Work Text:
Taehyung had never thought much about subgenders. He never really paid attention to them, what difference did it make if someone were an alpha or an omega? He himself was a beta, smack dab in the middle of submission and dominance. Many labeled betas as boring or unromantic, since they didn’t have the same magnetic pull that alphas and omegas seemed to have to each other. But Taehyung never really minded, being a beta was easy.
Taehyung’s indifference towards his status didn’t change once the group formed. He and Hoseok were the only betas, the others were alphas and omegas. Other than being stuck with helping keep them hydrated and fed during their heats and ruts, betas didn’t have many obligations in a pack. Their scents weren’t as distracting, and they weren’t as affected by scents as alphas and omegas. In fact, Taehyung felt lucky to be a beta once they debuted. He didn’t have to wear scent blockers or keep up with a heat or rut cycle.
It was pretty early into the formation of bangtan that Taehyung found himself drawn to Yoongi. The small omega was pretty aloof, mostly keeping to himself. They seemed to be polar opposites, Taehyung’s sunny demeanor a sharp contrast to Yoongi’s grumpiness. Yet, Taehyung was enamored with him almost immediately. He went out of his way to get the rapper’s attention, to brush up against him at practice or sit next to him when the group ate together.
Yoongi smelled like freshly peeled tangerines, citrusy and sweet. Taehyung never had much of a taste for the fruit until Yoongi came along, but whenever they were apart he found himself craving oranges.
Yoongi never seemed to like him much. Maybe it was because Taehyung touched him too often or was too loud, but Yoongi seemed to avoid him like the plague when they were first moving into the dorms. Taehyung was persistent though, and eventually Yoongi seemed to warm up to him.
It came as a surprise to everyone when Yoongi asked Taehyung to court him, even Taehyung himself was shocked. Their dynamic was odd, but with patience and time they were able to maintain a healthy relationship. Taehyung absolutely adored him. He loved learning about his quirks and taking care of him. Everything about their relationship was perfect, and even the usually soft spoken Yoongi wasn’t shy about his love for Taehyung.
Their dynamics never played much of a role in their relationship, Taehyung thought. Yoongi was an omega, he was a beta, but that didn’t affect them much. Beta-omega bonds were less taboo as times changed, but there was still stigma around them. Taehyung didn’t care about that. Sure, beta-omega bonds were a little different than alpha-omega bonds. He couldn’t sense Yoongi’s emotions through the bond like an alpha could, but they were bound to each other nonetheless. For the first year in their relationship, Taehyung didn’t think about their dynamics at all, except for when he helped Yoongi through his heats.
The first time Taehyung started to doubt himself had been an accident on Jimin’s part.
Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin were hanging out together, per usual. Jungkook and Taehyung were playing a video game in the living room, Jimin draped across their laps. It had become a pretty common routine, for Jimin to come to them to whine about his painfully obvious crush on Namjoon.
Jimin had been in a sour mood lately. His heat was coming up and Namjoon was always busy with meetings and producing.
“Do you think he would say yes if I asked him to spend my heat with me?” Jimin whined, staring up at Taehyung from where his head was planted in his lap.
“Hyung’s pretty oblivious, Jimin. I don’t think that’s the way you should tell him you like him,” Jungkook replied. “You should wait until your heat is over and ask him to court you.”
Jimin groaned, burying his face in Taehyung’s stomach. “But I want him to take care of me,” Jimin said, muffled by the material of Taehyung’s shirt. “You alphas are always so stupid. You’re lucky you’re a beta Tae, you didn’t acquire the idiot hormone.”
Taehyung chuckled, ignoring Jungkook’s indignant protest. “Why is it so important that he spends your heat with you anyway? You know the pack will take care of you.”
“You don’t get it, Tae,” Jimin pouted. “Every omega wants an alpha to spend their heat with, and I want Namjoon.”
“ Jimin ,” Jungkook hissed, tearing his eyes away from the tv screen to glare at the omega.
“What?” Jimin whined, before it dawned on him. Oh. “Shit, Tae I didn’t-”
“Every omega?” Taehyung asked in a small voice. He’d never had a reason to doubt himself before. Sure, there were times when he wondered if he was handsome enough for someone as pretty as Yoongi, or if Yoongi would get tired of his personality. But he had never questioned himself on a biological level. He had never considered that him being a beta wouldn’t be enough for Yoongi.
