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The doors of the train compartment closed with much squeaking and hissing before the vehicle rolled into motion.It was all background, mixing with the noise of quiet conversations into something like static, just more human. The headphones plugged into your ears dulled every sound even though the music that had been playing from them not too long ago had died.It was difficult to keep your eyes open for longer than a few heartbeats. More often than not they drooped close, your head tipped forward and face half buried in the scarf wrapped around your neck. It was obsolete this far below the surface, where the harsh winter wind couldn’t touch you, but you were too tired to take it off. Besides, it was only... Only... Four stations until yours? Five? Six?At the next stop cold air wafted into the train, making you shiver. You took a deep breath, hoping it’d clear your head a bit. Enough that you wouldn’t nod off fully, would be able to walk home, shove something into the microwave and then fall into bed. You’d really earned it, after today...A pair of legs in smooth pants stopped next to your double seat, and without thinking about it you pulled your backpack and coat closer around you, an unmistakeable ‘okay’ to whoever had silently asked if it’d be okay to sit down.The headache from not drinking enough water made itself noticeable again when the doors beeped loudly, amplified the sound and knocking it against your temples. With two fingers on each side you tried to gently massage the pain away, hoping for relief.The pounding eased down after you’d popped your ears while yawning, but that only made it easier to remember how much your eyes were burning, your feet were hurting, your lips chapped-With eyes closed you angled your head differently, to follow the scent that suddenly spread around you, that lulled you in.It smelled inexplicably good.Your thoughts, sluggish and dull, couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it smelled like, but behind your eyes summer fields of golden grain spread under a deep blue sky, framed by lush green woods that dripped with moisture. The gentle breeze around you carried the scent of fresh linens and a rich flower garden somewhere out of sight. A double path of dirt spread under your bare feet, leading into the fields.A soft sigh escaped your nose, along with a tiny whine.The traincarriage jostled from side to side and almost broke the illusion.Not wanting it to end, your nose sook out closer proximity to the origin of the comforting scent.Your fingers, wound tight to keep your sweater wrapped over your hands, loosened up and you drifted off into a slumber before you knew it. “-hearts are gotta get up now, terminal station. Train’ll go outa service, too, so better collect ya things.”“Oh we’re not-““Just get movin’ alright.”Words drifted to your ears. There was a warmth spread throughout your body like you hadn’t felt it in months, and part of you was unwilling to let it go.The other, curious part, however, wanted to know what the voices, one rough and deep, one soft and clear, were going on about.Opening your eyes felt like falling through a cloud and being abruptly put down on the ground again.The pillow your cheek had rested on suddenly moved, gave out from underneath you and forced you to fully awake instantly. You sat up, more because it was a first instinct after being roused.A gentle, warm hand touched the cheek that hadn’t been mushed into the clothed surface you’d been resting on before as you blinked to clear your vision.“Hey, are you awake?” Your brain needed a moment to connect the empty seats and the droning silence surrounding you, the cold air slowly flooding the carriage, the previous words of the deeper voice.“Wha-?”You put weight on your right hand to fully disconnect yourself from the wool coat you’d been resting on, but only after not feeling it and staring at the jeans clad leg that was pressed against yours did you realize you weren’t supporting yourself on your own leg.The rough voice rang out again, surprisingly loud-“Ya, lovebirds! I don’t have all night, hurry u’ won’t ya?”Out of reflex your fingers tightened as your head ducked down to avoid the full blow of the words to your sensitive ears. When had you lost your headphones?“Come on.” The soft voice spoke again. “Can you walk?”The scent surrounded you, safe, warm, and his voice was so pleasant to listen to he could’ve made the most boring texts sound fascinating.Your bleary eyes managed to focus on the face belonging to the leg, the body that you had so rudely slept on just now – on the eyes almost round in worry and anticipation, yet it took a moment longer until the melodious words formed a sentence in your head.