Thread by @chocoshosho

‘pas de deux’

#jikook au: a/b/o setting where scents only develop after you imprint on someone - o!jm has no time for fated mates or romance, too focused on his dream of becoming a professional ballerina. he never thought he'd find his other half in a!jk +

let alone imprint on him. but nothing will keep him from dancing on stage.

not even getting his heart broken.

tags: a/b/o (with plan for 🔞scenes w descriptions of heat / rut), angst with a happy ending, likely inaccurate descriptions of ballet terms lol

my first twt au, feedback welcome 💜 don’t examine the logic about imprints too closely okay this was written on vibes alone haha

the first time jm sees jk, he is 16 and unimpressed. it’s nearing the end of pointe class and their eyes meet in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling studio mirrors. jk is a shadow in the door, hiding behind the tall figure of their talent director joon.

he’d heard whispers of the newcomer, had even caught fleeting glances of a tall frame and dark curls following haunting the hallways. a newly presented alpha, supposedly, although from what jm has seen he's still just a pup.

apparently he’d been scouted while performing on the sidewalk - literally plucked off the streets and was now attending the royal academy of ballet at 15 years old with barely a few months of formal training to his name.

for 16 year old jm, who learned to stand in fifth position before he could walk and has given up every moment of his childhood since then just for the chance to join the academy, it’s the worst kind of insult.

jk’s doe eyes widen at the scathing glare jm directs at him through the mirror before the older boy decisively turns to the instructor calling out his name at the front of the room. the piano restarts and jm launches himself into the combination.

he is a sharp lines and pure determination as he strikes each move perfectly: balancé, pas du chat into a turn, glissade with a pick-up straight to back-to-back fouettes.

staying on his toes at the end of the spins is muscle memory but he fights for every fluid movement,

body screaming in exertion at the end of a grueling class, but jm won’t let a single muscle tremble. his leg unfolds upwards until his toes reach above his head, neck extended naturally away from his limbs.

he holds the position with a defiant tilt to his chin until the final beat, when he finally releases into plié and makes way for the next dancer.

the instructor offers him only a nod of approval before shouting out for the next student. out of the corner of his eye, jm sees

the envious glances of his classmates who have thus far only received critiques - reflexively, his eyes flit to jk, hackles raised in anticipation of the so-called “prodigy’s” reaction.

he is completely caught off-guard by the expression of pure wonder on the younger boy’s face.

jk's eyes sparkle even from across the room as he stares at jm unabashedly. the omega immediately looks back to the mirror, pretending to be fully focused on his turnout until the instructor claps her hands together to signal the end of class.

they have 15 minutes before pairs rehearsal starts. jm moves to the corner and drops to the floor, intent on spending this short break stretching as the other advanced-level dancers make their way in.

it therefore takes him by surprise when a quiet voice from directly above him says ‘hello’. jm glances up, startled, and finds himself staring directly into the still-sparkling eyes of jeøn jk. he's unaccompanied - jm sees joon and their next instructor jin huddled in the front.

another beat passes. jm doesn’t fill the silence, resolutely shifting into a side split and turning his gaze back to his toes. he can see jk’s feet shuffling awkwardly beside him from his peripheral vision.

‘um…i’m jeøn jk,” the boy says his name tentatively, almost like a question. jm still doesn’t raise his head, just folds forward at the waist and wraps his short fingers around the arch of his foot as he replies “i know who you are,” in his most dismissive tone.

he can hear jk’s gulp above him. “i-i think we’re going to be partners for the next class?” he stutters out.

that gets jm’s attention.

his head snaps up to see jk’s nervous expression before whipping around to the front as joon announces jk and starts rattling off the pairs assignments.

jm grits his teeth as he hears “pârk jm with jeøn jk” announced not a moment later and quickly (but gracefully, always gracefully) pulls himself to standing amid hushed snickers. he rounds on jk, ears flaming with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

“listen up, jeøn jk. i’m one of the only male omegas who dances on pointe in this entire damn academy and i’m going to be the first one ever to debut in the company. i’ve worked my ass off for my entire life to be here so you better not fuck this up for me.”

jk’s bambi eyes somehow widen even further at jm’s outburst. when the boy doesn’t respond, jm pokes him in his (surprisingly solid) chest and hisses out “you got that?” jk just nods meekly and jm holds in an exasperated noise as they take their place at the barre.

///

hours later, jm is curled up in bed taping his feet, too wired to sleep. he wanted to hate jk, he really did. but within 30 seconds of having the younger boy’s warm palms on him, they were executing partnered pirouettes that were so controlled jm felt weightless.

those hands had the omega's center of gravity memorized instantly, never straying from the perfect position on his hips or waist through long promenades and difficult lifts. by the end of class when jin asked them to demonstrate a flying fish, jm had no hesitation.

he ran towards jk and leapt without fear, and jk caught him like it was nothing, dipped him so low his bangs almost brush the ground, and placed him perfectly on pointe without breaking a sweat.

the feeling struck like lightning down his spine, excitement still buzzing through his veins even now as he recalls jin’s unabashed applause and joon’s knowing smile. this is what it’s supposed to be like. partnering. to dance as two halves of a whole.

jk had barely spoken a word, clearly choosing to follow jm's lead - but he watched so carefully and felt for each movement in the omega's body that jm didn't even need to speak for the alpha to correct his positioning. they moved together seamlessly, automatically.

it was as if he’d already known exactly how jm’s body worked, how far jm could extend and how high jk could jump. he’d caught the omega precisely at his peak and lowered him so smoothly he felt the room stop breathing. jm had held his breath too.

for the first time in his life, dancing had felt effortless.

easy.

he’d been working with his body, not against it, and jk was the one who made it that way.

and at the end of class, when jm had turned to jk with a breathless laugh and asked, “does everything just come that naturally to you?” jk had just smiled bashfully back at him.

and that felt easy too.

///

the two developed an easy friendship from there. jk’s sweet demeanor thaws jm’s cold front almost instantly and he ends up taking the lanky boy under his wing.

he’s shocked to confirm that shy teen is in fact an alpha, the admission soft and accompanied by red cheeks. he introduces jk to his best friends taē and hobî, and watches with delight as the rambunctious pair coax help the boy out of his shell.

they spend most of their waking hours together. jm finds himself at jk’s door most mornings to drag the boy out of bed and into the showers before their morning rehearsals, hair fluffed up and eyes still sleepy but always grateful.

lunch is filled with laughter and teasing and watching jk shovel an absolutely insane amount of food into his mouth, tongue poking into his cheek when it’s extra delicious and prompting arguments with taē about what the best cafeteria station is.

on the days when jm is too stressed to do more than push food around on his plate, it only takes one pouting face from jk to have him at least taking nibbles from the other’s tray. he avoids hobî’s pointed looks whenever it happens.

jk is one of the few people who will stay in the studio with jm after a full day of classes, helping him stretch or offering thoughtful pointers on his routines, or even just chatting quietly about the day.

he is the only person jm trusts enough to share his fears, the feelings of inadequacy, on those nights when his feet are bleeding and his dream feels completely out of reach. in the darkness of practice rooms, jk lets him bury his tears in his chest,

and jm breathes in the scent of his clean shirt, finding comfort in the notes of laundry detergent and sometimes pretending like its jk's own scent. jk's warmth envelops him and he lets the words of comfort wash over him, safe in the harbor of the alpha’s arms.

but the time they are the most inseparable, the most inextricably caught up in the other's orbit, is during their daily pairs class.

students and staff alike seem to take it as a given: when there is partnering to be done, jm will be with jk.

when jk’s hands are supporting him, jm looks in the mirror and sees someone good enough to join the company after graduation. but sometimes, when he sees jk dance alone, he wonders if he’s fooling himself,

if it’s just the effect of partnering with jk that makes jm seem better than he actually is. as the years pass, jk’s raw talent hones to a polish so deadly it sometimes hurts jm to watch. the shy boy grows into a charismatic man who absolutely commands the stage and studio.

jm works even harder. his muscles scream with the effort, but he pushes his body right up to edge of what it says it can’t handle - never beyond, because that’s a recipe for injury, but he shoves the edge further little by little.

jm goes back and forth between frustration with jk and with himself. because he’s still obnoxiously perfect without trying, but he’s soft and quiet and when he smiles, it’s at jm. even on the days where jm feels especially pouty and clingy, jk is a steadfast presence.

he drapes himself over the alpha's back with a pout. “when i get into the company, it’s not going to be because of you,” he says petulantly into the crook of jk’s neck, cheek squished into his shoulder. “it’s going to be because i’m good.”

he feels jk's chuckle rumble through his chest and it ignites butterflies under jm's skin. jk turns, his lips almost pressed against jm's ear as he whispers 'i know,' sweetly against the omega's skin.

they both get their contracts with the company the week before graduation, when jm is 18 and jk is 17. the omega's appointment is the last of the day and he waits for his turn to face yg nervously. jk waits in the hallway outside their artistic director office.

as soon as yg shuts the door, jm runs towards jk and leaps into his arms, the younger catching him as automatically as the first time. he wraps his arms around the alpha's neck and buries his nose into his collarbone.

jm is delirious with joy and relief but he can't help asking the younger. "why did you wait for me jkie? this would have been so awkward if i hadn't gotten it!"

jm lifts his face to look at jk, but the alpha refuses to put him down. he could probably hold the other like this for hours, eye to eye. jm's feet dangle and he feels helplessly caught as jk responds, as sweet as always, "but i knew you'd get it".