His mind was reeling, trying to think of every heat he’d spent with Yoongi, every night they cuddled together. Was there a chance he wasn’t enough for Yoongi? He had no idea. Yoongi wasn’t exactly the typical omega, more quiet and demure. But he was still an omega, he still nested, he still craved affection even if he didn’t show it. Taehyung knew that omegas typically preferred alphas. There was no doubt Yoongi loved him, but what if an alpha came around who could take care of Yoongi better?
Jungkook sighed, he could see the doubt starting to creep onto his friends face. “Tae, don’t listen to him, alright? Yoongi loves you.”
“Yeah!” Jimin chirped desperately. “I mean there are plenty of omegas who don’t want alphas. I was just speaking for myself, I shouldn’t have generalized. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
Taehyung nodded, and he and Jungkook went back to their game. But the seed of doubt had been planted, and it only grew from there.
Taehyung didn’t read comments from fans often, something he felt a little bad about. He knew that there were millions who adored him and the rest of the pack, but he was usually too busy to sit and look at comments. He’d see a few here and there during promotions, or when he was posting a selca, but he never went out of his way to read them. Plus, he knew there were a lot of accounts dedicated to hating on him and his members or accounts made by obsessive fans who thought they were dating him. For an idol as famous as he was, it was better to turn a blind eye.
So Taehyung should have known what he was getting into when he found himself scrolling through fan accounts late one night. Yoongi was already asleep, tucked against his side, snoring softly against his chest.
There were plenty of comments praising him and putting him on a pedestal, but he didn’t have to dig too far to find ones that weren’t so nice.
taehyungie-oppa is so handsome! too bad he’s not an alpha, what a waste :(
i wish tae weren’t a beta
what’s the point of such a handsome face if he can’t even pop a knot?
why do they even let betas be idols? they’re so unattractive
Taehyung felt his mood sink instantly. Did people really think that of him? He knew they had a lot of omega fangirls, most of which preferred Namjoon, Jungkook, or Seokjin. In the back of his mind he knew that these comments were a tiny needle in the huge haystack of love he received, but he couldn’t help but feel discouraged.
It was even worse when he scrolled through some of Yoongi’s fan accounts. His and Yoongi’s relationship was public, there was no way they would be able to constantly hide their mating marks. Taehyung didn’t mind their fans knowing about their relationship, but it did come with some negativity. Yoongi had a lot of alpha fans, both girls and boys, that were pretty possessive.
why would yoongi settle for a beta??? tae is cool and all, but seriously???!!!
suga-oppa deserves a strong alpha to take care of him
ugh when are they going to break up already?? how much longer is yoonie gonna entertain that beta
it’s so obvious tae likes yoongi more than yoongi likes tae, it’s so embarrassing
Taehyung took a deep breath. He knew he should have stopped at the first negative comment he saw, but he couldn’t stop himself. It hurt, much more than what Jimin had said. Jimin at least didn’t mean it, but this was their fans, the people who were supposed to support all of them. Had he overestimated their fans opinion of him?
Taehyung was torn from his reverie when Yoongi shifted. He hurried to close out his tabs and shut his phone off, he couldn’t risk Yoongi seeing what he was looking at. Yoongi himself refused to look at hate comments and discouraged the others from doing so. He would probably scold him and tell him he was being silly.
He looked down at the omega in his arms, and his heart clenched. His eyes had adjusted to the dark, so he could make out the lines of Yoongi’s face. The omega had his cheek squished against his chest, face pulled into a pout. He always looked adorable when he slept, more vulnerable. Admiring his mate was bittersweet when his mind was so riddled with self-doubt. Taehyung wrapped his arms around Yoongi, stroking his hair. He had so much love for the omega, it was almost bursting out of his chest. It tore him apart to know it might only be temporary. Could those comments be right? Did he love Yoongi more than the omega reciprocated?
Taehyung eventually fell into a restless sleep, holding Yoongi tight.
Taehyung’s doubt finally reached its peak a few weeks later. They were being introduced to a new choreographer of theirs who would help Hoseok craft the dances for some of their new songs. The man seemed polite enough, introducing himself to all of the members, gushing about how he was looking forward to working with them.
The man was an alpha, something Taehyung wouldn’t normally notice, but recently he kept an eye on every new alpha the group came across. The alpha’s name was Minghao, and much to Taehyung’s chagrin he was tall and handsome, albeit a bit shy.
A few sessions of dancing and choreography passed without a hitch. But as Minghao got more comfortable with the group, he started to pay more attention to a certain raven-haired omega.