“I’m? Oh no, sorry, I’m so sorry, I-“ As if burned, you ripped away your hand from its questionably high position on the other’s thigh, and you nearly tripped over yourself trying to get up and out of the train.The honeyblond guy followed you out into the cold, where you shook your head to finally clear the last wisps of sleep and exhaustion.You turned to look back, lips pressed into a single line in fear at the reaction you’d involuntarily get.“Hey, listen, I am- extremely sorry, I don’t know why I- jeez, I must’ve been more tired than I thought, I, I’m so sorry, I didn’t, I didn’t mea- I didn’t mean to sleep on you I-“The other lifted his hands and slightly bend forward, momentarily halting the flow of words springing forth from your mouth.“Please don’t- No need to apologize this much, it’s okay. It’s okay, really, I...” He laughed nervously. “I fell asleep as well. –completely didn’t notice- I, your scent really calmed me down, I’m sorry-“ “You? No nono, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have- Oh jeez.” The hand that had been decidedly too high on his leg not even five minutes ago burned with heat. The uncomfortable feeling spread throughout your whole body, until you could feel the heat radiating from your cheeks. You clutched the treacherous appendex by the wrist in your other hand, cradling it to your chest, staring up into the soft dark eyes that held no inkling of malice.“Aw man, please don’t think I’d be- I usually have myself in check, I swear, I don’t go around sleeping on every guy I come across, I s-“His hand gently caught hold of your shoulder and he bend his head down to meet your gaze.“It’s okay, I promise. Noone got hurt, we’re okay. Okay?”You weren’t, not in the slightest, but you swallowed the next wave of apologies and nodded. Instead of dwelling on the little ‘we’ that had just slipped into his sentence, you cleared your throat and straightened up.“I’m _______, and I’d like to formally apologize for abusing you as a pillow.”You looked at him with wide eyes, gnawing on your bottom lip with worry.His face lit up as he smiled, puffy eyes bending to fit his radiant grin and his attempt at hiding it useless.“I’m Jimin, and I’d like to formally apologize for using your head as a pillow, too.”For one moment longer you both looked at each other expectantly. Then Jimin couldn’t hold back any longer, his hands shooting to his face to hide his laughter that mixed with yours and bounced off the walls in the empty station.To avoid another comment from the grumpy conductor that still prowled along the platform edge, you tugged on Jimin’s sleeve and approached the escalators that headed upstairs.The wind swept through the station, howling around the corners outside, and after your hair had settled against your scalp again you were able to pick up on the strong scent of warm grass and summer air that clung to it. Running your hand through the strands you half-heartedly tried to comb it out as best as possible, but only managed to work it deeper into the lengths.Jimin’s eyes nervously flickered over, watching your movement.“I guess if you shower, it’ll probably- It’ll probably wash out.”“I guess.” Your own gaze fled the area where his left hand rubbed over the leg of his pants, across the spot your wrist had been resting against. “How thick are those pants?”If they were too thin – and you feared the chance they might be – your own scent could have leaked through, into the scent gland located there. Accidentally scent-marking a stranger – a very pretty stranger, at that – on the subway, and in such an intimate place, was around the bottom of your to-do-list; especially as you couldn’t know if he had a significant other who would most likely take offense at such a blatant disregard for personal space and societal boundaries.You could already picture getting thrown out of bed at an ungodly hour tomorrow, just to open the door in PJs and find a fuming Alpha or Beta or Omega on your doorstep, out for your blood.“Don’t worry about my pants. I’d be lucky to have someone sc-“You looked back at him in time to see his eyebrows twitch as he cut himself off, coughing a couple of times to play over the suddenly wistful expression on his face.You continued to look at him until eventually his eyes circled back to meet yours. After he broke the contact, he dropped his head.“I’m a mess.” He mumbled, running a hand over his forehead and then through his hair, before huffing out a laugh. Then he looked at you again, directly. “Don’t worry about scent-marking me. It’s the least of my concerns right now, especially considering you-“He broke off again and licked over his lips once. “I acknowledge how weird this might sound, as we really don’t know each other, but you- You smell /really/ good. I haven’t been this relaxed in weeks.”You shied away from the compliment, burying your face behind your scarf instead.