World Building Facts:

Pups recognize their parents largely by scent. The lack of it can be very confusing and unsettling.

Yoongi and Jimin watched, worried, as Kookie limply laid down on the stretcher. The seizure had ended, but the pup was still breathing shakily, skin pale and clammy.

The EMT's had given Jungkook's nose bleed one look before asking, "Is he over-stimulated?"

"Y-yes," Jimin answered, unable to look away from his pup.

"Probably shock then, Lisa, give him epinephrine and diphenhydramine."

"Yes, sir."

As one EMT readied the shots, the other one leaned over Jungkook, checking his breathing.

Jungkook whined as he got the shots, and Yoongi stopped Jimin from instinctively ripping the EMT away from Jungkook. Jimin's maternal instincts were tearing up his mind, and it was all he could do to just stay in Yoongi's arms.

"Airway is a little closed up, but I'm more worried about the shallow breathing. Prepare the oxygen mask just in case," the man ordered.

Jimin and Yoongi watched silently as the EMT's did their best to stabilize Jungkook; doing their very best not to interfere.

"His heart-rate is a little too high for my liking. How's his BP?" "70 over 50."

The older Medic hissed, "That's lower than I'm comfortable with. If he doesn't improve with the epinephrine in a minute, we'll add an IV line to give fluids."

"Normal saline?" the younger EMT asked.

The older Medic turned towards Jimin and Yoongi, "Has he eaten recently?"

Jimin timidly shook his head, "No, not since eight this morning."

"Hartmann's then."

While the younger medic set everything else up, the older one smiled at Jungkook, wrapping the pup up in a blanket.

"Hey, buddy," the EMT greeted, "Can you give me some deep breaths, hm?"

Jungkook was drowsily blinking up at the Medic, shoulders shaking with his quick uneven breaths.

"Come on, breathe in deeply with me, can you do that?" the Medic asked with a professional smile.

When Jungkook proved fairly unresponsive, the Medic looked over at the younger EMT, "Let's start him up on Oxygen, and give him that IV line."

She nodded, slipping an oxygen mask over Jungkook's face, the soft hiss of air echoing in Jimin's ears. The older medic carefully slipped the IV needle into the crook of Jungkook's arm, hanging the bag of fluids next to the cot.

The older medic turned towards the driver, "How much longer to Kim Hospital?"

"Ten minutes."

"Good," the Medic turned back towards Jungkook, "Just try to take even breaths for me, bud, you're doing great."

Jungkook's eyes slowly fluttered shut, the pup's breathing slowly becoming even.

"There we go," the EMT smiled, shoulders loosening with relief, "Keep an eye on his BP, I want it up to at least 100 over 70 by the time we arrive."

"Yes, sir."

Jimin and Yoongi watched tensely as the situation seemed to calm down. The older Medic turned towards them, offering a reassuring smile.

"Will he be alright?" Yoongi asked, warily glancing at Jungkook.

"He'll be fine," the EMT reassured confidently, "Bit of an extreme case of pup sensitivity, but nothing too worrying. He should feel much better by the time we reach the hospital. Worst case scenario, they'll offer him some stronger steroids when we arrive, but otherwise we'll just give him more fluids and Benadryl until his heart rate and blood pressure even out."

Jimin looked at the EMT, "What about the seizure?"

"Just a side effect of being over-stimulated. The doctors might take a scan to make sure everything's okay, but I don't see it as too big of an issue."

You're going to be alright, Kookie.

Yoongi hugged Jimin a little tighter, relief washing over both of them.
—
"Mr. Kim, Mss. Kim," Dr. Seong greeted, offering an overly respectful 90 degree bow. Jimin and Yoongi smiled back, ducking their heads in response.

Jimin had never been so grateful for Seokjin's company until this very moment right now. This was a Kim hospital.

The hospital's most senior doctors rushed to meet the ambulance. Kookie was diagnosed by a team of the five best pediatric doctors in Seoul. He was given priority for tests and scans. The pup was never left alone. Everything was checked and double checked by multiple people.

Jungkook received the best, most personalized care any pup could receive, no matter the fact that his condition was hardly life threatening.

"Dr. Seong," Jimin greeted back, leaning against Yoongi's chest.

Dr. Seong was their personal doctor. Seokjin had added her to the Kim Hospital in Seoul's payroll as a precaution, running all of Jungkook's treatments through her. It had been indescribably relieving for the ambulance doors to open, and for Jimin to see her standing in front of the hospital doors, a host of other doctors around her.

