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A big thank you goes out to RedHeadAmy93 for helping me and basically co-writing the end of this chapter ♡

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The grey wolf's ears are pulled backwards as it is galloping on the forest floor. It bares its teeth as it picks up a scent of a stag. Closely followed by a brown wolf, they settle on their prey and follow it determinedly through the thickly overgrown forest. Soon they come across said stag and slow down in their steps so as not to chase it away. Both are experienced hunters, and know that it only takes one slip up for the prey to notice them and there is a greater chance of escape. 

Quietly and slowly they creep up on the prey they have set their eyes on. The stag has not noticed them at this point and they take turns chasing the prey, never losing sight of each other and looking for weaknesses as they take turns leading the prey. In the corner of his eye, the grey wolf sees the other preparing to chase the stag should it come to that. He makes the mistake of stepping on a twig and startling the stag, which was grazing until now. 

As if he suspected what might be lurking behind the bushes, the stag starts trotting off in a direction that seems right to him. Both wolves do not hesitate to run after him and chase him through the densely overgrown forest. The grey wolf gets ready to attack together with the brown wolf, but it does not happen. An eerie and painful howl resounds through the forest, causing the grey wolf to pause in its movements. Torn between chasing the stag and seeing what is wrong with the other wolf, he decides to go after the other immediately when another pain-filled howl rings out. 

The other is lying convulsively on the ground with its eyes closed in pain. It tears the grey wolf's heart as he sees the scene before him, panicking as he steps closer and sniffs in the hope of discovering a trace of something. To his disappointment he finds nothing and he howls, not bearing to see the other like this. The grey wolf is unsure what he can do. Can he move him? He does not like the other's reaction at all.

He comes to the conclusion that he has no choice but to leave his pack member here and go for help as quickly as he can. He trots off on the spot, the wind whipping his face, but concern for the pack member has the upper hand in the situation as he hurries back to the pack on his way. Overcome with emotion, he doesn't realise how he is unconsciously reaching out to someone in particular, trying to pick up a scent of the scent.  

Reaching the place where he has taken off his clothes, he transforms and puts his clothes back on. He is so stressed and panicked that at that moment he doesn't care whether he likes the person he is looking for or not.

"Jimin!" Jungkook calls out the name he dreads the most before he even realises what he is doing. The omega just exited his hut and literally freezes at the rough tone in which his name was called. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his hand clenches into a fist half-consciously, awaiting what comes next. An uncomfortable tingling surges through his body. Even though he has his back turned to the person, he is aware of who has just called out to him.

"Jimin, help me please!" 

Jimin never thought he would hear this sentence coming out of Jungkook's mouth. Especially not since they are no longer friends. He despises how his omega reacts to this and hears him whine, which is why he tries to suppress him as best he can before giving Jungkook faces with a sneer on his face and his scent spoiled with sourness. As best he can, he tries to stifle a low growl and blink away his angry tears. He hates how easily his name seems to have crossed the other's lips. 

"What makes you think you can ask me for help when all you've done,  has been nothing but ignore when I begged for help. So whatever you're going to ask for the answer is no." Jimin straightens up as he shows defiance and tries to make him understand that he won't accept anything else for an answer. Why should he? 

With his anger rushing through his body, however, he forgets one important thing that makes it almost impossible to refuse: he is still the pack's healer. 

"Please. It's not about me! It's about Taewoo! You can hate me all you want later but right now Taewoo is lying in the forest out there, maybe dying."

"W-wait, did you say dying? What happened?" At Jungkook's words, his anger vanishes into thin air within seconds and is replaced by adrenaline kicking in. His thoughts race as he tries to make sense of what happened. His features soften, realising Jungkook isn’t pulling a joke on him. Jimin doesn’t dare question why Jungkook came to him first, and instead gives all his thoughts to understand the situation.

"I don't know what happened..." sounds Jungkook with an angry undertone. Only now, on closer observation, does Jimin notice the panic that is literally written on Jungkook's face and how agitated he becomes. actually seems to be. His fists loosen and he nervously nibbles his lower lip as he follows Jungkook's words. "We were hunting and almost caught a stag, but all of a sudden I heard howls of pain behind me and Taewoo was lying on the ground."

"How was he lying on the ground? Was he bitten?"

Jungkook shook his head at Jimin's question. He didn't see any injury. "He was convulsing, but I didn't see any injury on him." 