“It can’t be that relaxing...”“Are you kidding me? I fell asleep in a subway full of people, if that’s not a statement to just how calming you can-...” He trailed off after you looked up and revealed the crooked grin on your face.“Incredible. Making me defend myself just to- You enjoy to see other people suffer, don’t you. If you’d told me I was a weirdo to my face, that’d have been less painful!” He began to whine through a grin of his own. You laughed.“Ah well. Can’t argue with that.” You briefly grinned at the floor before the smile dropped off your face and you turned serious again. “No, but really, I get you. You- I’ve sat next to people who definitely smelled less pleasant than you.”The small confession seemed to calm Jimin’s nerves to some extent. He shoved his hand into his pockets, watching you for a moment.You both arrived at the ticket gates and he beckoned you to pass through before him.After he’d caught up with you, you slowed to a stop.“Jimin...” Not really knowing where to go on from here on out, you looked up at the other.The golden shine from the streetlights outside made his dark eyes twinkle, and a small smile spread on his lips in response to hearing his name called. “Thanks for not taking offense.”He glanced down on his trainers. “Thanks for not freaking out and screaming my ear off after waking up with my scent all over you.”Another moment in which you both simply looked at the other. His posture was open and relaxed, almost inviting. His winter coat was unbuttoned at the front to accommodate the higher temperatures in the trains, allowing a glimpse of the soft, fluffy wool pullover underneath. You could smell the faintest trace of yourself on him and with the shy smile on his face, everything prompted you to hug your arms around him, hold him close. Stay together.The corresponding limbs twitched at the thought, but you held back.“Well, I guess this is good night, then.”His voice had dipped down, was now slow and careful.You nodded in agreement, already feeling the creeping sadness at having to bid farewell and likely never seeing him again.“Yeah, I guess. Good night, then, Jimin.” The wind slipped through the crack opening in the door as you pushed it outwards, sending a thankful glance over your shoulder as Jimin’s hand prevented the metal frame to fall back and hit your face as the pressure from outside increased.He’d been right behind you, and only your backpack, slung over your shoulders, acted as a barrier to keep him at distance. Your feet automatically found their way on the path that would lead you home. Before your thoughts could take a nose dive into the bottomless pit that had opened somewhere inside you though, you heard footsteps rapidly approaching and then a tug on your sleeve.Jimin stood before you, breathing elevated and undoubtly just having jogged the short distance that had formed between you and the entrance of the station.“Would- Would you be okay with meeting up sometime? Maybe... maybe go somewhere, have a coffee – get to know each other? Properly?”A drop of warmth fell through your middle into the pit of your stomach, and it formed a wide smile on your face.“I’d love to. Hold on.”You slipped the strap of your backpack off your shoulder and rummaged around its depths before procuring a sharpie.Jimin’s fingers curled around yours, holding his palm steady, as you wrote your number on the back of his hand. Then you twisted around to drop the pen back into your bag. Only when you turned to face him again did you notice he still carefully held on to the hand you had used to stabilize his. The words to tell him he’d have to let go got stuck not even half way out of your throat.His gaze was trained on where skin touched skin, was solely focused on the way he gently clasped his other hand over yours, together turned them over so the inside of your palm faced up.The beauty of his face, the spare light dipping his features into mysterious shadows and only highlighting along his brows, nose, lips and chin was absolutely mesmerizing to observe. His fingertips, warm, almost hot, inched closer to your wrist, ran over the lines creasing your skin until his pointer finger gently slipped into your sleeve, over the soft skin and its invisible scent glands there.His advance allowed cold air to touch the sensitive area, and at the feeling you sucked in air through your teeth, momentarily breaking Jimin’s concentration, making him glance up and freeze in his action.“I’m sor-““No, no, It’s-“What were you doing?Nervosity crept up your legs as he looked at you. For a heartbeat longer it seemed like he wanted to say something; thought different of it and carefully let go of your hand.“I’m, sorry, I shouldn’t- ask you to.” He swallowed and blinked down on you, eyes heavy and voice thick with something you couldn’t recognize. Hurt?