She stood in front of them, hair looking a little haphazard, likely from all the running around she had been doing. But, she still looked sharp, intelligent. She was wearing a pencil skirt, a silk blouse printed in a signature Gucci print, underneath her tailored white coat, looking every bit the well- paid Doctor they ensured she was.

It was a bit hard for Jimin to trust an Alpha doctor. He'd much prefer a whip-smart Omega or a stable Beta, but Dr. Seong had proved herself enough, despite being an Alpha.

And Jungkook was most comfortable with her.

The Doctor held herself with confidence. The maternal sort of confidence that held concern for Jungkook at its forefront, but armed with the capability to cut any of her obstacles down.

She had rushed to meet them at the ambulance, dropping whatever inconsequential tasks she had been doing before.

"Should we discuss Jungkook's condition right now, or would you rather wait for your mates to arrive?" the Alpha doctor asked, a comforting smile on her face.

Jimin glanced at Yoongi. Yoongi gave him a look.

"Right now is fine. We'll relay the information to our mates later," Jimin admitted, unable to restrain his worry and curiosity.

Dr. Seong nodded, understanding, "That's perfectly fine."

She stepped into Jungkook's hospital room, shutting the door behind her. It was a large, private suite; the kind given to celebrities when they got a forty thousand dollar nose job.

Jimin, Yoongi, and the Doctor sat at circular table. As Dr. Seong opened up what was presumably Jungkook's file, she started, "First of all. I want to reassure you that none of the injuries Jungkook received are permanent. He'll recover from everything, albeit some sooner than others."

Jimin and Yoongi nodded.

"He had lacerations on his wrists and ankles-"

"From zipties," Jimin added.

The Doctor winced sympathetically, "Yes, those were fairly straight forward. They weren't deep. We cleaned them, anti-septic, anti-bacterials, etcetera. They didn't overlap his parenting bites, so even if he has scarring, it won't impact them. He also had bruising on his face and chest, likely from blunt force trauma."

"Meaning?" Jimin asked. He knew what blunt force trauma meant. But he knew it from a legal perspective, and he was praying that it was used differently as a medical term.

"The kidnapper likely slapped him... multiple times."

Yoongi choked down a snarl. Jimin couldn't help the pained whine that left his throat.

His baby. Jungkook. The pup that wasn't even three feet tall. Slapped. The Kims might have butchered dozens, but they never raised a hand against Jungkook. For someone to have slapped Jungkook, something that their pack found inherently disgusting.

They had promised Jungkook that they'd never raise a hand against him. Jimin considered this a broken promise.

"I'm sorry, Mss. Kim," Dr. Seong said, softly.

Jimin shook his head, trying to clear his head, "I'm fine, keep going."

"We gave him some anti-inflammatories, and hydrocortisone to reduce swelling and the discoloration, but that's about all we could do there," Dr. Seong explained, pointing at the list of medications Jungkook had been given.

"Is that all? For his outside injuries that is? No broken bones or... other trauma," Yoongi trailed off tentatively, fear strongly underlining his voice.

Jimin's breath hitched. The Omega froze, icy terror filling his chest.

The Doctor vigorously shook her head, "Jungkook was not taken advantage of, I assure you. The lacerations and the bruising are all the injuries he sustained, apart from his nose. Nothing else." Jimin slumped back into his chair in relief, though his chest was still painfully tight. "Jesus."

This was a possibility. It had been, for a split second, a possibility. Jungkook. Jimin's pup could have been...

Yoongi took Jimin's hand, rubbing soothing circles on Jimin's palm, "I apologize. I just had to ensure that nothing had happened."

The Doctor nodded with a sympathetic expression, "I understand, Mr. Kim. There's no need to apologize. For something so important, it's good to make certain."

Jimin couldn't breathe. The thought of- of, he couldn't even bring himself to think about it. "So," Jimin started, forcibly changing the subject, "Jungkook's nose?"

Dr. Seong jerked into motion, pulling out a scan, "Right. Jungkook had an extreme bout of Pink Button syndrome. It's when a pup gets overstimulated and burned by an abrasive foreign smell. It's extremely similar to an allergic reaction."

"Jungkook's reaction was a bit extreme, but we can attribute that to the stressful situation and that Jungkook is just generally more sensitive to smells than a typical pup."

She pointed to a MRI of Jungkook's nose, "See this small gland here? That's what identifies scent. As you can see here, Jungkook's is incredibly swollen, because all of the scent receptors are burnt, which is what caused the nose bleed."

"Burnt?" Jimin repeated, scared.