"Okay..." Jimin whispers, looking around in panic with his eyes in the air, searching for a plausible answer. "That doesn't sound good at all. There could be a few causes. I need to go back to the healer's hut and pack several things. Wait for me and we'll go together. Is it far from here?"

"Yes, a little deeper in the forest." Jimin nods understandably and runs back to his hut without another comment. There is no time to lose. He would have to change and shift in the hut after packing the necessary things in a basket. The last thing he wants to do is shift in front of Jungkook and give him another reason to hold it against him constantly.

Upon reaching the healer's hut, Jimin looks for possible plants and remedies that could help prevent something worse from happening to Taewoo. There are many possibilities that have caused Taewoo's reaction and he can only hope that he can cover them with the remedies so that he does not have to go back to the hut. This would be a loss of time indefinitely. 

With the last herb in the basket, he takes off his clothes and puts them next to the herbs so he can put them back on later. The sound of breaking bones sounds in the hut, and shortly afterwards a white wolf steps out of the door with the basket in its mouth and trots towards Jungkook, who, like Jimin, has already shifted. 

Jungkook trots ahead at the nod of the other's head, making sure from time to time the deeper they walk into the forest that Jimin is still behind him as he leads him to Taewoo. It gives him a satisfied feeling to see that Jimin is following him.  

Jimin on the other hand is completely focused on not losing anything along the way, especially time. His eyes are always on the forest path in front of him, not deviating from the spot. It leads him to almost fall down once when he trips over a stone, but luckily he was still able to catch  himself. Jimin then noticeably pays attention to Jungkook's gray wolf form trotting dangerously in front of him. From this point of view Jungkook might actually be considered to look like a head alpha.

A sudden howl lets Jimin's ears stand up forward. His paws dig deeper into the sandy forest floor with determination. He realises it's Taewoo, desperately calling for help while clearly being in pain. Adrenaline shoots through his veins and Jimin hears the blood pumping to his ears, paws moving faster over the ground and he feels air leaving his lungs. 

Soon enough they find Taewoo just where Jungkook left him in a condition far worse than Jimin had imagined. He disappears with his clothes behind some nearby bushes and shifts to properly work and see what's the matter. He rushes back to Taewoo and checks for any injuries. Just like Jungkook said, there are none. Taewoo is barely responsive, which makes things more difficult and Jimin has to figure out what he has more or less on his own. 

Jimin had seen something like this once before, back then it was an allergic reaction, but when he looks around, he doesn’t see anything that one might be allergic to at first glance. He must, nevertheless, attempt.

"Taewoo? Can you hear me, Taewoo?" Jimin curses under his breath. Even after a few seconds, the alpha does not respond, prompting Jimin to turn the naked lying alpha in front of him on his side and look for a hint of rash or something similar while trying to forget that the other doesn't wear anything. And indeed, after a short search, he finds a reddened spot on his calf. Something must have touched him. Jimin quickly looks for the necessary herbs that could counteract his reaction and calm him down for the time being. 

What stood out for Jungkook was his realisation, this is his second time seeing Jimin working up close. They don't need to be close for Jungkook to see how passionate he is about being a healer. Jimin works efficiently and clean; it appears like he's on an even keel. He doesn't notice when he observes Jimin being solely focused on his task at hand how it stirs something in him. 

Meanwhile Taewoo's spasming has calmed. Jungkook takes note of how he must have passed out now that Jimin gave him some calming herbs. He breathes out relieved and feels the agitation leaving his body when his thoughts are interrupted by a cold drop on his left cheek. His eyes wander around in the trees for mere moments until more water drops from the sky follow. An unforeseen downpour comes out of nowhere before long a storm starts brewing above their heads.

"Jungkook, help me carry him to the lair." 

Jungkook's head snaps his head to the stone lair Jimin is pointing at, which is a few metres away from them. At this rate it's best if they find shelter in the lair. They won't make it back in time and they can't risk Taewoo's health, causing Jungkook to help Jimin without being reluctant about it and it's not because he saw Jimin struggling.

The second they approach the empty stone shelter, another thundercloud sweeps over them and rain pours down in torrents. The loud and deep rumbers from the thunder vibrate against their chests. Just how long will this turbulent storm last for? 

Fortunately, there is enough space for everyone to fit in. However it also means, Jungkook is forced to squeeze up against Jimin on the cold stone wall, so that their naked shoulders touch and their scents mingle. That beautiful feeling of Jimin's soft skin and intoxicating scent so close, causes Jungkook to gasp and widen his eyes. His body now tensing with an unknown and powerful feeling within his chest. With Jimin being so close in proximity, if only one of them is to shift or turn their head, it would lead to either of them being buried into the other's neck.

