Parfait

Chapter One

Seven men gathered on a large sectional sofa, serious expressions on their faces. They were an interesting assortment, with only one common thing apparent on sight: they were all impossibly handsome. It took a nose to deduce the other thing they all shared. Though they acted as a pack, all seven were alphas. The tallest of them had called the rest together, and it was this one that started the conversation. "Jungkook, you couldn't even last a month this time," Namjoon sighed. "Our pack needs at least one omega."

"The last guy smelled like lilies," the youngest alpha whined. "And it was strong. The whole dorm smelled like him. I told the company no floral scents."

"But you complained about the sisters who both smelled like vanilla," Seokjin countered. "We thought you would love them!"

"Jimin-hyung smells like vanilla. It was confusing," Jungkook grumbled. "Our pack is already balanced. I can't handle having anyone here unless they actually make it better."

Bangtan Seonyeondon's maknae was a sensitive soul, in more than one way. He had been very in-demand as a trainee, but when it came time to choose from his many offers, he had followed his nose. The scents of the seven BTS members were a unique combination that resulted in a harmony most bands aimed for but few achieved. Jungkook likened it to the perfect dessert. Some were typical alpha smells like Namjoon's strong chocolate and Seokjin's spicy blend that resembled gingerbread at its mildest and mulled wine when it richened. Others were more unusual but powerful in their own ways: Taehyung's rich caramel, Yoongi's sharp citrus, and Jungkook's tangy pomegranate. Pulling them all together were Jimin's creamy vanilla bean and Hoseok's fresh strawberry, mild scents that were usually associated with omegas and betas. Yet there was no question that the two dancers were all alpha when they took to the stage.

Jungkook had tolerated a few house omegas when he was young and shy, both because he struggled to stand up for himself and because his instincts had been quieter during his teen years. His personal confidence and alpha presence had grown once he breached his twenties, and as he shouldered his way through the pack hierarchy he also took a stand on their companion omegas. Under his exacting standards, none of the stand-in pack members lasted more than six months- half of their usual contract.

"House omegas aren't meant to be real pack members, Jungkookie," Jimin pointed out, trying to keep the sharpness from his voice. "They're for cuddles and ruts, so we don't go alpha when the fans smell nice. Not all of us run on our noses like you do."

"I'm due to rut in a month," Yoongi growled. "Unless one of you plans to volunteer to help me, we're finding at least one house omega." Jungkook flinched at the sour note in the rapper's scent. Calm and collected Yoongi despised his rut and the loss of self-control, and having a partner kept it short. He normally put up with the maknae's picky nature, but this was too close for comfort.

"We all have to make compromises for dorm living," Hoseok pointed out. "We're going to have to find something that works, JK. We're a pack, and we're a band, so we have to solve problems at home before they become problems at work too."

Namjoon stood up, indicating the meeting was coming to a close. "We're interviewing new candidates all week. Jungkook, I promise we're taking your needs into account as much as possible, but you can't run the next one off early. Please, prepare yourself for whatever we can find- our choices are going to run out at some point."

The members scattered to whichever individual tasks were calling, except for Jungkook, who stretched across the longest section of the couch with a pillow pressed into his face. It had taken ages to rid the dorm of the last offensive omega smell. Lilies were probably fine on their own, and Jungkook wouldn't mind encountering that omega on the street, or even spending time together alone. But the dorm already held a complex cocktail of scents. He took deep comfort in being able to pick up a random couch cushion and knowing it would smell nice no matter which roommates had been using it last. Right now he had spiced orange because his two eldest hyungs had been sitting together. The warm caramel that told him Taehyung approached blended right in.