"Not to ash. Like a sun burn. They're just damaged, but they'll heal, I assure you," Dr. Seong reassured, "The EMT's gave him epinephrine and Benadryl for the swelling and pain. We just kept that up. He was improving enough that we didn't have to go to steroids."

Jimin nodded. That made sense.

"The swelling has since gone down, and I don't expect it to come back. Though, his nose is still extremely sore and sensitive. I'd suggest not letting him leave your home for at least the next week or so. Any unfamiliar scents can exacerbate his injuries."

Jimin frowned. The sharp smell of cleaning supplies and the vague scent of the sick tickled his nose. "But the hospital is unfamiliar?"

She smiled, "The goal is to get him out of here as soon as possible, I assure you. I'd like to have him discharged within the hour."

Yoongi nodded, "So, Jungkook had Pink Button Syndrome, which is just a nose bleed? Then, what caused the seizure? Or the rest of his symptoms?"

Dr. Seong shook her head. "The burnt scent receptors caused the bleeding, which is part of Pink Button syndrome, but not it's only symptom. Pink Button is when a pup goes into scent- overstimulation." she re-explained patiently.

"Low blood pressure, trouble breathing, fatigue, are all symptoms. The seizure was rather extreme, but warranted considering the situation. A pup getting overstimulated at Disney World and one getting overstimulated during a kidnapping attempt are two very different things, after all."

Oh how Jimin wished that Jungkook had gotten overstimulated at Disney World. If only the extent of Jimin's problems were snuggling his baby at the Disney hotel and threatening to sue the resort for their poorly designed scent suppressor system.

But, no.

That's not what happened.

Jimin's precious baby was beaten, tied up, and driven to oversensitivity during a kidnapping.

"He didn't want to scent anyone else, but Jimin," Yoongi brought up, a frown on his face, "He freaked out when we got too close, but cried when we walked away. Was he just scared?"

"Oh," Dr. Seong said softly, looking at the pair sympathetically, "No, there's medical cause for that."

"Yes?" Jimin prodded

"Well, nearly all of Jungkook's scent receptors are damaged. Every scent would seem like his kidnapper's just because he was physically unable to smell anything else. He just couldn't tell the difference between your scents and those of his kidnapper. He was likely just clinging to Mss. Kim for physical comfort."

Yoongi blinked, "So, when we were trying to soothe him with our scents, he just smelled more Daehyun?"

The Doctor nodded.

Well, that's why he wasn't calming down in response to my scent. Poor baby thought he was still smelling Daehyun.

Wait. Fuck.

"I was scaring him," Jimin said blankly, "I was constantly pumping out my scent. My coat is still soaked through with oil. He must have been terrified."

A tentative hand reached out to cover Jimin's shaking one, "It's not your fault. For minor cases, that would have helped. It's just... This was an extreme case."

Jimin looked off into the distance, realizing just how much unneeded fear he had put Kookie though.

I was pumping out my scent. My entire back is slick with oil; I still reek. And the entire time, Jungkook thought he was smelling Daehyun.

"So, when he was asking to scent at home?" Yoongi asked, unaffected by the information. He hadn't even touched Jungkook: there was nothing for him to feel guilty about.

Dr. Seong sighed, leaning back slightly in her chair, and running a hand through her hair.

"Every time you approached him the smell of his kidnappers got stronger, and that's what he was reacting to. He just wanted to get away from Daehyun. And home is just the best thing a pup can come up with."

"There's also the fact that pups get sleepy during scenting, and Jungkook might have been running on instincts in that sense. He wanted to be alert until you got home. We can call a psychologist to talk to him, if you'd like, but I really don't see much of a need at the moment."

Jimin shook his head immediately. There was nothing wrong with his Jungkook; they didn't need a psychologist. "We'll pass on the appointment, thank you."

Dr. Seong nodded, "Well, that was everything. Do you have any questions? We can discuss treatment and upkeep when your mates arrive."

"Can we scent him when he wakes up?" Yoongi asked, glancing at the dozing pup in the hospital bed.

The Alpha doctor winced, "As we touched on before, the receptors in his nose are damaged. He won't be able to smell anything for a few days. But I do emphatically recommend cuddles and physical contact."

Jimin muttered a clipped, "Thank you."

The Doctor stood up, and the Kims followed suit, bowing slightly as she left. "I call first dibs on cuddles," Yoongi mumbled, now that they were alone.

Jimin slapped his chest, "Fuck you, Yoongi. This isn't kindergarten."
--

"Appa?" Kookie asked, blinking sleepily.