"you couldn't have known that for sure," jm scolds.

"yes, i did." jk's smile spreads into the omega's favorite bunny-toothed grin, but he still puts on a face of mock-anger.

"oh please," jm scoffs, playfully smacking the alpha's shoulder, too giggly to take him seriously.

"i did know," jk replies emphatically, pressing his forehead against jm's. the omega's heart nearly stops when he hears the soft words, "i knew because you told me you would."

it's a while before jm's feet touch the ground again.

///

that night, jm goes into his first true heat. he can feel the warmth bubbling under his skin the moment he parts from jk, the tension flaring until it snaps, his inner omega bursting to life with images of the alpha flashing before his closed eyelids.

he knows what it means, that his body and his omega only cry out a single name. imprints aren’t that uncommon but his heart still shakes as he shudders his way through orgasm after orgasm, knowing that jk's alpha could be calling out for him the same way.

his muscles burn in a way that is so different from dancing, back arched and dripping with slick and sweat. distantly, he remembers he's supposed to be afraid of this - he wasn't supposed imprint or find a mate or any of that,

he was supposed to avoid distractions and focus on ballet, his debut, his dream. but as the scent of jasmine blooms around him, the awareness of his own pheromones hitting him for the first time,

he thinks that maybe taking this next step won't be what he feared. jk has made him a better dancer, a better friend - why would falling in love with him be any different?

the second he's coherent enough to leave his nest, jm is sprinting through the dorms, feet taking him to jk's door without a second thought. his heart pounds and he's shaking, still weak from his heat but every part of him is too desperate to see his alpha to fathom waiting.

before he even knocks, the door opens and the scent of rainwater with fresh earth nearly knocks jm over. he's stunned, body frozen, unable to do anything except heave in lungfuls of jk's scent like he'll never be able to breathe again without it.

he can feel his own floral scent sweetening and he looks up, eager and giddy for the recognition in jk's face, to see the spark of his own imprint reflected back at him, to be swept up into the alpha's arms and carried to his bed and scented and loved and-

and-

jk's face is blank.

he looks down at jm with vague concern and confusion, nothing else.

no spark. no sign of an imprint.

"jmie-hyung? are you OK? did you forget we don't have rehearsals today?" the alpha asks with a small tilt to his head.

jm feels his heart crack and he reflexively brings his hand up to rub at his chest. something in his soul seems to wither and die at jk's unbothered tone. the smell of petrichor still swirls around him and jm's mind feels a million miles away from his body in this moment.

it's exceedingly rare, but sometimes it happens - that imprints aren't reciprocated. he never thought it would happen to him (hell, he never planned on imprinting in the first place), but, well. here he is.

still standing in jk's doorway like an idiot, barely breathing, body numb with the weight of a one-sided bond. jk's brows start to furrow and he reaches out, as if to touch jm's shoulder-

the omega reacts in an instant, throwing himself backwards so quickly he almost falls over. he can't let jk touch him, not like this, not with everything so fresh and desperation still radiating from his skin. he plasters on a fake smile

and shoots a fake sounding, "whoops, i remember now, i'll catch you later," over his shoulder as he stumbles back to his own room, tears falling before he can even make it out of sight. sobs wrack his small body as he tries to draw what little comfort he can from his nest,

but the scent of rotting flowers and the memory of spring rain only twists the knife. he can hear jk knocking, asking if he's ok, if he wants to go to the studio later, but jm just bites down on his fist to muffle the sound of his tears.

for once, the last thing he wants to do is dance. and that realization somehow hurts even more.

///

for better or worse, their first year with the company is all-consuming. neither of them are a stranger to hard work, but 12 hours of strenuous rehearsal pushes them to the edge both physically and emotionally. they are at the bottom of the ladder now,

and it takes everything they have to hang on to the lowest rung. their choreographers are exacting - in the first month, the repetiteur singles jm out for being half an inch too low on his arabesque and asks point blank if jm isn't flexible enough to match the female dancers.

it's one of the few times that jm breaks down enough to allow jk to hold him like he used to. the omega sobs, "i wasn't meant for this, i'm not good enough, why did i think i could do this?" he can pick out the notes of ozone in jk's scent as the alpha grips him in a tight hug.

"you're wonderful, you're perfect, you're the best dancer i know, of course you can do this," he says fiercely into jm's hair. jm laughs wetly and tells him he literally works with some of the best performers in the world, how can jk say that,

but jk is adamant as he tells jm he cannot think of anyone better. jm's heart settles for a brief moment and fresh jasmine blooms from his skin, mixing perfectly with the rainwater scent of jk's apartment.

jm meets jk's eyes briefly, a small part of him that he has tried to crush so many times looking for any kind of recognition in the alpha's eyes-

still nothing. jm's scent wilts again but he shoves the disappointment away, peeling himself out of jk's arms and insisting they roll out their sore muscles. jk groans and whines and pouts enough to pull a few genuine giggles from the omega before

pulling both jm and the foam roller back within arms reach. jm makes kimchi-jjigae (jk's mom's recipe) while jk belts out bubblegum kpop until they're both rolling on the floor again. after dinner, they play uno and jm pretends to be angry

when jk ruthlessly plays +4 cards back to back. jm refuses to draw more cards and jk screeches in protest until jk starts pelting him with cards and jm is laughing so hard his stomach hurts.

jm is happy and miserable in equal measures, but on comfortable evenings like this he can forget about the part of his soul that still yearns for his alpha. he's lucky to have jk's friendship and he reminds himself not to be selfish.

but for the sake of his own sanity, he does start wearing patches over his scent glands. he can't take the whiplash of his own scent going from sweet to rotten every time jk so much as smiles at him. he buys high-necked leotards to cover the taped skin and it's fine.

he's fine.

///

it's well into the fall season now and they're paired with other dancers, of course. jm doesn't like it. no one knows his body quite as well as jk, no one else can predict when he's about to lean off balance and adjust effortlessly.

he doesn't feel as secure in anyone else's hands, like he can give himself over to the movement with abandon and trust that his partner will do everything else. when other dancers put their supporting hands on his waist,

jm's omega instantly snarls and demands to be back in their alpha's (not their alpha's) arms. it certainly doesn't make things easier as he's trying to assimilate, to learn the repertoire.

once in a while, he'll catch a whiff of his partners' scent - some woodsy, some fruity, none as enticing as jk's - and he wonders if their stomachs turn from touching someone who isn't their fated mate,

or if it's only jm who feels nauseous during partner work. he hopes no one can smell dying flowers on him.

but jm gets through it. he works hard that first year, they all do - they master the repertory until their bodies move before their brains can even process the first notes of music. the time flies by in a haze of sore muscles and jumble choreography,

interspersed with a few moments of joy: seeing hobî selected for a short contemporary solo, getting a thumbs up from yg after a demanding one-on-one session, shopping for matching rainbow leg warmers with taē on one of their rare free days.

the first time the new hires get tapped for a pas de quatres, jm sees it for what it is: a way to prove themselves. it's joon and yg's way of testing out the fresh blood alongside soloists to see if they can keep up. jm doesn't know who he tries harder to best:

the other ballerinas, jk, or himself. jk makes it look easy. even the principals eye him admiringly during company rehearsal. during grand allegro, he slouches in the corner furthest from the piano until it's his turn to cross the floor.

then his body transforms with brazen self-assurance, stars in his eyes as he soars through the air and lands in a deep kneeling lunge, as if he were dancing Basilio to a full opera house. jm tingles as he watches him.

it's a heady mixture of admiration and envy and desire and pure athletic thrill. when it's jm's group's turn and he steps forward, weight on the ball of his foot, he grins at himself in the mirror and dares himself to rival the alpha.

jm launches himself into flight and sees the awe in jk's expression reflected back at him, so similar to the first moment they met, and it feels like enough.

the next season, jm and jk are cast together in a small pas de deux. jm drags jk into the studio every spare moment they have to practice, because if they don't blow anyone away it won't be for lack of rehearsal.