The fact that Jungkook thinks about this when he’s with Jimin scares him. Jungkook doesn't know why he's thinking about this right now while his heart threatens to bump against his rib cage. He finds himself frozen in place, uncertain about what to do when his scent might be everything else than calm. There’s no way Jimin isn’t aware of what’s going on. Abruptly, Jimin’s scent spikes with peonies and it makes Jungkook’s inner wolf go crazy. He has to swallow hard.

He gets his answer when Jimin peers at him. Dazzling honey brown eyes stare right back into his and it's like Jungkook's surroundings come to a full stop. Why are they so intriguing? Why can't he look away? The tension picks him up and he holds his breath as if waiting for something, but what? 

Mere seconds pass but it feels like an eternity to Jungkook. Subconsciously Jungkook lets his eyes wander over Jimin’s face, gaze lingering on his plump pink lips for longer than he’d care to admit, a feeling approaching over him. He wants to know how soft these plumptious lips feel. He can't even remember getting this lost in the lips of Seoyeon before. 

A groan sounds in the background which jolts them out of their stares and in the next moment Jimin peers at Taewoo and leans over him, seeing if everything is alright. It gives Jungkook the time he needs to exhale and collect himself. Whatever just happened... it still makes him breathless. This wave of emotions and feelings is causing his mind to go crazy.

Jungkook shakes his head slightly, so not to bring attention to himself, as he attempts to divert his attention away from this. The intense scent of lavender lingering in his nostrils almost made him forget where he was while he was listening to the spitting rain which is whizzing from the madly grey sky. He begins to watch the individual round droplets roll down the stones of the shelter and then lose their round shape at the edge of the stone, falling to the ground. Subconsciously, he again breathes in Jimin's lavender scent, the pheromones that are intended for Taewoo to remain calm, they calm him in a miraculous way as well. 

Focusing on the rain makes Jungkook feel more relaxed. He leans against the cold stone wall, feeling the rough, uneven sharp edges, barely aware of the thunderstorm that still looms over them, as he is too focused on the rain. It's a comfortable silence which envelops and lasts until Jimin decides to break it.

His voice is laced with worry. "I think it's not enough medicine. At some point he will need more herbs. I should go and get some more—" Jimin says as he slowly gets back up from where he has been sitting. However he has barely made a movement when something warm encloses his wrist. 

Looking away from Taewoo, Jimin is surprised to see his wrist is swallowed by the sheer size of Jungkook's hand. Jimin freezes. "What are you doing?"

"I'm, ehm, I..." Jungkook can't finish his sentence, too stunned from himself of why he did this. Somewhere near must have struck lightning because Jungkook flinches, suddenly reminded why he reached out to Jimin. Worry begins to cloud his mind, too worried of what Jimin might think if he was reminded of his fear. His scent changes and becomes slightly sour.

Jimin picks up on the change instantly, his eyebrows furrow pensively. He tries to free his hand out of Jungkook's grip but to no avail. "Jungkook either say what's your darn problem or—"

"Don't go!" Jungkook panics and speaks in a louder voice than he intended and then repeats more softly, "Don't go."

The omega scoffs and swipes his tongue over his lip, catching Jungkook's attention again. "Who do you think you are? Is this another time you try to forbid me to do something? Earlier you were begging for my help and now you try to play the alpha card?"

No. No, that's not at all what Jungkook implied. Jimin got him all wrong. Guilt gnaws at Jungkook, looking at Jimin's distraught expression makes him feel misunderstood.

“That’s not it…” Jungkook mumbles while trying to muster up the courage to say it, eyes fix on the ground in front of him, not being able to look Jimin in the face. Despite him loosing his grip, he still doesn’t let go. There’s just so much going on in his mind right now that he prefers knowing by physical contact that Jimin’s still there. “Don’t you remember? You used to try to calm me down whenever there was a storm…”

“Yes, but that was when we were still kids. Now we are grown up and—” 

“What if storms still give me anxiety?” Jungkook says, it’s barely a whisper but it’s loud enough for Jimin to understand, eyebrows furrowing in an attempt to get the meaning behind his question. He feels conflicted and in a vulnerable state of mind.

“You’re just messing with me, no? I mean how can I possibly trust you or know that you’re telling the truth?” 