“I don’t know you. ...You don’t know me. Do you think it’d be wise to-““Probably not.” His whisper held no hesitation. He locked eyes with you, tongue wetting his lips once more. “But... Just once won’t hurt, right?”Had he been talking quietly before was it now almost impossible to hear him, so small had his whisper grown. You thought you could see your own impulse, the same deeply rooted wish, reflected in his eyes as they left your face for your neck, your wrists.Your mouth had gone dry in anticipation, yet he didn’t make another move.With eyes still focused on his expression you stretched out your hand. He shifted his weight and parted his lips, and you fished the tumbled words out of your otherwise clear head, now that you had come to a decision.“Give me your wrist.”His nose twitched and he visibly swallowed at the possessive ring in your whisper.At the reaction you were quick to backpedal.“I, I mean. May I have your wrist. Please?”His eyes wouldn’t leave yours, but the contact wasn’t staring. It was more like he was holding on lovingly, if the smile on his face was any indication.“Yes.” He mumbled and lifted his arm, pulled the sleeve of both his pullover and coat back, exposing the gland. A fresh wave of scent reached your nose, causing you to take a deep breath.It didn’t take much, with the way Jimin’s fingers had already stirred up the sensitive skin, for your own to collect some of the pheromones and then gently rubbing them into the exposed spot on his arm.He pressed his other hand to his mouth but wasn’t fast enough to suppress the beginning of a soft, pining whine that was half sound and half sigh.You’d thought he’d pull back, get shy and hide, but he stayed, his breathing levelling out.“You wanna mark me, too?”At your calm suggestion his eyes jumped up from where he cradled his wrist to his chest. “Would you like me to?”“This isn’t a one sided thing, you know.” I’m just better at hiding the effects you have on me, you added silently. He used his thumb to swipe over his own, untouched gland several times before pressing it to your pulse point. A small shudder ran over your back at the contact, anticipation amplifying the reaction of his scent mingling with yours. An hour ago you hadn’t even known of his existence, and yet here you were, feeling a tingle spread from your wrist through your arm. You weren’t sure why, or how, but in the small span of time between him sitting down next to you and now, the feeling of not knowing him vanished. It felt more like reconnecting with a friend from kindergarten – at some point you had been irreseperable, known everything about each other. And then you’d gone different ways, grew up without so much of a blink of each other. Leaving you unknown to the other, with the underlying sense of do knowing him.In the back of your head you were aware of how late it was, how you should really get yourself home, and yet...And yet Jimin’s presence wrapped you in and kept you close, a desire, a curious feeling in your midst wanting to know more, about him, about himself. Wanted to know, to see him, discover who he was as.“Call me.” You mumbled, registering Jimin’s nod and the way he shakily breathed through his mouth. And then you stepped away from him, broke the spell you’d been under for the past minutes.As you reached the other side of the road you didn’t dare look back.Your feet carried you, hastily, over cement and asphalt, but when you turned your gaze inwards, you couldn’t find regret in yourself.Now that he was out of sight you didn’t hesitate to shove your nose up your sleeve, to breathe in the way your fragrances mixed and mingled. It wasn’t quite as intoxicating as smelling him, his pure scent, but it was still enough to have your heart swelling in your chest.For the moment all the “what if’s” were forgotten. You could’ve sung out the euphoria blooming in your chest for all to hear.It had been a long time since someone had marked you last, longer since you had marked someone. The image on Jimin, teetering on the edge right before he had proposed the idea, and the sheer relief on his face as you had touched your finger to his wrist wouldn’t leave your mind. He had looked happy, too.It couldn’t have been wrong. “Call me soon, Jimin.” You breathed into the night. A while later and a few miles away, Jimin curled up under his blanket with his nose pressed into his wrist, unbeknownst to him settling down in a very similar position as you.The shivering that had clung to his shoulders the past nights, the fear of his recurring nightmares, got swept away by the comforting smell emanating from his skin.“Tomorrow,” He sighed, relishing in the warmth that was radiating out of the area behind his naval since your head had come to rest on his shoulder. “Wait for me, _______.”