jk never says a word of complaint despite the late nights and early mornings, too familiar with the omegas perfectionist streak. the duet is simple and sweet and almost childlike - their characters have nothing to feel but innocent delight.

it feels right to have the alpha's hands on him again. neither of their bodies have forgotten the other.

they rehearse a hundred times and then a hundred more, until their duet is a perfect polished gem that gleams on stage,

and jm's character's joy is just jm's. they're in the opening night cast and the Herald's review spares a glowing half sentence for them.

jm pounds on jk's door at 5am so they can go find somewhere that still sells physical newspapers and carefully cut out their line.

they only have athletic tape but jk painstakingly rolls it in half-inch circles so jm can stick it to a piece of paper, not quite straight.

he keeps meaning to frame it but he never gets around to it, so it leans against his kitchen backsplash and collects drops of gochujang sauce. jk smiles every time he sees it and jm does too.

the end of the season draws near and jm is sure jk will be promoted to first artist. he'll start getting more featured roles, maybe even some duets or solos thrown in, and jm is so happy for him but he hates it,

the thought of jk having another partner. there aren't official partnership in the company in that no two soloists or principal dancers are always paired together. but there are those pairs of people who simply work together in a way that feels deeper than

a familiarity with each others' bodies. those pas de deux that seem like you're watching two halves of the same entity, souls that have come together for the purpose of performing the most spine-tinglingly seamless dance in the world. time doesn't exist. neither does breathing.

hen the music ends and time resumes and you think oh, that's what dance is. that is what humans are capable of. thank you for showing me.

jm thought he might have had that with jk once. now, he'd rather jk not have that at all than have it with someone else. and he hates himself for the thought.

when yg called him into the office again and tells jm he's being promoted to first artist, he can barely keep from sobbing with relief until he makes it out to the hallway. jk is waiting for him, again.

he's crying so hard the alpha thinks something is wrong, scent prickling with hints of a coming storm, and jm buries his face in the alpha's neck until the tears finally stop and he can speak clearly enough to share the news.

they go out for dinner to celebrate, way too dressed up for the little hole-in-the-wall barbeque joint with cheap beer. taē and hobî and even jîn join them for drinks afterwards and drag everyone to the noraebang next door,

downing soju until they're all leaning into each other and fighting for the mic in the tiny karaoke booth. jk is effortlessly beautiful with his soft hair and sweet smile under the neon lights, and jm is so flushed with happiness he wonders if his body can even contain it all.

jm thinks of jk as he touches himself later that night, too drunk to remember why this is a bad idea, that he shouldn't think of his best friend like this not only because it's wrong but because it will make the heartache so much worse when he remembers that the alpha isn't his.

but it's too late now, his small hand already tracing its way down the bare skin of his chest, lingering on his sternum. he can still feel jk's touch there like a brand from rehearsal this morning - the alpha's palm so large it spanned from his belly button

to his rib cage, the alpha's chest tight to the omega's back as they practiced one-armed lifts until jm's body was simply an extension of jk's. he wants the alpha that close always, limbs tangled together, breath hot on his scent gland.

jm feels the wetness gathering at his entrance and squirms under his sheets as blood rushes to his cock. his eyes flutter shut as he imagines those familiar hands tracing new shapes on his body - fingertips brushing his nipples,

thumbs pressing into his hip bones. he wants jk's warmth above him, cloaked in the scent of rain as the alpha presses his lips to every inch of his skin. he imagines jk's warm palms pushing his thighs apart, his long fingers pressing into his entrance until

he's completely buried to the knuckles. jm's own fingers are woefully, laughably inadequate in this moment but the fantasy spinning out is enough to get him closer, rolling his hips and pretending he's fucking himself on jk's fingers,

his free hand coming up to pinch his nipple and imagine it's the alpha biting down before nibbling his way up to jm's collarbone, his neck, mouth closing around jm's scent gland until he can feel the pressure of his canine's breaking skin -

jm cums with a gasp, muscles taut and eyes squeezed shut as his omega howls in pleasure at the thought of mating with the alpha. jm rides the high until the guilt pulls him back down to earth, sticky with his own slick and cum drying on his belly.

he feels sick with shame as he rinses under the cold spray of the shower, suddenly dreading the next time he'll be in his (not his, he tells himself viciously) alpha's arms.

///

they're cast in another pas de deux in the fall of the new season. this one is dark with razor-sharp edges and fast-paced jumps. jm doesn't have to act to summon the fire his eyes need. jk's dark scowl and demanding hands electrify him during rehearsal,

and then they take a break and sudden he's jm's sweet baby alpha again, pouting and asking for a snack that jm always keeps stashed for this purpose. they practice constantly again because they still have something to prove. jm wonders if he will ever not have something to prove.

their first performance causes a minor sensation. 'dripping with sex and brashly confident beyond their years,' one review proclaims, 'this young duo reminded the rapt audience what passion looks like.'

the next performance when they dance the role, the box office is up 10%. then 20%. someone makes a bootleg recording of them and within 24 hours, there's fan accounts on twitter.

they endure some good-natured ribbing from the rest of the corps, but it's clear the company has recognized that they perform well together. they're cast as the arabian dancers in nutcracker that winter, just after jm turns 21. he has to pinch himself because

it all feels too soon, too perfect - too much like his wildest dreams come to life. then jk will smile at him or trail his fingers along his shoulder and the charred edges of the imprint flare to life in jm's chest until he feels like ash again.

the bond doesn't fade. that's the worst part. why isn't the knowledge that jk doesn't feel the same way enough to make jm stop loving him? how did the universe or destiny or whatever makes these stupid imprints get it so wrong?

the alpha is more solicitous of him than ever. he always wants to make sure jm is safe, that he's not hurt, that he's comfortable. 'why?' he wants to scream, 'why do you care if you don't love me?'

except he knows that jk loves him. it's in the way he always has a cup of green tea for the omega before morning rehearsals, even though the cafe only sells coffee, because he knows the caffeine makes jm too jittery.

it's the way jk goes to the pointe shoe storage room every week to sew his ribbons and elastic on because he knows jm always pricks his fingers.

it's the way jk's eyes flash with pride when jm sticks a quadruple pirouette at the end of a back-breaking sequence.

of course jk loves him. he's just not in love with him.

it's somehow worse.

///

they're cast in principal roles more often than not now, even though they're only soloists. the cynical part of jm's brain says it's because they sell ticket; if not for their audience, they wouldn't have come nearly so far so quickly. well, jm wouldn't have.

that voice in his head only quiets when they're dancing together. because of course jk makes jm look better, he always has, but jm sees now that he does the same for jk too, somehow. like the alpha comes to life with

jm's body next to his - like together, they are more than the sum of their individual talent.

they're cast in romeo and juliet that next season when jk turns 21.

playing a lovestruck teenager is much less of a stretch for jm than it is for jk, the omega thinks ruefully. but the alpha's acting skill more than makes up for his lack of real-world experience,

and jm falls a little more in love with him every night when he bounds across the shadowy stage as jm watches from his balcony.

the first time they kiss is in a rehearsal studio, in front of two coaches. jm could scream at how convincing jk's acting is: the moment of trembling hesitation, the way he takes jm's waist to raise him up on pointe before he cradles his neck in one large hand.

jm can feel the ardor stirring in his chest, heart caught in his throat and inner wolf crying as jk kisses him so tenderly, even chasing jm's lips when the omega pulls away, like he truly doesn't want to stop.

it doesn't count as jk kissing him. it's romeo kissing juliet. they could still have a real first kiss one day. that's what jm tells himself that night as tears seep into his pillow, the smell wilting jasmine threatening to choke him.

maybe jk is asexual. or aromantic. or both. or maybe jm is just not lovable in that way. maybe that's why jk has always been so kind to him: as a silent apology for the fact that there is some essential piece missing that keeps jm from being loved. from being wanted.

he considers talking to his friends about it, but ends up keeping quiet. he tells himself it's because he doesn't want to make drama, but truthfully, jm just doesn't want to hear what he knows they will advise: get over jk. bury the half-formed bond. move on with his life,

maybe try to find an alpha whose scent he could grow to recognize. it's the healthy thing to do, jm knows. it's what taē would (not so gently) prod him into doing if his platonic soulmate knew how severely and how long jm had been torn up about his unrequited imprint.

and as much as jm wishes he could carve out the part of him that is still waiting for jk to return his feelings, he knows he never will. he will simply channel the pain into dance, he will strangle every other feeling except for the ones that propel his body to move,

until his heart calcifies into a husk of yearning, only able to beat again when he’s on stage. without jk, he is numb. without ballet, he is nothing.

