuckles and grins at him before leaning forwards and flicking Jimin lightly on the forehead. Jimin whines in response and furrows his eyebrows. "I'm fine, Min, really. Thank you for caring."

Jimin looks at him darkly before his expression brightens and nods. His soft and clear scent of black tea tells him he's telling the truth. He huffs nonetheless and says a little sullenly. "Good, if you're well enough to flick my forehead."

Jaehyun laughs out loud and shakes his head. A warm smile breaks out on his lips. "I'm really lucky to have such a caring brother."

"If anything changes, promise you'll let me know," Jimin frowns and raises his index finger reprovingly. "If you're looking for me, I'll be in my room."

Without another word, he turns around and leaves the alphas alone. He wonders what Jeongguk wants to talk to his brother about, that he accompanied him home and couldn't have spoken to Jaehyun on the phone. But whatever it is, he won't find out anyway, so he doesn't need to ponder the possible reason.

While Jaehyun and Jeongguk talk to each other, Jimin is busy with Coco. She looks at him curiously when he sits down crossed legged in front of her pen, and opens the door. She immediately wrinkles her nose and tilts her head as if identifying him.
Jimin has to smile as she darts forward and comes to a halt in front of his lap. She carefully places her paws on his calves and looks at him expectantly. He clicks his tongue in mock horror, mirroring her and tilting his head. "I know what you want, you little fluff ball."

He grins and holds his hand out to her. "Give me a paw. You know you have to work a little for it."

She eagerly extends her brown paw to him as well, as if she understands him, and moves closer with her hind paws. Jimin grins at her impatience and strokes her gently on the head.

"Alright," he finally says and stretches out a hand to the shelf a little further to his left. With difficulty, he manages to reach the container and grab it. Coco lifts her head and tries to get closer to the container. She rests her front paws on his knee and seems to have only the container with the fine treats in her sight.

"Coco, you're simply adorable," Jimin smiles and opens the container. (Very slowly, by the way, just to tease her.) But she doesn't let herself be dissuaded from trying to get at the treats until she finally lands in his lap. Jimin laughs heartily and gives her a treat and then a piece of carrot he chopped in the morning.

"There you go," he murmurs, his voice filled with warmth. Coco contentedly munches on her treat, looking at Jimin once she's done. He chuckles and pulls out another treat, his hand reaching out to scratch behind her floppy ears. Coco melts into his touch, a rumbling purr vibrating in her chest.

The door creaks open slowly, and Jeongguk peeks in. Coco, startled, jumps slightly and turns her head towards the doorway.

"Looks like someone's getting spoiled."
Jimin whips his head around to see Jeongguk standing at the door frame. Just like he did the last time. A blush creeps up his neck, unsure how much Jeongguk has witnessed. "She knows how to get a treat-" he interrupts himself as she looks at him with her wide brown eyes. "-Only one more treat, Coco."

"Fascinating, how she reacts... As if you two would understand each other," Jeongguk softly comments, his eyes twinkling. Jimin ignores the way his heart starts beating faster, at Jeongguk's words.

"Well, I'd like to say she's my soulmate, so understanding each other comes with it," Jimin naturally says, only to regret it a second later, causing his blush to spread to his cheeks. He mumbles an apology, eyes immediately focusing on Coco's fur under his fingertips. The soft texture makes it easy for him to lose focus. That is until the alpha speaks up again. His voice now sounding closer, "There's no need to be sorry. I admire the bond you have. That kind of closeness is something to cherish."

Jimin nods, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Jeongguk is nothing like the other alphas in his school. They would have judged him by now and maybe made a nasty comment. There's something different about Jeongguk, though. He seems to care genuinely.

Mumbling, Jimin says, "It's not something you see every day, is it?"

Jimin then places Coco on the soft woolen carpet and stands to walk to his shelves, which are to the left of the window and contain a lot of manga. Straight and BL manga are strictly separated by genre, so he can tell them apart more easily.