Yoongi carefully kept his distance from the pup, sitting at the very end of the bed, to make sure Jungkook couldn't smell him yet.

Yoongi smiled, "Hi, bunny. You feeling better?"

His pup nodded slowly, handing coming up to rub at his eyes. Jungkook seemed calm; the pup's scent was warm, sleepy, curious, but not much else.

Kookie's skin had its healthy, rosy-pink hue back, and his eyes, while sleepy, were alert. He looked so small in the big hospital bed, but he didn't look fragile. The Kims' pup was healthy, safe, and strong.

Any traces of blood had been wiped away. The cuts on his wrists and ankles were all neaty bandaged. The only sign that Jungkook was sick was the blushy color of his nose, and the IV line.

"Appa," Jungkook whined, squirming slightly.

"Yes? I'm right here, baby," Yoongi reassured, small flickers on panic fluttering in his stomach.

Jungkook looked at him, pouting, with an annoyed expression on his face; he made grabby hands at Yoongi, silently demanding his Appa pick him up.

Relief.

Relief was damn strong in Yoongi.

Almost immediately, the Alpha moved to the head of the bed. Jungkook was still hooked up to the IV, so Yoongi tucked the pup gently into his lap, letting Kookie's head rest against his scent gland.

Jungkook was a relaxed, warm bundle in Yoongi's arms, snuffling cutely against Yoongi's neck. The pup's hands kneaded at Yoongi's clothes, an irritated tick, that happened when Jungkook was anxious.

"Its okay, Kookie," Yoongi hummed, soothingly rubbing up and down the pup's back, "We're just in the hospital. Appa's here."

Mine. My pup.

If anyone had walked into the hospital room at that moment, Yoongi would have immediately pulled out his gun and shot them, with absolutely no thought.

Jungkook was back in his arms, and Yoongi was never going to let the the pup go.

Jungkook pressed his nose against Yoongi's neck, nuzzling along Yoongi's collarbones, searching for something, the faint scent of distress gradually getting stronger.

"Appa? Appa?" Jungkook whined.

"Appa's here baby," Yoongi purred soothingly, smoothing a hand down the pup's back, "It's hard to smell Appa isn't it?"

"Uh huh," Kookie whimpered, "Can't smell. Don't know where Appa is."

"That's because your nose had an ouchy, remember?" Yoongi explained gently, tugging Jungkook away from his neck.

"I wanna cuddle my Appa." Jungkook's voice sounded scared, lost, unsettled by the lack of Yoongi's scent.

The pup's light grasp around Yoongi's shoulders was broken, as Yoongi lifted the pup up, his large hands underneath Jungkook's arms. Jungkook wriggled slightly, trying to get back to the warmth of Yoongi's chest.

The image was a little reminiscent of the lion king, and Yoongi thought that the comparison between the prince cub of the African savannah and Jungkook was apt enough.

"Pup," Yoongi said, meeting Jungkook's scared eyes, "Look at me. I'm Appa. I'm your Appa. Look at me, Kookie."

Jungkook's eyes scanned Yoongi's face, tracing up the Alpha's nose and staring into Yoongi's intelligent eyes, trying to find comfort in visual similarities.

"Promise you're Appa?" Jungkook asked, chewing on his lip, hope in his eyes.

"I promise, Jungkookie. I'm Appa, the same person who taught you piano," Yoongi cooed, "Remember? Our favorite song? The really hard one?"

Jungkook blinked, "Chopsticks?"

Yoongi grinned, "Yep! Chopsticks. It goes like this doesn't it?"

Yoongi hummed out the tune, watching as Jungkook slowly relaxed. The pup might have been unnerved by the lack of Yoongi's scent, but the familiar melody undoubtedly made up for it. Yoongi had years of memories with Jungkook, and a little burnt nose wasn't going to scare his pup away from him.

"Appa, I want cuddles," Jungkook asked softly, hands patting at Yoongi's grip, finally believing Yoongi's identity.

With a sigh of relief, Yoongi cuddled his pup back to his chest. "I love you, Jungkook. Appa loves you."
-
Cold.

Cold.
Cold.
Cold.
Cold.
Cold.
Light. Hot, bright light. It hit against Kookie's eyelids. It hurt. Kookie didn't like it. A sound. Footsteps? Someone was with Kookie.

Danger, footsteps, no parents, open eyes, have to open eyes.

Kookie forced his eyes open, but he couldn't see. It was all blurry. He blinked, and again, and then he could see better.

The bright light hurt.