At first Taehyung didn’t really notice, the way the alpha would go out of his way to teach Yoongi certain moves. Yoongi didn’t like dancing very much, always complaining how much it tired him out, but he wasn’t terrible at it. Taehyung knew that Minghao should be paying much more attention to Namjoon and Seokjin, since they struggled more to pick up on choreography. Still the young alpha seemed determined to capture every moment he could with the omega.
Yoongi himself didn’t seem to notice. He humoured the alpha whenever he would try to make small talk, but he never showed much interest in Minghao. Taehyung knew he had nothing to worry about, it was his mark that adorned Yoongi’s neck. Still, he spent every dance practice on edge.
Taehyung didn’t notice that he had started to stay closer to Yoongi. He didn’t notice how cold he had been towards the young alpha until their leader confronted him on the way home from practice on day when it was just the two of them in the car.
“Tae, you really need to relax around Minghao,” Namjoon said sternly.
“I’m perfectly relaxed,” Taehyung countered with a shrug. “I’d be even more relaxed if he could keep his paws off my omega.”
“Geez,” Namjoon chuckled. “You sound like an alpha. You don’t have to be so possessive, Yoongi isn’t going anywhere.”
Taehyung frowned, he knew Namjoon was trying to get him to lighten up, but he felt mocked. Not wanting someone else to make a move on your mate was alpha-like? “Sorry, I’ll work on it,” He grumbled, more so to make the conversation end quicker. He wanted to go home and crawl into bed and disappear. Yoongi would probably be at his studio tonight, which was good. It was getting harder and harder to be alone with his mate without letting his thoughts get the better of him.
He could feel Namjoon’s eyes on his profile, scrutinizing him. “You’ve been off lately, Taehyung. Is everything alright?”
Taehyung sighed, rolling his eyes. “Everything’s peachy.”
“Did you and Yoongi fight?” Namjoon asked, making Taehyung’s head snap to look at him. Namjoon must have seen the surprise on Taehyung’s face, because he went on, “It’s just that you hover over him at practice but ignore him at home until you have to go to bed.”
Taehyung frowned. Had he been ignoring Yoongi? He couldn’t have been, he’s been constantly thinking about him. “No, we haven’t fought,” Taehyung mumbled. “And I haven’t been avoiding him, he must be avoiding me.”
Namjoon eyed him warily. “I think you should talk to him, you know how sensitive he is. Omegas don’t take well to being ignored by their mates.”
Taehyung just nodded, though he didn’t plan on talking to Yoongi. If their leader noticed that he and Yoongi had been distant, it must have been Yoongi avoiding him. Maybe the omega was more interesting in Minghao than he let on. Well, so be it, he’d just avoid him as well.
Eventually the choreography was finished and polished and their practices with Minghao ended. The alpha was out of their daily lives, but that didn’t put an end to the rift that was growing between the two mates. It was starting to affect the pack, knowing that there was something going on between the beta and the omega.
Yoongi started spending more nights in the studio, started talking less. It was making everyone nervous. Yoongi may be more introverted than the rest of them, but biologically omegas need closeness, especially with their mates. No one dared mention it, but they were all worried that the separation might cause a drop.
Omega drop’s didn’t happen often, but they weren’t completely obsolete. They usually only happened when omegas were rejected by their pack or their mate, also sometimes if an omega was hurt or in danger.
They were terrifying, essentially an entire shut down of the mind, only bare bones functions remaining. An omega who was dropping could hardly speak, their body losing almost all motor function. Jimin had one once, after he had passed out during practice. It took Namjoon almost an hour to draw him out of it. The pack knew they had to do something, they’d rather not deal with that again.
After another week of awkward tension amongst the pack before the rest decided to confront the couple. Seokjin made dinner and Namjoon sat Taehyung down. Jimin left to drag Yoongi home from the studio, so it was just the five of them remaining.
“Alright, Taehyung, I wanted you to sort this out yourself but obviously that isn’t going to happen,” Namjoon started, making Taehyung squirm in his seat. The beta knew this conversation was going to happen eventually, but he was in no way prepared for it. “You have to talk to Yoongi, Taehyung-ah. Or at least let the rest of us know what’s going on.”
“We’re not mad, Tae,” Hosoek interjected, looking softly at Taehyung. Hoseok and Taehyung had a special understanding of each other, as the only betas of the group. Hoseok had an inkling of what was bothering Taehyung, but he never brought it up. “We’re just worried. It isn’t like you to treat Yoongi like this, and it’s hurting the pack.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Taehyung insisted, earning a chorus of sighs from the members. “Yoongi and I just haven’t been close lately.”