He runs his finger along the manga spines and thinks about which one he could offer to Jeongguk. His hands get clammy as he runs his eyes over one of his favourite manga. His eyes quickly dart to the other genre on the right, and he pulls one out: college love. The girl falls in love with a boy but thinks he doesn't see her...

Does Jeongguk even like romance or does he lean towards action or even horror? He hasn't considered that maybe he doesn't have the genre Jeongguk prefers.

"How about this one? They both go to college and she falls in love with the club president after she joins the literature club, or do you like something a little darker? Two friends-best friends-grow up together. He thought she didn't like him as more than a friend, so he kept his feelings a secret from her. But shortly after, when a new student joins her class and rumours start about her, him and the new student, she decides to find out what's behind it. After all, they're in the same club," Jimin rattles off the story and comes to a halt. Nervous, he sucks in his lip and looks at him uncertainly, eyes wide. "Do you even like romance? I mostly only have manga like that."

"Oh, I do." Jeongguk pushes himself off the doorframe and walks up to him, stopping a mere metre before him and taking the first manga in his hands. There's just something in the way he carries himself which makes Jimin want to get closer. Today, he wears his brown hair without parting it so that it covers his forehead. This softens his striking facial features and makes him appear more shy.

"-isn't really my thing."

"Huh?" Jimin blinks, confused and lost in thought. A shadow immediately flits across his face as their eyes cross for a millisecond.
"Angst is fine as long as it has a happy ending, but dark genres like dystopia.... aren't for me."

"Got it!" Jimin nods and turns to the manga rows. "How about...." he hums, letting his finger wander over the next row, his eyes narrowing into slits. A tingle forms in his stomach. For some reason, he couldn't feel happier that he could show Jeongguk what he's reading and be more proud to show him his collection.

"How about this one? This looks quite interesting." Without thinking about what Jeongguk might be holding, he turns around, wiping the slight grin off his face. A blush rises to his cheeks and he swallows nervously. There's no way Jeongguk has just pulled a BL manga with NSFW content from his shelf and looks at him with a wide grin.

"You- Jeongguk that's..." Jimin takes a deep breath, but he's at a loss for words. There are two guys on the cover in questionable positions: one is an employee, and the other is the boss. Cliché, he knows. Jimin feels his toes curling as shame shoots through him, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him. Why did he have to pick up some explicit manga?!

Jimin sets the manga he had just picked up back on the shelf and snatches the explicit manga from Jeongguk's hand. "You don't want to read that... Th-that's just... workplace training! Really intense training!" Jimin splutters, his blush deepening. He forcefully shoves the manga back on the shelf, knocking a few others over in the process. "There's also one volume missing, so..."

"Seeing the cover, you might be right." Jeongguk grins widely before he laughs, "There must indeed be intense training happening."

When Jimin blows brown strands of hair out of his face but gives no other reaction, Jeongguk's teasing expression falls, replaced by worry. "Did that make you uncomfortable? I was just messing with you, you know." Jeongguk pauses and then curiously adds, "Though, I stand with what I said earlier. I am still curious about what you read...you should know by now that I'm not judging you. Therefore, you can be honest with me."

"I...I know," Jimin stammers and swipes his thumb over the manga cover. "It's just, the manga is a bit spicy and I'm not sure if you would be into that. Into BL manga, I mean."

"Spicy, huh? And I assume BL means something like boys love? I'm honestly not sure if I will like it or what it entails. But I want to give it a try. It's apparently something you enjoy reading."

"I do, but if you don't like it... please be honest with me and don't force yourself to read it, okay?" Jimin pushes his bottom lip out and looks at Jeongguk, his eyes widened.

"Alright, I'll be honest with you," Jeongguk promises before he nudges him playfully, hitting Jimin with a force of coconut pheromones. "But how about a glimpse? How bad can it be?"

Jimin pouts, contemplating what to do. Seeing that he can't resist Jeongguk's expression, he gives in. "Fine, but just a peek!"