Kookie sniffed, trying to figure out where he was.

No smell. No smell?

Jungkook sniffed again. His nose hurt. Ouchy.

He didn't know where he was. What if he was still with Daehyun? Kookie didn't like it.

He looked around the room, and then realized. Person. There was a person there. Blonde hair. Appa has blonde hair. He couldn't smell person, though. Person could also not be Appa. Appa smelled like candles.

Kookie opened his mouth, it hurt, but he wanted Appa. Appa would keep him safe.

"Appa?"

Person smiled. "Hi, bunny. You feeling better?"

Bunny. Only Mommies and Daddies can call Kookie bunny. That was Appa. Safe. Safe.

The light still hurt, and Kookie rubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe the blurriness away. He was so sleepy. He wanted to nap. But, he also didn't want to sleep.

No, can't sleep, wait for parents, wait for protection,

Kookie moved his legs. His feet tickled. Maybe they were hurt. He didn't like that.

Kookie looked back up at Appa. Appa still hadn't come up to cuddle him. He wanted to scent Appa, and feel safe, so he could sleep.

"Appa," Jungkook whined, squirming slightly. Why wasn't Appa coming?

"Yes? I'm right here, baby," Appa said. Appa had a rough voice. Low and harsh. Strong. Appa was strong.

Appa was coming. He lifted Kookie up into his lap. Warm.

Safe.

Warm.

Strong, big arms wrapped around Kookie. Kookie couldn't even see outside, because Appa was so big. Appa could keep him safe. Kookie could sleep.

Kookie cuddled Appa, eyes closed. He waited for Appa's scent to come. He waited.

And waited.

Kookie frowned.

Appa? Appa smells like pretty candles? Can't smell Appa?

Kookie nosed around Person's neck, trying to find Appa's smell. He couldn't. There was no smell. None. No safe, warm smell.

Danger.

Not Appa. Not Appa. Not Appa.

"Appa? Appa?" Jungkook whined.

Can't find candles. Can't find candles.

A soft soothing purr. Kookie found it familiar. Relaxing. Deep, low, safe.

"Appa's here baby." A big hand petted Kookie's back. "It's hard to smell Appa isn't it?" "Uh huh," Kookie whimpered, "Can't smell. Don't know where Appa is."

Kookie was scared.

"That's because your nose had an ouchy, remember?" The words were gentle.

Ouchy? Kookie's had lots of ouchies but he could still always smell Appa. Person was lying.

But, then, hands pulled Kookie away from warm cuddles. Person was taking Kookie away. Person was making Kookie feel cold.

"I wanna cuddle my Appa." Jungkook told Person.

Kookie hated Person. He hated him. Person probably ate Appa. Person sucks that much.

Jungkook tried to get away, but Person's hands were strong. He held Kookie under his arms, and Kookie couldn't get away.

"Pup," Person said, looking at Kookie. "Look at me. I'm Appa. I'm your Appa. Look at me, bunny."

Kookie looked at Person.

Person had blonde hair. Appa had blonde hair.

Person had a cute nose like Appa.

Person had small, triangle eyes like Appa.

Person could be Appa? Maybe? Even though Person doesn't smell like Appa?

Maybe Person is Appa. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Not safe.

"Promise you're Appa?" Jungkook asked.

Person smiled. Person spoke warm words. Spoke like Kookie was important.

"I promise, Jungkookie. I'm Appa, the same person who taught you piano."

Appa did teach him piano. How would Person know that? Kookie frowned.

"Remember? Our favorite song? The really hard one?"

Hard piano song? Oh! It's, it's called... what was it....

Jungkook blinked, "Chopsticks?"

Person grinned, "Yep! Chopsticks. It goes like this doesn't it?"

Person hummed out the tune.

Hmm. Huhhmm. Hm, Hm, Hm.

Only Appa could know that song. Only Kookie and Appa know that song. Person was humming the song only Appa could know.

Appa.

Appa was humming.

Kookie relaxed. Safe. Parents here. Safe. Sleep. Can sleep. Safe.

"Appa, I want cuddles," Jungkook asked softly. He wanted to be warm. Appa was warm.

He patted Appa's hands. Appa was holding him up, so Kookie couldn't cuddle. Appa smiled, and quickly brought Kookie close.

Kookie was warm. He put his nose next to Appa's neck. He couldn't smell Appa, but that was okay. Appa was still humming chopsticks.

Kookie loved Appa, and Appa would keep Kookie safe while he slept. "I love you, Jungkook. Appa loves you."