Jungkook frowned, “If this is about what Jimin said a while ago-”
Taehyung rolled his eyes, “It’s nothing to do with that. Besides, Jimin was probably right.” Taehyung ignored the worried look Jungkook gave him. He knew his friend had been keeping an eye on him lately, the whole pack had. But their worry wouldn’t do him much good. If Yoongi didn’t want to be with him, there was nothing the pack could do about it.
Namjoon opened his mouth, ready to speak before his phone rang, interrupting him. “It’s Jimin,” Namjoon frowned, forehead scrunching in worry. He answered it, pressing the phone to his ear. They all watched as Namjoon’s eyes widened in alarm at what Jimin was saying. “We’ll be there soon, keep talking to him.” Namjoon grimaced. “You’ve got to relax honey, he needs you to be calm. I’ll be there soon, I promise. Okay?” Namjoon hung up, immediately standing and gesturing for Taehyung to follow him. “Taehyung, come with me. The rest of you stay here.”
The leader’s voice was incredibly serious. Taehyung paled, Namjoon had never spoken to him like that. His stomach curled with dread as he followed Namjoon out of the dorm.
“What’s going on?” Taehyung asked, trying to keep up as Namjoon sped out of the building.
“Yoongi dropped.”
It took them ten long minutes to get to Yoongi’s studio. Namjoon punched in the code, foregoing knocking. When the door swung open, the two were immediately met with the most heart wrenching thing they had seen in a long time.
Jimin was on the floor, sitting with Yoongi’s head in his lap. It was clear he was trying to quell his panic, his breaths shaky and laborious. There were tear tracks on his face, making his makeup run. He looked up, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw Taehyung and Namjoon in the doorway.
Taehyung had never been as scared as he was when he looked down to see Yoongi’s glassy eyes staring at the ceiling. He had seen Jimin drop, but that was nothing compared to seeing his own mate in that state. He immediately dropped to his knees, hands reaching out to cup Yoongi’s face. “Yoongi? Can you hear me?”
Yoongi didn’t even flinch. There was no sign he even recognized he was being touched.
Namjoon crouched down, wrapping an arm around Jimin. “Yoongi, listen to me. It’s your pack alpha,” Yoongi twitched at that, face pinching in confusion. At least that was some sort of response. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Yoongi’s far-away eyes blinked slowly. For a moment they thought he hadn’t registered that question either, until Yoongi’s lips slowly parted. “Mate rejected me,” He said slowly, whimpering.
Taehyung felt his throat tightening. Yoongi wouldn’t be in this situation if he had just taken Namjoon’s advice and talked to him. Now Yoongi’s omega felt rejected, which is the worst possible thing for a mate to experience. “Your mate’s here, Yoongi,” He said, gripping Yoongi’s hand. “I didn’t reject you.”
Yoongi was silent for a few beats. They all held their breath, waiting for him to speak. “Beta still wants omega?” It seemed like Yoongi’s eyes were a little more cognizant of where he was and who was talking to him, but his speech was still muddled.
“Always want you, Yoongi,” Taehyung felt his eyes well with tears. “I’d never reject you, baby. Come back to me.”
It took ten more minutes of Taehyung gently coaxing him for Yoongi to finally come back up. “Tae? Why’re you here?” Yoongi asked confusedly.
“What’s the last thing you remember, Yoon?” Jimin asked, gripping Namjoon’s hand tightly.
Yoongi frowned to himself. “I’m not sure, I was working on a track when you texted me saying that you were coming to pick me up. I’m not sure what happened.”
“You dropped, Yoongi,” Namjoon said gently.
Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows. “I don’t understand, I wasn’t hurt or anything. I was just here sitting at my desk.”
“It’s my fault,” Taehyung said, wiping off the remnants of his tears. “We need to talk.”
Yoongi eyed him warily. The omega still wasn’t quite sure what was going on and why everyone was suddenly in his studio crying on the floor. But he could guess what they would be talking about.
Namjoon sighed, pulling himself to his feet and helping Jimin up. The omega was practically dangling from him like a necklace, so shaken up. “Let’s go home, I’m sure the others are worried.”
After Namjoon explained to the rest of the pack what happened, they all had a turn at scenting Yoongi. The omega complained, but let them each smother him in their scents. He knew that the members had to be pretty shaken up.
They ate dinner in a terse silence. Taehyung wanted to talk to Yoongi as soon as possible, but he didn’t know when the omega had eaten last. He always looked too skinny after spending too much time in his studio. So Taehyung pushed his food around his plate, waiting for everyone to finish. He didn’t have much appetite, the image of Yoongi’s glassy eyes still fresh in his mind.