Jimin pulls the manga back from the shelf and flips through it, careful not to show him any ambiguous scenes. He feels Jeongguk leaning closer to catch a glimpse at the scene. "See! They are all innocent office interactions... mostly."

"Alright, we won't talk about the scene I saw then." Jeongguk chuckles and ruffles through his hair. "I'll take that one. Which one do you also like to read?"

Jeongguk grasps another manga from the shelf, reads the description and flips through it. His brows pull down in a frown as he concentrates. This time Jimin doesn't stop him. As far as he can remember, the manga contains nothing ambiguous.

"Oh!" Jeongguk lets out and holds the pages open. His eyes widen comically and he reaches into the manga with his hand. Curious, he holds up a bookmark that Jimin has obviously forgotten to put back. He pushes his chest out. "This is really well drawn."

Jeongguk offers in a light voice. "Your brother was right. You do have a talent for it. This is really impressive."

Jimin is unsure what happens next. When Jeongguk examines the bookmark, his intoxicating coconut scent intensifies, his omega whines, and Jimin feels dizzy and loses his balance. He, however, doesn't fall, caught by Jeongguk's hand around his waist to steady him. His deep, low voice resonates in his ear, and Jimin feels déjà vu.

"Better be careful there, omega. We don't want you to get injured."

A shiver runs down Jimin's spine, words getting stuck in his throat. The coconut scent, now stronger, seems to swirl around him, sending his omega into an overdrive. Fuelled by the warmth of the hand at his waist, he wants to melt into the feeling, but a flicker of self-preservation holds him back.

Jimin is quick to straighten up. A small, helpless laugh escapes his lips, betraying his nervousness. "R-really?" he stammers and almost lets out a whine when the alpha's hand retracts.

"Absolutely!" Jeongguk nods, maintaining an intense gaze. "Now I'm all the more excited to see what you'll paint for me."

Would it be a good present? Jimin subconsciously goes in his mind, searching through the upcoming holidays for an occasion on which he could give him the bookmark. He hasn't started yet, but he already has a little idea. At first, he wanted to draw something related to Jeongguk's scent, but then he thought that he might cross an unseen boundary and he didn't want to risk it. His thoughts led him to a cute animal website, where Jimin decided on a black Labrador puppy that looked just like the one he knew.

Jimin, an animal lover, couldn't help but get reminded of the family dog, Bailey, whom his aunt used to have and whom he grew up with. Their gentle personality and severe but playful side is similar to Jeongguk. He remembers how it used to be a pain for his parents to get Jimin back home. Jimin still misses Bailey very much.

"When is your birthday?"

"The first of September."

Oh. September first. Not even two months away... That means Jeongguk would be eighteen, too. Would it be inappropriate to give him the bookmark, then? This whole situation bugs him. At first, he might have been obliged to draw him a bookmark, not being able to say no, but Jeongguk has been so attentive, and he's not even his friend but Jaehyun's. Why does he feel the urge to see Jeongguk smile and be happy about something he made? Maybe it could be a friend's offering. The uncertainty behind the question gnaws at him. What if the bookmark came across the wrong way, and Jeongguk just... rejected him on his birthday?

"Speaking of birthdays, when's yours? Jaehyun never mentioned it, or maybe I just didn't hear him saying it."

"October 13."

"Only one month apart," Jeongguk says, a little surprised and purses his lips. "Makes sense, though. You don't seem to like summer that much. The other day you were walking around the house in a warm jumper despite the season and... don't hold it against me, you don't seem like someone who likes going to the beach. At least not in this heat. You seem to prefer sweaters in general."

He remembered that?

"Y-you're observant," Jimin chuckles and clicks his tongue. "You're right. I don't fancy the summer but to my defence I was going to bed that day and the house was cold, so..."

"Oh..." Jeongguk hums lowly, taking Jimin aback when it seems to click. "Oh! Right... you were going to bed," he says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, "this makes perfect sense if you get cold easily and the house is not heated. Sorry that I jumped to conclusions about the beach thing."