jm works even harder. he has trouble sleeping. when he wakes up too early and can't get back to sleep, he throws on a leotard and street clothes and goes to the studio. sometimes he gets in 3 hours before anyone else arrives.

he covers up the dark circles under his eyes, but jk can tell. he can always tell. on their next day off, jk invites him over and puts on a movie and pulls jm's feet into his lap to massage them after the omega stretches out on the couch.

jm knows what the alpha is doing and he stubbornly tries to resist. he won't fall asleep. not even if the smell of petrichor is already making his body relax.

when jm wakes up, the dvd menu is playing on repeat and he's covered in a soft blanket. jk is cutting up veggies on the wood cutting board instead of the glass one even though it's harder to clean, because the glass one would have woken him up.

he pretends to sleep for another minute so he can wipe his eyes without jk seeing.

they dance don quixote that march. it's the first thing they've done in a while that doesn't feel fraught with something, just two carefree young lovers whose greatest concern is hightailing it out of town. there aren't any pesky feelings to get in the way of the steps.

and it's just as well, because the choreography is the most taxing they've done yet - even jk is drenched in sweat. but the alpha practically radiates energy, and the green, untried teenager with basilio's brashness is basilio now.

they wink and kiss and flirt, and jm really is flirting with basilio. and when the omega nails his traveling pirouettes and sticks the last relevé attitude, muscling it for half a second longer than his body thinks it should be able to,

it's basilio who grins at him with pride as they bound offstage. and if every show is like this, he can do it for the next twenty years, no problem. fouettés are easy compared to feelings.

the end of the season approaches, and with it comes to the question of a possible promotion to first soloist. jm finds he doesn't really care either way.

he dreams of a 16 year-old omega with fire in his heart, gripping his pointe shoes with a chip on his shoulder the size of a log. if he could talk to his teenage self, he would never believe that this was how he felt now.

"you got into the company," he'd say.

"you're a soloist. you danced juliet. i'd give anything to dance juliet."

jm wonders if this is his adult life now: accumulating more things to mourn. he grieves his lost ambition, when he had everything in the world to prove.

now he doesn't want for anything more than the next performance, the next chance to dance with jk. the alpha is jm's only ambition, and he's even given up on that.

///

when hobî mentions jk's standing job offer with the paris opera ballet after rehearsal one day, it's offhand. like it's common knowledge. jm forgets how to breathe for several moments and has to re-teach his lungs.

"whoa jmie, are you OK? you look pale. i have an energy bar, how's your blood sugar?" the older one fusses.

"what did you say hyung? about jk?"

"what?" hobî asks distractedly, rummaging through his duffel bag. "paris opera. you know."

"no," jm whispers, "i don't."

hobî stops shuffling through his practice gear and looks straight at jm. "oh. i thought you knew. i thought everyone knew."

"i don't," jm repeats.

"it was a year after graduation? they asked him to be a first soloist. it wasn't said in so many words but there was kind of an implication that he'd get principal in a year or two."

"what did he say?"

hobî shrugs. "he's still here, isn't he?"

jm nods and forces a smile, taking the protein bar hobî forces into his hand. he goes to rehearsal and jk immediately knows something is off. they make it through rehearsal without exchanging more than a few glances but jm stops jk in the hall after.

"why didn't you tell me about paris?"

"what about it?"

jk scowls fiercely. "don't play dumb. their offer."

jk just shrugs. "i told them no."

jm fiddles with the cap on his water bottle. "you could've been a principal by now if you'd gone."

jk's shoulders sag, just a hair, and his scent dampens. "what is this hyung? are you saying you wanted me to leave?"

"no," jm responds quickly, "but it's…something. that they want you that much. you can't tell me you haven't been tempted."

"i haven't been tempted."

jm scoffs. "jk."

"jm," the alpha retorts, "why would i go to paris when my partner is here?"

jm's eyes drop to his feet. "there are other partners." he picks at a loose thread on his sweater, wondering if it will unravel.

jk doesn't answer. it's quiet for long enough that jm looks up at him. jm knows him well enough to see the war going on in his eyes, caught between what he wants to say and what he's going to say. finally, jk decides.

"i already know how to make your favorite kind of ramyeon," he says lightly. "i'd have to learn someone else's. way too much work. besides, who would sew your shoes?"

jm doesn't smile. "you don't have to cook for me. or sew my shoes."

"yes, i do."

jk's response is immediate, almost desperate. jm looks up at the note of grief in jk's voice, ruthlessly shutting down his omega that is wailing in response to their alpha's (not their alpha's) distress scent.

"you should go to paris if you want to."

a muscle in jk's jaw jumps. "what are you saying?"

"that you should go to paris if you want to."

jk stares at jm for a second too long. "i'll keep that it mind."

jm looks down. "good."

they would scarcely be farther apart if jk were in paris than they are now.

everything changes after that. for the first time in over 5 years, jm and jk are barely speaking. the tension between them is palpable even to the other dancers - their instructors are baffled and frustrated by the dullness in their partner work.

it's bad enough that yg almost turns away the guest choreographer who wants to create a new piece on them. in the end, the older man sits them both down and bluntly tells them to get their shit together if they still want to be considered for promotions.

the 16-year-old of jm's memories slaps him out of his stupor. he apologizes to yg and promises to do better. jk won't meet either of their eyes but quietly affirms the same.

after hearing more about the piece, jm almost wishes he had been fired instead.

the story is centered around an alpha and omega, fated mates. there are three main pas de deux, each supposed to represent the stages of their relationship, with ensemble dances in between to depict the passage of time.

the first duet is the youthful exuberance of new love, the unbridled joy of an imprint. the second is tempestuous: their love has grown with time, but it doesn’t stop them from clashing even as their bond pulls them together again.

the third is the full maturity of true love.

assured. unshakeable. destined.

jm has no clue how to pull that off, but he'll do what he always does: practice, practice, and practice until the choreography is tattooed into his muscles and hope that it's enough to put on stage.

they basically live in the studio now, running the routines into the ground until they are literally too exhausted to drag themselves out, sometimes just curling up on the cold floor together until jin or tae or hobi scold them into going home.

dancing together is still awkward sometimes but at the end of the day, they are still jm and jk. they share the same vision of how this story should be displayed on their bodies and they will work together to execute it flawlessly.

their muscles know how to do this, their eyes always finding each other, their hands knowing exactly where to touch.

jm sometimes wonders if there is a single spot on his body jk /hasn’t/ touched.

all the choreography is difficult but the third pas de deux is by far the hardest, the depiction of mature love. the movements are clean and simple, with none of the sprightly effervescence of the first pas or the violent, whirling tension of the second.

in the third, there’s nothing to hide behind. jm needs to hold his whole heart in outstretched hands and offer it out to jk, believing with unswerving certainty that he’ll take it and give him another back.

and then the music ends and jm puts his heart back in his chest and pretends that it was all make-believe.

he leaves pieces of himself all over the studio floor, splattered across the mirrors like a crime scene. he worries there will be nothing left of him soon.

dress rehearsal approach. the costuming is simple, jm in white and jk in black. they start in flowing shirts but as the story progresses the layers come off, until they are both bare chested with nothing but make-up on their necks drawn like mating bites.

jm can’t wear his scent patches during their stage run throughs, but he’s too distracted by the sight of a half-naked jk to spare a thought for his sensitive nose. he's seen the alpha in states of undress so many times over the years,

could probably sketch every part of jk's body from memory, but it's still different to see him so purposefully open, a vulnerable expanse of golden skin and toned muscle.

the first time jk sees jm in full make-up for the third duet, fake mating bite and all, there is a look in his eyes that jm doesn’t recognize.

he thought he knew every look of the alpha’s by now. apparently not.

it all comes to a head the week before opening night. jm, like many omegas in the industry, has always taken medication to keep his heats meticulously timed and prevent them from ruining his performance schedule.

the pills don't induce true heats, not like the kind he had when he first imprinted on jk - they generally only last one day and don't leave him exhausted or foggy afterwards.

people who don't develop imprints or find traditional mates stay on the pills for their entire life

without health issues. they're perfectly manageable and let jm ease back into rehearsal after one weekend off.

jm's wolf is always unsatisfied going through even these brief heats alone, but that kind of disappointment is nothing new so jm just makes the best of it.

and if he sometimes makes his nest entirely out of jk's old hoodies and sweatpants, well. that's neither here nor there.

it's saturday afternoon and jm has plans to go through his usual pre-heat routine tonight before taking his induction pill, already fantasizing about a steaming hot bath and his softest blankets,

until yg's frustrated growl breaks through his daydreaming. "no, that's not it. jm, can you step in here? we're in the giselle act II pas. kazuha, your partner is supporting you, not carrying you-"

jm steps up to sungmin, kazuha's partner, while yg continues lecturing the other ballerina and gives the alpha a quick nod. there's only a brief flash of distaste from his inner omega as the taller man puts his hands on jm's waist.