Jimin peers at the alpha intensely, thinking he might say at some point he's joking. Surprisingly the Alpha takes in a deep breath and exhales, eyes glimmering with a certain sadness as he stares at the falling rain.

“I- I don’t know.” Jungkook slowly draws his hand back. He can only explain the way it is. Anxiety sparks when he's outside and there's a storm happening above him with lightning and thunder. Another lightning makes the sky lighter for a second, thunder breaks just moments after and Jungkook jolts as it happens, feeling his anxiety coming back.

The omega's chest fills with sympathy and worry. Strictly speaking, it's not his problem, but he can't stand to see someone scared or in pain, he gets a guilty conscience if he leaves them like this. Jimin has a good heart.

“What can I do?” 

“Talk to me.”

And so Jimin sits down again, pretty sure that the herbs he gave Taewoo will last a little longer. Hopefully the storm will end soon...

"Your safe place." 

"My… what?" Jungkook furrows his brows, eyes moving to his fingers in his lap that he plays with.

“Your safe place, you know, when we were kids,” Jimin says softly and stares at his side profile, gaze wandering over his soft features. Right now, he appears like the boy he used to play tag with. He didn’t plan on digging out old memories; memories he’s been missing ever since. It makes it harder to admit that it feels like a piece of him got stolen and never returned. "Don't you remember?"

Just then a loud crack of thunder beat down, echoing off the walls. Jungkook decreases the proximity within millimetres to Jimin without even realising. The omega has to hold his breath, Jungkook's head is just about to touch his shoulder. There's a tingling feeling where Jungkook presses against him, spreading in his body as Jungkook lays his head on his shoulder. Almost automatically Jimin releases calming pheromones for Jungkook, trying to tell himself it's not only for Jungkook but also for Taewoo.

"I don't… I don't think I can remember it's been so long," Jungkook mumbles, getting frustrated that he can't remember. Why is this safe place not coming to him?

Jimin looks down at his hands and can't help but fumble nervously with his garments. He's contemplating and convicted whether he should tell him about it, meaning he would have to think back to a happier time when they were mere pups.

Taking a deep breath to compose himself, his fingers grip onto the hem of his top, feeling the texture of the material between his thumb and four fingers. "The tree house, in front of the lake. Remember, we used to go there all the time whenever you were scared. It was so high from the ground, our parents couldn't tell if we were in there. Y-you, used to ask if I could hold you when you felt troubled." Jimin blurts out with a stutter. He doesn't know why he stutters or where this suddenly comes from, effecting something to stir within him.

"Ahh." Jungkook sighs whereas Jimin doesn't know if it's a good sign or not. "I think I'm starting to remember now. A butterfly landed on your hand once and it was hurt. At that point, you mentioned healing." Jungkook smiles softly, vaguely taking note in the rowing of the thunder which has lessened. 

What neither Jimin nor Jungkook realise is that throughout this conversation, both their hands touch next to their legs and they feel comfort of the scent of the other. Within this blissful moment, it has rendered them both unaware of the small action between their little fingers. Slow, soft embracing like movement, complemented the scent that Jimin is producing.

It's like they've fallen in their own world, only realising bit by bit what they've been missing from the other, reminiscing their friendship. Memories so fine and full of life, has Jimin's heart bleeding. Jimin wants to call out so many times to him how his world had felt complete with Jungkook, every day silently yearning to have those bunny—like smiles in his daily life. How he wishes to experience these days again.

You made me laugh and now you are the reason why it's so difficult to laugh.

I could come to you for comfort and now I have to comfort myself. 

You made my life so much easier and fun and now you are one of the people who makes my life difficult.

'Nothing is easy but when it comes to you there's this glimmer of hope deep inside of me for a happy ending for us as friends,' Jimin thinks, 'Is it still smart to have hope? It feels like I'm running in circles.'

He blinks his unshed tears in his eyes away and puts on a fake smile when Jungkook lifts his head, tilting it and silently asking if something is wrong. However Jimin denies it with another fake smile and an ache in his chest.

'Please don't let me regret it once I let you get a bit closer. This feels like a good beginning.'

A rustling sound brings him out of this trance he was in. Eyes searching around the area in front of the stone shelter, his body is now on high alert, realising the position they were in. He doesn't want this to taint his alleged reputation already. His scent changes so quickly to mirror his feelings. Fear filled eyes meet Jungkook's worried ones. "Did you hear this?" 

Out of the blue Taewoo starts moving and coughing.