He is right. Jimin gets cold quickly and doesn't have much body heat, but he is also sensitive to temperature. Even if the sun is shining, that doesn't mean it's warm outside. The wind is often the deciding factor for him. The other day, the sun was shining, but when it went down, it got cooler, and their heating system wasn't working at the time.

Jimin offers an understanding smile. "No worries. The heating system is currently malfunctioning and being repaired, which doesn't help. It gets surprisingly chilly in this house."

Jeongguk's expression softens with realisation. "No wonder you were wearing something so warm." The alpha glances out the window, where the rain is rattling down the window panes. "Looks like it's still raining."

Jimin follows his gaze and frowns. "You're welcome to stay here."

"I don't want to impose."

"You wouldn't," Jimin says too quickly, noticing how it wouldn't bother him in the least if he stayed. Why isn't he bothered? Jeongguk is an alpha. "I- I mean... there are still some manga I wanted to show you."

That's how Jeongguk stays longer than planned. Even when the heavy rain stops and turns into a drizzle, Jimin doesn't ask the alpha to leave. Jeongguk doesn't say anything either. They have both made themselves comfortable on his bed and are engrossed in some manga. Jimin can only describe it as something that feels pleasant and warm. Somehow it makes it seem like they bond.

A light feeling of sadness overcomes Jimin when his parents come home and it's time for Jeongguk to go home. He musters up a smile on his face as he winks him bye. Somehow it leaves Jimin with an empty feeling in his heart seeing Jeongguk go home. But that's just normal when friends go different ways, no?

"So," suddenly sounds behind Jimin. Startled, he spins round and sees his brother standing in front of him with his arms crossed and a playful expression. In his left hand, he holds a colourful cup filled with liquid.

"So what?"

Jimin draws his eyebrows together and a crease appears. "What are you talking about?"

"You two seem to be getting on really well now... Have I missed something?"

Jimin tilts his head. Despite the playful and teasing tone, he doesn't understand what he's initiating. It's not like Jaehyun is wrong.

"What I mean is..." Jaehyun speaks up again with an unwavering gaze and head lifted high. He must have picked up on the hesitation and confusion in Jimin. "The other day I introduced you to each other and today you were alone in your room for hours. When did you guys get so close?"

"Don't be silly," Jimin frowns and sighs, "I just introduced Jeongguk to Coco and talked to him about some books and stories."

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow sceptically and moves away from the doorframe. "Don't tell me he has taken an interest in these anime books..."

"They're called mangas," Jimin replies curtly, biting his lip to stop himself from blurting out more. He has the feeling he has to justify himself, but why? "And I was just walking him to the door like..." friends do. That's what he wanted to say. Are they already? Mentioning it to his brother feels strange. After all, they were friends first.

The corners of Jaehyun's mouth tighten and he pulls them down before slowly nodding his head. He slowly raises the hand in which he is holding the cup and purses his lips in defeat. "Okay... whatever you say. I won't ask any more." Jaehyun takes a long sip from his colourful cup, the liquid disappearing with a slurp. "You just... seem to get along well."

"Yeah, maybe," Jimin mutters and a heavy silence settles between them.

"Anyway," Jaehyun says, and their eyes meet. A hint of something Jimin can't decipher flashes in his eyes. Is it concern? Is it something else? "Mum made your favourite for dinner. Let's go eat."

Jimin stands there for a moment longer, his thoughts racing. He found Jaehyun's behaviour extremely strange. What does that mean? Why wouldn't he just tell him directly? Jimin breathes out deeply, touches the frame of his glasses and shakes his head. Whatever. Whatever he meant, he might never know.

Days turned into weeks, and Jimin eventually found himself spending more time with Jeongguk. He already considered it a routine, looking forward to chatting after classes or certain breaks where they would secretly meet up on the rooftop to discuss manga. At some point, he felt like meeting with Jeongguk and getting to talk about something he loved, the highlight of his day.