jm rolls his shoulders back as yg counts them in and then jm is stepping on pointe and jumping into a full saut de chat right as sungmin lifts him, giving the illusion of effortlessly rising into the air.

jm loses himself in the movement, draping his body over sungmin's

while still keeping his core engaged, arms en haut in fifth position above his partner's head.

sungmin places him in arabesque for a brief promenade before lifting jm once more, this time gripping the omega's hips and lifting him straight over his shoulder. jm extends fully,

the backs of his thighs nearly straddling sungmin's face in a split as they make one, two, three revolutions like that before the alpha sets him down, jm placing his feet so delicately his heavy pointe shoes don't even make a sound.

he's brought out of his reverie by the sound of kazuha's exuberant clapping, but when he looks up, it's a different pair of eyes that ensnare him.

jk's gaze is focused on him, his stare so intense it almost looks angry. the stars in his eyes are gone,

replaced by something dark and powerful that sends shivers down jm's spine.

jm is surprised he missed the alpha's entrance - not only because he's so attuned to jk's presence, but because of how strong the alpha's scent is billowing off of him in waves, a torrential downpour.

jm is intoxicated by the alpha's presence but he tries his best to shake it off as yg and joon call for their attention to start their own session. he turns to face them but swears he can still feel the alpha's eyes on him like a physical touch.

jk's heavy aura doesn't ease even when they start marking the choreography together - in fact, it seems to get worse.

they usually start this section with barely-there touches, building the tension slowly.

but today, jk's touch is instantly firm and possessive. he deliberately positions himself to the side of jm instead of trying to keep hidden, supporting hands clearly visible, as if to remind anyone watching who jm belongs to.

he also doesn't break up the rehearsal with any of his usual goofy faces or attempts to make jimin break character. his attention does not waver from jm's reflection in the mirror and the omega flushes under his scrutiny.

maybe it's all in jm's head or wishful thinking, but either way the charged atmosphere and jk's borderline-oppressive pheromones have jm's inner wolf completely on edge.

distracted as he is, jm doesn't notice the signs at first. doesn't recognize the way his body suddenly feels too hot and his clothes irritate his skin. his mind is fuzzy from having the alpha so close like this,

it's taking all of his remaining brain cells just to focus on the corrections yg is shouting over the piano. he's sweating profusely and his lower abdomen is cramping - normal feelings after a long practice with a lot of core work involved.

he ignores the bubbling feeling in his gut as he finishes his solo allegro, determined to dance these last few measures perfectly, but the tumultuous sensation only rises when he and jk come back together for the end of the sequence.

jk's hand meets the bare skin of his waist, shirt having ridden up at some point, and he nearly gasps aloud at the feeling. he's so shocked he almost forgets the next step,

but jk keeps him in motion, taking all of jm's weight in one arm as he hoists the omega over his right shoulder, the alpha's left hand coming up to jm's thigh to support his straight leg.

jm keeps his entire body taut on reflex, holding the position, but internally he's melting into a puddle, every point of contact between him and jk feeling like a brand. it's impossible to ignore the rising heat-

/heat./

fuck.

the omega moves through the last combination on auto-pilot, barely able to concentrate on anything other than the fact that his best friend's pheromones managed to provoke his first true heat in years. jm is just praying for the music to end,

forgetting that the last pose of this second pas ends with the enactment of a mating bite.

jk's mouth has never made contact with his skin when they've practiced this before. the angle of their bodies is such that he can just ghost his lips along the line of jm's neck,

jk's side profile blocking any view that would break the illusion. if they do touch, it's because the alpha is feeling silly- he'll change trajectory at the last minute and chomp on jm's ear or blow raspberries against his cheek instead of meeting jm's neck.

today though, there is no hesitation, no teasing, no veering off course. jk's nose pushes firmly beneath the omega's jaw, mouth moving hotly over jm's neck until he seems to find the spot he's looking for,

right above the medicated patch on jm's scent gland. he growls quietly against jm's throat, spreading a tingling sensation throughout the omega's entire body, and takes a sliver of the omega's bare skin between his lips.

between his /teeth/.

jm physically collapses onto all fours, a lifetime of perfect balance failing him in the onslaught of sensation that is jk's mouth. his omega is howling at the forefront of his mind, heat now fully triggered, pheromones and slick escaping him as he pants for breath.

he's feverish and shivering and achingly hard. the next thing he knows, jk's arms are around his waist and he's being lifted to his feet and it's everything he can't let himself have. the alpha is too close, jm has to get out of here before he starts begging for jk to fill him-

he wrenches himself out of jk's grasp and runs for the door, barely registering the looks of shock on anyone's face. he doesn't make it any farther than the next practice room over before jk catches up to him, but he stops the alpha at the door with a single outstretched hand.

"please don't, jk. i just- i need some space, can you…" jm's voice trails off, shaky, as he feels more slick leaking out of him.

'empty,' his omega cries out, and jm's head throbs with the effort of ignoring it. the smell of jasmine is so cloyingly strong it's making him sick.

he wobbles towards the barre, entire body trembling and burning so fiercely that tears prick his eyes.

jm can't hold back a noise of pain as another cramp hits him, and jk rushes forward at the sound of the omega's distraught whimper. the air tastes like a summer monsoon.

jm's omega is frenzied with the desire to press himself against the alpha's skin until he's drenched in that scent. jm grips the bar so tightly his knuckles turn white. jk's voice barely reaches him through the daze.

"hyung," jk chokes out, "is this a true heat? are you- did you imprint on someone?" his tone is mostly worried but jm picks out the hint of an alpha command in his question, a dominant note that he has never heard before.

in any other situation, it would have been enough to startle the omega into answering. but right now the question just makes jm start laughing hysterically as the tears fall faster.

he can feel his temperature rising, the room spinning- he's never felt so out of control, cannot even begin to organize his thoughts in a way that could answer jk's question. it's all jm can do to hold on to the barre and keep his omega from surfacing as jk moves closer.

"don't touch me," jm hisses immediately, knowing he'll lose the last shred of his sanity if he feels the alpha's touch on his skin again. his omega whines at the hurt expression that flashes across jk's face as the alpha withdraws his arm.

"i just wanted to make sure you're okay." defeat makes jk's voice sound small. "do you need…should i get sungmin?"

what the hell? jm groans in pain as another lick of heat burns through him, unsure of what he's even hearing. are auditory hallucinations part of heat symptoms?

"why the fuck would i want sungmin here," jm gets out past a clenched jaw as another wave of slick escapes him. there's probably a wet spot spreading across his tights at this point but he's too insensible to feel the appropriate shame.

jk's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "you don't…you mean, it's not sungmin? then who did you just imprint on?"

if jm had the strength, he would scream in the stupid alpha's face. he would yell at the top of his lungs. he would beat his fists against jk's chest and unleash every last one of his repressed feelings as he asks,

'who else could it be but you?'

his omega is howling in anguish at having the alpha so close and yet not touching him and jm is too overwhelmed to hold it back anymore. a muffled sob escapes his small body and jk immediately presses forward, wrapping the omega up in his strong arms,

and jm is a goner.

his walls shatter as he gives in to the overwhelming sense of comfort and safety. his body finally relaxes as his omega settles down, and even though the heat-haze is still present, jm can tell the symptoms are starting to abate.

jm's head lolls back on jk's shoulder and a purr rumbles in his throat.

he can feel jk's grip around his waist tighten ever-so-slightly in response.

"jm-ah," the alpha rasps, "focus. who is it? who do you need?"

jm's flushes and squirms huskiness in jk's voice, so similar to the fantasies of dirty words whispering in his ear. he is even more pliant against the alpha's chest, pressing himself closer until all he can smell is damp earth.

jk stiffens behind him but jm doesn't even notice, completely scent-drunk. the alpha's voice, usually so sweet and light, is more like a rumble of thunder now. "tell me now, flower, while i can still think straight."

"flower?" jm mumbles, pheromones spiking at the pet name. the feeling of emptiness is making itself known again - he wants to turn around and straddle the alpha's lap, grind himself against the hardness that is surely waiting for him, but he's so comfortable right here…

"yes, flower," jk says with a strained huff. his palms are heavy where they hold jm in place but his lips are soft where he buries his face in the crook between jm's shoulder and neck. "my flower. you smell like jasmine."

jk’s nose traces a line from his jaw to his ear, scenting him gently, and jm feels his mind floating higher until the words register and immediately snap him back to reality.