When the dishes were cleared and the pack had a second round of scenting Yoongi, Taehyung silently gestured for the omega to follow him to their room.
Once the door was shut behind them, Yoongi sat down on their bed, bringing his knees up to his chest. “I want to make this quick because it’s been killing me to not even be able to talk to you. So can you tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it?” Yoongi said, anxiously wringing his hands.
Taehyung’s heart clenched. “You haven’t done anything wrong, baby,” Taehyung sat down next to him, though not too close. He knew he had fucked up, even if Yoongi didn’t know it yet.
Yoongi’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I must have, you’ve been pushing me away.”
Taehyung took a deep breath, he knew this was going to be long winded. “It’s my fault Yoongi. I just… Well I’ve heard some things that made me doubt our relationship. It has nothing to do with you, I’ve just been so insecure. You’re perfect Yoongi, and I want the best for you. And m-maybe I can’t give it to you. Maybe you’d be better off finding an alpha who can care for you better than I can. I mean isn’t it obvious I’m not good enough? I made you drop.”
“An alpha?” Yoongi said, affronted. “What makes you think I’d want an alpha?”
Taehyung shrugged, “Well Jimin said-”
“Park Jimin,” Yoongi seethed. “I’m going to kill that moron-”
“It wasn’t just him,” Taehyung rushed out. “I’ve been reading comments from army, they all think you’d be better off with an alpha,” Taehyung avoided looking at Yoongi, knowing he would probably be disappointed that he subjected himself to hate comments. “A-And Minghao seemed to like you. I don’t know I just thought-”
“You thought I’d be interested in that baby alpha?!” Yoongi squawked, eyes widening. “I barely talked to him, what gave you the idea that I’d want him?”
“Well not him specifically,” Taehyung whined. It did sound a little ridiculous when it was reverberated by Yoongi. “Just- I thought that since he liked you so much you’d realize that you’d rather have an alpha’s attention.”
Yoongi was quiet for a moment, before he took Taehyung’s hand. “Tae, we’ve been together for over a year. Have I ever done or said anything that would make you think I wanted more than you?”
Taehyung frowned. Yoongi hadn’t, he always made him feel loved. “No.”
“I know that someone like Jimin prefers alphas, but I don’t, alright?” Yoongi said, squeezing Taehyung’s hands. “I never considered mating anyone until I met you. I’m not exactly the model omega, you know. I’m not as pretty or bubbly as Jimin. No one even showed much interest in me before you.”
Taehyung pouted, “I think you’re twice as pretty as Jimin.”
“You’re biased.” Yoongi smiled, pulling Taehyung’s hand up to his mouth to press a kiss onto his knuckles. “And you’re perfect, Taehyung. You’re all I could ever ask for and then some. I never thought someone could love me like you do,” Yoongi bridged the minor gap between them to curl himself against Taehyung’s side, resting his head on his shoulder. “And I love you so much, my beautiful beta.”
Taehyung blushed, leaning his head against Yoongi’s. “I can’t believe I’ve been such an idiot. I made you drop, it was scary, Yoon.”
Yoongi hummed, “That’s why we have to talk to each other when we’re feeling insecure, okay? Namjoon might tear your head off if you scare the pack like that again.”
Taehyung groaned, “Don’t remind me. I’m sure I’m gonna get lectured later.”
“Yeah, you definitely are,” Yoongi giggled, looking up at Taehyung. The omega leaned up to kiss him gently. “I missed you so much. I really thought you might be having second thoughts about mating me.”
“Never,” Taehyung said, kissing his nose. “I’ll try to never make you feel like that again.”
“Good,” Yoongi flashed him a gummy smile. “Now you have to cuddle with me. I missed sleeping in our bed, the couch in my studio isn’t the most comfortable.”
Taehyung didn’t hesitate to pull the covers back, pulling Yoongi along with him to curl up under them. “You better stay out of that studio for the next week or I’ll get Namjoon to change the code.”
Yoongi giggled against Taehyung’s chest. “Don’t worry, I want to make up for lost time,” Yoongi whispered coquettishly, trailing his hands down Taehyung’s chest. “You want to take care of your omega, don’t you?”
Taehyung’s face heated, his hands instinctively gripping Yoongi’s waist. “Always.”
The pack was waiting anxiously in the living room. They were worried whether or not Taehyung and Yoongi would be able to sort it out, but judging by the sounds that were coming from their room that night, they made up just fine.