“how do you know it’s jasmine?”

jk’s thumb is rubbing circles into his belly absentmindedly as he keeps nosing along jm's neck. “hm?”

jm’s voice is more urgent now. “my scent. how do you know it’s jasmine?”

jk stills. jm doesn't breathe. it feels like the thread of this moment is being stretched out, as if the universe knows something life-altering is about to be revealed when jk's voice shatters the silence.

"jm. i've known your scent since the day i met you."

jm starts trembling violently. "what?" he croaks out.

jk laughs once without humor. "i imprinted on you the moment i first saw you dance, hyung."

jm's head is a mess. he's so deep in his heat he must be hallucinating, it's the only explanation-

the alpha starts rubbing his cheek against jm's throat, scenting him, as if he really can sense the agitation in jm's pheromones and is instinctively trying to calm him. unsurprisingly, it works.

"but- but you didn't, i mean you- how? you've never even reacted to my scent-"

jk inhales sharply. "you have no idea, jm. no idea the effect you've had on me. i've been on suppressants for years and it's barely been enough to keep my alpha from acting on the imprint."

"why didn't you tell me?" jm's whisper is broken. nothing, none of this, makes any sense.

"are you kidding me, hyung? i didn't want to scare you away. it was…a lot. to be fifteen and have an imprint. the doctors already thought i was insane- what if you did too? what if you thought i was a freak? i didn't want to scare you away," jk repeats, voice distinctly nervous.

the alpha starts to pull away and jm isn't having that.

he turns in jk's arms, throws his arms around jk's neck, and pulls the alpha in for a fervent kiss.

it's a million sensations at once, not just jk's slightly parted lips are so soft yet so firm against his own. jm's heart is racing even faster now, toes curling, electricity buzzing in his veins - and at the same time,

something serene has woken up inside him, flooding his rib cage, expanding beyond the boundaries of flesh and bone. the imprint, which always ached like a phantom limb, is remade so whole it's unimaginable that it was ever amputated, filled with awe and wonder and tenderness.

and love. unmistakable, unconditional love.

"i love you," jm gasps against jk's mouth, still unmoving beneath his own. "i've loved you as long as i've known you, my bond is for you, it's only ever been you-"

jk interrupts his confession with a fierce kiss. jm's belly swoops like he's falling through the floor and he grips the alpha's neck tighter, holding on for dear life as jk's mouth moves devastatingly against his own.

it's a whirlwind of tears and more whispered declarations of love and desperate tastes of each other after that. jm's legs are locked around jk's middle, thighs squeezing the alpha's waist.

he pulls away from jk's mouth with a violent hiccuping sob. "don't go to paris."

jk tries to burrow further into the crook of jm's neck. his face is wet and his breath is shaky against jm's skin. "never."

jm is gripping the alpha's hair so tightly it must hurt. "don't leave me."

jk leaves urgent kisses along the side of his jaw,

returning again and again to the omega's scent gland until jm is dizzy with the attention. the studio smells like a field of wildflowers caught in a storm.

"jagiya." jk's voice is a murmur against jm's throat. "my beautiful omega. i'm yours, i've always been yours. how could i ever leave the love of my life?"

the bond sings with the truth of his promise and something shifts between them. jk's lips are swollen and red, pupils fully dilated, and the desire that has been simmering under jm's skin bursts to life again.

they're wrapped around each other but it's not skin to skin, it's not /enough/, it's not where jm needs him. it's not enough for the alpha either - he can see it in jk's hot gaze and feel it in his trembling breath.

"jk," jm cries, "need you, please."

jm rolls his hips against jk's abdomen, hard cock trapped between them, hole dripping with slick. his pheromones are sweet and heady but jk only snarls, one arm leaving the small of the omega's back to grip his neck.

"stop."

jm's omega submits instantly to the command in jk's voice and the scruffing of his nape, even though all he can imagine is pushing his leotard to the side, jk ripping his tights down to his thighs.

the alpha could be inside him in probably ten seconds if he wanted. jm could bend over and hold onto the barre as he presented, jk could watch in the mirror as they’re joined-

jk growls at the spike in jm's scent and jm whines with the effort of keeping his hips still again.

"w-why? i'll be good for you, so good for you-"

jk squeezes the back of jm's neck tighter. "because," his voice is hungry,

deeper than jm has ever heard it, but somehow still so adoring. it only turns jm on more.

"the first time i give you my knot is going to be after i've spread you out in my bed and made you cum at least twice on my tongue. +

+not here, where anyone can see you and hear the way you moan. that's all for me now, isn't that right flower?"

jm is nearly insensible with desire but he manages to nod when jk moves to grip his chin and look in the omega's eyes. the next thing he's aware of is being lifted in the alpha's strong arms, as he has a thousand times before,

but this time, jm knows, it will be different.

///

they don't make it to the bed.

as soon as they're inside jk's apartment, he has jm thrown up against the door, warm lips seizing the other's. he hasn't let the omega's feet touch the ground since they left the studio and jm is still giddy with it.

their kisses are messy and wet, devouring each other’s mouths like they need the taste of it to live. jm is boneless at the feeling of jk’s tongue tracing shapes across the roof of his mouth.

he can feel the prominent outline of jk's hard cock flush against his core. he’s tugging at the alpha's shirt, dying to feel the warm skin under his hands as the imprint thrums between them like a living thing,

throbbing in time with the ache between jm’s legs. jk’s fingers knead the back of jm’s thighs, large palms supporting his weight.

“off,” jm huffs, impatient, and the alpha chuckles as he peppers kisses over the omega’s face and jaw.

“so needy,” jk whispers but complies with jm's request, pinning the omega to the door with his hips alone and using his freed arms to reach behind his back and pull the shirt over his head. jm squirms at the feeling of jk’s bulge against his own.

the alpha capitalizes on the moment to peel off jm's own shirt, quickly followed by his leggings and underwear, and jm moans at the satisfying feeling of their bare chests pressed together.

but it doesn't last long. as soon as jm is naked, jk starts sinking slowly knees, hiking jm’s legs up as he goes. jm's weight is fully supported by the alpha's broad shoulders, legs draped down his back.

jm whines at the feeling of jk's warm breath trailing up his inner thigh, then feathering his lips over jm's sac before finally placing a sweet kiss to the tip of the omega's cock. jm's back arches off the door,

pressing his hips more into jk as he tries to find a grip in the alpha's hair. his hole is clenching wildly, the potent scent of slick getting stronger.

"inside jk-ah, please!" jm begs, shuddering as the alpha starts kissing down his shaft, precum leaking steadily from the tip.

he can feel jk's smile against his sensitive skin.

"not yet, flower. want to taste you first," jk says, palms spreading jm's thighs apart and shifting his weight until jm's knees are pressed into the alpha's shoulders and the omega's glistening hole is bared to him.

jm yanks on his hair. "no! don't wanna wait, need your cock so bad, alpha…"

he trails off as jk releases a cloud of dominant pheromones so heavy it immediately gives jm's omega the urge to roll over. to be quiet and good and just take what his alpha gives him.

jm is still feverish with desire but he feels slightly less desperate as jk's calming scent envelops them, drowning out every other sensation.

"shhh, jagiya. i've wanted this for so long. let me savor it, hm?"

jm's only answer is a high-pitched mewl as the alpha's mouth makes contact with his hole. jk licks into him without hesitation and jm nearly keens with the vibrations when jk groans at the taste of his slick.

jk is relentless, sucking at the omega's rim like he wants to swallow down every drop of honey jm is making. his nose presses into jm's taint as he sweeps the flat of his tongue over the omega's entrance again and again,

alternating between wide licks and wet slurping. jm is completely losing it at the sensation, the hot wet pressure of jk's mouth on his most sensitive part unlike anything he's ever felt.

by the time jk dips the tip of his tongue into jm's entrance, jm is a blubbering mess. he sobs when jk pulls back to lick and suck around his rim once more before wiggling his tongue inside, and that's it.

jm orgasms with a high-pitched wail, cum spurting from his cock as a gush of slick drenches jk's mouth and chin. the alpha laps it all up before mouthing over his balls, all the way up to his cock to suck on the tip.

"my beautiful flower, came so sweetly for me," jk whispers hoarsely as he sucks the remnants of cum that he can reach from jm's belly. jm whimpers, melting into the alpha's touch and barely able to keep from collapsing after his orgasm,

but he jolts upright at the feeling of one of jk's large fingers circling his wet entrance.

"will you give me one more? one more, omega, and then i'll give you my cock."

jm clenches hard at the mention of being filled, as if his hole is trying to suck jk's fingers in. he's so empty, he's been empty for so long, not even jk's lips on his still-hard cock or the scent of petrichor is enough to distract him at this point-

jm keens as he feels the pressure of jm's fingertips against his rim, so close to where he needs it, and then finally jk's thick digits are entering him. his hole is so soft and wet that the alpha can fit two fingers in right away,

fucking into him slow but so, /so/ deep. when jk is knuckle-deep inside him, jm mewls in satisfaction and squeezes around him, his small cock already hard and leaking again while jk lets him adjust to the intrusion.

jm is already so wet from being eaten out and so sensitive from his previous orgasm that when jk suddenly takes the omega's entire length in his mouth, jm actually screams.

"alpha! alpha, alpha oh…i c-can't, 's too much-"

jk pulls off his cock with an obscene popping sound and starts pumping his fingers in and out of the omega's sloppy hole. his eyes are so hungry as he looks up at jm's face that it makes the omega flush and curl his toes.

"you can, flower. just let me take care of you."

and with that, jk moves to swallow his cock down again and starts bobbing his head in time with the movement of his fingers. jm is openly weeping from the stimulation, head empty of anything except the

sensations the alpha is drowning him in. when jk adds a third finger and uses the extra reach to graze against the omega's prostate, it has jm absolutely seeing stars. he gushes slick around jk's digits,

making jk moan around the omega's cock at the extra wetness coating his large fingers. he rubs his tongue against the underside of jm's shaft as he thrusts his fingers in as deep as he can to hit that spot again and /rubs/.

jm cums with a shout, spilling down the alpha's throat and clenching tight around his fingers. jk works him through it with gentle sucks, a satisfied rumble vibrating through his chest at the taste and sound of his omega's pleasure.

jm is utterly blissed out from the back-to-back orgasms, but he can still tell when jk's fingers slip out of him. he lets out a small whine that is only quieted when the alpha grips him by the thighs once more and presses their lips together in an insistent, sloppy kiss.

jm can taste his spend on jm’s tongue as the alpha maneuvers them through the familiar hallway to his bedroom. the alpha’s gait is unhurried but his mouth is urgent, biting and sucking and tugging mercilessly until jm’s pillowy lips feel tender and bruised.

even when he lays the omega out on his perfectly-made bed, crowding the smaller man against the headboard, he doesn't stop devouring jm's mouth, too addicted to the taste of his omega and his syrupy moans.

jm tugs jk closer, every inch of their bodies pressed up against each other until he is completely caged in by the alpha's delicious bulk.

jk popped the buttons on his jeans at some point for relief,

and so when jm grinds against the alpha he gasps at the feeling of the alpha's cock, warm beneath a thin layer of cotton, closer than ever before.

he moves one small hand down the alpha's body to cup his hardness, drooling at how gigantic it feels under his palm.

he wants to be split open on that cock, wants to be bent in half and fucked so completely that his womb retains jk's shape. he thrashes under the alpha's weight, trying to communicate his need with urgent tugs on jk's clothed erection,

but the alpha only hisses and pins the omega's wrist in his large grasp. jk's other hand grips the headboard next to jm's head, as if he needs the leverage to physically pull himself away from jm's mouth. his breath is shaky and he rests his face against jm's,

sweaty curls falling from his forehead into the omega's eyes.

"jm-ah. are you sure? i don't- i need to know that it's not just your heat. it would kill me if i hurt you."

jk's eyes are wide and doe-like, so achingly familiar that jm's heart squeezes at the sight.

his body is still flushed with passion but his mind is clear, both jm and his omega undeniably coherent in their desire to connected with their mate.

jm's eyes flash and his lips pull back in the barest hint of a snarl. he lifts his free hand

to rest his fingertips against jk's neck, ever so lightly - jk's throat bobs in response.

"you doubt me, alpha?" he asks softly. jk immediately shakes his head, lips pressing against jm's palm.

"no, hyung. never. i just- i don't trust myself. i've wanted you for so long, it's hard to believe this is real, that you could possibly want me the same way…"

the alpha trails off as jm traces his hand down jk's collarbone, his sternum, the left side of his chest.

he feels the thrum of jk's heartbeat beneath his palm and smiles helplessly as the bond glows between them.

"i want you the same, jk-ah. can't you feel me here?" he presses more firmly against the alpha's chest and feels the younger inhale deeply.

"i was born to be yours," the omega says simply. as if it's the easiest truth in the world. and it is, now - there are no secrets between them. not any more.

jk shifts forward and captures jm's mouth again, fervently pouring his joy and relief into the kiss and every inch of space between them. jm is tugging at the waistband of the alpha's jeans and boxers,

and then they're both finally, gloriously naked,. every place where their bodies touch reignites the desperate fire beneath jm's skin. jk presses jm's knees up above his shoulders, effortlessly folding him in half, leaving the clenching furl of his hole bare to jk's hungry gaze.

he lines himself up and jm mewls at the feeling of blunt pressure against his entrance, entire body tense with anticipation of what he's been craving for so long. jk nuzzles at his jaw, releasing more of that calming rainwater scent.

"relax for me, jagiya," jk whispers against the shell of jm's ear.

the omega shivers. and with his next deep breath, he feels jk press inside.

the alpha's cock is even thicker than he imagined. jm is so soaked that the slide is frictionless, but jk stretches him so much that it still feels like he might not fit. the alpha is incredibly gentle, hips moving with just enough pressure to let jm feel every single inch.

his voice drips with adoration, a litany of sweet nothings.

"jm-ah, so perfect for me, just a little more, you take it so well flower," and jm tosses his head back with a moan at how perfect it all feels.

it's indescribable, the feeling of jk fully seated inside of him, cock pressing against the entrance to his womb. he's almost overwhelmed by it, and he knows jk feels the same, a surge of emotions flooding through the bond.

they stare into each other's eyes for an endless moment, until jm can no longer bear waiting.

"move," he whispers, and jk starts rolling his hips in a slow, devastating grind. jm whines because it's good, it's /so good/, but it's not enough, not even close.

"more," he demands, fingers digging into jk's shoulders, and the alpha starts moving a little more, dragging just a few inches of his cock in and out. the rhythm he sets is so tender, so careful -

jm can tell that jk is on high alert for even the slightest hint of the omega's discomfort, ready to stop at a moment's notice.

he growls in frustration.

"jk-ah," he rasps, "harder. need you to fuck me."

jk groans, jerking into jm's warmth with just one uncontrolled thrust before resuming his restrained pace. "don't want to hurt you, jagiya." his eyes squeeze shut and sweat drips from his chest, the effort of holding himself back obvious in his taut muscles.

but jm doesn't want him to hold back. he wants recklessness, he wants wild passion, he wants to feel the full force of jk's desire burning through him until there are no doubts left that they belong together. he sinks his hips down aggressively,

fucking himself on the alpha's cock faster. he yanks on jk's hair until the alpha's large eyes are focused on him again.

"am i not your omega?" jm asks fiercely.

jk grunts and nods, warming up to jm's pace but refusing to give him more than the tiniest of thrusts.

"then /take me./ take what's yours."

with that, the last of jk's restraint flies out the window. he's snapping his hips into jm's ass, cock reaching so deep that jm swears he can feel it in his belly. his knees are pressed up against his ears,

legs thrown over jk's shoulder, the alpha's powerful thrusts keeping him in place as the full length of his cock slides in and out of jm's rim and the drag is so good, so fucking good -

this is what his body was craving, this endless fullness and the way jk's girth stretches him so perfectly, he's almost crying in satisfaction. the world goes blurry as jk pounds into him again and again and /again/-

“such a greedy hole," comes jk's growl. the alpha's eyes are transfixed on where his cock is splitting jm open, wet and puffy and pink. "i’m the only who can fill you like this, isn’t that right jm-ah?"

jk adjusts his angle ever so slightly and his next thrust hits jm's prostate. jm cries out with the sudden pleasure, back arching and legs kicking out. jk snarls at the wet squelch as another wave of jm's slick soaks his shaft.

"say it. tell me i’m the only one who will ever be inside you.”

the alpha hits jm's prostate over and over, giving the omega no reprieve, the sensation obliterating every other thought from jm's brain. it's impossible to concentrate on responding when his orgasm is so close,

the alpha's merciless attention to that one spot bringing him right to the edge.

jk nips at his throat and jm gasps.

"ah, yes, yes, 's only for you alpha! only for you, 'm yours, just yours," his words almost slurred together as he's fucked too dumb to speak.

jk mouths over the omega's scent gland possessively, driven by instinct.

"mine," he pants against the omega's skin. he can feel the base of his cock swelling, and jm has clearly noticed it as well because he starts begging for the alpha's knot.

jm strains to accommodate the increased girth as jk fucks the knot past his raw entrance again and again until he's too big to pull out. the knot aligns perfectly against his prostate, pressure increasing in exactly the right spot as jk swells inside him, locking them together-

jm's orgasm rips through him as he comes completely untouched, walls fluttering around jk's enormous cock and milking the alpha's knot.

jk groans and then he's spilling his seed into jm's warmth, cum pouring into jm's body in wave after wave.

the omega shivers in satisfaction and jk collapses next to the smaller man, arms moving to wrap tight around jm's waist.

jm instantly snuggles into his chest and basks in the warmth of their bond, alpha and omega utterly sated.

he purrs in delight as jk keeps pumping him full of cum. they could not be closer than they are right now.

"i love you," the alpha whispers into his hair.

for the first time in jm's life, there is nothing more he wants than to stay in this moment right here.

///

they don't sleep more than an hour at a time that night. they're not sure whether it's jm's heat, a side-effect of the healed imprint, or just their own years of pent-up desperation, but neither of them are complaining.

each time they come together is more intimate than the last, until jm is sure the traces of jk will never fully leave him. they wrap themselves in a cocoon of soft sheets and spring rain as they bring each other never-ending pleasure.

in between their love-making, secrets spill between their lips. they share their own insecurities and fears, the things that kept them from each other for so long.

jk is absolutely shocked to learn that jm never realized the alpha's feelings.

"every single thing i did was to make you smile - and of course i wanted to do it, from the bottom of my heart. but it was the bare minimum my alpha demanded we do to take care of you too. as our mate."

jm blushes, somehow more embarrassed by the jk's tender confession than the fact that he's hanging off of the alpha's knot.

"i didn't think you wanted me that way," the omega mumbles into his pillow.

jk's hand squeezes jm's fondly. "i've wanted you in every way, jagiya. every single way." the omega shivers at the longing in his tone.

"i honestly didn't think i could do it," the alpha continues, "dance with you and touch you and kiss you and not completely give it away.+

+it was so obvious to everyone - tae and hobi and jin. i think even joon and yg knew."

jk snorts, recalling a memory. "well, if they didn't know before, they definitely know now." jm scrunches his nose at the reminder. he's sure they've both missed a dozen calls by now.

but then jk shifts his hips and jm moans and really, he can't be bothered to think about anyone else right now.

///

the rest of the week passes in a blur. they show up for rehearsal on monday afternoon after trying (and failing) to come up with a suitable excuse for their departure last week, and get an earful from yg about professionalism and returning phone calls in a timely fashion.

joon makes a traumatized face at their clearly intermingled scents and instructs them to speak with hr at their earliest convenience. jin cackles in the corner and teases them mercilessly.

tae and hobi wrap them in gigantic hugs and then bicker with each other about who in the company owes them money. jm feels mildly put out by the fact that bets were made over his years of painful pining, but jk presses a not-so-chaste kiss to his lips and jm decides to let it go.

the directors ask if they want to step out of the upcoming guest piece, offering the new couple personal tine, but both of them opt to perform. the choreographer nearly weeps in gratitude.

she names the piece 'truth untold', saying their story reminds her of an old love song.

the choreoraphy is still difficult. but at this point, the pas de deux feels like an extension of their souls.

jk's hands on him are as steady as they have always been,

the solidity of his arm wrapped around jm's thigh, and jm hurls himself into the air knowing beyond a doubt that jk will catch him.

the first time they perform the full piece to the rest of the company, they except cat calls and whistles. instead, the entire practice room falls silent. all eyes are glued to them. someone starts crying, and then someone else, until there's hardly a dry eye in the room.

on opening night, jm walks into his dressing room to find every surface covered in bouquets of jasmines. propped up against his vanity is a simple black frame with a single pieces of paper inside.

it's their first review, still crooked with water splashes and gochujang and all.

jm cries and then runs to jk's dressing room to scold him for ruining his make-up, but in bed that night he rides the alpha into the sheets whispering a chorus of "i love you"s into his ear.

another season passes. jm marks the time not by which roles he dances but by counting the number of kisses jk gives him each hour. they wear each other out in the studio during the day, onstage in the evening, and in bed at night.

or at home, rather, because it doesn’t necessarily involve a bed. jk solemnly writes out jm’s list of desired sex positions, and they check them off one by one and intend to write down a review and rating but usually just murmur it to each other in bed after.

some their bodies already know. when jm goes up on tiptoe and stretches his leg up onto jk's shoulder, it’s familiar. they’ve done it before. the only part that’s new is a hard cock and a slicked entrance and the way jk grins at jm playfully as he teases the omega with the tip,

until jm huffs and scolds him and he slides it in and all is forgiven. jm's learned to stop giving jk significant 'we’re trying this at home later' looks during rehearsal because this jk isn’t any better than fifteen year old jk at hiding his blushes.

he likes it when the alpha puts all those muscles to good use and holds him standing, fucking him onto his cock. jm also likes to be on top, pretending to pin jk beneath him,

as if all the alpha's strength couldn’t make quick work of his to flip him over and take him whenever he wants.

sometimes that's exactly what he does. jm buries his face in the alpha's shoulder and drowns in petrichor.

they’re as eager as teenagers for each other. they have a lot of missed time to make up for, after all. but they never have sex at work. that’s something jm is particularly proud of, and yg is grateful for,

though it probably has more to do with the existence of hindrances like tights and leotards than any particular level of self-control.

the couple who lives in the flat next to jk’s leaves a politely mortified note asking them to decrease their nocturnal volume.

they laugh until their sides hurt and they slide down from the sofa to the rug and practice making love quietly.

it’s not an entirely successful experiment.

they buy a house.

///

they have a little garden, and as soon as they’re officially moved in, jk goes to the local plant nursery and comes home with a jasmine bush that proceeds to grow so tall it blocks the kitchen window.

jm wants to prune it but jk absolutely refuses, saying he wants nothing more than for their home to be covered in his favorite flower inside and out. jm still flushes sometimes at the pet name.

their company's notoriety grows as yg and joon push the boundaries of modern ballet. they dance a contemporary version la sylphide, and jm makes history as the first male omega to ever originate a traditionally female ballerina role.

they’re both promoted to principal at the conclusion of bows at the final performance. jm drops the bouquet of flowers he’d been handed so he can hurl himself into jk's arms and cry.

their standing ovation goes on and on until his ears ring with it,

and he cries tears he hadn’t even known he'd been holding back. he feels a 16 year old boy breathe freely somewhere inside him.

after the curtain closes, jm drops to his knees and shakily holds out a ring. it's a simple band engraved with the words 'i am you, you are me.'

jk sweeps him up into his arms and doesn't put him down again until they get home and the alpha can fish out his engagement band that has been hidden in his sock drawer.

they rescue a dog from a nearby shelter, a doberman puppy that they name bam. he snuggles up extra close to them during thunderstorms and jk tries to convince jm it's because their son recognizes his favorite parent's scent.

jm turns 25. jk surprises him with plane tickets to japan and they take their first real vacation in years. they get papped at the hotel and laugh at seeing themselves in the front page of a tabloid in tokyo. tae and hobi call them to when all of them are going to disneyland.

they make more regular trips to busan to visit their parents, bam wagging his tail in the back seat as they alternate between rap and classical music. jm's eomma jokingly asks when she can expect grandchildren.

jk nearly spits out his water when jm answers earnestly

that he's in talks with yg to see if he can teach as part of his maternity leave when he wants a break from performing in a few years.

the alpha is insatiable that night, huffing into jm's ear about how beautiful he'll look carrying their pups. jm cums three times on jk's cock.

they dance 'truth untold' again when they are 27. there is no make-up this time - when they take off their layers, the bites they display are their own mating marks. the scars shine with a silvery glow, proof of their imprint and their bond as fated mates.

one top reviewer evidently didn’t get the message that the scars were real.

'preposterous,' the review reads, 'over-the-top makeup design with glittering marks, as if to portray a love beyond the wildest fairytale imagining. it surpasses indulgent to the point of distraction.'

they walk hand in hand to the corner market that morning to buy a copy of the paper. they come home and feed bam and jk starts chopping veggies for stew while jm carefully cuts out the lines.

they have real glue this time, so jm can stick it closer to perfectly straight (although still not quite). jk serves the stew in jm's favorite bowls and they eat in in the sunny corner nook with bam curled up in jk's lap.

after lunch, the alpha kisses the top of his mate's head and goes to find a frame. they hang it in their bedroom, next to another memory. the gochuchang stains have faded a little.

a love beyond the wildest fairytale imagining.

yes.

/fin.

HOLY HELL AND 15K WORDS LATER WE ARE DONE! thank u lovely reader for making it this far and hopefully enjoying 💜 let me know what you thought with a dm or qrt, all the comments make my day! 😚

next thread will def be less dramatic and less lengthy lol. until next time~ 🥰

popping back in to mention most of the ballets referenced are real - check out some of the ROH vids i watched while writing :)

~romeo & juliet:
~nutcracker:
~don quixote:
~giselle: